《Cutthroat》


 Prologue - The first meeting

    Whiteness. Nothing but empty whiteness.


    Looking at my surroundings, I saw nothing but white that seemed to go for all eternity. I stood up from the same white floor I was lying down earlier and reached for a knifeunder my dress.


    ¡°Greetings.¡±


    A loud voice greeted me. Though it was loud, the voice only resounded inside my head. And even knowing that, I kept looking around, looking for the owner of the voice.Without notice my body was restrained by an invisible force and was lifted high up in the never-ending whiteness. It made me wonder if I''m able to reach the ceiling if I continued further.


    ¡°Hm¡­ you seem calm. That¡¯s good. This¡¯ll be fast.¡±


    And again, without notice, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen as I felt like something was churning inside of it.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You have this much but you don¡¯t have any affinity? This is good. Very good.¡±


    I felt like screaming as the pain continued to fester. It grew stronger the longer it got and I gasped for air.


    Gah! My voice! It won¡¯t come out!


    I struggled, I tried but it was for naught, my body wouldn¡¯t move as I wanted it to. I clenched my teeth trying to reach my knife.


    If only If I can just reach it¡­ Not good! It¡­ hurts¡­ t¡­ much¡­


    I feel sweat covering my whole body and the hand reaching for the knife went limp. I remember the last time I felt this same helplessness and I remember, I almost died.


    ¡°SH¡ªIT!¡±


    I screamed. My eyes trembled in pain and I felt my consciousness leaving me. I can¡¯t die here, not yet! I haven¡¯t seen them live their lives yet!


    I slowly blacked out.


    I still felt the pain as I swim deep into sleep. Though the pain was there, it was getting more duller than before to the point of it being bearable. But there was nothing I could do, for me to reach this far and to just suddenly die without notice¡ª!


    I just hope they can continue on with their lives. It would be a shame if they lived the life of vengeance as I have. I¡­ at least wish for them to find the happiness I couldn¡¯t.


    If I somehow survive this...

 Episode 1: Chapter 1 - A Certain Travel Diary (part 1)

    Day 6


    I finally found something to write with. I was surround by bandits when I woke up this morning, I guess they thought I might have some valuables due to my clothes. Anyway, ever since I arrived here I¡¯ve been stuck in this forest. Good thing I was able to set up traps and butcher them with knives I got from those bandits.


    But really, I¡¯m too lax. I could¡¯ve died earlier if I didn¡¯t wake up, Li would definitely hit me. Anyway, I¡¯ll at least keep a record of my daily life.


    Rabbit:


    It¡¯s white with red beady eyes and has a horn on it¡¯s forehead? (Wth is this?)


    Faster, stronger and can jump higher than normal rabbits


    Has a dull gray stone for a heart? (Another unbelievable thing)


    Taste better than common lapanTaken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Conclusion:


    What is this weird rabbit? I had a hard time killing it because it struggled too much. It jumped on my face when I reached it and almost hit my head when I fell down.


    I felt like I went back in time with the bandits¡¯ primitive clothing or even the whole concept of bandits! I was called a fool because I didn¡¯t know common sense! I mean, what IS common sense?! Isn¡¯t it common to think that there¡¯d be at least some civilization after I walked for 3 whole days?! Hunger and shelter wasn¡¯t a problem due to training but the only people I met tried to kill me and they act in such a primitive way that I can¡¯t understand what happened to me! And what¡¯s worse, I can¡¯t find Li and the others!!!


    I need to calm down, I let my emotions run through paper again or rather, parchment. I can¡¯t help it but, I really think I might¡¯ve went back in time, or at least that¡¯s what I want to think. But every time I remember that rabbit¡­ CALM DOWN! And stop wasting paper¡­


    Goals:


    I need to look for civilization


    I need money, supplies and proper gear


    Go back to the river and look for the others


    For now, this¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll just take the bandits¡¯ supplies and trek outside this forest. That¡¯s it. Calm down, it¡¯ll just be like any other stranded-lost-training that Li often make us do. Yes, it¡¯ll be fine. Common sense? What is that? Is it edible? And, where am I? Will I survive? Of course, I¡¯ll survive! I think?

 Episode 1: Chapter 2 - The Drowning Girl

    It¡¯s the 3rd day of the Sunlit Dark month. Due to my uncle¡¯s insistence, I was made to leave the country and start my 2 year long journey before I reach the age of 25. In Aurelis royalty, the 2 year long journey was the common practice that the children of royalty often do before we reach our coming of age. It was meant to serve as an experience for those who lived in comfort, to teach us to adapt. Though I need to move incognito and while other nobles aren¡¯t allowed to meddle, I was forced to leave the country and meet with my father¡¯s old friend and receive his blessing.


    After father''s coma, my uncle took over as the regent before I reach the age to ascend the throne. Aurelis, my kingdom is known for its strict and absolute monarchial laws. An apparent heir, who is part of the current royal family of Argent will ascend the throne at the age of 25: that, no matter the status of the current sovereign be it him alive and well, the apparent will take his place as the current sovereign and rule over the kingdom with their predecessor''s guidance. And as a precaution: if the apparent is still young and hasn''t reached the age of 25, a regent will be appointed. Most often the closest relative of the king or the current queen who is part of the royal family, and in this case, my uncle, was the closest legitimate candidate for regency.


    ¡°Your high¡ª *ehem* Theo, there¡¯s a river up ahead. I suggest we let the horses have a drink while we eat our lunch.¡±


    A man with the same age as me rode his horse beside mine. His long dark brown hair flew with the light breeze that passed through the trees, his blue eyes reminiscent of the sky held deep loyalty and a hint of worry.


    We¡¯ve been friends since we were young and even if he is of low birth, he built his own merits to be able to serve me as my close aide. In my country, he is the only person I trust the most aside from my family.


    ¡°I agree, we also need to get our bearings.¡±


    We¡¯ve been going around in circles the day we entered the forest. The Meldrid forest is known to be filled with ancient barriers that protects the forest-kin from the outside world. And it seems we¡¯ve passed through some traps that activated a barrier. The forest is fairly easy to navigate if one follows the small roads and animal trails that span inside the forest but somehow we¡¯ve lost our way.


    *Pfft!*


    I covered my mouth trying to stifle a laugh. Seeing Henry as graceful as he is, almost tripping from a root sticking out of the ground brought some of my tension down. For a strict man, he was often clumsy, especially when he worries.


    We tied our horses near the river bank to let them drink, then my men sat beside us creating a circle under a tree near the river bank. Uncle said I¡¯m able to bring up to 4 companions in my journey, so I chose Henry along with my escort knights as companion.


    After a small meal that Henry prepared, I stood to wash my hands in the river. I couldn''t stop but admire the crystal blue stream that glistened with the sun. My father used to tell me that rivers was thought of as roads of the forest, leading you to another place that is very different from this one.


    It would be a peculiar adventure if it were.


    I imagined while breathing in the forest scent through the breeze. I leaned with my hand sitting comfortably in the river bank. I daydreamed about the adventure and the forest breeze that comforted me slowly turned into a strong gale that centered on the wide river.


    "Your highness!"


    Henry called walking towards me slowly while bracing for the wind. The gale grew stronger enough to muster a huge pile of leaves and create a dust devil, with its strong gales pushing us down we braced ourselves. It continued for a little while and slowly subsided leaving a swirl of leaves floating in the air and rippled on the touched river.


    "What was that?"


    I asked dumbfounded, no one answered so I stood up to see what happened. Suddenly a hand reaches out from the river trying to pull itself up. The sudden splash of water startled everyone, touching the hilt of their swords in preparation for an attack.


    A small figure swam for its life and gasped for air, trying to keep itself from drowning. Instinctively, I removed my armor and jumped into the river. I saw the figure of a woman trying to swim up to the surface to no avail, I swam as fast as I could before it''s too late.


    And as I reach her, she slowly sunk in the water leaving a trail from her clothes. I swam down to lift her body, and as soon as her face left the water she instinctively gasped for air and jerked her eyes open. I carried her in my arm and swam back to shore.


    "Are you alright?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I sat her up and patted her back to expel water from her lungs. I saw my aide getting his sword out of its sheathe, ready to move in to attack. The woman may have felt it as she removed her hairpin that was stuck awkwardly in her drenched hair, ready to retaliate.


    Surprised with the sudden hostility, I moved my hand away from her back and gestured to Henry.


    "Stand down, Henry."


    I raised my hand as a gesture for him to stop.


    "But your highness, she might be one of the forest-kin! They''ll kill anyone who enters the forest with no hesitation!"


    He took a step forward and the leaves crunched under his foot.


    The forest-kin were unknown creatures with terrifying speed and strength. They hate outsiders and protects the Meldrid forest from those who intrude. The woman glared at him, then sudden coughs reached her throat leaving her to shake and gasp.


    I noticed the weird clothes she was wearing which was light and fluffy even though it was drenched. But what caught my eye even more was her peculiar purple hair that reached her lower-back. Her eyes was a clear deep blue perfectly placed in her small fair porcelain face, a different feel from Henry''s.


    She continued to cough expelling the water from her lungs when suddenly, thumping hooves and rustling, crunching leaves was coming towards us. I stood up and held my sword. Horses with men amassing to a hundred surrounded us, and in the middle, a man in armor approached us. He had messy wavy hair that reached his shoulders and his pale black eyes looked at us like we were prey.


    "Well, well, intruders. It seems that men from Aurelis are getting brave enough to enter the forest of Eloheim."


    His smirk annoyingly directed at me, his smile grew wider, my men formed a circle with me in the front and the woman in the middle still catching her breath.


    "Eloheim''s forest? Are you mad? This forest has been neutral since the dawn of both kingdoms."


    Henry drew his sword beside me and pointed it at the man.


    "Hah! Elohians are getting more arrogant by the day, the forest-kin will never allow you to prance around the great Meldrid forest."


    He continued and scoffed at the enemy getting ready to attack. The enemy drew their sword in response to his insult while I felt something pass by us. The woman I just saved stood in front of me facing the black-haired man.


    "Milady! Get away from them!"


    I screamed, she coughed a little.


    "A woman?! Heh. Alright boys, kill all the men but keep the woman and the two noisy ones alive."


    He exclaimed pleasantly surprised at the appearance of the woman. In an instant, I saw her throw something towards the enemy leader and in a blink of an eye, blood stated gushing out from his throat with what seemed to be orange and red flowers sticking out from it. He fell from his horse, catching ours and his men''s attention.


    Dumbfounded about what just happened, the woman walked towards his body and pulled out his sword as he drowned in his own blood. He tried to struggle away but the bloodlust coming off of the girl was too intense for him to move. Fear and despair painted his face, realizing his imminent death.


    "Shh... calm down. Don''t worry, I''ll make everything easier for you."


    She raised a finger to her mouth, lifted the sword with her right hand and cut his head clean. The blood that gushed out, now became a puddle that tinted the green grass, dark red. She turned towards her enemies with her hand splattered with blood and the stolen sword covered with the owner''s blood. A smile covered her face and even more bloodlust came seeping out from her.


    Everyone felt it, this spine-chilling, heart rendering killing intent emanated. Some stumbled and fell, others were able to run away. Those who were brave enough tried to attack her, with either confidence in their strength or it might have been their self-preservation telling them to fight. But those who attempted were met with the same sword that killed their leader. Every kill wasn''t just a flesh wound or a stab on their body, no, it was always a clean kill. Directly slicing the head off or stabbing the heart. Every movement was like a dance, lunging the sword and pulling it away, slicing the men before they can react and turning around as if she was twirling.


    Soon, she was able to kill up to almost thirty men without moving from where she was. Dead bodies piled around her as she sliced the air with the sword. In doing so, blood from all the men she killed was removed and splattered on the bark of the trees or on the grass.


    "I''m sorry for such a gruesome gratitude, but, thank you for saving me."


    As if nothing, she placed the sword on the ground and curtsied. She wasn''t playing around nor she was smiling, she was serious and truly grateful for me saving her. The sincerity in her eyes and the dead bodies that piled was the most eeriest image I have ever seen. She then walked towards us slowly, my men pointed their sword towards the unarmed woman who was avoiding us to get to the river.


    She washed her hands on the flowing river that turned a tinge of red every time blood made contact with it. She dove back in to wash her black sleeves and the fluffy silver skirt and her blood splattered face.


    "Calm down. I don''t plan on killing nor attacking any of you."


    She took out a wet red handkerchief from her pocket, wiping her face off some of the water. She clicked her tongue annoyingly at not being able to dry her face properly.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Henry pointed his sword on the back of her head. Then a rustle and a scream ran away from us catching our attention. When we looked back at the person washing her dress in the river, we heard another scream.


    ¡°UWAAAAAAAAAAH!!!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡±


    A dumb voice leaked out of my mouth when the woman vanished and ran after the escaping bandit. In her hand was the same sword she used to slaughter her enemies.


    ¡°Liam, prepare the horses! Henry we¡¯ll go after them!¡±


    I gave orders to my men, activating mana for a speed boost and ran leaving my armor behind. We soon caught up and found the woman at a distance beside yet another corpse.


    ¡°¡­ Who in the world are you¡­?¡±


    A gasp and a trailing whisper escaped Henry¡¯s mouth and the woman turned around with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I am¡­ hm¡­ I forgot?¡±


    Soon our horses¡¯ hooves resounded and arrived. My mind was blank, in the first time in a long while with my praised intellect as the Aureate Crown Prince of Aurelis. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was from what had transpired or from the woman whose beauty was incomparable to any woman I¡¯ve ever seen, but this journey might become the most interesting yet.

 Episode 1: Chapter 3 - Henry the Wary

    The forest that seemed to last forever shone like green jewels under the sun. Sunlight and green silhouettes danced as a soft breeze blew signifying mid-spring. And under these magnificent towering trees, we¡¯re traveling towards the neighboring kingdom, Eloheim.


    These past few days have been the worst and my most wariest yet. Because the one and only Aureate Prince of our kingdom, Prince Theo Eurig Argente of Aurelis, has taken in a stray or rather, an ominous woman. Yes, I admit, she has a surreal beauty that compliments the weird dress she¡¯s wearing, but her beauty, as it is a charming weapon, is the least scariest part of her.


    Aside from her purple hair and her quite convenient memory loss, she possesses monstrous strength, unmatched speed and magnificent sword skills that led her to kill almost fifty bandits in the forest, and yes, just by herself. As ungrateful this may sound, coincidences such as - a beauty with no memory to speak of, conveniently falls on the river right in front of his highness and has formidable skills in the sword - is an inevitable trap! And pray tell, she might be an assassin! Every time I see her innocent expressions and interaction with my master - sigh, I just can¡¯t help this scowl in my face.


    ¡°Hey. Stop showing such unsightly face to a lady.¡±


    His highness, who might¡¯ve been reaching his limit to my - rather excessive complaints and worry, called me out.


    ¡°I am sorry you¡¯re high-¡°


    ¡°Theo.¡±


    He cut me mid-sentence with an annoyed face that seems to be his default today as well. He pouts every time I forget, I am sorry but your highness, please act your age.


    ¡°Ah. Yes, I¡¯m sorry Theo, but I just can¡¯t help but be wary.¡±


    I rectified myself and stood beside him whispering my words. He gave me a complicated smile that wants to give me a reassuring smile but at the same time, his continuous exasperated expression seem to be permanently plastered on his face. I really am sorry, however, it is my job to be wary as his highness is too carefree.


    I called his highness in such a rude way due to his decision of traveling incognito towards the bordering fief in Eloheim, Marquis Mastris¡¯ fief. Although the two countries¡¯ relationship had been on edge this past generation, the marquis is still the former Aureate King¡¯s good friend. And as proof of his relations to the former King, he tried his best to stop the wars from ever happening. Though I fear that once Lord Mastris is gone, an all out war would dawn on both countries.


    ¡°Henry, I know you¡¯re wary of the lady. But needless worry will lead to stress and right now, we really need to raise morale as it seems we¡¯ve been stuck here in this forest for almost 3 days already.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    We continued to walk while the leaves crunch underneath our feet. Our group consists of 4 of the royalty¡¯s elites excluding his highness. Though we all wore inconspicuous light armor, walking continuously for days and our dwindling supply which was not much as it is, causes the others to worry.


    Meldrid forest was the biggest reason for this, the forest is very hard to navigate even if you take a straight direct route. It is said that there are magic barriers that makes travelers lose their bearing in order to hide the forest-kin¡¯s settlement.


    ¡°Theo, why don¡¯t we look for the river again and find our way by following it.¡±


    A soft voice that sound like a soothing bell called to his highness and spoke informally. My brow twitched unconsciously at her suggestion. Then¡ª


    ¡°We would¡¯ve done that if we knew where the river is! If it wasn¡¯t for you running after that last bandit, we would¡¯ve been able to-!¡±


    (Find our way!) is what I wanted to say, then realized I unconsciously raised my voice. I clicked my tongue and looked away. His highness let out another weary sigh and tapped my shoulder.


    ¡°Calm down Henry. Here, cool yourself.¡±


    The prince handed me his leather water bag. The water bag is a magnificent magic tool that converts mana into water. As long as the surrounding area has mana, water will continuously fill and pour out of the water bag. I drank from it feeling my throat parched from worrying. I glanced at the woman and surprisingly, she was unfazed by my sudden outburst.


    ¡°I see¡­ If it¡¯s that, I remember where the river is and where we¡¯ve been.¡±


    The woman answered in thought. She turned and faced behind us. Speechless, the knights accompanying us looked at her in doubt. I found myself agape and water pouring out of my mouth, but followed her as she led the way.


    Half an hour later, we were able to hear the sound of the river right ahead of us.


    ¡°The river¡¯s there but I can sense some movement near it. Animals maybe?¡±


    She lowered herself and hid behind a tree, we all followed suit and readied ourselves for another group of bandits.


    ¡°Milady, how did you know where to go earlier?¡±


    His highness asked lowering himself near the woman. She raised her fingers to her lips, beckoning us to keep quiet. Through the trees, we saw a group of people resting near the river. There were 3 men and one woman.


    ¡°They¡¯re wearing armor. Are they enemies? Should I kill them?¡±


    The woman placed her hand on the hilt of the very same sword she used to kill the bandits that attacked us a couple of days ago. Theo immediately held her arm and shook his head.


    ¡°Milady, calm down. They might be harmless.¡±


    He turned to me and tilted his head towards the group of people, ordering me to find out who they are. I gave the woman a glance, her hand remained on the sword but she was calm, then I nodded in agreement to his highness¡¯ order. I took two knights with me and we deliberately rustled the surrounding leaves.


    ¡°. . .¡±


    They all turned towards us readying to attack.


    ¡°Greetings.¡±


    One of the armored men, a young man that looked similar to the red-headed girl with him eyed us from head to toe.


    ¡°Do you have the parcel that¡¯s supposed to arrive in Mastris territory 2 days ago?¡±


    Parcel. That would be his highness then. I breathe a sigh of relief, the marquis must¡¯ve sent them.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve come to receive the parcel.¡±


    The red-headed young man calmed his companions and bowed his head. Finally, we¡¯ll be out of this forest.

 Episode 1: Chapter 4 - The Lad, the Missy an the Dwarven Blacksmith

    I continued ta pump air ¡®nto the ¡®earth ta keep the ¡®eat going while I wait fer the metal ta soften ta a malleable state. My glove-covered ¡®ands reached fer the ¡®ammer seeing as the metal I was forgin¡¯ was reaching the right temperature. Clank! Clank! Rhythmically echoes as I ¡®it the metal inside the small workshop behind my shop. I stopped ta check, the piece of metal was slowly turnin¡¯ into a fine sword an¡¯ as if right on time, the door ta my shop opened with the bell ringin¡¯ an¡¯ two customers walking in. I dropped the hot metal into a barrel filled with water while a young man entered. Though he looks young, his delicate features an'' dignified aura shows that the lad came from a good family.


    Hmph. A noble maybe?


    I quietly said ta myself. His stance says he¡¯s a seasoned warrior but as a noble¡¯s son, he may be hard ta deal with. The other, his companion, was a young woman. She was quite tall but the right size fer the young lad. Unlike the lad, she ¡®as an air of elegance at every step that flowed through her simple dress an¡¯ not a single drop of the lad¡¯s bearings. It made me think the missy ¡®ave no interest with swords. I sat me-self on the counter as I wait fer them ta look around or ask questions.


    He might be boasting ta the missy about swords.


    I said grumpily ta me-self while looking at ¡®em. Contrary ta what I was thinking, the missy moved away from the lad an'' started looking at the swords ¡®erself. While the young man was absorbed with the good long swords. Thinking he might have a good eye, the missy picked up a rapier hanging on the wall. It was a simple rapier with black colored bronze as its guard. Though simple, it was one o¡¯ my prized creation, because the blade was made from a very rare metal called Mithril.


    After the Magi War, ores such as Mithril an'' Adamantite became rare. During those times, it was mined excessively due ta Mithril¡¯s superior properties against normal steel an'' it¡¯s high conductivity ta magic. Adamantite on the other hand, was hard ta mine, the only mine left in existence was ¡®idden in the depths of Meldrid forest.


    Noticing my gaze, the missy bowed her ¡®ead an'' as did I in return. It seems I misjudged her as she was able ta carry the rapier properly an'' brought ¡®erself into a stance, thrusting the air around the shop.


    ¡°A rapier huh? I thought for sure you¡¯d want a long sword.¡±


    The lad, walked beside her but still maintaining the distance as she swings the sword in the spacious part of the store. He borrowed the rapier an'' slowly, his eyes turned round in excitement an'' surprise.


    ¡°OLD MAN! HOW MUCH FOR THIS RAPIER!?¡±


    He ran ta the counter. As rude as he may sound, his excitement was understandable. Realizing his rude outburst, he coughed an'' fixed his demeanor.


    Ruffled me beard fer a moment there.


    I coughed an'' looked at the missy who was puzzled with the lad. She slowly approached as she asked.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Theo, you¡¯re buying it?¡±


    She tilted her head, as if her beauty an'' elegance wasn¡¯t enough, she added more cuteness ta the mix. Though, the lad wasn¡¯t fazed by it, he was smiling warmly at the missy as if she were precious.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like. The blade is of excellent quality too, it¡¯s made of the same material as my sword. I¡¯m sure it would suit your skills well.¡±


    My eyes widened at what he said. As rare as Mithril was, blacksmiths who¡¯re able ta handle it were rare as well. The material has magnificent qualities, but if not handled properly, it won¡¯t harden enough an'' the strength an'' conductivity would reduce. Which means!


    ¡°LAD! WHO MADE YER SWORD!?¡±


    I stood from the counter, I walked towards him an'' asked fer his sword. I coughed again, I''ve caught the screamin'' bug, looks like.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ The old man Dale from Aurelis.¡±


    He took his sword out an'' handed it facing the hilt ta me.


    Indeed! It¡¯s that bastard¡¯s sword!


    Cold sweat dripped from me face. Dale was the first dwarf ta openly market himself ta humans saying ¡®Don¡¯t ye know humans are the most profitable market right now?!¡¯ An'' he was right. With the sudden boom o¡¯ hunters exploring the world, an'' the short life span o¡¯ humans compared ta us dwarves, we were able ta establish ourselves with our skills as reliable blacksmiths fer hunters.Even me-self, Gallos, is known throughout the country o¡¯ Eloheim, as one of the best smiths around.


    Problem is, I can¡¯t keep up with me fame. Fame comes recognition, once people know that yer good, not only a huge amount o¡¯ requests would pile up, but absurd an'' annoying requests will come as well. Though me skills pale in comparison ta Dale, I decided ta follow what he did an¡¯ choose only those who will properly take care of their swords. So, I hid myself here, in the outskirts of Eloheim, in Marquis Mastris¡¯ fief an'' sold swords ta young soldiers an'' hunters who¡¯re protecting the borders against the magical beasts from the Meldrid forest.


    ¡°Theo was it? Is the sword fer the missy?¡±


    The lad nodded. My eyes met with the missy, she had a strong gaze but I still wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able ta use it.


    ¡°Armor too, please.¡±


    She said quiet enough fer me ta hear. Armor? What will such a delicate lady such as her have any use fer it? The lad I understand since he needs ta learn the sword even if he¡¯s a noble, but I can¡¯t seem ta grasp the missy¡¯s intention nor her skills.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell ye armor but not the sword.¡±


    I took the sword an'' stepped back ta the counter.


    ¡°Hm? Why not?¡±


    I sat an'' sighed at the same time I dropped my weight unto the chair.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not sure if she can use it right. Are ye hunters anyway?¡±


    They looked at each other speechless, while the missy puzzled.


    ¡°Well, I do have a license but she seems to have lost her memories so we¡¯re not sure if she even has one. I can vouch for her skill though.¡±


    He explained nervously. He gulped an'' walked nearer ta me trying ta whisper something.


    ¡°She may look like that but I think she¡¯s way stronger than me. She seems to like the sword so can you at least see if she¡¯s worthy of it?¡±


    I crossed my arms an'' stroked my long beard that I was proud of. He has a point an'' the missy did seem like she knows how ta use it at least.


    ¡°Alright. In that case, let¡¯s go get your license, then I¡¯ll decide.¡±


    As if she was even more confused, she tilted her head. The lad beamed happily while saying ¡®Good for you!¡¯ ta the missy.


    ¡°But first, look fer some proper armor an'' change that dress. By the way, the name¡¯s Gallos¡±


    Surprised, probably forgetting etiquette the lad hurriedly bowed in an elegant manner an'' introduced himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I lost myself there. My name¡¯s Theo and this one here is¡­¡±


    Responding ta his glance, the missy pulled her skirt an'' bowed her head.


    ¡°¡­Violet. Nice to meet you Sir Gallos.¡±


    They looked around some more while the lad chose some good armor for the missy. That was the day when I can finally say that I encountered the perfect swordsman, or rather, swordswoman.

 Episode 1: Chapter 5 - A Certain Travel Diary (part 2)

    Day 7


    It seems hunters are not what I think it is, is my common sense that lacking? Have I really wasted my life studying? Should have I just went with my sister instead of college? Well, enough about that. When I reached the town that those hunters told me about and what I saw defied my common sense once again. I see, if this keeps up I might lose my mind. Li might just accept this without thought though. The number of the bustling wasn¡¯t surprising, rather, the types (or races?) of the people overwhelmed me. For a geek like me, I have a higher tolerance for unknown knowledge and hopes to pursue them, but being slammed with it is whole another thing! Anyway, as the types,


    I can see three in this town: humans as majority, dwarves and those people with weird silver skin and horns growing out of their heads are¡­ demons, they say? But I thought demons live in hell or at least they should be there! And they command hellfire and shit! Why¡¯re they here?! Good thing I was able to buy parchment by selling the dismantled rabbit. Apparently, those rabbits are called horned rabbits and I was told I¡¯m pretty agile for catching 16 or them. It earned me 32 silvers in total. The denomination of money here are just called iron, copper, silver and gold coins.


    1 iron = 1 dollar


    1 copper = 10 irons


    1 silver = 10 coppers


    1 gold = 10 silvers


    It¡¯s annoying that I have to pay 2 silvers just to enter the town but, oh well. I¡¯m a foreigner after all and without immigration papers at that, I should¡¯ve brought my passport. Will it work, though? Then onwards to the next agenda!


    My goal this time are:


    Register in the hunter¡¯s guild (for identification)


    Information (who, what, where)


    I need supplies and proper gear


    I need more money (just in case)


    Go back to the river and look for the others


    ***


    I just registered in the guild. I was given a rank B license because I beat the guild master. Huh. They said, they should¡¯ve given me an A but the highest they could give was B. And another common sense breaking shit! I¡¯m a friggin¡¯ magician! I mean MAGIC! One of the wonders of the world of fiction. A must have in a fantasy setting! What? What is this? Is this a world transfer novel? Am I a hero destined for greatness?!?!?!?!?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ***


    Yes, I am calm. My current job title as a hunter is a Rune Knight and my magical aptitudes are: earth, water, wind, fire and light. They also said that my magical aptitude is too OP due to most people only having 1 or 2 aptitudes at best. The guild master recommended that I register in the Magician¡¯s guild as well.


    So I went. I chose the alchemist title because I did have a degree in chemistry. There¡¯s also a magic crafter title, might be good once I met with the others. Next is information, to the library!


    ***


    I knew it. Since parchment is already expensive, books even cost a fortune. So now I have to pay each time I enter the library. Your excellency the Marquis? Why would you do this to your citizen? Such an expensive price just to enter! Why would it cost 10 silvers just to enter! At least they give you free parchment.


    According to my research this world is called Eorth. Yeah¡­ sounds like a rip off of Earth. It has another title though, ¡®The Garden of God¡¯. Is that the garden of Eden? Is it the same?


    Next, magic is everywhere! That explains why their technology is so primitive. When I entered the town, the houses are mostly made of bricks covered with a thatched roof. Some of the important government facilities and most buildings in the main street uses clay for their roof. And most can¡¯t afford horses so you can see people pulling carts from outside the city. Can¡¯t complain about the hygiene though, the town is very clean even the stables in the guilds doesn¡¯t smell that bad. The people¡¯s countenance are satisfied and even those other races seems to be happy. It seems the Marquis is doing his job properly.


    Now, where was I? Ah, magic! The 4 main elements are also the same as Earth¡¯s classical elements: earth, water, wind and fire. Those are the most common elements that people often use and have the aptitude for. There¡¯s also light and dark, light is often used by the church or the Light God and dark is used by the cult of the Dark God. Geh. What¡¯s with this? Some fight between dark and light? A church and a cult? Don¡¯t tell me a holy crusade might break out.


    And finally, where am I? It seems I¡¯m in a town called Turqo, the main town of the Marquis Mastris¡¯ territory. It¡¯s in the kingdom of Eloheim bordering the Meldrid forest where the forest-kin dwells. On the other side of the forest is the Golden kingdom of Aurelis. Aurelis? So redundant! Golden kingdom? Aurelis already sounds like Aurum, gold¡¯s latin name! The hell?


    Eloheim¡¯s form of government is aristocracy-based. They have an emperor but they also have a senate like the Greeks? Aurelis on the other hand is a monarchial government. And they call them the Aureate King until the previous generation. Hm? What happened?


    I see, after the failed coup from the Ferro nobility, the Argent nobility absorbed the Aurelis royal family who only have women as heirs and a very weak grandson. I see, I see. So much drama. Argent? Ferro? What¡¯s with this! Haha! At least it has a proper trend.


    ***


    I guess that¡¯s it for today. I need to find an inn then earn money through the Hunters Guild. I¡¯ll just look for a proper map for this country and Meldrid forest then I¡¯m done! Good thing I¡¯m good at memorizing stuff. Now, where should I eat afterwards?

 Episode 1: Chapter 6 - The Scariest Guild Exam

    It was the perfect sunny day. The best day to run laps around the training grounds and train, so I made the newbies who¡¯re eager to rank up run 50 more laps and swing their weapons a thousand more times.


    I was doing what I¡¯ve always done here behind the guild - training the newbies.


    ¡°WHAT?! NOOOOOOO!!!¡± The newbies yelled in unison at the order.


    Indeed, it was the perfect sunny day, until she came.


    Wilma our pretty guild receptionist came from the front to bring an examinee. There were three people, a young man in light armor carrying a long sword, all looking rare and expensive. Gallos, a well-known blacksmith that only sell his swords to good swordsmen, and finally, her.


    The most beautiful young lady I¡¯ve ever seen in these parts. I mean, Wilma is plenty pretty, but her beauty was a different level. As if, her body was oozing of beauty and elegance.


    She was wearing a black dress vest, probably made of Grimm Spider silk, gloves that covered the forearms and boots that covered up to her knees from Whelk Harpies¡¯ leather. Though, it was more or less a guess, those were materials that Gallos often use for light armors. She chose well.


    ¡°Mister Ken, this is Miss Violet. She¡¯ll be taking the exam.¡±


    Wilma introduced the young lady and in turn she bowed.


    ¡°Miss Violet, once you finish the assessment, it¡¯s possible for you to jump ranks up to B. But that will depend on Mister Ken here. Since we mostly base ranks on physical prowess, everything will depend on this. I will explain the rest after the assessment. Please get ready.¡±


    After shooing the trainees, I stood on the other end of the field and placed my two-handed sword over my shoulder.


    ¡°If you please.¡±


    Gallos handed her a rapier.


    ¡°Ey Kenny! This missy wants ta buy the sword so make sure that she shows me her skills an¡¯ not finish her off right away! If possible!¡±


    Gallos called to me pointing at the young lady. She wore the rapier on her red belt and started stretching her body. The young man with her sat in the fence full of smiles and anticipation. I just noticed that the young man was the Rank A that was currently visiting from Aurelis.


    Rank As are rare because they need to have good combat skills and magic abilities. Since magic is hard to learn for commoners who don¡¯t have access to expensive magic books or heirloom magic, only seasoned hunters or strong nobles are able to afford them. Which means, he might be a noble. I stopped and looked at the young lady who was still stretching.


    He¡¯s spoiling her, huh. She might¡¯ve thought that she wants to be an hunter too.


    I said under my breath as to not let them hear. The trainee gathered on one corner eyeing the young lady¡­ boys will be boys I guess¡­This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    As I thought.


    The young lady drew her sword standing with an open stance full of holes.


    ¡°Should we start?¡±


    She asks. I smiled.


    I¡¯m sorry young lady, I need to show you how harsh the world of hunters is.


    I nodded. In a blink of an eye, the 10m distance between us vanished and like a phantom, her tied purple hair flashed before my eyes. Hundreds of thrusts barraged towards me as I hastily defended with my sword.


    Clang clang clang - hundreds of hits resounded from the other side of my sword, the continuous hit to my broad blade lasted only for a couple of seconds and round house kick met my side.


    If the blade wasn¡¯t wide enough, as slow as I was, I might¡¯ve been hit with one of those thrusts. The blade of my sword gave me enough leeway to be able to defend from such continuous and fast attacks.


    Caught off-guard, I was flying across the field with my whole weight of nothing but muscles. What stopped my flight was the big tree at the edge of the training ground.


    Tok, tok, tok. Her slow elegant heeled steps could be heard approaching me. I tried to regain my composure and stood up, I flew for about 15m and probably more if the tree wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Continue?¡±


    She stopped and asked in a stance ready to run up to me. I stood up and held my sword. This time, it¡¯s my turn. I kicked the floor and moved towards her, it may not have been the same speed that she did but it was fast enough to close the gap in an instant.


    I tried to slice her but every time I try, she would hold the side of the sword and push it away or it''d seemed like she was pushing herself away from the sword. Sometimes she would also parry with the thin blade of the rapier. ¡®Gallos! What¡¯s with this sword!?¡¯ I screamed internally. Each and every slash was evaded or parried and seeing my sword being touched and pushed away as if it was nothing felt irritating.


    Looking like she was getting bored of the exchange, she kicked the blade downwards stabbing it into the ground halfway through. And what greeted me after that was another kick.


    This time it was to the gut and it was stronger than the first as I helplessly crashed on the guild walls, destroying it and leaving a hole big enough for anyone to enter.


    ¡°Continue?¡±


    She asked again. I rubbed my head and sat up, feeling the broken bricks slide down from me, I smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Mister Ken?!¡±


    Wilma screamed from the other side of the wall.


    ¡°Wil, I guess the test is over. You can give her a rank B.¡±


    I smiled bitterly again as I try to stand. The young lady approached with a hand and a small smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong Mister Ken.¡±


    I accepted the gesture and stood up with her help. From the side, I saw Gallos¡¯ mouth agape with round eyes and the young man proudly smiling at the young lady. While the newbies who were spectating have the same exact expression as Gallos.


    ¡°Violet was it? Congrats.¡±


    I placed my hand on top of her head and rubbed it. She closed her eyes, bracing for the rough patting and pouted after.


    ¡°¡­. I¡¯m sure Guren will be very angry.¡±


    I sighed looking at the destruction so early in the morning.


    ¡°She¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    The young man who was with her spoke while she left talking to the dwarf.


    ¡°Yeah, though for such a skinny girl to have so much strength, it makes me feel like all these muscles are just for show.¡±


    My shoulder drooped and he just laughed under his breath with eyes adoring Violet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, for you to withstand that your muscles helped a lot. If it was me without magic, I would¡¯ve been crushed.¡±


    He hugged himself imagining the kicks earlier. True, if he indeed received that, he might¡¯ve been¡­ nodding to myself, I realized. Was she using magic?


    ¡°Wait, did she use strengthening magic?¡±


    The young man looked at me and laughed.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just pure monstrous strength.¡±


    Monstrous¡­ for a Rank A to call that girl, what kind of training did she endure just to get that strong with such a small frame.


    ¡°A-are you sure?¡±


    The young man nodded and smiled once again seeing Gallos praise her with such enthusiasm.


    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t feel any mana surge around her nor did she use any, right? Surprised me too, you know.¡±


    I looked at the young lady and thought that the perfect day just got scarier. What would¡¯ve happen if she used magic with that strength.

 Episode 1: Chapter 7 - Magic Aptitude

    ¡°Alright Miss Violet. Please place your hand on that glass ball so we can measure your magical aptitude.¡±


    I said while opening the door to the magic aptitude test room. The seemingly clueless beauty titled her head and looked at the pretty boy she was with. I was dying inside at the smile he directed at her. His radiant smile is brighter than the sun, complimented with his golden hair and those golden eyes that seemed to shine within. His perfect glowing face paired with her eerie beauty.


    Ahhhh! Who is she?! I thought her face was all she had, but that strength and she¡¯s with that pretty boy! So unfair! Old man Guren will definitely get angry at us! And to get that muscle-head Ken to give her a rank B assessment!


    ¡°It¡¯s to measure your magic. The earlier assessment was for your strength and combat skills, this time it¡¯s for your magical aptitude.¡±


    The pretty boy explained and urged her towards the room where the glass ball is with a reassuring smile.


    Oh my dear light! Where were you all these years?! *sigh*


    I felt my mask coming undone and hardened my expression back to shape.The opened room was the same as ever, it was dimly lit with a magic circle in the middle and a glass ball in a pedestal. Her head tilting and asking feels like it will make my mask fall off, I felt my facial muscle twitch with her every movement.


    Calm down me! Don¡¯t let this deceiving woman get the better of you! But why is she so pretty too?! No! There¡¯s no way such a beauty exist! How can I get that hunk to look at me if you¡¯re this perfect?!


    ¡°A crystal ball? Fortune telling?¡±


    She tilted her head questioningly at the glass ball, not noticing the battle against myself. She looked behind and saw pretty boy staying outside, I urged her to come closer to the pedestal. I moved beside her and activated the magic circle using the glass ball to get it over with. With a soft hum of the magic circle, the glass ball started to float from the cushion it was sitting on.


    ¡°Please place your hand on the glass ball.¡±


    She placed her hand on the ball. The ball glowed a dim white light and turned into a full blackness that seemed to glow brighter from within. An eerie scene enveloped the room, but the blackness was so bright it felt like the weird profound darkness would suck everything in.


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡±


    What¡¯s this?! Pure blackness?! Is this her aptitude?! Is it broken?!


    ¡°P-p-please w-wait a moment!!!¡±


    I stuttered running outside at full speed. I ran towards the stairs, I felt my non-existing muscles move forcefully as I pant when I reached a door. My destination was the guild master¡¯s office.


    Old man Guren! Please help! What¡¯s with that woman?! She keeps breaking stuff!


    I opened the door slamming it on the wall. I found a dumbfounded guild master sitting behind his desk signing papers. His tiny spectacles fell down from his nose and unto his lap.


    The old elf¡¯s face was filled with shock and though he was already 312 years old, he still looked like he¡¯s still in his 30s.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Sir Guren! There¡¯s a woman! Hah! She destroyed the wall¡ª umm¡­ hah¡­ yeah! Her glass ball was black! And¡­ and..¡±


    I tried to tell him what happened, but panic and tiredness gripped my lungs and throat. Words couldn¡¯t form from my often articulate mouth.


    ¡°C-calm down Wilma. Take a breath.¡±


    He picked up his spectacles and pushed it up his nose, brushed his greenish-yellow hair back and collected himself from my outburst. I relaxed and did as he said so.


    ¡°Now then, tell me.¡±


    ¡°We had a newcomer take the licensure exam and she was accompanied and recommended by an A-ranker and Mister Gallos. She¡­¡±


    He nodded urging me to go on, I hesitated but nodded in return while thinking he¡¯d know about the broken wall later anyway so might as well tell the old man about it now.


    ¡°She successfully got a B-rank recommendation from Mister Ken for beating him and breaking the guild wall near the training grounds.¡±


    I saw the smiling face he wore twitch a little bit at those words. He was smiling but his eyes weren¡¯t. A chill ran down my spine thinking that he¡¯d go berserk again.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°S-sir Guren! That¡¯s not all!¡±


    I interrupted him right away and this time, it seemed like a vein was ready to pop from his temples saying ''that''s not all, you say?!''


    ¡°Umm¡­ she¡­ the glass ball broke and only displayed pure blackness but glowed brighter than any aptitude test I¡¯ve ever seen. I think she¡­ broke¡­ it¡ª?¡±


    I stopped. I looked up and the old man¡¯s face looked even more shocked than earlier. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaped. His forehead was drenched in sweat and you could clearly see it dripping down.


    Is the glass ball that expensive?! Do we need to take a loan¡­ wait¡­ WILL THE GUILD CLOSE DOWN?!


    He stood suddenly and his chair creaked badly, falling backwards.


    ¡°A-are you sure?! Are you sure it¡¯s pure black?!¡±


    His calm demeanor turned to panic and his body shook slightly.


    ¡°Ye-yes¡­?¡±


    Confused, I answered in a question. He hurriedly fixed himself and went towards me.


    ¡°Wilma.¡±


    He held my shoulders and bent a little to level his eyes with mine. Then his dark emerald eyes trained their seriousness with mine.


    ¡°Keep this a secret from everyone.¡±


    Unconsciously or rather, you could say because of the tension, I nodded frantically. He let go of me and went to the door.


    ¡°Now, where is this newly assessed hunter?¡±


    He pushed his tiny spectacle up his nose and asked me.


    What¡¯s with this tension?! This is so out of character! Is the glass ball really that expensive?!


    ¡°She¡¯s downstairs inside the magic aptitude test room.¡±


    The often calm guild master now opened the door with trembling hands and went down with me following behind. I couldn¡¯t help but worry about what would happen. I haven¡¯t seen the old man this tense aside from when he¡¯s angry, but right now he looks nervous for some reason. I felt my finger itch as I stopped the urge from biting my nails.


    When we reached the room, we saw the pretty boy looking at the glass ball. A hunter''s aptitude is supposed to be personal information but I guess it was also my fault when I left the door open for him to enter.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s dark magic?¡±


    His dashing appearance never changed even in deep thought, or you could say he looked handsomely mysterious with his thoughtful face. Ah~¡­ where did he come from? Please stay here¡­


    ¡°Greetings. I am Guren, the guild master of this branch.¡±


    Old man Guren greeted the two who¡¯re inside the room. The girl remained silent and bowed her head while the pretty boy smiled. He seemed to glitter when he heard the old man¡¯s name.


    ¡°Guren the Forest Knight? It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you! I¡¯m Theo a rank A from Aurelis and this is¡­¡±


    He turned to introduce the woman.


    ¡°¡­Violet¡­¡±


    She said quietly, feeling unsure of her name. What¡¯s with that?!


    Guren acknowledged the introduction and cleared his throat while approaching the glass ball. He examined it and released my mana that activated it. He then instilled his own mana on the magic circle and activated it with more force than usual.


    ¡°Hmmm. Yes, Miss Violet is it? Please place your hand on it again, if you would. I wish to confirm something.¡±


    He urged the woman to place her hand again on the glass ball. Does he doubt my abilities? I tried to glare at him but he brushed it and continued to watch over the woman. She nodded and approached the ball with more familiarity than her first try.


    And as you may expect, the ball glowed with infinite blackness, much stronger than the previous. In the middle of the ball felt like a vortex that can suck in anything and everything.


    ¡°I-I see¡­ I guess it¡¯s the truth then.¡±


    What d¡¯ya mean the truth you old retard?!


    I angrily stomped my foot and glared at the old elf. I felt under-appreciated because of this farce. And It seemed that it might continue for the days to come¡­

 Episode 1: Chapter 8 - A Certain Travel Diary (part 3)

    Day 29


    So¡­ I¡¯ve been ¡®hunting¡¯ this past few days and I found that the most common monsters in the forest are:


    1. Horned rabbit - white fluffy angora-looking rabbits with red beady eyes and a small horn on their head. They¡¯re a lot, so I wasn¡¯t surprised that this is the territory¡¯s specialty. They taste awesome and I can say for sure that Li will love this very much! Ahh~¡­ I want to cook for her.


    2. Peach fox - they¡¯re basically fennec foxes with colors ranging from light pink to orangey-pink? What was it again? Salmon? Is that Nadi¡¯s hair color? Bah, I don¡¯t know¡­ men aren¡¯t supposed to know that much color, but for the sake of records I shall do my job diligently.


    3. Ground Bear - even my cute aesthetics are touched by this creature. It has a rugged-edgy appearance and texture like that of cut stone but it¡¯s shape is roundish that it triggers my ¡®cuteness is justice!¡¯ virtue. It¡¯s smaller than normal bears (If such a thing do exist in this world. I even question my own brain, sometimes.), since I haven¡¯t found any cubs around so I guess this is it, just a bear, no cubs. Warning: don¡¯t be fooled by its appearance because it will maul you when your guard is down due to its cuteness.


    4. Breeze Wolf - I guess they¡¯re named like that because they can use wind magic. But at least change it to gale wolf! That motherfucker almost blew me away! Friggin¡¯ breeze doesn¡¯t even cut it! I digress, it''s pale green in color with a fluffy tuft on its chest and forehead like a pompadour. XD


    5. Meldrid Deer - they¡¯re rare and often seen north of the river. They look like normal deers and have spots but instead of white spots like common fawns, they have rainbow jewel like things embedded on them. Stags are even luxurious, instead of typical antlers, it looks like a giant gemstone carved into a jagged set of antlers. Their fur also varies from white to pale blue and the color of the gem depends on the magic they are able to use. Yes, they are able to use magic. Seems like the king of the forest is strong on this one. Haha. They can also hop on air, like what I would imagine Santa¡¯s reindeers would do.


    So far, they¡¯re the only ones I¡¯ve encountered. I¡¯ll update more next month. I heard there were other kinds of bears though¡­


    Now for magic. I¡¯ve made some experiments after reading the book ¡®Beginner¡¯s guide to magic¡¯. Hey, mister author. Can¡¯t you at least give it a more enthusiastic title? It¡¯s sooo boring!


    Anyway, it said that practicing magic by yourself is dangerous and should have a tutor watching over you but since I don¡¯t have time nor money for such luxury, I never listened.


    Besides, I¡¯ve managed by myself! I sat beside the river in the forest when practicing fire! I tied myself to a tree when using wind magic! And I stayed far away from any bodies of water when using water magic so I wouldn¡¯t drown. Earth was the easiest but I never died! I got injured though, but it doesn¡¯t hurt! Promise! (It hurt¡­)


    I go off tangent, but ta-da~! Here¡¯s the result:


    Observation 1: Magic is based on an image ¡ª It can be said through incantations like asking the elements to form this and that. They say it¡¯s a trigger but chant-less magic is easier for me. The book said that chant-less magic is trickier compared to the other, but it isn¡¯t rare. Only those who have deeper understanding of the elements are able to use it. Mostly elves and daemons.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Observation 2: Magic can be anything ¡ª since there is already a preconception that you can only use the four elements, only a handful can use secondary elements by combining two classical elements. As for my case who studied chemistry, I¡¯ve become omnipotent? I can basically control nature from normal control through growth and accumulation, materialization and dissolution. I can bend the law of nature with my will due to my knowledge of science! It¡¯s a huge help with my job too, because now I can make unlimited runes without using any materials! Yay!


    Observation 3: Mana is used in magic ¡ª mana, which has a great correlation to any fiction I¡¯ve ever watched and read to magic. After mastering my omnipotent magic, I delved deeper into mana. And as I thought, it is very similar to qi and another disturbing element, aether. Aether or the fifth element is in most theories, anti-matter. But mana is even more complicated than aether, since it is inside your body and outside your surroundings, it is possible to circulate those inside and tap into those outside. Li¡¯s use of qi proved mana is similar to qi. With qi, Li is able to boost her strength and her speed, she can also hasten her self-regenerating ability to an unimaginable rate, which led me to try and study the human body (I quit though, too gruesome for an 11 year old). Which means, qi is the purest form of mana, an empty paper, uncorrupted with the colors of the elements.


    With this knowledge, even though I¡¯m not capable of circulating qi and strengthening it, since I was able to learn how to tap into mana from outside, I was able to understand the mana flowing into me. A little different from Li¡¯s way of using it where instead of circulating it inside, I wrapped myself with it. So, strength and speed boost are a piece of cake! Except for regeneration. I was able to use the mana outside like a game-like skill called heal and cure but circulating mana to speed up my self-regeneration is too hard!


    The effects of both are too different. For example: if there was a wound made by a poisoned dagger, in magic, I first need to cast cure to remove the poison then cast heal to close the wound, I used the light element here but I heard that combining earth and water elements can have the same effect with lesser results. Blood loss will still remain and if I forgot to use cure before hand, the poison will remain and slowly kill the wounded. In qi circulation, anti-bodies will be created to fight the poison, blood will be supplemented and while all of that is happening, I can heal the wound simultaneously. No mana was used or wasted and works faster than magic. Qi is undoubtedly better but learning it is next to impossible.


    Anyway, back to aether! I made some experiments ¡ª and of course I used a strong barrier. When mana isn¡¯t converted to an element it can be used as ¡®force¡¯ like attack. Y¡¯know, the force? Haha! But when I tried to compress it, as thin as a strand of fine hair, I triggered a small scale super nova inside my barrier. I made the barrier like a contamination chamber, so I wasn¡¯t hurt or anything but the reactions were the same as supernova. It was vacuum sealed so no other element were present aside from a tiny pebble I placed inside. I was surprised that I left a huge crater inside the forest.


    Though antimatter remains a theory or stuff of fiction, but what the heck. I¡¯m no physicist so what do I know? And besides, MAGIC IS REAL! I¡¯ll say it again.


    M A G I C = R E A L WOOOOOOOOT!!!


    Observation 4: My mana - I¡¯ve tried many experiments and used a lot of mana, but it seems like some people only have a limited amount. When I started, the book said to feel for the mana outside so I went with the logic of using mana outside to use magic. Apparently, one isn¡¯t able to do so and can only used the mana inside their bodies. So what the heck am I doing? I absorb the mana outside and convert them into my own? Does this mean I¡¯m bottomless? Rather, my mana is bottomless? Am I that awesome? But wait, will there be a shortage of mana in the atmosphere if I absorb all of it? Will this planet die? Will it wither or fall out of its revolution from the sun? Or worse, will it trigger an implosion that will decimate the whole planet? Haha¡­ it won¡¯t right? Yes, yes¡­ it won¡¯t! I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t!


    What should I do if it comes to that? Will it be my fault? And what¡¯s up with dark magic?

 Episode 1: Chapter 9 - Dark Magic

    What in Leshy¡¯s name is this?! I¡¯ve been living for hundreds of years and this is the first time I¡¯ve encountered such high affinity to dark magic, I can¡¯t even see her limits!


    I felt my back get drenched in sweat. My stomach ached at the thought of this child¡¯s potential.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    The child tilted her head asking curiously at my silence. I took out a handkerchief and tried to wipe the sweat on my forehead that seemed never-ending.


    ¡°No-no-ho! N-nothing¡¯s w-wrong!¡±


    I thought that Wilma might¡¯ve made a mistake but that scary child is too much of a perfectionist that she won¡¯t make such blunder!


    ¡°Tell me Guild master, does she have a high affinity with dark magic?¡±


    The young man with her asked. Golden hair and eyes, he reminds me of the golden royalty of Aurelis.


    No, even if he is from the Aurelis family, he can¡¯t possibly be a royal anymore. A relic borne of greatness?


    I pushed my glasses and pulled myself together. It¡¯s unbecoming of me to be so flustered after all these years.


    ¡°She does. This is the first time I have ever seen someone with such high affinity with magic, I mean, with dark magic at all. This is an unprecedented event, dark magic shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Even as a long-lived elf, I¡¯m at a loss on what to do. With my knowledge and my title as a Forest Knight, I¡¯m supposed to carry knowledge normal humans do not have, and for such a person to appear, she also doesn¡¯t seem to know about it.


    Beside me, the clueless girl taps on the glass ball and tried to examine it in detail. I don¡¯t know how the guild can teach her. The Magician¡¯s guild may have knowledge, but I doubt it. I pondered, my fingers unconsciously finds its way on my chin. What would happen if her magic went berserk?


    ¡°Tell me, do you have any knowledge in dark magic.¡±


    The girl tilted her head in confusion. She shook her head sideways. I knew it, but I had hoped that she was at least aware of it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t even understand what magic is.¡±


    We have to start there, huh? This is too difficult even for me. Dark magic was categorized as an existing element but everyone treat it as a myth, a thing of legends. After the God War, dark magic was supposed to be erased from Eorth.


    Seria is the only person with a lot of knowledge about magic aside from me and she¡¯s out of town until Sunlit Light month.


    ¡°Hmmm. If so, is it possible for you to come back here after a couple of weeks or so? I will need to speak with the Magician¡¯s guild master. I cannot provide training without any knowledge, but the Seria, the Magician¡¯s guild master may have some ideas.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I took out a small dagger from my sleeve. The golden boy was apprehensive but the girl only watched me carefully. I raised my hands over my head together with the dagger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. For now, I¡¯ll seal your magic temporarily to avoid any rampage from your emotions. Though at best, it will only last for three days considering the amount of mana you have.¡±


    I cut the tip of my fore finger and blood dribbled on top of the cut skin. I hid the dagger and held out my other hand towards the girl.


    ¡°Miss Violet was it? Lend me your forearm. I¡¯ll write the seal.¡±


    She pulled up the white sleeve from her left arm. In her clear porcelain skin, I expertly wrote a magic circle with various geometric shapes.


    Four triangles equally distributed on all four sides: up, down, left and right. Two of triangles had lines in the middle, then a square in the middle of the four triangles and next, circle around the the whole image. Finally, I placed a dot in the middle of the square to fully seal her mana. As soon as my finger left her arm, the magic circle glowed a dark bluish-purple and burned itself like burn scars on her flawless skin.


    ¡°It may itch sometimes but be careful not to scratch it too much. After three days or so, it would fade away and we would need to replace it with a new one. So please come again in order to avoid any disasters, understand?¡±


    Violet, touched the seal gently with her hand and undid the folded sleeve. She looked at me, still puzzled but nodded in response.


    ¡°Hm. After three days¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not just after three days. Make sure to come back and call for me if it ever fades, understand? Now then, Wilma will finish with everything else.¡±


    I turned to Wilma and pulled her into a corner.


    ¡°Wilma, keep quiet about this, do not write her element first telling them that the glass ball is broken. Make sure to keep this a secret. I will call for you once I¡¯ve found a solution. Understand?¡±


    I held Wilma¡¯s shoulder as firmly as I can. She nodded with a serious expression matching mine.


    Wilma is the most serious and ambitious employee in this guild and with her skills, she can easily be the next guild master. Though she lacks skills as a hunter, she can definitely act as a substitute master during my absence. As diligent as she is, she studied hunter¡¯s reports in detail in order to be able to react in emergencies autonomously. I trust her.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be seeing you.¡±


    I bowed, left and walked back to my office as fast as I could. Closing the door behind me, I collapsed at the chair used to receive guests. Did I forget anything? The seal should work so it¡¯ll be fine.


    I can¡¯t panic now. She seemed calm and collected so a calamity might not happen, but as much as possible¡­


    As an elf, I was one of the youngest who was able to cultivate the four basic elements and I was the youngest to receive the title of the Forest Knight. Awarded only to those who have mastered three or more elements, I left the elven city and mingled with humans. I experienced more than most elves so I can say without a doubt that I have enough wisdom to protect this city.


    However, this never happened before. Since the God War that happened from time immemorial, dark magic had never surface on any beings able to wield magic. Theories have been made and proven but ever since then, the dark element only surfaced in the night sky and the corruption of mana to create monsters. No living, breathing being ever possessed the element.


    But now¡­ this may be an impending disaster.


    ¡°I need to contact Seria as much as possible. Apply a stronger seal and call for a conference. Even if she doesn¡¯t plan to use it, the Elohian purists will definitely want her.¡±


    I pinched the bridge of my nose and gently massaged it. Even if the God War was a myth, the dark element that shouldn¡¯t exist is here. I must take measures.


    ¡°Seria, where did the wind take you?¡±


    A sigh escaped my lips. I feel like I aged a hundred years more.

 Episode 1: Chapter 10 - A Girls Fascination

    I looked up the sky and saw clouds forming, the setting sun was slowly covered by dull gray clouds. Will it rain? My hair will get crinkly again. I twirled the tips of my red hair and picked up a book then sat on the windowsill at my room.


    I started reading, the book was about etiquette and manners of a lady. I¡¯ve studied and read the same materials many times since young and it never hurts to read again, especially with my birthday celebration coming.


    Time passed, maybe and hour or so? It felt like the words were flying off the book and I couldn¡¯t understand anything. I feel my eyes swim dizzily, did I really understand what this book was about? Am I really sure this book is about etiquette?


    Confused, a sigh left my lips.


    Everything started yesterday morning, when I met her¡­


    ¡°Paige, come.¡±


    My brother urged me to ride behind him. I was brought along because I can sense where some of the traps are in Meldrid forest. Behind us, Prince Theo¡¯s company followed by horse and I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off the woman riding with Sir Henry.


    A girl peaked behind Henry who noticed my gaze. I immediately felt embarrassed but she smiled and it was beautiful. I¡¯m sure that smile captured many hearts of men as it did mine.


    ¡°Tell me Peter, how did you know where we would be?¡±


    His highness, who was riding beside us asked.


    ¡°We were lucky. We thought you¡¯d stop by the river to let the horses drink but we never would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d be lost for almost 3 days.¡±


    At this, his highness chuckled. This man is beautiful as well, his gracefulness is befitting of a royal. He might even beat me in a lady¡¯s etiquette. I felt gloomy at my thoughts, how could my own thoughts destroy me?


    ¡°Normally, it would be hard to go back to the river once you get lost. How did you find your way back?¡±


    My brother continued. His highness looked over his shoulder and Henry rode beside us.


    ¡°Umm¡­ Violet? Yes, we¡¯ll call you Violet. Is that fine with you?¡±


    The lady tilted her head at his highness giving her a name and smiled as she accepted, it was a small smile, just a tiny purse on the lips but I can feel that she¡¯s satisfied. I heard she lost her memories and doesn¡¯t remember who she was, but can you really remember such elegant movements without memories? I felt gloomy at my thoughts once again. Even the lady without memories is more graceful than I am.


    ¡°Well then, we shall call you Violet.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    His highness continued and chuckled.


    ¡°Miss Violet, how did you know how to get back to the river? Nobody can navigate the forest aside from the Forest-kin that dwells north of the forest.¡±


    Brother asked Lady Violet, almost interrogating her, he was unusually angry no, he was on guard. I pinched brother¡¯s side as I held his waist.


    ¡°Stop being rude, brother.¡±


    I whispered to his ear, he was startled but tried to calm himself.


    ¡°Moss. They grow where sun doesn¡¯t shine much. I remembered the general direction¡­ then listened to the sounds.¡±


    It was cryptic. Moss? How can moss point the right way? We had to follow markings we made before since grandfather¡¯s time just to reach the river, and she followed moss?


    ¡°Moss? How can moss point the right way? We followed markings made before to reach the river, and you followed moss?¡±


    Brother, we think too alike. You practically took the words from me, I felt a chuckle coming out so I dug myself deeper on my brother¡¯s back. As a lady, I can¡¯t ruin the conversation with moronic thoughts.


    ¡°Cardinal directions. Moss grows north side of the trees where the sun shines rarely.¡±


    She answered right away? Cardinal directions? Aren¡¯t those in the things the forest gypsies sold called¡­ what was it?


    ¡°You have a compass?¡±


    Brother, please! I can¡¯t laugh! I held his waist tighter stifling my laugh. Lady Violet shook her head.


    ¡°No, just a general idea.¡±


    Brother seems dissatisfied. I was too, but just having the general idea of where you were in the forest is an amazing thing.


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t you say you¡¯re part of the forest-kin to have such knowledge? What makes you trustworthy enough not to kill us right now?¡±


    Again, brother was being rude. At his question Lady Violet smiled. Her beautiful face contorted into smile that brought dread, sweat ran down my back and I felt my brother jolt. Brother¡¯s face slowly descend into fear, sweat ran down on his neck drenching part of his red hair.


    He battled numerous monsters, both hideous and dangerous. He became a Rank B hunter at an early age due to his accomplishments and was known to never back down. But I can see, no, I can feel that Lady Violet was different. Too different, a terrifying¡­ monster¡­


    ¡°Then, you¡¯d be dead by now.¡±


    She answered curtly. Seeing my brother¡¯s fear, Sir Henry moved the horse away from us, clicking his tongue. His angry voice resounded a little ways behind us, aimed at Lady Violet.


    ¡°Forgive her. She has a tendency to act like that when she feels hostility. You were asking for it, though.¡±


    His highness said in a cheerful way trying to dispel the ill air around us.


    ¡°Not to worry, she feels grateful for us saving her. As long as you don¡¯t attack, she won¡¯t retaliate.¡±


    What? Is she some sort of animal then? So your highness, tamed her? My stomach hurts. My feelings were joggled from fear, surprise and now from his words, I can feel another laugh coming. I held my stomach and buried my face deeper onto my brother¡¯s back.


    After that, they were tired so when we arrived, they slept soundly without supper. But on the courtyard I saw Lady Violet. She was walking around the garden, maybe feeling the night air? Isn¡¯t she tired?


    She hummed, I can hear it clearly with the balcony doors opened. It was a soft and gentle tune. Soon, she would repeat it again and again, each time with words on the right notes. It was fascinating, I couldn¡¯t help myself, so I stood on the balcony and watched her sauntering and singing in the garden.


    She¡¯s beautiful¡­


    A sigh escaped my lips and in that instant, time flowed slowly. She turned her head, her magnificent purple hair flowed down from her shoulders, strand by strand. Wonderfully flowing down softly like silk. Then her gentle smile beamed at me all the while glittering happily. A dignified lady full of grace, that¡¯s what she was. The monster this afternoon was nowhere to be seen. Just a beautiful lady smiling brightly under the moonlit sky.


    My cheeks flushed, embarrassment crept up my face in the form of the color red. Peeping was disgraceful for a lady. I ran, I hid under the covers and fell asleep curled up.


    I want to be as dignified as Lady Violet!

 Episode 1: Chapter 11 - The Lords Worries

    In three days, my lovely daughter will turn 15 and she would enter school next month.


    ¡°*Sigh* I wish she would just stay here. Peter¡¯s going back as well, so I¡¯ll be all alone.¡±


    I grumbled writing and approving paperworks from the piles of paper that never seem to end. Fervently finishing everything, I wrote clumsily from time to time. Still, I made sure to read and analyze everything properly. Proper management is the key to a successful fief after all.


    Tok tok. A knock resounded from my heavy door.


    ¡°Your excellency, it¡¯s Killian.¡±


    My butler¡¯s voice said behind closed doors.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me.¡±


    He entered, the door was old and heavy but never once did it creak whenever he enters. Every time I ask, he would always answer: ¡°It¡¯s because I am the Mastris family¡¯s butler.¡± Like it was a matter of fact that every servant under me should have. Noticing my gaze, he smiled at me filled with duty of service.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Readily, he gave me another stack of papers. I was finally able to lessen the current stack so I could play with my lovely girl. But this boy who¡¯s only 5 years older than my son, who I treated like my nephew since his father¡¯s service, made my life miserable with just paper! I grumbled once again, with an expression filled with contempt, twirling the tips of my hair on my fingers.


    ¡°Calm down milord. It¡¯s the status report for the growing miasma down south. Did you not give me orders for these to take precedence over all others? And here, I also have a report about the capital.¡±


    The capital is always a problem. It¡¯s not enough that I have to worry about my territory, I have to worry about relationships as well. Well, my wife does her job very well so only extremists have made their move.


    Killian handed me the reports. The most troubling and urgent one would be the miasma.


    ¡°This, how big has it grown?¡±


    ¡°The whole area had been plunged deep with black mana. I¡¯ve sent letters for help from the


    Daemons secretly but they haven¡¯t replied yet. I¡¯m afraid someone intercepted the letters.¡±


    I fiddled with the tips of my hair that had a faded red color, then I took a piece of paper and wrote a letter as fast as I could.


    The Daemons lived in seclusion just like Beastmen but they¡¯re more amiable when problems such as these occur. They¡¯re humble, quiet and never take credit so long as they receive proper compensation.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I gave the finished letter to Killian and sealed it with magic. Only a Daemon can see and open this letter. Since its contents can destroy the fragile relationship I have with people from capital, I have to take measures.


    ¡°Milord, I think you shouldn¡¯t worry too much. Everyone in the capital knows about your reputation, if Turqo becomes a battlefield no soldier from this area nor hunters who knows of you would fight. They would lose any war without you.¡±


    He said so before leaving my room, this man read my mind, he¡¯s too perceptive of his master. But it is true, I know of my reputation and my influence, I¡¯m happy for the loyalty but I am worried for my people, those who do not have power to protect themselves.


    He closed the door silently in the same way he entered. Such light movements, sometimes one would wonder if he really is a butler and not a spy.


    ¡°Now, who¡¯re the bastards bothering me at such a busy time?¡±


    I sifted through the reports about the capital, inside: numerous pages about huge amounts of unrecorded transactions, a whole lot of secret meetings with the senate, and a large amount of complaints about me. A deep sigh escaped my tired lips and I held my head in surrender.


    On the report, somebody finally had the audacity to send assassins to me. Several names of assassination leagues were listed, while I read through them, relief filled my heart. Of every league on the list, only Dragon¡¯s Eye was left out. It would actually mean a cause for celebration.


    The Dragon¡¯s Eye is known for their 100% kills. The deaths would often look like a suicide with letters declaring they¡¯ve angered the Dragon¡¯s Eye. Sometimes, the murder was inexplicable due to natural causes, but time and again, their signature would always appear near the body. They also perform complete annihilation whenever they declared being angered by their targets.


    Of all their known kills, they always base their kills on one criterion: corruption. They never act on their own accord but they always take jobs that kills those who¡¯re corrupt. Their clients are also satisfied with how they take the spotlight and have all the blames shift towards them.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t fit their conditions, huh? I can at least have enough room to breath.¡±


    I slumped in my chair scanning my room. A sweet sounding voice and a lute rang from the garden.


    ¡°It would be another busy week for me, it seems. They will definitely come during Paige¡¯s birthday celebration.¡±


    I opened the balcony behind me and looked over the garden. Over a couple of hedges, my daughter and his highness¡¯ female friend were singing together. The soft chirping of the girls and the strums of the lute wrapped my ears as the words of the song continued to play.


    ¡°Suddenly, you came and suddenly, you¡¯re gone


    The gust of wind that you brought


    Carried all my wishes when you left.


    Can you see? Can you hear?


    Oh how I wish you¡¯d hear,


    This tiny song of my hopes and dreams


    In this tiny world you gave me


    Filled this heart with nothing but love.


    The world moved, the world prospered


    Under my guidance people gathered


    They promised to love and to protect


    This world that I love as much as I loved you.


    Oh how I wish you¡¯d hear,


    This tiny song of love and peace


    In this tiny world I loved


    Filled this heart with regret¡­¡±


    The warm yet sad song echoed in the garden. Again and again it rang, but the tiny song which they both sang was heavy, filled to the brim with feelings of love.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard this love song before. I would need to work hard so songs about me wouldn¡¯t be filled with so much regret.¡±


    I chuckled under my breath, the song my daughter sang brought a small escape from my never-ending work. I felt that my youth was brought back again, but as long as I am Felippe Mastris, a Marquis of Eloheim, such wishful thinking can never happen.


    ¡°Hah¡­ I want to sing with Paige too.¡±


    And again, a sigh escaped my lips as I dipped my quill in ink.

 Episode 1: Chapter 12 - A Certain Travel Diary (part 4)

    Day 60


    I¡¯ve made my base in Turqo near Meldrid forest. For a province¡¯s capital, they sure placed it near the border with the highest security threat. I heard the Lord did that so he can provide armaments immediately if there¡¯s an attack. A sound plan but it seems reckless, but it shows that he really cares for peace, huh. Still reckless.


    In any case, today is one of my fulfilling days yet! I went back to the river as I usually did, every 2 days, hoping my siblings will arrive here the same way I did and¡­


    Ta-da! Behold! The self-proclaimed ¡°Lord of Darkness¡± an avid gamer and a good shot! My lazy li¡¯l brother: Aidan! Haha¡­ how I miss this fluffy hair.


    Since I¡¯ve found a trend, I thought of waiting for the others the same way. I explained the situation with Andi and the information I¡¯ve gathered so far.


    Onto serious matters, Andi can surely use the same magic. A little low on quality, but only because he doesn¡¯t understand the concept. He was able to wrap his fists with elements, through sheer will of wanting to do it. Out of the three of us, he was the closest to Li in terms of combat abilities, especially in unarmed combat. Though he¡¯s a good shot, he liked to be ¡°hands-on¡± on jobs like Li which caused him to use it like that. A muscle head, yes, my little brother is also a muscle head. I¡¯ve had enough with Li, but it seems little Andi is following on her footsteps. Hah¡­ still, this is good! I wonder if he can use the bow in replacement for a rifle?


    Since I have the muscle now, I can do more. It¡¯s time to expand our operations! Yay! For now, as long as we don¡¯t know how we came here, we won¡¯t know how to go back. But, do we have to? No, I¡¯ll answer that once we¡¯re all together.


    For now, our new goals are:


    Register Andi (Brawler/Ranger?)


    More money - can¡¯t hurt to have more


    Prepare for Li and Nadia¡¯s arrival


    Info gathering - Information dealer and Dragon¡¯s Eye


    Good, I¡¯ll have to sell my rare stuff to get information. (I feel like I just betrayed my collector¡¯s heart by writing that!)


    This is for survival, yes¡­ If I survive, I can collect more! Now then¡­


    ***


    It seems the Merchant Guild also deals with black market dealings. It feels good to have someone watch your back when you do recon! I¡¯m so glad I found Andi! A couple of bribes here and there, and we¡¯ve found a proper information dealer. People here have looser mouths with so little money, too easy!This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    This is just a contingency, but protocol is still protocol. Li made this our one rule to follow if we ever separate in a mission without funds and info. It¡¯s quite difficult now because we don¡¯t have any safe houses here but information is easy to come by. In case of emergency separation: without funds and info, we¡¯ll have to establish ourselves.


    If I miss them in the river or if they¡¯re found or maybe something along those lines, they can at least follow a trail that¡¯ll lead to us, be it one of our known fake names getting popularity or something similar. In which case, the current lead we¡¯ll use will be Dragon¡¯s Eye.


    It may be in poor taste but this name has quite a ring to the four of us. No way in hell will we forget our job as its members. It¡¯s a shame, but I¡¯ll have Dragon¡¯s Eye do its purpose even here. It¡¯s also a plus because now, we can gather information in this world¡¯s underbelly! (Oh how I want to say that word! Underbelly!!! It¡¯s in writing but it¡¯ll do! Haha!)


    So now, a job. Dragon¡¯s Eye¡¯s purpose is not entirely noble and it¡¯s dirty but it¡¯s too deeply ingrained to each of us. It¡¯ll be hard to forget about it now that we need it the most. We¡¯ll be more well-known due to its purpose, we¡¯ll have to be noisier than before.


    Now for our first job: <u>Subjugation of bandits south of Turqo.</u>


    You¡¯d think hunters will do this but as their name goes, Hunters only hunt game or in this case, they will only hunt monsters. Compared to humans, monsters are even a larger threat due to random killing and eating, thus their establishment. Well, if you compare, bandits only attack those with money while monsters will attack anybody that are edible, make sense. So, Assassination Leagues often do the job. But it¡¯s unwanted since getting the reward will have a high chance of getting caught, especially one that deals with getting rewards from authorities.


    But what does the local soldiers do? Nothing. It¡¯s the never-ending jurisdiction excuse. It costs money to have the soldiers mobilize so they leave it alone. And here I was garnering respect for the local lord¡­


    ***


    I was worried, but it looks like jobs like these can be done alone. Andi didn¡¯t even break a sweat! You¡¯re too chill oh little brother of mine! At least, we can do around four or five jobs a week, including recon. We need to ask for compensation from the lord, if we can, I won¡¯t say no to money.


    After subjugating the bandits and freeing the women they kidnapped (and taking the loot for ourselves!), there seems to be a stray in our midst. A girl around her late teens, she keeps saying that she¡¯ll repay us with her life and for the umpteenth time, I told her that we don¡¯t need payment. But Andi can¡¯t help it due to her dog ears. Well, she¡¯s too much like a dog, is she one of those beastmen that secluded themselves in the mountains? Well, it can¡¯t hurt to have her around? Can it?


    ***


    Andi¡¯s been treating the dog like his pet. What¡¯re you thinking dear brother?! She¡¯s a person! A person, I tell you! Well, I can¡¯t deny that she¡¯s cute. Reminds me of Frappe, and her ears are fluffy and floppy. Now that I think about it, she looks like a spaniel with her fuzzy orange-brown ears and long fluffy tail. Her brown eyes looks sad when she¡¯s left alone. Frappe¡­ is that you?! I feel like crying, will Li be happy seeing a Frappe look alike? She loved Frappe very much, maybe I can keep her? Andi likes her too, so maybe¡­ yes, I¡¯ll do that! Is there a cat beastman too? Maybe I can find a Socks look-alike too!


    As I thought, this is the most fulfilling day ever!

 Episode 1: Chapter 13 - My Hunger

    We¡¯ve finished all our errands and we¡¯re finally returning to the Mastris Manor after dusk. Lights lit up while we walk back leisurely. The food during lunch was very good and interesting, I never thought orc meat was delicious. Let alone did it exist.


    Next time, I¡¯ll come back to that restaurant to eat there again. I remembered the restaurant earlier, what was the name again?


    ¡°Theo, that restaurant¡­¡±


    I asked him while we walked back through the main street. We just finished that troublesome guild exam so I was getting hungry already.


    ¡°That one we ate earlier? The Orc¡¯s Belly?¡±


    Orc¡¯s Belly, what a cool name. Do they only serve orc meat? Don¡¯t they have any other meats? It¡¯s weird but I feel like this place is too different from what I remember. For example, can¡¯t we ride a taxi if we¡¯re going to walk back from such a far away area?


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Taxi?¡±


    I accidentally blurted out loud. Theo looked at me with a confused expression. It doesn¡¯t exist does it? A lot of modern things doesn¡¯t exist here. I understood but I thought this was a remote region in a poor country. But the citizen boasted about the city being one of the most advanced in this country, in the world even.


    Where is this? Time travel?


    ¡°Taksi? What¡¯s that?¡±


    He asked after processing my question. His confused expression was also filled with curiosity, this man sometimes looks like a kid. It makes me want to pet his golden hair and just tease him so he¡¯ll make that cute pouty face forever.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    I exhaled a small laugh. I smiled and continued to walk with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    He walked ahead looking back at me. His face was flushed and he was pouting cutely again. How can a grown man look this cute? No good. I¡¯m grateful to this man, I can¡¯t think about rude things.


    But¡­ he really is cute, like a huge golden puppy.


    I can¡¯t stop myself, I really¡­


    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡±


    I patted his golden head. As I thought, it¡¯s silky, his hair slides off my fingers. It feels good. Ah, he¡¯s pouting again. It¡¯s decided, Theo = cute.


    Theo looked away with flushed cheeks as I continue to pet him. He¡¯s also too nice for his own good, letting me do whatever I like even though I¡¯ve heard from the sour-puss that he¡¯s a prince.


    As we continued that fluffy feeling, people stared at us as they saw a man being petted by a woman. From the gazes, I noticed a silver-skinned girl who wore a maid¡¯s uniform a couple of meters from us. Her face was fitted with a dumbfounded expression and she stood frozen while my hand continues to pet my golden puppy.


    ¡°From the manor?¡±


    Hearing me, she got herself back, she fixed her face and gave us a welcoming smile. From there, I stopped myself from petting my new pup.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    My hand felt lonely when I parted from his silky hair.


    ¡°Yes, my name is Adele. The Lord and his family wishes to eat supper with the young sir and miss. That¡¯s why I was sent here to pick you up.¡±


    She bowed as she explained her purpose. Behind the maid¡¯s headband was a pair of shiny black horn, with one having a huge chip on the side.


    I stared at her for a while.


    It was already weird that she had silver skin but even having horns¡­ Although I understand that there¡¯re rabbits with horns, orcs that¡¯re edible, dwarves making swords and seeing a person with silver skin and horns are normal so, am I the abnormal one? Being ignorant makes me the weird one?


    Seeing as I was staring at the maid, Theo coughed and explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Adele. She doesn¡¯t have any memories, so she finds other races aside from humans to be interesting.¡±


    A dry laugh came from him after he explained. At this, I tilted my head as I thought, he¡¯s too nice. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I might¡¯ve offended and killed a lot of people until I got my memories back. Even though I don¡¯t have any memories of my past, I understand that I have a knack for killing. I might¡¯ve been a criminal in the past.


    I¡¯m sorry my cute puppy, I¡¯ll do my best not to cause too much trouble until I become independent. It would be a waste not to pet you anymore, when that time comes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I bowed my head towards the maid. The girl waved both her hands up high trying to deny my rude actions.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to miss Violet. I heard that, that was the case so there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    With a graceful smile she brushed off the incident like it was nothing. She wasn¡¯t flustered so she must¡¯ve really been aware of me.


    ¡°Well then, shall we?¡±


    The three of us returned while I tried to examine the area around the manor. I found some places with security holes and took note of it in case I needed to escape. As I thought, I really must be a criminal before I lost my memories. I need to be independent fast and not cause any trouble to Theo and the others.


    The manor was bright from the lit up rooms. When we entered, maids dragged me towards a room and made me wear a light pink dress. It had a narrow neckline that hid my collar bone. The fitted sleeve reached up to my wrists with flowery accents sewn on the top part of the dress. The skirt was heavy, lined with a petticoat and more flower accents here and there.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I asked confused. The dress didn¡¯t feel weird. In fact, I felt like I was used to it. The reason why I asked because I thought we were having dinner, do I really need to wear such over-bearing dress just to eat dinner? It is supposed to be a formal event?


    Nobody answered me. They just continued to dress me and tie my hair into a very neat and tidy bun with more pink hair accessories.


    ¡°Pink?¡±


    The maids jolted and stopped for a moment. I can see some of them sweat but they continued to dress me, with now, awkward movements.


    I understand, I¡¯ll keep quiet and be a good girl. This feeling seems familiar so I¡¯m comfortable enough.


    I saw a small flash of pink hair when I looked at the dress. A memory? I see, I remember being dressed by that pink-haired girl with pretty dresses too. Was the black and silver dress her doing as well?


    Soon, I arrived in front of the dinning room. Before me, stood Theo wearing his formal dress. He wore a blue waistcoat with silver accents and a blue half mantle hung on his left shoulder with a silver chain. A silver ring was in the middle of the mantle that kept it bundled up while the ends freely swayed as he moved. On his side, a sword hung naturally. I knew it, I should¡¯ve brought mine too. I looked around and saw only the two of us.


    ¡°The others?¡±


    He smiled and walked towards me.


    ¡°I was the only one invited so they couldn¡¯t come. Henry was allowed to dine but declined saying he hasn¡¯t prepared his formal dress.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    I tilted my head. If the others who were knights aren¡¯t allowed, then why me?


    ¡°You see, I heard miss Paige had taken a liking to you, so you were invited as well.¡±


    Paige? The cute girl before?


    ¡°May I?¡±


    He held out his hand with a sweet smile. So I gave him my hand and he placed it on his arm. Then, we entered the room together.


    That dinner was a blur. Why? Because I was hungry, the food was cold and everyone was too nervous. I ate little because of the crappy texture and became so frustrated that after dinner, I climbed over the huge gates and went to Orc¡¯s belly.


    Oh how succulent was that grilled belly, brushed with sweet and salty sauce! The fat made the belly juicier and the contrast of the sauce outside and the meaty blandness inside makes one lick their lips at every bite. The fatty belly went well with cold ale, ah heaven! This is nothing compared to that cold dinner! That roast orc earlier at lunch was good too!


    And that was the night I saw horns growing out of Henry. Stop fussing, I just wanted a proper meal.

 Episode 2: Chapter 14 - Information Before the Mission

    A letter was sent from the boss about a joint mission. It was rare mission with other leagues so a meetin¡¯ was held.


    Today in an old abandoned house, 3 others with covered faces stood around a table to discuss the scoutin¡¯ operation in the Mastris Manor¡¯s security. The nobles finally decided to kill Mastris, he was nice and all but money is still money.


    ¡°Dorun, right? We¡¯ll split up on four sides of the estate. Then meet back here to consolidate. You¡¯ll each have to escape on your own, understand?¡±


    The man acted high and mighty as he acknowledge my presence. He ordered us around like he¡¯s some big shot. Damn snob actin¡¯ like he knows everythin¡¯. He pointed our positions in the map of the estate, my side was the southwest corner where the larger part of the garden was.


    ¡°The infiltration will start before dawn and we¡¯ll scout and record the movements of the guards and all the people inside. Yes¡­ a day should suffice.¡±


    He said in thought, his brows were as usual but it seemed more intense today. One day? You serious?! We typically need three days! The other two was as surprised as me.


    ¡°Um, Mr. Tyle, I¡¯m not so sure about this. It¡¯s too hurried, we¡¯d cause a huge commotion if we¡¯re caught! It¡¯s treason you know! We¡¯ll be hunted down to the last man if we fail!¡±


    The youngest tried to persuade the snob. I know Tyle, even though he¡¯s a snob, he¡¯s the most cautious of all the scouts I worked with, he often had power over missions, which means¡­


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time! During the Lord¡¯s daughter¡¯s birthday, security will change then after that, both his children will leave for the capital. Our orders are to kill all the members of the Mastris nobility.¡±


    He punched the table as he complained. I knew it, they¡¯re in a hurry. For the snob to be powerless, this is crazy. But if we succeed, there¡¯ll be a lot of money. I can at least support my siblings properly.


    ¡°Hmph. Let¡¯s just do this. Not like we can do anythin¡¯ about the nobles, right? Let¡¯s just do our job and get paid.¡±


    At my words, their faces turned stiff. Everyone is here for the money, everyone has their own problems and everyone has their own reasons. This job will definitely change our lives, for better or worse.


    Before dawn, I ran up to the manor. We all separated back at the abandoned house and found our way in on our own. When I first came to Turqo, I used to steal from this manor, so I already made a hidden entrance near the garden. The area here is too dark during the night so it¡¯s easy to enter without getting noticed.


    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m so lucky to have the gardens.¡±


    Excitedly, I ran to the hedges. Underneath, an area where the gates were cut and dug was hidden. I entered by crawlin¡¯ inside and looked for a nice tree to wait in.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Mornin¡¯ slowly came and the manor was bustlin¡¯ with servants preparin¡¯ for the day. Soldiers were patrollin¡¯ and a gardener tended the garden. On a tall tree, dark with all it¡¯s bushy leaves is where I sat, full view of the garden and the back of the manor behind the leaves.


    I¡¯ll just enter, do my job then leave. Easy money! Then I¡¯ll leave the league and go back home¡­


    As I was plannin¡¯ my future, a woman with a weird colored hair walked out of the manor. She wore a black dress vest and boots, on her hand was a lute. She walked leisurely, every step felt like flowers would bloom and the sway of her hips made somethin¡¯ else bloom.


    I drooled at the sight of her. If I could bring her home as my wife then I¡¯d be in heaven!


    I saw her look at my direction briefly but turned back seeing the young princess of the Mastris household following behind her. Her fluffy red hair bounced runnin¡¯ after the pretty woman.


    Odd, did she see me? No... not possible. But, I really am lucky to have the gardens!


    They played the lute, they sang a song unfamiliar like those bards sing. It had a different tune, a different feel? Either way, it was different than most songs sang by local bards.


    The lute resounded and their voice filled the garden, I felt light just listenin¡¯ to their voices and completely forgot about my job. The sweet voice of the woman blended well with the princess and formed an entirely different sound. I started to quietly hum the song myself.


    An hour or so passed, they spent their time, sometimes with just playin¡¯ the lute or teachin¡¯ the princess, but I got careless.


    And as soon as I realized this, I was caught. I felt a prick on my neck.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so carefree mister~. Peeping is bad you know~.¡±


    A girl the same age as the red-headed princess sat on the branch beside me. She leaned towards me, her pink hair smelled of roses while her hand reached for my neck and she pulled out a needle. Showing the needle trickled with blood, I finally know what happened.


    I was paralyzed.


    Who¡ª?! When did that¡ª? ¡­ WHAT THE FUCK¡¯S GOING ON?!


    My whole body was numb, I couldn¡¯t move a single finger and my voice won¡¯t come out. But it wasn¡¯t because of the poison, no, I couldn¡¯t speak because of fear. If she hadn¡¯t spoke, I wound¡¯t have noticed her. And her smile, she was cute, her face was completely bare so I could see. I could see that scary smile that sees me nothing but a pest.


    ¡°Yes. Yes. Oh brother, I found something interesting~.¡±


    She quietly laughed lookin¡¯ up while holding her ear. She was talkin¡¯ with somebody?


    Telepathy? Are they from a league? Which one?


    ¡°You see, I found sister here~! And she¡¯s doing quite well~!¡±


    She smiled again, but this time it was a genuine sweet smile. It felt like I could taste the sweetness itself. She was really happy talking with her ¡®brother¡¯ about her ¡®sister¡¯.


    ¡°Oh right, I forgot. We need to punish those who commit crimes y¡¯know~! Peeping at girls is a big no-no mister~! So~¡­ I¡¯ll just have to kill you.¡±


    Her tone started sweetly, reprimandin¡¯ me at my crimes. It seemed playful at first but at the end, I felt that those words alone would be able to kill me. She was angry, deep hatred seeped from her eyes, her smile and her words.


    At that moment, I knew, that I would die by her hands, helpless and alone. Fear gripped my throat, my body wouldn¡¯t move and all I could see was my death approaching in a form of a sweet girl with the sweet aroma of roses.


    She reached for my neck and a cold string wrapped around it and slowly squeezed the life out of me. My mind went blank, I couldn¡¯t move my body so all my fluids came out. I felt my throat get tighter and tighter. Slowly, air stopped coming in, the passage was blocked.


    I was in agony.


    My eyes rolled, tears fell and my saliva foamed splattering all over as I forced my self to inhale air.


    ¡°Eww! Gross!¡±


    Like revolving lanterns, my life flashed through my eyes.


    Weena, Tino¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ big brother will go ahead¡­ I¡¯m¡­ so¡­


    Soon, life slowly left my body and I felt my heart slowly stopped beating. And with my final struggle, I saw nothing but white and then, eternal blackness.

 Side story: Halloween Breakfast

    ¡°Li, do you want to go visit mom and dad¡¯s grave tomorrow?¡±


    My younger brother, Lu, said as he opened his laptop. So early in the morning and the first thing he does is check the internet. I know we rarely have time to visit even on their anniversary so I understand him wanting to visit during all souls day, even though we¡¯re miles away from our home country, but.


    ¡°Can¡¯t. Halloween concert.¡±


    I said after sipping coffee. He stopped typing and looked up. He forgot, his eyes definitely says he forgot. For someone who¡¯s as organized as him to forget. Is he getting senile?


    ¡°¡­ old man¡­¡±


    I said and he silently hanged his head and lamented. I took another sip and saw his soft black silky hair glittered from the morning sun shining from the window. I held my hand and patted while his laments became audible.


    ¡°I forgoooooot!!! Liiiiii¡­¡±


    There¡¯s nothing wrong in forgetting, we¡¯re also done with the preparations so it¡¯s fine. Maybe he felt too relaxed after last night.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°There there¡­¡±


    I continued to pet the sprawled Lu.


    ¡°Here, breakfast! ANDI!!!¡±


    Nadi called the youngest. She placed four plates on the table with sausages, eggs, salad and toast. From the inner room of the hotel suite, a sleepy Andi walked out with bed hair and dark circles under his eyes.


    I¡¯m not one to restrict hobbies but at this state¡­


    ¡°¡­ playing till late at night is bad.¡±


    ¡°Sorryaaaaaahhhn¡­¡±


    He answered with a huge yawn and rubbed his eyes. Breakfast was ready. I smiled feeling glad that they keep their promise. Our promise to always eat together, as a family.


    ¡°Big sis, can we wear the halloween costume I made? You know, the pumpkin motif one?¡±


    Nadi excitedly sliced her sausages. I want to say yes and I know I spoil them a lot so I¡¯m worried about what the production might have to say.


    Tonight¡¯s concert is for our band, The Red Letter. It was a joke boss thought up when he formed our band¡ª instead of a love letter, it represents an assassination notice. We are a four man mercenary team that contributes greatly to Dragon¡¯s Eye so he thought up this weird cover for us to enter the country where our targets are.


    I prefer solo war missions but I¡¯m already hot on the wanted list so I guess I can¡¯t say no to this. In then end, I had to dye my hair and be on support until the heat cools down. So now, we four siblings, perform as the popular internet sensation, the masked band¡ª The Red Letter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Mary later.¡±


    I said spreading butter and the runny yolk on my warm toast. Breakfast was peaceful. Yes, meals with them should always this peaceful. And as hypocritical as that may sound, I want nothing more than this peaceful days to continue.


    Maybe I¡¯ll visit mom and dad after this.

 Episode 2: Chapter 15 - Miss Violets Observation (part 1)

    ¡°Listen Arlo, I want you to observe that woman well. We¡¯ll be gone most of the day before Lady Paige¡¯s birthday so, I want you to watch over her and make sure she doesn¡¯t do anything that is detrimental to his highness¡¯ name!¡±


    Sir Henry held my shoulders firmly as he looked into my earthy eyes with his frightful blue ones. At his words, I nodded frantically feeling the pain in my shoulders.


    He often carried a dignified air so seeing him get this flustered aside from his highness¡¯ antics is quite troubling. Even so, I agree that the miss is indeed somewhat troublesome.


    The very next day, after Sir Henry¡¯s order, I immediately went to visit the miss¡¯ room at sunrise. In the corner near her room, I patiently waited.


    The miss is indeed scary with a sword but she¡¯s truly beautiful. But Sir Henry is too wary, I mean, she¡¯s just a lost girl with no memories, how can he be so hostile to her? It¡¯s true that it¡¯s suspicious but¡­


    Those thoughts have been in our minds since we met her, we only knew her for a few days but she seemed harmless when we talk to her from time to time. That¡¯s why I doubt that she¡¯s a spy or a forest-kin. Forest-kins are known to be aggressive, aside from the gypsies that visits towns and sell their products.


    Well, she¡¯s aggressive like them but she¡¯s nice too! She plays with Lady Paige all the time so I can¡¯t really be suspicious of her.


    I pondered. I was nervous because I¡¯ve never done anything such as this but at the same time I was excited. It¡¯s like some covert mission, observing the enemy to exploit their weakness.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite fun actually. Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    At my chuckle, a maid passing by called out to me. I froze and panicked. How should I explain myself waiting here? My eyes darted in panic as I look for a reason to tell her.


    ¡°Good morning Sir Knight, my name is Adele. If you are waiting for Miss Violet, I¡¯m afraid she always leave before sunrise so her room is probably empty right now.¡±


    Before sunrise? She wakes up that early? Where does she go? As I thought¡ª!


    While I think of such things, the daemon maid called Adele looked at the window. Outside was the full view of the southwestern garden, where the figure of the miss dancing beautifully with a sword.


    ¡°She often wakes up early to swing her sword. Then comes back for breakfast.¡±


    She explained, looking warmly at my target. His highness often eat with the Mastris family so Sir Henry, Captain Liam, Velden and me eat together after his highness. The miss doesn¡¯t eat with us so everyone was curious if she ever ate breakfast.


    She was eating fine when we camped out so¡­


    ¡°She eats breakfast? When?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, she often eats with us before the excellencies wake up. The head chef cooks the servants¡¯ breakfast early so we can start with our work early as well.¡±


    She answered, she didn¡¯t have any reason to lie, so I judged that she was telling the truth. I bid my thanks to Adele and ran for the garden.


    When I reached the garden, the miss was nowhere to be found. I thought that she might have went inside for breakfast but the servants were still busily doing their chores.


    ¡°Good morning, have¡¯t seen you here before.¡±


    Turning my head to the voice, a man wearing a straw hat greeted me. He had wrinkles that showed his age, but he had proper muscles in the right places and the tan showed how much he stayed outside in the sun.


    ¡°Ah, are you one of the guests by any chance? If so, please forgive this rude servant. Guests rarely come here this early aside from the sweet miss that helps me.¡±


    He removed his hat, bowed and explained while a childish grin stretched his wrinkles making him look young. He must be the one tending this garden.


    Behind him, I saw my target approaching with a sword on her side and a trowel on her hand while a fruit on the other.


    ¡°Uncle, can I?¡±


    She called from behind the gardener. Her hair was on a bun and dirt covered her clothes. Even with a shabby appearance she still looked beautiful.


    ¡°Oh, sure. You could¡¯ve taken more you know.¡±


    They cheerily talked ignoring my presence. The miss rarely spoke but the gardener continued his monologue, with her listening attentively.


    She¡¯s so quiet.


    I turned around not to get caught by her. This was my chance to observe her carefully while she hasn¡¯t noticed my presence yet! I hid behind a tree in a hurry while I puzzled the gardener and the miss.


    ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡±


    The gardener exclaimed, puzzled. On the tree¡¯s shadow, I laid low and watched them from afar. It was hard to hear their conversation or rather, the gardener¡¯s monologue from my distance, but I could observe the miss really well from here.


    I followed them deeper in the garden and saw her helping the gardener tend to the plants and continued for an hour or so.


    What am I doing?


    I sighed and hanged my head, the cooly breeze brushed my coffee blonde head. A sweet scent and the smell of earth tickled my nose while I surrender to boredom.


    ¡°Want some?¡±


    I jolted in surprise, beside me the miss kneeled with an extended hand. Slices of fruit were placed on a large leaf and offered to me. I was surprised, scared even. When did she¡ª?


    ¡°¡­ useless¡­¡±


    She left the of slices of fruit before she mumbled and headed to the manor. ¡°Useless¡± it stung really well. I felt contempt at those words. So she already noticed me and saw I was useless too. Did she come here just to mock me?


    My fists unconsciously gathered. I was inferior and I understood that. Of all the knights from my platoon, I was one of the weakest. Even though I¡¯m a noble from the prestigious Cuppra and had talent for light magic, I was still inferior from everyone else. Her image leaving looked blurry while my eyes slowly moistened from all the frustrations I¡¯ve felt.


    I guess I¡¯ll forever be useless¡­


    I was reminded how I was berated and scolded during training. I didn¡¯t graduate the same time as my platoon. I was held back, I was laughed at and when I was finally recognized as an official Golden Knight, no order wanted me. I was a leftover, but then¡­


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not my business, but I think she wanted to say that it was useless to observe from afar. She just asked for another fruit and cut it up for you, you know.¡±


    The gardener explained behind me.


    ¡°Was she worried?¡±


    I realized seeing the slices of fruit she left beside the tree. I looked at the old man while he fanned himself with his hat. In his hand was a basket filled with the same fruit she gave me.


    ¡°That miss¡¯ words are so sparse that sometimes you¡¯d misunderstand. But if you know her well enough, she can be quite sweet.¡±


    He said walking away, while he headed the same way as Miss Violet. The scent of cooked food was carried by another breeze and tickled my nose. My stomach grumbled.


    ¡°It may be impudent of me, a mere gardener but come, let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±


    My cheeks flushed but I nodded in agreement and picked up the sliced fruit. It was sweet, too sweet, I felt tears form at the corner of my eyes while I took a bite at the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted.


    I ate while I thought of Miss Violet as she was just like his highness.

 Episode 2: Chapter 16 - Miss Violets Observation (part 2)

    I¡¯ve been following Miss Violet since early morning. After breakfast she returned to her room and went out wearing the vest armor his highness bought for her.


    ¡°Arlo, let¡¯s go to town.¡±


    With that, she dragged me into town and towards an alley. Why is she so familiar with the streets? Wait, is this the reason why Sir Henry always scold her? Does she always go out without permission?


    After a couple of turns, we¡¯ve reached a smithy far from the main street. It didn¡¯t have a proper name, just the emblem of a dwarven blacksmith, the same design the dwarven blacksmith his highness frequents.


    Miss Violet entered the shop and the sound of a small bell ringing was drowned by the sounds of metal hitting each other. But it didn¡¯t stop the dwarf from noticing us, with a hiss from the hot metal he was hitting, he went out with his hammer and his arms covered in sweat.


    ¡°Oh missy! Ye broke yer sword already?¡±


    He implied, placing his hammer in the counter with a thud. While they talked, I looked around the shop. Swords of different sizes of different make were displayed, other heavy weapons such as axes and hammers were also present. Bows and staves made of wood were hung and stacked on one side.


    Maybe his customers often uses swords and heavy weapons? I mean, I use a sword too.


    I thought to myself as I reached the counter.


    ¡°Just that? How many?¡±


    ¡°10 is fine.¡±


    The dwarf spread throwing knives on the counter. I was curious at their conversation at first, but now I¡¯m puzzled.


    ¡°Miss Violet, what¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Why is that a question? More importantly, for what?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As I thought, I was met with silence. It¡¯s frustrating. But¡­


    Is it something she doesn¡¯t want to talk about?


    After I was made to pay for the knives, we went to the Hunter¡¯s Guild. At the counter, the pretty receptionist smiled at Miss Violet but it was more like a sneer. Her lips were curled into a smile but her eyes weren¡¯t smiling.


    ¡°Good afternoon. I take it, your here for the guild master?¡±


    What did you do Miss Violet?!


    The receptionist led us to a room in the second floor of the guild. There, a bespectacled elf sat in a chair in what seemed like an office.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    So he¡¯s the guild master? I heard elves live in seclusion in the northern continent and resents Eloheim. Well, there¡¯re odd ones like him, I guess.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, did anything happen with the seal? Hm, a friend?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Arlo, pleased to meet your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure¡¯s all mine. I¡¯m Guren, the guild master of the Hunter¡¯s Guild in the Turqo branch.¡±


    I shook hands with the guild master. His eyes were a deep green, it was said that for elves, the deeper the color of your eyes, the stronger your element is.


    Which means, he lived long enough to cultivate the wind element into that color.


    As those thoughts circle my mind, I saw the guild master write a magic seal on Miss Violet¡¯s arm. I guess, I¡¯m just an escort for the miss or should I say, guardian?


    I don¡¯t mind but I¡¯m sure Sir Henry will definitely be angry at me for going along with her whims¡­


    I sighed thinking of what¡¯s to become of me.


    ¡°¨¦ist ag mo ghlao!¡±


    The guild master yelled and a transparent wind barrier covered Miss Violet. Inside the barrier, dark mist oozed from her arm.


    ¡°Master Guren! What happened?!¡±


    I yelled, the elf clicked his tongue and pulled a wand from his desk. With a wave and a point of his wand, and without any chants, the barrier slowly separated the black mist into another.


    ¡°Miss Violet, are you alright? Please stay awake, I¡¯ll mend the seal.¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡­¡±


    With a grunt, she nodded her head. The guild master went to her and continued to write on her arm. Slowly the black mist dissipated and the pained expression on the miss subsided as well.


    Th-that mist was dark magic¡­ right?


    ¡°Miss Violet, it¡¯s dangerous so I ask you to please wait for the Magician¡¯s Guild Master to arrive before you try leaving Turqo. If your mana goes out of control once again, you will not only hurt yourself but those around you as well.¡±


    After the seal was done, he talked to her with a foreboding voice. At this, Miss Violet just tilted her head in puzzlement.


    ¡°I felt ticklish tho?¡±


    She said in response.


    ¡°You mean, it went out of control because you were ticklish?¡±


    ¡°Hm. It hurt.¡±


    She rubbed the finished seal, the guild master gave up but still warned her despite what she said. As they continued to talk, I stood there confused from the sudden change of mood.


    What just happened?


    It was almost dinner so we left the guild and walked back deeper into town.


    ¡°Miss Violet? What happened there? And aren¡¯t we going home? His high¡ª I mean Theo and the others are coming back soon.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Here.¡±


    My questions remained unanswered while we enter an establishment. The place was filled with people of different walks of life. The scent of cooked meat, ale and the oily feel of the restaurant made my stomach rumble.


    I guess it¡¯s unavoidable, we haven¡¯t eaten anything since lunch.


    I made an excuse inside my head while holding unto my rumbling stomach and while I was embarrassed of my noisy stomach, she sat on a booth in the bar. And with a smile, the waitress greeted the miss familiarly like a regular.


    ¡°Hey Violet! The usual?¡±


    ¡°No. Stew, ribs and 2 ale for us. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get to choose? Don¡¯t tell me I have to pay too?¡±


    I sat beside her at an empty seat beside another customer. She nodded in agreement and the delightful expression painted her face made me sigh.


    If she¡¯s that happy then it¡¯s fine¡­


    Contrary to what we thought of her, she sees us as her friends, or comrades in the least. It made me guilty thinking that this sweet miss was thought of suspicious. Even though I¡¯m losing money¡­


    ¡°Yeah, this will be in my report to Sir Henry!¡±


    I pumped myself trying to forget my light money pouch, while the waitress delivered our food. I shared the delectable stew and sticky ribs with Miss Violet and drank the cheap ale they served.


    ¡°Wow! This is good! What meat is this?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Orc.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Orc?! As in that monster orc?!


    Those pig-like beings that walk on two legs, that was said to be made by the evil Dark god?! I was repulsed but seeing the miss eat her heart out stopped me from hurling. How can she eat this?


    Well¡­ I mean¡­ IT is good¡­


    ¡°Ah! Whatever!¡±


    With a chomp, I ate my fill of my first monster meat.


    ¡­ and I also had my fill of Sir Henry¡¯s scolding¡­

 Episode 2: Chapter 17 - A Certain Travel Diary (Part 5)

    Day 121


    Before sun had set, we hunted the last of the Grand Grizz deep in the Meldrid forest. This hunt was the same as the rest, though the feeling of finishing a hunt and working up a sweat is satisfying.


    Then of course as expected, Nadi arrived. I was worried because Andi and I arrived around the same time during the day, while Nadi arrived late at night, around a couple of minutes before tomorrow. This is troubling, this means that Li might arrive in a different time as well. I¡¯ll just have to make sure we find her.


    But these days, it seems my troubles are piling. In this world, Eorth, everything is stuck. It seemed like time has stopped and we were left in a limbo of unprogressive technology and magic. Since magic was widespread, technology and common sense was different from what we were used to.


    Though the same can be said back on Earth that everything is stuck, the only difference was where we were stuck.


    Technology, science? Everything was developing even further back home. We were already on the verge of creating a consciousness similar to humans. Magic was non-existent so we have to be innovative to increase convenience. So humans were stuck. Society matured so much that it became too convenient too fast. It was difficult to live and at the same time, difficult to die. It felt like you were locked up.


    It¡¯s wonderful to be a pioneer, to know how invent things for convenience, but I can¡¯t believe how hard it is to live here! There is an abundance of resources, but I lack the skills and knowledge to process them. I thought of magic but what¡¯s the point if I can do everything with it. Inventions won¡¯t matter if there are ways to do things that are far more convenient!


    Recently, I tend to ask myself: what will we do from now on? We haven¡¯t decided because we¡¯re still waiting for Li, but questions like: Do we go back to earth? Should we explore this world? Will we be able to go back? And most importantly, who and why are we brought here? These questions are often asked. We know nothing so it¡¯s hard move. It¡¯s frustrating but, I¡¯m scared¡­


    If it was some coincidence or a plot made by the Gods, I sure hope Li is well. If not, I will do everything in my power to destroy those Gods who destroyed the fragile peace we¡¯ve built back home.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    But I still don¡¯t have anyone to blame, be it Gods or people. The existence of magic and the power to bring us here. This may all be an illusion or we were hypnotized or something similar. Virtual reality maybe?


    Whatever it may be, our only clue is based on what I and the twins remember¡ª that we all woke up in a place with nothing but whiteness and an excruciating pain in the abdomen. We¡¯ve all experienced the same thing so there¡¯s a high possibility that Li did too.


    We¡¯ll just have to wait for Li¡­


    ***


    I¡¯ve taught Nadi everything I can about magic and she learned it faster compared to Andi. She was more studious than her twin so she understood the concepts easily. But she had troubles without chants and mana control compared to Andi who used magic with sheer will, so as a solution, I helped her make magic cards.


    The cards are embedded with different kinds of magic for fast chanting and it invokes magic depending on what¡¯s embedded. Each cards were made with a type of calcium similar to the water and fire resistant paper for reusability.


    Which makes this a great invention. This will definitely decrease casting time, but I don¡¯t want to spread this too much right now. This will be a good source of income, when the time comes.


    But her mana control is still a huge problem. Compared to Andi, who learned how to control his qi, which is very similar to mana, she couldn¡¯t understand it, so Li gave up on teaching her. She instead learned how to use guns well and to make a weapon out of anything to kill a target.


    Nadi lost control due to Marny, the dog beastman we took in. Nadi is strict so she made an enemy out of Marny. She got so angry that she lost control, if it wasn¡¯t for Andi absorbing most of the attack she would¡¯ve almost destroyed the whole inn.


    A twin¡¯s sense is definitely miraculous. In the end, Nadi was able to destroy the insides of the room leaving a burnt Andi and a terrified Marny.


    Nadi was scared of her own magic, but it led her to create a bracelet with mana storing capabilities. The bracelet will consume any out of control surge of mana and will store it using empty magic stones that are often thrown away. The charged stones can then be used as catalysts or used to power other magic tools like a battery. Nadi may have a talent in magic tool crafting.


    ***


    For now, we decided on our goals:


    Register Nadi as a mage and magic tool crafter


    Start investigation on:


    Eorth


    A way to go back


    Who brought us here


    Explore nearby areas


    ***


    I lot of things happened and I¡¯m sure a lot of things will happen so we need to be ready. But these days, I feel like everything is a hassle, I feel tired. Nadi noticed and took charge but there are things she can¡¯t do and there¡¯re also things I can¡¯t do.


    I hope Li comes soon¡­

 Episode 2: Chapter 18 - A Certain Travel Diary (part 6)

    Day 183


    We¡¯ve been waiting for three days and still no signs of Li. Is she not coming? Back home when a sinkhole appeared after the earthquake, I remember her falling with us. Don¡¯t tell me that she died in there?


    Where is she? I can¡¯t lose her now. Not again.


    ***


    Day 207


    We¡¯ve waited near the river for a month and decided to leave. Marny suggested that we should go back to Eloheim and leave her to find us. To find Dragon¡¯s eye.


    I know. I know full well that I can¡¯t just stay here. But what if I want to?


    I¡¯m finally with her after all those years and to lose her again.


    ***


    Day 232


    Li, I¡¯m still here. We¡¯ve decided to split up and search for a way to go back. At least we¡¯re not wasting our time. For now, I¡¯ve started a bandit troupe in the Meldrid forest. It¡¯s a good excuse to make money and search for you.


    Nadi was angry when we separated but I made sure to contact them through telepathy.


    It¡¯s like before, no? We split the work.


    I wish you were here. WE wish you were here.


    ***


    Day 286


    Today a mutiny was formed. I didn¡¯t care much because I still had Dragon¡¯s eye. I just brought those who are loyal with me and went back to Eloheim. I doubt they can do much without me.


    I guess human greed is like this anywhere. Even in a different world, we still couldn¡¯t run away from it. Humans here are no different than those back on Earth. Selfish bastards that only see themselves, looking away from the sufferings of other people and washing their hands off of guilt.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It¡¯s funny how I¡¯m the same as the humans I despise both inside and out.


    But, it¡¯s not all bad things though, I was excited at first and had so many things to discover. Magic was wonderful and my magic was too OP if I do say so myself.


    I¡¯ve also met different kinds of people.


    Those with long ears¡ª the elves, animal-like people that can stand on two legs¡ª beastmen, the clich¨¦ dwarves that smiths the best weapons you could ever think of and the daemons, whose existence was close to mana.


    It was an interesting experience even with the ups and all the way downs, not one I want to continue, but interesting nonetheless.


    Maybe I should travel?


    At least to forget about Li, even for just a little bit.


    Yeah, it might be a good idea.


    ***


    Day 361 Sunlit-Earth 1, 752nd Light Years


    It¡¯s the start of a new year. I received greetings from the twins, calling me back to Eloheim. I guess I should go visit them soon. Plynii¡ª one of the bandits who¡¯s loyal to me, is getting tired of traveling too.


    I need a haircut and I¡¯m sure Nadi would be glad to do it for me.


    I should also think about joining up with the two once again. If Li ever hears of what I did, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be beaten or I might be tortured with healing magic?


    No, stop. I¡¯m too scared to even think about it.


    It was truly an adventure. I¡¯m currently staying with the forest-kins, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be surprised at what they look like. I¡¯m glad I went to this journey, rotting in regret would be bad. It¡¯s time to start my life again. I survived without Li when she left, I¡¯m sure I can survive again.


    No biggie.


    ***


    Sunlit-Dark 3, 752nd Light Years


    Today a report came.


    It seems like the bandits I left in the forest was subjugated single-handedly. I left them alone because I still had men on the inside, I can¡¯t believe anyone would be strong enough to annihilate the men I trained. I¡¯m sure they were slacking off.


    I¡¯ll just have to find another way to get information on the river. Even though I said I¡¯d given up on Li, I¡¯m still so hung up on it.


    Am I a masochist or what?


    ***


    Sunlit-Dark 9, 750th Light Years


    Yesterday, rumors of a big mission was circulating among the assassination leagues. Of course, Dragon¡¯s eye wasn¡¯t invited so I made sure to investigate.


    It seems some nobles from the senate sent out a dossier for the whole Mastris nobility. I can¡¯t have the only honorable noble with a working brain die on me. So I hurriedly sent Andi to the capital to watch over the Lady Marquise and sent Nadi to their estate in Turqo.


    But it sure was an amazing surprise. Nadi excitedly announced something I¡¯ve been longing to hear since coming here. All this time, my hopes of finding her was closer to zero but here she is. Enjoying herself like I knew she would. I want to see her badly but we still have a job to finish.


    Their planned attack was delayed by Nadi¡¯s actions. They¡¯ve also hired more people now and it looks like it¡¯s going to be a massacre. Well it will be, with Li and all.


    God, I can¡¯t believe I can still get this excited after I depressed myself into my self-discovery journey.


    What should I say to her?


    I think I won¡¯t be able to sleep until I see her again!

 Episode 2: Chapter 19 - My 15th Birthday

    At the age of 15, both boys and girls are now allowed to enter school. For commoners, the elemental temples offer to teach those who want to learn. They teach everything concerning your future job as a member of the society. As for nobles, children that reach the age of 15 are required to enter the school for nobility and after my birthday, I¡¯ll be going to school.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I explained to Lady Violet that I¡¯ll be leaving for the capital soon together with older brother. She looked the same as always, her face still fair and beautiful with her sapphire stoic eyes. Again, I was mesmerized, but I wish she could be at least a little disappointed. I twirled my hair on my fingertips.


    ¡°Lady Paige, may we come in?¡±


    Nora the head maid knocked at my door, they¡¯re here to help us get ready for tonight¡¯s banquet. I heard father went all out in the preparations and invited lots of nobles my age for my birthday. Brother said it was meant to help me make friends before enrollment.


    ¡°Yes, come in.¡±


    She entered with 5 more maids. They carried two dresses: one dress was white and pink to accentuate my pinkish-golden eyes, the other was a light blue dress altered from mother¡¯s old dresses.


    It may not be made for Lady Violet, but I think any dress would suit her. Even with her armor, she¡¯s still beautiful.


    They started dressing us after lunch and we¡¯re almost finished right before the sun sets. It took me a while because of my make up, but Lady Violet finished faster.


    She fixed her own hair and I was surprised that she can put on such pretty make-up by herself. She¡¯s good with the sword, singing and even dressing up, then what about me? I¡¯m no good at anything.


    I heaved a sigh at my self-destructive thoughts.


    ¡°Lady Paige, if you sigh right before the party, you¡¯d lose all your luck finding a handsome partner!¡±


    As she was finishing my make-up, Nora winked at me with an insinuating smile. Surprised, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment.


    Even if you say so, aren¡¯t I too young to look for a partner?!


    ¡°Even if you say so, my little sister is too young to look for one.¡±


    My brother entered the room as soon as I thought about it. Sometimes I wonder if my brother can read my thoughts.


    ¡°Brother! You can¡¯t enter a lady¡¯s room without knocking! Especially if you know that we¡¯re dressing up!¡±


    I puffed my cheeks and complained at my stupid older brother. He flinched a bit, but when he saw Lady Violet, his eyes were captivated.


    Fufu, beautiful, isn¡¯t she brother?


    Nora finished my make-up and Lady Violet stood up, then she held out a hand to me. I reached for her and even though it was a short distance, she escorted me to my brother.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Brother was annoyed, surely at himself for getting captivated at her beauty, but he received my hand from her nonetheless.


    ¡°*cough* Come, it¡¯s about time for your birthday party to start.¡±


    We walked together with Lady Violet. When we were near the doors to the ballroom stairs, Prince Theo, Sir Henry and the rest of the Golden Knights were waiting for us.


    ¡°Happy birthday milady, you look magnificent.¡±


    Prince Theo bowed, reached for my free hand and kissed it lightly with a compliment. I blushed furiously, Prince Theo truly looked like a prince right now. To tell the truth, being surrounded by pretty people front and back makes me feel like I¡¯ll fade away in obscurity.


    The rest also followed with a greeting and congratulations after the prince. I was shy but grateful so tug at my loose hair in embarrassment.


    ¡°¡°T-th-thank you¡­¡±


    I bowed my head, it felt like my face would be the same color as my hair now.


    ¡°Peter, is it possible to at least let Violet stay with her? I understand Lord Felippe tightened security but it would be best to have someone stay with Miss Paige. She can go with her even to the lady¡¯s room.¡±


    Prince Theo requested to my brother, the sudden change of subject caught my attention.


    Peter? When did they get so close? Is something going to happen?


    I looked at everyone present for answers and met with brother¡¯s eyes. He was tense, just like he would whenever he goes out for a monster extermination, like he would with Lady Violet these days.


    Then, a sigh of defeat came from my brother.


    ¡°Yes, I agree. It¡¯ll be safer that way.¡±


    He faced Lady Violet with serious eyes. The height difference was obvious and he had to look up to her.


    ¡°Please, watch over my sister.¡±


    As usual, she wasn''t fazed, like she knew this would happen. The expression that covered her face pursed into a small smile and her hand reached for him.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    In agreement she patted my brother¡¯s head. He was definitely surprised and annoyed but he behaved for the favor he just asked.


    Because of that, it was decided that Lady Violet would accompany me instead of older brother and the party started. In a small room atop the grand staircase, I waited. I nervously held onto brother¡¯s arm.


    Father was giving a speech about his fief, future plans and that he¡¯s thankful for everyone that we can celebrate my birthday. Brother looked at me with a smile.


    ¡°Congratulations Paige. Remember that I¡¯ll always be your brother no matter what happens.¡±


    After saying so with much care, he kissed my forehead and patted my hand. My grouchy brother can be so sweet sometimes.


    And of course, even if I leave the Mastris household, I will forever be your little sister.


    ¡°Thank you older brother. I too, promise that I will be your little sister forever, even if you become even more grouchier than ever.¡±


    I stick out my tongue and smiled. At this, he chuckled and caressed my cheek and with a little force, he pinched it between his fingers.


    ¡°What did I just hear? This cheeky princess calling me a grouch?¡±


    Laughter filled the small room. My nervousness washed away as soon as the door opened. My father introduced me and what welcomed us was the lit banquet hall filled with decorations. I saw the different delicacies father brought from each corner of our fief, and it was laid out in abundance atop long tables. You can see that he is truly proud of his citizens and his fief.


    The sound of men and women in colorful dresses mingling filled the hall. Their gazes were on me as I descend the stairs with my older brother. They clapped, some cheered and was truly happy for me, while others were murmuring in gossip.


    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I smiled and curtsied as best as I could and then it was the start of the cumbersome greetings of every guest in the hall. Brother left as he did his own greetings while Lady Violet followed closely behind me.


    As I walked around greeting my guests, I noticed some glances, stares and almost everyone was looking my way, rather behind me, to the quiet lady who followed close. That night, I became the first line of defense for all the men who wished to introduce themselves to Lady Violet.


    As the party continued deeper into the night, conversations became more lively, the music filled the hall and dancing pairs twirled in delight. Suddenly, smoke emerged from each corner of the hall and the panicked voices of the guests replaced the merriment. From behind, a handkerchief reached for my face and pulled me under a table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t breathe the smoke.¡±


    The hand warned, it was Lady Violet. She pulled out knives from under her dress and told me to stay put.


    Why did my birthday party turn out this way?

 Episode 2: Chapter 20 - A Dance with Blades

    The bright lights of the hall illuminated the extravagant colorful dresses that spread before me. Tiny glitters from the glass made the surrounding dreamy in contrast to my mood.


    Parties, I dislike parties, there¡¯s too much people and they often gossip. It¡¯s horrifying.


    In the corner of my eyes, I glimpsed at Lord Mastris¡¯ daughter, she wore a high quality white dress, I know nothing about fashion but she truly looked adorable. As I sent my silent praises to Lady Paige, my eyes were caught by that woman. Her light blue dress suited her well, or I should say: she looked beautiful. She looked like she came out of a painting and it felt like anything she wore would still be a masterpiece.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s still suspicious.¡±


    I grumbled as I saw her mingle as if she was used to it. Her every movement caught the eyes of men surrounding her. But even though she was surrounded by pompous noblemen, she kept to herself, she smiled and answered when prompted but she stood behind Lady Paige like a wallflower, garnering peeks from both men and women.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ what is she up to?¡±


    I took a glass of juice from a passing servant and returned to my post while I continue to observe the hall and the guests present.


    ¡°Sir Henry, captain asks for you to check the surroundings. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m an earth mage but I¡¯m not that good at geo-tracking.¡±


    A young man in a simple waistcoat with short caramel hair scratched his head, Arlo looked dejected due to his inability to control his magic.


    He¡¯s usually training in frustration but since he went out with that woman, he¡¯s mellowed out a little bit.


    Am I wrong to still think suspiciously of her?


    ¡°Then take my post, is his high¡ª *ehem* is Theo with Liam?¡±


    At my question he nodded enthusiastically. Is it fine to leave him, this kid? I was reluctant to leave him alone but he made me open the glass door directly to the garden. There, I found His highness and Liam surveying the area. The garden was dark, but the lights from the hall passing through the glass doors dimly lit the flowers like colorful lanterns floating on greenery.


    ¡°Enjoying the party, are we?¡±


    A man with cerulean hair beside his highness noticed me and asked, I answered with scowl. Chuckles rang in the garden and his highness patted my back.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just stay here. Even Liam ran away from it.¡±


    He pointed at the guilty knight.


    ¡°Anyway, mind checking the area for me?¡±


    Liam coughed trying to change the subject. I noticed he still wore his hair in a top knot but at least, he shaved his beard for tonight. We¡¯ve known each other since young and there wasn¡¯t even a time where we haven¡¯t seen each other for more than a day. We were even in the same order after the knight¡¯s training, so I know full well how he hates parties too.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but you could¡¯ve tried staying inside longer.¡±


    I gave them a wry smile and got onto business. I crouched and placed my hand on the ground. The feel of the earth, the tumbling of rocks, the sway of grass and trees was channeled through me. A reverberating beat echoed in my head as I called mana into my fingertips.


    ¡°i imperium terrae.¡±


    I whispered and the mana I plunged forth allowed me to see and hear everything the earth did. For now, I started looking for people who aren¡¯t supposed to be here.


    This all started when that woman made a commotion two days ago. She didn¡¯t explain much but the lord perfectly understood her intentions and promised that he was prepared for it. Security was tight for the past few days and in the end, the lord asked for our help tonight because nobles were in attendance.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    Liam asked. I lost focus for a moment but I sensed a couple of them heading straight through the hedges.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that woman was right. Several men are coming here in a couple of minutes and they¡¯ve brought mages.¡±


    And right at that moment, even though there was no wind blowing in the garden, the bushes rustled. The three of us drew our swords and soon several men from every direction entered the garden.


    ¡°Tsk. Isn¡¯t this too many and too early?! You said a couple of minutes!¡±


    Liam complained, he held his sword tightly seeing the number surrounding us. Indeed, it was too early but I didn¡¯t sense this much people!


    ¡°They''re illusiosn! I told you, there were mages!¡±


    Cold sweat ran down my face. Illusions were hard to fight against because it can change form to confuse us. All four elements could very well make illusions by themselves, but illusions as perfect as these needs at least three elements.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they made of four?¡±


    His highness said sheathing his sword. A magic circle appeared underneath and as if it followed his highness¡¯ fingers, symbols and words were written and the magic circle expanded throughout the garden. The expanding light from the circle waved and swayed with the wind.


    ¡°Elements Dispel¡±


    His highness was called a genius due to his precise use of other elemental magic aside from his. Most magic that are used are often invoked with chants or chantless magic, which only allows the mage to use their own specific elements.


    However, in his highness¡¯ case, even though he can only use light magic, he made use of light to invoke other elements. Thus his use of magic circles, these circles are often placed on magic tools to invoke specific elements needed for it to work. With a completed magic tool, all you need to do was supply it with mana.


    This technique needs to be calculated well before use in order to avoid any magic rebounds. Which is why he was called a genius, his immediate calculations of magic circles exceeds one¡¯s limitations.


    When the light shone brightly and the magic invoked, the illusions that surrounded us was dissolved, and only a dozen or so of enemies were left.


    ¡°Oooh! Great work as ever!¡±


    Liam ran up to one man and cut him down with much enthusiasm. His downward cut was met with a barrier that deflected his sword with a burning fire.


    ¡°Tsk. Looks like we¡¯ve got some talented mages here. No matter¡ª! sit fluxus aquae!¡±


    Drops of water gathered to his sword and slowly wrapped it with a bubbly edge. As soon as he finished casting, he ran up with a thrust, breaking the fire barrier and creating steam as his sword pierced through the enemy¡¯s abdomen.


    After a pull, he continued to slaughter those with fire barriers without prejudice. Seeing that scene, we did our part. I don¡¯t have much strength unlike the two but I had my speed. I delivered multiple slashes to the enemy in front of me and moved on to the other.


    Due to the number of enemies, we barely noticed the commotion happening inside the hall. Screams, smoke and metal hitting each other rang inside while we tried to get out of our own mess.


    ¡°Tsk. Looks like they¡¯re busy inside too. Should we finish up?¡±


    Liam looked at the fiasco inside. But at that moment, a wind mage casted a spell that sent him flying towards the venue. A loud crash rang and a destroyed glass door, scattered broken glass on the marble floor.


    ¡°Liam!¡±


    I turned around and saw a mirror in front of me. Different colors of light were reflected on the mirror.


    Mirror? No. It¡¯s not a mirror, it¡¯s a puddle of water. A continuous ripple stirred the lights and I felt my consciousness fading.


    ¡°Henry! appello lucem!¡±


    I hear his highness cast magic, but it was too late. I closed my eyes and saw my reflection in front of me. When I opened my eyes, in my hand was my sword and my target was¡­ his highness.

 Episode 2: Chapter 21 - Upheaval

    I cast my magic to counter the flickering lights that caught Henry. A bright light engulfed the whole garden and I covered my eyes to avoid getting blinded.


    ¡°Y-your h-high-ness¡­ please¡­¡±


    When my eyes opened, Henry stood in front of me, he held his sword over his head and with a trembling grip, he swung down. I dodged but the sword tip sliced my shoulder.


    ¡°Henry wha¡ª!¡±


    This time, he thrust his sword straight to my sternum. I saw his face contort into anger and anguish while his trembling but fast movements caught me off guard. The sword reached me again and left another shallow wound on my body.


    I was speechless, but he continued his attack without breaking his momentum. I tried to parry, but after each parry, his sword would pull back and relentlessly attack any opening.


    For Henry to¡ª Wait what happened earlier? A spell, hypnosis?


    ¡°appello lu¡ª¡°


    Again and again, he tried to cut me down. Though trembling, each movement has the intent to kill and soon, his contorted face lost all expression. His eyes dulled and his cuts sharpened, giving me less time to dodge.


    I needed to counter the spell but I couldn¡¯t cast. What if miscalculate? What if it backfires? I tried several times but I was always cut short, I couldn¡¯t focus! I could¡¯t think straight!


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    From the wreckage, Liam emerged with a bleeding head. The rest of the assassins didn¡¯t give him time to reach me and attacked him. His eyes widened when he saw his friend attack me, the lord they swore their loyalty to. Every step he took towards us, another enemy would attack and stop him.


    ¡°Tsk! Damn you Henry! What are you doing you piece of shit?!¡±


    Wounds filled my body and I was losing a lot of blood. I almost couldn¡¯t hear Liam¡¯s curses towards Henry. I was panting and dodging but it seemed like my every move would only give me nothing but wounds.


    The commotion inside slowly died down but Henry continued to cut me down. Enemies attacked me and I answered with kind, but each attack left me vulnerable for Henry. If I caught his attacks with my sword, it would then leave me vulnerable against the other.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°sit fluxus aquae!¡±


    Liam casted his magic and a semi-sphere water barrier covered me before Henry¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Henry¡­!¡±


    I called his name, but his relentless attacks on the barrier didn¡¯t stop.


    I can definitely stop him, I know I can but¡­ if I make a mistake¡­ I might kill him.


    As doubt filled my head, one after another, the barrier flickered at every hit, chipping it away little by little. I held my deepest wound and my sword on the other. Why am I hesitating? It¡¯s different now, I should be able to disable him.


    I saw Liam approached and tried to protect me. He cut down the enemies one by one, but my mind was a mess, I couldn¡¯t think straight. I couldn¡¯t do anything but tremble and stare at them blankly.


    That¡¯s... I¡¯m afraid¡­ I might end up killing him¡­ no¡­


    A memory flashed and my breathing started getting deeper. I saw a young Henry with a sword in him, bleeding, lying and staining the green grass. I felt lightheaded and my heart beating faster. My fingertips tingled, my hands and feet felt numb, my chest felt sore, my wounds stung and I felt faint. My audible gasps for air echoed in my head and my eyes were dimming as I saw Liam¡¯s barrier thin out at every slash. Soon, Henry will break it.


    No! I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t¡­


    My clothes were both drenched in blood and sweat. Nausea threatened to turn my insides and my throat choked with air. I bit my lip and held my sword tightly with the remaining strength I had left.


    The barrier broke like shards of glass and every piece poured down like rain. Henry swung downwards and with my final attempt to parry, a small piece of metal clashed with his sword. He tumbled backwards due to the strong force delivered by the metal, leaving it in shattered pieces.


    ¡°Sourpuss?¡±


    There, she entered. Her light blue dress swayed as she walked on the dimly lit garden. Her prim purple hair had locks swaying out of place and in her hand was a shard of glass. She walked nonchalantly on the carnage that painted the lush garden with blood.


    Behind her was Liam, propping himself up with his sword with bleeding wounds. He tried to cast another spell but he fainted before he could do so.


    The only mage that was left stood behind Henry and with no mana to spare, he sat panting frantically. Violet just titled her head and threw the glass shard straight to the mage¡¯s bare throat. The mage choked on his own blood and as it gushed from his throat and splattered his blood until his breath was no more. He¡¯s dead, did the spell break?


    Ignoring the mage, Henry stood with a dull expression and held his sword once again to attack. Violet sent him flying with a kick to his side and looked on, still confused.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    Her voice demanded an answer, she looked down on Henry who was on the floor. After he stood up, enemy reinforcement appeared and another handful of men¡ª eyes filled with anger looked at Violet.


    Those men, some of them came from the other side. What happened?


    She gripped her fists tightly. Even as she was standing in front of me, I could feel her anger. The more she looked at Henry the more I felt her anger boil over.


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    The Marquis came with a couple of his guards, while our attention was diverted to him, Henry swung his sword. I tried to stand with my trembling legs but in front of me, his sword stopped and blood dripped on the ground.


    ¡°Violet!¡±


    My voice trembled, all I could do was call her name. I couldn¡¯t do anything. I felt a heart-wrenching pain from my chest as every drop of blood touched the ground. I tried to call her name again but a sword fell and clattered.

 Episode 2: Chapter 22 - Black and Pink

    ¡°Thunderbolt!¡±


    The card in my hand glowed and called forth thunder. Behind me, my big brother laughed. My face twitched and I turned around, pouting and with my hands on my waist.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! Andi named them for me!¡±


    I said as an excuse and he laughed even more. He removed his thick rimmed glasses and wiped the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. I can¡¯t blame him, I was wearing a yellow dress which made me more like a joke.


    ¡°No¡­ hehe¡­ sorry¡­ pfft! It¡¯s just¡ª! Pwahahahahaha! Sorry!¡±


    His silky black hair swayed while laughing even more. He held his stomach and touched a tree for support.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna say ¡®pik*chu¡¯ you know.¡±


    I imitated the cute voice of the P*kem*n every kid loved. Hearing this, he laughed even more, keeling over the ground. I sighed at how easy it is to make my big brother laugh.


    ¡°Come now, big sis is waiting!¡±


    I stomped my feet while he struggled to stand up holding his stomach. He held out his hand and I pulled him with all my might.


    ¡°Yeah, haha! Sorry¡­¡±


    He smiled, it¡¯s been a while since I saw that smile. Big brother truly cherishes bis sis, so much so that he turned into trash without her.


    Oh well, I¡¯m used to Andi¡¯s antics, might as well watch over my hopeless big brother.


    I don¡¯t know if he sensed my surrender or if he heard the silent sigh I made, but he ruffled my pink hair that took a long time to style.


    Now, my hairpins are all over the place!


    He walked ahead and crossed over the burnt corpses, leaving me with a sense of defeat.


    ¡°Can you tone it down a little? It¡¯ll be bad if society runs out of bad guys.¡±


    Isn¡¯t that good?! Bad people should just die!


    Both big sis and big bro have this belief that everything should be balanced. Is that why they joined Boss¡¯ Dragon¡¯s eye back on Earth and why we continued it here? I sighed knowing my question will be left unanswered since those two always kept it a mystery.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they really sent people to kill Mastris. What were they thinking?¡±


    He pushed his glasses back and his blue eyes glowed. He taught me this magic enhancement recently, he says it¡¯s similar to big sis¡¯ use of qi to enhance her sight and kinetic vision. But this one is more special, having filters like night and thermal visions. And like a phone camera, it can zoom in and you can share the vision using another magic.


    It¡¯s like social media, isn¡¯t it? #spyingonmybigsis


    A scowl covered his pretty face, it looked like his laugh trip earlier didn¡¯t happen.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Can¡¯t find sis?¡±


    I want to look too, but I can¡¯t maintain it properly, last time I did, I was blind for a whole day. As I was planning to ask for him to share, he clicked his tongue and held his dagger.


    ¡°They¡¯re planning to set up a curse around the manor. A klick away from each other, there¡¯re three outside and two inside the house. Here.¡±


    He touched my head and a flood of information rushed inside. They were indeed a klick away from each other. Two mages were wearing servant¡¯s outfit and the rest wore hooded robes. They only circled around the banquet hall where the population is much denser.


    ¡°What?! They¡¯re planning to kill the guests too?!¡±


    No wonder big brother was angry.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the ones outside, while you take the two inside. If you make contact with Li, don¡¯t let her out of your sight. Understand?¡±


    He left and ran at full speed not even hearing my answer.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go do my orders. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re gonna be a match for¡ª¡­ wait¡­ This is a disaster!¡±


    I was preoccupied with my angry brother that I forgot I¡¯m no good with magic battles! I might end up destroying the house.


    ¡°Gah! Stupid big brother! Did you leave your brain with big sis, or what?!¡±


    Crap! Oh, wait¡­ I don¡¯t have to use magic! I just have to kill them!


    I was embarrassed at my stupidity. The logic of fighting magic vs magic had been a norm to me because I wanted to practice my magic. I forgot that I only need to kill them, so I¡¯ll just have to slice, mince or chop them up properly, right?


    ¡°Hehe~! Now, how should I enter, hm~?¡±


    I didn¡¯t run as fast as big brother but I ran fast enough to reach the manor in time. I entered quietly from the front door, there was no one around because they were focused on the first intruders so they didn¡¯t think a second one would enter brazenly from the front.


    I practically skipped through the corridor and found one of my targets who¡¯s setting up part of the magic circle. She was wearing a maid¡¯s uniform while carrying a wooden staff with a giant magic stone on top.


    I looked around for a weapon and found a bust of the Marquis. While she was focused on chanting, I sneaked up behind her and hit her hard with the bust.


    ¡°Hmm.. I think Andi would say ¡®You¡¯re busted!¡¯ if he saw this~!¡±


    I smiled happily and dropped the bust on her head multiple times. Enough to crush her head properly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t have her reviving after all~!¡±


    I patted my hand together and the yellow dress I¡¯m wearing. I was glad I imbued my clothes with water resistance magic so blood won¡¯t stick to it or any other liquid.


    ¡°All I have to do is pat them dry~! Now, where to again?¡±


    I hummed while I look for something to kill the last one. I found some knives on a cart filled with cutleries while I passed through one of the doors to the banquet all. In the carnage, I saw unconscious people lying on the ground and a dead mixture of assassins, and soldiers. There, I saw big sis wearing a light blue dress that looks absolutely immaculate on her¡ª walk out to the gardens.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s gonna leave. I don¡¯t know why big brother worries so much. Reunions should happen on a lovely setting!¡±


    I turned to leave and looked for my last target. On the other side of the hall, another maid was carrying the same exact staff the other was using while she chants magic furiously. I smiled.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to finish the circle without your friends, you know~?¡±


    She turned around, as soon as she saw me, she started chanting fire magic.


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    I threw the knives at her throat to interrupt the chant and delivered a kick to drive it in. She fell and blood gushed out like a fountain as I saw her cough up blood. Blood splattered on my dress, my face and my bangs.


    ¡°Eww! Can¡¯t people here die without leaving a mess?!¡±


    My voice echoed through the empty corridor while someone called my name in my head.


    [Nadi, are you done?]


    It was big brother¡¯s voice. He sounded like he didn¡¯t even broke a sweat, while I had blood splattered all over my face.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m done. Just a little messy, but done.¡±


    I answered wiping myself with my handkerchief I wet with water.


    [Good, I¡¯m coming to you. Did you see Li?]


    ¡°Oh right! She went out to the gardens. There¡¯s more outside and she looked angry.¡±


    [I see. She won¡¯t leave so let¡¯s just wait in Mastris¡¯ office.]


    Yeah of course she won¡¯t, you just thought of it now? Wait, in the office? I raised my brow at his plan.


    ¡°Do we introduce ourselves?¡±


    [Yeah. We can protect Mastris better this way too. By the way, bring one of those staff they were using so we have proof.]


    ¡°Roger~!¡±


    I took the staff from the corpse and walked my way to the Lord¡¯s office. Not minding the commotion happening in the garden.

 Episode 2: Chapter 23 - That thing called fear

    I received the blow. My right arm dripped with blood as his blade ran deeper under my skin.


    ¡°Violet!¡±


    I hear Theo¡¯s voice tremble behind me. Is he worried? Why? This much is nothing. I looked straight at the eyes of the man that he trusted. His blue eyes were dull and his face was expressionless.


    Hypnosis?


    I felt like sighing, if he can only see himself I bet he¡¯d ask me to kill him. I held the hand holding his sword and put strength on my grip while reinforcing it with qi. A crack wonderfully resounded and slowly, his hand loosens at my grip and the sword clumsily falls on the ground while gashing my skin. I might¡¯ve broken some of his bones but it¡¯ll heal.


    ¡°Get a hold of yourself.¡±


    I said under my breath accompanied by a punch on his gut. Having all the air escape from his lungs all of a sudden, he fainted and fell on my arms. I heard Theo stir behind me pulling himself up from his injuries.


    ¡°Stay, here.¡±


    I tossed the deadweight towards his master and passed qi to my wounded arm. To our enemies¡¯ surprise, blood stopped dripping and the wound closed straight away.


    ¡°Wha?! I-I thought there¡¯s no one here capable of healing magic!!!¡±


    Denying what he saw, I, myself stopped at his words.


    Magic? What magic?


    I readied myself, not preferring any stance. I was angry, Theo was wounded and Henry was not himself, I left these scum alone because that fucking old man said he was ready! I cursed giving a side glance towards Mastris, one filled with anger and bloodlust.


    I gripped my hands tightly, I killed some of them earlier but it wasn¡¯t enough. My blood boiled, my nails dug into my palms tearing my flesh while my teeth gritted. I felt a extreme urge to get my hands onto someone and crush their neck.


    My anger continued to build up, I should¡¯ve done something, I should¡¯ve prepared for the worst.


    Kill more. No, I need to¡­


    I let qi flow freely inside my body, right now, every hit will make you wish you were dead. One brave armored man lunged at me with a dagger.


    ¡°You dare?¡±


    My voice was filled with anger, I released bloodlust at my enemies. I caught his arm and punched his left side with the free flowing qi in my body, the armor caved in and I was sure his kidney is definitely damaged.


    Still not satisfied, I swept his leg, he fell clattering backside down and I delivered a kick to that same side while holding his arm to keep him in place.


    Another punch then went down to the same area and his mouth foamed at that last hit. The left side of his armor caved in and the thin metal ripped with the succeeding attacks, his ribs were definitely broken and his left kidney is now worthless.


    Mastris¡¯ men arrived and surrounded the rest of the assassins but their eyes were trained at me. They were trembling, yet those eyes, those fear-filled eyes felt so familiar. I let my fist heal from the ruptured armor but I was still angry, the urge to kill is still there but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    The soldiers are scared and wary of me, I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for Theo.


    I clicked my tongue in frustration and gazed at the assassins, most of them fell down while others who were strong enough to withstand my bloodlust, panicked. They looked around and seeing as they were surrounded, some cursed at us for being there while some were scared and gave up.


    ¡°This is supposed to be an easy job! DAMN YOU¡ª BITCH!!!¡±


    Sounds fitting for a villain, I want kill him myself but I can¡¯t. I was still filled with anger so I slowly forced it to leave my body. Soon, after overcoming fear, the old man¡¯s soldiers rushed towards them with swords in hand.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Seeing as it was finished, I sighed deeply and flicked my unfurled hair to let the wind pass through my back. I feel sweat trickle down my back, I felt unease. I questioned as to why I even broke a sweat. They were small fries, even without my memories I know I can defeat all of them barehanded.


    But why was I so angry? Because Paige¡¯s birthday was ruined? Because Theo got hurt?


    Yes, I owe Theo and the others but it shouldn¡¯t be enough to garner this much anger. I looked at my palms and saw how deep my nails dug. I sighed and healed the wounds I made myself.


    Ah~¡­ no good. I forgot about those two.


    When I turned around, I saw Theo bleeding from his injuries. Paige and Peter tended to him and some of the soldiers carried Henry together with Liam. Anger, frustration, once again these feelings. I grit my teeth and felt my cheek twitch at the sight of Theo¡¯s blood.


    What¡¯s with this?


    I wondered about the swirling feelings in my heart. I''ve never felt like...


    Never?


    It felt like I''ll uncover unpleasant memories so I immediately stopped that train of thought.


    But magic, though? I thought what Theo said was just something like a branding or grouping. Like a platoon or something, with those elements being the name of the platoons. And what happened with Guren was just him messing with that henna tattoo or something. I thought he made a mistake but the pain was too much so I hoped I was just hallucinating, but those balls of fire inside and the watery glass that surrounded Theo.


    I looked at my hands, the memory of that glowing black orb annoyed me. Is that my magic?


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    I felt annoyed, I don¡¯t know why but that blackness makes me feel helpless. Is it because I can¡¯t remember anything? Where is this? Why am I here? Why did I forget? What happened to me? Why does everything feels so unfamiliar, yet a weapon in my hand feels comfortable. Why do I feel a sense of fulfillment when I see blood dripping from my enemies? The feeling of bones being broken with my touch. Why do I have these skills that lets me kill dozens of men twice my size? And most importantly,


    Who am I?


    I saw them being carried inside to be treated, I watched and inhaled, breathing the cold night air. The situation felt somewhat familiar. Something I¡¯m used to. The battlefield? It¡¯s hard to discern due to my memory loss but my body remembers. The feeling of adrenaline pumping and slowly calming it down with practice and it¡¯s easier with the help of the cold air. The familiar yet different dress I¡¯m wearing and the smell of blood circling through the air. It¡¯s all so familiar.


    ¡°¡­ umm¡­ Lady Violet?¡±


    A small voice squeaked behind me, almost like a whisper, it made me strain my ear to hear. After all the bustle leaving, someone is still here? Ignoring the voice, I continued pondering about myself, this familiar feeling and that anger. I was still angry and I don¡¯t mean to be rude but I feel like if I stop now I¡¯ll be grumpy later.


    But the presence stayed, I know I stood there for a while and I already know it¡¯s Paige just from the voice, but why is she still here? Since I¡¯ve calmed down plenty, I guess I can entertain her.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Umm¡­ well¡­ ar-are you wounded¡­ or anything¡­?¡±


    Her voice trailed off. What is she scared off? Is it me? I wonder¡­


    ¡°Hm. Are you scared?¡±


    Of me¡­


    I couldn¡¯t say it. I¡¯m scared of being hated. I know that Theo and especially Henry are already wary of me and tolerates me but her¡­ I don¡¯t want to be hated. She¡¯s somewhat familiar¡­


    ¡°Ye-yes! I mean, NO! Umm¡­ maybe a little¡­ b-but you were there and there were a lot of them¡­ and umm¡­¡±


    I felt like a frustrated sigh will escape my lips so I closed it tight. She fidgets and her pinkish-golden eyes swim. I chuckled as I see the young girl panic just to soothe me. I reached for her head and with a pat pat, I smooth out her hair.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    Pat, pat, pat. I pet her until I was satisfied. Her fluffy red hair felt good on my hands, it looked unruly due to the waves but it passed through my fingers smoothly and felt very fluffy. I saw her cheeks flush and squirm underneath my hand. I just met her the other day but she seems so familiar, like she reminds me of someone.


    Paige continued to melt under my hand and her figure seem to want to shrink even further. Then steps, hardy steps entered. With just those steps, I knew right away who it was. My senses were sharp and I understood that it was abnormal.


    I am abnormal.


    It was reflected on his eyes, the young man who entered the courtyard. His red fiery eyes that experienced such sights saw me as an abnormality. His guard was up as he rushed towards his sister.


    ¡°Miss Violet, my father calls for you.¡±


    His eyes narrowed while forcibly pulling his sister from me. And to her shock, she tripped but was caught in his chest. You really are a siscon.


    ¡°Hm. Where?¡±


    I smiled, stopping a chuckle leaking from my lips.


    ¡°I shall guide you. Paige, go and see to his highness.¡±


    Oh, you¡¯re sending her away? You¡¯re that wary of me? Hmm¡­ but I understand.


    The flustered girl nodded her head and ran away. Such a cute being, she definitely reminds me of someone, maybe that pink haired girl in my fuzzy memories? I¡¯ll make her stay with me until I remember. But first, I shifted my gaze from Paige towards her older brother.


    ¡°Please, this way.¡±


    I followed with a scent of blood trailing from my hands and dress, I passed through the halls relaxed, with no tension. If things go south, I might need to escape. I can retrieve everything Theo gave me so the only problem is, where do I go?


    I was rude earlier when I got angry but I doubt things will go that far. We¡¯ll just see.


    I looked at the window and saw the bright moon. What a great night for a failed assassination. Another smile crept up my face but this time, instead of amused, I mocked the stupidity of those assassins.


    Ah~ what a wonderful night¡­


    In a blink of an eye, the anger subsided and the adrenaline was washed away by the cold spring wind.

 Episode 2: Chapter 24 - Reunion

    I was nervous or rather, excited? My hands were trembling and my stomach is bursting with butterflies.


    ¡°Nadi, y-you think it¡¯s fine to wear these masks? You think she¡¯d recognize us?¡±


    I whispered nervously to Nadi beside me.


    ¡°Big bro, give me your hands. Open palms, hurry!¡±


    I pulled out my hands both palms facing up. Without notice, she slapped my palms with hers as hard as she could. A loud clapping sound echoed in the Mastris¡¯ office, startling him and his men. The shock numbed me for a second and I felt all the tension leave as pain overtook my palms.


    Mastris and his men was surprised and looked at us intently, observing us. I saw some of them pull out their sword but was stopped by Mastris immediately.


    ¡°I suggest you refrain from doing anything suspicious. The tension amongst my men right now is quite high. I wouldn¡¯t want them suddenly attacking a possible ally.¡±


    He said with a bitter smile. His men tried to calm down and stood in attention beside him, but tension was still on high. We were inside his office and tasteful decoration covered it. It wasn¡¯t excessive like I imagined it to be, but enough to show authority and money. I thought gold-tacky and over-the-top furnishings would fill a noble¡¯s office but it seems, Mastris¡¯ reputation as a humble noble is true.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re nervous, you see.¡±


    I reasoned. I couldn¡¯t help it, I was nervous without knowing. I can¡¯t blame them, admitting we are the ¡®Dragon¡¯s eye¡¯ and wearing masks like these, we¡¯re suspicious any way you look at it.


    ¡°But¡­ is there truly a need to wear such masks? If you mean to ally your league with us, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I can see your faces?¡±


    He was skeptical. True, to earn his trust, we should¡¯ve shown our faces right away. But I don¡¯t really need a noble backing right now. I¡¯m not that desperate, I have enough money to run my operations.


    ¡°We¡¯re only here to see if this¡­ ¡®Violet¡¯ is the one we were looking for. If she is, we¡¯d like to take custody of her and negotiate an alignment with the Mastris household.¡±


    I said full of hot air. I know that my judgement right now is not working right, but if this is truly Li and if she really lost her memories¡­ No, that in of itself is already lucky.


    ¡°If she isn¡¯t, then there¡¯s no more point for this visit. The information is only 70% accurate, so this is a precaution to keep our operations intact. Please understand.¡±


    Lies. It¡¯s already proven that she¡¯s Li. Nadi saw her and she knows her well. Everything here is just for show, after all, we could kill them anytime if we wanted to. This is meant to draw a line in between that we will only do something if we benefit from it.


    ¡°I see. But what would you do if we won¡¯t let you leave?¡±


    Really?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I shrugged my shoulders and crossed my legs and I said with a condescending voice¡­


    ¡°Then we have no choice but to kill you ourselves, now do we?¡±


    Beside me, Nadi giggled. Yeah, I know. This flamboyantly arrogant attitude doesn¡¯t suit me, it¡¯s an act! An act, I tell you! But in response to that act, the soldiers glared at us exuding a powerful blood lust while their hands reaching for their weapon. But Nadi¡¯s giggle grew into a laugh.


    ¡°Calm down. You should know that we wouldn¡¯t be here without a plan.¡±


    She egged them on, if she wasn¡¯t wearing a mask, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s wearing a refreshingly scary smile right now. Everyone in the room stiffened up. Some looked around and outside the window.


    Little sis, what¡¯re you planning?


    ¡°You should understand by now that our Dragon¡¯s eye is quite a huge organization. There¡¯s no way in hell we¡¯d lose. We could even wipe you out in one night.¡±


    Wow. Everyone immediately panicked. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that their armors would rust from all that sweat! Sometimes I don¡¯t know where Nadi hides all those blood lust.


    But still, I¡¯m surprised. After I left, the twins made the Dragon¡¯s eye grow with only the two of them doing everything. And saying we¡¯re a huge organization was also a lie, there¡¯re only 5 members and only 3, including me¡ª are active and are capable of doing the things we¡¯ve been doing. It¡¯s a statement with nothing but bluffs. You¡¯d be great at poker Nadi.


    A knock was heard from the door and my heart shot up to my throat. My hands were clammy and they trembled again. But I felt Nadi¡¯s foot stepping on mine, which successfully brought me pain and my senses back.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    With permission, a servant opened the door from our side and a red-head kid entered. Following behind, walking nonchalantly like always was a woman with her long purple hair. The hair that gave her the nickname ¡®Violet¡¯ for her cover and surprisingly, the name she used here. She wore a light blue dress covered with blood. It wasn¡¯t surprising because it was her default every after mission. You can say, blood was her medal.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    Mastris coughed. I¡¯m sure he got scared of Nadi earlier but I¡¯m to nervous to worry about anything else. I mean, what do I say to her? ¡°Long time no see?¡±, ¡°Hi! How are you?¡± What do I say?!


    ¡°Miss Violet, there¡¯s someone here who wish to meet you.¡±


    He led her with his hand and after entering her line of sight, she stopped and looked at us or rather, our masks. Then she turned her head stifling a laugh. Yes, she¡¯s Li alright. Our masks is considered scary or ominous for most people here, but Li finds it funny because she said it looks constipated.


    ¡°Big sis!!!¡±


    With a sigh of relief, Nadi ran up to her. Without minding the blood on Li and with her mask falling, she snuggled up close to her. Tears fell from her eyes and a sigh of relief came from me. I removed my mask and fixed my glasses.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯ve you been?¡±


    In the end, I said such a lame line. But tears were there, they were about to fall, but I did my best to smile as brightly as I could. The whole room was quiet and they were staring at our interaction intently. Slowly, I slowly walked.


    Every step felt like eternity. I know she lost her memories and it sucks that she can¡¯t remember but I was filled with longing and missing her. I know my face shows it, my eyes were dripping with tears and probably snot but her confused face says it all.


    I definitely look pathetic right now.


    As soon as I reached her, my arms immediately wrapped around her. Her sweet scent mixed with the metallic smell of blood was so familiar that it made me sob.


    Finally! I finally found you!


    I clung to her as tightly as I could, and without notice, she started patting my head. As gentle as before, filled with love and care. I bit my lip but my tears fell again and I could hear Nadi¡¯s loud sobs beside me.


    ¡°¡­I found you!¡­ *sob*¡­ I found¡­ you¡­¡±


    I said between sobs while I buried my face in her hair. Mastris and the rest left the room and we introduced ourselves to Li. I was thankful for the gesture and felt sorry for the intimidation. But it doesn¡¯t matter! Li¡¯s here!


    She couldn¡¯t remember but she smiled happily at us. Accepting everything we said as fact.


    We talked all throughout the night and Mastris even allowed us stay with Li. All three of us slept in the same room with Nadi and Li on the bed and me on the sofa.


    But after that night, Li didn¡¯t wake up.

 Episode 2: Chapter 25 - Dragonflies

    In the muddled view of the lake, a young Li sits at the edge with her feet dipped in the water. She was surrounded with water lilies and buzzing dragonflies. The amazing view of dozens of dragonflies darting and hovering about made me curious, so I tried to catch the blue dragonfly hovering on top of the lilies.


    ¡°Lu, you shouldn¡¯t catch them.¡±


    She warned leaning back while she splash water with her feet. The vivid dreamy state of the glassy lake glittered from the sun and the droplets fell like sun drops.


    ¡°But, but look! Their eyes look weird! I wanna touch it!¡±


    I tried pointing at one but it flew away like a blue line and continued to buzz nearby.


    ¡°Yes, but papa said that we shouldn¡¯t. Dragonfly represent change, he said.¡±


    Those were words the five year old me could never understand. Change was very familiar, something unavoidable but hard to understand, it was hard then, more so now.


    ¡°Change?¡±


    I asked with curiosity.


    How can a tiny insect represent something so profound?


    But, those thoughts never ran through my mind at the time. I was only curious at father¡¯s words, words that made those dragonflies so significant.


    ¡°Hm. Papa said that dragonflies are the basis for his qigong.¡±


    Father was a mystery even for mother, but everyone thinks that he was an accomplished martial artist because of his habits and skills. And even though he would leave for long periods of time, he was able to provide so nobody asked the important questions.


    ¡°Lulu, Lili, where are you?¡±


    From a distance, a shadow of a muffled voice called for us. I remembered that this glassy lake was inside the vast backyard of our forgotten home. This lake was our favorite place to play.


    ¡°Over here, mama!¡±


    The young Li called her, still playing with water. A blurred image of our mother came bringing with her drinks and snacks. I saw tons of mother¡¯s pictures but I still couldn¡¯t remember her face well. She felt unfamiliar than any stranger I¡¯ve ever met.


    ¡°Wow! There¡¯s so many of them.¡±


    The muffled voice exclaimed happily, watching the dragonflies with us.


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if papa can see this too, no?¡±


    Her face was still blurred but I¡¯m sure she was smiling warmly when she said that and I¡¯m sure, father would¡¯ve been happy to see this too. We spent the whole afternoon in the lake where mother would often sing to us. The song she often sang when we were at the lake, the only song I remember her by, the song about dragonflies¡­


    ***


    A sobbing voice entered my ear. It was different from mother¡¯s, it was a small voice, a little out of tune but sweet and it was singing the same song.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I was waking up but I wanted to sleep some more, I want to keep staying in that dream. I wanted to forget, to sleep away all the regret, the anxiety, all the stress. If I wake up now¡­


    ¡°Dear dragonfly, your wings so clear..."


    The voice sobbed again. I know whose voice it is. Why is she crying? I opened my eyes and an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me, my back hurt and my neck was stiff.


    When did I fall asleep?


    I sat up, rubbing my neck and my eyes. It felt like I haven¡¯t slept at all. I looked up to find the source of the sobbing that woke me up.


    ¡°Nadi¡­¡±


    She noticed me and wiped her swollen eyes right away. She was sitting beside Li, who¡¯s been sleeping for 3 days. She laid there, never stirring, never moving, not even a mumble from her lips. It was freaky, it was as if she was dead.


    She¡¯s definitely alive tho, I¡¯m sure. I mean, I always check her pulse and she¡¯s still breathing normally, even now. She wasn¡¯t sick but the ever powerful healing magic couldn¡¯t wake her up.


    We tried to search for a cure¡ª from poison to curses, but nothing matched. Nadi and I switched from watching over her and researching a cure, we were both tired and stressed.


    ¡°Sorry, but I suggest you sleep some more. Look how dark your eye bags are! With your black hair and clothes, you look more like a panda by the day!¡±


    She gave me a wry smile while I gave her one of my own. I know that I¡¯m regressing back to half a year ago, but I can¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t know what to do anymore. It feels like god¡¯s been playing tricks on me since we arrived here. Giving me hope then slapping me with it. I can¡¯t even compare it to lemons.


    ¡°By the way, Andi called. I¡ª I couldn¡¯t tell him¡­¡±


    Her voice slowly trailed off. True, even as the eldest amongst the three of us, I¡¯m still scared of his temper. The only one who can stop him is Li.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. Just tell him to come, we¡¯ll tell him when he gets here.¡±


    I stood to wash my face. The luxurious room were staying in right now can¡¯t be compared to the inn rooms we¡¯ve been staying. In the embellished mirror, reflected my face. My skin was rough, I had dark circles under my eyes and my beard was already growing.


    I really do look like a panda.


    I splashed some water to wake me up. I need to go to the Magician¡¯s Guild this time to read about curses and an all-cure. Maybe I¡¯ll find something and I might be able to ask a high ranking mage about Li¡¯s condition.


    ¡°Nadi, I¡¯ll go to the Magician¡¯s Guild next. Call me if anything comes up.¡±


    I flung my black coat over my shoulder and left the room. It felt like running away but I wasn¡¯t, you know. Really, I wasn¡¯t¡­


    I sighed loudly but it felt like the burden got heavier and right outside the door, I saw that guy was waiting again.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    I don¡¯t know why, but every time I see his face I have this annoying feeling that makes me wanna punch his pretty face.


    ¡°As always, please allow me to see Miss Violet.¡±


    For days, now, he¡¯s been trying to visit Li. I¡¯m thankful that he saved Li, but I can¡¯t have a stranger near her, especially now that she¡¯s defenseless.


    ¡°Her name¡¯s Leila, not Violet and as always, no.¡±


    I placed a barrier at the door and walked pass him.


    It¡¯s too early and I lack sleep, so please don¡¯t bother me.


    I pleaded and begged in my heart, but a stubborn as he was, he continued to follow and plead his case.


    ¡°Please Sir Lucas. I am able to use high class light magic that¡¯s able to heal anything, from wounds to sickness. I¡¯ve been under Miss Vio¡ª Leila¡¯s care, I cannot allow myself to just turn away when I am able to help!¡±


    Yeah, yeah, I know about your light magic. I also know who you really are, oh, Aureate Prince of Aurelis.


    ¡°I can also do the same thing, I¡¯ve tried the same things you¡¯d try.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Magic manifests in one¡¯s appearance, I¡¯ve never seen anyone with black hair but I¡¯m definitely sure that light magic couldn¡¯t manifest from your hair and blue eyes.¡±


    Again, he defends his case. Is that so? Then, I can just use Nadi eye color as an excuse but, I doubt it¡¯ll end with just that. I sighed deeply and ran away from him.


    ¡°Sir Lucas, you worry that I might hurt Vi¡ª Leila, right? Then, I could also say the same about you.¡±


    Those words stopped me in my tracks. I see, he¡¯s right, Li¡¯s like Schrodinger¡¯s cat to them. But¡­


    ¡°Let me help you with research. If you can¡¯t trust me nor anyone, I can at least help with finding a cure.¡±


    You¡¯re a friggin¡¯ Prince, you know that? Do you really have the time to waste?


    I scratched my head. How I wish I could just run away and leave everything. I looked back and saw his determined face.


    ¡°Do what you want.¡±


    I turned to run from him again. People with such determination aside from Li scares me. Yeah, all I can do is run away.

 Episode 2: Chapter 26 - World conquest? Anyone?

    What the fuck happened?


    After the rushed travel back from the capital I witness my brother brooding in the garden. I immediately went to Mastris¡¯ manor because I heard they¡¯ve found big sis, but why is he like this again?!


    ¡°Nadi?¡±


    I looked at my twin for answers, but she wore a sullen expression, refusing to answer. You¡¯d think I know what she¡¯s thinking but even as her twin, I can only read her at an extent. I was tired, I called them for an update but no one answered, so my patience was running low.


    What in hell happened here?!


    ¡°Bro, what happened?¡±


    My voice was stern, I stopped myself from blowing my temper. I know nothing good comes from my anger but if brother turns useless, everything will fall apart again. The whole cycle of that tormenting year will come again!


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    I begged and waited, but I was met with silence. I felt an itch and it started to get annoying.


    Throbbing, thumping louder and louder and louder.


    ¡°Fuck! How can we solve the problem if you won¡¯t tell me!¡±


    I kicked a nearby tree. I know it won¡¯t do anything, but I needed to hit something! If not, my fist would definitely meet his face. I grit my teeth to the point it hurt and I turned to cool my head.


    ¡°Li¡¯s not waking up.¡±


    Brother¡¯s silent voice echoed throughout the garden. A refreshing wind blew as I process those words. Big sis is what now?


    ¡°What? Not waking up¡­ she¡ª is she dead?!¡±


    I looked at Nadi for answers and it doesn¡¯t seem like it. What does he mean that she¡¯s not waking up? Nadi looked at me, prepared to answer.


    ¡°When we met with her after the party, she was fine. She lost her memories but she was still the same as ever. We talked and talked and fell asleep together. But¡­¡±


    She trailed off wore the same sullen expression earlier. Brother looked even more down after they said it. Was it so hard to tell me? She lost her memory and she¡¯s still asleep?


    ¡°So she¡¯s in a coma now? Doesn¡¯t that mean her brain is trying to repair her lost memories?¡±


    Shock is the word. It was written all over their faces. It was different from the face they often make at my jokes, it wasn¡¯t like the usual: ¡°How can this dumbass be my brother?¡± Or ¡°What kind of human are you?¡± Right now, in their faces was pure astonishment.


    What? What? Did I say something wrong? Oh¡­


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Waha! Don¡¯t tell me you forgot that it was possible?! LOL! Bwahahahaha!¡±


    Their face says it all! That silence meant that they really did forget. I laughed imagining the despair they went through for a week. And their faces, brother has bags as big as my fists and the ever dainty Nadi looked like a mess!


    ¡°S-shut up! We were really troubled you know!¡±


    She stomped her foot and pouted at me. Li was a special existence to the three of us so I can understand their despair, I know, I¡¯m sorry, but I really can¡¯t stop laughing!


    ¡°I know I was stupid for over-reacting, but for Andi to point it out¡ª I really am in another world! Wait, does this mean I¡¯m more of a dumbass than Andi?!¡±


    Oy, that was uncalled for!


    Beside me, my brother insulted me right in my face. Yeah, I guess I deserved that for laughing at them but it¡¯s not my fault we¡¯re in another world!


    ¡°But really! How can we miss that possibility big brother! Her memory loss, sudden change in environment and body composition. We aren¡¯t even sure what kind of magic she has.¡±


    Nadi stopped the stream of insults leaving brother¡¯s mouth. Good thing too, if not, I would¡¯ve punched him to make him stop.


    ¡°Yeah, I wasted that whole week thinking it was a curse or poison from this world and to have Andi point it out¡ª!¡±


    Can¡¯t you just move on?! I glared at my brother and gave a jab to his side. He curled in pain and trembled on a nearby tree.


    ¡°Not my fault you forgot that modern medicine existed for a whole fuckin¡¯ week!¡±


    I pouted and sat on the bench Nadi sat before. Recovering from my punch, he sighed deeply and his face looked clearer than before.


    Feeling refreshed after a jab¡­ What are you a masochist?


    ¡°Honestly, in all seriousness¡­¡±


    He paused and stood straight up, fixing himself. The pause was quite long, but I felt a serious discussion coming so I prepared to listen intently.


    ¡°Li¡¯s coma might¡¯ve been caused by sudden stimuli from our appearance. If Li stays in a coma after three weeks, then we really have to worry.¡±


    He held his bearded face as he thinks about what to do. He was full of despair earlier but it seems like his back on track. I never want to encounter that moronic brother again.


    ¡°Right now, we can supplement her body with mana so we won¡¯t have to worry about IV drips and nutrients.¡±


    He continued. He paused for a while, rubbing his unusual bearded face. Big sis never liked beards so he always shaves it for a clean look. Even though he can grow a perfect beard! One day, when my face can grow one, I will grow mine too!


    ¡°As of now, we can¡¯t do anything but wait for her to naturally wake up. So while we wait, Andi, we¡¯ll continue Dragon¡¯s eye operation and our search for a way back. Nadi, stay here and watch over Li. If something happens call us. For now, we can make Li¡¯s room our home base.¡±


    He delegated jobs like he usually did back on Earth. I truly admire brother when he¡¯s like this.


    With him and big sis together, I feel like we can conquer the whole world! We can do a world conquest in Eorth! We¡¯ll be like the demons who vowed to unite the world under their rule!


    ¡°What about Marny and Plynii?¡±


    Then we¡¯ll have an army! I will be their general and I will run off to the battlefield, rampaging and creating mountains of corpses. Then, I will stand atop of those corpse mountains and declare our victory!


    ¡°Hey you, listen!¡±


    As I was lost in my dream of a game-like conquest, brother knocked my head.


    ¡°Just cancel our rooms and have them stay in two small ones. I don¡¯t want to impose on Mastris, our debts are already enough to be his retainers.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulder and eked himself to sit on the middle of the cramped bench Nadi and I were sitting on. He wrapped his arms over our shoulders and said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being like that. Even though I promised¡­¡±


    Yeah, you promised. So don¡¯t you go breaking it.


    From the wind drifting in the garden, I could smell something disgusting coming from brother. Wait, don¡¯t tell me you two haven¡¯t bathe properly?!


    ¡°Brother you stink! Get away from me!¡±


    I tried to run away but the two stinky jerks pulled me back with a devilish smile and hugged me even tighter. I tried to run away again and again, but soon, brother used magic to paralyze me and I was stuck under the stinky embrace of my siblings.


    ¡°YOU BASTARDS!¡±


    My angry wails reached no one as it echoed through the garden.

 Episode 3: Chapter 27 - In the castle

    I gently seated myself in the most uncomfortable seat in the whole room. Or should I say, the only seat in this room. In front of me laid a long red carpet that reached a large ornate door and on its sides, 5 men stood with their head low. A sign of respect for the one who currently has the highest authority in this golden kingdom.


    ¡°Your highness, now that his highness the prince has left the kingdom, how do you plan to remove him permanently and usurp the throne for yourself?¡±


    A voracious remark, befitting of his sly foxy face. He bore a malicious smile, honestly showing his greed in my presence. Yes, these men aim to commit treason and have me take the throne which was originally my right.


    ¡°Calm yourself Earl Briggan. Such impatience will only lead to a swift demise.¡±


    How can the house of Briggan fall to such extent? Was it the influence of the Ferrum nobility?


    Though I loathe them, I carefully said with authority, befitting of the mood. Even as I fraternize with such people, I do not wish nor plan to depose the crown prince.


    ¡°Then do you suggest we ruin his current influence and leave him crippled when he comes back?¡±


    Another man spoke. His golden hair tinted with crimson clearly showed his lineage. Yasmin Ferrum, a former member of a branch family from Ferrum and the current head of the traitorous family. He had thin eyes that hides his intentions perfectly and even as he bore all the hate from these past years, those words doesn¡¯t suit this man.


    I raised my brow and imagined the frightful things this man can do, but I am sure he won¡¯t do so. I know because I have been friends with him for a very long time. I owe it to his deceased father that my cousin and I could survive. He was one of the trusted people who knew of my circumstance.


    So, why is he here? Why am I here? Amidst this treacherous nobles, the supposed remnants of the Ferrum coup who destroyed my family.


    ¡°That¡¯s a daunting task Yasmin. Even for you, the crown prince¡¯s reputation far exceeds the King¡¯s, it would take years for that to happen.¡±


    In response to his claim, I gave my doubt and denial of the plan but, he scoffed at it like I knew he would. Yes, it was part of the plan, a dialogue prepared for this meeting.


    ¡°Your highness, you belittle my skills so. Did his highness not leave for a two year journey? It would be more than enough to accomplish this ¡®daunting task¡¯. So long as news of his highness¡¯ accomplishments from the outside won¡¯t reach the kingdom.¡±


    From this view, none of the men present here could see his face so he blatantly gave me a knowing smile.


    You¡­ if they somehow see this, how will they react?!


    ¡°Worry not your highness. I will make sure that this task would happen. So leave the rest to me and focus on building your influence instead. See here, only 5 houses support your rule. If we plan to usurp the throne, we need more than half of the nobles.¡±


    With a wave, he presented the nobles who supports my reign. Indeed, these five men wishes to reestablish the Aurelis¡¯ reign, or at least a puppet, but only one of them have no plans of treason. Their faces were filled with determination and as strong as that was, their greed burned brightly.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°I see. Very well then, I leave this matter to you Yasmin, but I hope to know what you plan on doing.¡±


    Giving a satisfactory answer, the treacherous nobles smiled and cheered happily. I almost scowled seeing their greed satisfied with expectations. Yasmin on the other hand, was still smiling knowingly.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After the pleasantries and a few reports, they all left the audience room, leaving only Yasmin and I. A maidservant then entered the room hurriedly and bowed her head.


    ¡°Your highness, her majesty the Queen is asking for your presence.¡±


    She kept her head low to show respect to authority.


    Again. Don¡¯t tell me she broke down again. Asking Theo to leave for an outdated tradition just to keep him safe and then making herself look miserable¡­


    I sighed, my sigh was deeper than expected. Earlier¡¯s meeting might¡¯ve had a hand with my accumulating stress.


    ¡°Yasmin, we¡¯ll have this talk later. I must attend to her majesty.¡±


    ¡°As you wish. I hope that you watch over yourself as well, your highness.¡±


    I stood from the uncomfortable throne. Behind me, followed the royal guards that was waiting in a room behind the throne.


    Who would want to be King and sit on that uncomfortable seat? I never had the constitution nor the ambition.


    I said bidding my farewell to the deathly throne.


    Arriving at her majesty¡¯s royal chambers, a maidservant opened the door and led me inside. There, I found her majesty sprawled on the bed, with a sunken face. Her whitish gold hair lost her usual sheen but her eyes¡­


    ¡°Your majesty!¡±


    I ran up to her. The face of my dear cousin who protected me during the hardest times of my life is now reduced to this. I felt like killing all those nobles earlier.


    ¡°Calm down Euey¡­¡±


    She sat up and waved her hand. Her voice was lower and weaker compared to her usual energetic voice. But in contrast to her weakened state, her eyes were burning with anger.


    ¡°I¡ª yes¡­¡±


    Those eyes weren¡¯t angry at me. No, those eyes were only for those who received her ire. I sat in a chair beside the bed and leveled my body to match those eyes.


    ¡°Euey by now, we¡¯ve proven that the curse is cast somewhere in the castle. I received word from Henry that my son hasn¡¯t shown any symptoms of the curse.¡±


    For the past year, his majesty the King have been stricken with sickness. A sickness unknown to the best healers im Aurelis and even to the genius Prince Theo. The King lasted for quite a while until, he finally collapsed and is currently in a weakened state, asleep and never waking up.


    Now, it seems that it is her majesty the Queen¡¯s turn. For months now, even before Prince Theo left, she has been hiding her weakened body. All just to assure her son and the citizens of Aurelis. I was then inaugurated to regency in order to fulfill the royal duties the weakened King and Queen couldn¡¯t deliver.


    ¡°Or it may have been targeted to those with primary relations as a family to his majesty¡­¡±


    My voice trailed off. It was pure speculation, nothing but a conjecture. It was only possible since Prince Theo wasn¡¯t a child of the Argente, but a true child of an Aurelis.


    ¡°It may be so. However, I doubt such things will matter as we thought of Theo as our own son but, it would be wise to consider that possibility as well.¡±


    I was fine either way. If it was an immobile curse or a curse of relations, it didn¡¯t matter, as long as Theo is safe.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking like you by the day, you know? It might be time for you to rekindle a semblance of kinship with him.¡±


    Her suggestion was painful. I love him dearly as my son, but as someone who threw him away¡­


    How I wish it would be as simple as saying it.


    ¡°Come now. You were at fault, but you understood and reflected on your mistakes, do you not? Besides, it¡¯s an adult¡¯s job to watch over the young ones and for that, protecting you was my job.¡±


    She gently reached for my hand. Her delicate hand was thin and boney but it was warm. It loosened my tightly gripped hands that was trembling from guilt.


    She was always like this. Always the calm one, always collected. She had a beauty that surpassed any women from both the kingdom and the empire. She had an air of pride that garners attention and loyalty, and wits that matched any King. Such, is my cousin.


    The perfect Queen since Gods era.


    ¡°So? What happened with the meeting?¡±


    Seeing as I was silent, she changed subject and asked about today¡¯s meeting with the conspirators.


    ¡°They¡­¡±


    I told her about today¡¯s meeting. It¡¯s always like this. Even as a rightful heir to the throne, I never had the talents nor resolved to be King. I grew up thinking I would only be a duke, a knight or a merchant for the house of Aurelis as I have older brothers who would inherit the throne before me. But that tragedy destroyed many lives, even as weak-willed as I am now, I will make sure to make them pay.

 Episode 3: Chapter 28 - Loyalty

    When I was little, I happen to chance upon a long line of ants. They were headed to their nest and without rest, they continued to march, no matter what. Even as I purposely block them, they do not falter and in the end, they return.


    Kneeling in front of me are the legendary 11 of the loyal order of the royal family. A remnant of a mistake that took place several years ago. With undying loyalty, bordering to fanaticism that even as guilt clouded their hearts, they returned home to serve their rightful king.


    ¡°Lord Yasmin, I am Wilfred from the Order of Light. We have come under orders of his true highness Prince Eurig Jamin Aurelis.¡±


    These men are so stuffy with their loyalty that I¡¯m suffocating with just being in the same room. They¡¯re on edge, trying so hard to prove themselves as loyal servants to their master. No matter, I have my orders, and who can say no when a good friend asks for a favor?


    I looked at each of them with eyes scanning for weakness. For years they¡¯ve been idle, will they be able to do their jobs properly? I poured myself some tea that was made beforehand and took out some documents.


    ¡°Well then first, stop being so stiff, stand up, take a seat and have some tea. Unlike your master, I hate formalities. Second, I want you to send someone to watch over and protect his highness, Prince Theo.¡±


    There was silence.


    What? Did I say something wrong?


    ¡°Lord Yasmin, you might¡¯ve been unaware, but Henry, Prince Theo¡¯s aide has been dispatched as a member of the Order.¡±


    Wilfred answered with a troubled face. Henry? The commoner who was a good friend of his highness? That clumsy aide was a Knight from the Order of Light?!


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±


    I coughed, I felt like those insulting words my slip out so I tried my best to restrain myself. Maybe it was all an act to not rouse any suspicion? They¡¯re supposed to be a secret order after all.


    ¡°If so, I want some of you to watch over the four nobles in this list, report anyone who¡¯s made contact with them and make sure nobody discovers your presence. Next, I want you to intercept all the news from his highness, relay it to me, Eurig and her majesty. I want no news to reach the kingdom in order to deceive the enemy.¡±


    With my order, a couple of men received the documents. They graceful bowed, befitting of a knight and left to do their job. Now then, next¡­The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Good, now I need you to release false rumors about his highness. Make sure to time it well with the news that will arrive. It may be anything from bad or over the top rumors based on the situation but we need it to be easily reversible.¡±


    The 5 left in the room nodded their heads. I understand that you are loyal and there is a need for you to redeem yourselves, but why do you not question my orders?


    I couldn¡¯t help but release a sigh in front of them. I held my head that hurt from their hopelessness.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    I stopped them before they left for the door thinking they¡¯re finished receiving their orders.


    ¡°I know you want to prove yourselves but why do you follow my orders blindly without question?¡±


    I directed my question at them, then they looked at each other. Puzzled at my sudden inquiry, their captain, Wilfred, addressed me with a firm voice.


    ¡°Yes, it is so, redemption has been in our hearts since that tragedy. However, we¡¯re not only blindly following orders without basis. We have observed his lordship for years and we understood that you are a loyal friend to our master. Due to our previous mistake, we have been more vigilant and afraid of mistakes resulting to a more thorough investigations and executions¡­¡±


    He paused. His eyes were serious then he gulped and said.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want that grave mistake to happen twice now, do we?¡±


    As if those stiff expressions and serious eyes was a prelude to another disaster, a wry smile filled with self-loathing colored his face. It seemed like he would continue to spout denigrating words towards themselves, so I immediately interrupted him.


    ¡°Which is why you need to question my actions. Even if I am loyal to Eurig, I¡¯m still human, I can make mistakes. More heads that think would lead to a better result, no?¡±


    I playfully mocked them and smiled. I never intended to insult, but I wanted to point out a flaw that might lead to another mistake. These men are already pitiful as it is due to the past, but without reprimand, they never moved on from that tragedy, as much as Eurig never did.


    I, at least want them to influence him, even just a little bit, because I know I can¡¯t. It¡¯s his turn to be free of that burden, that self deprecating friend of mine.


    Hearing my intentions, he nodded with a refreshed smile. All of them bowed their heads in acceptance to my proposal, while I heaved a relieved sigh together with a smile.


    ¡°Now then, do those for now, I¡¯ll call you if anything comes up. Wifred, stay with me. You¡¯ll help me stretch my social limbs. You have a good reputation in the Golden Order, do you not?¡±


    I almost heard a giggle come from him. Another 3 left leaving one knight and Wilfred to keep me company.


    Ho~¡­ Having fun are we? I can¡¯t blame you, nobody has seen me socialize. I was called a ¡®Noble Hermit¡¯ after all.


    I shrug my shoulders and sipped the tea that has gone cold. I drank all of it and poured myself a new one, then I realized.


    ¡°Sorry. It seems I forgot to pour you some.¡±


    I laughed at my blunder and finally, the two of them relaxed. Wilfred sat while the other knight stood behind him, I poured him tea while the other refused. They¡¯re still knights after all, chivalry is everything. In the end, only Wilfred can mingle with nobles as long as there¡¯s a hierarchy, even as most of them are nobles as well. I sighed again, it seems I¡¯ll run out of happiness with all these sighs.


    Now, I need to find and gather those who would betray the King. It would be long and arduous but it would be fully resolved by the time his highness¡¯ return.


    Hopefully.

 Episode 3: Chapter 29 - Evaris Trading (Part 1)

    ¡°Jordie, love, when will you return?¡±


    I caressed the light green hair covering her teary face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll come back and after I¡¯ve earned enough, we¡¯ll leave this place together and get married! So, will you wait for me?¡±


    With tears falling from her eyes, she smiled and nodded. She bit her sweet lips stopping her sobs from coming out. I flung most my belongings behind my back and directed a smile to the love of my life. And with a kiss goodbye to my dear Elaine, I left the far away village in the corners of Aurelis.


    This was a story three years ago, and it didn¡¯t end with a happy ending. It was utterly tragic, a year after I left she suddenly stopped replying to my letters. I knew I was asking for the impossible, but I never thought that she would be that impatient.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡±


    I rubbed my rumbling stomach while I reminisced about my reason for being here.


    Is there any worth in staying with this company?


    ¡°Here.¡±


    My fellow guard and a good friend, Ricky, gave me a piece of bread and a couple of dried fruits. I took a job as a guard for the Evaris Trading and this was my daily dinner. But it wasn¡¯t this easy at first, after I left the village, I joined the Hunter¡¯s Guild for easy money, but as proud as I am with my skills in hunting low level monsters, it seems I couldn¡¯t work on high-paying hunts without proper skills. Leading me to a despicable noble who bought his nobility.


    ¡°Hey Jordie, if you were given a choice, would you still work for Evaris?¡±


    He took a bite from his stale bread and looked at the starry sky and the big blue moon. It was a question I¡¯ve been asking myself too. But, I always end up with the same answers.


    ¡°Yeah. You see, I didn¡¯t have any skills aside from hunting low level monsters, I also didn¡¯t have much money so I can¡¯t buy any weapons and I was left broke. So when Evaris, offered to train me in return for my services, it felt like my luck was turning around.¡±


    I thought so at first, but the sight of those slaves and all the merchants he crushed¡­


    I smiled wryly at the mocking moon with it¡¯s big shining face.


    ¡°I see. Me too, I guess. But I could do without the awful things we¡¯ve been doing. Sometimes I feel like all those things will bite us in the back. But I need money so¡­¡±


    He laughed, eating his dinner. For some, and I say¡ª most of us from the outskirts, we find this job better based on the pay. Ricky is still young and he¡¯s too honest for this job, so I can see his worry, but still, a job¡¯s a job.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too much. You won¡¯t last if you do.¡±


    I rubbed his head. In his face, I can see how tired he was. I can imagine my face looking the same way, then I felt better thinking I wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°Welp, I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll do my rounds and you take a break. And don¡¯t think too much.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I took a hanging lantern and walked into the forest. The caravan built a camp inside the forest to avoid eyes, because inside our carriages are not just sundries and wine, but also living beings. Humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves and sometimes, the ever so rare daemons, these living, breathing beings kidnapped and sold as merchandise.


    After a full round of the area, a bush was rustling noisily right in front of me. Usually, it¡¯s an animal or a weak monster that sensed me and ran away in fear. It¡¯s rare, but it could also be a strong monster or an enemy attacking the caravan. But that was unlikely, I mean, nobody would dare attack the Evaris caravan because of it¡¯s guards. Not to brag but we are as strong as B-rank Hunters.


    But what was even rarer, something that will never happen, was for a golden eyed kid that was most likely a member of nobility would cover my mouth, pull me in the bushes and skillfully catch a burning lantern.


    ¡°Mhmph mmmp!!!¡±


    I tried to scream to warn the others but my mouth was covered with monstrous strength. With one pull, I was down on the ground, overpowered by a kid.


    How can a kid be stronger than an adult?!


    The kid placed his finger on his lips hushing my panicked resistance.


    ¡°Calm down. I¡¯ll let go of you but I need you to be quiet.¡±


    Quiet? Who would listen to a brat like you?!


    There was no way I would risk my pay for a brat like him, so I lied. I nodded my head and I felt his hand slowly leaving my mouth. And as soon as his hand left my mouth, I tried to scream.


    ¡°En¡ª!!! Mmmm?!¡±


    ¡°God¡­ I asked nicely you know?¡±


    His hand found it¡¯s way on my face again. He sighed, he wasn¡¯t angry, but he was definitely annoyed because I felt his grip tighten on my restrained hands.


    What¡¯s with this brat?


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again ok? Calm down. I¡¯ll hit you next if you don¡¯t.¡±


    With him holding me from behind, he whispered with words chilling enough to bring back winter. Fear gripped my heart and he slowly removed his hand on my face again and waited for me. I was scared but at the same time I felt like he wouldn¡¯t kill me for no reason. So, I stopped my struggle and try to reason with him.


    He might be after one of the slaves. But¡­ a noble? Here?


    ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll tie you so be a good boy, ok?¡±


    He said in a patronizing tone ill-matched with his size. The way he talk was weird and unusual for a noble, but his features definitely shows he led a pampered life. The delicate hand that tied mine and the well-maintained appearance.


    Wait a minute¡­ he really is just a kid! How can a brat overpower a grown man?!


    I wanted to scream. That realization was truly dangerous, I would definitely have my pay deducted if he succeeds with whatever he plans to do! I need to warn them somehow.


    ¡°Hey. Calm down old man. Not gonna do anything yet, just recon, just recon.¡±


    Recon? O-OK? What¡¯re those?


    He waved his hand to me with an attempt to calm me down. He then sat in front of me, crossed his legs and smiled like he was out talking with a friend.


    ¡°Now, my man! Tell me, you¡¯re Jordan from the north, umm¡­ Anventu Village right? A man with enough mana to be an wind mage but hated his father enough to seal his skills. Fell in-love with the beautiful Elaine and went to the golden city to earn money and marry her. Then, eventually lost her and failed at being a Hunter but then found a job and trained under Evaris Trading. With me, so far?¡±


    What in blazes? Did I offend somebody I shouldn¡¯t have? That can¡¯t be¡­


    I felt like wetting myself. I understood how he knew about Anventu and Elaine, but my hatred for my old man and his retelling of my life was so scary that I couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Cold sweat trickled down my back and my face dripped with it.


    This brat, his golden eyes glowed magnificently in the dark forest and those eyes looked at me, dissecting every inch of me, thinking how he¡¯d eat me slowly and savor my¡­


    ¡°Oyyy. Old man. Yoohoo! I told you to calm down didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m not planning on doing anything yet so stop imagining stuff.¡±


    He hit my head with his hand, I was so scared that I didn¡¯t feel him squat beside me. If he doesn¡¯t plan to kill me, then what?


    ¡°Ohhh! Now you¡¯re asking the right questions. Well then, I want you to provide me everything you can about Evaris Trading¡¯s security and in return¡­


    He was reading my emotions perfectly, as if hearing my thoughts directly, he looked at me, insinuating something sinister.


    In return? For my life? Is this how I die? Without ever knowing¡­


    His laugh was loud enough for me to hear but quiet enough to remain hidden. He sat in front of me again and smiled.


    ¡°Haha! Look at that face, filled with so much regret. Don¡¯t worry old man, I have a better incentive than your life. You miss the beautiful Elaine, right?¡±

 Episode 3: Chapter 30 - Evaris Trading (Part 2)

    I followed the brat¡¯s lead because he promised that he¡¯ll reunite me with my Elaine. I wasn¡¯t about to believe him but my only option at that time was to accept his offer or be killed. And I¡¯m not loyal enough to offer my life to Evaris, not to mention he wasn¡¯t really the type of lord I¡¯d want to pledge myself to.


    After I told him all I can, guard schedule, slave storage and such, he let me go and I returned to the caravan like nothing happened. He said that he¡¯ll contact me when I reach the headquarters in Aurelis.


    I guess, I¡¯m that brat¡¯s accomplice now. Who the hell is he anyway?


    I wanted to ask, but every time I resolved to do so, he would release an overwhelming pressure enough to make me feel faint, so I decided against it. Maybe after this, he will tell me? I basically betted my livelihood to some scary brat like him, he at least owes me that much.


    ¡°Captain? Lord Evaris said to visit his study and report to him.¡±


    One of the guards from the estate said while I removed our horses¡¯ saddle, all the while looking at me with an odd expression. He¡¯s probably new, most men under me find it odd that I do these mundane things even though I¡¯m the captain, but they got used to it eventually.


    I wasn¡¯t as strong as a captain should be, I only became a captain because I saved the lord from a monster trap that I¡¯ve set up myself, but no one needs to know that. Ehem! Well, you could say, that this is his way of repaying me. Even as despicable as he was, he still knows how to show gratitude and maintain good relations to people he needs. So me, doing this, wasn¡¯t odd at all, more like, I couldn¡¯t stop the habit from when I started.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    I quickly finished unsaddling all the horses and ran inside. With a knock, I announced myself and entered the lord¡¯s study.


    ¡°What took you so long? Are you trying to waste my time?! Want me to cut your pay even more?!¡±


    What welcomed me were the fuming words of the lord. This was one of the reasons I don¡¯t like the lord. He¡¯s short tempered and most of all, he¡¯s indulgent. His pudgy body is the result of over-indulgence, a reminder of his greediness.


    ¡°That bastard Yasmin! Pretending to be the regent¡¯s ally but man-handling us with our tails! Wait till the his highness hears of this! The regent will surely cut off his head!¡±


    He started kicking and slamming his fists on furniture. His bad mood is disastrous, so it was a good thing there¡¯re no maids and slaves today.


    If not, he would surely hit them then.


    He continued his tantrum while I wait silently by the door. Once the lord starts, he won¡¯t stop until he tires of it.


    This pudgy man is Marshal Evaris, a successful businessman who bought his nobility. He grew his company from selling items for the masses and acquiring rare medicine and slaves for auctions. He has both Aurelis and Eloheim as his customers, while crushing the tiny competition with petty rumors and sabotage.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Hah... ha... tsk!¡±


    Panting like a dog, he wiped his sweat with his sleeves and turned to face me. He glared and sat down with a plop making the seat creak under his weight.


    ¡°Now... Jordan, tighten the security around the estate. I don¡¯t want you leaving with the caravan this time. Protect only me and my money. Even if Yasmin only came to spy on me, I don¡¯t want to be caught lying on my belly when he sends someone to kill me.¡±


    I gulped at those words. That brat, he had golden eyes so there¡¯s a high chance that he was sent by Yasmin. If only I saw his hair color then I¡¯d be sure if he really was from Ferrum.


    To think he¡¯d be a spy... I don¡¯t know if I want to leave my cash cow to die or to rid myself of this karma, but I¡¯m sure as hell I¡¯m in the middle of it now.


    ¡°Jordan?¡±


    An angry voice called to me. As soon as I turned my head towards the lord, I saw those same golden eyes peeking in from the window. But instead of the same cloak he wore, his hair was out in broad daylight.


    ¡°Y-y-yes, milord!¡±


    The brat winked at me and sat leisurely at the windowsill. If it weren¡¯t for the curtains his shadow will show and he¡¯ll get caught!


    Crap! Why did have to show up now?! Let me rest dammit!


    After a couple of reports and my frantic attempts to pull away the lord¡¯s attention from the window, I hurriedly left the lord¡¯s study and ran outside. The brat jumped down in front of me and winked while waving at me.


    Dammit brat! Stop playing around!


    I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to shout at him! My heart literally jump out every time the lord would shift his attention!


    ¡°What were you doing there?!¡±


    I whispered angrily while pointing at his care-free attitude. In response, I received a giggle and a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Heya old man! I was looking for my WINDOW of opportunity! Get it?¡±


    This brat, really! I don¡¯t even understand how he can force me with brute strength! Was I deceived?


    We moved to my room and he told me his plan. After the new shipment of slaves come in, he will assassinate the lord and have me release all the slaves. It seemed simple enough but how the hell would he kill the lord without causing a disturbance before and after? And how would the slaves escape if there¡¯re guards all over the place? Especially now that the lord is wary of Lord Yasmin


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Old man, you don¡¯t use your head much do you? Well me too, so I had my big bro plan for us!¡±


    He gave me a thumbs up accompanied by a wink.


    ¡°First, there¡¯ll surely be some combat slaves right? We¡¯ll make them be the decoy while we get the rest out through underground...¡±


    He said that he will build a tunnel underground for safe passage out of the estate. Then while he¡¯s causing a commotion by killing the lord, we will then escape with the help of the combat slaves.


    ¡°All we need to do is recruit those who¡¯re willing and then, I¡¯ll burn the whole building to destroy evidence and make it seem like they burned to ashes. Now after that, all I have to do is lie in wait for the other family members to come and I¡¯ll massacre them. See? Easy peasy!¡±


    He gave me another smile. This brat doesn¡¯t seem like it, but he can say such cruel things without batting an eye. Can we really do it?


    ¡°But... can you really do it? What if you fail?¡±


    I feel nervous all of a sudden. I already gave up my salary so now, I don¡¯t really have the courage to do something so risky. I¡¯m not even sure if I can meet Elaine.


    But in response to my question, his shoulders shook and he laughed heartily holding his stomach.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ve made a GRAVE mistake!¡±


    He shrugged and laughed once again.


    What?!


    I was nervous, scared and now I¡¯m so annoyed, that I knocked his head with my fist. Realizing my actions, I was sweating profusely and my legs trembled in fear of his reaction.


    ¡°Ow! Calm down old man! It¡¯s impossible for me to fail! After all, this is just one of the simple plans bro made, so I have a wider room for mistakes.¡±


    Who¡¯s this older brother he keeps talking about?! And what do they gain from all of this?


    I tried probing him for information but all that came out were a mixture of killing intent and puns I couldn¡¯t keep up with.


    And after three days when the new slaves came in, I met my Elaine...

 Episode 3: Chapter 31 - Too full... Blech!

    Everything was going as planned. Actually, it went too well that I feel like I might fail in the last minute.


    Crap! Did I just trigger a flag?


    With a creak, I opened the door and we stepped inside a room underground.


    ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t kill the guards, did you?¡±


    Jordan called behind while he took a lantern from the wall.


    ¡°No worries. It¡¯s just some tranq¡ª sleeping poison. They¡¯ll wake up after an hour, so we need to hurry.¡±


    As soon as a damp draft blew, a disgusting smell entered my nose. Immediately, I covered my nose with my hand but the mixture of pee, shit, sweat, blood, hay and probably something dead, stubbornly attacked my nostrils.


    ¡°Jordan, did you fart or something?¡±


    Jordan hit me on my back and covered his nose. Slowly walking along the long lines of prison cells on one side and cages on the other, slowly, we got used to the smell. Inside those prison cells were people from different races while inside the cages were high-ranking monsters.


    I scanned the cells, on the first cell, a lone silver wolf sat in the middle of it, chained and battered with dried blood clinging to his dull fur. On the next ones, were segregated cells of each gender separated by races.


    Surprisingly, there were a lot more beastmen compared to other races and in there, I saw Marny trying to blend in.


    [Andiiii! Your finally here~! Elaine is in the cell after next!]


    As soon as she sensed me, she called through telepathy. Even though she¡¯s clumsy, she¡¯s so loyal that she follows orders as closely as she can.


    This pooch can be as hardy as a hooch! Oooh! That¡¯s a nice one!


    ¡°The total slaves after the newest delivery is 36. Of course, excluding the monsters.¡±


    Interrupting my simile puns, he light up the cells with a lantern and I saw a couple of slaves hide and fear while the others bared their fangs and anger towards us. Then I looked at the cages filled with monsters that snarled and were drooling with hunger at the sight of food in front of them.


    ¡°This is nice, we can use them. Then we can just have the vanguards defend everyone escapes. Tell me, do Evaris train them or is it left to the buyers?¡±


    Jordan walked deeper into the room. Some of the wet hay crunched on his feet while the rest dampened the sound from his noisy boots. I glanced at Marny one last time, she nodded and went to isolate herself.


    ¡°The lord trains them. See the first one? He was quite stubborn so all the other trainings we put to a halt until he gives in. Silver wolves are rare so he¡¯ll fetch a higher price compared to the others.¡±


    I see. He looked strong with all his muscles and shit. He might even have a special skill or two. Now, how to get him to our side? It would be nice to have him join us too. Well, we¡¯ll see.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    I took one last glance at the wolf and followed Jordan deeper. Soon, he saw his Elaine and they were exchanging sweet nothings at each other. Honestly, it was gross. Stupid big bro gross.


    It was pure chance that we encountered Elaine. I was looking for information on which guards to turn when Marny mentioned her. Her name sounded familiar so while Marny was getting delivered from the northern villages, she made contact and asked if she knew about Jordan. Then as simple as bro¡¯s plan was, turning Jordan was nothing but easy.


    ¡°Tell me kid, how¡¯d you know Elaine was here?¡±


    He faced me. His eyes were wet with tears yet he looked at me with suspicion. According to what she said to Marny, Evaris fell in love with her when he went to Anventu for a meeting. Of course, Elaine rejected him, then he found out about her beloved Jordie.


    He soon went to find Jordie but in then end he couldn¡¯t. Because he was looking for him under the name of Jordie. It was pure coincidence that Jordan was hired by Evaris and he was just lucky enough to get promoted to captain. But after knowing who he was, his personality turned sour and he intercepted all letters from Elaine and tried to kidnap her. In the end, Elaine ran and hid herself, only to get caught by Evaris.


    I bet he¡¯s jerking himself off right now at the thought of catching her.


    ¡°It was a coincidence. I had someone get caught as a slave and heard the story from her. I needed someone from the inside so I used her to get to you. That¡¯s all.¡±


    I shrugged. His face turned to a scowl, his body tensed ready to attack. It took him a while, I can see how he debated on what to do with me. In the end, he chose to accept the offer and just sighed heavily while turning back to Elaine.


    Satisfied, I continued walking. On the last cell, Plynii was the lone daemon and was chained to the wall with glowing chains. He had bruises but not as worse as the wolf so he lifted his head and stared at me. The man was silent and even with telepathy he¡¯s quiet.


    ¡°This guy here was part of the ones we brought the night I met you. He¡¯s also expensive so we¡¯re keeping him here in the end to lessen his will to escape.¡±


    Jordan followed with the lantern and light shone on Plynii¡¯s face. He was staring so intently that I couldn¡¯t help but wink at him. In response, I saw his face twitch and glower.


    What? You were the one who was staring...


    I pouted and mumbled as I turn back, I realized that he might¡¯ve been really angry because of what happened to him. It¡¯s not my fault, he¡¯s the one who volunteered.


    While going back, I dragged my dragger¡¯s hilt onto the bars making a clanging sound. The noise resounded throughout the whole place and caught the attention of each slave.


    ¡°Alright, everyone. Listen please!¡±


    I said as loud as I could so the whole room could hear me.


    ¡°Do you want to escape this shit hole?¡±


    Murmurs of doubt and curses came from the slaves. I expected their reaction so I nonchalantly wait for them to settle down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard. All I need are some muscles and those brave enough to fight. Then, the rest will followed this guard.¡±


    I explained. I can¡¯t help but feel so awesome right now. A hero doing his best to free slaves, it¡¯s like something out of a manga!


    Wait, I need to focus! What next? Hmmm...


    ¡°Oh right! At the end, my allies will be there to help you get where you want to go. It may take a while, but if you want, we can send you home safely.¡±


    That¡¯s all I could say to convince them, they¡¯re afraid of getting betrayed so nothing I say will matter. And with that, I left the the room with Jordan scurrying behind.


    ¡°What, is that all?¡±


    Yup, there¡¯s nothing else to do. I can¡¯t possibly convince them from outside those cells. Even big sis had a hard time convincing that to us that time.


    ¡°Dunno, we¡¯ll have to wait to find out, so let them think about it.¡±


    I brushed his question aside then I felt my tummy grumble when the fresh air carried the scent of dinner.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s a good place to eat?¡±


    This is also part of the mission! I promised myself to find all the good restaurants and eat with big sis while Nadi looks for ingredients to cook with! That means I have to conquer the food joints in this city!


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about food now?¡±


    Jordan sighed but led the way outside the estate. We went to an open market where food stands lined up wonderfully from both sides. The scent of grilled meat made me hungrier while the buzzing noise of people eating made me excited.


    ¡°Wow! Thanks old man! See ya!¡±


    I ran and left to fill my tummy with all the food this place could offer!


    After eating, I returned to skulking Evaris¡¯ estate with a full tummy.


    Or maybe too full...


    Blech... I feel sick...

 Episode 3: Chapter 32 - A Dog鈥檚 Mission

    It was my first mission for Dragon¡¯s eye and with master¡¯s plan, I was told that my mission was to infiltrate a slave trade. I did what I was told and successfully done so with additional merits but my arms hurts and the bruises on my body ached, and most of all, my stomach hurts from hunger. The sobs and rare screams from the quiet prison shows how pitiful my current situation is.


    ¡°H-here.¡±


    A male wolf pup offered half of his hard disk-like bread, he blushed slightly as he held his tattered shirt while looking away. I was touched, so I smiled at his sweet gesture.


    He reminds me of Andi. Hehe...


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I smiled at him and patted the hay beside me, asking him to sit. Our group arrived a little later after dinner so we couldn¡¯t get anything to eat. It was nice of him to offer food when he himself is hungry.


    I tried to munch on the hard bread to at least fill my empty stomach but it was so dry that it ended up drying my mouth instead. Then the wolf pup them sat beside me, probably seeing as he wasn¡¯t coming back, the other cubs ran towards me and sat with us. There were 5... no, 6 of them that sat around me.


    ¡°Hey sis, do you know that mister?¡±


    Mister? I flinched when I realized who he was talking about. It was just after Andi¡¯s proposal so many discussed what to do.


    Does he mean Andi?! Well, I do... but I shouldn¡¯t say so right?


    ¡°W-well... no... not exactly...?¡±


    I panicked and held onto some of the hay I was sitting on. I felt my palms practically dripped with sweat. I tried to think of an excuse but, their stares! Those round curious stares felt like knives stabbing through my heart!


    Then one of the scents of the pups seemed familiar. Like someone I knew? I moved closer and sniffed to find the familiar scent. And there on the group, a dogman? Or a half at least? One of her parents must be from my clan.


    Hmmm... a very familiar scent... whose?


    ¡°The scent¡ª...? Yess! The scent! He... he smells like someone I knew! That¡¯s it!¡±


    I made a frantic excuse when I saw the other women look at me curiously. My back was damp with sweat and I felt like screaming, I was clearly cornered so I wanted to run away.


    Why does it have to be me?! I¡¯m no good at lying!


    While my inner wails reached no one, the door opened again and the pups hid behind me. It wasn¡¯t Andi nor it was the guard with him earlier. No, this person¡¯s smell was different, a revolting smell. It was different from the smell of these dungeons, it¡¯s a mixture of wine, fat, sour sweat and blood.


    The person was silent the whole time, but I could hear his breathing as he pants excitedly while looking at each of the cells. The monsters snarled at him from the cages but he brought out a whip and hit the cages of those who dared.


    One by one, he shines light over each cell, looking and scanning those inside. When he reached our cell, the women huddled in caution while the pups hid in fear. The light was too bright for the dim dungeons and behind the blinding magic lantern was a stubby pig with a bulging stomach and a lecherous grin.


    He peered into the metal bars, seemingly counting each of soul inside each cell. The pi¡ª man, wore luxurious clothes with golden embellishments and on his stubby fingers that carried the lantern, were golden rings with stones of dwarf knows how much it costed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    He must be Andi¡¯s target?


    After a while, he moved on to another cage and soon stopped at one, before he began to call out.


    ¡°ELAINE~? Are you here darling?¡±


    His gross tone made my fur stand on end. I heard the cell from next door open and countless quiet screams resounded. Then his whip hit one human female and her screams filled the whole dungeon. The pups quietly cried holding onto me, covering their ears in fear.


    I too, was scared. I was paralyzed. I felt tears falling from my face, flinching at every lash of the whip and hugging the pups tighter and tighter at every scream. I unconsciously imagined being on the receiving end of that whip.


    Then... silence. Not a sob nor a scream came from the female, but the lashes didn¡¯t stop. It kept on and on and on until the man panted loudly.


    ¡°Hah... now... Elaine?¡±


    He called slovenly. The others then screamed at his every step while he tried to reach for another victim. I imagine them scrambling to hide themselves.


    ¡°STOP YOU PIG!¡±


    A loud voice screamed amidst the chaos. I know that voice, it was a nice calming voice, but now, it was full of both rage and fear. A surprising turn from the sweet lady that took care of me when I was caught. It was miss Elaine¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Oh Elaine! My sweet Elaine! Come my dear. I¡¯ll get you out of this revolting place!¡±


    I hear them arguing from the other side with their feet shuffling in the damp hay.


    ¡°NO! Get your filthy hands off me!¡±


    They probably struggled as their argument escalated to screaming. Those who were curiously brave tried to take a peak through the bars, but most of us kept to the corners of the three walled cells.


    Soon, I saw them pulling at each other, a weary miss Elaine and a drooling pig who was Evaris stopped in front of our cell. I wanted to help, but I was too scared to even voice anything. If I called to them, I will definitely receive a lashing from that man!


    ¡°LET GO OF ME!¡±


    In her last scream, Evaris lost his grip to her torn dress. She gathered herself with a huff, ready to scream once again.


    ¡°I will not go to the likes of you! Jordie has already come and he will definitely save me!¡±


    She yelled at him with eyes closed and with that, I was dumbfounded, so was Evaris.


    How could she reveal that? After all the planning master Lu did and all the trouble Andi went just to get that guard¡¯s help. What should I do?


    I panicked. I didn¡¯t know what to do. The pups were curious with my reaction. Should I run up there? Should i try to kill Evaris now? How? What do I do?!


    [Calm down.]


    A deep voice filled my head. It was loud, but it was firm, firm enough to be a scolding. I remembered a silent dark blue daemon that always carried me when I got tired. Treating me like a pup, the same way the master did.


    [P-Plynii...?]


    I felt like crying. I completely forgot that he was here, I wanted to run to him and hide but I can¡¯t!


    [What do I do Plynii?]


    Miss Elaine and Evaris continued their argument while tears fell from my eyes. Evaris laughed at the information he heard and a sinister smile painted his face. Miss Elaine then finally realized her mistake and panicked on what to do. In the end, she ran back to the cell, leaving Evaris laughing and plotting.


    [Tell Andi.]


    Plynii calmly said while I bit my lip to stop the tears.


    R-right! I should tell Andi!


    I wiped the tears away and hugged the nearest pup who continued to cry in fear. Soothing the rest with a pat, I resolved myself. Because as nice as Andi was most of the time, he¡¯s scary when he¡¯s angry.


    [Andi?]


    It was late, but I was sure he was still awake. And soon enough, a reply came.


    [¡®Sup?]


    He often says that when we call, saying it¡¯s their country¡¯s way of asking what¡¯s going on. I hesitated, because what miss Elaine did could interfere with the plan and will anger Andi and he¡¯ll definitely be angry at miss Elaine. To tell the truth, I was more afraid of Andi getting angry than that pig with his whip, because I know he¡¯d hit anyone who angers him.


    [Umm... you see...]


    I told him what happened. I also heard Plynii confirm what I said but to my surprise, Andi doesn¡¯t seem to be angry. Why?


    [Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m pissed. But, isn¡¯t more fun to see the bad guy squirm than just one-sidedly killing them? Gives them a sense of control, then when it¡¯s time, that shocked look of despair is amazing. Murdering insects is a great way to KILL time, right? Haha!]


    His voice sounded merry but it sent shivers down my spine and something swirled within me telling me to never ever anger him. I held on tightly to the pups hugging me.


    I knew it, he¡¯s as scary as Nadi!


    Andi said that we¡¯ll do it tonight, so the whole plan was pushed ahead of time. I got ready and took Nadi¡¯s cards I hid under my long brown hair. Thus, begins my first mission for the Dragon¡¯s eye.Chapter

 Side story: Christmas Dinner

    The view of the falling snow from the 20th floor was amazing. It¡¯s my first time seeing snow so I was excited to play tomorrow. But¡­


    ¡°I need to focus! It must be perfect so Li will praise me!¡±


    I raised my sharpened knife and plunged it deep into the flesh and with a skilled slice, I perfectly cut thin slices of ham. Then in a hot frying pan, I placed the thinly sliced ham and sprinkled it with sugar.


    ¡°It¡¯s cheap ham so it¡¯s good for this!¡±


    After caramelizing half of the ham, I took out the roasted chicken I placed in the oven earlier. Dressed with well with garnish and placed it in the middle of the table. Beside, a smorgasbord of different kinds of vegetables.


    ¡°Crap! I forgot to buy cheese!¡±


    It was supposed to be our family¡¯s traditional Christmas dinner! How could I forget?! It¡¯s our first Christmas dinner together after 10 years so I hoped that I could make it perfect.


    Oh well, as long as Li brings cake.


    After setting up the table, I set up to make hot cocoa in the stove. When she arrives, I¡¯ll light up the stove and by then, it¡¯ll be almost done!


    With this, even without cheese, it¡¯s perfect!


    Then Li¡¯s typical knocking sound can be heard from the front door so I turned on the stove and left for the door.


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    I tossed the apron on the kitchen counter and excitedly opened the door. In front of me was a cold Li, a white box of what seemed to be a whole cake and 2 kids. No, twins.


    I was petrified for a good couple of minutes at the sight of the twins. Who are they? No, I mean, why are they¡ª?


    ¡°Hey. We¡¯re cold.¡±


    As cold as her words sounded, she lightly poked my forehead with her cold hands. The twins held on tightly on her clothes with a synchronized shiver.


    ¡°Ah, right. Shit! I have hot cocoa on the stove!¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I ran leaving the current problem behind. I mean, my cocoa is more important. Yes, it¡¯s important!


    ¡°Wow! Chicken!¡±


    The two synchronized voices of the twins resound loudly in the dining room. We were in a small apartment so their voices can be heard anywhere inside. I took a peak from the kitchen and saw the two then happily smiling at the dining table.


    I turned off the heat from the stove and pour the hot cocoa on mugs and delivered them on a tray.


    ¡°Li, who are they?¡±


    My words sounded annoyed but I wasn¡¯t really, well a little bit. I mean, I expected Mary but not twins, and kids at that.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ your Christmas present?¡±


    She tilted her head and answered with a question.


    Tell me, dear sister, why are you unsure?


    It was typical of her but I still can¡¯t get used to it after so many months of finally being together again. I know I can¡¯t complain because I forced my way to be with her, but¡­


    ¡°They aren¡¯t your kids right? You can¡¯t say that you had a kid when you were 8 or something?!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    What do you mean ¡®Oh.¡¯?! So you really plan to claim them as yours?!


    She answered with a disappointed face, like I¡¯ve seen through her plans before she could execute it.


    ¡°Then, siblings. Merry Christmas Lu!¡±


    She smiled sweetly. The sweet smile she rarely shows the one that says she¡¯s really happy. That¡¯s unfair Li, I can¡¯t say no when you smile like that!


    ¡°Hey, hey! You¡¯ll be our big bro right? I¡¯m Aiden!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, our big brother! I¡¯m Nadia!¡±


    The twins smiled sweetly. That sweet trinity of smiles was the final blow. I can¡¯t say no anymore.


    ¡°Y-yes. N-nice to meet you! My name¡¯s Lucas and we¡¯ll be siblings from today onwards! Merry Christmas!¡±


    ¡°Merry Christmas!¡±


    The three answered happily and we started to eat the dinner I worked hard at. I guess, I¡¯ll just leave it to the future Lucas to solve the problems for this one.


    We ate dinner heartily and cleaned up together. As forced as this siblings thing may sound, I guess Li and I were just looking to build back the family we lost.


    ¡°Li, what about Mary?¡±


    ¡°She said she has an appointment, so she can¡¯t come.¡±


    Mary was our acting mother for Li¡¯s cover and our guardian but, she can never be family. She¡¯s too distant, but I guess she does her job well as our guardian.


    ¡°Lu, here. Cake.¡±


    She handed over the white box she brought earlier and a beautiful cake with chocolate shavings and cherries on top, dusted with powdered sugar was inside. It was a black forest cake, my favorite!


    ¡°Wow! Thanks Li! You still remember my favorite cake!¡±


    I giggled and happily and sliced the cake in equal sizes and served them. I love black forest because of the cherries cooked in alcohol and the combination of the chocolate sponge and fresh cream. It painfully reminds of of home.


    ¡°Lu¡­¡±


    Suddenly, tears fell from my eyes. The memory of that night, Li¡¯s wounds and the streets we lived together for a short time was painful. It was so painful that I hated Li for leaving me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Li. I didn¡¯t mean to say those things to you. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    She stood and patted my head, softly and gently. Soon, two more hands were patting me in the back. My sobs filled the room and tears fell down even more, then two more sobs followed suit and that sobbing chorus became our Christmas carol.

 Episode 3: Chapter 33 - Duty

    A mundane task. Our directive from Lord Yasmin was to monitor Viscount Marshal Evaris from Evaris Trading. I, Becca Stranz, a knight of the kingdom be used to do this boorish job. And yes, it was supposed to be a mundane task, yet...


    ¡°Becca, stay here. I¡¯ll report to his excellency.¡±


    Leaving me with an ongoing massacre, my partner, Thane, left to report to Lord Yasmin. The whole estate we were monitoring is in uproar because of an attack from a lone figure.


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    My complaints where dragged away by the clattering weapons of the guards. Evaris¡¯ guards gathered and the whole fighting force reached up to almost a thousand.


    ¡°Where did they come from?! How can Evaris afford so much guards?!¡±


    Reports have stated that he¡¯s amassing a large force, but nothing said about the exact number and the reason why. I¡¯ve been a Knight of Light for 12 years, but I never would¡¯ve known what to do in this situation.


    Who¡¯s attacking Evaris?


    While I ask that question, I saw Evaris run to his study from outside the window. With a frantic scream and a pained gasp, he pushed his bookshelves, tables, chairs, anything he could move to block the door. From the tree where I was, I saw a figure walk from the other side of the blocked door, decapitating and killing all those who tried to block his way.


    ¡°FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! NO!¡±


    Evaris cursed himself into exhaustion. Every piece of furniture inside his study was used to block the door. I hid myself deeper in the dark to monitor him without being seen. Soon, the door blocked with all the heavy furniture started to shake at beat.


    ¡°NO! FUCK! PLEASE! NO!¡±


    Evaris took a sword hanging on the wall while the door continued to beat. The rhythm was magnificent, the tumbling sound of his doom resonated deeply to his heart, making him tremble with each passing beat.


    Don, da-don! The sound repeated rhythmically without delay. It continued and from the other side, his pursuer was punching and kicking the door. Making the rhythmic sound vary from each hit.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Evaris was frantic. I, myself was trembling in anticipation. The excitement from the beat and the suspense what happens next.


    ¡°Becca!¡±


    Thane¡¯s voice called me, only then I realized how scared I was at the sight of the intruder and how he played with Evaris. As soon as reinforcement arrived, screams from the soldiers, followed by roars of varied monsters resounded inside the estate. Each drooled at the sight of food running in fear.


    ¡°Why are there B and A class monsters in the capital?!¡±


    That voice, it was probably Ren¨¨, the vice captain of our order. In his hands was a 3 meter long spear embedded with fire magic.


    ¡°Thane and Ennis, stop all the monsters from escaping into the city. Becca you¡¯re with me, let¡¯s deal with the said intruder.¡±


    His orders were swift, as expected of the vice captain. Thane and Ennis left to eliminate any monsters who tried to leave while we entered the mansion with caution.


    ¡°Is that him?¡±


    Entering from the door, we saw the figure continuously beating the door. The beat pounded in a continuous rhythm, never straying.


    ¡°Oi, I¡¯m coming in, ok? There¡¯re some insects hovering nearby, they¡¯re BUGGING the shit out of me!¡±


    With mere strength, he pushed the heavy doors open, flinging all the furniture that blocked it towards Evaris. It piled on top of him, trapping him under its weight.


    ¡°Wh-who are you?! Did that bastard Yasmin sent you?!¡±


    The figure shrugged. From behind, we couldn¡¯t see the interaction between them, but we can perfectly hear their conversation.


    By insects, does he mean us?


    ¡°Oh, look! I found a sword! Well, I¡¯ll tell you this: I don¡¯t work for that Yasmin guy. I¡¯m from Dragon¡¯s eye.¡±


    Dragon¡¯s eye? The famous assassins league from Eloheim?


    Without notice, the figure held the sword Evaris dropped and separated his head from its body. Blood splattered like a fountain, continuously pouring out blood, staining the expensive carpets. The figure jumped back, evading the fountain of blood.


    ¡°Hey! You guys over there!¡±


    He turned around and called to us. His face was obscured with the shadow from his hood but his eyes glowed in a magnificent golden light. It was eerily beautiful. As beautiful as the Aureate Prince¡¯s golden eyes.


    ¡°How?!¡±


    Ren¨¨ stated his shock. I mean, why would a noble be here and kill another noble. Evaris was indeed despicable, but why would someone with a strong affinity with light magic come here?!


    ¡°Welp! See ya!¡±


    He waved and jumped out the glass window.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    We both ran after him. He was running so fast and that we had a hard time catching up to him.


    This is bad! We¡¯ll enter the forest soon!


    ¡°Sir Ren¨¨! We can¡¯t let him enter the woods! Permission to use wind magic to run ahead, sir!¡±


    I voiced my concerns to the vice captain. With a grim expression and a nod, he gave me his orders.


    ¡°Becca, use wind to block his path inside the forest. Form the biggest barrier you could muster!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    And with my orders, I ran full speed deeper into the forest.


    "Sit ventis veni ad caput meum."

 Episode 3: Chapter 34 - the Rock Knight Cometh!

    Crap, crap, crap, crap! These bastards are already so hard to shake off, why did they have to make such a big ass barrier?!


    This young upcoming hero is now stuck in the shallow parts of the forest behind Evaris¡¯ estate. The forest wasn¡¯t as big and dense as Medrid forest, but it¡¯s enough for me to escape. But to think, they¡¯d have someone that can make a big ass wind barrier like this...


    ¡°Fuck! I managed to catch their attention, so all that¡¯s left is to buy time for Marny and Plynii, but... shit. Gah! I¡¯m stuck!¡±


    The barrier was almost 20 meters tall and I can¡¯t jump that high without help. Frustrated, I punched the barrier as hard as I could with my fist clad with fire. The wall swallowed my fire and pushed me back, hitting a tree nearby.


    ¡°Fuck this shit! Now what?¡±


    My back didn¡¯t hurt but, I knew my limits. When I hit that barrier, I already know that it will take a while to pass through. I looked from side to side and saw the barrier stretch to the deep ends of the forest.


    Can I reach either end if I run?


    I scratched my head and decided to run, I took an almost straight stick and let it stand by itself, making it fall and choose which way I would run. Why? Because I don¡¯t know which way to run. If I have brother¡¯s magic eye-thingy then I could survey which end, but I don¡¯t so, yeah...


    Breaking the barrier will take more than an hour and by then, enemies will surround me. So I need to run away and reach the end. Chasing after me would buy enough time, so I bolstered my speed with the imperfect magic I could muster and ran as fast as I could.


    Yes! If I can reach the other side then I¡¯m all good!


    "I imperium terrae."


    Midway, a slab of rock grew from the ground aiming for me, it was similar to that anime about a short alchemist. Too fast to suddenly stop, I crossed my arms and received the rock, pushing me back. I supported myself with my hands, sliding on the ground while the slab shattered into pieces.


    From the shattered rocks, a man in his forties walked towards me. His dark brown hair was slicked back and his built was as good as ¡®the Rock¡¯.


    That was awesome! From now on, I¡¯ll call you the Rock!


    ¡°Why would a member of the Cuppra family kill Evaris?!¡±


    Cuppra...? Why would¡ª? Ah~! Because of my hair and eyes, right! People always think I¡¯m an Aurelian noble because of these.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The old man stopped at a distance and I stood up preparing to defend myself.


    ¡°Hmmm... let¡¯s see... because I can?¡±


    With my answer, I sent him a devious smile. He looks strong. Is he one of Evaris¡¯ guards? But why would they just let me kill Evaris?


    ¡°State your name! Even if you are a noble, I cannot condone such actions!¡±


    His face was distorted in anger. Magic was clearly emanating from him, creating an intimidating aura.


    ¡°Huh? Shouldn¡¯t you say your name first before asking mine?¡±


    Calm down will you? I¡¯m supposed to be the one who¡¯s angry here. I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d be someone who can use strong magic around here.


    He ground his teeth. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s so angry, but I can see that he¡¯s impatient about something. With a pause he soon introduced himself.


    ¡°...My name is Ren¨¨ Von Wittsper. A knight of the kingdom awarded with the title of baron.¡±


    Wha... I didn¡¯t ask for all that you know? Not that I would introduce myself. But a knight? A golden knight?


    ¡°Ooooh! Nice to meet you mister knight! Well, not that I¡¯m gonna give you mine, though. Haha!¡±


    I wrapped my hands with wind magic and aimed towards his neck. He was late to dodge leaving him with a small cut on his neck.


    His angry face is now filled with shock. I was shocked too, I wanted to finish this quickly but I guess there¡¯ll be a fight. He¡¯s faster than he looks, I can¡¯t believe I can find someone that can keep up with my usual speed.


    ¡°How¡ª?!¡±


    There, I didn¡¯t stop. I continued to deliver punch after punch, sometimes a jab and other times, a hook or an uppercut. I was fast but he was able to react, albeit a little late leaving some cuts here and there, but he was able to dodge my life threatening punches or should I call it slashes?


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s no fun if you just dodge!¡±


    My head was cooling down, having someone to fight with like this is a breath of fresh air. Only big sis could keep up with me. No, only she could beat me like a breeze!


    The man was sweating and his brows were more knitted than earlier. Seeing as he couldn¡¯t dodge forever, he jumped back to escape my punches, so I gave him some breathing room to prepare. After all, I need to buy time so why not enjoy it?


    ¡°I imperium terrae!¡±


    He took a deep breath and punched his fists together. Soon, rocks formed on his fists like gauntlets. It reached up to his shoulders and crumbled a little as he moved.


    ¡°I will capture you and have you tell me why you can use wind magic and why you killed Evaris!¡±


    With that, he ran to me pulling his right fist back for a punch. And as heavy as his punch was, he was slow, but the force behind the punches could almost blow me away. I nimbly dodged his every punch at hair¡¯s breadth and standing ground at its force.


    He was so impatient earlier, so I thought he¡¯d run out of stamina soon, but what the heck?


    ¡°Hey mister knight! You¡¯re good! This¡¯ll be a KNIGHT to remember!¡±


    Man I am so good!


    I delivered a pun-ch. it took him a while, so I thought I¡¯d have a dry audience again but the Rock Knight snorted a small laugh.


    Whaaaaaaaat? I have a proper audience tonight?!


    ¡°I¡¯m liking you even more now!¡±


    I rushed at him with more wind punches and a contented smile was on my face. I played with him a little bit more.


    ¡°Can you smell that, the Rock¡ª Knight?¡±


    Another pun-ch. I¡¯m was on a roll so I brought out one after another and the Rock Knight kept snorting at my puns. We both completely forgot about what we were doing, it looked like we were only sparring with each other.


    Soon, he was breathing hard. His fists was heavy so understandable and in my case, I only spent almost half of my stamina. Then, I sensed two more presence approaching us from the mansion.


    Oh, crap!


    I didn¡¯t want to stay long but I haven¡¯t heard anything from the two yet. But, if they¡¯re only as strong as these guys, then I can just prolong it with my qi.


    But how do I escape?

 Side story: New Year鈥檚 Eve

    Even as early as 11pm, fireworks from the city shot up high, blotting the dark night sky with colored fire and embers. The dissolving flowers filling the view was my entertainment every year on my birthday on new year¡¯s eve.


    ¡°Here you go Lulu. Tony came this morning just to give this to you.¡±


    My grandma handed me a parcel. It was carefully wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string.


    In this rural town, everyone knows each other and everyone cares for each other. So, Tony always deliver the only thing I receive from my big sister. The only thing that shows that she¡¯s still alive, somewhere.


    While the fireworks spontaneously explode, I carefully opened the parcel. It might be another souvenir from another country.


    I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s bragging or just basically telling me where she¡¯ve been.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s in it?¡±


    I haven¡¯t gotten inside the box yet, but grandma was more excited than I was. If it¡¯s another wooden carving or something with writings about some remote island, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do.


    Carefully tearing the tape from the box, I finally opened the box. Inside wasn¡¯t the usual obnoxious souvenirs, this time, it was something useful.


    There were 3 books. One of the books was the first hard bound copy of a popular novel about a young wizard boy, while the other book was a mystery novel about the world¡¯s amazing detective and a doctor.


    ¡°My, such contrast!¡±


    My grandma commented at the two books that were both at the top of its genre. Then I saw the third book. It was the weirdest out of the three. It was half as thick and was bound with leather, but the weirdest part was it didn¡¯t have any title.


    I opened the book. The smell of tanned leather wafted over my nose, I remembered how mother would always say that real leather always smell this bad. Scanning the inside, I saw that the pages were empty. It was a notebook?


    Then at the last page, a letter was written:


    Dearest Lucas,


    Happy Birthday! How¡¯ve you been? Did you celebrate your birthday? How was it? Now that you¡¯re starting junior high, I thought it might¡¯ve been better to send you something that suits you age. Did you like it? I heard from grandma that you love reading.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Do you have any idea what you want to do after school? I know it¡¯s early, but it¡¯s better to find the thing you really want to do before it¡¯s too late. I heard some say that they regretted playing too much. So I hope you think about your future as well.


    By the way, thank you for the present. It was wonderful, I love how it glows in the dark, it reminds me of the dragonflies back home. You know, my friend was startled when I first used it. There was a black out and the first thing we saw was the dim glow from the table.


    I hope you like you like your presents. Tell me which genre you like next time so I can buy you more. This journal too, I want you to remember to write. Jot down all your ideas, dreams, hatred, everything! So you won¡¯t forget. From now on, you¡¯ll discover many things and I want you to remember it. So write it down and don¡¯t forget.


    Well, at least that¡¯s what my master said before. I¡¯m doing the same thing, so I thought it would help you too. Just be careful and not let grandma see it!


    I wish you a Happy Birthday and a Happy New Year! Take care and study hard!


    Loving you always,


    Leila


    ¡°Big sis...¡±


    As soon as the clock stroke twelve, fireworks from the far away city launched with a whistle than can be heard from this rural town. I watched the fireworks blot the sky with different colors while I cried silently beside my grandma.


    ¡°Rff!¡±


    A patronizing bark came from grandma¡¯s lap. From his pale fur and his sleepy eyes, the old lapdog that grandma kept responded to my tears.


    ¡°Cuchi said that if you¡¯re gonna cry, try sending a reply. You have to do it sometime, you¡¯re gifts are piling and you know how Lili misses you. I can¡¯t keep sending them with my letters.¡±


    I looked at the old dog begrudgingly at how relaxed it was. I wiped my tears and snot with shirt and saw how he looked down at me.


    ¡°It must be easy being a dog. You don¡¯t have to worry about a stupid sister like mine.¡±


    I pouted. But, I knew. Big sis worries about me as much as I worry about her.


    ¡°But grandma, sending packages are one thing, but at this age of technology, can¡¯t we just send emails to each other? Better yet, can¡¯t she just send me a text of give me a call? Is that so hard? What are we cavemen? Even the dog-rug can use the phone and press redial.¡±


    Don¡¯t tell me she went to areas with no access to the internet or electricity? What kind of work does a 15 year old do that requires her to travel the world and not have any access to technology?


    ¡°Cavemen is too far back. Maybe your sister is a technophobe like your father. But even as I had a hard time with all those personal computers and mobile phones, your father was indeed caveman-like.¡±


    Grandma, I know you disliked father but calling him a caveman?


    ¡°Really? Was that how father like? Do tvs and pcs explode each touch?¡±


    She laughed heartily. As the fireworks ended, she stood and walked inside with her furry pet.


    ¡°That¡¯s too extreme but something similar happened once...¡±


    All night, while the new year¡¯s sun crept up from the sky, we talked about mother and father. Grandma¡¯s memories, the memories I forgot, we talked about it all.


    Maybe this was what she meant. So that I won¡¯t forget, even with time. I won¡¯t forget about how happy I am right now, how worried I am, how grandma is, stupid things, Cuchi¡¯s barks, clumsy things the townspeople do, bullies, everything! I will write everything! So...


    Day 1


    This is my first entry and I don¡¯t know what to write.


    Whatever. It¡¯s the New Year and I just turned 13 yesterday.


    My sister, Li, is stupid and I wish she comes home soon...

 Episode 3: Chapter 35 - Helpless

    The fight lasted longer. I faced the Rock Knight and another one called Thane. He uses wind, so he was able to keep up with my speed powered by magic. I was having fun earlier and now I have to deal with the Rock Knight and his freakin¡¯ spear! He was faking his fatigue too!


    I¡¯m so fucking stupid!


    Now I need to mind attacks from both sides and I¡¯m wary about the other one who came with that Thane-guy but I have no choice but to focus on their attacks.


    I can¡¯t use my qi yet! I need to save it after they¡¯re done!


    ¡°Sit ventis veni ad caput meum!¡±


    Wind projectiles from Thane flew towards me, while the Rock Knight continued to attack with his spear. The 3 meter long spear wasn¡¯t slow either, it was even faster compared to his punches earlier.


    Their continuous assault eventually left me with shallow cuts and bruises but I know I can still take it. I just need more time, dammit!


    After a couple of spells from Thane, the ground shook. Then I knew, that was my cue! The beating of the door was all for this!


    Jordan heard it! Yes!


    I got ready to run and luckily, the wind barrier flickered and finally disappearing from the forest.


    ¡°Nice! I¡¯d hate to be a party pooper but, see ya!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°Sit ventis veni ad caput meum!¡± ¡°I imperium terrae!¡±


    The two knights called magic to stop me. A 3 meter earth wall stood in front and 3 tornadoes formed to surround me. It was amazingly awesome! But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop me.


    I focused qi on my legs and jumped over the earth wall and sped through the tornadoes blocking me. The tornadoes tried to run me over but qi channeled legs are way faster than a magic buffed one!


    I passed through the tornadoes but the ground shook once again, more stronger than the last one. There, I stumbled on a root and almost fell flat on my face.


    ¡°Woah! That was a big one!¡±


    I stopped to check the surrounding and saw the trees shook, birds flying from their nests and animals running away.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    Dozens of the same voice echoed around me. It was a clear sounding voice that reminds me of spoiled princess. It should sound amazing, but with all the echoes, it made me mildly annoyed.


    ¡°2,7... 10, 12... 15?! Is this a cloning technique or something?! I want to do it too!¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    I excitedly count the clones. If I can use the same skill, then I can doo all the barrages I want to defeat stronger monsters!


    Surrounding me were 15 beautiful silver haired beauties of the same face. I can only see 15, but there might be others hiding on the trees for a sneak attack. I stood still. Against these odds, running is the most effective.


    Five of the clones came to rush at me, in their hands were two ornate daggers and their stern blue-eyed gazes glowed magnificently in moonlight.


    I parried an lunge with the back of my hand, the dodged a jump slash and kicked another near me. It was an all-out brawl. After one finished an attack, another one would enter and every time I delivered a critical blow, they would collapse into puddles of water, falling on the forest ground. Then, another one blobs up.


    ¡°What on earth?!¡±


    This time, my puns dealt more damage than laughs. The angry reaction from the beauty was much stronger than her previous attacks. Soon, the cuts and bruises continued to pile up and my focus wavered. My qi flickered unstably leaving me undefended.


    Her daggers bore through my skin, cutting my cloak, my clothes and my flesh. It wasn¡¯t fatal, but blood spilled from my side.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Looks like forcing the plan to happen earlier was a bad move. I haven¡¯t recovered from mental fatigue due to my travels, so I now I¡¯m in a pinch! Without qi, I used my gauntlets to deflect the blades coming at me. Then I activated a card I got from Nadi.


    Smoke hissed loudly from the card covering a radius of 10 klicks. The clones dissolved in confusion and I used that chance to run away from the area. Without a stable magic to power my legs or qi to channel, I used another card to dig, cover and hide myself until my pursuers give up.


    ... is what¡¯s supposed to happen, but...


    WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE?!


    Big sis trained me to be able to sense my surroundings and it¡¯s not just my immediate surroundings, I could sense at least a radius of 5-8 klicks. Though shorter compared to big sis¡¯ it was wide enough to hide myself.


    But, since an hour ago, I could still sense the beauty¡¯s presence around that small radius. From the presence, I understood that it was just her clones but to scour the whole forest just for one measly assassin?


    The ditch I dug was a little wide, making it easier for me to pace around. I covered it with a layer of hardened dirt and left holes for me to breath, it¡¯s basically a bunker.


    With my blood slowly draining, I felt the hot stinging pain from my wound and my body slowly getting colder. I¡¯m not equipped for an encounter like this! Aren¡¯t I supposed to level up slowly?!


    From weak minions to stronger ones?! I¡¯m not good at planning but I know there shouldn¡¯t be strong guards here!


    Who are they?


    The Rock Knight was a strong earth mage and is an expert, no, probably a master spear-user. That Thane guy was also a strong wind mage. And that woman!


    WHY ARE THERE ONLY STRONG PEOPLE?! Is Aurelis a hub for the strong?!


    I grit my teeth in frustration. I knew I¡¯ll meet someone stronger than me sooner or later, but I never thought there would be this many. If I waited after three days, would everything still work as planned?


    AAAAAGGHH!!!


    I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something, anything! But I was already weak, moving hurts and my consciousness wavers.


    If only... if only...


    My frustration piled up. I was rarely ever cornered like this back on earth and ever since coming here. And if I was, I would break through with my guns or fists.


    Fatigue and frustration caught up with the pain making me weaker. Tears gradually formed in the corner of my eyes. I lay there, still. Silently panting for air.


    Shit! Shit...!


    The tears hanged on, threatening to fall into blobby drops. If I still have qi, I can make my body move even for a little bit! If they¡¯re just normal opponents then it¡¯s fine but I underestimated them! If...!


    Now fear crept up as well. Memories of deaths of countless of people I know flashed. Is it my turn now? My throat was dry and the image of my death was starting to get clear in my mind.


    I realized that without qi, big sis, big bro and Nadi, I¡¯m helpless.


    [Bro...]


    Curled in the corner of the ditch, I reluctantly called my brother through telepathy.


    [Bro... help...!]


    Silent sobs left my mouth.

 Episode 3: Chapter 36 - The Ancient named Nix

    On top of a cold mountain peaks that reach the cryosphere, where most rocks were replaced by spikes of glaciers, I rubbed my hands waiting for someone who might have the ancient knowledge I need.


    With the temperature reaching below 0, I could see my black bangs frost with snow and my glasses fog every time I breathe warm air to my numbing hands. My body shook at the emanating cold of the icy mountain.


    ¡°I-i-t¡¯s s-s-s-o c-c-colddd!!!¡±


    I had an urge to make fire but decided against it in fear of offending the one I¡¯m waiting for.


    It took me 4 days to finally reach the peak. It would¡¯ve been nice to warp here, but I would need to place Nadi¡¯s card first, so with my initial visit, I¡¯ve already turned into a popsicle.


    But I can¡¯t believe creativity affect magic greatly. I¡¯ve been using magic via natural phenomena, where my magic is based on the same mechanisms and instead, hastens it by creating all the missing elements and processes.


    Hence, my inability to warp or teleport. I only know the incomplete theory of transferring matter from one to place to other without traversing the physical plane in between. Without the proper theory, I can¡¯t supplement my imagination without it, unlike Nadi who uses her creativity.


    I¡¯ve probably waited for half a day, exposed to the constant blizzard atop the mountain. So I wasted my time rationalizing what magic truly is.


    ¡ºHuman, how dare you intrude upon thine home!¡»


    A thundering voice, a mixture of a young and old female voice, echoed within the icy spikes and a gushing wind brought forth by its wings blew the frost away.


    ¡°Greetings! My name is Lucas Alta. I was wondering if you could help me?¡±


    The owner of the voice landed with a huge thud. It¡¯s towering white body reflected the sun¡¯s rays with a bluish sheen. It¡¯s scales were a roundish diamond shape with irregular sizes, embedded in a leathery gray skin. It¡¯s claws were icy blue with a hint of coldness and it¡¯s wings bellowed with its white membrane.


    Then it¡¯s eyes, the one our league is named after, it¡¯s dragon¡¯s eyes had vertical irises and it¡¯s pupils were a cold blue mix with whites that seemed like two liquids repelling each other.


    Those cold eyes looked at me with intimidation. I had frosted goosebumps but I wasn¡¯t intimidated in the slightest, because I can see her excited look when she saw me.


    ¡ºHmph! Tis rare for this one to meet a human intelligent enough to introduce thyself and stand tall upon this one¡¯s intimidation. Thus, this one will give the honor and introduce this one.¡»


    Saying so, the dragon took a step. It would¡¯ve been more or less 10-20 steps for me, but for her, it was one towering step.


    ¡ºThis one¡¯s name is Nix, owner of the icy mountains of Hr¨©m. ¡»


    As she said so, she gazed upon the icy peaks in the horizon. Mt. Hr¨©m is known for the rapid freezing of water vapors, making it one of the most dangerous places on Eorth. It had a total of 6 peaks protruding in the snowy foot of the peaks. And the one and only resident on top of this towering icy mountains, is none other than this ancient dragon.


    A book from the magician¡¯s guild says that: dragons have been residents of Eorth since time immemorial. They carried knowledge that have been lost through time and are amenable to those who have manners. They¡¯re said to be the embodiment of the elements itself, making them like the faeries that was born from the elements however, much stronger, almost comparable to the two gods.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    That knowledge is the reason why I¡¯m here, to find a way to go back home. For a year, I¡¯ve been postponing this visit because I was scared we might miss and leave Li. But now that we¡¯ve found her, the only thing that will stop me is a dragon¡¯s fickle nature.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Lady Nix. I¡¯ll get straight to the point. Do you know anything about world transference?¡±


    I asked without hesitation. She became apprehensive at my question and her already chilly eyes turned cold for a moment.


    ¡ºNonsense! Another world does not exist, those are only delusions of mad men!¡»


    She denied fervently, but her face says otherwise. For an ancient being, her poker face is kinda...


    ¡°I see. Is it a taboo? Or maybe a bad experience?¡±


    I smiled knowing she was lying. Her face, can I call it a face though? Whatever, her face darkened and an icy wind swirled around her, engulfing me in coldness. Then followed by a sigh, her face bore a gentle expression.


    ¡ºThis one apologize. This one hast met people whom experienced tragedies from another world. Hast thou come from another world? Thou wishes to return?¡»


    Her icy coldness slowly dissipated, absorbed by bluish-purple feather ice that surrounds the cave. Her words made me stop to process them because of how she speaks.


    ¡°... ah, yes. I came here with my siblings from another world called, Earth. A huge sinkhole opened where we were and we all fell leading to this world, in Meldrid river to be exact. We fell at the same time, but there was a gap between our arrivals. I thought that ancient being like you would have ways or at least, information about how to travel back.¡±


    I explained, curiously observing the spikes. Seeing my interest to the feather ice, she plucked one, breaking the ice and stones around the caves.


    ¡ºHere, thou seemed interested. Tis called Nixie. Twas made by the light and dark gods to aid this one¡¯s uncontrollable power and named after this one.¡»


    She gave me a small branch of the bluish-purple ice. The Nixie wasn¡¯t as cold as I expected, it didn¡¯t have any temperature at all, which was odd. Despite my cold surroundings, the feather ice didn¡¯t give any changes in temperature, but was continuously absorbing the cold around it, making my hands less colder.


    ¡ºThis one apologizes! Thou went off topic.¡»


    An elegant cough came from the towering dragon. She guided me inside a cave that fit her. Inside, the cave was filled with the feather ice, Nixie. It took some effort with her thous and thees, but I manage to completely understand what she says after a few more sentences.


    She talked about the other worlds. She confessed that she doesn¡¯t like the other worlds because of the deterioration of elements, making the planet sick and slowly die.


    She said, that the other worlds weren¡¯t meant to be born, it was only supposed to be only Eorth. I heard the story once from the forest kins that there were worlds for each race, even a world of monsters.


    It all started with the birth of Eorth. She claimed that the story of the two gods and the creation of Eorth was known only to dragons. As they were made as guardians of the other elements that the two gods created. There, 4 dragons govern each: Earth, Wind, Water and Fire. But why is there an additional dragon? - I asked.


    Lady Nix hesitated, but she said that she was the dragon that governed water. And her current state was a result of the god wars. An accident that made her isolate herself from the world.


    She didn¡¯t delve into too much information as she was afraid of angering the gods, so she only said this:


    ¡ºTransported beings lack the aptitude for magic. Thou however, hast magnificent proficiency in it. Thus, thou must hast a reason to be here.¡»


    An absurd conclusion but, it made sense. I¡¯ve met a lot of people who were transported during my travels and everyone was surprised at my aptitude in magic. Moreover, it would¡¯ve been a coincidence if I had aptitudes in either dark or water, based on my black hair and blue eyes, but instead, I have all the aptitudes except dark.


    Wait, what about Li?


    I pondered. I noticed Lady Nix¡¯s eyes on me and realized I was silent for a while.


    ¡ºTis alright, do not worry. Hmmm... Lucas, is it?¡»


    Hearing my name called by here weird voice made me jump, but I answered her nonetheless.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡ºThis one do not want to anger the gods but this one can answer some questions and give thou advice. This one hast not spoken to any beings for eons and wishes for a companion thus, may this one trouble thou to visit occasionally? ¡»


    Weirdly enough, a shy expression painted her pale white face, almost giving a reddish hue to her face.


    I never realized dragons could be bashful.

 Episode 3: Chapter 37 - Warp

    In the protection of the cave filled with Nixies, the white dragon and I talked for hours. I learned about the location of the other dragons, what they looked like, things they hate and things they liked. She also gave me vague information about other worlds, asking me to look for the other dragons and get their permission.


    It seems that the history of this world was a closely guarded secret, that would anger the gods and possibly destroying Eorth¡¯s dimension. It was incomplete, but she said that the catastrophic tragedy that happened eons ago resulted in the creation of the other worlds.


    A tragedy that led to creation?


    I can make a guess about how and why it happened, but without any clues to go on, in the end, it just an incomplete guess. It might be the reason for our presence here or it will be a lead on how we can go back to Earth.


    I also found out that lady Nix was the most studious of the four dragons. She liked learning new things, especially observing how the elements correlated with each other.


    After a few hours of discussing the relation of the elements and Eorth¡¯s creation, the moon rose magnificently in the night sky. We completely forgot the time and was so deep into our conversation, that we might¡¯ve continued to talk until...


    [Bro...]


    I heard a weak voice calling for me. The only ones who would call me that way are the twins, but that voice sounded so afraid and weak that made it sound unfamiliar.


    [Bro... help...!]


    Again it called, this time, for help. I knew then that it was Andi. I held my hand up to lady Nix and paused our conversation while I strengthen the weak connection to Andi.


    [Andi? What¡¯s wrong?]


    I closed my eyes and blocked my ears, focusing on the weak voice of my brother. Unlike Nadi, we can freely speak our minds using telepathy so even if he couldn¡¯t talk with his mouth, he still can with his mind.


    [Bro... I was attack...ed... unknown... forces... please...]


    His voice flickered with a weird pause. He¡¯s most likely under attack or badly injured that he couldn¡¯t concentrate on telepathy!


    [Andi! Tell me where you are! I¡¯ll send Nadi to get you so set up the warp card in your position!]


    I said hastily, ignoring my surroundings and focusing all my magic into reaching him. While I wait for a response, I switched to call Nadi.


    [Nadi, can you set up a warp point remotely?]


    I asked just in case Andi was unconscious. Even though Nadi¡¯s mana control is unstable, she has this uncanny creativity that let¡¯s hear create weird but useful magic. Warp is an example.


    In theory, it was possible to warp or teleport, but without basis nor any calculations prior to execution, I can¡¯t turn it into magic. But this wasn¡¯t the case with Nadi.


    We were both magicians who can use chantless magic and uses the mana outside our bodies to supplement our magic, but our differences lies with out imagination and control.


    In the past year, I¡¯ve experimented and practiced magic understanding mana as a form of energy and magic reactions and results using scientific processes, like natural phenomena. Compared to Nadi, hers is used and practiced with her creativity. For example, she explained to me how she imagined the teleportation. She said, unlike me who have a wider knowledge in science and physics, she used fiction as a base.


    In teleportation, the based it on a game Andi played. To use the magic, she needs two gates on both ends from the starting point to the end point. Then all she has to do is find the presence of the gate she embedded with her magic, and activate it with the help of the person on the other end or activate it herself, remotely.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The gates are basically embedded on the waterproof cards that I made for her and can be used anywhere in the Eorth, hypothetically. Feeding it with mana can activate it, but without the other end activated, it can¡¯t function. In this case, Nadi can remotely activate it, but it would take some time compared to activation from both side.


    [Yes big brother. Which one? Yours?]


    A cheerful voice echoed in my head.


    [No, I need you to activate Andi¡¯s. We got cut off earlier but he said he met with some enemies stronger than him. He¡¯s possibly heavily injured or cornered to the point he couldn¡¯t concentrate. I need you to go ahead, make sure he¡¯s safe. I will follow once you activate a gate through mine.]


    I said a mouthful of orders to her.


    [I found where the gate is but big bro, what about big sis?]


    She answered after a short pause. Li has been sleeping for almost 3 weeks now and she might wake up soon, so we need one of us to be there in case she wakes up, but our lives are much more important.


    Right now, Li is safe under Mastris¡¯ protection. Prince Theo is also there, I don¡¯t understand his attachment to Li but... can I count on him to stay with Li?


    [Nadi, call the prince and connect me to him. I need to ask a favor.]


    I bit my lip as I decided to lower my pride. It wasn¡¯t a hard decision, I was just feeling embarrassed after all that I said to him.


    [Ok, be right back!]


    Now, as for my gate...


    I opened my eyes. I turned to look at the friendly dragon and asked for permission.


    ¡°Lady Nix, you asked earlier if I can come back and talk with you from time to time. I can fulfill that wish as long as you give me permission.¡±


    Her face as filled with questions as to what happened earlier and what I¡¯m asking now.


    ¡°You see, I have magic that can open a gate here so I can immediately come whenever I have time. All I need, is your permission to set this up and allow me to remotely activate it. I also ask that you don¡¯t destroy or throw it away, because it will be another cold trek up her in Mt. Hr¨©m...¡±


    I smiled wryly at her. At my proposition, she looked at me with excitement but immediately hid it from me. I guess she wanted to maintain her image of an ancient being?


    Well, too late for that... hahaha...


    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh inwardly.


    ¡ºThou hast this one¡¯s permission.¡»


    With a serious face, she nodded. Then, I hastily dug in a corner of the cave and sealed the card in the whole with clear ice using magic.


    I touched the card over the ice and passed quite an enormous amount of mana. After some time, a flat oblong blackness appeared. It hovered directly on top of the card, it contracted and swirled like some kind of black hole. On the side, it was thinner than paper and from the back, it looked the same as the front.


    Currently, the gate is black because it wasn¡¯t connected into anything. Passing through won¡¯t pose any danger of disintegrating or any injuries, but if I did try right now, I will get stuck inside the black hole forever. Or at least until another gate opens, and that¡¯s if it opens near me. If not, I¡¯ll be in that black limbo.


    I warned the dragon, she can activate the gate herself but never enter out of curiosity, because I¡¯m afraid we might lose the ancient dragon that governs water forever. She agreed telling me to explain to her what happened earlier.


    I told her about Andi and Nadi. About what might¡¯ve happened and what I need to do next. She seemed even more excited and asked me to tell her more about it after the incident. Seeing her like that, I wanted to ask why she isolated herself.


    [Big bro! I brought him!]


    I was interrupted by Nadi¡¯s cheerful voice. Afterwards, a gentle but noble voice entered my head. It was the prince¡¯s voice, his words gave a feeling of authority but the gentleness gave off kindness.


    [Lucas? Can you hear me?]


    I was envious of this man. Even as weak as he is compared to Li and I, he seemed like he was in the same wavelength as Li. It was weird, odd, absurd! A weak prince that gave off strength like Li¡¯s, just what in the world is that weird strength that puts me off?!


    [Ah, yes! Your highness, I have a favor to ask.]


    Absorbed in my thoughts, I answered back. Even if I don¡¯t ask this nicely, I¡¯m sure he would gladly accept. I mean, he seemed too attach to Li. Is he in love with her?


    [Go ahead, as long as it is something I am able to do, I will gladly help.]


    His kind voice was annoying and added to that was his kind words.


    Hey me! Tell me, why are you so annoyed at this guy? This wasn¡¯t the first time...


    [... Then, can you watch over Leila? I need Nadi¡¯s help so I don¡¯t have anyone to watch over her.]


    I hesitated to say, but said it anyway and I already know he will agree but, his obvious happy voice was irritating.


    [Of course! As I¡¯ve told you, I owe Vi¡ªLeila, you and your siblings too, when you protected and saved Lord Mastris. I will make sure she is safe until you return.]


    I suppressed the creeping irritation. I guess if I¡¯m relying on him, might as well say my thanks.


    [T-thank you...]

 Episode 3: Chapter 38 - From Black to Blue

    I felt the mana around me while it entered my body and passed through my hands. Big sis glowed with glittering black light, absorbing the mana, while color returned to her pale face. Her whole aura looked amazing in pair with her prettiness.


    ¡°Well then, I leave my big sis to you.¡±


    After giving her all the mana she needed, I threw a wink at the prince who was standing beside the bed watching what I just did.


    ¡°Tell me, what was that?¡±


    Henry, the prince¡¯s sidekick asked in an accusing tone. I rolled my eyes and placed the warp card in a corner, removing all the stuff near it.


    ¡°I just gave her mana. Brother said it activates the body¡¯s self-healing capabilities or something.¡±


    I answered and sat on a chair with a soft plop, then I focused on Andi.


    ¡°[Andi? Can you hear me? Do you think you could place the warp card on the ground so I can activate it?]¡±


    I called out to my twin. The two visitors who heard my voice quiet down, looking at me with curiosity.


    [...Y-yeah...]


    A pitiable voice resounded in my head. My brows knotted in worry and my heart was gripped with fear of losing him.


    I swear that I will tear the person who did this to you, limb. by. limb...!


    [done...]


    His tired voice brought me back from my thoughts and I immediately activated his card from my side. As I closed my eyes, I could see the card in darkness tremble. It absorbed my mana producing a thin bluish-black portal beating quietly like a fish¡¯s soft fin.


    Then, I flashed open my eyes and kneeled to touch my card. Soon, a silent hum and a thin bright blue portal that swirled and radiated in whiteness appeared. It was connected to Andi¡¯s card, turning his into the same bright blue colored portal. This color change meant that the portals are connected to each other.


    I entered the portal in a hurry and like a flash of a camera through a lens, the scenery changed from a victorian styled room to a soil cave-like place.


    The whole place was enough for three people to lie down comfortably, it was a earth-bunker spell I made to hide in times of danger. Knowing the size, it didn¡¯t take me a while to find Andi lying helplessly on the ground.


    He lied clutching his side while blood dripped furiously. Dry blood crusted on his arm and parts of his body and clothes while fresh hot blood covered his hand.


    ¡°Andi!¡±


    I kneeled in worry and took out a bottle from my bag. It was a 1 gallon ceramic bottle filled with alcohol that big brother made.


    ¡°Here, bite on this. I¡¯ll pour alcohol on your wound so it might sting a bit.¡±


    I placed an inch thick piece of wood on his mouth and made him bite on it. I knew he experienced pain more painful than this but I had to be careful. I wouldn¡¯t want him to lose even more blood than this!


    Making sure he bit on the wood. I poured half of the bottle¡¯s content, making him moan in pain.


    ¡°There, there. All we need is to close the wound and I¡¯ll have big bro come.¡±


    I took out a card from my pocket. It was a super heal card. This card will heal any external wounds but cannot heal any diseases nor infections from those wounds, so most of the time, the infected wounds start to fester and fever would ensue. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    We learned this the hard way when I used this on Andi¡¯s infected wound. It was a small cut, something he got when he carelessly hit his knee during our travels around Eloheim. He left it alone without treatment and it quickly festered.


    I tried to use heal to close the wound and was proud of the achievement but he soon got a fever. We found out the his wound continued to fester from the inside and had to remove all the pus by cutting it.


    It was the yuckiest thing I¡¯ve ever seen! I don¡¯t want to see that ever again! Gross!


    I had goosebumps all over as I remembered that disgusting experience. Which was why I generously poured alcohol all over his wound.


    Soft bluish-green light floated from the card with warmth coming from each light. Like a firefly, it floated on Andi¡¯s wounds. Each wound glowed with the same color while the biggest cut was filled with converging lights and glowed brighter than the rest.


    A little while later, his wounds completely closed and only a pale peaceful humming breaths came from Andi.


    ¡°[Big bro, I¡¯m connecting yours.]¡±


    I faced the same blue portal radiating a white glow and directed my mana towards it. Soon, it flickered a little bit and with a silent hum, it connected to big brother¡¯s portal successfully.


    A foot covered in snow entered from the portal, then my brother¡¯s face flushed with coldness entered with a serious expression.


    In front of other people, he shows a fake kind and polite personality that fit his face, but with us, big brother is just a big whiny baby. But whenever something unfortunate happens, he only react in two extremes. One, he will pretend everything is fine and will be all smiles, acting stupid. The other, he will be so worried that he will either cry or get angry, which will be either a shirt full of snot or a slap, sometimes a punch or two.


    Right now, I can see that he was definitely worried. His eyes glistened wet, if he saw Andi¡¯s early state, he would definitely bawl as soon as he saw him.


    He looked at Andi with worry and folded his puffy coat inside-out, making a make-shift pillow for him. I placed a blanket on the ground and we both laid him down to rest.


    ¡°Nadi, how¡¯s your spells?¡±


    He wiped his tears revealing an angry face while his eyes glowed blue under his glasses.


    ¡°I was bored waiting for you two so I made 5 of each. For offense and defense, I have 9 thunder, 10 fire, 5 water, 15 ice, 11 earth and 6 wind. For heal, I have 35 heals, 35 high heals, 24 super heals, 15 purifies and also 15 antidotes of each kind.¡±


    I enumerated my spells as I shuffle the spell cards from my pocket. It was hard to make each card, so for the past week, I was only able to make 5 cards by myself. Production was low this week because I don¡¯t have brother to help me regulate my magic.


    My offensive and defensive spells weren¡¯t as specific as the healing spells. I only place elemental mana on the card and assist the creation of magic with my imagination. That¡¯s why Andi and I always named it after well-known elemental skills or magic from Earth, this widens my fighting ability and makes a stable image. Compared to big brother and Andi, even though I can tap into mana outside my body, I don¡¯t have control over my magic, making it unstable and unpredictable. These spell cards makes it easier for me to direct my magic like how wands or staves do.


    ¡°Good. As much as I want to go back right away, I¡¯m feeling kind of pissed right now.¡±


    He stood up, his eyes continued to glow looking at the an empty space in the soil cave. He¡¯s probably using his magic enhanced eyes to look for the enemy.


    ¡°You sure it wasn¡¯t because of the prince?¡±


    I had my doubts, but for some reason, brother¡¯s attitude towards the prince was different from his usual. He was smiling but I can somehow see a vein ready to pop.


    Hearing my words he wore a complicated expression like he was just found out. He scratched his head and he crouched, holding his face with his hands.


    ¡°Aaarrgh!¡±


    He let out an unintelligible muffled scream in frustration, then sighed in resignation and looked at his hand. Looking at him, I just noticed that his hair was dripping wet from the melted snow that clung to him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! Every time I see him or hear his voice, I feel a creeping irritation from the pits of my stomach. Then, my face would start to twitch while I try hard to keep my poker face on! He was like a pretentious prick trying to act all prince-like with a kind voice, smiling sweetly at everyone like he would protect and die for you!¡±


    He started to whine¡ª a typical hypocritical moment for my big brother.


    ¡°You do know that he¡¯s a real prince and you¡¯re basically describing yourself right?¡±


    I said in a huff placing my hands on my waist. Like an imaginary arrow hitting his heart from the back, he clutched his heart with a pained expression.


    ¡°So mean! I just wanted to complain! Don¡¯t I deserve to complain even for a little bit!¡±


    Him being like this, it seemed like his worried expression earlier was all an act. But I doubt that¡¯s all it was.


    After all, why would we stay and fight if he wasn¡¯t angry at those who did this to Andi. I¡¯ll definitely kill them slowly and painfully!


    Unconsciously, a ruthless smile painted my face, excited of what¡¯s about to happen.

 Episode 3: Chapter 39 - Golden Eyes

    ¡°Vice Captain!¡±


    Soft footsteps approached and called to me. The voice it belonged to was my youngest subordinate, Mynah Argente.


    ¡°You found him?¡±


    For hours now, we¡¯ve been on pursuit of the young man who perpetrated the assassination of Marshal Evaris, owner of Evaris Trading.


    ¡°No sir. I¡¯ve sent my clones all over the forest and so far we haven¡¯t found nary a trace.¡±


    This lass was the last one to fight him. She was waiting on the other side of the barrier in case he escapes, but even with her clones, the most she could do was cut his side.


    According to the lass, the young man was able to cut almost all her clones down, smiling as he did it. After almost using up all her mana to re-summon her clones, the young man used a fruit scented smoke to aid his escape.


    It only took minutes after the smoke subsided! How was he able to get away so fast?!


    ¡°How¡¯s your mana?¡±


    I asked the lass who was panting and had beads of sweat forming from her face. She¡¯s the youngest but still a diligent knight, so seeing her like this shows how formidable that young man is.


    ¡°I can¡¯t summon any more than 10. As long as my clones aren¡¯t killed, I¡¯m still able to fight to the fullest.¡±


    She nodded full of determination.


    The young man¡¯s magic and skills were bewildering. Considering the color of his hair and his eyes, he would be most probably from the Cuppra family. But to be able to use fire and speed akin to a wind mage, was far from the innate magic that comes from his appearance.


    Since ancient times, the hair color and eyes were a huge indication of a person¡¯s aptitude in magic: brown being earth, green for wind, blue for water and red for fire. The only different color that was special was yellow or golden.


    For dozens of millennia since the creation of humans, gold has been the color of the Aurelian royalty. The first King that established the kingdom and has the ability to use the Light god¡¯s attribute was the first Aurelis. Capable of healing, purifying undead and even seeing the future, light magic was considered the most sacred magic of all humanity.


    And from this, the first King¡¯s descendants were made members of the Aurelian nobility. They were those who had other colors mixed in with their bloodlines.


    The Argente who governed water, Ferrum that governed fire, Mercuria that governed wind and Cuppra that governed earth.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Based on these facts, that young man was a member of the Cuppra nobility. Changing ones hair color wasn¡¯t impossible, but ones eyes was unheard of!


    ¡°Vice captain.¡±


    Another called me but this time, it carried a sleepy sounding voice. Thane often looked lethargic and often sounds sleepy, but he¡¯s the most veteran out of the three.


    He does his mission with precise efficiency and rational decisions, making him the best lead in each mission. Though, he says he does it to increase his sleeping time.


    Without saying a word, he shook his head, meaning he also found nothing. It was frustrating. We were supposed to watch over the target, but a lone kid was able to kill him right under our noses and was able to escape both my best subordinate¡¯s assault.


    If I had been serious right from the start... if I hadn¡¯t thought of playing...


    Self-condemning words circled through my head. 70 years... for 70 years, the order of light had been buried in obscurity due to our past mistake. Now, with the coming of age of the new generation of kings, we can¡¯t let anymore mistakes happen.


    My thoughts mirrored my expression, and my subordinates felt the same way. They were still young, two of which came from the youngest generation.


    So the mistakes of the past were nothing but stories to them. But those mistakes will continue to be a brand and if another mistake were to ever happen with the reign of the current royals¡ª


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    A voice, clear as a bell called out through the silence. Everyone looked at each other with surprised faces and immediately turned to the owner of the voice.


    Behind me, a girl stood under a shadow of a tree. Her eyes were closed and she held onto the tree for support. Her red dress that suited her, was far more elegant than the dresses I saw girls wore in the capital. Her rose-colored hair that was lightly blown by the forest breeze, released a soothing sweet scent, releasing our tension built up from worry.


    When did she?!


    ¡°...excuse me?¡±


    She asked once again. Her worried face shone brightly from the dim light of the moon, but her eyes were still completely closed.


    Is she blind?


    She should¡¯t be here!


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    The first one to say so was the youngest lass, Mynah. She walked closer towards the girl and bent her back a little to meet the girl¡¯s height.


    ¡°Mynah!¡±


    I tried to stop her from approaching but contrary to the wariness of my voice, the girl continued to carry a worried expression.


    ¡°Yes, but... have you seen Nadi¡¯s brother?¡±


    Still with her eyes closed, she tilted her head delivering a complex feeling of wanting to protect her.


    What is this?


    Unbeknownst to us, her charms garnered the protection from the two lass, leading Becca to approach her as well.


    But... brother...? Evaris had children but they were both sons, I haven¡¯t heard any information about a daughter...


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you see, we were supposed to meet after the monster attack, but Nadi and Andi never met.¡±


    During the attack?!


    Something is odd about this girl! There were four of us highly trained knights but nobody even noticed her presence. She even said she was supposed to meet with her brother during the attack, but we¡¯ve sealed this area completely and even searched each corner thoroughly. There¡¯s no way that they would¡¯ve been able to avoid us!


    Unless...!


    ¡°Brother looks very similar to Nadi, he¡¯s a little bit taller but we have the same face. We¡¯re twins you see, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll remember him...¡±


    Before I could warn the two who went to her, she continued to speak.


    ¡°...because he has the same distinct golden eyes as I do.¡±


    At the end of her sentence, the sweet voice she bore turned grim and a malicious smile replaced her worried expression.


    As she opened her eyes slowly, two golden orbs glowed magnificently under the moonlight.

 Episode 4: Chapter 40 - Serendipity

    It was fate? Or... what¡¯s it called...? Serendipity was it?


    Either way, we were fortunate.


    I was born from a poor family. It was hard trying to survive with our father¡¯s meager income, but we had a roof above our heads and warm food in our tummy. I had to share a lot of things with my brother, so I grew up too early.


    Then, it happened. It just happened suddenly.


    We were sold.


    Cold. The fleeting snow that fell silently on the pavement, erased our traces. The tracks of the truck and our breaths, vanished in this cold land.


    ¡°Hey, Nadi... I¡¯m cold...¡±


    Inside the cold truck, we sat huddled with other kids. But a child¡¯s warmth wasn¡¯t enough to keep warm us from the freezing snow. Many fingers and toes were frost bitten, turning into a deeper shade of purple every minute but no one cried. Because if we did...


    ¡°Hey ya runts! Shut it will ya?!¡±


    Overwhelmed with fear, Andi gasps as he buried his face on my clothes.


    I thought we were still fine, but we were just too poor. I never realized how cheap my life would be that I could be sold with my brother as a pair.


    After the long travel through the biting cold, there were teeth chattering and some who aren¡¯t moving at all. We soon arrived in front of a tall gate wrapped with barbed wires and surrounded by men with guns.


    The adults were talking about this place, a facility miles behind the tall peaks hidden in the cold snow.


    We were scared at first, but the treatment was better than back home. It was warm, we were fed and dressed, everything felt nice, except that we slept in a cell.


    We had no freedom but we had three meals a day, sometimes we play in the ¡°recreation room¡± and most times, we took medical tests.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    There, I begged for the first time.


    ¡°Please... let me...¡±


    My brother¡¯s vacant face was unbearable. The only family I have left, my only ally in this cold world. I couldn¡¯t leave him like that. So, it was common sense.


    I took his place.


    It started the same way as Andi¡¯s did. Drugs and poison, I was made to take the same things Andi took. Some were painful, some felt good, some felt like I wasn¡¯t myself. But soon, it felt like routine after a couple of months.


    Then it escalated.


    Pain. Words cannot describe the pain I felt. The pain formed feelings that I¡¯ve never felt before. The feeling that my apathetic self tried to let go of. The feeling that my brother is so used to... towards our drunk father, useless mother, towards our fate.


    Hate. I started to hate my fate. I hated my brother, my parents, the people who made me feel this pain and I hate... the God that created this world.


    I was full of hate, but my hate couldn¡¯t do anything. Even as I grit my teeth and let my hot tears flow in anger, I was powerless.


    The hate lasted, but the pain soon faded. The pain didn¡¯t stop, I just became numb. The blood that splattered in the room I was in: became a form of solace. A new splatter would mean a new story, one of which would be mine.


    Soon, I could tell which splatter was mine and which isn¡¯t. By the unique smell of each, I found out there were 3 of us who were tor¡ª I mean, uses this room.


    It felt like a game. Who would give up first, who would be next. Like a wheel, rolling, sometimes it¡¯s hell, sometimes you feel normal. I mean, as normal as you could.


    Then she came. The routine roll of the wheel continued for months, and she came to observe. She wore a pair of worn out jeans and a bomber¡¯s jacket that was obviously wasn¡¯t hers. With snow covering her head, her long jet black hair was wet but flowed gracefully, glittering in small blades of light from the windows.


    ¡°This is test subject number 12. She had a twin brother who was supposed to be doing the tests but she wailed saying she¡¯d do it in his stead...¡±


    A guide, one of the scientist in his white lab coat said in a muffled voice that passed through the glass.


    I watched that big sis. She seemed lonely but at the same time, oddly happy. But when our eyes met, I thought it would be pity but...


    ...those sapphire eyes were filled with anger.


    I never realized what that look truly meant so after they left, I have a new thing to ponder with. Something to alleviate the pain. A ¡°pain killer¡±.


    That pretty big sis became my source of fantasy. How I would make her wear the dresses I make, how she would pat me and call me her little sister. It was a naive dream, but it was still my dream.


    I never thought that it would come true though.


    But I¡¯m glad it came true. A figure so solid and reachable but ephemeral and faraway at the same time, she was at least within my sights.


    And within that chaos, explosions and bloodshed at the time, I saw her. The same sapphire eyes, fair face covered in dust and in her hands were guns. The screams and gunshots were muffled, while seeing fate... or was is serendipity? Either way, we were fortunate.


    My tiny dream that was formed in that moment, came true without a moment¡¯s notice.

 Episode 4: Chapter 41 - The Rose Colored Battle

    At the glow of her golden eyes, dozens earthen spires surrounded us and the ground instantly turned into mud.


    ¡°Sir Ren¨¨! Sit ventis veni ad caput meum!¡±


    Thane called to the captain and instantly hardened the ground while he cut the spires with blades of wind.


    ¡°Mynah!¡±


    As the captain called my name, I surrounded the young girl with my clones and climbed a tree to hide and oversee the fight.


    The leader and the rest fired magic attacks one after another while my clones delivered melee to the lone girl.


    As unfair as it may be, the young girl¡¯s hand glowed in a rosy color while she dodged and a thin rosy layer protected her from all the oncoming attacks. Leaving her unscathed with a working barrier.


    ¡°Was that a barrier?!¡±


    After seeing the girl with an intact barrier, the girl smiled maliciously. A smile so different from the innocent charming face she put on earlier.


    Being deceived so easily...! I would¡¯ve thought that I could at least distinguish lies from truth!


    I held tightly onto a branch with my face writhing in frustration and fatigue.


    The battle continued with the girl just standing covered in her rosy barrier. Each hit was easily deflected by rosy petals from the barrier.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    While fatigue crept up from the initial battle, from the hours of search and from this confrontation, the four of us were completely out of breath as our mana drains together with our stamina.


    ¡°Hmph. I thought you were much stronger but I guess Andi just got lazy and didn¡¯t get enough rest.¡±


    She scoffed at our struggle. I gripped the branch I was holding even tighter.


    I wish I could fight. I wish I could cut that stupid smile from her face but if something happens...


    ¡°You know, I almost died protecting my brother so you should know how much I f*cking hate you guys right now.¡±


    As if a chair was behind her, she sat with a soft plop and crossed her legs while hatred was plastered on her adorable little face.


    The twisted expression she bore didn¡¯t suit how adorable she looked. The gap in between showed how ridiculous the situation was.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Lord Ferrum ordered us to watch over one of the spearheads of the Regent¡¯s faction but a young man, seemingly a member of the Cuppra nobility assassinated him and another child with rosy hair and golden eyes, a perfect yet unnatural characteristics of a Ferrum noble came to take revenge for her ¡°twin¡±.


    The whole thing was simple yet ridiculous.


    Who ordered the assassination? Who are these twins that bore unnatural magic from their supposed affinities?


    As I run my thoughts with speculations of who they were, the girl spouted insults as she continued deliver attacks to my clone. Each attack looked like falling flickering rose petals that suddenly moves faster and way sharper than Thane¡¯s wind blades.


    After cutting down half of my clones, she immediately vanished and a cut appeared behind Becca.


    ¡°Ackk...!¡±


    ¡°Becca!¡±


    Holding onto her fresh wound, Thane ran towards her only to get cut on his thigh.


    ¡°...dammit!¡±


    Back from her original place, the girl flicked the blood away from a bare blade glowing in the same color as her barrier. In mere moments, she mowed down my dozens of clones and immobilized the other two.


    Leader ran to them while I ordered my clones to form a defensive line against her.


    ¡°I came back from hell several times...¡±


    As she said so, several petals cut through a couple of my clones.


    ¡°... and finally found...¡±


    Like throwing knives, petals flew at each swipe of her hand.


    ¡°... the family I wished for. I finally let go of that hatred...!¡±


    Bursts of petals flew and the last of my clones vanished in vain, unable to dodge the flickering petals. As she did so, her hatred turned into madness.


    ¡°Ahahahahaha!!!¡±


    She laughed as she saw despair from my comrades. She laughed as she tore down my clones, one by one.


    Soon, the other three was left bare of any defense, the captain then summoned walls of earth but due to the lack of mana, he was only able to make a couple of layers with gaps.


    Looking like a set of round maze, a wall exploded when a petal touched one. Some were cut into two, some crumbled into dust and some melted into mud.


    The flickering petal was so versatile, it could slice, disintegrate, melt and explode upon contact.


    Who is she?! To be able to use such magic?!


    From atop the tree, I could see my comrades degrade from fatigue, the deep cut that they received from such a tiny girl slowly ate up their stamina.


    I was stuck.


    My comrades, my friends, the ones who brought down the high and mighty me from the gaggle of geese that¡¯s called nobility.


    Do I leave them as ordered? Or do I disobey?


    Before she could throw another set of petals, I made my decision.


    I held my dagger tight and jumped down from the tree I hid in. But before I could reach the ground, in just mere seconds, my arm was pulled and I was tightly restrained.


    In confusion, I looked back and saw the impossible.


    Jet black hair.


    In the bright moonlight, as dark as night. The color of miasma was sitting flowingly atop a man¡¯s head not younger than me.


    A mythical color that only the Evil God and her favored beings bore.


    ¡°Can¡¯t let you ruin my sister¡¯s fun now, can I?¡±


    Holding my hands tightly behind my back, he dragged me out of the darkness of the trees and entered the one-sided battlefield that unfolded.


    ¡°Nadi, enough.¡±


    As he said so, the tough roots of a nearby tree wrapped around me, binding me in place, unable to move.


    ¡°But big bro...¡±


    The twisted expression she bore turned sweet as she called to her so called ¡°big brother¡±. With a rough pat on her head, she smiled in delight but pouted in concern for her hair.


    In a snap, the fear inducing laugh of this adorable mad girl vanished and the innocent charming expression was now plastered sweetly, like a blooming flower in spring.


    The twins were already an anomaly, then what of that guy?

 Episode 4: Chapter 42 - Big Brother Had To Step In

    ¡°Silence.¡±


    I raised my hand as I chanted and a fluid dark glow covered my hand. The three that was cornered and one captured was then put on mute.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    With a pat on her head, Nadi let go of all the mana she¡¯ve been accumulating. In her sights were three people covered in blood, wounds and bruises..


    Did we stepped on some big shot¡¯s toes?


    Their glare were a mix of anger, fear, pain and confusion. I settled my eyes on the one I thought who was most highly trained of the three of them.


    The man looked like in his early forties. His build was very similar to boss, the type that would look good even as he grew old.


    I stared, maybe a couple of minutes? I couldn¡¯t help it, I was nostalgic. His glare seemed to soften into confusion and maybe a little bit of understanding?


    Can¡¯t beat experience after all.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    I gingerly laugh. I touched a tree and called its roots to wrap onto them. Without any room to struggle, even the two who Nadi cut were wrapped firmly with roots.


    ¡°Heal.¡±


    As I called, in my hands, faint greenish glow came out like fireflies and floated to surround them. As the glowing lights touched their wound, it shone in verdant green until all the traces of wound, blood and pain vanished with the lights.


    My actions prompted a deeper confusion in their eyes. It may have been because my actions or maybe to my magic that boasts in difficulty, even improbability.


    ¡°Wha--!! Why?!¡±


    My little sister stomped her foot as she complained loudly. With a huff and a pout, she crossed her arms in protest.


    ¡°Hey, a mission¡¯s a mission. We don¡¯t deviate from that. I¡¯m angry as well but Andi¡¯s at fault too.¡±


    I pulled on her cheek as it swelled in a puff.


    ¡°This and that are different! They were aiming to kill me too!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, after you scared them.¡±


    I retorted while I ruffled her hair.


    Nadi is very overprotective, more so that Li.


    ¡°Still¡­ hmph!¡±


    With another huff, she left the area leaving me with the four whom I gathered in the middle.


    ¡°Well then, I apologize for all the trouble we¡¯ve caused. Is there any chance we can forget about this?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    With a gesture, I canceled the silence magic I casted and it returned to my hand, seeping like water on dry soil. Then I smiled as gentlemanly as I could.


    The first to speak was the well-built man.


    ¡°Do we even have a choice?¡±


    Choice? Of course you do! ¡­ Ooh¡­ right¡­ I forgot, haha¡­


    ¡°Pardon my rudeness. I just didn¡¯t want any more violence to continue so I had to restrain you.¡±


    As I said so, I pulled back all the roots that restrained the four. The three proceeded to check their bodies for the wounds that I healed while the well-built man continued to speak.


    ¡±I am Ren¨¨ Von Wittsper,a baron and a loyal knight of Aurelis. I thank you for healing my subordinates but I¡¯m unable to comprehend the reason for all of this.¡±


    ¡­well, sh*t. He was the oldest of them and looked more responsible, meaning he had to be someone with control over the others. But man¡­ a knight? A baron at that?!


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ How should I explain this¡­?¡±


    I stopped to think. I mean, there goes my plan of having any friendly relations to Aurelis. Well, we still have the haughty prince.


    Anyway, do I have to explain it? Such a hassle.


    ¡°First of all, we do not wish to offend anyone from Aurelis so I wish it could end with just this. Second, this operation is confidential, I can¡¯t divulge any information but I promise you, everything is within grounds of justice. Well, if it applies to the justice here¡­¡±


    A sigh unconsciously escaped my lips.


    ¡°...Anyway, I¡¯ll tell you who we are though.¡±


    I gave a glance to their faces. Knights, well-trained disciplined knights. How I wish I could have manpower like these for Dragon¡¯s Eye.


    ¡°I am a member of the Dragon¡¯s Eye. An assassination league based on Eloheim.¡±


    With a light bow, I introduced ourselves. I¡¯ve heard about our reputation in Eloheim, but we rarely do missions in Aurelis. So, I¡¯m curious as to how popular we are.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Eye?!¡±


    Ooooh! Are we popular? Are we?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they a cult going around saying they¡¯ll save people to have more followers?¡±


    The blonde said matter of factly with an innocent tone.


    Don¡¯t you mean assassins?! When did we ever peddled a religion?!


    ¡°I remember them saying that they balance the good and evil. Light or dark? Hum... Something like that.¡±


    She continued agreeing with her own words.


    So, we¡¯re a religion now?


    ¡°Big bro¡­¡±


    A silent grumble, almost a whimper called to be. From behind, I saw my brother¡¯s face filled with remorse. The four then raised their tension and my brother immidately wrapped his fists with fire.


    With a light tap of my foot, I called for the earth, then spires folded when it reached a certain height and directly pointed the tip at the Aurelian knights.


    At the same time, I clawed my brother¡¯s head.


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Surprised, they all lowered their weapons and let go of their magic. I clamped down harder on Andi though.


    ¡°Ow ow ow ow! Stoooop!¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re asking me to stop but you won¡¯t?¡±


    I pointed at his fists with my eyes and the flames on his fists immediately fizzled out as he reached for my hand.


    ¡°I did! I did already! Ow!¡±


    As soon as I let go of his head, he crouched down rubbing it while grumbling. I couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh seeing as he was fine.


    ¡°Well then, nice meeting you, umm¡­ Lord Wittsper? Is that right? I hope we meet again in better circumstances.¡±


    I bowed and dragged Andi while Nadi clung to my other arm.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    As soon as he called, glares from the two felt like it could bore a hole through them, but he brushed it aside and spoke.


    ¡°...are you our enemy?¡±


    Hmmm¡­ enemy? I see, with what happened we could probably destroy a platoon or two. If these are their typical knights then, as long as all four of us are together, we can even destroy a fort.


    ¡°Well, remember what she said?¡±


    I looked at the blonde who called us a cult.


    ¡°We are a threat to both good and evil. We are the balance, because without the other, we humans cannot survive.¡±


    We turned to leave. We ran through the forest as fast as our magic enhanced legs could take us.


    Wow, I sounded so cool!


    I probably had a weird grin on my face because the two were looking at me disgustingly.


    ¡°Edge lord much?¡±


    ¡°Yeah big bro, you¡¯re more gross than my chuuni moments. I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d think you cool with just saying that!¡±


    Shock.


    I was left disappointed and mouth agape.


    I think my siblings are the worst evil there is...

 Episode: 4 Chapter 43 - The Second Meeting

    My mind feels like it¡¯s floating, but still¡­ those two felt familiar...


    They said I was their big sister¡­


    Then, the familiarity suddenly left my body, like a flurry of warm wind brushing my skin.


    ...


    After the warm comfortable wind, a gross feeling of sweat underneath my clothes wrapped my skin and kept me wide awake.


    The scenery changed as I peeked through a tiny hole from the cupboard to see a figure carrying a dripping knife. It felt too real at the same time, it¡¯s like I¡¯m watching someone playing a game.


    Huh? Game...? ¡­ what game? who?


    I saw a black shadow walking through the dark house. Its light steps made me think twice if it was a ghost or a figment of my imagination. But nothing can deny the fact that I saw my dad die by its hands.


    Everything felt real at the same time it felt like watching TV. My limbs feel heavy and my chest felt tight. With the tense atmosphere, I can already foresee my death, but I know, no, somehow I knew that I won¡¯t die.


    The red blood dripping on the floor seemed vivid and even in the dark, it felt like it¡¯ll glow bright red while the metallic smell forcefully invaded my nose, it smells gross but it was something I was used to.


    Yeah, I¡¯m supposed to be used to it¡­ So why am I here again? Why do I have this feeling of incongruity?


    My body trembled while my thoughts were brushed away with a tiny hiccup that resounded upstairs. It wasn¡¯t loud, no. Not enough to be heard normally, but under the cover of the unusually quiet night, that tiny sound resounded throughout the house.


    No!


    Knowing my mom and brother were upstairs, fear gripped my throat tight, hands clammy with tears swelling in my eyes.


    The stranger ran silently upstairs and I heard my mom¡¯s scream echo upstairs.


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?!¡±


    Then my body moved by itself.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I was sure that fear kept me stuck hiding in the cupboard, but the thought of losing my mom made me climb the stairs. It made me forget my fears.


    Deja vu? No, it doesn¡¯t matter right now!


    My heavy legs moved but I still felt weak in the knees. Climbing with my quivering legs, my foot slid on every step, hitting my knees on the edges and making me buckle and scramble at each step.


    As soon as I reached for the nearest room, what I saw was my brother falling from the closet.


    ¡°...b-big sis! Mom¡­! She¡¯s in our room!¡±


    Screaming loudly as he could, his eyes begged me to save my mom, but my body moved on instinct because deep in my heart I already knew my parent¡¯s intention.


    The reason why dad hid me under the cupboards and why Lulu is in the closet¡­ they knew¡­ I knew.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Without thinking, I pulled my brother and we ran as fast as we could. We ran away from our home.


    We ran and we ran. Then after running for so long, I did nothing but walk. I walked until the sun shone from the sky, barefoot and with my brother on my back.


    And by the time the sun reached the highest peak, glaring into my eyes, my vision shifted.


    It was another memory. One of the more vivid ones.


    Another one?


    A flurry of petals and leaves flew right in my face, it was the middle of spring, I wore worn-out clothes and sat on a bench. Beside me was a well-built gentleman. One of the people I respect the most, but this is just another old memory. Again, like watching an old movie and reminiscing about what happened, he spoke to me.


    ¡°Ning told me to take care of you before she left. Do you want to come with me and join my company? I can guarantee high pay.¡±


    He smiled sweetly, contrary to the nature of his job offer. This man was a good friend of my master. After I¡¯ve traveled all over the world, master suddenly left me in the US alone in the middle of this park.


    I thought it was the usual, so I waited.


    Two, three seasons passed, I was still in the park. Then he came.


    I heard master worked with him before by training his people and favors were easy to ask because of trust, so when she calls, he comes. Although, I also heard about the lucrative business he¡¯s in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need money. I need information.¡±


    Yes, I only need information, I need to find who killed my parents. Since that time I walked barefoot under that humid night and glaring sun, I vowed vengeance, or at least find out the reason why my parents had to die and why we almost died.


    The cold hatred never dissipated and even fear won¡¯t stop me until I get closure, that was the one thing I was very sure of.


    Seeing my face, the man sighed looking like he aged a little bit. This salt and pepper haired old man massaged his forehead.


    ¡°Every single one. Oh Ning, my dear Ning!¡±


    He complained and he ruffled my head roughly.


    ¡°... all the more you need to join then.¡±


    A warm wind blew bringing summer with it. The glaring sun peeked out of the clouds and blinded my eyes¡­


    What now? Another memory?


    As I opened them from the glaring sun, the smell of gunpowder assaulted my nose. And with my ears ringing, I can feel something warm hitting me at each tremble of the ground.


    In front of me unfolded a battlefield.


    We were mercenaries. I was a mercenary.


    In my hand I held an MP5 I picked up somewhere and on my shoulders was the arm of my best friend.


    ¡°You can just leave me you know?¡±


    His hair was sticky from sweat, blood and god knows whatever stuck on his hair. His caramel-colored skin showed how much he loved the sun, but right now, soot completely covered it. This man who¡¯s smiling even without his leg is my best friend.


    ¡°I would, but then I thought I might need a meat shield.¡±


    I said as I smiled mischievously.


    ¡°...and we¡¯re still going to Hogwarts remember?¡±


    I said as another bomb exploded near us. We flew a couple of meters and the last thing I saw was the glaring sun, splattering mud and exploding flesh.


    ¡°Oho.¡±


    When I opened my eyes, a girl was looking over me. I felt that she was the most beautiful thing in the world, like a doll made to be perfect.


    Like glittering gold, her hair unnaturally shone even though no single ray of light hit her hair. Her golden eyes like the sunset on the beach flickered like liquid gold.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna pull your knife on me this time?¡±


    She smiled sweetly. A smile that can captivate any heart. Confused, I tilted my head. As I looked around where I was, the whole white place seemed familiar. Plain white, no light, not even shadows were cast. Where is this?


    ¡°Where is this?¡±


    I asked. I don¡¯t seem to remember anything, only those vivid dreams of myself that felt so detached.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? You forgot who you were?¡±


    As she frolicked around the white space, a trail of glittering gold followed. I felt that her whole form was made with the obsession of gold.


    ¡°Pretty, no? This was the first offering my beloved... ¡°friend¡± gave me so I took quite a liking to it.¡±


    As she said so, she flicked her hair and specks and drops of gold fluttered.


    ¡°Now. I need you to sleep again, okay?¡±


    Lightly touching my forehead with her dainty fingers, I felt her warmth until darkness overcame my eyes. Then... I went back to sleep.


    No! Wait¡­!


    I was swallowed by darkness. I couldn¡¯t move my body and slowly succumbed to sleep.


    Yeah, let¡¯s just sleep...