《I Am A Hero: I Believe I Can Fly》


 Chapter 1

    Foreword


    A Japanese salary man, a German vagabond and a British gangster were thrust into a new and foreign world. Surrounded by unusually friendly locals and stalked by mysterious attackers in featureless white mask. They must find their bearing in this new yet familiar place. This part of the story follows Hiro Hanazawa the desk worker as he tries to make sense of his surrounding and find those like him in this foreign land.


    * Writer''s messages:


    Many thanks to TD for his help in the story creation and JCode for the cover art.


    I will try and update this regularly around three days interval. The first arc is already completed here.


    This is still a draft so there should be some mistakes here and there. I hope it won''t be enough to take you out of the experience.


    As this is a constant work in progress, feedback is very much appreciated.


    MOST IMPORTANTLY I hope you can enjoy this work. This is a personal project and I hope it can brighten someone day if just a little bit.


    1.1


    Once there were green fields


    ¡°I¡¯m home¡±


    Said Hiro as he opened the door to the tiny apartment. Inside, of course, was devoid of people. What did he even expect? That his little sister would wait for him this late. No, the girl had her priority and that was to get enough sleep for tomorrow. The young man accepted it, even though it was quite lonely.


    More than he had expected actually.


    What was going on? Hiro thought to himself. Has his mental fortitude degraded once again? Hope not. For him to be this down this easily. The years hadn¡¯t been kind to him. Every single day, he had to slave away his life behind a desk, being the squeeze for everyone from top to bottom. He had endured it all, both physical and verbal abuse. Hiro was already used to it, being drained and grinded only to return to an empty home. And yet, this time, it was different, it hurted just a bit more.


    Perhaps because today was a special day, a ¡®happy¡¯ day. The young man put the cake on the small table before sitting down, throwing his bag on the floor. Yes, today was her birthday, his sister that is, who else. He dreamt about celebrating it with her, to talk like sibling once again. This was a chance for them to reconnect again.


    It wasn¡¯t that they hate each other or something. Between all the work, the study, had driven the two apart somewhat. They had completely different schedule to one another, be it work or living. And so, the pair barely had any time to sit down with one another. Even if they did, the stress and the differences mean prevented them from actually converse.


    While the two had accepted this life, as what every sensible human being would have done, it was still wholly depressing.


    Hiro plunged his head onto the table, slowing slightly at the end. That would have hurt. He had hoped today would be different, that this could be the time for them to bond again. While the young man was under no delusion that one successful event would help to mend their relationship, every bit help. Besides, it was still quite an attractive fantasy.


    Technically, it was already tomorrow, the day after the birthday.


    ¡®I wonder if she would wait for me if I didn¡¯t act like normal, if I didn¡¯t try to make this celebration a secret¡¯ Such thought filled the mind of Hiro.


    ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t be like this, I shouldn¡¯t wallow in my own misery. He told himself, try to get up but it is too late¡¯ The young man was swallowed by a stream of negativities that had been kept at bay for so long.


    He wanted to get rid of it all, his burden, his pain. He wanted to escape away from this ¡®life¡¯


    ¡°Happy birthday¡±


    Hiro muttered as his mind drifted into silence.


    ___


    {What is this feeling?} [What is this feeling?] The thought rang twice in his head. Hiro could feel something, rustling in between his fingers. Grass? He was sitting on grass. How long had it been since he last felt the thing?


    Of course, grass wasn¡¯t the only thing he had to think about at this very moment. From the feel of it, the young man could safely deduce that his back was against a tree. That was all he could get out of it, with his eyes closed anyway.


    Perhaps an expert could tell you which kind of tree, how old was it, what condition it was in and many more just from a touch. But Hiro was a programmer, thus, lack that sort of knowledge. All he could say that this was a particularly pleasant tree to lean upon.


    And then there¡­ [Stop].


    Hiro still wanted to go on, to continue describing how he feels, what was around him. He probably could, maybe another page just about grass. That¡¯s the perk of education¡­ probably. Yet there was a voice inside him, telling him to stop.


    [Why are you wallowing in all of this mundane thinking? Open your eyes?]


    The voice in his head said. It certainly made him think. Had his depression reached that level? {Sorry, Voice In My Head-chan, I don¡¯t have enough money to get you out so we just have to live together. Oh, I will take the top bunk and please don¡¯t play music at night}


    ¡­ No answer. Did he hallucinate hallucinating a voice in his head?


    Still, ¡®open your eyes¡¯, those words stuck. Guess that Hiro was too afraid to do so. After all, he knew that this was just an illusion, a dream. But all the work had gotten to him, the young man couldn¡¯t remember the last time he thought of something this pleasant. And so, he wanted to feel them all, to ¡®wallow¡¯ in it while it still last. He was afraid that opening his eyes mean that all of this would go away.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    But he did it anyway and the scenery in front of him was nothing but breath-taking.


    It was simply a green field, parched by the sun, blessed by the wind. A green field like all other. But to a tired soul like himself, it was a sight for sore eyes. He could describe them some more but try to hold back. Once he started pages full of grass would be real.


    The young man decided to enjoy this instead. For a moment, Hiro could forget it all. The dingy empty apartment, the irresponsible senpais, the soul-sucking work, all the long hours, probably having a voice in his head. Yes, all of it, his worries, gone in an instant. Of course, they soon came back in drove, but he tried to push them asides.


    Hiro: {This dream, let me enjoy it¡­} Voice: [Fine¡­]


    If only there was someone here with me. The young man thought. He wanted to think of his sister but another image came to his mind instead. It was of that bartender in that dingy but cosy bar.


    Hiro: {If only she is here with me¡­} Voice: [Who is that¡­]


    Hiro wondered again where that voice was coming from. It seemed to be his own. The young man looked around only to find his wish partially fulfilled. It wasn¡¯t the person he had in mine but a woman nevertheless, half-concealed behind the quite majestic tree.


    White, soft and smooth skin, that was the first thing he saw. Hiro¡¯s eyes were attracted by the woman exposed arm, slender but firm. Can¡¯t blame him really, her indigo coloured komon was not much to look at. The bun on her head was also most simple, even the pin was plain.


    Despite her modest look and seniority as implied by her garb, the young man still found himself unable to look away. Perhaps it was the stance or maybe something subtler, the woman had a serene and silent beauty to her. Hiro couldn¡¯t seem to pinpoint why.


    It was simple, however, the dreamlike nature of the situation certainly coated everything in a light most positive.


    Or perhaps it was just the halo on her head. Yes, there was a glowing halo suspended on that person head, like a benevolent angel.


    Hiro¡¯s trance was interrupted, however, by the sound of clanging metal. Out of nowhere the sudden sound made his heart skipped a few beats.


    From the other side of the tree, two men emerge, facing one another.


    The sound probably came from the one facing away from Hiro. He wore a tunic of sort, dyed in red. Bearing a round shield and an axe, there was something savage about his gear. And yet, his stance suggested otherwise, deliberate and disciplined. Most curious, however, was what on top of his helmet, another halo. Certainly not the kind of angel one would expect.


    ¡®Does everyone here have such a thing?¡¯ Wondered Hiro and his question was soon answered as he casted his eyes upon the other man. On top of his enclosed helmet is nothing of sort.


    That man equipment was definitely of western origin. A knight in shining armour one might say. Although he wasn¡¯t really shining and the plate only covered the limb. His body protected by chainmail with cloth draped over. This person only had a long sword, although there was a rondel dagger strapped to his side.


    ¡°Hinter dir¡± The knight yelled at Hiro.


    The man in red turned around to reveal his face, or lack thereof. Despite already having a helmet, covering half his head, the man had a mask. A white, featureless mask. Designed to fit exactly at one¡¯s face and nothing else. No hole to breath nor to see. It was garish, seeing such a pristine item on such a gruff person.


    That would go much better on someone else, like the woman behind him for example¡­


    Hiro turned around in dread and his fear proved correct. Her face was also covered by the thing as she gazed at him, somehow. Her right arm, which was obstructed by the tree, was now seen brandishing a polearm, a naginata.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Hiro¡¯s mind fumbled.


    Just a few moment ago, this was such an idyllic situation. A dream came true, an escape from an oppressive life. There he was, being one with the scenery, with nature. For a moment there, the young man felted a strange sensation, happiness. But of course, such a thing was not allowed. Like a carrot, dangling in front him before being yanked away cruelly.


    He sure felt like a sad rabbit right now, so so sad.


    Voice: [Does it matter? Just run!]


    It cleared Hiro¡¯s mind, allowing him to see steel flashing. The young man dived away to avoid the deadly slash. Then he broke into a sprint, it had been a while since he last had one.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯ His mind still, obviously, filled with questions.


    Voice: [I should be asking you that]


    Hiro: {Oh, Voice In My Head-chan, you are still here!}


    Voice: [That¡¯s too long of a name! And no, I am Hiro]


    Hiro: {I thought I am Hiro, or is the existential crisis finally setting in?}


    Voice: [I hope not. From what I have gathered, you are me in the future]


    Hiro: {I feel like saying you are me from the past would be more precise, this is still my body¡­ Actually, that thought doesn¡¯t make any sense, just scrapped that one}


    Voice: [Why are you having such a thought at this moment!]


    Hiro: {Anyway, if you are me from the past, how old are you?}


    Voice: [16]


    Hiro: {Grade 10 or 11?}


    Voice: [10]


    Hiro: {Ah, the good old day¡­ I was such a brat then, but it was so much fun. I could still remember all the laughter, all the joy. School certainly was a magical time. Too bad the me then, you, couldn¡¯t appreciate it¡­}


    Voice: [¡­ Are you seriously reminiscing now!]


    Hiro: {For you to focus on the current situation and not being called a brat, maybe I wasn¡¯t such a brat after all}


    Voice: [Why are you dissing your old self now, we are being chased]


    Hiro: {She is a woman, in a komon, how could¡­}


    Hiro turned around to find the woman right behind him.


    Hiro: {How is she still keeping up!}


    Voice: [Maybe because you have ruined my body. I am a wreck now!]


    Hiro: {Firstly, it is my body. And secondly, ¡®we are a wreck now¡¯, stressed on the ¡®we¡¯}


    Before Voice In The Head-chan could retort, Hiro felt a sharp pain in his back. Him turning around slowed the young man down just for a moment just by a bit. But it was enough for the woman to catch up and slash at him. He tried to run but stumble and fell onto his back. In no time at all, the woman¡¯s knee was already on his chest. The lower part of her dress more flexible than he had thought. Pressing the pole part of the polearm against Hiro¡¯s throat, the woman managed to lock one of his arm and choking him out at the same time.


    The efficiency was something to be admired¡­ But there was no time for that as the young man could find his consciousness fading away. He tried to kick but couldn¡¯t hit anything. Struggling was useless, as she was stronger than him.


    Voice: [Has we become this weak!] Lamented Voice In The Head-chan.


    Hiro: {I would like to think that she is inhumanly strong}


    Voice: [Is that true?]


    Hiro: {Dunno, I just like to think so to protect what merger pride I have left}


    Voice: [Why do I grow up to be such a useless adult]


    Hiro: {Hey, I am a useful member to society¡­ or that how I like to think}


    Voice: [How could still be like this, we are dying here. I don¡¯t want to die!]


    Voice In The Head-chan was right, Hiro was dying. He couldn¡¯t breathe, the last of his strength going away. Using his free right arm, he grabbed the woman face and tried to push her away. Useless, obviously, but the young man wasn¡¯t in a condition to think of a more elaborate plan.


    Voice: [I still haven¡¯t confessed my feeling to Class Rep yet!]


    Hiro: {She is already going out with her childhood friend by your time}


    Voice: [Wait, what]


    Hiro: {She is just too shy to talk about him. Osananajimi, can¡¯t beat them}


    Voice: [You are lying!]


    Hiro: {For what. Still, in manga, those kind never gets the protag, makes you think heh}


    Voice: [Couldn¡¯t you have let my possible final thought a positive one!]


    Hiro: {Welco¡­me to¡­ th¡­e wor¡­ld of¡­ adu¡­lt}


    Voice: [Y¡­ou idi¡­ot]


    Hiro consciousness finally gave out. He was soon surrounded by darkness, his life flashed before his eyes. Dominated his recent two years behind the desk. Even in his final moment, the young man still couldn¡¯t escape. Then the bartender, then finally at third place, his ¡®dearest¡¯ sister.


    Then silence.

 Chapter 2

    1.2


    On one¡¯s deathbed


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will only hurt a bit¡±


    The ¡®doctor¡¯ whispered into the young man ear. On his face a sadistic smirk, showing a set of sickening yellow teeth.


    ¡®So this is what a death reaper would look like¡¯, Hiro thought to himself. Dressed in white and wielding a scalpel. Here he was, surrounded by vultures waiting to pick him apart, or what left of him.


    Still, the ¡®doctor¡¯ truly meant what he said. The tranquiliser was supposed to make this all painless as Hiro is being mercilessly picked apart. If only that was the case. The young man started to feel pain spreading from the gaping hole in his stomach. It was just a sting at first but in no time at all, it became unbearable. As if millions of mice were digging out his inert, like a thousand hot needles piercing to his very soul.


    ¡°Guh¡­¡±


    His body was still unmoving but he can still scream. But a yell with the magnitude to match would surely shook the heaven. And so, Hiro held back his voice, only let out a slight gurgle. Surprising the ¡®doctor¡¯ would spell certain death.


    Hiro started to feel his fingers, his muscles warming up. He wouldn¡¯t be able to contain the spasm that was soon to follow.


    Lucky for him, someone noticed his fingers twitching. The ¡®doctor¡¯ immediately removed his scalpel the moment before Hiro¡¯s entire body shook violently. Soon enough, four men in black were there to hold him down. Their faces filled with discomfort. Not because of guilt but out of inconvenience. What in front of them was still a sickening scene. While they were the people who put the poor man on this dirty table, none of them truly cared. All but one.


    ¡°I should have brought more tranquiliser. Tch¡­¡± The ¡®doctor¡¯ clicked his tongue ¡°We will continue like this, hold him down good boys. Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure the merchandise remains intact¡±


    Too bad he wasn¡¯t the ¡®merchandise¡¯, Hiro. With that announcement, the young man found himself locked down, unable to move. It wasn¡¯t necessary, however, because the young man intended to return. There was still someone who would be there, waiting for him at home.


    And so he endured, without a sounds nor any sort of movements.


    The vultures around him couldn¡¯t help but feel something welling up in them. It was a strange twisted sense of respect. All of them turned away, well, all but one.


    ___


    ¡°Agh¡±


    Hiro sat up violently, his body burning up. The young man was in a wooden house of sort, but he didn¡¯t care. Why would he remember that again, it was already two years ago? Perhaps it was his brush with death once again.


    Voice: [Oi, are you alright!]


    Hiro: {I¡­ I¡¯m fine, Voice in The Head-chan}


    Voice: [What happened, where are we, why is it so hot¡­]


    The voice had many questions, but he couldn¡¯t answer them as his mind was still muddled. A fever was tormenting him, a particularly bad one at that. He could see an unfamiliar blanket and his upper body which was shirtless. Except for bandage extending where it was burning the most. That was where the woman slashed at his back.


    Hiro saw a tender hand, picking up a lukewarm wash-cloth. It was her, the one who gave him this injury, who tried to suffocate him to death. She was sitting dutifully by his side, her halo gone and there was a crack on the pearly white mask.


    The woman gently pushed the young man back down and washed the cloth. She then proceeded to squeeze then fold it neatly before putting it on his head. All of her actions filled with a sense of grace and tender. It was enough to make the young man and his worried voice speechless. No, more than that, both of them were shocked at the foreign gestures.


    Never before had they received such care and attention.


    The two minds in a moment became one, flash back to one unified. It was a young boy, also down with a vicious fever. By his side esd a woman, his ¡®mother¡¯, muttering to herself.


    ¡°So troublesome¡± ¡°Why are you like this¡± ¡°Why do I have to endure this¡±


    Tears silently streamed out of the young boy eyes. Before he knew it, Hiro found a single sparling drop trickling out. The woman beside him reached out and wipe it gently, all in this darkened room.


    Yes, this was the person who tried to kill them, to mangle them. And yet, Hiro and his voice could feel nothing but peace and gratitude.


    And so, they lied there, enjoying the moment, the tenderness¡­


    That was until the door burst open and a man barge in. A blond westerner with eyes as blue as the sky. In his hand was an oil lantern, reeked of the most dreadful smell, fishy to be slightly more precise.


    Seeing Hiro, his eyes suddenly lit up. The young man blurted out a stream of enthusiastic gibberish. Well, to be politer, he was speaking in a language that Hiro couldn¡¯t identify at all. To the young man, it might as well be gibberish. While Hiro could sense nothing but friendliness from the young man, he couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed. For his moment of peace to be cut short so loudly.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Hiro: {What a pain} Voice: [What a pain]


    It seemed that man finally realised there was a language barrier at play here. He started to wave his hands around madly, forming pattern of sorts. The movements were just too rapid for Hiro¡¯s tired mind to process, however. Actually, what the young man was worrying about was the lantern being swung around with reckless abandon.


    The young man¡¯s charade finally came to an end as a soft but firm voice called to him. Entered a western woman, who stared her companion down and gave a brief lecture of sort.


    Sighing, she finally turned to Hiro. She said something that he couldn¡¯t understand. Her sentence was cut short when her companion interrupted to enthusiastically announce something all the while pointing Hiro. The woman slapped his pointing hand away and gave a firm warning of sort. Finally, she pointed to herself.


    ¡°Caron, Caron Pryce¡±


    She looked at him, waiting for any sort of response. Hiro deduced that it was the woman name, he gave her a nod. Seeing that, the young man suddenly lit up but before he could say anything, an elbow swiftly mafr contacts to his side. Caron then points at him.


    ¡°Owain, Owain Pryce¡±


    Voice: [Are they siblings I wonder?]


    Hiro: {Nah, those two don¡¯t look that alike to be honest}


    Voice: [I don¡¯t know, all of them just look the same to me]


    Hiro: {That¡¯s¡­ unexpectedly racist}


    Voice: [I prefer the word ¡®unfamiliar¡¯]


    Hiro: {I don¡¯t remember meeting any foreigners in the time between you and me actually}


    Voice: [¡­ Maybe they do look different after all]


    Anyway, now would be the perfect time to introduce himself.


    ¡°Hiro, Hiro Hanazawa¡±


    Owain seemed overjoyed at the revelation but he finally learned to keep his mouth shut. He pointed at the woman with the cracked mask, still sitting there dutifully in silent. Perhaps he was asking her name from Hiro. Well, they both had black hair after all¡­


    The young man finally noticed, behind the masked woman was her naginata, leaning against the wall.


    Hiro signals that he didn¡¯t know, luckily his hosts understood. Owain then tried to say something, throwing a bunch of gestures however they were just as impenetrable as his language. Signing once again, Caron pointed at the masked woman and made a x mark at her mouth. This Hiro could understand.


    His two hosts then has a quick conversation, allowing the young man to look around. The room was completely devoid of any sort of technology. And there was a strange glass ball hanging on the celling. It was filled with some sort of fluid and Hiro couldn¡¯t tell what that for was. Then the lantern, which smelled absolutely horrendous. It was as if a stream of dead fish with their dead bulgy eyes all assaulted your nose at once.


    Noticing his gaze, Caron pointed at the item with a disgusted look. So he was not the only one bothered by the stench. She then proceeded to point at the glass ball and made a x with her arms. The woman then took the lantern for Owain to leave the room. He still poked his head in to say something, however. The young man seemed happy.


    Caron let out a rather loving sigh before opening a box she had been carrying. She pulled a chair next to Hiro and sat down. Pulling out some fresh bandages she signalled him to sit up which he obliged. Then, with great care, she proceeded to remove the wrapping on the young man body. He could feel a tinge of pain on his back and soon the smell of herbs filled the room. It was supposed to be a pleasant smell but mixing the lantern produced an even more horrifying stench.


    A thin layer of ointment made of herbs were applied on his back. It was cool compared to his heated body, enough to make him shudder. Hiro was then bandaged and laid down once again. Caron checked his temperature with her hand with a satisfying look. She then signalled him to lie down.


    Packing up, the woman left the room with the blasted lantern. She still left behind a disk of sort which started to spread a faint pleasant sound.


    Once again, Hiro found himself alone with the masked woman in the darkened room. He was filled with emotions, to receive such care from two people no less. Maybe being slashed and suffocated weren¡¯t too bad after all.


    Voice: [Hmm, what¡¯s her game?]


    Hiro: {Who?}


    [That masked woman of course] Voice in The Head-chan was the first one to stop revelling in the comfort [First she attacked us, nearly killed us even, then this¡­]


    He hesitated, his voice filled with conflict. This sentiment was something Hiro can understand. They could now no longer feel anything but gratitude. So they couldn¡¯t feel any hatred against their assailant, this was something the young man could accept.


    Hiro: {Who know¡­}


    Both of them remained quiet, trying to enjoy this moment. However, a faint noise sneaked in like an annoying fly. It was the sound of¡­


    Voice: [Moaning!]


    Voice in The Head-chan as right, it was the sound of someone moaning. To be more precise, a woman, to be even more precise, Caron, judging from the voice. It soon turned quiet but Hiro couldn¡¯t relax, this felt too much like the calm before the storm.


    His prediction was correct, unfortunately. The young man and his disembodied companion were then assaulted by the most horrifying of noise. It was of Owain, groaning in¡­ whatever. His voice then got louder and louder. If one tried to focus, one could also hear Caron, trying to be as quiet as possible.


    Hiro: {Guess they aren¡¯t siblings after all}


    Voice: [I hope]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Voice: [¡­]


    Hiro: {That¡¯s just gross, Voice in The Head-chan}


    Voice: [I should never have said that]


    Well, this was certainly an awkward situation. While the noise wasn¡¯t that terribly loud, it was still the only present. And so, the young man couldn¡¯t help but focusing one it. After a respectable amount of time, those two were finally done.


    Voice: [Finally]


    As soon as Voice in The Head-chan finished talking, the sound started all over again. It as round two, and maybe more to come.


    Hiro: {Let¡¯s talk about something}


    Voice: [Ok, what then]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Voice: [¡­]


    Hiro: {Suiren}


    Voice: [What?]


    Hiro: {I am just thinking about the masked woman, we don¡¯t know what to call her. I was thinking Suiren sounds nice}


    Voice: [But why that name¡­]


    Hiro: {I noticed that¡¯s what on her komon, water lilies}


    Or at least that was what he thought. Completely indigo coloured, it was hard to tell the pattern, especially in dim light earlier. Technically he did see her earlier beneath the tree but her unassuming attire wasn¡¯t much to look at, now it still wasn¡¯t.


    Voice: [So you are going to call her Suiren? Isn¡¯t that rude?]


    Hiro: {Nah, it will just be between you and me}


    After a moment of contemplation, Voice in The Head-chan agreed. But then, he realised something.


    Voice: [Wait, how are you going to call me?]


    Hiro: {Voice in The Head-chan?}


    Voice: [That¡¯s too long! And what with the -chan?]


    Hiro: {Then how about Momo-chan then}


    Voice: [Why that! And again, what with the -chan?]


    Hiro: {Well, it sounds cute, both the name and the -chan}


    Voice: [So you call yourself cute?]


    Hiro: {No, just you. Trust me, from my point of view, a high school me is incredibly cute, probably because of how na?ve and stupid I was}


    Voice: [I truly wonder if that counted as self-deprecation or not]


    After some moment for self-evaluation, Momo-chan sighed in acceptance. The two then stayed silent before both mentally agreeing to get some sleep. Unfortunately, the enthusiastic man certainly had quite a bit of stamina and so was his partner.

 Chapter 3

    1.3


    Cloudy with a chance of caniballism


    It was a long and deep slumber, when Hiro finally woke up once again, he had no idea how much time had passed. And yet, here she was, the masked woman, still sitting there with a look most dutifully. Had she even moved at all, the young man wondered.


    Not long after, Caron went in to check on him. It was mighty awkward but Hiro tried his best not to show it.


    His fever seemed to have simmer down quite a bit and there was no longer any pain. The bandage looked slightly different though, it must had been changed again while he was deep asleep. Caron looked genuinely pleased with his advancement. She signaled him to try standing up.


    This Hiro could do alright without support. This was when he noticed his pants were also different. Something did feel out of place, so this was it.


    Stretching his back, the young man only felt a slight ache. Caron then directed him into a living room of sort. At this very moment, Hiro could feel as if he had gone back in time. The bedroom was rather sparse so there weren¡¯t much to notice but here was different. To put it simply, there was no trace of anything that could be qualified as modern.


    The only conspicuous element was another glass ball, hanging on the roof. That and the horrible fishy smell coming from an unburnt lantern.


    In the room was Owain, who was overjoyed to see the young man up and about. He immediately gave Hiro a hug. Talked about lack of understanding for personal space. Owain was remined of that by an ¡®Ahem¡¯ coming from Caron.


    Momo-chan: [This is just too fishy?]


    Hiro: {Yep, I wonder what do they even use in those lanterns}


    Momo-chan: [No, I mean these people!]


    Hiro: {What wrong about them, Momo-chan?}


    Momo-chan: [You really are sticking with that name¡­]


    Hiro: {I was serious you know}


    Momo-chan: [Oh well, what I was saying is, aren¡¯t they a tad bit too nice]


    Hiro: {And?}


    Momo-chan: [And what! This is just too suspicious!}


    Hiro: {Perhaps¡­}


    Momo-chan: [And here you were, calling me na?ve, you are even worse!]


    Hiro: {That, or maybe I am better at judging people than you. Do you feel anything off about them?}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Not really¡­ Maybe you are right]


    Hiro: {Or maybe you are the one who is right}


    Momo-chan: [Wait, what side are you even on!]


    Hiro: {None, we are still sick here in this strange place, under constant surveillance even. There isn¡¯t much that we can do now. Don¡¯t worry, I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious}


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Hiro: {Why so silent all of the sudden, Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [No, I thought you were going to tease me there¡­]


    That hit quite close to home, Momo-chan was still him after all. While the young man was actually going to tease his tenant, he decided this wasn¡¯t the time. They were in foreign land here, with too many unknowns. Hiro was filled with questions and uncertainty right now and so was the voice. And so, some reassurance would do better than just another joke.


    Meanwhile, the overenthusiastic Owain seemed to be asking about something. The young man was pointing at something behind Hiro. He turned around to see the mask woman standing right there, just three steps behind him.


    Suddenly seeing that cracking white mask wasn¡¯t really great for one heart. Still, the young man managed to keep his cool¡­ only on the outside.


    Hiro: {AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!}


    Momo-chan: [Yo¡­u are se¡­riously sc¡­ard of t¡­hat]


    Hiro: {Your voice is shaking Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [So after all these time I am still a scaredy-cat]


    Hiro: {Unfortunately yes}


    Put browning one pants aside, Hiro did notice something quite important. This masked woman was just as much a mystery to him as to the people here. Whether this information important or not was a whole other debate, she was the one assaulting him after all.


    Owain suddenly left, remembering something. It wasn¡¯t long before he returned with some new clothes for Hiro to change into. He then pointed the young man into a room nearby which turned out to be quite a spacious bathroom. Now this one was quite different from what he had expected.


    The room only had a huge tub with four valves attached to it. All of them made of wood but were reinforced with what looked like steel outline and rivets. Also, underneath was two holes covered by a thin net. Owain then proceeded to stand there looking most giddy.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Momo-chan: [What is his deal, does that guy want to look at us taking a bath something]


    Hiro: {I don¡¯t think so}


    Momo-chan: [Come on, looks at him!]


    Momo-chan may had a point, the young man eyes were filled with anticipation¡­ That just wrong! There must be an explanation for his behaviour.


    Using 1000% of his brain, Hiro managed to figure out why. The young man pointed toward the valves with a puzzled look on his face. At that moment, Owain bursted into action. In the end, he just wanted to show him how this worked. He could have just told Hiro anyway but there was a chance the young man already knew.


    Owain put on his most professor-ish look and turned all the valve one by one. The first let water in through one of the holes. The second could somehow change the temperature. Hiro couldn¡¯t seem to figure how this work. Another valve seemed to use both holes at once to refresh the water in the tub. Finally, the last one was of course to drain the thing. After the overly lengthy explanation that Hiro could barely understand, Owain finally left to do for the young man to do his thing¡­ That sounded wrong¡­


    Momo-chan: [To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t mind a hot bath right now]


    Momo-chan was starting to take advantage of the hospitable nature of their host. Those two may be cannibals or not Hiro can¡¯t really care. He was exhausted, still sick and this was just what the doctor ordered, if there was one here. Or maybe Caron was one, in the tub were small bags filled with herbs of sort, it smelled rather soothing.


    Momo-chan: [What do you think that is for?]


    Hiro: {Dunno, maybe it is to soften our meat?}


    Momo-chan: [I truly hope that isn¡¯t the case]


    Hiro: {Hmmmm}


    Momo-chan: [What¡¯s wrong?]


    Hiro: {No, I just feel like we are forgetting something very important}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Actually, I feel the same way as well]


    The two started trying to remember what. Being naturally smart, it didn¡¯t take them too long. Hiro turned around, both him and Momo-chan were filled with dread.


    Despite preparing this time, the sudden appearance of that cracked white mask still made their heart skips a beat. It was the woman in komon, still there, three steps behind, her weapon in hand.


    ¡°Um¡­ can you wait outside¡­¡±


    Hiro just blurted it out but to his surprise, the woman actually left! This suddenly sparked an idea in the young man mind ¡°Wait, come back!¡± He called out and she actually complied.


    Momo-chan: [What are you doing!]


    Hiro: {I want to try out something}


    ¡°Um¡­ look up¡± He said and the woman did exactly that.


    ¡°Look right¡± ¡°Raise one hand¡± ¡°Put it back down¡± Three simple requests all fulfilled.


    Momo-chan: [What is she doing, what are YOU doing]


    Hiro: {I was just thinking about her mask. It maybe some sort of brainwashing device}


    Momo-chan: [Why do you think so?]


    Hiro: {It is just a hunch¡­ Well, she was attacking us, trying to kill us even earlier. But now, her motive seems completely different. The only changes are that the halo is gone and there is a crack on her mask}


    Momo-chan: [Because of that! Then why is she following your order if her mask is broken, that doesn¡¯t make much sense]


    Hiro did have an answer, more like a speculation. Perhaps it was something related to tethering, like how some animal picks the first thing it sees as its mother. But the young man found himself quite taken aback by the word ¡®order¡¯. He would much prefer ¡®request¡¯, the other expression just made him mighty uncomfortable. Momo-chan noticed his silence.


    Momo-chan: [Besides, those were too simple, if you ask someone from the street, they may actually do that. Just telling her to raise her hand doesn¡¯t prove much]


    He¡­ did have a point. Maybe Hiro should try something a bit more complicated. But still, the word ¡®order¡¯ still lingered in his mind like a tumour, refusing to go away.


    ¡°Do a backflip, perhaps¡­¡±


    That was more thinking out loud than an actual ord¡­ suggestion. But the woman complied and actually did a backflip anyway. How she managed that while still somehow looking graceful was a whole different problem.


    Momo-chan: [What the!] Hiro: {What the!}


    Both Hiro and Momo-chan were of course, surprised by this event. Now the idea about brainwashing did seem more plausible. The voice still tried to resist, to think of another explanation, however.


    Momo-chan: [That still doesn¡¯t prove anything!]


    Hiro: {Then gives me a suggestion then, something for her to do}


    Momo-chan: [Umm¡­]


    Hiro: {Come one}


    Momo-chan: [Ahhh¡­]


    Hiro: {Gives me something, Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [Strip?]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Hiro: {I¡¯m not bothered by that, just disappointed}


    If the voice had a body, he would be hanging his head so low that the floor could feel less lonely. Hiro was baffled by the suggestion. From personal experience, he knew that the younger him wasn¡¯t someone who would say that¡­ he hoped. So for Momo-chan to be pushed so far, enough for him to blurt out something like that.


    Hiro: {What¡¯s wrong, why are you so against this hypothesis?}


    Momo-chan: [I did think about it of course, we are still the same after all. But I just can¡¯t accept that]


    Hiro: {And why is that, Hanazawa Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [Why are you calling me by my full name and is that seriously my full name now!]


    Hiro: {Yep!}


    Defeated, the voice decided to speak what is on his mind [Well, it¡¯s just wrong. Not the brainwashing itself but the fact that she is listening to us for some reason. For a woman like her to follow our order, that¡¯s just too wrong!]


    Hiro: {And yet you are the one who suggested stripping}


    Momo-chan: [That was just a slip the tongue!]


    Hiro: {You don¡¯t even have a tongue}


    Momo-chan: [And that was just an idiom, a way of saying!]


    So Momo-chan felt the same way he did. This was indeed something Hiro found great discomfort in. The short sleeve and lack of colours even implied that the woman was married, this only made this situation even worse. Others may see an opportunity, Hiro only see disrespect and predatory.


    But still, the fact that the woman responded to his ¡®requests¡¯ means that she underood him. And so Hiro and Momo-chan spent a long time trying to communicate to no avail.


    The woman would react to ¡®requests¡¯ related to doing something, but not when it was about communication. She wouldn¡¯t budge when they asked her to write something in the air, or even nodding her head unless asked specifically to do so. No form of sign language would also work.


    If the woman was truly brainwashed then this might seem like a failsafe of sort. So if anything ever happened, she wouldn¡¯t be able to divulge any information.


    The one-sided interaction made Hiro and Momo-chan even more uncomfortable. The fever didn¡¯t help, after some time, they were both exhausted. Maybe they should actually take a bath now, in the bathroom.


    Hiro removed the bandage and his pants, luckily, he was still wearing a pair of shorts inside. This was still a stranger house so the young man felt too vulnerable to go fully naked. Owain did turn on the water before. There was actually another hole near the top so the water didn¡¯t overflow. Hiro still felt slightly awkward, however. Wonder if people here pay water bill or not, he thought.


    Taking a deep breath, the young man stepped in and at that moment, nothing seemed to matter. This was truly heavenly on his weary body.


    Momo-chan: [This is the life, ahhhh] Hiro: {This is the life, ahhhh}


    Hiro: {Why do you sound like an old man?} Momo-chan: [Why do you sound like an old man?]


    Momo-chan: [¡­] Hiro: {¡­}


    They were still one person after all. And so they both forgot something important.


    Hiro: {She is still behind us, right?} Momo-chan: [She is still behind us, right?]


    Hiro turned around and there the woman was really there, folding his discarded clothing in a neat pile. So, she still retains some sort of self-control.


    Momo-chan: [Should we call her something, just saying ¡®she¡¯ all the time sound¡­ wait]


    Momo-chan remembered last night, or the night they could last remember. Hiro did think up a name after all. Although why he would do something like that is¡­ Actually, the young man couldn¡¯t remember exactly why. He was exhausted in both body and mind. Whatever it was and why, it was useful.


    Hiro: {How about Suiren}

 Chapter 4

    1.4


    It¡¯s magic


    After the nice hot bath, Hiro was treated with a meal made by Caron. All of them were fish dishes asides from one, white rice. That final inclusion was certainly curious and the mystery only deepened as the young man takes a bite. This rice tasted just like home, and by that he meant Japan.


    He kept on eating and eating, these were the most delicious food he had eaten in a long time. Caron must have mixed some of her herbs in as well seeing that every bite was just revitalising.


    Next to him was Owain who also dedicated to his eating and not Hiro for once. His fianc¨¦ cooking was simply unbeatable, she was just normally too busy with her duty to cook. And so, it was normally him who has to prepare and his skill¡­ still had a long way to go. Deep down inside, he thanked the stranger for this treat.


    Caron was also delighted, everyone would love to see people enjoying their work this much. She was the one to prepare and fed the stranger while he was unconscious. But it had been too long since she last cooked and so the woman was worried if he had enjoyed them. Of course, Hiro was never awake to comment on that. Now, seeing the two men eating like this was reassuring.


    But then there was the masked woman, just sitting there. The healer was worried, that person hadn¡¯t eaten anything this past few days nor did she ever lie down to rest. That woman didn¡¯t seem to perform any sort of bodily function either and yet blood still coursed through her vein. She still felt just like a normal human being. Truly a mystery. Caron had written a report for the Capital but the lines were still delayed. Her child bearing permit paper hadn¡¯t been sent either and the wedding was coming soon, so worrying.


    Caron noticed the stranger staring at her with concerned look. She hadn¡¯t touched any of the food yet. The woman had had a hunch that he was a nice person and it seems like she was right. Meanwhile, her other half was still sticking his face into the dish. He could be too focused sometimes, but oh well, that was why she liked him after all.


    The meal was interrupted by a knock on the door. One of the worker got his leg crushed by a fallen tree.


    Hiro had a hunch and it was right, Caron was a doctor of sort. The young man could see two other man carrying their friend into the living room. He decided to take a look and immediately regretted it.


    Momo-chan: [What a ghastly wound]


    Momo-chan said with great disgust. The young man leg was crushed halfway, his bones smashed into pieces and there were still barks sticking into his flesh. He was howling in pain and yet there was such a peaceful look on the injured man face. The others were also relaxed as if the young man lying there meant nothing to them.


    Momo-chan: [These people are so uncaring!]


    Hiro: {What do you mean?}


    Momo-chan: [Look at them, in front of them is such a severe wound and yet they don¡¯t even care!]


    Hiro: {Then what about the patient himself, he doesn¡¯t look that worried}


    Momo-chan: [That¡­]


    Hiro: {I think they just have great faith in Caron skill}


    That was certainly true. The healer gave her patient an injection which seems to numb the pain. The injured man breathed a sigh of relief and started talking to his friends. They were even joking around. This was too calming for someone who was about to have his leg amputated, Hiro thought.


    What happens next was truly a sight to behold.


    Caron tied a bandage below her elbow as hard as she could muster. Hiro could see the woman veins popping out and slowly they¡­ started to glow.


    Momo-chan: [What the!] Hiro: {What the!}This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The young man couldn¡¯t contain the surprise look on his face, yet no one noticed it. Taking a metal syringe with glass cylinder, Caron drew out a sample of her glowing blood, then she placed her hand on top of the poor man smashed leg. Hiro could see particles flying into the woman palm, dust. Soon came dirt and pieces of bark, all of them escaping from the wound, effectively cleaning it. The filths were then compressed into a ball and with just a flick of the hand, straight into the trash.


    There was no sign of any sort of technology at play here. Was this truly¡­


    Hiro: {Magic!} Momo-chan:  [Magic!]


    Caron was not done, of course, she placed her glowing hand on the wound once again. This time, it was blood and bone and flesh that started to fly up. Instead of into the woman palm, they slowly assumed the form of the smash part. The injured man looked excited, he wanted to see but was told to keep lying down. Everything was back in order, where they should be but they weren¡¯t connected yet.


    For that, the glowing blood was injected into the young man leg and voila. All the wounds healed at a rapid rate. Skins grafting back, bones once again became whole and flesh mended. With that, the injured man could stand again. He even did a small hop, excited like a child. Happy with his leg he thanked the healer and left.


    Hiro was flabbergasted, he couldn¡¯t muster a single word. Such an injury, gone without a trace. There wasn¡¯t even any trace of blood on the floor.


    Caron noticed the young man¡¯s confusion. So, he wasn¡¯t used to seeing this sort of healing. Her teacher once talked about the time before the medical revolution, even a cut could kill a man from blood poisoning. Maybe the stranger was from a backward place? The woman dismissed that notion, his clothes were too intricately made to be from such a place. Maybe they used another kind of method. As a healer, she of course wondered what it is.


    Meanwhile, Owain was still at the table, stuffing his stomach full, oblivious of what just transpired in his very home.


    ___


    Momo-chan: [That was absolutely heavenly]


    Hiro: {Even after six years this is still the most delicious meal we ever have}


    Momo-chan: [That¡¯s¡­ kind of depressing actually]


    Despite the grisly scene the food was simply too attractive, one bite was all it took for Hiro¡¯s appetite to return. Owain, meanwhile seemed to have transcended to another plane of existence. The young man ate an obscene amount, abnormal actually. ¡®Do people here have magical digestion power or something¡¯.


    After some moments for the food to digest, Owain suggested taking Hiro out. To be more elaborate, the young man tried to convey this suggestion, but his erratic actions were absolutely undecipherable. Then Caron stepped in to explain in a few simple gestures.


    Momo-chan: [Going out huh, I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing this place]


    Hiro: {Or maybe he will lead eat somewhere and have the white mask strapped to our face}


    Momo-chan: [That isn¡¯t funny]


    Hiro: {Maybe not, but we still need to be careful}


    Momo-chan: [YOU have to be careful, it seems like matter how hard I try, taking control of this body is impossible]


    Hiro: {Oh, so you did try to take over me}


    Momo-chan: [Only as a test!]


    Hiro: {So did you try individual body parts yet?}


    Momo-chan: [Yes, it didn¡¯t work]


    This wasn¡¯t new or anything, if possession was possible Momo-chan would have done that long before. Heck, if the situation was reversed, he himself would have tried that straight away. Oh well, time to set out, he also wanted to see what this place looks like. There were windows but all the blinds were down for some reason.


    Before he left, however, the young man noticed something. It was Suiren, there were some hard to see smears on her clothes.


    He then looked at Caron and tried to say something. The healer was having problem understanding his gestures. He pointed at her then proceeded to pull at his own clothes, as if he wants to pull it out¡­ Was the stranger seriously asking her to strip!


    Luckily, Hiro managed to notice the horrible misunderstanding. After some effort, he finally conveyed what he was trying to ask for, or at least that was what he wanted to believe. Caron just silently went into a nearby room.


    Momo-chan: [What have you done, hitting on the host like that!]


    Hiro: {I believe she is getting what I asked for}


    Momo-chan: [Or maybe she will come out with a club to bludgeon us to death]


    Hiro: {Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that¡­}


    Momo-chan: [I highly doubt it, she looked more and more awkward as you continue to sink!]


    Hiro: {At least her lover doesn¡¯t seem to care}


    Owain was just sitting there, picking at his teeth.


    Momo-chan: [Or maybe he believes Caron alone would be enough to send us to oblivion for your transgression. I mean, she can do magic after all]


    Hiro: {Don¡¯t jinx it, if I die you die!}


    Momo-chan: [Or maybe she is actually doing what she mistook us to ask of her, whatever it is¡­]


    Hiro: {¡­ Seriously}


    Momo-chan: [I¡¯m sorry]


    Hiro: {I am not mad, just disappointed}


    Hiro was relieved to find see the healer came out with some clothes folded neatly. So she did manage to understand him after all. She gave him the items which he handed to Suiren.


    ¡°Um, maybe you could go and take a bath¡±


    That¡­ was mighty awkward! He just told a married woman wha was his senior to go and clean herself! The masked woman simply nodded, took the clothes and her weapon then went into the bathroom quietly. The second-hand embarrassment was also enough to make Momo-chan speechless.


    Hiro did want to wait for her but Owain seemed too enthusiastic so he decided to head out. Taking a deep breath, the young man took his first step into this new world¡­ Or more like the first step out of the house in this new world.

 Chapter 5

    1.5


    A world of simpletons


    It was already night when Hiro stepped onto the stone walkway of the small town. Single story houses lined up neatly, all made of wood. Outside of them, including Owain¡¯s house, there were metal pipes twisting around like an overly long and cubic snake. Every single building had some sort of decorations outside, personalised by its owner. Because of that, it was strangely cosy walking in this street, minus the pipes.


    Even though the sun had already gone down, there were still people all over. Like Owain, they were all so interested to see the stranger. In just a blink of an eye, Hiro found himself surrounded by a hoard of people.


    While he was not used to be the centre of attention, much less surrounded by foreigners, this wasn¡¯t too bad. Everyone just had this childlike enthusiasm, all of them seemed so¡­ innocent. Their clear blue eyes glimmered with excitement. The young man couldn¡¯t help but feel at ease.


    Momo-chan: [Oh wow, everyone is like that Owain]


    Hiro: {He is still the most enthusiastic of them all though}


    Momo-chan: [True that]


    Hiro: {Before Caron seems to be the straight one but now looking at these people, she maybe the outliner here}


    Momo-chan: [Or maybe she already expended all of her enjoyment examine us already]


    Hiro: {¡­What¡¯s wrong with you?}


    Momo-chan: [Sorry]


    Hiro didn¡¯t really remember going through puberty like that. Or maybe he was¡­


    Behind him, everyone cleared up to make way for someone. The young man turned around to see who it was. At that moment, time seemed to stop as both his and the voice were lost for words.


    It was a woman with flowing black hair. She donned a white sleeveless shirt which showed of such white and slender arms. Below was a long dress flowing slightly in the wind. Even with the cracked white mask, her graceful movements imposed a strange serene beauty that was simply¡­ captivating.


    It was Suiren! Now, seeing her like this, Hiro and Momo-chan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.


    Momo-chan: [She is so young!] Hiro: {She is so young!}


    The plain indigo komon and drab hairstyle could be certainly deceptive. The woman looked like she only in her twenties. That, or she was holding a secret that would make every beauty expert green with envy. Hiro highly doubted it is the latter.


    Looking at her like this, it was understandable that one wouldn¡¯t notice the deadly weapon in her hand. One that she could skilfully use to deadly effect.


    Even the rowdy crowd turned silent at the much more attractive stranger.


    {Whoever he is, her husband must be a lucky one} Hiro unconsciously commented, trying to remind himself of that fact.


    Momo-chan: [Ah, that¡­ indeed]


    There was something in Momo-chan¡¯s voice that Hiro should have picked up. The young man was too mesmerised for that, however. Suiren walked up and resumed her position dutifully, three steps behind.


    The silence was broken when someone came up to Owain to say something. He was inviting them to his place, a tavern one could call. And so that became their next destination. The crowd also dispersed to once again resume their daily duty like clockwork. Even with the recent communication blackout, there were still quotas to be reached!


    The party reached the tavern to find several locals clumping outside, peering in through the front door. The owner shooed them away and told Owain something. Judging from how much the young man face lit up, Hiro felt like there is another stranger in there.


    His hunch was correct, sitting in there silently by the counter was a familiar face, or more like familiar figure to be more precise.


    It was the knight who was at the tree with Hiro when he first woke up. Now, the man long sword was flung over his back but that was not all. By his hip was an axe and leaning at the chair a round wooden shield. The young man recognised them to be the equipment of the person in red. The one with white mask and halo alongside Suiren.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The knight immediately sprung up from his seat. Clutching his sword, hilt next to his hip, the man was ready for combat. So was Suiren who gripped her naginata tightly, gently pushing Hiro to the side.


    Momo-chan: [This is ba¡­]


    The young man immediately jumped in between them, arms outstretch. The tip of the knight blade barely touched the young man chest. ¡°Stand down¡± He told Suiren who obeyed quietly. She still hadn¡¯t lessened her grip, however, simply switching to a more defensive stance. Hiro pointed at the crack in her mask.


    ¡°Look¡± He said ¡°It¡¯s broken, she isn¡¯t going to attack you or me¡±


    Even though the knight couldn¡¯t understand what the young man was saying, the intention still came through. He lowered his blade but still kept it out of the wooden scabbard.


    An uneasy peace indeed, the party sits down next to counter. Hiro made sure to stay between Suiren and the knight. The tavern owner brought out some mug that reeked of alcohol. The young man couldn¡¯t drink them though. His host understood and brought out some juice instead. Before Hiro could try to say that he couldn¡¯t handle liquor.


    Hiro: {Woah, he is certainly perceptive}


    The young man commented but his disembodied companion remained quiet.


    Hiro: {Are you alright there, Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [Al¡­right, alright, ALRIGHT? You just straight in front of a sword, that guy could just take one small step and we would be skewered!}


    Hiro: {Oh yeah!}


    Momo-chan: [Don¡¯t ¡®oh yeah¡¯ me, what were you thinking!]


    Hiro: {Nothing really}


    Momo-chan: [I guess that was why you could do that] He let out a sigh [And here I thought I would be the reckless one between us]


    Hiro: {Yeh¡­ I thought so too¡­}


    He sipped his drink in silence. Next to him was Owain, who was chatting merrily with the tavern owner. Next to him was Suiren who is just sitting there.


    ¡°Hey¡± He turned to her ¡°Do you want me to call you by something?¡±


    She remained quiet, unmoving.


    ¡°How about Suiren?¡±


    Hiro said, didn¡¯t really expect any sort of response. The young man could then see the masked woman nodded very slightly. Was that real or just his imagination, he didn¡¯t really know.


    ___


    Once again, his hunch proved to be correct. This assignment was truly a tough one.


    The situation just took an unfavourable turn for the Legionnaire. It took him quite a while to track down his prey only to have them slipped out of his hand at the last moment like that. He could take down #2 easily, the man in armour, not so much. But now that those two have made contact, charging in would be too risky.


    The Legionnaire never took unwarranted risk, even before coming to this world. He couldn¡¯t remember much; the mask had wiped most of his memory clean. Only the battles remained.


    He could remember once fighting under the banner of Rome as a centurion. Was it a country? Was that a rank? The man couldn¡¯t remember. He could only feel his pride to serve under that name. It must have been quite a powerful group then.


    Ah, he could have killed them right there, under that tree. And yet, something happened. The Legionnaire could feel a shockwave then everything was black. When he came to #1 was dead and #2 was nowhere to be found. Afterward, he could feel emotions swelled up within him. All from a time long passed.


    Joy, pride, trust, grief, amazement, boredom, acceptance, surprise, contempt, rage, disgust, remorse, admiration and many more including¡­ love.


    All of them came back at once along with undesirable memories. A family, was it his? The Legionnaire couldn¡¯t tell but one thing he knew for sure. He was now a corrupted unit. Central hadn¡¯t realised that, however, and he would keep it that way.


    All these ¡®new¡¯ emotions, memories, he wanted to keep them all.


    Meanwhile, #2 was even more corrupted, so much so that she switched side. But that didn¡¯t seem to give the woman back any of her consciousness. Unlike the captains who were allowed to remember their previous battles and retain a degree of emotion, their aides were completely wiped. They were not allowed to think, to feel, to communicate in any way. Their orders were given out telepathically by their captain.


    Despite being given the lower rank among his two aides; the Legionnaire still considered #2 a formidable fighter. Her potential was greatly hampered by her attire which wasn¡¯t suitable for battle. But they were only allowed the gear they wore coming here. And without the mind to change, #2 kept on donning her improper clothing.


    With the new dress, she will undoubtedly be a force to be reckon with, even for him.


    Then there was the armoured man. Despite being the better aide, #1 was taken out with one thrust to the throat. That person managed that without being touched once. While the Legionnaire was unconscious then, he could see that the man armour was unharmed. With his enhanced strength, a hit from #1 would surely make more than a dent.


    Once again, the captain contemplated whether to intercept the group or not. In the end, he decided not to. They were surrounded by civilians and they may try to help. While the killing of such people was allowed, it was greatly discouraged.


    Besides, he may sustained injuries from such an encounter. Out there somewhere, the beast was in hiding. Yes, in this wood was a monster, waiting to prowl on its prey. It was also the Legionnaire job to slay the foul beast. He would rather fight the thing in top condition.


    The man would wait until his new aides arrive. Then, he would strike. #1 and #2 would confront their old comrade while he took care of the armour man by himself. That arrangement would be optimal. There was no need to worry about the other man. From the look of it, he wasn¡¯t much of a threat. After completing that mission, the three would then track down and kill the abomination.


    That was the plan anyway which was soon thrown out of the window.


    The Legionnaire could hear a horrifying yet painful roar. It was the monster, after stumbling through the forest, it finally found the small town. From his hiding spot, the captain could hear screaming as the abomination descended upon the innocence.


    Picking up his scutum shield and gladius, the Legionnaire was ready for battle. The man paused, however, as he saw three figures facing the beast. Two brave and one empty souls were there to confront the thing, an affront to nature.


    Hm, maybe he would sit back for now. The Legionnaire had this hunch.

 Chapter 6

    1.6


    The fine line of suicidal and heroism


    It didn¡¯t take long before Hiro realised why the windows at Owain¡¯s house were barred. This tavern was freezing rapidly. Even the street wasn¡¯t this bad. The buildings must have funnelled cold wind in which caused a rapid decrease in temperature. But when they first entered, the bar was normal.


    The owner also noticed the problem. He opened a chest next to counter to reveal that it was full of coal. He then placed some in the basket and put them beneath the counter. There must be a furnace or something down there. Soon enough, the temperature started to rise again.


    Momo-chan: [Come to think of it, it doesn¡¯t really smell here]


    Hiro: {Look up, then you will know why}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ You do realise I can¡¯t move right]


    Hiro completely forgot about that. Nevertheless, technically he could just say it but the young man decided to look up. Attached to the roof was a glass balls similar to one at Owain¡¯s. This one, however, was lighting up the place.


    Hiro: {It¡¯s the same outside as well, these balls are all over the place}


    Momo-chan: [Then how come I didn¡¯t notice them?]


    Hiro: {Probably because of the crowd, you were too busy looking at them}


    Momo-chan: [Even if that is the case, I don¡¯t think I will miss a bunch of glowing balls!]


    Hiro: {Don¡¯t worry, I nearly miss them as well. Those serve as street lights here. Similar to what we have at home so we zoned them out}


    But still, those balls weren¡¯t light bulbs. The ones at Owain¡¯s home didn¡¯t work, they were filled with fluid. If you looked carefully, these were the same. The liquid was glowing quite brightly, but how? The light was consistent as well, just like a light bulb.


    Oh well, he didn¡¯t need to think about that now. It must be due to magic or something.


    Before Hiro could take another sip, however, the place was shaken by a monstrous roar. Owain and the tavern owner were as clueless as the young man. Everyone ran outside to take a look. There was something in the sky, circling the small town.


    It was the most hideous of monster. A combination of animals, mashed together then enlarged, a Chimera. With an alligator head that could swallow a man whole, the creature flapped it wings, looking for prey. Consumed by hunger, it dove down toward the pedestrians. It tried to grab someone with its bird leg but clumsily failed. The thing accidentally used its lion leg instead. The monster¡¯s preys managed to dodge into the buildings. The creature, enraged, smashed its disproportionate head into a wooden house only to find it didn¡¯t even budge!


    Momo-chan: [How?] Hiro: {How?}


    That place was just made of wood, yet it could endure such a blow. That or maybe the monster may not be terribly strong.


    The thing hadn¡¯t given up though. It continuous clawed at the roof, trying to crack it open. A difficult process seeing that only two of its legs had claw and they aren¡¯t even on the same side. Still, the building started to crack, it wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for long!


    Momo-chan: [Those people are in danger! We¡­ have to do something!]


    Momo-chan said, not knowing what to do. His host, however, had already made up his mind. Hiro charged toward the monster.


    ¡°OI, I¡¯M OVER HERE!¡±


    He screamed out at the top of his lung and threw his cup at the creature which missed¡­ for quite a bit. Nevertheless, the monster looked at him, confused by the source of disturbance. One look was enough for the thing to find its new prey. Without any pause, the creature dove toward Hiro.


    ¡°Oh crap¡±


    The young man jumped into an alley nearby, dodging the assault at the last moment. Its head was too big to fit in here but he couldn¡¯t rest yet. If this thing kept trying to get to him, it would knock down the surrounding sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, he once again broke for a sprint.


    Momo-chan: [What are you even doing!]


    Momo-chan yell felled into deaf ears. His host was too busy trying to stay alive, for now. Hiro managed to reach another small alley. Miraculously, the monster managed to miss him, somehow. Letting out another roar, the creature was determined to find its prey.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Hiro: {My lungs feel like bursting!}


    Momo-chan: [What are you even doing!]


    Hiro: {Geez, do you have to yell that loud, my ears are already ringing from all the roaring}


    Momo-chan: [That¡¯s because you kept on ignoring me!]


    Hiro: {Well, I was trying to, you know, not dying}


    Momo-chan: [Then why did you even run at the thing to begin with!]


    Hiro: {To save those people, that building is giving out!} Hiro also starts to yell


    Momo-chan: [By throwing yourself out recklessly like that! I am you, I also want to help them. But even I, who is supposed to be younger, know that you should at least think of something first!]


    Hiro: {You seriously believe that I would be that stupid?}


    Momo-chan: [Eh]


    Hiro: {Look at that thing, it¡¯s movement is too awkward. It can¡¯t even use its legs probably. Ever since the thing landed, the wings haven¡¯t moved since even though it is much easier to pick at me from the sky. As an amalgamation of animals, that thing can¡¯t even coordinate its different parts properly. Heck, it even missed me, its only target!}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ That]


    Hiro: {I do remember my teenage self to be smarter, and even more reckless than this}


    Momo-chan was speechless. Of course, he noticed all of that, but most of the thing Hiro said were only apparent after the thing chased them. True the monster was awkward when it first appeared but there could be many reasons for that! Maybe it just woke up, or maybe it was still tired. There was no guarantee that the thing would remain as clumsy once the chase started. Besides, that building could still survive for quite a good while more. There was no need to charge in that early. Yes, Momo-chan was from a particularly hot-headed period but even he noticed that.


    It was just like that time when Suiren tried to kill them. Hiro remained so callous, even joking around right before their consciousness faded away.


    It wasn¡¯t bravery then and it wasn¡¯t now.


    The young man already knew it wasn¡¯t a dream then since his back was hurt. He already accepted this reality. Actually, he accepted everything too easily. Including Momo-chan, while it was the truth Hiro bought into that almost instantly. That and his seemingly indifference about being in a life death situation, in a completely new world. He didn¡¯t even mention home even once¡­


    Momo-chan wondered, what happened in that six years between them.


    Meanwhile, the monster finally realised that it had wings. It soared up in the sky painfully, looking for the prey. Hiro still kept eyes on the beast, it seemed like the thing hasn¡¯t noticed him yet.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the creature to spot someone which it charges at with great ferocity.


    ¡°Who!¡± Who could be wondering outside like this!


    The monster was completely mindless, the hunger, the pain were all too much for its primitive brain to bear. It wanted to consume, it wanted to destroy, it wanted to ravage the land, for what reason it couldn¡¯t understand. Unfortunately, its target was no prey.


    The Legionnaire took a deep breath and ready his javelin. It was a pilum, used by the Roman army. This weapon was designed to fight man, against a monster this size the thing probably couldn¡¯t even graze its bone. But the man holding it was no mere human. He was a centurion, the pride of the Roman army. Now upgraded to bring down a nation.


    Digging his feet into the ground. The masked man took aim. For a moment he could hear sound. They were his men, his family, his country cheering for him. With a roar that pierce the heaven the Legionnaire launched his javelin through the night sky.


    The creature was surprised, what was that sound. Was it made by that tiny speck of a man. How could a thing that small made a noise like that? It hesitated and then there is only pain.


    The javelin had pierced through the monster left eye, hitting its skull. It tried to dig the foreign object out to no avail, the iron shaft had bent awkwardly to prevent easy removal. In desperation, the monster accidentally used its claw, tearing into its flesh even more. With a painful roar, it fell into the ground, a greenfield.


    The Legionnaire himself was stunned with both anger and confusion. His aim was perfect, the pilum was supposed to go through the brain, killing the thing instantly. Instead, the creature hesitated and that saved it life, for better or worse. As a man of perfection, he cursed himself for that miscalculation.


    But in his mind, there were still questions. Where did that strength even come from? It was true that the masked warriors, especially the captains, had their body enhanced. But never to such degree. And also, how did he even know about it, that the pilum could be that powerful. Was it because of the cheering? Those ghostly voices that had been haunting him ever since he failed to kill the strangers.


    There was no doubt about it, he was corrupted, just like #2. But the man decided not to report to his superior. This strength, or a flash of it, wasn¡¯t here anymore but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t muster that again. If they wiped his mind once again then it may go away. It was best if he kept quiet about this, for now.


    ___


    Hiro was petrified, not out of fear but surprise. Someone had taken out that beast with such ease. Even now his roar still rang in the young man mind. Suddenly, he could feel a cold hand on his shoulder, calming him down.


    It was the knight, who signalled that he will check on the monster. He then pointed at Hiro then at the tavern, telling him to go back there.


    The young man refused, however, he needed to see what happened. Seeing his eagerness, the knight handed him the shield that once belonged the masked man in red. But not the axe.


    Holding the item in his hand, Hiro could feel confidence swells up within him. The two made their way toward the monster which eventually led them outside the town. The young man could feel a strange breeze. It¡¯s salty!


    He looked to the side to find¡­ the ocean.


    This town was seaside all along. Both Hiro and Momo-chan were speechless, they had never seen the sea before. Yes, for more than twenty years of his life, the young man had never been to the ocean. He had only known it through books and televisions. Now to be faced with the real thing so suddenly especially after such an adrenaline rush. It was strangely calming.


    He then looked back to find on the outskirt of town there were people everywhere. Like him, they were also curious. ¡®Hm, how come they all look so horrified?¡¯


    The knight grabbed Hiro and turns him around.


    The frail young man found himself facing a very much alive and pissed off monster. All the blood streaming from its eye only made the creature even more threatening. With its remaining eye the thing looked straight at Hiro. It didn¡¯t know why but there was something about him that was different from all other.


    Such a primitive brain couldn¡¯t comprehend why though. It only translated to one thing only. The person in front of him here would be more delicious than everyone else.


    And after all the pain, the creature surely wanted a treat.

 Chapter 7

    1.7


    Take me home to the place I belong


    This was the end, Hiro thought to himself as the monster charged at him. Blocking with his shield was useless. Dodging to the side? Nah, with its reach, the beast could easily grab him. At that moment, the young man felt someone yanking at his shirt. It was Suiren, who finally decided to show up. Grabbing his arm, the masked woman jumped out of the beast assault. They barely missed the grab thanked to her enhanced strength.


    The monster roared out in pain as a sword drove into its neck. It was the knight, who was surprised by how easy it was to pierce the creature lion skin. Too easy in fact, was that the case with its alligator head the man wondered. This was no time to ponder though as the beast twisted around before the knight could pull his blade out. The weapon broke and flew out his hand.


    Only the tip of came off, however, the sword was still very much useable. But the knight couldn¡¯t retrieve it as the beast immediately clawed at him with its lion leg. The man jumped out of the way but not before taking the axe on his side to slash at the monster. There was no strength in the attack and yet it still managed to graze the creature¡¯s leg.


    So, this monstrous being was much more fragile than it looks. Was the thin skin served to lighten the thing, allowing it to fly? If that was the case then the creature¡¯s bone would be brittle as well, too bad there wasn¡¯t a catapult lying around.


    The monster was still furious, it bit at the small creature only to miss by an inch. The close dodge was intentional, however, as it let the knight delivered a devastating blow to the monster head. The loud crack could be heard as the creature recoiled back in pain. The attack wasn¡¯t fatal though as the thing managed to dodge back at the last moment out of instinct. It thrashed around erratically, lashing at every movement.


    The knight was too close, he had expected the attack to be more potent. The creature¡¯s head slammed at him, sending the man flying a short distant. While he still managed to land on his feet the damage was done. At least two of his rib were broken.


    All of that happened in what seems like an instant as Hiro could do nothing but watch. He could see that the knight was injured but there was no way he could get there in time, not like he could make any meaningful different anyway. Next to him, Suiren was standing still in a defensive stance. The woman was unmoving, as if she was frozen.


    ¡°Suiren, go help him!¡±


    Hiro yelled, his order was then carried out without any delay. The masked woman charged at the monster, with her enhanced strength, it took only an instant. The creature could only briefly saw something moving at the edge of its vision as it received another painful slash. Suiren weaved through the thrashing and delivered attacks with great precision. The monster retaliated but every of its blows could only whiff and get punished in return.


    Finally, the monster flew back up to the skies, its legs in tatter. It didn¡¯t understand, how could something that small moved so fast? Why did it so determined to inflict pain on him?


    The moment it was born, the creature was already in pain. It couldn¡¯t move properly, it couldn¡¯t fly properly, it couldn¡¯t even breath properly. With such uneven legs, the monster would fall down frequently. And it always hurt, its fragile body couldn¡¯t bear such a weight.


    So the creature liked to fly. He liked the feel of wind on his delicate skin. And the sky was always so beautiful, so blue, so bright. It was simply uplifting, especially for him who had only known misery. Even though its lungs and heart would feel like bursting every single time, the creature still loved to be along the cloud.


    And now, after suffering so much by these tiny specks, by his supposed ¡®preys¡¯, the monster wanted to fly far away from this place. It wanted to run away but something hold the creature back. Was it instinct or something else even deeper, more ingrained than that?


    It was the reason for the thing existent, a purpose it must fulfil.


    The creature was overwhelmed, soon there was only one thing in its primitive brain. The sky faded away.


    Kill.


    The monster turned to the anomaly, the prey that stood out the most. Its mind filled with rage and hunger which were all directed at Hiro. Summoning what strength left in him, the creature dove at the young man at breakneck speed.


    At this moment, Hiro knew, he was screwed. There was nowhere to dodge, nothing to hide under. Suiren was too far to be of help. This was truly a do or die moment.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Hiro: {Momo-chan, I want to tell you something}


    Momo-chan: [What is it?] The voice was surprisingly calm, he had accepted the inevitable.


    Hiro: {The past two years I was buried, forced to slave my life away. Over time, I have forgotten how to even look at the world around me, who I am¡­}


    Momo-chan: [What are you trying to say here?]


    Hiro: {This sure has been a ride. I am glad to see you once again after six years, who I once was}


    Momo-chan: [So this is the end, I kind of want of this ride to go on]


    Hiro: {Oh me too, don¡¯t ready, I will try my best till the very end. But if I fail and we both perish, at least I will die content that you will never have to go through those two years}


    With a grin, Hiro charged forward directly at the beast which was right on top of him. In an instant, the young man was engulfed by the enormous being.


    ___


    What a shame, the Legionnaire thought to himself as he observed what was unfolding.


    That young man was tougher than what warrior had expected. Even when facing death, he could still show that defiant smile. To make a stand till the very end. The captain truly admired those kinds of people. He wondered, if the time ever come, could he be capable of such a thing. Out of his own volition of course, the mask would make sure that he will fight to the last moment if it wanted.


    There was no need for him to finish of the monster, with that injury, it would die sooner or later. At least it managed to be quite informative.


    The man in armour was definitely formidable, this was the first time for him to face a monster. And yet, he could perform like that, all of his spacings and timings were on point. Too bad he was bogged down by the limitations of a normal human. There was no way for a person to dodge all of the creature¡¯s blows. He still managed to minimise the damage dealt however.


    Then there was #2 who was truly a surprise. Normally she would just follow the captain, mindlessly carrying out order. But even if his life is in danger, the aide wouldn¡¯t lift a finger unless ordered to. When the monster first attacked, she was stunned, not doing anything. But soon, something in her snap and the woman would rush to her companion aid. #2 also manages to incorporate her enhanced strength into combat properly, something a mindless aide and the old her was incapable of.


    And now, she was rushing back to Hiro. The Legionnaire could see a hint of desperation in her movement. Was he imagining it? Or had something about that young man triggered her brainwashed mind? The captain wasn¡¯t sure.


    One thing he sure of was that her benefactor was dea¡­


    The monster suddenly flew back up into the night sky. It let out a painful howl which interrupted his train of thought. The was a gaping in the creature¡¯s stomach, its innards spewing out.


    On the ground, Hiro was holding up the knight broken sword, full of gore but more importantly, alive. While Suiren was busy with the monster, the young man had tried to get to the weapon. He made it just when the creature targeted him once again. Since jumping out the way was not an option due to the thing¡¯s reach, he decided to dodge straight into it instead.


    A risky move but Hiro managed to avoid the monster¡¯s front legs and grabbed his weapon at the same time. The creature then landed on him but its body was surprisingly soft. And so the young man survived and was even successful in delivering a fatal blow.


    The monster had now lost too much blood and its killing intent. Now only pain remained, excruciating and unending pain. It wanted to get out of here, back to the embrace of its beloved sky. Even at night, was still so beautiful with so many sparkles. The monster wondered if it could reach them, to be among the stars, he felt like that was where he belonged.


    It was going die anyway, might as well try once last time.


    And so, enduring all the torment, the monster kept on flying higher and higher. Its body was screaming, falling apart but the creature continued onward. He could make it, to be forever part of the sky. He felt like all the stars were shinning brighter, welcoming his arrival, welcoming home. The monstrosity could feel something unfamiliar, he was¡­ happy.


    Then there was only darkness.


    Unable to handle any more abuse, the creature¡¯s lungs and heart exploded, it died instantly.


    ___


    Hiro looked on as the monster fell from the sky, his heart was still racing. He had somehow survived and in the process, vanquishing the beast. That was certainly an experience, the young man was also happy and content with his performance.


    Not just him, everyone was happy. They flocked to the heroes but were stop by Caron in the end. The monster might be carrying diseases so precautions are needed. The three strangers would need to be quarantined for a while, especially the one covered with blood. This was a downer but didn¡¯t really dampen anyone mood that much. The people just cheered from afar.


    The Legionnaire was also amused with all that just transpired. These new group of outsiders were certainly full of surprises unlike their predecessors. His mission was still to slay them, however, and this was the perfect time for it. #2 was still new to controlling her enhanced power and the man in armour was injured. Before, the captain would carry it out without hesitation. But now he was feeling charitable.


    He wanted to see what will happen next, he was curious, what kind of surprise would they bring next. It was a shame that the next time he would show no mercy.


    Still, the Legionnaire couldn¡¯t help but ponder about #2. She seemed to be unravelling what the mask had done. Would the woman one day completely break free. If so, what did that mean for him, who was also corrupted. His halo was still here though, was there a chance for him to get rid of it even. And what did it even mean to be free¡­


    The future certainly held many possibilities, the Legionnaire could feel a sliver of optimism.


    In this festive atmosphere, everyone was certainly happy, all but one voice. Momo-chan, who was of course relived to be alive, but there was still a hint of sadness in him. Even when the monster first appeared, even in its first roar, the disembodied voice could already sense the pain.


    The way it moved, the sound it made, he could see it, the creature was always in constant agony. Even though the thing was hellbent on ripping him, technically his host, apart, the voice couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the it. Now the monster wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone anymore, it was also freed from the suffering that was its own existent. Momo-chan muttered silently to himself.


    Momo-chan: [Rest in peace]

 Chapter 8

    2.1


    Reminiscing


    By slaying the monster, Hiro earned hours spent in containment. After the battle, the heroes met a truly intimidating figure. It was a woman cladded in a black long coat reaching her feet. Her face covered completely by a plague doctor mask which was rather ominous. But most unsettling was a monocle on the right eye glowing a bright red.


    In her hand was an engraved canister. With one hand behind her back, the woman pointed the item toward the monster carcass. Then came a surge of violent flaming engulfing the beast remain. In an instant, there was no trace of the creature.


    Just like that, gone in a blink of an eye. This was definitely no ordinary flame.


    The woman then turned to Hiro, pointing her cannister toward him. Before anyone could react, a stream of steam shot out, cleansing the young man of the beast vile blood. The same process was then repeated with the other two. The three were then directed to a building in the outskirt of town where they were then isolated.


    Hiro had been staying in this room for hours now. After the adrenaline fuelled battle with the monster, the young man couldn¡¯t help but feel dead bored. He was still too alerted to sleep, however, being contained by someone like that wasn¡¯t too comforting.


    His companion, Momo-chan was also silent.


    And so Hiro sat there unmoving for what seems like an eternity. He wanted to think but his mind was too tired for any coherent thought.


    Finally, the door swung open to reveal the figure in black, her right eye still glowed ominously. Not someone you would want to see in a dark or alley or any time at all, maybe a convention would be passable? The woman removed her mask, it was Caron, who had come to the conclusion that none of them contracted any disease.


    Exhausted both mentally and physically, the young man didn¡¯t really remember what happens next. People seemed to be congratulating him on the deed, patting him on the back. Up in the sky, the sun was shining annoyingly bright.


    Everyone noticed the condition he was in though and Hiro soon found himself back in Owain¡¯s darkened room. Completed with Suiren sitting next to him dutifully. The woman was wearing something different though, a shirt and pants combo this time. Fresh from the bath, she certainly smelled nice¡­


    Since when did he become his younger self, it was probably the scent of new blanket. Hiro turned into the wall and closes his eyes.


    Hiro: {Good night, or more like good morning}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Good night]


    Those were Momo-chan first words with him ever since the incident with the monster. The young man paid them no mind though, he was too tired right now. He then fell asleep, a rest well deserved, the best rest he had gotten these past two years.


    ___


    A whole week had passed since the incident with the monster. Hiro had somewhat gotten used to life here. For once in his life, his presence, his existent was celebrated. For an unwanted child basking in the glory sure was intoxicating. The young man and Suiren still stayed at Owain¡¯s place. He would of course help out with whatever chore they need, but even that wasn¡¯t much. At least with all his free time, Hiro could go around and learn more about this world. Even with the language barrier, he still picked up quite a bit.


    Everyone in this world seemed to have magic power. Most people, however, were so weak that it was insignificant. Others were only trained in one field and one field only. The chief fisherman could alter the current of sea somewhat, the head lumberjack could chop down trees with bare hand.


    While these may sound exciting, there seemed to be a great deal of limitation. The most powerful in this village, however, was undoubtedly the Pryce couple.


    Caron ability was simply astounding. Not only could she disinfect and clean a wound in an instant, the healer could also mend any injury no matter the severity. Apparently, someone had their head cut off once by a freak accident. In just a blink of an eye he was back to normal. As long as a person was still alive, Caron could save them.


    That only applied to physical wounds though. Hiro couldn¡¯t really ask about illnesses and the like, communicating about those were a challenge. Also, the woman couldn¡¯t heal the young man and the knight for some reason, they were treated with old-fashioned way which she was clearly trained in. Also asides from her vocation, Caron could also summon fire and more. She was truly amazing and talented, but outside of work, she looked just like any other girl in town.


    Her husband or fianc¨¦e, on the other hand, stood out quite a lot. He was certainly the loudest and most enthusiastic out of everyone. Now that was quite a difference, while the people here could show interest such spirit and passion are nowhere to be found. Most of them, including Caron, were simply content.


    This made Owain¡¯s overwhelming enthusiasm stood out. It was also contagious, everywhere he went, people became clearly spirited and energetic. The world around him was so bright and vibrant that everything around just seems pale in comparison. Even Hiro couldn¡¯t help but filled with optimism around the young man. The only exceptions were Suiren and the knight, although in both cases their faces were hidden.


    He was also an important member of this town. Owain could condensed energy into colourless gems in which cases they are filled with power and colour. This seemed to be his only ability but it was invaluable.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A great many things in this place needed energy. From transporting logs to lighting to water filtration. All of them used the gems provided by Owain.


    The most important use for those thing, however, was to keep the tram system functioning. Hiro was confused at first, he never seen it being use and yet the people were very protective of it. Soon he realised why.


    The people here could build rudimentary structures and items out of wood but that was all. Everything else like metal equipment or ingredient like wheat and flour and rice were transported here using the tram. Hiro had never seen anyone tended to the pipes so that was probably also outsourced. The aforementioned water filtration system and even the tram itself were built by experts who of course used this mode of transportation.


    In short, his hosts turned out to be quite incredible. Hiro thought to himself as he was having a leisure stroll.


    Momo-chan: [Are you alright?]


    Hiro: {Why are you asking that, of course I am fine. Is there any reason for such a question?}


    Momo-chan: [An ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯ would have sufficed you know]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Momo-chan: [It¡¯s fine, I understand. I miss it as well, home]


    That couldn¡¯t have missed the mark any further. Hiro didn¡¯t really think of home that much. He did miss his sister and worry for her a lot. But still, he had worked hard for her, he had prepared enough backup plan in case anything happened to him. She would be fine, maybe even had a better than with him.


    No, the young man was simply restless because there was nothing to do. Back ¡®home¡¯, Hiro was worked to near dead every single day. There was no rest, even during holidays. He had thought that to be free would be the best he could ever hope for.


    But it was not, his body, his mind was now accustomed to the workload. Without anything to do, no one to take care of, he was nothing.


    Still, he shouldn¡¯t leave Momo-chan hanging.


    Hiro: {You would certainly want to go back}


    Momo-chan: [Now what does that mean]


    Hiro: {I do remember looking forward to school every day at your age. After all, you would get meet with Class Rep}


    Momo-chan: [That was uncalled for¡­]


    Hiro: {What¡¯s wrong with that?}


    Momo-chan: [Didn¡¯t you say that she already has a boyfriend!]


    Hiro: {I did?}


    Momo-chan: [Yes, when we were being suffocated by Suiren!]


    Hiro: {Oh right, I did say that. Sorry that joke was a bit insensitive of me}


    Momo-chan: [Darn right it was¡­] From the sound of his voice, Momo-chan was probably pouting. Now wasn¡¯t that just too precious. Still, Hiro understood the young man frustration. He could still remember it vividly, Class Rep, who was his first love. It was the first time he was struck by such a feeling.


    An outcast he was but she was always there to drag him along. She was always enthusiastic, always pushy, always positive and never gave up. No matter how many times he tried to push her away, she was always there to try and help him get along with everyone.


    The young and recluse Hiro finally gave in, he had to interact with those he once despised, those he once looked down upon. Those were the best time of his life. To be a normal high schooler with many friends, turn out they weren¡¯t as one dimensional as he had thought¡­ no, he was the one dimensional one.


    Indebted, he soon harboured feeling for his saviour. His first love sure was a burning one. He had never felt such a strong emotion like that before.


    Then turn out, she had a boyfriend, even before they first met. That sure was a short tale.


    Hiro: {Oh well, maybe you would be able to find someone here}


    Momo-chan: [Was that supposed to be encouraging¡­]


    Hiro blurted out that line for that very reason. But the meaning behind those words sure weren¡¯t.


    Momo-chan: [So you really believe that we won¡¯t be able to return]


    Hiro: {No, it¡¯s not that, I just haven¡¯t seen a way yet. Besides, I never remember going to this world six years ago}


    Momo-chan: [So you really believe that we won¡¯t be able to return]


    Hiro: {¡­ Not that concrete but yes}


    Momo-chan: [If that is to be the case, me finding someone else won¡¯t do]


    Hiro: {Eh?}


    Momo-chan: [YOU should be worrying about that, after all aren¡¯t you the owner of this body. You better find someone both of us can agree upon!]


    Was Momo-chan¡­ teasing him! Oh, two could play that game!


    Hiro: {Maybe I should, after all, a young man your age sure can be easily¡­ distracted}


    Momo-chan: [Me from the future would of course know all about that]


    Hiro: {Well, I don¡¯t really remember being pervy like you}


    Momo-chan: [Now where does that come from!]


    Hiro: {Remember when you wanted to order Suiren to strip}


    Momo-chan: [I told you that was a slip of the tongue! And yes, I know I don¡¯t have a tongue!]


    Hiro: {I also notice you staring at her lately, at all the questionable places}


    Momo-chan: [Well, I only look at what YOU are looking at]


    Hiro: {My vision is much wider than that, I simply focus on different places than you!}


    Momo-chan: [Really? Admit it, all the time spending in an office, you must be quite pent up] Hiro never said anything about his job. But from what he had known, Momo-chan could make quite an accurate educated guess.


    Hiro: {Are you saying that about an older you?}


    Momo-chan: [Well, I can still change before becoming as sad as you]


    Hiro: {Oi, who are you calling sad}


    Momo-chan: [You, I for once never remember being this weak. You let Suiren, who was in a komon no less, to catch up to you. And here I thought we are always proud of our athletic ability. You sad old man]


    Hiro: {Now you are calling me old, huh}


    Momo-chan: [If you aren¡¯t then prove it!]


    Hiro: {Alright, just watch and learn boy!}


    Suddenly filled with energy. Hiro broke out into a sprint, out of the town, into the green field. But Momo-chan was right, two years slaving away behind a desk wasn¡¯t best for one cardio. It wasn¡¯t long before the young man was drained. His just now burst of youthful spirit nowhere to be found.


    Momo-chan: [We are slowing down, are you tired with just this?]


    Hiro: {Of course not}


    Hiro kept on running and running before he had to give up, which didn¡¯t take long at all. Still, the young man had gone quite a distance. As he turned around, Suiren was still there with, she hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. The supposedly young man, meanwhile, was completely drained and drenched.


    Huh, what was he even doing. Running like this, so ridiculous.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!¡± He broke out laughing, this was an idiotic idea but it sure was refreshing.


    Momo-chan: [Are you even right in the head now]


    Hiro: {Probably not, but still, if you turn out just to be a figment of my imagination created by a suffocated me then it would suck}


    Momo-chan: [Now where does that even come from!]


    Hiro: {Actually, if all of this is just a part of my mind then it would suck even more}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ It sure would. If that is the case, then you sure have some imagination]


    Hiro: {Of course I do, am I¡­}


    Hiro stood here, still exhausted but alive. He could feel the wind gently on his burning skin. The sight of an never ending green field was also a sight for sore eyes. This was certainly relaxing, therapeutic even.


    Just like that moment, when he opened his eyes the first time in this brand new world.


    The young man continued to stand there, taking in the moment. That was until a growl disrupts his down time. It was another creature, another affront to nature, here to confront him.

 Chapter 9

    Woo hoo, I finally have a cover art thanks to JCode, early update to celebrate.


    2.2


    Encounter with the third kind


    In front of Hiro was a monstrosity and yet the young man felt no fear. Had he become braver after so many trials, or maybe this was just impossible to be afraid of.


    Unlike the previous monster this one was more recognisable, it was the black dog of death, a Cerberus. Or more like, a puppy Cerberus. Yes, the three-headed dog in front of him was just a cute little creature. Only one of its head was even hostile, ready to bite. The left was busy looking at a butterfly while the right was just staring at Hiro silently.


    The middle head let out an adorable roar and charged at¡­ a butterfly. After some amount the effort, the creature finally attacked its target, which turns out not to be Hiro. It was Suiren, actually, who simply kicked it away and with her enhanced strength for quite a distance.


    The dog was unmoving. Even though the thing was hostile, the young man felt rather bad.


    Hiro turned to Suiren to a blazing flame coming toward the woman. Before the young man could even say ''Watch out!'', his aide had already side stepped the danger.


    The flame came from a girl around her teen, with striking blue eyes but curiously jet-black hair. While her facial features were rather reminiscence of the native, there was something striking and dignified about her. She wore a thick brown leather jacket and pants, these were designed for combat. Her limbs all covered by shiny metallic gauntlets and leggings.


    Welding a flaming long sword, the girl truly stood out as someone extraordinary.


    She dashed at Suiren while also swinging her burning weapon with great precision. Quite a display too bad it ended in an instant. Her masked opponent met the girl weapon with her own naginata. With one swift twist, the long sword parted from its owner hand and was flung away.


    Before the girl could recover from that disarm, Suiren stepped forward to her right. The woman placed her foot behinds her opponent legs and shot her left palm upward. The hit connected with the girl chin while also tripping her from behind, she was spun head straight into the ground.


    In an instant, that threatening figure was sent tumbling, all the while her opponents remain graceful. Hiro didn''t know if that girl with the flaming sword is horrible or Suiren is simply amazing or maybe both.


    [OI] Momo-chan yelled, attracting Hiro attention [LOOK AT THAT GIRL FACE!]


    Everything happened with such speed that details faded in front of the young man''s eyes. Nevertheless, the words of his disembodied friend allowed him to concentrate. He then saw it, the girl terrified expression.


    And she had every reason to as the naginata came down straight to her neck. There was nothing that she could do, her life would end here at this moment in just one swift strike. The girl could hear someone yelling in the background just before the blade touched her neck.


    "STOP" Hiro ordered and Suiren obeyed just in time.


    The girl could feel the cold steel flirting with her delicate skin. Such a realisation overwhelmed her with fear. It subsided, however, when it was clear that she would survive this ordeal after all.


    Suiren stood aside as Hiro offered the fallen girl a hand which she gladly took.


    "Allwch chi ddeall fi?"


    "Kannst du mich verstehen?"


    "?? ???????"


    "Voc¨º consegue me entender?"


    "An dtuigeann t¨² dom?"


    "Peux-tu me comprendre?"


    The girl, who was now standing in front of Hiro, said rapidly in what seemed like multiple language. The young man didn''t even recognise any of them. For the first time in his life, he felt like an idiot.


    "Can you understand me?" Seventh time the charm, however, the girl finally arrived at Japanese.


    "Yes, yes I can"


    His answer was simple but seemed to have a profound effect on the girl who couldn''t contain her happiness. She tried to hold back but couldn''t help but muttering ''Finally''


    "My name is Willow von Brandt, it is my greatest honour to be graced with your presence"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She gave the young man the most formal salute. The girl was still wary of Suiren who was still standing behind him. Nevertheless, her feeling was genuine, for some reason, meeting him was to her a great honour. Was it because he helped slay the monster, he wondered.


    "I am Hiro, there is no need for you to be so formal"


    "I shall take note of that"


    Probably not judging from her tone, which was still rigid. Willow respected him greatly, a fact that made Hiro rather uncomfortable. After all, the two were effectively strangely and yet she already had a strong view of him. The girl looked at him and continued in amazement.


    "I have heard about the power of a Herald, but it is still a marvel to behold. To think you would be able to subjugate a Fallen like that, truly admirable"


    Momo-chan: [I can''t be more lost than this] Commented Momo-chan who was uneasy about the whole situation. Hiro was as well, but it seemed like Willow may know of why they were here, seeing that there was already a title for him, Herald. While finding somewhere that wasn''t a plain may be more appropriate, the young man still inquired about his situation anyway.


    "Thanks for the compliments, but what is this Herald and Fallen you are referring to?"


    "Oh my, I let my excitement get the better of me, my apology" Willow bowed "Worry not, I will explain everything"


    Before Hiro could suggest finding another place more suitable to converse, the girl continued. She was certainly excited about this whole ordeal. Was that a trait of everyone here the young man wondered. The people were all so enthusiastic, especially Owain who seemed like he drank sugar instead of water. Willow didn''t seem to fit in though, she had black hair after all.


    "Before I could continue, could I ask something, Herald?"


    "Of course you can, and please call me Hiro"


    "Am I the first person you could understand?"


    The young man was going to say no, after all there were Suiren and Momo-chan. But he decided against it "Yes, so I really don''t know anything about this place at all"


    Hearing those words, the girl''s face beamed with happiness.


    "Then I humbly welcome you to this world we call Eden. This land is split into four countries, led by the Divines, carriers of god''s will. Under their rule we prosper and flourish. But recently, our kingdoms wide communication system suddenly malfunctioned. While we certainly had contingency plans for such a case, the scale is still unimaginable. Furthermore, horrible monstrosities appeared, plaguing our lands and our people"


    Willow paused, biting her lips in frustration. Such an obvious sign but Hiro couldn''t tell if it was intentional or not. The girl continued.


    "Our communication system is still down, preventing the Divines from bestowing their Edicts. And so, the monster continues to wreak havoc. We tried to combat these creatures to no avail, seeing that they are numerous and fierce and their origin unknown. But it has been foretold that in time of chaos, the god shall call upon heroes from another world, the Heralds"


    "Wait, so what you are saying is that I was summoned here to save the world?"


    "In short yes"


    There you had it folks, Hiro the programmer here to be your saviour.


    Momo-chan: [Talk about absurd! There must be some sort of mistake here]


    Hiro: {Well¡­ in all the stories, the hero is always the most unlikely¡­}


    Momo-chan: [Even you sounded unconvinced of your own words]


    Hiro: {Of course, I also think this is a mistake, the one they are looking for is probably that knight}


    Momo-chan: [Probably¡­ Man, I feel bad for the girl]


    Hiro: {Why?}


    Momo-chan: [She is so excited, looking forward to meeting a hero and then there is you]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Momo-chan: [Oi, where is the retort, don''t leave me hanging]


    Hiro: {There is nothing, I am also feeling the same here}


    Momo-chan: [Oh¡­]


    That was awkward, both outside and inside. Of course, there was a probability that what she was saying was bollock. But too many unimaginable things had already happened. Heck, Hiro being here was weird enough. And so, without evident to the contrary, the young man accepted this as truth, for now. He still wanted to ask more questions though.


    "Earlier, you were talking about the Fallen, what is that exactly?"


    Talking about that suddenly made Willow rather down. Was that a sensitive topic!


    "Well, the Fallens are those who reject the Divines. They are banished by the gods and had their minds erased. Forever branded by the white mask and a halo, they become empty shells, compelled to strike at their maker. The Fallens mindlessly seek to disrupt the peace of this world. There had been many attempted to help them to see the light again but they were all futile. To be denied the grace of the Divines is truly saddening"


    Biting her lips once again, Willow looked up with optimism.


    "But still, that Fallen behind you, I attacked her because I thought she was going to hurt you. But I was wrong, there is nothing I can do but apologise for my ignorance. But seeing her now I can''t help but be hopeful. Maybe one day she, no, all of the Fallens will truly be saved and see the light of the Divines"


    Hiro truly hated to burst the girl bubble but he wanted to be truthful "Actually, I have no idea why she is like this. I was probably just at the right time at the right moment"


    "May I ask how the two of you met?"


    "Well, it was when I first came to this world, she was trying to kill me. Then I¡­ passed out and when I woke up, she is already like this"


    "Then I am sure it was you. She must have felt it, your presence as a great Herald" Willow approached him, her eyes looked like they are sparkling "Graced with your visage, that Fallen must have sense the error in her way. It seems like she hasn''t fully escaped her warped mind yet but I am sure you can guide her, all of them, the light"


    Hiro could feel goose bumps all over. Willow being this close to him didn''t make him any less uncomfortable. This kind of reminded of all the strange cults that kept popping up. They all sounded ridiculous but their followers all strangely devout.


    Momo-chan: [I can see nothing but red flags]


    Hiro: {Well, I don''t think she is lying¡­}


    Momo-chan: [That certainly sound convincing]


    Hiro: {I am the one who has to interact directly with her here and this is too creepy}


    Momo-chan: [Actually, I also think she is saying the truth¡­ or at least what she really believes]


    Hiro: {Then either we are some sort of hero or that girl is completely off her rocker. You know what is most terrifying?}


    Momo-chan: [What is that?]


    Hiro: {Both of that options seem plausible somehow and I am definitely not a confident man}


    Momo-chan: [Now that''s horror right there]


    Hiro: {But there isn''t much for us to do¡­}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ But to go with the flow]


    Hiro looked at Willow and something about her kind of soothed his worry. There was something wholly innocent about her and she was so convinced that he couldn''t help but believe just for a bit. Emotions truly are contagious.

 Chapter 10

    2.3


    A real zealot


    When they arrived back at the town, the streets were deserted. This was par for the course, everyone here went to their workplace in the morning and stayed there. But the moment nightfall, the place would be bustling with people. Still, it was strange for Hiro at first to see a town so full of life completely devoid of people like that.


    Entering the tavern was a complete change of scenery, however, the place was full of people. The workers here were allotted different lunch times, this seemed to be the first group seeing that they were still setting the place up.


    ¡°Ah, welcome back¡± The owner turned to Hiro and greeted him warmly.


    To hear those words struck the young man in a way he hadn¡¯t expected. After being isolated by a language barrier for so long, it was strangely comforting to be able to understand the people here, finally.


    This earpiece here was incredible. A device given to him earlier by Willow, the thing could translate anything in real time. To even mimic the inflection and accent in the translation were achievements that Hiro didn¡¯t know was possible. It was the same voice, the same tone as normal tavern owner. Just that, this time, he was speaking in fluent Japanese.


    ¡°Good morning¡± Hiro said, his voice shaking.


    Two simple everyday words but they made the entire room turned to the speaker. They were all surprised by what they heard, that they could understand the stranger. There was a moment of silence then everyone burst out with joy and excitement, congratulating the young man.


    An overwhelming reception, but Hiro was somehow unfazed by that. He had gotten used to the town overenthusiasm.


    But still, to hear his own language spoken by these people affected the young man more than he had expected. Enough to stop him from questioning how could a device in his ear translate his own speaking to others.


    ¡°So, you managed to find him after all¡± Commented the owner toward Willow who nodded happily. She actually first arrived here before meeting with her Herald.


    ¡°Wait¡± Questioned Hiro ¡°You didn¡¯t meet the knight? I thought he stay here¡±


    The barkeeper interjected ¡°He left early this morning to help the workers, he does that ever since arriving here¡±


    Hiro had no idea, the young man felt rather guilty lazing around all day now. After the incident with the monster, he did try to communicate to his fellow outsider to no avail. Was it because of cultural difference or a reluctance in disclosure? Probably both. In the end, he learned nothing of the knight, even his name. Although his wound from the battle seemed serious, judging from Caron¡¯s reaction. The man never showed any sign of pain¡­ or his face for that matter.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a sit, lady¡± The owner continued ¡°Running around all morning must have been tiring¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer¡± Willow sat down.


    ¡°Running around?¡± Hiro questioned out loud.


    ¡°Well, she has been looking for you all over, going to every house even. The people from the capital are certainly thorough¡± The owner said to Hiro as he polished a cup ¡°I told her that you would return eventually but nope. She must be really looking forward to seeing you¡±


    The young man turned to the girl who was blushing slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just my duty¡± She muttered unconvincingly then looked at her glass of water.


    [That¡¯s strange] Commented Momo-chan, when they met the girl earlier she didn¡¯t seem too tired nor particularly sweaty.


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Momo-chan: [Are you there?]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Momo-chan: [OI, ANYONE HOME!]


    Hiro: {What, no need to be so loud. I nearly fell from my seat there}


    Momo-chan: [What were you even thinking about]


    Hiro: {Nothing, I was thinking about¡­ nothing}


    Momo-chan: [Don¡¯t tell me¡­]


    Hiro: {Tell you what?}


    Momo-chan: [Are you having a crush on that girl or something]


    Hiro: {No, of course not, what are you talking about!}


    Momo-chan: [Jeez, she about my age and you just met]


    Hiro: {I told you it wasn¡¯t like that!}


    Momo-chan: [Besides, isn¡¯t she a tad bit zealous, that type is dangerous]


    Hiro: {True I am a bit interested in her but definitely not like that, she is about Yuuko¡¯s age you know}


    Hearing that name out of nowhere startled Momo-chan greatly. Especially after not talking about her at ever since they came here.


    Yuuko was Hiro and Momo-chan dear younger sister.


    The disembodied voice had been thinking about her night and day, since the beginning. How was she doing, was she alright, was mother taking care of her properly. The fact that he couldn¡¯t be there for his sister truly bothered him to no end. But still he had been silent since his older self hadn¡¯t mentioned her even once. Up until now at least.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Hiro: {For a moment, I feel like Willow resemble her a bit¡­}


    Momo-chan: [I don¡¯t really see it]


    Hiro: {That¡¯s why I said ¡®for a moment¡¯. But still, you may be right}


    Momo-chan: [About what?]


    Hiro: {That I have a small crush on her. After all, I haven¡¯t received that much attention in so long, her actions have touched me to no end. Even if she is a crazed fanatic I am contented}


    Momo-chan: [Wait¡­ You are just messing with me now!]


    Hiro: {Of course, I won¡¯t let you tease me and get away with it, just you, never}


    Still, the young man answer was layered with enough details to mislead Momo-chan. What if the joke wasn¡¯t a joke at all! Hiro mentally giggled as the voice tried to figure out if it was all joke or not.


    The answer that it wasn¡¯t, the part about having a crush a joke of course but there was truth to the rest. Devoid of any sort of acknowledgment or attention, Hiro was truly touched. But the same could be said about Owain, Caron or anyone here¡­ even Suiren. Besides, he already had a crush.


    Meanwhile, Momo-chan was still trying to find the message behind his words. Completely ignoring Hiro trying not to giggle outside for real. Technically, the young man had no idea what was going on inside his younger self head. But, it was still his younger self, he could still make an accurate guess.


    The young man joy ended abruptly, as he could feel a tender finger touching his ear.


    Momo-chan: [What the!] Hiro: {What the!}


    The two felt chill down their spine, even Momo-chan who technically didn¡¯t have a body. It was Willow, who was actually reaching for the earbud in his ear.


    ¡°What was that for¡± The young man asked.


    ¡°I just changed the language setting on your earbud. I want to talk to you and it may involve sensitive information so I don¡¯t want the people here to hear them¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ reasonable¡± Hiro looked around, it seemed like no one actually understand asides from them. The owner took that as a sign and went to mind his own business.


    ¡°Still, I should have asked for permission, I have overstepped my boundary. My sincere apology, Herald. I am willing to do anything as punishment for my transgression!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡±


    Having Suiren following his words was already uncomfortable enough already. He didn¡¯t need another one, especially as ¡®punishment¡¯. Gosh, just thinking about that was inappropriate.


    ¡°So, what do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to ask¡­ how are you finding this place, our world so far?¡±


    Momo-chan: [That was light]


    ¡°This place is certainly wonderful. Everyone has been so hospitable and the air is so fresh. I kind of grow up in a cramped city so the wide open fields are truly relaxing. Although, there are many thing that I don¡¯t understand though, ha ha¡±


    Momo-chan: [That was such a text book answer]


    Hiro: {All the time spent in school must paid off somehow}


    While Hiro truly believed that Willow had good intention and wasn¡¯t lying. Her kind of zealous behaviour was a bit disconcerting. He didn¡¯t know what a girl her type would do if the switch in her was activated. And so, the young man tried to be as civilized and neutral as possible.


    Willow still seemed normal, a bit flustered actually but she had been like that for a while now. The girl seemed to be trying to think of something, she finally continued.


    ¡°I¡­ also grow up in the city¡±


    ¡°Really, what is it like there?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it is a really nice place¡­¡± Willow was taken aback, she didn¡¯t expect a question out of nowhere like that ¡°The people there does different things to the people here but they are still the same. Everyone is very nice and¡­ welcoming and happy, under the Divine. Yes, I am very fortunate to be under the light of one of the great Divine. To be serving in the castle, carrying out duties for his highness is an honour! Yes, it is an honour that everyone can have just by accepting the Divine into their hearts! Yes, I, Willow von Brandt and every citizens are eternally happy and grateful to feel the Divine infinite love and care!¡±


    Momo-chan: [The transition between grade-school level of speech to fanatic is too fast!]


    Hiro: {That¡¯s quite observant of you there}


    Momo-chan: [Are you teasing me¡­]


    Hiro: { That¡¯s quite observant of you there }


    Willow, meanwhile, was so enthusiastic that she immediately stood up and salutes. Strangely enough, no one in the room noticed that but Hiro. The people here truly were masters of minding their own business. But having one audience, no, having the Herald as audience was enough to make the girl red in the face. She quietly sat down, clutching her empty glass. Her ears burning up.


    ¡°My sincere apology, I¡­ overstepped my boundary again¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± Hiro comforted the embarrassed girl. This was the first time he had seen someone here reacting to their own overenthusiasm though, quite adorable actually¡­ If only it didn¡¯t sound like an over zealot ¡°You are certainly passionate about the Divines, to have such drive at your age, I find that admirable¡±


    Momo-chan: [You forgot crazy]


    Hiro: {Be diplomatic, Momo-chan, be diplomatic. Besides, that wasn¡¯t exactly a lie}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ You are too creepy]


    Hiro: {Hey! How did that even come up!}


    Momo-chan: [Nowhere, I just find you creepy, that¡¯s all]


    Hiro: {That hurt, Momo-chan!}


    Momo-chan: [Anyway, enough joking around, don¡¯t you think there is something about her speech? I mean something other than the overly enthusiastic thingy¡­]


    Hiro: {Hmmm, not really, what did you see}


    Momo-chan: [Nothing, I just felt that seemed a bit¡­ what¡¯s the word for it, insecurity!]


    Hiro: {You really think so?}


    Momo-chan: [Well, that¡¯s just a hunch¡­ It¡¯s probably nothing]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Outside, Willow looked at Hiro with sparkling eyes. She still seemed rather embarrassed but his compliment had great effect.


    ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t really deserve such kind words, Herald¡±


    ¡°Of course you do, no need to worry about that¡±


    Hiro reached out his hand and pat the girl on her head. Willow was at first surprised but soon found the gesture strangely calming. She soon found herself rubbing her head with the Herald hand slightly. The girl immediately wanted to stop, she was overstepping her boundary¡­ again. But still, she found herself remained quiet of any objection.


    Willow didn¡¯t want this to end. Why? Her mother pat her like that as well but there was something different here. It was warmth, from someone whom she just met. The girl shook her mind of the heretical thought. She retreated back to holding her empty glass, her emotions in turmoil.


    Meanwhile, in Hiro¡¯s mind.


    Momo-chan: [WHAT IN ALL THAT IS HOLY WAS THAT!]


    Hiro: {I DON¡¯T KNOW!}


    Momo-chan: [WHY DID YOU EVEN DO THAT IN FIRST PLACE!]


    Hiro: {I DON¡¯T KNOW! MY HAND JUST MOVED BY ITSELF!}


    Back to what was happening outside. Hiro scratched his head ¡°Sorry, that was¡­ I overstepped by boundary there¡±


    Momo-chan: [More like zooming past it on a continental rocket that had too much coffee]


    Hiro: {What with the colourful analogies}


    Momo-chan: [Well, you can¡¯t talk back here so I am just making the most out of the situation]


    Hiro: {I swear, I will tease you to death later}


    To both the young man and the voice surprise. Willow seemed rather unfazed, in the outside at least. Maybe she was more adults than the both of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Herald¡­ There is something I have to tell you¡±


    ¡°Well, what is it?¡±


    ¡°My mission is to escort you back to capital to meet the Divine¡±


    ¡°I see, sound reasonable¡±


    ¡°In truth¡­ this is my first assignment ever. Even though there were many more qualified I still insisted on going. That was selfish of me but with all that is going on. I wanted to do something, to contribute, to help. And so, there is not much I can offer but I promise to try my very best. I will try to be of use to you, Herald!¡±


    The girl looked straight at Hiro, her eyes filled with determination. The young man could¡¯t help but feel¡­ moved.


    ¡°I am new here as well. There is still so much for me to learn and do. So let¡¯s do our best together¡±


    He extended his arm and luckily, handshake is a thing in this world. Willow held his hand tightly, a promise then. Hiro still had something to say though.


    ¡°Come to think of it, is your offer earlier still stand. To do anything for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Herald!¡±


    ¡°Then I have only one thing to ask of you¡± Something he had already requested actually ¡°Call me by my name¡±


    ¡°Uh¡± Willow looked at him, puzzled, before smiling brightly ¡°Yes, Hiro¡±

 Chapter 11

    2.4


    Victor the Heretic


    The conversation with the Herald had invigorated Willow in a way she had ever known before. Something that she was still clueless about. The girl gulped down the rest of her drinks, slammed the cup on the table and says.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hiro, to see the other Heralds!¡±


    ¡°Other Heralds? There is only one other person, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, He¡­ Hiro?¡±


    ¡°Only me and the knight came here, to this world¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Are there supposed to be more of us?¡±


    ¡°Well yes. Although my companion told me that there was a problem with the summoning rituals so not all Heralds arrived here near this town¡±


    ¡°So is everyone else scattered all over the land then?¡±


    ¡°No, the rest will arrive at one other location. But still¡­¡± Willow seemed to be deep in thought ¡°According to Victor, four Heralds were summoned here¡±


    ¡°Wait, what! Four! How did you know about that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know the detail, this was told to me by my¡­ companion¡± The girl was rather reluctant to say that word ¡°Victor the Heretic¡±


    The moment that name was mentioned the entire bar is up in surprise. So they were listening in after all. While none of them could understand what the two are saying, that name was what they have heard of.


    ¡®That white coat, so it was him!¡¯ ¡®See, I told you!¡¯ ¡®That Victor is here?¡¯


    The townsfolks presented here all look worried, an unusual sight for Hiro. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    ¡°What with this Victor?¡±


    Willow bit her lips slightly in frustration, even saying the name made her feels uncomfortable. She would rather not talk about that man. Nevertheless, it was a question from her Herald, so she answered with great disdain.


    ¡°Hiro, that man is a traitor, a despicable being. His betrayal is compiled in a great tome but I shall give you the short version¡­ A long time ago, before Eden existed. The God gave the Divines great power to unite the people. Most people back then, blinded by their own ignorance and stupidity, didn¡¯t accept the Divines¡¯ love. But among the few who did was Victor¡±


    The girl stopped to take a sip from her cup which the tavern owner had refilled.


    ¡°But it was a ruse. After the Divines had proven themselves by forming Eden, the God granted them all of his power in the form of powerful artefacts. His Tongue, His Eye, His Flesh, His Blood, four items for four Divines. Or at least it was supposed to be that way. That was when their most trusted apostle, Victor, betrayed their trusted. The man, hungry for power, had consumed the Eye of God which was in form of an apple. Since he wasn¡¯t a Divine, Victor couldn¡¯t truly absorb that great power, nevertheless, it granted him a great wealth of knowledge. There was no way to take back the artefact so he was allowed to continue to serve!¡±


    As she muttered those final words, Willow crushed the cup in her palm. The girl was filled with rage and the sentiment was shared by everyone else here but Hiro of course. The story ended there but Willow is too emotional to stop.


    ¡°Without that bastard, the world would have been different. Eden would truly be unified so much sooner. With the Eye, the Divine could see all of the world. They would be able to see where are all these monsters, these Fallens. Then we wouldn¡¯t have to fear that one day our fields would be ravaged, fear for our people our citizens our friends our neighbours our loved ones our fellow men! That bastard had corrupted that power and with it, he committed such atrocity, such affronts to nature! With all of his ghastly experiments, his horrible monstrosities! With it, he granted himself immortality and so, that man continue to be a blight to our utopia!¡±


    Willow hung her head low, her outburst finally over, she turned to Hiro.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that was uncalled for. I wasn¡¯t supposed to vent to you like that. It¡¯s just that¡­ That heretic committed such a sin, but we could do nothing but tolerate him, humour him. Here I am, having to accompany that man here¡±


    Such an outburst, how long had Willow held that frustration. It was as if something snapped in her, overflowing like a volcano. And Hiro didn¡¯t know what to say, all he could do is sit there silently.


    ___


    The brief struggle ended with an axe to the neck. Conrad once again emerged victorious. He looked down at his unmoving opponent with caution. The wound was definitely fatal, but he couldn¡¯t help but be on edge.


    As a vagabond, a soldier without a master, Conrad was always on the move, always drifting. And now, he had found himself in a strange place indeed. He had seen a ghastly wound reverted with just an injection of mystical blood. Who to say his opponent wouldn¡¯t spring right back up as he checked for pulse. No, he couldn¡¯t take any chances.


    With a decisive strike, he cut off the corpse head.


    The severed part rolled to his legs, its face pointing up. Conrad looked down at the empty white mask next to his feet. This is the fourth he had killed so far.


    One was when he first arrived in this strange world. His opponent was skilled and deadly but was no match for the vagabond. Conrad had taken this axe from him and. Not his weapon of choice but his sword was too damaged and eventually broken from the battle with a monster.


    This was a strange weapon, however, the craftmanship looked rather common. And yet, the thing was practically unbreakable. Conrad had been using this too help the townsfolks, whom had taken him in, at the timber yard. After all that work and the edge was still razor sharp.


    Such a plain looking item but its value unparalleled, at least by his standard.


    Perhaps that was why his next three opponents didn¡¯t have any weapon. They roles weren¡¯t to attack, however, but to spy. They had been shadowing a young man who arrived to this world with Conrad. But even then, these masked people were still incredible martial artists and with their enhanced strength, crushing a man head with bare hand was child¡¯s play.


    Conrad left the first spy alone, he intended to follow it later. But then that guy managed to poison the young man, giving him a horrible fever. Lucky for him, the house he was in had quite a miraculous medic.


    That particular spy was easy kill, he was near dead anyway, mortally wounded by a woman with cracked mask. After that, Conrad had sought out and killed every spy after immediately. Even though he was never trained in the way of espionage, life had made him quite a competent tracker.


    Curiously, all three spies looked the same. After killing the second one, Conrad had unearthed the first to compare. They were one person, not twins because their scars were the same. No, they were one person. And now there was the third one.


    Conrad checked the body to find it no different. He then buried it. As he was digging a hole, however, the vagabond could hear the sound of someone sneaking up.


    He turned around in an instant, axe ready in hand.


    Behind him was a bald man in his fifties. He wore a long white coat with a pair of glasses in his front pocket. The old man was holding his hands up, showing no sign of hostility.


    ¡°There is no need for the weapon, I am just someone who wants to say hi. Hi¡±


    ¡°Hi¡±


    Conrad replied, curious about the man words. Not their meaning but the fact that he could understand it. There was also something about this old man, he didn¡¯t look like a local. Was he someone new to this world too? The vagabond had many questions but he remained silent. Nevertheless, he lowered his weapon but still gripped it tightly.


    ¡°Well, you must be wondering what is an old man like me doing in the wood like this. I can see it on your face, ¡®Who is this intriguing person?¡¯, ¡®Why doesn¡¯t this mysterious man not surprised to see me burying a headless corpse?¡¯, ¡®What is in his head?¡¯, ¡®Why is he so devilishly handsome for a person his age¡¯, etcetera etcetera¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I was messing with you there. I mean, you have that helmet on and all, how could I even see your face. Or maybe I could?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh and nice job dealing with that guy. That was a clean cut there, with an axe no less. I mean, I never really chop someone head off, living one at least. So I can¡¯t really tell how hard it is to do that but I figure it is pretty hard¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You see what I did there, I put the ¡®living one at least¡¯ part in deliberately. To build intrigue you know. The truth isn¡¯t anything interesting though, I am just a researcher slash surgeon slash evil genius. Oh, one useful tip here, guys like this, their halos will fall off when they are completely dead¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I have a story about that actually. One time, one of my assistant Frank, Divine blessed him, he is a bit slow and all but genuinely nice and dedicated guy. He makes amazing sweats, that¡¯s actually why I still keep him around. Actually, ever since I hired him, my waistline had been tighter. Maybe I should go on a diet or something¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, one day I was called to help clean up an attack from these guys, messy stuffs. Frank approached a corpse, but the halo is still on. So I yelled ¡®Frank, watch out, that guy is still alive¡¯. Technically not that words for words but you know, kind of like that, in the same vein. Poor guy didn¡¯t realise it in time, however, he got stabbed straight through the chest. Ghastly stuff but lucky for him I was there. So being amazing as usual, I patched poor Frank up, no scar even¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really think of anything to ramble about. The starting joke was a bit too painful to work on. So¡­ you know¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You really a quite fella¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡±


    ¡°After wasting your time with all those verbal diarrhoea, I should be one saying that. What are you even apologising about even?¡±


    ¡°Not interjecting¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fine¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Victor¡±


    ¡°Conrad¡±


    ¡°Need a hand with that?¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    The old man then proceeded to wait until Conrad was finished with disposing the body. When the corpse was deep underground to be worms food, it was already time for lunch. The two returned to town in silent.

 Chapter 12

    2.5


    The youth with red right hand


    Willow was burning up with embarrassment, that outburst of her was certainly out of nowhere and unwarranted. Even her Herald didn¡¯t have anything to say. Was this why she wasn¡¯t allowed to go on the field? The girl couldn¡¯t help but thinking back about how much she had to beg to be on this mission.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Heral¡­ Hiro, I ended up bothering you again¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± The young man handed her his cup ¡°Have some juice, it should help¡±]


    The girl accepted the cup, as she reached out to take it, shards of glass dropped from her palm. Oh right, she did break her own cup. She wanted to clean them up but the Herald was giving her something.


    In the end, Willow ended up accepting the cup first. Before she could put it down, however, Hiro was already on his knees gathering the broken pieces.


    She wanted to help but what to do about this cup in her hands. It took her a while to realise just putting it on the table was actually a valid option. Willow wasn¡¯t the brightest in the shed. The tavern owner also gave her a small bag to put the shards in.


    ¡°Ouch¡±


    Hiro recoiled slightly as a small piece cut into his finger. Not a serious wound by any stretch of the imagination.


    Momo-chan: [And here I thought our skin would be able to handle that puny shard]


    Hiro: {Well, apparently it couldn¡¯t}


    Momo-chan: [Or maybe you have become more thin-skinned, literally]


    Hiro: {Well, that¡¯s what years of working behind the desk would do to you}


    That was the end of it. Momo-chan was going to get sassy with him, what was a better way to defuse that other than just simply accepting the fact.


    But still, his reaction was disproportionate compared to the actual wound, however, which was a problem. To his surprise, it wasn¡¯t Willow who responds. To be more precise, the girl was beaten to the punch by Suiren.


    The woman took his hand in gently and examined it. The shard only drew one drop of blood, nothing more. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t anything serious, she wiped away the red smudge and returned to her position.


    A simple act but it certainly bothered the young man.


    Despite his effort, Suiren¡¯s existence just simply drifted away. Soon he didn¡¯t really register her properly anymore, the woman became just an interactive part of the background, a doll. What just happened had certainly reminded him that she could be autonomous somewhat, of her human quality.


    His disembodied companion, meanwhile, was always self-conscious about her though but he never talked about it.


    ¡°Anyway, back to our main topic¡± Hiro decided to think about something else ¡°You said that there are supposed to be four of us here right¡±


    ¡°Definitely, as much as I despise Victor, that man knows what he is talking about¡±


    ¡°Then how come I didn¡¯t see the other two, perhaps they were chased away by the Fallens?¡±


    ¡°I think so, then maybe they are in hiding, or maybe they aren¡¯t even here at all!¡±


    Talking about the Heralds had certainly raised the girl mood. Hiro did notice that she didn¡¯t state the more obvious choice.


    Stuck in a new world, facing with superhuman pursuers, it was more likely that the other two had perished.


    Did Willow leave that speculation out deliberately or did her innocent mind simply couldn¡¯t draw such a conclusion. Hiro wondered if it is the later, was it truly because out of innocence or blindness.


    He decided to humour her anyway, it was not a bad thing to be positive.


    ¡°But if that is the case, how can we find them? I figure you don¡¯t have any sort of Heralds¡¯ tracker or anything!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately no, but a thing like that would be useful¡± Willow completely missed Hiro joke ¡°We could conscript every citizens here to help us. At least they will help us to comb through this area¡±


    ¡°Wait, conscription¡­ There is no need for that. This place is quite big, even if everyone searches it will take some time. If that is the case, then wouldn¡¯t their works be disrupted¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Herald, there should be plenty of supply. Besides, this would be official state business, the next resupply will surely include a bonus for that¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, while this area is quite huge, most of it are open fields with no place to hide. The only possible place for the others to be is the wood nearby. The workers at the timber yard will no doubt be familiar enough with it to clean through in no time¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡±


    Willow could be quite sharp, noted Hiro. To think about all of this on the spot right after an outburst like that. Or perhaps he had underestimated the girl¡¯s capability. Nevertheless, she was competent and that made him even more uncomfortable about her idolisation of him.


    Anyway, the two had agreed on that. Willow adjusted her language setting back to the local tongue and tapped on her cup.


    ¡°Attention!¡±


    Everyone in the tavern immediately stood up, ready to receive order. Such a sudden response was a surprise, to Hiro and Momo-chan at least. All of them were so childish and energetic, but now, they were brimming with seriousness.


    What the two hadn¡¯t realised was that Willow wasn¡¯t the only zealot around. Every citizen of Eden was always ready to heed the Divines and by extension, state officials.


    ¡°I have a request to all of you. Please, if possible, relay this to all members of this community that aren¡¯t currently present here. As you all have known, strangers are arriving to our world, Hiro here is one of them. These people are the Heralds, called upon by the Divines. Four of them were summoned here near this town but I only know of two. Your mission now is to spread out to every local area and look for the missing Heralds. This takes precedent over any other task, effective immediately¡±


    The Willow who made that declaration looks so foreign. Commanding and cold, her words were somewhat threatening. That side of her soon dropped, however, as she turns to Hiro cheerfully. Talk about jarring.


    ¡°If the others are still here, I¡¯m sure we would be able to find them in no time!¡±


    That became truth sooner than they could have predicted as the tavern owner raised his hand to report.


    ¡°One of them came here even before Hiro in the cover of the night. He asked me to hide him from everyone. I¡¯m sure he is still upstairs this very moment¡±


    A secret he had certainly kept for a while now. But order from the Divines trumped all other priority, including himself. The tavern owner instantly broke his promise with the stranger without fazing at all.


    As soon as the owner finished his report, sounds of window opening can be heard. Hiro could see someone jumped out to the ground. Before he could get away, however, everyone who was in the tavern was already there to cut him off.


    Seated just less than a minute ago, they all mobilised after Willow¡¯s order. Now, united in purpose, the lumberjacks surrounded their target with frightening coordination and efficiency.


    ¡°Huh, so this is a lunatic den after all¡±


    The stranger smirked as he turned around to face Hiro and Willow who just made it there. A youth with curly red hair, his bright blue eyes may be similar to the locals but there was a calculating look to them.


    A long black overcoat hung onto his shoulder, but the shirt and trousers were completely white. Completed with a black bowler hat, black boots and a cheap looking cane, he was nothing but out of place.


    The youth raised his arms and clap slowly, with a smile on his face.


    ¡°You got me there, that was brilliantly done¡±


    ¡°We have no intention of harming you, there was no need to run away like that¡± Said Willow.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for wasting your time like that, Ms, or are you a Mrs?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s the former¡±


    The youth took of his bowler hat and bowed to them slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you then, Ms. Willow. And Mr. Hiro, I presumed?¡±


    His manner was full of artificial friendliness that he didn¡¯t even try to hide. Willow seemed obviously uneasy by that display for good reason. Hiro, on the other hand, found himself caring less about that than he had expected, the young man asked normally.


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine. And you are¡±


    ¡°I am Malcolm Burgess, at your service¡±


    Another line stepped in sarcastic tone, was he trying to provoke them? Nevertheless, Hiro found such an attempt somewhat trivial and childish.


    ¡°Everyone can stand down now¡± The young man said, ¡°As Willow had said, we have no intention of harming you¡±


    Malcolm looked at Hiro, still a child-like smile on his face. His reply, this time, was devoid of sarcasm at least, the voice was actually deeper than he looks.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not concerned about you at all¡±


    ¡°Then why did you run away in the first place¡±


    ¡°About that, you two were about to compromise my position, especially at the time like this¡±


    ¡°Like what exactly?¡±


    For a moment, Malcolm eyes quickly darted around looking for an opening. But all of sudden, he gave up. The youth looked behind them and said calmly.


    ¡°Like when these guys are around¡±


    ___


    Hiro and Willow turned around to find behind them three figures in white masks and halos. It was the man in red, completed with his axe and shield. Next to him is¡­ Suiren! That one was wearing the komon, however.


    Behind them stood the Legionnaire. He didn¡¯t want to go after them this early but time was of the essence. The order was given, and he can¡¯t go against it.


    The von Brandt girl and the defected #2 readied their weapon at once. The civilians were ordered to leave immediately. Or maybe they were ordered to flank him? It was not like he could understand their language. It seemed to be the former, however. ¡®That¡¯s good¡¯, the Legionnaire thought to himself. He despised unnecessary casualties.


    He could see the girl trying to say something to the others. A battle plans? It didn¡¯t matter. The centurion telepathically ordered his new aides to move in.


    On the other side, both the girl and #2 moved their weapons to a more offensive stance.


    This would just be a mild inconvenience.


    Willow let out a war cry and charged forward. One of her hand suddenly parted from the sword and pointed to the ground, however. Soon, sparks flew out her palm. The moment they touched the ground, violent gusts of flame burst out.


    An interesting opener. The Legionnaire ordered his aide to dodge away while he himself rushed forward, shield raised. If they thought fire was enough to deter him, they were sorely wrong.


    The flame dissipated faster than it had appeared and soon there was only smoke. The Legionnaire swung his shield in a wide arc, clearing the area.


    In front of him was no one. So they had decided to retreat instead, all the while pretending to fight head on.


    But they couldn¡¯t run forever, he would find them. The Legionnaire wasn¡¯t the kind to revel in the joy of making his enemies struggle. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t help but feel rather amused by their attempt to delay the inevitable.


    ¡®Let the hunt begins¡¯

 Chapter 13

    2.6


    When the canary sings


    It all happened so fast, Hiro didn¡¯t even have time to compose himself. The masked people arrived out of nowhere, so they made their escape. During the attempt, Malcolm tipped his hat at him and disappeared off somewhere.


    ¡°Herald, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m fine¡± Not really, he forgot the shield that the knight gave him at the tavern. But still, it was not like he would be useful with that anyway ¡°That was pretty impressive, Willow, that fire power of yours¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡± Said Willow, who didn¡¯t look as giddy as he had thought ¡°That was just nothing more than an illusion¡±


    ¡°So there wasn¡¯t any fire?¡±


    ¡°No, what I mean is that it was just an illusion of power. The sparks, the flame I created were powerful but short-lived. After leaving my body, the fire would just wither away¡±


    ¡°Then what about when you set your sword on fire¡±


    During their first meeting, when she attacked Suiren.


    ¡°My sword is created to be an extension of my body, literally. Within this steel blade is my flesh, my veins, my blood running through¡± She held up the cold and gleaming sword, caressing it slightly with a sombre tone ¡°But even then, that flame isn¡¯t particularly strong either. I guess the arcane isn¡¯t my strong suit¡±


    While the girl seemed sad with a hint of frustration, Hiro couldn¡¯t easily get over the ¡®sword made of flesh¡¯ thing. But still, they had more important thing to worry about.


    ¡°I wonder how long will it take for them to find us here¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But no matter what, I will protect you, Herald!¡±


    And Hiro knew that she would, which is worrying. Willow was definitely more proficient than the young man when it came to the art of combat. But it didn¡¯t feel right to have girl, who seemed to be his junior, to protect him like that.


    Hiro: {If I can¡¯t use brawl, I will just use my brain!}


    Momo-chan: [Well, maybe your experiences can think of something. I can¡¯t see a way for us to be useful]


    Hiro: {Now that¡¯s sound rather defeating, you gave up easier than I thought}


    Momo-chan: [I haven¡¯t given up yet! But still, I can¡¯t even think of a lead much less a plan]


    Momo-chan also didn¡¯t like to sit around like this but nothing came to his mind. Hiro, meanwhile, scanned the room and something caught his eyes. It was a heater, the young man didn¡¯t even know what¡¯s important about it but he had a hunch.


    Hiro walked over to open the thing up.


    ¡°Hera¡­ Hiro, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Just looking around. Hmmm, so this thing use coal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in bigger area we normally use arcane heaters but in smaller settlements like this, coal is used instead. This area would even use fish oil sometimes¡±


    Just hearing about that triggered Hiro¡¯s memory of the dreadful smelling lamp. Back to the topic, he looked at the trace of coal left behind. A plan started to form in his mind.


    ¡°Maybe there is something we could try¡±


    ¡°What is it, Hiro?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you but I need all the coal in this house¡±


    Everyone spread out nearly instantly and looked around. Soon enough, Hiro found a big basket full of the thing, but they may not be enough. And in this situation, he didn¡¯t like to settle with a ¡®may¡¯.


    ¡°We will, need more¡±


    ¡°Then I will go to the neighbouring houses to find some¡±


    Willow hopped to the window without any hesitation, Hiro only had enough time to tell her to stop for a bit.


    ¡°What is it, Herald?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ be careful out there¡±


    The girl smiled at him ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be find¡±


    And with just that, Willow was gone. Looking at her like that made him feels so uneasy. The young man ordered Suiren to go with her, getting three or four baskets would be enough. The woman of course went straight away.


    Now, there was still some preparation to be done here. Hiro looked around and luckily, he was able to found the wooden windows covering similar to Owain¡¯s place. There were even hooks on top of the windows to attach them to. The young man took all the coverings and do just that. Hm, for his plan to work, maybe a string would do well.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Hiro went around doing his works as quickly as possible. But still, his mind was occupied by Willow. That girl, she didn¡¯t even question why they need all the coal for. Maybe she already knew that but he highly doubted it.


    It was true, he was a Herald but something was different. Willow didn¡¯t express the same level of zeal when talking about the knight. Or when confronting that Malcolm for that matter, she was downright annoyed by his sarcastic tone.


    Her seemingly unconditional dedication bothered him.


    He would ask her later if they get through this. For now, Hiro continued with his preparation in quiet. If there was no reason, he would work for one, he would earn it with his own effort with the sweat on his brows.


    Just as he finished with on his side, Willow and Suiren returned.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, got five boxes in total¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quick¡± Hiro inspected the goods, all is in order. In retrospect, four was too much and five was rather overkill. That was fine though. Hiro turned to Willow ¡°You have done well¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Herald¡±


    Willow was happy with the compliment, on that front, she was like a child. For some reason, she reminded Hiro of his sister, when she was younger of course. That girl would always seek any sort of appreciation from their mother. The simplest of praise would make her happy for a whole day.


    Well, a praise from mother, never from her own brother. They never talked much back then and now even less. Seeing Willow now like this, Hiro could feel some sort of satisfaction.


    Anyway, there was also someone here whom he didn¡¯t want to ignore either.


    ¡°You too, Suiren, good job¡±


    The compliment wasn¡¯t met by any sort of response. Hiro was a bit down about that but now was not the time. He relayed the rest of the plan to them and the final stage of preparation.


    That didn¡¯t take very long at all. Now all they had to do is a bait.


    ___


    The Legionnaire and his aides walked down the empty street, searching for their targets. It wasn¡¯t an easy task though, they could be anywhere. Splitting up was also useless since the aides couldn¡¯t communicate. Even orders ¡®like knocking on your shield if you spot someone¡¯ didn¡¯t work.


    All these aides could do is fight. Their brainwashing was too thorough.


    He could have chosen a better time to confront them. Maybe even get the drop on his targets but the man decided not to.


    The Archon would soon arrive.


    The Legionnaire was ordered to wait for that. Normally he would comply. But ever since the malfunction he felt like burning. He wanted to hunt them down personally.


    Why though? He didn¡¯t remember himself to be someone that aggressive. Yes, he was a calm, composed centurion, a great fighter but also a brilliant tactician. But now, ever since more faucets of his emotions returned, the man wanted to face them.


    And that became true sooner than he had expected.


    Exiting the alley in front of the Legionnaire was Hiro himself, who immediately retreated into a nearby building.


    That was¡­ easy. Too easy.


    A seasoned warrior, the Legionnaire could easily smell a trap. He had always been a careful man, his mind filled with speculations and counter plans. The strategist in him was finally put to work after so long being dulled by the brainwashing.


    Well, only for a short while then being completely ignored.


    The Legionnaire found himself continued to walk forward. His blood boiling.


    What were they planning? What was their master¡¯s plan? What could they even do? It didn¡¯t matter what they throw at him.


    The Legionnaire welcomed their futile attempt.


    He walked into the building alongside #2, all the windows were boarded up from the inside. At least he still managed to retain enough sense to have one of his aide waited outside.


    The door instantly closed, Suiren was waiting outside on the roof for that. She was faced with #1 but this wouldn¡¯t take long. The opposite windows immediately opened and black dust was thrown inside, filling the air. All of that happened in just a blink of an eye. The windows were closed instantly but not before Willow let out a spark from her finger.


    The place was engulfed in flame and the ensuring explosion shook the quiet town.


    ___


    The concept was simple, coal dust is extremely volatile and prone to explosion. Although how Hiro knew of this he didn¡¯t even remember. That didn¡¯t really matter though.


    The young man peered out the window of the building he dodged in to see a right and proper ruin. Pieces of wood were still falling from the sky ominously. And among the wreckage, he could see movement.


    The pile of rubble busted open as an intimidating figure emerged. It¡¯s the Legionnaire, seemingly unscathed. From the wreckage, he pulled out his shield to reveal the other Suiren, also uninjured.


    ¡°How!¡±


    Willow expressed her surprise, understandable, she didn¡¯t really see what truly transpired.


    Hiro could catch glimpse of it as he poured the coal dust within. The moment the Legionnaire spotted the black substance he immediately dropped to the floor, his shield putted on his subordinate. Since the explosion headed upward, they could avoid most of the impact. All of that took less than a few seconds.


    What a frightening reflex, Hiro couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.


    But the situation had taken a turn for the worse, that was his master plan and it failed miserably. Hiro could see the man in red outside the building, asides from the trauma of the explosion, he was also unharmed.


    Suiren joins his side soon and Hiro¡¯s heart sank as he looks at her. As she was blocking the door, the tremor hit her hard.


    Now, the woman was in tatter, there were blood dripping out her ears and a piece of wood was digging into her left arm. To make matter worse, he didn¡¯t think about that at all. In the heat of the moment, Hiro spent no time fine tuning his haphazard plan at all.


    ¡°Hiro, please stay behind me¡± Said Willow.


    At this point, confrontation seemed inevitable. The girl drew the longsword which was instantly engulfed in flame. As a servant of the Divines, she would slay these heretics, these Fallens.


    Even Suiren, in her condition, readied her naginata for what was to come all by herself. Without order, she would undoubtedly fight till the very bitter end.


    The Legionnaire looked at his target, he felt somewhat amused. That trap, while sloppy was an interesting idea. He didn¡¯t even know what that dust was, but his instinct told him to avoid it anyway. The man felt more pleased about it than he had expected.


    Tch, since when was he so easily pleased with himself. He couldn¡¯t understand.


    Nevertheless, the plan failed and it seemed like his targets were readying for combat. Oh it would be a slaughter alright. But what was the fun in that. The Legionnaire had a vision of home? He saw a coliseum, an arena where people would fight as entertainment.


    Such a frivolous activity but the maybe the timing of this vision held some sort of meaning. Maybe he would humour it then.


    Hiro saw the Legionnaire stood up straight and¡­ slammed his shield into the floor, enough to hold it into the ground. Such strength! Afterward, the man sheathed his gladius and looked on.


    His aides looked at their captain then turned to their targets and charged.


    Willow let out a war cry and along with Suiren, clashed with their attackers.


    Hiro and the Legionnaire still stood there but the implication was different. For the captain, he was simply watching a show, how this would unfold. He was simply giving them a fighting chance.


    For the young man, however, it was a sign of shame. He could do nothing asides from hiding behind a girl his junior and a brainwashed woman.

 Chapter 14

    2.7


    ¨©nfirmus


    It was almost surreal, seeing Suiren squaring off against herself. But Hiro wasn¡¯t really much occupied about that. He was more concerned about being an absolute waste of space in this very situation.


    With the monster, at least it was clumsy enough for him to dodge in between the buildings. But with these guy, jumping in meant that he would only hinder the actual fighters and not to mention, probably parting his head from its original position. So, there was only one thing left to do.


    ¡°Go! You can do it!¡± That¡¯s right, cheering them on like it was sport day.


    That actually helped Willow to be more spirited. But it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was hopelessly outmatched. Her opponent, a savage looking man, was surprisingly careful.


    Hunching down with his shield in front. The round shield seemed so small compared to his huge frame and yet she couldn¡¯t get a single hit in. She even had to extinguished her own flame which only blocked her vision in this case.


    ¡®There must be a way to crack this guy open¡¯


    Willow thought to herself. Taunting, distraction or even intimidation tactic had no effect on this mindless killing machine. Her Herald had tried all of those already to no avail.


    ¡®Then I must best him with my own skill!¡¯


    The girl remembered her father, the greatest swordsman of the whole continent. Unlike many of her sisters which chose different vocations, Willow picked up a longsword. She was trained directly under him, the great Gottfried von Brandt, losing here would just mean tainting his name.


    And so Willow continued to push forward, determined to break through her opponent¡¯s defence.


    ¡®There it is!¡¯


    In an effort to guard his sword arm, the man in red had left his shoulder rather open. Attacking now would be foolish, however, and so Willow raised the sword up high and cut down at the man right shoulder.


    It was a feint, however, and he had fallen for it. Seeing that, Willow decided to use her trump card, one she wanted to save.


    While her use of the arcane primitive, she could concentrate the mana within her own body, turning it to pure liquid energy. That was then transferred through her blood, making her veins glowed red.


    As the surge of power ran to her brain, Willow could see the world around slow to nearly a crawl. The girl deliberately missed her swing and immediately strike upward to the stomach with inhuman speed. Her arms felt like tearing itself apart but Willow committed to the swing, knowing that there was no way the man could swing his shield fast enough to block it.


    Or so she thought¡­


    The man in red dodged to the side while swinging his round shield down at the same time. It allowed him to react in time to the devastating strike.


    Furthermore, while Willow strength was greatly amplified at this moment her swing was still from an awkward angle which weakened the slash considerably. Knowing this, the defensive man finally made his first offensive move.


    He smashed the shield against Willow¡¯s blade, parrying the blow. All the while his axe was swung for the first time straight to the girl soft neck.


    Willow messed up and she could do nothing but see the deadly blow being delivered toward her. She would die, on her first real combat experience.


    But fate would not allow it, or more like her Herald wouldn¡¯t stand for it.


    Willow could feel Hiro¡¯s arms around her as he pulled her back while shield the girl with his own flesh. The axe dug through his left arm, nearly severing it. The instant pain was almost unbearable but the young man was already expecting it.


    With a thud, Hiro fell to the ground, still holding onto a stunned Willow.


    The man in red immediately leapt at them, even before Hiro¡¯s backside touched the ground. The young man looked up to see a sight most surreal.


    The man was stopped, a blade going through his throat suspending him mid-air.


    Blood spurted out of his lethal wound, spilling onto Willow and Hiro¡¯s arms which were still wrapped around her.


    The man body was moved to the side to reveal Suiren holding him up with her naginata. The woman threw him to side like discarding a toy, still gurgling and struggling. He held onto his wound, but it was no use. Convulsing for the last time, the man in red lied there, his life forfeited.


    Behind Suiren was the other her, missing one arm. The lovely komon stained with red blood.


    Even with a limb missing, the aide still charged forward, swinging her naginata. Suiren duck to avoid it effortlessly, striking back with her own polearm. A brutal slash parting the aide of her own right leg right under the knee.


    The aide fell to her knees, well only her left knee to be precise. She leaned on her naginata, trying to stand back up again. The woman stopped, however, as a blade was placed right under her chin.


    Suiren motioned the defenceless woman¡¯s head up to face her for a few moments. She then cut deep into aide¡¯s lovely neck, slowly inch by inch. #2 fell to the ground, she tried to hold onto the wound but Suiren stabbed her hand with the naginata, pinning it to the ground. The aide bled out on the ground after a great deal of struggling.


    Hiro: {¡­} Momo-chan: [¡­]Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Even in his mind, Hiro was speechless. In front of him there was no trace of the gentle Suiren he had come to know.


    Suspending that man mid-air, slitting the other her throat like that. All of them were unnecessary and all of them were executed with a strange delay. It was as if to savour the wound, to see her opponents struggling.


    The Suiren here and now still moved about gracefully, that was ingrained in her. But underneath all that grace was a level of sadism Hiro had only seen once before.


    But second was still second, and this time he was not on the receiving end of such brutality. The young man was mostly shocked because it was Suiren who did it. Nevertheless, he recovered much faster than Momo-chan.


    Willow, on the other hand, was completely out of breath. Not only did she just escape a near dead situation the girl was immediately confronted by such a scene.


    ¡®No, I must not be fazed. I am a soldier, a knight, I must not be fazed by this¡¯


    She tried to reassure herself but her erratic breathing still showed no sign of calming down. Suddenly, the bloodstained Suiren turned around and walked straight toward her. The cracked white mask and bright soft skin contrast greatly with the garish red.


    Willow panicked, she wanted to run away but can¡¯t, something was holding her back.


    ¡°No no no no no¡­.¡±


    The girl mumbled as Suiren kneeled right in front of her. The woman reached out and Willow closed her eyes shut, waiting for something she didn¡¯t even know. But that never came.


    The girl looked again to see the woman holding onto a nearly severed arm wrapped around her. The blood from that gaping wound stained her leather jacket, Willow could even see bones jutting out. Yet, there was no pain, the limb was also unarmoured.


    It took the girl a while to realise who did that arm belong to.


    ¡°Hiro! Your¡­ you¡¯re arm¡­¡±


    The young man placed his right hand on her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will be fine¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡±


    Willow couldn¡¯t even mutter a single word. What was she doing, letting the Herald protecting her like that. Such a ghastly wound, meanwhile, the great Willow von Brandt was still unscathed. The girl couldn¡¯t even move, she channelled too much mana so now her body was a wreck. She was rendered useless before even landing a single attack.


    Anger, sadness, regret, frustration, Willow could feel her tears welling up.


    ¡°I¡­ in the end¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡±


    Hiro patted the crying girl ¡°There, there¡± That¡¯s all he could think of to say.


    Meanwhile, Suiren seemed to be trying to find a way to bandage his wound. She considered ripping part of her shirt but it was drenched with blood and sweat. Suddenly, the woman could see a man coming up behind Hiro. She immediately pointed her weapon at his throat.


    ¡°Woah, calm down, miss. I am just here to help¡±


    It was Malcolm, holding onto a roll of clean bandage. Suiren reached out to take it but the youth retracted his hand.


    ¡°Nah, let me handle this. You go worry about that big guy over there¡±


    His line fell flat, however, as Suiren didn¡¯t register any of his words at all. In the end, Hiro had to tell her again. She turned around to look at the Legionnaire, still standing there watching them.


    Malcolm st down next to Hiro.


    ¡°Come on, you can stop copping for a feel now¡±


    The young man looked down to see that his left arm had been resting upon Willow¡¯s chest for quite a while now. Of course, with all that pain and her hard leather jacket, there wasn¡¯t much to feel. Still, Hiro tried to remove his arm in embarrassment.


    ¡°Ah, sorry¡±


    Willow didn¡¯t reply though, at least she had stopped crying. Malcolm turned to her next.


    ¡°You should at least be able to remove yourself from this gentleman here or is that too hard¡±


    ¡°Oi, that was unnecessary!¡±


    Hiro instantly replied to her defence. Willow herself tried to sit to the side without much complain. What that guy said hit her hard and she could do nothing but swallow that. The girl could barely move properly, she couldn¡¯t even help to bandage her dear Herald.


    Malcolm also brought some alcohol to pour over the wound. He then proceeded to bandage it carefully.


    Hiro: {He has¡­ as surprisingly soft touch¡­}


    Momo-chan: [And that wrapping is too neat!]


    Hiro: {Just like a girl¡­}[Just like a girl]


    The youth seemed to sense what Hiro was thinking about. After he finished with the bandaging, he slapped it once.


    ¡°All done¡±


    That hurt! Hiro thought to himself, it was a bit sudden but at least he managed to keep his cool. With his wound secured, the young man focused his attention to their final masked assailant.


    The masked man looked over them once again before approaching with a brisk pace. He gave them¡­ a very slow clap.


    ___


    Now that was quite a display, especially from the old #2. It was a shame he didn¡¯t get to see her against #1. On the other hand, she completely decimated her replacement. Not wearing that idiotic dress was probably one of the reason.


    Just one though.


    While she still hadn¡¯t regained the ability to think a certain level of agency had returned. But more than that, she could now express herself to a certain degree just like a captain.


    An aide couldn¡¯t have any sort of emotion at all and that was useful. They were focused, couldn¡¯t be distracted but it also meant none of them had any drive. All of their actions boiled down to pure technical and fighting wasn¡¯t all that.


    #2 always moved with grace but there was no intention. The corrupted her now showed such care, such gentleness but also such violence. The later even the Legionnaire didn¡¯t expect.


    But now that he was aware of that, facing her somehow felt even more thrilling. The captain drew his gladius, readied for combat. In front of him, the corrupted #2 held up her naginata in return.


    Something was missing though.


    He was somehow not satisfied about this arrangement; the Legionnaire looked up to think for a bit. A thought popped to his mind but he dismissed it.


    ¡®No, I have nothing to prove¡¯


    He told himself but once again, that thought returned. In him was a strange feeling of dissatisfaction¡­ with himself. From his memory wasn¡¯t he a great centurion, his skill unmatched, his strategic skill sublime.


    And yet that feeling still lingered.


    ¡®Fine, I will humour you¡¯


    ___


    Hiro saw the masked man suddenly stopped in his track to look at the sky. What was he doing the young man didn¡¯t understand.


    It lasted only a few moments; the man looked at them and held his sword up. Suiren remained still, ready for any incoming attack. Malcolm was now standing, hunching, ready to react. Hiro was also on his knees, prepared to shield Willow if necessary.


    The Legionnaire kept his sword in the air a bit for effect. He then swung down with all his might, throwing the gladius straight to ground.


    With that done, he approached Suiren, crackling his knuckles.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Before Hiro could say anything else, the captain charged with supernatural speed. He threw out a flurry of punches, all of which Suiren back dodged with ease. She of course threw out a few counter stabs of her own. All of her attack was rather reserved, however, seeing that he could potentially grab the polearm.


    ¡°This is bad. Maybe I should just have bolted after all¡± Commented Malcolm.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I expect you can at least recall the night the monster attacked¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yes¡± Of course Hiro still remembered, but for Malcolm to mention that.


    ¡°That masked guy, he was the one who threw that spear¡±


    Hearing that made Hiro heart drops. He turned to Suiren who was being pushed back. He had to help her, somehow. The young man was held back by Malcolm before he could do anything reckless.


    ¡°Let me go, she needs help!¡±


    ¡°And you are going to contribute how, jumping into his punch?¡±


    Hiro was easily overpowered despite Malcolm being his junior. He could only watch as the Legionnaire eventually managed to grab onto Suiren¡¯s naginata. What happened next played out in just a span of seconds.


    The captain yanked the polearm toward him before smashing the bottom against the woman right thigh. With a dry crack, Suiren¡¯s leg folded slightly in the wrong direction.


    The Legionnaire then swung the weapon up, its blade still pointed toward him. The wooden pole clashed with the woman¡¯s chest and there was another dry crack as she was sent flying through the air. He spun the naginata around and threw it with thunderous strength.


    It pierced through the air, digging through Suiren, sending her through an entire wall of a building before pinning her to the one behind it.

 Chapter 15

    2.8


    A futile struggle


    ¡°Please look after her¡±


    Hiro beckoned, leaving Willow to Malcolm¡¯ care as he rushed toward his fallen ally. When he arrived, the woman was already on her feet. The polearm still there going through her body. She pulled it out with no hesitation.


    Suiren would keep on going.


    With one leg completely broken, the woman continued forward with the help of her bloodied naginata. Even some shattered ribs and a punctured stomach weren¡¯t going to stop her.


    ¡°Stop it, Suiren. You can stop now!¡± [Stop it, Suiren. You can stop now!]


    Hiro called out but she ignored him. Was it out of her own will or maybe her ears were already busted by the explosion. There was no way to tell but Hiro wasn¡¯t going to let that stopped him.


    Standing in front of Suiren, the young man tried his best to convey what he wanted to say. Waving, signalling, shouting, none seemed to work. She just kept on going like a mindless zombie.


    Desperate, the young man tackled her to the ground. He tried to hold back the bloodthirsty woman.


    ¡°You are going to die!¡± [You are going to die]


    Suiren grabbed his arms, trying to push Hiro away. Even in this state, she was still stronger than him. The young man could only beg.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go¡± [Please don¡¯t go]


    Both of them didn¡¯t want her to die, in this instant, Hiro and his disembodied voice was one and the same. In their mind was that one memory of a small boy, crying in a corner, neglected and unloved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡± [Don¡¯t leave me]


    Twenty-two years he had spent living. During all those years, no one had ever shown him such care, such tenderness. Even if it just a falsehood, Hiro was not going to let it go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡± [Don¡¯t leave me]


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡± [Don¡¯t leave me]


    Hiro dug into her chest and held her tight. His eyes blurred with tears, but he wouldn¡¯t let go of this warmth. He kept on muttering to himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡± [Don¡¯t leave me]


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡± [Don¡¯t leave me]


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me like all of them, like mom, like dad, like her!¡± [¡­!]


    Suddenly, he could feel something warm. Suiren was patting him gently, she had now stop struggling. The woman could hear all along, one of her ear wasn¡¯t out of commission just yet. And so she had heard his voice. It reminded her of someone whom she couldn¡¯t remember, a child of her own?


    It was not Hiro of course but he didn¡¯t know nor care.


    For once, someone had heard his cry, him calling out. Hiro putted his hand to the floor to prop himself up but fell immediately. Overjoyed, he had used his left arm which was nearly hacked in half earlier.


    He fell onto her, trying to not to scream out in pain to no avail. Before a sound could leave his mouth, however, Hiro found himself smothered by Suiren¡¯s bosom as she held him tight. In this very moment, nothing mattered anymore, the young man could feel no pain.


    And so they lied there, two bloodied mess clinging to one another.


    ¡°What in world are they doing¡±


    Commented Malcolm looking at the two. He could have bolted and got quite far. But no, he had decided to stay, and this was what he get, real life soap drama.


    Technically the youth did have another chance to highway out of here. Hiro had left him to look after Willow who was trying to get back up to join the fight. She would be horribly trashed in her condition, but the girl would make a good decoy.


    But no, looking at that broken mess had somehow awaken the gentleman within him. Something Malcolm didn¡¯t even know he has.


    And so he put his coat onto her and faced the roid up Roman with his puny knife.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Malcolm was always light on his feet, that was what separate him from most of the thugs of London in a fight. Dodge this punch, dodge that hook, a stab here and a stab there. With his speed and instinct, taking out three or even five dunces at a time was no problem.


    And with that, he faced the captain. Couldn¡¯t get a single hit in but didn¡¯t get a punch to the face either. It felt like a dance as they weaved through each other blow, quite romantic really.


    That was until he got body-slammed into a wall. It was a very awkward angle, so Malcolm didn¡¯t expect it but with the captain enhanced strength, that was enough. At least he lasted quite long, even longer than Suiren. The gentleman in him said not to compare himself with a lady like her but Malcom didn¡¯t care, that was quite an achievement.


    ¡°Oh well, serve me right¡±


    The young man said as he looked at himself as beaten up as the other. Well, maybe not Willow, she kind of did that to herself mostly.


    ¡°Are you two done over there!¡±


    Malcolm called out, his ribs were busted but somehow, he could still yell. Such a miracle! It would be even better if he could come out of this not a cripple, or dead even! But was it a fate for him, would Malcolm Burgess let himself went down like this.


    ¡°Oi Hiro! You can stop snuggling onto that lass now¡±


    The call awakened the young man from his moment of bliss to face with the reality right in front of him. And that reality was a huge supernatural Roman warrior who was out for his blood, the young and mundane young man blood.


    He stood up once again, using his right arm this time to face his enemy, But what could he do, Hiro didn¡¯t know but he wasn¡¯t going out without a struggle no matter how pathetic it may be. He picked up the naginata clumsily and tried to familiarise himself with it. At least his foe seemed to have the decency to wait just to see what this broken mess would come up with.


    Hiro: {This isn¡¯t good}


    The weapon was too long and unwieldy especially since he could only use his right arm. Nevertheless, Hiro charged at the captain anyway with a semblance of a plan in his mind, one that Suiren had provided him.


    But that required him to actually touch the Roman and how to do that is a mystery indeed.


    Well, one that was solved in quite a surprising turn. With monstrous effort, Malcolm got himself moving again. With his chest a broken mess, every breath he took was like a knife twisting his lungs. But even under all that pain, he still remained stealthy.


    The youth sneaked up to the Roman and drove his knife into the man¡¯s neck. Well, that was the plan. The Legionnaire tilted his head to the side, dodging the attack as he grabbed Malcolm arms and threw him over his shoulder. As he flied past Hiro, the youth can¡¯t help but be impressed.


    ¡®What a monster¡¯ That¡¯s all he could muster, Malcolm was completely spent. Everything rested on Hiro now, that means ¡®We are all doom I guess¡¯


    The young man was thankful for the distraction as he swung the weapon at the Legionnaire. A sloppy attack indeed but that was not the focus here. Hiro let go of the shaft and extended his arm to the Roman¡¯s face.


    The Legionnaire could clearly see it coming of course, and yet he let it flew anyway, wanting to see what can the young man do. Which was quite a lot.


    The moment Hiro¡¯s right hand touched the white mask, a sharp pain run all the way back up to his brain. The Legionnaire could also feel it intensifying as memories flooded to his mind. All his past glory flashed in front of the man mind. The pain kept on getting worse but the captain endured it all. He wanted to see it.


    Everything ended at an image, however, of the Coliseum.


    The Legionnaire was part of the audience as he watched a gladiator fought on. The lions and other wild beats were released, but the warrior bested them silently. Then came the other fighters, all eager to fight the man. The gladiator danced between the rains of blows, dealing out lethal counterattacks one after another. But there was no end to the slaughter as more and more fighters were sent to the slaughter.


    ¡®What is this, why is this even fair¡­¡¯


    A lucky slash found its mark as the gladiator suffered his first injury. More wass soon to come as the fighters moved in like sharks. As the crowd cheered on the Legionnaire could feel his heart tighten. He could feel someone gripping his small hand, a woman who shared his pain, his mother.


    No, he couldn¡¯t bear to watch this again! Father¡­


    With an outburst, the Legionnaire rejected Hiro¡¯s influence. Electric sparks burst out of the white mask as the young man was sent flying. The captain fell to his knees, his mask cracked.


    He stood up to find ashes drifting away. It was his halo, disintegrating into nothingness.


    ¡°He did it¡­ The Herald did it again¡­¡±


    Willow couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Did her Herald manage to convert another Fallen? She didn¡¯t even know. She looked on as the Legionnaire faced up to the sky in contemplation. After a moment, he walked toward Hiro and grabbed him by the neck, choking the young man.


    ¡°No!¡±


    The girl gritted her teeth, trying to stand up again but she couldn¡¯t. Why! Even after being reduced to such a mess, the Herald could still go on. Even Malcolm could muster such a display of sheer willpower.


    ¡°Darn it!¡±


    She tried to get up again only to find a black smoke coming up behind her. Before Willow could react, the thing came together to form a man who immediately sat her down again.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t push yourself like that, little princess¡±


    Victor voiced his concern with such a genuine tone. But just looking at the heretic made her blood boils.


    ¡°Let¡¯s me go! The Herald, Hiro, he needs my help¡±


    ¡°Your help? Hardly¡±


    The old man looked up, diverting her attention to someone walking up to the Roman. It was the man in armour that she had heard of. But what difference could he even make.


    ¡°He could try¡± Said Victor who could read her like an open book ¡°And if he fails then I will make an excellent meat shield for you, princess¡±


    The old man grabbed her sword and threw it to the man in armour.


    ¡°Hey Conrad, I believe you are more familiar with this than that measly axe of your¡±


    The man grabbed the weapon and after a while, muttered a single word ¡°Thanks¡±


    ¡°I cheer for you, buddy! Go wipe the floor with that guy already!¡±


    The Legionnaire dropped Hiro back to the floor and turned around to face his new opponent. It was time to get serious. His sword and shield flew to the air into the captain¡¯s hands, how he didn¡¯t care. He had been waiting for this.


    Conrad placed his right hand, still holding onto the sword, on his left shoulder for a few moments. He then readied his weapon.

 Chapter 16

    2.9


    The brightest flame


    ¡®It hurts! Oh it hurts so bad!¡¯


    Hiro clutched his head which was bursting open inside out. Even so, he tried to look at what was happening. From the distance, he could see someone familiar. It was Caron, who has her medical bag with her.


    The woman was shocked by what she comes across. Two building demolished, people lying around, broken. She could hear Victor, calling out to her.


    ¡°Lewis, it¡¯s been a while!¡±


    She immediately rushed to his side, awaiting further instruction.


    ¡°Oh wait, you are a Pryce now, I forgot. Silly me¡±


    ¡°Teach, what do I need to do¡±


    ¡°Always straight to the point huh. Wait a bit¡±


    The moment he finished his sentence, Victor disintegrated into black smoke which swept through the battlefield. It engulfed all the injured, Hiro, Malcolm and Suiren and dragged them back with great speed but surprising care.


    When the young man was brought back to Willow¡¯s side, Victor had reformed himself again.


    ¡°Pryce, tends to the princess, I will handle these three¡±


    Hiro: {Princess?} Momo-chan: [Princess?]


    ¡°But, my measly blood won¡¯t be able to heal her!¡±


    ¡°You were my brightest student, do what you have to. I grant you permission to¡±


    Accepting that, Caron raised her right hand and looked at it intensely. The body part soon turned into black smoke, going into Willow¡¯s body.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl¡±


    Victor turned back to them removing his gloves. In both of his palms were a smiley face formed by¡­ nails, numerous nails! His hands then also disintegrated into smoke, entering Malcolm and Suiren. The youth was rather disturbed by what was going on but being a big boy, he raised no query.


    Smoke came out of their wound, healing them at an astounding rate. Soon there were no sign of injury on them anymore.


    This was only amazing on the outside though, Victor simply healed the more pressing wounds and closed them to prevent blood loss. Other internal injuries he would dealt with later, there was another patient here that requires more attention.


    The doctor turned to Hiro and put his hand on the young man head. Black smoke seeped out of his fingers into the young man brain, easing the pain to a more bearable level.


    Having regained a tiny bit of strength, Hiro immediately turned to the knight. The young man noticed something, Conrad¡¯s stance was similar to the one Willow used with only a few minor differences. Conrad huh, this was the first time he had heard the man name.


    Strangely enough, the battle hadn¡¯t started yet. The two opponents waited for the other to make the first move.


    That person would be the Legionnaire who doled out a crushing blow. In that instance, the normally slow and quiet Conrad suddenly sprung to life. He dodged the attack by just a less than an inch. There was no counter though, the man simply retreated back to neutral.


    ¡®Is he testing me?¡¯


    The Legionnaire thought to himself. He then threw out a flurry of slashes, full of openings.


    Even so, Conrad kept dodging them all by a tiny margin every time. In the end, he once again dashed back into neutral.


    ¡°What is he doing? There is so many openings for any counterattack?¡±


    Questioned Willow, who was confused by the man action.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you were the first to be out¡± Malcolm said mockingly.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ what does that even mean!¡±


    ¡°You truly think a guy like that would make so many mistakes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Victor stood between the two ¡°Now, now, this isn¡¯t time to argue. Please pardon the princess, she is still lacking in experience¡± He had finished treating Hiro¡¯s headache, the young man was propped up to see what was going on.


    There was something he didn¡¯t understand though. The halo gone, how come the Roman was still fighting them.


    Meanwhile, the Legionnaire continued to push forward. Conrad had seen through his ruse. Despite showing so many openings, his enhanced strength allowed the captain to recover before any sort of counterattack could be dealt. But still, his opponent couldn¡¯t just fall back forever.


    His stamina endless, the Legionnaire dealt out blows after blows, each strong enough to sever a man in half even with his short sword. Until finally, he could see glimmer of steel. Conrad finally attacked back, stabbing him with his long sword. The Legionnaire grinned and swung his shield around to counter it only to find¡­ nothing. It was a feint and the tip of the long sword was near his left elbow, one of his unarmoured part.


    The Legionnaire reacted in an instant, swinging his shield while moving back at the same time. He had hoped that would result in a parry but no, that attack was a feint as well. Conrad once again retreated back to neutral.


    On the outside, the brief exchange seemed to be purposeless.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But for Conrad, who was facing an overwhelming opponent, it was a valuable source of information. The Legionnaire had deliberately used his shield for defensive purpose only. But back then, he swung that giant thing as effortlessly and with as much skill as his short sword.


    That was his trick, luring the enemy in then destroyed them with his scutum.


    The Legionnaire charged forward and to his surprise, Conrad did the same. The man swung his long sword only to whiff it at the last moment. Before the captain could see that he only used one hand Conrad is already reaching his neck with the axe on his left hand.


    ¡®This is over¡¯


    Too bad, despite trying to hide it, the Legionnaire could see the man secretly reaching for the axe. The captain parried the attack with his shield, the force of that would unstable his opponent enough for a kill. The moment the scutum touched the axe, it flew of Conrad hand. He had let it go at the final moment possible.


    And now it was the Legionnaire who was in the open from the parry attempt.


    Conrad gripped the sword with his two hands and thrusted it straight to the captain¡¯s throat. Sparks fly as the Legionnaire jumps back into neutral.


    ¡°What happened there!¡±


    That was supposed to be the killing blow! Willow couldn¡¯t see how that didn¡¯t work. Hiro was even worse, he couldn¡¯t really follow anything at all, the young man could only watch in silent.


    Malcolm could though but he can¡¯t be asked to share. At that instant, the Roman lowered his head enough to catch the blade between his mask and chest armour. Was that kind of reflex even possible, the youth thought to himself.


    ¡°This place is certainly full of monsters¡± He mused out loud then turned to Willow ¡°Then there is you¡±


    The girl could do nothing about that remark but stayed silent in frustration.


    Conrad, meanwhile, was in a bind. That was his last resort of sort. A normal fight didn¡¯t last this long, a few exchanges were enough and in his case, usually only one was needed. But the Legionnaire was undoubtedly the best swordsman he ever clashed with, and he had fought many throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Then there was the superhuman strength.


    He only had his rondel dagger left, that would have to make do.


    The vagabond extended his finger and pressed it onto the dull part above the cross guard of his sword, the ricasso. His left hand let go of the hilt to grab the middle of the blade instead. If this didn¡¯t work only death await.


    Hiro was of course, baffled by this ¡°Is he, grabbing the sword¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s half-sword, you grab the blade for more leverage. It¡¯s a technique I was also taught¡±


    Willow explained immediately. But still, she couldn¡¯t see why Conrad would do that. The Legionnaire was especially deadly at close quarter, his short sword and shield would mince anyone to pieces. Before, Conrad could let some stab in due to the range of the long sword. But now he seemed to sacrifice that for what?


    The vagabond even initiated the exchange this time.


    The Legionnaire was also baffled by this. Had that man finally decided to die? No, the captain discarded that thought. Someone that formidable wouldn¡¯t just do something like this with no plan of sort.


    And so, the two clashed again in what seems like a blink of an eye.


    Conrad thrusted his sword forward, a straightforward attack. The captain waited for a feint of sort and it arrived, different from what he had expected. The vagabond released the hand on top of the cross guard and swung the sword backward at his opponent. His left hand slid up to hold the top of the blade.


    The cross guard went straight behind the Legionnaire neck and with that, Conrad yanked the sword toward him, hooking the captain forward.


    A surprise attack, but the Legionnaire could see what would come next. Conrad right hand now had the dagger, ready to stab his unstable opponent. But alas, the captain had kept an eye on that for a long time now.


    He swung his shield toward that hitting Conrad hand. A dry crack could be heard as the dagger fell the ground. The scutum kept on moving though, colliding into the man body.


    The Legionnaire could feel an energy surge as the battle came to an end, he had won. But as he looked straight the vagabond¡¯s eyes, the captain realised he was wrong. Conrad dodged straight into the Legionnaire body while still hooking onto the man. He pushed his sword forward, grinding the captain throat along the steel blade.


    The force of the shield hit Conrad away, his right hand crushed, his ribs broken.


    Nevertheless, he landed on his feet just in time to see blood spill from his opponent¡¯s throat.


    All the spectators were baffled, they couldn¡¯t see what had actually gone down in that instantaneous exchange.


    The Legionnaire clutched his wound, he could feel the blood draining out of him. Even in this final moment, his mind was still thinking about what went wrong. If he had thought of that, would the knife be the thing to reach his throat instead? No he did nothing wrong, the vagabond was simply better. For him to dodge into the shield like that¡­


    The captain was starting to feel numbness as his life faded away. He had been bested. For a warrior without a country to fight for, this was a good death. And yet, the Legionnaire was still restless. That desire inside him still burned, the desire to prove himself. But for what, he didn¡¯t even know.


    In his mind was an image of water, and in the reflection, he could see someone.


    Could it be, with the last of his strength, the Legionnaire removed his gauntlets. He then looked at his arms. Still so muscular but something was different from his memory of glory. The captain gazed at his palms, his fingers to find them old and wrinkled.


    The image in his mind cleared to reveal what was in the reflection, a sad old man.


    Someone way past his prime, whose usefulness had run dry. A mighty centurion, once, he never cared to learn about politics or economics. So when his fighting days were over, the Legionnaire retired to a valued position but could do nothing but watch as the world passed him by.


    A sad old man who donned his old armour, who could do nothing but reminiscing.


    His mind was then bombarded with memories. All the deeds of the past, the countless battles replaced with days and months and years of nothingness. Now everything was so heavy. The captain dropped his shield. But he couldn¡¯t seem to let go of his sword.


    The Legionnaire wanted to scream out but his throat is cut, his face bonded. No, he wouldn¡¯t go out like this! He wouldn¡¯t go out with this sad realisation!


    ¡®To die while revelling in despair like this is unacceptable¡¯


    The mighty centurion stood up tall and let out a muffled scream of determination.


    ¡°How!¡± None of the spectators could understand.


    ¡°Every captain is granted superhuman strength and to a degree, regeneration ability. He is corrupted, however, and that let him to push his body even further¡± Victor theorised, that would explain the story the townsfolks told him about a spear that pierced the beast ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s why this particular captain is stronger and faster than any I have encountered. Nevertheless, leave him be. That body is spent, he will go down soon¡±


    That last part was directed toward Conrad, who was standing still.


    The Legionnaire could feel such power, but it was one he knew would soon be gone. Death had it grips on him and wouldn¡¯t let go. It was suffocating. The centurion ripped his armour open, tearing the leather strips holding the thing together.


    The vagabond looked at him and slowly reached up to remove his helmet.


    This was the first time Hiro, or anyone here had ever seen his face. The man had messy blond hair that was tied at the back. He looked in his thirties but the man¡¯s eyes were so weary.


    Conrad placed his broken right hand on his left shoulder for a few moments. He then readed his weapon, ready for engagement once again. Ignoring Victor¡¯s suggestion. The two clashed for the last time.


    The Legionnaire could feel the blade cutting into him. Even with one hand, Conrad was still a formidable opponent. The centurion attacked back rapidly, each blow faster and stronger than the last. None of his hits could connect. Meanwhile, the vagabond, more aggressive than ever, continued to cut him up.


    The two continued their intense exchange until, finally, the Legionnaire dropped to his knees.


    He was too injured, filled with cuts, his body completely spent. Still, the centurion found himself lucky. To be able to cross blades with someone like this was a better end than what he could ever hope for.


    ¡®So, this is the end¡¯


    Conrad placed his right hand on his left shoulder. The Legionnaire head tilted down and he remained there quietly, still clutching his sword.

 Chapter 17

    3.1


    Hello world


    Everything was covered in deep darkness, impossible to make out anything at all. In that void, Hiro kept on wandering aimlessly, searching for something. Suddenly, he could feel warmth, which soon turned into a burning heat. The young man screamed out in pain but he could hear nothing. Hiro collapsed as his body melted away.


    ¡°What the!¡±


    The young man sat up to find himself back in Owain¡¯s place. It was just a strange nightmare. He looked around the room which was still empty except for Suiren sitting there next to him.


    Hiro could remember the battle, after that, he just fainted until now.


    Just as he managed to clear his mind, a man entered the room. It was the doctor who arrived in the middle of that fight, Victor the Heretic. For some reason, the young man felt like the timing for this entrance was no coincident.


    ¡°I see that you are awake¡±


    ¡°Yes, just right now¡±


    The doctor brought another chair in with him.


    ¡°Do you mind if I sit here for a bit?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡± Victor did just that, sat down next to the bed.


    Hiro continued to observe the doctor. He seemed to be a normal person, and yet there was this uneasy feeling. Perhaps because of Willow¡¯s scathing description of the old man. That or Hiro was just being paranoid about ¡®doctors¡¯.


    Victor looked straight into the young man eyes with concern.


    ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking and for patching me and Suiren up as well¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a polite young man¡± Victor smiled with no hint of malice ¡°No problem, it is my job after all. I am glad to see you back up and about.


    Victor looked over him one more time, searching for anything out of the ordinary. There seemed to be nothing outwardly worrying. The doctor was satisfied with that.


    ¡°Anyway, I want to talk to you about something. If it makes you uncomfortable, I will stop. Is that alright with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, if anything is disturbing, I will make sure you know of it¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one question really. When I was trying to fix your headache, I found something. Signs of abnormal activities, another brain wave, tapping into your memory bank but different. Another personality, if that make sense?¡±


    Momo-chan: [Wait, is he talking about me?]


    Hiro: {I believe so}


    Momo-chan: [But how could he now, I mean, would a brain scan show something like that?]


    Hiro: {No, it wouldn¡¯t but we don¡¯t know what the people here are capable of. What if he actually found out about you}


    Momo-chan: [That, or maybe you have a brain tumour]


    Hiro: {I certainly hope it is the former¡­ So?}


    Momo-chan: [So what?]


    Hiro: {So, do you mind me telling him about you or not?}


    The question warranted some thinking. On one hand, this was such a strange situation that any explanation would be welcomed. On the other hand, Hiro was not sure he wanted to divulge about Momo-chan to someone whose titled ¡®the Heretic¡¯.


    Momo-chan: [Well, I don¡¯t mind. I mean, he doesn¡¯t seem to be a bad guy¡­ For someone who is called ¡®the Heretic¡¯ at least]


    So that was a yes then. Now for the explanation.


    ¡°Yes, it does. I do have someone currently sharing this body with me. A six year younger version of me whom I call, Momo-chan¡±


    Momo-chan: [Is that final part necessary¡­]


    Hiro: {It sure is, Momo-chan}


    ¡°I see. Is the -chan honorific or is it part of his name, Momochan?¡±


    ¡°It is an honorific yes, so he is Momo¡­ But I like to call him Momo-chan¡±


    ¡°Would it be alright if I call him that as well?¡±


    ¡°No problem¡±


    This went a bit different from what Hiro had expected. He dumped a whole lot of crazy sounding things, but Victor seemed to take it quite well. That or maybe he was a good actor.


    The doctor noticed his concern of course.


    ¡°To clarify, having another person in your mind is unprecedented here¡±


    ¡°¡­ You seemed to accept that awfully quick though¡±


    ¡°Well, while there is no recorded case of that. There is always a possibility¡± Victor leaned at his chair ¡°You see, you were summoned here to be our saviour, you and many others. But something went wrong. I believe the princess had told you about that?¡±


    The ¡®princess¡¯ here was probably referring to Willow, he decided to ask her about that directly later on.


    ¡°Willow did told me yes. Is this somehow related?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. You see, when a person is summoned here, the god crafts him a new body once. He then transfers, not copy, transfers your mind here to inhabit that new body. Something went wrong this time, however, so you from two points in time were called upon. This is all a hypothesis of course¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Wait, you are saying my mind is transferred, then what happened to the old me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can return there and no time would have passed at all since your departure. That works both way¡±


    Such a revelation delivered so casually. So there was a way to return after all! Hiro didn¡¯t feel particularly enthusiastic about that though.


    ¡°Does that mean I can go¡­ back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a way to return anytime. But unfortunately, due to the troubled summoning, the way back is closed for now. Worry not, I will fix that soon enough¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    Hiro had no other enquiry about that at all, a part of him didn¡¯t want to know, and so was Momo-chan who remains quiet. The young man suddenly remembered something, however.


    ¡°Wait, can I ask you about something, about the other person inside my head, Momo-chan¡±


    ¡°I am all ears. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°No, I am just wondering¡­ If there is a way for him to, you know, take control of this body? Well, I mean could you make it so?¡±


    Momo-chan: [Wait, what is this about!]


    Questioned Momo-chan who received no answer.


    ¡°Yes of course, I can make that happen¡±


    ¡°Then can you do that if possible, let him takes control of this body. Well, not all the time of course, just occasionally. I would be very grateful if you could¡±


    Momo-chan: [What are you talking about!]


    ¡°I can make it so that you still have the final say. So you could still decide who get take a ride if you know what I mean¡±


    ¡°That would be perfect¡±


    Momo-chan: [I said wait!]


    Victor looked at him, amused by the young man decision. Nevertheless, he complied to his patient request. The doctor removed his right glove and put his hand in front of the young man¡¯s face.


    Hiro was once again greeted by the smiley face made out of nail. A ghastly sight.


    Black smoke emitted from the doctor hand into Hiro¡¯s brain. The young man didn¡¯t feel anything but a strange feeling of uneasiness. The whole process only took a moment.


    ¡°HEY, I TOLD YOU TO WAIT!... Wait¡±


    Hiro, or more like his body, suddenly busted out loud. Victor looked at him and smiles.


    ¡°You must be Momo-chan¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ yes¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you then, I am Victor¡±


    The doctor reached out his hand and Momo-chan shook it. He could feel the coldness of the metal nails blended in the warmth of the old man palm. Victor suddenly realised something.


    ¡°Oh dear, I forgot to formally introduce myself to the other you. And I even prepared a whole scene, dialogues and all¡±


    ¡°You did¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not really good with introduction so if unscripted, I tended to get nervous and ramble too much about unrelated things. I kind of fumbled that when I met with Conrad. It was kind of a surprise to see him, I was actually wandering in that area for another reason entirely. So when I suddenly met him, I had to improve quite a bit, like how it was all planned or something¡­ I am rambling, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right¡­ At least this doesn¡¯t seem too out of nowhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, sorry for that¡± Victor looked away ¡°Anyway, you should rest a bit to see if there is any side effect to this procedure. When it¡¯s meal time, Mrs. Pryce would fetch you¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks for that¡±


    Momo-chan fumbled as he tried to get up but Victor had already reached the door. The doctor remembered something again though.


    ¡°Oh I nearly forgot. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hiro, I am Victor¡±


    ¡°Uh, nice to meet you too¡­¡±


    ¡°You are still Momo-chan right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I will introduce myself later¡±


    With that, the doctor excused himself, leaving Momo-chan with a less able body than one he was used to. Anyway, now was the time for answer.


    Momo-chan: [Why did you even do all of this for!]


    Hiro: {Well, I thought you would like it to be able to move around?}


    Momo-chan: [I can¡¯t deny that but still¡­ what if I am some sort of evil being that is raring to take control of you to do¡­ bad stuffs]


    Hiro: {Are you an evil being that is raring to take control of me to do bad stuffs then?}


    Momo-chan: [Of course not, but if I am one, that would still be my answer anyway]


    Hiro: {Well, you can¡¯t even say any bad deeds but just bad stuffs. I think I will be fine}


    Momo-chan: [You seem rather fine with this arrangement]


    Hiro: {You tell me, aren¡¯t you the one most familiar with what it is like to be in here?}


    Momo-chan: [I guess¡­]


    To be honest, there wasn¡¯t any difference than normal that Hiro could feel, other than not being able to move his body of course. But strangely enough, that didn¡¯t seem to be a problem.


    Hiro: {So, what it¡¯s like to be able to move around}


    Momo-chan: [I¡­ I don¡¯t know, there is suddenly so many things that I am trying to decipher. Well, one thing I know for sure is that you have certainly ruined our body]


    Hiro: {Anything other than that?} Back in the day, Hiro was rather athletic, was.


    Momo-chan: [Hmmm, I feel so compelled. I mean compelled to do something. This is something I have felt before but now there is this urge to act upon it. This is too weird¡­]


    Momo-chan sighed both outside and inside. He lied back down and pulled up the blanket, it was rather cold here. Before, everything he felt would be acted upon but now, to do them himself feels so foreign¡­ Not too foreign of course, he did have a body before after all.


    Hiro: {What do you feel then, what is the most prominent I mean?}


    Momo-chan: [That, it¡¯s¡­ nothing]


    Hiro: {It¡¯s fine to be something mundane, I just want to know}


    Momo-chan: [Well I told you it¡¯s nothing!]


    That¡¯s reaction was different from what Hiro had expected. Was the boy trying to hide something, the young man could smell blood.


    Hiro: {What¡¯s is it? Oh, Is it a girl?}


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Momo-chan needed to learn to control what to contain his reaction to the inside, Hiro thought to himself.


    Momo-chan: [Yes, so what]


    Now that was easier than he had expected, Hiro felt rather deflated.


    Hiro: {Is it about Class Rep?}


    Momo-chan: [No¡­ I actually haven¡¯t thought of her for a long time now. She just vanished from my mind somehow]


    Hiro: {I see}


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Hiro {Is it Caron?} Momo-chan:  [It¡¯s Suiren]


    Hiro: {¡­} Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Momo-chan: [What the heck was that! Why did you think I would have a crush on Caron!]


    Hiro: {Well, during our time here, we interacted with her and Owain the most after all. Besides, she is young, pretty, intelligence and nice?}


    Momo-chan: [She has a lover!]


    Hiro: {Well, that didn¡¯t stop you¡­ us before}


    Momo-chan: [But back then we didn¡¯t know Class Rep already had a boyfriend! Or did you try to do something?]


    Hiro: {No, of course not. I¡­ gave up}


    Just saying that sound rather pathetic. Even though Momo-chan would full well understand that. He was from that period after all, well right before that.


    Momo-chan: [Anyway, that was different. We didn¡¯t even know she had a boyfriend then. But Owain is right here, staring us in the face everyday! How did you even come up with that!]


    Hiro: {I told you, she was the female we interacted the most during the past week so that¡¯s why!}


    Momo-chan: [Well¡­ there is Suiren]


    Hiro: {¡­ To be honest, that thought never cross my mind}


    And it was not because she was like a mindless aide. No, Hiro and Momo-chan had never thought of her that way. To them, she was always a human being and her brutality and actions, while disturbing, had shown that the woman had agency, that she had an identity. A faded identity but it still existed.


    The two remained silent, not knowing what to say. While Suiren to them was a person, the fact that she would follow their order didn¡¯t help.


    Hiro: {Well, do you want to do something about it then. Now that you have a body}


    Momo-chan: [That sounded wrong somehow. As if I have some sort of motive]


    Hiro: {Do you?}


    Momo-chan: [Yes¡­]


    Hiro: {Then what do you want to do then}


    Momo-chan: [I¡­ it¡¯s just feel too wrong to ask her something like that]


    Hiro: {What is it then, Momo-chan?}


    Momo-chan: [I¡­ I¡­ want to hold her hand¡­]


    That¡­ was surprisingly tame. And Hiro knew that Momo-chan wasn¡¯t lying either. That was truly what he wanted to do.


    Hiro: {Then ask her for it}


    Momo-chan: [But that¡¯s just¡­}


    Hiro: {Just what! Here we are, stuck in this world that we know next to nothing! Here, we have been chased by monster and masked people! We had too many close calls already! You never know what will happen tomorrow. So just¡­ at least have this}


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    That was certainly passionate. Hiro didn¡¯t even know himself what happened there. It just erupted, after so long lain dormant. At least his words seemed to reach his younger self.


    Momo-chan reached out nervously. He asked, not ordered but asked. The difference may only lie in him but that was fine, for now.


    ¡°Could... could you hold my hand?¡±


    To the boy surprise, Suiren remained seated there, unmoving. In that moment, his heart dropped. It only last a moment though as the woman soon reached out and held his hand gently. And so, Momo-chan continued to lie there, holding her hand. To him, this was enough, he was happy, for now.


    Hiro, however, was feeling the opposite. He had suspected this for a while now. The young man noticed that Suiren would always follows her order slightly sooner than when it was conveyed verbally. Just like the captain with his aides, the directive was given telepathically, something Momo-chan hadn¡¯t realised.


    And Suiren only accepted order from Hiro only, him and no one else.

 Chapter 18

    3.2


    A glitch in the system


    Meal time arrived and Hiro made his way to the dining room. After spending the rest of their alone time holding Suiren¡¯s hand, Momo-chan retreated back, there was a lot for him to think about.


    All the others were already there waiting. Willow and Malcolm were both wearing something new while Conrad was still in his original clothing minus the helmet.


    Owain was setting up the table, the moment he saw Hiro, the man lit up instantly.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake, sit down sit down!¡±


    He seemed so giddy, this was the first time they could actually understand each other after all. His mood immediately dampened, however, as Victor entered the room.


    ¡°Oh my, I hope I am not too late¡±


    ¡°No no, you came just in time!¡±


    Caron assured the doctor. She didn¡¯t seem to express any sign of disgust toward him unlike the other townsfolks. Even Owain, who seemed so impossibly welcoming mellowed down upon seeing the heretic.


    Everyone took a sit at the table which was filled with delicious food. Victor took a look at all the lovely treats.


    ¡°Your cooking has certainly improved, Mrs. Pryce¡±


    ¡°I practiced a lot¡±


    ¡°That I have no doubt, you have always been a hardworking one after all¡±


    The doctor gathered his share and took it away. He knew his presence wasn¡¯t welcomed.


    ¡°I still need to review some documents, you all have a nice meal¡±


    And with that, he left for the living room. As he closed the door behind him, Caron let out a sigh and looked at Owain. As if she wanted to say something but decided against it.


    Now that Victor wasn¡¯t here, Owain was back to his cheerful self.


    ¡°So you can understand me now?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± Hiro answered, trying not to shrink away against such enthusiasm.


    ¡°I have so many things I want to talk, to ask you about!¡±


    ¡°What are they then?¡±


    ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t even remember them anymore, this is all so exciting!¡±


    Owain would hog him for later, there were more people here after all. But still, Hiro wouldn¡¯t mind the chat. He was also in a talkative mode, being stopped by language barrier for so long!


    All of this reminded him of something though. The young man turned to Malcolm.


    ¡°Um, Burgess-san, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Fire away, Mr. Hiro¡±


    ¡°You have been hiding in the barkeeper¡¯s place since the very beginning. How did you convey your intention exactly?¡±


    To Hiro, asking to hide and provide for someone in secret wasn¡¯t something that was easy to communicate using signals. Malcolm answered without hesitation.


    ¡°I talk with him of course, with words¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean you understand the language here?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. The tongue here is rather akin to Welsh, somethings I happened to know¡±


    That name didn¡¯t ring any bell. Was there a language like that? Hiro thought to himself. Needless to say, the young man wasn¡¯t the most knowledgeable about countries around the world.


    Malcolm continued with his explanation.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like an ancient variant or anything though, more like a completely different branch. Heck, I could barely understand them¡±


    ¡°Yet you could convey your intention?¡±


    ¡°Just barely, Mr. Hiro. I managed to get across the fact I wanted to be hidden, something that guy performed admirably. That was until he instantly betrayed me under your order, princess¡±


    Willow flinched as she heard those words coming from the youth¡¯s mouth. She gazed upon Hiro, who remains oblivious to that.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Or not, of course he heard that loud and clear when Victor first used that even. He just didn¡¯t want to push her. There must be a reason the girl wanted to hide that from him and he respected her decision.


    Malcolm didn¡¯t share that sentiment though. Nevertheless, he stopped digging.


    The meal continued in silent, at least until Owain decided to break it. He bombarded all the outsiders with questions about themselves, their place and time of origin.


    Hiro tried to answer them at the best of his ability. Malcolm just refused to answer while Conrad remained quiet, he seemed to be shrinking somehow. After a while, Willow also jumped in, although her questions were only directed toward Hiro, however.


    ___


    The time for recovery was over, now was the time for talking business. Everyone gathered in the Pryce¡¯s living room, except for the Pryce themselves.


    Hiro could spot a familiar face though, the Cerberus puppy! The small thing was lying next to Victor¡¯s feet, sleeping like a normal dog. The doctor lied back and asked.


    ¡°Now, where do you want to start?¡±


    ¡°How about why are we here to begin with¡± Malcolm replied ¡°The ¡®princess¡¯ here said we are supposed to end the monsters but even I can¡¯t see how¡±


    ¡°Well, as you all have noticed, everyone here has what appeared to you as¡­ powers¡±


    ¡°I noticed¡±


    ¡°This world is filled with mana, it is our essence, it makes up everything, from the people to a single rock. Harnessing mana is an incredibly difficult task, especially for us¡±


    ¡°Why is that¡± Questioned Hiro.


    ¡°We are born limited, our ability to comprehend narrow at birth. Most of us could only use mana in one certain practical way and that¡¯s it¡± Victor petted the creature, one of its head purred slightly¡­ like a cat ¡°We also cannot, in any circumstances, use powers to hurt another being. This limitation is also present at birth¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°It means that if we have any intention of hurting others, even monsters, in our mind, our powers won¡¯t manifest. Even if the damage will be done indirectly like throwing a boulder¡±


    Victor threw a small ball made of black smoke which soon dissipated ¡°Of course, we could still just go all physical but punching a huge angry monster isn¡¯t my idea of fun¡±


    ¡°Then what about the ¡®princess¡¯ here, her flame could burn. That is if she could even hit anyone¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not necessary¡± Slamming the table, Hiro stood up and faced Malcolm. An act which confused even him. While he certainly didn¡¯t enjoy seeing Willow mocked like that this reaction was still a bit much¡­ for him at least.


    It was actually Momo-chan, who unconsciously took control of his body.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Herald, I still have much to learn. But still, thank you¡± Willow looked at him and smiled bitterly ¡°I guess I owe you an explanation. I am a daughter of Gottfried von Brandt, the Divine that rule over the South of Eden. Because of that, I am not born with the limitation that bounds my people¡±


    ¡°Then I assume we are the same?¡± Questioned Malcolm with no hint of mockery in his tone.


    ¡°Yes, but you are all so much more. Your bodies are crafted from pure concentrated mana, made to channel it as efficient as possible. The power a true Herald could manifest is immense¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that I could shoot fireballs if I want to?¡±


    ¡°With great practice, yes¡±


    Willow answered with great certainty which didn¡¯t last long as Victor chimes in.


    ¡°Actually, not really¡± The doctor said ¡°Due to the glitch, your body is a complete copy of the original so you can¡¯t channel mana¡±


    ¡°Geez, you had my hope up for a bit there¡± Malcolm replied casually, he didn¡¯t seem to care much about that ¡°But still, may I ask what glitch is that?¡±


    ¡°Well, how do I say this¡­ One of you wasn¡¯t chosen to be summoned, but a mistake occurs so that person is brought here anyway¡±


    Hearing that confirmed Hiro nagging doubt. That would explain why someone like him was here at all. Willow also looked surprise, this information is new to her.


    The young man couldn¡¯t look at her without feeling bad. She put so much faith into him, that he was capable of greatness. Even though there was nothing he could do about that, Hiro couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had let her down.


    ¡°That person is Conrad¡±


    ¡°EH!¡± Hiro accidentally reacted out loud. He hung his head low in embarrassment.


    ¡°Oi oi oi, is that real?¡±


    This fact was rather absurd, even Malcolm questioned it. Among them, Conrad was no doubt the most formidable, physically at least. Victor was adamant though.


    ¡°There is no mistake here, Conrad IS the glitch¡±


    ¡°And here I thought it was strange for me to be chosen¡±


    Malcolm tipped down his hat and muttered. It was no mean a dig at anyone but Hiro still hurt a bit. The youth did manage to keep that Roman at bay for quite a while. That was league better than him who could only hide behind Willow and Suiren.


    Conrad looked at them and said his first word ever the battle ¡°Sorry¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that, it wasn¡¯t your fault¡± The doctor replied.


    The vagabond remained silent for a while before looking down and said ¡°Sorry¡± again.


    For someone so fearsome in battle, he was certainly timid, Hiro thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, the Cerberus middle head was yawning. It looked to the one which was purring in confusion. The thing decided that it was probably a dream though and continued to sleep. Victor petted the creature gently before continuing.


    ¡°Well, when I said earlier that your bodies are direct copy, it isn¡¯t really correct. There is something different about you Mr. Hiro¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Or to more precise, your right arm. The mana channels within are abnormal, which might explain your ability to affect the masked Fallens¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, but that is just a speculation. I must do some observation to be sure. And for that, can I cut your arm open?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s al¡­ Wait what?¡±


    ¡°I need to do a surgery to observe the mana channels. Only then could I deduce its function more accurately¡±


    Victor held up his hand, the black smoke came out and soon condensed into a scalpel. He looked at Hiro and smiles gently, holding up the item which was still emitting a dark fog ominously.


    Before the young man could react, Willow jumped in.


    ¡°No! I won¡¯t let you heretic cuts up the Herald!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t feel a thing. It is just an observation, no more, no less¡±


    ¡°And who knows what you would do. You would just perform one of your ghastly experiment!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Perhaps¡±


    ¡°You! If you dare touch the Herald!¡±


    ¡°What if he wants another hand or something¡±


    That was obviously to rile Willow up and it certainly worked. She was even more determined now if that was even possible. This was still Hiro¡¯s arm though and he didn¡¯t mind the operation. But still, while Victor certainly seemed trustworthy it was still too soon. His title literally was the ¡®heretic¡¯ and there must be a reason for that.


    And so, Hiro and Malcolm sat back and watch Willow flared off against Victor who was still deliberately provoking her with his jokes. Meanwhile, Conrad was having his eyes fixed upon the sleeping Cerberus.

 Chapter 19

    3.3


    The state of Eden


    ¡°Alright, I will do it¡±


    With those words, the meeting came to an end. Willow was of course uncomfortable about this whole ordeal, Hiro accepting to be operate upon and all. Nevertheless, the Herald had made his decision and she would respect it.


    ¡°At least let me be there for you, Herald!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to see something like that¡±


    With that, the girl left without an objection although she was bitter about that. Hiro looked at Suiren, wondering whether he should send her away or not. In the end, he decided she may need a bath after all and sent her off.


    Now onto the chopping board, he entered Owain¡¯s workshop. His mind filled with memories of that time on the cold table, writhing in pain. Inside Victor was sitting sipping on a cup of cocoa.


    ¡°You look nervous¡±


    Hiro could remember that sadistic smile. His body remembered every incision, every cut. Even now the pain was still vivid.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not every day one gets cut open¡±


    ¡°Oh, about that, don¡¯t worry that was just a lie¡±


    ¡°Eh¡±


    ¡°Just a surface observation is alright¡±


    ¡°I figure you would have done that already when I was unconscious after the battle¡±


    ¡°I could, but I prefer to have permission if possible. Now shall we start?¡±


    Hiro took a sit and held out his right arm. The doctor didn¡¯t even look at it. Black smoke rose out of him and into the young man¡¯s limb. It felt a bit funny.


    ¡°Why did you say that then?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I said what?¡±


    ¡°That you would cut me up, was that just to rile Willow up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your guess is correct¡± Victor cleared his throat ¡°But it¡¯s not because I think low of her. Willow is a talented individual and I have a great deal of respect for her¡±


    ¡°Is it just for her reaction then?¡±


    ¡°Partly yes¡±


    Hiro waited a bit for the doctor to continue but that never came. Victor didn¡¯t want to reveal his reason and the young man wasn¡¯t the pushy type either.


    But it did make him think of Willow. He just met her but the girl went out of her way to be defensive about him. She held him with such high regard and Hiro couldn¡¯t understand why. He looked up at Victor who was now looking down at his right arm, still emitting black smoke.


    ¡°Um, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°I would be glad to answer¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Willow, I want to know more about her¡±


    ¡°Well, I am certainly not an expert on that but I will try my best¡±


    Victor looked at Hiro and smiled gently. For someone so reviled, his bedside manner was excellent.


    ¡°It feels so wrong to say this but¡­ I want to know why she is so¡­ concerned with me. Why me? I have never heard her refers to Malcolm and Conrad as Herald and they¡¯re so much more qualified¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because none of you are officially a Herald yet¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡±


    ¡°That title comes with great power and accessibility here in Eden. To be declared as the Herald. You must be approved by one of the Divine themselves¡±


    ¡°Then why does she keep referring to me as such?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, that¡¯s mean she trusts you. Willow believes that you have what it takes, that you could save us all¡±


    ¡°But why someone like me? I can¡¯t do anything, I am just a programmer, none of my skills are suitable here in this world? What about Malcolm, he may be a bit harsh, but that boy is way more qualified than me? Then there is Conrad, he didn¡¯t have any power but managed to best that Roman guy! Willow never called him Herald even before she knew that he wasn¡¯t chosen. Why someone like me!¡±


    Hiro had mini outburst, all of his confusion boiled up to this point. Inside, Momo-chan remained silent. While he was confused as well, it was nowhere near this level. No, this was not even confusion, just a severe lack of confidence.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    While Hiro had never been particularly confident, it was nowhere near this level. The voice truly dreaded the next six years of his life.


    Meanwhile, Victor listened to the rant, truly listened to it. The doctor placed his hand on Hiro¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°She, Willow, is desperate. Because of that, that girl placed such a pressure on you¡±


    ¡°Desperate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe she had told you about the problem we are facing right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, she did say something about the monster, the Fallen and some sort of communication blackout that is going on¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just the tip of it, the full truth is so much worse. I trust you will keep what I say next confidential¡± Victor looked at the young man firmly ¡°Willow¡¯s father, the Divine Gottfried is dying¡±


    ¡°What!¡± [What!]


    ¡°As you have no doubt noticed by now, we have no shops or any concept of trading or selling here compared to your world¡±


    Hiro had noticed that the tavern never took anything for its service. All the food and drink there were for free. The young man didn¡¯t find that strange though, this was a small town after all, sharing like that may not be too surprising. But it seemed like this was applied throughout the continent.


    ¡°That¡¯s because giving and sharing and working for the Divine are ingrained in each and every citizen. They would work according for their profession not for personal gain but for the country as a whole. The fruits of their labour are then divided and spread out to every region¡±


    Momo-chan: [Now this sounds a bit familiar]


    ¡°The capitals make sure that everyone is provided for plentily while saving the surplus for emergency. Because of that, instant information transformation is vital in rationing. That is accomplished using mana as a form of long way communication and information collection¡±


    ¡°How does that even work?¡±


    ¡°Mana made up everything in this world and its contains information about everything. It is also always moving from one form to another before returning to its original, a natural cycle. A person¡¯s mana could tell you all about him like his personality, identity and consumption. Gottfried, as the Divine, use his body as a vessel to filter all mana in this world, enabling us to study the information it contains for rationing and other purposes¡±


    There was a lot of ¡®how¡¯ and ¡®what¡¯ to be said here but Hiro got the gist of it. Kind of.


    ¡°After shouldering that task for more than a hundred years now, Gottfried is exhausted both mentally and physically. He has deteriorated to the point of no return and will expire eventually. So we are all running blind here¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you have those past data to study. There must be a pattern¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why Eden hasn¡¯t collapsed yet. But all that information doesn¡¯t take into account the chimeras that arise after the blackout. We don¡¯t know where they are hitting us and the damage done. Every place here has enough resources for all sort of emergency but it will run out. We also can¡¯t tell what the materials sent will be used for and there isn¡¯t enough surplus¡±


    Victor sighed, the air had become rather heavy in here.


    ¡°To make matter worse, the Fallens are assaulting the Divines¡¯ brethren everywhere. Their numbers are endless, but we won¡¯t know about any attack until it¡¯s too late¡±


    Hiro felt a bit uncomfortable when he realised that the word ¡®endless¡¯ was used literally. He witnessed it himself, another Suiren, facing against him.


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, you have spent quite a time here in our world. What do you think of our people?¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡­ find that they are very helpful and enthusiastic¡±


    ¡°Do you think they are happy?¡±


    ¡°¡­ From what I have seen, yes¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, only those at the tops and their families, including Willow, could see how bad it is out there. So it lies on them and only them to shoulder all the burdens to ensure the people could be¡­ happy¡±


    Victor looked straight into Hiro eyes, his gaze pierced into the young man¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, Willow is under immense pressure. She cares for her people, for her country, for her Divine and all of them are falling. What probably frustrated her the most is that there is nothing she could do. That¡¯s why I said she is desperate¡±


    ¡°And so she clings to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, that girl didn¡¯t do that just because she is desperate. She truly believes in you and not only her but me as well. Conrad told me he holds you in high regard and I am sure Malcolm feels the same¡±


    ¡°Wait Conrad said that?¡±


    ¡°Actually what he said was ¡®Hiro is a good man¡¯ and I would like to interpret them as he has high opinion about you¡±


    Hiro: {Now that is quite a leap there}


    Momo-chan: [But still, that contains more words than everything I had heard coming out of Conrad¡¯s mouth combined. Maybe Victor¡¯s speculation isn¡¯t that far off]


    Hiro: {I sure hope so}


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand, what did I do? I am just a¡­ dude. I can¡¯t fight well or anything¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why, your physical is definitely below average¡±


    ¡°That hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°And yet, when that monster attacked, you were the first to risk your life. Weren¡¯t you the one who used himself as bait, just to save a town you barely knew?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Me and Willow only heard the story but it was still inspiring. And the way you best the beast in the end. Not everyone could think of that while in peril. So don¡¯t belittle yourself, Mr. Hiro¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more, however¡±


    Hiro was not used to being praised this much at all. He was actually blushing a bit, just like a little kid. The young man held up his hand in a futile attempt to hide that.


    ¡°You somehow converted a Fallen. Never before has an ability of that kind appeared. Even all the Divines could only smite those masked people. But you, you are different. And in our dark time, that power was certainly a gift from god¡±


    Victor rolled Hiro¡¯s sleeve back down, having completed his inspection.


    ¡°Before, we could use man to control the elements, never a being¡¯s will. Until you arrive, I believe when you learn more of this power, you could even remove the limiters within us all¡­ Anyway, Mr. Hiro, it is completed, you could go now¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Hiro took his leave, his mind heavy with thoughts. Victor final words to him were more ominous than just a praise. The thought of having control over a person¡¯s will didn¡¯t excite the young man one bit.


    No matter what kind of person one was, Hiro wanted to know his true self, he wanted to understand, not to control. His heart ached just thinking about Suiren.


    Hiro wondered if he would ever learn who she really was.


    But still, he would use this power if needed. It was Suiren, after all, who bested most of their attackers. It was this ability that save him from her to begin with. Even though it brought him no pleasure, Hiro was ready.


    That, however, wasn¡¯t what he is most worry right now though.


    His mind casted back to Victor. An universally reviled being that the young man couldn¡¯t see why. The heretic was just a kind old doctor to him¡­ or at least he appeared to be so to Hiro!


    If he truly existed when the Divine first appeared, then the man was now over a century old. A powerful being Victor but he was still a local. That meant he was also bounded by the limiter that affected everyone. A limiter he kindly reminded that Hiro might have the ability to remove.


    It seemed like the young man should be more vigilant.

 Chapter 20

    3.4


    A warm bath or I can¡¯t believe I wrote this what the hel¡­ heck


    Willow could only watch as the door closed in front of her. The Herald had gone off to have his arm cut up by the heretic. It was rather frustrating but she respected his decision. And so, the girl held off her desire to peek in.


    But now what should she do, training perhaps. That would help to vent this bit of frustration. Or she could take a bath. The latter would be nice.


    Grabbing a change of clothing, Willow entered the bath to changing room to find Caron already there. From the look of it, the woman was having the same idea.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were in¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. The bath is big enough if you want to join me and Suiren here¡±


    Willow peaked a bit further behind the door to find the masked woman undressing. Maybe training wouldn¡¯t be too bad. The girl looked out a window nearby to find the someone around the spot where she usually trained. It was one of the summoned, Conrad, who was talking to¡­ Malcolm.


    Bathing time then.


    ¡°If you excuse me¡±


    ___


    ¡°Ahhhh¡±


    Willow couldn¡¯t help but exclaimed out loud as she entered the warm water. This was certainly the right choice. The temperature was perfect and there was also a nice aroma in the air. Something was mixed in with the water, probably by Caron.


    ¡°I hope this is to your liking, Ms. Brandt¡±


    ¡°You can call me Willow. And don¡¯t worry, this is fantastic¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    Come to think of it, this was the first time Willow had one on one time with her host. Technically Suiren was also here but she didn¡¯t really count.


    ¡°Actually, this is way more relaxing than a normal bath. Did you put something in here?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I use a mixture of medicinal herb. It helps with detoxifying and skin care as well¡±


    ¡°There are herbs for medical purpose? And here I thought they are only used for cooking?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a common misconception. We never really rely on them since all known diseases and afflictions can be cured by mana. But they can be a neat bonus¡±


    Where did she get them from though? Mother had a garden dedicated to herbs so Willow was used to seeing them. But here, she couldn¡¯t spot anything of the like.


    ¡°So do you use them in bath frequently?¡±


    ¡°No, not really, I tend to use them around once a month¡±


    ¡°That remind me of my mother. Once a month she would drag me and all my sister to a special bath as well. The tub would be filled with milk though¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have heard of that. It was quite popular back when I was still in Vaswani Academy. I never tried it though¡±


    Willow had heard of that place, the most distinguished institution dedicated to the teaching of the arcane. She wanted to study there. But like all of her siblings that were interested in that subject, the girl was home schooled.


    Granted, it was by the Academy principle, the Divine Vaswani herself. Despite that, Willow was still horrible.


    ¡°How come a healer who graduated there like you would be at this small town?¡±


    ¡°About that¡± Caron blushed slightly as she reminisced about something ¡°I was already with Owain back then and since he was stationed here, I followed him¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    This wasn¡¯t too much of a surprise, all chargers like Owain were trained at Vaswani Academy. But of course, a healer from there was a different matter though.


    ¡°Then you must have learnt about all these medicinal herbs there then¡±


    ¡°Yes, although it isn¡¯t part of the curriculum though¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± That answer was both a yes and a no. Vaswani only had one curriculum for one subject. All students could also pick only one subject throughout their whole life, no compromise. Caron noticed Willow¡¯s confusion of course.


    ¡°About that, I was actually raised at Vaswani¡±


    ¡°So you one of the lecturer¡¯s daughter then¡±


    ¡°¡­ Actually no, I am¡­ an orphan¡±


    ¡°Eh, what is an orphan?¡±


    Willow blurted that out before realising that was a bad idea. Caron was reluctant to give out that reply so it must have been sensitive. The woman still answered the princess though.


    ¡°An orphan is someone who doesn¡¯t have parents¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Then where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°No, my parents died when I was just a baby¡±


    Yep, that was sensitive information alright.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you didn¡¯t know. That¡¯s not a common knowledge either. After all, I believe the number of orphans throughout this century including me can be counted on one hand¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Better steered the conversation elsewhere ¡°That would explain why you can use the Ayurveda technique. You must have learnt that from the Divine herself¡±


    A medical method created and named by the Divine Vaswani. Normal healing was done by injecting one¡¯s mana into the patient through blood transfusion. Apparently there maybe rejections so a healer must use a special syringe.


    Ayurveda bypassed that restriction entirely. The technique involved dissolving part of the healer¡¯s body into dust which could enter and fix the patient¡¯s body.


    Of course, Willow had no idea how that work but she did know practitioners of that technique were extremely rare. Mother would use it to heal the girl after her trainings and sparring with father.


    ¡°Actually, I learnt that from Victor¡±


    Hearing that name disrupted all of Willow¡¯s peaceful reminiscing. Ayurveda was created for healing purpose but the heretic had corrupted it for nefarious purposes. With it, he could dissolve his entire body into a black smoke. And using that divine¡¯s power, the heretic created monstrosities of his own like that three-headed dog of his.


    But maybe this would explain why Caron seemed rather friendly toward the fiend.


    ¡°Really¡­ I never heard of him teaching anyone¡±


    ¡°He actually never taught me directly¡±


    ¡°Then how did you learn that?¡±


    ¡°Victor usually visited at the Academy, he was the one who brought me there in the first place actually. There, he would perform his many experiments¡±


    Hearing that made Willow wondered how Caron¡¯s parents even passed away. Nevertheless, the girl decided not to interrupt.


    ¡°While I was not allowed to peek, I did so anyway. I would try to mimic what I saw. Of course, none of my attempts work. But every time Victor saw me doing that, he would just drop one piece of advice. Eventually, I could use the Ayurveda¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impressive¡±


    The reason why Ayurveda was not normally taught was because the technique was incredibly complicated. Only the bests of the bests could do it. And here, Caron managed to master that just like that.


    Victor must have dropped quite a lot of one piece of advice then.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why you seemed so¡­ friendly with him¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now that was uncalled for, Willow had no idea why she said that.


    ¡°I do understand why he is deemed the heretic. I just¡­ can¡¯t bring myself to hate him¡±


    Silence soon fell on them. The two couldn¡¯t really find anything to say. Willow couldn¡¯t help but berate herself for that. It was insensitive of her, the daughter of the Divine. The girl wanted to do or say something to make up for that.


    The two¡¯s trains of thought were soon interrupted. It was Suiren, exiting the bath. Her flowing wet hair glistened under the light, it shone in the most brilliant of colour. Water drops traced along her elegant curves, accentuating the woman¡¯s smooth and delicate skin, which was slightly red from the heat.


    All of that was seen through the steamy air, which made it all seems slightly sensual. Caron and Willow couldn¡¯t help but admire the woman even though her face was hidden. That somehow made her even more alluring in this instance.


    The moment Suiren left the room, the other two realised they were both too preoccupied with talking instead of actually bathing.


    ¡°I can give you a hand¡±


    Willow said, still feeling guilty. Her offer was accepted. The girl started to scrub the woman¡¯s back. She should say something before the silence settled back in.


    ¡°Your skin is really soft and smooth!¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    ¡°And you are also quite¡­ firm and muscular¡± Not anything too overt, just surprising for a healer who stayed at home.


    ¡°I do try to work out every morning¡±


    ¡°Wait, how come I never saw you during my morning training?¡±


    ¡°About that, I start my routine at 4¡±


    ¡°That early! Is anyone even up then¡±


    ¡°I think Conrad wakes up around that time as well. Then there is Owain who promised to join me but he never could get up before 6¡±


    Willow chuckled and finished washing the woman hair. Now it was her turn and she would certainly need help.


    ¡°Your hair is even longer than I thought!¡± Caron exclaimed as she tried to sort out the bundle of hair.


    ¡°It actually reaches past my ankle I think. My mother really like long hair so she asked me to keep it since none of my sisters wanted to¡±


    ¡°How long does it take for you to tie them back normally?¡±


    ¡°Actually, mother made an enchanted ring for me that can bundle them up nicely¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s convenient¡±


    It took those two quite some more time to finish with the bathing. Although they would spend most that time just chatting, normal chatting.


    Willow never felt more refreshed as she exited the dressing room. The girl was pumped, like she could take on anything right now. With renewed vigour, she took off to search for her Herald.

 Chapter 21

    3.5


    To catch a fish


    After the chat with Victor, Hiro went out to find an empty house. Owain had gone out on a business much to his dismay while all the women were in the bath. He could wait for them or another thought, looked for the other summoned.


    Hiro: {Momo-chan, are you there?}


    Momo-chan: [Of course, why do you even need to ask?]


    Hiro: {No, it¡¯s just that you seem rather quiet. I thought maybe something had gone wrong}


    Momo-chan: [Oh, are you worry about me?]


    Hiro: {Of course}


    Momo-chan: [That answer was quick¡­ Anyway, I am alright, just processing all the information that Victor told us]


    Hiro: {And holding hand with Suiren for hours?}


    Momo-chan: [That is like eons ago now!]


    Hiro: {Not really}


    Momo-chan: [Anyway, as I have said, I was thinking about what Victor told us]


    Hiro: {And holding hand with Suiren for hours?}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Alright, maybe a bit of that]


    Hiro: {Just a bit?}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Maybe most]


    Hiro: {That¡¯s my boy. You are such a dork, and I mean that in the adorable way}


    Momo-chan: [Am I that easy to read¡­ even though I don¡¯t have a face]


    Hiro: {Dunno, but you are me from the past after all}


    Saying that suddenly made Hiro thinks. Yes, he was once like this, completely occupied about holding hand with his crush like this. That was just¡­ sad¡­


    The young man asked around about the whereabout of his fellow summoned. He was directed to the beach where Malcolm and Conrad were sitting on a rock, fishing.


    ¡°Hi there¡±


    Said Hiro as he tried to make his way up the rock. Malcolm gave him a half-hearted wave while Conrad just sat there.


    ¡°Um, is there any fish this close to the shore?¡±


    ¡°Apparently yes¡± Answered the youth ¡°The townsfolk use some sort of bait to lure fishes closer. The effect should still linger, at least that¡¯s what I was told¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t gotten anything yet?¡±


    The question was met with silence. Hiro peered into the bucket to find nothing. Guess Malcolm didn¡¯t find that question worth answering while Conrad was just¡­ quiet as usual.


    The young man took a seat next to the two.


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have another fishing rod here¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I just want to sit here for a bit¡±


    ¡°So how was it? Getting your arm cut opened?¡±


    ¡°Um, that actually didn¡¯t happen, he just wanted to talk with me¡±


    ¡°I thought as much¡±


    The youth commented casually as if it was the most natural conclusion. He leaned back comfortably with only one hand on the rod. Although there was still an intense concentration in his eyes. Fishing was a serious matter and he wouldn¡¯t return empty handed.


    ¡°What did you think then?¡±


    ¡°Well, that Victor guy was just trying to rile up your precious princess¡±


    Momo-chan: [Why did he have to say it like that!]


    {Calm down, he just wanted to trigger me}


    ¡°I see¡±


    Hiro replied calmly, he looked to the side to see a smirk on the youth¡¯s face. Was that measured respond expected? He had no idea.


    Nevertheless, he had figured out Malcolm way. The youth didn¡¯t seem to care about much at all. But in fact, his scruffy hair and bowler hat hid a pair of keen eyes. Malcolm never stopped observing his surrounding, especially the people and their reactions.


    Hiro continued the conversation.


    ¡°Why would he do that though?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. But he sure like doing that, that guy would never failed to stress on the word ¡®princess¡¯¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Momo-chan: [And so do you]


    Willow sure wasn¡¯t comfortable with that title, Hiro had noticed. It seemed like the girl hid her status out of a sense of inadequacy more than anything.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°You sure like to dig at her as well¡±


    ¡°Oh that, I could say it straight to you that was because I hate her. Actually, that was too strong. No, I loath that girl, although it isn¡¯t exactly her fault though¡±


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Before Hiro could say anything, Malcolm sat up and held his fishing rod tight in an instant. Something bit. The youth grinned with anticipation, there was a subdue sense of enthusiasm that affected even Hiro himself.


    ¡°Can you pull it up!¡±


    ¡°Nah, got to tire the thing out first¡±


    The fish struggled violently but Malcolm¡¯s grip was firm. Hiro was worried, however, as the string got yanked again and again. To made matter worse, these fishing rods seemed to be handmade.


    ¡°At this rate it will break!¡±


    ¡°No, you need to have trust¡±


    The youth assured Hiro. His voice filled with certainty and confidence. The young man could feel something in him¡­ he also wanted to believe.


    ¡°Come on, come on¡±


    Soon the string started to loosen, tension started to mount up. It then erupted as the youth yanked the rod up. The fish, however, wasn¡¯t contended to die like that. With the last of its strength, it struggled one last time and with great effort, broke free.


    Hiro and Malcolm watched on silently as the creature plopped back down the water surface, its journey and achievement grand.


    ¡°Oh well, what a shame¡±


    Malcolm got a new bait, a fresh worm. The two sat back down exactly where they left off. They looked to the side to find Conrad silently dropped a fresh catch inside the bucket. He also caught one before that even.


    The vagabond remained quiet, somehow, this reminded Hiro of Suiren.


    ¡°So where are you from, Burgess-san?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know about that?¡±


    ¡°Just want to strike a conversation, that¡¯s all¡±


    ¡°¡­ England, London born and raised¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have heard of that place¡­¡±


    Just saying those words made Hiro felt rather daft. Who hadn¡¯t heard of one of the world superpower.


    ¡°And you are from Japan, I know that¡± Malcolm said ¡°But what¡¯s important is ¡®when¡¯ are you from¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Looks at Conrad, he is ancient. What if you and me are from different time as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am from 1996¡±


    ¡°¡­ I see¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s not like you would know anything about my period anyway¡±


    ¡°Then do you know anything about mine?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely nothing¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask me that?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know, you didn¡¯t have to answer¡±


    ¡°Well, I did give you one. And I wouldn¡¯t mind knowing¡±


    ¡°1868¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I am from 1868¡±


    Hiro really had no idea about England in that period. But at least now he knew they are more than a century apart. Conrad, meanwhile, probably went way back even further.


    The conversation also died there and everyone sat in silence enjoying the breeze. To be honest, that wasn¡¯t a bad idea per se. That was when Hiro noticed a clicking sound, repeating again and again along a tune of sort. The sound of metal clicking.


    He looked around to find the source but there was no need for that, Malcolm immediately said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Conrad¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°That clicking sound, it¡¯s Conrad. He tends to click his fingers¡±


    And since he was wearing a metal gauntlet, hence the sound. The man stopped, however, as soon as he heard his name mentioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the same short tune as well, again and again¡±


    Hiro looked at the vagabond, his face unchanged. Actually, had he even made a different expression during their time here. He was just sitting there, looking at the fishing rod which was¡­ moving. Hiro yells out loud.


    ¡°Conrad-san, you catch something there!¡±


    It took a few seconds for the vagabond to process that. Even then, he fumbleed with the rod clumsily. Eventually, the thing slipped out of his hands and falls into the water.


    Even though Conrad¡¯s face was still unchanging, he somehow looked dejected. His weary eyes were unfocused, lost, his hands were still where he let go of the rod. Soon, his fingers started to click slightly, his usual tune. The vagabond regained his clarity.


    Conrad turned to Malcolm and bowed slightly ¡°Sorry¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can make more of that¡±


    ¡°Wait¡± Hiro interjected ¡°You made these rods?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I was bored and that Pryce guy has quite a stocked workshop¡±


    ¡°He does?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right next to his house, you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Hiro felt rather embarrassed, he had stayed there for all of his duration here and yet this was the first time he heard of this. The young man turned to Malcolm to find a strained smile on the youth¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hey, how long was she behind us?¡±


    The young man turned around to find Suiren standing behind him. Suddenly confronted with that cracked white mask, his heart nearly dropped. He answered Malcolm truthfully.


    ¡°I have no idea¡±


    The youth was rather fazed, although he tried to hide that.


    Hiro: {Hm¡­ Malcolm seems to be wary about Suiren. Even before when we were eating, he changed his seat to be further from us}


    Momo-chan: [¡­]


    Hiro: {Oi, anyone home?}


    Momo-chan: [Eh, what did you say?]


    Hiro: {Nothing at all}


    Momo-chan: [Eh?]


    Momo-chan was of course stunted when he gazed at Suiren. Fresh from a bath, the woman looked stunning¡­ for someone without a face. Not that long ago Hiro would also be taken aback by her as well. But that wasn¡¯t the case now, the young man wondered what changed.


    His train of thought was interrupted, however, as Malcolm seemed to catch something.


    The youth had learnt a lot from his last mistake. This time tried not to make any sharp or sudden pulls. He would have to wait until the prey was completely exhausted.


    Which was quite a task since this seemed to be quite an energetic one. It struggled for much longer than the previous one. During all those time, however, Malcolm didn¡¯t let his concentration drop once.


    Hiro was also pulled in, he anticipated the catch. The young man asked with bated breath.


    ¡°When are you going to pull that up? It seems tired now¡±


    ¡°Just a bit more, that thing still got some fight left in him¡±


    A bit more, a bit more, now! Malcolm pulled the rod up, along came the mighty fish, flopping helplessly. Hiro couldn¡¯t help but exclaim out loud.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°You are mine now¡±


    Malcolm said with quite a sadistic grimace on his face. It soon turned into an empty grin, however, as the hook broke mid-air.


    It was so close. Hiro felt like he could even catch the thing even. He reached out but of course it wasn¡¯t enough. There was nothing to do but gazed on as the fish fell back into the sea, triumphed.


    At that dark time, the two could hear a faint¡­ clicking sound.


    The young man could only a flash before the fish was skewered by Conrad¡¯s blade. The vagabond then slowly pulled the creature out of his sword. His face was still unchanged even after such a feat.


    Hiro: {¡­ Alright} Momo-chan: [¡­Alright]


    He then presented the fish in front of Malcolm. It seemed like the vagabond wanted the youth to claim his catch. Malcolm was, of course, puzzled by the gesture at first. He then, for once, smiled benevolently.


    ¡°Just throw it in along with the rest, I don¡¯t want to touch the thing¡±


    Conrad nodded and walked toward the bucket next to Hiro. As he approached, the young man was surprised to find the man towering over him.


    The vagabond was of course always this tall and he usually stood upright. And yet, this was the first time Hiro registered how much higher the man was.


    Maybe he was daft after all.

 Chapter 22

    3.6


    Oh my, a wedding


    Malcolm and Conrad would be going on their own for now and Hiro had no desire to follow either. The young man returned with a bucket in his hand and a spring in his steps. On the way back he encountered Owain, who was also returning home.


    ¡°Hi, Hiro!¡±


    The young man waved and runs at him, as enthusiastic as ever.


    ¡°Hello, Pryce-san¡±


    ¡°Just call me Owain, wouldn¡¯t want you to confuse Caron¡±


    ¡°Alright then, Owain-san¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you here! What is in that bucket?¡±


    ¡°Um, fishes¡±


    ¡°Oh cool, did you catch them?¡±


    ¡°No, it was Malcolm and Conrad¡­ well mostly Conrad. I only provided motivational support¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very important! I don¡¯t think I could do anything without Caron nudging me on. I won¡¯t even be able to get out of bed!¡±


    Hiro said that as a joke of course but Owain took it completely seriously. The young man had learnt that despite his cheerful nature, his host actually didn¡¯t really crack any joke.


    ¡°Anyway, I just grabbed some snacks from the pastry place, do you want any?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I ate plenty of Caron¡¯s earlier¡±


    Momo-chan: [Even I feel full from all of those]


    ¡°I get ya, her snack is the best! Too bad we ran out though, didn¡¯t expect that many people in the house. Even the princess stayed the night at our place! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°You know what, maybe I will have a bite. Just to see what it¡¯s like¡±


    Owain opened the bag to reveal a bunch of flavour sticks, there were different colour but all of the same shape. Hiro tried to take one and gave it a try. Um, apple flavour, quite delicious but nothing inspiring. The young man asked.


    ¡°Do you like these?¡±


    ¡°No not at all! They are fun to eat but I am spoiled by Caron¡¯s handmade sweet now¡±


    ¡°Then why do you take so many of this kind?¡±


    For some reason, Owain seemed puzzled about that simple question. The young man wrecked his brain thinking about something. Finally, he had the answer.


    ¡°Oh I forgot you don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°This is the only kind of snack made!¡±


    ¡°Wait, only this. Then what about all the things that Caron made?¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°I mean, there were a lot of variety there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just her!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Only Caron and a few others make different kinds of snack and they aren¡¯t distributed. Only close associates get to eat those. Guess I am quite lucky!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± [I see¡­]


    ¡°Come to think of it, in Japan, are there any snacks?¡±


    ¡°Of course we do¡± Hiro answered ¡°There are a lot of different kind of all shape and size and taste even¡±


    ¡°Whoa, are there more types than what Caron can make?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I don¡¯t even know how many different kinds of snacks are out there. There are even jobs to manufacture new flavours even¡±


    ¡°That sound wonderful! So more flavours exist, I would love to try them all someday¡±


    Momo-chan: [I highly doubt you could try them all]


    Hiro agreed with the sentiment, but he remained quiet. The young man didn¡¯t want to ruin this moment of wonder. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but think back of Caron¡¯s wonderful treats¡­


    Hiro: {Wait, I just realised something}


    Momo-chan: [What?]


    Hiro: {All the kinds of snacks and foods that Caron made are ones we already know. The same taste the same recipe}


    Momo-chan: [Now that you say it]


    While Hiro wasn¡¯t a snack connoisseur per se, he could recognise most of the stuffs his host made. Since people from his world were definitely summoned before, maybe that wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. Heck, the folks here even used the same calendar system, the only difference was that this was the year 109.


    Come to think of it, there was something that Hiro had been wondering for a while. The young man asked and prayed that this wasn¡¯t a sensitive topic here.


    ¡°Um, Owain-san, can I ask something about you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what is it!¡±


    ¡°How old are you exactly¡± Yes, this was the question that had been weighing in his mind.


    ¡°Me? I will turn 18 soon and so will Caron!¡±


    Hiro could almost hear something breaking in his head. These two were actually younger than him! And yet all these times he had thought of them as his seniors. To be honest, that impression was mostly created by Caron who was very much an adult¡­ that and their relationship.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Hearing that reminded Owain of something, however.


    ¡°Oh wait! I completely forgot to tell you, next week is my birthday¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡±


    ¡°Me and Caron will get married then as well! Would you like to come?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that would be an honour¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I look forward to seeing you there!¡±


    So these two weren¡¯t married yet, and the concept of marriage did exist here. Was it already here or introduced by a summoned? Hiro couldn¡¯t really know.


    ¡°We actually planned to get married like two weeks before actually¡±


    ¡°Really? What happened?¡±


    ¡°You arrived! Right at our doorstep!¡±


    Oh right. Hiro did remember asking about that during the meal. Apparently Suiren showed up at the house with a bloodied him on her back one night. The Pryce just took her in without any question.


    They had certainly done a lot for him. Before coming to this world, Hiro couldn¡¯t even remember the last time he was happy.


    ¡°Owain, I want to say something¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it, I¡¯m all ears!¡±


    ¡°I should really have said this before but¡­ thank you, and Caron, for everything you guys have done for me¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did we do?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you harboured us, you fed us, you took care of us, all without wanting any compensation. That¡¯s more than what I am used to all my life!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much, really¡±


    Hearing that hurt slightly, even though Hiro had no right to complain. Here he was, pouring his heart out, a bit sudden but it was still what he wanted to say. And the way Owain treated it all so lightly¡­


    ¡°Everyone here would have done the same¡±


    True, the tavern owner did let Malcolm and Conrad in his place after all. He even went so far as to hide the former, that was until Willow arrived.


    Oh well, such a ridiculous thing to be upset about.


    ¡°I know, I just want to thank you, that¡¯s all¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks for that!¡±


    Being thanked for saying thanks, now that¡¯s new.


    Owain seemed to have an idea that he was quite excited about. Suddenly, the young man looked giddy like a child, as usual actually.


    ¡°Hiro! I want you to have something, follow me!¡±


    And with just that, Owain took off in excitement before Hiro could say anything. The young man decided to follow. Where they ended up was the workshop that Malcolm talked off earlier. It was right next to the Pryce¡¯s house but this was the first time Hiro stepped foot in the place.


    Most of the space was separated by a glass wall, behind was a garden full of different kinds of plants. Despite having no exposure to the sun, they seemed to be growing all right.


    Other than that, this place looked just like a normal workshop albeit without any machinery. The tools were all there though, hammers and spanners galore. Their designs were exactly like those that could be found back in Hiro¡¯s world.


    ¡°Now that I think of it, this is the first time you have been in here¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you have quite a lot in here¡±


    ¡°Well, not ¡®me¡¯ per se. I can¡¯t requisition any of this. It¡¯s actually all Caron¡¯s¡±


    ¡°Um, does a healer uses all of this?¡±


    ¡°Not a normal one no, but she is part of the Containment squad, apparently they use a lot of equipment like this¡±


    Owain opened a wall panel to reveal a huge device. It looked like an oversized black bazooka with a trigonal nuzzle. Attached to the thing was a thick lethal strap with the phrase ¡®Primum non nocere¡¯ sewn onto it.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is a heavy duty flamethrower, I have never seen Caron touches it though¡±


    Momo-chan: [I can¡¯t really imagine someone like her wielding this¡­ thing]


    Hiro: {Well, she was in that costume with the plague doctor mask. Maybe this isn¡¯t that huge of a step up}


    Momo-chan: [¡­ Actually I can imagine it now]


    ¡°Anyway, back to the thing I wanted to show you!¡±


    Owain certainly switched priority with ease. The young man closed the panel and opened the drawer of a small desk, proudly announcing.


    ¡°By the way, this is my corner!¡±


    He dug through some papers; a few pieces even fell to the ground. Hiro approached to pick them up just when Owain found what he was looking for.


    ¡°Here, have this!¡±


    It was a fancy looking card.


    ¡°It¡¯s the invitation to our wedding next week! Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°I love it. There is a blank space here though¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s for name. Can you write down your name in Japanese!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡±


    As soon as he had the confirmation, Owain handed the young man a normal looking pen. Before Hiro could finish he was handed another blank invitation.


    ¡°This one is for Suiren!¡±


    ¡°I guess I will write in her stead then¡±


    Come to think of it, Hiro still had no idea what was the woman¡¯s name or who she was. For some reason, thinking that one day that information would come was somewhat scary. That¡¯s strange, he should be glad to know them¡­


    ¡°Whoa, these letters look so fancy!¡±


    ¡°Funny you would say that, my handwriting is quite atrocious¡±


    Momo-chan: [Yes, even mine is better than this]


    Hiro: {Because you are from when we were still drawing letter}


    Momo-chan: [Oi! I am not that far back!]


    Hiro: {Really, it¡¯s all a blur now}


    All of the invitations were handwritten in Welsh by Owain. That language also used the alphabet which Hiro did know. The young man could understand a bit of English even. But all of these letters might as well be gibberish in the way which they were arranged.


    Maybe he just signed a slave contract or something, Hiro chose to trust that it wasn¡¯t the case.


    Meanwhile, Owain was gathering all the fallen papers. They were invitations, or supposed to be but the young man made a mistake. All incomplete except for one, with the word ¡®VICTOR¡¯ written on it.


    ¡°Wait, is that¡­¡±


    ¡°So you saw it¡± Owain held the piece of paper in his hand, he seemed conflicted ¡°I made this for Victor, but I couldn¡¯t give it to him¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ can¡¯t¡±


    It was rather surreal seeing Owain being something other than enthusiastic. Even though this wasn¡¯t the first time Hiro was still not used to it. The last time he looked conflicted was earlier when Victor entered the dinning room.


    ¡°You seem really torn up about this¡­¡±


    Hiro didn¡¯t know whether it was a good idea to ask this or not. He decided to anyway. Owain leaned on the small table with a sombre look on his face.


    ¡°I have heard a lot about that man from Caron. He practically was the one who raised her even. So, I was so sure that she would be overjoyed for him to be at our wedding. We couldn¡¯t send any letters, however, due to the blackout but I still made the invitation anyway¡±


    ¡°But he did arrive¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I never expected that. Needless to say, I was so eager to finally meet him, to give this to him. In the end, I just couldn¡¯t¡±


    Owain let go of the invitation which fell gently to the floor.


    ¡°As a kid, I was taught to love the Divine and despise the Heretic. A despicable figure whose crime blights us even now, what¡¯s not to hate. But after meeting Caron, the image she painted was so different. It was of an intelligent individual with boundless compassion and empathy. I was converted, or at least that was what I thought. Perhaps after all these time, that man has finally repented I though. In my mind, I forgive him for his sin. I wanted to meet this person who means so much to my beloved!¡±


    The young man paused in contemplation before continuing.


    ¡°¡­ Then I met the man and my blood started to boil. It was so strange, I never felt those sorts of emotion before. It was intense, it was unfamiliar, it was so ugly! The only thing I knew was that I can¡¯t stand the sight of the person in front of me! There is so much I want to talk about with him, about Caron. But at that moment, it was all a blank¡±


    To Hiro, it was surreal seeing Owain being anything but positive. But in truth, it was just as surreal to the young man himself, who had never felt hate before that instance, before he met the Heretic. Hiro couldn¡¯t understand that, how much of this hatred was so ingrained, programmed. But he could see that Owain was conflicted, that he was torn.


    Hiro slowly picked up the invitation from the ground and put it in Owain¡¯s hand. The young man couldn¡¯t help but be confused by the gesture.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask. Is Caron important to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, she is my beloved!¡±


    ¡°Do you think she would want to see him at her, at your wedding¡±


    ¡°¡­ She would be¡­ happy¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strongly you feel toward Victor at all. It¡¯s down to you, if seeing Caron being happy worth it, if it can outweigh your hatred. If not, just¡­ throw this away, burn it or something¡±


    It was not Hiro¡¯s place to say something like this as a guest and all. But still, he wanted to do something for his host who had been so kind to him. This was the young man way to help, at least all he could think of for now.


    Owain looked at the invitation with contemplation. It wasn¡¯t long before the young man reached his conclusion. He turned to Hiro.


    ¡°Sorry, I have to go¡±


    With that, the Owain bolted off before his mind could waver. Hiro remained and waited, there was no need to go, he already knew the answer.


    But still, seeing it with his own eyes was a different matter. In just a blink of an eye, Hiro found himself running after Owain.

 Chapter 23

    3.7


    I believe I can fly, maybe


    Starting later and also physically inferior, Hiro took quite some time to reach Owain, who was now outside of town. By then, he had missed most of the scene. Still, he could catch glimpse of the doctor giving the young man some sort of container.


    Then his concentration was yanked away by the sound of barking aimed straight at him. Hiro turned to the side to find the little Cerberus yapping, or more like only it¡¯s middle head. The left was once again distracted by something maybe just the feeling of wind while the right head was looking on silently.


    The creature jumped around him and ended up falling onto its heads. Then, it took great effort for the thing to stand up again. The middle head looked at Hiro in shame and then proceeds to turn away only to hit the left head turning the opposite direction.


    After some growling and coordination, the Cerberus slumped away not before falling down once again in the distance.


    Momo-chan: [That poor thing can¡¯t even walk properly]


    It certainly reminded Hiro of the beast he had faced, that creature could hardly breath.


    By the time the young man turned back to what he came here for, Owain was already behind him, along with Suiren of course.


    ¡°Oh, Hiro, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I just want to see if you are alright or not¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks for that¡±


    Hearing those genuine words of appreciation hit slightly since Hiro was actually only here out of curiosity.


    ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    ¡°It went¡­ well I guess. I still couldn¡¯t look at Victor without wanting to spit in his face but at least I managed to give him the invitation¡±


    Owain looked rather down about that, the young man wanted a better result, one where he could be welcoming. Nevertheless, his usual joyfulness returns as he held up the container.


    ¡°Still, for Victor to give me this, I am grateful¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ something for conception¡± Owain seemed embarrassed ¡°Actually Victor did tell me you won¡¯t know of it¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know how to feel about that¡±


    ¡°This potion allows us to be able to conceive a child¡±


    ¡°Wait what, say that again?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know how it is like back in Japan but here, we are all born sterilised. This potion is supplied for married couple to grant them the ability to conceive a baby. A child of our own!¡±


    ¡°Who gives this out?¡±


    ¡°The capital, you have to send in a formal request for this and if they deem you are capable to raise a kid, they will send this. Although due to the blackout, we didn¡¯t expect to receive one so soon. Victor brought it all the way here for us¡­ for Caron¡±


    There was undoubtedly appreciation in Owain¡¯s voice. Nevertheless, the young man was still conflicted as his hatred for the Heretic still went on strong.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go back to the workshop, there is still something I want to show you!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡±


    Hiro answered tiredly, it took him most of his strength to dash here. The young man could even hear Momo-chan laughter at this pathetic state he was in. Oh well, at least the walk back would be a leisure one.


    On the way, they encountered Willow, who was undoubtedly looking for her Herald. It seemed like she was fresh out of the shower but the girl still wore the same attire.


    ¡°Ah, Herald, I had been looking for you! Are you alright! Did Victor do anything to you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Willow¡±


    Hiro reassured the girl and gave her a pat on the head.


    Momo-chan: [You did that again!]


    Hiro: {I don¡¯t know, it just happened!]


    Luckily, the gesture worked as it was intended and Willow did simmer down. The three returned to the workshop where she marvelled at the garden.


    ¡°So this is what Caron was talking about¡±


    Meanwhile, Owain was trying to open a panel on the floor but it was stuck in place. Hiro decided to help him. The two grunted and pulled the handle with all of their might but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    After Willow stopped admiring the herb garden the two men had a go at the handle three times total.


    ¡°What are you doing, He¡­ Hiro?¡±


    ¡°Um, we are just trying to get this open but it is a bit stuck¡±


    ¡°I can help!¡±


    She merrily went next to the panel. Hiro, despite being exhausted, still decided to give her a hand. On the other hand, Owain was completely spent.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The young man didn¡¯t expect anything, especially since the effort he could muster now was negligible. But to his surprise, Willow, all by herself, yanked the panel opens. Hiro, still holding onto the handle, fell back was caught by Suiren standing behind him. Come to think of it, she could have done it as well.


    Owain ran up to the open compartment with glee. The young man tried to pull something up but with his state, that proved to be difficult. Once again, Willow gave a hand and in a blink of an eye, a strange backpack was brought up.


    ¡°This is what I wanted to show you!¡± Announced Owain with great pride.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    A wooden box with leather straps fastening around it for wearing on the back, the thing had two holes in the bottom. Owain also brought up another smaller box with strap but this one had no feature on it.


    ¡°This is what I call a jetpack!¡±


    ¡°You can fly with it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the purpose! So Japan also has this device¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more of a concept, I don¡¯t think we have anything functional yet¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    Willow looked at bulky thing with great amusement. The concept of jetpack was foreign to her.


    ¡°How does this¡­ thing help you fly exactly¡± The girl asked a question Owain was more than willing to answer.


    ¡°Well, this big box here you wear on your back. I have made it so that air can be compressed and shoot out of these holes with enough force to propel you up! There is actually another part still under there, it¡¯s a panel you wear behind your hip to prevent the air from damaging your backside!¡±


    Hiro held up the smaller box which was pretty heavy ¡°Then what about this one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that you wear in the front as a counter weight so you won¡¯t spin around¡±


    Willow opened the top of the jetpack to find an incredibly complex machine made out of wood and leather. The use of metal was heavily sanctioned after all. Pipes made out of leather lined the jetpack coming from a bag in the middle. The wooden compartments built to fit with one another perfectly without the use of nails and screws. This reminded Hiro of home.


    ¡°Does this ¡®jetpack¡¯ even work?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, princess, it will! Let me show you!¡±


    The girl was slightly irked when she heard that word again but she knew that unlike the others, the young man used it without any intention. The trio went outside where Owain put on the awkward device. Which included a wooden corset of sort, probably the panel he was talking about earlier.


    As he tightened the strap, Hiro and Willow waited in bated breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking off!¡±


    With just those words, air shot out of the hole and Owain started to float above the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually work!¡±


    Momo-chan: [That stupid looking thing work!]


    Both Willow and Momo-chan were surprised and marvelled at the jetpack. Hiro, however, remained silent. He shared their enthusiasm at first but after a short headache which arrived and went away in an instant, his excitement dissipated. Now, the young man somehow knew that this wouldn¡¯t work.


    And his ¡®hunch¡¯ proved correct, after trudging above ground for a bit, Owain had to descend. The height he reached was only twice his height.


    ¡°As you can see, it works but not as good as I intend it to be yet¡±


    ¡°So how high do want to reach¡± Asked an enthusiastic Willow.


    ¡°I want to reach all the up there¡± Owain pointed up to the sky ¡°I want to fly among the clouds and touch the sky! It¡¯s been my life-long dream!¡±


    For a moment there, the young man was lost as he looked up to the infinite blue. He eventually returned to the ground though with a hint of disappointment.


    ¡°Still, this is the best I can muster¡±


    ¡°If you have the blueprint, I can take it to Vaswani Academy, I am sure that they can fine tune this for you¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer princess, but I want to reach my goal with my own design. As a graduate from Vaswani, I know that this could work. The only problem is that I couldn¡¯t get a powerful enough gem to charge it with¡±


    ¡°I thought that is your job?¡± Asked Hiro.


    ¡°Certainly, but the amount of power required is far higher than what I can muster. Beside, the quality of the gem itself affect how much power one can hold. And in here, we just don¡¯t have one that is good enough¡±


    Hearing that, Willow reached inside her pocket and pulled out a glistening red gem.


    ¡°How about this?¡± The girl asked innocently.


    ¡°This¡­ this¡­ Only the Divine Vaswani herself could make something like this!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, she gave me this one. Would this gem be enough?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is more than enough! But I can¡¯t take something like this, this is way outside our requisition quota¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that, this gem was given for me for whatever purpose I deem fit. And I am willing to lend it to you as long as it is returned after spent¡±


    Owain hesitated for a moment, eventually he reached out for the item.


    ¡°Thank you, princess¡±


    ¡°I am glad to help¡±


    As the young man taken the gem into his hand, Willow could feel a sense of pride surging within her. Here she was, helping out a citizen of hers achieving his dream. The girl felt like she had achieved something meaningful.


    Hiro could hear Owain muttered.


    ¡°After so long¡­ just like this¡­¡±


    The young man had fine tuned his design to its most efficient iteration possible and was stuck there for more than two years. Now, the end was in his hand, just like that, out of the blue. There was a strange sense of disappointment in him but it was soon overwhelmed by the thought that his long journey, finally over.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ princess¡±


    Owain repeated with shaken voice and put the gem away.


    At that moment, a townsperson ran toward them in a hurry. It was the tavern owner, who had arrived with something he could barely contained.


    ¡°The Edict, an Edict is going to be read!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Both Owain and Willow replied in surprise.


    ¡°Come on, it will be read soon!¡±


    The tavern owner took off and the two followed him without fail. Hiro, who was still in the dark, chased after them anyway.


    ___


    ¡°Hah, hah¡­. hah¡­¡±


    Hiro was completely out of breath, too much running for one day. Suddenly, Suiren lifted him up into her arms and continued on carrying him. The young man wanted to object but he was too tired to even walk by himself.


    They eventually reached the outskirt of town where Owain was meeting with Victor earlier. There was already a crowd gathering but they all stood aside for the Herald, who was being carried.


    Hiro shamefully reached the front row where he found Willow and his fellow summoned, Malcolm and Conrad as well. The youth looked at him and smirked, turning away amused.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can put me down now¡±


    The young man was put down, his legs still shaking but it would hold.


    In front of them was Victor who was standing in front of a marked plot of land. Next to his legs was the Cerberus which was also excited for what about to commence.


    The doctor opened a scroll and announce to the empty plain in front of him.


    ¡°As the Great Divine Agrinya decree¡±


    The moment Victor finished those words, the ground shuddered in response. The Heretic continued to chant in a language that Hiro couldn¡¯t comprehend.


    Clouds started to gather and darkened the sky. There was something running beneath the earth, slithering across the land. At sea, the waves raged on, stronger than ever and yet it was held back by an invisible force before invading the land.


    Rain fell from the sky to the land in front of Victor and sprouts appear. They grew rapidly into mighty trees and produced a variety of unidentified fruits. As soon as these bounties were ripe, Victor stopped chanting and the world returned to how it was.


    It was an unbelievable display, at least to the summoned. Willow explained.


    ¡°That was an Edict. Words of a Divine so powerful it can bend the world to their will¡±


    ¡°What does this particular one does¡± Malcolm asked, tipping the hat down to hide his eyes.


    ¡°It brought on these trees which can only be created by the Divine. Due to the blackout, there is no way we to keep track of food consumption here so there are invoked as an emergency supply. I believe this Edict also change the tide of the sea to brought in more catches for the fishermen¡±


    ¡°Just like that huh¡±


    The youth commented for all of the summoned as they looked on. The once empty lot was now a small lush jungle. All in less than a minute, brought forth by mere words.

 Chapter 24

    3.8


    Body snatching


    Momo-chan opened his eyes, something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time now. He reached up and looked at his hands, or more like Hiro¡¯s hands. Where was the young man? Was he still sleeping, it seemed like it.


    The voice sat up groggily, his body never felt more refreshed. Yesterday after returning from witnessing the Edict, Hiro¡¯s body ached quite a bit.


    It was too embarrassing to admit but Caron, as eagle eyes as she was, noticed something wrong right away. And so, the healer gave him an ointment to help with the ache and it felt wonderful. So much so that the voice could remember his host drifting away.


    Now here they were, neatly tucked in and the ointment all applied somehow. Momo-chan looked at the only other person in the room, Suiren. His face reddened at the implication, he had never felt more self-conscious.


    No, it couldn¡¯t be her, she wouldn¡¯t do something like that without an order. That was a relief but also so sad.


    Nevertheless, Hiro was still asleep and he had somehow gained control of this body. Perhaps he could take it out for a spin once more. The voice changed into a foreign but familiar attire. A normal business man look, a white shirt and black trouser completed with a plain looking tie.


    What a strange feeling, this was the first time Momo-chan had slipped into this outfit and yet it felt like a second skin, the body remembered.


    Talk about original attire, Malcolm rarely wore anything new or different. Conrad and Willow looked the same, but who know if they changed their inner layer or not.


    Suiren, on the other hand, didn¡¯t touch her komon once. It was brief but a hint of her identity at least, the woman would never pick her original attire. Even though Momo-chan dearly wanted to see her in that again, he never requested it out of respect for her rare instant of self-expression.


    Technically he did get to see her like that again as that Roman¡¯s aide. That masked woman, however, didn¡¯t feel like Suiren. They looked the same, they moved the same but Momo-chan could feel nothing thinking back about her.


    When Suiren brutalised her lookalike, he was more horrified at the level of violence displayed than the target of that violence. Even though that woman looked just like her¡­


    Anyway, this was no time to dwell on that. Besides, that komon was boring anyway, Momo-chan would rather Suiren wore something that suited her youthful look more, like a furisode perhaps?


    Momo-chan made his way downstairs to find the place empty, it was too early. In the silence of dawn, the voice could hear something. A grunting noise, coming from a door he had never gone through before. Although he was sure that it led into the workshop. As he approached, the grunt was getting louder.


    ¡°44, 45, 46, ¡­¡±


    Curious, the voice opened the door. Behind it was Caron, doing pulls up with her left hand only.


    ¡°¡­ 47, oh good morning Mr. Hiro, 48, 49, 50!¡±


    With that the young woman dropped to the floor, her body exhuming a faint smoke in the cold morning. Wearing only a tank top, Momo-chan could see his host rather muscular arms and physiques. It was actually rather¡­ attractive.


    What was he even thinking about now.


    ¡°Good morning, Caron-san. Am I interrupting something?¡±


    The young woman looked at him strangely. Had realised that he wasn¡¯t Hiro, just from that? It didn¡¯t seem to be the case though. Caron looked at him and smiles.


    ¡°No, I just finished my morning ritual actually¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pick some herbs for breakfast, perhaps you could give me a hand?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would be my pleasure¡±


    The two went through the glass door into the garden within. A pleasant smell immediately engulfed the voice, it was most soothing. Caron then told him which ones to pick while she watered them all.


    ¡°So, do you work out every morning?¡± Momo-chan asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is a habit of mine ever since the Academy¡±


    ¡°Does Owain-san also work out frequently?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Divine, no. You would never see him anywhere near that pull-up bar¡±


    Come to think of it, Hiro did go to the bath once with Owain. That guy was nowhere as built as his fianc¨¦. Momo-chan didn¡¯t want to continue along this line of conversation though. For some reason, he felt rather embarrassed to talk further about physiques.


    There was something Caron said that jogged his memory, however.


    ¡°This Academy you talked about, it is called Vaswani right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is named after the Divine who overseas all of our education¡±


    ¡°Owain-san told me that he used to study there¡±


    ¡°So was I, it was the only higher academic institution after all¡±


    ¡°I see, come to think of it, can I ask something about the Divines?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡±


    ¡°By now, I have heard of Vaswani who, as you said, handles Eden¡¯s education. Then there is Gottfried, Willow¡¯s father, what does he do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sir. Von Brandt, he is the leader of the Divines, the one closest to God. He overseas all of Eden¡¯s administration¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Yesterday, Victor called out a name in the Edict, was he also a Divine?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he is responsible for coordinating most of our infrastructure. All of the Divine could create an Edict but this land is actually in his land. And so, it was his words that was issued¡±


    ¡°Then who is the final Divine, I have never heard of him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, his name is Silas Greaves the Peacekeeper, I am surprised no one told you about him¡±


    How come this particular Divine had a title? Momo-chan had no idea. Caron continues.


    ¡°So what does he do?¡±


    ¡°Well, Divine Greaves the Peacekeeper is the one who wrote the most popular book series in all of Eden!¡±


    Firstly, that was too long of a way to refer to someone. Secondly, something was seriously wrong about this role compared to the others. Still, Caron seemed to be most enthusiastic talking about him.


    ¡°He wrote so many stories but my favourite is definitely his only current long-running series, Far West. It¡¯s about his time as a bounty hunter before coming to this world! Come to think of it, maybe you have heard of his exploits!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, I don¡¯t really recognise that name though. You said he was a bounty hunter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the best one that ever graced the Wild West. He took down dangerous outlaws like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid and many more!¡±


    ¡°I have only heard of the last name. Although to be honest, I am not knowledgeable about that period. It was another continent¡±


    Heck, Momo-chan didn¡¯t even remember where did he hear about Billy the Kid even. But still, it was the first time he saw Caron this enthusiastic about something. She looked just like the other townsfolk now, fangirling.


    The young woman continued with her watering.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± She said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Hiro: {So she found out, good job, Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [Wait, you are awake?]


    Hiro: {Of course, I don¡¯t even think one of us could sleep while the other is awake even}


    Momo-chan: [Then why did you keep quiet?]


    Hiro: {I just wanted to see what you would do, turn out that means exposing your identity}


    Ah, Momo-chan needed to address that quickly. But he had been silent for a while and that was as good as an straight admission.


    ¡°How¡­ do you even know?¡±


    ¡°Mind telling me who are you first?¡±


    Momo-chan: [What do I even do now!]


    Hiro: {Just be truthful}


    ¡°This may sound strange¡­ but Hiro but from a few years back. I share this body with the current Hiro, he¡­ let me use the body for now¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡± Caron seemed to believe it strangely enough.


    ¡°Then would you tell me how did you realise I am not the Hiro you know?¡±


    ¡°If you want to. But first, what should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Um, Momo-chan¡± Somehow he had come to expected that as his name here.


    ¡°Well then Momo-chan, your way of speaking is a bit different but that isn¡¯t much. You also stand taller though, Hiro hunches slightly. But the most telling is your attire¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Even though Suiren fixed the shirt it and I washed them all, he never touched it. Or more like, he deliberately avoids it¡±


    ¡°So you called me out with just that?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was just a small hunch of mine, turned out it was true. Anyway, can you wash those herbs with the pipe over there?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡±


    Momo-chan scurried away. Caron didn¡¯t mind the fact that he was effectively a stranger. To be fair, they did accepted Hiro and Suiren quite easily but still. Perhaps there was more to this hunch of her¡­


    ___


    Momo-chan and Caron returned to the living room just in time to answer someone knocking on the door. It was Malcolm and Conrad, who had come over. Ever since the battle with the Roman, they had been having meals here.


    ¡°Huh, you are awake?¡± Mused Malcolm.


    ¡°Is it that surprising¡±


    ¡°Well, I have never seen you this early before, that¡¯s all. Although to be fair, the people here don¡¯t seem to be the early type¡±


    Momo-chan took a peek outside and saw that the street was completely deserted.


    ¡°There really is no one outside¡± The voice commented out loud.


    ¡°Well, your princess is probably practicing at the courtyard¡±


    ¡°Wait, she is?¡±


    Malcolm just shrugged his shoulders, Caron answers instead.


    ¡°Willow did tell me that she usually trains around this time¡±


    ¡°Huh, I kind of want to see that¡±


    ¡°Then go, I am sure that she would love to see you there¡±


    After some hesitation, Momo-chan decided to go and said hello to Willow. Malcolm and Conrad followed him for some reason. When asked, the youth just said that he wanted to ¡®take a stroll¡¯ anyway.


    The three arrived at the courtyard near the Pryce¡¯s house. In the empty foggy open, there was only Willow, practicing with her blade.


    Her slashes were strong and precise, her footwork was quick and nimble. Momo-chan couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. Willow concentration was so strong that she didn¡¯t even notice her audiences.


    Not wanting to distract her, Momo-chan clapped slightly.


    ¡°Whoa¡±


    ¡°You are impressed with that?¡± Said Malcolm.


    ¡°Yes, what about it!¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it is impressive. It¡¯s just that all her moves weren¡¯t all that useful¡±


    The youth was no doubt referring to that time when Willow practically incapacitated herself. It was all so chaotic that Hiro didn¡¯t notice it but Momo-chan had all the time in the world to see. The girl¡¯s face at that moment was of pure pain, of frustration.


    He could remember when she told them that she would try her best together with Hiro, when she was beaming with such pride and confident.


    Now, hearing Malcolm¡¯s mockery made his blood boils. But the voice tried to keep his calm.


    ¡°She is just inexperience, that¡¯s all¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And she will get better after more encounters!¡±


    Apparently, that was very amusing for Malcolm who tried to hold back a chuckle. That didn¡¯t escape Momo-chan¡¯s eyes of course.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny about that¡± About slandering one¡¯s effort like that.


    ¡°Everything, Mr. Hiro, everything you said couldn¡¯t be more wrong¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Get better? What a joke¡±


    ¡°Just get to the point¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, can you see the weapon that girl is holding, it¡¯s a longsword. And as you have no doubt notice, all of our pursuers had quite lethal weaponry. Just look at your ¡®Suiren¡¯¡±


    ¡°What about them¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, that girl was incredibly lucky to have survive that. What happens next won¡¯t be fist fight, if the princess isn¡¯t experience by then she will die. There is no room for improvement¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°But still, that isn¡¯t exactly her fault¡± The youth mused.


    ¡°What?¡± Momo-chan was taken back by Malcolm sudden change of tone, the youth sounded almost understanding.


    ¡°It is her trainer¡¯s responsibility to provide her with experience. Of course, after encounters one would improve but she is too green to even survive, much less learn¡±


    Come to think of it, Willow was trained by her father, the Divine Gottfried, the leader of the Divines even. If what Malcolm said was the truth, then did that mean he wasn¡¯t serious about training her?


    And as strange as this may be to Momo-chan but he couldn¡¯t help but believed in Malcolm¡¯s words this time. He lasted quite a good while against that Roman, the youth was definitely more experienced than him or even Hiro for that matter.


    Malcolm was impressive, but there was still someone else he could ask, someone better.


    Momo-chan turned to Conrad.


    ¡°Conrad-san, can I ask you something¡±


    After a painful silence, the man finally replied ¡°Yes¡± nervously.


    ¡°Seeing this¡­ I don¡¯t know it¡¯s not much to go on but what do you think about Willow¡¯s technique?¡±


    ¡°This is more than enough¡± Conrad replied was of a normal conversation¡¯s speed, this surprised both Momo-chan and Malcolm. The man continued ¡°It is very precise but lacklustre¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can clarify on that¡± Momo-chan asked.


    ¡°All of her repeated movements are precisely the same, which required a great deal of precision. But her grip, stance, the way she holds her sword, her movements, all of them are unpolished. If all of them are improved, she can shave off a second of a swing¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that get better with practice, she would be more efficient over time, right?¡±


    ¡°No, she must have had plenty of practices to be this precise. Those are on the teacher¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me wrong, her level is higher than most. But from what we have encountered, this won¡¯t do at all¡±


    ¡°You are talkative all of a sudden¡±


    Malcolm commented and Conrad didn¡¯t say anything at all. Or at least, not at that moment. After some more silence, the man finally replied.


    ¡°Sorry¡±


    Why did he even have to apologise for that! Conrad seemed to shrink, he just stood there clicking his finger in that same tune.


    Momo-chan didn¡¯t know what to do. He wanted to help Willow but how? While the voice was lost, his host had an idea. Hiro spoke again.


    Hiro: {Momo-chan, can I borrow the body back for bit?}


    Momo-chan: [Of course, it¡¯s yours¡­ What are you going to do?]


    Hiro:{Oh, I¡¯m just going to ask Malcolm a favour}

 Chapter 25

    3.9


    A page out of Malcolm Burgess¡¯s life


    The pub today was crowded and stuffed with people. It was always like this every noon, when the workers could finally have a bit of time for themselves. And so, they squeezed into the old pub in the damp alley, trying to forget their miserable life.


    In the far back, however, was an empty table where no one dares to go near. It was for a special customer and his guests. The door swung open and so he walked in to his familiar spot. Behind him were muscle bound thugs and lowlifes, trying so not to bump into each other in this cramped space.


    They blended in with the crowd while still keeping an eye out for the boss, the special customer. But made no mistakes, while their gazes were watchful they are of vultures than a protective kind.


    The youth made his way through the crowd and sat in his small corner, his humble throne.


    The owner here was a friend of his, a chubby man with a kind streak called Pete. The man immediately brought out a cup of milk as usual for the boss man.


    But something was strange about Pete today, he looked so nervous, so twitchy. The youth wondered why, was it because of what happened yesterday. When he caught Pete with a woman under his protection, his mother.


    Pete came to the table, carefully holding the cup of milk.


    ¡°Here you go Malcolm¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡± The youth replied as the man scuttled away ¡°Wait, come, sit here with me for a bit¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we are quite busy, I should get back¡±


    ¡°No, your little Bobby can handle this much, a speed demon Bobby is. Come, sit here with me Pete, my friend¡±


    The man started to sweat as he sat down in front the youth. Oh Pete, was he that worried. Malcolm called out.


    ¡°Bobby, comes here and gives your ward something to wet his beak¡±


    In an instant, Booby was already here with a cup of water. A speed demon, that little guy. The youth called the boy up closed and shoved some bonus in his small grubby hand. Bobby lit up ¡°Thank you Mr. Burgess¡±, and then disappeared back into the crowd.


    Pete was still sitting there, still so nervous.


    ¡°Your drink is here, why don¡¯t you take a sip¡±


    ¡°Oh of course I will, Malcolm¡±


    It was true that the youth was very protective of his mother, that frail woman, so used to being used. But still, he wouldn¡¯t mind ol¡¯ Pete.


    After barely drinking any, the man put his cup down, clutching it tightly ¡°What about you, why don¡¯t you take a sip as well Malcolm¡±


    So that was how it is. The youth leaned back against the soft fabric.


    ¡°Oh, Pete, do you remember when we first met. That day is still so vivid in my mind¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but why are you bringing that up now!¡±


    ¡°It was raining so heavily, and you found me half dead at your doorstep. I still remembered how brought me in and fed me and gave me a bed to sleep in¡±


    ¡°What are you on about, Malcolm?¡±


    ¡°A little orphan, I was a nobody when you took me in, Pete. And for that I am very grateful¡±


    ¡°Please, what do you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Pete oh my dear Pete, how long we have been acquainted now¡±


    ¡°Malc¡­¡±


    ¡°HOW LONG PETE, ANSWER ME¡±


    The youth slammed his cane against the wooden floor. The entire bar turned silent and looked to the table. Their faces were a mixture of curiosity, of horror, of amusement.


    ¡°1¡­13 years¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve known you longer than my own mother, than anyone¡±


    The youth lifted up his cane and pushed the glass of milk toward Pete. A look of shock appeared on the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Drink it, Pete¡±


    ¡°Malcolm, please, don¡¯t do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Drink. The. Milk¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Poor old Pete hunkered down and started to sob. He tried to hold back his tears and snots, but they keep on pouring out. His whole body loosened and slumped down in acceptance. Or was it, Malcolm could see something glimmer in the old pal crutch.


    With all of his strength, Pete leapt at the youth with a knife in his hand. Malcolm simply sighed and kicked the table straight into Pete¡¯s stomach.


    Then with the agility of a wild cat, the youth pounced on the man. His cane dug deep into Pete¡¯s chubby arm. The man screamed out like a castrated pig and dropped his knife to the floor.


    ¡°Why, Pete, why¡±


    Malcolm asked politely, with a smile on his face, always with a smile. To his surprise, Pete yelled with all his might.


    ¡°WHY, YOU ASKED ME WHY! I KNOW YOU WILL KILL ME! I KNOW YOU WOULD DO! SO DO IT, DO IT!¡±


    In all their 13 years, the youth had never seen this gentle man raised his voice once. But here he was, filled with bitterness and hatred. Teared streams out obscuring all of Pete¡¯s vision but he still screamed.


    ¡°DO IT! DO IT!¡±


    With his free arm, Malcolm reached into his pocket. The entire room grasped as the youth brought out¡­ a handkerchief. With great care, he wiped the tears and snot and saliva of Pete¡¯s face. Even the man was stunted by the gesture.


    And with a smile, Malcolm replied gently.


    ¡°Very well¡±


    Letting go of the cane, the youth punched his old friend square in the face. A dry crack could be heard as blood spews out of Pete¡¯s mouth. Malcolm was always ready with a pair of brass knuckles in his gloves. He fractured the man¡¯s jaw.


    Another blow, this time a left punch, follow by a right then a left then a right then a left then a right then a left then a right then a left then a right then a left then a right then a left then a right then a left and it kept on going on and on.


    Among the thugs, the lowlifes there were signs of amusement as first. But even they couldn¡¯t stomach this level of ultraviolence.


    The youth delivered blows after blows, all with the same deadly force, all with a smile on his face. When he was finally done, all was left of poor Pete¡¯s head was a red mess. There was no trace of the gentle man, no trace of a living human being.


    Malcolm stood up again, hair had fallen all over his eyes. The youth raised his hair back up with his bloodied hand. His face was smeared with red blood.


    The youth went back and sat on his usual spot.


    ¡°Bobby, I¡¯m thirsty, get me a cup of milk will you, this one I¡¯m afraid was contaminated¡±


    The boy looked at his dead ward in horror, his body shakened with fear. He soon snapped out of it though and poured a new cup of milk for the boss. His delivery was quick as usual but the drink was all spilled.


    Malcolm help the cup into his hand and took a deep sip. Nothing was more refreshing than a cup of milk after some intense exercise.


    The youth casted his eyes at the mess on the floor. 13 years they had known each other, now reduced to nothing. Malcolm couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for the man, a good guy he was. The only one who was willing to help out the poor orphan, oh how he must had regretted being generous that day.


    But still, plastered on Malcolm¡¯s face was still a smile, a smirk more like. This bar, no this street, this city was filled with vultures. And they would come and tear him apart at the first sign of weakness, of empathy.


    His age was an insult but no one brave enough to voice it and no one would dare say it now.


    Malcolm looked at the cup, milk spilled all over his bloodied hand. Inside of him was a strange feeling he couldn¡¯t explain.


    For a kind soul like Pete to resort to this tactic, the man must have been terrified. Fear muddled with his mind, he wanted to live and looked where he was now.


    The ironic thing was that the thought of harming Pete never thought Malcolm¡¯s mind. True, he was strict on who could be near his ailing mother. But still, she was the woman who abandoned him at birth. He only found out who she was some years prior.


    Compared to Pete, who had been with him for more than a decade, before the name Malcolm was something to be feared. Compared to Pete, the youth couldn¡¯t care less for that woman.


    And yet, after 13 years people should know more about one another, that¡¯s how things work right? And yet, poor Pete was so scared. But there was something the youth cannot deny. There was something so satisfying about bashing someone head in with your own hands.


    Malcolm looked into the cup. He could see a faint reflection of a face smeared with blood, still with a grin.


    ___


    Only when Willow finished with her training did she notice her audiences. How long had they been there even, how long had the Herald stood in this cold morning watching her!


    ¡°What¡­ when¡­¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡±


    Momo-chan tried to reach out and pat the girl but he couldn¡¯t muster the courage to do it.


    ¡°It is so cold now, I hope you don¡¯t have to wait for too long!¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t waiting for anything, I was just looking at you training¡±


    ¡°Eh, but there wasn¡¯t much really¡­¡±


    Before Momo-chan could say anything, Malcolm interjected.


    ¡°Nah, it was entertaining to see you flailing around. It¡¯s been a while since I have seen such a train wreck, thanks for that, princess¡±


    The words dug at her but Willow try to ignore them. She tried to focus on¡­


    ¡°Still, for you to be like this. I wonder what kind of terribleness these ¡®Divines¡¯ can display¡± Malcolm tipped his bowler head, his voice filled with mockery.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard it was your father who trained you right? The Divine Gottfried, the leader of the Divines, the best swordsman of the continent¡±


    ¡°Stop, just stop it¡­¡± Willow could feel her blood rushing.


    ¡°I am dying to meet him, maybe he could teach me how to flail like a dead fish as well¡±


    ¡°STOP IT!¡±


    Willow¡¯s blade found it way straight in front of Malcolm¡¯s throat. The youth leaned forward, his skin touching the cold steel.


    ¡°What are you doing, princess. Are you going to cut me down, princess?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I can¡¯t forgive you¡­ you mocked the Divines, you mocked my father¡­¡±


    ¡°And? Even if you cut me down, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are all just a bunch of incompetent twats. You could command magic power and yet still had to call for help from a bunch of outsiders like us¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Just stop it¡± Momo-chan jumped in and pushed the blade away.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t stop¡± Malcolm tripped him to the ground ¡°Let the princess does what she wants. What do you want then?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to prove me wrong, I am ready¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ Ugh, ready your weapon!¡±


    Willow stepped back and ready her sword. Malcolm simply pulled out a knife on his right hand, his left hand still holding onto the cane. The youth didn¡¯t even remove his coat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too heated, or else you will just collapse again, princess. That would be too boring¡±


    Momo-chan stood up and watches as the two readied to clash with one another. Next to him was Conrad, watching silently while clicking his fingers.


    Malcolm looked at his opponent. The youth could feel something swelling inside him. How long had it been since he last fought someone? That Roman didn¡¯t really count. It didn¡¯t matter. The youth was more excited than he thought. At this rate he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back.


    He could feel a strange hunger, a thirst for the good ol¡¯ ultraviolent.


    Malcolm bowed to his opponent with a smile, always with a smile.

 Chapter 26

    3.10


    David and Goliath


    Momo-chan watched the two fighters, opposite each other in everyway.


    Willow¡¯s stance was solid and firmly planted to the ground, tensed up with concentration, the girl barely moved a muscle. Malcolm meanwhile traced around, there was a slight bounce in his steps even.


    The girl knew this was something beyond idiotic. To get herself riled up to this extent. But she couldn¡¯t do anything but watch on but see her father literally withering away, trying to keep Eden afloat. And now, for his name to be insulted, Willow wouldn¡¯t stand for it. Malcolm hadn¡¯t been here long enough to truly perceive this world. He was still blinded. And one of her mission was to open the eyes of the unbeliever.


    A drop of sweat fell down on the girl forehead, forcing her to blink. The moment she opened her eyes again, Malcolm was already in front with his knife aimed squarely at her stomach.


    Willow dodged away just in time but the youth swung again. His nimble weapon would definitely find its target before she could take a swing. And so the girl kicked back, breaking up the engagement.


    Now it was back to neutral, but not for long. Malcolm already on the offense once again.


    The girl tried to swing at him, utilising her vastly superior reach. To her dismay, the blade was then blocked and slided along the youth cane effortlessly. With her weapon locked Willow had to disengage again before being assaulted again.


    No matter what she did, Malcolm could parry her blows easily with his cane. The youth was not afraid at all to close distance so rapidly. His knife constantly swinging in and out of her vision, it was impossible to keep track of.


    Before Willow could even calm down, Malcolm violently stepped on her foot, unbalancing the girl as he drove his knife straight to her stomach.


    ¡®Is that it¡­ is this all that I could do¡­¡¯


    To her surprise, Malcolm stopped and gave her a kick instead. He retreated back and grinned like a mad man. Oh right, this wasn¡¯t a battle to the death or anything. The youth had proved his superiority.


    Willow understood now. She was a failure, always had been. Born with recessive traits, the girl was nothing but a wallflower. But she wanted to help spread the gospel, the words of the Divine. But now, here she was, rendered powerless so easily by a street thug. She was not couldn¡¯t make Malcolm see the light, to cure his blindness.


    ¡°Huh, I can see your eyes right there, but you might as well be blind, princess¡± The youth spoke up suddenly.


    ¡°What¡­ do you even mean¡±


    ¡°Look at you, such a struggle for what, why do you even bother to dodge my blow?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a good look at yourself first, princess?¡±


    What was he even talking about. Willow looked down but she couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. She was just in her normal attire, that¡¯s all. Her confusion didn¡¯t escape Malcolm¡¯s inquisitive gaze.


    ¡°I could see now, why you suddenly clings on your Herald so quickly¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh the poor princess, can only see what others tell her to see, can only think what others tell her to think! Look at yourself again, princess, it isn¡¯t hard to see¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Stop with all the vagueness, you have won already!¡±


    ¡°Huh, I just want to say that¡¯s quite a thick jacket you have there¡±


    ¡°¡­ What does that have to do with anything¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably tough enough to handle this meagre knife¡±


    Willow was stunted by the realisation. Her departure wasn¡¯t acceptable but as daughter of the Divine, the girl was given the best equipment available.


    The jacket was custom made to fit her perfectly, to be as elegant as possible as per mother request. Her brother boasted about how the leather was soft on the surface but tough and nearly uncuttable. How there were additional layers of metal woven inside the jacket to make it even more durable, enough to¡­ withstand the sharpest sword, much less a puny dagger.


    ¡°It seems you finally realise, took you long enough, princess¡± Malcolm calmly put the knife away ¡°It was fun seeing you dancing around to avoid that. But stop dawdling around, I don¡¯t have all day¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    The youth dashed toward and swings his cane which Willow blocked with her blade. Smirking, Malcolm pulled back the cane, hooking the blade back. Before the girl could regain control of her weapon, The cane shot back up landing straight at her chin.


    Willow was sent back staggering but still on her feet.


    ¡°Huh, no cracking. Your skull sure is tough¡±


    Too tough actually, Malcolm thought to himself. That blow was heavy enough to shatter bones but that chin held. Heck, there was not even a sign of damage on her smooth skin.


    The youth grinned and continues his onslaught.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you are so thick. I wonder if that is hereditary¡±


    Willow tried to back up but find the cane reaching behind, pulling her straight forward. There, Malcolm landed a devastating punch straight onto her cheek. The girl fell back but manages to retain her footing.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°T¡­ That punch, your gloves¡­¡±


    Outside, Momo-chan couldn¡¯t see clearly what is going on. Still, he could clearly make out that Willow was in a daze, that blow sent a shock through her brain. But what about Malcolm¡¯s gloves?


    The youth wasn¡¯t hiding what he has.


    ¡°Yes, hidden in these babies are metal rings around my fingers, a hidden pair of brass knuckles you could say¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    The voice was enraged but mostly worried. Willow took a full hit of that and Malcolm didn¡¯t seem to hold back at all. Momo-chan ran at the girl only to be told down.


    {Don¡¯t, just stay here and watch her}


    [But, but¡­ that was too much!]


    {No, it¡¯s not, just look}


    Momo-chan looked at Willow who had her head low. The girl looked up, her eyes filled with determination. She gripped her sword and got into her stance.


    ¡°So you are still in the game¡±


    Said Malcolm mockingly, but his eyes were fixated on the girl¡¯s cheek, where the punch landed. It didn¡¯t even leave mark, her skin had only gotten slightly reddish, blushing would even be more obvious than that. It was not like Malcolm held back either, he had broken so many heads with that punch and yet¡­


    This time, it was Willow on the offense. Then girl charged at her target with full force, completed with a powerful swing.


    The youth met that with his cane, but he could feel the blow was too much to block. And so, Malcolm let the blade slide along the wooden stick then tried to hook it again. Willow retaliated with a stab instead. The youth narrowly dodged it then retreats to avoid a follow up slash.


    Momo-chan watched on, not knowing how to feel about this. Willow had been insulted enough. But still, it was not like Malcolm is also wearing any sort of special clothing or anything, his shirt wass just like any other shirt. The stab was aimed straight without any hesitation.


    The voice finally remembered what his host never forgot, Willow had always been a zealot.


    Even before gaining this renewed determination, the girl was ready to face Malcolm with her blade which was sharpened to a tee. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to cut down any who challenged her Divines.


    The voice wondered if she would be willing to do the same for the Herald and he felt like the answer was yes. That girl would kill for him, no, she would kill for what she perceived as the Herald, not him nor his host. Momo-chan couldn¡¯t help but feel rather repulsed by that idea. But he still wanted to cheer her on.


    Meanwhile, Willow¡¯s advance was stopped by a powerful blow from Malcolm¡¯s cane straight to her skull. That item¡¯s head was filled with heavy material to be a blunt weapon, so the attack was devastating. Blood started to run down her sweaty forehead.


    Even then, she kept on going. She was faster, stronger and tougher than her opponent. And yet, none of her attack could connect. The girl always found herself blindsided by another punch or a hit from that ghastly cane. To made matter worse, Malcolm only went for the head but she still couldn¡¯t block his hits.


    Willow staggered back, she was reaching her limit. The girl could barely see anymore, her left eye was completely dark. At least the cane didn¡¯t reach her face once but the punches were still heavy. There didn¡¯t seem to be any cut yet but her face was all bruised.


    Mother would be furious to see the state she was in now¡­ a chill ran down Willow¡¯s spine.


    Still, she wouldn¡¯t go down, she would make him pay for those words. But her sword couldn¡¯t seem to touch him before, much less in her current condition.


    Willow looked at her blade. It was something she wanted for her fifth birthday. Despite mother objection, father ordered it anyway. Of course, the thing was too big and unwieldy, but the girl kept it hang in her bedroom and looked forward to the day she could use it.


    Oh how she trained days and nights. It was her dream to be a mighty swordsman like father and her brothers.


    Oh how overjoyed Willow was when father said she had graduated from her wooden training sword. The girl could pick up her blade and face the Divine themselves. But it was all still training, Willow hoped that one day she could use it for an actual fight.


    When the opportunity came knocking, the girl overcharged her mana and crippled herself.


    Now, when she truly had a chance to wield it, the blade failed her. No, it was something she had to see, it was Willow who failed it. But the girl still had a fight to win, an opponent to defeat. If this wouldn¡¯t work then she needed to seek something else!


    Digging her feet onto the ground, Willow channelled the mana throughout her body.


    The girl charged at Malcolm with a lighting fast swing. It caught the youth by surprise, but he could still dodge back in time, then he realised his mistake. Before his feet could recover from the move, Willow sped up tremendously straight at him. She didn¡¯t have enough time for another swing but that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    There was no dodging it, Malcolm told himself. But of course he wasn¡¯t done yet, a grin appeared on the youth¡¯s face. In neutral, he always held the cane with two hand for a reason.


    In the split seconds before impact, Malcolm turned the handle and from it, drew out a gleaming blade of his own aimed straight at Willow¡¯s face. The girl didn¡¯t stop of course, she was too committed. But her blurry eye could still see the steel.


    And so did Momo-chan.


    ¡°NOOO!¡±


    The voice yelled out the blade dug into the girl cheek. At that very moment, Willow screamed out and bashed Malcolm with her shoulder. The impact was simply explosive as a loud cracking sound could be heard.


    The youth was sent flying through the air and his back slammed straight into the ground. Malcolm spitted all the blood running up his throat before he could choke on them.


    His ribs were all fractured, the youth could barely breath.


    Momo-chan ran to his side to see if he is alright. Malcolm grabbed the voice¡¯s collar with his bloodied hand.


    ¡°Props me up, will ya lad¡±


    ¡°¡­Ok¡±


    Wrapping his arm around Momo-chan shoulder, the youth sat up to face the victor. Willow was still standing where she was, looking down onto him. There was a ghastly cut on her left cheek, running near the corner of the girl¡¯s mouth straight to her ear.


    For an accidental cut, that was still a darn good Glasgow smile. A half job perhaps but better than most that Malcolm had seen.


    The youth mustered his strength to clap slowly. It was painful to talk but he does so anyway.


    ¡°Congratulation, princess. You win¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even tell if you are serious or not but at this point, I couldn¡¯t care less¡±


    ¡°So you do have some spunk in there, princess. Don¡¯t worry, I really mean it¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thanks¡±


    ¡°Still so polite¡± Malcolm spitted out some blood ¡°But do you feel better now, princess?¡±


    ¡°Just be quiet, even from here I could see it is painful for you to talk¡­¡±


    Willow turned away, the victory rang hollow. She fought with the purpose to defend the Divine¡¯s honour but was it ever needed. Besides, Malcolm undoubtedly went easy on her at first with that knife.


    The youth was serious at the end and Willow still emerged victorious. But she could barely managed and it was clear Malcolm was not trained. He was just a street thug.


    ¡°I will go and get some help, just lie there, don¡¯t do anything¡±


    The girl said and walked away. Momo-chan wanted to run after her but he was still holding up Malcolm here. Besides, it seemed like she wanted some time to think anyway.


    The youth tried to sit up again, a painful process. Not wanting to see him straining himself so hard, Momo-chan pushed him back down. The voice then noticed something, there was something soft underneath Malcolm¡¯s jacket. ¡®Wait, isn¡¯t this¡­¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ are a girl!¡± The voice exclaimed.


    Malcolm looked at Momo-chan, sighed ¡°Yes, I guess¡± Such a nonchalant answer, it was as if the youth didn¡¯t care ¡°If you tell anyone about that, I would have to kill you¡± Even the threat was as light as a feather. The voice didn¡¯t know why Malcolm would hide something like that, but he would keep it a secret.


    ¡°Now that didn¡¯t turn out as I have expected¡± Said Malcolm about the fight.


    Momo-chan remained but his mouth still moved, he was no longer in control. The rightful owner had returned if only for a short while.


    ¡°Did you think you would win?¡±


    ¡°Not to be conceited but yes. Hm, maybe she is more capable than I what gave her credit for¡±


    ¡°No, it was thanks to you. Thanks for granting my request¡±


    ¡°And here I am, you own me one¡±


    ¡°I sure do¡±


    With that, Momo-chan found himself back in control. The voice could feel nothing but mixed about all of this. All he could do now is to see what would come out of the whole ordeal.

 Chapter 27

    4.1


    To be Hiro Hanazawa


    Malcolm¡¯s injury was more severe than she had been letting on. Still, Momo-chan could smell it out and the youth was not allowed to move from his spot at all. They stayed there waiting for help which didn¡¯t take long at all.


    Victor arrived like the wind, literally. Black smoke streamed into the area coalescing into the old doctor.


    ¡°Oh dear, what a mess we have here¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that doc¡±


    Malcolm replied, trying not to choke on her own blood. Victor came and take a closer look at the injured. Momo-chan asked worryingly.


    ¡°Will he be alright?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can have him back up in a few¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡±


    ¡°Thanks for looking out for him, you can leave now. I believe Owain is looking for you, he said it is urgent¡±


    The voice looked at Malcolm reluctantly. He still left though, the youth was already in good hand. Before leaving completely, the voice turned around and asked one final thing.


    ¡°Um, did you see Willow on your way here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, she was the one telling me about this¡±


    ¡°¡­ How was she¡­ I mean how did she seem to be holding up?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look for yourself?¡±


    The doctor wasn¡¯t willing to divulge any more and so Momo-chan started to make his way back. To his surprise, Conrad also followed him back. This wasn¡¯t anything outlandish, it was just that Momo-chan was used to seeing the vagabond with Malcolm. He wondered if the man knew of the youth secret, probably not.


    This made the trip back even more awkward, however, as Conrad was completely silent. The man just followed him around along with Suiren who was also mute. Wait, why was he also walking three steps behind.


    Fortunately, the journey didn¡¯t take much time at all and Momo-chan found himself back at the Pryce¡¯s place. As he approached the front door, however, it busted open violently. Owain practically jumped out at him.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s you, Hiro!¡±


    ¡°Are you expecting someone else?¡±


    ¡°No no, I was waiting for you. I heard the footsteps and wondered who that was so I jumped out and turned out it is you!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here, so what do you want¡±


    ¡°Here, let me show you!¡±


    The young man grabbed Momo-chan¡¯s hand and dragged him away into the garage. Owain rushed to the desk and practically ripped the drawer out. All the papers inside spilled out and scattered all over the room.


    Owain frantically looked around the flying paper but couldn¡¯t find what he wanted. Too excited to look some more he just grabbed some blank flying about.


    ¡°Um, what is going on?¡± Asked Momo-chan.


    The question was ignored for now as Owain drew something on the paper with intense speed. The voice took a peek, it was a blueprint of sort, probably of the jet pack from the look of it.


    The process took about a minute and Momo-chan couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the artistry displayed here. Despite drawing at a frantic pace, all the details had just the right length and snapped together perfectly. All the lines were also drawn without ruler or any kind and yet still completely straight.


    ¡°Tada, I finally manage to devise this. It took the whole of last night!¡±


    The voice wasn¡¯t even sure if this was actually for the jet pack or not, much less made out the detail. Luckily, Owain seemed to want to explain this himself.


    ¡°This is the new blueprint for the jet pack!¡±


    ¡°I kind of guess, so what improvements have you made?¡±


    ¡°Well, with the new power source, I was able to cut down on the size significantly!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. So you have finished with the jetpack?¡±


    ¡°The design, yes. I only need to calibrate the amount of power needed, or else it will explode during take-off!¡±


    ¡°Now that would be nasty¡±


    ¡°That one I am still working on, it will take a while. But I can already imagine it! Anyway, let¡¯s go and have breakfast before Caron makes a fuss!¡±


    The two went back inside the building through the connecting door. Inside the kitchen were Caron and Willow, setting up the dishes. The girl turned back to face them.


    ¡°Welcome back, Hiro¡±


    Momo-chan was stunted by her appearance. All the bruised and blood gone, only one trace of the fight remained, and it was most gruesome. A ghastly scar across her left cheek, a horrible blemished on that delicate skin. It almost looked like a twisted half smile.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two take a seat, the food will get cold soon¡±


    She still acted perfectly normal, as if nothing was wrong. The same could be said for Caron but not Owain, it was clear the young man noticed it but he opted to remain silent.


    Hiro: {Don¡¯t stare, it¡¯s rude}


    Momo-chan: [Ah]


    Hearing the reminder, the voice looked down at the empty dish. His mind still filled with thoughts.


    Hiro: {Just wait until later, when no one is around}


    Momo-chan: [I know¡­]


    For now, Momo-chan needed to act as normal as he could. That wasn¡¯t too hard, asides from the occasional stare. He tried to think about something else, like the jetpack. Now that was something exciting.


    That was until Willow also brought up something for him to think about.


    ¡°I thought Conrad returns with you, Hiro?¡±


    ¡°Yes he¡­¡±


    Momo-chan looked around to find the man non-existent. Owain, meanwhile, was thinking whether he saw the vagabond or not.


    ¡°I thought so as well¡­ Wait a bit¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡¯, Momo-chan and Owain went back and voila, outside the front door was Conrad. He was still standing exactly in the same place when the two, three counting Suiren, ran to the garage.


    ¡°Come on in, breakfast is ready¡±


    Conrad suddenly moved and stepped inside the house. His eyes still so weary and unchanging.


    ¡°Um, why were you standing out there for?¡±


    After the usual bout of silence the man replie ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I can go in¡±


    ¡°Of course, you could¡± Owain answered ¡°You are always welcome here!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡±


    Conrad walked past them, towering over the him.


    Momo-chan: [I always forget he is taller than us. Perhaps because he is always hunching, like you!]


    Hiro: {Hm¡­}


    That sure made Hiro think. The voice wondered how long would he be staying in this body. While it was great to move around when he wanted to move around this didn¡¯t feel too right. That was the host call and now wasn¡¯t that time yet.


    The voice made his way back and had his first actual meal. While he could feel everything from the taste to the texture, having control of when to bite to put more food in made more difference than what he had ever expected.


    There was something he noticed though, there were teeth he didn¡¯t remember having. Momo-chan ran his tongue over them, trying to determine whether they had always been here.


    Hiro: {Those are my wisdom teeth}


    Momo-chan: [Oh, I see]


    Hiro: {Pulling them out will be a pain}


    Momo-chan: [I certainly don¡¯t look forward to that]


    Hiro: {At least you still have a few years left. Or maybe soon if I they are extracted here}


    Momo-chan: [Wait, then does that mean we have to have them remove twice¡­]


    Hiro: {¡­ I sure don¡¯t look forward to that}


    ___


    When Malcolm returned he was completely normal, even his clothes are clean. The youth only took one glance at Willow, however, and he would never comment on it.


    The girl also didn¡¯t want to discuss it with Momo-chan, or more like Hiro, yet.


    And so, the voice spent most the day just walking about, feeling the wind on his face. No one else, just him and Suiren trekking through the open field. Having agency and control sure did a lot to enhance one¡¯s perception. This long trip felt so much different than when he was still inside Hiro.


    Momo-chan wondered if the young man was feeling the same way he did. Or maybe Hiro¡¯s perception was also different because he still spent more time in this body.


    Why was he even thinking about all of this even...?


    Momo-chan: [Hiro, are you there]


    Hiro: {Where else could I be. What¡¯s up?}


    Momo-chan: [I¡¯m wondering about something¡­]


    Hiro: {What is it?}


    Momo-chan: [I can¡¯t even remember what it feels like anymore, being in my old body¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s too many differences, we are still the same after all]


    Hiro: {True}


    Momo-chan: [Well, asides from the fact I was fitter]


    Hiro: {Ugh, I will give you that one¡­}


    Momo-chan looked into the clouds, the sky was still so blue. Maybe after Owain finished with the jetpack, he could take it out for a ride.


    ¡°I wonder what does it feel like to fly among the clouds. Do you?¡±


    The voice muttered out loud. He waited for a reply but none ever arrived, of course she wouldn¡¯t. Just thinking about that made him felt rather down and he didn¡¯t want that. His mind would wander to places he didn¡¯t want to.


    But maybe this was the time to confront them, to get some answer¡­


    Momo-chan: [Hiro, can I ask you something?]


    Hiro: {Shoot}


    Momo-chan: [What happened to our parents?]


    Hiro: {¡­}


    Of course Momo-chan remembered. It was still so vivid in his mind, Hiro kneeling over Suiren, begging her to stay. That had been on his mind ever since.


    Seeing there was no way around it. Hiro answered.


    Hiro: {Father lost his job before we graduate high school. Mom overworked herself and died two years later. One day after her death, he would run away as well}


    It was blunt and straight to the point. Even though Momo-chan harboured no love for his parents, the news was still shocking. Although what was more surprising was how Hiro was so painful when he confessed it to Suiren.


    This all would happen to him in four years, what kind of bonds could be made¡­


    The voice continued to wander until he reached someplace familiar.


    It was that tree, where they first arrived in this world. It felt like ages had passed since then. Next to it was a tent, probably set up by Victor, the doctor was looking to fix something here. Something that prevented the summoned from going back to their world.


    It seems like he wasn¡¯t around though.


    Momo-chan parked his back on the ground under the shade, it felt rather cold here actually, but he liked it. Maybe he would take a nap. As he was drifting away, the voice could hear someone called to him, it¡¯s Hiro.


    Hiro: {Hey, there is something I want to tell you}


    Momo-chan: [Huh, what is it?] Momo-chan yawned, he was getting sleepy.


    Hiro: {Let¡¯s shelves that name, Momo-chan}


    Momo-chan: [What?]


    Hiro: {I am just saying I will call you Hiro from now on, I will also inform Victor about that}


    Momo-chan: [Why¡¯s the change?]


    Hiro: {Well, you are Hiro, aren¡¯t you}


    Momo-chan: [True¡­]


    Hiro slowly drifted away into a deep sleep. When he works up, the voice found his head cushioned by Suiren thighs. Embarrassed, he jumped up and quickly made his way back.


    Still, the voice was glad. He didn¡¯t give any command on that, and yet!


    And so, the voice made his way back with a song in his heart, oblivious of the order coming from somewhere else. The rest of the day went on without much happening. Owain was busy with his jetpack, Willow was avoiding him, Malcolm and Conrad had gone off to the wood.


    Hiro spent all of the afternoon sitting with Caron. She managed to egg him into reading that Far West series. Despite the over dramatic writing there was something sincere about it which was quite enjoyable.


    Caron also reread with him and when everyone returned, dinner hadn¡¯t been prepared at all.


    The cooking didn¡¯t take too long and the voice sure enjoyed the meal, he didn¡¯t have any for lunch after all.


    Afterward, it was quite late so the voice decided it was time to rest. He slipped into something more comfortable and lied down. Next to him was Suiren who had sat down on her usual spot.


    Hiro looked at her, not knowing what to do. In the end, he held her hand again, the voice was plentily happy with this arrangement already. While something more would be nice, he was content.


    And the voice would hold onto her hand throughout the night.


    ___


    Morning came, Hiro woke up early having rested plentily the day before. He got out of bed and prepared to change. After some consideration he reached out for his original attire once again, just like yesterday.


    Hiro tied his tie like he has done for the past two year then went down for breakfast.

 Chapter 28

    4.2


    Let¡¯s all do our best


    Hiro exited to the empty street and made his way along. This place would continue to be devoid of people until the big clock stroke thrice. Then, everyone would come out and start their day. It was not like there was a curfew or rules of any kind, the townsfolks were just¡­ disciplined for a lack of better word.


    In the courtyard, he could see Willow practicing. Near her was Conrad, who was just standing there, watching. This time, the girl noticed him right away.


    ¡°Ah, Hiro!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Willow, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I am just training, that¡¯s all¡­ Well, I have also asked Mr. Conrad to help me with my training¡±


    ¡°I noticed¡±


    The young man looked at Conrad who was still standing there looking at where Willow was a few moments ago. It took him a bit more to turn to Hiro and a tiny bit more to mutter the word ¡®Hello¡¯. Hiro waved at him.


    ¡°Um, Hiro, can I talk with you for a bit?¡± Asked Willow.


    ¡°Of course¡±


    Behind them, Conrad finally extended his arm to wave back at Hiro. But by then, their conversation had started, the vagabond retracted his arms and not knowing what to do, continued to stand there and stared into nothing. As someone who was always on the road, staying in a place this long was puzzling. It reminded him of a home long gone.


    Hiro and Willow sat down on a long bench. The young man edged inside and told Suiren to take a rest, although it was not like she needed one.


    ¡°It sure is cold here¡± Hiro said ¡°I am starting to regret wearing this¡±


    ¡°Well, you can have my coat¡±


    ¡°No, no! I just said that to open the conversation or something. Just a generic comment¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, I see¡±


    Hiro nodded and looked at Willow. The girl had picked the closer seat even though that mean her scar would fully be visible. Guess such a thing couldn¡¯t be hidden anyway so why try.


    ¡°That scar, is it possible to remove it?¡±


    Momo-chan: [Wait, you are asking that now!]


    ¡°Of course, I just asked for it to remain¡± Willow hesitated, then continued ¡°There is something I want to confess¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We have made a promise, to try our best but now I have realised how wrong I was¡±


    ¡°In making that promise?¡±


    ¡°No, in believing that I was upholding it. I misled myself into believing of my own capability. Even though my skill in the arcane has always been atrocious, I always told myself that I have mastered the way of sword. And so, I neglected seeking self-improvement, instead blaming it on my lack of experience¡±


    ¡°Is that why you decided to keep the scar, as a reminder?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you really are smart Hiro¡±


    As usual, Willow¡¯s praise while sincere somehow rang hollow for the young man. Like being complimented by a kid with serious disability. The girl continued to mumble.


    ¡°Mother will be furious to see this though¡±


    That was more of a self-reminder, so Hiro decided not to pipe in. But he could notice her shaking slightly and not from the cold. The young man put his arm around the girl¡¯s shoulders, his hand on her head gently. Willow was surprised, she soon rested her head on his shoulder. The shaking was gone now.


    ¡°I see that you are trying to fix that now¡± Hiro tried to compliment her.


    ¡°Thanks, but I still have a long way to go. I still have to say sorry to you though¡±


    ¡°About that promise? It¡¯s still too early for that¡±


    ¡°No, for hiding something from you, my real purpose here. It¡¯s about the process of choosing a Herald¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Hiro already knew about this but he feigned ignorant.


    ¡°Of course, the first requirement in becoming a Herald is that the summoned must be willing. Then, that person must display enough prowess, willpower and potential to harness mana. Only after proving themselves to the Divines would a person be appointed Herald¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Sound like Hiro was out then, due to the malfunction, both he and Malcolm couldn¡¯t harness mana. Conrad was not even a summoned. Willow continued.


    ¡°That title, Herald is very powerful. A person of that stature would wield power only second to the Divines. When you were summoned, we didn¡¯t know your exact location. And so, children of the Divine Gottfried were sent out along with their own entourage to six potential locations, I of course wasn¡¯t chosen¡±


    ¡°Wait, how many siblings do you have?¡±


    ¡°There are seven of us, I am the youngest. Still, our big brother remains. The final group consists of only Victor since no one wanted to go with him¡±


    ¡°He sure isn¡¯t liked¡±


    ¡°Well, Victor does have a band of loyalists, but they remained to protect the capital. In the end, I begged to go with him because I wanted to take advantage of this situation¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°This is a secret so please don¡¯t tell anyone¡±


    ¡°I promise¡±


    ¡°My father is dying, he doesn¡¯t have much time left¡± This Hiro had heard this before ¡°Mother is working on a way to save him but even if it succeeds, he won¡¯t be able to keep on being the Divine, a replacement will be needed¡±


    ¡°Like a Herald?¡±


    ¡°No, whatever happens to him it won¡¯t be long. A Herald will still be too new to lead this world, to be granted the power of God so this option was crossed out. A potential candidate maybe among the Remnants¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°Before, this land was and it¡¯s people were ruled by the False Shepherds. The god then summoned people from your world to deal with them. It was a daunting task and many dropped out, those who remained formed the Inquisition. They liberated the people, toppled the False Shepherds and created Eden. After the new order was established their leaders accepted the powers of God and ascended into the Divines. The rest split up and went on their own way, those people are known as the Remnants!¡±


    Despite being rather sombre not too long ago, Willow had become rather excited talking about history. Still, it was somewhat soothing to see the girl being happy in her element.


    ¡°So one of them will be the next Divine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The Remnants, while still able to evoke authority within the system, have more or less decided to settle down and as far as I know, none of them work in our current government body. The possibility for one of them being chosen is there but unlikely¡±


    The probability for that while low must be sufficient enough for Willow to mention.


    ¡°The next in line will be chosen directly by only the retiring Divine. If he¡­ father can¡¯t choose, then the one to succeed him will be picked among the Children of the Divines. That¡¯s the rule but in actuality, the only offspring of the Divines are me and my siblings¡±


    ¡°So does that mean only your father decided to have children?¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently the Divine Silas has a daughter, but she doesn¡¯t inherit his power¡±


    ¡°So Children of the Divines here is also a title, not just means children of the Divines?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as long as they inherit a part of their parent¡¯s power. But I was born with recessive trait so even though I am technically a candidate, there is no chance for me to be chosen. Unless I find a way to consolidate myself among a group that soon wield immense power and influence in Eden¡±


    ¡°The Heralds¡±


    ¡°I¡­ When I grew up, father is already weakened. For as early as I could remember, his condition had been declining. But even so, he still spent time with me, trained me, eased me to sleep whenever thunder struck. I want to prove that all of his efforts weren¡¯t just a waste, I want to honour him¡±


    ¡°You want to succeed him¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Then why are you telling me this?¡±


    Was it because Willow no longer saw him as someone worth appealing to, the young man and the voice wondered.


    ¡°Because I realised how inadequate I was¡±


    ¡°Was? So you still want to keep going on trying to be the next Divine¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is still time till then, time I intend to hone myself¡±


    ¡°So that was why asked Conrad for help. But being a Divine, I don¡¯t think that would be just be fighting¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ for that, I intend to ask¡­ Victor¡±


    That two syllables, the doctor name, Willow said with utmost difficulty. As if the girl still hadn¡¯t accepted that fact. Nevertheless, she was determined to get that done.


    ¡°Anyway, I want to say all of this because I want to come clean with you, Hiro. I don¡¯t want to hide anything from you. Especially, after you helped me to realise my own shortcoming¡±


    So that was why, Malcolm spilled the bean. And here Hiro thought that couldn¡¯t happen. Perhaps he had overestimated his understanding of that youth.


    Oh well, at least it had the desired effect, that was all he cares about.


    ¡°From the sound of it, you will have a lot of trainings to come¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, I will try my best, I promise! Now I should go back to training¡±


    Willow sat up gazed straights into Hiro¡¯s eyes, her clear blue irises as clear as the sky. The young man wondered why he hadn¡¯t taken notice of them before. Before the girl left, however, the young man still had one last thing to ask.


    ¡°Is that why you called me Herald, because you expected to me to be one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so I tried to appeal you. I tried to use you, Hiro, I¡¯m sorry¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ At least that meant you believed on me¡±


    It was something he only had the taste of once and that was already four years ago, from a girl he once loved dearly. Still, it was nice while it lasted, to be bel¡­


    ¡°I still believe¡± Willow said with certainty, her blue eyes looked at Hiro lovingly


    ¡°Eh?¡± Needless to say, the young man was taken aback by this.


    ¡°I still think you could be Herald. No, I am sure you would be one if you want to, Hiro¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to console me, I know I already failed to even meet a basic requirement¡±


    ¡°That maybe true, but I still believe you can do it, Hiro¡±


    The girl walked away, leaving behind a dumbfounded young man. Willow was a zealot, but her words were still genuine. And they left Hiro an explosion of emotions.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡±


    Hiro called out and ran after the girl.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hiro?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t have you be the only one trying here. Didn¡¯t I also promise you that¡±


    ¡°Then you are¡­¡±


    ¡°I will join your training. While I haven¡¯t even touched a sword, I could at least try. Let me join your morning sessions¡±


    Willow seemed surprised at first, she then broke into a smile and nods ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best!¡±


    Hiro thrusted his arm into the air, something he had never done before and soon regretted it. This was mighty embarrassing. Even the voice was also suffering from second hand embarrassment.


    Willow, however, had no qualm about expressing herself in such an outward way. The girl also joined him.


    ¡°Yeah, lets!¡±


    Behind them was Conrad who was still standing where he was. At least he was looking at them now instead of nothing. The vagabond also raised his arm in unison as a sign of agreement and encouragement but by then, Hiro and Willow had finished with that. And so, Conrad slowly retreated his arm without anyone noticing.

 Chapter 29

    4.3


    I believe I can touch the sky


    Days flew by when there was something to do. Now every morning Hiro would train alongside Willow, or more like doing his own cardio. During the day, the young man would help out in harvesting the plants brought by the Edict, everyday there would be new fruits heavy with nutritious contents.


    All the working out and actual working seem to do wonder for his athletic capability. Or at least that was what Hiro liked to believe, a few days were still too short to observe any meaningful changes.


    Recently, the young man was also embroiled in another matter, the preparation for the Pryce¡¯s wedding.


    At least that didn¡¯t take much effort. For a small town like this, normally everyone would be invited. But due to the foreseeable food shortage the ceremony was downsized to only a few people. Mainly the summoned, Willow and of course Victor.


    Caron¡¯s parents were no longer in this world while Owain¡¯s were too far away to attend.


    Despite there was not much to do, the preparation still took up quite a bit of Hiro, Willow and Conrad time, the three who volunteered to help. Although the later seemed to just be going along the flow at the moment. Caron was extremely meticulous about everything, all the decorations were handmade and precise to the smallest degree.


    In the end, Caron wounded up doing most them anyway since Hiro and Willow¡¯s outputs were not up to standard. Although a distorted lantern from each of them was still accepted as thanks.


    Technically there was Conrad whose quality matched Caron¡¯s expectation. But that involved him sitting for hours on just one item, so the output was still negligible. Nevertheless, Hiro found a strange joy in looking at the vagabond working.


    Seeing such a man, cladded in armour and chainmail hunching over to fold the neatest paper flower was somewhat satisfying. Especially since Conrad seemed to take joy in doing meticulous tasks like this, all the while humming his short tune again and again. He looked like a child somehow. Although that was Hiro own interpretation, from the man¡¯s weary eyes and unchanging face, the young man could see a very faint difference that could be constitute for a smile.


    Even with gauntlets, Conrad could produce such precise and delicate ornament. A meticulous person he was, in everything including and especially the way of the sword.


    Despite his uselessness when making these things, Hiro still continued to try. Over time, the young man could see his skill improving. That was until while resting, he decided to ask Suiren to try and make some.


    The woman pumped these decorations out like a factory, precise and fast.


    Feeling dejected, the young man returned to plucking fruits and reading the Far West line of novel. They were surprisingly entertaining. Although he highly questioned the gunfight where the author squared off against a John Wesley Hardin in a bar along with a dozen gun tooting henchmens.


    It took him two volumes to finally realise that he was somehow reading a book from here. And that the translator took effect wherever he put it as long as it was on his body, not just in the ear. And that the thing could effectively translate every word in his mind back to Japanese.


    This feature surprised even Willow who had always thought of it as an earpiece. Malcolm found out even before but she never mentioned that.


    ¡°I said it was an earpiece because it sounds more believable and less intrusive than a device that directly wires into your mind¡±


    That was Victor¡¯s reply. The doctor then offered to ingrain that into their physical brain which the three declined. They were fine with an earpiece for now.


    Then one day, Hiro wook up to find Owain looking over him with a huge grin on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here? What is done?¡±


    ¡°The jetpack, I have finished it!¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    Hiro immediately jumped out of bed.


    ¡°I am wearing it right now!¡±


    Owain pulled up his coat to show a thin metallic plate on his stomach connected to another on the back by leather hoses. From two giant cubes to a rather fashionable looking stomach belt. Talked about an improvement.


    ¡°Wait, are you going to fly it now?¡±


    ¡°Oh now, I will need to attach the gem first, then I will take off, in about half an hour!¡±


    And with that, the young man bolted off. Hiro quickly put on his clothing in a hurry. Now this was something he certainly didn¡¯t want to miss. And the young man was also eager to ask for a try afterward, a sentiment which was shared by the voice.


    He hurried downstairs to find a rather enthusiastic Willow, still waiting for him.


    ¡°Hiro, you are here!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are here as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Caron is also waiting outside. She wants to ask of you something though¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, she wants to ask if you could invite Victor out as well¡­¡±


    Despite meeting with Willow first, Caron didn¡¯t ask her. Hiro agreed.


    ¡°Alright¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Hiro. Oh and there is still some time left so no need to rush, just pull your zipper up first¡±


    The girl jested and walked away. The moment she was out of sight, Hiro reached down to pull the zipper in embarrassment. Now to find Victor. He might be out near the tree which was a bit far, or perhaps he was at the town¡¯s depot, his temporary residence.


    Lucky for Hiro, the latter was the case. It wasn¡¯t too much of a trek there.


    The young man entered to find a room, once filled with papers and documents and strange apparatuses, now completely empty. Victor turned around to him.


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Hiro, what takes you here this early in the morning¡±


    ¡°Um, where are all the¡­ stuffs?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have put them all away. My job here is finished¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you have fixed whatever is going wrong with the mana flow here¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, for you it¡¯s mean that you could go home now, if you want to¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Yes, all you need to do is lie down and rest, close your eyes and think of home. Then mumbles this word ¡®Rosebud¡¯, that¡¯s all. From home, just think of Eden and you will return¡±


    The doctor said as he paced around the room.


    ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t sound right¡± Hiro was sceptical of this strangely simple method.


    ¡°Well, it is a long process which involves transferring your consciousness back to your old body. That had been greatly streamlined. The codeword, ¡®Rosebud¡¯ is there to make sure you aren¡¯t brought back every time you go to sleep, thinking of home, that¡¯s all¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ strangely simple¡±


    ¡°Right, that was a lot of work I tell you, but of course it¡¯s nothing I couldn¡¯t handle, hah hah. To tell the truth, I finished all of this yesterday even¡± The doctor admitted.


    ¡°Then how come you didn¡¯t tell us?¡±


    Victor leaned at the empty table and crossed his arms. The doctor looked back at Hiro.


    ¡°Because then I will have to leave, you guys still need to be brought back to the capital¡±


    ¡°But you want to attend the wedding¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s a selfish thing of mine but Caron had asked me to give her away, how could I refuse¡±


    Giving ones daughter away, now that was a familiar tradition. Was it brought over by the Divines, after all, they also introduced many measurements from their world. Why not traditions, holidays and ceremonies as well.


    Victor seemed to be in a sentimental mood though. Perhaps it was time for Hiro to ask something he had been meaning to. After all, the young man had learned a lot about this place. About how all injuries could be cured in a blink of an eye, the dead could even be brought back to life! Then how did¡­


    ¡°Victor, may I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Mr. Hiro?¡±


    ¡°Caron¡¯s parents, how did their die. How could someone here possibly die with the healthcare here, I heard it¡¯s even possible to bring back the dead¡±


    The doctor only seemed mildly surprise at this question, his nostalgia was overwhelming everything at the moment. That same nostalgia, however, also put him in a talkative mode.


    ¡°About bringing back the dead. Firstly, that can only be done on a citizen here so don¡¯t you go and jumping off a cliff or something¡±


    ¡°Hay¡±


    That didn¡¯t take much to figure out. After all, the conventional healing method here didn¡¯t work on them either.


    ¡°Secondly, that proceeds is heretical in nature, to resurrect the dead is to desecrate them. Only two people in all of Eden can perform that and only one is actually willing to do it. Although to accept to be revived is like a contract you have to sign, a contract where you allow your body to be soiled¡±


    ¡°By you?¡± The word ¡®heretical¡¯ was certainly tell-tale.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Hiro¡±


    ¡°And I figure the other one who could perform that is Vaswani¡±


    ¡°The great Divine herself, double yes. Very good, Mr. Hiro¡±


    Victor clapped slowly, an act which Hiro couldn¡¯t interpret in any other way than condescending. Halfway thought mocking, the doctor suddenly stopped and returns to his usual self, the one he showed to the Young man at least.


    ¡°Sorry about that, habit¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± What kind of habit was that, mocking someone else.


    ¡°Anyway, I was just finished in telling you about resurrecting the dead. Back to Caron¡¯s parents¡­ well, Mr. Hiro, do you have a dream, a goal?¡±


    ¡°Um, why are you asking that?¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question¡± Victor looked sombre.


    ¡°I¡­ do, I just want to live¡­ happily. I guess? Huh, I haven¡¯t thought much about this¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s still something¡­ You can say that everyone here has a goal, something to keep them going on. Caron¡¯s parents dream is to be together forever but there is a problem. Their ages have a year different¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hiro, we only have 50 years to live, no more no less. We will pass away at old age at exactly 50 years old, at the same time we were born. Of course, I am still here but that is because of highly heretical and evil arcane trickery. But those two, they want to be together forever, but one will have to live a year without the other¡±


    ¡°What happened next¡­¡± This didn¡¯t sound nice.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny why you asked how could one die here. Because a person here wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you. As long as you pleads your life to the Divine, all injuries could healed in a blink of an eye. That is until you turn 50, then you will cease to exist. And so, those two never thought much about that, until one day¡­ they learn of the concept of death¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure your guess is correct, Mr. Hiro. And so they left, leaving poor Caron all to herself¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but why would they left her, didn¡¯t they love her!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they did, but their dream was to be together, not to be together with Caron. And so, when they saw that goal could be achieved. The two jumped at that without hesitation. Caron was only three then¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ horrible¡±


    Hiro couldn¡¯t imagine it. How could a person be that selfish? But then, he remembered his own parents. But to commit a double suicide over that.


    ¡°Yes, it was, especially since age three is very important. It is usually when one finds their purpose in life and strives toward it no matter how mundane it might sound. But because of their death, that girl remained aimless for so long. I taught her many things in the hope that one of them could resonate but no. She spent more than a decades of her life, just existing. That was until that rascal arrived¡­¡±


    ¡°Owain?¡± Now this was an easy guess.


    ¡°Yes. For years I had helped her in finding a purpose, a dream to live by. But I guess there is no beating love. Living with him became her purpose¡­¡±


    ¡­ Just like her parents. Hiro felt like that was what Victor, going to say, judging by how sombre the doctor was. Despite all his effort, Caron dedicated her life to that guy. And he¡­


    ¡°Oh no!¡± A frightening thought just crossed Hiro mind.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Hiro¡±


    ¡°Owain¡­ his dream is touching the sky¡­¡±


    ¡°By his own effort, yes that is his purpose, what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ he is building a jetpack¡±


    ¡°Oh, that could never work. Owain could never find a power source good enough for that¡±


    ¡°No, Willow gave him one! He already finishes with it, Owain will take off soon! That was what I was going to tell you!¡±


    Hiro couldn¡¯t fully see the implication of this but there was his intuition screaming out. Judging from Victor¡¯s horrified expression, his worry seemed to be well found.


    The doctor held up his hand and it slowly disintegrated. But something is wrong, normally it would form a thick black smoke but this time, the smoke was clear and soon dispersed and got swept away by the faint wind.


    Victor ran out of the door like a man possessed. All of his blood vessels seem like bursting, the old body didn¡¯t seem like it could handle this much. And yet, the doctor continued to run desperately and Hiro was right behind him.


    They reached the rest, just in time to see Owain reaching the sky and exploded spectacularly.

 Chapter 30

    4.4


    Dare to dream


    The cacophony of the explosion hit those who were watching with a wave of surprise and confusion. They could only look on in horror as a withered body fell from the sky.


    Conrad was the first to act, the vagabond calculated the landing spot and rushed there with plenty of time to catch the small-town Icarus. It was too late, however, while the explosion was mostly directed outward, sparring the young man from being torn to shred. The force of it was enough to rupture all of his organ, killing him instantly.


    His soon to be wife rushed to his side along with the audiences. Only Victor remained, looking at them with heavy heart. He knew what would come next and it pained the old doctor.


    Owain was put to the ground as Caron desperately tried to heal him to no avail. No amount of blood infusion would work. The healer concentrated on her hands, but they refused to dissolve. And so, all she could do was wept for a life lost.


    Hiro looked over and couldn¡¯t see a trace of the cheerful person he once knew. Owain lied there, blood gushed out from all of his orifices. The young man eyes were gone, in their place were two empty void, disturbing but equally haunting. Yet on his mouth was a smile, Owain was happy.


    Hiro fellow summoned, Conrad and Malcolm, showed no sign of being affected by this incident. The youth simply sighed and left the cane spinning in her hand.


    Next to him was, Willow, horrified, mumbling to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my fault¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡± Hiro said with a pained heart.


    ¡°I¡­ I gave him that gem and it exploded, it was¡­ my fault¡± The girl held back her tears and bit her lips in frustration ¡°A citizen of Eden died, all because of me¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡± ¡°Victor interjected ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault¡±


    The old doctor said kindly, his words shook the girl. While Hiro was used to this side of Victor, this was the first time he had been so gentle to her.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t design a proper storage for all those energy, he didn¡¯t devise a plan to steer, he never intended to land with his life intact¡±


    ¡°¡­ But why!¡± Willow asked.


    ¡°Because his dream was to reach the sky and it ended there. He never planned to land in the first place¡±


    ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t make any sense¡± The girl couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around this.


    To Hiro, this was a painful confirmation about what Victor had been eluded to earlier. Something was wrong when a couple killed themselves, ignoring their child just so they could be together till the end. Something was wrong when everyone had their dreams around the same time, at such a young age.


    Victor explained to Willow.


    ¡°So she never told you about this¡­ As a citizen, we are all bounded by our dream, our singular dream that is unique to everyone. It gives us a reason to live and it will take precedent over everything¡±


    ¡°THAT MAKES EVEN LESS SENSE!¡± Willow snapped back at that answer ¡°If that is the case, how could we this great nation even function. How could¡­¡±


    ¡°So arrogant¡± Victor cut the girl off ¡°You are the daughter of the Divine, not just a commoner, how could you understand us, our dream¡±


    ¡°W¡­ What¡­¡± He was mean-spirited but Willow had never seen Victor being angry.


    ¡°Unlike the Divine, the Herald, the summoned or you or your siblings, the citizens of Eden are simple. Their dreams are mostly to be with the one they love or to serve under the Divine. In most case, the latter will be more specific like serving the Divine by being a baker, a healer, a builder¡­ That dream will decide a person¡¯s vocation for life, they will then be rationed into different towns and cities so that Eden could function¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Willow didn¡¯t know what to say, the girl obviously never learnt of this.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask around. The lumberjack dreams to be a lumberjack to serve the Divine, the tavern owner dreams to be a tavern owner to serve the Divine, the fisherman dreams to be a fisherman to serve the Divine and you get the idea. And so they will continue to live, to strive for their dreams, one they chose of their own volition until their fifty years come to an end¡±


    Those words somehow rang hollow. Victor looked down on the young man corpse, however, and Caron still weeping. A hint of emotions returned to the man voice.


    ¡°Of course, sometimes there are cases like this, where one dreams of grandeur. But they will live on forever chasing after it. Those are unobtainable, forever out of reach, or at least it was supposed to be¡­¡±


    Victor talked of dreams, but Hiro couldn¡¯t see them as such. The young man didn¡¯t dwell on that, he was still filled with sorrow and the sound of crying hadn¡¯t ceased.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Soon, the clock rang thrice and all the doors opened. It was another day for the townsfolks. They walked past the body with sadness in their eyes. They offered words of condolence but none of them stop. There were works to be done, their dream was to serve and serve they will.


    Caron continued to weep, it was supposed to be a new chapter of her life, a chapter of happiness. Now everything was gone, in an instant. Just like when she was a little girl.


    The healer could remember something, there was still a chance. She turned to the only man remained whom she trusted.


    ¡°Please, I beg of you, please brings him back to me, please¡­¡±


    Even though Victor had braced for this, it still hit him harder than what the old doctor could ever prepare for. But still, he muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t do that¡±


    His rejection stunted the young woman. How could that happen, she couldn¡¯t comprehend. It was said that the art of resurrection was child play for the Heretic. So why would he turn it down.


    Because that was his choice, but that wouldn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Do it¡± Willow said ¡°As¡­ as your acting superior, I¡­ I¡­ I order you to do it. Resurrect him, please¡±


    As the daughter of the Divine, she had power over him. But the doctor was still Victor the Heretic, defiance was supposed to be his nature. Nevertheless, the doctor complied. He knew that there was no saving his beloved ward, that her fate was sealed. At least he would use this opportunity as a reminder no one could forget.


    ¡°Bring him inside¡±


    The Heretic gave his words. Positivity returned to Caron, her soon to be husband would live. But underneath, that positivity, Hiro could see desperation. Unlike the na?ve princess and the voice, the young man could see what will happen if Owain remained dead clear as day.


    But that raised the question, why would Victor refused to bring the young man back? Perhaps¡­ Hiro was filled with dread by all the possibilities.


    Owain was brought onto the living sofa. Victor stood over him and removed his gloves. The doctor left hand was missing a chunk, the part that turned into smoke when he tried to intercept the take off. Of course, Hiro noticed it.


    ¡°You hand¡­ why is it like that¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s why Ayurveda isn¡¯t taught, a slip of the mind and body forever displaced. Don¡¯t worry, This could be fixed¡±


    Victor reassured the young man then let out a whistle to summon his Cerberus. The creature came out of nowhere, it¡¯s heads divided as usual. After a great struggle for balance and control, the dog moved to it master and from the middle head, two blobs of mush were puked out.


    The doctor held the blobs into his intact hand and soon, black smoke started to rise. When he opened it again, in his palm were two new eyeballs, it was blue oh so familiar.


    Soon, more smoke would come out and engulfs Owain. But it wasn¡¯t thick enough to obstruct all vision. Hiro could still see the young man being cleaned, his wounds mended as if nothing had happened. When the smoke retreated, Owain was back to normal, except for the two holes on his face of course.


    The doctor inserted the new eyeballs and this process took longer than healing the entire body itself, nearly an hour even. But Hiro, Willow and Caron stood there looking motionless for every single minute.


    Finally, the young man was now intact.


    What came next was supposed to be the climax, a dead person brought back to life. The very act of defiance against God that earned Victor that title, Heretic.


    But nothing really happened, the old doctor simply placed his hand on top of Owain head and soon, the young man sprung back to life. Just like that, so fast, so simple, resurrection. Hiro was not sure how to feel about that.


    But that was soon overwhelmed by a feeling of hope inside the young man. Even though every fibre of his body screamed out Hiro still had hope. Willow was overjoyed and Caron rushed on to hold her beloved.


    Owain looked around confused, the young man then let out bone chilling shriek. His face contorted into one of pure terror. He then dove his head straight into the table edge but was held back by Caron. Owain then clawed at his own face. The scream was no more but his mouth was still while open, and yet no sound came out.


    ¡°What did you do!¡±


    Enraged, Willow drew her blade straight at Victor¡¯s neck.


    ¡°I revived him¡±


    ¡°Then what is he doing, why is he like this!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell, the poor man is terrified by what is left of him¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oblivion, princess, that is what remains. His dream is complete, his reason to live gone but he still walks this plain. There is no longer any reason, any purpose to his life. All that left is a huge empty void¡±


    Willow turned back to Owain. Black smoke coming from Caron now forced it way inside the young man, paralyzing him from the neck down. He tried to bite his tongue to no avail, his jaws couldn¡¯t move. Caron had barred him from death. She wanted to spend her life with him, whether he liked it or not.


    Owain looked straight at Willow and her sword. Even while being overwhelmed by pain, his intention was clear.


    The girl looked at him, horrified. Shakily, she readied her sword, but that of course didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Caron gazed at her and soon, a flame erupted, threatening to consume the princess. Fortunately, it was choked out a dense black smoke. Victor stepped in to hold back his ward.


    Nothing left in her way, Willow raised her sword¡­ and fell to her knees. Everything was happening so fast, she couldn¡¯t do it, she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Owain¡¯s gaze turned onto someone else and it was met with an answer.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHH¡±


    With a scream, Hiro slashed at the man¡¯s neck, Suiren¡¯s naginata in his hands. The blade cut deep, but it wasn¡¯t enough, Caron¡¯s smoke was fixing the wound. With another scream, the young man chopped down again, and again, and again, and again.


    After five attempts, Owain¡¯s head fell to the ground. It rolled down and faced with Hiro. The young man was horrified to see that there was still consciousness in that head¡¯s eyes. The blue orbs tainted with pain and desperation, they were gazing into the great void. And nothing was more frightening than the unknown. Not for long, soon Owain died for good, freed from his immeasurable pain.


    Hiro dropped the polearm, his heart torn apart. But there was no time to grieve as a problem remained.


    It was clear that this time it was permanent, Owain was gone for good. And his betrothed shall follow. Her purpose, her dream extinguished, Caron pulled out a knife and drove it at her neck.


    This time, Victor didn¡¯t stop her. Now all that awaited her was the void as well. Having once gazed into it, the doctor knew death was a true release from the unending pain.


    But her hands were stopped by Hiro. The young man didn¡¯t even know what he was doing anymore. But the young man didn¡¯t want to see more bloodshed. And so, he struggled with her, not realising her pain was the same as Owain¡¯s, the same pain that he had struck that young man down for.


    Smoke soon condensed around Caron¡¯s neck, her own smoke, chocking her own life out.


    Victor also decided to step in to stop Hiro, he couldn¡¯t bear to see this. His mind cruelly filled with the memories of a little girl tugging at his white coat.


    But something soon appeared, a faint memory within Hiro¡¯s mind. An idea, his last hope. The young man reached out and grabs Caron¡¯s head and the young woman slumped down. Her eyes empty for a moment before life returned, not entirely.


    She calmly stood up and fixed her attire from the scuffle.


    Victor could immediately recognise this person. It was his ward, the one who was aimless, yet without a purpose. It was a Caron who simply existed.

 Chapter 31 - The End

    ¡­


    Home to the green fields and me once again


    It was noon when they departed for the capital. Without a wedding to attend, there was no reason to dawdle. The summoned, the princess and the doctor left the small town greeted with death just this morning.


    Hiro walked on a hollow shell. He looked at his hands now pristine clean.


    There was also no funeral to attend either. After having her mind ¡®cleansed¡¯, Caron looked at the body and went into the workshop. She then returned with the flame sprayer and burned her fianc¨¦ to nothingness. It was a flame made out of mana and so nothing else was damaged. Just Owain, only him, erased.


    Victor then decided that a new healer and charger would be sent here. But before that, she would continue to shoulder both duty, something the young woman could easily handle. Afterward, she would return to the Academy for further inspection.


    The old doctor then arranged for them all to leave that noon. Conrad and Malcolm were surprised by the news but they accepted it instantly. They were seasoned enough not to be affected by such a thing.


    Willow was too shocked by the event to say a single word. Even now, the eyes of someone filled with fear of the oblivion, of the unknown were still vivid in her mind. Both her and Hiro wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.


    And so, they departed without any delay.


    But no matter how far they trekked, the images were still there, burning within Hiro mind. He could still feel like the naginata was in his hands. The voice was also silent, filled with grief.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    It wasn¡¯t a long time, but the Pryce was precious for Hiro. They had shown the young man much love and care. And now, both of them are gone. Both of them.


    Hiro remembered just a day before, everything was perfect. He was happy, it was as if this was a way out for him, an escape. There were hardships and pain, but he prevailed. But it seemed like the fantasy finally ended.


    He would retreat to a hell he had known to ponder upon this event. Then one day, the young man would return like he never had left.


    And so, Hiro let the words escaped his lips quietly.


    ¡°Rosebud¡±


    His mind was oblivious to the fact that he had no memories of this despite from this event. That only his mind was cut, and the other was copied. And that only one could return.


    ___


    Hiro opened his eyes to find him lying on a table in a familiar apartment. In front of his eyes was a small cake, still where he left it all that time ago. Or was it just an instant?


    He tried to stand up but his body was still a wreck from, the young man could barely move. This was the state he had always been in, constant exhaustion. The young man had forgotten about that. But there was something else, something different. The sudden change in scenery was nothing but jarring.


    The young man looked at his hands, he could still feel it, the weight of the polearm.


    Everything then flooded back all the sadness, the guilt, the horror, the pain, the confusion. All of them returned and hit him at once. Hiro could feel himself chocking. His breathing was getting faster and faster. It was unbearable.


    Hiro felt like breaking down but somehow he couldn¡¯t. Back in Eden, the young man could and he did break down, crying like a baby over Suiren.


    But now, back in his own world, Hiro couldn¡¯t even shed a tear.


    But all of these emotions were still there, burbling along with the rest that he had built up over the year. All of them returned with this weary body. And he wouldn¡¯t just break, no, he would erupt.


    But before that could happen, Hiro could hear a faint footstep.


    A familiar face entered the room, still in her uniform. She had been waiting for him, for his return. All this time.


    ¡°Welcome back, nii-san¡±


    Hiro looked up the small cake and smile, a sad smile but a smile nonetheless.


    ¡°I¡¯m home¡­ Happy birthday¡±