《Polymath Redux Annex》 Chapter 1 - Reception for the Greatest Polymath* Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 1 ¨C Reception for the Greatest Polymath A villainous actor. ¡°Hmm~ they managed to get this far. I suppose they weren¡¯t half the dolts I presumed them to be¡­ or perhaps they are, seeing as they¡¯ve dared to show themselves.¡± Searing landscapes of molten rock and horror. Ashen skies torn asunder by harsh solar winds and towering infernos that brazed across the horizon. Such an appropriately oppressive d¨¦cor was perfect for the tyrant that lorded over the scorched earth. A magnificent and ferocious beast that even heroes of legend fear. Yet now it laid trampled and defeated upon the dirtied floor as wine coloured ooze leaked from its corpse. The Crimson King hailed as one of the highest echelons of power, the ¡®Red Dragon¡¯ had been slain. A message pronounced to the world: [¡®Mordred¡¯ has defeated the ¡®Red Dragon¡¯.] Seated atop this epic monster as though it were merely a scaled and decorated throne was a single man. A bloodstained grin smeared across his face. A thin, silvery cross-shaped sword sheathed in his hands. Clad in an elegant white overcoat that fluttered in the blazing gale like a cape. A mysterious and professional black suit underneath. He was the entity recognized by this world as the ¡®strongest existence¡¯¡­ ¡°Mordred!¡± an echoed roar came from behind. The ¡®strongest¡¯ responded; Mordred cocked his head just slightly back to justify a glimpse at the intruders who dared ruin the afterglow of his magnificent victory. Not just one, they were many. With their exquisite swords and bows; an entire armed company came to receive his triumph with a celebration of carnage. Confident and assured of their victory they approached him with savage smirks. Mordred applauded. The harrowing percussive beats pierced through their armour and sunk into their hearts like a poisoned dagger. ¡°Ah, just on time as always,¡± he announced merrily with a hint of malice. He stood from his dragon corpse throne and offered a most gracious bow. With the mannerisms of a professional actor he offered a most gracious bow. It was all a ¡®play¡¯ to him. Yet such a simple act of sarcastic ¡®etiquette¡¯ was enough to send break down the mental fortitude of these veteran warriors. Pale-faced, they collectively double-took. Confidence morphed into hesitation and assurance into unease. Their composure shredded like paper, just the greetings was enough to highlight the vast chasm of power difference that existed between. That said, the veteran warriors had all prepared for this, it was only proper as they knew they would face against the ¡®strongest¡¯. Much like a lion playing with its prey, the ¡®strongest¡¯ decided to entertain his guest. A warm light glimmered in his hands. He slowly raised forward and unleashed an intense surge of power. A faint pulse of crimson light shone around his body. The veteran warriors felt immense pressure drag down their bodies. Some even retreated ground out of fear- the correct response. In a brief exchange of silence, one thing was made painfully clear: that only one party would leave unscathed. ¡°Heh¡­ hehehe¡­ huh? The, the ¡®strongest¡¯ thinks he can win against all of us? Sure, you might take out a dozen or two, but we¡¯ve brought an entire raid expedition!¡± a warrior proclaimed as he raised his sword to the skies to hype up his peers. ¡°Come on boys! We can do this!¡± Mordred¡¯s mouth curled from a stoic grin to an amused, malicious grin as he watched the warriors chant their victory. Then he noticed something, ¡®ah, I see,¡¯ he nodded to himself. The truth of their mad confidence was revealed. It was not just a single raid expedition that came to confront him, but several more were lying in wait outside of the raid zone. ¡®One, two¡­ oh my, seven whole raid expeditions,¡¯ they had been a lot more prepared than he initially gave credit for. Upwards of ninety-two people waited their turn to confront him.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Usurpers of his throne. He relished the challenged. He accepted as he gracefully stretched out his arms to taunt them. He would give them the first shot, yet none moved. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you headhunt all these people just to take down little ol¡¯ me?¡± Mordred¡¯s eyes found its way to the apparent ¡®leader¡¯ of this group. ¡°Come, entertain me.¡± Only after a full minute had elapsed did a contestant finally break free of his fear-induced petrifaction to throw the attack. A bolt of fire- a mid-rank ¡®fire bullet¡¯ spell- erupted from the crystal tipped staff and soared straight towards the strongest¡¯s face. Mordred did nothing to defend himself as the inferno made direct impact. Everything burst into a cloud of fiery ash and dust. ¡°Did¡­ we get him?¡± one member of the raid asked. ¡°Are you stupid? If that was all it took then what was the point of brining all these people? Get ready, he¡¯ll launch his counter soon,¡± the leader of the group commanded. The warriors primed their weapons with shaky determination. ¡°Hehehe¡­ hahahaha! Hahahaha!! Excellent! Finally! Some backbone! Then let us begin the party!¡± From the thick veil of charcoal dust, a very distinct and ominous red aura outlining a glaring white overcoat shone through. Most of the raid members failed to recognize what this light entailed. They gathered themselves but stopped to figure out what was going to happen. The leader of these men, he knew. A cold sweat ran down the side of his face. His eyes widened. He hurried to turn and address his party an emergency order, ¡°you idiots! Don¡¯t just stand here like fools, run! Scatter!¡± The warriors only returned confused looks, ¡°leader, what are you¡­?¡± before the sentence could even be completed, a group of them was suddenly struck down by something and exploded into a pile of ash and debris. None had noticed it due to the similar ambiance of the zone, but a horrifying spell known as ¡®Hell Storm¡¯ had been summoned. The skies growled with anger as if the gods themselves were coming down. Black clouds of thick ash converged above their location. Only when a handful of them were instantly eviscerated from the spot did they realize their mistake. ¡°Holy shit! Five of us just got blown up! How broken is that spell?!¡± shouted another warrior as he pointed at the large crater made from the impact of a single meteoric fragment. Understanding the horror, they immediately tried to oblige their commander¡¯s orders and scattered to regroup. Yet the ¡®Hell Storm¡¯ spell was not that simple, it was in fact a continuous barrage of meteoric fragments. As screeching shards of death and fire rained from the sky, the warriors tried to helplessly escape. Each successive explosion yielded more and more defeated. ¡°What the shit is this?!¡± ¡°Is this even allowed? What spell, where?!¡± ¡°Holy fu- this guy is broken as hell!¡± ¡°Seriously?! I didn¡¯t think this game was that imbalanced! GM?! Patch?!¡± ¡°This is a glitch, right?! I¡¯m just lagging, right?! No way three-fourth of us got destroyed in a single spell!¡± Despite their best attempts, retreat was a failure and almost all were struck down. After the carnage passed, only a single warrior remained from the entire raid expedition: the leader. Sweat and dust plastered upon his face. A spider-like anxiety crawled up his spine as he fell to his knees. The strongest, ¡®Mordred¡¯, stepped down from his dragon throne, trampled across the fallen bodies of the warriors and approached the leader. ¡°All that time, money and preparation¡­ gone,¡± mumbled the leader. ¡°Well, I must admit that it was quite entertaining. A shame though. You¡¯ve brought along so many friends all to PK a single player. Actually, it¡¯s almost comical.¡± The leader gritted his teeth. Unable to hold back his laughter the absurdity of this man¡¯s power. ¡°Haha¡­ ha? What the hell? What kind of equipment do you have? What are your stats? Your god damned magic stat is maxed, right? Just how?¡± Mordred shrugged with a smirk, ¡°this equipment? I believe I was the only player able to obtain them. Maybe in a year or two you¡¯ll see more people running around town with them, but for now¡­ just me. In the end, this game is far from balanced and with enough time and money, even you could reach my level. Though, I don¡¯t recommend you do; I¡¯m sure you have a life outside of this game anyway. Well, not that I have any right to tell you what to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Chapter 2 - Transported to another world?!* Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 2 ¨C Transported to another world?! [Hellgana Online]. It wasn¡¯t a particularly famous game, nor was it fairly balanced. With a continuously dwindling player population, it struggled to justify its existence each passing month. While nothing about the game was particularly outstanding, there was a unique gimmick it tried to draw players in when it first launched. ¡®Multiclassing¡¯; the concept of ¡®classes¡¯ did technically exist, however there was no strict barrier between them. Players were free to learn skills from any classes and customize their character skill builds however they wanted. A ¡®Warrior¡¯ could easily pick up a bow and start learning ¡®Archery¡¯ skills to intermingle them with his already raised abilities to create a ¡®hybrid ranger¡¯ type character. Then once they had both classes mastered it was possible to move on to another class, perhaps a ¡®Magician¡¯, ¡®Alchemist¡¯ or any of the other ten available classes. Though, of course there were a specific number of ways to ¡®min-max¡¯ and customize for the most effective and efficient damage. Each class contained a level ceiling of 200 and on average took slightly less than half a year of casual playing or around two months of hardcore, devoted playtime to reach their maximum cap. Once they had reached the maximum level of a class, a lengthy and difficult quest-chain would open for a chance to obtain what was known as an ¡®Ultimate¡¯ skill. The various classes were divided into: If a player managed to obtain all skills and reach the maximum level of 2000, a secret 11th class known as the ¡®Demi-God¡¯ would become available. It was a class so incredibly rare that only five players in the game¡¯s entire history managed to unlock. Of course, reaching maximum level was only the prerequisite. An arduous quest that could take months must be cleared first, even after that an exorbitant amount of in-game currency must be pledged as well. To those five players¡­ they who had reached the top, were given a special title. They were known as the ¡®Polymaths¡¯. After all this time, only one Polymath remained in the game. The strongest: Mordred. * * * ¡°I think that¡¯s enough fun for one day,¡± a certain young man spoke to himself as he logged off his online game. He sat quietly at his desk, staring blankly at the log-in screen and sighed. Ever since he had reached the pinnacle of power in that game he found his enjoyment drastically dwindle each time. All motivations of grinding and getting stronger were thrown out the window the moment he obtained the title of ¡®strongest¡¯. ¡®I guess that¡¯s why they all left,¡¯ he thought to himself as he reminisced about his Polymath peers. They were all members of one guild: ¡®Summit¡¯. He wasn¡¯t quite bored of the game, but it had been dangerously teetering along that line. For the last few months he had only played around in fun unofficial events like the player ¡®manhunt¡¯ raids. He turned off his screen and shook his head, ¡°Haah¡­ I think I¡¯ll take a shower and go to bed.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He turned off his monitor and lazily dragged his scrawny body towards the shower. Warm water ran down his back as he once more fell into deep contemplation. ¡°There¡¯s school tomorrow¡­ Guess I¡¯ll skip it,¡± he told himself. It wasn¡¯t that he slated compulsory education or scorned those who enjoyed their high-school lives, merely that it wasn¡¯t something he had a personal interest in. ¡°School¡­ the future, huh?¡± as he stepped out of the shower with still wet hair he wondered about it. If it was about that then there was one thing he was genuinely interested in. He opened his drawer to take out some clothes. Several business cards fell to the floor from his hasty withdraw. Cards with the names of various professional acting schools and talent associations. After he finished washing up, he climbed down stairs to his bleak and empty house. A dimly lit lounge with eerie silence. He made his way over to the answering machine and checked to see if there were any though only one person came to his mind that would send him any message. Right on point. ¡°Umm, hello? Hey! It¡¯s your uncle, you haven¡¯t been answering your smartphone for a while so I was worried if something had happened. Anyway, I checked past your house earlier today and saw the lights on so I think everything¡¯s okay. Well, I received a call from your school saying that you¡¯ve been skipping a lot and that they¡¯re also getting worried. I understand how you are but I still think it would be a valuable experience for you to attend, else they might resort to holding you back. Other than that, I¡¯m also calling about a Christmas party we¡¯re having and that you should come celebrate with my family. Your cousins said that they wanted to see you as well¡­ so, hope to see you soon okay? Just¡­ be careful, all right buddy?¡± The young man sighed as he listened. A dry, self-loathing smile etched across his face. ¡°¡­ Sorry uncle, it¡¯s impossible for me.¡± He felt no enmity towards his uncle and relatives and in fact was extremely grateful that they continued maintaining this relationship. However, due to this he felt wrong about barging into their happiness. His parents had long passed away when he was younger and ever since had lived on his own to not become a burden to other relatives. There was no thought to change that lifestyle now. Just his uncle dropping by a few times a month was nice enough for him. With a sigh, he checked for more messages but there were none. ¡°Of course not,¡± he shook his head and retreated to his room to sleep it off. Climbing back up the stairs he noticed a strange light coming from his room. ¡°Huh? Did I leave my monitor on?¡± he wondered to himself but distinctly remembered that he turned it off. Puzzled by this he rushed back into his room to investigate the matter. The source of the light, his monitor, was black as though it were off yet strange visible writing could be read on screen. ¡°Welcome to¡­ Aria?¡± he walked forward and turned back on his monitor and checked his computer. The message had disappeared, ¡°can¡¯t be a virus¡­¡± he had kept up-to-date his computer with the latest anti-malware programs and regular maintenance. It was a doubtful proposition but he still needed to solve this problem else he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep soundly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here¡­¡± a few minutes went by then perhaps an hour or two but even after extensive search the origin of that message could not be tracked. No viruses, no anomalies, his computer didn¡¯t slow down, didn¡¯t have any other weird pop-ups and none of his files were erased or altered. It was almost as though it was just his mind showing him a hallucination. ¡°Tch¡­ just what is it?¡± It would have been better if there had been a virus, yet now the only thing he found was a migraine. It aggravated him further that nothing was wrong but clearly something was as that message was real enough for him to investigate. ¡°Dammit!¡± He stood up, sweat from anger trickled down the side of his face. Another shower might have been necessary and perhaps a drink to calm him down. Yet as he turned back to do just that the migraine intensified, bringing him down to the floor. On his knees, he held his head in pain and anger as his face turned beet red from all the blood. ¡°Shit¡­¡± it hurt, perhaps more so than actual torture, or at least that¡¯s what it seemed like to him at the moment. It was as though his brain was literally burning up. Unable to endure the pain any further his vision started to fade. Sense eluded him and breathing becoming harder¡­ Eyelids heavier¡­ Consciousness waning¡­ Chapter 3 - At another worlds beginning* Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 3 ¨C At another world¡¯s beginning ¡°Ugh, shit¡­¡± his consciousness returned. Those were the first words uttered by ¡®Mordred¡¯. His lungs grasped out for air. Sated, but the oxygen that rushed down his throat resulted in a series of violent coughs. Light-headed and disorderly; just the attempt at a straight thought was a gargantuan task for his current state. ¡°What happened¡­?¡± his memories were like a celluloid film if it was all cut up and thrown about in a jumbled mess. Minutes and hours couldn¡¯t properly be distinguished. As Mordred tried to open his eyes it was a drug-induced frenzy of bright hallucinations that assaulted him. The colours of the world flooded into a brilliant technicoloured dance to eventually fall into place. They were blurred shapes for now but the overall gist of his environ could be understood. As he ¡®saw¡¯ the world, an odd ¡®truth¡¯ questioned his mind. ¡®Light? Why?¡¯ there was a clear sense of light before him. That should not have been the case because his room should have been blocked by the blinds. A chilling sensation of nervousness ran down his back. Without his vision having properly recovered there was an ever-present anxiety of his predicament. ¡°Tch, why do my eyes hurt so much anyway?¡± he questioned. He thought that perhaps the years of a hermit-like lifestyle may have changed his sensitivity to light crossed his mind. Eventually, as his sight adjusted to reality, the true canvas painting that was the world before him was revealed. ¡°Huh?¡± a small gasp of confusion and disbelief. His mind fell into chaos but his body was frozen. A vast, almost infinite landscape of greenery, as though a marvellous and malignant force of nature painted over reality. A sea of trees. Almost impossible to see in real life, perhaps not even in a cinematic interpretation, yet such fantasied were laid bare before him. Luscious forest beset his sight, however the oddest part of the experience was his altitude. He found that his height was much greater than those trees. Many hundred times greater. A gentle breeze brushed past his body to cool him down. It reverted his prior frozen state. Above were clouds, but they were also on his general eye-level, right, he was trapped upon a tall mountainous area. ¡°No¡­ what? Huh?¡± How convenient it would all have been to write off this experience as a realistic hallucination or dream. ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded, ¡°all a dream,¡± and the moment he closed his eyes it would be back in his room by the time he opened it again. Yet, he understood deep inside that it wasn¡¯t. The mountainous gale force that rushed past his body, the smell of cold air, the sensation that crawled up his skin, they were all as ¡®real¡¯ as anything else. ¡°This¡­ is the most realistic dream?¡± he shook his head.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m exhausted, mentally¡­ but not physically, why? I don¡¯t get it, I get none of this goddammit!¡± the strange thing was that even at such a high altitude he didn¡¯t feel particularly sick or out of breath. Everything seemed normal. Not only that but with only a few light breaths he quickly regained his composure. He had never been this rational-minded, it was almost a curse that denied him from escaping into insanity. He sighed. He edged closer to the face of the cliff to peer down. ¡°Maybe I can climb¡­ no,¡± it was a vertical precipice for thousands of meters. Nothing but harsh gales and jagged edges to keep him company. ¡°¡­ What now? Should I stay for a rescue plane or something?¡± Mordred shook his head. His brows furrowed as his expression soured from all this traumatic experience. However, there was one thing that strangely popped into his mind that could semi-answer something. ¡®Welcome to Aria¡¯. ¡°Tch, why am I remembering it that now? I should first think about how to get down from here.¡±Mordred considered himself to be rather competent for problem solving, but he couldn¡¯t really come up with any practical methods of getting down from this current position. ¡°Perhaps I really should wait for a rescue helicopter,¡± the thought returned. He gazed around more but nothing. A vast landscape of trees and mountains with no signs of civilization was all that existed in every direction. There was a greater chance that he¡¯d die of starvation than if a rescue helicopter would arrive. If that was the case, then it would be preferable to start climbing down when he had the stamina to do so. If this was anyway reminiscent of his online game, then all he needed to do was jump down. However, if he tried that now, he¡¯d die. This was ¡®real¡¯. ¡®This isn¡¯t a game,¡¯ he told himself. Precisely because this was ¡®real¡¯ and because he had ¡®everything¡¯ to lose, an unknown burst of resolve surged through his body. This unfair death game gave him no other options. He had to climb or mark a suitable place on this plateau to serve as his grave. Mordred shook his head and slapped his face a couple of times. He resolved himself for the death climb down Murder Mountain. Yet as he prepared himself, a bestial screech shaking the heavens above echoed through the mountain-scape. The very blue skies trembled as if to suggest that they were about to collapse. ¡°That didn¡¯t sound good,¡± he shifted his head back and forth as he latched onto the side of the cliff face. Something came to his view. Far off in the horizon, it could be seen, surfing the skies with its large, blood-coloured wings. Too far to make out any other details, although Mordred had a very solid inkling as to what this could be. ¡°That¡­ no, it couldn¡¯t be, right? Shit, is this still really not a dream?!¡± but his complaints were cut short as a massive ball of inferno spewed forth of the dragon¡¯s mouth and flew towards his direction. Upon the slightest graze, it had completely melted a large chunk of the mountain above him. More than that, it was the heat. The heat felt as though it would almost sear off his face, ¡°Shit¡­! It¡¯s real!¡± Chapter 4 - Another worlds welcoming party* Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 4 ¨C Another world¡¯s welcoming party A force that could make mountains tremble and quiver in fear was not to be taken lightly. Large chunks of molten rock avalanched down the side, scathing half the mountain. Some came close to knocking him off balance. A mixture of anger and terror crawled up Mordred¡¯s throat. He gazed in awe of his winged assailant. Large and blood red, winged and scaled, sharp claws, jagged rows of spikes. There really was no other way to describe it than to use the word he didn¡¯t want; ¡®Dragon¡¯. The monster opened its jaws to reveal teeth larger and sharper than his entire person. It roared as if in taunt or mockery. Without mercy, the crimson beast let out a burst of searing flames his way. ¡°That, fuck!¡± there was no time to think or speak. With caution forcefully slapped out of his hands, he had no choice but to hastily climb down an extremely dangerous mountain. ¡°Dammit!¡± he shouted. Unsteady footing topped up with an overload of adrenaline and rage. Above was fire and below was a gorge of death. Amidst this insane chaos he couldn¡¯t help but reminisce back to the times he thought he would die in mundane ways. With his mental state so heavily disrupted, it had only been a matter of time before he had lost his grip. A piece of the edge he had been balancing upon suddenly snapped off. He instantly slid off the face of the mountain and plummeted to his doom. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ he couldn¡¯t even let out his final words as a cruel sensation of detached Zen overwhelmed his mind. ¡®I¡¯m dying¡­¡¯ he realized to himself, yet it didn¡¯t particularly feel all that real in the moment. Time slowed, or rather his perception of time grinded to a haled. This was the ultimate end to the story of a rather insignificant character. To be dragged off to an unknown locale and then plummeting to his death while a dragon assailed him from above. There had been no reason to anything this- just confusion. His life flashed before his life in the most clich¨¦ manner possible. There weren¡¯t too many things to recall, most of them being the time he had spent on his online avatar. That said, there were also things he had been fond of and regretted. One of those was the fact he couldn¡¯t make it to his uncle¡¯s Christmas party. Falling backwards, he gazed up to see the red dragon make its way onto the side of the mountain. For some reason, it focused its narrow vision at him, smiling as though it truly were mocking him with that sarcastic expression- it was a shitty lizard. A deep sense of profound rage burnt up within him as they locked gazes. ¡°Piece of shit!¡± Regret and rage filled him as he fell, but when he truly lost himself in that singular focus, a miraculous event occurred. The fall that was to be his doom was broken, cushioned by nothing but air; entering the range of a protrusion he was spared from hitting it at full force. He was let down as though a baby was slowly lowered into its crib. ¡°Just what?!¡± Confusion swarmed him harder than the fact that a red dragon actually existed. This too was ¡®real¡¯. He felt the cold dirt behind his back. Standing up, he reached all over his body to confirm, ¡®I¡¯m intact,¡¯ no external damage. Even his clothes were spared from damage¡­ ¡®wait, clothes?¡¯ he thought about it. Or rather, he hadn¡¯t been giving it any thought to it until now. ¡°Huh?¡± looking down at his body he realized something very important. That the clothes adorned on his person were not his own but highly reminiscent of the equipment warn by his game avatar. A pristine white overcoat with a mysterious dark suit beneath¡­ ¡®This is that, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ he thought as he stared at himself. Suddenly a cold and metallic sensation writhed up his hands. A very, very, very familiar thin and silvery cross shaped sword. So polished that he could see his own reflection off the side of the hilt. It was not the face he remembered seeing for all those years. This face was much more charismatic. An almost devilish handsomeness. The one familiar element was the hypnotic glimmer of his ruby eyes. He took a deep breath. A strange sense of calm overwhelmed him. ¡°This is¡­ ah, maybe because of [Sharp Mind]?¡± it felt as though his logic was sharpened to a knife edge and the previous disorderly chaos was just an illusion- just a joke. ¡®Sharp Mind¡¯ was a skill in the game, but it wasn¡¯t attached to any of the eleven classes. Rather, it was a skill that the player was granted to upon character creation. The effects of the skill provided the player with a state known as ¡®Sharp Mind¡¯. It was more of a justification of how the player character could so calmly engage in so many ¡®to-the-death¡¯ battles be they with epic monsters or other humans.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It was a skill set up only to make the player character seem special, but unexpectedly it had a huge benefit in this world. With this sharp increase in logical thought it was easy to deduce that then the fall from before was cut short also due to a skill. An acrobatic type skill under the ¡®Assassin¡¯ skill-tree. It was an ability known as ¡®Soft Landing¡¯, a self-explanatory skill. It wasn¡¯t hard to formulate an explanation as to how this all came to be, but the problem was ¡®belief¡¯. If a dragon can exist in this fantasy-scape then was it so far outside of the realms of possibility that he could inherit traits from his character? Soft Landing and Sharp Mind, they were definitely abilities of his character. ¡°How strange,¡± a small grin slid across Mordred¡¯s mouth as he gazed up at the frenzied dragon hurling balls of liquid fire. He felt no fear; nothing at all. That wasn¡¯t true, he did feel one emotion: anger. ¡®Right, there was that dragon. That piece of shit lizard,¡¯ he grimaced. The red dragon roared as it witnessed Mordred land safely. It appeared almost mad that Mordred hadn¡¯t been killed or fatally injured from that fall. It proceeded to vault off the side of the mountain and flew straight down towards him. ¡°Does it want to finish me? Tch, if I¡¯m wrong about this then it really is over.¡± Without giving proper time to recover, the red dragon rushed down to Mordred¡¯s altitude with a hurricane-like ferocity. It opened its mouth and started to charge another fiery blast. A flash of scorching red light burst forward. The explosive impact of the seething flame eviscerated the entire mid portion of the mountain. Yet, even though he had been caught in the centre of the blast, Mordred came out unaffected from a level of heat that wouldn¡¯t be strange if it had melted his face from his skull. Small streams of heat and smoke rose from his clothes, but no exterior damage could be detected, not even a scratch on his white clothes. ¡°Are you done, you sub-par, mindless beast? Just where do you think you¡¯re even aiming that thing?¡± a low harrowing voice. In that moment, Mordred¡¯s figure disappeared from the dragon¡¯s sight. ¡°[Blink]¡­ huh?¡± a voice rang from behind the dragon¡¯s ears. Noticing what had occurred, it started to move erratically in a sky dance formation. It attempted to throw Mordred off by smashing against the mountain like a pig trying to scratch its back by rolling around in rocks. ¡°Hey, hey, I¡¯m still on you, so why don¡¯t you calm down for a bit?!¡± an unmistakable sound of a metal blade sliding out its sheath stretched out. It flashed an ominous red aura. A massive surge of raw ¡®power¡¯ could be felt concentrated along the edge of his blade. Without hesitation, Mordred swung down through the dragon¡¯s armour-plated scales. It pierced through like tissue paper- a skill known as ¡®Assassinate¡¯. The sharp pain entered its flesh it screeched, shaking both heaven and earth alike. ¡°Don¡¯t even think I¡¯m done yet. Bastard, I¡¯m going to repay you for treating me so well just a few moments ago!¡± ¡®Mordred¡¯, not his real name but in this instant, it was real enough. As a human being he had many flaws, however the greatest flaw of them all was that he was a very vain individual. He didn¡¯t really consider that anyone else could be greater than him though he understood in theory that there would always be someone higher and greater. However, if he never saw it for his own eyes they were just as fantastic as this dragon. Not an illusion of grandeur, just a childish sense of arrogance. He knew this very well himself, but this one trait alone was the very defining essence of ¡®Mordred¡¯. The dragon was not yet slain, but very close to death. Nothing would sate ¡®Mordred¡¯ other than ¡®overkill¡¯. ¡°Die.¡± Mordred threw his left hand towards the sky and as he did a large black lance made of shadows emerged- ¡®Shadow Spear¡¯. However, this was not enough, ¡®I need more!¡¯ not just one¡­ not two¡­ three! Two more titanic lances made of dark space appeared besides the first. On Mordred¡¯s command, he pointed them towards the dragon, without even the slightest hesitation he ordered this majestic beast¡¯s execution. Unrelentingly brutal and quick, the Shadow spears pierced and dug through the thick red plated scales. It sunk through its back and deep into its heart and out through the other side of its body. A feral scream, its last scream, the final thing it could do to protest its death. Once more the area was sunken beneath its horrendous roar, but this roar filled Mordred with nothing but the greatest sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. Because this roar was a one of defeat. The red dragon¡¯s wings failed to support it mid-air, eventually it began to quickly drop altitude. Both Mordred and the dragon fell, but Mordred couldn¡¯t be happier. After all, he had ¡®won¡¯. Chapter 5 - Achievement Unlocked!* Polymath ReduxAnnex Chapter 5 ¨C Achievement Unlocked! Once the specific configurations of his abilities were understood, it had become a breeze for Mordred to descend from the peaks of death mountain. With a relieved sigh, he stared down at his own hands; these hands that were his yet unfamiliar- the hands of his avatar. ¡°it still feels rather unbelievable,¡± he commented. He refocused his sights to the half-decimated mountain still burning and crumbling from the earlier chaos. As for the culprit of this scene, Mordred turned to the deceased body of the large red lizard. Wine coloured ooze leaked from beneath it, unmoving and unbreathing. It was a scene he recently became familiar with. I did this¡­ didn¡¯t I?¡± those words and reality registered in his mind to form facts. A far cry from the normalcy he remembered. The avatar and player as one; this cognitive dissonance would most likely dissipate as he continued to adjust to his new body. That wasn¡¯t the problem. He raised his hands up to the dragon¡¯s body and conjured a small but searing inferno. [Immolate]; it was about the size of a basketball and danced on the palm of his hands. With an unenthusiastic motion, Mordred hurled the ball at the target. Like dry cotton, the moment the ball of flames came into contact with the corpse, it caught flames with a bright fury. In a mere five minutes, the red dragon¡¯s enormous body was made reduced to a few scorch marks on the floor and a pile of grey dust. For the first adversary of this world, it was only a bit of necessary respect. With a sigh he decided to move on from the topic. If there one last positive thing about thing about this ordeal, it was the fact that it proved to be a good measure of strength. A red dragon was most likely not going to be one of the weaker races and thus served as a reliable benchmark for his capabilities against this world. ¡°This ¡®world¡¯¡­ yeah, it¡¯s probably not Kans- Earth anymore.¡± Aside from being lost in this forest, there was another problem that needed to be quickly answered. That was on if his other abilities were available to be accessed. While there were no reasons as to why that wouldn¡¯t be the case, it was still a good idea to check. Though on the off chance his other abilities were sealed off from him, just the ones he had used prior were powerful enough to go by. ¡°Soft Landing, Blink, Assassinate and Shadow Spear¡­ those are the skills I used,¡± he reminded himself. If his situation was anything from like in the game, he would¡¯ve merely had to press the ¡®C¡¯ button to bring up his character stats and ¡®K¡¯ for skills. ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t exist here,¡± he shook his head but since he knew his character stats off by heart, it wasn¡¯t much of a problem. That he killed a red dragon was a testament he could retain all those stats. There had also been the problem with ¡®inventory¡¯, all his most valuable equipment and items were stored there. In-game it was only a matter of pressing the ¡®I¡¯ button, but Mordred could only sigh at the lack of directions. ¡°You¡¯d think in these kinds of situations all I had to do was think about accessing my inventory and I¡¯d be able to¡­¡± just as this thought crossed his mind, Mordred¡¯s hand slipped into a vacant space in the air. For a moment, it seemed as though he had been amputated but the feeling of his hand was still intact. ¡°That scared me, but I think this may be the way to access my inventory. Hmm~ let¡¯s see¡­¡± He dug around a little more to summon an item. With the power of thought alone he could feel the sensation of that object forming within his grasp. As he ejected his hands from the inventory space a small red gem carved with mysterious glyphs also came through. With unparalleled beauty in terms of gems, it exceeded to concept of ¡®expensive¡¯ and entered the realm of ¡®priceless¡¯. Mordred couldn¡¯t help but stare with almost hypnotic intent.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A faint melodic whisper could be heard from it. Unfortunately, even with his enhanced hearing and focus, he had been unable to determine what exactly those whispers were saying. That said, the soothing and melodic tone drew him. It may not have been entirely weird for him to have stood here eternally tuned in and half-dazed. Yet in the end his rational mind broke through as he returned to reality. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better to check if my other equipment can be accessed as well. Should get this over with before sundown.¡± The following few hours were spent summoning assorted items and equipment he remembered having in his possession back in the game. Doing this and seeing the items manifest in all their glory with physical form gave a rather mesmerizing sensation. It filled Mordred with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. These powerful items were all a result of his arduous work and dedication; they were all truly his. On an additional note, he had tested a lot of his skill that could be test and found that they too were all accessible with minimal effort. The conclusion drawn from this was that it had been true that Mordred inherited everything from his game avatar- power and equipment. Although, now it¡¯s come to this there were serious doubts in his mind whether he¡¯d get the chance to use any of them. If that battle against the raid party was anything to go by, they were all far too powerful to be used at full capacity. Once everything had been sorted he looked at the final object in his hand. The crimson gem he had taken out at the beginning. Within the game, a mechanic known as the ¡®familiar system¡¯ existed. It allowed players to permanently tame a special monster and used them as a partner in battle. The method to obtain these ¡®familiars¡¯ varied slightly between monsters; some required long and arduous questlines while others demanded vast amounts of dedication to hunt them down. If a player succeeded in completing whatever requirements were necessary, they would obtain a unique item known as ¡®insignia gem¡¯. These gems came in assorted colours but all had the same function of summoning a special monster to be the player¡¯s partner. Once they were awakened they would then be permanently bound to the player and could also be given a custom name. A limit existed; only one familiar per player at a time. It was possible to keep more than one insignia but only one could be summoned at a time. Mordred inspected the red gem in his hand. This was known as the ¡®Insignia of the Crimson Dragon Lord¡¯. Even amongst rare and unique items this one stood far above the rest as the monster contained within was the coveted ¡®Crimson Dragon Lord¡¯, a boss-type monster that appeared at the game¡¯s hardest raid dungeon, ¡®Hellgate¡¯. A unique monster known to possess two separate forms, a ¡®humanoid¡¯ and ¡®dragon¡¯ form. Both served different functions, its humanoid form was more agile and swift- not unlike a player- and used primarily physical oriented combat. Its dragon form was far less mobile but had the ¡®flight¡¯ ability and used siege-type, large scale destructive magic. What had made this item so specifically rare was the method to obtain it. It had been given out only as a prize in an event known as the ¡®World PvP tournament¡¯ organized by the game¡¯s developers. Suffice it to say, the undisputed victor by a large margin was Mordred. Though he had held onto such a powerful item, there weren¡¯t any real opportunities to use it. A dragon familiar on top of his already overpowered skills would have only been severe overkill. That said, the situation was now different. While still confident he could survive in this place on his own, he had no allies to count on. Even if it was an A.I. controlled monster, it soothed his mind a little to know there could be at least one dependable ally in this world. ¡°Guess it¡¯d only be collecting dust if I let it rot away in my inventory.¡± Chapter 6 - The First Crimson Servant Polymath ReduxAnnex Chapter 6 ¨C The First Crimson Servant With a gentle tap, Mordred touched over the sigil engraved on the surface of the translucent blood gem. It let of heat and steam as it vibrated a fiery presence. Almost as though it were a living creature the gem moved about and fixed its position midair before him. Like a heart that beat periodically, so too did them. A light glow of red tint and a gentle pulse every so often. ¡°Now I think about it, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever summoned a familiar,¡± he pondered to himself. There had never been a situation where such a companion was necessary. When Mordred first started playing the Familiar System hadn¡¯t been implemented and by the time the developers had introduced it he had advanced sufficiently powerful enough not to require it. Though he did stockpile a variety of different, high-tiered monster insignias as a trophy and to pass time. The cast crimson gem shone brilliantly as it was absorbed in a demonic hellfire. A pyre burst forth from its heart and engulfed the surrounding territory of green in cinders and flames. As he waited for the summoning ritual to be completed, Mordred reminisced back to the time he had faced the end game boss himself. He had been much weaker than he was currently, yet he still insisted upon raiding the final dungeon solo against the behest of his friends not to. It had never been for the glory or endgame rewards, merely that it was a way for him to test his strength and prove himself. The battle against the last boss of the game was excruciatingly long and arduous. It lasted over five hours without a moment of break. The moment he had landed the coup de grace a great sensation of liberation overwhelmed his entire body, both in game and in real life. Yet, that had also been the point that he understood that he stood at the ¡®peak¡¯. There was nowhere else to climb. At that moment, the game had somehow lost its luster. Still, the game had been an undeniably important facet of his life. Everything he had done up until then would stay with him. Mordred smiled softly as he gazed back at the floating gem that was on the verge of hatching. The nightmare soaked red light died. The gem fluctuated wildly from side to side and slowly corroded before losing its solidarity. The gem, now a queer liquid, fell to the floor and formed a puddle that resembled magma. Without warning the pool flashed one last time. An explosive inferno towered forth. However, that was not the end as the pyre rose and crystalized into place. Upon closer inspection, Mordred¡¯s eyes glimmered for a second at the sight of a gentle humanoid figure sealed within. A woman. Her eyes creaked open and the crystalized fire began to tremble. It cracked and crackled as its appearance became distorted and unstable, eventually shattering into several large chunks. From the ashes of the eruption appeared a single woman. Tall, slender with an aerodynamically designed proportion. Her armour seemed to fit almost too perfectly as though she had been born in it rather than being tailored to her. The night coloured inner leather armor naturally revealed the seductive curvatures of her figure whilst also maintaining a respectable level of protection. Her upper torso, shoulders and arms were reinforced with a ghastly red plate armour with the insignia of the Crimson Dragon etched upon them. Her hips and legs were also likewise covered very well. The armour that seemed sturdier than diamond or titanium was worn by this woman with such elegance and grace that it was hard to avert gaze.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Wordlessly she took a few steps forward. Her crimson greaves gracefully strode upon the ashen and dirt floor. She stood before Mordred and gazed longingly. They had been about the same height, yet she suddenly chose to lower herself. She knelt before him as a knight would do for her king. She placed one of her crimson gauntleted hands across her chest and one to the floor as she lowered her head in a display of loyalty and submission. She did not speak. Her flame coloured hair, dual dyed red and light orange, wavered in the winds of the thick ashen gale. Her knife sharp features in absolute servitude to her summoner and master. ¡®Do all familiars have such high initial disposition to their summoners?¡¯ Mordred wondered. This had been the first time he had met his own personal familiar after all. He felt a little reluctant and drawn back by this level of overwhelming respect but decided to accept it for now. ¡°State your name,¡± he commanded in an authoritative voice. Introductions were the first order of things. However, the red-haired mistress remained silently as she subtly shook her head. ¡°Forgive me, my master. I do not yet possess a name; it would be an honour to have you bestow me with a title you deem most fitting.¡± She responded with a calm and collected tone. Her voice was rather feminine despite her fierce appearance, yet at the same time reflected a certain attribute of power. She looked up, her heterochromatic eyes- one red, one light yellow- and waited. ¡®Name¡­ right, this is like what I heard happened in the game,¡¯ Mordred nodded. Familiars could be named, although this aspect didn¡¯t really change anything other than flavour text. ¡°Very well, then from hence forth you¡¯ll be known as ¡®Irina¡¯.¡± The ¡®Crimson Dragon Lord¡¯: ¡®Irina¡¯, nodded without complaint. Her expression was stiff and deadpan that even Mordred had a hard time trying to read her emotions. She appeared to be loyal and subservient, yet resembled nothing like what he had heard of those stiff A.I. companions. Everything from her actions, movements, speech and even the way she breathed felt ¡®real¡¯. Mordred metaphorically slapped himself. ¡®Of course it¡¯d be real. This is now reality¡­¡¯ he reminded himself. There were a few more things to make sure of. He had just summoned the most powerful entity in the game, yet since it had been scaled down to player levels as a familiar he wasn¡¯t quite sure how powerful she was. ¡°Irina, identify your classes.¡± Like players, every combat available entity had ¡®classes¡¯ fixed upon them. Familiars were no different in that they had an assortment of classes that they were programmed with. Ordinary familiars usually only had one class at a time but boss ranked monsters were special in that they were given up to four. ¡®If memory served correct,¡¯ he dug his memories. The classes for the Crimson Dragon Lord were: ¡®Magician¡¯, ¡®Warrior¡¯, ¡®Necromancer¡¯ and ¡®Templar¡¯. Each class had a potential of being scaled up to level 200, which in effect meant that her current total level should be 800. Incidentally, Mordred¡¯s overall level was 2200. Irina nodded. ¡°My classes are identified as: Warrior, Magician, Necromancer and Templar.¡± ¡°I see, it¡¯s the same then. Just to be sure you¡¯ve also access to your ¡®true form¡¯ ability, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, if you so desire it I can take my original form. Would you like me to do so?¡± ¡°No, you needn¡¯t waste time doing so. As long as I know it¡¯s possible then it¡¯s all I need to know right now.¡± ¡®Right now,¡¯ he fixated himself on that word. Everything else was in order. His skills were tested and the most powerful familiar had been summoned. Then what naturally comes after ¡®right now¡¯? Mordred turned to the skies. They were clear as he remembered them, but a slight hint of orange dusk was on the invasion. ¡®Fantasy, magic and dragon servants¡­ where do I go from here?¡¯ He shook his head as all the anxiety immediately left him. ¡°Of course, what am I even worried about?¡± he stretched his arms and took in the air of the ¡®fantasy¡¯. ¡°Irina¡­ I want to learn more about this world.¡± Chapter 7 - First Encounter: A wild rogue knight has appeared Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 7 ¨C First Encounter: A wild rogue knight has appeared! No more hesitation and dawdling. With all skills and items accounted for, there were no more reasons holding him back from truly experiencing this world. Yet, the first hurdle had reared its ugly head in the form of a directionless path. At a loss, Mordred rolled the dice and chose an arbitrary direction to move. He knew that it could¡¯ve very well be the direction that was the furthest from civilization- if there were any- but with no point of reference it was all the same. With the inheritance of his avatar¡¯s specs it was likely he could go without sustenance for days, weeks or even months. Irina was also likely the same since her level was capped. They rushed through the forest like lightning shadows. Mordred stared to notice odd alerts that panged at the back of his head. Like a submarine¡¯s sonar, small blinks were brought to his attention. Lesser animals and weak monsters lurked at the background and he could feel their every movement. Some big, some small, but none of them could be considered a ¡®real threat¡¯. Since they were also weaker than the Red Dragon from prior there was no need to individually test them either. Oddly, these creatures had instinctively understood the vast differences in power between Mordred and them. They made a very clear path. ¡°Hmm,¡± he hummed. This phenomenon was also observable in the game as well. Unless they were programmed to be specifically hostile, lower levelled monster never attacked players whose level far exceeded their own. The same principle seemed to apply to this world, but different from the visible observations he could make through a monitor he could now ¡®feel¡¯ their direct presence and hostility. It was an intrinsic feeling, almost as though he had always had such an ability- no different from an arm or a leg. ¡°Ah¡­ so this is ¡®Intuition, perfect,¡± he nodded. An ability of the Assassin skill-tree. He continued to rush through the thicket of the forest. A strange sense of tranquillity overcame him. As the winds brushed through his face and the whooshing sounds of trees passing him, it was a calm that he could never have experienced in that bustling and busy former world. The best he could related was a distant memory of a short walk through the park he had gone with his parents long ago- ancient history. A forest littered with monsters that could tear off a person¡¯s head, yet they were nothing more than flies to him now. A ¡®leisurely¡¯ stroll. The sound of rustling trees, the smoothness of the winds, chirping of birds, their strides against the dirt floor- this couldn¡¯t be any more meditative if they tried. Yet even this calm was put to an abrupt end. In the distance, he noticed the rise of black smog. Simultaneously this was a good and bad sign. Smoke indicated some level of intelligent civilization, but one with such large proportions meant that it was out of control. A signal of an incident. He tilted his head back to Irina who had diligently and silently kept up with him despite speeds that rivalled a bullet train. ¡°I¡¯m going to run, so keep up.¡± Until now everything had been a ¡®leisurely¡¯ stroll after all. ¡°Understood, my master,¡± with no hesitations Irina nodded.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. This was no ¡®running¡¯. For either of them, ¡®speeding up¡¯ was the act of weaving multiple speed type skills together to achieve an even greater mobility. Mordred whispered beneath his breath: ¡®Silent Movement. Swift Movement. Dark Movement. Shadow Step. Chant of the Wind. Blink. Armour charge. Kinetic Jump. Acceleration. Teleportation.¡¯ In a matter of seconds, they drew impossibly close to the origins of the smoke. ¡°¡­?!¡± Mordred¡¯s ¡®intuition¡¯ skill suddenly alerted him of several hostile life signatures en route to their position. There was no worry on his face however, and with no desire to bother himself with taking a ¡®stance¡¯ or position, he stood with a blank face awaiting his adversaries. This was technically his ¡®first contact¡¯, yet from the impressions of enmity it had already devolved into an altercation. ¡°You think they¡¯re stronger than a Red Dragon?¡± Mordred posed a question to Irina before deciding how stupid that sounded. ¡°Nevermind.¡± Four heavily armoured knights stepped out before him. All armed with shiny swords and shields that were stained with blood. ¡®Medieval knights¡­ perfect,¡¯ he sarcastically groaned to himself. Despite his lack of combat training, Mordred easily identified several flaws in how these knights conducted and carried themselves. Their weapons were handled amateurishly, the way they moved with their entire faces covered by a helmet to handicap their own vision. Those shiny blades seemed hardly used yet stained in blood. The knights paced around arrogantly as they leaked mocking chuckles. Worse than brigands were trained warriors who acted like them. They surrounded Mordred and Irina to deflect any routes of escape. That said, Irina¡¯s signature deadpan expression faded, replaced by a clear sign of disgust and annoyance. Her eyebrows furrowed up and her gloved fists clenched. That these amateurs had the mistaken notion they could lay even a finger on her master¡¯s hair tipped her over. Sparks flew from her fists as she poised herself, ready to smash in their heads and braze their faces to their helmets eternally. Yet, before she could lunge in for the kill, Mordred stopped her. ¡°Master?¡± she asked. ¡°No, wait Irina. It¡¯s fine like this. Things like this is infinitely more interesting if you let them believe they have the upper hand, watch.¡± Though her master¡¯s words flew over her head she dutifully obliged with his commands. She watched. There was no way harm would before Mordred in the first place. She eased her fists and let the knights do as they pleased¡­ for now. ¡°Oi, check out this kid¡¯s clothes, they look super expensive,¡± one knight whispered to another. ¡®Strange, it doesn¡¯t resemble any language I know, but I can understand them fine,¡¯ Mordred analysed but shrugged, ¡®how convenient¡¯. ¡°Keke~ yeah, he¡¯s probably some high nobility or something that got lost. Shouldn¡¯t we take him back for ransom?¡± ¡°Good idea, and that woman behind him, is she his guard?¡± ¡°Pfft, if she is then she¡¯s so stupid she forgot to bring weapons. I mean, her chest is rather disappointing for a woman but she doesn¡¯t have a bid figure. We could get some mileage off her before we sell her off, heh~¡± Mordred sighed as he shook his head. ¡®These guys play the role of scum so well it¡¯s disgusting¡¯. The knights whispered amongst themselves their nefarious plots, yet he could hear them perfectly as though they were talking conversational levels. ¡®Eavesdrop, I see,¡¯ it was almost too painful to hold back laughter. ¡°Oi kid, why don¡¯t you come with us? You¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t you? I mean such dreadful forests shouldn¡¯t be a place for noble children to wander about, so come with us and we¡¯ll protect you until your guardians come.¡± One knight spoke as he crept up in disgusting stride with his guard down. ¡°Unfortunately, my parents are dead,¡± Mordred responded in jest. ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t be like that we won¡¯t hurt you or anything¡­¡± the moment the knight¡¯s hand touched Mordred¡¯s shoulder was the moment it was liberated from his disgusting body. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Chapter 8 - You are already dead Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 8 ¨C You are already dead ¡°Huh, what¡­? What?! Augh! Shit, my hand!!¡± the knight¡¯s severed hand flopped around the floor for a second. His eyes widened and darted around like crazy. He fell to the floor as he tightly covered over his stumped wrist that gushed out a gory fountain. Mordred sidestepped to evade the blood splatter and observed with mild amusement at the suffering brigand. ¡®Hmm,¡¯ had the situation been any more normal he would¡¯ve certainly felt grossed or nauseous about this scene, possibly even concerned for his enemy. However, nothing about today could be described using the world ¡®normal¡¯. Right now, he felt absolutely no concern for the knight. Irian casually kicked the disembodied hand to the side as though an unwanted piece of garbage. She had grown tired of staring at the disgusting thing flop around and pollute her master¡¯s vision. ¡°Disgusting idiot, you dare touch my master with your filthy hands?¡± ¡°Irina,¡± Mordred warned her yet her overprotective emotions overrode her master¡¯s actual commands. ¡°Master, I simply cannot allow any further affront. These subpar species must be taught a stern lesson that they must take to their graves.¡± ¡°Irina, you know I¡¯m also ¡®Human¡¯, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ my deepest apologies, my master. Then for the preservation of your honour, I will remove these insects for even daring to share the same species as you.¡± Mordred sighed. It was probably that Irina would¡¯ve backed off if he had pressed the matter but he allowed her to rampage. He stepped back and let her take the spotlight. ¡°B- bastard!¡± one of the knights stepped forward with his blade clearly shaken. His comrade¡¯s hand had been sliced off without even knowing how. The fiery woman¡¯s attack shred through the knights¡¯ armour like a piece of paper. Two knights rushed forward not to attack but to drag back their incapacitated comrade. The blood that trailed behind as they pulled him back was enough to fill a local pool. To ¡®kill someone¡¯, that was the ultimate taboo in Mordred¡¯s former world. Yet that rule seemed to have taken a considerable backseat in this world. Reservations on harming members of the same species swirled around his head. He wanted to avoid it if possible, yet at the same time he currently felt no actual repulsion from this gory scene. This cognitive dissonance was far more disturbing to him than having witnessed a man lose his hand in a torrent of blood. It would be easy to give in and indulge in wanton destruction, and perhaps that¡¯s what would await him in future. For now, quandaries about morality was pushed aside. Right, for now he would act with convenience of the situation in mind than morality. If someone attacked him, then he would attack back. If someone came to beg for help then he would think about it. ¡°Irina, just disarm them for now,¡± Mordred ordered. Her master¡¯s word was law but it was up to her how she wanted to interpret the specific word ¡®disarm¡¯ and naturally it would escalate to the highest acceptable definition. Irina thrust her right hand forward, it shone with an ominous red flash as an unknown spell augmented her attacks. Not understanding this attack, the knights made distance with her. They clutched onto their swords and shields tightly. They trembled as they hid behind that metal barrier. Two knights contested Irina from either side but none had the courage to go in for an attack. Naturally, Irina looked to capitalize on this opportunity and went in for the killing blow. From beneath the knight¡¯s feet, a small red magical circle erupted. It hurled searing chains of soldering hot metal and wrapped around their entire bodies- ¡®Hellgate¡¯s Fury¡¯. These chains seared the knights gauntlet to their flesh as well as suppressing their bodies to the floor. They dropped like flies whose wings were violently torn off. Struggling and screaming, yet finding no relief as Irina made sure that they would not ¡®die¡¯. It was what her master had ordered after all. ¡°No¡­! No! No! I can¡¯t die here!¡± they shouted with desperate breaths.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. They tried to crawl away through those steaming chains that branded their flesh. ¡°None of you will escape,¡± however, they were stopped as black spears covered in an inferno appeared to stab at their hands and legs- ¡®Flame Spear¡¯. Beyond repair and skirting over the border of death. The knight¡¯s screams feel to an almost literal deadly silence. They were ¡®unconscious¡¯, and extremely unlikely that they¡¯d work as knights again¡­ if they could survive. Mordred turned away- a ¡®death sentence¡¯. ¡®Now then, these knights came from the direction of that large smoke,¡¯ civilization was bound to be there. Probably being razed to the ground by knights with similarly adorned uniform. There was no need to waste further time with hypothesis as he could almost taste their hostility with his ¡®intuition¡¯ ability. ¡°Irina, we¡¯re leaving.¡± A few seconds later, another crime scene was stumbled upon. A small border village of wooden houses and sticks was under terror by an onslaught of violent knights. Their armour dyed more crimson than the very flames that surrounded the village. About forty to fifty knights rampaged around as they mercilessly cut down the unarmed villagers. ¡®What now¡­?¡¯ if he helped the villagers he¡¯d make an enemy of those knights and whatever power was backing them. If he left them, his own gut wouldn¡¯t feel satisfied. ¡°Tch, this is why morality is bullshit,¡± he whispered to himself as his expression soured. To kill to save, was one more just than the other if all life is purported to be equal? There was no ¡®correct¡¯ answer. ¡°Master?¡± concerned by his expression Irina called to him. He sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right,¡± he gave answer to a question that was never asked. He could no longer wash his hands of this incident regardless of the decision to join the fray. He realized, ¡®it¡¯s not about right or wrong, but whether the answer is correct for the situation¡¯. That being the case, ¡°then the correct answer here would be¡­¡± The answer was intervention with ¡®anonymity¡¯. If neither the villagers nor knights knew what faction he belonged to, then he could act as a mysterious ¡®third party¡¯. Absolving guilt while making no enemies. Yet, just the two of them was not impressive enough. He needed to make it flashier. Mordred stretched out his arms. A surge of power rushed past him as they extended out and sunk into the ground before him. ¡°Divine Marionette,¡± he chanted the name of the spell. There was no strict necessity in doing so but it helped him get into the mindset. A bright white magical circle etched over. White gauntlets burst forth from the dirt floor as though zombies reclaiming life. Humanoid figures adorned in majestic white armour dug themselves out of the ground. Upon closer inspection they were lifeless puppets, however with an enclosed helm and animated movement they could pass off as ¡®real¡¯. One or two wasn¡¯t enough¡­ ¡®More¡¯. ¡°About, fifteen should do,¡± Mordred repeated the activation sequence of Divine Marionette summoning. A small squadron of holy armoured knights gathered behind him. Mordred himself had been dressed appropriately enough in his white overcoat but his face was revealed. To remedy this, he pulled out a small white mask that was just a blank slate. With only one hole for eyes, it was impractical, but for Mordred he could navigate perfectly through his enhanced senses. With the illusion of a unified mysterious force, Mordred prepared himself. ¡°Irina, I won¡¯t say not to kill them this time, but try to hold back. I still need most them alive to extract information.¡± Irina nodded, ¡°if that is your command, my master.¡± With that set up done, Mordred and his little squadron of puppets burst forth from hiding. Their illuminating appearance it was hard to ignore them. Several knights immediately forwarded their attention to the new threat as they shouted to each other. ¡°W- what¡¯s going on?! Who are these guys?!¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t know!¡± Mordred smirked heartily beneath his helmet as he saw the frightened figure of the enemy. He raised his hands without a word and pointed to the savage brigands amid subjugation. With a single clear and authoritative voice, he commanded¡­ ¡°Attack.¡± Chapter 9 - The divine knights Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 9 ¨C The divine knights For the past fifty years ¡®Duncan¡¯ had served dutifully as the chief of his village. A miniscule settlement skirting the borders between Xagontetia and their rivalling power of the Baliazoural Empire. War and strife was only a given. From a young age, he had been taught and expected to become an unflinching pillar for his hometown. He knew from the start that ¡®greatness¡¯ or ¡®adventure¡¯ would not be part of his destiny, yet he was content. He loved this small town and wished to be a part of its history until the day the last plank of wood fell from the last house. Many people looked up to him as a source of guidance once he had taken over his father¡¯s position. Since then, for the past fifty years, he had lead a strong and prosperous community. Yet, not everything was peaceful. Life on the fringes of their home country¡¯s influence were not without strife, frequent monster attacks and small skirmishes with the neighbouring country were part of life. With the aid of patrolling knights and the town¡¯s healthy militia, these incidents weren¡¯t much of a problem. However¡­ His digits now ticking over to his sixties; he understood his time was due. Yet, it had to be now that a great tragedy befell his village. Foreign knights and soldiers- warriors of the Baliazoural Empire- raided into his village wielding weaponry and armour much greater than what their feeble village could muster. They had looks of hesitation, but that did not change the outcome of their actions. They moved in without word or demand and began to cruelly execute the villagers. Screams and shouts muffled by the sound of blood splatter and roaring fires. Many young ones fell before their savage blade. He, along with the village¡¯s small militia, resisted but it became overwhelmingly clear that they would not hold on for too much longer. As he saw the young ones fall, a sense of guilt spanning as far as the void, encroached upon his heart. The crossbow in his hands shook powerlessly and the bolts he fired missed every target. ¡®Does it even matter?¡¯ he started to wonder. Even if they somehow miraculously survived the brutal affair, the countless graves they would have to make would demolish their village from sadness alone. As his heart sunk deeper into the abyss, in this last, desperate moment, a sliver of hope descended upon them. Knights adorned in pure white, as though they were sent from the heavens themselves, had landed and launched a counteroffensive. Their armour glowed piercing silver even amidst the burning of blood and fire. They illuminated the path they marched and clashed against the knights of the Baliazoural Empire. A magnificent skirmished played out. Just like the old war stories his father used to recite. Knights adorned in holy flame charged out from the forest, led by a charismatic man in a white mask. The leader was not in armour, dressed elegantly in a long white overcoat over a black suit. Such level of trust and charisma was hard to find even on the battlefield. He leapt first and pointed to the Baliazoural knights, ¡°attack.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With extremely minimal effort they pushed back the brutal brigands of the Empire. They were made a mockery and a joke. The swords of the empire¡¯s knights clashed and broken upon the mere contact with the holy knights¡¯ shields. One by one, the enemy fell and were cut off from escape. For the first time in his life, Duncan felt a strange sense of malice. His blood boiled and his hands trembled with just fury. ¡®Continue¡­ kill them,¡¯ he wanted to shout but held his breath. He needed to remain a sturdy pillar for the sake of his home. Faltering now would be an insult to those who had died. A single man had given him that responsibility as he saved the village. The leader of these adamant and glorious paladins, a man whose lean build and smooth complexion gave off the impression of youth. Beneath that mask, ¡®probably someone half my age,¡¯ Duncan thought. That said, the way he moved and commanded the holy knights with vigour and charisma revealed much in the way of leadership and talent. There was far more experience behind that slender build than Duncan had in his entire sixty years of existence. ¡®Is this the difference between a military commander and a mere village chief?¡¯ he wondered, but couldn¡¯t help but let out a smirk. Eventually, the Empire¡¯s knights surrendered. They dropped their weapons. From their initial numbers about twenty of them had been ¡®taken care of¡¯ in just the opening few seconds. Now only the enemy¡¯s captain and a handful of knights remained with their hands raised high and dignity discarded. The paladin commander stepped forward to confront the enemy captain that had knelt down in defeat along with the rest of his cohorts. Beside the young commander was a fiery young woman. The look in her eyes as she stared down at the enemy captain sent shivers down the chief¡¯s back. Her fists bursts with flames as they were clenched. She alone took down a considerable number of enemies even without a weapon. ¡°We surrender¡­ we surrender,¡± the enemy captain conceded. The masked, young leader of the paladins remained silent. He carefully observed the captain and then turned his gaze towards the defeated knights behind him. He paced around and carefully inspected the quality of the gear that these knights wore. They were obviously a huge step down from the ones worn by the paladins but still of military grades. Confirming this, the paladin commander finally spoke, ¡°a little excessive if you were just going to be raiding a defenceless village, don¡¯t you think?¡± The captain turned his head, his eyes downcast and expression soured. He gritted his teeth before letting out a sigh of defeat. It was not that Duncan could forgive him, but he could faintly understand the frustration. They brought a small company of men to raid a village with military standard equipment, only to somehow surrender. ¡°Tch¡­ just who are you?¡± The young commander touched his mask, almost in a gesture as if he would reveal his face, yet decided against it. He cleared his throat as he straightened his back with both hands, ¡°I am Colonel ¡®Mordred Daltress¡­ 18th Field Marshal of the ¡®Holy Chivalric Order¡¯.¡± Chapter 10 - A wall that stands taller than any tower Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 10 ¨C A wall that stands taller than any tower ¡°Holy Chivalric Order¡­? I¡¯ve not heard of such an organization,¡± the leader of the enemy knights spoke. ¡®Of course you haven¡¯t,¡¯ Mordred confirmed in his mind. This false organization was one he had just thought up of as a convenient cover up. If any of this country¡¯s soldiers come to investigate the matter then they¡¯d just be chasing after a legend. ¡°Though, I cannot deny those exorbitant pieces of equipment your men adorn,¡± the leader shook his head. ¡°It would be quite the problem if we made enemies of such a horrifying order¡­¡± Mordred leaned over the enemy captain¡¯s shoulder, not for discretion but in an attempt at intimidation. Through the one hole on his mask, the red glare of a demon shone through and petrified the horrified captain. He whispered, though still at a level audible for everyone else, ¡°Yes¡­ it would be ¡®quite¡¯ the problem. However, we can make that ¡®not¡¯ a problem. More specifically, we can make that not a problem for ¡®you¡¯ and your remaining men.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± the captain asked hesitantly. Sweat rolling down the sides of his face. His wrinkled face- the face of an aged commander that had served loyally to the empire- now finally on the verge of tears like a child. Yet Mordred shook his head, ¡°before that, why don¡¯t you properly introduce yourself? It¡¯d be much easier to speak if I knew your name.¡± He retracted from the leaning position and turned his back, though still that one red eye was glancing back through a half-turned head. The captain sighed. ¡°We hail from the Baliazoural Empire, as you probably guessed. My name is¡­ well, that¡¯s really no longer important, but if you must know it¡¯s ¡®Sergey Dragonov¡¯.¡± Mordred nodded as if he understood, ¡°I see, the ¡®empire¡¯. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I¡¯ve heard too many great things about the empire.¡± That had been a lie, but was safe assumption if they were performing such raids like this. ¡°We¡­ we had no choice,¡± the enemy captain tried to justify his actions. However, even his voice sounded rather unconvinced, ¡°our two nations are at war¡­ and high command instructed us to perform these raids to drop Xagontetita¡¯s morale!¡± Mordred remained silent. More the pragmatist than a moralist, he could understand the intentions and reasoning behind this kind of movement. Certainly, if a country was being attacked where it was most vulnerable then there would be a backlash toward the government and subsequently morale would drop. If they took advantage of this then the Empire could come in without much resistance and decimate a demoralized force. ¡®Ethics be dammed in war,¡¯ he recited in his mind. ¡°That¡¯s your reason?!¡± suddenly an elderly man stained in blood stepped forward and shouted. ¡°You people¡­! My home¡­! All for the sake of this blasted war that no one wanted?!¡± his tortured words also resonated with Mordred. It wasn¡¯t as though he had been devoid of moral; to the people most involved this would be seen as a horrific injustice. The soldiers reluctantly used as an instrument of catastrophe and tragedy. The powerless civilians caught in the crossfire. ¡®This is why morals are bullshit.¡¯ That said, Mordred implored to the elderly man, ¡°please, allow me to handle this matter.¡± At his words, the old man calmed down, although the spite through his aged grey eyes was painful even to him.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Incidentally, what is your rank within the empire?¡± Mordred asked, no longer exerting the same murderous hostility in his voice but intrigue. ¡°My rank? I¡¯m but a low-level lieutenant; it¡¯d be no good even if you took someone like me for ransom. The Empire has already thrown us away the moment we lost this fight.¡± He shook his head as he let out a defeated and self-mocking laugh, ¡°haha¡­ all I have are mundane connections and the whereabouts to the best taverns in my home city of ¡®Xelgrad¡¯. All of whom, no doubt, would now want to cut ties with me once they hear about this blunder. Even the taverns.¡± ¡°I see¡­ then in that case you¡¯re all free to go.¡± An eerie silence crept over the scene as no one could fathom what had just happened. Even the elderly man who had been so filled with rage stood in silence with his eyes wide open. That these righteous paladins would let go of the obvious villains in this situation was so far from what they expected, no one could do anything. ¡°W¡­ huh? What? Did you say we were free to go?¡± most of all, it was Sergey himself that did not understand what Mordred had just told him. ¡°Did I hear that correctly?¡± ¡°Wait, you cannot just¡­!¡± one of the villagers tried to intercept the deal. However, he was promptly stopped by one of the paladins who stepped forward with his physically larger frame. ¡°Stop,¡± Mordred commanded. ¡°I understand your pain; however you must forgive these knights. They are merely the instruments of their nation just as you all are. Devotion to nation even through excessive cruelty is something I believe should be admired.¡± ¡°What¡­ no¡­ you can¡¯t just¡­¡± the village fell to her knees as she embraced herself. Unable to confront the enemy nor the paladins, she most likely felt lost and hopeless. ¡°If¡­ you¡¯re willing to let us go then that is cause for joy¡­ but can I ask, why?¡± Sergey asked with a confused expression. Even though he knew he had been pushing Mordred¡¯s patience and fleeting mercy, his eyes spoke for his reason. He needed to know. How could someone show this much mercy even after this massacre? ¡°I suppose you could call it a gamble on fate,¡± Mordred replied with a deliberately vague answer. ¡°If you are dead, then you cannot be of any use to anyone ever. Even if I am not the one who requires your help. I¡¯m willing to gamble on the chance that perhaps you¡¯ve learnt a valuable lesson in today¡¯s event. Enough that you would extend your own hand for someone else as I had done today.¡± Mordred took a couple of steps forward and back. ¡°After all, if you are still alive, then it¡¯s possible to paint a brighter future.¡± The silence continued. Though they were unable take revenge on this horrific tragedy, perhaps they would be able to properly process their misery. Sergey and his men stood humbled and disgusted with their own actions reflected across the shiny plates of these paladins. In an instant their jingoism washed away, replaced by the virtues of paladin justice. ¡°I¡­ I do not know what to say,¡± Sergey replied hesitantly. Without any more words he ordered his men to retreat. Before he faded from the scene, Mordred stopped him one last time. ¡°Lieutenant Dragonov, one last thing.¡± Sergey halted his men and turned back. Mordred threw at him a small white stone with a magical circle engraved in red as though blood. ¡°Command Daltress¡­ this is?¡± ¡°Trust, my friend,¡± Mordred replied. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s an item known as a ¡®spell stone¡¯. As the name implies it contains a single-usage magic spell. That in particular has a potent summoning spell that will allow you to summon me to come to your aid.¡± ¡°¡­ This is,¡± Sergey paused. ¡°Are you sure? If I were to use this to summon you in the middle of our stronghold, you¡¯d be¡­¡± ¡°Which is why I said it was ¡®trust¡¯,¡± Mordred then took out another white stone with the same engravement on it, ¡°of course, it works both ways. Should I require your assistance, I expect that you will have my back?¡± Without hesitation, Sergey offered a salute. ¡°Without a doubt! Someday¡­ Someday, I will pay back your mercy and guidance in full!" Chapter 11 - Plans for the future Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 11 ¨C Plans for the future After it was all over, the elderly man stepped up to Mordred. His puppets and Irina poised themselves for an attack but against such a feeble old man Mordred stopped them. The elderly man lowered his head. With tears in his eyes he expressed gratitude as though praising a god, ¡°Thank you¡­ thank you for saving my village!¡± Mordred stared back through the single eye hole. ¡°You do not have to thank me. In reality I have done only what was required of me as a member of the Holy Chivalric Order¡­ not only that, but I have failed to save those who had already fallen. If anything, please forgive me for being too late.¡± ¡°No, no¡­ you have already done far more than what we can hope for, please¡­ thank you.¡± Neither the villagers nor the elderly man had noticed it, but beneath that pure white mask was a sinister smirk. While he had not particularly wished for any harm for this village, it was useful in that it could serve as a stepping stone. ¡®The Holy Chivalric order¡­ I planned on discarding it, but it may be rather useful,¡¯ he thought to himself. Though admittedly, he had gotten too carried away with his role as a ¡®holy knight¡¯ and ended up letting the knights go. He wanted information about their civilization as well, but that couldn¡¯t be helped now. For now, basic information from these villagers would have to suffice. Anything more complicated- politics, treaties, alliances, economy, etc. those things were best off understanding after the foundations were fully grasped. ¡°Although, I do have a small favour, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Y- yes, yes of course! Whatever it is, please ask.¡± Mordred nodded. ¡°This may sound strange but I wish to know about this country; everything about its customs, culture and the surrounding nations. I hope you understand, that this is not a means of mockery, but there is a genuine reason I do not know these things. Though I hope you do not inquire about the reason.¡± The old man thought about it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, well please come to my house. I will answer questions you may have.¡± *** Half a day had passed since the skirmish. Mordred stood over a hill that gazed down at the decimated village. As he had required time to digest the information told by the village¡¯s chief he ordered his puppet knights to help with the repairs. With their aid the town was almost back to the way he had been, although those who had perished could never be returned. ¡°Now then, those knights said they were from the ¡®Baliazoural Empire¡¯. Their nation is engaged in a war with this one, the ¡®Xagontetian Sun Country¡¯.¡± Mordred murmured to himself as Irina silently stood close by and watched. ¡°Other than that, there¡¯s also the ¡®Great Void¡¯ that¡¯s home to the Demon Lord at the center of this world. Especially concerning.¡± With the existence of a Demon Lord, there was one thing that Mordred couldn¡¯t avoid crossing his mind. ¡°A ¡®Hero¡¯¡­ well, if this were a fantasy novel then one would probably exist. Or rather, if this really were a fantasy novel, it feels like I should be the one taking up that mantle.¡± Mordred continued to ponder on matters until the sun eventually set. With the sky eventually darkening, the village people had offered Mordred and his cohorts a stay for the night, although he ended up refusing. There was a possibility that people would find out that they were merely puppets after all. ¡°The capital of this country¡­ ¡®Solaris¡¯,¡± he nodded reciting the name. ¡°All right, Irina. I¡¯ve decided on our next destination.¡± Chapter 12 - The city graced by the sun Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 12 ¨C The city graced by the sun The morning sun drew its first breaths across the orange tinted clouds. Mordred and his band of paladins had disappeared from the small fringe village and in only a few hours had arrived at the bustling capital. ¡®Solaris¡¯, the city graced by the sun, was the capital of the Xagontetian Monarchy. An impossible metropolis bustling with life and economy against the backdrop of medieval times. From a distant cliff, Mordred could see it all as though a small playset for a young child. The movement of the city, how little men moved about. He realized then that perhaps this world was not so different from the one he had known all his life. Fantasy or not, people still had to live and still had to move. Mordred let out a small smirk as he took in a deep breath. At the centre of this large and round city was a peculiar object. A black, pin-like object protracted and reached toward the heavens. It extended from a base that appeared to be the royal castle, a large complex of various buildings clustered together to create the image of a singular entity. ¡°What is¡­ ah,¡± before he could finish his own thoughts the answer came. ¡°A giant sundial, is it? How creative of them,¡± he praised their ingenuity despite their primitive technology. From there it was easy to figure out their design philosophy. It was something that Mordred¡¯s original world had practiced before becoming industrialized. Ancient cities had to be built with large walls surrounding the city to defend against sieges. For example, this city had been divided into four separate sectors. The first and innermost section contained their most important assets and architecture. The main castle at the centre, surrounded by other government and equally important administrative buildings. Beyond that, a large moat-like artificial river had been constructed to divide up the city. Across the river were what appeared to be merchantry halls and other such guild functions. One more watery divide later there were the residential districts for the capital¡¯s upper nobles and churches. The wide expanses of unused land dedicated to vain artsy monuments was especially eye-bleeding. Instead of a river this time, a smaller wall cut off the inner city to the outer city. The outer city had been dedicated solely for the commons. There a variety of bustling activities took place. All manner of bartering and businesses- taverns, inns and the like- had been scattered about the outer layers. Churches were also seen in these areas, however they were not as ornate as the ones within the inner city. Even from so far away, Mordred could feel the RPG-esque aura emanating from those areas. A large smile etched across his face as he couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. ¡°Ah¡­ an actual RPG city,¡± he commented to himself.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Finally, an exceptionally large wall was erected around the city as a protective shell. Many military personnel adorned in heavy armour frequently patrolled around the perimeter to prevent illegal entry. Beyond the walled city, a massive expanse of arable farm land stretched on toward the horizon. The progression from rich and powerful to the poor peasantry as the city expanded outwards was almost comical when seen from a near bird¡¯s-eye-view. ¡°Now then, how to proceed,¡± Mordred asked as he took an examination of himself. His attire was the same white overcoat, however wearing this through the city would attract unwanted attention. With a quick mental check through his inventory he came across a relatively unimpressive set of armour. A set of standard ¡®beginner¡¯ armour given out to all players upon character creation. Inner black leather armour with rough pieces of dulled platemail over the chest, back and around the hips. It also came with set of similarly dulled grey gauntlets, gauntlets and enclosed helmet. That said, there had been no way Mordred would¡¯ve kept his beginner armour for no reason. The truth of the matter was that this specific piece of equipment had been enchanted and upgraded to hell and back. There had been no greater reason for doing this other than the that there was spare time and resources to do so. ¡°Good thing I prepared for a situation I never knew would come,¡± he joked to himself. He took out another set and passed it onto Irina as well. ¡°Here, put this one. Though even with that I think you¡¯d stick out.¡± ¡°My apologies, my master,¡± Irina lightly bowed her head in respect. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not placing any blame on you for that.¡± As he had foreseen, even with those mediocre looking pieces of equipment, Irina¡¯s aura alone revealed a tremendous charisma and power. Her long flowing fiery hair leaked out from beneath her helmet like a cape fluttering against the winds. ¡°I guess for now this should do. Now then¡­¡± He gazed back down from the cliff to study the layout of the capital city in more detail. The only points of entry were through heavily guarded military checkpoints through bridges and gates. Of course, with their capabilities, sneaking in would be no effort but doing things by the book also felt more ¡®RPG¡¯ like. ¡°We¡¯ll enter the city through those checkpoints,¡± Mordred pointed down. ¡°Understood, I will follow dutifully.¡± Admittedly, it had been an impressive sight to behold. The way those knights worked meticulously to protect the city burdened under the heat of a destructive summer¡¯s day. Numerous knights patrolled around the outskirts of the city walls and even onto the peasant farms outside, especially along the checkpoints into the city. ¡°As remarkable as it seems, it¡¯s probably quantity over quality. No surprise given that this nation is supposed to be at war.¡± Mordred¡¯s ¡®Intuition¡¯ ability was let loose as he examined their relative strength. ¡®Those knights don¡¯t appear that much stronger than the Baliazoural Knights that attacked the village,¡± he thought to himself. There had been no doubt- since the moment he executed a Red Dragon in three moves or less- that he was ¡®powerful¡¯. However, he was unable to shake of a rather disappointed feeling writhing up the back of his throat toward these weak ¡®soldiers¡¯. ¡°Perhaps this is just the standard of strength for this world and we¡¯re the ones who¡¯re too powerful,¡± he shook his head and sighed. ¡°Well, for now let¡¯s enter and formulate a plan from there.¡± Chapter 13 - Role playing game Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 13 ¨C Role playing game ¡°Are you mercenaries too?¡± as they approached the heavily guarded checkpoint, Mordred and Irina was asked by another person seeking entrance to the city. He had a rugged look about him. His slightly tanned face left with numerous scars. Though rather slender, beneath those chain and leather mails were a noticeably developed muscular structure. To his waste was a worn dagger and a long sword whose hilts had seen countless abuse. Mordred stared right back and smiled as he replied, ¡°we¡¯re just adventurers.¡± However, at those words the rugged man looked back with a quizzical expression. ¡°Adventurer? What kind of luxury hobbyist are you?¡± the man stepped closer, only to be intercepted by Irina. ¡°Hmm, now that I take a closer look, neither of you seem like you had a day¡¯s worth of combat experience. Heck, if not for that dull armour of yours I¡¯d say you two were pair of noble brats who wanted to give being a mercenary a try.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mordred asked as he gently pulled Irina back to avoid confrontation. ¡°That porcelain-like skin of yours. It¡¯s a dead giveaway that you¡¯ve hardly gotten injured,¡± the man shook his head with a slight tone of expression. ¡°Admittedly, you do look like you have a fair bit of muscle beneath that leather, so you¡¯re probably no slouch, but you have the face of a greenhorn!¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mordred nodded in agreement. ¡°Although you make a rather compelling point, I must correct you in saying that we¡¯ve at least a day¡¯s worth of combat experience.¡± ¡°Heh, whatever you say kid. I¡¯d seriously suggest that you give up on being an ¡®adventurer¡¯ or whatever before you get hurt.¡± The man suggested as he entered the checkpoint to be examined by the guardsmen.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. From that short conversation, Mordred realized one mistake. ¡®This world has no ¡®adventurer system¡¯.¡¯ Of course, when he thought about it in more objective detail, the entire concept of adventurers seemed a little unrealistic. An apolitical organization of ¡®righteous¡¯ mercenaries with bases in every country would make no sense in this technologically handicapped world. Indeed, there was no way a country would so freely allow their citizens to join a non-political combat organization. Even mercenary guilds could be subcontracted thus was still deeply connected to the government. The line for the entrance of the city began to shrink in front of them. Soon, it had come to Mordred and Irina¡¯s turn. As they approached, they were stopped by the guardsman. ¡°Halt, you are about to enter the capital city of Xagontetita, ¡®Solaris¡¯. State the reason of your visitation.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯re recently established mercenaries looking for a job.¡± There was a faint gratitude towards the man that stopped to talk to him while waiting in line. ¡®Seriously, if I told them I wanted to be an adventurer now they¡¯d probably be giving me a strange look.¡¯ ¡°Newly established¡­ I see,¡± the guardsman inspected. His eyebrows raised, dubious of Mordred¡¯s claims. As the mercenary man had already pointed out, their undamaged complexion was a revelation of their inexperience. ¡°But, unless you have a special permit, we cannot allow you to enter the city without a proper check-up.¡± Mordred nodded, ¡°unfortunately, I have no such thing on my person. We¡¯ll partake in the check-up.¡± There had been no reason to refuse. All of his equipment had been tightly sealed away in a mysterious space known as the ¡®inventory¡¯ and was unlikely to be discovered. ¡°Very well, then please step this way,¡± the guardsman guided Mordred away from Irina who had been led by a female guard. Due to the sheer amount of people waiting to be admitted in, the check had only taken five minutes at most and ended without a problem. ¡°Thank you for your compliance. We¡¯ve determined that you¡¯re both in the clear and may pass on through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Thank you for your hard work,¡± Mordred waved as he passed through the gates of the city. He uttered once more, this time with a more sinister tone under his breath, ¡°O¡¯ ye, who let the devil in¡­ thank you for your hard work indeed¡­¡± Chapter 14 - The street rats mistake Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 14 ¨C The street rat¡¯s mistake For a young woman to survive alone in the dilapidated slums of Solaris was no easy task. Yet for one talented street rat, she had gracefully adapted and made own the coils of such harsh environments. ¡®Yda¡¯, no known last name. Picking pockets, brokering information and blackmail was her game. For the past seventeen years she had continued to survive the rugged life relying only on her own wits and escapist skills. Through many deep pockets her hands slithered through, pilfering much wealth and secrets over the years. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯ve yet to meet my quota today¡­ they¡¯re getting smarter,¡± she sighed as she walked through the streets in search of her next prey. It was then a suitable prey walked into her crosshairs. A pair of novice looking mercenaries. Their armour looked dull and their smooth faces were completely green. ¡°Oh, lucky~¡± she cheered to herself. There were many cases of new mercenary parties coming to the capital in search of a ¡®big¡¯ job to make a name for themselves. However, the reality of this situation was that most of them usually burn themselves out, die or just go back to their hometown with a dejected face. In order to liberate them from such burden, it was Yda¡¯s job to teach them the law of the land. ¡°Better to learn from light experience than actual pain, right?¡± They were a couple. A young pretty boy adorned with grey and black armour. His hair was a glittering black and eyes of crimson shot through the distance as though it could see through to one¡¯s soul. There was something a bit no right with this man, he was far too relaxed. Beside him was a woman with fiery dual coloured hair. A dark rooted red at the top coming down to a warm autumn orange as it got to the ends. She wore a matching set of armour to the young man¡¯s as if they were flaunting the fact that they were an item. The way she walked exuded a majestic kind of, noble and elegant beauty. In fact, both of them seemed to be children of some kind of nobles, ¡°they¡¯re probably loaded,¡± she assumed. ¡°Thank you for your patronage, the bank of Yda will now collect~¡± suppressing her exhilarated smirk to the best of her abilities she carefully approached the two from the other side. Step by step, she drew closer. With the blood rushing through her body her heart beat faster.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Master¡­¡± the woman whispered out to the young man. That had not been expected. If anything, the woman seemed more gracious than the man and suited for the title of ¡®master¡¯. However, none of that was any of her concern as she continued her advance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± replied the young man with a carefree, if a little fake, smile. ¡®Oh, I¡¯ll be sure to give you something to be worried about,¡¯ Yda snickered to herself. The plan was simple. ¡®Infiltration¡¯ and ¡®recovery¡¯. All she had to do was emulate a small collusion and during the confusion she would steal their wallets. They key ingredient to this recipe was to make it seem as innocent as possible. There was no need to rush it as it would only ruin the art and give out her intentions. As if the deities themselves were offering support, the duo stopped walking and distracted themselves. They gazed at the beautifully ornate fountain at the middle of the town square. ¡°That looks nice,¡± the young man wondered. The perfect opportunity! With her eyes locked onto the goal Yda started to speed up a little. ¡°Ouch!¡± Yda crashed onto the young man as they both fell over. She quickly searched through his right pockets during the ¡®accident¡¯ but she had come up short. Most people kept their wallets near their dominant hands so she thought she would be correct, ¡®dammit!¡¯ she internally cursed herself. She missed her biggest chance. ¡°S- sorry, I was in a hurry,¡± she quickly recovered and made excuses. The man didn¡¯t seem annoyed at all. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s no problem. Are you okay?¡± the young man offered her a hand with a smile. ¡®Right, no need to rush,¡¯ she calmed herself. The man¡¯s hands were surprisingly large and warm, almost dependable despite his rather clumsy initial appearance. Even his face wasn¡¯t that bad, ¡®could it be I hit the jackpot in another sense?!¡¯ she thought for a moment before snapping back to reality. ¡°Thank you,¡± Yda replied. ¡®I guessed wrong, his wallet must¡¯ve been on the left side,¡¯ incorrect predictions were something that happened from time to time, however Yda was a polished professional. Her intuition was hardly wrong, ¡®maybe today¡¯s just not my day?¡¯ ¡°Um, is there something amiss?¡± the man asked her after having caught her gaze so seriously. ¡°Ah, no¡­ sorry, I have to go now,¡± it was better not to talk to the target as they may get a chance to memorize her voice or face. She rushed past them with a final word of gratitude and disappeared into the crowd. Just outside their assumed distance of vision she about-faced to track them down once more for another attempt. However, ¡°what?!¡± to her surprise they had already vanished from proximity. Not even a faint presence or trail. This had been a real first for young Yda; not only did she make an amateurish blunder but now also lost sight of her target. ¡°Argh! What¡¯s wrong with me today?!¡± she roughed up her hair as she felt the frustration rise to her face. ¡°I think I need a drink¡­ huh?¡± the moment she placed her hands in her own pocket however, something was truly amiss. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s my wallet?¡± It took a full minute before a theory popped into her mind. ¡°Huh¡­? No, wait¡­ it couldn¡¯t be! Chapter 15 - Out of the pan and into the fire Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 15 - Out of the pan and into the fire Yda turned back to the direction of the fountain. The two newbie mercenaries had disappeared. ¡°Those bastards! They took my wallet¡­ MY WALLET?!¡± she shouted in a volume one level too high for everyone around her to give her strange looks. Her face distorted in rage; teeth gritted and fists clenched. ¡°Oho~ if it isn¡¯t the Rat Queen of the Solaris commons herself, your excellency ¡®Yda¡¯. Who¡¯re trying to find? Mayhap we can be of some assistance to your majesty?¡± As she prepared herself to rampage through the streets to find the thieves two particular men came to greet her. They were dirty, though not rugged. Their faces unwashed for what seemed to be weeks and the tattered clothes on their shoulders smelt of something awful. When they smiled their missing teeth and ones replaced by haphazard pieces of wood could be seen. She almost leapt back in disgust from their hideous faces and repugnant odour. That said, she knew these two men; they were in the same line of occupation as her. ¡°Bleh¡­ it¡¯s you guys,¡± she recoiled her face back with a sour note. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that lass, how long have we known each other?¡± ¡°Too long¡­ I though you guys didn¡¯t want anything to do with me after ¡®that¡¯.¡± ¡°Ahaha! Too right we don¡¯t! But~ you look like you¡¯re in a pickle here so we thought we might as well help out a good friend. You know, for old time¡¯s sake.¡± Yda thought for a moment. They were absolutely not the trustworthy sort but with a bit of money that kind of trust can be bought over. Although the thought of buying these guys¡¯ help just to track down her own wallet irked her, it was her pride as a thief on the line. ¡°Fine¡­ two gold pieces! I¡¯m trying to track down two people.¡± ¡°Three, and we¡¯ll have a deal,¡± one of the men retorted with a smug smirk. ¡°¡­ Tsk, bloody scoundrel, fine! I¡¯m looking for two people in a set of matching dull grey armour but looks like they haven¡¯t seen a day¡¯s worth of actual combat. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve gone too far away from this area since it¡¯s only been a few minutes.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The two men shifted strange looks towards each other and gave nod. ¡°Oh what, those guys? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? We passed them not too long ago.¡± Yda¡¯s eyes instantly widened as she leaned forward despite the pungent smell, ¡°What?! Where?!¡± ¡°Now, now, you of all people should understand how this is done,¡± one man asked as he made a greedy hand gesture asking for payment upfront. ¡°Grr¡­ cheap bastards,¡± Yda didn¡¯t hide the disdain for them as she reached down into her pockets. Although her wallet had been taken, a good thief knows to partition their wealth around their body to prevent this exact kind of scenario. She took out three piece of gold coins and tossed them across to the two men. ¡°Now, lead me to them,¡± she ordered like a queen. *** ¡°My master, I do not dare question your actions, but if you wouldn¡¯t spare a moment to sate my curiosity?¡± asked Irina. It was likely she¡¯d still follow Mordred even if he wanted to bring ruin to the entire country or conquer the world, but curiosity was an innate part of every living creature. Still, the fact that she had such desires within her truly made her something different from just an artificial intelligence- she was ¡®alive¡¯. Mordred chuckled to himself. ¡°Well, I wanted to compare coins. Specifically, I wanted to know whether it was possible to use Hellgana¡¯s currency in this world.¡± Nested within Mordred¡¯s inventory was a literal mountain of wealth that could be turned into a literal city of gold. ¡®Rich¡¯ would¡¯ve been a horrible understatement it skirted on the borders of being an insult. There wasn¡¯t too much worry though, because even if Hellgana¡¯s currency was different to this world¡¯s, the innate value of gold itself could be used to derive some value. That said, there was no harm in comparisons. ¡°That, and I didn¡¯t really like the fact that she tried to steal from me.¡± ¡°I see, as expected of master to have such foresight. Forgive me my ignorance.¡± Irina bowed but Mordred stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m not mad or anything so you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡± ¡°You are most kind, my master.¡± ¡°Well whatever. Irina, you¡¯ve been keeping track of her right?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve placed the ¡®Dragon¡¯s Eye¡¯ skill upon her,¡± she nodded. A special skill available only to the Crimson Dragon Lord. It would mark a person and constantly have them under surveillance. During the endgame dungeon, this ability would be used to mark players to signify that the boss would use an ¡®instant-death¡¯ skill shortly. ¡°Currently, she has been apprehended by two other criminals. From the looks of it, she is unlikely to last long,¡± reported Irina with a tone of voice that revealed she didn¡¯t care what happened. ¡°That is rather troublesome,¡± Mordred hummed to himself. Although they managed to get into the city, a guide would¡¯ve been useful to navigate around as well as to procure information about the inner political discourse. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go rescue her. Perhaps her talents as a thief could prove useful.¡± Chapter 16 – A human above any god Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 16 ¨C A human above any god ¡°Kuh¡­ uuu, Mother¡­¡± Yda called out in a weakened voice. It had all been a trap. The two thieves led her into a secluded location, bound her limbs and pushed her down. Now at their mercy, she was about to lose her ¡®purity¡¯ at a rundown back alley slum to two thugs she absolutely hated. The two ruffians held her down as they forcefully stripped away layers of clothing one by one. She resisted to the best of her abilities, but the strength of two men overpowered her. More than that however, she was scared. Their maddened expressions of lust and insanity distorted across their face as they thought about ways to defile her. The way they licked over their dirty lips and droll rolled down their chin. All the strength in her body left and was replaced by fear. ¡°Puahahaha! Yda! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d fall for such an obvious and stupid trick!¡± one thug laughed as he pulled off her top to reveal her undergarments. She struggled but the other brigand held down her feet and hands. ¡°Honestly though, I¡¯ve been thinking about doing this to you the moment we met!¡± they roughly and unpleasantly navigated their dirty hands up and down her body. ¡°Damn! Your skin so soft!¡± a man rubbed his face against her stomach. ¡°Are you insane?! Stop it or I¡¯ll scream!¡± Yda protested even as she had currently been screaming. Yet the two thugs did not care and continued toying with her body. They took off her shorts to reveal a pure white underwear. ¡°Hehehe~ scream all you want,¡± the other thug taunted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you one of the best thieves in this city? Then of course you¡¯d know that no one can hear you scream from this place!¡± She moved around her body to stall them for even just a bit longer. Hoping to no avail that perhaps help may come to her just before something irreversible happened. However, as much as she struggled and wanted to deny it, she understood that it was true. The place she had been brought to was one of the most secluded places in all of Solaris. Her tunnel-vision blinded her to the obvious trap she had been walking into. ¡°Uuu¡­ please stop¡­¡± she asked in tears, her voice muffled by the thug¡¯s large and repugnant hand. He grabbed at the straps of her underwear and began to slowly slide them off her arms. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Oho~ oh my god, are you actually crying? That¡¯s so hot!¡± he commented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yda, we¡¯ll be sure to go very slowly. We need to draw this out until night¡­ that is before we sell you off to the slave house. Hehehe~¡± ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡± she struggled in vain. With the final remnants of her strength she shouted out once more, ¡°Somebody! Anybody¡­ please help!¡± As the thug removed his pants and was about to lay upon her, a firm hand clutched over his shoulder and prevented further movements. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave it at that? I don¡¯t want my experimental samples to be tampered with in such a manner. Not without my permission anyway.¡± A familiar voice spoke from behind the man. A familiar voice, however somehow different. When she heard it before it had been soft and gentle, yet now there was only antagonistic malice. ¡°Huh?! What the¡­ who¡¯re you?¡± the thug relinquished his hold over Yda to face the newcomer. He was a younger man, no older than Yda in terms of looks, adorned only with low-level leather armour and not even a weapon. If ever there was a person who could embody a ¡®novice mercenary¡¯ more than him it would¡¯ve been a miracle. ¡°How the hell did you get here, kid?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Who knows?¡± yet even as this green mercenary was faced up against two thugs almost double his body mass, the smile on his smug face never faded. His knife-sharp red gaze remained unflinching. Yda wasn¡¯t sure if this newbie mercenary could win against the two men but she felt grateful that at least someone came to her aid. The two thugs stepped closer to contest him but he remained with that same smirk and retreated no ground. ¡°Now,¡± the mercenary pointed over to Yda, ¡°if you hand over that girl to me I¡¯d be willing to let you walk away without serious injury.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you shitting me you brat? Why don¡¯t you buzz off!¡± without any kind of warning the thug raised his fist and struck down the novice mercenary¡¯s face. A direct hit¡­ or so it was supposed to have been, yet the result was unexpected. ¡°¡­ Ugh! What the hell?!¡± the thug fell to the floor writhing in pain. The bones in his hand broken as if it had just hit a steel wall. ¡°Guh!¡± even small pieces of broken bone poked out and blood dripped over. ¡®Is his face made of steel?!¡¯ Yda thought as she gazed at his unbroken smile. The young mercenary took the opportunity and moved in for the advantage. He grasped the thug¡¯s face and lifted his entire body with only one hand. ¡°You know, I think if I had stayed in that other world, I may have turned out to be some heinous serial killer with how defective I am,¡± dangerous words came out of the mercenary¡¯s mouth. His grip strengthened over the thug¡¯s skull as audible cracking sounds leaked through. Blood rolling out of his ears. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­! Shit! It hurts! It hurts!!¡± blood started to trickle down even the eyes as mercenary¡¯s grip continued to tighten like a vice. Yda could not describe this situation with a better word than ¡®comical¡¯. The very same words the thugs spoke to her now boomeranged, ¡®scream all you want¡­ no one can hear you from all the way out here,¡¯ she cursed. ¡°You bastard! Let go of him!¡± the other thug shouted as he regained composure. He drew a dull iron sword from his waist and slashed down at the young mercenary. If it had been anyone else they¡¯d been down with half their body cleaved and innards wide open, however reality was much crueller. Instead of the mercenary or his armour, it was the thug¡¯s sword that shattered upon impact. The stinging silence and clangs of metal pieces as they fell to the floor was painful. ¡°What¡­ what the hell?! What are you?!¡± The young mercenary glanced his head back with that same arrogant smile, ¡°as you can see, I¡¯m a bona fide human.¡± He applied just a bit more pressure on to the thug¡¯s skull to make him continue singing. Eventually, the young mercenary let go without fully committing to the thug¡¯s death. The thug fell to the floor with a heavy ¡®thud¡¯ and writhed in pain as blood spewed from every orifice on his face. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think execution is quite an appropriate sentence for attempted rape so I¡¯ll let you go with that.¡± ¡°M- monster! You¡¯re a monster!¡± having witnessed the hopelessness of the situation the remaining thug tried to escape. Yet, the moment he picked himself up to move a thin piece of ice appeared just behind him and pieced through his left knee and bolted him to the dirt floor. ¡°Augh!¡± he shouted as he planted his face to the ground and blood trickled out of his nose. ¡°Come now, I already gave you a chance to do that before, but you refused. So now you¡¯ll have to stay behind and truly understand what it means to face the consequences of your own actions.¡± The young mercenary slowly crept forward to the thug bolted to the floor. He tried to crawl away but with his knees stuck, even that was impossible. ¡°That was just a low-level ¡®ice spear¡¯ spell at one percent output; don¡¯t be such a drama queen.¡± In the end, the mercenary took no more actions as the thug knocked himself out from the fear of what ¡®might¡¯ happen. A patch of urine puddled under him, that even the young mercenary thought that this was enough of a punishment. ¡°Well¡­ okay, anyway I believe this belongs to you,¡± the young mercenary tossed a small pouch to Yda. The sound of familiar gold coins jangled as it hit the floor. ¡°Ah¡­ my pouch, thank¡­ you?¡± as she turned back to express gratitude she almost immediately wanted to retract the statement. A sinister aura and malicious smile plastered across his face. ¡®Am I going to die?¡¯ Chapter 17 – A forced consignment from the devil Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 17 ¨C A forced consignment from the devil ¡°Umm¡­ thank you very much for saving me, but I think it¡¯s time for me to go,¡± sensing the dark aura emanating from Mordred, the girl that had been stripped down to her undergarments spoke hesitantly. She swiftly gathered up her tattered clothes off the ground and proceeded to evacuate the scene of the crime. With minor cuts and bruises throughout her body, she staggered to the exit of the secluded back alley. Yet with the light of freedom glittering not mere inches away, she had been promptly intercepted. It wasn¡¯t at any of Mordred¡¯s commands, but Irina stood before her as she let out a fierce fiery aura. Even he could feel the anger just burning behind those displeased eyes of hers. No words were exchanged but the intentions behind those eyes were clearly understood. The young girl shrieked back as she fell and dropped her articles of her clothing about her. ¡®Frozen solid by a fiery wrath, ironic,¡¯ Mordred commented to himself with a light chuckle. He crept closer and crouched down to her level. ¡°You are, of course, free to go as you please, but I would like you to accompany us for a bit of your time,¡± he spoke without forgetting to maintain the mean smile. The poor girl appeared more frightened of the situation now than when she was on the verge of being raped. Her body trembled, perhaps due to the cold breeze without clothes or perhaps due to Mordred¡¯s overbearing aura. It was the same for him which; she just needed to understand her position and everything could be sorted out in a convenient manner. Eventually she thawed enough to reply with a quivered and hesitant nod, ¡°O¡­ okay, I¡¯ll comply.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± spoke Mordred as he summoned a large white overcoat and hung it upon her shoulders for warmth. At his puzzlingly kind gesture the girl¡¯s trembling shuddering lessoned as she gazed up to him through those large oceanic blue eyes. Her light, sun-bleached orange hair swayed passed at the whims of the afternoon¡¯s breeze. Yet as her guard was lowered a purple magic circle dyed in an ominous black light etched beneath her. A warm yet impending light entranced and enveloped around her. ¡°W- what are you doing?!¡± her fears returned and asked but Mordred made no replies. The phantasmal light beneath them raised in intensity until eventually the entire world was cast in a fantastic purple¡­ followed shortly by a temporary darkness. When the darkness lifted, their location had been mysterious changed. No longer were they secluded in that dirty back alley, but now a vast expanse of outer space surrounded them. They drifted upon a small asteroid-like platform through this odd space. Countless stars; a stream of stars glimmered in the distance. Before them was one exceptionally large and dimly burning red sun.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°W¡­ what?! What did you do?! Where are we even?!¡± the girl shouted as she darted her eyes all over the place. She grasped a handful of grey sand and examined it curiously to no avail. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ is this magic? If it is, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this¡­¡± her words were no longer in that meek and hesitant tone. Mordred placed his hands against his chin and nodded. As though a scientist running clinical trials on lab rats he let out an inquisitive hum as he mentally noted the results. ¡°This is the ¡®Ultimate¡¯ skill of the Alchemists, known as the ¡®Hyperdimensional Gate¡¯. It is possible to temporarily store unlimited amounts of items in this space.¡± The functionality of the skill was identical to the one in his game. This skill could be used to temporarily store other players and transport them around the world. Most notably this tactic was adapted to launch covert attacks at an enemy¡¯s guild castle or other critical areas during World or Guild PvP. The down side to skill was that it had a maximum cap of storing six players, rapidly drained the stamina bar and could only be used for three minutes with an hour cooldown time. ¡®Ultimate skills are possible, and I can also accept inhabitants from this world into it as well.¡¯ This was only one of the many experimental tests he wanted to run on this young girl and she was already showing signs of promise. ¡°Hyper¡­ gate? What is this, I¡¯ve never heard of this! Just who are you?!¡± Yet Mordred ignored her question and paced around the space platform. ¡®Gravity is normal. I can also breathe. Now to see if it can be maintained for longer than three minutes,¡¯ he pondered. ¡°Hey, are you listening to me?¡± As the girl stood up- still only in her undergarments and Mordred¡¯s overcoat- she was halted by a cold metallic gauntlet. ¡°My master is thinking. Disturb him again and I will personally make it so you cannot speak for the rest of your life. Understood?¡± Irina threatened. Her eyes were serious. Without protest the young girl shook her head in tears. ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­¡± Mordred suddenly started counting down. Yet, after that ¡®one¡¯ nothing happened. It was the very fact nothing happened that put a pleased smile upon his face. ¡°It seems that it¡¯s possible to go past the three minute maximum. No stamina drain or mental fatigue noted.¡± He walked back from the edge of the platform to where Irina and the girl obediently waited. ¡°I apologize for the long wait. Before we do anything else, why don¡¯t we start off with introductions? I¡¯m known as ¡®Mordred¡¯ and this is my assistant, ¡®Irina¡¯,¡± he greeted with an elegant bow as if a nobleman. ¡°Ah¡­ erm, I¡¯m ¡®Yda¡¯¡­¡± she meekly replied as she stole glances at Irina for possible retaliation if she said something wrong. ¡°Umm¡­ did you need something from me? I¡¯m thankful that you saved me but¡­¡± ¡°indeed, we did need something from you: ¡®Obedience¡¯.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Yda¡¯ let out as she thought she heard wrongly. ¡°Your life, now that I¡¯ve saved you from a fate worse than death, I believe you owe it to me.¡± Hearing such an unfair ultimatum, she naturally looked like she wanted to protest. However, with the looming threat of a fiery woman angrily gazing down behind her she didn¡¯t speak out. ¡°Do not be too alarmed, I won¡¯t make you do something you can¡¯t do.¡± ¡°But¡­ but you¡¯ll still make me do horrible things, aren¡¯t you?!¡± she found the courage to object with teary eyes. Mordred did not reply but smiled. ¡°For now, I¡¯m feeling rather fatigued so why don¡¯t you lead me to a suitable inn? Preferably one located in a secluded area, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Chapter 18 – A new base of operations Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 18 ¨C A new base of operations The ¡®Vardis Inn¡¯. While not quite at the level one would call ¡®dilapidated¡¯, the signs of age had begun to take its toll. Yet, the building had struck a chord with Mordred¡¯s sense of hermit-attuned aesthetics. The lounge was rather expansive with clean wooden floor. Most of the furniture and d¨¦cor sported a rugged feel and look to them, but the lack of dust suggested regular maintenance. Visibility was poor and only a slight sliver of sunlight poured in to the inner parts of the building. Gentle percussive taps against the glass from the outside wind created a rhythmic ambiance. The place had been maintained with a good level of professionalism that Mordred found more than acceptable. In fact, the quiet lack of other patrons also elevated the inn¡¯s charm in his mind. A strong kinship to his old way of live could be felt emanating from this establishment. ¡®A home away from home¡­¡¯ he smirked to himself. As per his specifications, everything was aligned perfectly. Even the location was rather secluded from the rest of the city. Almost too much so that he started to wonder how business could be financially sustained. ¡°Yes, this would do. Well done,¡± he nodded with praise. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you could so easily find a place with my exact specifications. The power of an information broker is not to be underestimated, I see.¡± ¡°Hmph, this isn¡¯t just a place I found,¡± Yda shook her head with a sigh. She walked towards the other side of the counter and placed down her dagger. ¡°This place also happens to be my home.¡± At that moment Mordred understood how this place could manage to stay afloat. The main function of this establishment was not service to patrons but to act as a hideout to a grand thief. ¡°Then¡­ welcome, dear guests, to the Vardis Inn,¡± she greeted with an awkward and unwilling tone but continued. ¡°We do have a system here, so I would like you to pay up front. Twenty gold pieces!¡± Playing along, Mordred extracted a few pieces of gold from his ¡®inventory¡¯ and placed it down onto the wooden counter. Their metallic clanging echoed through the empty inn with a distinctive sound. ¡°Would this suffice?¡± Mordred asked as he moved his hands to reveal a small mound of gold coins that stacked up to at least thirty pieces. Yda¡¯s eyes widened as she found it hard to look away from them. Drool slowly leaking down the corner of her mouth. ¡°Uh¡­ How much¡­?¡± her hands trembled as she slowly picked one up to examine their authenticity. From her reaction, it was obvious that this was an exorbitant fee and that she had expected him not to pay. Most likely, she was trying to use that as an excuse to kick him out, but the situation has changed. Her left hand subconsciously clung onto the side of Mordred¡¯s clothes to prevent him from leaving. ¡°Thirty-two gold pieces¡­ more than enough to live for five years without work,¡± she whispered under her breath.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Not that he didn¡¯t hear but he chose to ignore it. The small amount of money on the table didn¡¯t even begin to scratch the surface of his limitless wealth. ¡°What do you think? Have you determined them to be authentic?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, uh¡­ yeah, it¡¯s fine,¡± she nodded and slowly pocketed the gold into her own purse. Still, it began to dawn on her that this much money was not something ordinary people carried around. Her expression shifted from obvious greed to suspicion. ¡°Just who are you? Are you a noble kid from the countryside? Or a different nation entirely? Just so you know, we¡¯re at war with the Empire.¡± Mordred shook his head, ¡°we¡¯re not from any country and we¡¯ve no allegiance to any state.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Then where were you born?¡± With a smile, he denied her the answer, ¡°that¡¯s not something you need to know. If you¡¯re fine with the payment, would you guide us to our rooms?¡± ¡°Ah, right. Just pick any room from the second floor. We don¡¯t have any other guests anyway.¡± With the dubious transactions completed, Mordred turned for the stairs. Yet, before he could ascend the stairs, the doors of the inn slowly creaked open. Two people. One, a nubile young woman that appeared to be no older than her late teens. Non-human; her skin was a soft and cold shade of blue. Her hair void of colours glittered through the sunlight behind her. More distinctive features included two horns that protracted from the sides of her temples that curved forward. However, one of the had evidence of being torn off through rather violent means. Through her faded icy glanced towards Yda and then to Mordred and Irina with a smile. In her arms was a large paper bag full of misshapen groceries. To her side was a small child, about seven or eight in terms of appearance alone. She possessed a very similar set of characteristics to the blue tanned woman; two horns, white hair and clear blue eyes. Yet, her skin¡¯s tone was different, more human in complexion with a soft cream colour. At the sight of strangers in Mordred and Irina she quickly hid behind the older woman only to peek out and steal slight glances. The most notable feature on the child however, was not the colour of her skin but a small birthmark upon her right shoulder. A red cross upon a circle. Too detailed to be a natural occurrence but also to blended to be artificial. ¡°Ah, Yda, you¡¯re finally back! I was getting kind of worried that something may have happened. Thank goodness,¡± she spoke gently words of relief before addressing Mordred. She moved over and placed the bag of malformed groceries on the table to embrace her friend. ¡°Hey, wait, Rena! You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t been home for a few days¡­ but it¡¯s great to see you¡¯re not hurt,¡± she replied with a discouraged voice. Wiping the small droplet of tears from her eyes she finally turned to address the two new guests. She lowered her head, ¡°aha, I apologize for showing you a scene most unbecoming. I¡¯m Rena and this is my daughter, Charlotte.¡± She pointed to the small child that hid behind her skirt. ¡°Perhaps you are guests?¡± Mordred nodded, ¡°yes, we were ¡®recommended¡¯ by Yda.¡± At his words Yda rolled her eyes and shook her head, ¡°right¡­ well, at least they paid for their stay.¡± Perhaps she had known all too well what kind of profession Yda was in, but Rena instantly turned to confront her. Her brows furrowed and she asked hesitantly, ¡°paid? Exactly how much did you charge them?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ just a few¡­ pieces of gold?¡± Chapter 19 – That which is the next step Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 19 ¨C That which is the next step ¡°Gold?!¡± shouted the blue haired demoness, ¡®Rena¡¯. Her voice echoed through the empty lounge of the antique inn. ¡°Even the most exorbitant inns around the capital would charge a few silvers at most! We can¡¯t accept that; you have to return that money!¡± Of course, the issue of the extortionist fee for lodging was something Mordred already knew of. It would¡¯ve been a very easy matter for him to step in and break up the fight but he chose to refrain. The reason was rather straight forward. It was during these kinds headed fights that people tended to blurt out their deepest feelings and motives. In the end, it had just been another method of gaining information. ¡°Return the money?! But they¡¯re the ones who willingly paid for it!¡± protested Yda as she retreated a few steps. The heavy pouch of gold clang around in her palms. Tightly clutched she refused to leg to no matter what. ¡°With this money, we can finally pay off that shitty bishop!¡± A smirk flashed beneath Mordred¡¯s breath as his intuition was spot on. ¡°Yda,¡± Rena shook her head. Her face cast down by the shadow of a saddened expression. She replied in a softer tone, ¡°if we have to deceive and steal from others to pay him off, then we¡¯d just be no different from him. To hurt and betray others, we of all people should know what that¡¯s like the best¡­ please, Yda. We should do this properly.¡± Her honest blue eyes were painful to contest, almost as though one would be looking directly into the sun. Even Mordred who had merely been standing along the sidelines felt a pang of guilt in his heart. His sentiments were more attuned with Yda, in that he had never strove to live an honest life either. ¡°But¡­ but, at this point, who cares if we¡¯re honest or not!¡± through guilt and disgrace, Yda wiped away her shame and stood her ground in the matter. Though it was not the light of integrity that was reflected in her eyes, there was a firm conviction behind them. One that believed her actions were justified even if it meant to walk down a darker path. ¡°We¡¯re about to lose this place if we don¡¯t do anything! Rena, you¡¯re just too nice for your own good!¡± Perhaps an admittance of concession, those were the final words Yda spouted as she stormed out the inn. Still, there had been enough honor and trust in Rena¡¯s word that she had left the pouch full of gold on the counter before she did. ¡°Yda¡­¡± Rena chanted her name longingly. A heavy and awkward silence gripped the room. Moments passed before her daughter, ¡®Charlotte¡¯, tugged at the hem of her skirt and brought her back to reality. ¡°Ah!¡± she shouted as she just remembered. She turned back to Mordred and Irina and lowered her head as an apologize, ¡°please forgive me for showing you yet another unbecoming scene!¡± Mordred held up his hand to stop her, ¡°there¡¯s no need for you to apologize. I understand; somehow or other, I think I¡¯ve gotten the gist of what¡¯s been going on here.¡± Rena¡¯s face reddened as she turned away in shame. ¡°That reminds me, we¡¯ve yet to introduce ourselves. My name is ¡®Mordred¡¯ and this is my companion, ¡®Irina¡¯.¡± Irina nodded without a word.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ though we¡¯re still inexperienced in the business of keeping an inn, please enjoy your stay. Also,¡± Rena reached out to the table and handed back the thick pouch of gold. ¡°We cannot accept this much.¡± Mordred shook his head, ¡°there¡¯s no need to return it; please keep it as an advance on my stay. I rather like this place and plan on staying for quite a bit.¡± ¡°Still, this is too much for us.¡± ¡°Then,¡± his face leaned closer to hers with a smile. ¡°Perhaps we can exchange information.¡± ¡°Information? Unfortunately, I merely run this unimpressive inn. Yda¡¯s the one you want for all sorts of information.¡± ¡°Just telling me about yourself and this place would be fine for now,¡± he pressed. ¡°About ourselves¡­ I¡¯m not sure if anyone would enjoy such a bland story but if you insist,¡± Rena pondered for a moment to recall her memories. ¡°You see, this place used to be an orphanage. Both Yda and I grew up here with several other children. We were taken care of by the original owners of this place, two caretakers. They were both very kind and supportive of us children.¡± At first her expression reflected a light melancholy. Her soft icy eyes traced around the corners of the room, smiling as she reminisced about the times she spent here as a child. Suddenly her expression dimmed, ¡°however, one day those two caretakers went out and never returned. We waited for hours, days, weeks and even years. One by one, the other children began to lose hope and left his place. In the end, only Yda remained. I had been¡­ ¡®elsewhere¡¯ at the time. When I decided to return, this place had been left in shambles, with very minimal living conditions. Eventually, I met back up with Yda and decided to turn this building into a place of business. However, as you can see, the inn¡¯s business isn¡¯t quite going well as I would¡¯ve liked.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mordred flashed a wistful and understanding gaze. ¡°You said that you and Yda were in the orphanage at the same time, then¡­¡± he shifted his gaze toward the small child hiding behind her mother¡¯s skirt. He didn¡¯t actually speak it out but the question was obvious. ¡°Umm, the circumstances around Charlotte¡¯s birth¡­ I apologize, but that¡¯s something I wish not to remember.¡± Her eyes went dark for a moment. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry for asking.¡± Mordred no longer pressed the matter and instead chose to shift the topic, ¡°with how Yda was acting, it seems that something is happening to this place?¡± ¡°About that¡­ well, the deed to this place is about to expire. Actually, we¡¯re supposed to have a few more years but the local bishop, who also owns a large amount of land in the area, has been pushing us to close down.¡± She shook her head, ¡°if we want to maintain this place then we have to pay a rather hefty sum. It¡¯s not just us who¡¯re affected, but a few of the other local businesses have been rapidly closing. Since the bishop is a member of the Clergy no one dares to confront him about the issue. So, while I¡¯m very glad that you like this place, we¡¯re unsure how long we can continue to stay open. It¡¯d really be for the best if you took the money back.¡± It was a pattern Mordred had seen many times in stories and fiction. Men abusing their status and power to push around people who cannot fight back. ¡®Even in a world of fantasy, corruption is something no one can escape,¡¯ he wryly chuckled to himself. ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay by my word. That money is yours to spend. Then, we¡¯ll be using the rooms upstairs.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Thank you very much! Please enjoy your stay!¡± ¡°P- pweeze¡­ enjoy ¡®ur stay¡­¡± at the behest of her mother, the small girl also added at the end. Chapter 20 – Only the end of the second day Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 20 ¨C Only the end of the second day A picturesque, antiquated scene. The room wasn¡¯t large but functionally sized. Aligned to the corner of the room was a sturdy wooden table with several books lined against the wall. A matching wooden chair tuckered neatly into it as a long silken curtain brushed softly against it from the side. A single yellow flower in a small vase rested atop of the table to complete the picture. To the left of the table was a moderately sized white bed with neatly tidied blankets and pillows. Despite the fantasy and primitive aesthetics of this world, this place was more than acceptable. Mordred let out a long sigh as he beheld the sight. Somehow it was remarkably reminiscent to the visualization of his old room- minus the technology. This cramped and isolated room was everything he had known in his previous life, and stepping back into a similar stage relieved a lot of his tension. He loosened his tie and tossed his overcoat to the bed. The chair scratched against the rough, stone tiled floor when he drew it back to take a seat. A strange magic came over him. Not ¡®magic¡¯ in the fantasy sense, but an indescribable emotion. He fell to a contemplative silence. The world danced around to the rhythm of the swaying curtains by the wind. ¡®This is really happening, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ he silently asked himself. Two days had passed since he was unreasonably dragged over to this world and in that span of time a lot of things happened. Things moved way faster than he could even account. Attacked by a dragon, people slaughtered left and right before him, entered a city that could only be described as a RPG hub and rescued a damsel-in-distress. All these things were unplanned, but he had somehow made it through by the sheer overwhelming specs of his character¡¯s design. He could¡¯ve continued like this and probably face no more troubles than when he first arrived, ¡®however¡­¡¯ he shook his head. A smile flashed across his face. One that could only be described as the scheming of a malicious god. He could continue like this but that wasn¡¯t what he wanted, ¡®how many people would kill to get this kind of opportunity?¡¯ Being thrust away from all that tedium and business of the old world and left to explore a vast and expansive fantasy. Everyone would¡¯ve had that dream at least once in their lives. Yet, he had the privilege of being able to experience it all. Yes, that¡¯s what he wanted to do, ¡®experience it all; I want to experience all that this world has to offer.¡¯If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He gazed out the window once more. It was the same scene but a different interpretation. It was the same kind of exhilaration he had felt the first time he had logged into ¡®Hellgana¡¯. This world, ¡®Aria¡¯, may not have been the same but the fantasy was no longer just behind a monitor. It was realized. ¡°Heh¡­ hehehe¡­ hahaha!¡± the laughter couldn¡¯t be contained as his lungs felt like it would give out before the amusement. As if a mad genius on the verge of creating an abomination, he stood from this chair as it fell and clanged onto the stone floor. He opened his palms and gazed onto the power that was the accumulated efforts of his life. A malignant smile drawn to his face, ¡°yes, this will do. This will do nicely!¡± Silence ensued the cease of his hysterical laugh. A deep breath. His chest puffed up and then he released. He staggered back and this time fell onto the soft white bed. He rested his back against the cushion and stared to the barren ceiling. Like a hypnotic trance settling down, his eyelids felt heavy. Two days had passed and in that time, he didn¡¯t even have the chance to sleep or just idly think to himself. The fatigue that his body should¡¯ve felt after such extensive activity wasn¡¯t there- as expected of the body of a ¡®Polymath¡¯. Yet his mind was different. Mental exhaustion from trying to adjust to a completely foreign environment had taken a small toll. ¡°Yeah¡­ this can work¡­¡± he felt his consciousness fading further and further from the reality before him. His eyes felt heavy. The gentle breeze from the outside and the warm comfort of a soft bed. They were a terrifying combination indeed. ¡°First¡­ I should¡­ infiltrate the military¡­¡± his words distanced apart, fading to nothing more than just the murmurs of sleep-talk. ¡°Then¡­ I can have¡­ a centre view¡­ of this world¡­¡± Finally, his consciousness escaped his heavy body. Only the void and the excitement of tomorrow to keep him company. Chapter 21 – To chase old ghosts Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 21 ¨C To chase old ghosts Before Mordred flowed a gentle and steady stream. A riverbank of black water; an orchestral symphony of tranquil and corrupted peace. It sploshed relentlessly against the polished rocks. They occupied his as though water stuck in his canals- irritating and unshakably distracting. He disliked this kind of tainted serenity. It was the quiet acceptance of one¡¯s fate to an unmoving and stagnant future; there was no progress, only ¡®complacency¡¯. ¡°Tsk,¡± Mordred clicked his tongue with a soured expression. He turned about, yet what laid behind him was an impenetrable thicket of grey smog. Like nothing existed beyond this thin veil of ill gas. Regardless, he took a few steps forward. However, he understood at that point going further would be fruitless. He retreated and returned to the point of origin at the edge of the black riverbank. If ¡®life¡¯ could be summarized, it would be much like this river. They all go along with the flow. The path of least resistance. He was the same.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. That¡¯s why he hated it. Everything about this place reminded him of his own weakness and complacency to an uncaring world. It took real courage and strength to confront one¡¯s inner demons- something he didn¡¯t have. He had no such fortitude. He was the first to give himself to a life of solitude stuck inside that small room. Yet, he never blamed himself for giving up, nor would he reprimand those who do, but at the same time he would never come to like them. ¡°Heh¡­¡± he let out a small chuckle of self-loathing. He took a deep breath and stared across the black mire. This place was as queer as it could get. Isolated, imperceptible, but familiar. The other side was the same. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± yet fog was the only thing in this strange realm. On the other side, someone else stood. Motionlessly staring back at him through a very reminiscent piercing red gaze. Silently, it judged Mordred for every decision made up until this point. ¡°Who?¡± he wanted to ask, but that figure seemed so familiar that he already had a gist of it. A rough appearance; messy, uncombed black hair that covered half his face and loose dark themed clothes. His feet were bare and his hands were mostly bones and skin. The figure frowned back, yet mode no remarks outside of a judgmental stare. Mordred sighed as he averted his gaze, ¡°worthless.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Truly¡­ Worthless.¡± Chapter 22 – To accept this world Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 22 ¨C To accept this world ¡°What a horrible dream,¡± those were the first words spoken by Mordred on the first morning after having slept in this world. Seated at the edge of a foreign bed, he peered down to his hands and clenched at them. They were real; the thought that maybe all the events of the past two days had been a dream and that he would wake back at his own cramped room never escaped him. He let out a small sigh of relief. Though he questioned if that should have been the correct response as someone who was stripped of his old life and thrown into this unknown fantasy. Would it simply be running away to accept this new life? He had always wanted an escape from that wretched and cramped room. Even suicide was not off the table, yet he had not such courage. This world was the perfect excuse. Yet, that was the exactly it, an ¡®excuse¡¯. Mordred shook his head, ¡°worthless¡­¡± For the time being, it was best not to think too deeply in this matter. What he needed to do and accomplish first had already been planned. Mordred rose from the bed and walked over to the open window. The morning¡¯s sun and breeze flowed in and brushed past his face. ¡®Tomorrow,¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®Today¡¯ was yesterday¡¯s tomorrow and it had been realized; for him to be standing here meant that he had been liberated from that cramped box. Before him was a world filled with fantasy and possibility. A new world and future. A new¡­ ¡®toybox¡¯. The path was clear. The corners of his mouth curled up as he let out a small chuckle. ¡°Irina,¡± he called out without budging his gaze from the outside world. He felt a heat emanate from behind. With a fiery flare, a red-haired woman materialized and knelt to her knees. ¡°You have summoned me, my master?¡± she responded, still with her gaze cast down in knightly fashion. ¡°A task: be sure to keep your eyes on that woman and make sure nothing too bad happens to her,¡± though he didn¡¯t specify the target it was expected that Irina understood. That Mordred wanted Yda protected, not for any altruistic reasons but what he wanted was in her head. The information she kept and her expertise of the dealings of this city. Who was who and what was going on, she was conveniently compact walking database. If this world was to become their new home for any length of time, this was necessary. Irina responded without hesitance, ¡°I hear and obey, my master.¡± Just as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared in a similar fiery fashion. Mordred too was satisfied with this.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Mercenary¡­¡± he snapped his fingers and the same dull armour he wore yesterday materialized and replaced the clothes he had been wearing. With light stretches he tested the flexibility of this armour. With so many upgrades, enchantments and enhancements, it was so light and manoeuvrable that he felt as though he was simply wearing light clothes. ¡°It¡¯s a start,¡± he nodded to himself. The door creaked open as he pulled it open. It wasn¡¯t anything special but for Mordred it was a significant as the first step he took in this world. He climbed down the stairs and met with the matron of this inn, along with her daughter. Her blue skin reflected off the sunlight in a rather seductive fashion. As though ice glistening in the sun, he felt mysteriously drawn to it. ¡°G- good morning,¡± it was the child, ¡®Charlotte¡¯ who first noticed and greet. She returned a meek nod and instantly hid behind her mother. ¡°Oh! Good morning, I¡¯ll get breakfast ready for you. Please wait a moment,¡± the matron, ¡®Rena¡¯ responded. Mordred thought for a moment. ¡®Food¡¯ was also a rather important part of life in this world. Since he had not eaten anything for the past few days and he had not felt hunger he didn¡¯t bother to experiment. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll have any ill-effects, but might as well experiment while I have the chance,¡¯ he nodded. Mordred¡¯s body possessed valuable resistance skills from the ¡®Templar¡¯ skill-tree known as ¡®Poison resistance¡¯ and ¡®Fast Ailment Recovery¡¯. With those skills, even if the food of this world was particularly bad for his body he wouldn¡¯t die. However, physical effects aside the same could not be the same for mental effects. Even if his body could endure it, if he gained a trauma from it there could be problems in the future. ¡®Best to test it now.¡¯ ¡°Thank you.¡± It took only a few minutes before a table full of food was served. For a fantasy world where even Dragons could exist the food looked rather mundane. Food that looked like pickled vegetables, a kind of roast meat, soup, bread and sweat smelling jam. ¡°Please, enjoy yourself,¡± Rena offered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± Mordred asked. ¡°Oh, no we couldn¡¯t possibly. We¡¯ll have our food once you¡¯re done,¡± she refused. ¡°If you¡¯re just going to be standing there, it¡¯d only serve as a distraction. Instead of that, just sit down with me and let¡¯s enjoy the food you¡¯ve made together,¡± he urged. Half of the reason was because he truly felt uncomfortable having someone watch as he ate; he had lived most his life as a hermit after all. The other half was to test his trust. The food looked and smelt correct, however, he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that it had been poisoned in some way. ¡®Why she would do something like that¡­¡¯ people had many different facets to their personality and accepting them on the basis of their forward fa?ade was unwise. Rena looked back to her daughter who stared at the food with drool sliding down the side of her mouth. She let out a small, defeated laugh before accepting the offer, ¡°aha¡­ well, if you insist then should we take up on his offer?¡± she directed the question to her daughter. Charlotte instantly nodded and took a seat at the table. Mordred passed her a small plate and smiled back at her tenderly. ¡°Then, please help yourself.¡± Chapter 23 – First step: reconnaissance Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 23 ¨C First step: reconnaissance There had been no problems with the food; this world food presented no ill-effects to his body. It also hadn¡¯t been poisoned, rather it tasted even better than anything he had in his original world, almost bringing him to tears- although he managed to endure it. He thanked Rena and Charlotte for the food and left. Mordred¡¯s first objective was to gather information regarding the way of life for the inhabitants of this world. This was not something he could simply ask of Yda to explain to him and was far more effective if he had gone out himself to observe. Something curious that he thought to investigate more into was the relationship of the ¡®Church¡¯ and the citizens. According to Rena¡¯s story, the organization known as the ¡®Church of Xagon¡¯ possessed quite a lot of power as it posed as the main spiritual hub for this country¡¯s citizens. Naturally, they would also rack up a bit of wealth and flaunt their power. A detailed investigation into their movement and goals was necessary, but for a later date. Along the way, he also thought it would be good to also gather intel about the functions of the army, politics and mercenaries within the city. To facilitate that goal, the most obvious place would be the inner city where all, if not most, of the higher nobles resided. He had remembered that there was a mercenary hall there and it would be a good place to start. That said, there was one minor problem, well, two. The first was his attire, the dull novice-looking armour that he had adorned on his shoulders was supposed to help him blend into the city but that would ironically attract more attention if he tried to mingle with the nobles. Mordred actually possessed no other low-level armour-sets and the higher levelled gear in his inventory were far beyond what the residents of this world would normally wear. It would conversely attract too much unwanted attention. Which would bring him to a second problem, that no one knows his name. There was no doubt that those who dwelled in the inner city of Solaris were those with already established names. If he walked in and no one knew who he was, then that would also pose a bit of a problem. As he stumbled upon this predicament, something naturally caught his attention. It was something that he thought he should¡¯ve started with from the very beginning. Not because it was a particularly clever idea, but because it would¡¯ve been the most ¡®RPG-esque¡¯ thing to have done. His eyes and ears were drawn to a noisy tavern at the corner of the main street. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about RPG and adventurer towns then there¡¯s nothing closer than a tavern,¡± he metaphorically slapped himself for not thinking of it sooner. He let out a small smirk as he pushed the doors open to enter.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Oh?! Hey, kid!¡± as soon as he entered the large wooden halls that smelt of vomit and alcohol a familiar voice called out for him. Through the dozens of reddened faces for noon he managed to locate the source of the summons, a rugged man. His face slightly tanned, and numerous scars across his body. A reddened blush hidden behind that iconic grey moustache. With his armour no longer on his person the contours of his muscular structure could be identified in more detail- ¡®impressive,¡¯ Mordred thought that this was how naturally formed muscles outside of gyms looked. It wasn¡¯t too hard to recall his name. Mordred approached the person in question who had been drinking solitude, ¡°Roland, correct?¡± it was the veteran mercenary he had met at the checkpoint crossing to the entrance of this city. ¡°Oh, you still remember my name? Well, what an honour,¡± the elderly man, ¡®Roland¡¯, smirked back as he took a long gulp of his alcoholic jug. ¡°Ehh¡­ sorry, what was your name again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mordred. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, Mordred¡­ I won¡¯t forget it,¡± he smiled back as he took another large gulp. ¡°Well, starting with taverns, at least you have your bearing straight. If you want information on all the juicy missions then you¡¯ve come to the correct place. Although I can¡¯t claim that everything you¡¯ll hear here is wholesome, if you want to make a name for yourself then this is where it starts. All right, why don¡¯t you take a seat?¡± Roland raised his hands and called for the waitress. With curvatures that made any actress look like trolls, she was a blonde-haired beauty that seemed to have clarity rested in those experienced those blue eyes. He ordered for more drinks. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then,¡± Mordred obliged. ¡°You drink?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re offering.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m starting to like you, kid,¡± after the drinks arrived, Roland pushed the mug the size of his head in front of Mordred. ¡®Alcohol,¡¯ Mordred gazed down at the strange, fizzy liquid inside the mug and pondered. He had never drunken any sort of alcoholic substance and he had never intended to, however for the sake of appearances it was the most optimal choice. With a single gulp, Mordred downed the entire half-litre of beverage. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re good. So, where¡¯re you from, kid?¡± With elevated level resistance and tolerance skills, there had been no damage to bodily or cognitive functions. Mordred snickered, ¡°that information is going to cost you, are you willing to pay?¡± ¡°Hah~ you¡¯re no woman, I wouldn¡¯t spend money trying to get details on a guy for no reason. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not willing to tell. Judging from your appearance you probably don¡¯t have much experience fighting outside of small monsters or goblins at best, right? You still want to make a living as a mercenary?¡± ¡°Well, something like that.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Roland stared into his eye for a moment before letting out a small sigh. ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t look like you have that much determination to do it but I can see that there¡¯s some reason you need to do this. If that¡¯s the case then I won¡¯t ask anymore. Since I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re looking for jobs then the best place to start would be that questboard over there.¡± Roland pointed corkboard filled with rough and ragged brown paper. ¡°Most popular taverns have that kind of request board. Local citizens, merchants or whoever, if they have something they need dealt with then they usually place their requests up there. Why don¡¯t you take a look? Maybe you¡¯ll find something interesting.¡± Chapter 24 – The quickest way to fame and glory Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 24 ¨C The quickest way to fame and glory ¡°The language and writing is foreign, but I can understand them,¡± Mordred muttered under his breath as he glanced over the questboard. Most of the requests put up were honestly none too interesting and the rewards were useless. There was nothing he could do about that, there was no way any of the residents of this world would have something that would interest him. What he wanted more than material goods was ¡®reputation¡¯. To slowly build up his name amongst the population without seeming too unnatural. There was a clear line between ¡®talented¡¯ and ¡®monstrous¡¯, it was that kind of differentiation that Mordred wanted to avoid. ¡®Hard-work¡¯, ¡®dedication¡¯ and ¡®relentlessness¡¯, those were the qualities that people wanted to see most and would come to trust them. No one would place their faith in someone who appeared out of nowhere and was as strong as a god. However, if someone built their reputation from the ground up and people could witness their climb then they would be much more willing to stand behind them. ¡®Build a name as a mercenary first, then join the military with an established reputation, that way my name would be in their consciousness,¡¯ that had been Mordred¡¯s plan. Yet, he had already stumbled upon a dead end. The missions posted on the questboard of this tavern were small-time problems like, ¡®deliver this item to this person¡¯ or ¡®hunt ten of this monster¡¯, minor quests that no one would bat an eye at. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m going about this the wrong way?¡± he thought about it. Perhaps what was necessary wasn¡¯t a large and spectacular mission but to establish acquaintances so people would naturally bring those large quests to him. With that thought Mordred returned to his seat. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong? Did you already find a quest you wanted to do?¡± Roland asked. The large jug of alcohol in his hand disappeared into his stomach as he called the waitress for what now seemed like the seventh jug. Mordred shook his head, ¡°nothing particularly caught my attention.¡± ¡°Eh? You can¡¯t expect to rise through the ranks with that kind of attitude. Even if it¡¯s just a small job like finding someone¡¯s cat, everyone must start somewhere,¡± Roland shook his head. His eyes reflected a certain kind of wisdom born from experience. That he¡¯s seen many people like the kid in front of him. ¡°Ah~ I¡¯ve seen many people like you, kid. Those who come to this city in search of fame or glory. They always want to have some huge mission as their first endeavour and quickly make a name for themselves. Unfortunately, things don¡¯t work like that in reality.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about ability then I¡¯m confident that I can handle myself.¡± Roland stared, a little disappointed but continued to reprimand. ¡°So many greenhorns like you say the same thing and end up getting caught by something stupid, like a goblin¡¯s trap or just misjudge their opponent¡¯s strength. Haa~ besides, I¡¯m not even talking about your combat prowess, but your status. If no one in the city knows who you are, how can you expect them to trust you with such a big mission?¡± Mordred silently listened. He had thought the same thing as well, but for a person of his calibre, waiting and slowly building reputation was far too arduous. ¡°I suppose you do have a point,¡± Mordred nodded. He glanced at the questboard, ¡®perhaps I should just take a quest to establish acquaintances that way?¡¯ ¡°Haa~ tsk,¡± Roland clicked his tongue as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Argh. Honestly, everything about you makes you look green, but those eyes are not something a novice would normally have. I¡¯m going to buy the story of you being able to handle yourself in a combat scenario then,¡± Roland paused as he let out another sigh. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s this one huge job that a noble from the inner city has tasked me with¡­ not to mention it also pays quite handsomely¡­¡± Roland leaned in. However, before the secrets of the more lucrative deal could be revealed the doors of the tavern burst open. Like a storm had arrived in the form of a short girl with the physique of an ironing board. She kicked down the doors of the tavern. Her hair that had once been tied into a neat black ponytail had now been frayed and severely dishevelled. Ruby eyes though whether that was natural or from the blood that teared down was unknown. Her stature was short, her and legs exposed her porcelain but bruised and tattered skin. However, to Mordred one feature more prominent that her supremely unfeminine body stuck out to him. It was something he should¡¯ve expected since he had been thrust into this fantasy world but had somehow slipped his mind. Attached to the side of the girl¡¯s head were two long, knife-sharp ears. They weren¡¯t as big as one would¡¯ve expected but it was the unmistakable feature that revealed her ¡®Elvish¡¯ heritage. In many modern literary interpretations, they are said to have eternal youth or something close to that, which would also explain her pale complexion despite her obviously rough style of life. She was no doubt a mercenary. Strapped to her back was a large wooden bow that had been carefully crafted features that seemed almost mechanical. A large brown quiver with several different coloured arrows. Mordred¡¯s eyes widened- mesmerized. The girl took a deep breath. She prepared every remaining shred of her stamina and shouted, ¡°Roland! How dare you just ditch me in the middle of a forest. I¡¯ll kill you, you old bastard!¡± Chapter 25 – Enter: Cecilia Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 25 ¨C Enter: Cecilia The short Elvish girl stormed her way through the bar- it was as though fire was burning in the background. The earths seemed to quake with every furious step. She advanced. The bar became that much quieter. Veteran mercenaries almost double and triple her size instinctively cleared the path for her tiny frame. She stomped forward and stopped right before Mordred¡¯s table- in front of Roland. Her knife sharp red gaze pierced at him, like a guillotine slowly raised to its apex, one last chance to explain himself was given. Roland threw his hands up in submission. ¡°Cecilia! Ah, that time¡­ right, that time I had just remembered something very important that needed to be taken care of. Besides, I thought that as an elf you would be able to¡­ you know,¡± he let out a small hesitant laugh as he trailed off. For a moment, the Elvish girl¡¯s silence made it appear as though that farce of a story had been bought. However, on closer inspection that could not have been any further from the truth. The edge of her shoulders trembled with anger. Her downcast head slowly raised from the shadows as she stabbed at him with just her eyes. ¡°You¡­ what? You thought all elves were tree hugging hippies?! I¡¯m a city elf you dolt!¡± she burst out. In an impressive demonstration of great athleticism, she jumped upon the table and drew her bow. She pulled back the string and held the arrow aimed straight for the centre of Roland¡¯s face. Her eyes were locked on. ¡°You have five seconds to restate your excuse, and if I¡¯m not satisfied, it¡¯s execution!¡± It was an amazing scene. If this happened back at Mordred¡¯s original world the girl would¡¯ve been dragged out no less than five seconds after she barged into the tavern. He watched as sweat rolled profusely down the side of Roland¡¯s face. A desperate protest, ¡°There¡­ there was an important job! I received an incredible job that¡¯s said to pay super well! If this goes smoothly then all our debts can be washed away! Knowing that, I¡¯d be a fool not to take it, right?! You know what it¡¯s like to be dirt poor, right Cecilia?!¡± ¡°Old man¡­.¡± the Elvish girl, named ¡®Cecilia¡¯, whispered beneath her breath. A smile quickly turned into a frown. ¡°Are those your last words? Because I¡¯m going to friggin¡¯ kill you now!¡± The grip on Cecilia¡¯s bowstring tightened. Her crimson eyes started to flicker and fade; first into a pink hue then eventually into a raging pale white. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Mordred thought to himself as he observed this curious phenomenon. ¡®Changing iris colours¡­ now where have I seen that before?¡¯ of course it had been rampant in modern fictional media so there were all sorts of references that flooded into Mordred¡¯s head. However, there was a more ¡®correct¡¯ answer that he felt in his chest. A deep and ¡®nostalgic¡¯¡­ sensation.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Just before the grip on the bowstring started to become loosened, Roland shouted as a last-ditch effort, ¡°Cecilia! Your eyes! Your eyes have changed!¡± She immediately responded to this queer statement. Cecilia powered down and withdrew her bow. Her face suddenly became flustered as though a high school girl coming face-to-face with her crush. She crouched down onto the table and buried her face behind her knees in a foetal position. Through the gaps she peered out and confronted Mordred, ¡°You¡­ did you see?¡± she asked in a tone reminiscent of accusing him if he had peeked at her undergarments. As the diplomat he was, Mordred shook his head and shrugged, ¡°see what?¡± ¡°Hmph, if you didn¡¯t see then don¡¯t worry about it,¡± though still suspicious, she ignored Mordred and focused her attention back to the main problem. She jumped down from the table and took a seat opposite Roland. As she did the normal sound of the tavern returned as the excitement died. ¡°So? What kind of mission was so important that you had to ditch me in the middle of the forest? I had to navigate my way through that blasted forest for two days! Two days, you hear?!¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I said I¡¯m sorry.¡± Roland thrust up his arms in defeat once more. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s something I can do by myself so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°Well, If I don¡¯t have to do any work then whatever.¡± ¡°Hmm, ah! I have an idea, why don¡¯t you take this guy on for his first mission? He seems eager to take on a big job even though he¡¯s still a greenhorn,¡± Roland roughly patted Mordred¡¯s back to bring his existence into attention. ¡°He¡¯s new to the city and all, so you can teach him the ropes while you¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°Huh?! Why do I have to babysit this greenhorn?!¡± Cecilia protested. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s had even a day¡¯s worth of hard-work!¡± ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be like that. Although I¡¯m not sure exactly how strong this guy is, he does look rather capable, doesn¡¯t he? Anyway, just think that you¡¯re doing me a favour and take one for the team. If nothing else, you can always use him to carry your stuff.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ fine! Whatever, it¡¯s not like I had plans or anything.¡± Despite her initial protest, there had been no further reluctance from Cecilia for taking on this burden. There had been some discussion upon what Mordred¡¯s first mission should be to establish himself, but Cecilia withdrew a small piece of paper from her pockets and tossed it to the table. ¡°Tsk, fine. If I¡¯m forced to look after some idiot, then at least let me do the mission I want to do. I say we¡¯re going to be doing this!¡± The language was still foreign and vague, almost bordering on runes and glyphs but the meaning behind them could be easily comprehended. ¡°Mission Objective: Obtain the ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯ from the ¡®Manatite Forest¡¯.¡± Chapter 26 – Planning ahead Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 26 ¨C Planning ahead ¡®Mission Objective: Obtain the ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯ from the Manatite Forest¡¯. Mordred couldn¡¯t help but let out a metaphorical sigh in his mind as he saw the piece of rough parchment in Cecilia¡¯s hands. ¡®No matter what world¡­ I suppose the quintessential formula for quests will never change.¡¯ It had been the same custom; gather ¡®x¡¯ materials, guard ¡®x¡¯, kill ¡®x¡¯ monsters or deliver ¡®x¡¯ to this person. At times, they would try to spice it up a little by mixing different types of quests together but they wouldn¡¯t deviate too much from this. That said, ¡®I suppose this would be a good excuse to explore the surrounding areas in the capital.¡¯ ¡°Hmm? Wait, don¡¯t you think tackling the ¡®Manatite Forest¡¯ might be a little too difficult for someone as their first job?¡± Roland asked. Unclear if his worried expression was from concern or all the alcohol he had drunken till this point. ¡°If I remember correctly, that ¡®Labyrinth¡¯ is¡­¡± Yet, Cecilia disagreed. ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t care. If this idiot can¡¯t even accompany me through this kind of low level Labyrinth, then he won¡¯t even get that far in future!¡± Her arms crossed, she took Roland¡¯s cup and took a long gulp, only to spit out a good portion with a soured faced. ¡°Ugh! What is this?¡± Ignoring Cecilia¡¯s situation, Roland turned his sights back to Mordred. ¡°Well, kid? What do you think? I¡¯m sure even you¡¯ve heard stories about the Manatite Forest, right? Look, I won¡¯t blame you if you don¡¯t want to go along with her. I¡¯ll try to find another, more ¡®suitable¡¯ person to babysit you.¡± Mordred showed a small smirk beneath his breath as he shrugged, ¡°I¡­ actually don¡¯t know what this ¡®Manatite Forest¡¯ place even is. You said something about a ¡®Labyrinth¡¯, but I¡¯m uncertain in what those are either.¡± At such a response, Roland gazed back as though he had said he found the concept of ¡®breathing¡¯ confusing. Both Roland and Cecilia gazed back with an unbelievable expression. ¡°How¡­ how can you NOT know what a Labyrinth is?! How did you survive until now?!¡± Cecilia shouted in confusion. ¡°I wonder¡­? It¡¯d be greatly appreciated if you could explain this to a greenhorn like me,¡± Mordred raised his hands to call for the big breasted waitress. ¡°I¡¯ll even pay for the next drinks.¡± Roland scratched his head as he tried to find the words. ¡°Err¡­ let¡¯s see, ¡®Labyrinths¡¯ are like¡­ a place where strong monsters appear. Usually, at the end there is a particularly strong ¡®boss¡¯ monster that guards a treasure room, though this may not always be the case.¡± From the concept of it, Mordred had become instantly familiar. ¡®Dungeons¡­?¡¯ he thought. ¡°The mana¡­ magical energy that resides in Labyrinths are particularly potent so a lot of rare ingredients and materials manifest in these kinds of places. For this reason, it¡¯s become a popular place for artisans of all craft to request materials from there. The ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯ that Cecilia¡¯s mission specified is found in the lowest level of the Manatite Forest. Usually used in high-level alchemic formulas if I¡¯m recalling correctly.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What kind of monsters lurk in this Manatite Forest?¡± ¡°On the first floor, they¡¯re mostly similar to the variants found outside the Labyrinth. You¡¯ve got your standard ¡®Poison Goblins¡¯, ¡®Fire Goblins¡¯¡­ maybe some ¡®Goblin Shamans¡¯. Well, if you have a good party with a skilled tracker then the first floor isn¡¯t too much of a problem to handle. Fortunately, Cecilia¡¯s tracking skills should be more than sufficient to navigate to the end of the Labyrinth.¡± Roland explained as he roughed up Cecilia¡¯s hair, who, in turn tried to bite his hand with a disgruntled expression. ¡°I see,¡± Mordred gave an understanding nod. ¡®Though monster types are similar, the variants he speaks of isn¡¯t reminiscent of the ones found in Hellgana.¡¯ ¡°If that¡¯s the case then, I don¡¯t think it will be too much of a problem. I will come along for this quest.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ tch!¡± Cecilia clicked her tongue as she turned away with her arms crossed. Perhaps she had been trying to get him to give up by choosing a difficult quest. Though that plan backfired the moment he didn¡¯t know what a Labyrinth even was. Mordred let out a bemused chuckle as he extended his hand over the table. ¡°Then¡­ please treat me well, Ms. Cecilia.¡± He extended his hand for a handshake. ¡°Eh¡­ whatever,¡± Cecilia slapped his hands away, though the lack of power revealed no malicious intent. ¡°So? What¡¯s your name even? Unless you want me to call you ¡®newbie¡¯ or ¡®greenhorn¡¯ the whole time, tell me.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯m called ¡®Mordred¡¯.¡± Yet the moment he spoke his name, Cecilia¡¯s face froze. ¡®Not quite the reaction I had in mind,¡¯ he studied her state. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ no, it¡¯s nothing¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m Cecilia.¡± Awkwardly, Cecilia averted her gaze as though a profound question popped up in her head. She became silent for a good few moments before bursting back to life. ¡°Hmm? Oh! You guys!¡± she perked her head up and called out. She dashed out of her seat to approach a party that had just entered the tavern. A group of three people, two men and one woman. ¡®Mage, Warrior, Healer,¡¯ Mordred concluded based on their equipment. ¡°Are they someone she knows?¡± Mordred asked Roland. Roland shrugged as he took a hold of his jug of alcohol. ¡°When you¡¯re a mercenary you get to know a lot of people. Though¡­ due to the rather dubious nature of some of the requests there are many times you never see the same people again. So, when you do get to see them, it might be a joyous occasion like that,¡± he pointed to the group. Cecilia happily chatted away with a large smile on her face. ¡°As for me¡­ unless they particularly catch my attention, I don¡¯t usually remember their names very well.¡± ¡°Is that a mental defence?¡± A brief moment later, Roland let out a small snicker and replied, ¡°you sure know how to poke where it hurts, kid. Yeah¡­ something like that.¡± he took a large mouthful of the jug before slamming it back onto the table. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t see too many things going wrong with this, but keep your head straight, kid.¡± Chapter 27 – Sealing the negotiation Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 27 ¨C Sealing the negotiation ¡°Cecilia, is she your daughter?¡± ¡°Something like that¡­ only, not really?¡± Roland froze for a moment before ultimately shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s a complicated story, but that¡¯s not something you have to know now. Since you¡¯re going to be tagging along with her, there is something else that you should know about her and be careful of.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Roland¡¯s eyes furrowed as he struggled to find the words to describe it. ¡°A few moments ago, when she first entered, you saw her eyes glow white for a brief second, right?¡± ¡°Right, I was afraid to ask. What was that?¡± ¡°Cecilia, she¡­ sometimes goes a little ¡®berserk¡¯. During those kinds of times there are clear warning signs. Like haggard breathing, becoming even more unreasonable, angered and especially when her eyes glow a pale white colour. It¡¯s best to stop whatever she¡¯s doing at the time before she fully enters that kind of state.¡± ¡°What happens if she¡¯s allowed to go into said state?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ there was that one time she almost completely eviscerated an entire mountain. Suffice it to say, she gains some seriously frightening powers, but the scariest part of it is that she has no control over it. So, I want you to promise me to never let her enter that state and to stop her if she even attempts it.¡± Roland¡¯s face became stern. His eyes staring dead centre to Mordred¡¯s. ¡°I promise,¡± Mordred nodded. ¡°Right. Thanks, Kid.¡± ¡°What¡­?! You can¡¯t come?¡± off in the distance, Cecilia¡¯s moaning voice could be heard. Apparently, unsatisfied with having to watch over the novice Mordred she had attempted to invite some other people to tag along. Yet, it seems that had failed. ¡°Come one, I have to babysit this complete greenhorn who doesn¡¯t even know what a Labyrinth is! I¡¯m not even that great at teaching and stuff, so it¡¯d be really helpful if you guys could come with me!¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Sorry, Cecilia, we have another mission tomorrow as well. Next time, please invite us next time and we¡¯ll definitely tag along.¡± ¡°Hmph, fine¡­ but it¡¯s a promise!¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± After the invitation had failed, Cecilia staggered her way back to the Roland¡¯s table. She pushed him into the corner as she took the outer seats. ¡°Haah¡­ I guess it¡¯s just me and you, greenhorn,¡± she casually tossed a benign insult as she slumped over the table with her face squished on one side. She took a fried piece of vegetable from the bowl and placed it in her mouth, chewing unenthusiastically. ¡°Yes, please treat me well.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­ three days. We¡¯ll be meeting in front of the city¡¯s gate in three days¡¯ time so don¡¯t you dare be late.¡± ¡°Of course, I will remember it.¡± *** A quiet, unlit and empty darkness grasped around Vardis Inn. Only the meek sounds of water dripping off the faucet to serve as the background music. The matron, Rena, along with her daughter had stepped out for groceries, while Yda had yet to return from her prior emotional outburst. ¡°My master¡­¡± temporarily banishing the shadows, Irina appeared behind her master. She summoned herself in a fiery fashion, charcoal etches of a magic circle beneath her. She knelt, her head cast down and ready to receive her next orders. ¡°Irina, in three days¡¯ time, I¡¯ll be stepping out of this place for an unknown period of time,¡± spoke her master, ¡®Mordred¡¯. He pushed aside the silken curtains to gaze out at the window to a city cast in the orange of sunset. ¡°During that time, I want you to keep an eye out for ¡®subject 01¡¯¡­ Yda. There¡¯s nothing in particular you have to do, just make sure she doesn¡¯t die or get injured too badly. There are still some experiments I want to run with her, so it would be problematic if something were to happen to her in my absence.¡± Though the thought of protecting an insignificant human from harm did not particularly appeal to her pride, if it was her master¡¯s orders then she¡¯d accomplish them at any cost. Even if she had to overturn this entire city and burn everyone to cinders just to ¡®protect¡¯ this human, that she would do. No questions asked. ¡°I understand, my master. Your orders shall be obeyed.¡± Irina peeled one eye, revealing a flame coloured vision. She had still placed the ¡®Dragon¡¯s Eye¡¯ spell upon her and had Yda¡¯s exact whereabouts in the city. ¡°Do try to avoid having her alert to your presence. The illusion of ¡®freedom¡¯ is important to humans after all.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Chapter 28 – What is a ‘Labyrinth’? Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 28 ¨C What is a ¡®Labyrinth¡¯? Three days had passed. Not a full week had passed by since Mordred had been brought over to this world, yet the first adventure was about to begin. It was undeniable; there was a certain sense of exhilaration within him that he pretended didn¡¯t exist. As he wore the same stoic expression, adorned with cheap and dull looking plated armour, he approached the front of the city¡¯s gate. The gate guards were still there. The same people as a few days ago, ¡®good work,¡¯ he silently praised in his head before meeting up with the intended target. She waited for him with a bored expression. Her rather thin arms crossed as she leaned against a shaded wall on the outskirts. ¡®Cecilia,¡¯ the half-elvish girl that was to be his first partner in the first ever adventure in this world. Her features reminded him a bit of himself; her shoulder-length black hair, long eyelashes that brought forth her glimmering red eyes as though they were ruby. There was a mysterious air about her that somehow mixed with a rough personality. Unlike how Mordred dressed, her attire. Green leather armour with shorts, covered by a black cloak, was suited more for the backline. Slung on her back was a mechanical looking longbow with a quiver that looked comically big for her. As a test of her abilities, Mordred approached her with the use of his ¡®silent movement¡¯, passive ability from the ¡®Assassin¡¯ skill-tree. Perhaps his skills were far too much for the residents of his world, but she was unable to detect his movements until he was already within striking range. When he called out, from what would¡¯ve been him suddenly materializing next to her, she shrieked back and lashed out. ¡°W- what the?! When did you get here?!¡± her gaze disgruntled and hostile. ¡®Something was wrong,¡¯ was what probably went through her mind at this point. After all, Roland did say she was supposed to have been a rather capable tracker. ¡°I just got here actually,¡± Mordred apologized as he loosened his expression with the fa?ade of a rookie mercenary. ¡°Sorry, did you wait long?¡± ¡°Wha- no, I mean yes! Yes, I waited almost an hour for you! I told you not to be late!¡± she angrily retorted as she turned her face with a pout. ¡®Quite cute, this one,¡¯ Mordred thought and snickered. ¡°Again, I apologize, but we never set a specific time to meet up so¡­¡± he tried to justify himself with what he thought was a reasonable excuse but she did not have any of it. She shook her head with a sigh and started to walk the opposite direction of the large, walled city that was the capital known as ¡®Solaris¡¯. ¡°Ms. Cecilia, if you don¡¯t mind. I have a question.¡± ¡°You can just drop the ¡®Ms¡¯ part, it¡¯s actually kind of creepy.¡± ¡°Very well, then, Cecilia. If you don¡¯t mind sating my curiosity for a moment.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I understand that the ¡®Manatite Forest¡¯ is some kind of ¡®Labyrinth¡¯, but what exactly is that?¡± There were some problems with the concept of ¡®Dungeons¡¯, or as this world called it ¡®Labyrinths¡¯. It was the fact these were concepts that were tailed specifically for gameplay purposes. Sometimes they had lore attached to them, but the formula for it usually included traversing an instanced area where there is a boss and treasure at the end. Mordred then thought, ¡®if that¡¯s the given case, then how does it translate into reality? Do monsters respawn after a set period? That would make no sense¡­ what about the boss? The treasure? If someone has completed the labyrinth before then what¡¯s the point of completing it a second time when there¡¯s no more loot at the end?¡¯If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Cecilia stopped to return a perplexed look. As if someone had asked her what colour the sky was. ¡°You¡­ seriously don¡¯t know anything about the place we¡¯re supposed to be going?¡± she let out a sigh as she gently massaged her eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the number one rule for mercenaries to do prior research about their missions?¡± Mordred cleared his throat and shrugged back, ¡°I¡¯ll make note of it in future.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± Cecilia sighed for a second time. ¡°Well, ¡®Labyrinths¡¯ are like¡­ mysterious places where there are a lot of monsters and stuff. They usually stretch on for quite a bit of time before you get down to the lowest floor where you¡¯ll have to fight a boss monster. The bosses are exceptionally tough so you need to know what to do and have the right equipment. Sometimes there¡¯s a treasure room, other times there are not.¡± ¡°I fail to see why monsters would inhabit a place that would so often be raided by mercenaries.¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t even know about that?¡± ¡°That?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ like, the monsters in those Labyrinths are not the same as the monsters that dwell on the surface. For starters, they¡¯re much stronger. They¡¯re the by-products of an unnatural magical energy¡­ or something like that, I don¡¯t know the exact science behind it! Ask those damned Royal Alchemists if you want to know more. Either way, the monsters that¡¯re in there only look resemble monsters. In reality, they¡¯re nothing more than masses of mana given form. Even if you kill them, they¡¯ll just return back after a few hours or days.¡± ¡®Hmm, I see¡­ that explains the concept of ¡®respawn,¡¯ though not a direct translation, the functionalities from the game carried over almost seamlessly. ¡°Then, I presume that the boss monster at the end is the same?¡± ¡°Something like that, but usually the bosses of Labyrinths are much stronger because they¡¯re usually the ¡®core¡¯ of the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°And that means?¡± ¡°Tsk, it means that whatever incident caused the formation of the Labyrinth in the first place is tied to what the boss is.¡± ¡°Incident the caused the formation of the Labyrinth¡­ you mean to say that these places are not a natural phenomenon of this world?¡± ¡°Of course not! Like I said, I don¡¯t know the details behind what created them in the first place, but according to the researchers and alchemists they¡¯re artificially made. The Manatite Forest, for example, used to be a normal forest south of Solaris, but due to some ¡®incident¡¯, it¡¯s warped into this monstrous place.¡± ¡°So then, there¡¯s no chance of this ¡®magical energy¡¯ that caused the creation of the Labyrinth to leak out and contaminate other areas?¡± ¡°No¡­ well, no one knows for sure, but something like that never happened so why start worrying about it now? Besides, it¡¯s good for business. These places are crazy popular specifically due to the rampant magical energy anomaly. Materials and ingredients that would normally be extraordinarily rare, take a long time to form, or require certain conditions to grow can usually be found in such places.¡± ¡°Interesting. Then, exactly how many of these ¡®Labyrinths¡¯ exist?¡± Cecilia shrugged. Another sigh, ¡°argh! I don¡¯t know, okay?! I don¡¯t know anything, so please stop asking me such difficult questions! Look, if you want more in-depths knowledge about them then I¡¯ll try to set you up with a Royal Alchemist that I¡¯m familiar with¡­ After! Everything is over.¡± ¡°Much appreciated.¡± Chapter 29 – Life in this world is different than what I thought Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 29 ¨C Life in this world is different than what I thought The distance to the Manatite Forest from the capital city was a bit farther than initially expected. Around six hours had elapsed since they had begun their travels on foot. It had been morning when they had left the capital and now the sun was about to set, as suggested by the orange tinted skies above. Even when tasked with carrying most of the heavy equipment, Mordred felt no fatigue whatsoever. Cecilia, on the other hand, had a clearly flustered face from exhaustion. She took out a small canteen from her pouch and gulped down the remainder of the water. There had been more in the sack so this much wasn¡¯t too much of a problem. ¡°Just a bit further up and we¡¯ll be near the Manatite Forest. We¡¯ll set up camp on the outskirts of the forest and continue on tomorrow,¡± Cecilia planned. ¡°That sounds like a plan,¡± Mordred nodded. He then noticed a strange presence alerted to him via his ¡®intuition¡¯ skill. Several hostile life signatures could be detected only a few dozen meters away. With his enhanced sights, he extended his vision far left to spot a small camp of goblins. Several dozen Goblins were gathered about a campsite doing¡­ whatever it was they were. ¡°I spot a Goblin camp just west of our location. What should we do with them?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, just leave them alone. If you don¡¯t do anything then they¡¯ll most likely not do anything either.¡± ¡°Are we not going to subjugate them?¡± though he suggested it, those frail looking monsters looked like they could barely lift up their crude stone weaponry. ¡®Goblins¡¯: they were monsters about three forth the size of a fully grown adult human male. Their skins were pale, ranging from a sickly cream colour to a putrid light green. They were mostly savage and tribal in nature. ¡°Why would we do that?¡± Cecilia asked. Granted, Mordred would¡¯ve left them alone if this was a game as well. They were not worth their time. However, this was reality. Besides, even in games, newer players were expected to hunt a few them as tutorial quests. If one saw a dangerous animal lurking about, the immediate reaction would¡¯ve been to relocate or remove the threat¡­ ¡®at least in my original world human lives were placed first¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s not like we received a quest for their subjugation, nor does it look like those weak monsters could even pose much of a threat to border villages.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose that makes sense,¡± Mordred nodded in agreement. Cecilia stopped to turn back. Her eyes showing a little concern for his mental health. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? I understand you want to quickly make a name for yourself or whatever, but recklessly diving into a Goblin camp is only going to lead to tragedy. Either you get killed from a silly mistake or the surviving goblins vow revenge.¡± They continued to walk as Cecilia continued, ¡°even monsters have feelings and emotions too, you know? Unless they¡¯re posing a significant threat, there¡¯s no real need to risk your life to take them down.¡± ¡°Yes, I see now. A rather stark contrast from fantasy to reality,¡± he whispered beneath his breath. ¡°Huh? Did you say something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± he nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll proceed with the safer option of leaving them alone. Perhaps my concept of ¡®adventure¡¯ was a little misplaced.¡± ¡°Adventure? What are you talking about?¡± Cecilia shook her head. ¡°I think your idea of what constitutes an ¡®adventure¡¯ is more closely related to ¡®suicide¡¯. Stop dawdling around and asking stupid questions! This isn¡¯t a game, this is how we make our livelihood! We don¡¯t do this for fun, so if that¡¯s all you¡¯re looking for then I suggest you find a different line of occupation.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I do apologize,¡± Mordred let out a wry laugh. ¡°However, I must admit.¡± ¡°Admit what?¡± ¡°That you¡¯re rather kind.¡± ¡°W- what?! What are you insinuating?!¡± ¡°Despite your initial reluctance, you¡¯re here now and taking great care to look out for me. I¡¯m rather thankful.¡± Mordred then needlessly added with a hushed whisper, ¡°this shift in tone is quite cute as well.¡± ¡°C- cute?! S- stop saying crap like that, idiot!¡± she shouted back, her face flushed red, perhaps from embarrassment or the tint of the setting sun. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re not going to take this seriously then you best go back to the capital now and search for a different job! If you continue to be this lax, then you¡¯re definitely going to die when you fight the boss.¡± ¡°I thought our mission was merely to procure the ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯. Is there a need to fight against the boss?¡± Cecilia sighed. She had lost track of how many times she had to do so, ¡°our target, the ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯, happens to spawn only on the lowest floor and typically in the boss room. Chances are high that we¡¯ll have to fight it.¡± ¡°What exactly is the boss of the Manatite Forest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ an entity known as the ¡®Forest Golem¡¯.¡± Chapter 30 – About Roland and Cecilia’s relationship Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 30 ¨C About Roland and Cecilia¡¯s relationship The crackling of fire. Warmth like a mother¡¯s embrace. Sparks flew across as the night and cold descended upon the two. Mordred peered towards the unfamiliar, starry sky. The darkness occasionally glimmered with a phantasmal purple. This strange phenomenon, it was not the first time he had beared witness to this foreign sky. He wondered to himself, how long it would take for this new reality to sink in. Cecilia sat opposite him by the campfire. She stirred around the logs to maintain the fire in between taking bites of her dinner. Judging by appearances alone, she seemed no different from Mordred, age-wise. That said, the aging process for Elves were still a mystery to him and in fact she could be centuries old. However, ¡®probably not,¡¯ considering that Roland, a ¡®Human¡¯, was a father figure to her. She was most likely faithful to her appearance. Noticing his quiet gaze upon her she asked, ¡°hmm? What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t like your food? Well too bad, this is the only thing we brought so either eat that or starve. Up to you.¡± She took a mouthful of hard bread and took a sip of her hot soup. Watching her rough and frisky attitude towards him, it was impossible not to see the great dichotomy of the idealized version of ¡®Elves¡¯ and the one before him. ¡®They were supposed to be more¡­ elegant and womanly,¡¯ he wryly smirked to himself. In truth, many things in this world did not play by the same rules as the fantasy he had in his mind. ¡®Who was it that raised such an un-Elf-like elf?¡¯ following the thought, the image of a heartily laughing Roland came to mind. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what kind of relationship do you have with Roland?¡± Cecilia¡¯s hands stopped. She gazed daggers at him as she frowned. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°I was simply curious.¡± ¡°Curious¡­ you say,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I guess a greenhorn like you still wouldn¡¯t know all the rules, huh?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I noticed on our trip here. You¡­¡± she paused. A sigh, ¡°since you¡¯re such a greenhorn I¡¯ll tell you: your idea of what a ¡®mercenary¡¯ should be is so idealized it¡¯s painful. It¡¯s almost like you think we¡¯re knights or something. If that¡¯s the way you want to go about things, you should think about joining up with the military or the Royal Knights, or whatever. Look, I think it¡¯s best that you know this beforehand, but we¡¯re not some merry bands of clowns that prance around solving everyone¡¯s problems.¡± Her grasp on her hardened bread tightened until it broke and fell to the floor. ¡°This isn¡¯t an ¡®adventure¡¯; we don¡¯t do this for fun, we do it so we can make a living out of it. Many of us do this because we¡¯re all out of options. A lot of the times, the kinds of missions we receive may be something we don¡¯t want to do or goes against our morals. However, we do them anyway, because there¡¯s nothing worse than a mercenary who cannot be trusted to do their work.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Mordred remained silent. He couldn¡¯t deny that. ¡°Things like a person¡¯s past and relationship. While you¡¯re in this line of work, it¡¯s best if you didn¡¯t spread around that kind of sensitive, personal information so liberally without a good reason. Even if they¡¯re your comrades today, there¡¯s no guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t be your enemies tomorrow.¡± Upon reflection, there is logic and wisdom in those words. ¡®It happens all the time in fiction,¡¯ Mordred thought. A scene where a villain or enemy takes the protagonist¡¯s loved ones captive, or where they blackmail them with a sensitive secret about their past. This was yet another facet of ¡®reality¡¯ that differed from his perception of fantasy. When everything behind a screen, it was very easy to divulge personal information to strangers under the guise of anonymity. People would often come online to complain about their real lives. About their bosses at work, their co-workers, parents, children, teachers, students¡­ etc. This wasn¡¯t that kind of adventure. The girl in front of him was not someone else that was playing a character, safe in their homes, behind a monitor. She was an actual person with actual problems and vulnerabilities. Unlike him, she couldn¡¯t hide behind the persona of an ¡®avatar¡¯. So, it was a matter of course that she couldn¡¯t just blurt out whatever personal information she kept secret. The very ¡®bonds¡¯ of friends and family can always be used against them. ¡°Yes, you are right. I apologize for asking.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s that you know? You don¡¯t seem like too bad of a person,¡± she shook her head, disbelieving that she was going against her own advice. ¡°I¡¯ve known Roland since I was a child. Actually, that old bastard is about twice my age so yeah¡­ he¡¯s kind of¡­ sort of¡­ maybe, like a father figure to me?¡± ¡°And your actual father?¡± She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Silence overtakes the two with only the sounds of crackling wood within the fire to keep them from complete void. ¡°The only thing I know for sure is that he abandoned me before I even had the ability to think for myself¡­ and that he left me with this letter.¡± She pulled out a small parchment, folded so it couldn¡¯t be read. ¡°I can¡¯t even read the words written here; not our language.¡± She shook her head, ¡°I wonder, if that kind of person could even be called a ¡®father¡¯? By the time I knew it, I found myself wasting away in the corner of the Solaris slums.¡± She paused to recollect her deepest memories. ¡°It was Roland who found me. He took me in. Gave me food. A place to call home¡­ and raised me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ he was nice enough to me as well. I suppose you really can¡¯t judge a person by their looks.¡± Mordred agreed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. Once I got a little older, I decided to alleviate some of his burdens and go into the mercenary business after him. Even though he wanted me to enrol in the military academy¡­ well, I wanted to help out with his job so I refused.¡± Cecilia let out a small chuckle beneath her breath. A small, satisfied smile etched upon her face. ¡°Although, if there¡¯s one thing that bugs me about him, it¡¯s that he still treats me like that child he found all those years ago abandoned in the slums.¡± ¡°By that you mean¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s those ¡®important jobs¡¯ he¡¯s always taking. He thinks I don¡¯t know that they¡¯re less than wholesome kind of requests. If you¡¯ve been in this line of work long enough, you sort of just¡­ ¡®know¡¯ what kind of things he¡¯s being made to do. Tsk, if only he asked me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he just doesn¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± ¡°Are you stupid? Of course, I know that! That¡¯s why it¡¯s frustrating! Argh! Whatever! I¡¯ve talked enough! I¡¯m going to sleep!¡± Cecilia jumped back to her small sleeping bag, which was really just a few layers of thin blankets and refused to continue the conversation. ¡°Right, goodnight.¡± Chapter 31 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (1) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 31 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (1) [Manatite Forest: First Floor (Surface Forest)] The Labyrinth: ¡®Manatite Forest¡¯. As they approached its perimeter, Mordred finally understood the origins of the purple tint in the sky. Like a factory that constantly oozed pollution, so too did this forest pump out a hazardous stream of purple haze. All trees that were met by this phantasmal smog turned deciduous and burnt with magenta ashes. An awful magical autumn. Dead purple leaves littered across the floor. ¡°Be careful not to step into those,¡± Cecilia warned. Yet, out of curiosity Mordred tossed a small pebble into it. Upon contact the pile of dead leaves rustled by the stone disintegrated while leaving behind a trail of noxious purple gas. ¡°What are you doing? Didn¡¯t I just tell you to be careful of them?¡± Mordred nodded, ¡°you did. However, I believe learning can be accelerated by seeing the effects of an action rather than being told a theory. Case in point,¡± he pointed to the nearby trees that were scared by the lavender haze. Like searing acid had been thrown onto them. ¡°Environmental hazards,¡± he commented. It was a concept he had been all too familiar with since the days of early gaming. Often, dungeon-crawler type games would have these kinds of non-traversable terrain filled with traps or poison. ¡°Whatever. For greenhorns like you, this place might be a little overwhelming but once you¡¯ve been in here for any length of time you¡¯ll learn to get used to it.¡± As she said, there had been a constant wave of pressure that pressed down at him. Gravity felt like it had doubled. Breathing became difficult, as if his body was actively fighting against the urge. There had been a general sense of discomfort all around. The feeling that someone, or something, was watching from a distance. A feeling of drowning. His very essence being dragged to the depths of the abyss. When things were behind a screen, this kind of description was never shown to the players. The actual damage to his body was extremely minimal, negligible in fact- most likely due to his high magical defence stat. However, as this has become reality the adverse effects of poison and pressure had gotten another layer of complexity; ¡®mental disruption¡¯. That said, it was a rather simple fix. Subtly, Mordred cast a thin layer of protection magic upon himself. A passive, shielding ability known as ¡®Anti-magic Cocoon¡¯, listed under the ¡®Templar¡¯ skill-tree. It was straight forward spell that protected the user from one magical attack as well as giving temporary immunity to environmental effects. Once the magic shield was popped however, the skill would be put into a long cooldown and normal environmental damage would resume. With this, normal functionality returned to his body. ¡°I¡¯ll manage.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Perhaps due to her experience in this place, Cecilia appeared to suffer no adverse effects from this place. ¡°I wonder about that¡­ hah~¡± she sighed and tossed a small golden locket to him, deeply ornate and gave off a faint glowing effect. ¡°That¡¯s a protective charm. Well, it¡¯s valuable so I hope you don¡¯t actually use the effects, but it will protect you from one fatal attack. Of course, there are some limitations to it but just keep that on you for now.¡± Since they had targeted midday as the point of entry, much of the forest had been moderately illuminated. There had been occasional areas where it was dark and some environmental traps resided between those gaps of light. Even then, Mordred¡¯s ¡®night vision¡¯ skill compounded by ¡®intuition¡¯ and ¡®trap detection¡¯ was enough to avoid everything. Despite its status as a ¡®Labyrinth¡¯, the overall atmosphere had a certain tranquillity to it. The sometimes twinkling of the purple gas gave it a rather mysterious and magical vibe but other than that, it was more akin to a peaceful walk through the woods. ¡°So, I presume that this place has an underground level? Seeing as you did mention ¡®lower floors¡¯.¡± ¡°Something like that. Below us is a cavernous area that leads to an open underground arena. There¡¯s another forest there, much darker and harsher than this place so be sure to keep up your guard. At the centre of that second forest is where the ¡®boss room¡¯ resides.¡± ¡°Exactly how big, or rather, how long does the completion of this Labyrinth take?¡± ¡°Depends on how organized and prepared your party is. If you have all the right talents with the right preparation, then this kind of place can be traversed in as little as half a day. However, with you and I¡­ maybe the better part of a day and a half? We should be done by tomorrow¡¯s evening.¡± The trek to the centre of the forest only took a bit of time but was otherwise uneventful. Not a single monster had shown up, whether that was due to Cecilia¡¯s skilful tracking or their luck was unknown but one thing was sure. ¡®Rather dull¡­¡¯ Mordred thought. This wasn¡¯t a phenomenon limited to this world but also existed in the game. When the participants to a particular dungeon or Labyrinth were already high levelled, something was lost. There was no ¡®adventure¡¯ to this. Since they could always avoid traps and monsters, there was no sense of peril. That heart rushing feeling that he had felt the first time behind a monitor was not present here. ¡°Or perhaps I spoke too soon,¡± Mordred muttered under his breath. As they drew nearer to the inner portion of the forest the number of environmental traps increased. There were several hostile signatures that circled around them from a distance. Occasionally, when Mordred peered to the sides of the forest he could see golden eyes staring back at him hungrily. ¡°Cecilia?¡± ¡°I know,¡± she responded without lowering her speed. ¡°We¡¯re going to continue moving forward for a bit more. If we fight whatever is chasing us right now, it¡¯d only be to our disadvantage due to the terrain.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 32 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (2) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 32 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (2) ¡°Tsk, ¡®Black Dire Wolves¡¯¡­¡± Cecilia commented as she clicked her tongue in annoyance. They were large, almost twice her companion¡¯s- Mordred¡¯s- size and triple hers. They were no different from ordinary wolves, aside from their abyss coloured black-steel fur and gleaming yellow eyes that pierced through the shadows of the forest. Several such monsters appeared to surround them. They moved like snakes, hissing and growling about as they eyed the ¡®prey¡¯. ¡°Why are they already on this floor?¡± this was unnatural. ¡°From the way you¡¯re speaking, it seems like this kind of thing is an irregularity?¡± her supposed ¡®novice¡¯ companion asked her. Regarding him, ¡®sometimes his tone pisses me off,¡¯ she clicked her tongue again. The way he questioned these kinds of events were extremely amateurish, but at the same time it felt like he was taking this all as a game. She could feel it in the way he spoke and acted. There was no hesitation or fear in his voice even though they were surrounded by monsters two-to-three times their size. He drew a small dull-looking knife from his side and readied himself. His stance was correct. He knew how to move and avoid gaps in his defence, yet he claimed to be an amateur. That wasn¡¯t it; he clearly had experience fighting, even monsters like this didn¡¯t scare him. The disconnect existed in his complexion. Completely smooth and pale skin as though he¡¯s seen no hardship. ¡®If it¡¯d been anyone else, they¡¯d have pissed their pants¡­ yet this guy,¡¯ he was an overall enigma. ¡®No, now¡¯s not the time for this,¡¯ she resumed herself to the battle at hand. She had a bit of time to strategize. Wolves typically didn¡¯t attack until they knew they had an opportunity. ¡°Yeah, these monsters are supposed to inhabit the lowest floor of this Labyrinth, yet they¡¯re appearing here.¡± That said, it didn¡¯t really matter because their goal was to descend to the boss room. Eventually, these Dire Wolves would¡¯ve crossed paths so meeting them here or later changed nothing but order. ¡°Are you sure you got this?¡± she asked. He carried himself like a studied fighter, but every action he has shown revealed his inexperience as a mercenary. At the very least, while he was under her responsibility she would look after him. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be fine. If I don¡¯t make it, please try to reclaim my corpse at least.¡± A joke in this situation. He really wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t go anywhere near your disgusting dead body so don¡¯t die. I still need a mule to carry back all the stuff we brought.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he replied with a slight chuckling under his breath. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take the five on the right and you can take the seven on the left. Since you¡¯re naturally more experienced than me, this should be fair, right?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Whatever, just do it!¡± Cecilia quickly winded back her bow and let go of the first bolt. The missile flew. It whistled as the very air split in half to make way for her deadly attack. The Wolves did not know what hit them before one of them dropped to the floor with a thin arrow dislodged from the centre of its skull. An ¡®enchanted arrow¡¯, one strengthened prior with magic to increase penetration damage. It was all in an instant. ¡®One down,¡¯ she noted to herself. That marked the start of the battle. The Wolves all entered a frenzy as they witnessed their comrade fall without even being given a chance to fight back. They lunged towards her. Beasts that were far larger than she was, yet that was her one advantage. Her nimble- and unfortunately- aerodynamically proportioned body whizzed past the Wolves and their attacks. She avoided them mere inches away from a fatal blow. With the front of her mechanical bow she struck down as though it were a sword. ¡®Enchanted Bow¡¯, her entire bow was strengthened magic that increased blunt force damage. The wolf flew several metres back from the impact alone. It smashed up against a tree and fell. The others did not relent as they went in for their attack. Cecilia was ready. She strafed left to evade the wild swings of the beast. She quickly pulled out a small dagger from her waist and jabbed it through the underbelly of the monster. However, this kind of attack was not immediately fatal and the wolf turned for another attack. Yet, by the time it had turned to do so, it was already too late. She poised herself with bowstring drawn back with a missile ready for fire. The moment the Wolf turned back to counterattack, she launched her own assault. Just like the first wolf an enchanted arrow to the centre of its face did the trick. It collapsed as it blew a small dust storm from its large body falling to the forest floor. Seeing three of their comrades taken out in rapid succession, the other four Wolves retreated. However, against a fighter that specialized in ranged weaponry, this was the biggest mistake. ¡°Idiots,¡± Cecilia mocked as she drew back another enchanted bow. Without missing a beat, she fired four successive bolts. The missiles found their mark and sank the monsters without impunity. ¡°Hmph, too easy,¡± she shook her head. Monsters within the Manatite Forest were not true monsters, but masses of mana given form. As such, once they were defeated, their bodies turned to dust. Only white charcoal remained where their corpses once were. ¡®How about him?¡¯ she stole a glance back to see how he handled himself against such monsters. She caught only a glimpse of his final attack as the last wolf was turned to dust. A beautiful downwards arc with a dagger. The edge of which pulsated with a clean, red aura. ¡®What skill¡­?¡¯ A silent, swift cut that emphasized ¡®quick¡¯ kill. The soundlessness of the attack gave it an even more ominous vibe, almost as though it was specialized for assassinations rather than forward combat. She shuddered. Five Black Dire Wolves were felled by that kind of attack. If she had to hazard a guess, it was almost as, if not equally, potent as an enchanted arrow. Certainly, his movements just now were not those of an amateur. ¡°Greenhorn, you¡­ just who are you?¡± Chapter 33 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (3) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 33 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (3) ¡°Hmm? Sorry, did you say something?¡± Mordred asked. He certainly heard her- ¡®who¡­ are you?¡¯- and it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to answer directly. In such situations, the best way to evade questions was to ask the person to repeat themselves. Most of the times they would give up, but if persisted then a vague answer should be given. ¡°No,¡± Cecilia shook her head. She turned her gaze a bit farther away in contemplation. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That said, if you already knew how to fight, then at least say so from the beginning, idiot!¡± she stomped on the ground with her shoulders high. Not giving him enough time to mount a reply, she marched on ahead with a disgruntled tone. ¡°If these monsters were supposed to be ones that inhabited the lowest floor, does that mean no stronger monsters will show up?¡± asked Mordred. ¡°I guess it does? Look, how am I supposed to know? I just got here too. For all we¡¯re aware of these wolves could¡¯ve retreated up to the first floor because there was an even stronger monster down below.¡± ¡°A valid point. Then I shall keep my guard up,¡± Mordred played along. As they continued to the lower levels, a thought occurred to him. The monsters of this forest were a bit stronger than the average levels of the knights he had fought back at the first village. If that was the case then with the lack of an official administrative branch like an ¡®adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯, anyone could come down here. There was no system for what constituted difficulty and thus novices could easily be lured in with the prospect of money and fame to such places and lose their lives. ¡®Ah,¡¯ he finally understood why Cecilia was obediently tutoring him, disgruntled as she was. The path to the centre of the forest passed by uneventfully. Occasionally, low-level monsters such as ¡®Poison Goblins¡¯ or ¡®Fire Goblins¡¯ would come out to ambush them, but they were taken care of extremely easily with Cecilia¡¯s excellent marksmanship. ¡®A headshot every time is rather impressive,¡¯ he praised in his mind. Not that he couldn¡¯t do the same thing, but in his case, it was more due to the cheat-like attribute of his body. With her, it was a skill she had trained and hone through many years of arduous effort and training. Incidentally, ¡®Poison Goblins¡¯ were like regular goblins but their skin was a ghastly, pale purple or pink. They used attacks that integrated poison. Much of this variant of Goblins consisted fighters that applied poison to their weapons. As for ¡®Fire Goblins¡¯, they were a similar case to the former, but replace ¡®Poison¡¯ with ¡®Fire¡¯. Most of them were magician types that specialized in low-level fire spells. Mordred and Cecilia ran into these monsters a total of seven different times but as weak as they were, all crumbled away.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Here we are,¡± Cecilia pointed to a small rocky region at the centre of the forest. There was one main entrance that whooshed audibly with the sound of wind constantly pumping through. ¡°This place that seems like it¡¯s breathing, that¡¯s the way to the lower floors. At this point I¡¯m normally supposed to tell you to prepare for stronger monsters, but seeing as how you¡¯ve already proved you can defeat even Black Dire Wolves, I think you¡¯ll be fine.¡± [Manatite Forest: Second Floor (Cavern)] There was nothing new about a cave that Mordred hadn¡¯t already expected. The second floor of the Manatite Forest was no different compared to other caves. ¡®Calling it a ¡®Labyrinth¡¯ might be a bit of a stretch,¡¯ he commented in his mind. Indeed, all that existed before him was an expansive, cavernous path that sloped downwards. There was more an enough room to manoeuvre with a width of about fifty or so metres. Aligned on the walls and ceiling of the cave were vegetation, of which grew not fruits but mysterious purple and pink gems that glowed to conveniently illuminate a path. ¡°The monsters of the second floor are slow; if you move around they¡¯ll probably never reach you. In exchange, their attacks are very potent and their defences are absurdly high, even for low-level monsters,¡± Cecilia explained. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any sort of ranged attacks, then it¡¯s best to let me do all the work. You just make sure to focus on never getting hit.¡± ¡°What kind of monsters are they?¡± ¡°Undead¡­ no, well, I suppose they¡¯re a bit different than your typical undead.¡± As if on cue, the monsters of the second floor came to greet the intruders. Red Skeletons. They adorned themselves with worn out leather and plate armour. Fuming from their bodies were a subtle stream of steam. The heat alone warped the air around them and where they stepped, left only traces of charcoal the shape of their feet. ¡°We call them ¡®Red Skeletons¡¯. Their primary attribute, as even a greenhorn like you might have noticed, is ¡®fire¡¯. Most of their attacks will leave you with a serious burn so be sure to avoid that as well.¡± Cecilia unslung her mechanical bow and winded back an arrow. She whispered chants to it. The missile started to warp as small particles of ice formed around it. There was no direct translation between spells from Hellgana to this world¡¯s, but similar ones did exist. This ¡®enchantment¡¯ that she placed on her arrows was akin to a low-level magician spell known as ¡®Ice Rune¡¯. Simply put, it was a support spell that tagged weapons and bolts with the ¡®ice¡¯ attribute. The Red Skeletons stumbled closer. Their weapons clanging against their bones and dragged against the ground. A trail of smoke and ash left in their steps. A quick scan with the ¡®intuition¡¯ ability revealed that there were at least thirty of them headed towards them. Moans and growls extended from their non-existent throats and vocal cords. ¡°Ahh¡­ Ahh¡­¡± they would let out. ¡°Just sit tight,¡± Cecilia smirked as she aligned her shot. ¡°Slow moving targets like them are the best. It makes you feel like a badass even without actually doing any work.¡± She took a deep breath and let go of the bowstring. Chapter 34 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (4) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 34 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (4) With straightforward determination, the glimmering blue arrow flew. Relentlessly soaring through the air towards the non-existent heart of the enemy. ¡®Glacial Enchanted Arrow¡¯; upon reaching its mark, set off a vibrant explosion of blue diamonds. Carried by a cloud of white gas, the glacial- almost acidic- effects stretched over the area. The grounds, walls and even air became distorted in a temporary domain of ice. Mordred had seen such scenes countless times behind a monitor. Witnessing them manifest for the first time as reality was a different experience altogether. He felt the harshness of the tundra brush up against his face. The smell of frozen rock was something rather unique, but not at all unpleasant. He admired and was drawn by the art of it all. How colourful all this display was. The clouds parted to reveal that a few of the Red Skeletons had perished in that attack. ¡®Strong defences¡¯, or so this midget elf proclaimed but by this demonstration all that was drilled in his head was how like swiss cheese it was. That said, the initial attack was only good enough to leave a dent in their numbers. ¡°Tsk, god dammit. These arrows aren¡¯t cheap you bastards, just die!¡± Cecilia shouted from the top of her lungs. Her own voice echoed back from the edge of the cavern. She winded back a second missile and shot it without hesitation. She then repeated the process all over again. And again. And again. And again. And again. The bombardment ended only when all that remained of the enemy were frozen and shattered pieces strewn upon the iced dirt floor- about an hour later. Seeing the fragmented pieces of the supposedly ¡®fire¡¯ attuned monsters, Mordred couldn¡¯t help but let out a small, bemused chuckle. ¡°And here I thought ice was ¡®not very effective¡¯ against fire.¡± Cecilia turned back. Her bright red eyes glimmering through the darkness like a hidden blade. Yet in that sharp gaze was a puzzled expression, ¡°huh? Which idiot told you something like that?¡± ¡°Poke¡­ No, Nevermind. No one, please don¡¯t mind me,¡± Mordred replied. Of course, the logic of games should not be applied to a world- even if that world so closely resembled one. ¡°Whatever, come on.¡± On the first glance, the second floor had been the most straightforward, yet, ¡°don¡¯t let your guard down. There are all sorts of hidden traps and pathways down here that it even gives me a headache. Navigating through this is no fun so just stay close to me and¡­¡± as she spoke, Mordred stepped upon a trapped tile on the floor. The moment he did, the floor glowed with a purple hue as a holographic magic circle was imprinted upon it. ¡°Oi! What the hell are you doing?!¡± Cecilia shouted in that desperate voice. She rushed over and pushed him back as a noxious purple cloud erupted from the floor and walls.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The gas persisted in the air for a good five minutes before dissipating back into the walls. ¡®Interesting,¡¯ of course, Mordred had already been aware of the existence of the trap. His ¡®trap detection¡¯ along with the ¡®intuition¡¯ ability also allowed him to sense the hostile intentions of inanimate traps. He had simply been curious as to what kind of traps would exist in this world. At first, he thought arrows would shoot from the sides or the floor panel would open to drop him into a spiked pit. ¡®Magical in nature, I suppose that¡¯s logical from a mana-themed dungeon.¡¯ Cecilia had still been sitting upon him. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you saved me, but I would appreciate it even more if you didn¡¯t use me as a chair.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she glared back at him. Eyes showed signs of extreme annoyance. She remained seated upon him to deliver a swift punch to his helmet. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky you idiot. If I didn¡¯t save you right then and there, you would¡¯ve died! Or at the very least, you would¡¯ve been badly poisoned.¡± With that stern lecture, she got off and even offered a hand to get back up, though with that short stature she only managed to help him up halfway. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll keep it mind.¡± With the very well trained Elven dog leading from the front and sniffing out all the traps, there was no true challenge to this floor. Whenever Red Skeletons appeared it was the same pattern. Cecilia would bombard them with ¡®Glacial Arrows¡¯ until they were all decimated. If any managed to survive and get to them, then Mordred would step in to defeat the weakened ones. Rinse and repeat. Using this winning strategy, they had managed to almost conquer the second floor in a solid five-hour timeframe. ¡°Well, if we had more people this would¡¯ve taken even less time. I mean, five hours is pretty good for the set up we¡¯re going with.¡± However, as all adventures did, the ¡®unexpected incident¡¯ took place just as they were taking the last steps to this floor. The final exits were just at the edge of their peripheral vision. The sight of a gigantic double-sided iron door opened to greet them to the final stage. They could smell the thick scent of nature blowing in from the other side. ¡°We¡¯re on the final stretch to this Labyrinth. I know that since this is your first time you might become a little excited, but don¡¯t do anything stupid. You hear?¡± Cecilia turned around to warn. However, when she turned around the greenhorn mercenary was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Huh?¡± there was no way she could¡¯ve lost him that easily and she made doubly sure that she didn¡¯t miss any traps. ¡°What the hell? Where did that greenhorn¡­ Oi! Stop being stupid and come out!¡± she shouted but only her echo replied. ¡®Huh¡­? Did I miss some sort of teleportation trap or something?!¡¯ Sweat gathered at the palm of her hands. Her eyes widened. She took a mouthful of spit and swallowed. ¡°God dammit! This is why I told that idiot to stay behind me!¡± Chapter 35 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (5) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 35 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (5) ¡°Hmm, a most interesting turn of events.¡± A desolate, cavernous room with nothing inside but rocks and dirt. Faint trickling of water could be heard, but from which exact location was a mystery. The only sources of light came from dimly burning purple crystals stretched just far enough apart to ensure clouded vision. Perhaps it was done deliberately by the architect of this trap for maximum annoyance. Yet, to Mordred who possessed the ¡®Night Vision¡¯ skill, their efforts were for naught. There was also the distant smell of fresh air leaking through to the room. ¡®At least I won¡¯t suffocate to death,¡¯ he commented. In the first place, if worse came to worst he could always blast through the walls with superior firepower. It wasn¡¯t like the game where the terrain was almost always non-destructible. All in all, it was true that he had fallen into a mysterious trap but the word ¡®predicament¡¯ would not be used to describe this situation. At worst, it could be summarized as a mild ¡®annoyance¡¯ or at best, ¡®amusement¡¯. For a while now he had felt hostile glares from what should have been an empty room. His ¡®intuition¡¯ skill alerted him to all their presence, yet the naked eye couldn¡¯t perceive their true forms. That said, he had no need to force himself to try. His thoughts were cut short by the appearance of monsters, or more aptly described, ¡®shadows¡¯ that took the shape of monsters. Whereas the monsters in this Labyrinth were merely entities of mana given the appearance of monsters, these ones weren¡¯t even trying. They barely formed a coherent silhouette of the mobs that he had faced so far. Dire Wolves, Goblins and skeletons, yet with no physical form aside from a loose figure of those stated monsters. They took their oily steps forward, leaving behind a puddle of black smog. All their golden gaze directed at Mordred with enmity. One by one they continued to crawl closer. The first to attack were the Dire Wolves. They lunged at him from a distance. ¡°Come now,¡± Mordred shook his head as he effortlessly dodged the attack by moving only his body just a few inches. He turned to launch a counterattack. As one of the Dire Wolves were airborne he flicked its head with his middle finger. With an explosive force, its cranium exploded and so did the rest of its body eventually disappear into shadows and dust. It fell, though unlike living beings it did not writhe in agony and only dissipated. With no real feedback to his attacks, it almost felt as though he was just striking at air. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The Goblins started to move in tandem with the Wolves. Their coordination was almost praiseworthy with how in-sync they were with each other. The Wolves leapt in for an attack, and the moment they were defeated the Shadow Goblins would appear even before the wolves¡¯ bodies fell to the ground. They wielded their shadowy stone axes and went for an attack. ¡°If it was anyone other than me¡­ well, it might have actually been rather effective,¡± Mordred let out a bemused commented as he leaned forward. He slapped the Goblin¡¯s axe aside, twist his body to launch a powerful round-house kick that sent the small shadowy body across the room. The creature dissipated like gas upon contact with the walls. A few more minutes elapsed with the shadow monsters being unable to even make a scratch upon his armour. That said, the one advantage that they had were their limitless number. They continued to spawn in, most likely until Mordred died or the Magic which activated the trap ran out. Still, he was confident he could outlast it so there was no problem. ¡°Hey! Are you there?!¡± a distant voice echoed from beyond the walls. ¡°Argh, dammit! Where did that idiot go?!¡± with the appearance of the voice the shadow monsters started to retreat for some reason. They crept back into the walls and even their hostility could no longer be sensed by ¡®intuition¡¯. ¡®What a strange trap.¡¯ ¡°Hmm? Oh, Cecilia, is that you?¡± Mordred replied. ¡°Huh? There you are! Where the hell have you been?!¡± that fiery voice echoed through the voice carrying equal parts distress and relief. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for the past fifty minutes! The fact that you somehow fell into a trap when you were right behind me is almost admirable! You deserve a big medal!¡± ¡°Yes, I do apologize.¡± Mordred offered words of reflection, though even Cecilia would¡¯ve noticed the insincerity behind them. She let out a sigh. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, please help me get out of this room.¡± ¡°Whatever, then just stand back.¡± Complying with her instructions, there were slight trembling vibrations. Explosions. The grounds quaked and the sounds started to get louder. After a series of six detonations, on the seventh, the wall collapsed along with a massive glacial gale. Dust and debris flew all about the place. Once they had cleared, a new path through the walls had been created. Beyond them stood a disgruntled, short elf. She crossed her arms while her small, cute mouth were upturned into a frown. She glared back at him through those ruby eyes then shook her head with a sigh. ¡°Much obliged.¡± Mordred walked out with a smile. ¡°Much obliged, my ass! God dammit, how did you even fall into a trap when you were right behind me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no clue, but it¡¯s a good thing you came when you did. I almost started to cry thinking that I would be permanently trapped down here.¡± ¡°You say that but you look like you haven¡¯t even broken a sweat. Heck, I look like I¡¯m in a worse condition than you! Tsk, I should¡¯ve just left you in there for a few more hours.¡± She turned her back, but her ears twitched- not unlike a dog who was waiting for her master¡¯s reply. ¡°This time, if you fall into another trap, I¡¯m going to just let you rot in here.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Chapter 36 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (6) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 36 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (6) [Manatite Forest: Final Floor (Underground Forest)] ¡°Strange¡­ is it not?¡± Mordred asked. He glanced around to the gentle, yet mysterious underground ecosystem. This picturesque scene was one that he could never have even dreamt of seeing in that busy world of dull greys. A forest carefully sustained within a gigantic underground dome. The same magenta crystals kept lit the underground with its magical essence. The sounds of small insects creaked in the distant background, stopping only when the two drew close. Small animals could be heard rustling through the forest in fright. A sudden breeze brushed by them, delivering the smell of this wondrous place. As tranquil and peaceful as this place was, that had precisely been the problem. ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t encountered a single monster yet,¡± replied the short, Elvish girl. Her eyes vigilantly scanned the area, yet even with all her experienced as a skill tracker, monsters in this place could not be found. Or more accurately, there were no monsters in this place to be detected in the first place. ¡°Dire Wolves on the first floor¡­ undetectable traps on the second¡­ and now this. Just what¡¯s going on?¡± she wondered to herself quizzically. ¡°So then, something like this has never happened before?¡± Mordred questioned. Even if it wasn¡¯t the same phenomenon as it was now, surely there must be times when things would be changed up. After all, this was supposed to be reality and not a static system like in games where events are all scripted. Cecilia shook her head. Puzzled just as much as he was. She continued to lead the way to the heart of the Labyrinth, though it was unlikely that more monsters would show up to impede them. ¡°No, something strange is definitely going on here¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps the answers would be there?¡± Mordred pointed to the distance. At the centre of this domed, forest ecosystem was what appeared to be a manmade architecture. At first glance, it was a small fort. A decorated structure, but upon closer inspection it had been severely dilapidated. Walls crumbled to the side, pillars knocked over, some of the entrances permanently closed over by rubble. Greenery and vines overgrew atop the deceased monument of civilization. There were only minute hints of what were most likely a sturdy looking outpost, but now signs of disuse counted over to centuries. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the place we want to be to complete our mission?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the boss room all right. The ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯ that we¡¯re after is usually found at the centre of that fort,¡± Cecilia nodded and pointed. She studied the infrastructure carefully, ¡°no signs of it being tampered with. Whatever strange phenomenon is happening outside doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting that place, at least not on surface. Now that the situation has come to this, I don¡¯t know what kind of monsters or traps will be waiting for us in there so keep your guard up.¡± ¡°I understand. Then, what¡¯s our plan?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll procure our original objective for this mission- I didn¡¯t spend all that time getting here just to turn back. As for the boss itself, we don¡¯t know if that has been changed in some way either. We¡¯ll try to avoid direct confrontation if possible, if not then we¡¯ll go with ¡®Plan B¡¯.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°And ¡®Plan B¡¯ is?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to run distraction. Don¡¯t worry, while Golem types are known for their immense, destructive strength, their speed is a bit lacking. If you can taunt it and have it chase you around for a few minutes, then I can use that time to obtain the Crystal Flower.¡± ¡°That sounds a little¡­ dangerous, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Heh, what? Are you going to piss yourself? Don¡¯t worry greenhorn, I¡¯ll come support you if you¡¯re really in danger.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± [Manatite Forest: Boss Room (Overgrown Fort)] A fort of unknown origin. At some point this place had most likely served as a forward garrison to some objective. However, now it had fallen to obscurity. It¡¯s mission, soldiers and purpose lost to history, it now stands only as a testament to the will of nature that it would slowly reclaim everything. Dulcet sounds came musically as the winds brushed passed the exposed walls and halls. If eyes were closed, one might be able to hear sounds of wind chimes jingling in the distance. The chirping of birds and skittering of small animals gave off a serene atmosphere. Mordred stepped forward, the soles of his greaves stepping onto rubble and grass. As though the air was congealed, he could feel the thick heat of the magic in this place crawling up his back. Perhaps in the past there were many different areas. The only thing that remained now was an open field possibly used for the soldier¡¯s training. It served as a large, open arena for the boss of this Labyrinth to fight against the intruders. Mordred and Cecilia walked towards the arena. At the centre was a stoned statue covered with moss and other overgrowth. It was a being entirely cast in pale stone, rubble and mossy overgrowth. A small, white flower grew atop of its small head attached to a larger, bulky upper torso. Its upper half and lower half divided by a spherical purple gem that faintly pulsed periodically. ¡°Is that the boss?¡± Mordred asked and pointed. As if on cue, the pile of stone came ¡®online¡¯. At the centre of its small head was a small circle. Once dull, it began to flicker the same purple light until it maintained luminosity. It produced a synthetic sound; a quiet mechanical humming, not unlike a computer fan. It moved its head to observe the two invaders. ¡°Yeah. Well, it won¡¯t start attacking us until we get closer to it.¡± Cecilia let out a sigh, ¡°unfortunately, we have to get close to it to find that Crystal Flower. It should be somewhere around this fort since the mana here is so damned thick.¡± ¡°Plan B?¡± ¡°Afraid so. Don¡¯t worry greenhorn, I got your back so go rush at that thing! Oh, but be sure not to be actually hit because it¡¯d probably kill you. It¡¯s also impervious to physical damage and low-level magical attacks won¡¯t even tickle it.¡± ¡°What? Then how do people defeat it normally?¡± ¡°They usually don¡¯t, but on the occasions that they have to, they bring specialized siege tools. We don¡¯t have anything like that so we¡¯re going with the distraction plan.¡± ¡°Hah~ So, it really comes to this then¡­¡± Mordred let out an unenthusiastic sigh as he stepped forward. ¡°I only have to run around and distract it for a bit, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, just go¡­¡± As Mordred stepped forward, the Forest Golem responded by picking itself up. It stood at around four or so metres tall. A singular purple eye locked onto his comparatively miniscule proportions. Its chunky stone arms moved forward, ready to intercept. Whatever movements were made, it imitated. Mordred moved one step closer and in turn the Forest Golem also crept closer. The ground quaked with its step. It stretched out its hand. Mordred took another step. The Forest Golem also took another step¡­ or so that¡¯s how it was supposed to be. At that moment, an unknown forced slid down from above. A humanoid shadow. Its darkened blade slid through the Forest Golem¡¯s head and straight through its purple ¡®core¡¯ like butter. The Golem¡¯s core flickered for a moment before losing its brightness. Like a computer shutting down, it made a powering down sound as its huge frame fell to the floor with a loud ¡®thud¡¯. Dust clouds flew and the grounds trembled as though whimpering before a giant. When the dust settled Cecilia looked up at the culprit, ¡°what the¡­?!¡± Chapter 37 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (7) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 37 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (7) A familiar scene played before Mordred. It was as though he was watching a replay of what he had done before. Atop of the defeated ¡®boss¡¯ monster stood a creature of shadows. Although calling it ¡®shadows¡¯ may have been a little misguided. An entirely blackened being made of what could be described only as ¡®blank space¡¯- an absence of light, like black hole. Humanoid in shape, it hunched over with its arms hanging before it. It tilted its head quizzically to one side. Hollow and ghastly oval eyes stared blankly and similar hollow mouth smiled and stretched ear to ear, beyond the distance of what was capable of normal mouths. Seeing its sadistic and taunting smile, Mordred reflexively frowned back. That elated and blank expression, its arrogant demeanour. It was precisely because it was so familiar to what he would¡¯ve done that it ticked him off, like it was infringing upon his trademarked posturing. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that this isn¡¯t one of those rare situations where we¡¯ve actually stumbled upon some super, secret boss,¡± Mordred commented in jest. Both he and his elven guide understood that it was most likely the doing of this irregular shadow monster which caused the strange phenomenon across the Labyrinth. He felt an instant familiarity to this monster. When he had been ¡®trapped¡¯ on the second floor and was assaulted by those shadow monsters; ¡®the same kind of existence,¡¯ he confirmed to himself. Cecilia shook her head without taking an eye off the monster. ¡°Tsk, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never even seen this thing before.¡± Perhaps it had finished analysing its prey, but the shadow monster began to move. Erratic in its stance and posture. It dragged out the black sword it had used to instantly slay the Forest Golem. Yet, it was not that it pulled it out, rather it snapped off the hilt from the blade. The blade, still lodged within the Golem, dissipated, only to reassemble itself on the hilt. The monster pointed its blade towards the two. ¡°It seems to be picking a fight.¡± ¡°Tch, you think?¡± Cecilia replied sarcastically. She drew her bow and loaded and arrow against the string. In response, the shadow stepped down from its throne made of Golem corpse and dragged its body forward with that same uncanny movement. Its sword scratched against the stone floor with a screech with every step it took closer. Cecilia held up her bow and winded the arrow. Without warning, the shadow dashed head first towards her. Its footsteps were non-existent and the only sound that could be heard were the metallic scratches of its sword against the floor as it ran. She must¡¯ve panicked, Cecilia released the bowstring without proper aim, yet even then it flew straight at the shadow monster¡¯s head- a true testament to her skill etched into her very muscles.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. For a moment, the air grew tense. The missile flew¡­ a ¡®direct¡¯ hit. Or so that would¡¯ve been the case, but reality was much more different. The arrow simply flew straight through its head and continued to fly out the other side, almost as though it had hit nothing but air. ¡°Cecilia!¡± Mordred shouted to refresh her consciousness. That blank stare of disbelief in her eyes disappeared as she remembered to move her body a few inches to the left. As though it didn¡¯t have proper training- or common sense- the monster flailed its sword in an upwards arc with one hand. That blackened sword of shadows mere millimetres away from cleaving her face open. It sliced a few stray strands of hair but nothing fatal. The monster didn¡¯t cease its attack and simply let the momentum continue until it had hit a wall. An entire section of the fort¡¯s defensive wall had been decimated and burst down. Stray bricks and debris flew all into the forest as it left behind a gaping hole and clouds of dust. When the dust cleared the monster stood still as it gazed back at the destruction it itself had caused. It turned its head back, almost in a complete one-eighty as it locked one of its hollowed white eyes upon Cecilia. ¡°Holy shit¡­ if that had actually hit me¡­¡± Cecilia¡¯s eyes widened. She shuddered as she took a step back and pulled out another arrow from the quiver. This time the tip of the arrow fizzled and sparked with particles of red dust. She initiated the attack without provocation. She drew black her bowstring and shot the arrow straight for the monster one more time. Of course, it was unlikely that she had forgotten the ineffectual nature of her first attack. ¡®An enchanted arrow?¡¯ Mordred wondered. The arrow soared through the mana-dense air and as it reached the shadow¡¯s unguarded face it exploded. A wave of heat expanded from the detonation, fire erupted like a vengeful spirit trying to tear out its adversary¡¯s throat. It roared and growled as the entire area had been engulfed by a towering inferno. Cecilia may not have known, but Mordred understood. ¡®That thing is still alive,¡¯ his ¡®intuition¡¯ passive ability had still alerted him to its hostility. Out from the pyre, the shadow monster rushed towards Cecilia with much greater speed and force. Without dragging its sword and without the sound of footsteps, Cecilia was left stunned and vulnerable to attack. Like a deer caught by the high beams of a car, she stood still, gripped with fear and hesitation. In that instance, Mordred rushed in to defend her. He managed to push her away, but was instead caught in the full brunt of the attack himself. The black sword slashed through the armour. Not physically, instead it had phased right through the armour and hit Mordred directly. The locket he had received from Cecilia at the beginning also diced to pieces before its effect could even properly activate. Blood stewed forth like a volcano. Mordred was tossed back several metres, leaving behind a thick trail of red ooze. It almost seemed like there was more blood outside his body than within. Cecilia looked upon this scene with absolute horror. ¡°M- Mordred!¡± Chapter 38 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (8) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 38 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (8) ¡°Mordred!¡± screamed the voice of an absolutely horrified young girl. The person in question, ¡®Mordred¡¯, was flung across the fort¡¯s arena and smashed into a nearby stone column, where he leaked precious life fluids from the point of damage: his upper torso. That said however, he was not truly hurt, ¡®a minor inconvenience,¡¯ as his mind had so aptly described his rightfully ¡®fatal predicament¡¯. Not because he was damaged, but because this was no longer a game, meaning that he now had to actually wash his bloodstained armour when everything was over. ¡®Such a nuisance,¡¯ he sighed as he tried to get back up. However, he stopped at the last second when he saw something infinitely more amusing. That small body of the Elvish girl, ¡®Cecilia¡¯, began to glow with a righteous and divine flame. White and holy. Something he had prior knowledge of, not from this world but that world behind the monitor- from ¡®Hellgana¡¯. At the very least, if it wasn¡¯t the same thing, then it was rather familiar. Of course, with a fantasy world with Elves and Dragons, he had not neglected to think that perhaps some may exist in this world as well. Or rather, this was the most likely explanation. ¡°Deities¡­¡± he whispered under his breath as he bore witness to her magnificent and glowing figure. ¡°Argh!¡± she yelled as she clutched tightly onto her head as though suffering from an insufferable migraine. Her irises turned to a pale shade of very light grey. The aura about her flared with magnificence, yet at the same time violent and unpredictable. She no longer had the dignified grace of an experienced professional mercenary or tracker, but her entire being gave off the presence more akin to a force of nature- unstoppable and unstable. Small and transparent wings sprouted from her back, upturned and free. The earthy ground beneath her feet left trails of white flame as she moved. ¡°No¡­ dammit! You¡­ I¡¯ll kill you!¡± rage in her voice, she roared towards the shadow monster. Naturally, such actions immediately attracted the monster¡¯s attention. It was taunted. Unable to ignore, it shifted its ghastly pale eyes onto the glowing elf. The abhorrent smile upon its face flipped and the blackened sword raised. It pointed towards that small body with accusation as it growled in a low hum. It moved forward a few steps, then it suddenly transition into a full sprint. It lunged towards Cecilia waving its blade around like a chained morning star mace. Upon reaching striking distance it swung down that black sword like a guillotine. However, wouldn¡¯t be that easy. On pure instinct, Cecilia dodged the attack. Her body fluttered to the side weightlessly as the small wings upon her back flapped a few times. She contorted her body, winding it up as she delivered a roundhouse kick straight to the shadow monster¡¯s face. Surprisingly, it had connected with the supposedly incorporeal existence. Most likely, the monster did not even think that it was possible for it to suffer from a direct attack and did not attempt to dodge. As a result, it suffered a frontal assault with no guard to its face. Its shadowy body fell back several meters, dragging and digging the earth as it was pushed back.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Mordred watched with equal levels of amusement and study. ¡®True damage, interesting¡­¡¯ it was the closest equivalent concept that Mordred knew of for this phenomenon. In the game, ¡®True Damage¡¯ allowed a player¡¯s attack to pierce through all defense and state. Something similar was happening here. Due to the horrendously powerful nature of ¡®True Damage¡¯, there were only a handful of ways to obtain that state. Some very rare items could give a player such effects, some skills had that inbuilt feature, but there was also one special class also granted the user temporary True Damage. ¡®Could it be that deities in this world also operate on a similar system?¡¯ When the dust finally cleared, the monster¡¯s body was no longer there. Cecilia quickly scanned the area for it, yet it was too late by the time she managed to locate it. Through the surrounding shadows, it manifested itself so suddenly before her that she was left wide open and vulnerable. Without warning or signal, the monster smashed the black sword against her body like it was a blunt weapon. A spark and pinging sound echoed against the walls of the ancient fort. A translucent white barrier protected Cecilia from the monster¡¯s attack- although small cracks did appear against the shield. Once again, the monster had been left stunned by the ineffectual nature of its attack. Normally, the opposite was true but when faced on the other end of such helpless situation it clearly did not know how to react. It stood still for Cecilia to counterattack: a straight gut punch. Strong enough that a good portion of the ground beneath them upheaved. The shadow monster spewed something close to spit, black oily substance dripped from its ghostly white mouth. It¡¯s face- though lacking features- did contort to reveal an expression of pain. She did not stop there, and continued her onslaught by sweeping its legs and pinned the monster to the ground. Once mounted she continued with her bombardment of divine punches. As amusing as it was to watch, it was clear that Cecilia¡¯s mind was no longer the dominant force in her body. She moved purely on rage and instincts driven by a berserker-like violence. ¡°Kaaaa!¡± for the first time the monster let out a howling screech. It was a sound that could¡¯ve sent chills to even the most hardened warriors. If it stayed, the only death by pummelling would remain for it. The monster seemed unwilling to let that happen and attempted to turn the situation around. Several of those iconic black swords were summoned mid-air. Taking the opportunity in which Cecilia was distracted with her pummelling, the monster called down the swords to strike. As expected, those black swords were intercepted by the mysterious holy barrier. The strength of the barrier was indeed strong, but without proper training and conscious control, it started to waver. The black swords started to sink through the barrier. Cecilia noticed this, ceased her pummelling and turned her attentions to reinforcing the strength of the barrier. However, what this meant was that her front was wide open. The monster- employing a clever tactic- used this opportunity to summon the original black sword and stabbed it through Cecilia¡¯s unguarded front. Blood trickled down onto the monster¡¯s face. ¡°Kaa¡­!¡± that same pale frown flipped once more to a blood-stained smile. Chapter 39 – Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (9) Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 39 ¨C Mission: Obtain the Crystal Flower from the Manatite Forest (9) ¡°Hmm, she lost¡­ no, a draw?¡± Mordred commented as he gazed upon the scene with eyes filled with only apathy and scientific curiosity. It was as though he had been watching an experiment with lab mice. Now that the experiment¡­ ¡®fight¡¯ had ended, the raging holy flames that surrounded Cecilia evaporated as she returned to normal state. All that remained was the limped body of a small Elvish girl in critical condition. The shadow monster, after receiving successive blows head on, had also temporarily been placed into an unconscious state. ¡®I should at least avoid her death,¡¯ he thought it would be infinitely more to his benefit if he kept the girl alive and studied her powers in proper detail at his own pace later. His own injuries had already been healed through his innate regenerative properties a long time ago. With a quick ¡®blink¡¯ skill he covered the distance of several metres and appeared before the two downed fighters. ¡°Greater Healing,¡± though there was no particular need to, he spoke out the name of the high-tiered cleric skill and snapped his fingers. With the sound of an angelic choir, a bright burst of light poured from the heavens and cleansed Cecilia¡¯s body of all wounds. Like a kitten he picked her up to examine in closer detail. ¡°Her condition seems stable enough. Well, that should be good for now,¡± he placed her back down against a wall. ¡°Still, unconscious though.¡± Rather impressively, the shadow monster quickly regained its consciousness and stood back up. It hunched over with its arms hanging forward. It moved its head around with a lost expression. Possibility, due to the continuous blunt force head trauma, it had lost the memories of the last few moments and scanned the area to understand what had just happened. It finally settled its sights upon Mordred and Cecilia and jumped back up. ¡°Finally remembered what was going on?¡± Mordred asked, though he knew it wouldn¡¯t respond. The monster summoned its signature black sword. What drove this monster was a mystery, but it suddenly became enraged. It screeched from the very depths of its blackened existence, ¡°kaaah!¡± A minute detail that had been missed was a row of razor sharp teeth hiding behind that hollow mouth. It brought up its sword and began to flail it around violently. Without further delay it thrust itself towards Mordred. The monster winded up its attack. When it got into striking distance, it lowered the edge of the black sword. However, that kind of telegraphed attack was way too predictable and all Mordred needed to do was shift his body a few centimetres to the side to completely evade the sword. ¡°Truth Seeker,¡± still unnecessarily, he muttered the name of another skill. A ¡®Templar¡¯ class ability that allowed the user to hit incorporeal existences through- according to flavour text- the power of the ¡®gods¡¯.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Mordred¡¯s hands flared up with a deep, oceanic blue aura. Like a brick wall, the monster¡¯s fervent charge had grinded to a halt with a single hand, all inertia piling back to deal critical damage. He then grabbed the monster by its head and tossed it across the arena. The humanoid shadow flew, faster than if it I had been directly punched. It smashed one more time against the other side of the fort¡¯s walls and fell to a limped state. ¡°Hmm, yes,¡± Mordred nodded. ¡°You have some interesting properties. I think I¡¯ll make you into my second experimental sample. For now, you shall be designated as ¡®Subject 02¡¯.¡± The monster staggered back up, though unlike before it did not have the same level of audacity. It limped forward with cautious steps. Its head tilted to the side, confused and studious. Mordred continued to observe and note. ¡°Subject 02 shows signs of confusion. At least its caution is a sign it can learn. This means that it has sentience, as opposed to being simply an autonomous amalgamation of magical shadows,¡± he noted down with a pen and paper that he had extracted from his inventory. Considering its now judicious and distant behaviour, it was likely the monster understood direct confrontation to be a bad idea. For the battle to end right there with the monster¡¯s retreat, would¡¯ve been the best strategy to ensure its survival. Yet, curiously it continued to contest Mordred. Glaring through those hollow eyes. There was more than enough evidence presented to it to suggest its demise if combat persisted, yet it stood determined. ¡°Perhaps¡­ conflict isn¡¯t its intention?¡± Mordred wondered to himself. The monster insisted on persisting with the attacks. This time it summoned several more of its iconic black swords and directed them at range all like arrows. They sliced through the air at breakneck speeds and before Mordred even knew, they were just upon him. Of course, there was no immediate danger; with a flick of his wrists, Mordred summoned black spears of his own. They burst out, erupted from the ground like magma to intercept the swords with a metallic ping echoing through the arena. ¡°Ranged combat? I¡¯ll oblige,¡± he gave off a chilling smirk. Mordred posed his hand forward as black spears tinted by a blue light spawned mid-air. Covered by the ¡®Truth seeker¡¯ augmentation, they could also hit the shadow monster. The spears flew even faster than the opponent¡¯s swords. The monster danced to avoid the attacks but it was clear that evasion was the one thing that it was not good at. Several spears eventually struck and pinned it across the wall. ¡°Not surprising, considering its constitution. Subject 02¡¯s heavy reliance on its own incorporeal constitution disincentives learning to evade attacks. Why evade when attacks would never phase it?¡± Mordred jotted down more notes. "More testing on its cognitive abilities required." The battle was over. Mordred walked up to the pinned shadow and glanced down. He sighed and shook his head, ¡°however, unfortunate; if it could be domesticated then I would¡¯ve loved to run more trials. Alas, its feral nature makes further experimentation¡­ troublesome.¡± Another black spear appeared before the shadow monster¡¯s face, subtly glowing with a blue outline. Yet, at that moment something miraculous happened. The monster screeched and tore through its own shadows to escape from the spear¡¯s staple. However, it did not run nor make any hostile movements against Mordred. Instead, it knelt before him in knightly fashion. It raised its arms to present something: a black sword. It had offered its life and servitude. Mordred flashed a smirk, ¡°interesting behavior.¡± Chapter 40 – Regalia, the Spectral Blade Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 40 ¨C Regalia, the Spectral Blade ¡°¡­ Addendum: I may have underestimated Subject 02¡¯s cognitive abilities. Clearly, it understands complex social relationships and dynamics. Which further reveals that it may not be as feral as I had initially thought.¡± Mordred grasped the hilt of the presented black sword and studied it in more detail. Less like a traditional European-themed weapon, there had been a closer resemblance to eastern weaponry. More specifically, ¡°a Katana¡­¡± He wondered if this was a coincidence or if there had been a reason as to why it adopted this theme. Surely, with its fighting style- rash and incoherent- a different weapon would¡¯ve suited its purpose better. A katana was arguably a very useful slashing weapon, but if the monster intended to incorporate all manner of erratic and wild movements from slashing to piercing and blunt force attacks, then a western double-edged blade would¡¯ve been more useful. ¡®Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking this,¡¯ Mordred shook his head and faced the monster. It stared back at him through those two large hollow eyes. A telepathic message was then transferred from the blade to Mordred¡¯s mind directly. A voice echoed in his head, ¡°Bleed¡­ Stab us¡­ Claim us¡­¡± it spoke simple but ominous instructions to complete the servitude ritual. All of this was completely foreign to him; Hellgana never had such a gruesome system before. That said, ¡°very well,¡± there was nothing to lose by partaking in this procedure. Mordred took the blade and pricked his finger. A thin trail of crimson liquid slid down the edge of the blade. It glimmered with a slight sanguine tint. He then took the blade and pointed it directly at the monster¡¯s chest. It made no movements and awaited. Rather than a direct stab, the sword tainted with his blood sank into the shadow monster¡¯s body. Still with the hilt in his grasp, Mordred felt a rush of stamina and ¡®magic¡¯ rapidly drain from his body through the sword and transfer into the monster. It was a sensation similar to having a blood drawn by a doctor. Only, instead of a needle a vacuum cleaner was used. That said, this rapid draining of stamina and magic could be remedied by a certain skill. ¡®Meditation¡¯, a ¡®Magician¡¯ class skill that increased MP regeneration by a factor of 900%. As useful as this skill had been for mages, there were two major downsides. The first was that the user was unable to move faster than walking speed, which often made them out to be sitting ducks in an open battlefield. The second was that if the user was attacked then the skill¡¯s channel would be immediately cancelled and the skill would also entire a long cooldown. However, for situations like this it was the perfect skill; more MP was being replenished than it was drained.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. In regards to stamina depletion, an equivalent skill existed in the ¡®Warrior¡¯ skill-tree. ¡®Respite¡¯ was a skill that accelerated stamina regeneration by 900%. Of course, this skill also had the downside of not being able to run and would cancel itself upon being attacked. As a side, ¡®Goddess¡¯s Grace,¡¯ was a health regeneration skill with the same effects and drawbacks in the ¡®Templar¡¯ skill-tree. Mordred relinquished hold over the black sword and when the servitude ritual came to a close, the shadow monster became engulfed by a black flame. It reminded Mordred of the time he had first summoned Irina and that flashy fire effect upon her summon. The harrowing black flames died down to reveal the features of an unexpected makeover. Her atmosphere commanded attention. A female. Long, glistening black hair as though she had just stepped out of the shower. It flowered gently down her shoulders. Her eyelashes were long and elegant, yet hidden under those graceful features were the golden eyes of a demon filled with madness. Almost hypnotic, one could hear a long painful silence as they gazed into her piercing eyes. Her luscious pink lips curled to a small smirk. Behind those cherry-like lips however, were razor sharp teeth. Her choice of attire was a long black kimono decorated with red floral patterns. Those long sleeves covering away half her face as she smiled back at her new master. Unlike the ragged shadow figures from before, there were more curvatures now. The contours of her body seductively on full display. ¡®From looks alone she appears to be around early-to-mid-twenties,¡¯ Mordred surmised. ¡°Ah~ what delightful magic. I praise you, my Lord. For this insatiable magical thirst has been quenched by your mana. I shall sing your name for all eternity.¡± Those were the first coherent words the shadow monster spoke. Her voice was as charming as her lithe decorative figure. A kind of anaesthetic suggestion to her tone. ¡°Subject 02¡­ no, what is your name?¡± The monster stood with her hands upon her stomach. She gave a graceful bow. ¡°My Lord, I am known as ¡®Regalia¡¯. Pleased, I am most honoured to be under the servitude of a great being such as yourself,¡± the entity known as ¡®Regalia¡¯ introduced herself. There was no reason to refuse more servants if they offered themselves to him, but the thing Mordred was more concerned about was the reason. While it could¡¯ve simply been because of the overwhelming destructive power he had displayed, for some reason he did not think that was the only reason. ¡°Is that so?¡± Mordred replied with barely any shift in outward emotions. ¡°Then, ¡®Regalia¡¯, why don¡¯t you start by explaining everything to me. What are you? Where did you come from? And why did you come here?¡± Regalia paused for a minute to collect herself. She took a deep breath and began to recall her story. ¡°I am¡­ we are a race known as ¡®Shadow Fiends¡¯.¡± Chapter 41 – Concerning the case of the race known as ‘Shadow Fiends’ Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 41 ¨C Concerning the case of the race known as ¡®Shadow Fiends¡¯ ¡®Shadow Fiends¡¯, they were not a naturally occurring species, but an artificial construct. Even then, such descriptions were not completely apt. It would have been much more accurate to call them a ¡®sentient by-product¡¯-anomaly- of a certain magical incident. Though it may not be the most ¡®politically correct¡¯ way to address them, it was undeniable that they were truly just a ¡®mistake¡¯. That said, being a mistake did not always necessarily mean that they were ¡®unwanted¡¯. ¡°We are a symbiotic race,¡± spoke the kimono-clad woman, ¡®Regalia¡¯. ¡°We require a host to sustain ourselves.¡± ¡°So you say, but I have seen you exist and fight without a host until now,¡± Mordred retorted. ¡°What say you to that?¡± ¡°My apologies for not being specific enough,¡± Regalia lowered her head. ¡°We are able to exist without a host, but only in a very limited form; nothing more than mere shadows; as nothing more than husks with exceedingly limited cognitive abilities, moving only about by instincts. Our powers and existence wane with each passing day until eventually we would perish.¡± Mordred thought for a moment. It was true that Regalia now had a much more solid form and her intelligence did spike up quite a degree. ¡°If that were true then why have you neglected to find a host until now? From what I can make out of this, the more time you exist without a host, the more your mind deteriorates. Would it not have been the most optimal solution to simply find the nearest person to become a host?¡± ¡°It is, unfortunately, not that simple. The actual requirements to finding a host does not take much, however it is still very difficult. For starters, we are unable to make beings weaker than us our hosts. The moment we try, the host would die from an overdose of our magic.¡± Regalia paused for a moment, her head cast down in shadows. She let out a sigh as she continued, ¡°There were fifteen of us when we started, now there are only three¡­ ¡®Emblem¡¯, ¡®Crest¡¯ and myself, ¡®Regalia¡¯¡­ even then I am unsure if that is still the case. Amongst them I was the most powerful, however with that kind of power I was given a handicap in terms of searching for a host strong enough to resist my magic. There is also another drawback, it is that when the host dies we also die. Thus, if we tried to make a weaker being our host and they died in the ritual process then we would also perish. We could not afford to be so lax when searching for potential hosts.¡± ¡°Hmm, an interesting system,¡± replied Mordred as he made subtle nods here and there. ¡°The constitution of your species also fascinates me. Supposedly, you¡¯re an existence made entirely of sentient mana.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Explain to me what this ¡®magical incident¡¯ was that caused your creation.¡± ¡°I unfortunately cannot recall with much clarity as at the time I had merely been a new-born, but we were accidentally created by an unknown Deity. The ¡®God of Alchemy¡¯ as many have called them, but I am sure that that was not their only talents. It seems they merely had a penchant for testing and experimentation, that this hobby became their most distinguished trait. It was from one of their alchemic experiments that we were born.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡®A penchant for tests and experimentations, huh¡­¡¯ Mordred thought about it in his head, that it sounded similar to someone he knew but that couldn¡¯t have been the case. A familiar voice played in his head like a record.¡®Why do I play this game? Unlike you guys, I don¡¯t continue to log in because I find it fun to do so. I simply need a place I can escape to. Whenever I come here it¡¯s like a secret place for me to let all the theories swirling around in my head to settle down and congeal. It¡¯s like meditation. When it¡¯s all done I¡¯ll return to the university''s lab and continue on with my experiments''.¡°What is the name of this ¡®deity¡¯?¡± Regalia shook her head, ¡°we do not know. While there are many people who vaguely know that person via their title, nothing concrete is known about them. They do not appear in any sort of historical documents or legends, but they are known for the creation of one permanent monument. That is the city known as ¡®Sage Gate.¡± ¡°Sage Gate?¡± ¡°It is a grand floating city that orbits this world. Many scientists, magicians and alchemists go to that place in order to further their education. It is the seat of power for all intellectuals, and the one who governs that city is known as the ¡®Grand Magus¡¯.¡± Mordred noted to himself, ¡®I suppose I¡¯ll eventually have to seek out this city as well. Not to mention that ¡®God of Alchemy¡¯ should also be investigated into thoroughly¡¯. ¡°I see. We¡¯ve veered rather off topic. Concerning back to your constitution and the connection between you and your host. How long are you able to exist outside of my body?¡± ¡°As long as it is near your vicinity then I am able to exist like this indefinitely, however once the distance begins to grow larger the limitations become stricter. Every so often, I must come back to my host and replenish my mana as well as my connection. I would say the maximum amount of time I can exist with some level of distance away from my host is about five days.¡± ¡°Next question, how did you find out about me? I¡¯m assuming you caused all the strangeness within this Labyrinth because you wanted to gather my attention.¡± Regalia fidgets to herself for a moment before answering with a blush, ¡°I did not know specifically of your existence, my Lord. As I have mentioned, up until we had just completed the ¡®servitude ritual¡¯, I was more or less an instinct driven monster. That said, I felt an explosion of magical power from this area. A few days ago, a powerful ¡®Red Dragon¡¯ had been slain and it was that catalyst which drove me to try and find a host here. Eventually, I had found you, my Lord.¡± ¡°And when you found me, you still decided to lay a trap and attack me.¡± Regalia lowered her head, practically touching the dirt floor. ¡°I must apologize, at the time I was still in the process of ¡®losing myself¡¯ and did not have proper mastery over my own body. Thankfully, now that my Lord has accepted to become my host there is no longer any risk of a relapse to that shameful state.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± as Mordred asked the entire Labyrinth began to tremble. Small piles of stone and dust came crumbling from the ceiling. ¡°Hmm? What is it now?¡± ¡°I suspect that the Golem is trying to reform itself,¡± suggest Regalia. ¡°A pain. I¡¯ll skip it,¡± Mordred shook his head. ¡°Regalia, there should be an item known as a ¡®Crystal Flower¡¯ here. Retrieve it for me.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Regalia answered as her form dissipated into shadows. It took no more than a few seconds for her to return with a flower that seemed to be made of a glimmering blue glass. It glowered magnificently and reflected much light. ¡°I believe this is the item in question, my Lord.¡± ¡°Good work, now we¡¯ll be getting out of here.¡± Mordred said as he draped Cecilia¡¯s unconscious Elven body over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Then, for the first experiment, let¡¯s see if you can survive long-distance teleportation,¡± he smirked as he took out an item that resembled a rugged red crystal. Chapter 42 – End of mission, how? When? Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 42 ¨C End of mission, how? When? ¡°Seems like there are no problems with taking you through long distance teleportation. Any discomforts, Regalia?¡± Mordred could feel her presence emanating from within. A hard-to-describe intrinsic sensation, like he was wearing a thin layer of clothing over everything else he already wore. To answer his questions, a woman clad in an elegant black kimono appeared from the depths of his shadows. She graced him with a perfect forty-five degree bow, ¡°none, my Lord.¡± Half her face hidden behind her long sleeves, her golden eye greeted him with a smile. With that brief exchange, she disappeared quietly back into his shadow to await his next commands. ¡°Good.¡± With the childishly proportioned elf slung on his back, they were now back where they had begun. Not at the edge of the Manatite forest, but at the edge of the capital city of Solaris. That long six hour journey on foot reduced to a mere few minutes with the teleportation crystal. Mordred thought that perhaps this was what it must¡¯ve felt like when technology improved and sailing ships no longer had to be used. Everything could be airdropped from anywhere within the world, at least that world. ¡®Convenience at the expense of romance¡­¡¯ Mordred gently placed Cecilia¡¯s small body against the wall. He crouched down to her and stared for a good few seconds at her peacefully sleeping face. Her face was like rubber; an almost impossible to hold back urge welled up inside him to pull her cheeks but he resisted. She was so small. Her cherry coloured lips subtly agape as she breathed in with her mouth. It was difficult to believe that there was a mysterious and divine power sleeping deep below the recesses of her mind and body. Looking at her like this, he didn¡¯t want to wake her up from this picturesque peaceful scene. However, things had to move on. He lightly tapped her across the shoulders. Her eyes twitched a little before she moved her small hands to rub them. ¡°Mn¡­? Huh¡­? Huh?! What?! Where?! Who¡­? What happened?! Mordred?!¡± she suddenly burst up and desperately scanned the scene around her. The confusion and disorientation she was suffering from was understandable; the last thing she should¡¯ve remembered was getting stabbed through the stomach by Regalia¡¯s blade. It was better to have her not know about what happened after fell unconscious. ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything?¡± Mordred asked, of course knowing that she would question him back with¡­ ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she raised one eyebrow. ¡°After all the strangeness that went down in the Labyrinth, it turned out that the culprit behind those phenomena was a strange shadow monster.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Ah, I remember that part¡­¡± Cecilia massaged her eyes trying to recall her most recent memories of that time. ¡°Yeah, that shadow monster attacked us and then you¡­ that¡¯s right! Mordred you were¡­!¡± her eyes widened and quickly shifted back to Mordred¡¯s chest. ¡°You were killed! Wait¡­ what happened? How did you survive?¡± Mordred let out a small smile and shrugged, ¡°I think you may have been a little too hasty in jumping to conclusions. It is true that I suffered a direct attack by that shadow monster, but most of the damage was absorbed by my armour and all that happened to me was a bit of blood spillage. I¡¯m fine now... or at least, that was my initial assessment. That monster''s attack phased through my armour and bit me directly. But look," Mordred took out the pieces of the golden locket Cecilia had given him at the start of the dungeon. "I think it was thanks to this I survived." He smiled back. "Thanks to you." ¡°R- really? Cecilia remained a little unconvinced of it all. The locket was in pieces so the effect shouldn''t have activated, but it was undeniable that Mordred was alive and in front of her. ¡°I seem to recall that you lost quite a bit of blood. The sight of which made me¡­ right, what did happen after that?¡± ¡°That was an amazing power,¡± Mordred complimented. ¡°Your entire body began to glow and become engulfed by some kind of white flame. Your power practically quadrupled and you were able to fight against the shadow monster on equal footing. That part doesn¡¯t seem familiar to you?¡± ¡°No, I mean, I do remember going a little berserk, but everything after that becomes fuzzy,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Ugh, it always ends up like this when I go into that state.¡± ¡°I figured as much. You looked like you didn¡¯t really have proper control over that form and was basically attacking on instinct.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s why I don¡¯t like using that uncontrollable power. So? What happened after I went berserk?¡± ¡°Well, you managed to defeat the monster.¡± ¡°What, just like that?¡± ¡°Yeah, you both continued to slug it out for quite a bit of time and eventually the shadow monster gave out first and that¡¯s how you won. What did you expect? It¡¯s not like you used any sort of strategy. At least, not one I could consciously perceive.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see, so that¡¯s what happened,¡± Cecilia let out a sigh. ¡°Why did we even go to that Labyrinth¡­? Oh, that¡¯s right, we went to retrieve the Crystal Flower. I suppose that¡¯s a bust now too, considering what happened.¡± ¡°Actually, I managed to find it on our way out,¡± Mordred presented a small glowing flower made of glass. It glowed with a soothing blue tint and almost felt as though it was singing. Watching this flower made the soul feel cleaner. Cecilia took a hold of the flower to examine its authenticity. ¡°This really is the Crystal flower we were after. Good job on getting it. Now all that¡¯s left is to return to the capital and hand in the quest.¡± ¡°About that too, actually we¡¯re already here.¡± Cecilia froze. She slowly turned to ask ¡°huh?¡± ¡°You were out for a really long time. No surprise, considering how much you were fighting. While you were out, I managed to carry both you and our luggage back to the capital. You¡¯re actually pretty light for your age.¡± ¡°How did you even¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°Know what? I¡¯m not even going to bother questioning that. Fine, if we¡¯re already here then let¡¯s go turn in our quest. It¡¯s been a long day and I need to drink something.¡± She stood back up and just before they decided to head back, Cecilia whispered under her breath, ¡°thanks.¡± Chapter 43 – The alliance of Xagontetia and Drakenholdt Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 43 ¨C The alliance of Xagontetia and Drakenholdt A puff of grey smoke rose elegantly from an ornate golden pipe, ¡°haa~ this is good stuff,¡± spoke an elderly figure as he gazed out to the vast openness of the mountainous region before him. Though he could technically be described as ¡®elderly¡¯ due to his blanched hair, the impressive structure of his physique dissuaded such thoughts. A large scar ran down through his left eye, though it was not as though his vision was diminished because of it. This man was a ¡®King¡¯. The aureate crown he wore was not a paltry head accessory like all other lords; instead it existed as set of deeply prestigious and functional armour. He wore it with grace and pride. To wear it was the proof of his convictions to lead his countrymen from the front. ¡®Aurendra Sinclair¡¯, the ¡®Golden Dragon King¡¯ stood as an unwavering central pillar to the country of Golden Dragons. North-west from the realm of Xagontetia, there existed a small dominion known as ¡®Drakenholdt¡¯: the country of the Golden Dragons. A miniscule country that held only one city and a handful of small villages spread along the harsh mountain ranges of this continent. Though scant in its populace, Drakenholdt was still a powerful country. What they lacked in quantity, their soldiers more than made up for in strength. Each soldier belonging to a race known as ¡®Ascended Dragons¡¯, was extremely powerful. So much so that a full company of knights would have barely be enough to take one down. The king, ¡®Aurendra¡¯, sat upon his throne, smoking a pipe as he gazed out to his domain. Besides him was a special guest from the neighbouring country of Xagontetia. ¡°Then, Lord Sinclair? Should you sign your seal over this document, the terms of our negotiations will be ratified.¡± The ¡®First Prince of Xagontetia¡¯: ¡®Leon Mil Avis Chrom¡¯, a well-dressed young man barely past his mid-twenties. Compared to the Dragon King, he had been just an infant. Yet, even standing before such a grand figure, his clear blue eyes remained unclouded and unhesitant. He had experience in diplomatic affairs, even going so far as to being nicknamed the ¡®peacemaker¡¯ in his own country. His short blonde hair swayed by the mountainous winds to reveal a refreshing smirk. The prince presented the official looking document before the Dragon King. A document to seal an alliance between their two countries to offer all available military and humanitarian aid during wartime. Of course, with Xagontetia currently at war with the Baliazoural Empire, this kind of negotiation favoured their side more heavily. Aurendra breathed out another puff of smoke as he slowly reached out for the document. At the last minute however, he pulled back. The Dragon King rose from his throne and moved over to the veranda that overlooked the dominion under his protection. ¡°Prince Leon, did you know that about a week ago my son was killed? In Xagontetian territory no less.¡± A bomb was tossed over to the young prince. The air grew thick with tension and silence. ¡°I did not know. You have my condolences,¡± insincere words of sympathy. Of course, this was the ¡®correct¡¯ answer to being told such a heavy bit of information. More than that however, it was obvious to Aurendra that the prince did indeed know of this fact. All his accomplishments as the ¡®peacemaker¡¯ could not be achieved without a solid information network; he must¡¯ve known. Not that it mattered; there was no point in confronting him about this issue.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Well, I say ¡®son¡¯ but he was more of an adopted hostage from the ¡®Crimson Dragon¡¯ clan.¡± ¡°Hostage?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aurendra nodded without turning his gaze away from the veranda¡¯s view. He let out another puff of grey smoke as he lowered the pipe from his mouth. ¡°The violent history of our people is no secret. As I¡¯m sure you would be well aware of, the ¡®Golden Dragon¡¯ clan and the ¡®Crimson Dragon¡¯ clan do not get along. Conflict between our two clans would, and have, lead to catastrophic destruction across this continent.¡± ¡°I am well educated on the strained relationships of the Dragons,¡± nodded the prince. ¡°Then that is to say, to minimize the potential for such ruinous conflicts, both clans have sent ¡®hostages¡¯ to the other. A paradoxical form of ¡®trust¡¯ and ¡®threat¡¯.¡± ¡°Correct. Which is now a problem because that Red Dragon brat was supposed to be my responsibility. If the Crimson Dragon clan finds out about this, and I¡¯m sure they already have, what do you think would happen to the hostage I sent over? Specifically, my ¡®true¡¯ son?¡± Without mincing words, the prince replied, ¡°the most likely answer would be retaliation. Your son would be executed on the spot and the truce between the two clans would burn to ashes.¡± At his daring response, the Dragon King could not hold back a small, wry laughter. He then closed his eyes and tightly clenched his fists until the golden pipe had snapped in two. Just thinking about the fate of his son that was sent over struck chills down his spine. Like his heart would jump out of his chest. Before the conversation could continue, a small knock on the door to the throne room echoed through. ¡°My liege, I bring ill news.¡± A female voice, sturdy and confident yet filled with regret. ¡°Enter.¡± Commanded the Dragon King. The messenger that entered was a heavily armoured knight. The silver plates that once reflected with clarity now scratched and scathed, though not breached. Tanned skin, short brown hair and piercing golden eyes. Upon her forehead were two thick, mighty horns. Her metallic greaves clanged across the floor. The small cloak-like cape fluttered bearing the crest of the Golden Dragon. She approached holding a small cloth parcel that was stained with a deep crimson. She knelt before the Golden Dragon King in knightly fashion. ¡°My liege, I have brought you your son.¡± She presented to the king the bloodstained cloth, still with her face cast down. Aurendra turned to retrieve the parcel. When he unravelled the cloth, he was met with an unpleasant reality. A large ivory horn stained in blood. A familiar piece. Of course, how could the king forget his own son? He let out a sigh and turned to the prince who had watched the scene with no visible change in outwards expression. ¡°The situation has now degraded to this, First Prince. I fear that a war with the Crimson Dragon clan would be inevitable at this point. Are you still so adamant you wish to sign that alliance with us? Knowing that one day your soldiers will be fighting not against enemy knights, but the nigh unstable force of the Crimson Dragons?¡± Aurendra then wiped his thumb across the blood on his son¡¯s violently removed horn. ¡°If you oblige, I shall seal the treaty with the blood of my own son.¡± The prince paused momentarily. Eventually he returned a sympathetic smile, ¡°that is a matter of course. Should the Golden Dragon clan require the aid of my country then I will send everything at my disposal. That is, after all, what this alliance is all about.¡± Chapter 44 – ‘The incident’ Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 44 ¨C ¡®The incident¡¯ ¡°That Yda¡­ three days. Just when does she plan on coming back?¡± Rena let out a sigh as she blankly stared at the eggs frying on the pan, the sides of which were slowly being toasted to a light brown crisp. Whilst in that state of concerned daze, she felt a small tug at the hem of her apron. When she gazed down, a small and cute child looked back up at her with a worried expression. Her small eyebrows furrowed up as though she were about to cry and her tiny hands grasping onto the side of her clothes. ¡°Mommy? Are you okay?¡± her daughter, ¡®Charlotte¡¯, called out in a meek but soothing voice. Unable to resist the urge that was her daughter¡¯s adorableness, Rena crouched down to tightly embrace and rub her face against hers. ¡°Mn¡­ Mommy, it¡¯s hard to breathe,¡± the small girl protested but did not resist. ¡°Hya!¡± it was only when a small portion of searing oil popped out of the frying pan and lightly scathed across Rena¡¯s skin that she finally let go. She quickly turned down the fire to the stove and sighed when she saw the charred remains of what were supposed to be breakfast. ¡°Oh no. I really shouldn¡¯t be so absentminded when cooking. Hmm,¡± she turned back to her small daughter still looking up at her and clinging onto the side of her apron. ¡°Charlotte, do you want to help mommy with the cooking?¡± she asked. Charlotte gave a short nod, ¡°yes! Please let me help!¡± she replied with a hearty smile. ¡°Okay, just stay here for a bit, I¡¯ll try to find something you can use as an apron. Digging through the cupboards, Rena found a large table cloth that could be used as a makeshift apron for her daughter. She crouched back down to tie it around Charlotte¡¯s small waist and nodded with satisfaction at how snuggly it had fit. ¡°Mhm, it looks cute~ now then, Charlotte, could you pass me the salt?¡± ¡°Okay, mommy!¡± she happily ran over to a group bottles with different seasonings written on them. ¡°Mn¡­ sa¡­ salt¡­¡± she tried to read out the label. Before their little mother-daughter ¡®cooking session¡¯ could begin, a loud knock came from the front door. ¡°Hmm? Could it be Yda? Oh, I think Mr. Mordred also said he¡¯d be back around today.¡± Thinking that it was them, Rena moved over to the front door whilst wiping her hand against the apron. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± However, as she was about to open the door for them, it had been violently burst down from its hinges. She fell to the floor on her back, ¡°Kya?! W- what is going on?!¡± A loud ¡®thud¡¯ echoed through the building as dust flew up.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, several hooded figures rushed into the quaint little building. They wore plated leather armour that looked several times more expensive than the general ones used by the city¡¯s mercenaries and even official guards. With their hooded faces, none of their identities could be ascertained- not that she would know any of them even if they weren¡¯t. They each all held weapons in hand or had swords attached to their sides. While their identities were all obscured, the one thing that Rena had immediately recognized were the crests marked upon the left side of their chests. A circle within a circle. The inner circle was surrounded by small lines making it seem like the rays of the sun; a very well-known symbol within Xagontetia. ¡®The church?!¡¯ she shuddered with that thought and started to crawl back. ¡°Mommy?!¡± a voice rushed out of the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. ¡°No Charlotte! Stay away!¡± Rena shouted in vain as her daughter revealed herself to the sinister men. When she tried to protect her daughter, one of the hooded men pinned her against the floor by stepping on her back. ¡°Mommy!¡± her daughter rushed to her but was forcefully picked up midway. A rugged looking older man whose identity was not obscured like the rest. He did not wear the crest of the church either but it was obvious that he was no friend. His skin was slightly tanned and the numerous scars upon his body revealed a history of violence. Rather than a member of the clergy, he looked more like a mercenary- one with a long history in that job too. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Rena protested from the floor. ¡°Please let my daughter go!¡± The older man looked back down at her with a rather sympathetic gaze. With Charlotte still struggling in his hands as he held her like a kitten he crouched down closer to Rena. He shook his head, ¡°haa¡­ I know this must be hard for you; I have a daughter also so I can relate to how it must feel. Personally, I¡¯m not the biggest fan of doing it like this, but there¡¯s no other choice. Unfortunately regarding this matter, you must¡¯ve known that a day like this would come the moment you gave birth to ¡®that¡¯ man¡¯s child, right?¡± ¡°No! Let go! Let my mommy go!¡± Charlotte continued to resist. The older man pulled out a small cloth it gently forced it over her mouth. The small child tried to struggle away from it but the longer the cloth remained over her mouth and nose she became less enthusiastic. Eventually, Charlotte¡¯s movements stopped. ¡°No! What did you do to her?! What did you do to my daughter?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve only put her to sleep. It will be much easier on the both of us that way.¡± The older man gestured to the hooded men to tie her up. Her arms were bound and she was tugged back to her feet. ¡°You¡¯ll be coming too¡­ though, I¡¯m not sure what that damned bishop wants with you.¡± He shooks his head and sighed. Chapter 45 – Shes an alchemic genius Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 45 ¨C She''s an alchemic genius ¡°Then, you go back to the tavern and turn in the quest. I¡¯ll need to see ¡®that bastard¡¯ to report on what happened at the Manatite Forest,¡± said Cecilia as soon as they arrived back at the capital city. The second time around, Mordred only had to show the gate guards the mission request to enter without a search. ¡°That bastard?¡± Mordred asked for clarification. Clearly, she was not talking about Roland with that kind of tone, ¡®or maybe she is?¡¯ her fickle personality made it hard to guess how exactly she treated everyone. ¡°Tch, it¡¯s that retard at the head of the Royal Knight Commission,¡± she shook her head as the thought sent chills down her spine. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t want to meet with that person but apparently that would help in some way? Mordred inquired further with a suggestion, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary at all to report what happened since you¡¯ve already defeated the monster in question. From what I last saw of the Labyrinth, it had returned to its original state¡­ well, at least as far as I understood.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯ll be a lot safer if they do a thorough investigation of it just in case.¡± Even as she pouted her rather soft inner personality shone through. Mordred let out a small chuckle at this and nodded in agreement. ¡°Very well. Please come down to the tavern once you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll split the rewards with you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Haa¡­¡± *** When he arrived back at the tavern, the sight of a young girl immediately caught his attention. It was hard not to notice with that bright white lab coat that was clearly a few sizes too big for her. Large rounded glasses sat on her face, slipping down every few moments as she tried to prop it back up. ¡®Twintailed blonde loli¡­ well, it¡¯s not the strangest nor most cliched thing I¡¯ve seen from this world yet,¡¯ Mordred thought to himself as he observed the girl- almost childlike in her demeanour and atmosphere. Although the dishevelled state of her hair and loose collar made her seem more like a frequently dazed person, those were the types that usually had a lot going on in their heads. She kept muttering to herself inaudibly as she continued to prop back up her ever-slipping glasses with those small hands of hers covered by the long sleeves of her lab coat. Looking at her, it felt as though a childish BGM was playing- specifically in the set of a music box churning out a lullaby. Seeing the Crystal Flower faintly glowing in Mordred¡¯s hands the girl perked up her expression and rushed over. ¡°Gimmie! Gimmie!¡± she shouted out as she raised both hands forward like a child trying to receive candy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is for someone else,¡± Mordred apologized. Well, considering the lab coat, he had gotten a faint idea that perhaps this small child was the requester. However, there was an order to how things should be done and introductions were in order. ¡°I¡¯m the one who requested for that,¡± she points. ¡°Ah, is that so? And who might you be?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± the small child withdrew a few steps. Even she must¡¯ve understood that proper etiquettes were in order. She took out a small bag of coins and presented to him, ¡°this is what you wanted right?¡± Money interested Mordred none. When he shook his head, the small girl thought about it for a moment before arriving at the correct conclusion, ¡°I think Caroline said I should¡­ ah! I¡¯m ¡®Del Granate¡¯, the head of the ¡®Royal Alchemist Commission¡¯. I¡¯m the one who asked for that flower, so please give it to me. I need it for my alchemic experiments.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°The Royal Alchemist Commission?¡± Mordred muttered under his breath, but his thoughts were cut short by the silent stares of the child. ¡°Forgive me,¡± he handed over the flower and took the small sack of coins. With a quick peek, he counted about one gold coin and seventy-five silver coin- only slightly better than air for Mordred. What interested him more than money was what this small child was planning on doing with that flower. ¡°May I know what kind of experiments you¡¯re planning on doing with that flower?¡± The girl peeked up, ¡°Even if I told you, commoners wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Though not a thought that wouldn¡¯t make sense in context- like a nuclear physicist trying to explain his research to a janitor. Mordred insisted, ¡°please try me.¡± ¡°Mm¡­ well, if you¡¯re that curious.¡± As though someone had just switched the girl with someone else, her personality took a complete one-eighty as she began to explain her ¡®theories¡¯ and the results of her ¡®experiments¡¯ to him. ¡°Those ¡®Labyrinths¡¯ are an anomalous area with heavy doses of irregular mana pollution. Just getting close to those places is enough to make a person feel nauseous. Theoretically, that kind of mana isn¡¯t supposed to exist; an irregular type of mana outside the natural ones. Not much official research has gone into it since the war began and the government doesn¡¯t want to spend money on sending soldiers to a Labyrinth for no reason. Anyway, since that mana is so irregular, I thought that if we can extract its essence then it might be possible to develop newer types of magic and spells.¡± She then took out a small note pad from the pockets of her lab coat and presented it to Mordred. ¡°See, I¡¯ve already compiled a list of possible new development of spells and magic that normal magicians can¡¯t use. Even something like a different type of mana potion could be created if we studied this.¡± She then thrust the Crystal Flower to Mordred¡¯s face. ¡°This flower grows at the inner most depths of the Manatite Forest and therefore stores a massive concentration of that ¡®irregular¡¯ labyrinth mana. That¡¯s why I want this, because it¡¯s basically like the crystalized form of that strange mana.¡± Her eyes started to glow as she continued to explain. ¡°Do you get it?¡± These types of explanation only felt like the ramblings of a child going through puberty, but in this world, it was all real. To her question, Mordred nodded, ¡°I understand the gist of what you¡¯re trying to say. If I recall correctly, the monsters within the Manatite Forest were all supposed to be magical constructs of some sort created by the mana. If it was truly possible to recreate that kind of technique, then certainly, I can see vast improvements being made to already existing magical techniques and even emulating what the Forest does. Even new alchemic formulas might not be too farfetched.¡± Though he replied with such an answer it was all basically summaries and inference from what the girl had already said. When the small girl heard his response, her rounded green eyes flared up even more brightly- like she had just found a soulmate or a comrade. ¡°That¡¯s right! You do get it!¡± she smiled so happily. ¡°And then! And then! If we can somehow unlock the secrets of this irregular mana, then we might even be able to understand the essence of ¡®divine magic¡¯!¡± ¡°Divine magic?¡± now that was something that piqued Mordred¡¯s interest by a logarithmic level. The girl nodded, ¡°yeah! There¡¯s a theory going around that these ¡®Labyrinths¡¯ were actually formed by the residue of divine magic. Apparently, long ago there was some kind of war between gods or something, but I¡¯m not really too familiar about that kind of historical stuff. But if we can understand this mana, then maybe we can learn the truth!¡± ¡®A war between gods?¡¯ Mordred wondered to himself, ¡®a worthwhile investigation theme.¡¯ ¡°I see, then I wish you success. Please do inform me when you¡¯ve unlocked its secrets.¡± The small girl suddenly tossed over a small badge. ¡°Hmm? This is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the crest of the Royal Alchemist Commission. If you¡¯re really interested, then drop by sometimes so we can talk more! We can even start an experiment together sometimes! You¡¯ll always be invited.¡± She cheerfully told him as she waved goodbye. Chapter 46 – The Royal Commissions Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 46 ¨C The Royal Commissions ¡°Looked like you were getting awful well with that incomprehensible head of the Royal Alchemist Commission.¡± Once the quest was turned in, Mordred spotted a lonely Roland drinking away with a depressed and reddened expression upon his face. Roland waved to him with his hands still clutching a large jug of what was most likely an alcoholic beverage. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you went for those children-looking types. What are you, a noble or something? Well, actually that might explain your pale skin complexion.¡± ¡°I assure you that I¡¯m normal,¡± Mordred threw up his hands to deflect the accusation. ¡°Speaking of, why is a child the head of the Royal Alchemist Commission?¡± ¡°Hah? Oh¡­ guess you really don¡¯t know,¡± said Roland as he took a large gulp from his jug. He slammed it down upon the wooden table with a loud ¡®clunk¡¯ and began to reveal the truth of that ¡®small child¡¯. ¡°That lass, what was ¡®er name again¡­? ¡®Del Granate¡¯, I think. Though she looks like a child, she¡¯s anything but; she¡¯s turning twenty-eight this year.¡± ¡°Twenty-eight?!¡± even Mordred couldn¡¯t hold in his surprise as his voice spiked. ¡°She¡¯s a decade older than me? How? She looks like an eleven-year-old kid; did she drink some elixir of immortality or something? Or wait, maybe she¡¯s a dwarf?¡± Roland shrugged as he took more deep gulps from his jug. ¡°Nah, that girl is from the ¡®Granate¡¯ family- a human family. I don¡¯t know what happened to her, but maybe it was from one of her experiments or something?¡± ¡°The Granate family?¡± he naturally asked. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ the, um¡­ Granate Duchy, the second most powerful family in this country, right after the Royal Family that is. Well, if we¡¯re talking about power and influence, I suspect they may actually be stronger than the Royals. Y¡¯see, most of their members hold very high military posts. You¡¯ve got ya, generals, colonels and the bunch. Though that girl, Del Granate, was the odd one out and became an alchemist. At least, since she¡¯s managed to become the head of the RAC, the dukedom doesn¡¯t say anything and keeps her.¡± Roland explained before he shook his head. ¡°Argh, enough about that, kid. How about you? How was Cecilia?¡± ¡°The mission was an overall success, although there was a bit of hiccup on the way.¡± ¡°Figures. Haa¡­ what happened?¡± ¡°The Labyrinth was overtaken by a strange shadow creature and became rather distorted. We faced off against Black Dire Wolves on the first floor. The second floor had undetectable traps and the third floor didn¡¯t even have monsters. When we got to the boss room, it was instantly defeated by the shadow monster. We tried to fight it but it was looking hopeless¡­ well, until Cecilia went ¡®berserk¡¯.¡± Roland shook his head. ¡°So, you saw it then. Her ¡®powers¡¯.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°I did. It wasn¡¯t as scary as you made it out to be, or perhaps that was merely because of the controlled situation of it. Even with Cecilia in that state, the fight dragged on for a bit; the shadow monster was just that strong. Eventually, Cecilia won out but was knocked unconscious after that. I managed to find the flower and carry her back to the city.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, if everything worked out then that¡¯s fine.¡± Roland glanced around, ¡°Where is that girl? You didn¡¯t ditch her at some forest or anything, did you? Because if you did, you¡¯re in for a bad time.¡± Mordred shook his head, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. She said she was going to report what happened to a group known as the ¡®Royal Knight Commission¡¯? Actually, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about that as well. What exactly are the Royal Alchemist and Knight Commissions?¡± ¡°Ah, that? Well, in this country- like all countries- there are various factions all vying for power. The two most prominent organizations are the ¡®Royal Knight Commission¡¯ and the ¡®Royal Alchemist Commission¡¯. There¡¯s also the regular Royal Armed Forces that comes in at third place, but they¡¯re much less power hungry. Those two factions, or more specifically, the two heads of those organizations, ¡®Vincent Granate¡¯ and ¡®Del Granate¡¯, are the ones who are completing for power.¡± Mordred tried to interject but Roland already had a clue as to what he wanted to ask. ¡°Yeah, that ¡®Del Granate¡¯, she looks all innocent and everything with that childish body, but don¡¯t be mistaken. She¡¯s just as power hungry as the rest of them.¡± Roland continued, ¡°You see, there is a position close to the king known as the ¡®Royal Guards¡¯. In terms of military ranking, they¡¯re the highest level an organization can achieve. Officially, only the King and the Royal Family has the power to move them.¡± ¡°So then, both factions are trying to gain that position? What about the current Royal Guards?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been stretched a little thin as of late, because of the war and all. The First Princess took a large chunk of them to the frontlines. Ever since then, they¡¯ve all gone missing. Either AWOL or KIA. Probably the latter.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mordred nodded. ¡°Then a new Royal Guard faction must be established and you¡¯re saying the two Royal Commissions are vying for that position.¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Roland said as he took the last gulp of his drink before the jug became empty. He stared down at it with sadness as he tried to order more. ¡°Not that any of this matters.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Even if they gain favour with the Crown, the one who truly holds most of the power in this country is the Church. It¡¯s been that way for a while and there¡¯s not going to be anything to change that either.¡± As the mood became a little heavy, the doors to the tavern suddenly burst open in a familiar fashion. The ironing board figured elf charged up to Roland with a displeased frown. ¡°Just how much did you have?¡± There was no need to answer as Cecilia glanced over to see the dozen empty jugs littered over the table. ¡°Are you serious, old man?¡± To stop their bickering, Mordred passed on the sack of coins he had received from Del. ¡°Here, this is your portion of the rewards.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, this is like everything,¡± Cecilia¡¯s eyes furrowed. ¡°You can take it, I have no need for it. Think of it as my tuition fee for taking care of me.¡± ¡°What? No, are you stupid?¡± Cecilia took out half the coins and plunged it down the side of Mordred¡¯s pockets. ¡°I¡¯m not going to owe anything to anyone. You better take your half! Anyways, we aren¡¯t strangers anymore so don¡¯t go ignoring me when you see me next time, got it?¡± ¡°I understand. Then I should be returning to the inn. It has been a rather long day and I wish to rest for the time being. Thank you, for teaching me. I do hope we can see each other again,¡± Mordred waved back to both Roland and Cecilia as he left the tavern. Chapter 47 – A not so stealthy operation by the church Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 47 ¨C A not so stealthy operation by the church ¡°Tsk,¡± Yda clicked her tongue as she ran around the city. Eventually, even the luck of the ''rat queen'' ran dry and she had been cornered at a dead end. ¡°Oi, oi, stop running around, will you?¡± being cornered by several men all much larger than her and armed, any outside observer may think that something less than wholesome would take place. However, that initial assessment would be mistaken as the ones who were in the right to chase her were the men. ¡°Stealing from nobles is a crime punishable by death,¡± one of the men proclaimed as he stepped closer with his sword drawn. ¡°Hmph! Those nobles are just begging to be stolen from; walking around with their pockets so loose!¡± Yda didn¡¯t even try to defend herself. That said, she did have a plan to try to weasel her way out of this predicament. ¡°What about you guys? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair working for that kind of noble with so little pay? I¡¯m sure even you guys would¡¯ve thought about stealing from him once or twice.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, unlike you, we are not stupid enough to attempt that.¡± ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be like that. How about this? We¡¯ll divvy up the money I stole from that noble amongst us and you let me go. Now, you¡¯ll probably get into a little bit of trouble but on the flip side you¡¯ll get a large bonus,¡± with a snide grin, Yda carefully approached the armed men. She took out a small pouch of coins and placed it in front of them. ¡°What do you say?¡± The armed men each looked to each other for confirmation and nodded. ¡°You stay there,¡± they pointed their swords, however Yda couldn¡¯t afford to wait until they checked. The moment they lowered their guards to look inside the coin pouch she made a mad dash past them. Lured in by the prospect of money, none of them decided to chase after her. ¡°Thanks for your patronage, suckers!¡± she shouted and sneered back at the duped fools. When the men peeked into the pouch all they saw were lousy bronze coins that couldn¡¯t even buy them a cup of coffee. By the time they figured it out and wanted to give chase, Yda had already far escaped their sights. By the time she had finished with her ¡®business¡¯, the sun was about to set. She sat upon a rooftop of an abandoned shop and gazed out to the vibrant city of the sun. She sighed to herself thinking about how stupid she felt for running out of the house after fighting with Rena. This hadn¡¯t been the first occurrence of such an event and in likelihood it was not going to be the last. ¡°I guess, I should return for now before Rena seriously starts to get worried.¡± On her way, she ran into a small ¡®event¡¯. A newly established blacksmith stall had opened in the middle of her home district. The place looked rather shabby with the store sign being half crooked; overall it gave off an amateurish vibe to it. Certainly not the kind of place one would visit to have the tools of their trade made and maintained. People¡¯s lives depended on how sharp the edge of their blade was, so for these kinds of places, presentation was very important. The store owner was a young woman with deep black hair tied up into a rough ponytail. Her skin was rather tan and her complexion was rough. No doubt years of operating a forge and furnace could do that to a person. Her muscular structure was very impressive for a woman. She had bulging muscles around her exposed stomach and arms. Heck, she looked stronger than even some men that Yda knew.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Yet, none of that mattered, because Yda¡¯s main source of revenue wasn¡¯t from Labyrinths or monsters, but from other people. However, the reason why she had halted on her way home was not because she was interested in the blacksmith itself, but due to what was going on there. Several familiar hooded figures surrounded the stall with a very imposing stance. Yda knew who they were, how could she forget? They were the goons sent from the church to bust down local businesses that didn¡¯t ¡®pay up¡¯. ¡°W- what do you people want?!¡± when the hooded men drew their weapons, the blacksmith girl tried to resist. She stood up and took out a sword that had been lying around. It was clear that all her attention went into creating the tool and not much had been spent actually learning how to handle one. Something like that wasn¡¯t a sin; she was still young and would eventually learn¡­ that is if she survived the harassment from the church¡¯s goons. One of the hooded goons stepped forward and easily deflected the blacksmith girl¡¯s sword. It fell to the ground with a distinct clang. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who we are, if you¡¯re going to be setting up a business here then there are a few ¡®rules¡¯ you need to follow. Basically, you need to periodically ¡®pay up¡¯.¡± The hooded man walked to the stall where all the completed products were. ¡°Because if you don¡¯t,¡± he raised his foot and smashed down the stall. The weapons all clanged against the stone floor as they piled up like cheap toys. ¡°We¡¯ll do that. This was just a demonstration. Now we¡¯ll be taking these shitty weapons, but next time you better pay up when we ask to.¡± The blacksmith girl tried to protest but she was knocked over to the side as the hooded men took their weapons. She fell into tears. Having experienced a similar situation, Yda could relate, though not help. Yda wasn¡¯t a fighter so she couldn¡¯t fight off these men to rescue the girl. It was not long after the hooded figures left that a man came. Perhaps an acquaintance of the blacksmith girl. He was a large man, almost three times Yda¡¯s size. No doubt he was from a race of ¡®Titans¡¯. His skin was warm caramel colour, and his hair had been a bleached white. The contours of his muscles were extremely impressive, even compared to other Titan specimen. He gave off the aura of a very proficient warrior, almost wild in a feral sense due to his dishevelled and rugged looks. ¡°Misuzu?! What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know,¡± the blacksmith shook her head, tears in her eyes. ¡°They just¡­ came, took everything and destroyed my shop¡­ what should I do now, Padan?¡± ¡°Who?! Who was it?! I¡¯ll go teach them a lesson and get your stuff back!¡± the Titan announced. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Yda stepped out of the shadows to reveal herself to the two. ¡°They¡¯re members of the church. They go around doing these kinds of things to local businesses. They¡¯ve been doing for a while actually.¡± ¡°The church¡­ no, wait, who are you?¡± asked the Titan. ¡°Does it matter? Well, I told you so do with that information what you will. If you¡¯re going to strike them then I would suggest waiting until Wednesday. That¡¯s usually when the top members gather.¡± Dropping off that info, Yda walked away. Whatever they did was none of her concern, but since they were going to fight against the church she at least felt that she wanted them to win. When she had gotten back to the inn, she noticed something. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± her eyes widened as sweat started to gather at the centre of her palms. A sudden chill ran up her spine. ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± she crept closer only to confirm her fears. The front door of the inn had been violently bust down. She ran into the building only to find that all the furniture had been broken. ¡°Rena! Charlotte!¡± she called out, but the only response was her echo. Immediately she could tell who the ones responsible for this were. ¡°Dammit!¡± She rushed out of the building. Her destination: the cathedral. Chapter 48 – What happened here was a real mess Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 48 ¨C What happened here was a real mess Through her ¡®Dragon¡¯s eye¡¯ technique, Irina watched Yda run out of the building. On her way, she brushed passed her master who had just come back from a mission. She did not acknowledge him, a crime punishable with execution, but she stayed her hand. The desperation and tears in that human¡¯s face was enough remuneration. Her master, ¡®Mordred¡¯, had returned to inspect the condition of the inn. He stood at the centre of the building simply glancing around in every direction assessing the damage. The door had been bust down from its hinges, furniture had been destroyed for no apparent reason and all the draws and cupboard had been ransacked. Irina had seen it all, what had happened to his place. ¡°Irina,¡± her master called for her. Like a phoenix she appeared from a bright flare. Her fiery hair swaying side to side as the sparks died down. She knelt before her master like a knight to her king. ¡°I have answered your summons, my master.¡± ¡°What happened here?¡± something was clearly different. His voice was a little tenser than usual. As tolerant and all-seeing as her master was, this minute change in his tone was enough for her to understand that he had been extremely displeased. When she replied with the same stoic and nonchalant tone, ¡°earlier, a group of hooded men from the church arrived and raided the place. They took both the woman and child,¡± her master¡¯s hand clenched to a fist. At that moment, she realized her mistake. It was something she should¡¯ve thought about beforehand but she had placed too much emphasis on the task her master had given her that she neglected thinking about anything else. This was the place that her master had rested, it should¡¯ve occurred to her that this was now a sacred place, and that if such a temple was destroyed then he would naturally be angered. Her heart started to beat faster and out of control. She felt a shortness of breath. Sweat rolled down the side of her face and her vision became blurred. ¡°What?¡± her master asked in a low and whispered tone. ¡°And you¡¯re telling me that you did nothing to stop them?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°¡­¡± silence was all she could muster up. When Irina glanced back up, she just as quickly averted her gaze in fear. Her body started to tremble at the mistake she had caused. The colour of her face paled, even the words that came out of her mouth were stuttered, ¡°I- I¡­ apologize, my master¡­ I did not think.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± her master spoke to himself as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°In the end, you¡¯re still just a script controlled by an artificial intelligence,¡± he muttered under his breath. She did not truly understand what he meant, but it was more than enough to know that he was disappointed in her actions. The thought that perhaps this failure may lead to him abandoning her griped her heart in even more fear. Her master turned his back on her. He let out a small pulse of his true strength. A depth of power that dwarfed even her own. It sent chills down her spine and she had become disoriented just standing in such a smothering presence. A small child before the mighty universe. She clutched her head as a migraine invaded her thoughts. Yet, what had drained Irina of all colour by far, was when her master had called out the name of another, ¡°Regalia.¡± The shadows beneath his feet swirled and animated to life. A woman clad in a black kimono gracefully bowed at her master¡¯s summons. Irina did not know who this was, but most likely a second servant. She froze in place. The desperation and tear that the human wench showed, for the first time Irina had felt that she understood what it was like. That kind of helplessness and horror. All of a sudden, that human wench seemed so... close. Less disgusting. The new servant glanced to Irina¡¯s direction. Her golden eye shining brightly; laughing, or so it had felt like. She did not truly smile or laugh, but ignored her all the same. Standing beside her master was someone else. ¡°Regalia, I¡¯m sending you ahead to scout out the church.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± responded the woman as she disappeared into the shadows. ¡°Master, I too,¡± Irina tried to offer herself but her master did not even turn his head to greet her. ¡°No, you will stay here.¡± That was all. As she heard her master¡¯s footstep become farther away, she felt the void closing in on her. Frozen in place with that shame kneeling stance, she wondered to herself if she had finally been abandoned. Even if that were the case, she would continue to stay here as her master had ordered. Hoping that one day he would come back. Waiting. ¡°Forgive me¡­ master.¡± Chapter 49 – Confronting the church directly Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 49 ¨C Confronting the church directly Within the world of ¡®Aria¡¯, ¡®religion¡¯ operated on a slightly different set of axioms than the one that Mordred had been familiar with. Rather than having various sectors and organizations claim that their deities were the ¡®true¡¯ one, it was more like a sports team. In this world of fantasy, ¡®Gods¡¯ were real and each country served under their patron deities. ¡®The Church of Xagon¡¯, followers of the Goddess ¡®Xagon¡¯, maintained its role as the state religion of the country of Xagontetia. Named after the praise of their goddess. However, it had been centuries since any of the Gods had revealed themselves before mortals. As such, with the flow of time and no higher being to regulate it, the church and all its executives had fallen into hedonism and greed, plot and conspiracies. Claiming that they were doing the work of their Goddess, the church accrued and inordinate amount of wealth and power. Now, not even the Royal Family or the Granate Duchy could touch them. Night had fallen. With the silver moon high above them as it shone down a pale light, Mordred stood before the large and ornate cathedral. Spanning several dozen metres to the sky, it was a gigantic eyesore to see such decorative trash littered in the middle of the town with such arrogance and pride. This was only one of such five other cathedrals scattered around the capital. He grimaced as he clicked his tongue. ¡°Regalia,¡± he called out to his servant. The shadows around him swirled and animated to live as the figure of a woman formed at his command. ¡°My Lord, I sense that there are no guards outside of the cathedral¡¯s perimeters,¡± she reported. Mordred¡¯s own ¡®intuition¡¯ passive ability also confirmed this fact. He nodded and crept closer to one of the walls. There had been a small balcony from which he could covertly enter to scope out the situation inside. With little effort, Mordred climbed up a smooth vertical surface that stretched for several dozen metres. With the use of a skill known as ¡®silent movement¡¯ any noise he made had been cancelled out for true stealth. Naturally, the balcony doors had been locked shut, but that had not been an obstacle. While ¡®lock picking¡¯ wasn¡¯t a skill that existed in Hellgana, with his high ¡®dexterity¡¯ stat, it was easy to drive a thin piece of metal to unlock the door. He silently manipulated it open and entered the room, the only noise being that of the cold night air as it brushed into the room. Moving past the room connected to the balcony, he came across another door. When he opened it, Mordred was greeted with a large auditorium-like area where the religious services would be held. The line between a place of worship and entertainment had been blurred in this space. His current location was on one of the upper stands, thus he had a clear view of everything that was going on down below. At the middle of the stage were two familiar figures. Rena, while gagged and bound, hung over her unconscious daughter in a protective manner. Surrounding them were several hooded figures. They wore a kind of plated leather armour, ¡®certainly much higher quality than average,¡¯ even from a distance he could scope out the quality of their gear. That said, to Mordred even that kind of equipment was no different from toilet paper. They were all heavily armed and looked to be waiting for something. At the forefront of the stage was a rather pudgy man. He wore baggy religious clothes, all extremely high-quality fabric for what this society could muster. His rounded gut bounced around as he moved across the stage with a loud thud. Upon his flabby double-chinned face was a grin that even sent chills down Mordred¡¯s spine at how abominable it was. He had been waiting for something¡­ someone one.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The doors to the church burst open to reveal a winded figure, ¡®Yda¡¯. Her silhouette moved up and down at the beat of her breaths. Her face was cast down and hidden in shadows, but through them her desperate blue eyes shone forward. She carefully approached the centre of the auditorium as she kept her eyes on the hooded and armed figures besides the pudgy man. ¡°Rena?! Charlotte!¡± she called out. Her voice echoed angrily around the building. ¡°Mmhda!¡± a muffled sound came from the centre of the stage. ¡°Rena!¡± Yda shouted back. ¡°Ah, Yda, how good to see you. I see you¡¯ve been busy sinking your sticky hands all over the place recently,¡± the pudgy man spoke. His voice equally displeasing to listen to as the words vomited from his mouth. Yda sharpened her glare to a point as she growled back, ¡°Midas, you shitty bishop! What the hell are you doing this for?! We still have a bit of time left to pay you the amount you wanted! Why did you kidnap them?!¡± at her raised voice, the hooded soldiers moved forward to intimidate her, but was stopped by the pudgy bishop at the last second. The bishop, ¡®Midas¡¯, shook his head with a dastardly grin. At that moment, his shadows shifted unnaturally, almost as if it were alive. This fact did not escape Mordred¡¯s notice as he summoned, ¡°Regalia¡­¡± ¡°I have noticed it too, my Lord,¡± Regalia appeared in a seiza position from Mordred¡¯s shadows. ¡°The feeling is similar, but I do not sense any kind of life form within his shadows. I am not sure if it is the same kind of existence as I am.¡± ¡®Then could it be an exclusive magic native to this world?¡¯ he thought. However, his speculation was cut short as the bishop began to speak. ¡°Ah, Yda¡­ tsk, tsk, tsk. You see, unfortunately for you, the plan has changed. I mean, it¡¯s not like the money was even necessary to begin with. That kind of stuff was all just for pocket change really,¡± he laughed to himself. Half way though his speaxh, Mordred began to wonder if this man was secretly self-aware at how much of a mob villain he was being. It was like he knew what was going to happen to him and decided to fully embrace his evil role. ¡®Almost admirable if it¡¯s intentional,¡¯ he praised. ¡°Regardless, you are of no more use to me now that things have progressed this far.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­ I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Yda shouted as she moved a few steps forward, only stopped when two of the hooded church soldiers jumped down from the stage to confront her with weapons drawn. The bishop spread his arms in a welcoming manner, ¡°however, I am a venerable being. I shall give you one opportunity to save your dear friends.¡± Yda clicked her tongue, but allowed him to continue. With how by the books his villainy was, Mordred couldn¡¯t think that this was anything more than a trap. ¡°The task is simple enough, even you could do it¡­ or rather, because it¡¯s you it¡¯s possible,¡± the bishop started to explain the task. ¡°You see, there¡¯s going to be a little celebration in two days¡¯ time in the middle of the city square in the commons. The First Prince: Leon Mil Avis Chrom, has apparently successfully signed an alliance with the leader of Drakenholdt. To solidify this new relationship, the Dragon King and the Prince will come down to celebrate at the middle of the city.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± it was too obvious what the bishop wanted. He smiled to reveal his half rotten teeth. ¡°Since you are the ¡®Rat Queen¡¯ of this city, you should be the one most familiar with the layouts. Its vantages and escape routes. If it¡¯s you, then perhaps there is a chance you can ¡®save¡¯ your friends.¡± The bishop took out a small crossbow bolt and tossed it to Yda¡¯s feet. ¡°That¡¯s an enchanted bolt, poisoned too. The task is simple: we need that prince brat out of the picture. It¡¯s just your everyday regicide. If you can manage this then I¡¯ll let the woman and the brat go.¡± Yda crouched down and picked up the small bolt. It churned lightly with some kind of unnerving dark magic. ¡°¡­ fuck you!¡± placing the bolt into her back pocket Yda left the church. "I''m expecting a great spectacle, Yda!" the bishop shouted as his laugh haunted through the cathedral. Chapter 50 - Red Assassins Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 50 - Red Assassins Several dozen wooden carriages tore across the desolate barren and rocky lands of Darkenholdt and entered into the luscious forests of Xagontetian territory. The stampede of horse driven carriages, left behind a destructive dust as they moved, however it was this that gave their locations away- not that a large group of conspicuous carriages were hard to find. It only made it faster for their pursuers to find them. A bestial roar echoed through the skies and valleys as though they were a domed cavern. This kind of feral screech was distinct, not something that left much in the way of imagination. All the hearer had to do was think up of a large flying beast and they would be almost correct. From the centremost carriage, two prominent figures had been on board. ¡°Tch, those crimson bastards have already started to go on the offensive,¡± spoke the first occupant of the carriage, the Dragon King: ¡®Surendra Sinclar¡¯. He shook his head as he gazed out the side. ¡°I did not think that they would disregard territorial borders and come on the offensive so quickly,¡± commented the second occupant, the First Prince of Xagontetia: ¡®Leon Mil Avis Chrom¡¯. ¡°I have to commend their single minded dedication to seeking revenge.¡± ¡°Those whelps aren¡¯t stupid, Prince. They already know that an alliance between Darkenholdt and Xagontetia has been established. That starting a war with us means that Xagontetia would be involved. There¡¯s no need to be considerate when it¡¯s an inevitability that we¡¯ll be enemies. They¡¯ve just skipped several steps before declaring it is all.¡± ¡°It is unfortunate. I had hoped that they would at least stay their blade for a little while longer,¡± the prince shook his head. ¡°Heh, at this point I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it were the crimson bastards themselves that killed off the hostage to instigate this war.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say it like that. It would be horrifying to fight a war against a powerful group so ardently focused on creating destruction.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the reality of it,¡± the Dragon King turned to face the First Prince. ¡°What will you do, Prince? If you disassociate yourselves from us now, it might be possible to salvage a somewhat understanding truce with the Crimson Dragon clan.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The prince did not even have to think for more than a few seconds before he let out a small snicker. ¡°If our choices are between two equally powerful Dragon clans, then I¡¯d rather side with the one I¡¯ve already established an alliance with. It¡¯d be cause for much less trouble that way. Being seen as a backstabber is detrimental to my image after all.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± the Dragon King asked as he opened the doors to the carriage while still moving at high speeds. The Red Dragon pursuers could now be seen as three small silhouettes in the distance. ¡°Then you better pray to your Goddess that you¡¯ve made the ¡®right¡¯ decision.¡± Though a rhetorical statement, the prince answered regardless with a confident smile, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever made ¡®right¡¯ decisions. I am the ¡®peacemaker¡¯ after all.¡± It was one of very rare circumstances that the Dragon King smiled. ¡°You are an interesting one. Very well then, we shall walk the path to hell together.¡± With that exchange the Dragon King leapt out of the carriage. His cape fluttered in the wind to reveal a set of aureate armour, beaming back the light of the sun in a most holy fashion. He raised his hands as though he were praying to a god. Lightning suddenly struck around him several times. When the ashes were cleared a set of heavensent Golden Spears surrounded him. With a grin he picked one of them up. The three Red Dragons were gaining distance very quickly. In just a matter of minutes they would swoop down onto their position. ¡°Lord Sinclair, I shall take care of the assassins.¡± One of his Draconian soldiers flew down from the sky on a set of golden wings. A female warrior had offered her service but the Dragon King stopped her. ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it,¡± with a slightly melancholic expression he continued, ¡°whether it was their ploy or not, that Red Dragon brat was still my responsibility. Because I had been too lax, both he and my son is dead.¡± He gripped tightly around the handle of the spear and stretched out left leg as he winded up an attack. The sight of the Red Dragons were now closer. ¡°You just go inform the Prince that we should forgo breaks and continue riding even after nightfall. The sooner we get to the Xagontetian Capital the better. Even those warmongering Crimson Dragons don¡¯t have so much spare fighting force to assault the capital of a foreign nation so wantonly.¡± Without delay, without hesitation, the Dragon King placed all the strength he could muster into this one attack. The spear started to spark with lightning and with terrifying force he propelled it towards the enemy. The mere pressure and shockwave of the throw was enough to flatten the nearby trees and crater the ground around him. The spear flew at dreadful speeds, almost imperceptible to mortals. It struck with literal deadly precision that it sunk through one of the Red Dragon¡¯s heart and burst out through the other side. The Red Dragon howled in pain as it lost altitude and fell to the forest floor. The grounds quaked when its massive frame tumbled down. ¡°Then¡­ one down, two more to go.¡± Chapter 51 – Convictions for the strong Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 51 ¨C Convictions for the strong Yda¡¯s eyes twitched; she grimaced as she stared down at the single black bolt in her hands. The evil aura emanating around the small ammunition felt as though it could smother and choke her. ¡°With this¡­ in two days¡¯ time,¡± she thought to herself as the image of the bolt piercing through the First Prince¡¯s chest in front of a large gathered crowd haunted her. Something felt as though it were climbing out of her throat. She quickly covered her mouth and turned away, but nothing came out. ¡°Shit¡­!¡± When one thinks about the First Prince of Xagontetita: ¡®Leon Mil Avis Chrom¡¯, the immediate image is that of the ¡®peacemaker¡¯. Throughout these lands ruled and tainted by the greed and lust of nobles, he had been the one person that had been the light for the populace. Of course, no one was so perfect; perhaps he had partaken in some villainy in the shadows, however no one knew about that. Not even the ¡®Rat Queen¡¯ who specialized in information brokering could find any dirt on the First Prince¡¯s actions. As long as he stayed that way, he could be the ¡®light¡¯ of the country. However, Yda didn¡¯t particularly care about such things. Whatever happened to this country, whether it rose or fell, there had only been one thing she had cared about. What scared her the most were the looks that would be on Rena and Charlotte¡¯s faces if they knew what she had done. That single thought alone petrified her. She didn¡¯t want to do it. As she navigated her way through the mostly empty streets of the commons, the strength in her body drained. Started to stagger and eventually found a wall to slide down into a foetal position. ¡°Rena¡­ Charlotte,¡± she called out as with her face buried between her legs. ¡°You have a real pathetic look on your face. It¡¯s especially unbecoming, even for someone who has the nickname ¡®rat¡¯.¡± A voice suddenly called out to her. It wasn¡¯t one she had gotten familiar with but had heard it enough times to memorise who it had belonged to. She meekly glanced up her face to see the same dull armoured man who had previously saved her, ¡®Mordred¡¯ as she remembered his name. His crimson eyes stood out notably in the darkness, almost as though they were glowing. ¡®The devil? Or God?¡¯ this man was an enigma and both descriptions could equally fit. That said she didn¡¯t know him well enough. They had exchanged only brief one-way conversations after all, ¡°what do you want? If you¡¯ve got nothing better to say then get out of my sight.¡± She brushed him off as she waved ¡®shoo¡¯. Yet, the man did not leave and instead crouched down to her eyelevel. He stared directly into her and asked with a voice colder than the night gale that blew past, ¡°aren¡¯t you going to do it? Kill the First Prince, that is.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± she moved her head back. ¡°Where did you¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where or how I knew, my question was simple. Are you or are you not going to do it?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Yda averted her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­ do it.¡± Even she felt that her voice wasn¡¯t convincing, but what other choice did she have? If she didn¡¯t do it then it¡¯d be Rena and Charlotte who¡¯ll end up dead. ¡°To save them¡­ my family, I¡¯ll kill the first prince that everybody loves!¡± she shouted, not even worried anymore that someone might overhear. However, words that could not convince herself could never hope to fool the ears of another. ¡°I don¡¯t think you truly believe that, nor do you have the conviction to do so,¡± the man shook his head, a small smirk upon his face revealed by the shine of the full moon. ¡°In the first place, are you sure this is what you should be doing?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?! Of course, it is!¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Are you sure you haven¡¯t gotten your priorities backwards?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say? Ah, I get it, you¡¯re telling me that I¡¯m just a powerless bug, right? Yes, yeah¡­ if you¡¯ve just here to tease me then fine, whatever. Unlike you, I¡¯m just a weak and useless pest. So, for insects like me, this is the only way I know how to do things. This is the only thing I can do to save the ones important to me. I can¡¯t just waltz back into that church and rescue Rena and Charlotte like some indestructible white knight! Okay?! So just leave me alone! People like¡­ people like you who think everyone can do what you do piss me off the most!¡± ¡°Killing a prince¡­ do you truly have the strength to do it? To drive that bolt straight through his heart? Watch him squirm as he struggles until he expires¡­?¡± He pointed to her hands, ¡°look, you¡¯re shaking even now.¡± Yda clenched her fists, enough only to suppress her fear but not dispel it. She felt angered and insulted by the words and accusation this pompous bastard spoke. She gritted her teeth and stood up to glare him down, ¡°what do you know about me?! You don¡¯t know what I can do! If I say I can do it then I can!¡± Her voice echoed through the empty streets. Probably everyone who had been sleeping had heard her. The man stood back up. He suddenly started to take off the plating off his armour and tossed it aside. Yet, they were not ¡®discarded¡¯, instead they disintegrated into thin air after a few brief seconds. He then summoned a long white overcoat that flapped behind him like a gallant cape. He also donned a blank white mask that he retrieved from nothingness. The aura about him changed significantly. He had been an incomprehensible person before but now more than ever he was like a ghost; an existence that could not be properly perceived, ¡®A phantom¡­¡¯ The man stared back at her with those red eyes through a single eye-slit on the left side of the mask. He directed her eyes as he pointed towards the city¡¯s gates. ¡°It is especially easy to track people¡¯s movements during the dead of night when no one should be active. I¡¯ve not met nor seen the ¡®First Prince¡¯ before, but I do know that there is a powerful being that is quickly approaching this city via carriage. Most likely that presence belongs to the one known as the ¡®Dragon King¡¯. Logically, that would also mean that the First Prince is with him too, now returning to the city after his ¡®success¡¯.¡± Of course, to Yda who could not ¡®see¡¯ what this man claimed he could, she did not quite understand what he was trying to tell her. ¡°What are you even talking about? What do you want from me?¡± He abruptly and forcefully took a hold of her wrist. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± and with his unoccupied hand took out a small red crystal from his pocket. It glimmered dimly through the darkness. Before she even understood what was going on, the world around her flashed into a brilliant bright white. She had been blinded and all she could see was a constant stream of whiteness. Suddenly she felt air rushing past her, she was falling. ¡°Wha!¡± she screamed, blinded and terrified. As she flailed around someone grabbed her and reassured her that she would not die. When the bright light subsided and her vision was regained, she thought she could understand the situation. Her fears came true. She was actually falling from the sky embraced in a bridal carry by the ¡®Phantom¡¯. ¡°What the hell?!¡± she shouted as she clung on tightly. Shut her eyes tightly and braced herself. A few seconds later she heard an earthquake. Not just that, but the screams and shouts of startled horses and men sounded from around her. Weapons and metal clanging across the ground, as though there had been some sort of transport accident. When she peeled her eyes open she was met by a horrific sight of a derailed carriage and people thrown about the place. ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Protect the Prince!¡± she heard voices from the distance rush out to them. Soldiers, several dozens of them all gathered around her and the phantom with their swords drawn. It was dark but she could faintly make out the mark of the ¡®Royal Guard¡¯ emblazoned on their plated armour. They all vigilantly circled around her party as some of the other Royal Guards carrying shields went to mark a certain VIP. There was no mistake, that smooth blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He looked at them with startled expressions, ¡°the First Prince?!¡± she shouted. The Phantom carrying her suddenly dropped her to the floor. She landed on her rear with a ¡®thud¡¯. After that, a small iron shortsword was dropped onto her lap. ¡°You said you had the ¡®conviction¡¯ to go through with it. That this was the only thing you knew how to do. Then show me. Forget two days later, you¡¯ll assassinate the First Prince here and now.¡± Chapter 52 – Attempted Regicide Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 52 ¨C Attempted Regicide -Yda- I stood surrounded at blade point. What the actual hell is wrong with this man?! He suddenly took me; teleported us right into the middle of the First Prince¡¯s Royal Guards! Does he even understand how powerful these people are?! That now we have no means of escape and he¡¯s just signed our death warrants?! He tossed a small iron sword onto my lap. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I involuntarily snapped and shouted back at him. When I looked around, the Royal Guardsmen were all poised to strike us down on command. Everything from the way they handled themselves, how they moved and held their weapons screamed extremely professional. I was not a fighter or warrior by any standard but even I understood to respect the precise level of discipline these men must¡¯ve gone through to stay their hands without so much as a visible shake. ¡°Wait,¡± a voice came from behind the soldiers. It was the First Prince himself! Leon Mil Avis Chrom; the man loved by both the Gods and the people stepped forward to confront us, the would-be assassins. If our roles had been flipped, I would¡¯ve had the ¡®assassins¡¯ taken down in an instant without a chance for negotiation. I suppose that¡¯s what made this man and the rest of us commoners so different. Bravely, he stepped forward. His blonde hair swayed by the night breeze and shining as though he had just gotten out of a bath. He stood before us in his royal garbs, militaristic in style but that kind of presentation commanded charisma and respect. ¡°Before we do anything else, why don¡¯t we have a little chat?¡± he smiled back at us. ¡°What are you doing, Prince?¡± another man entered the conversation. His heavy boots stomped against the dirt as he approached us. There was a particularly elegant and wise presence about him. An elderly figure, though even through his loose robes it was rather noticeable that he hid an impressive physique. His golden eyes flashed at us. I felt as though a sword had smitten through my chest and I was dead. ¡°You waste time talking to assassins.¡± There was no doubt, this elderly man was the all-powerful ¡®Dragon King¡¯. My face paled as sweat rushed profusely down my back. My hands trembled not by the cold but by fear. I instinctively clutched onto the hilt of the iron sword that this phantom gave me. Yet, even past that harrowing white mask, I could tell that he did not feel the same kind of anxiety that I had. Instead, he simply let out an audible sigh as he shook his head. He whispered, ¡°unfortunately, we¡¯re rather strapped for time. There are two more that needs rescue after this,¡± The phantom snapped his fingers. I don¡¯t know what he did but I noticed a faint movement of black shadow swirl around us at incredible speeds. The next thing I knew, all the Royal Guards that were previously trying to contest us were now on the floor with their plated armours busted or breached like toilet paper and heavily bleeding out. They fell to the ground writhing and moaning. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± both the First Prince and the Dragon King were surprised. ¡°This is¡­¡± Were they dead?! Did he just kill them?! With dread, I shrieked back at the sight of such instantaneous and indiscriminate violence. I wanted to get away from here. This man is insane! A psychopath! My attempt at crawling away was impeded when my back hit against something. With shaken resolve, I glanced back. There was a woman dressed neatly in a black oriental dress. She held a blade darker than the night, the edge of which ran down with a thin crimson liquid. ¡°You bastards!¡± a loud and deep voice rang from the distance but almost instantly appeared before us. A large man suited in heavy plated armour rushed at us with a gigantic twohanded axe drawn up. Without hesitation or warning he swung down the lumbering weapon at the phantom. However, even this man was no match. The Phantom simply stopped the axe¡¯s arc with his bare hands and swept the legs of the assailant. The armoured man fell to his back with a ¡®clang¡¯ and briefly exposed himself up for an attack. Phantom did not let this opportunity pass by as he raised his hands and chanted beneath his breath something like, ¡°Flame Pillar.¡± A large inferno stone column appeared in the sky and relentlessly crashed down on the armoured man. With a definite and savage ¡®crash¡¯ the man had been buried. Was he dead too?! Even if he miraculously lived, the intense inferno would surely burn him to cinders! It¡¯d be a surprise if any of these people could survive after all this! ¡°No, Seron!¡± the First Prince shouted out, but there was no response from the man underneath the burning rubble. I averted my gaze. The contents of my lunch wanted to escape through my mouth but I held it in. The First Prince and the Dragon King were left with awestruck expressions on their faces. The two most prominent and powerful figures on this entire continent, now reduced to haplessly stunned logs. However, even they were professionals. Prince Leon knew what he needed to do and took several steps behind the infinitely more powerful Dragon King. Phantom did not let them continue to move. I don¡¯t know when, but he was no longer by my side but suddenly appeared next to the First Prince. He tapped both the Prince and the Dragon King on the shoulders, to which then they immediately fell to their knees. It was like gravity had intensified where they were standing. A bright chain of light burst from the floor and held them in place. ¡°Lord Sinclair!¡± another voice came from above, this time a woman¡¯s. A woman wearing plated leather armour soared down at us from the sky. Attached to her back were large golden wings and two magnificent horns. She wore large knuckler gauntlets used for close range blunt force hits. Unlike before, Phantom did not directly bother to intercept and simply pointed up. The woman behind me, shifted into shadows and rushed at the Draconian warrior. ¡°Shuri!¡± perhaps I had been one of the rare ones to see a flustered expression upon the stoic and aged face of the mighty ¡®Dragon King¡¯. ¡°This power¡­ who are you?¡± he asked Phantom, but even I, who knew his identity, could not properly answer that question.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Phantom didn¡¯t bother with responding and simply looked towards me. All in the span of what could be counted in minutes, the situation had turned completely. We were surrounded and about to meet our doom, but now both the First Prince and the Dragon King were at our mercy. ¡°Now then, you said you had the convictions to go through with it. You want to save Rena and Charlotte, right? It was you yourself that said this was the way you wanted do it.¡± He got me good. I looked down at the sword in my hand. I gulped and gazed back at the still composed blue eyes of the First Prince. I returned the question, ¡°wouldn¡¯t you? If you were like me¡­ powerless. If you were in my shoes, wouldn¡¯t you kill them?¡± Without hesitation, Phantom replied, ¡°No, I would not. This is the least effective way to go about things.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a drained chuckle. ¡°How¡­ how can you say it that quickly? How can you make life or death decisions so instantly? Is it because you¡¯re strong? Because you have the power to take down even the Dragon King and all the Royal Guards? If I had your power, would I also be able to answer without hesitation?¡± However, Phantom shook his head. ¡°It has nothing to do with strength. Even before strength, making decisions all just come down to a simple ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked as I stood back up, still clutching onto the handle of the sword. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand. I could never do what you do. To so boldly make life or death decisions at the drop of a hat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Anyone is certainly capable of it. Even you. Should we try?¡± He then told me, ¡°then, answer with a simple ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯ to these next set of questions. As you listen I want you to hold tightly onto that sword.¡± I didn¡¯t know what he was getting at, but for the time being I did as he told me. ¡°First Question: Do you care about Rena and Charlotte?¡± with that first question I felt my palms and fingers tightening their grip on the handle of the sword. My heart rate started to spike. Was that even a question that needed to be answered? I did so anyway¡­ ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Would you be willing to give your own life to save them?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I felt my previously drained stamina return to me as my heart jumped even more. Breathing with my nose became smothering so I started to take in air through my mouth, ¡°haa¡­ haa¡­¡± my breaths became haggard with an adrenaline rush. ¡°Would you do anything to save them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I answered, this time without hesitation. I think¡­ I think I¡¯m starting to understand a little. ¡°Would you fight against the world for their safety and happiness?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Even if you have to mess up your own life. Even if you must take the lives of innocents. Do you still wish to protect the two?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes¡­ I do!¡± as I answered, there was a strangely liberating sensation. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I opened my eyes. I held no personal hatred for either the First Prince or the Dragon King, but I was going to follow through my convictions even if they or anyone else had to die! Regardless of anyone who has to suffer because of my actions, I would rather the world burn than to see Rena and Charlotte hurt! Before my notice, my body started to move forward and I now stood before the First Prince. Strange, I was merely a commoner but I had the power to decide his life or death. He knelt before me powerlessly and helplessly. I now stood before him with a unwavering determination. Yes. Yes. Yes. I¡¯ll sacrifice everyone for the safety of my family. If it was me now, even this atrocity, I could commit it without a second thought. Like a guillotine my blade slowly raised. I took a deep breath and stared directly into his blank blue eyes. He made no excuses or pleas and simply closed his eyes to accept his fate. The First Prince¡­ he was strong too. My blade was going to kill him¡­ however, something stopped me. ¡°Would Rena and Charlotte be happy if they saw you doing this?¡± Phantom abruptly shifted the question. All of a sudden, the strength and adrenaline gathered in my arms dissipated as I was left a petrified mess. ¡°¡­¡± that question was unfair. ¡°¡­ No,¡± is all I could answer with. ¡°Would Charlotte still smile at you if she knew you were doing this?¡± ¡°¡­ No,¡± my eyes blurred. A warm liquid ran down my cheeks. ¡°Would Rena be able to live a happy life if she knew about this?¡± ¡°¡­ No,¡± nausea gripped my stomach. ¡°If you made an enemy of the world, who would be left to protect them? To call family? Would you be able to protect them from the world?¡± ¡°¡­ Dammit, no¡­¡± ¡°Then, do you truly think that the bishop will stay true to his worlds and let them go if you did this?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Final question: your beliefs and convictions against Rena and Charlotte¡¯s happiness¡­ which one is more important to you? Yours?¡± ¡°¡­ No,¡± the sword in my hand dropped to the floor with a silent and heavy clang. I fell to my knees, tears like an unstoppable torrent. Just what is this?! What did he want me to do?! Now we¡¯re just back to where we started! It was like he read my mind, Phantom replied, ¡°this isn¡¯t where we started. You should now know what needs to be done next. Neither the First Prince nor the world is your enemy.¡± Yes, that¡¯s right. I had always known who the true enemy is but was afraid of my own powerlessness to fight against it. ¡°So then, you¡¯re free to answer however you like for the next question. What is it that you need to do now?¡± ¡°I have to rescue them¡­ I need to save Rena and Charlotte,¡± but I knew I couldn¡¯t do this alone. ¡°Please, help me!¡± He nodded. Phantom started to clap, ¡°congratulations. You have your priorities all straightened out. Oh, but before we go, I think we should fix this.¡± When he snapped his fingers, a burst of light poured from the darkened skies of midnight. It was surreal. The soldiers that had previously been grievously wounded burst back to life as though they were zombies. Even the knight who had been buried under the pile of flaming rubble resurrected with only minor scratches. They had all been on the verge of death, but now it all seemed like a distant joke. ¡°What the¡­?¡± the Prince repeated in surprise. We were all surprised at this godly display. The light shackles that bounded him and the Dragon King were also dispelled. Phantom then turned to Prince Leon, ¡°I do apologize for that bit of drama. I had to teach my companion about learning to set priorities and making proper decisions.¡± Again, without my notice, Phantom appeared beside me. ¡°Regalia,¡± he called out. The shadow woman who had been fighting against the female dragon warrior this entire time also came back. She sunk into his shadows. Phantom then placed his hands on my head as he took out a familiar red crystal. ¡°Because this would otherwise leave a bad taste in my mouth; just this once I will help you.¡± I nodded. However, before we could leave, the First Prince called out, ¡°wait!¡± Phantom¡­ Mordred turned back, ¡°yes?¡± he asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± Mordred thought for a while before he answered with a bow. ¡°I am¡­¡± he trailed off as he looked at me. As if he read his mind, he introduced himself with an alias, ¡°I am ¡®Phantom¡¯. Please do not worry, I¡¯m sure in future you and I will cross paths again.¡± With those parting words, the red crystal activated and we were once more teleported away. Chapter 53 - Charge from the front Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 53 - Charge from the front ¡°Haa¡­ this long-distance teleportation thingy is convenient, but also pretty tiring,¡± commented Yda as she slumped over with haggard breaths. Mordred studied her winded figure; he placed his hands on his chin and thought, ¡®curious, perhaps it was due to my own innate constitution, but I didn¡¯t take into consideration possible stamina drain from using items. Regalia seemed fine with it as well, so I never really noticed.¡¯ After inheriting the carefully attuned super-traits of his game avatar¡¯s body, he could no longer be considered to be on the same level as everyone else. This was a fact that he understood but did not put emphasis into conscious thought until now. ¡®It might be a good idea to stress test my own body sometime down the line.¡¯ From his ¡®Phantom¡¯ attire, he changed back to the same dull plate armour that was more attuned with the aesthetics of this city. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re almost at the church. Didn¡¯t you want to rescue Rena and Charlotte?¡± Mordred asked as he offered a hand. ¡°I definitely do, but give me a moment. I¡¯ll get right back up and knock the lights out of that shitty bishop,¡± Yda replied with a soured expression. However, not wanting to dawdle around in the middle of the street at the dead of night, Mordred took matters into his own hands. He crouched down and lifted her up like a newborn and then slung her entire body over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Even if he didn¡¯t have the constitution of a superhuman, Yda¡¯s frame was not that large, perhaps only reaching about 160cm in height and her weight was rather low for someone her size. ¡°Uwah! Hey! Just what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± she protested. ¡°I can walk by myself!¡± when he ignored her and continued on their way back to the church, she gave up on the thought that he would let her down and changed the request, ¡°at least if you¡¯re going to do it, do it in a bridal carry or something! Not like this!¡± As they arrived at the front gates of the church, another person had been suspiciously probing about. ¡°Ah!¡± Yda shouted out as she seemed to realize who the person in question was. For Mordred, it was the first time he had seen a member of this race, ¡®if I recall correctly, the people around town called them¡­ ¡®Titans¡¯?¡¯ he wondered to himself. A hulking figure that stood almost three metres tall. The moonlight hit his bleached platinum hair to give it a glimmering- almost radioactive- effect that intensified the wild aura about him. The stern glare in his eyes as he scouted out the cathedral was foreboding, almost as if he were about to burst down the gates and charge right in. Mordred thought that with his impressive muscular frame, if he were decked out in full-plate armour then he could serve as a literal tank on the battlefield. Currently he didn¡¯t appear to wear any sort of armour, only tribal-themed clothing with a large brown, woolly coat that came down to his knees. He crossed his hands as he continued to observe, oblivious of Mordred and Yda¡¯s approach. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you that Titan that was with that blacksmith girl before?¡± Yda called out as she climbed off of Mordred.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The Titan glanced to their direction as his expression eased when he noticed that they weren¡¯t enemies. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re that girl who told me about the church.¡± ¡°Yeah, my name¡¯s Yda¡­ I believe yours was, ¡®Padan¡¯? I think the blacksmith called you that.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the Titan, ¡®Padan¡¯, nodded. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Us?¡± Yda¡¯s expression darkened as her lips quivered in anger, ¡°that bastard of a bishop kidnapped my family. We¡¯re here to take them back.¡± ¡°I see,¡± nodded the Titan, then extended a hand, ¡°if that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we join forces to take them down? I know you said that it¡¯d be best if I attacked on Wednesday but I couldn¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. The plan was to hit them up and retrieve some of the stolen goods, so if you¡¯re up for it, come with me.¡± Mordred flashed a discrete grin beneath his helmet as he took the massive hands of the Titan, ¡°that doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea; since our objectives overlap we might as well. Then, please to meet you, I¡¯m ¡®Mordred¡¯: a ¡®Human¡¯.¡± When he introduced himself as such, Yda recoiled with an expression of disbelief. Probably what went through her mind right now was how dubious she was about his claim to being a ¡®human¡¯. ¡°Aye, good lad. I¡¯m going to burst down the gate and then we¡¯ll charge in afterwards to round up those bastards.¡± Yda took some steps back to make room while Mordred simply stood in place with his arms crossed. The Titan contorted his body in sprinting formation as the air and winds gathered around him. A fearsome tension started to boil around the large man as his mouth curled to a smirk and as though he had been possessed by the spirit of an Olympic runner he burst through the gate with an impressive shoulder-charge. The display of destruction was such that it was impossible to tell if the gate was made from wood and metal or just cheese. The front burst open as it splintered but the Titan didn¡¯t stop there and continued with his momentum into the actual halls of the cathedral. A truck smashed through the cathedral, or at least that¡¯s what the impact looked like. The bishop and the hooded soldiers from before didn¡¯t even have time to understand what was going on or who was attacking them before half of them were flattened by the Titan truck. ¡°Tch, useless!¡± the bishop¡¯s eyes widened as he retreated a couple of steps until he noticed two additional figures. One of them he immediately recognized and leaked a smirk, ¡°Heh¡­ Yda, I knew you didn¡¯t have it in you to actually assassinate that First Prince brat. No matter, you and your friends will all die here anyway.¡± He then directed the remaining hooded soldiers to attack the intruders. ¡°Die? Unlikely,¡± Mordred shook his head as he snapped his fingers. Upon doing so, a black shadow rose from beneath his foot and circled around the hooded soldiers. They stood petrified as the shadow coiled around them- like snake smothering its prey. It then sped up like a tornado and the shadows obscured what happened next. The sounds of a metallic weapon scraping across armour and the ¡®thud¡¯ of falling bodies. The shadow collected itself before Mordred ant took a solid form, Regalia. She appeared with her iconic black sword drawn with a thin layer of red running down and dripping onto the sacred floors of the cathedral. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, Yda.¡± Yda nodded as she stood up to the bishop. ¡°That¡¯s fine by me!¡± Chapter 54 - Extracting the truth Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 54 - Extracting the truth ¡°Tsk¡­ oh dear, they truly are just a bunch of useless fools, aren¡¯t they?¡± Bishop Midas commented as he glanced over to the fallen and writhing bodies of his own men. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he retreated his pudgy frame a few steps. His eyes twitched trying desperately to scan around for a way to escape or somehow turn the situation around. To his left was a large and angry Titan that was ready to crush his head in with his bare hand and to the left was the shadow woman put his men to a meat grinder. What made the situation worse was that girl, ¡®Yda¡¯, she strolled up to him as though she meant to do something. As if she had some kind right to stand before and challenge his God given privileges. In the corner of the room was the woman he had kidnapped, ¡®Rena¡¯, embracing the child in her arms, ¡®Charlotte¡¯. He turned over to Yda and thought, ¡®no, maybe I can use this!¡¯ he moved his hands forward and like the strange armoured man, the shadows beneath the Midas¡¯s feet riled up and burst to life like a large wave. It spread itself over the stage, ready to crash upon Yda and use the ensuing chaos to escape. ¡°Hehehe! Die!¡± he shouted, laughing even while his body trembled in fear. ¡°Kyah!¡± the girl shrieked back, using those thin, bony arms to defend herself against the shadow that was about to crash down on her. Yet, of course nothing goes according to his plans. Just moments away from his shadow coming down, the shadow woman moved in front and used that black blade to cut shadows. It was an impossible sight, as if someone had cut the very oceans themselves, the shadows split it two and completely missed the initial target, destroying only the furniture of the cathedral¡¯s hall. ¡°I had been a bit curious about it since before, but it seems your Shadow Fiend is incomplete,¡± the armoured man commented as he jumped onto the stage. His helmet¡¯s visor had been drawn up but due to the darkness of night his identify couldn¡¯t be fully ascertained. The only thing Midas could see were those menacing red eyes that shone through the darkness. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have a solid form, or rather, considering your overwhelming lack of magical talent, I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯re in control of one.¡± The armoured man said something, but Midas couldn¡¯t really understand. He only returned a quizzical gaze and returned the question, ¡°what are you talking about? What the hell is a Shadow Fiend?¡± ¡°Hmm? You don¡¯t even know about the power you¡¯re using?¡± ¡°What, this shadow? Heh, I don¡¯t have to tell you anything,¡± Midas laughed just to taunt the man. ¡°Well, no matter,¡± the armoured man sighed as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll get the answer out of you eventually. For the time being, why don¡¯t you fight like humans?¡± the man directed his gaze at the girl. Yda drew close with an enclosed fist and without even saying anything struck him across the face. So unexpected was that blow, Midas had lost his balance and fell to the floor. He felt a warm liquid ooze down from his nose, accompanied by the taste of iron. ¡°Kuh!¡± he spat out a mouthful of blood. ¡°You think you knaves can get away with this?! You dare raise your hands against the church?! This is treason!¡± Yet, his threats fell on deaf ears. The girl slowly walked up to him and glared down with equal parts pity and condescension, ¡°hmph, whatever. You guys may have ¡®God¡¯ on your side- or at least you claim you do- but,¡± the girl then returned a middle finger, ¡°I have the greatest ¡®Devil¡¯ on mine!¡± ¡°You¡­ you insolent blasphemer! I¡¯ll have you all killed!¡± driven by his rage, Midas tried to stand back to retaliate, however the girl was too quick for him. The moment he tried to throw a punch, she swiftly swept his legs and he plummeted back to the floor face first. ¡°Dammit!¡± he smashed the ground with his fists like a child throwing a tantrum, ¡°you idiots should all be grateful that it was me in the first place!¡± ¡°Don''t you even dare start with that shit! Grateful?!¡± the girl confronted back, ¡°are you retarded?! Who the hell in their right minds would ever be grateful to you for having ruined their lives?!¡± her irritated shouts echoed through the darkened cathedral walls as she ruthlessly stomped on his head with enough force to cause a crack on the wooden stage.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yda¡­ please¡­ stop,¡± from the corner of the room came a meek plea. A blue skinned demoness, pitifully clutching an unconscious child as tears rand down her face. She had enough of the violence and simply wanted it to stop. ¡°Please¡­ no more, I don¡¯t want to see you doing this¡­¡± The girl immediately got off him and turned her head. ¡°Rena!¡± For some reason, Midas had found all of this so amusing. He felt a rush of pain through his stomach as laughter crawled out of his mouth and echoed harrowingly through the messed-up church, ¡°Heh¡­ hehehehe¡­.! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaaa!¡± He moved his fingers and pointed towards the blue skinned demoness. ¡°You¡­ braindead morons,¡± he taunted once more, ¡°you think I¡¯ll just lie here and let you have your perfect ending? You¡¯ve been played right from the start!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Eh?! Charlotte!¡± suddenly, the blue skinned demoness shouted in distress. The child that she had so tightly been holding onto started to dissolve. She rapidly started to lose solid form and eventually faded into a black mass of shadows. The demoness continued to stare at her own powerless hands as she shook her head in disbelief. She trembled. ¡°Charlotte¡­? Charlotte¡­¡± she called out her daughter¡¯s name in vain. ¡°No, no¡­ no, please¡­ where is Charlotte¡­? Where did you take her? Please give her back¡­ she¡¯s the only thing I have left¡­¡± she softly cried. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Yda suddenly turned back to him. She stomped on his face one more time, this time with much more intensity. At this point, pain had already surpassed what his body could handle and everything became numb. He didn¡¯t even mind the pain he couldn¡¯t feel anymore. All he could feel was a chilling laughter crawling out from his throat, ¡°hehehe¡­ you dumb shits, that was just a doll I prepared since the beginning. The real one¡¯s already being taken far away¡­ far, far, far, farrrrrr away¡­ A place that you¡¯ll never see, because come morning and you¡¯ll all be dead.¡± Unable to hold herself back, the girl tried to take her assaults to a lethal level. ¡°Tell. Me. Where. You. Took. Her.¡± When he refused to answer, she had been fully prepared to take his life. However, she had been stopped at the last second. The armoured man stopped her, was it because of moral reasons? ¡°Why are you stopping me?! This bastard¡­ he doesn¡¯t deserve to live!¡± The armoured man shook his head, ¡°if he dies then you won¡¯t get the information out of him. Besides, he¡¯s already so numbed to the pain that he probably won¡¯t talk if you continue with this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± the girl fell to the floor. ¡°Then what are we supposed to do?¡± The man said nothing and suddenly lifted Midas by the collar. He dragged him up high enough that he was now slowly being choked. Midas let out pained coughs as blood trickled down the side of his mouth, yet still he continued to resist, ¡°Keh¡­ do your worst. I won¡¯t talk.¡± The man¡¯s face was still hidden behind shadows but his eyes were filled with murderous intents. No, it wasn¡¯t something as simple as ¡®murderous intents¡¯, it was something much more. The eyes of a being that no longer considered Midas a living being, just¡­ not even a ¡®thing¡¯. He had denied his very right to existence. ¡°I still have some more questions for you, so why don¡¯t you come with me?¡± suddenly the ground below them started to glow with a phantasmal purple light. An unfamiliar magic circle was etched to the floor as some kind of sinister spell activated. Though his sense had dulled, he could still feel something tense within his heart. That something ¡®bad¡¯ was going to happen. He let out a small whimper. Suddenly, everything was surrounded by a deep purple. *** ¡°Huh¡­? Where did they go?¡± Padan who had been silently watching the entire thing play out asked. ¡°I¡­ I remember he used that magic to take me to some place,¡± Yda tried to scramble her brain for the answers. ¡°I think he called it something like a ¡®Hyper gate¡¯? ¡®Dimensional gate¡¯? I¡¯m not too sure.¡± After a few minutes went by the space where Mordred had disappeared with the Bishop suddenly glowed with the same deep purple. The only one who came out of the strange portal was Mordred. ¡°Eh? What happened? Where¡¯s that shitty bishop?¡± Mordred shook his head, ¡°he¡­ ¡®went away¡¯.¡± That was the only response they had gotten. Though everyone had a suspicion of what might have happened they did not question it. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a gist of where they took the girl,¡± hope had returned. He then summoned a small black bird and sent it away through the window. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to teleport there but some additional prerequisites need to be made before we can get going. We¡¯ll be waiting for a bit, but before that,¡± Mordred suddenly walked towards Rena. He crouched down with a sympathetic gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will save your daughter.¡± At his words, Rena¡¯s expression lightened as tears fell down her face once more, this time one of relief. ¡°Thank you¡­ thank you so much¡­¡± ¡°I will definitely save her. However, if we¡¯re going to be risking our lives to do so, I believe we all deserve to know the truth. About why this is all happening. Who Charlotte really is, or more specifically who her father is. Tell me, who is he? Who exactly is ¡®Zhiglov Balia¡¯?¡± Chapter 55 - The truth of Charlotte’s birth Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 55 - The truth of Charlotte¡¯s birth ¡°Zhiglov Balia?!¡± Yda screeched in horror and surprise as she immediately turned to Rena. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re actually talking about ¡®that¡¯ Zhiglov Balia?! When¡­?! How?!¡± From the tone of her voice it seemed to be a rather prominent figure, and not at all a good one. Rena¡¯s face had turned deathly pale, from a seductive ice blue to a pale, paper blue, but more so it was Yda who froze with an expression of shock and terror. ¡°You know who that is?¡± although asking this would likely reveal a lot about his ignorance of this world, Mordred¡¯s first priority was understanding the situation. ¡°Do I know who that is?¡± she parroted his question while her face contorted with disbelief. ¡°How could I possibly not know? Or rather, I don¡¯t understand how you don¡¯t.¡± Mordred replied with a shrug, ¡°there is a complicated situation regarding that. Not something you need to know now, so start explaining.¡± Past the look of dubiousness, she started to honestly illustrate why this person had been so significant. ¡°Err¡­ to put it simply, ¡®Zhiglov Balia¡¯ is the current Emperor of the Baliazoural Empire. You know, the very nation that Xagontetia is at war with?¡± She shook her head, ¡°no, but¡­ how is, why is Charlotte that man¡¯s child? When did that happen?!¡± As all the attention focused on Rena, she began to meekly flap her mouth; teetering on the border of wanting to talk but not wanting to revisit those memories. It was obvious that digging through those memories started to cause her actual, physical pain as she shrieked back in on herself into a foetal position. She buried her head between her knees and shook her head. Quietly letting out pained moans and hiccups. However, for the situation to progress any further this was a necessary evil. Even Yda, who would normally step in to comfort her dearest friend, made no movements. After a few minutes, Rena had calmed down enough to talk. ¡°I¡­ it was shortly after the two caretakers of our orphanage left¡­¡± she began painfully as she clutched onto her clothes. The story had been an extremely distressing one. After their caretakers had disappeared from their orphanage, she and the other children felt that they could no longer stay there. The truth was that with no income it became more and more difficult to maintain and keep everyone fed. Thus, as time went on the children left the place and try to make it through whatever harsh reality waited for them. A lot of the children that left eventually succumbed to the cruelty of reality and perished on the streets of Solaris. Some of them were lucky enough to find some brigand group to join, while others tried their hands at being mercenaries- however, most of them would die by the hands of monsters. Rena and Yda were one of the lasts to stay behind. Yda refused to let go of the place they had called ¡®home¡¯ for so long. However, as time passed, Rena saw the unsustainable nature of their lifestyle and eventually decided to leave as well. At the time, she felt guilty for also leaving Yda alone, but there was no other choice. As part of the ¡®Demon¡¯ race, Rena had slightly higher magical affinity than some of the humans in the city and signed up to become a mercenary. The world was not as kind as she had hoped it would be. She was eight-years-old at the time and although she could utilize basic magical attacks, her usefulness in combat was diminished by the fact that she was severely inexperienced. There was no party that wanted to take on the extra baggage of protecting a kid who could not lift their own weight. All the quests she found were too difficult for a child to do alone. In the first place, it was unsure if the requester would even properly reward a child for completing their mission. Perhaps it had been due to hunger, but she came to the conclusion that if nothing was done, she¡¯d starve. The main problem at the time was her inexperience, so that was the first thing she wanted to fix. By any means necessary she tried to gain this ¡®experience¡¯ in combat. Without even picking up quests, she ran past the city¡¯s gates and rushed into combat against monsters that lurked around in the forest. Suffice it say, it did not go well. Even mere low-level Goblins were extremely dangerous, especially to a child who had not eaten properly in three days and had their concentration hindered. At that time, she had been injured by a Goblin and was about to be taken away. Possibly for food or breeding, it didn¡¯t matter which as she was on the verge of death. However, as she was about to meet her demise, she was saved at the last moment by someone. The person wore a cloak and had their identities obscured, but that person did have one identifier: he had a pendant that symbolized the Church of Xagon. He was a member of the Xagontetian Clergy. He had saved her and even offered her food. Then the man offered her a job that if she accepted then she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food or shelter. Even back then she had never heard many good things about the church but she was out of options. The man who saved her seemed kind enough and the job he described didn¡¯t really seem all that difficult either. Back then, she had completely ignored the possibility that this may have been some sort of trap and immediately accepted. There was no real choice since her other option would¡¯ve been to decline and face death against the monsters in the forest or starve to death on the streets like the other orphans.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. It¡¯s obvious in hindsight now, but it was indeed a trap. The clergyman had secret ties with an underground slavery ring, and just like that all her basic rights were stripped just as fast as the clothes on her back. She was taken to various places and displayed around like a caged animal. It wasn¡¯t just her, there were several more children of similar age and circumstances to her that were tricked into that place. Corrupted nobles and merchants all leered at her with perverse and lustful looks on their faces. She was sold from person to person; passed around like the town bicycle. Beaten, sometimes left to starve, made to sleep in the cold often without clothes or a blanket. She was no longer a person but an object for her ¡®owners¡¯. Eventually, she wondered if she would¡¯ve been happier if she refused back then and was killed by monsters. At least she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this. For the next two years she had spent her life in such misery and torment. As an outlet for violence and lust for horrible men and women. Somehow, she had ended up in the Baliazoural Empire, still as a slave. Her situation never improved, she was still used and sold until she had ended up in the Emperor¡¯s bedroom. The only thing she could recall was the strange birthmark he had, the same one that Charlotte has now: a red cross upon a circle. It is because of this she knew that Charlotte was the Emperor¡¯s daughter. She became pregnant with Charlotte at the age of around ten. After she no longer became useful, she was sent to the dungeon with no hope for freedom. There were many slaves just like her. All of them equally degraded to a lifeless husk. It was there, however, that she met a certain woman. About fourteen or fifteen, her name was ¡®Yurievna¡¯, ¡®Yuri¡¯ for short. During her time in the dungeon it was this young woman that had cared for her, almost like an older sister or mother. They bided their time, suffering in that cramped place until one day an accident occurred. A small fire erupted in that place, which caused all the guards to abandon their post and give the captives an opportunity to escape. There were some slaves that were so broken that they didn¡¯t even budge at the inferno and accepted their fate, Rena was also one of those, but thanks to the efforts of Yuri, she managed to run away. Once the fire was contained, the guards immediately gave chase. A lot of the slaves were caught, some were even killed on the spot. After several months on the run, Yuri and Rena somehow made it close to the Xagontetian borders. They persistently chased after them even for so long. It became obvious that the reason they were hunted down to this degree was because Rena had been carrying the emperor¡¯s illegitimate child. Yet, before they could finally cross the border and find some semblance of freedom, a small complication arose. Rena was about to give birth to Charlotte. With no other choice, Rena and Yuri escaped to a nearby cave. It was there that Charlotte had been born. Since they had stopped for far too long, the pursuers surrounded the area and the possibility of escape seemed impossible. With no other way, Yuri volunteered to turn herself in to serve as a small distraction to give Rena and the now newborn Charlotte to escape. Rena protested against doing that, but Yuri smiled at the end. She gently patted the crying Rena¡¯s head and told her to ¡®never look back and continue running. You have to live, not just for yourself but also this child, right?¡¯ After that, she had somehow passed the border into Xagontetia and lost the pursuers. Even though it was hard to just keep herself alive, she tried her very best for the sake of Charlotte. She resorted to stealing and begging just to get by. Eventually, she met back up with Yda and they settled on getting the orphanage back and turning it into an inn. When the story had finished, a heavy mood had overtaken the place. Yda rushed over and embraced Rena with tears in her eyes. She continuously apologized, saying she ¡°didn¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°Damn those bastards,¡± Padan cursed as he crossed his arms. ¡°but wait, if that¡¯s the story then why have they only just moved in to retrieve the kid? If they were that desperate, they should¡¯ve tried much sooner.¡± Mordred shook his head as he answered, ¡°what are you talking about? It¡¯s not like they¡¯ve been dicking around all this time. Haven¡¯t they tried to invade country for a while now? They probably tried to send spies to locate the kid, but it probably wasn¡¯t progressing all that well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they escalated the situation to war?!¡± Yda shouted back. ¡°Or rather, are you saying that this entire war was caused by Charlotte? But that doesn¡¯t make sense! It¡¯s clear now that the church has had ties with the Empire for a while, so why didn¡¯t the church tell them sooner?¡± Mordred remained silent for a brief moment before answering with a sigh, ¡°this is what the bishop meant by ¡®we should be grateful that it was him¡¯. That guy knew but didn¡¯t sell Charlotte out. He continued to hit you up for cash as to not stir suspicion. After all, nothing is more attention grabbing than a corrupt clergyman doing the right thing. He even went out of his way to destroy other local businesses to cover it up.¡± ¡°But if he tried for so long to keep that kid¡¯s whereabouts a secret, why stop now?¡± Padan asked. ¡°Guilt¡­ or so that¡¯s what he told me when I asked ''nicely''. He said the war cost too many lives and that giving the Empire what they initially wanted, Charlotte, would appease them to cease this war.¡± ¡°So, that means¡­ if we do nothing and let them take the kid to the Empire, the war will stop?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a possibility, but considering what I just heard about the current Emperor, that doesn¡¯t seem likely. He¡¯ll probably intensify the invasion now that there¡¯s nothing to hold him back.¡± At Mordred¡¯s comment, a small silence filled the room. "At this point, it''d be more beneficial for this country to continue hiding Charlotte." ¡°Holy shit, doesn¡¯t that mean the bishop¡¯s actions until now was for the sake of the kid? So he was the good guy all along?! Even with this incident, he only caved in because the war has been progressing for too long¡­ right?¡± a complicated expression invaded Padan¡¯s face. ¡°He chose to sell out a single child, for the lives countless soldiers.¡± ¡°I don''t know if he was telling the truth or not- perhaps he really just wanted the money- but most of the time, there are reasons for why people commit evil.¡± Mordred took a deep breath as he withdrew a small red crystal from his inventory. ¡°But you know, justified or not, everyone must take responsibility for their actions.¡± Chapter 56 – To serve and protect Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 56 ¨C To serve and protect ¡°But you know, justified or not, everyone must take responsibility for their actions.¡± Mordred took out a small, blood coloured gem. It was an item known as a ¡®Teleportation Crystal¡¯ that allowed for instantaneous, long-distance travel. However, as might convenient as such an item would be, there were still several restrictions and limitations. In-game, the distance allowed to travel by the item¡¯s use was limited to only anywhere on the map that the user was in. However, ¡®maps¡¯ were of various size; some areas were battlefields that sprawled on for hundreds of kilometres, while others were only the size of a small town or city. Due to the inconsistent nature of this item¡¯s usage, Mordred had constantly experimented it for the past couple of days. The second limitation was that the teleportation site he wanted to visit must be revealed to the user, either in the form of a scouting summon or a partied player who had direct line of sight to the location. In this case, Mordred had utilized a summoning monster from the ¡®archery¡¯ skill-tree known as a ¡®Surveillance Spectre¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m all set to go, but how do ya plan on getting there?¡± the Titan, ¡®Padan¡¯, asked. His confusion was understandable since Yda was the only person that Mordred revealed this secret and convenient method of transportation to. He flashed the ominously pulsing crimson gem before the Titan to answer his inquiry. ¡°This is how. It¡¯s an item called a ¡®Teleportation Crystal. Well, you can pretty much guess what it¡¯ll do from the name,¡± thus didn¡¯t bother divulging any more information. ¡°Hoo~ Never seen anything like this,¡± Padan crossed his arms and inspected. If he were to become a little more curious, it would¡¯ve been a headache, but as Mordred expected, he was more the type to go along with it and not sweat the minute details. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go then,¡± he shrugged and immediately bought the premise without question. Mordred nodded and prepared to activate the crystal, however as they were about to leave, Yda stepped up. She announced that she also wanted to come along, ¡°take me as well!¡± she shouted. Her shoulders trembled with distilled and suppressed frustration. Her eyes reflected ¡®conviction¡¯ and ¡®resolution¡¯, something that made even the stoic Mordred flash a smirk. However, while it wasn¡¯t difficult to add her to the list of passengers, the problem was leaving Rena alone while she had sunken to an emotionally fragile state. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, not meaning if she was ready to fight and kill, but he pointed to Rena who stared at the ground with a blank look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you want to come, but if you do, who¡¯s going to take care of her? I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s in a stable enough mental condition to go without someone there to watch over her.¡± At his words, Yda glanced back with an expression of guilt. There was no doubt that she wanted nothing more than to stay by Rena¡¯s side at this dark moment, but another thing that clutched at her was the feeling of responsibility. That is, for letting this happen in the first place. Perhaps she thought that if she hadn¡¯t stormed out when Mordred first arrived, then she would¡¯ve been there to protect Rena and Charlotte, but because she wasn¡¯t this mess happened. Mordred could sympathise- if only a little- at the frustration of just sitting back and waiting for the good news. It would¡¯ve made anyone feel powerless and useless.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Yet, it was Rena who answered back, ¡°it¡¯s okay, Yda¡­¡± her voice was weak but had a touch of gentleness. She glanced back and smiled while a single drop of tear slid down the side of her light blue face. ¡°I can take care of myself, so please help them get Charlotte back. I¡¯ll be counting on you,¡± that kind smile was potent enough that even Mordred¡¯s eye twitched at the charm. He glanced over at her one broken horn and grimaced as he remembered the chilling story. ¡°Rena¡­ I, but¡­¡± however, Yda was a little more conflicted. Mordred sighed. He approached Rena and crouched down before her. From his inventory, he took out a small ¡®egg¡¯ shaped object that was silver in colouration, almost as though it were an actual lump of pure silver. The exterior was so pristine and shiny that Rena¡¯s reflection bounced off the side. ¡°Umm¡­ this is?¡± she asked with confusion. The only thing she could ascertain about this was that it looked extremely valuable. A large lump of pure silver like this would often be worth more than a dozen pieces of gold. ¡°It¡¯s known as an ¡®Insignia Gem¡¯,¡± he explained as he took a hold of Rena¡¯s cold hands and placed the item within them. ¡°A powerful relic that will summon a soul-bound servant to the summoner. It will protect you for as long as you live.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Rena¡¯s eyes opened wide. A gem of bright gold twinkled, her hair glittered white through the shine of the pale moon. ¡°I- I couldn¡¯t possibly take something so valuable¡­¡± she tried to return it but Mordred tightly clutched her hands around the item. ¡°It¡¯d leave a bad taste in my mouth if something were to happen while we were away.¡± ¡°But still, something like this¡­¡± she tried to protest but his hands directed her fingers through the item¡¯s activation sequence. By the time she tried to return it, it was already too late. The silver egg glowed with an overflowing silver aura and light. It showered the halls of the hallowed halls of the cathedral in a light more divine than the very goddess it worshiped. The silver gem floated to the air and its light glowed even more intensely, almost blindingly. Simply watching the item activate felt as though one¡¯s soul would be soothed and their sins forgiven. It let out a faint harmonic choir as it started to peel open and reveal a silver essence. The light took the form of a tall and slender man, glowing as brightly as day. It walked up and knelt in knightly fashion before its new master, Rena. Soon, the light around the man started to subside and revealed the true form. Smooth black hair, curved ram horns and a pair of pale silver eyes elegantly hidden behind thin, metal framed glasses. He was more slender than bulky, but it was clear that behind that gracefully worn black butler suit was an impressive physique. There was an air of mystery and foreboding about him that even clutched at the heart of his master. He skilfully moved his white gloved hands to push and adjust his glasses as he introduced himself. ¡°I am the Silver Devil and am most honoured to serve before such an exquisite beauty, my Mistress.¡± Chapter 57 – The ‘right’ choice Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 57 ¨C The ¡®right¡¯ choice ¡°Then, my Mistress, if you would be so kind as to bestow upon me a name, I would be most grateful,¡± asked the summoned Silver Devil servant. Still knelt against the cold floor of the cathedral, he demonstrated his servitude towards his summon. ¡°Eh? A name?¡± Rena look to Mordred for guidance on this matter. Perhaps a queer tradition to the residents of this world who only named beings as babies, so a fully-grown adult with no name would be considered strange indeed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a name?¡± In response, Mordred shrugged back, ¡°you can call him whatever you want. Call him cupcake if you so desire; it really is all up to you as his master.¡± ¡°N- no, I wouldn¡¯t do something like that, it¡¯s just¡­¡± she trailed off in an attempt to come up with a name that would be pleasant to hear and be called. ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about the names of the devil race.¡± She continued to contemplate for a few more moments before meekly speaking up, ¡°then¡­ would the name ¡®Grimal¡¯ be acceptable?¡± The Silver Devil smiled and nodded, ¡°then so shall it be, from hence forth, I will be known as ¡®Grimal¡¯. With this name, my life will be yours to command.¡± Naturally, having been a slave most of her life, the mindset of being a ¡®master¡¯ was not instilled upon her, rather she reacted with modesty and drew back. She gave a complicated smile but ultimately decided to accept her role but tried to lessen the implications, ¡°umm¡­ I¡¯d be happier if we could just be friends.¡± ¡°Of every request, that one in particular must not be granted. I am your servant, first and foremost.¡± ¡°E- eh¡­ is that so?¡± she turned to Mordred who only nodded back. ¡°O- okay¡­ please treat me well, Mr. Grimal.¡± ¡°Grimal, your mistress is tired. Take her back to her home to rest for now,¡± Mordred asked of the Silver Devil who only gazed back at him with mild amusement. The Silver Devil was by no means stupid, quite the opposite. There seemed to be an understanding that even if he went all out, he would never be able to put a dent on Mordred. He stayed his hands and accepted the order from a being not his master. Had it been Irina, it was likely she would¡¯ve backlashed, asking why she would need to follow an order from someone who wasn¡¯t her master. Perhaps this intelligence might have made the Silver Devil the proper choice to summon at the beginning, over Irina who only acted with fervent loyalty. At the time, he prioritized power over intelligence and thus this was the result. That said, Irina was not a bad servant¡­ ¡®if she could learn,¡¯ he thought. ¡°That is only a matter of course,¡± the Silver Devil responded. ¡°If it is to protect the Mistress, then I will do anything and everything.¡± Mordred accepted the reply and turned to Rena with a request of his own. ¡°I do have one request,¡± he asked. ¡°Yes?¡± Rena gazed back, slightly humbled that someone as strong as him would ask something of her. ¡°It¡¯s about Irina,¡± he started. ¡°I¡¯ve left her back at the inn, and perhaps treated her less than respectfully. Knowing that girl¡¯s one-track-mind, she¡¯s probably still there. Understandably, it would be hard for your right now with what you¡¯re going through, but please also look out for her.¡± Rena nodded as though that was an obvious fact, ¡°don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do just that.¡± ¡°Thank you. She¡¯s a lot stronger than she looks, so should anything out of the ordinary happens, ask her for assistance.¡± With that said, Mordred walked over to Padan and Yda. The small red crystal in his hand started to glow, as two red magic circles appeared, one above and one below. They started to converge towards each other and once they did, the teleportation was activated. The three of them disappeared from the cathedral without leaving a hint that they were ever there. *** A certain distance away, the teleportation had succeeded. Mordred, Padan and Yda found themselves at the edge of a forest overlooking an isolated warehouse. This was the place that the transaction of Charlotte over to the envoys of the Baliazoural Empire would take place. Since the time was still at the dead of night- almost midnight- they hand over was most likely going to be the next day.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Mordred summoned more of his ¡®Surveillance Spectres¡¯ to scout the area and get a proper grasp of the situation and location where Charlotte was being kept. The grounds of the warehouse had been littered with mercenaries. ¡®Sometimes the jobs of mercenaries are less than wholesome,¡¯ Roland¡¯s words at that time in the tavern came back to him. This was the reality of it. They were not adventurers who worked for some kind of supervised guild; they were hired swords who did whatever was asked of them by the highest bidder. He felt a sort of sympathy for the people who led this kind of lifestyle but¡­ ¡®justified or not, everyone must take responsibility for their actions,¡¯ he sighed. ¡°Ey? Is something wrong?¡± asked Padan. ¡°No. Just thinking,¡± Mordred shook his head and stood up. The plan was simple. Simple in that it was non-existent and all he had planned was that they would charge into the fray to eventually reach the third floor. He had all the power and confidence in the world to know that this would work perfectly. Yet, as Mordred was about to call the shot and proceed with the rescue mission, he stopped. Like a statue he froze as he looked in the distance of the warehouse. With his shared sight from his Surveillance Spectres he found three people on the third floor of the warehouse. The first was Charlotte, unconscious, she had been placed neatly into a small wooden box with the lid slightly open. The second was a member of the Clergy, most likely there to mediate conditions for the transfer of the girl over to the empire. However, it was the third person¡­ ¡°Shit,¡± he grimaced to himself. A wave of nausea suddenly hit him like a wave he couldn¡¯t swim away from. ¡°Huh? Are you okay? You suddenly went pale,¡± noticing his hesitation, Yda asked. ¡°Come on, we have to quickly rescue Charlotte!¡± Mordred glanced back, and nodded silently. He then turned to Padan, ¡°there are about twenty armed mercenaries on the ground floor. Think you can distract all of them while Yda and I go rescue Charlotte?¡± ¡°Yeah, leave it to me,¡± a large smile stretched over the Titan¡¯s tanned face as he pumped his fists together. He crouched down into sprinting posture and just like before he conjured up the same wind technique he had used before to burst down the gates to the church. There was a fearsome presence about the Titan who could so recklessly charge into the fray of twenty armoured and armed mercenaries with that kind of smile on his face. Yda also prepared herself by revealing the wrist-mounted crossbow stowed under her sleeves. Something like that didn¡¯t seem feasible to be used in battle, but this was a fantasy world. It could be that there were some methods of magically charging up a bolt or something. It honestly didn¡¯t matter. There had been an entire plan for Mordred and Yda to fight their way up to the third floor and gallantly rescue Charlotte from the clutches of the church and mercenaries, but he gave up on that idea. He no longer felt that he wanted go through with that charade. If it was short distance teleportation, he could do it without the aid of an item. He clutched onto Yda¡¯s shoulders and casted the ¡®teleportation¡¯ spell from the ¡®Magician¡¯ skill-tree. Their background instantly changed from the edge of a forest into the interior of a warehouse. There he confronted the two responsible for this kidnapping. ¡°What? Who are you people? What¡¯s going on down there?¡± shouted the man with the symbol of the Xagontetian Clergy tied to his neck. Mordred ignored him and faced the other man. That man also looked back at Mordred with an almost sad and defeated smirk. He let out a small chuckle. ¡°...''Mordred'', I remembered this time, right? Now, I suppose I should say that I¡¯m surprised to see you here¡­ but for some reason I honestly knew you¡¯d be coming.¡± ¡®That voice,¡¯ it was unmistakable. Mordred glared back with his two red eyes at the man who he had recently made friendship with. ¡°Why are you here? Roland.¡± The rugged, older mercenary smiled back as he shrugged. ¡°Work stuff. You know how it is. Oh, but don¡¯t tell Cecilia about this¡­ little ¡®job¡¯ of mine. I get the feeling she¡¯d be way too understanding and try to help out in some way. There ain¡¯t a father in the world who¡¯d want their daughter to be mixed in with shit like this. Even if I¡¯m a heartless bastard like this, that¡¯s the one thing I don¡¯t want.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Roland, you know these people?!¡± the clergyman asked but both Mordred and Roland ignored him. Mordred shook his head, ¡°to be honest, I really don¡¯t want to have to fight you. Cecilia would probably try to kill me if I hurt you in any way.¡± ¡°Yeah, knowing that girl, she¡¯ll probably do the same to me if I hurt you,¡± he laughed it off as a joke, but behind those aging eyes there was no happiness. He had most likely seen this kind of scene so many times that the outcome would have been obvious. ¡°She¡¯s a gentle and kind kid like that, but¡­ well, let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. Anyway, there was this ¡®feeling¡¯ about you, you know? That you were probably more than what you let on. That¡¯s why I kind of knew you¡¯d be coming here.¡± ¡°I should say that I¡¯m honoured, but¡­¡± Mordred trailed off for a moment before offering his hand. ¡°I¡¯m more than willing to overlook this. I don¡¯t care what you did until now, so take my hand. Do the ¡®right¡¯ thing and return the girl.¡± Roland let out another laugh, this time slightly less unhappy sounding. ¡°You¡¯re strong¡­ unfortunately, that¡¯s something I just cannot do. There are complicated ''adult'' reasons, sorry kid.¡± Chapter 58 – The feelings of a father Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 58 ¨C The feelings of a father Cecilia walked through the entrance of a familiar tavern with a sigh. Some members of the Royal Knight Commission had come down to extract a little more information about the situation regarding the Manatite Forest¡¯s irregularity. Since it was part of her civic duties, she did so reluctantly. It had dragged on for a few hours and by the time it had been over the sun had long since set. Exhausted by this, her first thoughts were to head off to bed. However, she decided against it and came down to the tavern for a late-night drink and snacks. Even though it was the dead of night, there were still more than a couple dozen patrons drunkenly shouting and mucking about the place. They argued and talked over each other about stupid and inane things. However, it was by no means a bad kind of atmosphere. ¡°This place sure doesn¡¯t change,¡± she commented to one of the bartenders who brought her usual drink in that iconic wooden jug. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better that way? This kind of liveliness is what represents the heart of the city,¡± the bartender cryptically responded. ¡°When you put it like that, I guess I can¡¯t argue against it¡­¡± Cecilia sighed as she took a mouthful of the drink. Perhaps she had tried to emulate Roland, or maybe it was his habit that rubbed off on her. ¡°That reminds me, where is that old bastard anyway?¡± ¡°Roland? I believe he said something about business in the east,¡± the bartender then remembered something and pulled out a small envelope from behind the counter. ¡°That reminds me, he said to give you this the next time I saw you.¡± He handed the envelope over to a slightly reddened Cecilia. She clumsily opened the paper, almost tearing the note inside and began to read.
Cecilia. It¡¯s a bit awkward to be writing these kinds of letters, but there¡¯s a first for everything, right? How goes you? How have you been? Have you been eating properly? Make sure you don¡¯t neglect your health too much since that¡¯s the most important thing. Though, much to my dissatisfaction, there¡¯s very little to worry when it comes to you since you know how to take good care of yourself. As a father, I kind of hoped to teach you a lot more things, but doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s going to be likely anymore. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll grow up to be a fine woman. I¡¯m just a little envious that I don¡¯t get to be there to see you when that happens. How about a boyfriend? You got any of those recently? I¡¯ve noticed you eyeing some of the boys down at the tavern, but take it from me: a mercenary will make a terrible husband, I mean just look at the kind of bastard I turned out to be. Ah, how about that kid? ¡­ what was his name, ¡®Mordred¡¯? You and he seemed to get along decently well for strangers, maybe with a bit more time you guys will really start to click with each other. The lad¡¯s decent enough and I think he¡¯ll make a good partner if you can just manage to prevent him from dipping too much into the mercenary life. Seriously, don''t choose a mercenary. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That kid is probably hiding a lot of things, but from what I can tell, he¡¯s not a bad one. Now then, why am I writing this? Honestly, it¡¯s not that great of a feeling putting down my thoughts to paper like this. There are so many things that I still wanted to do with you, so many things I wanted to teach and show you, but I guess this is the consequences of my choice career as a mercenary. Life really doesn¡¯t go the way you want it, so take my advice: If you have something you want to do, then just do it without letting anyone hold you back. Time¡¯s going to fly and you¡¯ll likely miss a lot of things, just make sure you don¡¯t regret spending them being drowned by hatred. The key to happiness isn¡¯t its pursuit, but knowing how to avoid the pitfalls of sadness. Sex is also one of life''s happiness. ''Peace¡¯ is the greatest happiness that you¡¯ll certainly be bored of, but be sure to cling onto it and celebrate it. ¡­ I know I should¡¯ve probably talked to you in person regarding this, but then you¡¯d probably stop me. About this most recent job of mine. It¡¯s probably going to be my last. There¡¯s no proof that anything bad will happen, but ¡®intuition¡¯ has always been one of my strongest talents. Of course, since I¡¯m feeling this way, you¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m even still going to go along with it. That¡¯s because of some complicated ¡®adult¡¯ reasons. Maybe I¡¯m really worried about nothing and everything is going to turn out okay. If that¡¯s the case then I¡¯ll give you specific permission to beat me up real good when I return. I already know that you¡¯ve known that these ¡®jobs¡¯ I take aren¡¯t wholesome so I won¡¯t mince words from you. Taking up this latest one has gotten me thinking about family and what it means to raise a daughter. I don¡¯t want you to become like me, and sometimes I think letting you become a mercenary was a mistake in its own right. You and I may not be related by blood, but to me you¡¯ve been a true daughter to me. So, don¡¯t be like me and be sure to grow up into a good person, okay? Be happy. Live a long life. Don¡¯t be afraid. Stay strong and healthy. Eat well. Be kind. Stay safe. Make sure you find the right guy to be your partner. (This part I can''t stress enough. I want to see my grandchildren from heaven, or hell.) Honestly, it has been one hell of a life and that you were there with me for all this time has been one of my greatest joys. I never had a great childhood, but I¡¯d like to believe that my adulthood was the best I could ever have. Writing anymore will just make me repeat myself even more so I¡¯ll stop here. Be good, okay? I love you. ¨C Roland - PS: if there was one thing good about this, it¡¯s the fact that I don¡¯t have to face the reality where I have to bury you. Hey, permit me this one selfish pleasure since I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be returning.
¡°What¡­?¡± Cecilia lowered her arms powerlessly. A warm liquid ran down the side of her face. ¡°Is this some kind of joke? Hey, tell me that this is just a prank and that he¡¯ll burst through that door telling me that I got duped.¡± She begged to the bartender, but all she received was a pained silence. ¡°Where? Where did that old bastard say he was going?!¡± ¡°He told me he was headed for the eastern border of Xagontetia for a job.¡± With that information, she jumped out of her seat and rushed out the door. ¡°You shitty old bastard! If you die, I¡¯ll kill you!" Chapter 59 – For what reason? Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 59 ¨C For what reason? [Gelmire Olsten] Late thirties¡­ edging towards my forties at a morbidly rapid pace. Sometimes when I feel the top of my head there is only skin. My face has lost much of the mid-twenties lustre that was my pride. Now, only wrinkles pile up beneath my eyes. There are far too numerous of occasions in which I would wonder to myself what the purpose of all my actions are. ¡®Will this be my life?¡¯ ¡®Is this really how I lived?¡¯ ¡®Is there something more?¡¯ I, Gelmire Olsten, currently exist as one of the higher echelons of the ¡®Church of Xagon¡¯. Though it formally exists as a religious organization, in truth it is nothing more than a front for a council of villains lead by the elusive ¡®Grand Cardinal¡¯. This was a fact that I understood since long ago and yet there was never a time I tried to distance myself away from it. How could I? A life of opulence and power to those who accepted. For those that did not¡­ well, let¡¯s just say they don¡¯t exist anymore. Of course, it wasn¡¯t always like this. Every villain had to start somewhere, right? When I was younger, I lived in pious priesthood for the church. I truly devoted myself to the service and worship of a long ancient goddess that no one even remembered the face. Even still, during those times I would quietly believe in my heart that my destiny was special. I continued to fool myself into thinking a life of devotion and servitude would bring me closer to the divine and she would miraculously appear before me. I believed¡­ However, that¡¯s not how the story went, now is it? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here. ¡®Here¡¯, with a knife in hand and my country¡¯s neck exposed. Recruited into the inner circle of the church and being taught the true objective of this organization was when everything started to fall apart. The people whom I believed to be my peers in devoted priesthood were nothing more than scoundrels and con-artists and that I would be taken in as the next generation of a long line of villains. Did I accept? Of course, otherwise none of the events of today would¡¯ve transpired. If I didn¡¯t accept this phony lifestyle way back, then perhaps I wouldn¡¯t be lying down right now in a pool of my own blood. I could only gaze up at the torn ceiling of this dilapidated warehouse as the dark clouds formed overhead. The strength in my arms slowly sapped away and I could not feel what existed below my torso¡­ if it even was still attached. So then, what exactly where these ¡®events¡¯ supposed to be? The main objective was to sink the final dagger into the long disease-ridden corpse of this country. The higher tiers of the church, we all knew¡­ ¡®I¡¯ knew from the moment I was accepted into the corrupted inner circle that this nation was slowly on its decline and would eventually fade. Knowing that, the only logical conclusion anyone would make is to abandon ship, or was I wrong?The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There was a young girl, perhaps about eight or so in age. I don¡¯t even know her name¡­ I never really even cared. She was the illegitimate offspring of the neighbouring empire¡¯s ruler. ¡®Zhiglov Balia¡¯, no one could forget that blood-soaked name. All throughout my life, he had long held that title and in that time, several of our other neighbouring territories were wiped off the face of the planet. Either destroyed in its entirety or ground up and spat out into a slave¡­ a ¡®vassal state¡¯. That was the stained legacy of ¡®Zhiglov Balia¡¯. With such an abhorrent figure, our church negotiated a favour. That we would be taken in as allies to the Baliazoural Empire and be given noble status. In exchange, we would sell out everything we possibly could. Anything they wanted we would freely give them: our military logistics, our way of life, we could even conduct covert brainwashing through our churches onto the populace to stir public opinion. All of that dubious exercise and more. However, that blood-soaked emperor only wanted one thing. A girl. Hidden somewhere within this country. His secret offspring. I often wondered to myself why he would even care about such trash. If it was simply the matter of handling an illegitimate bastard then all he had to do was kill it. It wasn¡¯t as though the child would claim the emperor¡¯s throne, at least not with the amount of competition that already existed. It was a question I never thought I would actually get the answer to, but our leader¡­ the ¡®Grand Cardinal¡¯, knew the reason. Though I do not understand the specifics. It apparently had to do with the blood lineage of the emperor. It supposedly had a certain special trait that allowed them to control a powerful artefact. A divine object that had the power to disrupt the balance of power on the entire continent. I never found out what that ¡®artefact¡¯ was exactly, but with a reason like that I could sort of see why he would want to reclaim the child. Dead or alive. ¡®Return the child to the empire¡­ if not, then kill it¡¯, those were my orders from the Grand Cardinal. It was too late now. An unknown party had already reclaimed the child and I was at death¡¯s door. My mission was a failure. I lived a life of indulgence and now I was going to die. At a time like this, I felt genuine fear. The spirituality that I thought was lost from my life suddenly returned to me. I became afraid of facing the consequences of my life. From the moment I accepted the church¡¯s evil¡­ I became that evil. ¡­ I was going to be judged at Xagon¡¯s gate. What would I tell her? What were my excuses? Did I even have a right to make them? I was scared. I didn¡¯t want to die like this¡­ Not like this. My bodily strength left me¡­ but I still had one ace-in-the-hole. This power; the power of the ¡®shadows¡¯ granted to all the higher heads of the church by the Grand Cardinal. With blood and tears, I poured every ounce of power I could squeeze from my dying body and transfused the shadows with my essence. A distilling and distant sense of liberation rushed through my entire being. A freedom I had not felt before. With that excitement¡­ like a conductor, I orchestrated the powers of the shadows imbued with my essence towards the traitor. ¡°Roland!¡± I shouted his name. He gazed at me with open and awe-struck eyes. I leapt towards him and forced the shadows down his throat. That bastard who ruined all my plans tried to stop me but did not act in fear that he would kill the body. ¡­ The next thing that entered my vision was my old and decrepit body lying limp on the floor. Dead with no lower torso and a pool of dark black blood surrounding it. I grimaced at the picture but¡­ ¡°I have this body now,¡± I giggled to myself like a young girl. Faced the insipid knight that wrecked everything and scowled at him with this new body. I pointed in accusation, ¡°Roland is gone, no¡­ not yet, he is still here. But if you want to get rid of me, you¡¯ll have to kill this body too!¡± Chapter 60 – Whatever it takes… Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 60 ¨C Whatever it takes¡­ ¡°You¡¯re definitely strong, kid¡­ unfortunate as it is however, returning the girl is the one thing I cannot afford to do,¡± the old mercenary¡¯s expression grew stern as he let out a depressed sigh. The muscles around his upper torso tensed and his footing stabilized further. Yet, behind that unmoving form, the man¡¯s uncertainty and desperation for someone to stop him was painfully obvious. In his nature and principle, by no means was Roland ¡®evil¡¯; it could be argued that most people never started off harbouring such destructive impulses to their neighbour. ¡°This is just how shitty life really is down at the bottom.¡± Mordred clicked his tongue; a frown, ¡°being a mercenary means to take all sorts of jobs, even if it goes against your own principles¡­ that¡¯s what you taught me.¡± A smirk upon the corner etched its way up the aging mercenary¡¯s mouth, ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± With the shivering scratch of a sword uncovered from its sheath, the old mercenary drew his large iron sword from his waist. Yet that was the only thing he did; he did not poise himself for a fight. This was merely a farce of a demonstration of ¡®determination¡¯. Mordred felt for a moment the man¡¯s eyes grow dim as he continued his speech, ¡°matters of what¡¯s ¡®right¡¯ or ¡®wrong¡¯, only the strong have the leisure to waste time contemplating about such nauseating crap. The best we weaklings can ever think about is how to survive for just a few more days. We expend our lives and strengths just continuing on¡­ never knowing when we¡¯d end up in a ditch with our skulls cracked open.¡± A brief pause; Mordred remained silent. It wasn¡¯t that he was out of rebukes, in fact he could sit there all day and lecture the man about morality. Yet whatever words he threw would only ring hollow. Mordred never spent a day gruelling through hardships. Back then there was always a roof over his head and warm food to eat. Even when he was thrust into this unreasonable fantasy world he was given everything and more. ¡®What right did I have¡­?¡¯ To face a man who had lived his entire life with his face to the ground and tell him that he was wrong¡­ such was not something Mordred could do. That man continued, ¡°when you don¡¯t even know if you will have a roof over your head the next day, there¡¯s simply no time to be thinking about whether your actions are ¡®good¡¯, ¡®bad¡¯ or ¡®screws¡¯ anyone over. If you¡¯ve lived long enough in this world then these kinds of ¡®evil¡¯ is something you¡¯re just going to have to learn to deal with.¡± Roland finally pointed his sword towards Mordred, ¡°you can live with your morality, but don¡¯t tell me what¡¯s ¡®right¡¯ or ¡®wrong¡¯ if you have no idea.¡± The mercenary¡¯s aging eyes were stern. The hawk-like expressions and features of his face became more pronounced as it gave off a strange morbid determination. To his response, Mordred¡¯s only card was ¡®sympathy¡¯. He pointed towards the wooden container that held an unconscious and innocent young girl, ¡°you have a daughter; surely you of all people would understand what it¡¯s like to have that disappear. Will you not reconsider even as an innocent child¡¯s life is on the line?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s life is always on the line. A child, a woman, family or friends¡­ I¡¯ve seen it all, kid. Nothing is sacred.¡± ¡°I know it hurts every time you say something like that. You won¡¯t fool a child, much less me.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I ¡®feel¡¯. It only matters what I ¡®do¡¯. There are powers that be here you couldn¡¯t even fathom that work tirelessly in the background to screw everyone over. The best I can ever do is make sure that at least Cecilia isn¡¯t the one.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I wonder, is it truly that way? Isn¡¯t your work as a mercenary stable enough? What about Cecilia? Your argument is that morality is the leisure of the strong, but isn¡¯t your daughter practically a Demigod?¡± ¡°My occupation is only as stable as the church is willing to let it be. I don¡¯t have to explain that, right?¡± Roland shook his head and continued, ¡°as for Cecilia¡­ she can¡¯t control her emotions, much less her own power. Thus, as long as the church¡¯s tight grip on us remain, I¡¯ll be doing all manner of evil¡­ forever.¡± ¡°Why the bloody hell are you just yammering on?! Roland, you insignificant dolt, remove these fools already!¡± shouted the clergyman beside him in frustration. The old mercenary let out a small chuckle as he tried to delay those orders, ¡°come on Gelmire, do you really think I can defeat a guy who just popped into this place from thin air? Even assuming I somehow found a miraculous way to do that, the Titan rampaging downstairs is almost done and I sure as hell don¡¯t have the confidence to take on such a monster.¡± ¡°Enough! You are to do as your told! The Grand Cardinal doesn¡¯t keep you alive to just stand around like an oaf!¡± Roland sighed as he turned back and lifted his sword back against Mordred, ¡°sorry kid, that¡¯s what it¡¯s like.¡± ¡°Is that it? You¡¯re saying that the only thing which matters is who has the most power? Your only goal is to make sure you don¡¯t tread on their toes and live like a tool?¡± ¡°Something like that. We bow our heads to the ones in charge; that¡¯s the only way for people like me to live. ¡®Good guys¡¯ like you just keep on doing what you do best. That¡¯s really the best for both of us. Don¡¯t worry, this conflict was always going to be inevitable.¡± Not ¡®morality¡¯, but with that one answer it seemed to Mordred that there might be a way out after all. With a sinister grin, he replied, ¡°good guy?¡± a sickly black smog exuded from Mordred¡¯s shadows. ¡°I¡¯ve never said anything about being the ¡®good guy¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ shit.¡± ¡°Roland... I¡¯m not sure what kind of fantasy world you¡¯ve lived in, but have you seen the ¡®strong¡¯ ever doing the ¡®right¡¯ thing?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly because we¡¯re ¡®strong¡¯ that every action we take is free of consequence,¡± as Mordred took a step closer the room began to fill with a noxious sensation. The air grew frigid, the walls rapidly decayed and the floor panels rotted away; [Greater Aura of devastation]. ¡°And it¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re ¡®weak¡¯ that you should do the ¡®right¡¯ thing. You need to garner all that sympathy from like-minds just to survive like the cockroaches you are.¡± His large red eyes stunned all in the room in cold, icy fear. ¡°Kid¡­¡± Mordred¡¯s next step did not result in further encroachment but somehow ended up behind the mercenary father. At that moment, the clergyman who haughtily and furious barked orders fell to the floor as he suddenly had his lower torso liberated from the rest of his body. He didn¡¯t even peep a sound for he never realized what struck and kill him. ¡°What¡­?¡± Mordred¡¯s sword flashed as a certain red liquid dropped down the edge. It pooled at the ground with a harrowing ¡®plop¡¯. ¡°How about a deal, Roland? From the truly ¡®strong¡¯ to the ¡®weak¡¯. This will be the only way you and your daughter will live. Forget the church, I¡¯m the real devil here.¡± ¡°¡­ Haha... are you... are you serious? This is... this is no longer a matter of being ''strong''...¡± ¡°Any minute now those bastards from the empire will come to collect Charlotte as their ¡®prize¡¯. So you just sit tight and let me demonstrate to you exactly how ¡®strong¡¯ I am.¡± The building trembled as if bowing to Mordred¡¯s magnificently malicious aura. The roof suddenly tore asudner like a piece of paper. A gigantic gauntlet breeched through and revealed an unfathomably sized armoured colossus painted in glorious bright white and blue; [Puppeteer¡¯s Ultimate Technique: Colossus Knight Marionette]. A piercing blue gaze stared down at them through its helmet like a god looking down ants. ¡°Peel your eyes open real wide, because I¡¯ll drill it into your head that no shitty ¡®church¡¯ can hold a candle to my ¡®evil¡¯. After that, if you still want to live, then you¡¯ll do as ¡®I¡¯ say.¡± Chapter 61 – The Right Hand of the Imperium Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 61 ¨C The Right Hand of the Imperium On the lower southern corner of the world existed an aggressively expansionist empire. The ¡®Baliazoural Empire¡¯, a state led by the warmongering ruler known as the ¡®Blood Emperor¡¯. This relatively young nation who spanned a brief history of only about three hundred years amongst other civilization that existed for millennia, had conquered half of the known southern hemisphere. The credits for such feats of militarism could be claimed by the exceptional talents of the ¡®elites¡¯ of Baliazoural military society. Only a minority- albeit a treasured one- were posted in non-military offices; most of the aristocracy were raised as either warriors and commanders. Tempered from an early age, they were all taught that the ¡®glory of battle¡¯ was the pinnacle of one¡¯s existence. ¡®War¡¯ replaced their religion. Having burgeoned to such a glorified history of conquest, there were no shortages of volunteers who sought that honour of battle. Countless thousands stepped up to the stage intending to continue their empire¡¯s warpath. The larger empire harboured many military factions, of them existed one prominently established as the ¡®Right Hand of the Imperium¡¯. A deathly competent corps under the direction of an entity known as the ¡®Lord General¡¯, subordinate only to the Emperor himself. As a rather eccentric person, the Lord General¡¯s hobby included overseeing the training of low ranking foot-soldiers and new recruits. He watched and partook in their exercises with the same gaze a parent might show to their child. ¡°Lord Ilyich! Prepare yourself!¡± shouted one such foot-soldier. He charged with the determination of a straight-flying arrow. He raised his sword to strike. ¡®Calling out to an opponent on the battlefield is folly,¡¯ thought the Lord General as he tensed up his body to accept the trainee¡¯s attack. He liked to think even fresh recruits weren¡¯t stupid enough to so obtusely charge in without thought. ¡®If that¡¯s the case,¡¯ he scanned his gaze behind him. ¡®Ah¡­ indeed,¡¯ he smirked as he understood the recruits¡¯ intentions. The moment the trainee¡¯s sword clashed with the Lord General¡¯s sword¡¯s hilt, another soldier appeared immediately behind to continue the attack. ¡®The first was diversion, the second is the real attacker,¡¯ with the leisure to see through their intent, the Lord General had merely to shift his body slightly to the side to get into the perfect position to catch the attacker¡¯s blade with his gloved hand. As a follow up, the he promptly swept the legs of the sneaky attacker to floor him and then moved his focus back to the first soldier. A sturdy push with his sword and kick to the stomach decommissioned both trainees. The Lord General sheathed his sword but still gave applause to the trainees¡¯ interesting strategy, ¡°a rather crafty approach but not at all bad and could prove practical on the battlefield.¡± The Lord General personally prided practicality over ¡®glory¡¯ or ¡®honour¡¯ on the battlefield. These kinds of tactics were some of his favourite. ¡°However, screaming so loudly to grab my attention only betrays your true intents. Try to go with a subtler approach next time.¡± ¡°Y- yes! Thank you very much!¡± the first soldier bowed with a large grin across his face. ¡°As for you,¡± his eyes turned back to the second soldier, ¡°your footwork was silent enough, however your failure was a lack of a follow up. Even when your partner¡¯s intention was known, if you had prepared a second blade, perhaps a dagger, then you could¡¯ve continued the assault. Then when you are countered, your partner is in a more suitable position to attack while you held my attention.¡± ¡°I see! Thank you, Lord General, this has been an eye-opening experience!¡± The Lord General nodded, ¡°yes, yes, learning is a valuable part of becoming a first-rate soldier. Continue on your practice!¡± As the Lord General returned to the sidelines to watch the trainees carry on, a female soldier ran up to him. She bowed and started off with an apology, ¡°Lord General Ilyich, I¡¯m sorry for disrupting your free time, but the Emperor has requested for your presence.¡± ¡°All right, then tell him I¡¯ll be at the imperial castle shortly.¡± * * * The Imperial Castle of the Baliazoural Empire was a marvel of architecture. Built into a small mountain, it impressed everyone with its complex winding structures and a marvellous subdued sanguine mist that could be observed from a distance.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The Blood Emperor: ¡®Zhiglov Balia¡¯, was often seen on the upper terrace overlooking the capital. An open garden located rather high beside the mountain¡¯s peak, the spectacle of the city below would regularly be obscured by clouds, but far from souring the sight, it only added to the atmosphere. Balancing on top of the marble railing of the dangerously high terrace was a mischievous child. Looking no older than ten or possibly eleven, he laughed merrily as he balanced and traced around the garden. The maid servants tried desperately stop him, often fainting and drenched with sweat when they saw him nearly tip over. Lord General Ilyich entered the terrace with a slightly more dignified appearance than the garbs he wore while overseeing training. He preferred lighter armour, opting mostly for dark coloured, leather armour with added steel plating on top. That said, the one piece of impractical article of clothing was his short, regal-looking red cloak that bore the imperial house¡¯s signet: a dark red ¡®x¡¯ with a smaller circle at the centre. This, he had worn as an obligation. He knelt as he approached the terrace¡¯s centre towards the mischievous child, ¡°as you summoned, I have arrived, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± He kept his head lowered until reprimanded by the child. ¡°Ehh¡­¡± the child made a sour face as he pouted, ¡°you¡¯re as stiff as always, Lord General Ilyich. You can just talk like normal, you know?¡± ¡°Even if you say, this is how I normally talk,¡± Ilyich raised his head. The child smirked down upon him through his mysterious heterochromatic stare of blue and orange. There was an unidentifiable aura about the child that made those around him feel intimidated though veteran warriors could easily sit through unhindered. The child wore nothing that dignified his title of ¡®Blood Emperor¡¯; a small noble child¡¯s clothing: a white button-up shirt with black shorts and leather boots. A small short sword tied to his waist that bore the imperial crest. He wore an odd set of steel chest plate and steel gauntlet as if a child pretending to be a soldier. However, the most eye-catching detail was the small pendant around his neck: a small black iron cross with a ruby embedded into the centre. It was about the size of a child¡¯s hand and was said to be the origin design of the imperial house¡¯s signet. ¡°Well, whatever. Anyway, thanks for coming Ilyich!¡± laughed the ¡®Blood Emperor¡¯ in a childish tone. The child clasped his hands together in an apologetic manner, ¡°actually, you know~ I feel reeeaallly sorry for doing this, because I know you were supposed to be on break, but there¡¯s something I can only trust you to do.¡± ¡°Whatever your Imperial Majesty commands, I shall happily get it done.¡± Though upon the Lord General¡¯s face was the same stoic expression, having the complete trust of the Emperor was a compliment other people would kill over. He felt a little happy about it. ¡°Really?! Thanks! I knew I could count on you!¡± the child let out a sigh of relief, ¡°I was worried you might say no.¡± ¡°Please perish the thoughts.¡± ¡°Okay, so, let¡¯s see~ You know how the other generals are constantly whining about how I don¡¯t invade Xagontetia even though we totally could wreck them in like a week?¡± ¡°Certainly. I would be lying to suggest I wasn¡¯t slightly curious myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I really want others to know. Since there are no shortages of those in the empire who want my position, I have to cover all my tracks, right? Anyway, there¡¯s a certain ¡®package¡¯ that I need you to retrieve from those scum at the Xagontetian Church. You see, I can¡¯t really invade that shitty bumpkin country without first getting back that package.¡± ¡°I understand. Would it be okay for me to ask what form this ¡®package¡¯ takes?¡± several theories ran through the Lord General¡¯s head. ¡®Something significant enough to stop the Emperor from invading a country,¡¯ there were only a few such things that came to mind. ¡°Obviously, otherwise, how can you get the package?¡± the childish emperor awkwardly sat and gathered himself from the terrace¡¯s railing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ ummm, a bit embarrassing. It¡¯s an illegitimate child of mine. It ran away when it was still in its mother¡¯s stomach, but I heard it was still alive and negotiated with the Xagontetian Church to get it back.¡± Suddenly, the air around the child grew sinister; hard to breathe, tense even for the veteran Lord General who had personally seen frontline battle countless times. The maids in the terrace had fallen unconscious long ago so they could not hear any of their conversation. Even some of the flowers of the garden started to wilt. ¡°Leaving such a dangerous thing alone, without checking whether it¡¯s alive or not¡­ would not do, right? And I can¡¯t really trust those Xagontetian scum to carry out an assassination. So, I want you to go as my eyes and check on it. Bring it back alive if you can, otherwise make definite sure it¡¯s dead, okay?¡± ¡°If I may, is there a way to distinguish your child?¡± The child raised his shirt and exposed his chest. On the left side, above where his heart should be was a distinct birthmark. An ¡®x¡¯ with a small circle in the middle; not at all dissimilar from the imperial house¡¯s crest. ¡°It should have a mark like this somewhere on its body.¡± Lord General Ilyich nodded, ¡°I understand. I shall carry out this assignment swiftly.¡± ¡°Thank you~ Ah! But don''t take over thirty or so soldiers, because I want this to remain covert operation. Don¡¯t worry about your other subordinates, I¡¯ll get¡­ er, what was her name? Sasha? I¡¯ll get your secretary to come up with a reasonable excuse for your absence.¡± ¡°Of course. Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s will be done.¡± Chapter 62 – The strength of Evil Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 62 ¨C The Strength of Evil Mordred wrapped his fingers around the thin handle of his broadsword. The nightmarish crimson liquid slid down the edge of his blade as it gathered to a sanguine pool beside his feet. With every drop, a dark sensation of disgust and repulsion slithered down his back like a corrosive electric shock. It wasn¡¯t the first time he took a life in this world although it was the first time he did it for his own personal reason and with actual ¡®hands-on¡¯ experience. He tossed the sword to the wayside for it to suddenly disintegrate into dust- an animation that played when ¡®un-equipping¡¯ items in game. He shook his head after a brief glance at the fresh ¡®corpse¡¯ of the man who stood in his way. His mind was blank; strangely he felt nothing about the deed outside of his blade sawing against raw flesh and bone. The only point of contention in his mind was the distasteful imagery. There was no adrenaline rush, no remorse and no regret. It was like fitting into a shoe that matched his size perfectly. After a few extra seconds of contemplation, he decided to ignore the issue of morality for the moment. The priority was still with Charlotte; he stepped forward and gently picked up the light and small body of the sleeping child. There was a sour look on her face, sometimes she would murmur, ¡®mother¡­¡¯ but overall unharmed. ¡°Yda, please come here,¡± Mordred beckoned in a reflective voice. ¡°Ah! Right,¡± she snapped ack to reality. For anyone, it would¡¯ve been a struggle to keep their eyes off the daunting colossus looming over head. Even for Mordred it was the first time he had seen it outside of a screen. Impressive as it may have been, it still wasn¡¯t the time for that. She trotted over to Mordred who passed the unconscious child onto her. At that moment, the Titan who had been rampaging downstairs, Padan rushed up the stairs in a miniature earthquake from his massive frame. ¡°Oi, guys! What¡¯s up with that gigantic thing?!¡± he shouted in half excitement and terror. The silence he met as he reached the top of the stairs gave some answers left even more questions. The situation carried on with little attention to the Titan Warrior¡¯s query. ¡°Padan you¡¯re here, good. I want you and Yda to take Charlotte and leave. I¡¯ll follow behind shortly after I¡¯ve sorted out the mess here.¡± There was no room in his voice for discussion. This was the decision he had reached and everyone follow it. The metallic colossus gazed down at the tiny figure like ants in the room as if to enforce that decision. ¡°Ah¡­ right,¡± nodded the confused Titan warrior. ¡°Then tell me all about it when you¡¯re back, okay?¡± ¡°Umm, are you¡­ I mean, nevermind. You got this, right? Promise you¡¯ll come back,¡± Yda hesitantly agreed and quickly fled the scene with the Titan in tow. ¡°Heh~ haaahaha¡­ god dammit kid, you¡¯ve really put a cork in everyone¡¯s plans. The Church¡¯s, the Empire¡¯s¡­ even mine,¡± the elderly mercenary finally raised his voice with a dry chuckle. He struggled his way over to a small crate to take a seat. He let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. The situation had crawled to an impossible impasse. ¡°The Church will never let this slide you know?¡± Mordred understood- he was half counting on that fact to progress his next plans. ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed with a small scowl beneath his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t really care. We¡¯re doing what I want, no excuses.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve borked everything up for me,¡± Roland shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve no more options left but to see this through. Seriously kid, just who the hell are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just like you, a ¡®Human¡¯.¡± ¡°So you say, but,¡± he pointed towards the Colossus, ¡°that is not something ¡®Humans¡¯ can do. Look, if you don¡¯t want to tell me that¡¯s fine too.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°How can you be so sure? Have you tried summoning a ¡®Colossus Knight Marionette¡¯? Jokes aside, I assure you, I really am ¡®just¡¯ another Human¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± ¡°Anyway, the Empire¡¯s lapdogs are bound to come this way to collect their ¡®prize¡¯. All I need you to do is kick back and keep an eye wide open. But don¡¯t blink; it will be over quite quickly.¡± As if on cue, a large yet somehow slender man appeared in dark cloud of smoke. His armour was not much different from the type Mordred wore, leather with plate metal attached. Although, the difference was that Mordred¡¯s was made deliberately to imitate low level equipment, while this man¡¯s was a top-of-the-line product. A small red cloak came down from his shoulders with a tangentially familiar crest upon it. The man wore a hood that obscured finer details of his face and overall identity. ¡®The Baliazoural Secret Service?¡¯ Mordred wondered to himself. For sure, it would¡¯ve been unlikely for the Empire to send low ranking delivery men to pick up something as important as Charlotte. The hooded man gazed back at him and then towards the blatantly intrusive metal colossus that loomed ominously overhead. Although he seemed to be acting independently, the presence of about thirty other members hidden behind the shadows could not escape Mordred¡¯s keen senses. To him, with the ¡®intuition¡¯ ability, even in this curtain called night, the invisible opposition were as if they stood out in bright daylight. ¡°Where is the package?¡± asked the hooded envoy. His voice was a deep and authoritative. More fit to be some kind of war general than a delivery boy. The distinct air of prominence and professionalism all embodied and sharpened this fact. It was as though he stood before an accomplished world champion boxer. However, as Mordred was now, something of this level amounted only to slight amusement as he watched the enemy act with the belief of superiority. Was it his armour? Mordred¡¯s shoddy-looking, scratched up armour was specifically for such deceptive purposes. Though he couldn¡¯t help feeling the enemy¡¯s lack of focus on him as the true threat to be anything more than disappointing. ¡°There is none,¡± Roland dismissed, making a ¡®shooing¡¯ motion with his hand. ¡°Are your eyes just for show? Can¡¯t you see the person responsible for whatever nefarious exchange you guys organized is dead?¡± He pointed towards the deceased clergyman, ¡°now get lost.¡± ¡°Hm, unfortunately that won¡¯t do. We all have a job that needs to be accomplished, you see¡­ if the package isn¡¯t here then I¡¯ll need you to tell me the location of where it went.¡± The hooded envoy, with his arms behind him walked forward in a superior manner. Matching the tune of his stride, several robbed figures appeared from black smoke to surround Mordred and Roland. They wielded dangerous weapons: swords, axes, bows and staffs. Yet, in place of the metallic blades were crimson crystals in the shape of those blades. They pulsed with ominous bloodlust; ready to dig in to the fervour of battle. One word from the bemused mouth of the old mercenary, ¡°nah.¡± The enemy poised themselves for the signal to attack. They pointed their swords, wounded up their bows and prepared magical attacks. ¡°Good answer,¡± Mordred raised his own hand and snapped his fingers like a magician performing a trick. The Colossus that had remained dormant until now echoed the creaking of hulking metal. Much nimbler than anyone¡¯s expected, the Colossus slammed its gargantuan fist onto the building, obliterating everything on impact. The robbed figures were no push overs and slithered their way out of the destruction with their finesse and trained acrobatics. However, this was only the opening move. A purple mist rushed into the area and a bright purple magic circle carved onto the floor. The gravitational force from the magic circle dragged the enemy to the floor and glued them there like a fly trapped in spider web. The extra force also made it difficult to breathe, most likely even for Roland stood in the sidelines watching with unblinking and wide eyes. [Art of Ultimate Alchemy: ''Hyperdimensional Gate¡¯] Caught in the fray, the true effects of the purple magic circle activated before any of the robbed figures could do anything. Before they knew it, all but Roland and the commanding enemy officer disappeared into the void. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± both Roland and the enemy commander asked. Their answer came a few seconds later. Mordred returned from the purple void alone. ¡°What did you¡­?¡± Roland was about to ask but was interrupted by Mordred. ¡°Just a second.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± A horrific image; it rained bodies. The scared and torn corpses of the enemy dropped from the sky like grotesque rain and smashed onto the floor with a morbid ¡®squish¡¯. All of them dead; swatted away like flies. ¡°Oh dear, your soldiers seemed to have met with an ¡®unfortunate accident¡¯,¡± Mordred commented with a light chuckle. Eyes of ghastly red shimmering through the gaps of his helmet¡¯s visor. Chapter 63 – The only way out is through ‘death’ Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 63 ¨C The only way out is through ¡®death¡¯ The Lord General, ¡®Ilyich¡¯ stood silently staring down death. Grasped by the daunting frigidity of the night¡¯s cruel breeze, a dry shiver ran down his spine. ¡®Fear¡¯, or an emotion very similar to it. It was an oddly nostalgic sensation; one he had not felt since the times he had just been another no-named soldier on the front lines for the Empire. He was a war general. Yet, as one who commanded such a prestigious title, he now stood unnerved. Repulsion trying to crawl out of his throat. He tried his best not to let those emotions reflect on his face, but he could anyone truly stay calm in this situation? Under his command- his responsibility- he had thrown away the lives of thirty people. A haunted midnight with the devil. He had to believe their deaths were justified by the fact that they discovered the existence of a truly terrifying monster. Better they lost 30 and prepared for the future than to have stayed blind and lost countless more due to their ignorance. ¡®Tsk,¡¯ still, the sight of these people shredded up like torn garbage was a truly repulsive one. Ilyich neither turned away nor made a sour face. With dignity and reverence for the dead he lightly pulled down the edge of his hood and offered a silent thought. As a ¡®War General¡¯ he had already sent countless soldiers to their deaths, this was no different. A nerve of steel was required for this post. The Lord General locked eyes with the monster behind the massacre. Was it a cruel joke? What he saw wasn¡¯t some impossibly huge dragon or demonic god, but a plain knight in shoddy, ill-maintained armour. The identity of this knight was a mystery; the only feature he could properly establish through the gaps of his visor were a pair of unique red eyes gleaming through. They were reasonably rare enough trait that could serve as a noteworthy starting point to a search once this was over. Ilyich furthered his observation with a few steps to the side, ¡®his body type is too average to be a worthy point of reference. Nothing else to go by¡­ perhaps his mannerism?¡¯ The stance of the knight was not at all professional; if he had to be more specific, it was as though an actor was pretending to be a knight. Another point of note was the fact the knight chose this look to go with. If the opponent was that strong then he could¡¯ve easily made enough money to purchase higher value equipment. He didn¡¯t, which meant that he was deliberately trying to keep a low profile. Perhaps, or rather most definitely, this meant that even the kingdom of Xagontetia did not know about this person¡¯s power. They would¡¯ve used it as leverage in the war a long time ago if that had been the case. Even the church specified nothing about this man. ¡°How about a deal?¡± the Lord General spoke up. It was a guaranteed impossibility to leave this situation alive should it come to a direct confrontation. However, a negotiation might be possible. ¡°A deal?¡± intrigued, his smothering killing intent lifted for the time being. Ilyich nodded, ¡°I say ¡®deal¡¯, but it would be more apt to call it an ¡®establishment of goodwill¡¯. The Baliazoural Empire is willing to cease all attempts to recover the package in exchange for your cooperation.¡± The knight thought for a moment before asking for clarification, ¡°if I were to refuse? There¡¯s very little you guys can do to stop me. No matter what you try, it will just end in miserable failure.¡± The Lord General let out a small chuckle. ¡°Indeed, that seems likely. Which is why I called it an ¡®establishment of goodwill¡¯. The Empire is willing to sanction, even endorse, all your actions. We can also provide support if you wish for it. Going as far as stopping this entire war would not be out of questions should you agree.¡± While Ilyich¡¯s proposal was far more blemished and overhyped, this was a system that the Empire currently adopted. Known as the ¡®sanction of privateers¡¯; while it wasn¡¯t an official state of alliance, the Empire would grant various levels of sanctuary and support to corsairs and other such outlaws so long as they did not stand in direct conflict of the Empire¡¯s interests. Doing this helped harass enemy forces, such as trade ships, transport cargo, etc, without losing a single soldier on the Empire¡¯s end.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Hmm,¡± the knight reacted positively with a curious sentiment. ¡°Ending the war and having the confidence of an entire Empire behind me. It sounds like a good offer.¡± It would be of benefit to us both, especially for you.¡± ¡°Right, although I must ask one thing.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You think I¡¯d believe an errand-boy like you has the power to promise me something on that scale?¡± Ilyich was at a loss for words. That he was here to retrieve a package was greatly overshadowed by the meeting of a godlike being. He had almost forgotten. ¡°Ah, my apologies for not introducing myself sooner.¡± The Lord General lowered his hood to reveal his face. An aged yet sturdy face. Scars of battle that proved his story hidden behind his clothes only showing the tip at the base of his neck. Where he lacked for youthful vigour, he made up for with an aura of wisdom and professionalism. ¡°I am the Lord General, Ilyich,¡± he bowed. ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°The Lord General?!¡± it was the man behind the knight that spoke up. His eyes widened but soon calmed down, probably having realized the importance of the ¡®package¡¯. It was odd for someone of the Lord General¡¯s post to come down as an ¡®errand-boy¡¯, but not at all unreasonable. ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the ¡®Right Hand¡¯?¡± Ilyich nodded. Yet, the knight did not show the same level of enthusiasm or acknowledgement. ¡°Hm,¡± the knight nodded, ¡°Lord General, is it? It certainly appears to be a prominent position. Guess I should¡¯ve figured out from your high-class equipment you were someone important. I apologize for my doubting you.¡± ¡°I do not mind.¡± ¡°That said, as good as your offer is, I cannot accept.¡± ¡°¡­ is that so? A shame,¡± Ilyich drew his sword from his waist. A feeble last attempt; he knew best himself that it was just the last resort. It was the same as the others¡¯, an ornate sword with the metallic blade replaced by a jagged sanguine crystal; a ¡®Magic Sword¡¯. Since the offer was refused, there was no way out of this except through death. ¡°At the very least, could you explain why you refused?¡± The sword pointed towards the knight. The knight responded by raising three fingers. ¡°Three reasons. The first reason is simple: I don¡¯t need an Empire behind me. Or rather, I think this ¡®story¡¯ might be more enjoyable for the Empire to continue playing the antagonistic role.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and the second?¡± The knight responded not verbally but with actions. He snapped his fingers audibly. As he did an unnatural swirl of a dark vortex opened beneath his feet. A corruptive influence of magical energy spread out and consumed the area, making it like a swamp- hard to move. Then Ilyich felt a knife sharp- blood lust aim straight for his heart. With his sheer determination he broke free from the bondage of oppression to move a few inches. He had managed to just avoid a fatal gust of black winds in the shape of dark blades. However, that was not enough in the end. The dark influences were spread all over. Evasion was impossible in this position. A cold voice whispered into his ears. The gentle yet malicious whisper of a woman. ¡°The second reason is because you dared to point your blade towards my master.¡± Following those words was a jab from his back. He felt an ice cold edge sink into his back and protrude out from his chest. Unimaginable pain climbed and spread through his body. He instantly fell to his knees. The black sword remained lodged through his body, mere inches away from his vulnerable heart. He didn¡¯t realize when, but the knight appeared before him and crouched to his level. ¡°Listen carefully now,¡± spoke the knight as he touched the tip of the blade with his finger. He slowly moved the blade towards his heart. It ran through his flesh like a hot knife through butter. ¡°The final reason may seem trivial to you, but it is the most important one. It is because the actions of your country have caused a great deal of distress to my friends. Don¡¯t misunderstand, I won¡¯t say your actions were wrong¡­ just unfortunate it had to drag me into it.¡± The knight¡¯s words drew the curtains for the Lord General¡¯s life. His finger manipulated the black blade through his heart. There was no pain; it had been numbed long ago. ¡°¡­¡± blood filled Ilyich lungs and climbed out from his throat. ¡°Guh¡­¡± blood gushed from his mouth and smeared across the knight¡¯s helmet. ¡°It was a pity. Had we met under more favourable circumstances, I would¡¯ve genuinely liked to hear some of your stories.¡± Chapter 64 – A silence in the dark ocean Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 64 ¨C A silence in the dark ocean Mordred did not know, but he could guess. That for the first time in years, possibly decades, there was an air of liberation and uncertainty about Roland. ¡°So that¡¯s it then; it¡¯s all over, huh?¡± the aged mercenary staggered forward. Those heavy boots crunched across the debris of the devastated warehouse with a semblance of pride. Even Mordred could feel those steps as it tread over the broken pieces of a dark future. It was a future dictated by the corrupted whims of a treacherous church, but now no more. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve said from the beginning,¡± Mordred shrugged with a hint of happiness in himself. He couldn¡¯t help but feel good for his first friend of this world. Perhaps too many people had to die to come to this conclusion, but those involved must¡¯ve understood that they had to take responsibility for their actions sooner or later. For now, it was a joyous occasion. ¡°Huh¡­ it¡­ oh,¡± Roland¡¯s mouth trembled as it struggled to find the words that would aptly describe his feelings. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ all over.¡± Mordred let out a genuine smirk, one free from malicious intent. Yet such fleeting happiness lasted only those few seconds. ¡°It most certainly is not all over!¡± a whiny voice screeched. Suddenly from the deceased body of the clergyman leapt out a shadow. ¡°Guh!¡± it wrapped itself over Roland¡¯s head to forcefully slither down his throat. ¡°Ahahaaahah! You goddamned fools! This isn¡¯t the end! I won¡¯t die like this!¡± ¡°Roland?!¡± Mordred teleported to the mercenary¡¯s aid. It was only a momentary distraction. His ¡®intuition¡¯ skill failed to activate. This shadow was not alive, nor was it hostile to Mordred himself. It couldn¡¯t have warned him. ¡°Shit!¡± he tried to tear away at the shadow. A handful burst into dust but the majority sank into the back of Roland¡¯s throat. ¡°Roland!¡± he called out to his friend but there was no answer other than a tortured cough. Roland¡¯s face contorted into an ugly smile. ¡°Heh¡­ hehehe! Yes! I have this body now,¡± he giggled like a crazed schoolgirl as he hugged himself. His eyes locked onto Mordred through his visor. ¡°Roland is gone, no¡­ not yet, he is still here. But if you want to get rid of me, you¡¯ll have to kill this body too! Ahahahahah!¡± ¡°Tsk, this disgusting little shit. Regalia!¡± he summoned. A tall woman clad in a black kimono appeared behind him. ¡°Yes, my liege?¡± ¡°That shadow is the same as you, right?¡± ¡°I believe so, however I feel it is incomplete. As though the original had torn itself and spread across multiple masters.¡± ¡°Forget about that for now. What kind of ability did it just use? It¡¯s taken over his body.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Regalia could not answer. ¡°Forgive me, however, to my knowledge there should be no such skill. At the very least, it is not one that the shadow itself consciously used. If I had to guess, it is the soul. The soul of that priest somehow infused itself with the power of Shadow Fiends and slithered into that man¡¯s body.¡± Mordred clenched his fists. He grabbed a hold of Roland¡¯s shirt and pulled him up to the air with little effort. ¡°You think you¡¯re funny?¡± ¡°Kehehee! I actually do~ come on~ hit me! Kill me!¡± [Siphoning Grasp]. It was a Necromancer skill that drained a portion of the target¡¯s health and placed them into a ¡®weakened¡¯ state. Mordred dropped Roland¡¯s body as it fell into a limp stupor. It crawled on the ground, laughing and struggling in clear pain.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I¡¯m not Yda. Don¡¯t think the same tricks would work on me.¡± Without hesitation, he drew the sword from his waist and pierced it through the mercenary¡¯s large back. Like cutting through a sponge the sword slid right through the heart. ¡°Guh¡­! You¡­ you! Don¡¯t you care what happens to him?! You¡¯re heartless!¡± Using Roland¡¯s body, the shadow stared back teary eyed. Fear written all over his face. Mordred¡¯s only response was a stomp to the bottom pommel of the sword to nail it in. ¡°Just die.¡± ¡°Bas¡­ tard¡­ No! I don¡¯t¡­ somebody, help!¡± unable to escape from its second death, both Roland and the revolting priest, ¡®Gelmire¡¯, expired on the spot. Silence once more covered the night. ¡°Was that truly okay, my liege?¡± Regalia asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mordred tossed his sword away and prepared a new spell. [Holy Art: Resurrection]. Not quite on the level of an ¡®ultimate¡¯ skill, but this spell was a close second for the Cleric class. A bright golden magic circle glimmered across below Mordred and Roland¡¯s corpse. A temporary day cast over the midnight sky as the sun¡¯s rays queerly leaked in to create an odd atmosphere of dark blue and bright gold. From the parted clouds a heavenly figure of a woman dressed in white silk descended. Six angelic wings to her back and a warm, motherly smile. ¡°What is¡­¡± Regalia wanted to ask but shut herself up as to not interfere. The holy entity landed and embraced Mordred from behind¡­ ¡­ and a sudden darkness. * * * A black sea. Echoing in the waters were whispers of the damned spirits. They begged and cried for the salvation that would never answer them. It was this place he had to be. Mordred did not naturally know it, nor was it even stated in the lore of his game. However, he ¡®knew¡¯ it. This black ocean was the border between the living and the dead. This was reality. The ¡®Resurrection¡¯ skill in the game operated with the press of a button when behind a screen, but it was an understandable change. The targeted fallen player would be given one minute to accept the resurrection. In the same way, it was likely that Mordred¡¯s time here was limited. With a brief exploration into this border world, Roland¡¯s spirit was easily found drifting on the black currents of darkness. Gelmire¡¯s soul also screamed as it tried to reach out for Mordred. A swift kick to its head let it drift deeper into the darkness. Mordred swam to Roland and grabbed his arm. ¡°Roland!¡± he shouted for him. ¡°What¡­ is going on?¡± Roland asked unenthusiastically. ¡°Where am I?¡± his voice echoed as if he was speaking from in a cave and not submerged underwater. ¡°That priest took over your body,¡± Mordred explained. ¡°The only way to separate you was to kill you and resurrect you afterwards. This is the boundary between life and death, so any further and you¡¯ll never be able to come back.¡± Mordred tugged to drag him back to the living, yet he resisted. ¡°Kid, wait,¡± Roland stopped him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If you don¡¯t hurry, you won¡¯t be able to return.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t?¡± Mordred glanced behind. There was a dark shadow, somehow still visible in this void. It corrupted through Roland¡¯s body like a parasite or a creeping burn. ¡°That shitty priest is annoyingly persistent,¡± he swam down and tried to tear off the shadows. His normal powers didn¡¯t work, most probably since this was only a metaphysical world. ¡°No, it¡¯s not him, not Gelmire¡­¡± replied Roland weakly. His face crunched in an uncomfortable grimace, he continued to explain, ¡°that¡¯s someone else¡­¡± ¡°Someone else? Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but you should leave. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°If I leave now, I¡¯ll only be back a few hours later once Cecilia finds out.¡± Yet, his time to act was cut short. The angelic presence reappeared behind Mordred and began to pull him out. ¡°Wait!¡± he protested, but the angel shook her head. It was warning him that staying any further would also consume Mordred to the land of the dead. He fought against her regardless, unfortunately in this world he held no real power. ¡°Roland!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, kid,¡± Roland reached out one last time. ¡°Take care of Cecilia for me¡­ please.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± * * * The ocean of black disappeared. Yet nothing was accomplished. The angel sadly shook her head and gently embraced Mordred into her chest. Whether this figure was truly sentient was not known. In the game when the ¡®resurrection¡¯ spell was cast this angel would also appear and bless the dead to bring them back to the living. Eventually, the holy figure ascended back to the heavens, leaving Mordred stuck in cruel reality. He silently looked down. Roland was still dead. Light-headed, all the strength in his body left him as he became numb. Yet something did happen. An existence close to Regalia¡¯s appeared from Roland¡¯s corpse. Shrouded by a haze its identity could not be ascertained, but its voice was immediately memorable. A deep, reverberating evil echoed from its mouth, ¡°you¡¯ve done well to ruin everything.¡± Mordred lifelessly tilted his head up to see who it was. ¡°¡­ The hell are you supposed to be?¡± ¡°I am, of course, the orchestrator. They call me the ¡®Grand Cardinal¡¯.¡± Chapter 65 – The Will of the World Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 65 ¨C The Will of the World ¡°I am, of course, the orchestrator. They call me the ¡®Grand Cardinal¡¯.¡± The will of this world rejected the outsider. It was only a self-assured coward who could only reveal himself through proxy of his shadow fiend, yet it felt as though the entire world suddenly turned against Mordred. With all that godly might, all that limitless power and innumerable skills, that he failed to save the one person he actively sought to save was comical. With the coveted [Resurrection] spell in his repertoire how could he have known failure was even a possibility? ¡°Hah¡­ haha,¡± Mordred let out a confused chuckle. ¡°This can¡¯t seriously be happening,¡± yet gazing down at the lifeless body of his friend only reinforced the reality. ¡°Fuck!¡± in the spur of the moment, he launched a burst of flames from his hands towards the shadowy figure. The flames torched a large chunk of the shadows, only barely escaping being turned to complete cinder. [Immolate], the spell continued its path to a nearby hillside to which it ignited like a massive bonfire. ¡°What do I have to give to bring him back?¡± Mordred mumbled to himself. The ¡®Resurrection¡¯ spell could only be cast within a three-minute time-frame and even then, it had a cooldown equal to an entire day. ¡®It cannot be re-casted,¡¯ he searched for something else. His entire inventory was full of ¡®Legendary-class¡¯ items and godly artefacts. Yet even amongst the treasures of the world there was no suitable item that could bring him back. As miraculous as his powers and items seemed, they were not the equivalent to that of an actual god¡¯s. ¡°Nothing¡­?¡± It was the first time he had to face his own incompetence. Mordred himself had grown too confident of his own power and this was the obvious result. How could he have known that his powers weren¡¯t almighty when that was the only thing he had experienced since he had arrived? He was barely an adult. At eighteen, the normal things to think and worry about were ¡®which university he¡¯d go into¡¯ or ¡®where to take his girlfriend out on dates¡¯. This business of taking on national religious organizations and dealing with an Empire-level War General was not normal. In what way could an eighteen-year-old who had lived in relative comfort prepare for this? The shadow fiend reformed itself and loomed over Mordred. ¡°After all that, it seems you¡¯re merely just a child. How disappointing for someone of your level to be throwing tantrums.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Mordred launched another ¡®Immolate¡¯ spell at the shadow. Yet the telegraphed attack was easily manoeuvred around by the shadow proxy. There was no way his powers would lose to that of this sub-par shadow¡¯s. He could slay dragons and tear entire legions apart with little effort. It was vexing, ¡°do you think you¡¯re better than me? Stronger than me? I could crush your entire goddammed church right now if I felt like it.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The shadows moved around carefully. It crept a little closer with its disgusting, sludge like feet. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯d be lying if I didn¡¯t admit that you were quite powerful. To single handily defeat one of the most powerful factions of the Baliazoural Empire is nothing to scoff at,¡± so said the shadow, yet there was no hint of faltering, no fear behind its dark voice. It continued, ¡°very well. Crush my church, kill my men, destroy the entire country if that satisfies you, however, know that you can never defeat me so long as I hold the ¡®Will of the World¡¯ on my side.¡± The shadows edged even closer until it was only a hair¡¯s breadth away, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard it many times but, ¡®Justice¡¯ will always prevail over ¡®Evil¡¯.¡± Mordred frowned behind his visor. ¡°You honestly dare claim you represent justice even though you¡¯re doing these kinds of shady crap? You delude yourself.¡± For some reason all the anger and frustration about the situation dissipated from Mordred¡¯s mind. [Sharp Mind], it was the skill that allowed him to do what he does; it amplified his own convictions and honed his logic to the point he could make life or death judgments at the drop of a hat. Temporary it was, but it had saved him from being swallowed by the grief. ¡°Criticize my actions, it doesn¡¯t matter. You will never understand,¡± the shadow fiend retreated a little and stretched out its arms to praise the darkened night skies. ¡°For I am a being blessed by the world itself. No matter the cost, all my being and actions are for the sake of upholding its justice. So please, do whatever satisfies you knowing that you will never triumph.¡± ¡°Is that so? All right then,¡± Mordred spoke as he took a deep breath. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you up on your offer. I¡¯ll crush that ridiculous church of yours, and when I come smashing through your walls and wring your neck around my hands, don¡¯t say you didn¡¯t ask for it.¡± ¡°You may ¡®try¡¯.¡± Those were the last words as the shadow dispersed. * * * ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cecilia,¡± the knight apologized as Cecilia rushed into the scene. Her quelled her haggard breaths by pushing down on her chest. From the corner of her vision she could see a suspicious familiar figure limp on the floor. She held her breath and bit down on her lower lips to suppress the trembling. Cecilia pushed the knight out of the way. Her eyes snapped wide open as her worst fears had been confirmed. Words could not escape her throat. The anger, the fear and desperation all clashed in her mind as she tried to process the reality. ¡°H- hey¡­ old man, this is¡­ this is a joke, right?¡± she fell to her knees. She light nudged over Roland¡¯s still warm body but there was no response. It would be a lie to say there wasn¡¯t half an expectation and wish for him to spring back to life and give her big hug while telling her it really was all a prank. ¡°Stop it¡­ don¡¯t¡­ no, don¡¯t do this to me, old man. Wake up, please¡­¡± Cecilia continued to nudge at the unmoving body, ¡°just wake up already!¡± a warm sensation ran down from her eyes down her face. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive¡­ I won¡¯t forgive you if you don¡¯t wake up!¡± she grabbed a hold of his collar and tried threaten. ¡°Get up! Now!¡± There was no response¡­ ¡­ ¡°Please¡­¡± Chapter 66 – The miracle of a parent Polymath Redux Annex Chapter 66 ¨C The miracle of a parent ¡°Old man, don¡¯t do this to me!¡± cried the girl as she clung helplessly onto the lifeless body of her father. ¡°Not you too¡­¡± the miracles of god could not reunite the girl with her parent- Mordred had already failed. So then, what else could he do for the girl? A torrent of tears ran down her face. Her small back trembled. For the petite Elf shivering alone in the cold night having her entire world torn to pieces before her, there really was only one thing he could do for her. A final goodbye. [Dark Art: Reanimation]. The Necromancer spell that allowed Mordred to temporarily resurrect nearby corpses and place them under his control. To desecrate the dead and puppet them like toys, it may have been the most disrespectful way to handle it but it was the only way he knew how. The dark spell channelled and the essence of magic entered Roland¡¯s body. It was a rather odd feeling to control a body from a distance. The most appropriate way to describe it would be if it were a third person game with no camera control. With the most natural movements he could muster for the body, Mordred moved Roland¡¯s hand up to gently pat the crying Elf on the head. The last moments from father to daughter; from Roland to Cecilia. ¡°Pa¡­ pa?¡± Cecilia looked up still with tears pouring out of her eyes. ¡°Are you¡­ are you alive?¡± she moved in closer. Reanimated bodies were incapable of speech; only movements. He lightly brushed aside her hair and gifted her a smile. ¡°Papa¡­ say something? Please¡­¡± Unable to grant her wish, the body instead embraced Cecilia whole. Those large arms wrapped warmly against her small body, burying her head in his chest. ¡®Forgive me,¡¯ it seemed to say with actions. Through a semi-connected magical feedback, Mordred felt her body quiver. She must¡¯ve realized that there was no heartbeat in Roland¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cecilia,¡± yet suddenly the corpse spoke. Mordred himself being the most surprised by this. ¡°Papa? Are you¡­¡± whatever questions she had was stopped by Roland shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on the kid,¡± the body moved independently from Mordred¡¯s control. ¡®A miracle?¡¯ that was the only way to explain this strange phenomenon. The soul of a father crossing over from the realm of the dead to say the final goodbyes to his child. ¡°He only did what he had to do. I would¡¯ve done the same for your sake.¡± The ¡®miracle of a parent¡¯, it was a power that Mordred could never replicate. The least he could do for them now was to maintain the magic that reanimated Roland¡¯s body for as long as he could. Unfortunately, perhaps it was due to the mental exhaustion from the night¡¯s events, but the simple act of sustaining magic for them was harder than he thought.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Mordred glanced over and met Roland¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left,¡± Mordred shook his head and whispered through his lips. Roland nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that! Please don¡¯t go anywhere! Just stay with me!¡± ¡°Sorry Cecilia, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why?! Why can¡¯t you do that?! Why can¡¯t you ever do what I want you to do?! Why do you always have to try to take on everything by yourself?! Why can¡¯t I become your strength?! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re a good girl.¡± ¡°¡­ mmm,¡± Cecilia desperately shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a good girl, so please come back to scold me!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine from here on. He¡¯ll protect you.¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want that! I want you!¡± ¡°Really¡­ what a selfish girl,¡± Roland let out a small chuckle as he brushed her hair aside to get a clearer last look at her face. ¡°Yep, you¡¯re definitely the same girl I¡¯ve known all these years. You¡¯re my daughter.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know, long time ago I made a promise with your father, your real father.¡± Cecilia interjected, ¡°you¡¯re my real father. I don¡¯t care if we¡¯re not related by blood, you¡¯ll always be my real papa.¡± ¡°Aha, is that so? Thank you, that means everything to me. But listen, I made a promise to your father a long time ago that I¡¯d make sure you¡¯d grow up to be a strong girl. So when I see you as you are now, I can meet him and confidently proclaim that I¡¯ve kept my promise.¡± ¡°But¡­ but, I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°You are. You¡¯re much stronger than you think. You¡¯re kind, gentle and brave. If he could see you now, he couldn¡¯t be any prouder. I know you¡¯ll be okay even if I¡¯m not here.¡± ¡°No, please¡­ I¡¯ll do anything¡­ don¡¯t leave me all alone¡­ not again.¡± ¡°Be sure to stay safe.¡± ¡°No,¡± she clung on tightly, her body shivering like a scared creature. ¡°Always remember to eat properly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Be sure to live a long life, for the both of us. Really, I won¡¯t forgive you if I see you again so soon. Just don¡¯t go squandering it doing something stupid like me.¡± ¡°Papa¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I guess most of all, I wanted you to know that I¡¯ll always love you. So just be happy and take your time¡­ I¡¯ll watch over you.¡± ¡°Papa¡­ I¡­ I love you too¡­¡± The dark magic that kept Roland¡¯s body animated started to wane. Those were the final words the body spoke before it returned to inactivity. The night continued silently with only the cries of an innocent girl. Mordred gave her some time to adjust herself before he carefully approached. ¡°Sorry,¡± he placed a hand over her shoulder and conjured another spell. [Enchanting Voice], a Bard class skill that places afflicted targets to temporary sleep. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll take you back home.¡± Cecilia resisted. Her eyes struggled to keep awake but eventually the sleep forced her mind to unconsciousness. There was one last thing to do before he left this wretched place. The final thing he could do for Roland was to dig an unmarked grave. ¡°Haha,¡± he laughed at himself in self-mockery. ¡°After everything about being ¡®strong¡¯, in the end I was just all talk, huh? I think I understand a bit of how you felt now. Don¡¯t worry Roland, I¡¯ll take care of everything from here on. Cecilia, the church¡­ this world¡­ ¡­ You just sit tight and keep your eyes wide open.¡±