《A Not So Dark Soveriegn's Rise》


 Arc 01 Chapter 01 -- Rude Awakening

    Opening his eyes, he found...comfort? Soft warm blankets swaddled him and a fluffy pillow embraces his head. This was nice, but odd.


    As his eyes fluttered open, the room around him was an unknown one, large and with a canopy bed which had curtains opened. The bed was on a raised wooden floor around which was wardrobes, drawers, and even some old timey trunks which looked like treasure chests. A fireplace with a marble mantle dominated one wall, while another was dominated by a curtained window large enough to be doors to a balcony.


    The entire room seemed more like a fairytale princess''s bedroom or a movie set for a king''s bedroom.


    Moving brought forth a great dizziness, and pain.


    ¡°I''m alive, but I should have died.¡±


    A cold sweat went through me. Is this some kind of hospital?


    ¡°I can''t afford the hospital bills for recovering in a normal hospital! Who sent me here?! I''m going to go to jail for not being able to afford to save my life!¡±


    He pulled the covers off, taking a second to suppress the illogical flight instinct. That''s when he noted the ''comforter'' was actually a giant fur pelt with fur on oneside and cured leather on the other.


    ¡°What the actual hell...¡± He had stopped forming theories anymore. He couldn''t make sense of the strangeness, so to stop trying was the best bet.


    When he looked down at his body he noticed something rather peculiar. ¡°I''m...gray?!¡± He was now a pale greyish-blue color for some reason. ¡°What''s going on?!¡±


    Rolling out of bed was easy, staying up was hard as he felt so weak. Wobbling over to the full-body mirror he gazed at his now alien reflection. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    He was beyond words. It was familiar, yet different. Him, yet something totally not him.


    His face, frame, and general appearance still was him. Thin and lanky, with a slight belly. It was still him, and whether it was from the silhouette or the face, anyone who knew him would recognize him instantly. Just, younger by about 10 years to that of a boy at his later teenage years.


    But his skin had changed, in more than just color. All the sun damage, acne scars, pimples, freckles, and moles had vanished leaving a consistent generally egg shell soft texture. Without crows-feet and large pores he marveled at how attractive he could have been.


    His hair was different as well, being a silvery grey now, but a 4 inch growth of bone jutted out from his forehead. It sprouted from the center of his hairline and curved backwards. In shock the demonic visage in the mirror muttered ¡°I only had about 3 hairstyles I liked and this ruins 2 of them! I''ll be forced into swept back for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°...no, wait that isn''t important is it?¡± inspecting his mirror image closely a realization dawned on him. ¡°I''m a...¡±


    Suddenly he saw a vision of himself which was not himself, but a crystal floating in an empty room. The stone block walls had flicks of ghostly streams of fireflies which seemed to be traced with dim yet pulsing veins. This was also...him.


    He remembered ''being dead'' yet now he lives again. His dying body appeared in front of a group of hooded figures, and a floating crystal.


    ¡°Qea Juu nah fepht!¡± One of the hooded figures said, in an unknown gibberish.


    ¡°...who, where am I?¡± the young man looked around deeply confused and a little frightened.


    ¡°Qela sen tioph!¡± Another robed figure said with disdain. This one was bigger, and under his robe he drew a dagger.


    ¡°--Felnoki!¡± squeaked a higher pitched voice, probably a young girl. A staff was pointed at the confused man and began to glow.


    The big robe snorted and casually flicked his blade, casually ''nicking'' the non-robed man''s neck.


    And so, that man died on this world. Having been summoned to a new world, the summoners killed him almost instantly, certainly before his confused mind could comprehend what had happened.


    And yet...the next moment, no one was staring at him, but another man on the ground below him. That staff directed at him finally released its blast and struck the corpse.


    ¡°Dammit Herk, you''re supposed to kill them after the soul-killer spell hits them!¡±

 Arc 01 Chapter 02 -- Complacency Kills

    ¡°Dammit Herk, you''re supposed to kill them after the soul-killer spell hits them!¡± The man knew they weren''t speaking English, yet he comprehended their words clearly.


    [Soul was absorbed into Greater Core, knowledge of multiple languages are known to the Minds previously absorbed by the Greater Core including Caldian Language.]


    Wait, when was my soul ''absorbed''?


    [As your body was dying your soul was transferring to the Greater Core.]


    I died then? But I''m still here...whats going on?


    [Soul has separated from the body and integrated with the Greater Core. This is a deliberate attempt by the individuals in front of the Greater Core as they have summoned and sacrificed others in the same manner]


    Others? There are others in this...Greater Core?! Where are they?


    [The summoners employed a Soul Disrupting spell to scatter the souls and consciousness of the previous sacrifices. These were absorbed as excess Mana energy by the Greater Core.]


    No way...


    [Your Soul is the only to be absorbed with an intact consciousness. All others before you were unable to integrate.]


    Why do this? Why summon people from across the reaches of time and space only to have them killed in a very permanent fashion?


    [Knowledge contained in the minds absorbed do not contain this information, however speculating from observational records of the summoner group, the amount of information already available, and the accumulated mana is possible. Likely is that the accumulation of otherworlder knowledge, and mana is valuable to this group.]


    They wanted an unparalleled library? But then why was I spared?


    [Human Error is the probable cause. Complacency leading to careless actions.]


    I''d rather not assume my opponents are incompetent, but it doesn''t matter at this point. What can I do now?


    [Searching for suitable options...]


    ¡°...Like it matters if its a fore or after, Jenya.¡± The big guy seemed like the type to get chewed out a lot. ¡°Dead is dead and we have the mana.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, as long as it isn''t...contaminated...¡± the woman with the staff said.


    ¡°Yeah, what she said.¡± Said another woman in the crowd. ¡°As long as we kill them quickly we don''t have to do any of the messy clean up!¡±


    So my death was convenient for you? The crystal converted my physical body into mana so you don''t have to clean?


    ¡°Alright, we''ve got one more today for the quota, lets get this done and we can hit the bar!¡± The second woman, who hated cleaning, leaned against the big man Herk. With her breasts hugging his arm. ¡°Say, what are you doing after this, Herk?¡±


    The man, no the Soul in the Crystal Core stopped listening. He had come to a couple of conclusions.


    Multiple individuals had been summoned throughout the universe for the express purpose of being killed, and ''recycled'' into energy and knowledge.


    His fate was different solely because they had gotten careless at a great moment, not because the regretted their actions and spared him. In fact they don''t truly know he had ''survived'' yet.


    If and/or when they discover this fact they may either erase him from the crystal, or destroy the crystal to not risk a potential threat appearing later.


    He was a threat to them thru the energy and knowledge being his already. They were a threat to him so long as he has not mastered any of this power.


    Whoever strikes first wins, would be an appropriate summation. He had the advantage as they were clueless about him.


    ¡°Quit flirting,¡± one of the other cloaked individuals groaned. He was immediately glared at, which made him flinch since he wasn''t as large as Herk. ¡°I mean, the sooner we get this last one done for the day the sooner we can get paid. And drunk.¡±


    Eventually they moved about into position and resumed chanting.


    They resumed a very generic chorus of chants, but the spirit of the core still was finding it mesmerizing. The visible and invisible swirls of energy were all visible to him, as well as much of the comprehension of it. With a shock he realized one of the previous victims was much more adept at Summoning than this group who appeared to be Rogue Apprentices, at best.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ??The chanting continued as the swirls solidified partially into circles, rune like letters, and other complicated structures formed. Although he hadn''t pursued the summoning information available in ''head'' yet, he got the overall impression that these people didn''t know what they were doing. At a glance he felt they were ''awkward'', ''bumbling'', and worst of all ''relying on chance'' to summon anyone or anything of value.


    But, the last time was apparently the charm. The center of the circles formed a vortex swirl, an alien feeling came from it. ¡°We got a really good bite this time!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Herk! Don''t distract us from the chant!¡± The Core shook his nonexistent head, the ritual had completed and would proceed automatically for now, idiot. And complete it did.


    Like someone riding an elevator from beneath a lake surface, a man''s head, shoulders, body, arms, and legs rose from the vortex on the floor. But it wasn''t a human.


    Hair. The hair of the new comer was white, but not from age. It was thick and voluminous, with silvery highlight and sheen. The skin of the face was a greyish blue, and carried an expression of sleeping. A singular horn rose from the center of his forehead like a unicorn, however it felt more like a shark''s fin.


    Shoulders were rounded and large, like a body builder''s. The torso was likewise sculpted and chiseled. His legs had a few extra bends to it, like a cat''s giving the core an expectation of speed. Everything about this being oozed power, whether physical presence, Eye catching allure, or mystical aura.


    What came next, the core wouldn''t be able to stop. However a plan had formed.


    ¡°Nevererandil...¡± small girl with the staff started chanting immediately. Everyone else looked scared. Occasionally when deep sea fishing, fisherman would actually catch a shark who would then catch them. This was such a situation.


    Non-cleaning slut put her hand restraining Herk and mouthed the word ''wait''. Everyone else pulled out similar staffs and readied. In a confused state, even the devil might be susceptible to a one hit kill soul crunching spell. ?Hopefully.


    ¡°Soul...Death,¡± the core noted something. This young lass was...regretting?


    The blast ripped into the dazed and confused ''demon'' and he like the others before, died without dying. The core offered a moment of silence and vowed that he would avenge himself and all the others on this group.


    The ''demon'' dropped to the floor. Still breathing, but without a soul it would never awake again.


    ¡°Oh, so scary!¡± No cleaning slut simpered and trembled dramatically. ¡°Big Herk! I won''t be able to sleep soundly tonight if I don''t see it die! Please, let me see the scary thing die?¡±


    Herk, suitably shown ''proper respect'' he knew he deserved, swaggered over to the still-breathing corpse. ¡°Don''t fret, even if it were fair fight I wouldn''t break a sweat!¡± Herk sauntered over as he rose his dagger to stab. ¡°Hey, think I''ll get the ''demon-slayer'' title after this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, baby! Herk Slayer of Demons!¡± No clean was egging him on.


    His dagger stabbed swiftly. The sound of meat being forcibly cleaved rang out through the chamber, louder than the other sacrifices by far. ¡°Man, Herk really got into that one,¡± said one of the robed individuals, paling a bit. The previous deaths seemed more ''clinical'', yet this one felt different.


    The Crystal floating in the room began to glow as the familiar process took over. The body began to dematerialize into particles of light and absorb into the crystal. Shimmering glow which obscured the appearance of the victim, and transformed its ''memories'', and the various energies of its body into resources to be harvested and sorted to the various facets of the Crystal Core.


    It was so dazzling, yet routine, that almost no one noticed at first. The ''sacrifice'' remained, but ''Herk'' had vanished.

 Arc 01 Chapter 03 -- Wanna see a magic trick?

    Slightly before...


    Whatever life the Demon had lived before, was of no consequence to the Soul of the Crystal Core. Or Dan as he used to be known when he was a human. Clearly these mages summoned him at random to kill him. Dan offered a brief high-speed prayer to the Demon''s lost soul fragments as they were absorbed.


    But then it was time to get to work.


    What happened to the Demon? His soul got forcibly ''evicted'' leaving an empty husk.


    What was Dan? A soul that had integrated as the one and only consciousness of a giant floating crystal containing vast amounts of knowledge and ownerless sparkly fragments of other people''s souls.


    Almost before the Demon''s body hit the floor Dan reached out. He desperately tried to form a connection with the body, stretching towards it, reaching, imagining him leaping into it.


    Suddenly he succeeded, and information entered into his mind. As the Demon''s body lay there Dan was becoming familiar with its motor functions Dan could ''see'' from both his crystal core and the body on the ground. The demon''s body that is.


    He was able to see the big man saunter over. As Herk leaned over what was now Dan''s laying form Dan forced himself to lie unmoving with an iron will.


    ¡°Yeah, baby! Herk Slayer of Demons!¡± the dagger plunged at ''Dan''.


    And then Herk died. Herk had brought down a dagger, but Dan had stabbed with his own fingers. Piercing the jugular, and rendering Herk''s throat a viscous wreck. But soon Herk started to be absorbed by the core.


    ''I must have pierced straight through to the brain stem?! How strong is this damn body?!''


    After the light show ended, I couldn''t help but marvel at how video game like what just happened was. Kill opponent, gain experience and power. I could feel the core sifting through the information in Herk''s mind as it was added. Better go with ''video game like'' instead of ''Borg like'' for the sake of my sanity.


    ''Oh shit, there were like four others right?! They haven''t moved tho...it probably only feels like they are moving slowly, because my Core is processing quicker than the situation is changing?''


    It wasn''t until I bounded to my feet and dashed at one of the remaining hooded figures that they started to react. This figure panicked and tried to pull out a dagger, without any skill he swung it awkwardly at my face. Untrained, and scared witless, I knew from other people''s memories. Although I couldn''t help but flinch back.


    After this man, my other ''summoners'' were the timid small woman who was casting the Soul crushing spell earlier, the Non-cleaning wannabe temptress, and an old man with a beard who I knew was the ''leader'' of this group.


    How did I know? The information from Herk''s mind had been processed. It was just as greasy and unpleasant as the man himself. And infarct worse than I expected. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I suppose I hadn''t contemplated how much of a bastard this guy truly was. He had a history of criminal activities that ranged from petty theft to sadistic murder. Needless to say his last thoughts were of Noclean''s ''attributes'' and what he will do to them.


    Anyway, the old man in the back was some kind of failure of an apprentice who hired these random newbie adventurers to help in this project. In other words, the old man had started this. Herk seemed to not be aware or caring if they violated any taboos or laws, but the secrecy of this project was necessary to them profiting properly from it. Of course, once complete Herk would look for opportunity to kill them all.


    Processing speed is high spec as is the sensing of the of the surroundings without needing sight or sound. The old man was a bit faster with his staff and got off the incantation for the soul crushing blast faster than the girl could.


    The blast hit Dan''s new demon body, while he was flinching back from the clumsy swing of the other male. Panic rose inside of Dan''s Core. His ''soul'' now resided in the core, but at least part of it was attached to the ''demon body'', no telling what would happen.


    Dan regretted his instinct to flinch, intellectually there was no way such a cut could do anymore than superficial damage. His body went numb, which filled him with terror, yet the part of him in the core watched in shocked numbness. The body, fell to the floor once again.


    The girls the old man and the knife wielding man sighed in relief and relaxed slightly. Only slightly, a the last Soul Bolt didn''t work like it should have anyway but maybe the one fired from the more experienced old man might do better. Dan held his proverbial breath


    Wait, was that...yes! Dan wanted to laugh at himself, as well as in the face of these ''adventurers''. The ''Soul Bolt'' scattered the soul of its target, but the core instantly reabsorbed and reconstituted any excess soul energy. Especially quick was its ability to reconstitute soul energy already attuned with the core. Long story short: his ''Demon Body'' was only stunned after such a one-hit-kill attack until the core reinserted its control ''line'' back into the body.


    Letting the body rest unmoving, the researchers gathered around it suspiciously. Having seen it get up once already, they were exceptionally cautious now. Dan chuckled dryly while a separate string of consciousness searched for a solution. ''So they can learn...''


    ¡°Did the newbie mess up? Is that why the Demon got back up?¡± Asked No clean.


    ¡°...No, impossible. A failed cast would fail to cast anything. If anything I''d guess the Demon''s will was higher than a human''s so it caught us off guard.¡± Said the old man.


    ¡°I''m sorry, about Herk...¡±


    ¡°...Hmm? Oh, yek! You didn''t think I was going to actually going to sleep with him?¡± No Clean seemed to have standards at least, although Dan knew according to the memories he absorbed Herk wasn''t the type to let a little thing like ''no'' stop him. ''Eww and yek is right, I wonder if I should delete those memories?''


    They weren''t buying my second possum ploy, the old man and little girl were chanting a more destructive spells. Dan smirked to himself. He rolled again, causing No clean to shriek ¡°I knew it!¡±


    If they wanted to use long range attacks I''ll use long range attacks. I lifted up the dagger that Herk had been wielding before. Abracadabra bibbipty bopity boo the sword went magically flying through the air into the old man''s skull. With ''Magic''.


    While the Number one threat was down, I think now would be a good time to finish what I started before.


    Eyes locked with the man, he is freaked out even more. I don''t want to run the risk of flinching again, so I decided to bulrush the poor SOB. Like a deer in the head lights he froze wide eye as I barreled down on him, I slammed my shoulder into his torso and lifted him into the wall.


    Although normally this would only knock the wind out of a man, I figured something was different when I heard a deep rumbling cracking. Not the sound of bones cracking, but the sound of boulders shifting. Sure enough the wall of the dungeon had been shifted about and those half a tonne stones that made the wall had been flexed around the man. The twin streams of spirit energy and mind''s experiences told me that I had just killed two men.


    Three down, two to go.

 Arc 01 Chapter 04 -- Now call me Master

    However, the two had already left. Dan had already seen this in the corner of his eye. Since they were fleeing, they posed no threat to him. Everything had happened so fast, and he welcomed the bit of breathing room to process his ''rebirth''.


    His shocked conscience wasn''t thinking completely straight, only reacting. And from what was trickling in, so were the rogue apprentice mages. Dan had succesfully gotten the upper hand, and the two people who could use the ''soul-breaker'' spell were dead or running away.


    Still, with two at large Dan felt the pressure. No telling when they might put two and two together and get ''Break the Crystal''. Yet, there was some time to absorb and digest some of the memories of the three he had recently added.


    Truthfully, he didn''t want to chase after those two. He would prefer not to have killed at all, but even now he didn''t see any alternative.


    Dan was in something of a conundrum. The truth was in terms of actual ''threat'' he felt the priority had gone Old man, Timid girl, Herk, knife guy, and finally No clean. The soul bolt, which he now knew the name of, did no lasting damage but could easily stun his form long enough to be hacked to pieces. They were just too inexperienced to take advantage.


    But he hadn''t gone after timid girl or the No cleaning because he had honestly hesitated at raising a hand towards women. It was stupid, they were a threat both from magic and also letting others know of him.


    His only offensive option seemed to be of the ''hit it till it dies'' option. Not a bad option, but he preferred not feeling like a bad guy...too much. No, they were at his mercy and he was going to make them live while regretting what they did to the...wow! There is 893 lives worth of soul energy and memories in the core! Yeah, they''re going to do hard time.


    And in those memories he found a somewhat workable solution from combing the three individuals He just absorbed.


    Herk had infarct been a student of magic before, surprising. He read without comprehending because he felt the basics were ''a trick to get dumb student to waste time'', oh the irony. One of the spells he had wanted to learn was a sleep inducing spell. Herk had wanted this so he could commit his crimes more brazenly. While he hadn''t enough ''theory'' to understand it, old man did.


    The same was true with Knife guy, he had self esteem issues which led to him never talking to a girl, yet fantasizing about her. He had given up completely on being able to overcome his anxiety except in a very controlled situation, namely buying her from a slave market. He had also been working on a project to use magic to enhance the slave status by various methods. Later though he would have found out that the Slave Guild doesn''t take kindly to people conducting independent studies on their proprietary inventions and he is now also on the run.


    The old man''s foray into soul-based magic didn''t end with a Soul Bolt which scattered and disrupted a soul. The Soul Greater Core was his life''s ambition because it would be a power source for his dynasty to rise. Yes, in the Old Man''s mind he would be able to found a Dynasty. Considering the crew he ran with Dan shuddered to think that the old man could have actually succeeded.


    Oh and of course, of the three he had killed so far, each one of them had planned to betray and kill all the others when the project was completed. Dan could rest easy as the old man had apparently locked and barred the door to the hideout shut and the only way for the two girls to go would be to basically hide in either the storage room, the study, or the sleeping area.


    Armed with the layout of the lair, and a few spells that can be used for non-lethal take downs, Dan chase down the girls.


    Leaving the Core Room in Demon''s body, moving outside of the ''vision'' of the Core was somewhat liberating without the awareness of the Core and the Demon Body overlapping each other. Actually it ''felt'' as though the Demon part of me was getting thinner and thinner. Panicking a little the Demon body dashed back into the range of the Core. There he found he suddenly had a complete memory of what it had already seen.


    In other words, any ''other selves'' are somewhat autonomous but relay what they experience flawlessly. ¡°Good to know, like I can create Player Characters and have them come back to the crystal room to Record their journey...I feel like I''m building an RPG system in real life.¡±


    While Demon Dan is walking in a slow pace his string of conscious thought is having less and less to do with Core Dan. Meanwhile Core Dan has more and more time to devote to processing the gathered information.


    Sure enough, the entrance had signs of frantic banging and scrambling to get out. Because the floor was sandy dirt, it was relatively easy to see that one had run to the store room, while one had hidden in the makeshift library called the study.


    He decided to go to the study first. Odds are, that the one versed in Soul Magic would be seeking refuge here, and she was the most credible threat that he could see.


    Walking in, the study was small. Although it had three rows of shelves it could not be called a library. There was no where for her to hide except in one of the two aisles between the shelves.


    He paused though. Demon Dan could see the disturbed dust leading in, and he could hear the breathing. A cornered rat was most dangerous so he considered his options. Or rather he took his time delaying.


    While he felt no issue with suddenly killing the three from before, both the situation and the for lack of a better term ''interrogation'' seems to support the thought that they were bad guys and a threat to Dan. Feeling so certain over other''s deaths in and of itself made him pause.


    There was also the simple fact that lashing out and killing suspicious looking men was a different experience to chasing down and killing an opponent who gave up. And its a rather small girl.


    The information the others had of this girl led Dan to believe that this girl, had literally fallen into a wrong time wrong place scenario. Her Soul breaker magic still made her a threat to him, though. Instant Killing technique and all.


    Then with slow, methodical, heavy steps he walked to the shelves in a spot opposite where she should be. ¡°Do you find comfort amongst books, May?¡±


    ¡°Hiii!¡± it seemed it surprised her. ¡°You, know my name?! You speak our tongue?!¡±


    ¡°...Indeed.¡± Somehow, the Demon''s throat made a very human and soothing sound.


    ¡°Who...what are you?¡±


    ¡°...Come out May. I know what you did. What you helped to create.¡±


    ¡°No! I did what I was told, I thought-they told me-that I could help in a great project! It would bring peace for once...¡±


    ¡°Well, they lied, didn''t they. They let you dirty your hands and controlled you, you know?¡± Dan walked up and down the back of the shelf, his footsteps crunching along. ¡°Come out May, its over.¡±


    Dan heard drops and a slight trembling breath. ¡°I didn''t want to be involved in any of this...¡± she inhaled before continuing. ¡°I won''t help you continue our work...¡±


    ¡°Hmph! This work ends! Do you know how many sacrifices have been ripped from their homes to fuel that Old man''s ambition?! 893 souls. Chosen at random from worlds all across who knows how far!¡±


    ¡°Eight...Hund...¡± May couldn''t comprehend that many. ¡°How do you know this...what are you?¡±


    ¡°...I know of your reluctance to serve them May, I also know of their plans for later. Long story short everyone except probably you and the other woman had plans in place to back stab everyone as soon as your project was finished! Maybe I''ve taken pity on you, but you don''t have to die. Come out May,¡± the sound of crying muffled behind bookshelves were heard.


    Meanwhile, Linda crept out of the entrance to the store room. Unlike May, she had figured out a guess of how to stop the Demon! Its the core, it revived in front of the core! It seemed to know things, and could speak their language because it interfaced with the Core!


    In a very really way, the Old man''s experiment was a great success! On the other hand, it was a greatest failure. Just before it had succeeded in becoming a repository of vast amounts of knowledge for the highest bidder, it had received a mind of its own and become a potentially powerful Dungeon core. And Linda was trapped inside with it.


    Now that the Demon was out and the Core vulnerable, at the very least she''d be able to weaken the seal on the entrance and escape. May is keeping the thing busy, Linda had no idea why it was being so talkative but it was a good for her.


    She entered the Core chamber once again it was a shame after all her hard work it was just going to break. Oh well, that''s life! Maybe she could get a few shards for selling. Either way the thought of an alien demon like that having access to all the mana energy and extra-dimensional lore stored in the crystal would spell doom for more than this continent.


    The gem oscillated slowly in the air. Linda had no idea why, but she felt the feeling of being watched coming from the gem itself. Probably just nerves, she told herself.


    She had ''borrowed'' a crowbar from the stock room and hoped it would be enough to smash through. As she approached she didn''t notice the hazy glow exuding from the Core. This haze was colorless, odorless, and she wasn''t paying any attention as it slowly filled up the room.


    A hissing crackling sound drew her attention behind her. The Beast had finished May! Dam...No, its not there. An extra wall had filled in the chamber entrance, sealing her in!


    Linda began hammering at the new wall. Meanwhile, the haze which had been filling the room slowly with the door open now completely filled up the room. Linda''s foul cursing began to become interrupted by coughing as the haze suffused her.


    Loosing strength, she looked back at the gem. It gave off a sudden red pulse of light as if to say: ¡°Yeah, that was me!¡± She lost consciousness, not having the strength to lift the crowbar in even token resistance.


    Dan decided to process some of the things he had received. All though the bodies disappeared he found them stored in the Core. Well, more like the magical version of converted to a digital format for reproduction, while the matter is separated and stored in another dimension...Wait, Reproduction?


    That basically means, the sleeping ''spell'' Core had dragged up from the pervert''s memories could have been replaced with producing actual gas much easier? It was really hard even for a high-speed super processor to modify that spell so it worked from inside a floating crystal that much! Meh, file that under ''lessons learned''.


    Dan focus into the crystal core and sorted through everything...this would be easy if I could search by keyword and type...he can do that. It seems that within the Core whatever was conceptualized becomes reality. Well, virtual reality anyway.


    That wasn''t what Core used to close the room by the way, that ''door'' conjuring was what the Old man had prepared for as a security measure to prevent the core room from being found. Although, once again in hindsight the Core could have done both of those things easily.


    ¡°Whatever, I still proved that the Core has defensive options. Ohh! My other half is finished over there too.¡± Redoing the traced sigil, the wall dissolved and revealed the Demon Dan with a bond May in tow. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The Core was about to welcome Demon Dan back, but as ''he'' walked into the room the connection became so greater that it went back to being one mind with multiple bodies again. The joke was rendered masturbatory, and embarrassing with the presence of witnesses.


    May, looked around the door frame at the strange wall which had appeared and then vanished before her, she also saw the sleeping form of Linda on the ground. ¡°Linda! Is she alive? Why is she here?!¡± Dan noticed she was addressing the Demon Dan body, so he spoke with that.


    ¡°She''s alive.¡± Demon Dan gave no more response to May''s query, merely walking into the Crystal Chamber, the leash of May''s bound wrists leading her after him. ¡°I''ll figure out what to do with the two of you later, for now SLEEP!¡±


    May felt her self fall to be caught by the Demon. He laid her out next to the other one, Linda. ¡°What will I do with them?¡± Letting them go would be suicidal for him. Killing them in cold blood now that he had them captured...a bit too much for him. Keeping them prisoners meant he had to make cells and find food...


    If he was perfectly honest, he didn''t like that he had killed those three from earlier. Or rather that he had been forced to do it. He felt no guilt for them, but he didn''t want to continue the slaughter.


    Hmm...What did he want to do? In general, what Dan wanted to do was a bit of an indecisive mess. In the past he had been moving from interest to interest without staying in one profession long enough, changing majors like seasonal fashion.


    A thought occurred, could he send out his ''Avatars'' and focus on the various livelihoods and lifestyles of this new world? Like send one to become an adventurer, another to become a scholar, another to become a whatever? That could work given how virtually autonomous they become at long range...


    But these considerations require more thought for the future. More information will be required, and money. For now he needed to understand a basic grasp on what he could do.


    When May woke up, she was in a new room she had never seen before. The walls were all of a single piece of smooth gray stone. One of the bunks from the sleeping area had been brought here and she was currently laying in it.


    There was almost nothing in this room, she did nothing but get up cautiously. Leaving the tiny room, a cell really, she found herself face to face with someone. Not the demon that had killed her coworkers, but a young human man who looked vaguely familiar.


    The book shelves from the former study were lining the walls of this room, a desk and chairs were there as well. ¡°Ah, your awake. Please come in. Have a seat.¡± as she nervously did so he smiled warmly.


    ¡°...Who, are you? Where''s the...¡±


    ¡°Demon?¡± the young man gave a piercing stare. ¡°I''m surprised you haven''t guessed the truth by now, but you are dealing with some stress.¡±


    ¡°I am the person who was summoned right before the Demon, the one who was absorbed by the crystal out of order.¡± Her eyes lit up, so that''s what happened...oh bad that means this man is...


    Toppling the chair as she stood abruptly, she backed away from this...thing ¡°y-you, you...¡± She was prepared to run at any minute, but the young man merely smirked at her.


    ¡°Where are you even going to go? I''ve been expanding the...lair for lack of a better term, and even if I didn''t, I still control the ward on the entrance. Now, sit back down, you silly girl.¡± He was amused, definitely amused this demon.


    Only the fact that he didn''t seem inclined to kill her immediately kept her from hysterically bolting for the door. She picked up the chair and sat back down. ¡°Feeling better? Calmed down? Good.¡± She hadn''t actually responded to him, yknow?


    ¡°So, I''ve decided that I won''t be killing you for what you were apart in before.¡± The demon shaped like a man stated casually. ¡°Or perhaps more accurately, I don''t want to. You''re timid and pitiful and cute.¡±


    ¡°But, you telling others about me...that¡¯s a threat to me, so I can''t let you go free. So, you are going to work for me from now on. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°...work for you?¡± her hands clenched in her chest.


    ¡°Yes, as in be my servant, slave, maid what have you.¡± She could only open her mouth, but whether to object, plead, or bargain she didn''t know. ¡°You know, you work for me or...¡± he left the threat unsaid, yet the too steady gaze pinned her.


    ¡°...how long?¡± ¡°For your life.¡±


    ¡°...Why? I...¡± ¡°Had things you wanted to do in life? Meet a nice man, fall in love, have a family?¡± She nods.


    ¡°How many of the victims of this ''project'' you were apart in wanted the same? How many had families that are missing them very much right now? 893 lives were snuffed out by your coworkers, and you balk at this?¡±


    Seeing no further objections he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a leather collar with a bronze clasp. He made her stand up and while she was trembling he fastened the collar around her neck. It schnicked into place, sending a tremor down her body.


    A feeling like worms of chains were coursing all throughout underneath her skin. It was terrifying for an instant and then vanished like it was never there. She inhaled deeply, glancing up unsure at the ''demon man''.


    ¡°...Where did you find...¡±


    ¡°You''re former coworker Berr was very shy, yes? He had self confidence issues to the point of talking to a girl was a terrifying ordeal to him, never mind finding a wife. He planned to make finding one as ''safely in his control as possible'' by poaching a slave himself.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it time for you to offer your greetings?¡± the man, her new master said.


    ¡°Hello, my name is...¡± but she was interrupted.


    ¡°No, no, no...we''re going to have work to do.¡±


    Meanwhile, another bed had been moved into the new crystal chamber. Looming over top of it were the crystal and the Demon form. On the bed lay the prone figure of a blonde woman. Although Core did nothing but loom, the actual truth was he was hard at work subtly inserting modified memories into the woman.


    Like May, he somehow took pity on Linda despite her shameless actions. Perhaps he was too soft, even from the Modern Earth perspective he had been summoned from he thought he was too much of a doormat. Now in a world which multiplied people''s strength with magic, an attitude of ''strong eats weak'' seems to prevail.


    Whether it was a mistake or not, he decided not to kill the two girls. But that didn''t mean he could trust them. Especially Linda.


    In order to ensure ''loyalty'' he had been thinking of using Psychology and magic to effectively brainwash her into being a faithful servant. However the more he tried the more the evaluations became...suspect.


    Not that she was fighting back or anything, but trying to overlay loyalty onto a person''s freewill was apparently harder than writing a grocery list onto a lake''s surface. It will dissolve on its own in the current.


    Frustrated, Dan decided it was impossible to mind control people and that a sudden personality shift to slave mentality was more lazy plot device than functional (which he felt relief about).


    When Linda was finally permitted to open her eyes again, they were not filled with fear or haughtiness, but of uncertainty. Much like May, she found her self in a plain stone room with smooth featureless walls. She looked around growing more and more frantic. It was not unlike a lost little girl who found herself all alone in the world.


    Dan took pity on her. ¡°Ahh,¡± gasping in pleased surprise as if her most beloved guardian had appeared before her. In front of her was without a doubt a different form of the Demon who had chased her earlier, but still was the same being. She knew this.


    ¡°...Its really you?¡± She reached out and touched his leg as if to verify his existence with touch. ¡°It is...Ahh¡± she retracted her hand. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean too...¡± her face bloomed red with embarrassment.


    ¡°You recognize me, even though I look different?¡± Dan.


    ¡°Of Course! Although I don''t know how...I would naturally recognize you! You are my...uhm, my...uh,¡± she floundered. He was important but she didn''t understand who he was or why.


    ¡°We aren''t anything yet...¡± Dan.


    ¡°Please! Don''t throw me away!¡± Suddenly panicked Linda clinged forward.


    Wierd! Mind control didn''t work. Didn''t he just come to that conclusion?


    ¡°Do you want to serve me?¡±


    ¡°Linda!¡± May ran up to the woman with great relief. From being the only other woman in the group, to being the only other ''survivor'' May couldn''t help but feel relieved to be speaking to her. Although they were certainly not ''friends'' before.


    ¡°Its good to see you again, May. How are you doing?¡± While they weren''t exactly friends, the difference was noticeable.


    ¡°...What''s wrong with her, what did you do to her?!¡± May.


    ¡°...¡± without acknowledging her question the young man moved over to the floating Core Crystal.


    He had infact given up on his brainwashing attempt. Perfectly honest he hadn''t wanted it to succeed in the first place. Upon waking she had been rather...submissive? A few possible answers were floating around the head-space of the core, but this transformation baffled him anyway.


    He didn''t need to move over to it to interact, as both were technically ''him'' but he felt like it. With the knowledge of a geologist (one of the expert minds absorbed into the core) and the magical ability of the core to disintegrate matter in the vicinity the Core had been able to make not only the cells for the girls, but also to expand the hideout quite the ways be ''beaming'' the excess rock into the Crystal''s inter-space storage.


    The result was an expanded labyrinth that was more roomy and comfortable. Inside the inter-space storage the materials were sorted by element, among which were quite a bit of iron and copper and very little gold.


    Of course ''very little'' after de-materializing hundreds of cubic meters of rock amounted to about 50 lbs. Of pure gold mass. The tonnage of pure iron and copper was also not insignificant. The only problem with his finances was that he had no way to actually spend pure gold, and the quality of equipment made from the various metals would have to be diluted or disguised as lesser quality.


    Low key, low key. When he decides on a goal, it won''t be too late to act in a bombastic manner. Until then, he will be quiet.


    Fortunately, he had some coins from the looted purses of his fallen enemies, he found that the coins were of a fairly low quality mixed with copper and iron (probably to retain shape as pure gold is surprisingly soft). Using these as a base he ''minted'' about 3,286 aurum (gold coins), 30 talents (silver coin), and 500 sheckles (copper coins).


    ¡°...no, May even if you point out that I''ve changed, I don''t think its for the bad. Honestly, people probably hate me for being arrogant and stepping on people. Now, I feel...released? A sense of belonging?¡± Linda seemed to be explaining something to May.


    May still whispered, ¡°But aren''t you concerned at how much you''ve changed? He definitely changed you. You''re different....¡±


    ¡°...Seriously, that¡¯s some fast-acting Stockholm syndrome. Your setting records girl...¡± Dan muttered under his breath.


    ¡°...May, even if you told me that...¡±


    ¡°Linda,¡± came the voice of the young man after ignoring them for so long. Dan was partially convinced that although smart enough, Linda was the kind of person who would easily fall for a con-artist or religious cult. Having ''not killed her'' in her mind became ''saved her life''.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Linda bounded up to attention. Then she hesitatingly began to make a curtsy, ¡°No, that¡¯s for equal status...¡± and then opted to stiffly bow. The core shivered it imaginary spine.


    ¡°That''s alright, Linda. I haven''t decided on the etiquette yet. For now I''m satisfied with prompt and respectful answers.¡± Linda relaxed a bit, her uncertainty clearing a bit. ¡°Linda, I need you to answer some questions for me.¡± He held out a leather pouch which clinked out loud. ¡°Explain certain things to me that everyone in this world ''should know''.¡±


    ¡°Master, this copper coin is called a sheckle and is not worth much...¡± Linda moved on to the silver coin seemingly having not much to say about such a worthless coin, ¡°This silver coin is called a Talen and a few of these is enough to buy a nice dress at a tailor shop. That''s nice for traveling, tho. Naturally since travel clothes will get dirty easier...¡±


    ¡°Uhm, if I may?¡± May interjected. Linda sulked as Dan nodded his approval. ¡°A sheckle is enough to buy one bowl of the cheapest food on the market. A bowl of gruel, rice, or a small loaf of bread, for example. Most commoners rarely see a silver Talen...¡±


    May, like most young scholars, couldn''t help but feel excited as she began explaining the value of currency to...the other worlder. He was definitely smart, memorized what she told him instantly, and calculated at a terrifying rate.


    But he should have absorbed the knowledge from the others. ¡°The old man, Barnebus, cared so much about his precious research projects he ignored money as ''worldy distractions''. Herk was a bandit who would just rob from people without worrying about saving, and Timothy was even more sexually repressed than you.¡± It turned out that Master had reasons for avoiding their memories for now...


    May didn''t think she was ''sexually repressed''...but let the matter drop.


    Anyway, diving into explanations, one shekcle can buy a cheap meal. 500 sheckles can get a silver Talen, which are usually the realm of middle class merchants and townsfolk and tradesmen. A gold Aurum was worth 120 Talens and was usually the purview of nobles and royalty.


    Dan sighed explosively as he complained about the ''illogical and unreasoned'' setup. May had nothing to add, and Linda just shrugged her shoulders.


    Their master than dropped a huge bomb ¡°So with over 3 thousand Aurums I can be said to be rich, but how the heck can I spend that money?¡±


    ¡°3...thou...¡± May and Linda looked at each other. That ammount of money was the equivalent of a small kingdom''s savings. Linda''s parents had certainly dreamed about wedding their daughter to a young prince who could command that much, but it was unrealistic. May had only known what it means to scrape by on the goodwill of her teacher in magic and had never expected to speak with someone who had seen a gold aurum.


    And now, they were tied with someone who had apparently been in their world for less than a day and had 3 thousand? ¡°Master! When in the world did you have the time to make that much?!¡± May admired Linda''s ability to adapt to calling this boy ''master'' but also to form a pertinent question.


    ¡°You may have noticed the new renovations to the ''lair'' you used to live in?¡± Nodd. ¡°They are the result of my core disintegrating the stone of the mountain. Although I do not wish to proceed any further, for now, I was able to find enough trace ammounts of gold dust throughout the walls to condense about 50 lbs of gold dust. Pure, that is. I found a Aurum coin in one of the bags and made copies of it until I ran out of raw material (gold dust).¡±

 Arc 01 Chapter 05: Epilogue

    Sitting on a chair made from rock sculpted into a rudimentary shape, Dan''s face bore a listless, some would say bored expression.


    ¡°Does something displease you...Master?¡± Linda.


    ¡°...you could say so, Linda.¡± Dan was operating his human body, his Demon form having been stored in the not-realm that his Crystal Core interacted with. His former body of a human was more akin to a living marionette operated remotely. ''He'' was the Crystal Core now, and his ''body'' was a ''living corpse''.


    ¡°...Its just...there is something missing you know? I won against my would be murderers...¡±


    ¡°I apologize again for being involved in that,¡± May nervously piped in.


    ¡°Forget it already, I''ve already punished you two with those,¡± he gestured casually at the collars around their neck. May felt for sure that she had traded death for a lifetime of suffering, but Dan saw it as giving her a job.


    ¡°...Perhaps Master was not satisfied with the level of punishment given to us?¡± May shot the older girl a look. That look said to shut up now!


    But Dan ignored it. ¡°No, that doesn''t sound right.¡± Dan glanced at them, evaluating them and his situation.


    ¡°Could it be master is uncomfortable having slaves? I''ve heard that some worl...Cultures view owning slaves as a great taboo?¡± May covered up what she was about to point out his otherworlder status. A brief glare from him told her she had failed, but mercifully he considered her statement at face value.


    ¡°No, well maybe I do feel somewhat conflicted? I mean, you two would have killed me. Did, actually. So this is kinda a nice vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Why did you spare us?¡± May.


    ¡°...¡± Dan wasn''t sure how revealing that he was disturbed by his lack of emotional reaction to killing three men consecutively would affect his reputation with the girls. ¡°For now, suffice it to say I could get more use from you alive than dead.¡±


    He had probably meant that in a ''I was looking for reasons not to kill them'', but May of course shivered slightly.


    ¡°Master is still a man with a man''s desires and needs. If Master orders it, of course this servant must comply. But please give myself time to ready to receive Master properly.¡± Linda had merely sighed resignedly with a look of ''As expected Master would want this''.


    ¡°What are you two thinking? Actually, what am I thinking?¡± Dan scratched his head as he looked around. His gaze returned to the two girls. ¡°Actually, Linda, you may have stumbled onto something.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''ve been ''missing''! Desire! Passion!¡± Dan tried to get across the disconected feeling he''s been having. Without a physical ''human'' body responding to emotions caused by hormones he''s been unable to feel like he is disconnect from the reality all around him.


    ¡°I''ve been kidnapped to another world died, become an inhuman crystal, killed three men in my first combat experience ever, and actually enslaved people...its so bizarre...¡±


    May scrunched up her face ¡°...its so bizarre it feels unreal? Like you aren''t sure that its really happening?¡±


    Dan nodded as he got out of the chair. ¡°Like, I don''t know what kind of reaction to make. This melancholy feeling...¡± Moving his human body around and feeling stimuli, he forced himself to focus on the human senses and ignore or shut out the crystal senses. ¡°Having my consciousness split between a floating gem and my human body is not helping matters either!¡±


    It was having some effect, he was feeling alive and human again! This was amazing!


    ¡°I''m really happy that you figured out what you were ''missing'', but, uhm, what do you really understand? About this world I mean?¡± May asked. ¡°And what is it you want to do?¡±


    Dan sighed in his heart as he remembered the question he could never really answer: ¡°Where do you see yourself in five years?¡±


    Dan stretched his neck.


    Meanwhile...


    Sparkling in a pulsating manner, a pendant levitated. A girl, of around 18 years in fine traveling clothes held the pendant suspended in front of her, examining the glowing jewel with a frown. ¡°Eastward more?¡±


    ¡°The only thing further east is a failing kingdom.¡± A woman knight reported in a crisp manner. The failed kingdom inquestion was one of many low-ranking domains who was failing and would soon be replaced by a new lordship. Such things were common and had no impact on the suzerain Imperial Domain.


    ¡°...if memory serves beyond that kingdom is a mountainous region and wastelands. If the failed Kingdom isn''t the source of these readings...¡± the well dressed girl frowned at the peendant, ¡°then isolating the source of this reaction in the terrain beyond may not be possible.¡±


    ¡°But you must,¡± replied an old man with a long grey beard. ¡°Failure at this stage would be disastrous, Princess Chesarie. It is your sworn duty to locate this potential threat and eliminate it at the source!¡±


    ¡°I know, Highmage Cantred.¡± Imperial Princess Chesarie couldn''t allow her eyes to roll at the oldman, but her voice had a hint of unyielding patience. Since her ''advisor'' had been forced upon her his dire and pessimistic warnings of failure and doom had become less and less welcome.


    The Knight, Rosalia, was also annoyed at the ''adviser''. Was he actually so pessimistic or was he being a toxic acquaintance for some other purpose?


    ¡°Highmage, that was not my quest, nor my sworn duty.¡± Princess Chesa contradicted the old Highmage.


    Cantred''s wrinkles and bushy white brow almost hid the brief irritation. High status be damned, as a Highmage he was not used to being rebuked by someone many decades younger than him. ¡°Is that so? I thought for sure it was...¡±


    ¡°Attempting to explore every cave and valley, every mile of wasteland beyond, would be a fools errand. If the hero summoning was complete, we must anticipate where they will go, rather than where they ''were''.¡±


    Knight Rosalia smirked. Princess Chesa didn''t deign to continue with talk of responsibility.


    ¡°Then who did summon the hero? And for what purpose?¡±


    ¡°...That is what we must find out. Rosa, what have we learned of the ''failed kingdom''?¡±


    ¡°The lord is old, and lame. His rule is almost non-existent, allowing a few local guilds and merchant houses to amass greater power. For now, none are making a move to seize power for themselves.¡±


    ¡°...Interesting, why not?¡± Highmage Cantred seemed surprise. Rosalia might have made a comment about his usefulness as an adviser, but wisely held her tongue.


    ¡°Through unspoken agreement, they are happy with the current situation and wish not to jeopardize it with a mere title...¡±


    ¡°Mere Title?!¡± Cantred''s eyes lit up. ¡°Good Knight! As the Imperial Princess''s guard to say such things¡ªto disparage the concept of Titlements is to question the very glue that holds our Empire¡ªAll Empires¡ªtogether!¡±


    Rosalia flustered a bit. ¡°I didn''t mean it in that way, Highmage! Forgive me, Princess I misspoke!¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Rosalia continued ¡°From the perspective of these wealthy merchants, attempting to seize control of the failed state would offer them far fewer profits than the current situation, while at the same time incurring more costs. Whoever steps up would ultimately be commiting suicide for themselves and their family.


    ¡°...Whereas for now, they are highly successful?¡± That explanation appeased Cantred, somewhat. ¡°I see your point now, but you did indeed mispoke earlier. Be more mindful of your duty to the Imperial Familiy!¡±


    ¡°...more like the pricness and everyone around her is being watched for excuses...¡± Rosalia muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Did you say something, Knight?¡±


    ¡°...no...¡± Cantred had heard her mutterings. Rosalia offered her arm gallantly for the princess returning to the carriage. As the personal bodyguard Rosalia joined her in the carriage, which was a convenient way to also double as the princess''s secretary instead of her Highmage Adviser.


    ¡°...Rosalia is far too honest,¡± the princess said as the carriage picked up speed. The rumbling of gravel and dirt underneath the wheels providing a screen for eavesdropping.


    ¡°...I''m very sorry. I shouldn''t have misspoken so...¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Princess Chesa continued, ¡°The local lord is lame and most of the influence of the domain is decentralized. What of the Lord''s family?¡±


    ¡°None remain, all died years ago through sickness or accident. None of the nearby lords want to be seen taking pity, lest they find themselves dragged down.¡± Rosalie sighed going through some reports. ¡°The Lord''s Manor is reported to be abandoned despite him still ''living'' there. The more affluent members of the domain are the more likely suspects.¡±


    ¡°What about any news of the wastelands? What is they''re status?¡± Princess Chesa''s casual air belied her growing worry that her current quest might be the end of her career.


    ¡°If the summoned hero appeared in the wastelands...things might be much more chaotic.¡± Rosalie frowned, before optimistically pointing out ¡°It might even resolve itself in this chaos.¡±


    ¡°What chaos, Rosalie?¡±


    ¡°Several Domains along the border of the wastelands in question,¡± Rosalie inhaled deeply ¡°have begun...ethnic purging of demihuman tribes.¡±


    Princess Chesa examined her confidant. No wonder, since the term ''ethnic purge'' was not the way people of this world referred to it. ''Cleansing'' or ''Pogrom'' was the term.


    ¡°Even those that haven''t officially suggested they would do like wise in their territories have begun mobilizing their troops to deny refugees into their area.¡±


    ¡°The only place left is in the Bastille Mountains and the barren wastelands.¡±


    ¡°Your saying that the area in question is being flooded with...demihumans and our target might be in the middle of this mess?¡± Princess Chesa''s forehead did crease finally.


    ¡°They may flush out the target, or heavens forbid kill this person before we even meet them.¡± Rosalie frowned. ¡°Certainly, if this person died before they began to grow that would...not be bad from the Empire''s perspective,¡± obviously this wasn''t her perspective ¡°but at the very least the new hero would make his way to the nearest settlement which would be the very kingdom we are heading towards.¡±


    ¡°Rosalie, my knight. Do you know what is worse than a Hero being summoned without permission by another kingdom?¡± Princess Chesa asked.


    Rosalie knew, but the Princess wanted to make a point so she dutifully responded with ¡°Please tell me, my Princess.¡±


    ¡°A rogue hero. Someone from another world becomes confused, scared. Their ''common sense'' is built from what the experienced from another world, not this one. Whether they are ill or not, their decisions will be as disconnected from the common sense of this world as someone who simply went insane.¡±


    ¡°If they were Civic-minded and community oriented, they are now operating in a society completely alien to them. Even if they don''t work for chaos, they will be viewed as ''revolutionaries.¡±


    ¡°If they followed the will of the gods, it is not the gods of this world. The religions of this world have their own dogmas as do the ones they are from. They are by definition ''heretics'', ''blasphemers'', and ''apostates''.¡±


    ¡°If they were ''moral'' individuals the morals they upheld and the morals achieved in this world might not be the same. Hmph! Even if the they were the same, if emphasis or priority was different the ''Hero'' might fight for a cause no one wants to fight for and destabilize the region.¡±


    ¡°And, worst of all, they will grow stronger swiftly in magic, and physicality, and luck. Within a brief span of time they may grow stronger than a knight, and more powerful than our Highmage out there.¡±


    ¡°I understand, My Princess. For all intents and purposes, your saying that a Rogue Hero may as well be an insane, revolutionary, heretical, and powerful being. Certainly, they would be a destabilizing individual at best, or a frightful terrorist at worst.¡±


    Princess Chesa frowned ¡°Terrorist? Hmm...I suppose so, but Rosalie that is only if this person is unable or unwilling to integrate into society of this world, or if he or she suffers some kind of traumatizing event that needs to be avenged...¡±


    Knight Rosalia lowered her head. This person hadn''t done anything yet, but will undoubtedly become stronger.


    Rosalia heard Heroes described in the same terminology as WMDs, they were deterrents which may tip any battle without consideration of the odds. To have one unaccountable to any kingdom, is similar to a loose nuke.


    ¡°...My knight Rosalia, what interesting thinking you have.¡± Princess Chesa.


    ¡°...My Princess?¡±


    ¡°Mere Titles, ethnic purging, terrorists, and even the way you speak of borders and dominions has a strange sound to it,¡± Princess Chesa''s gaze pierced Rosalia. As Rosalia''s sweat ran down her back. ¡°These words and phrases you slip in are most unusual.¡±


    ¡°Uh, My p...p...Princess,¡± Rosalia stammered. ¡°You see, I can explain...¡±


    But Princess Chesa interupted her.


    ¡°No, My Knight Rosalia is far too honest. When she tries to lie it is too obvious.¡±


    ¡°Its painful to hear. I''d rather hear nothing than hear you lie to me, and besides I don''t care to hear an explanation in the first place.¡± Chesa''s expression remained still and Rosalia always found it impossible to tell what she was thinking.


    It was hard to believe that Chesa was so many years younger than Rosalia yet the Imperial Princess was able to make Rosalia into a fool on command.


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Chesa tilted her head like a small animal. ¡°It didn''t feel wrong at all when Rosalie swore to become my knight.¡±


    ¡°...Princess...?¡±


    ¡°That''s why, as my knight, just continue to serve by my side.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Princess.¡± Rosalia answered with all sincerity.


    ¡°Good.¡± Although Princess Chesarie didn''t break eye contact.


    As the carriage ride moved along, the green fields of the south western plain regions of the Empire gave way to more rocky and hilly terrain. The two tried to relax as the world outside of the window drifted by.


    The roads would continue to get rocky, although they were still fairly well maintained by the caravans who traveled between the various mining villages and the capitol.


    Rosalie glanced enviously at the Princess, who was relaxed in a calm and dignified manner, nibbling at the small travel snacks.


    The Knight of the princess, on the other hand, felt like a kid fidgeting as she adjusted her knight saber and plate armor. At first it wasn''t so uncomfortable, yet as the silence stretched everything became more uncomfortable.


    ¡°...Rosalie is too honest.¡± The princess murmered under her breath. Before Rosalie could reply the Princess''s gaze had turned to the window. Sputtering internally Rosalie also turned to the window seeking distraction.


    ¡°...chance.¡±


    ¡°Did you say¡ªhmph?!¡± whatever had been said was sealed with soft warm cherry flavored pressure on Rosalie''s mouth. Can a heart stop and speed up at the same time?


    As the Princess parted from Rosalie, the Knight''s face was made sloppy. Instinctively her mouth puckered an instant too late, seeking to reconnect. If Princess''s scary perception didn''t detect one thing Rosalia prayed to whoever that it was that.


    ¡°P...Princess?!¡±


    ¡°What is it, my Knight?¡±


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Rosalia couldn''t remember courtly etiquette that had been drilled into her at the moment, but whose fault was that?! WHOSE?!


    Expressionlessly Princess Chesa touched her lips with the tips of her fingers. ¡°Wasn''t it a kiss?¡±


    ¡°Why did you Kiss me?!¡±


    ¡°I tripped.¡±


    ¡°While sitting? In a carriage with a low ceiling?¡±


    ¡°Please conduct yourself with more decorum, My Knight. It wouldn''t do for an Imperial Princess to be heard to be shouted at by her own Knight.¡±


    Rosaria was now almost as red as her namesake. Swallowing further hysterical outburst she managed to plead out a final calmer ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°...¡± studying her knight for some time Princess Chesa responded with ¡°Why not?¡±


    This most logical and philosophical argument was countered by Rosaria in the following rebuttal: ¡°Give Up!¡± Rosaria knew her friend, she was always extremely serious, as befits her station and the situations they find themselves in.


    Imperial Princess Chesarie was a model princess to Rosalia, not in a ''Save me, Mario!'' meaning, but in a Future Empress of the World in waiting. But she was still a teenaged girl.


    Rosaria accepted the teasing with this in mind. ¡°Princess, you shouldn''t do such things so easily...¡±


    ¡°Very well, I apologize. That My Knight values my kiss so highly, I''m happy a little...¡±


    ¡°...princess...mou...¡± Rosaria didn''t ever want to do anything but support her Friend and Princess, but some how she had the feeling that she will always lose against this fiendish girl.

 Act 2 Chapter 1 A terrible lesson

    Act 2 Chapter 1


    Sunlight sparkled down from a clear sky. It was a welcome, but blinding, change to Dan. This would be the first sight of the outside after arriving into this world.


    Dan wore some very different clothes now. He was off for an adventure so he wore some novice-looking adventurer garb. Some of it came from the clothing of the three men he killed. The short sleeve tunic (which felt like a long basketball jersey) came from [shy guy], the boots came from the old man, and a sleeveless vest came from Herk.


    The real achievement was the long sword Dan wore over his back, shoulder-sling style. The core him was essentially defragmenting its various memories into a useable database. Hopefully that will take the core from almost 893 separate sets of memories to one. Among those was probably someone who was a chemist with metallurgy knowledge right? Until then, tho, a bit of sharp metal with a handle will have to do.


    Shield in his off hand he gave the cave entrance a one more glance, incase he had to find it again. Although, thanks to an artifact he had found amongst the loot, that wouldn''t be necessary.


    May and Linda saw him off. May seemed unenthusiastic at first but finally gave a ¡°...have a safe trip...¡±


    Linda, her face equipped with professional smile bid Dan ¡°Please have a safe trip, Master!¡± Before bowing stiffly towards him.


    ¡°...yeah, I''m off.¡± Dan awkwardly said his good byes and began his trek down the valley.


    Sometime after he had traveled out of sight, Linda sighed and breathed deeply. She turned around a preceded back into the cave, May in tow. They never spoke much before, and now their lives were upended.


    May glanced at Linda sideways, ¡°What, do you think will happen to us?¡±


    Linda ¡°...why are you asking me?¡±


    May opened and closed her mouth like a gold fish. It was true, neither had been any more alone with their new master than the other.


    The awkward silence setting in, May took a look around the ''lair'' they walked through. It was hard to believe what sort of transformation the cave with a few rooms had gone through. The cavern she had found herself tricked into working in was no where to be seen.


    Well, that was a bit of an exageration. The first long tunnel like corridor was still there, except once you reached the end of it, smooth squared halls branched off to either side.


    In awkward silence the two walked from the old lair''s corridors into the new lair''s corridors. It was very different, lacking the organic natural cave curves this new corridor was definitely manufactured.


    Passing a critical eye to the walls, Linda wondered if it was deliberate in making the hallway seem so...straight and artificial? Linda had seen the Crystal Core simply absorb the rock face by shining a light causing the wall to fall into dust.


    ¡°Linda, can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± They stopped in the hallway. With Dan gone, they were essentially left to their own devices within the cave.


    ¡°Uhm...are you,¡± May struggled to find the words ¡°yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes...I think so? Did I worry you?¡± Linda frowned slightly.


    ¡°Why did you say all that stuff the other day. You sounded like...¡± like she had been brainwashed. Dan had shown a surprised face at the time too.


    ¡°I''m not sure what you are talking about, but he could have killed us. By all accounts, I doubt that many wouldn''t have just killed us...¡± Linda shook her head.


    ¡°...oh yeah, I guess you would have said those weird things in that situation.¡±


    Linda sighed in her heart, ¡°Exactly, with our new positions, if we don''t ingratiate ourselves to our new master, why would he keep us around?¡±


    ¡°...is that all?¡± Linda looked quizzically at May. ¡°I didn''t mean anything by it, you just seem like you are acting different from when I remember?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Like when I got here, you were fawning on Herk...¡± May was really confused. ¡°Did you...¡±


    ¡°Hm?...Ew, with Herk?! Gods no, he''s a bit too...rapey? Is that a word?¡± Linda tilted her head.


    Dan was enjoying getting out. Walking in the park and hiking in woods, no matter how hot sweaty and annoying the bugs, always left him with a feeling of revitalization. And now, he was in a world that seemed ripped from fantasy. The sense of adventure was kindled and the world was begging for exploration.


    As the trail sloped downward, he stopped and examined some plants. They were very similar to the earth weeds he remembered, yet different. ¡°I wonder if any of these have special qualities that I can make pills from,¡± he mused whimsically.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I mean, this world has magic,¡± Dan straightened up again. ¡°I can''t trust my old...mundane world''s standards here. Hmm...I wonder what those stoners from back then would think of Magical magic shrooms?¡± A scary thought occurred ¡°Would the hallucinations become real?! Nah, the world would have been destroyed by technicolor elephants, rampaging midgets, and clouds that taste like percussion instruments.¡± He chuckled a bit.


    Orchids, Lichen, and dandelions littered the cracks and crevices of the cliff wall and ground. These weren''t actually the terrestrial plants he remembers but similar enough for him to think of them as anagrams. ¡°Should I actually take some back? Medicine will always be a good source of income.¡±


    Dan frowned again as his eyes drooped. He didn''t pay attention but a slouch in his posture was definitely visible. ¡°How am I going to live here? What can I do?¡± Shaking his head like a wet dog, he dislodged his unuseful thoughts. ¡°I''ll figure out all that once I find civilization in the first place.


    As he took in his surroundings, he noticed he was approaching the end of the cliff wall and the beginning of a densely wooded area. A quick check of his equipment, including the glyph he had looted from the old man''s stash, reassured him that he was prepared for whatever would come.


    Actually, he was more than prepared. His original body had been refined to an amazing degree of healthiness. He had gone over his body and patched up the wear and tear of life he could find. Bone fractures were fused cleanly, frayed ligaments were reattached and muscle fiber was bolstered and invigorated with more protein.


    The easiest to handle was repairing the skin, and circulatory system. Cleaning out arteries and veins, as well as enhancing their girth was time consuming rather than difficult. Not being able to help himself he had found and purged the last of the nicotine from his lung wall, and repaired it all. His heart was made larger as well, although he had to wonder if he couldn''t replace the heart with some kind of magic pump. He lacked confidence, and knowledge to do more.


    The trail left the cliff wall behind, and turned into a wooded valley. The trees were young and dense, but not so dense to be dark. Birds were chirping unseen, and a soft carpet of old leaves were everywhere in sight.


    The sound of running water drew Dan towards a cleft in the forest floor where, sure enough, he found a clean stream.¡°It should be safe to drink right?¡±


    Having come to a complete stop, Dan realized his body was covered in aches already. The arm weighed down by the shield was especially sore, despite the shield feeling relatively light several hours ago.


    ¡°I wonder why? Did I not increase the right kind of muscles?¡± Dan turned and hit a tree near to him with his fist.


    Thwump...Crackle! The tree bent under his fist, its three-foot diameter trunk splintering abit under the sudden impact of force. His power was stronger and more explosive than a professional weightlifter due to the altered muscle fiber he had slipped in from the demon''s body. Not like a direct transplant, but mimicry through magical modification. Due to that he was strong as an ox without the bulk.


    ¡°...inhale...OWWWW!¡± His bones had also been reinforced, but his skin around his knuckles was not. ¡°...why didn''t anyone mention that punching hurt you and the other guy?!¡± he asked no one in particular through gritted teeth.


    ¡°...But now that I think back, I guess bronze knuckles and MMA gloves exist for a reason, right?!¡± despite enough pain to cause a tear to his eyes the skin was already starting to scab up as the blood vessels emitted a gentle glow the same color as the Core''s light. ¡°Good thing I didn''t bring the girls with me, never be able to put up a ''wise master'' face again if they saw this.¡±


    ¡°Grawar...¡±


    Dan was startled slightly by a new noise. Turning to his side, he saw several creatures slinking about through the trees. Like small mischievous children, they hid behind trees and only moved behind roots.


    Frowning, Dan realized that his thoughts were wrong. They were more like furless monkeys than children, and their eyes and bared teeth carried an air of maliciousness not mischievousness.


    Satisfied that he was alone, one crawled out from behind a tree flaring its nostrils...well its face slits which were where the nose should be. The squinted eyes, thick bone ridge of a brow and protruding jaw made this creature very ugly.


    If Dan had to put a label on them it would be ''Goblins''. Or ''Gremlins''. Short little wicked creatures that were usually the first things a new adventurer came across.


    But what really made it ugly was its lack of clothes and fur. Despite each having some sort of spear, or knife, or club none of them felt the need to wear pants. This meant that both of its weapons were being brandished at Dan.


    ¡°Nope, Nope, F**k Nope!¡± Dan scrambled up to his feet, tugging his longsword from his over the shoulder sheath. ¡°Why is this thing...Hey guys firstly, I come in peace,¡±


    ¡°GiyAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!¡± One of the goblins screeched at Dan, who came to the conclusion that they didn''t.


    Meanwhile, Dan was struggling to draw his sword. The blade was about as long as his arm, so when he extended his arm, about three inches of blade was still in its sheath.


    Dan was starting to panic a little, ¡°This isn''t the way it normally happens...¡± he managed to stop himself from saying something like ''in the movies''. ¡°Have all my ideas come from fiction?!¡±


    The viscous little creatures charged at him.


    One club swung at his face as he peddled backwards.


    ¡°Calm down, Dan. You are still stronger and faster than them. Yeah, okay!¡± He cheered himself as his shield blocked a club strike, he barely noticed the shock running up his already tired arm.


    ¡°GUUU!¡± another goblin, this one with a long pointed stick, thrust at Dan''s waist.


    Forsaking all dignity Dan fell away, tactically. He landed on one of the little things, and rolled off it reflexively, ¡°sorry, I didn''t...wait a minute!¡±


    Spitting a leaf out of his mouth he noticed his sword skidded to a halt infront of him! ¡°No we''re talking!¡±


    The Goblins were charging after him giving him no time to form a plan.


    Taking up his sword, he was ready to strike back. His sword was made with the knowledge he had brought with him from earth! With Iron made to his exact specifications, and shaped perfectly, he was ready to attack!


    One of the goblins was close, he swung his fiercest homerun swing ever! A swing that may very well have put any baseball into literal orbit! A slight impact shook his arm, like a twisting feeling, but it wasn''t important.


    His heart was pumping, he was ready for the next foe, a goblin with the spear appeared before him ¡°You again?!¡± SWING!


    ...Something, the spear Goblin was still there. Not dead. Apparently it couldn''t figure out why either. Goblin looked at Dan, Dan looked at Goblin.


    ¡°Guhi?! Guhuyuyuyuy!¡± The sound of chortling laughter came from one of the other goblins. It pointed at Spear Goblin''s feet as it ran up to it.


    ¡°Gu? ¡­.Guuuuu! Gu gu gu gu...¡± Spear Goblin, looking down saw that a puddle had formed, and a pile. Embarrassed, it cried into its own arm in shame.


    ¡°...But you''re already walking around the forest naked and all--¡±


    ¡°Gu! Guri guhu!¡±


    The laughing goblin came along at this moment and started pointing at Dan. And laughing. Specifically at Dan''s sword. ¡°Huh? What the!¡±


    The blade was snapped off almost at the hilt. The goblin from earlier was dead, sure enough. He was lying against a tree. The tree had a gouge like something had burst against it.


    ¡°Twisted, the sword twisted...¡± and snapped apparently. Another sneaking feeling came down his spine ¡°I don''t have any idea what I''m doing, do I?¡± A terrible lesson to learn in front of enemies.

 Arc 02 Chapter 02 -- Goblins are tough

    No weapon, looking stunned and confused, Dan realized the goblins were coming. And it didn''t take them long at all.


    What they lacked in grace they made up with a greedy eagerness. And sadism, actually. They looked like they would really enjoy hurting him.


    Moving shield into the path of an oncoming spear, Dan strike out. Maybe he could have shaken the weapon loose?


    It didn''t work, the imbalance in his stance caused him to stagger. Another Goblin Slapped his club at Dan''s face connecting with his skull.


    Dan''s bones had been made stronger, and his muscles buffed out, but the impact still jarred him a bit. He staggered back, blinded!


    Damaging his eyes?! No, blood was running down into them.


    ¡°The hit wasn''t too much,¡± he scrubbed with the sleeve of his sword hand, trying to clear his vision, ¡°but this is really bad.¡± He couldn''t see! Was there a way...


    Desperate, he tried listening to the rustling of leaves and small thumping of feet. There should be a way to ''hear'' the weight of those steps and guess which is attacking.


    Sounds to the left. Sounds to the right. Sounds in front.


    This was considerably more difficult than he thought...There! Fast scrabbling sounds approaching from the right.


    Figuring that his options were limited, and part of a blade was still a blade, Dan swung out with his sword to the right.


    The goblin flattened itself against the ground quickly as the sword stump passed over its head. With a mocking grin on its face it lept and bit into his hand, clamping down. Not letting go.


    A rain of hits also came down on Dan. Meanwhile, the shifty knife wielding goblin came up behind.


    Pain seared up Dan''s leg as a cold edge bit into his hamstrings.


    He still hadn''t panicked, tho. Although he had been woefully unprepared he still did have one option available from the spoils of the cave. It was a shame to use it here, against goblins. He hobbled away as fast as he could, buying time.


    Bravery? Can he afford it?


    Shame? Is it tasty?


    Dignity? Maybe later...


    For now he needed to shake these goblins loose for a few seconds. Loose, like his dangling leg right now. Fortunately, although pained to tearing, Dan had yet to panic.


    Or, should he say that Dan lacked the actual sense of urgency? Dan didn''t know, but this was surely not the best time to ponder.


    Why haven''t they stabbed him in the back right away? Scrubbing his eye clear he looked back. The little cackling things were sneering at him, enjoying his plight.


    The spear user prodded Dan in the cut hamstring. ¡°OH! Go s*** yourself again! F***er!¡± Maybe Dan panicked a little, or his pain had officially overridden the sympathy. A little late.


    Unbeknownst to the goblins, the scrap of parchment Dan had acquired from the old man''s stash had begun to activate at Dan''s mutterings. It spread, forming lines and symbols, then curled around him. ¡°Later suckers! Huh...?¡±


    As the glow enveloped him, he caught a glimpse of the goblins, who had their prey escape. He couldn''t quite feel pleased yet, but when he was back in the cave surrounded by his slave girls he would laugh. The one with the spear chucked it at him, but missed.


    At the last second he caught sight of something, in the tree.


    The glow took him quickly, and he couldn''t process what he saw in the branches above the goblins. It was a small figure in ragged clothes. Clinging tightly to the branches.


    Them, the glow shrouded the world.


    Meanwhile, at the Core...


    Dan had left in the morning and it was approaching early evening. For the Core, it had been a rather productive day as made several internal discoveries.


    Of the 890ish sets of memories to comb through for facts and experiences, Core had made head way with half a dozen. This was possible through almost overheating the crystal, causing a noticeable increase in the room temperature which Linda and May noticed.


    Of the unfathomable amount of individuals from Earth alone which could have been summoned, less than a thousand actually were. While they each had their own lives and experiences, and they certainly provided him with some new knowledge and skills, he had yet to come across any chemist or scientists, or anyone possessing knowledge of building high technology.


    Gathering knowledge in this manner was very much like sifting through the wreckage of a hurricane trying to find treasured memorabilia. Some of the knowledge was even suspect as many people, not using knowledge in their day to day lives, let the valuable facts that Core Dan wanted degrade.


    There were even many conflicting ''facts'' that sounded equally plausible but couldn''t possibly be true. Using his high-speed logic processing, and real world experiments, Dan was confident he could get the real knowledge sorted.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The problem was, his already mammoth task of sifting through it initially was proceeding fairly slowly, for now the priority was to sort out what he had rather than inspect it. All he could do without bringing his work to a stop was to sort them all into categories and attach a tag like reference for conflicting or dubious information later.


    Core Dan''s concern was what to do with the less factual memories of these individuals. Most of the individuals processed so far were assistant store managers, barristas, and one flight attendant. Sadly the greatest source of knowledge came from a technophobic luddite whose community was stuck in the 16<sup>th</sup> century.


    Not great sources of insight, but in a way these were the last vestiges of the individuals in question. The knowledge which may or may not be worth keeping and the memories of the lives they had, were all the proof that these individuals existed.


    Core Dan decided to simply brush them to the side, and return to the task at hand. And that was when he noticed. A clump of something (the mana?) had condensed and was sorting through the minds without him. Core Dan was stumped, this weird ghost was automatically mimicking his earlier actions, perusing and evaluating the memories and sorting knowledge by category. It even applied a flag indicating further evaluation when needed. Although it could be applying that to every scrap of information.


    What is this?


    If the excess mana wisps inside of the Core Space was the fragmented stuff of all the souls before now, then this clump is a proto-soul performing actions unconsciously and independent of him. Core Dan was in awe of what had apparently happened accidentally. Examining it while it worked he saw that it was indeed operating from ''links'' to the various minds throughout the Core, acting as a search program for the mind''s processors.


    As this was a subconsciously created...entity...it existed within Core Dan''s mind. Noticing that not all of the minds were at work, Core Dan tried imagining more links from idle processors to the ''program''. More mana was absorbed into the ''ghost'' and its work speed visibly increased.


    Where once, Core Dan focused all his attention sorting through memories for knowledge, now he had an automatic process acting in the background. This was truly a great discovery for Core Dan, and Dankind everywhere. ¡°Hmm...lets not do the whole multiple man thing, its pretty nerve racking with just the one separated.¡±


    Occasionally checking on its progress Core Dan could now think of other stuff. ¡°I bet this could work for other processes, like my earlier attempts at making a sword.¡± He had been proud of its shape at first, but the sneaking suspicion that there was something wrong with it was creeping slowly up.


    Proudly, Core Dan opened a new category, and labeled it ¡°Original Discovery: Spirit Programing¡±. Saving his observations into it, he hoped that this would be the start of a long and profitable career.


    Outside the core, Linda was staring intently at the Core. ¡°...What is she doing?¡± Core Dan thought to himself.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked May who was idly sweeping. Being bored was not fun so she was pushing dust around with a broom.


    ¡°...Nothing,¡± Linda moved away from the Core. ¡°I was just thinking if my family will wonder where I am before long.¡± Core Dan snorted. It seems like neither of them realized he could hear them, or speak with them from here. He honestly wasn''t too concerned with their relationships. These two might have been victims of circumstance, yet they were still participants.


    ¡°Are you worried about your family, too?¡± May, looked concerned. ¡°When I found out that I had some talent for magic, everyone was so happy. Now...this was not how I pictured it.¡± She sighed. She had the opportunity to learn magic but had wasted it, letting herself be tricked into this murder fest.


    ¡°My older brothers and sisters were so proud of me...now I''ll never make money and help them.¡± May emptily swept the broom back and forth ¡°How do I even face them after going along with those horrible things? I did the spell which broke the souls of all of those people...¡± Core Dan observed May''s melancholic attitude.


    Linda ¡°Yeah, that''s nice and all...¡± Linda interrupted her. ¡°But did you know who my family was?¡±


    May simply shook her head. ¡°It wasn''t some insignificant family of dirt farms from the sticks, you know? My father is the current head of Galiston Merchant House. You may not know of them, MAY, but we are an up and coming wealthy family. And soon it will be granted a Noble Title!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying I may not know? Who hasn''t heard of Galiston House?! They are the richest merchants in the kingdom, with aspirations of rising to one day royalty. Yet, rumors have it that for some reason they''ve refused to make any play for taking over this Kingdom?¡± May seems to know exactly who they are, and Core Dan couldn''t help but wonder why Linda talked like May shouldn''t know her family''s circumstance.


    Unless...that was for his benefit. ¡°Does she know I can hear them? And if she does, why reveal this?¡±


    ¡°...Daddy doesn¡¯t want this kingdom, this Failed Kingdom. That¡¯s how it looks to everyone. Its too unstable, whoever takes over is going to find this place as a bottomless hole that money goes in but never comes out.¡± Linda waves haughtily.


    ¡°Then, Miss Linda,¡± Core Dan frowned at May''s change in address, ¡°what are you doing here? Surely the Galistons can''t be seen being involved with Hero Summoning magic?¡±


    ¡°I''m not ''being involved'' in this sordid affair!¡±


    ¡°AHH! Miss Linda, don''t jump at me, like that!¡±


    ¡°Don''t get it wrong! GRRR! I''m not so poor like you that this would be an opportunity!¡±


    May cowered and said ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡±


    Linda huffed ¡°Providing information on an illegal Hero Summoning Ritual and rogue magic research...with the Merits I can earn in the name of house Galiston will advance our prestige!¡± she struck a ''guts'' pose imagining victory.


    ¡°So you did work with them for the opportunity? And you even growled at her...holy sh** that bi**h growled at her?!¡±


    May realized something, ¡°So you were spying on us the whole time?¡± Dan''s words from earlier mentioned betrayal, but she didn''t want to believe it. May hadn''t known much about the others but she was surely convinced that Linda had seen something in Herk and that they were in ''love'' or something mutual.


    Linda hugged herself excitedly, ¡°Daddy will have to acknow-¡±


    She cut herself off quickly. Looking slightly awkward.


    May peered into Linda''s face and Core Dan would have leaned forward if he could.


    Shooting a glare at May, ¡°Cough! Never mind that...¡± Linda stole a quick furtive look at the core.


    Realizing a larger issue, ¡°Wait, what are the odds that, someone might come to save you?¡± May was conflicted about this. Would she be ''saved'' or would she be ''doomed''?


    The Core, also feared this. Fortunately, Linda said ¡°Hm? Oh, no. You think I''m giving away this chance for fame? Daddy thinks I''m still in town, even now. I was going to surprise him with the information on this little gathering of yours, but then you went and screwed up.¡±


    May was silent for a moment before ¡°...wait? What? Me?!¡±


    Whatever she was about to say was cut off as a thump of displaced air ran through the halls. It was not unlike the inside of a very large drum. And there before them was a ghastly sight. ¡°Yaaahhh!!!¡±


    Before them stood Dan, bloodied and broken. Almost blind by his own blood spilling from a flap of loose skin from his forehead, one leg seemingly inoperable, tunic bloodied and tears in cloth and flesh. His sword was clasped firmly but broken at the hilt, most of the blade missing. The shield bent in another direction.


    Dan could only think, ¡°Was that a little girl stuck in the tree?¡± That isn''t any good, ¡°I have to, need to...¡± Avatar with enhanced physique or not this was clearly too much for one day. Dan Collapsed onto the ground in front of the crystal core.


    May and Linda didn''t know what to do, but before they figured that out the Core glowed and ushered the body of Dan into the pocket dimension.