《Our Journey to the Other World》


 Prologue: Three of Them Continue to Live in Peace

    "Move it, you dumbass! We''re going to be late!"


    In a certain village, somewhere in the north of the continent, there was a pair of unique children. Well, not unique per se; eccentric would be a better word to describe them. Firstly, there was the only son of the local noble house that reigned over the lands.


    Barnett Donnel was an energetic boy with enough natural charisma to make people adore and follow him without complaint. And while he wasn''t particularly talented in arts of magic, his swordsmanship was unmatched not only by his peers but even some of his personal tutors praised him as the true genius of the sword. That said, his ravenous appetite was well-known, too.


    "Oh, you just had to eat the second serving of meat pie, didn''t you? Now we''re going to be late. Again. All because of the black hole you call a stomach."


    And scolding him was a young maiden with fair features and skin as pure and white as silk. Her blonde hair was kept in a tight knot, hidden under a wide brim of her hat. As if the perfect mirror match, she was hailed as the prodigy. However, since this girl barely went outside and trained her body, her physical abilities were, frankly speaking, underwhelming. Her name was Maria.


    "My liege!"


    When Maria''s leg connected with Barnett''s backside, a faint outcry came from the boy their age nearby. Barely a teenager, he was wearing a fine set of armor, if only a bit worn-out. His name was Alfred Norden, the loyal retainer of the Donnel household and a knight-to-be. Currently, preoccupied with fussing over his best friend''s backside.


    "Liege my ass. We''re going to miss our carriage because of this glutton. Who eats his seconds three times in a row, anyway?"


    Maria asked and huffed for a good measure, showing how unamused she was with the whole charade. It was strange how a pair of boys positively towering over her were more afraid of her than of monsters outside. After all, you can slay a monster and call it a break. Not so much with Maria.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Well, can you blame me? Those meat pies were delicious. I mean, it''s not like Auntie Martha makes them all the time, right? It''s a special occasion, you know!"


    "Yeah, a "special" occasion," Maria rebuked Barnett. "You do know she makes them every Friday, don''t you? That''s why we call them Meat Pie Fridays, after all. And guess what... Meat Pie Fridays happen every week, but the Gateway City''s Trade Fair happens once a year, you nincompoop. Jerkass! Idiot! Dummy! Barnett!"


    "Now now, Maria," said Alfred, tried to protect his friend''s dignity. Or what was left of it. "It''s not like this is the last carriage in the world. We can just wait for the other. Don''t make such a fuss over nothing."


    "Alfred," Maria order, "Come closer." The boy did so. "Now, move here, so I can reach your face." Again, he did as ordered. Looking into Maria''s azure eyes, he felt his breath hitch and his heart start beating rapidly. Could it be...


    *Pinch*


    ... As he expected, his face was held secure in her slender arms. Even considering how unusually soft her arms were, his cheeks still hurt from being pinched so hard. "No, we can''t wait for another carriage. It takes almost an hour for the next one to come, and another hour to reach the City of Gateway. By the time we''ll be there, the best tome of magic will be swiped by newbie mages with moss for a brain. This has happened before and you know this!"


    "C''mon, Maria! Give it a rest!" said Barnett, rubbing his butt. "How about we buy you a tome of magic each? As a compensation of sorts. So please, stop beating us up so much."


    "My liege!" "Done deal!"


    Those cries came from Alfred and Maria respectively. Beaming like a tiny sun, the girl let go of the boy''s face. Not even a hint of her scowl from a minute ago was seen. Humming a melody of victory, she went forward with an obvious spring in her step.


    "My liege," repeated Albert. "Do you perchance know how much does an ordinary tome costs?" For some reason, he was sweating profusely.


    "Hmm? Not really," said Barnett, scratching the back of his head. Then, he heard the price he paid for peace.


    "Say what?! That''s more we earn for hunting monsters for a week! How come those things cost more than a farm?! That''s impossible!"


    "And from what do you think those tomes are usually made from, my liege? Well, for now, all we can do is to keep our chin up and repent for our sins. By the way, my liege."


    "Yes, Alfred?"


    "You really should eat less. You''ll get fat otherwise."

 Chapter 1: Alfred Norden Likes Peace

    I, Alfred Norden, have a secret. You see, despite being blessed with riches and a noble family, it wasn''t the first life I could claim as my own. I know how hackneyed this may sound but, the truth is that I was reincarnated in a different world, and not just a random world, too. This world of sword and magic is one and the same as the setting of a rather popular game I was an avid fan of. That is to say, I finished it at all possible difficulties, attained all possible endings and memorized the plot completely.


    Yeah, I know how pathetic this sounds. So, all things considered, I was an expert in this game, which would''ve been a solid advantage, if I wasn''t born into such a troublesome body. Just the fact that I was myself was already a massive convergence from the plot since I obviously had no intentions of being executed for treason. Yeah, Alfred from the game wasthiskind of a character. Let me give you some trivia.


    The Norden family was the family of knights thattraditionally served knights under Donnels, local land-owners, for generations. While those two families lived peacefully, the current head, my father, started resenting the Donnel family and wanted to overthrow them. Together with his close associates, he planned a coup and let a great sense of hatred and envy fester in his elder son''s heart. When the Demonic Coalition attacked the Central Kingdoms, they used the fact that most of the army was sent away as reinforcements to the United Army to stab Donnels in the back.


    So, they claimed the fiefdom their own and started abusing the commoners. Seeing this injustice, Barnett, the eldest son of the Donnel family, rallied his allies and defeated his adversary together with his childhood friend, Maria. In the case you''re wondering, I am this Alfred. No, among the fan-base, he''s better known as Alfred the Tutorial Boss or Tutorial Boss for short. Yeah, I wasthat nondescript.


    Like, my character was basically hating Barnett because he was always better than me in practically everything, from horse-riding to swordsmanship, and lusting after Maria like some kind of a stalker. Compared to his ambitious and dignified father, whom players liked and hated at the same time, Alfred was ridiculously forgettable. And I was this Alfred. I mean, my story sounds cool, but it''s basically the very beginning of the plot. Just some tutorial to teach novice players how to command their troops and use their unique skills.


    Seriously, talk about harsh. And so, when I woke up one day to find myself occupying the body of one Alfred Norden, aged eleven, I had absolutely no idea what to do next.Acting like Alfred from the game was an end to certain death. Just following the flow would end with me getting somehow involved with my father''s coup, which again means death. In short, everything leads to death other than being proactive myself.


    "Hey, Alfy, let''s go to play!"


    As I was pondering over thispredicament, the door to my room was nearly torn from its hinges. There, beaming proudly, was a black-haired boy no older than me or my body''s supposed age. Not even bothering with my answer, he grabbed my arm and practically dragged me somewhere. Just how peppy is this kid, I thought to myself. The Barnett I knew from the game was a calm, charismatic leader with typical, no-nonsense personality.


    "Alfy, Uncle Albrecht said there are goblins in the forest! Let''s kill them and steal their treasures!"


    Scratch that, this kid was Barnett alright. From the story''s perspective, this guy really must some kind of a murderoushoarder, slaying local fauna for resources and rare weapons. Heck, some legendary weapons need you to slay creatures consideredextinct...Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Wait! This event! It must bethis event! The first tutorial fight! The prolog!


    "Of course, my liege."


    No doubt, it wasthat event! The fateful meeting that would intervene their fates together. As I picked my training sword, blunted enough not to hurt other people, but sharp enough to damage lesser monsters just from the force behind the strike alone, I couldn''t help a smile in my face. I said this before - I was an avid fan of the game - so an opportunity to meet the main heroine herself was too much to miss. Come to think of this, Alfred''s obsession with her stemmed from this encounter as well.


    Almost Two Hours Later.


    "Man, nothing beats some good, old monster-hunting!"


    Sweating like crazy, I plumped my behind on the ground, panting like a dog. I wasn''t thinking what my father would say about such an inelegant behavior, unbecoming of a true noble. I was tired; my whole body ached from the strain. Surprisingly, killing goblins was hard. Even considering those wretched creatures died from one attack, hitting them was another deal altogether. In the game, all attacks were automatic, and whether the hit connected or not depended on the enemy''s evasion rate and attacker''s agilitystat. In reality, you had to swing a piece of metal with enough force and strength to even touch the small, child-like goblins.


    "My liege," I said in-between the pants, "You''re too energetic for your own good."


    This guy will be the death me, I thought. Honestly, he was barelywinded. Was that the power of the main character. And moreover, we still had to carry bags of goblins'' gold after cleaning their nest. For some reason, monsters had an obsession with shiny things like jewels and gold, making their eradication not only a noble task of local nobles, but also a completely legal way to earn money. Stupid game mechanics.


    "Enough chit-chat, Alfy!" commanded the little tyrant, running off somewhere, not caring a single bit about his underling''s well-being. Did Alfred really grow to hate Barett because of jealousy and his upbringing? This guy simply had to put up with this lunatic for far too long! "I heard someone calling my name there. Let us haste!"


    "As you say, my liege," I said, standing up with a grunt of pain. My legs were aflame, in a metaphorical sense, of course. Still, I followed him as a loyal retainer. Just knowing that I followed a person that would become a hero one day made me kind of proud. Sure, there was a possibility of death in the future, but as long as I remained a close friend of the protagonist, there was no danger for me. Besides, it was time to meet Maria.


    "Just wait for me. This armor is heavy!"


    Much Later.


    The hellish contraption, also known to common man as a carriage, was moving. No, not moving, but swinging from side to side, sending waves of displeasure across my stomach. Ugh, since knights were the class of warriors in heavy armor that carried shields to protect their comrades, they were bad against sudden movements. Well, that was my theory, and not the motion sickness that carried over from my previous life. At least carriages weren''t planes, so they couldn''t fall from the sky by default.


    "Are you okay, Alfred? Your face is green. Like, really green."


    Barnett, sometimes your naivete was both a blessing and a curse. "Thank you for my concern, my liege. I''m quite fine, so don''t mind me."


    I wanted to say something cool like that, but in reality, it was more like an array of strange sounds that barely sounded like proper words. Oh gods, spare me this torture and just kill me right now. Maybe my next life would be in a dating simulator. However, knowing my luck, I may end up as a heroine, instead.


    "Alfred," someone''s sweet voice said and a gentle hand tapped my shoulder pad. There, looking me right in the eyes, was Maria. Damn, her concerned expression was just too cute. Was there something she wanted from me? "Sleep," she said, patting her lap with the arm unoccupied by yet another book. Could it be? No, I must be dreaming! I must''ve passed already and sent straight into heaven.


    "Sleep," she said again, her eyebrows scrunching cutely. Super cute. Too cute. I decided not to push my luck any further and put my head on her lap. I hoped I wasn''t too much of a burden for her, and when a wave of heavy drowsiness washed over me, I felt a smile appear on my lips. At this point, I knew what a sleep-inducing spell, Hypnos, fet like all too well. "Rest well," she murmured to me. Honestly, this girl...

 Chapter 2: Maria is Troubled

    My head hurts.


    No, that''s wrong. Myeverythinghurts. I knew it was a really bad idea to go drinking with my co-workers yesterday since my alcohol tolerance was non-existent. However, since I was only a recently promoted manager from the countryside, I wanted to make an impression of a reliable and down-to-earth guy. My sister always said I look bored and unapproachable all the time, but the truth is, my facial muscles are just too stiff. And people avoided me because of this trait, the number of friends I had in school was zero.


    The least I can do now is to hope no weird rumorswill pop out in the future. Also, I better not wake up in someone else''s apartments. That would be embarrassing. I feel how something shifts under my weight. Are this dirt and grass I feel? Man, that''s even worse. I open my eyes and shut them tight instantly. It''s too bright outside. Last time I checked, it was the middle of autumn. Why in the world is it so sunny outside?


    I try to open my eyes again, and this time I''m successful. There sure lots of green outside. More than I ever saw before. Up to this point, the most greenery I saw was either my potted plants or the old pine tree near the office where I worked. Did I pass out in a park, then? I really have no memories of the last night whatsoever. It makes me wonder what was I up to yesterday.


    "Hey! Did you see that? It''s a person! A girl!"


    Hmm? I turn around and face a kid with a sword that doesn''t look like a toy. It''s sharp and pointy and stuff. I''m no expert in child education, but won''t allowing your kid to wander around with a real weapon be a thing any reasonable parent shouldn''t do? Even his clothes look kind of strange. They looked like something straight out of a movie about knights and dragons. Not a full set of armor, but more like a set of tight leather. And this kid is now innocently staring at me with hopeful eyes.


    "My... My liege, stop running away so much. What if someone ambushes you?"


    Another kid comes from the bushes. I call him a kid, but this one is almost a head taller than me. He''s wearing a set of metal armor and carries a real sword, too. And a shield. When his eyes fell on me, the taller boy stopped talking in an instant. If the first one looked amused and overjoyed with this predicament, this one was more thoughtful and careful. He stood first, looking me in the eyes. I can''t call myself tall, but seeing a kid tower over me was a huge blow to my ego.


    "Who are you, milady? And what are you doing here all alone? It''s unsafe to travel across the forest on your own. Especially for a fair maiden such as yourself."


    What? Who is the fair maiden here? This kid is talking crazy talk! I''m neither fair nor a maiden! Is he blind or plain stupid? And that brat even has the nerve to give me a gallant and chivalrous smile. Look, you may talk and walk like a knight, kiddo, but flowery language won''t work on me.Firstly, I''m a man. Secondly, my heart is blacker than a piece of charcoal. Thirdly, you''re far too young to makeany girl swoon.


    "Milady?"


    Here he goes again. And the first kid just stands here, watching. He must be stifling a chuckle or something. Won''t any kid of his age think girls have cooties? Now, as for the young casanova over her...This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Would you quit calling me that?! I''ll have you know I have a name. It''s..."


    Stop. Whatis my name? I''m sure I have one. It was given to my by my dear parents. It was plain and unimaginative, but I liked my name the same. So, why is it so hard to remember it? Nothing comes to mind. It''s as if a lid was put over my memories. I remember my family and friends, but theirnames elude me. Heck, I can''t even picture what they looked like.


    "Oh? Alfy, do you think what I think? This girl has amnesia!"


    What in the world?


    "It''s true, my liege. Just like how Sir Harold taught us. Sometimes people without memories of their past lives appear at random. I heard the stories, but never imagined I''d see a "spirited away" person. Much less finding one near the goblin camp. Alive, that is."


    "Wait, wait. What nonsense are you babbling about? Sure, I don''t remember my name or where I came from, but this doesn''t mean I have amnesia. And who''re you calling a girl?!"


    "You. I believe that would be you."


    Much Later.


    "Just when we were about to take down the last bandit, a huge ogre rushed right into our formation. And it wasn''t a run-of-the-mill ogre, either. No, he was wearing some armor and carried a lance. Like, the kind riders normally use. Those rascals must''ve domesticated one. So, that got me thinking... If a good-for-nothing gang of bandits can domesticate an ogre, why don''t we do the same? We have more resources than petty burglars, don''t we?"


    Barnett said. As always, he was obnoxiously loud, not caring about our friend peacefully sleeping on my lap. Well, it''s not like poor Alfred would wake up anytime soon. Still, his lack of any self-control, if sometimes oddly charming, was grating on my nerves. It''s lecture time, I guess.


    "It''s impossible, Barnett. Monsters, such as ogres, are impossible to domesticate through natural means. Monsters eat the precise amount of food to sustain themselves, so it''s not like they hunt to feed.You see, it''s in their nature to cause mayhem and destruction. In fact, when monsters are kept under the lock, they start to weaken and will eventually die. As for those bandits, my guess is that they simply sicced the ogre on unfortunate travelers."


    I was taught this much by my teacher, Harold. Man, living in the fantasy world sure was interesting. Also, a bit scary, but how cool is it to use real magic? Well, "super-duper awesome" is one word, I guess. While I was talking, Barnett was looking at me with eyes full of adoration.


    "Whoa, you sure know lots of stuff, Maria! If you know so much, why do you need new tomes? I think you''re smart enough as it is."


    Heh, he is still full of holes. The time to strike has come!


    "Dolt!" I said and flickered him unprotected forehead. Despite taking direct hits from wyverns before, he acted as if it actually hurt. "Magic tomes aren''t for learning. They are tools to keep spells ready. You see, every time mage casts a spell, they have to either said the chant verbally or process the mental construct inside their brains. Both need time and concentrations. Tomes, on the other hand, need only mana to activate pre-inscribed spells, so this makes them so important. As a soldier, do you think having a mage capable of unleashing their spells rapidly, without pauses is important?"


    "Absolutely!"


    He-he... Hook, line, and sinker.


    "That''s why I need those tomes so much. I want to help you in protecting our lands, too. For this, I need to broaden my array of battle-ready spells. And so, I need magic tomes, which I can get only during the Trade Fair in the Gateway City. Honestly, it''s such a shame only reinforced monster hides and other precious materials can store magic words without breaking apart. Such a shame."


    "Y-Yeah... Such a shame, indeed."


    "Oh, hush you. We''re nearly there, so I''ll be waking Alfred up. I don''t want you bothering him to be the first thing he sees when he wakes up."

 Chapter 3: Barnett Donnel Is A Horrible Student

    I suppose it¡¯s a kind of weird thing to say, but I was reincarnated as the main character of the manga I liked as a kid. It was a story about a boy that wanted to become a legendary fencer and protect his kingdom against demons together with a band of friends he gathered along the way. I know how clich¨¦ this sounds, but the whole thing was really amazing, especially when I was a kid.


    Like, heroes were noble and did cool things, and villains were vile, so you cheered every time they were defeated. And in the center of this whole thing was the hero, Barnett Donnel and his Nighthawks. Man, thinking about this now, it sounds embarrassing, but in a good way.


    At first, when I opened my infant eyes for the first time, I had no idea who I was and what people around me were babbling about. The last thing I remembered was the image of a truck moving towards me way too fast. Yeah, I probably died. At least I saved that kitten¡­ or that girl, I don¡¯t really remember whom I tried to save.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite an idiot, aren¡¯t you? Well, this kind of idiots is ideal for this work.¡±


    Of course, I¡¯ve met the goddess of this world. Her name was stupidly hard to pronounce, and she acted arrogantly, but if I got what she wanted to say correctly, she wanted me to save her world from a great calamity. Because the original¡¯s hero soul was destroyed or something, mine was chosen as his replacement.


    Thus, I became Barnett Donnel. Man, from an ordinary student to the savior of the world. This sure was a radical change. And since the original Barnett, whose body I now occupied, was simply amazing, things like fencing or horse-riding came were as natural as breathing. However, as a noble, people also tried to teach me too much boring stuff like etiquette or accounting. I mean, who cares about this stuff?


    Like, I never saw Barnett carry even a single bit about nutrients for his army and whatnot. Even in my original world, I hated things like math, so I always played hooky when I could. Does this make me a horrible student? Well, since my father was the more action-oriented person, my tutors simply brushed this topic off as his influence. Of course, I¡¯m talking about my second father, Aldrich Donnel, who is also known as the Old Wolf.


    You see, before the Donnel house got our current lands, my father was a simple mercenary. He, together with his friend, Cedric Norden, helped to drive away the forces of the previous Demon Lord and for those achievements, he was granted lands and titles. Coincidentally, Nordens became our loyal knights. And so, a win-win situation for all of us.


    By the way, Alfred Norden, my childhood friend and the only kid around my age, was Barnett¡¯s rival in the manga. He was the no-nonsense kind of a character that trained daily to become stronger than Barnett and show that an ordinary human can overcome a genius. Well, that and he secretly wanted to protect his friend for harm.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    As for Alfred I knew, he was more of a stoic and tense person. He spent almost all of his time with his dad and sometimes glared at me, when he thought I wasn¡¯t looking. Sometimes I forced him to go adventuring with me, but he didn¡¯t look like he enjoyed them that much. Those are real adventurers, man! Real goblins and gnolls to slain and grab their stuff.


    Well, today Alfred acted a bit different. For one, he didn¡¯t shout at me when I called him Alfy and the way he said ¡°my liege¡± felt refreshing and natural because normally, he said those words with a scorn or a thuggish smirk. I wonder what changed.


    Later.


    It¡¯s Barnett again. A lot of things happened and now I stand before the girl I should protect with everything I have. She had a beautiful face and long blonde hair that ended somewhere around her waist. Her name is Maria. Well, I think so. You see, she was orphaned after demons attacked her clan and the shock made her memories disappear. In the future, she will become a talented mage and help Barnett in his travels. And then¡­ No, I won¡¯t let something like that happen.


    And now, her face was scrunched in disdain, as if she was looking at a cockroach. For such a short girl, she sure knew how to look menacing. The Maria I¡¯ve read about had gentle, mother-like character, but this one was completely different. Rubbing her forehead, she glared straight at me and then at Alfred, who was strangely quiet. Looking at him, I found out he was openly gaping.


    ¡°Maybe we can help you. How about you return to the Castle Donnel together with us for now? You can rest there and if you¡¯re hungry, we¡¯ve food. Sounds nice?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think everyone¡¯s as obsessed with food as you are, my liege.¡±


    As the sound of the girl¡¯s stomach filled the air, the deal was as good as sealed. I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Before Alfred could say whatever I wanted to say, Maria whacked my head. Did I say something wrong? Since her stomach was making those loud noises, she must be really hungry, right?


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    I felt this was a beginning of a great friendship.


    Much Later.


    Finally, we¡¯ve reached the Gateway City. It was called so because the city itself was established as the commerce hub between the Far North, the wild lands given to the new nobles that emerged after the last Demon Lord War, and the Central Kingdom. Because of this, the population of this city mostly consisted of merchants and craftsmen.


    How do I know this? Maria told me so. Apparently, if your underlings are knowledgeable, you can afford to remain blissfully stupid. And my friends were super-smart. Alfred, as a knight, knew all about domestic affairs and advanced tactics. According to him, founding the enemy commander and moving my way through the enemy forces to stab that commander wasn¡¯t a legitimate strategy. It¡¯s a shame what happened to his father, though. I wanted to talk with him about this, but couldn¡¯t find any time¡­ What kind of a leader ¨C no, what kind of a friend I am?


    ¡°We¡¯re here! We¡¯re finally here!¡±


    Maria was oddly peppy. For a bookish person like her, acting like that was something that felt deeply wrong and disturbing. It made me shiver, but Alfred was looking at her fondly, with the same warm smile that made all maidens back home blush. However, the one he was looking at right now was Maria. Is this how it is? Is it? It is, isn¡¯t it?


    Well, this is none of my business. For now, all I can do is to enjoy my life to its fullest. In other words, food! More food!


    ¡°Gateway City, here we come!¡±


    ¡°My liege, don¡¯t run away!¡± ¡°Idiot, where are you going?¡±

 Chapter 4: Maria Finds a Weirdo

    The streets are lined with merchant stalls from nearly every part of the known world. Normally, the number of foreign vendors leaves much to be desired because of the kingdom¡¯s strict border policy. However, to bolster the local economy, the current monarch has issued a royal decree to allow outsiders travel and trade in the city of Gateway once in a year. This event is known as the Trade Fair.


    In exchange for rare materials that come from monsters, we receive items from distant lands such as exotic weapons and such. You see, the Frontier region is notorious for its harsh climate, brutal local tribes and lots of monsters compared to the more civilized Center. For centuries those lands were untouched by the authority, remaining a lawless backward province, but after the last Demonic War was won, new troubles arose.


    After the global conflict like that, a number of people trained only to fight and nothing more became too much to handle safely. Since leaving them unattended would have resulted in a bolstered number of bandits, mercenaries, and other undesirable elements, the royal family started generously giving those who distinguished themselves during the war unoccupied lands and noble titles.


    In reality, this was done to both keep the strongest warriors of the land in check and to start the settlement of the lands that remained wild for too long. The local tribes were, of course, not happy with giving their ancestral lands to the invaders, but they stood no chance against the seasoned veterans like Lord Albrecht and his knights. As such, the barbarians were forced to flee or swear their loyalty to the new land-owners.


    In other words, a definitive win for the royal family. Not only did they manage to pacify the rowdy upstarts, but secure their northern borders, too. That is to say, the official explanation that the ¡°righteous¡± soldiers that showed ¡°merits and honor of true nobles¡± were ¡°gifted¡± with ¡°privileges.¡±


    Well, that was mostly me reading between the lines. In truth, I may be delusional and all those theories were byproducts of my bored mind. After all, boredom became my eternal companion those days. I researched some magic here and there, but things like revolutionizing the world were impossible since I had no idea how to create machines and such.


    Yeah, only my imagination. Fat chance. If were to meet the current monarch, I would have given him nothing short of my absolute respect. He played humans like puppets, and if the rumors that came even to the backward province of steel and blood were even partly true, the heir apparent was both handsome and intelligent.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Come! See my wares! Silks from the East! Clothes from the West! Feast your eyes upon the treasures of mine! You, young miss in a hat!¡±


    Huh? Was he referring to me? I looked around and saw a brightly-painted stall with all kinds of exotic goods demonstrated proudly. The owner himself, a tall man with a short goatee and tanned skin, was gesticulating wildly, catching the attention of all bystanders and mine as well. ¡°Me?¡± I asked silently, pointing at myself.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Do you like jewelry, milady? Amir has pearls! Amir has emeralds! Amir has even diamonds! All for a fair maiden like you! Now, now, don¡¯t stand so far away! Come closer!¡±


    Jewelry? I had no interests in such things. To me, they were too impractical and flashy. The thing I was more invested in were more magical in nature. Things like enchanted rings and amulets. Unfortunately, diamonds were a poor substitute for monster-produced materials. Of course, I wasn¡¯t wearing any right now.


    ¡°We must haste,¡± Alfred whispered into my ear. ¡°If we leave my liege to his own devices for too long, the damage will be too much to handle. Think of all the bills to pay.¡±


    Apparently, that was enough for that Amir person to bite into. ¡°Ah, I see! A young love! Say, lad, how about putting a ring on that finger? I have some and more!¡±


    The nerve of some people! Not wanting to amuse this blabbermouth any longer, I took Alfred¡¯s hand and pulled him someplace either. If his face was as red as a tomato, it didn¡¯t matter to me one bit. And besides, on the outside, I was a rather attractive girl. Yes, I knew how attractive I was. Sadly, I am a man! The outside might be a goddess, but there¡¯s your ordinary salaryman on the inside, you know?


    As I marched through the market, the painfully familiar voice resounded somewhere from an alley. There, facing a pair of thugs with dangerous swords, was my childhood friend and the source of my prolonged misery, Barnett, a gullible smile on his face.


    ¡°So, about this cool thing, you wanted to show me?¡±


    Gods, is there a limit to his stupidity. As the obviously not-robbers unsheathed their weapons and not-asked-for money, we rushed into action. Well, Alfred did. With his set of heavy armor and the momentum he gained from running straight, mixed with the fact that the alley was quite narrow, he was like a human freight train, crashing into not-thugs with a roar of¡­ ¡°My liege!¡±


    Damn, I couldn¡¯t test my new spell¡­ I mean, help my friend! So, when we were about to threaten those unfortunate wannabe thieves, something even more outrageous happened. A real weirdo appeared.


    ¡°O-ho-ho-ho! Not bad, kittens! Not bad, indeed!¡±


    He was short, or so I thought, since the person himself was standing on a wall, and was wearing some kind of a carnival costume. Some kind of a domino mask on his face and an outrageously garish hat with a bright red feather plucked in it. And a flowing cape of all things. This person was hard to look at.


    ¡°You may have defeated my underling, but the Prince of Thieves, Noir, will be your end. To me, my friends!¡±


    From all directions, men and women with all kinds of weapons flooded. Whoa¡­


    ¡°Behold, the power of friendship and eternal bonds we share will defeat you!¡±