《Silva's Diary - Zero no Tsukaima》


 [Vol 1] Prologue: A New Beginning

    In the distant future of the Halkeginia, the world has regained peace, every species in the continents have learned how to co-exist. After the Apocalypse War, Saito and Louise had crossed dimensions, and went back to Earth via World Door magic casted by Louise. They settled down in Saito''s hometown in Japan. Right now they¡¯re in their forties and have a beautiful daughter called Hiraga Sheena.


    Sheena is a 17 years old young lady, she has beautiful blonde pink hair like her mother which is very uncommon on Earth, so she stands out a lot. She has a pair of sapphire-colored pupils in contrast to both her parent. Not to mention her fair skin, well-rounded breasts and slender waist, she is also around 1.7 meter tall. Along with her long and slender snow white legs, she looks just like a model, and a lot of man has proposed to her. Naturally, she turned down all of the proposal.


    Their daughter is extremely talented in magic and able to fully utilize all 4 major elemental magic, namely, the Earth, Fire, Water and Wind Magic. Sheena is currently studying at Tristanian Academy of Magic in the continent of Halkeginia due to her talent in magic.


    With the power of Louise as a void mage, she can naturally open a portal between the Earth and Halkeginia, and travel freely between the two dimensions.


    Right now, their daughter, Sheena, is in her second school year and is deemed as the ultimate genius of the century. Today is the day she will finally summon her own familiar.


    ***


    Now we will go a little back in time.


    On Earth, there is a young man called Silva. He is in his early 20¡¯s and is around 1.74 meter tall. His look is on the average side and nothing particularly stands out. He¡¯s currently working as an IT Technician at the local hospital, and lives with his parent in a rural country called Brunei.


    On a certain day, he went out to the shopping district to collect the mail from the post office.


    When he arrived at the post station and got out of his car, he noticed that a young girl around the age of ten on the opposite side of the road, she was not paying attention to the cars when crossing the road.


    Right about this moment, several cars suddenly appeared from the junction and moved at a high speed. The drivers seem to be racing in this desolate road and did not expect to find a little girl in the middle of the road. They frantically hit the brake and a loud screech could be heard. But at that speed and distance between the car and the girl, there was simply not enough time.


    Upon noticing this, Silva didn''t think twice and immediately dashed towards the girl, pushing her away from the car that is fast approaching. He thought he could use the recoil of the push to fall back and avoid getting hit by the car, but the girl was simply too light, so he was able to push the girl away quite easily. There was not enough recoil force, so he simply just fell forward, against his own expectation. The car was already right in front of him and with a "Bang!". It send Silva flying and rolling away on the ground a few meter away, with blood splattered everywhere.


    "Ah... reality is cruel... " Silva thought to himself secretly.


    Silva was worried about the girl, he tried to open his eyes desperately to look at the surrounding, he was not able to move a single muscle at all, but at the corner of his sight, he could faintly see the little girl on the ground crying.


    "Ah...... if she could cry so energetically like that, then she''s fine... I''m relieved... at least my life is not wasted like this..." Was Silva''s last thoughts before he take his last breath.


    When Silva opened his eyes again, all he can see is pitch black darkness. He couldn''t even see his own fingers in this darkness.


    "Where am I? Is this the afterworld? This place is much gloomier than I thought." Silva shivered at the thought that he might spend the rest of his life in this endless darkness for eternity.


    ***


    Now back in world of Halkeginia, deep within the forest of Alden, in the continent of Germania. There is a secret village of elves hidden in the dense jungle of Alden.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Inside a beautiful chamber, therein lies the soulless body of an Elven Princess on a large canopy bed. Her name is Ranah Elwyn la Sylphis.


    Apparently she was a huge figure who played a major role in the Apocalypse War a few decades ago. She fought against a certain calamity which threatened to destroy every species in the world, she was the one who convinced the proud elves to work together with the other races in order fight against this calamity, and survives to see another day.


    But when she went to investigate a certain dungeon some time after the war, she received a critical damage to her soul. Now she just spend all her time on the bed, staring at the ceiling with blank expression¡­ she is slowly forgotten due to the passage of time.


    ***


    Just at this moment, Silva heard a voice resounding from all directions. At the same time, a magic circle surrounded the soulless body of the Elven Princess, "... I, Sheena de Hiraga des Orni¨¨res, command thee, who possesses the noblest soul and body, come forth and serve as this one''s sword and shield!"


    Suddenly, a bright radiance appeared in the endless darkness, Silva naturally yearns for the light so stretched his arms in hope reaching the only source of light in this dark abyss. Elwyn''s body floated in midair as the magic circle that surrounded her soulless body intensified. Then all of a sudden, the magic circle warped her entire body and disappeared along with it.


    ...When Silva opened his eyes again, he saw an alluring beauty with blonde pink hair in front of him, loudly declaring, "From hence forth, you shall be serve as this one''s familiar!"


    Silva was completely dumbfounded, he didn''t know what to say, so the girl started by asking his name.


    Silva named himself and the girl just nodded slightly before she introduces herself.


    " ...I see... so your name is Sylvia? I am Sheena de Hiraga des Orni¨¨res. Nice to meet you!" With a charming smile, Sheena introduced herself.


    "Sheena...... de Orni what?" Silva was not good at remembering names, all the more when it comes to a long and complicated name like Sheena''s.


    Sheena chuckled and said, "You can just call me Sheena. I look forward to working with you." Then she stretched her hand forward to lend Silva, who is currently kneeling on the ground with both knees, a helping hand.


    Silva feels something is not right about his body, and when looked down on himself, there are two mountains bulging from his chest, a long and beautiful straight blonde hair draped from one side of his shoulder, and moreover, he is wearing a beautiful white one piece dress.


    Silva can tell immediately that this is probably, most likely, not his own body! Silva loves to read to novel, manga and watch anime, and he especially loves the Gender Bender and Fantasy genre, so it doesn''t really surprise him all too much, in fact, he always secretly wished for something like this to happen ever since he was young, but now that it really did, he simply couldn''t believe it.


    Silva was not too surprised at first when Sheena addressed him as Sylvia, since a lot of people in his previous life usually pronounced his name wrongly, and called him Sylvia instead. He had to correct them every single time but he didn''t do so now because his body is already that of a female. So it''s pointless to argue over that now. From hence forth, he shall be known as Sylvia.


    But this development was still a bit too sudden for Silva... Sorry, I mean Sylvia. She still couldn''t immediately accept it as a reality. Sylvia pinched her cheeks so hard to reaffirm herself.


    "Ouch!!!" Upon sensing the pain, Sylvia immediately shouted with tearful expression.


    She could feel the pain but she still couldn''t believe it since it is not impossible to sense pain in a dream, so she clasped her hands together and concluded, "Yep, this must be a dream!"


    Sheena was confused at the sight and asked, "What are you doing?"

 [Vol 1] Chapter 1: A Unique Familiar

    A young man has suddenly been reincarnated as a beautiful elf with a beautiful long blonde hair and a pair of sapphire-colored pupils. Still dumbfounded by the current development, a beautiful girl has named <del>him</del> her as Sylvia. She is a beautiful girl with an alluring blonde pink hair and a pair of sky blue-colored pupils, the girl has said something incomprehensible such as serving under her as a familiar.


    Sylvia couldn''t absorb all of these at once and remains dumbfounded. She is still kneeling on the ground, staring at the beauty in front of her with blank expression. The girl had her hand stretched out to reach Sylvia.


    Sylvia inadvertently raised her hand to grab hold of the beauty''s outreached hand.


    The girl in front of Sylvia grabbed her hand, and pulled Sylvia up from the ground, then she introduces herself again.


    "I am Sheena, from today onward, I will be your Master." After introducing herself, Sheena revealed a charming smile that would make any man fall in love with her at first sight. She suddenly brought her face closer and kissed Sylvia on the lips, then she said, "With this, our contract is sealed."


    "EHHHHHHHHHH!?!?" (Sylvia)


    Finally reaching her limits, Sylvia finally let out a shout full of surprise. These thoughts are overflowing in her mind, "T-that was my first kiss!! And with such a beauty to boot!! Oh my gosh!! But why did she kiss me? Did she have a feeling for me? No--- wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!! I''m a girl now, don''t tell me... is she a lesbian?!"


    With both her hands on her flushed cheeks, Sylvia began to fidget around.


    Then all of a sudden, Sylvia''s entire body felt like it was on fire and started to burn up. Steam are rising from the pores of her skin, she started to feel slight discomfort on the back of her right hand.


    This is the symptom of a Familiar''s Runes being inscribed.


    Feeling the extreme heat and pain on her right hand, Sylvia slumped on the ground with both knees, and grabbed the wrist of her right hand. She let out an agonized scream and rolled on the ground, "AHHH!! W-what is going on?! Steam are coming out from my body! It''s hot, it''s hot, it''s so hot!!! W-what did you do to me!?"


    "Relax, it will be over soon. That''s just the Familiar''s Runes being inscribed" (Sheena)


    After Sheena said that, she gave Sylvia a gentle hug, calming her down.


    At this moment, the surrounding started to get noisy and...


    "As expected of Sheena."


    "She summoned a humanoid familiar."


    "She''s so beautiful... "


    And such could be heard.


    Then the professor suddenly stepped forward, and inspected the runes on Sylvia''s right hand.


    "Hm... I''ve never seen this kind of inscription before, is this a new type of familiar?"


    That was Professor Colbert, he looked much older now compared to before, and is now the Headmaster of this Magic Academy.


    This is the summoning ceremony of Louise and Saito''s daughter, the daughter of the young girl who once summoned the legendary Gandalfr a few decades ago, and the daughter of the boy who was summoned from another world as the legendary Gandalfr, so he just had to attend this event no matter what.


    And as expected, their daughter too, summoned a humanoid familiar which is considered to be a very rare cases. Most likely, a humanoid familiar has to be some kind of legendary familiar with unimaginable power.


    The inscription on Sylvia''s right hand is unlike the runes of Gandaldr and Vindalfr. It looks like a magic circle with pentagram star within.


    But it doesn''t stop there yet, as the body and soul are originally two separate beings to begin with, that means Sheena has been contracted with 2 familiars.


    Sylvia''s left hand started to burn up as well, another inscription appeared on the back of her left hand that looks exactly the same as the one on her other hand. Sylvia is assaulted by the same burning sensation she experienced a while ago, she let out another agonized scream.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Professor Colbert was astonished, "How is this possible! How come there are two inscriptions on a single familiar? I''ll need to do some research regarding these runes later, can I have closer look, Miss Sylvia?"


    Still clinging to Sheena, Sylvia let out a weak voice, "Mmh..."


    After closely inspecting the runes, Professor Colbert jotted something on his notes and dismissed the class. He immediately bid the students farewell, and flew towards the Academy at high speed.


    Seeing that the Professor is now gone, the students started to head back to the academy as well, some of them even crowded around Sylvia and Sheena.


    But Sheena just raised her index finger in front of her lips to urge the surrounding students to lower their voices.


    "She''s soundly asleep, she must be really tired... Let her rest for now. We will leave the introduction for another time. Let us head back to the dormitory too." (Sheena)


    This is only natural, the body Sylvia is currently possessing had been in a comatose state for more than a decade now. Sylvia''s soul had also been wandering aimlessly in the dark abyss for who knows how many years. Moreover, Sylvia is also not used to her new body yet, so it is only natural that Sylvia would be exhausted.


    The surrounding students consented and went back to their respective dormitory room in the academy.


    ***


    The next morning... When Sylvia woke up, she found a beautiful girl with blonde pink hair sleeping right next to her. She was surprised and unintentionally let out a shriek, she jumped up and then fell down from the bed with a "Crash!".


    She landed on the hard solid ground with her buttocks, she couldn''t help but rub her stinging butt and cry out in pain, "Oww... That hurts!"


    When she heard her own voice, she felt something was strange. Then she noticed the beautiful nightgown she''s wearing, as well as her own figure that seemed very feminine. Since the soul inhabiting the body now is currently a young man called Silva. He was surprised yet again and let out another scream.


    In her mind she thought, "So what happened yesterday was not a dream after all?"


    Then she noticed the magic circle on both of her hands, "So these are the Familiar''s Runes they were talking about yesterday?" Sylvia faintly recall the event from yesterday, and smiled wryly.


    "Ah... " Sheena lets out a weak voice, she slowly got up from the bed, and lazily stretch her stiffened body.


    "Why are you making so much ruckus so early in the morning!" Sheena shouted unhappily.


    "I-I''m sorry, I was... just surprised!" Sylvia apologized out of habit.


    Sheena frowned and questioned, "What is there to be surprised about?"


    "I... well... it''s a long story...... " (Sylvia)


    Then Sylvia started to explain her circumstances to Sheena, explaining how she used to be a young man who lived on Earth. About how he tried to save a young girl and lost his life in the process. And about how he suddenly woke up and found herself in this kind of situation.


    "............ I see, now that makes sense". It seems like Sheena understood something upon hearing the stories of Sylvia and nodded.


    "What is?" Sylvia didn''t understand what''s going on and asked.


    "That explains how you got two runes upon sealing our contract... but I never expected this...... we should consult with Professor Colbert immediately." (Sheena)

 [Vol 1] Chapter 2: The Mystery Unresolved

    As soon as we opened the door, there was a maid standing in front of us, with a cart beside her. The maid has a black silky hair and a pair of beautiful black pupils. She looks like a typical Japanese.


    "Mistress, I have prepared your breakfast for you and your familiar." The maid said courteously.


    "Very well, just leave the food in the room for now. I''ll be back soon, Angie." Sheena stepped out of the room as she said that.


    "...Where are you going so early in the morning, Mistress?" The maid, Angie, asked while tilting her head.


    "We''re going to see Professor Colbert for a while. Let''s go Sylvia, we''re going out." Sheena urged Sylvia to go along with her as she stepped out of the door.


    "Y-yes! Master!!" Sylvia answered nervously.


    "Fuu... you can just call me Sheena, no need for any honorifics... " Sheena felt a bit uncomfortable when Sylvia called her "Master".


    "Y-yes! Um... Miss... Sheena...?" Sylvia was normally a timid guy in his past life and don''t feel comfortable calling someone of higher status casually.


    "Just call me Sheena." Sheena pouted cutely and demanded Sylvia to just call her Sheena.


    "Sh... Shee.... na." Sylvia''s face turned bright red as she said that, she felt slightly embarrassed and looked down.


    "Good, now let us go." Sheena said that while offering her hand to me.


    Sylvia grabbed her hand and got pulled along by Sheena.


    ***


    *From henceforth, the story will be told in Sylvia''s Point of View*


    We arrived in front of Professor Colbert''s lab and Sheena knocked the door twice.


    "Professor, I am Sheena. We have something important we need to discuss with you. Please grant us your audience." Sheena said respectfully.


    But there was no sound coming from beyond the door, it was dead silent.


    "Professor?" Sheena called out once more, seemingly confused as there was no reply.


    Then she held on to the handle of the door and turned it slightly.


    "It''s open... " Sheena was surprised when the door was unlocked.


    She opened the door and peeked inside the lab, but it was pitch black, without a hint of light.


    "Professor?" Sheena called out for the Professor once more and scanned the surrounding.


    We saw a black figure on the ground and Sheena shouted in surprise, "Professor!!" She immediately rushed over to his side to check his condition.


    I followed suit and held the professor''s head up from the ground.


    "Fuu... fuu... " Professor Colbert was snoring peacefully...


    "Sigh... I guess Professor Colbert didn''t sleep at all last night, he must have reached his limits and collapsed." Sheena said that resignedly, she used magic to lift Professor Colbert up in the air, and moved him on top of the nearby sofa.


    Then we took a peek at the research materials that was left on top of the desk by Professor Colbert.


    It seems he wasn''t able to find out much regarding the runes that was on both of my hands. So my powers still remain a mystery for now, but something interesting caught my attention.


    All of the materials indicates that this magic circle is the origin and foundation of magic. So I came to a conclusion that maybe I am capable to using every kind of magic in existence... but that''s just my wishful thinking.


    It seems Sheena has come to the same conclusion and looked at me straight in the eye.


    Then she said, "From now onward, you are to attend the magic classes together with me."


    "YES!! Of course!" I replied with a very excited tone.


    I mean, how can I not? It''s magic! I can learn how to use magic! It''s the dream of every fantasy lover out there!


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Seeing me so excited and smiling for the first time, Sheena also revealed a hint of smile.


    "Fufu... c''mon, let''s go back to our room to eat..." Sheena grabbed my hand and pull me back to the dormitory.


    "What about the matter you wanted to discuss with the Professor?" I follow behind Sheena and asked.


    "That can wait until later, aren''t you hungry? You haven''t had anything to eat since yesterday." Sheena was honestly concerned.


    Now that I think about it... that''s true. And my stomach started to grumble as soon as I started to think about it.


    ***


    We went back to our room and had a luxurious breakfast. I''ve never had anything that good before. The food looks a bit expensive though, so I was a little hesitant to eat it at first. I guess rich people have this kind of food everyday... how envious...


    "Now then... " After finishing our breakfast, Sheena started, "Since we finished our breakfast already, let''s head to town and get you some weapon."


    "Weapon... ?" Upon hearing the word, weapon, I tilted my head and asked.


    Sheena explained, "That''s right, you need a weapon to be able to fight right? Although Halkeginia is now peaceful, there are still bandits, pirates and monsters roaming around. We need to be able to defend ourselves from harm at the very least."


    "... I... see... This is a fantasy world after all." I am convinced from just that.


    Sheena asked, "So what kind of weapon do you want? We can''t be sure what your specialty is yet but I have a feeling you might be proficient in magic... so how about a staff?"


    "No um... Since I am an Elf... I think I might be good at archery. Even though I''m not really fond of long range combat since my accuracy was low... But now..." I was deep in thought for a while.


    From the world I came from, all the elves in the games and light novels are good with the bow and magic, so I thought I might be too.


    Ever since I became an elf, my eyesight have improved drastically. If you put it in terms of video quality, I''d say it got enhanced from the Standard Quality of 360 pixels to the Ultra Definition of 4320 pixels. That''s a HUGE boost!!


    Suddenly, I had a vision of myself holding two bow that looks like a gun and muttered, "Dual... bow... gun?"


    "What... ?" Sheena asked questioningly.


    "Oh... uh... no... it''s just... I suddenly had a vision of myself holding two bow that looks like a gun... I wonder what was that?" A memory of this body''s previous owner perhaps? Or so I thought.


    "I see... that decides it then, we''ll just get you two magic guns for now." Sheena is a very decisive person, she immediately picked the best choice from all the options she had thought of.


    "What?! You have guns in this world too?" I was surprised when I heard the word ''gun'', I never expected that in this fantasy world, I''d hear that word coming out from the mouth of the citizens here...


    "Yea, I didn''t tell you yet right? My father is an Earthling and with his help, we have mass produced a lot of weapons from Earth here in Halkeginia.


    ... It''s been recorded in the history book, my father led an entire army of commoners with weapons in hand, and saved the world from a calamity..."


    Sheena said that proudly.


    But I didn''t hear the latter half of the conversation, I was too focused on the first half.


    "Y... your father is from Earth?!" (Sylvia)

 [Vol 1] Chapter 3: The Chaos in the Forest

    Around this time, in the secret village hidden deep within the forest of Alden, the elves finally noticed that the princess is missing.


    "The Princess?! She''s not here!!"


    The attendant shouted in panic when she found that the princess is not on the bed where she usually is. With the princess in her current condition, there is no way that she can move on her own.


    "Quick! Quick! Inform the Village Chief immediately!" The attendant immediately ordered the guards beside her to report the situation to the Village Chief immediately, which also serves as the Princess'' father.


    Upon receiving the grievance news, the Village Chief, Gustav, frowned.


    "Summon the Priestess! NOW!!" Gustav shouted, clearly annoyed.


    "Yes sir!" The nearby guards immediately moved upon receiving Gustav''s order.


    ***


    After a while, the priestess arrived in the hall where the Village Chief is staying, with a few guards escorting her.


    The priestess has a beautiful straight blonde hair, a pair of beautiful light blue eyes, and most surprisingly, her voluptuous chest. Elves are known to have a relatively small chest, so this is very uncommon indeed.


    And the only elf with such a humongous lump of fats hanging off her chest is a world-renowned Half-Elf known as Tiffania Westwood!


    She is one of the legendary void magic user, and by her side is her trusty partner and a legendary familiar, Lifbrasir, also known as the "Heart of the God".


    His name is Ragna. He has a silver colored hair and a pair of golden eyes. His body looked very sturdy and powerful. Just from one glance, one can tell he is a powerful warrior.


    Tiffania curtsied elegantly in front of the Village Chief, "Chief Gustav, for what reason have you summoned me?"


    Her tone is unwavering, yet it is very elegant. Causing the surrounding guards to shudder in admiration.


    "Your esteemed priestess, I can''t thank you enough for your taking your time to care for my disabled daughter. Today I received a grievance news that my daughter is currently missing. Do you know of it?" Gustav said that with a rather worried expression.


    "Chief Gustav, I have only been informed by the guards who were escorting me earlier with regards to the situation of the princess." Tiffania reported to Gustav.


    The elven princess, Elwyn, used to be the best of friends with Tiffania. After finding out her friend had fallen into a deep slumber and is currently disabled, naturally she had been doing whatever she can to take care of her best friend.


    "I have went to the Princess'' Chamber before coming here so it took a while. But I can feel traces of summoning magic left behind... by who... and for what purpose... I do not know..." Tiffania explained why she took so long before coming here.


    "......" Gustav was looking down and didn''t say a single word.


    After a while, Gustav finally raised his face and looked at Tiffania, he pleaded solemnly, "I am sorry to ask this of you, but the reason I summoned you is because you are the only one I can ask this favor of... please, please find my daughter!"


    "Worry not, I was already planning to head out of the village as soon as possible, and commence a world-wide search! I will scour the entire world and leave no stones unturned. I will find her no matter what!" Tiffania said with a confident smile. She firmly believes that she will be able to find her best friend no matter what.


    "Thank you... thank you so very much!" Gustav expressed his sincerest gratitude to Tiffania while holding both of her hands, and he continued, "I am the Chief of this village, I can''t carelessly dispatch the warriors and leave the village undefended... I will be counting on you, Miss Tiffania Westwood."


    "I understand Chief Gustav...... Please relax and leave everything to me!" Tiffania tried to reassure the village chief.


    "Mmm... I''ll entrust my daughter to you. Please punish the evil-doer who caused this ruckus on my behalf." Gustav said that as he waved his hand, prompting the attendant beside him to hand over the box that she is currently holding.


    "...This is?" Tiffania tilted her head, and asked questioningly.


    "An artifact that belonged to my daughter, you should know better than anyone else just how much she treasured this item. Please pass this to my daughter when you find her." Gustav took the box and passed it to Tiffania.


    Tiffania looked at the black box for a while and understood what is within the box, "I will definitely deliver this to the Princess."


    Gustav nodded and said, "Be on your way now, I won''t hold you for much longer."


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Then I''ll be leaving." Tiffania grabbed the box and hand it over to her familiar, "Ragna, please look after this artifact with utmost care."


    "Of course..." Ragna spoke for the first time since entering this hall. He is a man of a few words, but his strength is guaranteed. In terms of swordsmanship, he is not one inch inferior to the Gandalfr, who are superior with the use of weapons.


    Tiffania and Ragna left the hall as soon as possible, and now...


    ***


    Gustav summoned all the elves in the village to the central plaza to calm the masses.


    The disappearance of the princess have caused the entire village to grow anxious, in order to dispel their anxiety, Gustav has to announce it sooner or later, it is his job to ensure the peace of mind of every denizens here.


    .........


    Around noon, the entire population have gathered in the central plaza, it was quite packed. In the center of the plaza stood a lone man, he has a very dignified aura with neatly combed blond hair. ?1? He is none other than the Village Chief, Gustav.


    Everyone''s attention is focused on this man and he started, "We have already identified the cause behind the princess'' disappearance and I assure you, this is not a kidnapping incident, so please calm down and listen."


    Upon hearing that the princess is not kidnapped, the entire population feels slightly relieved, and the tension in the air is starting to feel lighter.


    Gustav continued, "According to the priestess, the princess have been summoned as a familiar, but we do not know who has summoned the princess, nor her current whereabouts."


    Gustav made up the part about being a familiar since he don''t want to add to the worry of the villagers. Never in his wildest dream had he imagined that his lie turned out to be the truth.


    The crowd starts to get noisy again;


    "But with the princess in her current state..."


    "She''ll get violated!!"


    "Poor princess..."


    And such could be heard.


    "SILENCE!!" The attendant at Gustav''s side shouted, and the surrounding become quiet all of a sudden.


    Then Gustav uttered his last words, "The Priestess has personally set off on a journey to search for the princess. Please set your mind at ease and get back to work. Dismissed!"


    With this, Gustav dismissed the crowd and went back to his own estate.


    The crowd were noisily discussing about this on the street for an entire day.


    "The guy who summoned the princess is gonna get it now."


    "Yea, when the priestess find him, he''ll wish he was never born."


    Every villager highly respect the priestess, nobody in this village do not know about her.


    She is the legendary void user and a companion of the hero who saved the world from absolute calamity. And most important of all, she was the one who desperately protected them during the Apocalypse War, even though the proud Elves treated the Half-Elf awfully.


    ***


    Now we go back a little in time, back to the Magic Academy...


    "Y... your father is from Earth?!" I was utterly surprised when I heard Sheena said that her father is an Earthling.


    Sheena''s lips curved, revealing a charming smile and said, "Yes, my father is originally an ordinary human from Earth, summoned to Halkeginia by my mother as her familiar."


    ...Wait what? That scenario sounds familiar... It''s like what happened to me, but I feel like I have heard of a similar situation somewhere before...


    While I was still deep in thought, Sheena continued, "You said you used to be a young man called Silva who lived there right? Then have you heard of the name Saito and Louise?"


    "Saito? Louise? Wait... You don''t mean... those anime characters from the fictional show?" After thinking for a while, only one thing came to mind. That''s right, the hero and heroin of the popular anime series, Familiar of Zero.


    "Exactly." Sheena smiled mischievously, "My father is the original author of that anime."


    "Wu.... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs due to extreme shock.


    <hr />


    References


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>Whoa... did you know? "Blond" and "blonde" actually have different meanings. Blond is a fair-haired male, and a blonde is a fair-haired female.


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 1] Chapter 4: Innate Ability

    "B-b-b-b-but... th... that...!" I stuttered, I was too surprised by the sudden development and unable to speak properly. In other word, I''m flabbergasted.


    "But what exactly?" Still wearing the mischievous smile, Sheena asked.


    In order to calm myself down, I slapped myself on the cheeks and continued, "But... that means... THE ANIME IS BASED ON REAL STORY?!?!"


    Unable to calm myself down, I still shouted in the end.


    "Hahahaha." Sheena laughed, "Of course not, the anime has been altered greatly from the true history of Halkeginia. If you want to know the truth, I recommend you start reading the history of Halkegenia, starting from the past few decades."


    "The history of Halkeginia during the past few decades is not as flowery as it is shown in the anime..." Sheena, who knew the true history of Halkegenia, revealed a gloomy expression.


    *Gulp* I swallowed my saliva, and cold sweat ran down my spine. It seems like something awful has happened during the past few decades that cannot be shown to kids in the show... that''s why he altered the story to be more... friendly... in fact, maybe even his happy-go-lucky attitude might be forged...


    I didn''t press on with this matter any longer, and then I asked, "Are we going to get my weapon now?"


    "No... before we go, I want to confirm something." (Sheena)


    "And that is..." (Sylvia)


    "I want to see whether you are capable of using magic or not..." (Sheena)


    "......." (Sylvia)


    "Come, let us go to the courtyard." (Sheena)


    "Okay!!" I jumped up from the chair immediately, and walked behind Sheena.


    After we exit the room and enter the lounge, there were a lot of people gathering in the lounge, wearing the same cloak as Sheena. But the colors of their cloak are different, some are black and some are brown. Sheena is wearing a purple-colored cloak.


    Some of them come toward Sheena and I, then started to introduce themselves one after another. I couldn''t possible remember all their names and faces, I was never good at remembering names, not unless I spend a lot of time with them. I just lowered my head and introduced myself as Sylvia.


    Since I became an elf, my hearing ability has been enhanced, so I can hear the whispers clearly from distance.


    "Wow she''s so pretty..."


    "That''s an elf isn''t it, her ears are pointy."


    "To summon a proud elf as a familiar... as expected of the goddess..."


    Wait, what?! They refer to Sheena as a goddess? I should have just ignored them and pretend I didn''t hear anything...


    One man in particular caught my attention, especially his purple hair... it reminds me of the Crown Princess. I wonder if he is the son of the princess, no wait... she should be a Queen now...


    The group in front of us split into two when that man is approaching. He seems like an important person after all. Maybe he''s a prince?


    That man stopped on front of Sheena, "Greetings, beautiful Miss Sheena."


    He greeted her by kissing the back of her hand. I guess that''s how aristocrat greet one another?


    "Oh Albert, stop it with the formality. We are engaged after all." Sheena said that with a poker face.


    "Haha, same as always... allow me to introduce myself. I am Albert De Tristain, the Crown Prince of Tristain, as well as the fiance of Sheena de Hiraga des Ornieres. This here is my familiar, Spark, the great Thunderhawk."


    As he introduced his familiar, the Thunderhawk landed on his right arm and spread its wings proudly. The thunderhawk, as its name implies, is a hawk with the ability to utilize lightning. It has a beautiful blue feather.


    I immediately clapped both of my hand together and prayed for good luck. It''s a jinx that a blue bird brings good luck and happiness so I did that reflexively.


    Albert continues, "May I know your name, beautiful miss?"


    He holds my hand and kisses the back of my hand. I bet he is a playboy, seeing how he can easily kiss another girl''s hand in front of his own fiance without asking for permission first.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Being kissed by a man, even if it was on the back of my hand, I still feel slightly disgusted. I got shivers running down my spine, but still managed to introduce myself properly.


    "I... I am Sylvia... the familiar of Sheena. An elf..."


    "Well, that''s all for introductions for now. We do not have all day, it will take at least half a day to get to the nearest town to procure a weapon for my familiar. With that said, I''ll be taking my leave first." Sheena curtsied like an elegant young lady, then she bid farewell to her classmates.


    "In that case, how about I go with you?" Albert offered to go along with us but...


    "No thank you. You are the Crown Prince of Tristain, you will attract too much attention if you go with us." Sheena rejected him.


    "...That''s not a problem, I can disguise myself before going. After all, I am a Master of Disguise. I learned it from my imperial mother!" Albert said smugly.


    Sheena knew how persistent Albert is and no matter what she says, it will be useless and only a waste of time, so she just sighed resignedly.


    "Just prepare three horses and wait for me at the entrance, I will be there soon." After Albert said that, he dashed off immediately.


    "...Alright, but be quick about it. I won''t wait long." Sheena advised Albert to hurry up and put on his disguise, or else she will leave him behind.


    ***


    After that we went to the stable to prepare some horses. The caretaker prepared the horses for us when we told him our reasons for going to town. As Sheena was pulling the horses, she probably noticed that I look a little anxious. She step forward to ask, "What are you concerned about? Are you worried about riding the horse by yourself?"


    "Wha...?! You can tell...?" I was honestly surprised, am I that easy to read?


    Sheena''s lip curved and formed a charming smile, then she said sweetly, "Don''t worry, I will teach you the basics."


    After I climbed on the back of the horse, Sheena starts to explain the basics of horse riding to me.


    Riding the horse for a while, I got used to the feeling quite quickly.


    "...I''m surprised! You learn rather fast..." Sheena was honestly surprised to see me being able to ride a horse on my own so quickly.


    The only thing that I can be proud of from before I was reincarnated was my ability as a fast learner after all. But no matter how fast I learn, this is still too surprising... not even five minutes have passed yet and I can already ride a horse by myself...


    Now that I think about it...... how come I can understand and read the language of this world when they are clearly different than the language from Earth?


    Is this what they call... the innate ability of the body? Since I am now in the possession of the body of an elf who are known for their longevity... that means this body must have at least lived for a hundred year or so right? If that is the case, that means this body already has already accumulated hundred years of experience... it wouldn''t be strange if that was the case...


    "No... even though I''ve never ride a horse by myself before, I can''t say that is also true for the real owner of this body... Just like learning how to drive a car, something you learned how to do with your own body can''t possible be forgotten no matter the passage of time." I can tell because I have experienced this before. Even though I went oversea to study and didn''t drive a car for more than three years, I was still able to drive normally even after coming back to my home country.


    "I see... if that is the case, then that would explain how you are so natural when handling that horse." Sheena was convinced by my words.


    "Now let''s make haste, Albert must be waiting for us at the main gate already." Sheena climbed onto the back of another horse, and pulled the other horse along to the main gate.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 5: My First Battle

    Just when we are about to reach the main gate, I suddenly remembered that we were supposed to test my aptitude for magic so I asked, "Oh... aren''t we going to see if I can use magic or not?"


    Sheena explained, "Oh... that... we were stalled and wasted too much time with the introduction earlier, we will just have to borrow the open field behind the weapon shop later to test your aptitude first before deciding on which weapon is best for you."


    "......? Why does being able to use magic or not will be the deciding factor of choosing my weapon?" Since I do not know anything about this world, my confusion was only understandable.


    "Well, there are some weapons that are specially designed for the mage, such as the Magic Gun or the Magic Sword. As long as you have enough Magic Power, or the so called MP in gaming term, you can refill the cartridge with Magic Power.


    The downside is that we still need to chant an incantation to fill the cartridge with our magic, so a Magic Gun takes longer to refill than an ordinary gun but it is more powerful." Sheena patiently explained to me.


    These Magic Weapon seems a little bit more inconvenient than I thought they''d be, so I couldn''t help but ask, "Wait... we need to chant an incantation for the spell to refill the cartridge with Magic Power? Can''t we just infuse the Magic Power into the weapon directly?"


    "Sigh..." Sheena heaved a sigh, then she continued, "It is not impossible but one needs precise control over their Magic Power in order to do that. Only true experts are able to use Magic Weapon that efficiently."


    "Oh... so it is not impossible, that is good enough for now." After receiving a favorable answer, I nodded with a satisfied expression. Sheena only smiled wryly, she also hoped one day, she can reach that level.


    We reached the main gate as we were leisurely chatting about the weapons, and a beautiful girl with curly long brown hair is standing in the middle of the gate, crossing her hand.


    "TOO SLOW!!" She shouted... but wait... that voice sounds familiar...


    "Albert...... you... have an interesting taste as always..." Sheena said that with a blank expression.


    "Forget about my taste, what were you doing? You told me to get ready as soon as possible, yet you came here later than me. I thought you were already gone!" Albert retorted.


    "I was... teaching the basics of horse riding to my familiar. Today is supposed to be a bonding period with our familiar so I don''t see what''s wrong with that." Sheena reply with an ingenious remark.


    "Sigh... I get it already, now pass me that horse and let''s get going." Albert urged Sheena to pass the reins to him.


    Albert climbed onto the back of the horse, then we head out of the main gate and make out way towards the nearest town, Swinford.


    ***


    Around halfway there, we were ambushed by three rough looking man. All of them are holding a dagger and using rags to cover their body.


    No matter how you look at them, they looked like a group of bandits...


    This is bad! I never expected to get into such a dangerous situation in such an early stage of my new life! I don''t even have fighting experience yet!!


    Sheena and Albert are both mage, I can''t hope to rely on them in close combat, and to cast a magic, they need to chant an incantation... which means... I''ll have to buy them some time...


    "Sylvia, how long do you think you can hold them off?" Sheena turned her head over to look at me for an answer.


    As expected, I was told to become their shield, huhuhu... I want to cry...


    "......" After thinking for a while, I said, "I don''t know... maybe thirty seconds at most? I don''t have any combat experience yet."


    Sheena stayed silent for a moment and replied, "Good enough, just buy me at least ten seconds."


    With that said, I jumped down from the horse, then I move in between the bandits and Sheena.


    The bandits laughed and said, "Hahaha!! What can a puny little woman like you do? Be a good girl and we won''t harm you!"


    Good, they''re looking down on us...... I should be able to take advantage of this... At least that''s how it normally play out in manga and light novel...


    "As if I can trust the words of someone like you! If you truly meant what you said, just leave us alone already!" I retorted, but it was useless, it only serves to make them more agitated.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Oops... stupid me, I wasn''t supposed to make them angry, I was supposed to buy enough time for Sheena and Albert.


    How many seconds has it been now? Five seconds? Good, just another five more seconds to go!


    Suddenly, one of the bandit rushed toward me and thrust his dagger forward.


    Oh crapppppp! What should I do! What should I do!!


    Wait, let''s calm down and think about this carefully.


    I remember there was a move in judo or karate or whatever that take advantages of your opponent''s weight, and use it against them. It''s all or nothing!


    The bandit is now in front of me, and thrusting his dagger toward my head. I reflexively moved my body slightly to the right and narrowly dodged the dagger, but a few strains of my hair were cut off.


    Now that I am within the range, I should be able to execute the move I just thought of.


    I quickly grab hold of the bandit''s arm, turned my back against his body. Using the momentum of the rush, I pulled him forward and kicked his legs off the ground.


    I supported his body weight with my back and threw the bandit with a 180 degree turn, the bandit slammed HARD on the ground in front of me! I even see some blood spat out from his mouth...


    Wow, this is more effective that I thought it would be. Am I a genius? Nay... it''s just a fluke, a beginner''s luck...


    I let my guard down after taking down one of the bandits and got strangled from the back!


    "Put down your wands if you don''t want this girl to get hurt!" The bandit shouted and strengthened his grip around my neck.


    Ohh crap! This is bad! Now we''re seriously gonna get it!


    ...Or not! You are too naive if you think you can take me down from behind my back. You are within my attack range! Your crotch that is...


    This body should be much more flexible compared to my original body so my leg should easily be able to reach.


    The moment I tried to kick his crotch, the Thunderhawk suddenly appeared and used its sharp claw to attack the bandit that is strangling me.


    "Grahhhhh!!!" The bandit shouted in pain and loosened his grip. I fell to the ground on both knees.


    "Cough, cough!" I was holding my neck with both hands, and trying to catch my breath.


    "You bastard!!" The bandit was furious and pulled out his dagger, trying to stab me from behind.


    "Good job, Spark!" Albert praised his Thunderhawk for rescuing me.


    "Now! It''s over." Sheena claimed that the battle is over and activated the spell, Wind Cutter.


    Sheena took down the bandit behind me with Wind Cutter, and Albert took out the ones approaching them with the same spell simultaneously.


    With that, we have avoided the worst case scenario and I feel pathetic.


    I need to gain more battle experience, and not let me guard down in the middle of combat, or else I might end up dead next time, and expose my master to danger...


    "Are you alright?" Sheena jumped down from her horse, she ran to my side and offered her hand.


    "Yea... I''m fine..." I took her hand, and then she pulled me up from the ground.


    "Not bad for your first combat, you were able to take out one of the bandits barehanded." Sheena praised me, but I don''t feel particularly happy.


    Instead, I just apologized, "I am sorry, I let my guard down in the middle of the battle and exposed you to danger."


    "Don''t worry about it, everyone makes mistake. This will be a valuable experience later on. At least no one got badly hurt for now, so let''s just be happy about the outcome." Sheena comforted me.


    Albert used earth magic to bind the bandits and ordered his Thunderhawk, Spark, to notify the knights to arrest them immediately.


    After the Thunderhawk flew off, Albert climbed onto the back of his horse again.


    "We wasted a lot of time here, we might have to spend the night at the Swinford tonight." Albert raised his head to look at the position of the sun. As he said, the color of the day is starting to get late.


    "Sigh... guess we have no other choice, I was thinking of getting back to the academy before nightfall..." Sheena sighed resignedly.


    After that exchange, we climbed back onto our horse, and continue our journey towards Swinford...

 [Vol 1] Chapter 6: The Dungeon Town, Swinford

    We stopped for a quick lunch in the middle of our journey, by the time we arrived at the township of Swinford, it was already around the late afternoon.


    The first thing we need to do when we arrive at Swinford is to look for an inn, or else we will have to camp out tonight...


    Since we do not have a lot of money on us, we settled in a rather cheap inn. Since we are also worried about the prices of the weapon anyway, we can''t spend our money mindlessly. Otherwise we might not be able to afford it.


    Apparently, the currency here in Tristain are represented by Bronze, Silver and Gold Coin system in some of the popular Multi Massive Online Role Playing Game, for short, MMORPG, such as the World of Warcraft.


    The exchange rate is the same as we know it, hundred Bronze coins equal to one Silver coin, and hundred Silver coins equal to one Gold coin.


    But the strange thing is, according to the Anime show adapted from this world, the currency seems to be different... Well, I guess after all those decades, some things are bound to be changed, and this system is much easier to remember anyway.


    In any case, we have hundred Silver coins with us, which is equivalent to one Gold coin. We spend about fifteen Bronze coins for lodging in the inn for one night. I''m still new to this world so I don''t know the actual worth of fifteen Bronze coin, or how hard is it to earn that much. However, if you compared it to those five-star hotels which cost several Silver coins per night... yea I guess this can be considered cheap...


    The inn is made out of wood and is three story tall. Inside of the inn, there seems to be a pub to the left, with several people drinking and chatting noisily. They are all wearing armor, carrying some sort of weapon, such as a sword, a spear or a bow.


    "Wow... to be carrying weapons so openly in broad daylight... I guess this is a fantasy world after all..." I am truly amazed, while at the same time, I feel slightly uneasy. Everyone looked so fierce and scary.


    I was surprised since this is the first time I''ve ever seen people carrying all sorts of deadly weapon in broad daylight.


    "Fufu... this is very common nowadays. After the great war a few decades ago, strange dungeons started appearing all over the world, and Swinford is one of the town that is build close to a dungeon. The brave warriors who challenged and explore the dungeons are called the Adventurer." Sheena explained.


    "Additionally, you can find all kinds of rare treasure in the dungeon. Sometimes, even legendary artifact. The Adventurer would come to Swinford to sell their goods and stock up their supplies. That''s why this is the ideal place to look for a new weapon." Albert continued.


    I nodded and muttered a single word, "Oh......"


    ***


    After we booked our room, we went to our room immediately, I noticed something very very immoral. Albert is in the same room as us! I panicked, "Ah!! Um... I know you guys are engaged and all but... to share the same room..."


    I lowered my voice when I said that, and my cheeks turned bright red, since there is only one bed in the room!


    "M-Maybe I should be in another room! I wouldn''t want to disturb you..." I turned immediately with my head lowered in embarrassment and tried to run for the door.


    Sheena grabbed my hand before I had a chance to run, "Where do you think you''re going?"


    "Ah..." I let out a surprised cry.


    Now that I think about it... I don''t have money... What can I do even if I am to run to the lobby, I don''t have the means to pay for another room.


    "Uuu.... but..." I steal a glance at Albert.


    "Sigh..." Sheena heaved a sigh and continued, "You are my familiar, you and I are as one. Never leave my side. And don''t worry about Albert, he can just sleep on the sofa."


    I was shocked!! How can she treat a prince like that. A Crown Price at that too!


    "B... but!! He... He is..." I tried to point out my view said frantically.


    I wanted to say he is a Crown Prince, how can you make him sleep in a sofa... but the words just won''t come out, I was flabbergasted.


    Sheena snickered, "Don''t worry, Albert is a gentleman. He won''t do anything."


    "......" I stayed silent for a moment before I said, "Even though he''s a cross-dressing pervert, and a playboy who kisses the back of other woman''s hand without permission?"


    Oops!! That just slipped out of my mouth unconsciously, I never meant to say that! I''m seriously gonna get beheaded for insulting the Crown Prince...


    "Pfft-ahahahahaha!" Sheena and Albert burst out into laughter while I was in the state of panic.


    "Eh?" I tilted my head slightly, and looked at both Sheena and Albert holding their stomach while they laughed out loud.


    ***


    After that matter is settled, the sky is already dyed bright red. The sun seems to be setting already, and I guess that the shop is probably closed at night. So I started, "The sun is already setting, I guess we are heading to the weapon store tomorrow? I don''t suppose the shop open twenty four hours a day right?"


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "You''re right... I guess we should go to Uncle Sebastian''s weapon store tomorrow." Sheena frowned when she looked out of the windows, and found that the color of the day is already dark.


    Albert took off his disguise and continue, "I guess we should order some food to our room and settle down for tonight."


    "They offer room service in this cheap inn?" I looked towards Sheena expectantly. However...


    "No... of course not... that''s why, go to the pub downstair, order some meal for takeaway, and bring the food back here, Sylvia." Her answer betrayed my expectation, I knew she was going to make me run an errand for her.


    "But... I''m... not really originated from this world you know? I don''t know if the food I randomly ordered might suit your taste or not... The food here have strange names." I took a peek at the menu earlier when we were waiting for our room to be prepared, and to be honest, I don''t understand what is being served at all.


    "Don''t worry about that, just order the daily special for three of us. I took a look at the menu earlier and it only cost one copper coin each." Sheena had already decided what she wants to order.


    "Here''s three copper coins for the meal." Albert handed the copper coins to me, and I left for the pub immediately.


    ***


    When I arrived at the pub. I went straight to the counter to order three daily specials.


    The gazes I received from the Adventurers when walking through the pub makes me feel uncomfortable. I can easily guess why Sheena and Albert do not want to dine-in.


    With three beauties here, albeit one is actually a guy in disguise, there is no way the rowdy looking guys here will leave us alone.


    The clerk behind the counter reach out her hand and asked for three copper coins, I handed over the coins immediately. After she received the coins, she shouted the orders to the chef who is working in the kitchen, "Three orders of daily special!"


    The clerk told me to wait for five minutes, so I went to one corner of the pub to wait.


    While I was waiting, some rowdy looking guys did approach me after all.


    "Yo big sis, what are you doing here all alone?"


    "Wanna come have a drink with us?"


    "You an elf? It''s rare to see an Elven Adventurer around this part"


    I wanted to ignore them, but usually in this kind of situation, if I ignored them, it will most likely turn into a fight. I want to avoid that at all cost, I do not want to cause any trouble here, and most importantly, I still do not have much fighting experience.


    I should just politely reject them, "I''m sorry... but I don''t drink. I will leave immediately after my takeaway is ready."


    "C''mon big sis, don''t be like that. Come have fun with us!"


    "I saw you were with two other beauties earlier, are they your companion?"


    "You should ask them to come and join us!"


    The three continued to press their assault.


    Ugh... so annoying! Just leave me alone already! I seriously don''t know how to deal with people like this... I want to walk away already but I still need to wait for my takeaway...


    I glanced at the clerk, asking for help with my gaze.


    "Sigh..." The clerk face palmed and shouted at the three man, "Hey you three stooges!! Stop bothering the other customer! Or you can taste my iron fist!"


    The three turned over and said frantically, "Come on, we were just trying to invite her to join us for a drink!"


    The clerk said nothing else and just glared at them coldly.


    The three just shivered and left reluctantly, "Fine... we get it already..."


    I walked toward the clerk and thanked her.


    "Sorry if the three stooges caused you any trouble. They are regulars here and always caused some minor uproar every now and then. If anyone ever troubled you here, just come to find me. They should know better not to get on my bad side!" The clerk said confidently while introducing herself, "I am Anabelle by the way, what''s your name, missy?"


    "Ah... I''m Sylvia... Thank you for your help earlier Miss Anabelle." I introduced myself politely.


    "Hahaha... you are a polite one aren''t you? Oh, seems like your meal is ready. Now hurry back to your room. Your companion should be waiting for you." The clerk, Anabelle, pass the three packages to me and pushed me away.


    "Yes... thank you once again." I turned back one last time and saw Miss Anabelle waving her hand at me. I bowed and left upstair. After that exchange, I went back to our room peacefully.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 7: The Night at the Inn

    When I arrived in front of our room, I knocked the door twice.


    "Who''s there?" Sheena got up from the couch and asked.


    I answered softly, "It''s me..."


    When Sheena heard my voice, I can hear her footsteps, "Tap! Tap! Tap!" as she walked towards the door.


    "Creak..." The door opened, and Sheena prompted me to come in.


    "What took you so long?" Sheena said that worriedly, "Did those ruffians attack you after all?"


    "No! Um... Okay, maybe they did... But the reliable Miss Anabelle helped me get rid of them." I tried to deny it, but after receiving Sheena''s strong gaze, I couldn''t help but blurt out the truth.


    Sheena asked confusingly, "Miss Anabelle? Who is that?"


    I answered honestly, "Oh... she''s the clerk who works at the pub downstairs."


    "Is that so... Guess we''ll have to express our thanks to her tomorrow." Sheena felt grateful towards the clerk, and wants to express her gratitude to the clerk before we leave the inn tomorrow.


    By this time, Albert just got out of the bathroom, dressed in a bathrobe and interrupted our conversation, "Oh, you''re back. Did you get the food?"


    ".........You just took a shower?" I looked at Albert all over the body and asked.


    "Yea... please hand over the food to me."Albert rubbed his hair with the tower, then he extended his hand to receive the food.


    I handed the food over to him and said in surprise, "It hasn''t even been ten minutes yet, you already finish showering? Did you even wash your body?"


    "Oops! Oh crap, what''s wrong with me today, why is everything in my mind that shouldn''t be said slipped out of my mouth every time I talk today!" When I thought of such things, I moved both my hands to cover my mouth immediately.


    Albert displayed a playful smile, approaches me and slid his index finger under my chin.


    "Yes, I washed every nook and cranny. Want to come join me for another round?" Albert tried to tease me and got chopped by Sheena at the back of the head.


    "Stop fooling around Albert, go and eat your dinner." Sheena crossed her arms, and puffed the right side of her cheeks.


    Albert rubbed the back of his head and turned away from me to face Sheena.


    Then he laughed and say, "Fine, fine... I was just teasing her for a bit, hahaha"


    "Sigh... You never change... Come Sylvia, let us take a shower first before we eat." Sheena tried to drag me to the bathroom with her as she said that.


    "What?! You...... you know about my circumstances right? To... to take a shower with you is a little..."My cheeks turned bright red, and I looked down on the floor.


    Sheena draw her face close to my ear, and whispered softly, "I know, but right now, you are a girl. You need to get used to the naked body of a girl."


    Then she dragged me to the bathroom forcefully.


    I''ll omit what happens next but let''s just say... That was the best moment of my entire life.


    ......


    After a while, I came out of the bathroom with Sheena, feeling exhausted and ecstatic all at the same time.


    We were wearing a beautiful nightgown prepared by Sheena.


    Wait, why does she have nightgown prepared? Does that mean she already expected this to happen? Or is this what they meant by always be prepared for the unexpected.


    Sheena was clinging to my right arm happily as we walked toward where Albert was sitting. It seems he already finished eating, and was heating up our food for us with magic. So I guess Albert can use both wind and fire magic? That''s pretty neat...


    "Oh... so you''re finally done, took you long enough!" Albert frowned when he saw us, since we really took a long time in the bathroom.


    "Sorry, I was just having so much fun teasing Sylvia. She''s just so cute!!" Sheena was moving her index finger in a circular motion on my right cheek repeatedly.


    "S-Stop teasing me already!" Recalling the moment when we took a shower together, I looked down with flushed cheeks, and began to fidget.


    "Hehe... C''mon, let''s eat already. I''m hungry." Sheena said that while making an unladylike gesture such as rubbing her tummy.


    "I have already heated for food for you in advance, please enjoy. I will just call it a night for now." Albert pulled the chair for us to sit on before he walked towards the sofa and lie down...


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Wow... he''s really going to be sleeping on the sofa? He''s quite the gentleman... maybe I''ll have to re-evaluate my opinion of him...


    After we finished our dinner, we too climb on the bed and sleep.


    ***


    The next day.


    "Knock! Knock!"


    "Uuu... who''s knocking the door so early in the morning?" Sheena frowned as she slowly opened her eyes.


    "Hnnnnnnng." I rubbed my eyes, and lazily stretches my body before getting up.


    While still half-asleep, I gazed at Albert, seeing him putting on his wig and makeup.


    After he is done, he looked at me and Sheena in the eye. We understood his intention and just nodded.


    "Who''s there?" While approaching the door, Albert shouted.


    Oh by the way, this is unrelated but Albert''s voice is different when he cros... I mean disguised himself as a woman. His voice was hoarse and manly but now it''s sharp and sweet. I guess they even have magic that changes the voice huh? That''s convenient.


    "Room delivery~" The voice came from behind the closed door.


    "Room delivery? There''s no such service in this inn, and we didn''t call for any room service, state your business!" Albert refuted coldly.


    "Hm...? That voice... could it be? Miss Anabelle?" I recognized the owner of the voice.


    "Correct~ I''m glad you remembered me, missy." Anabelle was delighted that I still remember her.


    "Miss Anabelle? You mean the one who helped you yesterday? What is she doing here?" Sheena pondered for a moment, then she raised her head, "It is fine, Albert, let her in. We need to thank her for last night anyway."


    "Are you sure?" Albert looked at Sheena doubtfully.


    "I am certain." Sheena nodded strongly.


    "Fine..." After a moment of silence, Albert resigned and unlocked the door.


    When the door is wide open, we saw Anabelle with two trays on both her hands.


    On top of the tray were various delicacies.


    "Please enter." Albert prompted Anabelle to enter the room.


    "Don''t mind if I do." Anabelle entered the room and put the tray on top of the desk.


    Then Sheena get off the bed, and stood straight with her hands crossed.


    "Why are you doing this for us? I don''t remember the inn offered any complimentary breakfast or room delivery." Sheena asked Anabelle with a questioning gaze.


    Anabelle glanced at Sheena and smiled, "Let''s just say... I''m an old acquaintance of your father."


    Sheena got a little more cautious and asked, "How do you know who is my father?"


    Anabelle just laughed at that remark, "Hahaha... you looked exactly like your mother when she was younger. I can immediately tell that you are the daughter of Saito and Louise."


    "So... you claim to know my parent in their younger days?" Sheena''s expression become colder.


    "Hahaha, your mother was like a wild untamed dog when she was younger and Saito was.... " Like that, Miss Anabelle chatted happily with us while enjoying the food that she brought for us.


    After we ate our fill. Anabelle cleaned up the table. Before she leaves, she take a quick glance at me, and I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    I mean, I have noticed it when I spoke to her for the first time, but I just thought that''s her normal expression. However, I don''t think so anymore after seeing her chatting happily with Sheena today.


    I wonder why... Does she know the real owner of this body and was sad that I don''t remember her? Or is there a deeper meaning...... I just don''t know... I wanted to ask but I just can''t bring up the topic...


    While I was still deep in thought, Sheena said, "Alright, let''s pack our stuff and leave immediately. We need to check out from the inn and visit Uncle Sebastian''s weapon store later to test your aptitude in magic and get you an appropriate weapon."


    "Mm... " I nods my head strongly and pack up immediately, well not that I have much to pack up anyway... Just the nightgown Sheena gave me the other night.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 8: Transmutation Master, Sebastian

    After we left the inn, we departed for the so called Uncle Sebastian''s Weapon Store immediately.


    On the way there, I asked quite a few questions, "Why do you call him Uncle Sebastian? Are you blood related?"


    Sheena looked over and smiled charmingly, "No, we''re not related by blood. Uncle Sebastian is a close friend of my father, and he visits us often when I was still a young child."


    "Oh... " I nodded in acknowledgement.


    "Uncle Sebastian and my father became quick friend due to their interest in weapon. I believe you already know this but my father have a power that allows him to wield any weapon, and Uncle Sebastian on the other hand... is a Transmutation Master! He can make any weapons infused with magic, ranging from sword to shield, even firearms such as gun or rocket launcher." Sheena puffed out her chest and exclaimed proudly.


    "Weapons infused with magic?" I asked interestingly.


    "That''s right, like the magic gun for example or swords that can generate one of the four elements when you swing it. There are even magic staves that can absorb mana from the surrounding air, allowing the user to cast magic. So there''s a lot of wannabe mage amongst the Adventurers, they are completely useless in combat once they lose their staff though." Sheena said that while she heaved a sigh.


    "Wow... that sounds... amazing!" Although I had no idea what Sheena was saying at the time, I am still amazed.


    "Yup, Uncle Sebastian is amazing indeed. I admire him!" Sheena seemed to shine so brightly when she talks about this Uncle Sebastian, I guess she must have respected him a lot!


    At this time, I thought about something, and posed a question to Sheena, "Speaking of which... you mentioned about the magic gun earlier right? Did Uncle Sebastian make them too?"


    "Indeed... it is a gun that is designed for the mage only. As long as you have enough Magic Power left, you can refill the cartridge with magic bullet infinitely. It doesn''t require any solid bullet, someone with no affinity for magic cannot hope to use them, unless the cartridge was previously filled with magic bullets already." Sheena paused for a moment to catch her breath, and then she continued.


    "To refill the cartridge, you just simply have to pour your magic power into it while casting a spell. The power of the spell will be reduced dramatically, retaining only 20% of its original power, and you cannot target multiple foes at the same time. However, on the upside, you can fire a few rounds instantly, the penetrative power is immeasurable, and the speed of the magic bullet is not one whit inferior to that of a normal bullet. The magic guns are more powerful on a single target. In contrast, a normal spell is more powerful on multi-target."


    Since Sheena know so much about the magic gun, I thought it was strange that Sheena didn''t have one, so I asked, "Wait a moment...... If a magic gun can only be used by a mage, and they can be fired instantly as long as there are still magic bullets in the cartridge, why don''t you have one?"


    Sheena looked at me silently for a moment before she opens her mouth, "I never said I don''t have one."


    "Eh...? Then why didn''t you use it earlier when the bandits approached us?" I tilted my head and asked.


    At this moment, Albert cuts in and join the conversation, "I wouldn''t recommend it."


    "Why?" I turned around to face Albert and asked.


    Sheena got in front of me, then she smiled impishly, and looked straight into my eye. She said with a low and playful voice, "I wouldn''t mind using it if you don''t care about friendly fire."


    I shuddered involuntarily, "Uh... hahaha..."


    I understand just from that one line, that her dexterity is low. However, something still bothers me, "But you also attack with magic from long range right? How come you are so confident when you are using magic?"


    "Well... you''ll understand if you can use magic. Unlike the bow or gun, you can still somehow change the trajectory of your magic spell with minimal control." Albert explained.


    "I see... magic sure is convenient..." I am honestly impressed with the mythical thing called magic.


    "It''s here!" Sheena shouted excitedly as we arrived in front of the weapon store.


    While we were chatting, I didn''t realize just how much time have passed, but we reached the store eventually.


    Sheena excitedly opens the door and shouted with joy, "Uncle Sebastian, I came to visit!"


    Sebastian was dealing with some customers when we entered the store, but as soon as he heard Sheena''s voice, he turned over to face us, and his expression immediately changed into a bright smile when he saw Sheena.


    Sebastian is approximately around 1.8 meter tall. He got a shiny white hair and beard. His eyes are pale blue in color, and his body build is muscular and bulky. I''m guessing he''s in his late 50''s in age?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Ooohhh!! If it isn''t Sheena! Come over here you little rascal. Hahaha." Sebastian was very excited when he saw Sheena and spread his arms wide.


    Sheena rushed forward immediately and jumped into Sebastian''s arm.


    Sebastian hugged Sheena and patted her head twice, "You sure have grown up big, in various ways..."


    Sebastian glanced at Sheena from bottom to top, measuring her three sizes with his eyes.


    Sheena chopped Sebastian''s forehead, "Come on, stop doing that already Uncle Sebastian."


    [Ah... I guess the other reason why Sebastian and Saito become friendly so quickly was because of their personality... I heard plenty about Saito from Anabelle this morning...] I secretly thought to myself.


    "Hahaha." Sebastian was all smile, it seems he has forgotten his other customers already. Luckily there''s a shop assistant here, and he''s already attending to the other customers.


    I walked beside Sheena, and when Sebastian saw me, his smile was gone and his face immediately turns grim...


    Why I wonder... first, Anabelle, and now, Sebastian... is elf not being treated well here?


    "You..." Sebastian said with a grim face.


    "Hm? Is there something on my face?" I touched my cheeks with both hands and asked.


    "No... Never mind¡­" Sebastian''s expression turns paler, then he muttered in a very soft voice, "There''s no way she can be here..."


    With my enhanced hearing ability, I can somehow hear what he muttered.


    [Hm...? Who''s she?] I thought to myself.


    Sebastian turned his sight back to Sheena.


    "So to what honor do I owe today for your humble visit?" Sebastian''s mood immediately brightened up and asked merrily.


    "I came here today to procure a weapon for my familiar." Sheena said proudly.


    "Ohh! A familiar!? It''s finally that time of the year huh? So where''s your mighty familiar? With someone of your caliber, I bet it''s going to be a mighty dragon right? What do you need? A claw? Hahaha!" Sebastian kept muttering non-stop as he thought about what weapons he should make for Sheena''s familiar.


    Sheena tapped on my shoulder twice, "This is the one."


    Sebastian stared at me and blinked twice, "HAAAAAAAARH?!?! Hahahahahaha! Oh come on you lil'' rascal, stop teasing me already and show me your familiar!"


    "This is my familiar!" Sheena looked into Sebastian''s eye strongly.


    "......" Sebastian remains quiet for a while.


    Looking at how serious Sheena gazed at him, all he can say is, "Seriously?"


    "Seriously serious." Sheena said in a very solemn tone.


    "Haah......" Sebastian exhaled a mouthful of breath, "Alright then...... I guess a proper introduction is in place."


    "I am Sebastian, the Transmutation Master of Swinford Town, I can craft anything, you name it, I make it. Weapons such as Sword, Spear, Dagger, Mace, Bow, Shield, Grenade, Gun, Magic Staff and so on, or even utensils such as Kitchen Knife, Shovel, Chisel, Magic Lamp, Magic Heater and..."


    "Uncle Sebastian! Is that how you introduces yourself?" Sheena stopped Sebastian in his track.


    "Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I got off the track." Sebastian apologizes.


    "...I am Sylvia. Pleased to meet you, honored Transmutation Master" I introduced myself politely.


    "Hahaha... she''s a polite one isn''t she?" Sebastian was pleased.


    Am I really? Isn''t it just a courtesy? Anabelle said so too...


    "So... what kind of weapon are you looking for, lass?" Sebastian asked while holding his chin with the index finger and thumb.


    Albert abruptly cut into the conversation again, I guess he must be feeling lonely to be left out of the conversation all the time...


    "We''re thinking of getting her a Magic Gun, but we haven''t tested her aptitude for magic yet, do you mind if we borrow the testing field before deciding?" Albert said so politely.


    "Hm... this lass over here is?" Sebastian finally noticed Albert and asked.


    "My name is Alby, sir." Albert curtsies and introduces himself as Alby.


    "Pfft......" I almost laughed but I held back.


    "Bwahahahahahahahah!! Alby!! Hahahahaha! Good one lad! Good one!!" Sebastian on the other hand... laughed out loud...


    Does he knows? He called Albert a lad just now, not lass.


    Albert''s face turned red, and he clenched his fists. I wonder if he''s angry or embarrassed, I can''t tell.


    "Hahahahaha... Alby it is then...... follow me, the lot of ya." Sebastian finally stopped laughing, and led us to the back entrance of the store.


    Finally... I''m finally going to start my journey to become the strongest!! I was clenching my fists, and feeling very excited as we walked towards the back entrance.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 9: Magic Aptitude Test

    After we exited from the backdoor of the weapon store, the first thing that entered my sight was a vast field about the size of a soccer field.


    Where did he get the permission to have such a big field at the back of his store, I wonder.


    Oh never mind, stupid question. He''s a good friend of the legendary hero, Saito, anyway. This much is only natural. After all, Saito is also a Noble who possessed his own land, and a good friend of the queen. Bestowing a few lands to his good friends should be an easy matter.


    Anyway, this field is amazing. There are so many people testing their new weapon here with enough space to spare.


    I can see a swordsman swinging his sword, and hint of ice covered the target dummy. I guess that''s a sword infused with ice magic? I can also see a wannabe mage waving a magic staff around in the air to generate a Fireball and shoot it at the target. So is that how a magic weapon works? You just have to swing it around?


    Now I''ve grown more curious towards the magic weapon, how did they make something like that?


    "Um... Uncle Sebastian, do you mind if I ask you something?" I couldn''t hold back my curiosity, and tried to ask Sebastian.


    "Hm? Sure, go ahead, lass! I will answer all ya question for ya, hahaha!" Sebastian prompted me to go ahead and ask.


    "Um... I''ve been wondering... how do you make these magic weapon? If you use the same principle as the magic gun, wouldn''t the infused magic power run out over time, and it''d become nothing more than an ordinary weapon?" My question was logical since magic power is not infinite, the magic weapon would then be useless to warriors, or other people not capable of using magic.


    "Hahahahaha......! Good! Very good!! This lass has good insight! How about it? You want to become my disciple?" Sebastian teased.


    "Stop joking around Uncle Sebastian! She''s my familiar!" Sheena pouted at that comment.


    "Hahaha... I''ll tell you, it''s not a big secret after all. You have heard about the dungeon right?" Sebastian asked.


    "Yes... I heard about it from Sheena, about how it suddenly appeared out of nowhere after the great war a few decades ago." I answered honestly.


    "That''s right... even after a few decades, we still don''t know how it happened and magical beasts keep swarming out of the dungeon." Sebastian sighed.


    "Magical Beast?" I questioned.


    "That''s right, Magical Beast. These Magical Beast appeared at around the same time as the dungeon, and they are stronger than your average beast. Within these magical beast contained a magic stone. The stronger the beast, the higher the quality of these magic stone." Sebastian explained.


    "Oh... so you mean... you mean... you fused those magic stone with the weapon to create the magic weapon?" I came to these conclusion after hearing Sebastian''s story. These magic stone can probably recover the magic power by itself over time so it is not necessary for a mage to refill it with magic power.


    It is also possible to implement this on the magic gun, however the recovery speed is very slow. At best, you only have five free shots per day.


    "Hahaha...! You really do have good insight lass! You should really consider... Ouch!" Sheena kicked Sebastian before he could finish his sentence, and glared at him like a snake.


    "Alright, alright! I get it already, hahaha." Sebastian just laughed it off and continued, "Well, even if you know the principle, not everyone can do it."


    "Why is that?" I tilted my head. He kept asking me to become his disciple, and now he says not everyone can do it? I''m not sure if he''s serious or just playing around...


    "You need to be able to use magic, Transmutation magic at that! Otherwise you won''t be able to fuse the magic stone with the other material." Sebastian claimed.


    "Oh... I see... makes perfect sense..." I assented.


    "Well, we''re here. Take your time, lass. I will be going back to tend the store." After arriving at the empty spot in the field, Sebastian bid us farewell and went back into the store.


    "Yes... thank you very much Uncle Sebastian." We all thanked Sebastian as he walks off, leaving us at an open field.


    "Alright, now let us begin shall we?" Sheena was very excited to start.


    "YESS!!" I am very excited too, and shouted with enthusiasm.


    "So let''s start by testing your aptitude for magic." Seeing how excited I am, Sheena displayed a bright smile.


    "Uh... so how do we test my aptitude for magic?" Before we even started, I was already stuck at a roadblock.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "It''s simple, I''ll explain." Albert stepped forward and pulled out a wooden wand from his cloak, and then he hand it over to me.


    "Just hold on to that wooden wand, and chant the incantation for the most basics of the elemental magic. The wooden wand will automatically absorb your magic power, and turn it into a spell. Then you just need to lock on to your target and fire it." Albert explained in details.


    "Oh... so I just need to chant an incantation huh... that sounds simple enough..." I nodded after I heard Albert''s explanation. However, I still feel a bit confused. Don''t you normally test for magic aptitute with a magic crystal or something of the sort?


    "We will do this four times. One for each basic type of elemental spell. Do not worry if you failed. That just means you do not have the aptitude for that element. Most mage only have aptitude for one or two elements, and needless to say, the commoners who can''t use magic do not have a single aptitude for any of the four elements. So don''t feel too bad if you fail." Sheena explained in further detail.


    "Then let''s start with wind magic first, select that dummy over there as your target." Albert say that as he pointed towards the target dummy with his index finger.


    "Then follow after me as I chant the words for the incantation." Sheena advised me to chant after her.


    "Alright! Please begin." After the preparations are done, I prompted Sheena to begin.


    Sheena begins to mumble the incantation for the spell, and I closed my eye to focus on her every words intently.


    "O'' Spirits of Wind...... Grant me your blessing......  and bestow power upon me...... to eradicate the opponent before me...... WIND CUTTER!!" I opened my eyes and shouted the name of the spell excitedly while pointing the wooden wand towards the direction of the target dummy.


    Upon firing the spell, the runes on both of my hand glows brightly, "Wh-What''s happening?!"


    After a while, the light finally dissipated and I felt my body become somewhat heavier, I slumped onto the ground... I feel so empty inside, and my head feels slightly dizzy, I guess this is how it feels when a mage runs out of mana huh?


    "Wh... What was that?! Are you ok?" Sheena ran over to my side, worried.


    "I''m fine... I just feel like my body become much heavier is all..." I tried to ease Sheena with my words.


    "Impossible......! For a single elemental spell to consume that much Magic Power is unheard of." Albert turned over to look at the dummy and continue, "Besides... the power of the spell seems to be normal too. Just what..."


    I stopped him and explained, "I think I know what happened... just then, when the runes on both my hands started to glow. I can feel the elemental essence of the wind flowing into my body and formed into a single spell... Well, it''s hard to explain but I think the runes have registered the spell into my body system or something like that?"


    "What for...?" Both Sheena and Albert tilted their head and ask.


    "I don¡¯t know either...... maybe we¡¯ll find out if I try to cast Wind Cutter one more time." I don''t know the answer either, and suggested to cast the spell again to find out more.


    ¡°Can you do it? With your remaining Magic Power¡­¡± Sheena asked worriedly.


    ¡°The consumption of a single Wind Cutter is not that bad, I think I should still be able to cast it at least ten more times before completely running out.¡± I tried to convince Sheena.


    "Alright... just be careful not to use up your remaining Magic Power. I wouldn''t want to carry you all the way back to the academy after all." Sheena warned me to be careful.


    "I will... thank you, Mas... I mean Sheena!" Sheena glared at me when I try to call her Master, so I immediately changed my way to address her.


    I stood up on my own two feet, and started preparing to cast the spell again. Just before I start chanting the incantation, the image of Wind Cutter spell appeared in my mind, and magic power already started to flow towards my hand and then to the wand.


    "Eh? What happened? I haven''t even started chanting......" I was confused but well... whatever, I''ll just shout the name of the spell, "Wind Cutter!"


    I cast the Wind Cutter spell, and hit the target dummy just like that. I turned over to look at Sheena and Albert, and I saw them gaped at me.


    [Eh? What happened? Did I just do something amazing?] I thought to myself as I look at their dumbfounded expression.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 10: Evangeline A.K McDowell

    When Sheena and Albert recovered from their shock.


    "In...... Instacast!!" Sheena and Albert shouted at the same time.


    "Wh-Wha...? Why did you shout so loudly? Did I do something wrong?" I was covering my ears with both of my hands for a while. Since the both of them shouted so loud, I feel like my ears are still ringing.


    "You... that was... that was AMAZING!! I''ve never seen anyone casted magic without chanting before! This is just amazing!!" Sheena was holding both of my hand and jumping up and down excitedly while praising me.


    "Indeed... I''ve only heard rumors, the only other person able to instacast in the entire continent of Halkeginia other than you is the Vampire Queen, Evangeline A.K. McDowell." Albert explained calmly.


    Hm... he''s quite composed despite how he was utterly shocked out of his mind earlier. As expected of a Crown Prince, he''s able to adapt to any situation quickly and analyses things in a composed manner.


    But wait... Did he say Evangeline A.K. McDowell? Isn''t that the name of the immortal vampiress from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi" target="_blank">Mahou Sensei Negima</a>? Just what is this? First I found myself in the world of Halkeginia, now even the name of the Vampiress pops up.


    Am I really dead after all, and this is just a dream in the after world based on my imagination?


    ......Oh well, who cares? Let''s stop thinking about difficult stuff and just enjoy the moment while it last.


    But I''m still curious after all, "Um... Sheena, this Evangeline... isn''t she..."


    "Your guess is probably right, she''s probably the same character as the one from the manga you once read." Sheena confirmed my suspicion.


    "Oh... so you read that manga too?" I was surprised that Sheena know about it. After all, not many girls read that manga due to the excessive fan service. But it is a good manga despite all the fan service.


    "Sigh... My dad liked that manga, and forced me to read it ever since he learnt about the existence of Evangeline A.K. McDowell in this world. He suspect they might be the same person." Sheena explained wearily.


    "Oh... Did you learn anything about her?" I asked.


    "Only that... she is an immortal vampire, and a very powerful mage. There''s probably only a handful of people who can fight with her on an equal footing. Even though she''s a mage, she''s good in close combat too. She''s just too powerful. And what''s more, she can even instacast now, she''s basically a cheat character!!" Sheena complained while grinding her teeth.


    Wow, that''s the first time I see her like this. Maybe it would be wise if I never mentioned that name ever again, but what she said next surprised me.


    "But, with this!" Sheena grabbed my hand again and continue, "With this! We can finally see a glimmer of hope! Magic are powerful, but they require time to prepare. If we have you on our side, we can finally win against her!"


    "Wha... WHY?! Why do we need to fight against her? Did she do something wrong?!" I was surprised indeed.


    "No... she haven''t done anything yet......" Sheena gripped my hands tightly.


    "What do you mean...?" I was confused, if she haven''t done anything, then why do we need to fight her?


    "Rumor has it that some people saw her using magic stone to summon the magic beast. People suspect that she might be the one who created the dungeons a few decades ago, and summoned the magical beast to keep people from entering the deepest part of the dungeon. She might be the mastermind behind all of these mystery." Sheena conjectured.


    "She''s the creator of the dungeon? But why?" I don''t understand the intention of this Vampire Queen, for what reason did she summon the dungeon? But the real question is, was she really the one who summoned the dungeons?


    "I don''t know either... my father told me he met up with her once, but she wouldn''t say anything more unless he can hit her at least once. My father was pushed back easily, so he gathered a group of people to explore the first dungeon instead."


    Sheena loosened her grip, and heaved a sigh before she continued, "They managed to make it to the deepest part of the dungeon but... only a handful of people were able to survive in the end... My father wouldn''t tell me what happened in the depths of the dungeon, and told me to never approach it."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "What?! The group that supposedly saved the world from a certain calamity! Wiped out just like that?" I shivers upon thinking about it, just how dreadful the dungeon is.


    Sheena let go of my hand and clenched her fist, then she look into my eyes with a strong gaze, "That''s why! That''s why we will defeat Evangeline A.K. McDowell, make my father acknowledge me, and find out the truth from her personally!"


    Sheena then stretches her right hand towards me and say, "Please lend me your strength!"


    I hesitated for a moment and thought it might be impossible, I mean... she''s probably more than 700 years old and she''s an immortal, with our experiences and short lifespan, we might not even be able to beat her in our lifetime.


    But I remember a famous quote once say, if you say it''s impossible, then it will really be impossible. The words you say will bound you and put a limitation on yourself. That''s why you should always believe in yourself and never give up before even trying.


    There''s also another famous quote that says miracle is but another name for "hard work". That''s why I need to work hard!


    With renewed resolves, I take hold of her hand and shake on it, "I will work hard to exceed your expectation!"


    "Um... I''m happy you girls are having a fun chat...... but should we continue the testing session?" Albert cuts in unhappily.


    He''s holding two guns on his hands, I guess he went and borrowed it when we were happily chatting away?


    "Here, these guns are for you. You said you wanted dual gun style right? These are just normal guns with rubber bullets." Albert said so and passed the guns to me.


    "Thank you Albe...... I mean Alby. Pfft...!" I almost laughed again when I called him Alby.I hurriedly cover my mouth with my right hand.


    Alby... I mean Albert glared daggers at me and continued, "Are you really sure you want to use magic gun? With your instacast, all the advantages of a magic gun is nullified. There are no merits."


    "That''s right... it''s true the magic bullet are indeed faster than magic and have more penetrative power but they are single target weapon. Unlike magic where you can hit multiple opponent at once, you can only hit one opponent at a time with the magic gun." Sheena supplemented.


    "That''s not true... you say the speed and penetrative power is higher right? When fighting stronger opponent, speed and power is everything. If you cannot hit or injure your opponent, then it''s pointless. Now I''m not sure much about magic, but even with instacast, I still need a good amount of concentration. Let''s say if I want to cast a water ball with increased penetrative power and speed, I need some time to adjust it. But with a magic gun, I can just cast a simple water ball, and it will increase the penetrative power and speed for me. It''s killing two birds with one stone!"


    Sheena and Albert were both speechless when I keep on yapping about this and that. Then Sheena started, " Uh... you sure know a lot... do you have experience with this? You sound like an expert."


    I scratches my cheeks awkwardly and say, "Uh... hahaha... no not really... I just read a lot of fantasy novels... and played fantasy games......"


    "Sigh...... Well, if you insist on having a gun, I won''t stop you. Go ahead and try it first before deciding. We need to test your dexterity first. Let''s start with one gun for now, do not be greedy, I will hold on to the other gun." Sheena snatched the other gun from my hand while saying so.


    And finally... we''re going to see test my dexterity. If I am able to shoot the target, I get a gun... or two, depending on my result.


    If my dexterity is bad, we get one gun but it will only be used as a secondary weapon, then my main weapon will definitely be a staff or wand.


    If my dexterity is extremely good, I will get two magic guns as my main weapons.


    "Well here goes nothing......" I readied myself to start the test at any moment.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 11: Intense Marksmanship Test

    "Bang!"


    "Eh...? I missed." I say that with a disappointed expression.


    Well, of course the world isn''t such a nice place where you can be perfect in everything on the first try... I need to work hard...


    "Well... the result was...... worst than I thought." Seeing that I didn''t even hit the target dummy, Sheena heaved a sigh.


    "Wait... just wait a second, let me have another try! Please?" I begged Sheena to let me have another shot. She seems unconvinced.


    "I feel like I can get it right if I just try a few more times. It feels like the time when I was riding the horse." When I was learning horse riding from Sheena, I was very bad at it. However, I get used to it very soon. I get a similar feeling when I was holding the gun.


    Sheena seems convinced since she saw how bad I was at horseback riding for the first few minutes, "Alright, try as many times as you want. We have plenty of rubber bullets here anyway. You know how to reload the gun right?"


    I scratches my head awkwardly, "Um... well...... actually I...... have never really held a real gun before...... Hehehe."


    "Sigh... Albert." Sheena gestured Albert to come over and teach me how to reload a gun.


    After learning the basics, I got into the proper position, took my aim, and start firing the gun.


    With each shot, I feel like my aim is getting sharper and sharper. Sheena was not too surprised to see my improvement in such a short period of time, but Albert on the other hand...... was amazed.


    "It''s amazing how she improved so quickly. Is this the innate ability of the elf? Their marksmanship is amazing indeed!"


    "That''s enough. Now try shooting with your non-dominant arm. After  you get used to it, we will raise the level." Sheena stepped forward and prompt me to continue shooting with my other hand.


    The result was almost the same as with my dominant arm. At first, I missed the target but my aim gets sharper over time.


    Eventually......


    "Sylvia!" Sheena called out to me.


    I turned over to look at her.


    "Catch." She throw the other gun that she was holding earlier to me.


    I caught it frantically and shouted with discontent, "H-hey!! That''s dangerous! What if somebody got hurt?!"


    Sheena turned her head sideways, "Humph..."


    "Eh?? What did I do?" I was confused at Sheena''s fit of temper.


    Could she be jealous at how I can do something that she couldn''t so easily?


    I looked around and noticed Albert is not around so I asked, "Where''s Albert?"


    Sheena didn''t say a word and pointed behind me. I turned to look and saw Albert walking over from a distant with nine additional target dummy floating in the air.


    "Eh?" I was confused, I have no idea what is going on. Why are there so many target dummy?


    "Now let''s proceed with the final test. If you pass this test, then we will acknowledge your marksmanship, and get you two guns as promised. If you fail, we will still get you one gun but you won''t be using that as your main weapon." Albert walked towards me and explained.


    "So... how are we going to test my marksmanship?" I asked interestingly.


    "Simple! Can you see the colors of the mark on the dummy?" Albert pointed to the dummy.


    "Hmm... yes... and?" I looked at one dummy after another as indicated.


    "I will control five of the dummy with red mark using levitation magic while avoiding you, your aim is to hit them with the rubber bullet." Albert explained.


    "And I will control the other five with blue mark, obstructing you. But you cannot attack them. Once you do, you fail!" Sheena curved her lips upward, "Be careful~ I will occasionally ram into you, hehe."


    "Oh... moving targets... just...... perfect...... and I have to avoid hitting those with blue marks too......" I am not so confident I can hit moving target yet, so I feel rather dispirited.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Furthermore, with two guns occupying both my hand, trying to reload the gun will be difficult, unless I have super godly reflexes. Magic gun is another story since I can just use instacast to instantly reload the gun, but these guns are different, I have to reload them manually.


    Each gun can load up to ten bullets, that means I will have twenty shot with two guns. In other word, I can spare five bullets per dummy. I can do this, I have plenty of bullets to spare!  If I really can''t take down five targets with twenty bullets, I really have no rights to hold a gun.


    "Ok, let''s begin then!" Upon my signal, Sheena and Albert simultaneously used levitation magic to lift the target dummy to surround me.


    With the blue dummies blocking my view in the front, while the red dummies at the back are floating left and right, up and down.


    When I pointed a gun at the red dummy, the blue dummy came into view.


    Whoa!! How am I supposed to shoot the red dummy if the blue dummy keeps blocking me. Seems like I can''t stay in one place forever. I will have to get behind the blue dummy to aim properly.


    With that in mind, I started running towards one of the blue dummy.


    The blue dummy tried to ram into me, but I side stepped and narrowly dodged the blue dummy''s reckless charge.


    "Skid...!" With my left hand and knee on the ground, I immediately pointed my non-dominant right hand at the red dummy and pulled the trigger.


    "Ding!"


    "Score!! One down, four more to go!" I shouted in joy as my aim was right on the mark.


    "Tsk!! It''s not over yet!" Sheena suddenly commanded all five of the blue dummies to encircle me at high speed.


    "Damn!!" I cursed silently as I was trapped in the center of these five blue dummies.


    I saw a gap in between the blue dummy so I pointed my gun at one of the red dummy that is floating around aimlessly behind one of the gaps, and waited for the right moment.


    "Bang!"


    I pulled the trigger again, and with a "Bang!", I hear the sweet "Ding!" sound which indicates I hit the target. Oh sweet! Another one down, three more to go!


    "Khhhhh!!" Sheena seems infuriated that I was able to hit my target in that situation. Then all of a sudden, three blue dummies charged toward me at high speed.


    Without any time to think, I jumped up into the air to avoid getting squashed by the three dummies. I jumped higher than I thought and avoided the dummies by a hair''s breadth. The dummies rammed into one another while I was still upside down in midair.


    I took a quick glance at my surrounding and saw two red dummies at the distant. I quickly spin around my body while still upside down in midair, and saw the third dummy at the opposite side.


    Without losing my momentum, I spread out both my arm and focused like I never have before, and then I pulled the trigger one time, two times, three times, while spinning around in midair.


    "Ding! Ding! Ding!"


    That signals the end of my marksmanship test! All five red dummies are down, and not a single blue dummy were shot! But I don''t have time to rejoice at the moment, because I''m losing altitute, and is about to fall to the ground head first!


    I tried to balance myself by doing a somersault, and turn my body into the upright position. Then my feet touched the ground first, and I am standing upright with my arms spread. A perfect landing!


    As if! I landed hard on my butt first!


    "Owowowowow! That hurts!" Tears are welling up in my eyes as I rubbed my sore butt.


    Although that took a while to explain, only a few seconds have passed in reality.


    Sheena and Albert stared at me wide eyed from the distant with their jaw dropped. I guess I couldn''t blame them. What I did just now even surprised myself. If I was the one watching from the sideline, I probably would have the same expression as them right now.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 12: The Legendary Artifact

    After a long period of silence...


    "J-Just what was that?!" Sheena broke the silence.


    "How did you do that just now?! How were you able to shoot so accurately while in the midair!! No! Before that! How did you even jump that high to begin with!" Sheena stormed me with one question after another while I was still on the ground. Sitting there with my knees together, with my body leaning against it.


    I looked at Sheena, and complained with teary eyes while rubbing sore butt, "Uuuu... That''s the first thing you ask? You could at least worry about me you know?"


    Just as I was saying that, Albert was already standing in front of me and offered a hand. I grabbed his hand without second thoughts, and he pulled me up from the ground.


    "Th-thank you......" I was surprised, Albert collected himself way too fast. Just a moment ago, he was standing beside Sheena with the same stupid expression as her, and a moment later, he was already in front of me as his usual self. Calm and composed.


    "That was most impressive Miss Sylvia. I am awed all over by your performance earlier! Splendid marksmanship, and a user of instacast to top it off! Indeed, the magic gun is an excellent weapon of choice!" Albert praised me over and over. It''s a little embarrassing to be praised so much, seriously.


    "Ah... ahahaha... thank you Albert..." I bashfully responded to Albert''s words of praise.


    Sheena cuts in between us, "Hey! Don''t ignore me, answer my questions!"


    "Uh... even if you ask me... I don''t know how to answer...... natural instinct maybe? Hahaha......" I laughed awkwardly and scratched my cheeks.


    "Sigh... Alright fine, let''s just go inform Uncle Sebastian that we are done with the test already, and choose an appropriate weapon for you. As promised we will get you two magic guns." Sheena gave up the questioning and cursed silently, "Kh... Natural instinct huh? I hate those genius who achieved good results without even trying hard. I worked so hard to get to where I am today..."


    ***


    As we re-entered the store from the back door. Sebastian noticed us and started, "Hahaha! So the lass'' test is over now is it? How did it go?"


    "She passed with rainbow colors." Sheena seems a little bit displeased.


    "Her marksmanship is most impressive, I''ve never seen a marksman with such impressive sharpshooting skill as her. Her magic aptitude is off the charts too. It is unfortunate that we can only test her aptitude for one element for now due to the high Magic Power consumption of a peculiar ability at work."


    "Hoh... special ability is it? What is it?" Sebastian was interested in the special ability and asked.


    "Hmhmhm! Hear this and be impressed! My familiar is the second known user of instacast in the entire continent of Halkeginia." Sheena''s face suddenly brightened up, and proclaimed to Uncle Sebastian proudly.


    "Hahahaha!! Instacast is it? That''s impressive! Impressive indeed!" Sebastian laughed out loud.


    "Muu!! I''m not joking you know?" Sheena pouted.


    "Haha! I know, I know! This is just perfect! Wait here for a moment!" Sebastian told us to wait, then he went to the innermost part of the store.


    After a while, he got back with two bow like gun on both of his hands.


    "Eh?" I was surprised. Why is that here? Where did he get it from? Those bow-gun look exactly like the one I saw in my vision.


    Sheena turned her head over to look at me, "Sylvia... is that?"


    I did the same and looked at Sheena, I didn''t say a word and just nodded slightly.


    "Oh? Have the lass here seen this weapon before?" Sebastian was surprised when he saw our expression.


    I turned my head back to look at Sebastian, then at the two bow-gun that he laid on the counter in front of us. After that, I told him, "Actually... I can''t really say I have seen them before, I just saw them in my vision. That''s all..."


    Sebastian had a very grim expression when I told him that, but he instantly changed his mood and said, "Hahaha!! Then this must be fate!! I found these weapon a little over ten years ago in the dungeon! For some reason, they come in a pair and won''t separate for more than a meter."


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "You found these in a dungeon over ten years ago? Does that mean... during the first dungeon exploration with my father?" Sheena asked.


    Sebastian''s expression turned grim for a moment, then he immediately reverted back to the happy-go-lucky mood, and patted Sheena''s head, "Hahaha! Don''t worry about it. Let''s not talk about that for now."


    "This weapon... I will give it to you as a gift, lass." Sebastian pushed the pair of bow-gun towards me.


    "Eh?!?! But why......? How can I accept such a gift?! From what I heard, the dungeon is an extremely dangerous place. This weapon must be worth a lot!" I tried to refuse the offer since I would feel very bad about it, they sacrificed a lot during that first dungeon exploration from what I''ve heard, but Sebastian refuted.


    "Hahaha! Don''t worry about it, this weapon is totally worthless!"


    "Eh?!" I was dumbfounded, how could something excavated from the dungeon be worthless?


    "True, this is a legendary artifact. But no one can use it effectively, no one other than you that is!" Sebastian exclaimed.


    "What do you mean......?" Sheena, Albert and I looked at Sebastian with suspicion.


    "You see..." Sebastian explained to us how this bow-gun can only be fired once, since each time you refilled it with magic, only a single magic bullet in the form of an arrow was formed, so it cannot be used continuously.


    He also explained about how he used this bow-gun as a model to create the first prototype of the magic gun, and derived to what it is today.


    "I see... If that''s the case, then it''s true that this weapon is not optimal for a mage. The only reason why a mage opt for magic gun is because of the ability to shoot it continuously without the need to chant for a spell." Albert consented.


    "I agree......  Furthermore, unlike magic, this bow-gun also do not have auto target assist like the rest of the magic gun, it is a single target weapon, and only have two shot at best since they come in a pair." Sheena also agreed with Albert.


    "And that''s why I want you to have this, lass! This weapon no longer serves any purpose to me. I''m sure it would be happier to be used instead of sitting here to eat dust." Sebastian tried to push the weapon to me.


    "..............." I was in deep thought for a while.


    "With your instacast and remarkable marksmanship, you can fire this dual bow-gun continuously! It''s the perfect weapon for you, lass! Hahaha!" Sebastian continued to convince me to accept it.


    "Alright... if you insist, I will accept your generosity. Thank you very much, Uncle Sebastian." I bowed respectfully as I received the dual bow-gun.


    "Hahaha! Good! Good!! Now you just need to soul bind the weapon, and it will be yours!" Sebastian was very delighted when I accepted it.


    "Soul Bind?" I titled my head in confusion as I asked.


    "That''s right, all legendary artifact require you to bind your soul with it for them to recognize you as their true owner. You just need to drip your blood on top of the weapon and it will be bounded to your soul." Sebastian explained.


    "Um... what happens if I did not bind my soul with the weapon?" I asked.


    "Then you won''t be able to wield it, probably." Sebastian answered.


    "Wait... if you need to be soul bounded with the weapon in order to use it, then how do you know about the usage of this bow-gun?" Sheena thought it was strange, so she asked.


    "Does that mean...... this bow-gun previously have an owner who soul bounded with it?" I asked as if that was the most natural thing in the world.


    "Sigh..." Sebastian''s expression turns grim again, "That''s right...... this weapon does indeed have a previous owner. She might not be an instacast user but she is quite talented in magic herself as she is a shortened incantation user."


    Judging from his expression, I have a feeling I shouldn''t press on this matter anymore. I already have a general idea of the fate of the previous user by now. Most likely she is already......

 [Vol 1] Chapter 13: The Mana Stone

    After a period of awkward silence.


    "I see...... my condolences." Albert said consolingly.


    "Hahaha! What for?! It''s not like she''s dead. She''s just in a coma, that''s all!" Sebastian tried to lighten the mood.


    Wait... the legendary artifacts bound themselves with the soul of owner right? If that is the case, then doesn''t that mean the soul of the previous owner is already long gone? Can you really call that being alive?


    I wanted to retort but doing so would only make the mood heavier so I held back.


    "Haha! Now now, let''s not talk about that anymore. Let''s just drip a tiny drop of your blood on top of this dual bow-gun and it''s yours, lass." Sebastian ended the topic with that and passed a needle to me.


    "Mm... alright." I took a needle offered to me by Sebastian, and reluctantly poke the tip of finger with it.


    "Ouch!" The needle pierced my skin and a little bit of blood starts flowing out from the opening. I dripped the blood on top of the weapon, and they glowed dimly for a few seconds.


    "Shiiing! Shiiing!"


    "Huaaa... What is it? Morning already?" A voice rang out in my mind as soon as the weapon stopped glowing.


    "Hm? Did you say something?" I looked at Sheena as I asked, since she is the only girl here other than me.


    "No? Did you hear something?" Sheena answered while tilting her head.


    "No...... never mind, maybe I just misheard." Seeing Sheena''s innocent face, I don''t think she was lying, so I just shrugged off as my imagination.


    "Well then! Now that we have your weapon and with plenty of Silver coins left, I guess we should get you some Mana Stone." Since we didn''t spent a single penny on this weapon of mine, Sheena wanted to get me something else. She wanted to get me something with her own money to celebrate our life-time contract.


    "Mana Stone? What''s that?" Upon hearing the unfamiliar term, I turned my attention to Sheena and asked.


    "Mana Stone is basically a stone that can store mana to recover your Magic Power. Seeing how much Magic Power your special ability consumes upon activation. Having one or two Mana Stone wouldn''t hurt." Albert explained in her stead.


    "Hahaha... if it''s Mana Stone you want. Then you are in luck! I have one Mana Stone with 10,000 capacity left. Normally it would go for one Gold coin but for you, I''ll sell it for ninety Silver coins!" Sebastian rummaged through his stock and grabbed the Mana Stone from under the counter.


    "So expensive!! Don''t you have one with lower capacity?" Upon hearing the catastrophic cost of the Mana Stone, Sheena couldn''t help but cry out in shock.


    "I''m sorry lil miss, these Mana Stone are high in demand. You would have to wait for another few months before the next stock of Mana Stones are available." Sebastian felt helpless that there was nothing else he could do.


    I pulled Sheena''s sleeve lightly, and whispered softly in her ear, "Um... perhaps I don''t understand the value of money in this world, but just how expensive is this Mana Stone?"


    "Sigh... Alright, let me put it in a term that you can understand. Let''s say one Bronze coin in Halkeginia equals to 10 USD on Earth. How much do you think a single Silver coin is?" Sheena heaved a sigh and used the money that I am familiar with as an analogy.


    "Um... let''s see...... if one Bronze coin equals 10 USD, then ten Bronze coins is 100 USD...... one Silver coin is equal to one hundred Bronze coins, so that means... 1,000 USD?! SO EXPENSIVE!!" I shouted in the end after finalizing my calculation.


    I mean, I can''t help it right? Ninety Silver coins are equivalent to 90,000 USD!! Even in my previous life, I don''t even have more than two-tenth of that amount! It''s way too expensive!!


    "Uh... um... Sh-Sheena...... umm... you know... you don''t have to force yourself to buy that for me you know?? I mean... it''s too expensive! Even if you get it for me, I would feel WAY too insecure to carry something THAT expensive on me..." I try to convince Sheena not to buy it.


    "Before we decide...... can we borrow that and let Sylvia recover some her Magic Power first, Uncle Sebastian? If we encounter some monsters or rogue on the way back, with her Magic Power as low as it is now, she will only drag us down." Sheena requested Sebastian to let us borrow the Mana Stone for a while.


    "Hahaha sure, go ahead and take as much mana as you want!" Sebastian handed the Mana Stone over to me.


    "Eh? Won''t the value of this Mana Stone decrease if I drain the mana out of it?" I was reluctant to do it. Since I am basically draining one Bronze coin for each unit of Magic Power!


    "Hahaha! Don''t worry about it lass, these Mana Stone have a function to draw mana from the surrounding like the Magic Staff, they can collect the mana and store it within them over time." Sebastian explained briefly regarding how the Mana Stone works.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Oh... is that how it work?" I was truly amazed, this is truly a fantasy world, there are so many interesting things that cannot be explained with logic here!


    While I was still mesmerizing at the wondrous world before me, Albert said, "Yeah, the Mana Stone usually fully recovered after ten hours."


    "Phew... then don''t mind if I take some mana out from the stone." I grabbed the stone and then stared at it. After one awkward minute of staring at the stone...


    I asked, "Uh... So how do I recover my Magic Power?"


    "Pfft-ahahahahahaha!" Sheena, Albert and Sebastian broke out in laughter.


    Eh? Did I say something funny? They probably knew that I do not know anything, and kept their silence to watch my reaction. How mean!


    "Hahahahaha! Oh lass! It''s quite simple, really! You just have to put that stone in front of your lips and suck the mana out of it!" Sebastian is the first to snap out of the laughter and explained.


    I did as he told and kissed the stone. A moment later, I can feel a surge of mana flowing into my body, rapidly recovering my Magic Power.


    "Wow, I feel so refreshed!" After feeling the supply of mana is no longer flowing into my body, I pulled the stone away from my lips.


    Sheena, Albert and Sebastian all stared at the Mana Stone wide eyed.


    Hm...... why are they so shocked? Did I break the stone? I turned my sight to the stone nervously and let out a sigh of relieve, there doesn''t seem to be a crack on the stone.


    But it is too soon to feel relieved... about one-tenth on the surface of the Magic Stone seems to have turned grayish. I wonder why... did I break it after all?


    I lifted the stone in front of my face, holding it up with my palm. I looked at the grayish part of the stone and asked, "Um... this is......?"


    Sheena put her right hand on top of her head and shake it twice, "I don''t believe it..."


    "To think it would consume that much Magic Power...... I guess this is what you call mighty power comes with great cost......" Albert was also shaking his head while he let out a sigh.


    "Uncle Sebastian, we will buy this Mana Stone after all..." After looking at the stone, Sheena finally give in and decided to buy the Mana Stone.


    "Ehhhhh?! Why? Did I break it after all?" I panicked.


    "No...... but your innate Magic Power and the consumption rate of your skill is too high. A normal Mana Stone would be consumed immediately." Sheena denied the claim and explained.


    "That''s right, normally, a basic elemental spell usually only consume around 10 unit of Magic Power, and a beginner mage usually have an average of 200 unit of Magic Power in total." Albert supplemented.


    Then Sebastian continued, "From the looks of it, around one-tenth of the mana has been consumed within the Mana Stone. That means around 1,000 unit of Magic Power has been drained by that special ability of yours in a one go. You get what I''m implying here?"


    So... that means I have at least around five times more Magic Power capacity compared to your average beginner mage, but since my special ability consumes too much Magic Power to register itself for instacast, I had no choice but to rely on the Mana Stone.


    "I see...... that is bad indeed. That means I won''t be able to register high level spell for instacast." I lamented at the thought of it.


    While I was lamenting at my inability to instacast high level spell, Sheena shouted, "That''s why we need this Mana Stone all the more!"


    "Why? Does it have some other function other than recovering the Magic Power?" I was surprised when Sheena suddenly said that. I know that I need the Mana Stone now, but how does that help me in regards to register high level spell for instacast?


    "Hahaha! This lass truly have good insight, she caught on frightening fast!" Sebastian was delighted at my keen intuition.


    "Oh... so it does indeed have other function. What is it? Tell me already!" I looked at Sebastian with gleaming eyes. My arms are in a "v-shape" in front of my breasts, and my fists are clutched tightly.


    "Hahaha, you guys explain to her. I''ll do some modification with this Mana Stone." Sebastian pushed Sheena and Albert to do the explanation while he moved into the workshop at the back.


    "Oh, does that mean the other function cannot be used with the Mana Stone just as it is?" As I thought of that, I turn my head over to Sheena and Albert looking for an explanation.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 14: Teardrop Earring

    I looked at Sheena and Albert expectantly. Waiting for them to explain the secondary function of the Mana Stone.


    "Fu... Alright. Listen well, cause I''ll only say it once!" Sheena let out a mouthful of breath, and start to explain, "The original purpose of the Mana Stone is to recover the user''s Magic Power using the mana it collected from the surrounding."


    Albert continued from where Sheena left off, "But, the Mana Stone can also act as a secondary mana tank for the user!"


    "A secondary mana tank?" I tilted my head while poking my right cheek with the index finger.


    "That''s right. Instead of drawing the mana from the stone to recover your Magic Power, you can directly draw the mana from the stone to cast the spell." Sheena answered me while crossing her arms below her breasts.


    "I see... that would be helpful indeed. So how does one draw the mana directly from the stone to cast the spell? Is it related to why the stone needs to me modified?" After understanding the secondary function of the Mana Stone, another question comes to my mind.


    "That is correct. Normally, one cannot draw the mana directly from the stone while casting a spell. That is only possible if the Mana Stone is embedded into a special alloy." Albert explained.


    "Mhm... they are normally attached to the tips of a wand or staff. But there are some that are attached to jewelries, such as a ring or a bracelet." Sheena nodded and continued the explanation.


    Shortly after Sheena and Albert finish explaining the secondary function of the Mana Stone to me, Sheena started, "Well, how about we go test your affinity for other elemental spells while waiting for Uncle Sebastian? You just fully recovered your Magic Power after all."


    "Sure! Better than doing nothing here while waiting! Let''s go!" I was the first to run to the back door of the store.


    We weren''t able to finish testing my affinity with fire, earth and water element earlier because we were worried that I might run out of Magic Power due to my special ability, but later we found out that as long as I don''t have enough Magic Power, the ability won''t be activated and the spell will not be registered. But that''s another story in the future.


    Sheena asked me when we reached the empty field at the back of the store, "So, which elemental magic do you wish to test first?"


    I replied enthusiastically, "Fire magic please!!"


    "Fire? Why?" Albert asked.


    "Fire magic is compatible with wind magic right? If I fused fire and wind magic together, I can create an even stronger fire!" I answered.


    "I see... you do have a point, but I think it is still too early for you to think about fusion magic!" Sheena rebuked.


    Albert on the other hand seems pleased, since he is also a practitioner of fire and wind magic.


    "Huhuhu, if it''s fire magic. I can teach you! Here, take this wand and chant after me!" Albert passed over the beginner wand to me enthusiatically.


    I took a hold of the wand and saluted, "Yes, Master!"


    *Mumble, mumble*


    I started to chant the incantation after Albert and shouted the name of the spell.


    "......FIREBALL!"


    And as expected, after I successfully cast a fireball, I started to feel slightly dizzy as my Magic Power is being consumed at high speed by the special ability. I was able to instacast fireball later.


    "Huff... huff..." I breathed heavily after the spell has been registered.


    "Are you okay?" Sheena was genuinely worried about me.


    "Yea... no problem, just a little dizzy...... Man, just learning to instacast a basic elementary spell is already taking such a huge toll on me, I can''t even begin to imagine just how much Magic Power will the higher level spell consume." As higher level spells are more complex and powerful, it will inevitably consume more time and Magic Power, I shudder at the thought of it.


    "Hehe, I guess you just got to work hard to increase your Magic Power capacity. You have no other choice, you can''t rely on the Mana Stone forever." Sheena giggled charmingly.


    "That''s true... but how do I increase my Magic Power capacity?" I faced Sheena and asked.


    "Well... that''s easy, you just got to keep using your magic until you run out of Magic Power...... Since your ability consumes so much Magic Power, I guess your Magic Power capacity will increase much faster than an ordinary mage..." Sheena answered honestly, but then she felt a little depressed in the end, after recalling all the harsh training she went through to increase her Magic Power.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I see... that sounds easy indeed..." I grabbed my chin and was in deep thought for a while.


    "Sigh... You sure have it easy......" Sheena pouted.


    "Well... anyway~ Can we proceed to test my affinity for earth and water?" Seeing Sheena like this, I quickly diverted the topic.


    "What''s the rush. Sebastian hasn''t even finished embedding the Mana Stone, and your Magic Power is really low right now." Albert tried to stop me but I refuted, "I want to find out whether my ability will activate or not when I do not have enough Magic Power to register a new spell."


    "No! I won''t allow it! It''s too reckless! It''s one thing to run out of Magic Power and faint. But it''s another story when you go over your Magic Power capacity, you will damage your dantian, and lose the ability to use magic. At worst, you can even lose your life!" Sheena got angry and shouted at me.


    Lose my life? Seriously? I guess I shouldn''t try this unless I''m in a life and dead situation. That means I will be stuck with basics elementary spell for a while until I get enough Magic Power to register the intermediate and advanced level spell.


    I stayed silent for a while and apologized to Sheena for being so thoughtless. With that, we went back inside the store.


    We waited for a while and finally saw Sebastian come back from the workshop, carrying a pair golden earring on his left hand.


    Sebastian approaches us and showed us the golden earring. It looks like of like a golden teardrop with a hint of blue stone embedded in the center of it. I guess that''s the Mana Stone.


    "What do you think?" Sebastian looked at Sheena, then at me.


    "It looks... beautiful..." Sheena was flabbergasted at the aesthetic of the earring.


    "It looks beautiful indeed but I don''t think I can wear it? I don''t have ear-piercing..." I grabbed the lobe of my ears to feel for any piercing hole.


    "Hahaha, don''t worry lass. You don''t need to pierce a hole in the lobes of your ears to wear these earring. These are non pierced earrings." Sebastian laughed out loud.


    "Oh... that''s great, because I am not about to go pierce my ears. NOT ever!" It''s definitely not because I''m scared of pain alright? Defintely...


    Sebastian handed the Teardrop Earring to me, and I put them on immediately. After I equip the earrings, I can feel a surge of power flowing into me. I guess aside from the mana tank function, it also increases my magic attack?


    "This is..." I turned over to look at Sebastian.


    "Hahaha! So you noticed it, lass?" Sebastian was feeling rather proud with these pair of earrings.


    "I feel a surge of power flowing into me when I put on the earring. Aside from my Magic Power capacity, it feels like my magic attack also increased." I explained the weird but pleasant sentation I felt after wearing the earring to the others.


    Sebastian boasted happily, "Hahaha! Indeed, I have enchanted these earring to increase the magic attack of the user."


    Sheena frowned, "Uncle Sebastian! You are being too lenient. You are already selling the Mana Stone to us for ten Silver coins less, how can we ask you for more?"


    "Hahaha, don''t worry. I know your personality. That''s why I''m not giving this for free. I will charge you five Silver coins for these earrings! How about it? Hahaha! Surely you have enough right?" Sebastian know Sheena''s temper very well so he didn''t try to push it.


    "Hmph, that sounds fair enough." Sheena crossed her arms under her twin peaks, and turned her face to the other side.


    Wow... Five Silver coins for this earring. That''s equivalent to 5,000 USD! It''s quite a luxury item. With the Mana Stone embedded in it, the total value of this earring is a whooping 95,000 USD! I feel anxious just to have this around.


    I have to get stronger, and quick! So that I can overcome my anxiety.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 15: The Abyss Beast

    After Sheena gave the Silver coins to Sebastian, we said our thanks and left the store.


    On the way I asked anxiously, "So... how much money do we have left?"


    "Let''s see... we have spent fifteen Copper coins to lodge in the inn last night and six Copper coins for dinner and breakfast. The Teardrop Earrings and Mana Stone cost us ninety-five Silver coins. With that, we only have four Silver coins and seventy-nine Copper coins remaining." Sheena looked into her purse and sighed.


    I feel kind of guilty since more than 90% of the money were spent on the Mana Stone and Teardrop Earrings for me, "I''m sorry...... because of me you have to spend so much money."<!--more-->


    "Well, there''s nothing to it. You just have to work hard to pay back the debt." Then Sheena revealed a mischievous smile, and looked at the rune on the back of my hands, "It''s not like you have anywhere to run anyway, since we are bounded till death do us part."


    "Gulp..." I swallowed my saliva, and laughed awkwardly, "Hahaha... That''s... true..." With these kind of debt, it will probably take around a few hundred years to repay. And since I am an elf, I can probably live for a few centuries. I will have to spend the next few hundred years of my life repaying my debt. I shuddered at the thought of it.


    Suddenly, we can hear a scream coming from the distant, "Kyaaa!! A monster!"


    "A monster? In the middle of the dungeon town filled with various powerful Adventurers?" Sheena and Albert looked at each other disbelievingly.


    Then they suddenly rushed toward the place where the scream comes from to see what kind of monster would be stupid enough to attack this town.


    When we arrived at the scene, there was utter chaos. We couldn''t believe what we just saw.  There were plenty of human corpses lying of the floor with blood gushing out everywhere, dying the brick floor red. And there was only one monster is the midst of the corpses, just one!


    The monster''s face looks like that of a fierce dog and is walking on all fours. It has two long curvy horns protruding from the back of  its head, with one horn smaller and straight horn protruding from its forehead. At the tips of the small horn, it was emitting some sort of purplish flame. There were spikes growing out from its shoulder and its arm is as thick as a tree trunk. This monster looks ridiculously strong and fierce.


    The monster was surround by a group of Adventurers, but no one dared to approach seeing how the other three had been killed almost instantly.


    The monster pay them no mind and glanced at the surrounding.


    By this time, Sheena and Albert finally recovered from their shock and shouted softly as to not aggravate the monster, "That''s the Abyss Beast!! What is it doing here?! We have to get out of here quick!"


    Sheena pulled me and started running. Albert followed immediately and the three of us were running away from the scene as fast as we can.


    While we were running, I asked, "What is that monster?!"


    Albert answered, "It is called the Abyss Beast. It''s usually found in the deepest part of the Swinford dungeon and is classified as an SS-ranked monster. With our current ability, we are only asking for death if we stayed there. It''s better to just leave this to the Adventurer Guild."


    I nodded, "Yeah!! I wouldn''t want to get involved with that monstrosity either way! But!! WHY IS IT CHASING AFTER USSSS!!"


    Sheena and Albert both looked back and saw the monster chasing after us, then they screamed and increased their pace.


    "Eeeek!! Why is it chasing us!" Sheena was on the verge of tears.


    "Waaaaaa!! Damn it!! It will eventually catch up to us at this rate! Let''s split up and divert its attention!" Albert was just as surprised, however he was able to evaluate the situation properly and come up with the best course of action.


    Yup, right now. We are being chased by the Abyss Beast! As soon as we turned tail and run, it seems to have noticed and start chasing after us! Such bad luck!!


    Stolen novel; please report.


    But as expected of Albert, even in such a situation, he came up with a plan to increase our rate of survival.


    "Agreed!!" Both Sheena and I consented and the three of us split up in the next junction up ahead. Sheena went to the left, Albert went to the right and I went straight ahead.


    Obviously, the monster chased after me.


    "Eeeeeeek!! Why me?!" I raised a futile protest.


    I glanced at my surrounding quickly. I saw Sheena and Albert both running at the side of the alley in the same direction as I while chanting some high level spells.


    But I can''t wait for them to finish the spell! The monster is closing in on me as we speak, I have to at least delay the monster''s speed!


    Without further ado, I jumped into the air with all my strength. While in midair, I pulled the dual bow-gun that is attached on my belt, turned around and raised both my arms to aim the gun at the monster.


    I charged the gun on my left with fire magic while the one on my right with wind magic.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    I fired two rounds of fire magic and one round of wind magic. The magic arrows collided slightly in front of the monster and "Boom!" the collision of the wind and fire magic caused an explosion!


    Yes!! That ought to slow it down a bit. While I was rejoicing, the monster suddenly burst forth from the explosion and from the tip of its horn, the purplish flame suddenly shot towards me.


    "Waa... waaa!" I was still in the midair so my movement is limited. Unable to do anything else, I just bend my body backwards in attempt to avoid that purplish flame. I avoided it by a hair''s breadth and fell on the ground.


    "Sylvia!!"


    "Miss Sylvia!!"


    Sheena and Albert shouted frantically.


    That is because the monster is already right in front of me, with its paw high up in the sky, ready to turn me into mincemeat any second now!


    When the paw is about to drop, I closed my eye, crossed my arm in front of me to defend and shouted in a panic, "Waaa!!"


    But after several seconds later, the impact that I was waiting for still haven''t hit me.


    I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed is that the rune on my left hand glowed brightly, and that my surrounding was covered by a yellow light. Everything touched by the yellow light seems to be slowed considerably. Only I, who was not affected by the yellow light, was able to move without much restriction in this field of yellow light.


    "What just happened?" I was dumbfounded at the scene right before me, but the paw was still slowly but surely approaching me.


    "Don''t just sit there dumbfounded, move from that location now if you don''t want to die!" A voice suddenly rang out in my mind.


    Without any time to think about where that voice come from, I quickly rolled to the left. At the same time, the glow on my left hand faded, the yellow light that was surrounding us faded as well.


    The paw seems to have regained its previous velocity, and slammed hard on the ground right beside my head.


    "Crack! Crack!"


    The cement ground beside me cracked, and a big hole is left on the spot.


    Wow if I hadn''t moved in time just now, my head would be smashed like a watermelon......


    But I have no time to think about that right now, my number one priority right now is to get out of here!


    The monster opened its jaw and saliva dripped on my face.


    "Gulp!" This situation is hopeless. I am so dead.


    "Boom! Boom!" Two flashes of red and green light suddenly hit the face of the monster, those are intermediate fire and wind spell casted by Albert and Sheena respectively.


    The monster doesn''t seem to be hurt badly, but it successfully distracted the monster as it is now approaching Sheena and Albert at high speed.


    Me, still lying on the ground with my back, turned around to look at Sheena and Albert.


    "Sheena!! Albert!! RUN!!" I can do nothing other than stretching my hand towards them and shouting frantically.

 [Vol 1] Chapter 16: The Awakening Powers

    The monster rushed toward Albert and Sheena at lightning speed while bellowing in rage, "Rooooar!"


    Sheena and Albert quickly grabbed their magic gun, and started firing rounds after rounds of magic bullet at the monster.


    Albert''s aim was not bad. At least it hits the monster, but Sheena on the other hand...... missed one after another. One of many magic bullets fired by Sheena even grazed my cheek.


    Yikes!! Just a few more centimeter and it''s gonna be a head-shot! But thanks to that, I finally regained a little bit of my composure.<!--more-->


    I frantically grabbed the dual bow-gun at my side, and started to rain down a cluster of magic arrows at the monster''s back.


    "Clang! Clang! Clang!"


    But the magic bullets and arrows that hit the monster are deflected by its tough fur, as if the bullets and arrows were made out of butter. It doesn''t have any effect on the monster at all!!


    The monster continued its wild charge toward Sheena and Albert without minding the torrent of magic bullets and arrows at all.


    "Khhhhh this is so frustrating!! My attacks are doing nothing to the monster at all." I bit my lower lip in frustration.


    The monster got closer and closer to Sheena, then it immediately lunged towards Sheena with its jaw wide open.


    "Kyaaaaaa!!" Sheena screamed as she fall toward the ground with her buttocks. She pointed the magic gun toward the monster''s mouth while sitting on the ground with her knees together. She pulled the trigger.


    "Clack! Clack!"


    Due to her reckless shooting earlier, the gun already ran out of bullets.


    "SHEENAAAAA!" As I shouted, the rune on my right hand shined brightly. Then all of a sudden, my sight was stolen. I could see nothing but pitch black darkness.


    The moment I regained my sight, I saw Sheena in front of me.


    "Eh?" Both Sheena and I were confused. Just what in the world happened?


    When I turned around to look, I saw a black hole in the midair that is gradually shrinking, and then it disappeared as if it never existed.


    In the next instant, the monster got out from another black hole located in my previous location, and chomped the empty air . The black hole behind the monster immediately disappeared after the monster came out from it.


    The monster was also confused and looked left and right twice. When it finally noticed us, it immediately started charging towards us once again.


    The rune on my right hand is still glowing and I can feel a strange power flowing out of the rune.


    Immediately, I pointed the bow-gun on my right hand at the monster and pulled the trigger.


    "Skreeeeeeeech!"


    An ear-piercing sound emitted from the magic arrow. It sounded as if space itself is being ripped apart. Wherever the magic arrow passed, cracks in space appeared but quickly repaired itself.


    The monster, upon sensing the danger this magic arrow possessed, immediately tried to dodge to the right.


    Unfortunately, the speed of the magic arrow is simply too fast so it couldn''t completely avoid the magic arrow. The magic arrow easily pierced through the tough fur of the monster, into its flesh and ripped one of its front leg off.


    The monster, having lost one of its front leg, howled in agony as it lose its balance and fall to the ground face first. I was aiming for the face, but it hit the left front leg instead. It dodged a critical hit in almost an instant, this monster''s reaction speed is out of this world! No wonder it is classified as SS-ranked monster.


    The monster got up with its three remaining legs and stared at us angrily. It howled and the purplish flame on the tip of its horn suddenly intensify. It seems like the monster is going to use its ultimate attack now!


    This is bad! What are we going to do? If we stay here, we are dead for sure, and I don''t think I can pull off any more miracle than this. I don''t even know how I pulled off those weird skills earlier, it happened all too fast and I don''t have the time to reflect upon it.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "We should get out of..."


    "That''s far enough!" Before I could even finish saying the word, someone appeared from the side of the alley and shouted. He was waving his staff around and thick clouds started to gather in the sky.


    All of a sudden, a flash of lightning escaped from the cloud and strike down on the monster!


    "Baaaaaaang!"


    A thunderous roar filled the air as the lightning strike the ground. Soon after, more human figures appeared from all direction, surrounding the monster and us.


    Wow... that''s one powerful spell. Is that guy a wannabe mage or a real mage? From the way he was waving his staff around, I''d say he''s a wannabe mage, but to be able to use such a powerful spell... I guess these wannabe mage wasn''t as weak as I thought they would be?


    The wannabe mage approached us, "Miss, are you hurt?"


    My knees finally gave up, and I slumped down onto the ground weakly, with my knees supporting my body.


    "Ah... ahahaha." I laughed awkwardly and answered, "I guess we''re still alive, just barely..."


    "Please rest assured, we have gathered the most elite of all the Adventurers in the town. We can take care of the rest here. We offer you our most heartfelt gratitude for stalling the monster to prevent more casualties." The wannabe mage said respectfully.


    "Wh... who are you, mister?" I tried to ask the wannabe mage for his name, it would be rude to keep calling someone as powerful as this a wannabe.


    The wannabe mage stood proudly, and pounded his chest before announcing his name, "The name''s Milton, I am the head of this town''s Adventurer Guild. May I have the honor of knowing your name and your companion''s?"


    "Oh uh...... My name''s Sylvia and this is my master..." I mustered some strength in my knees to stand up before I introduced myself. I lend my hand to pull Sheena up from the ground before she introduces herself.


    "Sheena, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister Milton." Sheena introduced herself while patting the dirt off her skirt.


    "And the beautiful lady there is..." Milton asked while turning his gaze toward Albert.


    "My humble name is Alby, thank you for saving our lives, Mister Milton." Albert introduced himself as Alby and curtsied gracefully.


    I looked nervously behind Milton and saw dozens of Adventurer surrounded the monster and finally subjugated the beast with slight difficulty.


    Seeing that the beast no longer poses any threat to us, I let out a relieved sigh.


    "But I must say, that was most impressive, Miss Sylvia! That last attack of yours actually managed to heavily injure the Abyss Beast! Just what was that bizarre attack?" Milton asked with excitement in his eye.


    I looked away and hesitated slightly, "Uh... um... I''m not really sure either...... when it happened, I noticed the rune on my hand is glowing. It probably have something to do with this power?"


    I raised my right hand and showed Milton the rune.


    "I see... most intriguing..." Milton grabbed his chin with his left hand, and is in deep thoughts for a while.


    "How about it Miss Sylvia? Do you want to become an Adventurer? With your ability, I can grant you the S Rank immediately!" Milton suddenly came up with an unprecedented offer.


    "What?!?! S Rank?! Right off the bat?!" Sheena and Albert were both flabbergasted.


    "Uh... Mister Milton, thank you for your offer, but......" I tried to refuse his offer since what happened earlier was probably just a fluke, I don''t have the confidence to be able to pull it off constantly so I do not deserve the S Rank but...


    "Accept it!!" Sheena grabbed both sides of my shoulders strongly and shake me twice, then she looked into my eyes with a powerful gaze.

 [Vol 2] Prologue: The Guild Card

    "Accept it!" Sheena grabbed both sides of my shoulders strongly and shake me twice, then she looked into my eyes with a powerful gaze.


    I feel like answering to her call but I feel that I shouldn''t. I will surely regret it if I accept that proposal... and besides, just because she is my Master does not mean I have to listen to her every command, I have to make my own decision. And a good servant should not blindly follow orders from their Master, but to help them develop into a better person. ?1?


    With that thought, I shook my head, "No... I''m afraid I can''t accept your proposal, Mister Milton. I appreciate your consideration, but I''m afraid I am not ready to take on the responsibility of an S Rank!"


    Sheena''s expression was ugly to behold and she grabbed my shoulders with even more strength, "What are you talking about! It''s not everyday you get an offer to be an S Ranker! Just accept it! Do you know how much benefit you can get just by being an S Ranker?!"


    Benefits? There are such things like that too huh... but I still look into her eyes and said firmly, "Master... no matter the benefits, I still can''t accept it! Think about it, if I am given the title of an S Ranker, I would probably be forced to go on an almost impossible quest! What do you expect me, a newbie who doesn''t even know his ?2? left and right yet, to do? I can''t even protect you, my Master, properly! How do you expect me to finish an S Rank quest? I''d rather start at the bottom and climb up slowly like everyone else! Only when one achieved something through their own hard work will there be meaning."


    "Muu..." Sheena puffed her cheeks and didn''t say any more.


    "Hahaha... is that so? That''s such a shame... I was really looking forward to request something of you..." Mister Milton said resignedly.


    What?! So he really have something in mind... Oh am I glad I rejected his proposal.


    On the other hand, Albert was laughing out loud, "Khh... HAHAHAHA! Oh god... Hahaha... I don''t believe it, there is actually a familiar capable of refusing to follow the Master''s command! Hahaha... oh... phew..."


    Albert wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and continue, "I guess there''s a first time for everything..." And then he patted Sheena on her right shoulder once.


    "Fuuuu..." Sheena let out a long breath and looked at me again before saying, "Okay, fine... I understand. But at the very least. you have to register at the Adventurer Guild. Even if it''s the lowest rank, there''s still a minimal benefit that can guarantee your safety."


    "Huh...? Guarantee my safety? There''s such a convenient item?" I was secretly surprised! I have never heard of any such things that can guarantee a person''s well being even in the fantasy novels that I like so much!


    "Yes..." Sheena took out a card from her pocket and showed me, it looks kind of like an identity card. There''s the picture of Sheena on the card, her name, her race, her age, her attributes, her guild rank and total amount of money.


    "This is...?" I peeled my sight from the card, and asked.


    "A Guild Card." The Guild Master of Swinford moved forward and said so.


    "A Guild Card?" I tilted my head in obvious confusion.


    "Yes, that is a Guild Card. As you can see from the surface, it function as a sort of identity card and credit card. You can store your money in the card and use it to purchase items at any affiliated store ?3?." Mister Milton stopped momentarily to clear his throat.


    And then he continued, "Ahem... aside from that, card holders of any rank gets the benefit of life insurance!"


    "Um... can you please elaborate further?" Clearly not understanding what does Milton mean by life insurance, I asked him to go into more details.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Gladly! You see... this card is bound directly to your soul, so that even if it is stolen, other people won''t be able to use it. But more importantly, it can detect your life force and display it in the corner of your sight. If your life force falls below critical value, you will be teleported to the closest Adventurer Guild to receive medical treatment!" Mister Milton seemed really proud when he spoke of it.


    I was flabbergasted and it clearly showed on my face with the jaws opening so widely. Even Sheena and Albert seemed to find it funny and started giggling on the side.


    "B... But how?! How in the world did you make something like this? It''s impossible, this is too cheat!" I still find it very hard to believe and ask for an explanation.


    Mister Milton was delighted with my response and opened his mouth, "Hmhmhm~ This is all thanks to the wealth the dungeons brought us." Then he just stopped abruptly!


    "Dungeons? What does dungeon have anything to do with this? Please stop leaving me in the dust and pause every once in a while just to see my reaction!" I pouted unhappily due to Mister Milton''s obvious response.


    "Alright alright~ I get it, I will stop teasing you already! I apologize for that, you are just too cute!" Having teased me enough, Mister Milton apologized sincerely. However, that last remark is unnecessary!


    "Hehehe~ I know right~" And Sheena joined the fray.


    "Geez! Stop teasing me already, hukhukhuk..." I cried. Well... not literally, there''s no tears coming out. Just a dry tear. ?4?


    "Alright Alright~ I will tell you. It''s actually nothing much. We just incorporated the technique and materials found in the Teleport Labyrinth into these cards. As for the vision of your life force, that''s just an illusory spell." Mister Milton finally explained after he have had enough.


    "Guild Master! We have cleared the Abyss Beast and is ready to set out!" One of the Elite Adventurers reported to Mister Milton.


    "Alright, good. Now let us head back to the Guild Hall!" With a wave of his hand, all the Elite Adventurers head toward the Adventurer Guild immediately.


    I took a glance at location where the monster was supposed to be but there was nothing! Nothing at all, not even traces of blood! What did they do?! Then I turned my head towards Mister Milton with an inquisitive glance.


    He took notice of it and laughed, "Hahaha, this is also one of the benefits for the Card Holders. All the monsters or bandits they kill or subdue will be teleported to the administration hall, then the loot will be distributed amongst all the party members equally. Naturally the loot and gold will be stored at the Guild Storage. They can use the gold stored in the Guild Storage by presenting their Guild Card at any affiliated stores, but to withdraw the loot and gold, they''d have to go to the Guild Hall directly, unless you''re D-Rank and above, you cannot withdraw them directly via Teleportation."


    We were talking about various things on the way to the Guild Hall, and I received a lot of new information from Mister Milton. This world feels more and more like a game now for some reason. All these convenient tools and function where you can normally only find in the game actually exist here in this fantasy world!


    <hr />


    References


    1. Reference from Hayate the Combat Butler


    2. Yes, Sylvia is referring to herself as his since he forgot that he is currently a girl in the heat of the moment


    3. Thanks to cocooma for correcting my mistake!


    4. Crying without tears. Usually fake.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 1: Analyzing Elemental Laws

    With that, we arrived at the Guild Hall safely, along with Mister Milton and his Elite Adventurers.


    Upon entering the main hall, Mister Milton immediately parted with the Elite Adventurers, he seems to be very busy. Well I guess he is the Master of the Guild after all.


    But before he parted, he didn''t fail to say this to us, "Enjoy your stay here. If you want to register at the Adventurer Guild, please do so at that counter over there. I''ll be sure to inform the clerk to give you a little reward for helping us stalling and subjugating the Abyss Beast."


    I''m a bit reluctant to be on the receiving side so I frowned a little.


    Mister Milton noticed my unease and laughed it off, "Hahaha, pay it no mind! You really helped tremendously! If it is not for you, there would be much more casualties. Furthermore, the injury you inflicted on the Abyss Beast really helped a lot. Consider these little gifts of mine to mark our first meeting! I expect much from you in the future. Hohohohoho~"


    With that, Mister Milton went straight to the counter to inform the clerk. They looked over here for a moment and Mister Milton departed to the inner hall.


    We walked over to the counter. The clerk just smiled gently at us and said, "Please, follow me."


    "Huh?" The three of us were confused. Where does she want to take us? Normally, don''t you register and get all the information at the counter? But we didn''t say anything and just looked at her skeptically.


    The clerk noticed our obvious gaze and giggled, "Please understand, this is the order from the Guild Master. I will guide you to a private room, so please just wait there while we prepare your reward and Guild Card."


    We consented and just follow after her to the private room without saying another word. Upon arrival, the clerk prompted us to enter, and wait in the room.


    We sat down on the sofa and Sheena let out a long breath, "Fuuu... it''s been such a hectic day today."


    But I didn''t hear anything they said afterwards as I was deep in thoughts.


    "So just what was that earlier... those strange things that happened when we were facing the Abyss Beast..." When I was deep in thoughts while closing my eyes, my concentration has reached new heights. I was able to sense the elemental essence in the surrounding very clearly!


    I was shocked and immediately opened my eyes, I jumped up and shouted involuntarily, "What was that?!"


    "Huh? What is going on?" Sheena and Albert turned their attention to me.


    "Oh uh... never mind, it was nothing. I was just lost in thoughts, please don''t mind me." I brushed it off, sat back down on the sofa, closed my eye and immediately begin to focus my attention on those elemental essence.


    ***


    *Everything below only happens within Sylvia''s mind*


    Wow... this is so... SO AMAZING! Are these the so-called elemental essence? There''s strongso/strong much of them floating about here and there. There''s so many variant of colors... there''s green, blue, yellow and red. I guess they represent wind, water, earth and fire respectively.


    Is this the reason for the Elf Race''s longevity? They can perceive the elemental essence so clearly! Is this the reason why in all the novels I read about the Elves, the Elder always seclude themselves in meditation and do not require any sleep? So that they can purify their souls with these elemental essence to prolong their lives.


    I can sense the wind elemental essence most clearly, followed by water, earth and fire. I guess my affinity with wind is the strongest? But more so than that, I''m slightly concerned about something else... the black colored elemental essence. I can sense them more clearly than even the wind elemental essence.


    Does that mean my affinity with darkness is the strongest? Does that make me a demonic creature? Now that I think about it, I might actually be a ghost or a spirit of some sort that is currently possessing this body...


    Wait... that''s not what''s important right now... That''s right, the most important part are these runes on my hand, as well as the weird power they possessed!


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I feel like I have read something similar regarding these powers before... I wonder what was it again?


    That''s right... the elemental laws of the wind! The Spatial Dimension and Law of Velocity ?1?! If it''s that then it all make sense! The yellow light that suddenly slowed down the movement of the Abyss Beast, that should probably be the Slow Aspect of the Elemental Law of the Wind, which is a part of the Law of Velocity!


    That chaotic space that switched the position between the monster and me... should be the Spatial Dimension Law! Though I have no idea how it works as of yet but it does make sense.


    Moreover, the attack that torn the space apart should be Dimensional Decapitator! It should be one of the many ways to apply the Spatial Dimension or Law of Velocity in an attack!


    Huh? But why does the elemental laws of the world from a fiction story actually applies in this world? What does it all mean? Is the author of the fiction an otherworlder like Saito? Does that mean if I followed this direction of training, I can technically become a god?


    And these runes... it seems these runes granted me the power to use the elemental laws of the wind, but they consume a lot of mana! Perhaps it is because I do not have profound understanding of the laws of the wind yet. I will need to work hard...


    Oh but before that... I almost forgot one more thing... when I casted spells earlier, both runes activated at the same time and consumed a lot of mana to allow me to cast the spell instantly. Can the Fast Aspect of the Elemental Law of the Wind do that too? But they both activated at the same time... does that mean... the Fast Aspect of the Wind speed up my casting, while the Profound Mystery of Spatial Dimension absorbed the activation sequence to allow for instacasting? That''s soooo cheat!


    [Hahaha you seems to be having fun analyzing the laws of the world] A mysterious voice rang out in my mind.


    Huh? Did I speak that out loud?


    [So you really can hear my voice...]


    What...? Who are you? How are you reading my mind?!


    [Ehem... allow me to introduce myself. I am called Sylvidia, the Spirit of Light that''s residing in this Ancient Artifact!]


    ...


    Say WHAAAAAT?! You... you mean you are... YOU ARE THE-!


    [STOP RIGHT THERE!] Before I could finish forming the words in my head, I was abruptly stopped by the mysterious voice.


    Wha... ?


    [The weapon is not my original form! I am just like you, a wandering spirits from another world that got attached to this Ancient Artifacts by chance. I assume that''s why we can communicate with one another mentally.]


    What was that?! Wandering Spirits? Me and you?


    [Let''s talk about this some other time, your friends are looking at you suspiciously.]


    ***


    Just when Sylvidia mentioned that, I heard Sheena calling for me, "-via... Sylvia~ Can you hear me?"


    I finally opened my eyes and saw Sheena waving her hand right in front of my face.


    "Uh... What''s going on?" I asked shyly.


    "Don''t what''s going on me! We have been calling you for a while now, and you have been making various weird expressions while closing your eyes since a while ago! I should be asking what is going on with you?!" Sheena glared at me unhappily.


    It seems like I have caused inconvenience for the people around me, I guess I should start with an apology, "Sorry... I will explain later. More importantly, is the Guild Card ready?"


    <hr />


    References:


    1. Reference to the elemental Laws of Coiling Dragon

 [Vol 2] Chapter 2: Summoned Hero

    Yup... I guess I should apologize first, "Sorry... I will explain later. More importantly, is the Guild Card ready?"


    Sheena heaved a sigh and said, "It''s just right in front of you..."


    "Huh? Already? How much time have passed?" I tilted my head in confusion, and Sheena said, "About 30 minutes..." before she moved out of my field of vision, revealing the card and equipment placed on top of the table.


    Wow... 30 minutes have passed already? It only felt like a few seconds have passed since I closed my eyes... and sitting on top of the sofa at the other side of the table is the Guild Master, Mister Milton!


    "Oh uh... Mister Milton... how come you''re here?" Since Milton seems like a busy man, I didn''t expect he would have time to sit down and chit-chat with us.


    "Hahaha... I came here to personally present you the reward of course!" Mister Milton said that nonchalantly.


    "Huh? But why? Why would a busy person like you personally present the reward to a newcomer like me? Aren''t you the Guild Master?" I was suspicious of him, he must have some ulterior motives!


    "Hahaha... oh come on, it''s not everyday you get to meet a Hero after all. I''d like to have the opportunity to personally give Lord Hero the reward!" Mister Milton said something non-sensical.


    "..................Huh?" After a long moment of silence, that''s the only word I was able to spout.


    "Hm? From your expression, I take it Lord Hero does not know anything?" Mister Milton asked me in return after seeing my confused expression.


    "Would you care to explain?" I asked honestly.


    "Hrm............" Mister Milton squinted his eyes, and look directly into mine for a long while before he said, "Alright then, it seems you really do not know."


    Then he just turned his head to Sheena before saying, "As her Master, you should have explained these things beforehand."


    Sheena just lowered her head in embarrassment, "Sorry, she just fainted after we completed our contract, and I was too excited that I forgot to explain to her properly. Allow me the honor of explaining it to her!"


    ¡°Well better late than never I guess...¡± Mister Milton nodded his head in agreement.


    Then Sheena, who was sitting beside me suddenly turned to my side and grabbed my hands that was on top of my lap. I turned to face her before she continued, "Okay... listen carefully. Since a few decades ago, Professor Colbert collaborated with the Void Mage to study their familiar summoning, and he successfully developed a Hero summoning ritual!


    The Hero summoning ritual require a ridiculous amount of mana so it requires a few dozens of people to successfully summon a single Hero. Therefore it cannot be used consecutively.


    The summoned Hero are mostly intelligent species, and most common are the humanoid familiar. These summoned Heroes were also granted unique powers when their contracts are sealed!"


    Sheena stopped here to catch her breath, and remained silent for a while. I broke the silence and asked, "Hero summoning......? Did you summon me with similar methods?"


    Sheena frowned for a moment and said with uncertainty, "I don''t know...... I don''t think what I did was that different from the rest of my classmates..."


    Mister Milton suddenly raised an eyebrow, "Could it be?! Are...... are you a Void Mage?! T-the... successor of Josette?! Hahaha I don''t believe it! Today has been a great day! Not only did I get to meet a Hero, I was able to meet the Legendary Void Mage too!"


    Sheena suddenly stood up and waved her hands in front of her, "No, no, no! Mister Milton, I am not a Void Mage! I can still use elemental spells!"


    "Oh..." Mister Milton seems obviously disappointed, but he still lifted his mood and continued, "Well, doesn''t matter. Let''s just proceed and get this ceremony over as soon as possible then. You guys need to get back to the Academy by today no?"


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Then Mister Milton prompted me to take a look at the equipment on top of the table first. There were a set of breastplate, a shoulder-pad, a belt, a pair boots with white knee-length socks, and lastly a pair of long white gloves with arm guards attached. They all have the same silver color and gold outline.


    "These are..." After examining the armor, I looked at Mister Milton in confusion.


    "Your reward. This set of armor is called the Silver Gold! I thought they''d go well with your one piece white dress!" Mister Milton happily introduced the equipment to me and end with, "This armor is best suited to a beginner like you. They are what we call the growth armor, they will grow stronger along with the user!"


    Upon hearing Mister Milton''s last word, my jaw dropped and I started to hesitate, "Such...... such a good set of armors... A-are you sure you want to give this set of armors to me?!"


    "Hahaha... pay it no mind! Let''s just say this is my investment in you. Being an Adventurer is a dangerous job, you never know when you might die!" Mister Milton make up an excuse and laughed it off as usual.


    "Die? But Mister Milton... doesn''t the Guild Card provide a life insurance?" Hearing Mister Milton mention of death, I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yes that is very much true but... there are scenarios where you can get killed in one shot. Or when the teleportation failed to activate in time. It does provide a sense of security but it''s not flawless so you have to be careful!" Mister Milton warned us that this Guild Card is not onmipotence, so we have to be careful even if we have the protection if this card does provide us with a chance of survival.


    "I see... something like that could happen huh......" I understood what Mister Milton was trying to say, and consented by nodding my head twice.


    "Now then... let''s proceed to sealing this Guild Card with your blood then! The paper works are all done, you just need to drip your blood on this card, and everything will be settled!" Mister Milton said so while pushing the tray on the table in front of me. The tray contained the Guild Card and a needle.


    "Aw... I hate these blood contract thing..." I pouted but I still took the needle, and lightly pierced the tip of my finger.


    I dripped a single drop of blood on the Guild Card and it glowed dimly. After a while, the light dispersed, and my picture along with some basic information was displayed on the card. Fantasy is truly amazing! It reminds me of how people used to print photos in the old days, with the film and all.


    I was only slightly surprised when I saw the age since if I think about it, I am currently an elf. Being 163 years old should be normal.


    But I frowned when I saw the Race and Attributes! Seems like my suspicion was right... I had attributes with Darkness and my race even indicates me as a Spirit, not an elf!


    Everyone was curious after seeing my expression, so they took a peek at the information written on the card.


    Their body shook involuntarily. Sheena and Albert fell on the sofa while Mister Milton just stood in front of me, looking at me warily and asked, "Miss Sylvia... just... what are you?"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note


    Welp... that card took a while to make... :o

 [Vol 2] Chapter 3: Demon Lord, Logia

    ¡°Miss Sylvia¡­ just¡­ what are you?¡± Mister Milton broke the silence and pointed his staff at me. It seems like he will attack me at a moment''s notice.


    I wonder if someone with darkness attributes is treated as a villain in this world. Well, I guess that''s only normal... because everyone is skeptical like that. But judging someone purely based on their attributes is just plain stupid. I don''t believe in the light is justice and darkness is evil kind of crap.


    "Hahahahahaha" I lifted my head, used my right hand to cover my eyes before I started laughing madly!


    "Wha...... What?" Mister Milton backed off a single step due to my unexpected action. Sheena and Albert just sat on the sofa, watching me quietly.


    "Ahem!" I cleared my throat and swept my glance towards Mister Milton, Albert and finally, Sheena.


    I stood up, turned my gaze back to Mister Milton and said firmly, "I don''t get why you all are getting wary of me. Do you mind explaining to me? Or don''t tell me, you guys actually believed in the light is justice and darkness is evil kind of crap? I will have you know, that kind of thinking is outdated! There''s no such thing as absolute justice! Your sense of justice and mine are different. Nobody share the same opinion. What you did might be seen as an act of justice to others, but it might be also be seen as an act of evil by some other people."


    "What...... do you mean?" Mister Albert couldn''t catch the drift so I continued to explain, "For example, two countries got into a conflict and you got involved in the war. You killed several hundreds of soldiers from the opposing side and won the war. Your countrymen will see you as a Hero while the opposing country will see you as a devil. You catch the drift? In the end, there''s no such thing as absolute justice, only the winner will be deemed as justice and the loser will be deemed as evil. History had proven this so!"


    After I finish my explanation, silence dominated the room... absolute silence...


    It seems like they don''t know what to say in a time like this so I guess I''ll break the ice, "So are you also going to judge me as an evil being just because I am compatible with darkness?"


    "Uh......" Mister Milton scratched his head embarrassedly and said softly, "You... are absolutely right, Miss Sylvia. I am ashamed to have doubted you."


    Then I turned my gaze towards Sheena and Albert, their body stiffened for a bit and Sheena drooped her shoulder before she started apologizing, "Sorry... I didn''t mean to doubt you, I was just surprised. That''s all."


    I nodded my head once and said, "So now that we know I am a completely harmless critter. Do you mind giving me an explanation for your... surprises? You know there''s a lot of things I don''t know yet about this world."


    Mister Milton''s eyes suddenly lit up, and I thought I could see sparkles in his eyes.  He got a little excited and exclaimed, "From what you were saying earlier... I assume you really did came from another world?"


    "Uh... well... hey! Enough about me, just explain already!" I pouted as I nearly got drawn into his pace again.


    "Hahaha... well, there''s no way such a cute little critter can be anything but harmful!" Mister Milton seemed to have forgotten the tension from earlier and started laughing merrily while patting my head.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I got a little rueful when he called me a cute little critter, I just had to dig my own graves. And I got all the more annoyed when he started patting my head. I smacked his hand away from my head and glared at him.


    Mister Milton, being the gentleman that he was, knew when to stop teasing me and explained, "Hahaha... well... to tell you the truth... most of the otherworlder who was summoned as Heroes have Light attributes. The ones summoned by Demon Lord Logia, usually have Darkness attributes... so we thought......"


    Mister Milton stopped but I finished his sentence for him, "That I might be this Demon Lord something''s accomplice?"


    Mister Milton just nodded without saying any more. Sheena and Albert did the same.


    "Sigh~~" I let out a long breath and drop myself on top of the sofa.


    "I guess this will be a long talk, I still don''t have much information regarding the circumstances of this world. I just got here yesterday. Do you have the time to talk, Mister Milton? If not I can inquire Sheena about it later. Pay it no mind." (Sylvia)


    "Hahaha... Don''t worry about me, I have cleared my queue today just for you. I have more than enough time to talk! What do you wish to know?" (Milton)


    "First... I guess about the Demon Lord you just spoke of." (Sylvia)


    "Gladly! You see... a few decades ago, after the disaster with the void dragon had been avoided. A mysterious person showed himself. His name...... is Logia! He claimed to be the Demon Lord and will bring about the destruction of our world! Right about that time, a rift in the sky suddenly appeared and from beyond the rift, thousands of demons descended! Every single one of those demons are superior in strength and easily slaughtered most of our soldiers! If not for the Hero King, Saito, and the three other legendary heroes who were holding back the enemy by themselves, and the void mage''s teleportation magic. I''m afraid... that the remaining soldiers won''t even have had a chance of survival!" Mister Milton''s face was very pale as he said until this part.


    "Mister Milton...... you were saying it as if you had witnessed this dreadful scene with your own eyes... it wasn''t this detailed in the records, it only mentioned a swamp of demons descended from hell and pushed humanity to the brink of extinction..." Albert was very concerned.


    Mister Milton just nodded his head weakly, "Indeed... indeed I have... I was one of the lucky survivor from that first encounter a few decades ago..."


    "Gulp..." Albert swallowed his saliva and I saw his body shivered a bit. I guess he imagined himself at the battlefield and dreadful scene before him. Anyone would be scared silly when faced with so many powerful demons that can destroy a town single-handedly!


    I wonder how merely eight person were able to halt their advance even for a few minutes and still get back here alive. I have renewed respect for the Hero King Saito, the four void mages, and the other three legendary heroes.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Well... that was... totally unexpected. I didn''t expect that name, Logia, to appear so early in the chapters XD

 [Vol 2] Chapter 4: Wannabe Mage

    "Is there anything else you want to know, Miss Sylvia?" Mister Milton asked hurriedly.


    "Well... let''s see... I am a little curious about the so-called Wannabe Mage. How do they draw the mana from the surrounding just by swinging their staffs around?" I only asked out of pure curiosity, but Mister Milton seems very delighted with my question.


    "Hahaha... that is a good question, Miss Sylvia! Allow me to enlighten you!" Mister Milton seemed really proud and puffed his chest before he continued, "We are not merely waving our staffs at random while casting spells!"


    "Oh? Interesting... tell me more about it!" My eye shone with the light of curiosity.


    "Hahaha... of course! Actually, do you know how a Noble Mage ?1? cast a spell?" Before he answered my question, Mister Milton raised a question for me.


    "How the Noble Mage cast a spell?" I started pondering for a while, but I couldn''t come up with an answer so I frowned, "No... I''m afraid I do not know..."


    "Then allow me to tell you. In order to cast a spell, all the Mage are required to draw a magic sequence. Us commoners do not have sufficient innate Magic Power to pull that off but the nobles are different. The nobles are born with high amount of innate Magic Power, so they are able to draw their Magic Power from within their body to draw the magic sequence in their mind." Mister Milton stopped for a while and sipped a cup of coffee.


    With that action, I noticed that I too am quite thirsty and did the same. Then Mister Milton continued, "Actually, an incantation is not really required but it helps them focus more. Did you know how they test if one had an aptitude for magic?"


    Mister Milton raised yet another question and I answered, "By requesting the person in question to cast basic elementary spell?"


    "That''s right, but do you know why they did that?" Mister Milton shot me with a inquisitive glance.


    I frowned yet again and said honestly, "I do not know..."


    Mister Milton smiled and said, "That is to test if you have enough innate magic power to become a Mage! In the beginner wand, they have engraved the magic sequence of the basic elementary spells so with the activation word, it will automatically draw the magic power from the user to cast the spell."


    "Ohhh!! Interesting!" I was honestly surprised! So that''s how they test the aptitude for Mage in this world. "Then? How about the Wannabe Mage? They draw the magic power from their surrounding and draw the magic sequence in the thin air?"


    "Hahaha! Exactly!! You catch on quick, Miss Sylvia!" Mister Milton laughed.


    And then I suddenly had a thought, "If that is the case... then... wouldn''t I be able to absorb the magic sequence of any Wannabe Mage with my special ability? I''m calling that ability <strong>?Magic Absorption?</strong> for now. For the Noble Mage, it''s impossible since I cannot see the magic sequence but... for a Wannabe Mage... it might be worth a try! I should still have enough Magic Power remaining in the Teardrop Earring to activate my special ability, if I remember correctly a single Magic Absorption consumed around 1,000 unit of of the Magic Power in the Teardrop Earring. I just hope the consumption rate is the same even when I try to absorb a more complex magic sequence."


    I immediately put my thoughts into action, "Mister Milton! Can I request you to show me one of your strongest spell?!"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Mister Milton was slightly surprised but he still agreed to show it to me once. I was secretly happy.


    With that said, Mister Milton went ahead to the training field and said he will wait for us at the field, then he asked me to put on my new armor in the dressing room first.


    I went along with his suggestion and go to the dressing room to put on the Silver Gold armor. I put on the breastplate first , and then the shoulder-pad, the belt, the socks and the boots, and lastly the pair of long white gloves with arm guard attached.


    Then I looked at myself in the mirror, I am really starting to look like a real Adventurer now! But I am still far too weak, I need to get stronger soon or else I''ll live to regret my own weakness in the future. I have read far too many novels and I don''t want those kind of scenes to happen to me.


    After that I went to the training field together with Sheena and Albert. We saw Mister Milton waiting for us on the field.


    "Oh... so you are here already. Then, shall I begin?" Mister Milton saw us walking towards him and he started.


    "Please go ahead Mister Milton, we will be watching at the side!" I was getting excited and started observing Mister Milton at the side.


    Mister Milton began by raising his staff and then he moved the tips of his staff in front of him. Now that I take a closer look, a dim light appeared in front of him and it does look similar to a magic circle of some sort.


    We were just observing quietly at the side but my heart was thumping like crazy. Just when I noticed Mister Milton was about to complete the magic sequence and cast the spell. I immediately raised my left hand towards the magic sequence and started concentrating.


    "Hm... how do I activate the Magic Absorption again? I think... it was like this... no, maybe like that?" I was thinking about that in my mind silently, while trying to recall the feeling I had when I activated the ability.


    Sheena and Albert were confused by my action. Just when Sheena was about to open her mouth.


    "There!!" Mister Milton and I shouted at about the same time.


    The rune on my left hand that was hidden by the white glove suddenly started to glow and a mini black hole appeared in front of my left hand. Just when Mister Milton was about to activate his strongest spell, the magic circle in front of him started to distort and was getting absorbed by the mini black hole in front of me!


    Everyone who saw that scene was dumbfounded and their jaws drooped.


    After the absorption of the magic sequence completed, I made a victory pose and shouted involuntarily, "Oh sweet mother of Jesus! It succeeded!!"


    "Mi... Miss Sylvia... just what... did you..." Mister Milton was stuttering and couldn''t form a proper sentence. Sheena and Albert who were by my side were just as surprised.


    I took a quick glance at my surrounding before saying, "Uh... oops? Tehee~ I guess... acting cute won''t get me out of this?"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Oh sweet mother of Jesus! Now that was just too cool! Hahaha


    <hr />


    References


    1. In the original world of Halkeginia, only the nobles were able to use magic.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 5: Confession

    After everyone finally calmed down, we get back to Mister Milton''s office. Sitting in front of me is Mister Milton, Sheena and Albert.


    They are all looking at me with a serious expression, demanding an explanation for the abnormal phenomenon that just occurred a moment ago.


    I am sitting with my back straight, with both hands on top of my lap. I decided not to tell them the whole truth yet. Naturally, I will let Sheena know later since she is technically my "Master".


    "Miss Sylvia!" Mister Milton had a VERY serious expression on his face when he shouted my name and continued, "I think you have kept enough secrets from us already. I will ask you again, just... what are you? First... you race is questionable, and then there''s the Dark attribute and now that strange ability..."


    My body shuddered for a moment before I opened me mouth to explain, "Well... about my race and why I have affinity with darkness, I also have no idea. Previously... I was a human. But I don''t think I have any malevolent intention or grudge before I died."


    Albert and Mister Milton were wide-eyed after they heard this. Both of them said in sync, "You... you were a human?!"


    Then they started storming me with various questions;


    "You died once?!"


    "How is that possible?!"


    "Then... does that mean you are a ghost?!"


    "What happened after you die?!" And so on...


    "Uh... ah... wait! I can''t answer all that in one breath!" I was flustered by their maelstrom of questions, but Sheena was just sitting there at the side without making much of a fuss since I had already told her about this in advance.


    "More importantly..." Sheena suddenly raised her voice, and the room became quiet again. Everyone had their attention focused on her.


    Now that she had our attention, she asked, "What about that strange ability of yours?"


    After Mister Milton and Albert heard this, they also started to inquire me about my ability, "That''s right! What is that ability of yours? In all my life, I have never seen something that bizarre before!"


    "I have seen most of the hero''s abilities but none of them are as crazy as this! Just what in the world..." Being a royalty, Albert had naturally met some of the Heroes before.


    "Well... this is just one of the abilities I gained upon sealing the familiar contract with Sheena. You know how I was able to insta-cast earlier right?" I looked at Sheena and Albert, and they both nodded in affirmation, but Mister Milton suddenly jumped up and shouted in shock, "What...?! You... YOU CAN INSTA-CAST?!"


    I ignored him and continued, "Anyway, that is not important... "


    But I got cut off again by Mister Milton, "N-not important you say... but that''s..."


    I raised my hand and put my palm in front of his face to stop him, "Please listen to my explanation first, you will understand everything after I finish explaining."


    After hearing my word, Mister Milton reluctantly nodded his head and sit down.


    "Then... allow me to continue... I finally know how my ability works!" After I said that excitedly, all three of them including Sheena jumped up from their chair again and shouted in unison, "WHAT?!"


    "I frowned and also jumped up from the chair unhappily, "Mou! [1] Stop getting surprised after each and every sentence of mine! I haven''t even started yet! Muu... [2]


    I vented my frustration of being stopped mid-sentence every once in a while, and puffed my cheeks after I finish the sentence.


    "S... sorry... "The three of them sit down and apologized, "Please continue... we will try to keep our shock in check..."


    I was still a bit unhappy so I warned them, "Hmph... you better... or I won''t bother to explain anymore..."


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The three of them quickly nodded their head and kept their lips tightly shut.


    I nodded in return before I continue, "Alright... so as I have said, I have found out how my ability actually work. When we were testing for the magic aptitude earlier, we assumed that it would consume 100 times more Magic Power than the spell''s original consumption rate to register the spell. But that assumption was wrong..."


    I took a deep breathe and looked at the three in front of me, it seems they are shocked but they didn''t make any sound at all so I nodded and continued, "My ability seems to consume a fixed rate of Magic Power to activate. The runes on my left hand consumed most of the Magic Power to activate and the one on my right consumes the rest. I can''t say how much exactly."


    Sheena just can''t help it and raised a question at this time, "What... does it mean? What ability did those runes granted you?"


    "Hehehe..." I giggled and answered, "Glad you asked! I''m not 100% sure of the runes on my right hand yet but it seems to increase my casting speed. But the one of my left hand seems to be able to absorb the spell sequence as you saw earlier."


    "Mrgghhhh!" Mister Milton almost shouted out loud again but Albert covered his mouth and prevented him from doing so.


    "But... doesn''t that mean it would consume just as much Magic Power to activate those ability again to Insta-Cast?" Sheena asked worriedly.


    I retorted, "That is not the case. In fact, it doesn''t consume a lot of Magic Power at all to activate Insta-Cast! I think the fact that it consumed that much Magic Power in the first place was because it requires a lot of Magic Power in order to completely absorb the Magic Sequence!"


    "I see... that''s good then. If it requires that much Magic Power to activate every time, it''s practically unusable." Sheena was relieved after she heard my claim.


    Mister Milton''s face was a little ugly to behold, "Sigh... so you took advantage of me and stole my strongest spell..."


    "Um... Mister Milton... I''m... sorry... ?" I do not know how I should react to that so that''s all I could say.


    But Mister Milton suddenly looked at the ceiling and put both hands on his tummy before laughing out loud, "Hahahahahahahahaha! It''s fine~ It''s fine~ That''s perfectly fine for me, Miss Sylvia! I knew you were a gem in the rough, my insight didn''t fail me! I really look forward to the day you join the Ranks of the S Class Adventurer!"


    "Um... Mister Milton? I have... a question..." Mister Milton was acting a little funny so I was a little hesitant to ask.


    "Hahaha... What is it Miss... no... Hero Sylvia! You can ask me anything, hahaha!" Mister Milton seems very delighted for some reason and started to change his way of addressing me.


    "D-don''t call me a Hero! Muu..." I puffed my cheeks but to no avail.


    "Hahaha... there will come a day when everyone recognizes you as a Hero, get used to it! Hahahahaha!" It doesn''t seem like Mister Milton will change his way of addressing me as a Hero no matter what I say.


    "Sigh... I don''t care anymore... Anyway, Mister Milton... What is the name of this Spell of yours?" I gave up on trying to change his way of addressing me and get on the main topic instead.


    Mister Milton stopped laughing and proudly hit his chest, "My strongest spell is the only Rank 6 spell in this entire continent, its name is..."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note


    Oops... a cliffhanger? xP


    <hr />


    References


    1. Mou is the SFX for a sound or groan of frustration or protest.


    2. Muu is the SFX for a sound of pouting.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 6: Power Ranking

    "It''s name is... Lightning Flame!" Mister Milton announced the name of his strongest spell very proudly.


    When Sheena and Albert heard the name of the spell, both of them were dumbfounded, but since I do not understand how powerful or rare this spell is actually is, I was unfazed.


    "L-lightning Flame you say...?!" Albert and Sheena were so surprised that they jumped up from the sofa.


    I thought that they''ve had more than enough surprises for today and wouldn''t be affected by any more surprises... but apparently, I was wrong.


    "Lightning... Flame? Well... I guess fusing Lightning and Flame together might be something amazing, but is there something to be so surprised about?" I asked Sheena and Albert honestly, but they just sighed and face palmed.


    "Sigh... Miss Sylvia, you do not understand how amazing this spell is. Even the word amazing can''t describe how amazing it is!" Albert had a hint of envy in his eyes when he looked at me.


    "Hmhmhm... seems like our little Hero here do not understand the power levels in this world yet, allow me to explain!" Mister Milton laughed.


    "First, let us talk about the Power Ranking. In this world, we measure our power based on a set Ranking system." Speaking until here, Mister Milton take a paper and write something on it. Then he put the paper on top of the table before me.


    Written on the paper is the list of the Power Ranking. But hey... did he ever considered the fact that I might not be able to read the letters of this world? Fortunately, I am able to read it though so I didn''t complain. It probably has something to do with this body''s permanent memory.


    The Power Ranking were as listed:<ul>


    <li>Rank 1 - Beginner</li>


    <li>Rank 2 - Intermediate</li>


    <li>Rank 3 - Advanced</li>


    <li>Rank 4 - Expert</li>


    <li>Rank 5 - Master</li>


    <li>Rank 6 - Grandmaster</li>


    <li>Rank 7 - King</li>


    <li>Rank 8 - Emperor</li>


    <li>Rank 9 - Transcendence


    </li></ul>


    There''s a total of 9 Rank huh... so I guess Rank 6 can be considered to be on the higher end of the mid-tier?


    Sheena probably caught on to what I was thinking and rebuked before I could say anything, "The average level of most people in Halkegenia is Rank 2."


    I was dumbfounded, "Wha... Only Rank 2?! Isn''t that a bit to low?"


    "Hahaha, that is considered pretty good already for most people in this world." Mister Milton laughed before he continued, "The only person whom I know that could break the barrier of Rank 6 are the Heroes and Void Mage.


    In this world, the Warrior measure their Ranking by Strength. The Rogue measure their Ranking by Speed. The Archer measure their Ranking by Dexterity. And us Mage measure our power by the firepower of Magic.


    Those are just the basics anyway, there are some more complicated steps in measuring the Power Ranking of the Warrior, Rogue and Archer but for now we will just focus on Mage."


    Sheena interrupted Mister Milton here, "Well... you will learn about this in the Tristanian Magic Academy later but I guess letting you know earlier wouldn''t hurt."


    "What...? Why would I learn about this from the Magic Academy? Am I going to be attending classes together with you?" I was surprised by Sheena''s sudden declaration, and those words came out from my mouth automatically.


    "I have already discussed with Albert earlier when you were daydreaming. Since you could use magic anyway, it''s better for you to start learning from the basics so we will admit you to the Tristanian Magic Academy as a freshman. It''s only the first week since the new term started anyway so you wouldn''t miss out much." Sheena explained calmly.


    "But... but... what about the tuition fees?" I got anxious about the fees. I already owe them so much, I can''t handle all the debt that keeps piling up.


    "That... Albe... ?Cough! Cough!? I mean... Alby will handle that. Don''t worry about it." Sheena almost accidentally announced Albert''s real name, again, in front of Mister Milton if Albert didn''t suddenly faked a cough.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Well... Albert seems to be the son of the Queen so I guess he might be able to do something about the tuition fees but... I''m still a little anxious... Even if the tuition fee is nullified at the moment, it''s still a debt that I eventually will have to pay back.


    "Anyway... forget about that for now and get back to the topic..." Sheena urged Mister Milton to continue.


    "Ahem... [1] Alright, let us continue... in the world of Halkegenia, the concept and history of magic is young. It only surfaced a few centuries ago so our strongest elemental spell is only as powerful as Rank 3.


    For example;


    In regards to Fire spell, we have Fireball which is a Rank 1 spell. And then the Fire Blast which is a Rank 2 spell. And lastly, the Rank 3 spell, Spirit of Fire." Mister Milton explained.


    "What...? If the strongest spell is only Rank 3 then how come... oh wait... Lightning and fire... a fusion spell?!" I was confused at first, but then it suddenly hit me when I thought of the spell name, Lightning Flame!


    "Hahaha! That''s right! And this is no ordinary fusion spell either!" Mister Milton proudly exclaimed and continue, "Allow me to explain the basics of fusion spell first.


    It''s true that the firepower of strongest elemental spell is only comparable to Rank 3 but what if we fuse our spell? We can create an even stronger spell!


    A mage capable of fusing 2 spells of different element is called the Line Mage. A mage capable of fusing 3 is called the Triangle Mage. And lastly, the mage that can fuse 4 is called the Square Mage. Likewise for the Magic spell.


    Those capable of fusing two Rank 3 spell can achieve the power of Rank 4 and those capable of fusing three Rank 3 spell can achieve the power of Rank 5. And lastly, four Rank 3 spell can achieve the power of Rank 6.


    But unfortunately... fusing 4 spells is not something anyone can accomplish so a Square Mage is as rare as a Void Mage.


    Hmhmhm... Miss Sheena here just happens to me one of the honored Square Mage." Mister Milton stopped and turned his attention to Sheena and smiled.


    My eyes widened and I also turned my attention to Sheena. I never imagined she''s THAT powerful... no wonder she seems respected at the Academy...


    But Sheena just laughed it off and turned our attention back to Mister Milton, "Hahaha... Mister Milton is too humble... my achievement pales in comparison to your Spell. After all, my spell is only the combination of Rank 2 spell. It couldn''t possibly be compared to your Rank 6 spell."


    "I have heard of many rumors of the Lightning Flame but I never thought I''d meet the actual person here... it''s an honor..." Albert is looking at Mister Milton respectfully. He was always so proud, I never thought I''d be able to see him like this... I guess there''s a first for anything.


    Seeing my confused expression, Sheena continued the explanation, "You see... in order to create lightning, you need to fuse three different elements. Namely; Water, Wind and Fire.


    Lightning is a Triangle Magic and in order to fuse it again with Fire Magic is no simple task. This Lightning Flame is indeed one-of-a-kind and its power is comparable to Rank 6 Square Magic!"


    Hearing Sheena''s explanation, Mister Milton laughed bitterly, "Heh Heh Heh... one-of-a-kind? Not anymore..."


    And then everyone turned their attention to me...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Finally came up with an awesome spell. Thanks to re-watching Zero no Tsukaima, I finally remembered the fusion magic! :D


    Oh god I''m drunk XD


    After proofreading, I found that I keep referring to Mister Milton as Mister Albert... hahaha


    Sometimes I mistook Sheena for Sylvia and vice versa too...


    <hr />


    References


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>The sound of coughing or clearing one''s throat.


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 2] Chapter 7: The Importance of Spiritual Power

    Hearing Sheena''s explanation, Mister Milton laughed bitterly, "Heh-heh-heh... one-of-a-kind? Not anymore..."


    And then everyone turned their attention to me...


    "Ah... um... uh..." I don''t know how to react at times like this and started stuttering, but then Mister Milton just suddenly laughed out loud.


    "Hahaha! Miss Sylvia... isn''t this amazing?! I hear you''re still a beginner mage? To have such a powerful spell in your arsenal, as expected of a Hero!"


    "Mister Milton..." I felt kind of guilty for stealing Mister Milton''s signature moves, but there''s nothing I can do about it... the spell sequence is already registered in my consciousness.!-more-


    Mister Milton ignored me and continued, "But I should warn you, Miss Sylvia... this is a Rank 6 Spell, although it is powerful... you shouldn''t be using it carelessly. With your current level of Spiritual Power, you wouldn''t be able to control the spell and it would self-destruct!"


    I was confused as I didn''t know what a Spiritual Power does so I just parroted the words that caught my attention, "Spiritual Power?"


    Sheena continued to explain in place of Mister Milton, "That''s right... even if you have enough Magic Power due to Mana Stone, if you do not have sufficient control of your Spiritual Power, it''s still pointless."


    Then Albert cut in, "A Spiritual Power is as important as Magic Power for the Mage as they are used to control one''s magic."


    Albert suddenly summoned a ball of flames on his left palm, "You see this ball of flames? What does it look like to you?"


    "Isn''t it just a ball of flames?" I was confused.


    "That''s right, it''s just a ball of flames." Albert laughed.


    "Huh? Are you trying to make fun of me?" I was displeased.


    "Now watch..." With that, I turned my attention back to the ball of flames on Albert''s palm. The shape of the flames suddenly changed into that of a bird, and then a horse, a dragon and so on...


    "Wha... How did you...?!" I was shocked by the sudden changes of the flames.


    "Hehe... surprised?" Sheena who was standing beside Albert laughed cutely before she explained, "This is what Spiritual Power can do!"


    I still couldn''t understand exactly what I can do with the Spiritual Power and it obviously showed on my face so Mister Milton took over, "Ehem... in short, with Spiritual Power, you can control your magic however you want. For example, its size, its appearance, its power, its trajectory and so on..."


    "OOOOH!" After I heard Mister Milton''s explanation, I got excited and clapped my hands together. I never thought that Spiritual Power played such a big role when casting a spell.


    Sheena giggled and said, "Hmhmhm... and that''s not all, you can even use Spiritual Power to levitate light material. When your Spiritual Power reached a certain level, you can even levitate your own body. But we only learned how to fly by levitating ourselves on top of a broomstick at the Magic Academy."


    I looked at Sheena with shiny eyes, she probably guessed what I was thinking so she just lightly pushed my head away before saying, "Alright, alright... don''t get excited now... we are running out of time, we need to get back to the academy soon or we''ll have to camp in the wilderness for the night. You will learn how to control your Spiritual Power at the Academy."


    Mister Milton suddenly realized, "Oh my... would you just look at the time, I apologize for making you overstay your visit! As apology, I will lend you three our guild''s Gryphon to send you back to the Magic Academy."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Hm..." After pondering for a few moment, Albert stood up from the sofa and curtsied, "Then we will take you up on your offer Mister Milton. But..."


    "Hm? Is there a problem Miss Alby?" Mister Milton looked at Albert with a hint of doubt.


    "No... it''s just that we came here by horses. We left our horses at the stable besides the inn we were staying, so..." Albert tried to explain politely.


    "Ah... if that is the case, then don''t worry about it. I will send someone to deliver the horses back to the Academy." Mister Milton reassured Albert.


    "If that is the case, then... we offer our sincere gratitude to Mister Milton." Albert curtsied again before turning back to face us. Both Sheena and I stood up from our seat as well after being prompted by Albert.


    "Hahaha... Miss Alby is too polite... you acted just like a royalty..." Mister Milton joked around and took a quick glace at Albert from bottom to top.


    Albert secretly broke up in cold sweat, it seemed as if his identity had already been exposed long ago. Then what was the point of acting cute in front of Mister Milton?!


    "Alright... I''ll go ask the staff to prepare the griffon, you guys can go wait at the Training Field from earlier. I''ll bring the Griffon there once they''re ready." Mister Milton waved his hand at us and walked towards the door.


    "Wait... My Master, I have a request!" The mysterious voice rang out in my head once again.


    "What...? What do you want this time?" I thought to myself internally, I think my inner voice should be able to reach Sylvidia, the so-called Spirit of Light that''s currently residing within this weapon of mine.


    "It''s nothing much... I just need you to retrieve the claw of the Abyss Beast from the Guild Master." Sylvidia transmitted the message to my mind directly.


    "What...? Why do you need the claw of the Abyss Beast?" I asked Sylvidia doubtfully.


    "Just do it, I will show you something good!" Sylvidia urged me to stop Mister Milton before he got out of the room.


    "Fine... fine already... you better not trick me!" The worst side of my curiosity got me so I went along with it for now.


    "Um... Mister Milton... please wait a moment!" I stretched my right hand forward and ran towards Mister Milton.


    Mister Milton turned around and looked at me before asking me, "What is it, Miss Sylvia?"


    "Um... you see... the thing is..." I flustered for a moment before mustering my courage and said it out loud, "I know this may be asking a bit too much but can you give me the claw of the Abyss Beast we defeated earlier?"


    I shut my eyes tightly and bowed in front of Mister Milton after completing the sentence.


    After a few moment of silence, Mister Milton just laughed out loud, "Hahahahahaha... Miss Sylvia, you only need to ask if you wanted the claw of the Abyss Beast! Please... please straighten yourself." Mister Milton pulled me up from my position and continued, "I''ll prepare the claw for you immediately. There''s no need for you to lower your head like that. Hahahaha..."


    I let out a breathe of relief after hearing Mister Milton''s words, I thought for sure he would be a little displeased since I had already received so much from him...


    But just what could Sylvidia want the Abyss Beast''s claw for... ?

 [Vol 2] Chapter 8: The Secret of The Weapon?

    Just what could Sylvidia want the Abyss Beast''s claw for...?


    I guess I will find out soon enough... but for now we should head to the Training Field and wait for Mister Milton.


    "Let''s go!" As Albert was walking towards the door, he turned around and prompted us to get to the Training Field.


    Sheena and I nodded our head and followed him silently.


    As we are about to arrive at the Training Field, Sheena suddenly asked, "So... Sylvia, what do you need the Abyss Beast''s claw for?"


    "Uh..." I do not know how to answer as I too was left in the dark, "I... don''t know either... but we will find out soon enough..."


    "Hah?! What are you trying to do?" Sheena was slightly perplexed with my answer so she raised her voice.


    "Well... I know this might sound crazy but... I can somehow communicate with my weapon... and it requested me to retrieve the claw for her." I answered honestly, albeit feeling a little bit awkward.


    ......


    Silence dominated the area, we can only hear the sound of our footsteps as we walked towards the Training Field.


    After the silence lasted for a while, Sheena''s footstep suddenly become slower and she eventually turned around and shouted loudly, "WHAT...?! Don''t tell me! That is a... Mrrrph-!"


    Before Sheena could finish her sentence, Albert covered her mouth to prevent her from making a sound. Then he whispered softly, "Shh... let''s talk about this later, this is not the appropriate place to discuss this matter."


    After hearing Albert''s word, Sheena stopped struggling and nodded in consent. Seeing Sheena like this, Albert released Sheena from his constrain.


    I did not know what just happened but seeing Sheena''s shocked expression, this weapon might be some kind of treasure! I''m surprised Albert was able to keep calm though, maybe he already have had enough surprises for the day.


    Albert faced me and said in a serious tone, "Miss Sylvia, I implore you not to expose this information to anyone else. It is of utmost importance. If this information was to be revealed to the General Public, we will catch the attention of all the powerful underworld organization. We will not be able to guarantee our safety anymore, even under the protection of the Royal Army! Do you understand?"


    "Gulp!" I swallowed my saliva and quickly nodded a few times to acknowledge my understanding. From Sheena''s expression, I was somehow able to guess this is some kind of treasure, but what I did not expect was that this treasure was able to catch the attention of all the underworld organization, just what kind of legendary treasure is this?


    Just about this time, we can hear the flapping sound coming from the Gryphon. That was the sound of the Gryphons flapping their wings. Three Gryphons are currently high up in the sky above the Training Ground and are lowering their altitude.


    I''ve heard of Gryphon from the fantasy novel or manga, but I''ve never seen a real one before. The three of us turned out attention towards the sky and watch as the Gryphons are descending to the Training Field.


    They are just as described in the mythology, a legendary beast with head, talons, and wings of an eagle but the body of a lion. They look really imposing!


    At the back of the Gryphon is a saddle and on top of each saddle is a rider. On closer inspection, one of the Gryphon is carrying two riders and one of them seems to be Mister Milton.


    So it seems like each Gryphon can carry two person. I was slightly relieved since it looks like we won''t have to ride the Gryphon by ourselves. I was able to ride the horse properly but I''m not so confident about Gryphon. They looked imposing and really scary.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ***


    After the Gryphon landed, Mister Milton jumped down from the saddle to the ground. Then he spread his arms widely and proudly exclaim, "Hahaha... my dear guests, allow me to introduce you to our Guild''s Pride, the Gryphon Squad!"


    "Oooohhhh!"


    "Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!"


    I was the only one getting excited since it was my first time meeting a fantasy creature and clapped my hands quite a few times.


    Sheena just looked at me and smiled warmly, "It''s amazing isn''t it...?"


    I nodded my head strongly and said, "Mhm! Fantasy world is awesome!"


    Sheena suddenly reminiscenced her first time coming to the world of Halkeginia and smiled gently, "That''s right... the first time I came to this world... I was also like this... I think that was... ten years ago."


    I heard Sheena was speaking to herself quietly but I couldn''t hear what she was saying, since her voice is overshadowed by the Gryphon''s imposing screech, "Hm? Did you say something?"


    Sheena just shook her head and said it was nothing.


    Just at this time, Mister Milton called me, "Miss Sylvia, this is the Abyss Beast''s claw you requested."


    After that he revealed a box in front of me and slowly opened the cover. Within the box is a single crimson colored sharp claw neatly cut from the roots. The claw itself looked so imposing, just recalling the figure of the Abyss Beast, I can feel a chill down my spine.


    As I was about to stretch out my hand to grab the claw, Mister Milton suddenly said, "I won''t ask what you plan to do with the claw, it is yours to take and whatever you do with it, is up to you."


    After I grabbed the claw, I turned around to look at Albert. He probably guessed my intention and nodded, "It is fine... it is not unusual for a weapon to have a special ability or two. Even if you can hide it now, it will still be revealed eventually."


    So it seems like there is no problem revealing the special ability of the weapon as long as I don''t go openly saying that there is a Spirit residing within the weapon?


    After I confirm that it is safe to proceed, I grabbed one of the Bow Gun and raised it in front of my face. Then I thought to myself internally, "So... what do I do now?"


    Sylvidia transmitted the message to my mind directly, "You''re ready?"


    "Yes!" I transmitted the message back to Sylvidia.


    "Then put the claw near the weapon, it will automatically absorb the claw upon contact." Sylvidia transmitted the message back to me.


    "Absorb the claw?" I was confused and asked Sylvidia.


    "You will know after you do it!" Sylvidia urged me to hurry.


    "Okay... here goes nothing!" I shouted as I shoved the claw on my other hand towards the weapon.


    As the claw and weapon come into contact, the claw was magically absorbed by the weapon. Everyone who saw this scene was dumbfounded, but it was not over yet. As Mister Milton was about to step forward and ask, the weapon suddenly emitted a bright light that blinded everyone present.


    We covered our eyes to prevent the radiant glow of the weapon to blind our vision. The radiant glow dissipated slowly as we steadily regained our vision...


    What appeared in my hand was... no longer a Bow Gun...


    The appearance of the weapon totally changed... it could no longer be considered a bow nor a long-ranged weapon...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    What do you think the weapon has transformed into? XD

 [Vol 2] Chapter 9: The Weapons Secret Revealed

    The appearance of the weapon totally changed... it could no longer be considered a bow nor a long-ranged weapon...


    Wait... Can you even call this a weapon? I mean it''s a...


    That''s right, what was in my hand... is no longer a weapon...


    After a moment of silence, Sheena finally speak up, "Uh... Sylvia, where did your weapon go?"


    I felt it the most clearly since I was holding it the whole time when the shape of the weapon changed... this thing in my left hand... is supposed to be my weapon?


    I lifted the thing in my hand, and displayed it in front of Sheena and the others before I exclaimed, "This... thing in my left hand... is my weapon... Supposedly."


    Everyone was stupefied by my declaration, because the thing in my hand is...


    After a moment of silence. Albert suddenly cry out in shock, "What?! But that... that is a... a card! H-how are you supposed to fight with a card?!"


    That''s right... the thing in my hand is not a weapon, but a card... just an ordinary card with no special characteristic. In front of the card, I can see the image of the Abyss Beast which we saw earlier.  There are six golden stars at the bottom left of the card, four red orbs at the bottom center, and lastly, a bigger red orb with weird symbol within it at the top left of the card.


    "T-that''s right... are you sure you didn''t drop your weapon somewhere, and accidentally picked that hideous thing?" Sheena was in disbelief and came up with the strangest reason.


    I answered with slight confusion, "Uh... how could I have dropped the weapon? It was on my hand this entire time. If I did drop it, the weapon is nowhere to be seen in this wide open field..."


    Mister Milton suddenly realized, "Then... What about the other weapon that was hanging on your waist? If I remember correctly, you had two of them."


    Hearing Mister Milton, we all turned our attention to my waist that the weapon was hanging. And indeed, the weapon is no longer there.


    Then I keep staring at the card and asked Sylvidia telepathically, "Sylvidia... just what is this card? You should know how it works right?"


    .........


    Sylvidia remained silent, and I was confused so I tried to transmit the message to Sylvidia again through my thoughts, "Sylvidia? Are you there?"


    .........


    Sylvidia still remained silent for awhile before she finally reply, "Sorry...... I was trying to gather information about this card. Now listen closely..."


    Sylvidia began explaining to me the basic things that I should know about this card, how to use it and its effect.


    After I understood everything, I opened my eyes. The first scene I see before my eyes are Sheena, Albert and Mister Milton eagerly waiting for me to explain.


    "Uh... how do I explain this..." I scratched my head awkwardly and tried my best to explain what I just learnt from Sylvidia, "Let''s see... a moment ago, all the information regarding this card was directly transmitted to my brain, and I have a basic idea of how they work now..."


    "Ooooh!!" Sheena, Albert and Mister Milton cry out at the same time.


    "Well... basically... this card is a magic item! This is an ability called ''Shift Gears''. It is an ability that absorb materials with magic properties and convert them into its own power in the form of a card." I stopped for a moment to catch a breath before I lifted my hand to show Sheena, Albert and Mister Milton the card on my hand.


    Then I posed a question for them, "You can see the stars and orbs on the card right?"


    The three of them just nodded silently so I continued my explanation, "The stars represent the rarity of the cards, while the four orbs at the bottom center represent the number of uses remaining, and then the color of the orbs represent the effects of the card."


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Speaking until here, I stopped and asked for a paper or board so I can write. Mister Milton immediately withdraw a pen and mini notebook from his chest pocket before he handed them to me.


    I took the utensils from him and started writing. What I wrote on the notebook is as shown:


    <ul>


    <li>1 Star - Common</li>


    <li>2 Stars - Uncommon</li>


    <li>3 Stars - Rare</li>


    <li>4 Stars - S Rare</li>


    <li>6 Stars - SS Rare</li>


    <li>7 Stars - Legend</li>


    <li>8 Stars - X Legend</li>


    <li>9 Stars - Transcendence


    </li></ul>


    I handed the notebook to Sheena. Albert and Mister Milton are peeking at the content of the notebook from her sides.


    After they took a quick glance, Mister Milton looked at me dubiously and cried out, "This is..."


    I nodded my head and confirmed Mister Milton''s suspicion, "That''s right, this is the same as the ''Power Ranking'' the human used to measure one''s power level."


    Mister Milton suddenly came to a realization and nodded his head, "Ah... I see! So that explains the 6 stars, the Abyss Beast was an SS ranked monster after all. But what about the orbs?"


    "The four orbs at the bottom center represent how many times I can activate this card. These red orbs will be grayed out once I activated this card four times. The duration of each activation varies depending on what kind of effects the card contain. Some are instantaneous, some last for a few seconds, while some can last for as long as 2 hours." I tried to explain as thoroughly as possible.


    But I missed the most important part so Albert brought it up, "What happens after all four attempts are used up? Will the card be gone for good?"


    Hearing Albert''s inquiry, I suddenly remembered, "Oh... that''s right, how could I forget to explain that... No, the card will not be gone. It will just be deactivated for a while. It takes about 12 hours for the card to fully recharge, which means it take about 3 hours to recover one orb."


    I continued my explanation, "Lastly... it''s the type of effects the orb''s color represent. There are a total of three  different colors; red, green and blue. The red colored orbs represent Attack Type. Green colored orbs represent Auxiliary Type, while blue colored orbs represent Defensive Type."


    "I see... so that explains everything... " Albert grabbed his chin and nodded his head. At the same time, Sheena stepped forward and leaned forward to take a closer look at the card before she opened her mouth to ask, "I see... so in other words, this is an Attack Type magic item? What effect does it have?"


    "That..." I hesitated for a moment before I answer, "We won''t know until I activate it..."


    Sheena skipped a few steps back and said excitedly, "Then what are you waiting for? Let''s activate it once and let us see it!"


    "Eh...?! Right here and now?!" I shouted without thinking but Sheena just ignored it and continued, "Of course!! If you don''t even know the effects of your own weapon, then how could you fight at the most crucial moment? This is important, so do it!"


    Albert and Mister Milton also have a glint in their eyes, seems like they''re expectant that something exciting is about to happen.


    I shook my head helplessly a few times, and faced an empty space before lifting the card in my left hand...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    What do you guys think the effects of the card will be?


    Credit for coming up with the suggestion: Irina_Akashira

 [Vol 2] Chapter 10: Beast Form

    I shook my head helplessly a few times, and faced an empty space before lifting the card in my left hand...


    "Well... Here goes nothing! Implicatus! ?1?" I lifted the card in front of me and shouted the activation word taught by Sylvidia.


    The card once again released a blinding light that momentarily took away our vision. Everyone present raised their hand overhead to block the blinding light and shut their eyes tightly.


    After a few moment later, the blinding light finally receded and everyone slowly opened their eyes as they look toward my direction.


    Everyone present was dumbfounded at what they just saw... because what appeared before their eyes was... a different person...


    The mysterious person was the first to open her mouth as she scratches her head, "Nothing happened, nya..."


    "Nya...? Wait, that voice! Are... are you Sylvia?!" Just when everyone was secretly guessing where did this mysterious person come from, and the whereabouts of Sylvia, Sheena suddenly shouted out.


    The mysterious person turned around and faced Sheena with a confused expression, "Nya? Who else can nyai be other than Sylvia?"


    "Sylvia? Are you really Miss Sylvia?" Mister Milton asked in a dubious voice.


    "Nyat are you talking about?" I looked at Mister Milton with a puzzled expression and put my right hand on my chest, "Nyai am the one and only Sylvia, nya!"


    "Rumble, rumble!" Sheena was rummaging in her small travelling bag and pulled a hand mirror out of it. Then she put the mirror in front of my face, "Sylvia... take a look at yourself."


    I tilted my head in confusion and look at my own reflection inside the mirror as indicated. What I saw was... not an elf... the signature pointy ears of an elf are no longer there...


    I mean... I do have a pair of pointy ears but... these pair of ears are... fluffy and their positions are a little higher... they looked just like a... That''s right, they looked like a pair of cat ears!


    "NYAT...?!" I was shocked after taking a quick glance of my own reflection in the mirror and took a few steps back. Then I turned my head towards my back and saw a tail wriggling around.


    "N-NYAT HAPPENED TO ME?! AND WHAT HAPPENED TO MY OUTFIT!!" I wasn''t able to process the visual information I just received and shouted out loudly, hoping someone would answer my question for me.


    Then at that time, Sylvidia''s voice rang out in my mind, "Ufufu... it seems this is a beast form transfiguration! As for the outfit... it''s part of the card''s effect."


    "Nya? Beast form transfiguration?" I blurted that out loudly and everyone present on the field had their jaws dropped.


    "But... but what about the outfit?!" I didn''t took notice of my surrounding as I was just as astounded as everyone else so I shouted my question to Sylvidia out loud.


    "Calm down... just think about it logically, if you transform into a beastman, there''s no way a cloth designed for humans can fit right?"


    .........


    After calming down and thinking about it for a while, I thought what Sylvidia said does have some logic, "I guess you''re right. Human clothes are not designed for beastman as they have different body structure... but isn''t this a little bit too revealing?!"


    "Ufufu... truth to be told, that outfit is just my personal preference. I can modify the outfit however I want... but let''s just keep that a secret from my Master..." Sylvidia whispered to herself.


    While I was mumbling to myself, Mister Milton started, "M-miss Sylvia... You never fail to surprise me! I can''t even count how many times I have already been outwitted by you today. Hohoho... my eyes didn''t deceive me after all. I''m sure you''ll become a great hero in the future!"


    Before I was able to say anything, Mister Milton continued, "Beast form transfiguration... heavens! I''ve never seen anyone capable of changing their race until now! This might be the first time in history! Interesting... you are too interesting, Miss Sylvia!"


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Albert suddenly stepped forward and said, "So... that is the effect of the Abyss Beast card huh? As expected from an SS ranked monster, even its effect is outrageous!"


    Sheena nodded her head in agreement, "That''s right... since it was an Attack Type magic item, I thought it might be a weapon or just a magic spell but who would have thought..."


    Upon hearing this, Mister Milton cut off Sheena and said, "A beastman possessed explosive strength and speed, their sense of smell and perception is also much sharper than that of any other race, it''s truly fitting of an Attack Type magic item!"


    Sheena and Albert nodded their head simultaneously. Sheena suddenly thought of something and asked, "That''s right... how long does the transformation last for?"


    "Nya? Let''s see... according to Sy... Nyai mean the system... the transfyomation should last for 2 hour, nya."


    "2 hour is it... I guess that''s a reasonable time frame... Is there any way you can revert back to your original form before 2 hour is over?" Sheena nodded and bring forth another question.


    "Un... It is possible." I nodded my head in confirmation, then I continued, "Do you nyan me to cancel my transfyomation nyaw?"


    Sheena shook her head quickly and waved her hands, "No, no, no! That''s not what I meant, I just want to confirm. That''s all! Please remain in this form for the rest of the duration, you need to get used to your new form anyway!"


    After pondering for a while, I nodded my head, "You''re right... nyai do need some time to get used to this body."


    Sheena''s inner thoughts: "Khhh...... So cute!! I''m gonna make her transform into cat form tonight and cuddle her all I want!"


    "Alright... if there is nothing else, it''s time for us to get moving. We have stayed long enough." Albert suddenly reminded us of the time and sincerely thanked Mister Milton, "Guild Master Milton, thank you very much for your hospitality. We will definitely come to visit again in the future."


    "Hohoho!! I look forward to your next visit." Mister Milton suddenly lowered his voice and said in a tone so that only the two of them can hear, "As your original self, Your Highness..."


    Mister Milton backed away a few steps and bowed respectfully towards Albert. His subordinates were shocked at this scene, for the mighty Guild Master to bow to this seemingly fragile girl... just who is she?


    Mister Milton then turned towards his subordinates who were riding the Gryphon and said in a deep tone, "Your highest priority is to send these girls back to the Magic Academy safety. Should any unfortunate event fall on them, be prepared to face the consequences! Is that understood?!"


    "Gulp...!" The three riders swallowed their saliva and answered in unison as they saluted, "Sir, yes sir!"


    Sheena and Albert walked towards one of the Gryphon and got on with the help of the rider. I walked towards the last Gryphon with only one rider. As I got beside the Gryphon, the rider offered his hand and tried to pull me up but...


    I misjudged my strength as a beastman, I put too much force into my legs as I tried to leap onto back of the Gryphon. Due to that, I jumped too high...


    "Eh... ?" The rider was dumbfounded as he saw my face approaching his and then...


    "Bonk!" We headbutted and both fell down from the Gryphon.


    Due to being a beastman, I don''t really feel any pain in my head as a result of the headbutt, albeit it is slightly red. But the rider is not so fortunate... I can see smokes rising from his forehead, literally.


    "Awawawawawawa! What do I do?! What do I do?! Are you still alive, nya?" I grabbed the rider''s shoulder and keep shaking him.


    The rider groaned and said, "Ugh... For starters... Please get off me...!"


    Hearing his words, I just realized that I was riding on top of him. My face blushed deep red as I jumped up abruptly! That was such an embarrassing position!


    <hr />


    References:


    1. That''s the activation word for the card.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 11: Kept in the Dark Pt. 1

    Hearing his words, I just realized that I was riding on top of him. My face blushed deep red as I jumped up abruptly! That was such an embarrassing position!


    The rider was rubbing his forehead as he got up, then he asked me, "Are you alright?"


    Even though he was hurt, he still put my well being before him, he''s quite the gentleman. But as I was too embarrassed to face him, I turned my back towards him and looked towards the ground as I covered my blushed cheeks with both hands before I replied, "Nyai... I''m fine, nya~"


    The rider scratched his hair and replied indifferently, "Alright, that''s good then..." After that, he moved closer to me and grabbed my waist.


    "NYA!!! NYAT ARE YOU DOING...?!" My body jerked as he grabbed me and I shouted involuntarily. Before I could struggle, he lifted my entire body as if I was weightless and dropped me at the back of the Gryphon.


    As the Gryphon saw the rider approaching, it obediently lie down on the ground on all four so the rider could easily drop me on its back. That Gryphon is highly trained!


    "There... all good." As the rider confirmed that I am sitting at the back of the Gryphon quietly, he jumped onto the back of the Gryphon with ease. After that he pulled the rein and reminded me to hold on tight or I might fall.


    Seeing my troubled expression, the rider told me that I could just grab the back of the saddle. Following his advice, I put my hand at the back of the saddle and look for a suitable place to hold.


    While I was doing that, the rider introduced himself, "My name is Caelum the Gryphon Knight."


    "Ah... um... my name is..." I got tongue-tied for a bit and wasn''t able to introduce myself properly, but the rider just laughed and said, "Hahaha... I know, I''ve heard about you from the Guild Master. You are Hero Sylvia right?"


    "Mu... don''t call me Hero, nya~!" I pouted and voiced my complain, but thanks to that, I don''t feel as tense as before.


    After I secured my position and confirming that everyone else is ready, Mister Milton said, "Then farewell and take care, my young friends," while waving his hand at us.


    As soon as Mister Milton''s words reached our ears, the Gryphons spread out their wings and strongly flap their wings as they lifted off the ground.


    Very soon... We were already high up in the sky above the Training Field. Albert and Sheena are waving their hands at Mister Milton. As for me...


    "NYAAAAAA!!!!! THIS IS SHO HIGH!!" Due to my fear of heights, I got weak on my knees and shrieked. I immediately drop the idea of holding onto the saddle and hugged the rider from his back tightly.


    "H... hey... What are you doing?!" Due to my sudden action and the twin peaks pressing on his back, the rider got flustered.


    "I... I''m afraid of heights, nya~" I answered weakly as I buried my face on the back of the rider.


    "What...?! And you tell me this now?!" The rider doesn''t know if he should cry or laugh.


    Seeing the commotion coming from here, Sheena and Albert hinted for their riders to get closer. As they got closer, one of the riders asked, "What''s going on here?"


    Caelum explained to the others about my fear of heights. After understanding the situation, Albert was the first to voice out, "Miss Sylvia... I apologize for deciding upon this without thinking about your well being. I''m a failure as a friend..."


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Sheena followed up, "Then... What should we do now? Should we descend to the ground and go back to the academy by horse?"


    "NO!!! Don''t worry about me, nya... I can handle a little bit of heights, ehehe... he..." Upon hearing Sheena''s suggestion, my face that was glued to Caelum''s back lifted immediately and I rejected her suggestion. I tried to act strong but once I noticed the heights, I laughed awkwardly...


    Sheena and Albert are looking at me doubtfully, "Are you sure?"


    I strongly nodded my head, "Sure I''m sure, nya! Caelum is here with me."


    "Caelum eh... you guys just met and yet you are already calling each other by names... ufufu..." Sheena teased us intentionally while laughing meaningfully with her hand covering her mouth.


    Caelum and I looked away from each other and blushed slightly.


    "Sigh... Alright, if you''re sure... Then we head off immediately." One of the riders let out a breathe of air and soon after, we set off towards the Magic Academy.


    Seeing our figures slowly disappear in the sky, Mister Milton grinned and immediately headed towards the VIP room.


    "Creak......" Mister Milton pushed the door of the VIP room open and walked into the room. There are two figures within the room, one male and one female.


    The male and female figures seemed to be staring at the skies outside of the large window.


    The male figure heard the sound of the door opening and he immediately guessed who had just entered the room, so he said without turning around, "So... They left?"


    Mister Milton is very respectful towards these guests, he lowered his head respectfully before he replied, "Yes, your Highness... I have sent them off with our most elite Gryphon Squad."


    "Good... Good..." The male figure turned around to face Mister Milton and uttered ''good'' twice.


    Mister Milton was confused by the action of this mysterious figure, just why did he requested him to release the Abyss Beast in the town square and put up with that act? He even went as far as giving the growth armor to Sylvia via Mister Milton. Just what is the relationship between him and Sylvia, and how would that benefit him at all? Wouldn''t Mister Milton be the one who reap all the benefits from this deal? Just what does this mysterious man want from him?


    Mister Milton tried to voice out his suspicion, "Your Highness... I''m afraid I fail to understand all of your action thus far. How would this benefit you at all? For just a copy of Miss Sylvia''s biography..."


    "Hahaha... That is for me to know and you to find out!" The mysterious man just laughed it off and stretched his hand out, "So? Where is the biography?"


    Mister Milton just shook his head secretly and let out a breath, "Sigh... My secretary will prepare the biography soon. Let''s sit down and talk."


    After the two mysterious person sit down on the sofa, Mister Milton sit opposite of them, and a maid poured a cup of tea for them. Mister Milton took a sip and started, "So... "


    To be continued...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Hehehe.... who do you think the mysterious person is?

 [Vol 2] Chapter 12: Kept in the Dark Pt. 2

    After the two mysterious person sit down on the sofa, Mister Milton sit opposite of them, and a maid poured a cup of tea for them. Mister Milton took a sip and started, "So... Regardless of your relationship with Miss Sylvia, I believe your daughter is among the group, along with His Highness the prince. Are you not worried it might end up in a tragedy? I do not believe even the queen would let you off lightly if something were to happen to His Highness."


    The mysterious person said indifferently after Mister Milton''s accusation, "Mister Milton... As the legal parent and guardian of the child, I understand them more than you. If I don''t do something like this, one of these days they will venture into the dungeon, and died a miserable death! It''s still too early for them to enter the dungeon if they cannot even handle something of this level."


    Mister Milton shook his head secretly and thought to himself, "Sigh... That beast was an SS-ranked monster, you know? It can only be found in the deepest part of the dungeon, who in their right mind would push a beginner to face off against an Abyss Beast! Even if they have the Guild Card, the monster could kill them in a single strike! Just what are you thinking... Lord Saito."


    That''s right... The mysterious person whom Mister Milton is currently having a conversation with is Saito de Hiraga des Orni¨¨res, the Legendary Hero; Gandalfr, which is also known as the Left Hand of God.


    He is Sheena''s legal parent and has been teaching Albert swordplay since he was young. That''s why he knows what the kids are thinking. Seeing Mister Milton''s doubtful expression, Saito convinced, "I have seen the kids grow up with my own eyes, they are still far too immature and ignorant of the world. If we don''t let them experience a bit of hardship, they will overestimate their own powers and eventually make a huge mistake!"


    After hearing Saito''s words, Mister Milton remained silent for a while and said nothing more. Just about this time, the sound of someone knocking the door could be heard.


    "It is I, Auclair." The person who was knocking the door announced her name behind the closed doors. That voice obviously belonged to Mister Milton''s trusted secretary, Auclair, so Mister Milton invited Auclair into the room, "Please enter."


    "Creak!" The door made a creaking sound as it was opened by Auclair. The secretary come into the room with a document on one hand, and pass it over to Mister Milton before she stood beside him quietly.


    "Thank you, Miss Auclair. You can retreat for now." Only after Mister Milton ordered her to leave, did she retreated from the room quietly.


    After browsing through the document briefly, Mister Milton nodded his head and pass it over to Saito, "Your highness, all the documents you have requested are here. As you are aware, we only have information regarding Miss Sylvia from the data recorded on her Guild Card and some information I''ve extracted from her."


    "Ah... That much is fine." Saito waved his hand nonchalantly as he received the document with the other hand.


    After he received the document, he browsed it through briefly and passed it to the other mysterious person sitting beside him. The both of them frowned as they read through the documents.


    The other mysterious person said in disdain, "An otherworlder spirit?"


    When Saito heard the mysterious person''s voice, he nodded his head, "Ah... I''ve heard rumors that spirits can possess items with high magical properties but this is the first time I''ve seen or heard of someone being possessed by spirits..."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Just as Saito was about to deny the possibilities of spirits being able to possess a living being, he suddenly thought of something, "Wait... I''ve heard of people being possessed by ghost in the old world before... Could she be... possessed by an evil spirit?!"


    "Gasp!" When the mysterious person sitting beside Saito heard that, she gasped and say, "Then we should exorcise her immediately, and get her away from Sheena and THAT body..."


    Saito grabbed the other mysterious person''s shoulder tightly to calm her down, "Wait... Louise, let''s calm down first... Let''s not jump into conclusion and observe the situation first."


    "But... Saito! What if something happened to our daughter while we let that thing roam free!" The other mysterious person, Louise, raised her concern to Saito.


    That''s right, the other mysterious person is Sheena''s mother, as well as Saito''s wife, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valiere.


    "Don''t worry... Don''t worry." Saito embraced Louise firmly and patted her back to calm her down before he convinced her, "It''s going to be fine... I''ve already anticipated this and made preparations. The Silver Gold Armor I gave her have a holy attribute, if she has any evil intention, the armor will restrain her action."


    Mister Milton who was sitting at the other side finally realized and he thought to himself, "Ah... So that is why he gave Miss Sylvia that armor..."


    Louise suddenly pushed Saito''s chest to pull herself away from his embrace and faced up. She looked directly into Saito''s eyes and said, "But what if she took off the armor? It''s not like she will wear it at all times!"


    When Saito heard this, he just laughed it off, "Hahaha... Once you wore this armor, you wouldn''t be able to take it off. You can only take it off by transforming it into a bracelet."


    "Really?" Louise and Mister Milton raised their voice at the same time. When Saito heard Mister Milton''s voice, he turned his head to the side and look at Mister Milton.


    "Wait... I didn''t tell you about that?" Saito asked Mister Milton doubtfully.


    Mister Milton just nodded his head and answered straightforwardly, "This is the first I''ve heard of it."


    "Achaa!" Saito made a strange sound as he scratched his head and shut one of his eyes.


    "How could I forget to explain such an important features... Looks like she''ll have to figure it out herself or she''ll have to go into the bath fully armed. Hahahahaha." Saito said it like no one else''s business and laughed it off merrily.


    "Sigh!" Mister Milton and Louise just shook their head while holding their heads with one hand.


    "So, are you going? To the forest of Alden..." Louise asked Saito who was just beside her.


    Saito nodded his head firmly and answered, "Yes... I need to confirm this with my own eyes... Can I trouble you to prepare the World Door that connects to the forest of Alden?"


    Meanwhile... on top of the sky between Swinford Town and the Magic Academy... There are three Gryphons gliding peacefully... until...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    What do you think of this chapter? I feel that it didn''t turn out as great as it should be...

 [Vol 2] Chapter 13: Falling from Heaven

    Meanwhile... on top of the sky between Swinford Town and the Magic Academy... There are three Gryphons gliding peacefully... until...


    "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!"


    Someone''s scream broke the peace. From the distant, one can see the silhouette of a cat-kin girl falling from the heaven and shouting at the top of her lungs.


    ......That''s right, as you have guessed, the one falling is none other than Sylvia. She had fallen from the back of the Gryphon, but how did something like this happen? Let''s turn the time back to a few minutes ago...


    Three Gryphons were gliding peacefully 500 meter above the ground. There were two people riding on the back of each Gryphons. The ones sitting in front  and holding the rein were the riders, and sitting at the back of each riders were Sheena, Albert and Sylvia.


    "We''re half-way there already..." One of the rider that''s sitting in front of Albert informed us.


    At this time, Caelum, the rider that''s sitting in front of me scratched his head and laughed helplessly, "Hahaha... you sure adapt fast, I can''t believe the scaredy-cat earlier and the person behind me now is the same person."


    The reason why he stated something like that was because when we were just setting off, I was scared of the heights and clung to him with all my might.


    However, after getting used to the atmosphere after a while, I started flailing around my arms in excitement. I can feel the cool air brushing against my skin and watch the beautiful landscape unveil before my eyes, this feels much better than riding in an aeroplane.


    I pouted when I heard his sarcastic remark, "Muu... what do you mean by scaredy-cat, nya?!" I clenched my hands into a fist and grinded his head from both sides.


    "Owowowowowow!! Stop! Stop that! It''s dangerous!" Caelum yelled in pain as I grinded his head. After I stopped grinding his head, he was rubbing it gently with both hands and lectured me, "Geez... you shouldn''t do that while we are riding the Gryphon. It wouldn''t be funny if someone had fallen from the Gryphon."


    I was feeling a bit rueful and honestly apologized, "I''m sorry..... I won''t do it again, nya~"


    Caelum looked back for a while and sighed in resignation, "Geez... the strength of a beast-kin is not to be underestimated, you should really learn how to control your strength. I really thought my skull was going to be crushed!"


    However, there was no reply...


    ***


    "Master, I detected the existence of a blessed being 500 meter below us!" Sylvidia transmitted the message to me mentally.


    "Blessed being? What is that?" I returned a question to Sylvidia via the same fashion.


    "It''s a being that is blessed by the god. And it''s your lucky day!" Sylvidia answered back with a hint of excitement.


    "Lucky day? Why''s that?" I tilted my head in confusion.


    "The blessed being is a monster race called Goblin, they are very weak so it is possible for you to tame it now! In fact, this is your only chance! Once it ranked up, it will become a formidable opponent!" After Sylvidia finished her sentence, she urged me to look at the ground 500 meter away from us.


    With my enhanced vision as a beast-kin, I was barely able to make out the figures below us.


    ***


    "Hey... are you listening?" Caelum noticed that I was turning my attention to the ground so he turned his gaze towards that location. However, he couldn''t see anything so he questioned me, "What are you looking at?"


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Goblins...... three of them... and a lone village girl." I said that while pointing to the location 500 meter below us.


    "Hoh...... the eyesight of the beast-kin is remarkable indeed, to be able to make out the figures from such a distant." Caelum praised in earnest. However, it doesn''t seem like he has any intention of descending.


    "Are you not going to save the girl, nya?" I questioned Caelum, "Isn''t it the Adventurer''s duty to help people in need?"


    Caelum just stared at me blankly and replied indifferently, "I''m afraid there is a little misunderstanding here, that is the job of a Hero, not the Adventurer. Our job is merely to explore and conquer the dungeons."


    "Kh..... so you''re not descending no matter what, nya?" I gritted my teeth as I said that, not because I wanted to save the village girl. It was because I''d miss the chance to make the Goblin my familiar.


    To be honest, I don''t really care what happened to the village girl, I''m not kind enough to sacrifice myself to save a stranger. I honestly think it''s just mere hypocrisy to want to save everything, this is not some sort of fairy tales. You can''t save anyone without hurting another, that is the one and only truth!


    Caelum sighed as he heard me, "Sigh...... no wonder you''re a Hero, you sure are magnanimous. But no, I''m not descending no matter what! It is my job to get you back to the Academy safely, if something were to happen to you, my life will be forfeited! I will be killed by the Guild Master personally!"


    Caelum seemed to misunderstand my intention and I also had no intention of correcting him but it seemed like I wouldn''t be able to convince him to descend no matter what.


    "Sigh... no other choice then, we just have to jump!" Sylvidia spoke to me mentally.


    "EHHHHHH?!?!" I shouted involuntarily at Sylvidia''s sudden proclamation. However, before I could raise my objection, my body moved on its own.


    I shouted again due to the sudden movement of my own body, "EHHHH?! What... what happened to my body, nya?! It''s moving on its own!"


    "Hohohohoho~ Have you forgotten? The beast form transfiguration is an ability granted by the weapon. So naturally, as the spirit of the weapon, I have merged with your body! Therefore, I have a little bit of control over the movement of your body~" Sylvidia announced something major like this lightheartedly.


    "EHHHH!! Something important like that!! Shouldn''t you have told me earlier?!" I shouted at Sylvidia at the top of my lungs.


    "What...?! What are you talking about?" Caelum was confused at my sudden outbreak.


    "Enough of that, I''m jumping now." As soon as Sylvidia finished saying that, she controlled my body and pushed the back of the Gryphon and jumped with a "Hyup!"


    "Wait... Eh?" I looked below me dumbfoundedly and found there''s only an empty space below me, "Tell me this is not real......"


    I was on the verge of tears and wanted to escape reality by telling myself this is just a dream, but that only lasted for a mere second as I started falling at breakneck speed, "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    And now how will they survive the fall....

 [Vol 2] Chapter 14: The Will to Survive!

    "Huff... Huff... Huff..." A village girl who looked around 16 years old is currently in the woods nearby a small farming village, running with all her might.


    The reason she''s running so desperately? It''s because she''s being chased by three Goblins. The villagers had warned her not to go into the woods by herself since it''s been getting more dangerous lately.


    She did not heed their warning and went to the woods to play with the wild beasts. Ever since she was young, she had been on friendly terms with the beasts in the woods so she never thought of the woods as a dangerous place to be.


    However, when she entered the woods today, she picked up a faint smell of blood, so she decided to approach and observe the situation sneakily. When she got closer to the location, the stench of blood becomes heavier and what unveiled before her eyes was......


    A group of Goblin surrounding a wild boar and attacking it systematically. It was very unusual for Goblins to work together in such an organized fashion. The one commanding these group of Goblins was a black-skinned Goblin with weird crimson-colored tattoos all over its body.


    It was an unbelievable sight, Goblins are known as the weakest monsters in the world, it should be impossible for a Goblin to take down a wild boar who was ten times their size. It might be possible if there were ten or more Goblins working together, but there''s only three Goblins present at the moment. They had not suffered any casualties nor were they injured in the slightest.


    The wild boar on the other hand, was covered in deep wounds all over its body and blood dripped down unceasingly. Its legs were very unsteady, it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment now.


    The black Goblin was distracting the wild boar while commanding the other two Goblins to attack its flank. The female Goblin threw rocks at the wild boar''s joint, then the other Goblin rammed the wild boar at the same time, causing it to collapse on the ground. Just when the black Goblin was about to deliver the finishing blow, the village girl jumped out from the bush she was hiding in and provoked the Goblins.


    It would be fine if it was just any other wild boar, but that wild boar was her friend. As proof, there''s a ribbon attached to the left hind leg of the wild boar. How could she do nothing when her friend was about to be killed in front of her own eyes?


    Somehow, she managed to provoke the Goblins by snatching the loincloth that covered the private parts of the black one. The black one was very pissed, but the female goblin seems to be very pleased at the eye-candy though. At the command of the black Goblin, they started chasing the girl and left their bounty behind.


    And now we are back to the current situation; The village girl was grabbing the black Goblin''s loincloth on her arms and race towards the village with all her might. Two angry Goblins and one gleeful female Goblin were pursuing closely behind her.


    The village girl ran, ran, and ran...... she ran with all her might. Due to the difference in heights between her and the Goblins, she was naturally faster than them. She was evidently increasing the gaps between her and the Goblins. However, her luck wasn''t so good as she stumbled upon a root and fell face forward.


    She tried to get up immediately, but she heard the sound of the Goblins getting closer behind her, so she turned her body around immediately, and saw the black Goblin was currently jumping towards her with his fist at the ready.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Just when she was about to shout out loud, another ear-piercing scream came from the sky. She was dumbfounded and turned her attention towards the sky. The Goblin trio was just as dumbfounded as the girl and started to survey their surrounding.


    "Plik! Plak! Plik! Plak!"


    Before long, the sound of tree branches breaking could be heard and plenty of broken twigs and leaves were falling from the sky. The village girl, as well as the Goblin trio were looking at the scene before them with gaping mouth.


    A girl was falling from the sky and using the tree branches and vines to cushion her fall.


    ***


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! I''m dead, I''m dead, I''m dead, I''m SOOO dead!!¡± As I was falling, I keep shouting this line as if it was a curse.


    "Oh shut up already, you will really be dead if you keep believing so. Miracle will only happens to those who believe it." Sylvidia reprimanded me as I kept muttering the cursed words.


    Just at this time, I was reminded of a certain character I read about in a certain Light Novel ?1?. When he was undergoing a life and death situation, he was able to barely escape death because there was someone he cared about and refused to die. He was able to overcome his death because there was someone he wanted to protect.


    But how about me? When I was in the face of death, I gave up all hopes and stopped resisting when we were facing the Abyss Beasts, if Mister Milton didn''t intervene, I''m sure we would be dead by now. I''m ashamed at my own weakness... Not only am I physically weak, my mind was also just as weak. If I have someone I genuinely wanted to protect, will I become stronger too?


    Do I have someone like that? My family? I do want to see them again... I believe that as long as I am alive, there should be plenty of chances that I could meet them again, even whilst I''m in this form. I think it would be funny when I meet my parent in this form, hehe.


    How about Sheena? I just met her yesterday but she already spent so much fortune on me, I can''t die yet until I repay all the debts I owe her. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to rest easy in my grave!


    I braced myself and sharpened my eyes after thinking thus far, I prepared myself to brace the impact for when I''m falling into the woods. I will use the branches and tree vines to cushion my fall like a certain protagonist!


    "Hoh~ That''s a nice expression you got there! It seems like you have found your resolves. If you can get through this, you will surely get stronger! Now, brace yourselves for impact!!" Sylvidia noticed the changes in me and offered a few words of encouragement.


    "Raaaaaaaarghhhh!!!" I let out a battle howl as I fell into the woods......


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    ......


    Well... this chapter just took an unexpected turn......


    The face-off against the black Goblin... coming soon... or not so soon......


    <hr />


    References:


    1. In case you''re wondering which Light Novel was I referring to, I was talking about Overlord.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 15: The Chaotic Sky

    Let''s turn time back a little; It was a peaceful day as three Gryphons were gliding in the sky calmly. Two Gryphons were flying side by side and the other one was slightly behind the rest.


    Sheena and Albert were both enjoying the ride and engaged in small talks. "Fua~~ It''s a peaceful day isn''t it? It would be great if we can get through rest of the days uneventfully." Sheena stretched her arms lazily as she talk.


    Albert nodded and agreed with Sheena, "Ah...... it would be great if we can get through the rest of the days uneventfully, so much had happened today. We should really thank Mister Milton for sending us back to the Academy with the Gryphons."


    They engaged in conversation between themselves and recalled the events earlier today. However, the atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy when they talked about the Abyss Beast.


    "So...... that''s the power of an SS ranked monster. I was too naive...... I had always been praised as a genius and the strongest in my generation, but I couldn''t even put a single scratch on the Abyss Beast......" Sheena said that with a downcast expression.


    Albert raised his head and looked towards the sky, then he moved his left arm to cover his eyes and agreed with Sheena, "Ah...... We were much too arrogant...... To think that we even conspired to challenge Evangeline who was rumored to be higher than the Transcendence level after we got our familiars...... That was pure arrogance..."


    The two riders smiled wryly when they heard the two''s conversation. To challenge Evangeline? Even when the Hero King who was revered as the strongest human alive teamed up with the rest of the Heroes and Void Mages, they were still barely able to keep up with that monster, how could these youngster ever hope to challenge such a godly being?


    Just when the atmosphere between them were getting heavier, they suddenly heard a shout coming from Sylvia, followed by Caelum. By the time they turned their head to the back, they found that Sylvia was currently......... floating in the middle of the sky......


    Everyone who saw this scene was dumbfounded and do not know how to react, they could only mutter in confusion;


    "Wait...... what?" (Rider A)


    "How is she floating in the sky?" (Rider B)


    "Wait...... no!! She''s falling!! She''s falling!!!" (Sheena)


    When Sheena noticed something was not right, she immediately shouted and got everyone out of their daze. However, it was far too late.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± (Sylvia)


    "?Miss? Sylvia!!!!!!!!!" (Everyone)


    Everyone shouted the same name and the peaceful sky turned into utter chaos. Sheena and Albert who had their hands outstretched were about to jump off after Sylvia. If the riders didn''t stop them, it might become even more disastrous.


    "Stop!!! What do you guys think you''re doing!! You will only cause more problem if you jumped off the Gryphon, we can''t guarantee we can save all three of you at the same time. Please calm down and just leave this to us! We promise we will save your friend! Hyah!!" Caelum reproached them for their actions as the riders were restraining Sheena and Albert to prevent them from jumping.


    The Gryphon that Caelum was riding folded its wings and turned its body 90 degree downwards as Caelum lowered his upper body. They started to descend and fell at a speed even faster than Sylvia. The reason that their speed were faster could be explained with a simple law of gravity, their total mass were higher than Sylvia, and they got into a position so that there will be less air resistance as they fall.


    However, even with that, they were still unable to catch up to Sylvia because of their inability to act immediately due to the unexpected situation. One of the reason was because they started late. However, the main reason was due to Sylvidia secretly utilizing the power of Velocity from the runes on Sylvia''s right hand to slow down Caelum so that he couldn''t catch up.


    As Sylvia fell into the thickets, Sheena started to tear up and shouted, "NOOOOOO!!!" at the top of her lungs.


    ***


    "Raaaaaaaarghhhh!!!" I let out a battle howl as I fell into the woods......


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I moved my hands and legs frantically, trying to grab onto every vines I could find.


    "Ow! Oof! Ack! Blegh" As I grabbed the vines, some of them broke in the process, causing me to swing towards a tree trunk and collided. I fell from the tree trunk after that and let out an unslightly groan as I was hit in the stomach by a thick branch. The branch did not break from the impact, instead, I rolled backwards and continue to fall, breaking several branches in the process.


    As I fell, I frantically grabbed any vines I could find but most of them couldn''t carry my weight and broke almost instantaneously. The vines in this forests are too weak!! However, it''s not like it was useless. I could feel my velocity slightly decreasing.


    And finally...... there was no more branches and vines in sight, I turned my body to face the ground and saw the Goblin trio as well as the village girl staring at me dumbfoundedly. I was thinking of using the Goblin trio as cushions, so I kicked off from a tree trunk near me, and shouted as I was speeding towards the Goblin trio, "INCOMINGGGGG!!!"


    Seeing me lunging towards them like a hunter looking for prey, the Goblin trio was flailing about in panic. They tried to get out of the way, but as they were still in a panicked state, they couldn''t think properly, so they stumbled over their own feet and bumped into one another.


    As I got closer to the Goblin trio who were stuck in that awkward position, I crossed my hand in front of me to protect my head and brace for the impact.


    "Bang! Bang! Crash......!!"


    I crashed into the male Goblin with my crossed hands and pushed him back a few steps, and bumped into the other two. As the Goblin trio fell on their feet, my body did a 360 degree revolution and landed on top of them.


    After a while, I got up sluggishly and rubbed my head a few times, "Owwwww...... I''m hurting all over the place... uuu ?1?"


    "You should be glad you''re in the beast form. Without the physical strength and vitality of the beast-kin, you might not survive the fall." Sylvidia dropped the bomb but before I could retort, she praised, "However... good job on surviving. How does it feel to overcome your death?"


    "haar or ghaan, duulkac ?2?! (Get off me, woman!)" Before I could reply to Sylvidia''s question, the black Goblin that I treated as a cushion uttered something angrily from below me, but strangely, I could understand what he was saying.


    I turned my attention towards the black Goblin that was below me. Once again, I found myself in an embarassing position so I jumped up immediately and backed away while uttering, "Awawawawawa!"


    The female Goblin was going, "Mukiiii!" and staring at me with malice. The other male Goblin on the other hand seems to have fainted from the earlier impact.


    The black Goblin stood up and patted the dust off his body, then he pointed at me with one finger and said, "Duulkac, haar or or maagaan! A magaan khruun rhorekaan der o. (Woman, get out of here! I have no business with you.)"


    As he said that, he retracted his outstretched arm and finger, then he pointed to his side with the index finger while waving his other arm twice to indicate for me to leave. He probably did that because he thought I couldn''t understand the Goblin''s language, how considerate. However, the reason why I jumped all the way down here was because......


    "I am sorry, Mister Goblin. I''m afraid I can''t leave so easily like that. I do have some business with you after all. I''m here to make you submit to me!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    ...... So how is it that Sylvia can understand the Goblin''s language? Find out in the next chapter!


    <hr />


    References:


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>Japanese sound effect for "Urrgh"</li>


    <li>Goblin language translator: http://www.screwytruths.com/Goblin.html</a>


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 2] Chapter 16: Bond of Equal

    "I am sorry, Mister Goblin. I''m afraid I can''t leave so easily like that. I do have some business with you after all. I''m here to make you submit to me!" I declared that proudly while I puff up my chest.


    Though I said that...... but how should I make him submit to me? According to what Sylvidia had told me before we jumped, there are three ways to turn a monsters into a familiar.


    First method is through summoning ritual, similar to how I was summoned by Sheena. That''s the most common ritual for Mage and Summoner. However, there''s no guarantee you would be able to summon the familiar you wanted. Summoning ritual is like a gachapon ?1?, it''s all random.


    The second method is to make the monster submit to you willingly via absolute strength. But of course, people wouldn''t feel secure to keep a monster by their side without a leash so they had to carry out a certain ritual to enforce absolute obedience.


    The last one is the Bond of Equal, this ritual can only be carried out by the monsters, and it is very rare for monsters to initiate the Bond of Equal with humans or demi-humans.


    The first and second method restricted the familiar''s free will so it will be harder for the Master to truly bond with the familiars. The last method however, does not have such restriction. Both the Master and the familiars are treated as equal, the familiars are free to do whatever they want.


    That''s why, unless ones have absolute trust in the familiar, one will never form a Bond of Equal with the familiar. I''d like to form a Bond of Equal with the black Goblin to be honest. According to what Sylvidia told me earlier, there are some benefits if one''s bond with the familiar is stronger.


    Example given; if our bond is stronger, we would be able to talk to each other mentally over a longer distance. This is one of the most common benefits and normally, the familiars would be able to talk with their Master mentally within one meter at minimum upon contract.


    However, I wasn''t able to talk with Sheena mentally yet...... I guess our relationship is still not there yet, human relationship is more complicated than monster''s after all.


    The second benefit is that we would be able to transmit what we see or heard to each other''s mind once the bond between the Master and familiars are stronger.


    The third benefit is that we would be able to sense each other''s general location, and once the bond grow stronger, we would also be able to sense what each other are feeling; such as happiness, anxiety, sadness, despair and so on. We would also be able to sense each other''s life force.


    If I make a contract with the familiar using the first and second method, I''d have to slowly earn their trust to gain all of these benefits. However, if I make a contract using the Bond of Equal, all of these benefits would be available immediately. So there goes my question, "How do I make him submit to me and initiate the Bond of Equal?"


    Just when I was thinking that, Sylvidia broke my train of thoughts with an unrelated question, "Heh...... you got used to the cat-kin''s vocal cord already? You didn''t go ''nya~ nya~'' as much anymore when you talk. You sure adapt fast...... I''m honestly impressed~"


    "Nya?" I tilted my head and think about it for a second, "Maybe you''re right...... I''m slowly getting used to this body already, nyahahaha!"


    "You should finish this soon, only a few more minutes and your transformation will wear off." Sylvidia reminded me that two hours was almost over.


    "Fueh?! That means we still need another two hours to get back to the Academy?" Thinking back, the riders did mention we were about half-way back to the Academy already. If it took nearly two hours to get here, that means we would need another two hours to get back later.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Hah?! That''s what you''re more worried about?!" Sylvidia doesn''t know whether she should cry or laugh, "You shouldn''t underestimate your opponent just because Goblins are labelled as the weakest monster in the world. This black Goblin is blessed by the god, he is sure to have a trump card or two. The amount of Magic Power I sensed from this Goblin is extraordinary, you should be careful."


    "I know that already......! I know all too well how weak I really am. I have no combat experience, I have no special skill or technique. I only have the brute strength and speed of the beast-kin. However, with my new-found courage, I won''t lose no matter what!" I said that while clenching both of my fists in front of the chest.


    "Muut... Dar''t tuulkaan rhec dach shuulkec dhuul o, duulkac. Kaar''t taan ar o magaan dar ar dalaan duun ghalaan ghaan toker duun o! (Hoh... That''s some big talk coming from you, woman. Let''s see if you have what it takes to make me submit to you!)" The black Goblin got into his fighting stance as he said that, then he ordered the female Goblin to stand down, "Tac druul, Fiore! A dech dalaan druul den duulkac ghuraach. (Stand down, Fiore! I will take down this woman myself.)


    "Hah! Bring it on~!" Just when I was about to lunge towards the Goblin, I could hear Caelum shouting loudly as he ran towards my location, "Miss Sylvia!!! I''m... so glad... you''re still alive...! Let me handle the Goblins, you should tend to your wounds first!!"


    I stopped abruptly and blocked Caelum''s path, "NO!! Stand down, Caelum! This Goblin is mine!"


    Caelum could feel clear killing intent from me and backed off involuntarily. He couldn''t help but keep pondering why was I so obsessed with this Goblin, to the point that I was even willing to jump off the Gryphon.


    "Could it be the chivalry of the Heroes? Why are all the Heroes like this? Always putting the well-being of others before themselves, it''s just stupidity. That''s why I never liked the Heroes, they are all hypocrite!" It seems Caelum had come to a consensus on his own. He doesn''t care anymore and just let out a helpless sigh.


    I on the other hand, gave Caelum another warning, "Caelum, please...... I beg you. Do not interfere no matter what happens, and prevent the others from interfering when they get here. This is important for me."


    I looked straight into his eyes as I pleaded. My eyes were filled with the flames of determination and a strong will to live. Caelum, who had noticed this couldn''t help but stutter as he speak, "O-oh!! Lea-leave it to me!


    "Agaan o kaarthec, duulkac? (Are you ready, woman?)" The black Goblin was getting impatient. However, I am impressed that he didn''t attack me when I turned my back to him. I am not sure whether it was due to his sense of pride, or he was worried that Caelum would attack him if he make the first move. However, that proved one thing to me, this Goblin is intelligent! Now I want him even more.


    "Oou!! Sorry to keep you waiting!" I turned around to face the black Goblin and declared the start of our fight.


    The black Goblin didn''t wait for me to get ready and lunged towards me at full speed!


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    The fight will finally begin in the next chapter! Stay tuned...


    Eh.... oops, I forgot to explain how Sylvia could understand the Goblin language... maybe next time...


    <hr />


    References:


    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashapon</a>

 [Vol 2] Chapter 17: The Black Goblin

    The black Goblin didn''t wait for me to get ready and lunged towards me at full speed!


    "Eh?!?! That''s unfair!!" Though I say that, I knew there''s no such thing as fairness in a fight with your life on the line.


    No matter what kind of methods you use to fight, there will always be only two results in the end, either you win or you lose. The winner will be deemed as justice, while the loser will be deemed as evil.


    That''s why I do not believe there is such a thing as absolute justice or evil. Everyone only fight for their own sense of justice and what they believed in, no matter what kind of twisted form it took.


    What you thought you did might have been justified, but it might be seen as evil by others. For example; if you saw a group of ants carrying food from your room to their nest, what would you do? No doubt you would kill them right?


    Your action is justified in the eyes of the human, but how about the ants who were waiting for their family to bring the food back to the nest?


    If you can''t comprehend that, let''s use a different example; If there is a higher being who treated humans as nothing more than mere ants and eradicate them, what would you think? Are their action justified? Or are they evil?


    "Oi!! What do you think you are doing? Daydreaming in the middle of a fight?! Do you have a death wish?!" While I was thinking all that in my mind, the fist was already in front of my face. Sylvidia was the one who dragged me out of my daydream.


    I should take note to fix this bad habit of mine in the future. This is not the first time it happened. It occurs frequently whenever I was driving, I would daze off and daydream while I was driving for a long while. I''m surprised I haven''t got into an accident with that yet.


    "Nyaaa?!?!" As the fist was about to hit my face, I tripped on my own and fell backwards. The punch only grazed my nose as I fell towards the ground.


    The black Goblin immediately twisted his body in midair and sent another punch towards the ground. This black Goblin seems to have plenty of battle experience, to execute a highly difficult maneuver like that so smoothly was not an easy task.


    I hastily rolled on the ground to avoid the punch. After gaining some distance, I swiftly got up on my feet and prepare to counterattack. However, the black Goblin was already in front of me and performed an uppercut attack.


    I wasn''t able to avoid it this time, I could only grit my teeth and receive the attack. It was a clean and powerful punch towards my chin, it was hard to imagine where all that power originated from. Its body stature was only about half my size. This black Goblin is strong as I suspected, I almost passed out from that punch.


    I spread my right leg towards the back to prevent myself from falling backwards and gathered all the strength in my right hand to deliver a powerful blow from the upper right towards the black Goblin''s face.


    "Bang!!!"


    A loud banging sound spread through the surrounding as the black Goblin''s head hit the ground. That is what was supposed to happen, but I found myself lying on the ground instead.


    The black Goblin did exactly what I did that time against the bandit, he used my own strength against me and threw me on the ground ?1?. Although the technique he used was slightly different, since his height was half my size. Instead of his back, he was using his other hand to grab my abdomen and threw me overhead.


    This black Goblin does indeed have rich battle experiences, his battle techniques are so refined. I guess I wouldn''t be able to beat him technique-wise, I will have to rely on my speed to confuse him and deliver a decisive blow with the every ounce of my strength! I only have a few minutes remaining, I need to make this quick!


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Sylvia! Sylvia!!" Sheena was calling my name as she ran towards me. Her beautiful face was covered in tears, however she was stopped by Caelum. Of course, Albert and the other two riders were there too.


    "What are you doing!! Sylvia is badly injured!! Why are you not helping her?!" Sheena was furious as her path was blocked by Caelum and let loose of her anger.


    "That...... is her will, she strongly wished to fight the Goblin by herself. I do not know what she is trying to prove, but she is trying hard in her own way." After hesitating for a while, Caelum explained the situation to Sheena.


    "What......?! Are you crazy?! How can you let an injured person fight in a situation like this?! I''m going to help her, I don''t care!!" Sheena complained and tried to brush Caelum aside.


    However, Caelum did not budge and said with determination, "As her Master, you should try to understand her!"


    "I don''t care! I don''t care!! How can I just stand here and watch my familiar die in front of me!!" Sheena struggled as she tried to rush to my side. However, Caelum was like an unmovable wall, he wouldn''t let Sheena pass no matter what.


    "You should believe in her!! She won''t die! She definitely won''t die!!" Caelum shouted.


    "You...! How can you spout something so irresponsible like that!! Isn''t it your job to protect us on the journey back to the Academy?! Do your job properly!!" Sheena slapped Caelum and slip pass him from his right side.


    "SHEENAAA!!!!! EVEN IF IT''S YOU, I DEFINITELY WON''T FORGIVE YOU IF YOU INTERFERED WITH MY FIGHT!!!" When I saw Sheena approaching, I took a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing shout.


    Sheena stopped in her tracks and looked at me dumbfoundedly, "Wa-wha......t?"


    Caelum turned around and patted Sheena''s shoulder, "Please believe in her, you are her Master right? If her life was really in a critical situation, the Guild Card will immediately take effect and send her back to the Guild Hall, I will take all the blame!"


    Sheena bit her lips and clenched her fists tightly.


    Seeing that Sheena was hesitating over something, Caelum continued, "I probably shouldn''t be telling you this but she was the one who jumped down voluntarily, survived the fall, and challenged the Goblin by herself."


    "Why...... why did she do something like this...... ? Hic... hic..." Sheena got weak on her knees and slumped on the ground as she wiped the tears with her forearms.


    "I do not know...... but I get the feeling she is trying to overcome something...... Let''s believe in her for now..." As Caelum finished his sentence, Sheena just nodded her head weakly and watch over my fight attentively while trying to hold back her tears.


    While that was happening, the fight was still ongoing wildly!


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    I forgot to mention that the familiar that you get from summoning ritual is all random in the previous chapter. It has already been amended. Feel free to go through paragraph 3 of the previous chapter again.


    <hr />


    References:


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>If anyone don''t remember, it was the moves executed by Sylvia against the bandit group in Volume 1 Chapter 5</a>.


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 2] Chapter 18: The Conclusion

    When Sheena was running towards me at full throttle and shouting my name incessantly, I was swung overhead by the black Goblin and is currently lying on the ground shamefully. I spat out a mouthful of blood due to the heavy impact from the overhead swing.


    The fight was still ongoing wildly! I didn''t have the luxury to pay attention to the conflict between Sheena and Caelum. Thanks to the tough body of a beast-kin, I was still barely hanging on. However, if I took another heavy blow like this, my life force will surely hit the critical point and got send back to the Guild Hall.


    The illusory HP bar displayed at one corner of my vision was indicating that my life was in a peril. However, I know that I could still handle one of those heavy blow. As long as nothing unexpected happen and drained the rest of my life force, I should still be able to live and fight for another day.


    The black Goblin didn''t give me any room to breath, as soon as I hit the ground, he twisted his entire body around to gather strength in his right fist and send a powerful blow towards my face.


    I hastily rolled to the right side and avoided the punch by a hair''s breadth. That was way too dangerous! This black Goblin was really going for the kill, he''s been aiming at my vital spots since the start of the fight.


    I continued to roll around to gain some distant between us and got up of my feet shortly after. In the corner of my vision, I saw Sheena finally got past Caelum so I quickly took a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs, ¡°SHEENAAA!!!!! EVEN IF IT''S YOU, I DEFINITELY WON¡¯T FORGIVE YOU IF YOU INTERFERED MY FIGHT!!!¡±


    Sheena was startled by my sudden outrage and stopped in her tracks, even the black Goblin was momentarily startled and stopped attacking. I didn''t miss this chance and lunged towards the black Goblin at my top speed. I gathered every last ounce of the strength into my right arm and delivered a really powerful blow.


    The black Goblin regained his composure as he saw me quickly approaching, the crimson tattoos all over his body started to glow dimly and he gathered all the Magic Power into his right arm. All of a sudden, a flame appeared out of nowhere and enveloped the black Goblin''s right hand.


    The both of us let out a battle howl as we delivered our last attack with all our strength behind it, "RAAGHHHHHH!!!"


    "BANG!!"


    As our fists met, there was a huge explosive bang and a strong gust of wind was generated from the impact between our fists.The leaves and twigs on the ground in the proximity were blown away by the gust. Even Sheena and the rest who were watching from a distant could feel the gust brushing against their skin.


    "Hot! Hot!! Hot!!!" My fist that was clashing against the black Goblin''s fiery fist was being scorched. However, I cannot back down even if my right hand turned into charcoal. If I back down now, everything will be lost; my life, my ambition, my pride, everything!


    "Hyaaaaah~!" I stood my ground and gathered even more strength into my fist. I do not know where the strength came from but I have heard that when human was on the brink of death, they could draw out their latent potential and go over their limits. This must be a skill called ''Overlimit'', it is a skill that allows the user to break the limits imposed on their mortal body, however it would put a huge strain on the body so it is not recommended to use it for prolonged period of time.


    Just at that time, the rune on my right hand started to glow and I could feel streams of air circulating around my right fist. The streams of air enveloped my right fist and circulating around it. I could see the streams of air so clearly, it was as if my right fist was an eye of the tornado.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Just as these thoughts came to my mind, I got slightly excited and my body moved automatically by my childish impulse. With all my remaining strength, I successfully pushed my body forward. With that, I gained the upper hand and was able to push the black Goblin backwards.


    Then I delivered the finishing blow while shouting the makeshift skill name involuntarily, "Tornado Punch!!!!!!"


    Just as I shouted the skill name, I changed the trajectory of my punch towards the sky, then the streams of air around my fist extended towards the sky and formed a huge tornado. The black Goblin was swept-up by the tornado and blown to the sky.


    The tornado subsided after a while and the black Goblin that had been swept-up by the tornado started falling from the sky.


    "Waaaaaaaaghhh!! Tagaan ghaan! (Save me!)" As the black Goblin was falling, he was pleading for help. The female Goblin ran left and right frantically in an attempt to catch the black Goblin as he fell towards the ground.


    "Glomps! Gorororororo! Crash!!"


    As the black Goblin fell towards the ground, the female Goblin pounced on him and caught him before he hit the ground. Then they got tangled up as they rolled away like a ball before they crashed against the huge tree trunk.


    I was still standing in the same position with my fist facing the sky unsteadily. The Goblin trio on the other hand, were lying on the ground shamefully. Our position had reversed, it was a complete victory! Or so I had hoped but the other male Goblin got up around this time and surveyed the surrounding.


    When he saw his teammate were lying on the ground with injuries all over their body, he got furious and directed his attention to me, who was in the middle of the field. Just when he was about to dash towards my location, the black Goblin got up and shouted at him, "Tac druul, Giga! Ar''t or kuun! (Stand down, Giga! It''s our loss!)"


    The male Goblin turned his attention to the black Goblin in confusion, "Dar druun o ghaac ar''t or kuun? (What do you mean it''s our loss?)"


    "A gharthaan a draach der den duulkac, tac druul! Or agaan o huuc duun dreruukaan ghaan? (I made a deal with this woman, stand down! Or are you going to disobey me?)" The black Goblin glared at the male Goblin intently.


    "A duuch khraagaar dragaan! (I would never dare!)" A cold sweat  broke out from the male Goblin''s forehead and he fall back obediently.


    "Huul! (Good!)" The black Goblin nodded satisfyingly and patted the male Goblin''s left shoulder once before he turned his attention to me.


    Just around this time, the duration of the Beast Form Transfiguration was over and the transformation was cancelled. The card that was the core of the transformation exited my body from the cleavage and fell to the ground. At the same time, I turned back into an elf and my body lose all of its strength.


    I desperately prevented myself from falling to the ground. Who knows what would happen if I fall at times like this. If I couldn''t even stand after he had already declared his defeat, he will probably look down on me and I will never get a chance like this again. I will have to stand strong until this is all over!


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Phew...... what do you think of the fight scene? I tried my best to write it, I really did! Please let me know what you think in the comment. Thank you!

 [Vol 2] Chapter 19: Quality of the Strongest

    "Huff~ Huff~ Huff~" I was breathing heavily as I desperately forced myself to stand upright. However, there was a sense of dissatisfaction in the depths of my heart.


    Sylvidia, who had picked up my dissatisfaction voiced out her concern, "What''s wrong? You fought well, what is there to be dissatisfied about?"


    "I don''t like it...... that Goblin is obviously in a better state than me, I can barely stand as it is, if he decides to continue, I will really be down for the count. Am I so weak that I can''t even beat a single Goblin?!" I gritted my teeth and voiced out my complain via telepathy.


    "That can''t be helped, that black Goblin is out of the ordinary. His strength is equivalent to that of a high-ranking Hobgoblin. Simply put, his strength is at the peak of Rank 3 in the Power Ranking chart. You did well to have fought against an Advanced level opponent to a standstill. Furthermore, you were handicapped when you fought him. If you were in the peak condition, no doubt you would be able to come out victorious." Sylvidia tried to come up with reasons to cheer me up.


    "That''s not the point, whether I was handicapped or not, the outcome is all that matters in the end. Even with ''Overlimit'', if the power of the rune didn''t activate at that time, I would really be dead by now...... The first time it activated, it was purely beginner''s luck. The second time, the third time, and even now! If I cannot control the power of these runes and activate their abilities any time I wanted, it''s meaningless. I am alive now only because I was lucky!" I reprimanded myself for my own weakness.


    "You said your goal is to become the most powerful one in the world right?" Sylvidia posed a question to me.


    I tried to recall what I had been telling myself continuously after the fight with the Abyss Beast and answered, "Uh... no I don''t think I ever said that, I only said I wanted to become stronger. At the very least, strong enough to protect myself and the people who are important to me."


    However, Sylvidia answered with, "That is the same as wishing to become the most powerful in the world. Power, skill, wisdom, empathy, and luck. Those are the five indisputable quality you need in order to become the strongest."


    "Luck...... I don''t know about that. I just can''t bring myself to leave my life in the hands of something uncertain like luck." I shook my head as I said that.


    "I agree with you that luck is very uncertain. However, you have to try to think out of the box. What do you think a miracle is?" Sylvidia rebuked me and posed yet another question for me.


    "Miracle?" After thinking for a while, I recalled a famous quote I once heard in a drama, "Miracle is another word for Hard Work!"


    "Exactly!! I''m surprised you know about it! Pretty impressive~" Sylvidia was honestly surprised when I answered correctly, then she continued, "Then think about it again, do you think a miracle would occur if you were to give up in the middle of a fight?"


    After thinking for a while, I shook my head in response. Everything would have ended the moment I gave up, it was impossible for any miracle to happen.


    "Now, do you understand? You never give up until the very end, that''s why a miracle occurred. You can take pride in that......" Sylvidia ended her lecture with that.


    I slumped on the ground with my knees and picked up the card that was on the ground. Then I embraced it and expressed my gratitude to Sylvidia, "Ah...... I understand now... I understand now... Thank you, Sylvidia...... Thank you..."


    ***


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    As the black Goblin was observing me, he was surprised when my transformation wore off, but he was still able to keep his composure. He sized me up from the distant to see if I had the quality to be his Master. However, he was disappointed when he noticed my lifeless expression.


    Even though he had already admitted his defeat, he didn''t know that I could understand the Goblin''s language, that''s why he was disappointed because it seemed like I had lost all my will to fight back.


    "Dar a talkaan. (What a shame.)" The black Goblin shook his head disappointingly and was about to leave. However, he was shocked when he took a quick glance at me one last time. The expression on my face had changed, it was an expression full of joy and resolve. It was a good expression.


    The black Goblin was very satisfied with that and nodded his head, then he moved closer and knelt down before me with one knee touching the ground, "A al Zain or daan Rhan Huukec Dekaan, A maagaakec draalagaan A tach taagaan an daan dhalkel''der or daan Haar Gharaar rhaakluugaan ghaan. ?1?"


    He was saying something in Goblin''s tongue, but strangely, I couldn''t understand him anymore. Just when I was wondering what had happened, Sylvidia explained, "The Beast Form Transfiguration also provides the ability to comprehend any demi-human''s language, including the Goblin. Goblins used to be classified as a demi-human race after all."


    "Ah... So that''s how it was..." Thanks to Sylvidia, I finally came to understand the reason I was able understand what the Goblins were saying.


    "By the way, this little one just performed a Bond of Equal on his own volition." Just as Sylvidia finished saying that, a bright magic circle with complicated designs appeared on the forehead of the black Goblin.


    "What...... what is going on?!" The audience, I mean Sheena and the rest, who were watching from the side were shocked by the bright light. Two of the riders were about to attack due to the unexpected situation. However, they were stopped by Caelum when he realized what was going on, "Stop! This is the sacred ritual of forming a contract with familiars! You are not to attack the Goblins no matter what! Do you understand?!"


    When the riders heard Caelum''s declaration, they lowered their weapons immediately. They knew how important a ritual between the Master and the familiar was so they didn''t dare to intervene. They also knew the black Goblin was strong from the confrontation earlier so they had no complain. If it was a normal Goblin, the monster that was considered as the weakest monster in the world, who in their right mind would actually make a contract with it?


    In just the blink of an eye, the complex magic circle on the forehead of the black Goblin shoots toward my forehead and embedded itself there. After a while, the bright light dimmed and the magic circle disappeared.


    "I have successfully performed the Bond of Equal, from now on, I am yours. However, I have one request. Depending on your answer, I will end your life here and now!" As soon as the ritual was completed, the black Goblin talked to me via telepathy and demanded for something!


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    What will the black Goblin demand for? How will Sylvia respond? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


    <hr />


    References:


    1. If anyone cares, this line means: I am Zain of the Black Goblin Tribe, I hereby declare I shall serve as the familiar of the Great Master before me.

 [Vol 2] Chapter 20: The Goblin Trio

    As soon as the ritual was completed, the black Goblin talked to me via telepathy and demanded for something. If I failed to comply, he will take my life!


    "Pfft...... Hahahahaha! You sneaky little vermin! You initiated the Bond of Equal first before I could perform the ritual myself to corner me right? To prevent me from using my absolute orders to make you submit to me?" I was still kneeling on the ground with both knees as I said that out loud.


    However, the language was automatically translated in the Goblin''s head so he could understand what I was saying. Therefore, he became more cautious and adopted a defensive posture. Despite that, his expectation was betrayed by what I was about to say.


    "Good~! Good~! I like you after all!! So? What is your demand? Just name it, as long as it is something I can do, I will gladly comply!" As I said that cheerfully, the black Goblin glanced at me with a doubtful look, he thought, "Just what is this woman thinking?"


    Since I was kneeling on the ground with both knees, my height was almost the same as the black Goblin. I looked directly into his eyes intently to show him that I don''t have any ill intention.


    The black Goblin noticed that so he just nodded his head once before he stood up from his kneeling position, then he loudly declared in the Goblin''s language, so that his companions could hear them too, "I want you to make a contract with both of my companions! If you can do that, I will swear my loyalty to you. Otherwise...... you are not worthy to be my Master!"


    "Sure!" I answered immediately without a hint of hesitation. It was an almost instantaneous answer. The black Goblin was taken aback by my instantaneous answer, he probably never thought I would agree so easily. After all, both of his companions are normal Goblins.


    The black Goblin was slack-jawed and took a single step back unsteadily. Then he voiced out his confusion, "What...?! Do you understand what you''re saying?! I may be strong but my companions are just normal Goblins! They do not possess any special ability like mine! Think about it again, woman!"


    I raised one of my fingers and placed it on the lips of the black Goblin before I opened my mouth, "It''s not woman... from now on, you shall address me as Sylvia. I forbid you from calling me Master or Woman, we are supposed to be equal right? That''s why you should call me by my name."


    The black Goblin slapped my hand away and shouted, "That''s not the point! I''m talking about my companions here, if you make a contract with weak Goblins, you will undoubtedly be criticized by others! After all, Goblins are weak and ugly, they are shunned by every other race and killed for sports! How can you agree to make a contract with normal Goblins so easily?!"


    I displayed an amused expression as I teased, "What was that......? Are you perhaps... worried about me?"


    "Woman!! You better don''t take it too far!" Just when the black Goblin was about to give me a warning, the female Goblin interrupted, "Zain! What do you mean make a contract with this woman?! I don''t want that!!"


    The other male Goblin also shared the same opinion, "Me too! Mankind are selfish, they killed our kin! I don''t want to follow this woman!"


    Well, technically... I am an elf, but I guess they are also considered as mankind. But of course...... at that time, I had no way of understanding what these Goblins were saying. I can only understand the black Goblin because our contract was already sealed in the bag.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Fiore... Giga... This is my decision. If this woman proves to be worthless, I will deal with her myself!" The black Goblin, Zain, tried to convince the other two.


    The two of them trusted Zain a lot, so they backed down obediently. They knew that all of the decisions made by Zain was for their own good, that''s how they have survived until now. That was also the reason they chose to follow Zain, even though the entire tribe treated him as a taboo child.


    After the Goblin trio came to an understanding, Sheena and the others also joined the fray. When they saw the Goblin trio were arguing with one another, they got curious and came to find out the situation, "Sylvia...... what is going on here?"


    The one who asked that question was naturally Sheena. She was the only one who called me without any titles. I explained without looking back, "Ah...... apparently, the black Goblin wants me to make a contract with the other two Goblins."


    I didn''t include the part where he threatened to kill me if I failed to comply with his demand. When Sheena and the others heard that, their response was only natural, "What?! Don''t tell me you agreed to such a ridiculous request?!"


    I nodded my head and simply said a single word, "Yes!"


    Sheena got in front of me and grabbed my shoulders, she shook me a few times and yelled, "Are you crazy?! I forgot to tell you this but each person can only have up to three familiars at most! How can you waste two of your remaining slots for Goblins?! I know the black one is extraordinary but think about it again! It''s not worth it!!"


    Although the black Goblin could not understand what Sheena was saying, he could tell from her agitated action, "See? I told you the humans wouldn''t accept us."


    I just shook my head and lightly shoved Sheena''s hands away from my shoulders, "I have already made my decision. I want them no matter what! Sure, the Goblins may be weak now, but that doesn''t mean they will be weak forever."


    I shut my eyes momentarily and an image surfaced in the depths of my mind, similar to how I suddenly had a vision of the Dual Bow Gun. I decided to trust my own instinct and said with conviction, "I can see it...... a bright future ahead of them...... I definitely won''t regret my decision today!"


    Sheena, Albert, Caelum, the riders, and the Goblin trio were all taken aback by my powerful conviction. Even though my words were baseless, even though they seemed nothing more than empty words, they were somehow convinced. They were convinced that if it was her, she would be able to do it.


    The black Goblin knelt down before me again. This time, including the female Goblin and the male Goblin. The black Goblin act as the medium and conveyed their feelings to me since he was the only one I could understand at this time, "We of the Black Goblin Tribe, Zain, Fiore, and Giga, recognized and swear our eternal loyalty to the Great Master before us!"

 [Vol 2] Chapter 21: The Aftermath

    "We of the Black Goblin Tribe, Zain, Fiore, and Giga, recognized and swear our eternal loyalty to the Great Master before us!" Just as soon as Zain finished the pledge of loyalty, from the forehead of the other two Goblins, Fiore and Giga, a familiar magic circle with complex design emerged.


    Following that, the surrounding was lit up by the blinding light of the magic circles. Then the complex magic circles shoot out from their foreheads and embedded itself on my forehead. Similarly, the light dimmed after a while and our contract were sealed.


    From now on, these three Goblins are my familiars. I am sure we will go through a lot of hardship together and we will have to endure the watchful gaze of all the prying eyes ?1?. However, I know we can overcome it together! We will show them Goblins can become powerful too!


    I leaned my body forward and bear hugged the three Goblins, "Zain, Fiore, and Giga right? I look forward to spend our time together in the future." Then I released them and introduced myself, "My name is Sylvia. As you can see, I am an elf. The cat-kin form earlier was due to the special ability of this card in my hand."


    I showed them the card and explained the circumstances to them, however the female Goblin named Fiore folded her arms and said, "Tsk! Woman... Don''t get all chummy with me! I haven''t accepted you yet. I was only following the orders of Zain!"


    "Zain, I trust! You, I don''t! The other Goblin called Giga also offered his opinion regarding this matter while trying to copy Fiore''s action.


    I snickered as I said, "Hehe... that is good enough for now. We will get to know each other eventually. Please take good care of me."


    Zain nodded and replied with a single word, "Likewise."


    "Sylvia! Don''t move, I will try to heal your wounds immediately." Just as our conversation came to an end, Sheena immediately inspected my body and started to cast healing spells to heal my wounds.


    Albert on the other hand, voiced out something that had been disturbing him since a while ago, "Um...... this has been bothering me for a while but... why is that black Goblin naked?"


    I wasn''t really bothered by the tiny thing dangling around the lower parts of the black Goblin since I used to be a guy. Furthermore, due to the size of the Goblins, I can see them as nothing more than kids. Who would get excited or flustered by seeing the private parts of a kid, aside for the elated Fiore over there that is.


    Zain had noticed that everyone''s attention were focused on his crotch, so he facepalmed and pointed one finger at the village girl who had her back against a huge tree trunk.


    The girl was still in a dazed state and staring at this location with a gaping mouth. When she noticed everyone''s attention turned to her, she was startled and her body jumped involuntarily.


    Everyone was stupefied when they noticed the brown-colored loincloth on her arms.


    "Why is the girl holding the loincloth of the black Goblin?"


    "How did she get the loincloth?"


    "What is the girl doing with the loincloth?"


    "What is going on here?!"


    These thoughts surfaced in the head of everyone present. Everyone was curious as to how the girl was involved with the Goblin trio.


    "Oi, woman! Hand over my loincloth immediately!" Zain directed his voice to the village girl as he gestured with his left hand.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The village girl obviously couldn''t understand the black Goblin. However, she could at least understand the hand gesture. The gesture was a signal for her to hand over something.


    The village girl used the tree trunk as a support to climb up from the ground slowly. Then she started walking towards our location with the same slow pace. She probably thought it should be safe now, seeing as how the Goblins are not attacking us anymore. However, she was still a bit hesitant.


    When the village girl was finally in front of Zain, she stretched out both hands in front of her along with the loincloth. She feared that the Goblins might attack her, so she faced down and shut her eyes tightly.


    Zain ignored the village girl''s plight and grabbed the loincloth from her hands immediately. After that, he quickly warped the loincloth around him to cover his crotch.


    I saw the village girl was still feeling quite nervous so I tried to reassure her, and smiled brightly, "Don''t worry...... they won''t attack you anymore."


    Hearing this, the village girl raised her head slowly and glanced at everyone once, before she opened her mouth to ask, "Really? They really won''t attack us anymore?"


    "Us? What do you mean by us?" Albert tilted his head in response to her question.


    "Ah!! Sappore!!" The girl suddenly thought of something as she ran towards the location that she came from.


    "H- Hey!! Wait-! Where do you think you''re going?!" The girl didn''t answer Albert and ran off somewhere. Caelum frowned and ordered the other two riders to follow the girl, "Sigh... There might be more victims over there, follow the girl and protect them!"


    "Kyaaaaaaa!!!" Just when Caelum had issued his orders, the scream of the village girl resounded in the forest. "HURRY!!" Caelum shouted in response and the other two riders immediately dashed off.


    When they arrived at the location, they found the village girl was desperately defending a gigantic wild boar that''s collapsed on the ground from a pack of wild beasts. The girl was holding a stick and sweeping it around wildly to prevent the wild beasts from approaching the boar.


    "Help! Please help! I beg you, please! Please save my friend!!" The village girl was covered in scratches and her clothes were in tatters. She pleaded for help in tears as she saw the riders approaching. However, she was not begging for them to help her; rather, it was the wild boar.


    The riders were stupefied, they don''t know what to think in a situation like this. They could only mechanically follow their orders and execute it flawlessly. Initially, they thought the other victims would be humans, but it turns out to be a wild boar instead.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Having a hard time writing this due to my lack of vocabulary and I''m also running out of ideas.


    <hr />


    References:


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>People that are always looking at you to see how you act, if you do something bad or wrong, or snooping into your affairs. Usually it''s for the purpose of reporting your wrongdoings or gossiping about you.


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 3] Prologue: The Power of Spirits

    Although the riders were confused, they still executed their task flawlessly and subjugated the wild beasts. They were the Elite Gryphon Squad after all, a pack of wild beasts like these were no match for them.


    On the other hand...... Sheena had finally cured most of my serious wounds, the lighter ones were patched up by bandages with help of Caelum.  Guess he was not an Adventurer for nothing, he had learned some First Aid skill. Zain had not suffered any heavy injuries so he rejected the offer to receive any treatment.


    And that got me really curious so I asked, "Zain...... What was the reason that made you surrender? From my point of view, you still had more than enough stamina and strength, while I was totally exhausted. You were the clear winner here."


    Zain looked at me grumpily, "Do you really need to ask? The answer was obvious!"


    "Well...... ehehehe~ I just wanted to confirm is all." I scratched my head with the right hand and closed my left eye while saying that in a cheerful way. So it was that as I suspected? I am not sure if he was being honorable, or fear that my companion might join the fray if he continued his assault. However, the reason he surrendered, it was most likely because of that. It can''t be anything else other than that!


    The reason was simple, he lost the moment he asked his companion to help him. He could have just ignored his pride and attacked me on the spot, but he didn''t do it. That was definitely the best decision, because Sheena and the others definitely won''t stand by idly and watch if he had continued his assault.


    Caelum lent me a hand and lifted me off the ground, then he asked with a somewhat anxious expression, "Are you sure you can move around already?"


    "No problemo! Don''t worry about me~ The healing spells did wonder on me!" I lifted my right arm, flexed my muscles, and then I tapped my muscles twice to show that I am fine, only if I had any muscles at all, that is.


    "Then let''s go... we should go and help the other two immediately." Albert, who had been standing guard at the side joined the conversation and urged us to go support the other two riders.


    However, Caelum just waved his hand lightly and said nonchalantly, "Ah... don''t worry about those two. They are strong, there shouldn''t be any monsters in this forest that are capable of downing th--!"


    Before Caelum finished his sentence, he stopped abruptly and started pondering for a while. After that he nodded his head and said, "You are right, we should at least go check out the situation as soon as possible. Not that I do not trust my companion, however I fear that something unexpected might happen."


    Everyone nodded in response and followed Caelum through the woods. By the time we arrived on the spot, the fight was already over as suspected. The village girl was hugging a gigantic boar and crying, the riders were standing behind the girl with solemn expression, and they were surrounded by a sea of corpse.


    They were the corpse of the wild beasts, and the smell of blood drifted in the air. It was a nauseating sight, the ground was dyed red by the blood of the wild beasts, and their entrails were out in the open. I almost throw up upon seeing this scene. However, the corpse of the wild beasts were gone in a moment later. It was as if they just suddenly vanished in thin air.


    That must be one of the functions of the Guild Card mentioned by Mister Milton earlier; All the monsters or bandits killed or subdued by the Adventurers will be teleported to the administration hall for assessment.


    Although seeing it in person and hearing it were two different things. If not for the ground which had been stained red by the blood, I would have thought that was just an illusion. I''m really weak against gore, but I guess living in this world means I will eventually have to get used to it and kill someone with my own hands one of these day.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When the village girl who had been clinging to the wild boar noticed us, she immediately rushed over and kneel before Sheena with tears on her face. She grabbed Sheena''s hands and desperately beseech her to heal the wild boar, "Miss Healer! Please... please... I beg you, please save my friend! Please... sniffs, sniffs."


    Sheena was at a loss for words as she turned her sights to the two riders beside the wild boar, they just shook their head slowly. Sheena understood immediately what they implied by that gesture, so she shouldn''t make a promise blindly. After all, it was impossible to revive the dead.


    Sheena was tongue-tied and doesn''t know how she should respond at times like this, she could only mutter a few words, "Ah... um... You see... I, uh... "


    However, at time this time, Sylvidia''s voice suddenly popped up in my head, "Master, that boar is not dead yet. It is faint but I can still feel its soul and its will to survive, it is still possible to save it now!"


    "What...? But how? Healing magic only affects external wounds right?" I asked Sylvidia via telepathy.


    "Hmp hm hm~ And that''s where the power of the spirit comes into play. We spirits have the ability to share our power with another individual or object. With this power, we should be able to transfer some of our soul energy to the boar." Sylvidia explained proudly as a senior Spirit Race.


    I was a bit worried when I heard we will be transferring our soul energy, "Whaaaaat? Transfer our soul energy? That sounds risky!"


    "Hehehe~ Don''t be such a spoilsports, It''s nothing bad, as long as you don''t go over your limit. Your soul energy will naturally recover and it will become purer and more condensed than ever." Sylvidia reassured me that it was nothing dangerous as long as I do not overdo it.


    Ah... if I think of it like blood donation, then it doesn''t sound so scary anymore. Not only can we help others with our blood, we also gain some health benefits for donating our blood. Such as reduced risks of heart disease, better blood flow, and reduce the harmful iron minerals in our body.


    When I made up my mind, I tried to convince Sheena to heal the wild boar, since I cannot heal the physical wounds after all, "Sheena... let''s do it, I will help too!"


    "Wha? What are you saying? That boar is--" I cut off Sheena''s words before she could finish her sentence, "Alive! That boar is still alive!"


    Sheena and the rest of the group looked at me dumbfoundedly. From their point of view, that boar looked as good as dead, so how was it that I was able to claim that it was still alive? I tried to explain to them as briefly as possible since we do not have the time to waste, the life of the wild boar is chipping away as time goes on.


    "I am a Spirit remember? I am sensitive when it comes to soul-related things, I can still feel the soul of the wild boar, although it is very weak at the moment. I can somehow recover the soul of the wild boar, however I cannot heal the body. If the soul do not have a body to return to, then it is pointless! That''s why... please, heal the wild boar, Sheena~!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Well, another unexpected situation occurred as I was writing this chapter. I just got another new idea. I was actually thinking of ending Volume 2 by sending them back to the Academy. However, that seems like it will take a little more time¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m ending Volume 2 with the last chapter!

 [Vol 3] Chapter 1: My First Kiss?!

    ¡°I am a Spirit remember? I am sensitive when it comes to soul-related things, I can still feel the soul of the wild boar, although it is very weak at the moment. I can somehow recover the soul of the wild boar, however I cannot heal the body. If the soul do not have a body to return to, then it is pointless! That¡¯s why¡­ please, heal the wild boar, Sheena~!¡±


    I tried to convince Sheena that there was still hope for the wild boar, however she was a little uncertain, "Can you...... really do something like that?"


    For just a brief moment, anxiety took over me and revealed itself on my face, "O-ooh!! Of course I can! Trust me!"


    Sheena caught my brief moment of anxiety and voiced out her refusal to heal the wild boar, "That...... doesn''t sound very convincing, if you cannot take responsibility for your own words, it is better if you don''t say anything and gives people false hope."


    "Sheena...... please, just trust me this once. I know I am still inexperienced, but if there''s something we can do, we should at least try doing it first. I''d rather do it and regret at my own failure than not doing anything and regret it later." I tried to convince Sheena again by borrowing one of the famous quotes from a black swordsman fiction character.


    "Sigh...... Fine already... you win! I will heal the wild boar''s body at the very least, the rest will be up to you." Sheena finally gave in to my conviction and slowly walked towards the wild boar.


    The village girl was still crouching on the ground, however she seemed very delighted when she heard we will heal the wild boar, she was literally shouting "thank you" while sobbing non-stop.


    I felt a little apologetic seeing her like this so I warned her again just in case, "Don''t thank us just yet, there''s no guarantee we would be able to save your... big friend over there. All we can do is to try and do everything in our power to save him. However, I''m sorry if we can''t save your friend."


    The village girl immediately became quiet and turned her attention towards the wild boar a few meter behind her, with tears still rolling down her eyes like a stream of clear spring.


    I sighed as I started walking towards the wild boar, but as I got to the right side of the village girl, I patted her shoulder and said, "All you can do for now is to pray, pray that your friend can still be saved."


    After I said that, I walked towards the wild boar and stood right beside Sheena. However, I have no idea what I had to do, so I just stood there without doing anything.


    "Um... Sylvidia, what do I need to do?" I asked Sylvidia via telepathy.


    However, Sylvidia didn''t reply clearly, she seemed a little hesitant, "Uh... um...... What I am about to tell you, please refrain yourself from making a scene as much as possible."


    "What was that?" I tilted my head as I replied via telepathy.


    "Ahem!" Sylvidia cleared her throat and continued, "You see...... the easiest way to transmit soul energy is via mouth-to-mouth!"


    When I heard that, I involuntarily turned my attention to the boar''s lips and then my sight switched back and forth between the lips and the face.


    "Mou... mouth... to...... MOUTH?!?! M-my first... kiss... with a boar?! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I shouted, I really shouted... I shouted at the top of my lungs while crouching on the ground and holding my head with both hands.


    "Hey!! That''s rude! Who are you calling a boar?!?!" When Sheena heard that, she refuted unhappily since she clearly remembered she was the one who stole my first kiss with the familiar contract. However, I don''t remember that moment as I lost my consciousness shortly after the contract!


    I tilted my head as I asked Sheena, "What are you talking about?"


    "What?! Weren''t you calling me a boar just now?!" Sheena raised her voice as she shouted at me, however she never stopped healing the wild boar.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "You? A boar? How could that be? You are the most beautiful girl I''ve seen in my entire lifetime, your beauty cannot be described by mere words!" I was a bit confused and kept pondering how did Sheena link my first kiss to referring her as a boar.


    "H-hmph! I bet you said that to all the beautiful girls you see. C-complimenting me won''t get you anywhere!" Sheena blushed and looked away from me, however I didn''t hear any of that as I was deep in thoughts.


    ?Wait... first kiss...... boar... first kiss...... boar...... could it be?!?!? As I kept repeating those words in my head, I suddenly came to a realization, the familiar contract!!


    However, my memory that time was all a blur, I couldn''t remember anything. It was so vexing, I couldn''t remember my all important first kiss, and with such a world-class beauty to boot!!


    While still crouching down, I crawled to Sheena''s side and grabbed her shoulder tightly, only now did she stop healing the wild boar.


    I looked into Sheena''s eyes intently and declared loudly, "PLEASE!! DO IT AGAIN!!"


    "HAH?!?! What are you talking about?!" Sheena was completely stupified, she had no idea what was going on.


    I closed my eyes shut and moved my face closer with my lips sticking out. When Sheena saw that action, she snapped and slapped me hard.


    "What the hell are you doing?!?! Stop playing around already!! Aren''t you the one who wanted to save this wild boar?!" Sheena was completely furious. That was completely natural, I was the one who forced her into this after all.


    I took an orz ?1? position on the ground and cover my stinging cheek with one hand, "Uuu~uu~ Why must it be mouth-to-mouth? Isn''t there any other way?"


    "Sigh...... Didn''t I just tell you not to cause a scene? You are intolerable~" Though that was what Sylvidia said, her voice sounded a bit delighted. I bet she was enjoying this!


    I didn''t make a sound as Sylvidia continued, "Actually... there is another way, however it is impossible for you now."


    "What?! Why?" I asked Sylvidia, via telepathy of course.


    "It is impossible for you to learn how to control your soul energy in a short amount of time no matter how talented you are. You''ll need to learn how to concentrate your soul energy and direct it into objects which may take a long time.  However, it is much easier to use soul energy to manifest desires. You simply have to solely focus on your goal and have faith that it will manifest. That''s why I suggested mouth-to-mouth, it is the easiest way to manifest your desires." Sylvidia explained to me in one go. ?2?


    "But still...... mouth-to-mouth... with a boar no less..." I looked at the boar again and unintentionally let out a disgusted sound, "Ugh......"


    "Sigh... Humans sure are complicated. Fine already, I actually still have another method in mind... If we keep wasting time like this, the boar will really die before we even start. Care to hear me out?" Sylvidia seemed like a goddess who had just decended from the heaven to save me from this peril when she suddenly suggested another method.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Well a surprise chapter! Wasn''t expecting myself to start writing today either, guess I was that bored :P


    <hr />


    References:


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>http://plurk.hellfroze.net/ochiba/view/000063/okawari_02_kana_orz.jpg</a></li>


    <li>How to Manifest Chi Energy.</a>


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 3] Chapter 2: An Angel Descended

    "Y-you... You mean you have another method?!" I looked at Sylvidia with sparkly eyes while clasping my hands.


    "Eh......? I''m looking at Sylvidia... right?" I asked because a white figure suddenly appeared in front of me out of thin air.


    That was the figure of a white horse...... but that''s not all, there was a horn protruding from its forehead and a pair of silver wings clearly extended from both sides of its body.


    "It''s a...... Pe-PEGASUS!!!" I fell on my butt and pointed at the Pegasus with my shaky hand.


    "WHAT?! A Pegasus?! Where?!" Everyone was alarmed by my shout and restlessly searched for the legendary Pegasus. However, they couldn''t find the Pegasus no matter where they look. They thought that the Pegasus might be frightened by my voice and ran away already.


    They heaved a sigh of disappointment. The Pegasus was just in front of me, I wonder why they couldn''t see it. Just when I was pondering why they couldn''t see the Pegasus, it spoke to me, the Pegasus actually talked to me!


    "Relax~ It''s just me, Sylvidia. I am a Spirit so the others won''t be able to see me. Unlike you who have a physical body, my body is entirely made out of Spiritual Energy."


    "O-oooh! Hahahaha... S-so that is your original form~! It''s......" Before I could finish my sentence, I was cut off by Sheena.


    "It''s beautiful......" Sheena was awestruck as she was looking straight at the Pegasus in front of me.


    We both turned our sights to Sheena, and I started, "Eh? Sheena...... y-you can see it? The Pegasus..."


    I was honestly surprised, but Sylvidia was rather calm as she said, "I see... as expected, you can see me after all..."


    "Eh? Is it trying to say something?" Sheena couldn''t understand what Sylvidia was saying, all she could hear was the neigh of a horse.


    "Ah...... Never mind that for now, we have something more important to do at the moment. Sylvidia! What is the other method you mentioned earlier?" As we were pressed for time, I ignored Sheena''s question and enquired Sylvidia.


    "Well... I can probably transfer my own Soul Energy to the wild boar but doing that will not benefit both of us in any way. So I have a suggestion." What Sylvidia said was very reasonable, she doesn''t have a material body so if she transferred her Soul Energy to the wild boar, they will never be recovered. The Soul Energy is equal to her life force, if she run out of Soul Energy, she would undoubtedly die.


    It wouldn''t be beneficial for me either if Sylvidia was the one who did all the work, I wouldn''t be able to learn anything nor would I gain the benefits of Soul Transfusion. Not only will my soul become purer and more condensed, having a more powerful soul means my training in the elemental laws will be faster, as well as increasing the maximum capacity of my Magic Power and Spiritual Power.


    "I''m all ears!" I perk up my ears to listen to Sylvidia''s suggestion attentively.


    "Listen carefully to what I am about to say. The Soul Energy and Spiritual Power are two different thing. The Soul Energy determines your life force, even if your material body perished, as long as your soul is not disintegrated, you can still be revived. Spiritual Power is an invisible force used to control magic as explained by your friend earlier. However, that''s not all they can do. The Spiritual Power is omnipotence, they can be used draw the elemental essences, to probe your surrounding, or even examine your internal organs. What we''re about to do is to use the Spiritual Power to draw the Soul Energy and transfer it to the boar!"


    After explaining all of that in a single breath, Sylvidia heaved a sigh and continued, "However, you do not even know how to control your own Spiritual Power yet, it is impossible to learn it in just a few seconds. Moreover, it is much harder to control your Spiritual Power once it has entered another medium. It is nigh impossible no matter how talented you are."


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Mu... you don''t have to keep telling me that!" I was very dissatisfied as Sylvidia keeps denying me the possibility of learning how to perfectly control my Spiritual Power in just a few seconds.


    However, Sylvidia ignored me and added, "That''s why, I suggest to let me take control of your body momentarily. I will be able to operate your Spiritual Power and carry out the Soul Transfusion perfectly."


    I tilted my head and asked, "Take control of my body...? How?"


    "Sigh... Did you already forget? The beast form transfiguration!" Sylvidia heaved a sigh and reminded me.


    "Oooooh! That''s right! If we do that, you can somehow control my body right?" A chill ran down my spine, and my body shivered involuntarily as I recalled what Sylvidia did when she was in control of my body.


    Sylvidia noticed my insecurities and just laughed it off, "Hahaha! Don''t worry, I won''t do something like jumping off from a Gryphon again~"


    "It doesn''t sound very sincere..." I pursed my lips in discontent. Sylvidia didn''t mind that and the atmosphere around her become very heavy as she said in a serious tone, "Are you ready?"


    Her sudden change of temperament caught me slightly off guard as I replied with an indistinct voice. She seemed really noble and majestic like the legendary Pegasus she meant to be, not like her usual playful self.


    I raised the Magic Card on my hand and shouted the activation word automatically, as if my body was already under Sylvidia''s control.


    "Implicatus!" As soon as I shouted the activation word, Sylvidia turned into a speck of light and entered my body. After that, I transformed into the familiar cat-kin from earlier...... or so I thought, but something doesn''t feel right.


    I feel as though there was something attached to my back, so I looked back and to my surprise, there was a pair of wings!


    "EHHHHHHHHHH?!?!" Not only me, but Sheena and the rest of the crew also shouted involuntarily!


    "What... what is this?! A pair of wings?" As I was confused at the sight of the wings unfolded behind me, the background chatter was getting louder.


    "Is that...... an Angel?"


    "Did an Angel just descended from Heaven?!"


    Just as I heard that, an indistinct voice escaped from my mouth, "An Angel? Me...?"


    Sylvidia obviously heard that and reprimanded me, "Don''t be silly~! Of course not, this is just a bird-kin form."


    "Oh... hahahahaha, of course! It''s just a bird-kin transfiguration!" I scratched my head awkwardly as I was brought back to my senses by Sylvidia.


    Just at this time, Sylvidia reminded me, "I will now take over the control of your body, please do not resist. While I am controlling your Spiritual Power and perform the Soul Transfusion, I want you to embed this feeling into your very being. It will benefit both of us greatly if you can learn the Soul Transfusion as soon as possible."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    ...... I had to stop writing half-way due to work, when I get back and wanted to continue writing, I forgot what to write >.<

 [Vol 3] Chapter 3: Soul Mutation

    "Are you ready?" Before Sylvidia took control of the body, she tried to verify with me whether I am ready to start the operation or not.


    "O-ooh!" I shouted in affirmation.


    Following that, Sylvidia took over the body and said, "Very well! Let us begin the Soul Transfusion! I want you to focus on the internal flow of energy while I am performing the Soul Transfusion."


    "Roger!" I spoke to Sylvidia via telepathy as I lose control of the body. I focused my mind on the internal energy flow as instructed by Sylvidia.


    Sylvidia lifted the hands and placed the palms on the body of the wild boar, then she began to operate the spiritual energy. I could feel the flow of energy as it entered my sea of consciousness. The sea of consciousness is where the souls are housed.


    As Sylvidia probed the sea of consciousness with the Spiritual Power, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my...... I didn''t expect this..."


    "Hm? What''s wrong...?" As I didn''t know what is going on, I asked in confusion.


    "Hrm......" Sylvidia didn''t answer me as she kept probing the sea of consciousness with the Spiritual Power.


    "Um... Sylvidia? Is something the matter?" I got a little anxious.


    "Well, it''s nothing you have to worry about. But as I suspected, this body of yours... it belongs to my previous master." Sylvidia was convinced as she declared thus.


    "Eh......?" Although I could tell from Sebastian''s reaction, that the previous owner of this weapon had met an unfortunate fate, what I didn''t know was that the body I''m currently possessing, was actually the previous owner, so my astonishment was to be expected, "EHHHH?! Y-you said this body belongs to your previous master? How can you be so sure?!"


    Sylvidia didn''t answer immediately and asked me a question instead, "You heard about the dungeons from the Guild Headquarter right?"


    "Uh... un!" I nodded my head in affirmation, mentally.


    "Around a few decades ago, my master, Ranah Elwyn la Sylphis, went to explore one of these dungeons that appeared all over the world after the Apocalypse War. Following her were the Priestess of the Void, Tiffania, and the legendary Hero, Ragna." Sylvidia started to explain, "The dungeon is full of powerful monsters and in the depths of the dungeon, what we discovered was one of the Demon Lords that wrecked havoc in the Apocalypse War!"


    While Sylvidia was explaining, she didn''t forget to draw out the soul energy from the sea of consciousness and transfer it to the boar. I could feel the soul energy flow out of my body through the palm, I was assaulted by a slight dizziness.


    After confirming the flow of soul energy was stable, Sylvidia continued the story, "Of course, they knew it was impossible to defeat the Demon Lord with just the three of them so they tried to run away. However, before they were able to get away, they were caught up in a large-scale soul attack. The Priestess and Hero were lucky to have avoided the soul attack, but my master was not so lucky......


    Ever since then, my master had been in a comatose state, I was handed to Sebastian for maintenance and research purposes."


    Sylvidia ended her lengthy story with this, it was a very surprising fact indeed, to think that the Demon Lords who almost eradicated half of this world were actually confined in the dungeons. Why did the dungeons appear, how did they end up in the dungeons, that remains a mystery, but one thing for sure, thanks to the appearance of the dungeons, the world has regained peace.


    "Un... I get it... I get it and all...... but that still doesn''t explain how you are so sure that this body actually belongs to your master. You couldn''t even tell at first so why are you so convinced now?" It makes perfect sense to say that I possessed this body while it was in a comatose state. That could explain why I could sense a hint of sadness in Anabelle and Sebastian when they were looking at me, since this body actually belonged to Elwyn, and it reminded them of her. But if that was the case, how come Sylvidia didn''t notice this until just now, it doesn''t make sense.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Hold your horses! I am just about to get there, be patient~" And thus, Sylvidia continued her explanation, "You see...... while I was probing your sea of consciousness, I found something peculiar."


    "Something peculiar? As in...?" I asked in confusion.


    "You possess two souls!" Sylvidia exclaimed loudly.


    ......


    "Say what-?!" After a moment of silence, I yelled in surprise, "Two... two souls?! How is that possible?!"


    "It is not uncommon for a deity to possess more than two souls, but it is indeed very unusual for a mortal to possess multiple souls." Sylvidia explained, "What is even more peculiar is that the two souls have different soul signatures, and they are actually fusing together!"


    I was so astounded that I don''t even have words to retort anymore, but there is one thing I am worried about, "Is... is that bad? What will happen to me once the souls fused together?"


    "No, no, no! Soul Mutation is by no means anything bad at all. This will benefit you REALLY greatly, once the souls completely merged, you will be able to completely fuse magic of different elements as one, we call that void magic in this world!


    Furthermore, during the process of Soul Mutation, your Soul will strengthen rapidly, thus your Magic Power and Spiritual Power will increase drastically in this period of time. However......" As Sylvidia speak until here, she suddenly stopped, which increased my anxiety.


    "H-however what? What will happen to me?" I asked nervously.


    "Well...... I am not sure either, since this is the first time I heard of two souls of different origins to fuse together. But I think it''s probably nothing you should worry about, since your soul is stronger, you will probably dominate the other soul and absorb it into your own being."  Sylvidia tried to reassure me but that only made me feel more guilty.


    This body is not originally mine, it was as if I had indirectly stolen Elwyn''s life. Just as I was self-depreciating, Sylvidia tried to set my mind at ease, "It''s nothing you need to feel guilty over. The soul of Elwyn is weakening over time, it is only matter of time before her soul dissipated. In fact, due to you possessing her body, you saved her instead."


    "Is...... that so?" I do feel slightly better after hearing what Sylvidia had said.


    Sylvidia continued to clarify, "Well... it''s not like she will die anyway, she will merely become a part of you. I suspect during the fusion of your souls, you will most likely experience some of these symptoms; Mana Overdose, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and perhaps seeing dreams of Elwyn''s life."


    "Uuu...... Mana Overdose and Identity Disorder, doesn''t sound like it is going to be a pleasant experience..." I voiced out my complain involuntarily as I heard some of the symptoms that I might be experiencing in the future.


    Just at this time, Sylvidia suddenly stopped the Soul Transfusion and said to me, "The boar is no longer in critical situation, however it still doesn''t have enough Soul Energy yet. You did pay attention to the flow of energy while listening to my story right?"


    "O-ooh~ Of course!" Although I said that, most of my attention was focused on Sylvidia''s story.


    "Good! Now I want you to try perform the Soul Transfusion yourself! While you''re doing that, I''ll explain to you the Essence of the Soul." With that, Sylvidia passed the baton to me.

 [Vol 3] Chapter 4: Essence of the Soul

    "Ehhhhh~?! I''m doing it by myself?" When Sylvidia abruptly asked me to perform the Soul Transfusion by myself, I couldn''t believe my own ears.


    "Of couse, the fastest way to learn how to do it, is to experience it by yourself." However, Sylvidia pushed the responsibility to me just like that.


    "B-but you said..." I tried to talk back, but it was fruitless as Sylvidia had already prepared an answer for my question;


    "I know what I said, it is indeed impossible to learn how to control your Spiritual Power that precisely in fractions of a second no matter how talented you are. But you already know how it feels, you already experienced it once, that''s the only advantage you hold. Although it won''t be easy, your success rate is at least much higher than what it was before."


    I was feeling a bit uneasy when Sylvidia suddenly asked me to perform the Soul Transfusion by myself. However, she reassured me by telling me that I have a high chance of success.


    Just when I was feeling that I can do it, she suddenly dropped a bomb, "Well, if you still can''t do it after that much, that means this is all you will ever amount to. Hahahahaha~"


    "Muu......" As I was lamenting over those words, Sylvidia was laughing merrily.


    "Jokes aside, let''s begin immediately." Sylvidia''s tone suddenly got serious and prompted me to begin the Soul Transfusion immediately. She was a really unpredictable fellow; one moment, she was acting Happy-Go-Lucky and the next moment, she was so serious and dignified. I was once again caught off-guard by her sudden change of behavior.


    "O-ooh......" After that brief exchange, I started to guide my Spiritual Power towards the Sea of Consciousness just as how Sylvidia was doing it earlier, albeit a bit clumsy.


    "Hoh...... you are doing better than I thought~" Sylvidia was slightly surprised at how fast I learnt.


    "Heh-heng! I didn''t pride myself as a Fast-Learner for nothing~!" I proudly declared that and pounded my chest.


    "Hmph! Don''t let it get over your head, look! The Spiritual Power is going astray!" Sylvidia scolded me as I lose concentration due to her words of praise. I was always like this, whenever people praised me, I would become arrogant and start to lose concentration. That is why I don''t like people praising me too much.


    "Ahhh! Sorry! I''m so sorry!" I apologized out of habit.


    "Stop apologizing and start concentrating!" Sylvidia immediately abmonished me and asked me to focus.


    "I am sor...... I mean yes ma''am!" Just as I was about to apologize again out of habit, I heard Sylvidia going "Hrm..." so I changed my approach and started to focus.


    "Now then... allow me to explain." When the flow of Spiritual Power was stabilized, Sylvidia started explaining, "The location where you drew the Spiritual Power from, that is your dantian."


    "Dantian? What is that?" I interuptted Sylvidia as she was in the middle of explaining.


    "Shuush~ I''m just about to explain." Sylvidia hinted me to keep quiet as she continued to explain, "The dantian is where your Magic Power and Spiritual Power are stored. Each person has three dantian, they are also known as the Upper Dantian, the Central Dantian, and the Lower Dantian.


    The Upper Dantian is located directly between the eyebrows. This is where all the Spiritual Power gathers, the Upper Dantian is the center for intuitive awareness, psychic abilities, and spiritual communications, it is sometimes referred as ?Third Eye?.


    The Central Dantian is located directly between the chests and it is where the Mage drew their Magic Power from. The Lower Dantian is located below the belly button and it is where the Warrior drew their Battle-Qi from."


    "Ooooooh...... interesting~ So in other words, I am now drawing Spiritual Power from the Upper Dantian?" I asked as I kept guiding the Spiritual Power from the center of my head to the Sea of Consciousness.


    "That''s right, and the place where you are guiding the Spiritual Power to, that is the Sea of Consciousness. It is located in the dead center of the brain, it is where the soul resides." Sylvidia explained calmly, "Now try spreading your Spiritual Power in the Sea of Consciousness, what can you see?"


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Just as Sylvidia instructed, I spread the Spiritual Power around the Sea of Consciousness. I could feel everything in the Sea of Consciousness so clearly, as if I had an eye inside my brain... it''s a weird feeling, no wonder the Upper Dantian was referred as the "Third Eye". I guess this skill is the so called ''Magic Perception'' where one uses their Spiritual Power to probe their surrounding? Except I am probing my internal organs instead of the surrounding.


    "Um... I can see... two specks of light colliding with one another... and a sea at the bottom?" I reported what I see in the Sea of Consciousness to Sylvidia.


    "That''s right... the thumb-sized light is your soul, while the pin-sized light belongs to Elwyn." Sylvidia spelled it out clearly, "Now do you see? It is only a matter of time before Elwyn''s soul dissipate."


    Sylvidia continued to explain, "The sea at the bottom of your Sea of Consciousness contains divine power, but your soul is too weak at the moment, you wouldn''t be able to draw any divine power from the sea anyway, so you can ignore it for now~"


    I was flabbergasted, my jaw literally dropped and I wasn''t able to utter a single word. Sylvidia was always like this, she always dropped big bomb like this so casually as if it was the most normal thing in the world...


    Ignoring me, Sylvidia continued, "Now let''s move on to the essence of the soul, the soul is made up of three layers; The material body, the spiritual body, and the astral body.


    The material body shields the spiritual body from physical harm, it is also where the permanent memories are stored.


    The spiritual body serves as a medium to record memories, and it is the last line of defense for your soul, once the spiritual body is destroyed, your astral body will dissipate and you will lose your sense of self. Even if you are reincarnated, you wouldn''t retain memories of your past life." ?1?


    "So in other words...... Strengthening the Spiritual Body is our top priority? By transferring a portion of our Spiritual Body to the boar, the Spiritual Body will naturally recover as it become purer, denser, and much stronger than before......"


    As I was pondering this to myself, Sylvidia agreed with me and added, "That''s right!! Normally it is impossible to remove a portion of the Spiritual Body, but as a Spirit is purely made out of Spiritual Body, that makes it possible. However, without a Material Body, our Spiritual Body won''t recover naturally so we have to absorb Magic Power and Spiritual Power from outside sources. That''s why most Spirits would find a Magic Item to be their vessel and absorb Magic Power from the users."


    "Oh?" Now that is interesting...... so that is the truth behind the Spirit Item huh... Now that I think about it, I guess I am quite lucky to have found a Material Body as my vessel......


    "Well, now that you know the basics, let the Soul Transfusion begin!" At Sylvidia''s prompt, I began to envelop my soul with the Spiritual Power.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    A major correction in this chapter! I just recently found that there are actually three dantians, not two! My entire world was a lie~!


    I hope this changes won''t have much effect on previous chapters...


    <hr />


    References:


    <ul>


    <li>Reference from Slime Tensei. Thank you for teaching me the essence of the soul, Hinata-sensei.


    </li></ul>

 [Vol 3] Chapter 5: Complete Revival

    At Sylvidia¡¯s prompt, I began to envelop my soul with the Spiritual Power, slowly drawing out a portion of my Spiritual Body as demonstrated by Sylvidia earlier.


    After that, I pulled a portion of the Spiritual Body away from the Sea of Consciousness. What I need to do next is to pull the Spiritual Body towards my palm, transfer the Spiritual Body through the skin of the wild boar, then guide it towards the wild boar''s Sea of Consciousness, and lastly, let it fuse with the Spiritual Body of the wild boar.


    Although it sounds like a very simple process, actually executing it, is much harder than expected. It requires precise regulation and sharp concentration. The sweat was falling like waterfall when I was pulling the Spiritual Body towards my palm.


    I failed several times and the Spiritual Body would spring back to the Sea of Consciousness like a bubble gum. At least I should be grateful that my Spiritual Body didn''t dissipate upon failure, otherwise it would be wasted...... After the Nth times, I finally succeeded, however I consumed a lot of Spiritual Power in the process.


    Luckilly my Spiritual Power was recovered quickly due to the Soul Mutation, so I could still continue. Although I failed a lot when guiding the Spiritual Body towards my palm, it couldn''t even be compared to what I was about to do next.


    The first hurdle was to transfer the Spiritual Body to the wild boar via the skin. The next hurdle was to guide the Spiritual Body towards the wild boar''s Sea of Consciousness. It was much harder to control the Spiritual Power in the Material Body of another being.


    "Puhaaaa~!" I was mentally exhausted after the Soul Transfusion was successful and fell to the ground with my back. While I was lying on the ground, I gazed at the tranquil sky and thought, "Ah... this feels kind of comfy~"


    I was feeling very comfortable relaxing on the ground, I feel like I could fall into a deep slumber for a long while. However, the surrounding was getting noisy, disturbing my peaceful nap;


    "Uuoh~~!! This is a miracle!"


    "This is the blessing of the heavens!"


    "Oh Kami-sama!" ?1</a>?


    "Oink, oink! Oink, oink!"


    Everyone was getting exaggerated and starts praising the heavens, one of them even got down on the knees to pray to the god. But wait...... who was it that squealled like a pig?


    "Oink, oink! Oink, oink!"


    Just when I thought of that, the culprit itself pounced on me and starts assaulting my face mercilessly with its tongue.


    "Wa-wait!! Not the face! Don''t lick my face! I mean... stop licking me you big fat pig!!" The culprit was none other than the wild boar we just saved. It jumped on me while I was still on the ground and starts licking me out of appreciation, probably. I tried to push it away but the wild boar was too big and heavy, there was nothing I could do about it.


    I could only lie on the ground and let it paint my face with its smelly drool until it was satisfied. I just helplessly lie on the ground like a fish being prepared on the cutting board.


    After the wild boar was done, it sat beside the village girl obdiently. The village girl was embracing it intimately. By the way, what''s the name of the village girl again? Did she ever introduced herself?


    The moment I thought of that, the village girl suddenly kowtowed before me and said, "Almighty Goddess!! Thank you for saving my friend, Sappore! My name is Samie! I... I don''t have much to offer but please! May I invite you to my humble town and t-treat you to a meal!"


    Her sudden action shocked me greatly, and to be called a goddess, I was slightly embarrassed... She finally introduced herself and extended an invitation to her hometown as a way to show her gratitude, though she stuttered a little. I guess she must be thinking it was a preposterous idea to invite a goddess to her home.


    "Uh... ah... I''m not... " I was a bit flustered so I wasn''t able to form a sentence properly, just when I was about to deny that I''m a goddess, Sheena suddenly got beside Samie and took the same kowtowing position as her.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I couldn''t help but to exclaim in shock, "Eh?!"


    Following her action, Albert, Caelum, and the other two Gryphon riders also kowtowed before me. I couldn''t help but shout even louder, "EHHHHH?!?! W-what are you all doing?"


    I took a single step back with my right foot and lifted my left forearm before my chest at the same time I was shouting.


    "Y-your liege, pardon me for asking, but may I know what has become of my familiar......" Sheena was somewhat nervous as she was asking that, but it seems she was concerned about me as I suddenly disappeared before her eyes, even though the one standing before her is the person in question......


    This is starting to get a bit awkward, I wonder how should I break it to them...... maybe I should just be straightforward and come out with it?


    When I was about say something, the mischevious Sylvidia suddenly spoke to me via telepathy, "Huhuhu... why not play with them a little?"


    I frowned a little and called her name in a rather heavy tone. However, Sylvidia take no heed of that and took control over my body immediately.


    Then she suddenly started to speak, taking a haughty behaviour, "Raise your heads, plebeian! Before you is the great me, Sylvidia the Winged Unicorn. Feast your eyes upon me with gratitude, hohohohoho~"


    Sylvidia raised my right hand and covered the mouth with the back of the hand while laughing haughtily. I heaved a sigh and thought that she was a really mischevious divine beast...... She could easily take control of my body probably due to me mentally exhausted.


    Sheena opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Ah!!! You... you are that Pegasus from before?!"


    "Ding dong~ That''s right! ?" Sylvidia exclaimed happily with a sweet voice, then she proceeded to answer Sheena''s previous question, "You do not need to worry about your familiar, she is currently dwelling within me~ ?"


    ''Hey~ hey~! Isn''t it supposed to be the other way around?" Or so I retorted in my mind.


    ________________________


    Author''s Note:


    Thank you for reading!


    I¡¯ve started using AdFly recently, in hope to earn some Ad revenue. Please show your support by turning off Adblock for AdFly and visit some of our sponsors HERE</a>!


    This will really be the last chapter this month, I''m going on a vacation next week. I won''t be bringing my laptop with me so I won''t be able to do any translating nor writing.


    So it seems like it''s an unanimous decision, the upcoming chapters will be the Academy Arc! However, if you wish to see the Forest Arc, it''s still not too late, cast your vote HERE!</a>


    P.S. If you like what you read, please support the Author by rating the work and leave a review at the Main Page. Thank you


    Follow my blog to get immediate update:


    Silva''s Library</a>

 [Vol 3] Chapter 6: Local Deity

    When Sylvidia claimed that I was dwelling within her body, I retorted mentally since the body is technically my vessel. However, that was all I could do, I have exhausted most of my Spiritual Power so I couldn''t regain control over the body.


    Sylvidia, on the other hand, was very pleased with their reaction. She stretched out the wings to the limit and spread out her hands while saying, "Child of God, I came here bearing the message of the Almighty One."


    Upon hearing this, everyone present has grown as meek as lambs, they immediately lowered their heads respectfully, awaiting for the Angel to deliver the message of the Almighty One.


    Seeing their meek expression, Sylvidia nodded twice proudly and proclaimed, "The Almighty One declares that one is not getting enough offering from this village, hence the reason why the monsters run amok in the surrounding forest!"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but exclaim in shock, "S-Sylvidia... what are you saying?!" But of course, I sent the message mentally so only Sylvidia could hear my voice.


    Sylvidia sent back mentally, "Worry not, this is not a trickery! The reason why monsters are swarming in this forest is because the domain of the local deity has grown weak!"


    "Y-you can tell something like that?" I was shaken up by this unexpected development, I couldn''t help but ask, "What are local deities?"


    "Local deities are Spiritual race like us that resides in local temples or shrines, they set up a domain and grant the city or town they resides in with their blessing in return of offerings!" Sylvidia explained calmly.


    I just nodded twice in response, then Sylvidia continued her explanation, "But of course, the offerings are not the important part. The most important part is Faith Power. When a believer offered prayer to a deity they believed in, the deity will receive a hint of Faith Power from them. By using those Faith Power, the local deities can set up their own domain which repels being with evil intention."


    While we were chatting mentally, the village girl, Ramie, couldn''t help but ask, "O-offerings for the Almighty One?"


    "That''s right!" Sylvidia said haughtily, "This shows how the villagers had been negligent of the local deity in this area for a while now. The domain in this area is weakening, that''s why the small fries are able to intrude into the domain governed by the local deity."


    Sylvidia barked with a bit of disdain in her voice, "Take me to your local shrine! I will negotiate with the local deity while you go gather the villagers!"


    "Y-yes!!" The village girl, Ramie, immediately stood ramrod straight and led the way respectfully, "T-this way please!"


    Everyone including the Goblin Trio followed quietly, with Sylvidia at the back of the line. The leader of the Goblin Trio, however, was able to sense my soul via our Spiritual Bond. He obviously found out something had invaded my body the moment I transformed. He asked via the Spiritual Link with a little bit of anxiety, "Master, are you alright?"


    I sent back mentally to reassure Zain, "I am fine, my Spiritual Power has just grown a little weak so the control of my body was easily taken over by a Spiritual Being. But worry not, Sylvidia will not do something bad, if she did, you will save me right?"


    The Black Goblin, Zain, however, just snorted disdainfully, "Hmpf! To have your body taken over so easily, how weak!! It seems I have chosen the wrong master!" While Zain was saying this, he shook his head twice while grabbing his skull with one hand.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "A-ahaha-ha-ha~" I could only laugh awkwardly at those remark. I can''t deny the fact that I am indeed weak. However, I was able to tell one thing from those remark, that Zain had been searching for a worthy master to serve under for a while now. Why was he searching for a master, that is something we will find out in the near future!


    We walked through the forest for a while and finally arrived at the small farming village, Pharamville. When we entered the village, we were swarmed by the villagers who were worried about the village girl. Apparently, they had already formed a small squad ready to plunge into the forest to search for her at a moment''s notice.


    However, once they noticed the wings growing on my back, they were all flabbergasted. However, when one of them suddenly shouted, "An... an... an Angel?!?!" They all regained their clarity of mind, and prostrated on the ground immediately.


    The village girl frantically introduced, "E-everyone! T-this here is an emissary of the god. S-she came here bearing the message of the Almighty One!"


    Sylvidia felt quite proud looking down on all the ''mortals'' on the ground, she said with a haughty voice, "Hear me, mortals! I am the emissary of the Goddess of Light, Elluel. I came here to deliver a message to you plebeians! You who have not offered your prayers to the local deity of this area shall receive divine punishment!"


    Every single one of the villagers, upon hearing this, had their face grown pale. Indeed, they had been neglecting the local shrine in this village for a while now. Not because they were disrespectful towards the god, it''s more like they no longer believes in the god anymore!


    During the Apocalypse War a few decades ago, no matter how much they prayed, the god never granted them any form of salvation. In the end, it was the Heroes who saved them from the catastrophe.


    The majority of the world now worshipped the Heroes more than the god. But of course, there was quite a few who still believed in god. They believed the emergence of the dungeon was the doing of the god. While others think the Demon Lords were so scared of the Heroes that they hid themselves in the dungeons.


    Seeing the lifeless expression on the faces of the villagers, Sylvidia offered a life boat, "But of course, the Almighty One is lenient. They are willing to forgive you if you offered a little bit of offerings to the local deity everyday~! I will go negotiate with the local deity, lead the way!"


    Hearing this, the villagers couldn''t help but heave sighs of relieve. The village chief immediately stood up, still with his head lowered, said in a low and respectful voice, "I am the village chief, Olaf, I will lead you there."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    I think I just dug my own grave with this direction, I had no idea how to continue the story with Sylvidia acting this way >.<


    Luckily I had played Tales of Zestiria, otherwise I wouldn''t be able to come up with this plot, nice save to get out of that awkward situation!


    Anyway, Happy New Year everyone!

 [Vol 3] Chapter 7: Divine Fox

    The village chief of Pharamville was a middle-aged man who was in his late forties. He had neatly cut short brown hair, with a few strains of white hair. He had a sturdy looking body as expected of someone who worked in the field.


    As the village chief, Olaf, led us to the local shrine, the village girl went to gather the rest of the villagers.


    We followed the village chief quietly while he introduced various places of the small village to us. Although there were not much in the village to begin with; Such as the General Store, the farm, the eatery, the barn, the tailor shop, the paddy field, the armory, and oh... did I already mention the farm?


    In short, this village was completely surrounded by farms. Their main production was rice surprisingly, I guess it must be influenced by Saito. Because according to my unreliable sources, which were the Manga and Light Novel, I don''t remember rice as being a staple food in most of the fantasy world.


    The village chief even let us sample some of the freshly cooked rice ball and it tasted amazing! Nothing like the rice from the old world I know, the smooth texture, the deep flavor, the alluring aroma......


    Oh by the way, even though my body was controlled by Sylvidia, I was still able perceive my five senses. Hence I was able to taste the rice ball.


    After a quick tour around the small farming village, we finally arrived in front of a worn down shrine just a little outside of the village. It was not one of those grandiose shrine as one would normally imagine, it was just a small street shrine made out of rocks.


    It was located at the side of the street just a little away from the entrance of the village. There were signs of cracks all over the shrine and it was surrounded by overgrown grasses.


    The village chief nervously presented the shrine to us as we arrived at our destination, "T-this is... the local shrine of our humble village."


    Just around this time, the village girl brought a wave of people towards our current location. Sylvidia, who were still in control of my body, nodded slightly and said to the village chief, "I will go find the local deity, you guys will fix this mess!"


    "Y-yes, My Lord-!" The village chief stood ramrod straight with his left hand positioned at the middle of his chest as he answered. Sylvidia turned around and looked at Sheena, "You, come with me!"


    Sheena''s body stiffened momentarily before she answered and follow behind Sylvidia. The Goblin trio were also coming along, Albert and the three Gryphon knights however, decided to stay behind and help rebuild the shrine since they didn''t receive any instruction from the ''Almighty Angel''.


    As soon as we left, we could hear the village chief barking orders at the villagers and some whispers from among the villagers, such as;


    "What are the Goblins doing together with the Angel?"


    "Hey, is it just me or did you smell something funny?"


    "Must be from the Goblins no? They look dirty..."


    Due to my sharp sense of hearing ever since becoming an elf, I was able to hear them until we were some distance away. I''m sorry to say but the funny smell probably came from the drool of the boar earlier, I want to take a bath!


    After we entered the forest and out of the villagers'' line of sight, Sylvidia suddenly slumped on the ground and let out an awkward grumble, "Puhaaa~ It''s so tiring acting all high and mighty all the time~"


    As always, she was really unpredictable, I just face-palmed and shook my head a few times mentally. Sheena, however, was completely dazed due to the sudden change in demeanor.


    She could only let out a few awkward incomplete sentence, "Eh... what...? L-lord Angel? What is......"


    Sheena got out of the daze when Sylvidia suddenly called her name in a serious tone, "Eh...? Y-you know my name?


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Sylvidia smiled mischievously and said, "Fufufu... Of course I know, I know e-very-thing."


    "E... every... thing?" Sheena shuddered at the thought.


    "Yes... everything... including your eyes..." As Sylvidia said this, she was grabbing Sheena by the chin and lifted her face up slightly. She brought her face close to Sheena, and looked directly into her eyes.


    "M-my eyes? What is wrong with my eyes?" Sheena asked nervously.


    "Fufufu..." Sylvidia laughed mischievously and pulled some distance away from Sheena, then she crossed her hands below the breasts and asked, "You can see something other people cannot see right?"


    Sheena quivered a few times but she did not answer the question, she just stood there quietly with one arm crossed under her breasts ?1?. Sylvidia didn''t persist, instead she just turned around and said, "Fufufu... let''s just leave it as it is today. More importantly, I know you are there, Iqaos! Come out!"


    "Hmhmhm... as keen as ever Lord Sylvidia, even after your Material Body has perished." A rugged voice resounded from all the directions, we couldn''t even tell where the voice was coming from. The Goblin trio became vigilant and kept observing the surrounding.


    Then all of a sudden, a beautiful snow-white fox appeared in front of us. Its fur was as white as the snow and its sharp claws were flickering with divine light.


    It was an awe-inspiring sight, and more importantly, the fox has nine tails, it was a Nine-Tailed Fox!


    "Awawawawawa......" Sheena fell on her rear while pointing at the Nine-Tailed Fox. She kept muttering some incomprehensible words. If I was not controlled by Sylvidia, I might have the same reaction as her.


    "Hmpf...... so you''re still alive, you senile old fox!" Sylvidia grunted unhappily as she looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox.


    "Kukuku... How can I kick the bucket ?2? before the Great Lord Sylvidia." The Nine-Tailed Fox said sarcastically.


    Seems like there were some history between the two but it''s not nice to cut in people''s conversation like this so I remained silent. Sheena just watched the exchange between the two quietly. The Goblin trio looked around with confused expression, they couldn''t see the Nine-Tailed Wolf because its body was composed by only Spiritual Energy.


    Only someone with high affinity with the Spiritual World, like Sheena for example, can see Spiritual Being like Spirit, Ghost, Deity, et cetera.


    "So what have you come here today for?" The Nine-Tailed Fox asked.


    "Fuu......" Sylvidia let out a short breath before she exclaimed, "I came here today to request you to grant your blessing to the village of Pharmville."


    "Ku... Buhahahahahahahahaha! Indeed the goody-two-shoes as always! My answer is no!" The Nine-Tailed Fox laughed hysterically and outright rejected!


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Kh...... This took much effort to write. Lack of vocabulary and this sudden twist makes it all the harder to write.


    <hr />


    References:


    1. Can''t find a better word to describe this position:


    http://smallhandsbigideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/04_partial-arm-cross.jpg</a>


    2. An idiom for dying.

 [Vol 3] Chapter 8: Negotiation

    The Nine-Tailed Fox''s rejection didn''t come as a surprise to Sylvidia. Sheena, on the other hand, was getting a little frantic as she looked at the exchange between two ''Celestial beings''. It seemed as if there were sparks between the two as they stared at each other intently.


    She thought it would be rude to cut into the conversation between two seemingly high and lofty creatures, so she kept her silence as she looked at the two back and forth.


    The Goblin trio didn''t know what was going on, they could hear the voice but they weren''t able to see anything. All they knew was that the situation looked very grim.


    Sylvidia broke the gloomy atmosphere by speaking first, "I knew you were going to say that! Fine then, what do you want from me?"


    "What do I want from you?" The Nine-Tailed Fox revealed a wicked smile as he scanned all over Sylvidia''s body. Then he suddenly said, "How about this then? If you give me your host, I will accept your request!"


    "That''s......" Sylvidia hesitated, but just around this time, Sheena stood up abruptly and shouted, "NO!! Sylvia is my familiar, I will not hand her to you!"


    Both Sylvidia and Iqaos were surprised by Sheena''s sudden outbreak, so they turned their attention to her. Sheena was glaring at Iqaos intently, she seemed to have forgotten that the one standing in front of her was a local deity, the only thing in her mind was that she will not hand over her familiar to anyone, not even the god.


    A familiar is supposed to be one''s destined life-long partner, she would definitely not want to part with her familiar until death do them part.


    Iqaos, the Nine-Tailed Fox, suddenly said, "Hoh... she can see me? Interesting!" Then he turned his attention back to Sylvidia, "So your host''s name is Sylvia ey? Buhahahahaha! Intriguing! Truly intriguing!"


    Sylvidia was startled by the Nine-Tailed Fox''s unexpected outburst of laughter, she shouted at Iqaos, "W-what is so funny?!"


    "Buhahahahaha! No, it is nothing!" Iqaos stopped laughing and turned his attention to Sheena, then he asked, "I have made up my mind. Girl! What is thee ?1? name?"


    Being suddenly asked of her name, Sheena was dumbfounded, "Eh? M-my... name?"


    Sylvidia suddenly got between Sheena and Iqaos, she raised the left land to block in front of Sheena, then she barked at the Nine-Tailed Fox, "Iqaos! Don''t go too far!"


    Iqaos was furious and barked back, "Step aside, Sylvidia! With your current strength, you stand no chance against me! I can easily tear you apart without my Divine Ability!"


    "Can you not reconsider? I can give you anything except these two, I am even willing to part with my vessel, the Blank Slate!" Sylvidia urged frantically.


    "The Blank Slate?" The item has caught the Nine-Tailed Fox''s interest and he looked at Sylvidia in awe.


    "Yes, it is as you imagined. The Blank Slate is the Divine Artifact bestowed to me by the Goddess of Light. It can take the form of any weapon or armor the user desired!" Sylvidia explained.


    She only told me about this later but apparently, the weapon that I had been using until now was called the ''Blank Slate''. Originally, it was a blank card with nothing on it. By absorbing the owner''s Magic Power, it will eventually transform into the owner''s most desired weapon or armor. Thus, the Dual Bowgun was the weapon Sylvidia''s previous owner most desired.


    Sylvidia also told me that after absorbing enough Magic Power from me, the Blank Slate will also transform into a weapon that I desired the most. Naturally, I will still be able to use the Dual Bowgun and Beast form transfiguration if I wish to.


    But enough of that, we will return to the main story: "Hoh... you are willing to give up the gift bestowed to you by the Goddess of Light?" Iqaos was genuinely surprised to see Sylvidia going that far to help a measly village. "What drives you to go that far?" So he asked.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sylvidia just answered coldly, "I have no obligation to answer that question."


    "Hmph! Doesn''t matter... you''re probably just trying to gather the already diminishing Faith Power for the Goddess of Light anyway, it doesn''t concern me in the slightest." Iqaos suddenly lost his interest in Sylvidia and turned his attention to Sheena at the back.


    Then he smiled smugly and said, "Although I am interested in that Divine Artifact of yours, I am more interested in the girl behind you at the moment. If you''re not going to move, then I will go over there myself!"


    As soon as he finished saying thus, Iqaos suddenly lunged towards Sylvidia with its sharp claws at the ready.


    "Why you-!" Sylvidia cursed involuntarily as two long swords suddenly appeared out of thin air. She immediately grabbed the swords with both hands to fend off the claw attack.


    "Clank!" The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard as the sword and sharp claws made contact. Sylvidia was holding the sword in the right hand in reversed position and swung it while turning the entire body around. That is so she can apply the weight of the body in the sword blow.


    After successfully repelling the claw attack, Iqaos was forced to take a few steps back. Sylvidia continued to turn around and made a 360 degree turn, then she waved the sword in the left hand from bottom to up in a slanted angle in attempt to injure Iqaos. But unfortunately, Iqaos was able to dodge that attack easily by jumping backwards.


    A pair of pure white wings on her back fluttered slightly in the breeze, the elegant footwork, and the smooth swordplay, it was as if a beautiful swan was dancing in the dense forest. Anyone who laid eyes on Sylvidia''s beautiful sword dance would undoubtedly be enticed, much less Sheena and the Goblin trio.


    "Tsk!" Iqaos was irritated at how he was so easily pushed back by a former deity, he warned arrogantly, "Sylvidia! Don''t push your luck!"


    Sylvidia didn''t want to back down either so she could only try to bluff her way out of this, she knew she was not the Nine-Tailed Fox''s opponent once he gets a little serious, "Iqaos! Even if I have lost my Divine Ability, I will not go down that easily! I have more battle experience than you."


    "Pu-buhahahahahahahahahaha! Then see how you like this!!!" Iqaos laughed hysterically and suddenly, a ten meter tall shadow in the shape of a Nine-Tailed Fox appeared behind him.


    "Arh-woooooooooooooooooooooooo!" The shadow fox suddenly let out an ear-piercing howl. Sylvidia''s face turned pale as she saw the shadow fox, she involuntarily shouted, "A-are you crazy?! Why are you using your Divine Ability on mere mortals?! Have you lost your mind?!"


    Because the shadow fox was made up of a very dense amount of Spiritual Power, even someone without high affinity with the Spiritual World can see it. The Goblin trio were slack-jawed when a ten meter tall shadow fox suddenly appeared in front of them. Even the villagers from the distant could see the shadow fox.


    Seeing the look on Sylvidia''s face, Iqaos felt very satisfied, "Hahahahaha, that''s it! That''s the expression I wanted to see! Now die!!" Just when Iqaos was about to unleash the attack, a voice rang out in the mind of everyone present, "That is enough!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Hoh boy~ hoh boy~ What is going to happen in the next chapter... care to take a wild guess?


    <hr />


    References:


    1. Archaic or dialect form of ''you''.

 [Vol 3] Chapter 9: Armatization!

    Just when Iqaos was about to unleash the attack, a voice rang out in the mind of everyone present, "That is enough!"


    Iqaos didn''t heed the voice and let loose of his divine ability, he laughed hysterically and shouted the name of his ultimate skill, "Hahaha! Devour her soul!! Anima Chaser!!"


    After that, the ten meter tall shadow wolf transformed into a ray of black light and charged towards Sylvidia at lightning speed. However, right at this moment... every second feels like countless years to Sylvidia as her past memories replayed in her mind over and over.


    Sylvidia suddenly thought to herself, "Ah... this is just like what happened the last time I was almost killed. Except this time... it will be true death!"


    With that in mind, Sylvidia apologized to me in advance, "I am sorry my Master, it seems like I have failed you."


    "No!! Don''t give up yet! Aren''t you the one who taught me not to give up until the end?! I am not about to give up! I don''t want to die a second time!!" I barked at Sylvidia when it seemed like she was about to give up.


    Sylvidia was startled awake by my rebuke, then she renewed her resolution, "Ah... You are right! You are absolutely right! I don''t want to die a second time either!"


    With our minds more or less in sync, a transformation occurred in our souls. We raised our hands simultaneously, that''s right, we have become one in body and soul.


    I could feel the light elemental essences which I couldn''t even detect before rushing into my body like a waterfall. The light elemental essences continuously strengthen my body, as well as recovering my already dwindled Spiritual Power. The light elemental essence was so dense that could even be detected by naked eyes, it seemed as if my body was glowing with a holy radiance.


    In just the blink of an eye, my body has already fully recovered. No, that''s not right either... my body feels lighter and more powerful than I previously was. This is the legendary skill, Armatization! It is a powerful skill which every Spirit Weapons possessed.


    When activated, the user will gain a portion of the Spirit''s power, and their body will be nourished by the elemental essences of the world. However, there are two requirements in order to activate this skill.


    One, the user and the Spirit must be in mutual understanding. Two, the user and the Spirit must be almost equal in strength. Only then would one be able to perform Armatization. Another name for Armatization is Soul Fusion. As its name implies, Armatization is the special ability of a Spiritual Being to temporarily fuse their soul with another foreign soul.


    You can imagine by yourself just how powerful would one become when two souls fused together. Twofold? Not even close! When two souls fused together, not only will they gain a portion of the other''s power, their mana ?1</a>?, their base strength, and even their vitality will be increased tremendously.


    Although that took awhile to explain, in reality, only a few seconds have passed, but the shadow fox was already in front of us. As we raised our hands, our Spiritual Power keeps rising dramatically. The runes on the back of my left and right hands glowed brightly.


    All of a sudden, a massive Black Hole appeared in front of our palms, which were facing towards Iqaos. The shadow fox actually charged straight into the Black Hole and disappeared without a trace!


    But that was not the end of it yet, the Black Hole suddenly changed into a White Hole! The shadow fox that was devoured by the Black Hole actually came out of the White Hole and directly charged towards Iqaos!


    At this moment, Iqaos finally revealed a frantic expression, his eyes were wide open as he shouted in disbelieve, "IMPOSSIBLE! This cannot be happening!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The shadow fox was getting closer and closer to Iqaos, and he could only stare at the shadow fox while bellowing in agony. Just before the shadow fox reached Iqaos, the sweet yet angry voice rang out in the mind of everyone again, "Such insolence! Didn''t you hear me at first? I said, THAT IS ENOUGH!"


    And then all of a sudden, a powerful pressure pressed down on everyone present. Even the illusory shadow fox dissipated into nothingness! That was the... legendary God Realm!!


    God Realm, according to Sylvidia, is an ability that only the true god can use. Any being caught in the God Realm will have their movements completely restricted, even an ultimate expert like Iqaos, who was at the Demigod level, cannot move freely in the God Realm. Only a God of equal rank can resist the God Realm and move about unrestricted.


    Everyone stood still in their original position, unable to move even an inch, it was as if everyone present had been turned into a lifeless statue. No... that''s not right either, everyone stood in their original position except Sheena, since she was the only one who was sitting on the ground the entire time.


    Iqaos, who was saved by an uninvited guest, felt relieved that his life had been spared. But that only lasted for a moment, when he felt the presence of the being that is approaching, he instantly turned pale.


    "T-this presence is!" Sylvidia exclaimed in shock, she was also able to sense the presence of the godly being that is descending from the heaven. But in reality, it is normally not possible to sense the presence of a being that is stronger than you. That is unless that being intentionally let their presence spill out.


    "Iqaos, you actually dare to disobey me! Do you have a death wish?!" The figure that was descending from the heaven opened her tiny mouth and speak loudly. Just as before, her sweet voice reverberated in the mind of everyone here. If one was careless, one might be completely entranced by her sweet voice, and enter a state of dizziness.


    "N-no! My lord- I wouldn''t dare!" Iqaos answered the mysterious figure frantically.


    On the other hand, the Goblin trio, Sheena, and myself who doesn''t know anything was making a lot of noise;


    <ul>


    <li>"W-what is going on?! I cannot move!" Sheena was confused.</li>


    <li>"T-this pressure..." Zain was trembling in fear.</li>


    <li>"Grr-nununununu... move!" Giga was trying to move his body with brute force.</li>


    <li>"Z-zain..." Fiore looked at Zain worriedly.</li>


    <li>"Urgh... I... cannot move my body! What is going on, Sylvidia?" I asked the walking encyclopedia that was always with me.


    </li></ul>


    "T-that is... the Spirit King!" Sylvidia sent the message directly in my mind urgently.


    ______________________


    Author''s Note:


    This chapter is just too awesome! Initially, my plan was to end the fight as soon as it started but when I started writing, this amazing idea just hit me like a thunderbolt! Another power-up for our Heroine, yay!


    And yes, an early chapter because I already met my translating quota this week. Enjoy!


    Just a kind reminder, my blog is now supported by WordAd and AdFly</a>, please turn off your Adblock and visit Silva''s Library</a> to support the author. Thank you!


    P.S. Whoa... what happened here? There was 2k view on the last chapters?

 [Vol 3] Chapter 10: Contract With The Spirit King

    ¡°T-that is¡­ the Spirit King!¡± Sylvidia sent the message directly in my mind urgently.


    ¡°T-the Spirit what?!¡± I couldn¡¯t believe my ears and was convinced that I just misheard, but after hearing Sylvidia reaffirmed that the figure currently descending from the heaven is indeed a Spirit King, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°W-why is the Spirit King¡­ here of all places?¡±


    Sylvidia remained silent, she didn¡¯t say anything and just turned her attention to Sheena. It seems like she knows something, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me about it. I can tell from her gesture that the descend of the Spirit King probably has something to do with Sheena.


    I know it is not a good idea to pry on other people¡¯s privacy so I didn¡¯t press on. In time, I will probably hear it from the person herself.


    The godly figure of the Spirit King was really small since it was so high in the sky, but after it descended to several meter above ground, it is still just as tiny.


    AriaThe Spirit King has a pair of beautiful translucent butterfly wings attached to her back. Her long platinum hair, her slender skin, her crimson eyes, her appearance is very eye-catching. She has a majestic aura around her, she looks really stunning. However¡­¡­ she is TOO SMALL!! Her height is probably only around 20 centimeter, she is only a little taller than the palm size of an adult.


    She looks just like a¡­ that¡¯s right, she looked exactly like a Pixie in the fairy tale! I couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in shock, ¡°The Spirit King is a¡­¡­ a Pixie?!¡±


    The Spirit King frowned upon hearing my statement, she turned her attention to me and said with a hint of disgust, ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t lump me together with the lowly Pixie race. I am a proud fairy-kin.¡±


    Sylvidia immediately took over the control of my body, and kneel on the ground with one knee touching the ground. We were able to move only because the Spirit King has already lifted her God Realm some time ago.


    Sylvidia lowered our ?1</a>? head respectfully and said with sincerity, ¡°Lord Aria, it has been a while. I apologize on behalf of my host, she is still new to this world and didn¡¯t know of many things. I will properly educate her in the future! I beg your forgiveness for her rude remark.¡±


    The Spirit King, Aria, looked at us interestingly, ¡°Hoh¡­ ? Is that you, Sylvidia? Hehehe, I don¡¯t believe my eyes¡­ you are actually still alive after all that? You are quite resilient, if the Goddess of Light know you are still alive, she will be very delighted! And moreover¡­¡­¡± The Spirit King flew in front of us, then she looked at us up and down to size us up.


    ¡°Hehehe~¡± Spirit King Aria laughed charmingly, her smile was so beautiful that it would steal the soul of any man who gazed at it. Even though I am in the body of a girl now, my mind is still that of a man. Then she said with a sweet voice, ¡°It seems you have found a good host, Sylvidia.¡±


    Sylvidia nodded her head in affirmation, ¡°That is indeed the case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good~ That¡¯s good~ Then does that mean you are not planning to return to the Goddess of Light¡¯s side?¡± Spirit King Aria gazed into our eyes and asked Sylvidia firmly.


    ¡°With all due respect, Lord Aria, with my current level of strength. I am not worthy to stand beside a mighty god.¡± Sylvidia answered without any hesitation.


    ¡°Fu¡­¡­ fair enough!¡± Spirit King Aria let out of breath, then she turned around to face the Divine Fox. She crossed her forearms under her breasts, then she barked at him with her sweet voice, ¡°Iqaos! Why didn¡¯t you stop attacking when I ordered you to stop!¡±


    The Divine Fox¡¯s already pale face turned even lighter, he answered in a panic,¡± M-my Lord- I¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t know it was you! Please! I beg your forgiveness!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You tried to steal my contractor, that sin is unforgivable!¡± Spirit King Aria said in disdain.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Contractor? Did the Spirit King mean Sheena?¡± These thoughts suddenly flooded my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in shock, ¡°EHHHH?!?! By contractor, you don¡¯t mean-!¡±


    ¡°H-hey! Master! What are you doing?! If you keep flustering like that-!¡± Sylvidia sent the message to my mind simultaneously, but before she can finish her sentence¡­


    ¡°Kweeeeeen-KABOOM!¡± With an explosive sound, our Armatization was cancelled, even our Beast Form Transfiguration had been undone. I changed back into an elf, Sylvidia was separated from my body forcefully. The Divine Artifact, Blank Slate, exited my body from the cleavage and dropped to the ground.


    Due to our mind going out of sync, the Armatization was forcefully cancelled. We both fell to the ground due to the powerful force pulling us apart.


    ¡°Ouch! That hurts~!¡± I rubbed my butt that was the first to hit the ground with teary eyes.


    Sylvidia stood up on all four and let out a defeated sigh, ¡°Haiz¡­¡­ You are still far too immature. You need more training!¡± Then Sylvidia turned to Spirit King Aria, she extended one of her forehoof forward, while the other forehoof was kneeling on the ground. ?2</a>? I have never seen a real horse take a bowing position before. But now, a genuine Divine Steed, a Winged Unicorn, is actually bowing before the Spirit King.


    Then Sylvidia said respectfully, ¡°I apologize for the disturbance that my Master has caused, please carry on with what you were doing, Lord Aria.¡±


    Spirit King Aria revealed a slight smile and whispered to herself amusingly, ¡°Hmph! What an interesting host! She actually dared to act so daringly in my presence.¡± Then she turned her head back to face Iqaos, ¡°So¡­ ? What do you have to say for yourself, Iqaos? Do you have any last word?¡±


    Iqaos turned even paler, if he turns even more paler than this, I fear that he might really die from anxiety. Iqaos plead in a hurry, ¡°My lord-! Please, I don¡¯t know anything. I really don¡¯t know anything! I had no idea she is your¡­¡±


    ¡°Silence! This is a clear act of betrayal. Today, you will die!¡± Spirit King Aria didn¡¯t wait for Iqaos to finish the sentence. She lifted the glorious divine sword that was in her hand and generated a gale around it.


    Just when she was about to strike Iqaos, Sheena stood up and ran in between them to stop the attack. She spread her arms wide and faced Spirit King Aria, she made an appeal for Iqaos, ¡°Please, just stop this already! He doesn¡¯t have the will to fight!¡±


    ¡°Sheena¡­¡­¡± Spirit King Aria whispered softly, then she raised her voice, ¡°Why did you help him? He was trying to forcefully make you enter a contract with him!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­ I mean w-we need him! We need him to give his blessing to the local village nearby!¡± Sheena stuttered at first, but later on, she picked up her courage and said firmly.


    ¡°If you need a Celestial Spirit to give their blessing to the local village, I can give you as much as you want. It didn¡¯t have to be him!¡± Spirit King Aria said with conviction.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Sheena was at a lost for words, she didn¡¯t know what to do. All she know was that she didn¡¯t want to see someone being killed in front of her, even if they are her enemies.


    _____________________


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Now if you are wondering, why Spirit King when it is a female. Shouldn¡¯t it be Spirit Queen instead? Well the answer is simple, Spirit King is simply a title. I mean¡­ don¡¯t you call a female Demon Lord as a Demon Lord as well? Do people actually call them Demon Queen?


    What will happen in the next chapter? Will Sheena save Iqaos? Will the Spirit King allow Iqaos to live? Stay tuned next week!


    Just a kind reminder, my blog is now supported by WordAd and AdFly</a>, please turn off your Adblock and visit Silva''s Library</a> to support the author. Thank you!

 [Vol 3] Chapter 11: Reward from the Divine Fox

    "Uh......" Sheena was at a lost for words, she didn''t know what to do. All she know was that she didn''t want to see someone being killed in front of her, even if they are her enemies.


    Sheena sent me the puppy eyes, asking for my help with her gaze. I couldn''t really say no to that, but even if you ask me, I also don''t know what to do in this situation. Just how are we supposed to convince the almighty Spirit King to let a pawn lives?


    Sheena kept sending me the puppy eyes, I really wanted to turn my head the other way but I couldn''t, not after receiving that pure gaze. I scratched my head and opened my mouth to speak, "Ah... geez~! Fine already..."


    I stood up and whispered to Sylvidia through our spiritual link, "Sylvidia, any ideas how to convince the Spirit King to let Iqaos go?"


    Sylvidia just replied uncaringly, "Hmph! He deserved it, I don''t intent to help that jerk!" Then she looked the other way and whispered softly, "He actually dares to treat me so lightly, if it was before......"


    ?Ah~! So unfair! Why do I have to get myself caught up in this mess... Gr-nununununu... I guess it''s do-or-die!?


    I grinded my teeth and hardened my resolve, then I start to speak, "Spirit King, can you please give Iqaos one more chance?"


    "Hoh~? Young spirit, you nearly got yourself killed by Iqaos, yet you want to help him?" Spirit King Aria inquired.


    I shuddered involuntarily when she called me the ''young spirit'', it makes me wonder if there is a special method for the Spirits to determine one''s identity. Sylvidia was able to tell I was a Spirit at first glance, so is the Spirit King in front of me. I really wanted to ask but I guess that can wait...


    "It is true that my life was almost taken by Iqaos, but it is also thanks to him that I was able to get stronger. Please give him one more chance!" I speak resolutely.


    "Fufufu~ Is that your real reason, young spirit?" Spirit King Aria smiled mischievously. I was completely entranced by her smile and spoke truthfully.


    "T-the truth is... I don''t really care what happens to Iqaos! I-in fact... I think it is better that is he gone from the world, so as to avoid giving myself more trouble in the future!"


    "S-sylvia-! How could you say something like that......" Sheena looked at me disbelievingly.


    Sylvidia suddenly turned around and laughed loudly, "Hahaha! No wonder you''re my Master! I am starting to like you even more now!"


    Spirit King Aria also burst into a fit of laughter while holding her stomach and smacking her thigh with one hand, "Fufu-fuhahahahahahaha-! I like it! I like your honesty! Hahaha!" When the Spirit King was like that, she seemed more like a child. The imposing aura from earlier seemed like a hallucination.


    "Eh?" I was gobsmacked, was that supposed to be funny? I had no idea what is going on at all. But before I had a chance to think about anything else, Spirit King Aria suddenly said, "Thanks for the good laugh!"


    I couldn''t help it anymore and these words just escapes my mouth automatically, "EHHH?! W-what is going on? Was that supposed to be funny? I was being completely honest..."


    Spirit King Aria wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and said, "I admire your honesty, but I never thought... pfft-!" The Spirit King was trying to hold back her laughter from mid-sentence.


    I seriously don''t get it... what was so funny? Did the Spirit King have a weird sense of humor? The reason the Spirit King was laughing was because what I said was completely contrary to what she was thinking, so she was very delighted that her expectation was betrayed.


    If I had answered with some clich¨¦ lines like ?your enemy today could be your friend tomorrow? or some revolting lines like that, the Spirit King might really just kill Iqaos on the spot. But of course, I wouldn''t know what was the Spirit King thinking at the time.


    Spirit King Aria suddenly turned around to face Iqaos and Sheena, then she opened her tiny mouth and said, "Very well! I will give Iqaos one more chance! If something like this happens again, he will immediately be disposed of!"


    I gave up trying to figure out what the Spirit King was thinking, my head hurts just thinking about it. I could only heave a sigh of relieve that she had a change of mind. Whatever the cause, I don''t even want to think about it any further.


    Although Sheena was still a little unhappy with my answer, she was delighted when Spirit King Aria suddenly decided to give Iqaos a leeway. She also heaved a sigh of relief. Sheena bowed respectfully towards the Spirit King and thanked her sincerely, then she turned to face Iqaos and said gently, "Lord Iqaos, can you please listen to our request one more time? Please give your blessing to the town of Pharamville."


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Ah... You saved my life, young lady. I will heed your request..." Iqaos suddenly turned very humble towards Sheena. No one knew whether it was because she saved his life or because she is the contractor of the Spirit King. Being a contractor of the Spirit King means that Sheena has the power to control all the spirits under the domain of the Spirit King.


    But it seems Sheena herself wasn''t aware of her power yet, she didn''t even use this power when we were facing the Abyss Beast. If she had, she might be able to beat the Abyss Beast all by herself? That thought suddenly crossed my mind and I shuddered when I think about Sheena''s future potential.


    But just how did she form a contract with the Spirit King? If I asked her, she probably wouldn''t know either, judging from her action earlier, it doesn''t seem like she remembers meeting the Spirit King in the past. Otherwise, she would have approached the matter differently.


    "Hmph! Very well... Sylvidia, I will go back to inform the Goddess of Light of your whereabouts. Stay well!" With a whoosh, the Spirit King disappeared without a trace.


    When the Spirit King was gone, the place was filled with silence, I was the first to speak, "...... She come and goes like a wind......"


    "Huhuhu- Of course, she is the Spirit King of the Wind after all!" Sylvidia answered proudly.


    Iqaos lifted his head to face Sheena and asked humbly, "Come to think of it, I haven''t heard of your name yet, young lady."


    "My name is Sheena, pleased to meet you Lord Iqaos." Sheena smiled brightly.


    "Sheena... Very well, Miss Sheena, as thanks for saving me, I shall grant you a reward!" Iqaos suddenly turned his head towards the thicket and shouted, "Futaba, come on out!"


    "R-reward? I didn''t do it for th-"


    *Pa-kyuun*


    Before Sheena could finish her sentence, a little golden fox came out from the thicket behind Iqaos. Sheena''s heart was completely caught by that cute little critter. Girls are always like this, they get easily distracted by cute things.


    ___________________________________


    Author''s Note:


    I feel like this chapter just turned a bit weird... What of your impression?


    So... just a few days ago, I received a negative feedback regarding my style of writing. I tried not to mind it but I guess I am concerned after all. But I wasn''t discouraged because I know some of you out there who enjoyed my work. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, you know who you are ;)


    I just have a few comment regarding his feedback.


    Q: Why was Sylvia more comfortable calling Sheena, "Master", when she came from a world where people likes their freedom.


    A: Yes, it is true we come from a world with no enslavement, but there is still something called hierarchy. Do you ever call your teacher by their name, for example?


    Q: As for the elemental laws and the whole revamp of the world not being even 1% similar to the original world of zero no tsukaima makes one wonder why even write about it?


    A: When I started writing this story, I didn''t really have a plot yet. But now I can say this, it is still too early to judge a book by its cover. I intend to slowly uncover the changes in the world of Zero no Tsukaima and implement even more concepts that I found interesting in other series.


    Q: It would be far more fun if it was just a reincarnation story with a familiar system.


    A: I don''t intent to write a boring story based on the same old system. It is far more interesting to come up with something new.


    Q: Dumping elemental laws on the MC out of nowhere while the MASTER cannot even cast magic stronger than a lightning bolt. It is just not a story anymore but a story for the author to dump his obsession with Coiling Dragons in it.


    A: I won''t deny the claim that I am obsessed with Coiling Dragon. And it is still far too early to judge Sheena as weak, I haven''t even gone into character development yet...

 [Vol 3] Chapter 12: The Crest of Truth

    Before Sheena could finish her sentence, a little golden fox came out from the thicket behind Iqaos. Sheena''s heart was completely caught by that cute little critter.


    "Arf..." The little fox let out a cute bark.


    The last defense on Sheena''s heart completely shattered at this moment, but fortunately, she was able to restrain herself from going out of control.


    I could literally see her eyes gleaming, and her fingers are moving irregularly, it seemed like she could lose her self-restrain any time soon and trap the little fox in her embrace.


    Seeing this, Iqaos couldn''t help but laugh out loud, "Hahaha! If you like her, she''ll be yours!"


    "Eh?! I can keep her?" That was the last straw, the beast within Sheena has been unleashed! Without saying another word, Sheena immediately stretched her hands out to grab the little fox. The little fox sensed something menacing approaching her and tried to run away, but it was too late! She was already within the embrace of the hungry beast.


    The hungry beast... I mean Sheena, she held the little fox with both hands and rubbed her cheek against the little critter. The little fox seems a bit annoyed but it was powerless against Sheena''s merciless assault.


    *Poof!* Just around this time, the little fox transformed into a human figure with a poof sound. She tried to push Sheena away with her slender hands, "Keep away from me, human girl!"


    The transformed little fox was wearing a shrine maiden garment, a pair of fox-like ears exposed themselves at the side of her long golden hair. She only has one tail in contrast to Iqaos, at the tip of her golden tail, it was pure white. Her big, round eyes were like a pair of ruby. She was the epitome of cuteness, there was no other words more suitable to describe her.


    Seeing the transformed little fox, Sheena strengthened her grip and embraced it even more tightly. She couldn''t help but let out a squeal, "Kyaa~~! So cute!!"


    Iqaos could only laugh merrily at the scene before him. On the other hand, I had a lot of conflicting thoughts. Where did Sheena get all these strength from? Why is the little fox wearing shrine maiden outfit? All these doubts will probably remain unanswered.


    Iqaos finally introduced the little fox to us after Sheena calmed down a bit, "This is my daughter, Futaba."


    "EHHHH?!" We couldn''t help but cry out in shock, even Sylvidia couldn''t believe what she was hearing, that Iqaos actually had a daughter?!


    "Hm-hmph!" That little fox, Futaba, raised her head high and said arrogantly, "Now you know how important I am, prostrate yourself before me!" Futaba stretched her right hand forward and pointed downwards with the index finger.


    Iqaos raised his right paw and hit Futaba''s head from behind, then he reprimanded her, "How many times do I have to tell you not to act so arrogant?"


    Futaba squat on the ground and grabbed the back of her head with both hands, she let out a soft complain, "Uuu...... but-!"


    At this time, I couldn''t help but retort in my mind, "Aren''t you just as arrogant? Like father, like daughter......" I bet Sylvidia was thinking the same thing at the moment, she had that blank expression on her face.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Seeing Futaba pouting on the ground like that, Iqaos heaved a sigh. He faced Sheena and said in a serious tone, "I will give her to you, please take care of Futaba for me."


    Upon hearing this, Futaba immediately jumped up from the ground and raised her voice, "Eh?! F-father!! Don''t treat me like some object! You can''t just simply ''give'' me to someone else like that?! I object!!"


    Sheena approached Futaba from behind and locked Futaba into her embrace once more. Sheena said with a delighted expression, "Hehehe~ Don''t worry, Lord Iqaos, I will take extra good care of your daughter!"


    Futaba was really unhappy and wanted to break away from Sheena''s embrace, she struggled to pull her hands away, "Ey~! Let go of me, human girl! I am not going with you!"


    Iqaos looked at the fox girl sternly and said, "Futaba! This is an order, I was just thinking it was about time to let you leave this forest and explore the world. This is the perfect opportunity! Now, Miss Sheena, if you would do the honor of sealing the familiar contract!"


    "Of course!" Sheena nodded and began chanting the contract sealing spell, "In the name of the Overgod of Fate, bind this one''s soul with mine......"


    "Ah-! Wait... I said time out! W-wait, no! Don''t do it!" Futaba was flustered when Sheena started chanting the spell. The spell is like a curse that will bind her and rob her freedom for a lifetime.


    After the sealing contract was done, a magic circle similar to mine was embedded in between the non-existent breasts of young Futaba. Iqaos secretly thought to himself upon seeing the crest, "Fufufu... just like I thought, that is the Crest of Truth. With that, Futaba will be awaked to the truth of the world sooner than later. She will definitely grow stronger than me in the future! If she can surpass even the Spirit King, then I wouldn''t have to live under her dominance anymore! Fuhahahah!"


    The Crest of Truth, that is a skill granted to the familiars of the Contractor. The Contractor is a special title given to those who made a contract with a Spirit King. Those who were granted the Crest of Truth will gain the wisdom of god, allowing them to comprehend the profound mysteries of the world.


    Futaba suddenly becomes visible in the naked eyes of the Goblin Trio after the familiar contract was finalized. Upon seeing the unfamiliar figure appearing out of nowhere, the Goblin Trio raised their vigilance and prepared to attack at any moment.


    Seeing their aggressive behavior, Sheena immediately pulled Futaba into her embrace and shouted at the Goblin Trio, "Don''t be mean to my Futaba!"


    The Goblin Trio was at a loss and scratched their heads, they had no idea what is going on and looked at me for an explanation. I briefly explained everything to the Goblin Trio, about a Divine Fox that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, about the appearance of the Spirit King, about the contract with the little fox, and so on.


    "W-who are you calling y-y-your Futaba?! Mu-kiiii-!" Futaba blushed as she tried to push Sheena away.


    ________________________________


    Author''s Note


    I wonder just how many more chapters do I need to write until they finally get back to the Academy... I want to start the Academy Arc soon XD

 [Vol 3] Chapter 13: Benefits of Blessing

    Everyone could only smile wryly at the heart-warming scene before them. Though it might not be so heart-warming for our little Futaba, since she is struggling to get free from Sheena''s embrace.


    After Futaba finally get free from Sheena''s ceaseless assault, Iqaos finally opened his mouth to talk about the issue at hands, regarding the blessings for the town of Pharamville.


    "Although I already agreed to give my blessings to the town of Pharamville, I still need a vessel. Have you prepared any?" Iqaos said solemnly.


    "Vessel?" Sheena and I tilted our heads to the side simultaneously.


    Iqaos heaved a sigh and explained, "Alas... I figured as much. I will explain so listen carefully, a Spirit gets tainted easily by the evil in human''s heart if they stay in touch with humans for too long a period. That is why we need a divine artifact, or any sacred object that will not get tainted easily by the human''s wickedness."


    Then Iqaos turned his attention towards Sylvidia and revealed a wicked smile, "Like Sylvidia''s Blank Slate for example."


    "Hmph!" Sylvidia snorted coldly and said, "I offered you the Blank Slate in exchange for your blessings earlier, but you rejected! It''s too late now. Hmph!"


    In truth, Sylvidia was very unwilling to part with the Blank Slate, but knowing the Divine Fox''s temper, only something like this would be able to move him. The only reason she willingly offered the Blank Slate was because she knew that although Iqaos will receive some of the Faith Power from the believers, most of it will still go to the Goddess of Light. After acquiring some merits here and there, she will be able to request for another divine artifacts from the Goddess of Light.


    But now, since Iqaos had already agreed to give his blessing to Pharamville, there is no reason for Sylvidia to give him the Blank Slate anymore.


    Although Sheena cannot understand what Sylvidia is saying now, she was able to guess from Sylvidia''s temperament, she tried to convince the Divine Fox, "Lord Iqaos, is there anything else other than the Blank Slate that will work as a vessel?"


    Upon hearing Sheena''s question, Iqaos looked around and finally, his sight settled on me.


    "W-what did he want from me?" I couldn''t help but feel nervous inwardly.


    After a while, Iqaos finally opened his mouth and said, "That earring of yours, I can feel a pure energy from it. Perhaps that''ll do for now."


    These Teardrop Earrings are gifts from Sheena to me, she spent a huge fortune to buy these to commemorate our long-term relationship to come. If Sheena wanted to give these earrings to Iqaos, I have no qualms about it. However, is this really worth it? I couldn''t help but have second thoughts, so I looked towards Sheena and raised my concern, "Sheena, may I chip in a few words of concern?"


    Sheena nodded and simply said, "You may."


    Then I said without any restrain, "You spent a fortune to get these earrings for me, although I have no qualms about giving these earrings to Iqaos if you wish for it, but I want you to consider, is this really worth it?"


    "Hahaha!" Iqaos laughed at my question and answered, "You are a calculative one I see! The benefits that come from my blessing doesn''t only keep the weak monsters from approaching, anyone who is within my boundary will have their luck significantly increased, one can detect the presence of hostile foes easily so the chances of getting ambushed decreased significantly, one can also recover their mana faster within my boundary, and many more benefits to come as I gather more Faith Power."


    I looked at Iqaos dubiously, I couldn''t help but ask, "Is that really the case?"


    "If you don''t believe me, just ask Sylvidia." Iqaos simply redirected the question to Sylvidia. I turned my head towards Sylvidia and she simply nodded her head and said, "He is right, as long as you are within his boundary, you will be benefited greatly. A little earring like this is well worth the price. Besides, you won''t be needing that measly earring in the near future, your mana is still growing at an astounding speed."


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Really? The benefits still doesn''t seem that attractive to me though..." I am still feeling somewhat doubtful.


    "Well the benefits won''t be very apparent, but Iqaos'' boundary should also encompass the Magic Academy, your next three school years will probably be blessed with good luck! I didn''t say this earlier but within a blessed boundary, the elemental essence will be purer and more concentrated, so your training speed will inevitably become much faster." That last bit of Sylvidia''s words totally convinced me, although I''m still a bit reluctant to rely on luck, if I can increase my base power faster, that is all the more welcome.


    I turn my head towards Sheena and nodded, "It seems to be the truth, what is your decision? You are the one who bought these earrings in the end, the decision is yours to make."


    I took off the earrings and hand it over to Sheena as I press her to make the final decision. Sheena was a little troubled over what to do, I guess she''s weak under pressure, when she was facing the Spirit King earlier, she immediately looked to me for help. She keeps glancing at me, Iqaos and the earrings on her palm repeatedly.


    In the end, she finally made up her mind, she raised her head and said, "I know! How about we do this instead?" She walked towards me and handed over one piece of earring, "One for you."


    "Eh?" I couldn''t help but let out a sound involuntarily, I have no idea what she is trying to do. Then she walked towards Iqaos and gave him the other half, "And one for you."


    "Eh? What are you..." As I tried to ask Sheena what is she trying to do, she stood up and walked a few steps backward from Iqaos, then she said, "Lord Iqaos, you only needed one object that can serve as a vessel right? Then I believe you won''t be needing a pair of earrings, just one of them will do right?"


    "Hahaha! That is indeed the case! Very well, I will accept this piece of earring as my vessel. Sylvidia''s vessel, come forward!" Iqaos accepted it quite easily, however when he asked me to come forward, I couldn''t help but frown.


    "Just what did he want now?" I cursed silently in my heart, but I still walked towards him obediently.


    "Show me your earring!" When Iqaos demanded that I show him the one I got from Sheena, I couldn''t help but ask, "What are you trying to do?"


    Iqaos answered honestly, "Since these two earrings come as a pair, I need to embed my Spiritual Power in both simultaneously."


    "Is that so..." After understanding Iqaos'' action, I show him the earring that I am holding voluntarily.


    What we didn''t know was what Iqaos was scheming at the time, when he embedded his Spiritual Power into the earrings, it turned into a Spirit Item.


    A Spirit Item is an item possessed by a Spiritual being, it can also be considered as a Divine Artifact in some cases. Like Sylvidia''s Blank Slate for example, it was normally an ancient artifact, but after her Material Body perished, she became a Spirit and used the Blank Slate as her vessel, which transformed it into a Divine Artifact.


    Spirit Item and Divine Artifact possessed special ability, but the drawback is that the Spiritual being can keep feeding on the owner''s mana. If you haven''t figured it out yet, what Iqaos was planning to do was to turn this earring into a Spirit Item, so that he can drain my Spiritual Power slowly to strengthen himself. Iqaos is a really sly fox indeed, that is probably the main reason why he and the honest Sylvidia never got along. Other than his craftiness, he''s not a bad person at heart... is what I want to believe.


    ____________________________________


    Author''s Note


    Don''t ask me why, I also don''t know where did all the motivation to translate and writing comes from. But more releases, everyone is happy, end of story, right?


    Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 [Vol 3] Chapter 14: Back to Pharamville

    *Shing! Shing!*


    Both earrings glowed brightly when Iqaos infused his Spiritual Power into them. Although Sylvidia felt a bit suspicious, she didn''t say anything since she couldn''t be sure.


    After a while, the bright glow finally dimmed, the earrings look the same as before but now they have this divine presence around them, it felt a bit magical. Seeing that the process is done already, I slowly retracted my hand.


    "It is done, now... please put on your earring." Iqaos prompted me to put on the earring as soon as he''s done. All of us didn''t suspect anything and I just attached the earring to the lobe of my left ear directly. I would have done just that even without Iqaos telling me to do so though.


    As soon as the earring is properly attached, I could feel a surge of divine energy flooding within me. I couldn''t help but exclaimed in surprise, "T-this is-!"


    "Kukuku... It seems like you noticed!" Iqaos chuckled smugly. At the same time, he also thought to himself secretly, "Now, turn into my mana tank, kuhahaha!"


    "Hm? What, what? What is happening?" Sheena was confused and looked back and forth between our exchange.


    "Well... the thing is... as soon as I put on the earring, I could feel a surge of power welling up within it... It feels like... the earring is much more potent than before..." I tried to describe the strange feeling I''m getting from the earring to Sheena as clearly as possible.


    "Hm-hm-hmph! Obviously! That earring is infused with my father''s Spiritual Power after all! It might not be as powerful as a Spirit Item nor a Divine Artifact, but it is still more powerful than an ordinary Magic Item!" Futaba explained proudly, she raised her head high and put both hands on the waist.


    "Kukuku... now that everything here has been settled, how about we head to Pharamville immediately?" As he said that, Iqaos walked towards Sheena prompted her to hold on to the other half of the earrings.


    All of us were confused, "Isn''t he supposed to keep one of the vessel for himself?" Or so we thought at the time, but Sheena still took the earring from Iqaos without saying a word. When she did so, Iqaos finally explained, "We need to enshrine that vessel in the local temple. Can I request you to do that for me?"


    "O-oh... sure! Hehehe..." Sheena laughed awkwardly since she thought Iqaos was giving that earring to her. I couldn''t help but sympathize with her at the moment. If I was in her boots, I probably would have misunderstood as well.


    With that said and done, all of us headed towards the small town of Pharamville. When we got back to the town, we can see the newly constructed temple that is made up of polished rocks.


    In front of the small temple, almost all the villagers are kowtowing there and praying as if their life depended on it. I guess all of them had noticed the giant fox shadow from earlier, I can even see some of them trembling in fear.


    I can''t really blame them for acting like this, that shadow fox was truly terrifying. That ear-piercing howl alone could strike fear in the hearts of many, even Sylvidia''s face had turned pale at the sight of the shadow fox.


    In the foremost position of the temple are the village chief, Olaf, and the village girl, Samie. When Samie saw us approaching the temple, tears welled up in her eyes. She immediately stood up and ran towards us with teary eyes. At the same time she is running, she raised one of her hand high into the sky, and waved at us while shouting in delight, "Everyone!! I''m so glad you''re safe! We were so worried when that giant fox appeared!"


    When Samie got in front of us, she grabbed my hands and said with teary eyes, "I was really... really... so worried... You have already done so much for us, I really wouldn''t know how can I ever repay you if you are dead... Hic-hic!" ?1</a>?


    "Koraaa! You shouldn''t be so rude to our guest!" The village chief got behind Samie not long later and bonked her head.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Ow...... You shouldn''t hit your daughter''s head like that, father!" Samie raised her complain while clutching the back of her head with both hands.


    Although we were rather surprised that the village girl is actually the daughter of the village chief, that is not important at the moment. We looked around but we couldn''t find any trace of Albert and the Gryphon Riders.


    "Where is Albe... Alby and the others?" Sheena asked the village chief, Olaf.


    "That..." The village chief explained how when they saw the shadow fox, the Gryphon Riders immediately summoned their Gryphons and took off to search for us in the forest. Albert seems to have tagged along with them.


    *Flap! Flap!*


    "Squawk! Squawk!" Just around this time, we could hear the sound of flapping wings and the loud noise made by a bird. When we looked overhead, it was actually Albert''s familiar, the Thunderhawk, Spark.


    The Thunderhawk is circling in the sky above us. It seems like it is trying to let Albert know of our current position. That Thunderhawk appears quite smart, it must be a monster with high intelligence.


    Not long later, we can hear more flapping sound coming from the location of the forest. When we turn our heads over there, we can see three Gryphons flying over here. On top of the Gryphons are Albert, Caelum, and the other two riders.


    Before the Gryphons even landed, Albert immediately jumped off from the Gryphon. He is fine only because the Gryphon was gliding at low altitude. Ignoring all else, Albert immediately ran towards us and pulled Sheena into his embrace.


    Albert said in a shaky voice, "I... am so glad... so glad that you''re safe... Sheena..."


    "A-Albert... W-what do you think you''re doing, we''re in the public!" Is what Sheena didn''t say when she felt Albert was trembling slightly.


    She only lightly patted Albert''s back and said in a soothing voice, "Albert... It''s fine now. Everything is fine now..."


    After a while, Albert finally calmed down and noticed the fox girl beside Sheena, he couldn''t help but ask, "This is......"


    Sheena''s smile suddenly turned really bright and said in a cheerful voice, "My Lil Futaba!"


    "W-Who is your Futaba! And I''m not little! Mu-kiii-! And stop clinging to me---!" Futaba raised her futile complain and got captured by the hungry beast again.


    "C-could that be... the fox deity!" The villagers raised a commotion when they noticed Futaba.


    When Futaba noticed the adoration in the eyes of every villagers, she folded her arms below her non-existence breasts and said haughtily, "Hm-hm-hmph! Grovel before me! For I am the proxy of the fox deity!"


    It would have been effective, if not for Sheena clinging closely to her and rubbing her cheek against Futaba. Everyone looked at the scene with comforting gazes. This only makes Futaba feel all the more embarrassed, "Mu-kiii-! It didn''t work! Hey, get off me, human girl! You''re making me look lame! Mou~~!" ?2</a>?


    "It''s not human girl! It''s Sheena, repeat after me, Sh-ee-na~" As Sheena and Futaba were making various exchange, I couldn''t help but wonder, "How come everyone can see Futaba now..."


    _____________________________


    Author''s Note


    Um... guys... Have I ever described the appearance of the village girl? I don''t think I did... right? o_O


    So I have changed the synopsis again, synopsis is very important as they are what the audience read first. So they must be interesting and eye-catching. It is the core of the book! But I just can''t come up with something nice... what do you think of the latest synopsis update?

 [Vol 3] Chapter 15: Incomplete Spirit

    I looked towards to Sylvidia for an answer but she only shook her head and said it is too complicated to explain.


    I keep pestering her until she finally answered plainly, "When a Spirit received mana from their master, they can use those Magic Power to manifest themselves and make themselves visible to the naked eyes of common people. But of course, it will keep draining the Magic Power of the master when they manifested themselves."


    "Wait... so you mean if it keeps doing that, Sheena''s Magic Power will be drained empty? Shouldn''t we warn Sheena about this?" I couldn''t help but feel concerned.


    "Well... worry not, at most it can only keep that up for ten consecutive minutes." Sylvidia reassured me by telling me that Futaba will not be able to remain in this state for more than ten minutes in a single run.


    Something crossed my mind and I couldn''t help but ask, "But what''s the point of making oneself visible? Wouldn''t it be more advantageous in a fight if your opponent cannot see you?"


    "Hrm... That is true, but for some opponent, even if they cannot see us, they can sense our presence with Magic Perception. Besides, it''s not like it is all disadvantage when we Spirits manifest ourselves. Our power will increase by twofold when we did."Or so Sylvidia said.


    "I see... does that mean you can drain my Magic Power to manifest yourself too?" After thinking for a while, I asked Sylvidia.


    Sylvidia answered without batting an eye, "Although our relationship is different from that of a master and their familiar, I am soul-bounded with you by means of the Divine Artifact. As long as I can draw Soul Essence from you, it is possible for me to manifest myself."


    "Soul Essence? What is that?" I am confused when I heard Sylvidia used a term other than Magic Power.


    "You see... I am a little different from the other Spirits. Most Spirit Item usually get stronger by drawing Spiritual Power from their master, yet I didn''t get any stronger at all over the past few years that I spent with my previous master. That''s why I was unable to unleash my true power back then. It seems I need Soul Essence in order to recover my Spiritual Body." Sylvidia answered with a slightly gloomy face.


    Then she asked me, "Do you know what we call the extraction of the Spiritual Body?"


    After pondering for a while, I answered, "Don''t tell me... that is the Soul Essence?"


    Sylvidia nodded and said, "Exactly! That is the Soul Essence. There are two methods for one to obtain Soul Essence, one is to kill your opponent and absorb their soul. The second is to draw the Soul Essence from a Spiritual Being.


    Although the process of drawing Soul Essence from a Spirit is much slower, a Spirit can recover their Spiritual Body by absorbing Spiritual Power from third party sources, so it is possible to get unlimited amount of Soul Essence from them.


    However, no Spirits would willingly share their Soul Essence with anyone, a Spiritual Body is equivalent to a Spirit''s lifespan, as well as power. Every time a Spirit used their power, they are actually using a portion of their own Spiritual Body. When the Spiritual Body of a Spirit is totally spent, they will inevitably die. You are fine because you possess a Material Body, your Spiritual Power will recover naturally, which will in turn mend your Spiritual Body." Sylvidia finally ended her lengthy explanation with this.


    "Wait... But why can''t you use Spiritual Power to recover your Spiritual Body like the other Spirits?" I couldn''t help but ask.


    Sylvidia had a distant gaze and began telling another lengthy story, "You see... I am an incomplete Spirit, a Spirit usually required five hundred years or more to take shape and regain their sentience.


    I, however, became a Spirit in merely a few decades. The moment my Material Body perished, I immediately transfer my weakened soul to the Blank Slate. After which, the Blank Slate was dropped in the depths of the dungeon.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    My soul was nurtured by the dense Magic Power of the dungeon, and I was able to regain my sentience in merely a few decades. But as a consequence, I am unable to draw Spiritual Power from outside sources directly!"


    Sylvidia gritted her teeth in frustration, but her face suddenly lighten up when she looked at me, "However, with you around, I will be able to draw unlimited Soul Essence from you without worry! I can finally see the hope of recovering my former strength!"


    I didn''t really pay much attention to the latter part of her story when I heard a Spirit required five hundred years to manifest, my mind numbed for a moment, and I blurted out, "Wait... What do you mean a Spirit requires five hundred years to regain their sentience? If I remember correctly... in the Guild Card, it clearly says... I am 163 of age... Does that mean I am also an incomplete Spirit?"


    "Well... Your case is slightly different from mine." Sylvidia hesitated for a while and started to explain, "This is an extremely rare case... I have only heard of it happening once in the legend, when a young boy was dying, he was possessed by an incomplete Spirit and was reborn as the first elf in history."


    "What happened to the Spirit and the boy in the end?" I am starting to get a little anxious, I asked hurriedly.


    But Sylvidia only answered heartily like it''s no one else''s business, "Well... who knows... maybe the boy and the Spirit became one being and co-existed together, or maybe one of them consumed the others."


    "Gulp...... W-where... did you hear this legend from?" I felt a chill down my spine, my future seemed a bit uncertain. Will I perish from this world and be consumed by the real owner of this body, or will I take over this body and carry on the will of the real owner? Nobody knows for sure...


    Sylvidia announced, "From the secret village of elves, in the Forest of Alden!"


    I thought to myself, "Seems like I need to make a trip to the Forest of Alden in the near future... I need to get to the bottom of this matter!"


    While we were having some serious conversations on our side, Sheena and Futaba had explained to the villagers the importance of the vessel, the benefits they will gain from the blessing, they also reminded the villagers to offer their prayers everyday, and guard the vessel properly, or else they will receive the wrath of god.


    After that, they briefly explain what happened in the forest, but of course they didn''t mention about the Spirit King. When all that needs to be said is said and done, Sheena gave the earring to the village chief, Olaf, and had him enshrine the earring in the temple.


    Now... we can finally make our way back to the academy! Or so I thought... but Sheena ordered me to go wash myself in the lake nearby since I stink of drool, and to take along the Goblin Trio with me while I''m at it.


    Sheena had somehow tricked the villagers to think that the Goblin Trio are the messengers of the Angel from earlier, so she had them prepare some proper clothes for them. Meanwhile, the villager will prepare a feast for us, we will only go back to the academy after that.


    ____________________________________


    Author''s Note


    Oh boy... this chapter took SO LONG to write... suddenly went a little off topic again when a wild idea struck me. Took me so long to restructure the sentence, and logic to make any sense out of them. Sorry if this chapter is full of gibberish that doesn''t make sense. Do let me know if there is a flaw in the logic that can be improved :P


    P.S. I will be going to China for 1 week so there''s no new chapter next week.

 Valentines Special: Zain & Fiore

    Happy Valentine to all those who are concerned, hope you received lots of chocolates today! I know I won''t receive any, so get some more for my share!


    This is a story regarding the Black Goblin''s past. It may or may not contain some spoiler.


    _________________________________________


    Heya everyone, this is Zain. I am a seventeen years old handsome high school boy.


    My height is around 1.65 meter tall, with my silky blond hair, golden-colored pupils, long legs, fair and smooth complexion, many people say I looked just like a model.


    I am what everyone would normally call a pretty boy, and today is supposed to be the best day ever. However, in contrast, it is also one of the most tiring day, because it is valentine''s day!


    It is the day where I can get lots of free food and chocolates from the girls in our school, it is very tiring to put on a fake smile all day long, but it is well worth it.


    You see... I come from a rather poor family so we cannot afford to have luxurious food everyday. That''s why I love valentine! I can get more than I can eat in a single day, it''s like an all-you-can-eat-buffet, and all for free!


    But today... turns out to be the worst day ever, I never thought it''d turn out like this. Maybe in my next life... I should treat the girls better.


    The story goes like this...


    On the morning of Valentine, I got up from my bed and went to school as usual. Everything was normal, I went to school, the girls squeal when I walk past them, I opened my locker and found lots of love letters, as well as chocolates. Some of them even approached me nervously during lunch hours to invite me for an after school date, or to give me lunch boxes.


    Of course, as generous as I am, I accepted them all without second thoughts. If anything the heaven has gifted me, it is this pretty face of mine that make the girls go crazy for me. Which... funnily enough, is also my biggest misfortune.


    It all started when I met her on that fateful day. I promised to go on an after school date with the girls in our school. We went to the park, and that''s where I met her.


    She sat on a bench at the side of the park, under a Cherry Blossom tree. She has a long and beautiful blonde hair, her blue eyes are giving off a glint like that of a sparkling clear sapphire gem. Her slender body looks so frail and elegant, any man who laid their eyes on her would develop a feeling of wanting to protect her from any harm.


    I fell in love at first sight, the girls are calling my name non-stop, however I ignored all else, and walked straight in front of the beautiful girl sitting under the Cherry Blossom tree.


    I kneel down on one knee in front of her to look at her face from the bottom, I said the lines which come naturally to me the moment I laid my eyes on her, "The beauty of the Cherry Blossom tree pales in comparison with yours."


    The girl finally raised her face, and looks at me suspiciously. Without saying a single word, the girl stood up from the bench immediately and ran away from me.


    The moment I stood up and turned around, she was already far away. I chased after her frantically and keep shouting, "Please wait! At least tell me your name!"


    However, she did not turn back and keep running further and further away from me. Despite her frail and delicate body, she can actually run faster than a man. I was very impressed, and also very disappointed at the same time since I couldn''t catch up to her.


    I lost sight of her in the end, I kept searching all over the city for her, but I couldn''t even find any traces of her. This is rather strange, a world-class beauty like her should have attracted the attention of many, even if she was in the middle of a sea of people. However, not even a single people I asked have seen her around.


    I started to doubt whether or not I was daydreaming, was that girl just a fairy from my imagination, or was she the real deal, I have no idea. However... I have a strange feeling that I have met her before, a feeling as if our souls are connected, as if we are soul mates.


    I want to meet her again, that is my honest feeling. I kept searching for her non-stop until the color of the sky started to turn dark. It was then I found her on the opposite side of the road, she was surrounded by the girls from my school. It seems like she was being bullied by the girls whom I promised to go on a date with.


    I regret not being able to keep my promise, but ganging up and bullying a lone girl is bad, I have to help her! Without second thoughts, I immediately tried to rush forth. However, I stopped my footsteps when a car ran past in front of me and honked a few times.


    It was then I saw it, the girls from my school pushed the frail looking girl, and she fell towards the road. A truck happens to drive past and ran over her body. Her lungs and other inner organs are destroyed due to the heavy load of the truck! I am sure the girls didn''t mean for this to happen either. However, because of their measly jealously, one life is about to be lost, I could never forgive them for that.


    I immediately rushed towards the point of accident and held the frail looking girl''s head on my arm, tears overflowed from my eyes, and I kept shouting for her to stay strong.


    "Fi...ore..." The girl seemed like she wanted to say something so I brought my ear close to her lips.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!"What is it? What are you trying to say? I''ll do anything for you! Anything!!" I frantically urged her to speak.


    "My... name... Fio-re..." And that was the frail looking girl''s last word. Immediately after she said that, the glint in her eyes lost their radiance.


    Her body turned icy cold, when I confirmed that she is no longer breathing, I faced upward and let out a beastly howl, "Warghhhhhhhhhhh!!!"


    In my heart, I keep cursing myself, "It is all my fault! It is my fault that she has to meet a fate like this! If it is not because of me, she wouldn''t have to die!!"


    I prayed to the god with all my heart, "God! Please! I will do anything, just please bring her back to life! I will give up my everything for her, even at the cost of my own life! Please, save her!!"


    Just around this time, the world around me turned pitch black. The building, the people, the vehicles, just practically everything around me is swallowed by the darkness. Nothing else could be seen around me except for the pitch black darkness.


    Then I heard a voice, "Boy... are you saying you are willing give up anything to save the life of a person whom you just met?"


    I was surprised by the voice, I couldn''t help but ask, "Are... are you a g-g-god? Or a devil?"


    That mysterious voice calmly replies, "It matter not if I am a god or a devil. What matter is that I have the power to save this girl."


    Without thinking twice, I immediately replied when I heard that she can save Fiore, "Yes! Yes! Yes, I will do anything! So please, I beg you to save her!"


    With a serene voice, the mysterious figure said, "Very well, then our contract is completed. I will revive the girl in return of your Material Body!"


    "Gulp..." I am prepared to give up my life for hers, but I still couldn''t help but swallow my saliva when I heard that.


    The mysterious figure said calmly, "Worry not, I will not take your life, I have a mission for you after all. I will only take away your everything and bestow a new life upon you in a new world. Your mission is to subjugate the Demon Lords all over the world. For every Demon Lord you killed, I will restore a fraction of this girl''s memories."


    "Wait... you mean you will not restore all her memories at once?!" I couldn''t help but retort, "I have to kill a Demon Lord in order to restore just a bit of Fiore''s memory? What kind of sick joke is this?!"


    The tone of the mysterious figure remains as calm as ever, "You said you will do anything, our contract is already sealed. It is too late to back out now!"


    "I have been tricked!" I couldn''t help but grit my teeth, there''s nothing else I could do. This is the only way to save Fiore, I have no other choice but to do it!


    "Fine then! I will kill that whatever Demon Lords for you! But you must keep your end of promise, or else..." I didn''t finish my sentence, and clenched my fists tightly.


    "Very well..." After the mysterious voice said thus, I could feel my body slowly disintegrating, turning into dust from the bottom to up.


    I started to panic, "Wha! W-what is going on?! My body... my body is disintegrating!! Waaaaaaaaa!!"


    With my last breath, I shouted at the top of my lungs as my entire body disintegrated into nothingness. After that, the world returned to normal. But the existence of myself, Zain, and the frail looking girl, Fiore, never existed in this world anymore.


    The next time I opened my eyes, I found that I couldn''t move my body freely, my hands and feet were tiny, my entire body was pitch-black in color, there were red tattoos all over my tiny body. I didn''t dare believe it but it seems as if I have been reincarnated.


    However, the strange thing was that my body grew up really fast. In merely a few days, I was already about the size of an elementary school kid. It was only then I found out that I have been reincarnated as a Goblin!


    Goblin is supposed to be one of the weakest kind of species out there in Role-Playing Games! How am I supposed to defeat a Demon Lord as a Goblin?! Is this some kind of punishment from the god?!


    However, I didn''t lose hope and continued to train myself, I sharpen my skills by hunting more powerful prey every single day. Using my knowledge from my past life, I made various tools that make my life easier. Due to the peculiar tattoos all over my body, I was even shunned by my own race, but I still didn''t lost hope. All because I have a goal to achieve!


    Even though I have lost everything, such as my pretty face, or my peaceful high school life, I am still able to live on strongly because I have a goal. I am thankful for the mysterious figure if just for this much.


    After one month has passed since I was reborn as a Goblin, I finally found her. Fiore was also reincarnated as a Goblin in the same tribe as me. I can tell that much because of the special connection between our souls, I am hundred percent certain that Goblin that was just born is Fiore.


    On this day, I swore to myself that I will work hard to retrieve all the fragments of Fiore''s past memories. Thus my struggle and adventure begins!


    _________________________________________


    Author''s Note:


    I just got back from China not long ago but I feel weird for not posting anything this week. Then I saw the Valentine''s Event on RoyalRoadL, so I thought I might as well write a Side Story!


    Enjoy the read!

 [Vol 3] Chapter 16: Cursed Armor Pt. 1

    Obeying Sheena¡¯s command, I bring the Goblin Trio to the nearby lake to wash ourselves.


    When we arrived at the lakeside, I was captivated by the scene before me. The lush greenery and all kinds of alluring flowers are clearly reflected on the surface of the crystal clear lake. It was truly a sight to behold, I¡¯ve never seen a lake as clear as this in my whole life.


    It makes me hesitate slightly to wash this dirty body of mine in this crystal clear lake. However, before I could respond, the Goblin Trio already jumped into the lake and play with the water happily, with their loincloths attached and all.


    I could only watch the heartwarming scene before me with a wry smile. Seeing the Goblin Trio splashing the water so merrily in the lake, they really seemed like a child at this moment. I mean this is only to be expected, goblins have short life span, and they grow up rather fast. Heck, they might only be a few months old for all we know.


    When I thought of something like that, something suddenly hits me, ¡°Hm? I wonder just how long is the life span of an ordinary goblin?¡±


    However, I didn¡¯t ponder too much upon it. Their life span will undoubtedly increase after they evolve into hobgoblins. I have high hopes for these three goblins, they will definitely surpass hobgoblin, and evolve into an ogre, then a demon, and beyond!


    When I got in front of the lake, I tried to take off my gloves so that I can scoop up the water to wash my face. However, I discovered that I cannot remove the arm protectors that are attached over the silk gloves.


    ¡°Eh¡­? I cannot take off the gloves¡­¡± I tried to apply more strength to pull the arm protector apart, but it didn¡¯t even budge an inch.


    ¡°Fufufu¡­ Are you sure you know how to take it off?¡± Sylvidia suddenly appeared before me.


    ¡°Uwa¡­!!!¡± I am still not used to seeing someone appear and disappear in front of me all of a sudden, I couldn¡¯t help but scream in shock. However, what surprised me the most is not the sudden appearance of Sylvidia, but the form that she was taking.


    Sylvidia looked completely human, with her wavy blonde hair, her clear blue eyes, her pale and smooth complexion, her well-developed curves, and her frail-looking arms and legs, she looked just like a sprite that came out from the fairy tale.


    ¡°What?! That is rude ye know! It seems like you have just seen a ghost or something¡­ Am I that scary?¡± Sylvidia was displeased by my scream.


    ¡°Um¡­ S-sorry¡­¡± I apologized on reflex.


    ¡°Never mind that¡­ Here, show me your arm protector.¡± Sylvidia shrugged it off like it was nothing, and extended her hand to show me the palm.


    I instinctively extended my hand to grab her palm, but before I touched her palm, I suddenly come to myself, ¡°W-wait-wait-wait! Before that¡­ Who are you?! Are you really Sylvidia?!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ if I am not Sylvidia, then who might I be?¡± Sylvidia asked amusingly.


    ¡°B-but¡­ that form¡­ you look like human! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a Winged Unicorn?¡± So I asked, but Sylvidia only answered indifferently, ¡°I told you earlier right? That we Spirits do not possess a Material Body. Therefore we do not have a permanent form. We can change the appearance of our Spiritual Body however we want, but most Spirits would choose to retain their original form from when they were still alive¡­¡±


    After listening to Sylvidia, I come to understand a little more regarding the amazing ability of the Spirits, ¡°So you mean, that Winged Unicorn was¡­¡±


    ¡°My original form of course!¡± Before I could finish my sentence, Sylvidia completed my sentence for me and cleared my doubt. Then she asked me, ¡°If nothing unexpected happen, and you end up transforming into a genuine Spirit after five hundred years, you would choose to stick with your original form too right?¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ahahahaha¡­ Of course¡­ of course I would¡­ hahaha¡± I laughed awkwardly and secretly thought to myself, ¡°If I end up  transforming into a genuine Spirit, I would probably stick with my original form as Sylvidia had said, but I would beautify myself by removing all the wrinkles and pimples on my face, make my skin smooth and fair, remove all my body hair and stuffs.¡±


    Sylvidia obviously heard all of that through our Spiritual Link so she smiled impishly and teased, ¡°Hehehe! That much is obvious, who wouldn¡¯t want to make themselves look better? Tehehehehe!¡±


    Knowing that Sylvidia had heard everything that I was thinking, my cheeks turned as bright as tomatoes, I covered my face with both my hands in shame, and said, ¡°Wh-wh-wh¡­ Who gave you permission to read my mind?! Oh jeez¡­ this is so embarrassing¡­¡± My tone in the end turned very soft and high-pitched.


    My face feels so hot, even my ears had turned bright red, if this was in an anime or manga, steam would probably escapes from the top of my head right at this moment. While I was still covering my face in embarrassment, Sylvidia was roaming around my body to check the armors. However, no matter if it was the shoulder piece, the belt, or the breastplate, all of them wouldn¡¯t even budge an inch. It was as if the armors had glued onto my body.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Sylvidia grabbed her chin and was in deep thoughts for a moment, then she said, ¡°This is strange¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel any dark element from this set of armor, it couldn¡¯t possible be a Cursed Armor, then what in the world¡­¡±


    My body flinched when I heard the word ¡°cursed¡±, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°S-Sylvidia¡­ What do you mean by Cursed Armor?¡±


    ¡°Hrm?¡± Sylvidia raised her face to look at me and explained, ¡°A Cursed Item is the opposite of Spirit Item. A Spirit Item is possessed by a kind-hearted Spirit, they will grant their power to the users in exchange for a little bit of Spiritual Power. However, a Cursed Item is different, they are possessed by a Devil. Once equipped, the user will never be able to take it off, and the Devil will keep draining the user¡¯s Magic Power without an end in sight. That¡¯s why Cursed Items are usually more powerful than Spirit Items, but it comes with a great risk to equip them.¡±


    ¡°Gulp¡­ T-then¡­ Are you saying¡­ this set of armor is c-c-c-cursed?!¡± I started to panic, but Sylvidia reassured me by saying, ¡°Worry not, that is not a Cursed Armor. I don¡¯t sense a shred of demonic aura from that armor. In contrast, I can sense something holy¡­¡±


    Then Sylvidia muttered to herself quietly, ¡°But a Blessed Armor shouldn¡¯t have a limitation like this, just what is going on¡­¡±


    Due to my sharp hearing ability, I was able to hear Sylvidia muttering to herself. I was surprised to find out even the all-knowing Sylvidia has something that she doesn¡¯t know of. If this is not a Cursed Armor, nor a Blessed Armor¡­ then just what is this set of armor I¡¯m wearing. I¡¯m starting to get a little anxious, and also a little expectant.


    __________________________________


    Author¡¯s Note


    Sylvia finally found out that she cannot take off the armor, but it is neither a Cursed Armor, nor a Blessed Armor, just what is this set of armor?! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


    One reader suggested a living armor, that is interesting in its own way. Anyone have other suggestions? ;)

 [Vol 3] Chapter 17: Cursed Armor Pt. 2

    Just when we were in deep thoughts, wondering about the nature of this armor, it suddenly glowed with a bright radiance.


    "Uwa... What is going on?!" The both of us were surprised by the sudden glow of the armor. Even the Goblin Trio who were playing happily in the lake were startled.


    After the glow diminished, the Silver Gold Armors that were donned all over my body disappeared, what replaced them was a silver gold bracelet on my left wrist.


    "Ehhh...?!" Both Sylvidia and I were flabbergasted, but the Goblin Trio on the other hand didn''t care too much, they lost their interest quickly and went back to play.


    "W-what did you do just now, Master?" For the first time ever, I finally saw the calm and collected Sylvidia lose her composure.


    However, I was just as surprised so I didn''t really had time to pick fun at her, "Uh... I... I don''t know... I didn''t do anything... The armor just... did that on its own."


    "No way... I don''t dare believe it... Could this be a living armor?!" Even though Sylvidia said that herself, she still remains skeptical.


    "Living armor? Now that you mentioned it... that seems highly probable... It is said that this is a growth armor right? I have always wondered just how will the armor grow stronger, but if this is a living armor, then it make sense!" I come to an understanding of my own. However, Sylvidia''s next words betrayed my expectation.


    She heaved a sigh and said, "That might not be the case... The Silver Gold Armors were made out of mithril. Do you know why some people call mithril the strongest metal, while others call it the weakest?"


    Indeed... now that I think about it, mithril always have this inconsistency in various games I had played, I wonder why... I seriously have no idea, so I just shook my head in silent.


    Sylvidia then posed another question to me, "You know that mithril is a magic metal right?"


    I nodded my head vigorously, then Sylvidia continue to explain, "Then that will be easy to explain. Think about it... why do you think mithril becomes more powerful or weaker depending on the user?"


    "Hm......" After pondering for a while, I suddenly thought of something, "You don''t mean-?"


    "Exactly! The more Magic Power the user possess, the more powerful mithril become! However, mithril is useless in the hand of humans since they do not possess much innate Magic Power."


    After hearing what Sylvidia had to say, I couldn''t help but frown upon thinking about the current matter at hand, "If this is not a living armor... then what else could it be?"


    "Fufufu..." Just around this time, we could hear a faint laughter from an unfamiliar voice. But after carefully looking around, there was nobody else in the vicinity.


    "Did you hear something, Sylvidia?" I turned around to face Sylvidia and asked.


    She just answered uncaringly, "It''s probably just the wind?"


    "Fufufu..." Again... we hear the faint laughter, the both of us raised our guard, we stood back to back and surveyed our surroundings carefully. Sylvidia shouted vigilantly, "Who goes there?!"


    "Fufufu... It''s just so fun watching the both of you speculating about me..." The unfamiliar voice mysteriously rang out from all around us, we couldn''t tell where are voice was coming from.


    Then Sylvidia and I turned around to face each other, I raised my left hand in front of us. The both of us looked at the silver gold bracelet on my wrist suspiciously, then we said at the same time, "It couldn''t be......"


    "Bam!" All of a sudden, something pops out from the bracelet and shouted with a bam!


    Stolen story; please report.


    "Uwa...!" Sylvidia and I were astonished, we fell on the ground butt first. Seeing our sorry figures on the ground, the mysterious figure that popped out from the bracelet let out a huge laughter, "Puhahahahahahaha! Oh my gosh~! Look at the two of you!"


    The two of us were looking at the mysterious figure in front of us with our mouths agape. Sylvidia immediately regained her composure, then she grabbed my left arm before she jumped a distant away from the mysterious figure, dragging me along. I couldn''t help but let out a few surprised shriek.


    Sylvidia took on a battle stance and shouted at the mysterious figure vigilantly, all the while throwing me aside like an extra baggage, "Who are you?! Identify yourself!"


    The mysterious figure was floating in the midair as if gravity doesn''t affect her, she just flew towards the lake with graceful movement. Then she turn around while flipping her skirt, and introduced herself, "I am Wyllie Wisp, a Saint Demon."


    The mysterious figure was wearing a pure white off-shoulder dress with black lace atop the breast area, a white tights, a black rose hairpin, a pair of black gloves and snow-white arm warmers with black laces. Her skin tone was so pale, and her legs were faintly discernible, even her hair is pale blonde in color, one could have easily mistook her as a ghost. Not to mention, she had black irises and golden pupils, they looked just like the moon in the dark clear sky.


    "A Saint Demon you say? What the hell is that? I have never heard of such existence before!" Sylvidia kept up her vigilance.


    "Fufufu... Of course you have never heard of a Saint Demon before! I daresay I am the first one in existence! Fufufu..." Wyllie Wisp proudly proclaimed herself as the first Saint Demon in existence.


    "What are you blabbing about......" Sylvidia was at loss for words, she had no idea what Wyllie Wisp is saying at this point of time.


    Wyllie Wisp placed her palm on the left cheek and said reminiscently, "I really thought I was gonna die when they tried to purify me..."


    Sylvidia suddenly come to a realization, her lower jaw couldn''t help but drop. Sylvidia forced her jaws to move, and said, "You... you don''t mean... you actually survived the purification?!"


    Seeing Sylvidia''s current state of shock, Wyllie Wisp felt rather pleased, "Fufufu... That''s right! I was able to assimilate the white elemental essence and reborn as the Saint Demon! Fufufu... Fufufufufu... Fuhahahahaha!"


    After that, Wyllie Wisp pointed at me, or more specifically, at the bracelet on my left wrist, then she exclaimed, "That is not some measly Cursed Armor, nor a Blessed Armor! That is a never seen before Saint Demon Armor! Only someone who has affinity with both light and dark elements will be able to bring out the full potential of this armor! O'' dear master, are you worthy enough to bring forth the power that dwell in this armor?!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note


    Urgh... I think I''m not in good condition to do any translating and writing this week... Took me an entire day just to write this much... I''m sorry if this chapter is not as interesting as it should be, but at least I was able to unveil the main point today. So I think this is good enough for now...


    But a Saint Demon Armor... has anyone ever expected this?

 [Vol 3] Chapter 18: Unexpected Treasure Pt. 1

    Faced with the sudden development, I was totally baffled, I didn''t know how to reply. But it seems Sylvidia was even more surprised than me, her jaws were opening so wide that make me feel like they might fall off.


    That is only natural, because in normal cases, light and dark are opposing elements, as soon as they get into contact with one another, one will inevitably attempt to eliminate the others. For two completely opposing elements to exist in harmony within one''s body is not impossible. However, it is very rare, there are only a handful of people out there who can control both light and dark elements.


    But this is a demon we are talking about! A creature that is born from the darkness! And Wyllie Wisp is a ghost-type demon no less, a creature that is weak to light magic. It is inconceivable for a ghost to be able to grasp the light.


    "What...? So shocked that you can''t even speak? Fufufu..." Wyllie Wisp made fun of us when she saw our slack jaws.


    "Oh...! Um... Right, introduction first... My name is Sylvia, and this is my friend, Sylvidia. Nice to meet you, Miss Wyllie." I panicked for a short while before briefly introducing Sylvidia and myself to Wyllie Wisp.


    "It''s fine to just call me Wyllie." The self-proclaimed Saint Demon just lightly waved her right hand back and forth to dismiss the stiff introduction.


    "Oh... Okay, Mis- I mean Wyllie, I''m sorry to break this to you, but... I don''t think I have the ability to bring out your full potential, I only have affinity with darkness." I regretfully tell so to Wyllie Wisp.


    Contrary to my expectation, Wyllie Wisp doesn''t look disappointed, instead she said, "Fufufu... What are thou talking about? Were you not using light magic when you were confronting that divine fox earlier?" Then she glanced at Sylvidia with a mischievous smile.


    "Now that she mentioned it, something like that did happen just a while ago..." As I thought of that, I also turned to look at Sylvidia for an answer.


    Sylvidia took notice of our hopeful glance, and was finally startled awake, she immediately shook her head, and said, "No! Impossible! Nuh-uh! Armatization is the ultimate secret technique of the Spirit Item, it is not something that can be mastered in a matter of a day or two, what happened earlier was just a fluke!"


    "Sigh... What a disappointment..." Wyllie Wisp was disheartened and heaved a sigh. But then she looked at me mischievously and said, "I will just have you compensate me with a supply of daily Magic Power, fufufu..." As she said that, she licked the side of her lips sexily.


    I am also just as disappointed, just when I thought I finally got stronger, it is not a power which is readily available. Taking this chance, Sylvidia started explaining more regarding the basics of soul fusion.


    "Armatization can only be used when the host and spirit are one soul and one mind. In other words, we can''t perform a soul fusion unless our motive and determination are the same!"


    Wyllie Wisp lost her interest and went back into the armor, which is now in the form of a bracelet. While listening to Sylvidia''s long lectures, I took off my gloves and knee-length socks, then I hang them on a tree branch nearby before I go soak my feet in the lake.


    "Uwa... It''s so cold!" I dipped the tips of my big toe into the crystal clear lake to gauge the temperature. The lake is much colder than I expected, but it feels refreshing in contrast to the hot day. I slowly submerged my foot into the lake to enjoy the refreshing sensation.


    The Goblin Trio who were already happily playing in the lake noticed that I have finally stepped foot in the lake, there was an ominous glint in their eyes. Under Zain''s order, the most muscular of the trio, Giga, jumped high into the sky and landed right in front of me with a big splash!


    "Uwa...!" With a splash, a huge wave was surged up, the wave swept over me, drenching my whole body. "Uueeh... I''m completely soaked..." Or so I say, but the one piece dress that I am wearing is waterproof, only my hair, and my underwear are soaked.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The Goblin Trio is laughing heartily at my sorry figure, and they continue their assault by splashing water at me from three different directions.


    "Splish! Splash!"


    "Wa... Stop! Stop! Time out! I''m not ready yet...!" Faced with their relentless assault, I could only raise my arms to cover my face. I keep shouting for them to stop, but they wouldn''t listen to me at all.


    "Mu... Now you''re asking for it! Hyah!" Since they won''t stop, I get back at them by splashing water at them. After that, I blended in with the goblins quite easily, we were splashing water at one another and running all over the place like a child. I guess my mental age is about the same as the three goblins...


    "Sigh... How childish..." Seeing this heartwarming scene before her, Sylvidia couldn''t help but shake her head in resignation.


    ......


    Since we were having so much fun playing in the crystal clear lake, we had all but forgotten the time. The preparations for the feast were already done a long time ago, Sheena got impatient and came to check on us. When she saw that we were just fooling around, we got a sermon from Sheena.


    The Goblin Trio obediently changed into their new clothes, I didn''t have any spare clothes to change into, since Sheena didn''t expect I would get soaked, not that I need it anyway since my one piece dress did not get wet at all. However, I do need a new pair of underwear. We are going back to the academy via sky transport later, it is undoubtedly going to be cold high up in the atmosphere. If I continue wearing this pair of soaking wet underwear, I will definitely get sick.


    With that in mind, I poked Sheena on her back, and throw away my pride to whisper these into her right ear, "Sheena... do you have a pair of extra underwear?"


    Sheena looked at me suspiciously and replied in a voice low enough that only the two of us can hear, "Well... Not really, only the used ones from yesterday, why?"


    I looked down to the ground shyly and whispered, "M-my underwear is... soaked..."


    "Sigh... I guess a used underwear is better than a soaked underwear... I''ll go get it for you later... But how come only your underwear is wet?" It is helpful that Sheena is very understanding, but her question does bring some doubt to mind; Just what is this dress made of? It is as smooth as a high-class silk, yet it does not absorb a single drop of water.


    Even the highest quality silk I know of should at least absorb a little bit of water, could this dress actually be a treasure? I mean when I fell from the sky earlier, and was scratched by the twigs and branches, the dress didn''t get a single cut. The dress seems quite durable too.


    Moreover... the silk gloves and knee-length socks Mister Milton gave me have the same texture as the dress... Could they be made out of the same material? I turned over to face Sylvidia with an expectant look, my eyes were literally shining with desires.


    Seeing me like that, Sylvidia couldn''t help but heave a defeated sigh. When Sheena finally took notice of Sylvidia, she was captivated by her unparalleled beauty, she whispered to me softly, "Who is that?"


    "Oh... That is Sylvidia, the Winged Unicorn from earlier, in human form." I answered straightforwardly.


    "Oh... Is that so..." Sheena nodded in acknowledgement, then comes the delayed response, "EHHHHH?! Y-you mean she is the emissary of the Goddess of Light?!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note


    What do you guys think the dress is made out of? :D


    For those who haven''t checked out The Gallery</a>, please go check it out now ^^


    I have compiled all the previously uploaded image in Silva''s Diary there~

 [Vol 3] Chapter 19: Unexpected Treasure Pt. 2

    "Oh... Is that so..." Sheena nodded in acknowledgement, then comes the delayed response, "EHHHHH?! Y-you mean she is the emissary of the Goddess of Light?!"


    I put on a stiff smile and scratched my cheek awkwardly, then I said, "Emissary of the Goddess? Ah-ha-ha-ha~ I think you don''t have to take what she said so seriously though. She was probably just joking..."


    "Eh? You mean the whole thing about being the emissary of the Goddess was-" Before Sheena could finish her sentence, Sylvidia cut in and said, "Not a lie!"


    I turned around to look at Sylvidia suspiciously, then I asked dubiously, "For real?"


    Sylvidia didn''t say anything, she just crossed her arms below her ample breasts and nodded her head heavily. If I take a moment to recall what the Spirit King said earlier, she did mention about the Goddess of Light, so it must be true. However, a part of me still didn''t want to believe that is the case, so I just discarded it in the back of my head.


    I didn''t know what to say in retort, so it became quite awkward for a brief moment. Just at this time, Sylvidia started to explain, "Well... to be more precise, I was the emissary of the Goddess of Light. With my strength as it is now, I am not worthy to bear the name of an emissary."


    "Oh... Is that so..." I just answered briefly and asked, "If you were to regain your former strength, would you want to return to the Goddess of Light''s side?"


    Sylvidia looked up into the sky as if she was reminiscing, then she said, "To be completely honest with you, even though the Goddess of Light treated me kindly, my answer is no."


    "Eh~?! But why?" Sylvidia''s answer is a bit unexpected so I couldn''t help but ask. Though I would be lying to myself if I say I''m not happy with her answer. On the contrary, I am very happy to hear that she choose me over the Goddess of Light.


    However, Sylvidia didn''t answer my question and diverted the topic back to the dress, "Weren''t you curious about the dress?"


    "Oh... Now that you mentioned it, what is this dress made of?" Seeing that Sylvidia didn''t want to talk about it yet, I didn''t press on and go along with her, since I am also curious about the dress anyway.


    "That dress of yours is made out of mithril silk, a material produced by the elven technology." Sylvidia answered with a straight face.


    "Mithril silk?" I tilted my head in confusion, Sylvidia probably knows that I do not understand the value of this silk, so she took the trouble to elaborate further;


    "Mithril silk is a legendary silk made by a true master of Spiritual dominance. Only a true master who is capable of completely controlling their Spiritual Power would be able to draw out the essence of the mithril, and imbued the essence into the magic silk.


    The magic silk on the other hand, is a silk completely made out of Magic Power. It is not that common in the world of Halkeginia, but it is not that rare either. The beastman are using these kind of silk for example, since their body tend to change when they transform."


    "Oh... a legendary silk huh..." Then I turned around, squat on the ground, hid my face behind my knees, and let out a wicked smile, "Guehehehe... As expected of an elf, to be wearing such an expensive dress even in comatose state......"


    It is very stereotypical of me to automatically associate mithril and elf together, since mithril always tend to be a material widely monopolized by the elves in fiction stories.


    "Bonk!!" Sheena dropped a karate chop on the back of my head, then she retorted, "Hey... We can hear everything, you know?"


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Ow......!" I grabbed my head with both hands, and turned my head to look at Sheena with teary eyes, then I complained, "That hurts you know?"


    Sheena let out a cute smile, and bend her upper body towards my face before saying, "Hehe... It is supposed to hurt." Then she extended her right hand, and said, "Come... let us go back to the village, the preparations are already complete."


    After that exchange, we went back to the village along with the three goblins. On the way back to the village, I couldn''t help but ask, "Sylvidia, you said these mithril silk is made out of magic silk right? Does that mean they also have the ability to transform like the magic silk?"


    "Tsk..." Sylvidia just clicked her tongue, and didn''t answer my question. Since if I know about it, she wouldn''t have the liberty to play with the outfit anymore. So she came up with a white lie, and I simply believed her due to my lack of knowledge regarding magic.


    "Hohohoho... Of course not! Once the magic silk has been imbued with the mithril essence, they lost their ability to freely transform. As I said earlier, the transformation earlier was due to the effect from the cards~"


    By the time we got back to the village, everyone was already in a party mood. A lot of food was arranged neatly in front of the small temple, Iqaos was happily enjoying the feast. I couldn''t help but wonder what would the villager think if they saw the food just magically float and disappear in midair.


    Sylvidia explained without even me asking, "When we Spirits touch material object, it will be infused it with our Spiritual Power, they will become a part of the Spiritual World and the normal people won''t be able to see it."


    Walking further into the village, we arrived at the village square. The village girls are pouring rice wine for the three riders, I just hope they won''t drink too much since we are relying on them for the transportation. The village guys are swarming around Albert, offering him all kinds of gifts. They will most likely be disappointed if they found out Albert is actually a guy.


    Little Futaba had already turned back into the cute little fox, and is currently chased by the village kids, while the adults are frantically trying to stop the kids. I am surprised that the villagers are still able to see Futaba even in that form, I pointed at Futaba with a look of surprise.


    Sylvidia simply answered, "She doesn''t seem to be drawing Magic Power directly from Sheena... Could it be the power she received from the contract? She''s using the elemental essence  to materialize her own body so naturally......"


    From the look of it, Sylvidia doesn''t seem to know about the Crest of Truth, which is quite a disappointment. Since I planned to ask her about these crests on the back of my hands when things have calmed down considerably.


    All in all, the village is in a very festive mood. When the village chief noticed us approaching the village, he comes to welcome us immediately, "Ah... Welcome back, it seems everyone is ready, come... We''ve prepared a feast for everyone."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    So the dress is actually made out of mithril silk, a legendary silk which possessed all the properties of mithril and magic silk. When will Sylvia finally find out that Sylvidia was tricking her so that she could play with her dress however she wants? And how would she react by then? :P

 [Vol 3] Epilogue: A Maidens Dilemma

    When the village chief noticed us approaching the village, he comes to welcome us immediately, "Ah... Welcome back, it seems everyone is ready, come... We''ve prepared a feast for everyone."


    "Before that... Mister Olaf, can we borrow a private quarter from you?" Sheena asked politely. However, the village chief was being insensitive and asked, "Private quarter? I can do that... But why?"


    Samie cut into the conversation and admonished the village chief, "Dad! How can you be so insensitive, how can you ask a girl such question? Why do you think a girl needs privy for?"


    Finally understanding the situation, the village chief blushed and scratched his head awkwardly, "O-oh... private quarters... Sure! Go ahead and borrow it for as long as you need." The village chief doesn''t dare to make eye contact during the following exchange.


    Samie turned around and smiled brightly, then she said, "Come, I''ll bring you to my house." Meanwhile, the village chief led the Goblin Trio to the village square and treat them with utmost respect.


    We followed Samie and soon arrived in front of her house. As soon as we entered the house, she led us in front of a door and said, "This is the washroom, take as long as you need. Hehehe..."


    I feel like we''ve been misunderstood, but now that she mentioned it, I do feel the urge to go... I have been holding it back since the entire morning after all...


    Seeing me getting a little flustered, Sheena bring her lips close to my ears and whispered, "Hehe... Do you need me to help you with that again?"


    Recalling what Sheena did to me last night in the bathroom, my face turned bright red, I immediately pass through the door and shouted, "No thank you!" Then I slammed the door shut.


    "Bang!"


    "Fufufu... How cute~ ?" Sheena teased me for a bit, then she continued, "Sylvia, I''ll go get you a pair of underwear to change into, so just finish up your business by then."


    However, I didn''t hear what Sheena was saying at all, I am now facing one of my greatest challenge since reincarnating as a girl. In front of me is the throne, at my back is the closed door with two gatekeeper keeping watch on the other side, I have nowhere to escape.


    "I''m a grown man, taking a leak is nothing indecent, it is a normal human reaction, it is prove that we are alive, this is nothing indecent at all!" I keep convincing myself by muttering these words, and before I knew it, I already took off my underwear and sat on top of the throne.


    "Pssh......" ?1?


    "Hah...... That felt good..." After finally relieving the load that has been accumulating in my bladder, I finally soften my stiff expression.


    "Knock! Knock!"


    Just around this time, I hear a knocking sound coming from the door, and Sheena''s voice follow soon after, "Sylvia, I got the underwear, are you done already?"


    "Yea yea... I''m done already..." Then I opened the door slightly, and peeked out from the opening, "Where is it?" I extended my hand out from the opening to receive the underwear from Sheena.


    Sheena passed me the underwear and teased me on purpose, "Did you make sure to wipe it after doing your business?"


    Clearly understanding what was Sheena implying, I blushed and shouted frantically, "O-of course I did!" Then I shut the door with a "Bang!"


    "Geez... That Sheena is surprisingly a sadist..." I pouted unhappily and spread out the underwear I got in my hand. It is a cute underwear with lots of frill, clearly not the plain underwear that I was wearing. She probably borrowed it from the village girl, there''s no doubt about it.


    "Sigh..." I just heaved a weak sigh and put on the underwear without making a fuss, it will only tire me out every time I make a big fuss out of a small deal like this. And more importantly, I don''t want to let Sheena win! She probably chose something flashy like this in order to see me get shaken up again. I am going to one up her this time!


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I folded the wet underwear and stuff it into the pocket that''s sewn on the side of the dress. Then I opened the door with a "Creak...!"


    Sheena looks openly disappointed seeing me get out of the washroom without making a fuss, "Oh... You''re done already? You gave in quite easily..."


    "Fufufu... I am a grown man after all! Don''t underestimate a human''s ability to adapt!" I felt proud and raised my head high.


    "Are you sure you really put on the underwear?" Sheena felt dubious and lifted my skirt without warning.


    "Kya!!" I used both hands to push my skirt down, my cheeks turned bright red, and I shouted at Sheena, "W-what do you think you''re doing?!"


    "Fufufu... Indeed, you adapt quite fast to being a girl... That was the perfect reaction! Fufufufufufufu..." Sheena covered her mouth with her left hand, and laughed playfully as she turned around, and walked next to the exit.


    "Mu... Seems like I got one-upped by her instead..." I muttered to myself unhappily.


    Sheena turned around, and urged me, "Come on, we are going to the village square now."


    After that little incident, we went to the village square and participated in the festivity. Nothing much happened after that, we ate our fill, chat with the villagers, watch the villagers perform various tricks, I accidentally mistook the wet underwear as handkerchief to wipe my mouth and was made fun of by Sheena, aside from that, nothing much happened at all.


    No, I did not try to hide the fact that I used the underwear to wipe my mouth by mingling it together with the other events, definitely not, ok?


    We spent as much as two hours in total in the village, it is about time we be on our way now or it will be nightfall by the time we get back to the academy.


    As soon as we bid farewell to the villagers, we got onto the back on the Gryphons, with one extra passenger each. Zain is with me, Fiore is with Sheena, Giga is with Albert. We immediately took off and departed for the academy.


    When the Gryphons flew off the ground and fly towards the horizon, the village girl keep chasing after our shadows and waving her hands at us. Due to her action, the other villagers also ran after our shadows and keep shouting their farewells. We also waved back due to courtesy.


    ......


    On the journey back to the academy, it is very peaceful and nothing unexpected happen on the way. We safely arrived at the academy right before the last glow of sunset diminished.


    The Tristain Academy of Magic just lay before our eyes, as described in the fiction, the academy was built like the pentagon symbol, with different color roofs for each tower to symbolize the elements.


    So much has happened ever since I arrived in this world, I didn''t have much time to properly process all the information in my head, but now that I think about it again, I couldn''t help but mutter, "I really am in a different world now..."


    When Sheena saw my earnest expression, she smiled and said, "Welcome... to the world of Halkeginia..."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    It is not a Gender Bender without one of these scenes right? :P


    So the next chapter will finally be the beginning of the academy arc!


    Or so you would think... but next chapter is gonna be an intermission, sorry pals >.<


    <hr />


    References:


    <ol type="$type"></li>


    <li>The sound of urine leaking out.


    </li></ol>

 [Vol 3] Intermission 1: Saito the Hero King

    Back in the Guild Hall, within a certain room, just when Mister Milton¡¯s discussion with the two mysterious figures, Saito the Hero King and Louise the Void Mage, ended, the door to the room suddenly opened.


    A maid with big breasts, black eyes, and shoulder length silky black hair walked in. She disregarded everyone else and immediately walks in front of Saito, then she curtsied politely and say, ¡°Lord Saito, please forgive my rudeness, but why is Lady Sheena¡¯s familiar wearing the Silver Gold Armor? I thought you said you were going to give it to Angie?!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Siesta¡­ P-please calm down! I can explain¡­¡± When Siesta started grabbing Saito¡¯s collar, he started to panic. This action might seem very rude coming from a maid, but this is Siesta, she has been Saito¡¯s personal maid since they were not more than twenty years old. One can tell that their relationship is not as simple as that of a master and a maid.


    The reason why Siesta get angry at Saito is because he had promised Siesta that he will give the Silver Gold Armor to her daughter, Angie, as a gift for her services to Sheena. Since Saito had given the gift which was meant for Angie to someone else, it was only natural that Siesta would be angry.


    Siesta let go of Saito and crossed her arms under her enormous twin peaks, she stared at Saito and wait for him to explain.


    Saito fixed his collar and started to explain, ¡°Siesta¡­ Please don¡¯t be angry, I didn¡¯t break my promise. I just found something else that is more suitable for Angie, that¡¯s why I decided to give the Silver Gold Armor to my daughter¡¯s familiar. Besides¡­ for Sheena to summon a humanoid familiar is out of my expectation, I didn¡¯t have enough time to prepare another gift. By no means am I playing favorites here. Please forgive me?¡±


    Saito begged for forgiveness by clapping both hands in front of his face and closing one of his eyes.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Siesta heaved a sigh and then she moved her left hand from the twin peaks to her cheek. After that she turned her body sideways, closed her left eye, and peeked at Saito with the other eye. In the end, she said, ¡°Fine¡­ I will forgive you if you give me a kiss on the cheek.¡±


    Just around this time, Louise finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and jumped in front of Siesta. She raised her voice and exclaimed, ¡°Siesta! You shameless woman! W-what are you trying to make my h-h-husband do in the public?!¡±


    Siesta just ignored Louise and directly walked beside Saito, then she entangled her arms around Saito¡¯s, and trapped his arms between her twin peaks. Saito¡¯s face loosened from the soft sensation of the marshmallows, and had a very creepy expression.


    Siesta looked at Louise and said teasingly, ¡°Ara¡­ What¡¯s wrong with a husband showing a little bit of love to his mistress in the public?¡±


    That¡¯s right, Siesta is Saito¡¯s second wife, and Angie is their love child, but the person in question doesn¡¯t know that yet, she always thought she didn¡¯t have a father. She grew up listening to heroic tales of her imaginary father. The reason why they didn¡¯t publicly announce that Angie is their child is because they are not officially married.


    Saito is a Hero King, Siesta is a Royal Maid, their position is too far apart, it is impossible for them to get married legally, there would be too many opposition. The only other person in this room is Mister Milton, so Siesta wasn¡¯t worried about being overheard by anyone else. Mister Milton is one of the few person who knows what is going on between the three.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Lord Saito is still popular with the ladies I see¡­¡± Mister Milton just laughed heartily as he left the room.


    ¡°Gnununununu¡­!¡± Louise grinds her teeth, her arms are side by side of her body, she clenches her fists tightly, it felt as if she could snap at any moment. However, over the past few decades, Louise had learned that she won¡¯t be able to win the heart of a man if she keeps abusing him, so she is able to restrain herself from snapping.


    In order to win the heart of a man, the most effective method is to get on their soft spot, so Louise had developed a new method to get Saito to pamper her more than the other girls.


    Louise started to tear up, she loosened her fists and raised her right fist in front of her lips, she grabbed the right side of her waist with her other hand, then she took a few quick glance at Saito and said, ¡°Saito¡­ Do you prefer woman with bigger breasts after all¡­ Sniffle.¡±


    Louise seemed so meek and incredibly cute, she could instantly catch the heart of all bystanders even if she was in the middle sea of crowds. It is just as effective on Saito, whenever Saito flirt with other girls, Louise would do this on purpose to get the sympathy of the guys, which makes Saito jealous in return.


    Seeing Louise like this, Saito immediately get free from Siesta¡¯s embrace and walked in front of Louise, he patted her head to ease her worry, and say with a tender voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Louise, you know I love you more than anyone else.¡± Then he gently kissed Louise on the forehead.


    Inside of Louise¡¯s mind, there was a glint in her eyes, she thought to herself, ¡°Kehehehe, take that you cow woman, I win!¡±


    ¡°Kuh¡­¡­!¡± Siesta is biting a handkerchief in her mouth and pulling it with both hands.


    Siesta suddenly got in between Saito and Louise and pushed them apart, then she faced Saito and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you said you were heading to the Forest of Alden earlier, darling? When are we going to depart?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s right¡­ Louise, may I trouble you with that?¡± Saito and Louise finally snapped out from their own world when they heard Siesta mention the Forest of Alden. There is something that they had to confirm with their own eyes in the hidden village of the elves.


    ¡°Sure¡­ Opening a portal directly to the secret village of the elves is not possible since there is a powerful barrier there, but I can teleport us close to the hidden village.¡± Louise nodded her head and started to bring up the image of the Forest of Alden in her mind.


    In order to use the ?World Gate? magic to teleport to a certain part of the world, one needs a clear image of the area in question. It is even possible to travel between parallel world using ?World Gate? as long as one can imagine it.


    In a few moment later, the space in front of Louise twisted and a black hole suddenly appeared. Within the black hole, one can clearly see a thick and lush green forest. The ?World Gate? has successfully connected to the Forest of Alden on the other side!


    ¡°Alright¡­ Let¡¯s go!¡± Saito was the first to enter the ?World Gate?, followed by Siesta, and lastly Louise.


    <hr />


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Louise is¡­ no longer a tsundere?! That seducing technique is super effective!

 [Vol 3] Intermission 2: Hidden Village of Elf

    As soon as Saito and the rest entered the ?World Gate?, they quickly emerged from the other side of the portal. In just the blink of an eye, they have arrived at the border of the village.


    Saito, Louise, and Siesta walked in the dense jungle leisurely, as if they are walking in their own backyard. One can see from a glance that they come here pretty frequently. When the gatekeepers saw Saito and the rest walking towards the hidden village, they were not alarmed in the slightest. Instead, they saluted respectfully and reported, "Lord Saito, we have an emergency, please go meet the chief immediately!"


    "An emergency? Is it regarding the princess?" Saito looked at the gatekeeper and asked suspiciously.


    "Sigh... It is as you suspected..." The gatekeeper heaved a sigh dejectedly, then he asked, "Did you hear it from the Priestess, Lord Saito?"


    At this time, Louise suddenly stepped forward and ask, "Priestess? Did Tiffania depart already?"


    The gatekeeper stiffened when Louise speaks to him, not because he is afraid of Louise, nor was it because of Louise''s beauty, but because Louise, and the rest of the void mage for this matter, are revered as living gods.


    The gatekeeper yelped, "Y-yes, Your Holiness! The Priestess just departed yesterday!"


    Just around this time, they saw a familiar face from beyond the gate. It was Luctiana,  an elf with light blonde hair and bangs. She has a fair complexion and bright, sky blue eyes. Her bust is average sized. She was deeply fascinated by humans and their culture, and still is. She kidnapped both Saito and Tiffania a few decades ago for that purpose, wishing to observe their behavior.


    Being an elf as she is, a few decades are nothing, so she hasn''t really changed that much, appearance wise. When she noticed it was Saito and the rest standing at the gate, she immediately ran over while waving her hand, "Hey~! If it isn''t Saito and Louise! What are you guys doing here?"


    "Ah... Luctiana, good timing, can you lead Lord Saito and Her Holiness to the village chief?" One of the gatekeepers who saw Luctiana requested her to take Saito and the rest to meet the village chief.


    Luctiana just nonchalantly said, "No problem! This way please~" and lead Saito, Louise, and Siesta into the village.


    On the way to the village chief''s quarter, they had a small talk with Luctiana, mostly reminiscing of the past events. Luctiana bid her farewell after they arrived in front of the village chief''s quarter.


    Saito and Louise looked at one another, both of them nodded at the same time, it seems the both of them thought of the same thing. What they feared had indeed come true! They took large strides and entered the living quarter of the village chief.


    As soon as they entered the room, they found all the elders are sitting around the village chief loudly discussing something. Listening closely, it was most likely about the missing princess. Most of the elders look like middle ages man, around the same age as Saito, but do not be fooled by their appearances. They are the long-lived elves after all, all the elders here are at least ten times the age of Saito.


    When the village chief lifted his downhearted head, he saw Saito and revealed a hint of smile, then he opened his mouth and said, "Oh! What a rare guest, what brings you to our humble village today, Lord Saito?"


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Saito answered straightforwardly, "I came here in regards of the princess."


    The village chief''s face twisted for a moment, then he laughed mockingly, "Hohoho... Words sure travel fast... So you already know..."


    Saito silently surveyed the entire room, the village chief seemed to understand what Saito was implying so he decided to end the meeting now, "Everyone, that is enough for today, I have to receive a guest."


    "But Chief Gustav!" Some of the elders are unwilling to leave it at that and raised their voice.


    "Didn''t you hear me? I said this is enough for today!" Gustav, the village chief, fixed his gaze at the elders solemnly.


    "Gulp...!" The elders swallowed their saliva, and did not dare to make another sound. They all know the temper of the village chief, so they quietly left one after another.


    After the last of them was gone, Gustav finally heaved a sigh of relief, and said, "Phew...... They''re finally gone, you saved me there, Lord Saito. I thought they were going to stay here forever. Hohohoho!"


    Saito nodded and laughed, "Hahaha... Seems like a lot had happened here. I heard most of it from Luctiana."


    Gustav tilted his head to one side, "Luctiana? Not the Priestess?"


    "Yes..." Then Saito began explaining his side of the story, about how he found someone who looked exactly like the princess when he was secretly tailing his daughter in the dungeon town of Swinford.


    Saito also passed the biography he received from Mister Milton to Gustav, the height, the eye colors, the hair, the skin tone, even the age, everything fit right on the bill, all except the race. Gustav frowned when he browsed through the biography.


    "A Spirit?" After briefly reviewing the report, Gustav raised his face to look at Saito dubiously.


    Saito nodded solemnly, and said, "This is the reason I came to find you today."


    "Sigh......" Gustav heaved a sigh, and shook his head a few times, then he said, "My guess is as good as yours, this is undoubtedly... my daughter... It is a great news to find out that my daughter is in good hands, but... I am slightly worried about the Spirit..."


    Saito suddenly revealed a grin, then he tried to ease Gustav by telling him, "Don''t worry, I have already given Elwyn a Blessed Armor just in case! If the evil spirit try to do something funny, the armor will zap her." Elwyn is the name of the missing princess, and the original owner of the body Sylvia is currently possessing. At this time, Saito obviously doesn''t know the Blessed Armor that he gave Sylvia was actually a never seen before Saint Demon Armor!


    Then Saito''s expression suddenly turned serious, "But you are right, I am also slightly worried about the Spirit, is there anything we can do about it?"


    Gustav closed his eyes for a few seconds, and is in deep thoughts for a while. Then he suddenly shook his head weakly, and said, "We can always try to exorcise her but..."


    Saito raised one of his eyebrow and ask, "But what...?"


    "But we might end up hurting Elwyn in the process......" Gustav speaks with downcast eyes. Seeing how Saito and the others do not understand the situation, he stood up and after a brief moment of hesitation, he said, "Come... There is something I need to show you..."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note;


    What will Gustav show Saito and Louise? It will be revealed in the next chapter, look forward for it!

 [Vol 3] Intermission 3: The Black Wing

    "Come... There is something I need to show you..." As soon as Gustav said that, he walked towards the exit.


    Saito and Louise glanced at each other momentarily, and then nodded their head simultaneously.


    They stood up and immediately follow after Gustav. As soon as they got out from the exit, there was a maid standing by beside the door. That was Siesta, although she was on close term with Saito and Louise, she also works as a professional maid, she knows her own standing, that''s why she did not enter the room along with the two of them. It is inappropriate for her to be in the room, she had no reason to be there.


    Although even if she did enter the room, no one would dare to raise their voice against her, because she is together with Saito the Hero King. Everyone knew how much Saito treasured this particular maid, no one would willingly want to get on Saito''s bad side.


    When Siesta saw Gustav and the rest had come out from the room, she bowed politely and said, "Lord Gustav, Lord Saito, Lady Louise, have a safe trip."


    "Ah... Siesta... Right?" When Gustav noticed Siesta, he tried to recall her name from the back of his head, then he said, "You could have come in along with Saito and Louise."


    Siesta giggled while placing one hand before her mouth, and said, "Fufufu... Lord Gustav might be fine with me, but the other elders don''t view me in high regards. I should act appropriately so as to not soil Lord Saito''s reputation."


    "Fumu... You sure have a considerate retainer, Lord Saito. Hahahaha-!" Gustav laughed heartily as he walked off.


    Before Saito went after Gustav, he told Siesta to go gather some information regarding Tiffania. He wanted to know where had Tiffania went off to, and stops her before this matter becomes graver.


    ......


    After walking for a while, they finally arrived in the deepest part of the Hidden Village, this place is tightly secured. The tall ancient trees around the area serves as a natural wall, the thick vines hanging down the trees serve as a veil that concealed this place from the outside world.


    As Gustav approached the ancient trees, his lips keep moving incessantly, and began to chant some kind of mantra. As he keeps moving, the ancient trees and vines mysteriously separated, and formed a tunnel for him to pass through, Saito and Louise follow closely behind.


    "We''re here!" After they passed through the tunnel, Gustav was the first to raise his voice.


    Within the encirclement of the ancient trees and vines was a wide open field with a beautiful flower garden, the sunlight is plentiful here, the fragrance of the flowers pervaded the air, there are flowers with all kinds of colors, it is a spectacular view. Along with the melodious birdsong, this place seemed incomparably peaceful. ?1?


    In the dead center of this open field stands a tall monolith made out of stone. When Saito and Louise noticed the monolith, they couldn''t help but ask, "This place is......"


    "Where the first elf was said to have been born in the long history of the entire multiverse. Thus, it is our most sacred ground. It is also the place where our ancestor had left behind his most powerful technique for the later generation, the Black Wing!" Gustav explained calmly.


    "The Black... Wing?" Saito asked with a puzzled expression.


    "That''s right... It is said to be the ultimate sword technique that had been undefeated, but alas...... As you know, elves are more proficient in magic than swordplay. As a result, none of us had been able to master this technique for hundreds of generations..." As Gustav explained, he showed a pained expression.


    Hundreds of generations sound like a really long time for humans, but it is even more so for the elves, as the average lifespan of an elf is no less than one thousand years.


    Gustav lifted his face to look at Saito, and said solemnly, "We don''t normally let an outsider enter this sacred ground."


    Saito''s face suddenly lit up, he is quite interested in this ?Ultimate Technique: Black Wing? that is rumored to be undefeated. Saito couldn''t contain his excitement, and suddenly raised his voice, "Then-!"


    "Ho, ho, ho~! If it''s you, Lord Saito, I believe you will be able to master this technique! But that is not the main reason why I have brought you here today." Seeing Saito''s face all excitedly, Gustav couldn''t help but laugh. He reassured Saito that he will let him study the Ultimate Technique later so that they can discuss the main topic at hands.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Oh...? There are other reason which you brought me here today?" Saito raised an eyebrow as he looked at Gustav.


    Gustav turned his attention towards the monolith, on the face of the monolith, the image of their ancestor is carved there. It is a gallant figure riding on a dragon with four black swords attached to his back. Gustav started explaining, "That''s right, the reason I brought you here today is to pass on the knowledge of our origin to you. Regarding the birth of the first elf in history, Koinzell the Black Wing."


    "Gulp... The origin of the elves... Koinzell..." Saito knew this was going to be a lengthy and serious discussion, he approached the monolith to take a closer look at the heroic figure of the first elf.


    Gustav also followed suit, and walks behind Saito, then he started to explain, "Reportedly, Lord Koinzell was said to be a human before he was reborn as an elf."


    "Eh?!" When Saito heard such an unthinkable remark, he couldn''t help but turn around to face Gustav, and let out a surprised voice.


    Gustav didn''t let that bother him, and continued his explanation, "Apparently, he was loved by the Spirits, and when he was on death''s door, the Spirits tried to save his life unyieldingly. In the end... the Spirits and the person himself have fused, and become one being. That was how the first elf was birthed."


    "Wait... You don''t mean..." Saito immediately guessed the underlying meaning.


    "That''s right... I suspect the same thing has happened to Elwyn..." Gustav let out a heavy breath.


    "That... What happened to Lord Koinzell in the end...?" Saito couldn''t help but ask, if something similar had happened in the past, then perhaps the same thing will happen again in the present.


    "That... We do not know, whether the Spirit had inherited Lord Koinzell''s will, whether Lord Koinzell had truly been rebirthed, or whether Lord Koinzell and the Spirits co-existed together in one body, no one knows for sure......" Gustav shook his head helplessly.


    "Then... What are we supposed to do about Elwyn? Are we just supposed to leave her like that?" Saito finally understood why Gustav was hesitant to perform the exorcism, if the Elwyn''s life is truly being sustained by the Spirit, then exorcist it will only do more harm than good.


    "For now, all we can do is wait and see... If that Spirit truly mean harm, then even at the cost of my daughter''s own life, we have to exorcist it!" Gustav hardened his resolve and made a grave decision.


    Then he look at Saito and request him not to let the other elders know about the current situation of the princess yet. If they knew the princess is currently being possessed by a dark spirit, they will inevitably lead a group of shamans to go and exorcist it immediately.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    I''ve received some negative comments or feedback regarding my writings, but I was never discouraged by any of them. If they think this is not good enough for them, I''ll just double my effort to write something even better.


    The only reason I am able to keep this up is all thanks to the returnee who keeps commenting or liking every chapters. It is very motivating to see the same person keep coming back for more, it far outweights all the negative comments I''ve received.


    I''d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, and I wish to see you all again in the future. You all who you are. ;)


    <hr />


    References:


    [1]: Huzzah for translating World of Immortals, now I have gained Chen Dong''s skill for excessively describing beautiful girl and landscape XD

 [Vol 3] Side Story 1: Summoner Lou

    This story takes place about a month before Sylvia was summoned to the world of Halkeginia. This story is set in Mysteria Academy, a rival school of Halkeginia Magic Academy. However, the main focus of this academy is not magic, but summoning.


    This is the story of Lou, a freshman at Mysteria Academy. She was nicknamed as doofus, or the weakest summoner in history, because...... her first summoning was actually...... a butterfly!


    Lou is currently 15 years old, her height is only around 1.4 meter tall, and she is flat-chested. Due to her childish appearance, she had always been called shorty or Loli. She has a beautiful blonde hair that extended up to her waist, and was trimmed in short bang style. Her pair of big eyes are as clear as the blue sky, paired together with her flushed cheeks, her small nose, and pink lips, she looked exceedingly charming.


    Perhaps people were jealous of her beauty, or her poor background, or perhaps due to the kind treatment she gets from the strongest summoner in the academy, she was treated poorly by the student mass, even with her exceedingly good looks.


    And today... is yet another catastrophic day for our young protagonist.


    "Hahaha-! Loli, just give up already, you can never beat my summoned beast with your puny butterfly!" They are currently having a mock battle in class, a youngster about the same age as Lou is currently having a bout ?1? with her.


    The youngster''s summoned beast was a fearless lion, it was more than ten times larger than Luo''s little butterfly, and hundred times as fierce. Luo''s summoned beast, which was the green little butterfly, frantically dodged left and right to evade the giant claws coming down at it.


    The battle between summoners are battle between their summoned beasts, while the summoner stay at the back of the line to offer support.


    This is obviously the biggest mismatch, the strongest in the class versus the weakest in the entire academy. Without a doubt, the match was completely one-sided. But how did something like this happen? It''s not because of some clich¨¦ scenarios like what we usually see in light novels. That pairing was hand-picked by the professor, in hope that Lou will be able to learn something from being paired with the strongest kid in her year.


    The match didn''t last for long, the puny butterfly let out a miserable screech after getting hit by that vicious claw once.


    With a loud bang, the little butterfly was smashed hard onto the ground. Surprisingly, it has a rather sturdy body, most insects would already be squashed after receiving such a heavy impact, yet its body is actually still intact. A loud screech followed soon after, "Noooo-! Anya- Anya-!"


    The screech came from Lou, immediately after the little butterfly called Anya was hit by the vicious claw, she ran to its side and embraced it softly, she was on the verge of tears.


    She immediately became the laughing-stock of the entire class, "Hahahaha- I knew it, there''s no way the doofus can beat Raymond and Lycan!" Raymond is the name of the youngster, Lycan being the name of his summoned beast.


    The one who mocked Lou was Raymond''s lackey, after that mockery, the rest of the class burst out in laughter. The professor was obviously unhappy with their behavior, and admonished the entire class, "Silence! There is no shame in losing, only through many trials and errors will we humans improve, the most important thing is not lose heart and learn from our errors! All of your behaviors are unacceptable!"


    "Tsk-!" Some of the students clicked their tongues, they are obviously very dissatisfied with how the professors always favored Lou.


    Just as the professor was about to get to Lou''s side to encourage her, she suddenly stood up and ran out of the training field.


    ***


    Within Mysteria Academy, at the third floor of the main building, the 3rd year had just finished their class. Everyone had already left the classroom, only two people remained. That was Anne and Owen, the strongest pair in the Academy.


    Anne has a light brown hair that hanged down until her bottom, her pair of big eyes are emerald-green. She has a well-developed breasts, and stand at around 1.68 meter tall. She is about 17 of age, and is proclaimed as the strongest summoner in the academy. She is the daughter of a fallen noble, so she has a bit of a dignified aura around her.


    The guy beside her is Owen, he enrolled as Anne''s bodyguard, and is popular with both genders alike, even with his evil look. He has a short brownish hair, and squinted eyes, he always have a serious expression on his face, which doesn''t gives people a good first impression. But nevertheless, his swordsmanship is marvelous, and he earned the respect of the student body due to his diligence.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Anne is currently looking out from the window, she could see a small figure sitting on top of the stairs in front of a wide open field, with her face hidden between her knees. She could instantly recognize the small figure, since she was the only one wearing a blue hat with fluffy ears like that.


    Anne couldn''t help but exclaim, "Oh- poor Lou..."


    ***


    After running off from class, Lou arrived at a wide open field, she sat on top of the stairs, and tried to repress her crying voice.


    "Sniffs... Sniffs..." Lou felt very frustrated, she felt very mistreated, "Why only me?" she thought, "Even though I worked harder than anyone else... why?! Why can''t I get stronger? Why?!"


    Just when she was in despair, she could feel someone''s presence beside her. That person pulled Lou into her embrace, and gently patted her head, "Now, now~ You can let it all out, it will make you feel better."


    That person was Anne, the strongest summoner in Mysteria Academy, and the only one, aside from the professors, who treated her with kindness. When Lou felt the warmness that passed through her body, she couldn''t hold back anymore. She started to cry out loud, tears started to roll down her cheeks like an unending waterfall, she cried, she cried, and she cried, she keeps crying until she has no more tears to shed, it lasted for almost an hour.


    After she finally calmed down, Anne said with a warm smile, "Do you feel better now?"


    Lou nodded her head lightly while uttering, "Mm... Thank you sis-Anne."


    "Now, can you tell me what''s going on? Did someone bully you again?" Anne tried to get the story out of Lou, but she just shook her head, and said, "It was nothing."


    Anne was not convinced, she tried to press on, "You sure? If you are getting bullied by anyone, you must let me know ok? I will be sure to teach them a lesson!" Anne cracked her knuckles as she said that.


    Lou shook her head strongly, and said, "No- no-! I was not getting bullied, promise! I just lost in a mock battle, that''s all..."


    Anne looks convinced, she patted Lou''s head gently, and said, "Don''t worry, as long as you don''t forget this feeling, you will inevitably grow stronger, much stronger than anyone else. Don''t ever forget this frustration you feel today!"


    That was not some empty words coming from Anne, due to her lineage as a fallen noble, she was not treated kindly when she first enrolled into this academy, but look at her now, she is standing at the top of the academy, she is the strongest summoner the academy had ever seen!


    However, Lou didn''t really take that advice to heart. To her, it sounds exactly like an empty word, but she still nodded her head in consent.


    "Come... Let me take you back to the dorm." Anne stood up from the stairs and extended a hand for Lou.


    Lou grabbed her hand, and walked back to the dorm hand-in-hand with Anne. On the way back to the dorm, Lou heard someone gossiping about some rumors.


    "Hey, have you heard the rumor?" (Student A)


    "Was it about the underground dungeon?" (Student B)


    "Yea... I heard if you can get to the deepest part of the dungeon, you could get some amazing power!" (Student A)


    "Hahaha-! It''s none of our business anyway, no way we can make it to the depths of the dungeon!" (Student B)


    "The underground dungeon? Amazing power...?" Lou''s eyes suddenly lit up, she was determined to go and explore this underground dungeon. Which will happen in a not so distant future......


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Some people complained that I include too much info dump in my story, that they are boring to read and breaks immersion.


    Personally, I think those information are rather interesting and necessary, but I want some honest opinion from you readers, are those boring to read after all? Should I cut down on the info dumps and focus more on story-building?


    Question: After reading this chapter, do you want me to continue the side story or start the main story now? Cast your vote here:


    https://silvalibrary.com/2016/04/09/v3-ss4/#bottom</a>


    <hr />


    References:


    [^1]: No, this is not a typo, a bout is a short period of intense activity

 [Vol 3] Side Story 2: The Underground Dungeon

    "Power Up! Speed Up!" While Anya is trying to fend off three goblins on its own, Lou desperately casted enchantment magic on it. They are currently surrounded by three dungeon goblins, with a wall at their back. They have nowhere to run, they have no other option but to fight!


    After hearing that she could gain amazing power upon reaching the deepest part of the dungeon, Lou just couldn''t sit around anymore. One week after that, she sneaked out of the academy and entered the dungeon without anyone knowing.


    She was na?ve enough to think she could avoid the monster''s detection all the way until the end, but only a few minutes after she entered the dungeon, she was discovered by the three goblins in question.


    All of a sudden, the goblin at the flank suddenly charged in. The goblins are not stupid either, they know that the weak link of summoning magic is the summoner themselves. As long as they can take out the summoner, the familiar will be freed from their control.


    Therefore, they ignored the weak-looking butterfly and went directly for the summoner, they didn''t think a butterfly would pose any serious threat for them. But little did they know...... the little butterfly which they looked down upon easily decapitated the goblin with wind cutter.


    Although Lou and Anya might be considered the weakest in the academy, one must know that Mysteria Academy can stand toe-to-toe with the best magic academy in the world, the Tristanian Magic Academy. It is one of the most elite magic academy in the world, in other words, every student there is a genius in their own rights.


    By no means are Lou and Anya weak, something as puny as a goblin doesn''t even stand a chance against them. But due to her inferiority complex and her position in the academy, Lou had lost her confidence, she never thought she would beat a goblin as easy as this, so this came as a surprise to her.


    Seeing one of their comrade was downed so easily by the weak-looking butterfly, the other two goblins become more vigilant. Both of the goblins charged in at the same time, their target, the summoner!


    Anya tried to take both of them down at once with wind cutter, but it was intercepted by one of the goblin. It served as a meat shield to protect its comrade, allowing it to get closer to the summoner to finish her off.


    The other goblin went past Anya and directly charged towards Lou, Anya was hesitant to use wind cutter since Lou was directly in front of the goblin. If the goblin side-stepped and avoided the attack, there is a high chance that Lou will be the one receiving the attack.


    When Lou saw that the goblin was getting closer and closer, she started to panic. She keeps casting fireball, but all of them missed the target. If she wasn''t so timid and aimed properly, a single fireball would have been enough.


    The corner of the goblin''s lips curved up, it was already within the attack range, it jumped towards Lou to build up momentum while raising the club in its brawny hands high up into the sky.


    "Kya~!! Fireball! Fireball!! Fireball!!!" Seeing this, Lou couldn''t help but panic even more, she fell onto the ground and pointed her staff directly at the goblin, she shuts her eyes tightly while casting several round of fireballs at the goblin.


    .........


    "Kii! Kiii! Kiiii-!" Anya shouted frantically to grab Lou''s attention. Hearing Anya''s voice, Lou gradually calmed down and opened her eyes. What she saw before her was a scorching black charcoal, the goblin who had directly received several round of fireballs had been completely scorched to the core, it was completely overkill!


    Lou was honestly surprised, she couldn''t believe what she saw, she got up and walked unsteadily towards the black charcoal. The moment she touched it, with as much as a light touch, the black charcoal instantly disintegrated into ash.


    "I don''t...... believe it. Did I actually become stronger?" Lou was convinced that she had become stronger ever since coming to this dungeon, but that was not actually the case. She firmly believed that she will get even stronger if she can make it to the depths of the dungeon. With that mindset, she keeps going deeper and deeper into the dungeon enthusiastically. Every time she beat a more powerful foe, she regained more of her confidence. It lasted until they reach the third floor.


    They ran into the floormaster, it was impossible to defeat a floormaster without being in a party of six A-rankers. Floormaster is said to be one of the strongest monster in the dungeon, regardless of the floor level. The correct choice when encountering a floormaster would be to run away as fast as possible. However, due to her budding confidence, Lou challenged the floormaster, thinking that she could actually win.


    Needless to say, Anya wasn''t able to put a single dent on the floormaster, and was downed in a single strike. This scenario make Lou recall the mock battle with Raymond one week ago. Her confidence immediately crumbled right at that moment, she tried to rush to Anya''s side, only to be welcomed by the floormaster''s ferocious claw.


    In the face of the floormaster''s ferocious claw, Lou seemed so small, she was completely frozen stiff by the floormaster''s intimidating aura. Everything around her turned completely dark, she could only see the claw that is getting bigger and closer to her. She could easily imagine herself turning into mincemeat after receiving an attack like this. She shuts her eyes and braced for the impact.


    "Bang!" Lou was smashed by the claw and sent flying towards the wall, or that was what she expected would happen, but the impact that she was bracing for...... didn''t come.


    Lou opened her eyes timidly, what she saw before her was the back figure of a male student with short brown hair, she recognized the figure at a single glance, she couldn''t help but mutter, "B-brother Owen?! Why are you here?"


    That''s right, the one who had rescued her and stopped the floormaster''s attack was Owen, the bodyguard of the strongest summoner in Mysteria Academy. That means... Lou looked around frantically, but couldn''t find what she was looking for.


    Someone suddenly grabbed Lou''s hand from behind, and pulled her away from here. Lou was surprised, but when she saw the back figure of the girl with light brown hair, she instantly calmed down. That was Anne, it was only natural for her to be here if Owen was here, he would never leave Anne''s side no matter what.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Owen! Try to distract the floormaster for a while longer. Grea! Go grab Anya''s familiar! We''re getting out of here!" While running, Anne issued commands to Owen and Grea.


    "Ouh!!" Owen let out a battle howl to acknowledge the command.


    "Yes, Master!" Grea answered respectfully before she flew off.


    Grea was Anne''s familiar, she was a dragonkin, a demi-human with dragon blood flowing within her, the familiar of the highest class. She had a shoulder-length purple hair, which was very uncommon even in the world of Halkeginia. There were two curved horns growing from the side of her head, she had a pair of leather wing, and a draconic tail extended from her tail bone.


    Scales suddenly emerged on her right hand, and before long, her right hand had been dragonized. She transformed her right hand into dragon claw in anticipation of a battle.


    While Owen was distracting the floormaster, Grea tried to save Anya, Anne on the other hand was dragging Lou to a safe zone.


    "Bang! Bang! Boom!"


    Despite all the huge rumble, Anne keeps running without even looking back, that was not because she didn''t care about her comrade, but because she believed in them. Lou couldn''t help but turn her head around to look anxiously, she could only see the figure of the floormaster getting smaller as they get further away.


    Upon arriving at a safe zone, Anne pushed Lou in front of her. Lou didn''t know what to say, she could only mutter a few words, "U-um... Sis Anne... I..."


    "Slap!" Anne slapped Lou before she could finish her words, tears started rolling down her cheeks, then she got down on her knees and embraced Lou before she shouted, "You idiot! Don''t ever do that again! Do you know how worried I was when you were missing?!"


    Lou felt honestly guilty, she never thought her rash action would cause troubles for so many people, and put them in danger, she apologized sincerely, "Sis Anne... I''m sorry... I''m so sorry... Uwaaa... Uwaaa...! Lou suddenly cried out loud after apologizing.


    "Mou... You''re such a crybaby..." Anne patted her head gently to calm her down. Before long, they could hear a weak voice, "H... lp... He-lp!


    Anne suddenly released Lou from her embrace, and said, "Did you hear something?"


    "Sniffs... Sniffs... Mm... I think it''s coming from there..." Lou wiped her tears and pointed towards the location where the voice was coming from.


    "Let''s go take a look." Anne took the lead and walked towards that direction. When they arrived at the origin of the voice, what they saw was... a Demon! Under a pile of rocks!


    The female demon laughed awkwardly, and said, "Ah... Hahaha... Humans... Do you think you can lend me a hand?"


    "You vile demon! Be prepared to-!"Before Anne could finish her sentence, the female demon suddenly shouted frantically, "W-wait! Wait-wait-wait! I mean no harm! I come in peace!"


    "You think I can believe the words of a demon like you? Vanquish under my strongest spell-!" Just when Anne was trying to cast her most powerful spell to vanquish the demon, she was stopped by Lou''s voice, "Sis Anne!"


    Lou pulled the hem of Anne''s shirt, and looked at her with the puppy eyes. When Anne looked over and saw that glittering eyes, she immediately knew what she wants. Anne strengthened her resolves, and said, "No-! We can''t let this demon live! They tried to take over the world a few decades ago!"


    "But... She seems so pitiful, we have to help her!" Lou continued to assault Anne with that glittering big eyes of hers. However, Anne still didn''t break down, and tried to explain as logically as possible, "Lou, listen to me. Demons are evil, they cannot be trusted, they will take advantage of the hole in your heart and manipulate you in the shadows. We cannot let her live, now that we found her."


    "W-wait! I mean no harm to the humans, promise! ......I know! I''ll give you this stone! It is what you''re coming for in the first place right? I found it in the depths of the dungeon!" The female demon suddenly pulled out a mini-sized amethyst stone while pleading for her life.


    "Hoh... That''s the treasure that is said to be able to grant one an amazing power? Then I''ll take it after I kill you!" Anne was dead set on killing the demon no matter what.


    "Wa...! You humans are evil! Evil-evil-evil!" The female demon shouted while struggling to get free. Right now, Anne has a really wicked expression on her face, it is hard to tell who is the real demon anymore.


    Suddenly, Lou jumped in front of Anne, with both arms extended. Then she exclaimed, "If that''s the case, then I''ll make her my familiar!"


    Anne was dumbfounded, and momentarily don''t know what to say, "Wa...? What are you...?"


    Before Anne could react, Lou immediately chanted the familiar sealing aria, "O the Overgod of Fate, I ask of thy blessing and bound myself with the lost soul before me." After that, she kissed the female demon and their contract was thus finalized.


    Lou turned around, and said triumphantly, "Now that she''s my familiar, she won''t be able to anything bad anymore. Now you have no more reason to kill her right, sis Anne?"


    ......


    Somewhere in the depths of the dungeon, someone was watching this entire scene from a crystal ball, "Fufufu... Stage One complete! I will definitely fulfill your wish and set you free from the dungeons, Lord Logia."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Gasp...! Now the plot just thickens! Who might that mysterious figure be? What are they planning to do with Lou? It will be revealed in due time!


    And with that, the side story is over~! The Main Arc will begin on the next chapter! Yay~!


    P.S. This is probably the longest chapter I''ve written to date......

 [Vol 4] Prologue: The Academy Arc

    Back at Tristanian Academy of Magic, at the noon of the day Sheena, Sylvia, and Albert set off for Swinford Town, the second year students were chilling at the front lawn and communicating with their newly summoned familiars. It was a peaceful and heartwarming scene.


    However, one particular maid broke the tranquility, "Miss Sheena! Miss Sheena-! Where are you?!" The maid was running all around the academy in search of her mistress. The maid didn''t notice anything was out of place when she went to collect the dishes and utensils in the room.


    Only when the sun was high up in the sky did the maid start to feel flustered. She knew Sheena was not one to stay in the same place for long, but not seeing her figure for the entirety of the morning was impossible, the academy was only so big. And moreover, Sheena would never skip her meal, which further emphasized the maid''s worries.


    The maid in question was Angie, Sheena''s personal maid, childhood friend, and also her stepsister. But of course, they did not know they were blood-related as of yet.


    Angie was running around the academy in search of Sheena, she went to the faculty, she went to the classroom, she went to the lawn, but Sheena was not found anywhere. Then a student suddenly approached her, and said, "Ah... If you''re looking for Miss Sheena, she said she were heading to Swinford Town."


    When Angie heard that, she immediately tried to rush out of the academy, but was stopped by the student in question, she grabbed Angie''s hand and cry out suddenly, "W-wait- Angie, wait! Sheena went out early this morning, you won''t be able to catch up to her now. She might be back already by the time you arrived, let''s just wait for her to return."


    "B-but...!" Angie don''t seems convinced, and continued, "Miss Sheena is a mage, without a vanguard, she..."


    Before Angie could finish her sentence, the female student said, "She had her familiar with her right? She''ll be fine~"


    "Mu......" Angie was a little dissatisfied how Sheena just left her behind like this, she felt as if her rightful place had been taken by the familiar in question.


    ***


    Back to the current timeline, when the sun was just about to set, three gryphons could be seen approaching the academy at high speed.


    At first, one of the student noticed the figures in the sky, and then one after another students started to take notice of the figures that were approaching the academy, until a huge crowds gathered in the front lawn eventually.


    I was riding on one of those gryphons, along with Sheena and Albert, accompanied by three riders and three goblins. I was gazing at the academy below me in awe, and was deeply moved when I thought that I really am in a different world now.


    When Sheena saw my earnest expression, she smiled and said, "Welcome... to the world of Halkeginia..."


    I turned to face Sheena and just uttered a single, "En!"


    My face was brimming with the brightest smile I ever had in my entire life, no matter what they say, I guess I am still a man at heart after all. Only a man could understand the romance of going to a fantasy world, I mean who had never dreamt of it at least once?


    When I turned my attention back to the academy, I noticed how the crowds were getting bigger and bigger, I couldn''t help but inquire, "Hm? Why are there so many people gathering in the open field? Was there any special event planned for today?"


    Sheena and Albert frowned when they noticed the crowd, Sheena was the one who answered first, "That is strange... I don''t remember anything schedule for this evening."


    After that, Albert said, "I suspect people must have noticed us, it is very uncommon for people to come to this remote region after all."


    Sheena suddenly thought of something, and asked, "Sylvia, you can still transform one more time right?"


    I tilted my head in doubt, and answered, "Yes, why?"


    "Then take on the Angel transformation again and fly directly behind us." After hearing my answer, Sheena immediately gave the order, then she continued after seeing my doubtful expression, "The goblins... the goblins...! You don''t want them to live a dreadful life in the academy right? Then listen to what I said."


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Sheena pointed at the goblins as she said that, I immediately understood what she wanted to do with just that much. She probably wanted to trick the student body like she did with the villagers into thinking that these goblins are special so that they will receive some special treatment.


    I took out the ?Blank Slate? that was kept in the pocket, and immediately willed myself to take on the Angelic form. After I chanted the activation word "implicatus", a pair of pure white wings immediately unfolded behind my back.


    Since the wings were unfolded so suddenly, I was immediately blown off by the wind pressure, "Wu-wuaaaaaa...!"


    And due to my inexperience in flying, I struggled against the wind, and flapped my wings with all my might. Just at this time, Sylvidia laughed at me and advised, "Hahaha~ Just relax, don''t fight against the wind. Just spread out your wings and let the wind carry you."


    Heeding Sylvidia''s advice, I relaxed my body and stretched my wings as far as possible. To my surprise, I was actually carried by the wind higher into the sky, I couldn''t help but yelp in surprise.


    "I''m flying... I''m flying! Hahahaha! I''m actually flying! Weee~!" The joy and excitement I felt when flying with my own wings couldn''t be described with words. Sheena seemed a little jealous when she saw my joyful expression.


    "Hahaha~ That''s enough fooling around, now just lean your body forward, and use your body weight to glide against the wind." Sylvidia was a Winged Unicorn, she had experience in flying, so I didn''t doubt her words.


    I just simply answered in a cutesy way, "Hoi~" ?1? and leaned my body forward as instructed. I could feel the wind brushing against my feathers as I glide through the air.


    ***


    After we landed in the front lawn of the academy, we were surrounded by a huge crowd. Everyone present was shocked when they gazed at my beautiful form ?2?, it felt quite embarrassing to get stared at like that so intently, I wanted to bury my face on the ground. But my subconscious, or more like, Sylvidia wouldn''t allow me to disgrace myself while in this form, so she immediately took over the control, and stood there shamelessly, I mean- majestically.


    Everyone was shocked, except one person. A maid broke out from the crowd and immediately rushed towards our location with teary eyes.


    "Angie......" When Sheena saw the maid in question, she muttered her name softly.


    Angie rushed over here with her arms spread widely, and then she glomped Sheena while shouting her name repeatedly. That was the clich¨¦ situation which I thought was about to happen, but Angie''s next action surprised me.


    "Slap!"


    She actually slapped Sheena! In front of a huge crowd no less! How daring!


    "Sheena, you idiot! You big idiot!! Why did you leave without telling me?! Do you know how worried I was?! Hic-hic..." Angie shouted while trying to repress her sobs.


    "Angie... I... I''m sorry, I promise I''ll never do that again." Sheena felt honestly guilty for leaving Angie behind without telling her anything. She embraced Angie lightly while brushing her hair.


    "Oh-! Miss Sheena, Miss Sylvia, you girls are finally back! I''ve been looking for you." Professor Colbert suddenly came out from the crowd, but then he noticed that my familiar figure was not around, he couldn''t help but ask, "Wait... Where did Miss Sylvia go?"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    This is the beginning of the long awaited Academy Arc! What''s all the hype with Academy Arc you ask? I don''t know either! I only have a really dull vision regarding this arc, let''s hope it turns out as good as the hype was all about!


    Yay~! It''s finally the long awaited Academy Arc. Let the fun begin, huehuehue!


    <hr />


    References:


    [1]: A cutesy way of saying "yes".


    [2]: A little narcissist here? XD

 [Vol 4] Chapter 1: The Familiars Debut

    "Oh-! Miss Sheena, Miss Sylvia, you girls are finally back! I''ve been looking for you." Professor Colbert suddenly came out from the crowd, but then he noticed that my familiar figure was not around, he couldn''t help but ask, "Wait... Where did Miss Sylvia go?"


    "Fufufu... Professor Colbert, allow me to reintroduce." Sheena said that as she pulled my hand and pushed me in front of Professor Colbert, then she continued, "This is my familiar!"


    ......


    For a moment, just for a brief moment, the world became completely silent, it was just like the calm before the storm. After that, everyone burst out in a huge clamor, starting with Professor Colbert, "What...?! B-but how were you able to tame an... an Angel?! Miss Sylvia... What happened to Miss Sylvia?"


    And then followed by unending murmurs in the surrounding;


    "Kya...!! It''s an Angel! A genuine Angel!" One female student was squealing, and shaking another female student beside her with both hands.


    "Am I... dreaming?" Some students were stupefied as they gazed at my angelic form.


    "As expected of Miss Sheena, she never fails to surprise." While other students thought it was only natural.


    Due to my attentive ear, I even heard some unnecessary remarks such as "Marry me!" or "I love you!" in the mix. The reaction was more than I expected, I couldn''t help but wonder, is bird-kin that rare in this world? How come everyone automatically associate me with an Angel at first glance, but not a bird-kin?


    Just at this time, Sheena moved her lips and speak, "Fufufu... What are you talking about, Professor Colbert? She is right in front of you~"


    ......


    The world entered another period of silence, then everyone suddenly shouted in unison, "WHAAAAT...?!"


    When hundreds of people were shouting at the same time, it was nothing to laugh at. I seriously thought my eardrums were going to rupture. Luckily I had already predicted this and covered my ears in advance.


    "Ah... That... Ah-ha-ha-ha..." Professor Colbert was stumbled for words, then he said, "It seems like a lot has happened during your two days of absence."


    Sheena was feeling jubilant, and proudly announced, "That''s right, it had been a rewarding two days. I was able to learn much more about my familiar. Believe it or not, she was actually the messenger from the Goddess of Light! And these three Goblins are her familiar! But don''t look down on them just because they are Goblins, this black one was actually able to fight on equal grounds with Sylvia!"


    Then the peanut gallery turned into utter chaos as expected;


    "What...?! The messenger of a Goddess?!"


    "That black goblin was actually as strong as an Angel?!"


    "Impossible... This must be a dream..."


    I bet Sheena must be enjoying this, she had a really gleeful expression on her face right now. This must be revenge for all the shock she received earlier.


    "S-Sheena-! W-what are you saying?! What do you mean by messenger of the Goddess?!" When I hear such an outrageous remark coming from Sheena, I couldn''t help but retort.


    However, Sheena just replied nonchalantly, "What~? Why are you getting upset now? You didn''t say anything when I introduced you as the messenger at the village earlier."


    ......


    "Say WHAT?!" After a moment of silence, I shouted involuntarily. At the time, I was talking with Sylvidia and didn''t pay attention to anything Sheena was saying. Had I heard what she was saying, I would have stopped her.


    Receiving the adoring gazes of everyone present, I couldn''t help but feel a chill down my spine. I feel that the following days are going to get very troublesome, I''m not used to being the center of attention. I smiled awkwardly and waved at the peanut gallery.


    "Kya~! She waved at me."


    "No-! It was me!"


    "I think we just made an eye contact-!"


    "Gee... This is so annoying, do they have to make so much ruckus from a simple gesture?" I thought of that in my head, but didn''t say it out loud. I just keep wearing my fake smile, and waving my hand like an idiot.


    Just at this time, one student stepped forward, and asked, "Is it true that the Goblins are as powerful as the Hero?" The ?Hero? was probably referring to me, I guess it''s already an established fact that humanoid summons are Hero-class familiar?


    If it was a few decades ago, like when Saito was summoned by Louise, we would probably be the laughing stock of the entire academy. I guess much have changed since that time huh?


    Sheena just smiled impishly, and provoked the male student, "Yes, if you don''t believe me, why don''t you give it a try? The Goblins could probably beat even the third year students."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Hey now, if you''re going to say that much, we can''t let that slide now, can we? Are you saying these puny little Goblins have the ability to beat us third year students?" Another male student stepped forward, obviously offended by Sheena''s remark.


    "S-Sheena... What are you trying pull here?!" I got anxious and whispered in Sheena''s ear.


    Sheena still remains as cool-headed as before, and she whispered back, "The best way for them to prove themselves is through combat right~? This is just purfect~!"


    Then Sheena turned her attention back to the third year student, and said, "So? Will you challenge the three Goblins to a three on three fight? Senpai should have at least two familiars right~?"


    "Hmph! I will make you eat your words." The third year student then pointed at the three Goblins, "Come! I challenge the three of you to a duel!"


    After that, majority of the male students moved to an open field along with the challenger and the Goblins. The battle quickly heated up, and with Zain''s leadership, the Goblin trio didn''t so much as to receive a single damage.


    Seeing the male students getting all excited over the fight like that, the female students just heaved a sigh and said a single word, "Boys..."


    "Squawk! Squawk!" Just at this time, Albert''s Thunderhawk landed on his arm that was raised above his head. Surprisingly, Albert had already changed back into his usual outfit, I mean he is not cross-dressing anymore. I seriously wondered how did he get changed so fast without anyone noticing.


    From the back of the Thunderhawk, the lump of cuteness jumped down, and barked with an "Arf...!" That was Futaba, the little golden fox.


    ?Pa-kyuun!?


    In that instant, the cute little critter had caught every female student''s heartstrings. They immediately shifted their attention from me to little Futaba.


    "Kya~! What is that?! How can something be this cute~!"


    "That cuteness is breaking every rules!"


    "I can''t... hold back... anymore..."


    Futaba sensed the dangers, she wanted to get away immediately, but it was too late, she was grabbed by Sheena. When the female students saw Sheena lifted the little critter from the ground, they all shouted in unison, "SHEENA!!"


    And then they keep storming Sheena with various questions;


    "Is that little critter yours?"


    "Where did you find such a cutie pie?"


    "Can I touch it? Please?"


    When the guys heard the clamor here, they turned their head around to look, when they saw the girls squealing over a little critter like that, they just shook their head and said a single word, "Girls..."


    Immediately, the entire front lawn turned very rowdy. One side, the boys are challenging the Goblins one after another, needless to say, the Goblins won every single match miraculously, which earned them their reputation.


    On the other side, the girls are fighting over the little critter. They tried to caress and poke little Futaba, only to be fended off by its cute little paws that wriggled around incessantly, which only added to its cuteness.


    "Hahaha... It seems like we have been completely forgotten." The three riders laughed awkwardly. However, for Albert, this was the perfect chance to slip away. I couldn''t help but shivers at the thought that this was all planned out by Albert.


    In the shadows of the building, two mysterious figures were observing this commotion calmly. One of them looked like an elementary school kid, while the other obviously looked like a Demon.


    The small figure said, "Fufufu... So that''s Sheena, the Formation Master."


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Breaking news: I just recently found that there are actually three dantians in existence, not two! My whole life had been a lie!


    With that, I''ve edited Volume 3 - Chapter 4</a>, I recommend you go and read through that chapter again. I''ll also take this chance to announce that I''ve also edited all the chapters before Volume 3 - Chapter 4.


    I edited them during my free time each day after translating, so as to not sacrifice my current pace of release. If you are up for a journey back to the memory lane, I recommend reading them again. All those chapters with a "Like" from me means that they had already been edited.


    If you do not want to go through all the chapters again, that is fine too. It won''t have much impact on the future chapter, probably. I just added a few more expressions, and changed a few flawed logic here and there.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 2: Professor Naoki

    While everyone''s attention was on the Goblin trio and little Futaba, I''ve been freed from the piercing gaze of the student mass. Professor Colbert suddenly stepped in front of me and ask, "A-are you really... Miss Sylvia?"


    To that question, I could only laugh awkwardly and nods my head. Professor Colbert was obviously shocked, and doesn''t know what to say, "My word! I... I don''t even know where to start... Hahaha..."


    Professor Colbert scratched his bald head awkwardly, then he scanned me from top to bottom. It was not a lustful gaze, but being stared at like that was uncomfortable after all, I couldn''t help but cross my hands in front of the breasts and turn my body sideway.


    "Smack!"


    "Ow...!!" Professor Colbert groaned in pain as he was hit from the back of the head.


    "Little Colbert, how many times do I have to tell you... It''s rude to stare at a girl like that!" A little figure approached from behind and called the now aged Professor Colbert "little".


    You''d have thought that voice came from someone even older than Professor Colbert, but in contrast, the voice was sweet sounding. Appearance-wise, she also looked like a young girl. Her height was roughly 140 cm, she has a pair of deep blue eyes, and long blue hair that extended up to her waist. She was wearing a black wizard hat like those you see in "Harry Potter", but her most redeeming feature was probably her big racks. In contrast to her baby face and short figure, she has a well-developed breasts.


    And this kind of girl actually called Professor Colbert "little", one couldn''t help but wonder what is her true age. Could she be the legendary "loli-granny"?! Fantasy world is awesome!


    While I was thinking as such, the little girl got in front of me and said, "So you must be the Sylvia I''ve heard so much about."


    "Uh..." I didn''t answer her question since I was not sure how to answer that question. "How did she knows my name? Who is she? What does she want from me?" I had so many questions I wanted to her ask instead.


    My doubts clearly showed on my face, so Professor Colbert used this chance to introduce the little girl to me, "Ah... Miss Sylvia, allow me to introduce. This is the Wiseman, Professor Naoki, she will be your mentor for the next three years."


    "Wiseman? Mentor...?" Professor Colbert was being far too vague, I couldn''t process what he was saying at all. "What is the Wiseman? What do you mean by mentor?" These questions couldn''t help but rise from the depths of my heart.


    Just when Professor Colbert was about to explain, Sheena noticed situation around here, so she quickly passed little Futaba to Angie and rushed over here.


    "P-Professor Naoki! What brings you here today?" When Sheena got beside me, the little figure that was blocked from her view finally came into her line of sight. She was surprised when she noticed it was none other than Professor Naoki.


    "Ah... Perfect timing! Miss Sheena, care to introduce Professor Naoki to Miss Sylvia over here? She is your mentor after all." Professor Colbert just conveniently passed the responsibility to introduce Professor Naoki to Sheena.


    "Oh... um... Sylvia, allow me to introduce." As she said that, Sheena got beside Professor Naoki and continued, "Professor Naoki is my mentor, she goes by the nickname of ?The Walking Encyclopedia?, and the youngest Mage to be granted  the title of the Wiseman."


    "What is the Wiseman?" I finally asked the question that was bothering me the most.


    "The Wiseman is-" Before Sheena could say anything more, Professor Naoki cuts in and continued from there, "The Wiseman is a title granted to the strongest Mage in the nation. There are only a total of four Wiseman in each country."


    When I heard that, I immediately became slack-jawed. When Sheena whispered in my ear, saying that Professor Naoki was only 14 years old, I seriously felt like fainting. Because... this is seriously too ridiculous! Even if this is a fantasy world, at least be a little more reasonable!


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Where in the world can you find a 14 years old with such huge racks?! How in the world can a 14 years old gain that much wisdom and power?! She''s obviously lying about her age! If you tell me she''s a "loli-granny", that''d be more believable!


    Just at this time, Professor Naoki revealed a faint smile, and asked, "May I look at your hands?"


    "S-sure..." My mind was still in a jumble, so that was the only word I managed to mutter.


    After hearing my answer, Professor Naoki took my hand and inspected the magic circle that was embedded at the back of my hand.


    "Intriguing! Truly intriguing!" Professor Naoki muttered out loud.


    Sheena leaned down and moved her head beside Professor Naoki, then she asked, "Professor Naoki, you know anything about these magic circle?"


    Professor Naoki just shook her head and turned to face Sheena, then she said, "Nay... I''m afraid not, there are no written records of these in any of the books I know. But these look awfully similar to the Pentagram Magic Circle. If my suspicion is correct, she might be able to use the Origin Magic!"


    "W-what...?! By Origin Magic... you don''t mean-?!" Sheena was surprised, but not as surprised as Professor Colbert.


    "That''s right! Origin Magic is what was thought by some as the original source of all Magic. If we can somehow nurture this ability, we might be able to find out more about the origins of Magic!" Professor Naoki''s pair of eyes were gleaming, she was lost in her own thoughts, and I could see a hint of drool flowing out from the corner of her mouth.


    Seeing Professor Naoki like this, Sheena couldn''t help but reveal a wry smile. Then she suddenly thought of something, "Oh right... Professor Colbert!"


    Sheena stood up straight and turned around to face Professor Colbert, then she said, "Um... It''s regarding Sylvia... I know it''s a bit late to ask, but can you accept Sylvia''s admission to the Magic Academy?"


    "Ah... About that..." Professor Colbert turned his attention to Professor Naoki, and continued, "I''ve already discussed it with Professor Naoki. We will admit her to the Special Class, the same class as you."


    Sheena wasn''t surprised at all, it seemed like my admission to the Special Class was already within her expectation, she just said, "Oh... Is that so..."


    Professor Naoki finally recovered from her daze, she released my hand and said, "Well... All the preparation to admit her to the Magic Academy is done, all we need now is her signature. Do you mind making a trip to the office for a while?"


    With that said, we left with Professor Naoki and Professor Colbert to the office to finish the admission procedure, leaving the noisy frontyard behind us.


    "Whoosh~!"


    The three riders just stood there silently, they were completely ignored and forgotten.


    "They left..." (Rider A)


    "Yeah, they did..." (Rider B)


    "And not even a word of thanks..." (Caelum)


    "Hahaha..." All three of them laughed awkwardly, and left with their Gryphons without saying anything.


    When I heard the wing flapping sound, I turned around and saw the three Gryphons taking off from the ground. I waved my hand at the riders and shouted "Thank you for everything!" out loud.


    The riders just waved back and smiled faintly before they took their leave.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Phew... I''m finally done with this chapter... I was thinking of including a few more scenarios but I guess that can wait...


    But anyways... Professor Naoki! That is a character I created based on one of the readers! By actively participating and communicating with the author, I might just create a character based on you!


    My next character creation will be based on Irina Akashira, Lenis Flamma, and Basile. If you want to talk more about your preference, feel free to join me on Discord Chat Server</a>. Just for your info, I already have a general idea of the characters, but personality-wise is still up for debate.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 3: Best Friends

    After the three riders left the academy, we headed to the office with Professor Naoki and Professor Colbert.


    Along the way, we walked past a long corridor made out of stone. To be more precise... they seemed more like marble rather than stone. They have a smooth surface in resemblance to that of the highest quality marble. In fact, the entire academy buildings seemed to be made out of the same material.


    So soon as we entered the office, Professor Colbert walked towards the office desk and sat on the opposite side, while Professor Naoki just leisurely sat on the sofa that''s at the side of the room.


    Sheena and I just stood in front of the office desk quietly, waiting for Professor Colbert to start. Professor Colbert lifted the paper in front of him and peeked at it momentarily, then he nodded his head.


    After that, Professor Colbert lifted his face, and said, "Miss Sylvia, do you wish to enroll as a student of Tristain Academy of Magic?"


    I stood ramrod straight, and answered with a stiff voice, "Y-yes sir!"


    Professor Colbert nodded once again, then he turned the paper around and slammed it on the desk softly. After that, Professor Colbert started to explain, "Very well, after you sign this form, you will officially be recognized as a student of this academy.


    You will be enrolled in the special class, but you still need to take at least four other standard classes. As a student of the special class, you are not required to wear your uniform except for special occasion; Such as the familiar summoning event or the inter-school competition.


    And regarding your room assignment...... To be honest, we do not have enough room left, will you be fine staying in the same room as Miss Sheena?"


    "That......" I didn''t answer immediately since it''s not my room to begin with. So I just turned my head to look at Sheena. I don''t want to cause her any inconvenience after all. Essentially, she is still an adolescent girl, she might not be completely comfortable sharing a room with a former man like me.


    If she says no, then I will wholefully accept it and share a room with someone else. Worst case scenario, I will probably just sleep in the barn? Knowing Sheena though...... It''s hard for me to imagine her saying no. I mean- she...


    *Blush*


    Recalling some unnecessary event that happened in the bath yesterday, my face turned bright red. Noticing that, Sheena didn''t fail to tease me before answering Professor Colbert. She placed the right hand in front of her mouth, and said, "Fufufu... Did you think of something dirty again~?"


    "W-what do you mean again?! I never thought of anything dirty-!" I tried to retort in a flush, but was completely ignored by Sheena. She just directly embraced me and placed my face on her bosom, then she said, "I have no problem sharing a room with Sylvia, I mean she''s my familiar after all~"


    "Mrph! Mrph-!" With my face trapped in between Sheena''s breasts, instead of enjoying the soft sensation, I was desperately grasping for breath.


    "Puha-!" I tore myself apart from Sheena by pushing her away with both hands. Then I shouted without thinking, "Are you trying to suffocate me with your-?!" Before I knew it, both of my hands are already in midair, if I let my impulse take over, I''d probably have squeezed Sheena''s breasts in the heat of the moment.


    "Fufufu... my what exactly?" Sheena continued to tease me by purposely crossing her arms below the breasts to emphasize them.


    "Gr-nununununu..." I gritted my teeth in frustration, but there''s no way I can really squeeze them. She knew it and yet she''s doing this on purpose. "Hmph!" I could only retract my hands and snort unhappily. I puffed my cheeks and faced the other way with both arms crossed.


    "As you can see, we are on su~per close term~" Sheena threw her arm around my shoulder while saying something like that.


    "I see... then I guess there''s no problem. Miss Sylvia, after you sign this form, the both of you may be dismissed. You girls must be tired from your trip, go get some good rest. The class will begin tomorrow." Hearing a positive answer from Sheena, Professor Colbert felt relieved.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    After I sign the form, the lengthy discussion with Professor Colbert finally came to an end. We left the office, and on the way back to the dorm, two girls blocked our way.


    "Sheena, ok?" One of the girls asked Sheena in short sentence. The other girl supplemented, "We were worried about you, you came back later than expected. Did something happen?"


    "Ah... Irina, Lenis... I''ll tell you all about it later!" When Sheena saw the two in question, she was all smiles.


    "No." The blonde haired girl answered with another short sentence, while the red haired girl added on, "You are probably just going to brag again, judging from that expression..." The red haired girl had a slightly sullen expression as she said that.


    "Mou... You girls are so mean! When have I ever bragged?" Sheena pouted unhappily with both arms locked to her sides.


    "Always." Just as usual, the blonde haired girl only answered with one word, while the red haired girl would continue, "Yeah, you bragged every chance you got. We already lost count of how many times you come bragging to us." As she was saying that, the red haired girl was counting her fingers.


    "Geez! I don''t know you both anymore! Hmph!" Sheena tried to walk away grumpily, but the red haired girl stopped her hastily, "Ah... Sheena! Wait-! We were just playing around. Don''t get angry?"


    "I know that, I was just acting, bleh-!" Sheena turned around to face the two girls in question and stuck her tongue out.


    "Tehehe~ As expected from a former idol, I was completely fooled..." The red haired girl said in a carefree manner.


    "Um......" I who was completely left out, suddenly cut in at this time.


    "Oh right, Sylvia. Allow me to introduce, this is Irina, and this is Lenis. They are my best friend." Sheena introduced me to the blonde haired girl and red haired girl respectively with a cheerful smile.


    The blonde haired girl is Irina Akatsuki, she has a really long light blonde hair that extended up to her knee. Her crimson eyes are as beautiful as ruby. She has a fair complexion, and a pretty neutral face that fits her personality to a T. ?1? She kinds of remind me of Charlotte. I wonder if they''re related. Appearance-wise, she looks around 15 to 16 years old. She has a practically non-existent breasts.


    As for the red haired girl, her name is Lenis Flamma. She is apparently the daughter of Professor Colbert and Kirche. She has a beautiful red hair tied in twin-tail style. If I remember correctly, that seems to be the dip dye hairstyle. Why would I know something like that? Because it reminds me of a hairstyle in a certain game I used to play.


    She has a pair of beautiful brownish eyes, and though her breasts seem to be developing nicely, it''s still on the small side. I find it kind of hard to believe that she is the daughter of that Kirche. Her mother seemed to have a pretty big breasts around her age, at least in reference to the animated series of Zero no Tsukaima. Either that was just for fan-service purpose, or Lenis is a slow bloomer.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Sorry this took a while to write. I was kind of stuck as to what I should write for this chapter. Hope it didn''t turn out too bad.


    <hr />


    References:


    [1]: Idiom: To be very appropriate for someone.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 4: King of the Barn

    ¡°Psst¡­ Psst¡­ Master.¡± Immediately after Sheena introduced her friends to me, Sylvidia suddenly whispered to me through our spiritual link.


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Sylvidia?¡± I sent back via telepathy.


    ¡°Be careful of that Irina girl, she¡¯s¡­¡­ not human!¡± Sylvidia warned me to be careful of that blonde haired girl.


    My body jolted for a moment, but I was able to remain calm and didn¡¯t shout out loud, I replied via telepathy, ¡°W-what do you mean not human? Could she be a vampire or something like that? N-now that you mentioned it¡­ She has crimson eyes which are synonymous to vampires¡­¡±


    But of course, the thing regarding vampires and red eyes is a stereotype. By no means was that the truth.


    ¡°To be honest¡­ I have no idea¡­¡± Sylvidia replied truthfully.


    ¡°W-what do you mean no idea?¡± Could she be a new species that even Sylvidia don¡¯t know about? I couldn¡¯t help but have such a thought.


    ¡°She possessed an unusual aura, but when I tried to probe her with the Spiritual Power earlier, it was completely blocked off, so I couldn¡¯t investigate further. An ordinary 15 or 16 year old girl couldn¡¯t possibly have such precise control over their Spiritual Power.¡± Sylvidia explained in details as to why she couldn¡¯t determine her true identity.


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± I was a little surprised, since when did Sylvidia sent out the Spiritual Power to probe the target? I didn¡¯t even notice at all.


    ¡°By the way, I also tried to probe that Naoki girl earlier, but she also managed to block my spiritual probe, this academy is full of monsters!¡± When I heard Sylvidia said that, my body couldn¡¯t help but jolt another time involuntarily.


    ¡°Sylvia¡­ Sylvia¡­ Are you okay?¡± Seeing me became silent for a moment, Sheena asked worriedly.


    ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ I¡¯m fine~ I¡¯m fine~ I was just really tired.¡± After being brought back to reality by Sheena¡¯s voice, I said such a thing and scratched my head awkwardly. Then I introduced myself politely, ¡°Irina¡­ and Lenis right? My name is Sylvia, pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Oh~ oh~ I know, you are Sheena¡¯s familiar right?¡± The red-haired girl, Lenis, said excitedly.


    Irina, the blonde haired girl who was standing beside Lenis, didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded her head. I could see the corners of her mouth lifting, that was a beautiful smile, but¡­ for some reason, I could sense an underlying meaning behind that smile.


    I couldn¡¯t help but shivers involuntarily when I thought of the possibility that she might have found out about our secret.


    ¡°Enough with the stiff introduction, let¡¯s go take a bath before we hit the sack.¡± Sheena cut in between us and tried to drag me back to the room.


    ¡°Sheena, I know you¡¯ve lived a commoner¡¯s life since childhood, but you are a noble now, please mind your speech and don¡¯t use informal terms like hit the sack.¡± This was not the first time Lenis had reminded Sheena to act accordingly to her peerage.


    ¡°I know~ I know~¡± Sheena just replied lightheartedly and pulled me away, ¡°Let¡¯s go Sylvia~¡±


    ¡°Mou~! Are you listening to me? Hey-! No running in the hall!¡± Lenis turned around and shouted at Sheena¡¯s back figure.


    While running, Sheena turned her head around and waved at the two girls, ¡°Lenis, Irina, I¡¯ll see you later~¡±


    Irina just waved back quietly, but Lenis on the other hand just heaved a sigh of resignation.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time we got back to the dorm, we saw a maid standing in front of the double door. That was without a doubt, Angie, who served as Sheena¡¯s personal maid. When we got closer, Angie performed a curtsy and said respectfully, ¡°Miss Sheena, I¡¯ve sent the three goblins to the barn. However¡­¡­¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Angie was a little hesitant to continue, but being urged by Sheena, she had no choice but to say it, ¡°I beg your forgiveness! I¡¯ve lost sight of the little fox you entrusted to me.¡± She suddenly raised her voice and bowed deeply.


    ¡°Ah¡­ If it¡¯s about Futaba¡­ I think she should be at the barn.¡± Since Futaba was contracted with Sheena, she can somehow sense her general location. Angie, who doesn¡¯t know anything about magic, lifted her head and refuted, ¡°B-but that can¡¯t be! She was not there when I checked earlier.¡±


    ¡°She probably got there after you left, or perhaps she was hiding her presence¡­ Shall we go and check?¡± Sheena thought of the possibility that Futaba had reverted to her spiritual form, which is why Angie could not see Futaba.


    With Angie at the lead, we soon arrived at the entrance of the barn. When we peeked into the barn, we were gobsmacked, just what the heck is going on?!


    I guess the smaller-sized creature gets to stay in the dorm, because all the Magic Beasts in the barn are middle-sized creatures not smaller than a horse.


    But that was not what shocked us the most. In fact, that was well within expectation. What caused our dismay was the unfathomable scene in front of us. Every single one of those fierce-looking Magic Beasts, without a single exception, was kowtowing before three creatures that looked nothing more than elementary school kids!


    That¡¯s right, it was actually the Goblin Trio! Just how did something like this happen?! The black goblin, Zain, was holding Futaba with both hands high up in the sky. It seemed as if all the Magic Beasts had recognized the little fox¡¯s divinity and submitted themselves to the little critter¡­ This scene somehow reminded me of the Lion King. The scene where Rafiki lifted young Simba with both hands on the Pride Rock.


    Sheena suddenly tapped my left shoulder twice, I looked at her and saw her pointing her index finger to the opposite side of the barn. Then she whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s leave them here for now, they seemed to be enjoying themselves at least¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After a moment of silent, I nodded my head in agreement and left the barn behind us. Angie was still slack-jawed on the spot, but since Sheena didn¡¯t say anything, I didn¡¯t do anything unnecessary either. I just followed her back to the room without saying anything.


    I will bet Angie will come complaining to Sheena for leaving her behind again, but that¡¯s a story for another time. By the time we entered the room, I really wanted to slump onto the bed and fall into a deep sleep, but my body is sticky from the sweat, it would feel uncomfortable to fall asleep like this, so I had no choice but to take a quick bath.


    Before I knew it, Sheena had already prepared two sets of negligee. Those see-through nightgowns looked really bewitching, just looking at them already filled me with wild imaginations, I wondered what would happen if we were to put that on¡­ I probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to look straight at Sheena.


    Sheena suddenly opened the door and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Go where? Aren¡¯t we going to take a bath?¡± I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to the Public Bath~!¡± With that, Sheena dropped the bomb with an impish smile.


    <hr />


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Oops~ Sorry, I had this done about 2 days ago but forgot to publish them here.


    But... Fufufu¡­ The bath scene in the next chapter?!

 [Vol 4] Chapter 5: The Traumatic Bath

    "Girls are scary- Girls are scary- Girls are scary..." Right now, I am cowering on the bed with blanket covering my entire body, only my face was visible from the outside.


    How did something like this happen? Well, it all happened approximately half an hour ago. That was when my flowery image of the girls was completely shattered. Now I finally understand what Sheena meant when she said I was more girlish than any girls she know.


    Perhaps it was in search of the perfect girl in my fantasy that prompted me to act that way, or perhaps it was something else at work. It''s possible that Sheena had already seen through me, that''s why she was teasing me so much.


    Let''s turn time back a little and find out what''s going on, it all started with that single sentence from Sheena;


    "Of course we''re going to the Public Bath~!" With that, Sheena dropped the bomb with an impish smile.


    ......


    I stared at Sheena with a blank expression for a while, my puny brain couldn''t process what she was just saying in a timely manner. After seeing my blank expression, Sheena repeated the keywords to the letter, "The pu-blic bath~!"


    It seemed like I didn''t mishear after all, I finally couldn''t hold it back anymore and let out a scream so loud that it resounded within the entire dorm, "EHHHHHHH?!?! P-p-p-p-public bath?!?! S-sheena, i-it''s still too early for that! I''m not mentally prepared yet!"


    "Mentally prepared or not, you have no choice but to go, unless you want to take an open air bath in the lake? There''s no such things as a private bathroom in the community dorm you know~?" Just when I was about to suggest a private bath, Sheena blocked off my escape route.


    Indeed, I couldn''t find anything resembling that of a private bathroom when I surveyed the entire room with my eyes. All I could see was a canopied queen-sized bed, a beautifully decorated wardrobe, a round table and a few chairs, a full length mirror attached to the wall, and other girlish decoration. There was no door that leads to the illusory bathroom.


    "What? What? Is something going on here?" Before I knew it, most of the girls in the dorm had already gathered outside of the room, they were probably attracted here by my scream earlier.


    Right at this moment, for some reason, Sheena''s smiling expression seemed so scary that it sent a chill down my spine. I have a really bad feeling about this. Fortunately, I am still in the bird form, I can probably escape by flying out from the windows.


    But Sheena was one step ahead of me, before I had to chance to turn around and run, she already called out to the girls.


    "Girls~" Before she continued, Sheena placed her left palm on her cheek, and used the right arm to support the elbow, "It seems like this is Sylvia''s first time taking a public bath, please treat her kindly, okay~?"


    I could feel my whole body shivering for an instant, just when I was about to turn around, Sheena shouted, "Don''t let her escape!"


    With that, all the girls rushed into the room like stampeding horses and grabbed me from all directions. Then they dragged me to the public bath with insurmountable forces. I tried to struggle but to no avail, I was completely outnumbered.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo~~~!" As I was getting dragged away, I screamed at the top of my lungs. But of course, nobody came to save me.


    That was how I was dragged to the flower garden forbidden to men for the first time. I was stripped of my dress, surrounded by pudding armies at all sides, and was fondled all over by the girls, I couldn''t even think straight for a millisecond.


    That''s how it leads to the current situation. "Sorry... Sorry... I''m so sorry..." In my mind, I kept apologizing to all the protagonist that had been through the same situation as me. Although it was an enjoyable read in manga and novels, when it happened to you in reality, it''s nothing short of a nightmare.


    Seeing me like this, Sheena felt a bit rueful, she tried to apologize, "S-sylvia... I''m sorry okay? It seems like I overdid it this time."


    When she tried to approach me, I slapped her hand away by reflex and shouted with fearful voice, "Hieee-! Stay away from me!"


    Sheena backed away and rubbed the back of her hand, she looked at me with a sorrowful expression and said, "I''m really sorry, okay? I will never do it again......"


    Then she turned around and walked towards the door, before she opened it, she said without looking back, "I''ll leave you alone for tonight, please get some sleep soon."


    *Creak... Bang!*


    After that, she opened the door and left the room. The girls who were waiting outside of the room asked, "How is she doing?" as soon as Sheena closed the door behind of her.


    Sheena just shook her head and said in a low voice, "Not good... It seems like she has developed gynophobia ."


    Her voice was low, but it clearly resounded within the ears of everyone present. With my attentive ears, I was able to catch what Sheena was saying, I also heard all the girls apologizing for overdoing it.


    Although I feel bad for them, and know that they don''t have bad intention, I really wanted to have some time alone now. Too many things have happened during these past few days; I found myself in a foreign world, in a foreign body, and surrounded by people I don''t know. I seriously needed some time alone for all of these to sink in.


    I know Sheena was probably trying to reward me in her own way, she probably thought I would enjoy being surrounded by naked girls. But the truth is, I''m not comfortable with the crowds, and I hate the sensation of being touched even more.


    That electrifying feeling that runs through your spine when getting touched feels really uncomfortable. It feels a thousand times worst when dozen of girls were touching you all over the place. Although it was truly a sight for sore eyes, it was not a pleasant experience. I do not wish to go through that again with every fibre of my being.


    Instead of fear of girls, I think I might have developed a fear of being touched. And this marked the beginning of how I received the nickname: Sylvia the Untouchable.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Well... damn, I don''t know what was I writing anymore when gynophobia was brought up in the midway. How is Sylvia going to overcome her phobia now... XD

 [Vol 4] Chapter 6: Birth of Untouchable Queen?

    "Amanda, I love you! Please go out with me!" A youngster suddenly confessed to a girl.


    The girl had a troubled expression as she said, "I''m sorry... I can''t go out with you."


    The youngster was downhearted, but he still mustered his courage and asked, "Why? Is there... someone else you like?"


    The girl looked at the youngster from bottom to up, then she said, "Because... We''re both girls, that''s why I can''t go out with you. I''m sorry Silva, but this is good bye..." As she said that, the girl turned around and walked away.


    "Eh...? W-what are you talking about? I''m a..." When the youngster was about to said he was a man, he pounded his chest and noticed something was out of place, because there was a... soft sensation.


    When the youngster finally noticed his figure, he couldn''t help but cry out loud, "EHHH?!?! W-what is going on?! This... This isn''t my body-! This isn''t me!" The youngster stretched his hand forward and ran after the girl, "Ah... Wait... Amanda... Please wait! I can explain!"


    The youngster keeps running, but the figure of the girl just keeps getting smaller and smaller. The youngster was unable to catch up to the girl no matter how fast he ran.


    "Amanda... Wait-!" Just at this time, I suddenly jolted awake from the dream.


    *Bong!*


    Due to my sudden movement, my head bumped into something as I raised my upper body from the bed.


    "Ow... That hurts!" I covered my stinging forehead with both hands. Just when I was wondering what I bumped into, I heard a groaning sound coming from the side of the bed.


    When I turned my head to the side, I saw Sheena courching on the ground with both hands covering her forehead. Needless to ask, I probably bumped into Sheena''s forehead.


    The situation turned awkward for a moment, but just when I was about to apologize for what happened last night, Sheena suddenly jumped up and asked, "So~ Who is this Amanda?"


    "Eh?! H-how do you know that name?" I was surprised when Sheena suddenly mentioned the name of my secret crush.


    "Oh, I heard that name from your dream talk. You were like: Kya~ Amanda~ Don''t go-! I love you~!" Sheena was obviously trying to tease me and I fell for it again, "I didn''t scream like that, don''t make things up!"


    Sheena covered her mouth with one hand and had a gleeful smile, "Fufufu... You fell for that~"


    The moment I realized that I had been tricked by Sheena, it was already too late, I wouldn''t be able to deceive her anymore. I grinded my teeth and raised my voice, "Gunununu... You tricked me-!"


    "So? Who is this Amanda? Was she your girlfriend?" Sheena suddenly brought her face really close to mine and asked.


    I turned my face away with a whisk and answered very briefly, "No... Nothing of the sort... It was just a one-sided crush..."


    The awkward situation between us was immediately dissolved by Sheena just like that. And here I was getting worried how should I face her when morning comes around, seems like it was a needless worry.


    "Anyways, you should get ready soon, we will take our breakfast at the dining hall later." Sheena suddenly changed the topic and urged me to hurry up.


    After washing my face and taking a quick soak in the bathtub prepared by Sheena at the corner of the room, I changed into my usual one piece dress. When I was putting on my one piece dress, Sheena suddenly noticed something. I was not wearing a bra. After what I went through last night, I''m not really ashamed to see a female body nor being seen by other girls anymore. However, going to the public bath still proved to be a challenge for me, so I am eternally grateful to Sheena for preparing a bathtub in her private room.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    It was nothing fancy though, it''s just a round wooden bathtub, but for some reason, this bathtub seemed so familiar, I had a sense of deja vu when I first laid eyes on this bathtub. I wondered where had I seen it before...


    After putting on my one piece dress, Sheena stealthily approached me from behind and tried to grab my breasts. She was going to use this chance to warn me the disadvantage of not using a bra, but the moment she tried to touch me, my body reacted by itself and sidestepped.


    Unbeknown to the situation, I turned around and saw Sheena right behind me, I tilted my head and asked, "Sheena, is something the matter?"


    Sheena retracted her hands immediately and said in a fluster, "Uh... um... you know... Y-you should wear a bra you know? Don''t you feel uncomfortable when doing intense exercise?"


    When I heard Sheena said that, I recalled what happened yesterday, it does feel slightly uncomfortable when my nipples rubbed against the shirt. While I was lost in thoughts, Sheena tried to grab my breasts again from the front. However, I took a step back unknowingly and avoided Sheena''s assault.


    When I returned to my senses and saw Sheena with both hands stretched forward, I tilted my head again and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Oh um... nothing, ha- ha- ha- ha..." Sheena''s fingers wriggled for a moment before she retracted her hands, then she said, "I was just trying to warn you, if you don''t put on a bra and somebody was to grab your breasts... Well, you can imagine the rest..."


    Recalling the electrifying sensation from last night, I shivered involuntarily and covered my breasts with both arms. Then I shouted loudly, "A bra! That''s right... a bra! We should go get one immediately!"


    After I said that, I immediately rushed towards the door. Sheena tried to grab my hand to stop me, but my hand moved abruptly so she didn''t manage to grab it. When I opened the door, Angie was standing right there, she was in a position that seemed like she was about to knock on the door.


    Just at this time, Sheena heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Sylvia... I know you are enthusiastic to try on a bra, but we should leave that for later, the classes are about to start."


    When Sheena tried to grab my hand to pull me along to the dining hall, I moved my hand to my chin and said, "Oh... Is that so... I guess the bra can wait until lunch break or after school. What are the chance of someone grabbing my breasts anyway, hahahahaha." That was most likely a flag, but the ignorant me totally didn''t notice.


    Sheena on the other hand was a little dumbfounded, she didn''t understand how she could miss me four times in a row. "It can''t be a coincidence, she must be deliberately avoiding me..." When she thought of something like this, Sheena felt a little sad. "Moreover, she didn''t even retort to my remarks, could she really be that enthusiastic to try on a bra?!"


    "Hrm..." Just at this time, Sylvidia thought to herself, "It seems like my Master had been using Magic Perception unconsciously to dodge anything that get close to her..."

 [Vol 4] Chapter 7: Standard Classes

    "What are the chances of someone grabbing my breasts anyway, hahahahaha." While I was raising a flag by saying some cliche line like this, Sheena seemed to be lost in her own little world.


    When I saw Sheena like that, I extended my right hand involuntarily and said, "Why are you daydreaming? Let''s go to the dining hall already. I''m starved."


    When Sheena saw me extend a hand to her voluntarily, all the negative thoughts were washed down the drain. She beamed a smile so brilliant that I couldn''t look at her directly.


    She immediately grabbed my hand and clung onto my arm. My body shivered for a moment when her breasts touched my arm, but I didn''t think too much of it and enjoyed the soft sensation.


    "Oh Angie, thanks for preparing the bathtub, we''ll be off to the dining hall now." Angie who was still standing in front of the door immediately bowed respectfully and moved aside.


    I also expressed my thanks to Angie, but I heard a click of the tongue before she raised her head and said with a forced smile, "I''m glad to be of service." The sound of the clicking tongue was faintly discernible, I was only able to hear it thanks to the elven ears. And the forced smile seemed so natural I don''t think anyone would have noticed, but for some reason, I could feel malice directed at me.


    I wondered what did I do to deserve this kind of treatment from her, could it be because she was made to carry the bathtub due to my problem? Maybe I should apologize to her later... While I was thinking something like this, I was dragged by Sheena out of the room and made our way to the dining hall.


    "How dare you drive Miss Sheena out of her room last night, how dare you be so clingy with Miss Sheena, how dare you take Miss Sheena away from me..." These thoughts flooded Angie''s mind, she was gripping the broomstick with both hands while sending death glare at me. I could feel a chill down my spine as we made our way to the other end of the corridor.


    In the end, when we were making our way down the stairs, I could hear a "snapping" sound. Apparently, the broomstick that Angie was holding got snapped in half. You could easily imagine just how much brute strength she possessed despite her frail figure.


    ***


    When we arrived at the lobby, all the girls from yesterday lined up in front of me and apologized for what happened last night, not that I remember all of them anyway.


    I hid behind Sheena with my head peeking out, I told them not to mind about it with a timid voice. When the boys saw the commotion over here, they came over to pry information out of the girls. Fortunately, the girls were considerate enough not to say anything, otherwise I would die in shame.


    By the way, I should have mentioned this much earlier, the boys and girls live in the same dorm building. The girls to the right, the boys to the left, the boys are forbidden to go to the girl''s side and vice versa. This lobby is the only area in the dorm where the boys and girls can mingle together.


    The dining hall seems to be located at the main building of the academy. That is the biggest building at the center of the academy, and also the place where all the facilities are located, including our classroom.


    The five towers at the perimeter of the academy are the dorms. Apparently, each dorm also served as a group. The tower with the red roof housed the Dragonblood, the one with yellow roof housed the Gryffindor, the one with blue roof housed the Livyatan, the one with green roof housed the Slytherin, and lastly the one with white roof housed the Angelwing. These groups will be duking it out for supremacy at every school event.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Apparently, we''re at the Angelwing group. I have a bad feeling that my bird form will become the mascot of this group, but I just discarded that feeling at the back of my head.


    After having a luxurious meal at the dining hall, it is finally time to head to the homeroom. It seems like the homeroom will be a joint session between all the students in the special class, that means I will be in the same class as Sheena and the other senior students. But of course, before I went to the homeroom, I had to report to the faculty, so we separated halfway.


    Sheena went to the homeroom first after dropping me in front of the faculty room. From what Professor Colbert told me yesterday, it seems like attending the homeroom is only mandatory once a month, so I might not be able to meet all the special class students at once. It is also not necessary to attend to all the classes we signed up for, as long as we can produce the desired results. These privileges are only give to special class students though.


    According to the timetable given to me last night, I have chosen four standard classes all on different days. By no means did I choose them only because I don''t want to take more than two classes on the same day, okay? I am truly interested in those classes, the first class I chose was the Elementary Magic Class, the second one was the Alchemy Class, the third one was the Apothecary Class as recommended by Sylvidia, and the last one was the History Class.


    The Elementary Magic Class was as the name suggest, it''s where we''ll learn the basics of magic. As for the Alchemy Class, it''s where we learn about the properties of different items and what would happen if we were to fuse them together. The Apothecary Class was almost the same, but there was one major difference; In Alchemy Class, we have various tools to help us fuse the items, but in Apothecary Class, we have to use our own spiritual power to manage the fusion process. Depending on our skills, the item may turn out better or worst.


    Only those who have affinity with fire and wood magic would be able to perform this kind of high level fusion process, it''s kind of similar to how the alchemy in "Battle Through the Heavens</a>" work. When Sylvidia told me to take the Apothecary Class, I was a bit doubtful at first, since I don''t have affinity with wood element, but this was what Sylvidia told me;


    "All the elves have natural affinity with nature, it would be weird if you don''t have affinity with wood element. The only reason it didn''t show up in the Guild Card is probably because your soul is more dominant, so it didn''t show the affinity with wood and light element. Just give or take a few days and you''ll probably feel the differences."


    Apparently, the reason Sylvidia recommended the Apothecary class was because it required precise control of one''s spiritual power. That was the main reason which convinced me, there''s so many things I can do if I can control my spiritual power precisely; Like levitating light objects, fusing magics of different elements, changing the density and trajectory of my magic, the soul transmission taught by Sylvidia, the Magic Perception, and so much more......


    And lastly, the reason why I chose history class despite my lack of interest in the history of my own world was because this is a fantasy world! If I think of history as reading story book, it might be surprisingly fun. What''s more, the main reason which drove me to pick history class was because of what Sheena said to me before;


    "The true history of Halkegenia is much darker than the novel-adaptation in the old world."

 [Vol 4] Chapter 8: The Transfer Students

    Right now, I am standing in front of the faculty room, since I''ve been told to come here first thing in the morning to report to Professor Naoki.


    "Knock! Knock!"


    I knocked the door nervously and pushed it open slowly, then I poked my head into the room. "Pardon my intrusion......" I said that in a barely audible voice as I entered the room.


    When the Professors in the faculty room noticed me, one of them approached and asks, "What business do you have in the faculty room?"


    That professor had a gentle smile and a handsome face, he looked to be in his early twenties, quite young to be a professor at this prestigious academy, he must be quite accomplished. He seemed like the type that would be popular among the female students.


    To that kind of professor who had a beaming smile, I answered honestly, "Ah... um... Professor Naoki asked me to find her in the faculty room this morning."


    "Professor Naoki?" That handsome professor had a doubtful expression for a moment, then his face suddenly brightened up, "Ah... You must be that new transfer student everyone was talking about. Come on in, Professor Naoki''s seat is at that corner, you''ll be able to find her there." As he said that, the handsome professor used his index finger to point to one corner of the room.


    After thanking him, I walked over to that corner and found Professor Naoki furrowing her eyebrows, she seemed to be pondering about something very seriously.


    "Um... Professor Naoki?" When she heard my voice, Professor Naoki lifted her head and saw me leaning sideways.


    "Ah... You''re finally here?" Professor Naoki muttered and stood up from the chair, then she walked past me and said, "Come, I''ll show you to the homeroom."


    Just like that, I followed Professor Naoki to the homeroom. As Professor Naoki entered the room, she told me to remain outside and wait for the cue.


    All eyes were focused on Professor Naoki as she walked towards the teacher''s desk. Professor Naoki stood on a stand to elevate herself, she is short after all, then she raised her voice and said, "Good morning students. As I announced yesterday, new transfer students will be joining us today. I am glad most of you can make it to the homeroom this morning."


    Just at this time, a proud-looking guy let out a snort, "Hmph! I bet it''s just Sheena''s familiar anyway. This better be worth our time."


    "Oh my~ How curious, even the arrogant Lancelot is here today, I bet it''s going to rain tonight." Sheena teased the proud-looking guy on purpose, it seemed like they''re on bad term.


    The proud-looking guy called Lancelot did not take a bait and ignored Sheena''s obvious provocation. Professor Naoki let out a breath and said, "Sigh... It is as you all have suspected, one of the transfer student is indeed Sheena''s familiar."


    "You said one of the transfer student? That means there''s another transfer student in the special class other than Sheena''s familiar?" One of the students asked what was weighing on everyone''s mind.


    "Yes, she is currently having a briefing with the headmaster. I suspect she will be here shortly. Meanwhile, allow me to introduce the new student you''re all already familiar with. Come on in." With that cue from Professor Naoki, I walked into the room with stiff movements.


    I could hear the students clamoring as I entered the room;


    "What?! Two transfer students on the same day?"


    "This is... quite a rare event..."


    "If she can make it to the special class, then there must be something noteworthy about her..."


    After casting a quick glance at the entire room, I could more or less guess the reason they were surprised. Because...... there were only seven people in the class! Four of which I already acquainted with. And this was supposed to be "most of them"?! No wonder they were surprised to have two new students who suddenly joined their ranks. Even I was surprised, but for a different reason.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I guess this was not a "special" class just for show, every students in this class must be a top elite in their own rights. Among the acquaintances I knew, there were Sheena, Albert, Irina, and Lenis. The other three were the proud-looking guy, and two blonde-haired girl. One of the blonde-haired girl had cat eats and tail, just looking at her, I could totally understand Sheena''s impulse to pull me into her embrace when I was in the cat-form. I mean, she''s just too damn cute, it''s irresistible!


    However, for Albert to be in this class too, I admit I was slightly surprised. I never thought he was special-class quality, my evaluation of him just skyrocketed. Initially, I thought he was just a good-for-nothing playboy, but he turned out to be quite a likable guy, I guess you really can''t judge a book by its cover.


    As I walked into the classroom, Sheena was waving at me with a beaming smile, so I just waved back at her awkwardly. Albert just nodded his head when I glanced at him. Lenis was waving with both hands in front of her and Irina just revealed a slight smile when I swept my eyes past them. The two blonde-haired girl didn''t have any particular reaction, but the proud-looking guy had a clearly irritated expression.


    As I got beside the teacher''s desk, I tried to copy Albert''s elegant gesture from yesterday; from when he was still crossdressing. I pulled the hem of my skirt and performed a rather awkward curtsy. Then I introduced myself with stuttering voice, "M-my name is Sylvia! It''s n-n-nice to meet cu-!" I bit my tongue at the end of the sentence and let out a groan.


    "Pfft-!" I could hear a faint restrained laughter with my attentive ears, it obviously came from Sheena. Nobody else found this funny, I guess it must be their temperament as a noble. In normal classes, most students would already burst into laughter at this failed introduction attempt.


    I could hear Lenis admonishing Sheena in a barely audible voice, "Hey Sheena, it''s rude to laugh at others like this..."


    "Hehehe... Sorry~ I just couldn''t help it......" Sheena was trying her best to restrain her laughter, I could see her wiping the tears that welled up at the corner of her eyes.


    "Mu... was my action really that funny? Did she really have to laugh until her tears well up?" I puffed my cheeks in displeasure as these thoughts crossed my mind.


    "Clatter! Clatter!"


    Just at this time, the sound of a chair being pushed could be heard, then followed by a cheerful voice, "Nyahaha~ You are interesting! My name is Felpurr, nice to meet cu~!" The blonde-haired catgirl winked and performed a quick salutation as she introduced herself.


    "Tsk! So she''s just a plebeian." The proud-looking guy muttered something under his breath. In the world of Halkeginia, only aristocrats possess a second name, those without one are commoners, this is the common knowledge in this world.


    "Knock! Knock!"


    Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking the door could be heard. Soon after, entered Professor Colbert and the second transfer student in question.


    That transfer student had a rather childish appearance, her height was approximately 1.4 meter, she had a flat-chest which was normal for her age, her blonde hair extended up to her waist, and it was trimmed in short bang style. Her pair of big eyes were as clear as the blue sky, paired together with her flushed cheeks, her small nose, and pink lips, she looked exceedingly charming.


    What was most peculiar about this transfer student was her hat, it was a blue hat with big fluffy ears at the both sides of the hat. It looked strangely cute, especially when it was worn by her.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Hehehe~ Who do you think the other transfer student is? I bet most of you can guess who is it already with these much hint. ;) ;)

 [Vol 4] Chapter 9: Commoner & Aristocrat

    The other transfer student followed Professor Colbert into the room, her movements are quite stiff. For a moment, I wondered if I looked like that just now.


    When Professor Colbert stopped in front of the teacher''s desk and turned around to face the students, the transfer student also did the same, she stood there with both arms perfectly straight at her sides.


    I can see that she''s quite nervous, and I don''t blame her for it. I mean, I was in the same boat just a moment ago, so I understand how she feels, sort of. It doesn''t feel comfortable having all eyes focusing on you, all the more when they are staring at you with deadpan eyes.


    Just at this time, Professor Colbert finally raised his voice and said, "As you''ve heard from your homeroom teacher, this young lady beside me is the other transfer student!"


    Lancelot, the proud-looking guy, suddenly stood up and raised an inquiry, "Headmaster! Forgive my rudeness for asking, Sheena''s familiar, I understand, but on what basis does this young girl who''s not even 16 gets enrolled in the special class? Moreover, how did she even get enrolled in Tristanian Magic Academy? She looks like a plebeian no matter how you look at her!"


    Professor Colbert raised his hand and waved it up and down to hint Lancelot to sit down, "Now, now, Lancelot, don''t get impatient, that''s why I am here. I will explain the reason why she''s here shortly. But first... let have our transfer student introduce herself."


    With that cue from Professor Colbert, the transfer student suddenly jolted for a moment, then she did a perfect ninety degree bow, with both arms still sticking to her sides. After that, she raised her voice to introduce herself, "N-n-n-nice to meet you! M-my name is Lou!"


    "Tsk! Another commoner as expected..." Lancelot clicked his tongue and complained in a barely audible voice, then he looked at Professor Colbert for an explanation.


    When the transfer student lifted her upper body, I turned around and leaned sideways to bring my face close to hers, then I said in a low voice, "Let''s get along from now on."


    I had a bright smile on my face, I could hardly restrain the smile, by no means was I smiling because I took joy in other people''s misfortune alright? I was smiling because uh...... I thought we could be good friends.


    In the transfer student''s eyes though, I looked like a kind big sister figure, she blushed a little and said in a fluster, "U-um... same here!"


    "Ahem..." Just at this time, Professor Colbert suddenly cleared his throat and raised his voice, "You see... Miss Luo here is a transfer student from Mysteria Academy."


    As soon as Professor Colbert said that, the class raised a commotion;


    "What? That shrimp was from Mysteria?" The blonde-haired girl who had remained silent all along finally opened her mouth.


    "Nyayaya! She must be pretty good if she''s from Mysteria." The cat girl said cheerily.


    "Mysteria is our rival school, why would they send one of their own over here? Unless..." Albert was muttering to himself.


    Professor Naoki suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "Silence! The headmaster is still talking!"


    "Thank you, Miss Naoki." Professor Colbert turned his head to face Professor Naoki and bowed slightly to express his gratitude, then he continued to explain, "As you all have guessed, Miss Lou has talent in summoning magic, which is why she was scouted by Mysteria Academy, despite being a commoner. But recently, she has awakened to a new power. In order to nurture that power, she has been transferred to Tristanian Magic Academy."


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Since I look confused, Professor Naoki explained to me, "Tristanian Magic Academy and Mysteria Summoning Academy are rival schools. Normally, these schools only accept noble-born students, but recently, they''ve started accepting commoners with extraordinary talent."


    Professor Naoki stopped explaining until here and asked me, "Do you know the differences between commoner and noble?"


    Obviously, since I only came to this world a few days ago, I didn''t know anything about this world, so I just shook my head and answered briefly with a ''no''.


    Professor Naoki smiled and explained to me while the students were storming Professor Colbert with various questions, "You see, the biggest difference between a commoner and a noble is their aptitude with magic. Most aristocrats are born with aptitude with all four basic elements, which is why they have a bigger mana tank. Because of that, nobles are able to cast magic without the help of magic tools.


    As for the commoners, they usually only have aptitude with one basic element at most, which is why they cannot cast magic without the help of magic tools, they just don''t have enough innate mana to gather the elemental essence. Occasionally, there would be a few mages among the commoners that have aptitude with two elements, they are commonly known as Dual Mage. To date, we haven''t seen a commoner with more than two elemental aptitude."


    I see... so that''s what the magic staves are for. If I have to take a wild guess, I reckon it was thanks to the emergence of the dungeon and the magic beasts within, because according to my memory, the commoners weren''t able to use magic at all in the anime adaptation of this world.


    The crystals on the magic staves were most likely the magic core found in the magic beast''s body, it was probably thanks to the magic core that the commoners were finally able to use magic.


    I guess the dungeon has turned into an important source of income over the past few decades. I mean, just look at the guild card, it was also made with the materials found in the dungeons.


    If what Professor Naoki said was true, then I guess everyone in this Magic Academy is an elite in their own rights. What about the special class then? I guess they are the cream of the crop, they are the elite amongst the elite! Now the small number of students in this class finally make sense.


    Just at this time, Professor Colbert finally announced the most shocking news of the day;


    "Alright, alright, that''s enough question for the day. I know you are all curious about the new transfer student here, but you can save those questions for later. The main reason why she had been transferred to Tristanian Magic Academy was because she had awakened to the power of......"


    To be continued......


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Hehehe~ What do you think is Lou''s new power?

 [Vol 4] Chapter 10: Mysterious Power

    This Chapter will be told from Lou''s perspective~


    <hr />


    "Miss Lou, it is a great honor to have you join us at Tristanian Magic Academy. I vow in the name of the headmaster that we will definitely help you nurture your newfound power. We have the best facilities here in Tristanian Magic Academy, I''m sure they will help you tremendously."


    In the headmaster''s office, a middle aged uncle was receiving me with warm welcome. My name is Lou, 15 years old, just about a month ago, I was called a dunce, a good-for-nothing, a chibi, and all sorts of negative nicknames.


    I was a student at the prestigeous Mysteria Summoning Academy, I did not know how someone untalented like me wounded up at such a prestigeous school. At that time, I was just taking a stroll in the forest, when all of a sudden, I was attacked by a bear. During the most critical moment, I heard a voice in my head. In response to my desperate cries, a tiny butterfly came out of thin air and saved me from the crisis. That butterfly was later given the name; Anya.


    That was also the fateful day I met sis-Anne, she happened to catch sight of me when I summoned Anya, it was her who told me that I had talent to become a summoner and invited me to Mysteria Summoning Academy. I was moved by her words so I decided to take the entrance exam, I was accepted only because I already have a familiar and the recommendation letter from sis-Anne, I was just lucky, I knew that all too well after I entered the academy, that I have no talent.


    That''s why, when I heard that we can get extraordinary power if we can make it to the abyss of the dungeon, I sneaked out of the academy and entered the dungeon. I was very desperate, I almost lost my life in the dungeon, I am only alive now all thanks to sis-Anne.


    In the dungeon, we encountered a demon who was buried under the rocks, she seemed so pitiful so we helped her. In return for sparing her life, the demon gave me this power. Since Tristanian Academy is more specialized in magic, the headmaster had to make the decision to transfer me to Tristanian Magic Academy in order to nurture this power. I swear I will definitely master this power and become stronger. I will definitely repay sis-Anne''s kindness.


    With those in mind, I steeled my resolve and clenched my fists. After the middle aged uncle was done with his lengthy speech, he led me to the classroom, I was so nervous when I entered the classroom, my body stiffened involuntarily, I even stuttered during my introduction. Uuu... How embarrassing!


    When I lifted my body from that awkward bow, I saw a beautiful older sister in front of me, she had a kind smile when she said to "get along from now on" in a low voice. She kind of reminds me of sis-Anne.


    I was mesmerized by her beauty so my reply came a little slow. I think I blushed a little, my cheeks felt a little hot, hauuu... I hope she won''t think I''m weird...


    After that, the middle aged uncle briefly introduced myself and the entire class burst into a clamor. Then all of a sudden, I heard a loud bang that came from the side. When I turned my head over there to look, I saw a girl about my age standing on an elevated stand in front of the teacher''s desk. I wonder if she''s the class representative...


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Wait, she''s around my age right? What''s with those huge racks..." When that thought crossed my mind, I involuntarily put my hands in front of my flat chest.


    When the kind sister from earlier was talking to the little girl with huge racks, one of the students suddenly raised his hand, he had purple hair and a very handsome face, for some reason, I felt like I had seen him before, even though this should be our first meeting.


    The middle aged uncle suddenly raised his voice and said, "Yes, Prince Albert, is there anything you''d like to inquire?"


    "E-Eh?! P-P-P-P-Prince?! You mean he is the prince?!" I didn''t shout that out loud, but my mind was in a fluster, I mean... when I think about it carefully, that purple hair does have resemblance to the current queen, and that face... that face... Hauuu...


    I didn''t hear what the prince asked nor the rest of the commotion later since my mind was completely filled with thoughts of being in the same class as the prince. By the time when I regained the clarity of my mind, I heard the middle aged uncle say;


    "Alright, alright, that''s enough question for the day. I know you are all curious about the new transfer student here, but you can save those questions for later. The main reason why she had been transferred to Tristanian Magic Academy was because she had awakened to the power of...... Void Magic!"


    The middle aged uncle was very excited when he announced my power to the class, and as expected, the entire class burst into a huge clamor, even the kind looking sister and the little girl with big racks had a surprised look on their face.


    I mean... this is the legendary Void Magic after all, who wouldn''t be surprised? When the demon gave me the amethyst stone and told me to make a blood pact with it, I was really reluctant at first, but I''m glad I did it.


    This is the power that is only granted to four people per era. If I have gained this power, that means one of the Void Mage that came before me must be dead. I don''t know who that person was, but I will become stronger and make this power mine.


    If the power I gained was some other magic, the headmaster of Mysteria wouldn''t even consider transferring me to Tristanian Magic Academy. This is the alma mater of the strongest Void Mage in the current age after all, this is the best place to nurture this Void Magic of mine.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    I know some people is not happy with the cliffhanger in the previous chapter. I don''t like cliffhanger too, but once you are an author, you will come to realize; Cliffhanger is the author''s best friend.


    If you can''t build up suspense and mysteries, the reader will lose interest fast and you''ll have failed as an author. It is only because of those cliffhangers that make the readers come back for more.


    Thank you for understanding~

 [Vol 4] Chapter 11: Grey Matter

    As I was learning about the difference between commoner and noble from Professor Naoki, the headmaster suddenly announced the most shocking news of the day;


    ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough question for the day. I know you are all curious about the new transfer student here, but you can save those questions for later. The main reason why she had been transferred to Tristanian Magic Academy was because she had awakened to the power of¡­¡­Void Magic!¡±


    Professor Colbert exclaimed with a loud voice, it was clear that he was very excited from his tone of voice. Everyone in the class, including me and Professor Naoki, widened our eyes in shock and looked at the new transfer student.


    (Wait¡­ What? Void Magic? Eh? Isn¡¯t that supposed to be a legendary class magic?)


    My mind was in disarray when I heard the term ¡°Void Magic¡±. And as expected, I wasn¡¯t the only one confounded by this shocking news, the class soon turned into a clamor. I noticed at the corner of my eyes that even Professor Naoki was surprised, I guess she was not told about this beforehand.


    The reason Professor Naoki seemed concerned earlier was probably because of this, or there might be some other profound reason.


    ¡°Clatter! Clatter!¡±


    Someone in the class stood up abruptly and caused the chair to drag against the floor. That person was none other than Albert, he opened his mouth to speak as soon as he got up from the chair, ¡°Headmaster! Is what you¡¯re saying the truth?!¡±


    Professor Colbert clearly understood where Albert was going, he nodded his head gravely. Seeing that indication, Albert slumped onto his chair heavily, then he said in a barely audible voice, ¡°Then¡­ That means Lady Josette is¡­¡±


    Albert had a really dark expression, he was unable to finish the words, in fear that it might really come true. Sheena, who was sitting beside Albert, tapped his shoulder lightly to comfort him.


    After a long time later, the commotion finally calmed down and the class was about to start. Professor Colbert left the room, leaving Professor Naoki to take care of the class session. Me and the other transfer student were seated at the empty seats at the back.


    Normally, I hate sitting at the back of the class, since I had bad eyesight and hearing, but despite that, I was always forced to sit at the back due to my height. But now, things are different, I have this eyesight that was as keen as the hawk¡¯s and this ear that was as sharp as the bat¡¯s, I have no qualms about sitting at the back anymore.


    After we are seated, Professor Naoki started with a rollcall, just like any other class.


    ¡°Sheena.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    ¡°Albert.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After the rollcoll, Professor Naoki concluded, ¡°So¡­ the only one absent today is Oben Caglayan. Very well¡­¡±


    ¡°Flip!¡±


    Professor Naoki closed the attendance book in her hand with a flip, then she started, ¡°Since we have a Void Mage joining us today, let me start by briefly explaining the basics.¡±


    According to Professor Naoki, since the commoner mage are only able to use single element in most cases, it is only natural for them to focus on one main element, but that¡¯s not the case for void mage. Just like the noble mage, the void mage¡¯s specialty is fusion magic.


    Fusion magic only works best if used with magics of different elements on the same level, if for example; your fire magic is rank 3, while your water element is rank 2, the effect will be less effective than when you fuse rank 2 magics of different elements.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    That¡¯s why, most noble mage stopped advancing from Rank 3 and solely focuses on fusion magic. After all, fusion magic is already hard in itself, it is impossible for them for focus on two things at once. If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.


    First, Mages that can fuse up to two different elements are called ¡°Line Mage¡±. By fusing two different elemental magics of the same rank, one can achieve 1.5 times the power.


    Next, Mages that can fuse up to three different elements are called ¡°Triangle Mage¡±. By fusing three different elemental magics of the same rank, they can achieve 4 times the power.


    And lastly, Mages that can fuse all four elements are called ¡°Square Mage¡±. They can achieve up to 8 times the power by fusing four different elemental magics. With that much increase in power, it is no wonder they gave up focusing solely on their most proficient element.


    Just think about it, if they can fuse four Rank 3 elemental magics, they can effectively achieve power up to Rank 24! They can become more than twice as powerful as Transcendence! But of course, that¡¯s not how it really works. From Rank 3 to Rank 7, and from Rank 7 to Rank 9, there¡¯s a huge jump in power. So realistically speaking, by fusing four Rank 3 elemental magics, their power just barely touched upon Rank 7.


    And it is mainly because of this roadblock that most people were unable to make a breakthrough to Rank 4. That¡¯s why they chose to stay at Rank 3 and focus on fusion magic. But the commoner mages are not so lucky, they cannot use fusion magic so they had no choice but to break through that roadblock.


    The only difference between void mage and noble mage is that the four elements are fused to the very core. When four elements completely fused as one, they become greyish; for now, the researchers are calling that as grey matter.


    When I heard of this grey matter, I immediately linked it with the Grandmist Energy as dictated in Coiling Dragon, if that grey matter is really the Grandmist Energy, then calling void magic as the creation magic is not an exaggeration.


    After all, it is said that the entire universe was made of this Grandmist Energy. The metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and wind were made out of this energy.


    After the lengthy lecture by Professor Naoki was finally over, it was already time for lunch. My first priority is to go to the lingerie store to get myself a bra! After listening to what Sheena said this early morning, I¡¯ve been self-conscious and my breasts felt quirky for the entire morning.


    We will go there immediately after eating our fill, but¡­ something unexpected happens on our way to the cafeteria¡­


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Sorry for not updating these past two weeks, it just so happens to be Public Holiday on both Saturdays;


    Public Holiday -> No Working -> Procrastinating -> ??? -> Win XD


    Anyways, as a pay back, I will take off this week¡¯s translating time to do the writing instead. I have few chapters in my stockpile, I can afford to skip translating for a week¡­

 [Vol 4] Chapter 12: Unexpected Event

    After the class session is over, everyone except Lancelot swarmed around us, most of their questions are directed at the new transfer student.


    Felpurr, the catgirl, opened her mouth to ask, "Hey~ Hey~ How''s it feel to use void magic, nya?"


    "Eh? Ah... um... I don''t know... At first, I feel frantic... since I couldn''t use any of the spells I learned before, I was truly panicked, but when I learned that the power of void had awakened in me, I was overjoyed..." The new transfer student answered briefly according to her experience.


    Professor Naoki had mentioned this during the session earlier, when void mages are using magic, the four elements will be fused together automatically, so that means they won''t be able to use basic elemental spell anymore, talk about inconvenience. I guess this is what they call great power comes at a great price huh?


    I confirmed this with Sylvidia earlier, she told me this happened only because the Void Mage in this world relied on an artificial source to change their souls forcefully, this power was normally gifted to four person at birth by the goddesses of this world. It is very rare for teenage and adult to receive this blessing.


    As I am a soul mutation, I can achieve void power naturally so this restriction won''t apply to me, however... that all depends on my hard work. Since Sylvidia was the emissary of the goddess before, she must have known more secrets than any ordinary people, so I took her word for it.


    "Hey, Sylvia~ Let''s go get our lunch~!" Sheena tried to hug me from behind, but I suddenly turned to the side and stood up, thus Sheena hugged the thin air.


    When I turned around to face Sheena and said, "Sure! Let''s go!"


    I caught Sheena in that awkward position, I couldn''t help but ask, "Uh... What are you doing?"


    Sheena stood straight immediately and replied, "Oh uh... this is... you know... a-an exercise!" As she said that, Sheena kept repeating that awkward motion. If this was in an anime, I''m sure they''d be a sweatdrop on my forehead by now.


    "Ah... Good idea, we should all go get our lunch together~" Lenis suddenly walked over here while pulling the new transfer student.


    "Nn... Lunch." Irina was her usual self, she just spoke in short sentence and pointed at the door.


    "What? What? You girls are going to get lunch? Count me and Liliana in too, nya~" Felpurr joined our group with her casual demeanor, she was clinging on the other blonde-haired girl like a glue to prevent her from escaping.


    "F-Felpurr! Unhand me at once!" The blonde-haired girl retaliated unhappily as she was caught.


    "No way~ You will run away again once I unhand you, nya~" Felpurr tightened her grip on the blonde-haired girl, and then she explained to us, "Sorry about that nya~ You see... Liliana is a shy girl, that''s why she don''t have many friends, let''s all be good friends, alwright?"


    Liliana, the blonde-haired girl, blushed and looked the other way, then she muttered under her breath, "M-Mind your own business... I don''t need any other friends..."


    And with that, the group finally left the classroom and while we''re walking on the hallway, we attracted a lot of attention, or more like... we attracted TOO MUCH attention.


    <ul>


    <li>"Kya!! Look over there! All the girls in the special class are gathered together!"</li>


    <li>"Did something happen? It is rare for them to have a gathering like this."</li>


    <li>"I hear there are transfer students admitted to the special class today."</li>


    <li>"Is that girl beside Miss Sheena the new transfer student?"</li>


    <li>"Wait... Who is that shorty? Why is she following them? Could it be?!"


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.</li></ul>


    And so on and so forth... It was very noisy on the hallway. I''m still not used to be the center of attention, I cling to Sheena involuntarily and hide my face behind her shadow.


    Unknowingly, that sight was seen by Angie, she was looking down so her face was hidden by her hair, but surely, she had a pretty grim expression. She even laughed maniacally from time to time, causing the students not dare to get near her.


    When we walked past a certain hallway, we noticed a huge crowd in the courtyard, and all of a sudden, there was a huge boom!


    "W-What? What is going on?" Albert shouted and jumped out from the window immediately.


    "Ah... Wait for me!" Sheena followed closely behind.


    Since the other girls were also curious, they also jumped out from the window after Sheena.


    When we got to the courtyard, the crowd separated and opened a path for us immediately. What we saw in front of us was a rather shocking scene.


    There was... a penguin! Not just any penguin, it was a giant penguin about three meter tall! And that was not all, the giant penguin was wearing a really thick cloak and its right arm was cladded in flame!


    I couldn''t help but wonder, is the penguin in this world different from the one in our world? Could it be that the penguin here is afraid of cold weather instead? It should be spring right now, and yet, the penguin is wearing such a thick clothing! And its arm is even burning! Isn''t that hot? As expected of a fantasy world, you never fail to impress!


    With a wave of its hand, the flame died out and the penguin screeched a few times, as if it was saying, "Hah! The flame won''t work on me, you maggots!" The penguin had a rather proud demeanor as it was screeching.


    In front of the penguin was a man with black skin, it was unlike the black pigment a normal human skin could possess, the skin was pitch-black and shiny. The man had a rather... well, I can''t say handsome, but he''s not bad looking either. More so than that, he had a really wild expression, as if he was a hungry beast.


    That black-skinned man was about 1.75 meter tall and on the surface, he looked pretty skinny, but he was rather well built. His muscles were buldging, and he had an awesome six pack abs. His shoulder length hair was white in contrast to his black skin, which made a perfect pair.


    That kind of man was currently having a confrontation with the penguin. He opened his mouth and exclaimed loudly, "Hah! You big fat penguin, I may have lost to you yesterday, but I will definitely win today!"


    "B-Basile? What are you doing?!" Lenis suddenly shouted in surprise.


    Hearing her voice, both the penguin and black-skinned man looked over here. Both of their face had a huge change when they saw us. More than shock and fear, it felt like they were more concerned about how to explain the situation.


    The black-skinned man, probably the one Lenis called as Basile, I can understand his concern, but for the penguin to act like this too, that I failed to understand.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Mwehehehe... who do you think is the black-skinned man and the giant penguin? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


    Can''t wait until next week for more? Here''s the good news:


    Chapter 13 and 14 is already available on my blog, click the link in my signature to start reading there.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 13: Evolution

    After Lenis called out to "Basile", she immediately rushed over there. Strangely, instead of going towards the black-skinned man, Lenis was heading towards the penguin.


    As Lenis got closer, the penguin got more frantic and kept waving its... flippers around, as if it was saying, "This is not my fault, it was that black guy over there who came and challenged me."


    The penguin was full of intelligence, its action was very humane. One couldn''t help but wonder if there is a human under those thick and bulky "penguin suit", but its screeching immediately dispelled that thought, no human could make a sound like that. It was a genuine penguin cry. [1]


    When Lenis got in front of the penguin, she called out, "Basile! Didn''t I warn you not to get into any more fights without my permission? Remember what you did at the barn last night? All the magic beasts are now scared of you, because of that you can no longer stay in the barn!"


    "What?! You mean that penguin is Basile?! T-Then who is that black-skinned man over there?" It seemed like I was the only one surprised by this sudden change of event, and I was so sure that black-skinned man was the one called Basile too. Everyone here already knew Lenis'' familiar was that giant penguin.


    "What happened last night? Did something happened at the barn?" Hearing Lenis'' words, Sheena stepped forward to ask, ignoring my question.


    "Listen to this Sheena!" Lenis turned around and talked to Sheena as if complaining, "Yesterday, because the black goblin had unknowingly occupied Basile''s favorite spot, it flipped out and beat every magic beasts in the barn black and blue. Because of that, Basile was chased out by the barn owner."


    Lenis stopped for a while to catch her breath, then she let out a sigh and said, "Haa... I wonder why is it so hot-headed, it must have lived the life of a king before, it''s kind of hard to put it under control with that proud and haughty attitude. I had to look for a new place for it to stay last night because of what happened at the barn last night."


    "Wait... It beat every magic beasts in the barn black and blue? When I go to the barn last night, every magic beasts looked fine to me though." Sheena tilted her head and poked her right cheek with the index finger.


    "Arf..." Just at this time, the black-skinned man walked over with the little fox in his arm, then he said, "It was this little critter who healed everyone in the barn."


    (Ah... so that''s why that "Lion King" scene took place in the barn last night?) I thought to myself while feeling convinced.


    "Futaba!" Sheena shouted when she saw the little fox, she tried to hug it but little Futaba quickly broke free from the black-skinned man''s embrace and jumped onto his head.


    Sheena puffed her cheeks at this, she thought to herself, "Mu... why is both of my familiar like this? All I want is to cuddle them..."


    Then, the million dollar question had finally been asked by Albert, "Um... by the way, who are you? Are you perhaps the new barn owner?"


    "Ah... um... How should I break this to you..." The black-skinned man was hesitant to answer, or more like... he doesn''t know how to answer. This made everyone suspicious of him, but somehow or the other, I had this feeling of deja vu, it felt as if I have met this guy before.


    However, no matter how much I think about it, I just couldn''t relate it to anyone I have met before, I mean... it is impossible for this kind of person to exist in the old world and furthermore, I had only been in this world for a few days at best.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Then I suddenly thought of the wildest possibility ever, "Could he be a reincarnated person?! I mean... since I had been reborned as a spirit, it''s not totally out of the question..."


    Just at this time, the two goblins, Fiore and Giga, got beside the black-skinned man, I couldn''t see the shadow of Zain anywhere, but due to our spiritual link, I can somehow sense that he is closeby. In fact, he is very close to the other two goblins, I doubtfully looked behind the black-skinned man, and I still couldn''t see the shadow of Zain.


    When the black-skinned man finally decided to open his mouth to speak, I suddenly realized something and shouted before he could say anything, "AHHHH!!! Could you be... Zain?!"


    "Heh... Took you long enough." The black-skinned man, Zain, scratched his head proudly and continued, "That''s right, I am Zain. It seems like I have evolved into a rare variation of hobgoblin last night."


    My jaw dropped in surprise, I mean... I have heard of this evolution thing before, but knowing about it and seeing it with your own eyes are two different things. The change in physique is really too much, and in such a short time too!


    It seemed like I wasn''t the only one surprised by this though, Lenis, Irina, Sheena, Albert, and the others who heard about this had gaping mouth. There were too surprised to even speak, monster evolution is a very rare event even in this world. Generally speaking, most monsters would born and die as their original species, evolution only occur once in every hundred years. We are very lucky to have observed this miracle with our very eyes.


    The reason why goblin and the likes were stripped off their title as demi-humans and were classified as monsters is because of their ability to evolve. This is a characteristic that is only found in monsters. Therefore, to this very day, the goblins, hobgoblins, ogre, lizardman, and other such demi-humans are still classified as monsters and are hunted down for subjugation request on a daily basis.


    By the way, it was Sylvidia who told me about this classification thing. There''s no way I would know something like this.


    "In-... Increadible! Marvelous! This is a miracle! I never thought I''d see it with my own eyes, it is really true that the monsters can evolve into a higher species! Hahahahaha!" Albert was overjoyed.


    The other students were also excited by this event, I was left confused, "Why are they so excited over this?" I couldn''t help but ponder by myself, until I hear what the students were saying;


    <ul>


    <li>"Then, that means... if we work hard..."</li>


    <li>"That''s right... our familiar might be able to evolve too!"</li>


    <li>"Alright! I''m going to work harder, not only on magic, but on strengthening my familiar too!"


    </li></ul>


    Just saying, the fact that the monsters can evolve is already a well-known fact and it is the foundation of the Mysteria Summoning Academy, but since their summons are all high breed monsters, they never thought they could compete with them in familiar battle.


    But now, a goblin, supposedly the weakest class of monster in Halkeginia, had just successfully evolved in front of their eyes. They couldn''t help but feel hopeful that their familiar might evolve one day too.


    <hr />


    References:


    [1]: By the way, just asking; What kind of sound do penguin make? (In text form)

 [Vol 4] Chapter 14: Explosive Penguin

    "Mumble, mumble, mumble..." As the crowds were getting noisier by the minutes, we left the courtyard and arrived at an unassuming place to continue our conversation.


    "So... What happened? Why did you pick a fight with... this giant penguin." I asked Zain with a commanding voice. All of these troubles were clearly started by Zain.


    Zain just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head twice, then he said, "It''s nothing much really... I just challenged him to a match for supremacy."


    "Screech! Screech, screech, screech!!" The penguin was pointing at Zain and kept waving its flipper up and down while it was screeching, as if it was trying to reprimand Zain for his wrongdoings.


    "Uwa... This penguin is really too humane, I really wanted to go and check if there''s any zipper at the penguin''s back..." I thought of something like that while seeing the penguin''s action.


    Since Lenis was spiritually linked to the penguin, she was able to understand the penguin, so translated for us. Apparently, the penguin was saying that Zain was using dirty tricks.


    Zain snickered in response, "Heh! Do you think in a real life and death fight, being upright and honorable will save you?" When Zain was saying that, he had a bloodthirst in his eyes, he had obviously went through a lot of life and death situation in order to get to this point today. That was a temperament only found in someone who had seen death once.


    Recalling the time when I died in the car accident, I shivered at the thought of it, all I know is, I don''t want to die again for the second time.


    But for now, I shook off that feeling and teased Zain, "So? You played dirty in a duel you started and you still end up losing? How lame~"


    "H-hey! That was not my fault alright?! Who knows that big fat penguin would suddenly explode!" Zain lost his composure when I teased him as such.


    "Exploded?" Everyone in the place tilted their head simultaneously.


    "That''s right, his entire body turned bright red, and he just literally exploded, destroying more than half of the barn in the process!" What Zain told us was incomprehensible, all of us just mechanically turned our head to face the giant penguin at the same time.


    When we looked at the penguin, it was blushing and fluttered about, as if it was embarrassed. Oh my god! This penguin is really too humane! It somehow appeared a little bashful and cute, it makes me want to jump over there and hug it immediately!


    Even Lenis was looking at the penguin in shock. Wait what? Why is Lenis looking at the penguin like that? Aren''t they supposed to be in a master-familiar relationship? But if I think about it carefully, the familiar summoning ceremony only took place a few days ago, so I guess they haven''t been acquainted for that long yet...


    After that, Lenis suddenly shouted "Basile!" excitedly, and jumped into its embrace, then she lifted her head to look at the penguin''s face and said, "I always knew you were uncommon, but for you to actually possess this much firepower. We might even stand a chance against Irina''s familiar in the familiar showdown this coming month!"


    "Wait... What? What Familiar Showdown? I''ve never heard of it before." Hearing Lenis'' words, I couldn''t help but step forward to ask. Since it was a "familiar showdown", it obviously had something to do with "familiars" and "battle", and since I am a familiar, I am not completely uninvolved.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Ah... That''s right, I haven''t told you yet..." Sheena suddenly recalled about the event and explained briefly, "Exactly one month after the summoning ceremony, our familiars will be put to a test of strength against one another. It''s one of the most popular annual event in Tristain."


    Hearing this, Zain stepped forward and asked, "Since it is a battle between familiars, may I join too?"


    "Ah... That should be fine. Although it is rare for a first year to have a familiar, so most of the participants are second year and third year students." Albert answered the question, and then it was continued by Sheena, "That''s right, last year, the only first year participant was Irina, and she is the reigning champion too!"


    "Eh? What?! A first year student was the reigning champion?! Just what kind of monstrous familiar did she possess?!" I couldn''t help but feel anxious. After all, if I am to enter this competition, I have to face that monster eventually, maybe I should lose in the preliminary round on purpose... but if Sheena knew this, she would probably kill me.


    "V!" Irina just said a single word as usual and stretched her hand forward with a victory sign.


    "B-by the way... You don''t suppose Irina is living in the same dorm as us right...?" I turned my head to Sheena and asked awkwardly.


    "No way~ Irina and Liliana is living in the blue dorm, the Livyatan. Lenis and Albert is living in the red dorm, the Dragonblood. Felpurr is living in the green dorm, the Slytherin." Sheena finished by announcing the dorm color everyone here was living in, all except for Lou, since she didn''t know where she was staying at either.


    Then it was followed up by Albert, "Regardless of dorm color, this is an individual battle, so everyone will be put up against each other regardless of dorms. The points will be given based on your performance in the battle."


    "Heh... Sounds interesting, count me in!" Zain was getting all excited by himself, while I was feeling desperate, I shouted in my mind, "Zain~~~ Please stop adding more fuel to the fire! I want out! Hukhukhuk..."


    Then, just at this time, Lou suddenly crawled out from the shadows and said timidly, "U-um... D-Does that mean... I can p-participate too?!"


    "Nyahahaha~ Of course you can, you are officially a student of Tristanian Magic Academy for now. Since you are originally from Mysteria Summoning Academy, I expect we might have a dark horse in this year''s tournament, nyahahaha!" Felpurr suddenly hugged Lou from behind and said cheerilly. She''s a... free soul as always huh?


    The other blonde-haired girl who had remained quiet all this time suddenly stepped forward and nodded at Lou once, then she said, "I''ll be expecting a good fight from you."


    "E-Ehhhhhhhh?!" With that, Lou felt regretful for stepping forward to ask such a silly question, now a huge expectation had been laid on her, and she had to somehow live up to their expectations.


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Hoh boy... there''s a competition coming up! Anyone getting fired up for this?


    Chapter 15 is already available on Silva''s Library, click the link in my signature to start reading.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 15: The Grand Chase Prequel

    After that little incident, we went to the cafeteria and ate to our heart''s content.


    As always, the meal was very luxurious, it was truly a meal fitting for the aristocrat. I feel so lucky to be able to enjoy such luxurious meal for free everyday.


    As for Zain and the other familiars, they went to the barn to get their food. When I go over there to take a peek later, I found that they truly lived the life of a king.


    All the other familiars in the barn were offering a portion of their food to Zain''s group, or more specifically, to little Futaba. It seems like Zain had already secured his position as the boss of the barn with the giant penguin gone.


    Since they seemed to be doing well, I ate the portion of food which I originally intended to give to Zain and the others. It''s definitely not because I''m a glutton alright? Nuh-uh, definitely not...


    Now then... It''s finally the time we''ve all been waiting for, to the lingerie store we go~! Or so I thought, but on the way to the lingerie store, we were stopped by Sheena''s personal maid, Angie.


    "Miss Sheena, please wait a moment!" Angie suddenly ran towards us from behind.


    We turned around and saw her figure as she ran over here, Sheena started by asking, "Oh my... What''s the matter, Angie?"


    "Huff~ Huff~ Huff~" After taking a few deep breath, Angie stood straight and cast a quick glance at me, I could feel a hint of malice behind those glance. Then she looked at Sheena and said, "Miss Sheena, I heard you''re going to get a few sets of lingerie for Miss Sylvia, is that correct?"


    "That... is indeed true... but where did you heard something like that from?" Sheena looked at Angie doubtfully.


    Angie got this information from Sheena''s fan club, but of course she couldn''t tell her the truth, she cleared her throat a few times awkwardly and said, "I-In any case, as your head maid, it is my responsibility to take care of any miscellaneous job. Miss Sheena, with all due respect, your responsibility as a student is to study, don''t you have an afternoon session with Professor Naoki later? You can leave Miss Sylvia to me. I will take care of her need in your stead."


    "Mu..." Sheena puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but since she couldn''t find any words to retort, she answered "Fine!" reluctantly and left me behind with Angie.


    Angie put on a refreshing smile and waved at Sheena as she left, then when she turned around to face me, her smile distorted as she said, "Now then......"


    "Hieeeee......! M-Miss Angel... Y-Your face is..." Before I could finish my sentence, Angie asked with a rather scary smile, "Oh? What was that about my face? Fufufufufufufu..."


    Without thinking at all, I tried to turn around and run, but because I was too frantic, I tripped on my own legs. When I turned around and saw Angie holding a stick, I involuntarily shouted, "Mommy!"


    She was holding the stick with one hand and smacked the palm of her other hand with the stick at a fixed interval.


    "Smack! Smack! Smack!"


    Before I knew it, I found myself kneeling on the ground, listening to Angie''s sermon;


    "As Miss Sheena''s retainer, you seem to have forgotten your position... Know your place! You are over-reliant on Miss Sheena''s kindness! I''m going to whip you into shape. Prepare youself, from now on, whenever you''re not having a class, you will report to me. Is that understood?"


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Y-Yes......" I answered weakly, but Angie seemed to be dissatisfied with that answer, she lowered her upper body and brought her scary face closer as she raised her voice, "Is That Un-der-Stood?!"


    "Y-YES MA''AM!" I straightened my back while still kneeling on the ground and saluted like a soldier.


    "Very well... then let''s start our training now." Angie nodded in satisfaction and smacked the palm of her hand with the stick.


    "Eh? A-Aren''t we going to the lingerie store first?" I immediately raised my concern to Angie, but...... she just revealed a wicked smile and said, "Oh, that... Well, only if you can pass my training before the lingerie store closed."


    And with that signal, a crowd of girls walked out from the shadows. One of the girl got beside Angie and whispered, "Vice President, will you really give us Miss Sheena''s used underwear if we can catch her within the time limit?"


    Due to my attentive ears, I clearly heard everything she was saying, my mind blanked out for a moment, because of the word "underwear", I completely neglected the following words, all I could think of at the time was, "Perverts! They''re all perverts!!"


    Angie whispered back, "Don''t worry, I always keep my words. Miss Sheena will not suspect anything."


    Then she looked at me meaningfully and said, "Miss Sylvia, I heard you''ve developed a gynophobia right? That''s no good~ As Miss Sheena''s attendant, having an abnormal fear of woman is bad~ Therefore, I''ve arranged a special training for you~ ?"


    When I heard her words, my face immediately turned pale, so pale that you''d think I was sick, I immediately fell back and cursed, "Hieee......! L-Lord Angel, a-are you a demon? You are a demon right?!"


    Since I was kneeling on the ground the whole time, my legs had fallen asleep, I tried to stand up but fell on my butt, so I slid backwards with my butt rubbing against the ground.


    Without any unnecessary words, Angie just smacked the stick on her palm and said, "Catch her!"


    "Hieeeee!!!!" I immediately turned my body around and kicked off the ground, dashing forward like no tomorrow. Following that, the crowd of girls immediately chased after me.


    "S-Stay away from me~~~!" I knew I was only wasting my breath, but those words involuntarily escaped from my mouth. No matter how much I shout, the numbers never decreased. On the contrary, due to my scream, I attracted even more attention.


    In my mind, I was apologizing to all the male protagonist who was in the same situation as me. I laughed at their misfortunate when I saw they were being chased by the masses. I never thought something like this would happen to me. Now I finally understand how desperate they feel when they were being chased. I promise I will be a good <del>boy</del> girl from now on, I promise I will never laugh at people''s misfortune anymore, so please, just spare me from this~~~ Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha, if you truly exist, please bestow a miracle upon this miserable self~~~


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Uh...... That... just took an unexpected turn, but... the dodging galore is finally coming up soon? XD


    Though it''s a little different from how I imagined it at first, but oh wells...

 [Vol 4] Chapter 16: The Grand Chase

    As I run with every fiber of my being, I could hear Angie shouting from behind, "If you can make it to the lingerie store before sundown, you''ll have considered passed the first training. Good luck~ ?". With that said, Angie turned around and left for the lingerie store ahead of time.


    "Oniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" I literally shouted oni, which means demon in Japanese. Everyone couldn''t understand the meaning of that word, but since Angie was actually a Japanese and she had spent her childhood in the old world along with Sheena''s family, she know full well the meaning of that word.


    Angie turned around and looked at me doubtfully, but she didn''t think too much of it and left the scene.


    "Huff! Huff! Huff! Damn it... Where did these girls get so much energy from?!" No matter how much I run, I just couldn''t shake off the girls. And due to the fact that this body had been in coma for more than a decade, it actually didn''t have that much stamina, so I ran out of breath quite quickly.


    "Hieeeee! The girls are getting closer!" However, when I saw the girls getting closer, burst of energy suddenly surged up within my body from who knows where. I managed to increase my speed and pulled some distance between us, but that only lasted for a few seconds.


    "Huff...... Huff...... Out of... breath... I can''t... do it... anymore..." As my speed was getting slower, the girls were getting closer with each passing seconds.


    "Think Silva, think! How can I get myself out of this sticky situation? This is the time to make use of human''s wisdom!" I keep wracking my brain to come up with one idea after another, "Ah... What to do, what to do... damn this open field, no matter where I run, they always catch up to me."


    Just when that thought crossed my mind, I immediately came up with what I thought was a nice idea, "...Wait! That''s it! If I go indoor, they shouldn''t be able to find me that easily!"


    However, when I turned my head to look at the entrance to the buildings, I could see a row of girls standing in front of the door. "Nooooooooooo~! This can''t be!! They already anticipated this and blocked the entrance?!"


    I was in despair, everything felt so hopeless. "Is there no god in this world?!" I felt even more hopeless as the girls were getting closer by the minute. Just when I was about to lose all hope and give in to the cruel fate that awaits me, Sylvidia''s voice resounded in my mind like an angel''s, "Why don''t you just take off to the sky~?"


    When I heard her voice, I stared blankly at the sky for a moment, then it suddenly hit me, "That''s right!! The sky!! Hahaha, I can just fly into the sky!!"


    I could finally see a glimmer of hope as I pulled the ?Blank Slate? out of my pocket. I raised the blank card high into the sky with one hand, and before I knew it, the image of the Abyss Beast appeared on the surface of the pure white card.


    "Implicatus!" I shouted the activation word as soon as the Blank Slate had turned into the Abyss Beast Magic Card, or what I''d like to call ?<em>Slate 1</em>?. Soon after, my body glowed for a moment, wings sprouted out from my back, then I jumped off the ground and took off to the sky. Or that was what I imagined would happen. Contrary to my expectation, the sky seem further than ever and I fell face first onto the ground.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Pugyah!" I let out an awkward and unladylike sound as my face hits the ground. I got up hastily and held my nose with both hands, "Ow! That hurts~!"


    After rubbing my nose for a while to ease the pain, I tilted my head in doubt, "What just happened? How come I didn''t take off?"


    As I turned my head around to look at the back, I noticed that the wings that were supposed to be there, weren''t there. "Eh? Where did the wings go? Why aren''t the wings here?!" I couldn''t believe my eyes, so I tried touching all over my back to feel for the wings. But what weren''t there just weren''t there.


    Just when I was about to fall into despair, I noticed something strange on my arms, "Eh? What are these scaly things on my arms? They look so disgusting..."


    I noticed there were scales on my arms, I looked at them with pure disgust. To be honest, I''ve always been bad with reptiles, amphibians, and insects, so that was merely an unconditioned response.


    In the end, I steeled myself to touch the scales on my arm. The smooth surface of the scales caught me by surprise, it felt surprisingly nice to the touch; smooth and slippery. My face slackened as I thoroughly enjoyed stroking the scales before I knew it. I might get addicted to this, maybe reptiles are not that bad after all.


    "It seems like you''ve transformed into a lizardkin this time around." Sylvidia suddenly announced the result of the transformation when I was lost in my own world.


    "Aha-ha-ha..." I laughed awkwardly and continued, "That seems to be the case... but I wanted to transform into the birdkin though, how come I transformed into a lizardkin instead?"


    "Imagination and desire!" Sylvidia just said these two words before she continued to explain, "Imagination plays a major role in magic. Without a clear image of the spell you are going to cast, you will not be able to control it properly. Desire also has a big role in shaping your magic; what do you desire the most when you are casting the spell, what do you wish to accomplish, that kind of thing."


    "What do... I wish to accomplish......" While repeating those words, I looked at the crowd of girls that were about to catch up to me any moment now, and then at the row of girls standing in front of the building entrance.


    After that, I hung my head down to look at my body, with both arms holding out. ?1? Then I looked back and forth between myself, the crowd of girls, and the entrance.


    After repeating that motion for a few times, I suddenly got a brilliant idea, "That''s it!!"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Uhm... There''s not so much dodging now is there? >.<


    <hr />


    References:


    [1]: Couldn''t find a better word, but it looks like this:


    http://www.complete-strength-training.com/images/wrist-stretch-4.jpg</a>

 [Vol 4] Chapter 17: Viva la Lizardkin

    After that, I hung my head down to look at my body, with both arms holding out. Then I looked back and forth between myself, the crowd of girls, and the entrance.


    After repeating that motion for a few times, I suddenly got a brilliant idea, "That''s it!!"


    Immediately after I thought of that idea, I didn''t dare tarry a moment longer. My feet started to move by itself, as if I was driven forward by an indescribable force.


    Before I knew it, I was already running towards the crowd of girls at my top speed, but I didn''t have a hint of hesitation in my eyes. The girls who saw me running towards them were stupefied, they couldn''t help but stop in their tracks.


    Because it was so sudden, the girls in front were pushed by the ones in the back and tripped over their own two feet. It turned pretty chaotic soon after. Though that was out of my expectation, it was a favorable condition. All''s well that ends well I guess.


    I continued to run and eventually, I jumped over the girls who fell onto the ground and dashed into the crowd of girls. The girls who had seen my transformation hastily shouted, "That lizardkin is her! Don''t let her get away!!"


    When some of the girls at the back heard it, they tried to grab me frantically as I ran past them, but their hands slipped off the smooth surface of my skin. Wee~ This went just as expected! Viva la lizardkin! Long live the reptile!


    As I rejoiced, I slipped past the crowd of girls like a slippery snake, none was able to stop me in my tracks. Hehehe, get it? Slipped past them like a slippery snake.


    ......Actually, please forget that failed attempt of a pun. You heard nothing, you see nothing, alright?


    After I slipped past the girls in the front, it was a cinch to get past the rest of the girls. The information that I had transformed into the lizardkin did not get passed to the back yet due to all the commotion that was taking place.


    After I break away from the crowd of girls, I immediately ran towards the barricade of girls in front of the entrance. As soon as I got in front of the barricade, I leaned on my knees to catch my breath, "Huff... Huff... Huff..."


    One of the girls approached me and asked, "Hey, what''s wrong? You look worn out." They obviously didn''t know I had transformed into the lizardkin yet, this is my chance!


    I lifted my left hand up from the knee and pointed at the main gate, then I reported, "She... She ran towards the main gate during all the commotion!"


    "What?! Is that true?" When the other girls heard the report, they crowded around me and kept storming me with one question after another, but all of them amounted to the same question, "How did it happen?"


    I immediately came up with something and told them half the truth, "W-When we were chasing her, she suddenly used a transformation magic, then she rushed into the crowd and caught everyone surprised. During all the commotion, I saw her running towards the main gate, but... I couldn''t pacify the situation."


    "Tsk...!" One of the girls, who seemed like the leader, clicked her tongue before she continued, "She''s more crafty than we thought. Change of plan! The three of you, go and pacify the situation. The rest of you, come with me!"


    Before they left, the girl who issued the command cast a sidelong glance at me and expressed her gratitude. I felt kind of bad for lying to her after receiving such a heartfelt gratitude, but this is for the sake of survival, please forgive me!


    With that, I successfully infiltrated the building. Now then, it''s time to search for the lingerie store. But just when I was about to enter the building, I heard the girls whispering;


    <ul>


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.<li>"By the way, who is that? I''ve never seen her around before."</li>


    <li>"...Who knows? A new student perhaps? She wasn''t wearing the school uniform."</li>


    <li>"New student? At this time of the year?"</li>


    <li>"Ah! Could she be the rumored transfer student? I heard there was another one other than Miss Sheena''s familiar."</li>


    <li>......


    </li></ul>


    I couldn''t hear their voices clearly anymore as they got further away, but now that they mentioned it, my uniform does make me stand out huh... I should do something about it first.


    After thinking that far, I immediately went to the closest washroom I could find. After making sure the door to the private room was tightly secured, I asked Sylvidia via our spiritual link, "By the way Sylvidia, can you somehow alter the outfit and make it look like the school uniform?"


    Sylvidia replied with a melodious tone, "Easily done~ ?"


    With that said, my outfit suddenly glowed for a moment and transformed into a school uniform tailored for the lizardkin.


    Just at this time, the self-proclaimed Saint Demon, Wyllie Wisp, materialized out of thin air and appeared in front of me. She snickered and said, "Fufufu... You sure are gullible~ Master, a word of advice, you shouldn''t trust what anyone said to you so easily."


    "Eh? What do you mean?" I tilted my head in obvious confusion and asked Wyllie Wisp.


    "Fufufu~ Nothing~ ?" Instead of answering my question, she snickered one more time and faded away. As always, she comes and goes without warning like the ghost she is, it''s kind of scary.


    While I was wondering what was going on, I could hear Sylvidia heaving a sigh of relief, "Phew~"


    Just now, in that brief moment of time, Sylvidia and Wyllie Wisp were having a *talk* via telepathy, but that was something that I''ll never come to know.


    Now then, there''s no time to waste, it is only a matter of time before the girls figured out the information I gave them was fake. Quite a few people had seen me in this form too, they''ll probably recognize me once I run into them.


    I''ve considered deactivating the current transformation and change into a different form too, but I scratched that idea in the end. Lizardkin is the best form to use indoor, it proved to be very effective against the crowd of girls earlier. If the girls crowded on the narrow hallway, I wouldn''t be able to slip past them with any other form. That''s why I decided to stick with this, taking fully into account that I will be discovered.


    With my renewed determination, I stepped out of the washroom and make my way towards the lingerie store, but a new problem arises as soon as I stepped out of the washroom......


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    Firstly, I have to apologize for not writing last week. A few things happened and now I am unemployed. To make up for it, I will try to write two chapters this week, but¡­


    If you haven¡¯t checked out the headline, I have a very bad news for all of you. Click HERE</a> to find out more.


    For those of you who don¡¯t care or can¡¯t be bothered to read, here¡¯s a summary: In the worst case scenario, I might have to slow down my current pace or even stop writing once and for all.


    I have enlisted for Patreon</a> as suggested, but I doubt it would really change anything. So I guess it¡¯s back to job hunting I go.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 18: Encounter

    With my renewed determination, I stepped out of the washroom and make my way towards the lingerie store, but a new problem arises as soon as I stepped out of the washroom......


    *Kacha! Creak...*


    As soon as I unlocked the door of the private room and pushed it open, I saw a few male students jumping back and sticking close to the wall with their rear. I don''t know why they look so surprised, I looked around the washroom for a while and don''t see anything particular, so I just ignored them and walked out of the washroom as if nothing had happened.


    Since I was a man in my previous life, and it haven''t really sink into me yet that I am a girl now, I don''t find anything strange with the current situation. But if I am to think back to this situation later on, I will definitely be so embarrassed that I wish I could just bury my head in the sand like the Ostrich.


    After I left the washroom, I stood in front of the entrance for a while and muttered to myself, "Now then... This is a problem... I don''t know where is the lingerie store..."


    Meanwhile, the male students were whispering among themselves in the washroom;


    <ul>


    <li>"W-What was that girl doing in the male washroom?"</li>


    <li>"D-Did she get dragged in here by that playboy?"</li>


    <li>"Speaking of which, I heard that playboy had slept with at least hundred girls in this academy."</li>


    <li>"Ah... I heard that he tried to lay his hands on Sheena once and got severely punished by Angie."</li>


    <li>"Seriously? Angie is scary when you get on her bad side......" At this point, all the male students nodded their heads silently in sync.</li>


    <li>"By the way, I heard a rumor that his next targets will be the transfer students."</li>


    <li>......


    </li></ul>


    While I was walking around at random, I looked left and right frantically. I wanted to ask for location, but I might expose myself if I were to ask the girls. And it''s very embarrassing to ask the guys, so I''m stuck walking around in circles.


    Just at this time, a guy who happened to pass by saw my frantic self, so he approached and asked, "Um... miss, is something troubling you?"


    I was surprised when he suddenly talked to me, so I couldn''t form a proper sentence, "Ah! Uhm... You see... I was... kind of... um... looking... for a place..."


    "Ah...!" All of a sudden, the guy let out a cry as if he had realized something, "Could you be the rumored transfer student?"


    "Eh?! N-n-no---! I''m not t-t-the transfer student! It, it''s just, uhm..." When he said that out loud, I panicked and tried to find an excuse.


    However, he just laughed and said, "Hahaha! Don''t worry about it. You said you were looking for a place? I can take you there! Where are you going?"


    "Ah... uhm... it''s a little..." Before I could finish my sentence, that guy suddenly grabbed my hand and lifted it up. Then he caressed my arm with his other hand.


    My god! Is all the aristocratic men like this? First it was Albert, and now this guy! Geez! Don''t they know the thing called personal space? Hello~?


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Heh... a lizardkin huh? It''s my first time seeing one in person. You have a smooth and beautiful skin." That guy said something that sounded like a pick-up lines as he caressed my arm. This might have worked on your average girls, but for me, I only feel goosebumps breaking out all over my body.


    I quickly pulled my hand back and laughed awkwardly, "A-hahaha-! Y-You know what? I think I will be able to find that place by myself after all. T-Thanks for the offer though!"


    I turned around and ran away as soon as I finished my sentence. While that guy was looking at my back figure, he licked his lips and said, "I''m going to enjoy this hunt to my heart''s content."


    ......


    After I took a turn at a corner, I leaned on the wall with my back. "Huff... Huff... Huff..." I took a few deep breaths while putting my right hand over my chest. Then I slid onto the ground and said, "T-That was scarrrry! I thought he''d eat me alive!"


    I poked my head out of the corner to take a peek. Seeing that the playboy was no longer there, I heaved a sigh and said, "Phew... He''s gone. If I had gone with him, no doubt he will take me to an unassuming place and do this or that..."


    While thinking thus far, my cheeks turned bright red. I could literally feel steam escaping from my head as I covered my face with both hands.


    As I was fidgeting around, a handsome looking man in military uniform just happened to walk into this corridor. Beside him was a beautiful female general with a rather stern face.


    When they noticed me, the important looking officer approached me and leaned on one knee before he asked, "Miss, is everything alright?"


    Hearing his voice, I spread out the fingers they were covering my eyes and peeked at the two through the gaps of the fingers. Judging from their military uniforms, they didn''t seem to be students of this academy, I felt relieved and let out a breath.


    The important looking officer had blond hair and blue eyes. He had a handsome face and skinny build, the type that''s popular with the girls. His smile was heartwarming, and to be completely honest, he didn''t look that strong. However, this is a fantasy world, so it is impossible to judge his true strength based on outer appearance alone.


    On the other hand, the female officer gave off a completely opposite feeling. She had beautiful light blue hair that flowed down to her waist like waterfall. Her blue eyes were so sharp that it felt like it could pierce through your body. Moreover, her stern expression made her seem unapproachable.


    Maybe I can ask them to show me the way. With that thought, I opened my mouth to ask, "Um... actually... I''m kinda lost... Do you know the way to the shopping district?"


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    This chapter is dedicated to Dadrian. Thank you once again for your support on Patreon</a>.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 19: Marshal Dadrian

    My name is Dadrian, twenty five years old, due to my great achievements in the military a few years back, I was promoted to the rank of marshal. Beside me is my beautiful general, Natasha.


    Natasha always wear a stern expression and is very serious about her work. She is strict with herself and others around her. Because of her unwelcoming personality, she has a secret nickname among the ranks, the Female Tiger.


    Believe it or not, this "Female Tiger" actually has a soft side. Though she might act cold and uncaring to those around her, she is actually very kind-hearted and always look out for the others. I fell in love with this side of hers, but alas... every time I tried to make an advance, she''d brush me off like nothing had happened. I wonder if I''m not being straightforward enough or she''s doing it on purpose......


    Today, Natasha and I have been summoned to Tristanian Magic Academy by the headmaster. Apparently, he had a request for us. It seems to be that time of the year after all.


    After we took a turn at a corner, we saw a girl crouching on the ground with her face covered. Natasha and I looked at each other in dismay. Though Natasha had the usual stern expression on her face, I could tell that she was concerned about the girl by looking into her eyes.


    Therefore, as a man, I should take the initiative. I approached the girl and leaned on one knee to match my height with hers, then I asked with the most heartwarming voice I could muster, "Miss, is everything alright?¡±


    The girl spread out her fingers and looked at me via the gaps of her fingers. After she heaved what seemed like a sigh of relief, she finally revealed her face and asked, "Um... actually... I''m kinda lost... Do you know the way to the shopping district?"


    "The shopping district?" I frowned a little and turned my head around to look at Natasha. She was holding her chin as if she was deep in thought.


    After a few seconds later, she lifted her head up and said, "The shopping district is it? Very well, we can take you there. Our destination is along the way."


    I felt relieved after hearing her answer, since our destination is... actually on the opposite side of the shopping district. I smiled at her meaningfully, and she just turned her head to the side while letting out a "Hmph!"


    Hey, hey, if you do that, you will scare the girl. While I was thinking that, I turned my head to look at the girl. See? Her body is getting stiff.


    Sigh... I guess it is my job as the superior to put the girl at ease. With that thinking, I tried talking to the girl, "Don''t worry about her. She may look like a man-eating tiger, but she''s actually... Ouch-!"


    Before I could finish my sentence, Natasha drive a karate-chop onto my head and retorted, "W-Who are you calling a man-eating tiger?!"


    "N-Natasha, if you keep doing that, you''ll scare the girl..." I stood up from the ground immediately and whispered to Natasha, "See? She''s even quivering now. How are we supposed to fix this?"


    "Ah..." Natasha let out a surprised voice as if she had just realized, then she muttered in a low voice, "S-Sorry... I didn''t realize you were trying to lighten up the mood."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I scratched my head and said, "Sigh... Natasha, I''ve always told you that you need to brush up your interpersonal skills. You''ve always been awkward around people and tend to make things worst. Remember that time when you were trying to help a lost child? She was crying the whole time and you were mistaken as a kidnapper. That was truly a disaster, you were even taken to the guard station and I had to go and bail you out."


    "I-I''m embarrassed." Natasha was flushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.


    "Pfft-hahahaha. You guys sure are good friends." Look like the comedic act worked. I purposely spoke in a voice that she could hear to ease up the tension between us.


    "Mhm! We sure are! She might not look like it, but Natasha''s a kind person. Let''s get along, alright?" I leaned over and extended a hand towards the girl. "Come on, we''ll take you to the shopping district along the way."


    "Y-Yes! Thank you very much!" She smiled for the first time and grabbed my hand. I pulled her up from the ground and we walked towards the shopping district together, getting further away from the headmaster''s office.


    On the way, I got beside Natasha and whispered in a voice that only the two of us could hear, "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Our destination is along the way huh? You''re so dishonest."


    "M-Mind your own business!" Natasha muttered under her breath and pushed me away.


    Looking at our exchange, the girl following behind us is giggling. I''m glad, I don''t know what happened to make her crouch in a place like that, but at least she seems to feel much better now.


    With that thought, we arrived at the shopping district uneventfully. The girl walked in front of us and suddenly make a bow to express her gratitude, "T-Thank you very much for taking me all the way here."


    Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Natasha blushing slightly. She abruptly turned her head to the side and let out a "Hmph!"


    I scratched my head awkwardly and whispered beside the girl''s ear, "D-Don''t let it get to you, she''s just trying to hide her embarrassment."


    "T-That''s enough, Marshal! We''re going now!" Before I could say anything else, Natasha dragged me away by the collar</a>.


    The girl was looking at us with a forced smile while waving her hand. Speaking of which, I''ve been calling her "the girl" all along. We hadn''t really introduced ourselves yet have we? Oh well... it''s not like we will meet her again.


    After we departed from the shopping district, for some reason, I could hear a lot of noise coming from that direction. I wonder if they have some event going on...


    <hr />


    Author''s Note:


    This chapter is dedicated to Dadrian. Thank you once again for your support on Patreon</a>.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 20: Plan B

    Thanks to the officers, I was able to get to the shopping district without a hitch. At first, I was scared of the female officer, but she can be surprisingly cute. The way she act kind of remind me of my younger sister, a little stubborn but kind-hearted.


    (Haa~ I¡¯m starting to miss home¡­) As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I slapped myself on the face to bring me back to reality. (No, no, no! It¡¯s only the third day, I can¡¯t be disheartened so quickly!)


    After parting way with the officers, I walked towards the shopping district with large strides.


    The shopping district was just located at one corner of the main building. It was not a very big district, but it wasn¡¯t too small either. There¡¯s not a lot of specialized store, but all the necessary items could be found here. Ranging from stationary to cloth, there were even stores that sell robes and beginner wands.


    Most of the stores here sell stuffs related to magician, you can hardly find weapons like sword or bow. No wonder Sheena took me to town to get my equipment despite there being a shopping district here.


    ¡°She¡¯s here! That lizardkin is her!¡±


    ¡°I saw her transforming with my own eyes, there¡¯s no doubt¡±


    ¡°Damn that lizard! How dare she trick us!¡±


    Shortly after I entered the shopping district, I had already been recognized. As expected, since they were unable to find me, they are now crowding at the shopping district. That¡¯s¡­ faster than I expected. Maybe I spent too much time wandering around randomly¡­


    From the corner of my eyes, I¡¯ve already caught a glimpse of the lingerie store. As long as I can make it there, this nightmare will be over. Guess there¡¯s nothing to it, I just have to slip past the girls like I did earlier!


    Just when I was about to run towards the crowd of girls, I noticed something weird. All of them seemed to be wearing a pair of gloves.


    ¡°Could it be¡­ rubber gloves?!¡± This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!! The rubber gloves reduces friction, if I get caught, I won¡¯t be able to slip past them anymore. These girls are smarter than I thought! If I run over there now, it¡¯s instant game over!


    ¡°Hiee-!!¡± With that, I immediately turned tail and run.


    I ran into a clothing store and without thinking twice, I locked myself in one of the dressing room.


    ¡°O-Okay! Time for Plan B!¡± I didn¡¯t dare to delay it a moment longer and executed Plan B in an instant. It was a very simple plan. Since I¡¯ve already been recognized and my trump card had been sealed, there¡¯s no other choice but to go with Plan B.


    I immediately deactivated my transformation and activated the card again. This time, I pictured the image of the catkin in my head clearly. With another flash, I transformed.


    ¡°D-Did I success, nya?¡± Hearing my ending word, I was convinced that I¡¯ve successfully transformed into the cat form. Just at this time, the door to the clothing store suddenly opened with a ¡°creak¡± and the sound of dozens of girls could be heard.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Phew¡­ I made it in time, nya~¡± The reason I was rushing is because the light from the transformation would give me away.  I¡¯m glad I made it in time before the girls came in.


    Since the store was quite small, only a few of them entered to prevent crowding. I walked out of the dressing room as naturally as possible and on the way out, I heard the girls asking the shopkeeper if she had seen a lizardkin rushing into the store.


    The shopkeeper pointed them to the dressing room. Lucky~ They don¡¯t recognize me in this form! Now I can make my way to the lingerie store without anyone blocking my way. I just have to make sure I act as naturally as possible.


    When I walked out of the clothing store, all the girls crowding at the entrance looked at me suspiciously. I ignored them and walked past the crowd directly, I could literally feel my body temperature deceases as I was walking in the middle of a crowd with prying eyes.


    It was very nerve-wracking, but I managed to make it past the girls in one piece. After that, I wanted to make my way towards the lingerie store quickly, but I decided against it since that would be too obvious. The girls are definitely not stupid, if I make my way there now, they will definitely figure it out.


    With that said, I went into a general store as pretext and waited for the girls to settle down a little. But just at this time, I run into someone unexpected.


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that Miss Sylvia?¡± That was, without a doubt, Albert¡¯s voice.


    (God damn it, Albert! Do you have a grudge against me?!) As I thought that, my eyes burned with fury as I turned my head abruptly to glare at him.


    Albert¡¯s body jolted for a moment, ¡°S-Syl¡­ via, right?¡±


    ¡°Shishishi¡­ hihihihihi¡­¡± As I laughed like a maniac, my body swayed left and right as I approached Albert like a zombie. I just got a really crazy idea all of a sudden. There was a scary glint in my eyes.


    Albert couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back, ¡°M-Miss Sylvia! I-I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but, please calm down!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape!¡± As I got in front of Albert, I suddenly grabbed his shoulders firmly with both hands. Albert¡¯s body shivered for a moment. I lifted my head and whispered into his ear, ¡°Albeeert~! This is your punishment~!¡±


    Albert¡¯s voice was shaking as he asked, ¡°M-Miss Sylvia¡­ W-What are you going to make me do?¡±


    ¡°Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi-! Don¡¯t worry~ I won¡¯t make you do something unreasonable. Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi-!¡± Thinking about what¡¯s to come next, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing maniacally.


    ¡°M-Miss Sylvia¡­ y-you¡¯re scaring me with that laugh¡­¡± Albert tried to back off, but with the strength of the beastman, I held onto him firmly.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 21: Noble Sacrifice

    ¡°Gyaaaah!¡± A lone girl(?) was being chased by a group of crazed girls. She(?) was unaware of the situation and didn¡¯t know why she(?) was being chased.


    ¡°There she is! Don¡¯t let her escape!¡± Another group of girls suddenly appeared from the corridor in front. The girl(?) immediately changed direction and jumped out of the window.


    The group of girls were surprised by the lone girl(?)¡¯s action, they thought they had her this time, since they were on the third floor. They didn¡¯t expect the desperate girl(?) would jump out of the window.


    However, the girl(?) did not jump out of the window out of desperation. With a whistle, a blue hawk immediately appeared and the girl(?) grabbed its legs with one hand. Just like that, they slowly glided towards the ground.


    Some of the girls among the ground did not hesitate either, they immediately jumped out of the windows after grabbing a stick or a broom. With their spiritual power, they levitated the sticks and brooms. The girls sat on top of the sticks and brooms as they continued the chase in the sky.


    ¡°Tsk¡­ they just don¡¯t give up! What did Miss Sylvia do to incur their wrath?!¡± That¡¯s right¡­ as you might have guessed by now, the lone girl(?) in question was not Sylvia. But just who could it be? It was none other than¡­¡­ Albert!


    How did this event come about? It goes back to a few minutes ago:


    When Albert called out to Sylvia, it seemed as if she had finally snapped. She grabbed Albert forcefully and made him disguise as herself to draw the girl¡¯s attention.


    Obviously, Albert refused at first, but with Sylvia¡¯s physical strength, he was unable to shake her off. Albert was forcefully dragged into a clothing store and stripped by Sylvia in the dressing room. It was fortunate that Albert was already in disguise, so they didn¡¯t attract too much unwanted attention.


    ¡°Kyan-! M-Miss Sylvia¡­ we mustn¡¯t do this¡­ I¡­ I already have Sheena!¡± Albert said in a fluster as he was being stripped forcefully.


    ¡°Just shut up and undress!¡± Since Sylvia had already lose her powers of reasoning, she continued stripping Albert without paying heed to Albert¡¯s complain.


    Sylvia used the money found in Albert¡¯s pocket to buy some wig and dress. He had no choice but to put on the wig and dress left behind by Sylvia in the dressing room.


    By the time he finished dressing up, Sylvia was already gone without a trace, with his clothes to boot. Albert was, without a doubt, furious¡­ angry. He swore that the next time he run into Sylvia, he will make her pay for this.


    However¡­ not long after he left the clothing store, a group of girls mistook him as Sylvia and immediately give chase. Seeing a group of girls running towards him with the eyes of a hunter, Albert had no choice but to run.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Just at this time, I poked my head out from a dark corner and looked on as the crowd of girls chased after Albert.


    I clapped my hands together and prayed for Albert, ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice, I will always remember your noble sacrifice, Albert.¡±


    If Albert heard this, he¡¯ll definitely retort: Hey! Hey! What do you mean sacrifice? I was forced into this you know?!


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Now then¡­ since the coast is clear, time to head to the lingerie store, nya~¡± With that thought, I made my way to the lingerie store carefreely.


    After I got in front of the lingerie store, I could see Angie standing right in front of the entrance with her arms crossed. I tried walking past her and go into the lingerie store, but she didn¡¯t try to bar my way. Looks like she couldn¡¯t recognize me in this form after all.


    But never mind that, it¡¯s so embarrassing to be in the lingerie store! There are bras and underwear as far as the eyes could see, I don¡¯t know where to look! My face turned as red as apple, and with my mind going astray, the transformation goes off with a poof!


    When Angie turned around and saw my figure, she was surprised, ¡°H-How did you¡­¡± But when she saw the card that fell onto the ground, she picked it up and said, ¡°I see¡­ so you got past me with this artifact. I¡¯ve heard of this before, but I didn¡¯t expect you have that much transformations. I let my guard down¡­¡±


    With that, Angie suddenly retrieved a walkie-talkie lookalike device and spoke into it, ¡°The chase is over, I repeat¡ª The chase is over. The target already made it to the goal. Cease the chase at once.¡±


    Not long later, a voice suddenly transmitted from the walkie-talkie lookalike device, ¡°Eh¡ª?! How can that be, the transfer student is still here!!¡±


    Angie spoke into the walkie-talkie lookalike device again, ¡°What you girls are chasing is a body double. If you don¡¯t believe me, come and take a look yourself.¡±


    With that said, the group of girls directed ice-cold gazes to the lone girl(?) surrounded by them. One of the girls stepped forward and said coldly, ¡°If the transfer student is there, then who are you?¡±


    The other girls were also closing in, one step at a time. They wanted to expose the true-identity of this ¡°body double¡±. Albert broke out in cold sweat and could feel a chill running down his spine. He was surrounded from all sides and had nowhere to run.


    Albert suddenly pointed towards one of the corridors and shouted, ¡°Ah! Look, it¡¯s Lord Albert!¡±


    ¡°What?! Lord Albert is here? Where?¡± All the girls, without exception, looked towards that direction in hope of catching Albert¡¯s visage. But little did they know, the lone girl(?) surrounded by them was actually the person in question.


    The lone girl(?) slipped away in that split second when all the girls were distracted. When one of the girls noticed that the lone girl(?) was gone, she shouted, ¡°Ah¡ª! We¡¯ve been tricked! She got away!!¡±


    Now, back at Sylvia and Angie¡¯s side¡­


    Angie put the walkie-talkie lookalike device away and looked straight at me. She said with a bright smile on her face, ¡°Congratulations, Miss Sylvia. You¡¯ve passed the first test. Now then¡­ let us go take your measurements.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­? Measurements?¡± When I heard the word, measurement, I blanked out for a moment. But during the next instance, my face turned bright red.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 22: One Step Towards Girlhood

    ¡°Ahn¡­ no¡­ not there¡­ mmph!!¡± As I was getting caressed all over by Angie, I couldn¡¯t resist from letting out moans of ecstasy. A girl¡¯s body sure is sensitive. The tingling sensation from getting touched is uncomfortable, but at the same time, it was stimulating.


    ¡°S-stop moaning like that! Even I¡¯m getting embarrassed!¡± Angie blushed as she reprimanded me, but her magic hands continued to to caress my breasts. Ahn¡­ it feels so good¡­ NO! NOT THAT!!


    How do we get into such a situation? Let¡¯s turn time back a little;


    When I finally arrived at the lingerie store, Angie congratulated me and offered to take my measurements for me. At first, I didn¡¯t quite get what she was getting at, but after thinking about it for a while, I got flustered and tried to find an excuse to run away.


    However, before I could say anything. Angie started by saying, ¡°What¡­ after overcoming the horde of girls, are you still afraid of them?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± When she said that, I lifted my line of sight to look at Angie doubtfully. Did she try to make me overcome my fear by turning herself into the villain? Could this be the so-called tough love?


    With such an optimistic thinking, a smile bloomed on my face and I involuntarily thanked Angie with a bright smile, ¡°Thanks Angie.¡±


    Angie immediately turned her head sideways and crossed her arms before letting out a humph, ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thanking me for.¡±


    Just vaguely, I could see a slight blush on Angie¡¯s face. She might be surprisingly kind. Could she be the so-called ¡®tsundere¡¯ ?1?? Before long, Angie turned her body to the other side and urged, ¡°Come on, we¡¯re going in!¡±


    With that, I followed Angie into the lingerie store. I was quite nervous and didn¡¯t know where to look, so I only fixed my gaze on Angie¡¯s back as we walked.


    As we got to the fitting room, Angie immediately demanded me to take off my clothes. Of course, I was a little reluctant at first, but after Angie said, ¡°If you don¡¯t take them off now, I¡¯ll strip you forcefully,¡± I immediately took them off myself.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°Isn¡¯t the situation reversed now? Is this karma for stripping off Albert earlier?!¡± However, I was just thinking too much. Even if ¡®that¡¯ didn¡¯t happen, this turn of event is still unavoidable.


    While Angie was measuring my cup size, she taught me the basics,


    ¡°It is impossible to get the proper measurements with any clothes on. You have to go braless or wear a non-padded bra.


    First, measure around the bottom of the band, directly under your bust. The measuring tape should be level and very snug. Round to the nearest whole number. If the number is even, add four inches. If it¡¯s odd, add five. Your band size is the sum of this calculation. So if you measured 32 inches, your band size is 36. If you measured 33 inches, your band size is 38.


    Next, wrap the measuring tape somewhat loosely around the fullest part of your chest, normally at the nipple level. Round to the nearest whole number.


    Lastly, subtract your band size from your bust measurement and refer to chart. Example: 37 inches (bust) ¨C 34 inches (band) = 3 inches. That¡¯s a 34C¡­ It¡¯s surprisingly big¡­¡± ?2?


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After the measurement was done, Angie offered an unnecessary remark and went to find a few bras about the size of 34C.


    When Angie returned with the bras and saw how I put them on, she immediately face-palmed and shook her head. And that¡¯s how it led to the current situation. As Angie taught me how to put on the bra, she inevitably had to touch my breasts.


    Angie couldn¡¯t watch on anymore and let out a breath, ¡°Sigh¡­ That¡¯s not how you put on a bra¡­ Bend forward at the waist, then slip on the bra and hook it. This ensures your breasts are completely in the cups.¡±


    I listened to her advice and did as instructed. After the bra is hooked, Angie got behind me and said, ¡°Excuse me,¡± as she stick her hand in between the bra and my breasts to ensure they are completely in the cups.


    Normally, if this happened in my previous life, I would have counterattacked immediately. But this time, instead of fighting back, I let out a girly shriek and endured it. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because I¡¯ve changed since turning into a girl or if it¡¯s because I knew this was bound to happen so I didn¡¯t resist, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the latter.


    Regardless, what I¡¯ve learned after I became a girl was that; it sure is tiring being a girl. Every morning when I got up, I have to spend half an hour or more learning how to do my hair and put on light make up from Sheena. And now this, I couldn¡¯t help but respect how much effort the girls put into to make themselves pretty. But me? I just find these tasks to be very troublesome.


    After trying on all the bras, we finally decided on a few and left the lingerie store. I was feeling very exhausted. At that time, I seriously thought that I don¡¯t want to go back to the lingerie store ever again. However, the comfort and security of wearing a bra brushed that thought off.


    As we are about to leave the shopping district, Angie suddenly turned around and said, ¡°Now then¡­ we¡¯re moving on to the second course. After you put away those bras in your room. Come meet me at the servant¡¯s quarters.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!?! You mean we¡¯re still not done for today?¡± I involuntarily let out a complain as I heard this.


    However, Angie just nonchalantly said, ¡°Of course, there¡¯s still a long day ahead of us. It¡¯s not like you have anything better to do right? I¡¯m going to drill all the basic skills required of Miss Sheena¡¯s servant into you! Prepare yourself!¡± As she said that, Angie left for the servant¡¯s quarters with a triumphant laugh.


    ¡°No wa~a~a~y!¡± There was nothing I could do but droop my shoulders dejectedly. I shivered at the thought of going through Angie¡¯s spartan training for an entire day.


    <hr />


    References:


    1. If you don¡¯t know this, then god bless you;


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsundere</a>


    2. http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/clothing/shopping-guide/how-to-measure-bra-size/determine-your-band-size</a>

 [Vol 4] Chapter 23: Dodging Galore (Part 1)

    <code>*Glomps*</code>


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± As I got back to the bedroom, I immediately glomped on the bed and let out a long breath, with the shopping bagin tow.


    While I lamented at the thought of meeting up with Angie again later¡­


    ¡°You sure she will really be here?¡± Student A asked Angie.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure she will.¡± Said Angie while flashing the?Blank Slate?, ¡°I have her transformation item with me, she won¡¯t be able to transform anymore, so make sure you girls get her this time.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ we are supposed to mount a sneak attack at her and make it seem like an accident right?¡± Student B reconfirmed with Angie.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, if she were to find out you girls areacting suspiciously, then all of you will be out.¡± Angie nodded her as she repeated the rules of this?game?.


    Just at this time,


    <code>*Squeak...*</code>


    I got up from the bed with a squeaking noise and said, ¡°Ah geez¡­ Angie still have my?Blank Slate?. If I don¡¯t go, she will probably not give it back to me for a good while.¡±With that said, I dejectedly left the room and made my way to the servant¡¯s quarters.


    <code>*Creak... Bang!*</code>


    As I opened the door and slammed it close after leavingthe room, agirl hiding in the shadow of onecorner whispered, ¡°She¡¯s here! Are wereally going to do this?¡±


    The other girl was right in the middle of laying banana peels all over the staircase and using magic to make it invisible to the naked eyes. When she heard the other girl¡¯s voice, she answered confidently, ¡°Of course! With this many banana peels,there¡¯s no way she can evade all of them!¡±


    The other girl said with a worried expression, ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡ª¡± However, before she could finish her sentence, the other girl cut in, ¡°There¡¯s no time for that now, let¡¯s hide!¡±


    After she said that, she used the same magic to turn the banana peels invisible on themselves as they stick close to the wall.


    Very soon, I arrived at the said staircase. The two girls were watching attentively as they held their breath. Though I felt something was strange, I didn¡¯t think much upon it and skipped down the stairs with graceful movements.


    Both the girls were slack-jawed, they couldn¡¯t believe their eyes at all; that I actually skipped down the stairs so gracefully and didn¡¯t step on a single banana peel at all! The girl who laid downthe banana peels dispelled the invisibility spell on themselves and shouted in a low voice, ¡°What?! How is that possible?! I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve laid banana peels all over the place, there¡¯s no way she can¡­¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Just at this time, a girljust happened to use the stairs and became their first victim.


    ¡°Kya¡ª!¡±


    <code>*Bang! Bang! Bang!*</code>


    The two girls looked at each other in dismay. Thatgirl who ended up becoming their first victim was the head of the girl¡¯s dormitory.


    ¡°Awawawawawa¡­ Wh-What do we do, what do we do?¡± The timid girl started to panic.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s scram while she¡¯s still unconscious!¡± The perpetrator immediately pulled the other girl and ran away from the scene.


    Meanwhile¡­ as I was about to getout of the dormitory, a few girls were looking out of the windows on the second floor and fixed their eyes attentively at the dorm entrance below. A bucket full of ice-cold water was placed on top of one of the windowsills. Their plan was to ¡°accidentally¡± drop this bucket with ice-cold water on me as I get out of the entrance.


    <code>*Creak...*</code>


    After I pushed the door open, the girlsshouted in a low voice, ¡°Quick! She¡¯s here, she¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t drop it immediately, we have to time it properly.¡± One of the girls warned as she continued to keep her eyes on me, ¡°Just a little more¡­ a little more¡­ NOW¡ª!¡±


    As she gave the signal, one of the girls ¡°pretended¡± to bump onto that bucket, while the rest ¡°pretended¡± to screech as if they were surprised.


    With a splash and a bong, the bucket fell down and covered the head of the target below¡­¡­ Or so they thought, but when all the girls looked out of the windows to shout, ¡°Sorry¡ª! It wasn¡¯t on pur¡ª¡± They couldn¡¯t help but stop halfway and let out a surprised ¡°Eh?¡±


    That was because the bucket fell on the ground and didn¡¯t hit the target. How did this happen? It was pretty simple. As I was getting out of the door, I saw Albert walking towards me while fuming with rage out of the corner of my eyes, so I immediately ran over there to apologize.


    When I heard the splash and the bong, I turned around to look and saw a bucket on the ground, then I noticed the girls on the second floor as they triedto apologize to the people below. The girls were looking back and forth between the bucket and I. They had a very surprised expression on their faces. They were probably thinking ¡°How did she get there?¡± or ¡°Did she already know about our plan?¡± at that time, but I had no way of knowing what they were thinking.


    While I was wonderingwhy they looked so surprised, Albert called out to me, ¡°Miss Sylvia, that was too excessive! You owe me an explanation!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alby¡ª I mean, Prince Albert~ How do you do? It¡¯s a great day isn¡¯t it?¡± As I accidentally used Albert¡¯s other alias, he glared at me like a snake, so I immediately changed to a polite tone. Geez¡­ how complicated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to shift the topic! I will not let you off that lightly today! Do you know how much I¡¯ve gone through because of you?!¡± Albert was really angry, like¡­ really really angry.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ about that¡­ Sorry¡ª!¡± I immediately bowed at my waist and apologized.


    ¡°Apology won¡¯t cut it!¡± Albert crossed his hands and glared at me.


    After that, Ibriefly explained about my circumstances toAlbert. He only nodded his head as he was listening to my story. Then he said, ¡°I see¡­ you sure have a rotten luck¡­ Or is that what you think I would say?! It¡¯s half your own fault for incurring Angie¡¯s wrath.As Sheena¡¯s familiar, you do not have the right mentality. You are too timid and tend to rely on others too much. It is no wonder that Angie would snap looking at how attentively Sheena is taking care ofyou, it should be the other way round, is it not?! Anyways, you owe me a favor for this, and I will not take no as an answer!¡±


    Albert left as he said that, all I could do was let out a ¡°No way~~~!¡± as I see him leaving.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 24: Dodging Galore (Part 2)

    After Albert left, I walked dejectedly towards the servant¡¯s quarters by myself. If I remember correctly, the servant¡¯s quarters should be at the back of the academy, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to find if I just walk straight to the back from the open field.


    As I was walking, I saw a group of girls playing baseball in the field. I was quite surprised that they knew about this sport, but if I think about it carefully, it must have been spread by Saito.


    Since I wasn¡¯t especially interested in baseball, I didn¡¯t stop to watch and continued walking at my own pace.


    Meanwhile, thecatcher was signalling the pitcher as the batterwas eyeing on me. These group of female baseball players was obviously not here to play baseball. Their goal was to knock me unconscious with the fastball. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t paying attention to them, the pitcher revealed a faint smile. Then she got into position and readied to throw the ball.


    While this was happening, I was completely oblivious toit and walked towards my destination with a carefree manner. That¡¯s how it looked on the outside, but in reality, I was getting all the more anxious thinking about what Angie would make me do onceI get there.


    Then, with a ¡°Ping!¡±, the batter hit the ball and it flew straight at me. Some peoplewatching the game at the side saw my figure and shouted ¡°Careful!¡±, but as my mind was occupied at the time, I didn¡¯t hear them.


    Just as the ball was about ten inches away from me, I suddenly crouched on the ground with both hands covering my head. That was not because I noticed the ball that was about to hit me, but because I was getting scared thinking about the ¡°dreadful¡± things Angie would do. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid getting hit by the ball.


    The fastball flew past my head and brushed the hair. I didn¡¯t even notice that I was this close to being hit sinceI was preoccupied by other things. Some of the onlookers quickly rushed to my side andasked if I was hurt anywhere. I just shook my head and told them I was fine.


    Soon after, the batter and some of the baseball players ran over and apologized, ¡°Sorry¡ª! That was an accident! It was beyond our control, the ball¡ª¡±


    I was confounded by the sudden apology, I had no idea what was going on as Ijust tilted my head to the side and asked, ¡°Huh? Why are you apologizing? Did you do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°T-The ball¡­¡± One of the girls said timidly and pointed towards the wall.


    I looked over there and was shockedfor a moment. The ball was stuck onthe wall and left tiny cracks in the surroundings. At that moment, as if it didn¡¯tconcern me at all, I thought out loud, ¡°Wow¡­ as expected of the fantasy world, even a harmless sport like this could turn into a deathly game. If someone was hit by that ball, they would be dead by now. Hahahahaha¡ª¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    However, why werethey apologizing to me?Could it be that they wanted me to apologize to the headmaster on their behalf? Because I¡¯m a new student, so I could get off with only a light warning? No thank you! I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, there¡¯s no reason for me to be reprimanded for no reason! And it¡¯s not like I know any of these girls to begin with!


    As these crossed my mind, I stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Sorry, I have something to attend to. You should go and apologize to the headmaster for breaking the school¡¯s properties yourself.¡±


    The girls probably thought of that as a threat, all of their faces turned deathly pale and immediately shouted sorry in unison as they scattered.


    After that, my trip to the servant¡¯s quarters went smoothly¡­ Or so I thought, but a lot of things happened in the ¡°shadows¡± without my knowledge. For instance, when someone was trying to shoot a tranquilizer from my back, I suddenly changed direction because I noticed some weird flowers were growing at the side of the road. The tranquilizer ended up hitting Basile and putting him to sleep. When someone was trying to trip me on purpose by using spiritual power to manipulate the grass, I suddenly started chasingan exotic butterflyand somehow avoided all the grass knots. Or when someone was trying to ram into me with an ¡°out-of-control¡± cart, I suddenly tripped and the cart just ran past over my body. My eyes were shut when I fellso I didn¡¯t notice the cart.


    All in all, a lot of things happened on the way, unbeknownst to me. There were some instances that were pretty obvious, like the flower vase that suddenly fell in front of me, or the trap that suddenly activated after I kicked a rock and hit the switch by chance. However, due to my¡­ ignorance, is the best way to put it, I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was being targeted. If it was any other person, they would already start to feel suspicious afterthis series of ¡°coincidences¡± happening more than five times in a row.


    When I arrived at the back of the campus in one piece, I could see Angie standing right in the middle of the open field, waiting for me. Beside her was Sylvidia. She was waving at me with a meaningful smile. When she got beside me, she asked, ¡°Did something interesting happened on the way?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I turned my head to look at her in doubt, then I answered, ¡°Nothing in particular, why?¡±


    ¡°Fufufu¡­ fuhahahahaha¡­ As expected of my master. After that continuous assault, yet you remain unfazed. Good¡­ very good¡­ kehehehehehe¡­¡± Sylvidia was finally unable to restrain her laughter anymore and burst out laughing.


    I had no idea what she was laughing aboutso I asked with concern, ¡°Are you okay in the head?¡±


    ¡°Pwahahahahahaha!! Oh my gosh! You¡¯re the best, hahahahahaha¡ª!¡± However, that only served to make Sylvidia laugh even harder.


    Just at this time, Wyllie Wisp suddenly appeared beside me and said with an impish smile, ¡°Fufufu¡­ I seriously have no ideawhether you¡¯re a natural born genius or just plain ignorant.¡±


    I looked to the left, Sylvidia was laughing unceasingly, I looked tothe right, Wyllie Wisp was giggling. I felt like I was being made fun of, I couldn¡¯t help but puff up my cheeks, ¡°Mou!!! The both of you are making fun of me!!¡±


    ¡°W-What are you d-d-doing talking to yourself?! T-This trick won¡¯t work on me, you hear?! There¡¯s no such thing as a g-g-g-ghost!¡± Looking at me talking to thin air, Angie took a step back, frightened.

 [Vol 4] Chapter 25: Dancing Lesson?!

    ¡°W-What are you d-d-doing talking to yourself?! T-This trick won¡¯t work on me, you hear?! There¡¯s no such thing as a g-g-g-ghost!¡± Looking at me talking to thin air, Angie took a step back, frightened.


    Surprised, the three of us turned our attention to Angie. She looks¡­ well, how do I putit¡­ frightened. She was pointing at me with her quivering hand,andthe other hand was buried in between her breasts. Her legs were also shaking, and it seemed like she wouldslump onto the ground at any given time, if not for her kneesjoining together, she might have fallen a long time ago.


    Seeing her like this, the three of us immediately thought of something naughty, a mischievous smile couldn¡¯t help but emerge on our faces. When Angie saw me like this, she took another step back involuntarily and said with a quivering voice, ¡°W-What are you thinking¡­? D-Don¡¯t you dare¡­¡±


    Wyllie Wisp suddenly opened her mouth and said, ¡°Naughty girls should be punished right?¡±


    Obviously, only Sylvidia and I were able to hear her voice. Sylvidia took a step forward and said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Fufufu¡­ obviously~¡±


    AlthoughI did think of scaring Angie a little, although I really reallythought it would be fun to scare her, I didn¡¯t think of actually doing it. That¡¯s why, I grabbed Sylvidia and Wyllie Wisp¡¯s hands before they could go and cause mischief. Then I whispered softly, ¡°Hey girls, let¡¯s not do this.¡±


    Wyllie Wisp covered her mouth and giggled, ¡°Fufufu¡­ What are you saying at this point now, master?¡± Then it was followed up by Sylvidia, ¡°That¡¯s right, ever heard of the proverb: you reap what you sow? It is high time we pay her back for everything shehaddone to you.¡±


    When I heard Wyllie Wisp and Sylvidia¡¯s words, I couldn¡¯t restrain myselffromsmiling contentedly, ¡°Hehehe¡­ I didn¡¯t know you girlscare about me that much¡­ Thanks!¡± I suddenly pulled the both of them into my embrace and snuggled them from behind, with my arms around their shoulders.?<sup>1</a></sup>?


    Sylvidia and Wyllie Wisp were getting embarrassed and kept pushing my face. From Angie¡¯s perspective though, it looked like I was making a funny face to provoke her on purpose. She immediately snapped and said with herface facing downwards, ¡°Hoh¡­ you dare to make a fool out of me?¡±


    My body immediately stiffened when I felt that killing intent coming from Angie. This time, the situation had turned around. Angie was closing in with slow and heavy steps, while I was backing away in fear.


    When Angie got in front of me, she grabbed both my shoulders to lock me in place, then she lifted her head to face me. She looked all the more scary with a smile across her face andthe shadow of herhair covering the upper half of her face. I felt a chill down my spine as she looked into my eyes like this.


    Angie suddenly opened her mouth and said in a threatening tone, ¡°Fufufu¡­ Miss¡­ Sylvia, right?Forgeteverything you seen or heard a moment ago. Understood~?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I didn¡¯t respond and just nodded my head weakly, but to that, Angie just grabbed my face and asked one more time, ¡°Did I make myself clear?¡±


    This time, I noddedmy head strongly and answered with a loud voice, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±


    After receiving a satisfactory answer, Angie released me and lightly slapped my face a few times. Then she said, ¡°Good girl¡­¡±


    Angie moved a few steps back and clapped her hands. With that,she returned to her normal self and said, ¡°Now then, first, I should congratulate you for passing my second test. Now it¡¯s time to start your training.¡±


    When Angie mentioned second test, I thought the act just now was supposed to be a test. I tilted my head and asked in confusion, but on the other hand, Sylvidia and Wyllie Wisp were trying to restrain their laughter.


    To my question, Angie only cleared her throat and said, ¡°Ahem¡­ T-That is for me to know and for you to find you!¡±


    As a result, I only got more confused. However, without giving me any time to think, Angie pulled me by the hand and cried out, ¡°Forget about it, we¡¯re starting the training now!¡±


    With that, I was pulled away by Angie towards the servant¡¯s quarters. Sylvidia and Wyllie Wisp only looked on as I was getting pulled away. Then, Wyllie Wisp started, ¡°Sigh¡­ I don¡¯t know if master istoo kind for her own good or she¡¯s just too timid. If she would let us play some pranks on her just now, she would probably be able to stay clear of that little girlfor today.¡±


    Sylvidia answered with, ¡°I think it¡¯s the latter. Otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be pushed around by others like this all the time.¡±After that, the two just looked at each other silently and nodded in consent.


    ¡­¡­


    <code>*Glomps*</code>


    Night time, I was finally released by Angie and slumped wearily on the bed. Not long later, Sheena entered the room wearing a sweatsuit. When she saw me on the bed, she had roughly guessed what I had been through. She just sat at the edge of the bed and said, ¡°Good work today~ Knowing Angie, she must have put you through a lot of unreasonable training.¡±


    Hearing that, I immediately jumped up fromthe bed and complained, ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s really an Angel? She¡¯s more like a Devil to me! Did you know how much I¡¯ve gone through today because of her? I was made to run all over the campus as if my life depended on it. And then the ethic lesson, laundering, cooking, cleaning, and so much more! I feel like I was being trained to be a wife! Huk-huk-huk¡­¡±


    As I was complaining, Sheena just kept pattingmyback and repeated ¡°Yes, yes,¡± unceasingly. After I¡¯ve settled down, I finally noticed Sheena in sweatsuit and asked, ¡°By the way, why are you wearing a sweatsuit? Did you go for a jog or what?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Sheena only giggled and said, ¡°Dancing.¡±


    If this was an anime, I¡¯m pretty sure there would be a lot of question marks on my head right aboutnow. Just when I was about to open my mouth to ask why was she dancing, she used her index finger to push my lips and said, ¡°You¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I tilted my head to the side and asked, ¡°Tomorrow? Is there a special event or something?¡±


    Sheena shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯vesigned you up for the dancing club. Make sure tocome tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Hah?!¡± I immediately sprang up from the bed and shouted, ¡°Dancing club?! W-Why did you sign me up for the clubwithout getting my consentfirst! I-I don¡¯t know how to dance!!¡±


    Sheena just waved her index finger left and right as she said, ¡°It¡¯s never too late to learn.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­ what does dancing have to do with magic? Why is there a dancing club in the Magic Academy to begin with?!¡±


    To my question, Sheena only answered vaguely, ¡°You¡¯ll just have to wait and see for yourself tomorrow,¡± which only made me more confused. At the same time, it also roused my curiosity.


    <hr>


    <h2>References</h2>


    <hr>


    <ol>


    <li>Couldn¡¯t find better words to describe this, but basically look like: this</a></li>


    </ol>

 [Vol 4] Side Story 1: Angies Past

    Night time, at the servant¡¯s quarters; Angie was standing in the middle of the grassy field all by herself, looking at the starry sky as she was recallingevents from the distant past:


    ¡°Waaah¡­ W-We¡¯re really going to be living here from now on?¡± Angiecast a quick glance at the people around her, and finally, her glance was fixed on Sheena.


    Sheena nodded her head excitedly and said, ¡°Mhm! Papa said this will be our new home!¡±


    The two of them slowly turned their head around to look at their ¡°new home¡± in awe, then they shouted ¡°IT¡¯S A CASTLE!!!¡± at the same time as they ran towards their new home excitedly.


    This was a memory from ten years ago, whenboth the young Sheena and Angie visited Halkeginia for the first time. Back then, they were only six years old. The relationship between Sheena and Angie was closer to that of sisters rather than friends. They lived in the same house, eat on the same table, went to the same elementary school, and they even slept on the same bed.


    However, that all changed after they started livingin the castle. On a certain day, when Sheena and Angie were playing in the garden, some aristocrats came to visit upon receiving the news thatthe Hero King had returned. Naturally, they brought theirsons along in hope of betrothing the Hero King¡¯s daughter totheir sons.


    When the aristocrats saw Sheena and Angie in the garden, they ordered their sons to go play with girlswhile they were meeting withthe Hero King. The boys were raised in castles and were always pampered by the servants. Naturally, they took everything for granted and looked down onthe commoners. Seeing that Angie was wearing a maid costume, they ignored her directly and pushed her to the side.


    The boys were crowding around Sheena. On the other hand, Angie was being pushed out of the circle and lost her balance. As a result, shetripped on the ground. Seeing that, Sheena was furious. She immediately shouted, ¡°Get out of my way!¡± as she pushed her way out of the crowd. Then she knelt beside Angie and asked with a concerned voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Angie just nodded her head timidly and accepted Sheena¡¯s outstretched hand. Sheena proceeded to pull Angie up from the ground and directly dragged herback into their room, ignoring the boys, who were shocked by Sheena¡¯s wild nature.


    After that day, whenever Angie was caught alone, she¡¯d be bullied by the child of the aristocrats. Whenever Sheena caught them bullying Angie, she¡¯s try to help, which only worsen the situation. Sheena didn¡¯t know the reason Angie was being bullied.Whenever she asked Angie, she¡¯d only tell her that it was nothing. However, Sheena could tellthat it was not really ¡°nothing¡±. She could feel that Angie has been ignoring her a lot lately.


    About a few months later, Sheena caught Angie being bullied again. When she wanted to go and help her, Saito tapped her shoulder twice and made ashush gesture, then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°What?! But papa¡­ Angie is being bullied, I need to help her!¡± Sheena immediately retorted in a low voice.


    Saito just said calmly, ¡°You wanted to know the reason she is being bullied right? Maybe we can find out the reason if we wait for a little while. If it gets out of hand, we¡¯ll go and put a stop to it immediately.¡±


    Hearing Saito¡¯s explanation, Sheena puffed her cheeks for a while, but she was as curious as to the reason Angie was being bullied, so she nodded her head in consent soon after.


    On the other side of the wall, Angie was being surrounded by a few young ladies. They were all barking at her in succession;


    ¡°Who do you think you are?! You¡¯re just a maid!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! A maid like you shouldn¡¯t stay too close to Sheena!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only giving bad influence to Princess Sheena!¡±


    ¡°Because of you, Princess Sheena won¡¯t even talk to us! Hmph!¡±


    Angie just listened to them quietly, thenshe bowed to the young ladies and said in a low voice, ¡°I will take your advice to heart and keep my distance from the princess.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The young ladies just let out a humph, and one of them even splashed the glass of water in her hand towards Angie¡¯s lowered head. After that, all of them let outatypical noblewoman¡¯s laugh?<sup>1</a></sup>?.


    Just as they were about to leave, Sheena suddenly jumped out from the corner of the wall and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s going too far!¡±


    ¡°Sh¡ª I mean, princess, this is not what you think it is. It¡¯s just an accident. Right girls?¡± One of the young ladies came up with an excuse, the others went along with the flow and came up with an excuse of their own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to¡ª¡± Sheena wanted to reprimand them, but just at this time, Saito walked out from behind her and said, ¡°This is enough! Miss Helena, Miss Kylie, Miss Vivien, I will talk to your parents later regarding your re-education, you girls may leave!¡±


    Hearing Saito¡¯s words, the faces of the young ladies immediately turned pale. They uttered, ¡°Y-Yes¡­ your majesty,¡± as they ran towards a distant location.


    Saito walked towards Angie and knelt in front of her, then he pulled her into his embrace and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It seems like this environment is not suited for young children from the former world like you. Let¡¯s all go back to the old world and live a peaceful life there.¡±


    Angie tried to stay strong to hold back her tears, she said with cracked voice, ¡°N-No sir¡­ I¡­ I am fine¡­ really¡­¡±


    Saito patted her head and said with a soothing voice, ¡°You don¡¯t need to hold it back anymore. Just let it all out. You can call me papa like you used to¡­¡± With that, the wall in Angie¡¯s heart finally crashed and she cried for the first time since coming to Halkeginia. That was also the last time she called Saito as ¡°papa¡±.


    A few days later, theydecided to go back to the old world. However, the damage had already been done, Sheena and Angie¡¯s relationship would never be the same again. Even after going back to the old world, Angiedevoted herself to learn all the necessary skills to become a qualified maid that wouldn¡¯t bring embarrassment to her master.


    Back at present time:


    ¡°And that¡¯s how it is¡­ can you please forgive Angie?¡± Sheena was telling me about Angie¡¯s past and the reason she was treating me like this. It was not because she hated me or anything, she just didn¡¯t want me to go through the same experience as her.


    ¡°W-Well¡­ It¡¯s not like I hate her or anything¡­ what¡¯s not to forgive?¡± I answered bashfully and continued, ¡°And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand how she feel¡­ we¡¯re both from the old world, so the concept of aristocrats and commoners are quite fresh to us¡­ moreover, she was still a child back then¡­¡±

 [VOL 4] INTERMISSION 1: THE MYSTERIOUS FORTUNETELLER

    After Saito¡¯s business with the Village Chief of the Hidden Village was done, in a certain town far away, Tiffania had just arrived with a small squadron of scouts. This was the third day of their search for the missing princess, and the first village they arrived at after the search commenced.


    Tiffania immediately sent the scouts to gather information in the town. She herself went to the back alley to look for a certain someone. Needless to say, Ragna was going with her.?<sup>1</a></sup>?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The atmosphere in the back alley was gloomy, the number of people walking in the main street compared to the back alley was worlds apart. The buildings in the back alley also looked shady when compared to ones at the side of the main street. Hardly anyone would come to this area, unless they had some shady business to conduct.


    But of course, the reason Tiffania came to the back alley was not to conduct some shady business. The back alley was also home to brokers, who buy and sell information. That¡¯s right, Tiffania came to the back alley specifically to meet a certain broker.


    Continue Reading ¡ú</a>

 [VOL 4] INTERMISSION 2: RETURN OF THE DEMON

    It was a peaceful day back at Pharamville. One night had passed since we left the small farming village. The townspeople continued with their daily activies as usual, the only thing that¡¯s changed due to yesterday¡¯s incident, was that the townspeople started to pay respects to the local deity again.


    Iqaos, the Nine-Tailed Fox with snow-white fur, was the local deity of Pharamville. He was currently lying lazily beside the shrine and was bathed in the Faith Power of the townspeople. Naturally, since Iqaos was a Spiritual being to begin with, normal people was unable to perceive him.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As explained previously, Faith Power is an intangible energy that the local deities use to create a domain that keep beings with evil intention away. The more powerful the domain, the more effective it is. Naturally, to strengthen the domain, more Faith Power is needed, and to gather more Faith Power, one has to increase their followers.


    Continue reading...</a>

 [VOL 5] PROLOGUE: THE TRAINING BEGINS

    ¡°Zzz¡­ Zzz¡­¡±


    Back at Tristanian Academy, it was already late at night and everyone was sleeping soundly in their own room.


    However, in a certain private room of the Angelwingdorm, someone was still wide awake. ¡°Kuh¡ª! I can¡¯t sleep! I can¡¯t fall asleep! I mean¡­ how the heck can I fall asleep in such a situation?!¡±


    That was myinner thought as I looked to the left, and there it was, the root cause thatkept me wide awake; Sheena was sleeping beside me while clinging to my left arm. The soft texture of her breasts rubbed against my arm, her face was really close to mine, and I could feel her breathe against my cheeks.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I immediately flipped my head to the opposite side and screamed in my mind, ¡°KHHHH!!! There¡¯s no way I can fall asleep like this! It¡¯s too arousing! This is too much for a 25-year old virgin like me!¡±


    Continue Reading...</a>

 [VOL 5] CHAPTER 1: GLIMPSE OF THE PAST

    Expecting to greet a new day, I opened my heavy eyelid with reluctance. What entered my vision are the big canopy bed and the luxurious room which I have yet to get accustomed to¡­ orwhat should have been¡­


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out bewildered voice in confusion. I mean¡­ who wouldn¡¯t be, when they wake up, just to find themselves in an unfamiliar forest. At first, I thought itwas another one of Angie¡¯s irrationaltraining course, but I was proven wrong in just moments later.


    I couldn¡¯t move my body as I wished, so I thought that my hands and feet were bound, but that wasn¡¯t the case either, as I could clearly feel my hands and feet moving on their own accord. I was currently atop a tree, hiding behind the twigs and leaves, observing a small group of three or four person. My hands seemed to be beckoning to give some sort of signal. Following that signal, I could hear the rustling of the leaves as a few shadows moved from their original hiding places to another.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    That being the case, the only one that came to mind was Sylvidia. She was the only one capable of controlling my body when we fused by means of the Blank Slate¡¯s ability. However, I don¡¯t recall ever activating the Blank Slate before I fell asleep. Sheena did beg me to transform into the cat-form, but I made up an excuse by saying that I have already used up all my transformation attempts in Angie¡¯s unreasonable training.


    Continue Reading...</a>

 [VOL 5] CHAPTER 2: PRINCESS RANAH

    Early in the morning, in a certain room of the Silverwings Dorm, a blond-haired elven girl and a pink-haired human girl were sleeping peacefully.


    The both of them have transcendental beauty. They were, without a doubt, one of the top ten beauties in the entire Tristanian Magic Academy. Nay¡­ it wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say they were the most beautiful inall of Halkeginia.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ hnnngh¡­¡± Just at this time, the blond-haired elven girl got up and lazily stretched her body. After that, the elven girl looked at her surroundings suspiciously.


    Eventually, shenoticed the pink-haired human girl sleeping next to her.


    ¡°Louise?¡±


    Continue Reading...</a>

 [VOL 5] CHAPTER 3: COMPASSION

    Just whenmy consciousness drifted back from the world of dreams, I was grabbed by a frantic-looking Angie as she demanded me to tell her everything I know about her father, ¡°Sylvia, please! Tell me anything you know about my father! Anything at all!¡±


    I was caught totally off guard by Angie¡¯s sudden assault,¡°An¡­Angie¡­ please¡­ please calm down¡­ I¡­ I have¡­ no idea¡­ wh¡­ what you¡¯re saying!¡± Angie was shaking me with so much force that I couldn¡¯t tell left from right anymore.


    It was the first time Sheena saw Angie losing herself like this, so she was quite dumbfounded, but after she noticed my plight, she tried to stop Angie in a fluster, ¡°A-Angie!! Stop! Stop this at once! Sylvia can¡¯t talk if you keep shaking her like this!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    However, since Angie was very agitated, Sheena¡¯s words didn¡¯t reach her properly. Even so, she still stopped shaking me and said with a shaky voice,¡°Sylvia! Please! Anything at all¡­ just tell me anything you know about my father!¡±


    Angie was looking very despondent,I was honestly lost for words. Since Angie gave me the impression of a stern and dutiful older sister type, I never imagined she¡¯d ever show a weak side.


    Continue Reading...</a>