《The Power to Control Time (And Various Others)》 1: Cliched Send-off Too bright. The almost blinding light going into my eyes makes me cover them with my arms. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Voicing out my complaints, a particular voice resounds in the space I am in, ¡°Oh? Is that how one should speak in front of someone like me?¡± Hearing it, I think of that one shopkeeper from before. The one who would always give free sweets to the little kids but when faced with a rowdy bunch, would immediately turn strict and scary. ¡°Hoh~ so who are you?¡± I still haven¡¯t adjusted to the bright lights, so I couldn¡¯t see either him or the place I¡¯m currently in. ¡°Before you ask questions, is it not better to face me¡­¡­human?¡± ¡­.. What did he just call me? From the tone of his voice, it sounds like he isn¡¯t one himself. Slowly lowering my arm, my eyes have finally adjusted. Taking a quick glance of my surroundings, it looks like I¡¯ve been brought to a medieval palace-like room. The kind where a king would welcome guests and so on. In front of me, sitting in a luxurious throne decorated with various gems and jewels situated an appropriate distance away from the blood red carpet laid out on the floor, is a man around his 20s with black hair combed back across his head, black eyes that looked down on me and a moderate build. As expected, he¡¯s even wearing clothes that would belong to a king. But what is this? Cosplay? No one would wear something like that these days. Now that I think about it. The last thing I remember was riding the bus home. Was I kidnapped during that time? I do remember losing consciousness, but is it normal for me to be this calm? ¡°Of course not. In fact, it¡¯s my first time seeing someone so calm¡­¡± He¡¯s starting to spout out words again. ¡°Even after that someone had died a horrible death.¡± My eyes widen at his words. Death? No way. I¡¯ve been kidnapped, right? Yeah, kidnapped. This guy¡¯s just stalling for time. Probably waiting for the ransom. ¡°Don¡¯t kid yourself human. You know it yourself. You died horribly, that is all. Your fragile existence in that world is over, just like that.¡± With a smirk, he throws those words at me. ¡°Now then, according to those light novels you love so much, this is the part where I give you a few words of parting and send you over to the world that needs a hero in their time of peril, or something.¡± I remember. I remember now. Memories start to flood in from before I had arrived here. On the way home, riding the usual bus, the driver tried to avoid the teenagers who suddenly crossed the street. They must have been drunk, at that time of the night, it most certainly was a possibility. Needless to say, the brakes weren¡¯t functioning. He avoided them but ended up heading for a construction site. ¡°Ugh!¡± My head hurts, but I¡¯m sure now that that¡¯s when I had died. But why is it that two unfamiliar faces are entering my mind when I try to remember what happened after that? ¡°Do you remember now human? Well, now that that¡¯s over, prepare to be sent over to the other world. Oh, do not worry, I shall send you over with peerless strength and magic power just like all those other light novels you have read.¡± Without saying a word, he stands up. Raising his arms like he¡¯s about to recite a chant. ¡°Now, be---¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Before he can continue, I interrupt him. ¡°Hmn?¡± He looks at me as if my interruption was unprecedented and worthless. But that thinking of his is wrong. First of all, just peerless strength and magic power won¡¯t help me survive in that world. Without the necessary skills and abilities, all those would just go to waste. Indeed, I may have sufficient training in archery and martial arts but it¡¯s all useless in a world that is most definitely in a state of distress that they¡¯d need to summon a hero. Now, what can I say to have him give me more than enough abilities? ¡°Hey, human. Why so silent? If you wish to speak, then speak.¡± That¡¯s it, if he truly is what I think he is, then this might work. ¡°Tell me old man.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not that old!!! Only a few thousand years---¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. Are you really¡­¡­¡­..a god?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You noticed?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Okay. I¡¯ve come to a conclusion! He¡¯s one of those prideful idiotic gods! Just like A*ua from Kono**ba! Yes, this method will work! While trying to hide my disappointment, he continues talking, ¡°And so, what if you¡¯ve noticed? Not like anything will change, now be transport---¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.¡°Heh~ If you¡¯re really a god, then isn¡¯t something like peerless strength and the like too low level? Wait, maybe you¡¯re not even a major god!¡± ¡°Wha?!¡± ¡°And so, why not prove you¡¯re a REAL god?¡± ¡°Fine! I accept your challenge!¡± He took the bait easier than I expected. ¡°So human, how do I prove to you that I am a true god?¡± My face smirks a little from this god¡¯s simple-mindedness. ¡°Well, first. Peerless strength and magic power is good and all, but what would happen if I were unable to use these to their maximum potential all due to me not being able to learn, remember and understand the techniques for them? Also, even if I were to be able to draw out some of its potential, what about those I cannot use? Considering I¡¯m being transported, it will be a clich¨¦ swords and magic fantasy world, right? With different attributes for the magic there.¡± The god put his hand on his chin, as if pondering on the problems I just said. ¡°Then---then! How about I also give you [Instant Memorization], [Unlimited Potential] and [Universal Language Comprehension]? I¡¯ll even make you compatible with all types of magic, so you¡¯ll have no problems in that aspect!¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Not¡­¡­..bad?!¡± ¡°But, because I¡¯ll be able to learn and use all types of magic, even considering my peerless magic power, what of the possibility that I run out of said magic power?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡­how about [Immediate MP Recovery]? Of course, it¡¯ll only activate when you have 5% of your original magic power. I can¡¯t give you a limitless amount of it or else it will affect the nature of the world.¡± Hmn? Maybe this god isn¡¯t so idiotic like I first thought. ¡°Alright. Now, about my last problem. Well, it isn¡¯t a problem per say, but more of a request.¡± I let a smile show on my face for the first time after arriving here. He looks at me, waiting for me to continue. Voicing out my request, the god widens his eyes and before long, ¡°Bahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!¡± Laughing after saying my request, I wait for him to calm down. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that kind of ability be requested. Even amongst all the people I¡¯ve sent over.¡± ¡°Heh¡­..so there are other people like me in the world you¡¯re sending me to?¡± ¡°Why of course! It¡¯s not like there¡¯s just one country there. Moreover, not just one race either!¡± ¡°So I assume that my request will be granted then?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­.sure, sure! I don¡¯t mind it! It¡¯s very interesting, after all!¡± He laughs one more time, before continuing. ¡°Well then, are you prepared to be transported now?¡± ¡°No problems. But before that¡­¡± He raises one eye at my words. ¡°Why bother acting like an idiot? That lost its effectiveness to me though.¡± ¡°Oh, that? Concerning what you said earlier, you were somewhat correct. I may not be a major god, but I¡¯m also not minor either.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your position?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who the other higher gods pushed all the responsibilities of dealing with humans and the likes. They do have more power than me, so I put up with it. Then I got the idea to act like an idiot for whenever people like you appear. That way, they have no solid reason to punish me for giving an overpowered ability or skill.¡± ¡°Heeeeh! You¡¯re actually pretty intelligent then!¡± ¡°Of course I am! I¡¯m not like those prideful major gods that do nothing but send problems whenever they¡¯re bored!¡± I think I just heard something pretty troublesome but I decide to ignore it. ¡°I¡¯ll start the transportation now. This time, you¡¯re being summoned by a major country. The reason, you¡¯ll find out from them.¡± ¡°Got it. Sorry, and thanks for everything¡­¡­..errrr¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I never introduced myself, huh. Though I mostly never do, after all!¡± He laughs a bit again. ¡°The name¡¯s Librerial.¡± ¡°Got it! Thanks Librerial, I¡¯ll be sure to give an offering to you when I find the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting it! Until next time, Shiro---no, Kinji Shirokawa!¡± I pause for a moment after hearing my name, especially since I have no memory of ever telling this to him. Hah, he got me. Knowing everything about me, even my thoughts since the beginning. As expected from a god, guess you can¡¯t outsmart them. At least this one. The light around starts brightening at an incredible pace. Waving me farewell from the wall of light, I raise my arm to wave back. Thus, my life in the old world had ended. And the new life I would live in the new world began. 2: First Impressions A/N: I''d like to thank everyone who read the first chapter of this story! Although I won''t be able to promise that from now on will become amazing or great, I hope that you all find something in the story to enjoy, no matter what it is! Once again, thank you and enjoy! ===== In a highly decorated and large palace located in a world far different from the modern one, that is often labelled as a common ¡®swords and magic fantasy world¡¯, a lone figure walks down its pristine hallway. The figure passes by a courtyard, letting the sunlight shine onto their figure. Taking a closer look, this figure is wearing a long dress that reaches down to the ankles, clearly made by the finest materials. Long blonde hair that extends down towards her back, blue eyes that exhibit elegance and brilliance, and a face that is neither too childish nor too mature. An existence that could only be called a ¡®true princess¡¯. But today, this princess does not have an air of joy around her or on her face. Instead, replacing this is an expression of urgency. Quickening her pace, she arrives in front of a pair of doors far larger than any of the others she had passed coming here. ¡°It is I, the princess.¡± Announcing in a loud and clear voice, the doors open silently. ¡°Ahh¡­.my daughter, you have arrived!¡± The large room she had entered, filled with people in similar high-class clothes and guarded closely by several men in armor, could easily house a small village and still have space to spare. This shows just how large the throne room was. But not bothering about the size or atmosphere of the room she entered, the princess heads straight towards the elderly man seated on the throne, with graying strands of hair already visible on his head. Standing next to him is a man around his 30s, wearing a military officer-like uniform, various badges pinned onto its upper portion. His sharp eyes, which were being blocked by the blonde hair that gave him an almost feminine appearance, focus on the girl who interrupted their seemingly important discussion. Kneeling, she says, ¡°Father, no, your highness. I have come in lieu of your summons. What is the situation that requires of me to be called from the frontlines?¡± Contrary to appearances, this girl is one of the kingdom of Helgas'' greatest warriors. Becoming indoctrinated into its highest knight order, the Order of Mikhael, at the tender age of 12. 4 years have passed since then, her growing strength has even caught the eye of other major powers and is a great contribution to the continuing war against the invading ¡®demonic beings¡¯. ¡°Please Stephaly, cease the formalities.¡± ¡°As you wish, father.¡± Replying in kind, she sees the eyebrows of the man beside her father twitch. This man has always wanted to be a part of the Order of Mikhael. It is not surprising for him to hold a grudge against me. Stephaly speaks these thoughts from the bottom of her heart, but does not let them out. ¡°Now, you must have already heard from the messenger I sent, but we will soon be welcoming the summoned hero our gods have blessed us with after all these years!¡± While saying so, the king stretches out his arm towards the large magic circle drawn at the center of the throne room. Taking that as her cue, Stephaly walks up to the king¡¯s side and stands there. He nods at this and gestures for the gathered mages to begin the summoning. ¡°****! ********! ***! ******!¡± Words coming from a long dead language are recited one by one by the mages circling the room. ¡°***! ******! *!¡± One mage then lowers the hood attached to his robe, revealing the scarred face of a 30 year old man. Stretching out his arms and staff, while putting strength into his words, ¡°HEAR OUR PRAYERS! O HERO, COME FORTH! AND SAVE US!!!¡± After those words, a blinding pillar of lights gushes out of the circle. Ignoring the ceiling up above, it shoots straight through, piercing the clouds above and dispersing them. The light being so intense that cities far away could see it and still needing to cover their eyes. Even with all this, a few nobles stare at the pillar with anticipation and a glimmer of success. The light dies down. Stephaly and the guards, wary of the summoned person¡¯s abilities, take combat stances, in case of anything going wrong. As soon as the summoned person¡¯s silhouette can be seen, the king stands up and walks away from his throne. ¡°Oh great hero! We welcome you! Let me introduce myself, I am---¡± ¡°GET THEM NOW! BEFORE THEY CAN REACT!!!¡± Before being able to finish, a loud voice echoes throughout the room. The nobles who were able to watch the summoning were no more. In their place were now humanoid figures with skin colors ranging from light red to dark blue. One similarity could be observed from them, each one had a set of horns of varying lengths on their heads. They were a race affiliated with the ¡®demonic beings¡¯ and its highest-ranked member, Demons. Every one that was present held a weapon exuding a dark aura. Their presence drawing out killing intent towards a single target. As the shout rang out, they all jumped from their positions with weapons raised. Being surprised by the sudden attack, the princess and guards were just standing in shock. The first person to react, the scarred magician, starts chanting after being snapped out of his confusion. However, without being able to finish, another voice echoes through the air. Different from the commanding and terrifying tone of the earlier one, this gave off the impression of being calm and young. ¡°Seriously? After being brought here, this is what greets me.¡± Ignoring these words, the demons continue their attack. ¡°Alright then. You various colored people, stop right there.¡± At those words, everything in the room stops. === ¡°Seriously? After being brought here, this is what greets me.¡± I scratch my head, seeing the figures heading towards me with weapons drawn. Oh right, I forgot to ask Libreria what race was summoning me. Crap, if it turns out these guys are the ones who summoned me, won¡¯t I receive punishment for retaliating? But they could also just be testing me. Wait, I also see humans like me. Well, not like me, more of the European types? Especially that blonde girl with her hands on that sword. She looks strong¡­.probably the strongest here. Though their reflexes are surprisingly slow, considering this must be a throne room or something. Something starts ringing in my head, as if I¡¯m forgetting something. Oh right! I remember! Forgot that I tested it on myself after getting surrounded by that pillar of light. Observing everything around me, my brain starts processing the information at a normally impossible rate. Since they¡¯re continuing their charge at me, ¡°Alright then. You various colored people, stop right there.¡± While midair, their movements stop as if suspended by invisible wires. So it worked, that¡¯s good. I thought it wouldn¡¯t for a second there. ¡°Oh wait, maybe I should remove the effects on myself first.¡± Muttering that to myself, the blonde girl and guards started getting into their combat stances with swords drawn. Does that mean those guys were really planning to kill me? Scary, scary! ¡°Eh?¡± A voice of confusion permeates the air. I look at the source, the blonde haired girl whose sword was raised in the air and only a few feet away from me. Seems she was in the middle of a charge when she noticed me. ¡°You!¡± With her finger raised at me, her words echoed through the now silent room. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± From her reactions and panicking hand movements, she must be talking about these guys who haven¡¯t moved since earlier. ¡°Oh, them huh. Wait, first, can you explain the situation I¡¯m currently in right now?¡± ¡°Y-you!!! Do you not know who you¡¯re facing?!?!?!¡± What¡¯s with her? They¡¯re the ones who summoned me, so the least they can do is answer my questions. ¡°Enough Stephaly!¡± ¡°But father!!!¡± ¡°Stephaly!¡± Looking at them now, some resemblance can be seen. From their looks and body builds, I¡¯d say the man¡¯s around 50 while the daughter is just around 15 or 16, give or take. To have an age gap this wide, how late did he get married? While they were arguing, the man notices me gazing at them both. He signals his daughter to be quiet as he approaches me. ¡°Welcome, hero! Please forgive my daughter for her sudden outburst. It is just that we have never seen such magic before.¡± Saying those words, he bows his head in apology. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°F-father! The king should not be doing that!¡± So this guy¡¯s the king? Wait, so that blonde girl, Stephaly, is a princess?! ¡°Now, as for your previous question. We would like to answer you as soon as possible, but how about we discuss this in a more private area?¡± He peeks at the still frozen figures around me. ¡°Oh, no need. I think I¡¯ll be able to find out by myself.¡± I tell him. ¡°Eh?¡± A confused sound escapes the king¡¯s mouth. Using the skill, not magic, that I received from Libreria from my request, everything stops around me. All noise disappears around me. In this room, from outside, everything stops. At least, that was how it was supposed to go. ¡°You! What did you do to everyone?!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Now it was my turn to let out a confused voice. Standing in front of me was the king¡¯s daughter, Stephaly, pointing her fingers at me accusingly. ¡°How---how are you still moving?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Well, whatever! I¡¯ll just take the words out of your mouth!¡± She then removed her sword from its sheath and charged at me. With speed unbefitting of a human, she reaches me in the blink of an eye. Swinging down her weapon, it cleaves through my thin clothing. The blade cuts through my skin, a burning sensation runs throughout my body as I feel blood leaking out from the gaping hole on my torso. Just kidding. Although she is indeed fast, it was nothing compared to me whose abilities have been enhanced with various skills. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can stay completely calm in front of someone who wants to kill me!!! ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!!!!!!!¡± I shout consecutively as I block her attacks with a sword I took from one of the unmoving guards. ¡°Wha?! How are you able to block my attacks with so many wasted movements?!?!?!¡± ¡°Well sorry for being an amateur! But please stop!!!¡± Even with the peerless strength granted to me, my stamina still hasn¡¯t recovered and was severely depleting. Crap, the summer vacation¡¯s taking its toll on me! I have to finish this fight before she finishes me! Maybe if I use it on my entire body, but I won¡¯t know its effects. I¡¯ve only tried it on my brain, after all. An attack from Stephaly shaves a bit of hair when I dodged it. Fine, I¡¯ll do it! Better not make it too much to avoid anything serious! Thinking that to myself, at the same time blocking or dodging her attacks, I jump back to avoid another attack aimed at my neck. ¡°Tsk! This is taking too long!¡± She mutters something under her breath. However, I¡¯m too busy controlling my skill to take notice. ¡°Be honored hero! Upon arriving here, you will bear witness to my most powerful skill!¡± Most powerful skill? Can it be some forbidden skill?! ¡°Behold! !!!¡± A golden glow erupts from her body and surrounds her, giving her an appearance close to those of divine beings. I let out a sigh of relief. Thinking it was some forbidden or near-godly skill, I slightly panicked. But now that I know it¡¯s just a clich¨¦d strengthening skill, my mind is back to its calm state. ¡°What is it hero? If you fear for your life then---¡± ¡°Be quiet.¡± ¡°What?¡± Interrupting her, I raise my sword and point it at her. Weird, I feel like I know how to wield this thing properly and skillfully now. Is it an effect from [Unlimited Potential]? No good, I¡¯ll think about it after beating her. ¡°You dare talk back to me? Very well, then greet death with the swing of my sword.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, you know?¡± ¡°About what?¡± A smirk makes its way onto my face. My normally expressionless face now gives the impression of a villain who is sure of his victory. ¡°Oh, nothing. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ll be the one greeting death, or maybe begging for it? Well, whatever.¡± ¡°What are you talki---!!!!!!¡± And with that exchange, I disappear. === ¡°What are you talki---!!!!!!¡± In the middle of questioning him of his nonsensical statement, his body disappears right in front me. Where? Where did he go?! After having used , my body and other functions should be at its peak. Nothing should be able to escape me, even high ranking demonic beings can defeat me one-on-one in this state. Then, I feel a slight disturbance in the wind behind me. Only slight, so very slight that normally, you would not even feel it. Moving at a speed that even surprised me, my body instinctively moved to block his attack. Fast! How did he get behind me without me noticing?! ¡°So you blocked it huh. Let¡¯s see if you can block these then!¡± Taking a few steps away from me, he charges again. Almost like teleportation, I¡¯m only barely able to dodge with only a scratch on my face. But his attack didn¡¯t stop there, a flurry of sword swings and kicks bombarded me at an unbelievable pace. As I blocked his attacks one after another, I noticed something strange. During our first volley of attacks, his movements were amateurish. Now, they were too skillful, as if he had been training for years. No, wait, these movements¡­.. ¡°Are mine?!¡± ¡°Correct! But knowing that it¡¯s yours won¡¯t be helping you though.¡± ¡°Guh!!!!¡± A kick had passed through my defense and landed cleanly on my stomach, sending me crashing into the wall. I fall down coughing out blood, the taste of iron spreading in my mouth. ¡°Su---such strength.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, this isn¡¯t over!¡± I roll to the side in time to see the crater that formed in the spot I had fallen down on earlier. Kicks normally don¡¯t have that much power, do they?! Raising my sword, I¡¯m able to block most of his attacks. But wounds were starting to appear on my body and tears on my clothes. I knew I should have worn my armor. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can use this. !¡± No chant magic?! Mages normally have to recite a chant, no matter how long or short, to activate a spell. This proved true to only humans and beastkins though as no one has ever witnessed demon and elf mages chant to activate spells. 20 fist-sized fireballs were floating around him. Unlike the normal red which fire is known for, these were colored blue and gave off unimaginable heat. ¡°So princess, will you give up?¡± ¡°****! **! ***! !¡± He sighs, disappointment showing on his face. You dare!!!!!!! ¡°Very well. Just don¡¯t blame me for scars that remain on your body.¡± Casually flicking his finger, as if it was a signal, all 20 fireballs hurls themselves towards me. They collide with my barrier and explode. Each one creating cracks in the barrier I put most of my magic power into. This isn¡¯t good! The barrier¡¯s about break, and this heat is unbearable! 5 fireballs left. 4. 3. ¡°!!!¡± The 3rd to the last fireball exploded and my barrier broke into several pieces before disappearing. ¡°Kuh!!!¡± Using my sword as a makeshift shield, I¡¯m able to redirect a fireball to the wall behind me but the last one explodes as it came into contact with the blade. My sword leaves my hand, its blade malformed from the heat. ¡°Now, please sleep for a while.¡± ¡°?!¡± Behind me, a voice whispers into my ear. As if taken over by a sense of drowsiness, my body collapses only to be caught by his arms. My eyes flutter and try to stay open, but it¡¯s all in vain. ¡°Good night, princess!¡± The last thing I see before falling asleep is a smiling face on the hero that made him seem like a completely different person. 3: Start of Two Journeys In this world, there were 21 countries led by 9 races. Separated into the east and west by a vast mountain range with only a single valley to cross between the two sides and surrounded by the vast ocean, these 9 races lived peacefully with each other for hundreds of years. The most numerous and ingenious of the 9 races, Humans. Blessed with long lifespans and incomparable wisdom, Elves. Possessing traits and strength that belong to animals, Beastkins. Short in stature but masters of craftsmanship, Dwarves. Powerful creatures with the ability to transform, Dragons. Born prodigies in magic and spells, Demons. Large beings with mountainous strength, Giants. Excelling in combat and curses, Ogres. And living off of other¡¯s through sexual pleasures with their seductive characteristics, Succubi. These 9 races are the ones who had at least 1 country that was led by them. The first 5 races lived in the west while the latter 4 lived in the east. However, 30 years ago, an incident occurred in the east. The specific circumstances are unknown, but a ¡®Demon Lord¡¯ had taken over and united all 7 countries in the east. Consequently, this included the races living here. Aside from the Succubi who had escaped to the west, the Demons, Giants and Ogres were soon gathered under one flag. Then, 25 years ago, the peace that lasted hundreds of years was broken by a large army from the east. Due to being surprised and unprepared, the country located right next to the mountain range and valley pass was swiftly conquered. Refugees flocked to the bordering countries with news of an invasion. With the spread of this information, citizens panicked and fear for the 3 invading races caused many to categorize them into one word. ¡®Demons¡¯. This word no longer referred to the magically inclined race with horns on their heads and wings on their backs, but a collective term for all Giants, Ogres and Demons themselves. For the past 25 years until today, the frontlines have remained at the borders of the 3 countries led by Humans, Elves and Beastkins as the remaining 11 countries provided support. Whether it be through troop deployments, supplies or information, these countries did their utmost to ensure that the ¡®Demons¡¯ did not break through and continue towards them. However, a year ago, messages were sent to the oracles of 7 countries nearest to the frontlines. ¡°The time to summon a hero has come. We have heard your sufferings and give you the chant and process necessary to bring one who will save your country from the invading Demons.¡± Apparently, each country received different chants and processes. Also proven was that these chants and processes could not be repeated, either by the original country or another country. ¡°So, excluding me, there are 6 other heroes in this world who have been summoned, correct?¡± I direct my question at the secretary-like lady who was currently pouring tea into an expensive-looking cup. ¡°That is indeed correct, hero-sama.¡± ¡°And, this country we¡¯re in, Helgas, is right after the 3 countries fighting with the Demons?¡± ¡°That is also correct. To the south is the country of the Dragons, Farbrent. So it is completely unlikely that they will be attacked or need a hero.¡± Hm? Are Dragons really that strong? Probably from seeing the questioning look on my face, she continues speaking. ¡°Yes, they are very strong. However they are few in numbers and even they too can die after sustaining enough damage. To prevent this from happening, they have created a barrier that encircles their country. This barrier completely repels anything that holds impure intentions from entering Farbrent.¡± ¡°Even from underground or the sky?¡± ¡°Well, no one has ever tested it to find out but that is most likely possible.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.see.¡± Closing the book with the title of ¡®History So Far¡¯ in my hand, I finish drinking the tea and head towards a nearby sofa. After having finished reading every single book about magic and combat with my inhuman processing speed, I decided to immerse myself in the history of the world I was transported to. ¡°May I ask something, hero-sama?¡± ¡°Hmn? Go ahead.¡± ¡°What is it¡­¡­that you did to Princess Stephaly?¡± Checking her pulse, I confirm that there is none. Before answering her question, I point at the necklace the princess was previously wearing, ¡°Do you know the effect of that necklace?¡± I question her. From the look on her face, ¡°Yes, I do. It nullifies any manipulation-type skill used on the princess.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s already been 5 days but I haven¡¯t told you yet, have I?¡± Shaking her head, I continue my explanation. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the other people in the palace, right? Wait, no, not just the palace, even the citizens outside.¡± She nods. ¡°The reason why everyone isn¡¯t moving, why even though they have no pulse they are truly alive, why things that were in the air are stuck in the air, is because of my skill.¡± ¡°Skill? Are you sure it¡¯s not magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. How? Because she was able to attack me when I used it.¡± Pointing at the unmoving princess, then to the necklace, my words start to sink into her. I confirmed this myself. After I made her fall asleep, I tried removing various accessories on her body and using my skill on her multiple times. I didn¡¯t remove her dress though, so don¡¯t worry! I have not committed any crimes, so absolutely don¡¯t worry! Making excuses to no one, ¡°And so, when I removed the necklace and used my skill, her pulse disappeared and even after 5 days, she hasn¡¯t awakened.¡± ¡°But why did you unfreeze me?¡± She referred to herself, who I had removed from the targets of my skill. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a simple reason for that. I needed someone to help me look through all the books in this palace¡¯s library. Luckily, you were still here when the summoning took place.¡± ¡°H-ha¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! After I leave this city, I¡¯ll unfreeze everyone.¡± I reassure her about her comrades, but it seems she has another problem. ¡°L-leave?! You can¡¯t!!! Who else will protect this country if the Demons break through the 3 countries?!¡± Shouting at me in panic, I try to calm her down before replying. ¡°According to the information you received, those 3 countries also summoned their own heroes a month ago, right?¡± She nods in response to my question. ¡°These heroes are also supposed to wield substantially more power than most inhabitants of this world, correct? And right now, there are three of them simultaneously keeping the frontlines in check. Then if all that information is accurate, the frontlines won¡¯t be shifting any time soon. In fact, it¡¯s even more accurate to say that the frontlines might even be pushed back to the east a month or two from now.¡± I give my opinion on the current state of the war. Looking at me with bewildered eyes, I only sigh. ¡°Well then, after I¡¯m finished preparing my things and practicing the magic I learned in this library, I¡¯ll be leaving immediately. Oh, I¡¯ll leave a letter here before I go. Be sure to give that to the king and the princess as soon as you see it, okay?¡± ¡°Eh? Wa-wait!!!¡± Standing up with an arm outstretched, she tried to grab me. But that arm was only able to grab the air of where I once stood. === Wearing leather armor normally used for training, a small leather bag with a handful of coins and a sword strapped to my waist, I leave the palace without looking back. Everything that I have are all from the palace. Previously, I unfroze a palace maid and asked her if there was anything I could take on my journey. Without revealing my being a hero, I was able to procure everything I needed for a journey. ¡°What a waste¡­¡­she was totally my type.¡± Thinking back on the maid¡¯s appearance and personality, ¡°But kidnapping¡¯s also bad. And they might come after me once they find out I disappeared with her.¡± Although the chance of that happening even if I didn¡¯t kidnap the maid is also highly likely, I did not mind it since I could just use my skill to put a larger distance between us. ¡°Now then, where should I go?¡± My plan after leaving the city was to just venture towards the south. I really wanted to see a living, breathing Dragon, after all. Having set a goal for now, I pass through the city wall¡¯s south gate and head down the winding dirt road. === ¡°Stop¡­¡­STOP!!!¡± Quickly rising up from my previously sleeping position, I start regretting it as my head becomes dizzy from the sudden motion. ¡°Eh? What?¡± Looking around me, I wasn¡¯t in my father¡¯s throne room but the palace¡¯s library. To my left were piles of books stacked on each other. In the center was a circle big enough for one person to sit in. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. That man! He was here! Waiting for the dizziness to disappear, I stand up from the sofa. Thud. Hearing a sound from a corner, I head there with a book on hand as a blunt weapon. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Oh, princess! Good morning!¡± What greeted me was not the summoned hero but the head librarian, Mariya. ¡°Ma-Mariya! Y-yes, good morning¡­¡­wait! Where¡¯d that man go?!?!?! Mariya, have you seen him?!¡± ¡°Do you mean hero-sama?¡± My head nods furiously. That man will pay for what he did to me and my father. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯s really been, but the last time I saw him, he said that he would be leaving and left this letter to give to you and his highness.¡± Recounting the last time she interacted with him, Mariya hands me an envelope with the royal stamp. That man!!!! Going as far as using the exclusive stamp of the royal family!!!!! Not caring about the letter inside, I use my bare hands to rip the envelope apart and take a piece of paper out. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, I¡¯ll be putting back all the books hero-sama used. Then princess.¡± With those words, she disappears after turning the corner. I open the piece of paper. Written in surprisingly neat handwriting and the Humans¡¯ language, ¡®Greetings! By the time you are reading this letter, I have most likely arrived at the nearest town away from the city. As for the direction of this town, that I will not state. However, you need not worry, for in the event the Demons are close to your city, I will make haste to return and defend it. This is the least I can do for the country that has summoned me as their ¡®hero¡¯. I have also tied up and thrown into your palace¡¯s prison the Ogres which attacked me after I had been summoned. Also, the nobles whom they used as disguises have been found. I placed them in various guest rooms so please take care of them once they have regained consciousness. Lastly, regarding the skill I used upon arriving, I apologize for I cannot disclose its name nor its abilities. As you most likely will not feel its effects once used, aside from Stephaly who possesses a skill nullifying necklace, you may also need not worry about it. I am most grateful for the chance you have given me to live in this world. My regards, Kinji Shirokawa¡¯ So the hero¡¯s name is Kinji Shirokawa, huh. Kinji¡­¡­..Kinji¡­¡­Shirokawa¡­¡­. ¡°Stephaly¡­¡­.Shiro¡­¡­kawa¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Princess, what¡¯s wrong? Your face is turning red.¡± In a hurry, I turn the other way for Mariya not to see me blushing furiously. ¡°It---it¡¯s nothing! Yes, yes, it¡¯s really nothing!¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡­.your highness, Princess Shirokawa!¡± ¡°Gaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!¡± I throw the book I was holding to where she was, but by that time she had already left. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡­.hah¡­¡­¡­.¡± While catching my breath, I notice another set of writing at the bottom of the letter. ¡®PS: I apologize for the current state of your training grounds. At the same time, I am also immensely grateful as it was the perfect place to practice my new magic and close combat techniques that I had learned from the library.¡¯ Re-reading it several times in order to make sure that I had read it correctly. Normally, no one would state their gratitude for using the training grounds. However, he not only thanked us for using it but also apologized for what had become of it after using it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then---!!!¡± Reaching an impossible conclusion, I hurry out of the library and head for the training grounds. It was a ways away from the library, but with my stamina and training, I arrive in only a few minutes. The sight there leaves me speechless. I was not alone. Before arriving, there were already other people here. Mostly the palace guards but there were also maids and other servants who had flocked after seeing the crowd that formed. Like me, they were also speechless. But after seeing its current state, who wouldn¡¯t be. The training grounds was now littered with dozens of holes large enough to fit five grown men. Training dummies situated against the wall either had gaping holes in them or strewn into pieces across the area. Bricks were falling down from the walls. Some sections of the wall showed signs of melting, being frozen and even had entire parts missing. Amongst all these debris and damage, there is only one area of the training grounds that is free from any of the sort. A small circular area. Big enough for only one person to stand on. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, this is the result of a simple practice?!¡± Saying this, I leave the training grounds. With the purpose of hunting down the hero who had left without prior notice, I head for my father¡¯s room to receive his permission. === ¡°Denied!¡± Was my plan, but an unexpected obstacle appeared, my father, the king, his highness Edgard Helgas. After showing him the letter Kinji---the hero left for us then explaining to him my plan of bringing him back, I was instantly and swiftly rejected. ¡°But why?!¡± ¡°I know you are furious that he showed disrespect to us just after being summoned¡­¡­.but also take note that we were the ones who unreasonably took him from his previous world, something akin to kidnapping. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Normally, would you not show aggression towards those who kidnapped you instead of asking questions?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­is true.¡± ¡°And with that, in these circumstances, we are the ones at fault.¡± ¡°But father! We did this because we are in danger of being invaded! Of being slaughtered and enslaved by the Demons!¡± ¡°That is also true. But just recently, this was not his problem. This has and always will be our problem, my daughter. The three heroes currently fighting right now all expressed their willingness to fight, so is it not surprising to see a hero who will not fight?¡± ¡°But---¡± ¡°Furthermore, did he not state that he will return if we are ever in danger of being invaded?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is all for this conversation. If you have nothing else to say, you can do anything else you want, Stephaly.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Did you not hear me? I am ordering you take a break from your duties for at least a month! I know you have been working tirelessly ever since you¡¯ve been stationed in the borders of our country, so I think it¡¯s only normal you are granted this opportunity.¡± Realizing my father¡¯s true intentions, ¡°Father, do you really mean it?!¡± ¡°But of course! Oh, and also, I believe taking a break all by yourself is lonesome, is it not? How about you take some of your friends with you? It will be more enjoyable, right?¡± Saying those last few words, father shows a mischievous smile. Although he is the king, back when he was still a young man, he had a reputation for always going off and doing anything he wanted to do. Becoming the king reduced the amount of shenanigans he could do, but this did not stop his mischievous personality. ¡°I appreciate this father! You¡¯re the best! Don¡¯t worry, if ever there¡¯s a sign of danger to the capital, I will return with utmost haste!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Well said Stephaly! Then, be off! And bring back my son-in-law who had run off without even signing the marriage contract!¡± ¡°Fa-father!!!¡± Trying to hide my blushing face, I shout at him to stop. Yes, there is also another reason why I intend to follow him and get him back here. The original plan after the summoning became successful was to greet the hero, explain to him our ordeal and whatever response he gives, father would offer me as a bride to tie him down to our country. In short, I am to become his bride¡­¡­¡­..and now, no matter the cost, I will make sure that happens!!! ¡°I mean, how rude! To ignore your wife on the first meeting!!!¡± ¡°Oh-hoh! My daughter, you seem to be fully willing to become his bride now! Hahahaha! What happened in that instant where the both of you disappeared from the throne room? Could it be you have already tied the knot?!¡± ¡°Fa-father! Nothing of the sort happened! It was even in the letter, right?! I fought him with all my strength, even using my Limit Breaker, and yet¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± ¡°He¡­..he¡­¡­beat me! So¡­¡­I just thought that¡­..if we could bring such a powerful person to be¡­¡­.to be part of the family, won¡¯t we gain many¡­¡­..benefits?¡± Muttering those words under my breath, I exit my father¡¯s room without waiting for his reply and prepare for my journey. 4: Subordination and Grinding A/N: Good day everyone! I hope you''re enjoying the story so far! For those who are not, I offer my apologies but most of the story has already been set in stone, so I offer them once again. As for the double chapters, I incidentally had nothing to do so I ended up finishing them and a few parts of the next chapter! As always, thank you and hope you enjoy! ===== ¡°Master, please wake up.¡± A voice penetrates my sleeping consciousness. This voice gave off the impression of a calm man, not too young, not too old. A man in the prime of his life. ¡°5 more minutes¡­¡­¡± Grumbling in reply, I turn over on the bed. ¡°My apologies master, but you leave me no choice.¡± The voice says back, ¡°¡± Hmn? Magic? ¡°Wha?!¡± Suddenly, my eyes open to see that the world has turned upside down. No, wait, it¡¯s better to say that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s upside down. I gaze at the arm-like protrusions holding me by my legs. Like the name suggested, they were literally arms made out of the shadows in the room. No matter the size, the only requirement for its use is the existence of a shadow-like existence nearby. However, this is not its only use. It can also be used for stealth, distractions and even combat. A multi-purpose spell, which is why it is considered a high-class spell. Difficult for even veteran mages to use. ¡°Can you put me down now? I¡¯m very much awake Kuroga.¡± Looking at me to ensure that what I said was true, Kuroga snaps his fingers and the arms dissipate into nothingness. Just before hitting the floor, I turn my body in the air and land on my feet. Sighing from the rude awakening, ¡°Look Kuroga, I know I told you to wake me up at all costs. But there must have been a gentler approach.¡± ¡°I apologize master. But the only spells I know are for use in combat, thus it is very difficult for me to find a ¡®gentle approach¡¯ or anything of the sort.¡± Bowing down, I sigh once again. Dressed in a butler-like outfit with red hair which turns black towards the end is a man around his early 20s. Looking at me with his dark red eyes, I recount how we met and how I became his master. === Approximately 3 days after leaving the royal capital, which I learned about just recently, I was walking down the road through a forest. Of course, nothing was moving due to my skill, but halfway through the forest, I felt a tremendous amount of magic power. Worrying that it might turn the nearby animals into miasmic creatures, I run towards the direction of the source of the magic power. Apparently, what are usually called monsters in RPGs are called ¡®miasmic creatures¡¯ in this world, due to the fact that miasma is required to create them in any environment. Running past several animals and very few miasmic creatures, I arrive at a single cave. The opening looked natural but walking down further inside, I notice signs of it being artificial. Its interior was too clean, no rubble or debris of any kind and the smell you would usually notice in natural caves was nowhere to be found. Continuing down the cave, a large steel door makes its way into my sight. ¡°No matter how you look at it, this gives off the feeling of a treasure room.¡± Is what I had said back then. Thinking back on it, wasn¡¯t it more of a hidden boss kind of feeling? Upon forcefully opening the door via magic, what greets me is a figure dressed in a black robe sitting on a steel throne. Surrounding it were piles of gold coins and treasures. Next to it was a gold chest. Making sure that my skill was still up, I leisurely walked towards the gold chest. The robed figure did not show any signs of moving. Opening the chest, I was left speechless. Inside were various equipment designed for those different job classes in modern RPGs. Simplistic but beautiful magic staffs that emitted magic power, mage robes that looked like they belonged to the best mages in the continent, armor that looked and felt intimidating and indestructible, and a pitch black sword that seemed to suck in all the light striking it. Immediately, I reach for the sword. Just a few centimeters from coming in contact with it, my body reflexively jumps back. Bugush!!!!! Shielding my eyes from the debris that were sent flying, I look in surprise. The weapon was indeed surprising. A large curved blade struck the place where I previously was. The blade was connected to a long black pole, a scythe. But what surprised me even more was the figure wielding the scythe. The robed figure who was not moving a few moments ago now stood with a daunting posture. Its head faced this way so I could see it clearly. Staring at me was not a human face, it wasn¡¯t even alive. A face completely devoid of any skin or organs, a skeleton. Bright red orbs replaced its eyes which gazed at me as if eating through my inner being. Drawing back its scythe, it stood between me and the chest. The robe fluttered from the magic power that gushed out of its body. You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. It has more magic power than me! And it¡¯s literally the god of death incarnate! I shouted from the bottom of my heart. It did not leave my mouth however. Moreover, it nullified the effects of my skill. But earlier, it did not even show any signs of moving. No, it could not even move at all. Did the chest have some kind of trigger that would allow it to move regardless of any magic or skill used on it? It¡¯s definitely stronger than Stephaly in her limit breaker state. Taking a combat stance with my sword raised, the two of us wait for each other to make their first move. The first one to make a move was the skeleton. Charging at a speed that surpassed even mine, its scythe was already going down when I raised my sword in defense. ¡°Gah!!!¡± My body felt numb and pain from hitting the rocky wall behind me. ¡°Hah¡­¡­..hah¡­¡­..so this is what Stephaly felt¡­¡­.no, this is much more painful¡­¡­¡­.¡± Does this mean his level is much higher than mine? In this world, just like most clich¨¦d transported to another world stories, they have levels that define your growth and strength. This does not mean however that two level 100s can have the same stats. From the start, each person already possess different stats from the beginning. But this does not mean you can never bridge this gap. With enough training and experience, you can close the gap between you and someone with higher stats by simply raising your level. ¡°I should have had my status checked when I had the chance¡­¡­.¡± Status¡¯s can be checked only through an ¡®identity card¡¯. There are many types, like ¡®merchant cards¡¯, ¡®royalty cards¡¯ and ¡®adventurer cards¡¯. These cards are impossible to duplicate by any means because they were gifts from the gods, or so they say. I¡¯ve been trying to at least slow his movements down, but as expected, it¡¯s not working. The skeleton simply watches over me. It¡¯s probably wary of me after I survived his attack. No choice, huh. Okay, seems it still works if I apply it on myself. I didn¡¯t bother changing the speed of my brain processes because it¡¯s already at a speed normally impossible for humans. Well, it¡¯s not bothering me in any way so I leave it be. Also at first, I thought that reflexes were also part of the brain processes so I had never thought about it before. But after testing various aspects of my skill back in the palace, I realized that it differentiates many of my body¡¯s functions so I have to specify the ones I want to modify if there are substantial differences between them. Now then, let¡¯s see if I¡¯ll be able to stand much of a chance this time around. Taking a position that would allow me to defend myself, I put my sword in front of me. ¡°You¡­¡­¡­¡± Eh? Did the skeleton just talk? ¡°Uwah!!!¡± Rolling to the side, I barely avoided its scythe that made its way to my neck. While it was busy raising its scythe once more, ¡°! ! !¡± Aiming to limit its movements, I use my increased abilities to strike at him from various angles while my spells continuously subdued or damaged him from all sides. With its health slowly being chipped away by the spells I casted or the hit-and-run attacks I inflicted on it, while dodging its counterattacks with my raised reaction time, I had become confident of my victory. ¡°Kukukukuku¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Is it¡­¡­¡­¡­laughing? ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Good! GOOD!!! To think that there would still be humans like you after a thousand years!!!¡± What? A thousand? How long has that been here?! ¡°Let¡¯s see if you will stand a chance against my final trump card!!!¡± Hey, hey, hey! You¡¯re plenty strong enough, don¡¯t go spouting words like that! ¡°!¡± A dark dome expanded in front of me. The source being the skeleton, I immediately back away. But I wasn¡¯t fast enough and was hit by the winds caused by his spell. Falling down onto the floor, my spells were dispersed with that one spell. I haven¡¯t read any kind of spell like that! Does that mean there are more spells aside from the ones in this country¡¯s royal library?! But from what I¡¯ve read, every country had formed a treaty to share all information between them to avoid secrecy and distrust. Could a country have been hiding knowledge from the others for a thousand years?! ¡°Kukuku! What do you feel now human? Fear? Regret? Or maybe joy? I did not expect you to be that kind of human, but very well!!!¡± I tightened the grip on my sword. ¡°Hoh! You still plan to fight, I see. Very well! !¡± Backing away, from the shadows inside the room, several figures clothed in darkness emerged. In the place where their hands are supposed to be were long blades. Aside from that, no other detail could be seen on their pure black bodies. ¡°Now, cower in fear! And perish in pain!¡± Guess I¡¯ve got no choice then. But honestly, this feels like an absolutely unfair way to win. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The black figures began their charge on me while the skeleton began chanting another spell. Well, it¡¯s too late anyway¡­¡­¡­.for them. It worked. The previously standing figures were now lying face down on the ground. Apparently no matter what magic or skill, they could not fight against gravity. At first, I thought that my skill would not be able to manipulate anything without a speed factor. But then I remembered that gravity was used in various equations in my old world. The numerical value for gravity also changed depending on the planet, so didn¡¯t that mean it technically had a speed, just that we never felt it. Due to the immense weight suddenly brought down onto the Dark Spawns, one by one they turned into dust. Soon, only the skeleton was left. Pointing my sword at it, ¡°Now, talk undead. Speak of your purpose for being here.¡± === To summarize the painstakingly long speech the skeleton, who I found out was a man, recited to answer my question: First, he was once a royal court magician. In fact, he was once their head. But because of the extremely long time since he has been called his name, he had long forgotten it. Second, the country he once served crumbled due to a civil war. In his dying breaths, the king entrusted him with the country¡¯s most prized treasures and sent him off to hide them so the invaders will not get a hold of them. Third, in order to fulfill his duty, he turned into a powerful undead known as a ¡®Lich King¡¯, or more commonly known as a ¡®Shinigami¡¯ in other countries. Fourth, through the course of hundreds of years, he has done nothing but train and perfect his magical prowess. In the process, gaining superhuman strength and speed. And finally, ¡°For one as powerful such as yourself, this lowly undead only asks that I may become your servant from now on until your passing into the eternal light.¡± Kneeling down and speaking in a formal and serious tone, I could only stare blankly without speaking. Seconds pass without neither one of us moving nor talking. Having come back to my senses, I found a problem with his suggestion, ¡°I would appreciate it. But I plan on passing by several human towns, so won¡¯t your current appearance pose a problem? Or more like, it would incite a large panic¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry master!¡± Master? He¡¯s already calling me that¡­¡­ ¡°I have already prepared for this beforehand.¡± From his hand, black smoke encircles it before an old-looking book appears. ¡°Hmn? This is?¡± ¡°A book containing every single forbidden spell my country had compiled. One in particular, subordination magic, aside from it being a variation of slavery magic, it has the side effect of bestowing an ability to the subordinate to transform into a form that belongs to the same race as the master¡¯s.¡± ¡°Heh! Is that so?¡± Taking the book from his hand, I skim through all the contents. Absorbing the knowledge and information written on it with unbelievable speed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°As expected of master, your abilities and intelligence know no bounds!¡± It might be a bit too late to say this, but did his personality just do a complete 180 on me? Also, what happened to the part about protecting his county¡¯s treasures? Not bothering to trouble myself with these questions, I perform the subordination magic and proceed to place all the treasure into my newly gained space magic, Extra Dimension. === ¡°Master, pardon my intrusion.¡± Taking my eyes off my reflection, I look at Kuroga who had slightly opened the door to the bathroom. From a shini---lich king to a 20 something years old model, please give me my magic power back!!! Yes, magic power. Since I used up almost half of my magic power, or in simpler terms MP, to enact the subordination magic on him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Yes. What are your plans for today master?¡± Hmmm¡­¡­..plans, you say. Not saying that I didn¡¯t have any plans, it¡¯s just that they weren¡¯t anything specific. ¡°I was planning to head out to the nearby forest and raise my level¡­¡­or something like that.¡± ¡°Raise your level? But master, with your current power, would you not already be at the peak of your abilities?¡± ¡°Hmn? Peak? Nope, not at all.¡± Kuroga was staring at me with confused eyes. ¡°Honestly speaking, I haven¡¯t killed any miasmic creatures or anything of the sort. So I¡¯m pretty sure that my current level is still at level 1.¡± His face seemed to be saying that he had just learned a very surprising fact about me. Well, it¡¯s true though. This is the first time I¡¯ve said this to anyone. And I only told him because he¡¯s my subordinate, no, companion. So for me, he has the right to know. Oh right, I don¡¯t even know Kuroga¡¯s level yet. ¡°By the way Kuroga, what¡¯s your level?¡± ¡°My level, master? Hmmmmm¡­¡­.¡± He seemed to be thinking really deeply. ¡°I think the last time I had my level measured, it was around level 250¡­¡­probably.¡± ¡°Heeeeeeeh¡­¡­..¡± Not being sure if that was high or low, I continued asking him, ¡°Is that already pretty high or?¡± ¡°During my time, it was one of the highest levels in the continent. Aside from the truly talented and heroes, where the most powerful one reached a level of 400. Of course, there were plenty of miasmic creatures with even higher levels, but I¡¯m sure they were exterminated pretty quickly.¡± That¡¯s right. I forgot that Kuroga had been inside that cave for a thousand years. Sighing from the fact that I didn¡¯t gain anything much from that conversation, I turn back towards the mirror-like object in front me. When I was transported here, Libreria said that I had died from riding a bus that crashed into a construction site. So I was curious if there were any scars on my body in this world. Upon arriving in this town, I finally got the chance to check after renting this room in one of the local inns. But not only were there no scars or scratches on any part of my body, my entire appearance from my old world was brought over to this one. Average. That¡¯s all you needed to describe me. Average black hair, average black eyes, average face and even an average build. The most noteworthy thing about me is my hair that¡¯s eternally been in a bed head-like state and an above-average height for someone my age. I remember even being mistaken as someone older than my actual age from time to time before. Well, since I was forced to stay at home due to various reasons, I never bothered to fix my hair or appearance. The day I died, yes, that was the day I, for the first time in years, left the comfort of my own home. ¡°Why did I even leave in the first place?¡± Struggling to remember the moments after I left my house, I catch glimpses of a book store, a bus stop and¡­¡­. ¡°Ugh!!!¡± As soon as I recalled the two unfamiliar faces, my head began throbbing from pain. It was like my head was being banged against a wall over and over again. ¡°Master?! Are you okay?!¡± Kuroga banged open the door and applied healing magic on me. Seriously, how is he an undead that can use holy type magic?! Seeing that I could retort now, I steadily stand up and face him. ¡°I¡¯m alright now Kuroga. Why don¡¯t you try getting used to the living again for today? Then we¡¯ll meet back here on the 6th bell.¡± In the town we¡¯re currently staying in, there is a large bell tower in the center which they rang every 3 hours starting at sunrise, or in my case, 6 am. Which meant that our planned rendezvous time is 9 PM, more or less. ¡°As you wish master. May the gods keep watch over you.¡± With those words, he leaves the room. ¡°May the gods keep watch over you¡­¡­..huh. Yep, pretty weird to hear from an undead.¡± After washing my face, I, too, leave the room and upon surrendering the room key to the inn keeper, head for the town¡¯s nearest gate. === Gramsfer, the town we¡¯re currently staying in, is about 9 days away from the royal capital by foot and 4 days by carriage. It would probably be shorter if one were to use a magical beast or magic, but few only use that method. Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! The ringing of the bell resounded throughout the town, not a single area could have missed it since it is an important part of their day to day lives. ¡°This is the 3rd time, so it¡¯s noon huh.¡± Making my way through the crowded street of the western area of the town, I see several stalls set up. Filled with various items, accessories, food and even weapons. There were many races advertising their products, even some Succubi who were luring in male clients to their store down the road. ¡°Not good, not good. Better keep on track.¡± Reminding myself not to lose to temptation, I arrive at one of the town¡¯s many gates. Normally, townspeople who are not adventurers, merchants or royalty would need to pay 2 silver coins to pass through. But since none of the guards know me in any way¡­¡­. Looking around, not one soul was moving. ¡°I apologize, but I must be on my way.¡± Saying my apologies to the unmoving guards, I pass through the gate and stretch my limbs. ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡­..it feels good to just move your body uninhibited once in a while.¡± Though Gramsfer and the people within its vicinity are subjected to my skill, thus making them immobile. The outside elements, like wind and wild animals farther away, were still moving and let out their voices through the air. ¡°Now, let¡¯s set off on, as you would say in the RPGs of Earth, a grinding spree!!!¡± Getting myself energized with those words, I gave no attention to the raging winds forming in the direction of the nearby forest. Being ignorant to the reason these bellowing winds were growing fiercer and fiercer, my surroundings grew dark as I entered the maze of trees and removed the effects of my skill on the town of Gramsfer and its people. 5: Unexpected Encounters ¡°Graaaaaaaah!!!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Rolling to the side to avoid a black shadow, I analyze my current situation. After entering the nearby forest of Gramsfer, I removed the enhancements I did on myself aside for my brain processes and raised my level growth rate to 3. You could say that it¡¯s like an experience multiplier cheat found in other RPG-esque games like P***mon. Aside from grinding, I also planned to enhance my battle awareness so that I wouldn¡¯t have to depend on my skill every time. ¡°But¡­.well¡­¡­isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± In front of me were 10 miasmic creatures with the appearance of black-furred wolves. What made them different was the varying elements surrounding their bodies. Elemental Wolves. The name could use a bit more pizzazz, but I¡¯m not one to complain. Usually, the first one to encounter and live through an attack by an unknown miasmic creature gains the right to give it a name. I wonder how the miasmic creature feels about a name that¡¯s given to it without its knowledge. ¡°Gruaaaaaa!!!¡± The rise in temperature catches my attention, the source being a fireball the size of a small boulder headed for me. Feeling my skin sizzle from the intense flames and becoming a pile of ash is what I could have ended up as if not for my increased inhuman brain, so in retaliation to the Elemental Wolves¡¯ attack, ¡°. .¡± A thick transparent wall forms in front of me which collides with the fireball. A 4th ranked spell, it could stop almost every spell with the same or lower rank in its path. Next, I put my hand into a small floating black hole. Taking it out, I was now holding the pitch black sword I that was in the chest Kuroga was guarding. He himself did not know its abilities nor name so it was up to me to figure out why it was included in his old country¡¯s treasures. ¡°Elemental Wolves¡­¡­.They¡¯re B-ranked, I think.¡± Recalling the given rank for the miasmic creatures I¡¯m facing, I leap out of cover and run where they were standing. My normal speed had already been increased thanks to my peerless strength, thus I covered the distance between me and the nearest wolf instantly. Without any time to react, I bring my sword down. The wolf¡¯s halved body collapses to the ground. ¡°!¡± Casting the spell just in time to counter an ice barrage targeted towards me, they collide midway through. Although that attack wouldn¡¯t do much damage to me, getting hurt is still something I¡¯m not excited to experience. The resulting mist covers the ground we were in, obstructing my vision. ¡°Tsk! Where are they?¡± Figuring out that they were outmatched, they must have taken some distance from me instead of charging at me recklessly. ¡°Pretty smart wolves huh. But¡­¡± Double-checking my surroundings to be sure nothing was coming for me, I chant the spell that just entered my head, ¡°.¡± The air gets cut by dozens of blades made out of the air around me. With their trajectories targeting every angle around me, I hear the agonizing howls of the wolves from a distance. ¡°Oh, it seems that they were in the middle of escaping. No wonder I couldn¡¯t feel any magic power being gathered.¡± Heading to the direction of where I heard the wolves¡¯ howls came from, I come upon several trees whose trunks and branches had several cuts deep into them. Scattered around the ground are dark purplish lumps of crystals of varying sizes. ¡°Magic stones¡­¡­¡± Busying myself with gathering the purplish stones and putting them inside the leather bag I took out of my Extra Dimension, I ignore the further bodies of the Elemental Wolves dissolving into thin air. One of the many differences between animals and miasmic creatures is how their bodies react to death. Whereas animals¡¯ bodies remain there and rot, miasmic creatures¡¯ start to dissolve, leaving only stones made out of condensed magic power that was inside. These stones are necessities for almost every tool used by this world. Thus, it is one of the most sought after materials. They are also the number one reason adventurers are able to use their skills to gain a steady living. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll probably earn a bunch of coins when I turn these in some day.¡± Yes, some day. No today though. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m incapable of talking normally with other people. No, of course not. I¡¯ve cleared that hurdle just after being summoned here, probably. It¡¯s just, signing up as an adventurer this close to the royal capital does not feel like a good idea. If ever news of the hero¡¯s characteristics or name winds up here, they¡¯ll be able to connect the dots one way or another. Even if I¡¯m not suspected to be the hero, they¡¯ll think that I¡¯m connected to him due to my sudden appearance. ¡°Now then, this pace will do for today. I have my experience multiplier after all.¡± Saying that, I continue deeper into the forest. === The smell of alcohol spread through the air. Loud sounds of laughter and drunken conversations could be heard all around. Women who were wearing outfits fitting for bar waitresses walked to and fro from tables taking and delivering orders. I, Kuroga, in accordance with my master¡¯s orders, am currently in one of the many bars of Gramsfer. The order was to ¡®get used to the living again¡¯. However, a problem arose immediately after I had left the inn we were residing in. ¡°How does one get used to the living?¡± Having lived a secluded life for over a thousand years, the only living I have interacted with were wild animals that did not pay attention to the large gap in strength between us and recklessly attacked me. ¡°This is harder than I thought¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Are you new here mister butler?¡± Reacting to the voice that disturbed my thought, I raise my head. One of the waitresses was currently standing in front of me, waiting for my reply. Although not an extremely beautiful girl, she had a good figure and showed a patient and bewitching smile. ¡°That is true. My master and I just recently arrived here.¡± ¡°Hmn? Where is your master then? I don¡¯t see any rich looking merchant or noble here.¡± Contrary to her appearance, she¡¯s a surprisingly sharp individual. It must be because even though this town is close to the capital and crimes do not occur as often as in other places, it is still possible for them to happen. But for them to be wary of such things here, did something happen recently? ¡°My master is none of those that you mentioned.¡± ¡°Oh, I apologize then. But if I may be so intrusive, what does he do that gave him the resources to acquire such a fine butler such as yourself?¡± Now she¡¯s resorting to flattery? Is she trying to gain information from me? No, wait that may have been her goal from the start. Who knew that in the long time I¡¯ve been living in that cave, bar waitresses would become an important part of the anti-crime force. ¡°I guess it is okay to tell you this much. He simply travels around the world. Because he comes from a faraway land, you see? For now, he is very interested in the country of the Dragons so he is gathering materials from the nearby forest to prepare us for the journey there.¡± I recite the story that master told me to say if anyone ever asked about why we were here or what we did for a living perfectly. The waitress seems to have bought the story as she leans in closer with eyes of admiration. ¡°Heeeeeeeeeh. The both of you must be pretty strong then to be heading there with only the two of you!¡± ¡°You exaggerate miss. Hmmm¡­it seems my throat is parched from our chat. May I order a glass of your best wine please?¡± ¡°Best wine? Sure, got it! I¡¯ll bring it over right away!¡± Saying so with a smile, she leaves the table and heads to the back room meant only for the bar¡¯s staff. Sitting patiently for my order, I decide to gather information from my surroundings. Most of the people here right now are adventurers. Either coming back from a quest or just wanting to relax, bars are the natural convergence zones for these types of people. ¡°Hey, hey! Did you hear?!¡± ¡°Eh? What is it this time? Did you finally hear something about the forest next to Gramsfer?¡± After scouring through the multiple conversations happening simultaneously, I find one that piqued my interest. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put on airs! Tell us!!!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! Calm down!¡± ¡°Okay, here you go. A glass of our best wi---is something wrong?¡± A glass filled with a semi-transparent blue liquid is placed onto the table. The waitress had returned, though at an inconvenient time, if I were to add. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just deep in thought is all.¡± ¡°Really? Well, here¡¯s your order. Call me if you want anything else, okay?¡± She leaves after I nod back at her words. After taking a sip from the glass, I quickly go back to listening in on the earlier group¡¯s conversation. ¡°---the guild hasn¡¯t figured out its identity but it¡¯s already put out a subjugation request?¡± ¡°Yep! They plan to restrict it to only A-rank and above though, so there¡¯s no chance of us ever taking part in it.¡± ¡°Well, for me, that¡¯s great news! No way am I going up against something that can kill dozens of A-ranked miasmic creatures easily!¡± ¡°But think of all the rewards!!!¡± ¡°Forget it! He¡¯s right! Besides, what I¡¯ve heard is a portion of the royal army¡¯s coming over here to assist with the subjugation too!¡± ¡°The royal army?! Then¡­.does that mean even the princess too?!?!?!¡± Oh, they seem to be getting excited over this princess, interesting. ¡°I doubt it¡­¡­..Seems the princess is on a leave of duty.¡± ¡°Too bad!¡± ¡°I know, right?! To see the ¡®Peerless Princess¡¯ with my own eyes¡­¡­..ah!!! What a dream!!!¡± ¡°Wait! Where did you even hear that the princess is on a leave?¡± ¡°A friend of mine who¡¯s currently in the capital told me. She¡¯s working near the palace so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s reliable information. Furthermore, even the princess¡¯ squad is on a leave accompanying her as well.¡± ¡°¡°¡°EH?!?!?!?!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Shhhhh!!!! Quiet down you idiots!!!¡± They quieted down and apologized for the noise before continuing. ¡°So even the ¡®Walking Fortress¡¯, ¡®Horizon Sniper¡¯ and ¡®Explosive Magician¡¯ won¡¯t be coming here?!¡± ¡°Unlucky! Despair! I thought the nearer you were to the capital, the more likely you were to meet them?!?!?!¡± ¡°Well, think about it this way. At least we won¡¯t be seeing those pretty boys, the ¡®Piercing Spear¡¯ and ¡®Miracle Maker¡¯, hogging every girl¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°Y-yeah. I guess so.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day guys! The 4th bell just rang, after all!¡± I have gathered lots of interesting information today, what a fruitful visit. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ll be leaving now. Thank you for everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving already? Guess it can¡¯t be helped then. Take care and come again!¡± Drinking the entire glass in one gulp, I place my payment on the table and leave the bar. Walking down the road to the marketplace, I organize my thoughts. First, a powerful entity seems to have made the nearby forest its home. Possessing strength equal or above an A-ranked miasmic creature, a subjugation request has been made with enticing rewards. Second, the royal army is headed here for said subjugation. Third, the princess of this country, who master said is a powerful individual by normal people¡¯s standards, is not part of the subjugation force. Lastly, her party of similarly skilled individuals will also not take part. Most of this seems possible. The problem lies in the last two¡­¡­ ¡°Although she was able to fool me at first. She let down her guard when sending a message to the one I assume they call the ¡®Peerless Princess¡¯.¡± My face breaks into a smirk after figuring out the earlier waitress¡¯s identity. ¡°¡¯Explosive Magician¡¯, huh. You¡¯re not just some battle junkie mage like what your title states. Such misleading information. Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Having finished organizing everything I gathered, I see the marketplace just around the corner. === On the long winding road from the royal capital of Helgas to the town of Gramsfer, five people were travelling on horse-like creatures with lightning markings all over its black fur. ¡°Hey, Stephaly! How long until we get to where Haylee is?¡± With shoulder-length silver hair, dazzling eyes with the color of the sea, a physique that was not too muscular nor too thin and a face that did show a single sign of seriousness. This person, who was speaking in a casual and exhausted tone, is the princess¡¯ childhood friend and long-time companion, Catie Yselfon. Not bothering to answer her, the princess, Stephaly Helgas, listened to the voice that seemed to be speaking directly in her head. ¡°Uh-huh. Alright. Got it, thanks!¡± ¡°Was that Haylee? What did she say?¡± Brenton Harling. A young man with combed back blonde hair, brown eyes and a body that had a bit more muscle than fat, he inquired as to what their companion had told Stephaly through a spell known as Telepathic Conversation. ¡°Did she find your future king and husband?¡± Joining the conversation is another one of Stephaly¡¯s childhood friends and Catie¡¯s brother, Arven Yselfon. Like his younger sister, they both shared the same physical characteristics. The differences showed in their style. Arven¡¯s silver hair was sloppily combed to both sides, bangs reaching his eyes, blue eyes that were a shade darker than his sister¡¯s and his body was slim. A result of not exercising with the intent of growing muscles. Although his sister was casual to the princess and did not hold back in speaking out her thoughts, Arven took this a step farther. Treating Stephaly like a younger sister, he would not pass a chance to tease her and witness her normally unseen expressions. ¡°Wha?! Hu-husband?!?! Didn¡¯t I tell you already Arven-nii-sama the purpose of our mission?!?!?!¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡­¡­¡­but I heard that we¡¯re going on a trip as a reward for all our hard work, right Trinna?¡± He nonchalantly involves the last remaining member of Stephaly¡¯s party. Positioned furthest in the back of the group, not out of isolation or anything of the sort, but out of her reasoning that it was the most peaceful spot considering the people she was travelling with. ¡°Although it is annoying that Arven is the one asking me of this¡­¡­¡­..it is true that that is what had been told to us¡­¡­...¡± Bewitching white hair and cold purple eyes with a curvaceous body that any woman would die for. A person holding such beauty that is said to be born only once every hundred or so years, Trinna Grandel. Although her attitude towards the others implied a cold and distant relationship, this was not the case. In fact, from time to time, she would break out in a smile that even attracted those of the same gender. However, this time was not one of those times. Ignoring her remark about him, Arven continued his talk with Stephaly. ¡°See Stephaly! Even Trinna agreed with me!!! No wonder you¡¯re my favorite companion, Trinna! Please marry me!!!¡± Casually speaking out these words, her reply was, ¡°Please reconsider after looking at your own reflection¡­¡­.then jumping into a burning pit of magma¡­¡­¡­¡­and never coming back from the endless void¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°As cold as always Trinna!!! And didn¡¯t you mix up eternal light and endless void?!¡± ¡°No¡­¡­¡­.I made no such mistake¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing her reply, Arven slumped down on his mount and his expression darkened, likened to those who had lost every reason they had to live. ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡­¡­just stop Arven! Trinna¡¯s never going to fall for you.¡± Brenton comforted the despairing Arven while the sky slowly turned into a shade of orange. ¡°Ignore my brother Stephaly. So, what did Haylee say?¡± Riding up next to her, Catie continued the earlier topic. ¡°Oh, right. Although it wasn¡¯t exactly who we¡¯re looking for, she had found someone who had just arrived in town. A man in his prime who¡¯s serving a master who¡¯s interested in Farbrent.¡± ¡°Eh? Farbrent? The Dragons¡¯ country?¡± ¡°Correct. From what Mariya said, Kin---the hero was strangely intrigued by the existence of the Dragons. So if our guess is correct, unless he has not travelled to another town by now, he is definitely in Gramsfer, which is the nearest town to the capital in the south.¡± ¡°To think that our Stephaly would put this much thought into a man. How the years go by!!!¡± ¡°E-even you Catie?!?!?! I told you, it¡¯s not like that!!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, whatever you say!¡± Sadly, even the sister had adopted a part of her brother¡¯s playfulness. Much to the chagrin of everyone around her. And so, this is how the journey of this country¡¯s most powerful party from the capital to Gramsfer continued. === ¡°And the last one!!!¡± I shout into the heavens as I kill the last golem-like miasmic creature. Its body dissolving after collapsing on the ground. Around me are other miasmic creatures that I had encountered while delving deeper into the forest. The sun was still up, so I decided to take a break in this clearing. ¡°But no matter where I go, there¡¯ll always be a miasmic creature just around the corner.¡± Sighing to show my exhaustion, only for it to disappear. After encountering several A-ranked miasmic creatures, and even a few S-ranked ones, my body was succumbing to fatigue. Thinking that this would be the cause of my death in this forest, which is truly an embarrassing one, I used my skill to speed up my body¡¯s stamina recovery rate. No matter how many times I think about it, this skill is a bonafide cheat. Not too overpowered, partly due to the way I¡¯m using it, but also because there are ways to counter it. ¡°So I can¡¯t just carelessly use it all the time. Hmmm¡­¡­I wonder if there are people with skill-thieving skills. Man, that would be scary¡­¡­.¡± Luckily, no one like that has appeared. But to be sure they don¡¯t find out about my skill, I can¡¯t just use it on an individual on a whim. ¡°Oh yeah, I remember freezing the entire continent after I left the royal palace. Does that mean there are already people that know about my skill existing now?¡± Swaying my head to sides, my brain simulates several possibilities. Finally, it comes to one conclusion, ¡°Most definitely!!!¡± Standing up and raising my fist in the air, I proclaim it loudly. ¡°Haaaaaaaaah¡­¡­¡­just what am I doing¡­¡­¡­.¡± I pick up the black sword next to me and proceed deeper into the forest. ¡°Wha?!¡± A tremendous surge of wind knocked me back to the ground. Looking around, I could trees being uprooted and miasmic creatures from farther away were being carried off into the air. Their agonizing howls and screams reached where I was. I look away as their bodies were torn apart and flung even further away. ¡°You!!!¡± Hearing a voice that seemed to belong to a young girl¡¯s, I scan my surroundings. It would be bad if a girl got caught up in any of this. As long as I could see her, I might be able to use Space Transfer magic to send her off near the town. ¡°Where? Where is that girl?!¡± ¡°You!!! You!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!¡± The voice grew louder and louder. ¡°Guh!¡± I covered my ears in an attempt to block it off. This isn¡¯t right. No way could a young girl¡¯s voice be this loud¡­¡­.probably. This just showed my inexperience regarding the common sense of this world as even I wasn¡¯t too sure of this. ¡°YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± I got it! Realizing where the voice was coming from, I look into the horizon. A bit farther away from where I was, a mountain loomed in the distance. Looking carefully, a black shadow was rising behind it. The shadow rose and rose into the air. Wing-like appendages were flapping with rhythmic timing, a long tail growing underneath it¡­¡­..no, those weren¡¯t wing-like appendages, they are wings!!! ¡°YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± As the voice reached me, from the shadow burst out blood red flames. The heat and force from the flames travelled the wide distance between us, pushing me back and making me sweat a little. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! I don¡¯t remember doing anything to you!¡± At an unbelievable speed, it began flying towards where I am. With every beat of its wings, the resulting winds blew stronger and stronger. The only thing I could do to avoid being blown away was stabbing my sword into the ground. ¡°Kuh! This might end up with us battling, then¡­¡­.¡± Using my skill, I activated the already set up options to apply on myself. My physical capabilities now being raised to 5 and reaction time to 4. Furthermore, I lowered gravity¡¯s effect on me to -1. Better be careful when messing with the laws of physics and whatnot. The shadow was now close enough that I could make out its features. ¡°No¡­¡­¡­way¡­¡­¡­already¡­¡­¡­..¡± It indeed had wings. Its entire body was covered in pitch black scales. Ruby red eyes glared at me even from a distance. Sharp teeth and claws, most likely strong enough to bite through steel. The tail had spikes lodged onto its end. One of the most powerful existences in this world, to which none dare defy. An existence I had wanted to see with my very own eyes. ¡°A Dragon¡­¡­..¡± And now, flying right in front of me was one such member of the legendary race. ¡°YOU! YOU WOKE ME UP FROM MY NAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± With those words, this is how the battle between me and a member of the Dragon race began. 6: Double Trouble A/N: Good day everyone! I''m here to just say this one thing: Most of the time, the chapter titles are somewhat random. Most of the time, I just make them up on the spot once I''m about to upload the chapter. I try to relate them to the chapter''s contents but that always doesn''t work out. Again, thank you for reading and enjoy! ===== My body did not move. No, it wasn¡¯t that it couldn¡¯t move. It just didn¡¯t want to. From the words the Dragon exclaimed in anger, the reason she came at me with fury was because I disturbed her sleep. Looking at it from any angle, it was a reason no ordinary person would use to attack someone. Furthermore, a Dragon should not even be this far from their homeland. And judging from the voice that has been shouting at me since earlier, this one¡¯s age is comparable to that of a 12-year old girl at most. Which means¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°You¡¯re just throwing a tantrum at me for waking you up, right? Even though you should have already been awake since earlier.¡± I bluntly stated the fact at her. ¡°Shu-¡° ¡°Shu?¡± She began saying something. Curious as to what it was, I asked her so that she would continue it. ¡°SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± ¡°Woah?!¡± I jumped away in time to avoid the wind blades that she casted which were heading for me. ¡°Hey, calm down!¡± ¡°Shut up, you idiot!!!!¡± ¡°Now its fireballs?!¡± With my inhuman speed, I¡¯m able to escape from the range of her fireballs. But the time it takes for her chant spells is too short. I haven¡¯t even heard her say a spell¡¯s name either. ¡°Not spells¡­¡­¡­so could it be inherent abilities?¡± Thinking about it carefully, it¡¯s also a possible reason. Spells, from a simplistic point of view, were created with magic to achieve the goal of replicating various abilities animals and miasmic creatures could do naturally. ¡°Who knew wind blade could be an ability as well. !¡± Casting the transparent wall, her attacks were being blocked consecutively. ¡°Alright, now that that¡¯s out of the way for now.¡± My intention was to stop her movements and escape without worry. But, ¡°!!!¡± EH?!?!?!?!?!?! There was such a spell as that?!?!?! Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean as long as a mage knew of my skill and when I would use it on them, my skill would be practically useless then?!?! ¡°Eh?¡± I let out a dumb voice. Yes, that¡¯s right. That logic only applied to if the enemy knew the moment I would use it on them. So how did this Dragon know I was going to use it on her? She notices my wondering look, as her face seemed to be showing a smug look. ¡°Oh my, oh my. Is it safe to say that you don¡¯t know what I just did? Or maybe it¡¯s because you don¡¯t know how I figured out the timing of your skill? Such a shame, such a shame. Hahahahaha!!!¡± For a young girl, she sure is confident. ¡°Well, since you seem like a strong guy, I¡¯ll tell you if, and it¡¯s a big if, you beat me.¡± Saying those words with a face that was underestimating me, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll make sure not to leave a scar on your body.¡± I replied with those foreboding words. ¡°Eh? Scar? Eh?¡± Ignoring her, I jumped at her. Thanks to my peerless strength and the various effects of my skill, the distance between us was closed in an instant. ¡°Eeeeeeeh?!?!?! How did you---¡± Raising my right fist, since I left my sword on the ground to avoid injuring her too much, it impacted with her body. The sensation of punching a steel wall was sent throughout my body, but I didn¡¯t mind it too much since there was no sense of pain whatsoever from the action. The Dragon¡¯s body went crashing down into the forest below. Trees and other objects were sent flying as she skidded to a halt. ¡°.¡± As the name implied, this spell created small platforms made out of air from the user¡¯s surroundings. It is usually used as steps to smoothly go up or down into the air. Casting the spell for its intended use, I hurried down to where the Dragon¡¯s body lay. === BOOM!!!!!!!! A large gust of winds sweeps through the entire town of Gramsfer as I was walking back from the marketplace. Taking care not to damage any of the purchased goods, I look around for the source of the unnatural occurrence. There. In the distance, a large mushroom cloud was forming somewhere deep in the forest. ¡°Hey, could it be?¡± ¡°You mean the ¡®Forest¡¯s Killer¡¯?¡± ¡°No doubt about it. It¡¯s got to be that!¡± ¡°Did some idiot try to take it on all by himself?¡± ¡°No way would that ever happen!!!¡± ¡°But, what if someone does then that thing goes for the town?!¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to---¡± I travel back down the road to the inn. Considering the circumstances, yes. It is indeed this ¡®Forest¡¯s Killer¡¯ that is the cause of the sudden gust of wind and the mushroom cloud. It is also correct that someone was taking it on by himself. HOWEVER! That person is no idiot. And there is also no chance of that thing going after this town. Subordination Magic. Aside from being able to transform into a form belonging to the master¡¯s race, the subordinate can also sense if they¡¯re master is in danger ignoring the distance between the two. One of the reasons it was considered a somewhat superior version to slavery magic. ¡°Now then, before I continue¡­¡­is there something that person hiding behind the corner would like to say?¡± Announcing in a loud voice after reaching a part of the road with few people, a figure walks out of a building¡¯s shadow. ¡°Oh my. To have seen through my stealth magic, mister butler must have extraordinary magic perception!¡± The waitress from the bar says calmly. ¡°I accept your praise. However, isn¡¯t it uncomfortable to confront me in that form¡­¡­¡­¡¯Explosive Magician¡¯.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicks her tongue but I ignore it. Until now, I still do not know the strength of normal people in this age and neither does master. So in the case of someone to be acknowledged as a powerful existence such as the person in front of me, I couldn¡¯t help but be cautious. The figure of the waitress is enveloped in light. Seconds pass and it slowly disappears. ¡®Explosive Magician¡¯. This person was now standing in front of me. Her characteristics were vastly different from the waitress who was working in the bar a few hours ago. Although she looked to still be a young girl around 15 or 16 years of age, she now had long brown hair tied into a ponytail at her back, analytical brown eyes which were watching my every movement and a mature face that showed just how serious she was in her line of work. But none of these could compete with what could be her most outstanding features. Her body could be said to belong to only the upper echelons of beauty in this world. Further proving this claim was the most noticeable difference between her disguise and her true self. Whereas her disguise only had a moderate chest at most, her real self¡¯s chest was...... To describe it accurately, most mage¡¯s wore robes instead of armor to help with the emphasis of movement. Normally, these robes fitted perfectly to the mage¡¯s body. However, this was only true to mages with the usual body proportions. For people like the ¡®Explosive Magician¡¯ whose bodies were ¡®extravagant¡¯ and ¡®abundant in health¡¯, the robe would be visibly tight around the chest area. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.But for the person in front of him, her chest looked as if it would explode out of her robe any moment now. Even the slightest movement and it would do the most beautiful dance any man could witness in his life. As master¡¯s subordinate, I must not be defeated by such lowly temptations¡­¡­. As a man however, my eyes could do nothing but to be attracted to the marvelous treat laid out in front of me. ¡°Mhm! I see. I see now!!!¡± ¡°Eh? What is it? What do you see? You¡¯ve been strangely quiet for a while now mister butler!¡± Sensing something wrong, the girl slightly backed away from me. ¡°Oh. Nothing. Nothing important. I was just thinking that the title of ¡®Explosive Magician¡¯ suited someone by the likes of you!¡± I told her straightforwardly. ¡°Eh? Eh?!?!?! Pl-please stop! I hate that title! I HATE IT!!!¡± As if on reflex, her arms moved to hold her chest as she backed away slowly with a red face. Consequently though, this only emphasized the size of her chest even more. Feeling sorry for her and having had my fill for the day, ¡°Now, now, calm down. I was merely wasting time. And so, what business do you have with this lowly butler?¡± ¡°Huh? Eh? Ah, yes!¡± Having remembered her original objective, she regained her calm and dignified appearance. She took hold of the staff on her back and pointed it at me. ¡°Kuroga, self-proclaimed butler and companion of Helgas¡¯ hero, Sir Kinji Shirokawa! Under the order of her majesty, Princess Stephaly Helgas, you will be captured and brought back to the royal capital, Dravint, by me, Haylee Drind, a royal mage under the personal command of the princess herself!!!¡± Saying a long string of words meant to be a capture order, I stood in silence. ¡°He-hey! Say something!!!¡± Oh, she¡¯s blushing. Is she embarrassed from saying all those things earlier? Well, I don¡¯t know how things have changed in this country but if you¡¯re not able to shout all those without getting embarrassed afterwards, please don¡¯t say them at all. Just having a similar style of combat made me pity her. ¡°Does that mean it is safe to assume that you will use any means to capture me, even force?¡± ¡°Of course! In the first place, I was sure that there would be no other way after all! And I¡¯m also sure that the cause of that huge spectacle over at the forest is due to your master, the hero, am I right?¡± What a sharp mind. Though it is truly disheartening for her to have such conflicting traits. ¡°Then, with all due respect, please come at me.¡± Gently placing the recently bought goods on the ground, I release half of my magic power that I have been keeping in check. ¡°This---such a huge amount of magic power!!!¡± ¡°Oh my, please don¡¯t be intimidated by this much. Now, will you make the first move, or I?¡± ¡°Hmph! I will accept that offer then!¡± I could sense magic power within her being transferred to the staff. Her lips were moving in accordance with the chant of the spell she was preparing. ¡°Now! !¡± Wha?! To use such a spell in a populated area?! ¡°!!!¡± Two spells were casted at almost the same time. In an almost deserted area of the town, a grand battle between two exceedingly powerful mages went unnoticed. === ¡°Here, here, here!!!¡± My fists were getting faster and faster in attacking the grounded Dragon who could nothing but use her tail to block against my attacks. ¡°Guh!!! Don¡¯t get full of yourself!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± The spikes on her tail flew out, heading towards me. I was able to dodge the first 4, but one hit the ground in front of me, knocking me back with the last one hitting me square in the chest. ¡°Bgah!!!!!¡± Iron. My mouth tasted iron from that one attack. ¡°It hurts!!!!!!!! !¡± A golden glow covered the area where blood was gushing out. To think I¡¯d have this much hard of a time so early. This is only for those overpowered protagonists, you know?! But, in a sense, I am sort of overpowered. My skill is, but I thought my power would be much higher than anyone else in this world. What¡¯s the point of the ¡®peerless¡¯ in my peerless strength?! ¡­... Wait a minute! Thinking that I might have figured out something, I tried running into the forest to buy myself time to think. ¡°Yeah¡­..nope¡­¡­not happening!¡± Shouting as I jumped into the air to avoid a massive fireball, the Dragon chased after me. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!!!¡± She grabbed me with her forelegs! Without realizing that she was using too much strength in holding me, she threw me down to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not dying yet! !!!¡± Just before hitting the ground, I land on a soft pack of air. She was just hovering above me. Probably waiting for my next move. But what she just did proved my hypothesis. Comparing my fight with Stephaly and this Dragon, I figured out what the purpose of the ¡®peerless¡¯ was in my strength and magic power. They were both truly worlds apart from most people in this world. But like how I learned of people being able to bridge the gap between others with high stats by levelling. That was the same for this Dragon. Though it wasn¡¯t really at the same level, it was close enough that she¡¯s able to deal me damage and even kill me. Also, unlike magic power which could only increase through meditation and the like, strength was something gained by training the body and going through harsh experiences. The strength I had now was gained due to Libreria¡¯s, a god¡¯s, gift. So although my attacks did have extraordinary power in them, it was not the same with my body. Which is why my peerless strength could do only so much for my introvert-conditioned body. ¡°So I¡¯ll also have to train in this world, huh. Who knew even I would need to put some effort.¡± I was too reliant on Libreria¡¯s gifts. I thought I could live life here without putting so much effort like how it was back on Earth. But no, even the summoned heroes, I¡¯m sure they had to put lots of effort to be able to put up a fight with the Demons in the frontlines. Yes, this isn¡¯t some light novel or anime where I can solve everything with a snap of my fingers. Even my skill which has the potential to stop time can be countered. Nothing in this world was truly overpowered nor unbeatable. Sooner or later, even Stephaly will be able to catch up to me. And then¡­¡­¡­and then¡­¡­.. ¡°With speed comes greater power, is what I remember from my days in school, I think.¡± Then so, even if it will put too much burden on my body, if I don¡¯t do this then I won¡¯t be able to beat her. ¡°Since you don¡¯t seem to be too keen on moving!!!¡± She dived down from the air. But, if I were to say this, it was already too late. Even I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll both get out of this unscathed but I have already made up my mind. ¡°DIE!!!!!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± A huge tremor resulted from that attack. It was so strong, that even towns farther away felt it. No one at that time thought that anything more powerful than that could occur. But in contrast to those thoughts, this tremor could only be called the curtain rising on the two¡¯s real battle. 7: Resolution of Two Shows Gramsfer, one of many towns that are spread out in the country of Helgas. This town prided itself in its stable economy and safe environment due to being close to the country¡¯s royal capital. Most people even say that if you wanted to find something exciting to do, avoid this town at all costs. However, today these words described nothing of what was happening. Tremors and strong winds suddenly appeared, originating from the town¡¯s nearby forest. Meanwhile, inside the town, an invisible dome-like barrier appeared preventing anyone from passing through. Just after this barrier appeared, a bright white light flashed inside. The fact that people could not see or enter into it made the reason behind its appearance unknown to everyone. Everyone except for the two presences inside it. One is a girl of around 15 to 16 years old with a beautiful face, curvaceous body and large chest facing off against a man around his 20s wearing a butler uniform and remarkable features collapsed against a building¡¯s wall. ¡°For all that talk earlier, you couldn¡¯t even---wha?!¡± The first one to speak is the girl, Haylee Drind. Being sure of her victory, she spoke of her own accord. However, ¡°Has the quality and etiquette of mages reduced in these past thousand years?¡± Rising from his collapsed state, the man in the butler uniform, Kuroga, slowly stood up. Smoke rose up from his right hand which blocked the earlier spell launched at him by the girl. ¡°To use such a powerful spell in a populated area, and without even first casting an isolating spell.¡± A look of disappointment was shown on his face. But the girl could only look at him flabbergasted. Considering the destructive capability of the spell she just used, to block it only with a hand while simultaneously casting a large scale isolation spell¡­¡­ ¡°You! Tell me! What is your true identity?! To say that you¡¯re simply a butler is bull---¡± ¡°Stop right there. A lady such as yourself should refrain from saying crude words. But very well, I will once again introduce myself.¡± Taking a bow, he spoke in a calm manner, ¡°My name is Kuroga. A butler under the servitude of the hero of Helgas, my master, Kinji Shirokawa. However, you may also know me by a different persona.¡± Tension flowed through the air. Neither party showing any sign of moving from their spot. ¡°I was once known as the head of the royal court magicians¡­¡­of the now lost ancient country of Vanyali.¡± Time seemed to slow down for Haylee. The man in front of him introduced himself as Kuroga. But it wasn¡¯t those words that left her speechless, it was the words after that. ¡°Head¡­¡­Magician¡­¡­.? ¡­¡­Van¡­¡­.yali¡­¡­..¡± Those words revolved around in her head. She found it hard to believe in those words even though his words had no hint of deception within them. ¡°Impossible¡­¡­..That¡¯s just¡­¡­..impossible!!!¡± Yes, that¡¯s impossible! These thoughts swirled in her. Vanyali was destroyed a thousand years ago by a civil way incited by its neighboring countries. There were also no records of any known survivors, its lands were reduced to a barren wasteland and even its prized treasures disappeared. For one such survivor of that advanced magical country to appear now of all times!!! ¡°It appears that you have no intentions of believing me. Then¡­¡­¡± His words snapped her back to reality. Preparing herself for his attack, she heightened her concentration to its limits. ¡°.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Two spells clashed. One bearing the appearance of millions of shadowy tiny creatures while the other was a transparent wall with its sole purpose being to protect its user. ¡°Guh!!!¡± But the wall proved no match to the endless swarm of charging darkness. Haylee found herself being pushed back. Soon, she would be back to back with the wall behind her. ¡°!!!!!¡± With where she stood being the center, an explosion of heat expanded outwards. Burning every single one of the tiny creatures as it headed for the man in front of her. ¡°I praise your efforts. But I must also retaliate in return, forgive me. .¡± One word. A one word spell. In that one word spell contained one of the most powerful spells known in this world. ¡®Repel¡¯. Just like its name suggested, anything the user deemed a target would be repelled without resistance. If Infernal Burst is a 5th ranked spell that could only be used by the most skilled of mages, then Repel belongs to a rank even higher than that. Rightfully belonging to the rank only less than 1% of all of the world¡¯s most powerful and skilled mages in history could use, a Myth ranked spell. The blazing inferno headed for him disappeared into nothing, as if it was never there in the beginning. Collapsing on her knees, she had used up most of her magic power from casting the 5th ranked spell. ¡°Since you are in a state incapable of continuing the fight, I will take my leave now.¡± Walking away as if nothing happened, Haylee could do nothing but lean against the wall while watching the man now known as Kuroga dispel the barrier and disappear from her sight. === The world shook. A powerful force caused the lands to shake in a violent manner. Then many times after, it shook again. Over and over, the next one being stronger than the last. People who were in the town of Gramsfer would later pass down stories of how these tremors were strongest in the nearby forest of their town. How the ¡®Forest¡¯s Killer¡¯ had fought an ¡®Unknown Adversary¡¯ for superiority of the land. During this time, only few people would know the true happenings. Of course, these were only stories. And stories, through the passage of time, will have details become distorted, exaggerated or removed. But this isn¡¯t the event recounted in the stories passed down by men. No, this is the simple story of how a summoned hero encountered and fought with a hot headed Dragon. === The Dragon dived down with its foreleg in the shape of a fist. Its target was, of course, me. ¡°DIE!!!!!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± In retaliation to her approaching figure, I clenched my fist. Just as she reached me, with no intention of losing, my fist collided with hers. The result was a tremor that would shake even the foundations of towns far away. But I wouldn¡¯t learn of this until much later. ¡°For you to be able to go up against me. You¡¯re not bad! However!!!¡± Landing a few steps away from me, her mouth opened and let out an excruciating roar. ¡°Come! !!!¡± Several human-shaped figures made out of fire appeared. Coming out of her mouth, they all charged at me with their burning bodies. ¡°Guh! !¡± As a faint orange glow covered my body, I went up against the fiery figures. Each one took just one hit to dissipate. However, I could still feel the heat they released and their numbers were endless. ¡°!¡± Deafening sounds were released from my opened hand. Dispersing them as it neared the Dragon. ¡°Not bad! Not bad at all!!!¡± Shouting while withstanding my attack, I couldn¡¯t help but praise the Dragon race¡¯s tolerance to damage. But I¡¯m not done yet! I quickly left my previous position and was now in the air behind her. It seems she hasn¡¯t noticed yet, seeing as she was still staring at my afterimage. Casting Solid Air while midair, I change directions and spin to put momentum on my axe kick. Her back grew larger in my sights. Then it was covered in black. ¡°Guh!!!¡± I felt my leg numbing. If I hadn¡¯t enhanced my reaction time, my body would have been sent flying again. The ground below her caved in, forming a crater big enough for an entire village. Just when I had landed, her tail came after me. Barely making it in time, I raise both my arms to shield myself. Again, numbness courses through my body and the ground collapses under me. ¡°You¡¯re pretty durable, are you really a human?¡± Before she could retract her tail, I grab it. My hands only able to grasp half of it. ¡°Now!!!¡± ¡°Hmph! A human cannot-----?!?!?!¡± Her tail squirmed in my hands, trying to escape. With my skill, maybe now I can finish this fight. Though I¡¯m not sure on how my body will react to it. Honestly, I¡¯ve been too scared to experiment on anything else except with the speed option. Even though it was my request for this kind of skill, it¡¯s still scary when you¡¯re unsure of its full potential. Next is, With this, I¡¯ll be able to switch its quantitative values without using the entire command. But it can only be used for one command at a time. If I use it on another one, the former will be overwritten. I guess it¡¯s to be expected. Guess Libreria had to balance it out one way or another. <<-3>> ¡°Wha?!?!?!?!?!¡± Effortlessly, I pulled her as if she weighed almost nothing. Continuing with her momentum, I turned around and threw her back to the ground. <<2>> Just before colliding, her weight immediately increases, ¡°Guaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!¡± Unleashing an indistinct scream from the pain. Red blood was coughed out from her gaping mouth. But I wasn¡¯t done yet. <<-3>> Lifting her once again, I ran through the forest with her behind me. ¡°He-hey!!! Wait, time! I-I¡¯m sorry alreadyyyyyyyy!!!!!¡± Turning to look at her at those words, the eyes and mouth were not in sync in any way. Continuing my run, I could see the side of the mountain where she flew out from. A twenty or so miles before reaching it, I put force into my feet and stop. Immediately after, I rotate on my heels. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!¡± From the look on her eyes, she looked ready to puke. Preparing myself in case that happens, I slowly lessen the strength in my grip on her tail. ¡°There!!!¡± Finally letting go of her tail, she¡¯s sent flying. The speed being too fast for her to stop or change directions. <<0>> Deciding that it would have been too painful if she stayed on course with her current weight, I return it back to normal. Staying true to that mindset, I also change the skill¡¯s effects on me to normal as well. BAAAAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!! Debris flew from the side of the mountain where I threw her into. Chunks of rock as wide as tables were sent flying everywhere. ¡°.¡± I grabbed a vial filled with blood red liquid, this world¡¯s version of a health potion, and ran to the ruined site. ¡°Uuuu-----¡± Getting closer, I heard a moan. Or was it a cry? ¡°Uuuuuuuuuuuu---------¡± It¡¯s getting louder. Does it mean she¡¯s still alright after all that? No, wait, it would be bad if she wasn¡¯t alright. She¡¯s part of the Dragons I¡¯ve always wanted to see, after all. Carefully approaching her, I¡¯m able to see her lying figure through the smoke. What?! Why is she still huge? Remembering the words from a book called ¡°Only Known Facts About Dragons, it said that Dragons who are defeated or in near-defeat will transform back into their humanoid forms. This is because Dragons use enormous amounts of magic power to maintain their Dragon forms while in combat. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. So is she still capable of combat? But I¡¯m too close to her, even if I¡¯m able to use my skill, I¡¯ll only be able to enact two command at most. Should I raise my endurance? Or my strength? ¡°Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-------------¡± She started moving. The smoke had already dissipated so I could see her entire body clearly. Her face was glaring at me. Her eyes were becoming red. I could already see the future that awaited me. Preparing myself for the worst, the Dragon, ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!¡± Began crying. ¡°Eh? Huh?¡± ¡°Uwaaaaah!!!! It hurts!!!! Uwaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!¡± Surprisingly, even Dragons can cry huh. But the image of a large Dragon crying with the voice of a young girl is just¡­¡­ ¡°O-okay, okay! Wait, drink this. Drink it and the pain will go away!!!!!!¡± I run up to her and wave the vial in front of her. She whimpered a bit before speaking. ¡°W-weally?¡± Damn it, the visuals and audio aren¡¯t matching at all!!!!!!!!!! ¡°Y-yeah, so drink it already!¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡­¡­¡± I pour the vials contents into her mouth. Suppressing the urge to pull back my arm, the vial soon become empty. ¡°S-so, are you alright now?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡­¡± Seeing this as my chance to leave, ¡°We-well then, I think it¡¯s okay to forget about what just happened. So then---¡± ¡°Wait.¡± My body freezes midway from walking away. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Let me go with you.¡± Panicking from her words, my inhuman brain starts thinking of several excuses to reject her request, no, order. But considering she survived all my attacks, I ultimately conceded. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any merit in it for you but sure.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± She stepped closer upon hearing my approval. ¡°Y-yeah. But could you transform into your other form first? It¡¯ll be problematic if people see a Dragon walking into town.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean ¡®transform¡¯?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Only the sound of the wind blowing could be heard for several seconds. ¡°Wait, wait, wait. Don¡¯t Dragons have the ability to transform?¡± ¡°Haaaah?! Who told you that? Ability? If it¡¯s transform, then shouldn¡¯t it be a magic spell or something?¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a Dragon, right?¡± She nods back in confirmation. ¡°It¡¯s said that Dragons have, since the beginning, the ability to transform at will. They¡¯re even supposed to transform back unwillingly when bested in combat.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh!!!!!!!!¡± It seems she figured out what I was talking about. ¡°That¡¯s not an ability! It¡¯s a magic spell, ¡®Substitution Magic¡¯ to be precise.¡± Substitution Magic? Skimming through all the books of magic spells I memorized, I found it. Only one such spell exists. This spell created a living body of any race the user desired. Their consciousness would be transferred into this body while the original body enters a state of hibernation. ¡°So, that means, for hundreds of years, Dragons have only been using a magic spell and no one ever realized that it¡¯s just a spell?!¡± ¡°Yep! I think the only reason the other races created that story was because long ago, my great-great-great-great-great¡­¡­¡­.grandfather once fought against every other race¡¯s strongest representatives. In the end, he got sleepy and faked his defeat, using Substitution Magic to take his place.¡± The words she was saying contradicted every single thing I¡¯ve read back in Dravint¡¯s royal library. ¡°And so, to save face, historians exaggerated the representatives¡¯ actions, wrote in books that Dragons could transform thus explaining my ancestor¡¯s fake body. Oh, and unlike other Dragons, my ancestor had the skill to utilize multiple consciousness so he could move his original body while having a dozen or so fake ones.¡± Amazing. Dragons are really amazing. ¡°Ha. Hahahaha¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± I could only laugh sadly at the facts thrown at me. ¡°So that means, no matter how hard I fought, I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat you¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean, you had several other trump cards, right? Considering you were able to survive my amplified attacks, no way I could have won by other means without harming myself.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­..I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°What, exactly, am I misunderstanding?¡± Unconsciously, I glared at her. Even with her menacing figure, I noticed the way she shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Errr¡­..well¡­¡­it¡¯s just that you did beat me¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Earlier, I couldn¡¯t even move, much less retaliate.¡± ¡°Eh? But you were able to move immediately afterwards, right?¡± ¡°That was only because of that.¡± Raising her claw slightly, it was pointing at the empty vial in my hand. ¡°This?¡± ¡°Yes. It isn¡¯t any type of energy elixir I¡¯ve ever had. More like, where did you even get that? Its purity is unreal.¡± Where I got it, huh. I think it was in a box hidden under the gold in Kuroga¡¯s cave. Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­ ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, without this you would have remained there until you regained enough energy to move?¡± ¡°Most probably, there was even a chance of death since I would be unable to fight back against the roaming miasmic creatures.¡± ¡°H-ha¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Now then, about my coming with you!!!¡± Oh right, I completely forgot about that. The harsh reality presented to me in an already sword and magic world was too much for me to handle. ¡°Make me your subordinate!!!¡± Exclaiming proudly, she puffed out her chest and looked at me expectantly. ¡°O-okay¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.wait! How do you know I have Subordination Magic?!¡± ¡°Oh, so you do have it! I wasn¡¯t really sure, but for someone to be able to hold that cursed vial without any repercussions is sure to have learned tons of forbidden magic by now.¡± ¡°Re-really? Then, I guess I¡¯ll do it then¡­¡­.¡± I think I heard some other extraordinary realization but I decide to ignore it for now. No use becoming too flustered from all the unbelievable things in an unbelievable world. Raising my hand, I voicelessly cast the Subordination Magic. This magic is one of the few spells where it is not required to voice out the chant or its name. However, it could only be used when both parties have reached an agreement of their respective positions. While the master could issue any command to his subordinates, the latter could ignore this without any backlash. This was a somewhat perfectly safe variant of Slavery magic no matter what angle you looked at it from. In fact, the only reason it¡¯s considered a forbidden magic unlike its original spell is because of the transformation it gave the subordinate not found in any other spell of its kind. With the spell activating, a faint blue aura wrapped around the both of us. Next, a string of similar color came out of my hand and connected to her head. Magic power flowed out of me and made the string grow brighter and brighter. Light soon enveloped her entire body. Now then, what appearance will you show me, Dragon? Considering her voice, she could possibly end up with a body of those little girls, lolis, I think. But with Kuroga, who had the voice of an old man in his original form, he ended up with his current form and received a new voice. We tested it before arriving in Gramsfer and his new voice still remained in his lich king form. I don¡¯t want to be labelled a ¡®lolicon¡¯ so I silently prayed to Libreria that this would be a similar case with Kuroga¡¯s. Slowly, the figure of a Dragon enveloped in light grew smaller. It was becoming the size of a normal human girl. At least the gender¡¯s still the same. Is what I was thinking while watching her grow smaller. Oh, wait, I need to bring out clothes for her. Casting Extra Dimension, I rummage through the items I took from Kuroga¡¯s cave. The light was almost completely gone now. I had finally found a suitable gown with a coat when the light disappeared. Moving with speed uncommon for humans, I¡¯m able to cover up her naked figure without any incident. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­.this form isn¡¯t so bad. Yep, I like it!!!¡± Although the voice which spoke is different, it did come from the direction of where the Dragon is. ¡°Hey, Kinji, could you teach me how to wear the thing you¡¯re covering me with?¡± Wait, did I ever tell her my name? Without looking at her direction, ¡°Umm¡­..sorry if I might have forgotten, but did I tell you my name beforehand?¡± ¡°Hmn? Nope. Your name just popped into my head after my transformation.¡± ¡°O-oh.¡± Now that I think about it, Kuroga never called me by name so there¡¯s no reason I would find out before now. ¡°Hey, Kinji!!! Look at me and teach me how!!!¡± She was really close so her loud voice was really painful to my ears. Reluctantly, I turned my head to face her. ¡­¡­..Sister¡­¡­.. A single word filled my head when I saw her new appearance. Slightly messy black hair that ended just above her shoulders. Lively black eyes and a face that contradicted with my ¡®normal¡¯ appearance, emphasizing her beauty and lively nature. In terms of physique, her body was normal for girls at what looked like her age. A moderate chest, slim waist and fair skin. She was only half a head shorter than me. She could most definitely pass off as my sister, although a superior one at that. ¡°Then, does that mean I get to call you Kinji-onii-san?¡± Flashing a smile that showed a mischievous nature. I could only sigh at this. ¡°Sure. Do what you want¡­¡­.errrr¡­¡­¡­¡­what¡¯s your name again?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡­¡± Briefly showing a sad look, she leans in closer at me with shining eyes. ¡°Give me one!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Like I said, give me one!¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, don¡¯t you have one?!¡± ¡°Nope! My parents were never around when I still lived back in my country so I never had the chance to learn it.¡± ¡°I-I see. But is it really okay to replace the one they gave you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay! I mean, technically, I¡¯m not a member of the Dragon race or their country anyway.¡± Did she just say something¡­¡­¡­never mind. Going along with what she said, I think of different names. I was never the type to make up good names, so this is somewhat the hardest thing I¡¯ve gone through in this world. Her Dragon form was black. Even her current appearance had black hair and eyes. But Kuroga already has that in his name. How about the opposite then? ¡°Shi¡­¡­¡­¡­Shiromi, then?¡± ¡°Shiro¡­¡­mi?¡± She pondered on that name for a while. Then, ¡°Yeah! I really like it! Shiromi! My name¡¯s Shiromi!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it! Then, let¡¯s head back to town if you¡¯re all ready to go.¡± ¡°Alright! From now on, I¡¯ll be in your care, Kinji-onii-san!!!¡± In the words of retro-style RPGs, ¡®Shiromi has now joined your party¡¯ And with this, I have gained another companion in my journey in this world. ===== A/N: Thank you once again to everyone who has read this far! Various events happened that lead to me not being able to update the story in the past few days. Also, for those worrying the mc will develop some sort of fetish, worry not!!! Although what that means, I''ll leave it in the air. Again, thank you to everyone and good day!!! 8: New Findings A/N: Good day everyone! Starting this chapter, things will probably take a slow/relaxing turn for the 3 Wanderers (not official group name). Also, pretty short chapter today, my apologies. So, once again, good day and enjoy! ===== ¡°Hey, hey, Kinji-onii-san.¡± ¡°What is it, Shiromi?¡± ¡°Level.¡± ¡°Hmn? Level, what about it?¡± ¡°Yours. What¡¯s your level?¡± From her question, I freeze. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Errr¡­uhhhhh¡­¡­.nope, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Really? Then---¡± ¡°By the way Shiromi, what¡¯s your level right now?¡± I catch her off guard, she looks around flustered before turning to face me again. Before making our way back to Gramsfer, the town Kuroga and I are currently residing in, I taught her how to dress herself. Of course, I did my best not to peek at her naked figure however some events caused me to get really close to her¡­¡­¡­¡­privacy. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s her lack of common sense or it¡¯s just a Dragon thing¡­¡­. ¡°Before I left Farbrent, I think I was around level 400.¡± ¡°Wha?!¡± She looks at me confused. Thinking I was the one weird for being surprised at her level. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s pretty high.¡± ¡°Really? Oh yeah, ¡®Kinji-onii-san¡¯ is too long. Can I shorten it to Kinji-nii instead?¡± Having succeeded in derailing the topic, I agree to her request. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll lose anything from it anyway. ¡°But still, for our fight to have damaged the forest this badly¡­¡­I wonder if the guild will put up more requests because of this.¡± After walking for a few minutes, I notice the collateral damage we dealt to the battlefield. Honestly speaking though, the most noticeable ones were caused by me. In the forms of craters from either me exchanging blows with Shiromi or me running at incredible speeds while carrying her. Okay. Got it. For Strength Parameter Control, 5 is off-limits if I don¡¯t want to unintentionally destroy everything. Carving it into my heart, I continue walking while avoiding the large holes. === ¡°Alright, there¡¯s the town.¡± By the time Shiromi and I arrived at the front of Gramsfer, the sun was already setting. There¡¯s around 3 more hours until my meet up with Kuroga, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s alright to just wander around with a girl outdoors after dark. Thinking about it though, I don¡¯t have anything particular I want to do. Well, Shiromi probably wants to do something. As I was going through my thoughts, I hear soft growl behind me. Thinking it was just some small animal, I turn around and only see Shiromi, who had both of her hands on her stomach and face that was turning red. Oh. Patting her head, which is easy for me who¡¯s half a head taller than her, ¡°I¡¯m pretty hungry. Want to come with me Shiromi?¡± Her face brightens up at my question. ¡°Mmm!!!¡± Thanks to my skill, we were able to get in through the gate with no problem. She didn¡¯t react to everyone not moving, so I guess she can¡¯t detect skills if it¡¯s not being used on her. ¡°Which reminds me¡­¡± ¡°What is it Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Remember back then, around the start of the fight?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She tilts her head at my question, her wondering eyes staring at me. ¡°Your magic, Anti-Skill, was it? How did you know when to use it at that time?¡± ¡°Oh, that!¡± As if she just remembered it, she plopped her hand onto the palm of her other hand. ¡°Well, for now, I¡¯m hungry. Kinji-nii!!! Feed me!¡± Pointing her finger at me while sprouting a cheerful smile. ¡°Fine, fine. I know a good restaurant around the corner, okay?¡± Really, what is this feeling d¨¦j¨¤ vu I¡¯m having? === ¡°You shee, I hafsh thish yunish---¡± ¡°Shiromi, swallow before speaking.¡± Stuffing herself with the food laid out in front of her, I reminded her before continuing. An entire mug of juice is instantly gulped down into her mouth. ¡°So, I have this unique that lets me know when someone¡¯s about to use a skill on me.¡± ¡°Unique?¡± ¡°Yep, a unique!¡± We both stare at each other. I, thinking there was more to her explanation, and her, who probably thought that was all that was needed. ¡°Eh, Kinji-nii, do you not know what uniques are?¡± I nod my head. ¡°Heh~, I wasn¡¯t expecting that from you. I thought you, of all people, would know what they are.¡± Listening to her words that seemed to be stabbing my dignity, I continued listening to her. Hmn? I seem to recall a book back in Dravint, ¡®Knowledge of the Unique¡¯. To think it wasn¡¯t some autobiography or something. The fact that I let widely known information slip past me, ah-ah, what a blunder. ¡°Well, in simple terms, uniques are skills that cannot be gained through training or studying.¡± Taking a plate of spaghetti with a blue sauce, ¡°The only way to gain these is through levelling. Of course, figuring out how to use it is up to you.¡± She seems to be enjoying this. Or maybe it¡¯s the food. She¡¯s taking in all the food we¡¯ve ordered so far. Good thing I had Kuroga sell all the materials I¡¯ve gotten on the way here these past few days. ¡°When a person is born, they automatically receive a unique. This can either be ¡®potential¡¯, which does not need a command to activate, or ¡®kinetic¡¯, which requires the user¡¯s conscious decision to activate. It¡¯s normal for various people to have somewhat similar or even the same unique. An example of this happening is within those of the same race, as the unique acquired can be influenced by many things.¡± Pausing once again, she grabs the plate of fish meat from the waitress¡¯s hands and begins munching on them. ¡°One is the person¡¯s race. Other races have specific uniques that are essential in their day to day lives. Another is their personality, or ambition. If these are strong enough, then they overwrite their race¡¯s priority thus acquiring a rarer unique than normal. Lastly¡­¡­¡± She looks down for a moment. It was really only for a moment, as she looked back up at me again. But in that moment, I swear I saw sadness and regret in her eyes. ¡°¡­¡­is the will of the gods.¡± ¡°Hmn? Gods? Like heroes or something?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­..and no.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes, heroes do gain uniques due to being sent here by the gods themselves. However, most of the time, their uniques are too powerful and impossible to acquire in this world.¡± Unconsciously, I clench my hand under the table. Too powerful¡­¡­¡­¡­huh. ¡°But from time to time, the gods will grant a few people here with a unique that will assist them in their life and usually, that person becomes more powerful than the people around them. In the past, most heroes¡¯ companions were people like this.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.¡°So, these people are treated better than the rest?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Most of the time¡­¡­¡­.However, there are instances¡­¡­..that these types of people are unwanted. Either because of the danger they pose or because they do not belong. This happened the most 800 years ago, when uniques weren¡¯t widely known and most were simply treated as race traits within people. It was only when the first hero, whose party only consisted of people with powerful uniques, united the entire continent that uniques started becoming common knowledge and rare unique holders were able to live somewhat normal lives.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­see.¡± The atmosphere in our table suddenly became awkward, so I didn¡¯t know how continue the conversation with her. It was then that I noticed the outside had become dark and the stars were twinkling in the sky. ¡°Shiromi!!!¡± ¡°Y-yes, Kinji-nii?!¡± She was probably deep in thought, as she was surprised when I called out to her. ¡°Eat faster! We still have to go somewhere!¡± ¡°Eh? Eh? Go? Where?¡± ¡°No talking, just eat.¡± I said, while hurriedly finishing the food on my plate. Shiromi too, followed my lead and ate faster. === ¡°So, so, where are we going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to meet up with our other companion.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Noticing that she wasn¡¯t beside me anymore, I turn around. Eh? She¡¯s glaring at me. Not only that, she¡¯s also pouting. Wait, her eyes are watering. Eh? Eh?!?!?! ¡°U-umm¡­¡­.Shiromi, is something wrong?¡± ¡°Not really!!! Hmph!!!¡± And at that, she quickened her pace, forcing me to walk faster so that she was still following me. Hah¡­¡­..don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­¡­..yeah¡­..nope¡­¡­..impossible¡­¡­. Comparing the situation to the usual clich¨¦ from most light novels back in my world, I splendidly decide to ignore it. In no way am I planning on going along with this world¡¯s polygamous society even if it were true!!!!! === Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! The bell in the middle of the town was rung for 6th time today. Seems like he arrived earlier than planned. ¡°Huh? Kinji-nii, is he our other companion?¡± From Shiromi¡¯s choice of words, it¡¯s like he¡¯s the extra one¡­¡­ ¡°Yep.¡± Nearing the man she was referring to, ¡°Hey Kuroga. Any trouble you ran into today?¡± I ask him after the usual greetings. ¡°None that needs your concern master.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­..see¡­¡­..¡± Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. No use in delving in too much, besides I¡¯m mentally tired from the limited-time event today. ¡°Well, let¡¯s head for the inn today. Oh yeah, I guess we¡¯ll need to rent another room, huh?¡± ¡°Another room? Master, might you be referring to this girl following you?¡± He says indifferently while pointing at Shiromi. To this, ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®this girl¡¯!!! The name¡¯s Shiromi!!!¡± She angrily tells him. Kuroga looks at me confusedly. His eyes were asking me as to how he should treat her. ¡°A lot of things happened today. Oh, the story we¡¯re going with for now is that she¡¯s my sister.¡± ¡°H-ha¡­¡­.¡± ¡°By the way Kinji-nii, you still haven¡¯t told me who he is!!!¡± ¡°R-right. As for him, his name is Kuroga. Due to other various circumstances, he is currently my butler.¡± ¡°Butler, huh. Butler?!?!?! Amazing!!!!!! Who knew I would see one of these so early in my life!!!!!!!¡± Eh? Why is she suddenly in extreme joy from hearing Kuroga¡¯s a butler? The more disturbing part though is¡­¡­ ¡°Did she just regard him as an object?¡± Sighing to release the swirling thoughts in my head, I go ahead to the inn. Even though being a few steps ahead of them in a bustling street, I could still hear the contents of their following conversation. ¡°Then, as you will be fulfilling the role of master¡¯s sister, from henceforth I shall be calling you with the title ¡®mistress¡¯. Is this satisfactory?¡± ¡°Eh? Really?! Me?! The mistress?! Mm!!! More than satisfactory!!!!¡± ¡°As you wish mistress.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, Kuro. I¡¯ll be calling you Kuro from now on since Kuroga¡¯s too long, got it?¡± ¡°Yes. It will be as you wish mistress.¡± ¡°Mm! Having a butler¡¯s so amazing! Kinji-nii¡¯s so amazing!!!¡± ¡°Agreed mistress. Master is indeed an astounding existence.¡± Is it me, or did they just find a common ground to agree on? Maybe I should tell them of each other¡¯s real identities? Yeah, maybe later. Let¡¯s rent a room first. === After much deliberation, we ended up in front of one of the most expensive inns in Gramsfer. Considering the piles of gold in my Extra Dimension, I decided it wouldn¡¯t hurt our finances to rent one of these kinds of room. Especially since we have a girl with us now. Entering the room, the difference between the inn room we were living in previously and the one we were in now was like heaven and earth. Well, not really since I¡¯ve actually seen this world¡¯s heaven. Or a part of it, to be accurate. ¡°Wow! The bed¡¯s so soft!!!¡± The first thing Shiromi did was to jump on one of the beds placed in the room. Asking for a room that had enough space for 3 people, the key I was given said that the room was on the 5th floor, the highest one. So, looking out the glass window, which was seemingly difficult to make in this world, gave a breath-taking view of the town at night. Along with this, the floor and walls were made out of marble. There was also a high-class bathroom that used magic stones as a water source. Even the lights were magic stones placed inside specially made transparent containers. As a bonus, we could also order from a provided menu and have the staff deliver it to the room. To order from all the way up here, there was a magic tool that looked like a cross between a telephone and a helmet. It used Telepathy magic to send the customer¡¯s thoughts to the staff operating the receiver. ¡°This place reminds me of those hotels back in my world.¡± ¡°Hey, Kuro! Can you cook something up for me?¡± Also provided was a sort of kitchen area, where Kuroga was currently placing the ingredients he bought earlier today into a safe-like magic tool which continuously casted Ice magic inside. He looked at me in lieu of Shiromi¡¯s order. ¡°Okay. Okay. I¡¯ll cook something right up.¡± ¡°Eh? Kinji-nii, you don¡¯t have to go through all that trouble. Just let Kuro do it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­about that, Shiromi¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± ¡°Kuroga¡­¡­.can¡¯t cook.¡± ¡°What?!?!?!?! Then what''s the point of him being a butler?!?!?!?!?!?!¡± As I told her the truth, those words echoed inside the finely furnished room we were residing in, for now. 9: Day-off? ¡°Food¡¯s done.¡± Placing the plates filled with freshly cooked food on the room¡¯s provided table, I call Shiromi and Kuroga who are in their own rooms doing who knows what. ¡°Coming!¡± ¡°I shall begin preparing the necessary utensils for dinner.¡± While Shiromi sits in her chair, Kuroga grabs the spoons, forks and bowls from a nearby cupboard. ¡°This is a lot Kinji-nii!!! How did you finish all this in 30 minutes?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ll tell you someday.¡± I wave off the question with those words. Truthfully, all I did was use my skill to accelerate my movements and the foods¡¯ cooking times. There¡¯s nothing wrong with using it like that. Just like what Shiromi said, uniques are necessary for a person¡¯s daily living, probably. Dinner for tonight is a stuffed chicken-like creature, salad filled with different fruits and vegetables Kuroga bought and juice made from this world¡¯s version of apples. ¡°Ah¡­¡­..so delicious!!!¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for the meal.¡± Finishing off their meals, they both say their thoughts on it. ¡°Thanks. Kuroga, can you go wash all of this?¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Without waiting even a second, he begins rinsing off all the things we used today. ¡°Kinji-nii, what should I do?¡± Her eyes sparkling at me. I rack through my brain as to what task I should give her. ¡°Um¡­..for now, why don¡¯t you rest? We¡¯re leaving early tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°Okay~~~!¡± She happily returns to her own room. ¡°You too Kuroga. After cleaning all of those, you go sleep as well.¡± ¡°Understood. At what bell should I wake mistress?¡± ¡°Around the 2nd bell. I¡¯ll tell you what the both of you will be doing then.¡± He bows at my orders while I head to my own room. The inside of the room was similar to mine from Earth. Disregarding the lack of modern technology, there was a bookshelf filled with various books, a desk and chair at the side, a small table in the center, a large closet and a regular sized bed. Exchanging my clothes for more appropriate sleepwear, I plop my body on the bed. Comparing this to the bed back in the inn, the softness was just right. The wooden frame could not be felt at any position. The pillows gave just the right angle for there to be no discomfort felt by the neck. I probably won¡¯t be experiencing something as grandiose as this for a while so I decide to cherish this moment. Surrendering myself, my consciousness goes dark. === The next morning, I was already up just after the 1st bell. Since I had nothing in particular I wanted to do, I wasted my time by practicing the conversion of my magic power into the different elements. In this world, the most basic spells consisted of 8 types, or elements. Earth, water, fire, air, lightning, ice, light and dark. Although these 8 elements comprised most spells, there are other spells that either contained a mix of these elements or none at all. For now, I was focusing on manipulating these elements without using any kind of spell. In theory, this was possible. However, the very few who have accomplished this have already passed onto the eternal light so there was no way of passing on their knowledge. Also, this method consumed more magic power than spells so it was mostly discouraged by many mages. But this proved no trouble for me who possesses peerless magic power. With my eyes closed, I tried the most common way from the various light novels on Earth. ¡°I need to imagine the molecules coming together, I think.¡± First was earth. Imagining the molecules in the air clumping together, I feel magic power coming out of me, manipulating the air around me. Next, I imagine the form of the earth I wanted. A simple rock, the size of a fist. One you could find anywhere. It takes a while but I could now sense a lump of rock floating right in front of me. Second was water. Following how I created earth, I imagined the form and image of water. Not too much though as it could soak up the room I was in. Soon, there were 8 small orbs floating around me. The most difficult ones were fire, lightning and dark. As I had no idea what their molecular forms actually looked like, I could only imagine their images and how they behaved. This took longer than expected but here they were, in the shape of orbs, floating around me in a perfect circle. Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Oh, the 2nd bell. It¡¯s time to prepare breakfast then. Dispersing the orbs with my magic power, I leave my room and head for the mini kitchen. Finishing the implementation of my skill, I begin cooking. Around 10 minutes have passed when Kuroga and Shiromi enter my vision. ¡°Kinji-nii, morning!¡± ¡°Good morning master. I apologize for being late. It took time to wake mistress from her slumber.¡± ¡°Geez! I told you not to say anything Kuro!!!¡± I smile at their words. Removing my skill¡¯s effects, ¡°Perfect timing. Kuroga, bring these to the table. Shiromi, take a seat.¡± ¡°Okay~!¡± ¡°As you command.¡± The breakfast I prepared was set on the table. Consisting of white bread with sweet jam spread on it, scrambled eggs and a beef from a cow-like creature. When I had first arrived in Gramsfer, one of the first places we visited was the marketplace. There, I was surprised that this world had several animals that were almost exactly the same as the ones back on Earth. This helped ease my mind on how I would know which animals were safe to eat or not. Even in this world, only the edible animals were sold in the marketplace so no problems arose whatsoever. ¡°Hey, Shiromi. Don¡¯t eat so fast. The food¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Yesh¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Kuroga. That¡¯s too little. Learn how to eat normally now.¡± ¡°My apologies. I will do so.¡± I sigh. Having to teach these two how to blend in with humans from now on, I think I know a bit on how parents feel. Or is it older siblings? No, I was already an older sibling back then but¡­¡­.. ¡°Ugh!!!¡± The headaches started again. I hold my head with a pained expression. ¡°Kinji-nii?!¡± ¡°Master?!¡± Immediately, they raise from their seats and approach me with worried expressions. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. This is something normal, probably.¡± Raising my hand to show them I¡¯m okay, they reluctantly go back to their seats. ¡°By the way, what are your plans for today?¡± Asking them to dissipate the tensed atmosphere, ¡°Well~~~, I wanted to look around town. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been in a place like this~!¡± ¡°Mhm! That¡¯s good. How about you, Kuroga?¡± ¡°My apologies. I have no such arrangements planned for this day.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡± Honestly, letting Shiromi outside alone worries me. Even though she¡¯s strong, she still lacks the common sense of humans. Who knows what thugs might do to a cute girl like her? Maybe I should let Kuroga escort her, I think I have dresses appropriate for nobles in my Extra Dimension. ¡°Okay. Got it. Kuroga, go with Shiromi around town. Go along with the butler story if anyone persistently asks.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡°And Shiromi. I¡¯ll hand you some clothes later. Wear those on your own, got it? Kuroga has some coins with him, so if you want anything, ask him.¡± ¡°Okay~~~!!!¡± She seems happy with the prospect of being able to buy anything she wants. Well, I guess girls will be girls, huh? ¡°Then, master, what will you be doing?¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± Oh right, I haven¡¯t told them yet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll just be in the nearby library. So if you need me, just head there.¡± Yes, after realizing that I might have skipped over important things during my stay in the royal palace, I decided to gather as much as possible no matter how arbitrary they are. ¡°Very well. Then I shall be escorting mistress while master spends his time in the library?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So after you finish cleaning the plates and Shiromi dresses up, let¡¯s all head out, okay?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Saying that, I grab an expensive-looking dress and straw hat and hand them to Shiromi who¡¯s looking curiously at the floating void that I created. ¡°Now, now Shiromi. Hurry up and get dressed. Don¡¯t underestimate Kuroga¡¯s cleaning skills.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± She dashes off into her room with the dress fluttering from the speed. ¡°I guess I should put on other clothes as well.¡± Looking at my shirt and pants that were full of creases, I head for my room. === ¡°Excuse me, is anyone here?¡± As I opened the door, a bell rings indicating my arrival. ¡°Oh my, such a young boy! What brings you here?¡± Greeting me was a woman in her mid-40s. She had blonde hair and a youthful look. ¡°Ah yes, I would just like to browse through all the available books here. Is that okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Not too many people come here anyway. But don¡¯t stay too long, alright? We close by the 5th bell.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Bowing my head to show my gratitude, she returns to the desk by the corner. Seeing the amount of books in this town¡¯s library, I contemplated on whether I should sneak some out with my skill. But I decided against it because if I were to take the woman¡¯s words correct, then if she was to find a missing book, I would be considered as one of the prime suspects. As I was trying to stay incognito for the time being, becoming involved in a crime destroys my very goal. Besides, ¡°I think my brain will be enough for this.¡± Referring to my brain which I had made the target of my skill several times, I had already forgotten which parts of it were affected or not. ¡°At least I¡¯m able to live normally. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± If only I could find a way to counteract those headaches. But no matter how much I raise my brain¡¯s endurance, it¡¯s still unable to prevent them. Oh well, let¡¯s get to reading then. Thinking that the books on magic spells here would be no different from those in the palace¡¯s library, I head for a section that deals with miasmic creatures and adventurers¡¯ tales. Walking along a bookshelf, I skim through the various titles written on the books¡¯ binders. An old journal-like book catches my eye. Carefully taking it out, I read the title crudely written on the cover. ¡°Discrepancies¡± On what? No other words were written. The amount of pages were also few. Could this really be a journal? Looking closer, there are what appears to be blood stains on its edges. Giving in to my curiosity, I open the book. ¡®3rd day, Month of Midert¡¯ Midert? Which reminds me, I never learned how a year works in this world. ¡®It has been 4 years since a new Demon Lord had risen and united the east. More and more Succubi have been asking for refuge, even accepting unreasonable requests in exchange. I feel sorry for them.¡¯ Unreasonable requests huh. Leaving my fantasies for later, I continue. ¡®The desperation of the most recent refugees troubled the guildmaster. After calling for my party, he told us that we would be heading to the east to find out what exactly is going on.¡¯ Could this be an undiscovered gem? Every single book I¡¯ve read has never mentioned the new Demon Lord or the situation of the east after his reign. Who knew I would find a book like this here!!! I skip several pages. Only looking at the first few sentences, I stop on the page that had what I was looking for. It was troubling that it was located near the end of the book, the rest seemed to be about this adventurer¡¯s party¡¯s journey to the Demons¡¯ territory and the many miasmic creatures they encountered. ¡®27th day, Month of Husun We had finally arrived in the capital of the former Giant country of Higentus. Doing our best not to gather too much attention, we rented an inn and looked around town. With the help of a friend, we were able to get into the capital¡¯s palace. Looking at the amount of security, it looks like the rumor of the Demon Lord currently staying here was correct. We sneak deeper into the palace. On the way, we pass by the barracks. There, we see something worrying. It wasn¡¯t the soldiers armed to the brim with equipment nor the amount of food they were eating. It was the number at which they have gathered. Thousands. No, maybe even hundreds of thousands of them. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be strange as it could have been the entire army of the new Demon Lord as he was currently ruling over all 3 races. But the number was exactly the problem. In the previous hundred years or so, the entire army of the east never reached 300, 000. No, the entire population never even reached half a million. This was because in exchange of their longevity and rare uniques, they had low birthrates. The success of one bearing a child was extremely low. This kept the east and west in balance. Though the west lacked the rare uniques the east had, the east lacked the numbers the west had. For a single army guard to have a hundred thousand or so soldiers¡­¡­ Now that we thought about it, even the population of the capital was bewildering. They could have easily filled half of the city with their numbers. Now knowing full well of the danger this brought, we decided to head back and come up with new ways to counteract this.¡¯ That¡¯s where the entry ends. Several pages were torn out, by something or someone. The only remaining entry left was the last one. ¡®20th day, Month of Infervil The rain hindered our journey back but the capital of Helgas is already within reach. After passing through Gramsfer, everything will be alright. The United Country of Kashif is more or less already lost. I barely escaped the advancing Demon army. I couldn¡¯t trust the guards in Naciodas¡¯ palace. They had an evil glint in their eyes. The others are dead. They did everything they could to get me here. I¡¯m not out of the woods yet. I feel like someone¡¯s following me. As I¡¯m writing these words in an old stable, I hope someone takes this to the king and warn him. The upcoming war won¡¯t be easy. The east has something more dangerous than their numbers. Their Demon Lord is not even a Demon. Neither a Giant nor an Ogre. Please bring this to the king. The one ruling over them is a h¡¯ The entry abruptly ends there. Below it is a large bloodstain covering the blank pages below it. If we take all this into account, the owner has long since been dead. Then the next question is, ¡°Tell me, why didn¡¯t you bring this to the king back then¡­¡­¡± Turning around, I face the most suspicious person that was involved with the journal I held. The person was holding a metal dagger that curved towards the end and was glaring at me coldly. ¡°Ms. Librarian?¡± I take out the black sword and point it threateningly at her. ¡°Oh my, to point such a weapon at a weak lady like me.¡± Her words had none of the warm reception they had earlier. The hand grasping the dagger was now showing signs that it was eager to be used. ¡°Then, if I defeat you, will you tell me?¡± ¡°Ha! There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m sure you must have figured it out already.¡± ¡°Well, more or less. But I¡¯m pretty sure you stand no chance of winning here, right? Miss General of the Demon Army.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Her form starts changing. The previously pearl white skin was now a bluish purple. Her hair had changed from blonde to red and her eyes were now glinting with a murderous intent. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really a general but m ability¡¯s pretty up there. So, how did you know what my fighting strength is?¡± ¡°It was easy actually.¡± ¡°Ho~, then how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the magic power you¡¯re hiding can¡¯t even compare to those Ogre assassins from when I was sent here.¡± Her eyes twitch when I mention the Ogres that I had encountered upon arriving here. ¡°Oh, my apologies. Those were most likely your subordinates. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re still alive, maybe. Then, let me rephrase my previous sentence. It¡¯s Miss Head Spy of the Demon Army, right?¡± Her calm demeanor was no more. All that remained was an assassin that would kill her target no matter the cost. ¡°Then come at me!¡± I challenge her after raising my sword. Then, ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this you bastard!!!¡± She charged at me with all her might. 10: Masked Man ¡°Gwaaaaaah!!!¡± A figure is sent flying out of the only library in Gramsfer. Crashing into the wall of the opposite building, blood could be seen leaking out of the many wounds on their body. The weapon they held was now broken into pieces, its state no longer wieldable for battle. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I was expecting more from someone like you¡­¡­¡­..wait, don¡¯t tell me I was wrong about you being a head spy?!¡± Walking out of the library was the person who gave this person their numerous wounds. A young teen with black hair and eyes. A normal build for someone his age and an extremely ¡®average¡¯ appearance. The summoned hero of the country of Helgas, Kinji Shirokawa. The woman with bluish purple skin, an Ogre, stayed silent. ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡­¡­.so I was wrong¡­¡­¡­¡­.and here I was being lucky so far.¡± ¡°!¡± Large pillars emerge from the ground around them. All headed for the boy who had a depressed expression on his face. ¡°Hmn? .¡± With those half-hearted words, the pillars disappear without a trace. A sigh could be heard escaping the boy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Oh well, guess I¡¯ll just take you with me. You still have valuable information after all. Also, I have questions regarding this.¡± Waving the adventurer¡¯s journal in his other hand, ¡°NOW!¡± The woman shouted. At her command, several more people with colorful skin jumped out from the shadows. ¡°Wha?! Hah¡­¡­..I should really learn how to detect people¡­¡­¡­.¡± In their hands were all kinds of weapons, from swords to spears and even a halberd. ¡°.¡± A basic first-ranked fire spell. This spell, if used correctly, can inflict serious burns on the target. However, only three could be made each casting so only few actually use this in battle. Normally, that was how it was supposed to be. Revolving around Kinji, like the planets around the sun, were several bullet-sized blue flames. With the Ogres being too close to avoid them, as the fiery bullets were let loose, each one hit their target right in the head. The lifeless bodies erupted in flames, landing on the ground as piles of ashes. ¡°Then again, if you aren¡¯t a head spy, how¡¯re you able to command all these Ogres¡­¡­.¡± The boy sways his head side to side, as if seriously thinking about it. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me!!!¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± Her shout takes his attention as he was now looking at her. ¡°Mess with you? No, no, no. I¡¯m taking this very seriously. I mean, I was already wrong about you being a high ranking subordinate of the Demon Lord. Well, it¡¯s more of a pride thing really.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you using your time magic?!?!?!¡± ¡°Huh? Time magic? So that exists here?¡± ¡°Wha?! Of course it does!!! That was what you used when you were summoned, right?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­well, I¡¯ll admit you¡¯re pretty strong. But compared to the me from back then to the me now¡­¡­..I just don¡¯t see the need to use it.¡± Those words, although said nonchalantly, contained no hint of arrogance or exaggeration. ¡°You¡­¡­¡­¡­you-----¡± Before she could finish her words, her body drops to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. ¡°Ah-ah, lingering thoughts really are a pain.¡± Kinji looks up at the source of the voice. There, standing on top of a nearby building was a robed figure with a mask, preventing him from seeing his face. ¡°Lingering thoughts? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hmn? Oh?¡± As if noticing him for the first time, ¡°Oh¡­¡­.hahahahaha!!!!! No wonder they couldn¡¯t beat you!!! You must¡¯ve been grinding nonstop ever since you arrived here, didn¡¯t you boy?¡± Grinding. A word he has never heard anyone say. But this robed figure just said it like it was a normal thing. Which meant, ¡°You. Are you a hero, perhaps?¡± ¡°Who? Me? Who knows? Hahaha!!!¡± His grip on the black sword tightens. ¡°Woah, woah! Don¡¯t get so tense. Right now, I¡¯m in no condition to fight you! I mean, you just decimated my prized collection of corpses, after all! Such a shame, these were the most powerful too! Now I¡¯ve got to find new ones! Don¡¯t you know how hard it is to find good quality corpses nowadays?¡± ¡°Corpses?¡± ¡°Oh, right, let¡¯s see. In RPG terms, I¡¯m what you would call a necromancer, I guess. I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m not really updated with the games you young people used to play after all!¡± Those words proved it. He¡¯s a summoned hero just like me. But why would a hero attack another hero? There were only 7 heroes in this world. 3 were occupied with the frontlines, then the 4, including me, are probably still in their home countries. ¡°Ah! Please don¡¯t dwell on it too much. I know, as a bonus, I¡¯ll answer one of your questions for free! See? A win-win! I answer, you let me go!¡± ¡°Why should I let you go if I can just capture you, right here, right now?¡± ¡°Simple. You can¡¯t. You see, even this body is a corpse I¡¯m using. But, you see, I¡¯m very fond of this body so I¡¯d rather you not take it away from me.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Should I believe him? But this is a once in a lifetime chance¡­¡­.if he knows something about this book, then¡­¡­ ¡°T-then, tell me.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really not going to attack me?! You have my deepest of gratitude!¡± ¡°What race is the current Demon Lord and why are the Demons following him?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°The Demon Lord is a Demon, of course. That¡¯s why he¡¯s called the De-Mon-Lord!¡± His laugh was so loud that it could be heard clearly even with the distance between them. ¡°Wa-wait! Then why does it say in this journal that the Demon Lord is a h---¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!!!!! You know, just because there¡¯s an ¡®h¡¯, doesn¡¯t mean it pertains to their race. Oh, but for the other question, let¡¯s see¡­¡­¡­..¡± The robed figure places his head on top of his hand. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for the promise of power? Or territory? No, I think it has something to do with them having a birthrate now on par with the humans¡¯.¡± Is he just messing with me? Now I have even less clues on what this journal¡¯s talking about. ¡°Wait, those were two questions!!! Hahahahahaha!!! Not bad, not bad! You completely fooled me there!!!¡± What is this guy talking about? Is he an idiot? No, maybe he¡¯s just an airhead. But his magic power is abnormally high though. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that! Farewell young hero!!!!!!¡± And in a blur, the figure disappears. ¡°Hey, what happened over there?!¡± ¡°I heard fighting! Please come here quick!!!¡± ¡°Call the healers!!! There might be injured!!!¡± Right, I forgot I¡¯m in Gramsfer. To be seen here now is troublesome. I¡¯d better leave quickly. Using his skill, the boy leaves the area undetected. Everyone else aside from him was frozen in place. Since he was in the said town, he needed to specify whose movements he wanted to slow down. Well, I guess other tourists will notice everyone else not moving as well. Those thoughts occupied his mind while escaping the scene of battle. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. After reaching a far enough place away from the library, I return everyone¡¯s movements back to normal. ¡°Now then, what to do?¡± As my plans had been ruined by the sudden attack of that necromancer, I had no idea on how to pass the day. === ¡°We¡¯re back!!!¡± ¡°We have returned, master.¡± Entering the room was Shiromi, whose face radiated an enormous amount of joy, and Kuroga, whose arms were being occupied by the dozens of clothes and food boxes. ¡°Welcome back. Kuroga, you can put those down for now.¡± ¡°No, it is alright master.¡± ¡°Yeah Kinji-nii! It¡¯s no problem. I told him it¡¯s like training after all!¡± ¡°H-ha¡­¡­.¡± Though I don¡¯t see any benefits to be gained from that training. ¡°Did you guys run into any trouble?¡± ¡°Nope. None, as far as I know.¡± ¡°There were only a few rowdy men who planned on approaching mistress.¡± ¡°Eh? Where? When?¡± ¡°Do not worry mistress. I took care of them before you even noticed.¡± ¡°Good work Kuroga.¡± ¡°Oh yes, master.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I had decided to investigate the library you visited earlier.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I won¡¯t even bother asking when and how. ¡°Did you perhaps run into any trouble? My information stated that the librarian went missing a 3 weeks prior only for a woman claiming to be her relative appear two days ago.¡± ¡°Was the former librarian a female with blonde hair?¡± ¡°No. The librarian was an old man. He was apparently bald and seemed to have an extremely weak body. So the story that he left for his hometown was very unlikely.¡± Hmmm¡­¡­at most, the journal could be 26 years old. If the man who attacked me only placed his corps---puppets here two days ago...... ¡°So the question is, who placed this journal there?¡± Tapping the journal placed on the table in front of me, I could only reach dead ends in my thinking. ¡°Oh yeah, Kinji-nii!¡± ¡°Yeah, what is it Shiromi?¡± Shiromi suddenly calls out to me from her room. ¡°Does Kuroga have a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Wha?!¡± Klak klak klak!!! The sound of dropping plates could be heard from the mini kitchen. Coughing out my surprise, ¡°Girlfriend? No, as far as I know.¡± That Kuroga!!! For him to have a girlfriend ahead of me. I want to curse your model-like physique and face!!! ¡°N-no! Mistress is mistaken, master! We just ran into a pesky little girl!!!¡± Kuroga was panicking. That¡¯s a sight I thought I¡¯d never see. ¡°Then, who exactly is this girl Kuroga?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. She is Haylee Drind. According to her, she is a mage belonging to the party of that princess you confronted, master.¡± Haylee Drind. Yep, no idea who she is. Well, if Kuroga can take care of her, then I have nothing to worry abou--- ¡°The princess?!?!?!?!?!¡± Wait, could it be that she¡¯s headed here?! Ugh, I really don¡¯t want to face her after that whole incident back in the palace. Considering I still owe a debt to them in a way, I don¡¯t want to harm her either. Standing up, I announce, ¡°Alright. The both of you, gather your things. We¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Ehhhhhhhhhh?¡± ¡°As you wish master.¡± While Shiromi¡¯s still surprised from my words, Kuroga has already proceeded with gathering all out things for me to put inside my Extra Dimension. === ¡°So, is this really where they¡¯re staying, Haylee?¡± ¡°Yes. I tailed them earlier. Although the butler noticed me, he didn¡¯t do anything else. It seems he thinks nothing of me but as a nuisance.¡± ¡°Okay. Good work.¡± ¡°Th-thanks¡­¡­¡­.¡± Although those were words of praise, her voice sounded dejected. What happened to her during her stay here, I wonder. Arriving here just minutes ago, we met up with Haylee while wearing hooded cloaks to conceal our identities. ¡°Uwah! Such a high-class inn. He must be living a life of luxury, huh.¡± Arven commented from behind me. ¡°Be quiet brother.¡± ¡°Why¡¯re you so cold to me Catie?!?!?!¡± Ignoring the two siblings who were arguing with each other, ¡°I can see three people in the highest floor. They are heading down right now. One of them seems to be the hero you¡¯re looking for, Stephaly.¡± Trinna, who¡¯s using her unique to look through the walls, reports to me. ¡°Alright. Everyone, get ready. As soon as they appear from that door, surround them at once.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±¡± ¡°No way am I letting you escape this time, Kinji Shirokawa!!!¡± In order to combat his unique skill, I had everyone wear their own skill nullifying equipment. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll get out of this---¡± ¡°Stephaly.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I stood there staring at Trinna for what seemed like an hour. ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Gone? Eh? What do you mean, exactly by, gone?¡± ¡°Gone. Disappeared. They¡¯re not in there anymore.¡± ¡°What?! Impossible! Everyone, split up! Look for those three! Now!!!¡± ¡°¡°¡°O-okay!!!¡±¡±¡± Did he use his skill again?! But how?! We had equipment to counter it. No, dwelling on it will not bring results. I should help the others in finding him! Running off, I failed to notice the irregularity that was in the far-off distance. === Letting my body lie down from exhaustion, I breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Good thing that worked. I was scared of the result for a second there.¡± ¡°Umm¡­..Kinji-nii, what exactly did you do?¡± ¡°Agreed. Master, what did you do? For a few minutes, I could not feel the circulation of magic power around us at all.¡± Hm¡­¡­maybe this is the right timing to tell them. ¡°Alright, you two. This might be a bit difficult to explain, so listen up.¡± I try to say as clearly as possible. Right now, Kuroga and I were on Shiromi¡¯s back, who was now in her Dragon form. Flying in the air, the strong winds blew against us making normal conversations difficult. However, their attention was currently on me. ¡°What are you going to explain, Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. What I¡¯m going to explain is about my own unique, Parameter Control.¡± ===== A/N: Good day everyone! Thank you for reading until this far into the story! I was really debating if I should have waited for this chapter to be completed and just post the two together. But I decided against it. Thinking now, maybe I should have. Anyway, regarding the explanation of the mc''s unique, although it may be a bit late being 10 chapters into the story, I thought it would be nice to finally have a formal explanation about it. I have already made rules regarding uniques and their limitations. Again, good day and enjoy!!! 11: The Talk ¡°Master¡¯s unique?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You mean, what you did earlier was thanks to your unique skill?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right Shiromi.¡± Flying through the sky, Kuroga, Shiromi and I were leisurely idling by. That should have been what we were doing, but after deciding to tell them what my unique could do, the atmosphere surprisingly turned serious. Their attention was directly on me, which made me somewhat nervous. Forming the words in my head, my mind flashes back to the time when I asked Libreria to grant me this skill. === ¡°Alright. Now, about my last problem. Well, it isn¡¯t a problem per say, but more of a request.¡± I let a smile show on my face. ¡°I request for the ability to control the time---no. The ability to be able to change and influence the many traits of everything within my vicinity, including myself. Of course, this will include unobservable objects as well.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­so, what kind of traits are you referring to?¡± ¡°The usual ones. Like strength, speed, endurance, those traits.¡± ¡°Ah¡­..you mean those RPG stats you were so fond of?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll also be including intelligence and luck since it will be easier to apply that way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Though I won¡¯t be using those two that much.¡± ¡°Heh~, oh! Also, this will be one of your skills so it will be up to you to learn how to use it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s all, then it won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Ending the discussion of my request there, a big grin appears on his face. After, ¡°Bahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!¡± Laughing after all that, I wait for him to calm down. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that kind of ability be requested. Even amongst all the people I¡¯ve sent over.¡± ¡°Heh¡­..so there are other people like me in the world you¡¯re sending me to?¡± ¡°Why of course! It¡¯s not like there¡¯s just one country there. Moreover, not just one race either!¡± ¡°So I assume that my request will be granted then?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­.sure, sure! I don¡¯t mind it! It¡¯s very interesting, after all!¡± Soon afterwards, I was transported to another world. While waiting for the light to fully envelop me, my mind was already working on how to use this skill properly. === Returning to the present, I clear my throat. ¡°But first, from the name ¡®Parameter Control¡¯, do the both of you have any idea on what it can do?¡± Before explaining it to them, I ask them this question to know what exactly I¡¯ll need to focus on. ¡°Going by its name, does master¡¯s unique have the ability to manipulate anything around him?¡± ¡°Close, but not quite. Shiromi?¡± I reply to Kuroga¡¯s answer and turn to Shiromi who¡¯s thinking while in her Dragon form. ¡°Changing the target¡¯s something to a certain degree?¡± Shiromi¡¯s guess gave a vague explanation but it was also close. ¡°Well, your answers were both correct. But also not.¡± Raising five fingers on my hand, ¡°More accurately, my unique can manipulate and change only five things on a target. Strength, the power one can produce and release, endurance, the amount one can stay in their top condition without weakening from outside factors, speed, how fast or agile one is, intelligence, one¡¯s innate thinking ability, and luck, I haven¡¯t experimented with this yet but it most likely corresponds with one¡¯s chances of getting into danger or winning in desperate situations.¡± Making sure that they had no questions, I continue. ¡°Although those aren¡¯t exactly the true meanings of those five traits, they are what I have observed they change when I use them on others or on myself.¡± ¡°Wait, Kinji-nii, if it¡¯s only those five then what was it that you did to me during the end of our fight?¡± End of our fight? Oh, she must mean when I changed the effects of gravity on her. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the next part. Although I can only manipulate these five, anything that I more or less have a concept of, I can change any of the five traits of that target. Example would be¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡±¡± ¡°Right, an example would be your weight, Shiromi.¡± ¡°W-weight?!¡± ¡°Yes, your weight. Although your definition of weight might mean how heavy you are, to me, it is the speed at which gravity pulls you down in order to keep you from floating away.¡± ¡°Eh? Gravity? Floating away?¡± ¡°Hmn? You don¡¯t know what gravity is? How about you, Kuroga?¡± ¡°My apologies master, I also do not know what you are speaking of.¡± I see. I almost forgot that this was a swords and magic world so science really hasn¡¯t advanced that much yet. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t really have to understand it that much. Basically, since I have concept of your weight¡¯s ¡®speed¡¯, I can change that trait to a certain degree. During that time, I changed it negatively so it became easier to carry you around.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why I felt lighter all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Wait master, is that also what you did to the Dark Spawns I summoned before?¡± ¡°Correct, that was what caused them, and also you, to collapse to the ground. Though I changed it positively, the concept was the same.¡± ¡°Wait Kinji-nii, you said positively and negatively. What do those mean?¡± ¡°Ah, right! Whenever I influence one trait, I can only do it to a certain point. However, this point is very extreme. For the strength trait, to make something more powerful, or speed, to make something faster, I need to place a number ranging from 1 to 10 so that the raised trait will still stay in control.¡± ¡°Then how about making something weaker or slower, Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°For those, instead of using the numbers 1 to 10, I use -1 to -10.¡± ¡°Ne-gah-tiv one? What¡¯s that, a secret code?¡± Huh? This world also has no knowledge of negative numbers. Hmm¡­¡­how do I explain this to them¡­¡­ ¡°Uh¡­¡­in short, they¡¯re numbers lower than zero, I guess.¡± ¡°Eh?!?!?! Lower than zero?! How¡¯s that possible, zero¡¯s the lowest?!?!?!¡± ¡°I understand your disbelief, but though it may not be obvious, from the world I come from, these numbers exist and play a sort of important part in the daily hardships we must go through.¡± Yes, that¡¯s exactly correct. The hardships known as classes. I let out tears of sadness within my mind, remembering my life before becoming a shut-in. ¡°Now then, I think that¡¯s all the important parts about my unique. Oh right, since this is a skill, it can be countered just like how Shiromi used Anti-Skill or that princess¡¯s necklace which nullifies skills used on her. I¡¯m sure that if an opponent knew that I used this skill on myself and had something up their sleeves to remove this, then it will also dispel my unique and its effects.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yes, Kuroga?¡± Bringing my attention to Kuroga who asked with a serious tone. ¡°Does that mean what you used earlier was not Time Magic but your unique?¡± It seems he¡¯s gotten a vague idea on what I did when we left Gramsfer. That¡¯s good, but I¡¯m curious about this Time Magic he just said. That Ogre lady¡­¡­.puppet also mentioned that when I had blown her away. ¡°Correct. Wait, before that, can you use Time Magic, Kuroga?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.¡°My apologies master, I cannot.¡± ¡°How about you Shiromi?¡± ¡°Hm? Nope, I didn¡¯t even know magic like that existed. Sorry Kinji-nii!!!¡± ¡°N-no. You don¡¯t have to apologize Shiromi, besides that makes both of us. So Kuroga, do you know anything about this Time Magic and if there¡¯s anyone capable of using it?¡± Kuroga places his chin on his fingers, becoming deep in thought. ¡°According to my memories, I can only recall one such person using it.¡± ¡°From when you were a royal magician?¡± ¡°Yes. It was just a few years before the civil war had begun. A lone mage appeared in front of the palace, shouting that he had made a new type of magic like none have seen.¡± ¡°And that was Time Magic, right?¡± He nods his head. ¡°Correct. Though the king and I were skeptical, the king granted him an audience and there he went into a long speech of this magic¡¯s capabilities and uses.¡± ¡°Then, what happened?¡± ¡°The king told him to show proof of its existence, and so he did. After chanting for several minutes, light shone from the staff he was carrying, I felt a large amount of magic power being poured into it, then he disappeared.¡± ¡°Hmn? So he teleported away?¡± Shaking his head, ¡°That was what we had thought as well, and so we issued a country-wide search for this man. Convinced that he was just making a fool of us, what we found several days later in the outskirts of the capital shocked us.¡± ¡°Was it the man¡¯s hideout?¡± ¡°No, it was the man¡¯s corpse. Although what surprised us was the state of his body. His entire body was wrinkled and thin, his hair turned from red to a silvery white and his eyes were frozen in a state of madness.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.see.¡± Judging from Kuroga¡¯s story, the Time Magic did work. But when the man casted it, he had used up most of his magic power. He probably did not have a way to recover it with everything in the world being frozen due to time being stopped as well. ¡°So he most likely grew old all alone and isolated from the world, is that correct?¡± ¡°It is as you have said master.¡± Time Magic, huh. It¡¯s most certainly the most dangerous kind in this world, not for others but for the one who uses it. ¡°So Kinji-nii, what did you do earlier if it wasn¡¯t that Time Magic you¡¯re talking about?¡± Ah yes, I almost forgot about that. ¡°Well, although it was similar to Time Magic, it was also different. To put it in words, I just used my unique to change the ¡®speed¡¯ of our flow of time and the world¡¯s flow of time. Placing ours at 10 and the world¡¯s at -10, we were able to move normally even with everything else moving at a speed so slow, it looked like it stopped.¡± ¡°Why did you need to separate the two and place them both at 10?¡± ¡°Well, think of it like this. The flow of time is like a river. At its normal state, much like everything else, it¡¯s at zero. If I were to make it slower, like setting it at -10, then the river would also become harder to move through. Even if we were excluded from this, in our normal state, we would still be able to move normally but it would be extremely difficult. However, if I put us at 10, then the two extreme points would collide with each other and temporarily return to its normal state, which is zero, only in the area where we are.¡± Though I tried my best to explain it to them, even I myself did not have that much confidence when putting it into concrete words. ¡°I¡­¡­¡­see. Though I didn¡¯t really understand that much, I just became sure that Kinji-nii is really amazing!!!!!¡± ¡°Agreed. Master is truly an amazing existence!¡± The two showered me with praise, making me embarrassed. ¡°So then Kinji-nii, where should we go now?¡± ¡°Hmn? Oh right, since I¡¯ve already seen and met a Dragon, I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Eh? Kinji-nii wanted to meet a Dragon?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Actually, that was the only reason I left the capital in the first place, but now¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then how about becoming an adventurer?!¡± Shiromi says in an excited tone. Adventurer, huh. Though it is a common event in RPGs, light novels and anime, I don¡¯t know what I could benefit from being one. ¡°How about you Shiromi? Do you want to become one?¡± ¡°I do!!!¡± As expected, she really wanted to be one. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because I heard before that you can get really amazing things from other people, like gear and armor and such, if you¡¯re a really strong one!!! But I¡¯m sure if it¡¯s us three, that would be easy!!! Also, we get the chance to go to other countries without going through all the tiring check-ups!!!¡± Hmmm¡­..I guess if I have nothing to do, I don¡¯t think getting stronger and better gear will hurt anyone. Alright, since there¡¯s no other choice. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve decided. We¡¯ll become adventurers!¡± ¡°Yay~!!!¡± ¡°I respectfully decline.¡± ¡°¡°Eh?¡±¡± Surprised by Kuroga¡¯s sudden refusal, Shiromi and I are left speechless. ¡°Ummm¡­¡­.Kuroga, can you tell us why?¡± ¡°My apologies master. But if we were all to become adventurers, no one would be able to go procure the necessary materials and ingredients for our daily living. Moreover, if we decided to balance the two tasks every day, it will surely end with us simply eating outside without paying attention to our body¡¯s condition. I wish to avoid this and so, I must refuse becoming an adventurer.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­see.¡± Though there were some questioning arguments in Kuroga¡¯s words, I let it be as it was a rare happening for him to speak out like that. ¡°That means only you and I are becoming adventurers, let¡¯s do our best Shiromi!¡± ¡°Roger that, Kinji-nii~!!!¡± ¡°I will also do my best master!¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be counting on you Kuroga!¡± ¡°So Kinji-nii, where should we go now?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­¡± Recalling the map I saw once back in Gramsfer, the next major town is a trading town, Kinallen, which grew due to being the center of a trade route coming from the countries Helgas, Forsten, Wildern, Farbrent and Minarl. Also, because of this, although being in a Human Country, every race could be found here. Adding to this, after the rise of the new Demon Lord, there have even been Succubi and a few other Demons living there, who were against the war the Demon Lord was waging. ¡°We¡¯re heading for the town of Kinallen. Do you know where that is Shiromi?¡± ¡°Kinallen? Oh! You mean that town which was really lively and colorful?¡± ¡°Yes, that one.¡± ¡°Leave it to me Kinji-nii, I¡¯ll get us there!!!¡± With her mood brightening, she puts more power into her wings, raising the speed at which we were flying even more. Along the way, we saw all kinds of animals and miasmic creatures. There were also several wagons and people camping out as it was considered dangerous to travel at night. As the sun rose in the sky, the town of Kinallen entered our sights. When we left Gramsfer, the day had already become night. So to arrive here in less than a day, Shiromi had become extremely happy and kept telling me to praise her. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to spoil her mood, so I decided to keep the fact that I used Parameter Control to lessen the air resistance around us a secret. 12: Slight Detour Flying high up in the sky, a large shadow flew across the land. With wings and hard scales, a creature only few are able to ride. Two people could be seen talking with each other while ignoring the tremendous height separating them from the ground. This showed how much trust they put into the creature they were riding. ¡°There. That¡¯s where we¡¯re supposed to meet up.¡± A boy around his late-teens points at an isolated castle set up in the middle of a barren wasteland. Following the boy¡¯s instructions, the flying creature lowers its altitude in order to land near the structure. When they neared the castle, all around it were people of various races running around in armor and weapons at hand, soldiers that belonged to their respective country¡¯s army. ¡°Oh, those two are already here, huh. Guess we¡¯re a bit late, right Randel?¡± ¡°It is as you say.¡± ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t be so stiff! Hahahaha!!!¡± Getting off the creature after it had landed, the two turn to face it, ¡°Thanks for the lift Garun!¡± ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll just be here, resting. My wings are pretty tired after all, gahahaha!!!¡± ¡°By the way, Garun. Why have you never shown us your human form?¡± ¡°Gahahaha!!! That is something you do not need to know hero! Now go on, before they scold you once again!¡± ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡­.yeah, you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll be back!¡± After bidding farewell to their companion, the Dragon, the two young men pass through the castle¡¯s gates. As they walk through the corridors, every single soldier saluted upon seeing their figures. ¡°I know I¡¯m a hero and all, but I just can¡¯t get used to this kind of atmosphere¡­¡­¡± ¡°You should have gotten used to it by now. It has already been a month, you know?¡± ¡°I know, I know. But all I¡¯m doing is helping you guys fend off the Demons, right? I mean, everyone is doing all they can to help with that.¡± ¡°That talk is for another time. Look, the room they¡¯re in is over there.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right! Let¡¯s go!!!¡± Entering the room which was large enough to fit 3 large families with space to spare, the two found the last remaining seats and sat there. Aside from them, there were 5 other people in the room. This room, although large, only contained the bare necessities for a formal meeting. A table made of rare wood was placed in the center. Placed along each side were 2 chairs each, made from wood and high quality cotton to accommodate the user. In one side of the room, placed in front of the table side which had no chairs was a transparent screen reminiscent of flat-screen TV¡¯s on Earth. ¡°As all of you are now here, let us begin this strategy meeting.¡± The man standing beside the TV-like magic tool spoke. He was a man nearing his 50s. Wearing a military uniform decorated with a dozen medals, graying blue hair and sharp features that showed he had experienced many battles before, the current general of the west side¡¯s frontlines, Mathew Nakrim. ¡°Wait, before we begin, I have a question.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, what is it Lady Sayuri?¡± Speaking out before the meeting could begin was a girl in her mid-teens. Sporting short black hair, black eyes and glasses, she was the stunning image of an honor student. Her height was normal for a girl her age and that too could be said about her physique. She wore a simple black robe adorned with several stitches forming elaborate magic enchantments onto it. The summoned hero fighting in the frontlines of the Elf Country of Forsten, Sayuri Aibu. Sitting next to her was a girl with the same age and physique as her. However, she had pink hair, blue eyes, pointed ears and a cute face. Contrasting this were the two swords hanging on her waist and the battle-damaged armor that was exuding a surprising amount of pressure. This girl, whose identity is the Forsten King¡¯s most powerful warrior and daughter, Solana Forsten, remained quiet while her country¡¯s hero spoke. ¡°I understand that a strategy meeting is important from time to time. But to call us away from the frontlines just for one is strange. Which means the matter we¡¯re about to discuss is of extreme importance, am I right?¡± Gazing at the general, she spoke out her thoughts. ¡°Yes. It is exactly as you say. This also requires a certain amount of secrecy as to not let panic ensue amongst the people.¡± ¡°I see. Very well, then please begin.¡± Having said her piece, she sits back down in her chair. ¡°Ah, yes. I also have a question.¡± Raising their hand was a boy in his late-teens. Sloppily long black hair, his eyes only half-open and an aura of disinterest could be observed from him. Even his body showed no signs of leaving contact with the table, which he had his upper body on. The spear leaning next to him that was radiating remarkable power and his armor that emphasized mobility, these were the only things that could label him as the Beastkin Country of Wildern¡¯s hero, Masaru Genda. ¡°Will we be heading back to the frontlines immediately after this?¡± The girl next to him whispers into his ear. Her white hair, blue eyes and petite body giving off the urge to protect her. However, differentiating her from the other people in the room are her cat-like ears on top of her head and long tail coming out from her lower back, a trait that beastkin belonging to the cat family possess.. Hanging onto her back are two curved daggers which possess a silver tint. Her carefree nature blends perfectly with Masaru Genda¡¯s lazy demeanor. One of Wildern¡¯s most infamous criminals, Cyzia the Phantom Thief. ¡°Oh, and where¡¯s the canteen in this castle and if we¡¯re allowed to eat the food being served there¡­¡­..was it?¡± Masaru glances at Cyzia for confirmation. She simply nods at him. ¡°Errr¡­¡­..it will depend on you heroes if you will leave immediately, but it is recommended that you do so. Also, the canteen is just past the corridor before the training grounds. Of course, Miss Cyzia is allowed to eat to her heart¡¯s content.¡± Only being able to make a forced smile while answering their questions, the two nod at his answers and motions for him to continue. ¡°O-okay then. Umm¡­..Sir Koin, would you, by chance, have any questions?¡± ¡°Hmn? Nope, none at all! How about you Randel?¡± The boy with carefully combed black hair and cheerful eyes passed the question onto the boy next to him. Koin Ikina, the hero of the Human Country of Nacioldas. Placed beside him were the weapons granted to him by their king, a sword and shield which, when used together, would give the user an enormous boost to his abilities. Next to him was Nacioldas¡¯ King¡¯s very own son and heir to the throne, Randel Nacioldas. With aqua blue hair and eyes, along with a serious personality and outstanding skills in politics, he was given the title of ¡®Once in a Millennium Ruler¡¯. However, right now, the prince only shook his head to show that he had no problem with the current situation. ¡°Okay then. Though the topic may have derailed for a while, I will now formally begin the meeting.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. At Mathew¡¯s signal, the lights within the room are dimmed and magic power is transferred into the screen behind him. The six others inside the room are not surprised by this, although they were during the first time, and watched in patience. Appearing from the screen was a 2-dimensional map with several markers colored in blue, green, yellow and red. ¡°Now, as you may already know, the frontlines were barely being maintained in the past 25 years. Along with the dissolution of the United Country of Kashif due to being invaded by the Demons, the areas in which they could invade us from were spread across the three neighboring countries.¡± Pausing to see if they were still listening, he continued when he saw 4 out of 6 still paying attention. ¡°But half a month ago, once you three had joined the frontlines, we have been steadily gaining ground. It¡¯s not an exaggeration anymore to say that we might even be able to reclaim Kashif¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem then?¡± Masaru, who seemed to be sleeping earlier, asked with one eye open. ¡°Ah, yes. Well, from the damages and casualties they have suffered from all the battles they have had with the three of you, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for the frontlines to shift to the east.¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡­¡­¡±¡±¡± ¡°However, here is the problem.¡± Shifting their attention to the map, 10 large red markers pop up. ¡°From the recent reports of our scouts, 10 supposedly powerful figures have appeared. Each occupying a fortress scattered across the country. What¡¯s more---¡± Another even larger marker appears that is currently moving to the southernmost country of the west, Wildern. ¡°Another scouting party reported a large invasion force led by 5 more of these powerful figures. In total, there are 15 of these, we shall label them as commanders for now, confirmed and we are not sure if there are even more of them further into the east.¡± ¡°Hey, General Mathew! I don¡¯t think you need to be so worried about those guys. I mean, we¡¯re heroes after all!!!¡± Saying those words brimming with confidence, Koin stood up with his fist held high. ¡°It would be troubling if you weren¡¯t like that Sir Koin, but that is exactly the problem.¡± An image then appears on the screen. Being shown is a man in his prime with red skin and white eyes. ¡°This man here is one of those ¡®Demon Commanders¡¯. To be more precise, he is an Ogre. From his attire, we surmised that he is the leader of the fortress he is currently occupying. When a member of the scouting party took this image, they felt a tremendous amount of magic power radiating from him. From their report, it can even be said that he is, more or less, at all of your current levels.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­.that is troublesome indeed.¡± Sayuri pushes up her glasses and looks closer at the Ogre with red skin. ¡°True, he does have that ¡®I¡¯m the leader! Come at me!¡¯ feeling around him!¡± Koin adds. ¡°Well, if we gang up on him, I think it will end well.¡± Masaru suggests. ¡°Eh? But, Masaru, that¡¯s not very heroic, now is it? We must face him in one-on-one combat!!!¡± ¡°What are you? Some kind of old-style hero?¡± ¡°Well, we ARE definitely heroes right now! So I don¡¯t see what¡¯s wrong with what I just said.¡± Masaru sighs at Koin¡¯s words and goes back to sleep. ¡°And so, what is it that you want us to take care of? The 10 Demon Commanders, or is it---¡± ¡°Exactly Lady Sayuri, it is about the large invading force further to the south. At most, they will arrive in about a month or so. I would like to request for all three of you to remember this information once you have returned to the frontlines. Although I¡¯m sure Sir Masaru can handle them, if we are to suffer heavy casualties, I¡¯m not sure Wildern will be able to recover from this.¡± ¡°Oh, is that all? Then don¡¯t worry! As soon as they show their faces in Wildern, we¡¯ll all rush there to help out the Beastkin!!!¡± Koin fervently exclaims. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be counting on you then.¡± ¡°Listen you, just because we¡¯re going to help doesn¡¯t mean that you can take a backseat in this!!!¡± ¡°Got it¡­¡­¡± To Sayuri¡¯s words of admonishment, Masaru replies half-heartedly. ¡°Once again, I¡¯d like to appreciate all of your efforts! Dismissed!¡± With those words, the three heroes, their companions and the general all leave to perform their own activities. === ¡°So, Solana, what do you think of the Demons¡¯ actions this time?¡± Heading for the castle gate was the pair of girls who had just left the meeting. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. For them to attack with such a large force is not surprising at all. But for them to choose Wildern out of the three is doubtful. The only country after that is the Dragon Country of Farbrent, and unless they have a way to get past their barrier, even if they come out victorious in this battle, they will gain almost nothing.¡± As she let out her thoughts that she had been keeping since the meeting, Sayuri nodded. ¡°True. But just to be sure, we should have a hero on standby there in case anything were to happen. I know, what about the hero from Helgas, I¡¯m sure he at least knows how to fight by now.¡± ¡°About that Sayuri¡­...¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± ¡°He¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°Wha---?!¡± The elf covers her mouth before she is able to shout out in surprise. After telling her that she was calm now, Solana removes her hand. ¡°What do you mean missing? Now, of all times when we¡¯re at war?!¡± ¡°Now, now. Calm down. From what the king of Helgas said, they¡¯re currently in the process of retrieving him.¡± ¡°I see. I see. Fine, since Helgas¡¯ hero is unavailable, how about Minarl¡¯s then?¡± ¡°The Dwarf Country¡¯s?¡± ¡°Exactly. They¡¯re the closest one to Farbrent aside from Helgas so I don¡¯t see any problem in that.¡± ¡°True. It was said that they have been training him to the bone ever since he had arrived here. And he seems to be willing at that, I¡¯m sure that the difference in strength between him and Helgas¡¯ hero won¡¯t be too far apart. Alright, I¡¯ll request for my father to contact Minarl¡¯s king right away.¡± ¡°Thanks Solana, you¡¯re always a great help!¡± The two girls give each other a warm smile that they rarely show to others. ¡°So, what are we to do now Sayuri?¡± ¡°Hmn? Oh, well, I was thinking that we could try out that sweets shop in the town we passed by a while ago.¡± ¡°As expected from Forsten¡¯s hero, the critique of sweets!¡± ¡°Geez, Solana, don¡¯t say that out loud!!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just joking.¡± At this, they both laugh which bewilders all the soldiers nearby. 13: Arriving at the Center ¡°It¡¯s hot¡­¡­¡± Shiromi complains while wiping off the sweat forming on her forehead. ¡°Please bear with it. Since we¡¯ll be adventurers here, we can¡¯t sneak in and out of town like we used to do. Besides, look at Kuroga, he isn¡¯t complaining about it.¡± As I said that, I pointed at Kuroga who was standing in attention while his eyes are directed in front of him. ¡°Geez, Kinji-nii, please don¡¯t compare me to Kuro!!!¡± She exclaims while playfully hitting me repeatedly. Looking at the crowd of people lined up in front of us, I finally realized how difficult it is to enter a town in this world. Like all other major towns, Kinallen was surrounded by a wall 20 feet high. Placed along its four sides were gates that allowed people to enter or leave with each gate having two entrances. Right now, we were lining up at the entrance meant for first-time visitors or people who weren¡¯t permanent citizens of the town. The other entrance is for adventurers, merchants, permanent citizens and nobles so we couldn¡¯t use that as the guards checked one¡¯s identity card before letting them through. Slowly, the people in front of us dwindled. Before long, ¡°Next!¡± ¡°Shiromi, wake up. It¡¯s our turn.¡± ¡°Mrmm?¡± Saying those words to Shiromi, who had fallen asleep and was now on my back, I approached the guard along with Kuroga. ¡°State your purpose here.¡± The guard, whose eyes were scanning the three of us, asked in a serious and strict tone. ¡°Yes. My masters come from a faraway land, and have left due to various circumstances. Due to curiosity and a sense of adventure, they have arrived here with the intent to become famous adventurers.¡± Kuroga explained a fabricated story we decided upon moments earlier. The guard looked at the three of us again. He was probably analyzing Kuroga¡¯s story if there was anything strange about it. ¡°I see. Adventurers huh. Well, good luck with that! If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll be seeing each other a lot more often! Welcome to Kinallen!¡± Immediately, his face and personality changed, welcoming us with a cheerful tone. ¡°I give you my gratitude.¡± Going along with the story we made up, Shiromi and I simply nod our heads at the guard to show our thanks. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it! If you need any help, just ask me or any of the guards around town! Also, be careful, sometimes scuffles happen here and there!¡± As we pass through the gate, he gives us a few words of advice. We bow again in gratitude before leaving. ¡°What should we do for now?¡± While walking down the northern main road of the town, I ask the two who were looking around. ¡°I wish to procure an inn for us stay in, master.¡± ¡°I want to go eat food~!!!¡± They both say with enthusiasm¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..at least Shiromi did. ¡°Alright then. I guess the both of you can go ahead without me.¡± ¡°Ehhhh? What are you going to do Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just plan on going to the temple and give some offerings.¡± ¡°To the temple? I didn¡¯t know Kinji-nii did that sort of thing!¡± ¡°W-well, this is sort of a show of gratitude so I can¡¯t skip on this.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡­then Kuro and I will be off! Catch up quickly Kinji-nii, okay?!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Sending them off with a wave, I head for the center of town. Most likely, that will be where the temple is since that was where the temple in Gramsfer was located. === ¡°I¡¯m lost¡­¡­..aren¡¯t I?¡± Looking around my surroundings, the repeating scenery of brick buildings entered my sight. The only difference was the various stalls and shops spread out in the branching roads. ¡°I don¡¯t see any guards and I¡¯d like to avoid talking to strangers¡­¡­¡± DING! DONG! DING! DONG! The bell rang for the 4th time today. As I was in the place where the tower bell was located, it was extremely loud, requiring me to cover my ears to avoid bringing harm to them. No choice, I guess¡­¡­¡­¡­or more like I¡¯m just really introverted¡­¡­¡­ Everything stops. Closing my eyes and trying to sense the flow of magic power around me, ¡°Okay. Nothing¡¯s moving. Time to look for that temple.¡± I kick the ground and propel myself into the air. Running along the building roofs, I¡¯m able to quickly memorize the layout of the town. ¡°This place is pretty standard for such a large town.¡± From the viewpoint above the roof, I could observe everything like a close up view of a 3-Dimensional map. Starting from the center where the bell tower is, the main road goes through the town in four directions. The north, south, east and west. As it gets farther away from the center, smaller roads branch off from the main road, connecting each or leading into dead ends. Houses, shops, parks and vacant spaces are placed along the sides of the road. Though there are large unused spaces in the middle of buildings, these are given up to nature for trees to grow or to become a natural playground for children. Jumping from building to building, I notice how light my body feels in comparison to myself from a few days ago. Alright. Since I have nothing to lose¡­¡­ Setting it in case of a problem arising, <<2>> I immediately feel its effects. Just standing on my feet takes this much effort. Compared to the previous lightness, it felt like I was carrying a large bag filled with dumbbells on my back however, I could still move albeit with difficulty. If I continue like this, will I gain a transformation? Continuing on along the rooftops, I finally see a familiar looking spire surrounded by high reaching buildings. ¡°So that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t see it on the way here.¡± Seeing the signs posted outside the many buildings around it, this seems to be the more guild-inclined area of the town. Along this one road, excluding the temple, were the adventurers¡¯ guild, merchants¡¯ guild, craftsmen¡¯s guild, among others. What caught my eye though was the out of place tiny shop right next to the adventurers¡¯ guild. According to the sign crudely nailed on it, this shop was a blacksmith¡¯s store. Specializing in weapons and armor, generally any equipment necessary for an adventurer to survive fighting against enemies while doing requests. While I was memorizing the town, I had seen several other blacksmith¡¯s stores like this one. But what separated this was the amount of people coming in and out of it¡­¡­no, even the amount of people taking a look at it was surprising. The other stores had an average amount of people taking interest in them. A handful was the lowest number I¡¯d seen while jumping around. But for this store¡­¡­¡­.basically, the number of people even giving it a glance was zero. None at all. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t come to this conclusion considering that time was frozen, but this was the road where almost all guilds could be found. Blacksmiths were an essential for not only adventurers but anyone who wielded a weapon. For one so close to not catch anyone¡¯s attention was truly a curious case. ¡°Well for now, I should give some offerings to Libreria.¡± I jump down from the roof I was on and stagger upon landing. The sensation of needles crawling up from my feet assault me mercilessly. ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch¡­¡­..¡± Shaking my legs to remove the pain, ¡°Good thing no one saw that. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have the resolve to show my face here after that¡­..¡± When I was checking my shoes for any damage or tears, I noticed the state of the ground I had landed on. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Figures¡­¡­¡­the pavement¡¯s broken. Surrounding me was a small circle made of stone fragments that once was a perfectly paved road. With the possibility of me getting into trouble if I unfroze time right then and there, I run off into a nearby alley. I set everything back to normal and go out into the now busy road. ¡°Woah! What the hell happened here?!¡± ¡°Hey you! Did you do this?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know how much it¡¯ll cost to fix this?!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me this time, I swear!!!¡± As expected, a crowd had already formed around the broken pavement I had created. Now, you might think of me as good-for-nothing or a criminal for escaping responsibility for this. But, thinking from another viewpoint, it could have happened to anyone and that specific part of the road might have already been degrading, needing repairs anyway. Convincing myself with these thoughts, I hurry onto the temple which was a few feet away from me. Kinallen¡¯s temple wasn¡¯t that much different from Gramsfer¡¯s temple. Now that I think about it, even Dravint¡¯s temple was very similar to the other two, ignoring its size which was at least twice as big. A tall pearly white wall also separated the temple from the outside, a metallic gate being the only way of properly accessing its premises. ¡°Bye now! I¡¯ll come visit again tomorrow, okay?¡± Hearing a cheerful voice shouting out from inside the temple, as if being driven by an unavoidable force, a shadow blocks my sight and hits me with sufficient force to take away my balance. ¡°Wha?!¡± ¡°Kyaaa!!!¡± I hit the ground with my arms supporting my body so only my lower half was lying down. However, the other party wasn¡¯t as lucky as their body lay motionless in front of me. Various belongings were scattered around them. ¡°H-hey! Are you okay?¡± Standing back up and approaching the one who bumped into me, ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry!!! P-please forgive me!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± The motionless body moved in a hurried motion and was now bowing their head. ¡°Beautiful¡­¡­¡± A single word escaped my mouth. ¡°E-eh?¡± Letting out a confused sound, the one in front of me, who was a girl, was looking at me with wide eyes. Beautiful. Really beautiful. My mind, even with the effects of my skill being used on it, was still that of a boy¡¯s. As such, in front of a girl whom I labelled as beautiful, it could not compile any rational thoughts. I could only gaze at her, as if with the intention of carving her appearance into my mind. Perfectly groomed brown hair which ended just below her shoulders. Brown eyes that was exhibiting compassion and curiosity at the person she had bumped into, aka me. A face that would be able to compete with Shiromi¡¯s and even beat her on certain aspects. She possessed smooth white skin and a slim figure that curved in and out at the right places, being further accentuated by the black dress she was wearing that had a ribbon tied around its collar and a skirt that stopped just a few centimeters above the knees. She was even shorter than Shiromi so this emphasized her cuteness even more. Judging with these observations, she could be a year or two younger than me. ¡°U-umm¡­¡­.are you okay?¡± Her voice snapped me back to reality. ¡°Eh?! Ah! Yes, I am. Don¡¯t worry! In fact, I should be the one asking you that¡­..hahahaha¡­¡­.¡± Trying to hide the fact that I was mesmerized by her appearance, I dismissed her worries by showing a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great! If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡­w-what did you mean by beautiful¡­¡­.?¡± Crap! She heard it! I must¡¯ve said it unconsciously earlier. ¡°W-well, you know, I meant that!!!¡± She tilted her head at my words. ¡°T-the temple! Yeah! The temple¡¯s really beautiful!!!¡± Doing my best while my mind was in panic, ¡°Really? It¡¯s pretty ordinary compared to the one in the capital though.¡± She only said those words in reply before proceeding to collect her belongings. ¡°I-I¡¯ll help! It¡¯s partly my fault why you dropped them after all!¡± Offering my help, ¡°N-no thanks! I¡¯m sure you must be busy. B-besides, it was purely my fault since I ran out without warning.¡± With those words, she rejected it. ¡°No, no, no! This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I had just avoided you so I insist!¡± Probably sensing that I wouldn¡¯t back down, she looked up at me with a smile. ¡°If you insist, t-then¡­¡­¡± Energy welled up inside me, and with speed that caused my figure to become a blur, I pick up her dropped belongings carefully and properly. ¡°H-here you go!¡± My arms were currently holding everything in place. Sorting them all so that they wouldn¡¯t fall, I presented them to her. ¡°S-so fast! Amazing! Are you an adventurer by chance?!¡± Hmn? Her voice suddenly became excited. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m just someone who¡¯s travelled for a long time so I know a trick or two.¡± Telling her an excuse I came up with on the spot, she lowered her head. ¡°O-oh, I see.¡± Wait, did I say something wrong? ¡°U-um¡­¡­thank you very much!!! Your arms must be getting tired from carrying all of those, so---¡± ¡°Please wait!¡± Imagining her carrying all these for who knows how long, I cast Extra Dimension and take out a small pouch bag that had a variety of cute designs stitched onto it. ¡°Here, please take it!¡± ¡°Eh? What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enchanted bag that can hold a large amount of items in it. Also, its weight will not change no matter how many items you put into it.¡± ¡°Eh?! A m-magic bag?! S-something like this, I simply can¡¯t accept it!!!¡± She was rejecting my offer with all her might. Even I knew that accepting a gift from someone you just met is not something you should do, the desire within me wanting her to have something from me was too strong. Especially considering that we might never meet again, this only made it stronger. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. I have several others of its kind so there is no problem.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes. So, here.¡± Noticing that she would now accept it, I place her belongings into the magic bag and hand it to her. ¡°Wow! It really isn¡¯t heavy at all!!!¡± She was turning the bag around to look at it from different angles after being amazed by it. ¡°Ah!¡± As if remembering something important, she puts down the bag and shouts. ¡°I forgot! I¡¯m already late!¡± ¡°I-is that so. Then I guess you need to go now?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right! T-thank you very much for everything!!! Until we meet again!!!¡± After saying those words of gratitude and farewell, she waves farewell to me then turns around and runs off. I see. So she¡¯s already working huh. Then that means there¡¯s a chance we¡¯ll meet again, probably. While waving back, I realize a mistake I made. ¡°I¡­¡­¡­¡­forgot to ask for her name¡­¡­¡­¡± Collapsing on the ground due to the despair of not asking for the girl¡¯s name, it took some time before I could enter the temple with a somewhat proper appearance. 14: Chance Meeting Good day everyone! I''d like to once again thank everyone who have read this far! I apologize for the slow release. As real life is almost upon me, I won''t be able to update constantly but I will do my best to bring out at least a chapter every week. Once again, thank you and enjoy! ===== ¡°Welcome! What will you be doing here today?¡± After entering the main temple, I¡¯m greeted by a girl in her late-teens wearing a pure white nun-like outfit. Only a bit of her pink hair was showing through the headpiece that covered most of her head. ¡°Ah, yes. I would like to give offerings to the god, Libreria.¡± ¡°Oh my, Libreria, you say?¡± For a moment, her face showed a surprised expression. This also happened back in Gramsfer when I said the same thing. Unlike in my old world, the gods of this world were a bit more active in proving their existence so only one religion existed wherever you went to. Similar to different mythologies, there were a number of gods that are being worshipped in this world. To be more specific, there is one god for each race, serving as the race¡¯s respective guardian. Scattered around the temple were identical wooden doors with symbols carved above them, symbolizing the god a room was to be worshipped in. The rooms¡¯ assignments from left to right were: Fyeus, the god of Humans. Yshena, the goddess of Elves. Utix, the goddess of Beastkins. Luxorh, the god of Dwarves. Xytesis, the god of Dragons. Hyrsyn, the goddess of Demons. Adar, the god of Giants. Jodione, the goddess of Orcs. And Raella, the goddess of Succubi. ¡°Very well. This way please.¡± The nun motioned for me to follow her. Leaving the main room where the rooms for the 9 ¡®major¡¯ gods were, we arrived in another section of the temple with another set of wooden doors around it. Just like in the previous section, there were also symbols above the doors. Other than the gods that were the guardians of the races, there were also ¡®minor¡¯ gods that represented specific aspect of civilization. Although it wasn¡¯t necessary to worship them, since they focused on only one aspect, the blessings that could be received were far stronger. In layman terms, the blessing of a ¡®major¡¯ god would give an average boost to all the stats of a person while a ¡®minor¡¯ god¡¯s blessing would give a large boost to a person¡¯s single stat. The number of doors I could see were around 20. Though out of those 20, I only knew 6 so far, including Libreria. Esra, goddess of marriage. Ydharr, god of merchants. Tozlid, god of adventurers. Yxphyn, goddess of farming. Ilaris, goddess of crafting. And, ¡°We have arrived. This is the room for Libreria, god of luck.¡± Yes, the god who had been given all the work of dealing with summoned humans was the same god who was responsible for all luck in this world¡¯s inhabitants¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..or lack of it. ¡°Pretty ironic huh.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ah! No, it¡¯s nothing. Thank you very much!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Please take your time!¡± Bowing her head, she left. There were only a few people in this part of the temple so it was fairly quiet. Having no other business than this, I open the door with the symbol of Libreria above it. The room¡¯s inside was the same no matter what god it was assigned to, ¡®major¡¯ or ¡®minor¡¯. A dozen small cushions were placed on the floor. In front was a wooden rectangular table and a stone-carved symbol of the god. Candles were lit around the room, giving light to an otherwise isolated space. I sat on one of the cushions and took out a basket of food from my Extra Dimension. Normally, people would offer items that corresponded to the god it was being offered to. An example would be, for Libreria who is the god of luck, something like a four-leaf clover or a horse shoe would suffice. But I had heard one time that the offered items would directly be sent to the god so I felt slightly guilty if all I were to offer Libreria was a bunch of clovers I found on the ground. Placing the basket of food on the wooden table, I position both my hands in front of my chest, as if I was praying. Hey Libreria. Just arrived in Kinallen. Hope you like these dishes I made, your gifts have really been useful. That¡¯s all. Saying those words in my mind while having my eyes closed, it was the most common way of praying and offering to the gods. When I opened my eyes, just like how I expected, the basket was gone. ¡°Well, my business here is done then.¡± Stretching my limbs even though it had only been a few minutes, I left the room. Bumping into the nun once again upon arriving at the main area of the temple, ¡°Ah, have you finished your offering?¡± Hm? Weird, she¡¯s smiling a bit more than earlier. ¡°Did something good happen, by any chance?¡± ¡°Oh? What do you mean?¡± She tilted her head while still exhibiting a cheerful expression. ¡°Umm¡­..well, how do I say this? You seem a bit more cheerful now than earlier.¡± ¡°Ah! Well, you see---¡± ¡°Hey! That onii-san¡¯s flirting with Vi-onee-san!!!¡± ¡°Eh?! Really?! That¡¯s not allowed!!!¡± ¡°Quick!!! Stop him!!!¡± Suddenly, the two of us were being surrounded by 7 kids. 5 boys were shouting various threats at me while the 2 girls were asking the nun several things in a quiz show type manner. ¡°Now children, behave yourselves or else!¡± After a few minutes, the nun finally scolded them with a smile on her face. No, her face is smiling but her eyes aren¡¯t. Scary! Very scary!!! ¡°Have you behaved yourselves?¡± ¡°¡°¡°Y-yes!¡±¡±¡± Unconsciously, I also replied but it was weaker than the children¡¯s replies so no one took notice. ¡°Then, children, please go back to your rooms now. I will call you for lunch.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Y-yes Vi-onee-san!!!¡±¡±¡± They all rushed out of the door, though one of the kids glared at me before leaving. The nun faced me and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for that. Sometimes the children tend to disturb the people who come here.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Oh yes, we were having a conversation earlier, I apologize once again.¡± ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s really alright. So can we please go back to the topic from earlier?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. You were asking if something good had happened, am I right?¡± Nodding to her, she closes her eyes and flashes another smile that differed from her intimidating one. ¡°Well, you see¡­¡­.do you remember those children earlier?¡± ¡°Ah! Now that you mention it, why are they here instead of in their homes?¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s because those children are orphans whose homes were destroyed when the Demons started their invasion.¡± ¡°What do they have to do with my question?¡± ¡°Ufufufu~, it¡¯s because the one who¡¯s been taking care of them from time to time is the girl you bumped into earlier~!¡± Using a tone of mischievousness while sticking her tongue out, her personality takes a change that I wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been really worried about that girl~. Not having any friends her age, always coming here to play with the children---¡± ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you her friend? And you also look like both of you weren¡¯t born far apart from each other.¡± ¡°No~pe. My job as the caretaker of this temple prohibits me from forming personal attachments with other people. Sad, I know, but one I willingly undertook.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but you can consider us as acquaintances, so it¡¯s not like I avoid her intentionally!¡± She puts her hand together and closes one of her eyes, an expression that¡¯s like a playful apology. ¡°Now then, as to why I¡¯m more cheerful¡­¡­¡­..it¡¯s because of you!¡± Exclaiming with an accusing-like tone, she points at me. ¡°Me? What did I do?¡± ¡°Fufufu~! I believe you¡¯ve finished with your offerings, right?¡± As if saying that it was time for me to go, she opened the door leading out of the temple. ¡°O-okay. Thank you for your help!¡± Saying those words with a bow, I exit the temple. Passing through the gate, a voice calls out to me. ¡°Oh yes, as a special service, I suggest you head to the adventurer¡¯s guild after this~!!!¡± When I looked back, the nun was waving at me with a smile. The atmosphere around her was like a schoolgirl supporting her love struck friend. I forced a smile and bowed before heading out into the town once more. === ¡°I wonder where the temple is¡­¡­¡± After having found an inn that could accommodate the three of us, Kuro left for the marketplace while I went looking for the temple. Having to walk is really tiring, I wish I had Kinji-nii¡¯s unique so I can just speed through the town¡­¡­ I stop myself from sighing after noticing the large crowd forming in front of a sweets shop. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Walking closer, I tap the shoulder of the man in front of me. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Oh? Young miss, what is it?¡± He had a large build but his voice seemed gentle, like one who did a good job of taking care of their children. ¡°Why is there so many people here? Is there a sweets give away or something?¡± ¡°Give away? Ahahahaha!!!¡± Weird. His laugh is weird. While hiding these thoughts inside myself, the man finally finished laughing. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that young miss!¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°You see, there¡¯s a hero in there right now!¡± ¡°Hero?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. A hero! More specifically, the mage hero who is leading the frontlines in the Elven Country of Forsten!!! Also, the Elf King¡¯s own daughter is there with her!!!¡± The way he said those words made it sound like I was the weird one for not knowing who they were. ¡°Wait, if they¡¯re supposed to be leading the frontlines, then how did they get here?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­..I¡¯m not sure¡­¡­¡­I remember a flash of blue light, then they were suddenly in the middle of the road.¡± Flash of blue light? Appearing out of nowhere? If she¡¯s a mage then it¡¯s possible that she used Teleportation Magic. Though I have no business with her, so I¡¯ll just leave immediately and go look for Kinji-nii again. ¡°Thanks mister. I¡¯ll be taking my leave then.¡± ¡°Huh? Young miss, you don¡¯t want to see the hero?¡± Shaking my head to show my answer, the man just says, ¡°I see. Okay then, take care. Though I wish this country¡¯s hero would go and show himself to others at least once.¡± He breathes out a heavy sigh. Before taking my leave, I ask the man for directions to Kinallen¡¯s temple. Showing a surprised expression, he points me the way. His face as I left had the realization that I was apparently from a different town. Seconds only after I started moving once again, a voice called out. ¡°Excuse me! Please wait a moment!¡± Though the voice didn¡¯t seem like it was calling out to anyone in particular, the faint magic power mixed into it flowed into my ears. No mistake, she¡¯s talking to me. I turn around, planning to quickly end the conversation before it drags out too long. If I¡¯m separated from Kinji-nii anymore than this, I will go mad! A girl was running towards me. She had the same height as me. Even the length of her hair and its color were similar. Although mine was messy and ruffled up, hers was straightened down and showed delicacy in its treatment. Adding to those, the glasses she wore further emphasized the intelligent aura she had. Behind her was an Elf girl with long pink hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes. Her cute face showed an indifferent expression although there was a glimmer of alertness in her eyes. ¡°Yes, how may I help you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmn? Oh right, my name is Sayuri Aibu, hero of Forsten, and this is my companion, Solana Forsten!¡± Along with her introduction, the Elf girl, Solana, bows as a greeting. ¡°I see. I am Shiromi, nice to meet you. So, how may I help you Sayuri?¡± The hero is taken aback by how I said her name nonchalantly. But she immediately regains her composure. ¡°Ah, yes. Just after exiting the sweets store, while looking around I noticed the color of your hair.¡± ¡°Color of my hair?¡± ¡°Correct. The color. It¡¯s black, isn¡¯t it? As far as I know, there very few people in this world who have black hair. Recently, those few people have become even fewer.¡± ¡°And your point?¡± ¡°Shiromi. Along with the color of your hair, even your name is uncommon. Not according to this country, but to the world. As it is a name that should only be found in the world where I had come from.¡± Her piercing gaze remains unmoved. The Elf girl behind her had already prepared herself to draw the two swords on her waist at any moment. The hero opens her mouth once more while raising a staff she pulled out of nowhere. ¡°By any chance, could you be the hero of Helgas who had gone missing recently?¡± Eh? Hero of Helgas? Me? No, no, no. As far as I¡¯ve remembered, I have been a Dragon since long ago. Those thoughts rose inside of me at the same time as another face appeared in my mind. ¡°Could it be¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Please, hero of Helgas. As the representative of the heroes in the frontlines, I implore you to return to Helgas¡¯ capital and bear your responsibilities.¡± ¡°I apologize, but I am not the hero you are looking for.¡± ¡°Please do not think you can get away with such a plain excuse like that. Solana!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Elf girl drew out her swords and ran at me. ¡°Tsk!¡± I didn¡¯t have any weapons on me, and my current body is that of a Human. However, if I were to transform back into a Dragon, I would end up damaging the buildings around me. Having no choice, I choose to dodge her attacks. ¡°I knew it! There is no way that you¡¯re not this country¡¯s hero!¡± ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re wrong!¡± Barely dodging another attack, I start my counter attack. ¡°!¡± Small icicles form around me in large numbers. With the sharp point facing the two, they fly towards them at an extraordinary speed. ¡°!¡± A transparent dome formed around them. Before being able to come in contact with it, the icicles melt almost instantly from the immense heat being released. ¡°!¡± Immediately after the dome disappeared, a flurry of lightning clad blades came rushing at me. The Elf girl, whose swords were being enveloped by lightning, maintained her attack with a calm expression. Although I was dodging her attacks, my clothes already had small scratches and singes across them. ¡°!¡± Sensing the large amount of air hurdling towards me, ¡°!¡± The hero¡¯s attack collides with the transparent wall and dissipates into nothing. Thinking that I had managed to gain a moment¡¯s rest, the Elf appears beside me and lands a clean kick. ¡°Gah!!!¡± I¡¯m sent crashing into the ground. The pain in my side is not disappearing. Breathing roughly, another kick is launched at me. ¡°Ahhh!!!!¡± This time, my body collides with the wall of a nearby building. Forcing my body to move, I prop myself up in time to see the Elf getting closer. ¡°Do not worry. I will make sure that Solana only beats you into unconsciousness. I apologize but this is for the safety of this country.¡± With those words, the hero, Sayuri, nods at the Elf to continue with her attack. Ah, this hurts. Who knew Humans were so fragile, if only I had been in a Dragon¡­¡­..no, that¡¯s not right. It¡¯s only because I¡¯m like this that I could spend time with Kinji-nii. Kinji-nii¡­¡­..in the end, I had only been able to spend a short time with him but it was the most fun I¡¯ve had in years. ¡°Kinji-nii¡­¡­¡± I could feel my consciousness wavering. ¡°Huh? Shiromi?¡± Then a familiar voice calls out to me. Slowly, I move my head to the side. Ah. A tear rolls down my eye. A single tear, but in that one tear, a joy I¡¯ve never felt before was in it. ¡°And who are you?¡± The Elf girl turns to look at Kinji-nii. That was what she was going to do, but in the next moment, she disappeared. Then a loud explosion occurred just behind the mage hero. No. She didn¡¯t disappear. Right in front of me now was Kinji-nii. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Shiromi. I didn¡¯t think this would happen so soon.¡± A bitter expression was on Kinji-nii¡¯s face. Shaking my head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kinji-nii. Even if every other hero goes against you for leaving the capital and ignoring your duty as a hero, I will always stand beside you. Along with Kuro, the both of us will go with you anywhere.¡± At my words, a smile flashes across his face. ¡°Mhm. Thanks Shiromi! Here, drink this. Just rest for a while. We¡¯ll postpone our visit to the adventurer¡¯s guild for now.¡± Handing me a vial with the same blood red liquid from before, he stands up and faces Sayuri. ¡°I see. So that girl isn¡¯t Helgas¡¯ hero, but you huh.¡± Her facial expression doesn¡¯t change after seeing her companion get blown away, but I sensed the slight change in her voice. She¡¯s scared. She knows the difference in strength between Kinji-nii and herself. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think anyone wouldn¡¯t be scared after seeing that.¡± Although it couldn¡¯t be seen on Kinji-nii¡¯s face which had a calm expression on it, the killing intent he was releasing could make even a Dragon back off in fear. For this hero to be able to stand up against even that is praiseworthy on its own. ¡°Because of what you did to Shiromi......¡± Kinji-nii took a step closer to Sayuri. Likewise, she took a step back. ¡°No matter what happens¡­¡­¡± From a small patch of darkness, he took out a pitch black sword. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for any scar that I leave on your body.¡± 15: Starting a Fight (Revised) A/N: Good day everyone! I apologize for the sudden deletion and changing but there are other things I would still like to say. First, I would like to offer my deepest apologies for the recent chapters. Even though I would like to state my reasons for writing them as such, I know it would be nothing but excuses, so I apologize once again. Second, I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone who, even until now, have been posting their opinions, criticisms, feedback and suggestions. For me, they are things that I gladly read and reflect upon. Third, please do not hesitate in posting your thoughts on my chapters. Although I cannot say that I will use everyone''s ideas in the future and that this will be the last time this happens, I can say that every single one is highly appreciated! Once again, thank you very much for reading until this far and putting up with this newbie writer. Please enjoy! ===== Dangerous. The person in front of me is dangerous! In an instant, Solana, who is considered one of the most powerful people in Forsten, was blown back with no difficulty. Kinji. The girl, Shiromi, uttered that name once he arrived. There¡¯s no doubt about it. His features, atmosphere and way he moves¡­¡­He¡¯s a summoned hero. I need to say something. I need to have him return to Helgas¡¯ capital. Although these thoughts dominated my mind, my mouth did not open. The young man, Helgas¡¯ hero, Kinji, slowly approached me with a pitch black sword drawn. Killing intent so strong, it was suffocating. Just standing up used up most of my strength. Mustering up the energy in my body, ¡°! !¡± I cast two 5th ranked spells simultaneously. Each of their firepower is strong enough to topple an entire castle. But for him, my instincts were yelling at me to use everything I had against him. Using these two spells, along with my [Spell Enhancement], even a hero won¡¯t be able to get out of that unscathed. He didn¡¯t show any signs of moving. Even as the spells were getting nearer, he still did not move. Then, ¡°.¡± With an emotionless voice, a Myth ranked spell is invoked instantly. My two spells are scattered away without a trace. ¡°Wha?!¡± I raise my staff to cast another spell but he suddenly charges towards me. ¡°!¡± A transparent dome forms around me, another 5th ranked spell I had learned that could block most attacks, physical or magical. When he swung down his sword, just like that, the dome breaks and I barely dodge his blade by jumping back. However, my body is blown back from the resulting wind caused by his attack. ¡°Guh! This power!!!¡± Adjusting myself to be able to land back on my feet, he charges at me once again. ¡°!¡± A large black mass forms in front of me and accelerates forward. He was already right in front of me, a distance in which it would be impossible to avoid my spell. ¡°.¡± Again, my spell is scattered away. But I was ready for this as I pointed my staff at him. ¡°! ! !¡± Releasing three spells one after another, he raises his arms in front of him. ¡°!¡± A 4th ranked magic spell to protect oneself. But thanks to my unique, the normally 4th ranked spells become 5th ranked in strength and effectiveness. ¡°What?!¡± For the first time, an expression of surprise shows on his face as he¡¯s blown back by the power of my attacks. Skidding to a halt after my spells do their job, he prepares to charge at me again. ¡°Heed my call! O guardians of the elements! !!!¡± Behind me, 8 large figures start to form. Each one¡¯s body being at least twice as tall as the two of us. ¡°Go!!!¡± Commanding them to move forward, the battle recommences. === ¡°Tsk! So she can also use Myth ranked spells!¡± The hulking masses charging towards me were the result of a Myth ranked spell that formed large golem-like creatures, just like those found in RPGs, but each one was composed of a single element. Consequently, attacks of the same element would have the damage incurred reduced by a considerable amount. And now, there were 8 of these attacking me at once. But they could only harm me using their bare hands, so I had the advantage. If only I had another sword, though I haven¡¯t tried dual wielding yet. The first one swings its arm down. Glowing red and releasing burning heat, a golem of the fire element. I intercept it with my sword. One thing I discovered before about this sword is that no matter how many times I use it, its sharpness and durability never changes. Thus, it is always in perfect condition. Knowing this, I intentionally used it to stand up against the golem¡¯s fiery attack. Then, ¡°! Water Formation, a 5th ranked spell that changes the summoned element into any shape the user wishes. Each element also has a variation of this spell, making it one of the spells that are immediately learned after being able to use 5th ranked spells. And the shape I will it into is a great sword. Thanks to my [Peerless Strength], I could easily swing the great sword at the golem. An arm suddenly intercepts the swung great sword and receives the damage. Looking at the arm and its owner, I see that it¡¯s another golem that belonged to the water element. ¡°So she can even control them precisely. As expected of a hero!¡± In a situation where the opposing spell is also Myth ranked, even Repel won¡¯t work on them. ¡°Then I just have to push through with brute strength!¡± Putting more force into my left hand, which is holding the great sword, it cuts off the water golem¡¯s arm and continues on to stab the fire golem. ¡°.¡± From the tip of the great sword that is plunged into its chest, water starts sprouting out. Soon, it is enveloped fully by water and crumbles. ¡°.¡± Immediately afterwards, I form five small swords and throw them at the water golem which had its arm cut off. Although it blocks two with its remaining arm, the rest are successful in striking its head and it collapses into a puddle. ¡°Two down¡­¡­!¡± Having cast a defensive spell in time to block several fireballs aimed at me by Sayuri, I fail to notice the golem that was able to sneak up behind me. An electric shock travels throughout my entire body. The golem that snuck up on me¡­¡­the lightning golem! ¡°!¡± Instantly, the lightning golem is pierced by dozens of spikes sprouting from the ground and crumbles. Next, the ice golem charges forward in front of its comrades. ¡°!¡± Casting a dozen blue fireballs, they hit the target successfully. White mist then covers my surroundings and limits the area which I can see. Instead of casting a spell to blow away the mist, I focus on the rumbling of the ground below me. Each golem is remarkably heavier than most races. Because now there are only half of the golems left, I had a better chance of guessing where each one will come from. The rumbling gets closer. Hmn? It¡¯s getting closer. Closer. Wait¡­¡­.there are two of them! As soon as I opened my eyes, two golems appear, surrounding me from the sides. ¡°A light golem and a dark golem.¡± Deciding not to intercept them with a spell, I instead redirect their attacks towards each other. I shift my position slightly forward, right in between them. When they swing their arms towards me from the top and bottom, I jump towards the dark golem and using its head as a platform, I kick it. The two golems collide with each other and they disappear into nothingness soon after. ¡°.¡± A powerful gust of wind encircles me. The mist previously surrounding me was blown away, revealing Sayuri and the remaining earth golem and wind golem protecting her. ¡°Tremble in fear! !¡± Another figure starts to form behind her. But before it can completely appear, ¡°.¡± I return my sword to its sheath and a bow forms in my hand. An arrow of light then forms as I finish taking aim. Timing it to when the head started to appear, the arrow pierces through and it releases a horrific cry. The Fallen. I don¡¯t know what it was but after it finished crying out in agony, it began dissolving. When it had completely disappeared, it seems to have taken along the last two golems and Sayuri was now kneeling on the ground, covering her ears. Like a double-edged sword, huh. Seeing this as a chance, I quickly run up to her. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Eh?!¡± Without a chance to react, I grab her by the collar of her robe and throw her to the side of a building. I hear a painful cry but before she even made contact with it, I already finished casting my spell. ¡°.¡± A floating circle of lightning flew forward. It was only a 2nd ranked spell, but considering her current state, this was enough to make her lose consciousness. ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!¡± As if on cue, she let out another scream from the cloud of dust. Assured of my victory, I slowly approach her with my sword drawn once again. === It hurts. It hurts. IT HURTS!!! I was barely able to cushion the impact by changing magic power into air behind me. But then a powerful shock coursed through me as I was standing up. For a hero like him to ignore his responsibilities, then gaining this much power. It¡¯s unfair! Yes, unfair! Just like those people who ignored their school work and forced me to hand over mine! I won¡¯t accept this! But even I know I have absolutely no chance against him. I can barely move my body. Ah¡­¡­it hurts! The cloud of dust covering me dissipates letting me see the nightmare that was approaching me. It was Kinji. His killing intent still had not disappeared. He looked down on me with a terrifying gaze. Like I had killed his family. My body couldn¡¯t stop shaking. I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared! He raised his arm holding the pitch black sword in the air. I raised my staff in a last effort to protect myself. His figure covered my entire field of vision. Am I really going to be killed here?! Without even finishing what I started?! It was just like that night! That night¡­¡­ Then his sword swings down slowly, as if in slow motion. === As I was about to deal a lethal blow, not a killing blow but a lethal one. ¡°!!!¡± A loud voice echoed through the air. Next, a sound like shattering glass followed. I then sensed a large amount of magic power comparable to Sayuri¡¯s and mine. Could it be? Without hesitation, I jump back as a large object landed on the spot I had just left. Before I could discern its identity, another presence appeared above me. ¡°Tsk!¡± Realizing that I couldn¡¯t dodge them and I didn¡¯t have the time to activate a spell or unique, I swing my sword upwards just in time to block the spear thrust aimed at my head. ¡°Oh¡­¡­he was able to stop me.¡± I used that instant to look at the wielder of the spear. A young man in his late teens with even sloppier black hair than mine and black eyes that looked like they could fall asleep any minute. I try to grab him before he could get away but, ¡°Not on my watch!¡± The object who had landed earlier now showed himself. Another young man appeared. But this one¡¯s black hair was combed nicely and his eyes showed a determination I have never seen before. His attack using his sword was even aimed perfectly to my arm, in an attempt to remove me from my weapon. The timing was amazing. While the spear wielder occupied my sword, the other one would slice off my arm. If I tried to block the other one¡¯s sword, then the spear wielder would be able to land a lethal strike. Otherwise, I would lose my arm and half my fighting capabilities. ¡°Such a shame it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Wha?!¡± Knowing full well my sword wouldn¡¯t break, I apply even more power on it and send the spear wielder flying even further into the air. ¡°Masaru!!!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more worried about yourself?¡± Continuing the momentum of my sword, I swing down at him. ¡°Ugh!!!!!¡± Surprisingly, he¡¯s able to hold out against my attack with his own sword. ¡°Hoh¡­¡­¡± Although his strength is not that amazing, he was still able to block my attack, albeit with difficulty. It must be his equipment. I can faintly sense magic power continuously being released from his sword and shield. I still haven¡¯t mastered perceiving magic power that did not belong to any of the 9 races so it was difficult to say. Behind me, I hear a thud. Most likely it was the spear wielder, Masaru. While behind the hero, Sayuri was standing back up. Though she had sustained considerable damage, I could see the fight in her eyes. Before they could make a move, I grab the young man¡¯s neck and smash him to the ground. ¡°¡°¡°Koin!!!¡±¡±¡± Not only the two heroes, but another voice also screamed out. Now that I think about it, these two did come falling from the sky. Looking up, I saw scales. Fiery red scales. No, they were literally scales covered in fire. A Dragon?! It was flying straight at me, in a dive bomb-like maneuver. Moreover, it covered itself in flames so it will be difficult to stop it in its tracks. Is what I should be thinking, but when I sensed its magic power and realized that it was lower than Shiromi¡¯s, I thought maybe¡­¡­ ¡°.¡± Focusing the water that had gathered around my body onto my left arm, ¡°Mgh?!?!?!¡± I stopped its descent by grabbing its jaw. While it let out a surprised cry from my action, ¡°I apologize but please avoid damaging the town!¡± Pulling back my arm, I throw the Dragon back up into the air. His shrinking figure disappears after a few seconds. Although it looked easy, it still took its toll on me. My arm was feeling slight pain and numbness from the effort it took to throw the Dragon. Not because of its weight or my lack of strength. It was because of the self-imposed heaviness I¡¯m experiencing from raising my own gravitational weight to 4. Thanks to the combination of [Peerless Strength] and [Unlimited Potential], my body quickly got used to the increasing burden. Thinking that it would be a waste to remove it, my movements are now being strictly constrained so I couldn¡¯t fight using my all. Looking at my situation, right now I was surrounded. Koin and Masaru were behind me while Sayuri stood ahead. Prioritizing the one who hurt Shiromi, I focus my following attack on her. Kicking the ground, I approach the girl who had already taken some distance while I was occupied with the Dragon. ¡°!¡± Avoiding the strands of poisonous wires that rushed out of the ground, I arrived in front of her. Deciding to stop the sword just before it reached her, I swung it down. That was when I made a miscalculation. I was too busy focusing on the heroes that I had forgotten one other person who was part of the battle. The first person I blew away at the beginning. ¡°Take this!!!¡± ¡°The Elf?!¡± She had approached me from my blind spot so the time for me to react was one step slower. If I swung my sword towards her, with the chance that I wouldn¡¯t be able to control it, she could die. Using instead my free hand and extending it towards her. I gather magic power into it, forming a thin magic barrier. It¡¯s successful in stopping her twin swords from reaching me but then another presence approached me at a surprising speed. ¡°Nice work Solana!!!¡± Koin! With his shield raised while running towards me, he bashes me from the side with it and sends me crashing into a wall. ¡°Gah!¡± While I was trying to free myself from the rubble, Sayuri was busy with what looked like a chant. For most people who had no talent in magic or large amounts of magic power, a chant was necessary to invoke a spell, no matter what rank it was. Of course, the chant can be skipped entirely if one either had the necessary talent or a large enough pool of magic power. Kuroga and Shiromi possessed the former while I utilized the latter. For the girl in front of me, who was already a hero and a mage, to need to chant in order to cast a spell only meant that it would be able to bring danger, even to me. Not good! I have stop it! I charged forward with all my strength. Intercepting me was the spear wielder, Masaru. Quick?! In a flurry of movements, he thrusts his spear at me several times. Barely fending them off, I find an opening and send him flying back with quick punch. Next to intercept was the pair of Koin and the Elf, Solana. Working in conjunction with each other, their teamwork prevented me from breaking through with sheer brute force or passing through them with speed. Thinking it was time for me return my gravitational weight back to normal, ¡°One who lives in eternal darkness! Close relations with the all-knowing!¡± But I was too late, as she had already finished. ¡°Come forth! Bringer of destruction! Gtuhanai!!!¡± 16: Ending a Fight (Revised) Gtuhanai. That name sent shivers down my spine. Although it should be impossible for such a deity to exist in a world with pre-existing gods, Sayuri was able to call upon it with such confidence. Gtuhanai. According to the Cthulhu mythos I had once read, it is a destructive entity that is closely related to Cthulhu and Glaaki. Furthermore, it only brought destruction wherever it was summoned into. This isn¡¯t good! If things don¡¯t go well, this town could be destroyed! Did these heroes not think about this through?! ¡°H-hey Sayuri! Are you sure it¡¯s okay summon such a dangerous thing in this place?¡± Hmn? Even that Koin thinks it¡¯s dangerous too. Then why? ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Remember when you got here, someone had already erected a barrier around us. I don¡¯t know who but as long as it doesn¡¯t break through, nothing will be damaged outside.¡± A barrier? Then that means¡­¡­ Scanning the buildings farther away from us¡­¡­ There! A man in a butler outfit. Kuroga, he probably cast Exclusion Zone just before my battle with Sayuri could get out of hand. I bring back my attention to the opponents standing in front of me. They took a formation of prioritizing the protection of Sayuri. Koin, Masaru and Solana stood in front with their weapons at the ready while Sayuri stayed behind them. But then another factor was added into their plan, the swirling black hole forming above them. It slowly grew larger as time passed. A cold wind blew across us. Not only me, I could also see the look of fear on their faces. Most likely, Sayuri couldn¡¯t control this one all that much and could only give it basic commands. Blood red eyes began opening on the black hole. Its slit-like pupils have it the terrifying impression of a snake having found its prey. Tentacles squirmed out of it. Soon, countless numbers of these moving appendages covered its surface. The black hole now only visible around its eyes and its border. ¡°!!!¡± Not wasting even a second, I send dozens of fireballs at the otherworldly entity. There, the tentacles extend and take the full blast of my attack. Sounds of impact and explosions echo through the air. ¡°!¡± They did not bother checking on its condition. Sayuri sent a large number of icicles flying at me. ¡°Tsk! !¡± As soon as her spell had disappeared, her three allies had already neared me. Solana avoided my sword and circled behind my back. Before I could see what she was about to do, Masaru swung his spear horizontally. The pointed tip grazing my cheek. Deflecting it as he was about to thrust it at me, I felt a numbing sensation at the right side of my chest. That¡¯s right, I forgot about him! Bashing me with his shield once again was Koin, who had used the two as a distraction. As I was sent flying, ¡°!¡± A powerful force of air forcefully changed the direction of my flight. Thinking that I was about to come into contact with a wall, ¡°!¡± Placing it on the nearest surface behind me, I fail to notice the approaching shadow above me. ¡°!¡± Accelerating her descent, she slammed me into the ground. ¡°G-gaaaaah!!!¡± The sensation of pain flowed throughout my body. My body numbed and my limbs refused to move. Blood was starting to leak out of several areas and I could even taste it in my mouth. ¡°.¡± Instantly, my body returns back to its unhurt state. Recover. A Myth ranked recovery spell that outperformed even Saint¡¯s Healing, a 5th ranked recovery spell. Although its performance is extraordinary, the magic power needed to use it made it only usable in the direst of situations. Feeling almost a fourth of my remaining magic power leaving my body, I stand back up. Just like earlier, they had taken distance and used the same formation. But I wasn¡¯t worried about them. My attention was taken by Gtuhanai who had not moved after my attack had hit it. ¡°I-impossible¡­¡­¡± I was speechless. The damage I dealt to it¡­¡­was non-existent. In fact, the opposite had occurred. It had doubled in size and there was no sign of burn marks anywhere on its figure. Its blood red eyes were now staring at me fiercely. Raising my sword once more, it finally made its move. With speed my eyes almost couldn¡¯t follow, its countless tentacles stretched out, headed for me. ¡°! ! !¡± Casting defense spell one after another, the tentacles that were aiming for the spot I was standing on were blocked or burned. Seeing the others retracting, I dispel the spells protecting me and prepare to counter attack. ¡°Wha?!¡± Masaru suddenly came into view. With his spear outreached, I sidestep and swing my sword down into his arm. What? He¡¯s not even trying to dodge. He¡¯ll lose his arm! The time to stop my sword mid swing had already passed and when it reached his arm¡­¡­ Clang! My sword¡­¡­bounced off?! Because my posture was broken off balance from the unexpected result, he stopped during his charge and redirected his spear towards me. ¡°!¡± I try to defend myself, but because there was already little time to fully cast it, it is only able to slow down his swing before it hits me. ¡°Gyaaaa!!!¡± It makes a cut just below my left shoulder. The stinging feeling of the wind coming into contact with the wound caused me to momentarily lose the sensation in my hand. ¡°Take this!¡± Coming from above was Koin. In his hand was not his sword, but a large war axe. Where did he get that?! I roll away to avoid his attack. Solana then appears with another flurry of attacks but this time, they were even faster than her attacks from earlier. ¡°! !¡± While mending the wound on my left arm, I form another sword on my left hand in order to counter her two swords. ¡°Not happening! !!!¡± Now it was Koin who attacked me from my blind spot. On reflex, I raise the newly formed fire sword to defend. ¡°!!!¡± As his war axe came into contact with the sword, it disappears without a trace. Having my attention taken away by a split second, Solana moves to take action. I swing my sword at her who had run towards me. She backflips which I thought was a way to avoid my attack, but then I feel an impact under my chin. Using the momentum of her acrobatic movement, more force is used on her attack. But her kick felt far more powerful than any other attack she has done. In an instant, my body couldn¡¯t feel the ground beneath me anymore. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. She was once again in front of me. As I was still recovering from the sudden hit on my head, I couldn¡¯t foresee what she was about to do. ¡°Gaaah!!!¡± Sending me back down to the ground was an even more powerful axe kick, which I was only able to block at the last minute with my arms. So this is the difference in experience, huh. ¡°!!!¡± Below me, I could see Koin, whose war axe disappeared into scattering orbs of light, only to be replaced by a large war hammer. As if preparing to hit a homerun, he took a stance similar to the ones batters take in baseball. Not good! If I take that, I¡¯ll be taken back against my will! I then looked at Gtuhanai who was simply observing the situation, but its tentacles were already shaking with anticipation. And if I¡¯m able to avoid Koin¡¯s hammer, I¡¯ll be pierced by its tentacles! The ground grew closer and closer, slowly filling my entire vision. ¡°No choice then.¡± <<0>> And with that, the one sided slaughter began. === Helgas¡¯ hero was almost within my war hammer¡¯s range. Just a bit more, and with one swing, we can end this. I don¡¯t know why he would harm his fellow heroes, but as a hero myself, I cannot simply ignore this. We need to return him back to the proper path, but first he must be beaten! ¡°There!¡± With accurate timing, I swing my weapon like I was swinging a baseball bat. For further effect, I applied the element of air to accelerate the swing even more. It impacts with his body and a large portion of the ground is blown away. ¡°Maybe I put too much power?¡± Becoming worried over the state of his body, I was about to head over to check. ¡°Koin, wait!¡± From behind me, Sayuri sends me a warning. At first, I didn¡¯t know why there was any need for her to, but then I noticed it. ¡°What?¡± I tried pulling back my hammer but it did not budge. It was like it was stuck to something I couldn¡¯t see that was lurking in the cloud of dust. ¡°Koin, get away from there! !!!¡± At the same time as I jumped away, Sayuri launched a magic spell and Masaru rushed forward with his spear. In the next moment, ¡°Wha?!¡± My hammer dissipated into light as it fell onto the ground. The spell Sayuri cast blew the dust cloud away and hit the building in front of me. Masaru, who had unleashed a flurry of thrusts and swipes, hit nothing but thin air. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The one person who was supposed to be there had disappeared. Then, ¡°Gruaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!¡± A bone-chilling scream resounded throughout the air. Pain. This single scream resonated with a single emotion, pain. But none of us were hit. We didn¡¯t even hear any sounds of conflict or battle. I looked for Sayuri¡¯s companion, Solana, and saw her looking around for the source of the scream like us. ¡°Ah¡­¡­..ah¡­¡­.¡± Immediately, I turned around to Sayuri who was standing behind us. There, I saw a hard to believe sight. Gtuhanai. Sayuri explained to me before how this entity was the only one she had been able to successfully form a contract out of all the otherworldly entities she had encountered. Although its time in this world is extremely small and the magic power needed to summon it is tremendously large, its addition as an ally in a battle cannot be trifled with. So then, why is it that this same entity was bleeding out a pool of blood in the form of a black liquid? The answer could be found in the form of the young man holding a sword stained with its blood. ¡°Gruaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡­.¡± Gtuhanai¡¯s painful cries grew quieter and quieter until it ceased to exist. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the most powerful being in this battle shifted to the lone hero who wielded a pitch black sword. ¡°Get away from Sayuri!!!¡± ¡°Solana, no, wait!!!¡± Ignoring my words, she ran off to stop him from getting closer to Sayuri. ¡°If I remember correctly, you also hurt Shiromi, right?¡± Saying only those words, words filled with contempt, Solana crashed into the building behind me. ¡°Eh?¡± Looking at her figure, which was deeply planted into the wall, the swords that was wielding were broken into pieces. The whites of her eyes were showing, she had already lost consciousness. ¡°Masaru, we¡¯ll attack him together!¡± ¡°Got it¡­¡­¡± Thanks to our experiences on the frontlines, we moved almost as one. He ran off to the right while I ran to the left. Our target, Kinji, payed no attention to us and simply returned his sword to its sheath. Masaru had already entered a range in which his spear could reach him. I quickened my pace in order to follow up on his attack. ¡°You guys won¡¯t die so easily, am I right?¡± ¡°What are you sayi------bgaaaaaaaah!!!¡± The air inside my lungs¡­¡­felt like they were being forced out of me. ¡°Oh, I knew I was holding back, but for you to be able to remain standing. Honestly, I¡¯m impressed.¡± Staggeringly, I backed off slowly. Grasping my stomach with both my hands, forcing myself to not let out anything that should remain inside. When I looked up, I saw that Masaru had suffered the same fate as Solana as he had also fainted from colliding against a wall. ¡°Looks like you can¡¯t fight anymore, so I¡¯ll leave you be.¡± He then turned to look back at Sayuri, who had fallen down and was crawling away in fear. ¡°Hey you, I didn¡¯t say you were off the hook.¡± That just made her crawl away faster. But she stopped after bumping into Kinji, who had instantly appeared behind her. ¡°H-hiiiiiiiii!!!!!¡± ¡°!!!¡± Forcing myself to move, a spear appears in my hand and with all my strength, I throw it towards him. ¡°Hmn?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± That throw was executed with all of the strength left in my body. As a hero, I possessed far more power than the ordinary inhabitants in this world. Even Masaru had difficulties in avoiding or defending against a weapon thrown by me. And yet he---he--- ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­so as soon as the weapon leaves your hands, it starts to disappear.¡± He was calmly examining the spear he had caught in his hand. Already in the process of turning into light, he lets it fall onto the ground. ¡°.¡± Around us, orbs of light form one after another. Each one¡¯s brightness was comparable to a candle, but with this we would be able to make our way through the cave somehow. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go Shiromi.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± With Shiromi beside me, we enter the cave. === Klak! Klak! Klak! After hearing sounds of movement behind us, I reflexively swing my sword there. Clang! ¡°What?!¡± Blocking my sword was an armored skeleton holding a great sword. ¡° !¡± Casting a Myth ranked spell that completely removes the miasma within an object or body, the skeleton collapses as a pile of bones. Although there were several magic spells that had the same effect as Purify, the amount of miasma I sensed within the armored skeleton was especially thick. ¡°Shiromi, you okay?¡± ¡°Y-yeah! Thanks Kinji-nii!¡± Making sure that she didn¡¯t suffer any harm, we continue deeper into the cave. ¡°Another one?!¡± Not even after a few minutes had passed, we encountered another armored skeleton. Klak! Klak! Klak! Klak! Klak! Klak! Klak! Then we hear even more sounds from behind it. ¡°So there are more huh.¡± Preparing to cast a magic spell with a wide range, ¡°Wait! Kinji-nii, let me handle this!¡± Stopping me with a raised arm, Shiromi walks in front of me. ¡°Taste this! !!!¡± From her hands, a large amount of fire bursts out. Taking the shape of a large dog with its mouth open, it mows through the advancing skeletons, incinerating them. After she dispels her attack, not a single trace remained in our way. ¡°Well Kinji-nii! Was I amazing or what?!¡± Puffing out her chest in pride, ¡°Yes, you were really amazing Shiromi!¡± In response to my praise, she lowers her head and directs it at me. So this is the legendary ¡®Please pat me!¡¯ scenario I¡¯ve read about so many times! Who knew it would really happen to me? Keeping my thoughts to myself, I place my hand on her head and pat her gently. ¡°Hehehe~!!!¡± === ¡°How far does this cave go?¡± Asking myself, I continue down the seemingly endless cave interior. ¡°Suuu¡­¡­suu¡­¡­¡± Shiromi, on the other hand, was currently taking a nap while being carried on my back. Earlier, I noticed how her movements had become sluggish. Thinking that she still hadn¡¯t gotten used to pushing her Human body, I somehow persuaded in carrying her. Right now, I was jogging along the cave¡¯s path. After changing my gravitational weight to 2, I was able to move across the rough path with ease. Any skeleton we encountered were also quickly taken care of. ¡°What¡­¡­is this?¡± Contrasting with the natural layout of the cave, the ground transitioned to a floor paved by intricately designed stones. Lighting in the form of pillars with fire burning on them were lined along the wall. It was a straight path with a massive door located at the other end. Everything looked well maintained, something you wouldn¡¯t expect from inside a cave. However, it looked like the miasma in the air thickened the further you advanced. ¡°Although we could probably reach that door, I¡¯m not sure we would arrive there unscathed¡­¡­no choice then.¡± The swirling miasma in the air slows down to the point that it looked like they weren¡¯t moving at all. ¡°Good, with this¡­¡­.¡± From my outstretched hand, a torrent of air creates a path through the frozen miasma large enough for me with Shiromi on my back to pass through. Standing in front of the large plain door, I checked it for any type of lock or trap that it might contain. ¡°Nothing huh. What could possibly be hiding in here? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s another Kur---Lich King¡­¡­¡± While bracing myself, I awaken Shiromi from her deep sleep. ¡°Shiromi. Wake up. Shiromiiiii.¡± ¡°Haaaaaaaa¡­¡­eh? Kinji-nii? Good morning~!¡± I wait for her to fully regain consciousness before letting her down. After explaining to her what happened while she was asleep, her eyes sharpened and magic power began flowing around her body. ¡°Okay. Shiromi, when I open the door, be ready to cast a protective spell on yourself.¡± ¡°Eh? How about you Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Now, are you ready?¡± She nods in reply to me. Putting strength into my hand that¡¯s on the door, I slowly push it open. ¡°Gyahahahahahaha!!!¡± Immediately, a bone-chilling voice reaches our ears. ¡°So there are still foolish mortals who dare disturb me!!!¡± While the voice was speaking, I was looking at the room we had ended up in. Frankly speaking, it was an ancient underground ruin. Everything was made out of stone, just like the path behind us. However there was no sign of collapse anywhere, they had the appearance of being a perfectly brand new construction. ¡°But I sense strength within you, far different from those before!!! Very well!!! As my showing of respect to you, I shall fight you at half of my power!!!¡± Then, I finally bring my attention to the one speaking to us. ¡°Kinji-nii¡­¡­I don¡¯t think¡­¡­that¡¯s supposed to be here¡­¡­¡± At Shiromi¡¯s words, ¡°I¡­¡­perfectly agree.¡± Floating in mid-air, being covered by a pure white barrier, was a being that looked just like a devil. It had the size of a single large house, black fur covered its entire body except for its face which bore a large similarity to the guard dogs back in my world. It stood, or was floated, upright. Instead of feet, it had the hooves which normally belonged to horses. Flames were continuously erupting out of its dark red eyes that were gazing at us. In its hands, which reminded me of a gorilla¡¯s, were two large war axes emitting an intense amount of pressure. But even when I¡¯m standing against something like it, I realized that my body wasn¡¯t shivering from fear. As I looked at Shiromi, she was also looking at me as if she had just realized the same thing. Maybe, just maybe, this was a sign that we actually had a chance against this thing! ¡°Now mortals!!! Come at me!!! And die!!!¡± 19: Immediate ≠ Instant Good day everyone! Another late update from me, I truly apologize. Please expect these kinds of updates from me for a while. Until I''ve adjusted to my new schedule, these will persist for some time. Once again, thank you to everyone and enjoy! ===== <<0>> Once again, I feel my body getting lighter as the invisible load bearing down on me disappears. ¡°Shiromi, listen to me.¡± ¡°Kinji-nii?¡± While still facing the devil-like existence far ahead of us, I spoke to Shiromi was already about to cast a high ranked spell. ¡°I¡¯m about to raise your strength and speed to 2.¡± ¡°G-got it.¡± ¡°After that¡­...¡± === As soon as Kinji-nii told me on what to do, ¡°! ! ! ! ! !¡± Sending one magic spell after another, he flanked the devil in the sky from the right. ¡°Gyahahaha!!! Useless!!! Do you think copying the strategy of the previous mortals would beat me?!?!?!¡± While it was occupied with Kinji-nii¡¯s attacks, I descended from the elevated platform we were on. According to the request, there was supposedly a ritual being carried out in this cave. Thanks to Kinji-nii¡¯s unique, I was able to move around with even more speed than before. ¡°Useless!!! Useless!!! Useless!!! You¡¯re just wasting your magic power for nothing!!!¡± From where I was, I could barely see Kinji-nii but it was difficult to miss the devil¡¯s figure. It was laughing as Kinji-nii¡¯s spells were absorbed by the barrier surrounding it. There! I see it! In what looked like the center of this ruin, a magic circle was carved into the ground just below where the devil was. Upon getting closer, 6 bodies were neatly placed side by side on the magic circle. Also, a black robe covered in a pile of dust lay just next to it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s active but there are no signs of this magic circle being centuries old either.¡± ¡°!¡± Hearing the words of a Myth ranked spell, I see Kinji-nii holding his silver sword as large amounts of fire erupt from his other hand and are absorbed by the sword¡¯s blade. The blade starts to glow an intense red while flames continuously burst out of it in waves. Using Solid Air, Kinji-nii charged straight at the devil with the sword raised. Moving at an inhumane speed, the blade collided with the barrier and shattered it into pieces. Is what did not occur. As soon as the blade connected with the barrier, Kinji-nii was sent flying in the opposite direction and crashed against the wall. ¡°Kinji-nii!!!¡± Realizing that I gave away my position, I ran off to hide behind a nearby pillar. ¡°Oh!!! I completely forgot about the other one!!!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m over here! !¡± ¡°I can sense the magic power in you draining away mortal!!! Your demise is guaranteed!!!¡± Just like what happened earlier, after Kinji-nii tried attacking its barrier, he¡¯s only sent crashing into the wall. In his current state, I couldn¡¯t help but feel worried for Kinji-nii. Similar to the devil, I too sensed the enormous quantity of magic power inside Kinji-nii the first time we met. Even after that, as we proceeded through our requests from Kinallen¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild, I was surprised by his still increasing magic power. But now, the amount of magic power that I could sense from Kinji-nii was just less than 20%. In order to give Kinji-nii time to recover energy, even at the cost of forsaking his plan, ¡°!!!¡± === It¡¯s getting harder to move. My vision¡¯s getting blurry. Even my unique-enhanced mind is finding it hard to think. So this is what losing a majority of your magic power feels like. Because my [Immediate MP Recovery] hasn¡¯t activated yet, that means I still have more than 5% of my magic power left. ¡°But if this is what it feels now, I wonder how worse it will get once I do end up with only 5% left.¡± Although the unique has the word ¡®Immediate¡¯ in it, I doubt it will be able to instantly replenish the vast magic power I had been able to gain through levelling. ¡°!!!¡± As I was about to try attacking it again, Shiromi cast one of her race specific spells. Unlike when she was in Dragon form, the human-like fiery figures emerge from her hands. In a larger quantity compared to when we had first fought, they all jump from the ground towards the devil. ¡°Useless!!!¡± But just like what happened with all the spells I threw at him, they were all absorbed by the barrier. This isn¡¯t good, if this goes on...... ¡°Time to die mortals!!!¡± At those words, a large amount of magic power started gathering in the devil¡¯s hands. Voiceless spell casting?! And its target is--- ¡°!¡± With the spell as propulsion, I launch myself to where Shiromi was. I won¡¯t make it in time! I need to slow it down! ¡°! !¡± Argh! I¡¯m feeling sick! My body¡¯s condition deteriorates the more my magic power is expended. Only one more Myth ranked spell is what I can most likely cast after this. But the time gained from my attacks was enough as I landed in front of Shiromi. ¡°Kinji-nii?!¡± ¡°Shiromi! Stand behind me!¡± ¡°O-okay!¡± Giving her an order just as the devil¡¯s spells were released. ¡°Gyahahaha!!! Accept your demise mortals!!!¡± Two different masses of light and dark magic were heading towards us. Each one was the size of a large boulder, but even with that size, I could tell it was incredibly dense. Its strength is probably 5th ranked, no¡­¡­likely even Myth ranked. The pressure the two spells were incredible. In my current state, I even found it hard to stand straight. ¡°!¡± I instantly feel myself getting worse as I cast a defensive spell, not at me, but at Shiromi who was behind me. Then, ¡°!¡± Against a Myth ranked spell, the proper defensive strategy was to also use another similarly ranked spell. But as Repel collided with the two attacks, they remained in a stalemate just a few meters away from us. The attacks were slowly being chipped away due to the effect of my Repel. However, my magic power was also being drained at an incredible pace due to sustaining it for an extended period of time. I then drop to my knees as soon as the three spells were dispelled. ¡°Haaaa¡­¡­.haaaaa¡­¡­¡± Fatigue instantly struck my entire body. I couldn¡¯t help but breathe roughly as if I had just finished an intense session of exercise back in my world. Crap! I¡¯m starting to black out! My legs are becoming wobbly. The grip on my sword is starting to loosen. Just when I was about to collapse, my unique activated. === ¡°Kinji-nii?! Are you okay?!¡± From behind, I saw his figure staggering. Oh no! Kinji-nii¡¯s magic power has been reduced to only 4%! No choice, I¡¯ll have to turn back into a Dragon and--- ¡°W-what?!¡± A strange phenomenon was happening right in front of me. No, around me. Magic power was swirling and gathering onto one point in our vicinity. The thickness of it all made it hard to breathe. It seems the devil was also surprised as it screamed. ¡°What have you done mortal?!?!?! Absorbing all this magic power?!?!?!¡± No, wait, less than surprised, it sounded like it was panicking. But I didn¡¯t have time for that, what¡¯s important was to get Kinji-nii out of here. As I was about to grab him and run out of here, ¡°.¡± Pale golden light enveloped Kinji-nii¡¯s body as magic power was still swirling around him. ¡°I see. So it was still somewhat ¡®immediate¡¯ but the method is a bit¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kinji-nii?! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Oh, Shiromi. Yeah, I¡¯m okay!¡± ¡°But---the magic power, if you stay there then---¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! This is all just a result of my unique.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.¡°Your¡­¡­unique?!¡± Flashing me a wry smile, he turns back to face the devil. Result of a unique?! As expected, Kinji-nii never fails to surprise me! Sensing the magic power within him being restored at an astounding rate, I regain my composure and walk up next to Kinji-nii and ask him on what we had to do. ¡°Let¡¯s see, that thing might not be as strong as we think it is but the problem is the barrier surrounding it.¡± Even now, it was still floating in the air being cautious of us after Kinji-nii had suddenly regained all his lost magic power. ¡°I know! Kinji-nii, why don¡¯t you use your unique?!¡± To my suggestion, he shakes his head. ¡°No good. I tried it earlier but it didn¡¯t show any sign of working. It¡¯s like the space around him has no gravity.¡± After saying that, his eyes opened wide. ¡°Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Hey, Shiromi!¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Is there any spell you know that cuts oneself off from the outside world?¡± Cuts them from the outside world? ¡°Well, there are spells like that. An example would be the one Kuro used, Exclusion Zone, and another one would be¡­¡­Own Dimension?¡± Both spells were categorized as ¡®Special Magic¡¯ but when used in battle, only the latter would become Myth ranked while the former a 5th ranked. ¡°I can understand Exclusion Zone but for Own Dimension to work, a large amount of magic power is needed. Unless they¡¯re someone like you, Kinji-nii, it would be difficult to maintain it.¡± ¡°Wait, then maybe¡­¡­¡± It looks like Kinji-nii had thought of something as he looked at me with a grin. ¡°Alright, got it! Shiromi, look around the area once more. But this time, look for anything that could be releasing magic power.¡± ¡°Eh? Releasing magic power? T-that¡¯s a bit difficult, you know¡­¡­even for me¡­¡­¡± Kinji-nii grabs my shoulder and looks me straight in the eye. Uwaaaaaaah!!! Kinji-nii¡¯s so close! So close! So close!!!!!! Ignoring my reddening face, ¡°It will be alright, I believe in Shiromi after all!¡± Drawing out his black sword and holding it along with his silver sword, he faces the devil once more. ¡°Oh, and also since I¡¯ve drained most of the magic power here, it¡¯ll be a bit easier to find them. . .¡± The two elements burst forth from his hands and are absorbed by the two blades. ¡°This is just like that cave quest from a certain RPG with Dragons!¡± He jumps off to distract the devil, leaving me on the ground. Well, no time to stand here! I need to help Kinji-nii beat that devil! Encouraging myself, I start running around the area looking for magic power that was connected to the devil''s barrier. But what was that about an Ar-Pi-Ji? A new town perhaps? === ¡°Another one!¡± Using my bare fist, I turn the small pillar-like structure into rubble. ¡°That was the 3rd one.¡± After having gone from one side of the ruin to the other, I had found three of the magic power supplying objects. So far, they¡¯ve all been in the form of small pillars that are used as stands for furniture. Being made out of the same material as everything else here, they blended in perfectly. However, due to Kinji-nii¡¯s unique which drained all the magic power in the air, it became easier for me to see the constant stream of magic power flowing out from these objects to the barrier surrounding the devil. Meanwhile, Kinji-nii was busy occupying it so I had to quickly destroy these as well. There were only 2 more left so I sped up my pace. Crash! As I destroyed the next supplier, a voice entered my ears. ¡°You there!!! Stop!!! !!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your opponent!¡± Kinji-nii appeared and struck at the devil¡¯s barrier once more. Unlike last time, he was able to stand his ground with Solid Air and deal a few more blows before being sent flying away. ¡°Agyaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± Suddenly, one of the bodies from the magic circle had run up towards me and swung its large sword at me. Fast?! ¡°!¡± Raise. A Myth ranked spell that temporarily resurrected the dead, giving them a body without its limiters in exchange for lacking any kind of intelligence. As the body is propelled into the air, sounds of footsteps were coming behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for these undead! !¡± Directing the fiery figures to attack the 5 remaining undead, I head for the last magic power supplier. I don¡¯t know how, but these pillar-like objects are immune to magical attacks and so, I have to destroy them with either punches or kicks. Luckily, the strength I had as a Dragon was carried over into my Human form which made things simpler. ¡°!!!¡± In the moment that Kinji-nii was not able to distract it, the devil cast a powerful spell and launched it towards me. ¡°!¡± The spell collided with the transparent wall in front of me. Slowly, I was being pushed back. Any more than this and I¡¯ll---!!! Crumble! Simultaneously with that sound, the raging fire spell disappeared without a trace. ¡°You!!! A mere mortal!!! Perish!!!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± The devil, after screaming out his lungs, grabbed Kinji-nii by the arm and flung him down to the ground below them. A cloud of dust scattered from where he crashed into. That¡¯s when I noticed it. Surrounding the devil¡­¡­was nothing. Its barrier too had disappeared. Looking at where the last supplier was, all that was left was a small pile of rubble and Kinji-nii¡¯s black sword glowing with a pale red hue. Amazing! Kinji-nii threw his sword from such a long distance and was able to destroy the supplier! As I was celebrating Kinji-nii¡¯s success, I covered my nose from the smell of burning corpses. The undead which had been fighting my Dragon-exclusive spell were now being turned to ash after suffering a major loss. With the 6 undead gone and the devil¡¯s barrier no more, it was only a matter of time before this request was over! Seeing Kinji-nii standing up from ground farther away, I quickly ran off to join him. === The town of Kinallen. Said to be the center of trading between all countries surrounding Helgas, all kinds of people gather here. As such, the act of discrimination or abuse was heavily frowned upon. Of course, this was also applied to nobles and higher ranked figures who were normally used to doing this. On one such day when everyone in town was oblivious to the events happening to the rising star adventurers named Kinji and Shiromi, an eye catching carriage was nearing the eastern gate of the town. With golden ornaments decorating the exterior and colored a pure white with no stains, it was a carriage that could only be associated with a noble of the highest ranking. Wasting no time, it passed through the gate which had already been opened for a merchant whose cargo checking just finished. ¡°H-hey! You!¡± Not bothering to stop, the carriage continued into town. Although the guards tried to catch it, they soon lost to the speed of the rare beasts pulling the carriage. Twice the size of a normal horse, fur and mane of violet hue and 6 sturdy legs, beasts even more suited for transportation across long distances. What¡¯s more, this carriage had four of these beasts pulling it, Terrions. Conscious of what they had just done, the coachman called out to the inside of the carriage. ¡°S-sir! Are you sure it¡¯s alright for us to do this?¡± Replying with an indifferent tone, ¡°Of course! Lowly merchants cannot even be compared to the likes of me!¡± Inside, a man drank from the wine glass he was holding in his hand and looked out into the sprawling town outside. With a vulgar smile, ¡°Now then, will there be anyone here to fit my tastes, I wonder?¡± === On a certain rooftop, a single figure wrapped in a dark cloak stood patiently, hiding their face with a blank mask. ¡°He has finally arrived, I see.¡± Standing behind the figure were several people of different races. Though they looked full of life and were seemingly awaiting orders, only the cloaked figure knew of their true identities. ¡°But for this plan to succeed¡­¡­hmmmm¡­¡­has the request my puppet put up been finished yet?¡± None of the people behind the figure spoke. Inside the mask, they couldn¡¯t help but frown in displeasure. ¡°No choice then.¡± With those words, the lone rooftop became devoid of presence once more. 20: Anti-Climactic ¡°.¡± Another Myth ranked spell of the water element. Unlike normal downpours, the water brought by this spell fell at an incredible rate with enough power to pierce through concrete. And its target, ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!¡± A black dog-headed devil-like existence which was floating above a magic circle let out a horrendous scream when the spell hit their mark. ¡°. .¡± Wielding a black sword which absorbed the water spell in my right hand and a silver sword which absorbed the lightning spell in the other, I cast Solid Air to slash at the devil¡¯s panicking figure. Even in a fantasy world, physics still plays a large part in how most things work. After dealing damage with my black sword, I follow up with my silver sword. Due to the area being soaked in water, the lightning current not only inflicts damage on that specific area but also follows along with the liquid¡¯s path. ¡°Shiromi!¡± ¡°Got it Kinji-nii!¡± I don¡¯t know how long it has been since its barrier had been dispelled, but casting one Myth ranked spell after another took its toll on me. ¡° !¡± Casting a defense enhancing spell onto Shiromi, I jump back and force myself to stay conscious as the negative feedback of using up most of my magic power kicks in. ¡°For your insolence!!! You shall perish mortal!!!¡± Large orbs of fire form around it. It would be dangerous even for Shiromi to stand against that, but that¡¯s when my unique, [Immediate MP Recovery], activates. Once again, the magic power surrounding us swirls around and is absorbed by my body. ¡°Wait!!! What?!?!?! My magic power!!!¡± The orbs of fire cast by the devil slowly disappears as it is turned into pure magic power. It soon becomes a contribution to my recovering magic power. No wonder it panicked when this unique first activated. When the magic power in the air started gathering, even the magic powers from the suppliers were being absorbed. Though I had recovered before all of it disappeared, the suppliers had already lost their resistance to physical attacks by the time I finished. It also looks like this devil is a pure magic user, which is a bad match up against my unique. Looking at Shiromi who had manifested her Dragon wings behind her to fight against it, Bam!!! She succeeds in slamming it against the wall behind it. Bang! Bang! Bang! With each succeeding punch, it got buried deeper and deeper into the wall. Although it wasn¡¯t visible from my viewpoint, I could feel that Shiromi was showing a very dangerous face while she was pummeling the devil mercilessly. ¡°FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!¡± ¡°Kyaaaa!!!¡± Shiromi is suddenly pushed back. As she¡¯s falling from the impact, I jump up and catch her. Although I ended up doing it in the fashion of a princess carry and her face is starting to turn red, I decide to ignore it for now. I look at the devil. Its appearance and atmosphere have severely changed. Amidst its black fur were streaks of red in a lightning bolt pattern. The muscles on its entire body were bulging out like they wanted to break free. Miasma was being released at a rapid rate, and miasmic creatures were already starting to form below it. ¡°Shiromi, change of plans. Take care of the miasmic creatures, I¡¯ll handle that¡­¡­thing.¡± It was reaching the point where I couldn¡¯t even call it a devil anymore. A cold sweat rolls down my neck as I watch it free itself from the wall. My unique was still in effect but it wasn¡¯t showing at all. ¡°Okay! Kinji-nii, be careful! !¡± While forming Dragon-like claws around her hands, she charges down at the horde of miasmic creatures. Stretching my limbs, With that, theoretically, I should be able to finish this in one strike. ¡°!¡± Sending around 3 dozen fireballs, it makes no movement and they all succeed in hitting it. But because of the smoke, I couldn¡¯t make out what state it was in. Shiromi was doing fine, cutting up each and every miasmic creature like they were cooking ingredients. No, I think butter would be a better comparison since there are some ingredients that were hard to chop up. An instant after I sensed a large amount of magic power gathering beside me, the sensation of being on a roller coaster was the first thing I felt. ¡°!!!¡± Casting it at the last minute, I¡¯m able to avoid a horrible fate but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that it still hurt. ¡°!¡± The late numbing sensation disappeared as I took a stance. With its endurance set at the lowest value, there¡¯s only a low possibility that its arm is still usable. ¡°!¡± Before it could get away, I cast another spell and launch it. ¡°MORTAAAAAAAAAAAAALS!!!¡± ¡°Not even a scratch?!¡± Seeing the form of the devil without a sign of damage on it, even with the effect of [Parameter Control] applied on it, ¡°Then one more time! !¡± Sharp spears grew from the ground and flew up to pierce through the devil from the bottom up. ¡°Gufah!!!¡± Dark red blood poured out of its wounds. While the spell was still active, ¡°!¡± Sending out another spell with high penetration chance, they all pierce its body as more blood pours out. Kicking against the wall and closing the gap between the two of us, I swing my two swords. Aiming for its arms, I feel no resistance as its blood spurts out and stains my blades. Casting Solid Air, I use them as platforms in order to circle around it and deliver more attacks consecutively. Legs are gone. Thanks to my increased speed and strength, even while it had cast a protective spell to surround its body, I was still able to chop off its legs. The rest of my attacks were only able to create shallow wounds as I needed to avoid its counterattacks. That¡¯s weird. Even with all its limbs gone, it¡¯s strangely calm compared to how it was earlier. Is it really a devil? No, would a devil even fall this easily? Losing my concentration for a moment while having those thoughts, a majority of my vision was covered by a large hand-like object. Actually wait, that wasn''t entirely accurate. It was a hand! The forceful change in my direction causes me to black out for a second. Even with my unique enhancing my body, in the end I¡¯m still a human. I¡¯m slammed into the ground and with difficulty, I see the devil behind its large hand holding me down. Don¡¯t tell me, it had a [Regeneration] unique?! But the pain of losing its limbs shouldn¡¯t be small, is it even able to withstand that much pain in its current form?! Resisting the urge to cry out in pain from its tightening grip, ¡°!¡± Casting a Myth ranked spell of the fire element, it wraps around the devil¡¯s entire body. But maybe I was too slow as I could see a faint blue light protecting it from most of the flames. To be able to defend against an unrestrained Myth ranked spell is no joke. Though it is somewhat ironic that the most powerful spells are the ones with the simplest names. ¡°With its [Regeneration] unique, the only viable way to defeat it is to destroy its body in one attack huh.¡± Going through every spell I currently know of in my head before my spell ends, ¡°Okay. But for it to be effective, I¡¯ll need to get close to it.¡± The effects of Burn had ended and its target had already regained all of its lost limbs along with its wounds having fully recovered. A unique that could regain any lost limbs in a short time, I wish I had asked Libreria for a unique that could steal other uniques¡­¡­wait, that would present other problems in and of itself. Right, it¡¯s better for that kind of unique to not exist but did one that could copy other uniques exist, I wonder? ¡°!¡± Casting a defensive Myth ranked spell, the devil¡¯s attack which consisted of hundreds of small but dense ice bullets were blocked entirely. I realized after the last exchange that only Myth ranked spells would have the most significant effects on the devil¡¯s current form. But that also meant my magic power expenditure would rise. Judging from the way I can currently move, I have around 40 to 50 percent left. Then I should make every move count! === ¡°Wow! They¡¯re really going at it, aren¡¯t they?¡± Passing through the out of place doors in a certain cave, the figure wrapped in a black cloak stood amused from the extraordinary fight taking place right in front of them. ¡°If we were to interfere with them now, I¡­no, we would get wiped out.¡± Behind them, a man with purplish skin spoke in a dignified manner. ¡°I already know that.¡± Turning around to face another man wearing leather armor, ¡°Hey you. Use your unique and figure what his is. I¡¯m not sure how, but he was able to raise his levels quickly enough to be able to fight equally against a devil of the lower stratum. Most likely it was thanks to his unique.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.¡°You got it!¡± From the way the man replied, the figure suppressed the urge to beat him black and blue. No matter what I do, the old personalities of these corps---puppets remain. Since I¡¯m only using them more as RTS units than actual puppets, those personalities surface at any time. Though this does make it easier to infiltrate other countries, it also annoys me to no end. Due to the disadvantage of bearing their fangs at their own forces, the figure could only bring out these thoughts within himself. ¡° !¡± Hearing Helgas¡¯ hero, Kinji, casting a Myth ranked spell, they return their attention to the ongoing fight. Spikes of various elements form around the two and head straight for the opposing devil. ¡°Uwah! That¡¯s got to hurt!¡± A woman wearing a robe that covered her face shouted out in amazement. Blood leaked out of every hole made by the attack. The devil struggled to free itself as it used its hands to remove the spikes one by one. Blood started pouring out in even larger quantities as each spike was removed. ¡°It¡¯s still going at it huh. Did it lose its reasoning after going through a power boost?¡± Raising a hand above their eyes and looking at the devil trying to get free, the figure could only ask himself. In truth, no one in that room knew the answer as to how and why the devil had been summoned. The only one who held the answer had passed after using up their remaining magic power before turning into a pile of ash. Before the spikes disappeared or the devil could free itself, Kinji drew closer with his swords raised. The glint in his eyes showed that he had no plans of showing any mercy to the trapped figure in front of him. ¡°Ah! I finally finished analyzing his uniques!¡± ¡°Hmn? So there are more than one?¡± Running back, the man in leather armor reported the success of his task. ¡°Yes. Moreover, they look like they¡¯ll be useful to us!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste our time! Spit it out then!¡± Urged on by the cloaked figure, the man opened his mouth once again to enumerate his findings. ¡°The first two are nothing more than ¡®potentials¡¯ that increase ones strength and magic power.¡± Receiving no questions or comments, he continues. ¡°Following those are even more ¡®potentials¡¯. [Instant Memorization], [Unlimited Poten---¡± Before being able to finish, his body bursts into flames. Feeling their magic power being drained quickly, the figure cuts off the connection between them and the man collapses lifelessly. ¡°Well, well. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met.¡± Standing in front of them was a man in their early 20s. With sharp red eyes and red hair which grows out into black, a man that can be classified as a butler when judged only by their clothing. ¡°I do not see the need to introduce myself to one such as you, but for formalities, I might as well.¡± With grace belonging to only those raised in a high class environment, the butler bows. ¡°My name is Kuroga. A lowly butler under the servitude of his master.¡± ¡°Hey Kuro!¡± Surprised by the intrusion of yet another voice, the cloaked figure¡¯s puppets turn to its owner. There, they saw a girl in her mid-teens with ruffled black hair. Her normally lively black eyes were giving off a fierce killing intent towards them. Contrasting with the current situation, she was wearing a short dress that was easy to move in and black stockings. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a terrible situation I¡¯ve put myself in?¡± ¡°Kuro, get ready to erase them in an instant.¡± ¡°As you wish, mistress.¡± Being pushed back by their pressure, the figure takes a step back. ¡°H-hey! How about we retreat for now? I don¡¯t think any of us will benefit from a clash now, after all.¡± In reply to his words, another voice joined in. Unlike the previous two however, this one was directed to the figure alone. ¡°Long time no see. .¡± ¡°Wha?! !¡± The cloaked figure instantly disappears from their sights in a flash of blue light. Missing its intended target, the spell heads forward and collides with the dozen people standing blankly. Dropping to the ground simultaneously, the smell of burnt flesh permeates through the air. === ¡°Tsk! So he got away again!¡± As I was about to finish off the devil, I noticed several people watching me from the entrance. Thinking that this was my chance to get that masked man to talk, I was about to ambush them but Kuroga had beat me to them. ¡°Wait, Kinji-nii! If you¡¯re here, then what about that thing?!¡± Shiromi questions me. It seems she was worried about the devil I was fighting against. ¡°Well, you see¡­¡­¡± Seeing me at a loss for words, she turns her head to look at where I came from. ¡°Eh?¡± Crouching down with its body filled with holes was the devil we had fought. ¡°Apparently, even devils need blood. While it was busy removing the spikes from my spell, it just suddenly stopped moving.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Seriously Kinji-nii?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± We both stare at each other for a few seconds before she gives up. ¡°I know I¡¯m supposed to accept it but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean Shiromi. But the way this ended is just¡­¡­¡± Watching the two of us agonize over the battle¡¯s ending, Kuroga spoke. ¡°Master, mistress, did you not know? Even if devils are very different existences compared to us, they are still somewhat living beings, so it is a given that they will require blood to continue living.¡± And with that as the final blow, the two of us collapse on the ground while letting out dry laughter. === ¡°I shall be going ahead then, master.¡± ¡°Okay. See you later Kuroga.¡± Nodding at my words, he casts a Teleportation spell and disappears. ¡°Kinji-nii, did you already record our battle in your card?¡± Facing Shiromi, I reply an affirmation. When adventurers are sent off on subjugation requests, their adventurer¡¯s card can also double as a recording device. By scanning the miasmic creature or entity after you defeated it, it will remain on the back of your card until it is removed by a receptionist of the guild. They do this by using a magic tool that I have yet to see. ¡°Let¡¯s go back Shiromi. If we stay here too long, it might become dark out.¡± ¡°Okay~!¡± We left the town just after the 2nd bell had rang so unless our sense of time had been diluted during our venture inside the cave, the 4th bell should have rang just a while ago. Leaving the devil¡¯s corpse behind as the ruins began to collapse, we begin to hurry along the way back. Without encountering a single miasmic creature, the amount of time it took to return became relatively short. Soon, the adventurer¡¯s guild was within our sights and as we passed through its doors, ¡°Ah! Kinji! Shiromi too! Welcome back!¡± Greeting us was not Ria, but another receptionist. A girl who was one year younger than me. Having flowing brown hair, that was previously short but now reached below her shoulders, tied into a ponytail. Her brown eyes were gazing at us with joy and relief. She was sitting behind a counter, which meant that she was currently in the middle of work. Placed on the side of her counter was a pink pouch bag with a variety of cute designs stitched onto it. ¡°Tsk! She¡¯s back!¡± Ignoring Shiromi¡¯s words of disdain, I approach the counter where the brown-haired girl was stationed at. Feeling the sharp stares being sent towards my direction. Before, this unnerved me but now, I was able to pay them no heed. Though the stares weren¡¯t a surprise, she was considered this branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯s poster girl after all. This fact caused conflicting feelings inside me. On one hand, I felt great joy but on the other¡­¡­ ¡°Kinji? Are you okay?¡± Before I knew it, I was already standing right in front of her. ¡°Huh? Ah, yes, I¡¯m alright!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! I thought that last request had given you some unpleasant memories!¡± ¡°No, nothing like that happened. But I am here to report on the request¡¯s completion.¡± ¡°I see! But as expected of Kinji, you were able to finish the request in no time!¡± Happily taking my adventurer¡¯s card, she rises from her seat and proceeds to head to a room just behind her. ¡°Oh right, before I forget!¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± Reacting to my words, she turns and faces me with an expression as if a question mark was floating above her head. ¡°We¡¯re back, Selina!¡± ¡°Mm! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe, Kinji!¡± ¡°Uwah! Before I knew it, a pink atmosphere had formed around you two!¡± Towards Ria¡¯s remark who was sitting in the neighboring counter, we both laughed. And of course, the sharp stares grew even fiercer. Wait, Shiromi! Don¡¯t join them! You¡¯re supposed to be my sister, right?! With the 5th bell¡¯s ringing as the signal, the day had ended on a cheerful but somewhat dangerous note. === ¡°In exchange for a dozen puppets, I get you huh.¡± In the now collapsing ruin, the cloaked figure stood alone facing the unmoving devil. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s a good trade. Now then, !¡± Without a sound, the dog-headed devil stands and its wounds slowly disappear. Satisfied with the result, the figure grins beneath their mask. ¡°But for that hero to have such powerful servants. There¡¯s no helping it, I guess. Time for me to look for some useful puppets!¡± With no one there besides the figure and the resurrected devil, a cold laugh resounds throughout the cave. 21: Escalated Quickly The shuffling of feet. Sounds of conversation. Stares filled with malice. All of those were nothing against me who was currently waiting in the corner of the adventurer¡¯s guild. It was the day after receiving our reward for the subjugation request, Shiromi had bid me off with an expression of annoyance on her face as I headed out. ¡°Hah¡­¡­at this rate, she¡¯ll end up with the title of brocon, won¡¯t she?¡± Maybe I should talk to her again about our roles we had agreed on. Now, as for the reason I was occupying my time by waiting in the guild¡­¡­ ¡°Sorry it took so long! Did I make you wait?¡± Approaching me was a girl with braided brown hair going over the right side of her shoulders, brown eyes showing an apologizing expression and having a pink pouch bag slung over her other shoulder, a magic bag. Yes, I was here waiting for this girl who is only one year younger than me, Selina, to report to the adventurer¡¯s guild that she would be taking a day-off for today. As she was a full-time receptionist here, along with the prior notice the day before, she also needed to confirm it with the guild master on the said day. ¡°I didn¡¯t really mind. So I guess they gave you the okay?¡± Looking at me, she nodded with a gentle smile on her face. Crap! So cute! I need to protect her from myself at this rate!!! Warning myself in my head as I was still a teenager in his growing years, ¡°But you know, you didn¡¯t really have to repay me by showing me around town.¡± ¡°Kinji! Don¡¯t you even know how valuable a magic bag is in this day and age?!¡± ¡°Errrr¡­¡­¡± Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t. The magic bag that I gave to Selina, which is also the one she¡¯s currently wearing on her person, was just something I found while sorting through the treasures I found in Kuroga¡¯s cave before. At first, I thought it was a normal everyday bag but he corrected me and proceeded to show me 3 other items of the same function. Against her pouting face, I could only put up a wry smile. ¡°Should we head off now?¡± ¡°Huh? Shiromi isn¡¯t with you?¡± ¡°Well, she said she had some things she wanted to do for today. I¡¯ll be sure to soak in everything you show me so she¡¯ll be able to experience it too.¡± ¡°So it will just be the two of us huh.¡± While I was spouting out an excuse for Shiromi¡¯s absence, she mutters something I couldn¡¯t quite make out. ¡°Did you say something?¡± ¡°Nope! Now, let¡¯s go while the sun is still shining brightly in the sky!¡± She said that cheerfully but the 2nd bell still had yet to ring though. Following Selina out of the guild, she begins leading me to the center of town. === ¡°¡­¡­and this is Kinallen¡¯s library.¡± Referring to the large building flanked by two restaurants, I raised a question. ¡°Selina, the 3rd bell just rang. Are you sure you¡¯re okay? You haven¡¯t eaten anything yet, right?¡± In response to my worrying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m the one who---¡± Graaauuuu¡­¡­ Then, a cute growl interrupted our conversation. I was waiting to see when this would happen! The usual cute sound from a hungry cute girl¡¯s stomach! ¡°I-I¡¯m the one who suggested we should go around town before eating after all.¡± With a bright red face, Selina continued her words pretending the growl never occurred. In consideration for her, I was about to follow suit but her stomach had other plans. Graaaauuuu¡­¡­ Once more, a cute growl cut into our conversation. Although I wanted to burn the image of a blushing Selina directly into my brain, continuing this anymore might ruin the atmosphere we had built up. Scanning the surrounding restaurants, I found one that looked like it had delicious meals at just the right prices posted outside its door. ¡°Selina, how about that one?¡± Following the direction of my finger, she looks at the choices posted outside. ¡°Um¡­¡­Kinji---¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m pretty hungry myself!¡± Without giving her a chance to refuse, I gently grab her hand and bring her inside the restaurant. ¡°Welcome! Oh my, what a cute couple! Table for two, I presume.¡± ¡°Yes, for two please. And no, we¡¯re not a couple.¡± Smiling at the woman, Selina quickly finished speaking with her. The woman brought us to a table by the window, giving us a peaceful view of the outside street bustling with the town¡¯s people. ¡°Kinji. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, y-yeah. I¡¯m alright.¡± It¡¯s true that we¡¯re not a couple, but she should have hesitated for a bit, right? I mean, it¡¯s how those girls in the ero---otome games I played acted whenever someone mistook them as a couple. Let¡¯s see, wait, did I even complete the required flags? Bumping into a cute girl, check. Giving her a gift that would also be useful and make her think of me, check. Miraculously meeting each other again after the initial meeting, check. Becoming friendly with each other in a short time and being considered as a couple by those around us, check. Huh? Isn¡¯t it weird? The next thing should be her hesitating for a bit when we¡¯re called a couple on our date. Wait, is this even a date? Is it?! Aghhhh!!! Where did all the experience I gained from being shut-in go to?! Do shut-ins even have experiences?!?!?! While I was wracking my brain looking for any sign that could fix this event, Selina was looking through each and every item on the menu. After a few minutes, a waitress came to our table and asked for our orders. ¡°I¡¯ll be having the seasoned grilled beef and ciacho juice please.¡± ¡°Very well. How about you sir?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, I¡¯ll have the caramelized steak, salmon sandwich and ciacho juice as well.¡± The waitress leaves after confirming ours orders and disappears behind the ¡®employees only¡¯ area. A variety of food in this world share their names with those from my world, most likely due to the influence of other summoned people from a thousand years past. Though I¡¯m not so sure on that since there are also others that share similarities from my world but have different names. An example would be the ¡®ciacho juice¡¯ we ordered. To accurately describe it, it was a mango. Although it had a different shape and texture, its taste was exactly the same as that of a mango¡¯s only being a bit sweeter. Faster than expected, our orders arrived. They probably have someone who had a unique related to cooking. Either that or these were prepared beforehand then preserved. I take the fork placed on the table and slice a portion of the steak before bringing it to my mouth. Delicious! As I bite into it, the juice of the meat makes its way inside along with the rich taste of the beef. It looks like Selina¡¯s also enjoying her order as she¡¯s eating slowly with a smile on her face. While I was enjoying the view, she looks up at me and tilts her head, wondering if there was anything wrong. Shaking my head to tell her nothing was wrong and she continues to eat. Next, I bring up the sandwich which salmon, lettuce and tomato stuffed between the two breads and take a bite. As expected, it tastes just like the salmon sandwiches from my world. Even though it isn¡¯t all that delicious or amazing, the nostalgic taste alone makes it even more enjoyable. By the time we had finished eating, the sun was already lowering from its peak. ¡°Your bill is 2 golds and 8 silvers.¡± Taking out 3 gold coins while telling Selina that I would pay for it all, I give them to the waitress. ¡°Please keep the change.¡± ¡°Th-thank you very much!¡± Bowing her head, she tells us to come again. Having had our fill, I was about to ask Selina where we were headed next but then, ¡°Kinji!¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± Huh? Did I do something to make her mad? Her face was looking at me as if I did something wrong. ¡°Considering your origins and situation, I know I should overlook some things but do you know how money works here?¡± That¡¯s right. Selina was the receptionist who helped us register in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Because of that, she knew about my being Helgas¡¯ hero and Shiromi not being my real sister. Of course, she still hasn¡¯t met Kuroga but I have told her about him. And answering her question, ¡°Yes. I know how money works.¡± Like most fantasy worlds set in a medieval-like world, the way money worked here was quite simple. Money was given out in the form of coins. There were three kinds: copper, silver and gold. 50 coppers were equal to 1 silver and 10 silvers were equal to 1 gold. However, even after replying with confidence, she still had a displeased look. ¡°Ha¡­¡­listen here Kinji, don¡¯t you know just how hard it is to earn money here? I know that you¡¯re an A ranked adventurer but you should still learn how to restrain yourself from spending too much. Just how much did you earn this week?¡± This week? ¡°If I remember correctly, around 2 golds?¡± ¡°See? And you just spent 3 golds earlier since you didn¡¯t ask for the change. Normal people usually don¡¯t do that, you know? Honestly, I¡¯m surprised you three have been surviving with your current lifestyle and---¡± She¡¯s gone into full-on teacher mode, hasn¡¯t she? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been a full week since we arrived here. During the one week we stayed here, I realized I knew nothing about this world¡¯s seasons or if they had any method of keeping track on the time of the year. Although the deceased adventurer¡¯s letter mentioned something about the day and month it was written, that was it. When I asked Kuroga about it, he told me that this world only had 8 months making up a year. Each month had 45 days and one week contained 9 days. Meaning that in terms of my world, there were 6 weekdays and 3 weekends. Names were not given to each day and so, they were only referred to by their number. However, names were given to each month. They all followed a theme which corresponded to the season they belonged to. Since 2 months belonged to one theme, each theme had a pair which fell under it. Right now, it was the 35th day, month of Husun. It was the 2nd month which belonged to the season of spring. The following month will be the month of Muspre, which belonged to the season of summer. While gazing at Selina who was still lecturing me on how to reduce my expenses and questioning our lifestyle being comprised of three people completely oblivious to the common sense of this world, I realize that it has been one whole week since she last visited the temple¡¯s orphanage. Hmmm¡­¡­ ¡°Selina.¡± ¡°---furthermore¡­¡­oh, sorry! I just rambled on again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Say, do you want to pass by the temple?¡± ¡°Eh? But, we still have a lot of places to go to and you already know where the temple is.¡± Her gaze goes down when she mentions the temple. I see. She must miss the children there. Remembering what the temple nun said about Selina having little friends and always passing by to play with the children or teach them about many things, ¡°Come on, I¡¯m sure you also want to pass by, right?¡± Giving her a reassuring smile, she hesitated for a bit before nodding her head. ¡°Although it would be rude for me to go somewhere for my own selfish desire after offering to guide you around¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. This won¡¯t be the last time we¡¯ll go around town, right? Besides, as long as I¡¯m able to spend some time with you, I¡¯ll be happy!¡± Before I noticed it, I had went along with the flow of the conversation and said something really embarrassing. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.Selina also had a surprised expression and her face was becoming bright red. Wait, does this mean I really did raise the right flags?! Who knew playing so much otome games would benefit me?! Going by the flow, the next thing I should say is¡­¡­ ¡°And also Selina, I---¡± ¡°I¡­¡­I appreciate your words Kinji. But¡­¡­¡± Cutting me off midsentence, Selina spoke up. She then lowered her head and slowly pointed to her side. ¡°Maybe you should think of the time and place of where you¡¯re saying such words¡­¡­¡± Taking a look at our surroundings, the passing people were standing still and glaring at us. Due to me witnessing them glaring at us, they all hurriedly walked off while pretending they did nothing. From the nearest people, I could hear their mutterings such as ¡°Kids flirting these days.¡±, ¡°Get a room you two!¡± and ¡°That boy! Getting ahead of me like that!¡± Hey! You¡¯re too old for Selina, you damned geezer! ¡°B-but¡­¡­well, thank you! For today!¡± Still with her head lowered, she thanked me in a low voice. ¡°S-sure! No problem, I mean I should be the one thanking you! I know, let¡¯s go! The children must be waiting for you!¡± ¡°!!!¡± Due to panicking, I didn¡¯t notice that I had grabbed her hand while walking ahead. Of course, I would find out later on but because she didn¡¯t give any sort of resistance against it, my heart only beat faster after realizing that fact. === Kinji¡¯s hand¡­¡­ Even though I was the one who offered to guide him around town, it ended with us going to the orphanage and spending the rest of the day playing with the children. Though half my mind was preoccupied with how we had held hands while headed to the temple. As the sun began to set, we were bid farewell by the orphanage¡¯s children and Vivi, the caretaker here. ¡°Bye bye Selina-onee-san!¡± ¡°Goodbye onii-san!¡± ¡°Take care!!!¡± ¡°Keep Selina safe for us, okay?¡± I felt my face heating up from that last farewell. Geez, Vivi, what are you saying?! Kinji was waving back with a troubled smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since the 5th bell rang. We should be heading home now, I guess.¡± ¡°Hmn? Yeah, I guess so.¡± Normally, we would be headed home just before the 6th would ring but because today was technically a day-off, we could head home earlier than usual. The roads were silent as the number of people had decreased since earlier today. With the setting sun painting our surroundings a deep orange, the sight of me and Kinji walking side by side would most likely catch anyone¡¯s eye. Recalling everything that¡¯s happened today, I stopped walking as a single tear crawled down my face. It¡¯s so unfair. Too unfair for me to be with Kinji. ¡°I mean¡­¡­Kinji¡¯s someone who¡¯s too good for me, after all¡­¡­¡± ¡°Really? For me, I think it¡¯s Selina who¡¯s too good for someone like me.¡± Not realizing my thoughts had left my mouth as words, Kinji replied to me with a smiling face. ¡°E-eh?! No way! I mean, you¡¯re a he---someone amazing! And I¡¯m just an orphan who doesn¡¯t even have a last name! For Kinji, someone¡­¡­someone like Helgas¡¯ ¡®Peerless Princess¡¯ is more fitting for you!¡± That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know about Kinji¡¯s original world, but even in Helgas, only nobles or those belonging to prestigious families have last names in order to distinguish themselves from everyone else. ¡°Umm¡­¡­that¡¯s pretty troubling for me, you see.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Scratching his head, then he lowers his hand and pats my head. Feeling my face turn a bright shade of red, ¡°Eh? EH?! K-K-K-Kinji, w-what are you---¡± ¡°Selina. As you know, I came from another world, right? And in that world, though there are special cases, anyone is free to love and be together with whomever they like.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And just like you said, I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t understand this world¡¯s common sense. Because of that, I¡¯d also like to be together with you as long as possible. Well, along with Shiromi and Kuroga, since I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to survive as Humans without me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Errr¡­¡­Selina, you okay?¡± ¡°Love¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You said love¡­¡­so that means you love me¡­¡­am I wrong?¡± While I was in shock from Kinji¡¯s words, only a few words were understood by me. Among those words, the one that was explicitly made clear to me made my consciousness return. Huh? This is weird. It feels like......something''s disappeared...... Several seconds pass without any of us speaking. Then, ¡°You---you¡¯ll take responsibility, right?¡± ¡°Wha?!¡± ¡°I mean, even though heroes are supposed to have harems and the like, you purposely chose me. While you¡¯re intentionally ignoring Shiromi¡¯s advances, you still go after me with your intentions clearly being shown.¡± ¡°Clearly¡­¡­shown¡­¡­¡± Before I noticed, tears were streaming down my face. Wiping them off, I raised my arm and looked at him with a smile. ¡°And so, Kinji Shirokawa, if you want me to be yours and yours alone¡­¡­please become someone successful in life. If we¡¯re to lead a fulfilling life, I expect you to be able to support not just us two, but also our future family. Also, don¡¯t forget about Shiromi and Kuroga!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh, wait! Maybe I should reintroduce myself to Shiromi? But maybe it might be too soon?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kinji?¡± ¡°Selina.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Without a word, Kinji motioned for me to look around us. Eh? On the road we were walking on, which shouldn¡¯t have anyone else aside from us, suddenly a huge crowd had formed. Taking a closer look, most of the people watching were familiar faces from the adventurer¡¯s guild and the marketplace. Wait, does that mean I said all those embarrassing things in front of everyone?! While he was grinning at me, ¡°Maybe we should continue this next time, when there¡¯s no one watching us.¡± Towards him, I shyly nodded while hiding my face. === Having woken up the next day, I started preparing breakfast. ¡°Hmm¡­..hmmm¡­.hmmhmhm¡­¡­hmmm¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Kinji-nii, you¡¯re pretty cheerful, aren¡¯t you?¡± Reacting to my unintentional humming, Shiromi directed a question at me. ¡°Eh? Ah, yeah. You could say that.¡± Though I tried to shrug it off calmly, a grin had appeared on my face who knows when and gave my inner thoughts away. ¡°Kinji-nii, I really don¡¯t understand what you see in that woman! I mean, you have me, right?!¡± Taken aback by her words, I stop myself from doing a spit-take. When I was about to explain to Shiromi about what was it she said that was wrong, Kuroga appeared and cut into our conversation. ¡°Mistress, may I remind you that in our current situation, both you and master are siblings. As I recall, relationships between siblings are not allowed here.¡± I nodded my head, agreeing with his words. Wait, here? ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that just mean we need to leave this country?!¡± ¡°It is exactly as you say mistress. According to what the woman downstairs told me, Farbrent is stra---lax about its laws regarding marriage and such.¡± ¡°Guh! Farbrent, you say?¡± Oh right, Shiromi originally came from Farbrent, the country of the Dragons. Though I have no idea how she ended up in that mountain. ¡°Well, we currently don¡¯t have any plans of going there so that puts a stop to your plans.¡± ¡°As you wish, master.¡± ¡°Wait, Kinji-nii, where are you going?¡± ¡°Hmn?¡± Having finished preparing breakfast thanks to [Parameter Control], I started putting on my adventuring clothes before Shiromi stopped me. ¡°Oh, well, I was planning on going to the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± ¡°To see that woman, most likely.¡± ¡°Say Shiromi, be honest. Why don¡¯t you like Selina?¡± This question had been occupying a part of my mind ever since we registered as adventurers. Though jealousy is a likely reason, but Shiromi¡¯s reactions imply that it¡¯s more than just simple jealousy. ¡°I---I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, okay! It¡¯s just that, I have a bad feeling about her! Like when we fought before, my unique always acts up around her!¡± Her unique? She must be talking about [Foresight]. But for it to react around Selina, is she using a unique towards us? It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s using a kinetic one since there¡¯s no preliminary action or gesture. Then a potential unique? Well, no use thinking about it now. But for the one I love to betray me in the end, won¡¯t that make a great plot twist? ¡°Let¡¯s think about it later! I¡¯ll be off then!¡± ¡°Wait, why¡¯re you going out on a day-off?!¡± Closing the door as Shiromi shouted, I left the inn in a positive mood. === ¡°Hey Selina.¡± ¡°Yes Ria?¡± The adventurer¡¯s guild was filled with energetic adventurers once again. As groups of them finished their business with the many receptionists behind their counters, one counter was noticeably going through its inquirers twice as fast. ¡°Sorry. I couldn¡¯t help but notice¡­¡­aren¡¯t you in a bit of a hurry?¡± ¡°Hmn? But of course! Kinji¡¯s on his way here, after all! I need to make sure I¡¯m ready to receive him as soon as he arrives here.¡± After having recovered from yesterday¡¯s incident, Selina replied to Ria¡¯s question with confidence. ¡°No, no, wait. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s coming today. Didn¡¯t he say that he would be taking a few days off?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t doubt me Ria.¡± ¡°Then please give me a reason to not doubt you, Selina. And also, haven¡¯t you been a bit strange recently.¡± ¡°Ufufufu¡­¡­¡± While ignoring the adventurers whose bodies were exuding a dangerous killing intent towards the person who still wasn¡¯t there, Selina let out a mischievous laugh. Yes, after the previous day¡¯s incident, something had changed within Selina. And along with that change, ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­¡­it¡¯s intuition, is all~!¡± Playing it off with smile, Ria sighed in surrender. During that exchange, no one in the adventurer¡¯s guild could have anticipated that not one, but two unexpected guests would be arriving that day. ===== Good day everyone! I deeply apologize for being inactive for over a month! As various circumstances occurred, I found myself having less time to focus on this story. Though I cannot assure a constant schedule for updates, I will try my best to update at least once a week or two weeks. Once again, good day and thank you for reading this far! PS: Lately, I''ve been thinking if I should change this story''s title. Honestly speaking, the current story''s already strayed away from my initial concept so I don''t think the title is showing what it''s really about. Though if all of you are okay with it as it is now, I will leave it as is.