《Aenthar》 Chapter 001 - My death AN: Greetings everyone, I''m the lazy author of this story, and I thank you for taking the time to read it!! After reading a lot of stories (on RR, Japtem, Fiction press and Narou) and making comments/suggestions on a few of them, I got the urge to try to write my own, just to see if I can do something decent. So here it is, my ''reincarnation in a fantasy world'' story. ************************************************************ Estatic!! I was estatic!! I was never lucky with lotteries and the likes, like most people I guess. That''s why, when I won the jackpot I was barely able to contain myself. I wasn''t lacking money, but it still wasn''t easy, especially since I was unemployed. Thank you French Federation of Games!!! Many people must have though about what they would do if they were to suddenly get a large amount of money... At least large from their point of view, there are some crazy bastards with a fuckton of money in this world. Well, going back to topic, I though if I were to get that lucky, then I would own and rent appartments, or store buildings. Or open my own store and sell some things most likely tech things. Among other things. I though I also use that money to travel around the world, and get licenses for planes, bikes and boat. But I can always make plans for those later. For now, I put the money on a new account and decided to go on a litle trip to england. I have an old friend there whom I haven''t seen or talked in a while. And since not long ago I heard he broke up with his lover, I think it''s a good opportunity to spend some time with him, to catch up and cheer him up. ------- I choose to go by boat. It''s not a means of transport I use often, and I have plenty of free time. It is around midnight now, I''m on the deck of the boat, enjoying the nocturnal scenery. The sky is completly devoid of clouds, and the full moon and the stars are shining brightly above my head, while a cool breeze caress my skin. I feel really good right now. ------- High above the ground, a solid mass made its entry into the atmosphere of the blue planet. The friction with the air heated it to the burning point. It made it''s way toward the boat lazily crossing the Manche at a dazling speed. But it won''t reach it... At least not in one piece. The heat and air pressure were too much, the meteorite reached its breaking point and burst appart... ------- I was looking at the sky when something caugh my attention. One of the stars seemed to shine brighter and brighter, and it also seemed to move. Wrong. Something alight was moving in the night sky, and it got closer rapidly. Then the light intensified to the point of being blinding, and a thunderous noise roared on this peacefull piece of sea, followed by a shockwave... and something else... I was already underwater when my brain caugh up with what happened. It was utterly unbelievable. First thing I noticed was that I was moving underwater at an incredible pace. Second thing I noticed is that something was lodged into my chest, right next to my heart. It means that projectile struck me and is still pushing me with it deeper and deeper underwater. Third thing I noticed was the glow, and the ever growing pain in my chest. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The pain quickly overtook me. A burning and ripping sensation spreading from my chest to the rest of my body, as if infusing me with something overwhelming, as if devouring me. A pain so intense it eclipsed almost everything else. I didn''t register that I was taking in the sea water, that the water pressure ruptured my eardrums. There was just two things I was vaguely aware of: I was going to die and I was uterly terrified. A last though crossed my mind, for a fliting instant before death took me in its impartial embrace. ------- Antoine was leaning on the railing, facing toward the sea when he noticed the metorite. When it burst appart, its core was released. This small object was very different from the rest of the materials surrounding it. This glowing, crystaline material struck Antoine in the chest, pushing him through several sections of the boat, from the left side of the ship to the right side and downward, and drag him deep underwater within the span of a few seconds. Usually, a projectile this size moving at that speed would have blasted the human body in half. If it didn''t, the body wouldn''t have resisted the sudden acceleration backwards, nor the trip through multiple walls and object, not to mention the hull of a modern boat. It would have turned into minced meat, bones, organs and brain matter. And the speed underwater... But that glowing crystaline matterial wasn''t ordinary, neither was the energy it contained. It distorted the laws of the physics known and unknown by man. It had even affected the rock that had surrounded it. Some pieces of rock were recovered on the ship, and their study would later lead the scientists to critical discoveries and mankind to a new era. ------- Though many people were wounded, there was only one death. A crew member had seen a passenger go to the deck. After the accident he went to check on him, but found noone, except a few drop of blood. And security cameras in the corridors and his passeport he had left in his cabin helped identify him. ****************************************************************** AN: English isn''t my native language so sorry for the mistakes. And as I said, I''m lazy, and since my PC isn''t too fast I won''t waste my time editing for for puny mistakes D: . So grammar nazis, don''t waste your amnutions :D!! Also, please wait a few chapters before rating Next chapter Chapter 002 - Alive again AN: Hi, it''s your lazy author :D . Here is the second chapter. Enjoy!! ****************************** He regained conciousness... Barely. His mind was devoid of any though. There was just the awareness of being in a warm confined place. And he fell into unconsciousness shortly after. This patern repeated itself countless time. But each time it happened, his mind slowly gained more clarity. He now knew he was in a small, comfortable place, in a warm liquide. He knew that his body was extremely weak. He knew he was supposed to be safe, but felt something amiss. But he never kept his conciousness long enough to put his finger on it. He can feel his body now. He can also hear a regular, kind of familiar sound. It seem abnormal. Something is wrong. Yet it also seem completly natural. His situation is weird, he knows that he is missing something. But each time he tries to think about it he feels weird and it makes his head hurt. And each time that happen he feels something hot growing in him. And this patern repeated itself numerous times. He can move his body a bit now, but never for long. The sounds he hears are a bit more clear now, especially the regular, or not always regular beating near him. He knows what this sound is. He also knows what it is he feel each time he tries to understand what''s happening to him. It''s fear. Why? Thinking about it always make him more uncomfortable and makes his head hurt. And each time his head hurt, there is this hot feeling, like something is growing in him, and that also makes him uneasy. Thankfully he never stay concious for long. ------- He can tell something is going to happen soon. He knows it will be important for him. He knows he will leave the place he is currently. He knows he will be able to understand all those things that he feels he knows, but keep evading him. He no longer tries to get the answers, because they will come to him. He also dread this moment, he knows he won''t like everything about it. So he is just waiting, moving a bit from time to time, listening to the sounds (some of them made him very uncomfortable), waiting for the event to take place. It''s here!! The warm liquid that gently envelopped me is leaving. There are small tremors from time to time, more sounds beyond my nest, and the beating next to me has a faster rythm, and the beating is stronger. I know I''m going to see the world soon. It feels both right and wrong, like always. I feel more and more uncomfortable in here. I am pushed in a particular direction. I can hear screams, and that greatly unsettle me. Slowly but surely, I''m pushed outside, I feel something softly but firmly grabing me. A few instants later I''m completly out, something is holding me. No. I know it''s not something, it''s someone. The screams I heard are no more. I instinctly too a breath. It hurts, I cough and leak a long painfull moan. It''s the first time I hear my voice. It''s weird, I don''t recognise it. There it is again, this mixed feeling of wrongness and rightness. I hear three people talking. It feels a little different, but I''m sure I heard two of those voices back in my nest. One of them is the one who was screaming earlier. A woman. The tone of her voice feels weak. The second voice belong to another woman, but it sound older than the first. The third voice belong to a man. I have an idea of who the weak woman and the man are. There it is again, this damn mixed feeling. It makes my head hurt again. I leak another painfull moan before slowly falling into unconsciousness. Before falling asleep I can still feel that I''m given to the weak woman. She is holding me with great care and gentleness. I can feel the man next to her gently pating me. The three are still taling. Weird, I don''t understand what they are saying. I''m tired... ------- Older woman: ?I can see his head, just a little more efforts!!? Younger woman: ?HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!? She is quite tired, and in pain, but still has some energy to spare. Man: ?He''s almost there honey, almost! You''re doing great honey!!? He was completly pale, deathly pale... And sweating almost as much as the woman whose hand he was firmly holding in his. ...A few instants later... Older woman: ?Congratulation Yaereen sweety, it''s a boy!!? Baby: ?Ghu!! Unuaaaah...? Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.Older woman: ?That''s all?? He isn''t crying much... He is breathing normally, everything looks alright? She was a bit worried for the baby. The pregnancy period had not been that smooth for Yaereen. There had been a few tense moments. Yaereen: ?Awww. My little baby!!? Man: ?Hahahaha!! You did it honey!! Look, it''s our son!! You''re the best wife, I love you!!? The young boy turned his head a bit toward the parents. Older woman: ?Hoho, it looks like this little guy is eager to be in the arms of his parents!? she said with a slight smile. The older woman, after cuting the now useless life line and warping the newborn in a cloth, give him to his mother. Yaereen: ?Thank you Nana. Hello there little Aenthar, I''m your mommy!! Welcome my cute little boy? Man: ?Aenthar eh, that''s a nice name you choose for him. Hello Aenthar, I''m your father, welcome.? Nana: ?Really, congratulation you two. And well done Roland? she said with a slight smirk. ?I didn''t think you would be able to bear it. You''re quite pale, I though you would faint!? she added with a little chuckle at the end. The young man, Roland, quickly had his face turn from deathly pale to bright red, up to his ears. He stayed silent, and that made the two women smile both warmly and mischievously. Nana: ?Such pretty deep black hair! On that part he doesn''t really take after any of you two. However his skin tint is a nice mix between the two of you. I wonder how his eyes are like. We will see later. As for his face we can''t really tell yet who he takes after.? Yaereen and Roland looked extremely happy, satisfied. Their child was finally born, and he seemed to be perfectly alright. But they couldn''t spend their time oogling him. Yaereen had to take a rest, and there was some bloody cleaning to do for the other two. Roland finally fainted when Nana told him to take care of the placenta. She leaked a tired sight but looked at him with warm eyes. That man has always been a softy. She then shifted her gaze to Yaereen, who just rolled her eyes with a wry smile. ------- Some time later, Aenthar woke up. He opened his eyes and was almost blinded by the light and closed his eyes shut while groaning. He cautiously opened them again later. That caugh the attention of his mother, who then proceed to breastfeed him. Nana and Roland are soon at her sides. Roland: ?Look at his eyes, they are silver. It looks kind of cool. Hmm, silver is closer to blue than green, so I guess he takes after me for his eyes, hahahahaha!? He said while grinning at hos wife. She just gave him a quick flat stare, with a slight blush on her cheeks, then redirected her attention to Aenthar. That made Nana chuckle. Aenthar was still quite tired. While drinking the milk from his mother breast, he though about his current situation, and looked a bit at the three people present there. He knew he was a new born. That felt wrong, again this mixed feeling. And then those three people. The most striking was his mother. When he saw her it felt like he was struck by a gong. He knew what she was, but it felt unatural. His father and the old woman looked normal, though the clothes they were wearing was kind of odd. The fact that he was a baby was the most unsettling part. He felt that he shouldn''t be baby, he should be an adult. And it struck again. The fear he felt when he was thinking in her belly. A distant feeling of terror and helplessness. The memories of excuriating pain through his body. He shivered. Good thing he finished his meal, as the headaches assaulted him again. While he was drifting back into sleep, he began to understand. He had died. He was sure of it. He had died a painfull death, and has been reincarnated. He fell asleep with an increasing headache, while feeling a mixture of great horror and great joy at his situation. ****************************** AN: When I look at the size of my chapter, I feel that the other authors REALLY like to write!! Also, as you noticed, ?...? is for speech. I will use "..." for thoughs Previous chapter Next chapter Chapter 003 - Pain and joy [PR] AN: Thanks to Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** "Damn it... I died... Fuck it. Damn fuck it. FUUUUUCK!!! ¡­ Damn..." I slowly woke up in the midle of the night. I can''t hear anything, except the calm breath of my parents near. Then I remebered what happened earlier, my birth. My second birth. And before that, the time I spent in the womb of my mother. It all has become clear. I died and got reincarnated. I vaguely remember. I was on a trip to see someone. I was on a boat, it was the night. Something fell from the sky, probably a meteorite. It burst appart and a piece of it struck me square in the chest, taking me out of the boat and deep underwater, while burning me from the inside. I remember the surprise when I was in the sea, quickly replaced by the consumming pain. I hate that part. What kind of sick accident was that?? What was that piece of cosmic rock made off, to glow so brightly even though it was stuck deep in my flesh?? To destroy me so thoroughly from the inside?? Was it some kind of radioactive material?? Well, it doesn''t matter, I wouldn''t have survived anyway. That thing was the size of a fist, it damaged myinternal organs, and the wound was too large, I would have died shortly after from blood loss even if someone had saved me from the sea. The worst time of my life. And I probably can''t forget it. Damn. I didn''t want to die. My life had just taken a turn for the better. I had won a large amount of money. I was about to make serious plans to do things I couldn''t do before, to get things I couldn''t get before. I didn''t want to rush it. That why I decided to go see my friend first. Why did I have to choose the boat at this time?? I like planes, why didn''t I just take one? "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! GOD DAMN IT!!!" ------- In the middle of the night, the new born baby started to cry, waking up his parents. If Nana was there, she would only sight with a wry smile, because the baby seemingly waited until his parents slept to start crying. Or that what she would think. But she would have been so far away from the truth. So far away. For the first time Antoine... No, it''s no longer Antoine. For the first time since Aenthar regainaid conciousness, he cried, grieved for his lost life. Grieved for all those opportunities that were finally available to him, but got taken away from him. He cried, for he realised he would probably never see the people he cared for again. He cried, because he knew his family would cry for his death. He cried because he knew his grave would be an empty one, and that fact would make his death even harder to bear for his family. He cried for all his friends he would never see again. He cried for all the things he loved in his former life that he would never see again. But that isn''t everything he cried for. He may have been greatly saddened and terrorised by his death and everything he lost with it, but at the same time he coldn''t help but be estatic. He didn''t disapear in an abyss of nothingness. He didn''t find himself in a realm of unlimited boredom for the dead (well, with so many different dead people you shouldn''t lack diversity with chatting partners). He got reincarnated. He got another chance at life. He may have lost a lot of things, but he has the chance to make up for all of those, or at least most of them. He started a new life while having the chance to avoid most of the mistakes (some can be lethal) made by younglings due to naivety, ignorance and inexperience. His new life is full of oportunities. After crying for a while, with all kind of thoughs and memories rushing through my mind, I got a severe headache and soon fell into a deep slumber. Each time I though of his past life, I would always get a headache, and remembering my demise made it worst. Thus ended the first day of my new life in the open. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.------- Today is a new day. I''ve calmed down greatly compared to yesterday. My mother is currently breastfeeding me. When I saw her for the first time I was greatly surprised. It also made me realise something I wasn''t complelty aware of yesterday. I really don''t think I''m in the same world I used to live in. And there are probably plenty of differences between this world and my former world. My mother is a wonderfull woman. Truly. She has a dark skin, like an african. She looks tall, but I can''t be sure since evrything looks bigger to me now. Also, she is stacked. Yep, she is goergeous. My father made a great choice. She has a slightly heart shaped face, a mouth with full lips, a straight nose, and almond emerald green eyes. Ah, that''s right. She also has long pointy ears. Yes, she is an elf. A dark elf. There are no elves on Earth. That''s why I''m pretty sure I''m no longer in my former world. Also, the clothes my father and the old lady are wearing. They look, let''s say old fashioned? Now that I think about, the building too looks old fashioned, and modest. So, yes. From my preliminary observations, I''m in a medieval fantasy world, or something like that. It feels way too crazy. I''m reincarnated in a fantasy world, where there is probably magic. Ah, I''m having a headache again. I endure it a bit to finish my meal, and quickly fall asleep again. That''s weird. Whenever I think a lot I get a severe headache. I wonder if something is wrong with my body, with my brain. I''m starting to get worried... ------- For a few days, the same thing happened. I would wake up, barely have time to drink milk from my mother, and fall asleep with a massive headache. On one side, I''m kinda happy because I don''t have time to get bored, cause new born babies can''t do anything at all. On the other side I''m worried I have a problem with my brain. Well, at least my parents don''t have to suffer much from me crying at impossible hours. Parents. I used to have parents before. They were both africans, from a small country on the equador, facing the Atlantic. My mother was beautifull. Not nearly as much as my current mother, but still pretty. My father was average, or above average. They were loving parents. My father died some time ago, but I still had a healthy mother. Now, I suddenly have a new mother. I don''t know what happened to my original mother. And it''s maddening. I have no idea of how my previous family is doing. Those new parents of mine look kind and all, but I can''t just cast aside the people with whom I spend the twenty five years of my previous life. Damn it, the massive headache is there again. I fell asleep again, with a severe pain in my head, and also in my heart.I cried several times, like any new born would, but not quite. I cried because of the pain of my headaches, and the sadness of being appart from my former family. This patern continued for a few days. I didn''t have much time to look at my surroundings. Too much is going through my mind. How long will this last? I don''t know. But there will be a time when it will stop. I guess I didn''t get over the fact that I died and left everything I knew. Well, getting over something that drastic isn''t supposed to be easy I guess. I found a means to lessen the pain in my head and in my heart. A song I found a few month before my death. A song I like very much, and that I find fitting for my situation. There are no lyrics, pure intrumental, a wonderfull mix of violins and piano. The title of the song is The Beginning, by a guy named Factor something. It really put my mind at ease. I start to sleep better now. ****************************** AN: Factor Eight - The Beginning . I love this sweet alliance of violins and piano, who are my top two favorite musical intruments. Chapter 004 - Adaptation and observations [PR] AN: Your lazy author presents you the fourth chapter Very Happy , enjoy!!! Thanks to Zenla, the royal proofreader. ****************************** Nana is an experienced woman, especially when it comes to children. She gave birth to 3 boys and 3 girls, and people often seek for her help for births and taking care of new borns. She is worried. Yaereen''s son isn''t behaving like the others one month old babies. He sleeps a lot. Maybe too much. She checks on him every few days, but there doesn''t seem to be any problem. Yet something is definitly amiss. ------- It''s been more than 20 days since my birth. I spend most of my time sleeping. I know babies are supposed to sleep a lot, but I think I''m breaking a record in this world. Maybe? But it''s not like I''m always tired. It''s just that when I start to think, I get headaches, and it''s like my brain needs to shut down. I wonder if I''m born as an idiot. Incapable of processing much information. Now I''m worried about my future. Since I''m not often concious, there are a lot of things I still don''t know about this place. At least I know I''m called Aenthar, my mother is Yaereen, my father is Roland, and the old lady that often visits us is called Nana. I think that''s a fitting name for someone who is like a nanny or a housekeeper. It feels like she is worried about me. It doesn''t often show on her face, but somehow I can feel it. Is it because I sleep too much? ------- It''s been around 40 days now since my birth. I have less headaches now, and they are less intense. Except when I''m thinking about my past life. The pain can be mind blowing if I force it. So instead of thinking about the past, I am redirecting my attention to my surroundings, and more importantly, to the words and sentences that leave the mouth of the 3 adults that are often near me. I think I''m starting to get their language. It''s a little weird, it kind of remind me of some latin languages and greek. It feels like it''s a mix of those two, with some differences. The way my mother speaks is a bit different than the way my father and Nana speak. I wonder if it''s because she is an elf. Maybe it''s the elven accent. Well, I don''t really care, I think it''s nice. Damn it, thinking about the languages of my former world is giving me a headache. Maybe I shouldn''t focus on the language. Since thinking isn''t good, let''s try to do some physical ativities. To sum it up, I''m just playing with my body. I think I can move pretty well for a forty something days old baby. Seeing that I''m moving more seems to calm my parents and Nana. No, it''s calming Nana, but it looks like it''s making my mother happy. She just said something to my father with a grin, and now he looks defeated. My mother looks quite athletic. My father doesn''t. He is slightly smaller than my mother, a little on the skinny side. He has shoulder lenght brown hair, almond-round steel blue eyes, a roman nose and a mouth with thin lips. He has a fair skin tint. I think my mother is used to physical activites, and maybe she thinks I''m taking more after her. That makes me wonder what activities do my parents for a living. I guess I''ll know in a few months. But judging by the house we are living in and the clothes they are wearing, we must be commoners but not peasants. The house is mostly made of wood. As far as I know there are 5 rooms at least. Three of them are on the first floor, where I spend most of my time. My parents bedroom and 2 other rooms. On the groundfloor are the living room and the kitchen. I know there are more rooms but it isn''t safe for babies I guess. The furnitures seem to be of a decent quality, not shabby. In my parents room there are 2 wardrobes, a double bed, a night table, and my baby bed. In the living room there are 5 chairs around a round table, 2 chairs near the fire place with a low table. There is a big dresser on one of the walls, with several books in it. I haven''t been in the kitchen yet, nor the other rooms so I don''t know what they are like. That too is for later. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.------- I''m eager to get enough strenght to crawl around. Staying in the room almost all day is getting boring. Thinking about days, they are weird I think. It feels like they are shorter. If they really are shorter, then the calendar must be quite different from the one of my previous world. There it is, this damn headache again. Always there when I don''t need it. I hope it won''t follow me my whole life, else I will really be screwed. I wonder what''s wrong with my head... My head? My memories? I just remembered this manga about two alchemist brothers. Where do memories lie? I think I''ve got an idea of what is happening to me. It''s because of my soul. My soul contains the memories of my past life, but my brain does not. When I''m thinking about my past, my brain gets flooded by a mountain of information. I previously lived for 25 years, and my new born brain has to sort through twenty five years of informations when it just recently started to function. No wonder I get headaches. I guess the pain lessened because my brain was slowly assimilating the information carried by my soul. It does make sense, at least for me. Once again, waiting is the only thing I can do. It sucks balls to be a baby. ------- I think it''s been around 60 days or so since my birth. I have less and less headaches, and they get weaker and weaker. And that makes me quite happy. I can understand a bit more and more of what my parents are saying. Also, since I''m a calm baby, my mother goes out of the house more often. She never leaves me alone for long though. However, it looks like my father got more busy. Well, he has a wife and son to support. He really is a nice father. My parents. In their couple it feels like my mother is the dominant one, but every now and then she meekly submits to my father. I guess she can''t win against the kindness and gentleness of my father. He feels even more ''homely'' than my mother. He would make a great househusband. It looks like he is some kind of smart artisant. I sometimes see him reading books. As for my mother, since I once saw her with a bow I''m completly sure she is a huntress. ------- Nana rarely comes to our house now. I guess her worries about me are gone. And she must have some other things to do as well. I miss her a bit. Well, I will be able to see her again once I can move on my own. I think I''ll be able to before the end of the year. I don''t even know what a year is in this world. I have confirmed that the days are shorter than in my previous world. How you ask? By counting the seconds between midday and dusk. There is little I can do in my situation. It was one way to spend some time productively. I counted three times, with a day of rest between each sessions. I counted up to 19800, more or less. I didn''t count straight from 0 to 19800. I would count up to 1000 and start again. I counted up to 1000 19 times, and the day would always end around 800. That makes around 5 hours and half for a quarter day, thus around 22 hours for a day. To notice a 2 hours difference... I must be quite sensitive. I don''t know anything about the weeks, months and years, but I have an idea about the season. I think it got warmer, if not hoter since my birth. So it must be something like summer now. Since my father and Nana look caucasian, I''m guessing we are at a part of the world similar Europe, with spring, summer, autumn and winter. And I''m guessing I was born near the end of spring. Again, a fitting season for a birth. I hope I will be able to learn more and more before the cold season settle in. In this medieval setting, winter is the most dangerous season, especially for babies. I must be able to crawl soon and learn the language. And I have to be carefull with my neck if I want to move around. When my parents are around I will do light neck exercises while trying to learn from listeneing. Outside those times I will train to crawl. Let''s do that. ****************************** AN: No!! I didn''t take inspiration from FMA for some of the world setings/rules Chapter 005 - A few discoveries [PR] AN: Hello!! Your lazy author present you the fifth chapter Very Happy, enjoy!! Thanks to Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** It didn''t take long. It''s been about 125 days since my birth and I can crawl now. My mother was very surprised, and very happy to see me crawling toward her and raising my arms as if asking ''carry me''. She snuggled me for quite some time after that. My father also wanted to hold me but he had to wait his turn, my mother was too busy cuddling and kissing me. They enjoyed watching me move around on the ground, and got even more surprised when I carefully climbed down the stairs. My father wanted to carry me when I reached the stairs, but my mother wanted to see what I would do. Don''t worry, they are good parents, their hands were close to me the whole time. I was showered with kisses after that. I was both happy and sad. But being able to move by myself doesn''t allow me to go anywhere else beside the bedroom and living room. My parent made sure of that. All the other doors are locked, when before they could be slightly open sometimes. They are worried about my safety. But since I can''t carry out any exploration I have to find something else to do. I don''t know enough about this world to try more ''advanced'' stuff, like reading. I don''t even know enough about the language. The best way to learn a language is through practice. But isn''t it a bit too early for me to start talking? Nah. I''ll just start with papa and mama, and nana if she comes. And basically act like a parrot, trying to repeat some random words from time to time, faking to struggle a bit. Yes, I''ll do something like that. But which should I call first? My father or my mother? Oh, someone has come to help me with that. ------- It was shortly before nightfall, Yaereen came back home with Nana. Roland was reading in the living room while Aenthar was just randomly moving around. When the 2 women entered the living room, Aenthar did something none of the adults expected. Aenthar: ?Nana!? he said while raising his hands toward her. The 3 adults froze, and the room became deadly quiet for 2 seconds. Yaereen: ?KYAAAAAAAAA!!!? Roland: ?OOOOOOOOOOOH!!? Nana: ?DAWWWWWWW!!? Aenthar: ''''Wrong move!!!'''' he thought while mentally facepalming. The 3 adults rushed to him, his mother first even though his father was closer. She snatched him from the ground and showered him with kisses. Yaereen: ?Kyaaa!! My little boy said his first word!! Mommy is happy!!? Nana: ?Oh, little Aenthar called me!! Did you miss me that much my little boy?? Hearing that, Roland got a defeated wry smile on his face, but he still looked happy. Roland: ?Haaa. His first word, and it''s neither mama or papa. But it''s still amazing. He didn''t forget about you and called you by your name.? Yaereen finally released the young boy and handed him to Nana who gave him a big hug. Nana: ?I''m just as surprised as you are. This happened about 3 months earlier than most children. But still, I''m happy he called me!! Cute little Aenthar!!? Yaereen: ?Ugh!! Come on my boy, say ''mommy'', ''mommy'', come on!? Aenthar: ''''Haaa, she is looking at me with so much hope in her eyes. No she is almost pleading me. Since I called Nana by her name, I''ll just do the same... I wonder... No, instead of just repeating, I''ll call her by her name.'''' ?Yae''een!!? ''''Crap, it''s harder than I though!!'''' Yaereen: ?KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!? while almost snatching Aenthar from Nana''s arms. She then proceed to spin around while giving him a big hug and a big kiss. Nana and Roland were surprised once again by what was happening. Roland decided to have his turn. Roland: ?Oh, my little son is great!! Come on, who am I? Call daddy, come on? with an expectant expression on his face. Aenthar: ?O''and!? Roland stopped moving, and tears quickly gathered at the corner of his eyes. He snapped out of his stupor, but the first tear streamed down his face. He turned crimson up to the ears and hastly turned around and wiped his eyes. Yaereen seeing this burst into laughter. Nana was looking the other way but her shoulders were shaking. Nana: ?Someone is so happy he is crying? Roland: ?I''m not crying!!? Nana: ?You''re the one who asked for it. Literaly.? she added while chuckling. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.The 2 women laughed for a bit before calming down. Yaereen: ?Come on honey, everybody knows you''re a sweetheart. That''s one of the things I love so much about you.? Nana: ?But still, he can already associate our faces with our names. What a smart child! You should talk to him more, pointing things and tell him their names, he will learn to speak faster, and earlier. Yaereen: ?That also means I''ll be able to teach him the elven tongue earlier and faster. This is great!? Nana: ?And to think he can already move around on his own... All children grow quite curious at a point, but for you it will happen earlier as well. You will have to keep a more vigilant watch on him.? The 3 adults talked for a bit, then Nana left them for the night. Afterward, aside from the meal, Yaereen and Roland spent the remaining time showing Aenthar many differents things, saying their names and tried to have him repeat after them. Today''s surprise made them quite eager to teach their son new words. And Aenthar isn''t about to complain, far from it. ------- I am now 8 months old. Thanks to my super motivated parents, I understand the languge a lot more and can speak a little. I now know that this world is called Premean. 1 week is made of 5 days, 1 month is 5 weeks, and 1 year is 16 months (80 weeks, 400 days). There are 4 known continents. The one we are living in is called Zanitras, the biggest continent, the others are called Drywumbi, Kliavren and Iazecqath. I already suspected there would be other fantasy-like races aside from the humans and the elves. There are the dwarves, obviously. The rexons, a race who seems to have dragon-like ancestry. The lycans, who are beast people with animal ears and tails, I''m eager to see them. The andrellas, the winged people. The omdians, I think they are demons-like. The barbarians, they seem to be like the horde from warcraft. There are subraces but my parents left it for later. The humans, elves and dwarves are from Zanitras, the rexons are from Drywumbi, the lycans and andrellas are from Kliavren, and the omdians and barbarians are from Iazecqath. There are a lot of savage, unexplored lands on each continent. These parts are all called the Frontier. The place we are living in is a village near the frontier called Argot, within the country named Tristam, apparently the name of its founder. ------- Not long ago, my mother showed me what I was most curious about. What I wished would be present like everything else in fantasy-like world. Magic. I finally saw magic. My mother wanted to surprise me and entertain me for a bit. I was stunned and completly captivated by my mother. That made my parents laugh, and my mother looked quite proud of herself. She told me I would be able to do that when I get bigger. Looks like people have to learn to feel magic first, and that it takes time. Not for me. That was an incredible revelation. People must learn to feel magic before learning how to use it. But I felt it. I felt it when my mother cast the spell that made a tiny fireball dancing around her finger. I could faintly feel differents flows merging together to give birth to the fireball. Now that I think about, its not the first time I felt it, I''m sure of it. But when? The heat. When I was in my mother''s womb. Each time I got the accursed headache, I would feel something flowing in me. I absorbed mana, probably the mana of my mother. And that was each time I got a headache. Did those headaches pose a danger for me? And did my body drain the nearby mana to heal me or something? That sounds weird. If I drained the magic of my mother, didn''t I cause problems for her during her pregnancy? I was thinking about experimenting, but I''d better not. There might be a heavy price to pay for mistakes. But there is one thing certain. I will follow magic oriented path in this world. I already know I have aptitude for magic. I can train my sensitivity to magic. No need to use it. When I get older, I will learn. But I don''t want to be a guy that can only use magic. Whenever I would play a rpg, I would never select a class that is specialised in only physical or magical actions. Let''s learn a bit more and then plan for the training I will follow for the next years. ****************************** Chapter 006 - Finally outside [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you the sixth chapter Very Happy . Enjoy!! Also, I usually try to write 2 chapters per day, but I''m lazy. At the very least there will be 1 chapter each day. For now... Thanks to Zenla, the royal proofreader. ****************************** I''m 11 months old now. It''s the middle of winter now. I still haven''t been able to go outside yet, I was too young during the warm times, so I''m still stuck at home. My understanding of the language has improved a lot these past 3 months. But I still talk like a child for appearances. In the near future, I will ask my mother to teach me the elven tongue and my father to teach me how to read and write. Speaking of him, he is an alchemist. One of the rooms on the groundfloor is his workplace, and it''s connected to another room, which is his store. He showed it to me a few times while teaching some words. It''s a good thing for me, because I''ll be able to learn a lot about the herbs and the differents materials of this world. Knowing their use and their worth will definitly be a bonus for me. Maybe more than I imagine right now. My mother isn''t just a simple huntress. She raises some poultry for their eggs and meat. She can also make bows and arrows, and she makes a decent profit thanks to the adventurers that regulary pass through our village to explore the Frontier. And while she hunts she can gather some of the ingredients my father uses to make his products. She sometimes acts as one of the village guards too. She was an adventurer before marrying my dad. She is strong. Oh, I started to walk around a month and half ago. No need to tell you how happy my parents were. They must have told Nany because the next day, she came to visit, she stayed at the door and told me to come to her. My parents had big smiles on their faces. Bragging about me to others, eh. Well, I didn''t disapoint her. And unlike the day before, I didn''t fall. But there were too many close calls. I decided to use the walls for support for a while. I also practiced feeling the magic, the mana. It''s easy to feel when it''s in move because someone is casting a spell or a magic item is in use (my father showed me one once). But when nothing or no one is using magic near me... It was very aggravating at first. I didn''t know much about meditation, so I tried like I read in other novels, and realised I''m really bad at it. After around a month I finally started to feel it... Barely. It took a lot of time and concentration to feel it more clearly. Whenever I relaxed a bit, I would lose track of it, and I would have to start again. Now it no longer requires a lot of effort to feel it clearly. In fact, now, even when I don''t concentrate, I can slightly feel it, like seeing something at the edge of your eyesight. A little focus and it becomes clear. ------- Finally! Winter is gone, along with the previous year. It''s a new year it''s spring again, and my birthday is coming soon. And with that, I will also be able to go out of the house! I''m getting excited like a little kid... which I am, literally. Who cares, men never lose their childlish spirit. In fact, I think I will enjoy playing like a kid again. I had a 4 year old niece before, it was often fun to play with her. Now I''ll be able to get myself dirty without shame. ------- Today is my birthday. I already expected to see Nana, but there were a few new faces. A middle aged couple, which happens to be the village chief, Lucas, and his wife, Isabel. Along with them, a family of 4. They settled in the village at the start of the year, and my parents helped them quite a bit in various parts. And one of their children is just a year older than me. But most importantly, they are lycans. The father, Erik, is a tall, strongly built man, with black wolf ears and tail and short black hair. He has deep blue eyes. He looks cool. His wife, Jenna, is a cute petite woman with nices curves, golden eyes, red hair, and red fox ears and tail with a white tip. The eldest child, Arren, is a cute 5 years old boy with green eyes, light brown hair and fox ears and tail. The younger child, Kerrina, is a cute 2 year old girl with dark brown hair, saphire blue eyes and wolf ears and tail. Nana aside, they were quite surprised and pleased to hear me talk so well for a 1 year old child. Lucas and his wife didn''t stay long, just chatting a bit with my parents, congratulating me and giving me a cloak with a hood as a gift. It''s a little big but it means I''ll keep it longer. Then they left. The lycan family and Nana stayed for the rest of the evening though. By the way, Nana gave me a shirt she made herself, I gave her little hug. She reminds me of my former grandmother. My mother gave me a toy bow and my father a pair of shoes. Both hand made. What great parents! Erik was once more surprised when I asked him what are the different kinds of lycans, but he happily gave me a little explanation. There are five types. The hototos, who are canin-like (wolf, fox, dog..). The tulas, who are felin-like (cat, lion, tigre...). The niamhs, who are rodent-like (rabbit, mouse, squirrel...). The ornats, who are bovidae-like (cattle, goat, and other animals with horns). The honanis, who are primate-like (gorillas, monkeys...). So those 4 are hototos lycans. Next I asked him what their jobs were. Erik is a hunter and woodcutter but he was a mercenary before. Jenna is a waitress and a tailor, but after moving here she is starting a farm, mostly cleaning and preparing the fields. They left the city to settle here when Erik quit his mercenary job to take care of his family. Woodcutter is safer than mercenary and he is good with an axe. After a little chat, the parents talked among themselves while I was with the siblings. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Arren is a gentle, at least he looks like a gentle boy. He recently started to learn hunting from his father. Well, it looks like it''s just following him and staying quiet for the time being. He is also learning how to count and already helping with housework. He looked proud while saying all of this. I guess he wanted to impress me. He did. I should start to give a hand with housework too. I mean, I can talk and move around, and I''m getting less and less clumsy with my hands. Kerrina. A cute wolf girl with good looking parents. Is this the appearance of the childhood friend who will grow pretty and fall in love with me? Her father is tall and handsome, her mother, even if petite, is cute and has proper curves. And they get along well with my parents.This cute little girl may very well turn into a beauty. So let''s get along for now. Maybe we will get along better in the future, maybe not. The only thing I can do is wait and see. Damn, I read to much manga and novels... ------- Today is the day after my birthday. My mother is taking me out for a small tour of Argot, our village. The moment I was out, I ran (?) around the house to have a good look at it. The 3 rooms of the first floor are above the living room, kitchen and storage room. The workplace and the store of my father look like something that was added to the house. There is another large building a little away. It''s the place where my mother raises the poultry. And there is also a tanning rack? So my mother also knows how to work with leather. After that we went to the village. Now that I think about it, our house is a little away from the village, and the forest is not that far. Once again, I''m a little anxious because we are at the Frontier and it''s not as safe as the rest of the civilised lands. There are more chances of wild beasts and monsters attacks. Oh, I didn''t tell you, there are monsters. As expected of a fantasy world. Monsters are beasts that have mutated due to an excess of magic in their bodies. That often happens due to the beast ingesting a mana crystal or by living in a place with a high concentration of mana. The beast who transforms into a monster become stronger, more tough, more agressive and can gain magical abilities. Some changes enough to gain a notable level of intelligence. They get stronger as time pass by absorbing ambiant magic, eating other monsters or eating people with magic aptitude. As for the magic crystals, there are 2 types. The first is simply crystalised raw mana. Once depleted the crystal fades away. The other is a kind of stone that absorbs and stores mana. There are differents subtypes. Thank you father for the information. Now back to topic, we reached Argot after a 15 minutes walk. I would say the village has between 150 and 300 people living in. There is no way I would be able to see all the inhabitants during this first trip. Most of the people I''ve seen are humans, caucasians like my father, Nana and the family of the village chief. There were a few dark skinned humans, like africans, and a few tall and pale humans who made me think of vikings the moment I saw them. There were also a few non-humans. I saw 2 dwarves and 2 elves with slightly tanned skin my mother called wood elves. I also saw a barbarian, a troll. He is one of the village guards and an aquitance of my mother. He really reminds me of the troll from Warcraft. He is called Zefron, and he has a long bow and 2 hatchets on either sides of his hips. He is wearing leather armor. He raised an eyebrow when I greeted him without hesitation, and just pated my head with a slight grin and a glint of amusement in his eyes. From what I could see, Argot has 1 inn, 2 blacksmiths, 3 general stores, 3 bakers, 3 brewers, 3 carpenters or wood workers, 1 fishmonger (when I asked where the fish comes from my mother told me there is a large river not too far from the village), 2 shoe makes, 1 jeweler, 3 tailors. I''m not sure about the other buildings because we didn''t get inside any of them. Just that it wasn''t too hard to guess what the buildings were built for. I also caught sight of many children from different age. There won''t be any lack of playmates I guess. Before the end of our tour, one of the building caugh my attention. When I asked my mother she told it was a small branch of the adventurer guild. It''s because our village is near the frontier, there are no settlements after us and the adventurers guild and the rulers of the kingdom (and any other large enough organisation interested in profit) are quite interested in the Frontier. Looks like there are a lot of valuable things that can be found there if you look well enough or far enough. That is very interesting. I will be seeing that place a lot in the future, there will be plenty of informations to gains. And the blacksmiths too, to have a solid idea of what the blacksmiths of this world can do with metal. With all that and the knowledge of my father about alchemy, I will have a good idea of what the people of this world can create. That will also let me know how much of my previous world modest knowledge I can use to my advantage here. With that I''ll have a better idea of what I wish to do with my new life in this world. ****************************** AN: I guess that will be all for today. Just 1 chapter. But there will definitly be 2 chapters tomorrow Chapter 007 - Learning [PR] AN: Yo, this is your lazy author presenting you chapter 7 :D. Enjoy! Thanks to Zenla the royal proofreader ****************************** Even though I can now go outside the house, that doesn''t mean I can do anything. I''m still a year old little child who doesn''t even know how to run. So going far from the house without one of my parents, or Nana, or another trusted adult around, is absolutly out of question. I won''t be able to go to the village often. So instead let''s stay near my parents a bit more, it definitly won''t hurt, and I can still learn a lot just by watching. So, most of the time I watch my parents work. I watch my mother when she feeds the poultry and gather the eggs. By the way, the poultry she raise is a green bird the size of a duck, with short wings, developped legs and completly black eyes. The males, who are kept separate for the time being, have black and blue stripes on their bodies. It''s probably a fast runing bird. This bird is called a jakka. It''s uncommon in Tristam. My mother captured and brough five of them when she decided to settle here with my father. There are around 40 of them. Overall they give between 10 and 20 eggs each day. The oldest ones end up in the village market in pieces. They are used to the presence of humanoids so I can pet them without problem. So nice. The children must be so cute, I can''t wait to see them. Once my mother is done with them, she either go to hunt or guard the village when it''s her shift. When she comes back from her hunt, she carefully collects the leather of her prey, and we either keep the meat or sell it in the village. She didn''t let me see when she ''processed'' the body, but I could watch her when she was tanning and processing the leather. When she is done with that, if she has time she would make arrows. All of this while teaching me the elven tongue. When I''m not outside with my mother, I''m inside watching my father''s work. That is when he isn''t working in his little lab. I''m forbidden from going in there. When he isn''t there he is classifying the new materials he got, planning for their use, then he checks the new products he made, and carefully tidies everything up. He would also tell me the name of this material or that material that are good to make helpful remedies. When neither could constantly keep an eye on me, my father would give me a flat wooden board and a piece of chalk to practice writing the letters he taught me, or just so I can have fun trying to draw on it. They were very pleased when I finally managed to write their names. But it''s not like I spent all my time with them watching their work or learning from them. I would also often spend time with Jenna, Arren and Kerrina at their house. I would play with Kerrina, or try to teach her how to speak until she got bored, then try to entertain her. Sometimes we would watch as Jenna and Arren worked. That gave me the chance to learn a little about the lycans and their land. There are a lot of forests on Kliavren, and lycans tend to like forests. There are 4 lycans countries at peace with each other most of the time. They are ruled by the hototos, the tulas and the niamhs. The honanis prefer to live outside of these countries in numerous small forest villages scattered on the continent. But they don''t mind too much other lycans visiting their places. All lycans tend to respect strengh almost instinctively. They also respect wisdom. Hototos like order and cooperation, and they respect hierarchy. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.The tulas like freedom, and usually don''t like to create trouble. But they also act on their emotions more than the other lycans. The niamhs are the most cunning among the lycans, they are also the most greedy. The ornats are the most peacefull among the lycans, but they are also the most ferocious when they defend themselves against an attack. The honanis have traits of the hototos, tulas and ornats: they like hierarchy and order, they love their freedom, they are peacefull but ferocious when attacked. Just like I learned about the lycans from Jenna, I learned more about the humans from Roland, my father. There are 4 types of humans. The thoreims, who live in clans in the cold northern part of Zanitras. They are tall, pale, and well built. Men or women, they are strong and brave warriors. The yukhans, who live in the east of the continent. They are a little short, with slightly yellow skin, black hair and eyes. They are agile fighters and skilled crafters. The kuendes, who live in the south, with black hair and dark skin. They tend to be slim and athletic. They have great stamina, they are close to nature and are the best human hunters. The caecias, who live in the center of the continent. Appearance-wise they have a bit of the others traits, with slightly taned skin. They are the best merchants and artists among humans. While teaching me the elven tongue, my mother Yaereen also told me about the elves. There are 4 types of elves. The high elves, who live in a kingdom north from Tristam. They have silver hairs and pale white skin. They are the best mages among the elves. They avoid strangers. The night elves, who live in a dark forest toward the south of the continent. They have prurple skin, and green or blue hair. They are the most secretive among elves and rarely let strangers in their land. The wood elves and the dark elves are the most open and adventurous among elves. Their hair color range from blond, brown and red. In some rare case they are black or white. They don''t have a kingdom but independant forest towns scattered on the continent. The most interesting thing I learned was when my mother showed me the temple of the village. There, I met Ellis, the priest of Argot. I asked him what the building was for, he told me it was for the elders gods. Zeldia the Great Mother, goddess of creation. Aerytihor, god of life. Lygtihor, goddess of death. Icthorus, god of fire and light. Voldyr, god of seas and water. Eyjilee, goddess of wind and storms. Xiana, goddess of land. Those seven gods are worshiped on all the continents. In fact, they were worshiped by all races before getting into contact with each other. I thought there would be different religions for so many different races spread on different continents. I''ll have to look into the history of those 8 races in the future, I might find something worth it. This is how I spent most of my second year in this world. Sometimes with my parents, sometimes with the lycan family. Sometimes learning a language, sometimes watching someone else work. Sometimes being with Kerrina, sometimes being by myself. When I had some time for myself, I would try to improve my running ability. I also continued to practice sensing the magic. I would try while walking, playing, learning from the others. It was a lot harder than before. But I''m slowly getting used to it. But it still takes some time. Sometimes I think it seriously sucks balls to be a little child. ***************************** Chapter 008 - Hard life [PR] AN: Hello, it''s your lazy author presenting chapter 8 :D, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ******************************* This year hasn''t been nice and good to everyone around me. 4 hunters and 17 adventurers never came back to the village. There are some deaths every year, but I couldn''t notice it on the year I was born. The end of this year has been rather grim for Argot. On the fiftenth month, a young child died from an uncommon illness. Because he was a calm and quiet child, the parents didn''t notice the problem right away. The village lacked the proper material to make a remedy. An adventurer was sent to the nearest town for it, but came back too late. The priest and the physician couldn''t keep him alive. I know the priest can heal with magic, but I don''t know to what extend. It means that there are things magic can''t do anything about. On the last month of the year, the village was attacked by a pack of monsters. They are called razorbaks. They look like a cross between wolf and boar, with razor sharp tusks, teeth and claws. Those hateful bastards struck at the worst time, dusk, when their presence could be hidden by the shadow of the forest cast by the setting sun while the sun slightly blinds those looking toward the west. At that time I was with my mother, who had come to buy iron arrow tips. The village isn''t completly surrounded by walls, there are parts that are unprotected. But even if they completly surrounded Argot, they wouldn''t be able to stop those monsters due to their jumping power and their claws which allow them to climb a bit. Zelfron, the troll guard, was the first to notice them and gave the warning. He slowed down a few of them with accurate shots from his longbow before discarding it and intercepting in close range with his 2 hatchets in each hand. My mother entrusted me to the nearest household before equiping her bow and running after Zelfron. While the woman ushered me inside her house, I could hear warning bells ringing and the few people still outside were screaming and scramblings around. I was in a kind of daze, until the woman taking care of me closed the door of her house shut. That is when I realised we were in a very serious situation, and that my mother had left for the frontline. My heart sank at that thought. I could hear people outside shouting instructions, people running around. I could feel a few people using magic. And for some reason, I also felt it when my mother used magic. I don''t know why, but I knew it was her, a little distance away from the house where I was. I could feel the tension outside, heard the sounds of battle and the painful screams of the wounded, on both sides, villagers and monsters, the scent of blood reached my nose. The adventurers. They came to provide assistance, with a few mages. At that time, the battle that was slightly advantagous for us turned into a one sided slaughter. The razorbaks. I could faintly feel their general position, I could faintly tell when those close enough would fall forever. Slowly, the sounds of battle died down. I could hear the village chief barking some instructions, and there was still a lot of activity outside, but the tension seemed to lessen a bit. That when I realised I was frozen stiff, and the woman taking care of me was hugging and pating me, telling me everything would be alright and that my mother would come soon. I relaxed and nodded to her, and she too relaxed with a soft smile. I really felt better. Some time later, my mother came to take me home. She was sweating a bit and had a tired, gloomy expression on her face. We said our thanks and goodbyes to the woman who had looked after me and left. On the way home I asked my mother who that lady was. Her name is Namir, with a handsome rather than pretty face and light brown short hair. She is a farmer. I don''t know why, but I got attached to her somehow. When we reached the house my father took us in his arms and gave us a long and big hug. He was slightly trembling. I couldn''t see his face but I could tell he was silently crying. We had a quiet meal and quickly went to bed. Earlier in the year, the second room was fitted for my use and I started to sleep there, but tonight my parents didn''t want to leave me alone. And I didn''t feel like being apart from them either. It was the first time we all slept together in a while. The next day I learned that a few people died, including a young girl. It was a shock for me to hear that so many people near me died on the same night. And it would have been worse without Zelfron''s quick reactions. With the death of another kid the previous month, I was harshly reminded that this world isn''t nearly as safe as the one I came from. But then again, that one wasn''t that safe. It''s just that the bad things happened too far from me. A few people disappeared in the forest this year too. I was reminded that life can be unforgiving to those who aren''t careful at the Frontier. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.------- I didn''t leave the house much for the next 2 months. I was a bit scared, and I was worried the razorbaks could attack the village again because of the lack of food during winter or something like that. I was worried something else migh come in search of food. I focused on learning to read and write with the few books my parents possessed. They were mostly about plants and monsters but I didn''t mind at all, it would be useful knowledge. ------- I''m 2 years old and it''s summer. I can now run around. Kerrina is 3 years old and she can run around now too. Thanks to me teaching her while playing she got better at talking, even though she doesn''t talk that much. With all the time I spend with her I guess she will be the kind of girl who won''t talk more than necessary. She often answers with small sounds or small nods or shakes from her head. I don''t think it''s shyness, since she has no problem looking people in the eyes. Well, I don''t mind it at all. That makes her cuter. As for Arren, once in a while he still goes hunting with Erik. He can catch a small prey from time to time. He is also learning how to fight from him. But right now most of his training is physical strenghtening, with a bit of basic lessons on hand-to-hand combat. He also helps Jenna with the field when he is neither hunting nor training. Kerrina and I sometimes give a helping hand. Talking about helping hand, I can now help my parents a bit. I started to help with cleaning the house. Now I help mother feed the jakka and clean their pen. She has a little more time for hunting, leather working and arrow crafting. She is proud of me. I''m a little cheat but that still makes me happy. As for my father, I help him sort out the materials he gets. It''s now faster for him to classify them, and he has a bit more time to spend in his workplace. And sometimes when I''m in the village I help Namir with her field. I don''t know why, but I like her the same way I like Nana. ------- There are 2 particular things that I''ve done for the rest of the year when I had time for myself. First thing I did was running. I want to be a fast runner and have a decent amount of stamina, because I want to be able to run for my life if necessary. I won''t use a beautiful terms like ''tactical retreat'' or '' regrouping''. I want to be able to flee like the wind. And if my pursuers are persistent, show them that I''m more persistent than them. And as a bonus, with better stamina I''ll be able to train longer and harder. Now that I think about it, I was barely 2 and a half year old, but my body is developping faster than that. I was as capable as a 4 years old child and it will probably get better. The second thing concerns magic, and my mana perception. Once I had calmed down after the events of the winter, I thought back about what happened during the attack. My mother almost never used magic at home. The few times she did it I never saw a difference between her mana and the ambiant mana. But this time I recognised her. Even with other people using magic in the area. When the figthers were using magic, I also felt something I never noticed before. The mana moved in an odd way. It was so faint I almost missed it. It was the same for everyone who used magic. I also noticed some slight differences in the mana itself, so faint I almost missed it too. The last thing that is disturbing me is that I could somehow feel the presences of the razorbaks. I could pinpoint their general location, and I could tell when they were dying. I''m wondering if it''s not because of their nature as monsters, beasts who mutated due to an excess of magic in their bodies. Is this the reason why I could feel them? I think I''m on the right track. I think the sense of danger, the tension or the adrenaline hightened my senses, allowing me to pick up some details. I''ve been training my mana perception to be able to feel those slight irregularities again, but without succes so far. But I definitly won''t stop trying. ****************************** AN: There, it was the last chapter of the day. I''m hungry and I want to read some novels. Ciao!!! Chapter 009 - Instructor [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 9 :D. Enjoy PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** Even though I''m 3 years old, my body is like that of a 6 year old kid. Besides, helping Jenna and Namir with their fields and my own personal training made me quite strong and I have a lot of stamina to spare for my age. My physical abilities are slightly better than that of the other 6 years old children. Also, I can now read and write, and I''ve gotten good at the elven tongue. Half of the time my mother talks to me in elven. Since my body is developed enough, I asked my mother to teach me how to hunt. She doesn''t want me to go into the forest yet, however she thinks it''s ok to teach me how to use a bow. She made me a bow, practice arrows and a practice target (which is just a pole with a thick layer of straw). Every morning, if the weather allows it, she would instruct me then let me practice on my own. I''m gradually getting better. I gradually tried to hit the target while walking, jogging and running. It''s best way left for those who want to be great marksmen. I also modified my daily physical training. I''m still very young, and very supple. I should do what I can to keep my flexibility. Every mornings and every night I would do a lot of stretching and test the limits of my flexibility. I also want to train my neck to be both strong and flexible, but I''m worried. Well, I''ll just use the weight of my head and work out while lying on my bed. This way, if I lose my strenght my head will quickly fall down on the bed. As for flexibility, I''m very slowly testing the limits, in a position that won''t allow unwanted moves. ------- I spend less time with Kerrina, Arren, Jenna and Namir during the day. I make it up by sometimes going to see them during the evening when Yaereen or Roland have some business in the village. As for Erik, I don''t see him much. Except when he is training Arren. Thinking about it, I often train my marksmanship with Arren when he is available. He is good. At least compared to me. But I don''t mind. Kerrina has started learning tailoring from Jenna. She is not happy about it at all. She wants to learn how to hunt, like Arren and me. When we had time to play, half of the time Arren and I would play with some boys. We would play soldiers or adventurers with toy weapons, or play wrestling. I wasn''t the strongest kid, but I had swift reactions. As the cheat that I am, I dominated most of the time. But I also know children don''t like to lose much (my 4 year old niece hated losing, she would twist the rules of the games to win). Even if I let them win, it wasn''t without struggle. Among the kids I was a dominant. I felt a little guilty about it. The only one against whom I couldn''t hold back was Arren. He received practical training from his ex-mercenary father. Obviously he was going to be the undisputed number 1. But when it came to targeting games (throw something to hit the target), I was the best. When it came to races, I was among the best as well. Add to that the fact that I was the youngest and that I could talk and do things well, that made me a bit popular among the little girls (A popular little kid but it will slightly change in around 10 years). But Arren was still the most popular, and I agree, he is cool (for a kid, wait when he becomes a man). ------- I''m 4 years old now. I want to do something I had in mind for the last 2 years. When my parents need some metallic tools or repairs, they often go to Old Johrgard, the thoreim blacksmith. Old Johrgard is a giant, with long white braided hair and beard. His hand and arms are covered in burns scars. He has deep, dark brown eyes that stare at you with the intensity of a fire. He is the best blacksmith of the village, and he traveled all around Zanitras during his youth. He has been a crafter all his life, working with leather, wood, stone and metal. This old man is an expert in all those crafts. He is a perfect choice to learn about the average crafting level of this word. One day, when my mother was done buying arrow heads from him, I turned toward him, bowed at a perfect 90¡ã angle, and asked him to let me help at the forge so I can learn the basic of blacksmithing. I told him I wanted to know how to craft with metal and what can be done with it. Both him and my mother were stunned by my actions. I didn''t move and waited patiently for his reply. He told me he would think about and give me an answer the next day before nightall. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. My mother and I were silent during the trip home. Once inside, my mother took me to the living room and told me to sit down. Then she went to get my father. A few moments later, both of them were looking at me with curiosity and unease. Yaereen: ?Aenthar, sweety. Each time there was something you wanted to do or something you wanted to learn, you would not hesitate to ask us, so why didn''t you say anything this time?? Aenthar: ?I heard a little about Old Johrgard, that he is a skilled craftman who knows more than just blacksmithing, and who has traveled a lot. He has done it all his life, so he must take it very seriously. So I wanted to show that I was serious when I said I wished to learn from him. I thought it would be best to tell him myself rather than have my parents ask for me.? Yaereen: ''''Goddess, this child of mine...'''' Roland: ?Whoaa... You really though about it a lot didn''t you? That certainly was a good idea. I don''t know if he will accept or not, but I think he will consider it seriously. But still, you should have told us before. Don''t make such important decisions on your own again. Is that understood?? Aenthar: ?Yes. I won''t do that again, mom, dad.? Yaereen: ?Really, you''re one incredible kid, doing so much at only 4 years old...? Aenthar: With a wry smile ?I guess I got the best of my parents? Roland and Yaereen: ?.......................? Yaereen suddenly got up from a chair while blushing furiously, reached Aenthar in a record time and took him in a long big hug. Yaereen: ?Kyahahahaha!!! That''s because your mommy is a great woman, of course you would be great too!!!? Roland was looking somewhere else, but it was clear as day that he was blushing and keeping his emotions in check. Yaereen: ?And it looks like you''re turning into a sweet talker just like your father. You really are related.? she said while flashing her husband a charming grin... It''s super effective on him. Aenthar: ?Also, you two are on my list.? Roland and Yaereen: ?What??? Aenthar: ?I also want to learn the basic of alchemy from dad. And from mom, woodcarving and leatherworking.? Roland: ?Aren''t you being too greedy son?? Aenther: ?You don''t want to?? Roland: ?I think it''s fine. You''re a fast and diligent learner. Besides, since you''re just 4, there is still plenty of time.? Yaereen: ?I''m not that sure, but it''s true that you learn fast... Maybe, if there is time. If Old Johrgard decide to teach you I don''t want you to be distracted. Well, we will see.? Aenthar: ''''Victory!!'''' ?Thank you, mom, dad.? ''''They really are great parents!!'''' Looks like I''ll be very busy for the next years. Aside from my daily training and the daily chores, most of my days will be spent learning their work. Thinking about my daily training, I should focus on my flexibility, no use tiring myself more than necessary. I will have less time to spend with the other, but it''s worth it. I get to try my hands on differents things while learning from them. That will help me decide what I want to do with my life. And even if I don''t follow the crafting path, it will remain usefull knowledge. And if I work with Old Johrgard, I will learn about the weapons and armors, about their strenghts and weaknesses. I''m getting excited about the future!! ****************************** AN: Thanks for reading. You know, I get the feeling that my chapters are a little lacking in dialogues. I''m not good at making them and don''t always think of making them. And I''m lazy... I''ll try harder in the future... Maybe... Chapter 010 - Deep thinking [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author here :D , present you chapter 10. Enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** Old Johrgard: Boy, you are way too young to work in my smithy!! Aenthar: With a bitter face ?......................., ha, I see... I, understand.? Old Johrgard: ?Your body is not big enough, not strong enough to handle the tools, and not tough enough to handle the amount of physical exercise required for the job. Not now.? He shot a quick glance at Yaereen and Roland, whose faces went from slightly disappointed to confused for Yaereen and understanding for Roland. Aenthar: With a face filled with hope ?... But?? Old Johrgard: With a raised eyebrow and intimidating smirk ?... But... I wouldn''t mind help with small tasks here and there. While you''re at it, I can tell you a bit about the products I work with. If you''re diligent with your tasks, and if you learn well the little things I tell you, when you''re strong enough I will teach how to work with metals.? Aenthar: ?Really?? I accept!! Let me help you!! Thank you very much!! I will do my best!!When do I start??? Old Johrgard: ?Happy and impatient aren''t you, youngling. You will start next week. You will come every day a hour after sunrise and stay until noon. After that, you''re free.? He glanced at Yaereen and Roland, who gave a slow nod with thankful smiles. ------- Aenthar''s days started before dawn with his physical training, then cleaning himself and eating his breakfast. At dawn he would take care of the Jakka, then go to the village with his mother. He would spend half a day at Johrgard place, mostly doing some cleaning, tidying, and making small deliveries. And listening to the old Thoreim''s little lectures about some items, from time to time. After that he would spend a bit of time with either Namir or the lycans, then go back home to receive short lessons from either Roland or Yaereen on leather working or herbalism until dusk. Then eating dinner, going to his room and train his mana perception before going to sleep. Aenthar added some variations to his daily training. Sometimes he would juggle to increase his hand-eye coordination, sometimes he would do some jump rope. He had asked his mother to tie a thin rope slightly above the ground between short poles so he could train his balance, by walking on the rope without falling. ------- I think I learned quite a bit about this world. Not much about its history since I''m not really interested in it, but I have the basics about the geography of the world and some of the differents races. I also have a basic idea of their technological level. I''m not that knowledgable in history, but overall I would say the technology, along others things like morale, ethics, society and economy, are akin to what we would find on Earth Europe between 1000 and 1500 after Jesus Christ. Now, what would I want to do in such a world? No, what I want to do shouldn''t be the first question to ask myself. It''s my second life. I had a life before. How do I truly feel about it now? What did I truly enjoy? What did I truly miss? What did I truly regret? If I don''t answer these questions now, at least partially, it is bound to bite me back later, and maybe quite hard... ------- Let''s start from the beginning. I was born in a little african country, in a small coastal city, from african parents. I had an elder sister, a big brother, a little brother and a little sister. My parents were average people with average jobs. There were money problems, but they were not big. There were couple troubles between my parents but they weren''t that big. My parents were christians, so us children became christians as well (at least I was for a while, for me religion and faith weren''t convincing in front of logic, research and facts). So we were taught to be good to others, kinda. The local tv programmes sucked, we children liked the foreign channels with more interesting films, series, cartoons and animes. Watching all the cool items and other nice things the ''white people'' had made me very envious. Add to that the fact that when any of the adults I could hear talking about politics hated the president, how the corrupt government was, and the state of the country. So I didn''t get much attached to the things of our country and africans in general. Don''t get me wrong. I loved a lot of things about Africa and my country, but they weren''t the things I loved the most. Seeing their nice tools, vehicules and other objects raised my interest in science and other scientific stuff. I loved planes and spaceships the most. I loved the idea of exploring space, of making inventions. In my house we had an encyclopedia titled ''''what is it?''''. I read and reread it a lot, especially the human body part, the physics part, the astronomy part and the planetology part. I only glossed through the animals and plants sections. Whenever I would find a book about science somewhere I would read it. More than once if possible. OaZSther programs also made me like music and martial arts, but they didn''t have as much impact on me as the sci-fi programs. My mother was part of a small choir, and since I could sing well I sometimes joined them. My mother really gave me a taste for music and singing. I was also good at drawing, but I would mostly draw fighters, planes, spaceships, cars and weapons. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. In school I was above average on almost every subject, that is until middle school and highschool, where I became average for some things, but I did remain good in my first language. On a side note, I saw my first porn book in middle school, it was uncensored. I also saw my first porn vid, uncensored as well. So I got quite the imagination while looking at the pretty girls from time to time, but I digress. During middle school and high school I got more and more difficulties with mathematics as the years passed. But I still had a high interest in science, and nice grades. I didn''t have trouble with physics and biology for a while. It is said that mathematics is the tool box of physics. Yep, my poor ability with mathematics screwed me for physics over the last years of highschool. And I did repeat 2 years of highschool because of that. I still tried to follow a scientific path in college, but my motivation was long gone. I think the death of my father toward the end of middle school didn''t help. Middle school and Highschool were still quite nice. I played basketball, volleyball and football (soccer) with my friends. I was good, especially at defense. There were also those few times when I sneaked out with some friends in the middle of the night. The times when we would drink and party, play board games (where I would usually lose). Even the time when we would argue. I even got my first girlfriend during my last year of highschool, but we didn''t stay together long. Couldn''t lose my virginity. While I was in college, I got to live by myself. I could truly enjoy the internet. I can''t help but remeber the song ''the internet is for porn''. And with internet I got more access to mangas and animes. With the box internet-phone-tv I got access to NatGeo and Planete. Those were the channels I watched the most. I also started playing video games more. Mostly rpg, fps, strategy games and car race games. I also lost my virginity to the aquitance of a friend that spend a night in our city after a little drinking party. It was nice but too short, she was too drunk and I was too fast. Since college didn''t work, I went to Spain for a year. I did some voluntary work at a place called Tabacallera while learning spanish and a bit of capoera. A portuges guy gave free lessons there. I also joined the choir there, it was nice. Later I started to work, but being a call center agent and dealing with irritated or worse idiotic AND irritated customers was maddening. Working in supermarket was a bit boring. Then I became an unemployed guy, spending time playing games, watching animes, reading manga and novels, listening to music, watching action and sci-fi movies... Then, one day, I won a lot of money, and soon after, I died. ------- So, once again, what did I like? What did I hate? What did I miss? What did I regret? What did I wish? I liked science, mostly physics. I liked to know how things worked, I liked to know the physical laws of the world I liked to discover knew things I liked animals and flowers I liked arts, I liked drawing and singing, I wished I could learn how to play some instruments I liked collective sports, I liked to play in defense I prefered them to individual sports I liked to laugh, argue and play with my friends. I liked to play games, watch documentaries, movies and animes, read mangas and novels I liked to drive a car I hated complicated operations I hated repetitive actions and tasks in certain fields of activity I hated failing in what I really wanted to do I hated corruption and the arrogance of those above I hated people with a nasty competitive spirit I hated people with no regard to the life of others I hated people who used kidnapping and blackmail I hated to have to do things I hated I wanted to be able to create or build new things I wanted to know how to pilot a plane I wanted to travel around the world I wanted to explore the universe in my spaceship I wanted to have a car and a bike I wanted to have my own house I wanted to have some pets I wanted to know more languages I wanted to be more athletic I wanted to know more about martial arts I wanted to know more about weapons, both modern and old I wanted to know how to play violon, piano and guitar I wanted to know how to dance because I sucked I wanted to play more video games I wanted to have a lover I wanted to have plenty of sex with more girls, even to have a harem I even wanted to do some bad or forbidden things sometimes This new life and this new world allows me to do most of the things I liked to do, and a good part of the things I wanted to do. ****************************** AN: Next chapter is the long term plan for his life in this world Chapter 011 - Planing |PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 11:D, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** To know how the world works, how the things of the of the world react to each other. To use this knowledge to build, improve or create new items. To be able to effectively use some of those objects. To see interesting places and discover new ones. To be able to fight decently, with or without weapons, to have a good physical ability. To be able to play musicalss instruments along with singing. To be able to have fun with my friends. To be able to have fun with many girls. To able to run a little wild once in a while... That is basically what I want to do. For that I must learn how to defend myself, learn how to maintain my equipement, learn how to survive in the wilderness. Travel around the world as an adventurer, doing some requests to earn money, exploring the Frontier sometimes. Learn a little more about magic, the crafts and engineering on the way, and throw in an idea or two to the right people and earn a nice extra cash. Build solid relationships with some people and spend some fun times with others. Then settle down somewhere and focus more on magic, crafting and engineering... Now I have to prepare myself for all of that. For crafting, I''ll be able to learn a lot from my father and Old Johrgard. For handling myself in the wilderness, I can learn from my mother and Erik. For fighting and self defense, I''ll see if I can have Zelfron teach me. He is a barbarian, a race that values fighting ability greatly, and he is from the wildest and most dangerous of all 4 continents. I maybe able to learn a thing or two from some of the adventurers. It will be good to learn a bit about injuries and illnesses from Dumas and Ellis as well. About fighting, I would prefer to be at the rear using magic rather than be at the front. When I started playing rpgs, I would often use a warrior with heavy armor, sword and shield, but I would sometimes use a bow or magic with the said warrior. For the only mmorpg I ever played, the character of my principal account was paladin, physically strong and able to use magic. I had other characters, a ranger and a mage, but I prefered the paladin because I was a solo player and I wanted to be durable. With time, I got more interested in magic swordman or magic rogue rather than paladin. Either way, half of my abilities would be physical, and the other half would be magical. I guess that''s why I loved The Elder Scroll, you could create your own class, or develop your character through the skills you would use the most. It''s a little like what I''m trying to do I guess. Then again, because I would play those rpgs alone, I would want to be able to deal with anything thrown on my path. But I know games are different from reality. I know that what the entertainment industry shows us is exagerated or diminished, that some things are over rated (like swords) and some are under rated (like staves). I know that I don''t really want to fight an enemy with a melee weapon in close range, that I don''t want to lack the ability to retaliate against long range attackers. I would rather avoid an attack rather than trying to withstand it. I also know that it would be hard to use long ranged attack in a brawl, and I don''t want to be completly humiliated in one. And I just can''t discard the fact I can be attacked in close range without being able to use magic first. I want to attack on medium and long range with magic and protect myself in close range with my body and a defensive weapon. And a staff would be nice, I can keep it in hand while traveling by foot and reacting to an attack would be faster. ------- Now that I think about it, I''m quite fast at learning. That right, childhood is the best period to learn, and I''m sure assimilating the memories of my past life has made me better at learning things. Right now is the best time for me to learn theorical knowledge, as much as possible during the next 10 years. It would be even better if there was plenty of books available. That''s just too bad. I''ll have to go to the next town at some point. Maybe an academy, but that would cost a lot without help or a patron. Well, I guess I could still find a way. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.------- I am 6 years old now, my body is like that of a 9 or 10 years old boy. A lot of things are ranked in this world. Fighters, mages, crafters, materials, monsters... Crafters are ranked as such from the lowest to the highest rank: beginer, apprentice, disciple, expert, master, grandmaster and creator. Less than 5 people in the history of the whole world reached the rank of creator. When you reach the disciple rank in a craft, you receive a card and a certificat from the crafting guild, and for each rank after that you get a star on your card. My mother is a disciple leather worker and my father is an expert alchemist. I did learn well what my mother and father taught me about their crafts. I''m now apprentice in both alchemy and leather working. Old Johrgard said that I did well learning the little things he taught me these past 2 years, and I can now withstand the smithing training. He told me a smith is one who works with metal, mostly when it''s hot and malleable. There are goldsmiths, silversmiths and blacksmiths. The term black comes from the metal used, the black metal, iron. Others metals like tin, silver and gold were usually called ''''white'''' metals. The term white is used for ''soft'' metals (tin, gold, silver) and ''black'' for ''hard'' metals (iron, orichalcum, ebonite). Old Johrgard is disciple whitesmith and expert blacksmith. And he will teach me the basics of both whitesmithing and blacksmithing. ------- I told my parents about what I want to do. About how I want to travel around the world while working as an adventurer, and learning things about crafting and magic, and then settling down once I''ve seen and learned enough, and focus on creating new things. I told them I want Zelfron to teach me how to fight without weapons, and that the first weapon I want to be able to wield is the staff. And for the second time in my life, I asked my mother to teach me about magic. They were quite bewildered when I announced all of this, and said they will be thinking about it. As for magic, my mother decided to give me some basic explanations. In the world, there is an energy called mana, there are many kinds of mana mixed together. People with magic ability naturally gather mana in their bodies. Their magic slowly get stronger with time and practice. To learn how to use magic, you must first be able to feel the mana, then you have to draw the right kind of mana and weave it in a patern to launch a spell. People with magic ability can''t learn magic before at least 10 years old because the mana hasn''t correctly settled in their bodies yet. Trying to use magic before the mana has stabilised always results in problems. Experienced mages can die if they make mistakes while trying some new things with magic. I paled a little after hearing that. I was glad I didn''t try anything. So, I guess learning magic will have to wait a bit... Maybe... After all, my body is quite developped for my age. Maybe my mana will settle earlier. And maybe it''s what is preventing me from sensing the variations of mana I felt when the village was attacked. I guess my high tension and my fear, or my extreme focus in a dangerous situation kind of forced the mana in me to stabilise for a bit. Things are starting to get interesting. I will be even more busy now... ****************************** AN: Since english isn''t my native language, sometimes I have trouble finding the right word, so I decide to leave for later and skip to write the rest. And sometimes I forget about the hole I left. So, if you see a weird word or a hole, sorry about that. Also, I don''t think I deserve 5 stars but thank you very much, it''s nice to know your work is appreciated that much. Also about the review, yes, I''ll have to be carefull with romance... Chapter 012 - The real training begins [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author here :D present you chapter 12, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proffreader ****************************** In Argot, there are a few dwarves, and one of them is a master woodcrafter called Bathul. My mother and I went to see him and ordered a staff for me. The staff is an uncommon weapon in most of Zanitras, so there is no one here to teach me. So I told my mother I would learn on my own until I can find someone, and since I insisted, she agreed. That''s why we are here. At the beginning I wanted a staff as tall as me, but since I was going to grow more, I requested one a head taller than me. When Bathul heard the reason why I want a staff, he burst out laughing. He told us that he could teach me the basics just fine. He learned them himself to be able to make better staves for the true users. But after that I''ll be on my own. Since he knows for whom and why, he will decide the mesurements of the staff. He said he would teach me 2 or 3 times a week since it will just be the basic and I will be busy elsewhere. ------- Zelfron? He happily accepted to teach me how to fight. But since I will be very busy, for now he told me the basic physical exercises I will have to do, and a few times each week he will teach me moves and stances. He looks really happy to have a student. I should have been wary of that smile. What I''m learning with Zelfron looks like a mix between kick boxing and wrestling, and it has a lot of lethal moves. And his training is grueling. After all, Iazecqath is the most dangerous continent, and the barbarians fight a lot among themselves. The combat training for their young is the harshest of all races. About the barbarians, the basic race is goblin. Green skinned, never above 150cm or so. All barbarians start as goblins. When they reach maturity, they evolve. They turn into either orcs, trolls, or ogres. Orcs tend to be melee specialists and trolls tend to be rogues because their bodies are more suited for this. Ogres are differents. They are a rare subrace, stronger than the others, and can fight in any positions. They also have decent magic aptitude. They mostly end up as clan leaders or clan champions. Their description made me think of a certain reincarnated glutton goblin. ------- While being with Old Johrgard, he also told me a little about the thoreims. They are the humans who live in the harsh and cold lands of the north. They are warriors and sailors, living mostly from hunting and fishing, and a little bit of animal breeding, the soil isn''t really suited for farming. But sometimes they raid southern lands for food and precious materials. Because the northern lands are harsh and dangerous, all people are very active and practicals. There isn''t much time for games. Children must quickly learn how to fish, hunt and fight. They must quickly learn carpentry, blacksmithing, leather working, sailing and other useful skills. There are as many women warriors as men warriors, but there are very few women sailors. When someone is interested in another, they don''t waste time with subtilities, no time to fool around, be quick about and be accepted or rejected. Parties are only for special occasions. Thoreims become rowdy with drinks, there are always brawls during those times, but it''s just another way of socialising for them. And it takes a lot to make a thoreim dead drunk. On that field, their only rivals are the dwarves. Thoreims and dwarves tend to get along well. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They live in big clans, there are around 100 of them. There are often fights between clans, but there aren''t really wars among them. However, when one clan is attacked by a foreign power, the neighboring clans never hesitate to provide help if the attacked clan requests for it. Also, aside from the Elder Gods, the Thoreim mostly worship Ungaardt, their patron god. Well, since the thoreims are no-nonsense people, Old Johrgard''s teaching is very strict and thorough. He is almost literally drilling the knowledge in my head and engraving it in my body. There are times I regret my choice... Just a litlle bit... ------- About patron gods, aside from the humans who have a one for each subraces, all other races only have one patron god. Ungaardt for the thoreims, Kaizer, patron god of the caecias, Akima, patron goddess of the yukhans and Genessa, patron goddess of of the kuendes. For the others that I know off: Ildilyntra, goddess of hunt and forests, patron goddess of the elves. Thorendorg, god of mountains and strengh, patron god of the dwarves. Lucianos, god of hunt and agriculture, patron god of the lycans. Ustengart, god of war and plunder, patron god of the barbarians. ------- Once every month, my mother takes me on a little hunting trip. At first, we would go with both Erik and Arren, the 4 of us would leave for 2 or 3 days. I would at first just watch them and learn how to set a camp. Later, I would learn how to track a prey. Arren would act like an assistant instructor, he would direct me and either Erik or my mother would correct us if he made a mistake. When he did the fist of his father would meet the top of his head. Afterward I would act on my own and they would watch me from slightly afar. Now, I go with either my mom or Erik, and those are 1 day trips. One time, Erik and I went to hunt, along with Kerrina. I was surprised. Even more so when I saw how skilled she was. That girl is a natural hunter. I was wondering if it was the predator instinct of the wolf in her. They never told me that Kerrina knew how to hunt. When I asked her about this, she just smiled, she didn''t answer. I shot Erik a questionning look, but he just turned his head away. I didn''t miss the glint of amusement in his eyes. Seriously, it feels like a flag, but I don''t really mind. For now... ------- It''s the end of the autumn of my seventh year in this world. Today was really a hard day. I suffered from the heat of the furnace almost all day and I just got out of a grueling training session with Zelfron. I''m done with all my work for today and I''m dead tired. I feel really hot, I hope I''m not getting ill. I took a well needed bath, but the cold water doesn''t seem to cool the heat I''m feeling in my whole body. I''m starting to get a headache. I don''t have the strengh to finish my meal. I told my parents that I was feeling weird and tired and went straight to sleep. I had the weirdest night of my life. My night was full of dreams which didn''t make sense at all. It was a kaleidoscop of colors, shapes and feelings. I would wake up for a bit to fall back into slumber shortly after. The dreams got worse as there were now sounds and smells mixed in it. The next day, when I woke up, I was in perfect shape, full of energy. I didn''t get what happened the previous night, but I''m glad it was temporary. I hope it''s gone for good though... ****************************** AN: Hope you enjoyed. Chapter 013 - Magical awakening [PR] AN: Yo! Your lazy author present you chapter 13 :D, enjoy. And yes, concerning the end of the previous chapter, some of you nailed it!! Congratulations!! Oh, I also got distracted by the new number 2 in weekly fictions. It''s nice one :D!! Where the hell was it hidden?? PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** In young children with magic ability, mana is like a calm lake. On the surface. Underwater, it''s chaotic, full of currents, flowing in many directions. It''s only reveled when trying to use magic. Slowly, these internal movements quiet down, until both the surface and underwater are calm. When that happens, the mana becomes more perceptible and easier to manipulate. As for Aenthar, he is born with a high mana capacity and absorbed more mana at a very young age. The currents in his mana were much more violents. Due to the excess of energy, instead of slowing down, they got even more active. The currents were moving so fast they ended up merging in each others essentially cancelling each other out, bringing his mana to a sudden state of calm. His bad evening and night were the results of the furious internal activity of his mana. Had she not been asleep, Yaereen would have noticed the disruptions in the ambiant mana, reacting to his son. And nobody would be aware that Aenthar barely avoided a terrible fate. ------- After that weird night, somehow I felt refreshed. I went through my daily program like usual, physical training, chores, leather working, smithing, martial training. But something was off. Not in a bad way at all. Things felt clearer, as if my senses had been enhanced, no, sharpened. Well, it''s a good thing for me, especially for temperature control in smithing, keeping an eye on the evolution of a chemical reaction in alchemy, and battle. ------- I learned a lot about weapons and armours from Old Johrgard. That made me think about what I would want to use later. Weapons are made with the purpose to inflict a certain kind of damage through a certain type of movement. Cuting, slashing, piercing, chopping, crushing... Bladed weapons are inefficients against shells and armors, but blunt weapons are. A bladed weapon will tear open the flesh but not always cut the bone, a blunt weapon will crush the flesh and break the bone. I''m once more happy to have selected the staff as my primary weapon. It''s good for defense and incapacitating an opponent, less deadly than a sword, a spear or an axe. I had told my mother that I wanted my first weapon to be a staff. That meant I want to be able to use more than just one weapon. A primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a back up weapon. I already took the staff as my primary weapon, and it''s a blunt weapon. Now I want something else than a blunt weapon. Piercing weapons are good against both armored and unarmored opponents, so it''s my choice for secondary weapon. As I''m already learning how to fight with a staff, I''m thinking of following the polearm path for my second weapon, a spear or a hallebard. Spears are effective against charging opponents, and unlike swords (the big lie of intertainment industry), can also be used as a throw weapon. That will make learning their use easier for me. The back up weapon will be a dagger or a hatchet, both can be used as tools as well. For armors, there are the usuals: clothes, leather, chainmails, plates. Since I want to be a nimble fighter, I would use leather armors. However, I think they wouldn''t give me enough protection, especially for the neck and the spine. I should use a brigandine, the defence it provides is quite decent while remainining flexible, and it''s relatively easy to maintain. Later I could make my own armor myself, or make modifications to an existing one. It will definitly be based on the brigandine. But let''s leave for later, I''m still a beginner smith. Headgear? It wouldn''t be a bad idea, I don''t want to receive a headshot from a sneaking bandit with a bow while walking near a forest or in any area with cover. I guess I would like something like a barbute, good protection without impairing the view much. For my arms, and more specifically my forearms, gauntlets, and they also protect my hands. There are many kinds and some won''t hinder my wrist, and my ability to wield weapons. As for the legs, a good attack on the shin can render it useless, so greaves are a must, some have knee pads integrated. Stolen novel; please report.------- That evening during diner, I felt my mother glance at me from time to time, as if confused about something. Maybe she is still anxious about the state I was in yeasterday night. Just when we finished out meal and I was about to take care of the dishes, my mother called me. Yaereen: ?Aenthar!? she said with a slightly strong tone. Aenthar: ?... Yes, mom?? Yaereen: With a gentler tone ?... How are you feeling? Is everything alright?? Roland had a confused look at first, then it slowly turned to uneasiness. Aenthar: ?Well, I don''t really feel anything special, if anything I feel slightly better.? Yaereen: ?Did something unusual happen yesterday, or did you eat or drink something uncommon?? Aenthar: ?Nothing of the sort, anything I ate came from home.? Yaereen: ?Do you remember what I told you about magic the last time you asked me about it?? Aenthar: ?You told me that mana is made of many parts, that you have to use the right parts the right way to launch a spell, and that people with magic potential can''t use it before 10 or they will hurt themselves.? Yaereen: ?You know son, when a magic user is experienced enough, he can feel the magic power of others mages near him or her. I can feel the magic power of those near me, I can feel your magic power. Unless they are from the highers ranks, people can''t feel the magic power of those who aren''t magically mature, by magically mature I mean people who are ready to use magic. I can feel your magic power, that mean you are ready to learn magic.? I was surprised at first, then incredibly happy. I had spend less time on my mana sense training because I was very busy and I wouldn''t be able to do anything for a few years. I hoped my growth speed would allow me to get to that stage earlier, but I didn''t think it would really happen. However my bright smile faded away when I saw the concerned look on my parents faces. Roland: ?Son, you shouldn''t be able to use magic before at least your tenth birthday, yet yesterday you were extremely weary, tired, and now the next day you''re magically mature. Now I understand why Yaereen is so anxious. I can''t help but think something foreign caused it too happen. We are worried about what will happen to you later.? Aenthar: ?... I see, I understand what you''re thinking but I think you are wrong. I''ve been growing faster than the other children, so when mother told me about the age requirement to learn magic, I though that since I''m growing faster, that time will come quicker for me... And I''m sure that''s what happened. I think my poor state yesterday may have been caused by the fact that it came earlier than usual.? Roland and Yaereen looked at each other for a bit, then the tension started to ease in the room. Roland: ?You do have a point. You said nothing unusual happened, and more importantly, I don''t know of any means to make people magically mature earlier. There are alchemists and mages that are researching it. I believe the current knowledge of the world on both fields is too lacking. There are a few people who grow up a little faster than others, not as much as you I think, but still, to my knowledge, there are no records of people being able to use magic before 10... You are the first.? Aenthar: ?.....Whoaa... Maybe it''s best to keep it to ourselves for now. I don''t want some weird guys to come here for me. No, that won''t be possible. If others magic users can sense my magic, just going in the village and crossing path with some of the villagers, adventurers or other travelers is enough to give me away.? Yaereen: ?That''s right. Well, Aenthar, it looks like you will be a little more busy now. I will be teaching you magic starting tomorrow, every evening after diner. I think it will be best for your safety to learn about it earlier rather than later.? After saying that, she left her place and took her son in a big hug, giving him big kisses on his cheeks and forehead. Yaereen: ?KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! My little boy is incredible, he is the best!! Mommy loves you and is so proud of you!! Not even eight and he can use magic!! I''m so happy!!!? Roland could only watch with a warm, gentle smile, and Aenthar could only endure the outburst of his mother... ****************************** AN: Done, now this lazy author can resume his lecture of Re:Prince Otaku. Until later guys. Chapter 014 - Magic and heart |PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 14 :D, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** After another busy day learning how to fight and craft, it''s finally time for my first real magic lesson. My mother is an average magic user, so she can only teach me a bit, but that will be enough. Mana, it''s an energy present in all things, living or not. There are places with more mana than others, and there are things and beings with more affinity to mana than others. An excess of mana within a being or an object will mostly result in a harmfull result. That''s how monsters are born. Mana is made of different elemental particles, and thoses elements are classed in spheres. In the material sphere, there is the fire element, water element, earth element and air element. In the spirit sphere there is the body element, the mind element and the nature element. In the divine sphere there is the holy element and the darkness element. Sentients beings have a high resistance against the mind element, and the strongest effects require too much time, skills and magical power and are banned. So people are safe from brainwashing. People with magic ability have affinity for 1 or 2 elements at the very least. Having affinity for 3 or 4 elements is good, 5 or 6 affinities is very uncommon and valued, 7 affinities is extremely rare, and there are no records of people with more than 7 affinities. Affinity with the elements of the material sphere is common, affinity with the element of the spirit sphere is uncommon, and affinity with the elements of the divine sphere is rare. People usually don''t have the same level of affinity for each of their elements. The more affinity you have with an element, the easier it is to use it. To cast a spell, you need to draw out the right elemental mana, weave it into the right patern and release it. The wrong mana or the wrong patern will cause the spell to fizzle out or the gathered mana will blow up, and depending on what you are trying to achieve, the consequences can be very serious. Weaving 2 or more elements can create advanced effects. Water and fire can make either mist or ice, nature and mind allow taming beasts and monsters. The body and holy elements make healing, however healing consume a bit of the vitality of the wounded, so trying to heal a critically injured person can kill him if the caster isn''t skilled enough. To make an enchantment is a lot harder than casting a spell, you must engrave the mana in a more complex patern in the object. Magic spells and enchantments are temporary. To sustain a spell or an enchantment you need magic energy. They last as long as you poured magic in them during the cast. To bypass this problem, people use special ingredients and materials (mana crystals or somemonsters parts) that can drain ambiant mana (draining and storing) or store mana (store the mana only if forcefully fed mana). It''s possible for a mage to draw mana from an external source, or quickly cast complex spells by infusing mana in a magic tool with the spell engraved in it. This is how magic works. From now, the next step should be to learn how to feel the mana, but I stunned my parents once again when I told them I could already do so for some time now. So, every evening, I will learn how to draw mana from a single element. That will allow me to know for which I have the most affinity. ------- Since I only wanted to learn the basics of leather working for maintaining my equipment and get better prices for beasts and monsters leather, I decided to stop learning it. That will give me more time for alchemy, which is going nicely. My father thinks I''ll become a disciple within 2 years. I will soon be done with my staff training too, then I''ll start training in the use of the spear. I''ll find someone to teach me properly once I leave Argot. ------- I''m 8 years old now. I made a lot of progress in magic. At first I had a bit of trouble. Feeling and controlling are 2 differents things. But I got the hang of it within a few weeks. However, my sensing ability is almost the same what I could feel during the attack of the village, and it''s getting better. I can recognise who is using magic within a certain area, and i will be able to determine what kind of spell or element will be used before the spell is cast, something only the best mages can do. Oh, the joy of being great!!! This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The first time I drew an element it was wind, it was what felt most natural for me, so I have high affinity for wind and I''m fine with that. Since my mother also have affinity with wind (like most elves by the way), she taugh me some basic wind spells, to blow a breeze, protect oneself with a whirlwind, cut something at medium range. The second element I was able to draw is fire. I was also taugh basic fire spells to light a campfire, launch a fireball or a wave of fire like a flamethrower. To avoid any confusion, we are seeing basics spells elements after elements, though if I have an affinity my mother doesn''t have I will have to learn about it later. That aside, my days are mostly spent learning alchemy, smithing, unarmed fighting and magic. Speaking of magic, the villagers now know I can already use magic. I can hunt, I''m learning how to fight, learning alchemy and smithing. And I''m handsome. Once in a while a man or a woman comes to chat a bit with me, a little chat during which he or she often talk about the good points of his or her daughter, how she will probably be good woman later. I don''t mind that kind of attention. Even Jenna and Erik are praising Kerrina from time to time now... I really don''t mind, nope!! ------- From a young age, Kerrina had spent a lot of time with that boy. He is the son of an elf and a human who are friends with her parents. They spent a lot of time playing together with her brother. The boy was kind with her, sometimes mischevious. But when he was with her, he would always help her. Sometimes he would come to their field and help them. He would also help her with a few things she couldn''t do or couldn''t understand. She really liked being with that boy. Her parents said that the boy was very bright and smart, that he could be a great man in the future. She was happy for him when she heard that. She was also a little jealous because he was younger than her. So she decided to work a little harder. Time passed and the boy grew fast. He was big enough to play with her brother and the other boys. Sometimes she would watch them with other girls. The boy was very strong even though he was the youngest in their group. The only one he couldn''t beat was her brother. She admired him a lot not only because he was nice, but also because he could do a lot of things. He started to learn things, not only from his parents, but also from the best smith of the village. Her parents were impressed. She wanted to be able to do many things like him. She secretly put more efforts on her side. She worked harder on learning tailoring from her mother, who was also a good cook, so she learned it as well. She alo wanted to learn from her father, so she asked him to teach her how to hunt. It turned out that she was a natural at hunting. She was really good at tracking and sneaking, and she was steadily getting better with the bow. One day, she went to hunt with her father and the boy, and she impressed him with her skill. She was really happy to catch his attention more than usual, and at that time she was hoping he would get interested in her more. She wanted more of his attention. Because of all the things he was learning he spends less time with her, and she was a little sad about it. She wants to spend more time with him. When news reached her that he could already use magic, she was stunned. On the little time he spends with her he showed her a little of what he could do. She was impressed, but also a bit sad. He was growing further away from her. Later she heard her mother say that the parents of others girls are trying to get him interested in their daughters. That almost made her panic. She didn''t want him to lose interest in her. She decided that she will have to be stronger and prettier for him. She heard from him that he wanted to travel around the world. She decided that she will become good enough to travel with him, and stay by his side. And her parents agreed to support her, after all, the young boy has a promising future ahead of him... ****************************** AN: XD XD XD And too bad if lazy me made mistakes :P Chapter 015 - Disciple [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author here :D present you chapter 15, enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proffreader ****************************** I have reached apprentice rank in smithing at the end of autumn. Now, I''m focusing on blacksmithing, I want to reach disciple rank within the next 3 years. And my father said I will probably reach disciple rank in alchemy in a few months. As for my martial and magic training, it''s going really well. Just like crafters have a ranking, warriors, rogues and mages have their own. Warriors and rogues are ranked as such from the weakest to the strongest: trainee, apprentice, advanced, expert, warlord, warmaster, titan. There are less than 30 warmasters in the whole world and no records of anybody reaching titan rank. The mage ranking is: novice, acolyte, adept, expert, magus, archmage, avatar. There are even less archmages than warmasters, however it is said that a few hundred years ago a mage almost reached avatar rank, but died in the process, destroying half of his home at the same time. Zelfron said that overall, my warrior rank is apprentice and reaching the advanced rank. I''m incorporating what I know of capoera in my training, and also what I''ve seen from others martial arts to an extend. By the way, Arren is an advanced rank warrior, and he intends to join the adventurer guild to explore the Frontier, not too far from Argot. Once in a while I spar with him, he always wins, but I do give a good fight. And it''s best to spar with him rather than Zelfron, it''s too scary. I''m also done with learning the use of the staff from Bathul, and I got a nice staff as a gift from him. As for magic, I already expected it after noticing the high disposition I have for it, but I have affinity for all elements. I learned the basics of fire, wind and earth magic from my mother, body, mind and holy magic from the priest, Ellis, and nature magic from the physician, Dumas. I can use the basic spells of each of these elements. My parents were very happy and proud of me. I have affinity for at least 7 elements, which is extremely rare and highly regarded. Needless to say I got even more popular among the villagers with daughters around my age... There are no magic users with water or darkness affinity in the village so I couldn''t learn anything about these elements. The next step will be to learn how to combine 2 or more elements into a single spell, and I will first learn it from Ellis, because I will be able to buff my body or the bodies of my allies with magic, and I will also be able to use healing magic. Also, the elements of the divine sphere are necessary to cast wards, and wards are among the best defensive spells. ------- I was practising the stances and forms taught to me by Zelfron a little distance away from my home when I was joined by Kerrina. She never came to me before while I was training, so I was surprised. She was looking at me with a little bit of anxiousness in her deep blue eyes. Then she asked me to have a sparring session with her. I knew from Arren''s slip of the tongue that she had been training for a while, so I accepted. By the way, the combat techniques taught by Erik made me think of the little pieces and bits I knew about silat. It''s quite the offensive martial arts. I focused on blocking and dodging her attacks at first to observe her. She lacked speed and power and was a bit stiff, but she was quite precise. Since she is my cute friend I finished it with a submission move. She looked both impressed and disappointed so I praised her good points and cheered her by pating her head for a while. She was blushing but didn''t try to hide it or to stop me. Damn it, that was cute. After that, I told her she should work a bit more on her speed and flexibility because women''s bodies are usually more suited for agility rather than power. We would spare once every week since then. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.------- After months of studies, training and efforts, I have finally reached the disciple rank in alchemy. It means that from now on I can be considered a full fledget alchemist. I had to endure another emotional outburst from my mother while my father was shedding manly tears. Those parents of mine really are kind people. For the occasion we had a little party at home with Erik, Arren, Kerrina, Jenna, Nana and Namir. The last 3 took turns giving me hugs while praising me, it was embarrassing. My 3 teachers, who came for a bit to congratulate me and have a little drink laughed at me, saying that the women will hunt me and that I should be ready. That made my mother and Jenna glance at me for a second, one with hawk eyes and the other with mischievous eye. My father, however, looked a bit worried, and Kerrina was slightly frowning. Nana, Namir and Erik were looking at me with cheering eyes. Thank you very much. Still, we had a nice evening. I will have to leave for a week with my father to go to the next town, Lazaris, so I can get my alchemist card and certificate. It would take at most 2 days to go there, 1 day for the formalities at the crafting guild, and 2 days to come back. We would stop on the way in the small village of Carduc, which is like a checkpoint between Argot and Lazaris. We will leave at the start of the next week. ------- The first part of the trip was rather uneventful. My father and I left early in the morning, and went down the dirt road leading east toward Carduc. The weather was both cloudy and windy, the kind I like, so I was in a good mood. I had my staff, my bow and a quiver with 14 arrows, and my backpack with a change of clothes, and a flask of water. My father only had his backpack and a short sword. We reached Carduc shortly before nightfall and spent the night at the inn for 10 copper coins. By the way, the same monetary system is used on all 4 continents: copper coins, silver coins and gold coins.100 copper coins equals 1 silver coins, and 50 silver coins equals 1 gold coins. Commoners earn at least 250 copper coins per month. The following day in the middle of the afternoon we caught sight of Lazaris. The town was surrounded by walls and fields, and was of a decent size. When we set foot in, I was a bit relieved. There wasn''t an elaborate sewer system, but there were at least gutters and drainage channels, so the smell wasn''t very noticable. The mains streets were cobblestoned, most of the buildings were made of wood, some were partially made of bricks. The closer to the center of the town, the more stone buildings there were. The crafting guild was located between the commercial district and the noble district, but it was to late to go there. We went to a reasonable inn and spent the night there. The following day in the morning, we went to the crafting guild for the formalities. When my father told the clerk the motive of our visit, the guild hall became silent. We were sent to a private room where we met an executive. It was the first time that someone below 10 reached disciple rank in alchemy. I broke the previous record of 11 years old, owned by lycan who lived 200 years ago. They made me pass a theorical test, then a practical test. It took the whole morning, but the results were ready by noon. Then I was officially recognised as a disciple alchemist, and received my card and certificate. We were taken to the local guildmaster, who proposed me a few contracts and arrangements but I declined them. I was still given a letter of recommandation, just in case I need it. It would raise the prestige of the crafting guild if people did business with one of their promising members. We left the guild building with amazed eyes following me. ****************************** AN: There may not be any chapter tomorrow... Chapter 016 - Killing [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 16 :D , enjoy. PR by Zenla, the royal proffreader ****************************** After leaving the crafting guild, my father and I went to a small restaurant to have a small lunch. We spent the afternoon strolling in the town. I took my father to the commercial district. I searched for a while until I found a small jewelry shop. I looked a bit at what was inside. I wanted to have a good look at the jewelry available in a town. My father looked at me with a grin. Roland: ?Hoo. What is it son? Looking for something to give to a girl? Which one?? Aenthar: ?You''re right when you say I want to give something for a girl, but that''s not all.? Roland: ?I''m curious now! What does my little genius son have in mind?? Aenthar: ?I''m getting ideas to make a necklace for Mother and another for Kerrina. They will like it better if it''s something I made myself.? I said with a small smile while looking a little away. Roland: ?... You know, it''s nice, but if you give a hand-made necklace to little Kerri, some girls are going to get jealous and be more... active...? Aenthar: ?... I''ll probably make bangles for Namir, Jenna and Nana too. Maybe it''ll better if I give it to them at the same time, during New year would be good.... Let''s see what kind of materials would be good.? ''''Not that I would mind them trying to get me, but the others interesting girls don''t look like the kind that would be willing to travel with me around the world for several years.'''' Roland: Nodding ''''¡­ Not a bad idea, son... They will be happy for the gift and the others girls will be less jealous.'''' We went to many stores, clothiers, jewelers, alchemists, smiths, and bookstores. I did see a few interestings books, but they were a little expensives so I didn''t take any. We got our evening meal at the inn then went to sleep. The next day at sunrise we left the inn and left Lazaris to go back home. We got to Carduc in the middle of the afternoon and settled at the inn. Since there was still some time before dusk, I went at the back of the inn and practiced with my staff for a while. I went back in shortly before dusk. ------- Shortly before falling asleep, some screams were heard in the distance. I instantly stood up. My father was startled by my sudden action and asked me what was wrong, but I was concentrating on the sounds. I heard another scream, the scream of someone terrifed and in pain. And my father heard it too. I opened the window and checked outside. There were shouts and the residents of the village were becoming very active. It was obvious to me that Carduc was under attack, but by what? Random villager: ?Alert!! It''s a bandit raid!! To arms!!? Roland: ?Gods... Son, we have to leave the village, fast!!? Aenthar: ?Father, some bandits may already be on their way here to intercept possible travelers!? I cast one of my newly learned spell, ''speed increase'', on both me and my father, and I poured a lot of mana in it so it would last several minutes. I took my bow and quiver and concentrated on my senses and mana sense. Ever since my stabilisation, if I concentrate well enough I can feel the mana in living beings when they are close. If they are within several meters I will notice them. I choose to use my bow instead of my staff because we were dealing with bandits, experienced fighters and killers. It would be presumptuous of me to think little 9 years old me could handle them on close range. With my bow in my left hand, I nocked an arrow with the right hand, but still pointed it toward the ground to avoid hitting a panicking villager. Aenthar: ?Dad! I know you aren''t a fighter, and I also know that you want to protect your son, you don''t want to see me in danger, but I''m the one with teachings about battle, so for now, please listen to me. You know I''m cautious, I won''t be reckless.? Roland: ?Fine, but you stay behind me.? Aenthar: ?Of course. We should ambush the ones aiming for the inn in the hallway. They won''t be able to dodge my arrows or my magic, they can''t flank us or take our back, and it''s to narrow to attack with several people at the same time. I will strike first to destabilize them and you finish neutralizing them, legs first too.? Stolen story; please report.Roland: ?A good enough plan I guess... Reminds me a little of the times when I was traveling with your mother...? We heard people coming in the inn as we set foot in the hallway. I was behind my father, slightly raised my bow toward the stairs a few meters in front of us. I started weaving a fireball spell but didn''t activate it yet. I choose to use fire even though we are in a wooden building because I want the bandits to be distracted by the pain of the burns. I looked calm but my heart was in turmoil. Out there were some people who could kill without remorse, and some of them may have just made their way into the inn. I don''t want to kill, I don''t think I''m prepared to kill. I have died myself, and it wasn''t a fun experience. I''m very reluctant to inflict it to other people. Thinking they are ready for the risks and that they deserve it can make me calm down a little, but it''s still horriible to think I may kill someone tonight. Several people have entered the inn. Most of them are laughing, some things are being broken. I hear the innkeeper beg for his life before screaming in pain. He has probably been lethally slashed or stabbed. I can no longer hear the sounds clearly, except for the loud beating of my heart and the sound of my blood rushing in veins. Just now, there was a murder on the floor below. I''m slightly aware of the presences in the stairs moving towards us, 3 of them. I couldn''t hear anything else, my gaze was fixated on the stairs at the end of the hallway. A man appeared, with an old leather armor stained with blood splatters, a bloody axe in his left hand, and on his face the expression of a predator who just found a new prey. I released my arrow. I wasn''t aiming for a particular point like I had planned before. It struck him below the chest and made him stagger backward, stopping the 2 fellows that just came up behind him. I released my fireball. What should have been the size of a handball ball was now the size of a bowling ball. It raced toward the 3 men and struck the one at the front who recived my arrow earlier. The fireball broke down on impact, releasing flames in the near surroundings, burning the 3 men and making them fall backwards in the stairs. Then I started to hear sounds again. The sounds of the screaming men and women. A second later, my father moved forward, and that made me snap out of my dazed state. I nocked a second arrow, but my hands were trembling. We reached the stairs. The air arround us was hot and some parts of walls and floor were still burning. We saw the men I had attacked at the bottow of the stairs. The first one was dead. His lips were gone, revealing rotting teeth. The flesh was still burning, the fat making sizling sounds while melting. The scent of burnt meat and hairs was strong. The others 2 men were moaning and crawling on the ground, trying to put down the small flames on their clothes. One of them had his right arm bent the wrong way. They had dropped their weapons in their fall. My father moved fast, going down the stairs and slicing their legs before they could react. It must have been the effect of the buff spell I used earlier. Besides, he may not be a fighter but seems to have the basics of how to use a sword. He then hit them in the head, one with a kick and the other with the pommel of his sword to knock them down. I reached the bottom of the stairs a second later. There was another bandit rushing toward my father. Without thinking, with praticed movements and speed raised by magic, I raised my bow toward him, aimed at his head and released my arrow. The man fell backward, an arrow between his eyes. I didn''t want to kill, yet during the first 10 seconds of battle I killed 2 of them... ****************************** AN: How will those two deal with the current situation? Find out in the next chapter of Aenthar!! :D Chapter 017 - Bitter escape [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 17 :D , enjoy. PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** 10 seconds of battle and I already killed 2 people. I felt my limbs starting to shiver again, but I managed to calm down after taking 2 deep breaths. But the smell of burnt bodies and blood almost made me gag. Roland: ''''Son... damn it... Still, well done... wait, you are looking really bad now!!'''' ?Aenthar!! AENTHAR!!? Aenthar: ?Yes!! I''m fine dad, just a little surprised...? Then I remembered, I noticed more than the 4 people lying there entering the building. Father almost got hit, and by shouting my name, he probably alerted the others on this floor, if the sound of our battle didn''t. I hastly nocked another arrow and rushed to the wall on our left, I put my back against it and focused all my senses while preparing the ''wind blast'' spell. Next to the stairs was another hallway that leads deeper in the ground floor of the inn, probably the living quarters of the innkeeper. My father was on his way to me when another bandit came out of the hallway. I released my spell, but he dodged it while throwing his hatchet at me. What kind of reaction was that? Thanks to my enhanced speed I was able to defend myself, but my bow got broken in the process. Roland: ?SON!!? My father rushed to me and stood protectively in front of me. The bandit I attacked was already rushing toward us, probably amiming to tackle my dad judging by his low position. I quickly grabed the hatchet that was lying near me and struck him in the thigh as he was lunging at my father. He lost his balance and focus, but his momentum still sent him and my father slamming against the wall. My father was a bit stunned and had dropped his short sword. I quickly hit the back of the bandit head with the handle of the hatchet, then I struck his neck with the blade. I heard and felt the bones snapping under my strike. I shivered in horror and hastly put my hand at the back of my neck. His body was spasmming erratically while sending some blood around. My father was still a bit dazzed. I keep my eyes on the hallway, preparing another wind blast, and keeping myself from thinking too much. Aenthar: ?Dad, hurry up, we have to move now!!? Roland: ?I''m going as fast as I can right now.? Aenthar: ?Father, I felt at least 7 people entering the inn earlier, and we have only met 5 people. The others may be keeping watch outside to prevent people from escaping... Or they are still inside...? Roland: ?... I see...? Aenthar: ?And you''re making to much noise. I know you were worried about me, but please try to keep quiet. If I am standing or moving, it means I''m alright, if I''m lying without moving or screaming, then you can be worried.? Roland: ?... Oh, ok son, sorry about that, I''ll try to keep it in mind...? Aenthar: ?Please do, it was too close with the last one.? Roland: ?I understand.? ------- My father was finally up and recovered his short sword. There were still screams, shouts and sounds of weapons clashing outside. There were more sounds towards the front rather than the back, so we decided to try escaping by the back door. On our way toward the kitchen, we saw the body of the innkeeper behind the counter, in a pool of his blood, his pale face frozen in despair. I kept myself in check, and we stealthly moved toward the door leading outside. When we got near it, I focused on my ears and mana sense. There was nobody outside near the door. I nodded to my dad and he opened the door cuatiously. We quikly looked left and right, and slipped out of the building. The inn wasn''t far from the edge of the village, a 5 minutes walk in normal circumstances. But with people fighting around It would take a little more time. There were a few buildings already burning, shouts and screams of people were heard all around under the night sky. We slowly advanced toward the edge of the village, hiding in the shadows, our backs against the walls of the wooden buildings. Since I could no longer use a bow, I had to rely on magic, earth magic ''rock throw'', wind blast and fire wave as last resort. I cast a spell of strengh increase on me and my father and we jumped on top of a house, but stayed low. We got a better view of what was going on. There were bandits scattered around the center of the village, while the others were still near the outskirts. A group must have rushed for the village head''s house to neutralize him, while the others were slowly advancing from the outskirts, breaking into the buildings on their way to deal with the inhabitants. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Seeing all of this made my head spin for a bit. After making sure nobody was around, we got down and started to move again. While we were moving toward the outskirt of the village, we saw 2 men draging a crying young girl in an empty house while laughing. I understood what they were about to do. The same thing was probably happening all over the place. I looked toward the outside of the village, then toward the house where the 3 people went. Then I looked at my father, he was looking at the wooden house with horrified eyes. I cast both the strenght and speed increase on us once again, and started at the house while preparing the wind blast. I got inside in a instant. The girl already had her clothes torn and was lying nude on the floor, firmly held by one of the bastards while the other was opening her legs, ready to put his penis in her. The guy turned his head toward me, but the hatchet was already halfway into his neck. He was flung 2 meters to the side. As his body was still in the air I pointed my left hand to the other bandit and released wind blast in his chest, knocking him back. The second he took to get up was all I needed to cast fire wave on him. I didn''t spare another glance to the burning man, I didn''t register his screams of pain. I took out my change of clothes from my backpack and gave it to the girl, who was still on the ground crying. She took them while still shivering. I turned my back to her and went near my father. He was at the door, looking at me with a grave expression, but he gave me a small nod. He suddenly looked outside and frowned. I understood what it was about. Reinforcements. He entered the house. Roland: ?Aenthar, 3 of them noticed us, and are coming our way...? Aenthar: ?I''m fine father. I still have plenty of energy to spare... Sorry to have acted without warnings... But I couldn''t ignore it...? Roland: ?I understand, don''t worry about it... Sorry your old man isn''t that much of a fighter... You shouldn''t be the one doing this...? I recovered the hatchet from the first body and took the dagger that was lying near the second corpse. The girl was still on the ground, but she had at least her bottom covered and was in the process of putting the top on. I could hear the steps of the bandits getting closer. Aenthar: ?Dad, same plan, I strike first, you finish.? I said with a calm, low, cold voice. I moved. They were within the range of my magic sense. I cast rock throw on the most distant one while using air blast on the closest and throwing the hatchet at the last one. A triple attack the moment I put my foot outside. The last one received the hatchet in his shoulder. With enhanced strenght and speed, my father stabbed the closest one while I went for the first guy I attacked with rock throw. My father finished with the second one. I jumped on the roof of the nearby house and scanned the surroundings. The path toward the edge of the village was free. I got down and went back to the house with the girl with my father. I went on my knees in front of her and looked at her in the eyes. Aenthar: ?Listen. It''s our chance to leave the village, we have to go. If you want to leave with us, it''s now!? Her gaze fell on the floor, she started sobbing again, then got silent and nodded. I took her hand and led her, but she couldn''t walk. So I carried her in my arms. I nodded at my father and he nodded back. We left the house and left the village as fast and as stealthly as we could. Lazaris was closest, but they might have comrades blocking the path, so we simply went home, toward Argot. We stayed away from the road, moving fast. Every once in a while I would cast the enhancing spells again. All this time the girl was in my arms, looking toward Carduc... ****************************** AN: D: Chapter 018 - Pain and home [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author :D present you chapter 18, enjoy. PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** We continued to move at a fast pace for around 2 hours. Every now and then I would cast the enhancement spells on us. All this time the girl was in my arms, clinging to me, with tears silently streaming down her face. We didn''t have any camping materials, but magic helped us a little. Once we settled down, the girl fell asleep on my lap while clinging to me. My father and I were tired as well, but neither of us tried to lay down to rest. We stayed silent, staring at the camp fire. My gaze fell on the sleeping girl. Today was probably the worst day of her life. My father and I stayed up all night, we had bags under our eyes. When the girl woke up, she flinched, then took a good look at me and relaxed a bit. I took her in my arms again, then I cast the enhancements spells on both me and my father, and moved at a fast pace toward our home. We reached Argot in the middle of the afternoon. My father had to inform Lucas, the village chief, about the attack on Carduc. I went straight home with the girl in my arms. Seeing me with tired eyes and an unknown girl in my eyes, the villagers understood that something serious happened during my trip. They asked me if I was alright, and I reassured them as much as possible. When I reached home, I took the girl to the living room and left her on a chair. I brough her a cup of water and went to the kitchen to make a soup. When I was done, I gave her a bowl and sat next to her with my own. I started eating, but she didn''t at first, but I gently told her she had to eat. She looked at me with her brown eyes, nodded and started eating slowly. A few minutes later, she was silently crying again. So I stood up and took her in my arms, and she cried for good while holding me. Later, she fell asleep and I put her in my bed. While she was sleeping, I finally got a good look at her. She was charming, tanned skin with blond hair, an ovale face, a slightly pointed nose and slightly thin lips. She was a bit taller than me, with a modest chest, and a wonderful butt that kept distracting me. She must have been between 13 and 15 years old, a pretty girl. I sat down next ot her, remembering everything that happened at Carduc, then all the weight and tiredness of the last 2 days hit me like a tidal wave. I laid down and fell asleep instantly. ------- Roland has always been a peaceful, gentle guy, he didn''t like the idea of harming others. During his younger days he would rather endure being harmed by someone than trying to harm them back. He was more interested in nature and alchemy, and making products for the sake of the other people. His current wife, Yaereen, beat some sense in him during the time they spent traveling together. She even tried to teach him how to fight, but he had no aptitude for it. And he never felt bad about it, until that night. He was at an inn with his prided 9 year old son. They had gone to a nearby town so his son would be officialy recognised as an alchemist. They stopped in a village for the night, but right before going to sleep the village was attacked by bandits. Because the village was near a town, it had poor defences, and the bandits quickly reached the inn he was staying in with his son. They were under attack and he didn''t have the ability to protect him. The worst thing for him was that his 9 year old son, even though he was diligently training to fight and defend himself, had to kill to protect his father, and protect himself. His son knew that his father wasn''t a fighter, and was ready to fight himself, to kill. Even though he looked really bad, his son still kept his focus, and saved him, almost at the cost of his life. It was almost unbearable for this gentle loving father to see that his son was forced to take brutal actions. While they were fleeing from the village, they spotted a girl about to be raped by 2 bandits. Roland was torn between leaving fast so his son wouldn''t have to kill more than he already did, or help the girl and get themselves in more danger. But his son reacted faster than him, and killed the 2 bandits without any hesitation, and without remorse. Then he gave her his change of clothes and turned around. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Roland was proud of him, because he didn''t think long before going to help someone in need. 3 other bandits attacked them, shortly after, and Roland saw his son killing again, but this time in a cold and calculating manner. He could tell his son was furious, and he was furious as well, since he too killed them. After that, they left the village with the girl, moving fast. Roland couldn''t sleep that night, because he realised his beloved little boy has lost his innocence forever. He lost his innocence too early. Seeing that his son didn''t sleep either hurt him terribly. He knew he was heavily affected by what he saw and did. He knew that, after that night his son wouldn''t be the same ever again. He was at least relieved his son was still a caring boy. When they reached Argot, Roland thought it would be best to warn the village early about what took place at Carduc, and his son just assured him that he could take care of the girl. Roland agreed, beside, the girl looked to be really attached, more like dependant on him. He went to the village head''s house and gave him a report. Later an emergency meeting was conducted, during which Roland when into more details about the events of Carduc, and the possibility that the bandit group may move closer to Argot. After the meeting, shortly before dusk, he left with the company of his wife. He recounted to her what had happened, and what he felt about it. She too, was saddened their son experienced something like that so early, but there was nothing they could do about it. When they got to their home, they found out that their son and the girl had already eaten. Not seeing or hearing them, they went upstair and checked their son''s room. They were both asleep on the bed, the girl was holding tightly onto their son, who even in his sleep, had a tired and uneasy expression. Considering what they both went through, Roland and Yaereen decided to let them be. Besides, Roland was extremely tired himself, so after a quick meal, they went to sleep. ------- I woke up after sunrise, feeling a bit tired, my body was still aching. Something was warped around my waist, and when I looked, I saw it was the girl I rescued. She was still asleep and there were traces of dried tears on her face, but she looked at ease. I slowly got up, making sure not to wake her up, and went downstair to wash myself. I took more time than usual, I felt really dirty after killing those men. When I was done, I found my mother in the kitchen making breakfast. We hugged each other for a few minutes. She was crying. I separated from her and told her that I would be fine. Before going back upstairs, I turned around, she was looking at me, and one more I told her I would be fine, then went back in my room. The girl was already awake, kneeling on the bed, looking at the window. She noticed me and turned her gaze towards me. I closed the distance and sat next to her. I told her where we are and who lives in the house. Then I introduced myself and asked her who she was. Her name was Muriem, 13 years old. I told her that breakfast was being made, and that in the meantime she should wash herself. I led her downstair and left her in the care of my mother while I took care of the breakfast. My mother, my father, Muriem and I. The 4 of us were silently sitting in the living room after eating breakfast. My mother lent the girl some of her clothes for the time being. She asked Muriem if she knew anything about ger family in Carduc or beyond. Muriem was the only daughter of a couple of farmers. They both died in Carduc while trying to protect her. Her father was an only child whose parents died long ago. Her mother was the daughter of a thoreim warrior, but she had eloped with her father and cut ties with her family. Right now, she was all alone. She started crying, but I took her in my arms and told her she won''t be alone. I gave a meaningful look to my parents, and after a while they nodded. You have a new home now, Muriem. ****************************** AN: I didn''t feel like writing dialogues... Chapter 019 - New life and new plans [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author :D present you chapter 19, enjoy. PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** We spent the next 3 days preparing things for Muriel to live with us: telling Lucas that she would stay with us, cleaning up the last room upstairs, getting furnitures and clothes. During those 3 days, Muriem would sleep on my bed while I was sleeping on the floor. She was little gloomy and depressed when I wasn''t around, and it was best not to leave her alone for the time being. And I was the one who said she wouldn''t be alone. My parents couldn''t do much about it. I also got quite famous in the village since I came back with a girl in my arms and the people learned that I saved her from bandits. We got quite a few discounts on many products because of that. The day after we got back, before dusk, Arren, Jenna, Kerrina and Namir came to see how we were doing. Erik was on a scouting mission with 3 other hunters, nobody wanted Argot to have the same surprise as Carduc. Namir, giving a small hug: ?Hi, my cute little friend! I heard that you got in a dangerous situation on your way back from Lazaris...? then with a relieved look ?It''s good to see that you''re fine.? Turning toward Muriel, with a gentle demeanor ?And hello there young lady... I''m sorry for what happened to your village. But don''t worry, you will be fine here. If there is something you want to ask, don''t hesitate ok? My name is Namir, let''s get along from now on.? Muriem dropped her head, but silently nodded. That''s Namir''s gentle and calming aura for you!! Kerrina: ?Welcome back Aenthar!? she said with a slight smile while holding me in her arms ?And well done? She then walked to Muriem and gave her a hug ?I''m Kerrina, let''s be friends.? Muriem: ?Y-yes!!? We were a bit surprised by Kerrin''s hug and Muriem''s clear answer. Well done Kerrina, few words and actions but quite effective. Arren: ?Well done indeed! It''s good to see that all the beating I gave you bore fruits! Hahahahaha!!? he said, while grinning and pating my shoulder. I froze and stared at him for a bit. Everyone got an uncomfortable look on their faces, but I ignored it and put my hand on his chest while focusing on my mana sense. I smiled . Aenthar: ?Arren, you are reaching magic maturity, you will be fully mature soon. Congratulations!? Everyone got wide eyed when they heard this. Yaereen: ?You aren''t kidding are you? Wait, you can sense that? I can''t feel anything!? Aenthar: ?I''m more sensitive than you mom, and I wouldn''t have noticed without touching him first. It''s still faint, but I''d say his magic ability will be slightly below average, but enough to use in battle. That is if he learns to use it properly...? After making fun of Arren and chatting for a bit while avoiding to mention anything else about Carduc, they left. Muriem looked a little better, thank you Namir, Kerrina. The next day, we got news about Carduc. A third of the buildings got burned down, and only a fifth of it''s population remained. Most of the men are dead, many women were raped, and some, along with several children, were abducted. Knights are patroling in the area, and some adventurers and mercenaries are looking for the bastards. That night Muriem was quite depressed so I spent some time trying to cheer her up. ------- Muriem slowly got used to life with us, but staying close to me as much as possible. Even though she has her own room now, once or twice per week she sleeps with me, either because she accidentally fell asleep in my room while hanging around at night, or because she simply wanted to. Either way I don''t mind and I don''t try to correct her, I have no reasons to do so. In my previous life, when I played skyrim I made my own followers using the creation kit. There were several hair styles I liked, and I tried to make some of them on Muriem. It looked really good on her, so every once in a while I take care of her hair style, and Kerrina''s too when I have the time. I reduced the time I spend training my martial arts and learning from Old Johrgard to be with Muriem for now. She didn''t talk much, but paid a lot of attention to what I said and was often trying to help me with tasks at home. I taught her how to take care of the jakkas (the blue birds my mother is raising) and started teaching her leather working in the mornings, and reading,writing, and basic calculations in the evening. More often than not, villagers, especially farmers, don''t know how to read and write. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. When I''m not with her,she is either with Jenna or Namir, helping in their fields. At a time I told her it would be a good idea to learn tailoring from Kerrina, and she started the next day. From what I can tell, they get along well with each other, which is a little funny since both of them don''t talk much. She seemed to like Namir quite a bit, she spent more time with her than with Jenna. Remembering what happened in Carduc, I also started to teach her how to use a staff, and what I know about capoera. She was quite eager to learn how to defend herself. Sometimes Muriem, Kerrina and I would train together, I would spar with one of them while the other observed. While doing all of this, I didn''t forget to prepare the presents I wanted to give to the girls for new year. For my mother, Kerrina and Muriem, a necklace. For Jenna, Namir and Nana, a bangle. I got my hands on some cheap,but pretty stones to use. Green, blue and amber for the necklaces to go well with the eyes of their future owners. I used left over iron and silver to make them, and it required a lot of time and precision. At the new year festival I made a few happy women, and plenty of jealous but hopeful ones because I didn''t give any rings to anyone. ------- On my 10th year in this world I put more efforts in my blacksmithing and martial arts. I saw Kerrina and Muriem less often for practice, and Muriem got more busy with tailoring and leather working. Those 2 really have become good friends. I love practicing with them because Muriem has a nice body and a killer ass, and I often use wrestling moves to defeat her. It''s half for me and half for her. I know, I''m devious, and I''ll probably wrestle more with Kerrina in the future during training. I also asked around for a good place to learn magic. Everyone recommanded me Lana Academy. It''s the best learning place in Tristam, lying at the outskirt of the capital holding the same name as the kingdom, Tristam, thus called Tristam City to avoid confusion. The capital is 15 days travel away from Argot by foot, but 5 days with a decent mean of transportation. This place is my next goal., and once I''m done there, I will be traveling around the world. Lana Academy is a place for learning either magic or martial arts, or both. The minimum age requirement for students is 8 for the martial section and 12 for the magic section, because even if magic maturity is at the age of 10 at the minimum, most people reach it at around 12 years old. There is also a society section where people can learn about trade, laws, history and geography. The age requirement for that section is 10. I have a little less than 2 years to prepare myself, myself and 2 other people to go there. Yes, I intend to leave with both Kerrina and Muriem. I want to start my adventures with people I can trust and I can enjoy time with, and I know it won''t be hard to convince them, especially Muriem. The real trouble will be the funds. Since I am an all element user, I won''t have a problem with the fee, but it''s another story for the 2 girls. Maybe I will be able to get a discount for them, but I can''t be sure. The adventurer guild accept new members at 10 years old at the earliest, so it will be my primary mean of funding. I will take full advantage of my sensing abilities and train them harder at the same time. I also want to reach disciple rank in blacksmithing before leaving the village, so I''ll have to stop receiving lessons from Zelfron. Most of my time will be spent learning blacksmithing and doing requests. But the end result will be worth it. ****************************** AN: The futures heroines won''t be that easy to get :D !! But that also mean more prep work for lazy me (for both the academy life style and events, and the heroines, currents ones and coming ones) so the release speed will be one chapter per day at best (well, it''s already like that since a few days, duh :P!!) and 4 per week at worst at that time. See ya *puts on the badass shades and fly toward the setting sun*!! Chapter 020 - Muriem [PR] AN: Yo!! Your lazy author here ¡ú :D, present you chapter 20. Enjoy! Just as the title suggest, it''s Muriem''s side PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** Muriem has lived in Carduc all her life, which barely amounted to 13years. Her father was a caecian man and her mother was a thoreim. They were farmers, Muriem loved them deeply and was following in their footsteps, becoming a simple farmer herself. Life was simple, taking care of the fields, the animals and the little commodites her family possessed, having fun with her friends, talking about a few boys... ------- It all ended that night. Their peacefull village was attacked by bandits right around bed time. By the time they noticed what was happenings, the bandits were too close. Along with her parents they tried to flee toward the village chief''s house at the center of the village. There was a small shelter build there, hidden underground, big enough for 70 people. But it was too late, the bandits were already too close to their house. They saw them leave, and chased them. She was too slow, and the bandits were catching up, 4 of them. Her father tried to slow them down, but he only got the attention of one of them. He was knocked down with a punch, and got his neck pierced by the dagger of the bandits. Muriem''s heart froze at that sight. She didn''t notice she had stopped moving, she didn''t notice her mother pulling her, her gaze couldn''t leave the lifeless body of her father. Then her mother hit her, and told her to run, as the other bandits were closing in. Her mother was a thoreim, she knew a little how to fight, but she was unarmed. She told her daughter to run, and managed to stall the bandits for a bit. Muriem couldn''t go far, she didn''t want to leave her mother. She watched her with hope when she defeated one of the bandits and used his weapon to kill another. But the third one didn''t miss her. In her last moments, her mother looked at her and told her to flee. ------- Muriem was screaming, refusing to accept what had just happened. Her gaze fell on the man who killed her mother, and his accomplice next to him, and the weapon red with the bloods of her parents. Her fear took over, she tried to run away, but she had no longer any hope to flee, no energy to spare. She was praying for someone to save her, but there was nothing around aside from the screams of the other villagers and the murderers of her parents reaching for her, and dragging her away. She didn''t want to believe what was happening. She was caugh, they were taking her somewhere, laughing about how they were going to take care of her and punish her for what her mother did to their friends. She was struggling, screaming for help, but nobody came. They brough her in an empty house, one of them held her on the ground by the arms while the other completly ripped her clothes. She wanted to hide herself but she couldn''t, she wanted to scream but no longer had the will to do so. The man pulled down his pants, and she watched in horror as he revealed his fully erect penis. She was silently crying, she new what was going to come. She tried to keep her legs close but she had no strenght. The man was laughing, rubbing his filthy penis against her most private part, and when he was about to push it inside with an evil and lustfull grin, something happened to his side. He turned his head and a hatchet went halfway through his neck, he was sent flying to the side. ------- The one who killed him was a young, handsome boy, tanned skin and slightly pointy ears, with black hair and silver eyes. Muriem was stunned by the scene. The man he had just killed didn''t even hit the ground when he pointed his arm toward the man holding her. She felt a gust of wind, and heard the man who was holding her fall hard behind her. The boy quickly moved to him and killed him with magic. She couldn''t believe what just had transpired. Was it just a dream? Was she really saved? It felt completly surreal for her. She was brough back to reality when he came to her and gently gave her his clothes before turning around to give her some time. He was with a man, probably his father, she had never seen them before. She slowly started to get dressed starting with the pants, still in a kind of daze, but got anxious again when the man said more bandits were coming. They talked a bit, then the boy dashed outside, followed by his father. She couldn''t believe how fast they were, and from the sounds, the battle didn''t last more than a few seconds. She waited a bit, then they came back and the boy said that now was their chance to flee. She remembered the last words of her mother, ''''flee'''', then nodded. She tried to stand up, but couldn''t so the boy gently picked her in his arm and the 3 of them left. ------- They ran away at a fast pace, but for how long, she didn''t know. All she could do was look back toward the place she spent all her life, thinking about her parents, who died there for her, and thinking about the boy who was holding her, and who saved her from this hell. For the first time since the beginning of this tragedy she felt safe, she felt safe in his presence, in his embrace. When they stopped for the night, she refused to let go of him, and fell asleep due to mental exhaution. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. When she woke up, she found herself in a place she didn''t recognise and got scared, but the sight of the one who saved her next to her calmed her down. She could walk, but before she did anything the took her in his arm again, and togehter with his father they left. He was carrying her with great care, and that helped her calm down. She didn''t want to think about her home, so she focused on him, his presence, his warmth. ------- When they reached their village, he parted ways with his father and carried her all the way to their home. On the way, the other villagers looked really concerned about them, but a single phrase from the boy would convince them they were okay. She finally learned the name of her saviour, Aenthar. When they reached his home he gave her some water and a meal. She didn''t feel like eating, but she couldn''t ignore his gentle urging, so she ate the soup he made for them. It was good, it reminded her of her parents, and she couldn''t help but cry. He suddenly stood up and took her in her arms. At that time she couldn''t hold her pain anymore and released it. She cried, and all this time he was there for her, reassuring her with his presence, and because she felt safe, she didn''t hold back anything. After a while she fell asleep. Sometime during the night she woke up. She was in a bed. The moonlight was slightly illuminating the room, and she could see that the boy was still by her side. She was happy he was there for her, and clung to him. He was the one who saved her and kept her safe, she didn''t want to leave his side, then she fell asleep again. When she woke up, the boy was gone. She panicked for a bit, but forced herself to believe that everything was fine and that he would soon be there again. And he did come back. He introduced himself, and she did the same. He took her downstair, leading her by the hand. He introduced her to his mother and left her in her care so she could wash herself. She was a little disapointed to leave him,, but it was fine because his mother was really gentle. She was introduced to the father and they had a silent meal. Afterward, they asked about her and her family. She answered them, and was once more reminded that she had lost everything. She was once again crying when the boy firmly held her in his arms and told her she wouldn''t be alone. She understood his words. He meant that he will keep her by his side, him, the one who saved her life, protected her, supported her, and now accepted her when she had nothing. She was very happy. So happy. And incredibly gratefull. She decided that she would do whatever she could to repay him, and remain by his side, where she was safe and cared for. ------- She was happy, she had a new home, a new family, and she was with the one she respected and admired above all. She was introduced to some of his friends, the lady named Namir was gentle and had a soothing aura, the lycan girl left a stronger impression on her by how direct she was. The others were a little distant, but not her, and she liked that. She was glad someone like her would be around her. She was slowly getting used to her new life. She was surprised by what she discovered about her benefactor. He was younger than her even though he didn''t look like it, and he was very skilled. He was already a disciple alchemist, and more surprising, a magic user with affinity to 7 elements. He was also a decent hunter, and was currently learning blacksmithing and how to fight and was on his way toward the third rank of mastery for each of them. Even with that he took the time to teach her the words and the numbers, leather working, and even how to defend herself. When she felt lonely during the night, she would go to his side and he would always welcome her and warp his arm around her. He would sometimes braid her hair and tell her she was beautifull, he even made a pretty necklace for her for the new year. She was joyfull. Being with him made her heart race, she longed for his presence, his touch and his embrace. It often made her weird between her legs, and she would secretly touch herself while thinking about him. She wanted to give herself to him. His constant kindness and care for her, and the noticable efforts he put toward improving his abilities, made her admiration, devotion, love and desire for him grow stronger. ****************************** AN: Huhuhuu :D !! Kerrina, 8/10 hearts Muriem, 10/10 hearts - Conquest complete!!! Chapter 021 - Various improvements [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 21 :D . Enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proffreader ****************************** Kerrina was very happy for Aenthar when he reached disciple rank in alchemy. She always knew he was an amazing boy, and she was proud of him, and proud to have him as a friend. He had to leave for a week to get his card and certificate, and she was eager to see it. The day he came back, she had been hunting. When she reached her home at dusk, she heard the terrible news. On their way back, Roland and Aenthar were caught in the attack of Carduc village by a big group of bandits, but managed to escape. They rescued a girl along the way. She heard that Aenthar had to fight for his life and killed a few bandits, and that he was the one who saved the girl and carried her all the way back. She wanted to go to him immediately, but her father stopped her, telling her that Aenthar didn''t get hurt, but didn''t sleep at all and needed rest. She relucantly obeyed her father. And after all, she didn''t want to give him trouble after what he went through. Her father praised him for remaining strong minded in front of such violence, and making good use of his abilities to save not only his life and the life of his father, but also the life of a girl in a terrible situation. He said that now he believes even more that Aenthar will become a great man in the future, and he was happy his daughter would be by his side. Her father isn''t the kind of man to praise people much, that''s why each time he praised Aenthar, she was happy. That evening he praised him more than usual, and with his last words, she got really happy she decided to follow him. ------ The next day, before dusk, she went to see him with her mother, brother, and Namir. Namir is a single woman, a farmer, who is very kind and gentle. She liked her very much, she thought of her as a big sister, kind of. She was so happy and relieved to see Aenthar safe, then she looked at the girl he saved. She saw in her eyes that she was hurt very much, and she felt that she had to help her just like Aenthar helped her, she will be her friend. She heard he did something good 2 days before, yet he surprised everyone again by noticing that Arren had magic ability, he could even guess how strong it would be. Kerrina was once again impressed by that friend of her, and grew to like him even more. ------- The girl he saved was a bit shy and quiet, but Kerrina didn''t mind, she grew to like that girl. She was happy to teach her about what she knew, and about things Aenthar taught her. The girl, Muriem, seemed to like it when she talked about him, so she was happy she liked her friend that much. She got happy when he suggested her as a teacher for Muriem. That meant he trusted her, and that also meant she could spend more time with her. When they started to train together, Kerrina got a little uneasy. She saw that Muriem really liked to be close to him, and that he didn''t mind at all. She started to get a little jealous because they would spend more time together, and during those times she would always be close to him or clinging to him. But she didn''t hate her. She knew she was a nice girl, and that it was normal for her to like someone as good as her friend. But it was still a little annoying. One day, he braided her hair and she looked really beautiful. Kerrina was really jealous at that time, but before she could say anything, he did the same for her and praised her. That made her really happy, he wasn''t forgetting about her. She got happier when she received the necklace from him for the new year. She realised she would always be cared for, that she would never be left behind by him. She slowly started to really love him. ------- The river was around 15 minutes away from the village. I didn''t go there often because the water is quite cold, just once in a while to learn how to swim again. Later, on some rare occasions I would use the water resistance to train my punches and kicks. Because I didn''t go there for fun, I always went when there was nobody around, I didn''t want to be distracted. However, I decided to go there more often, and with both Kerrina and Muriem. At first, it was to teach them how to swim, something that would undoubtly be useful later, but after seeing Muriem in her wet clothes clinging to her skin and revealing more clearly the shape of her ass, my priorities changed a little. I would sometimes use the valid excuse to train in the water just to see her wet afterward. When we were done with the training, we would play in the water for a little while. More time for skinship with the girls. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. During my personal training, I would often try to reproduce some moves I''ve seen in my past life, moves that were from movies or martial arts mangas that looked realistic. I could imitate many of them, and practiced to improve them. More diversity in my hand-to-hand combat ability is welcome. Me and my old desire to be able to deal with anything... I decided to add little things to Muriem''s training as well. Capoera''s offensive ability is mostly based on kicks, so I taught her palm strikes inspired from chinese kempo, karate chops, and elbow strikes inspired from Ong Bak. Those moves are good to avoid damaging the wrist and the fingers. I also taught those moves to Kerrina of course. I made them stretch a lot because I also wanted them to be flexible, more swift in their movements. ------- During the later half of my 10th year, I started to teach Muriem how to hunt, so 2 or 3 times per month we, along with Kerrina, would leave for a day and a night. She wasn''t that good with the bow, but I didn''t mind. It was mostly because I wanted her to know a bit about how to survive in a forest, but it was also a good excuse to spend time with just me and the 2 girls, and snuggle together at night. Muriem was used to sleeping with me, Kerrina was not, but it didn''t take long for her to completly get used to it, she was fine on the second trip. Around the same period, Kerrina reached magic maturity, however her magic ability is low. She can use magic in battle, but only at the right time. I gave her a few pointers to help her feel mana, and told how to practice meditation. I would secretly use magic near her to help her feel mana. She succeded after around 40 days, which is good, on average it take 60 to 80 days for someone to feel mana. It took Arren 90 days, he was both proud and jealous, but obviously more proud than jealous. He had affinity for fire, body and holy while Kerrina had affinity for earth, body, nature and darkness. I taugh her all I knew about earth, body and nature magic, which wasn''t a lot, but It wasn''t a problem since we would be going to the academy. Arren wasn''t half as good a student as she was, but he had become much stronger. He joined the adventuer guild after I was done teaching him. ------- Since mana is present in all things with varying degree of amount, I was always using my mana sense during my time at Old Johrgard smithy. I was trained to identify and recognise differents kinds of ores and metals, and I greatly concentrated my mana sense on them to try and identify them by the mana within them. That right, it''s something I discovered through the year. Depending on the nature of the object or the being the mana resides in, the ratio of the differents elements change. The difference was clear enough between organic and inorganic, but afterward the real troubles start. If I could remember and notice these differences clearly, I would be able to identify materials without seeing or touching them. I want to be able to find hidden useful or valuable materials while adventuring to gather funds. Mythril, corundum, orichalcum, ebonite, moonstone and malchyte. They are the most coveted metals, crystal and stones in this world, and the hardest to work with, mostly wasted in the hands of people below master rank. Old Johrgard had a sample of each of them, the size of half a finger. There are spells to help locate things, but they are advanced spells and there are things you can''t locate if you don''t have the right affinity. My mana sense bypass the need to wait to learn the spell, and the need to cast it, no waste of time and mana. Thanks to my mana sense I could feel more clearly the state of the materials we were working on, and made me improve faster. Later I would use it on alchemy as well, and try to reproduce some materials from my old world or their counterparts. During the winter of my 10th year I got to the point where I could only distinguish metalic ores from non-metalic stones, but it made a significant difference. Once a week I would go to the river and spend some time searching for ores, and I slowly gathered a bunch of them. They were very small and the amount of metal in them was low, but dutifully gathering them would bring me a noticable amount of money later. ****************************** AN: Kerrina, still 8/10 hearts, but the ninth one started blinking... :D Chapter 022 - Adventurer [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 22 :D. Enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** It''s my 11th year in this world and I look like a 14 years old boy. Muriem will soon turn 15 and Kerrina, 12. Speaking of her, during the last 2 months of winter her body started to mature. Her bust and butt got more alluring, and she will probably grow more. As for Muriem, with all the training she went through she has become well toned, and her chest grew a little as well, she is quite hot. Those 2 started to get the attention of other boys, but few tried to get their attention, and those few idiots naturally got ignored. This year I will join the adventurer guild. While adventurers mostly deal with investigations, monsters subjugation and exploration, mercenaries deal mostly with bodyguarding and escort jobs or bounty hunting. Adventurer and mercenaries share the same ranking, from the lowest to the highest: F, E, D, C, B, A (rare), S (handfull per continent) and X (legendary). There was only 1 man in history that reached rank X, he was an omdian who was said to be very meticulous, pragmatic, emotionless. The Frontier is a wild place, full of dangerous beasts and monsters. One example is the razorbak that attacked Argot a few years back. Encountering them in the wilderness will be a lot more dangerous, and they aren''t the strongest monsters. Beasts and monsters have a ranking similar to that of the adventurers and mercenaries: F, E, D, C (highest rank for beasts), B, A, S (disaster) and X (cataclysm), though there are no records of X rank monsters. People usually need more than one person to deal with a beast or a monster with the same rank as them, and the higher the rank, the more peope are needed. For example, a F rank person can deal with an F rank beast or monster by himself, but you would need 4 C rank people to deal with a C rank beast or monster. That depend on the type of beast/monster you are dealing with and your personl ability. What I want to do is scout the Frontier area near Argot for valuable minerals and ores. Most adventurers map the area, record what they discover about the beasts and monsters, their habits and territory, and they look for ruins. That''s right, ruins of an ancient civilisation. Those ruins are found on all continents, and are very, very old. Some can contain a few valuable materials, the bigger ones are often inhabited by strong monsters but remnants of magical devices can be retrieved. Not a single one of those artefacts were found in one piece, but they hint that this ancient civilisation was more advanced than the currents ones, in every field. The differents countries of the world are very interested in those, and give nice rewards to the ones who discover them. Their scholars, mages and crafters must be spending a lot of time studying them, trying to understand and reproduce their magic and technology. I''m not interested in those ruins yet, but it would definitly be nice to find one of them. ------- I''ve been busy the last 2 weeks. I made almost all my equipment by myself: greaves, brigandine, gauntlets, barbute, a new short bow, a hatchet and a khukuri. I got a little help from Old Johrgard, mostly for the barbute and the khukuri. My gear is quite good for a beginner adventurer. I also reinforced my staff with hollow iron cylinders, and they are thicker on the extremities with small spikes for increased damage. I will be dealing with beasts and monsters, no place for mercy there. I bought the pickaxe, I wanted a good quality one. Now that everything is ready, to the adventurer guild! The next day early in the morning... Aenthar: ?Good mornin... Hey, if it isn''t Nana!! How are you doing?? Nana: ?Little Aenthar? What are you... No, I understand, you came here to register?? Aenthar: ?Yup!!? That''s right, Nana work part time at the adventurer guild as either a receptionist or a nurse. Nana: ?Sight... Hey Aenthar, I''m sure you know how dangerous the Frontier can be. I know you''re a strong and capable boy for your age, but this old woman has seen many promising youths leave and never come back...? Aenthar: ?You don''t have to worry about that much, I have good senses and I intend to avoid battles as much as possible. You could say that I''m just stealthly scouting the area!? If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Nana: ?Come on little Aenthar, I''ve seen you being born and watched you grow, you''re like a grandson for me, of course I would be worried! Whatever, let''s get the formalities over.? Aenthar: ?Go ahead.? Nana: ?Fill this form first, while you''re at it I''ll tell you the basic rules. You will start as an F rank adventurer. By completing missions, bringing proofs of monster kills and materials to sell, you get points. You can also earn points by bringing new informtion about an area or a new monster. Once you''ve earned enough points, your rank will increase.? Aenthar: ?So far so good!? Nana: ?It''s would be possible for you to start at E rank judging by your abilities, but you must pass a test for that and remote branch guilds aren''t allowed to let people take them, too bad for you.? Aenthar: ?Looks like you''re happy about it, because your little boy won''t start with higher ranked missions... Not like I mind, you know, I''m rather happy.? Nana: ?... *cough* You can only take missions from the same rank as your adventurers rank, one rank below and one rank above. Of course, missions above your rank grant more points and missions below your rank grant less points. You get penalities for failing or cancelling a mission, meaning the points you should have earned will be deduced and you must pay a fourth of the reward offered for the mission.? Aenthar: ?It must be nice for some people to take missions above their rank to fail and pay for it... With their money or their life...? Nana: ?It''s really good to see you''re always thinking about what can happen... I feel a lot better. Anyway, since you finished with the form, give it back, I''m going to prepare your adventurer card, and the fee is 30 copper coins by the way.? Aenthar: ?Here! Hey, how about paying the fee for me as a welcome gift?? Nana: ?Nope. Business is business!! Wait for a bit? ¡­ ¡­ ... Nana: ?Here it is. Your adventurer informations are engraved on it, so that the members of other guilds can keep track of your advancement. If you lose your card you must go to the last guild you were in order to get a new card, which will cost 1 silver. After all, it would be the last place where information about your rank would be stored, and we keep it for 4 months.? Aenthar: ?That''s good to know. So after 4 months, the unlucky adventurer must start from scratch, or pass a test for starting at a higher rank, or hope the people there remember about him and his rank before leaving.? Nana: ?Exactly! Now that we''re done with the formalities, please do tell me why you''re here alone.? Aenthar: ?What do you mean by that?? Nana: ?Little Aenthar, you''re always with Kerrina or Muriem, or both of them!! I''m surprised you didn''t come to register with them! By the way, which one of those 2 is your favorite?? Aenthar: ?I didn''t register with them because I want them to train a little more, especially Muriem. As for which one is my favorite, I like them both very much. Now if you''ll excuse me, I feel that it''s time to make my escape. Until next time!!? And Aenthar left the building at a fast pace. Nana: ?... ¡­ ¡­ Hahahahahaha!! That boy is really something. I hope he doesn''t get into trouble with women later.? ------- I don''t plan on going deep in the Frontier right away, I will start by the areas that are already known, with relatively low ranked opponents, scanning them and hunting a few beasts and monsters on the way. It''s also on a good way to get used to moving around while searching for something specific with my mana sense. I took 3 days off from the smithy and already warned my friends and family. I even told them which areas I would visit. Time for a 3 days trip in the wilderness. ****************************** AN: Must be the longest dialog I''ve written... I''ll have to write more dialogs in the future, and my chapters will get a little longer I guess... I know dialogs bring more life/depth (or something like that) to the caracters, but I don''t like writing them... *sigh* ... I''m happy my mc will be alone for a bit Chapter 023 - Monster [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 23 :D, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** My protective gear, pickaxe, staff, hatchet, khukuri, bow and arrows, and backpack with a camping sheet, food, water, vials of liquids and a rope. All of this is quite heavy. Good thing I decided to start with the easy area, like all good noobs should do. And good thing I knew the enhancement magic. Once I got far enough of the village, I pulled a vial from my backpack, a vial containing a green-grey liquid. I am the son of an alchemist, a certified disciple after all. I used several plants and flowers, grass, wood and tree bark, and extracted and concentrated their scents, their aroma. I mixed it with water in which I boiled and soaked many kinds of stones for days. The result was this liquid substance with an overpowering scent of plants, ground and trees, all for the sake of hidding my scent. My father wasn''t happy with the stench in his workplace, but calmed down when I told him it was to hide from predators, my mother sneakily asked for some of it. I applied it on my body and all my equipment, and started with my exploration. While I was collecting informtion about the area, I made myself a small map, with a main path to follow. I focused on hilly landscape and visible shear zones, places that look like small fault lines. I know that ores are generated in the crust of the planet and are often pushed toward the surface through differents means, like magma, hydrothermal water or shearing. They also accumulate in places that were once underwater through past eluvial deposits. Geology wasn''t my forte, so I had quite a bit of trouble selecting the areas to search. Since there are a few mountains and plateaux in that part of Zanitras, it shouldn''t be that hard to find something. I had to move carefully since I would be focusing my mana sense on the ground and underground instead of the overground surroundings. I could differentiate things with mana in an area of around 10 meters radius, so I had to keep my eyes open, constantly looking around. Even through that, I found myself starting to hum, or even sing a few songs from my previous world. I had to correct myself several times. In my previous life I liked to listen to music when I was moving by myself, always with my headphones, even under heavy rain. I didn''t find anything noteworthy on this first day, I decided to spend the night on a tree. I just felt like singing a lot, and I wouldn''t be able to keep my surroundings in check properly. I sang pieces from my previous childhood, even childrens song, songs from some old cartoons, then song from great artists, and songs from animes. It was a little past midnight when I went to sleep. It must have been because it was the first time I would spend a full day and more completly alone, just me and the nature, and a lot of memories. The second day was almost the same. I spent most of my time scanning the ground for riches. But each time I found something, the quality was way too low to even bother. Now that I thought about it, I did train to recognise ores, but I didn''t train to recognise gemstones, I won''t be able to recognise emeralds, rubis and the like. I felt like an idiot at that time,thinking about what I may have missed. But at least I also got my hand on a bunch of usefull herbs. The evening was spent once again singing on a tree until I fell asleep. ------- I suddenly woke up. It must have been 2 hours before dawn, this weird feeling I haven''t felt in a while, it was the presence of a monster. A lone one, getting closer. I was completly awake, focusing all my senses on the potential threat. I was wondering if he noticed me even through the smell of the product I applied on me, or if it tracked me through the marks I left on the ground. Once it got close enough, I got an idea of what it is. A big lizard akin to a komodo dragon, a serran. Not uncommon in the area, a nocturnal hunter which can use body magic for burst of speed, an E rank monster for the weakest, D rank for the strongest. Since it was a reptile, I thought that maybe it caught the remain of my body heat, but it''s also been several hour so it was unlikely. I decided to observe it for a while. The serran stopped near the place where I last stood, looked around and walked in a circle around it. The bastard was really following the marks I left on the ground. I had jumped on my tree using the enhancement magic, no tracks leading to it. The monster continued to slowly move in circles then stopped again. I got an idea, so I took my staff and my hatchet and jumped toward him. I was quite high on my tree, so I was building quite some speed on my way down. I cast strenght enhancement, spun to add power to my attack and threw my staff at its head. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. It struck dead on target while I caught a lower branch to stop my fall. The serran got limp and lied where it was. I dropped on the ground while casting speed enhancement, retrieved my staff. I struck its hind leg with as much speed and power as I could, breaking the bones. It flinched as I was already breaking the second hind leg. I then took little distance from it. Why does monster''s mana feel so odd, so distinctive compared to other things? Now was a good opportunity to observe the mana of a living monster. Still staying aways from him, always behind it as it tried to face me, I concentrated my mana sense on him. We stayed for a while in the same situation while I was trying to make sense of what I felt. The serran had tried to attack me or flee with the speed enhancement, but without its hind legs it couldn''t do much. The way it weaved its spell was quite similar to mine. I could now tell where its mana core was. All its magic was coming from a single place, contrary to people whose magic comes from the whole body. Strike the magic core and the monster won''t be able to use magic, people don''t have that kind of weak point, you have to knock them out or use some kind of seal. But I still had trouble identifying the source of the weird feeling, so I broke its front legs as well, and sat down on its back while warping my head round its neck to keep it from biting me, hitting it with my staff to calm him down. After a bit of time it stopped resisting, so I was able to focus on my mana sense with direct contact. What I felt confused me, and not just a little bit. ------- If I wasn''t making mistakes, what I felt was another element. I was taught that there were 9 elements, the 4 elements from the material sphere, the 3 from the spirit sphere, and the 2 from the divine sphere. That element was really weird, it felt unstable, making it hard to perceive. It felt like a magic element, but shouldn''t be. Unless it''s undiscovered, forgotten. Or forbidden, after all it mass something that was only present in monsters, it could be seen as evil. I shouldn''t tell anyone about it until I get into the library of the academy, there should be hints or even actual informations hidden there. I continued to observe the weird mana of the monster for a bit. It would be nice if I could do the same with other monsters, though it probably wouldn''t be easy to catch other monsters alive like this one, it''s one on the weaker side. No, I came here to look for some ores, not to capture monsters. Then again... In my past life, we had a lot of pets, mostly dogs, a cat, and 4 grey parrots. Not all at the same time, just that they often died from illness or accidents. Few of them died from old age. Maybe because I grew up with pets in my past life, I felt like keeping this serran as a pet. At the very least I would be able to use it as a training partner for the girls, or just to show them a monster like you would show animals in a zoo. I could also spend some time observing the weird mana. I started to prepare to go back to Argot with my new friend. ****************************** AN: It wasn''t what he was looking for, but he still got something interesting... AND NO, THIS MONSTER WON''T EVOLVE AND TURN INTO A HOT GIRL WHO WILL NTR KERRINA AND MURIEM!!! :D Eh, that makes me feel like writing a side story where Kerrina confess to Aenthar, he accept, but Muriem NTR her by using her hot ass as bait to steal Aenthar, and then she is NTR by the newly evolved and hot serran-girl... THE END!! I seriously wanted to write a short chapter about it and post it as a joke, a chapter titled "The end" XD . But I''m lazy and I want to use that time to finish with the village life part But seriously, no monsters shall evolve to gain a sexy humanoide form in my story, and no objects turning into sexy girls!! Chapter 024 - Komodo and the Frontier [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 24 (''_'') , enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** I went back on the tree to take the rest of my belongings. Once down, I hit the serran in the head again, and while it was dazed I tied my rope firmly around its jaws to keep its mouth shut. I enhanced my body with magic, lifted it up and went straight for Argot. The bastard was very heavy, if not for him I would have reached the village by night fall, but I had to spend another night in the wilderness, and deal with a dozen of wolves. With my magic and my staff, I quickly took care of 8 of them, the rest retreated. That made 8 wolf pelts as a bonus for me. I got back to Argot in the middle of the afternoon the next day. People were very surprised, and scared to see me back with a living monster on my shoulders. They brought Lucas to me, they didn''t want to have a monster in the village. I explained to him that with its legs broken it couldn''t move by itself, and that I needed it for practices and experiments. I told him that the fact I brought it back alone, safe and sound is proof enough I can keep it contained and sleep peacefully at night. After convincing him I could keep it from harming anyone I went to the adventurer guild to register my kills and my trophy. The receptionist and the few people that were there were just as surprised as the village guards. Since I captured a serran, it would count as if I killed one. I left and went home. There was only my father at that time. I was a day late so he was happy to see me, and the next second he was stunned, and I had to explain to him what I intended to do with the serran. I used earth magic to make small den and left my guinea pig there. ------- I went back to the village with soap and a towel and stopped at Old Johrgard''s smithy to tell him what happened, then I went to see Ellis. It was time for me to learn healing magic. Unlike what it looked like in movies, novels, games and the like, you can''t heal any kind of wounds with the same spell. There is a spell for holes, cuts and tears, and variations for whether it''s for the skin, muscles or organs. There are spells for fractured bones, for burns, frostbytes and others types of physical damages. There are no spells to cure illnesses and poisonning. One has to use the right spells to deal with the symptoms and use the proper antidote or remedy to get rid of the illness or the poison. If the illness or the poison are weak enough, a constant use of the right healing spells will give the body the necessary time to fight them on its own. If not, the spells would be just good enough to buy time. Whatever healing spell is used it drains a part of the victim''s vitality. A strong healing on a weak person can kill. Healing magic requires combining both holy mana and body mana together and weaving them in the right patern to cast the spell. Too much or not enough of one mana will cause the spell to fail or be exagerated, if not causing altered effects. Combining 2 elements requires dexterity and a lot of practice. However, I did have a little bit of time to practice combining 2 different elements together, around 1 hour each week, and more during winter. But doing so for more than a year bore fruits. I wouldn''t have much trouble learning different spells. With learning healing spells comes learning about anatomy. And for me who lived in a world in which much was known about the body, not only human body but others animals as well, the lessons would be easy. That gave me an idea about illnesses. There is no concept of micro organisms, so I thought of a way to cure illness with magic: by combining body and darkness mana to attack the foreign living entity inside the ill person, severly weakening it if not destroying it. But our bodies are naturally full of intruders, and some are helpful. Whatever, I''ll have time to study it later. Once I was done talking about my future lessons with Ellis, I went to the river. It was already dusk, but I had to take a bath. I spent 4 days with my smelly product all over my body, including 2 days with the serran. I was stinky and I seriously needed to wash myself. I spent a little more than 40 min there to get rid of all the dirt and the smell. When I got back I was greeted by hug from Muriem and the stern gaze of my mother, but didn''t get scolded. It was a good thing because I was dead tired, and went to sleep as soon as I finished eating. ------- The next day, in the morning, I left a big pan of water near its and a piece of meat near its mouth then untied it and left. After a day of smithing I came back before dusk with Ellis to heal its broken legs. Of course I knocked the serran out before hand, I called it Komodo, for obvious reasons. I got my first lesson about healing magic that day. Kerrina and Muriem arrived at dusk and stayed near while I was learning. When Ellis left, I told the 2 girls they will fight my pet for training in the near future. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I would work at the smithy for 7 days and search the wilderness for 3 days. When I was in the village, at times I would beat some sense in Komodo with either physical or magical means, at other times I would watch the girls fight it with either my mother, Arren or Erik present. Either way I would always be using my healing spells after. I would even poison Komodo sometimes. After a while, it learned who was the boss and its allies, and also learned the commands ''attack'', ''stop'', ''standby'' and ''follow''. There was also something I would do every night. While getting familiar with the weird monster mana, I would also send some of my mana toward Komodo''s mana core. Yes, I was trying to make it evolve. I would send either body earth or water mana mixed with nature mana. I wanted Komodo to get better affinity with body mana and gain earth and water affinity. I mixed them with nature mana with the hope that it would better accept the external mana, that it would stimulate natural growth with those manas, because animals, plants and monsters have a high ratio of nature mana in them, more than humans, elves etc. ------- As for my Frontier exploration, I would sometimes find a small and low quality vein of ore. I would just take note of their positions for those who mattered, so I could come later with Kerrina and Muriem to harvest them. I also hunted several monsters, serrans, small groups of razorbaks and wolverines, who are ranked D monsters, on the lower end of the rank. Wolverines are just monster wolves, bigger, stronger and faster than regular wolves, but moving in smaller groups, no more than 5 or 6 at the same time. Unlike the razorbaks, wolverines don''t have incredibly sharps fangs and claws, nor impressive leg power, but they are more cunning and have great teamwork. My first battle with the razorbaks was a little frightening. I was in open field so I couldn''t hide from the 9 of them and I couldn''t use trees to escape or for cover. I had to run around with enhanced strenght and speed, tripping the closest one with air blast while burning the next one with a fireball, and knocking away the one coming after with my staff, defending against the fourth and being pushed back. When 3 others came at me I made 2 wide tilted earth walls in front of me and behind in such a way that it looked like I made a big earth tent, then I used fire wave on both sides, taking out 4 of them and keeping the others away. I ran to one side and forced my way using air blast while firing a fireball to the one coming behind, neutralizing him. For the last 3 I used a generous amount of fire wave. I finished off the ones still breathing and collected their claws and fangs. My heart was beating like crazy. They aren''t opponents I should face by myself, not yet. It was easier to deal with the wolverines since at that time I was in the forest and I sensed them coming. Their surprise attack wasn''t a surprise as I killed one of them the moment he came out and jumped on a tree to shout magic and arrows at the others from above. Out of 5, only 2 got away with their lives. Their magic crystals were of low quality, so I''ll use them later in various experiments instead of selling them. This went on for about 3 months. While I was doing all of that, the girls were training as well. During our sparring sessions I no longer went easy on them. Since I could use healing magic I didn''t hesitate to hurt them, or to get hurt myself, it was hard, but still better than losing them later. My mother and Erik approved, that helped a lot. Now they got good enough to come with me on my explorations, so they''re going to join the adventurer guild as well. Maybe I''ll take Komodo with us. Still 12 months to go before leaving, I have to use them well. ****************************** AN: Nothing really big happening in this chapter... I''m kinda eager to finish with this part of the story and leave Argot. In 3-5 chapters maybe... Then make preparations for Tristam City and Lana Academy, the teachers and the students... I also need to make more dialogs between the mc and the girls from now on... It''ll be annoying but it''s for the greater good *clench his fist and look toward the setting sun with a serious expression*... I hate dialogs, damn it D: !!! *Sigh* (-_-) ... See you later... Chapter 025 - Determination [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author here ¡ú :D, present you chapter 25. Enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** In the living room after dinner. Roland ?So you''re leaving tomorrow morning for a week?? Aenthar ?Yes, and I''ll be taking Komodo with us, I even made a backpack for him. We will be able to carry more things back with him.? Yaereen ?Is that so? You''re sure there won''t be any problem with him?? she asked with curiosity Aenthar ?None.? With a big smile ?He understands the commands well enough, and is very obedient, even with Kerrina and Muriem.? Muriem ?That''s right! The last time Kerrina and I went to hunt, he followed us properly and when Kerrina told him to attack he didn''t hesitate. He has become quite smart!!? Aenthar, grinning ?Of course!! Don''t you see who his master is?? Roland ?I didn''t know the other could give him orders...? Aenthar ?That''s because you never tried, or more like you never needed too, which is another proof that I raised him well. Feel free to praise me as much I you like, I don''t mind.? Yaereen ?Don''t get full of yourelf son. Not everything will happen the way you plan them.? She said half serious, half teasing Aenthar ?You know mom, I made myself some rules to follow in my life to avoid or deal with troubles. One of these rules is ''zero risk doesn''t exist''.? Muriem ?Don''t worry aunt Yaereen, we will take good care of him? Roland ?Won''t that be the other way around?? Muriem ?Uncle Roland...? she said while pouting. Yaereen ?Hahaha, it''ll be fine, I''ve seen you 2 girls training hard with Aenthar and his pet. But still, be carefull out there, parents can''t help but worry about their family.? Muriem ?We will be carefull aunty.? ------- The next day, early in the morning, I went with the girls to the adventurer guild for their registration, of course Komodo waited outside. By the way, I recently reached E rank thanks to the E and D ranked beasts and monsters I killed during my exploration. Once we were done, we left the village. The place we are going to is around 2 days away from Argot, where I found a relevant amount of metallic ore. We will be mining as much as we can carry then come back. There is also a reasonable amount of beasts and monsters there, a good place to start party adventuring. I had my staff, pickaxe, khukuri and hatchet, but didn''t bring my bow and arrows, I leave it all to my wolf huntress. Kerrina had her bow and arrows, a dagger, a carving knife and wore leather equipment. Muriem had a small halleberd, a hatchet, a carving knife and the same protective gear as me. Though her halleberd was slightly different from a ordinary one. Usually, on the other side of the axe part there is a hook, on hers there is a hammer head. Why a halleberd and not a staff? Muriem tend to use only 1 extremity of the staff when attacking. During the past 3 months she trained in the use of the halleberd, and acording to Old Johrgard, she has a good affinity with that type of weapon. I wonder if the thoreim blood made her fit for weapons with an axe blade. All their equipment was made by me, except for Kerrina''s leather armor, which I made with Muriem. We also had a few useful items in our backpack. On Komodo''s back was a 2 persons tent for the 3 of us, there would always be 1 person on guard outside the tent and 2 inside. Not like I would mind the 3 of us being inside at the same time. Muriem, giggling ?Our first trip as adventurers together... I''m so happy, so excited!!? Kerrina ?That''s right. The air is different from when we go hunting, this place really feels wild. It''s a very nice feeling.? Aenthar ?You''ve always seemed more relaxed outside of the village.? Kerrina ?Yes, I guess I really like strolling in natural places, I like it when there is only the scent of the animals, plants and trees in the wind. I don''t mind villages, I guess I can bear cities, but the atmosphere of the wilderness sings to me.? Aenthar ?You''re just like Komodo.? I said while scratching him on the chin, he likes that. Kerrina ?Not funny!? Aenthar ?But don''t worry.? I held her with one arm and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. ?I like you more than him.? Kerrina ?Thanks!? while looking at me with a bright red face and narrowed eyes Muriem, smirking ?Kerrina is cute when she blushes. It doesn''t happen often, how sad.? Kerrina didn''t respond, she was slightly pouting, but still looked happy. Feeling somehow excited myself, I started whistling Zelda''s theme while snapping my fingers in rythm. Muriem ?What is this melody? It''s kinda nice!? Aenthar ?It''s music for the begining of a trip. It would have been better with the right musical instruments... I should learn about musical instruments when I have free time in the future. I would be able to make nice music for you. Muriem could even sing along with me.? Kerrina ?That would be really nice. Now that I think about it, I sometimes catch you guys humming from time to time. I would love to hear you 2 sing a real nice song someday.? Aenthar ?Then you won''t be disapointed. In fact, each night during this trip I will sing just for you 2.? I always liked listening to music and singing in my previous life. I did know a little how to play the flute and the piano, and I would have loved to know how to play the guitar and the violin. I should have plenty of chances to learn in Tristam City. And I''ll have Muriem learn to play an instrument as well. Heck, I will have some musicians play ''''The ride of the valkyries'''' for some nobles and rip the profit. For me who always moved around with my mp3 player, being able to enjoy music again as I travel would be really good, espeially if I were to enjoy it with my girls. I wasn''t a good dancer, and in this life I always avoided dances as a result, but it would be nice to learn to dance as well. Muriem enjoys it very much, and dancing with the girls would always be good. ------- After 2 days without any encounters with monsters, we reached the collection point. It was a place with few trees, with a few large pieces of rock stiking out of the ground. The vein I found was around 7 meters underground, and it extended deeper. The quality of the mana indicated a decent amount of metal was present in the stones underneath. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I started digging using earth magic, untilI reached the vein. I made a narrow hole going down to the vein in a strong slope, then at the bottom of it I used my pickaxe with strengh and speed enhancement while the girls and Komodo were keeping watch outside. After getting a few pieces of ores, I went back to the surface to appraise them. I didn''t recognise the ore. There was clearly a decent amount of metal in it, but it was nothing Old Johrgard ever showed me before, and I was sure he showed me all the important ores and ingots a smith must know. Then it hit me. In my previous world, I remembered the periodic table. I didn''t know the details, but I knew that most elements were metallic in nature. And also that most of them were mixed, ionised, or cristalised. Many of those metallic elements weren''t identified and refined for a long time, like titane and aluminium. In fact, I can recognise the metallic ore through mana sense only when there is a strong ratio of a single or 2 elements in the stone, otherwise I won''t feel the metal. That, or I can''t sense cristalised metallic elements well. I''ll have to study that later. I will have to go to all the places where I felt metal and take samples, samples that I''ll have to thoroughly study with my mana sense. And I will have to increase my ability in alchemy to separate the differents elements and better recognise them. On the long run, I could even make this world''s Periodic Table, or something similar, and that would help me even better for creating new things. I learned something very valuable with this trip. That would be awesome! ------- There were no major incidents during the trip back to Argot, we just killed a few beasts and monsters on the way. It was mostly Kerrina and Muriem, and I didn''t need to enhance them with magic. Komodo was happy to have the meat afterward. At night I would sing 1 or 2 songs to the girls, calm or love songs. I sang ''''what wonderful world'''', new world version, and they enjoyed it very much. For the love song, they really liked ''''Come with me'''', new world version, from Phil Collins. On the final night before getting back to the village, after singing ''''Come with me'''', I was sitting near the campfire, with the girls sitting next to me. The atmosphere turned serious, and the girls looked at me, a little puzzled. The song made me think about the future. Aenthar - ?You know, I really want the 2 of you to stay by my side. I want you to travel with me around the world, I want to explore this world with you by my side. It will take years, and I want to spend these years with you.? Muriem - ?Aenthar...? Aenthar ?I want to learn more about this world, to bring new things to this world. Travelling can be dangerous, and exploring the Frontier will be even more dangerous.? Kerrina ?That is something we already know.? I stood up, moved a step forward then turned around to face them and went down on one knee. I looked at them in the eyes. Aenthar ?Some people will like me, some will want to follow me. I would want to have some of them staying with me as well. Some people won''t like me, some will try to harm me, or try to harm you because you''re with me.? Kerrina frowned, and Muriem looked really anxious after hearing that. Aenthar ?Next year will be a turning point. I want us to learn as much as possible at Lana Academy, then we will be on our way. When we leave the academy, we will come here one last time, but afterward we won''t be here for years, we won''t see our families for years.? Kerrina ?Aenthar, you''re an incredible guy, and my most beloved friend. You''ve always been really helpful to me, and to my family. I learned a lot from you, and I really enjoy all the time we spend together. You''re really strong, and kind. Why wouldn''t I want to be with you? Why wouldn''t WE want to be with you?? Muriem - ?She is right. Besides, you saved me when I had no hope anymore, and you were there for me when I had no one. Just like Kerri, I learned so much from you, and the time I spend with you is the happiest time of my life. If there is something I can do for you, I won''t hesitate. I you want me to stay with you, then I''ll gladly stay, no matter what happens!! Even though I love Roland, Yaereen and Namir very much, for me, you''re the most important person in the world.? Kerrina - ?My parents and Arren, they know that I want to stay with you, they know that we won''t see each other for a long time, but they are ready for it, and they support me.? Muriem, looked at Kerrina, who also glanced at her. Then after nodding to each other Kerrina ?It doesn''t matter where you go, what you do, with whom you are, we will stay by your side.? I stood up and held my hands toward them, they stood up and took them in theirs. Then Kerrina moved toward me, pulled me down towards her and kissed me. It lasted for a few seconds but it felt longer. When she released me and looked to the side while blushing. I was still a little surprised by her sudden act, and barely noticed Muriem''s face getting closer. Unlike Kerrina, she put her tongue in right from the start, and it lasted a little longer. I think. Aenthar ?I guess that means you girls are mine from now on...? Kerrina ?That''s right.? Muriem ?Please, take good care of us!? Aenthar ?With pleasure.? ****************************** AN: Did I miss you these past 3 days? The first day I was thinking about the ending of one part and the beginning of the other, the second day I was just being lazy, the third day I SLOWLY started to get back to work. Conclusion: When I stop writing for a day, laziness overcome me :( I was also thinking about the damned dialogs. I guess that''s what made the laziness stronger... I tried to write more dialogs, just to see what it looks like, and I find it kinda... weird... Chapter 026 - First results [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 26:D, enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ******************************* After Kerrina''s and Muriem''s confession, we stayed silent for the rest of the evening, just enjoying each other company. The girls were probably too embarrassed to talk, and I was as well, I didn''t expect this from them, at least not this early. I knew they loved me, but I though we would cross that bridge after leaving Argot, not before. Or maybe it was what I hoped, for I didn''t want to have the parents around at that time. I though I would reveal it on my last time here before leaving for the world. Well, I guess I''ll have to reveal it before leaving for Lana Academy... ------- Some time ago, while Aenthar was exploring the Frontier, 2 girls were sitting next to a river. They were still wet from their recent dip in the water. They had their clothes next to them, and the blond girl was looking at the necklace on top of her clothes. She took it, then held it against her chest while giggling. Kerrina ?You really love Aenthar a lot don''t you?? Muriem was surprised by the sudden sentence and blushed furiously, but didn''t deny anything. She looked at the necklace with a loving smile. Kerrina ?My father said that Aenthar will do great things in the future. Nana and Namir said he will be a great man.? Muriem ?I don''t doubt it one bit. Isn''t he amazing?? she said with a bright smile and sparks in her eyes. Kerrina ?Yes. He is. However, my mother also said that great men attract women. In the future, many women will try to be with him.? Muriem ?No way!!! I don''t want that!! Besides, he already has us!! There is no need for more!? Kerrina ?That won''t change anything. Mother told me that we won''t be able to keep him to ourselves.? Muriem ?You can''t agree to that!!? Kerrina ?Among the lycans, there usually are more women than men, so it''s common to see a man with 2 wives. Besides, even among the humans and the andrellas it''s not uncommon for rich merchants and nobles to have more than one woman.? Muriem ?Ugh, I know that. It''s true that our village chief had 2 wives. But Aenthar isn''t a noble or a merchant!!? Kerrina ?He is not, but he will be as good as one. I''m sure you noticed how many people in the village have tried to get him interested in their daughters.? Muriem ?... Yes, I know... I know that some of the girls are very jealous of me for living with him..? Kerrina ?I''m one of them.? Muriem ?What???? Kerrina ?I''m jealous of you living with him, but that doesn''t mean I mind, so don''t look so sad and scared.? Muriem ?...Hmm... Ok...? Kerrina ?Don''t make that face, I like you very much, and I have no problem with you being with him. Besides, when we leave that problem will no longer be a problem.? Muriem ?You really scared me you know. I though you were angry... Thank you Kerri.? Kerrina ?My pleasure. Back to the topic, mother told me we won''t be able to keep him to ourselves. She told me that Aenthar will definitly cross path with several pretty and talented women, more talented than us, and that Aenthar will probably want some of them to stay with him. Maybe he will be forced to take one of them to advance on his path.? Muriem looked dejected hearing all of this. Muriem ?You know, I hoped that it would only be the 3 of us. Namir did tell me something like that before, I knew that some people would try to be with him, but I still wished we would have him for ourselves...? Kerrina ?Mother told me that the only thing we can do is support him as best as we can and keep an eye on the women trying to get him. She told me that our opinion must be important for him if he decides to take another girl, and for that we must show him how much we care about him.? Muriem ?I understand. Though if it''s showing him how much we love him, it won''t be a problem.? Kerrina ?It''s fine for now since we are still in Argot, but it will be important later.? Thus, when Aenthar decided to increase the difficulty of their training after learning healing magic, the girls didn''t shy away. When he confronted them about the future during their trip, they showed him their resolve, their trust and their feelings for him. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.------- On the way back, I told the girls that I want to keep our relationship a secret from everyone for the time being. I told them that I was not ready to announce it to our parents (truth is I''m a little scared of their reactions), and that it may bring a bit of trouble for our preparations. They were a little disapointed but they did agree. After a short trip to the guild, Muriem went home with Komodo while I escorted Kerrina to her house. Once there, after making sure that there was nobody around to see us, I took her in my arms and gave her a deep kiss before leaving. That night, before sleeping, Muriem came to my room for a small chat, which was just an excuse to hold me and kiss me before going to sleep. ------- This went on for 3 months. 3 months during which I would spend 10 days at the smithy and 5 in the Frontier with the girls. While in the village, aside from learning at the forge, I would train my battle skills in the morning and my magic skills in the evening. I would sometimes spar with the girls at the river, followed by a bit of flirting in the water, to my great pleasure. Kerrina grew and matured a little more, being around C cup or something like that, bigger than Muriem''s. And that was becoming a problem, because my libido was starting to emerge. And with Muriem sneaking to my bed from time to time, it was starting to get really hard to control myself when I was alone with one of the girls. I prayed for the remaining time before leaving to pass quickly, because the sleeping dragon was awakening. The girls reached E rank adventurer, and I was around halfway to D rank. I collected many samples of the ores I couldn''t identify, and would sometimes make a few experiments in alchemy to isolate the components. My memories from sciences classes weren''t the best, but I believed it would give me an edge in what I was trying to do. The problem would then be to know what element it is using the little bits I know from my previous world''s Periodic Table. How do you indentify an element you''ve never seen or touched raw? Should I just melt the sample bits by bits? But if it was that easy, some of them would have been in use long ago. At least that will keep me busy. ------- At the begining of the 8 month of the year, when I got to Old Johrgard''s smithy, he told me that he had to leave the next day for more than a week, and that during that time I will have to take care of the smithy. He gave me a few orders I would have to complete during his trip, all other importants orders he had already made arrangements for them. The forge would be in my care for several days. I had gathered a lot of ores from the river and the Frontier, so I thought I would use that time to smelt them. Since the old man decided to leave his important place with me, I would have to do a perfect job. That night I told my parents, Muriem and Kerrina that I would be very busy at the smithy, and that I would sometimes spend the night there to take care of the ores I gathered while keeping everything there in a good shape. The time I spent taking care of a smithy on my own was very satisfying. And among the orders I had to take care of, a lot of them required me to forge steel. And it''s not that easy to make good steel. But I believe the results were good. Concerning the ores I gathered, most of them couldn''t be smelted because some work was needed to purify them, isolate some components. The rest were mostly made of iron, copper and zinc. I got a little bit of tin and silver as well. But truthfully, for around 3 months of exploration in the Frontier, the total value of what I could use immediately was disappointing compared to what I had in mind at the beginning. I guess I should focus more on beasts and monster materials, until I can refine the others samples or pinpoint a few specifics elements. ******************************* AN: A second chapter today to make up for a previous day of laziness :D Erik and Jenna is a great wingmen, especially Jenna :D. Chapter 027 - Disciple blacksmith [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 27 :D. Enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** It has been 8 days since the old Thoreim left. After finishing with my tasks and my experiments at Old Johrgard''s smithy, I used the remaining time improving the quality of my equipment, for the objects or parts that could be upgraded. It was in the middle of the afternoon that he came back. After I greeted him , he inspected my work and the state of the smithy, then had a look at what I was doing with my gear, then he went to rest after leaving a few instructions. That evening, while we were having diner, someone knocked at the door. I went to see who that was and was surprised to see Old Johrgard outside. I was starting to get anxious, I was wondering if I didn''t mess something at the old man''s place. Yaereen ?Old man? How rare to see you here!! Please come in and have a seat. You must be tired since you just came back from a trip.? Roland ?Welcome Johrgard, it''s good to see you.? Muriem ?Ah!! Good evening sir...? Old Johrgard ?Ya, good evening young ones. Don''t ya underestimate this old man, that trip was a vacation for me, hahaha!? Aenthar ?Do you want something to drink master?? Old Johrgard ?Ya, let''s drink something nice!? Muriem rushed to the kitchen and came back with some ale. Aenthar ?What happened master? You look cheerful, you weren''t like that when you came back.? Roland ?If he is cheerful, then I''m relieved, I though you did something wrong at his place, glad to see that''s not the case... That''s not the case right?? All eyes were on the old man, with anxiety in them Old Johrgard ?Hahahahahahahahaha!! Ye don''t have to be worried, the lad did nothing wrong!? He took a large gulp of ale ?On the contrary, I''m here because the lad did really well.? Everybody relaxed, then Yaereen and Roland looked at him in anticipation. He stood up and went beside the young boy. Old Johrgard ?Aenthar! Son, you worked well all these years, and when I left, you took good care of the smithy and completed your tasks with flying marks. Lastly, I saw how you improve equipments you made at the beginning of the year, meaning within several months, you made tremendous progress.? Aenthar ?I reached disciple rank? he said while face palming. The old man put his hand on the boy''s shoulder Old Johrgard ?Ya. You reached disciple rank. Congratulation, lad, I''m very proud to have a student like you. Take this letter, you will have to go to the crafting guild with this to receive your card.? Girls ?Kyaaaaaaaa!!!? But before Aenthar could take the letter, 2 women rushed to him and gave him a big hug. The old man pouted a little because of the interruption, then revealed a wry, kind smile while looking at the trio. Roland ?These women...?he said with a wry smile. Aenthar ?Mom, Muriem, you interrupted master.? Muriem ?Haa!! Sorry sir, I''m very sorry, really...? Yaereen ?...Ah, sorry old man... Hahaha, I was just so happy for my boy.? Old Johrgard ?Don''t worry, I expected this already, just not that soon. Usually you wait for the right time to unleash your emotions.? Aenthar ?Good thing she unleashed them before drinking, she would have hugged me for a while otherwise...? Roland, Old Johrgard and Muriem chuckled hearing that, and Yaereen gave him a flat stare while smiling and blushing. He responded with a little grin while motioning her to come, and she resumed her hug. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.Aenthar ?But... Master, did you need to go to the crafting guild for that?? Old Johrgard ?Come on lad, you didn''t think I would do all that just for you did ya?? He pulled out his blacksmithing card, there were 2 stars. Aenthar ?Master is a master! Eh? Congratulation master! And I''m also proud to have had a master like you!? Roland ?Whoa, congratulation old man!!? The girls ?Congratulation!? Old Johrgard ?Seeing the efforts and the progress of the lad was really refreshing, it boosted me a bit I guess. Keep up the good work Aenthar, you will go far.? Aenthar ?Yes master! I will just do that!? Afterward we drank and chatted a bit then the old man left. The next day would be a rest day for both of us. I was praised a bit more by my parents, then we went to bed. Though a little later, Muriem came in my room while slightly blushing with a mischevious smile, and we kissed and caressed each other for a while. At a time my leg pressed onto her crotch and she moaned while I felt the part was a little damp. It was hard work keeping the dragon asleep, really hard (AN: No pun intended Very Happy)!! Not when we were still in Argot. Later we fell asleep, holding onto each other. ------- The next day I went to the river with the girls, and we flirted a lot in the water. I decided to leave for Lazaris the next day, and the girls will be coming with me. After the attack 2 years ago, the road and the surroundings were patrolled more often. It would also be the first time Muriem to see Carduc again, and go to the grave of her parents. She got depressed thinking about it, but in the end she agreed. She would need to cross that path and overcome the past, and she won''t be alone. Since I''ve become a disciple, my time at Old Johrgard''s place is finished. I have a lot more time for exploration and monster hunts, more time for experimentations in alchemy, more time to train my body and my magic, to train with the girls. The academic year start on the second month of the year, which give us around 8 months to get prepared. The fee for the academy is 1 gold and 20 silver coins per year. And aside from that we will need money for tthe travel, food and other necessities. We have 8 months to gather 2 gold coins each, that''s 12 silver and 50 copper coins per month. 2 gold coins is twice what a commoner usually earns each year. Before, I would spend 10 days in the village and 5 days outside. Now that will have to be the other way around. We will need to go deeper in the Frontier. The monsters there will be more dangerous, but their body parts will bring more money. Besides, there is a small mountain not too far I wish to explore. The area around there is sitll just partially explored. I haven''t given up on the idea of finding something nice in the ground with my mana sense, so I can''t ignore that mountain. I want to go there before mid-winter, it would be too dangerous after. But all of that is for later. After enjoying my time with the girls, I went to see Namir, Nana, Erik and Jenna, to tell them about my rank up and our trip to Lazaris the following day. We will be leaving for 5 days, so we went home and made preparations for the trip. And I''m taking Komodo with us. ****************************** AN: Humm... I think I will finish the village part in 4 chapters... After that I will take, maybe a week break for more world building, more characters preparations and more plot preparations. Chapter 028 - Turning the page [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 28 :D. Enjoy PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** Kerrina, Muriem, Komodo and I left Argot early in the morning. Muriem was nervous, and it turned into anxiety in the afternoon as we were slowly getting closer to Carduc. Kerrina and I tried to cheer her up during the trip, but it had little effect. After a while, we just walked in silence, holding Muriem''s hands from both sides. She looked at the ground for the rest of walk. Near the evening, we got near enough to see Carduc. Muriem stopped walking, we all stopped. She was looking at the village with grief in her eyes, and tightened her grip on our hands. She slowly started to move again, and near the entrance she stopped, walked backward and finally turned back and took some distance. Aenthar ?... Muriem...? He said while putting a hand on her shoulder. Muriem ? I... I''m not ready... Not yet... *sniff*, Later please... on the way back maybe, but not now.? Kerrina ?Let''s just go straight to the inn and leave early tomorrow.? Aenthar ?Yeah, and we will have a little more time on the way back. Here, put the hooded cloak on, this way, people you know won''t recognise you and won''t bother you.? Muriem ?No, let''s camp outside... Please...? Aenthar ?... Fine, lets do that. Come on, I remember a nice spot a little further on the way, let''s go.? Muriem ?Thank you Aenthar, Kerri...? Kerrina ?Don''t worry about it.? So we spent the night under the starry sky. Muriem sometimes sobbed in her sleep. It had been so long since the last time it happened. There was little Kerrina and I could do to sooth her except be near her. ------- We woke up early and reached Lazaris in the afternoon. We went to an inn with stables for tamed beasts and monsters for Komodo. We took a single room with 2 beds, then I left the girls at the inn and went to the crafting guild. The receptionist recognised me and, shocked, asked if I was here for the expert rank in alchemy. I just gave him Old Johrgard''s letter, and after being stunned for a bit by the content, he left to see one of the executives. A little later, I left the building with my new card and certificate and returned to the inn. Since I was done with the guild, I proposed we stay in the town for fun the following day, and leave the day after. The girls agreed, as it was rare to be in town for us. It would also help with Muriem''s mood or so I hoped. ------- The next day we spent all our time moving around the town. We did get a bit of attention as the girls were really charming and I was handsome myself. Sometimes I would hold Kerrina or Muriem closer and give a smug look at some clearly jealous guys without being noticed by the girls, though they did catch a few times and pinched me. But they still looked happy, after all, their lover was bragging about them. We spent quite some time in the marketplace. The girls had a lot of things they wanted to see, and I was ready for it. I used 2 silver coins to buy them simple clothes and accessories, but they were of better quality than what is usually available in Argot. Then another silver coin for a nice meal in a restaurant. But I also used money for myself, I bought a viol. I wanted a violin, but it hadn''t been developed yet. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.------- While strolling on the streets between the merchant district and the noble district, we came across a certain building, the slave market. Yes, there is slavery in this world. I first learned of it shortly after registering at the adventurer guild. One of the adventurer talked about one of his aquitances that made a big mistake and ended up with a huge debt. He had to go into slavery to repay it. There are 3 kinds of slaves: debt slaves, crime slaves and war slaves. Debt slave are people sold into slavery to repay a debt, and have several rights. Crime slaves are thieves, bandits and other law breakers, and have little to no rights at all depending on the severity of the crime. War slaves are prisoners of war whose release was not paid or negociated, and have a few rights. The cheapest slaves cost at least 40 silver coins, and the price can go as high as 10 gold coins. All the races of the world practice slavery, though the elves, rexons and the andrellas only practice war slavery. Slavery is a serious business and is well regulated, so there aren''t that many cases of abductions by unscrupulous slavers. All slaves must wear an enchanted collar to prevent escapes and actions against the owner, and bear a tatoo on their cheek to indicate what kind of slave they are. I''m not a saint or a paragon of justice and equality. I intend to have slaves in the future, it''s a system that never truly disapeared from my previous ''''modern'''' world, and I can''t deny the benefits of having a subordinate who doesn''t need a salary and can''t go against your orders. And it''s not like I plan to be douchebag or a sadist with them. They will be useful, so when I can I will have a few of them. And I can make my female slaves wear sexy clothes inspired from my former world. ------- The day really did wonders to Muriem''s mood, and the night in the room she didn''t look too anxious about the stop at Carduc the next day. We left Lazaris at dawn and reached Carduc after noon. Muriem had tears in her eyes, but she still moved forward. She met a few of the people she used to know, and they took her to the graves of her parents. We stayed there for a while as she was thanking them, telling them she would be alright, saying her farewells. She was crying the entire time, but managed to smile at the end. She had one last look at the house she used to live in, the field she used to spend days in, and the places where she would gossip with her friends. Then we went to the inn for the night and left early the following day. I had to leave Komodo outside of the village in a makeshift den made with magic for the night. Muriem didn''t cry, and didn''t look back once. She truly closed the page of her history in Carduc, and Kerrina and I were happy for her. ****************************** AN: The chapter is shorter than it should have been. Why? I could have written more about Muriem''s state of mind as she came back there... But these times when you don''t feel like writing at all... :( Chapter 029 - The descent [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author ¡ú :D present you chapter 29, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** I had around 8 months left before leaving for Tristam City and Lana Academy. The fee is 1 gold and 20 silver coins per year and per person. There is an additional 10 silver for a room in the dormitories, and they were shared rooms, boys separate from girls. 10 silver coins, that is also the average renting price of a cottage per year. Once there, with the accurate knowledge of the prices, we would have the choice between living in the academy or renting an available cottage. Renting a cottage would mean daily travel between home and the academy, but also that I could stay with the girls at night. So we would need raise at least 2 gold coins to safely cover for our first year there. I believe we would have the time to raise money for the following year while studying there. ------- 10 days in the Frontier, hunting monsters with decent material, passively looking for a decent amount of ore. 5 days in the village, training our hand to hand combat skills, weapons skills and magic skills. Working on my alchemy, trying to remember details from the lessons in my previous life and trying to apply them to this world. Also reviewing what I knew about mathematics in my old world, algebric and geometric formulas, equations. While I was working on alchemy and science, the girls were improving on their leather working and tailoring. I wanted us to be as self sufficient as possible in preparations for our long travels and dangerous explorations. I didn''t forget about the instrument I bought, I would train with my viol in the evenings. Lastly, sending mana into Komodo''s magic core while observing the weird mana. That is how we spent our time. ------- During the later half of autumn, while we were exploring the Frontier near the foot of the mountain, something caught my attention, I noticed something unusual. As I was using my mana sense, I felt a lack of reaction around 8 meters underground. Meaning I didn''t feel the mana of the ground below 8 meters, and on a wide zone. It could only mean one thing, a cave. It could be an isolated one, or one part of a larger network, and who knew what kind of beasts, monsters or materials we could find there. Right now, we didn''t have the right equipment for underground explorations, but a quick scouting would be enough. It was still early in the afternoon, so I started to slowly dig a slanted hole with earth magic. I was secured with a rope by Muriem and Komodo while Kerrina was keeping an eye on the surroundings. While digging, I never felt the bottom of the cave. When I reached it, the little sunlight that came through told me that the cave had a high ceiling. The bottom was around 30 meters away. I fired several fireballs in differents directions to see more of the cave, and noticed a few tunnels at differents places, some small and the others wide enough to walk upright. The cave was slightly egg shaped, and there were a lot of stalactics and stalagmites. I didn''t see nor feel any living things nearby. I hoped I could find some crystals and ores down there, especially since it''s a the foot of a mountain. We will have to explore it later, and I don''t want the others adventurers to notice it and take what could have been mine. I remembered 2 movies where some people got trapped underground in caves, and in the 2 they had to deal with nasty inhabitants, I don''t want to find myselfs in that situation without preparations. I closed the hole, then explored the surroundings in search of other caves, then we left for Argot. There was a lot of preparations to make before going in Back in Argot, I decided to spend more time in the workplace of my father. If there are living beings there, they will probably have poor vision but good hearing and sense of smell. I already had a product to mask my scent, but the cave''s interior wouldn''t smell like plants and trees. I needed an overpowering scent of stones and rock. Also, loud noises or bright flash of light would work fine. All of that would have little use if they were to be sensitive to vibrations, but it wouldn''t hurt to have them. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Alpinism, speleology, I didn''t know anything about them, so I didn''t know the proper equipment to use against them, and I didn''t remember the details of the equipment shown in the movies. So I would have to improvise, we would need a lot of rope, and it could be troublesome to take Komodo with us. I had the girls make leather harnesses for us and I went to Old Johrgard to make the metallic parts. Even if the exploration of this cave would end up short, it probably wouldn''t be the only one we would encounter, so our efforts wouldn''t be for nothing. ------- After 5 days of preparations, we left for the cave, without Komodo. I didn''t forget to leave a note to our parents about the position of the cave, just in case. Once there, I created a perimeter around the soon to be entrance with small earth columns, scattered my smelly forest essence around, then dug the slanted tunnel again. After securing the rope that would allow us to go down and being ready to descend, I hid the entrance behind me with a bunch of plants I had prepared before hand. I got down first since I had my mana sense to feel the surrounding, then I made a fire ball in my hand and waited for the girls to come down. We applied my new smelly earth essence on ourselves, and cautiously made our way toward one of the few tunnels available. I engraved a visible cross on the wall at the entrance to indicate it was visited, and I would do the same at the entrance of any other tunnels. Most of them ended up too small to continue, but one of them allowed passage, and headed deeper underground. Exploring a cave can be hard on the nerves, especially when you''re half expecting some monsters to be down there, and using as little light as possible, the air was stale and I didn''t want to consume our oxygen with fire. And people tend to be anxious in the darkness. We had to crawl for a while. All this time I was using mana sense. We didn''t talk, and I used fire magic only briefly from time to time, to avoid missing something my mana sense couldn''t identify, but our eyes could. After advancing for a while the path got wider, and we were able walk again, but the path was still leading deeper underground. We started to see a faint purple glow ahead, and sneakily got closer, and as we got closer I could feel a source of mana. We reached a large open space, with big body of water in the middle, and numerous openings in the walls and ceiling. The glow was coming from something deep in the water, and it was also the source of the mana I felt. It wasn''t an incredible amount of mana, it was equal to that of someone with above average ability in magic. I got closer to the water and concentrated on my mana sense, looking for living beings, but there were no signs. I was glad I wouldn''t have to worry about an underwater creature attacking me, but I was still worried that water might contains dangerous products. I put the tip of my finger in for a few second and waited. Nothing noteworthy. I did it again, but this time I licked it, reviewing all the spells I knew against poison, but then again there was nothing. I looked at the girls, they were starring at me with worry in their eyes, I calmed them with a smile. So I took off everything I had on me except my underwear and dived in. The curiosity got the better of me, but I couldn''t detect anything harmful either. At least I was sure to get something interesting. ****************************** AN: What lies in the depth of this underground body of water? Something good? Something bad? Find out in the next episode of Dragon Ball Z :D Chapter 030 - Jackpot?? [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 30. Enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** The miniature lake was about 20 meters deep. There was a long and thin crack that run from one side of the cave to the other, from the top of the cave to the bottom of the body of water, where the light was coming from. I got closer to the origin of the light, and when I peered through the small opening of the crack I was so surprised I released a big amount of air in the water and had to rush to the surface with enhanced speed. I got out of the water like a devil of a spring box, breathing heavily. Muriem ?Aenthar!!!? she rushed at him as her scream echoed in the dimly lit cave. Kerrina ?Are you alright? What happened? Do you need anything?? Muriem was almost panicking while looking all over me and Kerrina was trying to stay calm while clearly very worried. I gently pushed them away so I could catch my breath, and after a minute or so I looked at them. Aenthar ?Jackpot!!!? he said with a blank expression. Muriem ?... What?? Kerrina ?What is a jackpot? Is it dangerous?? Aenthar ?... Ha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!? Muriem ?... You''re making me uneasy...? Kerrina ?... Hey, are you really alright?? Aenthar ?Hahaha, sorry about that my sweeties, everything is alright. Everything is so damn all right!? ''''I forgot they don''t know anything about my former world. I should tell them a part of the truth some time in the future''''. Kerrina ?I see, so you found something good?? Aenthar ?I didn''t find something good, I found something excellent!!!? Muriem ?...He? Really? Really really? What is it? Come on, tell us, quick!!!? After hearing my answer, they were stunned for a few seconds before jumping at me in joy. We hugged each other for a bit before calming down. By the way, hugging without clothes while the others had armor was not that nice. What I found was a treasure, especially for a blacksmith. It was malchyte. Malchyte is a rare crystalin material with high affinity with magic, higher than mythril, though it''s not as durable. A unit of malchyte ore of good quality has a clear light blue color, almost white, and cost around 7 gold coins. The malchyte vein in the crack was of low quality, revealed by its purple color, but it was still worth more than 1 gold coins per unit. It was indeed jackpot! Because of its magic affinity, the malchyte absorbed the mana in the surroundings, resulting in it glowing. Without that I would have missed it completly. After that, I went back in the water, but with my pick axe and a rope tied at my arm. Since we made some noise and I was still wary of creature being down there, I had the girls stay really cautious and pull the rope if anything showed up. I used earth magic to slowly and carefully get rid of the rocks surrounding the malchyte vein, and used my pickaxe to dig the rest. I had to make several trips to the surface and enhance my strengh and speed, but after a few hours I had collected an amount worth around 10 gold coins. And I only got around a third of what was available. I left the rest for another time. I told the girl I was going to hide the rest of the vein so that some people lucky enough to find the cave wouldn''t find the malchyte. So after putting my equipment back on I made one last trip to cover the treasure, and light slowly faded from the cave. When I reached the surface, instead of only hearing the breath of the 2 girls in the darkness, we could also hear strange noises coming from the numerous holes in the walls around us. I quickly cast a small fireball, and motionned the girls to hurry toward the tunnel we came from. ------- It was not good. I didn''t know why, but our presence was noticed by something that used to crawl in the tunnels of the cave, and on our way we had to go through several longs and narrow passages, greatly reducing our mobility, and considering the countless small tunnels present there was the possibility of getting surrounded. I didn''t want us to spend more time underground. As we were reaching a larger part of the tunnel, a loud screeching sound was heard not too far behind us, and numerous others similar sounds resounded all around us across the network of tunnels. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I was starting to get really scared, and so were the girls. This wasn''t our field, we were in enemy territory, and they probably had the advantage. I was holding Kerrina''s hand, who was holding Muriem''s. I didn''t bother using light anymore except to search for the marks we left on our path to find the way back, I relied solely on my mana sense, moving forward as fast as the terrain and magic enhancement allowed us to. I hoped nothing would be waiting for us at the place from which we entered here. ------- I jinxed myself, jackpot my ass. After crawling like cockroaches in the narrower part of the tunnel and getting close to the exit, I picked up the presence of monster ahead and abruptly stopped, causing Kerrina to crash on my back, and being crushed between me and Muriem who crashed on her back. They were slowly moving toward us, I could sense them, we could hear them. And we also picked up the sounds of the ones behind us as well. We were surrounded in a place where there was only room for 2 people to advance side by side. I prepared my khukuri and my hatchet, told the girls to be ready to fight, and cast the enhancing spells on the 3 of us with maximum power. I took out a few small pieces of ore and scattered them around us, so as to not use my mana for lighting the place. There were 18 of them, 7 between us and the exit, and 11 behind us. They got close enough to be seen, about 150cm tall and long, with skin the color of rock, I couldn''t tell if it was leather, scales or even stone. They looked like a hybrid between an insect and a rat, with 4 black eyes, a head and body like a rat, 6 legs similar to that of a insect, but with clawed feet, retractable claws from what I could see, and lastly, and additional pair of limbs starting from their back and extending forward like the scythes of a praying mantis. Their eight pair of limbs had 3 segments excluding the feet and scythes. In front, there were 3 of them with one slightly ahead, and 4 in row of 2 behind. On our back their formation was similar, but inversed, there were 2 slightly ahead. I doubted earth magic would be very effective on those underground dwellers as I could sense a high amount of earth mana in them, fire magic would be dangerous for the oxygen levels in a cramped place, and wind magic would probably lack impact, judging by the severe lack of air mana around. Seeing as those things are half animals half insect, I was wondering if the confusion spell I know would be effective. They emited a few low sounds between themselves, probably getting ready to start their attacks. Aenthar ?Girls, we have to try to break through the ones in front, but we don''t know anything about their abilities and the ones behind won''t let us go that easily.? Kerrina ?Do you have a plan?? Aenthar ?A simple one. I leave the ones behind us to you. I''ll have to try create an opening in front while trying and see what kind of magic is effective against them. When I give you the order, run straight for the exit.? Muriem ?... Will we be alright?? Aenthar ?I don''t know, we will have to make it work. These guys must be D rank monsters, and they look like party hunters. We are at disadvantage. Focus on defending and repelling them.? I added in a light tone ?If you need healing, just say ''''medic'''' and the type of injury, broken bones or cuts.? Muriem ?That''s not reassuring at all!!!? she said with a tearing face, Kerrina glared at me. Aenthar ?...Sorry, but don''t worry? The monsters made their move... ****************************** AN: Happy to see another chapter today? Your happy right? RIGHT? :D Chapter 031 - Back to the surface [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 31 :D. Enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** The monster had quickly closed the distane. It had lunged at me, its scythes aiming for my forehead. Even though it attacked while I was talking to the girls, my senses were still focused on them. I felt him coming, leaned to my right to dodge its strike and counterattacked with the hatchet in my right hand, a diagonal upward slash aimed at its neck and destined to send it towards the one on the left who had started to advance as well, and preparing to rotate my body to deal with the one coming to the right. But it didn''t completly go as planned. Yes, I struck it in the neck, yes it flew and collided with the other one, however the wound was shallow. Tough, their skin was extremely tough, almost as tough as rock, which shouldn''t have surprised me considering their living place and the amount of earth mana in them. And even with strenght enhanement, I still felt how heavy its body was. Our weapons weren''t good enough to inflict significants damage to them, and Kerrina''s next words made my mood fall further. Kerrina ?I can''t cut their eyes!? she said with surprise and disbelief in her voice ?They are really hard!? Muriem ?Huuu... I can barely cut their skin as well, and they are fast!? They were tough and fast bastards. It would take a lot of time and efforts to deal critical wounds, and if I didn''t update the enhancements in time we wouldn''t survive the combination of their speed and weight (AN: Speeeeeeeeeeed and WEIGHT!!! Very Happy , I couldn''t help but being reminded of that while I was writing). I tried to reduce the pressure of their attacks using their elements, hoping they didn''t have too much control over it: I made 2 earth pillar in front of me and 2 more between the girls and their opponents. I was trying to force them to come 1 by 1 but it didn''t work. The ones at the front lines released a small screech and I felt mana gathering in their scythes to form a spell. They struck the pillars and they slowly fell appart into small pebbles. And while that happened, 1 of them moved on the walls on each side and attacked me simultaneously. I deflected the strikes on the left and the right with my khukuri and my hatchet and twisted my body to avoid the one coming from the front. My mana sense and the surprised gasps of the girls behind me told me that the same thing was happening with them. I released a strong wind blast on them, but they instantly planted their claws in the ground. They sank in easily and I noticed a small surge of mana in them. They were stopped by the wind attack but didn''t lose their balance and were not knocked back. Since their skin and even their eyes were tough I doubted fire magic would be effective. While we were exchanging blows, they received less wounds and started to block my attacks more often. They sometimes attacked with as much as 4 guys simultaneously, 1 on the ground, 2 on the walls and 1 on the ceiling. And neither me nor the girls went unscatched when they did that. We were lucky they didn''t seem to be able to stay on the ceiling for long. I attacked or countered with the hatchet, I defended with the khukuri, I had to twist and spin my body at times. Their scythes were sharp enough to tear steel. Mine and Muriem''s brigandines were in bad condition. The defensive battle lasted for a few minutes, then they stopped their attacks. I used the small respite to heal our wounds and cast the enhancing spells once again. Our armors were in tatters, and we had been weakened by the small but continuous bleedings. We didn''t kill a single one of them, our weapons are inadequates and the spells I know have little to no effects on them. I didn''t try the confusion spell yet because it was a low level one that required direct contact, hence dangerous to use in that situation. Aenthar ?Listen girls, I guess it''s time to use my escape products.? Muriem ?You mean, the weird things you were working on in uncle''s workplace?? Aenthar ?Yep, and there are 3 of them. It will stink, it will be loud, and it will be blinding. Don''t worry, the blinding one will be used last, and we will have our back to it. Kerrina, take this.? Kerrina ?What''s in there?? Aenthar ?The stinky surprise. Throw it front of the guys on your side when they resume their attacks. Then the 2 of you back away toward me.? The monsters screeched at each others, and they attacked again. Kerrina did as I instructed and threw the vial containing the smelly mixture in front of them. On my side I had prepared 2 spells, earth walls and confusion. When they attacked, 2 slanted earth walls appeared from the ground near the walls of the tunnel, tilting 5 of them to the sides and blocking them against the tunnel''s walls. Aenthar ?Follow me!!? The girls were quick to react. I used confusion on the closest one and he stopped moving, and smashed the last one away with my hatchet. There was now a narrow escape route for us. The ones behind us were stunned, but the ones blocked by my walls had already cast the counter-spell and the walls were crumbling, freeing them. Now there were 2 of them blocking the path, and the rest were behind. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ?SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!? The loud screeching were made by the ones who received the stink decoy. I lookded back, and saw them trembling, the mana inside them became more active, and the others monsters were starting to react the same way. I had a bad feeling about it. Aenthar ?RUN GIRLS, HURRY!!!? We forced our way through the last 2 blocking our path, Kerrina leading with a piece of malchyte for light. They were distracted so it was easy. As soon as we passed them I felt an oppressing feeling on my back, I looked over and couldn''t help but shudder. Through the little light available, I could see he monsters were massively drolling, the atmosphere around them was completly different from the calm, emotionless one from before. Their skin had now orange pulsating paterns on them. They charged at us without any sign of order. It felt like they were in a berserker state. Was it because of the stinky surprise? Most likely, since the change started with the first victims, and as the smell reached the others, they reacted as well. But in their new state they were faster than before. While the girls ran ahead I was the rear guard, trying to slow them down with magic, but with little effects. Their bodies were surrounded by a layer of mana that made my earth walls crumble on touch, and they just blasted through them. Wind blast barely slowed them down, and when they got close they didn''t just use their scythes, but tried to bit me as well. I got a bit of their spit on my arm and it burned a lot, I really didn''t want to get bitten. They were running both on the grounds and the walls, it was a scary sight. I had to recast our enhancement a few times. I still had 2 escape devices, and I would use them near the entrance cave so we could have the time to climb up and leave the underground. Little by little, I increased the distance between me and the girls in my efforts to slow the berserker monsters down, but it was taking a toll on my mana pool. Once we got near, I first used the pseudo flash grenade on a curve so the girls wouldn''t be blinded, but it didn''t have any effect on them. I had almost depleted my mana so I used the rest to enhance us one last time. I could only rely on redirecting their attacks and trying to make them collide against each other. I screamed to the girls ahead. Aenthar ?Girls, I''m out of mana! Once we reach the first cave do not waste any time climbing up!? Muriem ?What about you?? Aenthar ?You quickly get your sexy asses out of here so you can pull me up.? Soon we reached the place. I could see the girls climbing up as fast as they could the 20 or so meters that separated them from the outside. Then I used the pseudo sound grenade while seathing my hatchet and khukuri. The deafening sound made the monsters stagger and trip on themselves, but since we were still in the tunnel, it also made me lose my balance. But it gave the girls the time to reach the top of the cave. I quickly got up while wobbling, and made one last mad dash at the rope. But one of the bastards was as fast as me to recover, and when I jumped for the rope, he stabbed me with one of its scythes in the back and bit a big chunk of meat from my left leg while falling back down. It was the pain of the wounds that made me hold onto the rope tighter. While holding the rope in my right hand, I cut it right below the part I was holding with my khukuri. I didn''t want the monsters to somehow hang on it and make it to tear from overweight. Aenthar ?GHUAAAAAAAAAH! YOU MOTHER FUCKING BASTARD!!? Muriem ?AENTHAR!!!? Aenthar ?PULL!!? I screamed while seathing the khukuri and avoiding the other 2 monsters that tried to strike me in the air. I climbed higher on the rope using only my arms, while being pulled by Kerrina and Muriem. The monsters were now trying to climb the walls to reach the opening on the ceiling, but they couldn''t hold onto it for long and fell one after the others. It was a 15 meters fall for them, but it didn''t even break their bones, though it did give them internal injuries judging by how weakened they looked as they were trying to climb again. Once outside, I was once again reminded of the state I was in as severe pain coursed through my back when I lied down. The bastard stabbed me right next to my spine and bit me below the calf of my left leg. The burning sensation of the monster''s spit was even more intense and it seemed to spread through my leg. We were outside, but we were far from the village, and I was heavily injured and possibly poisoned... ****************************** AN: At first, I wanted the mc to be wounded in the ass so it would be a kind of funny memory later for them, but I didn''t want the actual situation to be funny. Chapter 032 - Return [PR] AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 32, enjoy :D!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** We had entered the cave in the middle of the morning, and now it was the middle of the afternoon. Muriem ?... Oh, by the gods, Aenthar... You''re bleeding... You are bleeding so much...? Kerrina ?... Aenthar?? Dread and grief was filling their eyes, and Muriem was already crying. Aenthar ?I will be fine!!? I said while groaning in pain ?Help me take off my backpack, there is a small first aid kit inside...? Kerrina ?We have to get away from here first!!? Aenthar ?It will... Ugh! It will be fine... They can''t reach us, and they seriously wounded themselves trying...? Muriem ?But th-? Aenthar ?Besides... I''m in no condition to move, it will only get worse. We have to stay here, at least for tonight...? Muriem ?Fine... I, we trust you...? Aenthar ?Thanks... I love you girls.? Kerrina ?And we love you too! But it''s not the time for that...? They helped me sit and took the backpack. It was torn here and there, but was still holding on. In the first aid kit were some small vials and bandages. I took one of them and painfully applied half the content on my leg injury and had Muriem apply the rest on the injury on my back. It was a strong antiseptic I had made with concentrated alcohol and medecinal herbs, and it made me groan in pain. I was sweating a lot and my head was spinning. The burning sensation was spreading through my lower body, and it was still expanding. I had a few antidotes, but I didn''t know exactly what the spit of the monster was doing to my body. I couldn''t carelessly ingest anything. Muriem carefully put some ointments on my wounds to stop the bleeding and applied the bandages. I told Kerrina to spread my forest essence on the blood stains I left on the ground and all around the place. Now she was setting the tent. Once she was done, Muriem helped me there and I suddenly lost consciousness. ------- I woke up in the middle of the night. Kerrina was sleeping next to me, it was probably Muriem''s turn to stand watch. The burning sensation had spread through my whole body, it wasn''t as strong as before but now I had an annoying headache. I had recovered about a fourth of my mana, so I used it to mend my leg injury. It drained a lot energy from me and I hastly fell asleep again. When I woke up again I was alone in the tent and asaulted by an intense headache and the burning sensation was a lot stronger. I was also very hungry and thirsty, I needed the girls, I didn''t feel any magic user near so Kerrina must be somewhere else. Aenthar ?Muriem!!? Muriem ?Y-Yes!! Kerrina, he woke up!!? She dashed into the tent and strongly hugged me. Muriem ?Aenthar! I was so worried!! You slept for a whole day and you were often moaning in pain.? Kerrina ?How are you doing?? Aenthar ?Please don''t be so loud... I have a terrible headache...? Muriem ?Ha... S-sorry...? Aenthar ?It''s okay, sorry to make you worry so much. And no, I didn''t sleep for a whole day, I woke up in the middle of the night to heal my leg, that drained me... I need to eat and drink.? Kerrina ?I just got back with 2 rabbits, I''ll make you something. It''s good to see you feel better.? Aenthar ?Not quite. I healed my leg so I could walk today, but it was a mistake. The monster''s bite made me ill, and it got worse when I drained my energy to heal my leg. I need my first aid kit Muriem.? Muriem ?It''s true, you have quite the fever, I''m sorry I didn''t notice before... I''ll be right back!? While Kerrina was cooking, I got some water and contemplated on which antidote to drink. Considering the type of monster that attacked us, and what I was feeling in my body with my mana sense, I selected one of them got a little bit of it. Later, Kerrina helped me eat and shortly after I fell asleep again. I woke up at dawn the next day, and since the burning feeling and the headaches had lessened a lot I used healing magic to mend the wound on my back. I got tired again but it was bearable. Kerrina was sleeping next to me again, so I took her in my arms and hugged her. That woke her up, and I lightly kissed her. Aenthar ?Good morning beauty.? Kerrina ?... Aenthar! Yeah, good morning... It''s good to see you feel better.? She was surprised at first, then really relieved. I still felt weak, but I could walk, so I went outside. Muriem wasn''t far away, and when she heard the noise coming from the tent she turned her head my way, saw me and rushed to me. I silently took her in my arms and she hugged me strongly. After that we ate breakfast and told the girls we should leave. Since I could walk I wanted to get back to Argot as fast as possible. I didn''t know anything about my illness, it had calmed down, but it could get worse, and I didn''t want to be in the wilderness if that happened. ------- After an hour, we had finished tidying everything up started to go back to the village. A trip that would usually take 6 days took 10 days because of my state. After the first day my condition got worse, probably due to healing my back, so I spent all the second day recovering. Nothing dramatic happened the following days, but we had to move slowly so I wouldn''t run out of energy. For 2 days I needed one of the girls to support me, but afterward I could walk on my own. However, it showed on my face that I was ill, I was pale and had lost some weight. Once we reached Argot, slightly after noon, we left our bags of malchyte ore with Muriem to take home and warn our parents of our return, I had Kerrina go to the guild and sell the informations about the cave and the monsters inside, while I went straight to the village physician, Lucas. I explained to him how I got in that state. He went to get Ellis, the priest, and once back they gave me a thorough examination and discussed a little about my condition. Lucas gave me some medecine and Ellis recommanded me a few spells to improve my condition. Just as they finished and left the building I was met by Nana, my father, Kerrina and Muriem outside. My father and Nana gave me a hug. They were worried when they saw my state, so I gave them a summary of what Ellis and Lucas said while we were going home. Along the way we stopped at Namir''s and Jenna''s fields so as to inform them of our return and what happened. When I reached home, I felt so relieved that once I sat down in the living room I fell asleep. I woke up at dawn the next day in my bed, a little disappointed that Muriem wasn''t with me. There was a bottle of water with a cup on my table, so I used the opportunity to take some medicine and used the healing spells. I went downstairs to greet my mother. She was happy to see me up. Apparently she spent some time looking after me yesterday evening. I was a little scolded though. Afterward, it took me a week to completly recover. I spent that time at home, working in alchemy and leather working. The malchyte ore we got from the cave was sold through Old Johrgard and we earned 9 gold and 13 silver coins. The old man got some ore as payment, and was really happy. The information about the cave and the monsters must be confirmed by the guild, and only after that we would receive our payment. After 3 weeks the information got confirmed and we earned 30 silver coins. Total earnings of our little trip: 9 gold and 43 silver coins. And we still had around 18 gold coins worth of malchyte waiting for us down there. But that would have to wait until later, until after some time at the academy. Our weapons and armors weren''t good enough, and our martial prowess was probably lacking as well. And I was still lacking in magic. The elements I could use weren''t effective enough, and I didn''t know any of the more advanced spells requiring mixed elements. We wouldn''t have had so much trouble otherwise. We were now in the last month of autumn, a little more than 4 months until the new year, after the new year 15 days to the academy entrance examination, and 5 more days to the start of the term. We should use this time to save more money and prepare ourselves for the entrance examination. I wanted us to get the best scores possibles. Since it would be mostly cold, we wouldn''t go to the Frontier much, meaning more training for us as well. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The girls and I should leave on the 15th of Zonthor to reach Tristam City on the 10th of Meldia at the latest. We could also get a good cart for 6 silver coins and a good horse for at least 20 silver coins. If so, we could leave after the new year and reach the capital in 10 days. That would leave us several days to decide whether to live in the academy or rent a cottage, several days to get used to the capital and buy things. End of the first part! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATIONS KNOWN ABOUT THE WORLD SO FAR World: Premean Moons: Sapha (silver-blue), 25 days cycle - Janus (silver-yellow), 20 days cycle Day: 22 hours, 1 hour = 60 min, 1 min = 60 seconds Week: 5 days, Prerus, Secrus, Trirus, Patrus, Qotrus Year: 16 months (80 weeks/400 days) Spring: Meldia, Grandia, Nendia, Raldia - Summer: Meranus, Tiranus, Doranus, Uranus Autumn: Melyg, Alyg, Kilyg, Denlyg - Winter: Methor, Dalthor, Helcthor, Zonthor Start of the year on the 1st Prerus of Meldia. Zanitras continent, the biggest, from warm to cold climate, and homeland to the humans, elves and dwarves Drywumbi continent, warm and hot climate, homeland to the rexons Kliavren continent, moderate and cold climate, homeland to the lycans and andrellas Iazecqath continent, warm and hot climate, homeland to the omdians and barbarians, most dangerous continent Frontier: Unexplored and unclaimed wild lands thorough the world Humans: thoreims (nords), yukhans (asians), kuendes (blacks), caecians (mix of the previous 3) Elves: high elves, wood elves, dark elves, night elves (WoW style) Dwarves: no subraces Lycans: hototos (canins), tulas (felins), niamhs (rodents), ornats (bovidaes), honanis (primates) Andrellas (winged humans/angel-like): 2 subraces Rexons (draconian-like): 3 subraces Omdians (demons-like, dranei-like): varied types Barbarians: goblin (base race), orc (Wow style, evolution), troll (WoW style, evolution), ogre (Re:Monster style, rare evolution) Ancien: extinct race who had advanced knowledge in both science and magic. Not much is left from them, and not much is known either. Magic: material sphere, spirit sphere, divine sphere Material sphere: fire, water, air and earth elements Spirit sphere: body, mind and nature elements Divine sphere: holy and dark elements - Unknown element present in the monsters mana Money: copper coins, silver coins, gold coins 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin, 50 silver coins = 1 gold coin 1000 copper coins = 10 silver coins, 5000 copper coins = 1 gold coins A lowly commoner can earn/live with 250 copper coins per month (4000 copper coins a year) Crafter ranks: beginer, apprentice, disciple, expert, master, grandmaster, creator Warrior and rogue ranks: trainee, apprentice, advanced, expert, warlord, warmaster, titan Mage ranks: novice, acolyte, adept, expert, magus, archmage, avatar Adventurer and mercenary ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A (rare), S (handfull per continent), X (only 1) Monster and beast ranks: F, E, D, C (highest rank for beasts), B, A, S (disaster), X (cataclysm) Materials & magic crystals quality ranks: poor, low, medium, high, rare, mythique Tristam: Caecian kingdom relatively recent, on the west side of Zanitras, bordering the Frontier on it''s western side. Close to both the high elves kingdom (north) and the night elves kingdom (south). Its capital is called Tristam City, and near it lies Lana Academy, a known learning place for magic, battle and society. Slavery: Debt slaves, crime slaves, war slaves Debt slaves: Sold into slavery to repay debts. Sometimes a villager sell him/herself to get some funds for their village when they are in a dire situation. Have many rights. Crimes slaves: Thieves, bandits and other law breakers turned into slaves after a period in prison. Have little to no rights. War slaves: War prisonners whose ransom were not paid or whose release were not negociated. - Elves, rexons and andrellas only practice crime and war slavery Greater gods, worshiped by all races: Great Mother Zeldia, goddess of creation and time Aerytihor, god of life Lygtihor, goddess of death Icthorus, god of fire and light Voldyr, god of seas and water Eyjilee, goddess of wind and storms Xiana, goddess of land Patron gods: Ungaardt, patron god of the thoreims Kaizer, patron god of the caecias Akima, patron goddess of the yukhans Genessa, patron goddess of of the kuendes Ildilyntra, goddess of hunt and forests, patron goddess of the elves Thorendorg, god of mountains and strengh, patron god of the dwarves Lucianos, god of hunt and agriculture, patron god of the lycans Xathanael, goddess of peace and protection, patron goddess of the andrellas Shorolt, god of war and honor, patron god of the rexons Whalazach, god of freedom, entertainment and pleasure, patron god of the omdians Ustengart, god of war and plunder, patron god of the barbarians ****************************** AN: And this is the end of village life part. Now a break to prepare for Lana Academy, so see you in a week or so. Pray that lazyness doesn''t strike me. Also, that will give me the time to get used to thought and though, I think I won''t make mistakes between those 2 in the future Chapter 033 - Reaching the capital [PR] AN: Hey everyone, this lazy author here ¡ú :D is happy to present you chapter 33, the first chapter of the academy arc. Enjoy. PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** We were advancing on the road at a good pace. I was stretched out on the foldable bed on the cart, Kerrina was next to me, her head resting on my chest, while Muriem was driving. We were on our way toward Tristam City, and we would reach it within around 4 hours. It was the last day of a 5 days trip, the sun was still high in the sky. The weather was a little cloudy and a cold wind was blowing, however the cart was covered and we had a blanket while Muriem had a winter coat on and gloves. As for Komodo, the cold wasn''t much trouble for him anymore. ------- With the malchyte ore alone we had gathered more money than we planned, and at the end of the year we had saved a little more than 5 gold coins from hunting monsters and searching small ore deposits. During winter I was considering buying a good cart and a mule, but the idea was cast aside 2 months ago. While hunting, we encountered a young bear monster, 3m tall, powerfull, with thick fur and hide. His speed was almost on par with us, and his strengh was above. Unfortunatly for him, we are not the kind to attack the body when we know the opponent is very resilient, and an opponent that only charge ahead is easy to counter. The girls distracted it, I trapped it with a pit, Komodo restrained him with his own charge and I used the opening to use a powerful flame wave on his head, burning his eyes and his lungs. I let Komodo eat his magic core, and shortly after he passed out. We were worried but I held the girls away from him. I could feel the magic in him go wild, and I knew he was about to evolve. He was squirmming around as the magic was altering his body. He slowly grew through several hours, and got a lot thinner. When his condition stabilised, he was about 165cm tall and 5m long. His scales went from dark grey and black to dark brown and green with thin dark blue paterns. After waking up he ate the body of the bear monster and left nothing behind. After ranking up he ate a lot and got stronger. We were all a little anxious because it was obvious he had become a lot stronger than before, and I doubted I would be able to defeat him if he got aggressive. Thankfuly he stayed the same obedient serran from before, but a little smarter. The best part was his new size and strenght. Serrans are predators that can track a prey on a long distance for a long time, they have great stamina, but this one was now strong enough to pull a heavy horse-drawn coach. He had become a great mount. Since I got a really good mount I decided to get myself a nice cart to go with it. A custom made one. I had a cartwright from Lazaris make the main parts and deliver it to Argot. I added coil springs with schock absorbers inspired from modern techniques. They were still crudes but much more efficient than the leaf springs used in this world. It took me a month and half to make decent ones. They were hidden from view with leather cover, I didn''t want anybody to rip the profit before me. The foldable bed inside is inspired from the sofa beds from my previous world, the 2 padded seats of the cart can turn into a bed. We no longer need to carry tents while traveling, we could sleep in the cart. There is room under the seats for the backpacks. The steering mechanism is a little more advanced than the usual one made for carts and chariots, and there is also a harness under the cart for Komodo''s tail, I didn''t want it to be in the way when we had to change directions. That custom cart was a good experiment for making higher quality means of transportation, though it did cost around 15 silver coins, almost 3 times the price of an ordinary cart. As I intend to travel around the world, I''ve often been thinking of how. I didn''t want to solely rely on others, so I started thinking of making my own, transportation by land, sea, and maybe air in the future. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. This cart is purely mechanical, I haven''t been able to properly think about magical means of transportations as I didn''t know enough about magic. That problem will be resolved shortly, I will be able to test more devices on the cart, and the succesful ones won''t be hard to sell since the capital is full of traders and nobles. I may even be able to sell something to the royalty, but let''s leave such thoughts for later. ------- We left Argot on the 5th of Meldia so we could have a few days to spare at the capital before the entrance exams. The life in the capital will be different from the life in Argot. For me, who has been in several capitals in my previous life, both in developed countries and third world countries, it wouldn''t be a problem, but for those 2 girls who spent all their lives in small villages it would be a bit overwhelming. They will have 5 days before and after the entrance exams to get used to it. I thought that more than that would get on their nerves, and right around exam time. It was also to have time to check out the different properties available for rent. There are basically 3 types of houses one can rent: cottages, craftman houses, and merchant''s houses. Of course, for just the 3 of us, a merchant house is out of question. But for one who is a disciple in both alchemy and blacksmithing, and who would test new products, a craftman''s house wouldn''t be a bad idea. The rent would be around 25 silver coins per year, but I would be able to conduct smithing and alchemy experiments in peace. I could also use the academy equipment, but I would lose the privacy and secrecy. It was very important as I started several projects in alchemy during the last year. Soap is already wide-spread even in the most remote villages so I didn''t bother with that. However I already made some low quality deodorant with sodium bicarbonate, some other kind of salt and perfume. I also started working on toothpaste as I know its principale ingredient is fluorine, the product used for oral hygien in this world is not the best as you could imagine. New cosmetics products improving hygiene would be terribly popular in the capital, the secrets of their making should be well kept. ------- Shortly after noon, we reached the edge of a small plateau with a gentle slope leding downward, and from there we got a wonderful view of the place where the capital laid. In front of us was a great grassy plain with several fields and houses here and there, and in the middle of it was a big river. Tristam City was on a wide and elongated piece of land cutting the river in 2, a little like Manhattan in the middle of Hudson river, but bigger, and the city had started to expand on the other sides of the river. The river, with it''s clear cyan colour, was named Animay, and was one of the 5 biggest rivers of Zanitras. Even though it was surrounded by water, the city still had high white walls, and entry was posssible only through several larges bridges. At the center of the city, there was a small hill and on top was the royal palace. Around 5 km away from the city, on another small hill, we could barely make out a group of buildings surrounded by a wall, which was probably Lana Academy. It was halfway between the capital and a nearby forest. We slowly advanced toward the place where we would spend the next few years of our life. ****************************** AN: The last 18 hours or so the quality of my internet connexion was between "not too bad" and "absolutely horrible". At worst it would take me as much as 15 min to have the traduction of 1 word with reverso or get the results of a search on google... So you can imagine my mood during that time. Almost made a laptop flip at some point, which would have been disastrous... Now that I think about it, someone had commented before in a joking tone that Aenthar would become a running wizard :)¡­ With the razorbaks and the underground monsters, he had become a running wizard :D Chapter 034 - Tristam City [PR] AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 34 :D, enjoy!! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ****************************** As we got closer, we could see that most of the buildings outside the walls were of poor quality, and could be called slums at some places, except near the bridges permitting entry to the city. The paved roads leading in the city and the bridges were about as wide as a three-lanes highway, and the bridges were about 300m long with supporting pillars every 100m. The entrance of the bridge was fortified with a small garrison, big reinforced sliding doors under an arch as high as the road was wide, and a watchtower. The guards weren''t controlling the people coming in except those with carts and wagons, so we got in line and waited for our turn. Of course we turned the bed back into seats, I won''t let even a guard see it. After half an hour it was finally our time. The guards weren''t surprised to see a mounted tamed monster, it was not an unusual sight at the capital. We presented our adventurer cards, and after a quick check of our cart we were allowed to enter the city. Aenthar: ?Kerrina, Muriem, welcome to Tristam City! Finally, we''re there.? Muriem: ?It''s incredible, there are so many more people than in the other towns...? Kerrina: ?It will be troublesome.? She said with a frown. ?It will feel really stuffy while walking in the streets.? Aenthar: ?Well, it''s true that there will be a few pickpokets and molesters, but not that much.? I said with a grin. ?Well, it''s not like you will spend all your time on the streets, and after a while you won''t have to come here more than once a week.? Kerrina: ?I guess it''s another one of your brillant ideas.? She said with a soft smile. Aenthar: ?Not really, just a little bit of magic. Muriem, let me drive, I have an general idea of where to go.? I had gathered a few pieces of information about the layout of the capital while traveling, so I knew the general direction toward the adventurer guild, and the inns with stables for beasts and monsters were not far from the guild building. After registering at the adventurer guild near the end of the afternoon, we went to the appropriate inn closest to one of the exits of the city. ------- ''''The Den'''' was a modest but good looking three-story building with stables for monsters. We took a room with a double, and including the rent of the stables, it cost 65 copper coins per day. I paid for 10 days as after that we would be either in the academy dorms or in a rented house. Once settled in the room, Muriem looked at me with a mischevious expression. Muriem: ?For you to choose a room with a single bed for the 3 of us... Were you really that eager to devour us?? She said with a predatory grin. Kerrina: ?Well, your little friend has been waiting for quite a while now. I don''t mind you know!? She added with a soft smile. Aenthar: ?... You damn temptress... As much as I want to, I would rather take you in my very own room, else I would have done it in the cart.? ''''Damn, just a little more...'''' ?Keep teasing me, just wait when the time comes...? Muriem: ?Hohoho, but it''s what I look forward to the most you know?? Kerrina: ?You think you could handle the 2 of us that easily? Now I''m curious.? Aenthar: ''''Damn you girls...'''' It all started 3 months ago. The girls and I were in my room, studying mathematics, more precisely calculation exercises. I was sitting on my bed in cross-legged positions, my back on the wall, watching the 2 girls. Kerrina didn''t have much trouble, but Muriem was struggling a liittle, so while waiting for her, she decided to sit on my lap while warping my arm around her. However, since I was slightly slouched, she sat right on top of my penis. That got me excited, and within a minute it was poking straight at her vagina. She stiffened. Aenthar: ''''¡­ Fuck...'''' Kerrina: ?... It got hard... And it''s touching me there...? She said with crimson face, looking unsure of what to do. Muriem: ?... What are you talking about?? She said with a suspicious expression. Aenthar: ''''¡­ Let''s not make any excuses... Be straight about it and let them know what is to come...''''?Well, because you''re such pretty and charming girls, my little friend down there got really eager to know you more. So, once we are on our own he will be very happy to spend a lot of time with you.? I said while holding her tighter and kissing her ear, which made her blush even more. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Kerrina: ?... Is that so... Well, we will be sure to get along with him as well...? She said while looking outside, but not moving from where she was. Muriem: ?... Ooohh! I see, of course! It will be a pleasure, huhuhu!? she said with an excited look on her face. Ever since then, I never bothered hiding my excitement from them anymore, and started fondling their breasts and buttocks from time to time. And they also started to tease me, moving their hips while siting on my lap, or downright touching it in Muriem''s case. Of course we never did it in front of anyone, else I wouldn''t be waiting to leave the village. The nights when Muriem would sleep with me were half torture. These 10 days in the inn would be the hardest as I knew they would tease me and tempt me every night. Especially Muriem, she''s been looking forward to it at least as much as me. ------- The next day in the morning, we left the city to go to Lana Academy. I had made a special saddle for Komodo, a saddle for 3 people, and it was on his back that we traveled toward the hill where the academy laid. The road leading there was paved and well maintained, large enough for 2 chariots to pass each other. We reached it in a little over 20 min. The walls surrounding the academy were around 7m tall, light grey with intricate crimson carvings on the surface. The main double gate was 10m wide and 4m tall, with carving matching those of the walls. To the right of the gate was a small building merged with the wall, serving as an entry hall for guests and other kind of visitors, and also as a small garrison. That''s where we went, we needed to register for the entrance exam who was to take place 4 days later. Inside the building we found a receptionist and went to her, then we told her what we came for. She registered us and handed each of us a pass to present on the day of the exams. I went for both magic and society exams while the girls would only take the society exam. As my goal is to travel around the world, we would need to know more about it, history, geography, languages, economy. There are even engineering and music sections. As for the martial section, there is no need for entrance exams, though for my first year I won''t take that course. As I have affinity for all elements I won''t have enough time to learn both magic and martial arts. I would have to settle with training with the girls during our spare time. ------- Back in town, I went to a real estate agent to know about the cottages and crafters house to rent, and if possibles if there were some available near the academy. It would be troublesome to ride for a long time each day to go to class, the maximum I could tolerate would be a 30min ride. It didn''t matter to me if the house was inside the walls or outside. The security wouldn''t be the same outside, but that wouldn''t be much of a problem with Komodo and a little bit of personalised defensive devices. There were a few properties available, half of them within the walls of the city but the distance to the academy was still unsatisfactory, so I choose a crafter''s house outside the walls, close enough to the academy to not be bothersome. The property was less than 10 years old, not that far from one of the city gates so the security wouldn''t be bad, with a rent of 31 silver coins per year. Since it was the only house that fitted my criteras, I accepted it right away. The rest of the formalities would be completed the next day. I spend the rest of the morning walking around the town then went back to the inn at noon and stayed there. Kerrina''s mood would go bad if we stayed in the stuffy streets too long. Good thing the house was outside the walls... ****************************** AN: Once they are done moving in... Bow chica bow wow :D! Chapter 035 - Entrance exams [PR] AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 35 :D, enjoy! PR by Zenla, the royal proofreader ******************************* The next day, we met the real estate agent again, and he took us to the house for a visit. The house was a 2 stories building, with the living room, bathroom and crafting area on the groundfloor, and 2 rooms on the upper floor right above the living room and bath room. There was a small cooking area on a corner of the living room. There was a door near leading to the crafting area, which had a little smithing area on one side while the other side could be customised for other kinds of crafts requiering less space than a smithy or a backery. The house was a little narrow, but still better than some of the others I came across while we were traveling to the capital, and it could handle 5 people. Since we were 3 there wouldn''t be any troubles. Like most buildings from the city it had a pump connected to the water distribution system of the city. However, the house was lacking in furnitures, and it was dusty. It would take a few days to make it comfortable enough for living. And I would need to buy some tools, and likely use the smithy from the academy to make some. After sealing the deal, we spent the following days cleaning the house and looking for furnitures. Kerrina did the most of cleaning since she didn''t want to spend too much time in the crowded streets of the capital. Muriem and I would spend half of the days cleaning with Kerrina, and the other half in the city looking for things at decent prices. Of course, for the bed I was looking for one big enough for the 3 of us. But bringing it into the room would be to troublesome, so I had to order it in parts to assemble in the room later. ------- The day of the entrance exams came and we went to the academy. The girls were both nervous and excited on the way, but I was not worried. Reading and writing would not be a problem for any of us, and we would probably get the best grades in mathematics. As for magic, at first I wanted to show of a bit for preferential treatment and other bonuses, but I decided against it. Since the highest number of afinities recorded was seven, I choose to display only seven of them. But that also meant I wouldn''t be able to learn about those elements at the academy, unless I could make a really trustworthy friend there with the right knowledge. Once we reached the academy, the outside was packed with commoners and nobles alike, though there was a line for each of them. The children looked to be between 12 and 15, some accompanied by adults. As we got in line and reached one of the assistants for the exams, I asked why there were nobles present. Turns out there are 2 good reasons for them being there. Entrance exams aren''t mandatory for nobles since it''s expected from them to receive a decent amount of education prior to getting into the academy, however there are rankings in the academy, and a good score during the entrance exams give bonus points to your ranking. It''s also means a lot for nobles to show off to others. Concerning magic, the magic ability isn''t completly dependant on blood. It raises the chance of having a child with decent ability by about 30%. But it''s enough for nobles to want to have decent magic users in their family. If a commoner is born with enough power, he can be adopted into a noble family. And even if the commoner isn''t adopted, nobles are still after people of talent, especially magic. So some nobles come with their children to look at the commoners taking the magic exams to look for some potential future servants. ------- After passing the entrance, we were all led to a large building after taking a detour through the edge of the academy. For the written exams, the nobles and the commoners were taken to differents rooms. The test would last 3 hours, 1 hour for a test of reading and writing proficiency, 1 hour for arythmetics, and 1 hour for general knowledge. The test would be over shortly before noon, and after a short break there would be the magic test. The girls and I were in the same classroom for the test. From what I could see, just like I expected they didn''t seem to have any trouble, and when it came to arythmetics we were the firsts to finish. Though it was boring to wait until the end. That reminded me of the end year exams in my previous life, with the possibility to leave the room as soon as you were done after 1 hour. Once we were done there was a 20 min break, mostly so that those taking the magic test could be taken to the place where it would take place. We were led to another building, clearly the magic classes buildings, in a large room on the ground floor. We were told to seat according to the number on our exam pass. Naturally the nobles were sitting at the front and would go first, while I was near the rear. There were around 900 chairs and they were all taken, standing around against the walls were the parents of the noble children or servants tasked to look after them for the exams. Then 9 teachers and another old man of higher status came on the stage at the front of the room with 9 devices in front of the teacher. Old man: ?Good day to you all! My name is William Sunderset, and I am the head of the magic department of this academy. You are all gathered here to test your suitability in learning the magic arts in our great academy. The test is done in 3 parts. The first part was done when you were allowed into the room.? This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itHe looked briefly around the room. ?When you gave your pass to the assistants at the entrance of the room, they briefly pressed a coin against your chest before letting you in. They were mesuring the general amount of mana within you, meaning that your magic ability was tested there.? From the reaction of the people, the majority were surprised while the rest guessed what it was about. The lady who tested me at the entrance was clearly surprised, but quickly regained her composure. She gave me a bright smile while allowing me in, and I answered with a grin and a wink, hinting that I understood. ?Now for the second part, each of you will come forward and pour raw mana onto this device. That is to ascertain your ability to manipulate your mana. The third part can be considered an extension of the second part.? He looked at all the people present once more ?Instead of pouring raw mana in the device, you will pour elemental mana into the device. That is to ascertain how many of your elements you can manipulate. Do keep this in mind though: because you can only manipulate 1 element doesn''t mean it''s the only element for which you have affinity. Depending on the element, the crystal on top of the device will change color. Now we will proceed with the mana manipulation testing.? The potential students were called by their pass number. Since there were 9 teachers with the devices, they were called by group of 9. Most of them didn''t have much trouble channeling raw mana in the crystal but when it came to elemental mana they got more trouble. The crystal on top of the device would light up when receiving raw mana, and the intensity and the stability of the glow would change, I guess depending on the level of control of the individuals. For elemental mana, it would turn red for fire, deep blue for water, light cyan for air, brown for earth, orange for body, purple for mind, green for nature, gold for holy and black for darkness. Most of the time they had affinity for an element of the material sphere, some had affinity with an element from the spirit sphere, but holy or darkness mana were indeed rare. 2 hours passed passed until it was finally my turn. For raw mana, I channeled my mana at a gradual pace, and when the crystal reached a high enough level of brightness, I maintained the flow, keeping the glow of the crystal constant. For most people passing the test the glow would be irregular, but not for me. That impressed the people present a lot, and internally, I was grinning thinking about the faces they would make for the next part. For the last part, I first poured fire mana, after 5 seconds I stoped and poured water mana, then wind mana, then earth mana. Some people where leaking comments of admiration and appreciation. Then I poured body mana, holy mana and darkness, and removed my hand from the device, indicating I was done. I didn''t pour mind and nature mana because I wouldn''t use it much for the time being, and they weren''t as valued as the other elements, but I had no intention to underestimate them. At that point it caused an uproar in the room. ?WHA- S-SEVEN ELEMENTS???? ?And all the elements of the material and divine spheres??? ?Is this really happening right now?? ?I-INCREDIBLE!!? On the stage... William Sanderset: ?... The first 7 elements mage since archmage Yao Setzun 500 years ago... and he is in our academy...? female teacher: ?Ah!! S-sir, the testing isn''t over!? William: ?You are right, thank you.? The old mage quickly cast a spell to enhance the sound of his voice. William: ?IF YOU COULD CALM DOWN PLEASE!! I understand that you are surprised by what we just saw, but the exam is not over and other are waiting for their turn. So I ask you to keep quiet until we are done!! Thank you for your understanding.? He turned toward me and spoke in a small voice so just the people on the stage could hear. William: ?Stay here when the exam is done. One of the teacher will get you so we can have a little talk. That wouldn''t be a problem for you right?? Aenthar: ?Not at all sir, I will see you later then.? And I went back to my place, under the piercing gazes of all the people present. ******************************* AN: ¡­ What? I said when they are done moving in, I never said in which chapter it would be :P!! With the music festival last week end, I decided to take a break to enjoy music (especially all those songs I didn''t listen for a long, long time), catch up on some novels and web novels I didn''t read in a while (especially Spectral regalia, I had only read the prologues several months ago, and Ark, several volumes), and play video games again (less than 3 hours of play during the last 2 weeks, that''s too little for me), I was missing killing zombies, covenants, mutants, soldiers, monsters and dragons... However I didn''t miss rage-quiting because of some guys with no consideration for the teammates (Left 4 Dead 2, some guy would hide behind the others, using them as shields, and run-grab-keep the stuff for themselves when they don''t need it and the other need it), or that time when 2 trolls playing on the same console did nothing but attack the other teammates (well, they didn''t manage to kill us and we dealt with them by using the special infected against them, divine retribution :D) Chapter 036 - After the entrance exams BIS AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 36 , enjoy!! PR by Bboybrian. Yes, I finally accepted to get a PR ... *mumbling in a corner* "Jeez, my grammar isn''t THAT bad (T_T)..." OK, trolling you earlier was bad, and I admit I did have a good laugh, but I won''t do it again I promise, because your revenge kinda feel really scary... ****************************** The magic exam took around 3 hours and 20 min. During the last hour and 20 min, I had to endure the gazes of nearly 1000 people - boys, girls, men and women. It was intense for the first 30 min, but it calmed down afterwards. Still, many eyes often came back to me, and I was seriously regretting putting on that show. It would have been so much better if we could leave the room after the tests. When the testing was over and people started to leave, I could see some of the nobles looking at me with hawk eyes. Among the nobles¡¯ children, some looked at me with admiration, some with jealousy, and others with hate and contempt. Around 2 thirds of these people were males. Well, I was expecting to make enemies due to jealousy, and I did expect most of the hostile people to be guys. However, I also gained a bit of popularity with the commoners. There weren''t many half-caecians half-dark elves in human lands, and even fewer in the academy, so once word got around about me, people would easily recognise me. Before anyone could take me away for a chat, the lady who measured my magic ability came to me and guided me to another place. She introduced herself as Natasha Harwoon, one of the assistant teachers of the magic department, and took me to what looked to be a waiting room in the staff building. The staff building was a wide white tower, and the first building people would see upon entering the academy grounds. The inside was well decorated, and it was constructed with good quality materials, be it the stones of the floor and walls or the wood of the furniture. There were also paintings of people who I think were the previous headmasters of the academy. After waiting for several minutes, she came back and took me to William Sunderset''s office. The chief of the magic department was sitting behind a wooden desk. He had short and dense light brown hair with some grey at the temple; his eyes were light blue, and he had a pointy nose and a square jaw. His skin was pale, and while he was slightly plump, he also had some muscles, all in all around 175cm tall. Standing to the side of his desk was a female high elf, with white skin and long braided hair with a color between light gold and silver. She had a heart shaped face, silver eyes, a straight nose and a small mouth. She was tall, somewhere around 180cm. William: ?So you''re here young one. If I''m not wrong, your name is Aenthar, right? ? Aenthar: ?Yes sir. Nice to meet you both, ? I said, while giving a small bow. William: ?Thank you for taking the time to talk with this old man. As I''ve already said earlier, I''m the head of the magic department of Lana Academy, William Sunderset. As for the lady here...? Female high elf: ?A pleasure to meet you Aenthar, my name is Elyhn Shara and I am the secretary of Lana Academy''s headmaster, Marcus Basililey. ? William: ?You must have realised by now that you''re someone special. In all the history of Premean there have only been 13 cases of people having more than 6 affinities. The last one was a Yukhan archmage who died several hundred years ago. I noticed that you also have a very high magic ability, and that''s not all. ? Elyhn Shara: ?While the rest of the candidates were passing the magic test, Sir William sent someone to retrieve the papers of your written exam. It turns out that you attained a high score in both the grammar and comprehension tests, and perfect grades in mathematics. Although your grades for general knowledge weren''t as high, they were still good. ? William: ?To put it shortly, your grades are easily on par with those of a noble, if not higher. That''s why I''ve been wondering about your family circumstances. Can you tell us a bit about it? ? Aenthar: ?If you are wondering if I''m from noble birth, then I can tell you straight away that that is not the case. My mother is a hunter, but my father is an expert alchemist and the son of an average merchant. He received education in letters and numbers, and improved even more during his alchemy apprenticeship. I learned from him and improved on my own.? Elyhn: ?This is brilliant! You see, when a great student graduates from the academy, it raises our status and fame among the 4 academies of Zanistras. As such, students with lots of potential are offered a scholarship for their first year, and if they get great results the scholarship will be maintained for the following year; albeit with a few conditions. ? William: ?And you are one of these students with great potential. You already have a good control over your mana, and you can even draw all seven elements that you have an affinity for. Having a student like you in our academy is a godsend. ? The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Elyhn: ?You can already consider yourself a student of Lana Academy. The school fee for this year will be waived. If you applied for a room in the dormitories you will be allowed to have a noble''s room free of charge. ? Aenthar: ?Thank you very much; this is really great news for me. However, I have already made preparations for a lodgment for the year so I won''t be living in the dormitories. But still, thank you very much! ? William: ?By the way, is magic the only thing you intend to learn here? You have the body of a fighter; don''t tell me that you are as promising in martial arts as you are in magic...? Aenthar: ?Hahahahaha!!... Sorry about that, but no, I''m not some genius fighter, although I consider myself not bad. I don''t intend to take any martial arts courses this year though. I already know some basics spells for fire, wind, earth, body and holy elements, but it''s not enough. I don''t even know a single spell from the water and darkness elements.? William: ?It is already impressive enough that you can use spells from 5 different elements at your age, most people can''t do the same before the age of 15 or 16!? Aenthar: ?You see, I''m a D rank adventurer and last year I almost died because my magic repertoire was too lacking to deal with the situation. I want to use this year to learn as many spells as possible from those 7 elements, then advance to compound magic.? William: ?Impressive. Listen young one, it''s good to be motivated, and you definitely are very talented, but compound magic is not that easy. It is a lot harder than using magic from a single element.? Aenthar: ?I can already use healing magic. I learned it from the priest in my village. Thinking about it, it both saved me and put me in trouble...? Elyhn: ?You can already use healing magic??? She said with great surprise. ?Healing magic is one of the hardest compound magic to learn and use!! However, from what you just said it seems like you''re still lacking, so it will be best for you not to be hasty.? Aenthar: ?Well, at that time I had both open wounds and an illness. Not only that, I was in the Frontier, several days away from the nearest village, with no healers nearby. I healed my leg to be able to walk back, but my lack of energy allowed the illness to spread further... I learned that when you''re both wounded and ill, it''s better to deal with the illness first! Well, that would also depend on the injury and the illness...? William: ?I see. You didn''t try to heal both types of damage, you are already well aware of the risks of healing too many damages at once. The young man isn''t bad lady Elyhn!? He said with a slight smile. Elyhn: ?Certainly. You didn''t do anything unreasonable and you know how to learn from your mistakes. That mentality is certainly appreciated, as there are always some students that get reckless. Talking about students, there is something else that would be required of you, but we will tell you more about it once the term starts in 5 days.? William: ?Well, I believe we have taken up enough of your time. We just wished to inform you of your status as an important scholarship student. We expect good achievements from you.? Elyhn: ?You must also keep in mind that, as a scholarship student, you can be considered a representative of Lana Academy. Your behavior both inside and outside of the academy must not bring shame to its name, and if your results remain good, it will be even more important next year.? Aenthar: ?I understand. I came here to learn, not to cause trouble, but some jealous people might try to create trouble for me, I did get more than a few hostile looks when I left the testing room. I can''t make any promises, but I''ll be careful.? William: ?That is good enough. We will not hold you much longer. We will see you in a week Aenthar, stay well.? Elyhn: ?Have a good week ahead, we will see you soon.? Aenthar: ?Thank you very much, and goodbye.? Once I left the office, Natasha brought me back to the exit of the testing building. Once I met up with Kerrina and Muriem, we left. We reached the inn 30min before nightfall. Along the way, I told them about my little interview with William Sunderset, and they were really happy for me. The scholarship would help to save around 1 and a half gold coins that we can keep for later. They teased me a little more than usual that night, and I vowed to make them pay later - in the most pleasant way. ****************************** AN: I don''t know if my dialog is good enough for the situation. If not, well... Too bad? Whatever... The chapter after the next one will probably be hot... If not then it would be the following one!! Chapter 037 - Moving in AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 37 :D, enjoy. Sorry for the delay, some stuff to do. PR by Bbroybrian ****************************** As we were done with the entrance exams, we used the rest of our time to finish furnishing the house. So, the following day, we made several trips to the city with the cart to buy the heavy furniture, such as the custom bed, the wardrobes, and cabinets. The day after, we bought the kitchenware, household cleaning stuff, linens and some cosmetics. We even bought several plants and flowers. I do like flowers, but more importantly, it was for Kerrina. Since she doesn''t like the city I thought it would be best for her to have plants nearby. After that, we left the cart in the little entry way next to the crafting area. It was long enough for both the cart and Komodo. Since we wouldn''t be using the cart anytime soon, I took off the shock absorbers, the seats, and the cover, and placed them against the wall in the crafting area. I buried the wheels halfway underground with earth magic. As we were not going to be here for most of the days, I didn''t want anyone to steal something that was just lying outside. Again, using earth magic, I made a makeshift shelter against rain for both Komodo and the cart. ------- In the late afternoon 3 days after the entrance exams, Muriem, Kerrina and I stood in front of the house, satisfied with the results. I shifted my gaze to the 2 pretty girls that were behind me, side by side. Gazing at these girls whom I''ve been with for many years now, these girls whom I would probably spend the rest of my life with, I felt really lucky and grateful to have them by my side. It wasn''t the first time it happened, but I was mesmerized by what I was looking at, and I was falling in love all over again - hard. Muriem, my blonde beauty was starting her 16th year and was about 180cm in height, a little taller than me. Her thoreim heritage showed more than ever before. Her golden blonde hairs were as pretty as ever, tied in a single braid reaching the middle of her back, glistening under the setting sun. Her brown eyes didn''t look as innocent as before, but not in a bad way - they were still kind and playful, yet with a glimpse of maturity in them. Her face was losing its childishness and gaining a more mature charm as well. Her body had matured a lot. Right now she was wearing her leather adventurer clothes which had grown a little tight, revealing her pretty figure and accentuating her wonderfully round buttocks. Still, her chest hadn¡¯t grown much - it was still around B-C cup. Kerrina was on her 13th year and growing well. She was now close to 160cm and there was room for more. Her straight brown hair had been cut to shoulder length when we started exploring the Frontier last year. Her face had a mixture of cuteness and sexiness that was very attractive, and her sapphire blue eyes were more entrancing than ever before. I could look at her eyes for hours without getting bored. She too was wearing her adventurer clothes, with a hole for a tail which was waving in the gentle breeze, and just like Muriem, her growth had made them a tight fit. Her toned body was getting really beautiful and sexy, and her breast size was nearing D cup. I had known her since she was 3 and I once more realized how pretty she had become. ----------------- On the first day of the New Year, my father took me to his workplace for a talk. Roland: ?Son, listen, ever since you were a little child, your mother and I have been amazed by your growth and capabilities. All those years you put a lot of effort into learning and advancing in the different fields of your choosing, and you achieved really good results. ? Aenthar: ?Thank you very much dad. ? Roland: ?You showed us that you were able to think things through before making a decision, and that you were always cautious and thinking ahead. You showed a lot of maturity for your age. Look at you know, you will be 12 in 3 months and you already look like a man, both in body and in mind. And as you¡¯re already becoming a full adult there are a few things I must tell you before you leave. ? Aenthar: ?I''m all ears? ''''Though I do have an idea of what this is about...'''' Roland: ?You won''t be leaving alone. You will leave with 2 pretty girls with whom you have a very close relationship, even more so since you started adventuring together. Your mother, Jenna, Erik and I are already aware of the feelings they have for you, and about your feelings for them. ? Aenthar: ?Haha, it looks like we weren''t able to hide it well, but I already expected you to notice a few months ago. Well, Muriem''s feelings for me were clear since the very beginning...? Roland: ?That''s true, and those feelings have grown well. The 3 of you have grown a lot, and now you are about to leave together, while being at that age where boys and girls have a strong physical attraction towards each other. ? Aenthar: ?I see...? I said with a slight smile, a little embarrassed. It was the kind of talk I always avoided with my family in my previous life. I could easily talk about it with my friends, but I would always be very embarrassed whenever chatting about it with my siblings and parents. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Roland: ?Your mother and I have seen how you look at the girls sometimes, and we have seen how they sometimes look at you. Without your parents around it''s easy to tell what will happen in the near future. As such, I will teach you about a little thing to avoid troubles. ? Aenthar: ?Troubles you say... and you also brought me to the workplace. Are you saying that there is a product to prevent pregnancy? ? I was very surprised and even more embarrassed by what I just said. Roland: ?... Yes, that''s right? he said with a wide grin, ?A long time ago, in a valley at the limit between the caecian and kuendes territories, a small village was established. But, curiously, after several years of attempts, none of the married women living there could have a child. Some couples decided to leave the village, and sometime later they managed to get children. ? Aenthar: ?Let me guess. In that valley there was a specific ingredient they used in their food that prevented pregnancy, and that ingredient was identified. ? Roland: ?Exactly! It was due to an aromatic herb that grew there, and that they used for themselves. It was discovered when 2 women living there who were not eating that herb due to personal tastes had children. Also, that aromatic herb can be easily grown in other areas. Alchemists and pharmacists use this herb to make a contraceptive, and the preparation process is neither complicated nor expensive, and there are no harmful effects.? Aenthar: ?It really is good news for me. So it means I won''t have to hold back...? ''''Crap!!!'''' Roland: ?... Hahahahaha!! No, you won''t!! I will teach you how to make it now. The final product can be used for 3 months, and the women only need to drink it twice a month. Use it well during your stay at the academy and during your travels, ? He said while snickering. Aenthar: ?Cough... That''s really helpful dad, thank you very much...? ''''So embarrassing...'''' ------- At the same time, at Namir''s place, Kerrina and Muriem were sitting in front of Yaereen, Jenna and Namir. Muriem: ?Hmm, what is going on? Is something the matter? ? She shyly asked. Namir: With a broad smile ?Nothing serious sweetie, it''s just that this year will be a special one for you and we wanted to give you a bit of advice! You girls will soon leave for the capital with Aenthar, right? ? Muriem: ?Yes!! I''m really looking forward to it!! ? she said with gleaming eyes. Yaereen: ?I''m sure you do. And I''m sure you''re looking forward to more than just the trip and the academy, right? ? Muriem: ?Ah? What are you talking about? ? Yaereen: ?You will be A.L.O.N.E. With Aenthar. ? Muriem: ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!? She blushed furiously, and quickly hid her face with her hands, then looked at Yaereen with guilty eyes. Kerrina, seeing that, blushed as well, and looked away. Yaereen: ?Come on, Muriem! We live under the same roof. I''ve seen how you look at my son; there was more than just love in those eyes. Also, I heard you a few times when you thought you were alone. ? She added with a slight blush while averting her eyes. Muriem: ?!!!!!!!!!! NO WAY!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!? Muriem''s face was crimson, and she was on the verge of tears. Jenna and Namir laughed silently, whereas Kerrina was looking at Muriem with a bit of confusion. Namir: ?It''s okay sweetie, it''s normal for a woman to feel that way about the guy she loves.? Jenna: ?Don''t worry about Kerri, she will understand soon enough. ? Namir: ?Back to the topic, you will be alone with the boy you love, away from your parents, for a long time. And you are at the age where boys and girls get really attracted to each other. ? Yaereen: ?I''ve seen how Aenthar looks at you sometime, how he looks at Muriem''s bottom or Kerrina''s chest. At some point he will attack you. That is, if Muriem doesn''t assault him first...? Muriem hung her crimson head low, still very embarrassed. Kerrina was looking at the 3 women with a mixture of embarrassment and curiosity. Yaereen: ?It would be troublesome if you girls got pregnant at the academy or while traveling around the world, so right now Roland is teaching Aenthar how to make a contraceptive. You will have to drink it twice a month. ? Namir: ?So, while he is busy, we will teach you a little bit about how it is to be with a guy, so you can have a memorable first time with him! And it will be even better the following times. ? Thus, Muriem and Kerrina learned a few tips about sex from the 3 women... On a side note, Arren had gotten a similar talk from Erik before. His popularity with the girls is second only to Aenthar after all. ****************************** AN: Nice parents :D!! I would have posted the next chapter within 2-3 hours if not for my laptop heating more than usual. Had to stop in the middle of writing the hot chapter. Chapter 038 - Good night AN: Yo, your lazy author here ¡ú :D, present you chapter 38. DO ENJOY!!! Made you wait for it ''cause hunger is the best seasonning!! PR by Bboybrian, the lucky(?) guy who got to read it first :) ****************************** After admiring the girls for a bit, we went inside the house. In the morning, we signed out at the inn and I got back the money for the last 2 days. During our last trip to the city we also bought a good amount of food. Even though we didn''t mention a thing about it, we were all aware that this night would be our memorable night together. We intended to have a gorgeous dinner before the big event. I even bought some perfumed candles; I''ll have to learn how to make them for future occasions. My mother, Jenna and Namir are all good cooks, especially Jenna, and the girls learned from them. I could tell that the meal they were preparing was enticing just by the smell. As they were adamant on preparing the meal, I decided to play the viol for them in the meantime. I hadn''t had the opportunity to use it since coming to the capital, so I played and sang for the girls, my own versions of ''''You''re beautiful'''' from James Blunt, ''''Angels'''' from Robbie Williams, ''''Come with Me'''' from Phil Collins, ''''Life is a flower'''' from Ace Of Base, ''''Life'''' from Desree and others songs. The meal consisted of several dishes. The first course was made of fresh vegetables and boiled river fish, with vinegar oil. There were 2 main courses: a goat''s meat dish with boiled potatoes, and a dish of fried sea fish with carrots and radish. The dessert was a bowl of mixed fruits with syrup and a bit of rum. Some of the ingredients that they used were slightly different from what you would see on earth, but it was just as good. I had to praise the girls several times for the food, and I silently gave my thanks to Jenna for being such a good teacher for the girls. ------- After the meal, while the girls were cleaning up, I made preparations for the rest of the night. I lit some of them and placed them in the bedroom, and I put 3 of them in the bathroom. Then I filled up the bathtub, which was big enough for 2 adults side by side. It might be a bit cramp for 3 people but that wouldn''t be a problem. After filling it up, I heated the water with a fire wave and added some kind of perfumed bathing salt. Once I was done with the preparations, I went to get the girls. Once in the bathroom, Muriem and Kerrina were beet red. Muriem looked more excited whereas Kerrina looked more embarassed. I took off my shirt, then started to undress Kerrina while lightly kissing her. As I was busy with her top, Muriem went behind me and calmly slid my pants down, followed by my underwear a little later. Kerrina''s gaze naturally went downwards and her blush incresed. I then took of her bottom while Muriem was taking off her own clothes. Then I put them side by side and got an eyeful of them in their birthday suit. Muriem''s pubic hair was natural, the same blonde color as her hairs, while Kerrina''s was dark brown, almost black, in the shape of a narrow strip. Aenthar: ?...Wonderful...? Muriem: While looking up and down with excitement, ?You''re good yourself too!? Kerrina: ?... Indeed, and thanks.? And we started washing ourselves. More like I was helping Kerrina wash herself while Muriem helped me. Then, I helped Muriem wash herself. Needless to say that I used the opportunity to fondle their breasts and buttocks to my heart''s content, and kiss them from time to time. They didn''t restrain themselves either, Muriem had a hand working on my erect penis for most of the time. By the way, I circumcised myslef around the time I learned healing magic, a painful but quick experience thanks to my dexterity and proficiency in healing magic. After rinsing ourselves, we soaked in the warm bathtub, Muriem at my side and Kerrin on top of me. I had an arm around Muriem''s waist and the other around Kerrina''s, and we relaxed for a while as I gently caressed them. ------- After the bath, the girls led me by the hand to the bedroom. We didn''t bother to put anything on, as we were all eager to engage in the final act of the day. The room was dimly lit by the 4 perfumed candles I had bought. If the scent of the bathroom salt was relaxing, the one in the room right now was enticing. Well, that was why I bought them in the first place! Still holding my hands, the girls got onto the bed and slowly pulled me, like temptresses luring in their prey. And I obliged. I advanced towards them, with my member ready for action. Once in range, Muriem hungrily kissed me, and I responded in kind as I wrapped my left arm around her, firmly taking her oh so gorgeous buttocks in my hand. Kerrina went for my right nipple, kissing, licking and biting it, while her hand was gently caressing my shaft. It sent shivers down my spine. Aenthar: ?!! Mmmhh!! Aah!? When Muriem released my mouth, she went straight for the left nipple as Kerrina kissed me. My right hand went to her inner thigh, and crawled higher until it reached the entrance of her vagina. She was already wet, and shivered at my touch. I started to gently caress it, and she leaked arousing moans while kissing me. She started to slowly grind her hips against me, and I felt her nipples getting hard against my skin. During that time, Muriem, still licking my nipple, had one of her hands on the other nipple, and the other was stroking my shaft. I didn''t know how long I would last, nor how many shots I could release, so I decided to raise the speed. I slipped two fingers inside Kerrina''s pussy and started to stroke her inside while playing with her clitoris using my thumb. Kerrina: ?Hyaann!! Mmmh... Haaan!!? Muriem left my nipple and suddenly started to lick the tip of my penis, then sucked on the whole thing. The sudden pleasant sensation made me weak for a second. Aenthar: ?Huoo... Haa.? Muriem: Stopping briefly in the middle of the blowjob, ?Feeling good, Aenthar?? Aenthar: ?Yeah... It feels good... Oh!... Didn''t expect that at all.? Muriem giggled in response and resumed her work. I started sucking on Kerrina''s bountiful breasts while continuing to finger her. She was moaning more, and was holding onto my head with both hand while pressing her crotch against my hand more. My fingers dug deeper in her, making her arch. Kerrina ?Haan!! ¡­Aah! ¡­ It feels good!! She was soaking down there and releasing naughty sounds, and the sight of her face filled with an expression of pleasure almost made me lose my cool. I signaled Muriem to stop and laid Kerrina on her back. I positioned myself at her entrance, then bent down and whipered to her ear with a hint of teasing. Aenthar: ?You teased me a lot before, here it comes. I hope you are ready.? Kerrina: ?Of course I am. Come!? She whispered back while wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me close. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I entered her slowly, and even though she was tight, she was so wet that within 10 seconds, I had reached her cervix. She was clamping down hard on my shaft. Kerrina: ?Ha! ¡­ Haaaan!!! ...So big, and hot! ¡­ It''s all the way in.? Aenthar: ?Are you alright?? Kerrina: ?Yes, it did hurt a bit, but you can move now.? And that''s what I did. I went slowly at first, but gradually raised the rhythm as it became easier to slide into her. As I was moving I didn''t forget to play with her breasts and clitoris. She started to move her hips more, and I in turn moved faster as well. Kerrina: ?Hyaaan!! ¡­ Mmmh... Haa... It''s... Haan... Getting really... Good... Aahhn!? Aenthar: ?I feel really good too! ¡­ Hmmm! You''re so tight! ¡­ Ha... It feels great!? Muriem wasn''t just staying to the side. She was clinging on my back, her hands playing with my nipples, licking and kissing my neck and ears. While I was moving she was also rubbing her erect nipples on my back. I used one hand to drag her to my side and kissed her while playing with her pussy as well. Muriem: ?Haan!! ¡­ Yes! ¡­ Mmh, more!? With Kerrina squeezing my penis and Muriem caressing me, my excitment grew again, and I was now furiously moving my hips, making Kerrina moan louder. The air was filled with the scent of sex and the noises of my dick moving into Kerrina while she leaked juices, as well as the sounds of my fingers working on Muriem''s crotch. Kerrina: ?Haaa!! ¡­ So hard... Hum! ... Haa! ¡­ You''re moving... Mmmh! .. So fast! ¡­ I feel ¡­ weird...? Aenthar: ?Yes.. Aah! ¡­ I''m almost there too...? She was squezing me and moving her hips even more now. I knew she was reaching her limits, and I was reaching mine as well, so I pinched her clitoris. That did the trick. She suddenly clamped hard on my dick as I drove it in as deep as I could, and released my seed. Kerrina: ?Haaaaan!!? Aenthar: ?Aaah! Cumming!? I stayed inside her for several more seconds, then pulled my dick out. I distanced myself a bit before sitting down on the bed and pulling Muriem in front of me. She placed her legs on either side of me and lowered herself toward my penis. It went in easily in one swift stroke. Muriem: ?Haaaaaaaan!! Finally!? She immediately started to move while passionately kissing me. I grabbed her buttocks and started to pound her hard. She wasn''t as tight as Kerrina, but she was hotter, wetter, and more vigorous. She was sucking me in, and I couldn''t help but move my hips with even more vigour. Muriem: ?Han, ha! ¡­ Yes ¡­ More... You''re so hard! ...Haan, ha, haan!? Aenthar: ?Haaa! ¡­ You''re so hot... Ha! ¡­ And so wet! ¡­ Hmm! You feel so good!? I lay on my back and fucked her harder as she rode me. Her hip movement and the suction of her pussy was driving me mad with lust and pleasure. As I felt I wouldn''t be able to last any longer, I pulled her towards the bed and placed myself behind her. Muriem: ?Hya!! What? Oh, I see...? Grabing her ass with both hands, I jammed my penis deep into her and went wild. The sight of her buttocks moving as I fucked her excited me to no end. She was moaning even louder than before. Muriem: ?Hyaaan!! Ha! Han! So fierce! ¡­ Han! ¡­ Ha! It''s too much!... I won''t last! ¡­ Ah!? Aenthar: ?It''s okay! Here it comes, Muriem!!!? Muriem: ?Yes! Me too!.. ¡­ Ha! Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaann!? Aenthar: ?Ugh!!!!!!? We soon reached our limit and climaxed together. I came even more than with Kerrina. As for Muriem, she squirted a bit. I lay on my back between the girls. While Muriem and I were catching our breath, Kerrina snuggled next to me and kissed me before putting her head on my chest. A little later, Muriem covered all of us with a blanket, then snuggled up to me. I grabbed her hand, and soon the 3 of us fell asleep. ------- I woke up the next day slightly before dawn. The girls were still asleep, and the air had a strong scent of sex mixed with that of the perfumed candles which were now completly used up. I slowly and cautiously left the bed so as to not wake the sleeping beauties, and went downstair to wash my face and gather some water for the kitchen and the bath. Since we were still in the first month of the year, the morning air was very cold. After gathering the water and filling the tub, I once again heated it with fire magic and added the perfumed bath salts. As I finished preparing the bath, Muriem came downstair with just a cloak on. I pulled her in my arms and kissed her. Aenthar: ?Good morning, beauty.? Muriem: ?Good morning, my love.? Aenthar: ?Did you sleep well? How are you feeling?? Muriem: ?I had a wonderfull night thanks to a certain someone. And I''m feeling good, really good!? she answered while burying her face in my neck. Aenthar: ?Is that so? That''s good. I prepared the bath, you can get ready while I get Kerrina.? Muriem: ?Hmmm!? I went back to the room. Kerrina was still sleeping, so I grabbed her tail and started stroking it while kissing her neck. After trying to free her tail for a bit, she woke up. She looked at me while pouting a bit, then smiled, stretched her arms toward me and pulled me in to kiss me. Aenthar: ?Morning sweetie.? Kerrina: ?Morning.? Aenthar: ?The bath is ready, come on. How are you feeling?? Kerrina: ?Good.? She blushed, then left the bed. I led her downstair by the hand, and after reaching the bathroom the 3 of us cleaned ourselves in the same manner we did the night before. And just like the night before, after rinsing ourselves, we relaxed in the tub. Afterwards, we dressed ourselves and went to have breakfast. Once done with breakfast, we headed back upstairs to clean the room. Aenthar: ?... So? Did you enjoy yourselves yesterday?? Muriem: ?Very much. You were so full of energy!? Kerrina: ?At some point you were like a beast, without restrain. You were so rough!? Aenthar: ?... Well, sorry. You girls were very exciting, it was hard to stay calm.? Kerrina: ?I''m not angry... I, I liked it...? Muriem: ?Me too! It was really good to see you desire us so strongly. There is no need to hold back you know!? Kerrina: ?That''s right!? Aenthar: ?Is that so? Then that''s good because there is nothing important to do today, and I''m not done with paying you back for your previous teasing!? Muriem and Kerrina: ?...........? while blushing. Thus, the 3 of us spent the day inside the house, playing from noon, to afternoon, to night. Exhausted, we fell asleep peacefully. ****************************** AN: Hope you enjoyed (and didn''t dirty yourselves :P)!! Now that we''re done with that, we can focus more on the advancement of the story! Chapter 039 - Lana Academy AN: Hello, your lazy author present you chapter 39, enjoy! PR by Bboybrian. ****************************** I woke up at sunrise to find Muriem¡¯s head on my chest and Kerrina''s on my tummy. Looking at them reminded me of the fun we had the previous day. It was our last free day, and there wouldn¡¯t be another for a while. We needed to go to Lana Academy today for the results of the entrance exams and the selection of our courses for the year. It was around 5.30 now and the academy would open its doors at 8. Since the girls were probably exhausted from yesterday, I decided to wait for an hour before waking them. That''s right! I didn''t say much about the time in this world, there was something nice. Regardless of the season or the part of the world, the Sun always rises at 5.30 and sets at 16.30. Why? I noticed that during summer, the sun looks closer than during winter. I came to the conclusion that this planet isn''t tilted like Earth, and its revolution around the sun is along an elliptic orbit. It''s summer everywhere when we are closer to the Sun, and Winter when we are further. Though the seasons are less marked around the equador. No variations on sunrise and sunset, no inversed seasons between north and the south hemisphere. Anyway, I prepared the bath and the breakfast, and went to check on Komodo. Before coming to the capital I would always spend a bit of time with him in the evening, and since coming here I have only treated him as either food or transport. He looked a bit lonely, and he was probably also missing the forest. Since Kerrina and Muriem would have fewer classes than me, I will have them take him to the nearby woods from time to time. I should try to cuddle him in the mornings as well since I was an early riser (usually). I''d then be free to spend my evenings on either alchemy or blacksmithing studies. ------- The girls were pouting a bit after waking up, but a little cuddling was enough to bring a smile on their faces. After cleaning ourselves and eating our breakfast, we left for the academy on Komodo''s back. We reached the academy a bit before 8, but there were already nearly 700 people waiting at the entrance. We kept our distance as there were quite a bit of people looking at me, probably still brooding over the magic test. After a while, the gates were opened and we were taken in front of a building that looked like a restaurant. There were 10 stands with a sign in front of them each. Each sign had 2 numbers printed on it, and these numbers were a simple way of representing a range of numbers (e.g. 100 - 200). We were to follow the number printed on our examination results slip and join the corresponding queue. Those who passed the exam would then proceed into the building, while the other would just leave. We got in line in front of our respective stands and waited for our turns. The one in charge of my stand was the lady who tested me and led me to sir Sunderset''s office, the assistant Natasha Harwoon. She greeted me with a bright smile and handed me my entrance certificate. I greeted her as well, and left for the building. I took a look at the certificate. There were 3 parts: the first part displayed my name, age, and race; the second part displayed the scores for the written exam and the magic test. For the grammar, comprehension, general knowledge and mathematics tests, the maximum score one could get was 50. I got 43 in grammar, 46 in comprehension, 37 in general knowledge and 50 in mathematics. As for magic, there were magic aptitude, mana manipulation and elemental mana manipulation, all of which were ranked from 1 to 5, and I was ranked at 5 for all. The last part displayed the different recommended courses to take, and the courses that were mandatory. It was mandatory for me to take beginner classes in fire, water, air, earth, body, holy and dark magic. I was recommended to take the beginner course for logic and rhetoric, Zanitra¡¯s history and geography, as well as arithmetics and geometry. Upon entering the building, I found myself in what should have been the dining room, but instead of tables and chairs there were countless stands, arranged into 3 clusters. A staff member who was at the door told me - and the few others behind me, that this area was for us to select our courses. The stands to the right were for the martial arts courses, the stands to the left were for the magic courses, and the stands at the back were for the society courses. We could get basic information about each course at the different stands. I decided to wait for Muriem and Kerrina before doing anything, and stayed near the man while looking at my paper with a serious, almost scary expression. I didn''t want to be bothered during the wait. Thankfully, they came in not long after. They both scored above 40 in grammar and mathematics, but dropped between 30 and 39 for comprehension and general knowledge. Kerrina got better grades than Muriem on all subjects except general knowledge. Still, it was enough to be accepted. They were recommended to take Zanitras'' history and geography, arithmetics, logic and rhetoric. It had been planned beforehand that they would focus on the martial arts courses, and the society courses would be lower priority. So we went towards the martial arts section first. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. For the martial arts department, there were 7 basic classes. The sword and dagger class, for the uses of different swords, daggers and knives. The polearm class taught the uses of various staves, spears and halberds. The axe and hammer class, for the use of axes, maces and hammers. The ranged weaponry class offered lessons about bows and throwing weapons. The exotic weapons class, for gauntlets, chakrams, nunchakus and the likes. The hand-to-hand combat class, mostly for kick-boxing and wrestling. And the scouting and tracking class, for recon and survival in the wilderness. Kerrina selected the sword and dagger class, the hand-to-hand class and the ranged weaponry class. Muriem took the hand-to-hand class, the polearm class and the axe and hammer class. Her last 2 are for her to improve on her halberd and hatchet skills. Whether it will be the beginner or the intermediate class would depend on the test that is to take place in the afternoon. Then, we headed towards the stands of the magic department. There was a basic magic course for those who can''t draw elemental mana, elemental classes for each elements, compound magic, circling, enchanting and even alchemy. Some courses are only available once another beginner course has been completed. I couldn''t learn compound magic without completing beginner elemental magic, and I couldn''t learn enchanting without finishing beginner compound magic, so for magic I''m stuck with the mandatory classes only. Finally, we went to the stands for the society department. There were many courses - grammar, logic and rhetoric, trading, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, architecture and engineering, Zanitras'' history and geography, Premean history and geography, human languages, elven language, dwarven language, music and dance, and drawing and painting. I wanted to space things up so that we wouldn''t have to spend too much time in class. There were things I could learn later from the girls, and things I could teach them later. I selected Premean history and geography, and intermediate arithmetics and geometry. The girls took Zanitras history and geography, and to finish, Muriem took music and dance, and Kerrina took astronomy. Kerrina¡¯s level in mathematics as determined by the test was high enough to skip beginner arithmetics and geometry altogether. ------- With that decided, we had some time before the martial arts test in the afternoon so we decided to have a look around the academy. Some places were off-limits, but we were still able to see most of the academy. On each side of the staff building were the magic classes building and the martial arts classes building. Next to the magic class building was the magic training ground, and next to the martial arts class building was the martial arts training ground. Behind the staff building was the restaurant, and behind it was the society department building. Next to the restaurant, behind the magic class building was the library and the magic workplace, and on the other side of the restaurant was the academy smithy and the engineering workplace. Near the society department building and the engineering workplace were the 2 male dormitories. On the other side, near the society department building and the magic workplace building were the 2 female dorms. Behind the society department building was the arena, and near, against the protective wall, were the stabbles and dens for the monsters. There was some space between the building, and several small parks and relaxing areas. All of this was surrounded by the white walls with rune-like carving. ------- Shortly after noon, it was finally time for the martial arts tests. Since it was to determine whether the student would take the beginner or intermediate class, there wasn''t much tension in the air. The students had to spar for a bit with any assistant instructor of the course they wanted to take. That assistant instructor would then determine the ability of the student and which class he would attend. Kerrina and Muriem displayed their abilities to the instructors, and were both told to apply for the intermediate classes. We went to the staff building to register our courses and get our timetables for the next year. Looking at our timetables we noticed that we would never have more than 5 continuous hours of lessons, nor would we have more than 4 hours of the same type of teaching, meaning no more than 4 consecutive hours of martial/magic/society classes. Each class lasted 1 hour, and there were no more than 7 hours of classes each day, from 7 to 15. The afternoon of the last day of the week would always be free time. With all of that taken care off, we left the academy and had a quick trip to the nearby forest for Komodo, then went back home at dusk. Classes will start the next day. ****************************** AN: I had a bit of trouble with this chapter. At times like this you revere the beings called "PROOFREADER"! ... And yes, I got lazy and didn''t write the girls'' detailled scores... Chapter 040 - First week AN: Hi, your lazy author presents to you chapter 40, enjoy :). PR by Bboybrian ****************************** The girls and I looked at our schedules. I had 2 hours of magic class per element, amounting to 14 hours of magic lessons per week. In addition, I also had 2 hours of Premean history, 2 hours of Premean geography, and 4 hours of mathematics - in total 22 hours of classes each week out of the maximum 32. That would leave me with roughly 3 free hours each week to have a look around the library and the different workplaces of the academy. Muriem and Kerrina had 5 hours of martial arts classes, and 3 different classes, amounting to a total of 15 hours. Kerrina had an additional 2 hours of Zanitra¡¯s geography and 2 hours of astronomy, whereas Muriem had another 2 hours of Zanitra¡¯s history and 2 hours of music and dance. In total, the girls had 19 hours of classes each week. However, that would only apply from next week onwards, as there were plans for the last half of this week to be used for introductions to the different chosen courses. I now understood why I was given mandatory beginners magic lessons even though I told the head of the department that I already knew spells for most of my elements. The introduction lessons included a demonstration by the teacher, and there would also be a little bit of practice for the students to show what they could do. After all, the students didn''t have to cast any spells for the entrance exams. ------- We reached the academy several minutes before the start of class. The girls went towards the martial arts department and I went to the magic department. In the entry hall of the magic classes building, there was a wall with several bulletin boards, and a map of the building. Fixed onto one of the walls was something that surprised me a little. It was a ranking of the 100 best students of the entrance exams, and of course, my name together with my age was displayed at the top. There were plenty of students in the hall, some were upperclassmen, but most of them were new students. Many of the people were looking at the rankings. Some noticed me entering the building and told the others nearby. People everywhere were looking at me while whispering to themselves, and I soon became the center of attention. Word about the rookie with 7 elements was spreading fast in the hall. Looks of wonder, admiration, envy and jealousy came from all sides, and I was getting a little overwhelmed and nervous inside. I quickly checked my schedule and the layout of the building, and hurriedly made my way towards my classroom for the first lesson of the day, earth magic. Once I reached the classroom, I went towards a seat at the back so as to not have too many eyes on me during the lesson. Shortly after, the teacher came in, and our introduction lesson started. We got a brief introduction about earth magic, which is an element that excels more at defense, support and ambushes rather than offense. After that, we had to do some earth mana manipulation exercises for next to one hour, and it was quite boring for me as I was already used to moving my elemental manas. Finally, we went outside for a demonstration of earth magic by the teacher, and for the students to show what they could do. Not many students could cast earth spells, and those who could weren¡¯t very good ¨C the spell was still rough and their casting speed was a little slow. They usually knew rock throw and earth wall, the most basic attack spell and the simplest defense spell. I showed the earth spells I knew: rock throw, earth pit and earth wall. Though it was only 3 spells, the execution was swift and quite precise. The teacher didn''t look surprised, but looked quite satisfied. Sir Williams must have warned them about me being able to use some spells, though they didn''t know to what extent. After a 30 min break or so, we went to the second introduction class of the day, water magic. Our teacher was a man in his thirties, caecian, but with traces of Yukhan blood shining through in his eyes and hair. An average man, gentle in his tone of speech. Water is considered a polyvalent element due to tis great flexibility. Unlike the previous class, I didn''t get to show off since I didn''t know a single spell, and both the teacher and the other students looked a bit disappointed. Beginner water magic is a class I had to take no matter what, and I was kinda eager to learn some spells. After that lesson, I met the girls at the academy restaurant for lunch. The girls told me about their morning, Kerrina had 3 hours of sword and dagger class, with 1 and a half hours dedicated to swords, and another hour and a half dedicated to daggers. They reviewed the basics of the weapons: the different parts, the different types of blades and what they were made for, how to take care of them, and finally a bit of practice. It was the same for Muriem, but with axes, maces and hammers. Although they lacked skills compared to some others, they more than made up for it with battle experience. During the meal I got a little annoyed because a few guys were looking at our table a little too much, not because of me but because of the girls. I knew they were charming, I wouldn''t be upset if they looked a little, but some were ogling Kerrina''s chest a little too much. I don''t want to imagine how many stared at Muriem''s butt earlier. I''m not worried about them being seduced by somebody else, but it was annoying to see others guys blatantly lusting at them. I guess I would have to be a bit violent with a few of them in the future if they gave me the chance. After lunch, I went for the last lesson of the day, body magic. There, again, I showed off my speed and strength enhancement, and surprised everyone, including the teacher, for casting both of them simultaneously. It seems like casting 2 spells or more at the same time requires a high level of control and concentration, and usually only people of the advanced classes could do so with as much ease as I did. I decided I would use simultaneous casting on all the others magic lessons from now on to impress Sir William and Miss Shara, and gain some favors later. At the end of the day, I met up with the girls again. Their afternoon was spent on hand-to-hand combat. Muriem caught the eye of the instructor due to her use of capoeira, which didn''t exist in this world, and as such the instructor would like to meet me on the last day of the week after lunch. He also picked up on the fact that eastern-like moves were incorporated in their fighting style and strongly advised the girls to focus on something instead of taking things left and right. Taking things from other martial arts wasn''t new in my old world, and it worked well, so I told them to ignore him. We left the academy and went to the city to have a look at the prices of the tools available in the capital. I wanted to continue working on my blacksmithing and alchemy as much as possible, and the girls were also motivated to improve their tailoring and leather working, so we spent the rest of the day in town. Some tools, I would be able to make at the academy, the rest, we would have to buy. Afterwards we spent another sexy evening together before going to bed. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.------- For the following days, the same thing more or less happened with the other magic lessons for the rest of the week. We got a little test at the end of the arithmetics and geometry lessons, for which I got perfect grades once again. For Premean history and geography, I got to learn more about the different continents, their dominant climate, which parts that were explored which were not. I learned a little about the probable birthplace of each race, and also a little more about their history and cultures from the following lessons. On the last day of the week, after my last lesson at noon, I was asked to go to the staff building. I stayed in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before Miss Shara came in to take me to the headmaster''s office. There were 3 people in the ornate room: an old man sitting behind a high quality desk, and 2 others to his left and right. Man 1: ?I welcome you to Lana Academy, young Aenthar. I am the headmaster of this place, Count Marcus Basililey, former head of the Basililey family? Aenthar: ?It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord.? Marcus Basililey: ?You already know the head of the magic department, William Sunderset. As for the lady to my left, she is the head of the society department, Lady Victoria Landen. ? Victoria Landen: ?A pleasure to meet you. I''ve heard lot about you. ? Aenthar: ?Likewise, nice to meet you. ? Marcus Basililey: ?I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a student with 7 elements affinity would join our academy. The results of the entrance examinations proved that you are a young man full of potential, both in magic and society classes, and we were eager to know what you truly are capable of. What people show during the tests is but a little glimpse of their capabilities, which is why we use the first week to judge them further. ? William: ?You were given mandatory beginner classes to see if you really were what you seemed to be. Your ability to wield magic is almost on par with the students of the advanced classes. You demonstrated good skills in healing magic, and you can dual cast without trouble. At barely 12 years old, you''re the youngest mage to get intermediate magic skills in history. ? Marcus B.: ?Your schedule for the next week will change. You will be promoted to the intermediate class for all your magic classes. Like you said before, you still do not know any spells in water and darkness magic, however we believe that with your skills you will be able to catch up with the other students of the intermediate classes.? William: ?And with that, you are now qualified to take compound magic classes, like you wished. I recall you saying that your father was an alchemist; you may have learned a few things from him. With the beginner elemental magic classes cleared, you can also take alchemy classes, though it would focus more on magical preparations and regents.? Aenthar: ?Being able to learn compound magic is the greatest news of the week for me. As for the alchemy lessons...? I took out my card from my wallet ?I already reached disciple rank in alchemy. ? The 4 adults present in the room opened their eyes so much I thought they would pop out of their sockets. Elyhn Shara hastily took the card and examined it, ?I can''t believe it, it''s an authentic card!? Aenthar: ?My father has no magic ability so he tends to avoid magic preparations and I couldn''t learn much about it. This is one of the other little reasons I came here. ? Victoria Landen: ?You truly are the most impressive student I have ever seen, a true genius. Not only are you skilled in magic and alchemy, but you''re also incredible in the field of mathematics. Your tests on arithmetics and geometry were flawless, and combined with your scores in grammar and comprehension during the entrance exams, I have no doubt you would also be brilliant in rhetoric classes.? Aenthar: ?However, I can''t allow myself to take too many classes. With the current ones I already have 22 hours of classes per week, and with compound magic and alchemy it would rise to 28 hours out of the weekly 32 hours maximum. I may be a hard worker, but I still want to have some free time. Besides, I''m not interested in rhetoric. ? Marcus Basililey: ?Hahahahahaha! What an interesting young man you are. For one as skilled as yourself, there is another option open to you besides a simple scholarship. All your living expenses will be taken care of by the academy. Also, we decided to appoint you to the student council. ? Aenthar: ?The student council? What do they do? ? Elyhn Shara: ?The student council exists to take care of problems between students, and make sure they respect the rules of the academy. It is composed of 11 main members, 4 from the martial arts sections, 4 from the magic section, and 3 from the society section, and several assistants. The posts are reserved for excellent students, and you definitely are one of the best. ? Victoria Landen: ?The members of the student council are role models for the rest of the students and the representatives of the students of the academy. That is a position well fitted for someone of your caliber. ? Elyhn Shara: ?You will receive your new schedule tomorrow, along with a notification of your appointment to the student council. As for your living expenses, you will receive 1 gold coin every 4 months. ? Aenthar: ?I understand. Thank you very much. ? Marcus Basililey: ?On the contrary, we are the ones who are thankful to have one like you in our academy. To think this old man lived long enough to meet such a prodigy. We are looking forward to your future achievements in our academy. ? ****************************** AN: I had 3/5 of the chapter written for 3 days now and I could have delivered it earlier... If not for the engine known as ''''inspiration'''' stalling as I was thinking of the following chapters. There are still some things to take care of in my world building (more details on the history and geography of the world, on the country and the nobles, because the academy isn''t just learning about magic and battle). I''ve also been distracted by an idea for another fiction popping into my head after replaying a few games and a certain novel I didn''t touch for a bit of time, so another side project is likely to pop up and take some more of my writing time. It will be 3 chapters per week from now on. Chapter 041 - Student Council AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 41 :D, enjoy!! I started to read Age of heroes. It''s so immersive (and addictive :P), the author really made a lot of efforts with the history of the world. I wish I could reach that level of detail in the lore of Aenthar, but I''m too lazy ): PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Aenthar: ?I have nice news, good news, good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first? ? Muriem: ?... The bad news is probably a drawback of all the positives news so let''s start with them. ? Aenthar: ?My magic classes changed from beginner to intermediate, the academy will pay me 4 gold coins per year for my living expenses, and I was appointed to the student council! ? Muriem: ?What? 4 gold coins per year? That means that we will have plenty of extra money this year! Aenthar, please be a dear and buy us some nice clothes, not much, just a piece or 2. We are in the capital after all, and there are plenty of nice ones. Pretty please? ? Aenthar: ?...? Kerrina: ?What is the student council? ? Muriem: ?Ah? You didn''t hear? They are a group of top students that make sure the other students don''t make troubles, and help with problems between students. Ah!! Congratulations on entering the student council!! ? Aenthar: ?... Yeah, thank you very much...? Muriem: ?Aww, come on! I really am happy for you, but for us it isn''t that surprising for this to happen considering your abilities. ? She took me in her arms and kissed me on the cheek. Muriem: ?Were you trying to look good in front of us? You don''t need to, you know? For me you''re always incredible. ? Kerrina: ?Right, congratulations to our awesome Aenthar. Now what about the bad news? ? Aenthar: ?... The bad news is that my schedule is almost full now, and there will be the work with the student council. I won''t have much free time. ? Kerrina and Muriem: ?Ah!! ? Kerrina: ?I doesn''t matter how busy you will be, you''d better make some time for us every Qotrus. It will be our only day to truly enjoy some time with you since you will be too busy during the other days of the week. ? Aenthar: ?Of course! You think I will forget about you girls that easily? ? Muriem: ?You won''t, you love us too much... And you''re too horny to ignore these two beauties. I give you a little hug and your hand goes straight to my butt! ? Aenthar: ''''Ugh!! Damn right about those points.'''' ?Says the one who is always tempting me in the evening! ? Kerrina: ?Whether we tempt you or not doesn''t change anything anyway... And I also want some nice fabrics to make clothes! Pretty please? ? Aenthar: ?...? ------- The next day before class started, I went to the staff building to get my new schedule. My meeting with the student council would take place during the last class hour of the day. Then I went to my first class of the day, earth magic. When I came in, most of the students were already there, and many stared at me, some with recognition, and others with curiosity. The latter group must have wondered who the guy that wasn''t present during the introduction classes was, but the others definitely knew about me. ???: ?Are you the rumored first year? You certainly look like the one! ? said a young caecian guy. Aenthar: ?... I don''t know. What kind of rumors are we talking about? ? ???: ?Rumors about a young boy, barely 12 years old, half dark elf, with high magic ability and affinity to 7 elements.? Aenthar: ?The name is Aenthar. Nice to meet you. ? He stood from his seat and went in front of me. We were the same height, but he had more muscles than me ¨C a warrior, with above average magic ability. He had dark blond hair and hazel eyes, slightly round nose, round face, tanned skin, probably due to the time spent training under the sun. He was quite good looking, with a unique charm to him. ???: ? Nice to meet you too, I am Ren Brom, son of viscount Edward Brom, and member of the student council. It looks like we will spend a lot of time together from now on. Let''s get along.? He offered his hand and I shook it firmly. Aenthar: ?It is a pleasure. ? Teacher: ?Alright everybody, class is starting so stop chatting and get to your seat. ? Ren Brom: ?I guess we will talk later. ? The lesson proceeded without a problem. I noticed that many people had higher affinity than me with earth mana, and Ren Brom and others casted faster and smoother than me. I guess it really was a good thing for me to come here. In Argot I was unrivaled in magic, but here there are people better than me in their respective fields, although I''m still better overall if compared to intermediate class students. After the class ended, several people came to see me, mostly commoners and children of merchants. I guess the nobles would want a calmer environment to speak with me. Besides, we still had other lessons to take. They asked me what the elements I had affinity for were, where I lived, and if the rumors were true. Of course, I didn''t reveal to anyone where I lived in the city, nor did I tell anyone that I came from Argot. I remained vague on those points. Most of the day was spent in that fashion. ------- At the end of the day, as I left my classroom, Ren came to get me and we went to the student council office. It was at the back of the staff building on the second floor. In the room, there was some furniture, and a large table in the middle with 11 seats, 5 on each side and 1 at the head of the table. There were 9 people inside - 4 boys and 5 girls. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Ren: ?I have brought the last and newest member of the student council. Let me make the presentations. The lady at the edge of the table is the chief of the student council, Jane Millard, from the magic department. From the same department, we have Eliane Shane, Francisco Drega, and finally you, Aenthar. ? Each of them nodded at me when they were introduced Ren: ?From the martial arts department, Gamli Tzarim, Kalima, Jean Wallace and finally me. From the society department, we have Irmynn Thum, Franck Dumas and Bertha Schutzen. ? Aenthar: ?It''s a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Aenthar. ? All the members of the student council were caecian except for three people, Gamli Tzarim who was a dwarf, Kalima, who was a kuende girl, and Irmynn Thum, who was a wood elf girl. Elves aren''t rare in Tristam since there are 2 elven kingdoms nearby, but dwarves are quite rare since their homeland is on the eastern side of Zanitras whereas Tristam is at the extreme west. Jane: ?The pleasure is ours. You are famous you know? You are the first 7-elemental mage to appear in centuries, with exceptional magic ability and a good control of spells despite your young age. But that is not all. You also got high grades in society subjects, and in arithmetics and geometry you scored perfect grades.? Gamli: ?And by the look of your build, you mustn''t be bad in martial arts. It''s a shame you don''t take any martial arts classes. ? Aenthar: ?I know, I have a bit of knowledge in polearms and hand-to-hand combat, but I have to postpone it for now. My lack of knowledge in magic got me into a bit of trouble last year, and with 7 affinities, there isn''t enough hours in the week to take all the classes. I will have to rely on 2 friends to keep my martial arts in shape. ? Gamli: ?That''s too bad. Magic has its own drawbacks even if it doesn''t really look like it in your case. ? Irmynn: ?Have you been briefed on the duties of the student council? ? Aenthar: ?I was told that our job is to handle the problems between students, keep them from making trouble and deal with those who don''t follow the rules of the academy. But the more important cases will probably be handled by the teachers I guess? ? Jane: ?That''s right. Each year there are fights between students in the magic and martial arts departments, or between students of the 2 departments due to rivalry. Students from the society department are commonly bullied by students of the other departments. There is often tension between the nobles and the commoners. There are some students who bring in things that should stay outside of the academy, and some who move around suspiciously at night. ? Aenthar: ?Then I''m lucky I don''t live in the dorms. It would suck to have to wake up in the middle of the night when my own schedule is almost packed. I''m sorry for those of you who live in the dorms. ? Kalima and Francisco lowered their heads slightly with tired eyes while the other showed wry smiles. Aenthar: ?How do you deal with all those problems, and what will I do? ? Jane: ?We patrol within the area of our departments and on the common grounds with the help of our assistants. When there is trouble, those on patrol go to the scene. If necessary, we leave our classrooms, or our meals, or our beds. ? Gamli: ?In case of serious disputes, we can organize duels to help settle them, and we make sure nothing serious happens. But we can also give advice to students worried about their studies, and some even ask for advice about love! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!? Aenthar: ?Seriously??? Ren: ?Seriously. And it doesn''t look like it but Gamli made 3 happy couples. ? Aenthar: ?... You''ll have to tell me about it later. But back to topic, how do you know when and where there is trouble? How do you communicate with the assistants? ? Jane: ?The assistants are like our eyes and ears in the academy. Members of the student council and their assistants have a badge with a few enchantments. The badge form the council member is different from that of the assistants. The one from the assistants can send a magic signal to the 2 nearest badges held by student council members. The badge will vibrate and glow, and a small arrow will appear on the badge that will point towards the badge that emitted the signal. We wear our badges on our chests so people can recognize us when looking for us. ? Irmynn: ?When you deal with trouble, you must write a report about it. We meet every Patrus after class to discuss the state of the academy, and if necessary warn each other about some students. Here is your badge, along with your patrol schedule. ? Eliane: ?For your first patrol, you will be paired with me. On the subsequent ones you will be on your own. ? Jane: ?And with that, our business for today is done. You were appointed by the headmaster. I''m eager to see someone make trouble just see how you will handle it, hehehe! ? Aenthar: ?Could it be that you like it when things are... lively? ? Jane: ?Not really, but I want to see things get lively around the 7 elements user. ? The others all nodded in agreement with a glint of anticipation in their eyes. And with that, I left the academy. ****************************** AN: More dialogs in this chapter, and more dialogs to come since he will make acquaintances and friends etc... sigh... Chapter 042 - True start AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 42 :D, enjoy! Title say that the school truly started for Aenthar now PR by Bboybrian ****************************** My first patrol with Eliane Shane went well. We didn''t encounter any noteworthy trouble. We chatted a bit along the way, told a few stories of her dealing with trouble. Problems often came from the first year mages who knew a few spells and tried to show off. It worsens when you mix in noble children from rival houses. She also told me a bit about herself, 16 years old, the fourth child and second daughter of Count Shane, whose lands are at the north-east of Tristam. As expected of a noble''s daughter, she is haughty and a bit sarcastic, but fair. I didn''t hate her at all. Among the other members of the student council, I also got along well with Ren Brom, Francisco Drega and Irmynn Thum. There was a bit of rivalry between Ren and me in earth magic, and he seemed more interested in fighting than acting like a proper noble and managing people. He was rather easy going, still a bit arrogant like all nobles, but not in a boastful or irritating manner. Francisco is the second son of duke Drega; he was from a kingdom near the south of the caecian lands. He was very interested in diplomacy and foreign trade, and that made him agreeable to talk to. Why I got along well with Irmynn mostly had to do with the fact that I had elven blood and good grades in math. She liked to talk about the elven village she grew up in, and liked to do her arithmetics homework with me. She came to Lana Academy to learn about language and trade. I didn''t have many opportunities to speak with the others, but I was not that eager to, except for Kalima and Gamli. The others looked a bit too smug and arrogant for my taste, at least from the little bit I could see from them, especially Jane. She was often all smiles, but I didn''t like it. ------- Only after the first week of class and joining the student council did my school life truly start. Each week I had 14 hours of elemental magic lessons, 3 hours of compound magic and 3 hours of alchemy. As a member of the student council I had to do patrol 5 hours per week, and some of them were during the few free hours I had in my schedule. I couldn''t afford to slack off on martial arts either so I decided to spar with the girls twice per week, one session on a morning and one on an afternoon, depending on when their martial arts would take place. For each class there would be a test at the end of each month, and there would be rankings. There was a general ranking for each department for beginner classes, intermediates classes and advanced classes. These 9 rankings would be displayed each month near the entrance of the academy and the entrance of the restaurant building. In each department building there would be a detailed ranking for each class in each category. As a scholarship student, I was expected to be on the better part of those rankings. There were people with better affinity than me in a few elements, and I could still keep up with them due to my experience in using magic, though barely. I couldn''t really notice it in Argot where there were few magic users and when we didn''t spend much time using our magic near each other, but affinity really was an important factor between 2 mages of equivalent magic ability. Additionally, I was having troubles in water and darkness magic since I didn''t really use them before coming to the academy. At least I got good comments for my relatively fast progress. Compound magic was the class in which I had the most motivation. There was something I noticed when I was practicing mixing elements. Some elements were hard to mix together, obvious examples such as fire and water, earth and wind, holy and darkness, and body and mind. Also, your affinities with the elements you tried to mix would count as well. If you didn''t have a similar enough level of affinity with the 2 elements you tried to mix, it would be harder. Let me say this, weaving mixed elements into a spell is much harder than weaving a single element. Fireball and waterball are spells that channel the element into a ball and launch it at the enemy. For the same process, the weaving is different; each element is more suited for certain kinds of patterns. Trying to mix 2 elements into a common pattern is unnatural for the elements, thus they tend to repulse each other during the weaving. The more elements you mix, the harder it is to weave, and the more complex the weaving needs to be. Healing magic is a blessing since holy and darkness elements tend to blend well with elements from the spirit sphere. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Even though compound magic was harder than regular magic, being able to bring out more diversified effects with magic more than made up for it. Steam, ice, mud, lava, sand, sound, elemental buffs and debuffs. For someone like me who could use all elements, and with knowledge from my previous world, I could hope to create effects people from this world couldn''t think about. I was hoping to develop things like concentrated microwave attacks, laser attacks, and sonic attacks. Maybe I could even reach a level where fission and fusion of elements would be possible. That would be true transmutation, turning an element into another. During the alchemy class, we were taught about magical materials and concoctions with magical effects. The first kind of potion a mage should be able to make is the mana regeneration potion. It considerably increases the mana regeneration of the target during a limited amount of time. It was not like in a video game, where it would immediately give a certain amount of mana. Potions with those kinds of effects were the rarest and the hardest to make. They required high quality materials that were hard to get. Only people in the highest positions have some, and they use it only for emergencies. Later on, we would learn about magical reagents and catalysts used for enchanting. ------- Of course, many people tried to befriend me, but since I had a heavy schedule, I didn''t get to talk with them much. 3 out of 4 people who wanted to talk to me were commoners and children of merchants. The rest were nobles, they didn''t come to me much, probably to avoid mixing with the other commoners gravitating around me. I could tell from the way those nobles who did approach me did so at times when the commoners weren''t too close. If among the commoners there were more guys than girls talking with me, then among the nobles there were more girls than guys. They were probably trying to charm me into joining their family in one way or another. However, when I told Kerrina and Muriem about it, it clearly made them uncomfortable. They knew it would happen. They knew that more girls would try to become my lover. They had accepted it from the moment we became lovers, but seeing it start was different than just imagining it in the future. Even though for now it was just girls talking to me from time to time, when I told them about my opinion it made them uneasy. They started to act more spoiled with me, asking for a bit more of attention even though we would always be together when not at the academy. It lasted for several days before they calmed down and realized they would always be my favorites. ------- For the little time I had to myself in the mornings and the evenings, I continued the observation of the unknown mana inside Komodo. There was mana everywhere in this world; everything around us contained mana of all elements, their ratios varied from place to place, material to material. If this weird mana was present in the monsters, then it should be present in everything else as well. It was hard to perceive this unique mana, it was in fact more correct to say that I could only identify it through the effects it had on its surroundings, like astrophysicists discovering black holes through their effects on their surroundings. After observing it for so long, and after being around so many sources of mana in the academy, my mana sense sharpened, and I was finally able to clearly sense the element. It gave me the impression of a weird organism similar to the black thing that gave birth to venom in the Spiderman movie, with tentacles randomly extending and retracting. It looked like something unstable and hard to control, something potentially really dangerous. And it really was present in everything else, just with such a weak ratio it was barely noticeable. Since I was able to sense it, I started to wonder if I could wield it like the other elements. But I wasn''t about to try it anytime soon. I will do just like I did when I was little, sharpening my senses without touching it. I didn''t know enough about magic to try and manipulate something so predominantly innate in monsters, something that reminded me of a dangerous parasite. ****************************** AN: No dialogs in this chapter, made me feel better :). Feels like Kerrina and Muriem POV would be nice in one of the next few chapters.... Chapter 043 - Duels AN: Hello, your lazy author here ¡ú :D present you chapter 43. Enjoy!! Sorry for the delay, many nice summer things happening last week. From now on, like in most fictions of RR, I will use ¡°...¡± for speech and ''¡­'' for thoughts. I had tried to change the writing language from French to English, but it stubbornly stayed in French, then I made a new file for writing Aenthar and surprise, it was in English (well, I noticed it when I started my second side project. I made a new file and found out). PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Magic lessons weren''t just about manipulating mana and learning spells, they was also about the application of spells in battle. Each month there were 3 battle simulations which could be either duels or team battles. Present at the battles simulations was Miss Natasha Harwoon, the lady who measured my magic ability during the entrance exams. As the assistant teacher for magic-battles, she was ever-ready to cast wards in case the students went too far, or provide healing in case of accidents. People nicknamed her ¡°Angel Natasha¡±, as she was always trying to keep people out of serious harm during the sparring, while healing injuries with a gentle smile. Even her scoldings were gentle. Duels were simple matches where 2 people fight each other with magic; no physical attacks were allowed. When I first heard about it, I was very excited. After all, I didn''t have many opportunities to fight against other magic users. At the same time, I was also a bit disappointed as it hadn''t been long since the start of the term, and hence I would not be able to use anything new yet. For the first magic battle simulation session, each student was required to have 2 duels against other students. Most people from the intermediate magic classes were nervous about having to fight against me. They were mages, and could feel the amount of magic within me, and that alone was enough to make them nervous as no other student could hold a candle to my massive amounts of innate energy. They also could not forget the fact that I had excellent magic control for most of my elements, especially the students taking compound magic classes with me. That I was behind in water and darkness magic was irrelevant since I could use 5 other elements. They also knew that I had very good senses and defense since a certain incident that occurred during one of the water magic lessons, a day before the magic battle. A day before, as I was struggling during the practical part of the lesson, an arrogant noble guy, Nicholas Bauwing, tried to bully me. I was known as the talented 7 elements user, so seeing me struggling with basic water spells, he must have thought that I was just a cocky commoner with only bark but no real bite. Unfortunately for him, I had been training my magic sense for years, feeling the mana inside living and non-living things, trying to differentiate and identify them. It was something I practiced and used so much it had almost become a passive ability. When I tried to cast a spell, I would subconsciously focus on the mana in my surroundings as well. I felt it when, in the middle of all the gathering of water mana by most of the students, someone was gathering air mana instead, someone whose attention was completely fixated on me. Air magic attacks were very hard to perceive with the normal senses, and it was even harder in a place where numerous mages were casting spells. The bastard must have though his action would go unnoticed. I decided to use this opportunity to try something I had been thinking about for a while. I didn''t have any good opportunities to test it before. Just like I had tried to imitate martial arts move from movies and anime, I had also tried to imitate magic moves. In this case, a counter-magic move inspired from a light novel with a genius sis-con altered mage and his queenly bro-con sister. (P.N: See Mahouka Koukou no Rettoussei) It was a move that could forcefully break the patterns that made up a spell, thus effectively dissipating said spell. In that novel it was called Gram something, there were 2 kinds but I didn''t really get the differences. As Nicholas was gathering and weaving air mana for his spell, I gathered earth mana in my free hand. Still unaware, he finished his spell and promptly launched it. However, I was quite adept at gathering mana, and my speed was even faster since I didn''t have to weave it into a spell. Since I was in the midst of casting a spell, the teacher and the other students, including the arrogant Nicholas Bauwing, did not notice the abnormal amount of mana I had gathered until too late. As the wind blast was hurling my way, I discharged the earth mana I had gathered towards it in a concentrated beam. The high amount and pressure of earth mana shattered the structure of the wind spell, and the gathered air exploded harmlessly 3 meters away from me. I had picked earth mana because it was not very compatible with weaved air mana. All this time I didn''t stop weaving my water spell, nor did I turn my head toward the attack. Aenthar: ''Hoho, looks like it worked like a charm. I think I used more power than necessary.'' The nearby students and the teacher quickly realized that I had defended against an attack and turned towards Nicholas, whose face was livid. They were clearly impressed to see me defend while barely moving and still casting the first spell I was working on, but more surprised at the fact that someone dared to try to use attack magic on me in the middle of class. Aenthar: ¡°Nicholas Bauwing, you raised your hand against a member of the student council without prior provocation and outside of a regulated duel. Since it was mostly a harmless attack, your punishment will just be to clean the restrooms of the magic department buildings at the end of the day.¡± Nicholas: ¡°!!! What? You can-¡± Aenthar: ¡°If you''re not satisfied with your punishment it can be extended to 1 week¡± I added in a cold voice. Nicholas: ¡°Ugh... Damn it...¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He then shut his mouth, his face crimson due to anger and shame. The teacher didn''t bother scolding him since it was already in the hands of the student council, though her gaze did linger on me for a bit. Soon, everyone went back to their practice and the lesson continued as if the earlier incident didn''t happen. Nicholas and his gang of friends now looked as if they drank something bitter, and took to sending me the occasional glare. I had trouble keeping myself from smirking, because I knew it would spoil my badass-ness, and I had really wanted to make fun of the arrogant prick. The opponents for the duels were randomly decided. My first opponent was a 15 year old merchant daughter with great affinity for both wind and earth, Elise Durand. She was a charming girl for whom I had my eyes set on for possible future businesses. As such, I tried to keep on good terms with her, at least for the time being. Her father dealt with many kinds of trades, and I was hoping to make a little bit of profit by working with him. We were in the middle of the magic training ground wearing the magic combat outfit. This equipment was lent to us by the academy, but it was possible to purchase custom-made ones. It was a grey coat with a high collar, and 4 crests on it. One was below the throat, the second just below the chest, the third at hip level and the fourth in the back below the nape of the neck. There were magic crystals in them and some of the threads of the coat were made of odd materials. It was obvious that the crests augmented the defensive enchantment coursing through the coat due to the odd threads. Observing it made me eager to finish the year and start the next, as I would then have the qualifications to take the enchanting course. Along with the coat, there were also leather boots reaching below the knees, with one crest around the ankle. The head gear was similar to those used in martial arts training sessions back in my previous world, with the crest on the forehead. Natasha was the referee for the matches, and after making sure we were ready, gave the signal to fight. The first thing I did was to cast speed enhancement on myself. From my experience in various games, capoeira and fighting in general, I had developed a natural instinct to prioritize mobility. I mainly relied on my magic sense to have a good guess of what the opponent would throw at me. Speed enhancement would not only allow me to dodge better, but would also raise the nervous transmission speed, and the speed of the mind, thus raising the casting speed. Her first action was to flex her legs and raise 2 small earth walls. She was probably expecting 2 attacks from me from the start and was ready to take cover. However I rushed to the left while launching a big fire ball between the 2 walls she made. I wanted to close that path to keep her from running away as I was about to flank her. Her only options would be to try and attack me, to try and slow me down with earth obstacles, or to completely focus on defense. She quickly weaved a wide wind cutter and launched it at me. The wind cutter was basically a blade of compressed air. She made one several meters long and threw it at me horizontally. I launched another big fireball from above me toward her and dived under the wind cutter. She used air wall to block the attack while retreating, but I had already poured a large amount of mana into my following spell, earth pit. The further away the caster is from the intended target, the more mana is needed. And I had a lot of mana to spare. Even if she had felt the fluctuation of mana behind her, it was too late to react and she fell into the 1 meter deep pit behind her. The fall delayed her reaction and she was unable to defend against the 5 earth spikes that painfully struck her back and lifted her out of the pit. Elise: ¡°AAARGH!!¡± Natasha: ¡°Critical strike! The winner is Aenthar.¡± The coat did its job, keeping her body from being skewered, but not sparing her the pain of the strike. The crests on her coat glowed red, indicating a lethal strike, which prompted Natasha to announce the end of the duel with me as the winner. Similarly, the enchants on the coat would make the crests glow different colors depending on the amount of damage received, from yellow, to orange, and finally red which indicated a strike that would have been lethal in a real battle with average equipment. I went to help her back up as she got the wind knocked out of her chest. Aenthar: ¡°Sorry about that Elise, I got a little rough at the end.¡± Elise: ¡°N-no, huff, its fine... huff, huff, I expected it a little...¡± Aenthar: ¡°You make it sound like I''m a brute¡± I said jokingly. Elise: ¡°Of course not... It''s a battle simulation, it''s obvious it would hurt. But, you can be quite nasty. Making a lady fall into a pit before skewering her, how merciless of you.¡± Aenthar: ''It''s true that it was a bit bad'' ¡°... It was effective, that''s the most important part... Ok, I won''t deny that I could be very nasty against certain enemies.¡± Elise: ¡°If that''s how you are with an acquaintance I feel sorry for the others.¡± My second duel was with some other girl I didn''t know much, but she was quite nervous to face me. I charged right at her while casting speed enhancement, which made her release a high pitched squeal and fumble while casting water spear in a rush. She must have felt really intimidated because she didn''t move from her starting spot. I easily avoided the first one and when she released the second one since I got next to her, my hand raised with a fireball floating around my palm, next to her head. ???: ¡°Kyaaaa!!! I-I give up¡± she said while falling on her butt. Aenthar: ''¡­ That girl really isn''t cut out for battle, or am I just that scary? No, it¡¯s definitely just her, she must be the shy type...'' ****************************** AN: By the way, I''m 1 year older!!! ... Slowly getting closer to the 30s... Ugh... Chapter 044 - Team battles AN: Hi, your lazy author present you chapter 44 :D, enjoy!! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** The results of the battle simulations account for 30% of our final grades received each month, thus they are crucial in deciding the students¡¯ ranks. The time spent fighting, the amount of damage inflicted and received, and the tactics used were all taken into consideration. I won my 2 duels in a small amount of time without being hit once and without mindlessly relying on power, so I expected high grades. The team battle took place near the end of the month, in 2 parts. For the first part, mages would fight each other, following the same rules as those of the duels. The second part was done in cooperation with the martial art department. Students of the martial arts department would either fight against those of the magic department, or be mixed with them depending on the teams, so physical attacks were allowed. The teams must have 3 members for the first part, and between 3 to 5 members for the second part. The teams were randomly formed for the first 2 months, and starting with the third it was possible for the students to make their own team. It was however forbidden to be with the same team more than twice, so the team would always change at least every 3 months. The team battles were scheduled for the first 2 days of the last week of every month. Unfortunately, for the magic team battle, I was paired with a friend of Nicholas Bauwing, Largo Hecton, and another commoner named Carl. Largo had magic affinity for darkness, mind, earth and water, while Carl had affinity for fire, water, earth and air, what people call a material mage. Our opponents were a team made exclusively of nobles, 2 guys and a girl. As far as I could tell from the little things I had observed during classes, all 3 of them were 4 elemental users. We were in the magic training field, separated by 70m of flat ground with the occasional rock and tree that can be used for cover. Aenthar: ¡°Listen up you 2. I''m most likely their primary target and we will make use of that. I will go ahead, grab their attention and keep them busy as best as I can while you knock them out 1 at a time. When you target someone, Carl will create an opening for Largo to deal the finishing blow. Do you have a problem with this plan?¡± Largo: ¡°You''re not my superior, don''t give me orders!¡± Aenthar: ¡°This isn''t an individual competition Largo, it''s a team battle, meaning teamwork would be evaluated. I think this strategy plays to our strengths well. Nobody can cast spells at the same rate as me, and nobody has as much mana as me, which means I''m good at keeping multiple opponents partially busy. Or maybe you want to keep the other busy while Carl and I defeat them?¡± Largo: ¡°I don''t need you; I can deal with them 1 on 1. I''ll take care of my own opponent, so you''d better not mess up with yours.¡± Aenthar: ¡°... I see... So, who is your opponent, so we don''t accidentally intrude on your fight?¡± Largo: ¡°I''ll take care of the guy on the left. Now don''t bother me.¡± Aenthar: ¡°So he says, so Carl? Want to go along with my plan? I keep them busy and you finish them.¡± Carl: ¡°Y-yes, that''s fine.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Ok, so when the fight starts, I''ll close the distance with the other 2 and try to keep their attention on me. I want you to try and sneak around to their flank to attack, understood?¡± Carl: ¡°Yes.¡± Shortly after, Natasha walked to the field and asked if both teams were ready. When she got the confirmation, she gave the signal to start. I immediately casted speed enhancement on both Carl and me, and sprinted across the field toward the girl in the middle and the guy on the right. While moving, I poured a lot of mana into a fireball and launched it towards the right side of the girl to force her to dodge to her left and create an opening for me to get closer to the second guy. The 3 of them had also closed enough distance to cast spells in a more cost-effective range. The moment I started to cast my fireball, their spells were already almost ready. Since I was a bit faster than them, my spell was launched before theirs¡¯. Once the girl launched her spell, she was confronted with a huge fireball hurtling towards her. As expected, she dodged to the left. As for the other 2 spells, I used my speedy reflexes and swerved around them while advancing. Now their group was separated in 2, and the third guy was caught by surprise when he saw Largo attacking him. But I refused to pay more attention to him. Largo wanted to deal with him alone, hence it was his problem, not mine. After firing the first fireball, I assaulted the 2 with rock throw. I usually could simultaneously cast 2-3 spells, but rock throw was so simple I could cast 4 of it, which was a bad surprise for everybody. Aside from a few gifted individual, they couldn''t dual cast in combat situation yet. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I managed to suppress the 2 with the simple earth spell. They were well trained and formed wards and walls to defend themselves. However, I quickly overwhelmed their defenses. Each time they tried to attack me, I would dissipate their spells with gram, or fire a rock at their own magic projectile. Because of my fast attack rate, they needed to keep 1 person on defense and the other on offense, and with that and the speed enhancement, Carl managed to successfully flank them. The one who was defending took a rock spike in the side, making the crest glow orange and disturbing him for 2 seconds. That was when they remembered that Largo and I weren''t their only opponents. Not wasting the opening, I bowled them over with wind blast, and Carl finished them off with a scorching fire wave. Seems like I was not the only one who could be tough with girls, Carl himself burned a few of her hairs. Their crests glowed red, indicating a knock-out. He went to apologize to the girl afterward, and his opponent grudgingly forgave him. At the same time, Largo defeated his opponent with a water spear. It was a good thing that he could live up to his boasts, or I would have had to rub salt in his already wounded pride. And with that, we won the match. But the match also took a lot of my mana. I had been spamming spell after spell for dozens of seconds, and since I was still inexperienced at using gram I wasted a lot of mana. We wouldn''t get the best mark for teamwork for this battle, but it shouldn¡¯t be too bad as Carl and I had good cooperation. The next team battle took place the following day, with members of the martial arts department. I decided to take my staff but got rid of the metal reinforcements. The protective gear for the members of the martial arts department was slightly different. The clothing was more of a tight fit, with added light armored around the chest, and gloves. The gloves and the boots had protectors on them, and the crests were positioned on the gloves, below the wrist. For this match I was teamed up with Francisco Drega and 2 other commoners, one mage and one swordsman. As we were a team of 4 randomly assembled, I couldn''t help but think of Left 4 Dead, and for a another rare moment I missed my old world entertainment. Our opponents were a team of 4 as well, 2 mages and 2 fighters. The mages were a guy and girl pair I often saw during classes. As for the fighters, they were both girls with whom I slept at night... Seeing them, I face palmed. Francisco: ¡°What''s the matter? Don''t tell me you forgot something right before the match!¡± The other 2 guys looked at me worriedly. Aenthar: ¡°No, it''s not that... The 2 fighter girls on the opposing team, they are friends of mine. We are used to fight side by side and to spar with each other. We know each other well...¡± Swordsman: ¡°Hoo? You know Kerrina and Muriem? Wait, so you''re the unknown guy who taught Muriem her weird fighting style?¡± Aenthar: ¡°Yes! And no, I''m too busy; I don''t have time to spare... Hey, you know, this is our first battle in opposing teams in an official match; it''s different from our sparring during training. Sorry about that, but I will be focusing on them.¡± As I said that, I blew a kiss towards the girls while widely grinning. That made Muriem laugh, while Kerrina just smiled. My gaze was completely fixated on them, and I swear I must have had the expression of a predator who found delicious prey. I was excited to confront them in an official match, and I think the girls were as well. They probably understood that I would be going after them. However, I wasn''t sure they would go along with my wishes, which made me a bit anxious. Swordsman: ¡°Whoa... you look really... motivated...¡± Francisco: ¡°... You made up your mind I see... You know what; I''ll help you get some private time with them. It will be like you did in your match from yesterday, you keep them busy while we deal with the rest.¡± Aenthar: ¡°I appreciate that; I''ll make it up to you later!¡± I flexed my legs, ready to dart toward them, spinning my staff in my right hand. Seeing this, Muriem got into a similar position, her practice halberd held firmly in front of her, a beautiful smile on her face. As the chatter between the members of the 2 teams died out, Natasha moved toward the edge of the field. Natasha: ¡°Are you done with your preparations?¡± Everyone nodded. ¡°Ready? BEGIN!!¡± Casting speed enhancement on both me and the swordsman, I flew towards the 2 beauties at top speed. ****************************** AN: Yay!! Cliffhanger!! I want to write from the girls¡¯ POV for the next chapter and the follow up with the match after that. Chapter 045 -Meanwhile, the girls... AN: Hello, after some time, your lazy author present you chapter 45 :D, enjoy! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Since their encounter with the monsters in the caves where Aenthar was seriously wounded and ill, Kerrina and Muriem had a small talk and decided to secretly increase the time used for their personal training. Aenthar was stronger than them, be it in hand-to-hand combat or armed combat. They were sad, ashamed and disappointed with themselves for not being able to provide proper back-up for him when they decided they would follow him. Just like how the adults had told them that the basics were important, Aenthar had often said that a perfectly executed basic move could rival an advanced move executed with average skill. Because of that, Kerrina worked harder on her basics in swordsmanship, while Muriem focused on the basics of her staff mastery and capoeira. They had to become stronger, and because of that, they were even more eager to go to the academy compared to before. During the little time left to live in Argot, Muriem and Kerrina (and the others for that matter) were impressed by the amount of work Aenthar did, especially with their means of transportation. They once again were reminded that Aenthar was constantly thinking a lot about the future, about what to do to achieve his goal. Even with the time used for battle and magic training, he didn''t neglect crafting, and continued to improve all of his skills. They had neglected their crafting to improve their fighting abilities, and they were starting to regret it a little, but Muriem told Kerrina that it would be fine for the time being. She had been thinking a lot, even though it was not really in her habits. She decided that it was fine to focus more on their battle abilities for now, since Aenthar had affinity with all elements; it would take him more time to improve all of them, and even more time to improve all his crafts and martial arts as well. While he would be improving his magic, they could put most of their efforts into fighting, and when he focuses more on fighting and crafting, they could increase their crafting proficiency as well. Muriem understood that Aenthar wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible before exploring the world, so once they reached a good level in battle, they would then raise their tailoring and leather working to disciple rank. They continued with their current training schedule until it was time to leave. ------- The trip towards the capital was very enjoyable for them, comfortable while advancing at a good pace, and also because they were finally alone with Aenthar. They were excited at the prospect of seeing Tristam City and entering Lana Academy. Also, the other reason they were nervously anticipating was growing into women at the hands of their beloved man. They were happy to see him so eager, not only because they wanted it, but also because they would be the first to get him. After all, it had already been made clear that they wouldn''t be the only girls around him. Muriem was mesmerized by the sight of the capital. She had never seen so many tall constructions in the same place, and many of the buildings were quite beautiful, compared to the previous towns they went through. Kerrina did enjoy the sight of the city, but her enjoyment got dampened by the sheer amount of people in the street. The nature lover that she was would not be able to bear the crowd for extended amounts of time. She was praying that they wouldn''t have to take a house in the middle of the city. Fortunately, her prayers were heard. On the second in the city they found a place outside the walls but not that far from the garrison. After a few days spent preparing the place for proper living, they attended the entrance exams of the academy. Even though they were well prepared, they were still quite nervous. It was Lana Academy after all, one of the few schools in the continent, and on top of that the amount of people present was not good for Kerrina''s mood. The nervousness kept them from getting full marks in mathematics, but the fact that they weren''t big mistakes allowed for positive comments from the teachers. Still, they were satisfied with their performances, confident they passed the tests. After the exam, they spent 3 more days furnishing the house before finally moving in. At that time, the nervousness was on a whole new level compared to what they felt the day of the entrance exams. And what a night it had been for them. Aenthar had gone to a lot of efforts so their first night would be quite memorable. Kerrina and Muriem knew Aenthar prepared a few things for the night so they were adamant to do their share and did their best with the preparation of the meal. Then Aenthar started singing while playing with his viol. The lyrics of the songs made them blush with joy and embarrassment. They were just too sweet and romantic. Muriem almost gave up on the food to hug him like there was no tomorrow. When it was time for the bath, they were pleasantly surprised by the preparation he had made, a feeling that was quickly replaced with embarrassment as they got rid of each other¡¯s clothes. It was the first time they would see each other naked - well, second time for Muriem but the first time is better left forgotten. The sight of his manhood was half a shock since they had already felt it before, but it still made them burn inside. They played for a bit in the bath before heading to the room. There, the girls were almost quivering with fearful expectations and joy, though Muriem was more excited than nervous, while Kerrina was equally nervous and excited. Then again, the sight of the room was a wonderful surprise for them, especially after the bath. Passionately, Muriem let loose her lust while Kerrina was more reserved. That night was the night they changed from girls to women, a night of passionate, vigorous action, a pleasure-filled night with slights of pain. Their vigorous battle training and toned bodies helped reduce the pain. The next day, they did it again, 3 times for Kerrina, 5 for Muriem. ------- The next day, they selected their courses after receiving their certificates. They both got 3 courses in the martial arts department and 2 in the society department. They didn''t take the same courses in the last department to space things and avoid spending too much time in classes. They would teach each other what they lacked. After that they went through the introduction courses without troubles. Only the following week did the lessons truly start. They had to listen to a speech from Brad Crowford, the chief of the martial arts department. He was a middle aged caecian man, a former knight. Muriem impressed the hand-to-hand combat instructor, Ganshi Vishnar, with capoeira. This style of fighting was never seen before, yet Muriem also managed to integrate eastern palm strikes into her movements. Kerrina was overshadowed by Muriem¡¯s fanciness because her fighting style was quite common, even though she was slightly better than the latter skill-wise. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ganshi Vishnar was a middle aged Yukhan martial artist who learned many styles of hand-to-hand combat, and was very knowledgeable in the field. This new style of fighting greatly piqued his curiosity, and as such he unconsciously showed more care towards Muriem, and also tried to learn more about the one who taught it to her. He wanted to meet him, but Aenthar was too busy for that, and didn''t want to bother. However, although she impressed the hand-to-hand combat instructor, she was only average in polearm lessons. Her mastery of the staff was just decent, but her use of the halberd needed a lot of work. Her instructor, Victoria Hallawen, a middle aged caecian woman, told her that she was lacking in basics and needed to put more effort in that area. She had good strength, agility and reactions, but had no proper skill. She agreed with Muriem''s choice of study with the axe and hammer course to get a better feel for the different parts of the halberd, and told her that she could reach a high level with constant work. ------- On Kerrina''s side, she was considered above average by her sword instructor, Mica Milaine, a young caecian woman who is a magic swordswoman, a fighter that backs up her sword skills with the smart use of magic. Kerrina quickly became one of her favorites because they had similar predispositions. Kerrina preferred to rely on speed and technique rather than strength, and they both had affinity for body and darkness elements. Even if Kerrina had low aptitude, it could still be used as a trump card. Her mastery of the dagger was lacking though. Kerrina was also well liked by Ishtarin Mora, the dark elf man in charge of the ranged weaponry class, and also the leader of the scouting and tracking activities. Kerrina was one of the top 10 students with the bow, and if she had taken the scouting and tracking course, she would have definitely became his favorite student. He told her that she was on her way to become an excellent ranger with her current skill if she continued to train properly. During the first weeks of classes, their progress was faster than what they would achieve in 2 months back in Argot, and for those 2 young women who wanted to support their loved one, it was an excellent fact that drove them to work as hard as possible. They wanted to surprise him later with their progress, and since they had to avoid injuring themselves for the lessons, the 2 weekly sparring sessions with Aenthar were rather light, just enough to keep his close combat skills in shape. ------- There was already a lot of sparring in the martial arts department, so when the time for the duels and team battles came, they were more prepared than the members of the magic department. A student with only 1 course would have 2 duels, a student with 2 courses would also have 2 duels, but for students with more than 2 courses it would be 1 duel per course. Both Kerrina and Muriem had to go through 3 duels. Out of 3 duels, Muriem won 2 of them. The first when she used hand-to-hand combat, she got the edge due to the fact that the opponent weren''t used to capoeira. She was overwhelmed by the skills of her opponents when she used the halberd and lost, but still put a good fight thanks to her fighting experience. For the axe duel, only her battle experience and agility allowed her to win. Aside from hand-to-hand combat, her scores weren''t that great. Kerrina fared better. She lost the swordsmanship duel but did put up a decent fight with her skills, agility and battle experience. She won her hand-to-hand combat duel with a bit of trouble, and completely crushed her opponent in the marksmanship duel. Overall, she got good grades for the duels. Muriem was disappointed by her own performances and Kerrina had to cheer her up. They hid the details of her failures as they didn''t want Aenthar to worry about them when he was already very busy. For their first team battle, just like the magic department, it was a team of 3. Kerrina was paired with 2 swordsmen, and used her bow with training arrows. Thanks to her efficient cover, her team beat the other without much trouble, and even if she was the prime reason her team won, her teammates weren''t bad either, so they all got a good score. Muriem was teamed up with a rogue and a swordsman, and acted as the tank of her team. Despite her lack of skill, she wasn''t bad at defending and managed to bother the opponent enough for her teammates to deal the finishing blow. Her team also got a good score, and her overall score for the battle simulations was raised as well. ------- When the time for the last battle simulation came, they were quite surprised to see Aenthar in the opposing team, and they got anxious. Not only was he a troublesome mage on long range due to his high magic aptitude and ability to dual cast, he was also trained by a troll in close range and could even be considered their first teacher. Yet, he was also the one they wanted to impress the most. It had only been a month since they started learning at the academy, so they didn''t think they had made sufficient progress. He looked at them and blew a kiss toward them, that made them relax a little, but it didn''t last as his gaze was completely focused on them. It was clear for Kerrina and Muriem that he would go after them, they could feel all his attention on them and he took a stance. Kerrina saw how Aenthar''s teammates reacted to his action and gave up thinking too much. She looked at her other 2 teammates. Kerrina: ¡°Sorry, but it looks like the half elf won''t leave us alone, we won''t be able to support you.¡± ???: ¡°Yeah, we noticed it. So you girls know Aenthar?¡± Muriem: ¡°Yes, we know each other well. Kerri, since he is so eager, let¡¯s show him what we can do...¡± Kerrina: ¡°I could hear your confidence crumble a bit, but still, let''s show him.¡± And soon after, the signal for the start of the match was given ****************************** AN: Because I was in the middle of writing the next chapter, I almost gave this one the wrong title. Next chapter will be done in a few hours. But then again, you''ll have to wait for it to be PRed so expect it to be posted tomorrow at the earliest or the day after, depending on how busy Bboybrian will be. Chapter 046 - Battle between lovers AN: Yo!! Your lazy author present you chapter 46. Enjoy!! Let the final team battle begin... ¡­ for some reason ¡°it''s time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel!!¡± rang in my mind... Haaa, the time when I liked Yu-gi-oh... I never read/watched it till the end, don''t know how it finished. I''ll have a look at it sometime later... !!!!!!! I had planned for Aenthar to introduce a few games in the story, I''ll have him introduce card game like Yu-gi-ho and Magic!! I can''t believe I forgot them!!! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** As soon as the referee gave the signal to start the battle, Aenthar used speed enhancement on both himself and his swordsman teammate, and dashed toward Kerrina and Muriem. On the other side, Kerrina also cast speed enhancement on both herself and Muriem. From the look of it, Aenthar wanted to subdue them in close combat. Aenthar usually started with a speed enhancement if the opponent was going to be troublesome. As the distance rapidly decreased between Aenthar and Muriem, Kerrina sharpened her senses, she was facing her beloved, and wanted to show him how much she grew. Their sparring sessions were all close quarters combat; they never had a mock battle with her using her bow, so it was possible to surprise him. For this battle, she was equipped with a short bow and a quiver of training arrows, and a short training sword. As planned, she hid behind Muriem so that Aenthar would not see her shooting From her hiding spot, Kerrina unleashed a barrage of arrow on Aenthar, hoping to surprise him. However, she had forgotten about Aenthar''s incredible perception. Since the beginning of the match, all of his senses were entirely focused on the girls, including his magic sense. Aenthar had developed the habit of training his magic sense everyday. After first coming to the capital and the academy, he was suffocated by the overwhelming amounts of information coming through his senses. There were just too many people, too many buildings, and too much activity. At the beginning, he couldn''t keep it up for long, the burden was too great, and it would give him painful headaches and cold sweat. But with time, he learned to filter information, and his accuracy greatly improved. That was how he was able to cleanly sense the strange mana in Komodo. In the past, relying on his mana sense to detect and defend against projectiles would be impossible. But not anymore. He clearly felt Kerrina releasing the arrows and easily deflected them with his staff. Kerrina who expected her arrows to hit the mark was surprised and disappointed to see them fly in another direction each time they disappeared out of sight. As Muriem got closer to Aenthar, her excitement and anxiousness grew, her heart was beating quickly in her chest, and the expression on his face sent shivers down her spine, an expression full of battle lust she had never seen before. She was thrilled by that sight, and her fighting spirit rose in consequence. Muriem slowed down just outside Aenthar¡¯s range, eying him carefully. Suddenly, she lunged at Aenthar before he could prepare himself, hoping to get the first strike on him and set her pace. She made a powerful thrust forward, aiming at his torso. With his 2 hands on his staff, he parried the blow with the middle of his staff and deflected it to the side while closing the distance on Muriem. He rotated his staff in an upward arc, aiming for her chin. Aenthar wanted to daze her before giving the finishing blow, but Muriem hadn''t struck without thinking of the possibility of a counter. While fighting Aenthar, she was even more cautious than with her previous opponents. She used the momentum of her weapon being deflected to the side to quickly rotate it horizontally to block the upwards swing - only to receive a strong front kick in the belly, which made her stagger backward. As she tried to keep her balance she had to defend against another attack coming from overhead. Somehow, she managed to block it. At the same time, Aenthar retreated back one step and an arrow pierced the air right where he had been. While Aenthar and Muriem were exchanging blows, Kerrina got closer while positioning herself in a way that allowed her to attack Aenthar without hindering Muriem. With that shot she allowed Muriem to go on the offensive again. As Muriem attacked, Aenthar kept moving around to have Muriem between him and Kerrina, or to put himself between the 2 girls. Kerrina already had few occasions to attack and each time Aenthar had either dodged or deflected the arrow. Aenthar was impressed. Each time he had to spar with Muriem back in Argot he always had some breathing room. However, right now, her movements had become swift, her strikes, precise. Her overall fitness had increased as well, she was faster and stronger. He could feel a real difference compared to the last serious sparring session they had. But it still wasn''t enough to put him in danger. After all, according to Zelfron, he was already close to the advanced rank as a warrior, and that was already a year ago. Muriem was trying hard to suppress Aenthar, but with little results. He parried and counter attacked on each of her thrusts. When she tried to disarm him with the hooked part of her halberd he quickly slid free his weapon. He was always on the move, delivering flowing and unpredictable attacks. A thrust would turn into a slash, a sweep into an upward strike, with skillful manipulation of his staff he could change the range and nature of attacks at the last moment. He could turn an offensive strike into a suppressive one to dodge an arrow without giving her the chance to take the advantage. She was having cold sweat, Kerrina''s covering fire was ineffective and she was trying her hardest to keep up with him. Her fighting spirit got dampened, she knew she wouldn''t last long at this rate, but she couldn''t think of anything to turn the situation around. Kerrina could no longer get a clear shot on Aenthar and he had never gotten on the defensive once, so she closed the distance with her sword drawn in one hand. She still kept her bow in her other hand, in case. She had never seen him so fierce in a battle against any of them. For the first time, he was going all out. And she was going to meet him with everything that she got, her fighting spirit burning brighter than ever. During his personal practice time, Aenthar had trained a lot to fuse his staff mastery with hand-to-hand combat, and with Kerrina entering the fray on close range, he had to test the result. With the 2 girls now close to him, Aenthar completely shut out the surroundings from his consciousness. The only thing that mattered to him was what was happening within 4m of him, an ability he developed while trying to emulate History Strongest Disciple Kenichi''s seikuken with mana sense. (PR: Seikuken: http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/kenichila/images/d/d2/Seikuken_2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130612203249&path-prefix=es) When Kerrina attacked, Aenthar turned into a storm of staff strikes, punches and kicks. His staff was solely used to defend against Muriem''s halberd, while he used his agility and capoeira to dodge Kerrina''s strikes and counter attack, and deflected her sword with knee strikes, all the while spinning out low and high kicks to counter after a dodge, if necessary, he used the staff in case of lack of footing. He would sometimes release one of his hands from the staff to launch fast punches and kicks at one of the girls while keeping the other at bay by using the staff like a spear. Kerrina had to sometimes use her bow to block strikes, but it was a bow of low quality and broke quickly. He would use his momentum as much as the power from the girls strike to avoid the next strike, take some distance or counter attack on the other girl. He even used another move from the previously mentioned manga, shiraha nagashi, a technique to deflect a blade attack and strike in the same motion while barehanded. It was the first time he showed this move, and Kerrina was too surprised to react. She expected many things, but not such a barehanded counter to a sword strike. (PR: Shiraha nagashi: http://kenichi.wikia.com/wiki/Shiraha_Nagashi) His punch landed right under her left eye and stunned her for 2 seconds. If not for Muriem''s relentless assault he would have finished her. The spin included in the strike generated more power than an ordinary punch, and coupled with her own momentum and lack of defense, it shook her brain to the core. And even though she recovered enough to resume her attacks, she got a little slower than before. Her vision and equilibrium were impaired. Muriem, whose fighting spirit was dwindling, regained her vigor when Kerrina entered the fray. On the other hand, Aenthar was the one with cold sweat. He was now forced on the defensive and Kerrina''s fast attacks forced him to push his body to its limits. The confrontation against both girls was draining his stamina, both physically and mentally, at a very fast rate. He had to use his body''s flexibility to the extreme, twisting his frame to the absolute limits allowed by his joints, making sudden changes of motions that would almost tear his muscles. He felt like someone had dumped freezing water on his excited hot head. His successful counter attack on Kerrina, which was half a panicked move, gave him some breathing space, but he wasn''t out of trouble. With Kerrina engaging him at close range alongside Muriem, he could not muster the concentration to cast a single spell. He had to create an opportunity soon, else he would be defeated. But even that was almost out of reach as he was heavily pressured by the 2 beauties, trying to formulate plans in such a fast paced battle was too hard. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. However, as he blocked an attack from Muriem, she let go of her halberd in the same motion and grabbed his staff. Without missing a beat, she lightly jumped into the air and launched her 2 feet at him, 1 towards the head and the other towards his torso. Aenthar had to lean backward and release his staff to dodge the unexpected attack, and jump further away to avoid a viscous thrust from Kerrina aimed at his neck. Kerrina pressed the attack while Muriem swiftly got back up with both the staff and her halberd in her hands. When she got in range she made a powerful, low swipe at Aenthar''s legs. She expected him to jump backwards to dodge and get some distance, and wanted to use the moment he was in mid-air to let go of the staff and strike with her halberd while staying out of his range. But Aenthar jumped right at her. Neither the staff nor the halberd were made to be wielded with only one hand, and she was already preparing herself for a frontal assault, hence she couldn''t do anything during that instant. It wasn''t a tackle. He struck her with his 2 fists, while using all the power of his jump, with a spinning motion added. Right to the chin. She was blown backward and knocked out on the spot, her headgear keeping her jaw from being broken by the power and the weight behind the strike, and glowing orange. Kerrina panicked and hastily went after Aenthar to keep him from finishing Muriem off, she knew Muriem wouldn''t be able to defend herself, though she didn''t know she was unconscious. Aenthar didn''t know that either, however he was sure Muriem would be out for several seconds and that she would be quite diminished should she choose to resume the fight. Hence, he no longer considered her a threat, and used the opportunity to bait Kerrina in. He put his left hand on Muriem''s forehead and raised his right fist, like someone would on the verge of dealing the killing blow. Kerrina rushed at him at maximum speed, her sword drawing an arc toward Aenthar¡¯s neck. He leaned backward and to the side and grabbed Kerrina''s hand. As he drew her toward him using her momentum, he launched his 2 feet at her. She quickly protected herself with her free hand, and avoided an instant knock out. However, the power of the strike not only blew her backward, but it also stunned her as she fell on her butt. Aenthar grabbed his staff and advanced towards her to knock her out. He didn''t want to get too close to her to deal the finishing blow. It was like a thunder strike. The forbidden pain all males dread!!! Aenthar dropped his staff and fell to his knees, his hands on his crotch and tears in his eyes, his face deformed in a mask of pain and shame. And a second later he was knocked out cold, the crests on his battle gear glowing red. Muriem: ¡°... I''m sorry??...¡± Chapter end ------------------------------ REMINDER CHARACTERS Main characters: Aenthar, the protagonist of the story. Half human caecian, half dark elf. Black hair, silver eyes, dark skin, slightly pointy ears, handsome face, well developped body. High magic aptitude and affinity to all elements. Reincarnated earthling with past life memories. Kerrina, harem member 1, childhood friend and lover of the protagonist, 1 year olde than him. Lycan hototo (wolf beastgirl), brown hair, sapphire eyes, athletic, well proportioned body with good curves. Low magic aptitude, affinity with darkness, body, earth and nature Muriem, harem member 2, friend and lover of the protagonist, 4 year older than him. Human caecian-thoreim, golden blond hair, brown eyes, athletic, modest chest killer butt. No magic aptitude. Characters appearing during the childhood part of the protagonist life (ch 1-32) Family members of the main characters Roland: Father of Aenthar, human caecian, expert alchemist Yaereen: Mother of Aenthar, dark elf, hunter and leather worker, member of the village milicia Erik: Father of Kerrina, lycan hototo (wolf beastman), hunter and woodcutter, former mercenary (swordman) Jenna: Mother of Kerrina, lycan hototo (fox beastwoman), farmer, former waitress Arren: Big brother of Kerrina, lycan hototo (fox beastman), adventurer Muriem''s parents: Killed during a bandit raid on their village. Roland and Yaereen are her step-parents. Aquitances/Friends/Teachers Nana: Old caecian woman, nurse and guild receptionist Namir: Young caecian woman, farmer Zelfron: Middle aged troll, village guard, warrior Old Johrgard: Old thoreim man, master blacksmith and knowledgable in other crafts Bathul: Middle aged dwarf, expert wood crafter Ellis: Old caecian man, priest and healer Dumas: Middle aged caecian man, physician Lucas: Middle aged caecian man, Argot village chief Characters appearing in the story since leaving Argot for Tristam City and Lana Academy up until now (ch 33-46). Staff from Lana Academy Marcus Basililey: Headmaster of Lana Academy. Old caecian man. Elyhn Shara: Secretary of Marcus. High elf woman. William Sunderset: Head of the magic department. Old caecian man Natasha Harwoon: Assistant teacher for magic battles. Caecian woman Victoria Landen: Head of the society department. Middle aged caecian woman Brad Crowford: Head of the martial arts department. Middle aged caecian man Victoria Hallawen: Polearm instructor. Middle aged caecian woman Mica Milaine: Sword instructor. Young caecian woman Ganshi Vishnar: Hand-to-hand combat instructor. Middle aged yukhan man Ishtarin Mora: Ranged weapons and Scouting and tracking instructor. Middle aged ark elf man Students from Lana Academy Student council Jean Wallace, caecian boy, 15yo. Intermediate martial arts classes Ren Brom, caecian boy, 16yo. Intermediate martial arts classes, good aquitance Kalima, kunede girl, 15yo. Advanced martial arts classes Gamli Tzarim, dwarf boy, 17yo. Advanced martial arts classes Eliane Shane, caecian girl, 16yo. Intermediate magic classes, good aquitance Francisco Drega, caecian boy, 17yo. Intermediate magic classes, good aquitance Jane Millard, caecian girl, 18yo. Advanced magic classes Franck Dumas, caecian boy, 16yo. Intermediate society classes Bertha Schutzen, caecian girl, 17yo. Intermediate society classes Irmynn Thum, wood elven girl, 20yo. Advanced society classes, good aquitance Other students Elise Durand, caecian girl, 15yo. Intermediate magic classes, good aquitance Nicholas Bauwing, caecian boy, 15yo. Intermediate magic classes, minor antagonist Largo Hecton, caecian boy, 14yo. Intermediate magic classes, minor antagonist ****************************** AN: ...There is one guy there who is done being smug... Hope you enjoyed the battle. The next chapter is already sent for proofreading, with answers to questions you might have about the outcome of the battle. Should be posted in 15h or so. Chapter 047 - Aftermath AN: Yo, your lazy author presents you (slightly modified) chapter 47. I wanted to change around half of the chapter before, but after thinking for a bit, I decided it didn''t need a lot of changes. I just made minor adjustments, it won''t be necessary to read it again and you can skip to the next chapter (or you can just focus on the first 3 paragraphes and the last 3 ones)... PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Aenthar: ¡°... ¡­ ¡­ I can''t believe it... ¡­ I''m so ashamed... ¡­¡± Aenthar was sitting on the ground, at the edge of the training field, next to Natasha. His legs were crossed and his face was in his hands. ------- When Aenthar was about to take back his staff, Muriem had regained conciousness with a jerk. Admist her blurry vision, she saw Aenthar bend to grab his staff while Kerrina was sitting on the ground trying to get up. It all clicked in her head. As fast and silently as she could, she grabbed her halberd and launched a desperate attack. Because she was still weak, she couldn''t muster much strength in her legs and arms, and faltered. The strike aimed at his back went a lot lower than expected, going between his legs and striking his balls from behind. In a normal situation, Aenthar would have easily avoided that attack. However, once he got her down, he deemed her to no longer be a threat and stopped paying attention to her altogether to deal with Kerrina. Fighting against the 2 while using his makeshift seikuken had mentally drained him considerably. With one of them out of the picture he relaxed and stopped using mana sense, and only got concerned with Kerrina. He expected his double strike to put Muriem out of the way for a while, just like he would be after a spar with Zelfron. However, he underestimated Muriem''s recovery speed. Everybody did. Since he had put her out of his awareness, he didn''t notice her weakly attacking in his back, and thus, received this mortifying attack. His mental weariness made him drop his guard. ------- Aenthar: ''How could I make such a clich¨¦ mistake? How many animes, manga and novels did I see where people made that basic mistake? Damn it, I want to hide right now... The mighty seven element user whose martial arts prowess was on par with 2 fighters got defeated by a strike to the balls from an opponent he though he had defeated.'' ¡­ ¡°I have become too smug, haven''t I? Young overconfident me just received a good lesson...¡± Natasha: ¡°Yes, you did. The beginning was great, the battle against those 2 friends of yours was quite impressive. But the conclusion was sloppy, disappointing. Things would have been different if you had used magic attacks. Alas, you were hell bent on defeating them without it.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Well, it was too much of a good occasion to fight them to pass...¡± Natasha: ¡°If we consider only your battle against those 2, aside from the end you did a great job! But considering it was a team battle, and that you gave priority to your desires instead of the team needs, and barely used magic, you will get low grades this time.¡± Aenthar: ¡°It''s fine. It''s just the first month after all. Better make mistakes now rather than later when it counts more.¡± Natasha: ¡°Indeed.¡± Just then, Eliane Shane came next to us while wildly grinning. Eliane: ¡°The way you got taken out was quite funny! I guess it was divine retribution for punching pretty ladies in the face!¡± Natasha: ¡°... Indeed. Skewering them with pikes, punching beautiful faces. That''s not nice you know? You should be more gentle with girls!¡± Aenthar: ¡°... Ok, I''m sorry, I''ll be carefull when my opponents are women from now on. Happy?¡± Natasha and Eliane: ¡°Very¡± they said while laughing. Aenthar: ''Still... That damn Muriem... How come she damage her lover''s precious jewels? I''ll spank her later for that... Yeah, a fitting punishment for her, hehehe... Ahahahaha, Seung Mina would probably give her a thumb up for that... (See AN**) I should train on those moves... And ¡°sennen goroshi¡± as well, that would also be a good revenge on Muriem, kekeke...'' ------- When the battle started, Aenthar had used speed enhancement on both him and the swordsman of his team before dashing off towards his targets. Swordsman: ¡°... Well, at least he gave me a parting present...¡± Francisco: ''The warriors and mages are separating? It looks like he won''t need my help...'' As Aenthar and Muriem were running towards each other at high speed, the 2 mages from the opposing team were advancing as well. The swordsman was already on his way toward them, and Francisco and Aenthar''s other mage teammate followed after him. Before they could engage with their opponents, everyone''s eyes couldn''t help but be drawn towards 3 people. Both the students and the teachers couldn''t help but be amazed by the skills those young ones displayed. The lycan girl shooting arrows so accurately from behind her teammate without hurting her, and at a fast pace. The charging boy who casually deflected those shots even though he shouldn''t be able to notice when they were fired. The composure of the blond girl, who remained focused on her opponent as arrows were flying just above or next to her head from behind. ------- Only when the boy and the girl clashed did the others remember where they were and resumed their battle. The mages from the girls'' team had to deal with an enhanced swordsman and 2 mages. They used earth magic to make a serie of fortifications around them in a maze like manner and hid inside. Even if the mages could feel each other''s presence, they couldn''t see the obstacles between them. Since the mages in the mazes were protected, they unleashed an artillery barrage towards the enemy mages that were unprotected. Within their mazes, they also placed hidden pitfalls, but the swordsman was barely hindered by them thanks to his speed. The other 2 mages outside also unleashed a barrage of spells towards the enemy within the maze, slowly breaking the walls of the maze and redering some traps useless. The swordsman could guess the position of the mages by looking where the spells were aimed. When he got close enough, he made use of his speed to run on the wall and get on top of it, and went straight for them. Seeing him, Francisco and his teammate made a last heavy strike toward their opponents, and the swordsman struck them both shortly after. ------- As they were done with their opponents, they looked to the side and saw Aenthar handling the 2 girls on close combat on his own. Swordsman: ¡°The heck? That guy is stronger than me? He should have his hands full with his 7 affinities. Yet he got the time to get that strong in martial arts? Kerrina won''t notice me with him around...¡± Francsico: ¡°That guy received training from a troll, or so he said... I guess that really was the case...¡± Swordman: ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me!! An elf receiving training from a barbarian? Those guys hate each other!!!¡± Francsico: ¡°Who knows? It''s not that important anyway. The only thing that matters now is that he is good! And he is giving us a good show.¡± ------- Victoria Hallaween: ¡°So he is the one who taught little Muriem how to fight. He is sorely lacking in proper techniques just like her, but he made up for it with his high familiarity with the weapon in his hands. His attacks are wild but effective, making up for his lack of skills with great flexibility. He is well aware that a staff can be used in numerous ways, that''s good!¡± Brad Crowford: ¡°Forget about his staff mastery, the thing that should catch your attention the most is how the young lad is easily dodging the arrows while keeping his eyes on the opponent in front of him. Not once did he glance toward the lycan girl, yet it''s as if he knows what she is doing.¡± Victoria: ¡°You''re here sir? Why? Bored?¡± Brad: ¡°I wanted to see how the rumored 7 elements user would fare against the students of my department... And there he goes against 2 of them in close combat. This is quite the blow dealt to the pride of my department.¡± Then Kerrina engaged Aenthar in close range alongside Muriem. Victoria: ¡°... Wow, he is keeping up... Huhu, look at the way he is defending against the lycan girl. Ganshi would love to see that!!¡± Brad: ¡°His movements are still rough, but yes, he would like to see that. I heard he has been trying to get some time with him... That brat is mixing his staff mastery with hand-to-hand combat quite well. He certainly did train a lot.¡± Aenthar used shiraha nagashi. (AN: It''s very effective!) Victoria: ¡°THE FUCK??¡± Brad: ¡°What in Widarr''s name was that? I''ve never seen that technique before!!¡± Victoria: ¡°I''ve seen Ganshi use it once in a spar against Ulfrick 2 or 3 years ago. A technique to deflect a weapon strike and attack at the same time while barehanded. Ganshi had said that it was a high level technique few people knew about...¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Brad: ¡°Yet he performed it admirably...¡± Victoria: ¡°I want to train him.¡± Shortly after, Muriem disarmed Aenthar Victoria: ¡°Not bad... What is she doing? Eh?¡± Brad: ¡°Oh! Nicely done! He completely turned the situation around!¡± Victoria: ¡°That idiot!! I''ll punish her later...¡± As Aenthar was about to deal the finishing blow. Brad: ¡°Why isn'' t he react- UGH!!!¡± All the guys watching the match were cringing. Even those who didn''t like Aenthar. Victoria: ¡°Ow, that was nasty... Ah, she defeated him. I guess I won''t punish her. She is wasted though.¡± As Muriem defeated Aenthar, his 2 mages teammates who were spectating froze for a a few seconds. Shuddering, they silently shook their heads as they launched a small barrage of spells on the 2 dazzed girls, knocking them out. The swordman face-palmed with one hand while holding his crotch with the other. Guys: ''...I can''t believe it it ended like that...'' Natasha: ¡°STOP! It''s Francisco''s team victory!!¡± Victoria: ¡°... ...¡± Brad: ¡°... They avenged him... I guess he got overconfident in the end and dropped his guard too early. He is still young.¡± Victoria: ¡°Well, he got a good one on the girl. I should praise her for recovering so fast and saving her companion. Even if it was useless in the end...¡± Brad: ¡°Still, I wanted to see him use magic... I guess that will be for another time. Though it was luck, I''m happy he was defeated by my students. It reduce the strength of the blow to our pride.¡± Victoria: ¡°Not really, no.¡± Brad: ¡°... sigh...¡± ------- Later, on Aenthar''s side... The results of the battle weren''t that great for me, especially magic-wise. However, I left a big impression on everyone thanks to my close combat skills. Muriem was given the nickname ¡°treasure hunter¡± by the guys, while Kerrina was called ¡°the sapphire huntress¡± thanks to her pretty eyes and awesome bow skills. However, as I left the academy, I noticed some people glaring at me with a different glint in their eyes than before, and it made me unconfortable. I decided to be more careful in the future. The night after the battle I had already calmed down a lot. It no longer bothered me much that Muriem struck my nuts, as it wasn''t intentional. She had apologised enough on the way, and she said she would help me make sure it still worked well. I happily took her on that offer that night, and the 3 of us confimed everything was working just fine. Well, in the end I did spank her a bit for fun, and she didn''t seem to hate it at all. We didn''t have to hold back since for 2 days after the team battle it would be free time. With everything that happened this past month, I got quite used to the life in the capital and the academy, and I was able to alter my personal schedule to work on alchemy and smithing. After all, I did take a craftman''s house for this very reason. I wanted to make products that would catch the attention of those 2 females aquitances of mine. If they liked it, considering their families I had no doubt I would rip a nice profit. I should also make something else for my father. He already has my stinky products, but he doesn''t like to produce them. Chapter end ------------------------------ REMINDER WORLD Name of the world: Premean Moons: Sapha (silver and blue), 25 days cycle - Janus (silver and yellow), 20 days cycle Days of the week: Prerus, Secrus, Trirus, Patrus, Qotrus Months (1 month = 5 weeks): Meldia, Gandia, Nendia, Raldia (spring), Meranus, Tiranus, Doranus, Uranus (summer), Melyg, Alyg, Kilyg, Denlyg (autumn), Methor, Dalthor, Helcthor, Zonthor (winter) Continents and Races: Zanitras continent, northern hemisphere, biggest continent. From arctic to mediteranean climate. Humans: Thoreim: nords - Yukhan: asians - Kuende: blacks - Caecians: mix of the previous 3, generaly light/tanned skined. Elves: Light elves: pale white skin - Wood elves: tanned skin - Dark elves: brown skin - Night elves: light purple skin. Dwarves: no subraces. Kliavren continent, southern hemisphere, south-east of Zanitras. From moderate to arctic climate. Lycans (beast people): Hototos: canins ¨C Tulas: felins ¨C Niahms: rodents ¨C Ornats: bovidaes ¨C Honanis: primates. Skin tint goes from white to light brown. Andrellas (winged people): 2 subraces. Drywumbi continent, southern hemisphere, south-west of Zanitras. Mostly tropical and equatorial climate. Rexons (dragon people): 3 subraces. Iazecqath continent, on the equador, east of Zanitras. Mostly hot and aride Omdians (demons people): multitude of subraces. Barbarians: Goblins: re-monster style - Orc: wow style - Troll: wow style - Ogre: re-monster style. Magic: Elements of the material sphere: fire, water, earth, air Elements of the spirit sphere: body, mind, nature Elements of the divine sphere: holy, darkness Unknown element present in high quantity in monsters -The usage of magic is impossible before the magic awakening, which happens between 10 and 12 years old, only with people with magic ability. -People with magic ability can sense each other within a certain distance. People with magic ability can''t be sensed before their magic awakening. -To cast a spell you have to draw 1 (or more) element(s) from your mana pool and weave it into the right patern. People can only draw elements for hich they have an affinity. Casting a spell mixing 2 elements or more is a lot more difficult than casting a spell with a single element. Some elements have bad chemistry, making it even harder to mix them. Rankings: Crafter ranks: beginer, apprentice, disciple, expert, master, grandmaster, creator Warrior and rogue ranks: trainee, apprentice, advanced, expert, warlord, warmaster, titan Mage ranks: novice, acolyte, adept, expert, magus, archmage, avatar Adventurer and mercenary ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A (rare), S (handfull per continent), X (only 1) WARNING: adventurer and mercenary ranks are a measurement of one''s experience as an adventurer/mercenary, not a measurement of their fighting ability. It is often misunderstood. Monster and beast ranks: F, E, D, C (highest rank for beasts), B, A, S (disaster), X (cataclysm) Materials & magic crystals quality ranks: poor, low, medium, high, rare, mythique ****************************** AN: I really enjoyed myself while writing this chapter... I wonder why... :D **Number one in this funny little video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmMaQ67pdN8 For those disapointed with the ending of the fight Aenthar vs KerrinaXMuriem. I took not of your comments for th future. Chapter 048 - Alchemy is good AN: Well, hello. Your lazy author present you chapter 48 :D. Enjoy! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** I had already started to furnish the workshop with the necessary basic tools. I decided to get some rough products out using the better equipped academy facilities, then go into deeper, finer details at home. The last room on the upper floor would become my study. I should start thinking of some measures to prevent intrusions and thievery. All credits must go to me. For alchemy, I was thinking of making cosmetics and other hygiene products to attract the eyes of the nobles. After all, nobles liked their comfortable living style and high quality products, and wouldn''t hesitate to get their hands on expensive things. I also decided not to focus on just products for the body. I could try to emulate some of the maintenance products from my former world, at least as much as my skills, materials and memories would allow me to. The second use for alchemy was concerning those really valuables metals which could be commonly found in ores, but nigh impossible to extract, such as aluminium, titanium and chrome. They were quite abundant in nature, but easily mixed with other elements, thus making it hard to isolate them. Being able to produce ingots of these metals would not only bring me a lot of money, I would also be able to make better equipment and reinforce our means of transportation. As for smithing, I should refine my steel production, learn how to make more complex pieces of metal, and start work on mecanic systems. Also, I was thinking of learning how to make ceramics. They are mostly used to make recipients, covers for certain roofs, or for high quality furnaces. Ceramics can be as hard as some metals while being lighter, and there is no problem of corrodation. Used on means of transportation, it would mean less maintenance issues. Lastly, as I got to talk with several nobles and sons of merchants, I got a better idea of what games they used for entertainment, and selected some games to introduce to this world. There were some I wanted to introduce through nobles, others through merchants, and the rest through the crafting guild. All professional crafters were affiliated with the crafting guild. The majority worked for themselves, but some worked exclusively for the guild, and their products would have the crafting guild crest on them. Noble crests and guild crests act like brands, reducing copyrights issues. As such, I would sell them the posh and fancy products, fit for a man of high standing. As for the products to be sold to the merchants, they would be cheaper and simpler. For those, I wanted to use my own crest of sorts, but only after my name as a talented mage and crafter had started to spread. That would take a few months giving me some time to adapt to the games of this world. ------- During the following 4 months I managed to develop some cosmetic prototypes, and I completed 2 deodorants, 1 for males and the second for females. I tested their efficiency against odors using my stinky products. To avoid problems with people with sensitive skins, I used some ingredients from health recovery potions. Some particular leaves and flowers were used for the men''s version, and some flowers and fruits for the women version. One day, after a meeting student council meeting, I held Eliane back. Once the others were gone, I motioned to her to sit down, and I sat in front of her. Eliane: ¡°Aenthar, I like you a lot, but I''m sorry, I can''t be with a commoner. I appreciate your feelings, and I''m sure you''ll find happiness with someone else.¡± Aenthar: ¡°... Did you meet with another potential fiance lately?¡± Eliane: ¡°Yes, in a little less than 2 months it will be the mid year holiday, and my parents are thinking of having me spend some time with the family of my future husband. I can find a good man myself! Well, you commoners shouldn''t concern yourselves with noble''s problems¡± Aenthar: ¡°Right. Maybe they will listen to one of your requests if you give them something nice. I just happen to have something nice that I wanted you and your family to try.¡± Eliane: ¡°So, you commoner think you have something that will catch the interest of a noble? We can get our hands on many quality products, more than what would be available to you. I sincerely doubt you got your hands on something we can''t get on our own.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I grinned at her, then took out 2 flasks from my bag and presented it to her. She glanced at the flasks then set her eyes back to me. This time I pulled out my alchemy card and put it next to the flasks. After looking at it her eyes widened, she glanced at the flasks once again before focusing her gaze on me, her eyes very serious. My grin grew wider. Aenthar: ¡°You nobles like to be fresh and clean, especially during summer when the heat makes you pespire a lot and the ammount of body odor rises. There are enchanted items to keep the air around cool, but they aren''t very handy and a mage must be available. What I have here is something more effective and cheaper than your favored Ephamina.¡± She opened her eyes wide again. After all, Ephamina was a luxury product made by the crafter guild, and a small flask cost 15 silver coins. The best product in this field was made by the crafter guild, and their crafters are quite proud. It would have been troublesome to sell them the receipt of a product superior to theirs without being pressured into joining them, so I decided to go to a noble house first. The nobles would be proof of my talent and ability to rip profits without them. Once I try to sell something to them later they wouldn''t be arrogant. Aenthar: ¡°You can confirm its effectiveness yourself, the flask with the red ribbon is for women, and the flask with the blue ribbon is for men. The only difference between the 2 is the scent, there are some scents that are better on men and some that are better on women. Use it after cleaning yourself up in the morning, in the evening you will see the results. Take your time testing them, and if your family gets interested...¡± With that said, I took back my card, stood up and left after bidding her a good night. ------- Not everything that happened these past 4 months were nice. At the beginning of Nendia, as I was making my rounds as a member of the student council, I was attacked. More precisely, someone threw a stone at me from behind. It was at a time when there was a fair bit of people around. As I was walking, I sensed a projectile heading my way from behind and barely dodged it. My mana sense picked it up when it was already quite close. I was able to react, but it whirled quite close to my ear. When I looked behind, I saw some surprised faces, and people started to look at each others, wondering who was the one who threw the stone at me. Whoever did it did a good job at pretending to be innocent. Or maybe it was because everyone among them looked a bit scared of me. Nobody wanted to be punished for attacking me, neither the innocents nor the perpetrator. As I was intensely glaring at them, each started to plead for their innocence and non-involvment with what had happened. I had to give up this time, and left without saying anything. I could easily pick up magic attacks without concentrating, but being guarded against physical attacks all the time using mana sense would be too much for my mind. This time I barely had the time to react. If someone tried to inflict more harm than that done by a thrown stone, it could be dangerous for me. After school, I warned the girls about possible attacks on them. After all, after the team battles, it was well known that the girls and I were more than just simple acquaintances (though they still didn''t know we were lovers, else the targets on their back would have been huge). The following 2 months, there were several attempts to harm me both within and without the premise of the academy. Since it was easy for me to pick up presences within a certain range, I was always able to detect people following us or trying to ambush us in the streets of the capital. Of course, that was when Komodo wasn''t around. I started to make plans to bait them into attacking me to follow them later to their commanditor. After all, Komodo was an excellent tracker... ****************************** AN: Yep, I know, I''ve been lazy lately (and spent more time on a side project). If everything goes well, at the end of September I will have my driving license. I''m sorry for those who will cross my path... NOT!! I''m a decent driver (I still make a few mistakes, but my instructor think it will be fine) Chapter 049 - Progress and questions AN: Yo, your lazy author present you chapter 49 :D. Enjoy! Sorry for the late release. PR by Bboybrian ****************************** The day after giving Eliane the samples, she came to me at the end of the class and dragged me to the student council room. She looked a bit displeased. I was anxious because I didn''t know why she was angry, so I waited for her to explain herself. When I learned the reason of her anger I almost fell off my chair. Just like I had instructed, she used it after cleaning herself in the morning. However, she had put some on her groin area to stay fresh there as well, and it did itch for a few minutes. She was red with anger and shame when she told me about it, and my reaction didn''t make things better. The good point was that she noticed the effects at the end of the day, which was why she didn''t hit me the moment we were alone. I had completely forgotten about this little detail. After all, I did the same thing once in my previous life. However, if I didn''t read all the instructions back then, it¡¯s no surprise if people here don¡¯t bother either. I did apologize for that, and said that I didn''t think about it because people usually don''t get their noses near that place. A good thing this product wasn''t as aggressive as modern deodorants when it comes to sensitive parts. I told her that I would try to fix this, or find something to put down there, but I didn''t make any promises. I told her to relay the basics instructions to the people who would try it, and tell me what they think of it in a week or 2. Other than that I had asked Elise for information about the capitals of all the countries in Zanitras. More specifically, I wanted her to ask her merchant father. He was someone who travelled east twice per year. I wanted information about the 30 most memorable or important places from those capitals. Definitely an unusual request, but it was for the sake of making the popular game ''Monopoly''. Each country would have its own version that the people could relate to. The game would definitely be very popular with merchants and nobles Once made, I intended to sell it to the crafting guild, not here, but in the empire, the largest human country and also the second biggest trade hub in Zanitras, the first being somewhere in the south. This way, it would rapidly spread around the continent, and I would earn money faster. However, this plan would have to wait for a year. There would be the international academy competition held there, and I would obviously be one of the participants. I made little progress in smithing, but I did learn the basics of how to make ceramics. I was slowly researching on the materials used for the different ceramics, and how they were used. I bought samples for analysis to be more familiar with their properties. Of course, everything went very slowly on that end. Because I had more prior experience with alchemical products, I made faster progress there and ended up using more of my crafting time for alchemy. ------- On the magic side I made a lot of progress with water and darkness elements these past few months. That is, I can now keep up with the rest of the class. By the end of the year I will probably be among the best of the intermediate classes in those elements. And since I''m already in the top 10 for each other element, by the end of the year I''ll probably be in the general top 5 of the intermediate magic classes. Hopefully. My compound magic repertoire was developing quite well, with spells such as fire tornado (fire-air). You can achieve similar effects with just the fire element, but the mana consumption will be on a different level for a weaker power. I also learned water tornado (water-air), magma puddle (fire- earth), sand devil (air-earth), fire magic resistance (fire-body), air magic resistance(air-body), earth magic resistance(earth-body), and haste, which is an upgraded version of speed enhancement, using body and holy elements. In holy magic I also learned how to make protective wards, the magic equivalent of force fields or energy shields. Wards were quite useful, being able to defend against both physical and magical damage, but they were weak and short-lived. Once I learn to mix it with other elements I''ll be able to make stronger and more specific wards. My defensive skills will grow a lot, and I will be able to better protect my girls. ------- Kerrina and Muriem also made a lot of progress. If at the end of the first month of class I was able to handle the 2 of them, now I can barely keep up with just one of them, whether it is in armed or unarmed combat. Kerrina''s swordsmanship has become smoother, and Muriem''s skills with the halberd have greatly improved as well. Her attacks are sharper and more powerful, not because she got physically stronger, but because she made use of the proper body stances and movements. It is clear to me that by the end of the year they will beat me 8 times out of 10. Inevitably, the one who made the most progress these past 4 months was Komodo. Back in Argot, when I was infusing him with my mana, I specifically used body, earth and water elements because I wanted him to evolve and gain affinity for those elements. I also used a bit of nature magic, hoping it would help him to absorb the elements into his body. All sarren naturally have body element affinity, which they use for bursts of speed when hunting prey. (PR: I forgot, but I think ¡®sarren¡¯ is komodo¡¯s species. AN: That''s right!) I wanted him to be able to use more enhancing abilities later. As for earth and water, I choose them because we would be traveling a lot in the future, through land and sea. I wanted him to be able to use the terrain to his advantage. If the ship we''re on is done for because of a storm, we would have a higher chance to survive if Komodo is attuned to water. In case of trouble on land, he would be able to manipulate the terrain in defense and he would be able to ignore quick sands or even climb to places usually out of reach for monsters like him. He would even dig out his own way if necessary. Of course, this was my dream for him all along. After slow efforts, he did actually gain affinity to earth and water. It was obvious from the change in the color of his scales. However, I didn''t know if he had gained nature affinity. Since then, I''ve been trying to teach him some water and earth spells. He learned water ball, water wall, rock throw, earth spike and earth wall. As for body magic, I also taught him strength enhancement. Somehow I made him learn the spells by casting them endlessly, with me doing exaggerated arm gestures that probably helped. In the end, he learned those 6 spells, and could cast them whenever the girls or I gave the command. I got the impression that I was training a Pok¨¦mon from time to time, just that this one isn''t limited to 4 skills. (PR: For those who don¡¯t know Pok¨¦mon, your childhood is lacking.) Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ------- Concerning history and geography classes, I''ve learned something that troubled me a bit. It was thanks to the lessons I received from Kerrina and Muriem on Zanitras history and geography. In our world, humanity is said to have seen the light in Africa, evolving from another life form, and from there, spread through the world. It seems to have been different here. History here is a lot less accurate than the history on earth, but by putting the little bit of information I got, it looks like humans appeared simultaneously on 3 different parts of Zanitras. The Thoreim in the north, the Yukhan in the east and the Kuende in the south. When the 3 races met at the center of the continent , they gave birth to the Caecians. However, for the other races, it looks like they went through a path similar to humanity in my former world. All elvish sub-races seem to stem from a single race that they call the elder elves, who originated in the light elves kingdom. The other races also originated from a root version, and spread through their lands while evolving into different subspecies. The exception was the dwarves, who do not have any sub-races. But that wasn''t the only surprising thing that I found out. It also looks like all races came into existence around the same period of time. How all the intelligent races in this world come into existence at the same time, and why the others races have a single origin while humanity has 3 different ones, were questions which I was worried about. In my previous world, many races appeared around the same time only after a dramatic change in the environment, but only 1 species on the land evolved and gained enough intelligence to become what is known today as humans, a race that makes all kind of objects and tools, and even created a big civilization. Even though some species of monkeys are smart, they don''t achieve the level of humans. Yet in this world, it happened on all continents at the same time, and more than once per continent, except for the rexons, who were the only intelligent species originating from Drywumbi. It looks like all intelligent races were created by something else, and I''ve been wondering if, maybe, the gods really did exist in this world. There were a lot of stories where there were gods in worlds with magic. But I didn''t believe in gods in my previous life, and neither would I start believing just because of a potential theory. And now I''m faced with the possibility that in the world I''m currently living, there may be more than 1 god in existence. God: A being of immeasurable power, capable of incredible feats of creations and destructions, a being on a completely different level of existence, nearly unreachable. I died due to a meteor strike, but the meteor wasn''t an ordinary one. Did one of those beings do this? If not, are any of these beings aware of my unexpected presence in their world? I hadn''t heard of people blessed or cursed by the gods, and I hadn''t heard of any kind of oracles or revelations given by the gods to the mortals. I hadn''t heard of anything that could compel me to believe in the existence of the gods in this world. Yet, due to history and geography lessons, I started to acknowledge the possibility of their existence. Thinking about it, when I learned about the gods from Ellis the priest back in Argot, I found it strange that all races on the different continents had the same primary gods. And also, the humans are the only race to have a patron god for each subspecies instead of one for the whole species. For someone like me, it was a mind-blowing possibility. In many fantasy works, gods have restrictions when interacting with the mortal plane, in others they have more freedom in that regard. In some works they can die by the hand of a mortal. In some works they are almost completely omniscient, while in others they are not. Some are responsible, while other are bored, sadistic or immature. If the gods exists in this world, what kind of gods are they? I''m not sure I want to know the answer. I had considered praying in a temple to see what would come out of it, but if the gods aren''t aware of my particular existence, then it might be better not to. I already didn''t like the idea of fate in my previous world, and the idea that the gods could mess with my life isn''t appealing either. I will have to make some research on the gods and the religions of this world. ------------------------------ REMINDER GODS Greater gods (all races): Great Mother Zeldia, goddess of creation and time Icthorus, god of fire and light Voldyr, god of seas and water Eyjilee, goddess of wind and storms Xiana, goddess of land Aerytihor, god of life Lygtihor, goddess of death Patron gods: Ungaardt, patron god of the thoreims Akima, patron goddess of the yukhans Genessa, patron goddess of of the kuendes Kaizer, patron god of the caecias Ildilyntra, patron goddess of the elves Thorendorg, patron god of the dwarves Lucianos, patron god of the lycans Xathanael, patron goddess of the andrellas Shorolt, patron god of the rexons Whalazach, patron god of the omdians Ustengart, patron god of the barbarians ****************************** AN: Since I''ve been deviating from what little things I had planned when I started the story for a while, and since my world building was still incomplete, I''ve been having a harder time writing chapters. Always had a vague idea, but not the right foundations to put it into words. That''s why the number of chapters per week decreased over time. And my latest side project also distracted me. I''ll try to get at least 1 chapter per week (and try to focus more on Aenthar''s world building rather than my latest side project :P. If I achieve that, I will be able to write at least 2 chapters per week). Chapter 050 - Shaking confidence AN: Hello, your lazy author presents you with chapter 50 :D. Enjoy! It''s been a little while, been a bit busy, and my side projects were easier to work on :P . PR by Bboybrian ****************************** 3 weeks after giving Eliane the samples, she told me that her parents were very satisfied with the products, and that they would like to meet me to discuss an agreement. So it was decided that the girls and I would accompany Eliane back to her house at the start of the mid-year break and stay there for a few days. I had originally planned to focus on crafting and homework during that break, but business comes first. As for Muriem and Kerrina, aside from studying, they would share their time between taking requests at the adventurer guild and improving their own crafting. They wished to reach disciple rank in tailoring and leatherworking before graduating from the academy. They knew they weren''t as good as me, and considering the school work, they gave themselves more time to reach that stage. ------- It was a Qotrus afternoon, and I was taking a stroll in the forest with Kerrina, Muriem and Komodo. It was mostly for the sake of the nature lovers that were Kerrina and Komodo, it would always raise their mood. Each time, Komodo would try to venture to new places, and we would follow him. There were no dangerous beasts or monsters in the area, at least not for us. We took a break at a small stream, and the girls took of their boots and went in the water to refresh their feet. Kerrina: ¡°You really are something.¡± she said while looking at me with a slightly anxious expression on her face. Aenthar: ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kerrina: ¡°You''re incredible. Ever since we were kids, you''ve always been. Me, the other children of Argot, my brother. We all had dreams and ideas about our future, but they were still just children''s fantasies. But not you.¡± Muriem: ¡°That''s right. You''re always looking ahead, always looking into the future. You''ve always been making plans for what you wanted to do and what you would need to do it.¡± Kerrina: ¡°From what I heard since coming here, it isn''t that rare to see young children seriously planning for their future. What is incredible is the things you planned and made. Using alchemy, you made entirely new products or greatly improved existing ones. Using blacksmithing, you created a new system of suspension. Those things happen to be really usefull for us, and will be for our travel.¡± Kerrina: ¡°I always wonder, where do you get the inspiration, the ideas for the things you make? You''re doing things only a great mind could do. What you''re doing will definitly have an influence on many fields, not just a single one or two like it was the case for the people of the past hailed as geniuses. And next to you, sometimes I feel so... small...¡± Muriem: ¡°... Yeah, I get that feeling too. Sometimes I feel useless. We wouldn''t be here without you, and even with that there are still plenty of people better than us. At least Kerrina has some serious skill with the bow, but I on the other hand... I was praised for my use of unusual martial arts, but even this came from Aenthar. Sometimes I feel like the only good thing I have is my ass...¡± With that last senstence Kerrina and I couldn''t help but smile, albeit wryly. It didn''t lighten the mood though. Kerrina: ¡°Are we really worthy to be by your side? Won''t you lose your interest in us for women more capable than us? We''ve been putting a lot of efforts in our betterment, but it feels like we''re still so far away. You do seem to get along well with that noble girl from the student council, with whom you got an agreement for your new product. And many more girls have got their eyes on you, you know?" Muriem: ¡°You''re not the only one having to deal with jealous people. There are many girls in our classes who are jealous of our closeness to you. Some in the martial arts department have started to be more active, seeing us as their rivals and dead set on surpassing us to prove their worth to you, to take our places." Kerrina: "Some of better birth like to point out our lower social status compared to themselves. Im sure they would be more useful than us for your plans to travel around and sell your products. They already have money and connections after all.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Aenthar: ¡°...¡± Right. They feel overshadowed by me. Besides, it is no longer Argot, where they were the best among the girls, the strongest and the smartest. They are now in the capital of a kingdom, in an acdemy that nutures only the most skilled people. I''ve read and watched stories about people that feel overshadowed by a friend or a sibling. It can be really painful for them, they feel left behind, slowly losing their self confidence, lowering their self esteem. It can slowly but surely lead to ressentment or worse, despair. I can cheer them up, but it would only be a temporary solution at best. They need to achieve something significant to regain their self confidence. In the novels I''ve read with a genius main character, the harem members tend to just think ¡°He is so good¡±, ¡°as expected of him¡±, ¡°I just have to support him to the best of my abilities¡±, or the rivalry/jealousy is just between the girls, one feeling left out compared to the others. It''s different when the girl feels like that towards her lover. What to do when you shine too much in front of your girls? They knowing that you will shine even brighter in the future? They may be happy for me, but not enough for themselves. I''ll have to think about it seriously and resolve it before leaving to explore the world. I went into the stream and slowly embraced them. Aenthar: ¡°Girls, you think you are lacking? We are all lacking, even me. That''s why we came to the academy. To get better! 4 months ago I would whip your asses in close combat, now you are keeping up with me. Do not look at what you can do now, as this is just the beginning of your improvement." Aenthar: "Imagine how much better you would be when we leave the academy, how much you would have learned. Besides, even if I can do many things, I''m just one man, even I need help and support. And for me, you are the best support I could have, more than any other girl, if you leave me I would be lost.¡± After a precious moment of heartwarming embrace... Muriem: ¡°Since you would need a lot of support in the future, I''ve been wondering. How many lovers do you intend to have in the end?¡± Aenthar: ¡°... That''s quite the difficult question you''re asking there...¡± Kerrina: ¡°I''m curious as well. Tell us!¡± Aenthar: ¡°Zanitras, Kliavren, Drywumbi, Lazecqath. We''re bond to meet a very high number of people while traveling around the world. I hope to settle down with no more than 5 lovers in the end.¡± Muriem: ¡°Oh. And here I thought you wanted to get a girl from each race when you started to list the continents.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Nah! With 5 lovers I''ve got 1 for each night of the week!¡± Though Muriem got amused by my joke, Kerrina did not and squeezed my dick in retaliation. But it didn''t have the expected result. Kerrina: ¡°... What''s with that reaction?¡± Aenthar: ¡°... You girls are just that special to me. A simple touch from you can do wonders.¡± ''No, seriously, if one of you touch me down there I can''t help myself!'' Muriem: ¡°We''ve never done it outdoors before, let''s run wild!!¡± Kerrina: ¡°You, really...¡± With that said, Muriem and I started to take off our clothes, followed a little later by Kerrina. For the first time since we''ve been together, we had sex outdoors. I usually am the one in control, but this time they were the huntresses and I was the prey. A very willing prey. I guess it was also a way for them to reassure themselves of their importance to me, especially after that depressing conversation. I would never have known how much Kerrina loved sex in the wilderness if not for our outdoors shag. ''Truly a child of nature'', I sighed inwardly, thinking about how much more feisty and enjoyable our travels together would be. ****************************** AN: Trying to give more depth to the girls, hoping I''m not doing badly I wanted to put a pun at the end of the chapter with "relieved" and "fulfilled" and asked Bboy''s opinion, he shot the idea down... ha ha ha hi hou haa, I though my jokes were bad, but not that much... (T_T) I screwed my driving license test on the 21, and the next opportunity to pass the test was supposed to be in december... My instructor called me today, a place opened up for this Thursday. Luck is with me!!! Chapter 051 - Toward Barnass AN: Happy New Year!!! Your lazy (and distracted :P) author presents chapter 51. Enjoy! Yes, I know, it''s been a while, life + new distractions (*blush in shame, but just for a second) PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Since it''s been a little while, let''s start with a short summary (I had to read back a few previous chapters to avoid mistakes while writing this one. If even I, the author, forgot some details about my own story and characters, what about the readers?): Aenthar is a reincarnated guy born in Argot village, a small village at the border of Tristam kindom surrounded by wild unclaimed lands known as Frontier. His father is a human (caecian) alchemist and his mother is a dark elf hunter. He learned alchemy from his father, and archery, hunting and leatherworking from his mother. His goals in his new life are to firstly explore this new unknown world, and secondly use his previous life knowledge to improve and create new things. Also, make a harem, because he didn''t get much action in his previous life. During his childhood in Argot village he also learned blacksmithing, hand-to-hand combat, staff wielding, and some magic. He was born with a large mana pool and affinity to all elements. He had his magic awakening earlier than normal due to his body maturing faster than normal (he looks 3 years older than he really is). He worked a lot on his mana sense and magic manipulation, while refraining from doing too many experiments. His childhood friend Kerrina, who is a year older than him, is a lycan hototo, good with cooking, archery, hunting, and tailoring. Muriem is an orphan, 4 years older than him, whose parents were murdered during a bandit attack on their village. Luckily, she was rescued by Aenthar and his father when they stopped there during a trip, and has been living with his family since then. She was initiallly a farmer, but eventually learned hunting, archery, leather working, staff wielding and hand-to-hand combat to support Aenthar. Both girls are in love with Aenthar and have decided to stick with him for life (how sweet :D). While being raised in Argot village, Aenthar captured and tamed a serran (big lizard) which he called Komodo. He reached disciple rank (professional level) in both blacksmithing and alchemy. When he turned 12, he left with the girls to further their training and education in Lana academy, situated in the capital of Tristam kingdom, Tristam City. He and the girls got excellent grades at the entrance exam (Aenthar got a scholarship), and aside from their specialised fields, took complementary classes so they could have a lighter timetable. Poor Aenthar had a lot to learn in controlling all the elements, and even joined the student council, giving him more work. Currently, it''s been 6 months since they got into the academy. The girls have improved their combat abilities, Aenthar has learned new spells and improved his understanding of magic, he also improved a bit in his craftmanship (mostly alchemy). He gave his noble friend samples of a cosmetic in hope of getting her family interested enough to buy the recipe from him. Success. -------------------------------------------------- The eighth month of every year is a holiday. The academy dorms, restaurant, training grounds and the library are still open during that time, but the rest of the facilities are closed to the students. At the end of Doranus (seventh month), the mid-year ranking was posted in the main buildings of each departments, classed by subject and level. Only the top 10 students were shown on the rankings. In the intermediate magic classes I got first place in both fire and wind magic, and third place in body magic. I got seventh place in earth magic, ranking below my fellows from the student council, Ren Brom and Irmynn Thum, and ninth place in holy magic. I also got first place in beginners compound magic and beginner''s alchemy classes, but I wasn''t ranked for the other magic classes. In the society department, I got first place in intermediate arythmetics and intermediate geometry. That wasn''t a surprise considering my past life. As for premean history and premean geography, I only wanted to learn the essential and didn''t bother much with the details. They are subjects that require memorisation. I didn''t have trouble remembering things because my brain got good at storing information, but I also didn''t put a lot of efforts into the finer parts of the subject, so I got 8th and 9th place. As I stood in front of the ranking boards, I could feel the other students glancing, staring or glaring at me, or hear them whispering things about me. Random noble student boy 1: ¡°... Hey, why do I see his name everywhere on the board?¡± Random commoner student girl: ¡°As expected from the genius with 7 affinities!!¡± Random commoner student boy 1: ¡°Even with 7 affinities, to be in the ranking for so many subjects...¡± Random commoner student boy 2: ¡°Look, he''s good even in subjects from the society department!¡± Random noble student boy 2: ¡°That''s too much for a single person to achieve, I bet he cheated for those subjects.¡± Random noble student boy 3: ¡°I don''t think so! After all, he already got excellent grades at the entrance exam.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Random commoner student boy 2: ¡°I heard he already reached disciple rank in alchemy. The teacher doesn''t even bother checking his concoctions when the class must make something.¡± Random commoner student girl : ¡°Thinking about alchemy class, I heard the first time they had to work in groups there was a big argument because everyone wanted to be paired with him. Was that true?¡± Random commoner student boy 1: ¡°Yes. Though the girls were quite fierce at that time, it was seriously scary.¡± Random noble student girl 1: ¡°Did you say something?¡± Random commoner student boy 1: ¡°No, nothing, I''m sorry.¡± Other student boys: ¡°...¡± Random noble student guy 3: ¡°Tch. No wonder he has those 2 pretty girls near him. He even gets along well with the daughter of Count Shane.¡± Random noble student boy 2: ¡°He is just a commoner, girls of superior bloodline shouldn''t bother with him.¡± Random noble student girl 2: ¡°Whine all you want, you can''t deny that he is skilled. He''s given us proof every month. Show you''re better than him before criticising him.¡± ------- After listening to the gossip for a bit, I turned my attention toward the board for the martial department. Kerrina got first place in intermediate markmanship, however it was a close battle with the second and third place. Still, I was impressed, and it must have showed on my face because she sent a smug and proud look my way. I could only smile wryly at that, and Muriem gave her a fleeting jealous glance. In hand-to-hand combat she was ranked 10th, but she was unranked for the sword & dagger course. Muriem wasn''t ranked anywhere except in the hand-to-hand combat course at the 4th place. In the subjects from the society department they didn''t appear in the rankings for history and geography, but they got 4thplace in astronomy for Kerrina and 9th place in music and dance for Muriem. Though those 2 class didn''t have more than 15 students, so nobody really cared about them. Aside from Muriem. That girl always liked music. Back in Argot, during festivities she would always pull me to dance with her. Back in my previous life I was the kind of guy who would heartily dance only when nobody was around. I avoided night club because my dancing was poor. My family and friends made fun of me a whole lot. Thnakfully not enough to eriously hurt me, but enough for me to understand that I shouldn''t try dancing in public. When I do, I barely move my feet and shoulders, just enough not to attract attention. Muriem is quite passionate about music, whether it be singing, dancing, or playing the lute. Yes, she started learning how to play the lute, and quite diligently as well. She also started to use khilas, some kind of castanets, alongside dancing. She kinda reminds me of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame when she dances while using them. It is not rare to see the 2 of us performing a piece for 2 with Kerrina as our only spectator. But even if it''s just the 3 of us during those time, we are quite happy. ------- After taking care of our business with the academy, we went home and made preparations for our trip. The 3 of us are going with Eliane to her parents house north of Tristam City. It takes 3 days to go there, we will stay 3 days there, then we will come back. Eliane''s parents have invited their own alchemist so I could give him the recipe of the cosmetic I made. While the girls are preparing the luggages, I''m putting back our custom chariot in one piece. Eliane proposed to rent a carriage for us, but I declined. Our chariot was more comfortable than what was currently available in th world. The next day we met up with Eliane outside of the city. She had her own chariot with 5 escorts and a maid. After greeting each other, we headed towards Barnass, the town in which Eliane''s family lived. We travelled in simple formation, 2 men at the front, followed by Eliane''s carriage, our chariot and 2 men behind. There was a small village in between where we would make a short stop. We had to camp for the first night. While the maid was preparing the meal and the men guarding the area, the girls chatted with each other while I was playing my viol, barely listening to them. Eliane, Muriem and Kerrina didn''t have much occasion to interact so they were eager to know each other better. In Kerrina and Muriem''s case, it was most likely because I was on friendly terms with her, and they were probably wondering if she was a potential lover for me. As for Eliane, I never told her clearly what was my relationship with them, and like any girl her age, she was quite curious. Thankfully, Kerrina and Muriem were already warned about her way of speaking so they wouldn''t be miffed about it. It was a nice evening, though I got embarrassed listening to some of the things they said. ****************************** AN: Next update in about 10 days. This story needs more dialogs to bring more life to the characters (they are still a bit dull), but I''m still not that good with them... And I need less "tell" and more "show". Telling things is so much easier! Habits are hard to shake of... Chapter 052 - Shane House AN: Been a while? Well, yeah. The release speed dropped quite a bit... This lazy author present you chapter 52. Enjoy :D !! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** The rest of the trip to Barnass was calm, at least on the surface. There was a lot of tension between the girls. Not the hostile kind of tension. No, it was the ¡°forbidden¡± kind of tension. Muriem had already told Eliane about us having sex. She was greatly shocked by the news. However, she couldn''t help but be curious about the deed as well, so she asked Muriem and Kerrina more details about what we did. They told her about our first time. When Kerrina told her how I set the mood for the night, she looked at me with a mix of admiration, embarrassement and a bit of envy. I could only smile wryly at that. I knew that the girls would wish to have a memorable first time. Since Eliane was a noble, her marriage would most likely be an arranged one rather than one born of love. So I guessed she would be quite anxious about her first time, and also envious about my relationship with the girls. They told her about how I attacked Muriem in the kitchen to eat her. At that time she was cooking while humming and moving her hips in rhythm. I just couldn''t stay calm seeing that gorgeous ass shaking in my vew. I just went and pushed her, making her bend forward, and lifted her dress. I was pressing and rubbing my hard member between her buttcheeks while my hands attacked her breasts and crotch. It didn''t take long to get her ready, and I plowed her field like a beast from behind. I had let my lust explode, and she completely accepted me. We were very loud, our moans and groans filling the ground floor, along with the slapping sounds of our bodies colliding with each of my thrusts. We went at it like animals, drowning in the wild pleasure, forgetting the meal preparation and ruining it with our juices. Unfortunately, Kerrina scolded us and made us skip dinner and breakfast. Or also about how I decided to help Kerrina thoroughly clean herself in the bath. It was after a sparring session with her, and her sweat was sticking to her beautiful breasts, so I couldn''t help but becoming spirited. I just placed my hard member between her breasts without warning. She was reluctant but I didn''t take no for an answer. She used both her breasts and her tongue. When it comes to using her mouth she was better than Muriem. After that I took her in the missionary position and didn''t pull out before being completely empty, despite the fact that we had just finished a training session and should have already been quite exhausted. We were really worn out afer that. At that time, Muriem was working in the crafting room. Later she sulked because we left her out, working alone, while the 2 of us were having fun. Eliane and her maid listened to the stories with great focus and interest. Because of that, Eliane would keep a small distance between us, often blushing when meeting my eyes or looking at me from the corner of her eyes. Her gaze even traveled toward my groin from time to time, then toward hers, probably wondering how it would be to have something like that in her. Though there was curiosity and envy in her eyes, there was no lust. It wasn''t the same for the maid, I was certain she wanted a piece of me. I realised then, that this girl would be a friend for life and not fall for me. I was happy about that, because in my previous life, I never had a female friend with whom there wasn''t some kind some kind of attraction, either from my side or the other. Not like I had many to begin with. There was nothing awkward like that between Eliane and me, and because of that, I enjoyed the rest of the trip more than I would have otherwise. ------- Barnass was a rather big town, a transition point between 2 territories of Tristam kingdom, thus the traffic was rather large there. According to Eliane, most of the town income came from trade and crafting. The surrounding lands weren''t that fertile, so farming wasn''t developped in the area. There wasn''t much hunting ground either, nor many monsters. But because Barnass focused on trade, most of the danger came in the form of thieves and brigands. Though a lot of effort was put in public security, I told the girls not to let their guard down. I guessed that count Shane would have done a bit of cleaning before the return of her daughter, but I didn''t want to be sorry. We reached the Shane family estate in the middle of the afternoon. It was at the edge of the noble district, near the eastern edge of the town. The villa was 3 stories high, with white walls and a red roof. I led the girls with Eliane and her maid and went to park our cart to he stables. I left Komodo in the care of a servant after giving a few instructions. Then I went back to the girls and we entered the mansion. A middle aged man with a trimmed mustache came to us, accompanied by a maid. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Butler: ¡°Welcome back lady Eliane. It''s good to see you well.¡± Eliane: ¡°I''m back Nestor, thanks.¡± Nestor: ¡°So you are the guests we have been expecting. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nestor, I''m the butler serving lord Shane and his family, and the one in charge of the maids and servants. This young lady to my side will take care of you during the lengh of your stay with us.¡± Aenthar: ¡°My name is Aenthar, and these are Muriem and Kerrina. Thank you in advance for taking care of us.¡± Eliane: ¡°Are father and mother home?¡± Nestor: ¡°No, but they should be back for dinner. Your friends will be able to meet them then.¡± Eliane: ¡°Is that so. Well Aenthar, Kerrina, Muriem, I will leave you for now. I''ll see you in the evening.¡± Aenthar: ¡°See you later.¡± The maid took us to 2 rooms, 1 for me and the other for the girls. Because we were in a noble house, I thought it would be better to sleep in a room separate from my lovers. I didn''t think it would look appropriate in the eyes of count Shane if 3 young people of different gender spent the night in the same room. Until called for dinner, I decided that we should stay in our respective rooms. In the evening we were led to the drawing room, where I finally met with count and countess Shane. I had bought appropriate clothes for us to appear in front of nobility, just to make a good first impression. Count Shane had short black hairs that were turning grey, with piercing blue eyes, and a strong jaw. He was around 175cm tall, but didn''t seem athletic. I could feel his magic power, but it was average. Countess Shane was a charming woman with a well shaped body, hourglass figure and good sex appeal. I found her quite attractive, she had the lure of a mature woman. Count Shane: ¡°You must be Aenthar. It''s a pleasure to meet you. I''m count Denis Shane, and this is my wife, countess Marissa Shane.¡± Marissa Shane: ¡°It''s a pleasure to have someone as talented as you as our guest. I''m happy that my daughter was able to make a friend such as you.¡± When the countess mentioned my relaionship with her daughter, her gaze was calculating, with a mix of hope and anxiousness. I guess she was either worried I would grow to close to Eliane, or on the contrary, not grow close enough to her. To which extend, I couldn''t tell. It looked like the father was more interested in the commercial deal, while the mother was worried about personal relationship instead. Aenthar: ¡°The pleasure is mine. Also, I received help from your daughter on a few occasions at the academy, I''m rather thankful for that.¡± Eliane did indeed help me deal with some of the rash individuals that tried to cause trouble for me. Ren, Francisco and Irmynn also provided some support, but not as much as Eliane. Aenthar: ¡°The 2 girls behind me are my close friends, Kerrina and Muriem. We grew up together.¡± Count Shane: ¡°A pleasure to meet you, young ladies. I have heard a lot about you. Not only from my daughter, but also from aquitances from the capital. The first 7 elemental mage to appear after several centuries, and highly skilled at using them too. There is a bright future ahead of you.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Thank you for the praise. Of course, I''m aware I''m still at the beginning of the road. That was the reason why my friends and I came to Lana Academy. To improve ourselves for a better tomorrow. It is also thanks to what I learned there that I was able to develop the product I showed to Eliane.¡± Marissa Shane: ¡°A fine product indeed, very effective and refreshing. There is nothing on par with it in this part of Zanitras. I doubt there is in any other place of the continent.¡± Count Shane: ¡°Thats right. That product of yours has piqued my interest, but we will have time to talk about it later. Dinner is about to be served, and you just came out of a 3 days trip. You should relax for today.¡± With that, we went to eat dinner while doing some small talk. But that small talk was probing my real abilities and long time goals. I didn''t hide the fact that I wanted to see the whole world before settling down and focusing on crafting. It wasn''t intentional, but I also hinted that I had some interesting projects in mind. They may have thought about it on their own, and I subtly gave them a confirmation. It was good in a sense, but I also didn''t want them to try and monopolise me. Knowing that I had something else prepared would make them try to tie me down with them somehow. I got worried about it after the dinner, but decided to put it aside because they wouldn''t act without preparations, and that would give me some time to think up some excuses. ****************************** AN: ¡­ Now I should be able to make 2 chapters per month. But I won''t promise anything. I''ll try to write at least 1 per month. Chapter 053 - Eden Essence AN: Good day to you! Your lazy author present you chapter 53. Enjoy :D! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** Before going to sleep, I went to see Muriem and Kerrina. There was something on my mind since the first night of the trip. Now that we had settled down I couldn''t contain my curiosity. Aenthar: ¡°... Hey, it was nice to see you girls getting along with Eliane, but did you really have to talk about our private time? She and her maid gave me strange looks because of that.¡± Looking proud, Kerrina said, ¡°I wanted to boast about our closeness with you.¡± Muriem: ¡°Most girls around our age at the academy haven''t had their first time yet. They are inexperienced and embarrassed about that kind of topic. Her reaction was so fun!! It was also fun to be teaching a noble girl about sex. She was more curious about it than I expected. I thought she would be outraged and would ask to stop the topic. But instead, she kept asking for details while eagerly listening to us, like a good student!!¡± Kerrina: ¡°Besides, having a noble be envious of you is nice, since it''s usually the other way around.¡± One of them wanted to have some fun, while the other wanted to feel better, or superior. Either way, both of them were being smug about their advantage over Eliane. I thought that, maybe, it was also to boost their own self-confidence. They had started to be anxious about their own capabilities after all. My thoughts were interrupted by mischief making girl. Muriem: ¡°Hey. Do you think that... maybe...she is playing with herself right now?¡± Kerrina: ¡°... Not sure about Eliane, but her maid...¡± I couldn''t help but laugh a little. I believed Eliane would try to stay a proper lady, but imagining her trying to pleasure herself for the first time was funny. My first time masturbating was awkward, I laughed remembering my reactions. As for the maid, I got a little excited because she wasn''t outside of my strike zone and I was sure she would think about me while doing it. Kerrina and Muriem, I felt that, in the future, they will enjoy teasing Eliane or messing around with her. After chatting for a bit with them, I kissed them and went back to my room to sleep. It was good to sleep in a bed made for nobles. It was more comfortable than our own. I made a mental note to try and develop better mattresses and pillows later. The next day, I was called to count Shane''s study after breakfast to talk about business. There was tension in the room, but luckily I couldn¡¯t sense any hostility. It was the excitement type of tension. After all, we were about to talk about a product that would earn a lot of gold. Count Shane wanted to get the maximum benefits from it. And I intended to get maximum profits from it as well. Count Shane wanted me to sell the recipe for a single large sum, but I, on the other hand, wanted a significant part of the earnings. We were both using a kind of intimidating pressure, realizing that the other had a decent amount of greed. (AN: I''m not a fan of business transactions, so f*ck the details and the dialogs that go with it!!) I made a very effective deodorant compared to the standards of this world. I even made 2 types, one for men and the other for women. And they both smell good. They are peerless products, and I wanted to sell the recipe in exchange for a percentage of the monthly benefits. I even suggested 2 different shapes for the vials for better visuals. Moreover, the materials were easy to gather and not expensive compared to the quality of the final product. The production costs would be minimal, the profits would be incredible. After discussing about it for several minutes, it was decided that I would get 30% of the monthly profits. With the amount of trade in Barnass and the close proximity with the capital, the product would spread fast and sell well. The contract was swiftly completed, and the deodorant was named Eden Essence. How did it come to be named? I first wanted to mix my name with theirs but I didn''t like the result, then I tried to use Eliane in some way, as a form of tribute to my friend, but I wasn''t satisfied. Eventually I tried to mix Eliane and Denis and got Eden, which sounded quite nice. ¡®Why not?¡¯ I asked myself, and hence the first ¡°modern¡± deodorant for both men and women was named after the paradise of the first 2 humans. Eden Essence, developed by the 7 elements mage Aenthar, in collaboration with Shane House. That kind of news would spread among the nobles of the kingdom and even beyond before the end of holiday. I would make a ton of money and my next product would be a quick hit as well. Until that time, I could take my pick from several other nobles¡¯ houses to sell them more of my products. The fact that many would have an interest in me would also protect me in some way. They wouldn''t want something to happen to the talented youth that could bring them benefits. And it wasn''t like I needed to give an exclusive contract to a noble house. I could sell the basic ideas to several nobles and watch them compete while I count the money. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I spent the afternoon teaching the fabrication method to the alchemist Count Shane had prepared. He had meticulously prepared a place for the production of Eden Essence. It would be bad for business if it the recipe was leaked, so the facility was at a corner of the estate, where it could more easily be protected and managed. I had to be very precise because when I made them by myself I used my mana sense. I could more easily monitor the different chemical reactions. The others alchemists didn''t have that advantage and couldn''t make something as good as mine, so I made strict guidelines so the end result would be as close to mine as possible. ------- The girls on the other hand spent their afternoon together. I didn''t want to think too much about what they had been talking about. They also did some shopping and bought some clothes. Though I often read about how some guys didn''t want to buy clothes with girls, I on the other hand liked to see Muriem and Kerrina try out different costumes. Maybe I had a secret thing for cosplay, as my thoughts would drift to various sexy outfits for the girls once in a while. That would definitely come later, as I started to prepare some during the little spare time I had, especially nightwear and underwear. My healthy teenage body was having more influence on my thought process than I expected. I didn''t mind though, having fun with girls was one of the 3 things I wanted the most for my new life. Thinking about the clothes, I thought that I would have to make my own company. The design may be easily copied, but no one would be able to reproduce the quality of the material I would use, because no one would be able to recreate the said material or recreate the tempering process. I would hire slaves for that, and have some of them be my test subjects for the clothes, or be my eye candy for the sexy outfits. That knight, Eliane''s parents were invited somewhere else, so dinner was spent with just Eliane, Kerrina and Muriem. This time, Eliane talked a bit more about herself, about the lessons she had to take as a proper lady, and complaining about the potential marriage partners she had to meet. She said she wished she could find someone half as capable as me, which made me happy. It was an honest compliment without hidden meanings, and I unexpectedly blushed. Eliane laughed at my embarrassment because it was something rare for me. Muriem had a wry smile, but Kerrina had a cold gaze despite the slight smile on her face. I got a bit of cold sweat run on my back when I saw her gaze. She was getting really jealous. ------- It was already late in the night. Everyone had gone to their respective rooms long ago. Yet, I woke up as I felt someone sneak into my room. Aenthar: ¡°What are you doing here this late, forest princess?¡± Kerrina came in my room and walked toward me without answering. I could see hints of anger and anxiousness in her eyes. When she got close she hesitated for a second. But I just pulled her in my arms. Aenthar: ¡°Come here. You''re my precious and beautiful love, you know. Soft and sweet like a tukana flower, soothing like a mountain breeze, and as captivating as the stars in the sky.¡± She hugged me back tightly, burying her face in my neck. I lay down on my back, still holding onto her. She didn''t release me, but her hold lessened a bit. We stayed like that in silence, as I stroked her hairs and fury ears. Before I knew it, she was already asleep, with her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. This beautiful brown haired girl wouldn¡¯t easily accept additional lovers for me. I guess it was natural that she would be especially cautious of those who were better off than her. Maybe it''s because this time she saw me being close to a noble. Maybe her resistance wouldn''t be as strong with commoners. I couldn''t really tell for the time being, but I reckoned it would be fine in the future. I believed it was the first time she had gotten really jealous about someone, and didn''t understand it that well herself, or maybe she was surprised by her own emotions. Since she was finally in deep sleep, I slowly and carefully carried her back to Muriem''s room, placed her on the bed, and gently covered her with a blanket. Both girls stirred a little, but didn''t wake. I made my way back to my room, grateful that there wasn¡¯t anybody else awake in the area. If words got to Eliane''s parents I didn''t want to imagine how they would look at me. ****************************** AN: Thinking of raising the pace of the story a little... Chapter 054 - Ambush AN: Yo! Your lazy author present you chapter 54. Enjoy :D! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** The last day of our stay at the Shane house passed without anything notable happening. I reviewed the work of the alchemists to make sure they got everything right, then spent a few hours with the girls in town. In the evening, after dinner, I played a bit of violin for the Shane family. I ended my performance by singing ¡°Because you loved me¡± from Celine Dion, along with Muriem. It brough both parents and daughter to tears. One day, while reminiscing about things from my previous life, this song came to my mind. It had won an award, and I had loved it very much. I decided I would sing this to my parents for new year. Since there was a holiday at the end of the year, we would be going back to Argot. I wanted to sing it with the girls for all those people who took care of us. Surprisingly, Kerrina, who prefered to be on the listening side, joined the practice. I guessed that after hearing the song she felt the need to sing for her parents. That song had a great effect on Eliane, Denis and Marissa. In fact, I even got irritated at myself for forgetting to sing it to our own folks at Argot first. I really wanted to sing something for the Shanes, but with a boy in their house I didn''t want to sing a love song for lovers. I thought one about family would be nice, and coincidentaly I had stated singing this one with the girls at home. Well, the song had an effect on Kerrina and Muriem as well, as they both snuck in my room late at night. Not to do anything naughty though. They just wanted to be with their beloved one. Thinking about the song, I did teach them and advise them a lot, and they wouldn''t be there without me. From the way they were holding onto me, I coul feel the weight of their feelings for me. In the darkness, I shed a tear of happiness. I hadn''t felt like that in my previous life. Being strongly loved by someone other than family, gave me an incredible feeling. I asserted once more how important those two girls were to me, how much I loved them. I held firmly onto these girls that had become a vital part of my life and drifted into a wonderful slumber. ------ The next day we left quite early to avoid having to camp on the way. It took us 3 days before because we were with Eliane and her escort, but by oursleves we would move faster. We had already said our farewell the night before to the parents, and only Elinae was there to see us of along with the butler. After a short talk, we left. We could have stayed longer, but I didn''t want to. My schedule during school time was too packed. The holiday was a good opportunity to train in hand-to-hand combat, work on my research, and spend some quality time with my girls. I had already lost a third of my holiday time, I didn''t want to waste more. The first day of travel went without trouble. The night at the inn was a very active one since we had spent 8 days without doing anything. In the morning we had to pay a bonus to the innkeeper for all the noise we made during the night. I felt a little guilty for the poor guy who was just conducting his business, so I gave him a little extra, to give the other guests a free meal as an apology. Then we went back on the road, expecting to reach the capital by nightfall. It was still morning, I was driving while the girls were relaxing at the back, though it wasn''t really necessary. Komodo was smart enough to take us home without any instructions on our part. It was more for the sake of having a second person keep an eye on the road. Aenthar: ¡°Girls, get ready for trouble!¡± As I said that, I made Komodo slow down, to give us some time for preparations. Muriem: ¡°What''s going on?¡± Aenthar: ¡°I think there are people around the corner ahead.¡± I didn''t tell the girls about how powerful my perception of mana was. They still didn''t know I could sense and even identify people on a very wide range. After several months of training that ability in the academy and the capital, it had almost become frightening. And here in the empty wilderness, it was even easier to detect presences. The turn on the road was still around 300m away from us when I noticed several presences on each side of the road, remaining completely motionless. A typical ambush. Aenthar: ¡°Muriem, deploy the shields. Kerrina, at the back with your bow ready.¡± The shields were a modification I made after settling down in the capital. The cover of the cart was just common fabric, waterproof, but not arrow-proof or spear-proof. I wanted the inside to be protected from projectiles if necessary, thus the shields. Those shields just turned out to be the seats of the cart. Pull them on one side and they make a bed, pull them on the other side and they rise to make a cover. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At a distance of around 250m, I casted some spells. First, I casted the improved version of speed enhancement, ''haste'', on all of us including Komodo. Then I added strenght enhancement. I was sure that they wouldn''t be able to detect the use of magic at that range. Most mages can''t detect the activation of magic beyond 200m. When we reached the 200m distance with the enemy, I warned the girls. Aenthar: ¡°There are 9 people. 5 on the left side, 4 on the right side. There are 3 mages, 2 on the left side and 1 on the right side. A good way to handle them is by using ''Divide and Conquert''. I will launch a preemptive attack with fire, and separate them with a fire wall on the road. When I do so, Kerrina, you will take Komodo and circle through the woods to take the group on the right. Muriem and I will take the left one.¡± Muriem: ¡°Are you sure you want us to be separated?¡± Aenthar: ¡°Kerrina is too skillful with the bow and arrow in the forest. Komodo is a fearsome close combat opponent, and the mages are average at best. They probably aren''t a very skilled group. Kerrina and Komodo can take 4 of them. I will just overpower the other 5 and you will deal the final blow.¡± As I said that, we reached the 150m distance, and I lost all reservation toward them. I started to slowly gather mana, then suddenly increased the intensity. Within a few seconds, I had gathered an amount of mana that made the 3 hidden mage move. I released 2 big fireball toward the places where the enemies were hidden. Then I erected a big firewall on the road as the previous fireballs exploded on their targets. When I casted the spells, Muriem had released the harness on Komodo and the cart stopped. Kerrina jumped at the back and called Komodo as she dashed in the woods. The serran followed her obediantly. Muriem jumped from the front of the cart and dashed toward the left with her halberd as I followed her with staff in hand. I could tell that the mages had safely evaded my preemptive attack, but the others were probably not as successful. They were close to the point of impact, so I expected some wounded. Most people would avoid using fire magic in a forest, but I wasn''t one of them as I was confident of using either water or earth magic to deal with it. And I was sure the fire would unsettle the enemy, especially when they were probably not expecting it. Moving swiftly, crossing 150m didn''t take us more than 10 seconds. I harrassed the enemy with fire arrows. My earlier attack had made them retreat further into the woods, making them lose sight of us. But I could accurately guess their positions, forcing them to take cover. I quickly indicated to Muriem their position using hand signs, then casted a ward on them and sent her towards two of the most isolated targets. Those two were the mages. As mages, they could detect my magic, and since my magic was a lot higher than theirs, they were probably greatly intimidated, if not on the verge of panicking. After all, I had attacked them from more than 100m away with powerfull magic, they have to be pretty shaken up. And they were more likely focusing on me, making them easy prey for Muriem. On the other side of the road, they had a water mage. After the initial shock, he or she had started to put out the fires, while the other 3 were covering for her. I could sense Komodo closing on them from behind, with Kerrina trying to keep up with him. They had started to move toward our side when they stopped. They turned around, probably noticing the advance of Komodo. I felt something, and suddenly I lost one of the opponent''s mana. I surmissed he had died, killed by a shot from Kerrina. At around the same time, Muriem had gotten close to one of the mage and his mana disappeared from my perception. The mages were too busy trying to hit me in those woods to notice her approach. As for myself, I dealt with the remaining 3 people on my side by using the same tactic I used the first time we had the monthly battle at the academy. Pithole and earth spikes. Though I went easy on the spikes. At least on one of them. I killed the other 2. Komodo had also reached the group on the road and was fighting 2 of the 3 men. Aenthar: ¡°GIRLS, LEAVE ONE ALIVE!!¡± ''Shit, I should have told them that earlier.'' ****************************** AN: See ya! Chapter 055 - Ophelia AN: Hello! Your lazy author present you chapter 55. Enjoy :D! PR by Bboybrian ****************************** I was too late. Just as I said that, both Muriem and Kerrina struck their targets. The mana of the 2 mages disappeared from my perception. I wanted to keep the mages alive because they were more likely to be the leaders or subleaders of the group. As for Komodo, he made quick work of his 2 opponents. With haste, strenght enhancement, and his own natural physical prowess, his 2 opponents couldn''t handle him for long. In fact, they lasted less than 30 seconds. The only one left was the one I spared with the earth spikes. My magic sense was so advanced that at close distances I could picture the limbs and the head, thus, I only pierced the limbs. After comfirming that all enemies were neutralised, I put out all the fires I had started and went towards the survivor with the girls. Komodo was sent back to the cart to wait for us. Once reunited with the girls, my heart grew heavy. I already had prior experience killing people, but not the girls. And when I saw them, I got really worried. Muriem had a savage look on her pretty face. Her breathing was slightly rough, but not out of exhaustion. She was excited. She had just killed people, and she looked really pleased. In fact, I was sure she wanted more. As for Kerrina, she looked slightly displeased at first, but her tail was shivering. She was trying to appear calm in front of us, in front of me. Aenthar: ''I really am an idiot... Was it really necessary for me to confront the bandits? Was it necessary to involve the girls in the battle? With my magic and mana sense, I could have dealt with all 11 of them on my own. I could easily locate and strike them from a distance while keeping my position elusive. Yet, I had them accompany me to kill people, without making sure they were ready for it...'' ¡°Muriem, Kerrina... I''m sorry. I''m sorry I got you to kill p-¡± Kerrina: ¡°It''s fine... It''s fine Aenthar. You are an adventurer. You want to see the world, to travel. Dealing with bandits and thieves at some point is inevitable. When we choose to follow you, we knew we would have to kill people someday. When you told us about them, I had already prepared myself.¡± Aenthar: ¡°But you''re feeling terrible now. I know.¡± Kerrina: ¡°Nobody said it would be easy.¡± Muriem: ¡°Aenthar, I hope you were not thinking about handling all the dirty work by yourself and babysit us. If you were I''m going to hit you!¡± Aenthar: ¡°No, no. I wasn''t... It''s just, I never really though about the time you would have to kill someone. I always pushed the idea aside. I didn''t know what were your feelings on the matter, yet I dragged you into this fight...¡± Muriem: ¡°... Aenthar, I hate bandits. They are trash. I have no more consideration for them, than I have for a cockroach. Bandits deserve no mercy, they should be slaughtered and dumped into cow dung. That''s what I think.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Well, one of them is still alive. I need to question him for informations, we need to know if there are more of them in the area, or who is their boss. Let''s go.¡± ''Now isn''t the time to talk about taking lives...'' The last bandit was in a 2m deep hole, with his limbs still stuck above the spikes I made. He was moderately bleeding, and both of his arms were broken. He was barely conscious, probably barely able to bear the pain of broken bones and suffering from anemia. Using earth magic, I pushed him out of the hole by filling it from the bottom. At the same time, I pulled the spikes out of his limbs. Then, I closed the wounds to stop the bleeding, but didn''t heal the broken bones. The bandit was groaning during the whole process, and completely passed out at the end. It took several minutes, some slaps from Muriem and some water magic to wake him up. He looked around confused for a few second, then shock and fear spread on his swollen face. I crouched next to his face. Aenthar: ¡°Hello mister bandit! I didn''t think I would meet your kind here. Mind telling me where you came from?¡± Bandit: ¡°... From the capital...¡± Aenthar: ''Then they probably didn''t come here on their own decision.'' ¡°Who hired you?¡± Bandit: ¡°... I can''t tell you that¡± Muriem: ¡°Then you''re useless. Die.¡± I broke into cold sweat at that moment. A single glance towards Muriem told me that she wasn''t joking. When she readied her halberd, the bandit grew deathly pale. While we were surprised by her actions, Muriem was decisive. I knew she intended to kill him, but I didn''t know she would act that fast. But thanks to our training I could react. I grabbed the collar of the bandit and pulled him toward me. Muriem''s blade struck the ground, lightly cutting his neck in the process. Bandit: ¡°W-W-W-W-WAIT!!! Wait!!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.Muriem: ¡°You have something you want to say?¡± Bandit: ¡°Yes, yes... The others, and I. We''re part of a small group of thugs from the capital...¡± Aenthar: ¡°Mage are usually considered good assets. It shouldn''t be difficult for one to find a proper job. Why were those 2 mages with you?¡± Bandit: ¡°Them? They were lent to us for the mission...¡± Aenthar: ¡°What was the objective of the mission, and who ordered it?¡± Bandit: ¡°... The main goal was to capture the girls... Then beat you up without killing you. The serran had to be killed... The one who ordered it is a daughter from a good family, probably a noble.¡± Aenthar: "... A noble girl?" ''Though there are many nobles that don''t like me, most of them are guys. Yet the first one to take such a serious action against me is a girl?'' Muriem: ¡°... That girl, what was her name? What did she look like?¡± Bandit: ¡°... She was a pretty honey-head chick with very dark blue eyes. She had a nice body... Arrogant and full of confidence. I can say that she had something nasty prepared for you girls... As for you, half-elf, she did seem to have other plans for you. She didn''t want you killed or crippled.¡± Kerrina: ¡°Ophelia.¡± Muriem and Kerrina: ¡°That bitch!!¡± Aenthar: ''Of course... The girls would have attracted a lot of attention as well. They did mention before that some noble girls didn''t like them. I completely negelcted that... Since I was usually labelled as a genuis, I assumed that the girls'' troubles would be minor compared to mine. Those girls are talented and popular on their own even without me around, of course they would have their own enemies as well...'' ¡°Who is she?¡± Kerrina: ¡°A nasty dual sword user, able to use air, body and dark magic. She is a magic swordswoman. She is quite proud, and naturally looks down on commoners. It seem like her whole family is like that by the way. All the commoners who got on her bad side didn''t leave unscathed.¡± Muriem: ¡°Except us. We aren''t really the kind to back down when provoked or insulted. And we defeated her in mock battles.¡± With Muriem''s sentence, both girls started to grin while looking at each other. I was pleasantly surprised to hear about that, but I was also a bit sour. Because I was usually busy, these girls kept things to themselves, probably so I wouldn''t worry about them. I decided not to bring out the issue of killing anytime soon. They want to support me and prove their worth, and I should respect that. Aenthar: ¡°Since she is your enemy, how do yo intend to deal with her?¡± Muriem: ¡°I want to pay her back for that attack. With interest!!¡± Kerrina: ¡°... We can completely crush her.¡± Muriem: ¡°How?¡± Kerrina: ¡°We have 2 dead mages and a witness. And we also have strong support through Aenthar with the headmaster of the academy, the head of the magic department, and the members of the student council. Let''s report this to the guards and the academy.¡± Muriem: ¡°Kerrina, that''s really mean... I like it!!¡± Aenthar: ¡°I don''t. Not completely. Certainly, you will crush that Ophelia girl, but what about her family? While they will lose a lot of prestige, they definitely won''t be crushed. And they will certainly bear a big grudge against you... In fact, it''s a really bad idea. I believe enough people know that we are from Argot village. They could go as far as to attack our parents and Arren as payback.¡± ''Still, that was a nice idea for something though on the spot.'' Muriem: ¡°The supporters, Aenthar. The supporters! If you can think that far, then our supporters can also think that far. They will do something about it, they are used to deal with nobles after all!!¡± Aenthar: ¡°!! That''s right, they are used to dealing with nobles. That''s why, we will go first to the academy and report it to headmaster Basililey. He will know what to do about it... Remember this girls, always get some advice from someone with experience in the matter, just like you take advice from your weapon instructor to avoid making mistakes.¡± Muriem: ¡°... Yeah, now that you''ve said it, I think it''s a good idea.¡± Aenthar: ¡°Alright, it''s decided, so we should move now! Take this guy to the cart and secure him, I''ll take care of the bodies of the 2 mages.¡± The girls gave me a strange look for a second, but did as I told them. Well, through my mana sense, I could tell that Muriem did take the time to check the bodies on the way and take what could be useful. I didn''t tell them not to, and I thought I shouldn''t try to stop them from doing that. After cleaning the battlefield, wrapping the 2 bodies in a sheet and securing them on top of the Komodo, we went straight to Lana Academy. ****************************** AN: PN: He didn''t write an AN.