《In another world with my Goddess》


 Prologue

    "I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sorry, my man, you are dead."


    "What?"


    A very beautiful woman in her late 20s said it to me. She had very long scarlet hair that flowed down her back. Speaking of her back, she had quite a good body, actually. Her chest was big, but not overly so¡ªjust perfect. In one word, you could say she had every single curve exactly where it was needed.


    She was wearing a skirt that went up to her knees, and for her upper body, she wore a typical school uniform¡ªexcept for the tie, which was missing. But I wasn''t complaining. I''ll admit, though¡ªshe was hot. She was definitely my type, I thought to myself.


    "Give it a rest, will ya, and stop staring at my body!" she said angrily as she started moving closer to me.


    "Sorry about that," I said, flustered.


    We were in an empty room with only two chairs in it. I was sitting in one, and the other one was empty. I called it a room, but I wasn''t sure it was one because of its size. It was large¡ªvery large. I could easily compare it to a grand hall. But it wasn''t just the size that made it strange. The walls¡ªor at least what I thought were walls¡ªseemed to stretch endlessly, shifting faintly like a shimmering mirage. There were no windows, doors, or decorations, only an overwhelming sense of emptiness.


    But all that aside, back to the lady,According to this lady, I am dead, and the cause of death was an accident of her making.


    Hearing this, the first thing that came to my mind was that I was dreaming, so I tried to pinch my cheek, but nothing happened. So, that means I am dead, and this is the afterlife.


    Before this, I remember that I was coming back from school, and suddenly rain started pouring like crazy. I took shelter under a nearby tree because the road was in the middle of nowhere, so I didn''t have a choice in that matter. I waited there, thinking about today''s magic classes. Then suddenly, I saw a big crack in the sky, and everything went black.


    "I am afraid to say that I made a bit of a blunder when I dropped some super lightning into your world. Truly, I am sorry about that. I didn''t think that someone would stand under a tree in the middle of nowhere... I can''t apologize enough for that."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "So the lightning killed me?"


    "Technically yes, but also no, because it was your magic that killed you. But your magic overloaded because of the lightning, so that''s why I said technically."


    "So then, this is heaven? Am I right?"


    "No, no, it''s not heaven. It''s my personal property outside of heaven, and I am an upper-ranked god. My name is ''Maria.''


    And your name is ''Alexander.'' Am I right?"


    "Ah yes, yes, I am Alexander Roy."


    "As I can see from your biodata, you aren''t very good at anything in your previous life. You are just an ordinary 16-year-old teen, and also your magic capacity is very low compared to other kids your age."


    Thinking back, I don''t have anything going on in my previous life. Like, I am not a rich kid or a handsome kid or a scholar. Everything about me is normal except for my magic capacity, because it was very low for me. And in a world where magic is everything, I was lacking far, far behind everyone.


    "So, boy, because it was completely my fault that you died, I am giving you one wish and a chance to start over in another world. In your wish, you can choose anything except more wishes."


    "Start over? You mean I can reincarnate in any world with a wish?"


    "No, no, not in any world, because there are a lot of worlds where magic is very essential. And with your magic capacity, you would die in one hour. So I can give you only five choices of worlds and one special wish for you."


    "So that means, in your chosen five worlds, I will be fine with my magic capacity, and I don''t have to die before my time?"


    "No, no, I am not saying you are going to be fine and live a long life, because those worlds have their own problems. So, if you don''t choose properly, you will die for sure."


    "Ok, that means I have to choose carefully, or otherwise, I will die once more, and I don''t want that."


    The goddess chanted a spell, and a large screen appeared in front of me.


    "This is the first world. Its name is ''Namik.''


    Here, magic is not that important because only 7% of the world''s population can use magic. So they focus on science to do everything. If you want to be in this world, you have to use your wish to change your appearance to the local style. Otherwise, you might get killed as an alien, or there is a chance they will just research your body for more information about you. Do you want to go to this world?"


    "Can you please tell me the other options first? Then I will choose. Is that OK with you?"


    "Fair enough. I will explain the worlds, then..."


    As the goddess explained the worlds, I became more and more depressed because every single one of them was crap.


    "Now give me your answer. Which one will it be, and what is going to be your wish?"


    I started panicking, and in the heat of the moment, I did something that would change my entire life. Hearing that from me, Maria started chanting a long spell.


    "Here you go to your new world."


    I started panicking, and in the heat of the moment, I tried to speak. "Wait, wait, what about my wish?" I managed to say, but before I could finish, Marin completed her chanting.


    "Here you go to your new world."


    That''s the last thing I remember before totally blacking out.

 In Another World

    I came to my senses, lying on my back and gazing up at the sky. The clouds floated gently by, and I could hear birds chirping in the distance.


    I clambered to my feet, noticing that my body didn''t hurt at all. As I surveyed my surroundings, I saw grassy plains stretching endlessly around me. In the distance, there was a large tree, and next to it, what seemed to be a dirt road. Yes, it was definitely just dirt, but it was a road nonetheless.


    There was no mistaking it¡ªI was in another world.


    Suddenly, I felt something buzzing in my pocket. I checked it and found a weird rectangular box. It was displaying a name with two buttons: one green and one red. Unsure of what to do, I clicked the green button.


    Suddenly, I heard Marin''s voice from the device.


    "Hello? Hello? Are you there? Can you hear me?"


    I stammered, "Y-yes, I can hear you... but how?"


    "Is this a smartphone?" I asked her.


    "Wait, how do you know that?" Marin asked.


    "I don¡¯t know, but I just... knew somehow."


    "so why are you calling me now?" I asked, growing nervous.


    "Well, I have bad news and good news for you. Which one do you want to hear first?"


    Marin smiled weirdly, making me uneasy. "Uh... start with the bad news. At least I''ll have the good news to look forward to," I replied.


    "Alright then. The bad news is... I messed up your teleportation location and accidentally sent you to a very dangerous world. The chances of your survival are about 0.01% given if you had your previous abilities."


    "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" I screamed. "First, you killed me in my original world, and now you''re telling me I''m going to die again in this one?!"


    "No need to freak out," Marin said in a calm, almost dismissive tone.


    "WHAT''S THE GOOD NEWS?! LET ME HEAR IT, AND I''LL DECIDE IF IT''S ACTUALLY GOOD!"


    "Alright, alright! The good news is... I accidentally used divine materials to create your new body. So, technically, you''re kind of a god now."


    Wait... did I hear that correctly? God? What is this god business? I didn''t sign up to become a god!


    "And why does this sound familiar to me? Oh, I see¡ªit''s ripped from In Another World with My Smartphone."


    "And what¡¯s that?" Marin asked, sounding confused.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "That¡¯s a good question... What is that? And why did I say that?"


    Anyway Marin continued, "That means you''re now the most powerful being in this world. Your chance of dying is basically 0.01%, as long as you don''t screw up."


    I was both relieved and furious. "Then why did you say earlier that my chances of survival were 0.01%?"


    "....."


    Marin pretended not to hear me.


    "Oh, I see¡ªit¡¯s the author¡¯s shitty writing then," I muttered.


    "DON''T IGNORE ME, YOU STUPID GODDESS!" I yelled.


    Before I could continue berating her, a huge¡ªno, gigantic¡ªdragon appeared in the sky behind me. Its eyes burned with anger. In an instant, my fury at the goddess evaporated.


    "Hey, you stupid goddess, HELP ME! This is your fault!" I screamed.


    Marin stayed silent. The dragon opened its massive mouth, preparing to attack.


    "Marin, please help me! I''m sorry! I''ll never call you stupid again!" I begged desperately.


    "Did you forget what I said just now?" Marin replied. "You''re a god now. That dragon is nothing to you."


    Nothing? This enormous dragon? Could I actually defeat it?


    The dragon unleashed a torrent of flames in my direction. I barely dodged two attacks, but the third one hit me directly. I braced myself for death, but...


    "Wait, what? I don''t feel a thing. Is this even possible?"


    Marin giggled. "I told you already¡ªdragons are nothing compared to gods. Anyway, I''m a busy goddess, so I''m hanging up now. Bye!"


    "Wait, wait, wait! What about the dragon?!" I shouted.


    A beep signaled the end of the call. She''d hung up.


    "You stupid goddess! At least tell me what I''m supposed to do!"


    The smartphone buzzed once again. I hurriedly picked it up and said desperately, ¡°Tell me, what am I supposed to do? Kick? Punch? Use magic? Say something!¡±


    ¡°Just punch the dragon, stupid. Anyway, who is this ¡®author¡¯ you keep mentioning? A friend of yours?¡± Marin asked curiously.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you called me back?¡± I asked angrily.


    ¡°Yes! Who is it? I¡¯m supposed to be a god, but why don¡¯t I know anything about this ¡®author¡¯ fellow?¡±


    I pretended not to hear her, pressed the red button, and ended the call.


    The smartphone rang once again, but I ignored it. Suddenly, a voice rang out from it. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t ignore my call! And don¡¯t hang up on me! I¡¯m asking you something! I¡¯m a god¡ªshow some respect, will ya?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who this ¡®author¡¯ is or why I keep saying that!¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Tell me, you liar, or I¡¯ll never talk to you again!¡±


    Frustrated, I hung up the phone once more. I had more important things to deal with¡ªlike the dragon in front of me.


    The dragon continued its relentless assault, even as I argued with Marin. Despite the attacks, I didn¡¯t feel even the slightest scratch. so Remembering Marin¡¯s advice, I decided to fight back. Nothing fancy¡ªI just planned to punch it.


    "This probably won''t do anything... but let''s see."


    I ran toward the dragon and punched it with all my strength. At first, it looked like nothing had happened, but then the dragon began to collapse.


    In disbelief, I watched the massive creature crumble to the ground. Word of my "feat" spread like wildfire, and soon, rumors circulated about the adventurer who single-handedly defeated a dragon.


    I became more popular by the day.


    One day, while sitting in a caf¨¦, a girl suddenly ran up to me and said, "Will you marry me, great adventurer?"


    Wait, wait! Everything is happening too fast! I think the author has a screw loose in his head. He¡¯s not even giving me a chance to live my comfy life. He¡¯s skipping all the good parts¡ªI don¡¯t know why, but it feels like a trap.


    I shouldn¡¯t fall for his trickery. Yeah, who cares about all that? Let¡¯s just focus on what¡¯s in front of me.


    So, I said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    As we leaned in for a kiss, something bizarre happened. The girl''s head slowly transformed into a goat''s head.


    "What the heck?! Where am I?! Why does my wife have a goat''s head?!"


    I looked around, realizing the truth.


    It had all been a daydream.


    "YOU STUPID GODDESS!" I screamed, though this time, Marin wasn¡¯t the one to blame. It was the author¡¯s fault¡ªhe¡¯s the one calling all the shots. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    To Be Continued.......

 Unexpected Gift

    I can''t believe I was just dreaming all of that. I woke up again, but not in a fantasy world this time¡ªwith a goat, which I misunderstood as a lady in my dream and tried to kiss. Gross, gross, gross! What was I thinking? At that moment, I remembered something and checked my pockets, and there it was¡ªthe smartphone was still there.


    The open area around us stretched endlessly, with nothing but a winding road leading off into the distance, disappearing into the horizon. A gentle, cold breeze swept across the plains, rustling the grass. On one side, a small forest stood¡ªits trees casting long, eerie shadows as the sun sank lower in the sky. Well, I said "us," but it was only me and the goat, which I thought was my wife.


    "So, if that was a dream, then how is it still on me? It doesn''t make any sense."


    Suddenly, the phone started ringing again. Everything was the same as in my dream, and yes, it was from a person called God. So I followed the process, and voil¨¤, the call connected.


    "Hello, hello, Alex, can you hear me?"


    "Yes, I can, but what is this? Can you explain how I saw all of this in my dream?"


    "About that... As I told you before, I made a mistake and sent you to the wrong world. So, to fix it, I made everything normal again, and now you don¡¯t have to stay in that dangerous world anymore," Marin said very proudly.


    "Wait, wait, wait... That wasn¡¯t a dream? That means everything was real? Being a god, in other words?"


    "Yes, that wasn¡¯t a dream. Everything you saw was real," Marin replied again in a very proud manner.


    "YOU STUPID GODDESS! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU JUST DID? I WAS HAVING A GREAT LIFE IN THAT WORLD, AND YOU RUINED EVERYTHING FOR ME. I WAS A GOD IN THAT WORLD!"


    Marin started crying and said, "But I thought you didn¡¯t want to go to that world, so I thought, why don¡¯t I do it again and send you to the world you desired and asked for?"


    Hearing that made me even angrier. "SEND ME TO THAT WORLD IMMEDIATELY, OR... OR... OR I WILL COMMIT SUICIDE AND WRITE YOUR NAME IN MY FINAL NOTE AS MY MURDERER! SEND ME BACK¡ªTHAT WON¡¯T BE A PROBLEM, RIGHT? RIGHT? YOU¡¯RE A GOD, SO IT¡¯S NOTHING FOR YOU!"


    "I can¡¯t do that anymore," Marin said in a very low voice. Then, I heard someone else¡¯s voice through the phone, and the call got disconnected.


    I screamed again, "YOU STUPID GODDESS!" Out of nowhere, a portal opened in front of me, and then something happened that I didn¡¯t expect¡ªMarin just kicked a chubby-looking girl out of it.


    She was a very beautiful girl with long silver hair styled in an intricate updo, adorned with a golden crown embedded with ruby-red jewels. She was short compared to me but not by much. She was wearing a white princess dress with a matching necklace, also embedded with red gemstones.


    After landing, she immediately started crying. I was looking at her, confused, and also felt a little pity. What did she do to get kicked by Marin?


    In her crying state, she started babbling, "I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry about all of that. First, I killed you in your old world and sent you to another world where you¡¯d be comfortable, but I made you despair there too. I¡¯m sorry..."


    Wait, why is she apologizing to me? I looked toward Marin, confused.


    "Don¡¯t say it. I¡¯m not the one you talked to earlier. She was the one, and she was just pretending to be me. Everything that happened to you¡ªyeah, she¡¯s responsible for that."


    I looked toward the girl. She was still sitting on her knees and crying.


    "Not only did she make a mistake, but she also deceived me. So here¡¯s the deal for you, kid¡ªyou have to stay in this world now."


    The girl once again said sorry to me.


    "Sorry, my ass," I thought, but I didn¡¯t say it out loud. Instead, I said very awkwardly, "No problem. At least I have my god powers, and I can still do all of it in this world too."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I don¡¯t know why, but that made her cry even more than before. It was getting very annoying and out of my hands. I had no clue what to say.


    In her crying state, she said, "Ah-Actually, you don¡¯t have any god powers because that was just my mistake, so I fixed it this time too."


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" I screamed like there was no tomorrow. I got on my knees for a moment, thinking about what I¡¯d lost because of this stupid goddess.


    "Wait, wait, before this escalates more, hear me out, kid. Because my apprentice made this mistake, I¡¯ll give you one wish of your choice and some things that will definitely come in handy," Marin said intensely.


    "Do I have the choice of going back to that old world with my old powers?" I asked.


    "Nope."


    "Can I¡ª"


    "Nope."


    I didn¡¯t even finish my question. I was furious.


    "I don¡¯t have time for your rambling, kid. Here¡¯s the deal¡ªit¡¯s permanent, or I could just kill you right here, and no one would know anything."


    "Okay, don¡¯t."


    "Is the stupid author jealous of me or something?" I said out loud, looking toward the sky.


    "Who is this author again?" Marin asked.


    "That¡¯s a good question. I don¡¯t actually know."


    "Poor kid. Did you get hit by something when you died?"


    "Yes, I accidentally hit him with super lightning," the girl said, wiping her tears.


    "I see. That might have affected his brain. Never mind."


    Wait, did she just imply I¡¯m mad?


    "No, I didn¡¯t say that," Marin said.


    "Did I say that out loud? My bad."


    "No, you idiot, I can read your mind."


    "Anyway, so you¡¯re staying in this world then?"


    "So here¡¯s the deal¡ªI want you to do something for me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you two extra things. They will be helpful in your adventure."


    That¡¯s why I thought she felt sorry for me, but she was just making me work for her by bribing me.


    "I can read your mind, stupid."


    "Sorry," I said awkwardly.


    "The first thing I¡¯m giving you is the smartphone."


    "Wait, what¡¯s so special about that? And wait, it was given to me by the girl, not by you," I said, protesting.


    "Who do you think she works for? So that means I gave it to you."


    "Now for the basics¡ªyou can check your level on that smartphone and also do some cool things with it. You¡¯ll learn soon."


    "What level? So basically, it¡¯s like games from my old world. You level up and get stronger. That¡¯s the gist of it."


    "And now for the second thing¡ªI¡¯m giving you Pia as your assistant."


    "Who is this Pia?" I asked, confused.


    "She is," Marin pointed toward the weeping girl who was sitting there, crying.


    Hearing that shocked her. For a moment, she just sat there. I think she even forgot to breathe. Wait, do goddesses need to breathe, though?


    "Never mind that... wait, what? No!" I said.


    "Oh, you don''t want her?" Marin asked awkwardly.


    "But I thought you¡¯d want to take her and get your revenge for killing you and then doing those things to you."


    "No! What do you think of me? I¡¯m not that petty," I replied. But in my mind, I was actually thinking of the outcomes where I could take my revenge on her.


    "Ah-ha, got that¡ªI can hear that clearly."


    "Oh shit, she can read my thoughts."


    "No, you can¡¯t do that to me!" Pia came running toward Marin with a bratty, rebellious look, puffing her nonexistent chest and pouting.


    "You made the mistake, and now you have to take responsibility. Now mute."


    Marin made a hand gesture toward Pia, and I looked on, shocked, as a zipper appeared out of nowhere and shut Pia¡¯s mouth.


    She tried to say something, but no sound came out.


    "And now, for your wish, I¡¯m giving you one day to think about what you want. It can¡¯t be for many wishes, though¡ªthat¡¯s the only exception," Marin shrugged.


    "I know, I know," I said.


    "Now for your task¡ªI¡¯ll notify you about that in time. For now, level up and have fun. You¡¯re in another world!" she said as she suddenly poofed out of existence, leaving me with a mouth-zipped Pia.


    Poof


    Her mouth finally opened, and I regretted why it did. She came running to me, grabbed my shirt, started wiggling me while wailing, and said, "Please do something! I¡¯m a goddess¡ªI can¡¯t live here!"


    I shrugged and turned my gaze toward the other side.


    She started crying frantically and practically began climbing me.


    "Hey! Don¡¯t do that!" I yelled.


    But she didn¡¯t stop.


    Out of nowhere, I started hearing some chattering in a foreign language that I couldn¡¯t understand. With every second, it became louder and louder until three women came into view.


    They looked at me, then at crying Pia, who was still clinging to me. Their expressions changed in an instant.


    "Dammit! It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡ªI can explain, ladies," I raised my hands, palms outward, desperate to diffuse the situation, but their expressions darkened.


    "+-+"-+//"?!" ;:!? *! ;&"


    They said something, but obviously, I couldn¡¯t understand it. And that meant they couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying either.


    This was dangerous. They were probably thinking I was some kind of thug trying to do something bad to Pia. As she was short and wearing a dress just like a princess or a noble, they would think I had kidnapped her from somewhere.


    No, no, this can¡¯t be happening to me! Stop that, I said once again, but she didn¡¯t even listen to me and continued her desperate clinging without even noticing the women.


    They gave me a look of pure disgust, so I was sure nothing good could come out of this.


    "Hi, Mr. Author, what did I do to you? I don¡¯t deserve this kind of treatment," I said, looking toward the sky, knowing this misunderstanding would only go further.


    To be continued.....

 Misunderstanding and Escape

    Day 1432.


    The same cold iron bars. The same damp, dimly lit prison cell. The same company I had since the first day¡ªthe occasional rat scurrying across the filthy stone floor.


    I sat in the corner, arms wrapped around my knees, staring blankly ahead.


    Outside the cell, guards walked past, throwing disgusted glances my way. Other prisoners muttered about me under their breath.


    "That''s the guy who kidnapped a little princess."


    "How despicable," another spat.


    I gritted my teeth, my hands tightening into fists.


    "I DIDN''T DO ANYTHING!" I shouted, gripping the iron bars so hard my knuckles turned white.


    They ignored me. Of course, they did. No one believed the innocent guy.


    And Pia? Oh, she was fine.


    I could see it so clearly¡ªher laughing, sipping tea in some fancy town square, surrounded by friendly townsfolk who adored her. She probably told them how she bravely escaped from the evil kidnapper. Maybe they even threw a celebration in her honor.


    Meanwhile, I was left to rot, forgotten and despised.


    I slumped back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.


    "Life is so unfair," I muttered.


    "......"


    No.


    I will not let this happen to me. I snapped back to realaty.


    The three women stood there, glaring at me with expressions that screamed, "You absolute scumbag!" Pia was still clinging to me, sobbing uncontrollably, completely oblivious to the fact that she was making things worse.


    "Let go of me!" I whispered harshly, trying to pry her off before things escalated further.


    "No! You have to take responsibility!" Pia wailed, clinging even tighter. It felt like trying to peel off a stubborn sticker that refused to budge.


    One of the women, the tallest among them, stepped forward, her hands glowing with a faint, ominous blue light.


    Oh great, a magic user. Just what I needed.


    She muttered something in a language I didn''t understand, but I could tell from the crackling energy around her that it wasn''t a friendly spell.


    "WAIT, WAIT!" I shouted, holding up my hands in surrender. "This is all a huge misunderstanding! I didn''t kidnap her! I don''t even LIKE her!"


    Pia gasped dramatically, like I had just stabbed her in the back. "How could you say that?!"


    "BECAUSE IT''S TRUE!" I snapped, my patience wearing thin. "And stop acting like a victim! You''re making this worse!"


    The second woman, who had long silver hair and was gripping a staff, narrowed her eyes at me. She spoke something to the others, and before I knew it, they were surrounding me.


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


    Oh no. I had no clue what they were saying, but I could tell this was about to get ugly.


    "Marin, you stupid goddess, HELP ME!" I mentally screamed, hoping she was watching.


    Of course, there was no response. Figures.


    The tallest woman raised her hands, and a blast of wind shot toward me.


    "Pia, this is all your fault!" I yelled as I grabbed her and jumped out of the way just in time. The freezing gust struck the ground where we had been standing, turning the grass into dirt.


    "What the hell?! They''re trying to kill me!"


    Pia, still clinging to me, finally turned to look at the women. "Oh... um... I think they might be trying to kill you."


    "Wow, you''re just now realizing that?!" I hissed, dodging another attack. "Tell them it''s a misunderstanding! Do something!"


    Pia hesitated. "I am going to tell them I am a goddess. That would fix this, surely."


    She turned toward the women and said, "Hi, it''s a misunderstanding! I am an apprentice god!"


    They all looked at each other.


    Oh no. They can''t understand what she''s saying.


    Pia turned toward me and said, "They can''t understand me. Well, you can''t say now that I didn''t try," and moved away from me.


    I resisted the urge to scream. "Fine, then let''s do it like this, and I will also see how you explain this to Marin, because this is still your fault!"


    The tallest woman once again raised her hands, and another blast of wind shot toward me.


    I have to do something, and fast, or I will¡­


    Oh, I remember!


    Thinking fast, I grabbed my smartphone. "Please have something useful, please have something useful..." I muttered as I tapped the screen frantically.


    NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: TRANSLATE.


    "STOP! I AM NOT A BAD GUY!" I shouted in their language, thanks to the translation feature.


    The women hesitated for a moment. The wind mage lowered her hands slightly, but their expressions remained skeptical.


    "Explain yourself!" the silver-haired woman demanded.


    "She''s the one who messed up!" I pointed at Pia. "I didn''t kidnap her! She''s a goddess who made a mistake and got dumped on me!"


    Pia gasped. "I am NOT dumped on you! I am your divine assistant!"


    The three women exchanged glances. The tallest one sighed and finally said, "You scum, at least lie about something we would believe."


    Pia straightened up and, for once, looked serious. She raised her hand, and a small golden light formed at her fingertips. "I am the apprentice goddess Pia! My superior, Marin, has sent me to assist this human!"


    Silence.


    Then, the shortest woman, who had been silent the entire time, said, "You poor thing, you don''t have to defend this bastard. Come this way, we will teach him a good lesson so he will never dare to kidnap or misbehave with anyone."


    This filth needs to die.


    Pia desperately tried to explain, waving her hands around and speaking frantically, but it did absolutely nothing. The misunderstanding was way too deep. The women weren''t even listening¡ªthey had already decided I was guilty.


    The wind mage was preparing another spell, her eyes burning with righteous fury. The silver-haired one gripped her staff tighter, and the shortest one looked ready to rip me apart with her bare hands.


    I was out of time.


    "Pia, DO SOMETHING!" I shouted, barely dodging another blast of freezing air.


    "I''m TRYING!" she cried, looking panicked.


    "Try harder!"


    The wind mage raised both hands, and I felt the temperature drop sharply. Oh crap, that was going to hurt.


    But before she could unleash whatever spell she was about to cast, Pia''s expression hardened. She slammed her hands together, golden energy swirling around her fingers.


    A circular portal¡ªglowing and crackling with divine power¡ªripped open beneath us.


    "Wait, wait, wait¡ª!" I barely had time to protest before she grabbed my wrist and yanked me through it.


    The world twisted, a blur of colors and light. My stomach lurched, my body feeling like it was being stretched and compressed at the same time. Then¡ª


    WHAM.


    I hit the ground face-first.


    "Owwww¡­" I groaned, pushing myself up. "A little warning next time, maybe?"


    Pia ignored me, looking back toward the closing portal. Through the shimmering energy, we could see the three women standing there, utterly dumbfounded.


    "Why is she helping her kidnapper?" the shortest one asked, her voice filled with confusion.


    The portal snapped shut.


    I slowly turned to Pia, glaring. "Next time, just explain properly instead of making me look even MORE guilty."


    She crossed her arms, looking offended. "I did explain! They just wouldn''t listen!"


    "Yeah, no kidding!" I snapped. "Now they probably think you''ve been brainwashed or something!"


    Pia pouted. "Well¡­ at least we''re safe?"


    I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Where even ARE we?"


    "Pia. You have any idea where we are?"


    She nervously laughed. "Uhh¡­ nope!"


    I sighed, rubbing my temples. Great. Just great.