《The Story Mage [LitRPG, Kingdom Building and Politics]》


 Chapter 1 - I did not want this.

    Isekai. The dream of traveling to a new world. A world where you could be great. A world where you could be a hero. I had the great luck of fulfilling that dream.


    A truck did me the great favor of crashing into me, and I woke up in another world. I still don¡¯t know how it happened. Why it happened. But I did know one thing.


    I really, really, wish it hadn¡¯t.


    Why? Cause of where I had ended up. I hadn¡¯t found myself in some random forest with superpowers, or in a room full of mages asking me to save them. No. I had instead found myself in another body, in a situation I was somewhat familiar with.


    I had been reborn as a side character. A pitiful side character who died in the original book. And now that I had become said side character, I had come to realize¡­this was one of the worst isekai tropes! A horror that should not have been imagined! A torturous, inhumane transmigration that left the poor victim in a situation they did not deserve to be in!


    I swear, if I got the chance to go back, I would protest against the entire genre and refuse to read it! But of course, I couldn¡¯t. I was stuck as Aphra Eldanveir, a side character that only appears in two chapters before dying.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t all bad. Aphra was the son of a Duke, and apparently had a high affinity for magic too! That was practically great compared to some other side characters. The character had potential, didn¡¯t have a bad reputation and even had¡ªerr, what was that?


    I blinked as red spots appeared in my vision, traveling across it until they splattered against the wall like paint. As I watched, unable to take my eyes off the wall, a blood-red drop began to travel downward leaving a line that reminded me of things I had seen in murder mysteries.


    This was blood splatter.


    And if there was blood splatter here, in the mansion¡¯s garden then that meant -


    ¡°Oh, hello brother. I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±


    ¡ª that guy was near.


    I slowly turned my head, my eyes falling upon the silvery-white hair and narrow dark purple eyes that differentiated the individual in question. A person I recognized. The person I had left my room hoping to avoid.


    Leif Eldanveir, the future villain of the story and my new twin brother. Oh, also the guy who killed Aphra in the novel. And since Aphra is now me¡­ I suppose he killed me.


    Oh fuck, he killed me.


    What kind of disgusting, idiotic luck did I have that I ended up running into him like this?! I specifically ran to the garden because I overheard servants muttering that he was coming my way. And now I ended up running into him anyway.


    Leif tilted his head, a smile stretching across his face as he carefully caressed his prey.


    I felt my eyes move, following his movement as they turned to see what he held in his hands. Even though I was prepared for it, it still made my stomach try to hurl its contents out. Leif held in his hands a human.


    A human that was bleeding from at least five different places. The woman was probably dead. I hoped she was, cause otherwise she would be in far too much pain.


    ¡°What is it brother?¡±


    The monster¡¯s smile grew predatory as he looked at me like I was his next meal. A bright red tongue snaked out of his mouth flicking across his lips as if it couldn¡¯t wait to taste me. ¡°Are you perhaps scared of me?¡±


    A hand reached out to me, and I could feel a headache build up behind my eyes, though for some reason it felt faint.


    ¡°Do not worry, my dear brother, I was simply feeding.¡±


    Feeding. That was not an inaccurate description of what he was doing. But I doubted anyone other than him would refer to it as such. Well, there was his, and now even my, father. The Duke of Eldanvier That man would also call the killing of humans to absorb their mana ¡®feeding¡¯.


    The living creatures in this world were born with mana. That mana remained the same throughout their lives, unless they managed to acquire more. The easiest way, according to the original novel, was to simply kill other creatures, which would give you a fraction of their mana.


    Just like Leif was doing.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± my monstrous brother took a step closer to me, his face close enough to mine that our noses almost touched. I held his gaze, my body frozen in fear as I felt his breath upon me.


    ¡°Not even a word of protest?¡± he asked, his breath whispering against my skin as I struggled to stop my mind from fainting out of fear. Just his presence alone was enough to terrorize me. A part of it was probably his aura ability, Terror, but I suspected there was more to it than that.


    I was genuinely scared of him. Or was that just his ability? I should run. I felt like I should at least be running. But I wasn¡¯t. That was probably this guy¡¯s work. Darkness and Mind were his two elements after all.


    Just like your average story book villain.


    The Duke was a character with actual depth and motivations. Leif had been the author running out of ideas and going with a random stereotypical ¡®evil¡¯ character. Even back when he was first introduced the readers had complained about how he was over the top and unrealistic.


    Now, that ¡®unrealistic¡¯ character was standing in front of me asking me questions. What the heck had I done to deserve this? Had I committed some great evil without knowing? Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    I felt like curling into a ball on the floor and just crying. I didn¡¯t wanna do this. I was gonna die again. And this time it would actually hurt.


    Leif drew back, a faint expression of confusion appearing on his face as he looked from me to the dead woman.


    ¡°This is your maid, yes?¡± he asked.


    I looked at her. How the heck was I supposed to know if that was my maid? I had just arrived here like ten minutes ago! Didn¡¯t even get any memories from the body! Of course, I could not just say that.


    Perhaps because of my frustration with the situation, I felt much less terrified. So much so that I felt confident enough to reply.


    ¡°Y-yes, she is.¡± I stammered out. Ok, maybe I was still afraid. But hey, at least I could talk now.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Leif said, his face twisting into a grimace as he tossed the dead woman towards me. I caught her, surprised to find her body warm. Weren¡¯t dead bodies, like, really cold?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even funny anymore.¡± Leif complained as he waved his hand. The blood splatter disappeared from the wall and the dead body, color returning to the woman¡¯s face as suddenly she didn¡¯t look like she was dead. In fact, it looked like she was just sleepy. Didn¡¯t take me long to figure out why.


    That had been an illusion.


    The woman opened her eyes, squealing as she realized what position she was in. Showing greater agility than I had seen in my life, she jumped out of my arms and righted herself, kneeling on the ground next to us with her head bowed.


    I froze, my eyes shifting between Leif and the maid. What she had done had bordered on superhuman. There might have been gymnasts that could do it back on Earth, but I suspected that she had used mana instead.


    And that meant she had enough mana to be used.


    That might not seem like a big thing, but it was. Leif¡¯s ¡®reason¡¯ for his cruelty was that he was addicted to the mana rush he got from killing. That was why he killed so much, he simply couldn¡¯t stop himself. If this was Leif in the novel, he would probably¡­kill her and eat her mana right here.


    But this Leif just ignored her.


    ¡°This was boring,¡± he said, walking away. ¡°Didn¡¯t even get a reaction out of you.¡±


    I stared, open-mouthed, at his back as it got further away. Had Leif Eldanveir just walked away without killing anyone? That hadn¡¯t happened a single time in the novel. If he was in the scene, then blood was going to be spilled. That was why I had so readily believed that he would kill a maid right in front of me. Now that I thought about it, there were signs.


    The maid was not screaming. A person bleeding from five different places should be screaming. There wasn¡¯t even a smell of blood. That should have been there too. I should have noticed that it was an illusion.


    ¡°What? Did you think I had actually killed your maid?¡± Leif smirked, turning back, apparently having anticipated my reaction. ¡°Father would have been furious if I had killed her. There aren¡¯t many maids willing to work for us, you know.¡±


    But that was because Leif kept killing servants. At least, it had been that way in the novel. How come he was being careful about this now? I narrowed my eyes as he walked away, more than a bit confused by his reaction.


    The maid started walking as soon as Leif was out of sight, and I followed her. I recognized the direction she was going in. That was the door to my room, or rather, the garden entrance to my room. There were multiple.


    But if she was going to my room, then she probably was my maid. There hadn¡¯t been a maid inside when I had awoken, but I had made a run for it very quickly. I had woken up in an unknown room with a conversation going on just outside the door.


    For some reason, I had been sure I had been in the world of this book as Aphra. The knowledge had just appeared within my head with a surety I had found difficult to deny. Even now it was the same. So when I heard someone say that Leif was coming that way, I ran away.


    Now that I thought about it, perhaps they were talking about him coming to the garden. The direction might be the same. Well, whatever. That wasn¡¯t really important. What was important was what I should do from here.


    The first priority should clearly be escaping from here. Even if Leif was not the killer I had thought him to be, staying here was too great a risk. The question was, how did I do that? Aphra had not been particularly well liked in the book, though that could be different here. But either way, the Duke would not let him go easily.


    The Eldanveir family had a very special power that had allowed them to climb the ranks of nobility quickly. A power they hid even from the royal family. If a member of the Eldanveir family killed someone they were related to, then they didn¡¯t get just a fraction of their mana.


    No, they got all of it.


    That was why the Duke had so many children, and why he would not let go of any of them. As was tradition in the family, an inheritance battle would be held once enough heirs were ready. The battle would not just be between the heirs, but also the Duke himself. And it would be a battle to the death.


    The victor of the battle would have absorbed the mana of everyone else, turning themselves several times as powerful. That was why the Duke would not let me go so easily. Cause as far as he was concerned, I was easy mana he just had to reach out to take. If I tried to escape, he would just drag me back.


    And if he didn¡¯t, Leif would. The more mana the person he killed had, the better he felt. That boy would not let go of such tasty prey as me. That was after all how Aphra died in the novel.


    If I escaped, it would give him an excuse to hunt and kill me. The Duke was protecting me now so I would have the chance to grow and acquire more mana. Leif would not be so objective. At least the one I knew about wouldn¡¯t.


    This one¡­ I didn¡¯t know about this one. I couldn¡¯t trust this change, I had to plan as if he was still a monster out to kill me for my mana.


    And if escape wasn¡¯t an option then I had to fight back. To do that I needed power. Getting that would not be easy. But it was possible. I even had ideas of how to go about it. After all, I had a secret power of my own. I had read the book. I had knowledge of things that I could use. Like the ¡®cheat¡¯ the protagonist had mentioned in the last book.


    Fae magic.


    I hadn¡¯t really understood how Fae magic worked, but I could try it. The protagonist had called it a ¡®cheat¡¯ while sharing his reward with his followers, so it was probably something good. And honestly I could do it.


    I stepped into my room, feeling strangely enthused. Yes, it would take hard work and more than a little suffering, but I would survive. Like the many transmigrated into side character protagonists whose stories I had read, I would use what I knew of this world to survive. To build myself up until I had all the wealth and power I could wan¡ªwaah!


    A spear broke through the window launching itself straight into the maid¡¯s body. The same maid that Leif had ¡®let live¡¯. I had been so lost in my own thoughts that I had forgotten about her.


    I looked at the spear that had pierced through her chest, the pool of blood forming beneath her. The maid let out a loud, painful scream that continued for far too long as she fell onto the floor. There was pain in her eyes as I looked into them, a pain that crept into her screams and threatened to deafen my ears. A strong metallic smell filled the air as I watched forward.


    I doubted this was an illusion. Not this time.


    I slowly turned my head towards the garden, more than a little afraid to know where the spear came from. Leif stood there, a large smile on his face as dark purple lights flew around him. I was sure they were mana, though they hadn¡¯t been properly described in the novel.


    ¡°This, I like.¡± he said, his grin turning even larger as I turned back to stare at the maid. The now dead maid. Just one thought crossed my mind at that moment, staring at the dead body of a woman who had just been killed for a sick child¡¯s amusement.


    I wanna get out of here!

 Chapter 2 - I swear, I have a plan.

    The blood had disappeared. The floor ate it up. Leif waved his hand and the body had disappeared, grinning as he took in my reaction. I only watched, unable to even think of anything I could do.


    What could I do?


    Fight Leif? A foolish idea. Protest? And who would listen? Leif would find joy in getting a reaction out of me. The Duke would laugh on my face. I didn¡¯t even know any of my other family members. I doubted they would help. There were those that might, but they weren¡¯t here.


    I kind of realized why people liked the protagonist so much. After all, he would have helped. But the fact of the matter remained.


    And I did not have the power to stop Leif.


    I had not even received any memories.I might have read the book, but I did not exactly know how to start casting magic. I knew a bit about what to do in later stages, but not how to start without the use of a spellbook or something. And even if I did, Leif was bound to be far more powerful than me.


    That was just how the characters were. Aphra was talented enough to not fail his exams, but Leif¡­he was a character so powerful that even the main character could not defeat him. The conclusion to the series might have been idiotic, but it did establish Leif as a character even more overpowered than the already overpowered mc.


    Fighting him was not an option. Not right now.


    I looked on, keeping my face level as I tried to calm my reactions. The less I reacted, the more likely that he would leave me alone.


    Leif looked at me, examining me in a manner that honestly felt quite derogatory. And then he left with a disappointed expression on his face. Had he really been expecting more of a reaction? What had he wanted exactly? Well, I was glad I did not give it to him.


    But now I had to figure out what to do.


    I could cry. That felt like an appropriate reaction. Even as I thought of it, I felt tears collect between my eyes, ready to flow at any moment.


    But what was the point?


    I could cry, and I could scream, but I doubted it could change anything. As much as I may dislike it, I was stuck here. And that meant that I had to deal with it. The path before me was clear, really. The same path that so many protagonists had taken when they came into similar situations.


    Take advantage of what I know to survive.


    And that brought me back to the book. The thing I had transmigrated into. The kind of book that was read when one had a lot of time and little better to do. A thing that had more plot holes than it had descriptions.


    Like, for example, the fact that the magic system went basically unexplained for most of the books! And even when it was explained it didn¡¯t make much sense! This was objectively worse than the average transmigrated side character.


    I didn¡¯t even know where to begin getting magic. The protagonist had simply picked up a blade and started casting magic with it. Just like that. The books did mention it did not usually go like that, the protagonist was simply that talented.


    I doubted Aphra had talent like that. So what I needed to do was get information about magic instead. The Eldanveir were a ducal family after all, they were sure to have their own magic library. And as one of the members, I should have access to it. I just had to find it.


    A knock came from one of the doors, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up, staring at the double doors that were slowly opening. That was the door that led to the inside of the mansion, wasn¡¯t it? Just who was visiting me?


    I still didn¡¯t remember anything about Aphra¡¯s life, and the book barely mentioned his background. If the person that entered knew him, then they might easily tell that his behavior had changed. I had to be very careful about how I acted from now on.


    Gulping, I stood up from the bed, trying to put on a brave face as I faced who had come. A man dressed in a black and suit stepped in, even his hands covered with white gloves in a manner that simply screamed that he was from a particular occupation.


    This was a butler.


    The man¡¯s black eyes roamed the room, gazing past the spot where the body had disappeared, taking in the broken window before landing on me. The eyes narrowed, though I could not quite tell what expression the man was making. The rest of his face remained the same, not letting emotion slip by.


    ¡°I shall be serving as Lord Eldor¡¯s butler from this day on.¡± the butler announced, his head held high in what looked like an effort to look down at me


    I stared at him, and he stared back as if expecting something from me. I might have introduced myself, but I had a feeling I would screw it up. The book had mentioned that nobility had a very complicated method of greeting, but it hadn¡¯t gone into depth on how it worked.


    Aphra though should have been trained in it. And I was pretty sure the butler was doing it wrong. In fact, I was sure that the butler was deliberately insulting him. Perhaps someone had put him up to it. Another one of Aphra¡¯s brothers?


    That was the trope, wasn¡¯t it? That the other family members would come out of the woodwork to put the transmigrated side character down since they didn¡¯t have anything better to do?


    The butler¡¯s gaze grew heated as he glared at me, looking like he wanted me to give in or something. A transmigrated character should, of course, use their new knowledge or power to make them give in instead.


    Despite my situation, I couldn¡¯t help but grin. Putting arrogant rude people down was my favorite part of a book. And now I got to do it myself.


    ¡°Is this your first day?¡± I asked.


    The butler leaned back, visibly taken aback by my question. I clicked my tongue. A visible reaction like that would cause Leif to eat him alive. Perhaps even literally. I guess Aphra wasn¡¯t held in very high regard in the mansion. Even incompetent servants looked down on him.


    ¡°Yes, but I do not see how that has anything to do with you.¡± the butler said, raising his head even higher for some reason. ¡°Lord Eldor has instructed me to inform you that no maid shall be arriving anytime soon. There have been far too many losses to allow servants into such a vulnerable position.¡±


    I grinned. This guy was either an idiot, or someone was setting him up. ¡°Did the Duke ask you to call him Lord Eldor then?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The butler frowned. ¡°I do not understand this line of questioning. I am simply following custom -¡±


    I started laughing. I couldn¡¯t help it. This guy was so clueless. This had to be a trap set by someone. I bet they were just waiting for him to say something like this in front of the Duke.


    ¡°This really is your first day, isn¡¯t it.¡± I could sympathize. This was my first day too. ¡°Take it as advice from my friend, call the Duke only by his title. Or call him your grace.¡±


    The butler harrumphed. ¡°I have served many great families before being handpicked by Lord -¡±


    ¡°And would those families happen to follow royal traditions?¡± I asked, raising my eyebrow. I wonder why the Duke picked him up and then chose not to educate him. Perhaps this was a test or something. How strange. This kind of test seemed really idiotic.


    Well, whatever it was, I didn¡¯t really have it in me to find out. I had more important things to do. The butler and his death probably had some purpose in the Duke¡¯s evil plan to take over the world. Cause just about everyone did.


    Not that the plan always panned out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the Eldanveir stand in open rebellion against the Emperor? Do you still think we would follow royal traditions? Trust me, do not show any indication that you hold loyalty to the Emperor. The Duke is paranoid enough to kill you for following royal traditions in his palace.¡± I said, making it seem as if I was doing this for his benefit.


    Of course, the butler would see right through my acting. But that would make him think that he had discovered my secret and just think I was putting on an act for him. And that would, in turn, excuse any abnormal behavior he noticed from me.


    After all, I would obviously act abnormally since I was trying to put on an act. Even if it was his first day, he might eventually hear rumors that contradicted what he saw here. And if he thought that differed from what he saw me act like¡­well he just might decide to report it to the Duke. I couldn¡¯t have him pull something like that.


    ¡°I see.¡± the butler curled up his lips, but my words had probably struck a cord somewhere. How someone could not know that the Eldanveir stood against the Emperor was beyond me. There were signs of a civil war being on the horizon across the world even decades before the book¡¯s timeline.


    I frowned. Wait, did I know that? No, it had to be close to be close to the book¡¯s timeline. Leif had looked like a teenager and that meant that Aphra was one too. And that meant that they were at least close to the time when they had to attend the Academy. The book¡¯s timeline had to be near.


    I sat down on the bed and folded my legs, trying to act as cool as I could. ¡°Now if you are done with your stammering, fetch me a book on stealth. I wish to practice my magic.¡±


    The butler stared at me open-mouthed before he composed himself. ¡°Of course, my lord.¡±


    A portal appeared beside him as he sent his hand into it and pulled a book out of it. I blinked. That was spacial magic. Now I understood why the Duke had gotten this guy. That magic was rare. What bad luck. If he had a less rare magic, then he would have not caught the Duke¡¯s attention. A pity really. And a wonder why the Duke had let him go bumbling around like that.


    I took the book from him and returned back to the bed, eager to read it. This was a real life magic book in my hand. But the butler looked like he had something else to say.


    Bowing low he said. ¡°The palace shall be acquiring new maids this evening. I shall ensure that one of them is sent to you, my lord.¡±


    ¡°If you shall allow me to take your leave, my lord.¡± the butler said before moving to leave


    ¡°There are two people you need to take care around.¡± I said, unprompted. ¡°The first is the Duke. Mention anything related to the royal palace around him or display even a hint of disloyalty, and he will kill you.¡±


    ¡°The second is Leif. The bast- I mean, the young lord is the most talented of the Duke¡¯s sons. And his hobby is torturing people. Show any reaction to him, and he will not hesitate to torture you for his entertainment.¡±


    The butler¡¯s body had gone very, very still as I spoke. I wondered if he actually believed what I said. The guy was not gonna survive around here if he believed a random person¡¯s words. But I was not doing this for him.


    ¡°Oh, and he has a serious mana addiction. Hide your power around him, or he will eat you. The boy has little to no self-control.¡±


    The butler looked up at me as if wondering why I had spoken so much. After all, it was foolish to do so. The Duke¡¯s action of not giving him information might as well have been sentencing him to death. Why would I, then, give him so much advice?


    The answer was simple. I was testing the ¡®cheat¡¯. The butler¡¯s tricks and change of heart had made me think of it. Fae magic was a magic of stories. There wasn¡¯t much about how to use it in the books, but there was one line about how to activate it. A Story was formed when a person began to act like a protagonist.


    What I was doing was basically mimicking so many protagonists. Just giving advice to random people that might save their lives. That should help me gauge how effective it was. And also, maybe just maybe call for help. I didn¡¯t think I was going to make it out of here by myself.


    That just didn¡¯t seem to be an option. This entire continent was the Duke¡¯s territory. I rather doubted I would make it very far even if I managed to leave the estate. I needed help. And there was but one person I could think of that could help me with that.


    The protagonist¡¯s overpowered supporter, the Monarch of Justice. And I would need a good Story to increase my chances of getting an audience with him.


    The butler left without another word, looking quite confused. The fellow had clearly not taken my advice about hiding his emotions cause they were on clear display over there.


    I opened the book he had conjured the second he left. A black page looked back at me, not a word written on it. Of course, it was that way. The spell storage might look like a book, but it was not. The black thing was actually a three-dimensional representation of the spell, containing the information that was needed to cast.


    As long as one had the corresponding affinity, they could see it. I held it up to eye level, trying to see anything inside it. How did I pour mana into it exactly? I couldn¡¯t even sense the bloody thing!


    I tapped the book, trying to see if I could prompt a reaction. And I did. The second I touched the book¡¯s page, something was sucked out of me. A thing that I was pretty sure wasn¡¯t in my body before poured into the book¡­and poured right back out. A strong feeling of rejection emerged within my mind as the power returned.


    That had to be my mana. But that didn¡¯t make sense. The spellbook had rejected me? Aphra had the darkness element in the book. The spellbook was clearly of the darkness element too. But, it was clearly untrue. The spell storage had rejected me.


    That meant that I did not have the darkness element. But that was ridiculous. I stood up, walking over to the first door, the one that led to the bathroom- no that was the closet. But no¡­it couldn¡¯t be¡­how was Aphra so poor? The room was just large enough for me to walk in and grab my clothes! Where were the mirrors to double check the outfit? The tiny table with the handkerchiefs, the watch collection¡­My watch collection!


    I took a breath. The situation was getting to me. I can¡¯t let minor problems like a small closet space distract me from more important worries, like my survival. The second door led to the hallway, so I opened the third door and walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.


    Staring back at me was, of course, an unfamiliar face. For a moment I was just taken aback by how beautiful it was. Blonde hair that curled forward, flitting against red eyes that I was sure would attract attention. This was the kind of face actors wished they had.


    But it was also a problem. The face held great similarity to what was pretty much the only face that had been described in the book. Blonde hair that seemed to shimmer like gold, a sign of the royal family. Red eyes that blazed forth with fire, the symbol of the Rose family, who had been at war with the Eldanveir for over a decade now.


    I wonder why the Duke had even kept me alive till now. I had to be causing him great pain just being alive. After all, I had not inherited his bloodline. I had gotten my bloodline from my mother.


    A combined bloodline of Eldanveir¡¯s two enemies. That was why darkness had rejected me. If I had her bloodline then it stood to reason I had her element too. I had the blade element, same as the royal family the Duke hated so much.


    I really was going to die, wasn¡¯t I?

 Chapter 3 - I did ask for this one.

    A beautiful face.


    That was what stared back at me in the mirror. A face that was going to be the end of me. The Duke hated the royal family. The kind of hate that made him lose reason. If I appeared in front of him with this face, he would kill me.


    The book did not mention it, but I was pretty sure Aphra did not have this face. That boy had the Darkness element. I did not. The face told me I had the Blade element. That meant that something had changed. Had I somehow activated the bloodline hidden within him? A bloodline was known to change a person¡¯s elements after all.


    That would explain the face too.


    But the problem remained. I could not continue living in this mansion with this face. I had to get out of here. The issue was how.


    I could walk out of here and start walking in a random direction, hoping I would reach the borders. For reasons I need not even think about, that was a stupid idea. Leif or someone else would catch me before I got far. That was why I required magic. A spell to help me hide would go a long way in helping me escape.


    But I did not have the Darkness element, and that was that. I did not know if the other elements even had spells that helped someone hide. What even were the chances I could find them here? I could try, I suppose.


    There really wasn¡¯t much loss in trying. What else could I do? I required a plan. Just one idea wouldn¡¯t work. I needed more. What would help me? What events happened in the book that could help me?


    The Eldanveir continent wasn¡¯t very explored. In fact the author seemed to be avoiding it, for some reason. Even finishing off Leif behind the scenes instead of giving a good battle. I swear, I get angry every time I think of it. That¡¯s it, I was going to call the book a Trashy Novel from now on. If I had to live in it, I got to call it names.


    But that''s beside the point. I needed to think of things that could help me gain more magic. There were plenty I could think of, opportunities that the protagonist or one of the side characters got.


    ¡­and none of them were near me. I needed to go to different continents for them. Wait a second. That wasn¡¯t true. There was one thing I could do. A way for me to gain some help in escaping.


    The Court of Justice.


    A multiversal court that took seven hundred and twenty-nine applicants every second. The Monarch of Justice himself would dispense justice, helping those that could not stand up for themselves.


    I qualified! That was how the protagonist had escaped from his life as a slave. The Monarch could do that for me too. But, err, the applicants were decided by random chance from across the universe. The odds were against me. Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly true. Mana chose them. And a proper Story could influence mana.


    Did mine count?


    I looked at the air, wondering if mana would care to reply. Of course, mana remained silent. So in the end I did not know. The Trashy Novel had struck again. I only had vague statements and scattered information to go by when dealing with Story magic. Not the kind of thing I wanted to have when dealing with something as important as the Court of Magic.


    But I was going to try anyway. This was going to be my Plan A. I would name it ¡®Lottery¡¯. Cause getting into the Court of Justice really was like winning the lottery. Now how do I go about increasing my chances at this lottery? I could ask mana for it.


    I raised my head, pulled my shoulders back and put a smile on my face as I stared at the air. ¡°Hello, mana! I would like you to allow me to step into the Court of Justice, so that I may escape from this situation!¡±


    I pushed the smile on my face to be even wider, stretching my cheeks as I waited for a response. There was none. Of course. Mana wasn¡¯t the kind of thing that replied to random people like me.


    Well one could hope.


    Now onto the plan that was a little less dependent on luck. I needed to get to a library. The Eldanveir should have a place with spellbooks. I did not know if I would be allowed in there, but it would not be too weird for me to try. And if there were any spells inside that I could learn, it would be of great help to me.


    I should go looking for the butler first. Perhaps he would know where the library was. Yes, that was a good place to start.


    I opened the door, my head still in my thoughts as I stepped forward. And crashed right into someone. The force of the crash pushed me onto the door, slamming my elbow against solid wood in a manner that hurt quite a bit.


    The girl I crashed into had it worse. Falling right onto the floor, she clutched her head as if it was about to burst open.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked, limping forward from my position to peer down at her. Even from the distance I could see bruises littered across her arms, her fingers having far too many scars for someone her age. There were black circles under her eyes, as if she had not slept in days.


    The woman looked like she had been abused. The maid uniform told me who she had been abused by. The woman looked up with confusion flashing across her face as she tried to figure out what was going on.


    I guess she hadn¡¯t expected someone looking like me around here. Blonde hair and red eyes probably weren¡¯t a common sight around here. The confusion on her expression cleared, recognition flashing through her eyes before being replaced with fear. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The woman stood up, even as her knees buckled under her weight and she looked like she was a strong breeze away from collapsing. The woman stood up and bowed.


    ¡°I beg your forgiveness for this shameful display, my lord. Please forgive me for not -¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± I said, a hand clutching my forehead in frustration as she began trying to get into a kneeling position.


    With how she was acting, I was sure that she was the maid. An injured maid that had clearly been abused and was just about trembling in terror. With how easily maids were killed around here, there was little need to even ask why.


    ¡°Come with me, let''s get you patched up.¡± I said, trying to help the woman off the floor. The woman was surprisingly heavy. Or this body was just that week. I couldn¡¯t really tell.


    ¡°Please, my lord, there¡¯s no need for you to go through such effort. I am fine.¡± the woman said, lifting herself off the floor with much effort.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Look at your condition!¡±


    The woman just pushed me away. ¡°Please, I do not wish to trouble you any further for the sake of someone as worthless as me.¡±


    I turned to her, wondering what she was on about now when I saw the look in her eyes. There was still fear in there, more than before even, but there was also suspicion. A lot of fear and distrust.


    The woman found my actions suspicious. I suppose I was acting rather strange for an Eldanveir. Hmm, I did have something I could try. A dialogue I had seen many a protagonist pull off with great success. Even if I didn¡¯t really get how it worked, I could try it out.


    ¡°I am simply doing this for my sake. How are you to serve me if you are so injured?¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed even further, her suspicion only increasing. That didn¡¯t work. I had to try something else. At this point I wasn¡¯t even sure why I was doing this. The woman clearly did not want my help. I might be better off letting her deal with it herself. Perhaps she would be better off too.


    I did not know where the first aid kit was kept. Did they even have one? Not to mention, would it even help? The woman looked like she had bruising over her body, wounds that had probably healed badly and was so tired that she could faint on her feet.


    Not the kind of injuries I could just fix a bandage over and call it a day. Heck, I didn¡¯t even know where to start with those injuries.


    ¡°How about you get some rest while I look for the library? I was going to leave anyway.¡± I said while leading her into what looked like a servant¡¯s bed in a little part of its own in the room. I had expected her to have difficulty walking, but surprisingly enough, she seemed more than able. The pain she had been showing earlier seemed to fade from her face, replaced with a blank expression.


    The woman eyed the bed before turning to me. ¡°A servant¡¯s place is by her -¡±


    ¡°Please, you can barely stand. I insist.¡± I countered. The woman just stared back at me. I pulled another card from my trope list. This one I had great confidence in.


    ¡°I order you to get some rest.¡± I announced. The woman looked at me with a blank expression on her face.


    ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± she replied, bowing slightly as she spoke without a hint of emotion in her voice. Then she moved to the bed and sat down, mechanically moving to lay herself down on the bed.


    Even though she made it look like she did not care, I could see her body relax just from laying down. The woman was too exhausted to hide her pain, though I could see that she wanted to. That was why I decided to leave it alone.


    ¡°Do you happen to know where the library is? Oh, and what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The maid looked at me groggily, her eyes already drooping. ¡°No, and¡­the name¡¯s Elena, my lord. Elena of Burtinder.¡±


    The woman fell asleep, but I kept looking at her, frozen in shock. If she had been awake she would have seen my face twist with horror as I realized who she was. This woman was a named character in the Trashy Novel. A character far more important than Aphra¡¯s.


    Elena of Burtinder was the protagonist¡¯s elder sister. The elder sister that raised him and protected him when he was young. The sister that had been sold off to Eldanveir and caused the protagonist to target them.


    There was another thing that was mentioned in the Trashy Novel about her. Not long after she arrived at the mansion, she died. The book did not mention why, but it was what sent the protagonist into a mad rage against the Eldanveir.


    And now she had become my maid.


    This was ridiculous. I didn''t need to test my ¡®cheat¡¯ anymore. Whatever else may be false, this was real. Story magic, that ridiculous, literally reality altering magic was real. I had barely taken an action in line with a protagonist and there it was.


    A main character had literally just come to me. Just like it did in books. I did not know whether to be excited or scared. I looked at the woman who already looked like she would die easily. Then at the broken window which had been pierced by Leif¡¯s spear.


    If she happened to die under my care¡­what were the chances the protagonist would hear me out? Just about none, I was sure. But if I could save her, perhaps help her somehow, then it would be golden.


    The protagonist would become my ally. Story magic had given me a great opportunity. The chance to be friends with the person that would go on to become one of the most powerful people in the world. A person I knew was good, and would protect me if it came down to it. The problem of escaping still remained, but I had hope for what lay after.


    As long as I could escape with her, it would be fine. Elena was my ticket to safety.


    I smiled, walking towards the door. I needed to be careful. Leif could decide to kill Elena if I happened to annoy him somehow, or even if he was just in a mood. Yes, I needed to put even more effort into avoiding him¡ªwhat.


    I tugged at the door once again, twisting the handle over and over in an attempt to open it. The thing wouldn¡¯t budge. Just a second ago, it had opened with ease. Now it was locked. I did not know how.


    Turning around, I walked towards the garden door. As if sensing my approach, black stone blocks came out of the ground to cover the windows, making me jump in surprise. A click sounded from the garden door.


    There was little need for words. The situation was clear by itself. I was trapped. I didn''t even know why. Was this Leif? Had he decided to kill me? Was this perhaps an illusion? Why would he go so far as to make an illusion like this?


    What did he hope to accomplish?


    The lights switched off. I found myself blinded, unable to make out even a door. If there was any sound around me, I could not hear it. I felt horror mount within me, my body shivering as it tried to adapt to what was going on.


    Just one thought came to my mind as I looked around at my new surroundings. A thought that would not go away. A thought that demanded an answer, and yet none seemed forthcoming.


    What in the world was going on?

 Chapter 4 - Is my plan...working?

    If you act like a character, the world will treat you like one. That was the basic principle behind Fae magic. I had followed it, acting like a protagonist in a story. A protagonist that had transmigrated into a side character.


    Elena¡¯s presence seemed to have confirmed my suspicions. The question stood then, what was happening now? Why was the door suddenly locked? How had stone walls appeared beyond my windows?


    What the heck was going on?


    I turned towards around with mounting horror, tossing my head to and fro as I tried to make sense of it. Elena was still passed out, not having noticed what was happening. Perhaps if she were awake, I could ask her if she saw it too. This could be an illusion. Then again, there was but one person I could think of that would bother making such an illusion.


    Leif. And that boy was more than powerful enough to have us share an illusion. So there really wasn¡¯t much point in waking her up.


    ¡°Is this you, Leif?¡± I asked before I could help it. No, that was a bad idea. Reacting to Leif¡¯s acts just made him want to do them more. Gulping my fear down my throat, I headed back to my bed and sat down.


    The floor grew cold as soon as I did so, so chilly that I pulled my feet up by instinct. In that very second my surroundings changed. The magic lit room I had transmigrated into disappeared, replaced with a corridor.


    I fell onto my ass, having somehow lost the bed¡¯s support. But that hardly registered. What did register were my new surroundings? The hallway had glossy black walls, glowing faintly with golden lines of light that looked like they formed a pattern.


    But for the life of me I could not figure out what pattern it was. Still, it was beautiful. For some reason, the walls just captured my attention. I stood up, looking down at the floor that had a similar pattern upon. Even the ceiling was the same.


    The golden lines of light curled around me, twisting and turning in wavy patterns that made it seem like they were heading in a direction. I followed them, my heart thundering against my chest.


    What the heck was going on?


    First the way I had been locked into my room. And then I was transported here? I was pretty sure this was an actual teleport, not an illusion. Well, not that I thought some more about it, I was a bit less sure. Leif might be able to pull something like this off.


    Would he do it was another matter? I didn¡¯t think so, but I wasn¡¯t exactly an expert on him. What if he was different from what the book showed him as? Heck, the book itself hadn¡¯t really said much about him. Leif was just the ¡®scary guy who ate people¡¯.


    Still, I didn¡¯t think he did this. There just didn¡¯t seem to be any point to an illusion like this. Scaring me some more in my room would probably have been better and easier for him. This was something else. Could this have something to do with what happened? The doors had locked just seconds before this.


    Perhaps some magical protection had been triggered. But who was powerful enough to not just trigger Eldanveir¡¯s magical protection and still take someone away? I stopped walking, coming to a standstill as I looked at the walls again.


    Black and gold. Yes, those were his colors weren¡¯t they? Now it made sense. I could only think of one character that was active around this time and powerful enough to do this.


    Prince Verlinaus of the House of Manevorus. The Monarch of Justice.


    I had done it. I did not know how I had done it, but it was done. The Court of Justice had invited me. Even though I had wanted it, I had not expected it to be this easy.


    Mana chose who got to attend the Court of Justice, but it was usually someone with a great need for justice. The kind great enough to reach out to a Monarch across the multiverse. I suppose my situation really was that bad, to have reached the Monarch from so far away.


    A series of footsteps echoed across the hallway, enhancing my nervousness by their presence alone. Gulping, I slowed my pace, more than a little fearful of what awaited me. The footsteps increased in pace, as if the other person had heard me and decided to run.


    Perhaps that was what had happened.


    I stood rooted in place, wondering what I should do. Why was there another person? The Court of Justice might invite multiple people at once, but their paths usually did not cross. What was going on? What should I do?


    There really was little I could. This was the Court of Justice, I could not control what happened. But I could move forward. The Monarch of Justice wouldn¡¯t harm me¡­probably.


    Taking a step ahead and then another I moved forward. The wall to my left grew fainter as I walked, the two hallways seeming to cross each other. I could vaguely make out another figure running, though his pace matched with mine. The Monarch¡¯s doing, I was sure. The figure slowed as he noticed me, coming to a stop as he took a step back, clearly getting ready to fight.


    The translucent wall disappeared into a shower of sparks, letting us see each other. A boy with long black hair stood across me, his body little more than skin and bones as he balled his fists at me. An eastern look that would have been well suited to the protagonist of a martial arts novel were it not for his golden eyes.


    What could have been considered a large sack covered his body, his head protruding out of an opening. The ¡®rags¡¯ that had been described in the novel. There was not a weapon at his side nor did he look to be in any condition to fight. And yet I was not sure I could defeat him if it came down to it. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    For this person was the protagonist of the book I had transmigrated, the person who would come before the Monarch of Justice and ask them to end the Eldanveir. And at that moment I remembered one horrible thing.


    Whatever my troubles with my family be, I too was an Eldanveir. And that meant that the protagonist was going to ask for my death too.


    sc


    The Duke of Eldanveir sat in a wooden chair. An uncomfortable wooden chair he was wondering if he should destroy. The thing was the only chair around, but was it really better than standing?


    A sigh propelled out of him. This was the kind of thing that occupied his mind when he was left alone in a hallway with his son. For some reason a Monarch had decided to interfere in their matters. Not that one appeared when he was the one in need of help, but when it came to someone else they would come running.


    Well, it was not yet confirmed that the Monarch was here for them. The Monarch of Justice might not even be here for someone on this planet. Just because the Court of Justice appeared near their planet did not mean the applicant was here. There were other planets around.


    And sometimes the Court of Justice tended to appear a few systems away from the planet it was actually going to act on. Or perhaps their lovely superiors that ruled the galaxy were the ones in trouble.


    There were far too many ways this could be related to someone other than them. Going into hiding just seemed like an unwise decision. And yet here he was, sitting in an abandoned hallway after activating every defense the mansion had. The reason was simple.


    This was the Monarch of Justice they were dealing with.


    ¡°So, have you done anything particularly interesting lately?¡± he asked his son.


    Leif looked up, his purple eyes gazing into the Duke¡¯s as if wondering why the latter was even talking to him. If he was being honest, the Duke was wondering that too.


    ¡°I killed a spy,¡± the boy offered. ¡°A boy from the Riding family that you let live.¡±


    The Duke looked up. ¡°Why?¡¯


    ¡°I felt like it.¡±


    The Duke sighed. Why did he not learn? Well, the boy learning would make him an even greater threat than he already was. So this was to his benefit. But still. This felt like a failing on his part.


    ¡°Raising him would have been a better idea. The boy had the Riding bloodline, he could have easily reached Rank 5. That would be significantly more mana you know.¡±


    Leif yawned. ¡°That fool? I doubt it.¡±


    And that was why the boy annoyed him. A fool was better. An intelligent person might take the power and escape. A fool would do the same. The latter would just be worse at it. The thought of the lost mana just made him want to sigh. A Rank 5 barely gave him any mana anymore, but it was still better than nothing. Finding more was such a chore these days.


    Speaking of escape.


    ¡°I hear your brother left his room.¡± he stated.


    For the first time since he had trapped them in this corridor, Leif showed visible emotion. The boy grinned like he had just been given a great gift.


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    The Duke waited for a response, only for his son to maintain silence.


    ¡°And I heard you killed his maid.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, that was fun.¡±


    ¡°And then he decided to say some unnecessary things to our dear spy. Do you take that for a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°I would hope not.¡± Leif¡¯s grin grew even wider. ¡°I found out that he had himself assigned a maid. The Riding boy was careful to assign her to him.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± the Duke replied. Of course, he already knew that. There was little that escaped his attention in the mansion. That was why he was confused as to why it was happening. The actions of his sons did not seem to align with what he knew of them. The younger twin had not left his room of his own accord even once before. And the older one was only concerned with mana. Now they were both acting out of the ordinary.


    That worried him.


    ¡°And I suppose there is a reason you sent her to him anyway?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is.¡± the boy replied.


    As usual, he did not see fit to clarify, to perhaps explain his reasoning. The Duke knew why well enough. The boy was simply looking to annoy others. A habit that had made no small amount of nobles let themselves be lured into a duel with him. Just because a duel wasn¡¯t supposed to be to the death did not mean the boy would not kill them.


    And yet the fools kept letting themselves fall into a trap.


    ¡°A pity then. I shall be disposing of your brother tonight.¡± he stated in reply. To his surprise, that got a reaction.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No? Are you telling me what not to do, Leif Eldanveir?¡± the Duke asked. Perhaps he should kill the boy too. The boy was getting powerful enough to be a threat. And threats could not be allowed. Yes, there was little need to let him pose a greater threat. That was plenty of mana already.


    ¡°I read a book.¡± the boy said, unprompted.


    ¡°And?¡± the Duke asked, readying his spell. A simple darkness spear could do it, but it was wiser to take a more thorough approach. Perhaps a darkness net -


    ¡°The book talked about Eldanvier twins. And how, when one dies by the hand of the other, the killer inherits the abilities of the other.¡±


    The Duke paused, a net of black mana woven silently hovering above his son¡¯s head. ¡°What do you mean by abilities?¡±


    ¡°The mana,¡± Leif said, slowly raising his hand until the tip of his fingers was just below the net. Then he extended his hand forward along the net¡¯s edge, making it clear that he could sense it. ¡°The bloodline, even the elements, can be stolen. Don¡¯t you think that is fun?¡±


    ¡°Even the bloodline, you say?¡± the Duke asked, his gaze landing on a ring on his finger. The House Ring of Eldanveir. A ring with the power to steal a relative¡¯s bloodline if they also shared the Eldanveir ability.


    Not the most useful power as such things went. But if Leif somehow managed to merge the Eldanveir bloodline with the royal bloodline¡­then it could be used. If he had the royal bloodline then he could use their power. Finish them off.


    And that was what Leif had wanted to tell him,


    ¡°Why not kill the boy then? Why leave Aphra alive?¡±


    ¡°The thing only works if the twins are of equal rank.¡± Leif declared calmly.


    The Duke nodded, withdrawing his net. ¡°I hope you succeed, son of mine.¡±


    ¡°So do I, father. So do I.¡±


    And they both knew, the second that royal faced son of his was dealt with, it would be time for them to face off. After all, only one Lord of Eldanveir could be allowed to live.

 Chapter 5 - A meeting with a Monarch

    The hallway transformed into a room as soon as we noticed each other, the space morphing as if it was natural for it to do so. A reclining chair appeared in the barely lit room, soon accompanied by a table and then two other chairs on the other side of the table.


    I gulped as I felt the original protagonist tense beside me. Even though I knew what was coming, it was scary. A power seemed to press down on me, as if warning me of what stood before me. I wonder why the Monarch of Justice chose such a setting.


    This was supposed to be a place for justice. Where those suffering were offered relief. But now it just looked like a scary suspicious place we had walked into. Even in the original novel it had appeared strange. Now it was¡­difficult to understand.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said, trying to give the protagonist a friendly wave, trying to hide my nervousness. The protagonist did not know that I was an Eldanveir. I had to keep at that.


    What I received in return was strangely similar to a growl. I suppose he was scared of me. Or angry at me. Not surprising. I had looked at myself in the mirror. Whatever condition Aphra had lived in, he was dressed as a noble. A very wealthy noble. The buttons of this shirt had diamonds on them, and the lining was probably real gold or something.


    Rowan, the protagonist, despised nobles. For good reason too, considering what he and his sister had been put through. Of course, he would be hostile to a noble that appeared before him in a place like this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why this is happening either.¡± I said, pointing to the table while still trying to be friendly. Rowan looked like he had just been handed poison.


    ¡°Well then, I suppose it is a good thing I do.¡± A loud, deep voice echoed through the room. I startled, turning towards it. I could see Rowan do the same beside me. A man now sat on one of the reclining chairs, a smile dancing on his lips.


    A faint breeze took to waving his black hair, a faint humm of power appearing with him. Golden eyes stared at us, judging us even as we looked at him.


    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± the Monarch of Justice offered. ¡°I have some coffee too if that is what you prefer.¡±


    Rowan stood rooted on the spot. I forced a smile on my face and took a step forward. A golden light spread through the floor with every step I took, brightening the room as I approached the Monarch. The barely audible sound of footsteps behind me informed me that Rowan had followed.


    And yet I did not dare turn around. Just taking one step after another until I was at the table, not daring to make any sudden motions. A shudder ran through my body the second I touched the chair, like an invisible pressure had been lifted. The darkness in the room disappeared, leaving a soothing yellow light whose source was difficult to pinpoint.


    A scraping sound beside me told me that Rowan had taken his seat, and I took mine. A teacup appeared before each of us, one of them filling with a brown liquid.


    ¡°Just milk and no sugar, yes?¡± the Monarch asked in a dry voice.


    I nodded and then paused. How did he know how I liked my coffee? Did this world even have coffee? The Monarch of Justice didn¡¯t read minds so he couldn¡¯t have gotten the information that way.


    ¡°What about you, young slave?¡± the Monarch asked Rowan, who bristled at his words. The boy hated being referred to as a slave. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? But the Monarch had referred to him like that anyway. A manner that most would consider to be very, very rude.


    I wondered, not for the first time, what the Monarch was trying to do. Revealing that he knew my taste for coffee. Calling Rowan a slave. That was not how it went in the novel. The novel had painted this as a welcoming space. But what I saw here just made me nervous.


    ¡°I suppose you wish for tea then.¡± the Monarch said. The teacup before Rowan filled with a green liquid that looked far too thick to be tea. And it probably wasn¡¯t. There were far too many fibers inside for it to be so. The way Rowan¡¯s face morphed into one of anger confirmed my suspicions.


    This was ¡®bark tea¡¯ that Elena had made to cheer Rowan up. In fact, she had even stolen two teacups from the kitchen so they could have their little tea party. And it was why she had been sold off.


    The Monarch had decided to conjure the very thing that would set him off, in a place even Rowan would not dare cause trouble. Even he knew what this was after all. The Court of Justice was famous. And yet it was proving its reputation incorrect.


    ¡°Why are you -¡± I asked before I could help it. A second later I sat frozen as I felt the weight of those golden eyes sit upon me, swearing at myself for being so quick to voice my opinion. I had thought I knew the Monarch of Justice. But it would appear I was wrong.


    ¡°I suppose this is not an appropriate time for tea.¡± the Monarch commented, ignoring my words. ¡°Do excuse me, I sometimes forget that planets still have days and nights.¡±


    I doubted he had forgotten anything of that sort.


    ¡°Have some dinner.¡± the Monarch said, and plates appeared before us. There was food already on the plate, and just a look told me that it was our favorite dishes¡¯. How strange. The Monarch did not read minds. That went against his beliefs. So he had to have looked through the records of the past his mother kept and then deduced our favorite foods. A significant effort, even for him.


    And it still shouldn''t have given him my tastes. I hadn¡¯t eaten a single thing since I came here. I still didn¡¯t want to. The events of the last hour did not exactly give me an appetite. Rowan, well, he had quickly taken to eating. I suppose he was starving.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to eat. Why had things changed so much from the original novel even though I hadn¡¯t really done anything? I did not wish for things to worsen because of my interference. There were far too many lives at stake for that.


    What should I do? I had to do something. I just didn''t know what.


    ¡°Monarch,¡± I began.


    ¡°Yes, Lord Eldanveir?¡± the Monarch replied with a slight smile on his face, his golden eyes twinkling with laughter. The sounds of eating stopped beside me, and I could practically hear Rowan growling.


    I froze again, realizing what the Monarch had done. Just that name was enough for Rowan to want to kill me. And I couldn¡¯t really blame him. The Eldanveir deserved the hate. The Monarch probably knew that too. So why had he gone ahead and revealed it?


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I asked, my heart beating against my chest as I forced the words out of my mouth. This was foolish. I was taunting someone that could destroy the universe inside his own home. If this was any other Monarch, I would have not dared. But this was the Monarch of Justice. The Monarch that went across the world solving people¡¯s problems just because he could. The reason I had read the book even after it took a turn for the worse.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The person I had wanted to grow up to be.


    I had to hope that this was just some test, that he wasn¡¯t really like this. That the book had been accurate about that much at least. I needed it to be so, if I was to escape from this place.


    A smile appeared on his face at my question. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    I paused. If I had the answer to the question, I would not be asking him. ¡°I do not know.¡±


    ¡°I think you do.¡± the Monarch said, his smile turning into a grin as he looked at me as if he knew something I didn¡¯t.


    I looked back. ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±


    What was this childish argument? Why couldn¡¯t he just¡ªno wait. Don¡¯t get irritated at the Monarch. This is a Monarch. Getting annoyed at him will probably kill me.


    ¡°I think you have access to far greater information about me than is usual among the Court of Justice¡¯s applicants. Is that not true?¡± the Monarch asked.


    I gulped. ¡°Well¡­yes.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, why would I do this? I know you can figure it out.¡±


    I just looked at him. So he knew about the transmigration. I did not know how he knew, but he was a Monarch so it was fine. And expected given how vague the limits on his power were to begin with. But for the life of me, I could not figure out what he was talking about.


    ¡°I shall give you a hint. There are different ways to give justice.¡± the Monarch said.


    What¡ªoh. Now I understood. That was what he was talking about. There were multiple ways in which justice could be given. Take Rowan¡¯s case. The Monarch could give Rowan the power to kill his slavers. Or he could kill Rowan''s slavers for him. Or just help Rowan escape and set him up somewhere nice. That could all be ¡®justice¡¯.


    Why would he take such a roundabout way to¡ªoh that fucker. The Monarch decided what to do based on the situation and the person involved. If that was the case then -


    ¡°Were you testing me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± the Monarch answered. ¡°I do have to know what kind of person you are before I do anything after all. And information about you is rather limited.¡±


    I groaned. So this was because I didn¡¯t have much of a presence in the Lake of a Thousand Memories. The mind reading information collecting monster that stored information on just about every person in the universe. But I wasn¡¯t from this universe, and thus outside its range. So the Monarch had decided to do this. Not sure what he got from it though.


    I sighed in relief. The Monarch was the same. Well, maybe not the same. But he wasn¡¯t secretly a murdering monster. And that was a relief. I don¡¯t know what I would do if the Monarch had changed. Just die, probably.


    The last book¡¯s last volume may have been the worst thing I had the displeasure of reading, but it had shown the power of Monarchs clearly. The likes of me and Rowan were irrelevant to them.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± the Monarch asked, smiling.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I replied, taking a deep breath and looking at Rowan who had stopped eating. In fact, he had been glaring at me since the Monarch declared that I was an Eldanveir. I had to deal with that now, didn¡¯t I? Hmm, I actually did have an idea on how to do that.


    ¡°Monarch, I have a request.¡± I started.


    ¡°Speak.¡± the Monarch said, and his voice echoed once more. The lights dimmed, and I could practically feel power buzzing across the room. The Court of Justice had activated. I didn¡¯t know what exactly the Court actually did, but it was supposed to be one of the most powerful spells in the known multiverse.


    And I had somehow spoken the words to activate it.


    ¡°I wish to escape the Eldanveir.¡± I asked. And thus differentiated myself from the evil Eldanveir. Rowan was already glaring at me less. If I made myself appear the victim, then he wouldn¡¯t be so angry with me. And honestly, it wasn¡¯t hard to appear the victim.


    ¡°To safety, I presume?¡± the Monarch asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Would you accept a different world?¡±


    I blinked. I hadn¡¯t expected that. Would I accept a different world? That would solve the problem. The Eldanvier couldn¡¯t very well follow me to a different world, they didn¡¯t have the power to travel through space yet. Not properly.


    ¡°Would that be fine?¡± I asked, a bit tempted. I still didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing. I did know stuff about this world. A bit about how the future went. How the magic system worked¡ªwell actually I really didn¡¯t. That shit was not explained well. But I did have a bloodline that could help me down the line.


    The Emperor had only one daughter. That daughter was my grandmother. That made me and Leif the only living descendants of the Emperor. The, ugh, rape and stuff made it so we weren¡¯t actually in the line of succession, but it was possible.


    I did like the idea of being actual royalty.


    ¡°I shall give you time to consider.¡± The Monarch said, turning towards Rowan.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    The boy straightened himself, pushing his long hair behind his head as he spoke. ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡± the Monarch¡¯s voice echoed once more, though I did not feel the buzz of power this time. I suppose that was only when I was activating it.


    ¡°I would like for you to end slavery. To end those that do it and rescue those that suffer from it.¡±


    I smiled. That was exactly what he had said in the book. Rowan might have been a slave, but he was the protagonist. Dreaming big and asking for things like this was his job. And with that, things had gone back to it even after I had messed things up. Well, that was one good thing.


    ¡°And how would you suggest I go about that?¡± the Monarch asked. ¡°Do you wish for me to kill those responsible?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rowan asked, looking disappointed that his request had not been immediately accepted.


    The Monarch did not look happy with that, however. Just like in the novel.


    ¡°And what would you suppose would happen then?¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, clearly not having accepted that question.


    ¡°What do you think, Lord Eldanveir?¡± the Monarch asked. I looked up in surprise. Why was I getting pulled into this? I didn¡¯t want to answer this question. This was Rowan¡¯s question to answer.


    ¡°I am sure you have a better knowledge of the consequences of such actions than young Rowan here. So, what do you think?¡±


    I gulped under his expectant gaze, realizing that I really didn¡¯t have a way out.


    ¡°The Empire would collapse.¡±


    ¡°Then let it.¡± Rowan swore.


    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not the problem, the problem is what would come afterward. There would be a mad rush for power. The first person to reach the higher stages would be the one that would establish their own Empire. And, well, you already know how they would go about gathering that power.¡±


    Rowan was many things, but he was not stupid. And really, it was obvious to someone in his position what they would do. There was but one way to quickly gain power in this world. The very thing he hated the Eldanveir for, the reason slavery was so common.


    The killing of people for their mana.


    ¡°There would be a great deal of death. The ones that remained would rush to kill as many as they could to gain more power. And the ones who didn''t would be left behind.¡± the Monarch interrupted. ¡°I would not kill all those of the royal or Eldanveir bloodlines. There are many that are innocent among them. There are children, and those forced to live lives they did not choose. And even more who have committed crimes, but do not deserve death for them.¡±


    ¡°At the moment, the royal family and the Eldanveir keep each other in check. In an effort to not allow the other to gain more power, they are protecting those who do not have the power to protect themselves. Remove this balance without proper preparation, and you risk causing a much worse situation. Perhaps the ones that would come to power afterward may be worse than those that exist today.¡±


    ¡°So tell me, what is your answer? How would you like to proceed? Do you still wish to kill them?¡±

 Chapter 6 - Monarchs are a bit much

    I shrank back in my seat. I couldn¡¯t help it. The Monarch just looked scary at that moment. Like he was staring down at us, ready to cut us down if we gave the wrong answer. I knew that to be wrong of course. The Monarch was just and would not kill us just for giving the wrong answer. But it was still scary. Perhaps even more for me since I knew just how powerful he was.


    I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself as Rowan went ahead and answered the Monarch.


    Sighing as he let himself hang back in a rather clear expression of defeat, he said, ¡°Of course not.¡±


    A silence filled the room. The Monarch clearly expecting more from him while Rowan just sat silent. I waited too. This was one of my favorite scenes from the book. Heck, it was one of the few scenes I liked. But the silence was going on for a bit too long.


    Wasn¡¯t this where he declared that he would solve this? That since there was a need for someone to step up and stop such a collapse from happening? Why was he silent?


    I looked at Rowan expectantly. Then I turned to the Monarch that was looking at him. What had gone wrong? There were a lot of things that had changed. Oh my gosh, what had I done? Had I just destroyed the story?


    If Rowan didn¡¯t say those words then¡­the story would not progress. This was the setting of the story. The thing that made me want to read it. What had I just done? Who would deal with the Duke now?


    ¡°Hmm.¡± the Monarch hummed. ¡°What do you think then, Lord Eldanveir? Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°T-tha-that-¡± I stuttered, a bit taken aback by him asking me. What should I say? I couldn¡¯t just take away Rowan¡¯s dialogue. Not to mention I would not be able to handle it. Rowan had been able to do it because he was the protagonist and had tons of talent. I didn¡¯t have that shit going for me.


    ¡°Do you have not any ideas? I am surprised. I was so sure you would.¡± the Monarch said, picking up a strawberry and biting into it. This was the first time he had eaten something in the meeting. That probably meant something, but I could not bring myself to think of that at the moment.


    ¡°There is a need for another faction, one that is not only powerful enough to take over the empire once it collapses but also not use that chance to commit evil.¡± I said, turning to look at Rowan. Come on, that should be enough to get him to understand what I meant right?


    ¡°What do you think, Rowan?¡± the Monarch asked.


    ¡°I -¡± Rowan looked down, seeming nervous for some reason. I admit I was shocked. In the book he was quite self-assured. Even just a few minutes ago he seemed very confident. What had happened now, to make him hesitate?


    ¡°I think it is a good idea.¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°I see. Is there anything else you wish to say?¡±


    I looked at Rowan, who just looked back at me. What was this? How come he wasn¡¯t saying anything? I had given him as many prompts as I could.


    ¡°What about you, Lord Eldanveir? Have you decided whether you wish to leave this planet yet?¡± the Monarch asked, sounding a bit bored.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°And what is your answer?¡± the Monarch now sounded curious, his golden eyes turning to me. And once again I felt a pressure way down on me, informing me of who I was facing. A Monarch. There really wasn¡¯t a need for a reminder, but I guess the universe was feeling nervous or something.


    ¡°I wish to leave! Please send me to a peaceful and nice world with magic!¡± I requested. I kinda felt guilty about just running away but like¡­ I didn¡¯t wanna be stuck as an Eldanveir anymore! Rowan could deal with it, he was the protagonist anyway.


    ¡°I see.¡± the Monarch replied, tilting his head as he looked at me.


    ¡°I fear I cannot do that.¡±


    I groaned. Come on, why would he offer that if he wasn¡¯t going to do it? This had been another test hadn¡¯t it? And why was Rowan looking at me like I had just killed his sis¡­oh.


    Elena would die if I left. The Duke did not allow servants to leave the mansion unless they were already dead. If the person she served disappeared, they would probably blame her and kill her. I hadn¡¯t thought of that.


    Now I felt guilty. Rowan thought she was dead already, but it had really hurt him to find out that he could have saved her. If he had asked the Monarch to do it, then it could be done. But he had thought her already dead. And thus missed his chance.


    I felt even more guilty now. I hadn¡¯t thought that through¡­had I? Yes, I should have asked for the Monarch to save her too. I opened my mouth to do just that, but was interrupted by the Monarch.


    ¡°I have a principle I follow when dispatching justice.¡± the Monarch¡¯s gaze held my eyes, and I shrunk back despite myself. What was up with him staring at me so much?


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that would harm the planet in the long term. I know.¡± I said, hoping to get him to stop staring at me. A smile appeared on his face instead.


    ¡°If you know that, then you should be able to tell me why I cannot help you escape.¡±


    Oh, this again? What was up with him asking me questions? This guy was the Monarch! Why was he asking me for answers? The questions were even hard ones. I did not come here because I missed exams!


    ¡°Think about it, what would the world lack once you are gone?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    How was I so important that the world couldn¡¯t¡ªoh. Aphra was the one that had caused Leif¡¯s death in the end. But I mean, I didn¡¯t even know how he did it. The event was just heard of second hand.


    ¡°I am not sure if I can do that, your majesty.¡± I said.


    ¡°That is true. I do not think you can either.¡± the Monarch nodded. Ok, that hurt. Yes, it was true, but it still hurt. Why was it standing in the way of my escaping though?


    ¡°I¡¯m stuck in the Eldanvier mansion, I don¡¯t think I can even escape by myself. How am I supposed to help save the world?¡±


    ¡°That is true. Escaping that mansion alone will be difficult. Surviving outside shall be next to impossible.¡± the Monarch replied calmly.


    I looked at him. ¡°What am I supposed to do then?¡±


    The Monarch chuckled at my answer, as if he thought it were something funny. ¡°There is very little you can do. That, young lord, is why you sit here is it not?¡±


    Golden lights began to swirl around us, spinning around us in a manner that was frankly dizzying.


    ¡°This is the Court of Justice.¡± the Monarch said, his voice louder than it had been before.


    ¡°I shall ask you this one last time before I make my decision.¡± the Monarch said, his voice softer once more. But it felt different. Like this time, it was just an act.


    ¡°Is there anything else you wish to say?¡± he asked.


    Rowan gulped, looking at me as if he was asking me a question. But for the life of me, I could not figure out what it was.


    ¡°I will do it.¡± he said in the end. ¡°I will form this faction of yours, stabilize the empire or whatever. That is what you wish, is it not?¡±


    The Monarch nodded. ¡°Then this is my answer.¡±


    Prince Verlinaus of the House Manevorus, Monarch of Justice, Power and Fame, Prince of Magic, Death, and Destruction looked at us.


    There was little change in his posture. Perhaps he turned his head a little. But it seemed like the world had changed. Like I was sitting inside a bubbling ocean, ready to burst. The space around me felt fragile, like it would break at any moment, as if it were warning me to stay very still.


    ¡°I am not in the business of giving powers.¡± the Monarch said. ¡°I have found that such things rarely lead to pleasant results. There are few things a person can have that are worse than unearned power. I shall not be the one to give it to you.¡±


    ¡°But even I am not so blind to see that you are in need of aid. Perhaps you could escape alone, but it is unlikely. I do not see it happening. So instead I tell you this.¡±


    ¡°Prove yourselves. I shall support you as you form this faction, and should you succeed, I shall aid you in dealing with those that stand against justice. I shall give you not power, but ways that you may achieve it.¡±


    The Monarch raised his hand, threads of black and gold reaching out from his outstretched fingers and intertwining around Rowan as he spoke.


    ¡°The ones that hold you captive lay dead.


    The door to your cage lays open.


    If you wish to follow your words, then walk into your captor¡¯s palace. And hear my words well, for if you shall do so then you shall start upon a path that is not easy to leave.¡±


    ¡°For then you shall no longer be Rowan the slave but instead Lord Rowan, illegitimate son and heir of the now dead Viscount that once held you captive. In place of rags you shall wear the colors of the house that hurt you. In place of anger you shall wear a smile as you speak to those that would see you dead. The world you wish to enter is not one of kindness, but that of lies and hypocrisy.¡±


    ¡°Think well before you decide, for I shall not reverse my decision easily.¡±


    I sighed in relief. That was what the Monarch had given him even in the book. Not the kindest introduction. But it wasn¡¯t exactly unnecessary either.


    ¡°Aphra of Eldanveir and Blade.¡± the Monarch said, sending threads of black and gold to revolve around me. ¡°There is little need for me to warn you of what you face, for you are already aware of it. For now, I cannot kill your enemies, though perhaps a day shall come that I may do so. Till such a day comes, I shall aid you in what way I find appropriate.¡±


    ¡°To the north of the Eldanveir mansion lies the Forest of Tragedy. There you may gain power of darkness, if you prove yourself worthy. Twenty-four hours I shall give you. For twenty-four hours shall the Court display its presence, and the powers that oppose you shall be weakened.¡±


    Story magic. That was Story magic. The Monarch was going to lend us a bit of the Court of Justice¡¯s power so that we would be abnormally lucky. The Monarch had done that in the book too¡­but hadn¡¯t that been for only six hours?


    ¡°If you wish to form a Story of your own, then I would suggest you do it now.¡±


    ¡° What?!¡± Rowan yelled, but I knew he would not receive an answer. Not from this Monarch. Not now.


    ¡°There is another thing I shall provide you that may aid your growth in power. Use it carefully, for I shall not be administering it. This power is that of the Fae Queen, the Monarch of Trickery, and it is better used carefully.¡±


    I could feel myself smile. Yes! The Fae Queen¡¯s System was one of the best in the universe, especially if you were aiming for Story magic. After all, she was the one who invented Story magic.


    ¡°That will be all. I hope we may meet once more.¡± the Monarch pronounced, and I felt my surroundings fade. A force pushed me back, abruptly yanking me onto my ass.


    I looked up, trying to make sure that I had landed myself back in Aphra¡¯s room. But a large pink text box blocked my vision.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(185, 106, 217, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Hello, Aphra of the Blade.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I smiled. The Fae Queen had come.


    ¡°Hello -¡± I began, only for the Fae Queen to cut me off.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(185, 106, 217, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">I do not like this.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I blinked. What did she not like?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">This is not a System for the willing.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What? Wait a second. Please, no, not a price -


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">


    There has to be a price. Verlinaus gave you twenty-four hours, did he not?


    I shall take twelve.


    Don¡¯t worry, this is good for you.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 7 - Leaving is easier than I thought

    That fucking bitch of a Queen.


    I groaned as I sat up, feeling strangely refreshed. That was probably her magic at work. I should have expected the Fae Queen to pull a trick like that. This Monarch was known to be difficult to deal with, and her actions were often as random as her magic.


    But this was not the time to think of that. I had to leave.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Quest issued: escape the Eldanveir estate.


    Time Limit: 11:59:23


    Reward: escape


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I blinked. A Quest? That was new. Rowan¡¯s System did not have that.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">I felt like you needed additional motivation. Do you like it? I can take it away if you want.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I rolled my eyes at that. The Fae Queen could do as she wished. Saying anything would just cause her to be even more annoying. And dangerous. The Fae Queen might make herself look funny, but she was still a Monarch. Getting into an argument with her was not good for my health.


    And besides, I had more important things to take care of.


    I looked around my room, finding Elena sitting on the floor with a blank expression on her face.


    ¡°The kitchen delivered food, my lord.¡± she said, apparently having noticed my gaze.


    I looked at the table she was sitting below. There was indeed breakfast laid on the table. A lot of breakfast. There looked to be enough for ten people. Why would they¡ªit didn¡¯t matter. I had to leave.


    ¡°Come on, we need to go.¡± I said, throwing the blankets off and hurrying towards the garden. Elena did not follow.


    I turned to look at her. ¡°Are you not coming?¡±


    ¡°Coming where, my lord?¡± she asked, looking very nervous. I looked at her for a second, confused by her reaction. Then I remembered that she did not know what had happened. The last thing she remembered was probably reaching my room while injured. The meeting with the Monarch of Justice and the encounter with the Fae Queen were both things she would not know.


    ¡°So I, ugh, met the Monarch of Justice last night. And he gave me twenty-four hours¡ªwell, twenty-four hours then, the Fae Queen took twelve, so I only have twelve hours left to escape. So we, ugh, have to leave now.¡±


    Elena got even more nervous as I talked, going from confused to straight up disbelieving.


    ¡°I met your brother too.¡± I said, trying to think of things that would help me convince her. Elena¡¯s expression went straight to murderous. That was the wrong call.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Need a little help?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡®Not from you, Fae Queen. I don¡¯t have time for your trickery.¡¯ I groaned.


    ¡°Look I know you don¡¯t believe me, but I really did meet your brother at the Court of Justice yesterday. I don¡¯t really have time to tell you everything that happened, but I have about twelve hours left -¡±


    ¡°The outside.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I looked at her. The girl was looking at me with eyes narrowed in suspicion, but there was a determined look in her eyes.


    ¡°Are you going to escape to the outside?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°Oh, ugh, yes. The Monarch said that there¡¯s a forest called the Forest of Tragedy in the estate that we can use. And get Darkness Magic from. I think knowing a bit of magic would help -¡±


    Elena pulled out a knife from under the plate, putting the rest of it down on the table. The knife looked very sharp.


    ¡°This was for self-defense.¡± she explained.


    Now I was the one looking at her with suspicion.


    ¡°I am going to die anyway, my lord.¡± she answered my unspoken question.


    ¡°Ok.¡± I nodded, warily. That did sound like something Rowan would do. Perhaps he took after his sister.


    ¡°Do you have another knife?¡± A weapon would be useful. Even if I didn¡¯t know how to use it.


    ¡°No. I could only sneak in one.¡± she answered. Wait, she sneaked that in? How? Did they not check her or something?


    ¡°¡­ I guess we shall leave then.¡± I said, moving to leave. Then my stomach growled in protest. I looked down, embarrassed.


    ¡°Perhaps we should have breakfast, my lord.¡± Elena said, her tone flat, as if she were reading some boring equation.


    I ignored that and instead looked at the food on the table. There was no time to eat. But it would be such a waste to just leave it around.


    ¡°Do you happen to have anything we can use to pack this food?¡±


    Elena looked at the table and then around the room. ¡°I¡­did not notice any such thing, my lord. Perhaps outside this room?¡±


    ¡°I guess we are leaving it then.¡± I said, not able to tear my eyes off the food. Perhaps I should have breakfast and then leave. The Forest of Tragedy did not sound like a place I could have a leisurely meal in. And twelve hours was long enough that I could not simply go hungry.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Verlinaus suggests you leave now. Take the food with you.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The food disappeared from the table, a shoulder bag appearing in its place.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">The Duke of Eldanvier shall not remain inside for long. Leave the estate before he leaves his hiding place.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What was that?¡± Elena asked, her voice shrill and almost a scream.


    ¡°The Fae Queen thinks we should leave now.¡± I said, heading over to take the bag. This seemed way too light to have so much food inside it.¡± Do you believe me now?¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">The bag shall disappear once the food is eaten, and you can¡¯t add more items to it. So don¡¯t go around depending on it.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I hadn¡¯t expected anything else. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted anything else either. There would be other Monarchs that would come looking for me if the Fae Queen started to get too involved. And I did not want to be involved in their ¡®Game¡¯.


    The two of us stepped out into the garden and I looked to the sky. The north. The sun was already up, so that meant that I had to go¡­err. How did one tell the north from the south again?


    And where was the sun? I couldn¡¯t see it! A building must be hiding it. Oh fuck, I did not know how to tell directions without a phone.


    ¡°Do you happen to know what direction north is?¡± I asked Elena.


    The girl just looked at me and shrugged. ¡°No. Is that important, my lord?¡±


    ¡°The Monarch said we had to go north.¡± I replied, feeling more than a little embarrassed.


    Elena let out a groan before she managed to straighten herself, her face going back to her usual blank expression.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">The System map has been activated.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    An old yellowed map appeared before me, the features hard to read and interpret. But it had a compass. I turned towards the direction it showed as north, and saw the compass tilt until the directions were straight and proper. The compass could be used to check directions.


    Ok, I could do this.


    ¡°The Fae Queen gave me a map.¡± I told Elena as I started walking towards the North. The girl narrowed her eyes at me, but did not question it. I guess the bag appearing had convinced her that something was going on.


    The walk was not far. The Forest of Tragedy appeared to be very close to my room. But that was not all I saw on the map. The area marked as the Forest was very large, so large that I was not sure I could cover it in twelve hours.


    And that wasn¡¯t even considering the rest of the Eldanveir territory. The fuckers ruled this entire continent. I did not think I could cover it today. Not unless I somehow learned to fly.


    That meant I would need a way to hide. I guess that''s why the Monarch of Justice pointed me towards the Darkness element. The spell the butler had got me. I ran back to my room to collect it, thankfully finding the spellbook still on my bed.


    This spell would be of great use when hiding from the Duke. At least I hoped it would. I did not really have any better ones. I walked back out to find Elena waiting for me with that blank expression on her face.


    I guess she thought I was stupid.


    ¡°I forgot the book.¡± I said, trying to explain myself. The expression on her face told me that I did not convince her.


    The two of us headed north once again without speaking another word. What I did notice though, that she looked much better than she had yesterday. There was no sunkennes to her cheeks, and the scars that had been visible yesterday looked much more faded.


    I guess she had the same magic recovery as her brother. That was good. Rowan had made great use of this skill.


    ¡°Do you want to eat anything? I just rushed out, but if you want to stay and eat¡­¡± I asked awkwardly. The expression on her face did not change.


    ¡°I would prefer to leave the estate first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be a while. The Forest of Tragedy is still inside the estate.¡± I replied. The fucking estate looked large enough to be a country of its own. I did not know why they even wanted so much land to themselves.


    On second thought, I did not want to know.


    The two of us walked in an awkward silence through the buildings. The windows were closed with the same black stone that had covered mine yesterday. I was sure the doors were shut too. The Monarch probably opened mine.


    This really was a good opportunity to escape. I could not imagine being able to sneak through so many buildings while there were people around. The garden was in clear view from too many of them.


    I needed to get that magic. If I had that spell then I could hide away from those eyes. Well, maybe not here. The Eldanveir probably had too many powerful people for a beginner like me to hide from them. But if I was able to get lost among the people of the continent, then I could use that spell to hide.


    The Forest¡¯s boundary appeared as I was thinking, my feet stopping before the treeline. Elena¡¯s did not. The girl passed through the boundary without any trouble, safely entering the Forest. I followed her.


    The trees looked old, their trunks thick and their branches long. There was little in the way of vegetation on the floor, and I could not even see any broken branches scattered around. The ground was just rocks and dry soil.


    But the trees were green and looked healthy. There weren¡¯t even any birds or squirrels on them, and now that I thought about it, I hadn¡¯t heard a single animal sound. Not even the sound of leaves swaying.


    I heard the sound of a muffled scream beside me as I turned to find Elena crouching, holding her knife before her as if protecting herself from a threat. I followed her gaze, finding myself staring at a rabbit.


    A white, fluffy rabbit that seemed to have made no noise as it approached us. A monster, probably. I could sense something from it, though it might not be mana. But it probably was.


    The rabbit turned its head, as if analyzing us. I looked at it too, bending down to pick up a stone. I did not want to rely on my fists if it came down to a fight.


    The rabbit lunged at me as soon as I crouched, its teeth flashing red as it aimed at my leg. I scrambled back, swiping at it with my stone. The rabbit evaded my attack, bouncing towards the left and then looking at me.


    I waited for it to attack again, my breath short and me chest heaving as I stood ready to swipe down. The rabbit just looked at me, tilting its head once more as if waiting for me to do something.


    Did it want me to attack it? I could do that. Wait, no, I shouldn¡¯t do something the monster clearly wants me to do. That was foolish.


    The rabbit had apparently had enough of my waiting, as it rushed at me. I swung down, and missed. The aim wasn¡¯t even close. The rabbit had come too fast, and my swing simply wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch it.


    I could have sworn I saw a grin pass across the rabbit¡¯s face as it evaded my fist. The red eyes looked at me, a silent promise of pain in them. The rabbit¡¯s claws extended towards my leg, and I winced in anticipation of the pain that was coming.


    What I got was a notification.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Test 1 concluded.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Aphra Eldanveir


    FAIL


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Elena of Burtinder


    PASS


    The Darkness welcomes you, Elena of Burtinder.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 8 - Why am I so bad at this?

    Think of your mind as a room. This room has thoughts within it. Then think of another room, with mana in it. This room is reality. A wall separates the two rooms. Now imagine mana reaching out, crossing the wall to reach the other room. The thoughts and mana come together, and when mana does return to reality, it changes it.


    That is magic. That is the power I want.


    Darkness mana had now entered Elena¡¯s mind room. And would be affected by her thoughts. That was how she could cast magic, if she had a spellbook that is. There would be¡­difficulty in casting magic otherwise. Mana was not easy to control after all.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked her as she closed her eyes, apparently not even listening to me. There was something around her. A power I could sense but not quite touch. A power that gathered around her, settling on her shoulders and around her head as it did so. That power was mana of course.


    I was surprised I could even sense it. Darkness mana was not one of my elements. Perhaps it was because there was a lot of Darkness mana here. Well, good for me.


    Elena opened her eyes to look at me. The air grew heavy. More mana appeared around her, gathering around her body like a coat of fur.


    ¡°So, how do you feel?¡± I asked once more.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Elena asked, her voice sharp. Mana pulsed around her even as she spoke, as if she were about to cast a spell. That was dangerous. Mana gathered like this, while she had little control and knew no spells was likely to go out of control. Perhaps even attack me.


    More than that though, I was confused. Why was she suddenly reacting like this? There was something I did not know. There had to be.


    ¡°What was what? The rabbit?¡±


    Elena¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ¡°There was no rabbit.¡±


    I looked at her. Elena glared back at me.


    ¡°There was a test.¡± I began. ¡°What did you see?¡±


    Elena¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The Viscount of Burtinder was here.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What?¡± I asked, no longer able to hide my confusion. ¡°The Viscount of Burtinder? But I only faced a¡ªoh.¡±


    So that was what it was. Elena had seen something different. Now it made a bit more sense. That even explained why she had not tried to help me¡ªshe had not even seen me fight. Perhaps the entire thing was an illusion. The question was, who was testing us?


    ¡°The mana.¡± I breathed out, the thought coming to me as it started to make sense.


    ¡°What do you mean, the mana?¡± Elena asked, her tone sharp as she demanded an answer for me. I guess seeing her slaver did not sit well with her. But she had waited for me to come up with an answer. Perhaps she trusted me more than I thought.


    ¡°This was a test by Darkness mana. I don¡¯t know what exactly is going on, but I imagine mana tested us differently. I faced a rabbit, while you faced the Viscount of Burtinder.¡±


    Elena looked at me some more, as if assessing if I was speaking the truth. After a few moments, she nodded.


    ¡°The Viscount would not have come alone. And he wouldn¡¯t have come himself either. There would be others to do his work for him.¡± she said. ¡°But you did not tell me there would be a test.¡±


    I raised my hands in surrender. ¡°I did not know there would be one either.¡±


    Elena just looked at me, her expression shifting back to the blank one she usually wore. At least she wasn¡¯t angry at me anymore.


    ¡°So, how do you like mana?¡± I asked.


    Elena just looked at me, probably wondering if she should answer. Or even abandon me. I mean, she did have powers now. And we were outside the Eldanveir mansion already. There was little reason to keep me along.


    ¡°The feeling was strange.¡± she said after many seconds had passed. ¡°The two of us should hurry. The test took too long.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± I called out before she could start walking away, taking out the spellbook. ¡°Learn this spell before we move ahead, it will help hide us.¡±


    Elena looked at the book I was holding out. ¡°That is a spellbook.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answered, holding it out for her.


    A few moments passed as she simply continued looking at it.


    ¡°Just open the book, now that you have Darkness mana, it should just transfer the information into your mind.¡± I informed her. Perhaps she was unsure on how to use it.


    Elena took the spellbook carefully, looking at me like she expected me to take it back. The girl had trust issues.


    But she did open the spellbook, her eyes clouding over as she did so. The thing had worked for her. That solved one of the main things I had come to this forest for.


    The stealth spell.


    But it would be better if I could learn it too. Knowing one spell made it much easier to cast magic. Mana had to be willing for you to do it after all. Not knowing any spells made it very difficult to gain mana¡¯s attention.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Mana would only answer your call if it found you interesting. Or if it should do so under the mana system it had put in place. Getting either of those would be difficult as it stood.


    I sighed as I looked around. Elena would probably take a while. I should take that time to practice -


    ¡°This is very strange.¡± Elena suddenly said, almost making me jump in surprise.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re already out?¡± I asked before I could help it. That was fast, very fast.


    ¡°Am I not supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± How did I answer that? The amount of time it took to learn a spell was dependent on how much mana talent you had. Elena had to be bursting with it to have learned the spell so fast.


    ¡°This was just much faster than I expected.¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, it means you have a lot of talent.¡±


    Elena just looked at me with a blank expression on her face. So she was suspicious of me again. How nice.


    ¡°I suppose we should start walking again.¡± I said, changing the topic.


    ¡°Yes.¡± And there was that tone. The girl tried very hard to act like she had no emotions.


    The two of us started walking again, the silence even more awkward than before. The air grew heavier as we walked, and I could almost sense mana in the air. I was sure Elena was already sensing it.


    This place had far more mana than the Eldanveir mansion. I didn''t really have anything else to compare it with, but I was pretty sure this mana level was high. Perhaps too high. I hoped that did not mean anything scary awaited us. Not while I still did know any magic, or have ways to defend myself.


    ¡°So, how does Darkness mana feel like?¡± I asked.


    Elena looked at me in confusion.


    ¡°Mana has emotions.¡± I continued. ¡°Darkness mana should feel like a particular emotion. That should help in using it.¡±


    Elena¡¯s steps slowed as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. The light seemed to fade as mana slowly revolved around her, as if having a conversation with her.


    ¡°Like stabbing a bad man in the heart.¡± she said after a few minutes. ¡°Like seeing him bleed out on the ground with no one coming to save him. That is what mana feels like. Darkness mana feels like revenge.¡±


    I stopped walking. The answer was just that unexpected to me. Darkness mana felt like revenge. That was¡­surprising. And not at the same time. In a way it made sense. The Duke was after revenge. And he was very powerful.


    What about Leif then? What did he want revenge for? Or was it just the death? Elena had mentioned it. Was it the killing that actually powered it? Was Darkness mana just mana that wanted to kill people?


    Elena tapped me, a disapproving expression on her face. The expression on her face told me that I should keep walking.


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I said, starting to move again. Elena did not reply, but she did start walking even faster. I followed. The speed did not seem much to me, for some reason. This body seemed to have much more strength than my previous one.


    Not that it actually helped me. I didn¡¯t know how to fight. Now that I think of it, I should get something to fight with. For some reason I had not expected to fight in this forest. The rabbit had proven me wrong. A fight was coming. I had to prepare for it. The question was how.


    A weapon, clearly. Not a knife or sword, since I wouldn¡¯t find one around here. But there had to be something else I could use. I looked down as I walked, keeping an eye out for any stones or sticks that I could use.


    There were none. This was a forest. There were so many trees around us that their branches intertwined with each other. There was barely any sunlight coming down, making it seem quite dark even in the morning. The ground should be littered with leaves and stones. There should be grass, insects and even wildflowers.


    There were none. The forest floor was flat, flatter than most roads on earth. A silent reminder that I was in a magical forest.


    There was magic here, even if it wasn¡¯t currently acting against me. Just one wrong step, and who knew what could happen. Or what the rest of these tests would have in store for me.


    I needed a way to defend myself. And sticks and stones would not cut it. Not that I had any of those to use either. Gulping as I realized my situation, I reached out. Mana was around me.


    Darkness mana.


    Mana that wanted to kill things. If I could really feel the emotion, mana would reach out to me. Or at least notice me, and that could lead to it taking an interest in me. I needed it to happen just about now.


    Who was it that I wanted to kill? Leif. Why? Cause otherwise he would kill me. I thought back to when he had killed my maid. When he had left me there, terrified and looking over a pool of blood.


    I thought of the things he had done in the book, what he would do if he lived. The guy was a problem. A killer. A monster that I needed to kill before he killed me. I felt the mana around me, reaching out to it with these thoughts in my mind.


    A pressure appeared around me. I smiled, despite myself, willing the mana to shoot towards the ground in the form of a bullet. Mana did not move.


    The pressure continued increasing.


    I tried again, a frown coming to my face. Mana still did not respond to me. The pressure was not because of my mana sensing. The timing was just a coincidence.


    This was something else.


    ¡°Elena.¡± I began.


    ¡°I know.¡± she interrupted me. ¡°There is someone¡ªseveral someones watching us.¡±


    Oh, I did not know that one.


    Were we seeing different things?


    Why would we be seeing different¡ªoh shit.


    I did not have time to react. I didn''t even have time to process it. The second I realized we were in an illusion, my surroundings disappeared. Just darkness remained. One tree appeared beside me, emerging from the darkness like a pillar fading into view.


    Another appeared in front of me, and then one behind my back. The trees continued appearing until they formed a circle around me.


    The trees were clearly visible like they had been in the sunlight, but the darkness around them was black. The kind of black that was seen in deep holes that seemed to have no end. The kind of black that just screamed the fact that monsters were hidden inside it.


    The kind of black that scared me.


    As if conjured by my words, two red eyes appeared from between the trees. I took a step back. The red eyes moved forward. A white foot moved out of the darkness. And then another.


    A head appeared around the eyes, white fur covering what could have been a cute face. The rest of the body appeared soon after. The same white fur I had seen before. The same eyes that looked down on me. A smile that made me want to punch it in the face.


    This was the rabbit from test 1. And that meant -


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Test 2 has begun.


    Please die.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 9 - This really isnt what I wanted

    I did not have time to process those words. I barely had time to think. The rabbit had leaped at me the second the notification came out.


    Even as I tried to dodge, I realized what was happening. The beast was too fast for me. The rabbit reached me almost before I could react, its claws stretching out to tear at my skin. But I did manage to react.


    I slammed my fist into the rabbit¡¯s body, its claws tearing into my fist even as I pushed it away. The rabbit was propelled back in the air, its red eyes glaring at me as it slammed onto the ground.


    The fall barely even made it hesitate. In another second it was back onto me, looking like it had not even been injured.


    I did what seemed like the smart thing to do. I ran away. At least, I tried to. The rabbit was too fast. Of course it was. I could barely react to its attacks, how had I thought I could run away? That had been a foolish decision.


    A decision I was now paying for. The rabbit¡¯s claws dug into my chest, its red eyes shining as it climbed my body, leaving bleeding wounds in its path.


    I clutched the rabbit¡¯s torso, somehow ignoring the pain as I tried to get it off my body. The rabbit would not let go. The thing held on as if its life depended on it, unwilling to let its claws leave my skin.


    The pain grew worse as it stuck its claws deeper into my body, moving them around under my skin. In moments I was in enough pain to let out a scream and give up. I focused on getting it off me instead.


    Of course, I did not succeed. The thing would not let go. The claws were already digging into my skin, and I could feel its paw pushing its way in. This was going to be a major wound.  I could just feel it. Would I even survive it?


    The wound was near the heart. There were important arteries and veins there. What were the chances the rabbit had avoided those? I let out a scream as I pulled at the rabbit even harder trying to stop it from digging any deeper.


    To my surprise, it worked. The rabbit lost its footing and was thrown off my body. I held it away from the rest of my body as I huffed from the exertion. Or was it the weakness from all of that blood leaving my body?


    The rabbit struggled in my grasp, shoving its legs this way and that as it tried to break itself free. I would not let it. Holding on was hard, but it would be worse if it was able to attack me again.


    The rabbit growled at me, swinging its head towards my arm. I realized what it wanted to do too late. The teeth bit into my forearm, slicing through my skin with ease. I grabbed at its neck with my other arm, trying to choke it before it managed to injure me even more.


    I did not succeed. The neck was like a pillar, too solid for me to even shake. Even as I tried to constrict it, I knew I would not be able to hurt the rabbit. The skin was too tough, I would not be able to pierce it in time. If I could even do it.


    The pain was too great. The teeth were biting into my muscles, cutting through my veins.  I didn''t know how I was even holding on.


    Had it already reached the bone?


    I could see blood dripping out of my arm, passing through the rabbit¡¯s mouth and then dropping onto the floor. That was my blood. The thing that was supposed to remain inside my body. And it was dripping out onto the floor like someone had left the tap open.


    I watched as my vision grew blurry. The rabbit opened its mouth once more, its teeth removing themselves from my arm with a great shot of blood. And then they shot back in. The pain then was enough to make my mind go blank.


    A fog filled my mind. I did not know what happened. I did not if I held on. But I did know that a notification appeared before me.


    [Test 2 concluded]


    [Aphra Eldanveir]


    [FAIL]


    I blinked. I looked at my body. The wounds had disappeared. So had the rabbit. What I had experienced might as well have been a dream. Just a blue notification remained, declaring the result.


    A failure. What had I even failed? What was this test about?


    The first one had been fine. The rabbit had attacked me, but it had not hurt me. I had just failed to defend myself. The second one¡­the second one had been painful. So painful that my heart was still beating fast at the thought of it.


    More painful than anything I had experienced before. I could feel my hands shaking at the thought of those teeth sinking into it, the pain from them cutting into my muscles still fresh in my memory.


    The spots where the rabbit¡¯s claws had struck itched, as if my skin could not understand how it was still fine. A hand came to rest on my shoulder. I flinched, moving away as I turned around.


    Elena was looking at me with a worried expression on her face. ¡°Are you fine?¡±


    I opened my mouth to answer, but it took more than a few moments for my voice to come. The air kept getting sucked into my lungs, as if my throat was afraid I would stop breathing otherwise.


    A few moments passed as I just sat there, breathing heavily as I stared at the ground. The beating of my heart calmed slowly. So very slowly. I could still hear blood rushing to my head. A headache building even as I calmed down.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± I stammered out. ¡°I a- I am fine.¡±


    The words came out forced, and with far too much effort. I was not fine. The experience had shaken me up far more than I had expected.


    This was not fine.


    I did not want to experience that again. That had been bad. I had almost died. I probably had died, only it had been an illusion. An illusion unlike Leif¡¯s. The one Leif had done was the work of a child in comparison.


    Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t an illusion. Perhaps it had been real. Mana could have healed me, it had that power. Or someone else could have, whatever entity was in charge of these tests. I did not know.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Elena continued looking at me.


    ¡°How about we have some food? Weren¡¯t you hungry?¡± she asked, concern clear in her voice.


    I wanted to refuse. The reason we had been hurrying was still valid. The Eldnaveir could be following us at this very moment.


    But I could not bring myself to do it.


    The pounding in my brain would not let me concentrate. There was a weakness to my legs that made me wonder if I could even stand up.


    Sitting down and having a meal sounded good right about now.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± I answered, still stammering.


    Elena looked at me with a sad look on her face. I reached out to the bag, my hands shaking even as I did so.


    I ignored it. Elena ignored it. I pulled out the table cloth and Elena laid it out while I pulled out the food.


    There was plenty of it.


    A number of fruits I had not seen before. More than a few fried dishes that looked like they were different kinds of meat. Even bowls of ice cream that had somehow not melted.


    The two of us ate in silence.


    The shaking in my hand gradually calmed as I ate. The pounding in my head faded, though it still left a headache. Even my muscles relaxed, little by little. I could feel my body letting it¡¯s tension pass, a dull ache appearing in my muscles instead.


    Now I felt better, calmer.


    A sigh propelled itself out of me as I put a spoon of ice cream in my mouth. This was the first one that went in without missing and getting a bit on my mouth.


    I was eating like a child. But I did not have it in me to care about that at the moment.


    The food tasted bad. The ice cream was bland. The meat was overcooked. The fruits were the only thing that tasted decent, and probably because they tasted like fruit.


    I didn¡¯t care about that either.


    What I cared about were the tests. There were three of them.


    The first had been easy.


    The second had been painful.


    What about the third?


    What would the third do? Would it kill me? I could not help but think it as I looked down on my half eaten bowl of ice cream. The third test might kill me. The second test should have killed me, but I had ended up surviving.


    But what if the third test wasn¡¯t like that? What if I actually had to face the rabbit and survive? How would I do that?


    I could not fight back as it was. I did not have the power. The rabbit was clearly magical. I did know how to cast a single spell. Now, even more than before, I needed that power.


    I just didn''t know how to get it.


    ¡°Co-come on.¡± I shoved out, getting up.


    Elena just looked at me. The girl had finished her food far before me, who could not even properly  put the food in his mouth.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°Come on, we should leave.¡±


    Elena plucked up the table cloth and held it out to me. I put it back in the bag. The plates would not go in.


    The Fae Queen¡¯s restriction. The Monarch had not spoken to me in a while. I doubted she would.


    Not one of those two would help me here. I was on my own.


    Elena and I started walking, the silence stretching between us.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Elena began, but she did not continue. I figured that she could not find the words to do so.


    ¡°How much did you see?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I saw the rabbit attack you.¡± she answered. ¡°I saw you fight back.¡±


    So she saw all of it.


    ¡°There was a barrier.¡± she continued. ¡°I tried to help you, but I could not. The distance would not decrease even if I ran towards you.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That was probably an illusion. Or some form of space magic. I really can¡¯t tell.¡±


    A tremor ran through my hand at those words. ¡°If it was an illusion, it was a very realistic one.¡±


    Elena was looking at me sadly again. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Can you teach me magic?¡± I asked suddenly.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know¡­ I really don¡¯t understand it myself.¡± she said hesitantly.


    ¡°Just tell me what you feel. How mana reacts to it. Please, I need it.¡± I pleaded with her. ¡°There is another test and I - I don¡¯t know what is going to happen in it.¡±


    Elena looked at me. I looked back.


    ¡°Ok.¡± she said, taking a deep breath. ¡°I will do what I can. What do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me how it feels to cast the spell. That should be enough.¡±


    ¡°I, um, I haven¡¯t actually cast the spell yet.¡± she said.


    Oh right, we hadn¡¯t had the time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡± she said before I could say anything. I felt mana collect around her, the force surrounding her.


    As I watched, she faded from view. I could see a slight difference between her body and the surroundings, like a shimmer that denoted that she was moving. And because I knew where she was sitting, I could see her move. Doing that would have been much more difficult if I did not know she was there.


    Elena became visible again a few seconds later.


    ¡°So, how did the mana feel?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Mana felt¡­excited. Like it was very happy about something.¡± she said, looking at me with a puzzled expression on her face.


    I looked at her, my brows furrowing..


    ¡°What about you? Did the spell make you remember anything? Perhaps it made you feel a particular emotion?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Not that I remember.¡±


    So that had not been helpful.


    Not even one bit.


    I groaned, tears collecting in my eyes as I realized how bad my situation was.


    Was there really no way I could cast magic?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">The System exists you know.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; background-color: rgba(236, 202, 250, 1); border-color: rgba(132, 63, 161, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">System, show status.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    Aphra Eldanveir


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Bloodline


    </td>


    <td>


    [Bloodline Cutting Blade: 10% activated]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Elements


    </td>


    <td>


    [Blade]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Elements (bloodline minor)


    </td>


    <td>


    [Light: unawakened]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Rank


    </td>


    <td>


    3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Story level


    </td>


    <td>


    Unawakened


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 10 - There is a fight to be had.

    The status. Of course. How could I have forgotten it? To be honest, I hadn¡¯t. I just didn¡¯t think it was useful. I still didn¡¯t. The status had given useful information. I was Rank 3. I had not expected to be so high.


    The Duke had to have fed Aphra a ton of things to get him so high. There were many plants and flowers that could raise one¡¯s mana, and could only be used once. With the Eldanveir family¡¯s power, getting them would be easy. And once the Duke killed me, he would get that mana too.


    Rank 3 was powerful. This was the stage at which a lot of noble heirs graduated from the academy. The level at which most commoners stopped. There was a large barrier between Rank 3 and 4. Not that it mattered to me.


    I had no spells. And without spells, the mana was useless. I looked over the information again, hoping to see what the Fae Queen had been trying to point out.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    Aphra Eldanveir


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Bloodline


    </td>


    <td>


    [Bloodline Cutting Blade: 10% activated]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Elements


    </td>


    <td>


    [Blade]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Elements (bloodline minor)


    </td>


    <td>


    [Light: unawakened]


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Rank


    </td>


    <td>


    3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Story level


    </td>


    <td>


    Unawakened


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The Story was important. That was the magic I had been aiming for. I still wanted it. But I also had no idea how I could get it.


    That left Bloodline and Elements. Hmm, [Blade]. That was my element. I had expected it, but I also didn¡¯t know what to do with it. Darkness had seemed like a better option, since I was aiming to learn the stealth spell. The [Blade] was far more focused on combat.


    The situation was different now. I didn¡¯t have the option of picking and choosing anymore.


    ¡°Elena, could you give me your knife?¡± I asked.


    The girl turned to look at me with a confused expression on her face. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have the Blade element.¡± I answered. Elena just looked at me expectantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that holding the Blade might help me learn magic.¡± I continued. ¡°I do have the Bloodline and the Element.¡±


    Elena still looked doubtful, but she did give me the knife.


    I held it aloft, trying to feel something. There was, of course, no response from the surrounding mana. Rowan had managed to learn magic with just this, but it figured that I would not be the same. There was a different in talent between the protagonist and a side character.


    I swung it down, trying to see if mana reacted. Even a tiny reaction would be significant. I could build on that.


    Mana did not react. The System did.


    [Bloodline activation increased to 35%]


    I looked at the notification, feeling a little tension bleed out of my body. A 25% increase just from swinging a blade. I did not see any other changes in my status, but it was something. Perhaps activating the bloodline was the answer to my troubles.


    I swung the blade again, staring at my status the entire time. There was no response. I had gotten too excited. A Bloodline was not so easy to activate.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± Elena asked from beside me. I jumped, not having realized that she had snuck up on me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answered. ¡°The Bloodline activation increased by 25%.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Elena said, looking at me expectantly. ¡°So you can cast magic now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I answered, avoiding her gaze. The experiment had been somewhat successful, but it had not given me what I had wanted.


    I still could not fight against the rabbit. I needed more. This was not enough. I needed magic. Blade magic, Darkness magic, I would take any of it. But I needed one of them to respond.


    The System had told me two words when the test had begun. I had forgotten about them in what happened after, but they occupied my mind now.


    [Please die]


    The words were scary. I could feel anger from them. A powerful determination stood behind them, like someone out there wanted to kill me. I did not know how I knew this, but I did. The feeling remained, making my heart beat faster even as I thought about it.


    Elena shook me out of my thoughts. ¡°I cast the spell again. Tried to see what you were talking about. Mana responded this time, like it knew what I wanted and was giving it to me.¡±


    I looked at her, hopefully. The Prince of Magic had mentioned using emotion to shape mana. But Rowan had not actually used it. The thing came naturally to those that had used a spellbook, but I would just have to take the long path to it.


    But if I could somehow figure out what emotion Darkness mana came with, I could try to use it.


    ¡°Mana keeps bringing up the Viscount.¡± she continued. ¡°When I cast the spell, his image comes to my mind. I see him coming for me and my brother, and I want to hide from him. Use the opportunity to put a knife between his ribs. That¡¯s the kind of feeling I get from this.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    I nodded. ¡°So it is revenge in the end.¡±


    Elena shook her head. ¡°No, no. This feels¡­different from revenge. I don¡¯t know how to say it. I remembered the times when I used to feel helpless. Rowan and I¡ªwe weren¡¯t working in the same place.¡±


    Elena gulped, taking a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°The bastards would whip him. I had to serve tea to the Viscount while his men made my brother work in the mines. That is what I remember.


    ¡°The spell works for me because I want to stab him in the neck. That¡¯s what I want to do with the spell¡ªwhat I would have done if I had it then. I would hide in the darkness, wait for him to come and cut his neck off.¡± An expression of dissatisfaction flashed across her face. ¡°That still sounds like revenge, but like it isn¡¯t -¡±


    ¡°No, I get you.¡± I interrupted her. And I really did. There was revenge. That was still a part of this. But there was something else she had given even more attention to. The thing that was the cause behind her wanting revenge.


    The suffering.


    Darkness mana liked her because of the pain that was behind her motivation. What if that was the answer to this? What if Darkness mana drew power from one¡¯s suffering, powering its spells through it. The air grew even heavier as we walked, until it felt like I had a heavy weight on my shoulders.


    I ignored it, focusing on the current task instead. How had I suffered?


    Leif killing my maid?


    The rabbit almost killing me?


    The two events were what came to my mind. But when compared to what Elena had gone through, they felt less. Not as important. Not as weighty.


    Was there anything from my life from Earth that I could use? A moment I could call suffering? Did having to study for exams when I wanted to read books count?


    ¡­ I felt ashamed for even thinking of that. Elena¡¯s experience was much more painful than not being able to read books when I wanted to. But there really wasn¡¯t much in my life that I could point to and say ¡®that¡¯s suffering¡¯.


    Well, there was that one time when I got a hundred on a math paper.


    Mother had looked at it and said, ¡°What¡¯s with the handwriting? I would not check it if it were me.¡±


    I had been pretty upset with her words, and there had been plenty of moments like those across my childhood. But none of them were really suffering. Perhaps that was why Darkness mana did not like me.


    I had not suffered.


    But I had to try to get its help anyway. Cause I did not want to suffer. I needed its power not because of the suffering in my past, but because of suffering that was promised in the future. Leif would bring enough suffering with him that Darkness would love me. But I did not want to go through that.


    Just the thought of it scared me. I wanted to prevent suffering, and Darkness should help me with that.


    No wait, that just sounded entitled. I wasn¡¯t trying to be like that. I just really, really wanted¡ªno, needed this. I needed a way to get through this, and magic was my answer.


    Was that enough? I did not know. I intended to at least try.


    I closed my eyes, feeling the mana around me. Sensing Blade mana had made me come up empty. But sensing Darkness at least let me sense what was around me. Perhaps it was because there was so much of it here. Perhaps it was because I knew more about it at this point.


    I did not know, and at the moment, I did not care. There were other things on my mind. Like getting mana¡¯s attention. I raised the knife above my head, thinking of my ¡®suffering¡¯.


    Leif killing my maid.


    The rabbit attacking me.


    Mother dismissing just about anything I achieved, and father objecting to my dreams like they weren¡¯t significant.


    The last one didn¡¯t really count, but adding three just felt better. Like it fit.


    I felt the pressure increase around me, and my heart beat even faster. Was the third test here already? Why was it so quick?


    No, I had to hope that this was a reaction to my attempt. Had to be. I swung the knife down, fear clutching my chest. I did not get to finish the swing.


    A force knocked me back, making me land on my ass. I looked up. A notification, bright blue with white words glared down at me.


    [Test 3 has begun.]


    [This time, you die.]


    I looked around, frantically, trying to spot the rabbit. The rabbit was not difficult to find. The beast stood a few meters away from me. Red eyes looked at me as it walked forward, clear happiness on its face.


    That smile was of someone that enjoyed this situation. Was this a sapient beast? Did it have mana of its own?


    Wait, I was Rank 3. Elena had faced the Viscount of Burtinder, but he had to have been weakened. I could not see her being able to kill him otherwise.


    Was this beast also raised to a level comparative to mine? Was I facing off against a Rank 3?


    I gulped, realizing the difficulty I was really dealing with. I might have been Rank 3, but without the ability to actually use mana I might as well have been Rank 1. How in the world was this a fair test? How was I supposed to defeat something like this?


    A feeling of fear grabbed at me as I watched the rabbit. The thing that was coming to kill me. The thing that would kill me. This was ridiculous.


    I was angry. I did not know why, but the situation made me angry. The unfairness of it made me want to stomp the rabbit to death. I stood up, gripping my knife tightly as I stared at the monster before me.


    The rabbit looked back at me, grinning at me as it hopped off the ground. I was ready. I had learned from the previous battles. The rabbit was fast, too fast for me to react in time. But it was also predictable.


    The beast liked sinking its claws into my body. The chest area was its target. I swiped the knife down right in front of my chest just as the rabbit jumped.


    The timing could have been wrong. I had not been able to judge when it would reach my chest. The placement was just random. But the rabbit was big, and my knife was small.


    The idea worked.


    The knife plunged into the rabbit''s body like it was cutting into simple mud. The rabbit growled, its anger visible as it reached out towards my body. I could see its claws lengthening, their sharp points approaching my body as it attempted to latch onto me once more.


    I would not let it. I flung the rabbit away, the knife still stuck in it. Getting the knife out might have been a better idea. A much better idea. But I had not thought of it at that moment, I had just thought of getting the monster away from my body.


    The rabbit growled, its hair standing straight as it began shaking. A few drops of blood, dropped off its body even as it did so. The blade really had struck. I was still a bit surprised about that. I had expected it to bounce off at least once.


    Was it the anger? I had felt a similar anger when I tore the rabbit off my body last time. Was it the anger that had empowered me? A light bulb seemed to go off in my head as I realized something.


    What if Darkness mana wasn¡¯t powered by suffering, but just negative emotions. What if that was the answer? The reason my anger seemed to work could very well be this. I felt my heart begin to beat faster, but for a very different reason.


    I was excited. I had a pretty cushy life on earth, but there was a reason I had wanted to transmigrate.


    Magic.


    I loved it. I wanted to feel the power of elements on my fingertips. And right now, I wanted to use that power to crush this bloody rabbit.

 Chapter 11 - A bullshit fight.

    The pressure that had been weighing down on me lifted as I realized it. I called on the mana, and this time, it answered. Not much, I knew there was more of it that could have. But it was enough. More than enough to cast a spell.


    I focused my mind on one thought, one emotion. I hadn¡¯t been able to do it in all those meditation sessions my mother forced me on, but now I could. The rabbit needed to die.


    Two notifications blinked in the corner of my vision, but I ignored them. This was not the time.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The Court of Justice exerts its influence


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td>


    Darkness has awakened


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A bolt of darkness flew off my hand. Even in the darkness that surrounded me, it was clear. The bolt hit the rabbit in the face, slamming right into that smirk that had annoyed me.


    That felt far better than I thought it would. I hadn¡¯t been a person that threw punches, but maybe I was a person that threw bolts of darkness.


    The rabbit growled at me. I had the very immature urge to growl back. But I did not, and instead looked at my enemy. The rabbit had been hit right in the face by the projectile. So it was logical that it would be hurt. Perhaps bleeding somewhere, or at least bruised.


    The monster looked just fine. The knife was still lodged in its back, but it was just fine otherwise.


    The rabbit¡¯s eyes began to glow. The red in them had already been scary, but now it made me terrified of what was to come. The monster¡¯s hair stood down, the knife slowly exiting its body as I watched.


    I shot another bolt of darkness at it. This one was weak, barely containing any mana and having even less emotion. In my hurry, I had forgotten to concentrate. I had lost my anger.


    Calling on it was more difficult than before, those eyes making me more afraid than angry. Could fear work? Did that count as a negative emotion? I tried it. A bolt of darkness flew from my hand. But it was not the same. This one was less deadly, the mana having a different feel to it then before.


    I knew instinctively that if I had tried to use it to awaken Darkness, I would not have succeeded. Darkness was connected to fear, but not as much. And even when it did connect, it was different.


    This mana seemed to prefer to hide and run away. The emotions I used to conjure the bolts clearly had an effect on how they acted. I had to take note of that. Perhaps it would be useful. But there was something else that drew my attention at the moment.


    I had thrown bolts of darkness at the rabbit. More than one. And yet, it was not bleeding. The bolts seemed to have done no damage, and by this time even the knife had all but left its body.


    The rabbit was not yet defeated. I might have discovered magic, but the rabbit clearly had something else ready.


    Jumping from its position, the beast launched itself at me once more. Just like before. But this time it was faster, and it had magic on its side. I could feel the cloak of power around it, an unknown mana shaping surrounding it.


    And I knew I could not dodge. The rabbit was too fast as usual. I tried to shape mana, trying to defend myself. But it took too long. The rabbit reached me, its claws slicing through my skin as it passed me by.


    The pain shot through my body, making me wince and lose what little concentration I had. The rabbit barely stopped for a moment, dropping to the ground only to use it to jump once more.


    I did not have time to shape. So I just threw mana at it. If you didn¡¯t shape the mana, it would just take on the shape of a random thing. A proper Story could influence that into something helpful, but without you were just hoping to get lucky. That was why most just shaped the mana.


    I did not have such a choice. I threw mana at it, something similar to a gust of wind appearing. The rabbit stopped and abruptly headed towards the ground. But it was too close to me to dodge the attack.


    The two of us looked at each other as we waited to see the results of the attack. Even I could tell that the rabbit was puzzled when the attack seemed to have done nothing. Perhaps darkened the area a bit, but it was already so dark that it was difficult to tell.


    The rabbit huffed in a manner that made it look human for a second. I wrapped myself in darkness mana powered by fear, hoping that it would shield me.


    The beast ignored it, rushing towards my neck in a clear attempt to kill me. I hit it with my fist. That seemed to stop it. The rabbit was fast and seemed particularly resistant to magic, but physical attacks still hurt it.


    I could use that. But no sooner had I thought that then I realized that it was harder than I imagined. The rabbit somehow got even faster, jumping nearly vertically to slice my chest and then bounce off it. I could not even find an opportunity to react.


    The rabbit was simply so fast that my body could not react. I had to try to keep it at a distance. I threw magic at it again as it shot towards me, the magic turning into a bolt that struck the rabbit in the face.


    Of course, it shrugged it off, heading towards me with its claws extended. I tried to punch it once more, but I missed, and the rabbit sliced through my hand, jumped off my arm to sink its claws into my other hand before it got off my body.


    Then it turned around to try it again. The thing¡¯s legs were working like they were missiles, launching it towards me so fast that I could not react. I tried to do something against it, but it just ignored it and continued attacking me.


    I rushed to retrieve the knife from where it had fallen off the rabbit''s body. The rabbit reacted by kicking me. The legs hit me like a truck, sending me into the air and pushing me back at least two meters before I landed back on the ground.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Then the rabbit rushed at me, its claws rushing towards my face and slicing through my cheek. I was surprised it hadn¡¯t cut my eye. Heck, I was surprised I hadn¡¯t broken a rib. That kick hurt. This was not looking like a battle I could win. Not if it kept going on like this.


    The rabbit just kept getting faster, ignoring my attacks and showing more moves every other moment. How was that even fair? Two more wounds appeared on my body as I stood there thinking. Was I really just helpless against this rabbit?


    Now that just made me angry.


    And anger was good. I used that anger before it could go away, shoving it towards the rabbit with all the force I could bring to bear. A wave of darkness emerged out of me slamming into the rabbit. There was no wound. But it did get pushed back.


    This was the first time my magic had even affected it.


    The rabbit growled, its voice echoing among the trees until it resembled a roar. The cloak around it strengthened, and I could feel it turn different. Not a good different. There was someone, perhaps even something that was adding power to this rabbit. Or had the rabbit just been taking it easy on me?


    I mean it had been wounding me little by little. If it wanted to, it could have killed me at once. If that kick hit my neck I would probably die. Wait.


    Would I? The kick should have broken bones. But it hadn¡¯t. I looked down at my arms and was surprised to see that most of the wounds looked like they were hours old. Magic. I had forgotten that magic enhanced the body too.


    The rabbit wasn¡¯t the only one that had it. Now that I had mana, it would enhance my body. And I was a Rank 3. I grinned, curling my fist as I called on the mana. In my hurry I forgot to even think of an emotion. The spell worked anyway. Figuring out why was not difficult.


    The determination to kill. I had that. That was what was helping me right now, letting me shape mana. I had been so sure that it wasn¡¯t an emotion that I hadn¡¯t tried it. But apparently it counted.


    And I was going to use the heck out of it.


    I sent a bolt of mana towards the rabbit and then multiplied them. A dozen bolt shot towards it from a number of directions, cornering it in place.


    The rabbit just looked at me, and then scoffed. The cloak of mana around it seemed to unfurl as it did so. The bolts of mana popped. Like they were balloons and someone had struck them with a needle, they popped.


    The silence deafened me, and I just stood there for a moment, looking at the rabbit with a blank expression on my face. I had really thought that would work.


    The wind picked up as I watched, and I knew instinctively what was coming. A spell. The rabbit was going to use magic of its own to fight me.


    I called upon the darkness, the mana coming far easier than I had expected it to. A single moment of fear and it came running. I paid it little mind, though I would have to think of that later.


    I had other things to deal with.


    I was unable to see them, but their presence was still clear to me.Blades of Wind, easily a dozen in number. The rabbit had built its spell. A spell it should not have built. Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a test of Darkness?


    Why was it using Wind now? This did not align with its previous actions. But that did not matter did it. Not here, and not now. The rabbit had simply decided to attack like this. And now it was up to me to stop it.


    Or else I would die.


    But stopping it was easier said than done. I had only started casting magic a few minutes ago. Now that I thought about it, I knew no spells.


    That made my magic weaker than the rabbit¡¯s.


    A spell did not require an element¡¯s emotion to act as support, and it used mana far more efficiently than what I was doing. A mana shaping could not stand against a spell. The latter would cut right through it. And the rabbit already seemed to have more mana than me.


    I did not have time to think more about it. The rabbit had already released the spell. And I was very sure my shield would not stand against it. So I did what I could.


    I dodged them.


    The wind blades struck my shield, a couple of them even dying against it. Then the third blade broke through. Thankfully, I was not there for it to target. A bit less thankfully, it curved around to target me.


    That had to take a lot of mana, I knew. This kind of spell usually did. But I did not know how much mana the rabbit had, or how much this spell consumed. I did not know how long it could last. And that meant I had to do something about this.


    I had to kill the rabbit somehow.


    The blades curved towards me, and I attempted to sidestep them¡ªonly I couldn¡¯t. There were more blades coming from the opposite direction. The bloody rabbit had decided to conjure more of them from somewhere, like ten weren¡¯t already enough.


    This was a problem. I had but a second before they reached me, and I could not find anywhere to dodge to. This was a problem.


    I do not know how I came up with it, perhaps I had read it in a book somewhere. Perhaps I was secretly a genius in combat. Or my brain had seen my death coming and decided to work faster than it had before.


    But either way, I kicked the toes of my feet against the ground, flinging myself backward with all the force I could muster. Then I conjured shields, eleven of them. I could feel myself weakening as I did so, a power leaving my body.


    Mana. I had used a lot of mana, though I did not know how much I had remaining. How did one go about discovering that? As usual, I did not have time to think of it.


    A single wind blade headed towards my neck, having made it past my shields. I did not know how. I had counted the blades, those shields were enough. But here was a blade that made it through anyway.


    I did not have the time to conjure a defense. The blade was but centimeters away. I closed my eyes, wincing as I waited for the pain to come.


    There was none.


    I opened my eyes to see Elena standing a few meters away from me, huffing with her hand held up, facing my direction. What had happened?


    ¡°Just - ¡° Elena huffed, still out of breath. Had she been running? Hadn¡¯t she mentioned something about an illusion where the distance did not change? Had she broken through that to come here?


    That had to be it. I was kinda touched.


    ¡°Just stop.¡± she forced out. The rabbit simply looked at her. The mana around it flickered. The expression on my face turned serious as I realized the amount of mana it was working with.


    A wind blade appeared beside the rabbit. And then another. In seconds, they multiplied until there were hundreds in the space before us. I knew that I would not be able to block this. How was I supposed to face something like this?


    A rabbit I could not damage, that could conjure hundreds of wind blades. This had not been something I could beat from the beginning.


    ¡°Elena.¡± I began.


    ¡°Run.¡± she interrupted me.


    How funny. I was about to tell her to do just that. The two of us did not bother saying any more words. Turning our backs on the rabbit, we just ran.


    But we both knew we would not make it.

 Chapter 12 - An unexpected result.

    Of course, we did not succeed. A wave of dizziness struck me even as we ran away, my surroundings spinning in what looked like a sudden attack. I continued running. A decision I soon discovered to be a bad one.


    In moments, I was running towards the rabbit. Space had turned us around. The monster had just cast Space magic, and it was not being reluctant with its use. I did not know why it was even bothering to do that. The wind blades were too fast for us to even run from.


    The red eyes glowed even brighter, the smile turning downright evil as the darkness around it took on a reddish shade. There was an intelligence to its eyes, a happiness to its smile that made me think of a possibility.


    The rabbit was enjoying this. The monster was looking at me with an expression not too different from Leif¡¯s on that day. The difference was, I was the one getting killed not someone else.


    I looked at the beast, my feet frozen as I tried to figure out what I should do. There did not seem to be anything.


    This was so unfair.


    The wind blades hovered in the air, a silent reminder of what awaited. Perhaps it was our previous failure, or just the fatigue in our muscles, but neither Elena nor I moved. There was little we could gain from it.


    A laughter filled the air and my mind, just its presence causing my head to feel like it would split. And that was not all. I could see cloaks of mana emerging from the trees, threads emerging from them.


    A number of threads headed towards Elena and me, but more, far more, were connected to the rabbit. The direction of the mana flow was obvious. The trees were providing the rabbit with mana.


    The sound of laughter increased. A loud, mocking sound that made my head ache with its presence. Mind magic. Was this really an illusion? Or was there something else going on that I was unaware of?


    What was I even thinking about, there clearly was far more going on than I knew. The trees did not look like they were supposed to be part of the test.


    The wind blades stopped whirling, turning to face as I felt even more mana being sent through the threads. This was like a villain telling the hero their plan before they killed them. The reason I was seeing this was because the trees were showing this to me. I knew that I did not have the ability to see it otherwise.


    The blade shot towards us, faster than I had imagined them to be. Before I even knew it, they were at my neck. Was this it?


    The blades stopped


    A stillness came upon the forest. The laughter died down. The rabbit fell to the ground. I looked around, moving my neck as little as I could as I tried to figure out what had happened.


    The rabbit growled. The trees soon joined in, hundreds of growls echoing out of the darkness as an increasingly large number of trees appeared from within it. Just a dozen appeared at first, and then they began to multiply. With each growl there were more trees, more cloaks of mana connected to others.


    Elena and I were surrounded. Of course, we were, this was a forest and our enemy was trees. The question was, what were they growling about?


    What had stopped the wind blades? I did not think it was the trees.


    A loud voice spoke into my mind.


    ¡°NO.¡±


    The voice had hundreds of voices, all shouting together in a manner that seemed to be aimed to deafen me. Mana rose around us, more mana than I could make sense of. I could no longer identify where it came from, or what it was doing.


    I could only watch as a sea¡¯s worth of mana went to form some spell. A spell that was clearly aimed at us. I could feel my heart beat loudly in my chest, my body sweating even while it stood there frozen, unable to move.


    The mana stopped too. As if there was a barrier a centimeter from my and Elena¡¯s body, the spells just stopped there, not moving forward.


    ¡°LEAVE US THE BETRAYER¡¯S CHILD.¡±


    The voices spoke again. The headache got worse. A pounding took to my brain, and I could feel liquid trickling out of my ears and nose. What the heck was happening?


    I did not get to find out. Mana began rising again, and I could feel the trees put even more of their will into it. Why were they so set on killing me? Just who was this betrayer? The Duke? I was his child, and he was the kind of person that would betray others.


    But even more important was the fact that someone was stopping them. Just who was it? And how much power did they have?


    Mana rose, forming another sea¡­and then just stopped. For a second I wondered what had happened, but the answer came soon enough. In a memory I knew would keep for the rest of my days, I saw reality flinch.


    Like someone had struck glass with a hammer, cracks spread throughout space. I gulped, though this time I knew what was happening.


    ¡°Elena.¡± I whispered. ¡°Do not move. The cracks lead to the void.¡±


    The girl just turned her eyes too look at me, though her face told me what she wanted to say. ¡®I am not a fool¡¯. Well, I suppose it was pretty obvious that cracks in reality were dangerous things.


    A man stood at the very center of the cracks, his golden eyes shining even in this darkness. I could not really make out the rest of his body, but I did not need to. I already knew who he was.


    The Monarch of Justice.


    Not in his real body¡ªthat would destroy the planet¡ªbut as an echo. A form provided by the surrounding mana that would allow him to interfere more directly.


    ¡°Why have you broken the rules?¡± the Monarch asked, his voice light, as if he were having a friendly conversation. The trees shuddered, pulling back their threads and clinging to them.


    ¡°There is no broken rule! This test is ours to administer!¡± the trees responded, though their fear gave away their nervousness. The cracks in reality slowly healed while the Monarch stayed in place, not letting even a little of his power show.


    ¡°The test was to be fair.¡± the Monarch replied, still using that tone. ¡°This was not. The rabbit was far too powerful.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± the trees denied. ¡°The rabbit was Rank 3! So is the boy!¡±


    I blinked. The rabbit was Rank 3? Even towards the end? That had been powerful. I did not feel nearly as powerful as that.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The trees scoffed, their laughter echoing through the forest. ¡°Yes, a weak Rank 3. Even a Rank 2 could defeat it. This was not an unfair test. Reducing its power would have been unfair. The first two tests were unfair for you should have survived them¡±.


    The Monarch sighed.


    ¡°The boy knows not how much mana he has, or how to use it. How can you use such power against a boy who cannot even cast a spell and call it fair?¡±


    ¡°That is ours to judge!¡± the trees yelled, and I felt like they were losing the argument. Or maybe that was just me.


    ¡°The test is ours¡± the trees stated and I felt mana rise. I felt myself tense as spells started appearing in the air by the hundreds, all pointed at me.


    ¡°the boy fails!¡± the trees yelled, their voice echoing in this space.


    The Monarch of Justice just looked at them.


    The spells died down. The mana returned to its calm state. I did not have any spells active, but I could feel that they would have disappeared too. Mana would not listen to me anymore. A notification declared why.


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    <tbody>


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    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Darkness leaves.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The trees screamed. The noise was so loud that I could not hear anything else. Just the sound of them shouting was enough to for me to clutch my head and close my ears, trying to keep them out. The darkness that had been overwhelmingly present in the surroundings was gone. The forest looked like a normal forest once more.


    But I did not have time to notice that.


    A number of images passed through my mind. A forest seen from the sky, covering everything in sight. Fires burning through it, killing trees by the hundreds. A man looking shocked as he swung his blade, hundreds of trees dying as copies of his blade appeared near the trees.


    I felt my mind focus on that man, seeing it again. The blade struck slower, tearing through the trees. I felt the power within it, and I felt something within me respond.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">


    The power of the Bloodline Cutting Blade flows through you.


    Bloodline activation at 99.999%


    Bloodline is activating.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">ERROR! LOCAL MANA SYSTEM IS OFFLINE</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The Monarch of Justice continued looking at them.


    The images faded. The trees retracted their cloaks of magic, though I could feel something different about them. A power that had been there that had left. There was no more of that strange darkness. The trees even seemed more normal.


    Like they were normal trees and not creatures of magic that emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± the Monarch of Magic questioned.


    The trees remained silent.


    ¡°I know of what you speak.¡± he continued. ¡°When this ends, and the time comes for the Court of Justice to make its judgment, I shall consider it. That is all I am willing to give to you.¡±


    For a few seconds there was no response from the trees. Then slowly, like a scared child reaching out, a thread extended from one of the trees towards the Monarch.


    The change was so quick I might as well call it immediate. The ground cracked. The sky turned green. The trees withered, all of their leaves falling onto the ground at once. The rabbit disappeared from my sight.


    A voice, deep and threatening emerged from the Monarch. ¡°Do not push your luck.¡±


    A silence covered the area as the trees dared not respond.


    ¡°Conduct the test properly. I shall be watching.¡± the Monarch said as he left. The cracks in space went with him.


    Elena disappeared. The leaves returned to the trees, and the sky was once again blue. Even the ground went back to normal. A rabbit appeared in front of me. The same one as before, though its eyes were no longer glowing.


    The beast bounced on its legs as it looked at me. I was still confused about what had happened. The forest had just tried to kill us. That much was clear.


    The Monarch of Justice had interfered and tried to make things fair. In return, he would consider something. I did not know what that something was, but I was pretty sure it had to do with the man that had used the Bloodline Cutting Blade.


    I did not recognize him, but I had my suspicions. Blonde hair and blue eyes, along with an ability the royal family was famous for. The question was which one. The forest was clearly up in arms about it, and the Monarch of Justice had promised to consider it.


    That meant I had to avoid this man. Getting on the other side of a Monarch¡¯s justice was not among my plans.


    I would have probably spent some more time thinking over things, but I did not get the chance. The rabbit decided it had waited long enough. With as much speed as it had shown in the second test, it jumped at me, claws extended towards my chest.


    What had the trees said? The rabbit was a Rank 3. The Monarch had agreed, saying that I did not know how much mana I had. I looked at the rabbit jumping towards me and released mana.


    Mana obeyed me, following my determination to kill it without question. The rabbit was pushed back. But I did not stop there. I called for more. I had not done that before. Perhaps it was mana¡¯s initial reluctance to answer me, or just my lack of knowledge.


    But I had not thought to call on more mana to strengthen my spells. Now I did so.


    Mana collected in my hand. This mana had no shape, not yet. I doubted it would do anything. The rabbit ran away from it anyway. I gathered more, happy to have it on the run for once.


    I regretted it not a moment later. The magic grew, and grew until I was doubting my own ability to control it. So I did the thing I had made it for.


    I shot it out. A bolt of darkness shot out of my hand, and my head suddenly felt empty. A wave of weakness washed over me, much larger than the one I had felt before.


    I was out of mana. But it was enough. The bolt did not look any different from any of the others I had shot, but it was different. The reason was simple.


    This bolt ate the rabbits face. The Monarch had given me the answer. I just had to put more mana into my spells. There was the problem of it taking too long, but¡­it did not manner anymore.


    The rabbit was dead.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">Test 3 concluded</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">


    Aphra Eldanveir


    PASS


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">The Forest Path opens</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Elena was suddenly beside me, the darkness still hovering in our surroundings. Was this perhaps what the Forest of Tragedy really looked like? For a few minutes there, the darkness had disappeared. I did not know when it had returned. For some reason I had not noticed it.


    I suppose it was in the darkness¡¯ power to be stealthy. But it also meant the trees had their power back. I gulped, waiting for them to make their move.


    The trees spread apart, a path of darkness appearing before us.


    [LEAVE]


    The message was clear, we were no longer welcome.


    Elena and I did not have to speak, we both stepped into the path together, heading off. I looked at the System map. With each step we took we crossed miles, and within minutes we had reached the edge of the Eldanveir estate.


    The journey had taken too long, nearly all of the twelve hours we had. But it was done. The escape had been successful, even if we had nearly died in the process.


    The darkness disappeared, the trees receding until only a clearing of empty ground stood before us. The sun was shining in the sky. This was no longer the forest.


    A carriage waited for us in the clearing, a sword dipped in blood painted across its side. Beside it stood the boy I had wanted to escape from. Purple eyes looked at me with humor as a smile played across his face.


    Leif was waiting for us outside the forest.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">


    Quest: escape


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%; text-align: center">FAIL</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 13 - Oh no.

    I looked at him open-mouthed, barely able to believe what I was seeing.


    Leif just looked at me with a smile on his face. That disgusting face. So pretty. So punchable. I just wanted to run away.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± he asked, the corners of his lips turning slightly upwards as he looked at me. Elena nervously fidgeted beside me, her nervousness clear. I wasn¡¯t doing much better myself.


    ¡°Ju-just for a walk.¡± I stammered out.


    ¡°The air is quite pleasant here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Leif asked, his lips stretching into a thin smile.


    ¡°Y-yes, it is almost like mountain air.¡± I responded.


    Leif looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face, clearly confused. I thought back at what I had said. Mountain air. Why had I talked about mountain air? Had I even been to a mountain before?


    I was sure Aphra hadn¡¯t.


    I had to stop making stupid mistakes like this. Leif was already suspicious, he had to be, to have come here. Giving rise to even more suspicion would not do me any good.


    ¡°What brings you here, brother? Did you perhaps feel like going for a walk too?¡± I asked, trying to change the topic.


    The smile on Leif¡¯s face turned into a grin. ¡°I wish, brother, I wish. But I fear it is not so. Father has seen fit to send us to the Academy, and we should leave at once if we are to reach on time.¡±


    I looked at him. Leif glared back, grinning like a fool. Or a man about to eat his favorite meal. The Academy did not begin accepting new students for another ten days. The year shall start at least a month later.


    What were the chances Leif was telling the truth? What were the chances we really were heading to the Academy, a place run by the royal family?


    The grin on his face grew even wider as he looked at my expression. The monster knew what he was doing, and he was enjoying it. That expression was speaking to me. ¡®I caught you escaping, isn¡¯t it fun?¡¯ the expression said.


    ¡°What is it, brother? Do you perhaps want to refuse our father¡¯s commands?¡±


    Of course, I wanted to refuse it. The question was if I could afford to. A question that sadly had a very easy answer. I did not have the power to reject either Leif or the Duke¡ªwhoever this command actually came from.


    ¡°Of course not. I was simply considering the fact that I would have to leave my maid.¡± I answered, trying to appear calm. ¡°Is there any way we could take her with us? I would hate to leave her alone in the forest.¡±


    I had considered if she should remain behind. Leif might kill her if she came. But I knew that she had died in the Trashy Novel. There was someone in the mansion that would kill her¡ªa lot of someone, really. If she remained here after I was gone, she would likely die.


    So I had to take her with me, even if it was dangerous. And it could be helpful. Story magic probably had a hand in my survival so far. Perhaps it would help me more because of her presence. Asking for her to come with me should not be too strange. I was, after all, supposed to be the son of a duke.


    The grin on Leif¡¯s face faded. A serious look came upon his eyes as he turned to look at Elena. I wondered if I had done wrong. What if I had brought Leif¡¯s attention to her. What if he decided to use this chance to kill her? That would not be good.


    I need not have worried. The grin returned onto Leif¡¯s face, even bigger than before.


    ¡°Oh my, has my little brother grown a heart? I shall have to give you a gift to congratulate you.¡± he said, looking like he was really happy.


    ¡°But come, we should get moving.¡± he said. ¡°I shall allow the maid to sit with us¡­this once.¡±


    Leif opened the door to the carriage and stepped in, and then turned around to look at me. I considered if I should start running. I did not actually know Leif¡¯s power. Perhaps I could succeed.


    Hmm, couldn¡¯t I actually find out how much mana he had? I had that power now, didn¡¯t I? I looked at Leif, trying to sense the cloaks of magic I was seeing around other magical creatures. But I could not detect any. Leif looked like a normal person without magic, at least to my senses.


    But I knew he wasn¡¯t. That meant that I did not have the ability to see his power.


    Well, fuck. And here I had been thinking I had gotten powerful. But Leif still remained a challenge I could not face. I followed Leif into the carriage, Elena not far behind. The door closed with a loud slam, as if declaring that we were now trapped.


    I gulped, taking a seat. Elena looked down at the sofa, moving to take a seat. Leif glared at her.


    ¡°A servant should not sit on the same level as her master.¡±


    Elena sat down on the floor, her face once again taking on a blank expression. I recognized that by now. This was the expression she made when she did not dare show her emotions. I should get one of those too.


    There seemed to be plenty of times I needed it. And would need it in the future now that I had failed to escape. The fact was just sinking in now. I had failed to escape. Leif had caught me. Perhaps it was the fact that there had not been any apparent punishment, but it didn¡¯t really feel important.


    I hadn¡¯t even managed to cope with the events of the test. The fact that the Monarch of Justice himself had come. The forest that had targeted me. And my Bloodline.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    What was happening with my Bloodline?


    The System had said it had activated, and then it gave an Error. The mana system being offline was probably a result of the Monarch of Justice¡¯s actions. Mana would not dare act while a Monarch opposed it.


    But it should have started again once the Monarch was ¨C


    What?


    I closed my eyes and opened them again, wondering if I was seeing things. I wasn¡¯t. A moment ago I had been facing Leif. Now the Monarch of Justice sat across from me, staring at me with a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°Do you know what happened in the forest?¡± the Monarch asked.


    I looked at him. I wasn¡¯t really in the mood for a question answer session right now. I had other things to think about. But I also wasn¡¯t foolish enough to say no to a Monarch.


    Not after the display of power I had been witness to.


    ¡°The forest tried to kill me, and then you intervened.¡± I answered.


    The Monarch stared at me for a few seconds and then sighed. That sigh made him seem exhausted.


    ¡°So you do not understand the danger you are in.¡±


    ¡°I know about the Game and the amount of power Monarchs -¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the Monarch interrupted. ¡°For once the danger was not from the Monarchs. The Fae Queen and I are not about to kill you for something like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I did not know where he was going with this then. Was there something I had missed? What?


    Was Leif not enough of a problem? Why did I have to deal with another one?


    ¡°Story magic.¡± the Monarch said.


    I blinked. That was not what I expected him to bring up.


    ¡°What you know about it is¡­partial. Not incorrect but lacking in context.¡± the Monarch continued. ¡°In most cases it would not be an issue, but for you, it has become one.¡±


    The Monarch looked at me, and I looked back. The fact that I did not know enough about Story magic wasn¡¯t news to me. The Trashy Novel had barely mentioned it to begin with.


    ¡°Is it not just a powerful form of magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± the Monarch answered. ¡°And no. As with most things Fae, it is an idiotic thing that loves being as confusing as possible. In this case, it is mostly a threat.¡±


    I just continued looking at him. So it was another threat. I did not even know how to respond.


    ¡°What did you call mana? A dog, if I remember correctly.¡± the Monarch explained.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If mana is a friendly dog, then Story magic is like a child. A child that likes interesting things and has an interest in making it happen.¡±


    I frowned, wondering where the Monarch was going with this. With every word the conversation was going in a direction I did not expect. I had thought he would want to scold me for failing. Or offer me some help in escaping. But he was talking about Story magic instead.


    ¡°Story magic was what caused the trees to attack you.¡± the Monarch said, pulling me out of my thoughts with his unexpected words.


    What?


    Story magic had done that?


    Why in the world would it do that?


    ¡°Because it was interesting.¡± the Prince of Magic answered. ¡°That is what Story magic does. Like a child that wants a new toy, it looks for interesting things. And for some reason you have become this new shiny toy it is very interested in.¡±


    I froze. ¡°A toy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a toy. That is all you are to Story magic.¡± the Monarch said, his golden eyes staring into my eyes. I was starting to get the feeling that this was really serious. Why else would the Monarch have me brought to the Court like this?


    ¡°That magic was the one that brought you to my court. And it was the one that had the trees interfere. To see how I would react, and how other Monarchs would react to this. And I fear it would do so again.¡±


    ¡°Story magic is not on your side, and it is not your friend. For now, it finds it more interesting to increase your power, just to see what you would do with it. But that will not last. If tomorrow it thinks you dying in front of Elena would lead her to do interesting things, it will do so.¡±


    ¡°If it thinks Leif killing you in front of the Emperor would be interesting, it will try to make it so.¡± the Monarch''s voice grew deeper, lights flickering behind him. ¡°Even now, it pushes you to face challenges you are not prepared for. And it will continue to do so.¡±


    ¡°Story mana will raise the stakes, it will push every challenge and interesting thing towards you just because they exist. There will be no plan and there will be no rest. And if you fail in facing them, and you will, it will laugh as you die because even that would be interesting.¡±


    I could feel my ears ringing as the Monarch finished his words.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Sto-story?¡± I asked, rubbing my ears trying to make the ringing fade. The Monarch flicked his finger and it did.


    ¡°This is why the Fae Queen should not be allowed to name things. Story magic does not refer to the magic itself, but how to escape it. The magic likes interesting things, and if it finds your future¡ªyour Story interesting then it will support you. That is how the magic can be¡­mitigated. Not controlled, but at least made to act in a way that may benefit you.¡±


    That all sounded important. And very helpful. I just had one question.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± The Monarch of Justice did not help others gain power. That was one of his rules. This technically wasn¡¯t giving me power, but he was giving me advice on magic. A powerful type of magic, even by his admission.


    Why would he do that?


    The Monarch just looked at me. ¡°Leif knows about this magic, and he is using it for his own ends. If things continue as they are, you will die within the week. So you must build your own Story.¡±


    ¡°Find a goal, something difficult but not impossible, that matches with what you want to be. That is the first step to actually building your Story. Choose it well because Story magic not only has to like it, but it also has to support it. And if it does support it, then you shall have to pursue it for a long time to come.¡±


    At this point it was starting to sound like it would be better for me to just give up. I opened my mouth to speak, but the Monarch cut me off.


    ¡°I will not be interfering again. I promised you twelve hours, but I shall have to end it here. Even if you face unfair challenges and die¡­ I shall not be returning. This is my gift to you, a warning in recompense for what you lost. I hope it serves you well.¡± The Monarch said, literally fading from my vision. Even the Court of Justice seemed to be fading.


    But that did not make sense. Rowan had met with the Monarch of Justice many times after his first meeting. Why would he end it here now? What was going on?


    ¡°Build your Story, Aphra, or your magic will build it for you.¡±


    That was it. The meeting ended, and I was out of the Court of Justice.


    But not back in the carriage.


    I opened my eyes to stare at clear skies, clouds rolling about in the air. The same air I was falling through. I was falling through the air onto a lake below. Elena was right beside me. Leif was absent.


    A scream erupted from my mouth as I realized that I was literally falling to the ground at a very high speed.


    What in the world was going on?!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Local Magic System online.


    Bloodline activation complete.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0922%">


    Story magic has awakened.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 14 - The Story begins.

    I screamed. I couldn¡¯t help it, I was falling from the sky without a parachute. The Monarch had just warned me about Story magic. And now I had awakened to this. I would bet they were connected.


    The question was, what the heck did Story magic find interesting in this? Was it trying to see if I could fly? I did not have time to think anymore about it. Not because I had thought of a way to fly, but because I hit the lake.


    The fall had been far shorter than expected. The landing had been less painful too. I felt like I had just collided with something really hard. Like someone had pressed the brake in a car too quickly, and I crashed against the chair in front of me.


    For some reason, the landing was only that painful. I didn¡¯t even think I was bleeding. That was strange since I was seeing a lot of blood. The clothes stuck to my body, making my movements uncomfortable and difficult. But that barely even registered at the moment. There were far more important concerns.


    How was I even able to see underwater? Heck, how was I breathing underwater?


    I looked around, my brain scrambling it make sense of things. The surroundings did match what I had expected underwater. There were plants. There were caves, tiny depressions in the ocean floor that seemed to lead into the darkness.


    The surroundings were dark, light diminishing as we sunk down. And I did mean we. Elena was with me. There was just one problem. Elena was injured. The fall had clearly been worse for her than it had been for me, for she was bleeding from several places.


    The difference in Rank? Even if Elena had already awakened her mana, she was still a Rank 1. That meant that mana hadn¡¯t enforced her body yet. A normal human wouldn¡¯t be well after such a fall.


    I rushed over to her, trying to see if there was a wound I could heal. There was. Elena¡¯s leg was facing the wrong direction, and there was blood coming out of her knee. A lot of blood. I gulped, pulling out the table cloth. The cloth was clean¡ªthe bag expelled the food and other things that were stuck to it. And by this time it was a fair bit cleaner than what we were wearing.


    The Fae Queen probably wouldn¡¯t allow me to put this back in after this. But that mattered less than Elena¡¯s life. I tore the cloth and wrapped it around her knee like I had seen in movies.


    But it wasn¡¯t of much use. The blood kept flowing even as I tried to keep it in. Like a dam about to burst, it pushed back against me. Elena would not survive this. I didn''t even know if she was still alive. I had not dared to check her breath.


    Would she even have breath? I had not solved the mystery of us breathing underwater.


    I had to solve the problem of her dying first.


    This was a deadly wound. More than anything I felt ready to deal with. I did not have healing magic. Tying a cloth around it wasn¡¯t working. Perhaps the wound was too big for it, or I was targeting the wrong bleed. I did not know.


    And it was too dark to tell now anyway. I could not even see in front of me. If I hadn¡¯t been holding onto Elena, I probably wouldn¡¯t know she was here either. This was darker than the Forest of Tragedy.


    Hmm, darkness.


    I had Darkness magic. Could that be used to heal? This type of magic was usually a part of Light magic¡ªthe enemy of Darkness. But I did not have Light. I had Darkness. So I had to make do with what I had.


    How could I get Darkness mana to heal?


    What was a negative emotion that could get Darkness to heal Elena? Fear? The fear of losing her? The fear of Rowan killing me for daring to get her killed? That could work.


    I called upon mana, thinking of my fear and asking mana to do the work. Mana came, surrounding Elena until her mana cloak had grown twice as large. But there was no healing. Darkness mana did not act.


    There wasn¡¯t even any magic.


    I looked at it, panicking a bit as I saw her continue to bleed. Just work you bloody thing! Why was it that every time I needed magic it insisted on doing this. I was ignorant about magic. I knew that.


    But was it really necessary that every problem I deal with have to do with a part of magic I hadn¡¯t dealt with before? Could this part not have been just a few murdery fish? I could have done with fighting a few monsters.


    At least I knew how to do that.


    I took a deep breath, calming myself as my heart tried to beat itself out of my chest. I did not know why I was even so upset. Elena had only been with me for a few hours. The two of us had barely talked to each other. But she had been there for me, supporting me without question when I had been so out of it after the second test.


    And she had risked her own life to come save me during the third test. Even now, she was in this situation because of me. This was the doing of Leif. Or Story magic. Or both. The girl had suffered enough. Didn¡¯t Darkness mana take power from pain and help the user?


    Where was the power now?


    I looked at the mana cloak around her again, calling on it once more. I thought of all the things she had suffered. The things that were clearly much more painful than anything I had experienced. I imagined someone taking someone close to me and making them work in a place where they could die any day, while making me serve them tea.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Then I imagined knowing that you would eventually be killed for mana. That you were living on a farm, and you were the ¡®crop¡¯ being raised. I swear my hand shook as I called upon mana to act on it.


    I had decided long ago what type of Story I would build. I wasn¡¯t sure that would be the Story I would build in the end. Heck, I didn''t even have a goal. The Monarch had said that I needed a goal, but I didn¡¯t have one yet. What I did know was that people that transmigrated into side characters did everything they could to save main characters.


    That was how they prospered.


    I just wanted to do what I should. The Story should help me with that. For some reason, my idiotic logic felt powerful. Mana seemed to agree for some reason. The cloak of mana around Elena moved. Not just the mana I had called upon, but the mana that followed her too. The mana moved into her body.


    The bleeding stopped. The leg returned to its previous position. I did not have control over the mana¡ªit was acting on its own. But it was doing its work. This was not a spell, this was something else. I didn''t even know what to call it.


    A spell followed a caster¡¯s will, it needed thoughts and mana to mix. There were no thoughts in this casting. I did not even know what mana had done or why. And I did not get the chance to consider it.


    [Story magic has increased.]


    [Light magic detects what you have done.]


    The space filled with light, multiple glowing squares suddenly appeared around us making out surroundings visible. That was not all. There were people around us. More than one.


    The people looked just like us. The clothes were medieval, far simpler and rougher than what I was wearing, but something that belonged to the same time period. That was expected.


    The clothes were also wet, sticking to their owners body. That was also expected. After all, we were underwater. What wasn¡¯t expected was the mana coming from them.


    Twelve men stood surrounded us, spears in their hands as they leveled them towards us. Mana cloaks surrounded them and their spears, their weapons ready to attack us at any moment. The mana was what surprised me.


    There was so little.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A stranger dares to enter our land and ask us who we are.¡± one of the strangers said, taking a step forward.


    That was fair.


    ¡°I am..Aphra -¡± I stopped myself from continuing. Speaking that name would not do good. The Eldanveir were famous.


    ¡°Just Aphra.¡±


    The man narrowed his eyes on me. ¡°As you wish, just ¡®Aphra¡¯. I shall pretend you are not trying to hide your identity from us. Why have you come to the Lake of the Forgotten?¡±


    I stared at him open-mouthed, unable to conjure an answer.


    ¡°Aphra?¡± the stranger asked, clearly confused by his reaction.


    I bet he would be. That was not a normal reaction for the kind of people that ended up in this lake. I really should have figured it out when I could breathe underwater.


    The Lake of the Forgotten was not a famous place. I wouldn¡¯t have heard of it if I was really Aphra. But the book had mentioned it. This was the place people went if they were no longer welcome in their previous homes. Rowan had come here looking for someone to make him a sword.


    This place was such a well-kept secret because of its special properties. There was a large concentration of Air mana here that allowed even a Rank 1 could breathe underwater. There were even several rare materials that could only grow here.


    That was why the royal family had declared this place their property and stopped others from entering. But the royal knights had taken to taking bribes and allowing some people to pass. Just weak ones they could control. And that led to the building of a secret town of missing people under a lake.


    I had somehow landed in this town of missing people.


    The stranger was looking at his comrades, waving his spear around as he tried to figure out why it was taking me so long to reply.


    ¡°I apologize. ¡° I suddenly said. ¡° I was simply surprised. This is not where I expected to be.¡±


    The stranger looked even more confused. Oh right, you had to bribe guards to get in here to begin with. Getting lost and landing down here wasn¡¯t really a good explanation.


    ¡°I had an incident with a flying carriage that landed me here.¡± I explained.


    The stranger looked surprised at that. ¡°The knights¡­do not know you are here?¡±


    I looked at him suspiciously. ¡°I am sure they sensed my presence.¡±


    The stranger just grinned and pointed his spear at me. ¡°Follow us, healer, we need of you.¡±


    The other guards pointed their spears at me, and I realized how bad my position was. I was surrounded with people pointing spears at me. That was normally how you got captured.


    But in this world it might not be so easy.


    I called upon mana and cast a shield. Then I cast bolts of darkness and hung them in the air, pointing them at the men. Casting them was harder, much harder than before. I did not know how much of my mana it took, but it was a large amount.


    A part of it was the fact that I did not have a strong emotional base. The rabbit was a hated enemy. I wanted to kill it. The men here were¡­not as threatening. I didn¡¯t really feel much about them. A bit of fear about what they could do to me, but little else.


    That fear could be the reason the spells were harder. Or it might be because Darkness just seemed farther here. Like it was standing a few meters away instead of right next to me. I had to reach out farther to connect to it.


    But I did and it worked. The men had taken several steps back, their faces looking horrified as their hands shook. I guess they were able to see the spells. The mana bolts each had as much mana as them¡ªactually it probably had more. I¡¯d had to spend more mana to get the spell going than I expected.


    Well, either way they were scared. And that was just what I intended.


    ¡°So, can we talk?¡± I asked, unable to keep a grin off my face. The leader of these men nodded.


    I really was good at acting like a protagonist, showing off that I had the bigger gun. I just hoped I was just as good at healing.


    For I still did not know what mana had done, and whether Elena would recover from it.

 Chapter 15 - The makings of a problem

    I looked at the man before me. The terrified man I did not know what to do with. How was I supposed to treat someone that had threatened to kill me, and was now looking at me like that?


    ¡°So, why exactly did you need me?¡± I asked. ¡°There must be something pretty attractive at stake for you to be going around attacking random people you encounter. Or is that the sort of thing you do for fun around here?¡±


    The men shared looks among themselves, their expressions telling me that they were surprised to still be alive. The lords of this place would have likely killed them if they dared attack.


    ¡°The Alchemist Guild has called for healers.¡± the leader of the men said. ¡°There was a reward for any we could¡­convince to join us.¡±


    Enslave and force to work for them was what they actually meant. As expected of this shitty world. But the name they spoke of caught my attention. The Lake of the Forgotten was a weak place, the royal knights did not allow anyone powerful to step within.


    The aim was to make a little money on the side and make others do their work, not actually lose the Lake. Even the ¡®city lord¡¯ of this place was only Rank 4. The head of the Alchemist Guild was but Rank 3. But he was one of the stronger people in the town.


    I could see people rushing to get a reward for him.


    ¡°And why exactly does he need a healer?¡±


    ¡°The Head has fallen ill, my lord. The heirs are the ones calling for healers.¡± the leader said.


    ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t really see. The situation was clear enough, but I didn¡¯t know what I should do.


    The Lake would not be easy to escape from. The royal knights did not easily allow people to leave, and they were at least Rank 5. Staying was not an option either. The Lake had a rather large population of beasts, and I did not have the power to deal with them. There were Rank 5s among them.


    The only option I saw was getting into the town. Perhaps I could discover some way to escape then. Perhaps I could strike a deal with the royal knights? I was a descendant of the Emperor¡ªthe only descendant except Leif. That might get me some pull.


    Wait. I shouldn¡¯t reveal that. There were factions within the royal family and, well, a few of them might wish me dead. If they knew I existed. But for now they didn¡¯t, and it might be better if it remained that way.


    ¡°Lead me to that little town of yours.¡± I asked. ¡°And tell me your name.¡±


    The men looked surprised. No, this was more than surprised, they were downright shocked. I suppose they did not expect me to actually want to go there.


    ¡°Oak, ugh, my lord. The name is Oak.¡± the leader of these men said. I looked at him with suspicion. What kind of name was Oak?


    [A Bloodline Ability has awoken.]


    [[ The Face] presents itself]


    I looked at the notification. Then I looked at the men. There did not seem to be any reaction from them. Then again, they weren¡¯t looking at me. In fact, they seemed to be deliberately avoiding looking me in the eye, preferring to look at the ground.


    Was this some way to show respect? Or did they just fear me enough to not want to meet my eye? That made me almost disperse my bolts¡ªalmost. I was not so foolish to be so unarmed in the presence of armed men. Even if I was uncomfortable with the terrified looks on their faces.


    But back to the matter at hand. [The Face]. What was this new ability? There did not seem to be an immediate effect, it was a bloodline ability. There likely wouldn¡¯t be much use to begin with. The royal house only had one ability that was mentioned in the book.


    [Bloodline Cutting Blade]. A blade used to kill entire bloodlines. I doubted [The Face] could match it. But it wouldn¡¯t do for me to ignore it either. Perhaps it had some use.


    I looked down at Elena, wondering what I should do. Darkness magic was not exactly good with lifting people up and carrying them around. I didn¡¯t trust ¡®Oak¡¯ and his men to carry her either.


    So I did it myself. The effort was rather easy¡ªI had expected her to weigh more. But Rank 3 did mean I was stronger than I should be. With her already being so light, it was easy enough to lift her.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Escort me to the city.¡± I said. ¡°Do so and I shall forgive your¡­crimes.¡±


    I would have paid them, but I didn¡¯t exactly have money either. That hadn¡¯t been among my priorities when leaving the Eldanveir estate. In retrospect, it should have been.


    The men started walking, still not daring to face me. I followed, wondering if I should trust them. What if they led me to the trap? That was a possibility. I didn¡¯t even know how I would deal with it. How would I even know? The book hadn¡¯t provided me with a map.


    I had to just keep my mana ready and be prepared for them to betray me. Staying here was not an option. Going by myself was not an option. So I had to take a chance and hope I could deal with it if they betrayed me.


    That sounded so logical. Why was my heart still beating so fast? I know. I didn¡¯t really like being put into a situation like this. The high levels of danger I had been exposed to did not agree with me.


    I didn¡¯t even have a choice in the matter. Then again, few people in situations like mine did. I groaned, running my fingers through my hair, feeling the curls against my skin. A new feeling considering my previous hair had been very straight. And that reminded me of my new Bloodline Ability.


    [The Face]. I needed to know more about it.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [The Face].


    This is the face of the Emperor Founding. Of the Emperor that rules, and the princess long dead. This is the face that breaks the clouds, and this is the face on the coins.


    This is the face of royalty.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh great, a puzzle. Just what I wanted when I asked for more information. I only understand about half of these things. So I had the same face as the Founding Emperor and the current Emperor? I could presume that the ¡®princess long dead¡¯ was the Rose Princess, Aphra¡¯s mother. The one the Duke of Eldanveir had raped and killed in an attempt to get the Emperor out of his capital.


    So I had their faces. The royal coin also had the Founding Emperor¡¯s face on it, so that part was self-explanatory. But the question remained.


    What did all of this mean? I asked for an explanation on my Bloodline Ability, not for a poem on what the royal family looked like. Perhaps the System could give me a better answer.


    I waited for a few moments, but no new notification seemed to be coming. So I did not know what the bloodline ability actually did. I should have expected that. Not knowing how to do things was starting to become a pattern in this world.


    That reminded me. Magic. I needed to figure out what was going on with that one. I knew some things about that which could help me if I cared to use them.


    Like how to make spells, and how the local mana system actually worked. Having some spells ready would help. The rabbit had been scary enough to face, and that had been in a ¡®fair¡¯ test.


    There was no such thing in reality. I needed to be ready to face foes that were even stronger. And that meant getting myself spells. The problem however was how.


    A spell was not an easy thing to make. If mana was a dog, then a mana cloak was the amount of mana that was willing to follow a person loyally. That was why it returned after doing its tasks.


    A spell was different. This form of magic required mana to not just do its tasks, but also get other mana to do it.  That was why it was so hard to make them. Mana that was not loyal to you would not usually listen to your commands.


    But it was also mana that came from outside your own reserves. That was why spells were so favored, it cost less to use them. But they were still idiotically difficult to get.


    For one thing, they only worked because the local mana system said it did.


    The local mana system was just an agreement, a general body of law that the mana of this planet had agreed to follow. A spell was thus made even more difficult to cast.


    There was no clear line on what mana shaping was important, efficient and powerful enough to be called a spell. Mana did not have the capacity to make such decisions. The local mana system and its rules were rather random whims of mana that had come together to form a way for people to grow.


    If I wanted to make my own spells, then I had two ways to do it. I could keep trying to use mana in creative ways with as much mana I could put into it, and hope I encountered something mana felt like declaring a spell.


    Or I could use Story magic. That magic was literally something that worked by altering the odds to be in the ¡®protagonist¡¯s¡¯ favor. And it was also the magic I had warned about. The same magic that was giving me trouble right now.


    But the Monarch did mention that it would keep pushing me into interesting things. What would it take for it to find my making of new spells interesting? Did I have to try doing that in the middle of a battle?


    Or perhaps this new situation it had engineered for me would provide. Elena had been injured in a fall. I was sure Story magic was behind that fall. The injury in question had led to Oak¡¯s men attacking me.


    That had in turn informed me of the injury of the Head of the Alchemist Guild. I knew this illness, or rather I knew the consequences of it. At least the ones that would come later. The Head had not died until five years later in the Trashy Novel.


    Another change. I didn¡¯t even need to think to know what was happening. The situation stank of Story magic¡¯s interference.


    I had no intention of letting it. I might be forced to head to the city, but I was not going to the Alchemist Head¡¯s house. There were other things I could do. Like use my newfound skill with healing. That had been unexpected. And useful. There were many jobs a healer could do.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Light protests Darkness¡¯ use of the Power of Healing.


    Light enters your magic.


    Light affinity has increased.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 16 - Entering the city.

    I looked at the words. Then I looked at Elena, who was still in my arms. The fuck was that? But of course, I did not have time to think. The walls of this little village under the lake appeared before me. And no sooner did I spot them, that they spotted me.


    A giant fish, somewhat similar to a shark, turned to look at us. Two men in golden armor sat on it. I did not even have to ask who they were. The armor was identification enough.


    The royal knights.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I yelled as Oak and his men made a run for it. I followed them, quickly catching up. Now that I did have access to mana, I was significantly faster than them. Not faster than the royal knights and their giant fish.


    That did not mean we didn¡¯t manage to escape. Oak reached into his pockets and withdrew a pouch. The rather distinct sound of coins clinking against each other told me what was in there. The pouch was thrown in the royal knight¡¯s general direction, and the fish stopped following us.


    Oak did not stop running, and I did not stop following them.


    ¡°Why are we still running?¡± I asked. Oak huffed in response, his movements stiff and labored. The man was out of breath and moving slowly. With movement already slowed under the lake, he was almost moving in slow motion. The man¡¯s cloths clung to his waist, clearly making it difficult for him to move.


    I did not have any such difficulties. The clothes I had on were wet, but they were not so¡­clingy. In fact, they were barely restricting me. I did not feel a difference between now and when I had been on the surface. That was not normal.


    Not even close. The clothes were enchanted somehow. How strange. I had not expected Aphra to have enchanted clothes, or I would have stolen his wardrobe. Perhaps this explained why it was so small. But it begged the question of why.


    Why use such things on a boy that was to be disposed of? Did the Eldanveir family have an excess of clothes or something?


    Well, whatever the case, it was to my advantage. I would be able to run faster than most people here. Not even the Heads of the various Guilds or the City Lord should have enchanted clothing. The thing was simply too rare and expensive.


    The walls grew closer as we ran, the gleaming white stone clear against the dark seabed. I could see my surroundings turn brighter as I walked, and I remembered the notification I had seen.


    I called on it once more, ready to make sense of it. I did have time.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 96.0451%">Light protests Darkness¡¯ use of the Power of Healing.


    Light enters your magic.


    Light affinity has increased.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So Light, which I presumed was Light mana, had taken offense to Darkness mana¡¯s actions. That was normal. The two elements were enemies to begin with, and healing was usually Light¡¯s thing. In fact, it was what it was known for.


    Light being offended by that made sense.


    What did not make sense was it ¡®entering my magic¡¯? What did that even mean? And why would that increase my affinity¡ªno, wait. That part did make sense.


    Affinity was just how much attention a type of mana paid to me, and it was paying more attention to me than before. Light mana had entered my mana cloak now, even if its reasons weren¡¯t very...normal.


    That still didn¡¯t tell me what it was trying to do. The notifications hadn¡¯t been helpful lately. First [the Face] which I still didn¡¯t understand, and then this. I dismissed the notification and turned my attention back to my surroundings. What greeted me was the sight of a spear landing beside me.


    The spear had not been close. I doubted I would have even noticed it if the notification was still blocked my vision. How many others had I missed? Why was someone throwing spears at me?


    I looked around, trying to see where the spears were coming from. The walls. The men on the walls to be exact. I did not recognize what they were wearing, but it was not the armor of a royal knight.


    A royal knight¡¯s aim would have been better anyway.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    That also meant that I could attack them. I called on my mana and conjured bolts of darkness, my determination to kill making it easy. The feeling had come easier to me than I had expected. The men were attacking me, I had to attack back.


    A dozen bolts appeared in the air, moving towards the men on the walls. The bolts met the spears in the air, destroying them as they went on their destination.


    ¡°Do not -¡± Oak shouted, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them.¡± he said, stopping to catch his breath. I stopped too, starting at him in confusion. But I did stop the bolts in the air.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The guard -¡± Oak stopped to catch his breath again. ¡°The city lord will kill us if we kill his guard.¡±


    I groaned. Of course. This was the city guard. Oak was right, I couldn¡¯t kill them. I dismissed the bolts of mana and then conjured a shield instead.


    The shield was weak. The thing needed more mana than it should stop each spear, far more than the bolts took.


    I knew why.


    I used fear to conjure my shields, but I did not fear the spears. There was some fear about what they would do if they pierced my body, but nothing close to what I had felt facing the rabbit. Even Oak¡¯s men had scared me more. The spears were weak, and I had just seen my bolts destroy them with ease.


    That made my fear of them weak. I knew I could easily destroy them. And that in turn weakened my mana shaping. That was why I required spells. A spell did not depend on my mood or even need me to use an emotion as base.


    Thankfully, the fear shield was still strong enough to hold. The city guard wasn¡¯t even using mana in their spears. I even shielded Oak and his men, I didn¡¯t really need to, but perhaps they would be useful.


    The spears stopped once we were right beneath the walls, the angle too steep to allow the city guard to aim at us. Oak ran to a hole in the wall, a tiny one barely enough for one person to pass through. That was not the official gate.


    Was that why the city guard was attacking us? No, that meant they had knowledge of it, but did not do anything to patch up a hole in the wall. Well, this was the Lake of the Forgotten. That kind of thing was possible.


    I followed Oak to the hole, trying to figure out a way to carry Elena through with me. Not being able to bend properly was a problem. The hole wasn¡¯t wide enough for me to step through either.


    Oak helped. I wasn¡¯t really willing to give Elena to him, but I also knew I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. Even if the city guard was leaving us alone, staying here was not a good idea. Thankfully Oak didn¡¯t try anything funny. The bolt of darkness I conjured and pointed at him might have helped. I did not know how much mana I actually had left after that expenditure, but I probably should use it less.


    That fear shield had taken a lot. More than those spears deserved. I shook my head, dissuading myself from thinking such things. The spears might have been weak and lacking in mana, but they were still spears.


    The things would have still injured me if they managed to land. At least I thought they would. I wasn¡¯t really sure how strong Rank 3 really made me.


    ¡°So, why were the city guard shooting at us?¡± I asked once we had all crossed the wall.


    Oak did not meet my eyes, shifting his feet nervously as he tried to muster the courage to reply.


    ¡°I¡ªwell -¡± he stammered.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you. Just tell me.¡±


    ¡°The, ugh, we didn¡¯t pay the city guard.¡± he said, still avoiding my gaze. I didn¡¯t know what he was so nervous about. I would have appreciated a heads-up about the attack, but it wasn¡¯t as if I had hired him to lead me here.


    ¡°How nice.¡± I commented. ¡°Now do you happen to know somewhere I could get some healing for my friend? Perhaps in return for services rendered?¡±


    Oak looked shocked at my question, his eyes flicking between my clothes and my face as if he couldn¡¯t understand my words.


    ¡°There are no healers in the city.¡± he said after a while. ¡°But Miss Emily provides can provide herbs for those that are¡­less fortunate.¡±


    So basically she was the doctor for the poor. I knew the Alchemist Guild handled the wealthier clients. But I had no money to pay them. Miss Emily it was.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± I told them, before I realized I did not really have anything to offer them. I did not have any intention of going to the Alchemist Guild to heal that old man. That meant that they would not be receiving any reward.


    But they had tried to kidnap me. I deserved this much help in return right? What was the going rate of service for attempted kidnappings?


    Wait, should I be more affected by this? Now that I thought about it, I was taking their actions far too lightly. I should be angrier at them. Perhaps even try to kill them or something. I mean they had tried to kidnap me. But they hadn¡¯t really done any harm.


    Harming them for this just felt wrong. I should have Oak lead me to Miss Emily and part ways with them there.


    That seemed like a good idea.


    If Oak had any protests about my treatment of them, he did not show it. I paid attention to my surroundings as they led me through the streets. The houses were small, crammed together without any attempt at organization. I knew that look. I had seen it many times back home on earth.


    A slum.


    I also knew how it had come about. This place had grown from a small secret settlement to a much bigger mining operation without much planning. The royal knights had initially just wanted to take some bribes. Then they had realized that there were a lot of people that were willing to bribe them to get in there. And that these people could be used to do their work.


    The royal family was really to blame for this. The resource found in this lake was valuable, but the royal knights were Rank 5. That was the Rank where one became nobility. Even the lowest ranked of them was at least an unlanded baron. Mining the seabed for mana crystals was not something the royal knights wanted to do.


    So this town was born. The conditions were poor, and the people desperate. The law was but a suggestion. And Story magic had decided to bring me here for something ¡®interesting¡¯. I feared to even think of what that was.


    Oak stopped before a slightly larger building, one that even had something of a garden around it. This was the only building I had seen that did not have a common wall with another.


    ¡°Please wait here, my lord.¡± Oak said, stepping into the building. I narrowed my eyes at him, calling on my mana in case I needed to defend myself. This could still be a trap. Perhaps I was being too trusting.


    A woman stepped out of the building less than a minute after Oak entered it. A dark-colored dress, splattered with blood covered her body. The smell of herbs surrounded her. This was presumably ¡®Miss Emily¡¯.


    Miss Emily looked at me, her eyes gazing up and down my body as if to analyze me. Then, in a voice that sounded far too old and far too deep to be coming from her, she said, ¡°So what noble house are you from boy? And what trouble do you bring with you?¡±

 Chapter 17 - The bad healing.

    I looked at the woman, unable to formulate an answer. At least not immediately. Declaring that I was from the Eldanveir family would be stupid. But I also knew that trying to act like I wasn¡¯t noble wouldn¡¯t work. The clothes I had on were enchanted. I was a young Rank 3.


    That alone should make it easy to tell that I was a noble.


    ¡°And what if I do not wish to reveal it?¡± I countered.


    Miss Emily looked me up and down, frowning as she heard my words. ¡°Then I suppose it ain¡¯t any of my business. But don¡¯t you bring any trouble on my doorstep. If someone comes asking for you, imma hand you right over.¡±


    I blinked. That was surprising. I wondered if she would have protected me if I had gone ahead and told her who I was. Hmm, probably not. This was the Eldanvier we were talking about.


    ¡°I do not care about that.¡± I told her. ¡°Can you heal her?¡±


    Miss Emily looked at Elena. ¡°Bring her inside and I will see to it. And it will cost you. I don¡¯t do free work for those I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I winced. ¡°I, ugh, don¡¯t really have -¡±


    Miss Emily waved her hand, dismissing my words. ¡°The lad tells me you can heal. Pay me in that. There are plenty I can¡¯t do much for around here.¡±


    The woman walked into her house. I followed hesitantly, unsure if I would actually be able to do it. Healing Elena hadn¡¯t been the most conscious of my spells. Not to mention the fact that Light mana had protested against it. I hadn¡¯t noticed much of a difference when casting my fear shield, but healing was bound to be a different matter.


    That was what Light mana was protesting. What were the chances the System notification had just been having fun? That Light mana wouldn¡¯t actually turn up and cause problems?


    ¡°I¡ªum,¡° I began speaking as I entered the door. Miss Emily turned around, glaring at me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can really heal. I haven¡¯t really done it before.¡± I explained.


    ¡°The lad tells me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°That was my first time.¡± I answered.


    Miss Emily scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s a boy with a broken foot around the corner. Try out your magic on him. I¡¯ll take a look at your girl after.¡±


    I looked at her.


    ¡°What? I ain¡¯t working before you pay me.¡± Miss Emily continued glaring at me, as if daring me to protest.


    I did so anyway. ¡°I might harm the boy. Even kill him. Magic is dangerous.¡±


    Another scoff. ¡°Then you¡¯ll be doing him a favor. The boy¡¯s father already left him, and my work ain¡¯t gonna regrow legs. The skin¡¯s rotting already, the boy ain¡¯t gonna live the night. Would¡¯ve killed him if you hadn¡¯t come around.¡±


    There were plenty of words in there that alarmed me. But one in particular caught my attention. The skin was rotting. There was a medical word for that kind of condition. I had forgotten what.


    But it was a serious thing. I knew that magic, at least light magic, could heal it. What I had was Darkness magic. Would that work?


    And why was there a dying kid just waiting for me to heal? Wasn¡¯t that just a little too convenient. I winced as a thud echoed through the room, followed by the sound of something splatting against the floor.


    I made the idiotic decision of looking. A mistake. Miss Emily had just cut off someone¡¯s arm. That was not all. The arm had rotting skin, black and green dots lined across it in something far too reminiscent of mold.


    ¡°Is this kind of thing¡­normal?¡± I asked. ¡°Are there a lot of people with rotting skin around here?¡±


    Was this some disease? This seemed a particularly bad one. This place was underwater. Wouldn¡¯t that make them more available for such diseases?


    ¡°The bunch of em tried hunting a fish.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°Just poison they said. Well, they won¡¯t be saying that again. So you gonna heal the boy or let him die?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh.¡± I stammered, unable to come up with an answer. The fools had tried taking on a beast. That put things in perspective. I could see how they would have access¡ªthere were holes in the walls.


    Well, if there were poisonous fish around here, perhaps such injuries weren¡¯t uncommon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± I said, not seeing any harm in it.


    Miss Emily pointed to a bed not far away. The room was just beds really. Two rows of beds lined up against each other, patients stuffed onto them. More than a dozen people were standing around, though what illness they had I couldn¡¯t tell. But one thing was clear.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Miss Emily had more clients than she could deal with. Perhaps that was why she was so eager to let me have a try. I went to the bed she was pointing at, and looked at its occupant. There was a boy sleeping on it.


    A boy that was probably older than me. I glared at Miss Emily. I had been under the impression it was a literal child that was injured. But apparently it was an older teenager. I couldn¡¯t tell how old exactly, but over seventeen.


    Still too young to die like this. The black and green mold covered most of his body. I felt vomit force itself up my throat at the sight. Hundred was too young to die like this.


    I called on my mana¡ªand then stopped. I didn¡¯t know how to approach this. Fear wouldn¡¯t work, and neither would a determination to kill.  I wasn¡¯t trying to kill the guy.


    What emotion could I use? I needed one to call upon mana. The power of the spell was clearly dependent on it too. Did pity count? I tried it, only to receive no answer from Darkness mana.


    So that was out. What else? I could try targeting the mold itself. I should also stop calling it mold. Miss Emily had called it rot. The woman probably knew what she was talking about.


    Wait, did I know that? I looked around. There were a lot of people here. The amount of clients a business had was a good indication of how good it was. So many people would not come here if she was a fake.


    And I really should focus on this guy. I called on my mana, focusing on my determination to kill just the rot. A bolt appeared in my hands. I slowly pushed it towards the skin, hoping that it worked.


    I felt the boy¡¯s mana cloak react, trying to defend itself. Of course, I could overpower it easily. But the reaction I felt from the bolt of darkness made me stop. The bolt was targeting the boy. The boy in general, not the mold.  I could feel it within the mana.


    This would not work.


    I groaned, running my fingers through my hair as I dismissed the bolt. The determination to kill was just too¡­killy. In retrospect, it seemed obvious. Why would magic based on my determination to kill not want to, well, kill? I was stupid to even try.


    But now I needed another feeling. The question was the same. What would lead Darkness to heal someone? How had I done it before?


    I had used suffering. Elena¡¯s suffering, the same thing she had used to power her spells. Would it work for someone that didn¡¯t use darkness magic? I could try.


    I called on my mana, trying to grasp the feeling. The boy¡¯s skin was rotting. There were mold-like spots of black and green, something that he would have to suffer against for the rest of his life. That was suffering. I wanted to stop it.


    Darkness mana responded. The response was weak, like it hadn¡¯t yet decided if it should support me. I looked at the boy¡¯s body again. A feeling of disgust came over me. The rotting skin was disgusting. There was mold in places where there should not be.


    The reaction was impolite and improper. But it was my reaction anyway. The scene was just that disgusting. The boy would have to deal with that reaction for the rest of his life.


    I imagined his face when he saw that. Wait, I couldn¡¯t. The boy¡¯s face was rotting too. I couldn¡¯t see his expression through it. I felt vomit rise up from my stomach at the thought. Mana chose that moment to answer my call.


    Just imagining it was horror enough. The suffering I had inflicted upon myself just from imagining myself in its position was enough. The magic worked.


    Darkness swept around the boy, covering it in its embrace. I prepared to guide it to heal him. Mana seemed to be listening to me this time around. Then I found that I couldn¡¯t.


    Light mana erupted from somewhere around me, rushing to break Darkness¡¯ hold. I fought to hold my spell, trying to keep the emotion clear in my mind. But I found that I couldn¡¯t. Light mana entered my mana cloak and slipped into my mind, accompanied by emotions of its own.


    I suddenly found myself no longer feeling disgusted at him. The feeling just disappeared. Then Darkness mana decided to enter my mind. The feeling returned, stronger than before. But this time it was different, more overwhelming. Not natural.


    The mana was manipulating my mind, or at least my emotions. I shook my head, trying to cast them off. Of course, they did not agree with me. Light mana blazed into my skull, bringing with it a wave of positive emotions.


    I found myself happy that I was given this opportunity. A feeling of love and pity towards the boy¡ªwhat the heck? I growled, snapping myself out of it. More Darkness tried to enter into my mind, but I forced it out.


    I had to keep them out. I stopped the spell, focusing on keeping mana out of my mind. Light mana stopped once the spell was gone, no longer blaring happy feelings into my head. Darkness mana stopped acting strangely.


    The cause of this was clear. Light mana was not willing to allow me to cast a healing spell using Darkness. I was not aware that it could use mind magic to serve its purpose. Darkness was known to me. But even Light, its enemy?


    I needed to get these dogs under control. Or I needed to avoid situations where I was set against them in the first place.


    I felt the light mana remain in my head, not willing to give it up completely. The thing was stubborn. But I wasn¡¯t about to let it have its way. I forced it out of my brain, feeling Darkness mana come to my aid to do so. Then I had Darkness mana move out too. Thankfully, anger was good at making it do things.


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    Affinity for Light has increased.


    Light prepares for an awakening.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I looked at that. Light was preparing for an awakening. That was fast. I¡¯d had to face tests and challenges for my Darkness mana to awaken. But Light mana was here already? Well, there was the fact that it was already one of my minor elements. Perhaps that made it come faster.


    But it still felt very odd to me.


    ¡°Darkness,¡± Miss Emily said from beside me. I jumped, not having realized that she had gotten so close to me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Darkness healing. That was what you were trying, yes?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Just give up. Light mana ain¡¯t gonna allow you to do it. The spell works once and then Light gets in your face about it. That¡¯s known. Light protests whenever Darkness advances. And the girl¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t need to pay me for healing her when I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Miss Emily walked away. I saw Elena lying down on one of the beds nearby. Then I turned to look at the boy.


    ¡°What about him?¡± I asked.


    Miss Emily turned to look at me, and then looked at the boy. ¡°Oh him? Well he won¡¯t survive the night. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I couldn¡¯t heal him. A pity, The lad was nice enough.¡±

 Chapter 18 - The town under a lake

    The boy died. Not an hour after I had first attempted to heal him, he just stopped breathing. Miss Emily said that his heart gave out. I tried to save him, I really did. But Light mana would not listen to me. Even when I called upon every positive emotion I could think of.


    The mana simply wouldn¡¯t respond. Darkness mana did respond, but it wasn¡¯t helpful. Miss Emily was right, I couldn¡¯t heal with it. Light mana wouldn¡¯t let me. That kinda made me angry. But it wasn¡¯t as if I could do anything about it.


    ¡°Get out.¡± Miss Emily demanded.


    I looked up at her.


    ¡°The girl¡¯s gonna wake up when she wakes up. I don¡¯t have space for you.¡± she stated. ¡°Get out.¡±


    I looked around. There really were a lot of people. And I wasn¡¯t exactly taking up a lot of space¡­but people were avoiding me. There was a space of a few metres around me that people had been avoiding. I wondered if word of me had spread.


    That seemed rather obvious. Oak and his men were about average around here. Perhaps even a bit above average in power. That made me far more powerful than the others here. I suppose I was making people uncomfortable now.


    I gave a look at Elena, wondering if it really was a good idea to leave her here. Perhaps I should book an inn or something. But I couldn¡¯t do that either. I didn¡¯t have money. I should focus on that. Getting money.


    Leaving the Eldanveir mansion without any was turning out to be far stupider than I thought. But it was also done. I had to deal with it.


    I left the building, still nervous about leaving Elena alone. But Miss Emily did seem trustworthy. I had seen the woman try very hard to save men without receiving much in the way of payment. That was suspicious in its own way, but¡­well I would have to trust someone sometime.


    And carrying Elena around would just attract too much attention. So I stepped out, walking in a random direction hoping that it would lead me somewhere. I realized quickly that this was in a different direction than I had come from.


    I even noticed things I had not before. This was not merely a residential area. Like many slums, it was a commercial area. There were shops, barely larger than stalls and with little in the way of customers. There were people attending to them, but very few seemed to be buying anything.


    Even the ones that were buying were negotiating. I saw a customer start screaming at a shopkeeper about his prices. Perhaps I had just come at a bad time. That was possible.


    Or the people here were just poor. That was also possible.


    Another thing I noticed was that there were no food stalls. There were stalls selling clothes, stones, and even strange looking herbs. But none were selling food. How strange. The street transformed from simply stone to cobbled as I walked, the shops getting larger as I entered a street I had not seen before.


    The line that separated the gleaming white seabed path from the similarly white cobbled road was beyond distinct. A person had decided to stop building the path here. The area ahead of me was very different from what I had just walked through.


    The buildings here were two stories tall and every one of them had a garden. There were still shops in the front and back, with extensions that covered the garden and extended onto the street. That made them at least thrice as large as the shops before. There were even some customers. A couple of them even bought something.


    But it seemed so very empty and small. The market had barely lasted for a kilometer. The shops were mostly selling the same thing, and most of those seemed badly constructed. This really was the poor part of the city.


    I headed along the cobbled paths, following them into what I hoped were the richer parts of it. The next thing I knew, I was standing before a wall. Not even a small one. This wall was almost as large as the city wall, with an actual gate. I walked to it.


    The guards looked me up and down, their brows furrowing in confusion. I looked back at them, ready for some kind of confrontation. There wasn¡¯t any. The guards clearly thought I was strange, but they didn¡¯t block me.


    But they blocked the person that tried to enter after me. I had walked a bit by then, but I turned around to look. Oak was the person they had blocked. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he was doing here.


    Had he followed me?


    ¡°I¡¯m with him!¡± Oak yelled, pointing towards me. I blinked.


    How¡­curious. Why would he do that? More importantly, what should I do? The grins on the city guard¡¯s faces told me that they had something planned for this acquaintance of mine. I did not know if I had the power to stop them, though Oak seemed to think so.


    Should I? On one hand, it could get me into trouble. On the other hand, it would provide me with a guide. A person to tell me where things were, and where I could get a job. That was valuable. Cause I didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    Rowan might have come here in the book, but he had been Rank 8 then. The organizations of the city had not mattered to him. I was not Rowan, and I was not the protagonist. I wasn¡¯t even a real Rank 3. The organisations were a threat to me.


    What if I messed up and got into trouble with one because of my lack of knowledge? A guide would help. Even one as suspicious as Oak. At least now he would owe me a favor.


    I walked towards the guards. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    The guards looked at me, their hands gripping their swords. I prepared for battle. This was not what I had in mind. Why were they so quick to attack?


    <table>


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    <td>


    [The Face] exerts its influence.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    [Royal Presence] has activated.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The guards bowed. ¡°Of course not, my lord.¡±


    Oak was let through, just like that. I would have to figure out what had happened later. But for now I had a wannabe kidnapper to deal with.


    ¡°So, care to tell me what that was about?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking you to follow me?¡±


    Oak shifted nervously on his feet. ¡°I, ugh, had something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you followed me for so long?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you once you left Miss Emily¡¯s but ugh¡­you were too fast.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, you walked so fast that I couldn¡¯t keep up.¡± Oak explained. ¡°And the guards don¡¯t like it if we run. With you walking on the Main Street I didn¡¯t wanna take the risk.¡±


    I looked at him skeptically. That was not the excuse I had expected. I had walked too fast? I supposed that was possible. Awakening my mana had boosted my physical abilities.


    But had I really been walking that fast?


    ¡°Say I believe you¡ªI¡¯m not saying I do, what did you want to ask me?¡±


    ¡°The fish.¡± Oak said. ¡°I want you to kill it.¡±


    I just looked at him.


    ¡°The fish that has been spitting that poison, it¡¯s killing all the other ones.¡± Oak continued. ¡°The thing is too fast and without mana we can¡¯t defend against its poison. If you could just conjure that shield you used to stop the spears, we could kill it.¡±


    ¡°And why should I help you?¡± I asked. The fish was risky though, I had seen what its poison did. If that thing got on me, I didn¡¯t know what I could do. Perhaps I would die just like that boy.


    ¡°There¡¯s a monetary reward.¡± Oak said. ¡°The City Lord put it up.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he killing it himself? If all you need is someone to put up a shield, he could deal with it easily.¡±


    Oak rolled his eyes, and opened his mouth to speak¡­and then stopped. As if a thought had just occurred to him, he looked around nervously. I got his message.


    ¡°Do you know anywhere we could have some privacy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I, ugh, haven¡¯t been here before. The City Lord does not like the likes of us here.¡± he said.


    I looked around me. On both sides there was a wide garden, the trees blocking any houses from view. I did not know how they were even growing trees down here. Then again, how was I breathing? There was magic at work here, clearly. Life magic could have made such a thing possible.


    The thought of someone with that magic being here made me shudder. Life magic was scary. I didn¡¯t want to go up against someone that used it.


    ¡°Returning is not a good idea.¡± I said. I did not want to give the guards even more reason to think I was strange. That bloodline ability of mine had helped me out before, but I did not know if it would hold if I took things further.


    ¡°Tell me, what do you know of this place?¡± I asked as I began to walk. Oak followed me, unable to hide his surprise at the change of subject. I was just making use of his presence to get some information.


    ¡°If you think this isn¡¯t an appropriate place to talk, then we should wait till we get back. The guards will be far less suspicious if we take some time and make it seem like we actually had some work.¡±


    Oak nodded hesitantly, though I could see he wasn¡¯t really convinced. That was fine, I wouldn¡¯t be convinced either. But if he actually wanted this, then he would cooperate. And I would get the opportunity to ask him about things. Like what the city¡¯s politics was like.


    I was not a fool. Rank 3 was a significant power here. I hadn¡¯t been approached by someone yet, but I would be. And if I wasn¡¯t careful, they might find out that I didn¡¯t have power equal to an actual Rank 3.


    The high rank was my defense right now. The city¡¯s Guilds and even the City lord should not be able to deal with a Rank 3 easily. That only worked for as long as they thought I was a real Rank 3.


    I needed to learn magic and fast.


    And I didn¡¯t know where to start with that. To make things worse, I didn¡¯t have any money. Or a place to stay. I had been keeping an eye on my surroundings while I walked. There wasn¡¯t a single inn on the entire street. Just shops and homes. The Lake of the Forgotten didn¡¯t exactly get tourists, especially as the royal knights did not allow people to leave.


    There might not be an inn here.


    That meant I either needed to get a home or stay in someone else¡¯s. Getting one would probably involve the City Lord. I wanted to avoid that. The City Lord might try to get me involved in local politics. Oak though, he might know where I could find a place to stay. And earn some money.


    I needed that, but only if I could trust him. I couldn¡¯t have him lead me into a trap. So I would have to get a measure of him. How trustworthy he was. I expected it to be about zero. This guy had tried to kidnap me.


    But if I could get some more information out of him in the process, it was good for me. Perhaps Miss Emily knew someone I could actually stay with.


    ¡°So, the town has been split into two?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, the royal knights did that when they built it.¡± Oak said. ¡°This place is only for those that have awakened their mana.¡±


    So that was why the guards had allowed me in. I had already awakened my mana. But Oak apparently hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°This is where the Guilds are.¡± I continued. ¡°Can you tell me about them?¡±


    I was asking him questions I already knew the answer to. That would at least let me know if he was being truthful to me.


    Oak looked at me. ¡°¡­yes. There are three of them. The Alchemist Guild, the Mining Guild and the Adventure Guild.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me how they rank against each other?¡±


    Oak shook his head. ¡°The Alchemist Guild throws its weight around the most, but I don¡¯t know their actual rankings.¡±


    That was a better answer than I had expected. The guy was better than I had thought.


    ¡°Why kidnap me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Oak asked in surprise.


    ¡°Why kidnap me? I admit, you seem very different from what I would expect a kidnapper to be.¡± I asked, looking him in the eye.


    Oak began nervously shifting his feet again. ¡°Well, ugh, that¡¯s, ugh. I wasn¡¯t really trying to kidnap you. The Alchemist Guild would have given you a reward. And well, ugh -¡±


    ¡°And you would have taken all of it.¡± I continued for him. ¡°Tell me, why do that?¡±


    ¡°The, ugh, the poisonous fish I was talking about. That¡¯s been killing all the other fish in the area and well, food¡¯s a bit low right now.¡± Oak answered, not meeting my eyes. ¡°The reward could feed us for a while.¡±


    Oh fuck, that was tugging at my heartstrings. That was not the worst reason to kidnap someone.


    I still didn¡¯t trust him.

 Chapter 19 - I got lost.

    ¡°So, I suppose I shall believe you ¡± I began. ¡°What would stop you from betraying me whenever you have the need? What if someone threatens you? Will you not turn on me in an instant?¡±


    Oak opened his mouth, ready to answer me, and then closed it. A look of shame appeared on his face. That, coupled with him nervously shifting his feet again told me what I needed to know.


    I was right.


    A sigh propelled itself out of me as I lowered my expectations. A little selfishness wasn¡¯t even that unexpected. There were plenty on Earth that would sell people out even without a need. Why would this world be any different?


    ¡°Tell me then, who do you think will approach me first?¡± I asked.


    Oak looked at me, surprise clear on his face. I suppose he expected me to be angry at him or something. But I wasn¡¯t so foolish. I had a need for him right now, and he had a need for me. An exchange was in order. This was not some declaration of loyalty. I just had to keep in mind that he would sell me out if it came down to it.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± he said after a while. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a new Rank 3 in the city since I came here.¡±


    ¡°How did you know I was Rank 3?¡± I asked him sharply. I knew that there were people that could tell, but someone that hadn¡¯t even awakened an element shouldn¡¯t be able to tell. This kind of thing required someone with powerful mana senses.


    ¡°Miss Emily told me.¡± Oak answered.


    I raised an eyebrow. That was not who I expected. The woman was turning into a mystery of her own. That worried me.


    ¡°How long have you been living here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A little more than ten years.¡± Oak said.


    There hadn¡¯t been a new Rank 3 in ten years huh. How strange. The royal knights had to be keeping them out. Rank 3s really weren¡¯t that rare.


    I sighed. That was about everything I wanted to ask him for now. I should probably move to the actual negotiations.


    ¡°Tell me about this fish of yours. How are you so sure that my mana can block it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The fish uses a poison that eats through physical barriers easily. Mana is needed to block it.¡±


    I looked at him. ¡°How do you know that? Did you check?¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm, no.¡± Oak answered nervously. ¡°A person with mana hasn¡¯t actually gone to fight it yet. The Adventure Guild has given a reward, but well, gold isn¡¯t worth the risk to most.¡±


    ¡°So there is a risk.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Not to a Rank 3!¡± Oak answered, practically yelling.


    I growled at him. ¡°Keep it down. Don¡¯t go around blasting it to everyone around us.¡±


    Oak had the decency to at least look embarrassed. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I had a problem with this, though. I wasn¡¯t a real, proper Rank 3. I didn''t have the ability to use my power. And there was far too little information about this fish. What if it did end up going through my shields? With a poison as untested as this, it was very possible. I just didn¡¯t know if it was worth taking that risk.


    ¡°What would you give in return?¡± I asked.


    Oak looked alarmed. ¡°There really isn¡¯t much, but the community has some money. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild has a reward too. And they would see this as you doing a great service for them. That would earn you a lot of respect with the city.¡±


    A lot of respect with the city, huh. That wasn¡¯t worth all that much. And I didn¡¯t think these people had much gold to give to begin with. But it gave me something to start negotiating from.


    ¡°I need a place to stay.¡± I began. ¡°If you can arrange one for me for, say, a few months, I will consider it.¡±


    Oak looked conflicted. ¡°I do not¡ªI shall have to see what I can do.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Do that. I¡¯ll go visit the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡±


    I started walking, leaving Oak behind as I headed for the Guild. Then I realized I didn¡¯t know where I was going. Oak probably didn¡¯t either. The guy hadn¡¯t even been here before. And that made him about useless as a guide. A rock might know more.


    At least I might have a place to stay now. That was something.


    The road turned as I walked, leading away from the gardens and into something I was more used to. There were more people here now. And buildings painted in things other than white. Just a few of them, but that was more than zero.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    That wasn¡¯t the only change. The clothes did not cling to people¡¯s bodies anymore. The things had to be enchanted. Or magical in some manner. So these were the people rich enough to have enchanted clothing.


    I was on the right track then. The Adventure Guild should be in this area. There was a reason I was going to this Guild. And it wasn¡¯t just the reward for the poison fish. That was the place I knew most about in this city. Rowan had stayed there in the book. The place was where the more¡­combat favoring portion of the magic wielding population stayed.


    In other places that might give them a lot of power, but here the royal knights ruled. There were few beasts for them to fight. The power they presented made them respected, but they also weren¡¯t really wanted or needed in the city. Even the City Lord Tended to just ignore them.


    That was just the place I wanted to be while I increased my magic. But first I had to figure out what it was like now. Rowan had come here five years later. A lot of things could have changed by then. But I did know where to find them.


    The Adventurers Guild was right beside the big white building that was the City Lord¡¯s house. I just had to find that one. There were just, ugh, a lot of big white buildings. In fact, almost every building was white. And big.


    Could the Trashy Novel not have given better descriptions? How was I supposed to navigate in this bloody town? There weren''t even any signs!


    Sighing to myself in frustration, I stomped down the road. A few bystanders turned to look at me. I stopped stomping, but I was still angry. The town wasn¡¯t really built with immigrants and tourists in mind, but it was still annoying.


    I missed Google Maps. That would teach me to take things for granted.


    I kept walking, wondering if I should head back. Thankfully I had been walking in a straight line, so I should be able to head back. The wall had long since disappeared from my view.


    Another annoying thing. The landmarks were not clearly visible from afar. I suppose that was true for Earth too, but it was still frustrating. Losing direction was too easy when all the buildings looked the bloody same.


    The buildings did grow larger as I walked, giving me some hope. Perhaps I was slowly moving into the richer areas of the town. That could put me close to the City Lord¡¯s mansion. That had to be the biggest building around, right?


    I didn¡¯t actually know much about him since Rowan hadn¡¯t met him, but what were the chances the guy wasn¡¯t living in the biggest house around?


    The houses weren¡¯t the only things that got bigger. The little streets between the houses got wider, and so did the people in them. On Earth, there might have been a stall or two in them. Just a shoe cleaner or someone selling cheap treats. But here it was different.


    Perhaps it was that there were too few people. The crowd had reduced once I hit the richer district, though there were still a few people around. Not what I would expect of nobles either. There were none of the umbrellas and lines of servants I had expected of them. The people wore enchanted clothes and carried themselves like they were someone important, but they seemed to be working people.


    I didn¡¯t know what the heck they were working on though. There were only houses here. Where was the commercial district? I really was lost, wasn¡¯t I? I should have gotten a guide before coming here.


    Sighing at my own idiocy, I began to head back. Just walking without having any sense of direction was probably a waste of time. Perhaps Miss Emily knew where the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was. If she could sense my Rank then she should have awakened her mana.


    Why hadn¡¯t I thought of that before? Would have saved me so much effort.


    I walked through the streets observing my surroundings. I had to give the town one thing though. The thing was planned. There was a lot of¡­forced separation, but the city looked like someone had put some thought into it. There were underwater trees, cobbled streets and strong looking houses. Not a bit of trash on the street, either.


    Magic might make things easier, but it still needed someone to put in effort. I just hadn¡¯t expected to find someone doing that for a random town in the bottom of a lake. Perhaps one of the first settlers had been a city planner?


    That would explain it.


    A noise took my attention away from my thoughts. The sound of someone landing on the ground, or rather falling onto the ground. I looked around, finding myself staring at a young girl dressed in white from head to toe. Even her face was covered in a white mask, only her eyes peeking through.


    With the amount of white around here, that might actually be a good disguise. The girl took off. The city guard landed where she had been a few moments later. The guard looked at me. I recognized him from the gate.


    ¡°Where is the girl?¡± he asked.


    Why would he ask me? Did I look like I was with her or something? That was some presumption.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered. The guard didn¡¯t look like he believed me. I continued staring at him. Should I tell him the direction she ran in? But he had to have seen that, right? The guy was standing just a few metres from me, he could see the same street I could.


    How could he not have?


    ¡°The City Lord will not stand for interference in his matters.¡± the guard threatened, his mana cloak doing¡­something. I wasn¡¯t sure what. The thing was growing larger, spreading thin as it covered a larger area.


    What was he even trying to do?


    I copied him out of curiosity. Mana spread out around me, covering the area around me like a blanket. Then it spread farther and farther, until even the guard was covered in it. And it wasn¡¯t even close to being spent yet.


    That was a lot of mana. At least ten times as much as the guard had called. I had not expected myself to have that much. The Monarch of Justice had been on to something when he had said that I did not know my own limits. Perhaps I should focus on that. Adding more mana to the spells.


    The guard looked at me like I was a monster, the fear on his face so clear that I wondered if he had pissed himself. Well he couldn''t have since we were underwater. That was an interesting topic actually, could people still piss here.


    Wait, I had to deal with the guard first. I didn''t want to start a fight with the City Lord


    ¡°I do not know where the girl is.¡± I said, taking advantage of his fear to get him to give up. Was it because of the mana? That should be true. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else that could cause this.


    The guard ran away. Not a word of reply, he just looked at me and ran away. I withdrew the mana back into my cloak. That was a good shaping. I didn¡¯t know mana could do that.


    A figure stepped around the corner. I looked at her. I was pretty sure she looked back too. This was the thief, who apparently hadn¡¯t even gone that far away. Well, I actually didn¡¯t know if she was a thief, she was just dressed like one.


    ¡°So, do you knoww here the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is?¡± I asked.


    The girl stared at me. ¡°Take a right from the gate. There¡¯s a big board with its name on it.¡±

 Chapter 20 - The power of a Story

    Take a right from the gate. The gate into this place. That was in the wrong direction. The Trashy Novel had mentioned that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was near the City Lord¡¯s mansion. I doubted the city lord lived anywhere near the gate.


    But what did I know? There were many things that were similar to the world I had read, but many were just different enough. Like the Monarch of Justice leaving. I had not expected him to do that. I wasn¡¯t even sure he had actually done that.


    The Monarch of Justice had not been clear. Or perhaps I was just hoping that I still had a Monarch to turn to. I took a deep breath, stopping for a moment to calm myself. This was not the time for such things. I would deal with that later.


    First I had to figure out how to survive.


    I turned right at the gate, staring at the street in shock. I had been so occupied by my conversation with Oak that I had not noticed this. Perhaps if I had turned my gaze a bit, I would have seen the large board that declared this to be the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    The board really was a large one, and written in English for some reason. I stared at it, struggling to decide if I even wanted to consider the implications of this.


    There was a board written in English. The Trashy Novel hadn¡¯t mentioned the language they used, so I had to admit some shock at this. No, not just some. I was shocked enough to stand in place staring at the board without moving a muscle.


    Perhaps that was why I did not notice the old man approaching me.


    ¡°So, I am the first you visit.¡± the man said, bringing my attention to him. A number of questions swam through my head. I wanted to ask him if the sign had come from off world. Or if that was just the language they used.


    Perhaps this was something that had been donated to them. There were many among the Monarch of Justice¡¯s supporters that were fascinated with his home world and would see its culture spread.


    But none of these were things I should ask a stranger. A stranger that was asking me questions and looking at me like he expected me to know what he was talking about. I did not.


    I looked at him with my mana sense, trying to see how great his mana cloak was. What I saw surprised me. The cloak was great, greater than any I had seen before. Ten times greater than Elena¡¯s. I felt like my heart came to a stop.


    This man was a Rank 3. At least.


    I looked up, remembering what he had asked. This was the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The man thought I had come to visit him. So it stood to reason that this man was a member of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And I knew there to be but one member with such power.


    The Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Oh fuck. This was one of the most powerful people in the city. Heck, he was one of the people I wanted to avoid. Wasn¡¯t he not supposed to be here? The man had been known to avoid his guild in the Trashy Novel. Looking for him was part of what had challenged Rowan.


    Why was he here?


    ¡°I simply had some work with the Guild.¡± I answered rather honestly. I would have to be careful here. This had been foolish. I had thought that I still had time, that my presence and power were not yet known. That I could come to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild without people coming to me.


    But now that I thought about it, it was obvious. Of course, they knew. I had not exactly been hiding it. Even the guards should be able to see my power. And what power player didn¡¯t have a few policemen on their payroll?


    The man raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? And what work would that be?¡±


    ¡°I wished to inquire about a fish. I hear there is a reward on it.¡±


    The old man was suspicious. I could see it on his face. Telling him that I wasn¡¯t here for him felt like a good strategy for the moment.


    ¡°I see.¡± the man frowned. ¡°There are many fish we give out rewards for. Perhaps I can help you with it.¡±


    The man began walking towards the building, clearly expecting me to follow. I considered walking away. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild reward was important to my plans. That was true. But this seemed an even bigger trap. This was politics. I had lived with it for most of my life. And I knew not to engage in it so unprepared. Not without knowing a great deal more about this place than I did.


    The Empire¡¯s court would have been easier. At least I knew the players there, and how they worked. This town was a big pile of unknowns.


    ¡°Are you coming?¡± the head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild asked, turning around to look at him. The frown on his face had grown even deeper.


    ¡°Could I perhaps beg leave of you in this matter? I just realized that I have other matters to attend to.¡± I replied. And I wasn¡¯t even lying. I was doing something else. Not getting too involved in the local politics was a matter of its own.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The man narrowed his eyes at me. Staring at me like I was a puzzle he could not solve. I did not like the look of his face.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he demanded.


    I looked at him sharply. ¡°I do not understand what you mean.¡±


    ¡°A noble child has entered this city of people long forgotten by the outside world.¡± he stated. ¡°And within hours of entering the city, he is here at my door, but refuses to come in. I find myself wondering why.¡±


    I opened my mouth to answer, and then shut it. The old man had a point. I had been acting strangely. Perhaps it was the fact that I was trying not to think of something. I thought I had been very good at it, until I was reminded of it again.


    Now I couldn¡¯t get the Monarch and his warnings out of my mind. But I really did have other things to do first.


    ¡°I am simply attempting to see what the city holds. This is my first time here. And it really is a wonder. A town under a lake. Just who would have thought?¡±


    The expression of suspicion remained on the old man¡¯s face, but I could see he was reconsidering. A part of me, a big part liked that. There were few things I was good at. Speaking to people was one of them.


    I did not know how to fight, and really I ran away from it. The kind of warfare I preferred was imaginary, and conducted from inside the safety of my rooms. But I was good at talking. At least I hoped I was.


    I really didn¡¯t have much else going for me.


    ¡°Just moments ago, I was touring the streets.¡± I pressed the issue. Then I winced. That was not the best move. The lie was not easy to discover¡ªI very well could have been taking a stroll instead of being lost. But that may draw attention to my encounter with the city guard. That could get bad.


    ¡°I see.¡± the old man said. The expression on his face turned decidedly neutral. I found it funny. Now he was trying to hide his feelings, when he had been so clearly displaying them just moments ago. Then again, anger, suspicion, and other such feelings were hard to hide. For these were the kind of emotions that tended to make you less rational. I knew that from experience.


    ¡°I shall take my leave now.¡± I said, stepping away. The old man did not stop me. I walked away, careful not to keep my pace too fast. I was not running away. If the old man thought I was running away, well, I did not know what he would do.


    That was the point. Perhaps he would try to take advantage of my fear. Or he would take it as a sign of weakness. There were a number of things he could do. To predict how a person would react, I needed information about them. And I did not have that.


    The guards did not look at me as I passed through the gate. The stiff expressions on their faces and clenched muscles told me that they were doing it on purpose. The word had spread. Not unexpected but¡­how the heck did they find out so fast?


    This was faster than gossip. I knew the guard would report my actions, but it was far too quick to have spread across the guard already. But it was not impossible. The guard at the gate could have been close friends with the guard I had threatened. Perhaps he had immediately gone to share the news with them, without even trying to catch the girl he had been following.


    Or whatever display of magic I had copied had been big enough that they had sensed it. That had been stupid. I should not have done it. I knew too little about magic.


    Hurrying along the poorer parts of the street, I headed for Miss Emily. This had just made my point. I needed information. And, to be honest, I needed to be less foolish.


    I had been going around randomly doing whatever seemed like a good idea. That wasn¡¯t working. I had barely survived the rabbit, and really just because a Monarch had intervened. A Monarch that wasn¡¯t going to do so anymore.


    If I continued like this, I would end up in one bad situation or another. Heck, I was already encountering so many of them. I had fallen into this bloody lake. Elena had injured herself, and kidnappers had decided to attack me after I healed her. There had even been a reward for healers.


    Then I went for a walk. Oak had followed me. I got lost and encountered that girl. And that spell. Then I met the Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Fuck. There was even that bloodline ability. I had forgotten about that.


    This was just so much. I barely had time to deal with one situation when two others presented themselves to me. Like they were just waiting for me to pass by to encounter them.


    Like that girl I had just happened to run into.


    Wait. Fuck. That sounded like something Story magic would do. Yes, it very much sounded like what the Monarch had warned me about. Story magic was making interesting things happen. Just like in stories.


    I had been avoiding thinking about that. There had just been other things to do. And, well, it was a hard question I needed to answer to solve this. Find out what I wanted to do and direct it towards that.


    I hadn''t even been able to tell what I wanted to do on Earth, let alone here.


    The question felt unfair. I had been here for what, a couple of days? And now I was supposed to choose what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? I knew I didn¡¯t have an answer to that question, so I had been avoiding it.


    But apparently I didn¡¯t have a choice. Or was I presuming things? I really wanted to be presuming things. What had happened wasn¡¯t that unlikely, was it?


    Yes, it was. In retrospect, I should have seen it then. Story magic had led me to this town. Oak had been placed so conveniently. A person that knew a way in, someone that would lead me here if threatened. Elena¡¯s injury, the mana healing.


    How convenient. The healing should have alerted me. Elena had been healed, and then the power went away. Story magic was pushing me towards something. The girl, the head, the guard they were things that felt too forced. Story magic probably had a hand in them.


    What was it planning?


    Perhaps getting involved in local politics. That did seem like something it could do. Story magic followed stories, did it not? A protagonist unwillingly finding themselves pushed into local politics was common.


    I did not want that. Not just because of the danger, but specifically because I did not want to give Story magic what I wanted. But if I stayed here, then it would draw me in. Perhaps the Alchemist Guild would hear of a healer next and come seek me out. Or perhaps it would be the City Lord. I could not wait around for that.


    I walked into Miss Emily¡¯s place. Elena was still sleeping. I did not know when she would wake, and I did not have time to wait. So I walked up to Oak.


    The man looked up at me, opening his mouth to say something. I cut him off. ¡°Take me to where your poison fish is. I want to see what it looks like.¡±

 Chapter 21 - More fish please.

    To say Oak was surprised was an understatement. The man looked like I had offered to make him Emperor. I think it was because he had expected me to refuse. That much was clear on his face.


    ¡°I¡ªof course.¡± he stammered. ¡°Give me five minutes.¡± There were no more words after that. Oak got to work. Like he was afraid I would run away if he didn¡¯t leave fast enough. The group was ready within minutes, their packs already packed and weapons ready to be used. I wondered how the spears did not rust. There was probably magic in use.


    Oak led us through the same path through the town and out the hole. I took note of it. There would be spears shooting at us when we returned. There did not seem to have been any bribes paid to the city guard. I did not protest. Not like I had the money to pay them.


    But I should preserve some mana for that. Now if only I knew how to tell how much mana I had. There really wasn¡¯t much sense as to why I couldn¡¯t. I should ask someone. I was sure that Oak and the rest would know this.


    How could I, though? I was supposed to be Rank 3. Shouldn¡¯t someone of that power level already know things like this? Did I risk blowing what little safety my apparent power provided if I did this? I probably did. And with Story magic being what it was, it probably was a stupid idea.


    Elena could ask though. I wish she would wake up already. Not having anyone to trust was starting to get to me.


    The area Oak led us to was different from where I had come. The current was stronger here. Not strong enough to push us around, but strong enough that I noticed it. And there was more seaweed on the seabed. But few fish. That seemed strange. The place looked like it had plenty of food, at least from a fish¡¯s perspective. There should be plenty of those around.


    And yet it was empty.


    ¡°The poison fish are near, are they not?¡± I asked.


    Oak stopped walking. ¡°Can you sense them already?¡±


    The men drew their spears, looking around with fear and nervousness on their faces. I stared at them.


    ¡°No, I was remarking about our surroundings. There is an excess of food in this place, and yet no fish. That would mean they either left, or were killed. The poison fish you mentioned sounded like something that would do such a thing.¡±


    Oak¡¯s arm tightened on the spear. ¡°The fish was not so close to the city before¡­but you are right. The poison fish has been here.¡±


    Lifting his spear up, he carefully flattened a seaweed against the lake bed. I could barely make out the difference in the darkness, but there was some. The seaweed was rotting, and it looked very similar to what that boy had gotten.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves.¡± Oak said as he began walking. The pace was slower this time, more careful. The men were ready to fight the fish. I was ready to cast a spell. The lake was silent. That was expected, but it still made the atmosphere scarier than it should be.


    Darkness mana was still distant here. But I called on as much as I could. I even had help. Rotting seaweed, the lack of fish and the silence. Three things that seemed aimed at making this scarier with every second. And scary meant that my shield was that much stronger. Darkness mana was nice like that.


    The few fish that remained disappeared. That was the first sign. The second was the current growing stronger. Like there was something moving a lot of water around here. I moved in front of them then, calling on my mana to stand in front of me. Oak did not object.


    The third sign, though it was more of a sighting, was the fish. Not one. Ten. There were ten fish swimming around at what seemed to be high speeds. Not as fast as the rabbit, but still considerably faster than me.


    The lot of us stood at a distance, observing the fish. There were no trees or boulders to cover behind, so we risked the fish noticing us at any moment. I was surprised they hadn¡¯t already. But I suppose they were just beasts.


    ¡°I thought there was only one fish.¡± I observed.


    ¡°So did I.¡±


    I looked at Oak, the man gripping his spear as he glared at the fish. There was something there, something that made him so very eager to see them dead. But there was a risk here.


    ¡°Do you see that speed?¡± I asked. ¡°That means they are too fast for us to target at range. The spears you use will be as good as useless.¡±


    A spear¡¯s advantage was the additional reach it gave. I had read that in plenty of books. But a fish like this would cover that range very quickly. And once it was closer, the spear would have a hard time attacking it.


    Perhaps it was my inexperience and lack of understanding, but I just couldn¡¯t see the long sticks being used well enough to strike the fish. That wasn¡¯t even all of it. I highly doubted a fish could be this fast without mana. The fish were actual beasts with mana. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The lake had many of them, I knew. But they weren¡¯t supposed to be this close to the town. The royal knights usually took care of that.


    I looked at the fish with my mana sense. Just one of the fish alone had more mana than Oak. With ten of them put together, they had a lot more. I wasn¡¯t sure how much. But if I were to guess, I would say as much as that old man from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    That didn¡¯t tell me what rank they were. But it did tell me that I shouldn¡¯t challenge them carelessly.


    ¡°Oak, we should leave.¡± I said. The man looked at me like I had betrayed him.


    ¡°The fish are too powerful. This needs to be reported to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the city guard. Trying to take care of them alone will just get us killed, and then who would tell them?¡±


    Oak did not respond, but he also didn¡¯t protest. I could see his arm shake as he looked at them. Then he took a deep breath.


    ¡°The city is just a ten-minute walk away.¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps now the City Lord shall take action.¡±


    There were no protests from any of his men. I was a bit surprised by that. I kind of expected to have to argue about it. But they accepted it easily. The lot of us headed back. I turned around, giving the fish one last look.


    What I saw surprised me.


    The fish were coming for us. The bastards had to have decided to attack the second we turned around. I did not have time to think. Just like the rabbit, the fish was too fast. But I already knew what to do. I still had my mana ready.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I commanded, a near invisible wall appearing between me and the fish. A wall of fear and anger, made to stop them in their tracks. The fish crashed into it, though did not look injured. A pity.


    A clacking sound emerged from their mouths, their tails wagging as they shook in anger. I could see their mana cloaks flaring, shapings emerging from their. I gathered my own mana.


    ¡°Step back. The fish are about to attack.¡± The wall transformed into bolts of mana, crashing into the enemy. The fish dodged them, only one of them managed to inflict any injury. Just a little graze, but I could see blood dripping out of it. I could wound them.


    That gave me confidence.


    The fish burst forward, propelled by mana onto speeds even greater than before. I conjured my wall once more. The fish broke through it. Ten heads collided with one wall, mana cloaks flaring and scratching at it. In seconds, the wall had broken into pieces.


    I grunted in annoyance, conjuring more bolts. Not one hit them. The fish were too fast.


    ¡°Run!¡± I commanded, conjuring a shield around me. The fish¡¯s mana cloaks were much reduced. But not enough. The bloody bastards had enough mana to break a couple more of those walls.


    The shield around me was more concentrated, and stronger besides. I had poured more mana into it, and I was much more fearful. There was just something about an attack on my body that scared me.


    The fish would not break this one so easily. But if they did break it, I would probably be dead. The thought terrified me. And so it empowered me.


    A dozen bolts of darkness shot out from around me, and I commanded them to follow the fish, track them down and strike them. The command alone doubled the mana cost. But this time, the bolts did not miss. The fish tried to dodge them.


    Three even succeeded. The bolts struck their comrades instead. Seven fish were struck. One died. Three bolts struck a single fish, breaking its skin and exposing its organs to the water. In seconds, it fell down to the ground, its organs spilling onto the floor. The other fish began clacking angrily. A bluish green liquid emerged from the dead fish and spread.


    The seaweed began to rot where it struck. That was enough to tell me what it was. The poison. More poison filled the water as the other, living fish began spreading their own. I sent more mana to my shield. I had a feeling I would need it.


    And I was right. The poison began to eat at my shield the second it came in contact with it. The rotting effect apparently wasn¡¯t limited to skin. A shield of fear counted too.


    That wasn¡¯t even the worst part.


    The fish¡¯s mana cloaks had not decreased while producing this poison. The thing was coming from an organ. This was dangerous. The fish had the advantage now.


    I conjured more mana bolts, eager to end this battle. And quickly, before I ran out of mana. The fish ran away from the bolts. The water filled with more poison as they ran. The bolts ran behind them, taking even more mana from me. The tactic was easy enough to see.


    The fish were experienced with such combat, as much as it pained me to admit. I did not even know how much mana I had left. That irritated me more than I cared to admit. This had turned into a stall battle.


    If the fish could keep the bolts off them for long enough for me to run out of mana, then they would win. The poison would kill me.


    The situation was unfavorable to me. I needed to change it. The question was how. With every minute, I got in a worse position. At least Oak had managed to run away.


    I conjured bolts in the fish¡¯s path, trying to force a collision. A risk. That made me spend even more mana, and could easily lead to me dying if the fish managed to hold on. As I saw it though, there was a good chance I would die anyway.


    Now if I could only see my own mana and tell how quickly I was emptying it¡­but of course. I couldn¡¯t do that right now. So I had to guess and hope I had enough.


    The fish evaded them with surprising grace, causing the bolts to collide with each other instead. That wasn¡¯t all fish though. The numbers worked against them now.


    There were too many fish and only so much space. One fish crashed into another, and the bolts caught up to them. One ran right into a bolt. What was even more curious was what happened to the bolts that collided with each other. The bolts merged.


    The resulting bolt was more powerful and even more importantly, it was faster. I grinned. This would either make this situation worse, or it would solve it. I conjured more bolts, the normal, unguided ones. And I pushed them towards the bolts that remained.


    There were five fish still alive. Six bolts. I set about to combine them. Then I conjured even more bolts to make them even stronger. I made them into five bolts thrice as powerful as they were.


    And then I set them free at the fish.

 Chapter 22 - There is a lot to be done.

    The shaping worked beautifully. The bolts headed towards the fish, faster than they were and able to follow them. In seconds, they were dead.


    And I was feeling very proud of myself. That had been a good idea. This was just what I needed. There was just something about a plan working well that made me very happy. Even if it was a rather random idea.


    The idea had worked. The fish were dead.


    I looked around. The first thing I noticed were Oak and his men. The second thing was the giant fish. Not the kind that the royal knights used. This one was different. A bit bigger for one. And its shape was very similar to the ten little fishes I had just killed.


    Oh, and it had a larger mana cloak. Just half as big as that of the old man, but it was enough. Oak and his men were losing, and they were losing badly. As I watched, the fish spun in place. The water spun with it, something resembling a small whirlpool forming around it. The whirlpool left the fish and moved forward, striking at one of the men.


    I did not think, I just shaped. Darkness mana surrounded him, my fear changing it into a shield. But this was different. I was far less scared for my life than I was for this guy. That was not to say I was indifferent to him¡­it was just different. Just the thought of it made me feel guilty, but I could not deny reality.


    I cared far more about myself than I did this guy. I did not fear for him nearly as much. And that made my spell weak. I needed more. So I looked for more. I had mere seconds to work with. I would have to hurry.


    There was the rot, the guy¡¯s spear, the¡ªthe rot. That was the cause of suffering too, wasn¡¯t it? Seeing people, comrades you had known die in front of view was suffering in its own way. What was the chance this man hadn¡¯t suffered?


    I used the same technique I used to heal people. I called upon their suffering and negative emotions, using them to power my spells. The shield solidified. The approaching whirlpool collided with it and broke apart.


    The fish was not done. The large beast swam towards the man. The thing was slower than little fish, but it was still faster than Oak¡¯s men. There was little they could do to save him. I could.


    I called upon more mana, running towards him as I poured it into the shield. So that his suffering would have meaning, to try to¡ªa flash of light filled my vision, slipping into my mind. I did not have time to even process it, the thing worked too fast. The thought I had before slipped away for a second.


    Now I thought of protecting him. That was my intention, but it was a positive emotion. Or at least, not a negative one. The thought remained for just one second. Just one. But that was enough.


    The shield broke apart before the beast could even strike it. But the beast was already close. I did not have time to shape a new shield. The thoughts of fear turned to panic. And this emotion was far stronger.


    I felt it connect to the mana that I had sent there, what was left of the shield. The mana was still mine. I let it connect. The shield of fear that had collapsed came back as a shield of panic.


    But panic was not an emotion that made shields. The fish¡¯s teeth struck the shield and it burst apart. Not because it had failed. But because that was its purpose. For a second fire appeared here, under the water. I did not know how a darkness mana shaping had called it, though I could guess.


    There were some emotions that were just too connected to a particular mana. I had not known that panic was so close to fire. But apparently it was. And besides, wondering why there was fire underwater was foolish. This lake already had air. That was how we could breathe. Then why could it not have fire? Magic did not follow such things. Not usually.


    The beast was flung back by the force of the explosion. I could see that it was not dead, but it was bleeding. The explosion had hurt it. More than that, it had stunned it. I took advantage. Conjuring a single large bolt of mana, I poured mana into it. This was the single most powerful casting I had done yet.


    I had but seconds to do it. The fish could regain its senses at any moment. I would have to kill it before it could manage that. So I did. The bolt shot towards the fish and collided with it. If the fish managed to see it coming, it did not show it.


    A couple seconds later, it was dead. The bolt had cut clean through its head, splattering its brain onto the seaweed. But it was not done yet. I rushed to Oak¡¯s man, trying to see its injuries.


    Of course, his comrades were already there. Oak had rushed over the second the fish had been stunned. There were few injuries among them. A couple of arms had been bandaged. A leg was bleeding, though its owner did not seem to have realized it yet.


    But the worst injury, by far, was the man the fish had targeted. The panic explosion had hurt him. Not majorly, but there were burns on his arms and legs. I winced as I saw it. But none of the men blamed me.


    There was something far worse that had their attention. A single green spot on his leg. The spot spread even as I watched. Even now the spread was already quick. The poison had struck the man.


    The joy seemed to have been sucked from the people here. The reason was obvious enough. Oak lifted the man.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he said. ¡°To the city.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I wondered if I should mention that Miss Emily could not heal this. But I stopped myself. Not only because that was rude, but because there was a way to stop it. The rot was on the leg. If Miss Emily was able to cut the leg in time, then he would live.


    ¡°I will take him.¡± I said. ¡°I can run faster.¡±


    Oak handed him to me without a word. I took off, the men close behind me. But not for long. Mana came back to me as I ran, mana that I had spent casting spells returning. This was mana that was part of my cloak. Even if I spent it, the mana would eventually return.


    That allowed me to speed myself. Darkness mana allowed it. And my guilt fueled it. I ran faster than even the little fish, reaching the little hole in the gate within a minute. If the city guard threw spears at me, I did not notice them. Perhaps I was too fast for them to aim.


    Not fast enough to escape my thoughts. Light mana¡¯s interference had been unexpected. But looking back, I could see what had caused it. Light did not like when I used another¡¯s negative emotions to fuel my spells. How strange that it was light mana, not darkness that did this.


    But I did not have time to think of this now. I had an injured person to take care of. This thing would have to be added to my increasingly large list of things I had to deal with. Like the notifications blinking at the corner of my vision.


    I headed for Miss Emily¡¯s place, though honestly I had only a vague recollection of where it was. Thankfully I still managed to find it. I rushed in through the door, looking for Miss Emily. I found her staring at me from beside a patient.


    Then she saw the man I was carrying over my shoulder.


    ¡°Lay him on that bed.¡± she commanded, pointing to one near me. I did so.


    ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°The poison struck his leg.¡± I answered.


    Miss Emily swore, looking at his legs. ¡°The fools! I told them not to go for those fish. Now look at it.¡±


    The woman turned to me, her eyes blazing with anger. ¡°What happened? Where are the rest?¡±


    ¡°I came first. Oak should be right behind.¡± I answered, trying to calm her down. ¡°I just wanted to get him treated before it got worse.¡±


    Miss Emily took a deep breath and turned towards him. Then she stretched out her hand. I looked at it through my mana sense. A thin layer of mana spread out, killing any germs in the area.


    Then it reached to the man¡¯s legs, striking at the rot. The rot¡¯s spread did not even slow down. There did not seem to have any effect.


    Miss Emily sighed. ¡°I shall have to cut it off. Hold him down.¡±


    I looked at it, opening my mouth to protest. Then I closed it. The man was injured, it was clear that I needed to do this. Even if the thought of it made my stomach want to hurl. The thought of holding a man down while his leg was cut off was¡­a bit much for me. Even if I had killed a bunch of fish today. That was fish. I clutched the leg rather tightly, looking at Miss Emily.


    The woman looked amused. ¡°With mana.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I answered, taking off my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡±


    Miss Emily frowned. ¡°What? How do you¡ªleave it. Eir! Come here.¡±


    A young man with long blonde hair and blue eyes came running to the bed.


    ¡°Hold him down.¡±


    The boy nodded, waving his hands. The water wrapped around the boy, tying down his arms and legs. Miss Emily raised her axe and deployed her mana. The mana sunk into his leg, especially the part where it was to be cut. The man had gotten here early enough that she was going to cut at the knee.


    I did not know what she was doing, but I did know what type of magic this was. Life magic. One of the scariest types of magic around. Miss Emily brought the axe down. The man did not scream, he did not even seem to have noticed it. The rot had probably put him to sleep.


    And even if it hadn¡¯t, I doubted Miss Emily let him feel any pain. Life magic was good at stopping things in a body. Like the transmission of pain. Or the beating of a heart. Thankfully, Miss Emily had done the former.


    The wound healed before my eyes, skin covering it. Life Magic was good at healing. Not as good as Light Magic, but it had its uses. For wounds that could heal naturally, Life Magic tended to be more efficient. But it could not bring back lost limbs or any such things that Light magic boasted.


    ¡°So tell me.¡± Miss Emily interrupted my thoughts. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I looked at her. The magic she used was still on my mind. Did she have any relation to the Duke of Life? That was the third-strongest family of this world, after the Eldanvier and the royal family. At least as far as I knew.


    And they ruled the continent this lake was on.


    Hmm, it was unlikely they were involved. Life magic wasn¡¯t that rare. Not every user was connected to them. Still, it would not hurt to be on guard.


    ¡°The lot of us went to kill the fish.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Did you succeed?¡± she asked dryly. I could tell she did not expect us to have.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answered. ¡° At least, we were able to kill ten of the little fishes and one of the bigger ones.¡±


    And that reminded me. I had been ignoring my notifications. Perhaps I should look at them.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    10 Rank 1 Poison Beast have been killed


    Mana has been awarded


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Light has intervened within a shaping.


    Fire has intervened within a shaping.


    Fire turns its attention away from you.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    1 Rank 2 Poison Beast has been killed.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I sighed. That was just about what I had expected. Fire turning its attention away was sad. I had hoped I would get some affinity for the panic spell. But I suppose a spell that only had fire because of luck did not get much attention.


    ¡°A bigger fish?¡± Miss Emily asked, her tone worried.


    ¡°Yes, a Rank 2.¡± I answered.


    The woman looked at me with an analyzing gaze. Then she turned to the young man that had helped her. ¡°Eir, take over for a bit.¡±


    ¡°And you,¡± she said, turning to me. ¡°I need to have a talk with you. Follow me.¡±

 Chapter 23 - Are you sure?

    Miss Emily led me inside, into something that seemed to resemble an office. The place also had the makings of a storeroom. There were piles of what had to be herbs on one side of the room. On another there were three bookshelves. There was just enough space left for a table, a chair on either side of it.


    I pulled one and sat down. Miss Emily took the other. Then she continued staring at me.


    ¡°So, you wanted to talk about something?¡± I asked.


    Miss Emily sighed, rolling her eyes. ¡°I would think that you already know what I wish to speak of, my lord. Are you going to claim ignorance of something that is apparent?¡±


    ¡°How about you tell me what you know, and I can fill you in.¡± I said, not meeting her eye.


    ¡°And help you make a lie? I think not. Tell me who you are. And what you want. There are too many strange things about you.¡± Miss Emily demanded.


    I considered denying her. I was pretty sure she would just ask me to walk out if she did. Would that be worth the cost? Well¡­ I was kinda relying on her to find out more about things. Like magic. The city. Would Oak even support me if Miss Emily turned me out? I needed that guy for a place to stay.


    Rejecting her wasn¡¯t going to be easy. And she wasn¡¯t being unreasonable either. Getting involved with politics was dangerous. The politics of noble families even more so. The royal knights¡¯ presence protected them a little, but there were enough nobles here to keep old enmities going.


    ¡°I ran away from my family.¡± I said. That wasn¡¯t exactly accurate. Leif had caught me. And then let me go. I was sure of it. Leif had let me go into this lake, probably because of Story magic. Either he wanted to manipulate it, or it was manipulating him. I didn¡¯t care. Either was bad for me.


    But I couldn¡¯t very well tell Miss Emily that Leif might be watching. That would scare her away.


    ¡°I see.¡± Miss Emily said, pulling out a teacup from her drawer. Then she picked up the kettle and poured.


    ¡°Do you want some?¡± she asked. ¡°The tea is still hot.¡±


    I looked at it. With her life magic around I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it being spoiled. And the kettle seemed enchanted besides.


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± I replied.


    ¡°So then, what family do you come from?¡± she asked, pulling another teacup from her drawer.


    I looked at her for a second. Then I decided to go through with it. ¡°The Eldanveir.¡±


    Miss Emily¡¯s hand shook as she poured the tea. A hurriedly taken breath and careful control kept the tea from spilling, but I could see that the name had an effect.


    ¡°I¡ªI see.¡± she said, putting the kettle down and withdrawing her hands onto her lap. ¡°What part of the family are you from? I hear that even the Eldanvier have quite a few branch families.¡±


    I sighed. I could just string her along and have her guess my ancestry one by one¡­but it was better to just come out and say it.


    ¡°The Duke of Eldanveir is my father.¡± I informed her. ¡°The Rose Princess is my mother.¡±


    That should give her a good picture of what my ancestry looked like.


    ¡°The Duke of Rose is your grandfather.¡± she exclaimed. ¡°The Emperor is your great-grandfather. Tha-that would make you the only living descendant of the Blade Emperor. Do you expect me to believe that?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not the only one. Leif Eldanvier is my twin-my elder twin brother.¡±


    Miss Emily stared at me. A few seconds passed. I picked up the tea and began drinking it. Miss Emily was still staring at me. I finished drinking the tea. But she had not finished staring.


    ¡°Are you still there?¡± I asked. For some reason this made me happy. I did like shocking people. Even if it was just the number of important people I was descended from. Heck that wasn¡¯t even all of them. The Empress was powerful by herself. And there was still the Founding Emperor.


    And of course the thousands of other royalty that I was somewhat related to. Oh, also half the nobility. The royal bloodline had spread far.


    ¡°Are you being serious?¡± Miss Emily whispered angrily.


    I nodded.


    ¡°I -¡± she stood up, rushing towards her book cases. Then she pulled them apart. I watched with fascination as she literally split a bookcase to reveal a secret cupboard. And inside that was a rather interesting collection of objects.


    I recognized a few of them, especially what she took out. A truth orb. A very special object that had to be imported from off world. The local mana system did not allow for such things. Not easily.


    How is it,¡± I began. ¡°That a healer in the Lake of the Forgotten has a truth orb?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t one.¡± Miss Emily clarified. ¡°This is a fake that uses mind magic. The magic forces you to speak only the truth.¡±


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


    I froze, staring at the thing with renewed caution.


    ¡°If I may?¡± she asked. I stared at it. This was a dangerous object. I had secrets, ones I did not wish to share. The transmigration. The Monarchs and their involvement. But I could also understand why she would want to confirm that I was telling the truth.


    ¡°I will only confirm what I have said till now.¡± I offered.


    Miss Emily looked at me. ¡°I shall use it again if there is need. But for now that will suffice.¡± Then she poured her mana into that bloody thing. I felt the Mind magic exert its influence on me. Just strong enough that I was not confident I could secretly resist it. An artifact like this could probably tell if someone wasn¡¯t affected by the spell.


    But I could have resisted it if I gave it my all. The mana used was not enough to break through a proper field shield. That made me sigh in relief. Having mind magic that I could not defend against would make me nervous. As it was, I could stop at will.


    That was a nice assurance to have.


    ¡°Tell me, who are you?¡± Miss Emily asked.


    ¡°I am Aphra Eldanveir, son of the Duke of Eldanveir and the Rose Princess. The younger twin of Leif Eldanveir.¡± I answered. The mind magic pressed on me, trying to force me to say more. That question¡­it was framed very openly. The magic knew that I wasn¡¯t telling the whole thing.


    Miss Emily looked at me, and then cut off the orb.


    ¡°Is there a reason the son of a Duke knows so little about mana? I have seen you fail at tasks that you should be able to do in your sleep. Tell me, does that sound normal to you?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I was not given many of the opportunities my cousins had. Father did not like my face.¡±


    Miss Emily scoffed. ¡°That I can believe. And yet, it makes me wonder. What else are you hiding?¡±


    I squirmed under her gaze, but I would not be saying more. Finding out my ancestry was not particularly hard. I had my mother¡¯s face. And my mother had a very large statue. The kind that was literally taller than mountains.


    There were few people on the royal continent that would not recognize my ancestry on sight. At least the royal part of it. Now being a transmigrator, that was something I was not willing to share so easily.


    ¡°I suppose I shall let it rest for now.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°And I hope you shall not question me too much about my past.¡±


    I stared at her, wondering if I should press the issue. I was curious to know what was going on with her. But that was a rather large risk to take just to fill my curiosity. No, I was better off just letting her be.


    ¡°Then we are in agreement.¡± I answered her.


    Miss Emily nodded. ¡°Now, I am sure you face many issues with mana. Tell me about them.¡±


    I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. This was it, what I had been waiting for.


    ¡°So first, I want to know how to tell how much mana I have. And where I can get spells, I will need some to actually use my power properly.¡± I said the first things that came to my mind. But there were probably more to be had once I actually sat down to think about it.


    ¡°Oh and also, I had this interaction with Darkness and Light. That¡¯s what got that guy injured. I was casting a Darkness shield using his suffering as base. Like I do with healing. But then Light interfered by imposing protection on me, which destroyed the shield.¡±


    Thankfully I was able to get a panic shield up and save him. Oh, and also should I be careful using fire magic around here? I don¡¯t think it would be a problem but -¡±


    Miss Emily raised a hand, stopping me in my tracks.


    ¡°How is it that you don¡¯t know how to sense your own mana, but you have already learned how to emotionally mana shape to such a large degree?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°There¡¯s another way to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <hr>


    The very edge of the universe.


    A palace stood in space, larger than most planets and significantly more sturdy. A bird flew towards it, whistling a silly tune as it revolved around the palace. The sound should not have echoed in space, and yet it did. For as far as a million miles away the tune was heard, the bird declaring its presence.


    ¡°Would you mind coming in?¡± An annoyed voice yelled from within the palace.


    ¡°I think I shall sing some more instead.¡± the bird replied. ¡°The view is nice.¡±


    ¡°There is no view. There isn¡¯t a planet around for a million light years. I remember you making sure of that, Queen of Fae.¡± the voice replied.


    ¡°Yes, I do like looking at my work. Doesn¡¯t it make you feel appreciated? Seeing the result of your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it would. If I wasn¡¯t trapped in here. Another thing I should blame you for.¡±


    The bird scoffed. ¡°Oh please, we both know you were trapped for a whole of three seconds. The rest of it was just you trying to get sympathy, Arbiter of Monarchs.¡±


    A silence filled the air as neither of them spoke. Then the palace disappeared like it had not been there in the first place. In its place stood a man. Not a human man, though his form could be called similar. If humans had no arms and legs and looked similar to a box of flesh with a head emerging from it. A dozen appendages emerged from the box, wiggling in space.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to scare me, you¡¯ll have to try harder. I don¡¯t get tickled that easily.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± the Arbiter stated. ¡°Now do you wish to speak of why you actually came, or shall I have to suffer through another century of your speech?¡±


    The bird transformed into a little girl. The girl wore but a single rag, little more than a brown piece of cloth. With black hair and black eyes, she looked like a random beggar on the street. The universe shuddered at her appearance, cracks spreading across space.


    But neither Monarch paid any attention to it.


    ¡°I would like to ask you to stop it.¡± she said. ¡°Do not interfere with the House of Manevorus, it shall not end well for you. Jeriverus is quite upset, and you know how it gets.¡±


    The Arbiter of Monarchs scoffed. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°No, I still have a century of conversation left in me. Do you want some tea?¡±


    The Arbiter rolled his eyes, cracks in space spreading out from where his appendages touched. ¡°Leave. Or I will make you. I am the Arbiter of Monarchs girl, do not warn me about a child just a few million years old.¡±


    ¡°A hundred million.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Jeriverus Manevorus, Queen of Magic, Death, and Destruction is a hundred million years old. I was significantly younger and quite a bit weaker when I interfered in your plans, Arbiter. There is a reason the Monarchs of the Edge do not rule the universe. Do not forget it.¡± The little girl walked away, a portal appearing before her.


    ¡°Fae.¡± the Arbiter called out.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I hope you like being tickled.¡± the Arbiter said, his appendages wiggling even faster.


    ¡°Oh you motherfucker -¡± the Fae Queen began yelling before she was pushed into her portal.


    The Arbiter of Monarchs just smiled. ¡°The Game is not yet won Queen of Fae. Not yet.¡±

 Chapter 24 - A conversation on spells and magic.

    I frowned. The Trashy Novel had not mentioned other ways to use mana.


    ¡°How do you think spells work?¡± Miss Emily asked.


    ¡°A spell is a moment¡ªa powerful moment with so much emotion that it connects with an element and gets the surrounding mana to act with it. That is why it is more efficient, a part of the cost is borne by the surrounding mana.¡±


    Miss Emily groaned. ¡°I did not know that. And I cannot tell you if that is true, the workings of a spell are a mystery to me.¡±


    I noticed something then. Miss Emily had a very distinct way of speaking before. But now she spoke normally, no she spoke she was nobility herself. Perhaps she was, or had been at some point of time. This was the Lake of the Forgotten after all. There were plenty of runaway nobility here. Miss Emily could very well be one of them.


    ¡°What I do know is that a spell has a structure.¡± she continued. ¡°There are parts that tell it how much mana to use, what shape to make and how to do it. If you are careful, you can make altered, weaker versions of it that can do different things. The effect isn¡¯t as powerful as a spell, or even your emotion based magic, but it works. That¡¯s how most people do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Try casting a spell.¡± she began.


    I interrupted her. ¡°I don¡¯t know any spells.¡±


    ¡°Not even one?¡± she asked, frowning.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t had the chance.¡±


    The healer just glared at me. ¡°How do you use mana then? If your element is what is worrying you, then I assure you that -¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± I said, interrupting her again. ¡°I just awakened my mana using emotions as base.¡±


    ¡°What? Ho- how in the world did you manage that? I have only heard of such a thing.¡± There was quite a bit of interest in her voice now. Miss Emily had seemed largely tired and bored by me before. Now she was looking at me like I was her favorite meal.


    ¡°Was it hard? Can you tell me about it?¡±


    Hmm, it had been hard. But honestly not that hard, once I figured out what I needed to do, mana had answered my call rather easily. Did it have something to do with the Forest of Tragedy? That place had a much higher amount of Darkness mana than normal. Perhaps there was something there that just made Darkness mana more active.


    ¡°No, leave it.¡± she said. ¡°Tell me whenever you feel like it.¡±


    I really wasn¡¯t against telling her. I just didn¡¯t know what had happened myself. For all I knew, it could have been an effect of the Court of Justice.


    ¡°What did you want to do again? Learn how to sense your own mana, yes? I can help you with that.¡± she said.


    ¡°Ok.¡± I replied, straightening my back and looking at her.


    ¡°First, focus on yourself.¡± she began. I did so¡­kind of. I tried to be aware of my body. The terminology was common enough that I knew what to do. I just wasn¡¯t very good at it. Paying attention to just one thing for extended periods of time was not my strong suit.


    ¡°Then look at it.¡±


    I looked up in confusion. ¡°Look at what?¡±


    ¡°At yourself.¡± the healer answered. ¡°That should be enough. A mana cloak is not difficult to view, just wish to do it and it will reveal itself.¡±


    I frowned, following her instructions. I had tried stuff like that, but it hadn¡¯t worked before. Why would it be different this time around?


    As expected, no cloak became visible.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡± I stated.


    Miss Emily narrowed her eyes, getting up and crossing the table to stand beside me.


    ¡°Stand up.¡± she said. I did so.


    ¡°How do you see other¡¯s cloaks?¡± she asked, waving her hand in the air.


    I looked at it. I sensed mana move around it in a revolving pattern, mana circling it like it was jewelry. That was some impressive control. And here I couldn¡¯t even see my own mana cloak, let alone use it like that.


    ¡°When I look in their direction, I sense that something is there. Then I realize that there is a power moving there, and my brain just realizes what it is. I can¡¯t really explain it, the information just appears in my mind.¡± I explained.


    Even to myself it didn¡¯t make much sense. The workings of mana sense weren¡¯t easy to understand. Why would it work this way?


    ¡°I see.¡± Miss Emily said, a smile emerging on her face. ¡°Now close your eyes.¡±


    I frowned, but still did so. Where was she going with this?


    ¡°What about now?¡± she asked.


    I opened my eyes to look, only to be greeted by Miss Emily shaking her head. ¡°No, keep your eyes closed.¡±


    ¡°But I need to keep them open to see mana.¡± I protested, and then stopped.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Did I need to see the mana? I had been thinking of it that way, but was it true?


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Miss Emily said, confirming what I was thinking. ¡°This is something I am familiar with.¡±


    The healer headed back across the table, taking a seat. I took my own.


    ¡°What you are feeling right now is something most commoners face when they awaken mana. For most of us, the surrounding mana is so low that our undeveloped mana sense cannot sense it. But once our mana awakens, it is suddenly there.¡± she said.


    I frowned. I had been able to sense mana even before I awakened it, or was that because of the large amount of mana around?


    ¡°But you see, this causes a problem.¡± she continued, sounding very eager. There was an excitement to her voice that had not been there before. Miss Emily was enjoying this. I suppose she liked being able to solve medical issues. That moment when she was able to solve it was probably great to her.


    ¡°The body and mind are used to only five senses. The mana sense is not exactly a sixth sense¡ªit isn¡¯t nearly as expansive or varied as the others. But it still doesn¡¯t fit into the way your body perceives reality.¡±


    ¡°So the human brain, strange thing that it is, decides to force the sense into its own perception of reality. A reality made up of five senses. So, of course, it tries to act like the mana sense is just an extension of one of your existing senses.¡±


    ¡°In your case, it tries to make mana something it ¡®sees¡¯. As for why you can¡¯t see your own mana cloak, well, that is just your brain being stubborn. The thing knows that what you are looking at is your body, it can feel it, and the physical senses tell it that mana isn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°I would even go as far as to speculate that it is your sense of touch that is causing the issue. But either way, it ignores what mana sense is telling it and so you do not sense your own mana cloak.¡± she finished.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said, wondering what I should think. That sounded like a serious issue. The explanation had been pretty long too. At the same time, she had said that it was common. Perhaps it had a solution?


    ¡°So is there a way to -¡±


    ¡°Just give it time.¡± she interrupted, going back to her normal self. ¡°That should let your brain adjust.¡±


    ¡°I, ugh, I am not sure if I have the time.¡± I replied. ¡°Not knowing how much mana I have gets in the way of -¡±


    ¡°Why does not being able to see your mana cloak mean not knowing how much mana you have? As it is, such things are painfully subjective. Just keep shooting arrows of Darkness or something until you run out of mana. That should tell you how much mana you have. And then you can plan from there.¡±


    ¡°But that would leave me vulnerable! I would be out of mana for however long it took for it to recharge.¡±


    Miss Emily looked at me strangely. ¡°The gaps in your knowledge are¡­very strange. But if you just conjure the arrows and tell mana to remain out of your cloak just a few meters away, it will not take long for it to return. The amount of time it takes for you to regenerate your mana is exactly as much as it takes for the mana to travel back.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s literally what it is. The mana is yours to begin with. The reason you cannot use it is that it is too far away for you to impose your will upon it.¡±


    Oh, I knew that part. The area I could impose my will on it was actually just my mana cloak, though sometimes some simple commands could work. If mana was listening, it would follow the orders.


    ¡°If I send my mana away, how will I tell it to come back? Wouldn¡¯t that require it to be in the mana cloak?¡±


    Miss Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°Walk to it. Or send your last arrow into the mana and tell it all to come back. Even if you don¡¯t, mana won¡¯t stay away from you for long. I haven¡¯t been able to keep mine away for more than an hour.¡±


    The healer stood up, smiling as she did so. ¡°Now I shall have to get back to work. I¡¯m sure you have more questions, but they will have to wait. I don¡¯t know much about your emotions based magic anyway. And I really should get back to my patients. If you want to use your spells here, go ahead. Just don¡¯t destroy anything.¡±


    ¡°Is there anywhere I can get spells?¡± I asked her as she put the truth orb back in its place and closed the bookshelf.


    Miss Emily sighed. ¡°The two Guilds and the City Lord should have one or two. The royal knights have them, of course. But I am not sure if you can get them -¡±


    The woman stopped, her eyes narrowing as she stared at my face. ¡°Hmm, perhaps there is a way. I shall see what I can do, but don¡¯t get your hopes up. There¡¯s a reason the awakened have their own section of the city.¡±


    Miss Emily left the office and I just stared at my surroundings. Was I sure this was the place to be practicing spells? There were an awful lot of things here.


    Or perhaps she expected me to be able to control my mana. Well, that was fair. I was sure I could. And perhaps the things weren¡¯t that valuable?


    Did that mean she had more than one of those truth orbs? Just who was she? Why would she even have things like that?


    sc


    The Butler whistled as he cleaned his Great Master¡¯s shoes. A long time ago he had a name. But the Great Master had taken it from him. And he¡¯d deserved it. The crime of falling for the schemes of that bloody blonde haired child was greater than he could bear.


    The fool had escaped from his Great Master¡¯s mansion. To even think of leaving this great place. The Butler could not imagine it. A part of him, some part he wished he could forget, screamed at the thoughts. Like it was telling him to notice something, to snap out of it.


    How idiotic. This was the Great Master¡¯s home, and his place was serving here. Cleaning his shoes.


    A sound to his right had him looking up, though he did not dare stop in his task. The Great Master had assigned it to him. But perhaps if it were more important, he could spare some time. The Great Master might even reward him if he did well.


    A young boy lay on the floor, blood seeping out of his chest. Master Leif stood above him, gazing down at the disgusting creature. What had he done to anger the Great Master¡¯s son?


    But it was not his place to question. There were other tasks that had been given to him. The shoes still needed more cleaning.


    ¡°What do you think of him?¡± Leif asked.


    The Butler looked around for the person Master Leif was speaking to. How had he missed them?


    ¡°I¡¯m speaking to you.¡± Master Leif said, sounding annoyed by his lack of response.


    The Butler was terrified. The feeling came from that voice that refused to keep shut, and this time it refused to let go. Even as he tried to quiet it.


    ¡°Do you think he will be obedient?¡± Master Leif asked, his purple eyes gazing into the butler¡¯s.


    ¡°Perhaps Master. I could not tell.¡± he answered honestly.


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose I shall see.¡± Master Leif said, sighing as he waved his hand. The wounds on the boy¡¯s body healed. In seconds, he looked like he had not been injured.


    ¡°I hope my brother appreciates this little birthday gift. I put in a lot of effort to prepare it.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he will, Master.¡± the Butler said, returning to his task. ¡°What fool would not enjoy such a gift?¡±


    A part of him was wondering what the gift even was. But he did not dare ask.

 Chapter 25 - I meet even more people.

    Two hundred and twentyAlicethree. That was how many bolts I could fire before I ran out of mana. I had been using dozens. I could have been using two hundred. The trees had been right, the rabbit really did have the strength of a rank 3. If I had known how to control my mana, or had known that I had it, I would have stood a chance.


    Or not. The rabbit had been controlling multiple types of mana, and I didn¡¯t know how to control this many bolts. Could I just use them the same way as before? That seemed a waste. So many bolts just to deal with a single enemy seemed¡­impractical.


    Then there was the fact that bolts could combine into a single better bolt. The bolts I had conjured when I was fighting the fish had been stronger and faster. And it only had like three bolts worth of mana inside it. That seemed like a weapon more suited to a Rank 3.


    Perhaps that comrade of Oak¡¯s would not have been injured if I had used it. If I had not used a shield and instead fired a bolt at the fish. I couldn¡¯t even blame my lack of knowledge. I had known that I could conjure stronger bolts.


    But when the moment came for me to actually use my mana, I had used it to conjure a shield. That had been my first response. To protect instead of kill. But if I had just killed the enemy, I would not have had to protect. Looking at the amount of mana I had, I could confidently say that I could have killed the big fish before it could have killed the man.


    That man would still have his leg.


    I knew I wasn¡¯t to blame. That much was obvious even to me. But that did not mean that I had no fault in the matter. The spell that failed was mine. The decision to protect instead of kill had been mine too. I should not have tried to use his suffering as base. A battle was not a place to try out a new spell.


    I had failed because I wasn¡¯t prepared enough and because I didn¡¯t know enough.


    The time for staying back and hoping that things would pass had gone. Story magic had made it clear that it wouldn¡¯t leave me alone. I would have to cope with that. I needed to prepare, and I needed to change how it had worked.


    Waiting for things to happen wouldn¡¯t work. I would have to seek them out. Even if it pained me to put myself at risk like this. But it would be better if I sought the Adventurer¡¯s Guild out instead of randomly encountering the head unprepared.


    The lights in the room flickered. A strange thing since there weren¡¯t any lights in the room. The office was lit by the same barely present light that was common under this lake. I looked around, a bit alarmed as I wondered what had occurred.


    I had just been thinking of Story magic. That couldn¡¯t have gotten it to do something, right?


    The lights in the room flickered again. Oh, shit. I was right. What was the magic up to now? Did it like me taking charge or was it against it?


    The lights flickered again. This time, it came with a notification.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Story Magic is interested.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I gulped. Story magic was interested. That was¡­something. Was it a good thing? Would it support it? Or would I find myself in very strange situations because it wanted to make things even more interesting.


    Still, it was the first time it had actually responded to my thoughts. What had the Monarch of Justice said?


    I needed to make a goal. A goal the magic would support, something I could accept it supporting. For it would force me towards it for the rest of my life. But otherwise it would just make me encounter random things it thought were interesting.


    I was already overwhelmed with what I had. If Story magic added even more, I would not be able to keep. And yet it did not seem like something that it would understand. The Monarch had already warned me that it would do something like this. I had little choice but to follow his instructions.


    And now it had actually shown an interest in something. In me taking charge and getting involved in the local politics before it forced me to do so. I still didn¡¯t have a goal in mind. I didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    But now I knew what to do next. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had a quest to kill some fish. I had just completed it. Should I not go collect my reward?


    Wait. Did I collect proof? Oh fuck, I had not thought of proving that I had killed it. Perhaps Oak had?


    I stepped out of the office, heading back into the room. Finding Oak was easy. Getting to him was not. There was a crowd of people surrounding him, looking eager to get to him. As soon as I began approaching him, the crowd reduced.


    Or rather, most of it turned around and approached me.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked them. The words were enough for the entire crowd to pay attention to me.


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


    ¡°Is it true?¡± one of them asked. A girl with all of her arms and legs, though she seemed to have plenty of scars running across her skin.


    ¡°What is?¡± I asked, though I had a pretty good idea. The people gathered seemed to all have scars and injuries of some sort. And were carrying weapons. This was the group of people that had been hunting for the fish.


    ¡°Did you kill the fish?¡± Another man asked. This one was a giant, towering over us as he stared down at me. I stared back.


    ¡°Yes, I did. Is there a problem?¡± I asked, calling on my mana. That action alone was enough for them to take a step back. The eyes of the crowd were glued to my mana cloak, as if they could not believe what they were seeing.


    ¡°Rank 3?¡± the girl exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. I was surprised she could tell, though I suppose a hunter would have sharp senses. That sounded like something that would help out there.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I replied. ¡°I had an acquaintance with Oak and decided to help him out.¡± That should get them off his back. And make it seem like I did not need money. A Rank 3 not having money in a place like this would be considered strange.


    A person with power was supposed to be rich. That was expected by the common people. And if said person wasn¡¯t rich, then was their power actually real?


    The girl shared a look with the giant man. Then she turned to me. ¡°I thank you for your service, my lord. Could you perhaps tell us where you killed them? The things are a menace. If even one remains they may become a threat to us again.¡±


    That was polite. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was being sincere, or she wanted to confirm my power.


    ¡°A good idea, miss¡­?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Alice,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Well Miss Alice, it so happens that I did forget to collect proof of my killing. I am not used to such things you see.¡± I replied.


    Oak¡¯s eyes widened behind the crowd, and he looked like he wanted to say something.


    Miss Alice beat him to it. ¡°Well then, I am sure we shall all feel very safe with you among us, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, very safe.¡± the giant agreed. Alice threw him an annoyed glance. The giant was apparently not welcome to speak around here. I wondered why.


    Oak looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. The group moved to leave. I followed. A part of me wondered if just leaving like this was a good idea, but it was literally just ten minutes away. And I still had my knife.


    What else was there to even take?


    The journey was short. The group moved even faster than Oak¡¯s, and I noticed that they were quite a bit more powerful. The girl and the giant were both Rank 2, if I hadn¡¯t guessed wrong. Had they awakened their mana too?


    That seemed likely. Increasing your power without awakening mana was possible, but very difficult. After all, you had to fight and kill beasts with mana to do it.


    But if they were hunters, it was possible they could manage it. Well, I would find out eventually.


    The seaweed area was the same. The fish had not returned yet. At least there did not seem to be any poison fish in sight. Perhaps I had killed the mother?


    Did fish have fathers? I wasn¡¯t sure how fish reproduce. Hmm, they laid eggs, didn¡¯t they?


    The group reached the place where the battle had taken place, and then stopped. Not just because of the giant body that lay on the ground. That was not the only thing that drew attention.


    Another fish, even larger, stood beside it, whining sadly. The giant fish hadn¡¯t noticed us yet. I took my chance. Calling on my mana, I conjured a bolt. And then poured mana into it. Five, no, ten times what I usually did. Then I told it to track the fish.


    The bolt shot through the water faster than any shaping I had used before. The fish did not have time to react. Even I didn¡¯t. The bolt went right through it, the fish¡¯s body literally dissolving into the darkness as it passed through. And then it hit the seabed, turned around and headed back to the fish.


    I had told it to track it, I suppose. And it clearly wasn¡¯t out of mana yet. I had put too much in. I sent a bit of mana towards it, telling it to come back. Then I turned towards the girl.


    ¡°Well, Miss Alice, it would seem that you were right. There were more of these bloody fish around.¡±


    The girl looked at the fish and gulped. ¡°Yes, my lord, it would seem so. Thank you for dealing with it. I am sure we are all very grateful.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, fish big but not that strong.¡± the giant said. The girl kicked his ankles. The giant looked down as if wondering what had struck him.


    I could barely contain my laughter. But I did notice things. I hadn¡¯t really been paying as much attention to stuff before, too busy trying to deal with my own troubles.


    But if I was going to participate in the local politics, then that would have to change. I would have to get to know the people around here. Oak wasn¡¯t very useful when it came to the Guilds. What about this girl?


    I needed to find out how much they would know, and if they were the kind to give real information. Or use me to gain some points with whatever Guild paid them.


    The girl was intelligent, and clearly the leader. The giant was another leader, and I could see that their groups were separate. But not enemies. The two were cooperating too much for that to be so. If I were to bet, I would say that the girl was the one that took the initiative and dragged the giant into it.


    The big guy wasn¡¯t unintelligent either. Oh, his way of speaking made him out to be an idiot. But he had been able to tell that the fish wasn¡¯t that strong. I had to agree with him. That bolt had less than a tenth of my mana. Yes, I had caught the fish unprepared, but that should not have let me kill it so easily. The thing was slow too.


    The fish was weak without its poison to rely on.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± I began. ¡°Would you be so kind as to help me get these to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? I hear that they have a reward on these things and I would like to claim it..¡±


    This gave me a chance to get information out of them.


    Asking about the Guild I was walking towards would be expected. This was just free information that would not raise suspicions. And if the Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild did appear, well I would deal with it then.


    And there really was a lot to carry. There were two giant fish now.

 Chapter 26 - A party?

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    Alice only led us through a different path once we were inside the actual town. The entry hole was the same. The city guard didn¡¯t even shoot at us. Alice and her comrades seemed to be of another level when compared to Oak.


    The path led us through narrow winding streets. The people of this ¡®slum¡¯ seemed used to monsters. A few people looked annoyed when they had to stand aside to make space for us, but they looked unsurprised.


    ¡°So, how does the Adventurer¡¯s Guild really work? I haven¡¯t really been there before.¡± I said, technically not lying. I hadn¡¯t really been there before. Heck, I hadn¡¯t even stepped into the building.


    ¡°The Guild here is just like its branches on land.¡± Alice answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be fine.¡±


    I stared at her blankly. ¡°Say if I hadn¡¯t visited one of their branches before, how would you describe it to me? Is there something important I should know? I just don¡¯t want to look ignorant in there.¡±


    Alice frowned. ¡°Well the Guild is largely just a hiring place. There are a lot of things that need doing usually, things that the knights won¡¯t bother with. Hunting monsters is one of the most common. There are almost always some monsters that the knights can¡¯t be bothered to kill, but they¡¯re still dangerous to people. So a job gets posted in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°In this place, that¡¯s pretty much the only type of job we get.¡± Alice looked me up and down. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of work for a Rank 3 too. The lake has a bunch of beasts that are way more powerful than normal. The royal knights usually clean them up, but well, they¡¯ve been busy lately.¡±


    I frowned at that. What had the royal guards been busy with exactly? If there was anything around here that demanded their attention, then it could be very bad for me. I did not want to get involved in something like that.


    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is owned by the House of Wind and Water though, so you don¡¯t have to be that worried. The royal knights won¡¯t target us for no reason.¡±


    That did not calm my worries. For one thing, the House of Wind and the House of Water were two ducal houses. And they, along with the royal knights, did have a reason to target me.


    I was the son of the Rose Princess and the Duke of Eldanvier. Either of those things would attract their attention. I didn¡¯t even know how to hide it from them.


    I looked far too similar to the Rose Princess.


    ¡°Are you from the Rose family?¡± Miss Alice asked. I looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    Alice rolled her eyes as if I had said something ridiculous. ¡°The fact that you have the Eyes of Rose. The red eyes are rather famous. I suppose there are people other than the Rose family that have them¡­but it seems rather obvious that you are connected to them.¡±


    ¡°The City Lord is from the House of Life. The Alchemist Guild is from the House of Earth. The royal knights are obviously from the royal family, the House of Blade. The House of Fire is missing. Then you, a Rank 3 with the Eyes of Rose enter the city. So I ask, are you here to establish the House of Fire¡¯s presence?¡±


    Alice said it like she was just making conversation. But her body language told me that she was being serious, and that this question worried her. I, on the other hand, was very glad she had decided to ask it. The amount of information she had supplied with just one question I would probably take hours to get out of someone else.


    This woman was great.


    ¡°I suppose you could say that, though I doubt it is how you think.¡± I answered. That should do it. I wasn¡¯t really from the Rose family, but their head was my grandfather. I wasn¡¯t even lying when you could say I was related.


    Acting like I had their support would make things easier for me too. The other forces would be less willing to move against me, though it would involve me in their politics.


    But I had already decided to be involved.


    Miss Alice frowned, and seemed like she wanted to say some more. But then decided not to. ¡°I see. Well, my lord, we have arrived.¡±


    I looked to where she was pointing. The entrance she had led us to was different. For one, it was outside the awakened area. For another it did not have a sign on it. I was a bit worried that it wasn¡¯t even the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    I called on my mana as we entered, ready for a fight. A part of me wanted to ask her if this was the right place. But the building did look similar to the one inside the awakened area. Still three stories tall and painted red Alice a surprising thing in this town Alice it was rather distinctive. I wondered how they managed to paint underwater.


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


    A person came out to greet us.


    ¡°More fish?¡± he grunted. ¡°Keep them out here, someone will collect them.¡±


    Alice clicked her tongue in irritation. I decided to take the lead.


    ¡°I would like to collect a reward you placed on some of these things.¡±


    The man sneered. ¡°If there is one, then it shall be provided to you in-¡±


    I called on my mana. That shut him up.


    ¡°I shall do as you say, my lord.¡± he said, leaving quickly.


    ¡°Hmm, satisfying.¡± the giant said, nodding his head forcefully. I just rolled my eyes, though even I had to admit, it was satisfying. The look on his face when he realized he wasn¡¯t dealing with someone without mana.


    Another man came running out, this one dressed in far better looking clothes. The man looked around as if trying to identify who he should talk to. Then his gaze landed on me.


    ¡°I shall have your reward dealt with presently, my lord.¡± he said. ¡°Is there anything specific you require from the body?¡±


    ¡°Keep the edible parts separate. I will take them.¡± I demanded. Keeping them seemed like a good idea. There did not seem to be much food around here. I should take what I can.


    ¡°As you wish my lord.¡± the man nodded. ¡°I see here ten Fish of Poison, for which a reward for ten silver has been offered. The reward however was for just one fish. There is also no reward for the larger fish, though that might be because we were unaware of them. The organs, without the edible portions, shall come to three silver for each of the big fish. The smaller ones shall gain you 1 silver for two of them.¡±


    ¡°Is that satisfactory my lord?¡±


    I admit, I did not know. Rowan had worked with gold. And he had spent thousands of gold. I knew how much bread cost around the Academy. I also knew that three silver for a single loaf of bread was considered expensive.


    Did that mean that this price was fair? I could buy at least seven loaves of bread in the Academy. Was that too few or too many? I looked at my companions, trying to gauge my reactions. Miss Alice noticed my gaze and gave me a nod.


    Well, I had to trust her in these. If she cheated me then, oh well. I would know that she was not to be trusted. Now that I knew how to use my mana, I could probably kill these fish easily.


    ¡°Yes, it shall suffice.¡± I answered. The man nodded. ¡°Please return tomorrow for your payment and to collect your pieces of meat. Have a good day sir.¡±


    The man walked in, leaving the rest of us standing there. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling awkward. There were dozens of people that had carried things around for this. I should give them a part of the payment, shouldn¡¯t I?


    How much would be fair? I would have to ask Miss Emily, she should know.


    ¡°I suppose we can leave.¡± I announced.


    ¡°There no party?¡± the giant whispered as we were leaving. But his whispers were loud enough that he might as well have been screaming. I was sure every person in the crowd heard him. And now they were waiting for a response from me.


    ¡°I do not know. Is that customary around these parts?¡± I asked.


    Miss Alice interrupted before the giant could say anything more. ¡°The killing of a Rank 2 beast, especially one that was such a menace is often accompanied by a little festivity. ¡°


    And of course I would be paying. That wasn¡¯t said, but it was implied. The expectant looks on their faces told me so.


    ¡°How much would such a thing cost?¡± I asked. ¡°I am not presently well dispensed in terms of gold.¡±


    Miss Alice scoffed. ¡° A silver or less usually. And the party will have to be tomorrow, we¡¯ll need that meat of yours if we want to have something to eat.¡±


    A silver. That was¡­much cheaper than I had thought. I could do that. Yes, it was a more than acceptable price for maintaining good relations with the people here. I wasn¡¯t sure how much use it would be, but I would be staying here for the foreseeable future. Having friendly neighbors sounded like a good idea.


    ¡°I suppose we shall keep it tomorrow then.¡± I shrugged. A sudden cheer rang out from the front of the crowd. I suppose someone was really happy about it. Perhaps this party really would be fun. The ones I remembered had been boring affairs, but they also hadn''t been like this.


    A few minutes later, we were back at Miss Emily¡¯s house where the woman greeted us at the front door with an angry expression on her face. The crowd quieted at the sight of her, as if awaiting her anger.


    ¡°Go about yer stuff.¡± Miss Emily said. Then she turned to glare at me. ¡°I need to have a talk with my good¡­friend here.¡±


    I gulped. I didn¡¯t think I had done anything wrong, but I was still nervous. The expression on her face made me so.


    Miss Emily led me into her office and then shut the door. I took a seat and waited.


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± she asked angrily.


    ¡°I think you will have to clarify.¡± I answered, trying to keep calm. What was she so angry about?


    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you there?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean. The meeting was fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because the Head was away at business. For you see, a new Rank 3 has appeared in town and the current Heads of the Guilds and City Lord were meeting to decide what to do about it.¡±


    I froze. ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°I have a cousin in the royal knights, they keep track of such things.¡±


    That was quite an operation they had there. Then again, it was the royal knights. I would be more surprised if they had trouble keeping track of a couple of Rank 3s and one Rank 4. Miss Emily having a cousin in there was more surprising.


    ¡°Do you know what the royal knights are discussing right now?¡± she asked.


    I looked at her. The expression on her face told me the answer. But I asked anyway. ¡°Is it me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± she said, running her fingers through her hair as she made for the hidden shelf. This time she took out a frame from it. A photo frame, though this one had a painting on it.


    ¡°The Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild might not recognize you, but these are royal knights. The second you encountered that patrol, they recognized who you were.¡±


    I could see why. Miss Emily had produced a portrait of a young girl. A girl with red eyes and curly blonde hair who looked like a younger version of me.


    ¡°This is the Rose Princess?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Miss Emily replied. ¡°I think you can see why they had little difficulty recognizing you. And now they must decide what to do with you. But they are not the problem, not right now. The royal knights won¡¯t do anything till their heads decide.¡±


    ¡°The Guilds on the other hand, they are but extensions of their House¡¯s influence. And a number of them may decide to use you and your claim to the throne.¡±

 Chapter 27 - There is talk of thrones here.

    Miss Emily¡¯s words worried me, perhaps more than I would care to admit. I had known I was in a politically difficult position. But I had not expected that to apply here. I should have.


    ¡°At least you do not have the bloodline.¡± Miss Emily sighed. ¡°Having the Eldanvier bloodline will make you a bit of an outsider, but having the royal -¡±


    ¡°I have it.¡± I interrupted her.


    Miss Emily looked at me with shock. ¡°What? But your element -¡±


    ¡°I awakened Darkness mana separately, with emotion magic. I told you that.¡±


    Miss Emily just stared at me. ¡°I thought you meant you learned magic using emotions.¡±


    ¡°I did. And I awakened the Darkness element using that too.¡±


    ¡°How could you¡ªis that even possible?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I have not heard of such a thing. An element is either awakened through spells or by bloodline. I have not heard of emotion based shaping actually awakening an element. How did you¡ªno, that is not important.¡±


    ¡°Are you speaking the truth? Do you know how activated your bloodline is?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I have only awakened one bloodline ability.¡± I informed her.


    Miss Emily closed her eyes, letting her head fall into her arms as she stared at the ground.


    ¡°This is a problem.¡± she declared after a few seconds. I knew that already. Of course, it was a problem.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± she continued.


    I opened my mouth, only to be interrupted by her once again. Miss Emily was refusing to let me get a word in. I kept my mouth shut. The woman was trying to solve my problems for me. That was nice. And I should probably hear her out before I declare my own opinions.


    ¡°I shall have to speak to my cousin to see how the royal knights will react. Well, they¡¯ll probably wait for their head. But if the Guilds -¡± she began speaking to herself under her breath, making up plans.


    What she was thinking of was something I agreed with. The royal knights were the main threat. The Guilds would not dare act before the royal knights made their opinion clear. Not here.


    ¡°Oh, um, I was just wondering if that made any difference.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Finding a spell for the Blade element should be much easier than the Darkness element.¡±


    Miss Emily froze for a second, and then nodded. ¡°Yes. Try Connor¡ªthat¡¯s the giant of a man out there. The man runs a training ground, trying to get people to learn Blade spells and awaken. That works sometimes with Blade.¡±


    ¡°The 6 major elements are much easier to get and use, so you might actually succeed. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild also has a spellbook on Blade you can pay to use, but I wouldn¡¯t count on it. That thing is just there for them to show it off.¡±


    I grinned. A spell. The first actual lead to a spell.


    ¡°There should be a training session this evening if you wanna join.¡± she said, getting up again. I followed her.


    Connor and Alice were still out there. So were the rest of their people.


    ¡°Do your lot not have anything better to do? This is a busy place, people, there ain¡¯t time to deal with you wandering around. I got patients.¡± Miss Emily remarked sourly. ¡°Get out.¡±


    I grinned. So I wasn¡¯t the only one that got kicked out like this. Then she turned to me. I did not speak a word, I just headed towards the door. I had to speak to Connor anyway.


    The giant was already leaving when I caught up to him.


    ¡°Miss Emily says that you have run a training ground for Blade magic?¡± I asked.


    Connor looked at me with confusion. ¡°Yes. For the blade. Blade magic just result.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically the same thing.¡± Alice clarified from beside him. ¡°Connor is just strange about sharp things.¡±


    ¡°There blade and there Blade magic. The two things different. Fire using woman does not understand.¡± Connor protested.


    I did agree with him. The Trashy Novel had mentioned how Blade magic was so very different from other elements. So was Life magic. Or Fire magic. There were some things to each element that were just theirs.


    ¡°Can you teach me?¡± I asked.


    Connor looked at me. ¡°Noble man already have-¡±


    ¡°Yes, he would be glad.¡± Alice interrupted him.


    ¡°No.¡± Connor said after she had finished. ¡°Training for blade, not darkness. Not useful for darkness.¡±


    ¡°I have blade magic too.¡± I told him. ¡°Just haven¡¯t had the chance to use it. I wanted to see if I could learn a couple of spells from you.¡±


    Connor looked at me with narrowed eyes. ¡°One. Know only one spell. Not very good. Don¡¯t use it in battle. But can awaken. Still want to learn?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I will take it.¡±


    ¡°Then come.¡± he replied and began walking. ¡°Am late.¡±


    Alice just looked at him go. ¡°I hope you will forgive him, my lord, he is -¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Oh, you do not need to apologize Miss Alice.¡± I told her. ¡°I quite like his way of doing things.¡±


    The girl still looked worried, but she did not express her concerns. I really didn¡¯t care myself. As long as he could teach me a spell, I didn¡¯t care how he spoke. Heck, I didn¡¯t even see a problem. The guy hadn¡¯t even been rude.


    But Alice still looked worried when I ran behind Connor. The man walked fast. So fast that I actually had to run to catch up to him. That was saying something since I could run faster than most carriages now.


    The training ground was in sight by the time I caught up. A flat area where a bunch of people were waiting with swords. Not just waiting, they were already training. I could see several of them paired up and fighting. A few were going through motions I presumed were forms. Or perhaps they just felt like swinging their swords around.


    That reminded me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword.¡± I said, frowning.


    Connor looked at me. ¡°That fine. I give today. But bring yours tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The training is daily, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The blade need practice. Not like other elements.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you said that before.¡±


    The two of us reached the training ground. The students numbered about twenty. As soon as we entered they turned to look at Connor waiting for him to speak. And when he didn¡¯t, they turned to look at me.


    That seemed to be happening a lot. I was getting a lot of attention.


    Connor walked to a shelf. I followed him.


    ¡°Choose blade.¡±


    I looked at the blades. I couldn¡¯t really tell which was good, and there were only five to begin with. But one I recognized to be very similar to what my dear ancestor had used to cast the Bloodline Cutting Blade.


    So I took that one.


    Connor looked at it, and then he looked at me. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Then he turned to the students. ¡°Have new students. Show forms.¡±


    The students arrayed themselves in neat lines and then started performing what looked like a rather strange dance. I tried my best to remember it.


    Connor walked between them, straightening someone¡¯s back or raising their elbow. There were even times when he whispered something in their ear.


    The dance ended, but the students remained in their lines.


    ¡°Practice against each other.¡± he said, and then looked at me. ¡°The new student watches.¡±


    I nodded. Connor came to stand beside me.


    ¡°What your name?¡± he asked.


    I looked up at him. ¡°Aphra.¡±


    Connor raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°That mean dust.¡± he exclaimed.


    I shrugged. That was news to me. I also didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Well, my father gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Aphra.¡± he said. ¡°Watch how they fight. See what move counters the other. That how Blade magic work. The form is the spell. There limitations and variations. Have to know what form to use. Magic or blade. Block or attack. Fighting how you learn.¡±


    I did turn my attention to the battles. To be honest, there was little to see. There was barely any mana in the place. If the forms were spells, then they weren¡¯t working.


    A few minutes later, he sighed. ¡°Now you do.¡±


    ¡°What does the spell do? I already have Blade magic. If I use a spell, it will activate it.¡±


    Connor shook his head. ¡°This not spell. This form to get body to move. Darkness move with mind. Blade move with body. But you not think with body. Have to teach body to move with mind before you can cast a spell.¡±


    I just nodded, barely understanding what he meant. Darkness moved with mind? Did he mean that I could control Darkness mana with my mind, but not Blade? That wasn¡¯t exactly true, though it wasn¡¯t wholly false either. Blade magic just tended to be cast through physical actions. The mind often didn¡¯t have time to keep up.


    After all, this magic was used in close quarters, often without even a shield. Blade magic didn¡¯t even make shields. The blade was to be the shield when needed.


    I did follow his advice. The forms were easy enough to memorize, especially with my Rank 3 brain. I followed them. The movements weren¡¯t even particularly hard, and my body flowed easily.


    In moments, I had finished them. Connor came to stand beside me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put arm so low.¡± he said, pushing my elbow higher. Then he nearly punched my spine trying to straighten it.


    ¡°The bone too flexible.¡± he complained. ¡°Doesn¡¯t give resistance.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t having a flexible body a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For some forms, good. Not this one. Don¡¯t know form to teach you.¡±


    I frowned. I suppose it made sense that different type of ¡®forms¡¯ were better for different bodies. Like Elena liked suffering as an emotion while I tended to use fear and determination to kill. Even darkness mana had things like that.


    ¡°The royal knight have form like that.¡± Connor continued. ¡°The Rose Princess have body like this.¡±


    So I knew where I had inherited this body from.


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t get a form from the royal knights now can I? I doubt they will just hand it over if I ask.¡± I joked.


    Connor looked at me with a decidedly neutral expression. The man did not have many expressions and rarely showed emotion. But when he did, he showed it clearly. That was why this expression was so difficult for him to pull off. The guy was trying too hard to hold it in, but his eyes were still slightly narrowed and his lips pouting.


    Connor was suspicious. ¡°No, suppose not. Practicing will help.¡±


    The giant walked away, leaving me to practice some more. I kept on doing that till the sun went down and the light under this lake dimmed even further. Connor came up to me from time to time, correcting my forms, but he did not mention the royal knights or the royal family again.


    But I was sure he had figured it out. If he knew about what kind of body the Rose Princess had, he knew what her face looked like. But he was keeping silent about it. I guess I looked like a fool to him. The royal knights would teach me their forms if I asked with this face. But then I would be under the control of their leader.


    That was the same for all the factions of the Empire. There was too much competition, too many people wanting more power for it to be otherwise. Rowan had faced it, and I would face it a thousand-fold.


    Miss Emily was right when she said this was a problem. I wasn¡¯t just a random bastard with the royal bloodline. I was the Emperor¡¯s only direct descendant. The heir right now had not even been able to activate ten percent of his bloodline. I already had a bloodline ability.


    If I had not been born of the Rose Princess¡¯ rape, I would be Crown Prince. As it was, I still had a strong claim to it. But I did not have the power to back up that claim. The Emperor would not name me heir just because I walked up to the palace and asked for it.


    I would not even make it to his room. The Old Lady would see me killed long before that. Or Lord Adrien, the head of the royal knights, would drag me off. There were too many factions in that court that would see a new royal heir as either a threat or someone they could use. And just about none of them actually cared about what happened to me or what I wanted.

 Chapter 28 - I got a house for free. Thank Miss Emily.

    I stood there, in the middle of the training ground and realized something. I did not have a place to stay. In my hurry to deal with the fish and magic, I had forgotten to ask Oak for a place to stay.


    The fuck do I do now. Not having a place to stay was, well, not really acceptable. So I had to figure something out.


    I walked up to Connor as the class ended. ¡°Do you, um, have a minute?¡±


    The giant turned to look at me. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I, um, don¡¯t have a place to stay. Do you think -¡±


    ¡°Miss Emily said.¡± Connor nodded. ¡°The house ready. Follow me.¡±


    I gaped as he walked away. The house was ready? What house?! I hadn¡¯t talked to Miss Emily about this.


    ¡°What do you mean? I haven¡¯t had the chance to-¡±


    ¡°Miss Emily knew you not have place. Told Alice to find for you. Alice live near empty house, she give.¡± Connor explained. I continued staring at him.


    ¡°Did she mention how much it cost?¡± I asked nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot-¡±


    ¡°The house not ours.¡± Connor interrupted. ¡°The royal knights give house. But royal knight not give you. Ask them. Alice just know house empty.¡±


    Oh. So, the royal knights were the ones that owned the houses. And since I hadn¡¯t entered through them, I hadn¡¯t been able to negotiate for a house. So I was going to be staying somewhere I wasn¡¯t allowed.


    That still didn¡¯t tell me why she had gone as far as to prepare a house for me. But now probably wasn¡¯t the time to ask that. I did need the house.


    ¡°So, how did I do?¡± I asked.


    Connor turned to look at me. ¡°Not bad, too early to say more.¡±


    Oh. That put an end to things, didn¡¯t it.


    ¡°This way.¡± Connor said, walking into a cobbled street. I followed until we right next to the wall that separated the awakened area from this one. The houses here were larger than the rest. There were gardens. Even a few carriages.


    ¡°The house is here?¡± I asked, doubtfully.


    ¡°Miss Emily thought you would need better place. The slum not for you.¡± he replied.


    I blinked. Did she think I couldn¡¯t handle living in the slum because I was a prince? That couldn¡¯t be true, could it? I hadn¡¯t lived like a prince for most of my life. I hadn¡¯t lived in a slum either, but I could probably handle it.


    ¡°Miss Emily very nice.¡± Connor said. I looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°Heal the weak without charge. Could live as awakened. The Alchemist guild offered her mansion. But she refused. Want to heal.¡± he continued. ¡°Take care of us like she our mother.¡±


    Oh. The woman did have the tendency to take other¡¯s problems as her own. I had seen her do that with me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want her too involved.¡± he continued. ¡°The royal knights not hurt you, they hurt others. Alice, me is fine. Not Miss Emily.¡±


    Oh, shit. That was what this was about.


    ¡°I will¡­try to keep her from harm.¡± I responded. But even I knew that I had little power. The royal knights shouldn¡¯t target her, she had little to do with me. But I could hardly defend her if they did target her. I was too weak.


    Connor grunted, but did not say anything. The two of us continued walking for a bit.


    ¡°Has she made any predictions about when Elena will wake up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not to me.¡± he replied. Well he was the wrong person to ask. Perhaps I should go to Miss Emily¡¯s and check on her. I had checked up on her a couple of times while she was there, but she was still asleep.


    Of course, it had only been a few hours. And she had been heavily injured. There was a chance she would wake up tomorrow. Perhaps I should wait.


    ¡°This you.¡± Connor said, stopping at a door. ¡°The door open. Alice live to left. I live to right.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°So even you live next to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This good part of city. Have good beds.¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t fit in bad ones.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exactly say no to that. So I just thanked him for guiding me here. And then went to the door.


    As he had said, the door was open. There were no lights here, but my eyes did not have trouble adjusting. Rank 3 eyes were apparently good for that too. I hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    The corridor led me to a single hall. The hall was far too large, having six sofas across its length. There was a large empty space in between that probably should have held something. I walked through it to reach another corridor. This one led to the kitchen.


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


    I could see a dusty sink and a rusted stove. There were two doors to either side of me. The right led to what looked like a dining room. The table had space for six chairs, but two of them were missing. A third had a leg broken and was thus tilting at a very awkward position.


    The other room was empty. There was no furniture in it. Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a bedroom? I walked out, heading back to the first corridor. This one continued onwards into the darkness. I followed it.


    The way ahead became clearer as I walked, until I reached stairs leading upwards. That had not been visible from afar. I climbed them. The stairs led to the floor right above. There were some breakages in the railing, but it did not seem dangerous. The structure was largely intact.


    The upper floor looked larger. For one the stairs led to a very large room. I would almost call it a ballroom. The room seemed to extend into the darkness, probably as long as the downstairs corridor. The width was twice that of the hall and then some. There was no furniture, but I could see a stage off to one side.


    I kind of wished I had some more light. But Darkness magic wasn¡¯t exactly good for such things. So I walked without. The ballroom had a door to the right, next to the stage. I opened it. That was the bathroom.


    So I walked to the other side. There was a door right across. This one led to what looked like a bedroom. The room was large, almost as large as the hall below. There was a window that led to a large balcony. I walked to it.


    The dark street seemed so much brighter from up here. This room looked like it had been cleaned. At least, there were no visible layers of dust. I walked to the bed and dusted it. There was no spray of dust like I had been expecting.


    Perhaps Miss Emily had it cleaned so I could sleep here. That was sweet. The healer had a house prepared for me and even had a room cleaned. I had been expecting to stay at someone else¡¯s. But here I was.


    I could continue exploring the house. There was probably plenty to be seen. But it was dark. And looking at the bed made me tired. This had been a long day.


    I could hardly believe it had only been one day. How long had I been awake? Had to be more than twelve hours by now. I had left the Eldanvier mansion in the morning, before sunrise, but the carriage ride had probably added some hours in.


    Laying down on the bed, I closed my eyes as I felt myself drift off to sleep. The day was getting to me now. So much had happened. I could hardly believe it had only taken so little time.


    <hr>


    The next day saw me being awoken by a rather annoyed old man. The light was streaming from the window, still darker than most surface mornings but brighter than the nights. I still felt sleepy. The old man in my bedroom did not seem to care.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked sleepily, trying to place him. I had seen him somewhere before.


    ¡°Wake up.¡± the old man demanded. That voice, yes, it belonged to the Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Wait, who? I was suddenly very awake, staring at the old man.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Have your money.¡± he said, holding out a pouch. I looked at it.


    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± I rose to take it from him, only for him to pull it out of my way.


    Then I just looked at him. I was still tired, and really not in the mood for such things. The old man did not look like he cared.


    ¡°Why did you kill the fish?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°For the money. And because they asked.¡± I shrugged, my mind struggling to begin working.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± he replied, looking at me like he was trying to figure me out.


    ¡°If there is something you want to know, just ask me.¡±


    ¡°Then you would lie.¡± the old man said, tilting his head as he glared at me.


    I shrugged. ¡°I might. That¡¯s a chance you¡¯ll have to take.¡±


    Perhaps being quite so rude to the Head of a Guild was not a good idea. But it was morning. And I was not in a good mood when I was woken up.


    ¡°What do you intend to do in this city?¡± the old man asked. ¡°I know the House of Fire did not send you, they are too busy to care.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so interested?¡±


    ¡°The Alchemist Guild is annoying. The bastards keep getting in my way. I do not want another irritant. The city has enough of those already.¡±


    ¡°The city? More like a town. What makes you think I am going to stay? I might leave. There isn¡¯t exactly much for me to do around here.¡±


    The old man scoffed. ¡°Like those knights would let you. No, you¡¯re stuck here, same as me. Besides, why would you get a house if you aren¡¯t going to stay? In the unawakened quarter no less. There are some that would say you were trying to compete with my guild. What with you making friends with so many of my clients. ¡±


    Oh, so that was what he was so mad about.


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on making a Guild.¡± I told him. ¡°But if I were you, I wouldn¡¯t let my people treat my ¡®clients¡¯ like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I would not be letting you get in my way.¡± the old man said, ignoring the rest of my words.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± the old man growled, his mana cloak expanding to cover the room. I remembered that. This was the same thing the guard had done. What was it even supposed to do?


    ¡°I would also get out of this house if I were you. The royal knights might not be happy you are staying here. The house is theirs.¡±


    I looked at him. What a stupid argument. Yes, they would care, but I really didn¡¯t think it would be too much.


    And I liked having a house to come back to.


    The old man blinked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Yes, that might not be true. With that face, they might just let you. Is that why you are here? To get their attention?¡±


    Now he had my attention. The sleep had flown away. But I did not speak. The old man was saying enough by himself.


    ¡°The Rose knights will not follow you so easily. Just having a pretty face is not enough to gain their loyalty.¡±


    The Rose knights. The knights that served my mother, the Rose princess. Why were they here? No, that was a stupid question. The knights had numbered in the hundreds back then. The Emperor had not been pleased at their failure. The lake was a good place for them to be out of his sight.


    ¡°Are you not going to say anything?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Tell me about that girl you brought here. The injured one.¡±


    I called on my mana, conjuring bolts around me. Was that a threat?


    ¡°What do you want, you old man?¡±


    The old man raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, me? I was simply watching her. And I was not the only one. Do be careful young man. This is not your mansion. And not everyone wants a royal butting into their business.¡±


    With that he was gone. The old man left through the window, leaving a pouch of coins on the edge of my bed.


    I would rather he not have come. The visit had confused me.

 Chapter 29 - The politics begins

    The first thing I did was go check up on Elena. The second thing I did was get lost. The town was not built well. There was no map. Navigating it was a pin I had not anticipated. There did not seem to be a single main road like I was used to. I was soon so lost that I did not seem to have any hope of coming back.


    Thankfully she found me.  Elena was walking through streets with Miss Emily when I spotted her. If it was a coincidence, it was a very suspicious one.


    ¡°Elena!¡± I called out. The girl in question rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Aphra.¡± Miss Emily interrupted. ¡°I did not know that Miss Elena was had awakened her mana.¡±


    I stopped in my tracks, looking at her with confusion that had to be apparent. ¡°I did not know it was relevant.¡±


    ¡°Well it was. I can use techniques on an awakened person that I could not imagine others surviving.¡±


    That made me frown. I wasn¡¯t sure using such techniques was a good idea. Elena¡¯s condition had not been life-threatening, or even threatening at that point. If she hadn¡¯t woken up for days, then it might be something to consider. But a few extra hours did not justify such things.


    ¡°Thankfully, the Head of the Alchemist Guild was kind enough to drop by and tell me about it.¡± Miss Emily continued. Now I understood what she was trying to say. The techniques were not what she wanted to talk about.


    The Head of the Alchemist Guild was. And I suppose she had to go on such a roundabout way because others were watching. Or perhaps she just felt like it. The more I discovered about her, the more mysterious I found her. There were far more questions than there were answers.


    ¡°I thought that particular head was injured. But come, we should have this conversation in private. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was just telling Elena about your new house.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°I am sure you will let her stay with you, yes? The houses are just so dirty, who knows what kind of pests are in there.¡±


    Well, my house was pretty dirty too. But that wasn¡¯t the kind of pests Miss Emily was talking about. The healer was worried that someone would target Elena because of me. I had a suspicion she was correct.


    ¡°Oh yes, it is quite a worry.¡± I told her. ¡°Thankfully, the Head of the Adventurer Guild was kind enough to drop by. I am sure the pests ran away in his presence.¡±


    That was bad. I had not played hidden meanings in so long that I had forgotten how to do it. The situation I described didn¡¯t even make sense. Oh, it was possible. I doubted there were many pests that wouldn¡¯t run away from a Rank 3. But I should have been able to frame it better. I was way too out of practice.


    Father would not have been happy about that. I winced at the thought of it. Then I remembered that he wasn¡¯t here to correct me.


    Why was I doing it anyway? I guess Miss Emily probably had a reason. But talking this was annoying in so many different ways.


    The three of us were silent until we reached the house. Miss Emily stepped inside in a hurry.  A cloud of dust rushed up to greet her.


    ¡°This place really is dusty.¡± she complained.


    I shrugged. ¡°So I was saying -¡±


    ¡°Oh we shall want to be a bit more comfortable.¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps make sure there ain¡¯t any pests around.¡±


    I froze. ¡°There might be pests here? I admit, that is surprising.¡±


    I said it lightly, but I had caught her meaning. There were people listening in.  And here I thought the politics of this little town would be easy to deal with.


    ¡°Of course. The bedroom was cleaned.¡± I told her. ¡°Perhaps we can sit there.¡±


    I led them up the stairs and into my bedroom, feeling strangely nervous. No, it wasn¡¯t strange. There were people listening in, people who might decide to kill me if they didn¡¯t like what I did.


    I didn¡¯t like it. And I wasn¡¯t going to live with it. I called upon my mana as soon as we got into the bedroom, conjuring a shield with my fear. A shield to block people from looking in or hearing what we were saying.


    ¡°Not very quiet.¡± Miss Emily complained. ¡°I doubt there¡¯s a person on this street that won¡¯t notice the difference. But I suppose it made a statement.¡±


    I shrugged. I hadn¡¯t intended to make a statement, but it was a good thing I had made one. A Rank 3 wasn¡¯t supposed to just give in so easily.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Another person reached Rank 2 and awakened his magic yesterday.¡± she said. ¡°A healer in the awakened quarter.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a healer there?¡± I asked. ¡°A Light magic one?¡±


    ¡°There is now. This one is apparently quite young, and not from a big family. There is also the question of where he got the mana from. The boy apparently hadn¡¯t left his home in months. But somehow he reached Rank 2.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are a Rank 3 of the Darkness element. If there is someone that could have snuck him out to hunt some monsters, then it is you.¡± she pointed out. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild seems to think you did it because you are out for them.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    That would explain the visit I had this morning.


    ¡°The Alchemist Guild Head¡¯s illness left them in an advantageous position. Then you come in. A few hours later, a random boy awakens the light element and manages to heal the old man.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I have to be connected.¡± I protested. ¡°But I suppose I can see why they would at least be suspicious.¡± Getting a few people to watch me just in case I was up to something did seem like a good idea from their point of view. A new Rank 3 was already a danger to them.


    ¡°Will this have further consequences?¡± Elena asked, speaking for the first time since I had met her on the street.


    Miss Emily shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Even if Aphra did this, he wouldn¡¯t be in the wrong in the matter. But I expect that tensions will be a bit high.¡±


    ¡°The Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild seems to think I am here to replace him.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°That¡­does sound like him. The man is the weakest of the Rank 3s here. And he is older than even the Alchemist Guild Head, though I expect he will manage to outlive him. With your actions, I could see him thinking you are out to replace him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do about that?¡± I asked, but I already suspected the answer.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t really much you can do. Try not to cause any big waves, perhaps. If you don¡¯t cause trouble for a bit, they won¡¯t be as worried about you.¡±


    I would like that. But I didn¡¯t think I could do it. Story magic wouldn¡¯t let me. This seemed very much like something it would do.


    I would have to think of a plan. I did have information now, and a general understanding of how things stood in the city. Thinking up a plan should not be that hard. I even had a couple ideas.


    ¡°What if I took a few jobs from him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild offers jobs. Alice told me that there were jobs for Rank 3s among them. I imagine there aren¡¯t many takers for such things.¡±


    ¡°There is but one Rank 3 in the Guild.¡± Miss Emily agreed.


    ¡°If I made it look like I was working for him, wouldn¡¯t it make him think better of me?¡±


    ¡°Or he might think you are trying to steal his work.¡± Elena interrupted.


    Miss Emily shook her head. ¡°Not this one. Rom isn¡¯t that kind of person. The less work he has to do, the better he will feel. In fact, he might actually be grateful.¡±


    Rom huh. So that was his name. I had not known that. I wonder how Miss Emily knew.


    ¡°Then it is settled.¡± I said. ¡°I will take a couple jobs from him, and that should get him off my back.¡±


    ¡°Not today.¡± Miss Emily protested. ¡°There¡¯s a party, and you¡¯ve already slept through most of the day.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, looking at the light outside. I hadn¡¯t expected that it was already evening. Was there even a difference?


    ¡°Did Rom happen to leave any coin?¡± Miss Emily said.


    I pointed at the pouch that lay on my bedside table.


    ¡°Oh good, cause the party has already started. Alice was getting worried that you wouldn¡¯t show up.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    sc


    The party really had started without me. I couldn¡¯t even blame Alice. The girl looked like she was panicking.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± she said as we entered the training ground. There apparently wasn¡¯t even a bar in this place. This ground was apparently the only place that seemed to be available to hold such a party.


    ¡°I thought I would bring the beer early, since these things are heavy, and you don¡¯t really want to wait for them to come, and -¡±


    ¡°No Alice, it is fine.¡±


    ¡°I really tried to stop them! But they just started drinking, and then it turned into, well, this.¡± the girl pointed to the people dancing around the training hall. Connor was looking very sad in a corner, sipping on his drink. No, not sipping. The man was drinking far too quickly. So were his students.


    The music was shit. I admit, I did not like the overly loud beats of it. The food, well, it didn¡¯t look good. Perhaps it tasted better. But people seemed to be enjoying it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be fine Alice.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°This lot isn¡¯t known for their self-control. Go enjoy your party. There¡¯s a big giant that might like to dance with you.¡±


    Alice looked at the sad figure of Connor, who was the only one left in his corner by now. ¡°Oh, him? That man isn¡¯t interested. But I suppose I shall go have a drink.¡±


    The girl walked away, leaving me wondering what had happened between her and Connor.


    ¡°Alice has only been here a month. So she¡¯s very excited about going to a ¡®real¡¯ party.¡± Miss Emily explained.


    I raised an eyebrow at her. Why was she saying this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too angry with her, it really wasn¡¯t her fault.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t care.¡± I told her. Why would I care? ¡°This party wasn¡¯t my idea anyway. Heck, they look more interested in this than me.¡±


    ¡°Of course they are. A party like this is almost the only time they get to really enjoy themselves. The poisonous fish have been a problem for so long that they are just happy that it is over. I am sure they will find the time to thank you eventually. Not many are saying it, but they are grateful that you dealt with it.¡± Miss Emily said.


    ¡°The fish was easy enough to kill. I don¡¯t see why the Guilds didn¡¯t do it.¡± I replied, frowning.


    ¡°Oh, they could have.¡± she agreed. ¡°But why would they? The Guilds are far more interested in dealing with the problems that come up near the mines. The poisonous fish were the City Lord¡¯s job.¡±


    ¡°Then why wasn¡¯t he doing something?¡±


    Miss Emily looked at me with a worried expression on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There have been other problems before, but he usually deals with them before they get this bad. But for some reason he has been silent. I wonder what has him so occupied.¡±


    That sounded like a quest waiting to happen. I also didn¡¯t want to do it. I did not have the time. Now that Elena was awake, perhaps I should ask her to teach me the stealth spell. That was a useful one.


    I looked at the former maid, only to find her looking at people dancing with a dazed look on her face.


    ¡°Elena, are you ok?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± she replied. ¡°Just looking.¡±


    ¡°Well you don¡¯t look fine.¡±


    The girl looked at me with an annoyed expression on her face. ¡°I really am fine. Just¡­surprised. I hadn¡¯t expected it to be like this.¡±


    ¡°Have you not been to a party before?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have seen balls.¡± she defended herself. ¡°The Viscount asked me to serve in a few.¡±


    ¡°That does not sound like it¡¯s the same thing as attending one.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like a ball either. This is¡­it¡¯s different.¡±


    I looked at it. Elena was right. This was different. And I didn¡¯t know what to do with it.


    This was my first time at a party like this too.

 Chapter 30 - A party.

    The party was going well. There was a lot of¡­partying going on. I didn¡¯t know what to do. Elena and I stood there watching people dance, wondering what we should do.


    ¡°Are parties usually like this?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. This is my first too.¡± I replied, getting an annoyed look from Elena.


    ¡°What do you even do here?¡± she asked, looking at the people dancing with a puzzled expression on her face.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of dancing.¡±


    That earned me an angry look from her. I suppose she did not appreciate me pointing out the obvious. But it was harder to just join in then most people thought. How did one even start dancing? I didn¡¯t know any dances.


    ¡°I saw them do this dance, the one where two people have arms around each other, and they slowly move around¡­¡± she stopped speaking.


    The music beat loudly against our ears. If it had a proper rhythm, I couldn¡¯t tell what it was. There was a beat. A pretty catchy one that lasted for a couple of minutes. Then it went and started again.


    The same song had been on repeat. A catchy fast beat that pounded against my ears. If I had still been back on Earth, this would have been too loud for me. As it was, it was just a bit annoying.


    There really were a lot of unexpected benefits to being a higher rank.


    ¡°Join?¡± Connor asked, coming up to us. Seeing the giant slurp his words in a drunken manner was surprising. Seeing him still moving with precision was terrifying. There was none of the imbalance common to drunk people in him. I had a feeling that if it came down to it, he could still put up a fight.


    ¡°Drink,¡± he said, holding out two glasses towards us. Elena looked at it like he had offered her poison.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will take it.¡± I replied, shaking my head.


    ¡°Why not? The drink good. Have.¡± Connor held out the drink to me again. Not, I could see, to Elena. The former maid had quietly been stepping away from him until then. Now she just stood in place staring at us.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit too young to drink.¡± I told him. ¡°Just fifteen.¡±


    Connor scoffed. ¡°Fifteen. Why that stand in way? Drink.¡±


    Oh gosh, this guy got pushy when he was drunk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± I didn¡¯t drink, as a rule. Father wouldn¡¯t let me in my previous life. Mother would have probably killed me if she found out. And in this life, well, I just didn¡¯t feel like it. I had seen what the thing did to too many of my fellows.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    I sighed. Connor clearly didn¡¯t think fifteen was too young to drink. I had to think of another excuse.


    ¡°Rank 3.¡± the giant said. ¡°Rank 3 drink much before get drunk. Drink.¡±


    ¡°And what if I do get drunk?¡± I asked. ¡°The magic I cast is based on emotion. What if I get drunk and start feeling panicky. The last time I did that I caused an explosion. Or maybe I will try to kill someone. What if I mistake you for a monster? I could easily conjure bolts of darkness and kill you before I even realized what I was doing.¡±


    Connor stared at me. Then he turned around and walked away. Even I was worried by my own words. Could I cast magic drunk? A thing like that was dangerous. But I couldn¡¯t think of a reason why I couldn¡¯t. The Trashy Novel hadn¡¯t said anything against it.


    I was not going to be drinking for the rest of my life. Doing so just sounded too dangerous.


    Connor came back. This time he was empty-handed.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my new Blade magic instructor.¡± I told her. The former maid ran her eyes up and down his body. Connor hadn¡¯t dressed up, but he still looked good. Wearing knee-length shorts and a very tight-fitting shirt would do that, especially when that shirt stuck to his body.


    A very large body.


    I wondered why he wasn¡¯t dancing yet. There were already plenty that looked like they wanted to dance with him.


    Connor came up to me, put his hands on both of my shoulders and stared into my eyes. I looked at him warily.


    ¡°Dancing.¡± he stated enthusiastically.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Dancing not make drunk. Not danger.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°But it good. Is fun, see.¡± The giant pointed to the people dancing as if they proved his point. I wasn¡¯t so sure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to dance.¡±


    Connor looked at me like I had gone mad. ¡°Do sword form. That dance.¡±


    Now it was my turn to stare at him. ¡°The sword forms are not a dance.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Are.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°No, they really aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Are.¡± he repeated.


    I glared at him. ¡°Connor, I am not dancing. I don¡¯t know how to.¡±


    ¡°Sword form.¡± he declared again, like it was going to change anything.


    ¡°If you think they are that good, why don¡¯t you dance yourself?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°Yes, why don¡¯t you?¡± I supported her.


    Connor turned around to look at the dance floor.


    ¡°There not space. I big.¡± he said, looking very serious.


    Alice heard him. ¡°Make space for Connor!¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Well, it looks like there is space now.¡±


    Now the giant looked nervous. Doing what he had been forcing others to do was apparently not one of his strong suits. But he did walk into the middle of the crowd. And started doing his sword forms.


    The same forms that he had been teaching me. The forceful swings that really needed a sword to pull off. I probably couldn¡¯t have done it without one. Connor managed, even though he looked ridiculous doing so.


    The first person to laugh was Elena. A giggle came out of her, which turned into a loud laughter. The crowd joined in. And suddenly more people were doing sword forms. Even Elena did it.


    I wondered if I should too. That¡­ I didn¡¯t know if it was fun. I watched as Elena tripped and fell on top of Connor. Alice rushed in there to lift Connor up. Elena was still on top of him. The second Alice lifted him up, she fell onto the ground, only to rise up a second later, her head crashing into Alice¡¯s chest.


    I should probably deal with that.


    Walking up to them was enough. Alice looked like she wanted to throw some more punches, but she stopped when she spotted me. The look on her face told me what I needed to know.


    I was Rank 3. Elena was my friend. I was invited¡ªno, I was paying for this party, and Connor had looked very enthusiastic about wanting me to dance. But they were still afraid of me. That kinda killed my willingness to participate.


    So I headed to a corner of the training ground and looked at the swords. Connor had said that I should get my own. I should ask him where I could get one. A cheap one, probably. This party was probably going to be expensive.


    Why had I thrown it anyway?


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Miss Emily said from beside me. Even she looked drunk. There didn¡¯t seem to be a person in the room that wasn¡¯t drunk. Well, except me and Elena.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± she said again.


    I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Is there something I can help you with, Miss Emily?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering.¡± she began. There was no slurring to her words, though she still seemed a little out of it. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t drunk as much as I thought.


    ¡°What were you wondering?¡± I asked. I kind of wanted to know. The woman was a mystery to me. Why did she help so many people? A free healing service, taking care of other people¡¯s problems, finding me a house. There was so much.


    ¡°If you know, how much they want to thank you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I had to question that. That hadn¡¯t been my expression.


    ¡°Oh they aren¡¯t about to swear loyalty or something. That¡¯s what half the lords would have asked for doing what they did. But they are grateful.¡±


    ¡°For killing the fish?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that.¡± she said. ¡°Even I¡¯m grateful. There ain¡¯t much food here. The mines pay, but they employ few. So few.¡±


    The woman looked at them with a sad look in her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t even afford a party like this, most of them. Can¡¯t buy alcohol even if they could. The shops in the awakened quarter won¡¯t sell.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°How did they get it now? There are several barrels of it.¡±


    ¡°Cause it was you who was buying. And you¡¯re famous. A new Rank 3! The hunter of poisonous fish!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± That made¡­sense. I hadn¡¯t realized I had become so famous. In just one day.


    ¡°There ain¡¯t a lot of people here. Just ten thousand. Or less.¡± she continued. ¡° Nine thousand of them aren¡¯t awakened. And most of them are starving. That¡¯s why they¡¯re grateful.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re more afraid, honestly.¡±


    Miss Emily scoffed. ¡°Course they are. You¡¯re a Rank 3. They¡¯re unawakened. They see ya kill that fish with one shot. Of course, they¡¯re afraid. The fish troubled them, Aphra. Connor and Alice have the power to kill it, but not before the poison killed them. Now you go and killed something they were afraid of so easily. Makes them wonder if you are a worse monster.¡±


    I froze at those words, my mind catching up to the implications. ¡°Are you telling me that one of them was planning to sacrifice themselves? To brave the poison and hope they could kill the fish before the poison killed them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Miss Emily replied, her face taking on a level of seriousness. ¡°The situation isn''t uncommon, happens every other month. Had you not been there, they would¡¯ve had to step up. The city guards acts slow, and often after such things. I¡¯d say they really wanna keep us weak. If there are awakened around here, someday we might be a threat.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s enough fishies out there to get even one of these to a better rank. But if the fishies kill them¡­well it keeps the trouble low, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    The two of us were silent for a few minutes. I took the time to understand what she had said. Of course, such things were to be expected. This was the condition across the world. The nobility kept spells rare for a reason. The same reason why the British Empire didn¡¯t allow their colonized citizens to have arms.


    A weak commoner was an obedient commoner. The nobility liked that.


    ¡°Do they know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. The lot of them ain¡¯t stupid. But what can they do about it?¡±


    Of course. Even if they wanted to fight back, they did not have the power to do so.


    ¡°This party, was it a part of their plan to win me over? To make me protect them, or whatever it is you have been implying I should do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not theirs.¡± Miss Emily answered, holding up a transparent glass. I noticed it because I had not actually seen any glassware around here.


    ¡°But sometimes, things just come together to work in convenient ways. I am sure you know what I am talking about.¡± she said, still holding the glass up. Even as I watched, the water changed color.


    The light passed through glass, giving it a multicolored aura that seemed to glow for a second. Then it passed away. I looked around, but it did not seem that anyone other than me had noticed it.


    ¡°A gift.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°Drink this water when your own emotions fail you, but you need their strength anyway. The water shall provide you with the emotions of your followers. But only those that follow you with an open heart.¡±


    The smile on her face slowly grew larger, looking more than a little threatening. This was the smile of someone that knew they had done something bad, and were enjoying it.


    As I watched, a bright yellow strip entered the glass, turning the water just slightly yellow. Elena. The information just came to my mind. This emotion had come come from her. I looked up at the smiling woman before me.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I can. And because it suits my needs.¡± she replied. ¡°The people here are hard, young prince. But times have been harder. Perhaps this way, you will want to do something about it. Just consider it an old woman¡¯s wish.¡±


    I took the glass. The thing felt no different from a normal piece of glass to my touch. And yet to my mana sense, it was so different that I had not the words to describe it. I could feel the magic inside, waiting to be used.


    This artifact would be very useful. Oh, it might see a bit less use once I started using spells, but I doubted its usefulness would truly fade. The ability to cast magic using so many strong emotions would be a great helpful even in making new spells. That was after all one of the greatest barriers.


    The usefulness of the artifact did not worry me.


    The price of it did.

 Chapter 31 - The plan begins.

    I woke up with a headache. Not because I had gotten drunk, thankfully enough, but because it was morning and I had to wake up. The party had gone on till late into the night, though I had left soon after Miss Emily had given the glass to me. I was calling it the Glass of Emotions.


    Now it sat on my bedside table, still glimmering slightly yellow. The magic that had made it was not of this world. I was starting to suspect it might be some form of Story Magic. Miss Emily had hinted that she knew about it.


    I wondered who she actually was. Story magic was not a common thing. The magic that had made this glass¡­ I did not know enough to say how rare it was. But it had to be very rare. I had not even heard of such a thing.


    Not on this planet.


    Just who was she to know magic not of this world, to be able to see the flows of Story magic and look like she was just a weak Rank 1. I was suspicious of her. But I could not deny that she had done much to help me.


    So I kept my suspicions to myself and headed out. This morning I would be going to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And I would take a job. If I went early, there was a good chance I wouldn¡¯t run into that old man. And I had been planning to take a more active role.


    Taking jobs would do that. Just as I had discussed with Miss Emily, taking jobs would mean that I was a client of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I would then buy some herbs or something from the Alchemist Guild with the money I earned. That should tell both the Guilds that I was planning to be peaceful.


    The real politics would start after that. But I could deal with that when it came. For now, I needed to get a job.


    The sun had already risen, but there seemed to be fewer people on the street than before. I suppose a lot of the people that lived here had been at ¡®my¡¯ party. A few of the passersby even bowed to me. That was surprising. I really didn¡¯t know how to respond to it. Thankfully, they did not seem to want a response.


    But the Adventurer¡¯s Guild could not come quick enough. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t get lost again.  I first went to the training ground and then walked to Miss Emily¡¯s place. There were already people entering the building. The workday started quickly when your clients were dying.


    I walked forward till I came to the hole in the wall. Then I followed the route Alice had taken to reach the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. For all its apparent planning, the city was disturbingly difficult to navigate. And I knew that to have likely been done on purpose.


    A tactic to confuse armies. Before spells were common, and the Empire was founded, when magic was still weak and the Great Cities ruled the world. This was how they were made. The cities¡¯ geography could keep a small invading force from reaching the more protected areas by keeping them confused and lost within the city itself.


    Perhaps give time to evacuate or form a defense. The capital, and several of the older ducal cities were like this. Rowan had gotten lost when he first came to the capital. That was why I knew this.


    But it wasn¡¯t very useful information.


    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild appeared in my sight, and I doubled my speed to reach it. I had managed to navigate through the streets. The route had been long, and highly elongated. But I had gotten here. This might really be the first time I went somewhere without relying on google maps.


    I walked into the building even as a servant rushed inside to inform them of my presence. But they were Rank 1. I was Rank 3. The board stood before me. I could see it. A very normal Adventurer¡¯s Guild board with quests on it. I headed straight to it.


    There was one quest for Rank 2s. And none for Rank 3s. That was good. A Rank 3 quest might have been a bit too difficult for me at this point. I could see that the quest had already been on the board for a couple of days. I wondered why.


    This job should have already been dealt with by the Guild¡¯s own forces by now. A few days was way too long to let a job remain. Perhaps old man Rom and the Rank 2s of the Guild were hoping that someone would come and do their job for them.


    Well today he might get his wish. I took the offer, noting the strange nature of the parchment. This was not paper, it felt more like cloth. But still different, rougher than any cloth I had touched before.


    But what cloth the offer was written on didn¡¯t matter to me. What did matter to me was the receptionist? The servant had already reached her by that point. The girl in question was looking at me like I was a monster about to approach her.


    I did so anyway. ¡°I would like to take this job offer.¡±


    The girl took it from me with a nervous look on her face, as if scared I would kill her any second. ¡°Th- this offer is only for Rank 2s and above sir.¡±


    ¡°I am a Rank 3.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Bu-but sir, the record says that you aren¡¯t.¡± she replied, looking like she might faint.


    I blinked, looking at her with raised eyebrows. What was going on now? The girl had not even touched the pile of papers that was probably her ¡®record¡¯. But I suppose a good receptionist already knew what was in there.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any record of you sir.¡± she continued. I suppose that made sense, and explained why she would know I wasn¡¯t on record as a Rank 3. I hadn¡¯t registered yet. How foolish of me.


    ¡°Then would you be so kind as to register me?¡± I asked.


    The girl gulped. ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t sir. The Head told me not to do it. You have to meet him to register with the Guild.¡±


    I groaned. I should have expected that. Rom did not seem like the kind of person that would let something out of his control so easily.


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    ¡°And where can I meet him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In his office, after making an appointment.¡± Rom said, his voice coming from behind me.


    ¡°Can I make one now?¡± I asked, turning around.


    ¡°No, I am busy now. Aren¡¯t I?¡± he said, looking at the receptionist.


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes were darting from me, Rom and then back to the stack of papers on her desk.


    ¡°N-no-¡± The receptionist froze as Rom glared at her. ¡°Yes sir, you are very busy for the next -¡±


    ¡°Three.¡± Rom said. ¡°I sadly won¡¯t be available for three more hours.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Well I was going to take a job off your hands as a favor, but if it is going to be so stubborn, well. I suppose I can just go to the Alchemist¡¯s Guild.¡±


    Rom¡¯s eyes widened, and then narrowed as he grunted in anger. The man did not like the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. And he disliked being forced to do something he didn¡¯t want to even more. Now he had to decide which of the two he disliked more.


    I put the offer back on the board. ¡°A pity. The job hadn¡¯t been done for a bit. I suppose it will remain like that for weeks now.¡±


    Rom glared at me and then at the offer. I knew what I was doing. The higher rank jobs tended to be related to the mines. And if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t do their part in taking care of the mines, well I could just see the royal knights being very angry about that.


    ¡°Now that I think of it, there might be a problem.¡± he declared. ¡°I do not remember there being any appointments this morning.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± he screamed at the receptionist, clearly struggling to remember her name. ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    The girl did faint at that point. Or maybe she just decided she wanted to act like she did. But either way, it was to my benefit.


    ¡°So, should I just leave, or -¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Rom grunted. ¡°No, actually just take it. I will fill out the paperwork later.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he up to now? ¡°I think I would like it to be done now.¡±


    I did not know what trick he was pulling, but I didn¡¯t want to see him succeed. Rom grunted in annoyance but did hand me some forms. The same fabric-like paper as the offer. I took that to mean that they were real. The forms were even short, so much shorter than I was used to.


    Just took me ten minutes and I was done. On Earth it would have taken me hours to get registered at any institution as government like as this one. A few minutes later, I was a Rank 3 member of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Another new thing. Just the thought of not waiting for days to hear a reply was new.


    ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± Rom asked, still sounding annoyed.


    I shrugged. ¡°Not anything I can think of right now. See you later.¡±


    That thought did not seem to make him happy. I just walked out, reading the job. There was a bunch of Rank 1 fish near one of the mines. A lot of them, apparently. The royal knights wanted it done.


    The City Lord had offered a hundred silver for it. That apparently came up to a silver per two fish. The same as the poison fish. I narrowed my eyes at the paper. The awakened were either much richer than I thought, or there was something up with this.


    Why hadn¡¯t it been accepted already? I should have thought of that before I took it. Oh well, it wasn¡¯t as if I had to fight them. I could just look at them and come back if they were too strong for me.


    Connor was waiting for me when I got back to the house, a sword in his hands. I blinked at the sight of it. The sword had a red hilt, and a blade that seemed to be a very light gold.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. The sight of the big giant with a blade like that was scary.


    ¡°Alice talked.¡± he answered. ¡°Thought we do something for you. So made blade.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, you made that -¡±


    ¡°Yes, me, Alice make. To thank you for party. And help with fish. Miss Emily think it good idea.¡± Connor said.


    So the old woman was behind this too.


    ¡°Wait, you made a blade in one night? Even after you were so drunk?¡±


    Connor avoided my eyes.


    ¡°Connor?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be offended.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± I answered, a bit curious what he was so nervous about.


    ¡°The blade not for you. Made it long ago. But still good blade.¡± he answered.


    Well, that made more sense.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re still giving me that is.¡±


    Connor continued just looking at me.


    ¡°Is there something else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do you not know blade?¡±


    ¡°This blade? No, why?¡±


    ¡°This blade forged in water, quenched in fire.¡± he said.


    I could feel my blood freeze. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys -¡±


    ¡°Thought we could do it. So did. Miss Emily very angry. Making this illegal, only royalty can use.¡± he answered. ¡°Now royalty has it.¡±


    Of course only royalty could use it. The bloody, idiotic geniuses had gone and copied the forging of the Founding Emperor¡¯s sword. The first part of it at least. That was¡­well I hadn¡¯t even know it was possible. Not by Rank 2s with so little mana.


    ¡°This could get you killed, you know. How did the royal knights not find out about this?¡±


    ¡°Made it in mines. Had job there, mine was empty. The air there can be used to make sword. But couldn¡¯t manage to forge it with water, so had to use metal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have to use the air crystals. Just the air mana is not good enough.¡± I answered before I could stop myself. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Connor¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°That work. Yes, that could¡­this the same mana crystal the royal knights take?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is an intergalactic resource. The average cost of one is¡­very large. I don¡¯t know what exactly, but you can¡¯t buy it with gold and silver. There are races that come from all over the galaxy to buy this.¡± I told him. ¡°Don¡¯t steal it, the royal knights will find out, and they will kill you.¡±


    This was one of the few resources on this planet that other planets were even interested in buying. There was a reason the royal knights were stationed here.


    Connor¡¯s shoulders slumped, but I was just hoping that he would not try something like that. Well, he did not seem like a fool.


    ¡°Take it.¡± he said, extending the sword reluctantly. I noticed how he was able to hold the sword up with just two fingers, the blade just a bit away from the rest of his palm.


    I took the sword from him. There was barely any weight to it. This was a proper magic sword. Miss Emily was making sure that I got such things. But they weren¡¯t free. Displaying these powers, giving me these magical items. The woman wanted something. And I knew just what it was.


    ¡°Say, do you happen to know something about these fish?¡± I said, holding the paper up. ¡°I took a job to kill them.¡±


    I suppose I should give making a Guild of my own a try, at least once.

 Chapter 32 - Settling in

    Connor did, in fact, know about the fish. The fish were known as ¡®Fast Fish¡¯. And just like the name suggested, they were fast. A pain to kill, apparently.


    ¡°This will take days.¡± he complained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose making them run away will work?¡±


    ¡°No, they come back. Have to kill them. But tracking them down not easy.¡±


    So that was why people weren¡¯t taking it. The fish weren¡¯t dangerous, they were annoying.


    ¡°Hmm, good practice. And good money.¡± Connor commented.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The fish. Attacking them good for training reaction time. Have to act fast to kill them.¡±


    That made sense. Reacting fast enough had been a big issue for me when I was fighting the rabbit.


    ¡°I come?¡± he asked, looking at me hopefully.


    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The money good.¡± he admitted. ¡°Two fish a silver. That better than most. And many can join. That is much money.¡±


    That¡­did make sense. And it would make my job easier. I didn¡¯t really care that much about money. The party yesterday had cost less than a silver. Alice had taken it from me when I left. Even with all the beer and food that had been eaten, it had cost a less than a hundredth of what was on offer here. I was pretty sure I would be fine even with a smaller reward.


    ¡°Ok sure, we can do that.¡± I agreed.


    Connor nodded. ¡°Meet at noon?¡±


    ¡°That soon? And how do you tell that it¡¯s noon?¡±


    ¡°The money good.¡± he shrugged. ¡°And there clock.¡±


    I looked to where he was pointing and there was a clock. I had not noticed that in the darkness. Perhaps I should take a walk during the day now. Even if there was only enough light here as a normal evening, it was still much more than what was there during the nights.


    ¡°Ok sure, we can do that.¡±


    Connor stood up and left, and I started to go through the house again. The kitchen looked much more dusty in the day. The house needed some cleaning. I should get to that.


    The house was made of stone. Or metal. Even the stairs and furniture was stone. The clock and some other small items were metal. I did not see any wood around. That made sense. After all, we were underwater. Having wooden things might have been stranger.


    Heading up, I was even more surprised by the size of the ballroom. I could see now that the stage on the right occupied much of the room. There was enough space for multiple bands to play there. Well, just physical space. I doubted multiple bands could actually play there, the sound would overlap or something.


    Just walking across the ballroom took me a couple of minutes. And as a Rank 3 my walking speed was like ten kilometers an hour. I didn¡¯t actually know how to measure it, but it seemed accurate.


    There was another thing I noticed. The door to the house was in the middle of its structure. The kitchen and living room were to the right. The bedroom was also to the right, but on the higher floors.


    I had not encountered the left yet. I walked against the left wall of the ballroom, trying to see if there were any doors. Well except the one that led to the bathroom.


    I found what I was looking for towards the very end, just barely standing out against the rest of it. The color was the same white. If I hadn¡¯t been looking closely, I would have missed it.


    There wasn¡¯t even a handle. I slid my hand against the door, wondering how to open it. Then the door opened inward. There was apparently no need for a handle.


    The door led to another corridor. I admit, I had to wonder about this design. Did the builder want to confuse the enemies too? Cause right now they were confusing me. There were doors to the right.


    I walked into the first one, finding myself staring at a bedroom. And the sleeping figure of Elena inside it. As I walked in, she woke up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked sleepily.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to wake you, I was just touring the house.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± she said, looking rather upset. ¡°That¡¯s a problem. Why was it built like this? The Viscount¡¯s palace was easier to navigate.¡±


    Oh right, she probably came in at night. And then had to find an empty bedroom. That would have been difficult.


    ¡°Well, I will leave you to your sleep.¡± I said, walking out. I probably should not have entered the room. A man entering the room of a sleeping woman was not acceptable in¡­pretty much any era. In my defense, I had not known she was sleeping there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡± she said, standing up. ¡°I was awake anyway.¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it, nodding instead. How did I even respond to that? Now that I thought about it, wasn¡¯t it strange that she was living in the same house? Not that it wasn¡¯t big enough, but it was still strange to be sharing it with a girl.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t the maid¡¯s room.¡± she commented, looking around the bedroom.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any maid rooms.¡± I replied, but I did notice her nervousness. And the way she had brought up that topic.


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    Elena was wondering if she still had to be my maid.


    ¡°I took a job today.¡± I told her. ¡°There¡¯s some fish that need killing¡ªRank 1s. Connor says they are very annoying to kill.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Elena nodded along.


    ¡°Do you want to come?¡±


    That surprised her. I didn¡¯t think she had expected me to actually ask her to come. But that seemed like a good way to tell her that I didn¡¯t expect her to be my maid anymore. And without the awkwardness that came with the conversation.


    ¡°You are a Rank 1 yourself.¡± I pointed out. ¡°With your mana awakened. I am sure you can deal with them. There are plenty of weaker people going. This should be good training, and you¡¯ll be able to get some mana too.¡±


    Elena looked at me, the surprise looking stuck on her face.


    ¡°Yes. I will come.¡± she replied.


    I nodded, walking into another bedroom. A very dusty bedroom.


    ¡°This house needs a cleaning.¡± I commented.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I sighed. I kind of missed having actual maids. Even if it got annoying to have to wake up at the same time every day so they could clean. Even on weekends.


    ¡°Hire someone.¡± Elena said.


    I looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°The house is too big to care of. I saw Connor¡¯s and Alice¡¯s. They have much smaller houses and still have servants. This house will need even more.¡±


    ¡°That¡­is true.¡± I admitted. I knew just how much work went into keeping a house clean and presentable. Mother wouldn¡¯t have let me forget even if I wanted to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to find them though.¡± I said, ¡°But I suppose Miss Emily should know.¡±


    I hoped she did. Finding maids was a problem in itself. Mother, well, she had a lot of issues with maids. That was what we talked about during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That or they would talk about my marks.


    Or they would fight with each other. I had quickly learned not to bring up any topic they had in common during a meal. That just ended with a fight. The two of them could not have agreed on what type of glass to use.


    But that was in the past. I wasn¡¯t on Earth anymore.


    ¡°I will talk to Miss Emily.¡± I said, looking at the clock. There was one of them in every room. A feature I could appreciate. A clock was the kind of thing that wasn¡¯t appreciated till it was missing.


    Not knowing what time it was could make planning very problematic.


    ¡°I suppose we should leave now.¡± I admitted. ¡°Connor said he would come at noon. There are still two hours left, but we also have to get lunch.¡±


    Elena nodded. Then stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t either.¡± I admitted. That was going to be a problem, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Miss Emily said there weren¡¯t any restaurants around here, but maybe there are some in the awakened quarter?¡±


    Elena nodded. ¡°Asking her is a good idea. That woman knows things.¡±


    There was something about her tone that made me think that she wasn¡¯t talking about food. But I could understand what she meant even if I didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. Miss Emily did know things. So many things that she really shouldn¡¯t know. I did wonder what was up with her. And if I should go ask her about it.


    Then I thought of how many things I depended on her for. That put things in perspective. Asking her difficult questions would have to wait.


    The journey to Miss Emily¡¯s did not take long. Elena knew a better, shorter way there. I still did not understand the streets in this place. I really needed a map. Another thing to ask Miss Emily for.


    The place was just as busy as I had expected. I had been here multiple times over the last couple of days, and there hadn¡¯t been a single time when more than a couple beds were empty. And beds were only for the really serious patients.


    There were plenty more that seemed to have smaller things. Like that guy that was sneezing every other minute. I stayed away from him. A cold was scary. I did not like having my nose blocked like that. And being that annoyed would probably make me explode something.


    Miss Emily¡¯s assistant¡­ Eir I think, headed towards us.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked.


    Elena and I looked at each other. There were so many people waiting for help. And we were here to ask where we could get our food. And servants.


    Elena had a thicker skin than me because she asked anyway. ¡°Well we were wondering if we could hire someone to clean the house. And ask where we could get some food. I hear there are restaurants in the awakened quarter?¡±


    I had to admit, for a former maid, Elena spoke very well. If she wore a dress and flapped a fan in front of her face, I could call her a lady.


    Eir nodded and then looked around the room. ¡°Rowan!¡± he called out.


    The two of us look at him, surprise on our faces. How had that guy managed to come here?


    The man that came out was, of course, not the protagonist. This was another person, presumably also named Rowan. I was going to call him Rowan of the Lake. Cause he was from the lake. And it would be too confusing otherwise.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s been looking for a job.¡± Eir said. ¡°Should be able to clean well. I hear you¡¯re going on a trip today? I shall see if he can get it cleaned by the time you return.¡±


    ¡°The house is big.¡± I informed him. ¡°I¡¯m fine if he can¡¯t. Just have him-¡±


    ¡°The trip will be several days long. The mines are far.¡± Eir interrupted, his tone hurried. ¡°There are restaurants in the awakened quarter. Miss Emily wouldn¡¯t want you to go near the City Lord¡¯s mansion. A place near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild might be better.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to go to that place twice in one day, but I suppose I could live with it. What caught my attention was the fact that the trip was going to be several days long. I had not thought about the food needed.


    I suppose we could cook fish. Hadn¡¯t Connor mentioned that Alice had fire magic? That should work.


    ¡°I have to go. Have a nice day.¡± Eir said, making his way to the coughing client. Elena and I just looked at each other. Then we left.


    ¡°A few days?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Well, we will have to get some food.¡± she stated, but she sounded excited. Like she was going on an adventure.


    I suppose it was an adventure. And she hadn¡¯t had many chances to go on one as a maid.


    ¡°Yes, though we could eat fish.¡±


    Elena waved her hand. ¡°No, we need to have something, in case there aren¡¯t fish around. Or they¡¯re poisonous.¡±


    That did seem like a good idea.


    ¡°Connor will know.¡± I said.


    ¡°The drunk guy?¡± she frowned.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s usually very dependable.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Elena said, sounding doubtful. I did think he was dependable. And that he could do this.


    ¡°I guess we should make our way to Connor¡¯s first then.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± she agreed. ¡°Going to Connor¡¯s sounds like a good idea.¡±

 Chapter 33 - A journey.

    Connor had apparently already thought of it. I should have expected that. Even if we didn¡¯t know about the length of the journey, he would. And he was used to managing such things.


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose he can be considered dependable.¡± Elena said as we had our lunch. That had been prepared by Alice. Connor had invited her along.


    ¡°The two of them are taking care of us.¡± I noted.


    ¡°I expect they don¡¯t want you to leave. There are other adventuring groups in town, many would be happy to have you.¡±


    I shrugged, stuffing my mouth with some kind of fish. The bones didn¡¯t even hurt. That was a nice thing to not have to worry about. I¡¯d been scared of choking on fish bones back on earth.


    Now I knew that even if I missed one, it would not be able to hurt me.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with what I have.¡± I commented. ¡°And I know that¡¯s why they¡¯re doing this. If I am happy here, I won¡¯t go elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Elena said as she finished her meal. A few minutes later, I was done too. The two of us got up and left, heading towards the hole in the wall. I wondered if people even used the gate. I hadn¡¯t seen anyone go through there.


    There was probably a reason why. I would guess the City Lord charged too much for its use. Or it was too big and painful to open. The capital¡¯s gate was like that. The thing was a thousand feet high and a hundred feet thick. Opening it required Rank 5s.


    The Emperor had ordered a ¡®hidden¡¯ entrance to be made the common route of entry instead. But that was not really important. The journey we were about to take was.


    Connor and Alice were waiting for us on the other side of the hole.


    ¡°Did we keep you waiting long?¡¯ I asked as I passed through it.


    ¡°No, we are still waiting on a few others.¡± Alice said. ¡°But since you¡¯re here, and we have the time, do you mind if we explain some things about the Fast Fish? The members of our groups have already fought them before, but they can be difficult for those unaware of their tendencies.¡±


    I smiled. This was why I liked them. That was information I had wanted, and here she was giving it to me before I could ask.


    ¡°That would be preferable.¡± I replied.


    Alice nodded. ¡°The fish are small, very small. A couple of centimeters in length and less than one centimeter in width. The things gather in large schools, making it tempting to target many of them at once.¡±


    ¡°Do not do that. Fast Fish have a tendency to dodge swords when you do that. Target a single fish and aim your sword where you think it will run to. Targeting more than one can be very difficult. If the aim is even a centimeter off, they will escape.¡±


    ¡°Why are they so much trouble?¡± Elena asked, frowning. ¡°I can see how they would be difficult to kill, but are they really so dangerous?¡±


    ¡°The fish eat air crystals.¡± Alice answered. ¡°The royal knights don¡¯t like that. They want us to deal with them before they get to the mine and cause trouble.¡±


    That was an understatement. If these things ate air crystals, I was surprised they were even alive.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Connor interrupted. ¡°Adrian¡¯s here.¡±


    Alice nodded. ¡°Well, it seems we are ready to go.¡±


    Elena and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions.


    ¡°Is that a code?¡± I asked. ¡°How does Adrian being here -¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s usually the last one.¡± Alice replied.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not here before him, you¡¯re dead.¡± one of the men pronounced, a large smile on his face.


    ¡°Or missing. That happened once.¡± another added.


    I realized what they were talking about. If someone was still left by the time Adrian managed to return, then they were either dead or missing. Or that was what tended to happen.


    ¡°Did you actually count them?¡± I asked as we started walking.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Connor chuckled. ¡°But mentioning Adrian funny. Make us feel good. That help in long journey.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± I said, not really understanding what he was talking about.


    After a few hours, it was clear. A journey on foot was boring. I had thought car journeys were bad. But walking was worse. After a while, there wasn¡¯t even much to talk about. But the journey was expected to take days still.


    Connor had us practice swinging our swords as we walked, probably to just give us something to do. I followed his advice happily. Even Elena produced a knife from somewhere. Miss Emily had apparently given it to her.


    The new blade felt light in my arms. The thing barely seemed to exist. But when I did try it out on a random boulder, it split it in two very easily. The fact that there were boulders under the lake surprised me to begin with. I had thought it was just seaweed and fish, but there were some other things too.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    What really captured my attention though were the fish. Even if Connor hadn¡¯t prepared food for us, I was sure we would be fine. There was just that much fish around us. There had to be hundreds of schools, just going about their business as they made a rather striking picture.


    This was what people came to aquariums for. But such things really didn¡¯t come close. There was just so much color and beauty that could not be captured behind glass. The lovely movements of the fish as they went about their business.


    A school of bright yellow fish ran under a school of larger red fish, forming circles among them. The larger red fish began to move around like they were dancing. The two stayed like that until the circle of yellow fish grew increasingly smaller.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be trouble.¡± Alice remarked, her face looking like she had just seen a monster.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°The red fish. I forgot their names.¡±


    ¡°Why would they be trouble?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Oh, the little yellow ones are trying to kill the red ones. And the red ones are signing. The little shits seem to have only one ability. Get bigger fish to come eat them.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°But the yellow fish are -¡± The words faded from my mouth. Mana rolled around in great quantities, as if preparing the way for some great beast. I was sure it was stronger than me, and not by a little to move mana in such a way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t attack. Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t even breathe.¡± Alice whispered, holding my hand and pulling me away. I followed willingly, coming to stop as the fish came into sight. Fighting that thing was not on my list of things to do.


    The fish was great, several times larger than the big poisonous fish. Two tails emerged from its body, one made of mana and another physical. I could even tell the spells upon them. The tails would work together to give the fish great speed. I wondered just how fast it would be. Perhaps it could compete with a plane.


    The group stood as still as they could, watching as the big fish opened its mouth and ate the yellow fish and the red fish. With a loud sound that seemed to echo through the lake, it left, not bothering to eat anything else. I had a feeling it felt tricked by the red fish.


    Alice breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°That close.¡± Connor remarked.


    ¡°Oh, you think?!¡± Alice explained. ¡°I can hardly believe that we forgot to tell them about those little red fuckers. I swear, if I could just kill the bunch of them -¡±


    Connor put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°The fish left.¡±


    Alice breathed out angrily, turning to me. ¡°If you see any, and I mean any of those little red fuckers, tell us at once. There are beasts that won¡¯t be as kind.¡±


    I looked at the place the fish had died. The other schools had not moved in, almost as if they too were scared the big fish would come back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will forget that one.¡± I remarked. This place was beautiful. That scene, the yellow fish circling the red fish, had been beautiful. And apparently just as dangerous.


    The journey was much quieter after that. But I did practice waving my sword around. That was basically what the sword forms came to when we were walking. Swinging the sword a dozen different ways.


    ¡°Am I ready for the spell yet?¡± I asked Connor once we made camp for the night.


    The giant of a man looked at me. ¡°Yes. But the spell not help.¡±


    I did not sleep well that night. The mattress Connor had brought was fine, if a bit too soft. But thoughts of red fish singing, and the bigger fish that came to eat them kept me awake. The fish had died as a defense mechanism. Just to keep their killers from getting away with it.


    That seemed like something I should remember.


    sc


    The next day was much the same as the previous one. Connor said that we should reach the mine by the end of today. But the journey would be more dangerous now. There were powerful beasts here. The royal knights kept them away, but this part of the lake had higher amounts of mana. And that meant stronger beasts.


    I took the opportunity to count my mana again. I felt like I could sense my mana cloak a bit now. There seemed to be something on my body. But that could just as easily be my imagination.


    The count came up to be the same. But that was not why I had done this. Spending mana like this seemed to give me a better sense of mana. I had seen that effect. I couldn¡¯t tell how much mana a person had, but I could kind of compare it better. If I did it enough times, maybe I would reach that level.


    Miss Emily had demonstrated a surprising amount of control. I would need as much. The barrier to Rank 6 demanded it. The royal bloodline supposedly removed that, but I didn¡¯t want to take the risk. Having less than the required mana control for a rank also sounded stupid.


    Connor taught me the spell after breakfast. I practiced it as we walked. Doing so was easy. And he was right, it wasn¡¯t good. The spell gave me a small, very small boost by using mana. The boost was so small that I barely noticed it.


    The mana expense was similar. I kept it activated, just to see if it mattered. And what a spell felt like. The thing had come far more easily than I had expected.


    Just standing the right way and willing it to happen. That was all it took. But it also had limited use. I couldn¡¯t sense the ¡®spell structure¡¯ as Miss Emily had called it. Connor told me that it took practice. That I had to have better senses for mana before I could do such a thing.


    A disappointment that.


    Elena was having a good time with her own mana spell. Alice and she had an actual fight, to test their spells against each other. Elena won.


    I had not expected it. Alice hadn¡¯t either. But Elena was good. And her spell was strong. The second she activated it, she all but disappeared. Even I couldn¡¯t see her. There did not seem to be any indication in the mana.


    As far as I could tell, she had just disappeared. A moment later, she was holding a knife to Alice¡¯s neck. I started having a small shield around me after that. I wasn¡¯t really worried about Elena, but there were other beasts here.


    What if one of them had similar powers? The thing could sneak in and kill me before I would even notice. Connor even seemed to approve. A lot of awakened apparently wore them. Elena told me that the Viscount had found a way to hide his. And that she had heard of assassins that could kill through the shields.


    I was not surprised. But I was worried. There were scary things out there. But it made me want to improve my mana sense even more. I kept on conjuring as many bolts of darkness as I could, emptying my mana and refilling it. That seemed to do it.


    Heck, I could have sworn that I was much more sensitive to mana by the time we actually reached the mine. Or maybe that was just the amount of air crystals displaying their mana.


    Or maybe I was just scared of the knight. The Rank 5 royal knight with a rose painted on his armor.


    The same one that was staring at me right now.

 Chapter 34 - A conversation

    I looked at the royal knight, wondering what I should say. Or if I should even say anything. What was he doing here? Why would they even put up a job if they were already going to do it?


    Or wait. The City Lord was supposed to put up jobs. And I didn¡¯t see any of the fish we had come to kill. What if the royal knights had come because the City Lord had been too slow? I could see him doing that.


    And I could see it becoming problematic for us if it came down to it. How reasonable were the royal guards going to be exactly?


    ¡°Sir Festeran!¡± Alice exclaimed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. How have you been?¡±


    I blinked. Alice knew this knight?


    ¡°That Miss Emily¡¯s cousin.¡± Connor whispered in my ear.


    ¡°I can hear you, Connor.¡± the knight sighed. ¡°I see that you are still as unsubtle as you were. A pity.¡±


    Connor just looked out into the water, ignoring the royal knight. I looked between them, wondering what the story was.


    ¡°Now!¡± Alice interrupted, clapping her hands. The girl was nervous. More than a little nervous. I could see why.


    ¡°Do you want to eat? There¡¯s a bit of-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like fish.¡± the knight interrupted. The knight addressed them, but his voice had a particular lack of care to it that told me he looked down on them. No, not look down on them. The knight simply did not consider them worth any thought.


    ¡°I have food of my own.¡± he said. ¡°Do not trouble yourselves.¡±


    Then his eyes turned to me, narrowing as they seemed to assess me. Or rather, my face. I had a feeling that the face was very important.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [The Face] exerts its influence.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I blinked. The royal knight bowed. Not a small bow. This looked like a bow a knight would give their lord. Or their king.


    ¡°I greet his grace, Prince Aphra of the Blade.¡± the knight said. I would be lying if that did not surprise me.


    This was the bloodline¡¯s doing. I was sure of it. The notification was telling. And it would have put me in a lot of trouble if I did not know how to respond.


    Thankfully, the Trashy Novel had plenty of royalty in it. I knew what to do.


    ¡°I accept your greetings, and return them with the grace they were given.¡± I answered, my words feeling very strange.


    The knight raised his head. I could see Elena shaking beside me, but she controlled herself. The royal knights had been the ones to kidnap her and Rowan from their homes in the capital. I was sure this was a painful moment for her.


    ¡°Will you join me for dinner, your grace?¡± the knights asked. I got the feeling it wasn¡¯t a request. Even if I were an actual prince, it was just a title. The knight could have killed us, and it was unlikely anyone would know. There were plenty of beasts that could have done it. There probably wouldn¡¯t even be anyone that checked.


    But Connor had said that he was Miss Emily¡¯s cousin. So he should not kill me. At least, I hoped he wouldn¡¯t.


    The knight took out a stone from his pocket and held it up. A strange type of mana came out of it. In minutes, the rest of the world seemed far away. The fish just a meter apart looked blurry. The sound of water had stopped. The knight still looked the same.


    ¡°This should prevent us from most spies, your grace.¡± The knight said.


    ¡°Why call me ¡®your grace¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°I am not a real prince.¡± That worried me. That was not a title that most princes got to use.


    This title was for the sons and daughters of the Emperor. Or the Dukes of the Empire.


    The knight raised an eyebrow. ¡°I do not think that is true. I see before me the great-grandson of the Emperor, a prince who has awakened his bloodline. As such, he shall be the next on the throne.¡±


    I froze. ¡°The knights have decided?¡±


    The knight shook his head. ¡°A decision has not been made yet. The Knight Captains have yet to hold a meeting on the matter. But Lord Adrien has made his opinion known.¡±


    So it was just a matter of time. The Knight Captains would fall in line soon enough.


    ¡°Will they come for me?¡± I asked hesitantly. I doubted the knight would even answer. After all, I was asking for something the knights may not want me to know.


    ¡°I do not know.¡± the knight said. ¡°And even if they do, it will not be soon. The Emperor has still not been approached on this matter. As far as I am aware, his majesty still does not know that your grace has awakened his bloodline. I imagine he shall have opinions on this matter.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Emperor did not involve himself in the Empire anymore.¡± I stated.


    ¡°That may change. After all, your grace is the Rose Princess¡¯ only son.¡±


    That¡­actually could affect things. But again, I did not know. The Emperor had not actually appeared in the Trashy Novel. There had been mentions of him, and descriptions by other characters. But he himself had not appeared.


    I once again wondered how Aphra had managed to attend the Academy while I was getting so much attention just walking around under a lake. The Knight Captains, a bunch of Rank 7s were going to hold a meeting about me.


    And they would probably agree with the Rank 8 Lord Adrien. Then said Rank 8 would go talk to the Rank 9 Emperor. Just because I decided to show my face under a lake. And the old Aphra had spent two years at the Academy without attracting half as much attention.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Or maybe he had. Just because the Trashy Novel did not mention it did not mean that such meetings had not been held, and the Emperor had not been informed. Perhaps the Emperor wasn¡¯t interested in meeting someone related to Duke Eldanveir. That was possible.


    ¡°There is another you know.¡± I said after a few minutes.


    The knight looked up in surprise.


    ¡°Leif Eldanvier is my twin. The elder twin.¡± I explained.


    ¡°But he does not have the bloodline.¡± the knight stated.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t seem to.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°The throne goes to the descendant with the strongest bloodline. That would be you.¡±


    ¡°If I were acknowledged.¡± I countered. ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened yet. Heck, it might not -¡±


    ¡°Lord Adrien could have it done.¡± the knight interrupted. ¡°With what you showed me out there, it would only take a few hours. The Emperor would listen to him.¡±


    The knight really believed Lord Adrien could do it. I wasn¡¯t sure he couldn¡¯t. The man had that much influence in court because he was trusted by the Emperor. That and the fact that he was the third-strongest person in the Empire.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked. ¡°I am sure you were not sent here just to tell me this.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sent here.¡± The knight grinned. That was the first real expression I had seen from him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°In fact, the royal knights do not know I am meeting you. I am supposed to be inspecting a mine a bit further away from this one. But, well, the lake is big. I mistook one mine for the other.¡±


    I stared at him. That was not what I had expected.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Miss Emily.¡± the knight simply stated.


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°I was quite surprised when she asked me about you. I did not think she would be interested.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Do not take me wrongly, but your cousin involves herself in whatever she can manage. But she does do it with good intentions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± The grin on his face grew wider. ¡°But you see, she does not involve herself with matters of the Empire. That is a matter of record.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°A matter of record?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A matter of record, dating back to before there even was an Empire.¡±


    The smile slipped from my face as the knight spoke.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I asked.


    The knight looked at me, a serious expression on his face as he seemed to be trying to figure me out.


    ¡°The word cousin can refer to a great many things,¡± he said. ¡°Even ancestors, or so she tells me. I admit, I do not believe her. And I have not met a professor of language who would.¡±


    The words would not come out of my mouth. This was¡­surprising.


    ¡°And she has lived so long as a Rank 1? Or does she hide her Rank?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± the knight said. ¡°The Founding Duke of the House of Life seemed to believe she is really Rank 1. There are those among my family that believe she gave up her power. There are others that think she uses her power to keep herself alive. But if she has power greater than her Rank, she does not show it.¡±


    ¡°And which is your family?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am a branch member of the House of Life.¡± he replied. ¡°A member that has gained far too much attention from our great ancestor.¡±


    The knight seemed quite irritated about that.


    ¡°Is that why you are telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± he admitted. ¡°I had expected to have to convince you. But I can see now that you have experienced her strangeness.¡±


    I gulped. ¡°I may have seen a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°There are more.¡± the knight admitted. ¡°That woman did not take an interest even when the Founding Emperor conquered the planet. But she has taken an interest in you. I wish to know why.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Heck, she seemed rather troubled when I spoke to her about my situation. In fact, she seemed to be surprised by it.¡±


    The knight stopped moving. ¡°Did you say surprised?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Witch in Green is not surprised, your grace.¡± the knight said, his mana cloak expanding. I called on my own to defend myself, but I knew it would be of little use if this man actually tried to harm me.


    ¡°Well she was.¡± I told him.


    ¡°That- there is no record of it. The woman knew the Founding Emperor took the throne before his own army. That woman knew the Rose princess would die before the Emperor heard of it. The woman even told us of the danger Eldanveir would come to pose. How is it that she would not see you coming?¡±


    I opened my mouth to answer and then closed. That was a question. An important one. I also had a feeling that I might know the answer, or at least something that could be blamed for it. After all, I could only think of one thing with this much power who would also be interested in interfering like this.


    The power that Miss Emily had referred to. The thing that kept getting in my way and putting me in strange situations just like this. The thing that had been far too silent lately.


    Story Magic.


    <table>


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    <td>


    Story magic would like you to know that it is laughing.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    sc


    In a world few other than Monarchs dares step into.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± the Fae Queen asked.


    A woman looked at her, purple eyes and green hair glowing in annoyance.


    ¡°I mean come on, that really isn¡¯t something you add to tea.¡± the Fae Queen continued.


    The other woman simply stared at her, and then added a bit of coffee to a pot of hot tea.


    ¡°This is a crime!¡± the Fae Queen yelled.


    If there was a response from her companion, it did not appear on her face.


    A few moments passed.


    ¡°Are you going to drink that?¡± the Fae Queen asked.


    Another few moments passed in silence.


    ¡°Jeriverus?¡± the Fae Queen asked, her voice puzzled. ¡°Hello? Earth to the Queen of Magic, Death, and Destruction?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to reply to me?¡¯


    ¡°I am talking to you!¡±


    Of course, there was no response.


    ¡°I swear, sometimes I think you¡¯re just ignoring me.¡±


    Then the teacup disappeared.


    The Fae Queen¡¯s face twisted in horror. ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡±


    The Queen of Magic just stared at her.


    ¡°Queen Jeriverus of the House of Manevorus, tell me you didn¡¯t just do that!¡±


    There was no response. Just like she had for the last hundred million years, the Monarch of Destruction remained still.


    That is except for the time when she decided to live as a human.

 Chapter 35 - There are fish. And mines.

    ¡°How very curious.¡± The knight said, tilting his head slightly. Then he left.


    I blinked, and he was already a hundred feet away, moving away before I could even figure out what I should do.


    What?


    Why would he just up and leave?


    The answer was not immediately apparent. Perhaps he had already accomplished what he had come to do. Perhaps he was too surprised. I did not know. There was too much I did not know.


    I was getting tired of not knowing.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elena asked, running up to me.


    ¡°I am fine.¡± I replied, still looking where the knight had disappeared. ¡°The knight decided to leave.¡±


    ¡°What did he want?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure it out. But I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±


    That did not calm her down. In fact, it just made her more worried. And it should. The royal knights, well, they had their own goals. Even the weakest of them was a Rank 5. If they left the organization, they could easily gain a noble title somewhere.


    But the resources they offered were also great. The organization held nearly all the hunting grounds in the world. If a person wanted to reach beyond Rank 6, they would need them. But that also meant that a number of the royal knights had¡­complicated loyalties.


    ¡°The fish came.¡± Elena said, interrupting my thoughts.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°The Fast Fish?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± she nodded. ¡°Connor and Alice are trying to hunt them now. But it is not going too well.¡±


    I could see that. The mine came back into view, and with it the school of fish we were here to hunt.


    Connor danced among their number, his sword slicing through the fish with an accuracy that I could hardly believe. Alice was conjuring fireballs to kill the fish. One at a time.


    ¡°There are hundreds of them.¡± I noted. ¡°Are they really going to kill them one at a time?¡±


    ¡°Connor did say it is a better idea.¡±


    That was true. And they probably did have experience. So I conjured a bolt of darkness and shot a fish. The fish died. Then I conjured another. And another.


    I was bored by the time I had conjured the fifth bolt. The fish didn¡¯t fight back. Heck, they just floated around minding their own business. If they were doing something, I could not see it. That did make me feel a bit¡­guilty. Well, I suppose we were here to stop them from doing something. The fish were here to eat, one of the main resources the planet had.


    At the end of the day, this was little different from killing a bunch of insects because they were eating the crops. But the work remained.


    There was next to no danger. There were just hundreds of fish we had to kill. If we went about killing them like this, it would take days. Well, maybe not days, but at least a few hours.


    Perhaps I could try something.


    I conjured a blade of darkness, not dissimilar to the wind blades the rabbit had conjured. Then I made it as fast as I could before letting it fly towards the fish. The thing was faster than them.


    The fish managed to avoid it anyway. Three still died. But their small bodies allowed them to move out of the blades'' way just by moving their bodies a little.


    Connor had been right. But I wasn¡¯t out of ideas.


    ¡°Connor, Alice, move away.¡± I asked, conjuring mana. I had to target the entire area. Perhaps with an explosion of some -


    ¡°That isn¡¯t allowed.¡± Alice interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Targeting large areas near the mines. The mana can get into the mine and damage it.¡± she answered, conjuring another fireball and shoving it towards a fish.


    I stared at her open-mouthed.


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t any method other than targeting them one by one.¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why this pays so much.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t convinced. But I also didn¡¯t have any good ideas at the moment. So I went back to targeting the fish.


    ¡°Perhaps you can practice your sword.¡± Alice offered. ¡°There isn¡¯t much space for multiple people to fight in there¡­but we are going to have to take turns anyway. This is too boring for one person.¡±


    Connor took the opportunity to stop and look at me with a smile on his face.


    ¡°I can go,¡± he said, walking away. I glared at him. The guy was taking the opportunity to escape from the boring work.


    ¡°The fish should start splitting soon.¡± Alice said. ¡°That will allow more of us to kill them.¡±


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    ¡°How soon?¡±


    ¡°After another hundred or so die.¡± she said.


    I groaned. But I did take out my sword and swing. The fish escaped me. Of course, they did. I called on my mana, sending it into the sword.


    There was a noticeable difference. The mana that responded this time was not Darkness mana, it was Blade mana. But I did not receive any instructions on how to use it.


    Of course not. That would be too easy. But I did know what to do now. I had already done it once with Darkness mana. And I even knew what emotions to use.


    I closed my eyes and used my mana sense. The fish appeared before my senses. A feeling of power appeared around me, like a cloak¡ªI blinked, a thought pulling me out of my mind. Was that my mana cloak?


    I tried it again, but the feeling was no longer there. I could sense something if I tried very hard to, but that could easily just be my imagination. But either way, it was time to try it out. Blade mana and Darkness mana both responded to a person¡¯s desire to kill.


    But they did it differently. Darkness was more about taking revenge for wrongs done against a person. Blade was more about duty. And will. Even the way the emotions were expressed was different.


    Darkness was about thinking it. Blade was not. Connor had told me that it was more about the actions. Even though he did not use emotion based mana shaping, he was still aware of how mana responded to things.


    I followed his advice, crouching as I readied myself to strike. I tensed my muscles, gripping the sword with as much strength as I could. Then I raised it into the air. The Fast Fish moved away from me, but I moved faster. The blade swiped down, cutting through a fish before it managed to run away.


    Then I did the mistake of looking up. There were hundreds more of those things. The fish didn¡¯t even seem bothered that one of them had died. And it would apparently take a lot more for them to even notice.


    I wonder what they were even doing.


    ¡°Do not stop.¡± Connor said. I jumped. The voice had come from right behind me.


    ¡°There plenty fish.¡± he continued.


    I stared at him. ¡°Why are they even doing this?¡±


    Connor looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.


    ¡°The Fast Fish. Why are they just waiting around here?¡±


    ¡°Not waiting. Casting.¡± he responded. I looked at him in surprise. I had not noticed the fish use mana.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know how.¡± he continued, apparently having expected my questions. ¡°The mine protected. But they break protection. Then go in.¡±


    I froze, looking at the mine with my mana sense. There was indeed a very thin layer of mana around the mine. I would not have noticed it if I hadn¡¯t been looking at it. The thing looked like it could break apart at any second. Even as I watched, it got thinner. Not by much. A barely noticeable amount really.


    But it was getting weaker.


    ¡°I suppose we should start killing these things, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± I said, picking up my sword.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Connor nodded.


    I sighed and got back to work. This was gonna take a while.


    sc


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I declared. The Fast Fish still hadn¡¯t split. I had been at it an hour, and they were still waiting around. I knew that I had killed a number of them, but the effect had just been so slow.


    There had been hundreds of fish when we started. There were still hundreds of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Alice said. The woman had been throwing fireballs the entire time. I had to give it to her. That was hard work. The fish had to be aimed at carefully, or they would escape. Spending too much mana wasn¡¯t good either, or we would run out of mana before we ran out of fish.


    I was already tired of it.


    ¡°The fish aren¡¯t far from splitting now.¡± she said. ¡°Elena should practice while they are still like this.¡±


    I looked at the crowd of Rank 1s we had brought with us. I almost asked if they were even going to do anything. Then I remembered that they probably couldn¡¯t. The fish, as they were right now, were too fast for a Rank 1 to target. Mana was needed to attack them.


    Perhaps when they split they got slower. Or maybe Connor had brought them along just so they could get some money. That was possible.


    Elena disappeared from my vision, appearing a second later with her knife cutting through a fish. Then she turned it around, swiping at another fish without stopping for a second. That fish escaped.


    With an angry look on her face she made her knife disappear as she attacked another fish. And then another. The knife did not reappear, but the fish kept getting cut in two. Elena did not have to stop her spell. That was¡­probably faster than I had killed them. The fish couldn''t see her knife. They couldn¡¯t dodge it either.


    I watched, my eyes widening as I looked at her kill the fish. And then it stopped. The fish were not dying any longer.


    ¡°The fish learn.¡± Connor said. ¡°The thing sense Darkness mana in spell. Have to be faster.¡±


    Elena groaned, but seemed to follow his advice. The fish started dying again. I began to count how much mana I had left.


    If the school really was going to split soon, I should have some mana remaining. In theory, we were only supposed to make sure the school didn¡¯t remain around the mine anymore. Splitting the school was enough.


    But the mine¡¯s protections were getting weak. I did not know what they were, but I could imagine what they did. And if it was some kind of shield spell, then it was about to have holes in it.


    As if conjured by my thoughts, a small hole appeared within the mana that stood in front of the mine. I was not the first to notice. The fish were. I conjured a shield to prevent them from moving into the mine, stopping them in their tracks.


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Alice said. ¡°Elena get out of there.¡±


    The former maid disappeared as Alice sent a wave of mana towards the fish. I, on the other hand, was occupied with stopping the fish.


    The spell was far more difficult to keep than I had expected. The amount of mana it took was two, no three times greater than what I had used to stop the poison fish. But that was not all. The attack was not coming from the Fast Fish.


    I suspected that they weren¡¯t even involved. My shield was being attacked by something on the inside of the mine. I was no longer surprised that the royal knight¡¯s protections had failed.


    Alice¡¯s spell caused a large explosion among the school of fish. The fire crashed against my shield along with hundreds of fish that died with it. The fire died. The shield did not break.


    But it was a near thing. The power on the inside had multiplied when it sensed Alice¡¯s power of fire. A hundred bolts worth of mana had shot at it. A push greater than I had faced before. A push that had yet to stop.


    A second later my shield failed before the power.


    I waited for something to come out from the inside. Mana did move out. Air mana, in quantities I could barely believe. But there was no other effect.


    ¡°I love it when they make a run for it.¡± Alice grinned. ¡°The knights allow us to use large attacks if the fish are about to get into the mines. And the air mana here lets me actually blow shit up.¡±


    I just stared at the mine, wondering what was inside. And if I should go take a look.

 Chapter 36 - Now we go.

    I walked into the mine. Connor did not move to stop me. I presumed that meant it was fine to do so.


    Alice¡¯s attack had more or less killed the fish. The mine¡¯s defenses hadn¡¯t exactly repaired themselves, but there weren¡¯t any holes anymore. Just a very, very thin layer of mana.


    I stepped through it. The layer did not stop me. I barely even felt it. The inside of the mine wasn¡¯t really that different. For a second it felt like there was a breeze blowing in here, but that disappeared as soon as I noticed it.


    Of course, I walked further inside. The mine grew a bit darker, though it was barely enough to make a difference. I could feel the amount of mana increase as I went further in, especially as the mine grew smaller.


    The thing was now just wide enough for two people. There were stones on the walls that attracted my attention, but I kept walking forward. The ones here were too small for me to actually learn anything from. I just didn¡¯t have a strong enough mana sense for that yet.


    There would be bigger ones further in.


    The mine grew smaller still as I walked, growing just a bit darker and narrower with every step. In minutes, I had to crouch, avoiding some rather sharp stones emerging from the walls beside me.


    The walls themselves were dark things, barely visible in this lighting. Perhaps that was why it was so annoying to walk here. I could barely see anything, and kept walking into the rather sharp walls.


    I stopped after a few minutes, looking at the stone that was cutting into my skin. A strange shape with many sharp edges. Of course, I knew what it was. An air crystal. The reason the mines were so valuable in the first place.


    There was mana within it, more than a hundred bolts worth. But it was far from full. No, I could feel that it would take far more mana before it would be anywhere close to it.


    But how was that even possible?


    The crystal grew in size along with its mana. If it had space for more mana, then it meant that some mana had already been used. Where would the mana have¡ªthe spell. I looked back, trying to see if I was right.


    I saw a slow flow of mana towards the entrance, a flow I knew had been much stronger just moments before. Alice¡¯s spell had caused mana to rush outwards. That had emptied the air crystals. Now the crystals would likely take longer to be ready.


    This was why the royal knights did not want us to cast large spells. The spells caused the mana of the crystals to rush out. That was nice to know, I suppose.


    I moved forward, not paying them any more attention. The mine grew even narrower. I was beginning to wonder how much longer I would be able to fit inside it. Perhaps I should turn back. But something kept me from doing so. Perhaps it was just curiosity. Or it was a sense that there was more to see.


    A breeze began to blow across my face. I paused, warily observing my surroundings at the change, but it was just a breeze. A breeze in a mine under a lake. But I supposed it was an air crystal mine, so it was fine.


    I walked forward once more. With each step, it was as if my steps grew lighter. I could feel it now. The Air mana around me. Wait. I had felt mana in that air crystal too. Even though that had to be Air mana, something I should not be able to sense.


    Sensing mana of elements other than those one had an affinity with wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible. That mana just wasn¡¯t interested in you, and it would not go into your mind. And as long as mana did not enter one¡¯s mind, it was not visible. Now it was a different matter if it was being used in a spell. The Local Mana System had rules for that.


    But here I was. The same thing had happened in the Forest of Tragedy. I had been able to sense Darkness mana even though I had not awakened it. Not back then.


    I kept on walking, more than a bit wary of my surroundings. There was still so much I did not know about this place. The more I found out, the more it looked like something strange was going on here.


    The wind grew stronger as I walked, blowing through my hair as it brushed against mine¡¯s ceiling. The mine grew even smaller. I got down onto my knees and began crawling. An act made far more difficult by the mana crystals that continued to poke at me. But I did continue.


    I wanted to know if I was right. This place reminded me of the Forest of Tragedy. Did that mean that it was the same?


    The walls of the mine grew smoother even as the air crystals grew larger. There was almost a glow about them now. Not an actual glow, but a gathering of power that seemed to shine to my mana senses. Set as they were against the walls, it looked like they were showing me a path into the cave.


    I could even sense them working. No, working was the wrong word. But they were changing the environment just by existing. This part of the mine I had reached was not like the half full air crystals outside. This place had not had crystals taken from it in years. There was more mana gathered here than I dared estimate.


    The wind blew strongly against me as I felt its power. Mana sang as it ruffled through my hair, getting into my clothes as if it did not care that we were still underwater. For a second it felt like I was enjoying the breeze on a hill station instead of crawling in an underwater mine.


    That was the effect of these air crystals.


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    I was sure there were even larger ones inside. More mana gathered in an even smaller space. A gathering of Air mana just like the Forest of Tragedy had been a gathering of Darkness mana.


    Perhaps if I continued forward I would find myself facing a test for Air mana, just as I had faced one of Darkness.


    The wind blew against my ears as if agreeing with me. I would not put it past it. The Air mana was sure to be listening to my thoughts after all. I supposed that did answer my question.


    If I stepped further, I could take another test and try to awaken Air mana.


    Or die trying.


    sc


    The City Lord¡¯s mansion in the City Under a Lake.


    Three men sat around a very long table, two of them glaring at each other like they were wondering how to kill each other.


    ¡°Are you two going to continue this foolishness the entire time we are here?¡± the City Lord asked, sounding bored and annoyed at the same time.


    ¡°This bastard still refuses -¡±


    ¡°Now, now Rom,¡± the City Lord interrupted. ¡°Did I not tell you how to speak in my presence?¡±


    Rom through a hate filled glance at the City Lord. ¡°Of course, my lord. The Respected Head of the Alchemist Guild still refuses to admit -¡±


    ¡°Why would I admit to such idiotic¡ªcough -¡± the Head of the Alchemist Guild broke into a coughing fit, unable to finish his words.


    ¡°Now now, Ewan, I think it would be better if you just took care of your health rather than annoying old Rom here.¡± the City Lord said.


    ¡°And if I may remind the two of you, that we are here to discuss something other than your fights? This meeting has been called to discuss the presence of another Rank 3 in the city, and whether he does, in fact, represent the House of Fire.¡±


    The two Guild Heads turned to City Lord, staring at him expectantly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If someone was going to know who he was, it would be you.¡± Rom pointed out.


    ¡°The House of Life does have a great reach.¡± Ewan added, looking like he had swallowed something bitter. ¡°And my lord happens to have some connections within the royal knights.¡±


    A frown appeared on the City Lord¡¯s face, his eyes narrowing slightly before his expression returned to normal.


    ¡°I fear that our royal allies have decided to remain silent on this matter,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what you want us to do then.¡± Rom shrugged. ¡°If the royal knights aren¡¯t talking to you, then they aren¡¯t gonna talk to us.¡±


    ¡°Does the House of Wind and Water not have a reputation?¡± the City Lord asked.


    Rom just stared at him. ¡°There are plenty of people that talk about us, sure.¡±


    The City Lord raised an eyebrow. ¡°I speak, of course, of your tendency to know things that you should not. Perhaps you have something you would care to share with us?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the Head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild replied. ¡°Not really. I already told you what I know. And I am not exactly connected to the rest of my House. I don¡¯t have friends like yours, my lord.¡±


    ¡°But if I were to point fingers, I would say that the Respected Head of the Alchemist Guild is the one you should ask,¡± he continued. ¡°After all, the timing of some events is rather suspicious, is it not?¡±


    The City Lord turned to look at Ewan, though his expression remained the same. ¡°Do you have something to add then?¡±


    ¡°I was simply lucky that a boy was able to awaken to Light mana.¡± Ewan protested. ¡°That is all. I do not see what is so suspicious about it.¡±


    ¡°The fact that he awakened just in time to save you? Or that it happened right after a Rank 3 entered the lake? Perhaps the House of Earth decided to make a deal with the House of Fire.?¡±


    Ewan scoffed. ¡°Do not be foolish Rom. I am aware of your tendency to be¡­overly suspicious of matters, but even you should realize that such a thing would be foolishness. This land is the royal family¡¯s. The House of Earth would not dare do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh I doubt you would -¡±


    ¡°Please, please.¡± the City Lord clutched his head with his hand, looking like he was having a headache.


    ¡° There is a new Rank 3 in this little town of ours. And we have to know what we should do about him.¡±


    ¡°Why would we do anything?¡± Ewan asked. ¡°Just let him do as he wishes. There is little need for us to interfere.¡±


    ¡°What? Have you lost your brain old man?! A Rank 3 could end up causing a great deal of trouble in this town. And if we do not interfere, then who will? The city guard?¡± Rom slammed his hands on the table, looking like he wanted to attack Ewan.


    ¡°I think you are just worried that you will lose your own Guild.¡± Ewan began.


    A cold aura spread across the room making both the Guild Heads turn quiet and look at each other.


    ¡°Did I not ask you two to behave?


    ¡°Of course, City Lord.¡± Ewan said, still smiling.


    ¡°There is more.¡± the City Lord continued. ¡°A royal knight¡¯s daughter has escaped into the city.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rom yelled.


    The City Lord waved him down. ¡°The girl is just a Rank 1 and poses little threat. The issue is the boy. The Rank 3 helped her against one of my own guards. I suspect he might even have known her.¡±


    ¡°Why would that matter?¡± Ewan questioned.


    ¡°The boy is also a royal.¡± Rom noted, catching on.


    ¡°Yes.¡± the City Lord nodded. ¡°There are those among the royal knights who would see our Houses removed from this city.¡±


    ¡°And you think this is their plan?¡± Ewan asked.


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. There is much politics even within the royal knights.¡±


    ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Rom demanded.


    ¡°Oh, you? I would simply have you attend a gathering. With every awakened you can gather. Bring that light mana boy of yours. I am sure he will prove interesting.¡±


    ¡°A party. You are going to hold a party.¡± Rom stated.


    ¡°Not a party, Rom. A gathering. A get-together. To welcome royalty into our little city.¡±


    The City Lord smiled, and he was joined by Ewan. Rom looked like he had eaten something bad.

 Chapter 37 - A fight

    There was something about return journeys that made them even more boring than before. Perhaps it was the fact that we were seeing the exact same things. Or perhaps it was the lack of something to look forward to. I didn¡¯t know. And I didn¡¯t really care. The group was decidedly more quiet, but I had other things on my mind.


    Like what I suspected was a testing area for air mana. I had decided not to take it. There was something that told me it wasn¡¯t such a good idea at the moment. Perhaps it was the fact that it might end up with me dead. The Darkness test had almost killed me. I wasn¡¯t yet ready to take up another one.


    I didn¡¯t know enough.


    That brought me to the woman that I had been relying on for information. Miss Emily. Now that we were heading back, I should decide what to do about what I had learned. The woman was older than the Empire.


    That would make her at least two hundred. Not that old as such things went, but still old. The Empire itself was very new. There had only been two Emperors after the founding Emperor, and one had died early.


    There was little to be found in the Empire¡¯s own history, and much that hid in the past before it. The Trashy Novel hadn¡¯t told much of it, but I did know some things about this. The House of Life had been nobility before the Empire was founded, but not at the level they were now. The Founding Duke had been supposedly helped by someone, making his life magic stronger and allowing him to bring his family to greater heights.


    Was that person Miss Emily? Sir Festeran would have me believe so. I could believe it. There was more to the woman than was immediately apparent. But then the question rose, just how powerful was she? Why was she here? And what did she want?


    I conjured a bit of darkness mana, circling it around my fingers as I tried to think of an answer. But none immediately sprung to my mind. Miss Emily had been helpful. More than helpful, she had been downright generous. The way she had made sure that Elena and I felt welcome was not something I could easily forget or ignore.


    That just made me more nervous about it. There could have been a chance that the woman wasn¡¯t here for me. That I didn¡¯t really play much of a part in her plans. But there was also a good chance that she was using me for something.


    I was beginning to think it was the latter. That just made more sense to me. Why else would she go as far as she had?


    And that meant there was one more thing for me to deal with.


    Groaning at the thought, I looked around, keeping an eye out for any particularly powerful beasts. Not just because of the threat they posed, but also because of the mana they had. I needed power, and I needed to get better at magic. Fighting beasts had been very helpful for both.


    That was why I was looking for more of them. There really weren¡¯t any. A few Rank 2s passed us by, but I could tell that they wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to me. The fish weren¡¯t the kind that hunted others and tried to grow. No, they were ones that just went along eating any easily gotten food. A few of them had gotten lucky enough to be a bit more powerful. That was all. There was little enough power in their mana cloaks that I didn¡¯t even care to kill them.


    ¡°What you looking for?¡± Connor asked.


    I looked at him, a bit surprised that he had approached me. The man largely seemed to keep to himself. At least when he wasn¡¯t drunk.


    ¡°Just looking out for any threats.¡±


    Connor stared at me. ¡°No, you want hunt.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Connor narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Raise sword.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you want to fight here?¡±


    Connor shrugged. ¡°The two of us catch up. The rest not move fast.¡±


    That was¡­true. The two of us could easily catch up with our greater strength.


    ¡°Why now though?¡±


    Connor tilted his head as if puzzled. ¡°Cause you want to.¡±


    Then he pulled out his sword. I pulled out mine. To be honest, I had expected fighting Connor to be easy. At least, my higher rank would give me a significant advantage.


    What happened told me otherwise.


    Connor¡¯s sword shot forward with a speed matching mine, clashing against my own sword before he twisted his sword, trying to move my sword out of the way. I used all of my strength to resist, forcing Connor¡¯s sword back, but only a bit. And not nearly fast enough.


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    In the time it had taken me to even form a response, Connor had punched my stomach. I coughed onto the seabed, feeling the contents of my stomach rising into my throat as I conjured a shield around me.


    A shield of darkness appeared around me and Connor glared at me.


    ¡°Not Darkness, Blade.¡± he growled as he lifted his blade. I nodded, waving my shield away as I prepared to defend against him again.


    Mana ran through the length of my blade, my determination matching his for a moment. Then he moved, and I moved with him, our blades meeting in the middle, mana colliding with a nearly soundless explosion that displaced the water around it.


    Then Connor took half a step back and brought his sword down again. I moved forward, meeting him, only to find the sword¡¯s tip approaching my neck as Connor leaned forward. In my hurry to meet his blade with mine, I hadn¡¯t noticed the lack of distance between us. And of course, that had given him the opportunity to strike at me.


    ¡°Think more.¡± he said. ¡°Not just this move, but also next. The strikes flow.¡±


    Connor brought his sword forward again, just like he had done before. ¡°Think of what opponent do.¡±


    Then he took a step back. I remembered his attack from before and lifted my sword to block it.


    ¡°And plan for it.¡± Connor shot his sword down, towards my legs instead. I moved to block it, only barely able to shove the sword away with the tip of my blade. Connor took the opportunity to punch me in the face.


    I brought my hand up to rub my cheeks, gently running my finger against the bruise that was forming.


    ¡°I get your point.¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Take charge.¡± Connor continued. ¡°Just reacting not enough.¡±


    I groaned, but did take an attacking form. Then I rushed at him. Connor looked at me with a raised eyebrow, not even lifting his sword. A bit of confidence, but really he was just expecting me to pull a trick.


    Well, I wasn¡¯t going to. I swiped down at his chest, catching him by surprise as he moved to defend himself. Of course, he was more than fast enough to do so. I groaned, extending my hand to attack him with the tip of my sword.


    Connor was already leaning back, his sword¡¯s edge running against mine as he struck at my wrist. I swore, forced to pull away rather than risk injury.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked. ¡°That I would try to stab you?¡±


    ¡°You looked like you would.¡± Connor answered.


    ¡°I¡­looked like I would? How could you even tell?¡±


    Connor shrugged. ¡°That comes in time. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I stared at a few minutes before sighing, letting my sword rest against my leg. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have the time for that.¡±


    Connor tilted his head, looking at me.


    ¡°Hmm, use magic.¡± he said, pulling his sword up.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Try Darkness magic against me.¡± he said, his sword beginning to glow as he put mana into it. I frowned, jumping backwards as I conjured a shield around me.


    Connor did not give me much time to put up a distance, rushing at me with his sword held up.


    I was ready.


    A bolt of darkness shot at him as he ran towards me, ready to put a stop to his attack. Connor cut through it like it was an annoyance, striking at my shield in a single motion. I blinked, surprised at his actions, but not quite done. The shield stopped his attack from hitting me, and even more importantly, gave me time to react.


    I jumped backward, using Blade mana to push more power onto my legs. Darkness mana would not allow such a thing, but I had a feeling Blade mana would love it. And it did. I jumped nearly a hundred meters, conjuring my shield once more.


    Then I conjured more bolts of darkness and sent them to circle Connor, not quite attacking him yet. I wouldn¡¯t let him cut away my magic that easily. I could have sworn the man was smiling as he stared at me bolts, crouching as he held his blade horizontally against his side.


    I narrowed my eyes, strengthening my shield, and not a moment too soon. Connor ran towards me, Blade mana running through his body. In moments, he was on me, his sword held above my head, ready to strike down at me.


    I shot bolts of Darkness mana into his back, the same ones I had conjured before. A benefit of magic was that I didn¡¯t have to actually see to aim. As long as I thought of where it should go, magic would find its way there.  Well, in most circumstances. Just because I hadn¡¯t failed yet, it didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t.


    Connor winced, slammed onto the ground by the mana bolts as I ran further away from him. Of course, that didn¡¯t keep him down for long. The guy stood up, his mana cloak almost disappearing into his body as he grinned at me.


    ¡°See?¡± he said, ¡°This better.¡±


    Then he seemed to disappear. I turned around in a hurry, panicking a bit as I tried to figure out where he had gone. I did not find Connor. But I felt his mana. Like a whisper in the wind, Blade mana followed the sword as it headed towards me.


    I barely had the time to think, but my knew what to do. I leaned backwards, really backwards until my head was at the same level as my butt. As I watched, a barely visible sword made of Blade mana passed through where my waist had been just seconds ago.


    Then I came back up, bringing with me dozens of darkness bolts that I shot where the sword had come from.


    Connor stood there, grinning as he tapped his sword against his leg. ¡°This is what I like. Darkness give you space. The shield give you time to react. That make you much better. The Blade is for those that act fast. That not you. You think before acting. That not work with Blade. But with magic¡­¡±


    The guys shrugged, but I could see his point. And how much better that had been. Connor had to actually put some effort into it.


    I suppose I really was better at more mage-ey magic than Blade magic.


    ¡°So,¡± I began, walking closer. ¡°Was that how fast you can really¡ªConnor, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    I looked at the man closely, watching as his hand twitched, not letting him slide his sword into its place. The same man that had been moving so quickly just moments ago. Now he looked like he could not handle his own sword.


    ¡°J-just an old injury.¡± Connor said, ¡°Sh-shouldn¡¯t have p-pushed myself.¡±

 Chapter 38 - What?

    Are you sure you are fine?¡± I asked, walking up to Connor. The man had not seemed fine since our fight. Heck, his hand still hadn¡¯t stopped switching.


    ¡°Yes. Just injury.¡± he said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call an ¡®injury¡¯ fine.¡± I remarked. ¡°Is this because of the fight? Is your injury hurting you because you extended yourself too much?¡±


    Connor remained silent for a few moments.


    ¡°Yes.¡± he answered, his left eye twitching as he held himself very, very still.


    I did not answer. What could I even say? Offer to heal him? I did not have that power. Light magic would block me if I tried. This had happened because of me. Connor hadn¡¯t informed me of his condition, so it wasn¡¯t really my fault, but I still felt guilty.


    The guy had been injured helping me learn how to fight.


    ¡°Like fight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, turning outwards Connor with a puzzled expression on my face.


    ¡°Like fighting. Don¡¯t blame. I knew.¡± Connor repeated, his words even more unclear than usual.


    ¡°Are you telling me that I shouldn¡¯t blame myself because you liked the fight? That you knew this would happen?¡±


    The man nodded. I just stared at him. On one hand, that seemed foolish. The guy had known this would happen, and done it anyway.


    On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t as if his injury was going away if he didn¡¯t do it. I suppose he thought it was worth it. Getting denied what one loved was cruel. I could see myself doing something like this if it happened to me. A little twitching wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world.


    The two of us walked together in awkward silence, unsure what to say.


    ¡°How did you even get this injury?¡± I asked after a while.


    Connor just grunted and continued walking.


    ¡°Connor? Hello?¡± I asked as the man just continued walking. That was a pretty clear message that he didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    I suppose that was fair. Not my business. Now that just left me with, I don¡¯t know, staring at the water for a few more hours until we made it to the city.


    Travelling on foot really was a pain. I hadn¡¯t realized just how convenient cars were. Getting somewhere without spending days to get there was a luxury I really missed. Even more than toilets. But that was just because I hadn¡¯t had to use one¡­and probably wouldn¡¯t have to for the rest of my life. Rank 3 meant I didn¡¯t have to deal with it anymore.


    ¡°If you want, you can head back to the city.¡± Alice said.


    I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    Alice shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you should have to stick around with us now. The mission¡¯s pretty much over. With your speed you could get back to the city by night. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about leaving all of you here just because I am impatient. I can wait.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± The woman answered, walking away.


    I went back to staring at the water. Then I started conjuring bolts again. If I was going to be spending so much time, I should at least get a bit better at mana sensing.


    Two extra bolt¡¯s worth of mana. That was how much I had gained from killing the Fast Fish. I was really starting to see why people didn¡¯t want to hunt them. Going so far out of the way to kill something so annoying while also not making so little mana from it?


    I wouldn¡¯t be taking this job again.


    But back to work for me. I conjured mana bolts, sending them here and there and making darkness mana into random shapes. Perhaps I should throw some other shapes too. Did it make a difference if I threw a bullet? Perhaps it would take less mana.


    I tried that. There really was less mana needed. But it also did less damage. The amount of mana used seemed to have more of an impact than the shape it made. But I wanted to try other shapes anyway.


    So I made a car of Darkness mana and crashed it against a boulder. That was surprisingly effective. Then I tried a truck. Alice looked at me rather strangely when I conjured a twenty wheeler truck and sent it towards some seaweed. I had run out of boulders to throw things at.


    The truck wasn¡¯t even effective against the plants. There was a lot of mana in it, nearly all I had. But the wheels were the only part that actually struck the seaweed. And with how big it was, there was very little mana in each part of it.


    This really did look stupid, didn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I¡¯m just bored.¡± I assured Alice. ¡°Miss Emily said I should spend my mana and get it back over and over again just to get better at mana sensing.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Alice nodded slowly, looking at me like she couldn¡¯t decide if I was in my right mind. I swear this was actually helpful.


    ¡­but perhaps I should not be conjuring things from another world. That did seem like a good idea.


    The night came. I went to sleep, and by the time I woke up I was strongly considering just heading to the city myself. After having breakfast, I did just that. If Alice minded, she did not say a thing.


    I did consider waiting around for Elena, but¡­there was little need to. The girl had already made a bunch of friends and was spending time with them. The smile on her face made it seem like she was enjoying it.


    I couldn¡¯t really see myself joining her though. Talking about random things for hours just seemed boring to me. But I suppose that''s what she wanted.


    I pushed Blade mana onto my feet, running as fast as I could. My surroundings blurred around me as I ran, reaching speeds that I could scarcely even imagine running at. If I had the Water element, I would be even faster. Or even Air.


    Blade mana was fast, but Air was faster, especially underwater. The rest of the journey still took me nearly half an hour. But I got there. The city guards stared at me as I came to a stop just before the wall, their spears pointed at me as they seemed to consider whether they should strike.


    I ignored them, looking for the hole in the wall instead. The thing probably wasn¡¯t that far. The wall just looked a bit too same from the outside. I couldn¡¯t tell which part of it I was in. The guards continued to point their spears at me as I walked, looking like they were ready to strike.


    But none did. I was starting to wonder if this was normal, or if they were trying to threaten me. I could already feel my mana cloak twitch at the spears pointed at me. Darkness and Blade mana both disliked it.


    Darkness wanted to destroy the threat. Blade thought it was a challenge. I just conjured a shield around me. Picking a fight with a bunch of Rank 1s following orders wasn¡¯t on my schedule today. That just sounded like it would bring me trouble.


    I walked beside the wall, trying to find a hole through the wall until I found the actual gate. A large thing that was nearly as tall as the wall itself with little pointy things emerging across its body. There were guards stationed outside it, who immediately turned to point their spears at me.


    Oh, great. This was the wrong direction.


    I turned around, deciding not to deal with the guards. There was little point in doing that. So I just started walking away. An explosion of mana behind me put an end to my hopes of actually pulling that off. I could tell that something was up by now. The guards were just too focused on me. I turned around, conjuring bolts of darkness as I got ready to face whatever trouble had found me.


    A Rank 2, dressed in what was basically a better looking version of the guard¡¯s uniform was staring at me. Mana exploded out of him in a way that looked like he was trying to show off.


    ¡°Do you want something?¡± I asked him, conjuring more bolts. Now I had more mana put in the bolts around me than he had in his mana cloak.


    The Rank 2 gulped at my unspoken threat, but did not back down. ¡°The City Lord would like to extend an invitation.¡±


    ¡°An invitation?¡± I stated. And that was how he decided to deliver it?


    ¡°A get-together has been held in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion this night. You are expected.¡±


    I just stared at him.


    The Rank 2 gulped, looking more nervous by the second. How easy. This guy would not have survived a second back on Earth. The security guards were the first ones people used.


    ¡°Does the City Lord usually send his invitations as threats?¡± I asked lightly, making sure my voice wasn¡¯t raised. But it wasn¡¯t silent either. There was little reason for it to be loud. The city was more than silent for even a normally spoken sentence to be clear.


    And it was just more threatening when the person you were facing was calm about it.


    The Rank 2 looked terrified, taking a step back as if he wanted to run away from me. So he probably hadn¡¯t asked for this either.


    How great. That left me with a real problem. How did I respond to this? Did I just let it go? Even a fool could tell that wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    The reason I had any say was because I was a Rank 3. Act weak, and they would roll over me. But showing off my power against these people wouldn¡¯t accomplish much. And I couldn¡¯t forget that I might not be able to beat them.


    I had more mana than them, but that did not mean I would just win. Connor had barely used mana against me. Heck, he had just used mana shaping once. And he was still such a threat. This was a trained Rank 2. I had to be careful.


    I walked up to him slowly. With each step taken heavily, like I was about to kill someone. The Rank 2 sent blade mana across his body to defend himself, looking more nervous by the second. I could barely keep my expression from showing my own nervousness. Blade mana at such a small distance was dangerous.


    But I had little choice. I had to make sure I did this right.


    Walking up to him, I looked him in the eye, conjuring more mana bolts with every second until we were surrounded by them. Then I lifted my hand.


    The Rank 2 gulped as I dropped my hand onto his shoulder. But he did not attack.


    ¡°Well then,¡± I said, giving him my most threatening and confident smile. ¡°I suppose I shall simply have to ask this City Lord of yours. Perhaps it will be entertaining.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI am sure it will be, my lord. The City Lord is known to host very entertaining get-togethers.¡± the Rank 2 said.


    I couldn¡¯t hold back my scoff at that. If it was called a get-together, it wasn¡¯t going to be entertaining. This was a function where people came because they wanted something from each other. Or just wanted to get an idea of what the other person was up to. I had been to too many not to know.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure it will be.¡± I said, walking towards the gate. ¡°Are you going to stop me?¡±


    The guards quickly shook their heads. I looked at the gate. That did not look like something I should try breaking. Even if I somehow did it, the royal knights probably won¡¯t like it. So I just jumped over it.


    Blade mana let me jump high, hitting the top of the gate at once. Then I just jumped down on the street. A street I thankfully recognized. This was the very road that led to the awakened district. So if I just headed through that road on the right, I should reach Miss Emily¡¯s place.


    And I had a lot that I really did want to speak to her about. Even a few questions that may need asking.


    The City Lord was from the House of Life. So was Miss Emily. The Witch in Green should know something about what was going on, shouldn¡¯t she?


    Or was this part of her plans?

 1 week break due to exams

    Hello!


    I am sure some of you have noticed that my schedule has been pretty bad lately. That is largely due to the fact that I have been sick, and then had my exams. I was able to write a bit during the quiz, but with the more descriptive exams going on I don''t really have the time. As such I am taking off this week so I can give them properly.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I hope you are not too disappointed. See you guys next week!


    ...what else can I write to get to 500 characters? Did I mention the schedule? That is monday to friday. I have been following it mostly (except some bonus chapters here and there) but just in case people hadn''t noticed yet.

 Chapter 49 - A difficullt conversation.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s invited you to a get-together.¡± Miss Emily said, resting her head on her hand as she lay on the sofa. The clinic was empty. I found that very suspicious. And that wasn¡¯t even all that was suspicious.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡± I noted dryly.


    Miss Emily raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Are you?¡±


    I just stared at her. ¡°Of course. I was quite surprised by the welcoming committee waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t expect the City Lord to call for you? Did you really think that he would just leave you alone?¡± Miss Emily actually looked surprised by that, staring at me with shock clear on her face.


    ¡°I¡­not like this.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect then?¡±


    ¡°A few quests to see if I was serious, perhaps a few supporters placed to gain my trust -¡±


    ¡°You overestimate them. And yourself. The City Lord and Guild Heads aren¡¯t here because they are capable. They are here because their family didn¡¯t want to see their faces anymore. The kind of planning you are speaking of is played between dukes and emperors.¡±


    ¡°Where every player has a dozen tricks up their sleeve and a single offense can lead to war. This is an unnamed town under a lake. You are just a Rank 3. The City Lord is afraid of what stands behind you, not of you. Why would he be afraid of someone that does not pose a threat? Do you think you can defeat a Rank 4?¡±


    I winced. That did make sense. And I had considered that point of view. I just hadn¡¯t expected him to be so forceful about it after being quiet for so long.


    ¡°But why make an enemy of someone he does not need to?¡± I asked as a shift in the mana drew my attention. A shift that seemed too small to have actually been sensed by me, and yet I did it anyway. There was something helping me. A power present in this place, perhaps.


    Miss Emily¡¯s eyes looked behind me as I tensed, sensing the shift grow until it became an actual presence. A powerful presence that I did not recognize.


    ¡°Cause he is a fool, ain¡¯t that right?¡± she asked, smiling as she acted like she hadn¡¯t sensed the presence. I followed her lead. Calling the presence out would be foolish. That person thought they were being sneaky. And they seemed powerful.


    Telling them that we knew their presence might cause them to attack instead of just sneaking around.


    ¡°Now, I presume ain¡¯t got any other clothes?¡± Miss Emily asked, raising both eyebrows as she looked at me. I looked down at my body, staring at the clothes that I had been wearing since I arrived here.


    Not a bit of dirt on them. I was sure they cleaned themselves magically. But they still weren¡¯t appropriate for a ¡®get-together¡¯.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where I can get them?¡±


    Miss Emily opened her mouth, her eyes shifting once more to look right behind me. I tried not to tense. I hadn¡¯t noticed a difference in the presence, but I was sure Miss Emily was better at this than I was.


    How was I sensing them, anyway? I couldn''t even sense Elena when she used her spell to hide, but now I was suddenly sensing this powerful presence? I couldn¡¯t tell just how powerful, but they had more mana than me. That much I was sure of.


    ¡°The City Lord.¡± Miss Emily said after a long pause. ¡°The boy sells clothes if asked. For three golds a piece.¡±


    I coughed. ¡°Three golds?! That¡¯s¡ªis there perhaps a cheaper option? A tailor in town, perhaps?¡±


    Miss Emily gave me a sad smile, her eyes widening as she shook her head. I frowned, unable to understand what she was trying to say.


    ¡°There ain¡¯t no tailors in town.¡± she declared. ¡°At least none that can serve you, your grace.¡±


    I looked at her in confusion, wondering what she was getting at now. There was clearly something she was hinting at, but could not say because of the uninvited guest. This was a really bad time for a guest to come.


    I had a few questions for her myself.


    Miss Emily groaned, rolling her eyes as she stood up. ¡°I am sure I can find something that would please you, your grace. I do not have much to give, but I am sure not many would dare judge a royal. After all, do we all not live to serve the royal family?¡±


    I tilted my head. More words. More hints about what she actually wanted to say. What I heard was just the words ¡®royal family¡¯ over and over again. I paused, going over my thoughts once more.


    Miss Emily had mentioned the words ¡®royal family¡¯ over and over. Was someone from the royal family spying on us? Or maybe the royal knights? I gulped. This was bad. If the Old Lady had found me, well, she would not hesitate to kill off someone that could threaten her son.


    Or maybe it was Lord Adrien, or one of his supporters. That was¡­better. And made more sense. Perhaps they had reached a decision in that meeting of theirs.


    I simply smiled like I knew what she was talking about, still trying to piece it together.


    ¡°Please, come with me.¡± Miss Emily said, leading me into her office. I followed, trying to sense if the presence had followed.


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    The second she closed the door, the presence seemed to grow stronger, Miss Emily going very, very still as we waited for something to happen. Then it disappeared.


    Miss Emily stood there for a second, as if making sure the presence wasn¡¯t returning before she spoke.


    ¡°Is it gone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± the woman said, sighing. ¡°I suppose they lost interest.¡±


    ¡°Who was that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Miss Emily answered.


    I just stared at her. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the impression you gave outside.¡±


    Miss Emily rolled her eyes as she walked to her chair and sat down. ¡°Have a seat, I am sure you have questions.¡±


    I looked at her, warily taking a seat. ¡°A few. But first, who was that?¡±


    Miss Emily sighed. ¡°I really do not know.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you make such comments before?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Cause Story magic told me to.¡±


    I froze, staring at her as I tried to make sure that I had heard right.


    ¡°Did you not have a conversation with my ¡®cousin¡¯?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°So you already know about it.¡±


    ¡°Know?¡± Miss Emily scoffed. ¡°I think you shall find that I know far less than I claim to. But yes, I did guess he would do something like this.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at her as she continued.


    ¡°I wanted to see how your Story would react. And I think you will find that it is far easier to let someone else describe you when your own tale is as confusing as mine.¡±


    ¡°And perhaps you would rather not lie too? After all, I did have to gain this information from elsewhere. You would not be responsible if some of it was false.¡±


    ¡°That is helpful, yes¡± she said as she leaned forward. A teacup and kettle appeared out of somewhere onto the table before her.


    I stared at her for a few seconds, wondering where I should even start.


    ¡°So you¡­know about Stories?¡± I began.


    ¡°Know?¡± Miss Emily laughed. ¡°I think I just told you that I have one, young prince. Why it is the reason I am what I am.¡±


    I leaned forward. The woman was being far more open than I had expected her to be, and I intended to take advantage of it.


    ¡°The Witch in Green.¡± I stated.


    ¡°That is what my Story was called, yes.¡± Miss Emily said. ¡°I go by Miss Emily now.¡±


    I looked at her, trying to convey my confusion with my expression.


    Miss Emily just laughed at that. ¡°Oh, you really do know so very little about Story magic, do you not?¡±


    I continued staring at her. ¡°And I suppose you are going to teach me?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± she said. ¡°Just like I do not know why I said what I did outside, and how I do not know the answers to your questions. At least most of them. Story magic isn''t big on answers, if you haven¡¯t gathered that yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that does seem like something it does.¡± I asked, still suspicious. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this is all Story magic¡¯s doing? That you didn¡¯t plan any of it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have plenty of plans.¡± she said. ¡°I am the Witch in Green, the Duchess that cannot cast a single spell. I have but two powers, and they are planning and knowing things I should not. Story magic may give only a feeling, but even that can be more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Even if it is annoying to have to act like you had a plan all along.¡±


    Miss Emily poured the contents off the kettle into the teacup and then gulped them down in one breath.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    Miss Emily looked at me with an expression that seemed to hold far too much sadness. ¡°I think you shall understand that in time. Or perhaps I shall explain it to you. But not now.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice as she stood up. Was some convenient excuse just gonna pop up from somewhere?


    ¡°The party is in five minutes.¡± she declared.


    ¡°The party isn¡¯t till tonight.¡± I noted. So there really was an excuse. I wasn¡¯t sure I was buying her ¡®Story magic planned this¡¯.


    ¡°And it is almost 6.¡± she said, pointing to the clock. ¡°That¡¯s nighttime in the Continent of Life.¡±


    I turned to look at the clock, and of course, it really was five minutes to six. I stared at it for a few more minutes, wondering if Miss Emily had planned it like this. I just couldn¡¯t figure her out.


    Just about every time I tried to make headway with her, I just seemed to have more questions.


    ¡°Did you make this happen with Story -¡± I stopped, gaping at the woman. And what she was wearing. ¡°How did you change clothes so quickly?¡±


    In the seconds I had been looking away, she seemed to have become a different person. The old clothes that barely seemed to hold themselves together were gone. So was the tired face.


    In its place was a face that could have belonged to a grandmother, but only if that grandmother was a queen. For that was how she looked. An old queen that really loved the color green.


    Miss Emily was dressed in a long, glittering ball gown made of what had to be some form of magical material. The kind that didn''t stick to her body, even in this place. A ball gown made of forest green that came with two pairs of very long gloves in a slightly darker shade of it. A staff was held in one hand, made of what looked like old wood.


    I was more than surprised that this attire had just appeared on her in seconds.


    ¡°If you are supposed to have a power, then you have it. That is a rule of Fae magic.¡± she said. ¡°I am supposed to be a witch of many forms. And so I am. Now come, I fear there is little time to change. And I am sure you need to prepare before this get-together.¡±


    I followed her, realizing that I had once again lost all initiative when dealing with her. That seemed to happen a lot too.


    ¡°Wait, why are you coming with?¡±


    sc


    In a room in the Alchemist Guild. A boy with blonde hair looked at the mirror with a blank expression on his face.


    ¡°Come now.¡± another boy said, running a comb through the previous boy¡¯s hair. This boy had white hair and purple eyes that paired well with the cruel smile that occupied his face.


    ¡°I need you to make an expression, my dear, or my dear brother will not be fooled. I do need you to get close to him, you know?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lord Leif.¡± the blonde haired boy replied in a voice that could have belonged to a robot.


    A slap rang across the room as Leif glared at the boy, mana pouring out of him and into the boy¡¯s head. ¡°Do it properly. I do not like failure.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord.¡± the boy replied, a smile appearing on his face as he replied. ¡°I shall do what you ask of me.¡±