The Witch and The Overlord

The Witch and the Sorcerer
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/27431674.
Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Relationship: Satoru/Renner (one sided for now), Ainz Ooal Gown |
Momonga/Renner
Character: Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, Keno Fasris Invern | Evileye, Alysanne
(Second princess of Re-Estize), Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, Gazef
Stronoff, Ramposa III (Overlord - Maruyama Kugane), Brain Unglaus,
Tsaindorcus Vaision (PDL), Rigrit Bers Caurau, Hilma Cygnaeus,
Suzuki Satoru, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, Arche Eeb Rile
Furt, Fluder Paradyne
Additional Tags: No Nazarick, Solo Ainz, no world domination, Ainz is known as Satoru,
No OC Player, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2020-11-07 Updated: 2023-08-05 Words: 216,348 Chapters:
39/?
The Witch and the Sorcerer

by ZeroSenpai
Summary
A confused Overlord arrives in a New World lost and alone; see how he will deal with all
kind of situations while becoming the obsession of a certain Witch Princess whose destiny
will be changed forever by a chance encounter!
Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
{Change of location, time or POV}
See the end of the work for more notes

The Witch meets the Sorcerer
Chapter Notes
This is one of the strangest ideas to come to my mind. At first, I was like “no, it
couldn’t happen,” but after getting some more information about certain characters, I
now think it is doable. This is just a side project of mine, so it will be updated
irregularly. Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The girl ran through the dark alleys. Her white noble dress torn in different places. Her long golden
blonde hair shining in the darkness. Her sky-blue eyes looked carefully behind her to see if
someone was following her. She turned around just in time to see the wall in front of her. She
turned right and immediately crashed into something soft and dark. She bounced back from the
collision, but before she could fall, a hand grabbed onto her and helped her to find her balance once
more.
The girl looked up only to see a giant of a man… or at least she thought it was a man, judging from
his shoulders’ width. He wore a beautiful regal dark gown with purple borders, a hood covered his
head and a mask was on his face. The mask was black with no features apart from the two
sapphires placed where the eyes should be.
“Are you okay miss?”
His deep voice asked. The girl had to raise her head as much as her body allowed her. He was
almost two meters tall and she was just seven years old.
“Yes.”
She said after a moment of hesitation. The man removed his gloved hand from her back and looked
around before his eyes fell on her once more.
“It is dangerous for such a young beautiful girl like you to wander around these dark alleys. Where
are your parents?”
He asked, the girl’s face morphed into a pained expression as a voice echoed in her head.
“I don’t have time for this Renner”
“Renner, girls shouldn’t think about these things. You must think about being proper and good”
Her parents never thought much of her or at least they saw only what they wanted to see, a perfect
silent princess.
“Uhm… what about brothers or sisters?”
The man asked again and more pain filled her chest.
“You think you are so special just because you are smarter than anyone else! Insolent brat!”
Her sister’s words came back to her mind, followed by her brother’s.
“With such a good visage you will be a perfect bargaining tool”
Tears threatened to come out of her eyes, but she forced them back. She swore to never cry again,
to never care again for something in this worthless world.
“Now now, don’t cry. It isn’t fitting for such a beautiful girl to cry.”
The man said as he rubbed her head with his gloved hand. Renner’s eyes widened. No one ever
comforted her. No one ever rubbed her head like this. Her father was the king and her mother was
just a noble, who thought herself mighty just for being able to procreate with the king.
“Now, why don’t you show me a smile?”
The man asked. She looked up and suddenly remembered she didn’t know how to smile or at least
how to truthfully smile. She smiled a lot when she put up an act so fake smiles weren’t a problem,
but a true one was different. She tried to set the extremities of her mouth upwards.
“O-okay it will do for now. Uhm… how about you tell me what troubles you?”
She hesitated. No one really ever asked her what she thought about something. Revealing her
personal thoughts to strangers wasn’t a smart move, but he had been really kind to her, so she could
at least tell him something not too specific. She told him about her life. How her parents were
always busy and never cared to check on her. How her brothers and sisters looked at her with envy
for her mind. How she couldn’t get along with any boy or girl her age.
He listened, but Renner couldn’t read his expression thanks to the mask. When she finished her
story, he nodded in understanding.
“I see, you are a noble then. If what you told me are your personal considerations about these
people, you are indeed very smart. Remember that the lives of the ones gifted with such talents are
often lonely lives. To be able to sustain such a thing at your age, I must admit, is quite
praiseworthy. I admire your perseverance.”
At his words, her heart began to beat faster and faster. No one ever said they liked her, let alone
admired her. Maybe some nobles, who tried to get a link to the royal family did, but she could read
through their lies like an open book. For him, a stranger who didn’t know who she was to say such
a thing was mind blowing.
“What is your name sir?”
She mustered up the courage to ask him a direct question. He looked down at her.
“Oh, I’m Satoru, a magic caster.”
He said. To give only a name would mean he was a commoner, but looking at his clothes, it
couldn’t be. Now that she looked more closely, she could say that those clothes were of incredible
quality and a mere commoner couldn’t afford them even after a lifetime of work. His name was
strange too, surely not from the Kingdom. Maybe the Theocracy? Since he said he was a magic
caster, that was probable.
Realizing it would be rude not to introduce herself, she tried to calm her shaky legs and gave an
elegant bow.
“My name is Renner.”
She presented herself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Renner. Now can you tell me why you are here?”
She thought about lying, but she didn’t see the point anymore.
“I escaped from my guards. I wanted to see what there was outside of the city walls for the first
time in my life.”
“Ah curiosity, another really admirable trait. I would love to show you, but since you escaped from
your guards it would be better to return you.”
She beamed at his compliment and wasn’t too mad at his decision to return her. It was the most
logical thing for an adult to do after all.
“Where are you from, Mr. Satoru?”
She asked the question that was on her mind for sometime now, but before he could answer, a
shout rang through the air from behind her.
“PRINCESS!”
She turned around to see a part of her escort running towards her. They were three knights. One of
them grabbed his sword and pointed it at Satoru.
“RELEASE THE PRINCESS THIS INSTANT!”
Renner rolled her eyes before realizing that once she resolves this misunderstanding Satoru will go
his way and she will return to the castle. She couldn’t allow that. Not with the only person who
made her feel that beautiful warm sensation in her chest.
“Knights, stop right there! I’m Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, third princess of the Re-
Estize Kingdom, and you are pointing your swords toward the man who saved me from a
kidnapper!”
The knights hesitated a moment before lowering their weapons. The knight who was ready to
attack Satoru moments ago bowed his head to him.
“Thank you for your help Sir. I would be glad if you could follow us to the castle with the
princess.”
Satoru seemed to be in deep thoughts for some seconds before nodding in acceptance. Renner
internally smirked and the new warm sensation came back to her chest.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
If Suzuki Satoru said he was confused, he would be lying. He was totally lost. First, he was sitting
on his throne in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, waiting to be forcefully removed from the game. The
next thing he knew, he had been transported to a grass plain with his throne. Back then, he had
been completely lost and stayed there for quite some time trying to understand what just happened.
When he finally came to the conclusion that this was not a normal situation, he finally tried to
move around. Fortunately for him, the Throne of Kings went to his inventory once he stood up
from it.
To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He had two World Class Items with him and
the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, that was almost a World Class Item itself. He flew around trying to
understand where he was and if it was one of the nine realms of Yggdrasil. It was this careless
flying around that caused his first meeting with the inhabitants of the place.
Well, he wasn’t exactly the most careful person, but in that situation, anybody would just jump at
the opportunity to ask for information.
He approached a group of humans, asking them if they could answer some of his questions. The
conversation didn’t even begin before they started panicking, summoning stupidly low tier angels
and casting low tier spells on him. Since the attacks didn’t even damage him, Satoru tried to
approach them peacefully once more, only for them to attack him again. In his irritation, his
Despair Aura V activated and instantly killed some of them. After that, they summoned a mid-tier
angel, but he just obliterated it with a spell. After that display, they were finally willing to answer
his questions. They didn’t have information about what happened to him, but they gave him
important information about his surroundings and the various nations.
It came out that they were part of some religious fanatic nation and even Satoru could tell that if he
let them go, they would report him. He didn’t want to have some nation hunting him down, so he
used his Despair Aura to finish them off and disposed of the bodies with a fire spell.
He felt nothing for what he had done. After all, they tried to kill him too. It would be days after this
event that he finally understood the mechanic of his Emotional Suppression.
After that first disastrous encounter, he began to wear gear to hide his undead nature, since it
seemed to trigger aggressive acts from the majority of beings.
He explored the lands of the so called Re-Estize Kingdom for the next two weeks until he reached
the capital. He planned to stay there for some days and gather information. Maybe he could get
some cash by opening a magic items shop. After all, he could enchant items. Not to high levels, but
from what he saw, he should be able to satisfy any customer.
He was finally stabilizing himself after days of doubts and hesitations when he met the diabolic
smiling girl, now diabolic smiling princess. She bumped into him, they spoke for a while and
seeing how he made her almost cry, he tried to compliment her and made her smile. He should
never have done that. The smile she gave him was one that would haunt him in his dreams for
years. It was a lucky thing he couldn’t sleep. From there she had been named diabolic smiling girl
and after the revelation diabolic smiling princess.
And now he was lost once more as he was escorted through the castle to meet the king. It was in
moments like this, that his Emotional Suppression could be considered a blessing.
The guards stopped him behind the doors that led to the throne room and asked him to wait there
while they entered with the princess. He waited there for a few minutes before he was instructed to
enter. He walked through the double doors and entered the throne room. It was nothing compared
to the one in Nazarick, but that was to be expected. Awaiting him there was a man whose hair was
turning grey, seated on a throne; next to him there was a man around Satoru’s age wearing armor
and other figures he imagined were nobles, judging by their clothes. He tried not to show weakness
or fear as he walked toward the center of the room.
“Greetings your majesty, I am Satoru, a traveling magic caster.”
Satoru introduced himself, respectfully bowing his head.

“Tsk, stupid commoner. Didn’t even kneel, and worse yet, did so without removing that stupid
mask.”
Thanks to his enhanced hearing Satoru heard the comment of the man seated next to the king. He
seemed to be around 18 years old and had blonde hair.
“Sir Satoru, I’m Rampossa III, King of the Re-Estize Kingdom. I heard from my daughter how you
heroically saved her from a criminal. Such noble action is surely befitting of praise and a reward.”
The king made his statement with a faint smile as he looked at Satoru
‘Is he amused by me?’ Satoru thought.
“Surely you jest, your majesty. That was no noble action. It was just the right thing to do in that
situation. I don’t need a reward.”
‘Just leave me alone already~’ He thought desperately. The young, blond man scowled at him.
“Ah, I must insist. Your words show me that you have a kind soul. Still, to be at ease with myself,
I must reward someone as devoted to others’ safety as you.”
The king insisted. It would be rude to refuse once more, so Satoru just tried to get the best out of it.
“If his majesty says so, I must accept your kind offer. I came to this city to open a new shop where
I will sell magic items and enchant items for any man who may need them. I was looking for a
place to set up my business. Could his majesty provide such a location for me? It doesn’t have to
be a great site, just a small place to begin with.”
The king nodded and whispered something to the armored man beside him, who nodded.
“It shall be granted. Before you leave us, I am curious to know what kind of magic caster you are
Sir Satoru.”
The king asked, narrowing his eyes on him.
“I am an arcane magic caster of the fifth tier.”
As he said those words, the room erupted into whispers and some shouts. The fifth tier was the tier
of the thirteen heroes, the pinnacle of humanity. The blond man next to the king rose from his seat,
instantly becoming enraged at the magic caster’s bold deception.
“To lie so shamelessly in front of the king! It is grounds for execution, you commoner!”
Satoru didn’t respond. He simply vanished and appeared in front of the young man, scaring him,
before reappearing in his former location.
The room was stunned into silence, before a man advanced a few meters toward Satoru and then
turned to the king bowing.
“I am the guild master of the Magician Guild. This man speaks the truth. What he just used was the
5th tier spell [Teleportation]. To use it without incantations and with such speed, I must say, he has
truly mastered the art.”
The king nodded in acknowledgment.
“Can you remove your mask and tell us where you are from Sir Satoru. The Empire, perhaps?”
The king asked narrowing his eyes on him once more.
“Ah, I must kindly refuse to remove my mask. You see your majesty, one of my order’s laws is that
once we receive our enchanted masks, we shall never remove them. If we do, we shall be
forbidden from using magic ever again. The land I come from is a far away land to the east. When
I left, it was being torn apart from a civil war. I don’t even know if it exists anymore.”
“The Warrior Captain will show you the way to your new shop, Sir Satoru.”
The king said, nodding towards the armored man around Satoru’s age.
The voice of the Magician Guild’s guild master suddenly called out.
“Please wait a moment Sir! We can offer you an honorary position in the council of the Magician
Guild! A caster of your caliber would surely be welcomed in the Guild!”
“I’m sorry sir, but I must decline. I prefer to conduct my studies and business alone. And besides,
I’m only 27. I would like to see more of the world before settling down and teaching, but if you are
in need of my service, you can come to my shop.”
As he said those words, the guild master gasped in shock.
“Only 27… and capable of such magic…”
He muttered in disbelief.
{Renner’s room}
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
“Good night princess.”
Said the maid as she closed the door.
“Good night.”
Answered Renner. As soon as the sound of the maid’s steps couldn’t be heard anymore, Renner
jumped down from her bed. She was enthusiastic about this day and surely couldn’t go to sleep so
easily. She brought her tiny hand to the top of her head where Satoru rubbed her. A smile appeared
on her face. The warm sensation in her chest already faded by the time she went to bed, but now
that she thought back about those moments in the alley, a little ember reignited inside her.
‘I need more. I want more.’
The sensation she craved so much. The sensation only he could give to her,
‘Yes, it shall be so.’ She decided.
In her room that night, she swore she would make Satoru hers, no matter the cost. That beautiful
warmth shall be hers, no matter what.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled the same way she did when Satoru asked her
to.
“Yes, I will smile. I will only smile. This smile is only for you Satoru…”
Chapter End Notes
Here it is. Of my many side projects, this was worth posting. Please leave a review and
let me know your thoughts.
The Sorcerer's first day
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Thank you, a lot, for your support. I didn’t expect it. To be honest, I never imagined
something that went so out of line would be appreciated.
Well, I’m happy to know that a lot of people are as tired as me about these OC stories.
Truly, imagination is dead.
Also, one last thing. For all of you who want the updates to be soon, I will repeat this
just once more. This is a side project. I will write a chapter when I have free time and
I’m not in the mood for my other story. That said, enjoy!
Satoru was following the Warrior Captain through the streets of the capital; it was really different
from what he saw before he met Renner. There were no poor people on the border of the street and
no shady figures walking in the alleys. This was probably one of the rich districts of the city where
guards patrolled 24/7. To reinforce his deduction, there was the quality of the buildings that
weren’t even comparable to what he saw before.
“I’m grateful for what you have done.”
It was the Warrior Captain that broke the silence.
“If I knew that would happen, I would have teleported away after returning the princess to her
guards.”
Satoru answered with a sincere tone, which brought a little smile on the man’s face.
“Not a man of politics, are you?”
He asked with sarcasm. Satoru chuckled before replying.
“Yes indeed.”
They continued to walk in silence for a few more minutes before stopping in front of a building. It
was of good quality. It was, in majority, composed of red bricks and had two floors. It was one of
the many buildings on the side of a great square.
“Here we are sir. This is the high district of the city and the square you see is the Great Square of
Rampossa I, the first king of the kingdom. This square is the major main market of the city.”
The Warrior Captain explained. Satoru nodded as he noticed that many buildings around the
square were shops of various luxurious goods.
“Thank you for your services, Captain.”
He said and bowed his head in respect. The man seemed taken aback by his gesture.
“To think there were humble magic casters… where have you been all this time, Sir? By the way,
there is no need to thank me. And please, call me Gazef.”
The Warrior Captain said, prompting a nod from Satoru.
“Ah, then please call me Satoru, Sir Gazef. And remember if you are ever in need of any magic
items or enchantments, please visit my shop.”
Satoru said. Gazef took a key from his pocket and passed it to Satoru.
“I will trouble you when the time comes. Take care, Sir Satoru.”
He said before walking away. Satoru turned toward the building and used the key to open the door
and entered.
The inside of the building was pretty bland. It surely was large for a medieval building but nothing
impressive. There were only a few shelves here and there. A lamp illuminated the 9 x 7 meters
room. There were some stairs that brought one to the second floor.
He went upstairs and found out that the second floor was divided into several rooms. One was a
bedroom with a window and a desk, another was a storeroom, another was a small living room and
the last one had a few cleaning tools in it.
He returned to the first floor and sighed. There was much to be done.
{Time skip 9 hours}
As the first lights illuminated the Great Square, the merchants opened their shops and the sellers
arrived with their stalls. Everyone noticed the new shop. No one commented about it, but the eyes
of the merchants were fixed on the decorated window that allowed them to look inside.
The building was ownerless until yesterday, so whoever bought it had done the job during the
night. There was no signboard, so no one knew if the new shop was going to be a new competitor.
The only visible thing were the shop counter and various shelves, almost all of them empty, with
few objects exposed.
Unknown to them, the owner of the shop was watching them from the second floor.
‘Why the hell are they all watching my shop? Now even showing myself, while knowing that they
all are looking, would feel embarrassing! Shit!’ As he thought that, Satoru was having an internal
battle to force himself to go down and introduce himself. In the end, he decided it could wait for
another day since it felt really awkward.
He spent the day analyzing his inventory and choosing the various items he could sell without
screaming Yggdrasil to every possible player in this world. He also spent some time selecting a list
of enchantments he was going to sell.
When he finished it, the sun had almost disappeared and the majority of the people had left.
Finally, he felt like descending wasn’t a problem anymore. He went out in the street and only a few
curious people laid eyes on him. He simply ignored them and decided to explore the city a little
more. He couldn’t even walk for a few seconds, before he heard a shout come from behind him.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE IT?”
He turned to see two men arguing next to his shop. One had brown hair and seemed to be in his
mid-thirties. He was the one shouting at the other, who was a blond man with a bushy mustache.
“You are not the only one losing something here! Do you know how many gold coins I lost! The
carriage was assaulted by fucking bandits! There is nothing left! If it was a group of goblins there
could still be something, but they were fucking bandits!”
The blond man shouted back and stormed away. Satoru wasn’t sure if ignoring the event would be
the right choice. The brown-haired man’s expression morphed from one of rage to one of despair.
Satoru sighed and moved toward the man. He would at least hear what the problem was.
“Excuse me, sir.”
He said to attract the attention of the man. Said man turned toward him and his expression
morphed once more but this time, into one of fear.
“M-my apologize my lord! I didn’t mean to disturb you! Please don’t remove me from here! This is
the only place I can sell my work!”
The man cried out. ‘Does he think I’m a noble? And do nobles have the power to do such a thing in
the first place?’. Satoru wondered. Apparently, the man took his silence as a negation of his plea
and lowered his head even more, probably in more despair.
“Ah, no. You misunderstood, sir. I’m not here to remove you. You see, I’m the new owner of this
shop and from what I understood, the one next to mine belongs to you right?”
He tried to sound as casual as possible. The man’s head rose in surprise. Satoru noticed he had tears
in his eyes. His expression seemed confused as he observed Satoru for some seconds before
opening his mouth.
“I-I apologize sir… I made the wrong assumption and made a fool out of myself in front of a new
merchant. And to answer your question, no. While I work in this structure, I don’t own it. I pay a
monthly rent to be able to sell my products here.”
The man explained as his eyes wandered toward Satoru’s new shop.
“I see… Oh, excuse my rudeness. My name is Satoru, a pleasure to meet you.”
Satoru extended his hand to greet the man properly. The man took his gloved hand before
answering.
“You must come from a really far away land. I never heard that kind of name before. I’m Randel
Bollen. I’m a wood carver. My works are usually appreciated by the nobility, a pleasure.”
He introduced himself with a small smile. He seemed to be proud of his job. Satoru nodded. It was
indeed a good thing to be proud of one’s job.
“If I may ask, what was your problem with that man?”
As he asked his question, Satoru noticed the small smile disappear from the man’s face. He
seemed to hesitate before speaking.
“You see, sir, my son is afflicted by a rare, but deadly illness. Every two months I have to buy a
very expensive medicine only produced in the empire. This month the carriage that transported the
medicine was attacked by bandits. The next carriage will arrive in a month time, but I don’t know
if my boy can survive a whole month without that medicine.”
The man explained his situation. Satoru wasn’t particularly taken aback by the story. In his world,
those kinds of stories were common. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel any pity for the man.
‘Helping someone in need is always the right thing to do’ Touch-san’s words came back to his
mind. Yes, he had decided.
“I’m a magic caster. If it can help, I could try to take a look at the boy and see if there is something
that I can do.”
He said. The man shook his head.
“I appreciate the offer, sir. I don’t know how these kinds of things work in your country, but here
the temples fix the prices for the use of healing magic. They could heal my son, but the price they
ask is too high and for the time it would take me to reach that sum my son would already be dead.”
The man explained. Satoru took in that new information and made a mental note to ask more about
it later.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m an arcane magic caster and not a divine one.”
He said. The man watched him confused.
“The only magic I will use will be to understand what illness your son has. The means to heal it
would be totally different from healing magic.”
Satoru explained. The man didn’t seem to be entirely convinced, but he didn’t have much of a
choice and refusing such a free offer would be rude.
“Ok. Please follow me then.”
Randel said as he walked down the street.
They walked for a long time, at least half an hour. They were currently passing through one of the
poor districts.
“We are almost there.”
Randel said to reassure him. Satoru found himself perplexed.
“Excuse me for seeming rude, but I thought you earned quite a lot from your job. May I ask why
you live in the poor district?”
He asked the brown-haired man, who lowered his head.
“Well you see, I would have liked to buy the structure where my shop is located and bring my
family where there is more security, but the rent is 3 gold coins and does not include the second
floor where the living quarters are. It’s true that I could accumulate the sum to buy the whole thing
and that was what I was planning to do, but then my son got that illness and I had to spend 7 gold
coins every two months for his medicine. what remains is just enough for food.”
Randel explained his situation. The silence reigned until they stopped in front of a wooden door.
Randel knocked two times and they waited.
A few seconds later, a woman slowly opened the door. She was young, not even in her thirties yet.
She had blond hair and green eyes.
“I’m home Marietta.”
Randel said with a smile. The woman looked from her husband to Satoru hesitantly.
“Ah, this man, Sir Satoru is a magic caster, who has offered to take a look at Rayne and see if there
is something he can do.”
Randel explained. The woman nodded.
“Thank you, sir.”
She said in a small voice to Satoru. The magic caster nodded.
As they entered the house, Satoru noticed how small it was. There was barely enough space for a
living room with a kitchen and two doors that probably led to two bedrooms. As Randel set down
his stuff, he explained the situation to his wife, whose eyes were beginning to tear up.
“Please Sir Satoru, this way.”
Randel said leading him to one of the doors. The man opened the wooden door to reveal a small
room with just enough space for a bed, a few shelves and a wardrobe. On the bed sat a boy with
brown hair like his father and green eyes like his mother. The boy was reading a book when they
entered his room.
“Welcome home dad.”
The boy said before putting down the book and turning toward them, noticing Satoru's presence for
the first time. His eyes widened in wonder and a bit of fear at the sight of the giant man with a
majestic robe.
“Rayne, this gentleman is Sir Satoru. He will take a look at you today.”
Randel explained to his son. Satoru slowly advanced toward the boy.
“So, you must be the boy your father speaks so much about. Your name is Rayne, right? How old
are you, young man?”
Satoru started the conversation as calmly as possible. The boy nodded. Now that Satoru was closer,
he could notice the unnatural pale skin and a bit of yellow in the boy’s eyes.
“Yes sir! I’m 9 years old! Are you a magic caster?”
The boy asked enthusiastically. Satoru could say he picked up the boy’s interest.
“Yes indeed, now I’m going to use magic to see what illness haunts your body. Please remain still.”
He said as he raised a hand above the boy’s head and cast [Status Analysis]. The boy’s eyes
widened in wonder and delight as he saw the intricate magic circle in Satoru’s hand. This was the
first time Satoru saw a status of an inhabitant of the new world. He could see level and classes. His
state was simply classified as ‘illness’. In Yggdrasil there wasn’t a status like that, but there were
similar ones like poisoned. They were pretty easy to heal since they weren’t a curse.
The magic circle disappeared and Satoru turned toward Randel.
“What are the symptoms?”
He asked. To his surprise the one to answer was the wife.
“He is weak and cannot walk around for long before passing out. He coughs a lot and when he’s at
his worse, he coughs up blood.”
Satoru was no doctor and didn’t even know what kind of illness caused that. He only knew that if it
was a status problem, he could have a solution. He hid his gloved hand inside his robes, before
accessing his inventory and summoning an Extract of the White Root. It was a useless item for him
since he was immune to status changes and he didn’t even remember where he picked it up.
‘Maybe an event or a drop from one of the sporadic invaders?’ He wondered. The bottle was
exactly as he remembered. Similar in form to a healing potion, but with a white liquid inside
instead of red.
“Here, drink this. It should help.”
The magic caster offered the bottle to the boy.
“I don’t want the medicine! Medicine tastes bad!”
The boy said trying to get away from the bottle.
“Rayne!”
His mother cried out and seemed to be ready to punish the boy for his rudeness.
“It’s no problem, ma’am.”
Said Satoru trying to calm down the woman.
“Rayne, do you know how hard your parents work to be able to buy you these medicines? Do you
think it would be fine to waste all their hard work, because you don’t want to take it?”
Satoru asked. The boy seemed to regret his actions and this time accepted the bottle and drank it all
in one go. A white light washed over his body for a second before disappearing.
“How do you feel dear?”
The boy’s mother knelt next to her son. The boy blinked a few times before turning to his mother.
“I feel great! My headache is gone and I feel a lot stronger than ever before!”
The boy said as he jumped down from the bed and walked around his room to the astonishment of
his family.
“Umu, it seems it worked.”
Muttered Satoru.
“Very well. If everything worked as it should have, your illness should be completely gone.”
The mother ran to the son and hugged him as she began to cry in happiness. Satoru couldn’t feel
anything from the scene before him, but he was satisfied that his experiment was a success. When
he heard a sob from behind him, Satoru turned to see Randel with tears running down his face. As
soon as the man noticed Satoru’s gaze, he bowed deeply.
“Sir… no Lord Satoru. May this day be blessed for I have met a true noble of soul. I will forever be
in your debt. Please, ask anything and it shall be done!”
Said the man. Satoru was stunned. ‘Wait… what the fuck is this? I just wanted to test out if
Yggdrasil items worked on people from this world!’ Fortunately, his emotional suppression kicked
in, blocking his rising panic.
“Ah… Uhm… Well I was thinking about commissioning something from you. You see, my new
shop is in need of a signboard. I don’t know if that is within your abilities.”
Satoru said hesitantly. The man raised his head.
“Yes, of course! What would you like to be written on it?”
Randel asked. Satoru thought about it for a moment. Obviously, there was no way he was going to
call it Nazarick Shop or anything related to Yggdrasil. It would be like screaming that a player was
there.
“The Sorcerer’s Shop: Magic Items and Enchantments.”
He finally decided the most medieval name he could come up with.
“Of course, Lord Satoru! It shall be done!”
The man said with passion in his tone.
“Ah… thank you. Also, there is no need to call me lord. Satoru will be enough.”
Satoru said as he felt embarrassed from the title.
“How could I? That is the only way I could address someone as kind as you!”
Satoru mentally sighed as he decided it wasn’t worth arguing any longer.
“Just one more thing. It would be troublesome if people begin to come asking for me to heal them,
as you explained to me when we were coming here. Could you please not speak about any of this
to anyone?”
He asked. Hopefully they would realize it wouldn’t be safe even for them to spread such
information.
“Yes of course.”
Said Randel bowing once more.
“Umu, have a good evening.”
{The following day}

It was around noon when he finally finished placing all his magic items in the shop. During the
whole morning he received glances from curious people outside, but he tried to ignore them.
He ordered his goods in different shelves, divided by type of item and power. He should really
begin to learn the language. It would be really tedious to have to explain every item to all potential
customers.
Earlier this morning, he went out to ask about the exchange rate of this world and he discovered
that it was really weird. 13 copper equal 1 silver, 100 silver equal 1 gold, 10 gold equal 1 platinum.
What the hell was with that exchange rate? Why 13?
As he was still thinking about that, he heard someone knocking at his door. He went to open it only
to find a tired but smiling Randel.
“It’s done, Lord Satoru.”
Satoru wondered for a moment what was he talking about before noticing the big cart behind him.
“Y-you work fast.”
Satoru said calmly, but inside he was a mess. ‘What the hell?! I thought it would take at least 3 or 4
days! I thought I had time to sell some stuff! Now how am I gonna pay for it? Shit!’ As Satoru was
analyzing his situation, Randel spoke once more.
“I worked on it all night. It was the least I could do.”
The man said. Satoru looked at the wooden signboard inside the cart and even if he couldn’t read
the written language, he could understand it was an elegant writing style.
“Ah… a truly magnificent job Sir Randel. How much will it be for your service?”
He asked, but the man simply smiled.
“Nothing, Lord Satoru. You gifted me with something I almost forgot, hope. The hope of a better
life and to finally bring my family away from that place. This can’t even compare with what you
gave me.”
“Are you sure?”
Satoru asked, uncertain about the new development of the situation.
“Absolutely! Now you must excuse me, but I’m going to go home and recover the night I lost and
maybe spend tomorrow with Rayne.”
Satoru nodded, not really listening to him, but using his magic to levitate the signboard from the
cart to place it above his shop. Once it was done, they exchanged farewells and Randel left.
Satoru was left alone there, wondering if everything was finally ready. With a last look to his shop,
he decided it was time to finally open it to the public.
{Renner’s room}
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
Renner always thought of her father as a decent person. While she hated the rest of her family who
despised her back, she never hated her father. To a certain extent, she could understand him. He
was busy and preferred to spend his free time doing something he liked instead of trying to bond
with his children.
Renner could not forgive him for ignoring her, but she was unwilling to hate him. Or at least, that
was the case until a day ago when, to punish her for wandering around without her guards, he had
forbidden her from going outside the castle for a week.
That would be no issue normally, but now that she tasted the forbidden fruit that was that warmth
in her chest, she couldn’t stand to be unable to feel it anymore.
It was like tasting something sweet after eating food that tasted like sand all your life. You would
not miss something you never experienced, but once you did, the desire for more would bury itself
deep inside you.
It has been two days since she last felt that warmth. The lack of it was having strange effects on
her. She felt void and cold. Everyday without it felt like a year. Desire turned into sadness and
sadness into anger.
She never felt so angry for being denied something before. Her blood boiled in her veins. Her little
fists tightened as the same happened to her jaw. She was brought back to reality by the voice of
one of her handmaidens.
“Is everything okay princess?”
One of them asked, Renner realized her fake smile was no longer on her face and forced it back on,
but before she could answer, another one did it for her.
“Of course not, Mary. The princess was attacked by a filthy commoner and saved by another one. I
heard that that filth even dared to turn down the king when he offered him a reward. Also, rumors
say he wears expensive clothes like nobles! Ah, like such scum could compare to us! Even worse,
he is a magic caster. Magic casters are so weak that we don’t use them even as foot soldiers! Truly
a pathetic existence! Ahahahahahah…”
The other noble ladies serving as her handmaidens laughed as well. Renner’s smile threatened to
fall once more as her fists tightened so hard it hurt and her right eye began to twitch. ‘Always
smile! Always smile! As Satoru said,’ she repeated in her mind. She took a deep breath.
“That will be all for today, thank you. You are dismissed.”
She managed to say in a civil tone. The handmaidens proceeded to leave the room. Renner rose
from her seat and locked the door before advancing toward her mirror and opening a drawer under
it. She grabbed a pair of scissors her servant used to cut her hair.
The princess reached her bed and grabbed one of the pillows on it and began to stab it furiously
‘HOW DARE SHE?! THAT LITTLE WHORE! THAT BITCH! LIKE I DON’T KNOW WHO
SHE REALLY IS! THE DAUGTHER OF A NOBLE WHO IS TRYING TO INFILTRATE THE
ROYAL FACTION! I CAN’T KILL HER! NO, I CAN’T! BUT I WILL MAKE HER LIFE
MISERABLE! I WILL DESTROY HER FAMILY! I WILL FORCE HER AND HER MOTHER
TO SELL THEIR BODIES IN THE LOWEST ALLEY OF THE LOWEST DISTRICT! THEY
WILL SUFFER UNTIL THEY CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND KILL THEMSELVES! DIE!
DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!’ She screamed in her head and continued to stab the pillow.
When she was finally done, she looked at the destroyed pillow before throwing it in the fireplace
and watching it burn.
After that, she turned toward her mirror and noticed that her smile never went away. ‘Good,
now…’ She reached under her bed and extracted the dress she wore two days ago, she jumped into
the bed and, once under the covers, she began to sniff the cloth like a dog ‘Satoru smells so
good…’
Chapter End Notes
Well, well, well. Here ends chapter 2. What will happen next? Who knows? Spoiler
alert: Me! Review!
The Sorcerer's Shop
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
A little clarification on Renner. While she is indeed young and malleable (yes, she will
end up being different from her canon self by the time she is 16), she in no innocent
child and already understands certain aspects of society no child should try to even
approach. You don’t get to be able to assassinate someone at 16 without it being
traced back to you not understanding the concepts of death and backstabbing at the age
of 7. For these two contrasting aspects of her character (the mind of a child and the
awareness of what the world is truly like), she is a difficult, but very interesting
character to write.
It’s been two days, 48 hours, 1440 minutes, 86400 fucking seconds! Satoru was truly in a bad
mood right now. Not uncontrolled enough for his Emotional Suppression to kick in, but almost
enough for his Despair Aura to activate.
The reason for his mood were his customers or, to be more precise, the lack of such customers. He
opened to the public 2 days ago. He knew the importance of appearances and so he tried his best to
make his shop have the best external and internal appearances he could come up with. He added
many accessories and decorations. He even asked Randel to write on a blackboard some names of
enchantments he offered. He used his background as a traveller coming from a faraway land to
justify his lack of knowledge of the common written language, but he was painfully aware of the
fact that he will have to learn how to read and write if he wanted to survive in this world.
Right now, he was about to open his shop. It was the third day and he decided that if no one
wanted to come inside, he would be the one to drag them in. As he thought those words, he saw a
lone figure walking through the great square. He was a tall, corpulent man with long dark blond
hair, narrow eyes, and a wide nose. He was wearing steel armor, probably an adventurer. He had
seen some of them in the previous days. Some even looked with curiosity at his shop.
Satoru silently approached the adventurer from behind.
“Good morning good sir.”
He greeted the adventurer turned toward him. He was a man in his middle twenties.
“Ah, uhm good morning.”

He seemed a little bit intimidated by Satoru’s appearance. Or was it his size? Maybe both? Casting
these thoughts aside, Satoru continued with his plan.
“Are you an adventurer?”
The man replied while nodding.
“Yes, I’m Moknach, a gold ranked adventurer from the gold ranked group Rainbow.”
Satoru patted the man’s shoulder in a friendly manner.
“I see. I see. A gold ranked adventurer you say? But you don’t have even a single piece of
enchanted gear with you. This will not do, come this way. Let’s see if something catches your
eyes.”
The magic caster said while escorting the adventurer toward his shop.
“Ah, uhm, sir. I should really-“
The adventurer tried to protest.
“Come on, come on. It will just take a few minutes.”
As he said that, he reached the door of his shop.
“Ah truly, it’s not a matter of time: It’s just… would it really be fine for me to enter such an
expensive looking place? Isn’t this one of the shops only the nobility should be allowed in? I’m no
artist, but even I can see that the signboard alone is a masterpiece. Is it truly ok for me to come
inside?”
The adventurer asked in a worried tone. In the meantime, in Satoru’s mind, a storm of thoughts was
happening. ‘AH?! THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! IS THIS THE REASON NO
ONE CAME INSIDE IN THE PAST TWO DAYS?! NO! NO! NO! IT CAN’T BE FOR THAT
REASON RIGHT?! BUT IT WOULD MAKE SENSE…’ in that moment his Emotional
Suppression kicked in and calmed him down.
“I didn’t know my shop gave out such an impression, but to answer your question, no. This is no
place thought out only for nobles. This shop was created to service adventurers or any other person
who was in need of these services and goods; don’t be shy, take a look.”
With that said, Satoru finally managed to convince the adventurer to enter. The adventurer looked
around in wonder and awe at his many items on the shelves.
“Ah, I bet that as a warrior you would be interested in weapons.”
Satoru said as he grabbed a sword from one of the higher shelves and gave it to the adventurer to
examine. The adventurer looked at the beautiful white sword decorated with carvings on the blade.
“This is a silver sword with the power of fire infused in it. It is the bane of any vampire and is very
effective against undead in general. Of course, the fire magic in it is effective on any enemy who
doesn’t have a natural resistance to said element.”
As he explained, the adventurer’s eyes widened in shock and his hands began to handle the sword
more gently as if he was touching a sacred treasure.
“I see, but surely this sword is immensely valuable, no?”

He asked. Of course, Satoru knew that this was the hardest thing to digest for any customer, the
price.
“Oh well that is one of the most expensive weapons I have here. The price for that is 20 gold
coins.”
As he said that the adventurer’s head snapped towards him, Satoru could swear he heard the sound
of bones cracking.
“O-Only 20 gold c-coins? For such a magnificent weapon! I am no merchant but I would at least
price it 50 coins! I wouldn’t be able to afford it right now but surely a platinum rank would easily
amass the required sum!”
He said as he gave back the sword to Satoru. The magic caster nodded and put the sword where it
previously was displayed, before grabbing another.
“Then, maybe this one? A steel sword infused with ice magic. Not really a great weapon against
undead, but surely effective against the living.”
The adventurer grabbed the new sword and swung it around a bit to feel how balanced it was.
“This one is 5 gold coins.”
The adventurer was once again surprised by the price and seemed conflicted. The blond man
looked at his bag.
“I was supposed to buy some potions for our group today…”
He muttered. Satoru’s enhanced hearing allowed him to hear his words.
“I see you are interested. Tell me, are you going on a quest today?”
He asked. The adventurer looked at him again before nodding.
“Well then, how about this? You will take the sword and try it out, when you return from your
quest, you come back here and tell me if you want to buy it. How does that sound?”
Satoru asked. The adventurer looked at him with his mouth agape, but then a look of what seemed
to be suspicion appeared on his face.
“Why, if I may ask, are you doing all of this? The incredibly low prices? The testing periods?”
Satoru raised his right hand and patted the adventurer on his shoulder once more.
“You see, Sir Moknach, I would tell you that I want to expand my business, or that my intention is
noble, and I simply wanted to better equip the adventurers, the first line of defence against
monsters. All of those would be lies. You see, if there is something I really despise in the world is
the waste of talent. You surely heard the belief that only one in every 100 adventurers can reach
above the gold rank. I believe that to be one of the most foolish statements in the world. I think that
many are born with the talent to reach greatness, but they lack the means to do so. Why should
someone’s talent be wasted because he doesn’t have enough money for the items he needs to reach
greatness?”
As Satoru spoke, the eyes of the adventurer went wide. Satoru noticed it and continued.
“I want to see the adventurers reach their peak. I want them to be as strong as they can and to see if
humanity can once more breech into the level of legends. I want to see if my way can inspire other
fields like education. Think about how many talented people we are wasting because the kingdom
doesn’t give them the possibility to study and improve and instead waste their talent into the fields.
I want to set the future of humanity upon the path to greatness!”
Silence descended as he finished speaking ‘Ah, didn’t it work?’ As Satoru began to wonder if he
went too far with his speech, he saw a new light shining within the adventurer’s eyes.
“To think you had such a goal and I merely thought that you were trying to trick me. I must
apologize from the bottom of my heart. May I know your name, sir?”
The adventurer asked bowing his head.
“Ah, I’m Satoru a magic caster from a land far away to the east.”
The new merchant said.
“Then, Sir Satoru, allow me to accept your offer. I will put this sword to a good use today and
return it tomorrow.”
He said as he placed the sword on his belt, next to the one he already possessed.
“Then I wish you good luck on your quest.”
“Thank you, I wish you the same with your business, let’s meet again tomorrow.”
As Moknach said those words, he left the shop.
Satoru stood still for few seconds before bringing a hand to his face ‘The hell was that? Did he
really get all excited by that speech? C’mon, I just wanted to sell you some stuff! Well, it’s not
exactly false that I want to see how far a human of this world can go, but surely it isn’t my primary
reason and surely, I don’t want to change humanity, The most important thing now it’s money. If I
want to be able to do whatever I want in the future, I will need money!’ Well, the good thing was
that he got so inspired, he will probably spread the word about his shop.
‘Let’s see how it goes in the next days.’
{Time skip: next day}
As he expected, no one entered in his shop after the adventurer exited the previous day. Still, he
was confident he would sell his first item today, so he was in a pretty good mood when he opened
his shop.
He had to wait two hours before he finally saw the adventurer from the day before. What surprised
him was the fact that four other people were following him and behind his group, there was
another 4-person group. All of them entered his shop. The shop wasn’t really that full, but Satoru
felt like it was since he never saw so many people in it.
“Ah, good morning… Sir Moknach and… dear customers.”
The blond adventurer grinned at him.
“Good morning, Sir Satoru. I apologize for my lateness, but after showing the item you gave me to
my group, they insisted to come, and even the group we were working with wanted to come.”
Moknach explained as he drew the enchanted sword.

“So, I imagine you want to buy it.”
Said Satoru.
“Of course.”
Confirmed the adventurer as he put on the counter five golden coins. Satoru grabbed the coins and
put them away before turning to the other adventurers.
They all introduced themselves, but Satoru only grasped some names. He made a mental note to
remember the other group name, Iron Grip, another gold ranked group.
“Pleased to meet you all. Have a look around and ask me if you need anything.”
The adventurers began to look around. The first to ask for his help was the magic caster from
Rainbow.
“Excuse me, are these magic scrolls? I recognize some of them, but not the others. I have no idea
what kind of spells they contain.”
She was a young woman, maybe not even 20.
“Are you an arcane magic caster miss?”
Satoru asked. She nodded.
“Well, these here are all magic scrolls for arcane magic casters. They go from the first tier to the
third, I have fireball, iceball, lightning and many others.”
As he explained the girl’s eyes went wide.
“T-T-Third tier spells in scrolls?!”
The shock on her face was pretty funny.
“H-How much?! How much for a t-third tier spell?”
She asked, her voice trembling.
“It is 50 silver for the first tier, 1 gold coin for the second tier and 2 gold coins for the third tier.”
He explained.
“I-Impossible! In the magician guild first tier scrolls cost around 1 gold coin! Considering the
rarity of third tier casters, this scroll should be around 10 gold coins at least!”
Satoru was a bit tired of her attitude and decided to put an end to that farce.
“Are you going to buy some?”
She looked frenetically in her bag and in an instant launched herself against Moknach.
“MOKNACH! GIVE ME MONEY! THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OCCASION!”
Her teammate was trying to calm her down.
“Militia, I already spent more than yesterday’s pay for this sword. How do you expect me to lend
you money?”
Even after Moknach’s protests, she still continued to insist until one of her companions gave her a
purse. She ended up buying 3 third tier scrolls and 2 second tier scrolls.
“Excuse me, are all of these weapons enchanted?”
Asked one of the members of Iron Grip. To say they were enchanted was quite incorrect. After all,
Satoru didn’t have the data crystals used in enchanting. What he did was just infuse some of his
magic in the weapons and armors. As an arcane magic caster, he could infuse them with the
element of fire, ice and lightning. With his undead status, he could add darkness and, considering
his job classes, he could put in matter, space and time as well. Of course, such a cheap method
didn’t allow for the creation of magical items as powerful as those in Yggdrasil, but he didn’t think
there was someone who could do better than that in this world without data crystals.
“Yes, if you tell me what you are looking for, I will see if I can accommodate you.”
After he helped the adventurers with their gear, another one asked for his help.
“Excuse me, what is this?”
He asked as he pointed at the blackboard with the spells’ names on it. They were all buff spells.
“Ah, those are spells I can cast on you to give you certain buffs. Of course, the price changes for
each spell and for how much time the spells last. There are only 12 hours or 24 hours spells for
now, but I will maybe introduce 6 and 48 hours in the future.”
As he explained the concept, many seemed interested. It was surely an innovative concept.
“But there are so many spells. And to make them last 24 hours? Even 12 would be a great feat on
its own!”
Said Militia, the magic caster. For Satoru, it wasn’t that much of a problem. He just needed to put
more MP in his spells and since they were weak spells, the MP required was far less than those for
higher tiers.
“Do not worry. I’m an arcane magic caster of the fifth tier. It is no problem for me.”
At that statement everyone’s eyes fell on him in amazement. Militia closed the distance between
her and Satoru.
“Do you accept apprentices? Please, I will do anything!”
Satoru wasn’t used to having young women so near to him and his Emotional Suppression
activated.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t feel ready to have apprentices. I’m only 27 after all.”
As he said those words, Militia practically threw her voluptuous body against his, triggering his
Emotional Suppression once more.
“Fifth tier and only 27! Then please marry me!”
Satoru was at a loss. He couldn’t even speak anymore. Fortunately, Moknach came to save him. He
grabbed his companion from behind and pulled her away from Satoru.
“Oi! Stop it already! Do not disgrace our names in front of others! I humbly apologize for her
behavior, Sir Satoru.”
He said as he bowed his head.
“It’s fine.”
Satoru managed to say before trying to return to his previous decorum like nothing had happened.
He ended up selling some more items in the next hour. When everyone finally left, he went to
count how much he got.
23 gold coins and 70 silver coins. A good amount. Surely more than what he initially thought.
He waited a few more hours but as he expected, no one came. Still, he was confident these quiet
days wouldn’t last for much longer. It was impossible to not notice the new gear of two groups.
Surely more will hear about him and what he offered.
It was a past of hours past noon when the door of the shop opened once more.
“Good afternoon dear custo- Oh?!”
On the door frame there was a young boy with brown hair and green eyes. He had a smile on his
face and a book in his arms.
“Rayne?” He asked.
The boy smiled even more and ran at him. Following him inside was Randel.
“Good afternoon Lord Satoru.” He said.
The magic caster felt awkward again at being addressed like that.
“Good afternoon, how are things going?”
“It’s great Lord Satoru. Did you know that in a few months, we will move away from our home
and come to live here next to you!”
The boy said excitedly.
“Oh, I see. You must be quite excited.”
He said as he ruffled the boy’s hair with his large gloved hand.
“He insisted on coming with me today, but I have a lot of customers now. Could I ask you to look
after him for a few minutes? If it is no bother for you of course.”
Randel asked.
“It’s okay.”
Satoru answered since he really had nothing better to do than wait. Randel left his shop to return to
his customers and he and Rayne were left alone.
“Well, I saw that book when I came at your home. You seem to like it a lot, what is it about?”
Satoru asked before the silence became awkward. The boy smiled.
“It is the legend of the Thirteen Heroes from 200 years ago! I always wanted to be like the dark
knight from that story!”
The boy said with shining eyes.
“Oh, I’m from far away so I never heard about that legend. Could you tell it to me?”
Satoru asked. The boy nodded and began to explain how the Evil Deities first appeared and how
they brought grand disaster to the continent. How the Thirteen Heroes became a group and
defeated the Evil Deities and restored peace leaving behind the legacy known as adventurers.
“I see. As a future knight you must be interested in swords. May I show you some?”
The caster asked. Rayne shook his head.
“No, I don’t want to be a knight anymore! I want to be a magic caster like you Lord Satoru!”
He said with passion in his childish tone.
“And why would you want to be a magic caster?”
He asked, curious.
“It’s because I want to be a hero. And a hero is supposed to save people before defeating the
enemy! A magic caster can save people in more ways than a knight. You showed me this, Lord
Satoru!”
He said as admiration shined in his eyes.
“I already asked father to buy me some magic books to begin studying. Will you take me as an
apprentice if I can get better?”
He asked with hope ‘Why does everyone want to become my apprentice? Damn it!’ Satoru looked
in the eyes of the child and didn’t want to crush his hopes.
“I will do so only once you show me how determined you truly are. Remember magic is an exact
art. One error and it will be your downfall. But the risk rewards those who do a fine job. Begin
from the basics and don’t rush it. Take all the time you need.”
The boy nodded as he seemed to memorize every word Satoru said. In that moment the door
opened and Randel entered.
“Lord Satoru, thank you for taking care of Rayne. Come along Rayne, it’s time to go home.”
The boy pouted, but followed his father.
“Bye bye Lord Satoru.”
The boy said as he left the shop. Satoru raised a hand in response.
It would have made no more sense to wait for today, so he closed his shop early and began to
replace the sold goods. He will soon need to find a way to get more materials. Normal parchment
would only contain second tier spells. He would need monster’s skin for higher tiers. As for armors
and weapons, he would have to find a blacksmith and try to arrange an agreement. He sighed. He
had a lot of work to do.
The next day he came down from the second floor as he always did in the morning to open his
shop, but what he found shocked him. Outside his window, he could see a crowd. So many people
he couldn’t count them. They were amassed before his door and some were trying to surpass the
ones before them.
Satoru’s mind was screaming in panic since he didn’t know how to handle so many people at once.
Fortunately, his Emotional Suppression activated and allowed him to think with a cool head.
He went for the door and opened it, but before the crowd could charge inside, he spoke up.
“Dear customers, to give all of you a satisfying service, I would request that only two groups enter
at a time.”
The adventurers seemed hesitant to oblige, but the majority quickly realized that he had a good
point there.
Needless to say, Satoru spent the rest of the day servicing clients. The more time passed, the more
arrived. He could feel his mind was getting exhausted from all of this. ‘I need to find an assistant
and fast. This is not doable alone!’
Once the sun went down, he decided it was time to close the shop and asked the remaining people
outside to come tomorrow. There were a few protests until he decided to take a list of their names
to make sure they were the first to be serviced the next day.
Once he managed to close his shop, he went up to the second floor and collapsed on his desk. After
a couple hours of mental recovery, he decided it was time to count the profit of that day.
186 gold coins and 40 silver coins. That was a lot. Even someone as new to the business as him
could say that much. To tell the truth, he didn’t expect to have such success in so few days. It
seemed people were really desperate to put their hands on some magic items. He also had to
replace all the sold stuff. He had some spares in his inventory, but even with those, he couldn’t go
on for long. He truly needed to find a source of materials. He will close the shop on the weekends
and try to get materials in that time.
The next day, he began to work as soon as the sun was visible. It was around noon when he saw a
group of guards approaching his shop, forcing the people waiting outside to leave. ‘WHAT DO
YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? THOSE ARE MY CUSTOMERS!’ Satoru was about to go
outside and give the guards a piece of his mind when the door opened and he froze. There at the
entrance of his shop stood a short girl with an elegant light blue dress, golden hair and shining blue
eyes. As soon as their eyes met, a diabolic smile appeared on the child’s face, almost too unnatural
for a human being.
“Hello Satoru…”
Chapter End Notes
Best girl Renner is here! Don’t worry, a lot of the next chapter will be around her but I
needed to have Satoru establish his business before anything.
The Witch Visits the Sorcerer
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
New chapter! It’s been some time since I last touched this story and I must say, I
missed it. After all, Continental War has far more serious tones and is difficult to
write. Here I can relax and have fun! Thanks once more to all of you dear readers that
make this writing experience a lot more satisfying. I really enjoy reading all your ideas
and hope to see more of it. It is great fuel to help me write faster. Well without further
ado, let’s have some yandere time with best girl Renner!
Satoru didn’t know how it came to this and he didn’t care for the details. All he knew was that he
now sat on a chair in his little apartment above his shop with a diabolic smiling princess in front of
him, enjoying the cookies and tea he had summoned. The worst thing, above all else, was that they
were alone. The guards didn’t dare to oppose her when she vehemently ordered them to remain
outside.
‘Is this truly fine? To leave your princess alone with a man 4 times her age? Someone she barely
knows?’ He asked himself in confusion, but the most important question remained there. Why the
hell was she there in the first place?
He surely would not ask and give her the occasion to start a conversation. He was happy to remain
silent and wait for her to leave without having to speak a single word.
Unfortunately for him, the princess didn’t have the same idea.
“These cookies are really delicious and the tea’s flavour is magnificent. I didn’t even know such
things could be found in the capital. Or maybe it was you who made them?”
She innocently asked. This time her smile lessened and a curious expression replaced it. To his
displeasure, Satoru noticed how cute she was with that curious expression on her face. Some
seconds passed before he realized she was waiting for his answer. He panicked and said the first
thing that came to his mind. Unfortunately, that specific thing was the actual truth.
“Ah, uhm… I used my magic to summon it.”
He immediately noticed the princess’ expression changed to a surprised one. ‘How in the world can
someone so scary make such cute expressions?’ He couldn’t fathom the answer to his own
question, but then a more pending thought graced his mind. ‘Wait, why is she so surprised? Isn’t
creation magic a thing in this world? I hope I didn’t mess up again. I already have a lot of attention
on me. If people learn I am the only one able to use a new form of magic, I don’t want to know
what could happen…’ As he followed that train of thought, the princess’ expression changed again
into an inexpressive one.
“I see. I never heard of such magic, but to have such an impressive unknown ability, you must
come from far away. How did your first week go here?”
Satoru’s mind went immediately back to reality. ‘I’m grateful she changed the subject, but this
reminds me… You made all my clients leave!’ A bit of irritation returned to him as he slightly
glared at the girl. Not that she could see him behind his mask and even without that, how could a
skull glare?
“Well enough. As any other business, I must first build a certain level of reputation and it seems
the adventurers took a liking to my products. After all, everyone likes something cheap and
effective.”
He surely hadn’t been a manager in his old world, but he knew the basics of economy, market
policies and customer service. The young girl seemed to listen to his words with an exaggerated
attention when compared to the simplicity of the topic.
“I see… so you are taking that route after all… may I know why exactly?”
‘What kind of question is that? Why does a 7-year-old princess concern herself with economy?
What’s the problem with this world?’ He asked himself before returning to the most pending
matter of how to answer her question. Saying the truth would make her see him as a greedy bastard,
but he couldn’t use the false passionate speech he used with the adventurer. Time continued to pass
as silence reigned in the room.
“Satoru?”
She asked with a worried tone.
“Ah… umu… you see, princess. The truth is that… I really love collecting. It is my hobby to
collect any kind of rare and unique things. This world may not seem that great from outside. I
would describe it like a pile of rocks. My objective is to find precious gems between those rocks.
Or to be less metaphorical, talented people. People who are able to do something no one else in the
world is able to, no matter how hard they try. A collection of talents is worth all the work that’s
behind gathering it.”
‘The hell am I saying? I’m looking like a psychopath, who would kidnap children from their cribs
only to see if they are talented?! Please scary princess, don’t call the guards! Don’t throw me into a
cell now that my business is beginning to flourish!’ In his panicked state he didn’t notice the
princess’ expression morphing from one of curiosity, then confusion and then again understanding.
Unknown to Satoru the word talent had a different meaning in this world from what he previously
used it for.
“That’s truly… a magnificent goal I think.”
She said as her eyes seemed to pierce his non-existent soul. Satoru’s mind had just calmed down
through his Emotional Suppression, before she said those words, which caused a new burst. ‘AH?!
I just said the most misunderstandable things since I arrived to this world and all you have to say is
that it is magnificent?! I never studied psychology, but is it possible for a child to be a
psychopath?’ He screamed internally.
“Umu… I’m honored that a princess like you thinks so.”
He said once the Emotional Suppression kicked in. She flashed him one of her smiles, that sent
chills down Satoru’s bony spine.
“Please Satoru, when we are alone, call me Renner. It would be unfair if I’m the only one using
names.”
It seemed more like an order than a request and Satoru wanted to avoid any problems with this
child, so he complied without protesting.
“As you wish… Renner.”
As he said those words the princess’ face flushed red as the fire in the fireplace. She lowered her
gaze to avoid his masked face and looked at the tea.
“This is the first time someone outside my family called me by name. I’m truly happy it was you
Satoru.”
As she said that, something that Satoru thought impossible actually happened. Her lips curved
slightly into a shining and perfect smile, that seemed to spread golden light all around her.
‘Beautiful’ That was the only thing that came to Satoru’s mind in that moment. Unfortunately, it
lasted just an instant before her lips curved even more and the smile became more like an evil grin.
The golden light disappeared, replaced by what seemed a dark miasma. Satoru knew that if he
wasn’t an undead, his mind would have shut down from the traumatic change.
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
She couldn’t stop smiling. It just wasn’t possible. She could feel her blood pump at max speed
through her body. That sensation of ecstasy only comparable to when he touched her. Her body
needed it. It craved for it. If she could have it all day long, she would gladly sign a contract with
the Demon Gods themselves.
Yes, now she was sure of it. All she needed in this world was Satoru. The kingdom, the empire, the
gods and everything else in the world could burn to ashes for all she cared. What started as a
warmth was now a blazing hell that consumed her soul. ‘I will do anything to have you Satoru.
Everything to be at your side forever. Everything to see you happy and make you love me back as
much as I you’ She said in her head.
“I-it is getting pretty late. Wouldn’t everyone be worried for you, if you stayed here any longer?”
Satoru interrupted her thoughts ‘Yes Satoru, you are just like me. Someone who is far superior to
anyone else. The loneliness of being on the top of the pyramid. With you I will no longer feel that
loneliness, but for now I will have to stay true to my position as princess’.
“Yes, I truly should go now before someone gets suspicious.”
She said rising while standing up and making herself presentable as a true princess should.
“Umu… pr-Renner could I burden you with a small request? Can this conversation remain between
the two of us?”
‘Is this a test? Common sense? Etiquette after finishing a conversation with a member of the royal
family?’ She was puzzled by his request. Obviously, this would remain between them. No one
should violate her privacy. Then a thought came to her. ‘Is someone spying on us though magic
and he sensed it? He seemed to be on edge a couple of times during our conversation, but I thought
it was just a wrong impression… or maybe he is cautious because of the new environment he is in?
It may be so, but I should check for every possible spy in the future’ She told herself before
deciding to play along with Satoru, but before she could speak, a more sinister and selfish thought
invaded her young mind. She internally smiled.
“I will happily do so, but I would like something in return…”
She said, a mischievous grin on her face. Satoru stayed silent for few seconds ‘He didn’t expect
this, after all it is an illogical move’ She thought.
“I don’t know what I could have that interested you so much, but fine. Ask away.”
“A hug.”
Several seconds of silence passed.
“A… hug…?”
Repeated Satoru. This was the first time she heard the great magic caster sound so uncertain. She
nodded in confirmation and even took the initiative by walking up to him and trying to embrace
him with her tiny arms. She couldn’t even reach his abdomen. It looked more like she was hugging
his legs.
Nothing happened for several moments. Then, she felt the body she was hugging move and felt two
hard arms close around her. In that moment, she felt like her body was burning. Her cheeks flushed
red out of her control. She felt a strange sensation envelope her body. Almost like excitement but
coming from deeper inside her. It took a few seconds for her to noticed she was beginning to
salivate. She needed to use all her self-control to stop and avoid drooling all over Satoru’s majestic
robe.
If 10 days ago someone told her she would feel such emotions, she’d have called them mad, but
now she felt like it was only natural.
After what felt like only a few seconds for her, the embrace ended, and she was released from her
bliss.
“Next time you visit, princess, tell me in advance so I will be able to prepare something adequate
for you and at the same time, not interfere with my business.”
She could only dumbly nod. She didn’t dare try to speak when she had almost no control over her
own body.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
‘What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened.???’ To say Satoru was confused was an understatement. His
mind simply couldn’t register what just happened in the last few hours. He sat down on a chair
magically created by him to sustain his weight.
He tried to reorganize his thoughts to make sense of his current situation. First the princess arrived
without any kind of warning, then she had requested a private meeting with him. She asked him
how he was doing and the reasoning behind his actions. She agreed with him on very questionable
points. She insisted on being familiar with him and when he finally thought her dark side was
coming out, she simply asked for a hug.
No, he couldn’t understand her behaviour. He understood she was very smart for her age and it was
exactly due to that fact that he couldn’t understand her childish choices when she seemed an aged
politician only a couple seconds before. ‘Children will be children, I guess. It’s too much of a
trouble to try and understand her thought process’.
But why a hug? He still wanted to understand that. In that moment, something came back to his
mind. Their first interaction in the alley. Back then she told him of her family situation and
relationships. She lacked any kind of family love and she probably felt a hug was a truly valuable
thing for her.
Guilt engulfed him. He shouldn’t judge a child who lacked any parental love so harshly. He was
probably one of the few people she interacted with outside of her family. ‘She must truly feel
lonely.’ He thought. The symptoms were already showing with her twisted personality.
He was no saviour, but if she wanted to continue their relationship, he would try to give her an
example and some advice for the future. ‘Yes, if I left a lone child by herself, Yamaiko would be
really mad at me.’ As he made his decision, he went back to his shop to see if there were still
customers to serve.
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
It was late in the evening when she was finally summoned by her father. ‘As expected,’ she
thought, while rising from a chair in her room. ‘Actions have consequences, but for visiting Satoru
every consequence is worth the action’.
She was escorted by a guard through the almost empty castle’s corridors till they reached her
father’s private study. Outside stood all her siblings. The first princess Carine, the second princess
Alysanne, the crown prince Barbro and the second prince Zanac.
Her sisters scowled at her as soon as they saw her, the younger prince simply had a stoic expression
on his face and, as usual, her older brother was the only one foolish enough to open his loud mouth.
“You truly outdid yourself today sister! You couldn’t bring our name any deeper in the mud if you
tried! To interact with a commoner like this. Who would have thought you would go as far as to
directly speak with such filth!”
He said as he laughed. Renner had an emotionless expression on her face even if she was fuming
inside. Her eyes sharpened on her elder brother.
“I’m sorry, dear brother. I didn’t know our name could be shamed more than it already was since
you began visiting the city brothels. I would have avoided my actions if I knew there was
something lower than that.”
Her brother stopped laughing as his expression changed to one of rage, but before anything could
happen the door to the king’s study opened and Gazef Stronoff strode out.
“Princess Renner, the king is ready to see you.”
He said as Renner walked inside leaving a fuming crown prince and confused royal siblings, who
never saw that side of her.
The study was as luxurious as anyone could expect from the private room of a king. Her father
seemed tired as always.
“Good evening Renner, please take a seat.”
She obeyed as was expected. She sat on a chair in front of him. They were alone in the room
except for the Warrior Captain. They remained silent as if her father expected her to make the first
move.
When it became clear she had nothing to say, her father sighed.
“I was informed of your activities today. You are a smart girl, so are you aware of what your
actions caused?”
Her father asked, she nodded.
“The noble faction will see my action as disgraceful to the royal family name and will try to get the
upper hand from this situation.”
She said emotionlessly.
“So, you are aware we are risking an open rebellion. We are traveling on thin ice here. What were
you thinking?”
Her father asked, a bit of irritation in his voice. ‘So blind. The rebellion has already started. You
just aren’t seeing it yet.’ She thought.
“Tell me father, the empire was able to stand thanks to its amazing magic caster Fluder Paradyne,
who is rumored to have mastered 6th tier magic and he is more than 2 centuries old. Now we have
before us a magic caster, who mastered 5th tier at the age of 27. Who knows what he could do in
the future? If the kingdom let go of such a possible asset, a similar opportunity will not return in
the future. What is a rebellion compared to the might of the Warrior Captain and Satoru’s magic
together?”
As she spoke, she saw her father’s eyes light up. ‘As expected, you are too easy to fool father. Only
Satoru can understand me…’.
“Renner, do you hear yourself? Speaking about putting down a rebellion in the bloodiest way
possible after you were the one starting it? What are you thinking?”
She was surprised by the horror in his tone. ‘I must control myself better in the future’. With that
thought she faked an ashamed expression and looked away as to increase her act of fake shame.
“I’m sorry father. I should have known better.”
She said, false sadness in her eyes. The king sighed.
“No, I understand you only want the best for our country. I also know I should spend more time
with you as your father, rather than as your king.”
‘But you do not.’ She thought. Her father made a sign for the Warrior Captain to come closer.
“I understand the merits in your idea and I will not stop you, but you shall be more discreet about
it. Every time you visit Sir Satoru, you will disguise yourself and be accompanied by the Warrior
Captain, who will say that he is there for his own business.”
The king decided.
“As you wish father. If everything goes as it should, I am sure the kingdom will become the most
powerful human country on the continent in the years to come.”
She said with confidence in her voice.
“But we should find a way to make Sir Satoru loyal to the kingdom. What stops him from leaving
for another country?”
This was the point Renner wanted to reach. She almost couldn’t control her smirk ‘This is it. This
is how my and Satoru’s future will be decided. I must be cautious’.
“I would suggest the most common and effective way, marriage. Not right now, but in the
following years we could suggest a match. But to marry such an asset to any noble would be most
foolish. They will use that connection to dethrone you and make themselves king. What I suggest is
a royal match, something he can’t refuse without having to deal with unpleasant consequences. At
the same time, it would be the most effective way to ensure his loyalty to the royal line.”
She said with the calmest voice she could master.
“In that case, what stops him from dethroning Barbro and making himself king?”
Her father asked concerned ‘Shit he saw through it! I hoped he would be too entranced at the idea
of a powerful warrior and magic caster working together but it seems I underestimated him.’ As she
was preparing an adequate answer the Warrior Captain spoke.
“If you could allow me to share my opinion on the matter my king, I don’t think Sir Satoru would
do such a thing. I may not have known him for a lot of time, but he doesn’t seem power hungry. He
truly feels more like a curious traveller with a talent for magic.”
The Warrior Captain shared his opinion. Renner nodded in approval ‘Good job Gazef. I will have
to make use of you more often in the future.’
“I agree with the Warrior Captain. Our small talk today truly showed me he has no interest in
political power.”
Her father finally seemed to be convinced.
“I see. If you both agree on that, I can’t really see any problems with that idea. I will refrain from
marrying Alysanne off in the future then. She will be the perfect match for him if he is such an
important asset.”
As those words reached Renner’s ears her mask almost cracked. She bit her lower lip so hard she
could feel the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
“I see. If you allow me father, I would like to retire now.”
She said and didn’t even let her father answer as she stormed out of the room ignoring everyone in
her path. Once she reached her room she slammed the door closed and grabbed a chair before
launching it at the wall. ‘I WILL SOONER CUT HER THROAT AND POISON YOU THAN
LET YOU BETROTH HER TO MY SATORU!’.
Lost in her rage, she locked the door and disrobed, leaving her body as naked as the day she was
born, before jumping on her bed and covering herself with her used clothes.
‘I can feel it! Satoru all around me! I love it! I need it! He is the only beautiful thing in this world! I
will have him! I will!’ With those thoughts and his scent all around her, her body finally relaxed.
She fell asleep with a peaceful smile on her face dreaming about plots, possible futures and, of
course, about a certain arcane magic caster.
Chapter End Notes
Hope you enjoyed. As always, I invite you to review with your opinions and ideas. I
must say, I truly enjoy reading them and seeing that there are people interested in what
I write is truly one of the most amazing things in the last period. Stay safe!
The Sorcerer can't have a normal life
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Kukuku, I think you didn’t expect this; a long chapter so soon after the last one. The
truth is that I’m enjoying writing this story a lot but the reason that really pumped me
up are the reviews. I just loved all the reviews from last chapter, and I’m not the kind
of writer who repays reviews with nothing. So here it is, the longest chapter of this
story!
A special thanks goes to MSDeus and Chaosconetic. Your reviews are my favourite
since you managed to grasp things that weren’t written down but were supposed to be
deduced by the readers like you did. And of course, the last thanks goes to my Beta
Don Orbit-Senpai who will have to correct all my stuff; sorry mate!
It has been a month since Satoru arrived in the new world. While he was still uncertain of his
future, he was at least more relaxed now that he had an established business.
He was currently busy in his shop counting the newly forged weapons in front of him.
“All seems in order.”
He said once he finished. The bulky black-haired tall man in front of him nodded. His name was
Tobias and he was a blacksmith. to be more precise, the blacksmith Satoru struck a deal with some
days ago.
The deal was easy. Satoru will order a certain quantity of items from him every week and in
exchange, the blacksmith will give him a special discount.
Tobias didn’t speak a lot outside of when it was needed and this attitude unnerved Satoru at first,
but now he saw him more like a no bullshit business man, something Satoru could respect.
“20 iron swords, 10 iron axes, 10 iron lances; 15 steel swords, 5 steel axes, 5 steel lances; 2 silver
swords, 2 silver axes; 5 sets of heavy iron and steel armor; 5 light shields.”
Summarized the blacksmith.
“As we agreed, here are 18 gold coins.”
Said Satoru, while passing a small bag to the man, who opened it and counted the coins before
turning to Satoru and giving him a rare smile.
“When you asked me for all that stuff, I thought you were some kind of noble who wanted to arm
his personal bodyguards. Well, if these are the kinds of orders you are going to give me weekly, I
might be able to stop producing for those ungrateful stuck-up nobles.”
“Are you sure you can’t produce platinum or mithril weapons and armors?”
Satoru asked. This was actually why he was searching for a blacksmith. Anyone could forge steel
weapons, but few could afford higher quality metals and he wanted to be one of the few.
“Not at the moment. I will need a lot of money to first train myself with forging such metals and
only then begin to forge actual sellable products. A lot of money will be needed to reach that level
of skill.”
Tobias explained.
“I see. So, you say that if I continue to invest in you, you will be able to reach that level with
time?”
Satoru asked to clarify the situation.
“Yes, indeed I believe so.”
Said the blacksmith with confidence.
“Then continue to work hard for me. You will have to excuse me now, but I’m waiting for an
important guest.”
The arcane magic caster said. The blacksmith nodded before bidding his farewell and leaving the
shop.
He sat on one of his reinforced chairs and waited. Today was one of the days Princess Renner
visited him. She usually visited once every two days except for Sunday, since she was expected to
be in the castle that day.
After her first visit, she began to keep a lower profile, usually wearing a cloak that hid her identity
and always accompanied by only the Warrior Captain, Gazef Stronoff. Speaking of the man
himself, Satoru could say he liked Gazef. He reminded him of Touch Me, but without his justice
persona.
They didn’t speak a lot, but Satoru thought that Gazef could be a good source of information
regarding the internal workings of the kingdom. He could of course ask Renner, who, despite her
age, was truly a mastermind when it came to politics.
He was quite shocked the first time she showed such deep understanding of such matters. ‘I guess
geniuses don’t have an age.’ He thought. But even knowing this, he didn’t want to ask her too
much about the kingdom. He promised himself that would help her with her loneliness and asking
her too much would seem like he was using her for some secret plan.
Satoru didn’t want that. He didn’t want to ruin their growing, strange relationship. While he still
thought she was scary, he managed to somehow get used to her smiles. Now they didn’t trigger his
Emotional Suppression anymore.
He himself was not sure why he was so dead set on helping her. Probably a part of him was
reminded of himself while watching her. A child no one wanted to speak to, socially isolated and
scowled at. At least Satoru had his mother taking care of him. Renner lacked even that.
But it wasn’t just pity. There was something deeper. A certain attraction or maybe it would be
better to call it fascination. He could feel there was something hidden inside her. Potential for
greatness, but that potential lacked something. The key to unlock it.
As he was lost in his thoughts his shop’s door opened and an old fat man entered. He was well
dressed and didn’t seem to be an adventurer.
“Excuse me sir, but this shop is now closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow.”
The fat man didn’t seem bothered by his words and approached Satoru.
“You must be Sir Satoru, right? The owner of this magnificent establishment.”
He questioned, seeming to already know the answer.
“Yes sir, I’m Satoru, the arcane magic caster who owns this place. May I know who you are and
why you are here?”
He asked, now sure that the man in front of him wasn’t a customer.
“How rude of me. I apologize deeply. My name is Aruma Faustus, but everyone calls me
Goldfinger. Feel free to use the name you prefer. Returning to our main point, I’m a representative
of the Merchant Guild of the Re-Estize Kingdom that has its headquarters right here in Ro-Lente.
I’m here to invite you to join us in our great guild.”
The man said as his fat bounced a bit from the vibrations produced by his voice.
“I see. It makes sense, but I’m afraid I come from a faraway land and don’t know about the inner
workings of this guild. May you fill me in before discussing anything else? Pardon my rudeness,
please take a seat.”
Satoru said as he flicked his fingers and a chair materialized behind Goldfinger. The fat man was
surprised at the use of such extravagant and foreign magic, but recomposed himself quickly and sat
down.
“Of course, Sir Satoru. Well, the guild was established more than a century ago and flourished
since then. All major businesses in the kingdom are in some way related to the guild. Many are
members since we offer many perks in exchange for membership. The goal of the guild is to
regulate market selling amounts and prices to maintain balance and help even the smaller
businesses to flourish.”
Satoru, much to his displeasure, was reminded of the money sucking multinational companies from
his old world.
“Our guild is structured into branches. Each branch represents a certain collection of goods on the
market. For example, the Master of Metal is the representative of every blacksmith in the kingdom.
Of course, it is impossible for one man to control all the blacksmiths in the kingdom, so we have
supervisors. There is one in every major city. They are important businesses that control their
branch in their city and send reports to the master of the branch to fill them in with the important
details.”
The man continued to explain. Satoru was reminded once more of his old job. ‘employees under
directors under CEO. So, humanity always had the habit of organizing society and work into
classes; It is scary and comforting at the same time.’ He forced his attention back to the man to not
lose any detail.
“About once a year, except for emergencies, the masters of all branches return to the headquarters
for a meeting to discuss the current situation and how to help each other out.”
Goldfinger continued.
“I see, may I know why anyone should join? What are the perks of joining?”
Satoru asked.
“Well in the first place, we are the major organization, who decides the prices around the kingdom,
and any business, who tries to play smart, can be dealt with easily. So, no competition. Secondly,
we can lend money. To be clearer, we lend it even to non-members, but of course if you are a
member you will get a lower interest rate and longer period to repay the debt. Lastly, we also
provide protection from… certain unwanted attentions and people. Let’s leave it at that.”
The man explained lowering his voice while saying the last phrase ‘Wait is he talking about some
kind of mafia? Well, if he is, it would indeed be a good thing to join the guild to avoid any kind of
trouble. Let’s play it safe for now and continue asking for more details.’
“And what about the obligations of a member?”
He asked. ‘It is the other side of the coin after all. You gain something by giving away something’.
“Well, there aren’t really strict rules. Of course, a member will follow any decision the guild makes
and we also request a monthly fee to continue to be part of the guild. For normal members, the fee
is 10% of their gains, for supervisors it is 5% and of course Masters do not pay such a fee as they
are the heads of the organization.”
The man answered. His expression was as relaxed as it has been during the whole conversation. ‘I
see, that Is indeed one of the reasons they are coming after me. 10% of my total gains is probably a
big deal around here, but to be fair the perks are really good too. Of course, there is no way such an
organization could survive by simply spilling money from their members without giving
something of equal value back’.
“Hypothetically speaking, what branch would I be joining?”
The man’s expression changed for the first time since the beginning of the discussion at Satoru’s
question. He seemed to be getting serious.
“That is exactly the reason why we haven’t contacted you before now. In the Council of the
Masters there has been a fight over you. Well, more like a war of words than anything else. The
ones fighting over you were the Master of Metal and the Master of Luxury. Since you deal with
weapons and armors, the Master of Metal wanted you under him, even if you didn’t produce the
items yourself. The Master of Luxury argued that you sold a lot more highly valuable items than
weapons, and since every luxurious item selling business belongs to him, you should stay under
him.”
The man explained. Satoru didn’t speak and waited for the man to continue, after a pause the man
did so.
“In the end, we decided to create a new branch. One that deals with the selling of anything
magical. To tell you the truth, we tried to create such a branch many times, while trying to
incorporate the Magician Guild, but they always refused. Though they are always selling magical
items, they never saw themselves as a business, but a congregation of magic casters who wanted to
discover new branches of magic.”
The words sank into Satoru as he realized their meaning.
“A new branch, but that would mean…”
He began.
“Yes, indeed Sir Satoru. We would like you to be the first Master of this branch.”
While Goldfinger’s words should have made him relieved at not having to work under someone
else, they instead made him really concerned. ‘So, this is why he was explaining their inner
workings in such detail. But if a master pays no fee that means they aren’t after my money? That
leaves me with the final question, what do they truly want from me? It would be dangerous to
accept without knowing this’.
“I must say, I didn’t expect such an offer. But now I must truly ask, what do you get out of this?
You would be adding a new head to your organization. Someone you don’t know and who only
arrived here a month ago. Forgive me my hesitation, but I find your offer a little too good to be
true.”
‘This is thin ice. I must be careful. Concentrate Satoru!... Concentrate!’ His mind was set on full
salaryman mode; Goldfinger sighed before answering.
“It seems you are no newbie to the world of commerce. This only makes my decision seem even
more the right one.”
“Your decision?”
Asked the magic caster.
“Oh yes, as I said before I’m the representative of the guild. I deal with external interaction with
other organizations and also act as a mediator between the various Masters during meetings to
avoid any internal conflict. The decision of creating a new branch was actually mine and I must say
I find this bet to be a good one.”
The man admitted with a slight smirk.
“I will be direct with you, Sir Satoru. The guild is interested in you for the weight you have over
the Adventurer’s Guild. We have tried for many years to get an important position in the
Adventurer’s Guild, since they are one of the major money making businesses around here. Having
you in an important position in the Merchant Guild would allow us to finally interact more with the
Adventurer’s Guild, something we dreamed about for many decades now.”
The man explained. Satoru himself wasn’t sure if the man was actually overestimating him. Sure,
he had refurnished many adventurers in the past month and many teams became usual customers,
but he didn’t know if he truly had such a heavy weight over the guild itself. He preferred to remain
silent and let the man continue to speak.
“I must say, you truly impressed me. I have seen businesses rise and fall since I was a toddler, but
never before have I seen a merchant with no name arrive into a new city and have such power after
only a month. To be honest, if you actually stopped selling to adventurers right now saying that
you had problems with the guild, the guild itself would probably fall apart or split in two. From
outside it may not seem like it, but you could probably ask anything from the guild and they would
have to comply right now to avoid you closing your doors to them.”
The man continued. Satoru didn’t have any other choice but to believe his words. After all, he
seemed to know what he was talking about. If it was truly as he said, Satoru now had a great deal
of power in his hands and it actually made sense to ask him to be a master right now. ‘Like an
employee who has influence over a great company will be hired in a high position by another
company to ingratiate him to them and exploit his power’.
“I see, that is why… then Sir Faustus. I would like to think about it for now. Would you mind
coming back in a few days?”
He asked. The man nodded and rose from his seat.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Sir Satoru. I hope to see you soon in our guild.”
They shook hands like true businessmen, who just concluded a contract, but before he could leave,
Satoru asked a last question.
“Why do people call you Goldfinger? If you don’t mind me asking.”
The magic caster asked. The fat man turned and smirked.
“Because everything I touch turns into gold, good sir, but right now, I may have found someone
capable of giving me a run for my money.”
He said before leaving the shop.
A few minutes later, as if waiting for their conversation to finish, the shop’s door opened once
more and the people he actually was waiting for entered.
The Warrior Captain stood as vigilant as always. Next to him the small cloaked figure reached
Satoru and hugged him. It was a habit of hers every time they met. It didn’t bother him too much,
so he let it go without further questioning, but he noticed that she panted heavily every time she did
it. Normally he would have thought she had respiration problems, but she breathed just fine in
every other occasion. ‘Is her human body automatically responding to being so near an undead?’
The thought just came to his mind.
“Good afternoon, Princess, Sir Gazef.”
The princess smiled from under her hood. ‘Jeez she is just too creepy like that…’
“Good afternoon to you Sir Satoru.”
Greeted the Warrior Captain.
“Well, while we are going upstairs, you can just take a look to the new weapons that just arrived.
They are not enchanted yet, but I’m sure you could find something interesting for your Warrior
Troop.”
Satoru said, Gazef grinned.
“Ah, Sir Satoru, you should have seen their faces when I brought back those incredible enchanted
swords last time. They seemed like little kids during their birthdays.”
“I’m glad to hear my craft is appreciated. While we are at it would you like the usual?”
Satoru asked, Gazef nodded. The magic caster closed the distance between them and raised his
gloved hand in front of Gazef’s face.
“[Boosted magic: Stamina control]”
It was a spell used to reduce the usual consumption of stamina. It was usually used by tanks in
Yggdrasil to allow them to block a barrage of heavy attacks without losing their balance. The one
he cast on the Warrior Captain contained enough mana to last for around 2 days. Normally such a
feat would be impossible in Yggdrasil, but this was a real world and so, some of the rules were
changed.
The Warrior Captain told him how thanks to his spell, he was able to train for double his usual
amount of time before tiring and how he needed less recovery and sleep. This was the reason why
Satoru offered to cast support magic on people. To discover how the effects changed in this new
world and make some money out of it too. One of his smartest moves that he found pride in.
“Ah I already feel better.”
Said Gazef. Satoru turned and as expected, found a truly impatient Renner near the stairs waiting
for him. ‘As any normal kid would act. That’s a relief.’. He wanted to help Renner, but first he
needed to understand what were the truly messed up parts. Her acting like a child her age was the
best thing he could achieve for now.
They walked up the stairs and reached the living room. The place where they usually spoke. She
would sit down and tell him about anything that crossed her mind. He tried to pay attention the
majority of the time, but he found it really difficult to understand what she was saying sometimes or
simply lost interest midway through. Thankfully, his mask allowed him to have a constant poker
face.
But today was different. She sat down and removed her cloak. She had a smug grin as she removed
various paper sheets from her pocket, putting them on the table. He sat down in front of her and
grabbed the sheets. They were written in a language he couldn’t read so he took out his magical
translating item. Of course, he knew he couldn’t rely on it forever and already began studying the
language. He already had a grasp on the numeric system thanks to Randel and he was able to write
down prices by himself now. He also learned some words related to business, but he still didn’t feel
like reading whole pages without the help of the translating item.
The sheets in front of him had various names on them. Names of people he didn’t know. There was
a short description of their appearances and backgrounds. How old they were and where they lived
if they had a fixed abode. There was also strange information written about them. The first sheet
Satoru had in his hands spoke of a girl that could learn magic in half the time of a normal person.
“Those are all the interesting talent holders I have managed to find in the kingdom.”
She said with her smug grin still on her face ‘Wait! Wait! Wait! Talent holders? What is that? A
job class? No wait, I must first confirm what a talent is.’ He looked through the pages searching
for the Warrior Captain, if he was the right hand of the king, he surely was a talented person.
Satoru didn’t find him between the names.
“Is there something wrong?”
Asked Renner, her grin no longer on her face.

“I have a question; the Warrior Captain is the most skilled man in the kingdom with a sword,
right?”
He asked avoiding to use the word talent on purpose.
“Yes, that is so.”
“But I can’t find him here, so he is not a talent holder.”
He tried to confirm what he understood. Renner nodded.
“Yes, his ability is born through skill and hard training. He wasn’t born with a talent.”
‘Bingo!’ Satoru thought. ‘So, talents are innate abilities. That is pretty unfair though, but after all
people are not born equal, right Ulbert-san?’ He wondered, thinking about his old guildmember.
“Did I do something wrong Satoru?”
Bringing him back to reality, Satoru looked at the girl in front of him. He noticed how she seemed
saddened and almost on the verge of crying ‘Shit! What do I do? I’m not good at this! Why did she
do such a thing anyway?’.
“No of course you didn’t Renner. Have you done all of this by yourself?”
He asked trying to change the subject.
“Yes! I began immediately after you told me you wanted to collect talented people! I wanted to
help you and in a month, this is what I was able to find!”
That explanation reminded Satoru about their first meeting. ‘D-did she really do all of this for me
only based on that phrase I stuttered out without thinking?! Shit! I can’t deny her after all the work
she has done… a month of work in tracking people down? You are one scary stalker Renner.’ He
thought, but then scolded himself immediately after. ‘No! This is my fault. She wanted to help me
and be kind. Thanks to her loneliness, she isn’t very familiar with personal boundaries that
shouldn’t be crossed. Well for now, let’s try to cheer her up’.
“A truly outstanding job. You managed to do it in just so few weeks. Your skills truly don’t stop to
amaze me Renner.”
As he said those words her eyes began to shine in happiness. Her head slightly inclined towards
him. ‘Ah… uhm… is she waiting for something?’ Awkwardly Satoru moved his hand and patted
Renner’s head gently. It seemed to be the right move as her eyes shined even more in happiness
and her face relaxed as she seemed to enjoy his touch. ‘Does this desire for attention and physical
approval come from neglection through childhood?’ Wondered Satoru.
In that moment, someone knocked on the door and he removed his hand from her head much to the
princess’ displeasure.
“Sir Satoru, there is a young boy named Rayne that wants to see you. Can I send him in?”
He heard the voice of Gazef coming from outside the door and an idea popped into his head.
“Yes please, let him in.”
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
She didn’t know how to feel about the boy now sitting next to her. He was a little older than her
and a little taller too. He had brown hair and green eyes. All in all, he looked like any commoner
boy.
The part she was conflicted over was how to act towards him. She was quite annoyed by his
interruption of her limited time with her Satoru, but at the same time this kid was someone he knew
and, for some reason, wanted here at the moment. Renner just couldn’t understand what the
meaning of this action was.
“It’s been some time since I last saw you Rayne. What brings you here?”
Asked Satoru. The boy sweated bullets. When he first entered it wasn’t like this. Only after their
eyes met did he become so nervous and embarrassed.
“I-I came here t-to show you my progress!”
The boy stuttered out.
“Oh, I see. Before that, I think introductions are in order. This girl is…”
Satoru paused a moment unsure how to introduce her ‘Understandable, after all he doesn’t know
how much I’m allowed to show off’.
“I’m Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, third princess of the Re-Estize kingdom.”
She introduced herself with a fake small smile. After all, her true smile belonged only to her
Satoru.
“P-P-Princess?! I apologize! I shouldn’t be sitting next to you like this!”
The boy rose immediately and bowed ‘As expected from any lesser man. Truly the only worthy
existence in the world is my Satoru.’ She thought as she gently used her hand to rise his head.
“We are alone. There is no meaning in formalities, please come and sit. Do you mind introducing
yourself?”
She asked with a gentle tone. The boy’s face was as red as a tomato when he managed to rise and
speak.
“I’m-My name is Rayne Bollen! My father is the merchant that works in the shop next to Lord
Satoru’s!”
He introduced himself trying to act in a dignified manner. ‘Lord Satoru? So, this boy is indeed
important in some way…’ She concluded in her head.
“Well now that introductions are out of the way, there was something you wanted to show me,
right?”
Asked Satoru. The boy’s eyes returned to the masked magic caster, and he nodded.
“Yes, Lord Satoru! I did it! I managed to cast my first spell!”
He exclaimed in excitement and raised one of his hands.
“[Light]”
A bulb of light materialized in the air.
“A good choice for your first spell. It is harmless and you should be able to understand the art of
casting better by exercising with this spell. It’s just a 1 st tier spell, but you learned it in one month.
Well done young caster.”
Congratulated Satoru. ‘So, it is for this? I heard that learning magic could take years when
speaking of advanced magic, but this boy managed to learn a spell, even if it is a minor one, in only
one month. You truly have a good eye for people my Satoru.’ She said in her mind.
“That is indeed impressive.”
She congratulated as well. The boy blushed.
“Even my mother was happy, now she doesn’t have to buy candles anymore.”
{Few hours later}
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
Renner, Gazef and Rayne just left and he was now returning to his usual routine. In other words,
spending the night enchanting items and weapons and studying the language of this world.
‘I hope Renner and Rayne becomes good friends; she needs a friend her age after all’ As he thought
that, he was midway through the stairs when he heard the sound of his shop’s door opening. He
was sure he closed it. He came back down only to see a bald thin man standing in the middle of his
shop.
“I’m sorry, sir, but the shop is closed. If you need anything, please come back tomorrow.”
The man didn’t seem to listen to him and simply began to walk towards him. Satoru prepared
himself to cast a spell if necessary.
“Don’t be so tense magic caster. I’m not here to attack you.”
Said the man in a raspy voice. Satoru didn’t relax. The man smirked.
“I like your attitude. You are not one of those fat shits that piss themselves as soon as they see me.
Tell me, do you wanna have a bad time?”
“I try to stay out of trouble as much as possible, sir.”
Satoru calmly replied.
“You try eh? Well, we can assure you that you will stay out of any trouble as long as you keep
giving us a certain amount of money every month. Just leave the bag where we tell you.”
He said. Satoru tensed even more at the sly tone he used.
“Is this extortion?”
He asked. The man chuckled.
“Let’s call it a welcoming fee into the town. I like you, so I will make you a discount, instead of
20% of your gains you will pay us only 15%, but you may have to hold some items for us here
once in a while.”
The man explained.
“I don’t think I’m interested, sir.”
Satoru interrupted him. The man’s slight smirk disappeared.
“I thought you were a smart one. Next time we come here you will not like it. Listen up, just do it
and there will be no problems. I’m a nice guy so I will lower it to 12% each month.”
The bald man said.
“Please get out of my shop or I will call the guards.”
Said Satoru, dead serious. The man scowled.
“So much for being generous. When you die, blame yourself for your own stupidity.”
Said the man while extracting a sheet and slamming it in Satoru’s gloved hand before quickly
leaving the shop; Satoru looked at the folded sheet and unfolded it. On it was printed a strange-
shaped hand with eight fingers.
{???}
It was deep in the night when their messenger returned. All the members of the executive council
were present since they just had a meeting about the upcoming operations in the Kingdom. They
quickly listened to the report of the messenger.
“It seems like we will have to do it the hard way.”
Said one of the members.
“Don’t be too fast in acting. We are dealing with a caster of the fifth tier here, not a stupid, fat
noble or merchant.”
Said another.
“Let me deal with him. A magic caster cannot match me once I manage to get close to him.”
Said Zero the leader of Six Arms. He was a muscular man with tanned skin and various tattoos
over his body.
“Peace Zero. It would be better to capture him and force him to cooperate.”
Said another of the members.
“In that case, I may have the solution. Just use one of my most powerful paralyzing venoms.”
Said the member who leads the drug dealing division.
“Will it work even against defensive magic?”
Asked another.
“Don’t worry. That stuff could put an ogre to sleep.”
Said the drug dealer leader with confidence.

“But how will we manage to get near him?”
Asked the first member who spoke.
“For that we can use one of my girls.”
Said the brothel division leader.
“I have just the right person for the job. She is skilled and ambitious. Now with this job, we will
see if she is worthy of a promotion.”
Continued the brothel leader. Everyone nodded in agreement to his idea and the meeting continued
as usual.
Chapter End Notes
Longest chapter of the story. I hope you enjoyed. As I said before, this is a “reward”
for all the reviews I received. Unfortunately, in a few days, I will start my next year at
university and my schedule will be full. So, do not expect more than a chapter per
month. That said, please continue to review!
The Sorcerer and the Whore
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Well, as I anticipated, it took some time for this. I must really apologize to all those
who await Continental War. I’m trying my best, but since it has such a complicated
and different plot, it is really hard to write and I would prefer to release something
good instead of some rushed and bad stuff. So, I’m taking my sweet time. I know it is
no excuse for the long wait, but truly I don’t know what else to say.
As for this story, I would like to know what you think about bringing it to M rated.
The major problem is the Eight Fingers stuff we are going to examine in this and the
next chapters. Even the novels didn’t go into much detail over their inner workings.
Well, read the chapter and let me know if I should change the rating.
I must say, I’m enjoying writing this so much more than I predicted, and you readers
seem to agree with me. It is really relaxing since there is so much freedom in this
setting, while CW has so much politics and stuff in it. It is for that reason that I
decided to ‘upgrade’ this story’s status from a side project to a primary project on even
ground with Continental War. Continue to support this story and don’t make me regret
my decision.
The young blonde woman had her eyes fixed on one of the shops in the Great Square for several
hours by now. Said shop was no normal shop. In only a month, it has become the place where a
great deal of money passes through. That place was The Sorcerer’s Shop. Rumours said that it was
run by the greatest magic caster in the kingdom, Satoru, the arcane magic caster of the fifth tier, a
foreigner that arrived not long ago into the capital and changed the economical balance built over
decades in just a few weeks.
Not much is known about the man himself apart from his name. He said he came from a distant
land to the east of the empire. The fact that he never took off his mask was also one of the reasons
he was so mysterious.
The woman trembled a bit as cold wind hit her back. Winter was coming and the fact that she was
wearing delicate, thin silk didn’t help. However, she had to wear it as her seduction skills were far
more effective with such a revealing cloth.
The wind made her mind return to reality as her eyes focussed once more on the shop. Due to the
lack of information about the owner, she decided it would be better to observe him. Her superiors
wouldn’t mind having more information about him.
Unfortunately, her discoveries weren’t worth the past 4 days of spying. She confirmed that the
rumours about the regular visits of the Warrior Captain were true and the fact that a cloaked figure
was always with him was curious. It was probably someone from the royal faction, who didn’t
want to be recognized in public. That was the most valuable information she had gathered.
Yesterday she decided that she was finally going to complete her mission today. The higher ups
didn’t like to waste time if the information wasn’t worth it. This was why she chose the best dress
she had and was hidden in an alley, waiting for the magic caster to come out of his shop. She could
feel the little needle in her sleeve that contained the paralyzing poison. If she did her job right, she
would be able to rise through the ranks and reach the top.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
As soon as the last customer left his shop, the undead magic caster sighed in relief. He may have
an undead body, but his mind was still the same as his old self. Anyone would be exhausted after
working 12 hours a day.
He proceeded to count the total income of the day. ‘I’m beginning to amass quite a good sum,’ he
thought, before putting the money in a sack and putting it in his inventory, the safest place there
was.
Normally at this time of the day, he would return upstairs and begin to work on restocking, but he
could do it tomorrow since the next day was one of the religious days where people are not
allowed to work.
He may as well go out for a walk today. Getting some fresh air would surely help him. As he came
to that conclusion, his body moved toward the door. He exited his shop and locked the door behind
him, while putting up a barrier against any living being that tried to enter.
The fresh night air hit him as he stepped onto the walkway. While he was undead, he could still
feel the sensation of the wind on his body and it was quite pleasurable. Even after all these weeks,
going out without a gas mask on his face was still quite a strange sensation. In Satoru’s old world,
the air was no longer breathable and so anyone who went outside would need a gas mask or they
would die far sooner than expected.
He walked through the streets of the capital. The sun had already vanished, and the moon was high
in the sky. It wasn’t the first time Satoru had a night walk. By now he already had a mental map of
the higher district of the city. He made sure to stay around that zone to avoid any kind of trouble.
No sane thief would come into the most patrolled district to steal after all.
Satoru turned and entered one of the many empty small alleys. This move was not done because he
wanted to get away from the noise, but because ever since he exited his shop, he felt like someone
was watching him. If he was being followed, his stalker would have to reveal themselves if they
wanted to continue to follow him.
He continued to walk, picking as many empty alleys as he could, until he finally sensed a presence
not far behind him. He continued to walk as if he didn’t notice the presence. ‘If it comes down to
combat, I will have the advantage if they think I’m not aware of them. They will not expect a sneak
attack from someone they think is unaware of them.’ He thought. That had been a lesson from the
master strategist of Ainz Ooal Gown, Punitto Moe.
Satoru turned another corner and immediately stopped. His senses tensed as he cast some silent
buff spells on himself. He then turned and walked back around the corner he came from. As soon
as he passed the corner, someone bumped into him. He was ready to cast a spell, but what he saw
made him rethink his actions.
The person who stalked and bumped into him was a young woman around her late teens. She had
delicate features, purple lipstick and mascara. She was quite pale and had long blonde hair a little
darker than Renner’s, but her most peculiar feature were her purple eyes. She wore a revealing
outfit made of pink silk, not right for the season, that emphasized her generous cleavage.
The woman looked up at him, stunned for a moment, before smiling seductively.
“My, my, good sir, while I am for sale, I am still a woman. Before we come to the act, I would like
to at least be introduced to each other.”
She purred as her hands began to wander on his robes. Satoru was petrified. He didn’t know what
to do. One moment he was ready for a battle the next an attractive young woman was trying to
court him. ‘A prostitute?’ He wondered. Prostitutes still existed in Satoru’s old world, but he never
saw one before. They lived in organized establishments; to enter such a place, you would need a
social status quite above the one of a common salary man. There were also the poor homeless girls,
who would sell themselves in the streets in exchange for spending a night in a warm bed, but
Satoru never considered them as prostitutes.
He forced his mind to come back from his memories and focus on the current problem. He needed
to take control of the situation. He took a step back, creating some distance between him and the
young woman.
“I apologize miss, I was in a hurry and didn’t see you.”
He said while lightly bowing his head. The woman seemed confused for a moment by his sudden
politeness. Satoru decided it was the time to take his chance.
“As I said I’m in quite a hurry, so please excuse me.”
He said as he began to walk away, but then the woman launched herself at him and engulfed his
arm in an embrace. Fortunately, his robes were thick and she couldn’t feel the hard bone under it.
“But sir, on such a splendid night it would be a crime not to indulge in the pleasure I can provide
you. I will give you a discount.”
She said in a sweet innocent voice.
“No, thank you. I have affairs I must attend to.”
He said as he freed his arm and proceeded to leave once more. This time the woman closed again
the distance between them and stood in front of him. She bent over to show him more of her
cleavage and rose her skirt revealing a pair of violet panties.
“Come on sir! I will give you a round for free then. That’s a deal no one would decline, don’t you
think?”
She said. While she said that, Satoru’s Emotional Suppression was working at full power to
stabilize his peak of emotions. The woman seemed to take his silence as confirmation and closed
the distance between them pushing her voluptuous body against his.
“Now, let’s see what is hiding behind this scary mask.”
She said, mixing a joking and seductive tone. Satoru didn’t know how to react. He saw her hand
coming toward the mask hiding his face. ‘Why? Why?! Why can’t I have a moment of peace?!
This fucking woman just won’t let me be! I just wanted to enjoy a little night walk! Is that too
much to ask?!’ In his head, a new emotion was beginning to stir, irritation. It was quickly growing,
coursing through his body. The woman’s hand reached his mask, but before Satoru could push the
hand away the woman’s eyes widened. They remained like that for what seemed to be a second,
before the woman’s body shook and she fell on Satoru.
The magic caster looked confused at her face. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing.
She was unconscious, but why? Why would she just drop unconscious right there? Satoru looked
around him in search of any clue and then he immediately realized it. His [Despair Aura] was
active. There was no mistaking the dark aura that engulfed his body. He immediately suppressed it
and the aura disappeared. ‘Does it automatically activate every time I feel a negative emotion?
Isn’t the Emotional Suppression supposed to suppress those too?’ He wondered, but immediately
stopped that train of thought. He had more important stuff to deal with right now. The young
woman laying against him unconscious was the first thing.
But what to do with her? Satoru wondered. He couldn’t leave her here like that. Touch Me would
punch him in the face just for suggesting that. Killing her was out of question. After all, she was
only trying to do her job. The most common thing would be to bring her to a temple. They would
take care of her there, but he wouldn’t want to risk it. [Despair Aura] was basically a wave of
concentrated negative energy. If the priests analysed her and found traces of a large amount of
negative energy, it would bring unpleasant questions.
Satoru sighed. There was only one thing he could do, but how could he bring her there without
anyone seeing it? Surely if someone saw a masked man with an unconscious young woman in his
arms. they would call the guards. He sighed again in resignation. He looked around to see if
anyone was watching. After he was sure no one was there apart from them, he took the young
woman in his arms and cast his spell.
“[Greater Teleportation]”
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
She elegantly sat at a table in her private chamber’s balcony. She rarely came out during the night
in the past, but since she met Satoru, this became a routine.
In the days she couldn’t meet him, she would instead spend some time watching the city from the
castle just to feel a little bit closer to her beloved.
She knew it was silly, but she just couldn’t contain herself when it came to her Satoru. Her body
trembled at the thought of his strong arms around her and his big hand patting her head.
“Your tea, princess.”
The voice that interrupted her thoughts came from her left. A young girl stood there. She was a
little older than Renner. She had golden blonde hair tied in an elegant twin drills hairstyle. Her
emerald-green eyes shone in the moon light that seeped into the room. In her hands, she had two
cups of tea. As soon as Renner acknowledged her presence, she placed the two cups on the table
and sat in front of the princess.
This girl name was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, daughter of the Marquis Aindra, and her new
handmaiden since two weeks ago after the ‘incident’ occurred.
It all happened while she was visiting Satoru. Apparently one of her handmaidens was caught
stealing from her private chambers. An investigation began on all her handmaidens and apparently
the vast majority were caught with some of her private properties. Of course, they all claimed they
were gifts from the princess and that was true. The only problem was that only Renner and the
handmaidens were aware of such an exchange happening and when the judge asked if what they
claimed was true, the princess had simply put on her best innocent expression and denied all their
claims.
On the very same evening all the handmaidens, noble or not, paid the price of their actions. They
were judged guilty of stealing from a royal princess and guilty of lying in front of a court. As
punishment, they lost both their hands and tongue.
Renner internally smiled as she recalled the moment in her mind. The terror on their faces. The
utter despair as they realized what their destiny was. They begged for her help. They begged her to
save them. They cried and wet themselves in fear. All the while, Renner never lost her smile. This
was it. The just punishment for speaking of her Satoru in that manner, as if he was inferior to them.
They laughed at him and now they were paying the price. No one would insult her Satoru. No one.
“My princess, what is on your mind?”
Lakyus asked, noticing that Renner’s eyes were fixed on the sky as she seemed to be deep in
thought. Renner returned to reality.
“It’s nothing Lakyus. And how many times do I have to tell you, call me Renner.”
The princess said.
“That would be most unpolite of me my princess, but if you insist, I will oblige.”
The noble girl said. This was what Renner liked about her. she was no bootlicker. She would
acknowledge her as a princess, but at the same time would not try to get on her good side for
personal gain.
“Say Lakyus, do you like swords?”
Renner asked casually. Lakyus’ eyes widened in surprise at the specific question asked in such a
casual tone. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking anywhere but the princess.
“Why this question, my princess?”
“I saw how you looked at the new enchanted sword the Warrior Captain brought back yesterday. I
don’t really know why you bother. To me, they all seem like chunks of metal pulled together.
Those are things for men; surely not for ladies.”
‘This should work.’ She thought. Lakyus clenched her fists under the table.
“With all due respect princess, that was a fantastic piece of equipment. The platinum was perfect
and well sharpened! Not to speak of the enchantment! I never saw an enchantment so strong that it
would manifest as sparks all around the blade! Even a blind man could tell the art in that!”
As soon as the noble daughter realized what her outburst meant, she covered her mouth with her
hands in horror of what she just said. She was about to open her mouth again to apologize and try
to limit the damage when she noticed the faint little smile on Renner’s face.
“You are indeed a peculiar woman, Lakyus… say, would you like to meet the one who created that
blade?”
The princess asked as her sky-blue eyes shone.
{Hilma’s P.O.V.}
Hilma Cygnaeus woke up in an unknown bed. It wasn’t the first time that such a thing had
occurred, but it was the first time she couldn’t remember what brought her to said unknown bed.
She tried to recall what happened before she lost consciousness. One by one the memories began to
return to her and link with each other. She remembered her mission. Find and capture the magic
caster known as Satoru who ran a shop in the Great Square.
The plan was simple. Seduce him, get close to him, and use the venomous needle to paralyze him.
She remembered studying his behaviour for a few days before executing the plan.
She followed him during one of his rare walks. For some reason, he began to turn into empty
alleys. At the time, she thought he may have perceived someone was following him. She
remembered bumping into him while trying to follow him. Being discovered wasn’t a problem.
She was a high-class prostitute. She then tried to seduce him, but he seemed sneakier than she
actually expected. He seemed even eager to get away from her.
But if something like that could stop her, she would never have been able to climb the ranks of
Eight Fingers in the first place. She began to be more insistent and touchier. In all her years of
experience, she learned that men were easier to convince once they felt the touch of a woman. She
remembered being surprised about how hard he seemed under those robes. He surely seemed bulky
from the outside, but she never expected him to have such a good build. After all, weren’t magic
caster supposed to train the mind rather than the body?
She remembered thinking about having fun with him before completing her mission. The four gods
only knew how much she was tired of those fat pig like noble pricks she had to service countless
times before. But her target was a powerful magic caster this time and it was better not to risk it, so
she went for his mask. The plan was to remove it and while caressing his face, sting him with the
tiny needle. She remembered taking out the needle, while getting closer to his face, and then…
then… the memory was foggy. She remembered fear, a lot of fear and nothing more.
Once everything was ordered in her head, Hilma decided to open her eyes. As she expected, she
was in an unknown room. It was quite elegant. It even had a window from where she could see the
Great Square. This only confirmed her theories about where she was. She stood up from the bed. It
was probably a bad idea, but it was her only chance. She needed to escape from the window, but
her plans were ruined since as soon as she stood up, she fell back on the bed. Her body simply
couldn’t handle that simple thing after all it had been through. Now she felt nauseated and about to
vomit.
In that moment someone knocked on the door. Hilma was trying not to empty her stomach and
didn’t dare to open her mouth in fear of what could come out of it.
After almost a minute of silence the door slowly opened and from it came a tall man covered in
dark robes. She knew the man. He was the magic caster Satoru, now her captor. This was the end
for her. He probably already knew who she was and probably had ideas of what she wanted to do
to him. Desperately, she tried to feel if the needle was still in her sleeve. Of course, it wasn’t. It
probably fell in that alley where she fainted.
There was only one reason why she was still alive, and that reason was for information. He would
probably torture her until she spilled everything she knew and then kill her. Or maybe take her as
his slave for his pleasure.
As her brain elaborated every possible outcome, the man closed the distance between them until he
was next to her bed, with a little gesture of his hand a chair was summoned behind him. Hilma
gulped as he sat. She never heard of magic capable of such a feat.
“How do you feel? Are you hungry?”
She blinked a few times. she surely didn’t expect that. Was he playing dumb? But what would that
accomplish? He already had all the advantages, there was nothing she could do to stop him.
“Umu, I didn’t think the shock would be so great you would not be able to speak. I thought you lot
weren’t bothered by violence.”
He muttered to himself. She had to agree on that one. No Eight Fingers’ agent would be concerned
about the use or the sight of violence. He was now thinking she wasn’t able to speak. This was bad.
If he thought she was worthless he had no reason to spare her life. She concentrated and used all
her strength to open her mouth.
“I-I… a-a-am… f-fine…”
Those three words were all she managed to bring out. She couldn’t see his reaction due to the mask
covering his face.
“I see. You seem pale. Maybe something to eat would help you.”
He said with his usual deep tone. With another gesture of his gloved hand, he summoned what
seemed to be a bowl of hot soup and placed it on her lap. As soon as the sweet smell reached her
nose, her nausea became hunger. She immediately took the spoon with her right hand, but her
trembling hand couldn’t bring the soup to her mouth without spilling the majority of it back in the
bowl.
As soon as the magic caster noticed her trouble, he took the bowl from her lap and the spoon from
her hand. She looked in despair as her meal was taken away. She probably looked like a beaten
puppy right now. The magic caster used the spoon to take some of the soup and then pointed the
full spoon at her.
“Here, open your mouth.”
She didn’t let him repeat himself and immediately opened her mouth to take in the spoon. The hot
soup was a blessing for her dried mouth. She felt the delicious fluid go down her throat and warm
up her cold trembling body.
The magic caster continued to feed her spoon after spoon until the bowl was empty. He placed the
bowl and spoon on a nearby table before returning to her.
Now she was more confused than ever before. Why would he feed her? Why wasn’t she in a cell
instead of this comfortable bed? What was his goal with all of this? She still feared the person in
front of her. She could feel something was wrong here, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Now that the conditions are more favourable, I think it would be a good time to begin our talk.”
He said in a business-like tone. Hilma couldn’t do anything but nod in agreement. This was going
to be the discussion that would decide her fate and she needed to give it her all to ensure her
survival.
Chapter End Notes
Hope you liked it. We are finally entering the Eight Fingers arc. As always, review! I
missed those a lot this past month!
The Sorcerer's Assistant
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
I’m doing far better than I expected with my Christmas Special. I’m already halfway
through, so I think it’s time for the TWTS’ December chapter.
Before starting, I would like to say something. I would like for you readers to not force
me to explain every phrase I write. By this, I don’t mean to insult any of you and
making an example may be better. In the last chapter, I had Satoru ask Hilma if she
was used to violence. Hilma, of course, thought he was referring to the Eight Fingers
and since I didn’t show Satoru’s side some people were confused on what he meant.
That little thing was a test for you readers to deduce the fact that Satoru was referring
to the treatment prostitutes were used to in the middle ages. Some people truly
believed he knew about the Eight Fingers. I wanted to see if some people deduced it.
I will warn you, there is going to be stuff like this in this story. Explaining every single
phrase from all possible POVs would be a nightmare and totally destroy the pacing of
the story.
If there is something a lot of people can’t seem to grasp, I will just explain it in a note,
but I hope to not have to do it often.
Hilma Cygnaeus was born from the union of her mother and her father like all other children. The
unfortunate thing was that her mother was a high class prostitute under Eight Fingers and her
father, whose identity she learned when she was 8 only because he came back to have fun with her
mother and didn’t care if Hilma watched, was the third son of a poor noble house.
She grew up between whores, some willing and some just broken toys for the enjoyment of the
most sadistic customers. She learned how to please a man at the age of 10, courtesy of her mother,
and lost her virginity at the age of 12.
Her mother was beautiful, but she had wasted herself with drugs. She slowly lost her beauty and as
she began to lose customers, she became paranoid about turning into one of the broken toys. She
made Hilma work in her place. Those years were the hardest. Hilma remembered how the faces of
those men… no, those pigs, would haunt her in her nightmares.
Fortunately for her, her mother died of an overdose only a year later. She remembered as she
watched cloaked men bring her body away. Her lifeless eyes, the smile of ecstasy still plastered on
her face. Only after two years did she learn that her mother’s body had been brought to another
customer, who felt like having a different experience that day, before burning it.
That day was the day she swore to never touch a drug in her life. And to conduct such a life without
drugs has been hard… oh so very hard. She wanted to end it all sometimes. Those pigmen
continued to haunt her. More and more faces were added to her nightmares.
This could have broken a lesser woman, but Hilma was no lesser woman. She refused to break. She
refused to end like her mother, a plaything for a sick pig.
When she wasn’t haunted by her nightmares, she began to dream of greatness, of reaching the top
and looking down on everyone else.
Her mind steeled, her body softened for the enjoyment of the pigmen. She felt the fear being
replaced by indifference. Disgust became hate. She will reach the top no matter what. She will
endure everything to achieve it and then she will crush them all like the insects they were.
During these long years, she advanced into the corrupted side of the Kingdom. Step by step,
position by position, she rose in power. She finally managed to make contact with Ampetif Cocco
Doll. At the time she met him, he worked as one of the managers of the greatest brothel of Ro-
Lente. In only a few months, he became one of the fingers as the chief manager of the brothel
section.
She used her contacts with him to get even more important jobs. She became a spy, an assassin.
She began to be noticed by the Eight Fingers leaders as a capable woman. During that period of
time, she was finally ordered to kill her father. Surprisingly, the contractors for this assassination
was his family. They had finally discovered how he stole money from them for his sick pleasures
and wanted him killed. It was truly ironic, that she had been the one to put poison in his drink as he
was too occupied smacking her ass. She remembered the sick pleasure welling up as she saw the
pig drink the wine. How she was turned on as he began to cough and fell on the ground, hands
around his throat. They burned him like all the others.
She continued to live. Her life was devoted to reach the top and nothing would stop her. And then
the day came, when she was ordered to poison and abduct a magic caster that only arrived in the
city a few weeks ago. He established a business that began to move an incredible quantity of
money. Not to speak about the influence he was gaining in the Adventurers’ Guild. They had
always been a thorn in Eight Fingers’ side. If they took control of his business, they could partially
influence the Adventurers’ Guild. In the best possible outcome, even control it and make it part of
their organization.
She obviously accepted. If she succeeded in the job, she would surely reach a position among the
Fingers themselves. Maybe they will give her old Lube’s occupation. He was the leader of the drug
dealing section and wasn’t really liked by the other Fingers for his attitude. He thought himself
above them because he was older. They would gladly eliminate him to make place for her.
All those dreams of greatness, power and domination were now shattered. She lied on the bed the
magic caster Satoru, her target, provided her. Probably the most comfortable bed she had used in
her whole life.
She was now a captive. She failed her mission and even if she managed to escape, Eight Fingers
would not forget it. Failure was not admitted. They would of course continue to use her skills, but
she would no longer have any possibility to reach the top.
She felt a shiver going down her spine despite the warmth under the blanket. It was already night
outside and the magic caster Satoru already left her alone in the room.
Satoru. She didn’t know what to think of him. No one ever treated her with such gentleness. He
was no pigmen like the others. He didn’t try to force himself on her, even if she was a prostitute.
The worst thing was that she couldn’t get a grasp on his character.
During their conversation, he asked about her. Did she have a family? A home? Was she being
exploited? He sounded almost concerned for her wellbeing. Not even her parents ever cared about
her.
Was he aware of her mission? At first, she was sure of it, but now she felt confused. Was this all a
tactic to make her lower her guard? Or was he truly unaware about the plot against him? If it was
the latter, she still had a chance of succeeding in her mission. She just had to take him by surprise,
maybe by seducing him and then incapacitating him. If she learned one thing about men in all her
years, it was that no matter how powerful they were, when they were done they were done. No
man would have the strength to harm a mosquito after they consumed all their lust.
With those thoughts she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
{The next day}
When Hilma opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that the sun was almost at its peak in
the sky. ‘Did I sleep so much?’ She wondered. Normally she didn’t sleep more than 6 hours, but
maybe the stress of the situation and the comfortable bed gave her body the right push to enjoy a
proper sleep.
She stood from her bed and washed her face using the water in the small basin next to her bed. She
made sure to wash away all her makeup and tried to fix her messy hair the best she could. When
she opened her door, she noticed clothes placed on the ground. The magic caster must have left
them there for her. She couldn’t exactly continue to wear her prostitute outfit. What perplexed her
was the fact that he left them outside of the door. ‘Did he avoid entering in the room without my
consent? No, no man in this world would have such respect for a prostitute. There is no way… but
if not that, why?’ She wondered in her mind as she changed her clothes.
The clothes were nothing fancy, but neither were they a poor choice. They were normal commoner
clothes. In some strange way, she almost felt like a maid with these clothes on.
She descended the stairs only to find Satoru helping some customers in his shop. They seemed to
be adventurers. She noticed a boy around 16 seemingly undecided between two helmets. Her
mischievous mind entered in full business mode and slowly approached him from behind.
“Excuse me…”
She whispered in the boy’s ear. He almost jumped in surprise as he immediately turned and
blushed madly as he noticed the vicinity of her face to his. After all, she was still an attractive 19
year old woman, even without her makeup, revealing dress and fancy hairstyle.
“I noticed you having a problem deciding between those two pieces of armor… may I help you?”
He simply continued to gasp at her as her words slowly sank in.
“I must say they are both beautiful and resistant. They are made out of a very hard material of
course. I bet girls would fan over you with those… why not buy them both? You will show how
good you are. You would even have spare pieces of armor like a true seasoned adventurer…”
She said in a sultry voice. The adventurer’s blush intensified as she saw a reaction in his pants.
‘Too easy’.
A few minutes later, she saw them leaving the shop. While they were exiting, she heard one of the
older adventurers ask the boy why the hell he bought two. She smirked as she felt a satisfying
sensation wash over her. She felt good. She didn’t know why, but she felt good.
“Have you slept well Miss Cygnaeus?”
She heard the voice of her target come from behind her. She turned toward him. he was as
intimidating as she remembered him
“I’m fine, Lord Satoru, thank you for your kindness.”
She said. He simply nodded and moved to close the door of the shop.
“You do not sell during the afternoon?”
She asked curiously. She saw his shop open sometimes during the afternoon, while she was spying
on him.
“Today I’m receiving guests. And there aren’t many adventurers coming during the afternoon
anyway. They are all going on quests.”
He explained as he began to tidy up the various objects on the shelves.
“May I help you?”
She asked. He thought for a moment, before nodding and putting in her hands a bunch of scrolls.
“Order them by tier and typology please.”
She nodded and began to examine the scrolls. She wasn’t familiar with some of them, but she
managed to divide them quite well.
“You seem to be familiar with magic items.”
He observed. ‘Shit! Was this a trap? I lowered my guard!’.
“I learned from my grandfather. He was a magic caster. Unfortunately, the small fortune he
managed to gather was wasted by my father’s lifestyle.”
As she finished explaining her fake story, she felt the air freeze around her, then Satoru placed one
of his gloved hands on her shoulder. ‘Did he see through my lie?’ She wondered as she tensed her
body, ready to put up a desperate defence.
“A parent, who doesn’t care for their children, is the worst scum in the world. Excuse the personal
question Miss Cygnaeus, but is he the cause of your current condition?”
He asked. She lowered her gaze as the words escaped her lips before she realized it.
“Yes, it was his fault.”
She whispered. As the air became colder and colder she began to lightly tremble.
“Is that so? Remember Miss Cygnaeus, we are not our parents and no child should suffer for what
their parents have done. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. It isn’t much, but
it’s all I can offer you.”
He said as the air became warm again ‘Truly I can’t understand him. Is he clueless or is this a
trick?’
“I saw how you dealt with that customer before. While I don’t approve of using certain tactics, I
must say you have quite the attitude for business… say, while you decide what to do with your life
why don’t you become my assistant? Of course, we will put down a written contract to ensure all
your rights as a worker are respected.”
This was the first time Hilma heard a happy voice coming from him. It was beautiful, deep and
strong. she almost felt like in the presence of… a king.
“So what do you say Miss Cygnaeus? Of course if you need time to-“
“Hilma, please call me Hilma, Lord Satoru. And… I gladly accept your offer.”
She interrupted him, a large smile on her face. ‘I will find out your true intentions Lord Satoru.
You can bet on it’.
“Then please call me Satoru.”
Before either of the two could say anything else, the shop’s door opened, and three figures entered.
One she recognized as Gazef Stronoff, the Warrior Captain. The other two were short and their
whole bodies were covered by cloaks.
“Ah my guests have arrived. Please come upstairs. I see you brought someone this time. A friend
maybe? Also, good afternoon to you Sir Gazef. Feel free to look around. I have some new wares
that arrived just this morning.”
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
She sat at the usual table in her Satoru’s house. Next to her Lakyus emulated her. They were in the
usual room. Her Satoru sat in front of her, but today she felt different. A new emotion was stirring
inside her. Her hands clenched under the table and she felt her blood boil. All of this, while she
couldn’t remove her eyes from the other woman in the room. She wore commoner’s clothes, but
even Renner couldn’t deny her beauty. Her Satoru seemed to notice her gaze on her, because he
quickly interrupted the silence.
“Ah, Princess Renner, it’s always an honor to have you here. May I introduce my new assistant,
Hilma Cygnaeus. Hilma, this is Princess Renner, third princess of the Kingdom.”
He introduced her. The commoner seemed stunned for a moment. Who wouldn’t be?
“I-I’m h-honored my p-princess!”
The young woman bowed to her, making that sensation inside her intensify.
“Could you bring something to eat for the young maidens, Hilma?”
He asked her gently. Renner’s right eye began to twitch in annoyance ‘Is this… Might this be… the
famous jealousy of a young maiden… like the one in the books I used to read years ago?’ She
wondered inside.
“By the way Princess, would you please introduce your friend?”
As Hilma left, Satoru directly addressed her, making all that horrible sensation go away. She
almost forgot Lakyus was there for a moment.
“Ah, of course! This is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, daughter of the Aindra noble family and my
current handmaiden. And as I said before, Renner is enough, no honorifics in private.”
She said.
“P-pleased to meet you… Sir Satoru.”
The young 10-year-old green-eyed girl said bowing her head in an elegant and noble way.
“Satoru will be enough, Lady Lakyus. Renner’s friends are my friends too.”
He said in a gentle tone.
“T-then please call me Lakyus!”
She said with renewed energy at his friendliness.
In that moment, Hilma came back with some tea and cake she elegantly laid on the table. All
except Satoru began to eat. As soon as Lakyus put the cake in her mouth, her eyes widened in
shock and began to shine.
“D-d-delicious! This is the most delicious cake I have ever had! Satoru! Where did you get it? Not
even the royal cooks’ food can compare to this!”
Renner was surprised at Lakyus’ outburst. She had never acted like this before. ‘Is this the true
Lakyus? Has Satoru managed to bring out her true colours?... Yes, it must be that! You are truly
the only beautiful thing in the world Satoru… my Satoru…’ Her mind began to lose itself in her
fantasies.
“Well, I made them with my magic.”
Explained Satoru. Lakyus’ eyes widened in shock.
“Magic can do that! So cool!”
She exclaimed with the wonder of a child that discovered a box of candies.
“Well, I’m the only one here who is able to use this magic. It seems like the magic casters of the
Kingdom are a bit too old school.”
From that moment on, the conversation continued as it always does. Renner spoke about what
happened in the court. Since she met Satoru, she began to pay extra attention to all that happened
so she could give all valuable information to him.
“Did you know Satoru? Lakyus took a liking to the last blade you sold to the Warrior Captain. You
should have seen her eyes as she looked at the blade.”
Renner said, finally addressing the reason why her handmaiden was there. Said handmaiden
blushed.
“P-princess!”
She said out in embarrassment.

“Oh there is nothing to be embarrassed about. A passion is a passion. I once had a friend who had a
passion that many considered wrong and laughed at him for it, but he never hid it from others. He
didn’t care if the whole world laughed at him. He would still continue to cultivate his passion no
matter what.”
Satoru said. Lakyus, while still embarrassed, looked at him in amazement, probably imagining
what type of friend Satoru could have. ‘My Satoru truly knows his way with words. That is
something I still have to master,’ Renner reminded herself.
“What was his passion Satoru?”
Asked an excited Lakyus. Satoru hesitated a moment.
“Ah… uhm… it is not something young girls should be informed about…”
The excitement disappeared from Lakyus face as a pout appeared.
“Ah, well if you are interested in blades… what about this?”
As Satoru said that, his gloved hand disappeared in a dark void. Both girls’ eyes widened in
surprise. After a moment, he extracted something from the dark void and placed it on the table.
Lakyus jumped up from her chair as a mad grin appeared on her face and her eyes shined with a
greedy light.
What Satoru put on the table was a sword. The hilt was made of a white mineral she couldn’t
recognize with a gloving ruby in the middle. The blade was bluish, the same colour of ice. It shone
with a pale light as if the blade was producing it. Renner never saw such a thing before. She even
saw the Kingdom’s treasures a few times before, but none of them looked as good as this one.
‘Satoru is truly amazing! He even possesses such artifacts and he takes them out like it is nothing.
It makes me wonder what else he is hiding… a mysterious magic caster of incredible talent and
wealth… My Satoru, I must reach you as soon as possible!’
“I-is this orichalcum?!”
Lakyus exclaimed with excitement in her tone that Renner had never heard before. The green-eyed
girl slowly approached the blade with her hands.
“Yes, the blade is made of orichalcum. The hilt is made out of white Rectural stone. Almost
indestructible. It is enchanted with various spells. The most important are those of the ice element
imbued into it and its ability known as [Servant of Cocito]. It allows the user to summon a small
army of ice monsters that will fight for you. It is a 4th tier spell but a good placed [Fireball] is its
worst enemy.”
Satoru explained the details about the sword as Lakyus touched it, treating it as if it was a relic
from centuries ago.
“D-did you create this?!”
Asked the young girl.
“Oh no! I didn’t. I found it years ago in an old ruin far away from here. You see Lakyus, I’m quite
the collector. If I find something unique, I will have it no matter what. If I had the right materials, I
may be able to replicate this sword, but it would be an insult to its uniqueness and history.”
He said. Lakyus eyes now looked at him with what Renner deduced was admiration. ‘Stay down
Lakyus. I like you, but Satoru belongs to me!’
{Three days later}
{Hilma’s P.O.V.}
Hilma was now sure of it. Satoru didn’t know anything about her. He didn’t offer her a place in his
business to make sure he could watch her closely. He didn’t offer her a comfortable bed and
delicious food to trick her. He did all of that, because he truly believed that she was an abused
prostitute, who could only sustain herself through that type of job.
He wanted to give her the chance of having a new normal life. If she didn’t observe him before, she
would think that it was all a trick. A lesser man would have already abused her and forced himself
on her. But Satoru was no lesser man. He was no pigman like the others. And his compassion
didn’t come from the fact he was weak and knew the hardship of weakness, no… he was strong.
So strong she couldn’t even comprehend how to compare him to the other people she knew. His
compassion came from his heart. His gentleness towards all no matter how rude they were or who
they were was genuine. This was…
In only three days, he had changed her. At first, she tried everything she could to seduce him, but it
didn’t seem to work. In the meantime, she continued to work in his shop. He wrote a contract for
her. He called it an employment contract. She would get 5% of the whole monthly earnings.
Considering how much people spent there each day, it was quite a lot. She calculated it and it
would be around twenty times what she would earn as a high-class prostitute. But money was only
part of why she liked her job. She felt good everytime she convinced someone to buy what she
presented. It felt good to be able to sell something other than her body. She was good at it; she was
so damn good at it! She wondered many times what could have been of her, if she hadn’t been born
in that environment, and now she was sure she would be doing something similar to this.
“It’s finally over. Thank you for your work today.”
Said Satoru as he closed the door.
He, of course, was the other half of why she enjoyed her job so much. She found herself at ease
around him. She was scared and intimidated at first, but that was gone now. She found out he was
one of the first people she could get along very well with.
The realization of all of this came to her mind only today. After all, today was the day she had to
make a choice. A choice that will decide the rest of her life.
If she didn’t report to Eight Fingers before tomorrow, they were going to assume she was dead and
act accordingly. They will send someone else, and they will discover she is alive and well. Once
they learn that, they will put her down alongside Satoru for her treason.
She could try to capture Satoru and bring him to them. It was the easiest way out. She will rise and
finally reach the power she desired. He didn’t suspect her. She could easily stab him in the back.
They began to tidy up the shop and soon her opportunity presented itself. She was ordering some
enchanted daggers. He was just two meters away, busy with some scrolls, turning his back to her.
One of the daggers in her hands had a paralyzing enchantment imbued into it. ‘Now it’s the time!’
She grabbed the paralyzing dagger and turned toward him. She took a step forward. Her heart was
pounding. It has been a good time, probably the best three days of her life. But all good times must
come to their ends. She felt like the shadow of a hand on her shoulder. A big gloved comforting
hand. She raised her dagger, ready to strike. A voice, deep, gentle and strong entered her mind.
‘You did a great job… I truly appreciate your help… no one should suffer for the sins of their
parents…’ The dagger fell on the ground as tears began to flow down her face.
Her knees gave out and she fell on the floor. Now she was openly sobbing. Immediately, Satoru
was startled by the noise and turned to see her sobbing on the ground with a dagger next to her. He
immediately knelt to her level.
“Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself?”
He asked in a worried tone. ‘I… I can’t!... This man… this is the only man I could never kill…
why?... why?... what is this emptiness I feel inside?’ She continued to sob as Satoru examined her
in search of a wound, but her wound was not a physical one. Her soul had been torn into two parts,
fighting for dominance. One was her lust for power, the other was something else. A desire, a
need… something she only realized now she was missing all her life… happiness.
The happiness only Satoru gave her. In that moment, she admitted her defeat. She raised her tear-
stained face to gaze at Satoru’s mask.
‘If I tell him the truth he will hate me, but if I don’t we will both die. He is powerful, but even he
couldn’t challenge Eight Fingers. If I wasn’t so stupid and told him sooner, we could have asked
the help of the princess or the adventurers… Now our only hope is to escape this city…’ She
swallowed hard, before she made her final choice and opened her mouth.
“Satoru, I-I need to t-tell you s-s-something…”
And so, she explained everything to him; Eight Fingers, her mission, her spying, her life, her desire,
her final choice.
It took almost four hours to explain everything that happened. As soon as she concluded, she
closed her eyes, not wanting to see his reaction. Even with his mask on, she would be able to tell
his reaction thanks to her experience in reading body language. Was he disgusted by her? Was he
angry? Did he hate her?... would he kill her?
As she awaited her fate to be decided, she heard heavy steps approaching her until they stopped
just in front of her. Then she felt a gloved gentle hand grasp her shoulder while the other pushed
her head forward against something soft. Her eyes snapped open.
He had pushed her head against his elegant robe as a mother would while consoling her child, not
that Hilma ever experienced such a thing.
“It’s all right. Everything will be alright…”
He said as he caressed her long blond hair. She felt tears return to her eyes. ‘It was a lost cause
from the start… how could I kill him? If there is something truly good in this world, he must be its
incarnation. There is no way I could strike him down…’
“W-we need to r-run away from here.”
She whispered.
“No, we are going to fight them.”
At his words she shook her head.

“I-it’s impossible. We don’t have time t-to ask help from the princess and r-recruit adventurers.”
“Who said anything about asking for help? They both tried to abduct me and ruined countless
other lives… This will end today.”
He said in his usual calm tone. Hilma raised her eyes to look at his mask, confusion evident on her
face.
“I think the time has finally come for me to descend on the battlefield once more…”
At his words, a storm of power engulfed Hilma; dark, cold, raw power like she never felt before.
She opened her eyes wide as if she were a newborn who saw the world for the first time. And as
any innocent and naïve child, she believed him.
Chapter End Notes
Ok, ok, I know you wanted to see some action, but this chapter was needed. I have
plans for Hilma and she had to be introduced well. Next chapter is action time (also
I’m pretty proud I managed to write an overlord fanfiction around 30k words without a
single fight scene shown and still managed to have so many followers, thank you all!).
Ok also, this chapter may seem off to most of you and that is because this is the first
chapter without a Satoru’s POV. I made this decision because next chapter will be full
Satoru POV.
Also, for those who think Hilma changed a bit too quickly, well she didn’t exactly
“change”. It would be better to say that she discovered, after so many years, what it
means to be appreciated and important for someone else, that didn’t want to use her for
themselves. Also, Satoru represents the realization of her desire for power in a certain
sense, so it’s natural she is somehow attracted (not in a sexual way) to him. I took
some liberties with her story. Hope you don’t mind.
Well, that was a long note… Review! Reviews are the fuel for us writers! And I love
most of the reviews for this story! Take care and stay safe!
The Sorcerer's True Face
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Ok, I’m writing this before I started the chapter, so I don’t know if it is going to come
out before the new year. In case we are already in 2021, Happy New Year! In case we
aren’t, take it anyway!
Returning to the story, this is the conclusive chapter of the Eight Fingers arc to give
you a small peek into the future.
Next, there are going to be 1 or 2 separate chapters, that serve as character
development and as a means to a time skip. After all, I started so early, that time skips
will be needed a lot during this fic.
And then after that there will be the new arc… the Empire Arc!
Two figures walked on a path made of gravel in the middle of the night. They were not too far
outside the capital and they could still see the lights produced by the city in the distance.
One of the figures was tall, a little less than 2 meters, and very bulky. The other figure was smaller,
around 1.7 meters, and very thin. They both wore black cloaks that covered their entire bodies.
Their destination wasn’t far from there, just a few hundred meters. The two figures already noticed
that they were being observed from the shadows around them. Of course, the place where they
were stepping toward was well guarded; even more so today.
The only reason why they weren’t attacked yet was the fact that they were just two and seemed to
have no weapons, or at least not big ones.
The two didn’t seem bothered by the silent stares that came from the trees and bushes and
continued to advance without hesitation. In front of them stood a giant villa with robust looking
walls and an iron gate. Even at this hour of the night, almost all the lights inside and outside were
on, as the two expected.
The two figures approached the big iron gate. The smaller one knocked twice, waited several
seconds, then finally knocked three more times. The gate immediately opened, revealing a small
fat man. He was bald and his eyes resembled the ones of a pig.
“You know the code, but I was told not to expect anyone today.”
He said with his raspy voice. The smaller cloaked figure removed their hood, revealing a beautiful
young blond woman with deep purple eyes.
“It took a bit more time than expected, but you could say I managed to complete my mission.”
A sly grin appeared on the pig-like man’s face.
“Oh, that’s good Hilma. When I heard you died, I was truly saddened. I thought for a moment that
I would have to find another little bitch to service me.”
The woman didn’t seem to register his comment or if she had, she didn’t acknowledge it. The
bigger figure shifted a bit under his cloak.
“Are they all here?”
She asked with a stoic expression.
“Yes… you know they are not gonna like it. Even if you succeeded, you forced them to have an
emergency meeting, causing them to cancel or delay important projects…”
The man said as his grin became almost inhuman.
“Just go and tell them I need to speak with them.”
The man waited a moment.
“Oh, but you are forgetting something important… It is protocol to inspect all those who come
inside.”
He said, the smile never falling from his piggish face.
“He is a magic caster. You can’t take away his magic and I’m a high-ranking member… You have
to inspect nothing.”
She retorted.
“Oh, but you are going to meet with the high ranks here. I can’t simply let you pass. The magic
caster is okay, but you… I need to inspect you.”
He didn’t wait for an answer and began to move his hands towards her breasts, his mouth slightly
opened, allowing some saliva to fall down from his mouth.
A second before he could put his hands on her breasts, he felt a large hand on his shoulder stopping
him. He turned around annoyed at the thought of being interrupted during his fun.
“Hey! What do you think you are do-“
He stopped as soon as his eyes laid on what was under the giant figure’s hood. An infinite darkness
with two shining blue lights in it and inside the lights, two red dots shined even brighter. He felt
his whole body freeze up and a moment later, he felt a hot liquid beginning to run down his fat
legs. His breath became irregular and he tried to take several steps back, but his body was still half
frozen and he lost his balance falling on his fat ass.
“Go now.”
The deep voice of the giant figure commanded and now he was happy to obey. He would do
anything to get away from there. He ran away toward the entrance of the mansion.
“Thank you.”
The blond woman whispered.
“Think nothing of it. This is more disgusting than I thought it would be.”
The big figure said, then continued after a moment.
“Did he really-“
He didn’t manage to finish his question as Hilma answered.
“Only once when I was younger… I was still a common whore at the time… He likes to boast
about it. Now that I have a high position... one of my most… unpleasant experiences.”
She said. The male figure nodded in understanding.
“I see… I will remember it.”
Soon another guard arrived. This time wearing a cloak that covered their body, walked up to them.
“Follow me.”
He said, revealing a young male voice. They didn’t hesitate and let him guide them inside the
mansion.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
The magic caster known as Satoru was being escorted through the Eight Fingers’ mansion
alongside Hilma. He had prepared himself for something disgusting, but what he saw was even
worse than he imagined.
He could hear faint screams of women and laugher of men coming from above them and the
deeper they descended into the basement of the mansion, the worse it became. The screams and
crying seemed to come from the walls themselves as if they had absorbed those sounds over the
years.
‘This place makes me sick… even as an undead… At first, I thought this was like the Yakuza back
home, but no, this is much worse… At home, it was no secret that the Yakuza and government
worked together with clear rules between the two parties… But here… this organization has no
rules. They are above the government and they know they can do what they want and go
unpunished.’ His thoughts darkened as his eyes fell on the young woman next to him once more.
‘Is this the place you lived your whole life in, Hilma? At first, I thought this organization could be
exploited, but this… this is making me want to burn it all down.’ His thoughts wandered without
restraint. Since he became undead the act of killing seemed like a trivial act in his mind, a natural
thing, almost like walking.
They descended more and more into that pit. Only a handful of torches illuminated the place now
and the only thing that could still be heard was their steps echoing down the corridor.
After another minute, they finally stopped when they reached a decorated door. It contrasted a lot
with the unrefined stone wall around it. Their cloaked escort knocked three times without receiving
an answer. The door opened, revealing two other cloaked figures. After confirming Hilma’s and
Satoru’s identities, they moved to let them in.
Satoru immediately noticed the difference in style. The room he just entered seemed far more
adequate for the decorated door than the corridor outside. It was still quite dark in the room, not
that it bothered him.
In the center was a round table with eight people seated at it. ‘The Eight Fingers… As Hilma
predicted, they are all here. Good. It would have been such a waste of time to hunt them down.’
It was fortunate that Hilma was a high ranking operative of the organization and knew how they
operated in detail. If it wasn’t for her, it would have been improbable for Satoru to find them all in
the same place.
But of course, they weren’t alone in the room. He immediately noticed the figures, who hid
themselves in the shadows of the room. There were also six particular armed individuals not far
from him.
They particularly piqued his interest or, to be more precise, one of them did. It was because he was
undead, just like him. His [Undead Blessing] racial ability allowed him to sense all undead beings
in his vicinity and, if they were weak enough, gave him information on their race. The one that
caught his attention was an Elder Lich, probably between level 30 and 50 since after that he could
evolve to another race of his choice.
But for now, he would ignore this development. He had to concentrate on more pressing matters.
“Ah Hilma, it’s good to see you. It would have been a shame to lose you.”
One of the youngest men seated at the table said.
“It took a little longer than expected, Cocco Doll, but I think the result was worth the wait.”
The high-class prostitute said with her stoic face.
“I see you have chosen a different path from what was asked of you, considering that this man is
still standing. Why is that?”
A raspy voice came from the far left of the table. There sat an old man with white hair and a long
beard, a scar on his left cheek was clearly visible even with the feeble light.
“It seems that your messenger didn’t do a good job in explaining to Lord Satoru what we were
offering him and what the gains were. We could say he was most… impolite and… forceful toward
Lord Satoru.”
She explained. The undead magic caster was quite impressed by how good of an actor she was. If
he didn’t know the plan already, he would think that she was being serious.
“Really now… kids these days. They can’t even relay a message without messing up… If his
tongue is so useless, I think it would be a kind gesture to have it removed.”
As the old man said that he gestured for one of the cloaked men in the shadows.
“Go to that fool and relief him of that weight, would you?”
As the cloaked man received his orders he bowed and left the room.
“So, did you explain what we have to offer while you were at it?”
Asked the head of the executive council.

“Only the basics. I didn’t feel comfortable speaking in your stead, not knowing your thoughts. I
actually spent a lot of time to convince him to meet with you. Let’s say he didn’t have a great
opinion of you after what happened.”
Hilma explained. The head executive hummed.
“I see. Always dutiful and well behaved, you will go far girl… now… let’s get this over with.”
He said returning to a more professional tone. Satoru was reminded of his boss at work when he
was trying to fool some poor person.
“So, you must be the magic caster known as Satoru. Is that correct? Also, could you please remove
your cloak? We are going to speak about business here, after all.”
The head said. Satoru kindly obliged him and removed his cloak, revealing his form. As usual, he
wore his elegant black gown. His hands were still covered by metal gloves and his face was
protected by his black mask with blue gems as eyes.
“Indeed, head executive. My name is Satoru, a magic caster from a distant land to the east of the
Empire.”
He presented himself. The head hummed once more.
“Well then, let’s not waste anymore time… What we want from you is your cooperation. We do
not wish to impose any fee on you since your willingness to cooperate is fundamental. We can even
expand your business, making your products reach certain markets otherwise unavailable to you…
It is quite the offer, don’t you think? Also, if you took a liking to Hilma, you can take her, consider
it a gift of good faith from us.”
The head executive explained. To Satoru it was pretty clear what he wanted. They wanted to
exploit his growing influence and use Hilma to possibly control and spy him. They were so much
like the politicians of his old world… and that made his anger only harder to control.
“I see, I see. What a good offer. I would like to make one of my own.”
The magic caster said with a pleasant tone.
“How about… you work for me from now on? I need someone to clean my shop at the end of the
day. It is so tedious to do it myself…”
It took a moment for all of them to understand his comment. Some of the fingers chuckled.
“This must be the first time I heard a magic caster joke…”
One said with amusement.
“But I’m afraid you should consider who you are speaking to before saying such things…”
As the head spoke those words, Satoru felt movement all around him. Soon he was surrounded by
a dozen cloaked figures.
“You should learn a lesson in humility magic caster.”
Said the old man with the scar. One of the cloaked figures grabbed him from behind and punched
Satoru in the face, or to be more specific, his mask.
*CRACK*
The sound of something breaking echoed in the large room. A moment of silence, then a scream.
The one who punched him grabbed the hand he had used with his other one. All the fingers of the
hand he used to punch the magic caster were bent in unnatural directions.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”
He screamed louder as the full pain hit him.
“You are annoying, shut up.”
Satoru said as he raised his gloved hand and slapped the screaming man in the face.
*CRACK*
All saw as the head of the man turned around and his neck snapped. The figure fell on the ground,
dead. Silence descended once more in the room. Satoru didn’t want to kill him, but apparently, he
must still learn how to control his strength. He noticed Hilma concealing herself in the shadows,
leaving the full stage to him.
In that moment, the cloaked figures all charged at him, now with long daggers in their hands. They
all stabbed him in various points of his body. Now he could clearly see the sick smiles they had
under their hoods.
“So much for a magic caster… that was quite the pathetic display.”
He heard the comment coming from one of the six armed figures on his right. They all didn’t move
an inch since the whole commotion started.
“Is this all?”
He asked aloud. Many of the Fingers’ eyes widened as he spoke those words.
“W-What?”
One of the cloaked men mumbled in disbelief.
“Well then [Negative Barrier].”
He casted his 5 th tier spell that created a barrier made out of negative energy around him, engulfing
all the cloaked men. He immediately dispelled the barrier as soon as it appeared to observe the
result.
It took only a moment before all the figures fell lifelessly on the ground. Immediately, the
executive council stood up from their chairs. Some of them had panic all over their faces as they
stumbled away from him as much as they could.
They tried to leave the room through a hidden door, but as soon as they tried to exit the room, they
hit something hard. A barrier.
“W-What is this?!”
One of them asked.
“Oh? It is just the effect of one of my many magic items. It creates a barrier where I need it. This
special spell doesn’t allow anyone to leave its area of effect without my permission.”
He calmly said. Of course, that was a lie. Not that he didn’t possess items with similar effects, but
he didn’t want to waste them on an occasion like this. What he did was simply cast a silent [Anti-
Life barrier] that repelled any living being from passing through it.
Before he could do anything else, the six figures finally decided to move and stepped between him
and the executive council.
“Oh and who might you be?”
Satoru asked, happy that they finally decided to make their move. Now that they were better
illuminated, he could finally distinguish some of their features.
“We are the security department, Six Arms. I’m the leader Zero and I was itching to confront you
magic caster. From your display, it seems like you are actually worth something.”
Zero was a giant of a man, the personification of bulkiness; bald with half of his face and body
covered with tattoos of various beasts. There was a panther on his legs, a falcon on his back, a
rhino on his arms, a buffalo on his chest and a lion on his head.
“I’m Peshurian, the Special Slash.”
Said the armoured one, who carried a sword on his side. He was also the only one who had his face
hidden.
“I’m Davernoch, the Undead King.”
The Elder Lich introduced himself. Satoru was quite interested in him.
“I’m Succulent, the Perfect Illusion.”
Spoke the hooded man with pale skin and gaunt cheeks.
“I’m Malmvist, the Thousand Kills.”
Said the youngest of the group. He had red hair and wore the same clothes as a matador.
“I’m Arcibald, the Death Rain.”
Finally, the last one introduced himself. He was an old man wearing a white robe and an eyepatch
on his left eye.
“Oh well, how polite to actually introduce yourselves. As you know I am Satoru, a magic caster of
the 5 th tier. I would be glad if you assisted me in my experiments today, but first let me ask a
question… I see an undead Elder Lich among you. Are you not repulsed by undead beings? Do you
not fear his hate for the living?”
Asked Satoru very curious about the answer. Zero grimaced.
“Humph, aren’t magic casters supposed to be smart? Of course, there are mindless undead that
attack everyone, but the most capable are as much capable of reason as any human. Now enough
talk, get ready for a beating, magic caster.”
The bald monk said, but Satoru still wanted to experiment. He already tested his strength against
the Sunlight Scripture. Now it was time to experiment with other things.
(Silent magic: Enslave Undead)
This spell was a different version of [Dominate Undead]. It allowed Satoru to take control of
stronger undead beings, but when the period finished, the undead would turn into ashes. And also,
the period of domination was very short if compared to its other version.
He immediately felt a link forming in his mind. It was a strange experience. He of course tested his
summons in this world and they worked similarly to YGGGDRASIL, but this was a different link.
He didn’t feel like it was a part of him. If he had to describe it, it was like holding a sword. You
knew that you controlled it and yet it wasn’t part of you as a summon would be. ‘Let’s see if it
works the same as with a summon.’
In the meantime, his opponents took a battle stance as if waiting for him to make the first move.
He felt a spell wash over him. ‘Illusion magic? It doesn’t work on me, as expected.’ Satoru noted
in his mind, before shifting his attention to the group once more. ‘Elder Lich use [Fireball] on the
two on your left.’ He ordered through the link.
As expected, the Elder Lich casted his spell and the two humans, the hooded one and the white
robed one, were turned to ashes as the [Fireball] hit them.
“What?!... Davernoch?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”
Shouted Zero as his attention was shifted to the Elder Lich.
“Don’t blame the poor Lich. I took control over him.”
Admitted Satoru, making Zero’s head snap again towards him.
“You… you are a necromancer?!”
He growled. Satoru ignored him and simply removed his influence from the undead. He
immediately crumbled into dust. ‘Oh well, it seems it works like in Yggdrasil.’ He thought a bit
disappointed.
“So now only three of you remain. What are you going to do?”
He asked. Surprisingly, Zero smirked.
“Don’t be so cocky necromancer! To control Davernoch you must have used almost all of your
strength and we still have the superior numbers.”
He said. Satoru just slightly moved his hand
[Create Mid Tier undead: Death Knight]
[Create Mid Tier undead: Death Guard]
Then something strange happened, the usual dark fog appeared, but this time, instead of directly
morphing into an undead, it moved towards a dead body and engulfed it. Then the undead rose as
usual. ‘Uh, it uses bodies? Last time, it didn’t do this. Is it because there were no bodies available
at the time?’ He wondered.
In the meantime, Zero’s smirk disappeared as he saw the giant undead with a tower shield and
flamberge rise from the ground. Next to it another undead armed with a lance and a smaller shield
stood up.
‘Death Knight, Death Guard, kill the armoured one and the smaller human. Leave the big one to
me.’ He ordered and the undead charged with a roar.
Zero prepared to receive the undead and hit the Death Knight on its exposed ribcage with a
powerful punch. To his credit, he managed to stop the Death Knight’s charge.
The other two arms took advantage of this and tried to strike him with their weapons, but the Death
Knight morphed into a dark fog and reappeared behind the armoured human, cutting him in half
with a single strike.
The younger red-haired human took some steps back, fear and despair on his face. Then his
expression morphed into surprise and pain as a lance impaled him from behind. While they were
distracted with the Death Knight, the Death Guard managed to close the distance and strike.
“Uhm good, I think this is enough experimentation for now. You two retreat.”
Satoru ordered aloud, the two undead obeyed and moved behind him, completely ignoring Zero.
“I must thank you for giving me the chance to experiment some things. Nowadays, I have very few
chances to do so.”
Satoru said to a stunned Zero.
“For that, I will allow you to strike me once. I will not move, and I will not defend… so go ahead,
give me all you got.”
Said the magic caster as he moved his arms aside, leaving his chest completely exposed as if to
welcome Zero’s next blow. Now Zero was enraged. This magic caster was mocking him and he
would regret it. The tattoos on his body began to glow.
“Panther! Falcon! Rhino! Buffalo! Lion!”
He called out for the spirits of the animals. His right arm glowed white as he jumped at Satoru,
aiming for his chest. With a shout, he slammed his fist on Satoru’s chest with all his strength. Dust
rose from where the fist collided with the magic caster’s body.
As the dust dissipated, Zero’s eyes went wide. There stood Satoru without a single scratch on his
gown, in the same exact position as before the fist hit him.
“Still no damage… I see…”
He mumbled as Zero took some steps back unable to comprehend what just happened.
“W-What are you…?”
Asked Zero in a shocked tone with his mouth half opened. In that moment, Satoru brought a gloved
hand to his face and slowly removed his mask revealing a perfect white skull with red dots in his
empty eye sockets. Then the mask and gloves disappeared from his hands, exposing his bare bony
fingers and rings. His gown opened and showed to the world his perfect white ribcage and the
glowing red orb inside it.
“What am I? I am Satoru, the undead magic caster, former guild master of the greatest guild of
all.”
With those words, he raised his bony hand toward Zero. A pulsing heart appeared in his hand and
he immediately crushed it.
[Grasp Heart]
Zero’s body fell on the ground dead.
Silence descended in the room as the last defence of the executive council fell. They were all
shocked. Some of them had tears streaking down their faces.
Satoru’s attention returned to them. They all flinched as one when his red dots fell on them.
“Hilma, come here.”
He called. The hidden beautiful blond woman slowly approached him. He saw the shock on her
face, but there was no fear on it.
“You have done well. With this, I can finally put an end to Eight Fingers.”
He said as she nodded, but of course that didn’t mean the end of the organization. No, even
someone as inexperienced as Satoru knew that removing an organization, that controlled half the
kingdom, would cause an internal stir. That would result in a civil war for the underworld. No,
what he wanted to do was far better than wait for another organization to rise from the ashes of its
predecessor.
“YOU WHORE! YOU DAMN BITCH! YOU BETRAYED US!”
The one to scream was the old man with the scar, his expression was a mask of rage and hate.
“I WILL HAVE MY MEN DESTORY YOUR LITTLE BODY AND AFTER THAT, GIVE YOU
A ROUND WITH THE HORSES AND THE-“
[Lightning]
The 3rd tier spell struck the yelling man, reducing him to ashes.
“Well then, now that the filth is dealt with… let’s pass to the next phase.”
[Create Mid Tier undead: Stalking Wraith]

[Create Mid Tier undead: Elder LIch]
[Create Mid Tier undead: Elder Lich]
[Create Mid Tier undead: Elder Lich]
He used all the corpses in the room to create his undead, before giving them his orders. ‘All the
wraiths must constantly follow the humans in this room and report any suspicious actions to me
immediately.’ He ordered. He chose the Stalking Wraiths since they had a passive that allowed
them to turn invisible if they didn’t attack for more than ten seconds. They were used for ambushes
by low level players and as scouts for the higher levels.
The seven wraiths approached the seven executives, who were now pressing their bodies against
the wall in fear.
“Now listen carefully, all of you.”
Said Satoru. Immediately all the executives’ attention turned to him. He felt a little embarrassed at
the sudden stares, but it was nothing his [Emotional Suppression] couldn’t handle.
“From this day on you are under the jurisdiction of Hilma here. You will do as she says. These
wraiths will follow each one of you from this day on. They will not sleep nor rest. They will always
be with you like a second shadow, ready to strike you down as soon as you disobey or try to hurt
Hilma herself… is that clear?”
He asked as his eyes shone and he activated his [Aura of Despair I]. The executives immediately
nodded in understanding and submission.
Satoru turned toward his other summons. ‘Go search the mansion. Find all the men and women
who were beaten. If they are still sane, free them. If not… give them a quick painless death… As
for all the others, tie them to something, paralyze them, or break their bones. I don’t care as long as
they are not able to leave the mansion… Now go.’ All his summons obeyed.
“Good. Come humans, follow me. We are going out.”
He was sick of this place. All of the executives obeyed with some hesitation. They were exiting
from the basement when a thought hit him. He immediately used the link to contact his summon in
the mansion. ‘Oh right, you must bring me a certain human…’
{An hour later outside}
Satoru stood not far from the iron gate they entered through. He was waiting for his summons to
return.
Finally, he saw them exit from the main door. One of his Death Knights was transporting a certain
pig-like man under its arm as if he was a sack of potatoes.
Once the summons were in front of him, the fat man was released and fell on the ground. He was
almost completely naked and Satoru didn’t even want to know what he was doing when his
summon found him.
“Break his leg. I don’t want him to run.”
Satoru ordered. His Death Knight lifted one of his armoured feet and slammed it on one of the
man’s legs. The man squealed like a gutted pig.
“Well then, [Fire Storm].”
He casted his 6 th tier fire spell and the whole mansion was engulfed by fire. Even from here
everyone could hear the screams from inside as the flames quickly consumed the wood and stone
alongside the flesh and bones of those still inside.
The great pyre illuminated the night, a beacon of redemption for the unspeakable acts committed
inside that cursed place.
“As for you…”
Satoru began, before noticing that the pig-like man was lying in a fetal position inside a pool of his
own excrements. There was no more meaning in wasting words with him.
Satoru raised a hand.
[Summon: Pumpkin Carnage]
From the ground another undead rose. It was a rotting corpse covered by a black gown. Its fingers
were replaced by metal claws good for tearing meat apart and causing bleeding. Serving as a head
was a glowing pumpkin.
It was one of the special summons from the Halloween event. It was considered a trash summon
since it was only level 25 and its stats were pretty low, not counting the fact that it could only heal
living beings and not undead. Its lore said that he was a torturer that came back from the grave to
satiate his bloodthirst.
Satoru looked at the sky, considering the position of the moon. There were still around 4 hours
before dawn. ‘Pumpkin Carnage, inflict on that human the worst pain you can and only end his
suffering once dawn arrives.’ He ordered.
He felt nothing for what he did today. No, he felt something. A faint sense of satisfaction… as if in
this way he could take a little revenge on his old world.
“Look carefully, this is what will happen to those who shall betray me.”
He said to the executives as the Pumpkin Carnage began to work.
“You don’t have to watch.”
Satoru whispered to Hilma, but she didn’t look away from the macabre spectacle.
“No, I have to watch, I must watch…”
She whispered back. For the next hours, screams filled the courtyard, then mumbled crying and
when the sun appeared, silence graced their ears.
In the meantime, Satoru thought about what he wanted the new organization to be known as. He
came up with many names, but he finally decided when a memory struck him. He remembered
how Ulbert once said that, following demonology, the humans guilty of the crime of greed would
be turned into deformed monkeys with seven hands to symbolize their greed during life.
He thought that it was quite appropriate for an organization like theirs.
“Listen well, from this day onward you are no longer the Eight Fingers.”
He said. All the eyes turned to him, some of those gazes seemed almost empty, as if life itself had
left their very bodies.
“From this day on you shall be known as the Seven Hands!”
He proclaimed and no one spoke against it. Then Hilma proceeded to give them their orders and
finally, once Satoru had covered himself once more, the two left the burned down mansion,
walking toward the capital.
That night the history of the kingdom was changed forever. On a single night the undead magic
caster known as Satoru took over half of the Re-Estize Kingdom… and it was only the beginning.
Chapter End Notes
BOOM! Longest chapter! I hope you enjoyed and as you probably noticed, I’m shit at
writing fighting scenes… I’m deeply sorry… I actually made a big effort in bringing
this out before the new year, so it would be a kind thing to leave a review (I also had to
work on the Christmas special so I actually spent hours of sleep on this).
Another good reason to review would be to give me an opinion on the arc as a whole.
What you liked? What you didn’t like? Tell me in a review!
The Princess, the Assistant, and the Merchant
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Welcome back dear readers, it has been a while. I was full of exams this January. I
already knew that I would be too busy to write, so I wanted to conclude the arc last
time. This is an aftermath chapter. Still, we will see interesting stuff that will build the
base for some very future arcs. As always, enjoy!
Hilma sealed the last letter she just finished writing. The sun disappeared from the horizon a few
hours ago and the moon was already high in the sky.
She tied together the seven letters and put them inside a wooden box, before sealing it. She then
handed it to the ghostly figure standing next to her desk. The undead being didn’t speak, but simply
grabbed the box and left after turning itself invisible.
Hilma sighed heavily and stretched in her chair. It has been three months since Satoru’s takeover.
She had been very busy since then. In the morning, she worked in his shop and in the afternoon and
evening she managed Seven Hands.
The first month was a mess. Satoru’s violent and sudden takeover left some scars on the
organization. Some loose ends were lost and for a time, it seemed like the whole organization
would collapse. Fortunately, she managed to hold it together. The success was not in small part due
to the fear and terror the figure of Satoru inspired in the leaders of Seven Hands. A simple mention
of the undead magic caster was enough to silence any protest and force anyone to work as hard as
they could.
Hilma herself was ashamed to admit how she was uncertain about what to do after Satoru’s true
nature was revealed. She of course had heard rumours about the hate the undead had for the living.
A few days were enough for all her hesitations to leave her. Satoru was just as kind and awe
inspiring as he was before the reveal.
It has been easy for her to ignore the fact that he was undead. After all her years with Eight
Fingers, she learned how she shouldn’t trust anything someone else said to her before verifying it.
The rumours about the undead’s hate for the living was probably true, but of course there were
exceptions. Maybe it was an internal instinct they had and since the majority of undead were just
mindless, they acted only on instinct. It was very reasonable to think that intelligent and self-aware
undead were able to control their instincts. Hilma had no doubt Satoru was one of those few.
He had no reason to spare her. He could have just taken over the organization with might alone. He
didn’t need her, but instead he gave her what she always wanted and more. She was now the
supreme leader of an organization, that possessed the power of half a nation. She was happy with
her life. She knew how it felt to be at peace with herself. Satoru was the one to give all of this to
her and she will never be able to repay him.
Shaking her head, as if to put down that train of thought, Hilma forced her mind to return to more
pressing matters. It was true that the internal crisis had been avoided, but there was still much to be
done if she wanted to achieve her goal of forever changing the organization once known as Eight
Fingers.
She thought much about it. What she wanted Seven Hands to be. Of course, she asked Satoru about
it, but he was very vague in his answer. He left her with almost full rule over it, another sign of the
fact that he trusted her greatly in her mind.
After many weeks, she finally came up with a plan to reshape the organization. Every organization
needed a goal or something to aspire to. She decided that Seven Hands would be centered around
the figure of Satoru. His goals would be their priorities. This would normally be a dangerous plan.
Normally, such an organization would collapse into smaller groups as soon as the central person
would die, but Satoru’s unique nature morphed such a great weakness into its greatest strength.
But for this great change to happen, Hilma had to begin morphing the very base of the
organization. Firstly, she had to remove all those members not fully controllable. That included
many thugs’ groups and some… not so sane high members of the organization. That inevitably led
to a great loss in strength and numbers of Seven Hands, something the former Fingers, now called
Administrators, didn’t ignore and periodically complained about it.
Nothing much came from their complaints since no one dared to openly defy Hilma and she also
immediately moved to solve the problem.
It has been easy, truly easy. Desperate people were easy to find. Offer a beggar a future for
themselves and their families and they will fight the world for you. Offer an orphan or street rat a
piece of bread and they will cut throats. In less than a handful of weeks, there were no more
homeless people in the lower district and Seven Hands solved their number problems. True, they
would still need to be well trained, but at the moment cannon fodder was enough.
They were easily put to work. When she communicated the results to Satoru, she felt a certain
degree of happiness in his words as he congratulated her. He also suggested to put up some basic
rules on payment and days off. She was unsure at first. After all, giving too much freedom to your
workers could backfire easily, but she was amazed at how well it generally worked. They still had
some minor problems, but the benefits far outshone them.
‘Happy workers are hard workers.’ She remembered the words Satoru used to describe the benefits
of his idea and indeed it has been so. She didn’t visit the working places of Seven Hands often, but
from reading the reports she got from the Administrators, the rate of incidents and brawls
decreased incredibly, making such things a rarity.
It has been a good investment. The people now had working hours and days off to spend as they
liked, a minimal pay for each hour depending on the job and small militia groups were created to
patrol the low and middle districts. Even normal commoners no longer saw them so badly since
they made sure peace was ensured in the districts and thanks to their recruitment, there were
almost no more thieves around.
She also began to reform the various departments. Since the Finger that managed the drug
department was gone, Hilma decided to completely disband that department. Of course, once the
word spread, little criminal groups tried to fill the void left by the disbanded department, but they
were easily put down by the new militia.
The brothel department was probably the one who received the greatest change. She was still in
contact with Cocco Doll. Nowadays, their roles were reversed, and he was using their good
relationship to avoid to incurring Satoru’s wrath in any way possible. Hilma didn’t mind that since
that gave her enough influence on him to do as she wished without opposition from him.
She completely disbanded the human slave traffic since, while profitable, it made them far too
exposed. She also began to reform the normal brothels, filling them with experienced women
instructed to learn everything possible from their clients, with a certain level of discretion of course.
It would be a long process to replace all the normal prostitutes with trained ones, but once the
project was completed, they will have a full spy network completely hidden around the whole
kingdom.
All the other departments received smaller changes to adapt their various fields, making them more
ordered and harder for the kingdom guards to track. After all, no one would put their nose where
there was no smell to follow.
In short, while difficult, the results she received were promising. A bright future seemed ahead.
Sometimes she couldn’t believe that this was really happening. She was terrified to wake up one
day, only to discover that everything was just a dream, and she was still sleeping in a bed with one
of those pig men next to her.
She trembled at the thought of it, but she immediately steeled herself. She would go on no matter
what. She will reach the top together with him, the one who gave her hope, the kind undead magic
caster, Satoru.
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
The third princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom entered the Sorcerer’s Shop as she always did, but
today was different. Today she was about to confront a certain someone about their past.
To gain such information cost her much, both in terms of resources and time. This made her
understand that she needed a spy network as soon as possible. It was bad enough that someone like
that got this near to Satoru without her knowing sooner.
With those thoughts on her mind, she marched toward her objective, Gazef following her.
“Oh, Your Highness, I didn’t expect you today. I’m afraid Satoru is currently attending one of the
Merchant Guild’s meetings. He is most busy since he joined them.”
The blond woman behind the counter said with a pleasant smile. Renner put up one of her fake
smiles in return. ‘I already knew this. This is exactly why I am here…’
“That’s quite okay. I hoped I could be able to exchange some words with you today. Would you
mind going somewhere a little more private?”
The princess asked, the woman’s face expression turned into confusion.
“Of course, Your Highness. Please follow me.”
She said before escorting her to the usual living room where she met with Satoru. The woman
closed the door behind them.
They both sat at the table opposite each other.
“Could I offer you something to drink, Your Highness?”
The blond woman asked.
“No, thank you, I’m only here to speak with you.”
She said. Now she could see some hint of wariness hidden behind the woman’s eyes. ‘Good, she is
not taking me lightly’ Renner thought.
“May I ask what you would like to speak about?”
She asked, Renner’s expression didn’t change ‘It’s time’.
“Hilma Cygnaeus, bastard daughter of the deceased third son of the Baldur noble family and the
whore Marinette Cygnaeus, prostitute working under the organization formerly known as Eight
Fingers, nowadays named Seven Hands, assistant of Satoru the magic caster… did I miss
anything?”
She asked rhetorically. She enjoyed the results of her words as Hilma’s body froze.
“No.”
She finally responded after a tense silence.
“You are not even going to deny it?”
Asked Renner, her gaze now fixed on her prey. The prostitute flinched; Renner enjoyed the
reaction she caused.
“Would there be a point in denying it?”
She asked after composing herself.
“But I’m curious, how did you find out?”
The prostitute continued trying to use a tone as calm as she could manage in that situation.
Renner internally smirked.
“Oh, I assure you, it hasn’t been easy. I had to ask many people and link many dots together before
reaching you. I had to dig through many-“
The princess stopped as soon as she noticed that the prostitute’s hand was now under the table.
‘You sneaky little rat, you almost got me, good try.’ She internally complimented.
“You know, before coming here, I instructed Gazef Stronoff to stand by behind the door. As soon
as I begin to scream, he will barge into the room… are you sure you can cut my throat faster than
the Warrior Captain can behead you?”
She asked. Unexpectedly the prostitute smirked at her.
“Should we try?”
She asked. ‘You bitch.’ Now she was truly getting on her nerves.
“What would you gain by cutting my throat? Apart from your head being placed on a pike in the
central square of course.”
Asked the princess.
“If the Kingdom would be satisfied with just that, I wouldn’t mind too much.”
Now it was Renner’s turn to feel a shiver going down her spine. She never felt such an emotion
before… was this… fear? Was she scared of this woman?... no, it wasn’t this woman that scared
her. It was her willingness to die to protect what she stood for.
“Why?... Why do you care about your organization so much?”
Renner asked now genuinely curious.
“My organization has nothing to do with this, what I want to protect is a person… someone I care
far more about than anything else in this world, I will sooner die than let the Kingdom ruin him.”
Renner was sure the woman believed every word she said. This was certainly unexpected. She
thought she would be confronting some rat begging for her life… She was clearly mistaken… This
woman… was far more similar to her than she thought possible.
A new approach was needed before things got out of hand.
“The Kingdom can burn for all I care… Listen, this can easily end well for all of us. I don’t know
why you choose Satoru or what your goal is exactly, but if you let Satoru be, I will help you find
another to use for whatever you need to do. The only one I care about is Satoru. Leave him be and I
will help you however I can.”
‘Stabbing you in the back as soon as possible could solve all your problems.’ She joked inside, but
for now she needed to resolve this situation.
The prostitute looked at her surprised. Was that… shock? Renner asked herself. Hilma seemed
hesitant to speak.
“So… you are here… because you think I’m using Satoru to achieve my personal goals?”
The prostitute asked hesitantly. Renner didn’t remove her stern gaze from her.
“Wasn’t that point already cleared?”
She said, voice plain and emotionless. Hilma flinched once more at her tone.
“Satoru is the only beautiful thing in this rotten world. I would do anything for him…”
Renner felt her expression shift into a little smile. It was a natural one. Hilma’s eyes widened and
she gulped loudly. They remained silent for a few more seconds.
“P-princess, I think you may have m-misunderstood something.”
The prostitute said. Renner didn’t respond. Inside, she was only wondering what kind of game the
woman before her was playing. Was she trying to waste time? Was she waiting for something to
happen? Did she have a plan for a situation like this? But before she could give answer to those
questions, Hilma continued.
“The truth is… I work for Satoru. I manage Seven Hands for him.”
After Hilma’s statement, silence descended in the room. Renner’s brain was working in overdrive,
so many things went into place at the same time.
Normally, she would doubt such claims, but this development would explain so many things she
didn’t understand in the last months.
First, the capital’s streets were cleaned free of any homeless person. Second, the former Eight
Fingers went into hiding and seemed to totally change their moves without any inputs from the
outside. Third, the Noble Faction went quieter at the official meetings. They apparently lost a lot of
their income from their dealings with Eight Fingers. At first, Renner thought something happened
between the two but as time went on, it became apparent that the one who ended their relationship
was the criminal organization.
Without Eight Fingers’ protection, many of the Noble Faction’s dirty and illegal dealings went to
light, causing many problems and a lot of money passed hands to try and cover everything.
Returning to reality, the princess tried to hide her shock and compose herself.
“When exactly… did this happen?”
She asked emotionlessly.
“Around three months ago. Eight Fingers tried to make him submit to them… it didn’t end well for
them to say the least.”
Said the now ex-prostitute. Her tensed body seemed to have relaxed a bit after seeing Renner not
losing her composure.
Everything now clicked together in Renner’s head. In the last weeks, she thought she was losing
control over the situation, but the truth was that she simply lacked this information and of course
didn’t consider it while trying to understand what was happening.
In that moment, a new realization greeted her mind. Satoru already had a great deal of influence
over the Adventurer’s Guild, so much that even adventurer groups from other cities came here to
buy his magic items. Now he had full control over the Seven Hands, which meant control over half
of the Kingdom by itself. To add to that, he joined the Merchant Guild more than a month ago and
gained the title of Master of Magic, giving him a seat with the other leaders of the guild as their
peer.
In short, he was probably on par, if not superior, to the Six Great Nobles. Only the King was above
him right now, and the funniest thing was that no one had a clue about any of it. Renner smirked
internally at the realization. ‘Truly, how could I love any lesser man than him? If I believed in fate,
I would say our meeting was a destined one. Truly a worthy man to pursue… the only one capable
of understanding me… my Satoru. But still, what kind of power did you need to make such a
ruthless organization submit?’ She wondered.
{A few days later}
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
When Satoru left the meeting room, the sun was already descending toward the horizon. He
sighed. This meeting honestly took a lot out of him. He knew that with time, he could avoid going
to most meetings, but he had just joined and needed to know how things worked. He needed to
know what kind of people he was dealing with.
He must say, he wasn’t disappointed. It was clear that most of the Branch Masters had earned their
places. They were as cunning as any good merchant should be. They knew when to act and when
to watch.
There were 8 Branch Masters composing the Council of Masters.

The Master of Metal who dealt with the Kingdom’s blacksmiths.
The Master of Carts who was in charge of all the transportation businesses.
The Master of Wood who had all the woodcrafters under him.
The Master of Luxury who dealt with all the various luxurious goods.
The Master of Paper who managed all types of objects based around paper, like books, but not
magical scrolls.
The Master of Bricks who was in charge of all the businesses regarding construction.
The Master of Bread who dealt with all the businesses selling food and beverages.
The final and newest Master was Satoru himself, the Master of Magic.
At the moment, he had no one under his wing, but he understood that this didn’t make any other
Master think less of him considering how much money he moved alone.
Goldfinger has been invaluable these last few weeks in guiding him through the various inner
workings of the guild. How to interact with his fellow masters and the ones he shouldn’t
antagonize.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, Satoru felt a little bit of familiarity towards
something. He didn’t miss his old world of course, but the similarities between this guild and the
various companies in his world helped him become more confident.
To add to his joy, he also discovered that his undead summons would not disappear if created using
a corpse; at first he feared he would constantly have to replace his guards over Seven Hands, he
was very surprised to say the least when he still felt their link even after their summon time
expired.
Not like he didn’t have a more pressing matter to think about. A few days ago, Hilma told him
about the Princess’ visit and their exchange. While the thought of the small princess protecting him
warmed Satoru’s non-existent heart, the thought of her knowing about his takeover bothered him.
After all, she was a princess of the kingdom. She had a certain degree of obligation towards it.
Ordinarily, Satoru would worry more about the fact that she was a child, but he came to accept
months ago that the princess was far more mature than most adults. She gave him proof of this
many times during their talks about the politics and factions in the Kingdom. She was what most
would call a prodigy, but unfortunately the society she grew up in expected her only to be silent
and pretty.
Sometimes he could feel the frustration caused by her situation from her tone. He was happy that
she had found someone willing to listen to her, namely him. He didn’t dare to think what would
have become of her if she continued to accumulate all that frustration for years and years. With that
mind of hers, she could easily bring down hell upon anyone she wanted to.
Not to say that he didn’t enjoy her childish side. She was still quite adorable the few times she
pouted or when she didn’t show him that demonic smile of hers.
All his doubts were relieved in the few visits after the revelation about Seven Hands. Renner didn’t
seem to mind at all that he was the leader of the greatest criminal organization in the Kingdom.
Hell, she even helped Hilma with some problems and offered to pull some strings at court. He
knew she didn’t hold much love for her Kingdom but this was still very unsettling. Satoru even
asked himself if she hated her own Kingdom.
With these thoughts, he entered his shop. Behind the counter was Hilma, probably still busy
counting the money his shop made that day.
“Good evening Satoru, I hope everything went well.”
She greeted him with her usual smile. The magic caster internally smiled. He was happy with how
things turned out. Hilma was a good co-worker and a funny person when she wanted to be.
Satoru didn’t have such a good experience with past co-workers, so this was refreshing for him. He
actually began to appreciate the time they spent together and the long hours he spent inside his
shop didn’t feel so lonely anymore.
While his emotions were dulled, he could still feel some sort of gratitude toward the woman.
“Yes indeed, how was your day?”
He asked. She sighed.
“Nothing new, but there is someone who wants to see you. He arrived here a few hours ago and
even when I explained to him that you were at a meeting, he insisted on waiting for you here. I left
him in the living room upstairs.”
She explained. Satoru tensed a little inside. He hoped to conclude this day quickly, but apparently
this would not be the case.
“Who is it?”
He asked in a low voice.
“The Guildmaster of the Magician Guild.”
Hilma whispered back. Satoru steeled himself. He knew that this day was coming, but he didn’t
expect it to come so soon.
Since Satoru’s business boomed, the Magician Guild basically fell into ruin. They were backed by
the crown, true, but in reality, the majority of their income came from the selling of their magic
items at absurd prices when compared to Satoru’s. All this would lead to an inevitable clash
between the two of them, and now it seemed the time of the clash finally came.
Satoru walked upstairs and entered his living room. The man who sat at his table was around his
fifties and had grey hair along with an equally grey beard.
“Good evening sir, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting all this time.”
Satoru said, attracting the attention of the man who seemed lost in his thought until Satoru spoke.
He immediately stood up and turned toward Satoru.
“Ah! Good evening to you… Sir Satoru, please do not apologize. I came here unannounced. The
fact that you had time for me was good enough.”
He said. Satoru was relieved the man wasn’t acting aggressively. He only met this man once
months ago and didn’t know what to expect from him.
“Please take a seat and let’s talk.”
Satoru said, using his more respectful tone. The Guildmaster obeyed and sat back at the table.
Satoru did the same.
“Well then, please tell me why you visited me today sir…”
Satoru made the first move.
“Alvean Baluk is my name. I’m the Guildmaster of the Magician Guild in Ro-Lente. As to why I
came here today, I’m sure you already have an idea.”
The man, Alvean, said. Satoru nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Since you arrived in the capital, we have been cut off from the market of magic items and
equipment. We cannot afford to sell our products at such low prices. Differently from many of my
colleagues, I will not begrudge you for it. Through your actions many adventurers managed to
survive their first months in this field of work. Many others managed to improve with your help.”
He paused. His gaze now was directed at Satoru’s mask.
“But no matter how noble your actions may be, the reality remains that your business practically
doomed the guild itself. Decades ago, we would have had no problems since the crown provided
us with plenty of resources, but with the passing of the years, the Noble Faction began to cut our
funds. Any more, we have barely enough money to promote basic researches and I’m sure that in a
few years we will receive nothing from the crown.”
The Guildmaster explained.
“Do they want to rid the Kingdom of magic casters?”
Asked Satoru. Alvean grimaced.
“The fools believe our art is a weak and coward way of fighting. The Royal Faction has no interest
in protecting us since we hold no political power to use against the Noble Faction. Selling our
magic items and equipment was the only way to sustain ourselves.”
Explained the middle-aged man.
“I see… but, I’m still confused, what do you expect me to do about this?”
Asked Satoru.
“Today I came here in hope of reaching an agreement about the general price to place on certain
magic items.”
He finally said. Satoru hummed ‘Well let’s see how he reacts to this…’.
“I understand your position, and normally I would have tried to help you, but a certain rumour
reached my ears recently. It said that the Magician Guild tried to use their influence on the
Adventurer’s Guild to try and ban adventurers from buying my items. Unfortunately for them, that
aggressive strategy backfired and as a result, the Adventurer’s Guild cut all relationships with the
Magician Guild… is that correct?”
He asked. He remembered reading it in one of Hilma’s reports. It wasn’t supposed to be a public
thing, but with his control over Seven Hands, few things managed to slip unnoticed by him
nowadays.
The Guildmaster’s gaze fell on the table before sighing.
“I hoped you wouldn’t know that… Yes, some of our members tried that… very questionable
route. I am ashamed of what happened and please know that the responsible person has been
severely punished.”
He said. The two remained silent for some time. Satoru was evaluating his options here. On the
other hand, the Guildmaster seemed to accept the harsh reality of the situation. ‘This meeting was
probably their last hope. They have been truly consumed by desperation… Still, I could…’ Satoru
fell into a unique train of thought that was opened to him by this new development.
After a few minutes, the Guildmaster stood up.
“I see. Sorry for bothering you at such an hour, Sir Satoru. I wish you a fine evening.”
He said before beginning to walk toward the door.
“Please wait a moment!”
Said Satoru with energy, his brain just managing to hatch a seemingly good plan that would solve
many of his current problems if it worked. The Guildmaster stopped and turned toward him once
more.
“Are you currently capable of making magic items and equipment around the 3 rd tier?”
He asked. The Guildmaster hesitated an instant.
“Umm… yes, I think so, we lost a lot of members, but most of them were young and
inexperienced… They all thought they could find a better chance in the Empire. I’m not blaming
them for that… but returning to your question, yes we still have our most capable casters. They are
surely able to craft such items… still, I don’t know how much time they will remain part of the
guild…”
He said hesitantly. Satoru nodded and gestured at the chair he previously sat on.
“Please sit, I think I may have a good offer for you, if you are willing to listen of course.”
He said. For a moment, a ray of hope flashed from the Guildmaster’s eyes, he immediately returned
to the table and sat.
“Very well. Please listen carefully. My future plans for my business consist in opening a shop in
every major city of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Preferably, every city where there is an Adventurer’s
Guild.”
He began. This was something he and Hilma were evaluating very seriously. It would be quite easy
with the new support of Seven hands to both create and protect a business like that. The
Guildmaster’s mouth opened in surprise.
“That is surely… an ambitious prospect… but seeing how your business boomed here I cannot
blame you… but what-“
The Guildmaster began.
“Please stop. Let me finish and leave questions for the end.”
Satoru interrupted him, the Guildmaster closed his mouth and nodded.
“Very well: The only problem with this plan is that… I’m only one man. I barely manage to have
enough merchandise for this store. There is no way I can enchant enough items for two or even
more.”
He explained. The Guildmaster’s eyes widened in shock at his words.
“Please wait! Do you mean to tell me that you personally enchant every item you sell! Considering
the amount you sell each day… that would require a monstrous magical pool!!!”
He almost shouted in shock. Satoru didn’t know how to respond to that and simply decided to
ignore it.
“For that reason, I require people capable of enchanting magical items and equipment with lower
tiers in a great amount, in exchange for that service I will fund your guild.”
Satoru finally explained the central part of his plan.
“Of course, I will make sure you receive the items to enchant.”
He clarified. The Guildmaster nodded. He crossed his arms and began to think about Satoru’s
offer. After around a minute he spoke.
“How much… are we speaking exactly?”
He asked unsure. ‘Well… not the politest question… but still understandable’ thought Satoru.
“That depends. How many magic casters do you have at your disposal?”
He asked. The Guildmaster thought for a moment.
“Around 300, but of course, if we ever come back to our previous state, others will begin to join.”
He answered with confidence. Satoru hummed once more.
“Well… tell me, let’s say you have an infinite amount of materials, how many well-crafted magic
items could you produce each week with that number of members?”
Satoru asked eager to know the answer, the Guildmaster thought hard for almost a minute before
speaking.
“Well, with those circumstances I would say… around 1000 1st tier items, 600 2nd tier items and
200 3rd tier items every week… I think.”
He said. ‘Oh… that is better than I expected! Good!’ Satoru happily thought as silence descended
on the room ‘what is he waitin-Oh! Right!’.
“Uhm… that is a good number… how about a monthly fund of 500 gold coins?”
He asked. The Guildmaster’s eyes widened once more. ‘Oh shit! Is it too little? Well, it is a lot of
items so… maybe I was too greedy… wait!’ Satoru panicked inside.
“Of course, this is just a testing period, once I see that this cooperation is giving good results, I can
increase the fun-“
Satoru tried to add.
“INCREASE?!”
Shouted the Guildmaster standing up from his chair and slamming his hands on the table.
“WE ONLY GET 150 GOLD COINS EACH MONTH FROM THE CROWN! EVEN WHEN WE
WERE SELLING MAGIC ITEMS, WE COULD BARELY REACH 400 COINS! THERE MUST
BE AN ERROR! THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!”
The Guildmaster continued to yell.
“W-well… 500 gold coins is what I earn in a week, so I don’t think there will be a prob-“
“A WEEK?!?!?! THIS CANNOT BE! I MUST BE DREAMING! YES, THIS IS A DREAM!”
The Guildmaster interrupted him before slapping himself over and over on the face.
“P-please calm down!”
Said Satoru. It took almost ten minutes to calm down the Guildmaster and making him sit once
more.
“I-I deeply apologize for my behaviour… but… this is true right… you are not joking, right?”
Alvean said a bit embarrassed.
“Yes… this is my offer, but I have a certain reputation to maintain, so I will need the items to be
enchanted the best you can. I can’t offer my clients damaged or not working items.”
He explained.
“Of course! If you find any kind of problem with any item, contact me immediately! I will make
sure to punish anyone who made such a sloppy work!”
The Guildmaster spoke with energy.
“Umu… very well… so how about we write a contract with what we just agreed on. Let’s make
two copies so we will both have it in case we need to consult it.”
He said before offering his gloved hand. The Guildmaster took it immediately and shook it.
“Also, you said, many of your members went to the Empire. Could you tell me about their politics
on magic there?”
The masked caster asked politely.
That day another piece of the capital fell into the hands of Satoru, the arcane magic caster. What
will he do with the three most important guilds now deeply linked to him?
Chapter End Notes

And cut! Hope you liked this new chapter and the return of businessman Satoru! I
know some of you missed him. Also, for those who asked both in PM and reviews,
there will be no human Satoru in this fic. I find the idea… distasteful to say the least
and it doesn’t help that it is usually used for stuff I have no interest in writing.
Well speaking of something else, I’m finally done with my exams for this session, so
why don’t you leave a review? A lot of stuff happened this time and I’m eager to
know what you think these new developments will bring in the future! Well then.
What are you waiting for? Review!
A Crown for the Witch
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Hey! Welcome back. Not much to say this time. I hoped that this would come out
sooner, but I had to update CW first. Also, I went through this entire story again and
corrected any grammatical and spelling errors/inconsistences I could find. It should be
a lot cleaner now.
Also, I found an error in an early chapter. I directly addressed the “yearly war” of the
kingdom and empire but the truth is, the war has not started yet so I simply deleted
that part. It was really short and I think no one remembers it, but I took it away for any
new reader anyway.
Before starting, I wish to thank all of you for all your reviews. While I don’t answer
most of them, I really appreciate reading your thoughts and theories. You have no idea
how many bad days you all helped me through with those reviews. So yeah, I just
wanted to thank you all. This is one of the reasons that drives me to put my all in this
story. Thank you all!
Oh god, I said I would grumble less than usual and here we are… well hope you enjoy
the chapter!
The blonde girl with an elaborate hairstyle opened the door to the third princess’ room. The room
was empty, as expected. These days, the princess spent this period of the day outside on her room’s
balcony. The girl still remembered the time she questioned the princess about it. The princess
simply answered that she was gazing on the city. But the girl knew better. She noticed how the
princess’ gaze often wandered toward a certain area of the capital where a certain shop owner
lived.
The blonde noble girl herself came to adore and admire that particular shop owner after so many
months of visiting, even if her motives were probably different from the princess’. He was
probably the man she knew best outside of her direct family. She wasn’t allowed or supposed to
speak with other men after all. That was one of the first lessons she learnt as a child.
Much like the princess, she will one day be married to a man she didn’t even know. She came to
terms with that reality years ago, but now she could do nothing but rethink her acceptance. The one
who put such doubts into her was the shop owner himself, Satoru, the arcane magic caster.
He supported her dreams of one day becoming an adventurer. He told her many tales about his
former female companions, their adventures, and their successes. How they travelled to many
distant lands and fought many different beings. Through joy and pain, they grew attached to each
other.
There were some stories so crazy, that even she could not fully say she completely believed them,
but she still enjoyed them nonetheless. It reminded her of her uncle’s stories and how they inspired
her. She regretted not being able to see him during this last period, but his job as an adventurer
made him travel all over the kingdom.
She couldn’t complain though. Thanks to Satoru, who convinced Gazef to give her secret lessons,
she was now able to wield a sword better than any normal soldier. Gazef himself told her how
surprised he was by her gift in swordsmanship. She was proud of it.
It has been more than half a year since she met Satoru, and her life changed quite drastically thanks
to him and the princess. She could still not fathom how someone as young as Renner could be so
gifted with her mind. She was grateful to both of them, nonetheless.
Speaking of the princess, she still remembered the look in her eyes when Satoru gifted her a sword
for her 11th birthday. It was just an instant, but Lakyus could have sworn she saw something in her
eyes; something very unsettling. But at the moment, she was too excited for the sword she received
as a present.
Of course, she couldn’t bring her new gift around, so they arranged for the Warrior Captain to take
care of it and bring it out only when they had their secret lessons.
The short sword was made out of a dark blue metal. It had an elegant black hilt with a ruby encased
in the middle of it. Satoru told her that the blade was enchanted with lightning magic around the
3rd tier. To say she was overjoyed at receiving such a gift would be an understatement. If it wasn’t
for the years of strict education buried in her head, she would have jumped at Satoru and hugged
him.
Shaking away those memories, she moved toward the open patio door and stepped onto the terrace
where she found the princess silently sitting at a table, gazing at the city below.
“Good afternoon, you- Renner.”
She said making the princess aware of her presence. Said girl turned toward her, the usual gentle
smile on her face.
“Good afternoon Lakyus, is it time already?”
The princess asked.
“Yes, Master Gazef is waiting for us outside.”
Answered Lakyus, the princess stood up and both of them left the room.
While passing through the corridors, someone called out from behind them.
“Ah if it isn’t my dear sister. Did you decide to finally come out of your room?”
The duo turned to see a woman around her late teens or early twenties. She had brown hair and
green eyes. Lakyus recognized her. She was Carine, the first princess of the kingdom, escorted by
her handmaidens. Lakyus bowed lightly as etiquette demanded.
“Yesterday we had to drag you out of it for your birthday and today you leave it like it is nothing…
You did it on purpose to get on our nerves, didn’t you?”
She continued as a scornful expression appeared on her face. It was true. The princess’ 8th birthday
celebration had been yesterday and she refused to come out of her room, forcing her siblings to
come and drag her out since the guards and servants couldn’t touch her.
Secretly, Lakyus thought that Renner’s goal was to annoy everyone as much as she could since,
because of the party, she couldn’t visit Satoru that day. Deep down, Lakyus agreed with the
princess. She would have rather gone to visit Satoru than attend some party in her name that served
no greater purpose than making nobles eat and drink.
“I deeply apologize dearest sister. You see, I’m a little shy when I have to meet so many people.
Also, that dress they gave me showed too much skin for my tastes. I’m afraid I’m not as
accustomed to wearing clothes that would make a harlot blush as you are, while showing off my
attributes to every man I could.”
As Renner spoke, the expression on the first princess’ face morphed into one of rage, a vein
pulsing wildly on her forehead.
“Why… you little…”
She mumbled, while gritting her teeth. Renner didn’t even bother to turn toward her.
“Have fun with the cute serving boy tonight sister, or have you gotten bored of him already? No
matter, I wish you a good day.”
With those words Renner walked away, but they didn’t even make it a few steps before Lakyus
saw a hand wrap around Renner’s left arm and forcefully turned her around. Alarmed, Lakyus
turned too only to see a hand descend and…
*SLAP*
The sound of the first princess slapping Renner across the face echoed in the otherwise vacant
corridor.
“YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME!? YOU DAMN LITTLE MONSTER!? THE
GODS MUST HAVE CURSED OUR FAMILY TO MAKE A DEVIL LIKE YOU A PART OF
IT!”
*SLAP*
After yelling into Renner’s face Carine slapped her again even harder than before. Then she
pushed Renner, making her fall backward on the hard pavement. Lakyus’ right hand twitched next
to her waist as if to reach for the sword she usually placed there and of course grabbed empty air.
Realizing her powerlessness, she immediately jumped at her friend’s side and helped her up.
‘Is this what nobility has become? An empty shell of arrogance, pride and rage? What will become
of this kingdom if the ruling class is so rotten…’ She wondered as she helped Renner stand up. The
first princess advanced once more toward them, now towering over them and seemed to want to
strike Renner again.
“Please, my Princess contain yourself. What will Marquis Pespea think if he hears of this?!”
Cried out one of her handmaidens. The princess calmed herself as she seemed to realize what she
has done. With a fast movement, she grabbed Renner’s face with her right hand and lowered
herself so that her mouth was next to Renner’s ear. Lakyus, being next to them, was barely able to
hear the first princess.
“Now listen well, little monster. You will not make fun of me like you did with that oaf of a
brother we share. Remember this as a lesson. Never cross my path again.”
She whispered into Renner’s ear, then stood up. Her hand was still on Renner’s face.
“Now apologize!”
She demanded. Lakyus saw a glimpse of something pass through Renner’s eyes. She wasn’t sure
what it was, but she knew that Renner was not giving in.
“APOLOGIZE! NOW!”
Yelled the princess once more.
“I… apologize…”
Muttered Renner, the first princess grinned.
“No, this won’t do. Say it clearer. ‘I apologize, your highness’. Say it!”
Carine said with a smug grin, Renner took a deep breath.
“I apologize… Your Whoreness.”
If the situation was different, Lakyus might have laughed at the princess’ words and mocking tone.
The first princess on the other hand snarled and pushed Renner away once more, making her fall on
the pavement, before storming away with her handmaidens in tow.
As her little body hit the hard marble, Lakyus heard a crack sound come from the impact. She
immediately jumped at her friend’s side.
“Renner! Are you okay?!”
She asked concerned. Her friend met her gaze. Lakyus froze. This was the first time she saw such a
dead expression on the princess’ face.
“My… my right arm… hurts… but I can still move it.”
She said as she tried to get up. Lakyus helped her and once Renner got up, she looked at her arm. It
was swollen and a small area of skin was becoming darker and darker.
“We need to take you to a priest.”
Said Lakyus immediately. Renner covered the darkening area with her dress.
“No, I want to go to Satoru.”
She stated.
“Renner, I don’t think that is a great idea. In your condition-“
Lakyus was stopped by Renner’s left hand.
“I said I want to go to Satoru. As princess, I order you to take me there.”

She said more firmly. There was nothing else Lakyus could do. An order was an order. She just
hoped Satoru had something to help Renner.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
The arcane magic caster known as Satoru waited in silence inside his shop. The only noise was
coming from upstairs where Hilma was finishing the preparations for the celebration of the
princess’ birthday.
He wanted to give the child a normal birthday party. He didn’t know much about parties to begin
with. In his old world, he only went to some when he was very young and his memories about them
were foggy. When he asked Hilma, he discovered that birthday parties were a luxury only nobles or
rich merchants could afford. Normal people didn’t celebrate them.
It was quite sad if he had to be honest. He always thought that they were very important, especially
for children, who could use them as a socializing moment. In Satoru’s old world, there weren’t all
that many occasions to socialize outside of school and work.
Before his mind could lose itself in those memories, he shook his head. To be more precise, the
princess’ birthday was yesterday, but Satoru was aware that she couldn’t come to visit him. After
all, she was supposed to celebrate that day at her palace.
Due to his inexperience with such matters, he once asked Gazef about how a royal birthday was
celebrated here. The answer he received was quite disturbing. Apparently, royal birthdays of first
and even second princes were a great occasion for nobles to show their loyalty and support to them.
In other occasions, when the heir wasn’t important, such as in this case, the party was used as a
way to speak about other matters, like an unofficial meeting. Little attention was paid to the actual
person the party was dedicated to. The only gifts they received were from those who wanted to
court them.
‘No wonder she is all screwed up socially. What kind of sick world is this?’ Satoru has asked
himself that question a lot of times since he began to learn more about Renner’s life and how the
kingdom worked. It was specifically for that reason that he wanted to give the princess a normal
party as all children should have.
He heard the door of his shop opening. He turned to see the tall figure of Gazef entering, followed
by the usual two short cloaked figures.
“Good afternoon… Gazef… what happened to you?”
He asked after noticing the very troubled and tense expression he had on his face. Gazef
approached him.
“The princess is hurt. Can you help her Satoru?”
He asked in a low tone. Immediately, Satoru’s senses were tense too. Were they attacked while
coming here? Who would be so bold as to attack a princess in the middle of the street? And why
didn’t Seven Hands know about this?
“[Black Screen]”
He cast his illusion spell.
“Now we cannot be seen from outside. Lakyus, help Renner remove her cloak please.”
The older girl obeyed and removed her friend’s cloak after removing her own. Satoru immediately
knelt at Renner’s height. The princess grimaced as she showed Satoru her swollen right arm and a
growing black spot on her shoulder. Satoru didn’t dare to touch her arm, fearing he would worsen
her condition.
“What happened?”
He asked in a gentle tone.
“I fell.”
She answered. Satoru noticed Lakyus tensing. A lie. It was obvious, but why did she lie? This was
the first time she did something like this. Satoru’s eyes focussed more on her face. There were red
marks of hands on both of her cheeks ‘Was she slapped?’ He asked himself.
Now that he thought about it more rationally, it was quite impossible that she was attacked while
coming here. First, no one knew about her visits; and second, who would be mad enough to attack
a royalty when Gazef was around?
Also, the fact that she didn’t even want to tell him about what happened could mean only one
thing. The one who did it was powerful enough that they didn’t have to worry about the
consequences of hurting a princess. There was only one group of people who could do it. Her
family.
An image returned to Satoru in that moment. A man slapping a woman and pushing her down on
the floor before storming out of a door, leaving said woman to sob on the ground. His fists
clenched as the memory played in his mind.
“Why didn’t you go to a priest or at least a healer?”
He asked. The princess smiled a little.
“They wouldn’t let me come out for days. I wouldn’t be able to visit you for at least a week.”
She admitted with a sad expression. Satoru’s non-existent eyes widened. ‘Is she so desperate for
affection that she would neglect her health? What the hell did they do to you Renner?’ He thought
as he immediately opened his inventory. He grabbed a lesser healing potion. True, he had a limited
number of them, but he couldn’t let a child he knew suffer like that, even less if said child was
enduring her wounds only because she wanted to see him. Also, it was not like he could use them
himself.
“Please drink this. It should make you feel better.”
Satoru said. Without hesitating, Renner grabbed the red potion with her left hand and downed it as
fast as she could. Her whole body was immediately engulfed in a green aura for a few seconds.
When the green aura disappeared, her arm was no longer swollen, the black spot disappeared from
her shoulder, and even the red marks on her face were gone.
Renner looked at her body in wonder.
“Do you feel better now?”
Asked Satoru. The princess’ eyes returned to him. She gave him a little smile.
“Yes, I feel very well now. I had no idea healing potions were this effective. Thank you very much
Satoru!”
She said more energetically, Satoru patted her head the way he knew she liked.
“To be truthful, it is the first time I have seen such a thing myself, princess. I have never seen a
potion like that Satoru. You wouldn’t happen to sell those too, would you?”
Asked a surprised and relieved Gazef.
“Sorry Gazef, those are rare items made by a secret mixture from my land. I only have a handful of
them. Unfortunately, I was never skilled in alchemy like some of my old friends.”
He said as Gazef nodded in understanding.
“I’m sorry Satoru. You wasted such a precious item.”
The sad voice of Renner reached him. He turned and patted the small child once more.
“Don’t say such things. It isn’t wasted if I used it to help a dear friend of mine.”
He said. For a second, he could swear he saw one of her devilish smiles pass through her face.
“Well, shall we go upstairs now?”
He finally asked, only just remembering the party he organized.
They all nodded as the three of them followed Satoru upstairs. He guided them to the closed door
of the living room. He slowly opened it and invited Renner to enter the dark room. She didn’t
hesitate to step inside.
Immediately, magical candles lit up all around the room revealing the inside of the room. It was
decorated with flowers and banners of the kingdom. At the center, there was a table with a giant
cake.
“Happy birthday, Princess Renner!”
The two individuals in the room said loudly. One was the young blonde woman that secretly led
Seven Hands. The other was a child not much older than her. He had brown hair and green eyes.
His name was Rayne, the child who wanted to be a magic caster.
For a moment, nothing happened. Satoru looked at Renner. For the first time since he met her, he
saw a shocked expression on her face. Sure, he saw her surprised face a few times, but she never
lost her composure like this.
The undead magic caster placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I thought you would appreciate a little party with only a few people you know. And of course,
happy birthday Renner.”
She looked at him, those sky-blue eyes now singularly fixed on his mask.
“Did you do all of this… for me?”
She asked, uncertainty in her tone.
“Well, even if the idea came from me, Hilma and Rayne helped a lot. Hilma prepared the room,
while Rayne enchanted the candles to make them light up and fly around.”
As he finished speaking, he felt two arms wrap around his legs as the princess tried to hug him the
best she could.
“Thank you, Satoru.”
She thanked him. Satoru smiled internally before returning the hug. Once they separated, Renner
went to Hilma and Rayne to thank them too, making the latter blush madly as he stuttered out
something Satoru couldn’t hear.
“I must say Satoru, I never saw the princess so happy before. I think you did an outstanding job.”
Complimented Gazef. Satoru simply nodded. ‘It is good to see everything worked out fine. Even if
she is such a problematic and frighteningly intelligent child, the truth is that she is still a child. She
will be easily influenced by what she experiences in these coming years and those experiences will
define who she will become…’ He thought as he looked at the smiling princess.
They spent the next few hours sitting at the table, eating the cake. It was strange for Satoru to see
such a familiar scene in a middle age setting. He himself was quite pained that he couldn’t eat it
since, from the children’s expressions, it seemed delicious.
Finally, after some chatting, he thought it was the moment to bring out his present. He put his hand
inside the familiar void that was his inventory and pulled out a decorated box from it. He carefully
placed it in front of Renner who eyed it in wonder.
The box itself was made of metal with a covering of soft black velvet, highlighted by golden
borders all around it. The princess tenderly opened it and looked inside.
She slowly put her hands inside and gently lifted the object for all to see. The object in question
was a crown. A golden crown with 7 sapphires embedded all around it. The small blue magical
aura around it was barely visible.
No one said a word. All their eyes were on the crown with shocked expressions all over their faces.
“This is the Crown of Perseverance. It belonged to a wise and cunning queen whose name was lost
in the passing of the ages. It is a powerful magic item that protects the user from most mental
attacks.”
His words made most of the present audience gasp. Satoru himself had no need for such an item
since his natural immunity protected against mental spells. He remembered finding it in one of his
last gacha pulls. What little information he gave was just a diluted version of the lore Yggdrasil
provided in the item’s description.
He saw Renner’s eyes were now fixed on him. Her mouth curved upwards, giving him that
devilish smile he so dreaded, but this time, Satoru didn’t flinch. That was because he recognized
the look in her eyes. A look of gratitude and happiness.
“Well then, why don’t you try it on?”
The princess looked at the crown, confused by his words. The crown was far too big for her at the
moment. She hesitated for a moment before trying it anyway. As soon as the crown touched her
head, it morphed and adapted itself to her head’s proportions.
“That’s so cool!”
Exclaimed an ecstatic Lakyus.
“Ohhhhh…”
Spoke Rayne in surprise and wonder.
“A crown for the future, most beautiful princess of the kingdom. Paired with both her hair and
eyes.”
Noticed Hilma.
“Thank you… Satoru.”
Renner said as a single tear fell from her right eye.
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
When she was finally alone in her room that night, Renner could no longer suppress her joy. She
jumped around like an excited rabbit. Even with everything else she experienced, she considered
today to be one of the best days of her life.
Her Satoru showed how much he loved her. The party and all the preparation behind it made it
very clear to her. Of course, the feast at the palace was far fancier, but it was nothing compared to
what this smaller one gave her.
She would have preferred for the two of them to be alone, but it was still far too soon for that. In all
honesty, she didn’t mind too much. She liked both Lakyus and Gazef, they had their uses. Hilma
was a good and devoted underling. The boy, Rayne, showed potential too. Maybe he could be
useful in the future. If Satoru invited him, it must be so.
Of course, there was also his gift for her. The Crown of Perseverance, in her opinion, was far
greater than the one her father used in official occasions. She made sure to rub it all over her eldest
sister’s face that evening at dinner. She didn’t say where it came from of course. She didn’t want
her stupid siblings pestering Satoru.
Her foolish mother thought it was a gift from some noble who wanted her hand in marriage and
was rather disappointed by her choice to not say who the suitor was. Her father probably had his
suspicions and she knew Gazef would tell him if asked. That was fine. Her father wasn’t dumb
enough to go around making that information public.
Speaking of the crown, she still had it on her. She took off her clothes and stood naked as the day
she was born in front of the mirror. The crown gleamed brightly upon her head as she put a regal
expression on her face. Maybe it was a bit premature, but she wanted to practice for her wedding
night.
She tried various poses Hilma told her about. Nothing whorish, just poses men found generally
enticing and attractive. She still didn’t have curves to display them properly. She sighed.
Sometimes she just wished she was older.
She stood there for some time, contemplating the events of the day. She couldn’t remember the last
time she shed a tear of joy in her life. Perhaps she never had before. It was a strange sensation,
losing control over your own emotions.
She usually loved being in control, but today she discovered the charms of unpredictability. ‘How
much more will I learn from you, my Satoru? The fire burning inside me is constantly fuelled by
you. Will I, one day, be able to set the world on fire with it, I wonder?’ she asked herself.
Today had also been a dangerous day. She almost showed her true smile to everyone else. The first
time, she had to hug Satoru to cover her face. The second time, she couldn’t cover it and just hoped
the others were too busy ogling her gift. Her smile was only for her Satoru after all.
With those thoughts, the witch jumped on her bed. As usual, she used her clothes as a blanket so
that she could be engulfed in Satoru’s scent. She took a few deep breaths before removing her new
crown from her head and hugging it to her chest. There was no way she would let it lay unguarded
in her room. If they wanted it, they would have to chop off her hands with it.
“Satoru… Satoru… Satoru…”
She whispered to herself as if it was a lullaby. The fire continued to burn fiercely in her heart for
the rest of the night.
{4 months later}
{Arwintar’s Imperial Palace: Emperor’s private room}
Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, the new emperor of the empire, was just a boy, or so many thought
when they crowned him. A boy easily controllable and malleable. They were wrong. He was no
simple boy; he was an efficient machine.
Five months after his coronation, he had put all his family to the sword. Insects crawling a tower.
This was what he said about them. After that, many began to fear him. He showed no sadness from
the demise of his own family. He will undoubtedly not show it for anyone else, either.
In this moment, the emperor sat on a luxurious bed in his private chamber. Keeping him company
was the magic caster Fluder Paradyne, the person he trusted most in this world apart from himself.
“Are you sure I can’t do it gramps? I need to eliminate them if I want to advance my policies.
Those bigots are just a bunch of fools.”
The 13-year-old blond emperor said coldly.
“I know, young Jir. The problem is that purging the ruling class so drastically will create disorder.
Also, the military that supports you will be fairly weakened by the change. Normally that would be
no problem, but the growing strength of Re-Estize worries me. They could use that single moment
of weakness to strike with all their might.”
The magic caster said. The emperor nodded. Normally he wouldn’t have worried about the weak
military power of the kingdom, but many of his spies reported the arrival of a new player to the
great game. A mysterious magic caster who acted like a merchant and managed to take over both
the Magician Guild and Adventurer’s guild in only a few months. From there, he simply solidified
his power and began spreading his name around the kingdom.
His spy in the Re-Estize court confirmed that he could use 5th tier spells proficiently and that he
claimed that was his limit. Jircniv was no fool, and neither was this magic caster if he managed to
take over so many guilds in just a few months. The emperor was sure that the magic caster didn’t
show all his power at once. That would be foolish. And the fact that he showed 5th tier like it was
normal worried him greatly. In the best-case scenario, that was truly his limit. In the worst case,
the kingdom might have found their own Fluder Paradyne.
The army of the kingdom might be weak, but if they deployed this magic caster with the warrior
captain, Jircniv feared that even Fluder would not be enough to take them down.
“Are there any news?”
The boy asked. The old man nodded.
“Yes, we already knew that the man’s name is Satoru. He claims to be 27, but I doubt it. If he
really reached that level at that age, he might be the greatest caster ever to walk these lands. In
addition, we know he apparently has a woman working closely to him. We are unsure if she is his
lover. He also seems to be on very good terms with Gazef Stronoff.”
The emperor nodded.
“The best-case scenario would be to convince him to pledge his loyalty to me. He could be both a
great spy and ally. We should also investigate this woman to know how much she means to him. In
the worst-case scenario, we can use her to make him stay at bay.”
The emperor said. Fluder nodded once more.
“Then we are in luck since the last report says that the man in question is leaving for a trip.”
The emperor raised a brow.
“And where is he directed?”
Asked the emperor, curious.
“Here.”
Chapter End Notes
And another chapter is done. I know, I know. Many of you are waiting for the Empire
arc, but I still needed to do some character development before that. After all, it is one
of the main points of this fanfiction. What would be the fun in rushing it?
Also, I want to address a certain person who PMed me (I won’t say the name for
privacy reasons). Basically, they called me a p*do for some of Renner’s naked scenes.
At first, I thought they were trolling me, but when they were confirmed to be serious, I
had to explain what those scenes meant. To avoid more people doing the same, I will
explain it here.
Renner taking off her clothes is a metaphorical gesture. She is basically taking off her
“second skin,” her “princess” persona. In fact, if you noticed, once she takes off her
“clothes/second skin,” she doesn’t restrain herself anymore. Basically, showing how
psychotic she is without anything holding her back. Her “clothes” are both a blessing
and a curse. She cannot live without her “princess” persona, but at the same time this
limits far too much of her other side, making her feel like she is in a cage. Satoru’s
mask has a similar meaning, but his pragmatic approach to things makes the difference
feel far inferior to Renner’s.
I know a lot of people don’t like this kind of metaphor, but to be truthful, it is one of
the things I enjoy most in stories. I love to speculate about different meanings in
gestures and what they may symbolize. I think that fanfictions in general are very
lacking on this front and I would like to add more of this.
As always, let me know your thoughts with a review! See you next time!
Departure
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Hello again. This time I really have nothing to say. Just enjoy the chapter and have
fun!
New cover by hakuyaid on Fiverr
Panic now filled Ro Lente’s Castle. Guards, servants and nobles were running through the
corridors and halls. Some shouted orders right and left as if they were trying to give some order to
the mass of people.
This panic was caused by a single event. The third princess’ disappearance. That day, the castle
woke up and discovered that their princess disappeared without a trace.
The castle was immediately on full alert. Everyone was forbidden from entering or leaving. The
search started immediately and it found that another was missing. One of the princess’
handmaidens, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
Both girls’ chambers didn’t have any sign of fighting inside. It was strange. It was of course
possible to abduct a child in the middle of the night and avoid causing a ruckus, but it was very
unlikely that whoever did it remained there after the abduction to remove any signs of their
presence.
The only one to now have an answer to that mystery was the man walking calmly but quickly
through the corridors. He wore a simple light armor and had his eyes fixed on his destination.
He stopped in front of an excellently decorated double door. After a moment, he knocked twice.
“Who is it?”
Asked the man inside the room. The voice was barely audible over the noise all around him.
“It’s me, Gazef, Your Majesty.”
The man outside answered.
“Come in then.”
Gazef did as he was ordered and entered the room.

The King’s private chamber was messy. Many objects were scattered here and there. ‘Did
everyone forgot to clean here? Or was it the king who caused this?’ Wondered Gazef inside his
head while closing the door.
Even through the thick wood of the door, he could still hear shouts coming from the corridor.
“Did you find her?”
Immediately asked the king. He seemed older than ever. Gazef always saw him as a strong ruler,
but right now even he could see the desperate father inside the man before him. And so, it pained
him a lot to have to shake his head.
“No, Your Majesty. But while I was unable to find her or her handmaiden, I was able to find a
letter signed by her.”
After saying that, the strongest warrior in the kingdom pulled out a letter from a hidden pocket in
his armor. The king didn’t waste time and immediately took it from his hand. After checking that
the signature on it was indeed his daughter’s, he raised his gaze from the letter to focus on Gazef
once more.
“Where did you find this? I had the servants check her room countless times.”
The king said.
“It was more out of desperation than anything else, really. I remembered what the princess said to
me few days ago. Her exact words were ‘Flowers have answers to mysteries sometimes’. At that
time, I had no idea what she meant by that. I found that letter hidden between some white flowers. I
saw her sitting near them many times so I thought she may have liked them. Of course, I didn’t
open the letter and brought it here as soon as I found it.”
Gazef explained. The king nodded and opened the letter. Silence descended in the room for about
ten minutes. Gazef heard his king sigh repeatedly as he read the letter a dozen times or so before
finally placing it upon his desk. The king closed his eyes as he placed both hands on his face to
contemplate what to do now.
“Read it Gazef.”
He said after a few more moments. The Warrior Captain took the letter from the king’s desk and
began to read it.
Dear Father,
I hope you are the first one to read these words. I also hope it didn’t take the Warrior Captain too
long to figure out my little riddle.
Gazef internally chuckled at those words.
You may be asking where I and Lakyus are now, and even more, why we left in the first place.
Please do not worry. We are both safe. As you probably know, Satoru is leaving to see the empire.
He hopes to expand his business to those lands too. We are currently traveling with him.
Please do not take your anger out on him. He is currently unaware of our presence. We will hide in
his cart and reveal ourselves only once we are far from the capital.
I need to ensure that Satoru remains on the Kingdom’s side. He is far more important to our
country than ever before. The Magician Guild follows him, he has a lot of influence over the
Adventurer’s Guild and a place among the High Council of the Merchant Guild.
While I have no doubts regarding his good intentions and our good relationship, I can’t avoid
worrying about what the Emperor might try to do to sway him to his side.
The Empire is a place where magic is almost considered a religion. On the contrary, our kingdom
does not look kindly upon magic casters to say the least.
If Satoru becomes an asset of the empire and joins forces with Fluder Paradyne, I’m sure the
emperor will soon feel bold enough to launch a direct attack on us.
Considering all of this, I decided to intervene myself. I knew you would never have allowed me to
go, so I was forced to do this by myself.
Forgive me father, but I will do anything I can to protect our country, even if my actions go against
your wishes. I will ensure our kingdom’s future and one day, I hope, I will make you proud of me.
Sincerely, your daughter.
Renner
As soon as Gazef finished reading he placed the letter once more on the desk. After a few moments
of silence, the king spoke up again.
“Tell me Gazef, have you ever been both filled with fury and pride toward someone?”
Asked the king in a low tone.
“I can’t say I have, Your Majesty. I only feel something similar when my men do something stupid
to save people in complete disregard for their own safety.”
Answered Gazef. The king locked eyes with Gazef. The Warrior Captain stiffened as he saw tears
in his king’s eyes.
“Sometimes I think that the royal line is truly a stupid thing, Gazef. While I love my son, I am not
blind to his many flaws as a future ruler… Tell me, how could I name him the next king, while my
last child showed more willingness to sacrifice everything for the kingdom than all her siblings
combined?”
Gazef didn’t have an answer to his king’s question. He too felt that way. The courage and
intelligence the third princess showed in that short letter truly shook him to his core. To think there
was such a raw gem hidden in the castle… She was barely 8 years old and she was already
ensuring the kingdom’s future, disregarding the unpleasant consequences those actions will bring
on her. She was willing to accept them all if it meant giving the kingdom a chance.
‘Truly, what a splendid queen she would make.’ He thought as a little smile appeared on his face at
the thought.
“Gazef, go to my daughter. Protect her at any cost.”
Ordered the king. Gazef’s body tensed.
“My king, I can’t possibly leave you here in this chaos. It would be too dangerous.”
Protested the Warrior Captain. The King shook his head.
“I am old, my friend. If something happens to me, it will not be such a great loss. Instead, losing
someone such as Renner would really be the greatest loss of all.”
“Then I will leave my warrior troop here to protect you, Your Majesty. I will go alone. After all, it
would unnerve Satoru if the whole warrior troop accompanied him to the empire. It may bring
about a result contrary to the one Princess Renner wishes for.”
The King nodded at the Warrior Captain’s words.
“Very well then. I wish you a safe trip Gazef. Bring my daughter home unharmed… And if, while
you are away, something really happens to me and none of my children are named king, I want you
to recognize Renner as the new Queen.”
The king ordered. Gazef nodded solemnly in reply.
{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
Satoru sniffed the air around him. He could feel the perfume of flowers and wet grass around him.
His choice of departing very early certainly was a good one. In his old world, such a thing would be
impossible no matter how much you paid. ‘I guess Blue Planet-san was right when he spoke about
nature.’ He mentally admitted.
Truthfully, he never understood his friend’s obsession with nature before, but now he could admit
he had a point.
He stayed inside the capital so much that he almost forgot what the world outside was like. Sure,
he saw it when he first arrived, but it wasn’t like he could take the time to appreciate his
surroundings at that time. The blue sky with white clouds was truly a spectacle to behold and
cherish as much as possible.
He currently sat on the front of his magically reinforced wooden cart. The wagon behind him was
covered by a red cloth. In it were stored some items he wanted to bring with him for his business
trip, along with some food. True, he could store all of it in his inventory and naturally, he didn’t
need food; but appearances must be maintained. It would have been too suspicious if he left the
city without anything.
Initially, he thought about teleporting when he was far enough from the capital, but now he was
rethinking his options. Why should he do that? It wasn’t like he had a schedule to maintain. He
could take as much time as he wanted. Surely enjoying a little trip would not hurt his business.
Sure, he wasn’t at ease about leaving Hilma alone, but he had left her many message scrolls in case
of emergencies and he also ordered all his wraiths to contact him as soon as something strange
happens. In case the situation escalated, he could always teleport back at any moment.
The horse that was pulling the cart was not a normal horse. It was a Golem Horse. When asked
about it, he said that the reason he used it was because it couldn’t tire out. The true reason,
however, was because horses were unnerved by his presence, even if he hid his undead nature
entirely. He couldn’t risk having a horse panicking in the middle of the road.
That information, of course, would surely reach the ears of the Master of Carts. ‘Jeez, that guy is
already all over me after I told him I wanted to expand my business to the Empire. He is definitely
thinking about how much money he can make if he could strike a deal with me on item
transportation.’ Thought Satoru, sighing internally at the thought of having to deal with more
people.
A few more hours passed as he analysed the detailed map Goldfinger graciously gifted him. Truly,
that man knew how to stay on the good side of people. ‘No wonder he became the mediator of the
Merchant Guild.’
He finally thought he found the perfect route to take. He wanted to avoid bandits or monsters as
much as possible. ‘Maybe I can spend one night in E-Rantel before departing again… uhm… yeah
that’s a good idea! We just opened a store there two months ago. I should pass by and see how they
are doing. I’m the CEO after all.’ He said to himself.
“ACHOO!”
He was immediately taken away from his thoughts as soon as he heard the noise of someone
sneezing nearby. He looked around to see if someone was traveling on foot near him, but he saw
nothing. His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear some whispering coming from behind him. He
turned to see nothing once more.
He ordered the Golem Horse to stop and descended from the cart. He went to check his wagon
and, as soon as he removed the red cloth from it, he immediately noticed two figures hidden
between his magic items and scrolls. Two blond girls he knew far too well. He stared at them
without saying a word.
“Uhm… g-good morning… S-Satoru.”
Stuttered out the older of the two girls, Lakyus.
“Good morning Satoru.”
Saluted him the younger and far more cheerful Renner.
‘WHAT ARE THE TWO OF THEM DOING HERE?!?!?!’ Satoru’s Emotional Suppression
imploded as his mind went into full panic mode. It took him almost a minute to calm down and that
was only possible thanks to the Emotional Suppression doing its very best.
“Renner, Lakyus… What are you two doing here?...”
He finally managed to ask in the calmest tone he could muster. Renner lightly smiled at him.
“We are taking a vacation with you of course!”
She said cheerfully. ‘You are too smart for this kind of thing. Don’t joke with me!’ He internally
said.
“I guess no one knew about this little vacation of yours, right?”
He asked almost rhetorically.
“Exactly.”
Confirmed the demonic smiling princess. Satoru sighed ‘Just great… now I have to deal with
this…’ He whined.
“I must take you back immediately. You are a princess and Lakyus is a noble. Your disappearance
is no laughing matter. You should both know that… the capital must be in chaos right now.”
He said as he prepared himself for the inevitable return to the capital. Renner immediately stood up
as her smile disappeared from her face. She ran at Satoru throwing herself on his black gown.
“You can’t! Please Satoru! I can’t bear to stay away from you all these months! I don’t want to be
alone again! I left a message explaining where I went and how you are not to blame for it! Please
let me come!”
She cried out in desperation. Satoru stopped at that. He cared for Renner. He truly did. She
reminded him of himself, but no matter how much he liked her, he just couldn’t accept her request.
“I’m sorry Renner, but this is not doable. This is a very serious situation. I care for you too, and it
is for exactly that reason that I must bring you back.”
He explained; Renner shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes.
“Please Satoru! Please let me come!”
She begged; Satoru was about to speak again when he heard the sound of horses coming toward
him.
“Get on the cart! Now!”
He ordered firmly as he turned to face whoever was coming. The two girls obeyed and got in the
wagon once more.
Normally Satoru wouldn’t be worried about possible bandits, but now he couldn’t risk the safety of
those two, especially not due to an over confidence in his power.
As the horses got closer, he finally managed to identify the riders. He immediately relaxed. ‘Thank
god, it is him.’ He thought as he waited for the horses to close the remaining distance. The horses
finally stopped in front of him.
“Good morning Gazef, it is good to see you.”
Hailed Satoru, who was genuinely happy to see him ‘now it will be easier to resolve this mess’.
“Good morning Satoru, it is indeed good to see you. I imagined you would take the safest route
toward the border. I’m relieved my intuition paid off.”
He said, while seeming as relieved as Satoru was.
“I think I may have taken something from the capital without knowing it. I imagine it is for that
reason you followed me all the way here?”
Asked Satoru, already knowing the answer fully well.
“Yes, the princess can’t leave without an escort. I was asked by His Majesty to act as her protector
until she returns to the capital.”
The Warrior Captain explained.
“Ah I see… Wait! What?... have I misheard you Gazef? D-did the king truly allow his daughter to
travel to a foreign country? You may be strong, but you are just one man, correct? No offense
intended, of course.”
Said Satoru as panic was beginning to stir inside him once more.
“No offense taken, Satoru. And yes, I am one man. It is selfish to ask, but I would like to request
your help in protecting Her Highness during this trip.”
Gazef said while bowing his head to Satoru.
‘Why? Why? Why? WHY ME?! I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A NORMAL RELAXING TRIP!
IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK? DAMN IT!’ His Emotional Suppression kicked in as soon as his
frustration escalated into an internal rant, calming him down once more.
He turned to Renner and he saw a surprised expression on her face. ‘What did you expect? It’s not
like your father would let you ran away you know?’ He internally said before sighing. ‘Ah… there
is no other way then…’
“I see. Well, if you want to come, it’s fine by me. Though I don’t recommend bringing your horse
along. It wouldn’t be able to follow us since the Golem Horse I’m currently using doesn’t need rest
and can go for days without stopping.”
Explained Satoru; Gazef nodded, seemingly impressed by Satoru’s words, before turning to the
soldiers that came with him.
“Did you hear him? Take my horse back to the capital!”
He ordered and the soldiers obeyed immediately.
{An hour later}
{Renner’s P.O.V.}
Everything went according to plan. Everything! Every single piece was in the place she wanted it
to be. It was simply magnificent! She could barely refrain from smiling.
She didn’t know Satoru was such a good actor. She imagined he would be able to fool Lakyus, but
she must admit, if she didn’t know he was acting she would have had some doubts.
‘Perfect! Now all is set! My father believed me like the fool he is and every suspicion of Satoru’s
involvement are completely proved wrong with his insistence on bringing us back to the capital.
I’m so excited! I will spend the following months at Satoru’s side! Together as we always should
have been!’ The mind of the princess began to wander in all kinds of directions.
“Are you uncomfortable Renner?”
Asked the deep voice of her beloved. She immediately snapped back to reality. The four of them
were now sitting on the cart; she and Satoru on one side, Gazef and Lakyus on the other.
“No, everything is fine. I was just too absorbed in my own thoughts.”
She said in her childish tone.
“I see… as expected. This is the first time you have journeyed out of the capital if I am not
mistaken. I imagine you are quite distracted at finally being able to see all there is out here.”
She nodded in confirmation. ‘The only thing I want to see is you and me together…’ She said in
her mind.
“So which path are we taking, Satoru?”
Asked Gazef, making the magic caster’s attention return to the man in front of him.
“Uhm, I thought about making two stops in the Kingdom. The first in E-Pespel. We should reach it
in 10 days. The second in E-Rantel which should take around the same amount of time. I have
businesses to check in both cities, so we may remain in each city 2 or 3 days. From E-Rantel, we
will travel right to Arwintar. That should take an additional 15 days by my estimations.”
Satoru explained as the Warrior Captain nodded.
“That is a good choice. It may take longer than the pass through the Azerlisia Mountains, but
recently I heard rumors about Frost Giants roaming up there, not to mention the various sightings
of dragons.”
Gazef said. That information seemed to have a certain impact on Satoru. He brought one of his
gloved hands on his mask as he hummed.
“That is interesting. I may visit them in the future…”
Only Renner seemed to hear him.
In that moment of silence, a weird noise interrupted their current thoughts. Said noise was coming
from the stomach of a blushing Lakyus.
“I… ehm… I may have forgotten… to eat this morning.”
Stuttered out the embarrassed noble. Both Gazef and Satoru seemed to chuckle before the latter
pointed his gloved finger at one of the barrels in the cart.
“There should be some food inside that one. Feel free to enjoy it; Renner, Gazef feel free to join
her if you like.”
The magic caster said.
“What about you Satoru?”
Asked Renner.
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I possess a rare magic item that allows me to reduce the quantity of
food and sleep I should normally require. It is quite useful for someone who is so very busy each
day.”
Satoru explained.
‘I had no idea magic items could do that. If magic can alter the rules of the world so greatly, why
are we putting magic casters down in the kingdom? They could be such a great asset, and still…
That is what happens when you make noble titles hereditary. People will get lazy when everything
is handed to them on a silver plate…’ She contemplated in her mind.
After eating, they continued traveling while having small talks about various matters within the
kingdom, varying from gossip to politics. Some hours later Lakyus drifted into sleep.
Satoru summoned a blanket with magic to cover her before sitting next to Renner once more. The
princess could relate to the girl sleeping in front of her. She was quite tired too. Even if the sun was
only just beginning to go down, she already felt that her body was drained of all the adrenaline
today’s events had caused. She was still a child after all, and that came with many limitations.
Slowly her vision got blurry, and her eyes began to close. Her head shifted and now rested on
Satoru’s dark robe. She could take in that sweet smell that often rocked her to sleep. Before losing
her consciousness, she felt something warm being placed all over her body.
{Hilma’s P.O.V.}
“I see you are all already gathered here. Good.”
Said the ex-prostitute as she entered the decorated room that served as Seven Hands’ meeting
room. All branches’ representatives were already waiting there, yet none of them greeted her. That
was to be expected. Even if their lives were far easier than when they led Eight Fingers, many still
resented her and Satoru for the takeover.
‘Not counting the death sentence looming on their heads as soon as they try anything.’ Added
Hilma in her mind as she sat on the last free chair at the table.
“I saw you all managed to complete the tasks I assigned you. Now, just as every month, I’m here to
hear you out before announcing the next goals we have to complete.”
“Our spy net in the brothels is coming along nicely. My girls have a lot of tales to tell each day.
Both from the streets and court. Nothing major to report.”
Cocco Doll said without hesitation. He was probably the one who adapted best to the situation.
“The gambling department is doing great. Most clients are our own men during their days off, so
we know how much they can afford to pay. We also landed some big whales among the nobles.
Since we renovated the various casinos, we have had a lot fewer problems in money management.
Nothing else to report.”
Explained Noah Zweden, leader of the gambling department.
“The smuggling department is doing fine. We aren’t bringing a lot of illegal items in anymore,
since we are busy with the transportation of magical items from city to city. Do you remember
those groups of bandits we stroke a deal with? Some of them got cocky and asked for more. When
we refused, they attacked us. I asked the security department to deal with them. This is all I have.”
Said Arnie, leader of the smuggling department.
“As Arnie said, the only thing that happened this month was the unexpected clash with the bandits.
They are now an example for all those who don’t want to cooperate. My boys are doing just fine,
patrolling and recruiting in the lower districts. We had no more problems after the business with
that priest two months ago.”
Added Mato, a bulky black-haired man, who took the position of Zero as the security department
leader.
The other hands proceeded to give standard reports. Seeing that there were no major problems to
address, Hilma took various sheets of paper out of her pockets and placed them in front of Mato.
The bulky man looked at them and then his gaze returned to Hilma without uttering a word in the
process.
“This is a list of all the major Talent holders in the Kingdom. Your orders are to recruit all of them.
After you gathered as many as possible, they will be divided between the various departments
depending on what Talent they hold.”
She explained as all the other Hands nodded.
“How much should I… press for their cooperation?”
Asked Mato. Hilma looked him in the eyes.
“This list comes from Satoru himself. The more we get, the happier he will be.”
Every Hand froze as that name left Hilma’s lips. It may have been months, but the terror that name
brought to their hearts never diminished.
“That said, Satoru wants people willing to cooperate so do not force them to join. Try your best at
persuading them with reasonably generous contracts.”
She explained. Mato nodded as he took the sheets.
“Yes Ma’am, I will do my best.”
“Very well then. If anyone has anything to add, please speak up now.”
No one said anything.
“The meeting is adjourned then.”
She concluded and everyone left the room with their new tasks to accomplish. ‘I hope you are
doing fine Satoru… That princess will never stop hunting you, but you don’t mind, right? You are
already used to repairing broken things after all…’ She said internally.
Chapter End Notes
Shorter than usual, I know, but this is just an introduction to the Empire arc. Of
course, I could not skip the whole travelling thing, now could I? Next time we are
going to meet a very special someone I know a lot of you will love and we are finally
going to enter the Empire’s border.
That said, I know some will have some questions, so I will address them now. The
king wasn’t exaggerating when he said those things to Gazef. After all, Gazef is one of
the main pillars who represent his power as the king. Since Gazef will be gone for
months, it is very possible that his enemies would strike during that time. As for the
trip’s length, I can only say that to go from E-Rantel to Carne it took three days by foot
(I evaluated it as one day by using a golem horse). Now look at the map and judge for
yourself.
Also, sad to say that I’m having some problems with my university. It depends on the
teachers if they are going to be solved quickly or drag on for some time. Leave a
review and tell me your thoughts.
P.S. I saw people in the reviews and PMs reminding me to not forget some characters
in the empire. Do not worry, I have all of them in mind, but I can’t answer you or I
would spoil the story. Until next time!
Determined Warriors Till the End
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
So, it’s been a month… well, I told you I had some problems, so it’s not like I
disappeared without reason. Ok, I don’t have much else to say apart from clarifying
something some of you seem to have misunderstood. Rampossa didn’t change the line
of succession. That would have been his downfall. To name his youngest as his heir
would have started a war. What he said is that if he dies and NONE of his children are
named king or queen (in short, if someone usurped the throne while Gazef was away),
the one to inherit the title should be Renner (the only child outside the kingdom since;
if someone usurped the royal line, they’d certainly take all the King’s children as
hostages).
So that is what I meant with that part. As of now, Barbro is still the heir. Okay, now
that this is clear, enjoy the chapter!
PS: Interesting fact about Renner. If we translate her NW’s birth date to our world
calendry, we will discover she was born the 7th of July. In Japan, this day is known for
being the biggest love-based festivity, similar to western Valentine’s Day.
Coincidences? I don’t think so!
Ari placed a hand on her chin and huffed as she looked at the adventurers in front of her,
examining the various gear and magic items exposed in the shop. It was boring as ever for her.
Every day was the same; wake up, work, eat, go to sleep.
But she couldn’t bring herself to complain. Compared to her previous occupation, this was far more
riskless and remunerative.
Ari was an orphan. She didn’t know who her parents were and she didn’t care. She grew up in an
orphanage. She was kicked out when she was caught stealing from one of her caretakers. It didn’t
matter that said caretaker was the one to steal from her first. She was just eight at the time.
Growing up in the streets of E-Pespel wasn’t nice. Become the predator or you will become the
prey; that was the rule. It didn’t help that she was just a frail little girl. What could she do, apart
from stealing? Nobles, commoners and even her fellow beggars; no one was safe from her.
The key to survival was to get only what you needed. Just enough to eat and cover yourself with.
The ones who got cocky or greedy were the first to get killed or even worse… caught. Prisons in
the Kingdom were horrible places, even more so if you were a young little girl like Ari. After
hearing tales from released prisoners, she was sure she preferred death over prison.
She lived like that for some years, until she was contacted by the group known as Eight Fingers.
Nowadays they called themselves Seven Hands. She always stayed away from them; dangerous
people they were. She heard horrible things about how they treated girls like her. The only reason
she heard them out was because one of her oldest acquaintances vouched for them.
She was still doubtful, but it turned out that her fears were misplaced. They only wanted someone
to work in a shop of theirs. She didn’t want to accept at first. It seemed too suspicious. But when
she heard that her acquaintance would be the one working with her, she was happy to at least try it
out.
In that moment, a big hand patted her head, stopping her train of thought. That hand belonged to her
acquaintance, Nerbo, a big oaf of a man. Muscled body, giant arms and a permanent scowl on his
face. But she knew that under all that façade, he was one of the most honest and kind-hearted
people she knew. That was what she liked about him.
“Remove that scowl from your face. You know they don’t like it when you are like this.”
He whispered to her. She glared at him.
“You are one to talk. If it wasn’t for me, there would be no customers in this shop.”
“And that is why you are the seller and I’m just the guy who deals with problematic customers.”
Those were their roles. The reasons why they were chosen to work here. Ari was the cute 14-year-
old girl, who attracted customers with her innocent smile, and Nerbo was the one who dealt with
the ones that became problematic. Not that it happened often after the first guy, who tried to grab
her butt, was bashed against a wall.
“Uhm… we are getting low on scrolls. I’m going to get some from the back.”
He said but before he could take a step, Ari grabbed his big hand with hers.
“Wait, I don’t like how that big guy in the corner looked at me before.”
She told him in a whisper indicating with her eyes the middle-aged man who was examining a
silver axe.
“Don’t worry, I will right back in a moment. If someone tries something, just scream and I will be
right back.”
He said as he ruffled her long blonde hair. She reluctantly nodded in agreement and Nerbo went to
the back, leaving her alone at the counter.
Almost in that exact moment, the door opened and a new figure entered the shop. They were tall.
Very tall. At least as much as Nerbo. They wore an elegant and exquisite purple gown that covered
their whole body and, if this wasn’t enough to unnerve Ari, they wore a dark mask that covered
their entire face.
The figure attracted many looks from the customers as they advanced toward Ari. Said girl gulped
as the figure stopped before the counter.
“Good afternoon, may I speak with the one in charge here?”

The figure’s tone was deep and masculine. Ari looked around to see if Nerbo had come back, but
he wasn’t there yet. She turned back to the imposing figure and put up the most pleasant smile she
could.
“I-I am the one in charge a-at the moment S-Sir.”
She managed to stutter out.
“uhm… you are?”
The man asked surprised as he placed a gloved hand under his chin. Ari tried to suppress her fear.
“Y-yes I am! Y-you got a problem with m-me?”
She tried to be more aggressive to cover her fear.
Before the man could answer, she heard steps coming from behind her. ‘Oh gods, Nerbo came
back!’ She thought in relief. And indeed, the big man had just come back with a bunch of scrolls in
his arms.
As soon as Nerbo saw the cloaked man, he stopped and the two stared at each other for some
seconds before Nerbo did something that greatly surprised Ari. He deeply bowed his head to the
stranger, even making some of the scrolls in his hands fall on the ground.
“W-welcome Lord Satoru! We didn’t e-expect to see you today, I’m deeply sorry for a-any
inconvenience we caused you!”
Said the big muscled man. Ari’s eyes widened at his words. ‘S-Satoru? T-that Satoru?! The big
boss?! The merchant magic caster?’ she thought in panic. Now that she looked at him better, he
really fit the description she was given of him. An imposing man wearing a dark gown and mask.
She immediately bowed her head to him. All of the adventurers in the shop simply looked in
amazement at the now revealed magic caster.
“Ah… do not worry. I just arrived in this city a few hours ago, but I thought Hilma sent you
messages about my visit.”
The 5th tier magic caster said.
“Ah yes, of course. We received the message! But… considering your date of departure… we
didn’t expect your visit for at least another week!”
Said Nerbo. The magic caster nodded in understanding.
“I see. Do not worry. It doesn’t matter now. May we go to a more private room to discuss the
reason for my visit?”
He asked. Ari could practically see the aura of authority he emanated even while remaining cordial
and well mannered. She gulped once more.
“Y-yes of course! F-follow me please.”
She said as she escorted the magic caster away from the crowded shop.
{The next day}

{Renner’s P.O.V.}
Renner lounged on her bed, looking at Lakyus training in their shared room. The inn wasn’t one of
the fanciest in the city, but she understood Satoru’s reasoning behind not wanting to attract too
much attention while in the city.
She and Lakyus were given cloaks to hide their identities while being inside the city. Even Gazef
changed his clothes to avoid showing off his royal guard armor. Still, the thing that pained her the
most was having to remove her precious crown from her head. She got so used to it that she felt
quite naked without it. Of course, she understood the reasons for doing so, but she still insisted for
Satoru to take care of it until she could wear it once more. She wouldn’t feel safe any other way.
But apart from those minor inconveniencies and the not so comfortable for sleeping cart, she was
satisfied with their journey so far. Not being forced to act properly and being near Satoru everyday
was really the greatest experience she had in her life so far.
Lakyus swung her sword vertically in an uppercut. Renner was no swordsman, but even she could
notice how her handmaiden’s swings were becoming more precise and quick over time.
She still remembered how the overexcited girl jumped up and down when Gazef told her he
brought her sword with him, so they could continue their training while traveling.
“…nner? Renner?”
She was so focussed on her own thoughts, that it took her a moment to understand that someone
was calling her name. Said someone was Lakyus herself, who stopped swinging her sword and was
now looking at the princess.
“Uhm.. yes, what is it?”
The noble girl had an unsure expression on her face and seemed to hesitate before speaking.
“A-are all the kingdom’s cities… like this?”
She asked with an unsure tone. Renner raised an eyebrow at the question.
“What do you mean?”
She asked, now curious what her companion meant with those words.
“I-I mean there are a lot of people suffering here… mostly in the l-lower district. I saw them. Many
seem ill or hurt.”
Lakyus said in a low tone. Renner thought for a moment before answering.
“Well, I can’t speak for all cities, but the capital is pretty much the same and it wouldn’t surprise
me if the other cities followed their example. Not to mention the small villages who do not even
have guards to enforce the law…”
She said in a flat tone. Her handmaiden flinched at those words.
“H-how can you say that so casually? That is horrible!”
She said with a shocked expression. Renner simply shrugged.
“It’s always been like this since the founding of the kingdom. It is the curse of the weak to be
continuously crushed by the strong.”
‘The law of the world we live in is a cruel one Lakyus, but now I wonder, what will you do?’ she
wondered inside her head.
“B-but shouldn’t the nobles stop this?! Ensure peace in their lands? Shouldn’t the church help the
poor? Like in the holy books?”
Lakyus asked in desperation. Renner couldn’t stop the small smile that came to her face at those
ingenuous words.
“You have been reading the holy books, Lakyus?”
The princess asked a little surprised. The handmaiden blushed a little.
“I-I want to become a holy swordswoman, so I won’t only be able to rescue people but heal them
too!”
She revealed with flaming passion in her eyes. ‘You are a kind soul Lakyus… that kindness will be
your doom… but maybe there is still a chance for you…’ The princess thought darkly.
“Oh, my dear Lakyus, but why… the nobles and church are exactly the ones who are causing the
problem in the first place.”
Said Renner to a dumbfounded Lakyus. The girl remained silent for few seconds.
“W-what do you mean?”
Weakly asked the blonde girl with emerald green eyes.
“Ah… The noble titles are hereditary… This means that they are born around gold. They are raised
and educated. They are told by their parents how much common people are beneath them and how
nothing they do can be wrong. This is our case too, you know? We all grow up so distant from
common people that we no longer care for them. We will think ourselves to be entitled to
everything we want and who would care if some unknown uneducated family will suffer because
of us?”
She explained.
“No this can’t be true… Nobles are supposed to guide people to better themselves!”
Lakyus cried out.
“Open your eyes Lakyus! Who do you think paid for all those clothes you have? For your house,
your food, your instructors, the bed you sleep in every night? It’s all money coming from tributes
that nobles force people to pay just to live on their lands. What do you think happens when a noble
is in need of money? They raise their tributes and if someone is unable to pay, they are exiled from
the land and their house is used to pay the tribute.”
The princess continued.
“And the church… oh the church! They are just as bad. Did you know that the price to cure a
normal disease is around the yearly earning of a merchant with its own shop? Common people
could work their whole life and not be able to cure themselves. And oh… don’t let me tell you
what happens to those who offer to cure people for free… In the best-case scenario, they are exiled
from the city. In the worst, they are accused of using dark magic and are burned as heretics.”
Renner concluded. Lakyus’ eyes were filled with tears.
“T-this cannot be…”
She mumbled.
“I will not force you to believe what you don’t want to believe, dear friend. But from now on, try to
look at the world with eyes not clouded by your education and the tales from your books.”
{Next day}
They left the city of E-Pespel early that day. Lakyus has been very silent since their conversation
the day before, but that was natural. She was probably digesting everything Renner told her
yesterday.
The cart was still uncomfortable, but she was beginning to get used to it. It was also starting to get
colder since the Earth season began a few weeks ago. At first, the princess thought that they should
have stayed a little longer in E-Pespel in order to buy some new heavier clothes for her and Lakyus,
but then Satoru used his magic to create some for them both to wear.
She stopped being surprised by his magic months ago, but she was still impressed by how many
uses magic could have. ‘Should I try to learn some?’ she wondered. Maybe it could be an excuse to
see Satoru more often in the future after their return to the capital.
That would certainly create quite a disorder at court. A princess of the kingdom learning magic?
By a commoner no less? That would not go well with the court and she doubted even her father
could cover her this time.
She glanced at Lakyus. ‘Still some secret lessons could still be arranged I guess.’ She decided to
make a mental note to regard at a later date.
Returning to her main point, now she was wearing a white dress far more comfortable than her
usual heavy and fancy clothes. It wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t supposed to be. They were
meant to not attract attention after all.
While she was absorbed in her thoughts, Gazef and Satoru were discussing their food supplies.
Since Satoru thought he would travel alone, they had restocked at E-Pespel. Now they should have
enough to reach the Empire, but they could still buy some in E-Rantel if it was necessary.
“So how did the visit to your shop go Satoru?”
Asked Gazef.
“Not bad. As I expected, the request for magical items is very high. Mostly because of adventurers,
but city guards have also shown interest in buying some weapons and magical lanterns. There are
also some rare nobles here and there. They are mostly interested in weapons for their guards, but
some also buy other kinds of items to adorn their-”
Satoru explanation was stopped when Gazef gestured at him with his hand. The Warrior Captain’s
body had tensed up all of a sudden.
“Satoru, be ready. Protect the princess.”

He said in a low tone. Even with his face covered, Renner could feel a change in the air when
Satoru nodded. Something was about to happen.
In an instant, many things happened; Satoru moved his right hand and the horse stopped. A dome
of green light engulfed the area all around the cart, just in time to stop a rain of arrows that were
destroyed as soon as they touched the dome. At the same time, Gazef jumped down from the cart
and unsheathed his enchanted blade.
From the bush and trees all around them, a dozen men revealed themselves, encircling them.
“Tch… magic caster…”
One of them spat out.
“You are surrounded! Surrender before we gut ya’!”
Another yelled.
“I’m the Warrior Captain, Gazef Stronoff! In the name of the king, surrender now and your lives
will be spared!”
Said Gazef loudly, making many of the bandits laugh.
“Yeah, and I am the emperor.”
One of them mocked Gazef as he waved his ragged armor as if it was a great and precious gown.
“They got some girls with them. They will sell well on the market!”
Another said after noticing Renner and Lakyus.
“Kill that wannabe warrior and magic caster!”
Roared the one who seemed to be the leader.
At that command, four men charged toward Gazef, while three charged at Satoru. Gazef avoided
two strikes, before swinging his sword and decapitating the closest man, making the other three
jump back in surprise.
“You are the first opponents I fight seriously with this sword… let’s see what it can do.”
The Warrior Captain said before swinging the blade again. This time missing his targets or at least
that is what Renner thought before two of the remaining three bandits fell on the ground, lightning
sparking all around their dead bodies.
“[Triple magic: Ice Lance]”
Renner turned just in time to see three light blue magic circles appear before Satoru. From each of
them a lance made out of ice materialized before instantly impaling the three figures charging at
him, killing them instantaneously.
She felt nothing as she looked at the dead bodies. The gruesome display didn’t affect her at all. The
same could not be said for the girl next to her who became very pale and began to tremble. Renner
placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Lakyus… stay focussed. If you want to be an adventurer, this is not something you will see rarely
in that field of work. You must overcome it.”
Lakyus nodded at her words, but didn’t stop trembling.
As this was going on, the battle was coming to an end as only four bandits remained now and they
didn’t seem eager to fight anymore.
“What is happening here?”
Asked a new voice as some more bandits came out of the forest.
“These damn monsters are killing us! That’s what’s happening ya’ bastard!”
The boss roared at the newcomers.
“Out of my way.”
Said a new calm voice. From behind the new bandits, a figure revealed itself. It was a man around
the same age as Gazef and Satoru. He had a well-muscled body, but the feature that jumped out to
the eye most was his blue hair.
The man’s eyes fixed on Gazef.
“You… you are Gazef Stronoff!”
He exclaimed in surprise as shock appeared on his face.
“The Warrior Captain?”
“Is he serious?”
“So he wasn’t lying…”
Some bandits whispered.
“You are… Brain?... Brain Unglaus?!”
Gazef asked, shock displayed all over his face.
{Brain’s P.O.v.}
“We meet again, Stronoff… I didn’t expect this to happen so soon… only 3 years after our duel.”
Brain said as he drew his curved blade. ‘Today is the day I waited for so long. Today I will show
who is the greatest sword in the kingdom!’.
“I always considered you a worthy opponent… a man of honor… to think you would fall so low as
to become a bandit.”
His opponent said in a dark tone as his eyes hardened.
“I am no bandit. I am a mercenary. Prepare yourself Gazef, for today is the day you fall.”
Brain retorted.
“You lot take care of that magic caster.”

Ordered the boss of the bandits with renewed vigour.
“Attack him all at once, he already put down some of us easily, surround him and finish him!”
He ordered as the ten remaining bandits charged at once. Brain was still analysing Gazef’s combat
stance for possible opening when a roar deafened him. He turned toward the powerful sound just
quicky enough to see the group of bandits being engulfed in lightning and turned into dust.
His jaw dropped a little ‘Who is this magic caster? I never saw magic that powerful’.
“I see you are as surprised as me, Unglaus. I knew Satoru was powerful, but I never thought such
powerful magic could be so masterfully controlled.”
Gazef told him.
“Enough talking! Show me your power!”
The blue haired warrior said before taking his newly developed combat stance.
“[Ability Boost] [Capacity Building] [Fortress] [Strong Assault]”
He muttered as he felt the Martial Arts strengthen his body.
“[Body Strengthening] [Flow Acceleration] [Mental Enhancement]”
His opponent was doing the same. ‘Good, I would not have it any other way. Come at me with
your full strength, so that I can strike you down at your peak!’.
The both of them launched at each other at the same time. Their blades crossed in the middle of
their battlefield. Brain could feel the strength of Gazef’s blow forcing him back. ‘Even Fortress
wasn’t enough to stop it.’ Brain grimaced.
“[Front Cut]”
His blade moved so fast that even he had problems following it with his eyes. Gazef tried to avoid
it and almost succeeded.
“[Instant Reflex]”
The Warrior Captain used his Martial Art to partially dodge the fatal attack directed at his head.
Brain’s attack left a not so light cut on Gazef’s cheek.
‘Yes. I did it! I knew it! All these years were not for nothing! Now fall to my blade Gazef!’ But
before he could attack again, he was forced to block a heavy strike from Gazef. Their blades
locked once more, but this time Brain felt something different. There was something wrong with
his muscles. He jumped back.
His hands started shaking, he could not control them anymore ‘What is this?’ he looked at Gazef.
“What have you done?”
He asked in shock.
“So, it finally worked. Well, I must thank Satoru once more for this blade. You see, Unglaus, this
blade is enchanted with lightning and every time our blades met a little bit of the spell would take
effect on you. Not enough to harm you, but still enough to alter your body’s internal workings.
Without being in control of your own power, you are vulnerable. You have already lost, Unglaus!”
Those words hit him like a dragon’s paw hit an ant. ‘No… this can’t be… he is lying… I’m the
greatest swordman of the kingdom… how could I lose? No no no nonono!’ With a roar Brain
launched himself at Gazef once more. The man easily blocked his shaking blade and pushed him
away with a kick.
“[Instant Counter]”
Gazef roared as he mercilessly assaulted Brain, who could only partially try to dodge or defend
thanks to his debilitated body. With a powerful final strike, Brain was sent sprawling to the ground.
“Do not rise, Unglaus. If you do, you will force me to go all out on you.”
The Warrior Captain threatened, Brain’s mind was crushed ‘What?! He is still holding back?... W-
what is this?! I’m supposed to be the strongest! Why… why… after all these years… WHY IS
THE GAP BETWEEN US STILL GROWING?!!!’ In a fit of rage, Brain forced his shaking body
to rise and activated his trump card.
“[Cutting Edge] [Instantaneous Flash]”
He felt like his arm was breaking apart, but he didn’t care. As long as he won, he didn’t care if he
lost his own arm.
“[Fortress]”
With that Brain’s blade was stopped dead by Gazef’s own sword. With that Brain’s body gave up
and just fell limp on the ground.
Brain felt tears gather in his eyes. ‘Why? I gave up everything to defeat you. Why can’t I…? Is this
not enough? What more should I do?’ He internally asked to no one in particular.
“I trained without anything else in mind for three years… and instead of closing the gap between
us… it got even bigger… how? How did you get so strong?”
He croaked out; his broken spirit could take no more of this. Gazef sheathed his sword.
“My strength is not something that belongs only to me. To achieve this level, I had to borrow both
my King’s support and Satoru’s help. It is thanks to them that I reached this point. Humans are
weak singularly. We don’t have the strength of the demi-humans nor the powerful magic of the
dragons. What we do have is the ability of gathering strength from others around us.”
No. He couldn’t accept it! How could all his diligence and sacrifices have been useless? It was all
that blade’s fault! If it wasn’t for it, he… No, it was that magic caster’s fault! He was the one who
made Gazef this strong! It was all his fault!
The flames of rage reignited in his heart as his eyes fixed on the distant figure of the magic caster
named Satoru. He gritted his teeth as he pushed himself back up. He felt some of his bones crack.
With a final push he rushed toward the figure.
“SATORU! LOOK OUT!”
He heard Gazef scream from behind him but it was too late ‘you will PAY DAMN MAGIC
CASTER!’.
“[CUTTING EDGE] [INSTANTANEOUS FLASH]”
The blade flashed toward the magic caster’s head, a deadly slash.
Brain completed his move and fell on the ground now completely drained of any kind of energy. ‘I
did it! Even if I’m going to die… I did it!’ He smiled. But then, why didn’t the headless corpse fall
on the ground. Why was it still standing before him… and why did it seem like… it still had a
head?
Brain’s smile disappeared. Surely it was just his eyes playing games with his head. Yes, that was
it! To confirm his doubts, Brain turned toward his blade expecting to see blood on it, but instead
what he saw confused him. Not only was there no blood on his blade. The blade itself was missing
from the hilt.
He used his eyes to look around him, but he saw nothing as his vision was starting to get blurry.
Then he felt like something heavy was on his chest, so he used his only moving hand to check what
it was. There was indeed something lying on his chest, it was hard and sharp. He lifted it up. It
took some time to understand what it was. The thing lying on his chest was a piece of metal. To be
more specific, a piece of a sword he knew far too well.
“Uhm… it is rude to attack someone like that, you know? You should announce your challenge
before attacking. Also, it wasn’t very nice of you to shower me with all these metal shards. You
could have ruined my robe.”
A deep voice above him said. Brain let the piece of metal in his hand fall on the ground. ‘I must be
dreaming… yes… this is just a bad dream… I want to wake up…’
“Eheheheheh… ahahahah… ahah… ahah… ah…”
With a final, barely audible laugh, Brain’s mind decided to shut down as everything went black.
Chapter End Notes
Ok, that’s it! To all those who wanted to know if I was still alive… yes, and seeing
what is happening around the world, I find that type of wording quite distasteful at the
moment. Please refrain from using it in my reviews or PMs, thank you.
Now, as for the chapter, I hope you enjoyed the little spar between Brain and Gazef.
As I said several times before, I’m not very good at describing battles and so they are
hardly the main focus of my stories. As you can see for yourself.
Next chapter will come sooner (I hope) and it will probably not be what you expect.
I’m still busy with my Uni, but one of the last big problems ahead of me has been
solved during this last month of pause.
As for those who ask for more frequent chapters (a lot of PMs are about this), I’m
confident to say that I could easily release a chapter per week if this was my main job.
But since, unfortunately, no one is paying me to do this, and I’m just using it as a
stress reliever, I’m afraid the pace will remain like this until I finish my Uni degree.
Hope to see a lot of your reviews as always. I missed those the last month. What do
you think will happen to Brain? Will I ever be able to begin the Empire Arc or will my
brain continue to put out more ideas to insert during the travel? Who knows?
Well, until next time, have a nice day and stay safe!
Intermission I: Tales from the Street
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Intermission chapter. We need some of those here and there to get away from the main
plot. Also, I think you will like this. A lot of people have been asking about a certain
someone I had plans for. Here you will get a glimpse of this character.
Well, without any further ado, enjoy the chapter!
The priest walked down the streets of the royal capital of Ro-Lente wearing the same classic blue
robes any other one wore. He had a scowl on his face as he looked at the people around him.
He was elegant in his slow pace, as any man of the gods is expected to be. His blond well-brushed
hair represented his status, a constant reminder of how superior he was to everyone else. As was
expected, people immediately recognized him and stepped out of his way in respect. ‘Just like they
should do in the presence of a man of the gods.’ He thought as his sharp blue eyes scanned the
people around him.
Finally, he reached the Great Square, a place filled with sinners obsessed over gold and trinkets.
‘False worshippers of the gods! Only through faith and humility before the gods shall we achieve
true happiness; surely not through gold!’ He roared in his mind.
He passed next to the shop of that accursed, heathen magic caster. He was tempted to spit on the
door but refrained himself. He would not stoop as low as a common man, guided by anger. He
represented the gods and his behaviour should match their teachings.
He calmed down and continued toward his true destination, the shop next to it. He didn’t enter it
from the door common people used. No, he wasn’t there to partake in such disgusting practices as
commerce. He instead walked around the building and knocked on the wooden door on the back.
A few seconds later, someone opened the door. The one to do so was the most beautiful woman the
priest had ever seen. ‘Hair like the sun and eyes like leaves in the heart of spring… ah! What a
magnificent angel you are! My Marietta!’ He thought as he felt a smile come to his face replacing
his permanent scowl. Yes, only her presence was capable of bringing a smile to his face and
making his heart pound like no man or god could.
“O-oh! Priest Obris! W-what can I do for you?”
Asked the beautiful angel. Obris clenched his fists in an attempt to restrain himself from taking
that gorgeous woman right then and there.
He saw many women in his life; village girls, whores, noble ladies and princesses. But no one
made his heart pound like the first time he saw that blond fifteen-year-old girl in the temple more
than ten years ago. Since then, any other woman was nothing but an orc to his eyes.
The priest forced his mind to return to reality.
“It is High Priest Obris now my dear… but Obris will be fine.”
He said in his usual calm and controlled tone.
“Oh! C-congratulations High Priest.”
She said with a smile. It was indeed a great feat to become a high priest at his age, after all most
never reached that title before the age of 60, but here he was, a high priest at the age of 42.
“Thank you my dear… can I come in?”
Obris asked, Marietta blushed a little making her look even more innocent and cute in his eyes, if
that was even possible.
“O-of course, where are my manners? Please come inside!”
She said letting him enter.
“You managed to get a good house. It must have been very expensive seeing where it is located.”
The man said while looking around.
“Yes, all credit goes to Randel and his hard work! After our son miraculously recovered from his
illness. We were able to save enough money for this!”
The woman sounded ecstatic. The man grimaced at the thought of that man. The man who took
and tainted HIS Marietta. That accursed man would pay for what he did. That gold worshipper will
feel the wrath of the gods upon him, that he swore.
“It must have been all those times I went praying to the temple! The gods must have bestowed their
mercy and blessings upon us!”
The priest’s mood worsened at those words. ‘No, the gods would not heal that man’s child! I am
sure of it! He must have sold his soul to some demon to do so!... and I am sure that the one
responsible for all of this is that accursed magic caster!’ He raged inside.
He still remembered how his perfect plan fell apart. When he first heard about the little
hellspawn’s illness, he felt overjoyed. He waited for the stupid man to come to the temple and ask
for a healing spell. It didn’t take long for that to happen.
Of course, he charged the man far more than was expected. It was easy to convince the high
priests. He simply had to say that the man was more devoted to gold than the almighty gods and so
they accepted his decision to charge more.
Then Marietta came to him with the same request. He was pained when he had to send her away,
but he was sure she would see the errors in her way and come back to a true man of the gods like
him soon.
Then the hellspawn was healed. Of course, they claimed it was a blessing from the gods, but he
knew better. It took him a few months of investigation, but he finally found some desperate people
willing to talk. He didn’t gather much apart from the fact that a few days before the hellspawn
recovered, a certain magic caster visited their house.
That was enough to convince him that he was the one to heal the hellspawn and ruin his plans for
Marietta. The higher ups didn’t think that way though. After he denounced the magic caster for
healing someone without the temple’s consent, the Archbishop himself came to him and said that
if the magic caster truly healed the boy, it surely wasn’t through healing magic since he was an
arcane magic caster. If he gave the boy a potion or something like it, the temple had no grounds to
stand against him.
This was the answer he received at least, but he knew the truth. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that the
temple didn’t want to confront the magic caster on a direct clash. They were wary of the caster’s
connections with both the various guilds and the crown itself. ‘Bloody cowards! All of them!’ He
cursed inside at the memory.
“…gh priest! High priest!”
He was brought back to reality by Marietta’s sweet tone. He blinked a few times before focusing
on her once more.
“Ah! Sorry my dear, I must apologize. These days, my mind tends to slither away to my new
duties.”
He apologized; she smiled delicately.
“Ah, do not worry. May I ask why you are here?”
“Yes, of course! I didn’t see you a lot in the temple in the last months. I just wanted to know if
everything was all right. Are you having problems with your faith?”
He asked; she shook her head.
“No, of course not. The fact is that now we live a fair distance from your temple. We usually go to
the nearest one to here.”
She explained. he nodded in understanding.
“I see. It pains me to not see you as much as before, but I guess it can’t be helped.”
He said, still focussed on those perfect green eyes of hers.
“Can I offer you anything to drink?”
She asked.
“No, thank you. Where is your… husband?”
He hesitated as he asked that question. It was strange for the man to not have already shown
himself.
“Oh, he is working in his shop. He has been a little distant lately, but I guess it’s fine. His job gets
better every day and with Rayne’s new hobby, he doesn’t have much free time anymore.”
She said. Obris choose that moment to act and in a moment grasped her hand with his, shocking
her.
“Do not worry my dear. I will help you leave this horrid life behind. The gods always help the
faithful after all.”
She gasped at him, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor
“No! I-“
She tried to say something but the priest interrupted her.
“You are right. If we wait, it will get harder and harder to get you out. We should leave right
now.”
As he said that, he tried to move her toward the door with him, but she resisted.
“WAIT! NO!”
She tried to say. He could now see fear in those green eyes ‘Ah! What has he done to you, my little
angel? To have such fear of what that horrid man would do to you if you left…’ He reflected with
rage at the things that man could have done to her in all those years.
“Do not worry, my dear. In the temple you will be safe and no one would hurt you. Not even that
man.”
He said pulling harder, the woman groaned in pain.
“STOP! DON’T HURT HER!”
The new voice stopped the priest. He turned to see a little boy of not even 12 years of age. He
stood there, probably attracted by the woman screaming. ‘The hellspawn!’ The priest thought in
rage ‘Of course! Even in the absence of his horrid father he would still interfere!’ he thought.
“LEAVE MY MOTHER ALONE!”
He screamed once more advancing toward him.
“Get away, you little hellspawn! By the names of the gods, make another step and you will force
my hand!”
The priest roared back, but the kid didn’t stop. The priest prepared himself to cast a spell but was
too slow. The boy rose his hand toward the older man and a magic circle appeared shocking Obris.
“[MAGIC ARROW]!”
The arrow made of magic shot toward the shocked man, who had just enough reflexes to jump
away to barely avoid it. The spell did still manage to cut his blue perfect robe before impaling itself
deep in the wall. Obris had no doubt that he would be bleeding to death if that thing hit him. But
worse yet was that he was forced to release Marietta’s hand. The boy used that moment to jump
between them shielding his mother and forcing the man back toward the entrance door.
“YOU LITTLE BRAT! HOW DARE YOU?!”
The priest roared in rage; the boy prepared another spell in his hand.
“GO AWAY!”
The boy screamed once more. ‘Damn it all! I didn’t expect the brat to be such a threat! Who the
hell taught him magic?! OF COURSE! THAT HEATHEN MAGIC CASTER! THIS IS ALL HIS
FAULT! ALL HIS FAULT!’ The man raged inside his head. He needed to think about how to
approach things with this new information. There was no way he could take Marietta now. He
needed help!... Of course! He just needed to say that the kid and magic caster assaulted him! YES!
With that, the temple will surely intervene to protect a High Priest such as himself! ‘Just wait
Marietta! I will free you!’ He thought.
“THIS IS NOT THE LAST TIME YOU WILL HEAR OF ME! NEXT TIME I WILL HAVE
YOU AND YOUR FATHER HANGED!”
He proclaimed before storming out of the house.
As he reached the Great Square once more, he passed in front of that accursed magic caster’s shop
once more. ‘Today I will have my revenge!’ He thought angrily as he entered the shop and
immediately stomped toward the counter. The blond woman behind it awaited him with a small
smile.
“Good afternoon sir how-“
She began before being interrupted.
“Where is he!? Where is that heathen magic caster?”
He demanded, attracting the attention of a few customers in the shop.
“I’m afraid Sir Satoru is busy at the moment, maybe lat-“
She tried to explain before the priest banged on the counter with his fist.
“Call him here now! NOW I SAID!”
He was losing every semblance of calm he previously had.
“I can’t do that sir. If you continue to behave like this, I will be forced to have you removed from
this esta-“
Once again, the woman was interrupted by the priest, who tried to grab her wrist from across the
counter, but she jumped back avoiding him.
“WHERE IS THAT COWARD HIDING?! BRING HIM HERE!”
He roared.
“I AM THE HIGH PRIEST OBRIS! I DEMAN… wait haven’t I seen you before!?... yes! I
remember now! I saw you outside one of those disgusting brothels!”
He said, surprised, as he remembered seeing her when passing nearby more than a year before.
“So not only is he a filthy heathen! He also partakes in whores! What a worthless existence!”
He roared before trying to grab the woman wrist once more, but this time he was stopped when two
pairs of hands grasped both his right and left arms. He looked around him and noticed that those
hands belonged to the customers in the shop. They seemed to be adventurers. They immediately
used their superior physical power to try and drag him out of the shop.
He began to struggle and scream in rage.
“LET ME GO! LET ME GO YOU FILTHY HEATHENS! I WILL HAVE YOU ALL HANGED!
AND YOU WHORE! YOU AND THAT ACCURSED MAGIC CASTER WILL BE BURNED
LIKE THE HEATHENS YOU ARE! I PROMISE YOU! THIS ISN’T THE LAST TIME YOU
WILL HEAR OF ME!”
He roared like a madman before being thrown out of the shop. He took a moment, struggling to get
up from the ground. His eyes locked with those of a tall man standing in the alley next to the
heathens’ shop.
“What are you looking at!?”
He venomously spat at the man, who didn’t react and just disappeared in the alley.
As his heart calmed down, he stood up and noticed that the sun was already going down ‘Tch! I
must return to the temple. There is no way the higher ups will ignore this!’ He thought as he began
to walk away.
He decided to take a shortcut even if that would force him to pass through a few of the lower
district’s streets. Fortunately for him, they seemed to be deserted. He passed there a few times
before and never saw them so empty. Not like he cared what those low-class commoners did.
“A-are you a priest s-sir?”
He heard a voice ask from his left. He turned to see a young boy with dirty blond hair and ragged
clothing ‘A beggar?’ he thought.
“Yes child, I am a High Priest and I must be going.”
He said cutting off the conversation, but before he could move the child grabbed his robe. He
grimaced ‘I will have to clean this now… filthy rat’.
“WAIT! Can you help my sister? S-she is ill!”
The child said; the priest huffed.
“To request a healing spell, you must go to the temple and pay for it! But certainly, you don’t have
enough money for that, so go away.”
He said trying to free himself from the child’s grasp.
“B-b-but I have money!”
The boy exclaimed revealing a pouch from his ragged clothing.
This easily attracted the priest’s attention. The pouch was quite big and seemed full. He stopped
and crouched to the child’s height. He grabbed the pouch from the child’s hands and opened it.
Inside, there were various silver coins and even two gold coins. ‘This can’t be, he must have stolen
it! Filthy thief! I should take this and return to the tem-‘ His train of thought was interrupted when
a sharp pain assaulted his chest. He let the pouch fall to the ground as he looked down at his chest.
He immediately saw the knife that stabbed him through the heart. He felt his head get dizzy and
with his last strength, he traced the hand that grasped the knife with his eyes. It was the child. This
disgusting child stabbed him through the heart! His body fell to the ground onto its side. The last
thing he saw before everything went black was the setting sun; as magnificent and yellow as her
hair.
‘Marietta…’ he whispered in his head before he stopped breathing.
{Child’s P.O.V.]
He looked at the old man as he fell onto one side and stopped moving. By now he was used to it.
The first times it was very unsettling, but now it didn’t bother him anymore. With a quick
movement, he extracted the knife from the man’s chest. He also recovered the pouch of money
from the ground.
A few seconds later, two men approached him, one tall with brown hair, another short and bald.
“You see! As I told you! These new fire enchanted knives are awesome! No blood at all! The
wound closes itself immediately thanks to the fire element! Perfect for a quick silent kill!”
The taller one exclaimed as the child gave him the knife.
“Yeah, I see. Think about when all our guys are armed with those.”
The bald one said before turning towards the child.
“You did a good job lad!”
He said as he ruffled his blond hair, eliciting a smile from the boy. In that moment, a new man
showed up behind them.
“Hey, the people are getting unnerved from being forced inside their homes. How much longer
will it take?”
He asked the other two.
“Just five more minutes. Make sure no one panics over it. They will be free to get out soon.”
The tall man said. The other nodded before rushing off toward one of the buildings.
“Hey lad! If this asshole’s body is in the sewers within 5 minutes, you can have that whole pouch
for yourself.”
The bald man said. The child’s azure eyes shined in excitement.
“Really!?”
He exclaimed in pure euphoria.
“Yeah! Consider it your monthly payment with a plus for a job well done. Now get that body out of
here.”
The bald man said.
“Yessir!”
The child cried out before grabbing the dead man by the leg and dragging him away with extreme
speed.
It didn’t take long for him to get the body into the nearest sewer for the rats to feast on.
{2 hours later}
He finally came back to the dormitories after washing up. Tomorrow was his free day and he
couldn’t wait to spend some of his new money.
He couldn’t believe how much his life changed in just the last 4 months. They picked him up from
the street, gave him food, clean clothes and a roof. He was truly thankful toward Seven Hands even
if he knew that helping him was no act of charity, but an investment for the future. Even so, he was
still grateful for the opportunity they gave him.
“Hey boyo!”
He heard someone calling him. That voice he knew well. He turned to see a young woman around
17 years old. She had a dark skin tone not often seen in the kingdom. Her hair seemed made out of
silver and shined even with the dim light in the room.
“Ah! Miss Edstrom!”
As soon as he greeted her, she chopped him on the head with her hand.
“I already told you, don’t call me miss! I’m not some old hag!”
The child massaged the spot where she hit him.
“Are you done for the week?”
She asked; he nodded.
“Yeah, tomorrow is my free day.”
The child said. She patted his shoulder.
“Good! Me, Cris and Rina thought about going out tomorrow, if you wanna come feel, free to
join.”
He nodded. Those were his friends. They were all older than him, but still, it felt nice to have
someone to share stuff with. It made the daily job far more bearable. Assassination was sweeter
when shared with some friends. If it wasn’t for those three, he may have never gotten over his first
kill.
“Yeah sure! Where are we going?”
He asked.
“To the finest inn of all of course! The Magic Lamp!”
She said enthusiastically. The child grimaced.
“Augh! You all get drunk whenever you go there! I don’t want to drag you away or have to pay for
you even one more time! Speaking of which… you still need to give me my money back!”
He accused, pointing a finger at the older girl.
She put up a smug grin before patting his head. He pouted making her grin even more.
“Ahh! Come on, don’t be like that! You just say that because you don’t like to drink! As for the
money… are you sure you don’t want to touch my perfect bouncy twins to get even?”
She asked with a sultry tone, while showing him even more of her generous cleavage. He blushed
intensely. He hated when she teased him.
“N-no! I-I just want my money b-back!”
This time it was her turn to pout.
“Ohhh! You are no fun Climby boy!”
She said as she walked toward her bed.
“You will never get a girl with that attitude…. Ah! Maybe you are into boys!?”
She teased.
“NO I’M NOT! And I’m still just 10. I have time!”
He protested. She shrugged her shoulders.
“If you say so… say have you eaten yet?”
She asked. At the mention of food his stomach rumbled, and he blushed once more.
“I guess not. It is a lucky thing that I took some more food from the kitchens while coming here…
what would you do without me?”
She asked rhetorically before passing him some bread and cheese.
“Thanks.”
He said as he smiled at her. She stared at him a few moments before standing up from her bed.
“Okay, I’m gonna go have fun now. You better get ready for tomorrow. Good night Climby boy.”
She waved at him.
“Good night Edstrom.”
He said, waving back at her.
Life sure wasn’t easy, but it was still far better than before. He finally saw some light at the end of
the tunnel. And no matter how many bodies he had to trample to get there, he will do it. With his
friends’ support, he could achieve anything.
He still remembered his mother’s stories about knights and heroes. He once dreamt of being one.
Maybe falling in love with a princess and marrying her one day.
He only now realized how much of a fool he was at that time. This world knew no mercy for the
weak and dreamy. Only doom awaited those fools. But he knew better by now. He will climb it all
and reach the top no matter what. And he will do it with his friends by his side.
‘An honourable white knight? What a worthless, childish dream…’ He thought as he took another
bite of his bread.
Chapter End Notes
And done! I know! It is shorter than most of my chapters. In my defence, this is not a
chapter, but an intermission to show something else while not focusing on the plot
every time.
I feel like these kinds of chapters are refreshing every now and then, don’t you think?
Some world building and character exposition.
Well make sure to let me know what you think in a review!
Until next time, stay safe and have a nice day!
Broken Blade
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Howdy! I’m in the middle of my summer exam session, so yeah, pretty busy right
now. Still, I managed to put together this chapter. I just didn’t want to leave you guys
with nothing for more than a month. All those reviews were just the right fuel to make
me write during this very mentally exhausting period.
So yeah, thank you all as always for that! Hope you enjoy the chapter and continue to
support me with your wonderful reviews!
Satoru looked down at the unconscious man now lying in his cart. ‘Why is he here again?’ he
asked himself as his eyes fell on Gazef ‘Oh, yeah. We couldn’t just leave him there to die’ he
internally sighed in defeat.
Next to him, the small form of Renner shifted as she pressed her little body more against him. By
now he got used to having to use illusion magic on himself to mimic a body under his gown. It was
a good thing he made a habit out of it since the first time she hugged him almost a year before.
True, he had to cast the magic once a day but it wasn’t all that costly to begin with. It was a basic
spell that would dispel if he took damage, but taking into account his High Physical Nullification,
it was very unlikely that he would get caught.
“I still can’t believe it Satoru.”
Said Gazef out loud, attracting the attention of the magic caster as he patted Renner’s head in a way
that he knew she loved.
“What kind of enchantment can nullify that kind of strike and break a fine blade like that?”
Satoru just shrugged his shoulders.
“I already told you Gazef; I didn’t enchant this, I found it in an ancient ruin years ago. To be
honest, I can’t tell what tier this particular spell is since all my appraisal spells failed when I tried to
use them on it.”
A year before, he wouldn’t have been able to give a valid justification to this but since he
discovered that finding powerful items in ancient ruins was a common thing in this world,
everything became easier to explain to others without giving away his Yggdrasil origin or sounding
suspicious.
Gazef just sighed in defeat and his eyes fell on Brain’s unconscious form.
“When we reach E-Rantel, I’m going to leave him there. You know that, right?”
Satoru said, following Gazef’s gaze. The Warrior Captain nodded.
“Yes, I understand. I’m grateful that you would honour my request of bringing him with us… I just
couldn’t leave him to die like that. I think that he could still redeem himself from his sins. He is a
very talented warrior after all.”
Gazef explained.
“I just did it because I respect you Gazef. I’m not as honourable as you and if he tries anything like
that again when he wakes up, I will put him down for good this time.”
Satoru said in a firm tone. Gazef nodded in acknowledgement of his statement.
“Of course, if he does that you have all every right to end him. The fact he didn’t attack Princess
Renner or young Lakyus was a major factor in my decision to ask you to bring him with us.”
Gazef revealed.
{4 days later}
{Brain’s P.O.V.}
The blue haired swordman known as Brain Unglaus took a sip of water from a flask given to him,
his dead eyes looking in front of him as the cart continued to move forward.
He had been like this since he woke up 3 days ago and realized that what he lived through wasn’t a
nightmare induced by some fever, but instead a harsh reality that slapped him in the face with the
force of a dragon’s tail.
Gazef, being the fool he was, thought it was a good idea to bring his most hate-filled rival along on
a trip with him, not that Brain thought about attacking him or anyone else. First, he didn’t have a
weapon to begin with, and even if he had one, it was almost impossible to kill either Gazef or that
monstrous magic caster. And even IF he managed to do that by some miracle, what would that
demonstrate? Absolutely nothing, He would not become the greatest swordman in the kingdom by
backstabbing the current one. No, he would only prove himself even more pathetic than he already
was.
He looked up at the blue sky. Why didn’t they just leave him to die there? What was the point on
living anymore if it’s clear that he could never achieve his dreams?
Maybe he should just give up and forget. ‘yes, forget everything… return home… just never touch
a blade again… pretend this was all a drunken dream… would Laia forgive me if I returned now?
Just live as a farmer… wouldn’t that be nice?’ he wondered as he felt tears flow down his face
once more.
“I see the city!”
Cried out the older blond girl. He turned to see with his own eyes the high walls of the Fortress
City, E-Rantel.
{Few hours later}

{Satoru’s P.O.V.}
Satoru was surprised at how quickly he managed to enter the city. When he first arrived at the
gate, there were a lot of people in line to enter and every last one of them was being magically
checked for anything illegal or strange.
Well, not like he didn’t expect that. After all, this was a city on the border of the country. People
had to be cautious about who they let in. That aside, he didn’t expect to be so easily recognized.
The only way he could explain it was that somehow rumours began to spread after his visit in E-
Pespel. Adventurers were known to go from city to city after all. Now that he thought about it
more, that wasn’t an unreasonable outcome.
Anyway, once a guard recognized him, they immediately let him enter the city, skipping the line
without checking him. To be honest, Satoru felt a bit bad for all those people who were waiting in
line for hours, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
With those thoughts, he sat on his bed. That particular inn was pretty popular among high class
people. The furniture surely matched that rumor at least. The room itself was pretty big, almost like
his dining room back in the capital; it was well decorated and had a personal bathroom, something
he has yet to install in his new home in the capital.
Seeing how bad even high-class bathrooms were, he felt relief in knowing his body would never
have such needs.
His train of thought was interrupted when a little blond girl jumped next to him on the bed, those
sky-blue eyes fixed on him. After so many months, he got used to it but that didn’t mean he
wouldn’t appreciate it if she stopped looking at him like that.
That said, he felt satisfied when their gazes met. He could clearly see the change in those eyes;
when they first met, they were almost devoid of any life or emotion in general. Now he could
clearly see a light shining in them. He saw happiness and wonder pass through those eyes many
times in the previous months, and knowing he had a big role in that change brought a strange sort
of satisfaction to his non-existent heart.
Renner has always been such a strange child. At first, he thought of her like a lost puppy. That was
before discovering the monster behind that façade; even then that wasn’t exactly true. She was a
very gifted girl whose potential was repressed for years. What made her what she was today were
the emotions she had to bottle up for so many years. Or at least this is what Satoru thought to
himself. He was no psychologist after all. A monster would not have been the right word to
describe her. The ones who called her that didn’t truly know her. Not how Satoru did.
She was a broken thing, similar to how he was back in his old world… like many of his friends
were. Maybe it was for that reason that he was so determined to help her. She reminded him of his
friends and how he was unable to help any of them, resulting in them quitting the game.
“-ru! Satoru! Are you listening to me?”
The voice of the young princess reached him as he was losing himself into old memories.
“Hm… sorry Renner. My mind was wandering through old memories… what were you saying
again?”
He asked. The princess pouted, making her most childish part come out. Satoru internally smirked
at that.
“I was telling you about how strange what happened today was… I know you are becoming fairly
famous around the kingdom thanks to your business expansion, but still, guards couldn’t possibly
act like that on their own… there is something strange behind it…”
She said with a thoughtful expression on her face ‘I asked myself the same thing… so it wasn’t
only me imagining things, eh?’ he thought.
“So… what would your brilliant mind suggest? Is this some kind of trap?”
He asked half joking, half serious. The young princess blushed at the compliment and that devilish
smile blossomed on her face as she rested her head on his side.
“W-well… the order probably came from someone very powerful in this city; as for why… I doubt
anyone wants to harm you. Take advantage of you? Possibly. Harming you? Very unlikely…”
She vocalised her thoughts; Satoru hummed in understanding ‘better safe than sorry’ he thought.
“Presently, I don’t think even one of the Six Great Nobles could get away with harming you
directly. The retaliations of the adventurer, magician and merchant guilds would be devastating for
any of them… not to mention your jolly secret organization…”
She explained.
“Is that so…”
He mumbled. ‘It’s a good thing I left most stuff in Hilma’s and Goldfinger’s hands. I don’t want to
screw it up and start a war by accident… so much for making some money…’ he thought in
exasperation. He never wanted all this responsibility; he just wanted some money to live
comfortably and a safe place to live in. ‘how did this all happen? Some god must be laughing at me
right now’.
Silence dominated the room for several minutes before Renner’s body shifted against him. She
looked up at him with those deep sky blue eyes of hers, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Say Satoru…”
She began in a low tone, her face moving closer to his mask.
“What kind of person… do you like the most?”
She finally asked; seeing how she tensed up, Satoru thought she would ask some very important
and delicate question. He was taken aback by the chill question and didn’t answer immediately.
‘I’m pretty sure there is something that I’m missing here… but I can’t get it! Why is she so serious
about this?! Does she give such importance to social interaction? Maybe it is just that… but still…’
as he was trying to give a sense to the sudden change of mood, he realized that he was taking too
much time to answer her question.
“Well… uhm… people I like the most, eh? No one ever asked me that… if I had to choose, I
guess… people I like the most are those who can make the best of what they have.”
He said as he tried to give form to his confused thoughts.
“Making the best of what they have?”
The third princess asked with a confused expression.

“Uhm yes… Ambition is something to be admired, but ambition without a solid plan to achieve it
is to be despised just as much… the greater your ambition is, the greater a mind you must have to
achieve it. And if you manage to achieve it, it just shows how great a person you are… or at least
this is how I see it.”
He tried to explain himself. Renner didn’t immediately respond but after a few seconds she slowly
nodded.
“So… if i-“
*KNOCK**KNOCK*
Before she could finish, Renner was interrupted by someone knocking on Satoru’s door. She
immediately covered herself with her traveling cloak while Satoru went to open the door.
Outside of his room stood a blond-haired man with an equally thick blond moustache and beard.
Satoru recognized him immediately as the innkeeper who welcomed them before.
“Is there a problem, sir?”
Asked Satoru, trying to sound friendly. The middle-aged man bowed to him.
“I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, Lord Satoru, but the city mayor, Lord Panasolei Gruze
Day Rettenmaier, wishes to speak with you. I made him wait in one of our finest private rooms;
what should I tell him?”
The man asked with all the politeness he could muster after years and years of dealing with nobles.
To be honest, Satoru didn’t have much of a choice.
“I see, it would be rude to make him wait then.”
The innkeeper seemed relieved at Satoru’s acceptance of the offer. ‘well, if I refused, he would
have been the one to relay my answer to the mayor’ the magic caster thought before turning to the
cloaked Renner.
“Wait here.”
He said before walking out of the room following the innkeeper.
{Brain’s P.O.V.}
He downed his fourth beer and slammed the thick glass on the counter. He could feel the effect of
the alcohol on his body, numbing it. That was good. He didn’t want to feel anything at the
moment. He didn’t want to think about anything.
As his eyes began to close, he felt someone approaching him from behind.
“So, you were here.”
A young female voice said. He opened his left eye a bit, only to see one of the blond girls who
travelled with him for the last three days. He ignored her.
“What are you doing here?”
She asked. He grunted in response.

“Can’t you see? I’m trying to drown myself in beer and just forget my life.”
He spat out but the girl just looked at him in confusion. Seeing that the girl was not leaving, he
stood up as much as the alcohol in his body allowed him to.
“What the hell do you want from me, girl?!”
He said trying to intimidate her. He was usually a very composed person, but the recent events and
alcohol were forcing words out of his mouth. However, the girl didn’t seem to mind at all and just
smiled.
“I want you to train me!”
Those words stunned the half-drunk swordsman. There was no way he just heard those words. ‘I
must be really drunk’ he thought.
“W-what?”
He asked. The girl defiantly pointed a finger at his chest.
“I said I want you to train me!”
Ok, there was no way he misheard her a second time.
“Why?”
He asked, his dead eyes looking at her.
“You are the second strongest swordsman I ever met!”
The girl said in excitement. He might have laughed at those words a week ago.
“Go to Gazef.”
He spat out in annoyance. ‘yes, run to the strongest. That is all you weaklings are good for’ he
thought.
“But he isn’t you, you know? There are things that even he can’t teach me! Your speed and
precision are unmatched even by him for all I know! Isn’t that reason enough to want to learn from
you?
She explained. As he looked into her eyes, his vision blurred and for a moment, he saw a young
brown haired boy with those same eyes in her place. His annoyance grew at the comparison.
“Just scram brat, before I decide to teach you a lesson.”
He said and gave her the worst glare he could muster.
“That is exactly why I’m here to begin with, to get that lesson.”
She answered, meeting his glare with one of her own. That made him almost chuckle. ‘what a
brat… but still… it’s useless’ he slumped down on the counter once more.
“Go away.”
He said again.
“How about a bet?”
She asked. He turned toward her once more.
“What?”
He replied.
“A bet! If you win, I leave you alone. If I win, you teach me!”
She said. He hmphed.
“And what is the bet?”
He inquired. she shrugged.
“That is for you to decide.”
She said, determination in her eyes; he just grimaced and looked around until his eyes fell on a pile
of wooden sticks.
“Hey, old man! Can I have one of those sticks?”
He asked loudly. The bartender glanced at him and shrugged.
“As long as you pay for it. I just use them to light the fire.”
Brain just knelt and choose the straightest stick he could find.
“Well then, come on.”
He said to the girl who hesitated just a moment before following him.
“Oi! If you are leaving, pay your stuff, blue freak!”
Roared the bartender.
“I don’t have any money.”
Simply answered the half-drunk Brain.
“Why you…!”
The bartender’s face began to grow redder with anger, but before a fight could start the girl just
pulled out two silver coins and placed them on the counter.
“Are these enough?”
She asked; the angry bartender picked them up to examine them before nodding, satisfied and a bit
less irritated.
“Yeah. Now scram and don’t come back-”
He snarled and they left.
Brain began to walk through the street, searching for an empty alley. He ignored all the glances he
received from passing people and after a few minutes, he finally found what he was looking for.
They entered an empty alley and walked through it until the sounds of the main street couldn’t be
heard anymore.
He turned toward the girl and launched the stick at her. She caught it with both hands.
“You have ten minutes to hit me once. If you can’t, you lose.”
She immediately got into a fighting stance. ‘Not bad… she clearly has some experience… but she
is still too exposed on her shoulders’ he noticed as he awaited her first move.
It didn’t take long for her to attack him directly, striking vertically with her wooden stick. Brain
lazily sidestepped and avoided the attack. She retaliated with a quick side slash that he avoided by
taking a step back ‘a skilled soldier… nothing more…’ he thought.
In that moment she tried an uppercut only to stop midway and attempt a lunge. ‘how slow….’
Brain thought, as even with his senses numbed by the alcohol, he saw her feint long before she
attempted it.
The dance continued with the girl striking at him and him easily dodging everything that came his
way for almost five minutes.
“Just give up already kid… you are not getting anywhere with this.”
He said as he grew bored of the child’s attempts to hit him.
“No! I will never give up until I do it!”
She cried out as she lunged at him once more. He sidestepped and used his feet to make her trip
and fall on the hard stone of the street.
“What a pathetic scene…”
He commented, looking at the child.
“Enough with this childish game. Do you want to know how to improve? Just quit! You are not
going to reach my level, let alone Gazef’s. Your stance is ridiculously open, and your attacks are
slow and predictable… just go back home… this is not for you.”
‘am I speaking to her or… myself?’ he wondered inside his head. In the meantime, the girl got up
and took her battle stance once more.
“I… refuse… I will not… fail!”
He could see it clearly now. The fire burning in her emerald eyes. A fire he once had himself
before he was defeated in that tournament… maybe it was for that reason that seeing it filled him
with rage, a reminder of how weak he once was.
As the girl tried to strike him once more, he grasped her right arm.
“Give up.”
He said once more.
“No!”
His grasp tightened around her arm, she grimaced in pain.

“Just GIVE UP ALREADY!”
He roared as if all his fury came out of his body through those words.
“NEVER!”
She shouted back, stunning him.
“Why?... what’s the point?... how can you go on knowing that you will never be the strongest?...
no matter how much you sacrifice… you will never reach the top… so… WHAT’S THE POINT?!
WHY ARE YOU SO DETERMINED?!”
He cried out ‘WHY CAN’T I HAVE THAT DETERMINATION!’ he roared inside.
“Because I want to save people! Help them! To make the world a better place!”
She replied. Silence descended upon the alley for almost a minute before Brain suddenly pushed
the girl, making her fall on her butt.
“That’s it?! Only that?! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE WORLD CHILD! YOU KNOW
NOTHING OF TRUE STRUGGLE! IN THIS WORLD, IT IS KILL OR BE KILLED! THE
STRONG CRUSH THE WEAK! DRAGONS CRUSH ANTS! YOUR GOAL IS JUST AN
UNREACHABLE, CHILDISH DREAM!”
He roared in her face, all his built-up frustration and resentment now exploding in all its fury.
“THEN I WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!”
She retorted, not backing down.
“YOU?! YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD?! YOU WHO CAN’T EVEN HIT A
DRUNK MAN WITH A STICK, YET YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD?! DON’T
MAKE ME LAUGH!”
He spat out.
“Then… I WILL BECOME THE STRONGEST! STRONG ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE

WORLD!”
She cried out as she launched herself on him once more. In his drunken state, Brain reacted on
instinct and kicked the girl in the gut; she gasped for a moment but then pushed forward and
lunged her wooden stick, barely managing to poke him on his chest before collapsing on the
ground and emptying her stomach due to his kick.
In the meantime, Brain silently stood there, looking at the girl at his feet. ‘This world… this world
must be crazy… what nonsense is this?... how can I…?’.
He waited in silence for the girl to stand up, her eyes staring keenly into his as the undying fire of
determination continued to burn inside her.
They continued to stare at each other for a few minutes before Brain sighed.
“What is your name girl?”
She smirked.
“Lakyus, the next strongest swordswoman of the kingdom!”
She answered with a prideful tone. Brain sighed again.
“Your stance is wrong… you leave your shoulders far to unguarded… let’s start with that…”
She smiled and took a new battle stance.
“Understood, Master Brain.”
She said as she tried to balance her body.
‘What am I getting myself into...?’ wondered the martial artist.
{In a village on the border of the Re-Estize Kingdom}
{Mato’s P.O.V.}
Mato was a tall bulky black-haired man and at the moment, he was out of patience.
He and his boys had to come all the way to this gods forsaken village to just get one person, a child
of not even 10 years of age. Normally someone like him, one of the Seven Hands, would not go
and deal with this kind of business himself but since this was an order coming directly from the big
boss himself, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving it in someone else’s hands.
If they messed up, the one to pay the price would be him, and even after a year, no one forgot the
terror the last visit of their new leader left in their hearts.
With those grim thoughts, he advanced through the village, searching for his targets. It didn’t take
long to find them. They lived in a small house on the border of the village. ‘Farmers, eh?’ he
thought to himself. This wasn’t the first time he had to deal with farmers.
Something was off though. In front of said house, there already stood three men. One was a fat
young noble, probably the son of the noble who ruled over these lands. The other two were guards.
“I swear, my Lord! Give me another week and I will have the other half!”
Cried out a middle-aged man. ‘probably the owner of the house’ Mato noticed. Behind the man
stood a woman and two young girls. One seemed to have just started developing her body, while
the other was still a child.
“ENOUGH OF YOUR EXCUSES! IF YOU CAN’T PAY, I WILL THROW YOU OUT OF MY
LAND!”
The young noble roared in anger and annoyance; Mato knew his type well. He felt sympathy for
the poor farmer. He himself had been forced to leave his house when he was younger.
Harvest could go wrong for a lot of reasons; weather, bad year, bandits attacks, thieves, monsters.
There were too many ways something could go wrong. Not that those plump nobles would know
anything about the hardship of being a farmer.
“No! My Lord, I beg you! Anything but that!”
The man cried out as he sounded more and more defeated. The noble smirked.
“Very well then. As payment, I will take your daughter for myself then! Guards!”
He announced and the guards took a step closer to the family. Mato could clearly see the fear in the
farmers eyes as they glanced at the guards’ swords; he sighed.
“Oi! Assholes!”
He called out to the guards, who immediately turned, fixing their eyes on him and his boys. There
were six of them with Mato today.
“How dare you, commoner! Get lost before I decide to take your head!”
The noble roared in anger at this interruption.
“Can’t do. I have business here.”
He said as he took a step forward. The guards now unsheathed their blades. He just showed them
his empty hands. The guards relaxed a little. Then he took out of his sleeve a folded sheet, passing
it to the guard who took it and unfolded it.
The guard’s mouth fell half open and a moment later he gulped before his eyes fixed on Mato once
more; gone was the wary look, now his gaze was full of unmasked fear.
Seeing the exchange, the fat young noble snatched the paper from his guard’s hands and looked at
it himself before paling a little.
“Y-you-“
He began before Mato stopped him with a gesture. He took out another small sheet from his pouch
and passed it to the noble.
“This is a discount ticket for our fine establishment. Just leave us to our job and go enjoy your life,
would you?”
He said in a friendly tone. The noble looked at him for a few moments before nodding.
“Very well then… Guards! Let’s go!”
He ordered and the three of them left.
Nowadays, it wasn’t all that strange for small noble houses to have that reaction when meeting
Seven Hands. After what happened to Count Lynet, it was expected that no one other than the most
powerful nobles would dare to get in their way.
Mato looked watched the noble leave the village before turning towards the farmers.
“Do any of you happen to be… Celicia Veyron?”
He asked, as he looked at them. No one answered for a few seconds before the youngest girl raised
her hand.
“I-I am Sir!”
She said trembling. He nodded.
“Very well. Can we go inside? I would prefer a more private place to discuss business.”
He explained. The middle-aged man was still wary of him. He could read it in his eyes. And who
wouldn’t? He just made a noble run away like a scared cat even in his own territory. The man
nodded nonetheless.
“You boys stay outside and make sure we are not… disturbed by anyone.”
He ordered to his men, who nodded in response.
The house was as small as any farmer’s house would be. Not any particular decoration or anything,
and just barely enough space for four people to live in.
He sat at a table in front of the family and began to pull out of his poach a bunch of paper sheets,
just as he had many other times in the previous weeks.
“Well, good afternoon, Mr. Veyron. First, I am an envoy of the organization known as Seven
Hands. I hope you have heard of us?”
The man flinched a bit at the name but nodded without saying anything.
“As for the reason why I’m here… you are aware of your youngest daughter’s Talent, are you
not?”
He asked, just to be sure. The man nodded again.
“Well, we may have a place for her among our ranks. Her Talent could be particularly useful in the
future.”
No one said anything, so Mato tapped the sheets in front of him.
“This is a new thing we came up with some time ago and it’s becoming very popular all around the
kingdom; it is called a work contract.”
The eyes of the man were now fixed on the sheets.
“On these sheets, we wrote the contract that we wish to offer to your daughter in exchange for her
services; is there any of you who is able to read here?”
He asked. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to propose a contract to someone who couldn’t read.
“I can read… a little.”
The farmer said as he took the sheets in his hands. It didn’t take long before he gave up and asked
Mato to explain in detail.
“Very well. To begin with, this is a permanent contract, so it will not expire so long as its terms are
not violated; we are offering a tutorage of four years to your daughter. During this period of time,
she will be taught to read, write, and count, along with being introduced to magic and developing
her Talent.”
He explained to the stunned family. Before anyone could speak, he continued.
“If she shows decent results during these four years, we will hire her. We can’t say what job she
will be assigned to. That depends only on her level of skill at said moment… of course as a worker
under the protection of Seven Hands, no harm will come to her outside of possible accidents during
jobs. Even then, she has right to a monetary compensation if the mistake came from our part.”
He said, waiting for a reaction.

“Where would she stay?”
The man asked.
“During her tutelage she will stay in the nearest city. After that, we take the liberty to relocate her
wherever we see fit for her to be in that moment… this, of course, doesn’t mean she can’t come to
visit you whenever she wants. All our workers have access to Free Days. They are basically days
you can use to rest. A normal worker has 4 Free Days each month.”
He explained. The man and woman seemed relieved.
“And how much would she be paid?”
The father asked again. Mato shrugged.
“During her tutelage, nothing. After all, we are teaching her, and she is not exactly doing us any
service. After that… it really depends on her skills, but taking in account her Talent, if she manages
to cast 2 tier magic by the end of her tutelage, I think her monthly pay would be around 15 silver
coins.”
The father and mother gasped at those words. That was probably what they earned in a whole year.
‘Got them’ Mato thought.
“Of course, if she is truly talented and she gets to the 3 rd and 4th tier then we will be speaking
about true money; we currently have only 2 guys who can cast 4th tier and they get paid like 7 gold
coins per month.”
He casually said but didn’t miss the look the man gave him.
“So, Mr. Veyron… do we have a deal?”
He asked, offering his hand.
Chapter End Notes
And done! Many POVs this time but well… I gotta move on the plot, don’t I? A little
bit of Renner and Satoru this chapter. I know you missed them being the perfect duo.
And oh boy, Satoru did something that will shake the continent in the years to come.
As you can see, Brain isn’t as completely dead as he was after Shalltear put him in his
place. The trauma was far less devastating. Yeah, he may have gotten destroyed by his
rival after years of training, and Satoru didn’t help at all there but he didn’t see the true
gap there is between a true monster and a human.
It will still take time to recover, if he recovers at all that is, but maybe a certain sword
fanatic may be just what he needs.
Also, longest chapter of this story till now.
Hope you all enjoyed. I can’t wait to read your reviews about this. After all, we’ve got
a lot of stuff going on and we didn’t even enter the Empire yet!
Almost forgot! We now got more than 1000 followers! Thank you a lot guys. It really
means a lot to me! I never expected for this to get so popular! Thanks to all those who
suggested my fic on Reddit and other sites! I wish you all the best!
EDIT: Thanks to MSDeus for pointing out Ninya’s true name (Celicia).
Review and stay safe! Till next time!
Nobles, Cardinals and Dragons
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Howdy! I bet some of you didn’t expect to see me so soon. Well, I bring with me both
good and bad news. Starting with the good one! The chapter is here earlier than
expected and this is the last chapter before we enter the Empire (this time is true I
swear!). The bad news is that I’m going on a vacation with my family, so no new
chapters before mid-July at least, more likely late July.
Oh well, what can we do? I mean, I just go on a vacation once a year, so I hope you
will forgive me. That said, enjoy the early chapter!
Also, I saw some reviews say that there were spelling errors. If you notice any, I
would be glad if you pointed them out in your review so I can fix them! Thank you!
Satoru entered the elegant room, followed by the innkeeper. A delicately carved wooden table
stood in the middle of the room. On one side, there sat one of the fattest men Satoru ever saw, and
next to him stood two high ranking guards judging by their decorated armours.
On the other side of the table, someone prepared an elegant chair for him or at least that was what
he deduced from the situation.
“Ah, finally! Welcome, Sir Satoru!”
Said the fat man who was probably the city Mayor; Satoru lightly bowed his head to him.
“Thank you for the hospitality, Lord Rettenmaier.”
Greeted back the undead magic caster.
“Please, please, have a seat!”
Invited the noble amicably. Satoru did so and sat on the chair while trying to not place his full
weight on it; after all, while beautiful, the chair also seemed extremely frail.
“I must apologize for calling you here so suddenly after your arrival, but I was not sure how long
your visit in E-Rantel would last.”
The mayor explained as he took a sip of wine from his elegant crystal chalice.
“How rude of me, may I offer you some wine?”
He asked, indicating the half empty bottle currently on the table with his eyes.
“No, thank you, Lord Rettenmaier. I do not usually partake in wine, even less so when I’m on a
business trip.”
Satoru explained, his inner salaryman screaming at him in frustration. After all, it was well known
that alcohol helped to ease tense situations and brought people together, however, Satoru could not
drink it with his current body, illusion or not.
“How strict. No wonder you have been so successful in just a year. Both your magical talent and
self-control must have played a primary role in that.”
The mayor continued as he took another sip from his chalice.
“Probably. Discipline has been a key aspect of my upbringing. It is well rooted in my mind by
now.”
Satoru said, before lightly tapping on the table.
“Well then, may I ask why you are here, Lord Rettenmaier?”
The mayor downed the remaining wine from his chalice before laying it on the table.
“Please leave us.”
He ordered. The innkeeper immediately bowed and left the room; the two guards seemed to
hesitate but ultimately obeyed without questions and left after the innkeeper, closing the door
behind them.
“Well then. First, I would like to welcome you once more to E-Rantel. It is a pleasure to have such
an esteemed guest in my city.”
The Mayor began; Satoru nodded.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t a simple pleasure visit. You see, Sir Satoru, I have overseen this city for
decades by now and trust me, it hasn’t been easy.”
Satoru didn’t respond, curious about where the man was going with his speech.
“We are a frontier city. The initial purpose of E-Rantel, before it became the city it is today, was to
be the first line of defence against any attack coming from the east.”
He continued. Satoru nodded. He already guessed as much by himself.
“It took a lot of time to balance our economy and find a way to sustain ourselves without having to
rely on commerce from more central cities. We may be one of the richest cities in the Kingdom
today, but it took many generations to reach this point.”
He explained before pausing and taking a deep breath.
“Ever since your decision to expand your business here, our economy became very… unstable to
say the least. The flow of money changed, being directed far more towards your shop and great
deal less to other fields. I already overheard that the Magician Guild in E-Rantel is thinking about
following the example of the one in the capital instead of opposing you.”
The noble explained ‘is this city… a smaller version of Japan?’ the magic caster wondered to
himself.
“I think I see what the problem is.”
Interjected Satoru.
“Your economy is very stable as long as the coins continue to circulate among yourselves, of
course there is still some importation and exportation, but you made sure to balance it so that your
inner economy would not be ruined.”
He surmised. The noble nodded.
“But I am becoming a problem now since I suck a lot of your money away from the city and am
not reinvesting here in E-Rantel. This will cause your perfectly balanced inner economy to
collapse. There will be no more money circulating in your city and people will not be able to
sustain their lives anymore.”
He deduced; the noble nodded in confirmation.
“This of course could be balanced with a further taxation. It would not solve the problem, but it
would minimize the damage.”
The Mayor explained.
“Why didn’t you do so then?”
Asked the magic caster.
“I knew Count Lynet. He was always a greedy man. The second he learned about you opening up a
shop in his city, he tripled the taxes on magical items…and after a month, he was found dead
outside his burning estate, butchered alongside his family. He had two twin daughters, both 5 at the
time… both were suffocated by forcing cooper coins down their throats… a macabre message of
some sort I think…”
The Mayor said, his eyes fixed on Satoru’s mask.
“Are you trying to imply something here Lord Mayor? Wasn’t it already clarified that the
perpetrators were from the group known as Seven Hands?”
Satoru asked; he was sure his body would be tensing up if he had any muscle.
“Of course not, Sir Satoru. I was just pointing out how horrible things tend to happen to Nobles
who raise their taxes these days.”
Silence descended in the room; by now Satoru was sure that the man before him was no fool, like
many of those nobles he met in the capital were. No, the fat man before him was a sly fox who
knew well how the world worked.
“While I find your opinions concerning, I still think I may have a different solution to your current
problem.”
Satoru said, breaking the silence. He must thank is undead nature again for gifting him with such a
cold mind in these situations, where his previous self would surely panic.
“And what would that be?”

Asked the Mayor with interest in his eyes.
“A form of investment. On my side, I will do what I can to reinvest the money I gain back into this
city, but at the same time I would require certain… liberties to operate as I please in a certain area.”
Satoru explained. The Mayor didn’t respond immediately as he slowly grabbed the bottle of wine
and began to pour some into his chalice. As soon as he filled it, he looked at Satoru once more
before giving him a feral smirk.
He grabbed his chalice and raised it as much as his fat, short arm could afford.
“A toast! To a prosperous and rich business venture!”
He said before downing the wine.
{Lakyus’ P.O.V.}
When she returned to her room in the elegant inn, her legs were barely able to sustain her weight.
She never felt so tired in her life. Brain was not like Gazef. Her new teacher preferred perfection
and could only accept so much failure before snapping.
But even if her training was hard, in just a few hours, she could already see some changes in her
swordsmanship. Now her stance allowed her to strike faster and block incoming attacks without
having to shift her position.
Her new teacher described her movements and style as brutish and unrefined. ‘You must be able to
move as if your body was made of water. Fighting is a deadly dance and those who misstep lose
their heads’ she remembered Brain’s words clearly.
When she reached her room, the sun was already gone from the sky, and she wanted nothing more
than to lie on her bed and sleep forever.
As expected, Renner was already there when she entered the room, but Lakyus was done for the
day and had no remaining strength even for basic curtsies, not that the third princess ever cared for
such things.
“Oh, Lakyus. I was beginning to get worried about you. I didn’t see you for the entire day. Where
were you?”
Asked the princess in her usual sweet tone.
“Training.”
She curtly answered.
“With Gazef?”
The princess inquired.
“No… Brain Unglaus…”
The young swordswoman clarified. Renner gave her a surprised look.
“Oh… I didn’t expect that… I guess my hunch was true then… you are really into older men…
Satoru, Gazef and now Brain… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a boy your age, not that I am
one to judge.”
The princess said. Even in her tired state, Lakyus’ cheeks flushed red at the implication.
“N-N-NO! I-I just wanted to learn! I just wanted to get better!”
If she wasn’t so tired, Lakyus might have shouted those words, but in her current state, her words
came out like a weak excuse.
“Hold your horses, I was just teasing you.”
The princess assured her. Lakyus groaned.
“Oh, and Lakyus.”
The princess said to attract her attention once more. The young noble turned her gaze on the third
princess, who now had a hand over her mouth and nose.
“Go take a bath. You stink like the Capital’s sewers.”
At those words, Lakyus only groaned louder as she dragged her body toward the bathroom.
{Two days later}
Gazef was helping Satoru in finishing to prepare the cart when Lakyus and Renner showed up.
“Just a few minutes and we will depart.”
Announced Gazef. He jumped onto the cart while Satoru secured it to his Golem Horse.
Lakyus helped Renner get onto the cart before jumping up herself. She looked one last time at the
city. This would be the last of the Kingdom she would see until they returned. It was her first time
going out of the kingdom. She felt excited, but at the same time, scared at the idea of going so far
away from home.
She shook her head. She knew she needed this. She must remain strong because this was all for her
goal.
“Hey brat, where are you going?”
Asked a voice she knew well by now. She turned her head left, only to see Brain, her second
teacher, standing next to the cart.
“Ah… uhm… the Empire…”
She said with uncertainty. Brain just sighed and looked at Gazef.
“OI! Stronoff! Care if I join in?”
Asked the blue haired martial artist; the Warrior Captain looked surprised.
“I don’t have anything against it. I heard you helped Lakyus during these days in E-Rantel. May I
ask why you want to come though?”
Gazef asked in a curious tone. Brain shrugged.
“I may have put down my sword, but I see talent in that kid. I can’t just let you ruin her with all
those unrefined movements you are teaching her. It would be a true shame to see that potential
wasted… also, I am trying to find a new starting point for my life. I may as well look in the
Empire.”
He explained; Gazef nodded.
“I understand, but the decision is not really mine to make. What do you say, Satoru?”
Gazef asked the silent magic caster, who didn’t answer immediately. His face may have been
hidden, but, by now, Lakyus recognized the aura around him. He was pondering the pros and cons
of the decision.
“Please Satoru!”
She begged him, hoping to convince him to accept. The magic caster took a deep breath before
sighing.
“Very well. You may come, but you are not allowed to use any blade during our trip.”
He said firmly. Brain just shrugged.
“I already put aside that life. I just want to pass down what I know about the blade so that someone
may have a better use for it.”
He said as he got onto the cart. A few minutes later, they departed. Their destination, this time, was
the heart of the Empire, Arwintar.
{Slane Theocracy: Hall of the Six}
{Raymond’s P.O.V.}
Raymond Zarg Lauransan was a man in his late 30s with brown hair and beard and a keen eye. He
was also the Cardinal of Earth and the youngest Cardinal at the moment. Nevertheless, he was also
in charge of the Six Scriptures, the most elite troops that the Theocracy had at its disposal.
After 15 years of service in the Black Scripture, he was deemed worthy of the position of Cardinal
after the previous one passed away. In only a few years since his new appointment, he was deemed
worthy of commanding the Six Scriptures as a whole. The reason behind this decision was twofold.
First, he was a previous member of a Scripture and had military experience. Second, and most
important, was his calm and reasonable approach to all kinds of situations.
Right now, he sat at a table with the other Cardinals. They already had a meeting with the rest of
the Council that same day where they discussed the most pending political and military matters.
This additional meeting between the Cardinals wasn’t something that normally happened but by
now Raymond had gotten used to this kind of last-minute meetings.
“So, is there any news from your investigations, Raymond?”
Asked Berenice, the Cardinal of Fire and the only female Cardinal. Raymond shook his head.
“No, nothing more than what we already knew from the previous meeting.”
He grimly replied. The disappearance and probable demise of the entire Sunlight Scripture has
been a concerning and alarming event since a year before.
Many investigations were launched to discover what happened to them, but nothing came of it. At
the time, the Sunlight Scripture was going on a routine mission to exterminate as many undead as
they could around the Katze Plains. This was done to avoid any possible gathering of negative
energy and stop the subsequential birth of any powerful undead like Death Knights or Elder
Liches.
Since it was a routine mission, they weren’t being monitored by the Thousand Miles Astrologer
who was busy monitoring the elves at that specific moment.
They initially thought that it could have been the work of a legendary undead, but that option was
quickly dismissed. It would have been highly impossible for a single undead to exterminate a
whole Scripture. Even a legendary Death Knight would have not been able to prevent the escape of
some members.
The fact that they didn’t even manage to locate the bodies was also proof that whoever did it was
intelligent enough to know someone would come to check.
Raymond deduced that this was the doing of an unknown party. He couldn’t see it any other way.
The question was, who were they? And why did they attack a Scripture? It has been a year and
nothing else happened that would indicate this unknown party moving in the shadows.
“That magic caster in the Kingdom is involved, I tell you!”
Spat Yvon, the Cardinal of Light; Raymond sighed ‘here he goes again…’ he thought in
exasperation. Seeing that no one was reacting to his comment, Yvon continued.
“The scripture disappears and then, a few weeks later, this powerful magic caster appears out of
nowhere! This is too suspicious!”
He continued; Raymond looked him directly in the eyes.
“I already told you Yvon, I investigated that magic caster, and nothing came out of it, he is
powerful and cunning but other than that, he has no contacts outside the Kingdom and has not
moved against the church or government.”
Raymond said again, calmly. The arcane magic caster known as Satoru has been a hot topic at their
table for several meetings by now. Most of the Cardinals were in favour of recruiting such a
formidable asset. All apart from Yvon who, for some reason, was convinced the magic caster was
involved in the Sunlight Scripture investigation.
“I already told you; other than the timing, which could be a coincidence, nothing indicates any
motive for him to go and attack a Scripture out of the blue… and I doubt he would have been able
to exterminate it so completely on his own, anyway; he may be a caster of the 5th tier, but that is
not enough to deal with a group of 30 magic casters of the 3rd tier.”
He continued, trying to be reasonable. Yvon didn’t answer but also didn’t seem too convinced by
his argument.
“Speaking of which… where is our talented friend now?”
Asked Dominic, the Cardinal of Wind. Raymond shifted his attention to him.
“I just received a report of him leaving for the Empire on a business trip… alongside the Third
Princess and Gazef Stronoff.”
Said Maximilian, the Cardinal of Darkness. All the other Cardinals hummed.
“Why the princess though?”
Asked a confused Berenice. Raymond coughed, already knowing the answer.
“It seems like the princess… has taken a certain liking to the magic caster.”
Explained Maximilian.
“Wait… isn’t she around ten years old or so. Are you sure we are not talking about the second
princess?”
Asked a concerned Berenice; Maximilian shook his head.
“No, I’m sure we are talking about the third princess… and she is 8 by the way.”
He said awkwardly. Berenice placed a hand on her face.
“Brats these days…”
She grumbled out.
“So, what are we going to do about this? This is a perfect occasion to plunge the Kingdom into
chaos and prepare it for the annexation to the Empire, thus creating a united human front as we
planned.”
Intervened Ginedine, the Cardinal of Water, for the first time.
“No, for now I don’t think it would be wise to act.”
Raymond retorted, attracting the attention of the other Cardinals as he explained further.
“The ruling class of the Kingdom may be a disaster, but with the arrival of this magic caster, the
military forces of the two parties are fairly equal in power. An all-out war right now would only
result in disaster for both nations. It doesn’t help that the Emperor didn’t go through with his
purgation of the noble class in the Empire as we hoped.”
He explained; some of the Cardinals hummed in agreement with his points.
“Why hasn’t he done that anyway?”
Asked Yvon, who seemed genuinely curious.
“He is wary of the newfound power of the Kingdom. Presently, magic items and equipment are
available in quantities never seen before in the Kingdom. The Emperor fears that as soon as he
shows weakness, he will be attacked from the Kingdom.”
Raymond explained. Yvon nodded to indicate his understanding.
“The best solution would be to wait and see who between the two of them show more potential and
then help them to annex the other one.”
The Cardinal of Earth concluded as everyone nodded in agreement with his proposal.
“Returning to our initial point, the Extra Seat heard what happened to the Sunlight Scripture and
requested to meet with whoever is responsible for it once we found them.”
Continued Raymond.
“Absolutely not! That girl is far too dangerous to be let near anyone!”
Protested Ginedine energetically.
“I know that. I just thought it would be a good thing to notify you about it.”
Raymond Calmly continued.
“If the fools who made her this way were still alive… what a disgrace to the Theocracy’s name…”
Grumbled Ginedine. ‘Yes indeed, if they were still alive I would give them a piece of my mind…’
thought the Cardinal of Earth before the conversation drifted away towards calmer waters.
{Draconic Kingdom: Dark Scale Palace}
{Draudillon’s P.O.V.}
The Dragon Queen Draudillon Oriculus, also known as the Dark Scale Dragon Lord, sat on her
throne. All around her ministers and generals were discussing the current state of the war.
It wasn’t the first time in history that the Beastmen tried to invade the Draconic Kingdom, but all
previous wars have been very short lived. They usually managed to take one or two villages before
they broke against the walls of the first city they encountered.
This wasn’t the case this time. This time they planned the invasion well. Usually, they had to deal
with only one or two clans, but this time there were a lot more. They must have found a common
point, somehow.
Still, no matter how they did it, the problem still remained; an army of Beastmen was currently
marching through her Kingdom, pillaging and devouring villages.
Thanks to all their previous failed attacks, the Kingdom was fairly weakened, militarily speaking,
and the looming threat of another invasion didn’t encourage people to advance technologically
either. They were still a decade behind the rest of the continent by her estimations.
“My Queen, the Beastmen army has reached Almagda. As you instructed, we have stationed most
of our troops there and we are using the fortified walls to try and stop them.”
One of the generals said.
“The Beastmen have tried to breach the walls but failed. We managed to repel them thanks to the
aid of the adventurers we hired from the Re-Estize Kingdom. The report said that they bombarded
the Beastmen with magic until they fled after sustaining great losses in numbers.”
Another general, who just returned from the front, announced. Everyone in the rooms were
surprised by the news. No one thought that Almagda would stand a chance against such an army.
All considered the walls too frail to hold the mass of Beastmen considering that each one of them
had the strength of four humans.
“We spent even less in hiring them than those fuckers from the Theocracy. We may as well
continue to hire adventurers.”
Commented a seasoned general with a white beard and a scar on his left cheek. It was true. They
usually paid the Theocracy a great amount of money for them to send one of their scriptures, but
this year, for some reason, they wouldn’t lend their scriptures anymore, no matter how much they
offered. In desperation, Draudillon ordered to hire adventurers from the Re-Estize Kingdom. The
investment seems to have paid off quite well if you asked her.
“I didn’t know the Re-Estize Kingdom had powerful teams of magic casters among their
adventurers.”
Commented a minister.
“You are right. They are mostly melee warriors with few rangers and casters. The majority of the
spells they used were from scrolls they brought from their country.”
The general explained, stunning many in the room.
“Scrolls you say? Aren’t those incredibly expensive? Who the hell did we hire for this job?”
Asked the minister of finances.
“11 gold teams, 6 platinum teams and 3 mithril teams.”
The general answered.
“This is impossible! Mithril teams I could understand but platinum or even gold? They are not able
to afford such costly items.”
The minister retorted.
“They also all wore magical gear and used magical weapons.”
The general added, shocking the audience even more ‘what the fuck is happening?! The Re-Estize
Kingdom despise magic. Where in the world did they find all that stuff!’ Draudillon thought in
shock.
“General! It is imperative that we learn how all these adventurers came into possession of these
items!”
She almost shouted as her crimson eyes latched onto the young general. He immediately turned
toward her.
“My Queen, I already took the liberty of questioning them about it once the horde was repelled.”
‘then speak you fool!’ she thought in exasperation, gesturing for him to go on.
“Your Majesty, apparently around a year ago a powerful magic caster arrived in the Re-Estize
Kingdom. His name is Satoru. No one knows from whence he came exactly, but he is rumoured to
be proficient in 5th tier magic.”
The general began, then paused a moment as if to think on how to phrase his next statement.
“This man set up a shop for magical items and gears. His prices were incredibly low compared to
the common prices the magician guild asked for and adventurers flocked to him like crows on a
battlefield.”
The general continued before pausing again.
“In only a few months, the arcane magic caster known as Satoru became an important figure in the
Merchant Guild. He also became vital to the Adventurer’s Guild since he basically equipped most
of them, from their lower ranks to their highest. He also became the primary funder of the
Magician Guild, which now produce magical items for him.”
The general continued his explanation to the speechless court.
“In the most recent months, he expanded his business all around Re-Estize, opening a shop in all
the major cities with an Adventurer Guild. On a side note, I also heard that his procedure to create
scrolls includes using monster’s hide and since the Adventurer’s Guild procures most of it for him,
he offers further discounts for all adventurers. I have no idea if this applies to foreign adventurers
as well.”
The general concluded. As soon as his mouth closed, Draudillon jumped up from her throne.
“We need to get in contact with this magic caster immediately! Someone, bring me paper and
quill!”
She ordered. ‘no matter what, we must have this man for ourselves! Importation Tax-Free?! Giving
him monster’s hide?! Marrying him?! I don’t care! As long as he gives us his support, I will gladly
entertain him as much as he wants! I will no longer allow my people to suffer! No more widows!
No more children eaten alive! I will stop this! No matter the cost!’ she thought as a new fire of
hope burned in her crimson eyes.
‘Satoru… I wonder; what kind of man are you?’
{Arwintar: Lower District}
{???}
A hooded figure stumbled into a dark alley, their walking pace was irregular, and they seemed to
limp on their right side.
The figure almost fell to the ground when they stumbled on a bucket they didn’t seem to see. They
managed to grab the wall and not fall.
‘Damn them! Damn them all! Traitors!’ they thought as they continued to advance through the
alley, using the wall to sustain themself.
‘I will not stop! I will not die! Not until I see them all burn in hell! This I swear, even if it is the last
thing I do’ they cursed inside as they felt a wave of nausea surge from their stomach; they
managed to hold their dinner in.
They were once a fierce warrior. Their skill with a blade was far superior to their peers, and now
they were alone… abandoned by all they trusted, betrayed by their closest ones. They didn’t even
have the strength to roar in frustration anymore, so they limited themself to groan.
They looked in a muddy puddle on the street. Oh, how their own reflection haunted them; they
clawed at their face with both their hands in frustration. Now their hands were covered in a mixture
of yellowish pus and red blood. The sight made them feel sick and this time they vomited all the
contents of their stomach.
They didn’t manage to move much more. After a few more meters, they fell against the wall. They
felt their consciousness beginning to slip away. ‘Please help me… anyone… save me…’ they
thought before losing their consciousness.
Chapter End Notes
Well, what can I say? Next time we will reach the Empire. I hope you all enjoyed this
vision of various factions around the continent. I read some of you were waiting for it.
As I already said, I’m going on a vacation, and I will not be able to write during that
period. I can’t wait to read all your reviews. I imagine you have a lot of stuff going
through your mind now that I gave you a peek outside the kingdom.
Until next time! Review and stay safe!
Arrival
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Okay long and important note here so read please!
First above all, welcome back, I really needed that vacation after many months of tense
exams and study, now I'm pretty fresh (aside from the heat here).
Now passing on important matters, it has been a year since I first published this story
and I can't believe how far this got and how much you all loved it. More than 1k fav
and follow, more than 50 reviews on average per chapter and all the PMs. Thanks to
you this story managed to reach the top 10 in reviews in the Overlord category, and we
didn't even reach 100k words.
For that I thank you all. And to show my appreciation I wrote something for you all. A
one shot (11k) crossover between Overlord and Shield Hero. But I'm not talking about
canon Overlord here. This is MY Overlord I'm talking about. Satoru and Renner are
summoned in Melromarc and… more I will not say. I don't want to spoil anything.
And even if you never saw Shield Hero (I recommend you do) to understand the story,
you only need to watch the first episode. You can find the story on my profile as "The
Witch and the Shield". I hope to see a review from you. After all, I wrote it as a special
to thank you readers. The more reviews I see the happier I will be.
The second important point I want to talk about is the complete editing this story went
through in the last few weeks. All thanks to one of you: SirWertsalot, who edited the
whole thing to make it flow far better and correcting every error he found. Thank you,
man, you really helped this story a ton! And for all you readers, this would be a good
moment to re-read everything and see how good it is now. Show this man some love
in the reviews!
Lastly, answering some reviews. The idea for this story came to my mind after reading
Vol 14. I wanted to see more of Renner and was pretty disappointed when I saw no
one ever wrote something with her being something other than canon yandere
material. As for Count Lynet's fate, Satoru is hardly to blame. He actually has very
little control over Seven Hands. Hilma is the true boss there. The order probably came
from her. Or one of the Hands just dealt with him in their old way to show that they
may have changed name, but they are still to be feared more than ever. Satoru
probably got notified and simply didn't care thanks to his undead nature and lack of
sensibility for everyone he doesn't care about.
Sorry for the long note but this was all important stuff.
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
After more than a month of constant traveling, they were finally here. The walls of the imperial
capital stood before them, as mighty as Renner was told they were.
The wait was long. They almost spent two full hours before they reached the front of the waiting
line. Before the great gate, they were magically and physically checked. Of course, the guards
were suspicious of them at first, and with good reason, considering how many magic items Satoru
brought with him. It didn't take long for him to explain his situation, and fortunately rumours of his
shop already reached the imperial city of Arwintar. The guards let them in but assured them that
their presence would be notified to the higher ups.
And so, they finally entered the city. Renner was impressed by the mighty architecture. You could
clearly see how different it was from Re-Estize's. Here they preferred elegant, round forms for their
structures, a welcomed change from the squared forms she was used to. Also, considering they
weren't even in the high district yet, the streets were pretty cleaned compared to her capital.
'So, it seems it is true… the emperor has some brain in his head' she thought, as her gaze fell on
Lakyus. The nobles had a wide mouth as she looked around her in amazement. A small, true smile
came to Renner's face 'You will never change Lakyus… always amazed by new things… always
eager to learn more…' she thought.
In that moment, something came to her mind. A very bothering thought. She just smiled. Not some
fake smile, a true one. But what bothered her most was that the smile wasn't addressed to Satoru,
the one who made her heartbeat so fast. No, the smile was for Lakyus, a girl she only used as a toy
and as general entertainment.
Why did she do that? She herself didn't know the answer, and that bothered her. There was no way
she liked Lakyus, or at least not like she liked Satoru. The girl was just a little above the general
level of normal people in her eyes. Her loss would not affect her. She doubted she would even shed
a tear if she died, but still then, why? Why did she smile?
She looked once more at the older girl next to her. There was nothing different about her than
usual.
'This is… bothersome'.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead magic caster known as Satoru looked around himself. He didn't know what to expect
when he reached the capital of the empire and he must say, he was pleasantly surprised. Most of
the architecture was exquisite and even from here, he could see both the imperial palace, also
known as the White Palace, and the Great Arena.
He certainly made his research before coming here, but he mostly limited himself to economy,
politics and magical laws when researching information about the empire. He had no idea what to
expect from the city itself until now. Of course, he knew of famous structures like the Great Arena
and Magical Academy. He planned on visiting both.
He felt some nostalgia crawl out from inside him, but for several minutes he failed to figure out
why, until it finally hit him. The structures and architecture reminded him of his old Guild Base,
Nazarick. To be truthful, Satoru tried not to think about it too much in the last year he lived in this
new world, mostly because the Guild itself reminded him of his lost friends and the old rotting
world.
The thought of his friends arriving in this world crossed his mind sometimes, but he just pushed it
back. That idea was nothing but a childish dream he told himself often. He spent many nights
already analysing all the data he had.
First, he arrived in this world once the servers were supposed to shut down. The fact that none of
his friends were online, or even using the VR at that time was a big point in disfavour of his
hopeful dream. Second, he had no idea why he ended up in this world at all. For all he knew, his
friends could have been transported to other worlds as well. Third, even if they were in the same
world, he could not simply go around the whole globe searching for them. Who knew how big this
world was or how many unknown dangers he could meet along the way? If he knew for sure that
they were there, he could risk it, but with such odds against him, he may just die for nothing.
The undead overlord shook his head to make all those misleading thoughts go away. He needed to
concentrate on the imminent future right now, not on unlikely possibilities.
{1 hour later}
Satoru just finished paying the smiling innkeeper before him. The woman has been most cordial
with him and his group, as expected of a high-class inn like that. You may ask yourself why an ex-
salaryman like him would go around spending a lot of money in inns instead of saving it.
Well, the reason was twofold. First, he wanted his companions to have a nice place to rest and
acceptable hygiene after so many days of constant traveling. He didn't want any of them getting
sick. Second, not many low-class inns had places where you could put your horse or cart, and even
if they had it, it was often completely unguarded. While he didn't have anything great to lose on his
cart, Satoru would have preferred not to be robbed.
He paid for three rooms: one for him, one for both Lakyus and Renner, and another for Gazef and
Brain. The latter two promised to pay him back as soon as they could. Satoru appreciated the
sentiment.
He must admit, his opinion of Brain got better during the trip. Judging from the tips he gave to
Lakyus, he was a talented and experienced swordsman and not a common thug as Satoru initially
thought. He certainly had a particular animosity when it came to Gazef though. The two of them
often bickered about swordsmanship and training. He learned many things just by listening to their
discussions.
After a quick dinner, they all retired to their respective rooms. It was quite late, after all, and they
wanted to be fresh for the next day.
And now he sat on a chair in his room, reading one of the books the Guildmaster of the Magician
Guild gave him for more information on the empire. He planned on reading it during the trip, but
things went differently from what he initially expected. The only source of light in the room was
the magic lamp behind him, not that he needed it to read, but it still felt natural to use it
nonetheless.
Half an hour later he heard someone knock at his door. A little irritated at the interruption, he went
to open the door only to find his two young blond traveling companions waiting outside his door.
Both were wearing their nightgowns, a light blue one for Renner and a white one for Lakyus.
"Can we come in?"
Asked the princess with a small smile. Satoru just gestured for them to come inside and closed the
door behind them as they entered.
"So, what brings you here? You should be sleeping."
He said to the two girls. Lakyus blushed a little.
"Well we…"
She began before being interrupted by the younger girl.
"Couldn't sleep. We are very excited about finally reaching the capital."
Finished the princess, as she looked around his room as if searching for something. Lakyus just
nodded. Satoru sighed.
"And what can I help you with. Do you want me to use magic to put you to sleep?"
He asked ironically as he sat on his magically reinforced chair once more.
"Not at all."
Said the princess as she approached him. She placed her hands on his lap and smiled mischievously
at him. Satoru quirked an eyebrow at her behaviour. Before he could question the blond girl, said
girl jumped and landed on his lap, shifting her small body until she made herself comfortable with
her back laying on his stomach and her head on his low chest.
Satoru was stunned at the sudden invasion of privacy and personal space. 'This isn't very princess
like… but she is still rather cute like this…' As he thought that, he patted her head, making her shift
even more against him, as if seeking more of his touch.
Meanwhile, Lakyus just watched astonished by her princess' unladylike behaviour. Her eyes went
from Satoru's mask to the princess, to Satoru's lap, and then again Satoru's mask.
"Why, instead, don't you tell us a bedtime story?"
Requested the princess. 'Bedtime story? I know nothing about bedtime stories… my mother used to
tell me legends about Japanese's folklore, but that is hardly something akin to a bedtime story…'
He thought for almost a full minute before he finally decided to speak.
"Then why don't I tell you about Grendel the Great Dread and the Strongest Hero?"
He rhetorically asked. At the mention of a hero, Lakyus immediately closed the distance between
them and stopped before him, glancing once more at Renner. Then, in an instant, she jumped and
landed on Satoru's lap as well. After all, Renner was small and hardly occupied half of Satoru's
lap. The noble made herself comfortable on the magic caster's lap before laying her head on his
chest as Renner did.
'This is… I think that it might be better to let them do as they want… I don't feel comfortable at
all…' he thought, looking down at the two girls on his lap waiting for him to begin his tale.
He finally gave up and began telling them the lore he remembered about the raid boss Grendel and
the Strongest Hero who would aid the players during the raid.
Lakyus lasted only a bit more than half an hour and even Renner went down after almost an hour of
him talking. Her eyes closed and her breath became heavier as she fell asleep alongside her friend.
'Finally!' thought Satoru in relief, but now another problem arose from his situation. What would
he do with the two of them? He could not return them to their room. If someone saw him carry
them around like this, something horrible could happen. Luckily for him, there was a quite big bed
in his room as well.
Slowly and gently, he stood up, making sure he had a firm grasp on both girls and calmly
transported them to his bed. He laid them next to each other on the mattress before grabbing a
blanket and covering them with it.
"Sleep well."
He whispered as he turned off the magic lamp, plunging the room into darkness. For a moment, he
could have sworn he saw Renner smile at him before the light disappeared. He simply shook his
head and returned to his book.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
Before waking up, the third princess of Re-Estize felt suffocated. Something was blocking her from
moving. She tried to shift her body to get free, but whatever it was that forced her in that position
didn't seem affected by her struggle.
Finally, she opened her eyes only to find the peaceful sleeping face of Lakyus a few centimeters
from hers. The young noble's arm was tangled around her and didn't allow the princess to move.
'Why is she in my bed anyway?' she wondered, trying to recall what happened the night before. It
took her only a few moments before her brain began to reorganize her memories, giving order to
the random scenes she remembered.
They decided to visit Satoru in his room, mostly because she missed his touch, but of course she
gave Lakyus an acceptable excuse. Then she managed to get on the magic caster's lap. The joy and
happiness she felt in that position were nothing like any she felt before. 'Who needs a majestic
throne when I have Satoru all to myself?' she asked herself. She remembered Lakyus joining them.
She was more surprised than angry at that moment. She didn't expect Lakyus to have it in her to act
so boldly.
Satoru proceeded to tell them a story about some monster and the hero who vanquished it. She
wasn't listening. She preferred to enjoy her position. Then Lakyus fell asleep pretty quickly after
that, but she resisted. She endured her body's need for sleep just to be able to spend a little more
time with her beloved Satoru. She didn't resist that much either apparently. 'curse this body of
mine… why can't I grow faster?' she rambled inside her head.
She looked around as much as Lakyus allowed her and noticed they were still in Satoru's room.
The little light entering the room from the window indicated that it was still early in the morning.
But she didn't care. She just wanted to get free from Lakyus' arms and get up, but as soon as one of
her hands went for Lakyus' face, she stopped midway.
Her eyes were now fixed on Lakyus' chest. She already noticed how it grew in the last 2 months,
going from a washboard to a low hill. Of course, she knew how a woman's body was supposed to
develop but she had no idea of what it felt like. To be completely truthful, she was curious. After
almost a minute of hesitation, she gently brought her right hand on Lakyus' breasts. They did
indeed grow. Not to abnormal levels, but she was still young after all. The princess continued to
touch and experiment for a little bit, enjoying the sounds the sleeping Lakyus made as she touched
her. She almost jumped out of her skin in surprise when, after squeezing gently her breast, Lakyus
gasped loudly.
After that little experimentation, she finally decided to wake up the noble handmaiden. She
brought a hand to her face and gently began to tap her cheek.
"Oi Lakyus! Wake up!"
She whispered in a commanding tone. It took a good half a minute to make the noble open her
eyes. She gave her a confused look.
"R-Renner… good morning…"
She said in a sleepy tone, before glancing at the window.
"Isn't it a bit too early… to wake up?…"
She asked as she closed her eyes again.
"I wouldn't have woken you if you didn't trap me here."
The princess retorted, earning a confused look from the young noble.
"I don't under-"
As she said that, she seemed to notice the position they were in and how she was hugging Renner
against her own body. She blushed madly as she removed her arms from around the princess.
"I-I-I a-apologize R-Renner… i-i don't kno-"
The emerald eyed noble stuttered out before being interrupted by the younger princess.
"Don't worry about it. You are quite warm and soft, after all. I didn't mind you at all."
She said making the noble blush more if that was even possible. She internally smirked at Lakyus'
reaction. 'She is an amusing one indeed… now… where is Satoru?' she asked herself, as she
scanned with her icy blue eyes the empty magic caster's room.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
It was early in the morning when Satoru left his room. The two girls were still sleeping. Since the
night had been very quiet and they were in the high district, it was very unlikely something would
happen.
He enjoyed the fresh air of the morning. A blessing if compared to the depressing sight that was
his old world. His destination wasn't so far from the inn, anyway, and it only took a couple minutes
to reach it. The great palace before him had at least 5 floors and the whole thing was surrounded by
an enchanted fence. It greatly resembled a private high class Japanese school like the ones he saw
in old photos or books.
This was the Imperial Magic Academy of the empire, the center of knowledge and magical study.
A place Satoru wished to visit since he first heard of it. In the book he read, it was written that the
academy was initially thought as a place to be dedicated to talented commoners that couldn't afford
to pay for private tutelage. The founder was Fluder Paradyne, the strongest human magic caster
known and the current Imperial Court Mage since 150 years ago.
That was someone he would like to speak with. Who knew how much information he could gather
from such a long lived human.
Unfortunately, just by reading about the academy, he understood how centralized and nationalized
the magic market was in the empire. It would be almost impossible to do what he did in the
kingdom without coming to an agreement with the emperor or someone in charge of the magical
market.
If he did it by himself, he would be constantly fighting against the government that could just
easily raise taxes on private magic item selling and ruin his business. But even if he didn't manage
to put up a shop there, it didn't mean he couldn't achieve other objectives. Managing to create a link
between him and the magic academy would already be a great achievement.
As these thoughts went through his head, he stepped through the gate and began to walk toward the
main structure. The guards didn't try to stop him, but their gazes still followed him, searching for
any suspicious movement. Once he entered, he was pleasantly surprised by the exquisite
decorations. Banners of the empire were everywhere, and magical lights illuminated the great hall.
Many ancient looking libraries, protected by enchanted glass, adorned the white walls. All in all,
the structure was as beautiful inside as it was outside.
Satoru advanced toward one of the receptionists who sat at the very end of the hall. Since it was
pretty early, only a few people could be seen walking around. Satoru was surprised that there was
even someone stationed as a receptionist so early in the morning.
"Good morning, sir. May I ask what brings you to the magic academy today?"
Asked the middle-aged man acting as receptionist. Satoru lightly bowed his head in respect.
"Good morning to you. I am a magic caster coming from a distant land who recently took residence
in the Re-Estize Kingdom. After hearing from an acquaintance of mine about your great academy, I
decided to come here to visit it, if such a thing is allowed."
He explained in a cordial tone. The receptionist nodded.
"I see. May I trouble you with a request, sir? Could you please remove your mask? I do not want to
sound rude, but we take security very seriously at the magic academy and would like to know the
faces of all those we allow in."
The receptionist explained in a calm tone. Satoru hummed.
"I understand your concerns, but unfortunately my order does not allow us to remove our masks in
public. Doing so would result in us being banned from using magic ever again."
Satoru explained. The receptionist seemed troubled and not quite sure how to respond.
"If you need identification, I am Satoru, a magic caster of the 5th tier. You may have heard of me
in the last months."
Satoru tried to use his name to pressure the receptionist more. It seemed to work, as the man's eyes
went wide in recognition of his name.
"I-I see, Sir Satoru. While our policy would not allow such a thing, I will consult my superiors
about your request. Considering your… fame as a magic caster, we may be able to arrange an
agreement for a visit."
The man replied. Satoru nodded.

"I thank you for your understanding. Once you have an answer, please send someone to the
Marvellous Cinnamon inn and leave it to them."
He said, receiving a nod from the receptionist.
"As you wish, sir. Can I do anything else for you?"
He asked professionally.
"No, thank you. Have a nice day."
Answered Satoru, quite satisfied with the exchange.
"You too, sir."
{White Palace}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The emperor waited in his private room. While he was waiting for his grandfather figure to arrive,
he was checking some paperwork. He knew that if he left it there, he would just regret it later.
He checked the military reports on his desk with caution. Everything must be perfect if he wants
his purgation to succeed. Fluder may be against it, but Jircniv knew that the more time he let those
worms bathe in false power, the more damage they will do.
Of course, not all nobles were incompetent fools. There were still those who earned their ranks, but
they were mostly generals honoured with title after doing some great service to the country.
Most of those nobles wanted nothing to do with their useless peers and many even openly resented
them. That is why most of his power lied in the army and why he was so preoccupied with their
reports. At the moment, the legions were gathering around the cities of the most influential nobles
he needed to remove, ready to strike together. Once the heads of those nobles were on pikes, there
would be nothing stopping him from terminating minor houses. Of course, a short period of chaos
would follow but he was already prepared to fill all the power holes his actions would leave.
The only thing he needed now was a good opportunity. He thought about doing it during the last
harvest of the season. Re-Estize will not be able to gather troops fast enough to take advantage of
the chaos. Otherwise, they would risk a famine during the water season due to the lost harvest.
Yes, that was a good plan. Even if those idiots managed to get some territories with a surprise
attack, he would destroy them once the water season arrives.
As he thought that, someone knocked at his room's door.
"Come in gramps."
He said, not even raising his gaze from the document in his hands. He heard the door open and
close immediately after.
"So, news about our guest?"
He asked as he slammed the Emperor's stamp on one of the documents before putting it away in a
corner of his desk.
"He has just arrived last evening and he is not alone."

The old man's words caught his attention. The emperor put down the documents in his hand and
looked up at the old magic caster, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Apparently, he has four companions with him. Two blond girls, a little younger than you, who
appear to be of noble birth, and two grown men. These two are the concerning ones."
Fluder said as he paused, making sure he had the full attention of the young emperor.
"One appears to be the famous martial artist Brain Unglaus. The other we are not sure about, but
some seemed to recognize him as Gazef Stronoff, even if that is quite unlikely."
He said, as the emperor bit down on his lower lip in frustration. He hoped to catch the magic caster
alone. It would have made things far easier. 'If you want something, you must work hard to get it'
Those words returned to his mind in that instant. It was one of the first lessons Fluder taught him.
He took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Very well, then. It seems our game will not be so one sided as I hoped."
He said, as his brain began to envision a parallel plan to the one he thought of before this new
development occurred. He remained silent for some minutes before sighing. There was no other
way. He had to get new information about these four companions of his. Once he understood who
they were and what they wanted, then he was sure a plan would be forgeable. There was no
meaning in planning when you had four wild and unknown cards on the table after all.
"Obtain all we can on these four. We must know who we are dealing with. Most importantly,
confirm if this second man is really Gazef Stronoff."
He ordered. Fluder nodded and went for the door, but the emperor stopped him before he could
leave.
"And send in my best scribe."
He added, before standing up from his chair and reaching his favourite window, the one that gave
him a full view of the capital below him, from the poorest to the richest district.
One day, many years from now, when his hair would turn grey, he dreamed of looking out of this
same window and seeing a golden and prosperous city under him. A place where people would
thrive, a symbol of the golden era he would bring upon the empire. They will remember him, yes,
they will all remember him as the greatest emperor to ever live.
But for now, that was nothing but a distant dream. There was still so much to be done. He heard a
knock coming from his door. He turned and returned to his desk before speaking.
"Come in."
As the words left his lips, a young man in the middle of his twenties entered.
"You called for me, Your Majesty?"
He asked bowing. The emperor smiled.
"Yes, indeed. I have a missive for you to write."
As he said that, the scribe immediately went for one of the small tables in his room and put down
his instruments. In less than a minute, he was ready to begin. 'Efficient and quick… just how I like
them…' the emperor joked.
It went unsaid that his personal best scribe was a commoner. A well-educated commoner, but a
commoner nonetheless as many of his other close servants. The nobles would call him weak and a
disgrace for the empire. Fools, all of them. Only an idiot would surround themselves with people
whose only worth was in their name. He cleared his throat, before starting to dictate his missive.
"To the honourable and most prestigious magic caster Satoru…"
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
At the moment, Satoru was relaxing in his room, Renner and Lakyus playing a card game on his
bed. They had just finished having dinner together half an hour ago.
Considering everything that happened, their first day in the capital has been quite pleasant. Both
Gazef and Brain didn't have much to do apart from training Lakyus and arguing among each other.
He spent the remainder of the day, after visiting the magic academy, exploring the city with
Renner. The third princess seemed to have enjoyed their walk together. Well, it was expected, since
after so many years in the capital she would be eager to see something else for once.
As those thoughts crossed his mind, he heard a knock coming from the door. Without hesitation, he
went for the door and opened it, revealing a distressed innkeeper.
"S-sorry to disturb you, my lord, but… one of the personal messengers of His Majesty Jircniv Rune
Farlord El Nix is requesting your presence."
At her words, Satoru internally screamed 'why does this keep happening?!' and as usual, his
[Emotional Suppression] kicked in and stopped his burst of emotions. He sighed, looking back at
the two girls who just looked back at him puzzled.
"I understand. Please lead the way."
He said in defeat.
'Not like he could say anything else…'
The woman nodded before guiding him to a room not far from his. She remained there as he
entered and closed the door behind him.
Sitting on one of the elegant sofas was a man in full decorated armour. It was indeed a messenger,
judging by his fancy red, gold and black cloak. The soldier immediately stood up and advanced
toward him, his steps elegant and calculated.
"Are you perhaps Lord Satoru?"
He asked in a cold tone.
"Yes, that would be me."
The undead magic caster confirmed. Then the messenger took out a letter from his cloak. The
envelop was black with golden borders and in the middle was the seal of the Baharuth Empire, two
gryphons facing each other.
"A letter from His Majesty Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, addressed directly to you."
He said, as he offered the letter to him. Satoru grabbed it and looked at the messenger for a few
seconds.
"I was ordered to await an answer from you."
He explained, as Satoru broke the seal on the envelop and took the letter out, unfolding it.
To the honourable and most prestigious magic caster Satoru.
I, Emperor of the Baharuth Empire, Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, welcome you to Arwintar. I have
heard many tales of you during these past months, and I am eager to find out if they all are true.
It is for this reason that I would be delighted if you, and your esteemed companions, could join me,
and few others, at dinner tomorrow.
Of course, I will provide the required transportation and for any other need you might require.
Awaiting with trepidation, your answer.
Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, Emperor of the Baharuth Empire
As soon as Satoru finished reading the letter, only one thought was going on loop in his mind 'God
damn it! Why me?!'
Chapter End Notes
Here we are! End of the chapter. Hope you all liked it, and I can't wait to see what you
think of it in your reviews.
Remember to check out my bonus story in celebration of TWTS' first anniversary! The
Witch and the Shield!
Just one more thing; some days ago, I opened a channel dedicated to my fanfictions on
the Overlord Fanfiction Discord server. If you wanna pass by, I would appreciate it!
The channel is called "fanfiction-by-zero-sama"! Invite Code is "sU5vdrWz"
A Dinner among Monsters
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Uhm, so yeah, here I am again. Not gonna lie, pretty disappointed with myself. This
took me so long to write. The delay was mostly caused by my thesis writing and
summer in general; if you didn't know, I hate summer just for the heat. It takes me like
3 times more effort to do anything.
Well, not really anything else to say here, so enjoy the chapter.
PS: Check out my discord channel (fanfiction by Zero-sama) on the fanfiction discord
server (PM me for the invite code!).
Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, the newly crowned emperor of the Baharuth Empire, sat on his throne
with a bored expression on his face. Today's meeting went fairly slowly. Even more than he
initially anticipated. The nobility used all its might to oppose the new laws on slavery that he
wanted to incorporate in the Empire.
Slavery was a common practice in the empire, but the laws concerning it were fairly vague and full
of holes to exploit and get away with doing illegal stuff. That lack of order is why the emperor
wanted to fully reorganize slavery and, if possible, remove human slavery from the equation. After
all, human slavery, while still legal, was very frowned upon by other countries, like The Roble
Holy Kingdom and Slane Theocracy; and while he wasn't afraid of the former, the latter could
cause severe damage to their public image and possibly cause internal unrest.
'Those idiotic wastes of space are unable to see the bigger picture… who cares if they lose some
businesses or working power if, in the end, the whole nation will benefit from my decision?' he
asked rhetorically.
"Your Majesty are you unwell?"
The voice of one of his maids brought him out of his mental ranting. He lightly shook his head
before addressing her.
"No, I'm fine. This was just a long day."
He said, flashing the maid one of his classic smiles and bringing a blush to her face. Having natural
good looks has its perks and he made sure to exploit them as much as possible.
Since he became emperor, he always found maids far more appreciable and useful than noble girls.
First, and most importantly, if he took a noble girl into his bed, he was expected to marry her and,
if he didn't, he probably just made an enemy out of her family; on the other hand, if he brought a
maid into his bed, said maid would most likely shower him in appreciation for the following
weeks. That is, of course, if he had the skill to seduce her and not simply use his position against
her; if he did that, there was no way to know when his soup may be poisoned.
He also found noble girls to be incredibly idiotic for the most part. They lacked half the brain they
needed for their social position and most of them possessed an ego comparable to one of a dragon;
the difference was that the dragon most likely earned their ego and not simply claimed it on the
basis of their name.
Maids, on the other hand, were commoners and so they were expected to be uneducated; and,
while this was true for the most part, a lot of them had a sharp mind trained by their hard lives.
That factor was exactly what brought him and his first, favourite lover together. Kathrine was her
name; a blonde, quick witted 16 years old maid who found her way to his bed not more than 7
months ago.
She first piqued his interest when she pointed out a discrepancy in the number on the balance he
was analysing at the moment. Sure, he wasn't actually paying attention to the paper at the moment,
but still, the discrepancy was so well hidden that it would have been hard to find even for
experienced economists.
His fascination with her only grew with time and after they brought their relationship to the bed, he
swore to try his best and make her the new minister of economics once he consolidated his power
and purged those fools.
"Your Imperial Highness, your guests have arrived."
One of his personal guards announced to him, drawing him back from those happy memories and
plunging him into the hard, present reality.
He straightened his posture on his throne. First impressions were important, and his young age
didn't help in that matter. True, he was growing, and in a pair of years it should not be a problem
anymore. But for now, he should do all in his power to avoid being seen as a child put on a throne
by others.
Putting those thoughts aside, the young emperor concentrated on the matter at hand. He had waited
a long time for this meeting to happen. If the man he will meet proves himself to be as good as his
actions suggest, then a partnership with him could be an important steppingstone for the future of
the empire.
As the door of the imperial throne room opened, the announcer immediately presented the
newcomers.
"Presenting the illustrious and most talented magic caster Satoru from the Re-Estize kingdom,
alongside his companions!"
He announced with a powerful voice that echoed through the whole throne room.
Immediately, Jircniv's eyes began to scan the group of people advancing toward him. The blue
haired man on the left seemed to match the description of Brain Unglaus, at least in appearance; he
wore a simple but elegant blue dress. The man next to him was a bit taller and more muscular; he
wore an elegant brown attire. Jircniv focussed his gaze on him for a few moments. This was the
man rumoured to be Gazef Stronoff, but not having ever met the man before, it was hard for him to
confirm his identity.
Then, his gaze continued to the man in the centre of the group. He was the tallest among them and
his whole body was covered by an impressive dark purple gown, while his face was hidden by a
black mask with sapphires in the place of his eyes. Jircniv had no doubt about who this man was;
the famous Satoru, a magic caster of incredible power, maybe even on par with Fluder.
His eyes continued to roam over the group until finally setting on the two blond enigmas. Two
young girls, surely both younger than him. The older had green eyes and wore an elegant green
dress that matched them completely. Her hair was arranged in a drill like style. The younger had
sky blue eyes and wore a similar dress to the older. Just a light blue one in her case. Her hair
flowed down her back elegantly. He flashed one of his perfect smiles at them; the older blushed a
little as she met his gaze while the other remained passive. Her small, elegant smile didn't falter for
even a moment.
Finally, the group stood in front of the stairs that led to his throne. The two girls curtsied toward
him. The elegant movement immediately identified them as noble of birth to him. The two warriors
bowed to him in respect while the masked magic caster limited himself to a small but respectful
bow of his head.
"I welcome you, my most honoured guests. It is a pleasure to finally meet you all. I thank you for
answering positively to my sudden invite."
The emperor said in his most cordial tone.
"We thank you for the invite, Your Majesty. As you probably already know, my name is Satoru. It
is an honour to meet the esteemed Emperor."
Answered the magic caster. He had a powerful deep voice, it almost seemed to scream respect. The
emperor nodded before redirecting his gaze to the rest of the group.
"Yes, I heard many tales about you and your incredible proficiency with magic. As the ruler of an
empire where magic is one of the most esteemed arts, it is an honour to finally meet you."
He greeted the man before pausing a moment.
"And who might your companions be?"
He inquired. This one of the most focal points in their whole conversation this evening. Once he
understands who he is speaking to, he could formulate a plan. The etiquette demanded that the
most important person begin introducing themselves first. If the tall brown-haired man was truly
Gazef Stronoff, he would be said person. To his surprise instead of the tall man, the one stepping
forward was the younger blond girl. He arched an eyebrow in surprise as his eyes focussed on her.
"Greeting, Your Highness. My name is Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, youngest daughter
of King Rampossa III and third princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It is an honour to meet you."
She introduced herself, shocking not only Jircniv but even other nobles in the room who gasped.
The emperor limited himself to slightly open his mouth. In the meantime, his brain was going into
overdrive. This wasn't good, not good at all, for his plans. What was she even doing here? Was his
plan discovered? But that should have been impossible. What is her relationship with this magic
caster? And why in the world did he know nothing about them having a link in the first place? As
he tried to make order in his mind, the other girl stepped forward.
"Greeting Your Majesty, my name is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, only daughter and sole heir of
Marquis Aindra. You honour me with your invite."
As the girl said that Jircniv felt a migraine stirring in his head 'There is no way this is a case! First
the princess and then this important noble. Just what does the Aindra family want to obtain from
this? Are they simply making a statement? Or are they up to something more?'.
Before he could speak, the brown-haired man stepped forward.
"Greetings, Emperor Jircniv Farlord El-Nix. I am the Warrior Captain, commander of the Warrior
Troop of the Re-Estize kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. I am grateful for the invite and in the stead of my
King Rampossa III, I congratulate you for your ascension to the throne."
Forget the migraine, this was a nightmare. To the emperor, it almost felt like someone was bashing
his head against a wall repeatedly.
The final member of the group stepped forward.
"It is an honour to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Brain Unglaus. You may have heard my
name in the past as an accomplished swordsman. I am honoured to receive your invite to this
event."
As the final member introduced himself, Jircniv had to suppress the urge to bring both hands to his
face and cover it. There was no other explanation. This whole thing was a giant setup to lure him
in. 'But how did they know? How could they have discovered my plans? Is there a traitor in my
inner circle? Very few knew about this and still…' in that moment a straight line between the dots
appeared 'no… it can't be… was… was this whole thing orchestrated? The visit to the empire, the
hiding of the link between this magic caster and the Royal Faction… just to lure me in and trap me;
but what will this accomplish? What is the end goal of this move?' as his train of thought departed
in every direction, trying to make sense of what was happening, silence descended into the room.
"Uhm, Your Highness?"
Asked one of the ministers seated next to him, his tone wasn't threatening or loud in any way but it
almost made the emperor jump from his throne anyway; it surely managed to bring his mind back
to reality.
"I-I see, I must admit… I didn't expect such esteemed guests today. I am grateful all of you could
come here to meet me."
He said, trying with all his power to not expose his internal unrest. Seeing that no one said
anything, he continued.
"Maybe it would be better to continue discussing matters around a dining table? What do you say?"
He asked trying to salvage his façade as much as possible.
"Ah yes, but before that, please allow me to present you with a token of friendship from me."
Said the magic caster as his hand disappeared for an instant inside his robe before taking out a
small decorated box. Immediately, a servant took it from his hands and proceeded to bring it before
the emperor. 'Is this a trap? Or something dangerous? It is standard procedure to magically scan
this sort of things… but still… not opening it would be incredibly rude… scanning it before
opening it even more so… damn it, I'm trapped!' cried out the emperor inside his head as he
accepted the gift. He steeled his nerves before finally deciding to open it.
The box was small and had golden carvings all around it. Surely a packaging worthy of an
emperor, but what could the box contain? He wondered.
Finally, he decided to open it only to be greeted by a ring made from what seemed to be white
stone. Embedded in it was the strangest rock he ever saw. Its colour continually changed, from red
to yellow to blue and then red again. It was surely mesmerizing.
"The ring is a magical item, Your Highness."
Said the magic caster known as Satoru. That powerful voice immediately brought all the room's
attention to him.
"The one who wears it becomes immune to all spells from the third tier and below."
He explained. The whole room gasped and some even shouted something, but the emperor couldn't
care less. The only thing he could care about was how this man could gift an item that would be
considered a national treasure away like that and call it a token of friendship. You could probably
buy a land and a title by selling this ring and he simply gave it away like nothing.
'Just, who the hell are you Satoru?' he thought as his gaze now fully focussed on said magic caster.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The young noble girl didn't know what to think of the boy emperor. He certainly looked charming.
She couldn't deny that even if she wasn't interested in love in the first place. But still, there was
something unsettling in his eyes. How he looked at all of them as if he was analysing a piece of
delicious meat.
Not that the emperor was a bad actor. She was pretty sure that if she hadn't been at Renner's side
for a year, she would never have noticed the intention behind the emperor's gaze. She already saw
that same look in her princess' eyes many times before, after all, even if the two of them differed in
the intent behind the gaze. Renner mostly observed, with stoicism, all that happened around her
and didn't concern Satoru. On the other hand, the emperor used fake emotions to hide the
machinations in his head. Or, at least, this was how Lakyus saw it with her limited experience.
Her analysis came to a halt as soon as the servants brought in the first dishes of the evening. She
gawked a little at the sheer quantity of the food brought in. There was no way they could eat all
that stuff.
She was, of course, used to nobility's luscious and extravagant parties and dinners but on all those
occasions there were at least 50, if not more, people attending the event. At the moment, there
were barely 20 people in the whole room and almost half of them were guards.
'Is he trying to show off? Make a point?' she wandered as she shot a quick glance at the emperor
who didn't seem bothered by the current events.
As the servants finished their work and poured some wine in all the attendants' crystal goblets, the
emperor stood up, attracting all the attention around him.
"A toast my most noble friends! To the visit of the prestigious magic caster Satoru and his
unexpected companions!"
The young man said with his usual gentle smile.
"Long may their visit be!"
The other nobles answered, as all in the room gulped down their wine, except for Renner and
Lakyus, who limited themselves to sipping the wine as a true noble lady should, and Satoru who
didn't even touch his goblet for obvious reasons.
As the feast began everybody brought food to their plates and began to eat. All except Satoru who
didn't even move from his place, his mask still covering his face.
Lakyus saw some empire's nobles glance at him but didn't say anything just ignoring his behaviour.
"Sir Satoru, is something not to your liking? We can arrange other dishes to be brought."
Asked the emperor finally acknowledging Satoru's lack of action toward the food.
"I mean no disrespect, Your Highness, the food you have arranged certainly looks delicious, but
unfortunately it is a strict rule of the order of magic casters I belong to that we may not remove our
enchanted masks or else we will be banned from using magic ever again."
Explained the masked magic caster with a small bow toward the emperor who just smiled kindly.
"Ah, is that so? A very strict order you belong to then. I certainly hope you don't mind us indulging
ourselves with this food then."
The emperor answered, not seeming offended by Satoru's explanation.
"Certainly not, Your Majesty. I am in possession of magical items that avoid starvation for the
most part. I seldom need to eat these days."
Satoru continued; the emperor's smile only widened.
"Ah! The wonders of magic! I wouldn't mind having in my possession such items. Only the gods
know how much I would enjoy having a bit more free time."
The boy said, as the nobles laughed at his jest. Lakyus noticed Satoru chuckling a bit before
everyone resumed their previous occupation.
The silence didn't last for too long as the door opened and a very old, robed man entered in the
room. His snow-white beard flowing down the front of his body.
"Excuse me for the long wait, Your Majesty. The experiment took longer than I initially
anticipated."
The man spoke in a deep but reassuring voice. He quickly glanced at the group of guests before
slowly walking toward the table and seating himself next to the emperor.
In that moment the emperor clapped his hands and all the dishes were brought away.
"As we wait for the next round, may I finally introduce my small court since they are all finally
here?"
Seeing that no one answered, he continued.
"This old man here is quite famous. You may have heard of him. Fluder Paradyne, the only human
known to use the 6th tier of magic."
Introduced the emperor, as the man didn't even acknowledge their existence and proceeded to fill
his plate with food.
"This charming man next to me is Loune Vermillion, my personal secretary and scribe."
The emperor introduced the young blond man next to him who then gave them an elegant bow.
"It is an honour to meet you all, esteemed guests."
He said in a calm, pleasant tone. The next one to introduce himself was the noble who sat next to
the boy. He was probably the oldest in the room apart from Fluder himself.
"I am Duke Astarr Vint Sue Roht, currently serving as minister of finances for His Majesty since
the… unfortunate demise of the previous one. It is a pleasure meeting all of you."
He said as he bowed his head toward Renner; 'a silent statement to show what he thinks of us? Or a
simple form of respect toward the most important person among the guests?... I can't say, but I
need to pay more attention… like Renner said' Lakyus thought.
"I am Count Lavein Nei Motte, current minister of internal affairs. It is an honour to make your
acquaintance."
Said the middle-aged fat man sitting next to Fluder.
"Greetings, I am Count Alfons Rune Grace, ambassador of the empire and His Majesty's cousin by
mother."
The last of them said, and, true to his words, Lakyus could clearly see a resemblance between the
two cousins. They had the same cheekbones and a similar shade of blond hair.
"Now that we have all finally gotten acquainted with each other, I would suggest enjoying the main
course of the dinner; a roasted boar from the forest of the Elven Kingdom."
Sounds of surprise came from all the nobles at the emperor's declaration. Lakyus herself was
surprised. After all, it was said that the forest of the Elven Kingdom housed the biggest and
greatest animals around the whole continent. Some even believed that by eating those animals you
could live as long as an elf.
By bringing such an exotic meal to the table, the emperor was clearly stating his might and
superiority against the kingdom; but what was the purpose of all of this? Did he simply wish to
assert dominance or was he trying to impress someone? Lakyus didn't know what to think
anymore.
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The evening may not have started in the best way for the young emperor, but he finally felt at ease.
After surpassing the initial shock in the throne room, his plan was finally coming together as he
hoped.
Once the main course arrived, consisting in a giant boar that occupied nearly half of the table in
length, the emperor proceeded to pass onto the main conversation he hoped to have that evening.
"So, Sir Satoru, what do you think about our capital so far?"
He asked politely but trying to put some curiosity in his tone. The answer would give him a good
understanding of the person he was speaking to. Would he answer using his wit to convey a
message through his words or would he simply state a vague opinion. The emperor doubted it
would be the latter. The man before him was far too intelligent to behave like some simpleton.
"Ah, the city. It is surely a refreshing gaze after spending a whole year in the Re-Estize's capital. I
find the architecture greatly to my liking and the streets are very clean compared to some others I
saw."
The deep voice of the magic caster answered. The emperor internally smirked. 'It was indeed a
good idea to have them all cleaned up for this event' he thought, not feeling as bad as before for the
money he had to spend on that, knowing well that in a month time they would be as dirty as before
he ordered their cleaning.
"I even visited the Imperial Magic Academy yesterday. Unfortunately, I was denied a visit due to
the policy of the magic academy, but the polite receptionist offered to bring my case to his
superiors to see if something could be arranged."
The giant magic caster continued. The emperor didn't lose his smile but made a point in glancing at
Fluder for a moment. The old magic caster seemed to understand his emperor's wishes and nodded
slightly; a movement lost to most of the people in the room but something the emperor
immediately recognized as a positive response. Satisfied, the young boy returned his attention to
the masked magic caster.
"All in all, the city is fairly lively and a good place to live in…"
The magic caster continued but then seemed to pause for a moment.
"The only thing that i found slightly... unsettling was how much the practice of slavery is still
practiced in an advanced country such as this… a shame if you ask me. Even the Re-Estize
kingdom is slowly losing such old-fashioned practices and there are only a few markets where
selling slaves is acceptable."
Those words caused a reaction in the room as most nobles fixed their eyes on him but only a few
made their displeasure known through their gaze.
"It would be advised to respect others' traditions when visiting a country which is not yours, don't
you think Sir Satoru?"
Said Duke Astarr Vint Sue Roht in an icy tone, earning a silent glare from the emperor that the
Duke probably didn't even notice as his eyes were fixed on the foreign magic caster.
"I am sure Sir Satoru meant no offense with his comment. I, myself, think that certain laws on
slavery are fairly outdated and should be renewed to adapt them to the current time."
Interfered the emperor, trying to stop the situation from escalating. The Duke just grumbled
something under his breath.
"No offense meant, of course. The land I come from simply frowns upon practices like slavery. It
is mostly a cultural difference. Still, I wouldn't pretend to tell His Majesty how to rule his empire."
The magic caster explained, making the rest of the room relax. 'What game are you playing, magic
caster? First you lull me into a sense of security just to rip the floor from under my feet at the most
unexpected time… is he testing me? Does he want to see how much my title is earned?' the boy
emperor thought in annoyance at the sly move of the man before him. 'Not a fool, but surely a bold
one. To test me in my own house… but two can play that game… and I have a lot more cards
under the table'.
As the emperor was pondering his next move, a voice caught him by surprise. It was young and
sweet. His eyes immediately darted from the magic caster to the speaker who was revealed to be
none other than the third princess herself.
"It is indeed as Satoru said. We of the Re-Estize kingdom realize how much beneath us such a
practice is and we are working to completely eradicate it from existence; possibly even banning it
from our soil. Isn't that right, Lakyus?"
The princess said with her childish innocent tone while the other child nodded vigorously. The
whole scene made the empire's nobles chuckle at her tone and demeanour, like adults looking at a
child who wished to ride a dragon.
The only one who didn't laugh was the emperor, who lost his smile and almost frowned directly at
the princess. But the reason of that abrupt change wasn't caused by the words of the princess but of
what she had just done with almost no effort.
'She made fun of them and managed to make them laugh at the insult they just received, like
fools…' he realized as some cold sweat began to form on his neck.
'No… she is just a child. Nothing to be feared… she has some wits, but that doesn't mean much
without the power to use it' he mentally reassured himself. The conversation resumed without
anymore problems for 10 more minutes, until the half-eaten boar was brought away.
In that time, the emperor was as tense as possible, his eyes passing from the foreign magic caster to
the third princess. His mind was trying to calm him down but his more irrational part couldn't lift
that sense of uneasiness that pervaded him from the moment the princess spoke.
Taking a deep breath, the emperor relaxed his muscles. 'very well then, I will… I will end this
farce once and for all…I may not look so dignified but, at least, it will show me that this princess is
nothing more than a witty child' he said as he forced himself to look at the princess directly with
his stern gaze. A bold and direct move. It could result in quite the embarrassment for him to look
like that at a foreign princess, but the risk was worth the gain in his mind.
The princess didn't even flinch for a moment under his hard gaze and just tilted her head to the side
in confusion and in a rather cute manner, like a puppy.
"Excuse my curiosity, Princess, but I heard a rumour regarding the Crown Prince. It is said that he
assaulted a daughter of a minor noble and she is currently carrying his child. Of course, it isn't my
place to judge the Crown Prince's actions, but I would like to know if the child would become part
of the royal line. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure about how your laws regarding heirs work in
such… delicate matters."
This was a very private matter and only the royal family and 6 great nobles were aware of it, so it
could be considered a national secret. For a foreign ruler to know such a thing would be
preposterous and should cause much distress to the receiver.
'How will you react? Feigning ignorance? Denying? Lowering your pride and accepting the public
shame?' he thought as he ignored the stares he received from his fellow countrymen who didn't
seem pleased at all with his boldness. 'a necessary sacrifice' he mentally sighed, not removing his
eyes from the princess for even a moment.
Then the only thing he didn't expect happened. The princess smiled brightly at him.
"Ah, you heard about that Your Majesty? You like your gossip I see. You must know that I as well
like partaking in this hobby. We are very similar, it seems… you wouldn't believe how much I have
learned concerning the empire by listening to Marquis Blumrush… he always has the most… juicy
news."
The short blond said with an innocent, cordial tone, like she was discussing some trivial matter. In
response, the emperor went on full alert. His muscles tensed even more than before and some
sweat began to form on his face. 'How… how does she know… our best spy is compromised?...
what is this… there is no way…' as his mind tried to make sense of what he just heard, his eyes
focussed on Renner's, trying to catch something more. Something that would indicate that she was
just a child speaking nonsense. What he found instead terrified him.
The princess' eyes were dead. Completely devoid of any emotion, like a dead body moving. He
stared into that blue abyss, unable to gaze away from it as if he was drowning in it. He saw many
types of eyes directed at him in his life. Some filled with malice, others filled with admiration,
others ambition and many more; but never, in his life, has he seen such a gaze directed at him.
He couldn't read it. He couldn't even fathom what in the world there was hiding behind that mask
on the princess' face. He felt his hands begin to shake as he was sinking into that abyss even more,
and in an instant, that nightmarish madness ended as the princess gaze was directed elsewhere.
In that moment, all the sounds around him returned with full force, and he released a breath he
didn't even know he was holding.
His hands were still shaking under the table but he managed to calm them down. Now the sweat
was falling freely from his face.
"Ah, you seem quite red, Your Majesty. It is indeed quite hot inside here. It would be a good idea
to open a window or two, don't you think?"
The third princess proposed. His eyes gazed once again on her form, focussing directly on her thin
lips curved in a pleasant smile, not daring to go any higher.
The Bloody Emperor felt like tears were about to stream down his face as only one word came to
his mind in that moment.
'Monster'
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
All things considered, the dinner went quite well in Satoru's opinion.
Sure, the boy emperor looked quite nervous at the beginning, but he couldn't blame the young
man. Being an emperor must have been very stressful at that age. A lot of expectations were put on
him after all.
The gift he decided to give him wasn't anything special in his view. He had a ton of those rings in
his inventory both from gacha and random drops. They would be useful until level 40 then they
would be discarded forever since no one uses low tier spells for attack once over level 50.
Returning to the evening, he appreciated the effort of the emperor in making a well-rounded and
exotic banquet even if he couldn't have any of it. His opinion of the boy went up even more when
he helped him deescalating that situation with the older noble. If he didn't intervene, Satoru wasn't
sure if he could deal with him by himself without escalating it into a diplomatic incident.
Unfortunately, the emperor seemed to have something against the Crown Prince of the Re-Estize
Kingdom, not that the magic caster could blame him for it. After all, he too didn't like the stuck-up
prince at all, either.
Well, maybe he should have refrained from stating certain things so publicly in front of his sister,
though. The boy was lucky Renner didn't seem to like her brother either but the glare she gave to
the emperor was fully deserved. As a leader of a nation, he should learn to hold his tongue on
certain matters.
But aside from that little incident, the evening had been quite enjoyable and both Renner and
Lakyus seemed like they enjoyed themselves. Who knows, a friendship between the emperor and
princess may be possible. It certainly would help their countries' relationship.
'Umu, let's see if it is doable. The emperor may be able to grant some favours to a friend of a friend
after all' now that he thought about it, seeing the similar age, a future match could also be arranged
to link both nations even further. But that was a thought for a distant future. They were still
children after all.
The most confusing character that evening was the famous magic caster, Fluder Paradyne. Not
because the man himself had anything strange. What puzzled Satoru the most was the man's
presence during their initial meeting in the throne room. Even if the man stated otherwise
afterwards, Satoru still noticed him not too far away from the emperor during their initial meeting.
Sure, he was using an invisibility spell to try and hide. In fact, Satoru was probably the only one
capable of seeing him in the room, but the incident still unnerved him to no end.
'Was the emperor fearful of me? But if that is the case, why invite me in the first place? Also, why
in the world did that old man stare at me the whole time like a creepy stalker?' he asked himself
quite unnerved by the whole thing. He will need to understand the man's motive. 'Maybe speaking
with him could give me some insight?' he wondered, deciding to set the matter aside for now since
he had no lead to follow.
As his group reached the inn they were staying at, they bid each other goodnight before retiring to
their own rooms. But Satoru was sure that he would soon receive another visit from the two blond
girls for a bedtime story once more.
He sighed 'well let's see what comes next' he thought, looking forward to the next day.
Chapter End Notes
Well, late release but as I said, my thesis is taking so much more out of me than I
initially anticipated. Also, I just realized how hard Jircniv is to actually write. I mean,
he is not a monster, like Renner, and on the other hand, he has a very good mind, so I
can't make him as good as everybody else or just slightly superior. The difference
must be very tangible, but not too inhuman. That is Renner's place.
Also, someone made me just notice how this is the most famous (on ff(dot)net ) story
who uses canon Ainz (canon classes, canon body) that doesn't have a ton of senseless
smut in it. Yeah, that feels pretty good.
PS: For those interested, my chapters aren't actually short. I simply follow the average
word count of normal novels (5k/6k per chapter). And I'm planning to continue using
it as it allows me to pace my story as I want it. (this is also the longest chapter of this
story right now so I hope you enjoyed it!)
Stay safe, until next time! Review, fav and follow as you see fit!
The Grand Conspiracy (part 1)
Chapter Notes
“Normal speech”
‘Thought’
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Hey good to see you all again! Hope everything is going fine for you! Sorry for the
delay of this chapter but, as always, I have been taken away from my pc by real life
problems. Well, what can I say? You smashed that 1000 reviews goal I had! Thank
you very much! It may not seem like it, but your reviews are the fuel that make this
story go on. It pushes me to try and do better every time. So, make sure to review! No
matter how long or short, a review is a review and everyone expresses themselves in
different ways!
Now, some people PMed me asking about why certain things went the way they went
at that dinner and why certain topics weren't brought up. I would be glad to explain
everything but it would take far too long and I don't want to write endless notes so I
will limit myself to explain my mental process while deciding if something should
happen or make any sense, so that, if you are confused for future events, try to use this
process to come to your own conclusion. Well, here we go:
Example: why didn't Satoru announce/asked to open a shop in the empire?
Analysing the background:
Jircniv: the emperor of the empire. Magic is a very important cultural and commercial
property in the empire, so much in fact that the market for magic items is nationalized.
- Satoru: an independent magic caster who took control of a whole kingdom's magical
market in less than a year.
Imagining the scenario:

- The emperor invites Satoru to a dinner to get to know him (the two never met before)
- Satoru arrives and the two get to know each other a little.
- Tension rises between Satoru and the nobility after his comment on slavery.
- Satoru informs Jircniv about his intent of bringing his business to the empire.
(He basically blatantly said that he wants to undermine the empire's centralized
magical market, which is currently under the control of the emperor, while he was
invited to dine with said emperor to establish a good relationship).
Imagine this as if you were the sole potato seller in a city and then when someone new
arrives you invite him to your house to become friends but during the dinner he tells
you that he wants to open a potato shop in front of yours that sells the potatoes at half
your price. That would take a lot of balls to say and indicate very little respect for the
host.
Character's personalities:
-Is Satoru so bold that he would threaten the emperor's control on magical items to his
face after he invited him to start good relations between the two of them?
The answer I would give knowing Satoru is a very big NO.

And this is mostly how I judge if something would happen or not.
Sorry for the long note but I hope this will help avoid long explanations in the future
and maybe help some newbie writers too, I hope.
PS: Check out my discord channel (fanfiction by Zero-sama) on the fanfiction discord
server (PM me for the invite code!).
Hilma looked down at the parchment in her hands. Of all the things she expected that day, a letter
from the Queen of the Draconic Kingdom was not one of them.
Normally she would not open letters addressed directly to Satoru, but her saviour was away at the
moment. She had no idea how long it would take him to come back, and it was not like she could
ignore the letter sent by a monarch from another country.
She glanced at the bunch of [Message] scrolls piled on her desk. Satoru showed her how to use
them. She just had to activate it while thinking about him and the scroll would connect their minds;
it wasn't as unpleasant a sensation as she anticipated but still, she wasn't eager to repeat the
experience. Also, she was supposed to use them only in case of emergencies.
With a heavy sigh, her eyes returned to the letter as she took a little knife out of a drawer and broke
the seal. As soon as she took out the letter, she immediately noticed the quality of the parchment.
She sniffed it, noticing how it smelt of some fragrance she didn't know of. All in all, the letter was
of the highest quality. Just that indicated that the content would be pretty important, not counting
the fact that she had to argue for half an hour with the courier who brought the letter as he was
instructed by his Queen to deliver the letter directly to Satoru himself.
Pushing that unpleasant experience to the back of her mind, she unfolded the parchment and began
to read.
To the most prestigious and esteemed Magic Caster Satoru,
I present myself to you as the first Queen of the Draconic Kingdom, Draudillon Oriculus, also
known as the Dark Scale Dragon Lord.
During the past few months, it didn't pass a day without hearing mention of your great and
progressive way of handling business when it comes to magical items. Many of my advisors,
myself included, believe that your way of handling magic will greatly change the whole continent
in the years to come, bringing a golden age in magic development.
As much as I would like to discuss more of this subject with you, I am afraid that my reason for
contacting you is far more nefarious.
As you probably know, my beloved country and citizens have been at war with the Beastmen
tribes for the last 3 years. Due to their great resistance and physical prowess, they managed to take
various cities and any attempt at stopping them merely slowed them down; or at least that was the
case until the siege of Almagda.
We hired adventurers from the Re-Estize Kingdom in order to aid us in protecting the city from the
invasion. To say we were amazed by their performance and magical items would be an
understatement. We are elated to see with our own eyes the wonders you manage to equip
adventurers with.
Hilma stopped reading as her lips curved into a smile at the memory of selling various scrolls to
two mithril ranked adventurers' groups which were sure they would encounter large groups of
enemies.
Still, she didn't understand the purpose of the giant ass-kissing of a letter she was reading. Sure, it
was pretty obvious that they wanted to open commercial relationships with Satoru, but what was
the purpose of being so… submissive? Certainly, being courteous was a thing but this was far too
much for a simple commercial request considering they weren't even dealing with a noble but a
common, even if talented, magic caster. The other option was that they were truly desperate, but
that was unlikely. If the situation was really that bad, other nations would have come to help…
right? No one wants to have Beastmen at their border. 'Something to be investigated for the future'
she thought, storing that idea in the back of her mind.
Her eyes returned to the elegant handwriting.
This missive was sent in hope of finding a common point upon which we could forge a bilateral,
beneficial, commercial relationship. We would like to propose that you to become the primary
magical items supplier for our army.
Of course, we are aware of the impervious Katze Plains that separates our nations, which would
make a possible safe route hard to establish. For that reason, we would gladly lift the importation
taxes for your goods.
We would be glad to send an emissary to discuss a commercial treaty in full details.
We thank you again for your time and await with trepidation your answer.
Best regards,
Queen Draudillon Oriculus, Dark Scale Dragon Lord and current ruler of the Draconic Kingdom.
As Hilma finished reading the letter she could feel a minor headache rising inside her skull.
This was, of course, something she could not decide alone. Before making any move, she will have
to consult with Satoru, but before using one of her scrolls she would like to evaluate the situation.
There was no way she would waste Satoru's time. There was already a lot on his hands considering
who followed him to the empire.
She could only shudder at the thought of that young imp princess following Satoru around like a
lost puppy. Even if she came to respect the girl and even appreciate her mind, Hilma could not
deny her twisted nature. Their sessions of female-to-female discussions often diverged toward the
most… carnal acts of the relationship too. It seemed that the little devil seemed to have a certain
fascination with the act itself.
If she didn't know Satoru's nature, she would have advised him to stay away from the girl but since
he seemed the only one who actually had a glimmer of control over her, it would be better for them
to remain together. And speaking more frankly… Hilma would prefer not to earn the ire of the
younger princess. She was sure that given enough time the girl would make the Eight Fingers seem
tame in comparison.
As she tried to push back those unpleasant thoughts, she concentrated once more on the matter at
hand.
If they accepted the proposal they would become the official backers of the Draconic Kingdom's
army, and while that would bring them great prestige around the whole continent and not just the
Re-Estize Kingdom, the negative points were hard to ignore.
First and foremost, their business would escalate to a multi-country level and that would involve
politics, something her and Satoru tried to avoid in the past, which was greatly helped by Satoru's
position among the Merchant Guild. If ever the relationship of Re-Estize and the Draconic
Kingdom went south or stretched, the Sorcerer's Shop would be in the middle of the battleground,
being subjected to unwanted attention by both countries.
The second big problem would be the transportation of the goods themselves. The Katze Plains
were no playground, and to pass through the entirety of it while transporting valuable items would
be quite the task. Even if they employed the best Seven Hands had to offer, she wasn't sure if the
errand would be worth the risk.
And finally, the third great problem was the goods themselves. While she had no doubt that they
had an abundance of spare items, that number was not even near enough to the actual quantity they
would have to provide the army with. If they wanted to embark on this ship, her and Satoru will
have to come up with another source of production for magical items.
These three big problems were the main points of discussion she would bring up with Satoru. But
before she could even begin to organize her thoughts, she heard someone knocking at her door.
That should have been impossible; she was sure she closed the shop and Mato's best men patrolled
the streets around it at all times of the day and night. If the intruder managed to pass them, it
would mean that they were dangerous. She immediately glanced at the corner of the room where a
spectral figure stood flowing a few centimetres above the floor. The Wraith didn't even seem to
recognize the threat. That may be a good sign in Hilma's mind. If worst came to be, the Wraith
should be able to get a sneak attack on the intruder, ending them.
With that renewed assurance of her safety, Hilma's gaze returned to the door.
"Come in."
She said; since the invader had been courteous, she may as well return the favour. As the door
opened, a hooded figure entered in the room, covered from head to toes with an heavy coat. It was
impossible to discern even the gender of the person.
"Hilma, we have got problems."
The invader said with a familiar tone. Hilma immediately recognized it.
"Cocco Doll? What are you doing here?"
She asked surprised, as said man removed his hood.
"There is no time to waste, that's what I am here for!?"
The man said in a slightly panicked tone.
"What is happening?"
She inquired, as worry began to rise inside her. Cocco Doll was not someone easily frightened or
with an inclination to panic, and to see him in that state could mean only that whatever he knew
was very bad news for them.
The man just began to blurt out a lot of incoherent things about some nobles and rebellion.
"Cocco Dol! Calm down! Seat and speak!"
She immediately ordered with a stern tone; the man flinched at the harshness in her tone and
immediately obeyed, sitting down.
"Now, calm yourself and tell me what is wrong. Don't leave out any details!"
She ordered, as the man nodded, taking in a few deep breaths before speaking again.
"Four days ago, we had a client, a noble, who required one of our girls to warm his bed in his
house… a new service we were trying out since many nobles are too lazy to go or don't enjoy our
establishments, and this also gifts us with more occasions to gather important information… and
well… that girl heard something important apparently. Something so important that when she was
caught, they decided to kill her on the spot."
He began, as Hilma noticed the nervousness in his tone rise once more.
"They dumped the body in one of the lower districts… but she wasn't dead and some new recruits
found her and brought her back to us."
He paused, trying to calm himself. Hilma waited patiently. The cause of Cocco Doll's panic surely
wasn't the attempted murder of a prostitute… he saw far worse without batting an eye during his
time with Eight Fingers. No, the worse part was yet to come, she was sure of it.
"That same night some of those noble's men attacked the girl's brothel trying to set it on fire and
making it seem like an accident… they were probably trying to cover for the death of the girl."
He continued. That caught Hilma's attention, to kill one girl was one thing but to try to cover it by
burning down an entire establishment meant that whatever the girl overheard was far more
important than she initially thought.
"What did the girl overhear there?"
She asked, but Cocco Doll just shook his head and continued with the calmest tone he could
muster.
"Our men managed to avoid most damage and kill the soldiers who tried it but still… I was sure
there was more to that story than just some noble trying to hide his misdeeds."
He continued his story ignoring Hilma's question to her irritation.
"I called in our best healers and finally got the girl healed up, but she would not wake up until this
afternoon, this evening I came to speak with her and…"
The leader of the spy network department paused not knowing how to phrase his next words.
"They were planning t-to kill them…"
He finished. Hilma, finally having enough of his cryptic words, grabbed him by the shoulder
forcing his eyes to link with hers.
"Who wanted to kill who!?"
She demanded; Cocco Doll gulped.
"T-the nobles of the Noble Faction, they want to kill the youngest prince a-and the king."
As the man's words doused the leader of Seven Hands, she felt an icy sensation crawl up her spine.
"W-when…?"
She weakly asked.
"Tomorrow… they said they had all their men in position already."
As all the weight of the situation finally fell on Hilma's shoulder, there was only one thing she
could think in that instant. 'fuck.'
{Arwintar's Imperial Palace: Emperor's private room}
{Fluder's P.O.V.}
The most powerful human magic caster on the continent sat on an elegant chair in front of his
young emperor, who had a rare grim expression on his face.
It has been just a day since the visit of the famous magic caster from the Re-Estize Kingdom but
his emperor did not even speak a word about the encounter; something that quite unnerved the old
magic caster since said young boy didn't speak about anything else before said meeting.
Not to say that Fluder didn't have his own thought to entertain himself with; his Talent never failed
him before, but no matter how hard he looked at the masked magic caster, he could not see a
shadow of magical potential in him. But that should have been impossible. The reports said that he
used teleportation magic in front of the whole court of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
"So, gramps, are we just going to stare at each other or are we going to talk?"
Asked the annoyed voice of Jircniv as he sat up straight from his laying position on the sofa.
"It would be impolite of me to force a conversation on you, Your Highness."
Replied the old magic caster. That earned a scoff and an half smile from Jircniv.
"And when, in your whole life, has politeness stopped you from reaching what you wanted?"
The emperor asked rhetorically in a mocking tone which Fluder responded to with a light chuckle
of his own.
"Very few times."
He said, continuing their little game.
"So, what do you think about that magic caster. Is he worthy to invest into? Should we… deal with
him before he becomes a problem?"
The young boy inquired, resuming a more serious tone. The magic caster just stroked his long
beard as he thought on how to phrase his answer.
"That magic caster is one of a kind… never before in my life had I seen someone not even showing
a inch of magical potential through my Talent… it is like he does not possess any magic at all…"
As he said that the emperor's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you saying he is a farce? Was he really able to fool everyone?"
He asked with a mixture of shock and intrigue in his tone. Fluder shrugged.
"Not necessarily; there is always the remote possibility of him possessing some kind of magical
item or even Talent that negates my own… or his whole supposed magical power is based around
the use of various magical items; something, not as impressive as a 5th tier caster, but not to be
underestimated nonetheless."
The old sage said, as he pondered the two possibilities; the emperor fell in deep thoughts for a
whole minute before speaking again.
"It is imperative we know where his power comes from. May it be though magical power or items,
we cannot deal with a wild card like that otherwise."
He said with a tone as hard as steel before his serious expression was replaced by a smirk.
"Say gramps, would you mind giving a tour of the academy to that magic caster and then…
politely challenge him to a friendly spar?"
The emperor said in a lighter tone; immediately, Fluder grasped the genius behind those words. 'If
we have a magical exchange, no matter how small I will surely be able to deduce if he is truly
capable of magic or just relying on hidden items… and even if he refuses, that would indicate a
clear lack of confidence in his abilities and skills with magic…'
While not perfect, the plan was still solid and would gather information on the enigma that was the
masked magic caster no matter the outcome.
"I think it would bring us no harm to try… I am very curious myself to discover the outcome of
such a confrontation."
Agreed the old sage; he thought about it since the day he heard of that magic caster. Who knew
how much they could learn from each other? To say that he was pretty disappointed when he could
not see a shadow of magic potential in him would be an understatement. But finally, he will be able
to see what this caster has to offer.
Stopping his train of thought, his eyes returned to his surrogate grandson in front of him.
"Now that we have dealt with that, do you mind explaining to me what happened at that dinner that
still haunts you today? I may have remained silent but my mind is not going senile yet."
Inquired the bearded magic caster in curiosity. At his words the emperor's facial expression
morphed again, now giving off uncertainty and even a little bit of what seemed to be fear in his
eyes.
"That girl…"
He muttered lowly.
"What about her? She is not a dimwit, but you aren't either Jir. You should not be scared to find a
peer-"
The magic caster was interrupted by his emperor.
"It isn't a matter of minds gramps… those eyes… those eyes that… they do not belong to a human.
That is no girl at all… she is a demon in disguise; there is no other way around it!"
The emperor finally exploded, surprising Fluder. He had never seen his boy so distressed as in that
moment. Whatever that girl did to him unnerved him greatly.
"Is that so? Are you sure that it wasn't a light game? Or a mind trick? I have seen nothing out of the
ordinary in the girl apart from her little wit game."
The emperor gulped and remained silent. Seeing his surrogate grandson take his words to heart, he
just patted him on the shoulder and left the room. 'You are still a green boy, Jir. To be so
frightened by a quick-witted child… oh well, boys will be boys I guess…' the old man thought as
he walked down the castle's corridors, after all, he had a tour to arrange.
{Arwintar}
{Renner P.O.V.}
If there was something Renner missed during the last few months, it was the times she managed to
be alone with her Satoru. And the funniest thing was that she didn't even realize it until now.
At the moment, Lakyus was out training with either Gazef Stronoff or Brain Unglaus, possibly
both, while she was alone with Satoru in his room. She felt that familiar warmness engulf her
insides and burn without any restrain. Her whole body shrugged before she decided to lay against
Satoru, who sat next to her on the large bed in his robe. She embraced his arm with her tiny ones
and rested her head on the side of his torso.
Her beloved patted her head with his giant gloved hand making her whole body squirm with joy
inside.
She closed her eyes as she wished that moments like these could last for all eternity. To hell with
the empires and kingdoms. To hell with humans and demi-humans. To hell with the living and
unliving. The only thing she wanted was an empty world where she could enjoy the rest of eternity
with Satoru. But unfortunately, she was no goddess and she knew her wish would not come to be.
The silence between them was filled with many concepts that didn't need words, or maybe could
not even be expressed in words. It was in moments like these that she realized how much Satoru
meant to her and what it would mean to lose him. She had no doubt that if she had returned to her
dull and grey life before meeting Satoru, she would have jumped from the highest tower of the Ro-
Lente's Castle.
To think that that dimwit of an emperor would try and steal her Satoru away from her… the guts!
Oh well, she will see with her own eyes how much guts he has inside his belly if he tries
something like that again.
She herself didn't know exactly what this emotion she was feeling was. She knew anger, even rage,
but this sensation was different; as cold as ice but still negative and chaotic in nature. It seemed
similar to envy, but different, nonetheless. It surely wasn't the envy she had for Hilma before
knowing her true colours.
But that wasn't the only thought that pestered her mind these days; Satoru's words were an enigma
for her too. What would be the end goal to make best of what she had? What did she have in the
first place? She had little political power, being the last child of the king and a woman as well. She
had her mind, superior to anyone else, but to apply it at the best of its ability, she needed power she
lacked. Well, she could ask Hilma for help but that wouldn't be making the best of what she had;
that would be making the best of what Satoru had. Something, she had no doubt, Satoru was
already doing.
But those were thoughts for another time. Now she just wanted to enjoy herself as much as possible
before her small court returned.
As she began to feel dizzy and sleepy, the pillow that was her Satoru shifted, and then she heard
one single word come out of him with is usual deep tone.
"What?"
She looked up at him confused and immediately noticed the strange position he was in. He was
currently using his free hand to touch the side of his dark hood in a gesture she never saw before.
In that moment, he turned toward her, probably attracted by her sudden movement. Blue orbs met
the equally blue gems of his mask. And in that moment, Renner knew, something was wrong.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
"Again!"
The harsh tone of Brain Unglaus echoed in the empty alley as a panting Lakyus stood up from the
ground that she clearly just fell on.
Panting, she moved back into the small circle drawn on the ground. In an instant, she resumed her
previous pose even as her legs continued shaking.
"Do not tremble, there is no point in the training otherwise."
The blue haired man instructed with a hard tone. Lakyus gulped as she tried to stop her trembling
legs. Once she finally managed to calm herself, she closed her eyes, trying to sense all the space
around her body. Her teacher said that the secret was in becoming one with the sword, and to
become one, you should be perfectly aware of the range it could reach and how it would move if
you were just moving one of your limbs.
Her eyes snapped open and with a loud cry she swung her blade horizontally, but the sheer force of
the strike was enough to make her lose balance and fall on the hard ground again.
"Your right foot was too forward. This is a powerful skill and the sheer force of it, once you
mastered it, would be enough to break your own limbs if you are not perfectly positioned to share
the power's recoil on your whole body."
He explained, as Lakyus picked herself up once more.
This was so different from Gazef's training, but she couldn't deny how much she was improving
thanks to this regimen. At the end of the day, her whole body would hurt like hell, but this was the
life of someone who aspired to become the strongest swordswoman of the kingdom.
'Speed and strength… once I master both of those arts, I will certainly reach the top. To change the
world power is a necessity… Renner said so, and after looking at the emperor and my teachers I
can only agree… this is the way to power. To struggle, fall and get hurt… I will not be like my
fellow nobles. I will not be complacent. I will not bask in the glory of my name. I will not hide
behind false power… I will reach the top and I will change the world!' she proclaimed in her head
as a new surge of power burned inside her, as her determination steeled.
{Gazef's P.O.V.}
Gazef looked at his young apprentice as she picked herself up from the ground and resumed her
training. To say he was impressed would be an understatement. That girl of 11 years of age was
training like an adult soldier with the iron will of a battle-hardened warrior. Under a certain point
of view, it was almost terrifying; with that kind of determination, he was sure she could achieve
anything.
The training regimen was brutal. Even more so for such a young girl. He would not normally agree
on it, but the results were undeniable. In a little less than a month, the girl before him became such
a skilled and precise swordswoman, he had no doubt that even with her lack of strength due to age
she could defeat any Royal Army's soldier that wasn't an elite through sheer skill and mastery of
the sword.
"Are you sure she will be okay?"
He finally asked in a low tone while approaching Brain, so that Lakyus would not notice him and
get distracted.
"Yes. To achieve greatness, you must first break down something to its basic components, then
improve them and reforge them into something greater."
The blue haired ex-swordsman said, as his eyes didn't leave Lakyus' form for even a moment.
"Do you believe she could do it?"
Asked Gazef, as he focussed on the other man's eyes in search of any sign of doubt. This time,
Unglaus turned toward him and scowled.
"Are you mocking me, Stronoff? With the amount of potential that girl possesses, she will dwarf us
in terms of skill when she will be 16… I never saw such raw potential in my whole life, not even in
myself. She will go far… and there is no one else I want to leave my skills to but her."
He concluded in a sad tone. Gazef was surprised by the sudden outburst. Even more since he never
heard Brain compliment someone. He didn't expect the man to have it in him to admit such a thing.
"Why do you belittle her struggles then? Why do you try to make her feel inadequate, as if she
wasn't enough?"
The Warrior-Captain asked, curious about the answer; the blue haired man glared at him with what
seemed to be a mixture of sadness and anger.
"So that she will not become complacent of her own power… so that she may succeed as a
swordswoman and a warrior… so that she does not commit the same error as-"
The man immediately stopped as he realized what he was saying. The fire of anger disappeared
from his eyes, leaving only sadness. Silence reigned once more between them as the only sound in
the alley was Lakyus' training. The ex-swordsman turned.
"We are done for today! Clean up and meet me tomorrow morning!"
He finally barked out as he walked away from Gazef and a confused Lakyus.
Gazef found no joy in the state his fellow swordsman fell into. He didn't mean to break him so,
even if in the moment he didn't have any other choice. 'But to achieve greatness you must first
break down' he repeated Brain's own words in his mind. In that moment, only a question haunted
his mind. Could the man walking away from him really be reforged?
{Raeven Mansion}
{Elias Brandt Dale Raeven's P.O.V.}
The Marquis sat behind his desk as his spy relayed the daily news to him. His face remained stoic.
There was no need to smile apart from when exchanging pleasantries after all.
"They moved faster than I thought. Are you sure no one noticed anything?"
He inquired in a dull tone, as if discussing some boring daily affair.
"Yes, my Lord. The Royal Faction is totally unaware. Even if some members of the Noble Faction
have caught on to something, they don't seem too keen on intervening."
The spy replied. 'As expected,' thought the Marquis.
"Very well, you may leave."
Raeven dismissed his man. As soon as he heard him leave the room, his mind immediately
focussed on the current situation.
The rebellion was something he would have liked to postpone by two or three years, but this was
truly a golden occasion. The Warrior Captain was far away. The lack of a good harvest caused
famine to begin, raising the discontent of the people even more and, even more importantly, every
head figure of the Kingdom was currently in the city.
This was the perfect storm, and while he was pretty influential as one of the Six Great Nobles, he
was not influential enough to take the throne for himself. Alas, why… a momentary period of
chaos would be needed.
It has been fairly easy to push the most radical nobles toward a rebellion. Leave some seeds here
and there… let your lips loose for a moment… divulge what seemed to be useless details to certain
people… makes some jokes… and voilà, a rebellion was on its way.
And the best thing was, he would have to do nothing at all, while his name remained totally clean!
Of course, he was already aware that the rebellion would be stomped out as soon as it started, but
that was not the point. He just needed for the current king to be taken out of the picture.
That way, the throne would be inherited by the first prince, a stupid oaf without any charisma or
brains for the position. In just a year or two both nobles and common people will be frustrated with
his poor and harsh rule.
In that moment, he would come in, whispering in the right ears of the Royal Faction that the second
prince may be more fitting for the throne. And once Zanac got some support, he will immediately
go to the support of the first prince, now king, and tell them some interesting stories about a
possible rebellious second prince.
Knowing the imbecile, he would immediately march against his own brother as soon as some
evidence was provided. This would cause an open war dividing the Royal Faction into two.
That would be the perfect moment for him to finally take his place as the leader of the Noble
Faction, and with their united might, finally crush the two princes, worn out by their own conflict.
But to make a good claim for the throne, he would need to marry one of the King's daughters… the
second was unmarried, a good coincidence.
A little smile appeared on the Marquis' face as his plan came together in his mind.
He always knew what people said when his back was turned. They thought him weak for not
choosing to align with the Royal or Noble faction, but they were fools. All of them.
'Why should I align with one part and close any relationship with the other one? I much preferred
to stay in the middle and be the friend of all, a trusted informant, a good comrade… and when they
least expect it, I will stab them all in their backs!' he thought with mild satisfaction.
In two years, he would become king and there was nothing that would stop him. His reign was
close and his prize closer than ever.
Chapter End Notes
Bet you didn't expect that! Admit it! You all thought you would not see him for some
time, didn't you, but best papa Rae-tan will not let this occasion slip from his hands!
Now, I'm really interested in reading your thoughts, so leave a review with your idea of
what will happen next, or just your opinion on the chapter or anything really. A review
is still a review!
Once again, thank you for reaching the amazing 1000 goal! I love you all and I hope
to come back soon for more of this story that I love writing!
Till next time! Stay safe!

Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
So here is part 2 of the great conspiracy plot. Not much to say. This chapter has been a
bit of a challenge to write, and not for the difficulty of actually typing it. No, I'm
speaking about the difficulty I had in choosing what POVs to use for it since I would
have liked to use many of them, but unfortunately, in the end, I had to choose just one
for each scene. Well, I hope I got the best ones. As a trivia, this is the chapter with the
most cut content until now (more than 2k worth of words cut from the final version
you see now).
Well, hope you enjoy it as always!
The masked man who wore a magnificent dark purple gown sat on the large bed in his room,
unmoving; on his lap was a young blond small girl with sky blue eyes, her rosy cheek pressed on
the man's lower torso as if it was a pillow. She was curled up against him fully, as if she was trying
to become one with him.
Both the man's and girl's eyes were fixed on what seemed to be a magical mirror, something the
man conjured through the use of a scroll.
The magical mirror was showing a square full of agitated people. Some of them were even armed
as if ready to fight.
'Who managed to rile up so many people? There is no way that the noble faction could accomplish
something like this… so, who is behind this all?' The young girl thought as her lifeless eyes
continued to scan the moving image in the mirror, trying to gather any clue that could bring sense
to this madness.
'Usurping the royal family who ruled over Re-Estize for 2 centuries is not something someone can
accomplish by thinking on their feet… N0, this was a calculated move. Someone was waiting and
preparing the ground for this since a long time ago. Years at the very least.' She reasoned inside.
'Troubling' she finally concluded in her head as she snuggled more against her beloved, seeking
more of his affection that immediately came in the form of two large hands clinging around her in a
tight embrace. She closed her eyes and smiled in pure joy and peace. Even if her improvised plan
totally failed, as long as she had her Satoru next to her, she will be satisfied.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead magic caster focussed his gaze on the image he summoned thanks to the Scroll of
Crystal Monitor. A very basic scroll, but very useful in this world since the places protected by
Anti-Information Magic could be counted on one hand.
He recognized the square in the image. It wasn't too far from his own shop, actually. He guessed
that if such a giant crowd of protesters reached the higher district, then it was a very serious
situation.
In Japan, such manifestations were banned and considered illegal since before he was even born.
The public excuse was that the prolonged exposition to contaminated air would damage people
irreversibly, so they banned those manifestations to ensure people's safety. Of course, it wasn't hard
to imagine the true reason; workers who were denied the possibility of protesting were forced to
accept everything that was put on their shoulders. Longer shifts? Lower salaries? Lack of
insurances? They had to accept it all or else they would lose their job.
His mind was brought back to reality by the sensation of two small hands resting on his arms, he
glanced down to see the young princess making herself comfortable inside his embrace…
Embrace? His sadness as the memories from his old world was replaced by confusion at the current
situation. Apparently at some point during his reminiscing his body decided to move on its own
and embrace the small form of the princess who rested on his lap.
Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he embraced someone before the
princess began to demand him to do it. Maybe the only other person he ever hugged was his own
mother.
Was he getting attached to the young crazy princess? Yes, probably. But it was a nice sensation.
Indescribable, but nice. He would not even dare to say it was an emotion. Just a lingering
sensation, the same as when he spent time in his shop with Hilma or when speaking about his
friends' adventures with Lakyus. It wasn't even near to the shining happiness he felt when around
his friends of Ainz Ooal Gown, but that emotion was also tarnished by the sadness and loneliness
he felt when they all slowly left the game. This sensation on the other hand, while not as strong,
was still very pleasant and he wouldn't mind finding out where it led to.
"It's beginning…"
His thoughts were once more interrupted by the young princess. His eyes immediately went to the
Crystal Mirror, and, indeed, he was able to see the king and a group of what seemed to be nobles
alongside guards arriving in the square. The minutes that would decide the future of the Re-Estize
Kingdom, or even beyond that, were starting to unfold now.
{2 hours before}
{Rampossa's P.O.V.}
The king of the Re-Estize Kingdom let a sigh of exhaustion leave him as the nobles before him
continued to argue like cats and dogs.
He didn't expect the situation to get so serious; after all, it wasn't the first time that revolts and
protests started in the lower districts. But for the crowd to reach the higher districts and even the
heart of the city itself was worrisome to say the least.
"What about Marquis Raeven! Where is he?! We must stand united in these times of crise!"
One of the nobles shouted.
"He had to take care of matters in his territory and went away before the revolts even started. We
have received a messenger bearing a letter from him the previous night. He is on his way with his
guards to give us support if needed. He should be here in 4 days, or a week if the weather isn't
fair."
One of the six great nobles, Count Lytton announced to the relief of everyone. Raeven was loved
by no one, but at the same time no one hated him either. Most of the nobility liked him and
considered him a responsible ally. Even the king himself had to admit he respected the man. To
refuse to choose a side and stand alone among two packs of wolves was no easy feat to accomplish.
Even more so when you end up liked by both packs.
"What is wrong with these peasants anyway? The hell are they protesting about this time?"
Asked Marquis Boullope, another of the six great nobles and father of the first prince's betrothed.
"The bad harvest of this year ensures a famine to happen, even more so in the capital where the
population is higher than normal."
Answered back a member of the Royal Faction.
"Ah?! All this ruckus for something that didn't even happen yet! This is ridiculous! Unacceptable!"
The fat Marquis cried out. Most ignored his outburst. He may be one of the great nobles but surely
his position was not gained by showing skill for it.
"We had 3 consecutive famines during the last 3 winters, as the fourth was coming this was bound
to happen! I'm instead surprised the Crown did nothing to try and prevent this!"
One of the heads of the Noble Faction said with a smirk. 'And here it is again…' thought the king
tiredly. The nobles managed to transform a dangerous situation into another reason to bicker
among each other. 'They want me to show weakness, but I will not fall for it!' the king thought.
'Gazef since you left this all went down so badly. Please come back soon…' he prayed in his head.
"Enough!"
His outburst immediately silenced the room.
"I, myself, will go and reassure the people that another famine will not occur this year!"
He announced to the shock of everyone in the room except a few of the Noble Faction who offered
him a sardonic smile.
"Barbro, Zanac, with me! Call for the warrior troop!"
He ordered with a firm tone rarely seen in the last decade. Maybe it was for that reason that none
opposed any resistance to his orders. Not even his own sons.
The reason why Rampossa decided to take the warrior troop with him was twofold. First, the
Warrior Troop was beloved among the commoners. Mostly for the fact that they were commoners
themselves and Gazef Stronoff was the commoner with the highest rank in the kingdom. Showing
their support to the king would surely help the situation. Second, they were loyal elite soldiers that
would protect them till the very end. Not that he expected something to happen, but since he was
bringing most of his heirs with him into a possibly dangerous place, he wanted to be sure they
would be safe no matter what.
With that final decision, everyone prepared for their imminent departure.
"Excuse me, my king, but what will you say to the people to assure them?"
Asked Marquis Pespea, one of the heads of the Royal Faction.
Rampossa sighed as his eyes fell on the noble.
"We of the Royal family bought a lot of food from the Roble Holy Kingdom. They had a good
harvest this year and we profited from the low prices to gather food in advance since the season
was not looking good for us. It seems like it was the right thing to do in the end."
The king answered, shocking everyone. Even his own children were apparently unaware of his
moves. 'Seems like Renner was right in the end. We really were in need of filling our food deposits,
and since we paid so little for it, we will have a large margin of profit by the next year.' He
reminded himself, thinking about his youngest daughter's words. He was ashamed to say that he
was sceptical at the beginning, but he decided to give her a chance and it apparently paid off. 'Oh
little Renner, you continue to help me and this country even while you are so far away… it is such
a shame I cannot give you the credit you deserve' he thought as guilt built up inside him. But that
was the right thing to do. There was no way to give Renner credit for the idea and avoid many
problems that would come with that knowledge.
The last thing he wanted was for the two factions to turn their heads toward his little genius
daughter and try to get their claws on her. With that grim thought, he stood up and began to
prepare.
{Climb's P.O.V.}
The great central square was completely filled with people. The stench of sweat and even piss
made the young assassin constantly gag in disgust. It was even worse for him who was so short he
could not reach the cleaner air above him.
"Oi shorty! Don't die on me!"
A voice reached him among the ruckus of the crowd. Immediately, he felt a hand grasp his collar
and pull him up from the ground. Two arms encircled him to sustain him as his face was pressed
against something soft.
The next thing he knew, he was being sustained by Edstrom's arms as his face was pressed against
her large bosom. Hia's face became as red as raging fire, blushing in embarrassment at both his
position and the fact he was being held as if he was a baby again.
Noticing his discomfort, the older girl smirked at him.
"My my, is the baby hungry? I'm afraid I have no milk to give you, young one."
She teased him.
In response, the young assassin just blushed even more, if it was even possible, but at the same
time scowled at her.
"Release me this instant!"

He cried out in protest as he tried to struggle away from her, but the girl just held him in place
using her superior strength.
"Okay, now just calm down! If I release you, you will end up dying of asphyxiation down there!
Just bear with this for now, we just need to identify our targets and then I will let you release your
frustration on them."
She purred the last part in his ear, making him stop struggling, but he was still glaring at her with a
pout and blush on his face.
They didn't have to wait for long. In just an hour, the king arrived with his son and guards,
alongside some noble they didn't know the name of.
"Ok, he is here. Our enemies do not expect us to interfere, but at the same time we don't know from
where they will come."
Said Edstrom, as she began to look around as if searching for someone suspicious to make a move.
At the same time, the guards began to announce the arrival of the king and began trying to silence
the roaring mob with little success.
"Are 10 squads really going to be enough? I mean, if they launch a full-scale attack, we are going
to get wiped out."
Climb expressed the doubt that tormented him since they received their mission.
"Don't be foolish Climby boy, look around you! How can you launch a full-scale assault with this
madness going on here? The crowd would never let them pass… no, whoever sent the killers
probably sent just enough to ensure they kill the king and no more than that… the true problem is
to find them before they can actually attack."
Edstrom explained while glancing nervously around the crowd.
"My citizens! I am your king Rampossa! I have heard your pleas! And now I am here to answer
them!"
The loud voice of the king boomed over the crowd, but not enough for the whole square to hear
him. But at least that managed to stop the closest rows of people from shouting and roaring, while
the ones in the back repeated the words of the king to those who could not hear. In a few minutes,
the whole square was far more silent than before.
The king stood on an arranged wooden stage. His guards were blocking everyone from
approaching him by creating a circle of 20 meters in diameter around the king.
"I am aware of the struggle all of you went through during the last 3 years! And my heart aches at
the thought of all the good citizens we have lost during those dark moments!"
The king continued before taking a long pause to let his words sink in.
"And it is exactly for this reason that this year the Royal Family took precautions to avoid another
devastating famine! We have used most of the coins you pay in taxes to buy large quantities of
food from the Roble Holy Kingdom, who had a plentiful harvest this year! So do not fear my
citizens! The price of food will not arise like the last few years! We of the Royal Family have your
best wellbeing at the forefront of our hearts! Do not despair! No one will die of hunger this winter!
Long live the Re-Estize Kingdom!"
The king concluded as he shot up his fist to encourage the people. For a moment, no one spoke, but
then the crowd erupted in cheers.
"GLORY TO THE KINGDOM!"
"HAIL THE KING!"
"LONG LIVE RAMPOSSA III!"
As the crowd continued to cheer for the old ruler, Climb was fuming inside. 'This is bullshit!
People are going to die anyway even if the price of the food doesn't rise! Many people will not
have any coin to buy that food anyway… like my mother…' his mental rambling was interrupted
when his gaze fell on a small group of people.
They were amidst the crowd and the only thing that made them stand out, apart from not cheering,
were the identical black cloaks that covered them entirely.
Alarms immediately went red in his mind as the group began to move toward the circle of guards
protecting the king. The young assassin immediately called for Edstrom's attention as he pointed
out the strange groups. As soon as she saw them, she gritted her teeth.
"Shit! They are already that close! C'mon Climby boy! We must hurry!"
She said as she set him down and began to advance through the crowd, pushing people right and
left to create a path toward the group of cloaked men.
They almost reached them when a scream arose from behind them. Climb turned to glance toward
the loud voice, but his stature combined with the distance didn't allow him to see anything.
"Move your ass! Other squads must have engaged battle with other groups of enemies! C'mon!
Let's go quickly!"
Edstrom tried to make him focus once more on their primary objective but the crowd around them
was becoming more and more nervous and agitated as the screams became louder and started
coming from more directions than just behind them.
The constipated mass of people began to shift in place until someone started running away. In that
moment, all hell broke loose as thousands of people began to panic and run in all directions, trying
to flee from a danger they didn't even see.
As Climb tried to go toward the last place he saw Edstrom, the crowd pushed him violently aside,
and it didn't take much for him to be knocked down as dozens of people crushed, kicked and fell
on him before being trampled by the panicking crowd themselves.
He himself started to panic as he couldn't manage to stand up and was continually kicked down.
He felt like his body was on fire. The stench and dust weren't allowing him to breath. He needed
air! He tried to fight against the kicking crowd with all his strength but it was all worthless.
'Am I going to die? Just like this? Crushed to death by a crowd?' he continued to push again as the
need for air became more and more urgent, but once more it was all for nothing as he was kicked
down again.
His vision began to go dizzy after a particularly hard kick to the head and he felt his body lose most
of his energy as the need for fresh air became unbearable.
He began to gasp but the air that he so desperately needed would not come. 'Shit! I don't want to
die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!...' he cried out in his head as tears of despair began to
crawl across his dusted cheeks.
In the moment when all seemed lost and he had prepared himself to pass out and die of lack of air,
he felt something pull him up from the ground as two hot appendages wrapped around him. He felt
the wind brush his cheeks and holy air feel his lungs once more as he began to cough hard, trying
to take in as much air as possible while wrapping his arms around whatever or whoever saved him.
{Edstrom's P.O.V.}
'This is not an area of operation anymore! This is a fucking war zone!' the 17-year-old woman cried
out in her head as she pushed aside two incoming peasants to grab the boy they were going to
trample otherwise.
In that moment, she felt a great surge of heat from above her. She quickly glanced up to see what
seemed to be fireballs fly across the square and hit one of the buildings to the side.
'Fucking hell! We have to get out of here!' she desperately thought as she went with the flow of
people while trying to spot somewhere they could hide.
But no matter where she looked, there was no safe haven for them. And now, with Climb on her
shoulder, there was no way she could force her way through the crowd like before.
'This is fucking bullshit! If I don't find a place soon, we are going to get trampled! Fuck!' she
continued to shout profanities in her head as her eyes continued to roam around, desperately
seeking an escape from that situation and her body tried to remain standing under both the weight
of the boy and the pushing crowd.
The final straw was when someone hit her shoulder and she almost lost her balance. 'No! If-if I fall,
I'm dead!' she cried out as she tried desperately to regain her balance. Fortunately for her, when she
finally thought she was done for, the impact with a wall stopped her fall and she managed to stand
up once again.
The structure that prevented her fall turned out to be some sort of wooden storage. That thought
immediately gave birth to a crazy idea in her mind. 'But what else could I do? My whole body hurts
like hell already and if I fall, we are both done for!'
As she made up her mind, she activated one of her two Talents, she felt the 5 scimitars hidden
under her clothes react to her pull and rise in the sky before impaling themselves as deep as they
could on the external wooden wall of the storage.
'Here goes nothing!' she thought before jumping and grabbing two scimitars with both her hands.
"Don't fall Climby boy!"
She ordered through her gritted teeth. The boy's answer was to tighten his grip on her as she tried to
use her feet to push herself higher, further away from the deadly crowd below her.
Normally, it would be straining enough to do what she was doing alone but with the weight of
another person, even if just a boy, it was another kind of strain altogether. But the strength the
body could give when faced with a situation between life and death was amazing as well.
As she felt her feet slip on the smooth wood, she immediately used her Talent to imbed two
scimitars under them to gain a foothold as she continued to climb.
She stopped when she was around two meters from the ground. All her muscles were on fire as she
continued to hear the screams of terror and pain from below her. She preyed to any god who
existed that her weapons would hold her and Climb. After all, those blades were designed to cut
people, not hold them. Even if they were strengthened with magic, she wasn't sure how much
strain they could endure.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He watched as the riot became a panicked crowd in mostly interest instead of horror. People would
get trampled and die in horrible ways, but he still felt nothing. 'Are my emotions and humanity
really that suppressed or even gone?' he wondered 'I know I didn't feel anything when I killed those
people back then, but those were my enemies, people who would not have hesitated to kill me if
they had the chance… these, on the other hand, are mostly innocent people dying in horrible ways'
he thought.
As something shifted on his lap, his mind returned to reality, and he remembered that he wasn't
alone. 'Oh shit! She is here too! She is looking at this! All this death and pain, caused by her plan!
This is not good! This is not good at all!' he panicked inside, thinking about how this was going to
affect the young princess' mind. 'This is my fault! I should have anticipated something like this
happening! I must do damage control!' he thought as his [Emotional Suppression] forced his panic
down. He glanced at the Crystal Monitor once more as he saw the royal party leave the square
shielded by what seemed to be the Warrior Troop, if he remembered well.
All in all, the plan went well enough. The only injured was the king who took an arrow to his
shoulder, and even if it was poisoned Satoru was sure he would survive thanks to the help of the
church.
A little part of him was also happy to see his magic items turned out to be invaluable in the plan as
the Warrior Troop used one of his Anti-Arrow magical shields to repel any arrow that came their
way after the first attack.
But now his mind would have to focus elsewhere.
"Renner."
He called the princess' name and as expected, the young girl turned her head toward him. 'What is
it with that blank expression? What should I say?! I didn't think this through at all!' he panicked
once more and, once more, his passive skill forced his emotions to calm down.
"…I want you to know that everything that happened there. None of it is your fault… not your
fault, understood?"
He said with the most serious and firm tone he could muster. The blond girl just inclined her head
slightly as if she was a confused puppy.
"What are you saying Satoru. Everything that happened there was the result of my plan. The plan I
conceived with Hilma."
She said, turning back toward the Crystal Mirror, her expression unchanging. A brief silence fell
between them but before Satoru could counter her words, she continued.
"Every single death I caused. All the blood spilled is on my hands, and I am fine with that… if I
didn't avert this crisis, the damage that would come from the death of the king by the hands of the
Noble Faction would not be limited to these few numbers."
She said in a stoic and calm tone as if discussing the weather. Satoru had no idea how to respond to
that. She was probably right after all. 'But even then… she is just a child…'.
He was aware that she was no normal child but still, to simply put all that death and suffering on
her back and even let her acknowledge that fact? That was too much, even for her.
And still, even with those thoughts, Satoru knew he was unable to do anything to help her. And
that made him angry at himself. Angry at his worthlessness and helplessness in that situation.
So, he did the only thing he was capable of and hugged her tightly. If he couldn't say anything to
help, he would at least support her in the only way he could. The way he knew she loved.
Once again, he felt her small arms wrap around his own and her small frame adjust to his position
so that it would be fully enveloped in his embrace.
And as they rested like that, his rage toward himself steeled into determination. 'No matter what,
remember that I will always support you… Renner, you are truly one of a kind. Someone who
could actually bring a change to this world.' Was this his collective spirit speaking, or maybe
something else entirely? Satoru himself did not know the answer.
{Climb's P.O.V.}
After almost 20 minutes of waiting, the mass of people finally dissipated. As the situation became
calmer, he heard Edstrom release a sigh of relief as she jumped down from the side of the building
that they used to avoid the panicking mob.
As his feet at last touched the ground, Climb, for the first time since what seemed to be an eternity,
finally felt somewhat safe. Then, a sharp pain immediately invested him with the power of a
dragon's tail. His left arm hurt like hell, and he couldn't even move it. 'Is it broken?' he wondered in
pain.
"Wow, that was something… remind me to never agree to work amidst crowds again, ok Climby
boy?"
The busty tan skinned female assassin grumbled as she examined her scimitars.
"Shit! These two are totally bent! It is a miracle they didn't snap under our weight! Oh well, I will
need new ones I guess…"
She continued, speaking more to herself than him. But her comment reminded him to check for his
own equipment. He fortunately still had his enchanted dagger. That was a really good thing since it
was equipment given to him specifically for this mission, meaning that if he lost it, he would have
to repay Seven Hands in full for the value of the knife. His light leather armour seemed to be just
roughed up a little. Nothing to worry about.
"Edstrom, I think my arm is broken."
He said, as another wave of pain invested him.
"Oh, you sure?"
She asked as she closed the distance between the two of them and began to analyse his arm,
eliciting a growl of pain from the boy as soon as she poked his left arm.
"Uhm, I think you are right. Try not to move too much. We can fix it at the base."
She suggested as he nodded. Seven Hands had their own healers, separate from the church, of
course. A broken bone was something that could be healed in half a day.
"I think we should try and find the rest of the squads, or at least return to the base to give our
report."
He finally said. Edstrom just shrugged and nodded.
They started to walk by the side of the square. Speaking of said square, it was a mess… trampled
dead bodies lay everywhere and some, still alive, could be heard moaning in pain or even crying.
A gelid sense of dread crawled up Climb's spine at the sole thought of being one of those bodies.
He surely had to properly thank Edstrom later. 'Maybe offering her something to drink will do.' he
thought.
They didn't even walk for a minute when something, or would it be best to say someone, attracted
his attention. Between two barrels, curled up into a ball, was a brown-haired boy he knew far too
well.
"Cris?"
He asked in shock, but the 15-year-old boy didn't seem to hear him as his gaze remained fixed into
nothingness. Edstrom too had stopped and was now looking at the brown-haired teen.
Cris was one of their team's members. They usually had missions together, and he was Climb's best
friend.
The older girl immediately went to him and tried to take him out of his dazed state by shaking him
lightly.
"Hey Cris, it is us, Edstrom and Climb! Hey! Where is Rina? She was in your squad, right? C'mon
boy! Get out of it!"
As she spoke her shaking became more violent, forcing the boy to finally acknowledge her
existence.
"E-Edstrom…"
He muttered lowly, as tears began to gather in his eyes. Seeing the state he was in, the silver haired
girl hugged him as she tried to comfort him.
"It's over now, it's over… where is Rina, she was with you, wasn't she?"
She asked as the boy's sobs got louder.
"W-We were in t-the middle of the c-crowd when that m-madness began… w-we tried t-to flee b-
but… R-Rina… she…. s-she f-fell! I-I tried… I tried t-to help h-her!... I t-tried…"
The boy explained as he cried. Climb could not believe it. There was no way Rina was… was…
Gods! He could not even say it in his head!
Rina was the last member of their merry band. She was the kindest soul he ever met. She was just a
support caster who would never even hurt a fly. She worked with Seven Hands just because she
needed money to heal her grandpa who cared for her since his mother died and her father fled to
who knows where.
There was no way she was dead. 'Its not possible! THIS ISN'T REAL!' as he felt new tears gather
in his eyes that had nothing to do with his broken limb. He rushed away from his two companions.
"Climb!"
He heard Edstrom's worried voice call for him, but he didn't care. He just had to find her. She was
probably injured somewhere in the square. Yes, that was it! She couldn't move and needed help!
Cris was too agitated to be accurate about what he saw!
He ran through the square, uncaring of the cries around him. His broken arm dangling on his side.
It hurt. It hurt like hell, but he didn't stop… he didn't care! And then he saw her, unmoving on the
cold ground, her blond hair still in a ponytail like always. He ran toward her, and the closer he got,
the slower he ran until he was simply walking toward the figure on the ground.
The girl's arms and legs were bent in unnatural positions. Her head was half crushed in two points
and blood was still slowly coming out. But what truly brought Climb on his knees was her face.
Her once beautiful face was showing a broken nose and cuts all over it. One of her eyes was broken
and a mixture of blood and other liquids was coagulating on it while the other was just fixed on
nothingness. Her mouth was still fully opened in what seemed to be a gasp or maybe a silent
scream.
Climb didn't know when his legs gave out and he didn't care. He didn't know when his vision
began to go blurry due to the tears flowing down his face but, once more, he didn't care. He didn't
care even when he felt a gentle hand grasp his shoulder. He didn't care about the comforting words
his companion was saying.
The only thing he cared about was the broken body before him. The lips that many times curled up
in a smile directed at him. The eyes that showed only a kind pure soul behind them. The hair he
loved so much and wanted to touch but never had the courage to.
And then came the pain. If he thought that his broken arm hurt, he wasn't prepared at all for what
came next. An unbearable pain his body refused to release even through screams. The giant
boulder of despair that just dropped on his chest, kicking out all his breath.
'Why… why did this happen again… I promised… didn't I?... I promised to myself that this would
never happen again! Not after mother!... I didn't want to lose any more people I loved! So why?!
WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING AT ALL?!' he cried out, as despair took hold of his mind.
It took almost everything left in him to take his gaze away from Rina's horrible, mangled corpse,
his eyes staring into nothingness.
And just when he thought he was going to pass out, he saw it. A movement in the corner of his
vision. He focussed his gaze in that direction and his eyes widened.
Entering in a side alley were three dark, cloaked people, two of them helping the limping third to
walk. And in that moment, something inside him just snapped. He felt it surge through his body
like hellfire. A sensation that engulfed all pain and despair and continued to grow and grow even
greater and stronger.
And then he recognized it for what it was. Uncontrollable, unstoppable and unrelenting rage.
Without a word and with his teeth gritted like never before, he launched himself toward the three
men. The pain of a broken limb was just a minor detail in the back of his mind. He clenched his
hand on the enchanted knife, preparing to tear apart those bastards' throats even if it was the last
thing he did.
The men didn't even have the time to hear the noise of his steps before he was on them. Targeting
the limping one first and burying his knife in the back of his neck, making him gurgle and choke
on his own blood before falling forward.
The two other men immediately spurred around with their short blades drawn. The first didn't
hesitate to aim for the boy's head as he slashed but, being used to fast opponents due to sparring
with Edstrom, Climb easily dodged by crouching down. What he didn't expect though, was for the
second man to aim a kick to his chest that he barely managed to block with his good arm.
Taking advantage of the unbalanced position his opponent was in, due to the blocked kick, Climb
surged forward and plunged his knife in said man's guts, eliciting a pained grunt from him.
What he missed though, was the first man slashing at his exposed back cutting through his light
armour and opening a large wound on his back. Taking advantage of this, the man with a knife
stuck in his guts kicked the boy, making him fall on his back as the wounded man jumped on him.
"DIE! YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
The man screamed, as he prepared to finish Climb with his blade, but he couldn't even begin his
final strike before a kick connected with his head, sending him tumbling on the ground away from
Climb.
His saviour was, of course, the silver haired young woman who now wielded two scimitars in her
hands.
Before the only standing enemy could even think about escaping, the woman was already on him,
slashing left and right. But Climb didn't care about that. The only thing he wanted was for all of
them to die. And even unarmed, he will do it no matter what.
Through sheer determination gifted to him by his unwavering rage, he slowly stood up and crawled
toward the downed man with a knife in his guts.
The man lied there, with his gaze facing the sky, probably dazed by the kick to the head he just
received. Not like Climb cared.
The blond boy jumped on the man's chest, earning a groan of pain from him. 'YES, SUFFER!
YOU BASTARD KILLED RINA! IF YOU DIDN'T EXIST! IF YOU WOULD JUST HAVE
DIED! RINA WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!' as his mind continued to ramble in an enraged state,
his body moved on its own as his right hand found a pebble on the ground.
He grasped it with all the strength he could muster and rose it toward the sky. 'DIE! DIE! DIE!
DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!
DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!...' that was the only word his mind could come up with to
describe his desire as he brought down the pebble on the man's head. Once, twice, thrice and more,
many more times.
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
*BAM*
*CRUNCH*
He had no idea how much time passed but at a certain point, he felt the pebble shatter in a
thousand pieces. But that didn't stop him. He continued to hit that bastard's head with his fist until
someone grabbed his arm.
"CLIMB! STOP! HE IS DEAD! HE IS ALREADY DEAD! PLEASE STOP!"
Edstrom's alarmed voice echoed in his mind as his gaze slowly descended on the man's head or, it
would be better to say, the mushy mixture of bone, blood and brain that remained of it.
In that moment, he felt all the strength, adrenaline and rage leave his body as he fell forward only
to be stopped by two gentle, warm arms that wrapped around him as they lifted him from the dead
man.
"Gods, you are bleeding out! We must hurry!"
The worried voice of the woman said in alarm as she began to run with his unmoving body in her
arms.
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the orange sky as the sun descended behind
the structures around the square.
Chapter End Notes
BOOM! Longest chapter yet! Kukuku… I hope you all liked it. This time I truly gave
it my all to try and make it as good as I could. Hope you all felt the emotions there!
And so, the tale of the fallen knight turned assassin continues! And what will happen
now that the Noble Faction's plan failed? Whose head is going to roll? What does
Renner hope to gain from this? And is Satoru ever going to fully understand the
monster currently sitting on his lap?
This and much more in the following chapters of TWTS!
Reviews are the author's fuel, so no matter if long or short, make sure to leave one!
PS: My beta Don-Orbit is currently working on a new story "Goblin Avenger", a very
unusual take on the Goblin Slayer's world. Make sure to check it out and maybe leave
a review.
PPS: The crowd scene was not exaggerated. Being inside a panicking crowd in a
closed environment is literal hell! I assure you! And yes; the whole thing was written
to seem ultra-chaotic, what happened in that square will be unravel in the next, and
last, part of the Grand Conspiracy. So, yeah, if you are confused about certain things,
it is normal.
Thanks for reading and till next time! Stay safe!

Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Welcome again to a new chapter, the great delay in publishing this was due to personal
RL reasons, and let this statement be enough. This story is not dead and I have no
intention of abandoning it, I still have so much stuff planned out.
Apart from that, I have nothing else to add but a little clarification. My intent in the last
chapter wasn't for the readers to feel bad for what happened to Climb's friends. I only
wanted for you all to get a grasp on what is happening in his life and how he is
changing and why. I say this because I saw people in the reviews say how they didn't
really care about those guys (and in fact that wasn't my point as I explained above).
That said, before I leave you to the chapter, I wanted to ask you all a question. I was
thinking about writing some stuff around this story (like one shot about side characters
or events that didn't affect the story). Of course, I would publish them in another story
since I want to dedicate this one solely to the plot. I was thinking about some names
like "TWTS: Side Stories" (yeah pretty lame) or "TWTS: Shards of the Continent".
Let me know what you think about the idea and, if you feel like it, propose a name.
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
The blond beauty sipped her daily cup of tea with great gusto as she enjoyed the silence of the
evening and the relaxation that came with a job well done.
It has barely been more than a day since the uprising and the attempted coup, but the city was
already returning to its previous peace, even if the tension was palpable down in the streets.
The gorgeous woman put her now empty teacup back on the table as she refilled it once more. All
considered, their counterattack went well, considering the short amount of time they had to plan it
out.
The King survived with one minor injury. She already heard from her spies how he was
immediately treated by priests as soon as he reached the castle. That was relieving news. Who
knew what chaos and madness would have befallen the capital if the coup succeeded?
Still, it was a shame how many good men they lost in the attack. They managed to stop the
assassins stationed inside the crowd of protesting peasants, but the forces they stationed on the
rooftops were overwhelmed and that resulted in the King's injury. The archers should have done a
better job since they didn't have a second shot once Seven Hands' agents started shooting fireballs
at them.
From there the battle was short lived. The massive use of spells ended up destroying most of the
square and in the death of most of the assassins.
At least the only casualties on Seven Hands' part were just cannon fodder. They even managed to
capture a couple dozen of the assailant forces. They were now in Cocco Doll's hands. After his
recent fuck ups, he needed to show his usefulness once more if he didn't want to be replaced.
Her good mood was only reinforced by the report she just received from Mato. Apparently, he
finished the recruiting, and she was delighted to hear how almost every Talent Holder accepted the
offered contracts.
In a few years this would give their organization a boost in strength. She doubted that even the
united Royal and Noble Factions would be able to stop them by that time.
Those reports, finally, were good news! She even got Satoru's praises for a job well done,
something that warmed her heart even further.
So, yeah, Hilma Cygnaeus' life was going very well, and she was ready to reach even further
heights alongside her beloved patron.
{Marquis Raeven's P.O.V.}
Of all the things Raeven expected when he reached the capital, a quiet city was not one of them. It
was almost unreal how people just went around doing their business mere days after the death of a
King and a Prince.
Imagine his stupor when said Prince greeted him at the Royal Palace before bringing him to meet
said dead King, who was still very alive.
Of course, all his surprise was contained inside his head, while his face remained an icy mask with
a constantly pleasant smile plastered on it.
"Your Majesty, it is a blessing to see you safe and well; second Prince Zanac filled me in on the
details of what transpired a few days ago. My word! It is unheard off! To attempt on the life of the
Royal Family while your line guided us since the founding of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
He said while bowing before the throne where the King sat.
"If I had word that the situation was so grave, I would have ridden at night as well to reach the
capital sooner."
He continued in a serious tone.
"Your worry is appreciated Marquis. Even if you weren't in time, I am sure your troops will be of
great help in stabilizing the city during these uncertain times."
The King said in a clearly tired tone. 'It seems like his body, while healed, is not so young
anymore.' The Marquis thought, as his cold eyes scanned the King's form before making their way
toward the prominent members of the Royal Faction who offered him no sympathy, but only
suspicion and distrust.
'It was to be expected. This is indeed a major setback; it will take many months, if not years, to
earn their favour again… such a pain… but most importantly… who is this new player on the
board? And what do they want, I wonder?' he asked himself.
Even if the King didn't say anything, he was well aware of the unknown faction that acted
immediately to stop the assassination attempt. It surely wasn't the Royal Faction and most of the
Noble Faction either didn't knew about it or didn't have the means nor the interest in interfering.
'There is a wild card here, and if I don't want to risk major damage, I will have to get information
on them' he thought as he took his place in the court.
'Who do they serve? The king? Unlikely. They would have emerged years ago otherwise… Zanac?
But if so, why save the king? It would have been better to use that opportunity to assassinate
Barbro and let the king die so that Zanac could ascend the throne…' his eyes passed for a moment
on the two Royal Princesses present at the moment. 'The eldest is yet to marry; but there is no way
for Marquis Pespea would know about the attack… the second is not even betrothed, who would
try to make her queen? It would be madness to think to support her! She doesn't have any talent or
mind for the court and, even if she had, they would have to kill every other member of the Royal
Family first.
As the court continued their senseless discussion his mind was still working itself to exhaustion
just to understand what this new faction wanted. 'I may need to lay low for some time. It is not wise
to play with a knife in the dark… maybe I should begin to think about a possible bride to gain
favour with the Royal Faction…' he continued to analyse his situations for hours to come.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
It all went according to plan; the kingdom was still standing, and her father was still alive. Not that
she cared much about that, but she needed her position as Princess for the future. This way she
could continue to be a valuable asset for Satoru and help him reach his goal.
A little more than a year ago, she would have just let them all die and be done with it. She would
have just disappeared in the chaos to seek something worth her time. But now it was different. Now
she had something… someone she wanted to cherish for her whole life.
'How the mighty have fallen…' she thought, but instead of bitterness, she felt happiness. Who
would have thought that those foolish romantic novels had some sense behind them? 'No one can
control the heart, and no one chooses who they love' those were words she considered foolish at
the time she read them. Now she knew what they meant; she could not stop loving Satoru. No
matter what, her heart longed for that affection that only he could provide.
'A lovesick little girl' she thought again in more amusement than disdain.
She was aware of her situation. How her love clouded her rational and cold mind with its heat
sometimes, but she could not stop it even if she wanted. She lived for years in a worthless cold
world, but now the world became worth something, and it held a familiar warmth to it. She knew
that the change was due to Satoru coming into her life; like a chance encounter meant to happen.
As if it was written into the stars, eons before her own birth.
She giggled as one of her true smiles blossomed on her face; now she truly sounded like some
lovesick girl. But what girl wouldn't love a man like Satoru? Only he could gaze inside her heart
and understand her like no other ever did. Her heartbeat began to quicken as her mind wandered
into her secret section where she hid her most unspeakable desires.
She slowly and diligently removed and folded her clothes until she was stark naked. She quickly
got into her and Lakyus's room's bed and blissfully fell asleep as her mind wandered in all kinds of
directions.
{Cocco Doll's P.O.V.}
He fucked up, badly. He was aware of it, as much as he was aware about the consequences of his
actions. While not all faults fell on him, he was still responsible for the brothels and the spying
division.
For the last few days, he felt constant fear consume him; a fear that at any time an invisible blade
would cut his throat and be done with it. Even if he couldn't see it, he was very aware of the
chilling sensation his wraith emitted. An aura that affected not only him but all around him,
something he quickly learned to use to his advantage.
The chill seemed to intensify over the last few days. He wasn't aware if it was the wraith's, the
coming winter's or his own fear's fault; he only knew that it got so bad he could not bring himself
to sleep at night anymore.
He has always been a pragmatic man. He had to be to survive inside Eight Fingers. He saw
potential in anyone not caring about their lineage or former status. He had a good nose for profits,
no matter the amorality of the business. It was for that reason, alongside his good relationship with
Hilma, that he managed to adapt so well to the change in the pyramid.
He dares say that things were going even smoother than before the change. He had a very large
monthly pay for his job and did not have to worry about the threat on his life as long as he was
loyal. He got relaxed, overconfident, in the last few months. He should have known the risks of
some of his latest implementations.
It all crumbled down in a few hours; all his work and ambitions reduced to cinders. And all
because some bastards could not control their own ambitions.
Oh, but he would make them pay! Not only for indirectly threatening his life, but also to show how
useful he could be to that monster once more.
He spent the last days doing just that; gathering information to know the names of those who were
behind this whole thing; and then deliver them to that monster on a silver plate.
As he descended to the deepest dungeons of his estate, he could hear the pained moans of the
recent prisoners who were tortured relentlessly to know who sent them.
'But torture did not break them. This left only two other options available. Either they were trained
elite assassins, something he doubted, or someone held hostage something they valued more than
their lives… which is something both sides can exploit…' he summarized in his mind as he tried to
shake off his tiredness.
"Open the cell."
He ordered to one of the masked torturers who stood guard before one of the steel reinforced doors
that led to the torture chamber.
Said guard didn't say anything and only obeyed, probably already sensing his impatience and,
probably, the chill emanated from the invisible undead.
The cell was mostly empty with only a few magical candles giving off just enough light for him to
identify six figures bound to the icy stone wall by metallic shackles.
They were stripped naked and most of their bodies have been brutalized, as if rabid dogs were let
loose on them. But to a more adept eye, it was very notable how all the vital areas were carefully
avoided while the sensitive ones were the most ravaged.
"Good evening scum."
He began with an emotionless tone that managed to attract the attention of the six tied men.
"I am not here to torture you, no… instead I'm here to deliver you good news!"
His statement only managed to gain more attention from the prisoners, exactly as he wanted.
"The good news his that you are not getting tortured anymore… we are just going to kill you
now… do not worry it will be quick and painless… if you cooperate."
He elaborated, and even if he could not see them, he was sure that their eyes were now filled with
fear. But seeing as no one interrupted him, Cocco Doll continued.
"You see… we didn't know what the lords of the Noble Faction could ever offer you lot for you to
sustain our worst tortures and still not utter a single word… so we are here to give you all a…
counteroffer."
He said with some venom in his pleasant voice.
"In the last days, I sent various parties scouting in the territories of the most powerful members of
the Noble Faction; they were instructed to inquire about men between the age of 20 and 50 who
disappeared very recently without leaving a single trace… to say we got quite the list would be an
understatement… Now I'm going to tell you all the names we found so far."
Cocco Doll continued, for the first time in a week he felt like he was in control again. It was nice,
to be able to bask in the stench of fear and uncertainty once more.
He took out a list from a hidden pocket in his elegant dress.
It didn't take much for him to read all the 147 names they gathered in just a few days. The dim
light did not allow him to see their expressions, but he clearly saw some of the prisoners' bodies
shake at some point.
After he finished, he slowly folded the list and put it back in his dress. He took a small pause to let
the prisoners digest everything before dropping his final statement.
"Now… I gave order to track down every relative of these mysteriously disappeared men… all
their parents, wives, children, grandchildren and even distant relatives if needed… you know about
Count Lynet right?... Well, you will be happy to know that he got it easy compared to what we are
going to do to those poor people we tracked down… unless we get some names that would make
our current target shift from those poor, innocent people to the true masterminds behind this whole
thing."
As he spoke, he was elated to feel an icy air of dread engulf the torture chamber. 'Every man can
be broken… for some it may just take something different than others…' he said, satisfied by the
effect he caused.
It didn't take long for the men to start talking. After he got everything, he proceeded to have them
killed and replaced with new ones.
By the next morning, there were no more prisoners and an uncovered plot laid bare before him.
Now Cocco Doll was grinning from ear to ear like a madman. He was sure that with the vital
information and names he got, his position and life would be safe once more.
{Rampossa's P.O.V.}
The King of the Re-Estize Kingdom was in his personal solar, gazing out of the window on his
capital.
His shoulder still itched from time to time reminding him of the events that transpired a few days
before. It has been an eye-opening experience, something the King would not so easily condemn in
its entirety.
Of course, this wasn't the first wound he sustained in his life. When he was but a prince, he got
wounded during spars and even in a few battlefields. But those days were long gone; lost into the
ages and decades of reign behind him.
At the time those wounds he sustained reminded him of how much he was alive and pushed him to
do more. Now, this single wound showed him how he was vulnerable and being aware of it
brought fear to his old heart.
But the fear he felt was not for his own death, but for what he would leave behind once he was
gone.
He wasn't blind to his first son's many flaws. He could be an inspiring commander during a battle,
but he would be a terrible king during court. His second son, while still young, held more promise,
but his form was as awe inspiring as a dull rock on the side of the street. And nominating him as
his heir would just cause war between his two sons.
Only now he was fully realizing how bad the situation was, and his mind and heart could not stop
wandering toward the figure of a certain young blond princess. She was indeed the most gifted of
them all. It was such a shame she was born this late. She wasn't even 10 and yet she was more
capable and already did more then all his other children combined.
He spent countless hours bedridden in the last days and that gave him a chance to think on how he
could avert the disaster that would be his first son's reign. And, in the end, he finally came up with
a possible plan, something that would require time and careful movements. It would probably be
what he spent his last years doing as King.
His plan was divided in three steps. First, he needed to help his son's reputation to rise among the
people and nobles alike. A King without followers was no King at all after all. Second, he needed
for his son to begin listening to his youngest. He was sure Renner would give him good advice on
how to rule outside the battlefield, as well as who to entrust and who to be wary of; that was surely
the hardest step considering the strained relationship between those two, not even counting
Barbro's pride. Third and final; he would have to strengthen the Royal Faction so that his son's
reign would not immediately fall in the grasp of the Noble Faction. His son needed powerful allies.
And that was exactly the reason why he was in his solar at the moment. He already consolidated a
strong alliance with Marquis Pespea with the soon to be marriage between him and his first
daughter.
But he needed more, much more than political power. He needed actual raw power to contrast all
opposition. No matter how beloved a King was, he would still fall without an equally strong army
to sustain him.
He had no doubt about Gazef's loyalty, and he hoped that by the time the Warrior Captain would
become old he would already have found a worthy, and equally loyal, successor. But there was one
more power he needed to ensure his son's reign; a rising power his own younger daughter made
him aware of, a power unchecked and uncontrolled by any faction at the moment. A key to a
peaceful future.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock coming from his solar's door.
"Come in."
He said and immediately the door opened revealing two servants and his second daughter,
Alysanne. She was the only one of his children to have inherited her mother's purple eyes; and the
more he looked at her, the more his heart ached at the thought of his lost first wife.
The servants placed tea and cakes on the table before bowing and leaving, closing the door behind
them.
Without waiting for an invitation, his second daughter sat on the comfortable sofa, her long light
brown hair flowing behind her in an elaborate style.
He followed her seating on the opposite sofa and inviting her to indulge in the food and drink with
a gesture.
Silence reigned for few minutes around them; he had, of course, already prepared how and what he
wanted to say; but now that he had his young 15 years old daughter before him, all became ten
times harder than before.
How could he deny her the future she wanted? To lock her in a political relationship she may come
to hate him for? How could he say it to her face when she reminded him of Catherine so much?
They were so similar he could think his lost wife had reincarnated as his daughter.
Luckily for him the first to break the silence was her.
"So, what did you call me here for father?"
She asked in a flat tone as she sipped her tea.
"I… I wish to speak of your future."
He began as he planned out in advance. That statement managed to bring a look of surprise on her
face.
"I… I see. Well... I imagine I had to expect something like that sooner or later… will I have time to
get acquainted with my husband?"
She asked as curiosity took over the initial surprise. He was a little taken aback by how quickly she
caught up with the situation, but then again, he was never concerned with his daughter's education
and he imagined that all of them were aware of what was expected of them as members of the
Royal Family.
"The wedding is deigned to occur upon your reaching 18 years of age. That is unless your husband
desires to anticipate the wedding. You may utilize this time to learn of your intended."
The young girl seemed pleased by the notion as she eagerly nodded.
"Then, who is it that is intended for me?"
She asked in curiosity again cutely tilting her head to the right like a curious puppy.
The King mentally sighed as he braced for the storm to come.
"He is a leading member of the Merchant Guild that controls most of the coins circulating the
kingdom."
He began as his daughter fell into a state of deep concentration, no doubt seeking into her mind the
name of a noble close to the Merchant Guild, but the King already knew she would not find it.
"He also controls the entirety of the Adventurer's Guild in the Kingdom in all but name."
He continued as his daughter began to think even harder about who such an important noble was.
"He is also the principal funder of the various Magician Guilds around the kingdom, even more
than the Crown itself."
At that statement, something seemed to click together inside the princess' mind but before she
could utter a word the king continued.
"The one intended for you is the 5th tier arcane magic caster, Satoru."
He finally concluded.
A moment of silence followed and then all hell broke loose as the young princess rose from the
sofa, her calm expression replaced by utter uncontrolled rage as she slammed both her hands on the
table, causing the two cups of tea to jump and shatter on the floor.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! NOT TO ME!"
She roared in a rage Rampossa never saw before.
"It is what must be done."
He said calmly as he tried to not let any of his internal emotions show on his face.
"NO! I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS! I WILL NOT BECOME THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE
ENTIRE COURT! I WILL NOT BE THE PRINCESS WHO MARRIED A COMMONER! A
WORTHLESS PEASANT!"
His daughter continued to rage and shout to his face.
'She is more concerned about his status than the age gap…' the king noted with a little bit of
sadness.
"He will not remain a commoner for long. I have already had the feudal contract drawn up for his
own demesne and its associated title. This is act to tie him to the kingdom for the period before the
wedding."
He countered as he stood strong before his daughter's rage. He could not afford to show anything
but firmness here. The slightest sign of doubt or weakness would be his downfall.
"FATHER! I-I… PLEASE! Please don't make me do this! I beg you! This is not right! I'm
supposed to marry a handsome noble… this cannot be true…"
She said as her voice became quieter, and tears began to gather in her purple eyes.
"My decision is final. This is what's best for the kingdom, and it must be done."
He said in a solemn voice that allowed for no more retorts. His daughter glared at him before
stomping toward the door.
"I hate you!"
She spat out venomously before opening and slamming the door behind her.
Only when the sounds of her steps could be heard no more, the King allowed his pain to show as
several tears fell from his eyes, only to end up keeping company to the broken shards on the floor.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
Satoru was exhausted. Not physically, of course. His exhaustion came from the mind instead. This
was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. It instead turned into a political nightmare. He had no idea
what was going on anymore. But since both Renner and Hilma said it went well, it must mean it
had.
He sighed loudly as he stared into the imperial city's night sky. It has merely been 5 days since the
whole attempted regicide thing, and he still was clueless on what the repercussion of such an action
would bring.
'Since no one important died, I hope all will be solved for when I return to the capital' he silently
prayed in his head. God only knew he had enough of this crap already.
'Maybe next time I will visit the Katze Plains. At least that is a dry dead land without any political
stuff going on… unless there is an undead king amassing an army of Death Knights in a tomb
nearby…' he chuckled at the thought 'with my luck I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened;
I can already imagine him, running around with his minions calling himself the King of Darkness
or stuff like that' this time he openly laughed at the absurd idea that was conjured into his mind.
'But I guess that even if I decided to visit the very hell itself, I would still have to deal with a
certain princess running after me' he thought with a hint of fondness.
Speaking of which; Renner was still a mystery to him. Even when he thought he finally figured her
out, she revealed a new shade of herself. 'Are all children supposed to be so voluble?' he wondered.
She could be such an efficient, cold-hearted machine sometimes. He knew that well. But he also
knew that she could be much more; she could be kind and bring joy around her if she wanted to.
She represented both contrasting opposites into one single being. Something so unnatural that it
wasn't hard to see why she scared him so much at the beginning. But then he learned. He learned to
read her and understand her viewpoints. And, in the end, he could not do anything but admire such
a unique existence, something impossible to replicate, the unnaturalness of nature itself.
She was what many would call a freak, or an abomination. He preferred to call it singularity. And
her singularity was what was bringing them all together; Lakyus, Gazef and even himself circled
around her like planets circled around a star.
After the initial reaction died down, he imagined her to be broken in some way; and, while she
surely was damaged in some way, that still wasn't it.
There was still something incredibly fascinating and scary about her. Something hidden, caged,
and ready to be unleashed. And not knowing what it was caused both excitement and fear in equal
measure inside the undead magic caster.
This bond the two of them created back then in that empty alley had been the beginning of
something Satoru never expected to experience before. He himself didn't know how to convey
what he felt into words. But one thing he knew for sure; he wanted to know where it led him in the
end. He wanted to know what kind of unique thing was hidden behind all those layers and masks.
His train of thought was interrupted when someone knocked on his door. He immediately stood up
and went to open it revealing none other than the Warrior Captain himself, Gazef Stronoff.
"Sorry to bother you at such an hour Satoru."
He said before said magic caster invited him inside his room, closing the door behind him.
Learning of the attempted coup brought great distress to the Warrior Captain and the signs of the
lack of sleep were beginning to show on his face. It took all of Satoru's and Renner's convincing
skills to stop Gazef from returning to the capital immediately after he learned of what transpired.
In the end, after a lot of political speech from Renner's side, Gazef finally gave up on his quest but,
instead, began to guard almost obsessively the young princess herself. Something that quickly got
on said princess' nerves, not that the Warrior Captain noticed those subtle hints. Those small glares
and tight gestures Satoru learned to associate with annoyance were totally lost to an untrained eye.
Or maybe he just spent too much time with the Princess and took up those hints unconsciously.
"Are you going to accept the invite Satoru?"
Asked the Warrior Captain, startling the undead magic caster who was lost into his own musings.
"Uhm… I think so, it would be rude to decline such an offer."
Said Satoru. After all, it wasn't all days that you got an invitation to a guided tour into the Imperial
Magical Academy done by none other than Fluder Paradyne himself.
"Then I will be there to guard the Princess."
Tiredly proclaimed Gazef; but Satoru, seeing where this was all going, stopped him by laying a
gloved hand on his shoulder.
"Gazef, I am your friend, and it pains me to tell you this, but what you are doing is hurting the
princess and even yourself."
He said, trying to make sense return to the knight who simply shook his head.
"His Majesty ordered me to guard the Princess with my life, there is no way I could allow-"
His words were interrupted by Satoru, who gave him a light push with his hand making the
Warrior Captain almost fall on his butt.
"See? You cannot even withstand a light push from me in that condition. What are you going to do
if there is an emergency? Your lack of proper rest is making you weaker and sloppier by the
hour… tomorrow you will rest, and I will guard the princess so that you may accompany us to the
academy the day after."
He concluded. But even then, the fire in the Warrior Captain's eyes did not subdue.
"That is not-"
The knight was once more interrupted by the magic caster.
"If you refuse, I will force you to sleep with my magic. No matter how much it pains me, I will
have to do it for your and Renner's sake."
Satoru said in an even harder tone than before. For a moment, it seemed like Gazef was about to
attack him but then resignation settled into his eyes.
"Very well… I will do as you say… take care of the Princess."
He said in defeat; Satoru nodded.
"Do not worry, I will guard her with my life."
He swore; the Warrior Captain gave him an approving look and a small, tired smile before leaving
his room.
'I really need a vacation…' the undead magic caster lamented in his head.
Chapter End Notes
And here we are! End of the chapter! Mostly an aftermath of the whole conspiracy.
Something to close the cycle but, do not worry, this event will still bring about
"things" in the future. I'm pretty excited to read your reviews and what you think about
all this information and hints to new, future plot points.
Someone seemed to be confused on Renner's fascination with Satoru and where her
"love" was born from, so I will try to explain it in short here:
The relationship between Satoru and Renner is complicated. It is true that Renner
admires Satoru's mind for business and magical power but that was never the reason
why she loved him in the first place. The true reason behind her love is how much he
seems to understand her and show her affection no one would before. Her love for him
comes from the fact that she feels like he is the only person capable of standing next to
her, not out of fear but out of respect and admiration.
All his other "abilities" are just bonuses in her eyes. Also, she is still a child, and as
many children, she seeks an adult figure to find inspiration from. (For further details I
suggest reading again ch.1/4/5/9/10).
I missed your reviews for this last month, so make sure to leave a ton of them! Long or
short a review is still a review! Let me know what your thoughts are!
Until next time! Stay safe!

A Demon, a Devil and an Undead at the Academy
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Yep, still alive and kicking. Too bad for the long delay. I would have liked to avoid it.
Oh, I will let you know that I am not having a writer's block or anything similar. The
problems that took me away from this story are totally external.
As always, I love you all, my dear readers, so I wanted to try and make up for this
chapter's lateness. Next chapter will come out in just a week (10 days max) from this. I
hope this news will make you happy and I hope this kind of long wait never happens
again. But yeah… life is a bitch sometimes and we gotta deal with it. Enjoy the
chapter!
PS: A VERY late Happy New Year to all of you!
The young blond girl walked down the corridors of the Imperial Magic Academy like she owned
the ground she was walking on. And who could blame her? Since the moment she arrived, she was
hailed to be the most gifted human the Academy has ever seen since Fluder Paradyne himself. Her
blond locks fell down her back like a golden waterfall. Her blue eyes scanned her surroundings,
meeting gazes of admiration, envy, and hate. But she didn't care about any of it. She had it all; a
Talent, a magical aptitude, beauty and, to top it all off, she was the heir of a Count, a loving father
who took great pride in his first daughter.
She glared at a group of first years who dared to ignore her as they passed by her. The youngsters
immediately felt the intensity of her gaze falling on them and immediately turned to meet her
piercing eyes. They were much taller than her but a simple look to the red robes she wore was
enough to strike fear in them and they immediately all bowed their heads in a silent greeting. The
young girl left before they could raise their heads. She had no time to lose with those wastes of
space.
This wasn't the first time she was underestimated due to her petite figure and young age, and she
got used to intimidating weak minded fools by now. She was a prodigy. Normally students could
only join the academy when they turned 11 but she, due to her Talent and magical aptitude, was
admitted at 8. In just 2 years, she got her red robes, signifying that she became a 2nd tier caster. But
the thing that truly managed to scare even the 3rd tier casters in the Academy was the brooch
pinned on the front of her robe. It was golden, with the Empire's symbol engraved in it with silver.
That rare item was the symbol of her status as a member of the Chosen Thirty, a group of
apprentices directly under the Imperial Court Wizard, Fluder Paradyne himself.
While the honour of being an apprentice of Fluder Paradyne was a great prestige, the Thirty also
got many perks from their position. One of which was to evaluate and possibly compile a request
for the expulsion of other students for solid reasons. Which meant she could get people expelled
for disrespecting her or accusing them of misbehaviour inside academic grounds.
She already did that once, when, a year after joining the academy, an older student tried to push her
around like she was some servant only because he was a 2nd tier caster. He went back home by the
end of the week. Since then, no one dared to try and defy or disrespect her.
As soon as she entered her private room, another perk of being a member of the Thirty, she was
immediately greeted by a brown-haired girl a bit older than her.
"Welcome back miss Arche; are Lord and Lady Furt well?"
She asked politely. Her name was Zena. She had brown eyes and wore a maid outfit. The small
metal collar around her neck represented her status as a slave.
"Everything is fine back home Zena. Father is as ecstatic as ever to hear about my progress and
mother is still recovering. The healers said that it wasn't an easy delivery, but she will recover
nevertheless."
The young Arche answered as she unbuttoned her traveling cloak, which covered her back and
arms. Zena immediately grabbed it and placed it away in her wardrobe. The brown-haired girl was
just 3 years older than Arche and her mother insisted that she accompany Arche during her time in
the Academy.
Arche herself wasn't sure why her mother was so insistent about it, but she complied, nonetheless.
She liked Zena after all; even if she was a slave, the two of them grew up together since Zena was
5 and she was 2. Zena's father was a farmer who owed Arche's father a lot of money and he ended
up selling his own daughter into, at the time, momentary slavery until he could pay his debts. That
didn't last long though, since after only 2 years he got himself killed in a brawl among drunkards at
an inn.
Zena became Arche's playmate, and the young noble grew fond of her older companion over time.
Nowadays, she almost considered her an older sister. That was until a week ago, when she received
a letter announcing the birth of her two twin little sisters. She immediately ran home to ensure her
mother's condition and see her siblings.
To say that it was love at first sight would be an understatement. She absolutely adored her little
sisters. They were just so cute, with their puffy faces and short blond hair so similar to hers. When
she was in the same room as them, they both always tried to get her attention while cooing so
cutely she couldn't resist picking them up to cuddle them. Unfortunately, she was too petite, and
her mother only allowed her to take them up one at a time.
"Anything new around here Zena? I hope no one tried to take advantage of my absence to do
something because, if that's the case, I will make sure there will be hell to pay!"
She declared, quoting one of her earliest experiences with boys trying to do disgusting stuff, like
kissing, with Zena, who, of course, didn't want to. The luckiest ones got only some burns while
others got directly expelled. She wasn't' known as the Demon Child for no reason, after all.
"Not really. Sir Mellion came and asked for your whereabouts. I simply answered that you were
away for personal reasons," the maid answered.
'Good that ass can die in hell for all I care!' she thought as the face of a not so skinny noble came to
her mind. He was one of her suitors. One of those her father considered before her Talent was
revealed. He had a good lineage, but he was totally unsufferable, thinking himself as the second
coming of Fluder Paradyne or something asinine like that. Of course, she already made it clear to
him and her father that they will never marry. No matter what. While her father seemed to be
receptive, the noble heir seemed only to get more persistent with his undesired advances.
"On the other hand, today Headmaster Fluder will come to visit the Academy alongside the
Emperor. The rumours say that they are escorting an important foreign magic caster for a tour of
the Academy."
At those words, Arche almost tripped as she was removing her heavy robes. 'Master Fluder is…
giving a tour to someone?... Alongside the Emperor… what the hell?... Master Fluder doesn't even
have time to train us but… he is here personally for this magic caster?' her mind wondered in
bemusement.
This must have been the talk of the whole Academy by now. Fluder Paradyne, famous for
delegating everything unrelated to magic to others, taking out time from his day to tour someone
around… with the emperor himself no less. This magic caster must be someone truly important.
'Didn't a magic caster from the Re-Estize Kingdom arrive a week before I departed?' she wondered.
At the time, she was so concerned about her mother giving birth to her siblings that she totally
ignored anything else, rumours and news included. 'Maybe I should give them a look?' She was
really curious to use her All-Seeing Eyes on them.
She was planning on getting some sleep after her journey back to the Academy, but now her
interest was piqued. She wanted to get to the bottom of this whole situation.
"Change of plans then!"
She said mostly to herself, even if Zena gave her a confused look.
"Zena, fetch me some lighter clothes. I'm going to search for Master Fluder and see this new magic
caster with my own eyes!"
She smirked. Yes, she will get to the bottom of this just fine.
{Imperial Magic Academy}
{Satoru's P.O.V:}
The undead magic caster marvelled at the sight of the Academy. He, of course, already saw the
impressive internal architecture during his previous visit, but, at the time, he was so early that the
Academy was almost empty, with only a few students still running around.
Now that it was almost midday, the Academy seemed like a completely different place from
before. Students running around to get to classes or who knew where, teachers trying to give order
to that chaos and, what seemed to be, servants or maids joining the fray while bringing around giant
piles of books. He was quite relieved that he could observe all of that from a safe distance, in a
corridor used only by authorized staff.
"As you can see, Sir Satoru, our Academy is very… lively during these hours."
The old magic caster, Fluder Paradyne, explained to him, answering his previous question about
why they didn't use the main entrance to enter the Academy. The masked undead nodded in
understanding.
"A valid point, Sir Paradyne. I am afraid I was too used to my old order, where they were very
restricted on who could join, and we never had such numbers going around."
Satoru elaborated, eliciting a glance from the long-bearded man.
"Oh, and how many were part of this order, if I may ask?"
He inquired with a not too curious tone but still interested enough to press for an answer.
"41 members."
He answered curtly.
"I see, a small group then, did you have a leader?"
The most powerful human magic caster asked.
"Not really, no. We always decided on what to do next by voting."
He explained, his mind returning to those good times, eliciting a spark of joy that was immediately
suppressed by the consequent pain of loss.
"More like a congregation then, a very rare organization to see these days… it reminds me of the
tales of old when magic casters formed small groups often in conflict with each other. Nowadays
we have only kingdom sized organizations. It is truly a shame. Competition always brought
advancement in the past," Fluder explained in his usual deep and slow tone. Satoru didn't comment
due to the foul mood that his friends' memory brought to him. In that moment, he felt a small hand
grab his larger and gloved one and squeeze it. He looked down, only to see the smiling face of the
diabolic princess looking up at him with one of her smiles, which lasted only a moment before
returning to a more restraint one.
He didn't know why, but that creepy smile brought some of his spirit back up. In just over a year,
he began to grow fond of her presence. He pushed to the back of his mind the memories of his old
guildmates and instead focussed on the present.
"Sir Paradyne, I can't help but notice the difference in attire of various students. Is there a meaning
behind it? Or are they just part of different classes?"
He asked, now curious to have the answer to something he noticed as soon as he entered the
Academy.
"Uhm, yes, there is indeed a meaning behind the colours… Blue robes are given to those who just
joined the academy, while green robes signify the proficiency of a magic caster with 1st tier spells,
red robes signify the student's proficiency with 2nd tier spells, black robes are given to the few
who reach a good level of skills with 3rd tier spells and finally white robes are afforded to staff
members and teachers."
The old man explained to Satoru who nodded.
"There are no differences in treatment due to age here. If a student is skilled enough at 13 to use
2nd tier spells, they will receive their robes while a 18 years old student may still be stuck with his
green robes due to lack of skill."
The older man elaborated as he guided the undead magic caster, emperor, princess, and young heir
to another area of the Academy.
"Wow!"
Lakyus exclaimed as they arrived at their destination. A giant hall not too dissimilar from the
previous one, but considerably less crowded, stretched before them. It was mostly made out of
white marble with what seemed to be a small circular arena in the centre. The ceiling was certainly
the most eye-catching part of the hall, since it shined with golden light which served to illuminate
the whole hall.
"This is known as the Ascension Hall, even if many students prefer to refer to it as the Hellzone."
The headmaster explained with a chuckle, but before Satoru could ask any question, Lakyus
intervened.
"Why such a dreadful title for such a beautiful area?"
She asked in clear confusion. The old man's eyes fell on her.
"Well, you see, young heir, this area is destined for those who desire to take the trial to show they
are deserving of new robes… those who succeed will get their new robes and reach a new status
inside the Academy… but those who don't risk expulsion if they don't show enough growth since
the last time, they attempted the trial."
He explained to a dumbfounded Lakyus while Satoru was nodding in approval. 'It may sound
harsh, but the system seems to be meritocratic at least. Much more than what I could say about my
school or company…' he mused internally.
"This system allows only the best of the best to be part of the magical force of the Empire. It is
also a safe method to avoid corruption since the jury of the test will be composed by not less than
10 teachers and all of them must agree on passing the student for the scholar to receive their new
robes."
Added the Emperor, who had mostly been silent for the entire time, apart from his formal greeting
when they first met earlier that morning.
"Then, what happens to a student after graduation?"
Asked Renner, who, like the emperor, had mostly remained silent during the whole tour. The old
magic caster took a moment to stroke his long white beard before answering.
"The fact is, Your Highness, that we don't have an official graduation from the Academy. At 18,
most of the students have already been expelled and joined the army or joined a group of Workers.
Those who remain, have already been taken as acolytes by some of their teachers who saw promise
in them… one way or another they all leave the Academy."
Instructed the 6th tier magic caster.
"Are you perhaps saying, Sir Paradyne, that nobles have no power on the Academy?"
Asked then Gazef, who remained silent in the background like a shadow, following them without a
word, his eyes never leaving the form of the princess.
"I can't say some haven't tried… Sir Stronoff, but I'm afraid… they found quite a bit of resistance
against their little word games here… this is a place of learning and progress, not some cheap
tavern where you can have all you want as long as you've got a few coins."
Answered the old arcane caster nonchalantly. If Satoru had to guess Gazef's opinion judging his
face, he would say that the Warrior Captain looked pretty impressed by the words of the Court
Wizard.
"Yes, yes, we are all aware of your dislike for noble titles gramps; you have made it clear enough
when you refused one from my father when he offered it to you."
Grumbled the emperor.
"Now, now, Your Majesty, we don't want to bore the guests with these boring political talks, now,
would we? I guess, it would be better to proceed to the internal gardens."
The old man said before turning and guiding them away from the great hall. Satoru was a bit
baffled by those two's relationship; the first time he saw them together, at that dinner, they didn't
seem so close. Now they looked like a grandfather and a grandson sharing a day together. 'First
impressions may be misguiding I guess… or the situation was too formal to let such a relationship
be openly shown? Well, in that case, I was not the problem since they just seem to act normal
around me now… maybe it was-'. His train of thought was interrupted by Renner's whisper.
"They don't seem to like nobles, do they?"
She whispered under her breath, giving form to Satoru's lingering thought. In response, he just
squeezed her hand gently to avoid giving voice to his thoughts on the matter just in case someone
could hear them. They may have been courteous till now, but Satoru knew better than to lower his
guard just because someone seemed to be friendly. Punitto Moe would have scolded him
relentlessly, otherwise.
The group of five moved down some more corridors, meeting only a few teachers along the way.
All of them bowed in respect to the Emperor and Court Wizard. Finally, they reached an arch that
gave way to an open garden where some students were laying around in the grass, relaxing or
reading.
"These are the internal gardens, a private ground where students can find some relief from their
usual… academic life."
The old magic caster explained. In just the few moments they have been there, some of the students
already noticed them and were either looking at them in amazement or whispering among each
other. As the noise was becoming louder and louder a new voice thundered over all the others.
"SILENCE! There will be no loud chatting here! You are no plebians inside an inn! You are
students of the most prestigious Magic Academy of the continent!"
At those words, every student lowered their gaze and fell silent. The one to shout was a middle
aged, tall, thin man, with blonde hair and a well-groomed moustache. After he made sure that all
the students returned to their previous occupation, he approached the group, deeply bowing first to
the Emperor, and then to the Court Wizard.
"Your Majesty, Lord Paradyne, I deeply apologize for our student's behaviour; they will be
punished for their actions if you wish so."
At those words, Fluder simply made a gesture as if to push aside the matter physically.
"Do not bother, Calais, there is no need for it. Let the sheep gawk at the wolves all they want."
The old magic caster answered with his usual deep and bored tone. After hearing the headmaster's
words, the man known as Calais, turned toward Satoru, inspecting him from head to toe with his
hard, leaf-green eyes.
"You must be Sir Satoru, from the Re-Estize Kingdom. I am honoured to meet such an esteemed
magic caster. Words of your prowess and exploits reached even the ears of the Academy more than
half a year ago."
He said in a cordial tone as he offered his hand, which Satoru shook.
"The pleasure is mine… but, I'm afraid, you find me at a disadvantage."
The undead said, eliciting a small smile from the teacher.
"Apologizes, where are my manners? My name is Ugulas Calais, also known as the Blind Snake. I
am a member of this esteemed Academy's staff and a 4th tier magic caster specialized in fire, ice
and lightning magic. I am also part of the Chosen Thirty under Lord Paradyne," he stated while
presenting himself.
'He must be an important man. I have heard of these Chosen Thirty before. The most talented
casters under the direct tutelage of Fluder himself… but what's with that strange nickname?'. Once
again, before he could give voice to his thoughts, Lakyus preceded him.
"Blind Snake? It's… a peculiar title."
She said in a mildly interested tone. The blonde magic caster spared her a glance.
"Oh yes, I have been given that title after being able to exterminate a pit of Basilisks with my eyes
closed to avoid their Petrifying Gaze; that was around 10 years ago."
He explained with some pride, eliciting an amazed and excited expression from Lakyus.
"That is indeed a great achievement! The battle must have been a sight to behold!"
That choice of words caused the magic caster to chuckle.
"Are you looking for magical instruction child? You certainly seem to have the spirit for it."
He asked, but Lakyus denied with a shake of her head.
"No, I'm training to be a swordswoman! But magic is still a very fascinating and respectable battle
style."
She explained and the man, surprising Satoru, smiled.
"Well then, a warrior who can respect the art of magic. Something more unique than rare these
days… if that is your path then let me give you advice; always aim for the hands. A magic caster
will be hard pressed to cast magic with an injured hand. The pain also helps in breaking their
concentration."
He explained to an attentive Lakyus, who nodded in understanding.
"Well then, it would be better for us to proce-"

Fluder's words were interrupted by a shout coming from the other side of the garden. The whole
group's attention was diverged to the noise; there stood two students, one with green and the other
with red robes. The green one was looming over the red one.
"DID YOU HEAR ME RANCE! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL! YOU BASTARD!"
The green one shouted. Calais immediately mobilized toward the students with a murderous
expression on his face. Lakyus decided to follow him and so the whole group followed her at a
distance.
"What do the two of you think you are doing! Do you think we are in a fish market!"
He roared. The green student turned, only now realizing the teacher's presence.
"M-Master Calais! I-I apologie! But this bastard must answer for his crimes!"
The student stuttered out; the teacher rolled his eyes before addressing the red student.
"What did you do this time, Rance?"
He asked in a tired tone.
"I did nothing wrong."
The red robed boy defended himself in a lazy and relaxed tone, as if this was a common
occurrence.
"Don't you lie! You bastard! You defiled my betrothed! Celine!"
The green boy shouted as his hood fell off revealing a dark brown mane and enraged blue eyes.
"Who?"
The other boy, Rance, asked in a bored tone.
"CELINE! My fiancée! Long brown hair and green eyes!"
The green boy exploded in exasperation. In that instant, a light of realization seemed to pass
through Rance's eyes.
"Oh yeah, I remember now… she was quite a wild ride!"
The red boy exclaimed before being grabbed by the robe by the green one, even more enraged than
before.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
The brown-haired boy roared as the hood fell from Rance's head revealing platinum white hair and
green eyes.
"Maybe you aren't able to satisfy her, Mountain. Maybe she needed a true man."
Rance taunted.
"IT'S MONTAIR! YOU BASTARD!"
But before anything more could happen, Calais decided to intervene and separated the two with a
spell.
"That's enough! Stop this madness at once! Montair, return to your room, we will speak about this
later! Rance, you go to my office, this time you are not getting away from this, no matter how good
you think you are!"
He ordered, but before anyone could move, a new voice intervened.
"No, that will not be necessary."
The slow tone of Fluder was low but managed to be heard over every other noise around him as he
advanced through the garden and stopped next to Calais.
Montair's face became as white as a sheet and even the playful Rance lost his grin as the legendary
magic caster entered his field of vision.
"A challenge was issued… and I think that this could be a wonderful occasion to entertain our
guests and show them the sparring area at the same time."
He said, as his eyes passed from one student to the other. Calais seemed like he wanted to say
something but refrained himself.
"So, what do the two of you say? Will you give us an entertaining spectacle?"
Asked the Court Wizard as the two students gulped.
{Jircniv's P.O.V:}
What a good stroke of luck, yes, this was truly a fortuitous coincidence, and, as expected, Fluder
immediately jumped on it. 'The old fox may be uninterested in politics, but he certainly still knows
how to play the game' the emperor thought in satisfaction.
With this, their plan would run even more smoothly and naturally than before.
'Soon, we will see your true colors magic caster'.
"Have you seen something that made you happy, Your Majesty?"
The voice of the devil disguised as a child reached his ears, making his small grin disappear. As he
turned toward her, his eyes avoiding hers at any cost.
"No, Princess Renner, I was simply amused by this unexpected turn of events."
He answered smoothly in his usual tone 'as long as we don't make eye contact, I will be fine' he
tried to calm his internal turmoil.
"Me too! Aren't we similar, then, Your Majesty? To think that someone would try to steal what
belongs to another, by using cheap tricks and showing off… really despicable…"
The devil said in her fake light tone. Something was wrong and Jircniv just couldn't put his hand
on it, until he understood 'n-no, i-impossible, how could she know?! This whole time…' as those
thoughts ran through his head a drop of cold sweat went down his spine.
"You…"
He whispered.
"It would be a shame for the empire to pick fights they can't win."
She muttered under her breath, as she passed Jircniv, only to join Satoru's side.
The emperor steeled his trembling hands 'I will not lose, even against a devil like you' he thought as
security returned to his mind. Who cared if she predicted his plan? That meant nothing if she
couldn't stop It anyway. That arcane magic caster will be his, and once he was… 'I will crush your
pathetic kingdom alongside you' the young emperor thought as his confidence returned to him and
a sly smile graced his lips.
And so, the demon and the gryphon began their silent confrontation.
{Arche's P.O.V:}
She searched the whole Academy up and down, but no trace of her Master could be found. 'He
must have used staff only routes to navigate around it, or… I am incredibly unlucky' but even as she
thought that she was pretty sure that the Headmaster walking around students would have caused
more than just a few rumors.
In that moment a newbie passed in front of her without even noticing her, which brought only more
irritation to her already annoyed self. She grabbed the back of his blue robes with her staff and
brought him back to her.
"And where are you going with all this urgency? Uhm?"
The student didn't even seem to be surprised or scared, just excited.
"Didn't you hear?! Rance and Montair are going to duel! And Headmaster Paradyne is there too!"
He said as he freed himself from her staff and ran away toward the sparring area. As her mind gave
sense to his words, her legs were already moving in the same direction as the newbie. It didn't take
long to see dozens of students doing the same, she even saw some 3rd tier caster use [Fly] to get
ahead of all the others.
She noticed that all the students were converging toward the fanciest arena, a small colosseum
created to mimic the one in the capital, but which could only contain 200 people at full capacity.
As one of the Thirty, she didn't even bother to try and use the main entrance and instead went
directly toward the VIP entrance guarded by one teacher she recognized as Calais. He looked
nervous much to Arche's confusion. She never saw him nervous before. He let her in without a
word, nonetheless.
The VIP room wasn't very large and the giant of a man she found herself behind after entering
didn't help. The man, or at least she assumed him to be so, wore a dark, hooded robe which covered
his entire body, his hands were hidden by a pair of metallic looking gloves and even his face,
barely visible from her position, was completely concealed by a dark mask with blue gems in the
place of eyes.
An intimidating sight, to be sure, but it was nothing compared to what came next, after the man
noticed her presence.
"Another student of yours, Sir Paradyne? They surely are persistent; she seems rather young
though."
His deep voice seemed to echo inside her soul as a chilling sensation washed over her. 'W-What is
this? I-I'm completely stuck! I can't move!' she panicked inside, as her body froze on the spot. In a
complete state of panic, she activated her Talent, and what she saw completely shocked and baffled
her. She saw nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a trace of latent magical power, which should
be impossible. Even the lowest and most unskilled person in the world still had a small trace of
magic. Even her newborn sisters had a small magical trace, but this man, no, this thing didn't. It
was like watching a white sheet. And that terrified her even more.
"Ah yes, my youngest acolyte. She is rather gifted, but I will have her sent away if her presence is
unwanted."
The voice of her mentor snapped her out of her panicked mind.
"Oh no, that will not be necessary, I see no reason for her to leave."
The man answered.
"Go ahead young one, go and join young Lakyus over there."
The man placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured toward an empty space next to a blond girl
slightly older than her. Arche forced her body to step away from the anomaly that was that man
and silently walked toward the empty seat.
"Are you a student here?"
The blond girl asked her with a smile. The heir of the Furt family just nodded. She didn't trust her
voice in that moment.
"Shh, Lakyus, it is about to begin."
She heard another female voice call out. Arche turned only to see a younger blond girl with ocean
blue eyes and next to her, the emperor himself. Her eyes almost bulged out at the sight; she didn't
believe she would meet the emperor like this. In her head, she was far more formal and composed,
and look at her now, a wrecking mess ready to blow up.
She averted her eyes from the people around her and instead focused on the arena down there. She
only saw this arena used once before. The combat area itself was made out of a black stone
enchanted to resist most low tier magic and a white circle delimited the border of the fighting area.
If a challenger stepped, or was sent, out of it, they would lose.
But that was very rare, since the arena was almost 30 meters in diameter, and very few used magic
so destructive that it would launch their adversary that far away.
Currently, two boys found themselves down in the arena. One she knew, the 2nd tier magic caster,
Rance Laffor, a well-known womanizer. A disgusting pig in her humble opinion, but even her
could not deny his good looks. The other looked quite plain in comparison. He could belong to a
minor noble family, but she wasn't sure.
The referee was one of the teachers she had less interaction with while in the Academy and she
couldn't remember his name.
"The duel issued by Montair Ivo Lais to Rance Laffor is about to begin!"
The referee announced loudly as the fully occupied arena cheered as one.
"Are you ready Mountain? Or are you pissing yourself already?"

Taunted Rance.
"I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU! YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
Roared back the now named Montair.
"3… 2… 1… BEGIN!"
As the referee announced the beginning of the duel, Montair immediately rose his wooden staff.
"[Magic Arrow]"
The magical arrow immediately formed and proceeded to shoot toward the red robed student who
just rolled to avoid it. That should have been impossible. Magic arrow could not be so easily
avoided by simply rolling aside.
"A rather cunning tactic, isn't it?"
She heard the deep voice of the terrifying man coming from her left. She glanced at him only to see
him seating next to her mentor who just stroke his beard.
"To use a taunt to distract the opponent and cast an illusion at the same time. Quite cunning, but it
relies to much on the temper and inexperience of the opponent; wouldn't you say Sir Satoru?"
The 6th tier magic caster asked to the now named Satoru, who just nodded in agreement.
"Really Mountain?! What is this? A children playground?"
Rance continued to taunt as Montair continued to cast [Magic Arrow] at him as the other student
proceeded to dodge every last one of them. Arche was a little taken aback. As a 2nd tier magic
caster, Rance should be able to end this pretty quickly. By using [Thunderlance] or even [Shock
wave], the opponent would not be able to protect themselves with just 1st tier spells.
"He is already getting tired; such is the burden of inexperience."
At those words uttered by the masked magic caster, her gaze returned to the two in the arena, and
indeed she saw a sweaty Montair forcing a continuous barrage of spells in hope of one hitting his
target, until he stopped as his mana decreased to critical levels.
"Are you done?"
Rance asked, this time in a more serious tone.
"Now it is my turn, isn't it?"
He continued as his tone got darker.
"You know… you are really unlucky… if this was just a normal spar, I would have just ended it
here, but since the most prestigious Court Wizard is watching us… I think I will just give a
demonstration of my power… at the expense of your life!"
Rance roared the last part for all to hear as he pointed the palm of his hand toward his opponent.
"FIREBALL"
As the student called out his spell, Arche gawked. 'How does he know a 3rd tier spell at that age?
Even the most gifted magic users are unable to learn a 3rd tier spell before being at least 16!' she
thought. The other boy tried to cast a 2nd tier spell known as [Minor Shield] to try and at least
absorb part of the coming damage.
But then, nothing came. The red robed boy just smirked as he put down his hand. Montair on the
other hand had completely depleted his mana and probably soiled himself in fear. A few moments
of silence passed before the noble heir fell on the enchanted black stone, probably unconscious
from mana exhaustion.
"The winner is Rance Laffor!"
Called out the referee as the red robed student just bowed toward the crowd spending a bit longer
while bowing toward the VIP box.
"A most surprising finale. I didn't expect a bluff like that."
Said Satoru as he applauded alongside the crowd.
"Yes, it was a fine tactic."
Agreed the Court Wizard.
"Still, to show off against a weaker and less experienced opponent. I would not count it as a great
achievement; he would make a fine actor though."
The masked arcane caster pointed out.
"Yes, I must agree. This was more of a spectacle to be appreciated by the inexperienced who could
not see the flaws in it."
Once again agreed her mentor.
Arche was surprised. She never heard her mentor use such a colloquial tone with anyone before.
'He almost behaves as if this Satoru was… his equal? But that… that would be impossible…
right?... how could an unknown magic caster equal in power the greatest and oldest human arcane
magic caster alive?' she assured herself, this must just be a cordial tone her mentor used with those
who weren't directly under him.
'Still, he has great skill and experience… I learned much today… and I must treasure it!... He still
remains terrifying though…' she thought as she glanced again at the masked magic caster with her
Talent, but still, she got the same result as before.
"All this fighting actually reignited these old bones' fighting spirit… it is always refreshing to see
youngsters compete against each other for glory and fame."
The Court Wizard stated with a small chuckle and an amused tone.
"Yes, indeed, these are the experiences that will help them grow. It is almost nostalgic…"
Added the magic caster known as Satoru.
"Well then, since we are in agreement, and it has been almost a century since my last exciting
battle, would you agree to a friendly spar here and now, Sir Satoru?"
Arche gawked as her mind elaborated her mentor words. Surprise graced the faces of the other
listeners and even the masked magic caster seemed to be taken aback by the older man's proposal.
One thing was for sure. This would not be a day easily forgotten in the years to come for the
Academy.
Chapter End Notes
And done! Fufufufu… cliffhanger! Oh well, there's good news though. You will just
have to wait a week for the next chapter.
Also, Arche-chan is here! And, oh boy, let's hope she is not getting on Bone Daddy's
blacklist again. Also, as you can see, this Arche is pretty special. She has already been
a noble for a year more than canon and she has not lost her title right now.
Well, that said, I know a lot of you will look forward to the duel between Fluder and
Satoru, so make sure to leave a review with your opinion or any thoughts about the
chapter. Remember, reviews are the fuel of authors and help us to go on and get
inspiration!
Till next time! Stay safe! And let's hope for a better 2022!
Spar under the Sun, Promise under the Moon
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
As promised, here is the next chapter you all were waiting for. The duel of the century
is here! In one corner, we've got a decrepit old man who wishes to see the Abyss of
Magic. In the other, a clueless undead who doesn't know better than to be excessively
paranoid about his own existence! In the stands, we've got a chuunibyou in the
making, a prideful boy, a psychotic girl, an overconfident caster and a perplexed
warrior!
What will happen? You will find out in the next… oh wait! You are actually finding it
out just down here!
Ok, ok sorry. I just wanted to fuck around in the AN since I didn't know what to write
here.
This came out early but I was blown away by how many reviews you left in just a day!
Thanks for the support! I hope to see the same or more for this one!
Oh well; enjoy!
Satoru was stunned. Of all the things he expected from the day, being challenged by the greatest
human magic caster to a… friendly sparring, was not one of them. The visit to the Academy has
been great so far. Finally, he was able to witness how magic was taught in this new world.
He still didn't know the details of the teachings, but since he presented himself as a 5th tier magic
caster, most people expected him to already know about it. Unfortunately, the only knowledge
about magic he possesses had come from a VRMMORPG and he knew how to use magic the same
way an infant knew how to eat and drink. In short; pure instinct.
He did not have the slightest idea of how magic actually worked or how to learn new spells, and a
confrontation between him and the Court Wizard would have brought many undesirable questions,
no matter the outcome. If he lost, he couldn't just use cheap spells or his reputation would be
ruined, not only in the Empire, but the Kingdom too, if word of the duel reached the wrong ears. If
he won, the outcome would have been even worse. By beating Fluder, even in just a spar, he would
attract the attention of the entire continent on him, and many uncomfortable questions were sure to
arise from it.
And so, the only logical, and less damaging, action would be to politely refuse.
"I think that is a splendid idea! Wouldn't you agree Lakyus!"
The blond princess exclaimed in a tone Satoru recognized as totally fake, but that could probably
fool many if they didn't know the princess like he did.
"That would be incredible! A spectacle of a lifetime!"
Joined her the young noble. Jircniv frowned at the eagerness of those two.
'Yeah, I would do that too if I had the skin to do so… the emperor mustn't be so happy about this
either, I guess'.
But now a new doubt arose in the undead's mind. 'Should I accept… Renner seems to agree with
the proposal… but why? She is smart. She must have thought about this whole thing… and she is
confident that the best option would be to agree… while I think the exact opposite… I would really
like to know what is going through your mind in this moment…' he thought.
It wasn't like he didn't trust Renner's judgement. She showed her genius side more than enough
during their meeting and through how she handled the attempt on her family's life for him to
recognize her superiority when it came down to planning. But still, this would be the first time he
would follow her blindly. Was he truly ready to do that step?
He looked down at said blond, who looked back at him with that simple fake smile of hers, but her
eyes, her eyes told it all. The absolute confidence, the undying admiration, the warmth he himself
brought into her life. And so, he steeled his will and jumped.
"I think a little spar would not hurt anyone, but still, you wouldn't mind making it a bet, would you,
Sir Paradyne?"
At his words, the old man actually smiled, or well, it was more similar to a smirk, like a cat who
just found a fat mouse to feast on.
"And what would you ask if you won, Sir Satoru?"
Gone was his placid and slow tone. Now he was fully intrigued by how the events were unfolding.
Satoru just took a few moments, as if to show that he was thinking about it, but instead he had
already decided a long time ago. 'I want the most valuable thing of all… of course!'.
"Well, I am still rather young and a scholar at heart. My simple desire is to have access to the most
possible quantity of rare knowledge you can provide."
Those words elicited a chuckle from the 6th tier magic caster who vigorously nodded in agreement.
"That's quite the unique request. Most would have asked for some position or even to become my
personal apprentice… but you, you ask for the chance to better yourself on your own instead…
Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"
Exclaimed the now excited old magic caster.
"In that case, if I win, I would like for you to teach at this academy for the remaining time of your
stay in the Empire."
Fluder countered. After a few moments Satoru offered his hand.

"It's a bet then."
He said as the Court Wizard shook his hand.
{Arche's P.O.V.}
The young blond noble could not believe this, and apparently the crowd of students who began to
leave didn't either. The referee just announced the spar between her mentor and that terrifying
magic caster. As soon as the words left the referee's mouth, the crowd immediately cried out in
shock and excitement as many students outside, who heard the announcement, began to forcefully
remove other students to pass and see the battle of a lifetime, forcing the teachers to intervene and
stop the various fights that started over simple seating places.
Arche herself could not believe it. She not only met her mentor and the emperor on the same day,
but she was about to witness a true show of the Empire's mightiest magic caster's magical prowess.
A dream come true for countless students. To see the true depth of the Abyss of Magic, as her
mentor calls it.
As the fights slowly died down and various students were forcefully removed from the stands, she
heard a voice coming from her right.
"Ah, Princess Renner. I am afraid this is not a good matchup in your favor. Fluder knows his fair
share about fighting, as many legends of the Empire circle around him."
The emperor said with a smirk, as he looked down at the empty arena. 'Princess?... is she royalty
from somewhere? I never heard that name before. It sounds like someone from Re-Estize or maybe
the Holy Kingdom?' Arche wondered as she studied the younger blond girl.
"Ah, Your Majesty, I am afraid you are sorely mistaken here. Satoru may be young, but he has
knowledge far surpassing his age. I am sure he could win given the chance."
The girl said. The confidence in her voice was almost enough to convince anyone her words were
true, but Arche wasn't anyone and she knew better than that. 'Utter foolishness. There is no way
some foreign magic caster could stand up to Lord Paradyne!' she thought, but remained silent,
avoiding causing a scene with a foreign princess.
"So, you are a student of Sir Paradyne?"
This time the question was directed at her, but instead of coming from the duo she was focusing on,
it came from the older blond girl. Arche turned toward her.
"Yes, I am a member of the Chosen Thirty, the acolytes of Master Paradyne."
She answered in a cold tone.
"Wow, that is so cool! And you are so young too! You must really be smart if you got here so
quickly!"
Her praise brought a bit of a smug smile on the magic caster noble girl.
"I possess a most unique Talent and tendency for magic; it is only a matter of time before I was
afforded such a position."
She inflated her ego even more with her own words, but that didn't seem to work on the older girl
as her previous genuine smile just faltered for a moment.
"Ah, I see… your Talent… well, I wish you good luck with that…"
The older girl paused a moment.
"My name is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, sole heir of Marquis Aindra from the Re-Estize
Kingdom."
She continued, introducing herself with a noble touch to her tone totally absent before.
"My name is Arche Eeb Rile Furt, heir of Count Furt of the Baharuth Empire."
Arche answered in kind to her introduction with her own. But before anymore could be said, the
referee attracted, once more, the attention of the entire arena.
"Presenting the challenger! Lord Fluder Paradyne!"
In that moment, from one of the entrances to the arena, the white robed magic caster entered,
slowly advancing toward the inner circle marking the limit of the fighting ground. The arena
erupted in cheers.
"And the challenged! Sir Satoru from the Re-Estize Kingdom!"
A polite applause welcomed the black robed caster as he entered from the opposite entrance and
joined Fluder inside the fighting circle. When they stopped, they were 15 meters apart, the usual
distance used for these kinds of duels.
"Are the challengers ready?"
Asked the referee. No one answered.
"Very well then. 3… 2… 1… BEGIN!"
As the referee announced the beginning of the duel, he immediately retreated from the arena,
surely hoping to get away from the barrage of magic predestined to come. The whole arena got
dead silent as all eyes focused on the two participants.
And still nobody moved. The two casters looked at each other, but nobody made a move. That
lasted almost a minute before, out of the blue, a magic circle appeared in front of Satoru, spitting
out a powerful looking [Lightning] spell, which was immediately countered by another [Lightning]
from Fluder, causing both spells to cancel each other out.
Just by that simple exchange, most of the crowd and even Arche were astonished. 'H-He didn't
even have to call out the magic… or use a hand to cast it… it just appeared out of nothingness…'
Silent magic was already a skill few were capable of, but using it on a 3rd tier spell was unheard of.
The simple level of mind focusing that such a move would require would be unreal, and would
leave anyone totally spent. 'And yet…' she noticed how the masked magic caster didn't even seem
to flinch a little.
Of course, she had no doubt that her Master could block a 3rd tier spell, but to block such an
unexpected attack was a completely different level.
"[Grand Fireball]"
The 6th tier magic caster announced his spell, as a giant ball of fire came into existence, rushing
towards his adversary, who simply stood there unmoving. 'What is he doing?! He can't escape a
4th tier spell!' Arche screamed in her mind, and true to her words, the spell hit the caster, exploding
in a river of flames that quickly died down.
As the smoke cleared, a gasp of surprise could be heard from the stand, and even Arche's jaw
dropped at the sight. The magic caster known as Satoru stood there, unaffected by the spell, as a
dome of purple energy surrounded him like a giant sphere.
Only one thing was on Arche's mind in that moment. 'T-these two are amazing!'.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
'OI! What the hell was that?! I thought this was just some friendly spar! The hell are you casting
AOE magic for?!' The usually calm undead raged in his mind against the older caster. He just
thought that this was going to be easy, just casting some 3rd tier spells before calling it a day. He
now knew he was sorely mistaken. The caster in front of him had no intention of holding back.
"I'm impressed, Sir Satoru. I do not recognize that spell. May you enlighten me on what it is?"
Asked the old man, as if asking about the weather. 'Of course, you don't recognize it! This isn't
even a spell! It is just my passive activating!... Now think Satoru… think!' The human turned
undead tried to give a plausible explanation.
"This is indeed a very rare spell to witness… it's called Dome of Gale, and it is a 5th tier spell…
that can absorb the mana of any inferior tier spell that touches it!"
He announced, as his mind was trying to come up with some more crap about it. 'Misinformation is
just a great tool sometimes… and it's not like I can tell him I have a passive skill that nullifies all
spells below the 6th tier…' he sighed.
As he looked at his adversary to see if he bought his crap, he was taken aback by the almost crazed
look the man wore on his face.
"To think… that such lost magic existed! I am really grateful for this revelation Sir Satoru."
The man said, as a large smile appeared on his face.
"Y-You're welcome…"
Mumbled Satoru, who had no idea how to answer that crazed look in the man eyes. 'Just focus on
the battle' he thought to himself.
(Boosted magic: Magic Arrows)
He cast the silent spell as 10 magic circles appeared in front of him, shooting magic arrows at the
target. Fluder on his part was taken aback by the spell just for a moment before countering.
"[Teleportation]"
He said, as he disappeared and reappeared just behind Satoru.
"[Grand Fireball]"
The explosion of his own spell pushed the 6th tier magic caster back, while Satoru faked flying
forward, before landing on his feet five meters from the arena's boundaries. The crowd exploded
into cheers at the sight.
'I guess they bought it… good. But I have no intention of looking like a fool' he thought, as he cast
(Lopsided Duel), a spell which countered [Teleportation] by teleporting the caster alongside the
target.
"[Grand Fireball]"
Satoru cast his spell loudly, just to lull the older caster in a false sense of security, and, as he hoped,
the 6th tier caster immediately teleported away, activating his counter spell and bringing Satoru
alongside him.
The human caster certainly didn't expect that, since as soon as he noticed Satoru behind him, he
tried to teleport again, but he was not fast enough.
"[Dragon Lightning]"
The usual dragon made out of lightning struck the old man's back, eliciting a grunt of pain from
him as he flew away using a silent [Fly].
Once he was at a certain distance, Satoru spoke.
"It isn't wise to use the same trick twice, Sir Paradyne."
He said, in his usual calm tone. Fluder just smirked.
"I guess not, but it is advisable to have a plan B to fall back to, just in case."
He said, as Satoru noticed the ground below him glowing red and blue. 'Crap! When did he set
mines?!' he thought as he used a silent [Teleportation] to flee just a moment before the ice and fire
mines exploded. 'Those must be 5th tier elemental mines… I didn't expect that… this old man is
dangerous. He surely has the experience. Unfortunately he lacks the power.' His train of thought
was interrupted by a [Dragon Lightning] piercing through the smoke screen and hitting him
straight.
He faked a grunt of pain while he didn't even receive any damage. He still had to maintain his 5th
tier magic caster persona after all.
He used (Invisibility) and (Fly) to rise into the sky unseen. He looked down at the old magic caster
that, while still hovering a meter from the ground, was still focused where he previously stood.
'Well then' (Twin magic: Lightning mine). Two small light orbs began to float in the sky until they
stopped around 10 meters above the Court Wizard. He flew down toward the smoke again and
dispelled his [Invisibility].
Without even waiting for the smoke to clear, he roared his next attack.
"[Iceball]"
The counterpart of [Fireball] shot toward Fluder who, instead of wasting mana, just used his ability
to fly and dodged the attack by flying up. 'As expected' he thought as his previously casted mines
began to glow before exploding. But the old magic caster noticed that and teleported away just in
time to avoid the explosion.
After reappearing, Fluder immediately turned around as if expecting Satoru to follow him again. 'I
already dispelled that spell. A trick doesn't work two times, but the paranoia it creates can be used
as a distraction.' As he thought that, he pointed his hand at the older man and cast [Magic Arrow]
once more and, again, 10 arrows flew toward the 6th tier magic caster, who noticed just in time to
put up minimal defenses in the form of a magical barrier.
The barrier could only withstand so much and 4 of the 10 arrows hit the target, forcing him down
toward the ground. 'Did I go too far? Well, he started it…' the undead defended his actions in his
mind.
As Fluder touched the ground, Satoru decided to speak.
"Ah, Sir Paradyne, shouldn't we stop now? We both received quite an amount of damage from our
exchanges, after all."
He said, as the older man dusted himself off.
"You are, of course, free to quit Sir Satoru, but it will be my win then. Do not underestimate your
elders. We may turn out to be far more durable than we look."
He said as he raised both hands.
"[Flaming Wave]"
A big magic circle appeared in front of the man as the 6th tier spell was cast, and immediately a sea
of flames erupted toward Satoru. 'AND YOU CALL THIS A FRIENDLY SPAR?! WHAT THE
HELL!' the undead said as he did the first thing that came to mind and used a silent (Fire
Resistance) spell on himself.
As the fire died down, he was not focusing on the battle anymore. The only thing he was interested
in was the tingling sensation he felt around his body. That was a first for him. 'Is this… how taking
damage feels?' he asked himself in wonder. It wasn't even painful. It just felt odd. He wasn't sure if
that was because of his undead nature or if the damage was so mediocre. He could not even feel
actual pain. Instead, just discomfort.
"That was… uncalled for… wouldn't you agree… Sir Paradyne?"
He asked, faking panting. The old man just looked at him, a certain degree of disbelief in his eyes.
'I didn't want to use this, but that move didn't leave me any choice' he thought in resignation. Of
course, he didn't spend a year in this new world without trying to create misleading information and
explanation if part of his true power was revealed.
He would have, of course, preferred to not have to do this, but he could not shrug away the fact that
he survived a 6th tier spell with minimal damage.
"I am afraid… Sir Paradyne… that my robe can protect me against many types of damage, and
fire… is among that list."
He said to the surprised magic caster, who closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and
looking intensely at him.
"That may be the case Sir Satoru, but then… why is my Talent not working on you."
Those words actually piqued Satoru's interest. 'So, he is a Talent holder. I should have expected
something like that.' He reprimanded himself for his carelessness.
"Oh, and what does your Talent do, if you don't mind me asking?"
The curious undead asked. He would very much like to know what type of Talent the most
powerful human magic caster possessed.
"It isn't really a secret, even more within the Academy. My Talent allows me to see the tiers a
magic caster can use, and when I look at you, I see absolutely nothing, even after you cast those
spells in front of me… I wonder why that is?"
The Court Wizard said, as he looked at Satoru again. 'Wow, thank God I have the concealing ring,
or, by this time, my cover would be totally screwed. But still, isn't that quite overpowered as a
Talent?' As a fighter who used brains and tactics, Satoru knew well the advantage of knowing the
power of one's foe freely, just by looking at them. 'Well, since I came out with the item excuse
already, I may come fully clean now' he thought as he prepared to answer but then a thought
immediately came to his mind 'IS THAT WHY HE WAS LOOKING AT ME CREEPILY ALL
THE TIME?!' he asked no one as his Emotional Suppression kicked in.
"Is that so? Then I may have an answer to your dilemma; you see, Sir Paradyne, this enchanted
mask, among its many enchantments, has one that blocks certain types of divination magic and
information magic. Your Talent could be neglected by the enchantment on my mask."
Lied the undead, who received a not so convinced glance from Fluder.
"That could be possible, but still… such enchanted items should be considered at least legendary. I
have no idea how you could come in the possession of such items."
He said, while Satoru internally chuckled at the irony of such an affirmation.
"Let me have some secrets still, wouldn't you, Sir Paradyne? Also, I must thank you!"
He announced, eliciting a questioning look from the older caster.
"And for what reason should you thank me, Sir Satoru?"
The 6th tier magic caster asked. Satoru chuckled loudly this time.
"Since you revealed your Talent with such eagerness, let me return the favor."
He paused for a more dramatic effect.
"My Talent is called Arcane Wisdom, and it allows me to instantly learn almost every arcane spell
that affects me positively or negatively."
As his lies sank in, the older magic caster's eyes widened, and his jaw even dropped a little. As if to
demonstrate the validity of his claim, Satoru pointed his hand to the side and called out the spell.
"[Flaming Wave]!"
Immediately, a copy of the previous spell cast by Fluder came to life. As the flames died down,
Satoru began to fake heavy breathing, as if the spell took much out of him. 'Distorting information
and feeding lies to possible enemies is the way to achieve victory after all; isn't that right, Punitto?'
Satoru rhetorically asked.
"So, you see, Sir Fluder, I must thank you; thank you for making me a 6th tier magic caster."
After his words, there were just a few moments of silence, as the whole arena quieted down from
the previous uproar. And then…
"AhahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
The roaring laugher of Fluder could be heard echoing around the arena as the man laughed quite
madly before pointing a finger toward Satoru.
"YOU WILL GO FAR, BOY! HARVEST ALL THE KNOWLEDGE THIS WORLD HAS TO
OFFER AND BRING US INTO A NEW AGE OF MAGIC! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT! HOW
FAR INTO THE ABYSS WILL YOU SINK, I WONDER?!"
After the outburst, the old man seemed to retain some manner of control and calmed down.
"This was indeed a good spar; I admit my defeat to you, Sir Satoru."
He said, as he prepared to leave before being stopped by Satoru's next words.
"I think a draw would be more appropriate, seeing the situation; what do you say, Sir Paradyne?"
Satoru tried to compromise. 'He is mad, but I still can't claim victory against him. The aftermath of
that would be a nightmare to deal with!' he cried out in his mind, hoping that the old man would
see reason and accept his offer.
Giving him a half-crazed smirk, Fluder nodded.
"So be it then!"
He announced before both of them retired and staff came down to repair the tremendous damage
caused to the arena.
{Emperor's Private Chamber}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The emperor of the Baharuth Empire was refraining from putting both hands on his face and crying
in frustration. Even here, in the intimacy of his personal chambers, he refrained from doing so.
'This whole thing was a disaster! But how was I supposed to know that this magic caster would be
so powerful?! And even gramps didn't help with that proclamation of his skill in magic! I must
absolutely put that caster in my service before word of this gets out of the empire!' he thought in
desperation. He could not allow one of the pillars of the empire to crumble like this. He could not
show such a blatant weakness.
To put salt in the wound, he still had the smug face of a certain third princess impressed into his
mind. 'That bitch!' he spat as his hands curled into fists. That pleasant fake smile and that
condescending tone she used while bidding him goodnight were infuriating. She clearly thought of
herself as above him. But he was the Emperor! And she was nothing but a foreign princess! He will
bring that caster to his side, no matter the cost!
As he thought that, he didn't notice his door opening and a familiar old man stepping into the
room.
"So… did you have fun gramps?"
The young emperor asked, half ironic, half annoyed with the man before him.
"Yes, yes, in fact, I learned far more than I expected from this short exchange."
Said the now calm magic caster, eliciting a grunt from the emperor.
"Then tell me gramps, was all that farce necessary?"
Jircniv asked again, while his eyes scanned the man before him, failing to read him as always.
"There was no farce, young Jir. Magic must be praised and respected above all, and that kind of
Talent is the nearest thing to perfection I've seen in a long time, maybe even my whole life! Think
about the possibilities such a thing would open to us! The ability to copy any spell cast on oneself!"
He exclaimed with renewed excitement. 'Here he goes again… he just can't control himself when
speaking about magic, can he?... but we are discussing politics here!' he sighed, frustrated with his
current situation.
"Damn it, gramps! This isn't about magic! This is about politics! If word gets out that you
acknowledged this man as your equal, the empire will lose one of its advantages against the other
countries!"
He finally exploded. But the old man didn't lose his composure.
"Oh, young Jir… let them think what they want. In the end, only someone idiotic would think the
two of us would go all out in a simple spar, in front of so many witnesses."
The old caster's words were well calculated, just enough to stop the emperor and force him to
listen.
"We offered a good show to entertain eventual spies, but… none of us went all out. Do you really
think that 6th tier spell was something special? Just a more powerful version of Grand Fireball,
nothing more. Spies learned nothing new about me apart from confirming my rumored use of 6th
tier magic."
Fluder said, offering a small smile to the emperor.
"Sir Satoru, on the other hand, uncovered many of his cards, his powerful items, his Talent, and
his probable limit."
The magic caster continued, rapturing the emperor in his words like he did when he was still a
child.
"You think he told the truth?"
Jircniv asked, no longer furious.
"Oh, gods no! He surely said what everybody wanted to hear. But the truth? No, that he didn't.
Half-truths have always been the best lies, after all… isn't that right, Jir?"
The white bearded caster asked rhetorically. 'So, you didn't actually lose your mind after all, did
you gramps?' the emperor thought, far more relaxed this time. Fluder seemed to have it all under
control.
"The information about his Talent, are probably half-truth. It would explain why he got so
powerful so fast, and how many would not notice his actual power beforehand. But still, I largely
doubt the details he gave about his magic items were accurate or even partly truthful."
He continued his explanation while taking a seat in front of the emperor.
"We should try and recruit him. His support may be invaluable in the future. Even more so if he
can be bound to the empire through marriage or other powerful means. I agree that leaving him
able to do what he wants would not be wise."
Finished the experienced magic caster.
"And then, how do you propose to bind him to the empire? All our offers could be countered by
Re-Estize, and they already have the advantage of him actually having a working business there,
something he would have to abandon if he joined the empire."
Countered the emperor, before a thought hit him.
"But then again… that little monster was far too sure that he would not join us… do they know
something we don't about him? Something that could potentially be used to bring him to our side…
or at least, blackmail him with?"
He put his thoughts into words; the Court Wizard stroked his long beard in deep concentration.
"Your Majesty, could it be that… he has peculiar tastes… when it comes to the fairer gender?"
He half asked, half proposed. That phrase was like opening a dam for the emperor. 'Could it really
be that?... it would make some sense… why else would he stay in the kingdom that hates magic
the most? And why else would he bring along the youngest princess and such a young noble?...
Both girls in fact!... could it really be that he…' the young boy's mind began to wander into a
totally unexplored ocean of thoughts.
After all, most powerful men were no longer guided around by what would be most advantageous
for them, but instead, by what would make them happier. Fluder was a clear example of that. But
even if that magic caster had such a… perversion, how could he take advantage of it. 'I can't easily
prove something like this, and I can't just parade some young girls in front of him to see his
reaction… this speculation holds merit but even if proven correct, it would not help us… unless!
We can give him something far more valuable and interesting than those two!' As an evil smirk
passed through his face, the emperor immediately turned toward his mentor.
"Find me the most talented female magic caster below the age of 11. We are getting that magic
caster to our side… whatever the cost may be!"
He proclaimed as the Court Wizard only bowed in response.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He was satisfied with how the day went, even with the unexpected end of it. 'Who would have
guessed? Challenged to a spar by the strongest magic caster…' he thought, as the end of the duel
resurfaced in his mind.
After agreeing to a draw, they both decided to follow their part of the agreement. Satoru would
visit the academy, not as a teacher, since he excused himself by saying he didn't feel ready to
teach, but as an observer. And Fluder would open his private library to him for further research,
while taking out some tomes of course.
When he came back to the VIP room before leaving, he found an excited Lakyus, impressed Gazef
and… strangely satisfied Renner waiting for him. All of them complimented his performance,
much to his embarrassment, since he didn't really put much effort into it, and he was sure that some
of the more strategic of his guildmates would have scolded him for such a display. He silently
accepted the girls' praises, nonetheless.
Speaking of which, Lakyus was still gushing over him down in the hall of the inn alongside Gazef
and Brain, who seemed curious about the exchange, while the diabolic smiling princess was
currently with him in his room for a cuddling session.
He himself was surprised by how much of it he was managing to take. He wasn't a physical person
at all in his last life, and the lack of interaction with women didn't help. But, somehow, Renner
managed to pierce a way through that barrier and find a place in his cold, nonexistent heart. 'Is that
because she is an outcast as well?' he wondered, but before he could elaborate on that thought, said
princess interrupted him.
"You did very well today, Satoru… Now the emperor knows he can't take you from me, no matter
what he does."
She said surprising him. 'Is the emperor trying to bring me to his side? I didn't notice at all, but… if
Renner says so, there must be some truth to it… ah! What a mess! I can't get these word games at
all!' he thought in exasperation.
"Are you sure, Renner? He didn't seem all that interested."
Those words elicited a cute giggle from the girl.
"C'mon Satoru! Don't be mean! He was trying his best!"
She said energetically, while one of her creepy smiles formed on her face. At the same time, a
moonlight's ray illuminated her face as it just entered the room from the door window that gave
way to the balcony.
Satoru turned toward it. Even after a year, he still marveled at the sight of the night sky. No matter
how wealthy one became, one could never see it in his old world. The moon shined brightly. It was
almost full, and only a few stars, due to the city's light, could be seen accompanying it.
"Isn't it beautiful? Every time I look at it, I am reminded of your mask. A sea of black with 2
shining stars."
Said the princess, as she followed his gaze.
"I always wondered… would they get bigger if I could get closer to them?"
She mumbled under her breath, but Satoru heard her anyway. 'Aren't you quite the romantic,
Renner' he said in his head, just before an idea immediately took precedence.
Without saying a word, he stood up, surprising the princess laying against him. He picked her up as
a parent would a child and went toward the window. He opened it with his free hand and went
outside while casting a silent (Fly) on himself.
The only thing he heard was Renner's surprised gasp as they began to quickly ascend through the
sky, leaving the lights of the imperial city behind. Moving higher and higher, even above the
clouds. He only stopped when even the clouds were nothing more than a formless mass, tens of
meters below him.
As soon as he stopped, it took only a second to hear another of Renner's gasps. This one seemed
more in awe compared to the first one though.
"As you can see… they don't get any bigger at all."
Said the undead magic caster, jokingly, as he felt something being placed on his masked face. He
turned to see Renner's small hands placed on his mask, as if she was caressing his cheeks. The
moonlight was reflecting in her sky-blue eyes as her golden hair shimmered like gold dancing
around in the wind.
The only word that came to Satoru's mind to describe that vision was 'beautiful' as if he was
admiring a painting that only came once in a lifetime. The image could not even be ruined by the
unnaturally large smile, more similar to a grin, that the princess was exhibiting before him. Instead,
it all added to the surreal scene, making it an immortal and unrepeatable moment. Something only
he could witness.
As his mind went into shock by this, he noticed the girl's eyes fill with unshed tears that proceeded
to trickle down her cheeks as the moonlight continued to make them gleam even more.
"I… would really like to know… what hides behind this mask."
She whispered, even though no one could have heard them even if she screamed. Satoru was too
truly entranced by the scene and the turn of events to say or do anything.
She moved closer to him, her face a few centimeters from his.
"But, even more than that, I am grateful… grateful that you came into my life… this dull and grey
life that had no meaning before you entered it."
She continued, as the stream of tears continued to fall. She placed her forehead against his mask,
her eyes directly against the blue gems of his mask, covering the two red dots that were his.
"Do not leave my side Satoru. Always come back to me… I need you so much… if you went
away… I would have nothing more to live for."
She continued to whisper. The undead's emotions were going rampant by now. He himself didn't
know what he felt exactly, and his Emotional Suppression wasn't helping him figure it out.
"Promise it to me… no matter what… you will come back to me."
She said, as her petite form completely pressed on him.
It should have been easy. Two simple words, two simple small words, but inside of him, he knew,
that if he said them, it all would change. His future would be set on a path he didn't know yet. But
despite his fear of the unknown, despite his Emotional Suppression and despite his love for the
freedom this world gave him, he said them anyway without hesitation.
"I promise."
And in that moment, the fate of the two changed, intertwining with each other into a path that
would change the world. But neither of them knew it yet.
Chapter End Notes
Well, that was something I guess… really curious to know what you think about this.
I hope no one was disappointed by the spar. It wasn't supposed to be a serious fight in
the first place, and it still ended up in quite a clash and became a source of
development.
Well, my job is done here. Now it is time to let me know your thoughts with a review.
So please review, would you?
Also ANNOUNCMENT: the first chapter of TWTS: Shards of the New World
(TWTS side stories) is going to go up in a week or so, stay tuned!
PS: To Mr. Big, I would love to answer your question, but without an account it would
be hard since I can't just start answering reviews in these notes. So yeah, please create
an account, or instead you can find me on Discord in the Overlord Fanfiction server, in
the channel "fanfiction-by-zero-sama".
PSS: Screw FFN for not allowing me to put the full title of the chapter in the label!
Stay safe folk! Till next time!

This Witch's Ambitions
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Ok, ok I messed up! I know, I am aware of Ainz' resistance to 6th tier magic! I just
messed up the wording! And no, he didn't actually take damage from that last spell.
He himself said that 'he wasn't sure' since he never felt pain in this story before. In the
original LN he was able to recognize pain pretty easily during the battle with the SS'
angel. The whole discomfort thing was nothing more than the passive resistance
reaching its limit. Imagine it as if you put one finger above a candle, the more you
lower it, the more uncomfortable you will feel until you actually pass from
uncomfortableness to actual pain. Well, Satoru's passive was just at that point. If he
got just a little lower, he would start feel pain. At least this is how I meant it to be read,
of course all went out of the window when I messed up the explanation about his
passive resistance, so yeah… still my fault anyway… I, of course, corrected it as soon
as I could after some of you wrote it in the reviews.
On a side note, happy to know you all liked that chapter, it certainly was a big turning
point for Renner and Satoru (even if he is still convinced she is just a lonely child
cherishing her beloved friend).
Hope you have fun with this chapter too… the empire's arc is coming to its end… but
who knows what will happen next?... spoilers… me!
PS: The first chapter of TWTS: Shards of the New World has been published if you
didn't know already… go give it a look if you want to see more of the side characters!
A promise, a pledge, a vow, an oath, a commitment, a bond… an engagement… yes, she rather
liked that last one. Usually, it was an event in which the two exchanged both a promise and gifts…
but there was nothing usual about her and her beloved. And what greater gift could he give than
what he already gave her? And what gift could she give apart from herself?
Yes. This was as perfect as it could be. They exchanged their oaths, and their destinies were forever
linked together.
The Third Princess smiled one of her true smiles, directed at no one in the empty room she was
inhabiting. It has been a month since they reached the Empire's capital and, even with that foolish
emperor's ambitions, everything was going perfectly in her life.
Not even the fact that Satoru spent most of his time in the last two weeks inside the academy could
deter her good humor. After all, he made it up to her during the many afternoons spent inside the
Court Wizard's private library.
There, her beloved, her and, sporadically, Lakyus, spent hours researching precious lost knowledge
about the world and, mostly, the 8 Greed Kings and 13 Heroes, subjects that seemed to fascinate
Satoru to no end as he learned more and more about them.
The Princess giggled as she felt all giddy inside. There was nothing better than spending time with
her betrothed in all but name. Who cared if she was 20 years younger? Love had no age. Her father
would have to come to terms with that, and she was pretty sure she would be able to convince him
in time.
They would soon go back to Re-Estize and then she would be able to start her plan of becoming the
officially betrothed to Satoru. But before that, she has a pest to put in his place. Someone that could
potentially get in her way if his plans came to fruition. And she had exactly the right plan to
achieve just that.
As she formulated that thought, the door of her room slowly opened, revealing a sweaty and stinky
Lakyus. She was dressed in a boyish way. 'It was a matter of mobility' the noble often said when
the princess asked about it, but Renner couldn't help but notice how such clothes showed much
more of her still growing body than any noble dress would ever allow. Her hips were getting
thinner and more adapted to her rising height; to top it all off, she was also developing some
visible, impressive muscles for her age and gender.
To be completely honest with herself, she was pretty envious of her friend… 'friend… my friend?...
did I just refer to Lakyus as my friend? Uhm… but isn't she? She helped me many times… she is a
constant presence in my daily life… isn't that what a friend is supposed to be?'. Normally the
thought of having a friend would most likely upset her… but if the term was associated with
Lakyus she actually didn't mind.
"Do I have something on my face?"
The heiress asked, noticing the intensity of the princess' gaze.
"You are my friend Lakyus."
The blue-eyed girl said without hesitation, eliciting a confused expression from the young noble.
"Uhm… yes, I guess."
She answered, unsure what to say after the princess' statement.
"You are my only friend."
Those words just added to the confusion and caused a bit of redness to appear on Lakyus' face.
"T-thank you."
She said, as silence fell over the room until Renner jumped down from her bed and exited the
room, leaving Lakyus to her own thoughts. 'You better be grateful… I don't say that to everyone I
meet!' the 8 years old princess huffed in her head.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He looked in fascination as the teacher proceeded to explain the theory of casting and mana
manipulation before proceeding to demonstrate it with a basic 1st tier spell.
He had no idea that theory of casting was a thing at all until now. He didn't pretend to have
understood everything but the theory behind what he considered instinctive was actually very
fascinating to listen to.
He had no idea that casting spell had such a big strain on the mind of humans; first you had to
gauge your own mana pool, then use your knowledge on the spell to start casting while at the same
time pulling out the right amount of mana to cast the spell. If you drew too little mana the spell
would not be cast, but, on the other hand, if you pulled too much you might overcharge the spell
and harm yourself with the spell, not counting the consequential waste of mana. The control you
had to have to cast a spell in this world was unreal. The higher the tier, the higher the control and
natural magical prowess needed.
'Only 1 among 50 will ever reach the 3rd tier, and only 1 among 2000 the 4th… and to think there
are children so skilled' as the undead magic caster thought that his gaze fell on the young blond girl
who sat next to him, as she took note after note about the lecture.
To say that he was taken aback when Fluder tasked her with escorting him around during his time
in the Academy would be an understatement. But just after two weeks he could already see why
the old Court Wizard made the choice he did. To say that the young girl was gifted was an even
bigger understatement. She was a prodigy, capable of such mental focus that she could already cast
2nd tier magic with proficiency at the age of 10. And on top of that she was a Talent Holder; a
Talent that mixed perfectly with her already talented self. No wonder some students considered her
the second coming of Fluder Paradyne himself.
"So young Arche, have you not already heard this lecture? Aren't you a bit too advanced to listen to
these basic lessons?"
The young girl jumped a little as his soft-spoken words reached her focused ears. She stammered a
little before turning toward him and answering.
"I-I think that a-a true magic caster should always b-be ready to learn, e-even when reinforcing
already established k-knowledge… after all, e-everyone has a different approach to casting m-
magic… there i-is always something new t-to learn from an experienced c-caster."
She whispered while stuttering a little. He nodded in approval. After all, she was right. He himself
always made sure to observe his adversaries very carefully. You never knew when you could learn
something you would use to your advantage in the future.
"A good mindset… you are still too young to stop learning, no matter your natural gifts…
remember, the moment you stop learning is the moment you will stop growing."
He said to a dumbfounded Arche who slowly nodded in understanding.
"I-I see… thank you for your words, Lord Satoru."
She thanked him, to his confusion. It wasn't like he said something deep or anything.
The rest of the lesson proceeded as every other day until the teacher addressed Satoru directly.
"Ah, Sir Satoru. Maybe an illustrious caster such as you, who studied in a faraway land, would like
to enlighten us on some new theory of casting? It is unlikely that these notions are the same as the
ones you were brought up with; maybe you could share your knowledge with some fellow students
of the art that is magic?"
The teacher asked, as all eyes in the room immediately fixed on the large form of the masked
magic caster.
'Oh crap… why me… Why? Why? Why? Why?...' the undead panicked internally before his
Emotional Suppression kicked in and stopped his rampant emotions.
Without even knowing what he was doing, Satoru stood up from his seat and made his way toward
the stand were the teacher stood. Said magic caster offered Satoru an encouraging smile as he
made space for him on the stand.
The moment the masked undead stood on the stand in front of the students, he actually realized he
had nothing to say at all. He knew nothing of the theory of casting and even less on mana
manipulation.
'GOD DAMN IT! WHAT IN THE WORLD SHOULD I SAY?! I WAS NEVER GOOD AT
SPEECHES! THAT WAS TOUCH-ME'S OR ULBERT'S THING! EVEN PUNITTO WAS
BETTER THAN ME!'
This surge of sudden panic was not easily repressed by his passive skill, which continued to try to
calm him down to no avail.
In the meantime, if the panic wasn't already too much, the silence in the room was becoming less
anticipating and more confusing as it was almost a minute that Satoru stood there without speaking
a word. 'JUST SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!' The magic caster opened his mouth, but no sound
came out. He felt his mouth dry up even if it wasn't physically possible, but then a memory surged
into his mind.
"The inhabitants of this world… are not created equal…"
He finally spoke, mimicking what Ulbert told him once, the day after his last relative died, maybe
of overwork or maybe in an accident. Satoru couldn't remember clearly.
But now that he spoke, all the eyes in the room returned once more on him. He had no choice but
to improvise and follow his instinct and memory.
"Some were born into wealth, some were born with incredible powers, some were born into
misery; but all of them have been given a chance to better themselves, to grow stronger."
This one, he remembered, was from Touch-Me.
"But in the end what are we, if not ants climbing a mountain to reach the top, and the more we
climb the mountain of greatness, the lonelier we get and the more friends we see fall into the abyss
below."
He continued; 40 specific beings made their way into his mind.
"And yet, we climb, we aspire to the top; relentlessly!"
He paused. The silent was pregnant with anticipation.
"When we are capable of magic and casting, we think of ourselves as invincible, of being above
common warriors… I once saw one of my warrior friends being taunted by a flying magic caster.
He thought himself mighty, flying around in the sky… in his arrogance he never saw the blade of
my friend flying toward him and impaling him through the heart… that same friend taught me to
avoid slashes and to fight in close quarters."
He recalled one of Touch-Me's PVP matches in his mind, modifying it a bit when he put it into
words, of course.
"Do not underestimate your enemy or your ally… always be ready to learn from those who seem
weaker than you, or else, you will tumble down the mountain and fall into a pit of stagnation!"
At this point, he was just spitting out everything that came to is mind at the moment or what he
remembered hearing in the past.
"There is no right or wrong theory of casting; and if you really wish to climb to the top you will not
simply be set on imitating what others created… if you wish to achieve true greatness, you must
analyze what was created, point out its flaws and strengths, and then develop your very own
method, as flawless as you can, so that future students may in the future do the same with yours."
He said, following Punitto's logic and applying it into the current situation.
"Most of your names will be lost in the ages, or never even remembered at all, but that is not the
point! You will still live on inside the art which is magic! You will live on in every movement and
word used to cast a spell! This will be your legacy to the world! And for that very reason, magic
must be respected and admired, for that is the legacy of thousands of casters that came before you!
Their very essence is in every last one of you, no matter how talented you may be! And when we
become old and frail or simply laying on the ground with a sword piercing our chests, we will not
fear what comes next or what we left behind… because, as long as there will be anyone using
magic, we will still live on inside them!"
He concluded, as silence ruled once more over the room. 'Ah I hope that was enough to distract
them from the actual question… it is just a fancy way of saying I have no idea what theory of
casting actually is…' he truly hoped fervently that this whole deranging nonsense that went no
where actually satisfied most of the listeners.
Said students continued to look at him as no one dared to break the silence he created after that
speech. As Satoru wondered if they expected more from him, the sound of clapping reached his
nonexistent ears. His eyes darted toward the origin of the sound only to find Arche standing and
vigorously clapping her hands with a big smile on her face.
Then the dam broke as the other students followed her example and stood while loudly applauding,
some even cheering, his performance. The undead was dumbfounded at what was happening 'ah…
uhm… I don't think I get it… what just happened?'.
As he stood there completely baffled the teacher approached him and took his still slightly raised,
gloved hand in his to shake it.
"Ah! Sir Satoru! What a magnificent and illustrious speech! Truly! You managed to channel the
very spirit of being a magic caster into words! Even I, as old as I am, find myself reinvigorated by
your words, urging me to learn even more and leave a great legacy behind!"
The excited teacher continued to shake Satoru's hand. 'I-I don't think I get what is happening…' the
undead lamented in his head with a heavy sigh 'I don't possess any kind of charisma passive skill…
do I?' he asked in resignation.
"Now I can see why Lord Paradyne praised you so much! He must have felt that dedication you
have to the art of magic! I am sure that many of my students have been greatly humbled by your
words today! Myself included! So, allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your
words!"
The teacher continued, to Satoru's further embarrassment. 'Please let me just leave…' the undead
cried out in desperation.
{Arche's P.O.V.}
As the students began to leave, while sharing excited whispers among each other, the young noble
advanced toward the black cloaked magic caster. 'That was actually very beautiful…' she thought
as her everchanging opinion on the man before her changed once more.
At the beginning, she just considered him a very scary person, due to her Talent leaving her in the
dark like never before. Then, with the duel, she began to admire his magical prowess and could do
nothing but respect him for what he was, a talented magic caster. Then she began to learn more and
more about him, as she was appointed to be his guide for two whole weeks by now. In that period
of time, she realized that he wasn't only talented, but that his very presence commanded a certain
degree of authority, like she never felt before. And now, she discovered that not only his magical
power was to be admired but his charisma as well. She couldn't help it. That speech could give
purpose and reignite the fire in even the most untalented of magic casters, making them believe
that their lives are not expendable and will become the foundation of the future.
And she was no exception. She felt his words echoing in her very soul, giving her a pleasant
tingling sensation of purpose. Not that she lacked it before, but still, she felt reinvigorated by his
words. She could not wait to start learning something new and she could not help but wonder what
else the masked magic caster had to offer if this was the mere result of a simple speech.
'He is still scary tho…' she thought as she got closer to the 5th tier magic caster who appeared like
a mountain when compared to her petite frame.
"That was a beautiful speech, Lord Satoru."
She complimented in a small voice, still feeling intimidated by the bigger man.
"Uhm… thank you, young Arche."
He answered with is usual deep and calm tone, which sent shivers down her spine. 'Blast that! He
is still terrifying!' she cried out in her head while forcing a smile on her face.
"S-should we go?"
She asked, trying to cut short the time they had to spend together.
"Yes, let us go. I wish to visit the library once more today. Thank you for your company today. I
wish you a good evening."
He said, as he casted a spell and teleported away.
'That would be useful… I would be able to visit my family far more often…' she lamented as her
thoughts began to wander toward her two baby sisters. Their small hands all over her face, those
cute cooing and giggles, those eyes full of wonder; she shuddered in excitement at the sole thought.
'Yes, I must learn that spell!' she steeled her determination.
{2 hours later}
{Fluder's Private Library}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead sat on a reinforced chair as he read the old book in front of him. Even after a year and
a half since his arrival, he still had problems understanding the written language and, sometimes,
still needed his Translating Item to understand the more intricate language.
Normally he would have considered it a great achievement to be able to read a different language
in so little time. The unfortunate truth was that, once you understood the words, the construction of
the phrase was quite similar to normal Japanese. The only major difference being that the alphabet
was more limited, and many words were written very similarly to others, making it easy to get
confused. He already resigned himself to the fact that he would never be able to write or read like a
native.
But he digressed; those were not important thoughts at the moment. The true treasure laid there, in
his hands. Eulogy and Legacy of the Consumed Kings; he of course already knew of the legend
that were the 8 Greed Kings, but to have a book presumably written just a few years after their fall,
was something else entirely.
The story, of course, was far from lacking in unbelievable details, like how the 8 Kings,
presumedly, conquered the whole world in a few years, something Satoru doubted considering
there was no map of the whole world, something that would not be missing if the story was true.
The more likely version was that they took control of the continent after slaughtering the Dragon
Lords.
The most important information, in Satoru's opinion, was their use of what is described as 10th tier
magic, something too oddly specific to be just a mere coincidence. To not speak about their
floating fortress Eryuentiu, a name that had no meaning for most New World's inhabitants but not
for Satoru. 'the tree in the center of the world… such a fancy way of speaking of Yggdrasil…' after
hearing of that name, their power and the fact they appeared out of nowhere, Satoru had little doubt
about the true nature of the Kings of Greed.
'Other players…' such realization gave him both a feeling of dread and hope. Dread of what would
happen if other players like those appeared in this world, and hope of his friends coming as well to
this world someday in the future. But that was just a distant dream for now.
This changed much for him. He was not alone here, and it was possible that other players arrived
alongside him in this world. He has never been more relieved of his fake identity than in that
moment. The fake information about him that he made public would be his shield against all
possible players in the future; and, if the need arose, he could always use that fake background to
take his opponent by surprise.
It was also very probable that the so called 6 Great Gods were players as well. 'Such
megalomaniacs, going around calling themselves gods or some other crap… such a nice way of not
painting a target on their heads' he thought ironically.
On the other hand, he could not be so sure about the 13 Heroes or the Evil Deities; if compared to
the others, they didn't really seem so powerful… but, still, he could not dismiss the possibility of
them being smarter and actually trying to hide their power like he did. That hypothesis would, of
course, be countered by the fact that they were almost all dead by now.
Still, he needed to be careful. There was far too much he still didn't know about this world, and his
ignorance may cost him his life in the future. 'I need to gather more intelligence and see if
infiltrating Eryuentiu is possible. To know what hides up there would be a great step towards
ensuring my safety' he stated, making it a future goal of his.
That train of thought was interrupted when the blond princess approached his table with a pile of
books in her hands. 'she has quite strong arms for being just a child…' the undead thought as the
demonic princess laid the pile, almost as high as herself, on the table and sat next to him with a
content smile.
Since that night when he made his promise to her, she had been very affectionate with him, even
more than before, not losing any occasion to snuggle on his side or sit on his lap. She also would
refuse to go to bed unless Satoru patted her and wished her a good night. 'Such a needy child…' he
thought, not that it bothered him. He was used to her antics by now. 'Uhm… it may be just a phase
tho… maybe when she grows up, she will actually seek to distance herself…' he thought as he
compared her behavior to one of the children in his old world.
'Maybe she just needs to find someone her age she can connect to… puberty is still a thing as
well… she might enter a rebellious phase in a few years' he continued to wonder. He guessed many
would have been put off by her possessive behavior, but he really didn't mind. He felt much the
same toward his friends and Nazarick. The fact that she was a neglected child surely added to her
case of possessiveness toward one of the few who appreciated her.
"-toru! Satoru! Are you listening to me?!"
The insistent tone of said princess made Satoru return to reality.
"Ah… forgive me Renner, I was dwelling on some other important matters."
He said, eliciting a pout from the small girl. 'waaaah… she really seems pissed off!' he thought,
alarmed by seeing her eyes glaring at him so vehemently.
"Are there more important things than earing what I have to say?"
She asked dangerously as she puffed out her cheeks, morphing her glaring gaze into a quite cute
expression Satoru didn't miss. With a chuckle, the undead put his gloved hand on her head, patting
her and ruffling her hair just a bit.
"Of course not, you are always the most important matter to me."
He said, gaining a smirk from the princess who took advantage of his lowered guard to shift and
jump on his lap.
"Well then! I offer you the chance to make it up to me now! Be grateful!"
Satoru snorted in amusement at her ironic and demanding tone.
"As my queen commands."
He answered. The blond girl paused a moment, giving him a puzzled look, but then laid back on
him accepting his embrace.
"You are a comfy bed, Satoru."
She said as she snuggled against him while he picked up another book.
"Pleased to serve."
He said with a chuckle at the girl's antics, 'is this how it feels to have a niece… or maybe even a
daughter?' he wondered in the silence of the library.
{Just outside Arwintar}
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
"Did you enjoy your break girl?"
Asked the blue haired swordsman as he lifted the fake wooden sword toward said girl.
"I had no need for it in the first place!"
Responded the noble blond girl with a confident grin plastered on her face, eliciting a scowl from
the more experienced man.
"Don't be an arrogant ass, newbie! Resting body and mind is necessary for them to develop in the
right way. This is even more true during the years you are passing through."
Brain explained, while sidestepping the lunge attempted by Lakyus and slashing his wooden sword
her way. The noble blocked the slash and jumped back putting distance between the two of them.
"Uhm, you are getting better…"
Her teacher grunted out as he disappeared using his true speed to get in front of the girl in an
instant and sending her onto her butt with just a lunge aimed to her chest.
"… but you are still not good enough to get away from me safely."
He sent a grin her way, which was returned by a determined glare.
"One day… I will be the one sending you to the ground."
She answered, the man shrugged.
"What did I say about those types of taunts?"
He asked annoyed.
"You are allowed to gloat only once your opponent is dead or broken on the ground… and even
then, you will gloat with your guard still up."
She repeated his words and got rewarded with an approving nod.
"Good, now get back up!"
He ordered with a firmer tone this time. Immediately, Lakyus jumped up, demonstrating a certain
degree of resilience and eliciting a grimace from the blue haired retired swordsman.
"I see your training with Stronoff is giving some results."
He admitted as Lakyus flashed him a grin.
"I already told you! I will become the greatest swordswoman in the world and change it for the
best!"
She announced before her expression turned from joyous to contemplative.

"Do you think I have a chance?"
She asked.
"At what? Changing the world? I already told you that it is a fool's errand!"
The man said while taking a stance.
"NO! I mean at the tournament the emperor organized!"
The young noble clarified with an embarrassed look. The emperor, in fact, insisted on giving them
a good spectacle before their departure from the empire; and what better way could he do it in, if
not by using the greatest Colosseum ever built in the continent, if not the world? 'Maybe I should
have waited before immediately announcing my participation… oh well, no turning back now!' the
green-eyed noble thought as a tinge of doubt invaded her mind.
"Eh, if you don't immediately get drafted against the strongest participant, I bet you could even
reach the semi-finals."
That comment she didn't expect. Her teacher rarely, if ever, complimented her openly. Instead, he
often displayed her weaknesses and didn't miss any chance to punish her errors. To hear him give
her such a positive incentive was something more unique than rare.
"D-do you really think so?!"
She asked with shining hope in her eyes, which brought a grimace to her second teacher's
expression.
"Now don't get all sentimental on me! You would be able to reach such a goal only because most
of the participants are nothing more than brutes with no real skill… only there to see if they can get
some money from risking their lives… there will be no honor or skill in their fighting style, an easy
prey for someone who received lessons, such as mine's and Stronoff's!"
He elaborated his previous statement, as Lakyus grunted. 'of course… I only have a chance because
the others are too bad… nice way of giving me some confidence…' she lamented internally. A
month ago, she would have been so stupid as to say those words out loud, only to receive a blow on
the head and being called arrogant and childish by her blue haired teacher. Now she knew better
than voice her opinion on the matter.
"No more talking! Let us go back to business now!"
Her teacher interrupted her train of thought with a blow aimed at her neck, like many times before
it, 'if you are not in danger, you will never sharpen your combat instinct' those were the words he
used to describe his attempts on her life. She used her own wooden blade to block the blow
nonetheless, before retaliating in kind.
{That evening}
{Emperor's private chambers}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
Who would have guessed that what initially seemed like a trivial and easy task would have turned
this way? A silent war raging between two countries for a single man. 'The irony… easy things are
always the hardest to achieve…' the blond emperor said as he placed a hand on his face.
His last move was a big gamble; to send such a promising student as bait for a magic caster, basing
it on an assumption which could be false, was a desperate move; and he was desperate indeed, no
matter how much he didn't want to admit it. He was even starting to not sleep well and that was
taking a lot out of his appearance as well. He had begun to have bags under his eyes and he could
swear he found some hair in his pillow a few days before.
He sighed, the sooner this was going to end, the sooner he will have to take a break from work and
take care of himself in peace.
'Maybe I could retire for a month or so to my estate in the plains outside the capital with a few of
my favorite maids and-' but before he could even finish that thought a knock coming from the door
echoed in the whole room.
"Your Majesty! The Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom is here to see you!"
Those words spoken by his guard outside his personal chamber just served to make a bad day
become a terrible day. Not counting the anxious and dreading sensation slowly growing in the
bottom of his very soul. 'What does that devil want now?' he asked no one in exasperation.
"Send her in."
He answered in the most cordial tone he could muster in that situation and mood.
The door opened and said monster came inside with the elegance dictated by her social station, but
no matter how much a wolf tried to resemble a sheep, it could never become a sheep, and the
emperor knew this because he was the same.
"Please have a seat princess, to what do I owe this visit?"
He greeted with the respect he needed to give to uphold royal standards while he still averting his
eyes 'do not make eye contact' he reminded himself. The devil princess sat on a chair in front of his
desk without a word. He continued to stare down even if he could feel her eyes piercing him.
"We are alone, there is no need to pretend to have some kind of societal respect for each other now,
Jircniv."
She said in that monotone tone he so much detested.
"Is that so… Renner?"
He challenged, not wanting to appear any weaker than what he already was and inadvertently
glancing to her face, something he immediately corrected by focusing his gaze on her hair.
"You like to appear tough, don't you?... hanging your family like that… I'm just so scared…"
She taunted but he didn't succumb to her provocation, refusing to comment on the matter.
"To be truthful, I can respect that… they were in your way, and you eliminated them… it is only
fair after all…"
She continued in a cold tone.
"You thought you could do the same to me, but it didn't go as you expected, right? But the thing is,
Jircniv, that I never wanted to be your enemy in the first place, you are the one who kept
antagonizing me to gain Satoru to your side…"
She continued as the young emperor began to feel something cold tangle around his body, 'how in
the world is she doing this?' he wondered as he steeled his resolve.
"You want to conquer the Kingdom, don't you? But for doing that you must first gain total control
over the empire and pulverize your opposition; those pesky and lazy nobles… am I right?"
She asked as she placed both hands on his desk. Jircniv was not even surprised anymore of the fact
that she knew his plans. She was a devil after all. He could not afford to lose his mind over how
she caught up on his line of thought.
"And so? What will you do about it? A war between us with the current conditions would be
devastating, and, no matter who won, in the end we will all lose."
He stated, even if he knew she already came to that conclusion as well. She instead giggled at his
words 'what a horrible sound, coming from such a twisted human…' he thought trying to keep
down his dinner.
"Ahhh… I am grateful we are already on the same page; this will make the next part so much
smoother…"
She said before pausing to give effect to her next words.
"Join me Jircniv, be my ally. Let us join forces and bring a new age upon this world."
At such a declaration he would have normally laughed and, if the proposer was anyone else, he
would have thought them a fool, but he could not say the same for the entity before him.
"You will never conquer the Kingdom, and, even if you did, the nobles would fight to the last man
to stop you and in the end, you would just be the emperor of a barren, useless and problematic
land."
There was sense in her words. Even Jircniv could not deny it. That was indeed a possible outcome
even if he managed to execute his plan.
"And so? What would you propose? In which way could I convince you to help me in taking over
your country?"
He asked, eliciting an amused shake of her head from the princess.
"You can't."
She said simply, confusing the emperor who expected some hard and heavy price for her
cooperation.
"You seem to still be missing the point."
She said, amused as she stood up and circled around the desk to reach him. His eyes continued to
follow her hair as a prey would warily glance at its predator.
With a swift movement from the princess' part, she delicately grabbed the side of his face and
forced him to stare at her blue lifeless eyes, their faces just a few centimeters apart.
In that moment, he felt like his heart stopped beating and that delicate touch felt wrong, so very
wrong. He was still higher than her in that position, but he felt so small in comparison. Whoever
said that looking down on someone would boost a person's confidence, didn't know shit
apparently. The cold sensation in his body intensified and dread crawled up his spine. Her face
reminded him of a dead body's visage, but the horrific difference was that hers still moved,
forming expressions he didn't know a human could make in the first place. To top the whole thing
off, that dead stare seemed to pull him in like the first time he dared to glance at her.
Her voice was barely a whisper, but it resounded with the power of an army in his fragile mind.
"We both desire greatness in this world… but, by fighting each other we will achieve nothing but
misery. Why don't we fight together to achieve it instead?"
That thing, he refused to address her otherwise, proposed him. And in that moment, he truly found
himself lost at a fork on the road of life. Two roads laid before him. Only one could bring to
greatness or maybe both in different ways; both may as well bring his ruin, and yet, he had to
choose which one to walk. And so, as the blue dead abyss marked his soul, he chose.
{That night}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
That went rather well. The boy was not a fool, but he was still a useable tool. She would not have
to dispose of him at least. That was a good thing. She didn't have the patience to do it.
To think she needed all this time to realize what Satoru meant; she felt quite foolish right now. He
gave her a ton of inputs, some of which were rather obvious, like his gift for her 8th birthday.
'I will make the best of what I have, isn't that right Satoru?' she thought 'why settle for mediocrity
when you can aspire to reach the top? Why should I bend to the world to achieve my goal when I
can force the world to bend for my sake?' she asked no one in the darkness of her room.
'As my queen commands' she repeated in her mind the words he told her that same day, 'to obtain
the crown would be so easy… it would take time, but the road has already been paved by Satoru
for me… how could I be so blind till this day?' she shook her head as she heard Lakyus shift in her
bed.
'Why should I have my father's or anyone's approval? Once I become the ruler no one will be able
to stand in my way… to question my authority… and to stop me from sharing my life with who I
want!' and in the end who cared if she was the last child and heir in line for the throne?
'I will just have to squish some more worms, I guess… yes! That would be rather nice actually!'
she began to lightly giggle at the thought.
'And in the end, we will stand above them all. Isn't that right, my Satoru?'
Chapter End Notes
Oh boy, that is not what bone daddy meant to do at all… what have you just done
Satoru?
Hope you all liked that. This chapter was mostly to present the final part of the Empire
Arc and to foreshadow the next plot points.
And yes, I wanted to use some Lovecraft vibes during Jircniv's P.O.V. (I'm a big fan
after all), and yes, for those who were wondering, Renner was the eldritch horror in
this version, while the poor emperor was the one curious/smart/foolish enough to
glance into the abyss.
Reviews are the fuel that make this author's brain work, so please, no matter how short
or long, leave a review! All feedback is appreciated! (Not counting the fact that I'm
curious to know how you think Renner will execute her plans).
See you next time and stay safe!

Our Hearts melt in the Raging flames of Battle
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
Uhm, well, here we are. I had a little bit of a problem with Ch. 21, or it would be best
to say, people reading it the wrong way.
The scene that most seem to misinterpret is the one in the sky, in which Satoru refers
to Renner as beautiful… and here is the error. He wasn't simply calling her beautiful
(and even if he did, I don't see the problem in calling a child beautiful. Many people do
that or call them cute or something) but he was actually referring to the whole
SCENE! You know, the starred night sky, the moonlight reflecting in Renner's eyes,
her golden hair shining in the dark, creating a scenario more similar to a painting than
a true scene. THAT was what Satoru was calling beautiful!
Ok ok, calming down now, but seriously, if you still think Satoru sees her in a sexual
way then please just go away and go read something else. I don't really care.
For those who understand that, please, enjoy the chapter!
"I said no! Stop pestering me about it, Stronoff!"
The ex-swordsman grunted out in irritation as he downed a sixth mug of beer.
"Young Lakyus is worried you are angry with her after she asked you that and you snapped at her
like that."
The Warrior Captain continued.
"I don't give a shit about that brat Stronoff, just leave me alone already…"
The blue haired man dismissed the brown-haired warrior's words.
"We both know that those words aren't true."
Said warrior retorted; the other man didn't answer.
"I told you already, I left that life behind me…"
He finally said as he slumped into his wooden chair, the alcohol finally reaching up to him.
"You just gave up after a single defeat? Is that the true limit of your warrior spirit? Where is the
man that fought tooth and nail to defeat me four years ago?"
Gazef tried to provoke in hope of a prideful reaction from his ex-rival, who instead just sighed in
exasperation.
"That wasn't just a simple defeat Stronoff… and you know it well… that man died and shattered
alongside his blade months ago."
Brain mumbled emotionlessly.
"If it would make you feel any better, I am fairly sure I would stand no chance against Satoru,
either. He is just on a different level from us, the pinnacle of humanity."
The Warrior Captain said in a serious tone, admitting his own inferiority to the magic caster.
"Bah! That Thing is no human at all! He does not eat; he does not drink… I wouldn't even be
surprised if he didn't sleep at all… in the end we humans remain the weak ones, burdened by walls
and limits all around us… and I'm tired of climbing those walls. The higher you go the harder you
will fall and break."
The blue-haired man scoffed as he threw his empty mug away.
"It may be as you say. That doesn't change the fact that seeking power for the sake of power is a
weak excuse in the end… the walls may be insurmountable, but you may just have to climb high
enough sometimes, to achieve what you want. There is no need to climb all the way up."
The drunk warrior scoffed at those words.
"So that is your answer… settle for mediocrity? To know that there will always be someone
stronger than you? A weak excuse to stop climbing…"
Brain sighed as his eyes went unfocussed.
"You know, I am actually good at other things… I seem to be good at wood carving. An old man
seems interested in taking me as an apprentice in his shop…"
He whispered. Gazef stood up giving him a sympathetic look.
"Then I wish you good luck."
The brown-haired man said, patting the other man's shoulder.
For a moment, the blue-haired man's eyes seem to regain focus and glance at the Warrior Captain
in rage.
"Is that pity I see on your face Stronoff… you bastard!"
He continued to mumble in a low, dangerous tone.
"Just speak with Lakyus once more. Even if you don't want to participate in the tournament, let her
know you are not angry at her… and then let that girl be, forever. You don't seem to be interested
in her anymore."
Gazef said as he began to walk away, but he didn't even make a few steps before the sound of a
chair falling resounded in the inn and he felt something hard hitting him on the back of his head,
making him stumble forward.
"Leave me the fuck alone Stronoff! You know nothing! You understand nothing! Don't speak to
me again!"
The drunk swordsman almost shouted as he gritted his teeth in rage. Gazef said nothing and simply
left the inn.
{The Next Day}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
{Outside the Grand Arena}
The undead looked up toward the sunny sky as the imposing figure of the Grand Arena got closer
and closer as the royal carriage approached it.
'Waaaah! That's an impressive arena to be sure! It reminds me the one on the 6th floor of the
tomb!' he reminisced in his head.
"Are you nervous Lakyus?"
He heard the third princess ask her handmaiden.
"J-just a bit… I mean… there will b-be a lot of people watching…"
The blond noble answered, stuttering a little, eliciting a small smile from said princess.
"I am sure you will do amazingly, Lady Lakyus."
Encouraged the young emperor with a small smile of his own. But Satoru noticed how that smile
didn't reach his eyes at all.
'Being an emperor at such a young age must stress him a lot… poor boy' the undead magic caster
thought.
"As long as you do your best it will be fine."
He decided to add, trying to take away, at least, part of the tension emitting from the pale 11 years
old girl.
"Remember; there is no shame in giving up on a losing battle. You are young and still have much
to learn. Consider this another lesson."
Gazef gave his own piece of advice. Not long after that exchange, the carriage stopped, and they
were allowed out once the zone was secured.
"I guess here our paths diverge."
The emperor stated as his guard created a protective circle around them.
"Please Baziwood, make sure the young Lady Lakyus reaches the arena without incident."
He continued as one of the men in dark armor broke formation and came toward them.
"Sure thing, Your Majesty."

The man answered in a gruff tone muffled by his helmet.
"C'mon little one, let us go."
He said as he gestured for Lakyus to follow him. With a small moment of hesitation, the young
noble gulped loudly before following the tall knight.
"Lakyus!"
Before the marquis heiress could go too far the voice of Renner stopped her. The green eyed girl
turned around to face her friend.
"Unsheathe your sword and get on one knee while presenting it to me."
The noble hesitated before complying with her princess' orders and unsheathing the enchanted
blade Satoru gifted her for her birthday.
Once she was in position, Renner unfolded one of the golden ribbons on her dress and folded it
around the lower part of the hilt of Lakyus' sword, much to the surprise of the noble.
"You now bring with you the favor of the Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom, young knight.
Bring glory to my name."
The blond princess proclaimed to the shock of many around them and even Satoru himself, who
was most surprised about the unexpected turn of events. 'Didn't Touch-Me say once that ladies
used to gift these kinds of things to their loved knights before battles or a tournament?... I guess
Lakyus and Renner are closer than I initially thought…' while he formulated that thought, Lakyus
returned to her assigned guard as a small blush came to her face.
"And with that… we will be off."
The tall guard said as he escorted the noble away, leaving a pregnant silence before the rest of the
group was brought toward the VIP box of the arena.
{Osk's P.O.V.}
"Are you sure this? It reduce mobility."
The giant armored figure of a war troll spoke in an inhuman but calm voice.
"Oh, my big friend, you will have no need to dodge anything. The other warriors will not see an
opponent but just an armed wall of steel coming at them… they will be the ones in need of
dodging."
Explained the stout bodied merchant, before giving a hard slap on the troll's armored side; to him it
was nothing if not a light pat.
"I believe you. I sure you right."
Answered the troll before giving a pat of his own to the man's shoulder, resulting in the merchant
making a few steps forward due to the force used.
"I sorry."
Apologized the troll while the man waved his concerns away.
"Don't worry. Remember our training together during this last year and you will be fine… no! You
will absolutely win this!"
Exclaimed the man in excitement, a sentiment shared by the troll judging by the grin he now had
on his face.
"I excited to meet all great warriors; a great battle coming."
Even if the words were spoken in pure confidence, the man could not abstain from disagreeing in
his mind 'probably more like a massacre on your part my friend… oh well, at least we will give the
emperor a spectacle to behold' he thought.
"I am just annoyed I could not give you a full body armor, but my finances would not allow for it.
But don't worry. When you become the champion of the arena, money will be no problem."
At his words the war troll just shrugged.
"Me strong. I don't need protection. My skin hard enough."
The tall demi-human answered, and in part, the human could not do anything but agree. Normal
steel would stand no chance against his skin. The same could not be said for enchanted weapons,
though.
"I will be watching you from the stands Go Gin. Go and show them what true warriors are made
of."
At those words the troll lowered his helmet to cover his face.
"No worry Osk, it will go fine."
The war troll said before walking away toward the preparation room.
'This will be your debut my friend… Show them the power of a true warrior' Osk thought before
joining the crowd entering the stands. This was his dream. To finally come inside the great arena.
Unfortunately, due to his lack of talent, he will not do it as a warrior, but as a patron. The patron of
the greatest warrior the empire ever saw.
{Arche's P.O.V.}
Something felt strange, and even at her young age, Arche could not help but think that something
was very wrong with how her academic life turned out.
At first, she felt honored to be chosen to show around the Academy a magic caster on similar
caliber to Fluder Paradyne himself, but the more this went on the stranger It became; she was
invited to events and dinners that had nothing to do with academic studies, or anything remotely
similar. And on every occasion, that magic caster was there, not too far but not too close either. But
if he simply got interested in her, she would not have found the whole thing so baffling. What
confused her most was the fact that every invitation came from the Emperor himself; and yet, the
emperor did not show any interest in her and merely glanced at her a couple of times during all the
events.
Asking support and clarity from her parents turned out to be a bad move. They just were ecstatic at
the possibility of her becoming the next empress, something she was sure wouldn't happen.
And now she found herself in the VIP room of the Empire's Grand Arena, unsure of why or how
she ended up there to begin with.
"Nervous about something?"
The deep and solemn voice of the 5th tier magic caster known as Satoru took her out of her trance
like state.
"N-no, Lord Satoru, I-I just don't know why I a-am here…"
She answered honestly.
"Umu, don't you want to cheer for Lakyus?"
He asked. She bit her lip. That wasn't what she expected to come out of his mouth. It was true that
Lakyus was the only one she managed to get a functioning conversation with, apart from Satoru,
but she did not think of her as a friend to cheer for. The Re-Estize noble could be courteous if she
wanted to, but she could just as well turn crass as soon as her obsession over swordsmanship was
brought up.
"I-I am sure she will do fine."
She just resigned herself and gave the best answer her noble upbringing brought to her mind.
"Indeed, Gazef and Sir Brain taught her well from what I heard… but I am very curious to see what
kind of equipment and participants this whole competition would attract."
Those words echoed in her mind. She already knew that his thirst for knowledge was great,
considering his request after battling her mentor and his speech at the academy, but sometimes he
really seemed like a horse with blinders in his way of thinking. 'But that could not be… otherwise
he would not have come as far as he is' she thought disregarding her previous impression.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The girl gulped as her heart began to beat erratically and she could feel her head pulsing alongside
it. She could feel the sweat on her hands begin to dampen her armored gloves a bit. Her mouth was
dry, and breathing has never been as difficult as now.
To say she was being dwarfed by the other participants would be an understatement. Even the
shorter one was at least double her height, and she already heard all the snickers and saw the
smirks aimed at her.
The situation would have probably escalated further if the imperial knight assigned by the emperor
wasn't looking over her from a moderate distance.
She closed her eyes and tried to take some deep and calming breaths. She could not let herself be
intimidated by the situation. She had a wonderful sword and light armor that would give her an
incredible advantage when it came to movement. She would stand tall and proud, as her two
teachers taught her.
But the thought of her second teacher, and the way they left each other, brought a new wave of
sorrow to her. She didn't mean to upset him so much while insisting on him participating with her
in the tournament. He didn't even seem to be present to watch how she would do, and she was
worried she would not see him again before they departed from the empire.
The sound of a blowing horn signaling the beginning of the competition made her return to reality
as the participants began to walk out of the gate and inside the arena itself.
The cries and ovations of the crowd were deafening and Lakyus just spared a look at the stands,
hesitating a little on the VIP box, where she knew her friends were watching from.
The first part of the tournament consisted of what was called a brawl. Everyone against everyone
until only 16 of the 100 warriors participating were left. From there 1 vs 1 matches would be
organized until only one stood victorious above all others.
The judges began to put them in position, 5 meters of distance between each other. They ended up
creating a giant circle alongside the border of the arena.
"YOU SCARED SQUIRT?!"
The bearded man on her right taunted her with a smirk.
"DON'T WORRY! IF YOU ARE A GOOD GIRL, I'M NOT GONNA HURT YOU… TOO BAD
I MEAN, AHAHAHAHAH!"
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her short sword, gifted to her by Satoru almost a year ago,
ready to unsheathe it, her eyes falling on the golden ribbon her princess, no, her friend gifted her.
She scanned the area around her. Many seemed as nervous as her. Her eyes stopped for an instant
on a cloaked figure who stood almost opposite to her in the arena. 'That is a flawless stance…' she
thought, making a mental note on avoiding the cloaked participant for the moment. Then her eyes
fell on the most imposing figure in the arena, a demi-human clad in shining armor, more than 3
meters tall. 'Yeah… let's avoid that…' she thought, already imagining her gruesome end at the
hands of that beast.
"LET THE TOURNAMENT IN THE HONOR OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY JIRCNIV RUNE
FARLORD EL NIX BEGIN!"
Cried one of the judges from the stands aided by a [Loud] spell which allowed him to surpass the
noise made by the crowd.
In an instant, everything went to hell as the 100 warriors in the arena left their locations, charging
at the nearest foe. The bearded man did not waste time and was immediately on her, or at least she
would have thought so if said man wasn't so slow. 'Well, I guess heavy armor would do this to
you…' she thought, thankful for her lighter choice.
The man raised his axe ready to strike her, but the movement was so slow and predictable that
Lakyus, in the meantime, managed to fall into a fighting stance that Brain's brutal training
practically marked into her brain.
'He is probably starting slow and easy thinking me an easy target… well he is wrong!' she cried out
in her mind as she fully unsheathed her dark blue sword and met the descending axe midway.
As she felt no resistance, she thought she missed and her eyes widened 'w-what, h-how could I-' but
then her thought stopped as she realized she didn't miss. No, her weapon simply went through all
the man had.
His axe was cut in two as was his skull and even his helmet. She looked in shock as the man, now
corpse, fell lifelessly on the cold ground that now was painted red. The sounds all around her died
down as her brain was into too much of a shock to register anything else.
But as soon as she felt a shift in the air behind her, her instincts forced her to react by turning and
raising her sword, right in time to block a swing from another blade. The man who attacked her
tried to push his surprise attack forward, but Lakyus held her place; and when she was about to
push back, the man was sent flying a few meters in the air, falling ruinously a good ten meters
from her location.
But Lakyus was not relieved by the sudden event, because now, standing before her, was the giant
demi-human who just sent a full grown and heavy armored man flying with a single swing of his
metal club. 'T-that thing is bigger than m-me' the young noble found herself thinking as she
prepared herself for a final desperate stand against the towering beast.
"Eh! You small but you determined! I want to fight, later."
The inhuman rumbling voice of the monster reached her ears, she couldn't completely be sure, but
she could almost swear she heard some degree of respect in his words. 'Could the first adversary to
finally acknowledge me really be a demi-human?' she wondered as the armored wall marched
away toward the middle of the arena, where the battle was raging with more intensity.
'Yes, let us fight, later' she mentally agreed to the demi-human challenge as she marched away as
well, seeking an opponent for herself.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The masked skeleton looked down at the arena as humans slaughtered and maimed each other for
the enjoyment of the cheering crowd. 'Wow, this is even worse than that time police caught that
illegal fight club back in Japan…' he thought as what seemed to be an armored troll smashed
through three warriors; 'at least, back there, there was no magic items enhancing the slaughter' he
continued talking to himself. For once he was really appreciating his undead apathy toward death
and bloodshed.
His nonexistent eyes soon found Lakyus among the mess of people screaming in rage, pain or fear.
She was silent, and in her silence, she brought down opponent after opponent. He even noticed
how many in the crowd began to notice the young noble and point at her in excitement.
'Well, it's not most days you see a child who barely reached puberty bringing down men thrice her
size' he stated to no one but himself once more as his eyes left the young noble to find another
figure he was interested in. 'it seems like he is doing just fine… even tho-' his thought was abruptly
interrupted as Renner, who sat next to him, slightly bent forward, her eyes glued to the form of
Lakyus who now found herself fighting two fully armored men who ganged up on her.
The young noble, while skilled, still found herself pushed back by the two opponents, one wielding
a spear that made sure she stayed as far as possible, while the other was using a bow to snipe at
her.
Satoru saw how Renner's eyes sharpened and her hand laying on her lap clenched into a fist. 'Well,
she is her friend after all… I must get ready to teleport her away if things get out of control' he
thought as he got ready to cast said spell if needed.
But then something changed. Lakyus became faster and almost seemed to blur through the spear
user attacks until she struck him down with a single hit before proceeding to put down the archer
who didn't even have the time to pull out his short sword.
"This isn't good."

Stated a calm but visibly anxious Gazef whose eyes were focused on the blond noble down in the
arena.
"What do you mean?"
Asked Renner who was as confused as Satoru on the Warrior Captain's statement.
"My Princess, what young Lakyus just used was the Martial Art [Flow Acceleration], a skill she
learned but not yet perfectionated, and while it may seem like a good boost to her abilities, the
mental strain is great as well, even more for someone of that age and who is not used to utilizing it
in such stressful situations."
The Warrior Captain explained the severity of the event unfolding before them.
"Umu, so young Lakyus just halved the time she could resist down there."
Satoru tried to summarize, receiving a nod from the experienced warrior.
"The sooner it ends the better for her… and if she knows it, she will try to stay on the defensive
from now on."
The strongest warrior continued his evaluation; and, true to his statement, Lakyus began to retreat
from the fray that was the center of the arena to the side where she could shield her back thanks to
the walls.
Satoru gave a quick glance around and to his surprise noticed how, apparently, more than half the
participants were already retired, unable to continue or dead. 'Well considering that guy is down
there and the other big fellow, such an outcome shouldn't be too surprising…' he assured himself as
the troll smashed two more swordsmen, reducing them to pools of meat and blood splattered on the
ground.
While this was going on, Lakyus' retreat didn't go unnoticed as three more coalized participants
charged at her, which, judging by Renner's slightly twitching eye, incredibly annoyed said third
princess.
"Your Majesty, is it not against the rules to coalize in such an event?"
Asked the princess with all her usual decorum and ice-cold calmness.
"It is indeed frowned upon… I cannot deny that, but in the end, it doesn't actually break any
official rule, unless the group is so large that it would interfere with the choosing of the 16
winners."
The emperor answered, shrugging away Renner's slight accusation with one of his usual charming
smiles.
"A dishonorable tactic."
Offered Gazef in support of Renner's statement.
"It may be so, but still, winning is the only thought on these warriors' minds right now."
Countered one of the high-ranking looking nobles sitting not far from their group and currently
enjoying the company of a young uncomfortable maid.
{Arche's P.O.V.}
The noble heiress found herself silently clenching her fists at the sight before her. She just couldn't
help it; she could not stop relating herself to Lakyus. Here she was, besting with sheer skill men
thrice her age who resorted to ganging up on her in hope of wearing her down. A shameful display
to say the least.
In a certain sense, this was also what she had to go through when she first entered the Academy.
And if she didn't know better, she could swear this was an arranged attempt at bringing down Re-
Estize and its diplomatic party. She could not, in all honesty, totally disprove such a claim though.
And even if she should be on her country's side on this, she couldn't just cheer for such a shameful
display. 'The unskilled and lazy elders, unable to stop the passionate and flaming youth, resorting
to forcefully pushing it down by any need deemed necessary…' she thought in disgust.
In the meantime, the young, green eyed blond noble down in the arena was forced back against a
wall, forced into a defensive stalemate, in which the first to make a risky move would probably end
up tasting the ground.
"She is going to fall soon. She has lost too much stamina throughout the whole thing and from the
use of Martial Arts. Now she finds herself at a loss and a tight leash."
She heard Re-Estize's Warrior Captain say with a matter-of-fact tone; and if such an experienced
warrior stated this with so much certainty, there was no way he was wrong.
Lakyus' opponents began to surround her, and Arche began to fear the worst for her fellow noble,
but the green-eyed girl showed her wrong once more as she began to madly flail her sword around,
throwing off her opponents who randomly scattered in order to avoid the barrage of deadly slashes.
That single moment of surprise was enough for Lakyus to run and get out of the deadly trap she
was forced in.
Of course, the three didn't give up and, after a moment of hesitation in order to reassemble their
situation, they sprinted after her, quickly overcoming Lakyus' initial advantage. But, as everything
seemed lost once again, the young warrior spun around and, with a ponderous kick, sent a flying
mass of sand directly at her pursuers' faces, making two of them derail from their straight path and
sending one directly against another participant, while the other stumbled and fell ruinously on the
ground. As for the last one, the momentum of his sprint was too much to stop and between trying
to avoid the sand and seeing the fate of his comrades, he never saw the dark blue blade flash before
him as it plunged into his chest.
That side of the crowd cheered loudly as Lakyus brought down her opponents and removed the
blade from the man's chest.
And after that display, a loud sound echoed all around the arena signaling the end of the brawl,
which meant that the initial 100 participants were now reduced to merely 16, but only one would
be proclaimed as Champion of the Arena.
Now it was time for the true show of skill to begin. For bets to be made and for warriors to fight till
the very bitter end. But in the young magic caster's heart burned an undying flame, an unwavering
passion for the girl currently panting in exhaustion in the Grand Arena. 'maybe we weren't so
different after all…'
She was so enraptured by the scene before her that she didn't even notice when Satoru excused
himself and left the VIP box to go and do who knows what.
{Osk's P.O.V.}
As the chosen 16 returned to the preparing area, awaiting the judges to come and instruct them on
what to do next, the merchant patiently awaited his champion's return.
The brawl was everything he hoped it to be. Go Gin showed the whole arena and various sponsors
his combat prowess; an unstoppable wall of metal who could smash even three swordsmen with a
single bash of his club. Truly, he was the epitome of what a true warrior should be like.
As the armored war troll stepped and sat in front of him, Osk didn't waste time and congratulated
him on his first debut in the arena.
"I am sure these people will not easily forget your performance in there!"
He assured him. The demi-human just nodded, making Osk's smile falter for a moment. Usually,
his big friend was far more talkative than this; usually he only went silent when he was in deep
thoughts.
"Is something wrong?"
He whispered in a worried tone which was a far cry from his earlier excitement. The demi-human
seemed to hesitate once more, his face still hidden behind his helmet, his expression inscrutable.
"No; the opponents did not offer challenge at all… but, best is left for later, I guess… but blue one
worry me."
He said in his broken language. He was still struggling to learn the human speech after all,
something Osk was trying to remedy. Said merchant turned to glance at the other participants and
indeed, he found a blue cloaked warrior sitting alone in a corner while all the others stood
alongside their sponsors.
"He doesn't seem like much. A mysterious warrior clad in blue. Seems like someone who is trying
to get a name or something, not that he would be the first to try…"
The sponsor of the war troll said, and indeed the clad warrior didn't seem like much in his eyes. He
had an average height, and no particular build could be seen under his cloak. If anything, that cloak
seemed more like a handicap than anything. But his tall companion didn't seem to agree with his
statement as he shook his covered head.
"He never use weapon… he take away warriors' weapon and left them there."
At those words, Osk's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That was indeed a strange behavior. He
never heard of a warrior in the arena not using any kind of weapon. He should have noticed earlier
but then again, he was probably too focused on looking at Go Gin's performance.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't see the figure approaching them as well, but who could blame him?
The girl was just too short for her to be easily spotted among the towering warriors.
"Hey you! Demi-human!"
She called and attracted the gaze of the two partners toward her. Osk immediately recognized her.
She was the girl who got all the west wing of the arena fired up; 'a nameless prodigy fighting with
3 men thrice her size at the same time and coming out victorious… those are stories worthy of
legend in the arena… I wonder if she could be a worthy catch…' he pondered to himself.
"I hereby accept your challenge! Let us meet blades in an honorable duel!"
She declared in all seriousness, and, if Osk didn't see her fight, he would have found the scene
before him hilarious, not that he believed her to stand any chance against the likes of Go Gin.
"Yes, let's meet blade in arena!"
The war troll answered eagerly, in a tone Osk knew was only reserved for when he was excited.
A metallic gloved hand gently grasped the young girl's shoulder as all the attention went from the
skilled child to the towering black cloaked and masked figure just behind her.
"So… this is where you ran off… already going for the bigger fish, Lakyus?"
The dark and solemn voice echoed deep inside Osk who just got the unexplainable feeling of
standing before another Go Gin, but without his usual good temperament.
"How could I become the greatest swordswoman if I went for anything less than the best?! I will
make master proud! And I will make a name for the sword you gave me, Satoru!"
Proclaimed again the excited girl, eliciting a chuckle from the robed man whose name Osk knew
well. The name of the greatest merchant of the Re-Estize Kingdom, pillar of the Adventurer and
Magician guilds, a name not easily disregarded among the elite merchants of the Empire.
Of course, he heard of the coming of such a man to the empire, but even he could not believe his
luck in meeting him like this face to face.
Even if Osk was just beginning to enter among the elite of the Empire's merchants, he already
heard enough of the man currently standing before him to send shivers down his spine. It was said
that this merchant not only was a ruthless competitor but a 5th tier magic caster as well. He
submitted under him a guild almost 2 centuries old in less than a year and was on his way to
becoming the lead merchant of the Re-Estize kingdom, or, at least, so said the rumors.
And while he was someone to fear, Osk could not stop but admire the man who brought such
innovations to the market for magic items. It was said that he opened a shop in all the major cities
of Re-Estize and had complete control over the circulation of a fourth of the total money circulating
around the kingdom. It could be said he had an empire of his own in the form of his many shops.
And if someone dared to challenge him, he would not even need to move a finger as the
Adventurer guild and Magician guild would step in and force back down whoever tried to get in
the way of their benefactor.
Before him, the greatest Osk ever heard of a merchant was someone who managed to open 3 shops
in the same city, but this was on a completely different level. And to know such a man stood before
him was as frightening as it was exciting.
But then, after such an epiphany, the hard reality came down on him with all its weight. This man
wasn't here for no reason; this man had a champion, just as Osk did; and said champion was the
young girl before him.
'And who knows what would happen if that girl…' Osk didn't get to finish his dreadful realization
as the giant man turned toward the two of them in all his intimidating height.
"And who might you two be? Oh, the troll I recognize, but I can't say the same for you."
He said clearly referring to Osk.
"I Go Gin, he is Osk, my patron."

The war troll said before Osk could think of a way to get out of that situation.
"Umu, I see. I am happy to see demi-humans do not shy away from this kind of challenge. I wish
you good luck."
The magic caster said as he offered a handshake to the war troll, who, after a few moments of
hesitation due to different culture or surprise at his gesture, Osk wasn't quite sure which, accepted
the offered hand.
Osk noticed how the masked merchant didn't even seem to flinch from the probably stronger than
normal, grip of the demi-human.
After Osk shook hands with the robed man as well, he and his young champion departed from the
scene. The unsure merchant turned toward his friend, in hope of convincing him to go easy on the
girl, even if it was a fool's errand and he knew that already. But his words died in his throat as he
saw a drop of sweat trickle down Go Gin's tense arm muscle.
"That man… he strong, he can kill all in here, my instinct say to me to flee… is this fear? This is
death smell?"
The demi-human said to no one in particular, but that was enough for Osk; for his whole life, he
always thought true power lied in the courage and skill of a warrior, but only now he realized, that
even if Go Gin, the epitome of the word warrior, fell; maybe there was no courage, no skill and no
warrior who could stand tall and mighty against the stench of death.
{1 hour later}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
An interesting duo. Even after their interaction, he continued to glance at the troll and his patron
every now and then. He was really surprised to see such an intelligent demi-human. Judging from
how people talked about them, they didn't seem much more than brainless creatures acting purely
on instinct, but apparently, like many other supposed truths, this was merely the vision of one side
of the coin.
'I should investigate this further; it may be possible to establish good relationships with the most
pacifistic demi-human races' As he pondered those ideas the judges began to extract the names and
place them randomly in what seemed to be a graphic representing a tournament like diagram, with
16 participants, but just one winner.
He immediately noticed that the troll ended up on the opposite side of Lakyus 'this means that they
would need to get to the finals to fight…' he thought, thinking back about the challenge Lakyus
issued.
"Remember what I told you… always stay prepared."
He whispered to Lakyus, who now wore a serious expression on her face after their private talk.
The blond girl nodded as her grip tightened around the hilt of her blade where Renner's golden
ribbon still remained, contrasting with the general dark tone of the sword.
'I have never been the fairest player either… but to so blatantly target someone during a match…'
he thought; in all honesty, it really wasn't hard to see what was happening. A foreign participant
being targeted by a group, probably ordered by some higher ups to make sure to kill or maim them.
The image of a group of players insulting him and beating him came back to his mind as his gloved
hand clenched without him noticing. Satoru never appreciated gankers in all his life. Unskilled
players just remedying their weakness through numbers.
'Cheaters… what a despicable bunch…' and with that mentality, it would only be fair for him to
intervene… to equilibrate the sides once more.
Chapter End Notes
Very long wait, I know, but ton of stuff is happening in my life right now. I'm
probably going to move again, and my new full-time job doesn't help with the overall
stress. Oh well, enough with my ramblings about the unfairness of life.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter; this is of course the first part of a two-part small
tournament arc… I never thought I would end up writing one of those though…
Let me know as always what you think in the reviews! Maybe, if I get enough of
those, the next chapter will come out sooner… so review!
Till next time! And stay safe!

Shaping this warrior's soul
Chapter Notes
"Normal speech"
'Thought'
(Silent magic)
[Normal magic]
And here we are again, and yes, my ability to write battles has not improved, and I
dread what I will write next. To everyone their own, I guess…
As you probably noticed by my absence it has been a very uninspiring 2 months and
work is getting harder as we go toward summer. So yeah, sorry for the delay, I guess.
Well, not really anything important to say here, enjoy the chapter!
She washed away the blood from her hands and armor before proceeding in cleaning her face, or at
least the part not covered by her hair. It was a good thing she had it cut short. Long hair would
have just meant more filth on her and a grabbing spot for her opponents.
As she was cleaning herself, she noticed that the leather armor protecting her left arm was falling
apart. 'Damn low quality garbage' she grumbled as she proceeded to grab her spear and cutting the
armor off completely, letting it fall on the ground without a care.
She proceeded to adjust her hair so that her hideous side was completely hidden from sight. She
almost jumped in surprise as a sound of rushing water came from her right. She turned to see a
young girl washing her face next to her.
"Sorry, did I startle you?"
The young girl asked. Her blond locks and green eyes stared at her, reminding the woman so much
of herself when younger and still untouched by that filthy curse.
Her heart convulsed in jealousy and hate at the sight of the unblemished fair skin the young one
was showing.
"I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Lakyus."
The young girl, now named Lakyus, continued, offering her a handshake.
"It's nice to see that I am not the only girl here. I was really getting nervous being around only
guys."
She joked but the older woman's face remained stone cold and serious as she proceeded to slap the
offered hand away.
"Don't get in my way."
She coldly said before marching away from the confused young blond girl. 'I am only here to get
noticed by the emperor, get healed and get revenge… there is nothing else here for me' she
reminded herself as she crushed the tiny shard of guilt that built up in her heart.
"I will go forward… until all I hate is dead and gone…"
She whispered as she took a seat on a good spot to observe the following matches in the arena.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
After the awkward meeting with the strange woman Lakyus patiently waited for the 1 vs 1 matches
to begin. Of course, they were given a couple of hours to recover, but after Satoru visited her, she
didn't feel like resting at all.
She was fired up like never before and, even if she didn't know what exactly Satoru did when he
put his hand on her shoulder, she was sure that this was his doing.
Normally she would have protested at receiving such an advantage, but Satoru explained to her that
she was being targeted on purpose and this only served to balance out the odds. And the fact she
noticed nothing, and Satoru had to personally come down made her feel ashamed 'Didn't Renner
instruct me in looking into the underground? I was so engrossed into my own world, I neglected to
look for any suspicious activity' she reprimanded herself.
But she would do better next time. She was sure of it. But for now, she would limit herself to
studying her opponents, the same way they will do with her once her turn comes.
The first and second matches were nothing new. Go Gin simply limited himself to overwhelming
his opponent through brute strength, while the other participants didn't really show any particular
skill. If Lakyus had to judge them, she would probably say they were on a similar level to the
Warrior Troop members.
The third match was indeed interesting. The blue robed participant she noticed earlier was called
alongside an axe wielding brute. The blue robed man, who the announcer simply referred to as
Blue, didn't wield a sword and limited himself to dodging his opponent's blade for almost a minute
before snapping and using the other's confidence to grab his good arm and break it in a single fluid
motion, earning an easy victory. 'That is indeed a worrisome opponent, but why do they not wield a
weapon?... Could it be, they don't wish to show their cards against weak opponents? That is indeed
a cunning strategy. This way their future adversaries cannot prepare a strategy' she thought, fairly
impressed by the challenge posed by this mysterious participant.
The fourth and fifth match were nothing worth admiring as she only noticed one Martial Art being
used while the actual level of skill shown was quite mediocre in her eyes. Their movements lacked
polish and there was too much wasted movements in each strike, something both her teachers
taught her to exploit in a battle.
Then it was the other older girl's time to fight. Lakyus looked at her with rapt attention as she
moved into the arena, not a single emotion betraying her blank face. The announcer called her
Leinas. A noble name if she remembered well, but she didn't know of any famous knight going by
that name. 'Well then, show me what you've got, Leinas' She couldn't help but smirk a little.
Unfortunately, the spectacle she was expecting didn't come. Instead, the match was swift and
bloody. The young woman didn't waste time and as soon as the order to begin was given she
sprinted toward her opponent impaling him with a single strike and lifting him into the air as the
poor warrior was still screaming in agony before slamming him violently into the ground leaving
him there to his fate as the ruthless woman retired once her victory was announced.
'She is not here to enjoy herself or play around for sure' was the only thought Lakyus could come
up with after the gruesome display.
The following match looked more like children playing knights compared to the previous one, not
that she could give it much attention as she was busy warming up for her own match. She was in
the middle of some light stretching when she heard the crowd cheer and a winner being announced.
Immediately, anxiety grasped her soul, and she felt a lump in her throat as her stomach clenched. It
was true that this wasn't her first time in the arena, but before there were 100 people in there
alongside her. Now the full attention of the crowd would be focused on her, and she could not
allow Renner, Satoru, Gazef or even Brain, if he was watching, to lose face. Her friend even gifted
her with a favor, a royal favor, officially recognizing her as a true knight. She couldn't let her
down, no matter the cost.
Her grip around Satoru's gift tightened as she marched toward the entrance with renewed vigor and
resolution.
As her and her opponent's names were announced, the crowd exploded into a deafening cheer far
louder than before, or maybe that was just her impression.
Her opponent was around his early twenties with platinum hair and a good-looking face. Many
maidens would have been grateful to know his name and judging from the many favors he
displayed on his armor Lakyus didn't doubt he was already fairly known around here.
Unfortunately, due to her current mental focus, she lost his name when he was announced.
Giving her a slight smirk, the knight, who was her double in size, advanced into the arena saluting
his admirers with great enthusiasm and sending kisses toward the many maidens who seemed
enamored with him. Lakyus refrained from scoffing at the display 'we are not here for pleasantries;
this is a battlefield! Well, if he is so well loved and known I think it will at least be a worthy
challenge for me' she guessed as the referee gestured for them to get to their positions.
As Lakyus turned to swiftly get to her spot she felt her left hand being grabbed, she turned to find
the young knight kneeling before her as he grasped her hand as if he was asking her to dance with
her at a ballroom.
"My fair maiden! I beg of thee to rethink your actions! Your beauty is so great that I could never
even think about having to rise arms upon thee! On my honor as a knight, I beg you to desist this
madness at once! You have shown your worth and all of the people gathered here have seen a rose
with thorns dance on the battlefield, but this is not your place! So, I beg of thee, retire with your
honor and beauty intact!"
If it wasn't for the fact that his words were spoken far too loudly to be directed only toward her,
Lakyus could have even felt flattered by some of them, but she knew exactly what he was aiming to
do. 'He wants to save his face and not be accused of hitting girls, which would make him look
bad… and now, if I refuse, I will seem rude and barbaric… Why you little!' she felt her irritation
grow inside her as she saw various maidens, noble and not, stare with shining eyes at the gallant
knight, but there was one gaze, far more intense than all of the others combined that was solely
focused on her.
Turning her gaze lightly, Lakyus' emerald eyes met Renner's sky-blue ones. Words weren't
necessary to convey what that imperious gaze ordered her 'do not worry my Princess, I will kick his
ass to the Holy Kingdom and back!'.
Who cared if she was labelled as rude? Who cared if she was despised? As long as Renner, Satoru
and her teachers believed in her, she will have everything she needs!
In the meantime, the knight, seeing her hesitation proceeded to put a kiss on her gloved hand as it
was customary when introducing to a noble maiden.
"My lady, I, Motier Lyx Anvil promise to give you a special tour of the city once I have won this
tournament, but please, desist now."
This time Lakyus could not hide her scowl as she abruptly freed herself from the knight grasp and
marched away 'this humiliation… I will inflict it back on you one hundred-fold!' she said fuming.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
The young princess clenched her tiny fist. She herself didn't know exactly why seeing Lakyus'
humiliation brought such shame and rage to her as well, but the fact it did was bothering her
nonetheless. Was it because Lakyus was her friend? Her only friend? Was this how seeing a friend
suffer should make her feel? The only thing she was sure about was that, if she had the occasion,
she would kill that worthless whoremonger daring to touch her Lakyus.
Her? A strange sentiment of possessiveness showered over the little princess 'Yes, that's right,
Lakyus is mine! Only I can touch her and only I can make her do things, she is mine! And mine
alone!' that sounded right in her mind. 'And Satoru belongs to me too, but I also belong to him as
well' she felt the need to clarify the difference to herself, nonetheless. Emotions were a troubling
and chaotic matter after all, and she needed to put hers in order.
"Ah! It seems that the girl ignored my son's chivalrous proposal! Humph, as expected of a barbaric
Re-Estize's noble."
Her internal musings were interrupted by a noble loudly scoffing at her knight. For a moment she
thought Gazef was about to say something, but he seemed to be able to refrain himself from falling
for the trap.
"And what kind of Kingdom let's noble girls wield a sword at such an age, I-"
The noble rambling was interrupted by the Emperor himself.
"Minister Anvil, I think that will be enough."
The gelid tone of Jircniv put an end to the whole tirade.
"Humph, at least this will make easy coins. I actually betted 100 on my son in this match."
The minister changed the subject as other nobles and ministers shared their own bets and how
much they won or lost in the previous matches. 'Betting is probably the only reason why these
events still happen from time to time… you need to make the economy move, I guess' Renner
thought as she continued to stare intensely at her chosen knight down there in the arena.
"Did you bet as well Sir Satoru?"
One of the nobles asked and suddenly her attention was partially shifted again toward her beloved.
"Umu, indeed. I bet 40 on Lakyus for this round."
The deep and calming voice of the magic caster admitted.
"Humph, didn't want to waste gold on the girl did you. Well, you will still lose 40 gold coins
nonetheless."
Said Minister Anvil with a smug look on his face. To say the man was starting to get on Renner's
nerves would be an understatement.
"I apologize, were we speaking about gold coins? I thought heads of the Empire such as yourself
would not still be trifling with those trinkets; it seems I was wrong, my apologizes. I was meaning
to say that I betted 40 platinum coins on Lakyus."
If Renner didn't master the art of masking her emotions, she had no doubt she would have started
laughing at the face the minister made after Satoru, not so subtly, insulted him using only his own
arrogance against him. Said minister unfortunately didn't seem to share her sentiment as he became
as red as a tomato due to shame and rage, but a single glance from Jircniv seemed to be enough to
silence him again.
"It is about to begin."
Said Gazef as Renner's attention returned to the arena below. 'Whoever rigged this tournament
must not have been so bright. Not only was Lakyus heavily targeted, but she was put against a
known and good knight on the very first match… could this be any more obvious?' the blond
princess mused as the referee announced the beginning of the match before quickly leaving the
arena.
The two warriors took their stances, not that Renner had the knowledge to judge who had the best
one, but the boy's one seemed rather fancy instead of precise like Lakyus'. The princess glanced at
Gazef to see if his expression could tell her something, but the Warrior Captain seemed far too
focused for him to express any judgment.
The two opponents still didn't seem to want to make the first move even after almost a minute had
passed. Then the knight spoke, though the princess could not hear his words over the cheering and
shouting crowd. But no matter what he said, it seemed like Lakyus didn't take it well at all judging
by her furious glare and sudden rush toward him.
Renner's eyes widened as her handmaiden seemed to become a blur in her vision, closing the
distance between her and her opponent in nothing more than a second. Even the noble herself
seemed to be surprised by her sudden boost in speed as she hesitated before striking the young
man. Unfortunately, that instant of hesitation was barely enough for Motier to move his blade and
try to block the strike. To the surprise of the whole arena, the knight's sword was sent flying away
from his hands by the swing of Lakyus' blade.
Again, the young noble girl seemed to be surprised by her own strength and, instead of striking her
opponent down, allowed him to dash toward his weapon and grasp it again with both his hands this
time.
"Umu, it was just a light stats buff. Does it really make so much of a difference?"
She heard the voice of Satoru whisper to no one. She internally smiled; of course, this was all
Satoru's doing. He may have overdone it a little, but that gave her just the right occasion to push
her dominance on this new field.
"Ah! So finally, she started getting serious, I wondered why she was toying during the first round.
Still, she is just warming up and her opponent is already losing his head… and here I thought the
Empire's knights were the mightiest of the continent…"
She said with her most surprised and innocent voice, lightly kicking Gazef's foot; the Warrior
Captain seemed to grasp her intent.
"It was my suggestion that young Lady Lakyus would handicap herself during the first round so
that she may still struggle in what would have surely been too easy of a challenge for her."
The sound of glass cracking could be heard as minister Anvil heard their conversation. The man
stood up and stumbled toward the balustrade.
"MOTIER! END THIS RIGHT NOW!"
He bellowed to his son who may as well have not heard him since he was busy trying to block the
unstoppable assault of a ruthless Lakyus who seemed to dance around the pretty boy, forcing him
toward the border of the arena.
Finally, seeming to have had enough, Motier tried a lunge that did nothing if not giving Lakyus an
opening that she used to kick her opponent's groin, making him fall with a ear piercing scream. The
noble girl placed the point of her blade on his neck as she used her foot to kick Motier's sword
away from him.
"THE WINNER IS LAKYUS!"
The referee announced loudly. The crowd both cried out in despair and joy as Lakyus left the arena
and a pair of healers rushed toward the downed knight who was still unable to move from the
ground.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
She sat down in the preparation room alone on a stool as half of the participants still there looked
at her as if she was some bizarre creature. But the stare she felt on herself didn't come from any of
them; instead, it came from the cloaked warrior known as Blue. His unseen eyes seemed to burn a
hole through her very soul.
As she was trying to determine what the strange fellow wanted from her, she felt someone punch
her shoulder, making her jump a little.
"Ah sorry, sorry! Sometimes I don't know my own strength. It's nice to see another gal pass her
match. We don't want these guys to get too much over themselves, don't we?"
Said a strong and masculine female voice. The noble looked up only to see a giant of a… woman,
or at least she would define her so judging by her words and voice. It was no wonder she didn't
notice her before. She really looked like a man. Lakyus didn't even remember seeing her fight
before, and, judging by the hammer the masculine girl had on her back, she was sure she would
have remembered such a display of strength. That left the young noble with just one option. This
giant of a woman fought right before her, meaning, she was her next opponent.
She didn't return the other woman's cocky smile, and the thought that she could treat all of this as
nothing more than a game irked Lakyus to no end.
Here she was struggling and doing her best to not dishonor her princess' name, alongside Satoru's,
Gazef's and Brain's; and this… this simpleton of a brute was just standing there with a cocky smile
looking at her from her height. The voice of Renner slipped into her mind in the form of a whisper
'do not let others look down on you, be prideful of what you are, and if anyone thinks they can
push you around, strike back with any means necessary to end them' Her sage princess' words were
probably meant for politics, but Lakyus felt like she could apply it to battle as well.
"I wish you good luck."
Coldly replied Lakyus, as she walked away from a seemingly dumbfounded masculine woman.
"Name's Gagaran by the way, little girl!"
She heard the armored woman call out from behind her. Lakyus slowly turned trying to put up the
blankest expression she could.
"I am Lady Lakyus, noble knight appointed by the third princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom,
Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, to serve as her champion in this competition."
She formally introduced herself leaving her next opponents to her own thoughts.
On the way out of the room she abstractly bumped into someone. Blue filled her vision as she
stepped back only to see the cloaked man pass next to her without even stopping to check if she
was alright.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead magic caster mentally flinched as the crowd roared and the knight below was blown
away by the War Troll's strike. He didn't really understand the fascination these people found in
the one-sided fights that seemed to be a must of this event.
As the next match was announced, of which he already knew the outcome, Satoru left the VIP
room, excusing himself with the pretense of cashing in his bet, or it would be better to say bets.
He waited for a new match to start so that many would be away from the betting table so he would
avoid the crowd being there every other time. As the empire's employee saw him approaching, he
could not miss to notice the stretched smile on her face. The reason for it was not hard to find.
They probably lost a lot of money due to the previous match and, instead, he was one of the biggest
winners.
"Welcome back honored sir, do you have your note?"
The employee asked as if in hope of him having lost it. Satoru wordlessly took out the note with his
bet and win rate from his inventory before placing it on the counter.
"As the note says, I have won 623.84 platinum coins"
He said, silencing the few people still in the room who immediately turned towards him. The
woman behind the counter grimaced and took the note, immediately going into the back. In a few
seconds, shouting could be heard coming from a room not too distant from there. Satoru didn't
know if he ever heard anybody shout so many profanities in just one sitting before.
Around two minutes later a man with white hair who seemed to be around his fifties if not sixties
came back to the counter followed by the employee from before, his hand shaking around Satoru's
note.
"Lord Satoru, I presume?"

He asked, his tone as steady as possible in that situation. The overlord nodded in confirmation.
"We are very sorry for the inconvenience, but our policy does not allow us to bet more than 20
platinum coins per bet. We are ready to compensate you for your win based on our limitations."
The man said in a business-like tone, eliciting Satoru to hum as if he was deep in thought, which
was not the case since he doubted they would give him that sum so easily.
"But weren't you the ones in error for allowing me to bet that much in the first place? It was fine as
long as I lost but now that I won you finally inform me of the irregularity?"
Asked Satoru, playing the card of the displeased costumer, like many did back in his day as a
salaryman. 'it's nice to be on the other side once in a while' he pondered.
"Lord Satoru, we understand the error lies with us and your disappointment is deeply understood
from our establishment, but I beg you to understand that if we paid the whole sum it would
probably interfere with the other bets in place at the moment… we sincerely apologize for the
misconduct on our part, and I swear to you that there will be harsh consequences for the action
taken by our employee."
The man deeply apologized glancing venomously at the employee behind him who seemed to
shrink in fear at her boss' words.
"I accept your apology, but the fact still remains. You are still indebted to me for more than 300
platinum coins. How do you wish to resolve that?"
Satoru continued to press. It was a common strategy in situations such as this. He knew how most
employees were taught to make empty promises to the displeased customers; it would work on
most people, but Satoru wasn't most people. He had more than 10 years of experience at working
in the ruthless environment that was the 22nd century's market, and there was no way such a
newbie tactic could deter him from his goal.
"We could organize a retribution program and pay you monthly amounts of 30 platinum coins, or
we could open a credit from which you could withdraw every time you wish to bet in the Arena
again."
The man proposed. Unfortunately for him, Satoru was having none of it.
"Those sound like reasonable solutions. Unfortunately, my stay in the Empire is coming to an end
in just a few days, so none of those options seem applicable to me."
Satoru knew he was being difficult but at the same time he could not deny that they were mostly at
fault for what happened.
"Ah, excuse me good sirs."
Both the magic caster and the trouble employee turned to look at the man who spoke. Satoru
immediately recognized him as the patron of that war troll, but he couldn't recall his name at all.
"I could not help but hear of your troubles and, if I may be so bold, I would like to propose a
solution; my name is Osk and I am a merchant who works very closely with the Arena and I am the
current patron of Go Gin, the war troll participating in today's event."
Seeing that Satoru remained silent the employee probably followed his lead even if visibly
reluctant in doing so and with blood visibly draining from his face after the man's introduction.
"If it was fine with you Lord Satoru, I would like to buy your credit towards the Arena. You would
receive your money back by tomorrow except for a small fee I would take for the service. In
exchange, the Arena would slowly pay back their debt to me."
Satoru did know this tactic. Usually employed by Yakuza to intimidate their debtors to pay up. But
even with that bad relation in his mind, the undead's cold mind could not deny the effectiveness of
that tactic.
"This seems like an applicable proposal to my needs; I hope this will not be a problem?"
Satoru asked the employee who was white as his hair by now. The magic caster took his silence as
compliance to his demands.
"Then I hope to see you tomorrow in my establishment Lord Satoru; it is located just outside the
Arena."
The merchant said in a delighted tone, like a child waiting for his ice cream to be made, a
comparison that largely amused Satoru.
"Is that so? Then why doesn't an esteemed guest such as yourself join me and a few others in the
VIP room of the Arena. I am sure the emperor will not mind hosting a patron of one of the favorite
winners of the competition."
Osk was clearly taken aback from his words and his pleasant smile disappeared, morphing into a
serious expression.
"Are you sure that it is fine for a humble merchant such as me to be there?"
He asked, seriously eliciting a hum from Satoru. 'Jircniv is a head of state basically, but still, to
meet a promising merchant who could hold great wealth in a few years is only common sense isn't
it?... it is also the reason I invited him there for in the first place…' the undead paused just an
instant to reevaluate his decision before shrugging it off.
"I do not see why I should not introduce someone who is about to become a business partner of
mine. I am sure the emperor won't mind."
He said as he led the still hesitant merchant towards the VIP room.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
She looked in admiration as the young woman wielding a lance impaled her opponent, ending his
life; while she could not agree with the method, the precision and skill showed by the woman was
unreal. No wasted movement could be seen, no hesitation driven by insecurity, no emotion to be
used against her. She would indeed be a dangerous opponent once she faced her in the next round,
but now she had to focus on the present as she and her opponent were called into the Arena.
The crowd roared and cheered once more as they did on the last match, but this time there was a
rhythm to it, something she had to focus on to fully understand. The spectators were shouting
something, a single word.
"LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS! LAKYUS!

LAKYUS! LAKYUS!..."
They were shouting her name, cheering for her. In that moment, she had no idea if she felt more
baffled, prideful, or embarrassed.
"Bah! The crowd seems to love you, little one… all love the story of an underdog I guess… but
don't think even for a moment that I will go easy on you to make them happy!"
The giant of a woman, known as Gagaran, said as her hand twitched toward her hammer, strapped
on her back.
"Do your worst."
Lakyus said back, tired of being constantly underestimated due to her age, height or gender. 'I will
show you all, I will become the strongest and I will bring honor to Renner's name!' the blond noble
thought determined to succeed.
As soon as she reached her designated spot, the marquis heiress unsheathed her sword, the golden
ribbon of her princess shining under the sun which just passed its zenith and was now moving west.
"THAT'S A PRETTY BLADE YOU HAVE THERE! BUT CAN YOU USE IT AS WELL?!"
The giant woman taunted her without much result as Lakyus remained firm and calm on the spot.
As soon as they were ordered to begin, the woman known as Gagaran charged at her with a roar
more resembling an orc than a human. Her hammer came down on Lakyus with unexpected speed
for such a heavy weapon, but it was still nothing for the empowered Lakyus who easily
sidestepped the attack, immediately taking advantage of the opening created by the woman.
Gagaran's armor may have been sturdy, but even that was not enough to stop her blade as it cut into
it with little resistance. Lakyus' opponent immediately jumped away, creating as much distance as
she could between them.
"Oi! Oi! That thing is sharp! You could have cut my arm off!"
She said unamused, taking a new, more defensive, stance.
"That was the initial idea… you are a bit too fast for your weight though."
Lakyus taunted in hope of provoking another charge as foolish and careless as the previous one.
"Don't get cocky! You brat!"
And with that the woman charged once more, this time fainting another vertical attack only to
curve her trajectory at the last time toward her left, where Lakyus just rolled to dodge. Thanks to
her enhanced speed the blond noble immediately used the blunt side of her blade to block the
incoming swing.
The loud boom that resounded from the impact was even louder than the cheering crowd and for a
moment Lakyus worried about going deaf.
Her blade, of course, managed to block the strike but she could still feel a certain numbness in her
hands. This time it was her time to retreat away from the hulking woman.
"What's wrong brat? Just one strike was enough for you to give up?! Ahahahahahh!"
The woman said, regaining her cocky grin. Lakyus stood up, closed her eyes and took a deep breath
to steel and prepare her mind.
"[Flow Acceleration]"
She mumbled as she felt her body tense up, boosting her already boosted speed even more. To the
eyes of most, she looked like a golden blur in the Arena as in the span of two seconds she already
was behind Gagaran, the edge of her blade reddened by the two slashes she inflicted through the
hard armor.
The woman fell forward without exactly knowing what hit her. The only thing stopping her was her
hammer. They weren't fatal blows though, both because Lakyus didn't want to kill anyone, no
matter how annoying they were and because of the armor preventing her blade from cutting
deeper.
"Y-you!"
The giant woman grunted as her eyes found Lakyus' once more.
"Just give up. No matter how tough your armor is, if you can't touch me, you have already lost."
Lakyus said, wanting to avoid both injuring her opponent further and spending more of her energy.
To her surprise, the woman didn't say anything, only giving her a small smirk under her pained
expression. With a roar Gagaran teared away her own armor, shocking both Lakyus and the crowd
as only a few small clothes were left to hide her modesty.
"IS THIS THE GAME YOU WANT TO PLAY?! FINE! LET'S PLAY THEN! [FLOW
ACCELERATION] [BOOSTED STRENGTH]"
Resembling more a rabid beast than a human, the almost naked woman charged Lakyus like an
enraged bull, stronger and faster than ever. Both for her lack of weight wearing her down and the
Martial Arts she used.
Even while still busy dodging her swings, Lakyus could not help but notice how her light wounds
already stopped bleeding 'is she even human?!' she thought in worry as the hammer passed only a
few centimeters from her head.
The exchange went on for what seemed like hours to Lakyus. She knew that if one of those strikes
hit her, it would be all over. Fortunately, her opponent decided to disregard completely any
defenses allowing the blond swordswoman to inflict on her more cheap damage. Most humans by
now would have been downed but instead Gagaran didn't seem to relent.
Even with all those boosts, Lakyus began to feel tired both physically and mentally. In a desperate
attempt to stop the unrelenting woman, she lunged with her blade which only resulted in a struggle
between hammer and sword. Both opponents didn't want to let go though and continued to push
against each other until Gagaran's hammer snapped in two and Lakyus fell forward face down.
But even disarmed, the giant woman did not accept defeat and instead used her superior strength to
tackle down the rising Lakyus, forcing the smaller girl on the ground.
'I must get it!' was the only thought in Lakyus mind as she stretched her hand toward her blade that
slipped from her grasp when the hulking woman pushed her down. But just before she could touch
her blade, she felt the tight grasp around her wear off and she immediately used the moment to
crawl away from under the larger woman.
It didn't take her long to understand what happened once she stood up. Her opponent passed out,
probably from both sustaining so many wounds and straining her mind beyond what was
considered wise to maintain her Martial Arts.
With the crowd still cheering she recovered her sword and walked away, limping a bit as she felt
some bruises created all over her body.
As she reached the gate, many employees came running out to recover her opponent and
everything left in the arena.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
As the semifinals approached, Satoru could not help but feel a tiny bit of excitement inside him.
This whole thing reminded him so much about the good old days, when Yggdrasil still held
tournaments, if not for the fact that the competitors were significantly weaker than the average
Yggdrasil player.
"Gazef, will Lakyus be all right after that bi-brute tackled her?"
The sweet voice of Renner asked from her spot next to the emperor. An innocent question, for
anyone who wasn't Satoru. By now he could easily recognize the small signs on her face indicating
her true feelings. The inferior lip she now slightly perked was a sign of her clenching her teeth, and
the slightly too fast twitching of her golden eyebrow signified her irritation at what was presented
before her.
'Well, she and Lakyus are friends after all. I would be pretty upset if something like that happened
to Pero or Buku, or anyone from Ainz Ooal Gown' he pondered as at the same time Gazef assured
the third princess about her friend's safety.
"I am sure Lakyus will be fine. She is incredibly strong and talented. There is no way something
like that could put her down."
Joined Arche who stayed mostly silent for the whole tournament 'maybe she just doesn't enjoy
blood and violence. She seems more like the scholar type' judged Satoru based on the last weeks
spent mostly alongside the young caster.
Before Satoru had the time to give the blond child his own assurance the next match was
announced, a match he idly awaited if he had to be honest.
'I wonder if he is going to use it this time around? Why else would he have asked me for it
otherwise?' the undead wondered as his eyeless stare focused on the blue cloaked man who swiftly
went for his spot, opposite the giant war troll known as Go Gin.
"What do you think Sir Osk? Do you have faith in your champion's prowess?"
Asked the masked magic caster, curious to know what type of man sat next to him. The nervous
looking merchant waited a few seconds before giving his answer.
"Go Gin is wary of him, and I feel like I should follow his instinct due to my own lack of
experience in such evaluations."
A good answer in Satoru's book. It showed this man was no bigot fool like many he met back in
Re-Estize.
'Now, why don't you show me what that toy can do in the right hands?' rhetorically asked the
magic caster to the man hiding under that cloak.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
She was still nursing her own bruises when the first semifinal began. Luckily, she didn't have any
broken bone or serious injury that would hinder her ability to give her all in her next match. The
final was a very different matter though, if she would even get there in the first place.
She only passed this turn thanks to Satoru after all. If it wasn't for his spells, she doubted she would
have resisted or been able to defend at all against that giant woman.
She still shuddered at the idea of being pinned down to the ground like that. She never felt more
powerless than that before. Facing that woman in hand-to-hand combat was like an ant trying to
climb a mountain. 'is this how master Brain felt after his battle with Satoru?' she wondered before
shaking that thought away. It wasn't the same, Brain come out of that match an empty shell of a
man. What she felt was just fear.
'I don't want to see your face ever again' those were the last words her blue haired teacher told her
after their heated discussion. They were painful. She never felt such an ache like that in her heart
before. She tried to find him and apologize but what was said was said. 'I was being a brat again…'
she thought as anguish started to build up once more before she slapped herself. 'Focus! If you
want to make it up to him, you must show all you learned and win this!' her determination flowed
in once more as she focused on the battle before her. 'If I want to beat Go Gin I must play
everything I have on speed and use the few openings in his armor to disable his junctures and force
him to the ground. The legs would be the perfect spot to target. Looking at his previous matches,
he doesn't seem to regard his own safety that much, preferring to simply overpower his opponent'
she analyzed as she waited for the referee to start the match.
Go Gin's tactic was the same as all his previous battles'. He charged his opponent, his metal club
already ready for a strike midway toward his adversary. But this time, instead of trying to block or
dodge, the blue cloaked man went on one knee. The club passing just centimeters from his head,
before surging forward, grasping the club's handle and trying to twist it away from the war troll's
grasp unsuccessfully.
The demi-human immediately used his free hand to try and punch his opponent, but his
telegraphed move was easily avoided by the man who proceeded to use his leg to kick the troll's
weapon, still trying to send it away from his hands.
Go Gin, seeming enraged by this, used his body to try and squish Blue under him by falling
forward, an attack avoided by the cloaked man who used the occasion to roll under the demi-
human's legs as he fell face down on the arena.
With Go Gin down at the mercy of his opponent, it would have only seemed natural for Blue to get
his weapon out and deliver, if not a killing blow, at least a incapacitating one, but instead the man
stood there, waiting for the troll to regain his balance and stance, much to the bafflement of both
Lakyus and the whole Arena.
But Lakyus' bafflement and shock weren't only from the actions she saw being taken before her
eyes, but mostly by the fact that she recalled those perfect movements. How could she not? She
was subjected to them and the frustration they brought for the last month. And before her brain
could process what that meant she jumped in her spot as a loud roar echoed all around her.
"FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME! KILL ME IF YOU CAN! DO ALL YOU WANT! FIGHT! YOU
HUMILIATE ME! DISHONOR ME! I STRONG! YOU STRONG! BUT YOU NOT FIGHT!
YOU NOT HIT! I NOT TOLARATE THIS!"
The war troll screamed in all his rage and wounded pride, now really resembling the beast many
thought demi-humans were. The blue cloaked man didn't seem bothered by that though and just
stood there awaiting the troll's next move who, probably enraged even more by the lack of
reaction, charged forward once more.
"[STRONG STRIKE]!"
Go Gin cried out activating his Martial Art before slamming his metal club when Blue stood just a
second before. The power of the strike created a crater in the arena and the powerful wind created
by the strike reached even Lakyus.
But in that instant the young noble couldn't care less since the strike, while missing, still managed
to make Blue's hood fall down revealing what was under it.
Blue hair, brown eyes, tanned skin and an unmistakable scowl on his face. Lakyus' mouth opened.
The war troll stared, and the Arena fell silent as Brain Unglaus stood there glaring at everything in
his vision.
Chapter End Notes
Ohohoh, longest chapter of this story as of now. I couldn't finish the arc in two
chapters. Sorry about that. Oh well, the cat is out of the bag. But the question remains,
who will win the tournament? Stay tuned for more! Maybe leave a review. I missed
those dearly during these 2 months. Oh! And make sure to give a look at my Overlord
one-shot "A Tale of Two Halves" if you want! Thanks!
PS: Lakyus may seem pretty OP, but I assure you she is not. What she has is a very
elite training by the best swordmen in the continent (for all we know), Satoru's
support and an unyielding determination.
PPS: Someone asked me for a character sheet of Lakyus and Renner and I thought it
would be funny to make one, so here it is (none of this is canon though, so do not
speculate on these info)
Name: Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself
Title: Demonic Smiling Princess
Job: Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom
Residence: Ro-Lente Castle
Job Level:
Princess (3)
Actress (4)
Genius (5)
Death Follower (5)
Karma: -350 (Meticulously Evil)

Hobby: Following Satoru around and cuddling with him whenever possible.
"The Third Princess, the last in line to the Re-Estize's throne. Her golden hair and sky-
blue eyes make her look like an angel while they hide the true, concealed demon
inside. Her life goal is to please and be pleased by the magic caster Satoru. No matter
how high the body pile might grow, she will still go forward, until all who stand in her
way are dead."
Name: Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra
Title: Apprentice of the genius swordsmen
Job: Noble Marquis Heiress
Residence: Royal Capital
Job Level:
Noble (2)
Swordswoman (6)
Blade Master (4)
Martial Artist (2)
Death Follower (2)
Karma: +150 (Self-Proclaimed Righteous)
Hobby: Training, listening to Satoru's tales and hanging out with Renner
"She refuses her noble duties as heiress and instead wishes to travel the world and
bring justice to those who are too weak to take it for themselves. Her passion brought
many important figures to support her dream of becoming the strongest
swordswoman."
Stay safe and have a nice day!

Reforged Blade
Chapter Notes
If you wish to support me as a writer i got a Patreon with additional content under the
name "zerosenpaiwriter" if you can't find it ask me for a link!
Hope to see you soon and enjoy!
The retired swordsman looked at the giant before him with nothing but contempt. It was his fault
this happened. He had no wish of being recognized and have all those eyes on him. He just wanted
to grant his first and last student a final wish before he retired forever to become an anonymous
wood carver. But everything had to go to shit! This damn demi-human had to stand in his way and
blow away his cover. The cover he had to ask for from that monstrous magic caster.
At the thought of that man, Brain's hand instinctively went for the blade by his side that was still
hidden by his cloak. He still managed to stop himself before grasping the hilt though. 'No, I will
not fall to temptation again. My days as a swordman are done… I should just… retire… damn it!
Damn this beast for forcing my hand and that caster for giving me this cursed blade!' he thought
furious with both entities. He remembered how he had to accept the blade otherwise the bloody
caster would not give him the magic cloak either. According to that man, the cloak would enhance
his speed and stamina while the blade was given to him due to the curiosity of the caster who
wanted to see how well Brain could use it, even after the blue haired man told him he would not
use it.
While he was pondering what to do next, the War Troll used that time to recover from his previous
blow and jump out of the crater he just created.
"SO YOU HAVE FACE! AH! NEXT TIME I TAKE YOUR HEAD!"
Roared the still enraged demi-human before charging Brain once more.
Not wanting to give in to the troll's provocations, Brain limited himself to staring him down
blankly until he was forced to dodge another swing of his club. Brain felt kind of disappointed by
now. The technique behind the strikes was laughable, just average in his eyes. The only reason that
troll reached this point of the tournament was only due to his natural gifts. 'proving once again how
humanity is doomed to be inferior to other life forms more gifted in the natural department' he
added in his head as he crouched to again avoid a wild swing from the enraged troll.
"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGGG!"
Loosing all kinds of control, the demi-human swung a fist at him, taking the human by surprise
and forcing him to jump back instead of dodging as usual. Disregarding any personal defenses, the
troll pressed his attack continuing to use his weapon alongside his fists and legs to pressure Brain
into making a mistake. This would normally leave him defenseless against any retaliation from his
opponent, but the troll was aware that the blue haired swordsman would not strike him.
As the troll was consumed by his bloodlust and rage brought on by Brain's humiliating behavior,
the swordsman himself felt some tiredness catching up to him after a whole day of battle. The
cloak could only do just so much for his depleting stamina.
It was just a matter of time before he was going to get hit or the troll completely depleted himself
of energy. The former seemed more likely as the foot of the troll slammed into Brain's side,
sending him flying meters away until one of the arena borders stopped him.
He could hear the booing of the crowd, no doubt caused by his poor performance and his
unwillingness to fight. 'Utter fools… all of them… they feel safe on their precious stands, as if a
possible death battle was a spectacle to behold… they have no idea of what truly means to feel
death close up on you…' he thought as the troll closed the distance between them, slow but
powerful feet marking the sandy ground. But between the cries of the crowd and the heavy thumps
of the demi-human, another sound made its way to Brain's ears.
Words, words spoken by a voice he knew and grew up to like over the time.
"MASTER BRAIN! DON'T GIVE UP! YOU MUST GO ON! PLEASE UNSHEATE YOUR
BLADE!"
The voice of the young blonde Re-Estize noble known as Lakyus echoed into his concussed mind.
He apparently was thrown just next to the entrance of the waiting area, where a teary Lakyus was
standing as she shouted not even a meter away from him.
'Shut your trap, will you?' rhetorically asked the blue haired swordsman. By now the war troll
towered over him and with one of his large hands he pulled the downed Brain up, his mace held in
his other free hand, ready to end him.
"YOU MUST FIGHT OR YOU WILL DIE!"
The brat still shouted at him as if such a thing still mattered to him. 'Who cares… maybe in death I
will find some peace at least' as his final thoughts went through his head his eyes wandered until
they locked with a pair of sapphire gems engraved in a black mask.
"Even in death you persist on haunting me… damn magic caster…"
He whispered and against all odds those words reached the troll and made him pause for a moment
and then he began to laugh lightly, something the blue haired didn't consider possible due to his
opponent size and demeanor.
"So, you felt as well? The stench of death! Is it not magnificent? When I felt it, I could not stand,
my skin start crawling, my instinct tell to run! That stench brings out my will to live!"
The demi-human said far more calmly. Brain could now feel the hand restraining him trembling.
He said nothing and instead limited himself to taking away is eyes from the magic caster and
instead fixing the giant before him. A moment of silence passed between the two as even the
cheering of the crowds and Lakyus' yelling faded into the back of his mind.
"I see, the stench takes you away… your fighting spirit, gone… I thought you better… I thought
you strong… but you weak… no worthy of a warrior death."
The troll said in what seemed to be disappointment as he dropped the motionless ex-swordsman.
The demi-human rose his armored foot, ready to crush Brain's head.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

He could still hear Lakyus' desperate screams for him to react.
"DON'T BE A COWARD!"
In her desperation the girl yelled her last resort 'really? Trying to rile me up with insults? How
desperate are you?' but despite thinking those words, something changed a lump created in his
stomach, and he could not for the life of him understand why. His hand twitched as if his body was
trying to take control and save him anyway despite his wishes. And as the foot began to descend,
he recognized the familiar feeling for what it was, regret.
In a swift movement he slightly rolled to the side, just enough for the foot to impact the sandy
ground instead of his head. Without even knowing why, he rose on his feet once again. He just felt
like there was still something he needed to do. Someone he had a last lesson for.
"So, you have dignity to ask for a warrior's death?"
The troll grunted as he took a stance, preparing to unleash all his power once more, and this time
there would be no range to dodge. Brain's brown eyes locked with Lakyus' emerald ones. There
was no need for words to convey what her whole body was screaming at him.
Fight!
'I really hate you brat… you are ignorant, even obnoxious sometimes… you dream of impossible
goals… you grasp things others took years to master… you are infuriatingly stubborn…
annoyingly single minded… and yet, yet you are also inspiring, you cannot seem to be ignored by
the ones around you, and you always manage to get your way… and in the end, even I…' as his
internal monologue went on, his right hand slowly grasped the hilt of his new blade. 'I have
nothing less to lose. My will, my pride, my honor. All gone… and it is for that reason, that I will
fight, without holding anything back!' the metallic mace descended upon him.
"[STRONG STRIKE]!"
The demi-human roared but this time his blow didn't reach the ground as a flash of darkness dashed
before him. The two pieces of metal that were previously forming a mace fell limply on the ground
as the troll looked in confusion at his hand which was almost fully split in two, red blood flowing
out like a river. Even Brain himself was stunned by the blades power. He just meant to deflect the
blow, countering with his own [Vertical Strike]. Instead, he not only cut the weapon in half, but he
also split part of the troll's hand, armor and bone, as well.
With a roar, the demi-human sent a sloppy punch with his good hand at a surprised Brain who was
sent flying back into the wall while his opponent jumped back to create distance between the two
of them.
The punch, being not as powerful as the previous ones, didn't break any bones fortunately for
Brain, even if he felt his ribcage ache. He looked down at the blade he now held in his hand, free
of its sheath. The blade itself was as black as midnight, with dark purple ripples growing all over it
like veins in an arm.
"Why?... why not heal?"
He heard the demi-human mutter in what seemed to be shocked and surprise. Brain wasn't sure
how to exactly react. He has seen troll's regeneration before but this was clearly not the case, and,
judging by his opponent's reaction, this wasn't supposed to happen.
He looked down at the dark blade, and by squinting his eyes he could see a small drop of dark
essence emanating from it. 'You are really terrifying… magic caster…' he thought as he glanced up
toward the VIP box.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
'Umu, it seems like it works just fine even in the hands of a weak wielder' the undead known as
Satoru thought in amusement at the scene going on underneath him. At first, he was quite annoyed
at Brain's refusal to use his friend's blade, but the wait was certainly worth the result.
'Takemi wanted to throw it away after the shitty devs changed how regen worked… to think a
failed, half-baked experiment could do such a thing with the aid of Martial Arts… this is truly
intriguing' he thought in contemplation as the battle below seemed to come to a stalemate.
"I-Is that another champion of yours, S-sir Satoru."
Asked the voice of Osk who sat next to him, breaking the silence which descended upon the VIP
box since Brain's reveal.
"Ah… I guess you could say so, but not really… he is a very strange fellow. I simply limited
myself to providing him with the right tools. I had no idea of what he wanted to do with them."
Satoru spoke, as if giving away magic items to people was the most normal thing in the world, but
even in the absurdity of the situation Osk could not help to be worried for what was transpiring
down in the arena.
"Why is Go Gin not healing as usual? His regeneration should have already begun to close the
wound."
He softly said to no one in particular.
"The blade is filled with negative energy, the very opposite force of life. It is only natural for it to
stop any kind of regeneration."
The magic caster explained to a dumbfounded merchant who didn't seem to have heard anything
like this in his whole life. 'Or at least that was the case before the devs updated the game after
numerous complains. Nowadays negative energy can only block basic regeneration skills… it's
truly a shame… Takemi put a lot of effort in it, trying to use it to counter Touch-Me's insectoid
regeneration…' Satoru reminisced in his mind.
"D-Did you plan in advance for this?"
Asked a very displeased Osk/ Satoru just shrugged his shoulders.
"It was purely coincidental. I do not posses the skills to use a katana, so, in my curiosity, I left the
blade in hands which could make the best out of it."
His explanation wasn't really anything. He may as well say that he didn't want to tell Osk, but quite
strangely the merchant seemed to accept his answer.
'Now then, show me what that blade can do'.
{Go Gin's P.O.V.}
The injured troll was still looking at his hand in bafflement when the crowd started urging them to
continue, but they did not understand, they did not understand at all, this battle was likely already
over.
Go Gin was a war troll and, while aware that his kind wasn't known for their intelligence, he was
no fool. He knew exactly what this last clash meant for him.
He fought his whole life by exploiting his natural gifts; his body helped him in overpowering his
opponents and his regeneration helped him to outlast both their pain endurance and stamina
capacity. These were his two pillars; he was skilled and diligent in his training as well but that was
nothing above the norm in his eyes.
He created his fighting style around what he took as assured his whole life. He charged with
minimal care for his defenses, and who would blame him? He could just regenerate if his opponent
did manage to hurt him at all after he overpowered them with his superior strength. But this time,
this time, he could not do so.
For every hit received by that sword he would start bleeding out without the possibility of the
healing he took for granted until then. His huge body and superior strength meant nothing if he
couldn't hit his target at all and could even be a handicap as he was only a larger target for his
opponent to hit.
He was forced into a metaphorical corner, and he could only adapt or die. But even if he tried
changing his fighting style completely, what would change? He was fighting a skilled opponent
with as much experience as him. The difference was that his opponent actually had to adapt to
overcome his weaknesses, while Go Gin only limited himself to make the best of what he already
had from birth. 'I am no different from my kin… I am truly a fool… father, I finally understand' in
that moment his father's words came back to him. He mocked Go Gin for his desire to go and fight
humans, calling him a fool if he thought that the humans could be fought the same way he fought
his own kin. The young war troll dismissed his father's words and proved him wrong on many
occasions, but now, now that he was in front of a true human warrior, he could not help but call
himself a fool too.
His best option would be to try and maintain his distance, to avoid having more unhealable wounds
inflicted on him, but that option went out of the window once his weapon was rendered nothing
more than a disfigured piece of metal on the ground.
He gulped as a guttural, primordial and horrid feeling crawled out of his stomach enveloping him;
in that moment he truly felt like a cornered rat looking up at a towering lion. 'Is this fear? The fear
of death?' For all of his bravado, Go Gin didn't actually want to die but at the same time he could
not just forfeit. That would make him a coward. That would be the death of his pride. There was
truly just one last option for him. Fight to the bitter end!
"RAAAAAAAAUAUUUUAUUUAUUGGGGGGGHHHH"
With his most ear-piercing roar he charged his opponent.
"[FLOW ACCELERATION] [STRONG STRIKE]"
He activated both his best Martial Arts at the same time, mixed together with his natural bloodlust,
enhancing his body to its limits.
"[Ability Boost] [Capacity Building] [Cutting Edge]"
He heard his opponent doing the same thing as he did, and that brought happiness to him even in
the face of possible death. Finally, finally he was being treated seriously. He could die proudly.
The blue haired human assumed a stance he didn't recognize. His almighty fist flew toward the
blue cloaked man, but he simply crouched, making the killing blow pass just centimeters from his
head.
"[Severing Blade]"
Those were the last words he heard before falling. His body impacted the ground as a boulder
would. He immediately tried to stand to get away but when he tried to point his feet, he could not
feel anything. Using his only healthy remaining arm, he tried to rise just enough to look at the
damage he received. He gasped as he saw both of his legs lack everything beneath his knees. The
severed parts of him lied just a few meters away behind him. With no possibility to heal and the
mental fatigue of using all those Martial Arts, his arm gave away, making him fall flat on the
ground once again, and from there he knew no more.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
She could do nothing but look in awe at how her teacher took down the seemingly unstoppable
demi-human. '2 slashes, that's all it took to take him down' she was of course aware of the fact that
the blade he used was probably a legendary item to say the least, but still, the bare skill and mental
power to use those Martial Arts to such a degree was baffling to the young lady.
The body of the troll was immediately brought away. She wasn't even sure if he was alive after
losing so much blood. Her teacher stood there, looking into the void for few seconds before
sheathing his blade and marching away, careless of the crowd acclaiming him, the same crowd that
booed him a few minutes before.
She wanted to speak to him. She wanted to know why he was here, why he changed his mind, and
why he refused to meet her eyes.
But, alas, there was no time for them to even meet as she was escorted alongside her opponent into
the arena.
The filthy young woman glanced at her with a blank gaze, her only visible grass green eye peered
into her soul intensely. Lakyus gulped nervously as her grip around the hilt of her sword tightened,
the golden ribbon gently caressing her sweating hand 'Renner, protect me' she gave a silent prayer
to her mistress. Her opponent seemed to do the same with her spear. 'She will charge. I will need to
counter that, take her by surprise and get a nice hit. I have no idea what else she has up her sleeve'
her lack of information due to her opponent's short matches was a huge handicap right now.
'Information is power' those were the words she heard Satoru say once, when he told her and
Renner one of his tales.
"BEGIN!"
The referee announced. The young woman stood there for only a moment before using her speed to
charge. Lakyus immediately prepared to roll left to avoid her plunge. Too bad the blond woman
known as Leinas did not plunge at all, instead her blade went for a side slash which nearly costed
Lakyus her head if it wasn't for her short stature. The woman grimaced before jumping back.
'Did she miss on purpose?' Lakyus wondered, not understanding how the skilled woman could
miscalculate such an easy strike. She nonetheless was grateful to still have her head attached to her
body.
Without waiting to be attacked again the young noble retaliated in kind with a pair of swings of her
own which were deflected by her opponent's spear. Unfortunately for the woman, her spear could
not stand when compared to the power of Lakyus' enchanted sword and just after that exchange the
steel was beginning to crack.
"Damn rubbish."
Leinas muttered as she used a ponderous kick to send her opponent back.
"[Sanctify]"
The tall woman muttered as the point of her spear began to shine in divine light. Lakyus didn't
panic though. She knew that such a spell would not harm her since she was no undead or demon.
'She probably used it to strengthen her weapon's endurance… blessed steel is said to be almost
indestructible… we will see…' The Re-Estize noble analyzed as she began to circle around her
opponent, hoping for an opening. Her opponent began to do the same. They studied each other like
two animals ready to strike at the first sight of weakness.
In a shining flash, Leinas was on her. She moved with clear experience. It was like fighting Gazef
or Brain but without them holding back… ok, maybe not that bad but still, she was by far the
strongest opponent Lakyus ever faced before. This was a warrior. A warrior that already shed
much blood ever before entering the arena.
Lakyus' armor was made of good materials but not enchanted. The lance didn't manage to
completely pierce but there was no way it could endure much more.
With a wild swing, Lakyus forced Leinas to back away. Her armor was in no way able to sustain a
single strike from Lakyus' sword, and she was aware of it.
As a way to keep up with her opponent speed, Lakyus was forced to once more rely on her only
mastered Martial Art. But this only served to get even on one field. She still remained inferior in
both skill and brute strength.
Their exchange continued with Lakyus being able to keep up but sooner or later her Martial Art
would take its toil on her mind. It didn't help that her opponent was a master of deception, often
faking an opening on her left so she would try to plunge and instead get outmaneuvered. That is
how she received a particularly devious punch on her temple which made her spin as the world
spun around alongside her. She found herself on all four trying to roll away from her opponent.
As she regained her balance, she found herself face to face with her teacher. Without knowing it,
she rolled all the way to the entrance of the waiting area. His brown eyes pierced her with his hard
gaze.
"Give up."
That was the only thing he said to her, which, in a way, hurt far more than the actual punch she just
received. But something was different. His tone was far colder and not at all like the tone he used
when ordering her around during training. Furthermore, he was lightly scratching his right cheek in
a seemingly unnatural way. Lakyus' emerald eyes widened at what her teacher was trying to
convey.
As if possessed, she spurred around just fast enough to block the spear directed at her back with the
blunt side of her sword. She used this lock to direct a kick to her opponent's right knee, who
strangely, didn't seem to realize it until it was too late.
As the stalemate was broken in her favor, she continued to press her attack, focusing largely on her
opponent right side, it was like fighting a completely different person. Her parries and blocks were
clumsy at best and her previously shown precision was nowhere to be seen. But still, Lakyus' was
well aware that her time was up and once she lost her speed it would be all over, left side or right
side.
With a faint attack, she aimed at her right upper arm just to shift the trajectory and instead cut in
half the lance Leinas rose to defend herself. But this didn't seem to be enough as the woman simply
discarded the useless half and continued to fight with what could only be referred to as a weird
dagger by now.
In a last effort to win, as her time was running out, Lakyus let her opponent plunge her blade in her
left shoulder while she used her momentum to strike directly at her face. If Leinas reflects weren't
as good as they were, she would have half of her head missing by now. Instead, the only thing that
was lost were the bangs of blond hair covering her face's right side, which fell on the ground,
leaving her visage fully exposed.
Lakyus felt like gagging at the sight of her marred side. Pus was flowing through what seemed to
be rotting flesh that was somehow still attached to a living being. Her eye was no better, swollen
and seemingly blind as the white had vanished, replaced by yellow.
The crowd that was cheering till that point silenced before people began to gag in disgust, crying
out in indignation and even shouting horrible insults at the poor woman down below. And before
Lakyus knew anything else, Leinas was already running away, desperately trying to cover her
mangled side with both her hands.
The young noble stood there, unmoving, with her opponent's blade still half stuck in her left
shoulder. As she came out of her daze, she immediately removed the blade from her shoulder,
uncaring if it still was bleeding and, without even waiting for the announcement of her victory due
to her opponent running out of the arena, went after Leinas.
It didn't take much to find the older woman. She was near the washing basins, scrubbing furiously
at her face with a towel which was already filling with disgusting yellowish puss. Lakyus could
swear that, between the sound of splashing water and vigorous scrubbing, she heard a sob. To say
she felt horrible would be an understatement. She not only exploited the weakness brought by that
illness during the whole match, even if unknowingly, but she also exposed said illness to the whole
arena to see.
"Excuse me."
She tried to begin in a shy tone which was far too soft compared to her usual bold behavior. Leinas
froze where she stood. She slowly turned with the towel still covering most of her face, so to hide
the disgusting sight beneath. When green met green, the woman's gaze hardened and Lakyus could
almost see the hatred emanating from her.
"I wanted to apologize. It wasn't my intention to bring such shame to you, or exploit your illness to
defeat you… I am certain I would have lost if it wasn't for it. You are a very skilled warrior… if
there is anything I can do for you, please tell me."
She blurted out all that came to her mind in order to apologize and the woman's gaze seemed to
lose some of her hostility, replacing it with resignation.
"There is nothing you can do."

She whispered harshly.
"Wait! I am sure that I could use my name to try and have a priest take a look at that!"
Those words were apparently the wrong thing to say as the woman clenched her teeth and slammed
a fist on the water basin, shattering it.
"The temple! They even refused to examine me since I could not afford it once my family
disowned me due to my disfiguration! My fiancée took my funds as reparation for having to break
up the engagement to such an ugly woman! And no one else dared to employ or even come near
me in fear of contracting my curse! And you! You think you can just come here and solve
everything?! You naïve child who didn't even shed her blood yet! Do you fancy yourself a miracle
worker?! Or maybe a saint?!"
The harsh words full of anger butchered Lakyus' spirit like a sharp knife would her skin. She only
recently began to understand what a horrible place the world really was. Discrimination, famine,
suffering and senseless torture. She had been shielded and hidden from the truth all her life, and
when the illusion fell, when the world confronted her, she had no words but empty promises for it.
'how foolish'.
"You are right… I cannot help you. I cannot give you back what you lost, but I know someone that
could at least be able to take away that burden you carry."
She said, her tone as serious and solemn as it could be. In a last attempt of defiance, the woman
removed her towel, exposing once again her horrid visage, but this time the young noble didn't
flinch or avert her gaze. She focused her emerald, green eyes on the rotting flesh, and the various
disgusting fluids running down her chin.
"Meet me here and then we will see what we can do about that."
Lakyus said while passing Leinas the address of the inn she and her group were staying at, before
leaving the disowned noble alone with her thoughts.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
"Oh my, it seems like the only remaining participants are from the Re-Estize Kingdom, who would
have guessed?"
She innocently said to the irritation of most of the nobles and ministers present in the VIP box. No
one dared to challenge her unspoken claim though. The emperor simply offered a nod, still refusing
to meet her eyes.
"An unforeseen development I must admit, but with such an experienced swordsman and young
raw talent, I can't say I am too surprised."
He offered in his usual cordial tone which was not matched by the empty look in his eyes. Satoru
remained silent even if most in the room knew that he was the major reason for that outcome in the
first place. There was no denying that his equipment played a primary role in the previous
matches.
The magic caster had been silent ever since the merchant he brought back with him left to tend to
his protégé after exchanging a few words with Satoru.
"Sir Gazef, do you think Lakyus has the slightest of chances?"

Asked a hopeful Arche, a strange girl in Renner's mind. She didn't seem all that interested at first,
but the princess could not help but notice how the young caster's eyes always wandered toward
Lakyus every time she fought. 'Lakyus is mine anyway' the third princess dismissed any kind of
worry from her mind.
"No."
To her surprise the answer came simultaneously from Gazef and Satoru.
"She is tired, and it is still a miracle she can stand with all the strain her young body went through
today. Brain is a skilled warrior and didn't use as much of his energy as Lakyus did. He also has an
incomparable amount of experience in battling."
The Warrior Captain stated in complete seriousness, leaving no opening for arguments. 'Surely
Satoru is responsible for Lakyus power boost, but everything has limits I guess' the princess
thought in a little bit of resignation. She would truly have liked it if Lakyus could win this
tournament in her name.
"The quality of their blades is also a big factor in this, and, while Lakyus' was enchanted by me, it
is by far not one of my greatest works, while Brain's katana was forged by one of my dearest
friends with the ultimate goal of being a bane for all living things."
Satoru confirmed Gazef's statement by adding his own opinion. 'This was certainly fine
advertisement for you, my Satoru. I would not be surprised if people came from the empire to the
kingdom only to buy your magic items' In her mind, she thought that showing his better quality was
the only thing Satoru could do at this point. After all, to start a business in the empire would be like
going against the emperor's authority. The cons would by far outmatch the pros.
Arche's head sank at the two men's explanations. It seems like she really liked Lakyus for some
reason. Satoru didn't waste time and, being the gentle soul she knew, petted the blond caster on the
head a few times, eliciting a slight jealousy from the princess.
"Do not worry, she has already done far more than anyone could have expected from her. She will
lose to one of the strongest swordsmen of the kingdom. There is no shame in that. As long as she
learns something useful, she will always grow stronger."
Satoru said with certainty in his reassuring voice. The young caster rose her gaze once more to look
directly at him.
"L-Lord Satoru, I-I was really moved by your s-speech at the Academy. I-I have a request! C-
Could you take me in as an apprentice?! I k-know you have had n-none yet! B-But I would be
honored to learn from someone l-like you!"
Arche requested to the surprise of many who knew already of her position among Fluder's
students. To think she would walk away from that life was unthinkable for many. Renner, of
course, was already prepared for such an event and didn't even shift her expression a little. 'Jircniv
would have never accepted defeat so easily… oh well, let him play all the games he wants, after
all… Satoru is already mine and no one else will have him' her heart pounded loudly against her
small ribcage at that thought. She slightly flushed red for a moment before calming down.
"Ah, young Arche, that was… an unexpected request, aren't you part of Sir Fluder's elite students
already?"
The masked magic caster seemed taken aback by the request, his acting skill as good as always in
Renner's view.
"Y-Yes! I already spoke with L-Lord Fluder about this, and he agrees with me… he has far too m-
many duties to give the appropriate time m-my Talent would require to me… t-these were his own
w-words, he a-advised me to find a t-teacher with less students a-and you are surely a b-brilliant
caster, if not on the same level as L-Lord Fluder himself!"
She said with a nervous tone. Satoru brought his right hand to his mask as if in deep concentration.
"I… I will think about it… I will let you know tomorrow."
He finally said, making Arche's eyes shine in hope. But the moment was ended when the final
match was announced.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
'So, this is it… going in the finals with a pierced shoulder and a sore body… augh…' she lamented
inside. She had just enough time to stop the bleeding and bandage up her injured shoulder before a
staff member of the arena came to collect her. Both her and Brain were given different rooms so as
to avoid any possible altercations before the match, not like such a thing would happen, but still she
was annoyed at the forced separation. She really wanted to speak with her teacher.
As they were escorted through the corridor leading to the arena, her teacher didn't even glance at
her, refusing to meet her eyes. They entered the battle area as they did many times before, even if
now it was bathed in the dwelling light of the sunset. The crowd was shouting their names again
and again with equal vigor.
They took their positions without uttering a word to each other, and soon after the referee
announced the beginning of the final match.
Lakyus gripped her sword's hilt with her good arm, the golden ribbon shining in the dwelling light.
Her teacher instead made no move to even reach for his blade. He just stood there, defenseless. 'I-
is he looking down on me?' she thought, more depressed than angered at the thought.
"Come now child, strike me down, end this farce."
The quiet words barely reached her as her eyes widened.
"Wha-"
She almost shouted, confused by such an absurd request.
"I even broke my vow to renounce fighting for this… if there is anyone who should end me, that is
you… use what I taught you to deliver me a good final rest."
He continued, while fury built up in Lakyus' heart. 'Was this your goal… all this time?' she slowly
paced toward him.
And as soon as she was in front of him, she swung her hand and slapped him as hard as she could.
Due to her height she could barely hit his chin but that was enough for her.
"DON'T MESS WITH ME! WERE YOU PREPARING YOUR EXECUTONER ALL ALONG?!
WAS EVERYTHING A LIE?! WELL THEN! YOU ARE RIGHT! YOU ARE WORTHLESS
AND DESPICABLE! BUT THAT ISN'T BECAUSE YOU LOST TO SATORU! THAT IS
BECAUSE YOU GAVE UP ON EVERYTHING!"
She shouted at him in absolute rage, his wide brown eyes met hers for the first time in the whole
day.
"DID YOU FEEL DESTROYED WHEN YOU LOST?! HOW DO YOU THINK I FELT
EVERYTIME YOU MANAGED TO DEFEAT ME WITH A SINGLE HIT! EVEN IF I WAS
ARMED AND YOU WERE NOT!"
She continued blurting out all her frustration.
"That's different-"
The blue haired man tried to defend his point but Lakyus didn't want to hear anything else from
him.
"LIKE HELL IT IS! YOU BASTARD MADE ME FEEL WORTHLESS NO MATTER HOW
MUCH I TRAINED AND PRACTICED! I SPENT DAYS FROM DAWN TO DUSK TO
BETTER MYSELF AND YET IT ALL SEEMED USELESS EVERY TIME I FACED YOU!"
She continued to rant as she struck him with her small fists everywhere she could reach.
"YOU ARE NO TEACHER OF MINE! AND I AM NO PUPPET TO BE MANOUVERED! NOW

TAKE UP THAT FUCKING BLADE AND STRIKE ME DOWN IF YOU CAN!"
With those words Lakyus took a few steps back, not enough to get out of range and took a stance, a
stance her teacher knew well. She perfectly pointed her feet one behind the other as she crouched.
"You…"
He muttered in surprise and anger.
"That stance… is completely wrong, a mockery of what it should be."
He grinded his teeth as his hand twitched in annoyance.
"Then show me how it's done, if you can do any better."
She challenged back further aggravating the man's ego 'after all it is a stance of his own creation'
she regretted having to go so low as to mock him to his face, but she wanted him to react.
And maybe her plan had gone too well since the swordman took her own stance, albeit with some
slight corrections to his posture. 'Here goes nothing!' she thought as she tried to use the Martial Art
she previously practiced in secret after looking at it multiple times.
"[Instantaneous Flash]"
She cried out as her, admittedly, sloppy version of the true Martial Art was unleashed, followed by
the same shout from Brain who unleashed a far more perfect execution of the technique.
The two enchanted blades clashed unleashing a mixture of electric sparks and dark drop of miasma.
The power behind her teacher's blade was unreal she felt like her arm was being teared apart and
she had no option but loosen her grip. Her blue blade instantly flew away from her grasp as she fell
on her back, the mental strain finally hitting her with all its might and the last thing she saw was
the orange sky looking back at her and then nothing more.
{The next day}

{Satoru's P.O.V.}
"Is the young miss recovering well?"
Asked Osk the merchant as he sat in his study on the opposite side of the arcane magic caster
Satoru. The masked man limited himself to nod.
"Indeed, she is just sore and exhausted. Nothing too extreme."
He said in a calm but hard tone.
"I believed that would be the case. Those potions of yours seem more like miracle workers than
anything the temple ever came up with."
The man sighed.
"Go Gin is recovering just fine as well. He is glad that his natural regeneration returned as usual.
That potion really saved him from bleeding out to his death. For that I am in your debt."
The merchant continued with a deep bow aimed at Satoru who just shrugged in uneasiness at the
amount of respect shown.
"Do not thank me. I felt partially responsible for giving out the blade that caused him so much pain
in the first place."
He said trying to shift the matter to a more even field.
"It is only natural for a patron to equip their champion with the best gear they have available, and
speaking of which, Go Gin already requested me for some of your magic items to use in the
future… it seems like our partnership will be further extended."
Osk rebutted to Satoru's interest 'being an official sponsor of one of the future famous fighters in
the arena may just be worth the travel to the empire I guess' he thought in satisfaction.
"I hope our partnership will be lucrative and pleasant in the future."
The magic caster finally said, offering a gloved hand to the shorter man who grasped it and shook
it eagerly with a big predatory smile.
"I hope so as well. Speaking of other matters, I have the coins from your credit toward the arena
right here."
The human produced a coin purse filled to the brim in gold and platinum coins from his desk. But
the caster's attention already diverted toward the walls of the merchant's office. They were filled
with what seemed to be enchanted items or rare weapons, one in particular grabbing his attention.
An axe with what seemed to be three glowing symbols on the blade, or at least that would be what
an untrained eye would see. What Satoru saw was a weapon with runes on it, runes he only thought
belonged to Yggdrasil.
"Ah, did my little collection grasp your attention?"
The merchant asked after following the caster's gaze.
"Indeed. May I inquire the origin of that runic weapon?"
The undead asked. Osk shrugged.

"That is one of my best pieces, a masterpiece of Rune craftsmanship from the Dwarven Kingdom."
That managed to pique Satoru's interest.
"Oh, Dwarven Kingdom? I never heard of it."
The magic caster tried to get all he could squeeze from him.
"Oh, I don't really know all that much, just details."
The merchant said with a glint in his eyes and a clear innuendo in his voice. 'Merchants will be
merchants I guess, and trading in information is a sign of great expertise in the field' Satoru
admitted as he himself was one of those people.
"I may be willing to lift transportation costs for future items in exchange for useful information."
He conceded to the merchant who now sported a cat like grin on his face.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you Sir Satoru."
{Hours later}
The arcane caster just returned to the inn when Brain came up to him and told him Lakyus wanted
to see him. 'It seems like those two have reconciled with each other' Without anything urgent to do,
he decided to see what the recovering girl wanted.
Once he entered Lakyus and Renner's room, he immediately noticed two people inside. One was,
of course, the recovering Lakyus, still in her bed, but the other wasn't Renner. She apparently was
called for a meeting with the emperor. No, the other woman had blond hair and a poorly made
mask covering her face.
"Ah Satoru! Welcome back! I must ask you for a favor!"
The young noble greeted him with her usual smile which slowly disappeared from her face as she
continued.
"Could you see if you can do anything about Lady Leinas'… problem?"
She asked unsure of what to say. He immediately recalled that name. It was hard to forget a skilled
warrior but even more a person with half of their face rotting away and still alive was hard to miss.
As if catching his thoughts, the blond woman slowly took off her mask, revealing the disgusting
spectacle behind it. He once again had to thank his undead body which made gagging impossible
and his Emotional Suppression for preventing him from flinching at the sight. Instead, he took a
chair, silently reinforcing it with a spell, and sat in front of the disfigured woman.
"How did you exactly end up like this?"
He asked as he faked examining her face's ruined half.
"I killed a monster, and I was cursed for it."
She said coldly. 'A curse, eh? I have some good ones up my sleeve myself. They are mostly for
roleplay though. After all, they all got nerfed over the years' Satoru pondered as he thought for a
solution. Curse builds were totally broken in the early years of Yggdrasil. They could easily be
spammed and stacked, miserably crippling even level 100 players. After a ton of complaining, they
were officially nerfed, and most were unable to stack nowadays.
Satoru used one of his fingers to poke her rotting cheek. Leinas immediately flinched.
"Does it hurt if I touch it?"
He asked curiously.
"N-no, but no one ever touched me there since…"
She didn't have to finish her sentence for Satoru to understand.
"I see. I would like to try something and see how this curse reacts, just to assess how powerful it
actually is."
He explained. There should be no reaction to an appraisal spell though. In Yggdrasil, killing certain
enemies could curse certain races, but the worst curses were all given by high level monsters if not
Raid Bosses. This curse shouldn't have been anything special.
He proceeded to cast a [Status Analysis], a high tier appraisal spell which could only be countered
by at least a 5th tier anti-information spell or an item with the same effect. 'Uhm, she even got a
level in Cursed Knight. It must be a rare class. It would be a shame to risk it being removed, but
still…' the hopeful light in Lakyus' eyes went against his more pragmatic on collector instincts. He
sighed inside his own mind. 'Oh well. No point in forcing someone into a path they don't want to
follow. Such a shame…' he finally resigned himself.
"I may be able to lift that curse, but you may suffer from a loss of strength. For how strange it may
seem to you, curses do not only take from your body, but they give as well. Part of your strength is
linked to that curse. Are you ready to severe that bond?"
He asked the surprised knightess.
"Yes, I will do anything to get rid of it. I do not even care for the cost. I will be your servant if you
need me to be… just, please… remove it."
She begged, desperation now prevalent in her tone. 'If I wasn't an undead, I would definitely feel
bad for her' Satoru mused to himself before raising his hand. [Break Curse] was a 7th tier spell and,
while the name might misinform, it wasn't a spell restricted to divine magic casters. Instead, many
who specialized into the curse classes, or had some good ones at least, could learn it.
As he cast the spell, the puss and rotting flesh began to melt away until it splattered on the ground
with a disgusting sound. He immediately used a silent [Clean] to remove the disgusting mess. In
place of it all now was a rosy type of flesh that reminded Satoru of the one on newborns. Leinas'
right eye was still closed as she gasped for air. The removal of the curse seemed to have its effects
on her, or maybe it was just the loss of a class? Satoru would have really liked to experiment on
that.
Almost a minute passed before Leinas moved both her hands up to her face and touched her, now
free, flesh. Then as slowly as it was possible, her right eye began to open, revealing a perfect eye
identical to her left one. She slowly stood up and stumblingly approached the mirror in the room to
look at her reflection.
The undead took advantage of this and cast again his spell.
(Status Analysis)
'A shame, the class seems to be gone… oh well…' Disappointed, he approached the blond knight
intent on examining her reflection in all its details.
"I am sorry for the flesh; I am sure it will come back to a more normal color soon."
That was all he managed to say before the knightess fell on her knees grasping tightly his black
gown. Copious amounts of tears were running down her cheeks.
"T-thank y-you… T-thank y-you…"
She continued to whisper her thanks to him while her whole body was shaken by a violent fit of
sobbing. Feeling quite embarrassed and wanting to shift the troublesome situation on someone
else, his gaze fell on the only other occupant of the room.
"Do not thank me. Thank Lakyus instead. The only reason I did this is because I held this young
lady in high regard."
That seemed to work as Leinas went to an embarrassed and blushing Lakyus, allowing him to flee
the scene.
{Emperor's private study}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
He was once again alone with the Devil herself, as a partner in crime with her this time.
'Subordinate would be more accurate' he thought bitterly even as he couldn't deny the future
benefits her plan will bring to him and the empire as a whole. 'Consolidating my power and getting
rid of those nobles in one swoop' he told himself as even he could not deny the devilish genius
behind the plan.
The box full of documents was shut close in front of him as Renner applied a lock to it. She
glanced at him forcing the emperor to avert his gaze.
"I hope you are satisfied."
He said in his business-like tone, irritation bubbling behind it.
"Oh, don't be a crybaby Jir, you will profit just as much as me from this, if not more, and you know
it well."
He bit his tongue to avoid giving her a snarky remark that would have done nothing more than
concede his defeat.
"I just have one question… why spare that one? He surely is a dangerous liability to simply be left
around."
He asked, this time curious to know the devil princess' reasoning.
"Ah, your majesty, you should know it by now. A country cannot be led by one person alone. We
all need competent subordinates to carry out our tasks... and, we could say, he will receive a slap
on the wrist for the troubles he caused."
For some reason that didn't sound assuring at all for the emperor.
"We will be in touch, right Jir? We are such good friends after all…"
She said in a slightly louder worried tone so that the guards outside could hear her. 'What an actor,
as expected from a devil' Jircniv limited himself to mental insults for lack of a better way to convey
his displeasure.
"O-Of course Renner, I feel like I found a friend in you!"
He continued the farce as they agreed before 'thank the Gods, I will not see her again anytime
soon…' he mentally added as a mere consolation.
"Yes, let's be friends forever!"
She gave him one of her fake smiles while saying those words cheerfully. 'The scariest thing is that
she might fool almost everyone with that acting… she really seems another person…' he felt the
need to facepalm but refrained due to his etiquette. But even the most set-in stone manner went out
of the window when she got in his face, those horrible, lifeless, all-devouring, blue pools fixed on
his eyes.
"And remember, don't mess with Satoru."
She whispered in his ears, a symphony of death that would have made lesser men wet themselves.
"Gazef!"
She called and immediately the Warrior Captain, without any weapon, of course, entered the room
followed by his imperial guard just in case.
"Take the box and guard it no matter what until you can give it to Satoru for safekeeping… it is a
matter of kingdom-level importance."
Many would have laughed at the 8, almost 9 years old princess saying something so grim and
serious, but apparently Gazef Stronoff wasn't among them as he proceeded to do as instructed with
the upmost diligence. 'A real waste, having such a man working for such a worthless country' the
emperor lamented once more the loss of such a man.
It was only an hour later, when they were far gone that he allowed himself to relax and call for one
of his favorite maids 'Roxy will cheer me up for sure… I need to sleep…' he sighed again.
{Few days later}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
"So, what will you do now?"
The blond noble asked her ex-teacher.
"No idea. Explore here and there, see the world, fight something or someone along the way."
Answered the blue haired man.
"I am glad you are recovering just fine."
Interjected Gazef who just received a scowl from his rival.
"Don't push it Stronoff. I just had to unsheathe my blade again because this damn brat is so fucking
stubbornly relentless!"
Brain mocked even if the affection could be heard behind the harsh words.
"By the way magic caster, are you sure it is fine for me to keep that blade? You aren't going to
hunt me down for it later, are you?"
He asked Satoru half joking and half serious.
"My name is Satoru, and no, I will not hunt you down for it later… unless you lose it… in that case
your life is forfeit."
He answered in what he thought to be a joking tone, but all his companions seemed to take his
words very seriously. 'Uhm, I think this is the right thing. Takemi would have much more liked for
his experiment to have a cool story around it instead of rusting in my inventory… I just hope this
doesn't backfire somehow' the undead mused, his paranoia kicking in.
"My Lady, I will reach you as soon as my business is done here."
Those words were spoken by the ex-cursed knight Leinas as she gave a bow to Lakyus who
blushed intensely.
"D-D-Don't call me t-that! J-just call me Lakyus a-already! And you don't have any obligation
towards me, just do as you want!"
The Re-Estize noble protested but the empire's knight seemed to ignore her comment.
"I just need to crush some cockroaches and teach a lesson to some people… then I will come to
you to repay my debt."
She elaborated. 'Ah! I am just glad I avoided all this crap! Sorry Lakyus, but you must take
responsibility for your actions' the undead magic caster justified as he got on his cart which was far
less full than when he arrived.
After the arena spectacles, the whole city went crazy for his magic items and many workers or
arena fighters came to him for them. He almost sold everything in just a few days. 'And to think
this should have been my vacation after a year of hard work in this new world' he sighed again.
"S-sorry for the w-wait!"
The blond Empire's noble named Arche just arrived with her chest, full of personal items probably.
She immediately used a spell to make it float and set in the cart. The additional weight should be
no problem for the horse golem.
"T-thank you again for accepting me a-as your student Master! I promise I will do my best!"
She proclaimed while giving him a deep bow before getting on the cart herself. 'Ugh, what did I get
myself into? I know I should have refused… but the occasion of observing how a magic caster
advanced through their studies in this world… it was really too much to pass on' he reasoned with
himself, trying to make sense of his previous choice.
In that moment, he felt someone jump on his lap, and who would it be if not the affection starved
princess? He calmly began to pet her head as she flashed him one of her smiles, her affection clear
all over her face, like during their alone time among the stars. 'Well… I guess this was still fun…'
the undead finally conceded before giving the mental order to the horse golem to move once all
were in position.
And so ended his adventure to the empire. The time to return was upon them all, and it seemed like
destiny had already planned far ahead for all there is to come next.
Chapter End Notes

Intermission II: Fiends and Maidens
Chapter Notes
Get early access to all chapters till 41 and more exclusive content.
Celicia Veyron considered herself a lucky girl. For the early years of her life, she had known
nothing more than misery, even if she didn't know it at the time. What made her realize that was
her coming to the nearest city, E-Patel, a trading city on the west of the Re-Estize Kingdom. For
most of her life she considered having food on her table everyday as a blessing. Nowadays, she
could see how true blessed people lived. Food and clothes were freely given to her alongside a
rigorous education, all so she could achieve something later in life utilizing her blessing in this life,
her Talent.
It was thanks to this that she caught the eyes of the underground organization known as Seven
Hands, an illegal group that managed the darkest side of the Kingdom, even if Celicia didn't
consider Seven Hands to be as nefarious as it sounded on paper. On the contrary, she saw mostly
normal people working under it. Fathers with families transporting goods, mothers working in the
organization's many canteens and inns only usable by members of the organization and even
children her age running around and cleaning or doing normal errands. All of them getting paid a
fair wage for their work.
It was really strange to see so many normal people working alongside smugglers, assassins and
other kinds of people that would be considered lowlives. But, if there was something she
understood, that thing was that, at the end of the day, they were just people. People with different
skills and ambitions but people nonetheless. No monsters, or at least none she had met. No
monsters like the one who came to take her beloved sister away. On that occasion she was saved
by her Talent that caused Seven Hands to intervene. Otherwise, she had no idea of what would
have happened. That was the day she learned that weakness was a sin, for only the strong were
allowed to do what they wanted in this world. Seven Hands showed her the truth that day. With just
a few words they sent the monster running away, and that was because they were feared as a
ruthless organization. And yet, they did not lose themselves to their own reputation as she was
shown by the treatment she received alongside many others.
She had no doubt that the only thing of worth they saw in her was her Talent but that was only fair.
They clearly said they had no time for charity, and the lazy and worthless would be discarded. That
was why she worked hard these past months. She will not be discarded, and she will not be weak
anymore. For her family's future, she will do her best for them all.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a plate was loudly slammed in front of the seat opposite to her,
making her almost jump in surprise as a boy, a pair of years older than her, sat in front of her, his
ice-cold blue eyes piercing her as soon as she dared to meet them. So entranced she was by the boy
that she almost didn't notice the silver haired and tan skinned beauty that sat next to him a few
moments later.
"Now, now Climby boy, don't go around scaring little girls, will you?"
The older girl said as she wrapped her right arm around the boy eliciting a grunt from him.
"Sorry, sorry, your arm is still sensitive…"
The woman continued apologetically.
"Hey there, mind if we seat here? These were the only free seats."
The silver haired woman asked, directly speaking to Celicia this time.
"N-No problem."
She stuttered, intimidated by the boy's gaze, a gaze she recognized from when her teachers got
pissed but far worst. 'Is this what a murderous gaze looks like?' she wondered in no small part
guided by her fear.
"Oi! I told you to stop that!"
The girl said while slapping the back of the boy's head causing him to shift his gaze toward her.
"Sorry about him. He has been like this since 3 days ago. Name's Edstrom by the way, and this
idiot here is Climb."
The girl said as she ruffled the boy's hair.
"Stop that!"
Finally, the boy spoke in a low but hard tone while pushing Edstrom's hand away with a blush on
his face.
"Oh, you are still able to speak, that's a relief."
The woman mocked.
"Fuck you…"
Shot back the boy.
"Anytime you want, you just need to ask."
The silver haired beauty continued, causing the boy's blush to intensify and a new one to appear on
Celicia's face. She was no innocent girl anymore. Constantly being around older men and women
made it hard to not get the details of what truly happened between the sexes when they got
intimate. And, while Celicia never did anything, she was pretty certain she had all the information
needed to perform the act, and even some more extra details.
"Stop joking around. We are not here for stupid games. We have a mission!"
The boy almost cried out as the woman took on a serious expression herself.
"I know that."
She said in a deadly serious tone. It seemed like she was another person all of a sudden, her eyes
sharpened and her jaw clenched.
"You are not the only one with a grudge boy."
Edstrom said with a dangerous tone.
"For Rina and Cris…"
The blond boy mumbled.
"Speaking of which I visited him before departing. He is still relegated to the recovering area. He
still panics every time he is in a room with more than 5 people…"
Celicia began to feel like she was not supposed to be there and listen to this, but it wasn't like she
could move or anything. Every other table was already full and she was starting to get curious
about what the two in front of her were talking about. It was now clear these two were not from
around here and they were sent for a specific reason.
"Is something important going on here?"
She asked, once more grabbing the attention of both boy and woman who just shared a glance.
"It would be better for you to not know anything about this."
The boy said giving her again that bone-chilling stare.
"You should be careful to not ask such open questions like that around here girly. Other people
may have a bad reaction to your curiosity. Then again, we should be careful about what and where
we talk about this stuff."
The woman said making Celicia realize she never introduced herself. She blushed in
embarrassment.
"M-My name is Celicia Veyron!"
She stuttered out.
"Eh? A family name? You must be one of the lucky ones."
The woman said as if it was a normal conclusion to her introduction, confusing Celicia. Seeing her
perplexed expression, the silver haired beauty elaborated.
"Most of the people working here are former street rats whose only goal in life was to find
something to eat every day, and whose only future was to either be imprisoned or find a bitter end
when they tried to rob the wrong person… you having a family name means you have grown in
some kind of decent environment, probably having a house and a family at least."
Edstrom explained to a dumbfounded Celicia who never thought about such a thing before. Sure,
many people just introduced themselves with their first name, but she never thought she would be
considered a lucky one in that regard. Fate bestowing a Talent on her seemed much more of a
blessing right now.
"Edstrom, it's time. We need to get ready."
Said the boy known as Climb while standing up, an empty plate in his hands.
"Yes, you are right. See you around Celi!"
The older woman saluted before downing her drink and joining the boy.
"I will kill them all."
Those mumbled words from the blond boy were the last thing she heard before they disappeared
into the crowd, leaving Celicia alone again.
She was not sure she wanted to know what those two were up to anymore, but one thing was for
sure. Those were not the normal people she usually saw working in this area. Something very big
seemed to be up.
{Ro-Lente Castle}
{Alysanne's P.O.V.}
The second princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom laid on her bed. It has been almost a month since
her father disclosed his intentions for her future, and while she may seem calmer, her heart still
cried in agony, rage and despair at her father's betrayal. How could he not see what his actions
would represent? It would be like spitting in the nobles' faces to marry her to a commoner, no
matter how rich and influential. In the Re-Estize Kingdom, lineage was far more valuable than
wealth or power. She always thought her future would be to marry someone like Lord Erik, heir to
the noble Marquis Blumrush, one of the founding families of the kingdom, an all-time supporter of
the Royal Faction. It would be only normal to marry such a man into the royal line, not counting
how dashing and gallant the young knight was.
She sighed dreamily at the thought of that noble, strong knight marrying her and living happily
ever after. But, apparently, such a thing was not to be. She would instead marry a fat magic caster
who was said to never show his face, a commoner who came to the kingdom not even 2 years
before. What could have possibly possessed her father in doing such a choice? She always
considered herself as his favorite child, in no small part due to her resemblance to her mother, her
father's beloved wife.
But, alas, such a thing was no longer important. She will do her duty, willingly or not. Such was
her fate as a second princess who had no say in political matters and without any support due to her
lack of a decent claim to the throne.
She looked down at her body. Her perfect body she always cherished for her future husband. It all
seemed like wasted time now. All those ice cold baths to make sure her skin would remain as soft
as possible, all the various imported products to make her hair silky and her face smooth without
any imperfections.
She stood up and immediately her handmaidens began to change her clothes for her, a luxury she
always took for granted, but something she would probably no longer have once she married. After
all, she had made sure to research all she could on her husband.
He was a powerful magic caster, a man always wearing black robes and a black mask, many
thought, to hide his ugliness. She certainly hoped that wasn't the case. He was basically the funder
of all the magician guilds in the kingdom by now, and even the adventurer guilds bowed to him
due to their huge reliance on him for any equipment. He was also one of the heads of the merchant
guild, imposing himself as the regulator of all that was concerning the selling of magical items. All
of this combined into a huge economical and even political leeway when it came to the kingdom
economy. Even one of the most powerful nobles would be hard pressed in openly defying him. But
that was all he had to his name, and the only reason her father was so concerned with acquiring his
allegiance.
On the other side, he was but a commoner, inept in the matters of the court, unaware of good
etiquette and lacking any lineage to speak of. By the gods, she didn't even manage to acquire his
family name! A name she would bear in a few years!
She made sure to pass next to his shop the few times she went outside the castle. She had to admit
it was a fine establishment, but he was mad if he thought she would be satisfied with living in such
a place. No, she wanted a mansion, a mansion as big as those of the Great Six Nobles at the very
least. On this she would not budge, after all he had the money for it. Unfortunately, due to his
apparent visit to the Empire, of which she wasn't even aware of, she could not meet the man in
person. And maybe that was for the best in hindsight. In the week after her father spoke to her she
was in a constant rage and she may have said something she would have come to regret to the man.
The only thing that irked her at the thought of her future husband going to the Empire, was his
company. What the hell was he thinking in bringing along her younger sister? That arrogant girl
who thought herself better than her elders just because she was just a little better at academic
matters? Her father didn't seem to be concerned about it though, not that she could confirm it since
she refused to speak to him since he told her of her future. The court, though, didn't concern
themselves with hiding their scorn and jabs at her, some even going as far as to say that her
husband fancied the company of children more than the company of a grown woman to her face.
She never felt more humiliated in her whole life, but she would never bow her head to those
inferior worms, no matter how low she may fall, she will stand proud against all adversities! That
was what she promised to herself. She will stand proud, as a princess of the kingdom.
Her husband may even be a brute without etiquette, but that didn't mean she could not change that,
even if a little. May it be a willing change, or one imposed by deception. After all, as his wife, she
would be the only woman he brought to his bed, she would make sure of it, and that position would
give her all the leeway she needed to manipulate him if needed.
She decided to take a stroll through the gardens to clear her mind and get some fresh air. But
apparently that was not meant to be as, halfway there, she came across her elder sister, Carine, first
princess of Re-Estize, who didn't waste the occasion to sneer at her, in a far from lady-like manner,
in Alysanne's opinion.
"I asked myself what happened to you in the last few weeks. I never saw you so down casted
before, but now I understand. Father finally announced publicly your betrothal… ahahahah! You
had no idea how much I had to refrain from laughing in that moment, but I guess that was just
retribution waiting to come…"
Carine closed the distance between them before her smile dropped, leaving only a hard expression
on her stone-cold face.
"Am I not right? Mother-killer."
She whispered in Alysanne's ear, making her shudder in no small amount of fear, not that it was the
first time anyone called her that, but usually they only spoke such a name behind her back or when
she could not hear them. No one was so brazen to call her such a thing to her face.
Barbro, Zanac, Carine and her were all children born from good queen Catherine, the only woman
her father ever loved, or so the masses said. She died giving birth to Alysanne, and that was enough
to gather most of the court's hate on her. After all, her mother was a talented politician who made
sure to never allow the Noble Faction too much space to maneuver and always tried to shield her
father from any harm. Even her father was said to have never been the same after her death. Before
he was a man with a young passion burning inside him, a fierce warrior and protector of his
country. After Catherine's death, he fell apart more and more, showing only barely contained
disinterest in all royal matters.
To make matters worse, Alysanne wasn't even needed in the first place. The royal family already
had a crown prince, a spare and a princess. There was no need for more to be born and yet, she was
born, and her mother died for it. A cursed love child. That was all she was in everyone's eyes. It
shouldn't have come as a surprise to see how the court regarded her betrothal as a kind of long-
awaited retribution.
"I heard that barbaric foreigners like to chain their women to the wall of their basement and use
them only to pop out heirs. I wonder if that barbaric magic caster is the same…"
Her older sister glanced at her with malice. Alysanne didn't dare to look up. It would be no good to
give her sister reasons to torment her more, even less now that she was married to Marquis Pespea,
one of the Six Great Nobles. As she expected, her unresponsiveness soon bored her sister who just
decided to leave her alone and proceed toward wherever she was going before.
The tears started only once she could hear Carine's steps no more.
{The Sorcerer's Shop}
{Hilma's P.O.V.}
"Thank you miss. Your help was immeasurable when it came down to choosing the right
equipment for a beginner like me."
Said the man in his thirties to a smiling Hilma. Nowadays, it wasn't strange to see people, young or
old, try their luck as adventurers. After all, with the support of Satoru's shops, adventuring was not
seen as a death sentence anymore. It, instead, inflamed the passionate youngsters or older men
seeking an exciting life, or people who would not stand continuing their parents' lifestyle. This was
the case for most of the new faces coming from the countryside where their best option in life was
to become a farmer.
Hilma's attentive eye didn't miss the sneaky youngster who went up the stairs without anyone but
her noticing. She inwardly sighed. This wasn't the first time such a thing happened.
'But still, he is just too resilient…'. The spy would end up like all the others. A blood stain on the
floor she will need to have cleaned up by someone.
The mastermind was good. He used so many middlemen, it was practically impossible to track him
down, even more when he had some of those middle men killed to cover up for him.
'It must take a tremendous amount of resources to continue this farce' she thought, but for every
lead they followed nothing turned up, but this wasn't important. The fact that the mastermind was
so well endowed with resources was just enough to cement his identity in their eyes, confirming
once again one of the princess' theories.
'You are smart marquis, but apparently, not smart enough' she lazily gazed at the retreating group
of adventurers leaving the shop.
"Rayne, would you be a dear and stay at the counter for a few minutes while I go take care of other
things?"
She asked sweetly to the boy currently tidying up the shelves.
"Y-Yes!"
He eagerly answered with a small blush on his face. He started working here a few weeks prior to
earn some money. He didn't want his father to have to pay for everything. Magic books didn't
come cheap after all, and Satoru didn't seem to have anything against it when she asked him.
She went up the stairs making sure to avoid the blood pool on the top. 'I need to have it cleaned
before it starts stinking' she put the thought to the back of her mind for now as she advanced toward
her office. As she entered, she was surprised to see Mato standing there. She didn't expect him for
another week at least.
"You are early."
She said as she moved for the desk.
"And your guards are as deadly as always."
He retorted, aware that the only reason why he wasn't a blood pool like the young man, was
because Hilma instructed the undead not to harm him.
"This is what, the fifth?"
He asked amused.
"Seventh."
She corrected.
"That man does not understand when a lady says no to him."
She added, making the bigger man smirk.
"He doesn't get you like men with bigger bones."
He joked. Hilma didn't lose the hint and choice of words. 'To be so brazen, he must be in good
spirits, but that is enough' she sobered her mind.
"Now, what are you here for?"
Seeing her returning to a more serious tone, Mato did the same.
"All the elite squads are in position. We await the order to strike."
He declared, receiving an appreciative hum from his superior.
"How efficient. Now we just need to wait the official order from Him and the assurances of no
repercussions from Her."
She mumbled. 'There is no way I'm going to start this madness on my own volition… no matter
what that Devil says… Satoru, I truly hope you aren't mistaken on this, or else…' the stress she felt
since she received Renner's orders only intensified.
"Ma'am, are you sure that this is the right thing? We are not talking about a count or a priest here,
this is-"
Mato stopped as soon as Hilma glanced at him with her hard stare.
"Do not speak those words, not even here. This must remain a secret until the very last moment. We
can't risk even the slightest hint getting out or else it could all crumble to dust. We have ensured no
repercussion will come down on us if we manage to get this done."
She tried to reassure her subordinate, but the truth was that even she was scared. 'This is the
greatest operation Seven Hands, no, even Eight Fingers, ever organized… if we succeed, the entire
kingdom's history will be forever altered, for the best or worst is yet to be seen… Satoru, I trust in
you, please…' she offered a prayer to her savior and benefactor and his good will.
"If the others hear of this… there will possibly be a rebellion…"
At his words, the temperature in the room dropped. Hilma's eyes hardened and even Mato's stone
face went rigid alongside his whole body, clear fear in his eyes, as if an invisible blade was resting
on his throat.
"I don't need to remind you of what the cost of betrayal is, do I Mato?"
The blonde beauty said, her words like ice cold drops on his back.
"No, ma'am."
He managed to grunt out under the pressure that now filled the room.
"Well then, now get back to work."
He didn't waste time in trying to leave the room as soon as she dismissed him.
"And Mato."
She stopped him just before he could open the door.
"Send someone to clean up that mess outside."
She ordered, malcontent clear in her tone.
Mato could only nod in response.
Chapter End Notes

To be a Princess and to be a Teacher
Chapter Notes
Home. She had come back home, but what even was home in the first place? The place you were
born in? The place your family lived in? The place you grew up in? For the third princess home
was none of that, and she came to realize this very soon after she returned to her birthplace.
Home was where happiness was, where safety was. Home was what made her feel warm inside. In
short, her home was Satoru, and not being around him was like constantly being away from home.
She grew so accustomed to his presence that as soon as she had to separate from him for more than
a day, she began to feel sick. She felt cold no matter where she was, and food tasted like ash in her
mouth.
It felt like years since she saw him for the last time, and yet it had merely been four days since she
returned home. Two excruciating days of being locked in her room as even the company of Lakyus
was stripped from her since her parents recalled her home.
'If I was queen, none of this would have happened… if I had power, no one would dare touch what
is rightfully mine'
Those thoughts haunted her mind for the last hours, making her muscles constantly clench in
response to her swirling emotions that went from sadness to rage to loneliness to sadness again.
Maybe she should accelerate her plans, get a bunch of knives in the castle and be done with all of
this. But that would be most unwise and stupid, and she was neither of those no matter how much
the situation frustrated her.
She looked from her window as the sun was inexorably falling toward the horizon, and as the red
light of dusk caressed her face, she turned to do what had to be done. She adjusted her crown on her
head, the crown her beloved gifted to her almost a full year before and opened her room's door.
As expected, she found herself facing the Warrior's Captain back. Her father was unmovable on
which guards would be assigned to her room, and to her surprise Gazef and a few of his Warrior
Troop's members were chosen, almost as if her father cared for what would happen to her.
"My apologies princess but the King's orders remain absolute. You may not leave your room until
he says so."
The strongest warrior of the kingdom instructed.

'Loyal to a fault and stubborn as ever I see. That is why Lakyus is such a better pet than you. She
only listens to one person and one person alone'
It was left unsaid that said person was the third princess herself.
'But it is this exact reason you are such an easy target. I only need to push a few buttons and…'
A pleasant smile appeared on her face. She practiced that for almost half an hour that morning.
"I am afraid this matter is beyond what my father wants or doesn't want… I hope you still
remember my box. Well, it is time to show you why it needed your protection for the whole trip
back."
The Warrior Captain didn't seem too convinced which made her grimace inside. 'Oh well…' she
sighed as she opened the black box she currently was hiding behind her back and, without even
looking, took out the first paper sheet, handing it to the Warrior Captain.
"This took a lot of work on my part… and my good friend Jircniv's."
She said, childish innocence making its way into her tone. Gazef unfolded the paper and only read
till half the page before immediately going pale and looking back at the mountain of folded sheets
inside the box. He immediately folded the paper in his hands again and placed it back in the box,
closing it with urgency in the process.
"All of you with me! Escort the princess safely! And if anyone trys to stand in our way incapacitate
them! This is a matter of critical security for the kingdom! Protect her highness and that box at all
costs!"
The Warrior Captain loudly instructed, making some of his soldiers jump in surprise.
"We should get my brother's too… he is the heir to the throne after all. This is a matter concerning
him directly."
Renner calmly said as the Warrior Captain nodded in agreement before escorting her away with his
Warrior Troop all around them, a hand always on the hilt of his blade as if ready to strike down
any surprise attacks, not that there would be any in the first place.
It didn't take long for them to reach her brother's favorite place, a big room where he often
entertained himself and the nobles who licked his boots… or even his lady friends. Which seemed
to be the occasion judging by her brother's boisterous laugher and some more delicate, and clearly
fake, feminine giggling.
Without a care in the world, Renner knocked on the door and before waiting for an answer opened
it, revealing her brother having tea with two ladies of some unimportant noble houses.
Her brother's glee and merriment disappeared alongside his smirk as his eyes fell on her.
"What are You doing here?"
He scowled as venom filled every last of his words.
"I apologize brother, but father is asking for both of us. May you leave your lady friends for a few
moments?"
The prince's scowl only intensified as he stood up. As unpleasant as it was, not even he could
ignore a call from the King himself. Gazef didn't even flinch at the blatant lie, probably too
concerned by what he has seen in her box.
The eldest and youngest royal children marched through the hallways in silence, escorted by the
ever-vigilant Warrior Troop. It took far longer than usual to reach the king's solar, or at least that
seemed to be the case for everyone else but Renner who gently hugged her box as if it was her
firstborn.
'Catalyst would be a far better word' she pondered in her mind as Gazef knocked on the elegant
door to announce them.
They were shown inside. Their father was at his usual desk going through what the realm
demanded of him. He arched an eyebrow as the royal children entered, as if he didn't expect to ever
see them together like that.
"Barbro, Renner, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
He asked, confusing his oldest son who turned toward the youngest.
"Ah, father. I am afraid the reason I had to go to you with big brother is far from pleasurable,
unfortunately."
The princess said, awaiting the outburst that didn't take more than a few seconds to arrive.
"You lied! You told me father called for us! Why you little-!"
Her brother spat in rage until her father stopped him with a glare.
"That is enough Barbro. I am sure Renner had her reasons for what she did."
A small smile almost threatened to surface on Renner's face.
'Just showing you a bit of competence already makes you trust me so much father? What kind of
worthless garbage have you surrounded yourself with to have such a reaction I wonder…' she idly
mused as she took some steps forward.
"The castle walls and floors have ears, and seeing a mere third princess collect the heir to the
throne and asking a meeting with the king would have attracted far too much attention… I am sure
that this fake call I made up already attracted some curious gazes and ears, but it could not be
helped…"
She began explaining to an impatient Barbro and curious Rampossa. She lightly placed the box on
the desk and pushed it toward her father.
"What is in this box Renner?"
Her father's tone was as serious as it could get, his eyes fixed on her small form. Before answering,
Renner swept her hair to the side with her hand, grazing her crown in the process, as if she wanted
to draw strength from Satoru himself.
"Everything father. All the cause of suffering of this kingdom, all the ruin and misery that hides
behind our glorious line, and an evil whose eradication has been long overdue."
To quote one of Satoru's stories, it was the Re-Estize's Pandora's Box, and even if she already
knew how it would end, a little part of her could not help but feel giddy at the thought of what her
father's reaction would be… was this how the Gods felt when they gave that Box to Pandora in the
original story? She could not help but wonder as her father so incautiously opened said box, and so
the die was cast.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
'Why? Why must it be always children?'
He could not help but despair as the two children fawned over him, so eager to learn, so eager to
grow, and yet he was nothing but a fraud. Oh, he could cast magic more powerful than anyone in
both the kingdom and empire, but he hadn't the slightest idea of how to teach such a thing to
anyone, even less children.
"So, what are we going to learn first?! Fire spells?! Ice spells?! Please tell me its fire spells!"
Almost cried out an overexcited Rayne, making Satoru sigh internally. He never meant to take
Rayne as a disciple but after he came back with Arche, he could not have turned him down if he
asked. It just would not have been fair. And so now he found himself with not just one but two
disciples, a criminal organization and a country-wide business to care for.
'This couldn't get any worse…'
Unfortunately for him, every time he said so to himself, he was continuously proven wrong and
there seemed no end to his misfortune apparently.
"Conduce yourself as a proper student, will you?... Gods this is why I couldn't stand commoners in
the academy…"
His first student admonished her, even if slightly younger, companion. And, even if she mumbled
the last part, Satoru could not help but grimace, or he would if he had the facial muscle to perform
the act.
'These two are going to drive me nuts!'
He despaired as the two of them started bickering as they always did since they met the day before.
"You are just mad the Princess and Lady Lakyus are far cuter than you!"
The brown-haired boy incautiously said, making Satoru wince internally.
'That was a bad move'
His prediction immediately came to be as Arche's face became as red as her robes as she prepared
to swing her staff at the boy's face.
"Settle down! Both of you."
He said in the most authoritarian tone he could muster. Immediately, both of them settled down,
their heads down casted as if they were reprimanded children… well, that was exactly what they
were though.
They currently sat in the new house Satoru asked Hilma to buy for him. It cost him some sweet
coins but in the end, he didn't have much choice. He could not let Arche live with him and Hilma
in the small apartment above his shop. There wasn't enough space, and it would not have been
proper. So, he arranged for her a house just a few minutes by foot from his shop, and since the
house itself was pretty big due to being in the middle of the high district, he arranged for Rayne to
stay there as well since he took him up as an apprentice.
It turned out to be a huge error as the two of them could not apparently stand each other for reasons
unknown to him. They had lived together for only two days, after he succeeded in convincing
Randel and Marietta, and since then it has been constant bickering every time he was around. He
sighed again.
"Well then. Now why don't the both of you expose what you know to each other, so you may be
aware of what level you stand on and give me an idea of how to begin, as you are my first
students."
He sat on the floor following his classic Japanese style. His students hesitated before following his
example.
"Ladies first then."
He motioned for Arche to go first.
"I am Arche Eeb Rile Furt, noble daughter and heir of the house of Furt. As a 2nd tier magic
caster, I am capable of casting [Continual Light], [Flash], [Magic Arrow], [Magic Bolt] and
[Cinder's Rain]."
She said sending a little smug grin toward her fellow student.
"I-I am Rayne Bollen! A 1st tier magic caster capable of casting [Light], [Magic Arrow] and… and
now I am w-working on [Freezing] a-a 2nd tier spell!"
The boy said revealing how he was working on advancing his level.
'To do so at this age would be a show of incredible potential… or so they said back in the academy'
evaluated the Overlord.
"And what can you tell me about your method of studying? About your theories of casting?"
He asked more for himself than anyone else. Arche seemed particularly eager to answer that.
"I follow the theory of Völva, which recites that mana needs a catalyst to be utilized and shaped at
the best of the caster's ability."
The young noble blonde proclaimed, proud of her choice apparently. 'Is there some kind of rivalry
between these schools of thought on magic?' the undead wondered.
"I-I don't really follow any theory, I-I thought they were b-boring and so I just focused on l-
learning spells."
The boy said, apparently embarrassed at his admission, gaining an incredulous look from the girl.
"H-How in the world do you cast spell without focusing on a certain method?! You shouldn't even
be able to cast in the first place!"
She cried out, outraged at the sole thought of what the boy suggested.
"I-I just focus on my mana okay! I-I just draw from it and cast my spell!"
The boy cried out in embarrassment. But before the girl could retort anything Satoru chose to
interfere.
"Arche, do you think those who came up with those theories were the only ones capable of
casting?"
He asked. Immediately, the girl shook her head as the concept was absurd.
"Then you can understand that the first castings were done on basic instinct to draw out the
magical energy we had within. Theories may be important, but they are not the only way of casting
magic… they are ways to perfect what the human body is already capable of, or else those not
following such rules shouldn't be able to cast magic in the first place."
Satoru said as if he understood anything on the theories of casting, but as any other human
invention, it could not have developed on something completely nonexistent, meaning that casting
based on pure instinct would still be a thing. Otherwise, he had no idea how he was able to cast
spells himself.
"But wouldn't that cause the spell to make you use far more mana than it would normally require?"
Inquired a skeptical Arche.
"And that is why mana control is so fundamental for a beginner caster."
His explanation seemed to confuse the two children.
"Mana… control? Is that some kind of spell?"
Inquired the noble girl.
'Well… yes, but not really what I meant… I wonder, is this even a thing in this world?... Could I
teach how to cast spells on instinct as I do?'
That would certainly be an endeavor worthy of some research.
"Let's see… how could I explain this… you must find the core of your magic and draw from it at
will to be able to dose how much mana you draw and in what kind of spell you want to morph it
into…"
He tried to explain what he felt every time he cast a spell.
"It seems like Rayne is already doing something similar even if very unrefined in comparison to an
optimized caster."
He added, as the young boy was now giving a smug smile to his fuming companion.
"B-but how can you optimize such a thing?! W-would you not risk putting too much mana into a
simple spell and too few i-into a powerful one, resulting in failing the casting?!"
The blonde protested, as what was taught to her went clearly against all Satoru was saying.
"That is why you must refine such a technique to almost perfection to use it to its fullest and not
being a hindrance instead."
It was something that came automatically to him.
"Now close your eyes and try to find that core inside you. Try to mold it and shift it, make it flow
naturally in your body like a river and try casting a simple spell from it."
His students did as he said and closed their eyes. Immediately Satoru cast a silent (Mana Vision) on
himself, a basic spell to see the amount of mana in an entity. Easy to counter but, given the
situation, it would be useless to use more complex spells. He could now see the amount of mana
dancing, or in this case glowing, around his students.
It was puny. He could clearly see that. He could not even say who had more, even if technically
Arche should have more, but the difference was so little in his eyes that it meant nothing. The most
interesting part was instead observing how said energy was being moved around by his students.
While Rayne's was flowing erratically toward his hands, Arche's was bouncing all over the place,
dispersing into the air for the most part while only few drops reached her hands.
"[Light]!"
Exclaimed Rayne casting his 1st tier spell. The glowing orb appeared over his hand levitating in the
air. To Satoru's eyes it seemed like at least half of his mana was wasted in the process as it
vaporized into thin air.
"[Continual Light]"
The slightly older magic caster cast her spell, but, as Satoru expected, only a few sparks came out
of her hands, and nothing more happened as almost every single drop of mana was erratically going
its own way.
"Umu, it seems like young Rayne has a bit more control over his mana flow than you, Arche. We
will need to rectify that."
The undead magic caster said to the blond girl's discontent.
"But why? I can use my staff! Why should I waste time with this?"
She rebutted. 'Because I need to know if it is possible for natives to learn and control their mana
flow' but certainly he could not say so. He waited a few seconds before answering.
"You know young lady, one of my friends once said that being able to make up for one's
weaknesses is the true path toward self-betterment and strength… by relying uniquely on a staff
you are basically useless once you are disarmed or lose it in battle. That may be an easier way to
reach a certain level, but it is certainly a liability."
He said as he remembered how Takemi was always trying to optimize his build in order to defeat
Touch-Me.
"Not to mention another of my friends teaching me the art of deception and its usefulness in a life
or death scenario… when the enemy thinks that they will defeat you just by taking away or
destroying your staff, they will spend everything they have on that endeavor, only to discover that
you are just as, or even more, proficient with your bare hands… that will shatter their fighting spirit
and ensure a certain advantage on your part."
Punitto Moe was an expert at those kinds of deceptions, and it was not a surprise that such a way of
thinking rubbed off on Satoru who made the best of what his roleplaying build offered to deceive
his enemies into a false sense of security.
"B-but wouldn't the point of being a magic caster be to avoid close quarters combat?"
Joined Rayne, who seemed to have found interest in Satoru's explanations.
"Of course. As long as you can turn yourself invisible or fly, what would be the point of learning
such things?"
Satoru questioned his own students who seemed to have no answer to that. He sighed as the both of
them did not seem to have a clue.
"[Fly] is a 3rd tier spell. Is that even an option at the moment? [Invisibility] is a useful 2nd tier
spell that could get you away from low skilled foes, but a normal warrior with a good self-
awareness could find you easily even if invisible."
He explained, glancing directly at Arche.
"Do you think you could get away from Lakyus? Even by flying?"
The blonde blushed a little as she was asked that specific question.
"I-I think I might manage… b-but she would probably be relentless and t-throw her sword at me."
She admitted.
"There is no might or could in battle. You simply either can or you cannot. Luck is a fake concept
when it comes to battle. Everything is decided by yours or your adversary's skills and abilities…
you may consider an enemy falling into a hole or stumbling luck, but in truth that is merely the
fault of their own lack of self-awareness."
Both of his students nodded vigorously.
'They seem to be receptive, that's good' maybe teaching wasn't as bad as he thought after all
'Yamaiko would have had a blast at this…' but he himself was feeling some kind of curiosity if not
excitement at the thought of what those two might become.
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
"DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL! THOSE TRAITOROUS BASTERDS! I WILL HAVE THEM
HANGED!"
The first prince shouted in rage as he violently kicked over an elegant chair in his rage.
Her father's head was down casted as he placed both his hands on his forehead while looking down
at the pages and pages of private correspondence sprawled all over his desk.
"Madness…"
Mumbled the Warrior Captain in disbelief at what he was being allowed to read.
"Just under my nose… I had tea with Marquis Boullope… he looked at me as if everything was
normal, and yet, this was his plan all along…"
Her father seemed more defeated than anything.
'What a worthless spirit you have, father of mine. So easily unsettled, so easily broken… no
wonder you are no great king and the noble faction is pushing so much these last years of your
rule'
The princess wore an expressionless mask as she observed the scene unfolding before her.
'A tired old man and a petulant child having a tantrum…. No wonder Jir wanted to take over. It
might even be better that way' or at least that would be the case if his actions didn't go against hers
and Satoru's wishes.
"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM! THEY WANTED TO KILL YOU AND ZANAC! AND USE
ME AS SOME LAP DOG! THOSE TRAITEROUS SCUM!"
The prince continued to shout until her father finally slammed his fist on the oakwood desk.
"Stop shouting Barbro! This is not something the whole kingdom needs to hear!"
As if he was a whipped dog, Barbro immediately stood down, now focusing on something else in
shame as he could not bear to look at their father anymore after being reprimanded. 'Still a little
boy I see' not that her opinion of him could get any lower to begin with.
Her eyes met his for a moment and so he found something to shift the attention to.
"You! How did you find out all of this! These are private correspondences!"
He questioned aggressively, not that Renner was intimidated in any way by his demeanor.
"I just made the best of what I had brother… when I heard of the attempted coup, I already started
diplomatic contact with the emperor… he is certainly a fascinating character. He is smart and loves
peace above all… in the last days we spent together he even confessed to me that the reason he had
to kill his own family was due to their plan of starting a war of conquest toward Re-Estize… They
planned to drag out the war and make us starve while they isolated us economically… a cruel and
terrible fate that would have resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands… he chose the lesser
evil among the two and, instead, did what he knew was right to ensure prosperity for both our
nations."
Her explanation stunned the room's occupants who happily drank from her poisoned but sweet
goblet of lies.
"It was that love for peace that united us toward a common goal, finding out who was trying to
start a war."
She continued calmly as her father's tired eyes widened in shock.
"A war?"
He asked disbelievingly.
"Yes father. I could not believe it myself when I discovered it, as it sounded so outlandish for such
a thing to happen… we both just thought there might be something happening behind the scenes as
the coup was far too perfectly planned…"
She continued as they were almost eating out of her hand right now.
"As we dug into some empire nobles who might have had something to do with what happened
here, we uncovered the terrifying truth of how deep and twisted this plan really was, as the coup
was merely a steppingstone for the hell which was to come."
She said as she stepped forward, now standing in front of the king's desk, her small hand wrapped
around a bundle of letters as she raised them for all to see.
"These are Marquis Boullope's correspondence with other prestigious members of the Noble
Faction. As you can see, the ramification of their action is treasonous to say the least. They openly
speak of murder of the royal line and putting a puppet king on the throne… unfortunately, there is
no doubt on the validity of the family seal here and all the details described in the letters are
something that only the true perpetrator would know…"
She said as she passed the documents to her father. She moved toward the left corner gathering a
few more letters in her hands.
"Unfortunately it gets only worse from here… these are letters of sympathetic nobles from the
Royal Faction, all those who hoped brother would be a fine puppet on the throne expressed their
support toward Boullope by gifting him resources… normally there would be nothing
incriminating with these letters but the timing of such… generous donations and the fact that they
are on opposite sides of the political spectrum is a clear sign of their complicity."
She said as she passed the letters to her brother who was currently slack jawed as he had a stupidly
confused look on his face. She didn't give him a second more of her time and turned to get on the
other side of the desk collecting some more documents in the process.
"These are the documents regarding Boullope's agreement with the Empire's Elite Nobility. They
would aid him in the effort of provoking a war with the Empire… the plan was to set up the
evidence of them being responsible for the coup once big brother managed to get a few children in
his betrothed, Boullope's daughter. Even if this isn't mentioned he would probably have him killed
during the war… as you can see the war would end with the kingdom's eastern border being
annexed to the Empire, as a reward for their service."
She placed the documents of the agreement between Boullope and the Empire in Gazef's hands.
"That would leave Bullope as king basically…"
Muttered her father with a shocked expression on his face. Renner merely laughed, a laugher
without any joy in it.
"But that is when things get interesting father. The Empire Nobility were having their own plans
all along since Boullope contacted them"
She gathered a few more sheets from Gazef's corner, faking to analyze them with care.
"I and my friend Jircniv managed to gather this up… details of a coup within the Empire itself…
you see father, Jircniv, as a pacifist, is despised from the nobility who is mostly composed by
warmongers… his only power lies, ironically, in the army itself, that he protects and cherishes so
much, and in return they love him for not sending them to die in meaningless wars just made to
entertain himself."
She explained her fake version of the emperor. She almost grinned at the thought of him finding
out what kinds of rumors she was spreading about him, as she inadvertently forgot to inform him
about this part of her plan. 'We all must find amusement in the small things of life from time to
time… even more so if Satoru is not around' she scowled as the coldness she felt since she left his
side only intensified at the thought of him and his gentle touch on her skin.
"I saw it father. The Empire's might is formidable as a defensive force. As of now, there is no way
we could successfully invade them. Even if we armed every able man and boy in the whole
kingdom, we might take a few cities but the huge losses would force us back to our border in no
time."
She sighed, faking a sense of resignment, creating an even more gloomy atmosphere to fall on the
room.
"They plan to use the kingdom to undermine the power of the Emperor, pointing at him for causing
the war in the first place. They will take him down and then replace him with an obedient puppet,
and while Boullope will gloat on his throne, the Empire's Nobility will retaliate claiming it as a
rightful and vengeful war… they will annex the kingdom, and if Boullope resists, as he surely will,
the amount of casualties will be incalculable… they will pay for every town and village but they
will not stop, no matter what."
She placed the final pile of documents she gathered as she spoke in front of her father, a grim
expression on her face.
"And only once the earth will be scorched and our cities little more than rubbles, then and only
then will we know peace."
Her words managed to have the desired effect as dread was written all over the other occupants of
the room.
"This is madness… father! We must arrest all of these traitors!"
'Idiocy has no limit apparently' Renner didn't even bother answering the moronic demand of the
first prince. The king didn't seem to have enough patience either apparently.
"Putting on trial 2/3 of the nobility for treason against the crown… we would have a rebellion on
our hands in no time… we cannot mobilize a great force to apprehend them either as they are the
ones controlling most of the army… in the end there is nothing we can do."
The king said bluntly. His face seemed to have aged a decade in the last 15 minutes. Her brother
loudly swore before turning and kicking over another chair.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuuuccccck!"
Barbro roared in his rage which was most similar to his previous childish tantrum than anything
remotely intimidating.
"What will we do now Your Majesty?"
Inquired the Warrior Captain, ever ready to receive orders from his king. Said old man just looked
down at his own hands without uttering a word for at least a few minutes before raising his gaze.
"Renner, what would you do?... You brought all of this on my table, and yet I am sure you didn't
come here without anything to say about it."
Finally, the king spoke causing Renner to internally sigh. 'Delegating things as ever, are we? You
bunch of halfwits would not be able to put your own cloths on if you weren't aided… and yet, that
is exactly what will allow my plans to go through… your incompetence will be the catalyst' she
smugly thought as she refrained from smiling in front of her father and limited herself to her default
courteous smile.
"Of course. I am aware of the dire situation, and I think I might know a solution… even if drastic.
We must do what needs to be done to ensure our survival… and I know just the right person for the
job."
Her father fixed his gaze on her. Gazef seemed to be realizing something and even her oafish
brother stopped his tantrum. Renner elegantly sat on one of the few chairs still standing and
relaxed before beginning to build the foundations of her future.
{The Sorcerer's Shop}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The former guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown sat behind his desk, mentally exhausted by his two
new students. As if freeing himself from a weight, he removed his mask, exposing his perfect skull
and loudly sighing, not sure himself on how exactly such a thing was physically possible.
"Hard day? I know Rayne can be a handful when he gets overexcited."
The other occupant of the room, the current manager of Seven Hands, Hilma, asked him as she
continued to go through what seemed to be a bunch of reports.
She didn't even flinch at the sight of his visage exposed, something Satoru was internally very
grateful for. He had no idea what he would do without her in the first place. He just returned a few
days ago and he couldn't believe how many things he had to manage just for his business alone.
And she was responsible for Seven Hands as well! He had worried about her health; did she eat
enough? Did she sleep enough? Did she have some time off at all? But all his worries were swept
away by her assuring him it was okay.
But it wasn't okay, not in Satoru's eyes. She began to remind him of Herohero and his shitty work
environment, and the most disturbing part of that line of thought was that, in this case, the evil boss
figure would be filled in by him. That was exactly the reason why he chose to start taking care of
his growing business more seriously and diligently from now on.
That was a big mistake, as he could not even begin to understand how to deal with the sheer
enormity of what his brand had become while he left it to Hilma or was away in the Empire.
He had just basic economic education for crying out loud! He was never taught how to be a
manager! He was able to sell. That was true. He had a good understanding of basic economical and
capitalistic mechanics and theories, but the most he could do was manage a shop, maybe two, if
they were in the same area… but there now were 19! Freaking 19 shops all over the kingdom! Not
to speak about managing relations with the many Adventurer Guilds and Magician Guilds! The
former was trying to lick his boots to get discounts and favorable agreements on monster's hide,
while the latter was like managing a bunch of factories who constantly begged for budget increases
in return for increased productivity!
In short, it was a huge mess and pain in the ass! He would have cried if he had the bodily
capability of doing so. Maybe he should just have run off from the Empire and disappeared into
nothingness.
"Those on your desk are the balances and revenues of each shop for the last year. They arrived
around a month ago, but I thought you would still be interested to see them. Seven Hands got their
big cut from them, but that can't be helped if we want to maintain our current order and standards
in the organization."
Hilma interrupted his musings about fleeing the country all together and gave him a good
opportunity to focus on something he actually could easily understand. Back in the 22nd century,
the filling in of such paperwork was left to the machines but revising of the minor details was still
done by humans, such as him. Corporations hoped that their employees would have some inputs on
how to cut costs even more if they could get a look at the actual data.
It was a stressful job. Satoru always felt expectations being put on him every time he did it, and no
matter how many times he read them, he always felt like he was missing something. That was not
the case right now as he simply had to analyze the data and not find a way to cut costs.
He spent the next hour giving a general look to said papers and for once he was really satisfied.
The final yearly amount was around 11,300 platinum coins. Considering taxes and costs, the final
revenue was around 5,500 platinum coins, of which 2,500 were spent as funds for the betterment
and reorganization of Seven Hands. Hilma told him she aimed for the organization to be fully self-
sufficient in the next decade but as of now they would need large funds to sustain their costs as
they rebuild the organization in both structure and image.
That left him as a person with 3,000 platinum coins he had no idea how to use. He should invest
them somewhere. That would certainly be better than hiding them in the closet.
Normally moving around such quantities of money in a country would lead to ruining its economy
or leaving certain areas completely poor while enriching others. He and Hilma discussed the matter
at length once they started expanding, but in the end, his 22nd century's economic theories won
over and most of what they gained from the selling of items they reinvested in the same areas it
was gained, in the form of buying food for Seven Hands' many workers or generally restructuring
abandoned parts of cities so that said workers had a place to live in. In short, all the money the
guild gave them were returned to the people, like farmers, sellers or builders, who would in return
make new requests to the guild. A perfect cycle if he could say so himself.
That was why reinvesting his money was so important. He could not simply leave that much
wealth to rot and take it away from the market cycle.
"Did we receive any answer from the Draconic Kingdom yet?"
Satoru finally asked once he put away the papers. Hilma glanced at him just for a moment.
"No. Still, I think your offer was fairly more generous than it should have been. Are you sure that
hiring adventurers to guard the convoys will be enough?"
She asked back with a skeptical tone.
"I already asked them to pay for the high cost of transportation, giving them a good discount on the
products would only be fair considering their huge order… I will also send something in advance to
clear the area of any major possible danger. I will not have my investment lost to a pile of bones
with no brain."
That made Hilma actually chuckle a quite melodic thing, or at least he would have thought so if he
wasn't distracted analyzing the hypocrisy of what he just said.
"Umu, what are you working on?"
Trying to change the subject, Satoru inquired about Hilma's work, which caused the well-endowed
blonde to lose her smile as she looked down on the papers in front of her as if they had kicked her
puppy.
"The princess… new project… we already set up preparations. I am actually surprised you would
give your permission for this."
She said, a more serious expression on her face. 'Permission? For what? I just made the two of you
speak with each other… where in the world did you get my approval from?' he was quite confused
but since it seemed like this thing had been going on for a while, to just come out of the blue and
admit he didn't know what she was talking about would leave a very poor impression as a boss.
'It's Renner's project, so I guess it will be fine… it's not like she is going to burn down the
kingdom…' he just lifted the responsibility and placed it on Renner's common sense.
"Umu, just do what you need to do."
He curtly answered. He should probably question Renner next time he sees her.
Chapter End Notes

A Matter of Duty
Chapter Notes
The noble Marquis heir slammed her fist against the wall of her room. She cursed everything she
knew in that moment, every last one of noble birth… except Renner, never Renner!
She was blocked here, imprisoned in her own childhood home, for this could no longer be
considered her home anymore. This was nothing but a prison, a prison her mother and father forced
her into.
'You will be engaged by the end of this year and married on your 16th birthday. No more
adventures! No more foolish dreams of swords and glory! You have already embarrassed our
family enough as it is, and now you will do your duty!'
Thinking back at those words was painful enough. Them coming from her father was the last nail
in the coffin.
She jumped on her bed, the same bed her mother tucked her into not many years before. 'Why can't
I be myself? Why must I submit to what others want of me!?'
Angry tears flowed down her cheeks as she cursed the world and its unfairness.
Everything was taken from her, her sword, her freedom, her future… all turned into ashes as she
could not rebel against what was above her… or could she?
A sparkle ignited at the sole thought. Renner did it after all. She rebelled against what all her
family wanted from her and did whatever she liked. She was no broodmare to be chained. She was
a wild and cunning cat who showed her fangs only when her desires were threatened, one who
fought tooth and nail for her freedom… that was probably the thing Lakyus admired most about
her golden princess.
And even if Renner was the reason she was currently in this predicament, due to her dragging
Lakyus with her to the empire.
'That wasn't Renner's fault.'
She was convinced of that notion. If it wasn't for Renner, she would have never met Satoru or
started training under Gazef or met master Brain… she would probably still be a child ignorant of
the world around her and still playing around as a wannabe knight without skill or notion of what
that actually meant.
No! This wasn't Renner's fault! This was HER fault! Her weakness was the fault. If she wasn't so
submitted to her family, she would not be in this predicament. If she really wanted to be a knight
before anything else, she would not still be here, waiting to succumb to her parents' wishes.
She did not want a fiancée. She did not want to carry on the family's name. She did not want to sit
around doing nothing but popping out children! She wanted her sword! She wanted her armor!
And, above all, she wanted her freedom!
And she shall get it, by any means necessary! That was a promise! She will not be weak anymore!
{Satoru's mansion}
{Rayne's P.O.V.}
They both ate in silence, gazes linked to their dishes, no sound apart from the fork lightly
scratching the white plate.
He knew he should apologize but the words eluded his mind right now. That was awkward… he
never saw a girl like that and, even if his parents never said anything, he was sure there was
something wrong with doing so, otherwise, why would he feel so guilty?
"I'm sorry."
He finally uttered out in a small voice, his eyes still downcasted. His fellow student seemed to
ignore him as she continued to eat in silence until she let her fork fall on the empty plate, causing
an amplified clattering sound due to the silence.
"You are a pervert, aren't you?"
The blond caster hissed out, reminding Rayne of the occasional wild and feral cats that passed next
to his old house. Rayne blushed profusely at the accusation.
"I-I am not!"
He protested vehemently causing an angry grimace to appear on the girl's face.
"Why in the name of the Four would YOU come inside a BATHROOM without KNOCKING if
you aren't a pervert!?"
She angrily snarled back at his defensive rebuttal.
"I am just not used to knocking! That's all! Why were you even naked in the first place?!"
He rebutted, not wanting to be on the receiving end all the time.
"Why?! It's called taking a bath you unwashed peasant!"
She cried out as her face became as red as her flame spells both in shame and anger.
"You always come back to that! So, what if I am a peasant?! You are just a noble cunt!"
He yelled back. He wasn't sure what the last word meant, but he heard his father say that once
before his mother smacked him on the head with a pan, so he guessed it was a bad word. And
seeing how her mother reacted he shouldn't have been surprised to see a plate flying toward his
face.
"YOU! UNCIVILIZED! BEAST!"

He heard the noble girl cry out as he ducked to avoid the plate which fragmented into a thousand
pieces.
"YOU JUST WANTED TO SEE MY BODY DIDN'T YOU?!"
The girl continued yelling as more plates began to float thanks to her magic.
"See what?! You are as flat as a wall!"
He shouted back as he casted his own spell to create a small barrier between him and the incoming
plates. He did not master this spell at all, but he just needed to block some plates, not an actual
incoming spell, so it should have been fine, or at least that was what he thought before most of the
plates passed through his barrier and almost decapitated him.
"YOU PERVERT! DIE!"
'This is worse than when mother starts yelling at me!'
Rayne panicked as he hunkered down under the table. It was useless to say but Rayne never had
much contact with the fairer sex in all his life apart from his mother, and so it was to be expected
for him to make unwise choices such as this one, not that he regretted opening his loudmouth right
now.
'Girls are scary!'
That was the only logical conclusion his brain could come up with.
"I must say, that choice of words was most unwise my student."
The deep dark voice that could only belong to one person interrupted the sound of breaking plates.
Rayne shuddered and paled. There was only one way this could get any worse, and that was by
having his master appear at that very moment.
"M-Master Satoru!"
He heard Arche squeak out in shock and panic as the plates stopped flying around.
"I initially came here to tell you that today's lesson is cancelled due to a sudden problem that just
came up this morning… But now I see I should not have worried myself too much as you seem to
be able to practice on your own just as well."
His voice never shifted but for some reason Rayne felt like he just fucked up really badly.
"M-Master I-"
Arche tried to say something but was abruptly interrupted by the masked magic caster.
"But I think a short lecture should be in order anyway."
Satoru said before pausing for just an instant.
"Everyone should value order and cleanness in their home and workplace… that is a lesson that
does not depend on your occupation… and so, you shall now clean this room and then proceed to
clean the rest of the mansion you are currently using."
Both of their jaws dropped at their master's demand.
"B-but Master! It will take at least the whole day! And I don't know any cleaning spells!"
The noble girl protested while Rayne meekly agreed as he came out from under the table.
"You better get started then. I will hire no servant to do the job you should perform by yourself.
You should already be thankful that Rayne's mother insisted on cooking for the both of you
already."
The magic caster continued relentlessly on his way of thinking.
"If you wish to continue learning under me you will do so under my rules… I will not have my
students live as pigs but at the same time they shall not live lives totally depending on others'
support for the most mundane things."
The caster finished with a tone that clearly admitted no more rebuttals. The first to react was
Rayne.
"Understood! Lord Satoru!"
He said in his most dignified tone as if he just didn't crawl out from under a table while hiding
from an angry girl.
"As you wish Master."
Arche bowed with a light sigh in her tone.
"Very well then. I will see you tomorrow."
With those last words their teacher disappeared into thin air.
'That explains how he managed to get here without any of us noticing'
Rayne said to himself in awe even if that wasn't the first time he saw his teacher do such a thing…
to think magic could deconstruct and reconstruct entire human bodies without any damage… a
truly amazing feat in his eyes.
"I can't believe this… I will now have to scrub floors like a commoner servant…"
The noble girl mumbled under her breath to the great amusement of Rayne.
"I have a lot of experience being a commoner so, if you ask nicely, I might give you a few advice."
The remark didn't go unpunished as Arche made a move to hit him with her staff, missing him
miserably as he ducked.
"You imbecilic dolt! Start scrubbing or I will use your loudmoth as a cleaning cloth!"
She roared as she blushed in embarrassment.
'The blush really looks cute on her I guess'
He started working disregarding that last thought.
'Still flat as a wall though'

He glanced at his fellow student as she got down to start cleaning her mess.
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
She sipped her evening tea with glee. Not because of the flavor of course. It tasted like mood water
in her mouth. The glee came from a totally different source altogether. Her plan was going exactly
as it was meant to.
She herself was quite pleasantly surprised from that fact on its own. Who would have guessed that
she could manipulate her own family so easily. Her plan was well thought but she never imagined
that her father would be so easily convinced of being put into an imaginary corner that actually
didn't exist.
The Noble Faction was far from being united. They were just a bunch of foolish, prideful and
arrogant people who would betray each other as soon as the throne was free for the taking. There
was no way they could coalize with the Royal Faction, even less the Empire's Nobility, and yet, her
brother and father ate out of her hand all the same.
She prepared herself to fight tooth and nail to get at least some semblance of fear and distrust into
her father's mind, as she was sure her brother would be far more receptive to her words. She even
was ready for him to ask for the verification of the validity of signature on the documents she
brought. If such a thing came to be she was sure she could get away with it, after all the signature
on the paper was authentic. What was actually altered was the content of the letter itself, but
without an accurate magical testing such a thing would not be even considered as many just
focused on the validity of the signature above all.
The plan was tested for any possible outcome, and even in the worst case, she and Satoru would
stay clean handed.
The door of her room slammed open as a woman strolled in, scowling openly at her without a care.
Her chestnut hair fell along her back in an elaborated style and her dress was far more appropriate
for a female half her age, not counting the ugly look in her blue eyes which completed the picture
and assured her of the identity of such a woman.
Her mother, Josefin Theiere Chardelon Vilen, a worthless woman whose only accomplish in life
was being able to sleep with the king while drunk and most vulnerable during his years of
mourning after his wife's death. And, of course, Renner's personal womb lender.
Her mother's family's goals were so blatantly clear it hurt. A noble house of small renown, almost
resenting the lower nobility in wealth and territory. They hoped for her to be born a male so that
they could push upon his claim to the throne in the future, maybe even hoping to assassinate her
older brothers. But, alas, she was born a girl and all her mother's plans went up into smoke, even
more after her father made clear he didn't quite enjoy her trickery as he, in one of his few moments
of fury, exiled her mother's family from the capital until further notice.
All but her mother left, as she was meant to remain to take care of Renner herself, who her father
graciously recognized as her daughter giving her a royal title and name, not that she remained
much more than a bastard in the rest of the nobility's eyes. But she digressed. Her mother spent all
her time among parties and other noble occupations, leaving Renner's education and growth to
whoever was available, if not Renner herself.
"You! You shame my name!"

Her womb lender spit out as if every word was drenched in poison, making Renner come out of her
little memory train of thought.
"Oh my, is that so?"
She said, disinterest in her tone as she just spared a glance at the woman calling herself her mother.
"Going around with that commoner MAGIC CASTER! You… you! You shameless whore!"
That almost brought a sardonic smirk to appear on the princess' face.
'Look at that, the pot calling the kettle black… what a twist…' she thought with a small part of
amusement.
"Lady Vilen, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
She asked, giving her an exaggerated and quite mocking bow, which only served to irk her mother
more.
"You insolent… do you have any idea of what I had to endure due to your childish games?! I was
mocked! Looked down upon by even the lowest baron! I, the mother of the princess who ran off
with a COMMONER!"
She cried out, her fury only increased by Renner's uncaring attitude.
"But this will go on no more! I already had started talks about your future engagement to Baron
Montserrat's 3rd son, who should be around your age!"
That stopped any good mood Renner currently was experiencing as an icy cold dead mask fell over
her face. Noticing the shift in the girl her mother smirked for the first time.
"You were always a disappointment. You were meant to be a boy and you came a girl. You were
meant to be our pillar and you were our fall. You will now serve as a bargaining chip, and you will
finally feel the humiliation I felt!"
She declared.
"Father will not allow this."
The 3rd princess said. No emotion could be heard in her tone.
"Do you think he cares even a little for what will happen to you?! If that was the case, you would
at least be worth something!"
Her womb lender spat as she closed the distance between them before snatching Renner's crown
from her head, taking the young princess by surprise.
"This will make a worth enough dowry for the Baron I guess."
She said to herself, but Renner could no longer hear her. Ahe was feeling too cold to pay attention
from anything else. Something was taken from her, something very important. She felt like
someone had just skinned part of her body in a single swift movement. And something was boiling
inside her, something rancid and twisted, an emotion she didn't feel for the longest time, the cold
hands of fear grasped her.
"Give it back…"
She said, no longer in total control of her body for the first time in her life. The noble lady ignored
her plea continuing to analyze her crown intrigued.
'Give it back, that is mine… Give it back, that is mine… Give it back, that is mine… Give it back,
that is mine… Give it back, that is mine… Give it back, that is mine… mine… mine… mine…
MINE… MINE… MINE' a voice growled into her mind.
"GIVE IT BACK!"
That was the first time she remembered raising her own voice in such a manner, as if her own body
was now controlled by someone else. She took a step forward prompting her womb lender to
finally give her attention back to the third princess.
The grown woman immediately went wide eyed and stumbled backward, the abrupt movement
causing her to trip over her own gown and miserably fall on the ground.
Renner's precious gift fell from her grasp and said princess immediately took it from the ground
and placed it back on her head, an action which caused her to calm down quite a lot before she
decided to address her progenitor currently lying on the ground with a stupid expression on her
face.
The princess felt a snarl growing on her face as she looked down at the filth who was attempting to
separate her from her beloved.
"Get out of my sight… or I will have your head on a spike by the end of the evening."
She said, her words as cold and piercing as ice spikes, and, to her surprise, her womb lender
actually listened. Maybe it was the shock, maybe the fear, but in the end, Renner was left alone in
her room.
She immediately went to lock her room and then sit on the floor, right next to her mirror. Her
hands went for her crown, and she immediately pressed it against her chest, caressing it as she lost
herself inside the glowing blue gems encased on it.
'Soon, very soon, no one will stand in our way… this kingdom will know what it means to go
against us…'
She sealed those words with a chaste kiss on her golden crown.
'Let us burn this horrid and twisted world together… my Satoru.'
{Raeven's manor}
{Raeven's P.O.V.}
He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. His new bride wasn't ugly. That wasn't the problem.
The thing he didn't like was to have to marry at all.
He certainly would have had to at a certain point. That was part of his plan from the start, but his
hand was forced far before the right time.
He would have likely pointed at the second princess or a distant cousin with royal blood but
strengthening the ties with the Royal Faction was far more important now than ever if he wanted to
maintain a certain level of trust after what happened with the utter failure that was the attempted
coup.
It was his duty to marry, to carry on his family name. He just wished that such a thing would have
been more in his control over being pressured into it.
Not that his bride lacked anything to begin with. She had a certain charm to her, and she had the
right connection and pedigree. It was unfortunate she couldn't keep up with him on most political
matters. She lacked the mindset a true noble of the kingdom should have to succeed.
Speaking of success, his investigation brought progress to his primary objective, to discover who
was behind the king pulling strings to ensure his safety. And to say he was surprised by the answer
would be an understatement.
Seven Hands, the organization formerly known as Eight Fingers, the most prosperous criminal
syndicate in the whole kingdom. His intrigue was only deepened by discovering such a thing, and
his question morphed from who to why.
It should have been a simple matter. Discover who was currently controlling the organization and
so discover why they were interested in keeping the old man alive.
Easier said than done. His investigation, which costed him both many men and much coin, led him
to an unexpected place, the Sorcerer's Shop, the central figure of all magical aspects of the
kingdom, the funder of the Magician Guild and primary partner of the Adventurer Guild. But that
just didn't make any sense.
How in the world would a business established 2 years prior put under its foot, not only the most
prominent guilds in the kingdom but its criminal underground? Anyone holding this much power
should be a prominent figure of the kingdom, ready to jump the throne as soon as an occasion
presented itself.
And yet they apparently saved the king.
That puzzle just didn't turn out to be anything he expected it to be, and the only way for him to find
out what in the world was happening there was to take a direct approach.
Since the apparent leader, Satoru the Magic Caster, left for the Empire, he started sending his most
skilled spies and then assassins to discover anything they could on the elusive man and his
associates. A waste of resources. That was what his endeavor turned out to be.
He didn't only lose many loyal and skilled men. He also didn't gain almost anything from his
endeavor.
The Magic Caster carried out his business in the empire and returned just a week ago. And if he
couldn't get his hands on him, he would try to see who his nearest associates were. The woman,
Hilma he believed, was out of question as his previous actions proved her to be well guarded.
Gazef Stronoff was another the Marquis easily discarded as the man was nothing more than a
glorified warrior in service of the crown. That left out only two.
Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, a juvenile heir to her house who just stood a rank below his own,
someone he dismissed as well as he knew her father and, while he was loyal to the crown, he didn't
have the mind to orchestrate what happened and not gloat about it or ask rewards for his action.
That left out only one person. The Third Princess of the kingdom, an even younger girl who didn't
even reach her tenth year of age yet. This fact irked him in no small part, as he couldn't accept such
a child had actually bested him. It was absurd to think such a child was moving things behind the
scenes like some kind of puppeteer as men five times her age just ignorantly moved according to
her tune.
'But when all ordinary and credible options were taken out one by one, the only thing left was to
accept that the extraordinary and incredible was the right answer.'
Even if that was Raeven's mindset this specific occasion stretched even that toward a breaking
point.
He would need to be completely sure of his deduction before taking any action. If the princess was
really one of the masterminds behind this, she would have just become the most dangerous
member of the royal family in his eyes.
He was already dancing on thin ice here. He could not afford to make any more mistakes. If he
wanted the crown on his head before he found himself on his death bed, he needed to surpass even
this adversity.
'Be like a mountain… let the raging wind chip away at your armor but continue to stand steady, let
the wind hit any spot they preferred, and no matter how much it hurt, let no emotion be shown on
your face, so they may never discover your weaknesses' those were words he wished to impart on
his heirs before he left the world.
"My husband, the hour is late. You may wish to finish whatever you are working on, on the
morrow?"
And speaking of heirs, it seemed like his wife demanded some of his attention tonight. Internally
shrugging, he stood up and left his work for the day yet to come.
Heirs were important as well for his plans. The more his wife could provide, the more he could use
them to advance his plans and expand relations on the political spectrum, not to speak of cementing
ties and loyalties once the crown passed heads.
And, seeing how his wife was eager, he may as well enjoy himself while advancing his plans. This
was only his duty after all.
{Ro-Lente's castle}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead marched through the halls, escorted by Gazef. To say he didn't expect to be summoned
like this would have been an understatement, but seeing how Hilma didn't seem concerned in the
least he imagined this was all part of Renner's plan, so it should be fine if he just went along with
it.
'Jeez, I should try to keep up more with what those two are up to, just to at least know if I will have
to do stuff like this in the future…'
He convinced himself to do so in the years to come.
Returning to his current situation, the mood seemed to be quite gloomy, the royal palace was
mostly silent with just a few servants scurrying around quickly as if not wanting to be noticed.
Even Gazef himself seemed disheartened as he was lacking his usual serene expression when he
was in his company. Satoru could not help but feel like he was missing something very big and
obvious by now. And he didn't like it at all.
"Gazef, how is your Warrior Troop doing?"
He asked, trying to lighten up the mood. He knew how much pride and love the warrior had for his
organization. That change of topic brought an almost unnoticeable smile on Gazef's face.
"Everything seems fine. Losses have been far less since we started buying from the new magic
items shop in the city."
He said with a drop of irony in his tone which managed to bring out a chuckle from the masked
caster.
"Happy and obliged to help. After all, you are still my best buyers by a long shot."
He said not untruthfully as the Warrior Troop was now composed by around a hundred soldiers, far
more than any group of adventurers.
The falling sun came out from its hiding place and cast its light through the giant window,
projecting the human and undead's shadows on the wall.
"Satoru…"
The Warrior Captain began before pausing, seemingly unsure of how to continue what he was
about to say, a conflicted expression on his face. Satoru remained silent. He really had no idea
what this all was about but there was something very fishy going on around here.
"The King is awaiting you. Please let us not let him wait more than necessary."
He finally said with a more somber tone.
"Umu"
With nothing to say, the undead limited himself to shrugging off the weird feeling he was having
before following the strongest swordsman in the kingdom.
The awkward silence didn't last long to his delight, even if in hindsight he would have gladly taken
it over what was about to come.
They stopped in front of a very expensive looking door prompting the Warrior Captain to knock
four times before receiving an invitation.
He opened the door and gestured for Satoru to go inside before him, something he would rather not
do as he felt crushed between a rock and an hard place. He nevertheless swallowed his premonition
and proceeded inside. What he found could not help but confirm his fears.
The king sat behind his desk, wearing a far more informal attire than the first time they met each
other. On his right, a young noble sat not far from him grimacing and glaring at Satoru openly,
while on the king's left a young, blonde devil princess comfortably sat with an inscrutable
expression on her face.
"Sir Satoru, it is a pleasure meeting you again. Unfortunately, the circumstances don't seem to be
as pleasurable, but please, have a seat."
The overlord said nothing and simply sat on the offered chair, not before reinforcing it with a silent
spell. The relaxed posture of the king disappeared as Gazef closed the door behind him.
"I have been informed that you have been busy these last two years, Sir Satoru… becoming the
fundamental turning stone of the Adventurer Guild, the funder of most, if not all by now, Magician
Guilds in the kingdom, while managing to grasp a peak role in the Merchant Guild… all while
taking over the underground of the very kingdom."
The king said with a calm that greatly unnerved Satoru, making him break a metaphorical sweat
when he heard the last point of the list.
'W-what is going on here?! Is this a setup?! Am I going to be arrested?!'
Satoru could not help but internally panic at the thought of what his current situation was morphing
into.
'But who? Who could…?! Was it Renner? Did she denounce me?!'
At that thought, his gaze immediately fell on the third princess who looked back at him, those
placid sky-blue eyes revealing nothing to him.
"That last one would be most concerning to me. You understand that I as a king could not let such a
thing slide… and yet, here we are, for Renner was most graceful in explaining what you did for the
kingdom in the past years… you organized the underground not only to be harmless toward normal
citizens but also putting a leash on many rabid dogs who only would have been detrimental in the
long run… putting down those who could not be controlled and creating programs to take out of
the street less fortunate citizens, giving them occupation."
The king said, surprising Satoru who wasn't sure what exactly the man in front of him was trying to
imply.
"The organization is still acting against the law and could be a danger to the integrity of the
kingdom but it is still a clear improvement of what it was before… do not misunderstand me, Sir
Satoru, I am still greatly unnerved and even furious at what you have been doing behind my back,
but I still can see the benefits of having someone such as you in charge of the darkest part of the
kingdom, ensuring peace and stability will continue… I am sure you will continue to serve the
kingdom as a loyal citizen would."
The king now practically pierced him with his cold gaze. For once Satoru felt like worshipping his
passive Emotional Suppression as if it wasn't for that he would probably be crying by now out of
sheer panic and fear.
"I… understand… but I am sure, there is more than this…?"
His tone might have seemed dark and calculating but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He was
done. Mentally exhausted and he just wanted to go home, so he may as well know if the man in
front of him knew anything else.
To his surprise, his words brought a sigh from escaping the old man, his posture deflated, and he
suddenly didn't seem as intimidating.
"The truth is that… we need your aid Sir Satoru, as I am sure you already knew."
Those words surprised the undead as it was just the last thing he expected after what the king told
him before.
'It might be better to stay silent and see where this goes…' he said to himself after passing over his
momentary shock at the shift in the mood of the conversation.
"I am grateful for your intervention in what would have been our most certain demise… even if
such an act was solely for your own gain… and I am in need of your help once more."
Satoru's businessman instincts immediately kicked in as he found that opening to capitalize on it.
"Ah, my king you surely exaggerate. I had little to gain from your fall… what I truly sought was
stability and, of course, Renner would have been sad if you all died."
Since she was probably the one who spilled the beans, Satoru didn't feel too bad in using her as a
tool to get out of this predicament.
"You admit it then. You are currently in control of the whole underground of the kingdom?"
The king rebutted, seemingly ignoring his comment.
'You are getting so spanked after this… Renner…'
Said princess just barely moved her hand as if to gesture to Satoru to go on.
"Is there a point in telling a lie everyone knows to be such?"
He asked rhetorically. No one answered him.
"Let us just get to the point then."
The king said as he moved forward in his chair.
"The rebellious nobles of the kingdom, all those who attempted on our lives or conspired to take
the throne from us, all who would see our line go down into ruin… all of them, will have to die."
The cold words left the king's mouth and reached like winter wind howled at a mountain, and
Satoru was once more left without words. He of course knew of the attempted coup as he was the
one who stopped them or, at least, the one who provided the manpower to do so. Hilma already
informed him of the responsible nobles' names, but he just had no use for such a thing as he had no
intention of getting tangled into politics.
And now he was in the exact position he wanted to avoid, all according to a certain princess' plans
apparently.
The king passed a bunch of sheets to him. Satoru took them with little hesitation before giving
them a look. If he had eyes they would have widened by now. The sheets were just but one huge
list of nobles, with their ranks, occupations and position at the moment.
'These are…' Satoru's own thought paused due to his own shock '… far too many!' he concluded in
his head. The number of traitors went near the hundred.
'Are there even so many nobles in the kingdom? Do the royals even have any allies?'
He had no idea of what to think right now. If he was surprised before that they would ask such a
thing of him, he could now see the reason for such a request. Their enemy simply surrounded and
outnumbered them to a critical degree.
He felt a bit of guilt at accusing Renner so much of setting him up. What was she even supposed to
do with a kingdom rebelling? She wasn't even 10 years old for crying out loud. He could not really
blame her for what she had done. She just wanted to survive. What was wrong with that? She even
technically asked him by submitting it to Hilma. She just assumed he probably understood it by
looking at the failed coup, something he apparently underestimated in gravity.
But now, it was too late. Too late to stop what was happening and too late to retract his offer to
Renner. He was just left with one choice, and he had no one but himself to blame for it.
"You understand clearly what you are asking of me."
It was a statement, not even a question. The king nodded in confirmation nonetheless as the noble
next to him, probably the prince now that Satoru thought about it, snorted in clear disdain.
"Your service to the crown will not go unnoticed or unrewarded, I can assure you that."
The king assured him.
"Just go and have them killed to the last member. I want their line eradicated from this world."
The prince ordered in what was supposed to sound like an intimidating tone, even if Satoru was
sure Renner could do a better job at it than him. For all intents and purposes, Satoru was sure he
could do what was asked of him, after all Hilma and Renner already organized everything
apparently.
He didn't really care of the lives lost, as they were but power-hungry worthless men in his eyes, no
different than those in his old world. But he knew such men were also responsible for the
wellbeing of the lands they ruled over and, without them, chaos would take over.
"What about the future of those lands? What of those who will suffer and had nothing to do with
any of this?"
He asked, as hurting the common people would severely affect some of his business and the
Merchant Guild in general.
No one spoke for almost a minute before the princess, silent till that very moment turned toward
her father and brother.
"Satoru is right father. What of the children who had nothing to do with this?"
She asked innocently putting a drop of guilt in Satoru's soul. After all, he was merely thinking
about his own losses while Renner was actually concerned with innocent children. To say the truth,
he never even thought about them in the first place, but his words could also be interpreted in that
way now that he thought about it.
"We must of course kill them as well! To the last infant! Those who bear traitorous blood must be
purged or they might follow in their ancestors' footsteps!"
The prince announced ruthlessly as Satoru noticed Gazef going rigid and clenching his fists at
those words. But, as many things went, the final decision didn't fall on any of them. Instead, it fell
on the one who didn't express his opinion yet.
Satoru remained silent as he waited for the king to make his final decision.
"What would happen to the children if we left them alive?"
Finally asked the king as he turned to his younger daughter.
"Father!"
Began to protest his oldest but he silenced him with merely a glare.
Renner caressed her golden locks as if she was thinking about something mundane like what she
was going to have for dinner.
"Uhm, I think I would have them transferred to the capital and put together in some new
establishment… like… an academy for nobles we could say… a place where they shall be
reeducated on what it means to be a loyal noble of the kingdom… so that, when they come of age
and are deemed ready and loyal enough by the royal family… we will put them back in their lands
to administer it… I thought that if such an experiment was successful, we might repeat it for the
generations to follow, even if in a less violent and traumatic way."
She explained her idea which actually sounded very good in Satoru's mind, as that would allow for
a competent and educated class to take over, instead of what happened now with nobles basically
educating themselves and doing as they believed was best.
He didn't have the best experience with centralized education, but still, that was the 22nd rotten
century he was experiencing, a time where people were just mere instruments to exploit… context
was very different from that here. That was what he believed at least.
The king seemed to have a contemplative expression and even the prince seemed to be placated by
that. Gazef, instead, openly gave the princess an encouraging smile which wasn't missed by the
magic caster.
After almost two full minutes of silence, the king finally returned his attention to the masked magic
caster.
"Proceed as Renner instructed. That is my final decision… you may now go and only return once
the deed as been done. We do not need for voices to spread more than they already have… this is
your duty as the last trump card of the kingdom"
And with that, the fate of the kingdom was turned upside down once more.
Chapter End Notes

The Night of a Hundred Suns
Chapter Notes
Otris was a happy man, look at his inn! Full to the brim with men and women having a good time
and him cashing in almost what he would make in four months of work just in one night. His wife
would be happy for sure.
"C'mon Climby boy! Let's have a drink!"
A tan skinned woman dragged a younger boy with her to the counter. Otris never saw anyone that
young drink before, but he wasn't one to question paying customers, even more when he was in a
good mood like today.
"Edstrom! You know we can't drink on-"
The boy was interrupted when the woman grabbed a full bottle of grape juice and showed it in the
blond boy's hands, while she took a beer mug for herself.
"I know you can't drink you idiot! I don't want to have you puke all over me again or in our bed!"
The woman answered as she slammed a silver coin on the counter. Otris just took the coin without
saying anything, after all they didn't seem related at all, and he surely did not want to know what
kind of relationship theirs was.
His was just a mere inn in a village on the countryside, far from the distant cities where powerful
men and women were said to have a taste for little boys and girls. He just let the thing go as it was
none of his business.
"Hey old man! BRING MORE BEER HERE!"
One of the other customers called out to him. He grumbled at being called old. He was just in his
mid-forties after all, far from being an old man, even if his daughter called him that from time to
time.
Sighing, he took a few clean mugs and began to fill them once more.
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
"What do you mean, you will not approve the betrothal?!"
The woman who called herself her mother almost cried out as her father pushed back the contract
she had laid down for him to sign.
"Mind your tone, my lady. You are still speaking to the king."
The man in his middle fifties said, an ice-cold look in his eyes as he looked down upon the
noblewoman.
The third princess just sat to the side seeming not particularly interested in what was happening,
but in truth, she was paying rapt attention to each word the two adults spoke.
It wasn't hard to see the resentment between the two. One felt tricked and manipulated in a moment
of weakness to reach a goal, while the other felt unrewarded for her efforts into squishing her way
into the first one's bed.
The result of that exploiting, trickery and deceit was Renner herself, a child of ambition and
sorrow, born of hate and guile. This wasn't the first time she saw them argue since her father exiled
her womb lender's family from the capital. She remembered feeling frightened the first time it
happened. She didn't understand why this was happening, but with time came wisdom and, in the
end, now she saw nothing but cockroaches arguing over breadcrumbs ignoring the wider world. In
all other occasions that would have not concerned her but in this case, those were HER
breadcrumbs they were arguing about.
"You want me to sign this! This insult to my name!"
Her father spat with a disdain Renner never saw on his face before.
'Did the coup and the current situation force a resurgence of the old man's spirit? He was known as
the Iron Prince in his youth for his prowess with a sword, but I thought of those as rumors. Maybe
there was some truth behind them after all' she thought in a little bit of amusement at seeing her
womb lender taken aback by her father's shift of attitude.
"T-the Montserrat are a noble family from the foundation of the Kingdom."
She tried to salvage her point, but only managed to make her father scoff.
"A line with some skilled general on one generation and an utter fool the other! A baron and a third
son! Do you have any IDEA what the court would think of THIS! A THIRD PRINCESS AND A
THIRD SON OF A BARON! WE WOULD BE THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE
CONTINENT!"
Her father roared in the noblewoman's face who seemed to retreat like a scolded dog.
"Now get out of here. I've had enough of your foolishness for today."
The king said as he calmed down and returned to his usual lethargic mood. The woman just left the
room without uttering another word.
Silence descended in the room once more only to be interrupted by a coughing fit of the king who
seemed frailer than ever before.
'The golden age is dead and gone it seems' the princess silently evaluated before rising from her
seat.
"Renner."
Her father called her name stopping her from leaving.
"Yes, father?"
Her voice was calm and collected, a far cry from the satisfied glee she felt inside at her womb
lender's dismissal.
"What do you wish to accomplish with this? You are no ordinary child… of that I am aware. You
are far too cunning for your age, and you accomplish things many would be unable to with
seemingly little effort."
The king's tone was devoid of any emotion as if that would somehow intimidate her, as if she didn't
expect that question already or even prompted for it in the first place.
'You all are so predictable… such short-minded fools who can't see deception if it slapped them in
the face'
The disappointment didn't last long as that incompetence was the reason she was allowed to do as
she pleased to begin with.
"Father, I do not understand why you are bringing this up now. I only wish to secure our family's
position and to not get killed in the process."
She said nonchalantly as if she was speaking of the weather, but her father's gaze didn't relent.
"You could have escaped, away from the kingdom. Maybe even get a primal position into the
empire with the friendship you have created there."
The man said, sending the conversation into a direction Renner didn't expect. She was waiting for
the old man to be concerned over their position and push all the burden onto her shoulders but
instead it seemed like some fire was still in him.
"What are you aiming for Renner? It is clear to me you do not care for many. You don't have any
bonds with your siblings, nobles are not concerned with a third daughter, and you pushed away
every other person in your life."
'So, he was looking from time to time. He wasn't completely oblivious to everything'
She glanced at him, but his words served only to anger her further.
'And yet… he did nothing…'
The realization almost brought a grimace on her face.
"There is only one reason behind my actions. Satoru."
That admission said aloud seemed to be liberatory, as if a huge weight was lifted from her chest,
and this was probably the only truthful thing she ever said to her father.
"Is that so?"
He said, but Renner was done with this. She was furious with herself for letting those words slip
from her tongue.
"Even if you know what is to be of him."
And that was the last straw, a truth she wanted to ignore for as long as possible. Without saying
another word, she opened the door and slammed it behind her with all the strength her young body
possessed.
'I will sooner burn this world down than let Satoru be someone else's!'
She clenched her tiny fists. She looked out of her window and saw the night sky burn with the
power of a hundred suns and then everything went black.
She woke up sweating profusely, the details of the dream still fresh in her mind. She herself was
unsure of how her mind came up with that alternative version of her conversation with her father
today.
She calmed down trying to separate her dream from reality. She didn't reveal anything. She didn't
mess up. She was just the loyal daughter, the princess concerned for her country.
She was still Renner the Third Princess, but maybe, just maybe there was a reason why her mind
showed her this. Maybe she didn't want to be the Third Princess anymore. Maybe she just wanted
to be Renner.
Her gaze went to her window. If she looked closely, she could almost see the faint lights coming
from the horizon, as if a hundred suns were rising at the same time.
'Let the flames of our passion burn even brighter. This is only the beginning of the inferno, which
is to come. Isn't that right, my Satoru?'
{Edstrom's P.O.V.}
The black cloak was awful, heavy and uncomfortable, not to say useless altogether for someone
like her. With her darker skin, she would have blended in with the dark night just fine. They even
waited for the new moon so that they could act unseen and unnoticed until it was too late.
Their group was the one designated to jump over the walls while the other two groups distracted
the guards at the main gate.
They just made it at the bottom of the wall when a couple of explosions could be heard going off
in the distance, that seemed just right. Using their [Fly] scrolls the group easily passed over the
wall and entered the mansion from one of the windows.
"Now maggots! We received clear orders from the boss. Kill all who stand in your way. Cut off the
head of every noble you find. You can't miss them. They all have a whole tree stuck up their ass!
Every child below the age of 10 is to be taken, if possible. If they resist or prove to be a liability
just stick a knife through their ribs and be done with it!"
He instructed for the 10th time that day, making Edstrom's eyes roll in exasperation.
"Show this filth why the Black Hand is the most feared among all! Now go!"
Immediately, the group scattered into smaller units, everyone going in a different direction. It
wasn't long before they met someone. A maid running through the corridor in the opposite
direction. As soon as her gaze met their group, she fell backwards in a fetal position as if to protect
herself from the incoming attacks. They passed her without a care in the world. After all, this
wasn't their target.
Marcel, the older man currently leading their squad, pulled out a knife and pointed it between the
maid's eyes.
"Where are the living quarters of your master, bitch?"
He said hurriedly.
"D-down the h-hall! O-on the l-left! P-please don't kill me!"
She cried out in fear as Marcel proceeded over her.
"You heard the cunt! Move your asses!"
The group moved forward as one single entity with multiple limbs. As instructed, they turned left
and found themselves in front of a platoon of guards, not that they didn't expect such protection for
a high-ranking noble such as this.
They were clearly outnumbered 3 to 1 but that was all worthless in the face of the hard reality.
Quality beats quantity. They took out of their long cloaks their scrolls after receiving the command
from marcel.
The five 3rd tier lightning spells impacted the wall of metal, reducing the men behind it to a
melted mess of skin and steel. Not expecting their vanguard to fall in a few instants, the remaining
men couldn't do much apart from standing there to be killed by the five of them.
Now free to advance, they found themselves in front of two well decorated doors.
"Coll, Robar, with me… you two take care of the other one."
Marcel instructed the other two men to follow him towards the door on the right, leaving her with
Climb to deal with whoever inhabited the other room.
Apparently, the noises and news of the attack on the front gate didn't reach this part of the mansion
yet as she could hear no sound coming from the door in front of her.
With the lightest tap possible, she began to open said door, revealing a dark but lavishly decorated
room. The most noticeable thing was the large bed with red velvet sheets in the middle of the
room, a single figure sleeping angelically in it.
Making sure to reduce her noises as much as possible, Edstrom advanced toward the bed, one of
her scimitars ready in her left hand.
They were ordered to take the brats, but she had to confirm this one was one of those she was
supposed to take prisoners. The blond locks fell over her beautiful young face as she continued to
sleep.
Next to her, Climb looked down at the young girl with an unreadable expression, even if he seemed
tense.
'Boys will be boys I guess…' she couldn't help but muse in her mind.
To her surprise, she had to stop her young companion as soon as he took out his enchanted dagger
from under his robe. She shook her head to stop him from plunging his blade into the girl's chest. It
took a few instants for him to comply.
'What the hell is wrong with him today? I thought he liked the little girl… is this what a murder
crush is supposed to be?' but maybe this wasn't the best moment to ponder what went through the
young boy's head.
With a mental sigh, she moved to take hold of the girl. She gently lifted her, but something was
wrong. She was far heavier than what she expected. As the body left the sheets, she noticed that
the body under the cover was far bigger than she expected. This was no girl, but a young woman at
best. Could she have been deceived by the dark? No, that was absurd! She could never have made
such a big mistake in judgement. To give such an effect, the woman should have curled up her
body to its limits… but if that was the case, that meant… Edstrom had no time to finish her thought
as a pair of scissors were already aimed at her neck.
She let the now revealed young woman fall but not before she was able to inflict a cut on the left
side of her throat which immediately started to bleed profusely.
Edstrom stumbled back with a hand over her newly inflicted cut, not deep enough to make her
choke on her own blood, but too near to that level for her own comfort.
The young blond woman didn't lose her momentum and like a cat tried to jump her again only for a
black and golden bolt to slam into her side and make her fall miserably on the hard floor as the boy
now standing over her brought down his knife without any mercy, stabbing the noble's throat over
and over even after the girl's hands stopped moving.
"This is for Rina! You bitch!"
He said glaring at the corpse beneath him before kicking its face. Due to its torn apart throat, the
kick was powerful enough to separate the head from the rest of the body.
In the meantime, Edstrom already bandaged up her cut making sure it would not get infected.
'Fucking bitch almost cut me open there… you got a good eye boy…' she thought as only now she
understood the previous uneasiness of her companion.
"How did you know?"
She asked as she tested if everything was right with her voice as well. Climb glanced at her as his
face shifted from anger to concern.
"Are you alright?"
He asked back, clear worry in his tone, making him utterly adorable in her eyes.
"Of course. It will take more than a pretty face to put me down boy. You should know it by now…
but really, how did you know?"
She asked again. The boy blushed a little.
"S-she looked different, far too rigid… as if she wasn't sleeping at all. Her forehead and cheek
muscles were totally tense."
He said, surprising the silver haired woman who didn't expect such a level of attention from the
child before her. 'It seems like he is recovering from that event' she thought to herself before
deciding to mess with the boy.
"So, you are experienced in watching girls sleep?"
The boy's blush became a flaming inferno all over his face.
"I-I just w-watched Rina a c-couple of t-times!"
He admitted, stuttering every word, surprising Edstrom who didn't actually expect him to say that.
"You are a little pervert, aren't you Climby boy?"
She said smirking.
"AM NOT!"
The blond boy protested vehemently.
She had to admit she rather liked this part of him. Since the whole plaza fiasco, he became
detached, always brooding and even talking to himself from time to time. Fortunately, these were
sparse moments that happened when he was particularly pressured or tense. The rest of the time, he
was still his own little thing who got flustered too easy for her to not do it.
"Are you done shouting boy?"
Asked Marcel who just entered the room, a severed head in each hand.
"Good thing you are done."
He added while glancing at the head of the girl, barely a woman, lying not too far from them.
"I see you got jumped Edstrom."
Taunted Coll as he pressed a fresh cloth on the cut to his leg he apparently received not long ago.
"You're one to talk Coll."
She shot back with a shrug of her shoulders which actually caused more pain to her open wound.
"Well, if you are so eager to make it a competition, we could go back and check out which of our
wounds is worse in a more private environment."
He smirked at her.
"Maybe in your dreams. Why don't you instead go to the baths and do it yourself."
She said, returning the smirk.
"It's a lost cause, Coll. She is more interested in that boy than you."
Robar interjected; Edstrom didn't have to turn around to know that Climb was probably one step
from passing out.
"Enough chitchat. Get out of here so we can turn this place into a graveyard of ashes."
Ordered Marcel, returning the situation to a more somber tone.
{Arwintar}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The emperor of the Baharuth Empire was troubled. No, troubled would not be the right word.
Spiteful would be the more honest term to use in this case.
Everything went according to plan. The false documents fabricated gave him legitimacy in
eradicating every noble opposing him. Once the army moved the nobility could do nothing but
watch as they fell like gutted lambs.
'In the end, all your title, names and lineages, all worthless before raw power. Where is your might
now? Where is your right to question me? Where is that supposed power you all spoke of?' he
asked no one in the dead of night.
Of course, replacements were already being put in place even if that would cause a certain
instability for the months to come. Still a worthy endeavor, nonetheless.
So why did he feel so irked? Why did he feel like this whole victory didn't belong to him? The
answer was easy. Really, he knew the answer, no matter how petty it was.
He was simply not the one in charge of the plan, and that, no matter how petty it was, irked him to
no end.
'That devil managed to transform my moment of glory into her own little game of power' that
reality made him want to vomit.
He was the Emperor, a far greater position than third princess, and still he was the one taking
orders here.
'How could this come to be?'
That was a question that tormented him since the devil left the capital. How could he, the great
emperor, be pushed around like a stable boy?
And, unfortunately for him, the answer was as simple as it was terrifying. The blond devil planned
everything. Every step, every event was manipulated so that he was forced into this position of
instability in his own heart of power. The battle was lost before he even first met the enemy. That
was a hard but undeniable truth he came to understand in the weeks after said events transpired.
He could have done nothing to stop it and every step he took to counter her served to just enhance
the perfect scheme revolving around him.
And the worst thing was… he couldn't even complain with a clean conscience. After all, her plan
allowed him to do whatever he wanted without worrying about eventual attacks from the kingdom.
But as an old saying goes, the snake will lie there and let the mighty lion think they won until it
was the time to strike back and inject the lion with the fatal venom of their downfall.
The devil was a cunning opponent, but he would not give up, for he was the greatest emperor the
empire will ever see.
His eyes fixed on the dark horizon imagining it burn with the flames of conquest he will engulf the
continent in once the time was right.
{Boullope's mansion}
{Mato's P.O.V.}
In all his life Mato never thought he would be looking at one of the Six Great Noble's estates
getting assaulted, even less if it was an assault led by him. As one of the many men working under
Zero, he never thought he would rise much into Eight Fingers as he was one who tended to try and
deescalate conflicts when possible, instead of using his brutal strength to solve every issue.
Of course, he wasn't a hypocrite. He was a big boy after all. Everyone told him that since he was
six, but in all his life he found himself leaning as much as possible towards diplomacy while using
his fists when the right time came.
He wasn't the strongest of the bunch, but he was respected, even among Eight Fingers. That was
the exact reason why he now was leading the security department, recently nicknamed the Black
Hand. Many of his former colleagues teased him saying it was due to his black hair, something that
rather annoyed him.
Brushing that thought aside, now he had bigger fish to fry. The assault didn't go as well as
expected, he really didn't think the marquis would hire Workers from the empire as a personal
guard. It was quite a smart move.
First, it would be hard to track their traces, and most would not expect them. Second, they were
quite expendable. After all, dead men will not have to be paid. By the same logic, someone would
think that they wouldn't be loyal but when a dog is pushed into a corner, it will bite no matter who
the master is. And third, and most important, they were powerful, a trump card that could reverse
the result of a battle.
And that was exactly what was happening right now.
He did not underestimate the marquis. He sent 300 men armed to the teeth against the walls of the
marquis' fortress, and everything seemed to go fine at first. They even managed to conquer the gate
and enter the plaza. Then all went to shit once the damned Workers arrived.
They blasted his men apart with magic and martial arts. Workers were trained war machines. It was
no surprise his men would fall, but to his pleasant surprise his men didn't lose themselves and
scatter around. No, they instead created a wall of shield to withstand the incoming spells as well as
they could. The warriors couldn't use their martial arts to break through their line as that would
mean being surrounded by enemies by all sides.
But even with that, the situation was dire. He already lost a third of his men, and from his current
position on the walls he could see his troops falling minute after minute.
The courtyard they were currently fighting in was claustrophobic, a sole entrance and exit with a
corridor like shape. The perfect place for a defensive position and to avoid being encircled but also
a deathtrap if used in the right way.
"Go tell the men to retreat. Let the first line launch another assault and push the enemy into a
corner."
His subordinate and former partner Kurz looked at him, his green eyes as wide as plates.
"Mato, this is a suicidal move. They are going to push them back, but they are going to get
slaughtered by the counter offense!"
He protested.
"They will not have the chance to counterattack."
The black haired bulky man answered as he gestured for the fifty men standing on the walls with
him to take out the heavy artillery.
"We will take care of their families, but we are not allowed to fail here."
There were no more words to be shared as the blond man grimaced and then proceeded to jump
down to relay his orders.
'You are a changed man, Kurz. As you are now, you are not fit to lead… I, on the other hand, will
damn my soul to hell for all eternity for this'
A drop of guilt slipped into him. He despised to have to do this, but he will do anything for Seven
Hands to remain standing.
After his family died when he was younger, he never thought he would feel like belonging
anywhere else. The period with Eight Fingers was just surviving, but once Seven Hands came to
be, everything changed for him.
He was assigned his own team and subordinate. The responsibility was just an inconvenience at
first, but just in a few months he felt like he was being part of something again.
He joked, he argued and laughed with all regardless of the ranks. He saw former killers settle
down and start a family. He saw thieves and murderers start anew. And when he understood that
he felt part of it all, it was far to late to do anything about it.
What Seven Hands became in his vision was a haven, a safe place for all those who sought to exist
in a world that continuously pushed them down. And for that dream, he would do anything.
The majority of his forces retreated while the first line rushed forward as he ordered. The Workers
didn't seem to expect this as they were pushed all the way to the other side of the courtyard,
amassed in one place. 'Like rats in a barrel' he thought 'but you will not have time to bite back' and
with that he gestured for the men on the wall to proceed.
Many were hesitating to follow his order. To be the cause of death of the companions they laughed
and joked with, but that hesitation he would not stand for.
"MEN! YOUR COMRADES HAVE OFFERED THEIR LIVES FOR THE CAUSE OF
EXTERMINATING THE FILTHY AND CORRUPT! THEY HAVE SHOWN YOU THEIR
RESOLVE! NOW YOU MUST SHOW THEM YOURS! LET THOSE BASTARDS BURN IN
HELL!"
His loud and powerful voice rang across the walls as his subordinates activated their scrolls and a
rain of fireballs descended upon both their comrades and the Workers.
An explosion resembling a thousand thunders made the whole wall shake as smoke filled the
courtyard. The result of their assault didn't let them wait as what remained of the Workers was little
more than piles of smoking ashes.
With a heavy heart he continued to push forward.
"ALL REMAINING MEN! ADVANCE! BRING ME THOSE SWINES' HEADS ON A SILVER

PLATE!"
The remaining hundred men charged forward with raging cries of war.
"I bet those nobles are shitting themselves by now."
Kurz said as he jumped back on the wall, his unruly blond hair flowing around now that they were
untied.
"I bet they are…"
Mato sighed as screams from servants and other staff echoed through the estate turned fortress.
"Mato, we have known each other for more than 10 years now…"
Kurz began as Mato stayed silent, waiting for what his friend had to say.
"I will not question your methods, nor will I protest with sacrifices, but if you ever send me
towards my death… I want your word you will take care of Jen and Gem."
The green-eyed man around his thirties said in a serious and low tone so that only he could hear
him under the rumble of the charging men.
"Kurz, five years ago I saw you piss on a corpse out of spite for him managing to cut you."
The statement was enough for the blond man to lower his head, in shame or guilt Mato could not
say.
"I am a changed man. Since I met Jen and my little Gem was born, I will gladly offer my life for
them or to erase the memory of what I was before, but I need your promise… promise me that you
will take care of them, and I will go to hell and back if you say so."
The two men met each other eyes, resolute green meeting hard ice blue, and even if it was only a
second the stare seemed to last an eternity for the two of them.
"I promise, they will be cared for."
The bulky man swore. After all, Kurz won't be the only one being taken care of. In each of those
men's contracts it was stated that in case of death during duty, their families will be offered works
by Seven Hands, and if they were too young, Seven Hands will sustain them until they reached a
certain age.
Hilma called it insurance policy, an unfamiliar term, but a welcome concept as most men were
ready to die on duty. Mato had no doubt that the suicidal operation he orchestrated would not have
come to be if not for that reason.
Of course, men didn't wish to die, but in the raging battle the knowledge of their loved ones being
taken care of was a huge deterrent against insubordination, revolts, or straight up defect.
With a shake of his head, -he returned to reality. He would have time to ponder on Hilma's methods
later, as of now he had a couple of heads to recover and a mansion to put to the torch.
{The Sorcerer Shop}
{Hilma's P.O.V.}
To say the undead was troubled would be an understatement. Hilma could not read his facial
expression of course, due to it not existing in the first place, but the gloomy atmosphere
surrounding him was unmistakable.
The thought of what would transpire this night and what was probably already happening should
have depicted him as a power-hungry, sadistic and ruthless individual, but that could not be farther
from the truth. Satoru was still the most caring person she had ever met. The countless lives he
took responsibility for and bettered spoke for themselves, and even now he diverged the original
plan so to spare from the princess' plans many innocents who had no fault.
And yet, all that the common men will see is a ruthless executioner and a person to fear instead of
admire. That was exactly why she wanted to stay by his side and support him no matter what.
"Tell me Hilma, what did I do for this all to happen?"
The words were cold and hard coming from Satoru's mouth, but the anguish and exasperation
weren't lost by Hilma.
'You chose to encourage a sick princess into doing this'
That would be the easy answer, but that would also be the unfair one. Satoru hardly understood the
human's heart. He was oblivious to many subterfuges not to say that he was stupid… no, he was
very cunning and ruthless in many fields of life but some human interactions and the meaning
behind them were totally lost on him. Maybe that just was his limit as an undead or maybe he
wasn't used to human interaction on that deep of a level.
Whatever the case, the fact remained that they both were exhausted from the whole ordeal. She
herself didn't have a tranquil sleep in the last month since the princess announced her intentions.
"This isn't your fault Satoru. There are things that even your might can't accomplish or stop from
happening… maybe different choices would have allowed you a more comfortable existence, and
yet, so many others would have suffered without you… children would still be starving in the
streets, adventurers would still be dying like flies, magic would still be despised without proper
reason, and I… I would still be a husk of the person I could have been."
Those words came straight from her heart. The emotions she felt and never managed to give form
to, flowed out of her mouth in an endless river. And she was convinced of it all.
"Your choices may have brought much suffering and yet, they also brought so much joy to
countless others… you should really see both sides, and don't beat yourself up over only one of the
two."
She sat next to the giant man, no, the giant undead and placed one of her delicate hands on his
giant gloved one. She was unsure if undead considered that a sign of comfort or if the heat of her
hand was causing him discomfort instead, but she still lightly closed the grip around his fingers, the
only part of his huge hand she could wrap her hand around.
The metal was cold, and she felt a chill go down her spine. She had never been so close to him
before… no, that wasn't exactly true. She had been that close before when she tried to poison him.
A humorous thought right now as that would have been the most useless type of attack against him.
"You don't understand Hilma, this is my fault. I got into this mess because I was too focused on my
own business and not on the whole picture, and now I find myself wrapped in this political
mess…"
The undead continued. Hilma could swear she almost heard a sigh, even if that wouldn't be
physically possible considering his body. It pained the young woman to see her savior so utterly
down casted, but she really had no idea on what to do. If he was a man of flesh and blood, she still
could have done something but alas, fortunately and unfortunately at the same time, he was not.
"I am sure you know already; the princess is not who she claims to be at court. There is far more to
it than a little fragile thing."
She dared not to say more, for she was aware that Satoru knew of the princess' nature and what she
would bring down upon them all, and yet, he persisted in associating with her… and indulging
her… and Hilma just couldn't understand why.
There was really no reason for him to do so. All she accomplished could only be achieved by using
his power to do so. Sure, she had a brilliant mind, there was no doubt about it, but still a brilliant
mind was nothing without the power to apply change into the world.
"Why do you keep indulging her? Why do you believe in her so much? What's in her that you seem
to see only in her and no one else?"
She vocalized her thoughts into words as she didn't see a reason to not ask such questions in the
first place.
The undead just looked at her for the first time in that whole conversation. His red dots seeming to
pierce her very soul as he freed his hand from hers and placed it on her shoulders, giving her
goosebumps due to its coldness.
"Hilma… I asked myself that same question enough times already… and yet, all that comes to
mind are her own words… of how the world was dull and grey before she met me, of how little she
valued her own existence and that of those around her… it is so very familiar. The hate, the lack of
a reason to go on, I have experienced it all… then I found some joy, a reason, the friends I met by
accident in a world without meaning."
The words of the undead were hypnotizing. She almost never heard him speak of his past before.
The only times he did so was to compare something he wanted to implement in Seven Hands to his
previous experience, but nothing remotely this personal.
"I found a reason to be. A reason to go on and return. All those friends with their dreams and goals
inspired me to have something myself… they saved me from my probable demise more times than
I thought possible. We laughed, we cried, we fought together… but the dream could not last and
one by one they all disappeared…"
The desolation in his words hit Hilma the hardest. She never heard Satoru put such emotions in his
words before. There was a mild joy in them, but it was clearly drowned by what she judged to be
resignation.
"Tell me Hilma, knowing this pain as well as I do… how could I deny a child the same possibility
I was given? To abandon her to her loneliness in a meaningless world? Could I even face my
friends again, when the time comes, if I did so? To face their disappointment and disgust at me?"
Hilma didn't respond. She could not say much to begin with. She as well lived a life most similar to
what Satoru described, but at least she had a goal, survival above all. But maybe that was just her
human nature speaking. Maybe other races, like undead, didn't have the same drive to survival as
she did. And yet, the princess was human, a human lacking a reason to live, continuing to exist
because it was too much of a bother to do otherwise. In short, a being without any morals or faith
in humanity.
"But even with all this… I think there is still more, a certain… fondness to that little girl. A
fondness that will not let me leave her… or maybe those are just the ramblings of a fool who does
not understand human life at all. After all… I am undead."
Hilma looked away. She almost felt like she was hearing something she wasn't supposed to,
experiencing such a different way of seeing life even if still so inherently human. She could not
help but wonder, who was Satoru before coming here?
Her gaze flew to the sky above, clearly visible from the window, a moonless sky only illuminated
by distant stars, all burning brightly like a hundred suns.
{Raeven's mansion}
{Raeven's P.O.V.}
The marquis felt like yawning as this night didn't seem to want to come to an end. He glared down
at his paperwork. Being one of the Six Great Nobles was no easy task if one took the position
seriously. He could no longer count the sleepless nights of this last two weeks.
He was too preoccupied with his own territory. The south-western part of the kingdom wasn't
usually this active. He now had to deal with peasant protest and general public disorder. He really
had no idea how this came to be. The problems went from actual concerns to anything possible.
He now had a whole village refusing to pay taxes because rain was scarce this season! Rain was
SCARCE! As if that was HIS problem! He really didn't know where to start complaining now.
And for some reason he was sure this was no random occurrence.
He had no proof of course but strangely this all started happening when he started poking the
metaphorical wasps' nest too hard.
This was certainly a nuisance. His territory thrived primarily on commerce by sea with the Holy
Kingdom and even the Arlgrand Council State from time to time. These protests were hindering his
endeavors in advancing this aspect.
He could send his guards, sure, but to what end? Antagonizing his subject even more and risk full
out revolt? No thank you very much! That was what a braindead count would do just to show how
big his pole was and paying by having his people push a pole down his throat.
The protests were generally peaceful for now and he certainly didn't want to escalate things. The
only thing he didn't need right now was the court looking at him like an incompetent noble with a
rebellion in his hands.
'Once I get to the bottom of this, there will be hell to pay' he swore as he continued to work deep
into the night, only being interrupted when, a couple hours later, a servant entered bringing him
some Empire imported tea. It was far more delicate and lighter than the qualities you could find in
Re-Estize and it already helped him go through far too many sleepless nights.
He immediately savored it like a man dying of thirst in a desert. Coffee would have been a better
source of energy, but he could not stand the bitterness.
He felt the warm, almost incandescent, fluid flow down his throat but, at the same time, he could
not shake away the sensation of a gelid feeling crawling up his spine. The servant left his room
without another word and as the door clicked behind the maid the Marquis felt a sharp object being
placed on his jugular. His pen stopped writing as his whole body went into overdrive, tensing every
last muscle in his body.
"I would suggest to not try to move or scream… if you value your life."
A low, feminine voice whispered in his ear. Raeven didn't dare to even turn around to face
whoever was speaking to him.
"Dear Marquis, you have been a nuisance as of late, always poking your nose where it didn't
belong… it was only natural for us to respond in kind."
The voice continued, sultry and amused at the same time.
"S-seven H-hands."
Just whispering that name made the sharp object cut his skin lightly, not enough to draw blood or
cause any scarring.
"Uhm, you overestimate yourself Marquis. The one operating in your territory is merely us, the
Black Hand… did you ever hear the tale? Of the necromancer Hashimar and his acolytes; how
they worshipped death as a merciful and equal god? Of how death bestowed him with a hand made
out of blackness itself? And how just merely being touched by it would cause instant death, no
matter who or what it was?... if not, you should read more tales, in particular the ones commoners
use to read to their children."
The taunt was not met by Raeven who certainly didn't wish for the knife or whatever it was to cut
any deeper into his throat.
"No reaction, eh? You are indeed a smart one… many nobles already lost their life due to their
long tongues and pride."
The voice continued; the Marquis didn't move as he waited for the point of this to be revealed.
"If Seven Hands truly came down upon you with all their might, your territory would be nothing
more than a scorched plain of ashes by now."
The woman continued as she caressed his shoulder with her free hand.
"But enough chitchat, we just came here for two things… first, to introduce ourselves to such an
esteemed member of the court… and second…"
The woman paused as the knife gently caressed his throat.
"To let you know that we will not tolerate any more of your shitheads coming to gather info on us,
and next time… it will be your head we will cut off."
She said as he heard screams come from outside his slightly opened windows.
"Seems like time is up… enjoy your sleep my lord."
She said in a mocking tone as in an instant the knife was gone from his throat, and he had just
enough time to turn and see a figure jump out of his window before his door busted open.
"MY LORD! The stables caught on fire! And the armory too!"
The captain of his elite guards cried out. 'Those are on the north side' he thought as he inspected
his throat to see if there were any cuts.
"I sent all available men to extinguish the flames!"

Raeven's eyes widened as he slammed a fist on his desk in rage.
"YOU FOOL! Someone just attempted on my life! They are escaping through the south gate!"
His guard captain seemed to be taken aback by his outburst.
"GO! What the hell are you waiting for!"
The noble roared standing up.
"B-but the fire!"
The man tried to protest only to be interrupted when Raeven slammed his fist on the desk again.
"Let the servant deal with it! CAPTURE THOSE ASSASSINS!"
The man jumped as he never heard his lord scream so much before.
"YES! At once my lord!"
He said as he ran away.
Raeven let out a raspy breath as he fell back on his chair totally exhausted as the adrenaline of the
moment slowly left his body. 'This is not over yet… you will see… the crown… shall be mine!' his
eyes wandered out of his window, the same window his would be assassin jumped out of.
Even while he sat there, he could see the stables burning in the distance, the all-devouring fire
consuming wood, beasts, men and dreams all the same, fueling his flames with them and burning
ever brighter. But no fire could compare to the one inside the noble Marquis' heart, for it was a fire
born of pride, greed and resentment, burning with the intensity of a hundred suns.
Chapter End Notes

Letting the Beasts loose
Chapter Notes
It has been a week. A very silent week, as if the very world was waiting for something to happen.
The weight of that silence lied on a certain old man's shoulder. Well, not really an old man as he
still was only about to reach his sixties, but the stress of the crown was beginning to have his
effect, or at least that was what the normal servant thought.
In reality, the king had been fine until a month ago, when his daughter brought him the news of a
revolt about to fall on them and ruin their entire royal line. The greying of his hair and the new
wrinkles that popped up everyday couldn't be attributed to anything else.
He was tired. Tired of squabbling nobles, tired of endless politics, tired of paperwork, tired of the
damn heavy crown on his head, tired of ruling. He just wanted to leave it all behind and sit back in
his garden, where his Catherine loved gardening so much. He still lost himself in his old memories
of a young girl getting mud all over herself after planting a batch of flowers and how a shy boy
would look at her from behind a column.
If only those days could have lasted forever. If only he could have grown old alongside her, maybe
he would not be so lost right now.
The world was a cruel and unforgiving place, and he was a coward. He acknowledged as much.
Instead of facing his problems head-on, he decided to bury his head under the sand and wait for the
next generation to fix it in his place.
And even when he was confronted with the biggest uprising since the foundation of the kingdom,
his solution was to delegate all of it to someone else.
"Is that crown on your head too heavy father?"
His youngest asked from the side where she was analyzing various documents in his stead while he
was lost in thought. His eyes widened in surprise at the accuracy of her words.
"Your head was falling; do you perhaps wish to pass it to me?"
Those words, spoken in a joking manner, were so close to the truth that Rampossa felt a fit of guilt
rumble inside him.
'You do not know how truthful your words are' the old king thought, ashamed of his sudden idea of
passing it all down to his, yet to be 10 years old, daughter.
"Are you perhaps nervous, father?"
She asked again, her sweet voice filled with concern, something he didn't consider himself worthy
of after all the troubles he placed on her shoulders.
"You are too kind Renner."
He said as he smiled at his youngest and patted her shoulder, making her flinch a little. Now that he
thought of it, when was the last time he touched her? A frown appeared on his face as he realized
he could not recall such an occasion since the time he held her when she was only an infant… now
he could add terrible father to the list of his failures.
"No, father, I am not… you should know it by now. If something must be done, no matter how
cruel or heartless… if it is necessary for the sake of the kingdom… it must be done nonetheless."
The princess said as she signed another paper, imitating her father's signature to near perfection.
'Why? Why must the child with most aptitude for ruling be born as the last in line?' Rampossa
again asked in exasperation.
If Renner was born as his first, he would have gladly left everything to her a long time ago and
retired without a worry… Instead, fate seemed to be endlessly amused by tormenting him with its
jokes.
"Are you worried about big sister?"
She asked, refusing to meet his gaze when he turned toward her. Indeed, he was. His daughter's
unwillingness to do what had to be done and the reveal of the magic caster's darker side was indeed
concerning.
But, alas, the kingdom must be brought under the royal line's control. Satoru marrying Alysanne
would ensure the obedience of the underground to the crown and a possible deterrent for future
rebellions even if his son's reign turned out to be less than optimal, as he expected. Renner still
remained a mystery in all this. She should be afforded a primary role in the leadership of the
kingdom, but, knowing his firstborn, that was unlikely.
"If you are so worried for her, I could take her place. I don't mind. Satoru is very nice to me."
The princess continued nonchalantly as if she wasn't discussing her future at all. Rampossa, on his
part, couldn't say he didn't consider it for a moment, but there were too many problems with that
line of thought.
"You know I can't do that, Renner. I already announced my decision to the court. Taking it back
would be an insult to Sir Satoru. The age gap between the two of you is also concerning as it would
not be proper, for when you two would be ready to marry he would be almost in his forties, and we
need as many heirs as we can to cement the bonds between him and the royal line."
He said even if he was sure the young girl in front of him already knew as much.
"Sister Alysanne will hate you forever for it, you know that father… She isn't the right woman for
Satoru either. The two of them just think in too different of a way to get along."
The young blonde said, dismissing the papers she was previously working on.
The old man sighed.
"She is a princess of the kingdom. It is time for her to fulfill her duty to the royal line, regardless of
my own selfish desires."
He said, more to convince himself than the girl.
"And then, what is to be of me?"
She asked again, disinterest clear in her tone. The room felt silent as the king had no answer for
that.
"That… is for you to decide. I am not foolish enough to try and bind you in an unwanted marriage.
You would sooner run off to only the gods know where."
The man said, still another lie to cover up his own indecision, a slap masqueraded as a caress,
another self-deprecating point to add to his seemingly never-ending list.
"Yes, I guess I would indeed."
She said, returning to her work with a sad little smile on her face. Rampossa could not help but feel
guilty. A decent king he may be, but a decent father he surely had not been.
{Hours later}
{Raeven's P.O.V.}
The noble felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine as he looked down on the procession going on
through the streets of the capital.
After the incident in his mansion, he was immediately recalled, alongside a good third of the court,
back to the capital with the upmost urgency. He had no time to be filled in by his spies on what
was going on and what he managed to gather were merely rumors from his spies in the royal
palace. Still, those rumors were so outrageously insane that he could not help but doubt them all
together and even rethink about who he chose as a spy.
But unfortunately, reality was a cruel mistress, and the only one turning out to be an utter fool was
him as he observed the parade that started from the south gate proceeding through the city.
Usually, it was tradition to have the victorious army parade from that gate as they returned from
war but this time it seemed the procession had a far more macabre meaning to it.
Men and women in black cloaks marched between curious and horrified commoners. Every last
one of these black cloaked people had a three meters long pole on which end they proudly sported
a severed head.
There were hundreds of them. From his elevated point of view the Marquis could not recognize to
whom those heads belonged to, but if he had to follow his gut feeling, he could already imagine it.
At the head of the procession was an unmistakable face, or would it be better to say mask.
The magic caster advanced through the city, his dark robes fluttering in the wind as the trail of
death followed it. Now that they were nearing the castle, Raeven could observe the macabre
spectacle better.
'Men, women and even young boys and girls…' the cold sensation on his back intensified tenfold at
that sight. Not because of the slaughter, of course. He himself would have done the same if the
need came to be. It was due to the concept. The eradication of a house was no small thing. In the
history of the kingdom, he could count on one hand the names of houses completely eradicated in
such a manner. Never before had he heard of a massacre on this scale before, nor not one
celebrated in such a manner. Even less one sporting such high-ranking figures.
As the procession reached the main square, they all stopped. By now, they had attracted a huge
crowd of followers who probably wanted to know what was going on.
One of the men planted his pole into the ground before jumping on the fountain in the middle of
the forest of poles. Of course, from inside the castle, Raeven couldn't hear what the man was
shouting but it didn't take long for the curious crowd to start either cheering or shouting as well as
throwing rocks at the impaled heads.
The procession started moving again. They went from square to square as they rallied a large
quantity of commoners behind them. In all this, the accursed magic caster already left the forest of
poles after the first square and, instead, moved toward the castle escorted by a few of his black
guards.
Raeven was starting to panic inside. What was happening was obvious by now and he could swear
there was no way this was an idea of the king. That decrepit fool didn't have it in him to massacre
2/3 of the nobility of the kingdom. Someone was pulling strings, and this was just their way of
making a point.
And that someone was the damned magic caster. He was the cause of all of this. All his well
calculated plans! All thrown to waste! Years of preparation for nothing! Someone swiped the
throne from under his nose and took it for themselves without him even noticing until it was too
late!
It was utterly infuriating, but even that much frustration was dwarfed by the growing sense of fear
inside him. Now that the enemy held all the cards in his hand, what will they do? Were they
coming to take the king out along side the remaining nobles? Possible, but still unlikely as that
would push the kingdom into chaos, but then again, they would just make puppets out of them as
well.
The nobles currently standing next to him were all blabbering about uncivilized commoners or
unspeakable cruelty.
'Are they all fools!? Can't they understand that we are all doomed!?' Raeven thought in frustration.
The only silent pair were Marquis Pespea and Marquis Blumrush who were currently sweating
profusely, not that he could blame them as they seemed the only ones understanding the gravity
and danger of the situation.
It didn't take long for all of them to be allowed inside the throne room, where apparently the king
was about to give a speech. It didn't take a genius to imagine who exactly stood on those poles
now. All the major nobles missing here were candidates for one pole or another.
'And yet, I am still alive' he could not help but find some solace in that fact. After all, he could
have been killed like the others, but he was spared. That meant the damned magic caster had other
plans for him.
Many of the usually arrogant nobles were quite shaken as they took position in court, quite a few
seats remaining void this time around.
The king on the other hand sat on his throne alongside his children, with what seemed to be an
unreadable expression on his face, but his posture said otherwise. He himself was clearly on edge.
"Welcome, all of you. I am glad you all managed to come in such haste for today's poorly
announced meeting."
The king began. No one dared to say anything as many a noble was quivering in their seat in
anticipation.
"As you probably saw, we have a particularly interesting event currently going on in our beloved
capital."
Another pause, the prepared speech having the desired effect on the nobles' nerves.
"More than one month ago, my youngest daughter came to me with urgent news after her travel to
the empire. Not only did she bring proof of the noble faction's treachery and attempt on my and my
heirs lives, she also brought with her documents and letters detailing a greater scheme to usurp the
royal line of the kingdom… not only that, but a faction of the Baharuth Empire's noble was
planning to support them and use the civil unrest to seize the kingdom for themselves."
The words from the king had the anticipated reaction of utter shock and outrage. Even some of the
royal children seemed utterly dumbfounded by this revelation. Many eyes went to the youngest
princess who sat comfortably on her small throne like chair.
Raeven's mind shifted in that instant. 'Is she the mastermind behind all of this?! No, that can't be…
she must be the scapegoat, yes! The magic caster is using her as a scapegoat for himself! That's
why he pushed so much on her since he arrived! He saw an opportunity to link himself to the royal
family!' it was a genius move, he had to admit as much. Who would have ever given credit to the
last princess anyway? The court still considered her little more than a bastard. There is no way
anyone would have paid attention to her.
"It pained me much to see so many names I previously thought as friendly to demonstrate their
viciousness and willingness to betray their own country for their own gain… as such, it was time to
put an end to this madness… as you can see in the streets, I was successful."
Those words, spoken so calmly, quieted the room down once again.
"But my victory was not achieved by me alone. A powerful man offered me his hand in a time of
need. Someone that, to my shame, wasn't even considered a member of any faction at the time…
that man, nonetheless, rose to the defense of the kingdom when all seemed lost and managed to
turn the table around in favor of justice and stability."
The doors of the throne room opened, and the Warrior Troop marched inside. At the front of the
group were the Warrior Captain himself, Gazef Stronoff, and the accursed magic caster, alongside
three of his cloaked guards, each of them carrying a wooden box in their hands.
"Welcome back Sir Satoru. I see that you accomplished your mission without delays or accidents."
The magic caster stopped a few meters from the throne and gave his usual, just low enough to be
considered respectful, bow. Raeven was immediately reminded of two years prior when the same
thing happened the first time said magic caster appeared before the court.
The memory was fuzzy. At the time, he surely dismissed him as another nobody that stumbled into
court… if only he knew… he would have probably brought the caster on his side by any means
necessary, but alas, it was too late now.
"Your Majesty, a pleasure meeting you again. Allow me to present to you what you asked for."
The three cloaked men took a step forward and opened their boxes. From the higher position, the
whole court could see the inside of it and what they contained.
The Marquis' face remained expressionless as he glanced down at the severed heads of Marquis
Boullope, Count Lytton and Margrave Urovana.
'The noble faction is done for and even the royals have been cut by a third… now the ones holding
all the power are the members of the royal family. In one fell swoop, the situation has been
reversed'
Raeven evaluated the shift. It was the final nail in the coffin, really. His plan of using his fellow
nobles to topple the royal line was a total failure. Now the remaining nobility didn't even have the
strength to oppose the king himself. A coup was just a fool's dream by now.
"Urovana, my dear cousin. We used to play together when we were children and supported each
other when I ascended my father's throne… to think such a blindly trusted man, a man sharing my
mother's blood, would try and backstab me for his own gain… it truly pains me that it had to end
like this."
The king said, as sorrow filled his every word, a downcast expression framing his visage.
Silence descended after that. No one daring to make a sound, probably fearing to be the next in line
to have their head cut off.
"But alas, traitors must be treated as such. Decapitation is the death sentence for such vermin after
all, a tradition upheld from before the foundation of the kingdom itself."
The king continued, speaking more to himself than anyone else apparently.
The magic caster gestured for his men to retreat, and they obeyed instantly, closing the boxes and
retreating behind their master.
"Come forward, Sir Satoru."
The king finally broke the silence, prompting the magic caster to take some steps forward, now
standing mere meters from the throne. The old man took a deep breath and then, after a long pause,
fixed his gaze on the magic caster in front of him.
"As a reward for your services and unyielding loyalty to the crown, I bestow upon you the title of
Shield of Re-Estize and Protector of the Crown. Adding to this, your rank must be raised
accordingly to your status."
The old man paused.
"By the power invested upon me as king of the Re-Estize kingdom, I, Rampossa III, gift the title of
Marquis to Satoru the magic caster… as a new member of nobility lands must be assigned to him
according to his rank."
The declaration didn't surprise Raeven. After the events of today, a new Marquis seemed like a
news not even worthy of attention.
"Seeing as the kingdom is going through a period of shortage when it comes to capable and loyal
nobles, and much land has become available recently, I have decided that Marquis Satoru will take
control of the territories formerly belonging to the traitor Boullope. Adding to this, he will annex
all the lands of the minor noble Southworth of his domain. That would bring him to confine with
Marquis Pespea on the south-west and Mayor Rettenmaier on the south-east."
Raeven immediately began to create a new mental map of the kingdom with this shift 'that much
territory… it is almost a sixth of the whole kingdom' he thought as he studied any possible reason
behind the choice.
The immediate thing that came to mind was the defensive position that territory would offer, to
both itself and the kingdom. It would serve as a second stronghold if E-Rantel ever fell, but it also
offered another, more sinister opportunity.
With the land spanning from north to south, the Marquis magic caster could invade to great effect
both Pespea's and Blumrush's territories if they ever moved against the capital, offering their backs
to the new Marquis in the process, not counting the optimal access the territory offered toward the
capital. They could easily mobilize and offer aid to the capital in no time if asked
It was indeed a cunning move, even more for the old man. It was almost like someone was
whispering in his ear all the time… but could the magic caster have such influence over the king…
or did he have an invisible friend?
Questions for later. Now he had to reorganize his whole operation and plan. Luckily for him, the
only good thing that came from this disaster was his growth in influence due to him being one of
the now Four Great Nobles.
'Pespea on the South, Blumrush on the North, myself on the west and Satoru on the East'
It was a good formation. It surely gave a more militaristic sense to the territories as now, if anyone
wished to invade, they will have to go through both Pespea, who was one of the best military
leaders in the kingdom and Satoru, a powerhouse of his own with his magic and control over Seven
Hands.
"This responsibility, I accept it with honor and swear to protect these lands by any means
necessary."
The monotone tone of the magic caster made him seem like someone who practiced those same
words hundreds of times, almost as if he was disinterested in what was currently happening,
something that easily got on the already tense nerves of the blond-haired Marquis.
"As it is customary for nobles to attach their family names to their titles, I would like to ask you,
Marquis Satoru, to state your full title for the whole court to recognize."
The king continued. That actually peaked Raeven's interest. He never managed to attach a family
name to the elusive magic caster. This would give him much insight on where this man was from.
"Family names… mine is not something I find pride in. I would be much happier not spreading it.
Mayhap I will find a family name more fitting in the future but as of now I do not wish to add
anything to my name. I hope you understand your majesty."
The masked man explained in his deep tone. Normally such a thing would have prompted
snickering or mockful remarks from the court but this time only silence reigned as no one wished to
incur this man's wrath.
"Unorthodox, but I see no harm in it in the shorter period. I will allow it."
The old man continued. It was a subtle and clever power play, Raeven had to admit. That was even
more proof that this whole thing was nothing, but a farce put up by someone.
"Now, let us not make this day darker than it already is, and let me finally announce a joyful
occasion… with his new appointment and titles I can finally publicly announce the betrothal of my
second daughter Alysanne and Marquis Satoru!"
The king said, far more pleased and enthusiastic than before. Without waiting, Raeven stood up
and began to clap in a contained manner, followed hesitantly by the other nobles.
The magic caster seemed to be taken aback by the sudden shift but that could also be a trick of the
eye. For such a monster to be so easily destabilized would be a laughable thing. It is far more
probable the sudden awkward movement was caused by his gown.
The second princess stood up and elegantly advanced toward the new Marquis before giving him a
ladylike bow.
"My lord."
She greeted as she waited for the proper response of the magic caster, which never came as the
man just continued to stare at her, causing her visible discomfort.
"It's a pleasure… making your acquaintance… princess."
The air of discomfort didn't disappear at all as the awkward moment continued, amplified by the
silence.
"Very well. Now that the main topic has been addressed, I think it might be time to start this court
meeting to establish the new borders and annexation of the now freed territories."
The king said, interrupting the silence and shifting the attention of the court to the new topic as
both the princess and magic caster retreated in opposite directions.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead was stressed out. Was it even possible to be stressed out when lacking a brain? The
mere thought only brought more pain to his skull.
If, at the time this mess started, he had been living here for only a few months, he would have
taken his business away and fled without ever looking back… instead he was here, among the elite
of the elite, discussing country level politics, now holding a small kingdom worthy of land, in
charge of a criminal syndicate, a multi-country level business and betrothed to an underage
princess.
There was just so much the former salaryman could endure before breaking, and now he was on
autopilot. He decided that he would accept anything that was going to happen and not lose his
mind anymore, for his own sake.
It was useless to say, he failed miserably.
Oh sure, he managed well his first task to just take everything he was given, but then his stupid
mind had to blow up in panic when the king suddenly announced he was going to marry his second
daughter, someone Satoru never even met before.
He expected it. He knew it would happen thanks to Hilma's information. He just didn't know that
he would have no occasion to refuse, or at least, he didn't get the hint or lost the right moment to do
so.
Normally, he would be more worried and panicked by this, but Hilma assured him he would have
many ways of breaking the engagement, even more now that he had sway over the royal family.
Refusing it would have brought far more problems than accepting it too. His refusal would have
given the remaining nobles an opening to think that they could bring him and the royal family in
conflict with each other.
By seemingly accepting the proposal, he demonstrated the strength of the bond between him and
the royal line. That would be a wise choice to maintain peace and order for the times to come.
He glanced at his never to be bride who seemed to be very nervous judging by how she sat on her
chair, her body clearly tense. 'Why do I feel like Peroroncino would be proud of me?' that weird
thought invaded his mind as he returned to reality.
The king was mostly announcing what they already decided with their previous, more private
meeting.
No mention was made of Seven Hands though, or the parade still going on in the capital as they
spoke. To be honest he felt disturbed by the whole thing, even more since it was the usually calm
and collected Hilma to suggest it. She said that decapitation and impalement were common
sentences for traitors but still, even him as an undead, felt pretty unnerved by the forest of poles.
He was boneheaded but even he could understand what a mess he found himself in and doing
anything foolish might backfire grandiosely on him. That fear was what mostly stopped him from
objecting anything happening right now. Noble title? Royal bride? New lands? He would take
them all if the rest of the kingdom just left him alone to his own business.
After all, Hilma would help him, and he was sure even Renner would offer her aid if he asked. The
young princess might have brought him into this mess, but she was also very gifted when it came to
these types of things.
'She would have surely made for a far more useful betrothed than the current one' he joked to
himself as he could not help a drop of fondness for the little imp to sparkle in his nonexistent heart.
Yes, that was it! He just needed to delegate things he didn't want to deal with. That is what a CEO
would do!
Seven Hands could easily administer the lands, making his business go even more smoothly in the
process since he would not have to deal with all those nobles' taxes anymore.
His noble title would be slightly trickier… he could not delegate his duties… oh god! What even
were his duties?! Obey the king? Participate in meetings? Go to war? That last one didn't sound
good at all.
He felt his panic rise once more and even if his Emotional Suppression continued to push it back,
the remaining sensation of uneasiness at the sole thought of that remained.
And then his underaged betrothed. That was probably the thing unnerving him the most. Even
more than the thought of a war. He never had a relationship before. As a human, he had nothing to
offer as his life limited itself to work and Yggdrasil. He was never courted for his lack of social
skills and status. His experience with the fairer gender were limited to colleague-like interactions
or the few female members of Ainz Ooal Gown. The girl he probably spoke to most in all his life,
apart from his mother, was probably Bukubukuchagama, and even those few interactions caused
him much stress in the beginning.
But now that he thought about it, he had an advantage. He could simply ignore her as much as
possible. He could treat this as a business relationship. Yes, that sounded right in his head. He
would just ignore her and if she showed up, he would treat her as a business partner and, hopefully,
in a couple of years he could call off the betrothal like Hilma suggested.
Yes, that sounded fitting. He was sure such a young girl would lose interest in him rather quickly.
"-toru, Lord Satoru, what is your insight on the matter of this?"
One of the blond nobles asked him, making him realize he was among the elitest members of the
kingdom currently holding a meeting while he was spacing out.
'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What were they talking about?! Oh crap, I am going to make a fool
out of myself!' the undead panicked inside as the rest awaited his answer.
"Marquis Raeven, if I may, Marquis Satoru is a man of business as the previous years attest to his
ability in this field. For him to decide on this type of taxes would be like for you to expose your
opinion on export and import taxes. It is quite unfair to force him to choose between his own
interest and the royal family's."
The third princess interjected, making the man turn toward her.
"Ah, my princess, it was not my intention to cause discomfort to our new member or force him in a
difficult position. I was, instead, interested in the insight such a successful merchant would have
for the lot of us."
He answered pleasantly, making Satoru almost cry out in relief. The little devil was certainly a
cause of many headaches, but he couldn't help but admit he did love her in that moment.
"If you are interested in my own thought on taxation, I am mostly of the idea that this type of
taxation should be divided into two categories. A taxation for normal citizens of the kingdom who
work for someone else or the kingdom itself and a taxation for those who are employing said
citizens as workers. These two taxations should also take into account the area in which they are
applied as different areas may need a different way of calculating taxes due to them having
different forms of income in different fields."
Satoru blurted out what he memorized during his time as a salaryman. It was a pretty basic and
lacking explanation of how taxes worked in the 2138's Japan. It was left unsaid that taxation on the
employers were made to seem pretty harsh while in reality it was a system full of holes left opened
for the megacorporations to exploit.
Silence descended in the room as many nobles looked at him warily or with clear discomfort on
their faces. The reason for such a shift was totally lost on him as he didn't think he said anything of
great value.
"That is certainly… an interesting form of taxation, Lord Satoru… maybe you should discuss
about it more with the ministers."
Finally said the king breaking the silence. Satoru, seeing as he was no longer the focus of the
nobles in the room, relaxed and returned to his own thoughts for the time being, listening from
time to time to the various topics.
{Aindra Mansion}
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The noble heiress waited in her room. The sun already left the sky since a long time ago and the
only remaining light source was the half-moon currently hidden behind some clouds.
Her parents were not here as they were called back to the capital for something. Something big if
the silence she recently heard at both lunch and dinner was anything to go by.
But that was not of her concern at the moment. She had spent the last weeks planning and finally
this was her great chance at escaping. If her parents wanted to deny her will then she will deny
theirs just as well.
She stood from the bed and moved toward the door, mimicking the movement of someone groggy
who just woke from a deep sleep, her head cast low as if to make herself seem as small as possible.
She opened her door slowly and stepped outside, her personal guard, more like jailer in her mind,
immediately tensed as she came into view. Her parents were strict, but they were no fools. They
knew she would not lie back and do nothing, so they made sure she was guarded all the time.
"My lady?"
He asked in a low tone, even more accentuated by his helmet.
"Uhm… bathroom…"
She said in the most believable sleepy tone she could muster. The fully armored guard hesitated for
a moment and then nodded as she slowly moved toward the bathroom, dragging her long
nightgown across the floor. She made sure to choose the longest she had. It was a fundamental step
in her plan.
She turned the corner and purposely stepped on her long gown falling face to the ground.
"Augh!"
She growled in more pain than she actually was in. It didn't take long for her guard to approach her
worriedly and help her up by crouching down. That was her chance.
As the guard helped her up, she swiftly grabbed the hilt of the man's sword and unsheathed it,
bringing it immediately at the exposed neck of the kneeling knight, a clear flaw in their amour she
noticed during her weeks of planning. When they knelt, a tiny path between their helmet and
shoulder pads opened up to reveal their bare neck.
"Don't move. I swear to the gods, if you fucking move or make a sound, I will open that throat of
yours."
She hissed in a whisper, not that she actually planned to go through with her threat but seeing as the
guard was scared shitless, judging by his trembling hands, she got her meaning across. She had to
thank her blue haired teacher for that one as he seemed to have rubbed off on her as much as Gazef
did.
Using the hand that wasn't holding the sword, she ripped part of her gown off and used it to tie both
of the man's hands behind his back then ripped some more and, after removing the helmet, stuffed
it in the man's mouth.
"Go inside."
She hissed like Brain would do anytime she messed up badly.
The man obeyed and stepped inside the bathroom. With a swift movement, Lakyus used the blunt
part of the sword to hit the man's leg, making him fall forward with a muffled cry of pain as she
probably dislocated or even broke some bones.
She looked at the man with a crestfallen expression.
"I am sorry, please forgive me… but for my freedom I will do anything necessary."
She said as she closed and locked the door.
With the first part of her plan completed, she immediately went for the vault of her family, where
she was sure to find her sword as her father made a point about locking it away where she could
never reach it again.
Her only deviation was to grab one of her father's traveling cloaks. She chose the lighter and less
decorated one. She had to cut it a little in the process to make it fit her better. After all, she could
not run away with her nightgown. She would freeze to death before the night was over. Since she
was there, she grabbed a pair of boots as well. It would not do to go outside in her current outfit.
She proceeded swiftly through the many corridors until she reached the heart of her mansion, the
vault, where three of their most elite soldiers stood most of the time.
"Who's there?!"
One of them called out as soon as Lakyus entered their field of view. Of course, they could not
recognize her with the cloak and hood over her head.
"Not another step! Identify yourself and drop any of your weapons!"
The guard ordered as he and his companions unsheathed their swords. In response, Lakyus raised
hers to face them using Gazef's stance.
She muttered under her breath as she literally flew at them, easily disarming one of her opponents
by smashing the blunt side of her sword against his hands.
The guard screamed as his bones were probably broken by the power of Lakyus' strike. She was
losing her touch, probably the result of those months spent away from practicing her
swordsmanship. Not like she stayed put in her room. No, she continued training for all she could
even there but the lack of an actual blade in her hands made her feel naked in a sense.
But now wasn't the time to be distracted by her own thoughts. The other two guards were soon on
her. Abusing her power boost thanks to her Martial Art, she could keep up with the two of them at
once, but openings were almost nonexistent thanks to the good synergy of the two. That meant
only one thing. She will have to put them down together.
She jumped back, creating the necessary distance between her and her opponents. She crouched in
a position that could be mistaken as one of submission if they didn't know of Brain Unglaus'
signature stance.
Her blade was ready. It was just a matter of getting close enough and it didn't take long for such a
thing to happen as the two guards didn't waste time in charging what they believed to be a downed
foe.
'Just a few steps… there!' she felt the power of the Martial art flow through her arm as her sword
became a part of her, causing an exhilarating feeling of power to flow through her whole body.
"[Instantaneous Flash]!"
This time, she clearly called out her master's Martial Art as the blade flashed through the air,
invisible to the human eye, severing her opponents' weapons in two and sending them crashing
against the corridor walls due to its shockwave.
Combining [Flow Acceleration] with [Instantaneous Flash] might not having been the greatest
idea, though, as she now felt her sword arm start numbing.
'And that wasn't even close to master's level…' she noticed as she felt her arm twitching during the
execution, something that greatly diminished the Martial Art's effectiveness. Normally the
movement of her arm should be flawless, a perfect strike able to cut air itself, but she was still far
away from that and, judging by the results, she will have to increase her physical endurance quite a
lot before she could utilize such an ability without repercussions.
She almost screamed in surprise when she felt two arms tighten around her throat, pulling her to the
ground. The only reason she remained silent was because they were trying to chock her. By sheer
reflex, she headbutted whoever was behind her, scoring a good hit judging by their whine of pain
as their grip loosened and with a final push, she managed to free herself.
She spun around and kicked whoever was behind her. The mysterious person turned out to be the
first guard whose hands she broke before. With a tinge of guilt, she moved on and opened the vault.
After all, for all her parents said, she still was the heir and one of the few who knew the
combination.
Finding her blade turned out to be easier than expected as it was merely laid on one of the tables
next to the entrance. She also got a bag of golden and silver coins for good measure. There is no
such thing as being overprepared. That was a lesson Satoru made sure to stress to both her and
Renner.
Closing the vault behind, she offered a silent apology to the guards still sprawled on the ground
and left.
Her golden cage was opened and now she was ready to spread her wings and fly toward freedom.
Chapter End Notes

The Love of a Daughter
Chapter Notes
Arche set aside the letter in her hands, letting the sheet fall soundlessly on the table right next to
another letter, one written by her mother and filled with love. It was almost outrageous to set it
next to the one she just read for the fifth time.
Her mother's letter contained the words she always wanted to hear from her parents, how they were
proud of her and how much they loved her. They told her of her sisters who were proving to be
troublemakers even from the crib. That notion brought a little smile to her face.
The letter continued detailing what recently happened in the empire and how the emperor himself
nominated her father as the minister of festivities, a prestigious role that would make him part of
the inner circle of the emperor. Arche, even with her moderate experience, largely doubted that last
part.
She was far more relieved to know her family was all right. Since she heard of what transpired in
the empire, she had been worried sick that something horrible befell her family while she was
away.
Like many other nobles, her family opposed the emperor, more silently than others due to Arche's
position but still, her father didn't lose any occasion to tell japes at the emperor's expenses, in the
privacy of their mansion.
The emperor showed he would annihilate anyone for far less of an offense than her father's, and
still they remained where they stood before. That made little sense to Arche since she read her
mother's letter.
And then the second letter came, handed over to her directly from one of the empire's emissaries.
The emperor wrote to her, pleasantly asking how she was fairing and not so pleasantly reminding
her of her duty toward the empire. Of how he expected an answer from her as soon as possible. It
didn't take a genius to guess what the emperor wanted from her, and she had no way of refusing
him.
Her father was currently in the capital and, judging by his duties, it was possible her mother would
reach him in just a few years, giving the time to her sisters to grow a little before introducing them
to the capital.
'Nobles die like flies these days' the words the emperor wrote on his letter echoed in her mind
bringing no little amount of dread to the young noble.
Being used hurt. It hurt so much to know your own country and mentor used you to achieve their
own goals. At first, she wanted to fight back, to show them that she was no pawn to be used but, in
the end, all resistance would be fruitless and only put her family even more in danger than they
already were in.
With a heavy weight now lying on her stomach, she stood up taking her ruler's letter into her
trembling hands. She advanced toward the fireplace. With a last heavy breath leaving her dry lips
she threw the letter into the flames, the fine fabric immediately catching fire and turning into ashes
alongside its dreadful words.
'I will do what I have to do, to ensure my family's safety' she thought solemnly.
She almost jumped in surprise when she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. She immediately
turned only to come face to face with her fellow apprentice, Rayne.
"Hey, you need to help me clean up the training room today, don't slack off!"
He said with a pout, Arche immediately took a step away from the boy pushing his hand away.
"Don't touch me, you perverted peasant."
She spat as she collected her things from the table.
"Whatever you say, just hurry up… flat wall."
The boy rebutted before leaving the room quickly enough to avoid the flying quills directed at him.
'Stupid dog!' Arche cried out inside her head as all other worries disappeared as she began to run
after the boy, vengeful wrath in her eyes.
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Josefin's P.O.V.}
The noble lady was afraid. She had been for the longest time, but now she was totally terrified. Her
family was gone, her title was gone and even all her possessions were gone, confiscated by the
crown.
This is why she was currently hiding in the most unused part of the castle, where no one but a few
servants each day were seen passing by.
A sweet word whispered into the peasants' ears to ensure they brought her food, and a few empty,
run-down rooms were all she could find to survive. Not that she had slept much ever since seeing
the hellish parade of the cursed magic caster.
A shiver ran down her spine at the mere thought of that bloody landscape, a forest of death was the
only image coming to her mind every time she closed her eyes to rest. The thought of her family
being among them only managed to cause her more distress.
How long would it be before someone reported her? How much time could she sustain herself? She
could maybe disguise herself as a servant, even if the sole thought sickened her, but that was all she
could do to survive and avoid her family's fate.
She thought at first, she could shield herself with her daughter, but that was out of the question as
she seemed to be one of the masterminds behind the carnage.
The child… no, the devil, for no child could ever possess such a twisted gaze and distorted
features, surely was finding amusement in seeing her squirm like this. To think she had carried that
thing inside her for months. It made her sick at the sole thought.
But she will have to endure, for there was nothing else left for her but to pursue revenge; to see all
who saw to her downfall suffer a thousand times what she suffered. And for that she would need
time.
She didn't waste a moment and already came up with a plan, and the first step was to disappear,
mimic herself with the other servant, discard her expensive gown, her jewelry and her name.
Sacrifice all in the name of revenge.
Her gaze darted around her, she could spot a few servants here and there, but no one too isolated by
the other to approach safely.
"Are you lost my lady?"
She almost jumped at the deep voice coming from behind her. She turned only to see a gardener
with a pair of shears dangling down his waist like a sword.
"No, and never come up from behind me like that again!"
She demanded instinctively; the big man just shrugged.
"Let the cunt be Mors. She isn't even half as pretty as the gals at the brothel."
Another man she didn't notice before said as he stood up from the bush he was caring for with
another pair of shears in his hands.
Josefin's hands tightened into fists, repressed rage boiling up into her stomach. Still, she suppressed
it; she had a mission, and she would not let it fail because of her pride.
"Hey, don't I know you?"
The noble lady immediately turned toward the new voice, a young woman with brownish-red hair.
She wore a maid outfit, and her black eyes were piercing her, seemingly analyzing every feature of
her face.
Fear crawled up her spine. She could not be found out. Not now.
"S-shut your mouth! I will have your family hanged!"
She said with all the confidence built up in her 35 years of being a noble. That threat usually shut
anybody up, but instead the woman limited herself to send her a smirk.
"Jokes on you, they are all already dead, thanks to noble cunts like you."
The maid said venomously. Josefin's eyes darted around, searching for an escape route but finding
them all closed up by other servants. She gulped as they were slowly but inexorably encircling her.
She had no idea when they got so close. She had been careless and too distracted by the maid to
care.
But she had no intention of ending up like the rest of her family. With a swift movement, she stole
the gardening shears from the man behind her. If she could kill one, she was sure the others would
flee in fear.
The choice was simple and obvious, the maid was the easiest pick. She would make an example of
her and use the ensuing shock to make a run for it.
She barely took a couple steps forward before she felt her hand being grasped by a bigger one. The
grip was strong and tight, and no matter how much she tried she couldn't get free. No, instead the
grip was getting tighter and tighter by the second.
She heard her wrist crack and then snap like a twig, a searing pain pushing a cry out of her as the
shears fell form the grip of her broken hand.
She was about to shout for help as loud as she could before a hand clasped around her mouth,
muffling any possible sound.
"You pissed off the wrong kind of guys, you little bitch."
She heard the deep voice of the first gardener whisper into her ear. She could now hear her heart
drumming in fear in her chest. This was not supposed to happen! This was all wrong! She was
supposed to have her revenge! To kill her enemies!
Her eyes widened. There, before her, now stood the maid, a grin from ear to ear splitting her face
in two. A pair of long shears in her hands. As she got closer and closer, Josefin began to struggle
with more energy than ever before.
Still, she could do nothing more than try to kick everybody around her as both her arms were now
held in place by the two gardeners. Tears threatened to escape her eyes as the shears were now
mere centimeters from her chest.
The metal was now touching her exposed neck sending another shiver down her spine. Even
worse, she could feel a hot liquid trickling down her legs, meaning she had lost control of her
bladder at last.
The courtyard was now totally silent as she didn't dare to struggle anymore in fear of cutting
herself.
The cold metal trailed down her body and as it reached the border of her gown it continued cutting
through, all the way down her chest, belly and legs, until the expensive dress was perfectly cut in
two.
As the maid finished her work, Josefin felt a hard grip pull on her clothes, ripping them from her
and leaving her barely decent with her corset and underwear still covering her.
"Man, look at this fabric! Never felt anything so soft in my life! It will sell really well!"
She heard someone comment from behind her even if she didn't dare turn in fear of what would
happen next.
"She is damn hot though, look at that ass."
The noble grimaced as the shame of the situation hit her in full now. She had been too concerned
with her life till this point to even consider the implications of what was happening.
'Endure it, endure it! As long as I can leave with my life, I will endure it!'
But her body had different opinions from her mind as the tears freely started flowing down her
visage.
"Pffft! Look! She even pissed herself in fear! Ahahah!"
The mocking female called down to her shameful situation. Josefin averted her gaze from anyone
around her and instead began a staring contest with the ground.
"I think that this may be enough."
The voice of the maid holding the shears reached her, causing a little spark of hope to lighten in her
heart.
"You know what to do."
Those were the last words the noble heard before she felt hands all over her body. They grasped for
anything they could find. Jewelry, gloves and even her remaining clothes covering her modesty.
They were all yanked away from her, leaving her as naked as the day she was born, thrashing to try
and stop what was happening.
She tried to bite the hands covering her mouth, but her efforts were wasted. She felt the strong
hands push her to the cold ground and then she saw a booted foot descend upon her stomach, the
violence of the stomp making her gag. But that, unfortunately was merely the beginning.
More and more foots of all shapes descended upon her every part. Arms, legs, belly, chest, crotch,
face, nothing was spared their wraths as they continued to kick and kick until even the searing pain
began to feel numb and Josefin's head began to feel light as a sensation of nausea filled her.
She had no idea for how long her body endured that treatment. The only thing she knew was that,
by the end of it, she was having a hard time even breathing.
She felt the strong hands holding her, probably broken, limbs begin to pull her, dragging her
alongside the paved ground and finally dropping her there.
This, at least, would be the end of her torment. She could only look up at the sun by now as she
didn't feel like she could lift even one finger. But she will not give up! She will rise again! She will
have her revenge! And then…
Her thoughts were interrupted by something strange entering her vision, something dark beginning
to cover the sun, like in one of the rare and famous eclipses she heard in stories as a girl. Maybe it
was her mind playing tricks on her, or maybe one of the kicks damaged one of her eyes. And yet
the sun was being more and more obscured by that thing.
Dread began to rise once again inside her, a dread comparable only to the one she felt when she
met the gaze of that child, no, that monster she thought was her daughter.
Almost on instinct she opened her mouth to scream, but only a whisper came out due to her crushed
throat.
"R-Renner…"
The name of her own mother came out of her lips, a desperate cry for help, reminiscent of a lost
child. With that the world went black, and she knew no more.
(Merchant Guild's headquarters}

{Goldfinger's P.O.V.}
"THIS IS A DISASTER!"
The loud voice of the Master of Luxury almost made everyone's ears blow off. Aruma Faustus,
also known as Goldfinger, felt the urge to use his hands to cover his ears in fear of permanent
damage.
No one said anything though. It was an unspoken truth that no one wanted to acknowledge.
"THAT FUCKER-"
The Master of Luxury opened his mouth again only to be interrupted by the Master of Metal.
"For the love of the Four shut that trap, Einzarch!"
The bald man exclaimed exasperatedly, eliciting a glare from the other man who pointed a finger
at him.
"AH! FIGURES YOU WOULD BE ON HIS SIDE! YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING FAR MORE
PROFIT SINCE THAT BASTARD STARTED HIS BUSINESS HERE!"
That comment visibly irked the bald man.
"YOU! How dare you accuse me of preferentiality!"
The Master of Metal stood up in his rightful fury.
In the guild there were few things worse than being accused of preferentiality toward someone or
oneself. To act in one's own interest was the same as betraying the guild fundamental reason of
existence. It was no wonder those two seemed ready to settle things with their fists. And it was for
that exact reason that the position of mediator existed.
"Gentlemen, please, calm your spirits, or I will be forced to have you removed from this council."
Goldfinger said calmly, forcing the other two to begrudgingly back down. This was the power of a
mediator. He could have any Master temporarily removed, or even, with the approval of the other
councilmen, expelled. Of course, this huge power could be counterbalanced by the Masters, who
could have him removed by a majority vote.
"I know all you dignified gentlemen. I have been a mediator for the Merchant Guild for more than
20 years, so do not doubt I understand the direness of the situation."
The mediator sighed.
"For all we find enjoyable to use noblemen as a source of amusement…"
He began with some Masters even chuckling at his words.
"It is undeniable that much of our markets are moved by them and their… expensive orders."
He took a pause sipping his hot tea he had prepared exactly for this occasion. Rose petals and
cinnamon was his favorite combination when he had to calm his nerves.
"The death of more than half the noble population and seizure of all their properties by the crown
has been a hard blow for all of us."
He stated the obvious and it didn't take long for the Master of Luxury to interrupt him.
"Stop avoiding the damn point Goldfinger! The only thing I want to know is how we will deal with
the fucking caster!"
Einzarch blurted out his disapproval of the handling of the meeting.
"Where is he to begin with?"
Interjected Maya, Master of Bread, the oldest among them. A big woman who climbed to the top
starting from her father's bakery in the capital almost 60 years before.
Goldfinger grimaced as his grasp around his cup of tea tightened.
"I… didn't send him any communication about this meeting."
He said gaining the attention of the whole room. In more than 20 years he never committed a
single breach of protocol, leave alone a blatant one such as this. It was a matter of honor and duty,
things that his grandfather drilled in his skull since a young age.
"I thought it would not do to have the esteemed Marquis Satoru neglect his duties to the kingdom
for us."
A blatant excuse even to his own ears but a necessary one for the paperwork to come.
"And so? What are we to do with this? It is useless to cry over spilled milk."
The Master of Carts spoke for the first time, lying back on his seat seemingly contemplating the
celling.
"Bah, you would say so! You are the one who suffered less from all of this!"
Einzarch rebutted vehemently eliciting a laugh from the Master of Carts.
"You are a fool Einzarch… I had always known there was something wrong with this whole thing.
That man had far too much revenue for the products he asked me to transport… that meant he had
another way of transporting them."
Gaul, Master of Carts, continued in a mocking tone. Goldfinger grimaced at the mention of that, he
had been doing his own research in the last few weeks, and what came out of it wasn't good at all.
"What are you implying here Gaul?"
The Master of Paper interjected.
"Isn't it obvious Bok?"
Said Welhem, Master of Bricks, with a smug tone. That made a bell in Goldfinger's head ring in
alarm. His eyes flew all around him to the face of every last one of the Masters. 'The disparity in
reaction is too opposite, even for them. It is clear what lies behind Satoru now, how he built his
whole branch in such a short time' the whole thing was strange from the beginning. At the time he
had nothing but suspicions to bring to the table, but the current situation clarified any doubts
remaining. 'And yet, even though they should understand the gravity of this… could it be?!' the
realization hit him harder than he was prepared for.
He immediately stood up as his seat fell backwards, a considerable act taking into account his large
belly.
"I wish to step down from my position as Mediator!"
He announced immediately, shocking many of the Masters into silence.
"Now, now, don't be a fool Goldfinger, you know exactly why you can't do that."
The Master of Metal, Airon, calmly stated.
'It is worse than I thought!' the current Mediator thought as he looked around.
"You betrayed the Guild… since when… tell me Airon! How long have you been in Seven Hands'
pocket?!"
Goldfinger slammed his fist on the table causing his cup of tea to jump and shatter on the ground.
"I betrayed nothing and no one… I always prioritized the interest of the Guild over my own."
The Master of Metal admitted without shame.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Einzarch yelled as he seemed ready to murder the Master before him.
"Oh, don't fucking start again boy, the only reason you are mad is because you had the most
revenue out of us all until the magic caster arrived… if here there is one guided by mere self-
interest, that one is you."
Maya scolded the Master as if she was scolding a child.
"You damned old hag! You too!"
Einzarch seemed ready to explode by now, the Master of Paper and Master of Wood seemed
seemingly outraged.
"Eight Fingers were an unreasonable and risky business partner, nothing like the current Seven
Hands… I never saw anyone pay as punctually as them."
Added the Master of Bricks, Welhem, confidently. Goldfinger felt like his legs were about to give
out and so he sat back on a free chair.
"It is time we take up the mantle and start leading this kingdom toward a better path… a path of
efficiency and order… no more foolish taxes crippling the guild for the mere enjoyment of the
nobles… no more laws limiting out import and export."
Gaul explained as he received a nod from Maya, Airon and Welhem.
"So, you wish to take over the Guild?"
Asked Goldfinger after a few instances of silence, eliciting a sigh from the Master of Metal.
"You are not looking at it in the right way Aruma. You are insisting on it being a grab of power
from our part, but is it? We never threatened any of you. We have not been threatened into this…
we evaluated the offer and took it. If you wish, we will put it down to the vote, as the Guild's laws
demand, but the result will be the same."
Airon calmly explained and then Aruma understood just how much the Masters were fooled. 'For
20 years I worked so hard… so hard to ensure our independence, to ensure no one will ever have
enough power to subjugate the Guild either from within or from outside… all gone to waste'
He felt utterly destroyed by the realization.
And the worst thing was, he did it with his own hands. He first invited Satoru into the fold to get
an easy access to both the Magic Items' market and the Adventurer Guild. Who would have thought
that the key to success of the last year would have turned into a deadly poison.
"And what of our independence? What will it be of our own freedom when we will have to rely on
Seven Hands to stand tall… and what will it be of us if we choose to not cooperate?"
He voiced his concerns, but it seemed to be to no avail as the Masters just shrugged.
"We would not be fooled by such a thing. We are not joining Seven Hands. We are merely
accepting it as a favorable business partner."
The Master of Bread said with smugness in her tone. 'Yes, maybe for now… but once they
infiltrated into the Guild and climbed high enough…' the dreadful thought could not help but pop
into Goldfinger's mind.
"We will not force you to accept how the Guild is going to be led, you are free to leave as we are a
democratic entity."
Airon said as he stroked his long beard.
He had been played. Any choice he would take, in the end it would all be going according to
Satoru's plan. 'You may have won this round Satoru, but war, the war is still raging, and only one
shall remain standing' his fists tightened.
His eyes scanned the Masters before him, from the relaxed to the worried to the furious. War was
waged and he wasn't ready to lose yet.
{Satoru's Mansion}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
"Our proposals have been accepted."
The blond attractive young woman reported with a serene expression to the undead seating on the
sofa in front of hers.
"Umu, that is a relief. If it went bad, I could have been ostracized by the Guild and I would have
lost much."
The undead said with relief in his tone. He was seriously worried over the outcome of his coming
out. Not that it would have served him any benefits to feign ignorance. By now it was pretty clear
to all those in power who stood behind Seven Hands. And seeing how some members of the Guild
already started doing business with him long before this moment, it was unlikely that knowing who
stood behind Seven Hands would have changed much. They were all men of business after all.
Still, the possibility of failure still existed, and Satoru felt satisfied as all went according to his
ideal, with the help of Hilma of course.
"Also, I thought it would be wise to let you know that your pupil from the Empire just received a
few missives through a personal envoy of the Emperor…"
The woman continued her report as Satoru's thoughts went toward his older student currently
sleeping in this very mansion.
The events unraveling in the Empire weren't lost to him, but he didn't have the time to examine
them or gather information. He was far too preoccupied with his own problems, but still… as a
teacher, it had been pretty bad of him to ignore his student's plight till that moment. 'She is still just
a girl' again he felt like he let Yamaiko down in some way.
"How is the takeover doing? Any resistances?"
He asked pushing back the thought of his old friend. Hilma sipped her tea, seemingly in thought
about the matter.
"Yes, the majority of common people did not have any complaints. For them it is just a change in
who they give their taxes too, nothing more… merchants had some complaints, but they were
silenced by our new deals with the Merchant Guild."
She took another sip.
"I have been informed by Mato that the borders have been secured and patrols are being organized
to make sure everything remains in order."
Satoru nodded in satisfaction. He met the man a few times and he seemed a reliable guy. As big as
Gazef but not even close to his level if he remembered well.
Still, his new domain was far too large for his tastes. He would have much preferred a single city
like E-Rantel over a small kingdom worth of land.
Yet, he had to do the best with what he had, meaning he now had direct access to the Azerlisia
Mountains. He felt a twig of excitement at the thought of adventuring there to see if the rumors
about Dwarves, Dragons and Giants had some truth to them.
What a wonderful time it would be, going around exploring the unknown, discovering new
realities, recalling old times. He, Renner and Lakyus would have a blast doing so, he was sure.
He paused. Since when did he start including the two girls into his activities? The realization didn't
bother him. It was just surprising to know how much the two insinuated themselves into his daily
routine. During his travel to the empire, he learned to appreciate their company outside of mere tea
parties.
Lakyus reminded him of a strange mixture of Touch-Me and Takemi, while Renner, well… she
reminded him of himself a little, but Punitto Moe surely had infiltrated her mind. There was no
other way to explain how the girl became so sharp.
He felt an invisible smile creep up on his face. Those were fun times, before everything went down
so badly.
His musings were interrupted by a knock to the door.
"Come in."
It was Hilma who promptly answered in his place. Immediately one of the guards entered the
room, his black steel armor marking him as an elite of the Security Department.
"My Lord Satoru, the Warrior Captain requested a meeting."
The man said bowing deeply to his liege and making Satoru's Emotional Suppression skyrocket at
the mannerism of the soldier.
"Umu, where is he?"
Satoru asked unsure if he actually wanted to speak with the man.
"Just downstairs my liege."
The man said without hesitation.
"I see… let him in then."
'I may as well deal with this sooner rather than later I guess' he evaluated. To be honest he expected
the man to confront him sooner or cut ties with him completely. He did not expect the delay from
someone who reminded him so much of Touch-Me's righteous spirit.
As the man left the room Hilma stood up and downed her remaining tea.
"I think it would be best for you to handle this alone."
She said as he could do nothing but agree.
"I will see you this evening."
With those parting words she left the room as he waited for his unexpected guest to join him.
It didn't take long for the strongest warrior of the kingdom to arrive. He wasn't wearing any armor
or formal clothes, instead, the leather jacket he was wearing could be seen on any farmer or
innkeeper.
The soldier escorting him stopped in the frame of the door alongside two others of his companions.
"Leave us, I am not to be disturbed."
He said with a dismissive gesture who prompted the guards to leave the room and close the door
behind them. He spent a lot of time in front of the mirror practicing that and a few other poses and
common sentences. It would not be proper to seem too informal considering his new status.
"You seem to have acquainted yourself well to your new position, Lord Satoru."
Gazef said as the undead gestured for him to seat down. The Warrior Captain kindly obliged.
"I apologize, I wasn't expecting any guest. The tea is cold."
As a Japanese, Satoru could do nothing but apologize for his lack of decorum.
"Do not worry, I didn't come here for tea."
The man said, his gaze piercing Satoru's skull. The magic caster merely nodded.
"I see."
He said, short and to the point. He had no intention of addressing the elephant in the room. He
would rather leave that task to Gazef himself. After all, it was him who came here for this reason.
The silence stretched for long minutes, black gazing into blue, a relentless stare contest to force the
other to speak first.
"I want to know, Satoru, on our friendship, hoping it was ever as true as I thought… tell me, what
are you aiming for?"
That was something the undead didn't expect from the Warrior Captain. He expected him to charge
directly toward Seven Hands. Instead, he was going in a far wider direction.
Hearing his silence, the warrior probably assumed his unwillingness to answer. His gaze darkened.
"Was this what you aimed for? What you always aimed for since when you met the princess?"
The anger in his voice was clearly displayed.
"Did it all go according to your plan? Dragging us all away from the capital to prompt an attack
from the noble faction and then come to our rescue as a savior?!"
He continued as the dam in his mouth was broken leaving only an endless and relentless river of
accusations.
"Was I?! Lakyus?! Princess Renner?! And even Brain?! Part of your plan! Pawns to be used to
achieve the power you yearned for so much!"
The raging betrayal in his words hit Satoru like a 10th tier holy spell casted by the highest ranked
angel.
"Is that what you think of me Gazef? A power-hungry noble? Someone who will have no regrets in
using men, women, and children to achieve his goals?"
The dark tone rumbled from his chest up to his mouth, his annoyance filling every word.
"Do you think I ever wanted all of this?!"
Now it was his time to lose his temper, his fist tightened as betrayal filled his very being.
"I expected you to come and accuse me of hiding things… that would have only been fair… you
had all the rights to do so… and instead, here you are… accusing me of using all the ones around
me and exploiting their bonds to my own advantage."
He felt his passive forcing his raising rage to expire as only ice-cold fury remained.
"I thought of you as a friend Gazef, a reliable person, and here you are assuming all of this was
some great plan…"
The Warrior Captain seemed to want to rebut his words, but Satoru didn't give him the chance.
"Why did I take over Seven Hands? They were a thorn in the side of the kingdom and me as
well… why did I rescue the king? It was because I didn't want to see Renner cry… why did I
destroy the rebels? It's because they would have killed you all, people I grew to care for… why did
I accept all these troublesome titles and responsibilities? It's because I had no choice in the matter,
as if refusing was a viable option!"
He poured every last of his frustrations into his words. The truth flowed out of his mouth in a
liberatory way, as if he was lifting a huge weight from his soul.
"You stand here accusing me… how about you try to take my place? What would you have done?
Letting everybody die?!"
His repressed anger went up and down, battling against his passive skill.
Silence descended between them. Gazef seemed taken aback by his barely contained outburst,
looking up at him with his wide black eyes.
Only now Satoru noticed he was actually standing. He did not know when it happened, but he sat
back on his sofa, a bit clumsily due to his embarrassment.
"You can despise me, you can hate me, but I will go on… to live to the fullest of my possibilities
and cherish the bonds I created here… no matter what."
His usual dead calm tone returned, but he meant every last word, nonetheless.
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
To say she wasn't a little anxious would be a lie. After all, none of what would happen was in her
direct control. Sure, she issued the orders, but in the end it all came down to the ability of the
agents. Hilma assured everything would be fine, but she had learned a long time ago that trust was
misplaced in anyone but herself, or Satoru of course.
The pleasurable breeze between her hair was a reminder of the late spring period they were
currently experiencing, but that wasn't the reason whys she was currently standing on one of the
balconies in the most isolated area of the castle.
This was the hiding place of her worthless womb lender. The one who tried to set her up with a
filthy noble brat from the countryside.
She felt like puking at the mere thought of someone who wasn't Satoru touching and caressing her.
That could not go unpunished! She was no mere tool to be moved around by worthless garbage like
her. She was a Queen! And she shall not be disrespected by anyone.
As the one she was waiting for appeared in the distance she immediately noticed the few servants
in the area shift positions as she instructed before.
Getting a few of Seven Hands' members to infiltrate the castle as servants was one of the best
moves made in the last weeks, with the chaos of the false coup still unfolding. Hilma and Satoru
now had ears all around the castle while she could command them as she pleased to do her bidding.
The clueless maggot looked around her, as if searching for something, not that she cared in the
slightest. She was so absorbed in her own mind that she didn't even notice the man approaching her
from behind.
And from there, everything went down. The fool was surrounded. The acting servants closing all
the possible escape routes while her womb lender was busy being a brat. The serving girl did an
excellent job in making sure she was distracted for long enough.
The moment the fool finally realized what was happening she started freaking out like a rat in a
barrel. And, like a cornered animal, when all other option were gone, only the most radical
instincts remained.
The being calling herself her mother grabbed a pair of shears and tried to swing them around her
like a mad dog.
Renner scoffed at the display. She had seen the top of the top when admiring Gazef, Brain and
even Lakyus' swordsmanship. In comparison this was nothing but a toddler giving a tantrum.
The woman was easily disarmed and then the fun began.
The young princess looked down as the noblewoman was humiliated and beaten to a pulp. The
whole thing didn't even take ten minutes.
Once the Seven Hands' members were done, they moved the motionless body of the woman
toward the right spot, just below the balcony from which Renner observed the whole thing.
As soon as her womb lender was in position, she immediately began to push the heavy stone vase
in front of her. It was heavy and it would have been better to leave this part to someone else, but
this was a personal matter.
She already saw Satoru kill. She saw Lakyus kill. It was about time she did her own.
She was actually curious to know how such a thing would feel. To take the life of someone you
detested as much as she did.
The heavy object finally gave away as it was pushed too far over the edge, and it plummeted down
like a rock in a well.
For a few eternal instants she could only hear her heart drumming in her ears and then a huge crash
accompanied by a satisfying squish.
She immediately looked down to see the form of her womb lender lying down on the cold ground,
a broken stone vase in the place of her head which seemed splattered all around her as a pool of
blood was beginning to form, soaking the stones around her naked corpse.
A true smile broke out on the princess face as she looked down at what remained of her repulsive
relative. And yet, where she expected satisfaction only emptiness stood. She felt nothing for what
she did. The form of the squished naked human below her caused her no pleasure or regret. It just
needed to be done.
She stood there for just a few seconds, contemplating her own emotion or lack thereof, before
vacating the place.
'Now, let us hope this whole ordeal comes to an end soon. It has been more than a month since I
last was alone with Satoru. This is not an acceptable time frame…' she pondered to herself as she
felt a certain craving down within her begin to rise. She missed his gentle pats and touches. She
missed sitting on his lap and laughing when Lakyus returned all covered up in mud. She missed his
deep chuckles and his stories. She missed being tucked in her bed by him. A lone tear rolled down
her cheek.
She missed… feeling alive.
Chapter End Notes

Chapter End Notes

The Weapon, the Queen and the Soldier
Chapter Notes
The girl hummed an old tune as she gazed at the moon. It was a really quiet night. The moonlight
was illuminating the roofs of the capital, creating a spectacle of lights only admirable from her
position. The shining stars in the sky, a gift the gods blessed upon mortals, some said.
Boring, utterly boring. Not that her life has been much more over the last century.
Her sacred duty was forcing her to remain there, a guardian to a silent hall. Her mother always
wished for it, didn't she? The lovable monster she could not stop both cherishing and hating at the
same time.
Inadvertently, as if acting on pure instinct, her left hand went up to brush her hair, exposing for just
a few instants the pointy ears hidden behind them.
She felt bored, and even trying to solve the riddle known as the Rubik Cube didn't seem so
entertaining anymore. A blasphemous thought according to the most devout but fortunately she
didn't consider herself as such even with the blood flowing through her veins.
Looking back at her bloodline caused the thought of her father to emerge, she tightened her free
hand into a fist. 'Well, that's a poor way to ruin an evening…' she mentally sighed, trying to push
the unpleasant thought away.
But even then, when her mind wasn't controlled by cold blooded fury, all that remained was
unadulterated boredom.
She has already tried every possible dish the Theocracy had to offer, and she had coerced a few
Cardinals into having some of the Empire and Holy Kingdom chefs come to cook their typical
dishes. Though she doubted anything in the world could ever surpass aunt Nazaire's omelet, she
felt a bit of droll come to her mouth at the sole thought.
"You are still awake at this hour?"
Zesshi was pulled back to reality by the familiar voice. She didn't even bother to turn around and
just gave the speaker a glance.
"Only children go to bed when their parents tell them to… What did you come here for, boy?"
She said in her usual monotonous tone. The black haired man didn't respond immediately, he didn't
have the guts to do so. Even if he was considered a grown man, he still was nothing but a child to
her.
"I was sent by the Cardinals to check how you were fairing, Lady Zesshi."
The white and black haired woman felt like chuckling in amusement at that phrasing of the true
message.
"Are the children afraid their big sister will run off?"
She asked with amusement, a small smirk growing on her face. Silence stretched between them as
no one spoke.
The Cardinals, of course, were justified in their fear: she showed a lot of interest in the events
unfolding in the Re-Estize kingdom lately. Or to be specific, events that principally revolved
around a certain magic caster.
A massacre of proportions never seen before. Well, not really… She had seen many more people
being killed by her scythe than the final kill count in the kingdom, but what intrigued her was the
general target. It wasn't every day that someone wiped out a whole army of nobles and paraded
their corpses through the capital.
Considering that her interest was already piqued when the man first was assumed to be connected
with the disappearance, and probable extermination, of the Sunlight Scripture, it was only natural
for her to want to keep an eye on him.
The problem was that with her lack of interest in almost anything unrelated to food or fighting,
showing interest in someone outside the Theocracy rang a bell of alarm in her leaders' ears.
Her smirk widened as she felt a mischievous idea forming in her mind.
"And so, what would you do if I decided to leave?"
She asked the man cowardly hiding behind the fake mask on his face.
"Would you try to stop me? You and that stick you carry around, like a child playing knight?
Would you bring that little band of misfits down on me?"
She asked, feeling a surge of excitement at the thought of fighting the whole Black Scripture
seriously, to the death.
"I would feel like reminding you of your oath of fealty to the Gods and the promise of protecting
this country and people."
He answered calmly, making the smirk disappear from her face.
"How tedious and boring of an answer… it would have been funnier if you said you would try
seducing me and convincing me to stay."
The man frowned, changing his expression for the first time since he arrived.
"Don't even think about it, boy. You will have to force me to the ground and beat me half to death
before I even consider it."
She mocked prompting a retort from the man.

"I did not ever consider it."
The black-haired man immediately replied.
"Ah, is that so. Am I that ugly to you?"
Now she was just messing with him, riling the boy up was one of the most amusing things she
could come up with.
"No, of course not Lady Zesshi… you are just… your personality… I do not find it desirable."
The boy almost stuttered out. She finally turned, placing her face just a few centimeters away from
his, her hand caressing his jaw, she could feel his muscle tense and fear glint in his eyes. 'A little
lamb ready for the slaughter', that was the image that came to her mind.
"Do not worry, little lamb…"
She whispered in his ear.
"The feeling is mutual."
She said before pushing him away, making him stumble backwards.
"Go tell your masters, dog, that my patience grows thin… this foolish and tedious war would be
already over if they gave me the opportunity to descend on the battlefield and cut that bastard into
a thousand pieces."
She paused as a malevolent grin split her face in two.
"Else I grow bored of this farce and go seek something better to do than rot in a hallway, waiting
for an enemy that will never come."
The boy didn't hesitate to scurry away, too fresh from his mother's milk to even think of defying
her.
This was the problem with the current Black Scripture. They were all a bunch of spineless
maggots, once she got involved. Zesshi guessed that some of it was due to her ritual humbling of
them once they joined, but still, it made every interaction with them as dull as a rock.
She, of course, didn't mean her words to the boy. But if the Cardinals were so worried that they
would send him to her, it would have been a wasted chance to not capitalize on their fear and make
them push more on the war against that bastard she had to recognize as her father.
She sometimes wondered if annihilating the Theocracy should be on her to do list. For all the love
she had for her mother, she had the same quantity of hate for the treatment she received. And since
she was dead and gone, the better way to spite her would be burning down everything she stood to
protect. But then again… the Theocracy was also what aunt Nazaire cared deeply for, and she did
not want to disappoint her.
Also, the fact that they were willing to continue warring against the Elven Kingdom was a big part
in her reasoning to not destroy them and continue to obey, for now.
Her little internal struggle finally came to an end when she saw the long black hair of the boy
disappear from her sight. She really had no idea how such a powerful line, arguably even more
powerful than hers, turned out to be so weak.
She pondered that same thing many times before and, after consulting some annals, she came to
the conclusion that the previous God-kins were a bunch of fools who continuously mated with
inferior beings.
For all her hatred and disgust toward her father and the way in which she was conceived, she had to
admit that it had been both her curse and her blessing to be born by such parents.
Her mother, the most powerful God-kin of the time, and her father, a being on the same level with
her, or even more powerful, as he was able to abduct her.
She was born of that union, a cursed child of unimaginable and unprecedented strength, even for a
God-kin.
That is why she aimed for the same, she will have to find someone on her level or even greater than
her and mate with them to continue the cycle. There laid her dilemma as she never heard of such a
being existing or, at least, not a willing one. She knew of a few Dragon Lords who could be
compared to her, but she doubted they would have been willing to mate, even less with the current
disposition of the Theocracy toward them. She could always try to overpower them and force them,
but then, what would be the difference between her and her accursed father?
She took a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh, those thoughts made her even more
depressed than before. And if there was anything worse than being bored, it was being depressed.
Maybe she should really take that vacation, it wasn't like the Theocracy was going to be attacked
while she was away for a couple months.
She brought a finger to her cheek in curiosity. She wondered, what kind of food would the Re-
Estize kingdom have?
*VERY IMPORTANT READ THIS!*
AS OF MID NOVEMBER, FFN AUTOMATICALLY DEACTIVATED ALL NOTIFICATIONS!

IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE A MAIL EVERY TIME THE STORIES YOU FOLLOW ARE
UPDATED YOU NEED TO GO TO YOUR ACCOUNT-SETTINGS AND CLICK ON "YES" IN
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SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION BUT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AS I NOTICED A

LOT OF READERS NOT COMING BACK AFTER THE CHANGE!
{Draconic Kingdom}
{Draudillon's P.O.V.}
The dragon queen sat on her throne, a furious expression on her childish face as the general before
her reported the news from the front.
"Are you absolutely sure there is nothing we can do?"
She said from behind her gritted teeth.
"I am afraid not, your majesty. The mithril team Steel Hammer gave back part of their contract
money and went back to the kingdom after the brawl with Crystal Tear."
The man reported, prompting the queen to launch her wine glass against the wall, shattering it in a
thousand pieces.
"THAT PIECE OF SHIT!"
She growled out in absolute rage, like a dragon who just discovered part of her treasure stolen.
She would normally never behave in such a way, but the presence of only her closest advisers
prompted her to unleash her inner emotions freely.
This wasn't the first time this happened either. Adventurer teams were either bullied or brawled into
leaving, and this all came back to Crystal Tear. The only hope of her kingdom became the greatest
thorn in her side.
She was sure that that degenerate had something to do with all of this! She was sure! And when
this was over, she will have him hanged by his guts in her throne room. Yes… that sounded rather
nice.
As of now, losing able fighters was the last thing they could afford. They were completely
entrenched behind their cities' walls. The remaining land left to be brutalized by the Beastmen. It
was working as the invading army was having trouble feeding themselves, now that they had no
more humans to feast on.
This also brought them to recklessly charge against the walled cities, which was nothing short of a
death sentence considering the bombardment of magic they received from the defendants above.
The only problem was sending food from city to city while avoiding the Beastmen patrols. That
was the point where adventurers were truly valuable, escorting caravans of food from city to city
was no easy feat and dead teams or lost food were daily news by now.
The high death rate even forced the kingdom to offer better pays to the adventurers who started to
refuse contracts.
Fortunately, the first deliveries from the magic caster Satoru began to arrive, escorted by groups of
adventurers for ulterior protection from both bandits and the eventual undead of the Katze Plains. It
was a heavy hit on their already depleted coffers, but the result paid off.
She sat down as that thought managed to tranquilize her.
"Have our congratulations to the new Marquis of the kingdom been received?"
She asked one of her advisors.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Marquis thanks us and wishes us luck in our battles to come."
The minister of external affairs answered.
The queen grimaced. If she just had the chance, a single chance to meet the man face to face, she
could have achieved much more. But alas, the circumstances were not on her side, the magic caster
never accepted an invitation to visit the capital, claiming to be too busy to absent himself that long.
That was somehow understandable due to the Draconic Kingdom's situation, no one would wish to
visit a kingdom currently at war.
She, on the other hand, could not leave her residence to visit the magic caster herself. The absence
of their Queen could have caused demoralization to take over her remaining troops, which would
lead to a disaster.
And now, Re-Estize finally decided to make a move and claim the caster for themselves. It was
really infuriating. If the world would have been fair, she should have had her chance to charm the
magic caster, but instead the world was unfair and ruthless by nature.
This new development could bring many problems. The relationships between her country and
Satoru were merely commercial and mutually beneficial ones, but with his new title this might as
well turn into a political mess in which she would be forced to make concessions to Re-Estize, else
they stop the line of supply currently established.
If rumors had to be believed, it was even said that the king arranged a political marriage between
Satoru and the second princess. An offer she could easily beat, she was a Queen after all. But then
again, his current position forced her hand back.
It was incredibly frustrating, and the current situation did not help to calm her nerves at all. She
invested too much in this endeavor, she could not fail here, or else the fragile balance she managed
to reach in this war might turn in the Beastmen's favor.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of the doors as a guard scurred in, greatly
agitated by something.
"M-My Queen! I apologize for the rude i-interruption! But there is a man here to see you! He
brought to us the head of the Lion King!"
Those words immediately gained attention of the whole room.
The Lion King was one of the many generals currently leading the invading army, and even among
them, he was one of the biggest thorns in the kingdom's side as he was the one who targeted most
caravans transporting food from city to city.
The crown had of course placed generous bounties on each of the generals' heads to entice the
adventurers in seeking out and killing the leaders of the invading army, but it had yet to provide
any significant results.
"Is it the pig?"
She asked, resignation in her tone as she knew there were slim possibilities of another not
Adamantite team being able to slay such a foe.
She was of course happy that her enemy had been vanquished, but the act she will have to put up in
that case would be really deprecating. She could already imagine having to squeal like an excited
girl while praising and congratulating that shit stain of a man. Maybe he will have her blow him a
kiss… like last time.
She felt like gagging at the sole thought as bile rose in her stomach.
"N-no, Your Majesty… the man is not even an adventurer by his own claim…"
That caused mumbling to erupt among the ministers. The queen could not help but have her
interest piqued at that. 'A warrior capable of killing the Lion King not being an adventurer… he
must be some elite force from a different country…' she quickly concocted the most logical
conclusion.
"So, who is this prestigious warrior?"
Asked one of her generals, irony in his tone. The guard gulped.
"H-he does not wish to share his name, he just wishes for his reward… he also is not willing to part
with his blade, so we could not escort him here."
The young man explained the situation. A complicated conundrum, to say the least. She was really
curious to know who this mysterious man was, but at the same time, it seemed like a needless risk.
She could have her guard reward him and send him on his way, but she has already lost one magic
caster to her hesitation… Another such mistake could prove fatal.
Her decision made, she finally decided to address the guard directly.
"Have this man escorted here, We want to meet him. Ensure that an adequate number of guards is
escorting him."
Her decision was not met without resistance from most of her advisors. Even her Prime Minister
discouraged such actions, but in the end, she was the Queen, and her word was rule.
It took only a few minutes for the guard to return alongside a platoon escorting a mysterious man in
the middle.
The man was well built, no armor defended him as he wore a simple leather jacket and pants. His
most distinguished feature was surely his blue dyed hair, but the thing that really jumped
immediately to Draudillon's eyes was the sword he had sheathed by his side.
She felt her dragon instincts flare as never before, a craving and desire to obtain that fantastic blade
for herself, no matter if she couldn't use it properly. Her tail started twitching as her mouth began to
salivate as if an exquisite banquet was presented to her after starving for a month.
"-ur Majesty! Your Majesty!"
She was finally pushed back to reality when she heard the voice of her Prime Minister ringing in
her ears. Her head snapped to him in annoyance at the interruption of her contemplation.
The middle-aged man recoiled.
"You have been unresponsive for more than a minute, Your Highness."
He whispered apologetically as he stepped back. She blinked, to her the whole thing didn't last
more than a couple of seconds but seeing how her advisors were currently looking at her, she had
to concede that her Prime Minister was apparently right.
She immediately straightened her posture on the throne and fixed her crimson eyes back on the
man before her.
"Welcome warrior. We have heard of your great exploits against the Lionel Clan, and how you
slew the Lion King. We are deeply thankful for your aid in Our righteous cause."
She said clearly for all to hear. The man didn't react, as he merely bowed slightly, just enough to
acknowledge her presence. A gesture not appreciated by the court apparently, as many seemed to
want to address his lack of manners.
"We wish to reward you personally for your service. State your name, brave warrior."
She said as she had to force her gaze away from descending on the man's blade once more.
"Can't I just get paid and leave? This is starting to make me regret slaying that demi-human."
The man said tiredly.
"How dare you?! To show such disrespect in the face of Her Majesty! You should be begging on
your knees for forgiveness!"
The captain of her guard yelled enraged at the man's casual and disrespectful behavior, unsheathing
his sword, but that may have been his greatest mistake. In the blink of an eye, the captain's
enchanted sword was split in two by a black curved blade. Everyone's eyes widened as panic began
to fill the room.
The guards encircled the now armed man, ready to protect their queen until the end. As for
Draudillon, she now found herself drawn to that blade more than ever, she felt a physical push
toward it, as if the sword was sentient and calling for her.
Her crimson eyes lost themselves into the blackness of the unknown metal, as if it was an endless
void ready to swallow her. The miasma emanating from it seemingly alive as it swirled around the
blade and hilt, like a lion seeking for its next prey.
"Weak, arrogant and prideful… no wonder this country is doomed, if this is the best you have to
offer."
The words were cold and brutal, but not totally untrue, as much as the queen detested admitting
such a thing.
As if guided by another's will, Draudillon stood up and began walking toward the man, ignoring
every and all protests from her advisors or guards.
In just a few seconds she stood in front of the stranger, his blade was lowered and seemingly
unthreatening, but still ready to strike at any moment.
"And are you strong, humble and shameless, may I ask?"
She inquired the man, causing him to chuckle, a sound so unusual to her ears so used to the elegant
words of nobility.
"Not at all, Dragon Queen. I am weak, arrogant to a certain extent and prideful in my art, but I am a
man not meant to lead others. I am merely a self-serving swordsman."
The man said in a relaxed tone, as if this was but a natural law of the world.
"Is that so? Then, will this self-serving swordsman finally introduce himself?"
She inquired once more, in her current form she had to look up at the man and her neck was
starting to hurt. The swordsman took a deep breath before sighing and sheathing his blade, hiding
its magnificence from her eyes, much to her displeasure.
"I am Brain Unglaus."
He curtly said, causing a new wave of mumbles to erupt in the room.
Even in the Draconic Kingdom that name was not unknown, a man with enough strength to rival
the strongest knight of Re-Estize was nothing to scoff at. But that, at least, meant that he probably
wasn't an envoy from any other nation, much to her relief.
"A famous name, I see. What brings you here, if I may ask, Sir Brain?"
The man shrugged, waving his hand as if to push off a particularly annoying mosquito.
"No honorifics are needed, Dragon Queen. I merely happened to pass by when that overgrown cat
stood in my way. We exchanged greetings and dueled. I won."
The brevity and nonchalance of the man was infuriating, he seemed to be speaking of a street rat
and not one of the greatest enemies of her nation.
"When the big cat fell all the others scattered like the scared cats they were, then I learned that I
could make some money from the head of that overgrown cat and so I came to claim my reward."
The man summarized his side of the story, much to the annoyance of many of her knights who lost
comrades and friends to the Lion King; she had no idea how they would feel to have such a threat
ridiculed like that.
"I see. You speak of a monster who claimed countless lives as if it was nothing to you. You
previously said you carried far less arrogance than us, but to me, it doesn't seem like it."
She retorted; the man's face stiffened, he sighed as his hand moved instinctively to his blade,
unsheathing it and presenting it to the queen.
"Do not mistake my words for arrogance, Dragon Queen. That demi-human may have been
monstrous, but compared to the one who gifted me this blade, he was nothing but a kitten
growling."
Draudillon listened intently, but her instincts were kicking in again, forcing her to touch the blade.
Slowly, with the utmost care she raised her hand and placed the tips of her fingers on the blunt side
of the blade.
Immediately, she felt a foreign energy flow through her every vein, her illusion disappearing,
showing many of the dragon traits she hid behind her human façade. Her hands turned into claws
and her majestic black scales appeared alongside her body, greedily drinking in the foreign energy.
The whole thing caused her some pain but the pleasure she felt by the contact was immeasurable. It
was like drinking the sweetest of juices alongside the sweetest of cakes.
"And who was it that gifted you this blade?"
She asked, almost in a trance as the blade's energy drugged her very being into addiction.
"A being above all others, someone whose strength is above all human comprehension, a monster
who showed me the fruitlessness of trying to climb to the top of the world… but you may know
him by the name he currently uses… Satoru."
{E-Pasel}
{Celicia's P.O.V.}
"Good! Continue like that! Up and down!"
It took all of Celicia's will to not try to murder the man currently standing in front of her.
She continued to move up and down as the shaft she was grasping with both hands became hotter
and hotter. She felt her mouth stretch to its maximum to try and take in as much air as possible,
otherwise she would risk suffocating.
But her rhythm was not to be as she felt her grip loosen and she fell on the ground ruinously.
"The fuck are you doing?! You stupid bitch! Get up!"
Gritting her teeth, she obeyed. Her body was already flaming due to the afterword of the pull ups,
but she knew that the punishment for slacking off would be far worse than the one her body would
give her tonight.
"RUN! RUN! RUN! 20 lapses! You have 10 minutes!"
Celicia stumbled up and began running after her fellow students.
"I-I am not even 10… I-I am a m-magic caster… w-why must I suffer t-through this…"
She complained to no one in particular until a voice chilling her flaming chest answered her.
"Because you are an idiot!"
The instructor yelled from behind her.
"Before you are a girl! Before you are a magic caster! Before you are your father's daughter!
Before everything! You are a soldier!"
His words cut through her like a heated blade through butter.
"You all are the next generation! You will carry on the name of Seven Hands into the future! But
as of now you are filth! No matter which Talent you possess! No matter who your daddy is! You
are lower than the lowest worm until I say otherwise!"
The voice rang across the line of running boys and girls.
"""SIR YES SIR!"""
The line cried out, Celicia's voice joining the others into a pained chorus.
"WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
The man yelled out, the whip in his hand lashing out onto the ground next to where Celicia was
running.
"WE OFFER OUR BLOOD AND SOUL TO THE CAUSE!"
The frightened children yelled out even louder.
"GOOD! BUT IF YOU CAN YELL THAT LOUD YOU CAN CERTAINLY GO FASTER!
DOUBLE TIME! THE ONES WHO REMAINS BEHIND WILL NOT RECEIVE DINNER
TONIGHT! ONWARD MAGGOTS!"
Yes, she was sure of it, Trainee Commander Lanz was a devil ascended from hell to torment them.
And yet, they could do nothing but follow orders.
The brown-haired girl collapsed on the bed with a groan. She felt like every single bone in her body
was grinded into dust and every muscle melted into goo.
Her training wasn't always that hard, no. For more than a year she merely studied magic in all its
forms and began training in the art with great success.
But since they were relocated to E-Pasel four months ago, everything went to shit, to use one of the
words she got accustomed to during her period in the care of Seven Hands.
When she had to leave her parents were very upset, understandably so, since she wasn't even 10.
She remembered her sister crying all night. She wanted to come with her, her sweet older sister.
She promised Celicia that once she got to the right age she would get hired by Seven Hands and
find her.
That memory brought a smile to the young caster's face. The truth was that it really pained her to
leave her family behind, even more so her sister, whom she loved with all her heart.
But she had no choice. Most of Seven Hands' operations have been dislocated to the new Marquis
Satoru's territory six months ago.
Speaking of which, the tale of the noble magic caster was already becoming legend.
Someone who was rumored to be able to use the 6th tier of magic, putting him on the same level as
Fluder Paradyne of the Empire. A deadly man in both combat and politics, judging by the slaughter
of two thirds of the nobles he personally oversaw. Many claimed he paraded their corpses through
the streets of the capital as a symbol of his power, others said that he was the most loyal member of
the Royal Faction. That last one was probably due to his betrothal to the second princess.
Celicia herself greatly admired the magic caster for his magical prowess, at least. She couldn't say
she was thrilled by what he had done, but she wouldn't condemn it either. She still remembered the
fear she felt when a noble tried to take away her sister, she was relieved that someone had cleaned
up the apparent worst of them.
"Oi! Celi!"
The loud voice of her dorm mate, Alicia, woke the young caster from her thoughts.
"What?"
She replied sluggishly with annoyance. The older girl gave her a smirk, before pointing outside the
window. Curiosity made the brown-haired girl get off her bed and check out the window.
At first, she didn't notice anything, at least until her eyes fell on one of the alleyways visible from
their higher position.
Her jaw fell open as she saw Amy, one of her friends, kissing an older boy she didn't remember the
name of. She was stunned, as the two continued to seemingly dance on the place as their hands
roamed all over each other's bodies.
Celicia blushed from her neck to the root of her hair, she jumped back from the window coming
face to face with a smirking Alicia.
"Eheheh… I told you they were a thing."
She said smugly.
"Relationships are forbidden between trainees!"

Celicia hissed with a raging blush still on her face.
"Awww… c'mon! Who is going to catch them? They aren't the Invisible Duo for no reason!"
Alicia whispered back and Celicia had to concede a point.
Amy, she knew, could mimic herself against a wall when she wanted to, that was a very neat
Talent in her opinion. The boy whose name she didn't remember was capable of traveling through
shadows. Again, a powerful Talent. They surely had a grand future ahead of them.
"He is pretty hot, I have to admit."
Alicia continued.
"I wonder if my Talent would work on him…"
Her smirks became feral as her uglier side showed itself. If Celicia had to describe the girl in a few
words, she would have to say she was a greedy screwed fox. Her Talent allowed her to charm
anyone by singing, though it only worked with one person at a time.
Due to that she was used to getting whatever she wanted out of people, and one of her favorite
pastimes was messing with people. It was true that they were forbidden from using their Talents
outside training hours but proving someone actually did was quite difficult, especially with some of
the sneakier Talents.
"You are such a bitch sometimes."
Celica said to her giggling friend, using one of the words she learnt in the last year and a half. She
was pretty sure her mother would have washed her mouth with soap if she ever heard her daughter
say something so crass.
"C'mon Celi, we are all still young. It's not like I'm stealing a married man… even though that
would be even more amusing…"
The brown-haired girl scoffed at her ginger friend's antics. She really had no idea how the two of
them became friends. 'Us being of similar age and being roommates may have helped' a voice
whispered in her mind. She sighed as she took up one of her books and began reading. It was the
best way to end a conversation she didn't want to continue. The older ginger girl seemed to take the
hint and puffed her cheeks.
"You can't always do that Celi! It's so annoying! You and your stupid books!"
The girl yelled at her junior who simply proceeded to ignore her.
"Fine! I won't speak to you until you apologize!"
Celicia still ignored her threat, last time she said such a thing she barely managed to hold herself for
a day before going back to her bubbly personality.
'May the Gods have mercy' the brown-haired magic caster thought in exasperation and a slight
glint of amusement.
Chapter End Notes


And the World goes on
Chapter Notes
"Are you sure there's nothing to be done?"
The bearded middle-aged man asked in a worried tone as if he was speaking about his little child.
"I'm pretty sure that's the case. You see, back there, it's all dented up… The hell happened to you?
You got run down by a war troll?"
The blond girl behind the counter asked. The bigger man scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"More like a bunch of goats…"
He muttered to the astonishment of the blond. She heard weird stories all the time, but this was the
first time she saw it with her own eyes. Now that she looked closer, the dents in the chestplate
seemed far too similar to actual hoofs.
She felt the edges of her mouth arching up as she tried to remain professional.
"You are telling me… that you managed to get an enchanted chestplate…. almost irreversibly
ruined… by having goats run over you…"
She summarized, as silence descended between the two, not even five seconds could be counted
before they both exploded into roaring laugher.
"W-why didn't you e-enchant it with some durability spells?"
The girl managed to ask between her spasmodic laughs.
"I-I didn't have enough money… I-I had to c-choose between elemental p-protection or durability."
The man admitted as he kept laughing.
The other clients were giving them strange looks by now, and the blond had to pinch herself to
return to a certain degree of professionalism. After all, she dreaded to know what a certain older
blond would do to her if she came to know of this shameful display.
She may have started working here for only five months but the one she previously considered to
be a kind woman turned out to be a devil in disguise. She shuddered at the sole thought of getting
an earful from her by now.
Once the laugher subsided, the girl sighed, taking the chestplate from the counter.
"I will see what can be done to repair it… but I suggest you start looking for a new one in the
meantime. From what I see here, it is unlikely our smiths or casters will be able to repair it."
The man's eyes shined at her words.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The man said, shaking her hand vigorously before leaving.
The blond felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned only to be greeted by the grass green eyes of a
boy around her own age.
"You got tricked Lakyus, you are too nice."
The girl named Lakyus just titled her head in confusion.
"But we offer a free first reparation policy, don't we?"
She asked, confused by the boy's attitude.
"Augh… you nobles…"
The boy sighed exasperatedly, passing a hand through his brown hair.
"That is only applicable if the damage is caused by an accident… that man is the son of a farmer,
he probably had an accident with cattle… that does not fall under our policy."
The older girl blushed from her neck to the root of her hair.
"H-how do you know that?!"
She half whispered, panic in her tone. The boy merely scoffed.
"You need to do like Miss Hilma said, always listen to what the client tells you and what they tell
others… that man came already three times in the shop, and he once spoke to his friends about his
father's farm."
The boy explained in a teacher-like tone.
Lakyus pursed her lips. How was she supposed to remember every stupid thing the people coming
here said? She wasn't an idiot, not by any means, but she still found it hard to remember even what
she heard during one whole day, let alone months.
She knew magic casters were supposed to be somewhat smart, but this went beyond what she
thought possible.
"You remember all that stuff? For real?"
She asked, more amazed than anything else, this time causing the boy to turn up red as a tomato.
"Well… not really, I just take in the information I think may be useful in the future, or to get a
general feeling of who I am dealing with… it is almost like studying magic, you know? Just…
more boring usually…"
The boy admitted, still making Lakyus feel inadequate for some reason. She was a noble, someone
who received lesson after lesson by the best teachers gold could buy, and still, she was coming
short to a self-taught boy younger than her. That made her wonder if the supposed pride of nobility
was nothing but a mockery in the eyes of the other citizens.
"Shift is over by the way, help me tidy up and let's have lunch!"
The boy said more enthusiastically as they proceeded to do their usual chores.
Lunch was usually a silent affair. It's not like Lakyus had nothing to speak about, but her and
Arche's upbringing drilled in their skulls the etiquette expected by any noble child during meals.
Rayne, on his part, wasn't one very talkative during meals.
And so, the delicious home-made lunch continued as usual.
Ever since she arrived to the capital five months ago, she had been placed here alongside the other
two slightly younger children. It wasn't like she disliked the arrangement, on the contrary, she
found being closer to people her own age very fun and stimulating.
She couldn't say she didn't miss her previous commodities, though… Following Satoru's
instructions, she now had to care for herself, meaning that if she wanted to buy anything, she would
have to do it with her own money. And if she wanted to get money she would have to work. Hence
why she spent some of her mornings working in his shop.
She now had to clean her own room and living quarters, with Arche's and Rayne's help thankfully,
and had to generally care for herself.
It may seem harsh, but Lakyus could not help but understand the older man's thought process.
Noble or not, she will not be pampered her whole life. There will come a time, no matter which
path she'd choose in life, when she will have to care for herself, and this slap of reality would serve
her right when she will have to move up in the world.
Or, at least, this is what Renner told her. And she was pretty sure the princess couldn't be wrong.
She never had been, since the first time Lakyus met her.
Speaking of which, the princess had been the one to fill her in on what she missed during her
period of seclusion.
Saying that she was shocked at first was an understatement, a rebellion of such magnitude was
unheard of in the history of the known world. To think that while she was occupied with her petty
self-indulging problems Renner was actually trying to uncover the whole thing was a maddening
thought.
What kind of friend was she to not notice such a thing happening under her nose?
And to think Satoru was the one squishing down the rebellion, like it was a nest of nasty ants was
quite unreal. She always thought that the respect she had for the duo could not possibly go any
higher, but she found herself baffled by her own emotions.
She had five months to metabolize everything that happened, and it still felt like an unreal dream,
as if everything was planned by a higher power and executed to near perfection.
Satoru's ascension to the highest grade of nobility wasn't even remotely as unreal after all that
happened. She was sure the man would be a great boon for the kingdom. Also, she wouldn't lie,
that particular event was mostly a boon to her.
When she first arrived in the capital, she was sure she would have to renounce her name and titles
to finally get the freedom to do as she pleased, as her parents would not let her otherwise. Her dear
friend, seeing how it pained her to do so, offered Lakyus a better path.
Seeing how Satoru was now part of nobility, he decided, after some advising from Renner, to take
Lakyus as a ward, in a certain sense momentarily adopting her.
It was an often-used practice in the Kingdom, for a noble family to send a second son or daughter,
or even their heir in some cases, to foster in another allied noble family. The rite strengthened
bonds between houses and were used even to see if a betrothal was possible between the children of
the houses.
Still, these bonds were usually practiced by houses with a history of long cooperation, something
the noble house of Aindra and Satoru didn't have.
Normally such a thing would be seen as a scandal, but this was far from any normal circumstance.
After the fresh reminder of who Satoru was and what he was capable of, no noble would dare defy
him.
Her family had their hands tied up. They could not disinherit her without indirectly insulting
Satoru, they couldn't even ask for her to be returned as he already took her in as a ward, and the
insult may seem even greater than before.
It was political maneuvering at its finest, something Renner always exceeded at. Knowing that her
friend went so far to ensure her freedom could do nothing but warm Lakyus' heart. The golden
ribbon signifying her loyalty was still firmly tied around her wrist, as she could not bring her sword
everywhere anymore.
"-you not done with it YET?!"
The loud voice of Rayne took her out of her deep train of thought as she returned to the current time
and location she was in.
"Shut up! It's not like you mastered anything in it yet as well!"
Arche rebutted, making the other boy grimace.
"Still… I finished it…"
He mumbled under his breath.
"Yeah, without understanding one third of what was within!"
The other girl continued mercilessly.
By now Lakyus just ignored them as this was as common of an occurrence as the sun rising each
morning. Those two did nothing but argue most of the time. It was kind of cute, like kittens roaring
at each other, believing themselves lions.
'Maybe it is a competitive thing? They are both Satoru's apprentices after all…' she mused in her
head. . 'A rival… uhm…' the concept really fascinated her, her two teachers were rivals after all,
and from their conflict they extracted their will to improve. She wondered if she should try and
find a rival too.
The two magic casters were still throwing insults at each other, and seeing how the whole
discussion was going to escalate she decided to put an end to it.
"Quit this at once! Both of you!"
Both of them immediately shut their mouths and cowered. In the time they lived together Lakyus
obtained a kind of strict older sister status.
Since she arrived, she tried to organize their activities and duties in a methodical schedule, as if she
was planning a training session. This was, after all, one of the things Master Brain taught her
during training, optimizing time and energy to achieve the best possible result.
To say her two housemates were not fond of it was an understatement. For some unknown reason,
they much preferred their chaotic way of living. It got so bad that at one point Lakyus' patience
came to a boiling point and finally challenged the duo to a duel to settle things.
That was the first and only time in which she saw them agreeing and cooperating to reach a
common goal. Defeating her.
Unluckily for them, Lakyus had both the power and experience to be far more than they could
handle. And so, after defeating them, her word became law inside Satoru's manor.
She sighed in exasperation. 'Is this what it feels like to be a leader?' she never ordered anybody
around before those two, even her servants were never ordered around like this. She wondered if
her circumstances brought her to be like this. Maybe... maybe it was killing… People said that
killing changes you… Lakyus, on the contrary, never felt much changed after the tournament.
But maybe that was the point, changing without even seeing the change in the first place. She
shook her head, that was not the time to muse on such things.
"Listen, let's finish up and start our afternoon routine, I am sure you have things to do as much as I
do."
{Ro-Lente's Castle}
{Renner's P.O.V.}
The black-haired maid gently stroked the golden cascade of hair with a silver comb.
The third princess looked at her reflection, making sure her hair were cared for as she wished.
After all, it had been Satoru who said he liked long hair in one of their many conversations in the
last months.
She never cared much for her hair, but since then she started growing them and, since Lakyus was
gone, she had to hire one of the maids to ensure they reached their maximum potential.
"My Princess, some say the Marquis of Flowers is increasing raids against the criminal life in his
territory. Isn't that a magnificent show of noble prowess?"
The maid broke the silence. 'Old news… that fool is trying to poke the dragon again…' she wasn't
impressed at all by Blumrush's poor choice. The only reason he was left alive at all was to be a
living weapon against Jircniv. If things ever went south, she could always use him as a scapegoat
to justify a war against the empire. But she was sure it would not come to it.
She gestured for the maid to go on.
"The Lady of Dreams still entertains the Knight of Flowers, and my Lady of Sin is yet to leave the
side of her beloved husband. How romantic…"
The black-haired maid continued her tale. It was always good to know how family members were
doing.
"Thieves and rats seem all to sing the same song and praise the mighty darkness who protects them
all."
'Nothing new to report in short' the princess summarized in her mind.
The castle was a dangerous place, and she knew that her ears weren't the only ones who could
listen through walls. Also, she probably shouldn't have let her father give her so much credit for the
squishing of those vermin. Now she had far too many eyes on her and it was starting to annoy her
to dangerous levels.
Every week she received requests for fostering her, or proposals for future betrothals from every
single noble still alive.
Now that she showed just a little bit of her mind to those simpletons, they were all rushing to her
like flies to a fresh carcass. It was simply disgusting, to think that in some alternative reality she
could have been sold to one of those… things.
She felt the comb leaving her hair and looked as the maid settled it aside. She was one of the maids
responsible for her womb lender's early demise. She was one of her favorites, she knew when to
shut up and when Renner wanted to be left alone. She knew how to make her hair shine like gold,
and she had just the right sense of subtlety to not be a nuisance to work with.
"My Princess' hair is very easy to brush, most ladies with such lengths of hair are a nightmare to
care for."
Ah! She forgot to say that she was rather good at flattering, too. Not that Renner cared much for
such empty compliments, she would rather receive a pat from Satoru for a job well done other than
these empty bootlicking.
Speaking of which, it had been a week since the last time she visited him. She missed the time
when she could do such a thing almost daily, nowadays she was filled up with paperwork and fake
pleasantries to appease her fake image to those fools.
'It is for a good cause… In time, I will be able to spend every day with my Satoru'. That was the
reasoning she used to convince herself and gather the strength to wake up every day.
Satoru himself didn't visit the castle often, if at all, even now that he was welcome as a member of
the court. She was pretty sure that was due to the presence of her stupid sister, who could be
nothing but a nuisance to him.
Oh, how she wished she had been born earlier… she could have been the one being betrothed to
Satoru then, and everything would be alright by now.
Speaking of growing, she had been rather happy with her own for now. She had grown 3
centimeters this month alone. She gently caressed her crown which was currently sitting on her lap.
Her first gift and token of Satoru's love for her. She felt like smiling at the sole thought, but she
restrained herself, her true smile was only reserved for Satoru and Satoru alone.
"You have brushed the hair of many noble ladies to make such a statement, I imagine."
The sarcasm was clear in her tone, but the maid never stopped her movements.
"No, my Princess, but does hair even have a difference depending on which hole a girl crawls out
of?"
Her sassiness was amusing to a certain degree, she reminded Renner of Lakyus, a great loss. It
wasn't like she couldn't see her first friend anymore, but only now that she was no longer around
she understood how much her presence meant to her usual day to day life.
She would have liked to retake her as her handmaiden, but circumstances forced her hand to take
drastic actions.
The perfect plan would have been for her to be taken as a ward by Satoru but that was a childish
dream that could not happen. It was already unheard of to have a royal child, no matter if she was
the third princess, be sent as a ward to a noble house. And even if she could go against that, her
sister was already betrothed to said noble, it would be a suspicious move and would be
counterproductive in the long run. To reach her goal of becoming queen she needed to be an active
player in the game, she could not be relegated to the position of ward.
The thought of her sister being betrothed to Satoru was one she tried to avoid. The only reason
resting her hand from having an example made out of her, like she did with her womb lender, was
the knowledge that such a union would not come to be, and that Satoru was purposely avoiding her.
Satoru was hers and hers alone! Her half-sister was only a stepping stone, an instrument to achieve
the future they wished for! She was sure Satoru would be faithful to her until the time came for
them to be tied together forever.
But she was just rambling now, it was time to come back to the here and now and stop gazing into
the future.
"You are a smart girl Amy, I am sure you will go far."
Giving some gratification to underlings was a great and easy way to ensure loyalty. She noticed
this thanks to Satoru. It was such a foreign concept to her and the Kingdom classist system, but it
had served her plans well, nonetheless. 'Still, another thing for which to be grateful to Satoru for'
she thought, jumping down her chair after the maid was done.
"Should I go ask for Sir Gazef?"
Amy asked, bowing her head slightly.
"Yes, you should."
Renner confirmed.
It had been hard to get Gazef to accompany her these last months. Of course, he never refused her,
but she could feel the sense of awkwardness that assaulted him every time he and Satoru met.
Something had clearly gone wrong between the two, but she had no intention of interfering or
letting such a thing interfere with her relationship with Satoru.
{Carne Village}
{Enri's P.O.V.}
The blond girl carried the heavy wooden bucket with both her hands, water shifting toward
opposite edges rhythmically, following the movements of the girl.
"Hey little Enri! What are you doing?"
A man moving in her opposite direction asked. He was tall, taller than her father even, and he wore
a shining armor set, like the one in her mother's fairy tales.
She knew this man, as he was one of the four currently living in her father's barn.
"I'm bringing water to mom! Sister needs it, she's fallen sick today!"
She said energetically, as the man chuckled.
"You must be pretty strong to lift that, are you sure you don't need help?"
He asked, concerned, but the blond only scoffed. She was Enri Emmot! She could lift all the water
buckets she wanted!
To show her resolve she left the bucket hanging from one hand as she lifted the other to show her
arm's muscles.
"I am the strongest! I can take care of myself just fine!"
She exclaimed before grabbing again the handle of the bucket as she felt it slip a bit from her other
hand. A bold statement, but true nonetheless. Among the fellow 10 years old in the village, she was
definitely the strongest, even stronger than the boys.
The man gave her a look before laughing at her antics.
"Sure girl! Keep up the good work!"
He said before ruffling her hair and leaving toward the forest.
Enri pouted at being treated like a little girl but proceeded with her duty without hesitation.
It only took a few more minutes before she reached her house. She settled down the bucket and
opened the door. Her family didn't have a big house, well, no one really did in Carne Village. Her
house consisted of a living room, used as a kitchen too, and a bedroom for her parents. She slept in
the small attic. A space she knew she would soon share with her sister.
"Mom! I brought water!"
She cried out Her mother immediately came out of her bedroom, gesturing for her to be silent. Enri
obeyed and followed her mother quietly.
As she entered her parents' bedroom, she immediately noticed the small child sleeping in the large
bed, her reddish hair so similar to her father's.
Her mother immediately took her bucket and used it to fill the small basin next to the bed.
"Nemu's fever went down for now, it would be better to let her sleep and rest."
Her mother whispered and Enri energetically nodded.

They left the room soon after and her mother used the remaining water to fill the iron pot in the
hearth.
In that instant, a familiar smell invaded Enri's nose, making her smile.
"Are we having pork today?"
She asked, her mother nodded.
"Yes, we will need to wait for your father to get home though."
Enri pouted at those words. Her father had been far too absent for her liking lately. It was a
consequence of their increased wealth, but still, that didn't mean she would like it.
In the past, they could have meat only once every two months or so. Nowadays, they could eat it
once per week. That shift came just a few months ago with the arrival of the adventurers. There
were a lot of them being hired to go into the forest apparently, and many used border villages like
Carne as a momentary base of operation for their quests.
At first Enri didn't like them at all, even less when her father allowed a group to stay in their barn
for a price. They were loud and full of themselves, the arrogance in their tone was making her feel
somewhat inferior.
Everything changed when one of the groups came back with one of their members heavily injured.
Her mother took care of the wound and nursed the adventurer back to an acceptable level. In that
moment, she saw the fear in the adventurers' eyes, and how they masked that fear of death they
experienced daily behind a mask of pride.
She started talking to them, and she discovered many things about the world outside her village. As
a child, she mostly thought that everybody lived like in her village, but listening to the tales of
those adventurers who traveled all over the kingdom made her understand how much she was
wrong and how much there was to see in the world.
Their newly acquired wealth, thanks to the rent paid by the adventurers, also pushed her father to
go to the nearest city, E-Rantel, and start doing business there. That brought him to be away for at
least a week each month, something Enri didn't like, but, after a talk with her father, acknowledged
as a necessity.
It had been three months since the arrival of the adventurers and the whole village seemed to have
prospered in that period. Her family wasn't the only one to have offered a place to rent for the
groups after all. They seemed to give out silver like it was copper, and the villagers were smart
enough to capitalize on it.
Enri herself was capable of counting, as her father taught her to do so in the last few years, and so
was able to understand how much of a difference the adventurers' presence made.
The door of her house opening ended her musings on the past, as the figure of her tired but smiling
father came into view. She immediately ran to him for a hug, which was soon returned as her father
lifted her off the ground.
"Papa!"
She said joyfully as her father swung her around.
"My little En! You grew up even more!"

He said as he settled her down.
"Welcome back darling."
Her mother said as she went to kiss her father on the cheek.
"How was your trip?"
She asked.
"It went well, but I will tell you more over lunch."
He answered as his stomach gave a growl of agreement with the man.
"Did you bring me something?"
Enri asked impatiently. It wasn't like she wanted anything, even if most of her girl friends would
have probably asked for some pretty dress, Enri wasn't really that type of girl. What she wanted
was something else.
Her father smirked as he got an envelope out of his jacket and passed it to her.
"From your boyfriend, with love."
He teased, making Enri blush madly and start stuttering.
"H-He i-isn't m-my b-boyfriend!"
She rebutted, outraged at the sole thought.
"Ahahah… young love…"
Her father said sarcastically, making her pout before turning and retreating from the losing battle.
While her mother was preparing lunch, she opened her envelope revealing a few pages of written
text. That was what she wished for, a lengthy letter from her friend, Nfirea Bareare. The skinny
boy who liked plants and lived in E-Rantel.
She first met the boy a few years back, he came to her village with his grandmother in search of
rare plants which could only be found in the Great Forest of Tob.
He was being bullied by the other village boys as he was skinny and shy. Enri gave them a lesson
they wouldn't easily forget. That event started their unlikely friendship. They could only meet each
other once every few months, but the girl found herself oddly at peace in the presence of the
awkward boy.
She even started learning how to write to send him letters while they were separated. It was only
when she got to a decent level that she realized she had no way to send said letters to her friend.
Or, at least, that was until her father started to visit E-Rantel with a certain frequency. She couldn't
still write as good as her friend did, and she was sure her letters were full of errors and far shorter
than she wanted them to be. Still, she was improving every time they exchanged correspondence.
Ever since she spoke to the adventurers, she started asking her friend for more details on life in the
city or if he knew of any of the places those adventurers spoke about. Her friend seemed eager to
indulge her, and even do some research on the stuff she was curious about.
So it was no wonder that she got all excited when her father brought her letters from Nfi. It was not
love! Not at all! No matter how much her father teased her about it! She was just curious about
things, and her friend was helping her with it! That's all!
Shaking her head to set those thoughts aside, she immediately returned to reality and, with all the
eagerness of a curious 10 year old, she started devouring her letter.
{Satoru's Mansion}
{Leinas' P.O.V.}
She swung her spear with perfect accuracy, aiming for her opponent's legs; it would have been a
quick blow if it wasn't for her opponent's battle awareness. Her strike was dodged with a jump and
a blade was brought down on her. Still, that would not be enough.
She already regained much of her strength since her curse was removed, and now her battle
prowess was as great as during her golden days. With elegance, she used the opposite end of her
spear to parry the blow.
Her opponent remained there, in the air, unable to dodge what was to come next. Leinas brought
her kick right into her opponent's lower ribcage. She, of course, held herself back as the power
behind the kick was already amplified by her opponent's momentum.
As expected, the swordswoman was launched back by the power of Leinas' kick and landed on all
four, gasping for air that had been suddenly kicked out of her lungs.
"L-[Light Healing]"
The swordswoman used her divine spell to heal herself from any bruises she would have sustained
during their training. That signified the end of said period and prompted Leinas to sheathe her
lance.
"Are you okay, My Lady?"
She asked, crouching down and helping her fellow blond up.
"I-I told you to not c-call me like that… Lakyus is fine."
The other responded, as she was still catching up with her breath.
"As you wish, Lady Lakyus."
Leinas acknowledged her mistress' wish, but that still brought a groan out of the shorter blond.
"Let's get inside, it's getting dark."
The defeated tone of her mistress brought some guilt to the former Empire knight, but she had been
the one to ask her to not hold back while training, so it could not possibly have been her fault.
Still, she could not help but admire her Lady in some way. She truly was a gifted fighter. Leinas
was almost 10 years her senior and trained for her whole life in the art of fighting. And yet, her
Lady was able to keep up with her for quite some time before her defenses eventually crumbled
under her unrelenting assaults.
Losing to a knight 10 years your senior was nothing to be embarrassed about. But Leinas was no
mere knight, after the extermination of her and her fiancée's families, she was asked by the emperor
himself to become one of his personal knights. An honorable position offered on the top of the top
in the Empire. She refused of course, she had a debt to repay, a debt of a life.
And so she began her journey to find her Lady. It was not as great an adventure as people would
believe. All she had to do was reach Re-Estize's capital and ask around for her other benefactor,
Satoru the magic caster, or as he was known now, Marquis Satoru the King's Justice.
She reunited with her Lady five months ago. Her Lady was a strange fellow in Leinas' eyes. She
was wise for her age, usually coming to solutions Leinas herself would not have considered. She
was no great thinker, but she could acknowledge the mental prowess of others.
Her Lady usually ignored basic noble etiquette in exchange for bluntness and convenience, a thing
Leinas could respect as she was much the same in that regard. She also seemed to be unstoppable
in her pursuit of power, and she didn't mean it in the bad way. She was not a power-hungry woman,
not at all, she just acknowledged the reality of their world. Those with no power could do nothing
but bow their heads and submit, her Lady told Leinas as much.
It took some time to finally have her Lady open up to her and share her dream with her. To create a
world where strength didn't dictate a person's future. A vision completely opposite to the current
state of the world, a dream many would have scoffed at and belittled as a childish fantasy. Not that
Leinas could blame anyone for thinking so, as that was the first thing that came to her mind once
her Lady opened up with her.
But still, she could not help but admire her Lady's conviction and sheer willpower. She wasn't even
a grown woman, and yet she exercised everyday and strived toward her goal one step at a time.
She trained with Leinas until her body was sore, and while it was recovering, she spent her time
with the holy texts Lord Satoru kindly offered her due to her request.
She seemed to have found her way following the God of Water and his teachings about respect,
acceptance, and kindness. Divine spells seemed to come naturally to her, it was yet another gift she
received from life. And a welcomed one at that as she was specializing in healing spells, which
allowed her to recover faster while still training one of her skills.
After a few minutes of walking the two of them finally reached the main structure of the mansion.
Leaving what was once a garden, now turned training ground for them and Lord Satoru's two
apprentices, behind them.
The new Marquis allowed Leinas to live there with her Lady, with the condition of her working to
earn her place there. If there was something she learned in these last months was that the elusive
noble detested slackers of any kind.
Most would never dream to force nobles to work like peasants, but he was different, for him
showing one's diligence and willingness to better themselves in all fields was something to be
praised and admired. Leinas could respect that and even found it useful as she never before
managed to grasp the art of bargaining, a skill that would have served well any noble with some
ambition.
Most nobles simply didn't realize how many coins they were wasting everyday as they found the
art of bargaining something beneath them. Something only poor peasants would do to try and steal
what they were too poor to buy. One of the most foolish notions ever imparted to her, she noticed.
Bargaining was part of life itself, not only with money but with everything else. Bargaining opened
the doors to far too many otherwise inaccessible paths in life.
"Hey, Leinas…"
Her thoughts were interrupted by her Lady calling for her attention.
"Yest?"
She gave her complete attention to the younger girl, who fidgeted on the place seemingly unsure if
to speak or not.
"I was thinking… do you- I mean! How about… uhm…

wouldyouliketobecomeanadventurerandcreateateam?"
The young noble blurted out with uncertainty clear in her voice.
It took Leinas a few seconds to understand what the younger girl asked her, but she didn't hesitate.
"If that is what my Lady wishe-"
She couldn't even finish before she was interrupted.
"NO! I mean… I don't want to force you! This is a path I chose for myself! I don't want you
risking… well… that thing… happening to you again…"
Leinas physically cringed as her hand immediately went to her right cheek and eye, strong fingers
caressing soft and healthy flesh.
For all her willpower and pride, the mental scar of that period still hunted her in her nightmares.
She had no intention of returning to that situation, no matter what.
She was a knight, though, and her oath had value. Was her word so worthless that she would run at
the first sign of danger?
The worst thing was that she knew the answer, for all it was shameful to even think about it.
'Coward' that word echoed in her mind like an incandescent dagger, stabbing through her guts.
She felt a reassuring hand caressing her back. Her eyes darted to the smaller figure next to her.
"It's all right, I understand. I think I will manage alone just fine."
She said, her tone more contained and sweet than Leinas ever heard her be.
And in that moment her soul wept in powerless anger.
{Hilma's P.O.V.}
Having the boy and girls start working in the shop had been a great move from Satoru's side. She
appreciated his own way of lifting some of the most time-consuming work from her shoulders.
Now that Seven Hands were nestling into Satoru's new territory, her workload got technically
lighter, but at the same time more complicated as now Seven Hands' link to Satoru was known by
the most important people in the kingdom.
Most minor nobles let them be out of fear, but some tried to eradicate Seven Hands' bases from
their territories. A fool's errand, to be sure. Seven Hands had become an integral part of their cities'
economy and social life. Trying to eradicate them was like eradicating the lifestyle of their own
citizens. No wonder many of those nobles were facing rebellions left and right.
Even Marquis Raeven understood that it was useless to fight them and instead he limited himself to
isolating them, avoiding further expansion. A peaceful cohabitation was the best they could hope
for, unless they wanted to unleash civil war in their territories. But she doubted there would be
anyone foolish enough to do so.
Her work was interrupted by the cheerful humming of a tune foreign to her ears, coming from the
only other occupant of the room. A towering skeleton with crimson flames for eyes who was busy
tracing lines on a map.
It was strange to hear such a melodic voice, that could come from anyone on the streets, coming
from the dreadful undead, but Hilma could not help but be amused by it.
The truth was that the monster before her could be as sweet at heart as he appeared dreadful.
It brought a smile to her face to see him putting together what he had planned to be his next great
adventure. For all he was good with business, the true nature of Satoru remained the one of an
explorer who could not wait to unravel all kinds of mysteries and artifacts around the world.
She had come to realize it when he explained to her how he planned to explore the Azerlisia
Mountains and find the runesmiths of the Dwarven Kingdom. The sheer joy, emotion and passion
she could feel emanating from his tone were the strongest she ever registered during her time spent
with the undead.
That idea had been stuck in his head for the longest time he told her, ever since he came back from
his trip to the Empire, when he came into contact with a runic weapon.
Unfortunately for him, the events that transpired afterwards took all of his attention and the
aftermath left him and her busy for months. But now that the situation had subsided for the
moment, it was time for him to return to his original plan.
The two of them planned the best route for an exploration at the fullest of his possibilities.
That was why they started hiring adventurer groups to scan and map the Great Forest of Tob, as
that would be the starting point that would then bring them to the base of the mountains.
Yes, that tiny detail always slipped her mind, he planned to bring with him a brigade of children.
Conjuring the image to her mind almost made her laugh. Well, initially he planned to only bring
the princess and Lakyus, but then she made him notice how leaving behind his two apprentices
wouldn't look that good and would wound the two's feelings, so they got added. Then that Empire
knight started following Lakyus around like her shadow, and their little group became a full blown
adventurer team.
Well, judging by his humming, he didn't seem worried at all. He seemed almost tranquil about it.
Maybe that was just an undead thing, she wasn't sure.
"Uhm, Hilma, come here and take a look! There seems to be some kind of lake here… maybe we
should make a quick stop to admire it?"
He called for her and she obliged, amused to know what else stirred the curiosity of her benefactor.
Chapter End Notes

Chapter End Notes

Company of Seven
Chapter Notes
The brown-haired princess gritted her teeth in frustration. To say she was furious would be an
understatement, she was livid!
'How dare he?! HOW DARE HE!?' she felt like she was about to explode, and the source of it all
was the damned newly appointed noble, the magic caster Satoru.
She saw the wonderful dress her betrothed gifted her younger sister as her 9th birthday came. The
little imp had been smugly flaunting it ever since she got it.
From there, her expectations were high. After all, if his worth limited itself to his money, she could
certainly expect an even greater gift for when her own birthday came, right?
Wrong! She got nothing! Absolutely nothing! Her so-called betrothed didn't even show up at the
official feast! It had been such a humiliation! She could almost see the cruel grins nicely hidden
behind honeyed words many a noble reserved for her.
She would have considered throwing herself off a tower if it wasn't for her gallant Lord Erik, the
blonde and dashing heir of house Blumrush, who gifted her the sweetest roses she ever smelled.
Ever since the two of them met in that garden almost a year ago, they began to talk and speak in
secret or else, she was sure, her father would have done everything to stop such a scandal from
happening. Even more since her betrothal.
Lord Erik liked books, just like her, but he didn't shy away from his training as a knight either, as
his well-toned and muscular body confirmed.
The sweet poetry he wrote for her and whispered in her ears melted her heart every time, as did the
many gifts he often presented to her. If her situation was normal, she would have gladly laid with
him and gifted him her most prized possession, regardless of her father's wishes. In any other
situation, she was sure even her father would have just allowed the marriage to avoid dire
consequences and rumors spreading.
But this was no normal situation. She wasn't betrothed to just any noble, she was betrothed to the
most ruthless and powerful noble in all of Re-Estize. The one the court named the Executioner. A
name both born from the bloodbath he ordered and the habit of always wearing a dark mask. Many
frightened whispers said he did so to always be ready to remove some heads if the need arose.
She was frightened by the entirety of it. And even more, she was frightened of the mere thought of
what would happen if he ever learnt of her and Erik's secret relationship. The only one who could
stop his hand was her father, but even he would have difficulties in doing so if such a scandal came
to be public knowledge.
She often whispered of her fears when the gentle knight held her in his arms. He would wipe away
her tears with his sweet words and promises. He told her of how he would challenge the fiend if her
fears came to be true. But for all it would have been beautiful to live in such an illusion, the harsh
reality left no doubt on what would happen if such a duel came to be.
Lord Erik was a great knight and all, but against the might of the magic caster, who was rumored to
be on the same level as the current strongest one in the whole continent, she had little doubt on the
outcome.
And even for all the nonexistent love she felt toward her betrothed, she could not help but feel hurt
by his constant distance from her.
She was his soon to be wife, for crying out loud! The mother of his future children! What kind of
man didn't care for that?!
Then… a single thought hit her, in the silence of her room, a new fear assaulted her. 'NO… no…
he wouldn't!... he couldn't… my father would never allow such a thing!' she reassured herself. But
still the thought didn't leave her… no… it insinuated her mind.
In the few times she came to visit him in his mansion, for he never showed himself at court, he had
always either been with his ward or that other woman a few years her senior. The few interactions
she saw him sharing with the two were far warmer than the cold indifference he reserved for her.
Could It be that he planned to have them carry his children and later legitimize them as his heirs?
Leaving her as nothing more than a trophy?
On one small note, if that was the case, she would not have to lay with him. But the point still
remained! Such a thing would be the ultimate humiliation, something even worse than having to
lay with him and produce his offspring!
But that couldn't be, right? He certainly couldn't set her aside for that other common whore and
that girl who just barely had her first blood!
She tried to reassure herself that this wasn't her fate, that her father would never allow it. But, if
there was something she has learnt in the last year, it was that nothing was assured or set in stone.
This world was ever shifting… and the one who decided its movement was not on her side.
{Rampossa's P.O.V.}
The king pushed aside the current papers detailing taxation for the previous year as he felt a
headache begin to form. His youngest already gave it a read and had nothing to say about it, so it
should have been fine.
Normally he shouldn't even have been the one dealing with such matters, but many of the ministers
dealing with economics had been found out to be traitors during the now called Great Purge.
His youngest suggested that it would be wise for some time to let the crown administer these
matters, to show their control over their own kingdom after such a huge conspiracy was exposed to
the light.
He couldn't really deny her way of thinking, but still, the weight of this additional job began to add
a great toll to his already busy schedule. Fortunately, it had been Renner herself that had mostly
looked into it, exposing many loopholes to grant nobles special tax-exempt rights. Something he
revoked as soon as his daughter explained to him how detrimental it was to have the richest people
in the country not paying taxes and instead raising the ones of their citizens to make up for it.
Oh, dear Gods, how he wished he hadn't done that! Letters of complaints began to arrive left and
right, there wasn't a day where at least a dozen nobles didn't ask for a meeting with him to
complain about it.
Even his temper had its limits and, by now, he began to not so kindly tell them all that others, like
Marquis Satoru, were paying their taxes in full and if they had a problem he could always call him
to explain how he does manage to both pay taxes and maintain control over his land.
That usually shut the minor nobility up for good. The fear that name brought to the entire nobility
was nothing to scoff at. In his long life Rampossa never saw any noble flee the scene so quickly
without obtaining what they wanted or complaining profusely.
He knew that threats weren't the best way of making nobility comply, but he was far too tired of
these worthless squabbles.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock to his door. He didn't even have the time to answer when
the door opened. Of all the inhabitants of the royal palace, there was only one who dared to display
such disrespect towards him, and her presence always brought a smile to his face.
Her long golden hair cascaded along her back, almost reaching her midsection. A short little thing
sporting a deep blue gown and a golden crown with shining blue gemstones encased into it.
"Father, I hope I am not disturbing you."
She said in her still childish but serious tone.
"Ah Renner, go ahead."
With those words he gestured for her to take a seat.
"There is no need father, I am here simply to convey my regards one last time before I depart."
She announced her reason for coming here. Rampossa pressed his lips against each other to avoid
saying something he might later regret.
He wasn't happy at all with his daughter's decision to leave the capital once more, seeing how
disastrous her last period abroad had been for the kingdom. But at the same time he knew that
negating this to her would only antagonize her and push her to find others, probably not so safe,
ways of escaping.
But who could blame him? As a father he could not just accept his daughter leaving toward
unexplored lands filled to the brim with dangerous demi-humans, no matter the protection.
To make matters even worse, this time, it had been the new marquis, Satoru himself, to ask the
princess to accompany him on his trip to the Dwarven Kingdom.
She, on her part, had been ecstatic ever since. To see her so happy and excited about something
brought both pain and shame to his heart. He, in all his years, had never managed to make one of
his children as happy as the magic caster did. Once again, he asked himself what kind of father he
had been to never be able to bring such joy to his own children.
Even if the happiness was related to completely different things from what he expected. A normal
child would be excited about seeing more of the world or seeing what kind of entertainment they
could see only there and nowhere else. But not Renner, not his Renner. She was far too busy seeing
how their government worked, how they could sustain their economy without import or export,
how does a demi-human country work and in which classes it is divided. And many other things he
could barely remember.
All of this only to increase her understanding of the working of the world outside the mainly human
countries. Something even the most invested diplomats would hardly try due to the stigma of the
faith on demi-humans. But this was his Renner. Where people saw rocks she could see gold, and
she had been right every step of the way to this day.
"Ah, maybe you are still worried about my safety?"
Her sweet voice snapped him back to reality.
"You are too paranoid father, I will have Satoru and Gazef guarding me, not counting Lakyus, my
bodyguard, and the two apprentices of Satoru…"
She said for the tenth time since he shared his worries with her.
It was true that such a team could assure his daughter's safety, but he could not stop worrying.
These were mostly unexplored lands, who knew what could happen or what could be hiding there?
Satoru was a magic caster said to be of equal power to Fluder Paradyne, the greatest human magic
caster. Gazef was the strongest warrior in the whole kingdom and, judging by his own words, the
Aindra heir was a fearsome foe in battle, someone who could even come to surpass him in less
than a decade, as the Warrior Captain himself admitted. He knew little of the other three, a
commoner of the kingdom, a noble child and a knight of the empire, but if someone could manage
to catch Satoru's eye, he was sure such an individual would be far from ordinary.
"Even if the situation gets too dangerous, remember that Satoru is capable of using the
[Teleportation] spell which could send everybody far away from the danger in less than a few
instants."
She continued to assure his fears. And he could do nothing but begrudgingly accept her reasoning.
"Could you begrudge an old man for being paranoid and worried about his youngest daughter, not
even 10 years of age, leaving for a dangerous land?"
He asked in a mocking tone addressed to himself. The blond princess just smiled in return.
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, father."
{Satoru's mansion}
{Rayne's P.O.V.}
"Y-you can't be for real…"
He stuttered out as his fellow apprentice used a muttered spell to let her trunk levitate and follow
her around.
"What's your problem?!"
She angrily retorted.
"We are going on a trip in a forest and up a mountain! How in the world should we transport that?!
What could even be so important that you had to bring all that stuff?!"
He asked. Surely, she would see his reasoning this time. She couldn't deny this too!
"Humph, your ignorance never stops to amaze me! We are going away for literal months! Do you
expect me to only wear this all the damn time?"
She gestured to her current outfit before widening her eyes and placing a hand over her mouth.
At first, Rayne didn't understand what was wrong, but then it hit him too. He never heard her use
such vulgar language in front of anyone before. 'Maybe the adventurers are having an influence on
her?' he wondered as he himself found using such words more natural in the last few months. Once
he even received a pan on the back of his head, courtesy of his mother, for saying it out loud at
dinner.
Speaking of which, his mother had been inconsolable ever since the news of his departure were
announced. She said that he was too young for such a dangerous trip, and, for a time, it seemed like
he would not be allowed to go. That was until, seeing his plight, his father intervened and, after
speaking with Satoru, managed to convince his reluctant mother as well. She even sewed him a red
scarf for the harsher climate of the Azerlisia Mountains. Said scarf was nicely hidden in his giant,
filled to the brim backpack.
"I too have a change of clothes! But that is for emergencies! We learned the [Clean] spell for a
reason!"
He protested, making the blond girl scoff.
"Tsk! I know that, you dolt! But even that spell cannot fix your smell! You are still going to stink
like a pig in a couple of weeks! I have no intention of shaming myself like that!"
For all he hated to admit it, he found himself at a loss there. Lowborn like him and a highborn like
her really lived in two different worlds. For most of his life he didn't even consider smelling as
something bad. Sure, when it became unbearable people would bath and remove that stench. But
for nobles like Arche, smelling of anything that wasn't their perfumes seemed like a sin or shame
far too great to bear.
He could admit that such a thing made passing time with her far more pleasurable than passing
time with any other girl he knew. But sometimes he thought that such mindset would only be
detrimental for all involved in the end.
He refrained from pointing out that they would probably pass near rivers and the occasion to wash
properly would present itself. In almost a year of living together he learnt that such comments
would only lead to endless discussions, and he would end up running away from some kind of
spell.
"Suit yourself then. I'm just saying, you are going to deal with Master Satoru for it."
He said, delegating the whole thing to his teacher, and silently apologizing for it. From her part,
the girl smugly smiled back at him.
"Eh? You think I'm a fool? Inside this trunk there are many important books that we should study
while we are away for such a long time… it would be a great waste of time to just sit down and do
nothing during the whole trip."
That… he hadn't thought about at all… it was actually a pretty good excuse Master Satoru would
probably accept, knowing him. 'Sometimes I forget how sneaky she can be…' he internally
considered.
Deciding it would be better to drop the whole thing altogether, he turned, only to see Lakyus and
her lady knight Leinas transporting various barrels, probably containing supplies for their long trip.
He felt his face burn up as he gazed at the tight shirt the older girl was wearing. Not that it wasn't
decent, but recently his body began to have strange reactions to the presence or thoughts of said
girl. He felt pretty embarrassed about it, to say the least.
A hand suddenly descending on his shoulder made him jump.
"Stop fooling around, let us go help them."
His fellow apprentice ordered, not noticing, or caring about his blush.
As she surpassed him, his eyes could not help but descend on her lower back. He immediately shut
them. He had no idea why he had started acting like this all of a sudden, but he was rather
disturbed by the naturality with which his body acted.
Forcing his gaze upward he took in a deep breath before releasing it and sensing his tensed muscles
relax. Immediately he moved toward the barrels, trying to concentrate on anything else but the
resurging memory of the noble's naked and wet body imprinted in his head months ago.
'Shit… I'm really starting to act as a pervert…' he scolded himself before muttering his spells and
having two barrels levitate in the air.
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead overlooked his companions moving around the supplies for their incoming adventure.
To say he was excited would be an understatement. He was brimming with so much joy that he
himself was surprised his Emotional Suppression did not kick in yet.
He could finally leave all these previous months' crap behind and go away for a peaceful vacation.
As an undead who didn't need sleep, his perception of time became pretty shrewd over time. It
seemed like a lifetime ago when he last left for the empire.
Speaking of which, he had yet to hear back from Osk and if his investment in the Colosseum was
going as expected.
In the last months he heard of the rise of Go Gin, and consequently Osk, in that specific
entertainment field. The War Troll apparently defeated the previous Martial Lord and obtained his
title. The best thing being that Go Gin managed such a feat while using his Magic Items. If he had
to compare it with something in his previous life, it would be like if the most famous model made
their debut with a specific brand of clothes on.
In short, he had an incredible demand for Magic Items from the Empire by now. That had been an
unforeseen problem as he was already stretching his line thin with the huge shipment he made
toward the Draconic Kingdom. His production could not really stand up to the demand, not even by
using every single Magician Guild in the kingdom for production.
So, he found himself forced to set the prices higher in the empire than anywhere else in Re-Estize.
To say he was shocked when the orders barely diminished was an understatement. By now the
situation calmed down, but, for a couple months, he had been forced to use the few magic casters in
Seven Hands to create Magic Items, not speaking about pushing the Magician Guilds to their
limits. Not that he was a heartless exploiter, mind you. He made sure to give all involved a nice
juicy bonus for their extra work, he was sure that would placate their spirits.
He shook his head. This was no time to talk about averting economic crises. No, this was the time
to relax and enjoy an adventurer like he used to during the good old times.
Everything seemed ready right now, all he needed was for the few remaining members to arrive…
He didn't even manage to finish his thought as the ones he was expecting became visible in the
distance. Renner, Gazef and… a bunch of guards?
He was more confused than worried, telling the truth, but as usual, his mask managed to hide
every single one of his emotions with stoicism.
Now that he looked better, the usual tranquil smile the young princess sported was nowhere to be
seen. That was something that managed to unnerve him.
As the group reached his position, he waved at Gazef who answered in kind. Their relationship had
declined quite a lot from what it used to be before the whole purge thing, but they still remained on
amicable terms. A shame, really, in Satoru's opinion, but he was unwilling to apologize for the
things he had no responsibility for.
"Gazef, Renner, it is nice to see you two. Is everything fine?"
He asked, uncertain of what the situation was. The Warrior Captain just bit his lip as he glanced
back at the guards. Renner limited herself to give him a silent stare that he was sure was trying to
convey him something. He just didn't understand what exactly the young girl was hesitant about.
But the reason for their strange behavior didn't wait to let herself be known. An older girl, with
violet eyes and long light-brown hair came out from the group of guards and advanced toward him
at a threatening pace. The scowl on her face simply added to that impression. She stopped a few
centimeters from him, head forced up to look at his mask, as her height only allowed her to reach
his chest.
His confused mind actually didn't recognize her at first, and he was about to ask for clarifications
on her identity. Luckily for him, things jumped into place by observing the symbol of the royal
house engraved into her elegant dress.
This was the second princess, his betrothed. He almost felt like facepalming, he was far too carried
away by his own thoughts to recognize her at first glance. Something he knew he should correct
next time.
"My Princess, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
He asked with all the formality he could put together in his embarrassing position.
"Ah! So, she is Renner to you, but I am your princess?! You should be ashamed of yourself! How
dare you not even notify me of your departure! I only learnt today that you would be away for
months!"
She blurted out venomously at him, taking him aback for a moment. He should have indeed at least
said something, but what was all this fuss about names now? She seemed pretty pissed off he had
called her sister by her name… Well, that may have indeed been rude on his part, he was just so
used to it by now.
"Umu, indeed, I should have notified you, I deeply apologize for that."
He apologized as best he could, using all his low-ranking salaryman experience to his advantage.
Unfortunately, that move only seemed to embolden the princess in front of him.
"That isn't all! What in the world are you thinking, bringing with you that woman! And my half-
sister! Haven't you shamed me enough already?! Are you trying to make a trophy out of me?! Well,
you will not! Over my dead body!"
Her words became louder and louder. Fortunately they were in a private section of his mansion so
that no one could hear them.
The woman she was complaining about was probably Leinas, who was kindly ignoring her in favor
of finishing preparing the cart. But while Satoru had been understanding before, now he was
starting to lose his good mood. What was all that spite toward her sister? She just spat the title as if
it was something disgusting stuck between her teeth.
He glanced at Renner, who just answered with the blankest of stares… No wonder she had such a
need for some genuine affection, if this was the treatment she received her whole life. 'How in the
world does she think she is… to speak so arrogantly and questioning my choices?' that behavior
only intensified his belief in breaking this foolish engagement as soon as possible. He had no
intention of sharing more than the barest minimum of times with this young woman as it was
necessary.
In his eyes she was just like the megacorporations of his old world. Always ready to spit on
everything and everyone they considered below them. As if someone's worthiness was simply
decided at birth.
He knew, he just knew how much Renner struggled to get to the point she was now, how much she
had to do to avoid her country and family falling apart in a bloody civil war. To see such goodwill
and sacrifices only bringing spite just made his nonexistent blood boil.
"I would suggest you to leave princess, I am about to depart now and I can't afford delays."
He said, his etiquette taking over his deeper emotions. But unfortunately, the girl stood her ground.
"I. Will. Not. Accept. This."
She hissed, tapping him with her finger on the chest for every word as if that would somehow
make her point clearer.
"Then, I am sorry you feel this way."
He said before turning and marching toward the cart.
"Let us depart, we are done here."
He didn't manage to make even a few steps before he felt something grab at his robe.
"NO! No! We aren't done at all!"

All pretense of courtesy gone, the young woman launched herself against him, clinging at his robe
as if she could stop him.
"My Princess! This is not-"
Gazef tried to intervene, but he wasn't allowed to finish.
"Shut your mouth! You are just on his side! I guess fellow commoners would cover each other's
backs!"
While this was happening, Satoru was panicking. No, that wasn't the right word, panic would have
been just suppressed. It would be more correct to say he was experiencing a severe amount of
distress. In all his thirty years of life he had been in contact with just his mother, and more recently
Renner, no one else ever touched him apart from handshakes. No one ever even hugged him
before. And now he had a complete stranger pressing herself on him.
If it wasn't for his undead body, he was sure that by this time he would be hyperventilating. His
undead body, instead, limited itself to freezing up.
'This is wrong… I… I can't move!' his mind cried out as he tried to force his body to move, to do
anything to get out of that situation.
"Unhand me."
His words may have been a mere whisper but the dark tone he used made sure they would reach
everyone in the room.
"I said… Unhand me!"
This time his tone was more forceful and the energy it carried with it made everyone back off,
even the guards who had nothing to do with any of this.
He felt the grip on his robe relent as the weight of the body pressing against him disappeared.
Feeling like he could finally move again, he mentally sighed as he returned to a calmer state of
mind.
He turned back to see the second princess staring at him, terror written all over her face.
"Do not ever do that again."
His tone had returned to normal as he just backed away, leaving everyone frozen as if he just used
his [Time Stop] spell.
"I hate being late, so let us depart already."
He continued as if nothing ever happened, and this time no one moved to stop him.
{Arude Town}
{?}
The short cloaked woman entered the tavern. It was a nice establishment, unusual since it was not
too far from the bad part of town, but not that much surprising considering who owned the place.
In one of the corners five men were playing a card game while in the other some others were
having dinner. Not too far from the counter a girl was playing her flute in a tranquil melody.
The woman covered by a crimson cloak just ignored all of them and went straight for the counter,
where a middle-aged man was apparently drinking away his sorrow.
She sat at a respectable distance, waiting for the bartender to approach her. She turned around at
the sound of a loud thud, seeing the drinking blond man just fell face first on the countertop.
"Don't worry about Shell, he is gonna be fine, he has been like this ever since his little girl ran
away with her lover."
She snapped her head back to look in front of her only to meet a flaming red-haired man putting
away a couple of mugs.
"Are you the Wailer?"
She asked, her tone dead serious, as usual. The bartender just shrugged.
"Who's asking?"
He rebutted.
"A friend of a friend."
The man only snorted at her words.
"Then tell me… friend… what can I do for ya?"
He said, grabbing the used empty mug from in front of the downed blond man before proceeding to
start washing it.
"I've heard you know things, a lot of things, around here."
This caught the man's attention, he glanced at her with a quirked eyebrow.
"I try to do my best… so tell me what haunts you and the Wailer will clear your doubts."
The woman smiled mockingly under her mask, to her this so-called Wailer was nothing but a child
playing his role in some kind of comedy.
"I have not been in this kingdom for some years now… I found it quite changed since I last visited,
and I grew curious to know what happened while I was away… it was a surprise to discover that
most of those changes were brought by a single man."
Her gloved hand disappeared inside her cloak, only to pull out a pouch she placed on the counter.
The bartender became serious as he set aside the half-cleaned mug and opened the pouch, his eyes
widened at the sight of silver and gold coins.
"Ah, my young lady, you have come to the right place then… let me tell you about our new
Marquis… Lord Satoru… the King's Justice, the Executioner, the most powerful magic caster in all
of Re-Estize."
The man proceeded to tell her the tale of said man. From his humble beginnings to the political
intrigue he went through half a year ago.
It had been interesting, even if she already came to know most of this information already by other
sources. Still, she was most interested in the public perspective of such a figure. She could tell from
the tone of the man that he was a well liked fellow, someone who started building from nothing
and climbed the hierarchy to the top.
But that wasn't the information she was asking for. No, what interested her were the apparent
information the bartender was clearly glossing over.
"That is good an all but, the point I want to know about is the one you are so carefully avoiding."
The man stopped his ramblings at her words, giving her a hard look.
"The Wailer does not tell lies young lady, nor does he avoi-"
"Seven Hands."
She interrupted the man's excuses, her tone not much more than a whisper but it was enough to put
everyone on edge apparently.
The music stopped and the bartender placed his elbows on the counter, getting his face closer to
her mask.
"Who the hell are you… to be courageous or foolish enough to speak that name so easily. Take off
that mask and I might not throw you out right now."
His tone was completely different from before, as his dead serious green eyes scanned her every
angle. 'It was about time' she thought as they were finally getting somewhere with this.
"My reasons to keep this mask on are my own, I am only here to know more of them and how this
Satoru is linked to them."
She explained in a low tone. To her surprise, the man didn't even wait before shoving back her
pouch into her hand.
"Do you know why this tavern has been recently renamed The Deadly Drink, young lady?"
The masked woman didn't answer, wanting to know where the man was going with this.
"Years ago, I had a younger sister, not much over your age."
He began as his eyes darkened.
"My father was a worthless piece of trash who owed Marquis Boullope's son quite a lot of money
as he liked to bet… so, one day, he just took my sister and sold her to him… he even got some nice
silver coins as a bonus because she had a nice ass according to the noble."
The man said, not that his was any original story, she already heard hundreds of these.
"Oh, he enjoyed himself, whores and alcohol… he stayed away for three entire days before coming
back drunk, without a coin and a new debt on his shoulders… he got into bed and went to sleep
like nothing happened."
The blond man continued as a grin grew on his face, a sick joy written all over it, a joy which didn't
reach his eyes.
"So, I took a nice kitchen knife, got to my father's bed and cut his throat open like he deserved…
Oh, how he choked on his blood, the desperate gurgling of a shit stain of a man, those sounds still
lull me to sleep to this very day."
She didn't react to his words, that wasn't the worst story she heard, and she doubted this one would
make the top ten.
"But then, a few weeks later, I came to know that the Marquis' son had killed a slave… I came to
my sister's funeral, I looked at her body, and the only thing I could recognize were her eyes."
He sighed.
"But you know how things are, there are some people that are just untouchable… or so they like to
think… it turns out that some kind of karma really seems to exist in this world after all."
This time his grin expanded even more, inhumanly so, and coming from her, it was no compliment.
"When I heard that the castle was getting attacked, I could not believe my luck… I joined in of
course, I had no care for how or what they were trying to achieve… I only knew that if I didn't, I
would have regretted it forever."
He paused, allowing himself a deep breath.
"I found that fucker… and I just had with me the right thing… a little concoction a friend of mine
invented for… well, it is not something you should worry about… just you know it was a little
mixture of arsenic and a few secret ingredients… but I digress… I forced that shit stain's mouth
open and poured his last drink down his throat as if my life depended on it."
She heard a chuckle and she turned, seeing the previously slumped blond man grinning at them as
he listened.
"I tied that bastard and looked as he proceeded to convulse, vomit and shit himself, remaining
conscious the whole time… even as he began shitting out his own organs… a beautiful symphony
of pain, death and justice which lasted just a few hours unfortunately."
He concluded his tale as his eyes once more focused on her instead of a distant memory.
"So, young lady, this was a lesson to teach you not to ask such things, or you would risk ending up
like my sister or that noble cunt."
He spat the last words as if something disgusting got on his tongue.
The woman nodded and got up. After all, she already got all the information she needed, his
reluctance in approaching the point was confirmation enough of her theories.
She passed by the card players who just glanced at her, flashing her a grin before she left the
tavern.
It was about time to proceed to the next step.
She will get to the bottom of this.
Chapter End Notes


Into the Forest
Chapter Notes
Freedom, the ability to choose for oneself, the lack of chains around one's hands and leashes
around one's throat. That is what, above all, Satoru wished for and he felt like he finally got it.
A beautiful illusion it might be, but an illusion he intended to bask in for as much as possible,
nonetheless. Now… if it wasn't for the bickering children behind him, he could have enjoyed the
sight of nature more freely.
"I told you! Fire is the best option when it comes to offensive magic! It can easily harm both the
living and undead, normal monsters are hardly resistant to it! Lightning is just too limited in its
uses, apart from very specific cases fire will always be better."
The Empire's noble argued.
"Fire is only well and good when the opponent isn't naturally immune to it like most demons or
monsters living in certain areas! Also, it is pretty weak against heavily armored opponents! Due to
its large area of effect, lighting instead is perfectly capable of piercing any armor, unless
enchanted, and its required precision makes it one of the deadliest branches of magic if aimed
correctly!"
The brown-haired boy countered with indignation, as if his fellow student just insulted his mother
out of the blue.
"What about ice?"
Asked the blond noble swordswoman of the kingdom who, so foolishly, decided to join the
conversation. Both of his students turned back to her fire and lightning crackling in their blazing
glares.
""ICE IS LAME!""
They both cried out in indignation at the sole thought of using said element.
Satoru just felt like slamming his skull against a wall… he knew that having them read Ulbert's
guide to Newbies Arcane Magic Casters wasn't a great idea… and yet, he did it nonetheless. 'It
would have been okay… they said… there was nothing to worry about… they said…' he wallowed
in his despair, as his head lowered his gaze fell on the figure currently pressed against his side.
Her long, blond hair falling like a cascade at the side of her visage. She had her eyes closed as if
she was sleeping deeply. If she had a pair of white wings, Satoru could swear she was an angel,
which felt quite unreal considering her usual devilish smile. How could such a visage produce that
kind of expression was a mystery Satoru couldn't possibly solve.
'Is that gap moe enough for you, Tabula?' he thought as he imagined his friend's expression at
meeting a living representation of his ideal waifu's personality. He never understood the squid for
brains' obsession over such things, he gave up after meeting the guy's first creation who literally
caused Pero to disconnect from the game due to his heartbeat skyrocketing to dangerous heights.
He chuckled amusingly as he proceeded to pet the princess out of habit. Her blue eyes immediately
snapped open, focusing on him as if waiting for him to speak.
Meanwhile, the ruckus in the backside of his cart subsided. He had to buy quite the cart for this
expedition, he certainly couldn't expect them to fit in the small cart he used when he traveled to the
Empire. He instead bought one quite bigger, it was meant to transport large amounts of goods or
people and its cover was enchanted to be resistant to heat and humidity.
For the two weeks they traveled the jump in quality had been quite clear. He had also made sure to
pass through his own territory so that they would avoid any unpleasant encounters. In the last
months he had made sure to exterminate any outlaws in his own territory through Seven Hands, he
had no intention of leaving slavers, bandits and other scum to freely roam his lands. Thanks to that,
the group had a pleasant trip overall.
"We are getting closer to the Forest of Tob. Can you see it? Over there."
He pointed at the horizon with his gloved skeletal hand. Even from their position the seemingly
endless lines of trees were already visible, even though they would need almost another day of
traveling to get there.
"Lord Satoru, how are we going to transport all this into the forest? Surely, we cannot use the cart
to advance into it."
The Empire's knight, Leinas, asked in her usual dead serious tone, gesturing to the supplies
currently lying in the cart.
"Umu, I have my methods, do not concern yourself with minor details."
The truth behind his calm words was that he actually had not thought about it. He was so busy
planning the whole thing that he didn't think about how his new, fantastic cart was going to be
useless once they reached the edge of the forest. 'Augh! For once I thought I invested my money in
something useful… damn it!' he scolded himself for his lack of foresight.
In his defense, he never actually saw the forest with his own eyes, but knowing the forest had been
dangerous and unexplored, it was quite obvious he would not find anything like paved roads there.
The undead internally sighed, he just hoped nothing unexpected would come up from now on.
{Lizardman's P.O.V.}
His day began just like any other in the last year. He woke up at dawn and moved out of his house
immediately. As the newly appointed chieftain of Green Claw, he was expected to attend to his
duties from dawn to dusk.
He may have been elected due to his strength, but his duties hardly ever needed battle prowess to
begin with, he mostly dealt with directing the hunters, managing food resources and the occasional
construction here and there.
It was no wonder his brother decided to never run for the chief position, he was far too much of a
free spirit to let himself be chained to one post.
Taking in the fresh morning hair he dug his fangs into one of the cleaned fish, savoring the taste of
the muscles in his mouth. The Shortage War may have ended but food was still not easily found.
Their growing population will soon cause another shortage, and a new war will break out, and
again hundreds will die, and the cycle will repeat.
That is why he was trying to regulate his tribe's birth rate, failing miserably, he might add, as both
young and old were unable to be reasoned with during the mating season. And for each egg that
came, he knew, there would be less food for all.
He slammed his scaled fist against the wall of his hut, denting it. He already had to force two of his
tribesmen to become travelers, as he knew that in a few months after the hatching of the eggs they
would have starved.
But this wasn't the main reason why he felt nervous, no, the thing that put him on edge was the one
who was going to leave today. He would have to leave in secret, so that the elders couldn't stop
him. They would surely be against losing such an asset, they would sooner exile the chief instead
of him.
The lizardman advanced toward the edge of the forest, where a lone figure was waiting for him.
"You don't have to do this."
The chief said before the figure had the time to even greet him.
"Good day to you too, Shasuryu."
The shorter lizardman greeted, ignoring his chieftain's words.
"Brother, please, we can do this another way."
Shasuryu continued his pleading, but his brother just shook his head.
"Three more hatched yesterday, and I am unwilling to see you exile another tribesman and cause
more pain to our people. I am willing to go, and so I will go."
The shorter lizardman stated with a resolute tone. Shasuryu grasped his brother's shoulders.
"I promised mother I would protect you no matter what, I cannot do this if you decide to leave."
He tried his last resort which only made his brother growl dangerously as he shoved his brother
away.
"Don't you dare use mother against me brother! I will not stand for it!"
He answered back angrily.
"And you already kept your promise, you made sure I would survive the war. This choice is one I
make of my own volition, and if I end up perishing due to it, the only one to blame would be
myself."
He continued, more calmly this time.
Shasuryu bit his tongue to force down a retort. Becoming a traveler was almost like a death
sentence, most never returned. The most optimistic thought was that they may have found a better
life out there, but the harsh reality was that most of them probably died to other inhabitants of the
forest.
No matter how strong his brother was, he still remained one lizardman, he would probably perish
like the many others if a group of enemies surrounded him. In short, this might be the last time he
ever saw his brother.
"Zaryusu... what in the world are you trying to do out there?"
He finally asked, seeing as his brother would not back down and was dead serious about doing this.
"I am curious to see the world brother, for as long as I could wield a weapon I have known nothing
but war and death… I finally want to see what else is there in the world to experience, and maybe
find a solution to our food problem."
Zaryusu answered honestly his brother's query.
"This is so like you brother…"
Shasuryu sighed in defeat.
"The elders would have demanded that you mate with as many females as possible before leaving,
you know that right? Are you sure you want to pass on that?"
The chief smirked at the embarrassed squeal of his brother, it was no secret in the tribe how bad he
was with the opposite gender. Many females tried to seduce him after he won against the previous
wielder of Frost Pain. They didn't account for him being as dull as a rock though.
"Stop joking around brother, I am sure you will be good enough for them. After all, you are the
strongest lizardman when I'm not around."
That comment was a low blow from his part, but not one uncalled for. Shrsuryu gave his brother a
heavy pat on the shoulder before hugging him.
"Be safe out there… or else I will kill you myself, Frost Pain or not."
He said as he felt Zaryusu reciprocate the gesture.
"Make sure Green Claw is taken care of then, or I will do the same."
His brother answered. And, as the sun began to rise from the horizon, his younger brother departed
.
Shasuryu stayed there until he could no longer see the form of his brother in the distance, before
marching back to the village.
He will have some explaining to do.
{Edge of the Forest of Tob}
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The blond darted to the side as she dodged the thrust of her opponent, retaliating with one of her
own, which was easily swapped aside.
She pushed forward nonetheless, trying to swing at her opponent with her second sword. Being an
attack coming not from her main hand, it was quite sloppy, if compared to her normal ones, her
opponent had all the time to dodge and send a powerful kick her way. Lakyus had just the time to
put her main blade between her and the armored boot, effectively blocking the kick but severely
weakening her grasp around her blade, an advantage her opponent didn't wait to exploit, her spear
swapped at the base of her blade sending it flying away from Lakyus' hand.
"Shit."
She cursed under her breath. She could have avoided it if only she could use her Martial Arts. Her
last stand didn't last long, and her second blade was sent flying away like the other.
Lakyus fell on her back, breathing heavily. It was clear by now that she was having far more
difficulty than she hoped wielding two blades at the same time.
Her head turned and her eyes gazed at her second blade, a black obsidian hilt followed by a
glowing red blade with ripples engraved into it.
The blade was infused with a 4th tier fire spell, Satoru gifted It to her for her last birthday, he said
that it would be the perfect opposite to her other blade, having more… coverage… that is what he
called it.
She saw an offered hand above her and grasped it with her own as the Empire knight pulled her up.
It was unreal how much the gap in power still was between them, she knew that Satoru gave her an
advantage when fighting in the Arena, but after almost a year of training she was in no way near
the sheer skill Leinas had with her spear.
"Well done, My Lady. Your prowess with your left hand has increased greatly ."
While the praise was welcomed, Lakyus still felt undeserving of it. Master Brain would have
mocked her stance and imprecision with her second blade: 'Are you so weak that switching hands
will make the difference between victory and defeat?!' – she could hear his words in her mind
already. And he would have been probably right, what if something happened to her main hand
during battle? Would she simply lie there and let her opponent slay her?
"It's still not good enough, I must be as good as with my main hand before finally being sufficiently
satisfied."
She said, shaking her head.
"You are too hard on yourself, young Lakyus."
Intervened Gazef from the side where he was observing their spar.
"You are already leagues above anyone your age, I bet you could give a run for their money even
to most adventurers. Why are you in such a rush?"
He asked, puzzling her. Did he not understand how important it was that she got the power she
needed early on?
"No one my age has my aspirations, though, and to achieve what I want to achieve, I will have to be
far stronger than anybody else."
She said in the most serious tone she could muster. Gazef didn't reply, as he simply stared at her,
his mind seemingly lost in a memory only he could see.
"LOOK OUT!"
The panicked shout of Rayne took everyone by surprise, and before Lakyus could understand his
words, she saw a zapping bolt of lightning heading her way. She surely would not have the time to
dodge it. As she prepared to take the hit the form of Leinas interposed between her and the arcane
spell taking the hit with a grunt of pain.
Lakyus immediately jumped back up, placing her hands on Leinas' back.
"[Light Healing]!"
She was glad she spent some time learning divine magic now, the holy texts she used were the ones
venerating the God of Water, also known as the God of healing, harmony and peace. She thought
that such a God would be the one representing most of what she aimed for in life.
The texts preached about the need for equilibrium in the world and how no one should abuse what
they have, how the faithful will be rewarded with healing and how peace is the only road toward a
world devoid of violence.
But this wasn't the time to think back on her embraced faith. She felt her self-proclaimed knight
exhale a breath of relief as the healing spell affected her.
"Oh Gods! Are you alright?!"
In the meantime, the two casters reached them, and the male was fretting over Leinas.
"It's fine, I have been hit with worse things."
She said in her usual emotionless voice. Rayne didn't even have the time to sigh in relief, as the top
of his fellow apprentice's staff hit him on the head.
"You idiot! I told you you couldn't possibly cast a 3rd tier spell!"
Arche said furious at her fellow caster.
"I-I thought it was going fine, t-then I felt it slip out of control…"
The boy said, clearly mortified about his slipup.
"You managed to control 2nd tier spells only a few months ago! How could you expect to jump to
3rd so soon!"
The blond caster continued. It was a statement on its own that Rayne didn't protest nor retort her
accusations. But Lakyus had no intention of letting the boy wallow in his own misery and guilt.
"Look, everything is fine, errors happen. Let this be a lesson in humility."
That sounded like something Gazef would say, and something she would want to hear if her errors
ever caused damage to others.
The down casted boy only nodded before mumbling another apology and running back to their
camp.
The sun was already on its way down, and dinner would probably be ready soon. 'Who knew
Renner could cook so well?' that was one of the things Lakyus would have never expected from her
friend, since she never saw her cook before. When she asked, the princess just said she started
exercising after their return from the Empire, so that the next time they would do a similar trip she
would be ready to do her part.
That showed her once more what an incredible person she was in Lakyus' eyes, she really had no
idea how her friend could be so caring of others even when she lived a life of absolute riches and
entitlement. If it wasn't for Renner, she had no idea how much of a spoiled brat she would be right
now, or if she would have even pursued her dream instead of just settling back for a boring life of
nothing and resentment.
Making sure once more her knight friend was alright she went back to the camp.
{Next day}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He was having fun. Unprecedented in a very long time, Satoru was genuinely having fun. Not
amusement, not entertainment, no! This was the true sensation of enjoyment he previously only felt
going around doing something with his friends back in Yggdrasil.
He almost forgot by now how good it was to not have anything to worry about, and simply
enjoying what he was doing. And the best thing was, his enjoyment wasn't strong enough to trigger
any annoying Emotional Suppression! It wasn't a spike of strong emotions, but just a calmly
flowing river of positivity.
At that moment, he felt like grinning like a fool. This was the best! Definitely! The beauty and
thrill of exploring the unknown was just something he could not possibly pass on.
The forest wasn't even that interesting, but just having the possibility of exploring it freely made
him content.
"We should turn right soon."
The melodic tune of the voice belonging to the princess, currently perched up on his right
shoulder, like a giant blond parrot, made him return to reality.
It had been his idea to not have Renner walk on the difficult ground that was the forest's, but he
didn't expect he'd have to carry her all the way to their destination.
Not that he minded, of course. It was rather amusing to see the short princess check the map and
direct them.
He was glad he had the adventurers scan the forest in advance, otherwise he would have had no
idea the forest was actually divided in three main territories controlled by three powerful beings…
or at least powerful in the New World's standards. He was pretty sure he would not find anything
above level 40 here.
The Giant of the East, the Demon Snake of the West, and the Beast of the South. He would have
enjoyed hunting them under normal circumstances. But he wasn't here for that, and not knowing
how strong they were or any of their abilities, it would have been a needless risk for his
companions. Still… he might attempt it in the future.
The adventurers managed to trace a path that only bordered on the Three Monsters' territories, and
never invaded them directly. It could be called a "no man's land" where it was pretty safe to travel
unnoticed and unbothered.
Some of the adventurers lost their life tracing this path, but most were foolish ones who thought
they could take on one of the Three Monsters, and faced them instead of retreating back to the
disputed lands or another territory entirely.
In the hours they spent traveling the forest, they didn't meet a single inhabitant even once, and that
actually made Satoru even more curious to meet one and possibly interrogate them. Did the few
previous months of adventurers mapping out the area discourage them from passing through the
most used routes? Or did they usually stay on their own turf, avoiding crossing in someone's other?
Or was it a completely different reason altogether?
He nonetheless looked down at the map in his hands and indeed asserted the truth in Renner's
words. They could have continued straight forward, and reached the mountains earlier, but they
would have to cut through the territory of the Demon Snake. The safer option was instead to turn
and pass alongside the border and, while they were at it, explore the not far away lake that lay
there.
If all proceeded well, they should be there in around two days of walking.
Normally, it would have been impossible to orient themselves in the forest, but he had instructed
the adventurers to leave multiple signs and indications both for the adventurers coming after them
and him. The most recognizable marks were those on the trees' bark. Then there were the
rudimentary built signposts that usually were knocked down by the wildlife.
In that moment, his thoughts returned to reality, as he felt a nagging sensation on the back of his
mind. It was kind of weird and he wasn't sure what it had been for but a fraction of a second before
realizing it.
He had been so used for years to deactivate any detection skill he possessed, that the sensation
became completely foreign to him. But now it was clear that multiple entities were approaching
them.
"On your guard, someone's coming from the north-east."
He told his companions, who immediately stopped and took a fighting stance, ready to confront
anything coming out of those tree lines.
"Multiple beings, uhm… twelve, if I'm not mistaken."
He added, as he silently casted an anti-projectile spell on the area around him, as well as a damage
reduction spell on Renner. After all, if there was anyone at risk here, it was her, and Satoru wasn't
willing to take any risks.
The sound of rustling was growing nearer by the second, he saw both Arche's and Rayne's hands
tremble as they prepared to cast their spells. It couldn't be helped, after all, this was their first time
in a somehow dangerous situation.
He didn't have much time to encourage them, as the second goblin appeared from the tree line,
approaching the group with incredible swiftness, rusty daggers in hand and murder in their eyes.
"[Cinder's Rain]!"
"[Bolt]!"
He felt some form of pride in seeing his apprentices not hesitate in casting their spells.
As he expected, Arche's spell managed to stop the momentum of their charge without killing any
of them, that was natural as hers was a mere AOE spell not meant for great damage.
The bolt of lightning, on the other hand, ripped a hole in the unfortunate enough goblin who was
hit by it, making Rayne the first to down an enemy in their short-lived exploration.
Seeing the end of their comrade, the goblins decided it would be better to not make themselves
such easy targets, and scattered in the bushes all around them.
"Circle!"
Ordered Gazef as all the members of his party formed a circle so as not to let any blind spot
available for their opponents.
For a few intense, tension filled moments, nothing could be seen or heard apart from the rustling in
the bushes all around them.
Then, out of nowhere, two goblins jumped Lakyus, who was nothing but ready to receive them.
"[Instantaneous Flash]"
She called out her Martial Art as she slashed the two demi-humans in half at an inhuman speed.
"Two down, five to go."
She mumbled, loud enough for all to hear. But apparently, the goblins had not been idle in the
meantime, as two more jumped out of the crown of the trees around them. They probably climbed
up there while the first assault failed.
But it was of no use as one was impaled by Lainas' lance long before he could even get near them,
and the other was skewered by Gazef.
As all this was happening, Satoru was merely focusing his senses on those who had yet to appear,
one was currently running in their direction while three more stayed back.
The heavy steps thundered into the forest, as the form of the charging enemy was revealed. 'Augh!
Why are ogres designed to be so hideous to the eyes?' Satoru lamented as his two students began to
cast their spells on the approaching monster, who just ignored them, the pain only enhancing his
rage. That was until Satoru raised his hand. A silent (Lightning), and the screams of the demi-
human were no more as his head was completely gone, leaving his body to crumble on the forest's
floor.
Satoru felt the presence of the remaining goblins fade away as they retreated, probably fearing
their incoming doom if they tried to attack them again.
Though, for some reason, the other three presences who didn't move from their position till that
moment decided to charge forward together.
This time the very earth rumbled as their foe charged them. It didn't take a great eye for all to spot
them from quite far away. Two more ogres were running toward them with their wooden maces
raised in the air threateningly, while the third was a demi-human with a bluish skin unharmed but
not less threatening.
"A troll?"
Gazef asked no one in particular, surprised to see the creature.
"Are they rare around here?"
Asked Satoru with all the calm of someone discussing the weather, and not someone who was
being charged by three giant demi-humans.
"I thought they would be deeper inside the forest. Their regeneration is said to be unmatchable, we
will need to land a killing blow as soon as possible, or it might outlast us in terms of stamina."
He offered his advice, probably more to the youngster rather than Leinas or Satoru
"Well then, Lakyus, Arche, Rayne, I leave the left ogre to you three. I will take the ogre on the
right, while Gazef and Leinas will take the troll."
Satoru offered. He wasn't too worried, as he could take care of all of them in just a moment, if the
need came to be.
"Make sure the Princess is safe, Satoru."
Was the only answer of the Warrior Captain before he and the Empire Knight charged the blue
skinned demi-human.
The magic caster almost facepalmed, in the thrill of the battle he forgot he had a royal burden
currently perched up on his shoulder.
"What do you say, Renner? What kind of spell should I use?"
He decided to play a game with the princess as he scanned the situation, making sure everybody
was doing fine.
"They are so horrid to look at… but fire could risk burning down the forest, that would be a big
problem."
The princess replied. He was actually trying to get her to relax with his previous question, and
didn't expect an actual answer. He thought she would have been scared of the situation, instead she
almost sounded bored. 'You are quite a brave little thing…' he told himself while raising his hand,
an adequate spell already in mind.
"I think I may have a solution for that. [Acid Shot]"
He casted the spell, as a ball of acid comparable to a normal [Fireball] rushed toward the ogre. Its
wails as his flesh, muscles and bones melted away were agonizing and put even Satoru, who didn't
expect that result at all, on edge.
'Holy crap! The hell I just did?! This isn't Yggdrasil! The acid is actually acid here!' he felt his
panic rise as he had no intention of traumatizing Renner in such a way. His only hope was that the
girl closed her eyes when the macabre spectacle began.
He turned his head to gaze at Renner, but the only thing he saw when gazing in those sky-blue eyes
was cold indifference. Her flat expression and lack of reaction actually sent a shiver down Satoru's
spine. He was far too used to her joyful and playful demeanor to remember that this was her actual
default expression when dealing with everything outside her circle of special people.
He guessed that she already saw people dying, and even ordered to have some killed. But till this
very moment, Satoru never realized or even considered the long-time consequences of it all.
'No child should have to go through this… seeing people die… be forced to choose between having
others killed or seeing your family killed… and being despised all the same no matter the choice'
his mind darkened. For all he liked to think he had it hard, the two things weren't even comparable.
He was a grown man, for fuck's sake! He was almost 30 years old, and she was a mere child, not
even a third of his age!
He should have been there for her after it all happened. Instead, he was dealing with his own petty
problems.
Did he not learn anything from Yggdrasil? Was he really so self-absorbed and selfish that he
couldn't understand what was happening around him until it smacked him in the face?
Was all the progress he made with her during the last two years lost to his negligence?
His hand moved before he could understand his own intentions. He patted her head the way he
knew she adored, light and constant, before his hand descended to cup her cheek into his hand,
resulting in him cupping half of her head due to the difference in sizes.
He gently turned her head toward him.
"I am here now, it will be alright."
Those words came to his mind. The same words his mother told him so many years ago, when he
used to return from school, crying due to his loneliness and inability to make friends, and how
anyone just found him to be a weirdo.
They were just meaningless and empty words, but for him, they meant the world. And even when
his mother was no more, and all he had left was Yggdrasil, those words still made sure he stayed
alive, only that this time it was his friends who were there for him.
So, when the blond girl met his gaze and smiled, that inhuman and devilish smile, he could do
nothing more but feel happiness fill his heart as his words had finally meaning for someone other
than himself.
{Night of the same day}
{Renner's P.O.V:}
She had been thinking about it the whole day… no, she had been thinking about it since the very
moment she first started cooking during this adventure.
She once again stole a glance at Satoru's mask, as they all sat there in front of the campfire,
enjoying their well-earned meal she cooked with her own hands.
The first time she did it, she was insistent Satoru tried it, that was the main reason she started
practicing at all. She wanted her Satoru to eat her homemade cuisine. It didn't come to her mind till
the last moment that there was something in the way, physically speaking. The mask was in the
way.
Sure, he took his plate, went a few meters away and enjoyed his meal. He made a point in telling
her how good it was and complimented her profusely. Something that made her heart hammer in
her chest and made all those hours spent on practicing worth it all.
But the point remained, the mask was still there. And, despite what a lesser being would think, she
had been troubled at the thought of removing it.
Not that she could, but she guessed that she will sooner or later see what was behind that mask.
And she didn't like it at all. The sole thought troubled her, and she thought about why this
happened countless times during the last weeks.
And today, she reached a conclusion.
Since she met him, Satoru had always been the masked magic caster who brought her first true
smile out, the man who made her heart flutter and beat like never before, the man who gifted her a
dream and a future of her own creation. And that man… did not have a face in her mind.
To give him one would have been insulting, even. She tried to picture how he would look without
his mask, but no matter how many faces or features she tried to mix, all the end results felt wrong.
She simply could not give him a form, he should not have a form, Satoru was no mere man, he was
a concept in her mind.
Satoru was freedom, Satoru was happiness, Satoru was life. No form would be adequate for such a
being. And she did not wish to know what lied behind that mask, for whatever it was, it was surely
wrong.
Her musings were interrupted when she felt the hand of Lakyus grasp her shoulder and pull her
back. In that moment, she came back to reality, only to gaze at her friend, confused by her sudden
actions.
But her friend's gaze was not on her, no, it was pointed at something beyond her or the group
around the campfire.
The princess followed the gaze of her appointed knight only to see dark yellow eyes staring back
from the edge of the tree line.
By now, everyone else had stopped eating and was staring back at the figure who took a step
forward allowing the light of the fire to barely illuminate its form.
Renner never saw anything like it. Its scaly body was certainly far more graceful and elegant than
the hard filthy skin of goblins and ogres, and the way the light reflected on them was quite
entrancing.
It stood on two feet and had two arms, and that is where any resemblance with a human ended, for
the rest of its body was certainly reptile in nature. Its powerful and defined jaw hung a little open,
as if indicating the creature's curiosity or even shock at their presence.
It was wearing some clothes covering the lower part of its body, and a long scaly tail was the only
thing showing itself from under it, swishing from side to side, like a cat who didn't know what to
do next.
Gazef was the first to recover from the general shock, and slowly stood up as if to not alarm the
strange demi-human. A hand firmly on his enchanted blade.
The figure's gaze immediately darted to him and he shifted a little, making something shine from
its side. Now that the princess looked better, there was something hanging from his clothes,
something that was glinting in the darkness, probably reflecting the flames of their campfire.
Slowly but steadily, the being raised both his hands showing he had nothing in them.
"I apologize for the intrusion."
The voice baffled Renner, it was clearly male, but it had an accent and a tone she was sure she
never heard before, something fundamentally non-human.
"I did not mean to disturb you, I just saw a light in the distance and went to investigate."
The male demi-human continued explaining. She saw like his words and demeanor were helping to
defuse the tension around the camp, but no one dared to lower their guard. Gazef only nodded at
the demi-human's words, but before anyone could say anything, Lakyus spoke up.
"A-are you a Lizardman?"
She said, her eyes as wide as plates. The creature, now known as Lizardman, shifted his gaze once
more, fixing his eyes on her friend.
"Uhm, yes, I am. I apologize for my rudeness, allow me to introduce myself, my name is
Zaryusu… Zaryusu Shasha."
Chapter End Notes

Unexpected Guests
Chapter Notes
"That's it, all wrapped up! That will be 13 gold and 5 silver."
The blond woman smiled from behind the counter as she counted the money. Her smile made the
older man blush like a maiden during her first time. She may not be entertaining men anymore, but
years of charm and self-care were hard to brush off.
"That seems to be all."
She added when she noticed the adventurer seemed to be mesmerized into her violet eyes. Those
words seemed to do the work and the adventurer snapped out of his trance-like state. He stumbled
out of the shop mildly embarrassed.
Her eyes fell once again on the lone figure who had been looking around for the last thirty minutes
without uttering a word.
She was short, most of her body covered by a red tattered cloak and what seemed to be black
leather armor under it. Not to speak of the strange mask she was wearing. The only reason why
Hilma was sure she was female at all was due to her slender arms and legs; she, in her relatively
short life, had seen too many naked bodies to not immediately recognise someone's sex. Well, and
she read it in the reports sent to her previously anyway.
That's right, the short girl currently examining an enchanted dagger was no normal girl at all. She
had been putting her nose in Seven Hands' business for the better part of a month by now, for as
long as she had been in the kingdom.
Hilma tapped two times on her desk with her index and middle fingers. A silent signal for all the
Seven Hands' agents currently masquerading in the shop as adventurers. 'It's time to end this farce'
she thought as she approached the girl.
"Excuse me, I could not help but notice you have been looking around for some time, do you
perhaps need help?"
She said in a sweet tone, her best employee mask on the face.
"Yes, indeed, I would like to speak with the one known as Satoru, the new Marquis."
She finally spoke, and, indeed, the voice did belong to a young girl who tried to masquerade it with
a deep tone. It would almost be adorable in a normal situation.
"Ah, sir Satoru is currently occupied in his mansion. I may escort you there and ask if he is willing
to speak to you, miss…"
Hilma replied cheerfully.
"Evileye. And yes, I am really interested in exchanging a word or two with him."
The masked girl said as she followed Hilma to the door.
"Please excuse us, while we are away, could you please leave the shop, I will offer you all a good
discount when I come back."
She said to the few fake adventurers still looking around the shop. In response she got some
grumbles and some more excited chatter.
"Please, follow me then."
The woman said as she first escorted the girl through the busy streets before cutting into smaller
and empty alleys.
"This is a shortcut, we will be there in no time instead of going all the way around."
She lied smoothly through her teeth. She just needed to get to the designated point. Then they
would get to the bottom of this.
By now the boys should have gotten into position, she gave them ample time.
"In the meantime, if I may ask, what did you want to talk about with Lord Satoru?"
She inquired trying to distract her target from the turns and alleys they were entering.
"I would just want to know why he suddenly decided to work with the lot of you."
The words froze Hilma to her core, she immediately spinned around, a poisoned needle between
her fingers. But behind her there was no one.
"[Crystal Prison]"
She followed the sound of the voice, only to find the young girl fluttering in the air. Suddenly,
huge unnatural crystals sprouted like mushrooms from the ground, blocking both ends of the alley.
"Now, you will answer my questions."
The masked girl descended slowly, her hand ready to cast a spell if needed. Hilma crouched, trying
to get as far as possible from her assailant, or, at least, that was the impression she gave.
"You idiot, never lower your guard, even for an instant."
She said as a smirk grazed her face as she took out a scroll containing a [Anti-Magic Shield] spell
and used it on herself.
Then, from above the both of them, four [Fireball] spells descended, impossible to dodge in such a
narrow alley. Not that Hilma had any need to.
The loud explosion almost deafened the leader of Seven Hands and the shockwave pushed her back
several meters down the alley.
It was a huge risk, but it had been done, and now it was time to get her answers. If their target was
even alive, that is.
Before the smoke could clear something came out of it, several something to be precise. They were
too fast and small for Hilma to understand what they were but the only thing she knew was that
they were meant for the agents who used the scrolls from the roofs. They were taken down
instantly.
This was bad, she didn't expect her foe to be this strong. She knew the day that an assassin would
attempt on Satoru's life would come, but this was beyond all expectations.
The attack at least cleared the smoke and revealed the form of the assassin, the only thing
seemingly damaged was her mask, revealing a pale white cheek hidden beneath it.
But she wasn't done yet. Hilma would not lose this battle.
From the broken windows up on the sides of the alley hooded figures jumped out. All armed with
either short swords or daggers. They were an elite squadron she selected personally with the help
of Mato. They were all armed with magic weapons and gear, extremely skilled in their work and,
most importantly, loyal to their last breath.
They plummeted down on their foe ready to strike only for her to teleport away.
"Above you!"
Khan, the leader of the squad shouted as soon as he touched ground. And indeed, the now revealed
caster was above them. 'A fucking 5th tier caster! Who the hell is she?! Who hired her?!' those
were the only panicked thoughts Hilma could conjure up in that moment.
"Miss Hilma, if you can, run now, we will stall her for as long as we can!"
Khan said before he was pierced by a dagger made out of an unnatural crystal, much like the one
currently trapping them in the alley.
The dagger went right through the armor on his left shoulder, making his left arm useless.
"Shit! You fucking cunt!"
He roared as he took out a new scroll, the other 6 members of the squad mimicking him.
The scrolls glowed before releasing a [Lightning] spell. With the five spells incoming, the assassin
could do nothing but teleport once more to avoid the torrent of lightning coming her way.
As the masked caster reappeared the squad was ready and threw their enchanted daggers at her,
who just barely managed to dodge them in time. Was that a sign of her mana depleting? Or just a
way to conserve it? Either way, the result was the same. Those daggers were enchanted with a
homing spell that allowed them to track their target to a degree. Which was exactly the reason why
the caster found herself pierced by them, even though she thought to have dodged them.
"Enough of you! [Shard Buck Shots]!"
A rain of crystal shards downed upon the elite squadron, not strong enough to pierce their armor,
but surely powerful enough to force them on the ground, seemingly defeated.
"It seems this little charade is over already. You put up a good fight, I will admit."
The caster said in her masqueraded childish tone as she descended from the sky.
She touched the ground right in front of Hilma.
The woman clenched her teeth. She was going to die, that was inevitable. She was trapped and
even if she called Satoru, he would find himself against an opponent with no clear limit to their
power, she would be putting him in danger.
The other option was to use her High Wraith to stall for time and run away, but that was impossible
due to the crystals still blocking the exits of the alley. And, also, she had a far better use for her
Wraith, she will have it report to Satoru all the information gathered, after all her opponent didn't
seem to have sensed it.
Then Satoru could come back prepared and ready to face such a foe. Unfortunately, she would not
be there to see him split this little monster in two. She just needed to stall for a few seconds to get
her [Message] scroll and contact the Wraith to give him her last instruction silently and discretely.
"Who the hell hired you?! Who could want Satoru dead so badly that they would send someone as
skilled as you?!"
If her opponent was a cocky one, she might get an answer before dying and so that could be
relayed to Satoru as well.
The masked girl stopped whatever she was doing at those words, seemingly stunned.
"You think… I am here to kill him?"
She asked, this time stopping Hilma in her tracks.
"What else could you be here for? Tracking us down all across the kingdom and gathering
information about him."
She finally found her desired scroll and was ready to activate it.
"As I said, I am here to talk, a fight is the last thing I am seeking right now."
Normally Hilma would have not believed any of those words, but, then again, this situation was far
from normal. She was cornered, in the literal sense of the word, and the one in front of her had no
reason to lie to her. If she truly wanted to talk this would turn out for the best, if she didn't, Hilma
still would have all the time to relay her information to Satoru or order the Wraith to do it for her.
In both cases, it would be a win for her. So she saw no reason to not indulge the caster's words.
"Satoru is not here, he left, if you want to speak with someone… you will have to speak with me…
until he returns."
She tested the waters. The two stared each other down for a few seconds before the casted relented
and put down her hand.
"So, the rumors were true, he left before I could get here… how annoying."
The short girl muttered to herself. Hilma, on the other side, was still on edge, there was still a
chance this one could turn violent any moment.
"Well then, I guess I will have to settle on speaking with you then."
She finally said, shrugging her small shoulders under her cloak.
"Is there a more private place than this alley?"
In her life Hilma had many strange encounters and met many a strange fellow. But this one was
about to climb the ranks even faster than Satoru at this point.
{Forest of Tob}
{Zaryusu's P.O.V.}
The lizardman did not really know what to think about the strange group he just encountered a
couple of days ago.
Initially they distrusted him the same way he distrusted them. After all, he had no idea what kind
of creatures they were to begin with, until they told him they were humans. He never saw a human
before, but they seemed really fragile, like a scaleless baby lizardman.
Even the strongest among them couldn't match the normal muscle of an average adult lizardman,
and quite a lot of them were younglings.
The night he met them, after the initial shock, they offered him food. A gesture of peace among all
cultures, as far as he knew.
They spoke quite a lot during that short time. They told him they were from one of the nearest
human kingdoms, which apparently was what they called a large area of land inhabited by humans
under a sole leader.
That concept sparkled curiosity in the lizardman, he never thought it was possible for so many to
be managed by one single entity. He eagerly asked for more details on how it worked so that he
might return the information and idea back to the village. They could certainly use that, if they
managed to unite the tribes there would be no more need for war between them.
Unfortunately, what he received as an answer was quite complex to understand for someone like
him, and what they gave him was just a watered-down version according to them.
If his tribe ever wanted to put something similar into action, they would certainly have to break
quite a few traditions, something, he was sure, the elders were not willing to accept.
When it was his turn to speak he told them the few things he could without giving away important
information about his village. He told them of the recent war over resources, and that he, as a
traveler, decided to go and explore the larger world.
As he explained his trouble, the smallest among them was the one giving him a puzzled look, or at
least he thought so, human faces were hard to read.
The female youngling asked why they didn't farm fish instead of daily hunting them.
The question baffled Zaryusu, as he never heard of anything like that.
The explanation was as simple as it was genius in Zaryusu's mind.

They just had to create farm-like zones next to the village and bring the healthiest fish they could
find there. Feed them and make their life a paradise for them. That would bring them to procreate
faster and in just a few weeks, depending on the type of fish of course, they would have dozens, if
not hundreds of fish ready to be eaten.
Such a thing seemed far too divine to be true, and when asked how to realize such a thing, the
youngling just shrugged her shoulders. She said she was no expert, but could easily put something
together, a temporary thing until they thought of something more permanent.
The child's name was Renner, he made sure to remember it. While he was not willing to trust any
of them yet, they surely gave him a positive feeling.
They even let him put up his tent not too far from their little camp. Though, that night, he could not
help but feel like he was being observed the whole time.
The following day, the first thing he found when he finished his morning routine was one of the
human children waiting for him. She was very similar to Renner, and he would have confused the
two if it wasn't for their different eye color.
She was there to tell him they were about to depart toward the lake if he wanted to come as well.
He was unsure of what to do, on one hand he had just departed for his journey, on another, if the
group ended up nearing the wrong village they might get attacked. Hell, if his own village got
desperate enough, they would attack them as well.
And so, now he found himself guiding the odd group around the forest, following back in his own
previous steps.
He would have been suspicious of their destination if he didn't know from the day before that they
intended to visit the lake, not even knowing who lived there.
"So, Zaryusu, what's up with your weapon? I never saw anything like that before."
The child whose name he learned was Lakyus asked, her eyes seemingly glued to his Frost Pain.
"This one's name is Frost Pain, one of the Four Treasures of the lizardmen tribes, I acquired it after
defeating its previous wielder during the war."
He said as he tried to not remember those days. Famine, blood and death were everything he knew
during that time. He was pretty sure some of his tribe cannibalized their enemies, or even each
other during that chaotic period.
"Umu, that is interesting, may I have a look at it?"
The one to speak was the masked caster, the only one who surpassed Zaryusu in size, and the one
Zaryusu trusted the least in the group. His instincts could not stop but flaring every time he got too
close, there was surely something wrong with that one, Zaryusu was sure of it.
"I apologize sir…"
He tried to remember the human's name but it eluded him.
"Satoru."
The caster provided.

"Sir Satoru, but this weapon is traditionally held only by its wielder and no one else."
It was a lie, but he really did not feel comfortable giving up his weapon to someone else. Even less
so to someone he had known for two days.
"I see, that's a shame. I would have liked to know what enchantment was put on it."
The human, now named Satoru, just shrugged, as he carried the youngling Renner on one of his
enormous shoulders.
Zaryusu just continued to walk, unknowingly tightening his grip on Frost Pain. They were almost
to the village by now, he remembered the trees he was seeing as the same ones he used to play
around while he was but a hatchling.
He hoped his brother would not be too mad at him.
{Lakyus' P.O.V.}
The noble girl looked in bewilderment at the houses. No, that was too generous of a term, those
weren't houses, those were shacks. She looked at those shacks above the water that should've been
used as a living place by the lizardmen.
It was rudimental, to say the least, if not totally tribal, just a step above caves.
In her holy books demi-humans were always portrayed as monstrous, abhorrent, something that
shouldn't be living in this world where humanity reigned supreme.
A sentiment she had never truly understood. The first demi-human she ever met was Go Gin, and
he was far away from the evil portrayal the books were so insistent on. Where the books described
mindlessness and cruelty, she found cunningness and honor.
That was until she met the inhabitants of the Forest of Tob. Vicious and cowardly goblins,
mindless and brutish ogres, and idiotic and sadistic trolls.
That encounter had begun to change her mind toward what the books described, maybe Go Gin
was just an exception among the norm.
But then again, not even a day later, her mindset was upside down for the third time.
The only thing that she could conjure in her heart at the sight before her was pity. Pity at the
conditions these poor demi-humans were reduced to. Putting survival above any possible
innovation, forcing themselves in a vicious cycle of death and misery.
They were waiting for the lizardman, Zaryusu, to return, as he explained it would be better for
them to wait outside the village while he explained the situation to his brother, the chief.
They waited patiently almost an hour before they saw a small party coming toward them. At its
head stood Zaryusu, followed by another lizardman with a greatsword strapped on his back, and a
few other warriors.
She began to feel nervous, and judging by her teacher's backstep, he did not like the situation
either. Satoru remained calm as always, not flinching even a little while his students tried to hide
behind him. Leinas stepped next to her, probably ready for a fight if there ever was to be one.
Lakyus could not help but be relieved by her presence, she may be overzealous when it came to her
protection, but she knew that the empire knight would cover her back in all situations by now.
"Greetings humans, I am Shasuryu Shasha, the chief of the Green Claw Tribe, and brother to
Zaryusu Shasha, as to the first humans to ever visit our lands, I offer you peace."
The chief said before taking out of his tunic a small but cleaned fish and offering it to Satoru, who
seemed to be confused by the gesture but accepted it nonetheless. They stayed there as Satoru
examined the fish and the tribesmen seemingly waited for something.
"I apologize if I am being rude, but I don't really know any lizardmen's customs, what am I
supposed to do with this?"
Satoru finally asked after almost half a minute of silence.
"Ah, my apologies then, when a lizardman enters a village not his own, it is a sign of peace to offer
them a fish, and on their part, it is a sign of good faith to eat it, it is a tradition as old as our race."
The chief, Shasuryu, explained.
"Umu, I understand, but still, eating uncooked fish can be fatal for humans, so I do apologize if my
gesture is considered rude."
The magic caster explained as the chief seemed taken aback by his explanation.
"I see, I had no idea that was the case, I do apologize on my part then."
He finally said, prompting Satoru to shake his head.
"No, no, I understand the importance of customs, it is a relic of the generations that came before
you… but if it is a sign of good faith on my part… I hope this can suffice."
As the magic caster finished speaking a white light engulfed the fish and from it identical fish
began to appear out of nowhere, creating a pretty big pile in front of Satoru.
When the fish shower finished there were at least a few dozen fish laying there. 'Neat!' was all
Lakyus could think at the display 'truly Satoru seems to have no limit to his resourcefulness' a
quality she always found admirable in the caster.
She regarded once more the lizardmen who stood there, their jaws hanging and eyes wide in
disbelief.
Nobody moved for a few seconds, before the chief slowly walked up to the pile and grabbed one
of the fish, as if he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.
He bit it, his jaws consuming almost a third of the whole fish in a single bite.
"It's real… it tastes like fish…"
He muttered more to himself than anyone.
"I hope this is a sign of enough good faith."
The deep words of Satoru seemed to snap out the chief from his trance.
Shasuryu raised his gaze to meet Satoru's mask.
"Y-Yes, this is a p-present that will not be e-easily forgotten, sir…"

The lizardman chief stammered out.
"Satoru."
The magic caster once more provided his name.
"Sir Satoru then! W-we would be honored to welcome y-you and your group into the Green Claw
v-village!"
{A few hours later}
{Shasuryu's P.O.V.}
"And that is all."
The lizardman chieftain said as he concluded his retelling of the encounter with the group of
humans.
The elders council stayed silent, their gazes down casted, as if in deep thought.
"Are you absolutely sure it was no trick?"
One of them asked. Shasuryu heard his brother, currently sitting beside him, repressing a snort. He
could never stand the narrow mindedness and distrustfulness toward anything new of the elders.
Another reason why he never sought the position of leader among their people.
"Musho, I have three barrels full of identical fish outside this house, you can go and taste one of
them if you wish."
He said as his patience was reaching its limits. That seemed to finally shut the oldest of them up.
"And so? What do we have to do with all of this?"
Another asked. Before Shasuryu could stop him his brother stood up, a fierce glare in his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?! Can't you see what is before your very eyes?! This may be the
solution to our tribe's, no, our race's primary cause of death and the cause of the war in the first
place! Have you all gone blind?!"
The words seemed to echo in the room as the four elders answered his brother's glare with one of
their own.
"Mind your words, wielder of Frost Pain! Your own transgressions may have been overlooked but
they aren't forgotten!"
Musho rebutted in a hard tone.
"What we have before us may be a wonder that could lead to prosperity, but they remain outsiders,
humans, a race that had been nothing but hostile anytime we came in contact with it."
Larso, the gray lizard, explained, trying to be the middleman between the two.
"I am not saying I trust them from the bottom of my heart, but still, ever since I met them they have
done nothing but show courtesy and offer help… that, at least, should give them the right to be
listened to."
Zaryusu insisted.
"Shasuryu, do you think our druid could learn this spell?"
Rizar, the youngest member of the council asked.
"The spell doesn't seem to be druidic in nature, I would bet it is some kind of arcane magic type of
spell… still, there would be no harm in asking."
He said, trying to back up his brother in this. He himself didn't trust the humans, but neither did he
think they should show hostility in the first place.
"It seems the chieftain has decided."
Muraz, the last, and most silent member of the council spoke in his light tone, as if he was
whispering to the wind.
"Very well then, we will hear what they have to say."
Grumbled Musho, not happy at all with how this turned out.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
The young princess observed the village with hidden disbelief. Who would have guessed that tribal
cultures like this still existed?
She had hopes for the demi-humans, she thought she might learn something from them, different
cultures usually offer points of reflection and improvement. She would know as much of her
knowledge came from the study of older kingdoms.
But this seemed to be a total waste of her time… apart from spending some time on a lake vacation
with Satoru, that is.
'Fishing…' She almost wanted to snort at the simplicity of that problem. If the lizardmen weren't
such isolationists, they may as well have solved this minor hassle in a few years instead of starving
for decades.
'Still… maybe they are good for something' she gazed at her knight and only friend Lakyus,
currently sparring with the youngling lizardmen, even if calling them younglings was quite funny
as they were almost as big as Gazef and they weren't even fully matured yet.
A race of fierce warriors, easy to breed in great numbers and fast growing. Yes, she could see the
appeal they presented to Satoru, they would be a fine addition to Satoru's ever-growing collection.
If that was what he wanted, she saw no harm in giving him a hand in achieving it. 'Always make
the best of what you have' those were the words she took to her heart. And, indeed, if just a stable
flow of food could buy out such an army, the investment was certainly worth it.
The small, green eyed noble unbalanced her opponents with a quick swing, sending them on their
butts a second later. She smiled half in amusement, half in pride at seeing the display. 'Leave it to
Lakyus to find a sparring partner as soon as we arrived here… she is such a dork sometimes' she
said as she hid her smile behind her hands in a very ladylike gesture.
She noticed Gazef looking intently at the scene unfolding before him.
"So, what do you think, Gazef? Do you think the lizardmen would make for a good warrior troop?"
She asked the older swordsman, as he seemed taken out of his own thoughts by her words.
"My princess… yes, they seem to be fine enough, brutish but certainly strong, a good test for
young Lakyus."
He answered absently as his eye seemed to not really focus on the scene before him.
"Is there a reason why you have been so silent ever since we left Ro-Lente?"
She asked as her gaze found Satoru, who was currently using his magic to clone various fruits and
objects the lizardmen brought to him.
"Is it about Satoru again?"
She continued gazing at the Warrior Captain, but it seemed like Gazef had no intention of giving
her an answer, though his flinch at the name all but confirmed her hypothesis.
She sighed deeply. At first, she didn't think much of their diatribe, but the whole thing was starting
to get on her nerves. She needed Gazef to focus on her, not on his differences with Satoru. She had
worked so hard to start and infiltrate the man's mind and start modeling it toward something usable
in the future.
"You think Satoru is an awful person, don't you?"
She asked, the warrior captain merely gazing toward said man, an unreadable expression on his
face.
"Have you ever considered I may just be as awful as him?"
She asked, a dangerous gamble at play here, but in the end, if it all went to shit she could always
dispose of him.
At her words his head snapped toward her.
"No, Your Highness, you certainly are a commendable… no, an admirable person!"
He said with a strength she didn't expect behind his declaration. She almost tilted her head in
surprise. She had no idea her work on him went so well that it would result in such an outburst.
'Oh? Amusing… am I the blameless innocent princess Gazef?' Now that made more sense in her
mind. If she was blameless, then all faults fell on Satoru. That needed to be rectified.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Gazef, but you seem to be sorely mistaken there."
She said, putting out her best princess persona. A strong willed and fierce front, not completely
hiding the fragility of a young princess in such a position.
She gestured for him to kneel down, even like that she barely reached his height.
"If this is about Seven Hands, I have known for a long time about them and the takeover. If you
wish to blame Satoru, you should blame me as well."
She said, her eyes fixed on his shocked ones.
"Your Highness… you have always been so rightful and always thought of the best for the
kingdom, I simply do not understand."
He said. Renner just sighed, her acting skills would be quite the keycard in this.
"Gazef, to think crime is something that can be eradicated is pure foolishness… there is no fixing
the problem, it existed since the founding of the kingdom and will continue until its end, or even
after that."
She began, definitiveness in her tone, this was just a part of life one needed to accept.
"But crime can be controlled and shaped to serve a greater cause."
She added, making sure to give time to Gazef to intervene if he wished to, but as of now he seemed
to prefer his silence.
"Did you know that Satoru is the sole reason why slavery, legal or otherwise, is completely gone
from the kingdom?"
She asked rhetorically, making Gazef flinch.
"Levels of violence had gone down all across the kingdom as he made sure to eliminate all those
unstable subjects still allowed to roam the streets for a reason or another."
She continued.
"Homelessness had almost disappeared as he either took under his wing or eliminated, if given
reason, all those with such a lifestyle, he gave them purpose and a second chance at having a
dignified life… for some it was a god send, others just fell into old habits and paid for it… that is
just human nature, I guess… you can't save everyone."
She said the last part in a lower tone. She could see the conflict on the warrior captain's face.
"Did you know that it was I who begged him to save my family when the nobles tried to
assassinate them?"
She decided it would be worth it to risk it, she either got it all or got nothing. She could see the
swordsman hanging on her every word now.
"Satoru's first idea when he came to know of it was to use his magic power to get into the graces of
the emperor so that he might protect me and Lakyus from any noble who would come for our
heads… it was I who convinced him to fight back… to use Seven Hands to stop the greatest civil
war Re-Estize had ever known…"
She continued with a sad but amused little smile.
"Did you know Gazef? Satoru really hates nobility, for someone such as him… who gained all his
power and titles through accomplishments of his own and years of hard work… to see people hide
behind names and pass down that power to unworthy heirs… it all infuriates him… I wouldn't be
surprised if he considered his new title an insult to his name."
She said as she saw something finally click behind Gazef's eyes. 'Got you…' she smirked
internally.
"Haven't you noticed? Ever since my father gave him those titles and responsibilities, Satoru had
been in a completely gloomy mood… Only now that he is doing what he loves to do, I can begin to
see the joy return to his tone… it may be a little change, but I can't help but notice it… after all… I
and Satoru are the same."
She concluded, leaving Gazef to ruminate on his thoughts for the time while she joined Lakyus
who was amicably chatting with the young lizardmen.
'The seeds had been planted… only time will tell if they flourish' the witch thought as she
embraced from behind an embarrassed Lakyus.
It didn't take long for the lizardman chieftain to come and retrieve them to meet the so-called elder
council.
Renner now wondered just one thing, what will her beloved Satoru do? She couldn't wait to find
out what her beloved had planned for them.
A.N.
Chapter End Notes

Of Plans and Masterminds
Chapter Notes
Satoru felt weird sitting in front of the so-called elder council, he had not planned for any of this to
happen. Hell, no one was even supposed to be there.
This was supposed to be just a small deviation from the plan, to go and see a sight he could have
never had in his old world, and something he was sure none of the children with him ever saw
either.
It was supposed to be quite an experience, and then it turned out like this… it could have been
worse to be fair, he had worse, that was for sure… but still, why did everything he planned backfire
on him every single time? He was starting to think there was some bad luck charm he was carrying
around.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance esteemed elders, I am Satoru, a magic caster from the
Re-Estize Kingdom."
He introduced himself to the old lizardmen who didn't seem so thrilled to see him.
"My name is Renner, third daughter of the ruler of the Re-Estize kingdom."
The blonde princess sitting next to him introduced herself. Satoru didn't miss her avoidance of
addressing her many names or titles, she was probably considering the cultural differences and
didn't wish to confuse the lizardmen. He felt the need to pat her head for the effort. 'Always so
mindful of her words… she certainly grew a lot' he felt a sense of pride in seeing her act like this
that he could not quite describe. Was this the feeling of a proud father toward his child? It was
quite strange to think of her in those terms.
While he was pondering such thoughts the rest of the group kept introducing themselves. Then
came the turn for the lizardmen to do the same.
"We have heard of Sir Satoru's prodigious magical prowess from our chieftain, we would like to
inquire more on that specific spell."
The gray lizardmen began, prompting Satoru to put his hand under his mask as if thinking about an
answer.
"It really isn't all that impressive if you ask me, [Mass Multiply] is a 3rd tier arcane spell that is
part of the Creation branch of arcane magic… It was quite a common spell around my home
country, though here Creation magic seems to be an unknown for all the magic casters I met so
far."
The council seemed taken aback by his words as their tails stood up to attention, reminding Satoru
of the wary cats he saw around the kingdom. His own students were looking at him with rapt
attention, as he actually never went into details about his own magical capabilities.
"S-Sir Satoru, did you just refer to a 3rd tier spell as… simple?"
Asked Shasuryu, who was currently sitting beside his brother.
"Umu, I apologize, I didn't mean to belittle anyone here… but as a magic caster of the 6th tier, it is
quite easy to forget that many struggle with the lower tiers, such as 3rd or below."
He tried to cover his possible mess up, but the words seemed to cause even more panic among the
demi-humans, who began to look at one another with expressions he found hard to decipher.
Silence descended over the room as no one seemed to want to say anything in response to his
statement.
"Ah, uhm, Sir, no, Lord S-Satoru, is it p-possible to teach such a spell to a l-lizardman?"
The shift in suffix didn't go unnoticed by the undead magic caster who wondered if this was really
going where he thought it was going.
"Of that, I'm not sure. Creation magic is a branch that requires extreme expertise of arcane magic
and mana control. You would be molding your own mana into physical objects, it is no easy feat
and it needs years of practice to master."
By now, bullshitting his way out of awkward situations became a second nature to Satoru, it was
really his only way to salvation.
He waited patiently for the lizardman's response.
"I see… May I ask what your intentions are now?"
Satoru almost tilted his head in confusion at the elder lizardman's question. 'What does he mean by
that?... I'm just here to see the lake and go on toward the Dwarven Kingdom… oh! That's right!
They live pretty close to each other, they might be able to help us find an entrance!' he had no idea
why he didn't think of this first. It was such an obvious thing! Punitto Moe would have bashed his
skull in for being such a dumbass.
"Umu, my first intention was to simply come here to admire such a magnificent lake, I had no idea
anyone lived here until we met Sir Zaryusu. My main goal was to reach the Azerlisia Mountains
and find the Dwarven Kingdom."
He admitted. After all, in negotiations like this it was mostly a pain to hide one's goal, even more
so if the hiding was pointless.
"Maybe we could help each other?"
He offered, red flames shining from behind his mask.
{The next day}
{Zaryusu's P.O.V.}
The little human was the most skilled fighter the lizardman had ever faced. Her swift and precise
movement allowed her to dance around him, avoiding most of his attacks and parrying those she
could not dodge.
He was sure that if she possessed the natural sheer muscular power of a lizardman, he would stand
little chance against her without the Frost Pain.
Their ways of fighting were just too different, and hers was proving to be the better one compared
to the one most lizardmen used.
'Strength isn't everything… eh!' the wielder of Frost Pain thought back at the words she told him
after he first negated her challenge due to her apparent inexperience and youth.
He regretted saying that out loud now. The passion burning in those eyes, so similar to the color of
spring grass, brought out his warrior spirit like few other things could.
She parried another of his strikes, using her second blade to try and slash at him. Luckily for him,
her left arm was far less developed than her right one, and the strikes coming from there were
sloppier and more easily avoided or blocked.
He took advantage of her momentary imbalance to use his weight advantage and push the human,
resulting in her falling on her butt. She immediately rolled away, creating distance between the two
of them.
"[Flow Acceleration]!"
The human girl vanished as she used her Martial Art, the lizardman had just enough time to blink in
bewilderment before he felt a powerful force try to tear Frost Pain from his hands.
On pure instinct, he retaliated with the only thing that could save him in such a situation.
"[Icy Burst]!"
From his blade a spiked column of ice emerged, going directly for the surprised human who tried
to block it with both her blades.
The result surprised both of the sparring warriors, as Lakyus was pushed back, but at the same time
the ice fractured and shattered in all directions from the sheer power of the blades' strike.
"I think that would be enough."
The voice of the adult human stopped any further clashes from happening.
"A-Are all other human children as strong as you?"
The lizardman panted a little as he straightened his posture.
"No, lady Lakyus is a very gifted young woman. If I have to be completely honest, I would not put
aside the possibility of her rising above even Gazef Stronoff, the strongest warrior of the kingdom,"
The one to answer wasn't the tired looking child, it was the adult human instead. It was quite a
relief for Zaryusu, to know that humans weren't normally as strong as this one, otherwise he would
have no idea how to approach a possible invasion.
Still, to have the power to be able to rival one of the strongest lizardmen… at that age… it was
most unreal to think about.
Such a thing would bring arrogance to someone, but instead all he saw in those green eyes was
amicable determination and passion. No sign of arrogance or pride.
And yet, there was still a certain innocence to her, something he remembered seeing in all his
fellow tribesmen, before the war.
"Thank you for the wonderful spar, Zaryusu."
The short blond said as she offered him her hand, a gesture foreign to his culture. He shook it
hesitantly.
"The pleasure was mine… Lakyus."
He passed the unfamiliar sound of her name over his tongue.
"Hey, I would like to ask you something… you said you were a traveler… what exactly is that?"
She asked. Zaryusu felt like biting his own tongue to avoid the grimace coming to his face.
{Renner's P.O.V.}
The princess sat on the edge of a suspended bridge over the lake, her feet cooling in the fresh
water, her eyes fixed over the horizon, on the other side of the lake.
Satoru never stopped surprising her, every time he did something or went somewhere, things just
seemed to turn in the most interesting of ways. It almost looked like he had planned everything out.
But to think that would be asinine as you cannot predict random events. Still, his ability to exploit
them was certainly one of his most lovable and admirable traits.
She felt her lips curving up in a smile as she thought back to the day before. It only took Satoru's
sheer presence to make the whole tribe of lizardmen cower in front of him. He offered them
everything, in exchange for seemingly little.
And yet, once they got accustomed to the level of life they could have with his power, they would
give anything for it. No more starvation, no more exiling, no more war. And all in exchange of
bowing and serving the one who provided such for them.
The only question was, will they go with the flow? Or will there be a new civil war to establish the
new way of living?
'Traditionalists… what a bunch of fools… the true power does not lie in the control of the past, but
the ability to shape the future…' she mused as the heat of the morning sun bathed her face.
Satoru will have his demi-human legion. A cunning move: even if he had Seven Hands, now all
the nobles knew about them, but this… this no one would expect.
She could already imagine it, all those fools organizing a defense against the vanguard of Seven
Hands only to be flanked by a platoon of heavily armored lizardmen.
She felt a gentle hand grasping her shoulder, she leaned into it, seeking more of that loving touch
she so much craved for.
"I see you are enjoying yourself."
The deep dark voice lulled her in its embrace.

"I could say the same, Satoru."
Her rebuttal was answered by a light chuckle.
"Yes, I imagine you could say that. Still, troubles are behind every corner."
He said, seemingly more to himself than anybody else. Now it was the time for her to give a small
laugh.
"And yet, you are always ready to subvert the situation in your favor, aren't you?"
She retorted, nestling on his side completely.
"Umu, I guess so…"
He mumbled as he continued to gaze forward.
"Something is bothering you?"
She asked, her sweet tone prompting the man for an answer.
"No, not really, it's just… I would like to be left alone sometimes, abandon all those
responsibilities… even for a few days would be great… alas, it seems impossible to do so."
And although his tone remained calm and unwavering, the princess could not help but detect a
certain degree of bitterness behind his words. And she could do nothing but agree with her
beloved's desire.
Spending time alone with her Satoru and her friend Lakyus… no court intrigue, no planning, just…
affection and tranquility… yes, that seemed like a dream worth fighting for.
"I would love that too, isn't that a magnificent scenario?"
She asked rhetorically.
They remained there in silence for a few long minutes.
"You spoke with Gazef."
The words weren't accusatory, they were just a statement of a fact.
"He seemed to be overly confused on which responsibility fell on who."
She offered nonchalantly.
"You had no choice."
The response was immediate and most confusing for her, she indeed could have gone around it and
did things in different ways, still the nobles forced her hand ahead of time.
"There is always a choice… I'm just particularly selfish."
There was no shame in admitting the truth, not that he wasn't already aware of it, after all he helped
her achieve it.
"I see…" Silence hung between them for a few seconds. "You can talk to me about anything, if
you feel like it."
He added hesitantly. Renner tilted her head slightly. Did he want to hear what she had in mind to
exploit the current situation? Well, she found no reason to not oblige him if that was what he
wanted.
{Arwintar's Imperial Palace}
{Jircniv's P.O.V.}
The ruler of the Baharuth Empire felt like tearing off his own hair in frustration.
'That damned bitch! That bastard! Fucking whore!' he cried out silently in his head as he punched
his heavy desk with all the fury a fifteen years old could muster.
He hated her, he hated her so much… far more than he hated his father and the conniving snakes
he had called family.
She ruined it, she ruined it all! All his plans! His carefully laid path toward carving his name into
history as the greatest emperor the Empire will ever see! She took it all and burned it down while
smiling with glee!
A shiver went up his spine, calming his boiling rage like an ice cold water bucket thrown over a
raging fire. The feeling of those inhuman eyes gazing at him made him feel sick to his stomach.
It may have been almost two years, but the unexplainable fear that memory brought him was still
fresh in his mind. A deterrent, if he ever knew one.
"Jircniv the Just" they called him, "The Peaceful Emperor" the masses cheered him.
All of this due to the fabricated story of that damned devil!
If only he knew… he would have had her strangled in her sleep… consequences be damned!
This was a disaster! An utter ruinous fall of his rule and his plans!
He was supposed to be the ruthless ruler! An emperor of blood and steel! Someone to be feared
and not spoken of lightly! A strong figure who would intimidate and threaten all neighboring
countries!
And look at him now! An admired sustainer of peace and stability! A compassionate ruler who
averted a war that would have consumed the empire and kingdom, just to spare the people needless
suffering!
Even the army, his most fervent sustainers, was fractured into two. One side applauded his effort
of maintaining order and peace, while the other was, not so subtly, calling for war, to show that the
emperor they brought up was not a wimp.
He was being crushed. On one hand, he could not declare war and betray the trust of the people, as
he wished to be feared, not hated. Hated rulers didn't last much, after all. On the other, he could not
continue this pacifist farce, he would risk an internal military crisis, if not an all out civil war
among the army, the worst possible outcome.
'Curse you! Curse you to hell!' he yelled once more as he gritted his teeth. He should have
strangled her with his own hands when he had the chance!
Now there was nothing he could do, nothing but try to do the damage control. It would take years
to recover from that… to establish some semblance of the rule he had envisioned.
He sighed deeply, there was no meaning in getting all riled up over spilled milk. His temper was
something even Fluder had trouble eradicating from his behavior, and he thought he got over it too.
But that girl… that devil… was just totally infuriating.
He had to get back at her for this, somehow, there must've been a way to get even! To ruin what
she wanted as she did with him! But how? How? And what was her endgame to begin with?
If he knew at least that, he could try and use Blumrush, the useless maggot, against her, probably
sacrificing him in the meantime. Not that he cared, really, by now he was mostly an obstacle to
him. The fool actually thought the conquest of the kingdom was still going to happen relatively
quickly. He didn't even realize that he was being used as a pawn against the same emperor he was
working for.
The only reason why the devil left him alive to begin with, was to always have a weapon pointed at
Jircniv's throat. She could expose him any time she wanted, causing a big rift, if not an all-out war,
between Re-Estize and Baharuth. Trying to kill him on his part would have the same effect overall,
so Jircniv never even bothered to try.
A war now would be catastrophic for him. Sure, he could probably win, but at what cost? It was
clear that once Blumrush was disposed of, the rest of the remaining loyal nobility would fight tooth
and nail for every inch of land. By the end of it, he would find himself with a broken army, a
broken land and his reputation in the mud due to causing such a devastating war.
There was no escape, he had to concede, again, that the devil played her cards the best way
possible. He didn't realize he was in the cage until he hit his face against the bars.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Your Majesty, it is I, may I come in?"
The old man's voice seemed far louder than it usually was, probably an aftereffect of being lost in
his thoughts for almost two hours.
"Yes, you may."
The caster didn't hesitate a moment to enter his room. An unusual smile on his face as he hummed
lightly, much to the astonishment of a bewildered Jircniv. He could literally count on one hand the
times he saw Fluder in such a good mood.
"What's up with you gramps? What is this all about?"
He inquired, a little annoyed at his mentor's clear happiness.
"Ah, young Jir! The expedition was a success! We finally captured one of the legendary undead! A
Death Knight! I can't wait to start experimenting if such a creature can be brought under my
control!"
The old man almost cackled at his own fantasy. Jircniv snorted at the display.
"That is good and all gramps but I don't think you just came here to gloat about your successes."
The man seemed to return to a somehow dignified disposition without losing his high spirits. He
rummaged a little inside his long robe before taking out a sealed letter.
"The Furt fool just received a letter from his daughter, of course there was one also meant for you."
He said as he placed said missive on the emperor's desk. In hindsight, it hadn't been such a good
move to masquerade her reports as if they were some kind of admirer's or lover's letters. Mostly
because the girl's father could not help himself but gloat about it instead of staying silent.
But now it would be too much of a waste of resources and time to correct such a mistake, he may as
well roll with it. It's not like a betrothal between them was expected or anything. At best he could
just play it out as a secret admirer thing. It's not like he actually responded to them, not publicly at
least.
Still, breaking the seal brought a small smile to his face, these letters represented his own,
admittedly small, victory against the devil. Her annoyance at the knowledge she could do nothing
to the empire noble girl was a delight for the emperor. It was a small victory in a losing war, but it
was still something he could grasp at to demonstrate that the devil could be beaten somehow. Or,
at least, he continued to tell himself that to not lose his sanity over her.
He unfolded the letter and began to read, his bettered mood taking a wing down with each line his
eyes gazed upon.
'Tsk, gods damn it! What the hell does that caster want with those reclusive dwarves?' he thought,
the only thing he hated more than being cornered was not understanding his opponent's moves.
'They have rare materials… runecraft… yet all of that is easily obtainable for someone like him…
no, he is going personally, there must be something else… but what?' his eyes snapped open as
realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
'Could it be?! He wants to secure a passage to invade the empire from his own territory! The
empire always used the mountains as a natural defense and never reinforced their border on that
front!' the thought was dreadful, one of his worst nightmares coming to life.
Normally, an army could never hope to traverse those mountains, but if the caster could secure a
passage under it… the empire could find its borders invaded in less than a couple weeks and,
without a proper plan, he would find an army outside Arwintar in less than a month.
'No, no, that can't possibly be right! There must be another explanation!' he dreaded to
acknowledge that as the truth, that devil would not be bold enough for that, would she?
"We have received a missive from the Draconic Kingdom as well, Your Majesty."
The caster offered another letter, this time unsealed.
"Since when do you read my letters, Fluder?"
The switch to his name was a clear sign of his irritation at the magic caster's preposterous actions.
If it had been someone else, he would have probably had one of their hands cut here and now.
"If you read it, you will understand Your Majesty."
The man responded calmly, and so, Jircniv read.
"Absolutely not!"
That was the only answer that came out of his mouth once he finished reading the worthless
demands in the letter masqueraded as polite requests.
"There is no way we are sending any of the legions to that falling kingdom to die to the beastmen!"
He glared at the paper in his hands as if it offended his own mother in the most unkind way.
"I would have said the same young Jir, but we had Draconic Kingdom's envoys preaching about
His Majesty's generosity all over the capital since this morning, from the lowest to the highest
district… they sang the praises of a wise ruler who will prevent the meaningless massacre of the
beastmen and, by doing so, will protect his borders from the invading demi-humans."
Jircniv gritted his teeth in frustration. It all came back to that damned devil once again!
"I also heard rumors that the most fervent of our generals are giddy to begin a conflict, they are
eager to chomp on the first occasion to start beating something."
Jircniv bit his lip at the thought, he couldn't just do nothing now… the people were riled up, the
generals were calling for it. And yet he knew, this would be a useless endeavor, a waste of
resources. Even if they could claim favors once the beastmen were repelled, what would they ask
from a kingdom on the brink of bankruptcy, with almost no cultivable lands remaining and a
drastically decreased population?
Yet, he knew this wasn't a coincidence. Somehow, someone must be behind this. It was too close to
be a coincidence.
'The caster! He could have asked the Dragon Queen to do this! To make me send all those
troops… all those resources…' as the apparent truth downed on him, the emperor felt a void open
in his stomach, a sensation of dread like no other crawled all over his body as he paled till he
resembled a ghost.
That was it, the masterstroke, the endgame. He couldn't refuse to send troops, otherwise he would
lose both the people's and the army's trust, and then it would be a matter of months before he was
either dethroned or killed off.
But once he sent his troops… the western border would remain completely undefended and
unguarded. They would invade using the underground passages of the Dwarven Kingdom, he
would find himself in a two front war all of a sudden. The kingdom will justify it with the
Blumrush scapegoat, and he will be finished.
He could have done something, yes, he could have avoided it, if he only saw it coming, if he only
wasn't so distracted in uncovering what the magic caster was on.
And with those thoughts, another revelation fell on him. His spy, his best spy, had been used
against him, to distract him from the greater picture. A perfect masterplan to utterly destroy him on
all fronts.
The small victory, the only victory he thought he had against that devil turned out to be his
downfall. The emperor's arms fell limp on his sides as he slumped back on his chair.
His gaze fixed on the ceiling, his mouth curved up in a deranged smile as he started chuckling
before he started laughing in the most unhinged and hysterical manner he ever had, tears streamed
down his face. The worried voice of Fluder only a buzzing in the background, and then,
graciously, unconsciousness claimed him.
{The next day}
{Green Claw's village}

{Satoru's P.O.V.}
The undead hummed, his previous proposal finally got an answer apparently and he had been
called back to hear it.
He once again sat on the hard floor of the hut. In front of him, the elders and the chieftain. He
patiently waited for one of them to speak.
"After much discussion we came to the conclusion that your proposal has merit Sir Satoru."
The grey lizardman began.
"But first, we wish to test it ourselves and only then finalize our decision."
Another one continued, his tone as hard as stone.
"As we agreed, you will provide food for the village while we build this… farm of yours and test it
out, if after a month the result is satisfying."
The grey one proceeded.
"What about the other tribes?"
The masked undead inquired, eliciting what seemed to be a grimace from the lizardmen present.
"We will make contact with them, but war is still fresh in everyone's mind. There will be no
changing that, no matter if the food problem is solved, grievances will remain."
Shasuryu, the chief, said seriously, receiving a nod from Satoru.
"That is right, I do not intend to make your grievances with each other disappear, but, if you ever
wished for a peaceful cohabitation, someone has to make the first step, starting from somewhere…
the rest will come with time, generation after generation, old wounds will heal."
Satoru said his piece, the history of his old world at least taught him that much. Lizardmen didn't
seem much different from humans, apart from customs and culture.
"I hope such a thing comes to be, even if not in my lifespan."
Shasuryu's hopeful sentiment didn't seem to be shared among the elders.
"Zaryusu already offered himself for the job. I've also heard your companions, Lakyus and Leinas,
if I am not mistaken, asked to accompany him."
The chief continued; Satoru only nodded in understanding as he already heard of such a thing.
Renner already showed her reluctance at the arrangement. Letting friends go, even momentarily,
was hard, Satoru had experienced that firsthand.
"They will manage. I hope parley parties are not usually attacked."
He said more to give Renner some peace of mind.
"If a village is not willing to welcome you, they will let you know beforehand."
The druid chief explained, assuring Satoru. Not that he doubted Lakyus and Leinas could protect
themselves. 'Maybe I should gift her an ice enchanted blade next year… though, how could she
wield them together? Uhm, a floating spell could do the trick I guess… thoughts for the future… I
really want to see the limit of humanity in this world' he mused now that the lizardmen's treasure
came back to his mind.
"So, from where should we begin?"
Asked the grey elder as he showed the raw draft Renner draw for a fishing farm.
{Two days before}
{Satoru's Mansion}
{Hilma's P.O.V.}
She placed a cup of tea in front of her… guest, blue flowers and black tea, her favorite when in
need of something to calm her nerves.
She sat on the opposite side of the masked caster. Mato's boys were already on to clean the scene
like nothing had happened, her guard would live apparently, if they could recover, that was a
different story.
She sipped her tea with all the calm of a woman who brought herself up in the world from the
tender age of five, into a criminal organization bent on the most heinous of acts.
"You know, it is rude to not accept offerings."
She said, referring to the untouched cup of tea still in front of the caster.
"It is rude to attack someone out of the blue."
Retorted said masked girl with all the impudence possible, not that she could not back it up if need
arose.
"You are a peculiar one I see… then let me ask you… what do you seek from Satoru?"
She decided to cut the chase and get to the point. The apparently young girl shifted under her cape.
"Are you an undead?"
The question almost made Hilma choke on her tea as that was the last thing she expected the caster
to ask.
"W-What?"
She managed to stutter out as she tried to stop her tea from going down the wrong pipe. The
masked girl just shrugged.
"I have my methods of feeling when an undead is in the vicinity, I can clearly sense one here, still I
cannot locate it perfectly, us being the only ones here… you can reach a conclusion by yourself,
you aren't an idiot if you are one of the higher ups in Seven Hands."
Hilma gritted her teeth behind her sealed lips. This one was infuriating, the disinterested tone in
which she seemed to speak was just the cherry top on the soon to explode cake.
Not that she could do anything about it, she was utterly powerless and defeated here.
"Anyone needs some protection, even more so if they are a young maiden such as myself, and let's
leave it at that."
Fine! If she wanted to play the word games, Hilma was ready to play her own.
"Why don't you take off that mask so we can speak as respectable adults?"
She tried again with another approach. The girl in front of her sighed.
"I am afraid I cannot do that, although, thank you for the tea."
Her tone has definitely changed now, it seemed like she finally realized that she would not get
anywhere with intimidation or other crap like that.
No one spoke for a couple minutes.
"I am here mostly to observe what this new organization, Seven Hands, is doing in the kingdom,
understand its goals and ambitions."
The so-called Evileye said in a dead serious tone.
"The curiosity toward this Satoru came only once I heard of his rise to power and his probable link
to Seven Hands, even though I wouldn't have expected for him to be the head of the snake."
The masked caster continued.
"This still doesn't explain anything… What are you doing here?"
Hilma tried to press her now that her guard was seemingly down.
"To confirm a theory of mine. I do not wish to get in your way currently, if that is what you are
wondering."
Evileye cryptically answered once more, prompting Hilma to place down her cup abruptly and
giving her opponent a dead fish look.
"Now, miss Evileye, we can do this two ways: either we continue with this vague word play, which
would be a waste of time, or we start speaking plainly."
She stated hardly.
"You understand your position, right?"
The caster asked, seemingly unperturbed by her sudden change of pace.
"I understand it perfectly. You can kill me at any moment, that doesn't mean anything to me."
She put up her poker face as she continued to stare down the shorter female.
"Are you not afraid of it? You could tell me what I want and run away, I won't stop you."
The caster raised her hand as if prepared to cast a spell at Hilma, but the sole thought of selling out
Satoru, the only being who ever showed her some semblance of love and care, brought up bile
from her stomach.
"Sometimes there are things or people worth dying for."

She mumbled as she started down the shorter caster. She was not afraid of dying, the undead
bodyguard had already been informed of what to do in case of her death.
A few long moments punctuated Hilma's next, and maybe last, instances of life.
"I see, there is nothing to be done then."
The caster finally returned her hand to her previous position.
"I can do nothing but wait for his return if I wish my questions to be answered."
Evileye finally conceded.
"That, or being more clear with me."
Hilma defused the tension with her attempt at a joke, it was clear by now the caster would not
strike her down.
"I still wish to observe Seven Hands though."
The short caster demanded, prompting a sigh from the older woman.
"I can assign you a room here, for all I can't tolerate you, I clearly can't send you away either."
Hilma conceded on her part. She would still report this whole thing to Satoru, and it would be up to
him how to deal with the problem. Still, she would not let her roam around unseen and unguarded
to know only the gods knew what. Not in her city.
It wasn't like she would be attending meetings or reading reports. She would just observe what
Hilma wanted her to see.
She could do nothing but wait and see what would come next.
Chapter End Notes

Of Claws, Tails, Fangs, Eyes and Tusks (part 1)
Chapter Notes
"I see, so you aren't branded yet?"
The blond human asked her traveling companion.
"Indeed, as I left in secret I planned to brand myself in the future."
The demi-human answered, his steps accompanied by heavy thumps on the ground.
"Isn't that sad? To have to be branded as a foreigner by your own family and friends? Though, if
everything goes according to plan you will have no need to do so."
The shorter girl said, a rather sly grin on her face.
"To say the truth, I probably still will, food scarcity wasn't the only reason why I left in the first
place… I just got tired of it all, the bloodshed, the war, the constant fear of running out of food… I
just wanted to leave it all behind me and see the world."
He admitted accompanying his words with a heavy sigh.
"And even if I returned, I would still not be treated too badly, considering I am the wielder of Frost
Pain and brother of the chief… quite selfish, wouldn't you say?"
He continued; his eyes lost in the wilderness before them.
The blond noble swordswoman lost her grin. That was quite a direct thing to admit to someone you
had known for a few days. But even then, demi-humans might have different ways of expressing
their emotions compared to humans.
"If that is selfish, I might be the most selfish person in the world then."
She admitted catching both Leinas' and her new friend's gaze.
"I was born a noble, you could compare it as being born into a chief's family… my parents raised
me with love and care as the eldest child, my future was already decided, marry someone
prestigious, strengthen my family's political standing and give my future husband many
children…"
She said, it was the first time she voiced such a thing, saying it like that made the whole thing look
quite easy.
"I hated it, I hated it all, I wanted to live freely my own life my own way, I went against all my
parents wanted me to be… Instead of caring for my looks or enticing men, I chose to harden my
skin and embrace my blade, for that was what I loved to do… when they tried to force me into it, I
escaped, and now here we are, me living my own way and my parents probably cursing me till
their last breath… quite selfish, wouldn't you say?"
She rebutted, giving the lizardman a shit-eating but rather sad grin.
They continued to walk in silence for a couple of minutes.
"Then it seems we are more alike than I initially thought, lizardmen and humans."
Zaryusu said, seemingly amused. Lakyus was about to retort with a witty response when she was
interrupted by what seemed to be a low whimper, if not a whine.
She immediately turned toward her left, the sound was near but not so near that whatever was
making it was in direct sight.
She tightened the grip around her blade, constant vigilance was something embedded on the back
of her head by now.
She moved quietly through the thick vegetation, Leinas crouched behind her and Zaryusu blended
in with the trees and ground thanks to his coloring.
The whines were getting nearer and once she moved the bush in front of her again, she could
finally see it.
Stuck in mud, unable to free its hindlegs that by now were buried more than halfway into the
ground. Four heads attached to long necks flailing around in panic.
Lakyus amazement was so much that she didn't notice the root in front of her, which was why she
ended up face first into the ground ruinously.
"Ouch!"
She cried out in surprise and pain. She pushed herself on all four before she noticed the strange
creature was no longer struggling but instead had its four heads fixed on her, wariness in its eyes as
Lakyus managed to get back on her feet.
She took a couple steps forward before the creature started hissing loudly at her and snapping its
jaws threateningly, she was reminded of an angry toddler at that scene.
"Hey, hey, calm down… I don't want to hurt you."
She tried to say soothingly, the creature remained wary of her, but didn't hiss again, until both of
her companions showed themselves, then the creature immediately doubled its efforts to get away
as it cried out openly in despair.
The bigger figures probably scared it, Lakyus was already quite taller than it but both Leinas and
Zaryusu basically towered over it.
She gestured to the two to stay back, to which they kindly obliged, taking a few steps back but not
disappearing from view.
Lakyus silently closed the distance between her and the creature as she placed a gentle hand on its
back. The multi-headed creature immediately stilled, frozen in place and silent, its muscles tensed
to their maximum.
Lakyus gently caressed its back, which was already sporting quite the hard skin if she had to judge,
before using her hand to trace all the way to one of its necks, she continued to stroke until she
reached the top of one of its heads and patted it gently.
That seemed to do the trick as the creature was now eyeing her with wariness but what seemed to
be curiosity lingering in its gaze too.
Lakyus knelt to its level before she slowly brought her hands toward its trapped legs. The creature's
heads following her all the way to observe what she was doing.
Careless of the mud she was getting all over her, the blonde swordswoman began digging in the
mud with her bare hands. It took some minutes but she finally managed to remove enough mud
from around the creature's leg for it to manage to get it free.
The second one was far easier and finally it managed to get itself free from the natural trap.
Slightly tired but satisfied nonetheless, Lakyus got up but immediately she felt something almost…
cooing? And… snuggling? On her side.
She looked down only to see the creature's four heads all over her right side, snuggling and cooing,
trying to cling to her light leather armor.
'So cute!' was the only thought that passed through her mind as she knelt once more in front of the
creature and started playing with it, much to its amusement apparently.
"Of all the things I thought I would see, a hydra was not one of them."
The voice of Zaryusu interrupted the tender moment as he finally gave a name to the creature
before her.
"A hydra?"
She asked as she heard of such a creature but never imagined it to be so small or cute. It was said
that they were fierce beings of power, dominating the seas or great lakes. Now that she thought
about it, many hints pointed toward it but she never made the connection nonetheless.
"So you are a hydra… a little hydra… the most beautiful hydra there is."
She continued to play with the hydra's head as it cooed in happiness.
"Yes, you are… yes, you are…"
She didn't even notice Leinas getting closer.
"It must be a child, we should get going before the parents return."
That was indeed a concern, Lakyus decided to get up and start to move away before they were
forced into an unwanted and probably dangerous confrontation.
"Bye bye."
She said to the little thing before they started moving away.
It didn't take more than a few meters to understand that the little hydra didn't seem to catch her
words as it continued trotting behind them.
"No, little one, you must wait for your parents."
She said in exasperation, as the little thing just started desperately whining and flaying its heads
around .
"It is strange though, hydra are supposed to have eight heads, and to find a young one alone like
this so far from the shore… her group might have exiled it or abandoned it."
Zaryusu offered his grim opinion, which didn't bode well in Lakyus' book.
Who the hell would abandon their child? For these stupid reasons? Well, if they didn't want it, she
would take it!
"Very well then, in that case, it comes with us."
She declared icily in a tone that didn't allow for any rebuttals. She grabbed a fish from the
backpack she was carrying before offering it to the baby hydra which proceeded to eye it curiously
before sniffing it and proceeding to take tentative bites out of it with all her heads.
In less than a minute it was gone, bones and all.
"You are a hungry little thing, aren't you?"
The warrior said amusedly as the hydra proceeded to coo in response.
"Well, I guess you will need a name… uhm…"
She mumbled as she thought of something fitting.
"Oh, I got it! Since it was fate that brought us together, I will call you Luck!"
She declared as she patted the content hydra, now Luck, once more.
"Lady Lakyus always seems to affiliate with the strangest beings."
Leinas commented with a straight face even if the shorter noble could swear she heard a hint of
amusement in her tone.
"Are you including yourself in that statement my dear knight?"
She teased, prompting said knight to recoil.
"Indeed, I might, maybe I should start cooing at you as well?"
It was Lakyus' time to blush in embarrassment at the unexpected retort.
"Do humans usually give names based on their own?"
She had no idea if the lizardman's question was meant as teasing or as genuine curiosity, but the
fact he pointed that out was reason enough to intensify her blush of embarrassment at the current
situation. 'Gods damn it! He is actually right!' finding no appropriate response she proceeded to
wallow in her own despair and embarrassment the rest of the trip.
{Draconic Kingdom's Royal Palace}
{Brain's P.O.V.}
The blade went through the dummy as if it was paper.
'Worthless, all of it, this training isn't working anymore' the thought passed through his mind as he
felt no change whatsoever in his Martial Arts.
[Instantaneous Flash] wasn't enough, he needed more power, for he realized how weak humanity
was in the face of true power.
Though, he will not give up! He will not resign himself! He will see the peak of humanity with his
own two eyes! But he realized, he will not be the one to achieve it, no, he already met someone
capable of absorbing everything the strongest swordmen possessed and make it hers.
'Damn brat' he scoffed as he severed two more dummies with a single strike.
To achieve the top training wasn't enough, she would need stepping stones, obstacles to achieve
that level of power, and only by surpassing them she would finally achieve true power.
The higher the obstacle, the better the final result will be. And so he trained, awaiting that day
when he will be sent flat on his ass and see humanity rise to new levels untapped till that day.
It was only due to his battle awareness that he caught the silent observer staring at him from afar.
Crimson reptilian eyes fixed on him, no, on his sword, with bottomless hunger and greed.
"It is impolite to stare, royal brat."
He mumbled knowing well that she could easily hear him with her amplified hearing or read his
lips.
Said child proceeded to approach him, dignified coldness on her face as she gestured for the other
training soldiers to go on with their own work as they tried to bow.
"You are quite rude for a commoner swordsman."
She stated imperiously.
"You are quite full of yourself for a queen of a kingdom on the brink of collapsing."
He rebutted, not interested in being patronized by those who did not understand the fine art of
swordsmanship.
"Tch, you are an asshole."
This time her tone was lower and lacked much of the previous decorum.
"Didn't expect a queen to use such vulgar language, didn't your mother teach you it was
unladylike?... Well, I had to admit I might be part of the issue seeing as my last encounter with a
noble ended up."
He commented as he took once again his signature stance, he will not fail this time, there must be a
way to reach a new breakthrough in his Martial Arts.
"You are unbearable, why are you even here?"
She scoffed at his remark asking a question of her own.
"I heard there are stronger demi-humans than that big cat, I will need to face them and end them…
only through the reaching and breaking of my limits will I manage to advance to the next level."
He just stated his objective clearly, he was not one for subterfuges or wordplays, he was a true
swordsman, direct to the point.
"Is that what motivates you? The thrill of battle and the lust for power? Do you perhaps wish to
become the strongest swordsman ever to live?"
She questioned seemingly mocking him judging by her tone.
He almost felt like chuckling at the accusation.
"Oh no, that dream is not mine, but I will help the one who wishes for that title to achieve it, but
for that I need to be stronger, for next time we meet I will beat her once again and show her just
how weak she still is."
The queen seemed to be confused at his words.
"So the one you are trying to help become the strongest is still weaker than you? Why in the world
don't you just strive for that title yourself if that's the case?"
That was a fair question, the whole reason behind him not wanting to pick up a blade ever again.
Because if he did he wasn't sure he could stop, he didn't know if he would be able to restrain
himself from facing that Monster again, to know that all he did was meaningless yet once more.
But Lakyus made him see the truth, she shoved it down his throat with her words. And the truth
was a bitter thing, still something that would allow him to go on and not fear to gaze up at the
unknown, knowing he will never reach it.
"It's because I am a coward."
He said aloud, not really meaning to answer the queen herself as much as to answer his own
delusions.
The half-breed just stared at him in confusion, curious if he would elaborate on that, he kindly
indulged her.
"I saw the true peak of power, I gazed at it and felt insignificant, like I was when I was but a
toddler playing knight with a stick… all those years of efforts, blood and sweat meant nothing in
the face of true power…I was broken that day… knowing I would never reach that level and
leaving my blade behind me, afraid of seeing it happen again and again… and yet, I saw someone
stand and defy that truth, no matter how weak she was… she went on and challenged that power
gap without fear or reservation."
He gave form to his thoughts the best he could using mere words that were simply not made to
express such things.
"If there ever will be someone challenging that absolute, that would be her… I will never gaze
again at the top, but I will continue to climb, showing the way to the one who can reach it, that is
until that someone will finally surpass me, and then I will know, I did my part."
He proclaimed solemnly, a few seconds of silence followed his statement before a childish laugh
filled the air as the queen was now openly laughing without any decorum affiliated to her position.
"Oh gods, this is actually too funny!"
She said unable to stop her laughter.
Brain scoffed in annoyance at the half dragon antics, not that he concerned himself with her
opinion in the first place.
"D-did you just understand that now?!"
Her answer took him aback as he was about to return to his training.
"Y-you are too much Unglaus! Did you really believe you would have reached the pinnacle of
power one day? There is no hope of that happening, let me assure you of that, I have lived far too
much to not recognize talent when I see it, and you have tons of it, but not nearly enough to even
dream of reaching those heights reserved only for the highest life forms in this world."
She said as if she was speaking to a mere child.
"Now… why don't you let me have a little bit of that blade's magnificent energy while you tell me
about this, oh so great swordswoman you so much speak of?"
He could have refused her, just leave the city and never return to that infuriating woman, but
something prevented him, he did not understand it himself. But he sat nonetheless and, as the
queen fed off that dark miasma emanating from the Monster's blade, he told her of a stupid child
with an even stupider dream and how she did all she could to make it come true.
{Green Claw village}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He observed as the lizardmen dug deep into the shore, creating a semi-circular ten meters deep
pitch. He could do nothing but admire the natural advantages of their species. They could do heavy
work for hours without much tiring while their amphibious nature allowed them to not worry if
their pitch was continuously filled with rushing water.
It was nothing compared to the endless strength and stamina of undead but, seeing how he has only
been around humans for years, such resilience was admirable to say the least. 'They would make
for great workers in the construction industry' he thought. If everything went according to plan he
might even convince some to come and live in his territory to start a new colony there.
But that was a thought for the future, as of now, he had to demonstrate the validity of Renner's
idea.
Not far from the pitch another group of lizardmen were scavenging for rocks they would later
levigate and use as the base of the pitch and to fix to the lake's bottom the net that would close up
the farm. As for the top of the net, they would just create a small wooden platform to attach it to
and fix it in place.
As for the net itself, Satoru was the one providing it with his creation magic. He had some
lizardmen examine it and see if they could reproduce it with their own resources. But, even if that
wasn't possible, Satoru said he was willing to trade with them, maintaining amicable terms and
open trade could always come up as useful in the future.
Still, the pitch was pretty big and was currently occupying most of the labor force of the village.
Satoru was sure that if he wasn't there providing free food the elder council would have never
accepted trying this out.
By a few of Renner's estimations, the pitch, at full capacity, would be able to feed the village for
around a month, that is, with the actual population and taking in account it would take a year for
the fish to mature to the right point.
It wasn't much but the lizardmen had enough space to build at least a couple dozens of those.
They should not be constantly reliant on those though, they could still hunt, but it would be nice to
have a plan B in case the hunt came up short.
Not counting that the Lizardmen could also feed on berries and fruits in extreme cases, even
though a diet of only that would result in muscle reduction and generally weak individuals
according to the elders.
"I didn't see the light of hope shine in their eyes for a while now, from before the war."
The magic caster turned toward the gruff voice belonging to none other than the chieftain,
Shasuryu.
"Working toward a greater goal than simple survival seems to have given them a vigor I thought
they lost."
He continued, moving closer to Satoru.
"I'm grateful Sir Satoru, from the bottom of my heart, if this works it might change the lifestyle of
all lizardmen."
The chief passed him, observing his people at work.
"Don't mention it Sir Shasuryu, as my friend always said, to offer a hand to someone in need is
nothing but mere common sense."
The caster answered, there was a reason why Touch-Me was the charismatic one and Punitto Moe
the strategic one, and Satoru learnt from both.
"If there were more people like your friend, the world would be a safer place."
He said seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
"Umu, I prefer to see it as a mutually beneficial relationship, if all parties are in agreement there is
no need for conflict and peaceful exchange can bring great growth… unfortunately, it is a fragile
balance, it just needs one to disagree to bring down all the system."
Satoru thought back at some inner workings of the megacorporations back in his old world, it was
left unsaid that usually those who created disagreement were swiftly dealt with.
"Yes, I can understand what you say Sir Satoru… if a tribe refuses to cooperate peacefully… we
will have no other choice but destroy it unfortunately."
The undead tilted his head, unsure if he heard that right. 'Eh? Did he just say destroy? What the
hell is he talking about?' to say he was lost would be an understatement.
"Are you sure about that?"

The undead asked in hope of having the lizardman chieftain explain in full his train of thought.
"Indeed, Sir Satoru, you may not know the lizardmen very well but we are a proud bunch, and with
old wounds still open, there is no guarantee Red Eye and Dragon Tusk will join us, even if your
plan for the farm is a success."
Shasuryu explained with what seemed to be a grim expression on his face.
"In that case, we would find ourselves with a united three tribes who would be prospering while
two others were suffering… envy brings resentment which usually devolves into hatred quite
easily… we would find ourselves at war among each other again, we against Red Eye and Dragon
Tusk, the tribes with the strongest druids and the tribe with the major number of warriors against
us."
That was indeed a grim prospect but nothing they could not deal with considering their food
reserves and generally improved strength.
"You think you would lose?"
Satoru asked, curious to know if he was missing something, the lizardmen shook his head.
"No, that would not be the problem…"
He said lowly before sighing in resignation. Satoru continued to wait in silence for further details.
"Generations ago, our people arrived to this lake with eight tribes, but these lands were partially
occupied by the Toadmen race already… we warred and we lost, casualties were so severe one of
the tribes completely disbanded for lack of males to breed with."
Satoru hummed, that was quite the new turn, he lacked such important background information
before, it would not do, he needs to press the chieftain for all possible information.
"The remaining tribes settled on these shores and regrew their strength, in case the Toadmen
decided to retaliate."
He continued.
"But we were fools, so focused on numbers and strength to eventually defend ourselves from a
possible conflict, we did not notice the food scarcity until it was too late… by then there already
were too many lizardmen and too few food… and so, the Shortage War happened."
The story made sense in Satoru's mind, after all, as guildmaster, he himself had both to manage
Nazarick's power growth and resources as well, after all, what use would be using all resources to
create a powerful NPC if then you had no gold to revive it? Or materials to equip it?
"We lost much in that war, by the end we were down another tribe, our numbers were as low as
ever and we were as divided as we could ever be… I have no idea what miracle happened, but the
Toadmen did not attack us."
Shasuryu continued.
"But if another war comes to be… and even if the result would be us winning, I don't doubt the
casualties would be great… at that point, with only three weakened tribes remaining, I have little
doubt the Toadmen would jump in and finish us."
The hard tone of the lizardman gave finality to his words. It was a sound way of looking at it in
Satoru's opinion, it almost looked like guilds' wars, what Shasuryu said was completely possible
and he had little doubt a stronger guild would not jump to the occasion of finishing off a weakened
one. Ainz Ooal Gown used that tactic often, causing guilds' wars only to come in and swipe the
weakened remains. Punitto Moe was very fond of that tactic.
But then again, this could also be a perfect occasion for him, a third and neutral party to come in
and rip the goodies.
"So, to be clear, you intend to wipe out with a surprise attack the tribes that do not join the alliance,
to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and weakening your people even further? Zaryusu is already aware
of this I guess?"
He asked to be completely sure he understood that right. The chief silently nodded in confirmation,
prompting Satoru to capitalize on this new information.
"If it is war that preoccupies you so much… I may be of service on that front as well."
With those words he seemed to have caught the chief's attention.
"You see, Sir Shasuryu, I am no simple merchant of the Re-Estize kingdom, I am the main
provider of magic items for the whole country, recently I started providing partially for both the
Baharuth Empire of the east and Draconic Kingdom of the south, I can show you those on my map
later."
He began before bringing out of his inventory some of his store's products and placing them in
front of the bewildered Shasuryu.
"These are some of the items I can provide for your cause, if war ever comes to your doors… this
blade here is enchanted with the equivalent of a 2nd tier ice spell, not quite as powerful as your
brother's Frost Pain, but nothing to scoff at either, while this armor is capable of withstanding fire
spells up to the 3rd tier… of course I also deal in scrolls which are magic items capable of
containing spells anyone can cast regardless of their own magical capability, they are one time use
items, but they can make the difference between life and death sometimes."
As he explained his own business further and further he could see the chief's eyes going wide and
his jaw slightly hanging open. He played some of his cards and he was sure that this could be a
lucrative endeavor… not monetarily speaking of course, but there were many other things far more
valuable than money to obtain here.
His red dots hidden behind his mask shined brightly for an instant at the thought of what he could
easily obtain here.
"So, Sir Shasuryu, should we discuss this further in private?"
{Red Eye's Village}
{Zaryusu's P.O.V.}
Their group just arrived at the Red Eye's village, it was quite smaller than he thought and even its
population was far smaller than he expected considering they did not join the war. Surely many
died of hunger or illness but still, they wouldn't have lost as many just to that.
He put the thought aside for now, he might ask the chief later. Now, it was time for his diplomatic
skills to come out, they needed this alliance at all costs.
His human companions were waiting alongside him for the guards to return with their chief's
answer to his request for a meeting.
The older human, Leinas, was currently watching over her younger charge who, in the meantime,
was playing with the cooing baby hydra. It was quite the adorable thing if he had to state his
opinion.
He initially didn't have that much of a good impression about the humans but young Lakyus
showed him they had a certain honor they answered to and they were capable of compassion as she
wouldn't have helped the hydra otherwise. He did not doubt there were cruel humans, as good and
bad seemed to be a constant in every race, but he was happy he managed to find the right people
who might finally solve their greatest problem. They would provide the means, now, it was for
him to provide the right circumstances.
"The acting chieftain will receive you now."
The returning guard informed him before leading them toward a house in the middle of the village,
as was customary Zaryusu announced himself.
"My name is Zaryusu Shasha, wielder of Frost Pain, I come in the name of Green Claw to discuss
matters of great importance!"
He announced himself.
"My name is Lakyus, I am a human of the Re-Estize kingdom from the west, I come
accompanying Sir Zaryusu!"
The smaller human announced herself following Zaryusu's example before removing her weapons
and handing them to her guard.
"My Lady, are you sure this is wise? You will be unprotected."
The older female didn't seem convinced of her charge's choices.
"Nonsense Leinas, I am sure no harm will come to us and it's impolite to meet a commander under
parley while armed."
The green eyed one retorted while making sure Luck would stay there and not follow her inside the
house, something the hydra did not enjoy at all judging by the low hisses.
"Be good and stay here, I'm coming back soon."
He heard her whisper to the baby hydra.
"Please, do come in."
A light and clearly feminine voice answered. It wasn't unheard of for the tribe chief to be female
though it was rare, as there were few females strong enough for the position.
Clearing his mind from any possible prejudice, he flapped open the tent and stepped inside
followed by Lakyus.
His breath was immediately caught in his throat as the figure before him truly stole his ability to
breath.
Eyes red as blood and skin as pale as snow, her form as elegant as it could be, even the form of her
mouth was perfectly uniform, her slowly swishing tail as enticing as a fish after a month of
starvation.
"Welcome Zaryusu of Green Claw and… human Lakyus, I am the acting chief of the Red Eye
tribe, Crusch Lulu."
A most beautiful name for a most beautiful lizardman.
Without even knowing why, as if his body was acting on instinct, Zaryusu began to close the
distance between them, much to the surprise of his host. He forced his body to stop midway and
try saying something without looking like an idiot, but when he opened a most peculiar thing
happened.
An acute sound left his jaws, a most unusual one, but still recognizable for what it was, a mating
call. He immediately covered his mouth with both his hands. He tried to retain some semblance of
decency as he was making a fool out of himself in front of a foreign chief he needed an alliance
with, this could not be allowed to continue!
"Uhm, is this some kind of custom among lizardmen?"
The young voice of his companion asked, seemingly curious about the strange interaction during
the last minute. He almost forgot he wasn't there alone, but that was a good thing, he must remain
focused.
Taking a few steps back he sat on the floor, motioning the human child to do the same.
"I… apologize… it was not my intention to offend you, Red Eye's chief, Crusch Lulu."
He immediately apologized for his sudden behavior.
"I… see, there is no problem, you are forgiven, maybe you were taken aback from my coloring? It
is quite rare for lizardmen like me to be born after all."
She indeed gave him the impression of being exotic.
"No! I think your skin is extremely beautiful, like the full moon in the night sky!"
There were not the words he wanted to say, 'What the hell is wrong with me?!' he cried out in his
head as his stupidness was risking jeopardizing the whole thing.
"I… uhm… I…"
Crusch seemed lost as much as him.
"We are here to discuss important matters concerning the lizardmen as a whole, regardless of
tribes."
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on what side you are on, Lakyus interrupted the awkward
moment going directly to the point.
"Ah, yes."
Zaryusu cleared his throat to try and retain some semblance of officiality.
"We are here to officially invite Red Eye to a council held in the Green Claw village, we have
already called for Small Fang's and Razor Tail's participation, if you accept we would reunite four
of the five tribes, with a bit of luck we might convince even Dragon Tusk to join in."
He explained to a bewildered Crusch.
"I see that last one would be very hard to come true, the bad blood between the old alliance's
survivors and your own tribe is still fresh in the mind of those who found safety in Dragon Tusk."
The female acting chief said what he already knew.
"Of that I am sure, grudges are not easily forgotten, but we might have found a way to stop any
possible further Shortage Wars from happening, this I think it's a worthy endeavor to bring on the
table."
That caught the attention of the white lizardman who sharpened her gaze.
"And what is this miraculous cure to starvation Green Claw has come up with?"
She seemed pretty suspicious.
"That is all thanks to our new friends here. I personally met a group of humans in the forest who
had been interested in seeing the lake… after hearing of our dire situation one of them proposed a
new fishing method which could potentially end our struggle for resources."
At his words the female's gaze went from him to the human next to him.
"Is that the case? I never saw a human, but are you all supposed to be so small?"
The question was asked without malice and maybe it was for that reason that Lakyus didn't seem to
take offense.
"I am still growing, I am still in my maturing period."
She answered the lizardman without hesitation.
"I see… so this is your saving grace, Zaryusu of Green Claw, a group of human children?"
She asked, her tails swaying from side to side faster and faster.
"No, that is not so, even if the fish farming idea came from one of them… the elders would have
not accepted such a thing without other assurances."
The older lizardman admitted.
"The true reason why this all can be done, is only due to one of the human adults accompanying
these children… a magic caster capable of multiplying anything he wants with just one spell."
He explained.
"Such a spell does not exist."
The acting chief answered immediately without hesitation.
"The two barrels full of identical fish we have brought as both a proof and a peace offering would
beg to differ."
Zaryusu retorted.
"Look at them, they are of identical dimensions, identical weight, identical color… if we reach an
agreement, he is willing to provide us with food until we manage to build enough of those farms to
sustain ourselves even during harder times."
The lizardman continued to explain much to the shock and astonishment of Crusch.
"Have you captured this caster?! Is he working for you now?! Are you trying to subjugate all the
tribes under you?!"
The chief of Red Eye almost cried out in alarm, that was… not the reaction he expected, he had no
idea what put her so much on edge but he wanted to clear that misunderstanding.
"I assure you that is not the case, we do not hold him prisoner, I doubt we could even if we wanted
as he is a 6th tier arcane magic caster."
Zaryusu tried to defuse the situation, but his words may have just made it worse as now Crusch
looked quite scared.
"You must be joking? There is no such power! The last of that died with the Evil Deities 200 years
ago!"
Her tail slapped the floor in anger and refusal.
"That is not the case."
This time it was Lakyus who spoke.
"Fluder Paradyne of the Baharuth Empire, a human, is capable of 6th tier spells… Satoru, the
magic caster Zaryusu was talking about, and him clashed in a duel a year ago and it ended up into a
tie between the two of them."
The young human explained much to the bewilderment of both lizardmen, as not even Zaryusu had
known of someone else, other than Satoru, capable of the legendary 6th tier.
"Why are you even here then? With the help of that caster you could completely subjugate every
other tribe, what is even the meaning of this farce?"
The chief asked, seemingly more resigned than anything else by now.
Without even knowing why, Zaryusu could not stand such a view and he stood up closing the
distance between him and Crusch as he placed, what wanted to be, a comforting hand on her
shoulder.
"I fought in a war already, war is hell, I wouldn't wish another one on the worst of my enemies…
and my brother, the chief of Green Claw, thinks the same as me… we want to try and establish
peace between all tribes, so that no one has to starve anymore, so that we may not see our children
perish either of hunger or slain by others in war."
He whispered as he tried to comfort the beautiful lizardman in front of him.
"Satoru is very peaceful, he would not attack anyone without cause, unless you wish harm upon us,
there is no way he will ever attack you, of that I am sure!"
Lakyus added, complete faith in her voice. But this reaction was still strange, they may have
suffered through a famine, but there was something deeper than that at work here. Something
radical he was missing.
Once the chief managed to gather herself once more Zaryusu decided it was time to bring the
matter up.
"I heard that you have been referred to as acting chief, that is quite a particular title, I would like to
know the reason for it, as to avoid any future problems with the actual power of your decisions on
the tribe."
He asked as Crusch simply nodded.
"Yes, I have not been nominated chief yet, the previous one… passed away in an unordinary way,
and we are still trying to reform the command structure."
That sounded quite strange in Zaryusu's mind, he understood the passing of the chief without
leaving a heir but what did this have to do with the rest of the council, or the headhunter and
druids?
"I don't mean to pry, but I also saw that your numbers are very low… I understand famine took a
toll on you, but you have less members remaining than almost any other tribe that joined the war,
can I ask what happened here?"
He had never been much for subterfuges, so he decided the best way was to be straightforward, if
Crusch wanted to tell him, she would, otherwise he was fine with it.
The white lizardman squirmed as a grimace came over her face, those red eyes fixed on his, the
untold misery and pain fluttered in those orbs. And so, the tragic tale of Red Eye was revealed.
Chapter End Notes
End Notes
This work is on FF as well, i just decided to spread it here.

Beta Readers:
Don Orbit (FFN)
SirWertsalot (FFN)
Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!

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The Witch and the Sorcerer

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/27431674.

The Witch and the Sorcerer

{Change of location, time or POV}

See the end of the work for more notes

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Are you okay miss?”

“I don’t have time for this Renner”

“Uhm… what about brothers or sisters?”

“With such a good visage you will be a perfect bargaining tool”

“Now, why don’t you show me a smile?”

“What is your name sir?”

“Oh, I’m Satoru, a magic caster.”

She presented herself.

“Where are you from, Mr. Satoru?”

“RELEASE THE PRINCESS THIS INSTANT!”

“Greetings your majesty, I am Satoru, a traveling magic caster.”

Satoru introduced himself, respectfully bowing his head.

‘Is he amused by me?’ Satoru thought.

The king asked, narrowing his eyes on him.

“I am an arcane magic caster of the fifth tier.”

The king nodded in acknowledgment.

As he said those words, the guild master gasped in shock.

“Only 27… and capable of such magic…”

“Good night princess.”

Said the maid as she closed the door.

‘I need more. I want more.’

‘Yes, it shall be so.’ She decided.

{Change of location, time or POV}

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“I’m grateful for what you have done.”

It was the Warrior Captain that broke the silence.

“Not a man of politics, are you?”

He asked with sarcasm. Satoru chuckled before replying.

“Thank you for your services, Captain.”

The Warrior Captain said, prompting a nod from Satoru.

{Time skip 9 hours}

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE IT?”

“Excuse me, sir.”

“I see… Oh, excuse my rudeness. My name is Satoru, a pleasure to meet you.”

He said. The man shook his head.

He said. The man watched him confused.

“Ok. Please follow me then.”

Randel said as he walked down the street.

“We are almost there.”

Randel said to reassure him. Satoru found himself perplexed.

He asked the brown-haired man, who lowered his head.

“I’m home Marietta.”

Randel explained. The woman nodded.

“Thank you, sir.”

She said in a small voice to Satoru. The magic caster nodded.

“Please Sir Satoru, this way.”

“Welcome home dad.”

“Yes sir! I’m 9 years old! Are you a magic caster?”

The magic circle disappeared and Satoru turned toward Randel.

“What are the symptoms?”

He asked. To his surprise the one to answer was the wife.

“Here, drink this. It should help.”