「 ….zzzzzzzz…. 」

In the wash of the new light, Siana sleeps peacefully and without sound, her serene sleeping face looks so beautiful at this moment. By the time I woke up, the sun just barely shines its light on the world’s surface.

Even after our extensive passionate love-making, with a whole new breaking record of four orgasms in a single night, seeing Siana’s adorable face contrasted with her sultrious body, still drives my lust to the highest limit.

I’ve never felt libido this strong before. Siana’s beauty is one thing, but her willingness to respond to my desires is what truly separates her from the others in my heart.

My only complaint so far with her is how she was desperate in taking a bath at the end of our sex, saying that it’s dirty, leaving foul stains on both the bed and our body, and gives off a nasty smell. I wouldn’t mind them personally. There’s some sense of gratification and accomplishment in sleeping immediately with the smell of sex lingering around.

I could reject her proposition but due to how desperate she is, in the end, I decide to just go along with her request and take turns cleaning ourselves with a bucket of water. It’s a shame that we couldn’t clean together, but it’s still fine.

Anyway, a new day has begun, For others, it’s just another typical day they need to wake up to a mundane routine. For me, however, it feels like the first time I’ve truly woken up, feeling alive and fresh.

There’s a soothing and warm feeling in waking up and finding a beautiful woman sleeping right beside you. A reminder that I finally have someone besides me. That I’m not alone anymore.

At first, Siana refuses to sleep in the same bed with me, stating that a lowly slave doesn’t have the right to sleep in such a comfy bed. But that idea is absurd even to me. So I commanded her to sleep in the same bed as me. I don’t know why she’s so reluctant about it, I can only assume it’s because of slavery culture.

Well, thankfully, commanding her to sleep beside me is the right choice. I could stare at her sleeping face all day, it gives me such an unimaginable amount of joy. Everything just feels right. Like I’m heading in the right direction for the first time since I’ve come to this world.

「 ….uhhh…. hmmm……. w-who….. ohhh….. Good morning, master~ 」Siana says, eyes half-open, seemingly in a half-sleeping state.

「 Good morning, Siana. 」

Noticing my gaze towards her, Siana raises her upper body in an attempt to wake up. She stretches her arms up to the air, the blanket falls down in exchange, revealing her beautiful tits hanging up in the air for me to see.

After a couple of seconds of her waking up and seemingly trying to comprehend her surroundings. She giggles bubbly and leans towards me, her lips touched on mine again.

「 mmmnnnn…… nnncchhuuuuu….. 」

Her soft lips and her breathy breath turns me on, even more, when I’m already at my limit since the beginning. She then releases our kisses and leans toward my right ear.

「 Hehehe… Do you want to continue last night’s rough sex, master~? 」Siana whispers with a sultrious voice.

Without much words between us, her hand makes its way towards my dick, caressing it gently, pumping it up and down slowly but sensually. Eager to please me and warming me up.

Seeing how receptive she is towards my desire, I drag her down to kneel on the floor as I sit on the bed in front of her, the same position at the beginning of last night.

Since both of us sleep naked, there was no need to delay as Siana begins to plant light kisses all over my dick. The sensation is rather small, but seeing her dutiful expression immersed in serving me makes it all worthwhile. Enjoying her small worship, I lay back slightly and continue watching her as she serves my hard cock with her mouth.

She seems to be in a deep, focused state in giving me a long and slow sensual blowjob. Focusing mostly on swirling her dexterous tongue up and down in my long shaft and planting light kisses.

All of It feels great but after some time has passed, it becomes rather boring with the way she doesn’t change her routine in making love towards my cock.

Just when I’m about to tell her to take it deeper, I realize I can just make her take my cock deeper by force and by my own hands.

So without any warning to Siana, I grab her head tightly and pull her head deeper downwards to my cock. Siana’s eyes widen a bit but she doesn’t do anything else — no resistance.

I shiver as I feel Siana take my hard cock all the way down her warm, wet, and delightfully tight throat. Her lips fully pressed down to my balls and the bottom of my shaft.

Her throat is abnormally super tight, at first I thought it might be because of how mine is quite big but I realize it’s because of her metal collar that tightly coils around her neck, creating no room for her neck to bulge.

She gags and chokes with my dick deep down on her throat. Rather than feeling horrible about it, there’s a cruel satisfaction I feel from her struggle to breathe. Her throat trembling with each cough, a pleasurable vibration.

Although moving her head up and down feels great, it’s not as intense as I want it to be, especially since there’s not much movement or force I can do with just moving her head with my hands.

Feeling rather impatient, I stand up, holding her head, and move my hips to her mouth. Treating her orifices as a mere warm cocksleeve for me to enjoy.

This feeling of immortality is just something I cannot get used to, it feels so fucking great.

I growl as I keep thrusting back and forth to her little mouth. As the sensation is greater when I move my hips and as the sensation is greater when I move my hips, forcing my cock down on her. She whimpers and tries to breathe with my cock deep on her throat, creating something of a vacuum which pleases my dick.

I look down, her tears start spilling and her eyes become blank with almost no sign of life. Even when she’s in such a messy state, she doesn’t try to escape and instead accepts my cruel treatment of her.

I grip her head tighter as I lose to the sea of pleasure, then the all too familiar sensation of an orgasm wells up inside of me.

「 Yes! Yes! I’m cumming down on your tight little throat you fucking slave! Take it all Siana! Swallow to the last drop! 」I cry out.

I thrust myself as deep as possible inside Siana’s throat, her lips pressing to my balls. Then the orgasm comes as shivers wrack my body with wave after wave of pleasure courses through me each time I shoot cum deep inside the throat of my cum-dumpster.

After I’m sure that I’ve released every single drop of my cum, I immediately pull out. Siana coughs out some of my white seed that spills to her chest and thighs. What a shame.

「 Khogh, khogh…. Has… Has this lowly slave pleased you master? 」

Why is Siana asking a rather confusing question?

「 Of course you did a great job, Siana. I love you so much and you belong to me. 」

「 Hyl… I mean… S-Siana did great? 」She asks, in a low tone, seemingly not sure about herself, 「 I’m… I’m glad, master~  I-I… 」

「 What is it, Siana? 」I ask back, desperately wanting to know what’s bothering her.

「 I’m a clutzy, idiot, dumb elven slave girl master… So please teach this stupid slave how to serve and please you better. And please… please… please… don’t abandon or sell me out master… 」

「 What are you talking about? That’s a foolish question. I will never leave you, Siana. You’re mine and mine only. 」

I don’t know how she could ever think that I will leave her or even worse, sell her out. But one thing for sure, she doesn’t know what her place inside my heart is. I need to reassure her somehow, one way or another.

I plant my knees on the floor then wrap my arms around her – hugging her — trying to ease her anxiety. I know exactly how it feels when you’re anxious about others’ love after all. It’s just the worst.

We stay in this position for a while, enjoying each other’s warmth and comfort. With the added benefits of feeling her large breast pressed on my chest.

「 Umm… Can this lowly slave clean herself in the bathroom, master? 」Siana says, in the middle of our soothing silence.

「 Of course. You can go ahead. 」

I reluctantly release her, stopping our warm embrace. Siana then immediately goes off to the bathroom where there’s a lot of unused water left.

It’s a shame she didn’t clean up the semen that spills over to her body with her tongue and suck the leftover semen inside my dick.

And from the looks of it, Siana still holds some doubts in her heart, with the way she doesn’t hug me back. But that’s fine, I own her, we have all the time in the world.

Knowing Siana usually stays in the bathroom for surprisingly quite a long time, I decided to clean myself up with a simple damp towel. It’s a quick thing to do so I rest back in the bed, waiting for Siana.

Ahhh, I’m spent…. I feel so relaxed now. Everything feels right. I wish I could spend the rest of my days just like this.

Is this… love…? I never felt this relaxed before when I was in my previous life, I have to always constantly work hard, to meet her expectations. This time when there are no expectations, I can finally live my life. What bliss.

I wonder what I should do then? I remember Galeal saying that Siana has supportive and healing magic that differs from the standard schools of magic system. Her magic capability is just a plus side of her anyway — insignificant. All I ever want is for her to stick by my side forever and ever.

「 Master~ I’ve finished cleaning myself… Is there anything you want me to do? I’m yours to command. 」Siana says as she walks to me, fully dressed in the new clothes I just bought yesterday.

Oh well with her by my side, I will need to get my shit together. At first, I thought I was doomed to repeat the same mistake in this second chance of mine. But maybe… Just maybe I can get things right this time. For the first time, I can finally achieve true love, with her by my side. But that doesn’t mean I can be relaxed just yet.

I need to start focusing on the future. For the both of us.

「 My Siana… I’m thinking of going on some adventurer’s quest today. Will you be able to accompany me? 」

「 Business with you is pure pleasure, young gentleman. And please don’t worry about my small help. Perhaps, one day I’ll need help, and you’ll be there for me. 」

Galeal says as he sends us off from his mansion gate. A warm friendly smile creeps up at his feature as he sends a farewell and the gate closes, where we go our own separate ways.

Now I’m left alone with my recently bought slave, Siana.

「 Siana, we will be together from now on, so feel free to ask me anything. 」I say, trying to break the cold silence.

「 Yes, master~ And thank you for purchasing me. Siana will do her best to be useful to master. 」Siana says

A slight shiver runs down my spine. Being called master feels strangely good.

「 Umm… Where shall we go, master? 」Siana says, seemingly prompting for my response.

「 I notice how you seem to not have any possessions. So how about we buy you some clothes and other daily necessities, first? 」

「 I do not need excess possession and can live with just the bare minimum. But if you wish for it, then I won’t reject, master. 」

Having the agreement from Siana’s side, we immediately head to a semi-fancy clothing store I’ve found midway on my trip to Galeal’s mansion this noon. A young lady greets us as we come inside. After letting her know that I’m buying clothes for Siana, she immediately gives a small tour around the store while introducing quite a variety of clothes.

I was able to secure and select some cute daily clothes and adventuring attire. Then, she guides me to another room which contains… very, very sexy clothing. Lingeries, thongs, micro-bikinis, and even a freaking skimpy maid outfit. They sure got everything.

Looks like the store attendant already knows the type of person I am and who Siana truly is. Not sure whether I should be glad about this or be heavily concerned, but nevertheless, I fully appreciate and accept her marvelous understanding.

Siana is also with us in this adult room and surprisingly she doesn’t show any reserve or embarrassment with the sexual and skimpy clothes they have available. Instead, she attentively looks at them, although with a slight blush on her part.

Throughout the shopping experience, the store attendant only speaks to me and only bothers interacting with Siana to measure her body. I can only assume she noticed the slave collar Siana’s wearing and therefore didn’t deem it appropriate to recognize her.  But I’m not sure whether she’s ignoring Siana out of respect for me as I’m her master or simply because she’s a slave — a property.

I should’ve known more about this world’s perspective about slavery other than its acceptance and being commonly practiced without any moral stigma. It would’ve made it easier for me to handle social situations with Siana.

At the end of it, I secured some necessary cute daily clothes and lingeries Siana surprisingly takes interest in. All of it bore my wallet quite heavily, leaving me with a meager of two silver coins. But it’s a small price to pay to dress up my cute slave as I fancy.

As we make our way back to the inn and ultimately my room, where there’s a likelihood of closing the deal with sex at the end of the day. I can’t help but feel like I did something wrong… As if what I’m doing right now is unreal due to how it was unnaturally easy to have such a wonderful woman like her be my companion.

I sit down at the edge of the bed, the sun already giving out its honeyed light as it sets while Siana is tidying and handling the clothes we just brought to the drawer. I’ve become awkward about what to do next… Fuck, should I take the lead? Is she fine with being pushed around? Do we do it now? Or does she need more time?

「 Master, I’ve finished taking care of newly bought clothes. Thank you for buying such lovely items…. Is there anything you want me to do? 」

「 Uhh… Yeah, no problem, and… thanks, Siana. 」I say, not sure what to say.

Okay, this is awkward.

「 Master, if it’s not too presumptuous for this lowly slave — you’re too stiff. Please relax and calm down your nerves. 」Siana says, breaking the silence.

「 Yeah… I guess you’re right… 」I say, my voice lowers, and my eyes track away from her.

She’s pretty spot on when I think about it. In both my current and past life I’m always working or studying hard, desperate in achieving my goal, the so-called “success”.

Silence slowly instilled again. Okay, this is awkward again, I need to say something… As I ponder on what to say, Siana comes in front of me, with such cutesy steps.

Then, she kneels on the floor in front of me, hands folded on top of her charming thighs, looking upwards. Her lowered position coupled with my lowered head forces me to meet with her kind and charming gaze. Her beautiful emerald eyes looking at me with a gentle smile. All of it soothes me and makes me lose tension.

So adorable…

It’s the same smile that led me to buy her without hesitation.

「 Anyway, Siana… If it’s okay to ask you… I wonder… How’s your life in the elven society? 」I say trying to break the awkwardness.

Without a word, Siana somehow grabs my right hand with both of her hands, holding it and planting light kisses all over it like it’s the most precious thing in the whole wide world.

Shortly after, Siana moves my hand towards the top of her head. Instinctively, I begin lightly stroking her hair, feeling the silky and smooth strains; Giving her headpats.

While doing so, she closes her eyes with a relaxed smile, humming around and shaking her body to left and right lightly and in a cutely manner — dancing — as if she’s in ecstasy and greatly enjoying my small act of intimacy.

Feeling curious on my end, I deviate from the top of her head, moving my hand downwards just a bit until it reaches her pointy long ear, feeling its smooth lobe.

At first, she grows confused with my action, but after feeling my hand on her ear she smiles again and continues her routine from before.

「 …ppfftt… hahahaha 」

The absurdity and randomness of all this make me lose my composure and release a burst of small laughter.

「 Hehehe… you finally smiled and laughed for the first time since I’ve met you, master. You need to smile more, master. It would be such a waste of that handsome face of yours to not smile~ 」She says as she smiles beautifully.

While I’m processing what she just said, Siana slowly raises her body. Her knees still on the floor as she raises her face closer to me. Inching closer as the world becomes blank when her lips finally touch mine

「nnnhmm…… nnnchu……… aaahhhn……haaaa…… 」

Her kisses become more daring as I feel her soft tongue enter my mouth. I suck her mouth intensely, with Siana remaining active and sucking back.

「 …cchu …nnnmmm… M-master~! ♡」

As we kiss, my hands slip under her dress and make their way to her huge breast. Gently caressing her tits, feeling their doughy feel and smooth surface, I gradually begin kneading them.

I’ve never felt such extreme joy and lust, unlike that bitch in my previous life.

After what feels like forever indulging in a very long kiss, I reluctantly release Siana, wanting to check out her condition. Her cute blush with the scene of our saliva thread hanging from both our tongues arouses me to no end.

This reminds me…

「 I forgot to ask both Galeal or you, but by any chance are you… a… a virgin…? 」

「 Yes, I’m a virgin, master ♡ ~ *giggles* But worry not master~ they’ve thoroughly educated me about the subtle art of the flesh. How my silky green hair, my big full breasts, my sexes… even my mouth and my other opening, all of my parts are only to fulfill the needs and desires of the person who purchased me. So, please — my master — let me guide you, and please be gentle with me. 」

Her seductive voice, filled with such affection, arouses me and is transmitted towards my dick. I want her.

Just when I think about removing my bulging pants, Siana seems to think the same as she moves her hands to undress me. I help her by standing up a bit until my dick is able to rise to its full glory.

With the sun still not fully setting down, my penis is completely revealed for her to see. She’s staring so hard at it too.

「 Please let this lowly elven slave delight you with her pretty little mouth, master~ 」

She sticks out her tongue and starts licking my dick.

Just the smoothness and warmth of her tongue alone sends jolts up my spine. Siana doesn’t show any reserve and licks down my shaft up and down fully, without leaving any place untouched.

She breathes heavily, panting on my dick. Then after she goes back to the tip, she starts sucking the head before going deeper and deeper, covering my shaft with her mouth.

「 Aaahh, Siana, it feels so good. 」

「 M-master…. nnnnmmmm 」

Her soft warm mouth slowly but surely gives me a sense of release.

The best thing about her blowjob is not feeling her tongue touching or her sweet moans so close to my dick, but rather her enthusiasm and devotion in servicing me with her entire being.

「 ….nnnmmmmm…. 」she moans, her mouth filled, then she lets out with a pop,「 Do you like this lowly elven slave sitting below you on her knees, serving your towering cock, master~? ♡ 」

I unconsciously grab Siana’s head, feeling her smooth hair again.

Siana continues serving my dick with her mouth. Once in a while, she tries to go down fully, albeit only taking half of my shaft. Amidst her mouth filled with the head of my dick, she gazes upward, offering her submission towards me.

Led by the simulation of her blowjob and feeling impatient, I push my dick down her tight throat. Her hands are on my thighs now but she doesn’t resist even the slightest.

Right. She’s my slave. I can do whatever the hell I want with her.

I stand up, focusing on shoving my cock deeper into her throat, fucking her face. Her back shakes slightly as she chokes, my whole dick down on her tight throat.

Ooh, this feeling of dominating a woman and immortality as I treat Siana’s gorgeous face as a mere warm cocksleeve. I feel way more pleasure doing this than gently making love.

Submerging my full-length cock down her throat is the best.

I could never ask that bitch to do something this violent.

「 Aaahh! Siana!! 」

「 khogh, khogh, khogh 」

Siana’s coughing violently. She’s in such a mess with her drool and tears all over her face.

Fuck, I was too caught up with the moment. W-what have I done…?

What’s worse is that it all felt so good treating her as a toilet and I could cum down her throat at any second.

I let go of her off my dick. She falls slightly as she tries to maintain her balance and gasp for air.

「 A-are you okay Siana? 」

Shit… It’s all over now. She must’ve hated me now…

「 Khogh… Oh, how I wish for you to be gentle with me, but… khogh, khogh, such roughness is also fine master~ 」She replies with a hoarse voice but still manages to display a smile full of affection.

I was so sure she’s going to start to hate me due to how violent I was a moment ago… but she… doesn’t?

Is she okay with all of this? Is she willing to accept my violent and dominant urges?

「 D-do you want to release your cum down my thirsty throat, master? I’m fine with whatever you want to do, master~ I dare offer no resistance. 」

I can’t hold back anymore. I really want to make her mine, and her tight throat is so good. But there’s another place I haven’t tried yet to finalize and make her mine.

「 H-huh? What are you doing, Master? 」

I princess-carry her and throw her on the bed.

I’m atop of her now, looking down at my lovely slave.

She grows confused and seems to become not sure what to do. But nevertheless, she keeps looking at my eyes, as if she’s ready to accept whatever I’m about to do to her — submitting to me.

Her massive tits spill freely above her chest, creating a beautiful shape as she lays down on the cushions, even more so with the same dress she wears back at the slave merchant.

Being impatient and wanting to see her reaction, I grab her dress and tear it down to half with brute force.

「 Aaahh~! 」She yelps in surprise.

Her smooth, slim, yet curvy body can now be seen to the fullest. The warm light that touches her skin adds a beautiful charm to it.

She stares back with the same puppy eyes of hers again, showing no resistance even when I’m treating her pretty roughly with the way I tore her dress and eating her out like a savage beast.

「 Is this… Has the time come at last? For you to take my maidenhood… my precious virginity from me? 」

「 Yes, 」I say with a serious tone,「 be mine, Siana. 」

I spread her thighs lightly and she complies, opening up the beautifully shaped and hairless pussy that betwixt them. Her pussy seems to already be soaking wet and sparkling.

I place the head of my dick just outside the entrance of her pussy.

「 I’m going in, Siana. Be mine and mine only Siana. 」

「 Y-yes master. Conquer my body, ravish me to your heart’s content. 」

I push my dick down on her entrance. She was not lying as it is much tighter, much better than that bitch. I could feel something breaking as I continue slipping my dick halfway to her pussy.

「 AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! It hurts!! 」

「 Are you okay…? Do you want to stop? 」

I stop midway, her expression filled with pain and discomfort.

「 No!! Keep going, master! Don’t stop! 」

「 B-but you’re in pain… 」

「 Y-yes… i-it hurts master, but please keep going! 」

Even amidst her pained expression, she’s still able to smile so wonderfully. Her hand caressing my cheek as she looks at me lovingly.

She’s… She’s accepting me.

Her approval tears down the last of my reasons, I continue submerging and planting my penis deeper into her wet narrow pussy. My dick reaches to the entrance of her womb.

「 Yes~! Keep going! Take me master~ Take me! Engrave me this pain into me so I never forget that I’ve become yours! — AAAAHHHH!! — That I’m just your little bed-slave you can do with what you will… at your ~every~ passing whim! ♡ 」

I pound into her pussy harder and harder, showing no reserve in using my strength and the weight of my body to the fullest. Solely focusing on enjoying the sensation of her warm hole.

「 Yes~! Yes~! Yes~! Fuck me harder master! — Ahhhhhnnn!! — Completely convert me as your slave! ♡ 」

She makes a sweet, soft little whimpering and yelping sound as I continue to pound into her. Her sweet whimpers and moans stimulate my lust each time they escape from her lungs.

The sound of me smacking and pounding to her, mixed with our moans, gasps, yelps fills the air. Coupled with the heavy scent of our passionate and rough sex.

「 Take it, slave! Take it all! 」

「 Yes, master! Ahhhhnnn! Reduce me to be your lust toy, Master! One who you can treat as your own little plaything! 」

I make sure to keep moving, enjoying the sensation of her vagina as it presses hard on my dick.

「 Yes master! Rape me to the fullest! Have no care for me, Master! — Ahhhnnn! – Make me forget everything! All of my past! My childhood! My everything! 」

I comply with her request, as I keep thrusting my dick towards her womb hard. As I move my hips, I move my idle hand towards her dangling breast.

Squeezing them, feeling their supple texture roughly without care, leaving beautiful red marks on her white skin.

「Haa……Ahh, nmmm! Haaa! 」

She seems to be pleased with the way I’m treating her roughly, maintaining that same wonderful smile of hers. Thank god, she’s a masochist.

I keep thrusting and thrusting. Then, I feel that I’m close to ejaculating. My mind starts becoming blank with the ultimate sensation of pleasure. Left with a single thought of conquering her womb with my seeds.

「 I’m cumming! I’m cumming! I’m cumming! 」

「 Yes master! Cum to your heart’s content. ~RUIN~ me! Claim me as your fuck-slave! ♡ 」

Her dirty talk and sweet whimpers filled with her beg of claiming her are all it took to break the dam within me as I release all of my lust and seeds with my dick kissing her womb.

「 AHHH~!! I love you, Siana! 」

「 AAAAAHHHHH~! 」

I enjoy the feeling of release as I pour a lifetime worth of seed inside of her. She squeals in pleasure and then she’s left panting and gasping as I continue to discharge the last vestige of my white spunk.

「 Hhhaaaa!!! I can feel your seed inside my womb, my master~ ♡ 」

After ejaculating all of my lust and seeds to the fullest into her womb, I collapse on top of her. Pressing my worn-out and sweaty body on top of her. She seems to not mind my body weight with the way she giggles.

「 Siana… I love you… 」

I relax and enjoy the afterglow of releasing. This is the hardest I’ve ever cummed in both of my entire lives.

Siana, my one and one only… I love you so much.

「 I love you so… so much Siana. Please stay by my side forever and ever. 」

「 Yes master…. I’m your Siana, your elven slave. 」

The sun glares through the window, forcing me to wake up from my strange slumber — one with a dream. I rarely dream these days. The last time I dreamt was a horrible nightmare. But alas, this time I somehow vividly dreamed something different. Something… Erotic.

The weight of a girl’s warm body as she pressed on my lower body. The warmth I felt in embracing her. The pressure on my member as it coiled around the warm, moist flesh of hers, making me feel ecstatic like never before. My hand holding the glinting black metal collar that tightly coiled around her neck, its chain dropping down over the mesmerizing beautiful valley on her chest.

A symbol of her being mine and mine only.

She moved with such passion and roughness that added to my lust as I kept staring at her jiggling boobs. Her delight and affection were clear as she repeatedly moaned master over and over again, expressing her inner passionate lust over me.

And then, as I almost reached my peak, she leaned down very close to my left ear, her breast tightly pressed against my chest. Her hands gently slipped under my back as she wrapped up and hugged me tightly.

Her gentle whispers – “Please mark my womb as yours, Master~” – was all it took for a huge dam to break out, releasing all of my lust as I poured my seeds into her womb of a lifetime.

Shortly afterward, I then woke up, to this present right now. All of It feels so surreal. Even with all of the small details I felt, I can’t exactly recall what her face looks like.

Wait a minute. If I dreamed about something erotic, does that mean…

I look down towards my underwear and thankfully didn’t find any spots being wet with any sticky stuff. Thank fucking god. The last thing I want would be to find out I actually wet my pants.

Not wanting to reminisce and deeply question my dream, I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth to freshen myself up, then, after preparing my stuff, I immediately go to the pub’s second floor, with its more refined furnishing compared to the first floor.

I sit down in one of the many provided chairs and a plain girl wearing a simple waitress uniform classic of a typical tavern comes to me.

「 Greetings, sir. What would you like to have a late breakfast with? The menu for today is either oat with exotic fruits or freshly baked spiced fish with white bread.  」The girl says.

「 I would like to have the first one. 」

Shortly afterward the plain girl comes to me with a tray in hand. She placed the meal on the table then goes down the stairs, presumably attending to other customers. The second floor is surprisingly quite empty, unlike the floor down below, whose rowdiness I heard all the way up the second floor, even though it’s still early noon. As I eat, I can’t help but fidget with my food as I keep pondering about the main event of the day.

I’m going to buy a slave.

It’s not set in stone, since of course, I want to get the perfect companion. One who’s absolutely devoted to me and who will love for who I am. A desire I’ve always had since the very beginning of my existence in this world. Heck, it was the reason why I wanted to become wealthy and powerful since girls always flock to men with those characteristics. But why bother doing so when I can just buy one?

For buying love to be such an easy thing. On the other hand, I’d rather not buy a slave at all before buying the wrong one.

A sense of guilt lingers within me, however, for what I’m about to do is considered immoral back on earth. Though it’s overshadowed by my twisted desire and sense of excitement as I’m about to buy a slave, one who’s loyal and dedicated to their master, fully aware I won’t receive any repercussions for it.

As I finish my meal, I also finish musing over useless things. My decision was set long ago. All I can hope now is to find the perfect slave for my amount of money. Thirty gold coins is more than enough to buy a decent plot of land in the Alderhide fief after all.

I remember the way to his place and it’s not that far. With the walking pace I’m in right now, I should arrive there in less than twenty minutes. As I walk to Galeal’s mansion, I quietly enjoyed the distinct feel of Karvent. The busy main road is crowded with multiple mining cargos passing by almost constantly. Soldiers marching by can also be seen throughout the place. All of it gives a vibrant of strength and might feeling in this city, compared to the prosperity and sophistication of Hasten.

After diverging off the main road and walking to a seemingly quieter place, I’ve finally arrived in front of the unique gold and red mansion of his. A gate with what seems to be a guard post is in front of it. I walk to the guard post and notice a slave maid stationed on the post. She seems to have also noticed my presence as I approach.

「 I would like to meet with Galeal O’dinn. 」I say to her

「 Goshujin-sama has told me about you beforehand. Please follow me, Okyaku-sama. 」The slave maid replies.

Well, that’s quite shocking. Did he actually expect me to come this soon?

His slave maid guides me to a spacious guest room with nothing except a few sofas and coffee tables. I take a seat. The slave maid goes away to where we came from, presumably to call Galeal.

My unattended state was short-lived as another slave maid, this time a Canids girl with its beautiful golden furs on her ears and tails carries in a tray filled with tea. She places it down on the coffee table and pours it before offering me the tea. This time, a rather normal green tea… I kinda miss that spicy red tea but this is fine.

Not wanting to reject her offer, I raise the cup, moving to drink it but I notice midway the tea inside forms small waves as it slowly spills — my hand is shaking. I’m… I’m nervous huh. It’s quite odd when I think about it. Calmness was at all times high when I tied and knotted the hanging rope, hammering my fate of a rather… painful suicide. But now when doing something much less gruesome, I’m completely shaking.

「 Greetings, my esteemed young gentlemen Alderhide-sama. 」

Galeal comes to me, his attire the same as last time, greeting me with a light bow.

「 Greetings. Thank you for spending your time with me in the midst of your busy schedule. 」I reply.

「 I should be the one to thank you for spending your precious time with this humble merchant, young gentlemen. And please… sleeping around with my beautiful slaves doesn’t count as being busy. Would you be interested to join me for a nice warm bath? 」

「 Eh… 」I say, about to reject, but it would be impolite for me to do so.「 Sure I guess… 」I say, reluctantly.

「 Well then, please follow me, young gentlemen. 」He says as he leads the way to his private bathhouse inside the mansion.

Galeal and I walk into the bathhouse, everything stays the same as the last time I’ve come. The floor and wall plates are beautifully crafted marbles, and the colorful plants surrounding the bathhouse compliments its charm and luxurious feel. As we step into the warm water, his slave maid serves us wine to accompany our bath.

Too much luxury for my taste but rather than complaining, I focus on relaxing myself with the warmth of the water.

When we change and take off our clothes, my old habits back on earth kicks in as I come into the bathhouse with a very small towel to cover my body. Galeal, noticing my habit, is completely shocked and immediately tells me to wrap my bottom body with a towel that goes down to the knees. He even adds that I should submerge myself with the towel on. I guess the bathing culture in this world is different as well.

「 Ahhh… I love taking a bath. Do you feel the same way young gentlemen? 」Galeal says, much more relaxed.

「 Yes, of course, thank you for letting me experience this. 」

During my stay in this world, I’ve almost always taken a bath in a tub, common for nobilities, but never in a tub this wide and spacious. It truly reminds me of Japanese public bathhouses. I used to take showers exclusively there since when I was still living under my father, we didn’t have the luxury of owning a private shower.

「 Is it okay to assume this young gentleman is looking to purchase a fine instrument of pleasure? 」A smile forms on Galeal’s face as he says that. He must be teasing me.

「 W-was it that obvious? 」I ask back, slightly surprised.

「 To be a successful merchant, especially one in this field, requires the ability to know what my guests want even before they know it themselves. 」

「 Okay… I’ll bite then. What do I want Galeal? 」I ask him, intrigued with his current confident demeanor.

A pause takes form between us. Galeal starts stroking his beardless chin, seemingly pondering quite heavily on my question. I take my time by sipping some of the provided wine. And began to stray away, thinking whether I should stockpile my own supplies of the unique red tea.

「 Hmm… A devoted and loving one for sure…  」Galeal says out of nowhere.

I abruptly stop whatever I’m doing. Another smile forms in his features — a jocular one. He must’ve known from my surprised reaction that he’s spot on.

「 An obedient girl who will do whatever you want. Her sole reason for existing is to serve you,  」he continues,「 And that’s something within my power I can easily provide – for a price of course. 」

「 Name your price. 」I ask immediately.

Love is such a priceless thing, although I sincerely hope it’s within the range of what my treasury could afford.

「 Woah, Woah… Slow down Alderhide-sama. I know the youth and the inexperienced ones are very eager and brimming with energy, but you need to calm down. There’s no need to rush. Although I can recommend some immediately, do you perhaps have any particular preference in mind? Maybe you’re still interested in Canids? 」

「 Not really, perhaps a slave girl with magic capability or potential. 」I answer.

Having a loving companion who could also fight by my side would be nice. It feels somewhat lonely to only be accompanied by my shadow minions in a fight.

「 Perfect. Tayla, please bring the merchandise to this esteemed young gentleman. 」Galeal says to his slave maid accompanying us.

「 As you command, goshujin-sama. 」

She then goes out of the place, and not shortly afterward the place somehow becomes more heated as several pretty girls stepped in and lined up in front of the tub me and Galeal are in. The girls all are only wearing simple sleeveless tight white dresses that cling to the curves of their bodies. Another noticeable item would be the black metal collar all of them are wearing.

It feels a bit weird for them to be more dressed than us as we are basically naked with only a towel submerged hiding our private parts in this pool of water, but seeing how Galeal is the same always, I should just get along with the situation.

All in all, there are eight of them lined up with a variety of appearances. Interestingly, from a glance, three of them are the so-called canids race with either white or black furs. One of them is rather petite and dangerously short, like a very young teenager… Oh god, why is she on display? Please no… I’m not interested in those types of girls.

I also notice a dragonkin with pitch-black horns that could’ve been mistaken as Rengda, but the small, sleek, pointy black tail branching into two near the end show otherwise. The Wyrm kind. Accompanied with black hair, she looks dazzling and dominant. But her looks of disdain towards me completely changed my mind about her.

There are also some human slaves, all of them look beautiful with each of them having colorful hair and the body and face type that would’ve made them an idol or model back on earth. But none of them dare to make eye contact with me, instead, they always look to the ground, as if they are trying to hide.

Then, I found a girl who caught my attention the most.

She has green waist-length hair, with equally green eyes, and the most eye-catching of all is her long pointy ear. An elf. She has a delicate thin build but with quite the large chest that fuels my lust. Feeling my gaze, she looks back curiously without nervousness and doubt, unlike the others.

「 The elf strikes your fancy, young gentlemen? Siana is quite the dazzling beauty of an elf. She possesses supportive and healing magic similar to the 《School of Aegis》and 《School of Miracle & Blessing》. You should know the elf magic system is completely different than ours but I believe she should be on par with intermediate mastery or perhaps even advanced level mastery. 」Galeal says, noticing my gaze focusing on her.

I want her.

「 How much? 」I say.

「 The young gentlemen are very decisive huh? To be abrupt, she cost quite the fortune. Fifty gold coins, but since you are a good acquaintance of Reinhardt-sama, I’m willing to lower the price to thirty gold coins. 」

Even with the lowered price, it still cost almost all of my treasury… I don’t want to owe him anything but it looks like I have to take his favor this time.

「 Are you sure you are fine with lowering her price? 」I ask, wanting to confirm.

「 Oh please, young gentlemen. It’s my pleasure to help you. Besides, I sense greatness within you, young gentlemen. This is the least a humble merchant could do to rub some greatness. 」

Damn. Should I bite and use his favors?

I look back to her and within her eyes, there’s a sense of belonging and pleading.

I must have her.

「 Deal. 」

Galeal then gives a hearty laugh and with the slave maid’s signal, the slaves start to leave the bathhouse.

「 Let’s carry on to another room to finish our deal and wait for Siana to get prepared. 」

With swift drying and Galeal’s guide, we arrived in a surprisingly different guest room, this time with what seems to be a magic circle on the floor in the middle.

「 Just to confirm, this is your first time purchasing a fine instrument of pleasure yes?  」Galeal says, breaking the silence.

I nod in confirmation.

「 Alright, let me give you a quick lecture about this world of pleasure. There will be a magical ritual to establish the master-slave contract. The slave will wear a special collar engraved with manaritium that connects the slave to its master. The main feature of the collar is to cause discomfort and even pain to the wearer, the slave when disobeying its master. Another feature is for the master to vaguely know the location of his slave, binding it to its master. 」

Sounds a bit brutal but this is another world’s customs after all. They have different values here. As long as I treat her right, everything should be fine.

「 Should the master die, the collar will kill the slave, 」he continues, 「 or should the slave forcefully try to remove the collar. Only the master can remove the collar successfully. Lastly, since slaves are considered as property to their masters, they can’t register independently to any kind of formal institutions and can’t travel unaccompanied. 」

As soon as he finished talking, his slave maid enters, bringing Siana to the center of the magic circle. This time she’s dressed in a charming light green dress with white boots.

「 Okyaku-sama, please enter the magic circle, facing Siana. There’s a small empty circle in the middle of the magic circle where Okyaku-sama will drop his blood to initiate the ownership ritual. 」The slave maid says.

The slave maid then brings me a small knife. I’m guessing I’m supposed to draw blood with it huh.

I enter the magic circle and prick my index finger quite deeply. Damn, it hurts. Drops of blood spills and land in the clear circle. The magic circle starts glowing and as more drops of blood land on it, the more it glows. Then at its peak, it radiates its light upwards, creating a mesmerizing effect and the magic rune in the collar Siana is wearing starts to glow as well.

In the midst of all this, Siana smiles. There’s something with the way she smiles. A genuine smile, the kind of smile that makes me truly feel happy to be alive and just that little bit more human. Filling my cold heart with that radiant smile of hers.

I’ve made the right choice.

I suddenly feel the location of Siana’s presence which is of course in front of me at the back of my head as if there’s a mental GPS in my mind.

「 Congratulations, young gentleman. The contract is complete, Siana is now officially the slave of the great Renald Alderhide. This is the Zempten banknote, please fill out the form to initiate a wealth transfer of thirty gold coins to my treasury. 」

Hearing Galeal words, I stop blankly staring at her and focus on the document he gives. I carefully read the banknote to make sure everything is clear and there are no hidden meanings, then I fill out the form and give it to Galeal.

「 Thank you and take this young gentleman. This is a document proving your ownership to Siana, as the one and only master of Siana. If by chance you lost it, feel free to contact me to create a new one, for a fee. 」

He hands me the document that feels and has the same magic rune art decoration similar to my magic certificates.

「 Oh, forgive me young gentlemen, but I forgot to tell you one more thing. Although interracial breeding has never happened before, the collar bears the effect of infertility. The wearer won’t be able to procreate. 」Galeal says with a shamelessly wide grin.

Damn this guy really knows what most men really want. I never thought about procreation, even with my wife in my past life.

Now I officially own a slave huh… I can’t help but feel that I’ve done something wrong, but not out of immorality…. But something else… Isn’t this what I want? But then again, it’s probably because I’m doing something very new.

I look back at my Siana and she is charming as always as she smiles with the black metal collar that symbolizes my ownership of her.

「 Are you sure you want to stay over in an inn instead of my mansion? 」Elras asked, uncharacteristically concerned. Just a few weeks ago he wouldn’t have cared where I slept on our adventuring quest.

「 I feel bad for bothering you Elras, and besides, you’ll be busy in the frontline. 」

「 It doesn’t bother me the slightest, but fine… I recommend the Diamond Bed Inn, it’s the best Inn in the city. Show your nobility insignia and tell them you’ve come to visit the Reinhardt family. They will provide you the best room they can offer. 」

「 Thanks, I appreciate it. 」

Elras drops me off in front of the Diamond Bed Inn. That’s… Very nice of him. He even bothers to get off the carriage and gives me a proper handshake.

「 I wish you good fortune and health in the frontline Elras. 」

「 Thank you Renald. I also wish you will find whatever you’re looking for here. 」

Then off he goes, back to his carriage again. He waves his hand, trying to give a proper farewell. Which kind of shocked me since it doesn’t fit his strong character to flimsy wave his hand. But of course, it would be rude of me to not wave him back, so I did. I did not expect that gesture to come from him, but it was a welcome change.

The Inn in front of me is surprisingly unlike any other. It seems rather new with a polished white stone instead of the usual black stone bricks common throughout the Veinard commoners’ architecture. Elras really wants to bore my wallet empty huh… I told him from time to time I’m not one of those spoiled nobles who needs a silk bed to sleep on. But I guess he didn’t pay any heed to it.

I go inside and immediately I see a man behind a counter.

「 Who are ye? Looking to rent a room for the night? 」The man behind the counter says.

「 Yes, for about two weeks, 」I show him my Alderhide nobility Insignia, 「 Elras Reinhardt sends his regards. 」

「 I-I… Forgive me, Sir. I didn’t knew ye a nobleman. 」He says panicky, slightly bowing his head, hands grouped together, fear clearly plastered in his face.

To be fair, I’m not wearing lavious attire like what most nobles would wear. But my spotless, bright blue and white adventure clothes should’ve at the very least signals the amount of wealth I have in possession.

「 No harm was done, 」I say, trying to calm him down,「 How much will it cost? 」

「 For the best room fit for a nobleman, it will cost ye a single gold coin for your whole stay. 」

I’m pretty sure that’s quite pricey for a room, but I guess that’s a reasonable price for a noble’s accommodation. I rarely touch the money in my bank account so I should have quite a lot in store from the quest rewards and monthly allowance. Around thirty gold coins, I suppose. That’s not including the one I have in my pockets too.

「 Fair enough. 」I pass him the coin.

「 Please follow me, sir. 」He says, after receiving my payment.

We climb up the stairs and after a while, we stop at a rather luxurious door decorated with golden ornament.

「 Here is the key to your room and another key for the small vault provided. We provide breakfast in the house on the pub’s second floor starting tomorrow morning. Please enjoy your stay in the Diamond Bed Inn. 」

He bows deeply then goes back to the counter presumably after giving me everything I needed. Not wanting to stay outside much longer, I immediately go inside.

And as expected it’s worth all of my coin, especially with the soft carpet installed on every nook of the floor. There’s even a gigantic window that gives a spectacular view of the sunset in the tall Vosgant mountain range far out.

Apparently I “deserve” this much wealth and comfort just because I was born a noble when before in my previous life, I would be extremely frugal. Being born in the right family truly gives you an advantage unlike any other. I’ve known this beforehand but experiencing just how easy the privileged wealthy to live an easy life really questions all of my hard work and effort in my previous life.

How back then living with a bowl of rice for a day is normal to me…

How my routine is only filled with studying and working with barely any time left for leisure…

How happy I was just to be able to eat gyudon…

Yes, thanks to my hard work I was able to escape the poverty line and live a decent life. But in the end, it’s all for naught when a rich fucker steals my wife.

F-fuck… I wonder how’s my father is doing? He did so much for me. He works day and night to feed me and provide schooling. I know back when I was a kid we rarely talked and developed a proper father-son relationship but he sacrificed a lot for my future…

And I ruin it all by committing suicide… I hope he’s doing alright. Not wanting to bother me, he insisted on retiring in a retirement home. I place him in one of the best retirement homes, but a bit of guilt lingers within me when I place him there.

Whatever, I’m tired… But it’s too early to rest…

Let’s head to the mystical sky palace, there’s naught to do here.

I lay down in the ridiculously large king-sized bed.

Closing my eyes, I whisper my spell chant.

Drowsiness comes to me as I fall asleep.

 

……

 

I open my eyes, and as always I’m sitting on the throne in this vast palace. It truly is humongous. Even after claiming this place as my somewhat second home, I still can’t fathom its scale.

It just magnifies the desolateness and emptiness of this place… Everything looks perfect and pleasing to the eyes, but it’s soulless — no warmth to brighten up this place. Me being the single sentient resident in this place doesn’t help either.

What’s the use of such a large palace when I’m the only one living in this place?

God, I really wish my shadow minions at the very least can speak or create a conversation. It’s always just one-sided conversation with me giving commands and them responding.

What’s the use of wealth and power when your heart is forever empty — brimmed with unease to the fullest?

That reminds me… What is love anyway?

How come I’ve always craved something I can’t even define or pinpoint?

Ahh… I don’t know…

Damn it, after that event I always fall into a self-pitying state. I need something to do to occupy myself.

I should head to the library. There was that spell that I needed to learn for my next magic class.

I go to the library, it always has been my go-to place to immerse myself in books and studying. Moving through the corridor on my way to the library, the mysterious purple room shows up. Emitting its arcane magical aura as always.

This purple room is still the biggest mystery this palace could offer. And I’m at a dead-end for as long as I can remember.

I should go inside again, the learning can be put on hold. Perhaps, I’m missing a rather important clue.

I come inside and everything looks exactly the same. Hooded angel statues on every single corner, the gigantic magic circle that compasses almost all the room space, and the altar.

These angel statues lead me to the conclusion of it becoming related to a religion of some sort. Their sheer size of almost twice as tall as I even in their kneeling position lead me to believe in their importance. But was my assumption wrong? I haven’t gone into depth regarding the possible connection with the goddess Maria, but it seems there’s no connection with any ancient religion, even if it exists. And this is coming from the History professor, Krig Meyer. One of the most prominent figures in the historical academia field.

The engraved magic circle with its core is a white ten-sided decegram star that doesn’t provide many clues either. Only that no magic circle ever uses a star as its core – a completely new take in creating a magic circle. So that means this magic circle could be anything and nobody has a clue…

From what I’ve learned so far about the construction of magic circles in the academy, magic circles are mostly used to activate a spell that a normal being wouldn’t be able to activate from within his body alone. So they would need a source of mana, either from an item or from the air itself… This is basically impossible since the air has very little mana lingering.

But as expected this magic circle didn’t have any slots or parts where you would insert or place a manaritium or any other items that contain highly concentrated mana.

This leads me to assume the magic circle draws mana from this very room or palace itself. I can feel the plentiful mana surging in the palace and even more so in this room. Something I’ve never felt in the normal world.

But what kind of spell would this magic circle activate?

Now that I think about it, there’s also the altar here…

Servire et adorare dominum

The chanting spell cast embedded in the altar.

『  Servire et adorare dominum 』

Calling the chant doesn’t activate anything… So there’s definitely something missing as always. Now that I think about it… It’s an altar, some sort of a place for an offering. But this altar doesn’t have any single magic runes embedded on it…. That’s why I assume it’s nothing significant…

Maybe that’s what I’m missing? I need an offering – an item to activate the spell? But what would it be?

I should try to place different sorts of things on the altar, maybe that will lead to something. Finally, there’s a lead or a direction I could pursue. Can’t believe I missed this altar to focus on the magic circle and hooded angels statues instead. Oh well, it can’t be helped. And this is why research is best done in a team since multiple perspectives actually help unwind and bring something new to the table

There’s nothing I could gain from this room anymore. I should call this room a day and head back to studying the《School of Wits》spell. I leave the room.

『 M̶̛̯̬ȧ̷̰̥̊s̷̬̜̀͠ṫ̵̘͉̔e̵̤̎r̴̗̻̈… 』

God, It’s that ghostly yet sultry voice again. This is the second time I think, and what’s more, I’m not even inside the room.

Where does it come from? Who is this master she is calling to? Is she calling for me? But why would she? It doesn’t sound like it’s aimed at me.

Master huh…

It would be nice to have someone to call me like that with such affection. Her pleasant voice feels like a soothing breeze amidst this hollow emptiness. It almost sounded like she actually cherished the person she is calling to. Did my wife ever call my name with such tenderness and affection? Heck, when was the last time she calls my name? Didn’t even bother to call me Danna-sama or anata…

…Why does being called “master” sound so nice?

It feels like I’m in control like everything will go in my way.

That I will get the yearnings I so desire…

Maybe… Just maybe… What if I buy a slave?

It reminds me of that slave girl, with her absolute and unwavering devotion towards her master…

That man, Galeal O’dinn. Didn’t he offer a slave beforehand?

We detoured, stopping by in Galeal O’dinn place of stay in Karvent city. Elras seems to be intrigued by this person.

Luxurious gold and red are the main color theme in this marble mansion of his.

Amidst our way through his mansion in the hallway, we come across what seems to be a humongous steamy bathing area separated by a wall of glass, reminding me of the public bath back in Japan. But this is way more luxurious with its shiny white marble and vibrantly colorful potted plants in it.

Humble merchant my ass. His wealth is equal to that of lower to middle-ranking noble houses. And this mansion is one of his many more throughout the kingdom.

What stands out, however, is the several beautiful girls throughout the bathing area, most relaxing in the steamy tub, others taking a shower. All of them are not showing any reserve in showcasing their tantalizing curves and polished skin. Some even become more daring, giving us a better angle on their sultrious body. I could tell, however, their movements and angles are directed more for Galeal himself than for us, his guests.

The man of pleasure indeed, what a fitting title.

All sorts and varieties of beautiful girls are here, with no similarity between any of them. The only thing that ties them together is a thin black metal collar on them — a slave collar.

A girl, however, becomes the center of my attention with what seems to be cat-like or fox-like ears and tails that add a very animalistic charm towards her. I would’ve enjoyed it more if it weren’t for her eyes and alluring body being directed towards Galeal.

「 Alderhide-sama was it? 」Galeal asks curiously.

「 Yes? 」I say back.

「 You find them pleasing in the eyes? 」Wry amusement found itself onto Galeal’s face in the form of a smile.

「 I admit they are quite beautiful, 」and I admit that I’m becoming a bit envious of this man to have such willing devoted love,「 I’ve never seen that kind of girl before. What race is she? 」I say as I point towards the cat-like girl.

「 Ahh… I see you are interested in more exotic slaves — the Canids. They come from a place far away in the east — the Oraint. Their furry tails and ears are soft and amidst their gentle and caring attitude lies great sexual heat. A suitable instrument of pleasure for a young gentleman like you. We can discuss the arrangements later on. 」

Did… Did he just come to the conclusion of me wanting to buy a Canids slave?

We arrive in his so-called “meeting room” which to me surprisingly seems like a mini library with a collection of tall bookshelves. Surrounded with pleasure but doesn’t forget that what makes a man is the knowledge and the intellectual capability we are capable of harboring.

In the middle of the room is a long rectangular table with chairs occupying each side. Galeal sat on one of the shorter ends of the table with me and Elras sitting adjacent to both his sides.

One of the maids… a slave maid from the apparent collar in her neck, steps forward, bearing a tray of refreshments, a bottle of wine, and a few glasses. She goes around the table, laying down a glass for everyone in the table, and pours wine onto it.

「 Please enjoy yourself with an exotic wine from a mountainous wine cellar deep in the countryside of the Lungkin kingdom — Nanxi 1497. 」Galeal says proudly.

Seeing Elras taking a sip, I take a sip as well, and immediately it gives a soothing chill as it passes through my throat. After it settles down in my stomach, an aftertaste of the hot, fiery taste, a classic of the alcohol, warms my body and interestingly calms me down.

「 Thank you for the wonderful wine. It’s been a while since I last drank a delicate wine. Never thought you’re a wine connoisseur. 」Elras says.

「 Of course, offering premium wine is the least I could do to rub some greatness on this humble merchant. 」Galeal says lavishly.

「 No need for flattery, 」Elras replies easily,「 let’s get down to business. 」

「 I see Elras-sama is eager to get down to business. That makes things much easier, 」Galeal then proceeds to clear his throat,「 I would like to discuss the procurement of elven slaves surrounding your territory. 」

Is that the reason why he called for Elras? I know I’m not going to be needed in this business meeting but Elras heavily insists on it. If it weren’t for my nobility status, Galeal would definitely not want me in this conversation.

「 Demand for elven sex slaves is on the rise? 」Elras asks.

「 Indeed. 」Galeal quietly adds, 「 the Canids and the Dragonkin slaves are a rare breed. The Canids come from a place across the Cordelia ocean, their price increases for every meter the ship has to sail. The Dragonkin slaves have become quite controversial with the Lungkin newest kingdom policy in the trade with their kind. Making all of them reserved just for the finest gentlemen… 」

「 And your point is? 」Elras interjects.

「 …Revered for their lasting beauty that stands through time, and their close proximity to us, the elves become very sought after. Their cheaper price compared to other exotic choices adds to the drool of most gentlemen. 」

「 I understand now, 」Elras answers, a seed of doubt seems to grow inside him,「 but why are you telling me this? My father is clearly the better option for your business endeavor. 」

「 Forgive my language Elras-sama, 」Galeal says nervously but stilled with confidence,「 the great Kaint Reinhardt, the Spearhead of the Veinard Kingdom, is growing older day by day. It’s only a matter of when his eternal rest will come and for you to continue his legacy. 」

「 You’re correct, but there’s the undeniable fact I’m still a young man and not fit to rule my fief just yet. 」Elras adds.

「 Your experience and your position in the Ishkar Common Regiment. The regiment which handles most of the elven skirmishes mind you… warrants me to take notice of you, 」Galeal remarks,「 besides, the elves are not going anywhere. We can take it slow. The demand for elven slaves will always be on the rise. 」

「 Very well then, 」Elras slightly chuckles,「 I’m sure you didn’t invite me without a single thing in mind. So tell me, what’s your proposal? 」

「 The Reinhardt fief, especially the Karvent city, is always under constant threat of the elven ambush. Why of course, for the elves, we are the uncivilized creatures standing in their proud holy land. But enough is enough. I think it’s about time we stop hiding behind our walls and strike back. 」

「 Watch your words Galeal, 」Elras says seriously,「 what you just said is not an easy task and for all I know could possibly involve the whole kingdom — the royalty. 」

「 Correct me if I’m wrong Elras-sama, but small skirmishes near the territory of a widely-known foreign enemy don’t require permission from the royalty, 」Galeal remarks.

「 Fine… Go ahead and continue, 」Elras says.

「  If the need arises, I know numerous people that could help us in arranging the logistics and others. And I’m also willing to fund your military efforts in striking back against the elves. I will recoup my losses or even profit more with the number of elven slaves the war will produce. 」

「 Interesting… Renald, 」Elras turns to me,「 do you have any thoughts on this? 」

「 Hmm… 」I find myself pondering heavily on his idea, and notice a rather small detail,「 It’s a great idea. One with seemingly meticulous planning. However, all of you forgot one rather small detail that affects everything. The common people. 」

The once heated room becomes silenced with my somehow bold revelation. All are now looking at me with expectations within their eyes, waiting for me to continue my statement.

「 Who’s charging deep into the elven territory? 」I continue,「 the one that will die, fighting against the elves? It’s the common people. Yes, logistics and other factors are important and should be considered, but the one who’s doing most of the hard work in them. What you’ve told me so far doesn’t put the common people into the equation. First, you must research the people’s opinions about an offensive operation toward the elves. Yes, I’m sure they hate the elves but are they willing to sacrifice their lives and resources in this endeavor? 」

「 I know deep down there’s an element missing in this idea, but thankfully my smart friend seems to be able to spot it. 」Elras says, smiling inwardly.

「 That is… 」Galeal says, trying to find words to say,「 quite an interesting perspective in looking at the matter. I shall take a look at it and report back my findings. 」

「 Suits me just fine, 」Elras says with a small chuckle, 「 It’s about time we are on our way anyway. The sun soon enough will set. 」

Elras rises up, seemingly eager to go back. I follow his lead.

「 Excuse me, Alderhide-sama, 」Galeal somehow calls me,「 do you mind if we talk some more? 」

Before I could answer, Elras immediately says:「 I see you in the carriage Renald. 」A small laughter makes it way through Elras.

He then goes out of the room with one of Galeal’s slave maids escorting him. Doesn’t even give me the chance to answer any of them….

「 Why not…? 」I say, surrendering to their whims.

「 Thank you for your time. Just a brief moment of your time is sufficient. 」

We sit down again in our respective chairs. Galeal seems quite eager.

「 So what is it that you want to talk of? 」

「 My… Aren’t we going to discuss your first purchase of the exotic Canids slave? 」

「 Woah… Wh-What?! I’m… I’m not… 」I want to say not interested but that’s completely lying…「 I don’t have the luxury to even think of getting a slave… 」

「 Hahahaha! 」A big laugh comes from him, was it that funny to the point of him banging the table?

「 Sorry for being unsightly, 」he says after calming down, 「 I just wasn’t expecting the wise young gentlemen to be so nervous about buying a slave. If you are not in the mood then we don’t need to go further. 」

A rather small awkwardness lingers in the air between us. I don’t really know how to continue this conversation. What does he want from me anyway?

「 I sense greatness within the depths of you, young gentlemen, 」he adds profoundly, 「  I firmly believe this is not going to be our last meeting. Come to me if you are still interested in getting a beautiful companion of pleasure. I’m willing to introduce you to this new world of pleasure. 」

Greatness within the depths of me? Was he that surprised by my insight on his plan? A man of his caliber should honestly be able to spot this issue… Perhaps he truly doesn’t know the mind of the common people? I mean, there’s a staggering amount of nobles who wouldn’t come to understand fully the very people he is ruling over, deciding to rather ignore them and have a surface level of understanding.

Or maybe it’s just lip service. Elras did introduce me as a man with a level of standing similar to him, which is clearly not true.

「 It was nice getting to know you. Now go, Alderhide-sama. You don’t want to keep Elras-sama waiting. 」

Agreed. The last time I was late to meet Elras, he would become very irritated towards me and give me quite the hell on our adventuring quest.

As I go out of the room with one of his slave maids escorting me, he bows quite deeply. A big smile makes its way to his feature after he stands still.

「 That exam was tough. How the hell was I supposed to know about the evolution of dragons in becoming dragonkin?! 」Elras says, seemingly pissed.

「 I agree, Reinhardt-sama, 」Aaron continues, 「 I don’t think we went over that material in rather deep detail over his lectures. What do you think, Alderhide-sama? 」

I feel dead inside…

「 Renald? 」

「 Huh, yes? 」

「 Like I was saying Alderhide-sama, 」Aaron patiently says,「 what do you think about the materials in the exam? 」

「 It was alright I guess… 」I mindlessly say,「 I was able to answer almost all of the questions. 」

「 No way, 」Elras astonished,「 even that weird question about the huge possibilities of the existence of races or sub-races that the historians couldn’t discover? 」

「 Yeah… It was quite simple. I just list down several insights on key historians regarding the matter and use it as the basis of my conclusion. 」

「 How about the question regarding the first appearance of humans coming to the surface and establishing itself? 」Aaron asks.

「 I think… Explaining the foundation and the early days of the Shiford kingdom should be enough… As you might know, Shiford was one of the earliest human kingdoms. 」

「 As expected for Renald, 」Elras bemused,  「 Truly the only Mayer Professor’s true student. 」

「 Yeah… yeah… yeah… 」

「 By the way, what will all of you do for the vacation period? 」Aaron asks.

「 Going back to my territory of course. Who knows what those damn elves are up to these days. 」

「 I’m not sure… 」I chime in with Elras response.

「 Sounds nice, I likely will be staying here, my territory isn’t that far from the capital anyway and I still have some things to do in the cathedral headquarter. 」

「 Anyway… Since we just finished the [History & Politics] exam, how about we celebrate it over a scrumptious and luxurious lunch? 」Elras happily suggests.

「 That sounds wonderful. 」Aaron replies.

Lunch huh…?

「 I’ll skip this one. 」

「 What? 」Elras eyes darts over to me concerned,「 Why? 」

「 I… I have some studying to do… 」I come up with an excuse.

「 Aren’t all of your exams already over, same as us? 」Aaron asks.

「 I still have to work on one of my《School of Wits Magic》spells. 」Just please let me go.

「 Are you alright Renald? 」Elras ask, worriness more visible in his eyes.

「 What are you talking about Elras? 」I say, mustering the best smile I possibly can,「 Of course, I’m alright, you know how hard it is to master that school of magic. 」I end with laughter.

「 If you say so Renald, 」Elras hesitantly says,「 Are you still up for the idea Aaron? 」

「 Fine by me, as long as I’m not late to attend my weekly cathedral meetings. 」

「 Alright then, I’ll see you later then Renald. 」

「 Take care, Alderhide-sama. I wish you great fortune in your study. 」

「 Bye-bye. 」

Then Elras and Aaron went off to the other way, leaving me behind on my way to my room in the dorm housing. My sole solace.

Do you see how powerful words and acting is? Simply say “I’m fine” and with the right smile, nobody would bat an eye. Nobody would notice what’s happening beneath the facade I put on. It’s necessary, however, I need to put on a strong will. Being weak and fragile won’t solve anything. A fake smile has always been plastered throughout my lifetime, frozen in place.

I feel dead inside.

I make my way through the lavishly furnished lounge, dreading the ascent of the stairs, enter my room, and finally leap towards my bed to curl on my blanket. These same thoughts play over and over again.

This black hole within me — it’s eating me up. The world no longer seems magical. The sky no longer seems limitless. The tears want to splash down in a torrent of misery, but they’re too stubborn. They just… wouldn’t come.

Hope. It’s gone. For she is the reason for its materialization.

It’s always there. It was only until now that it grew much worse. I always cling to the hope that one day, after all of my suffering, pushing myself to the limit, withstanding all sorts of abuse, then everything will be worth it. That I will finally find somebody who would simply love me for who I am.

But the reality is always harsh. Like a slap in the face, it pulls me to the ground from my dream. Reminding me of my failures.

My failed admission to the famed schools of magic, both《School of Assault Magic》and《School of Aegis Magic》

The failure of knowing the existence and learning the proper, noble, and superior art of magic. Instead, learn the common and inferior way of magic.

And most importantly, the utterly degrading experience from her strike at my lowest point…

Was it really bad, foolish, illegal for me to just dream of being with her?

It was just an aspiration of mine. But yet…

If only I worked harder. If only I focused more. If only I do this and that instead. Regrets piling up more and more.

What will be my next step now I know I truly fucked up this time?

I don’t know…

I truly don’t know…

「 Excuse me, young lord. Are you there, young lord?! 」

Normally, I would ignore it, but there’s something about her voice that draws me in. A sense of urgency and panic within it.

The distance to the front door never felt this far before. The small warmth and comfort from my only solace, blanket that I hold dearly to, are now gone. I opened the door. The maid’s eyes before me widen, shock clearly plastered on her face. She immediately bows down.

「 This maid is deeply sorry for raising her voice. This maid knocked several times and didn’t receive any response from the young lord. 」She says nervously.

「 So, what is it? 」I reply without holding back the annoyance I felt.

「 Lady Heva-sama, your mother, is waiting for you in the lounge. 」

「 I see… 」today is the day she comes huh… I forgot about that,「 tell her to wait a few more minutes. I need to prepare. 」

「 Understood, young lord. 」

I close the door, strangely slower than I expected. Everything happens in slow-motion as I prepare myself to head out, and select what clothes to wear even with the minimal clothes that I have. Which doesn’t even amount to one-tenth of the closet’s humongous capacity.

As soon as I’m in the lounge, I immediately take notice of Mother — of course — the way she sits alone as she looks outside the windows with that nostalgic smile of hers she always puts on, are way more charming than the fancy housing. She wears a beautiful blue gown that compliments her hair, flower patterns embedded on the gown’s waistline, the fabric looks smooth and gives out a luxurious feel. I never saw my mother wear this gown before, is this new? However, my mother’s favorite black pillbox hat is apparent.

「 There you are, my boy! I missed you so much. 」

Unbeknownst to me, she somehow covered the distance in a flash. By the time I became aware of her eager voice, she leaped towards me and hugged me. Very tightly. Her gown will be ruined, wrinkles formed with how she presses me very hard as if she never wants to let me go again. It’s to the point of discomfort and a hard time breathing.

But that’s very like her.

My breathing becomes slower, melting to my mother’s grasp as I can feel every muscle fiber lose its tension. In this moment of feeling mother so close I am more awake somehow, more alive than I have been in so very long. The heart slowly rejuvenates back.

「 H-hi mother… 」

「 I miss you so… so… so much Renald. 」She says as she rains kisses on both of my cheeks.

「 Yeah… 」I mutter,「 I miss you too mother. 」

She pulls away. The comfortable warmth is no more.

「 I’m glad to hear that my sweetie. Oh, how much you’ve grown taller! I remember when we hugged, your head was bound to my chest, now I’m the one who has her head on your chest. Fufufu…  」

「 Y-yes mother… 」

I swear I wasn’t that short. Oh, I see… She must be talking about it before I got transmigrated to Renald’s body…

「 I wish to talk more with you Renald. But we don’t have time. I already reserved an amazing restaurant I’m sure you’ll love it! There are more surprises over there too. 」

「 Alright mother. 」

She grabs my hand and pulls me towards her as she drags me outside.

The sun shines way too bright for my scruffy eyes. The carriage with the authentic Alderhide insignia is ready in front of us. I let mother go first before my turn, noble etiquette as always.

「 How long have you been taking a nap Renald? 」

「 Quite a while, I guess… an hour or two. You know, the university is very tough so I’ve been relaxing for some time after it’s all over. 」

「 I see… 」Mother says slowly,「 So how’s university Renald? 」

「 It’s alright… Learned a lot about《School of Wits Magic》arcane runes and spells. There’s also the [Logistical Warfare] class I took which is interesting. And I’ll probably take a class in [Business and Territory Management] and further my studies in [History & Politics] after the vacation period. 」

「 That’s interesting…  I thought you are going to take more warfare-based classes such as [Horsemanship] or [Magic Swordsmanship]. What happened to that? 」

「 What’s the point when I’m not even in one of the combat schools of magic? 」

「 That makes sense… But how come you’ve taken an interest in [History & Politics]? 」Mother says after a moment of shocked silence,「 I remember it was such a boring class. This is quite unlike you Renald. 」

What…? The fascination of learning this world’s ancient history is priceless. The wonders of the Verum Shihi Era, where real dragons roamed the sky, the time where humans hide underground is very interesting. How come mother didn’t know this? That’s right… The “Renald” beforehand hates, disgusted with the mere idea of reading books.

The conversation then quickly turns into mindless chatter, with me simply answering with “yes”, “no”, or “I don’t know”. My lackluster response somehow doesn’t ruin mother’s mood as she seems to be impatiently waiting for something. I guess she’s pretty excited about this restaurant of hers.

The carriage stops. That’s quite quick.

From the luxurious decoration this restaurant has, it seems to not be the kind of place you can get a table on impulse; large mullion windows, long embroidered curtains, dark walnut tables, flower pots on each table, and it even has a delicate live music performance.

A table is somehow empty amidst the almost full restaurant just near the large mullion window, giving a great view of the vibrant city. By the time we sit on that table, a butler immediately serves us tea from silver trays in white ceramic teapots. She whispered something to the butler, a wide grin clearly plastered on her face as she did that. Looks like mother already planned everything out.

「 Do you like everything so far Renald? 」

「 Yes mother. I rarely go out and see what the city has to offer during my study. So experiencing this wonderful place is pretty exciting and I’ve been greatly enjoying it 」

「 That’s quite a surprise, 」mother eyes slightly widen,「 I would’ve assumed you explored every nook and corner of the city? What happened, sweetie? 」

「 I just never thought about doing that, mother. 」

「 You’ve really changed huh sweetie… 」

I’ve changed? I’m always like this, I didn’t have much time left from studying night and day. Why does mother think this way?

「 Ohh! Here it is! 」

The butler placed a gigantic white cake in the middle of the table. Lit candles placed on top.

「 Happy 18th birthday Renald! Just another year and you’ll be a noble adult! 」

Wait, today is my birthday…? Whatever, it just means another year before I’ll get kicked out from the Alderhide family. Although, I still have some extra time to finish university first before I’m officially kicked out. Mother definitely didn’t know about the unwritten or unspoken agreement between me and father.

I don’t like cakes… I took a bite and the sweetness overloads my taste receptors to the point of sickening. Numerous weird and exotic dishes such as frogs, smelly chunks of cheese, and others then come to the table. These are not my favorites… Aren’t these the former Renald’s favorite? I hate these dishes. How come she didn’t know this? I clearly told her from time to time when I still live with her.

It was supposed to be my special day… But these dishes completely ruined my mood.

「 Are you alright Renald? 」Mother says worryingly.

「 I’m fine. Thank you for the great surprise Mother, 」I say, mustering the happiest smile I possibly can.

「 Ohh, 」She replied sweetly,「 You’re very welcome Renald. Now go ahead and feast to your heart content my healthy young boy.  」

I’m not in the mood to eat. But I must force myself to eat this lest I make mother worried again. I try to eat the dishes provided at the table. Each bite makes me more and more tempted to take smaller bites, pausing to take more. The taste is so unappetizing that I’m careful to not allow the food to touch my lips.

「 Have you tried getting along with your siblings in the university? 」

「 Noo… mother. 」

「 You know that Cefre-san is currently in university too right?  」

F-fuck… It’s that cursed name. I can’t believe a sister can hold such malice towards her younger brother…

「 What’s the matter Renald? 」

「 Ohh… I was just quite shocked… I didn’t know she was studying here too, considering how most of my brothers and sisters are way older than me. 」

「 It’s alright… You always have been such a shy boy. Ohh here it comes! 」

Mother says, her eyes dart to somewhere behind her. I follow her. The restaurant’s butler comes to us holding a box. A present. It’s perfectly decorated with its sparkling ribbons and colorful palette. Is that… going to be my birthday present?

Mother’s eyes sparkle as the butler place the gift near my still quite full plate. I wonder what kind of gift I will receive. The box is quite small, just a little bit bigger than my plate. Perhaps a book? I’m not used to receiving any gifts… When was the last time I ever received one? I never even celebrate my birthday at all, this is the first time I think.

「 What are you waiting for, Renald? Go open it! 」

I untie the ribbon and pry open the lid of the box. Looking inside, what greeted me was something unexpected, something that I wouldn’t think of in any way. I didn’t even know what to say. Why does she remotely even think this sort of gift is for me? No matter what you think about the contents. This isn’t for me. This is for someone else.

The gift mocked me as if it’s laughing at my current situation.

W̶h̶o̴ ̶a̶r̶e̴ ̵y̵o̴u̴?̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̷’̵r̶e̴ ̵a̵n̷ ̴i̷m̶p̵o̴s̶t̸e̸r̷.̸ ̸Y̷o̸u̷ ̵a̸l̴r̸e̵a̴d̵y̸ ̷d̸i̸e̷d̶ ̸o̴n̷c̵e̴ ̵–̸ ̵b̸y̵ ̴y̷o̴u̷r̸ ̶o̵w̶n̷ ̷w̷i̵l̷l̶.̸ ̸T̶h̷i̸s̵ ̷i̶s̵ ̸y̴o̵u̶r̴ ̴i̵d̸e̵a̷ ̸o̴f̶ ̵b̶e̸i̸n̶g̶ ̴h̶a̶p̸p̴y̶?̶ ̶T̵o̴ ̴f̸e̷e̷l̴ ̴l̷o̶v̴e̶ ̸b̴y̸ ̶r̷e̸p̴l̶a̶c̴i̴n̵g̷ ̴s̶o̶m̶e̷o̸n̵e̶’̷s̴ ̶s̵o̶n̴?̶ ̷Y̶o̷u̸ ̵d̷o̴n̸’̷t̸ ̴d̵e̶s̷e̶r̷v̶e̴ ̴t̵h̵i̸s̷.̴ ̵Y̴o̴u̸ ̸d̴o̷n̴’̴t̵ ̵d̶e̴s̸e̸r̴v̶e̴ ̴t̶h̶i̸s̴ ̴g̴i̷f̶t̵.̷ ̶T̸h̸i̷s̴ ̸g̵i̸f̵t̶ ̷w̴e̵r̴e̷ ̶s̸u̷p̴p̸o̵s̴e̴d̷ ̵t̴o̵ ̸b̷e̷ ̵f̴o̶r̷ ̴h̸e̵r̸ ̴s̸o̶n̸.̸ ̵N̸o̴t̷ ̷f̸o̸r̷ ̷y̴o̵u̸.̸

I can’t help but feel that her once beautiful and cheerful smile right now holds something spiteful. That’s right… I’m not her son. Why would she love me? She didn’t even know her son was replaced with another person. I’ve been lying this whole time.

「 What’s wrong Renald? 」

「 I… l… I love this gift mother… Thank you, 」I say putting up another bright smile, holding off my sheer disappointment.

「 You’re very welcome Renald! 」

Renald this. Renald that. At first, I didn’t pay any heed to that name, I just thought of it as my new identity. But now I realize it’s… not my name… It’s somebody else’s. This gift is for the Renald of the past, I’m not the person to who she’s giving the gift for. It’s for Renald.

「 M-mother, is it okay if we leave pretty quickly? I… I forgot that I have an appointment with one of the professors pretty soon 」

I need to get away. I’m not feeling well.

「 Are you sure Renald? 」Mother asks confused,「 Can’t you postpone it? 」

「 I’m so… sorry mother… I didn’t know you were coming. I would’ve not set up a meeting if you were coming…  」I lie as naturally as I can.

「 Oh don’t be Renald, it’s my fault anyway for meeting with you so suddenly. 」

We didn’t talk much as we get out of the restaurant and even then in the carriage. Everything feels surreal.

「 Sweetie, 」mother says, breaking the silence,「 will you join me to the Alderhide estate in this city after the meeting with your professor? It’s much bigger and luxurious than our private house in Quondartz. Your father will be there too. 」

「 No mother… I’m good. 」

「 Okay then… Oh and also Renald, do you want to come back to our home in Quondartz for your vacation period? 」

「 I-I’ll… think about it. 」

Definitely not around Renald’s mother or family. The carriage becomes silent once more with only the outside voice filling our eardrums. I swear I counted almost every second passing by. At the very least her mood hasn’t changed at all, she still exhibits her cheerful aura. That’s good. I would’ve been more guilty if she notices my behavior.

「 Okay then. Oh, we already arrived. I miss you so much but I cannot hold you back, right? Bye-bye Sweetie. 」

And off she goes along with the carriage. She looks very happy as she says those words while simultaneously waving her hands. She doesn’t need me.

How come I forgot?

It’s not me that she loves and puts her heart into. It’s the former me — Renald. She loves her son, not the one who replaced him. She mistook me as Renald. And I’m not the real Renald Alderhide.

I’m Yoshinobu Ryo.

True love does exist — it’s just not for the likes of me.

She’s… She’s not my mother. I never had a mother since the very beginning.

My life will always be devoid of love, even in this second life of mine, my undeniable fate.

I’m the worst. I truly am an imposter. And I don’t deserve love.

I just want to get out of this nightmarish place. But how am I supposed to do so?

「 Hey Renald, I thought you were supposed to be studying. What were you doing? 」

Unknowingly Elras is in the lounge, sitting relax-fully, and drinking tea like he always loves to do.

「 Ehh… Hey Elras… 」I say whatever I could think of,「 where’s Aaron? 」

「 Huh? Ohh… Aaron is in the cathedral as always. 」

「 I see… By the way Elras, you are going back to your family’s territory, right? 」

「 Of course, what’s wrong Renald? 」

Maybe getting away from mother or this place wasn’t so hard after all. The Reinhardt territory should be far away from the Alderhide territory.

「 Can I follow you to your family’s territory? 」

It’s supposed to be a normal, mundane evening. All sorts of homework with ranging topics from the meticulous military offensive strategy, outright inefficient military logistical operation procedure according to modern standards, to the complex and arcane《School of Wits Magic》runes that makes even advanced calculus formulas pale in comparison are all done. I even recently agreed to join the archaeological expedition. What remains are the few exams left needed to be prepared.

Same as always like in my previous life. Which I unsurprisingly enjoy. The boring routine gives me peace of mind, something predictable to do; the focus of achieving a goal, the engrossment of learning, the spent energy after crossing the finish line brings me a sense of accomplishment, a high of some sort.

The heart. A small organ. Fragility is one of its known characteristics, further proven with the skeleton ribs encaging it. Protected it must, for if it’s destroyed, its carrier will follow. So when the heart alerts its presence with its monotone, yet shattering beats, vibrating to the very fibers of my ribs, after the supposed normal one-to-one mentoring session with Instructor Smush, I start to remember. The fragility of the heart.

All of the things I did in this life. Practicing the way of the sword numerous times, getting every swing, movement, and sway right, to the point of extreme exhaustion. The countless hours studying the wonders of this world’s magic, memorizing the very letters and syllables of its chants, grimacing the agony of a failed spell cast. Everything is just a way for me to get myself busy. Occupied. Away from the unsettling truth.

The exhaustion and agony are a very good price to pay compared to embracing the deep hole in my heart that has left its mark upon coming to this world.

The ironic peace it brings was all that. A facade. A mask. Beneath a calm, stable, and strong mountain of appearance is an unstable magma flowing around.

Empty heart. It feels so… unsettling… Unlike exhaustion or pure agony, it doesn’t occupy your mind to the brim, it leaves you alone, for you to be solely occupied in its intolerable feeling. It’s just there. The void doesn’t fill your mind to the brim but barely enough to warrant you to constantly think of its presence. Slowly eating you alive. That’s why filling the mind with mundane routines that bring you to the edge of exhaustion and agony is way better.

But why does it also feel… familiar? As if I experienced this before…?

It emanates loneliness. A life without love. The very thing I always try to fight against.

Damned to eternal loneliness… The unsettling truth; my biggest fear.

The heartbeat slowly but surely causes my unsettling anxiety to float to the surface until it stands out like a sore thumb in my mind. The very thing that I try to keep hidden away, never to be seen and felt again, now it’s causing havoc and unrest in my mind.

It made me doubt myself on whatever I’ve been doing this whole time. Like how history always repeats itself, it makes me realize how I’ve been doing almost exactly the same thing as my past life.

The study, study, and study. Head bound on a book, sitting for an uncountable amount of hours, posture leaning forward to get a better angle on the book, right hand holding a pen, writing notes, or solving practice problems. Always has been.

Will I follow the same mistake as my past life? Am I fated to eternal loneliness?

Are all of my efforts in becoming worthy of love are always doomed to be a failure from the beginning? Will I always be… alone…?

With nobody to share warmth?

With nobody to confide with?

With nobody to accept for who I truly am?

With nobody to grief within my times of despair?

The inevitable loneliness…

Isolation…

O̵u̸r̶ ̸i̶r̴r̶e̷v̶e̶r̷s̵i̶b̸l̵e̴,̷ ̷u̸n̸b̶r̸e̶a̷k̶a̵b̸l̷e̶ ̶f̵a̵t̶e̴.

A cool breeze sweeps the quiet campus, chilling my heart that craves warmth, awakening me.

I should go back home right now. I’m done for the day and it will do me no good to loiter around on campus, being depressed at that. By the time I hit the bed, I’ll be fine and everything will go back to normal. I can’t risk further burden Instructor Smush and especially the mother. Who knows how much it will impede my progress if I tell them their son is depressed and the possible cost to get treatment if that even exists of course. Following the ideal mundane routine while feeling under the weather is my forte anyway.

The night is coming. The sky is not in complete darkness, the sun still barely shining its light to the surface. A glimpse of the full moon, however, can be seen in the sky horizon. Manaritium lamps all around the campus slowly start to shine their bright light on the faintly darkened campus. The air is quite heavy.

How long have I been trying to calm myself down and control my emotions?

I start walking back home, an unfitting solace but will do for now.

The steps feel heavy and slow, similar to the near exhaustion I felt after finishing the six-mile run training from that fucking drill sergeant. I guess they weren’t lying when they said mind to body connection exists, for I’m mentally… or should I say emotionally exhausted.

I come to cross again with the Bosart statue, its bronze surface doesn’t shine its usual bright reflection from the sunlight, gone was its magnificent aura, replaced with the horrifying solemness of the near soon dark night.

With no warnings or signs, the regal beauty princess comes to my view along with what seems to be her group of friends. Her charm brings a small warmth to my frozen heart. I know there’s a huge disparity between us, but I can’t help but dream of being loved by her. If I can’t have her then at the very least she’s my source of motivation in becoming a better person, one who’s worthy to be loved.

I stare at her, the soon dark sky doesn’t obscure her awe-striking details in the slightest. I notice how her face is beautifully heart-shaped, her lips as red as bloomed rose. Diamond jewelry as blue as her eyes dangling in her ears, adding more depth towards her magnificence charm.

「 Hey you. 」

Amidst my silent appreciation of her beauty, she stares directly at my eyes. I didn’t even realize it until now. Something awfully wrong. Her blue sky eyes are so different right now, filled with more scorn and wrath than I knew eyes could be. The lovely princess is gone and instead, it is the eyes of a predator preying on the weak.

Out of shock and at the worst of time, I trip and fall to the ground. Damn, at least I didn’t fall with my head first.

「 How dare you have the audacity to gaze at me with those lecherous eyes of yours?! 」

Wh-what?! Lecherous eyes?

「 I-I’m… I’m sorry… 」

「 If you were so sorry then prostrate yourself! 」

My already worse mood plummets. Frozen heart shattered. My limbs feel like leaden weights. Even breathing becomes quite a chore. Legs gave out, knees thudded into something very hard.

「 Does anybody know who he is? 」the princess asks scornfully.

「 I know, 」a familiar feminine voice sprung out, 「 he’s the failure of my family. The youngest idiotic son of the Count Alderhide family. Renald Alderhide. I’m ashamed to have him as my younger brother.  」

How does she know my name?! I look up and see her… Cefre Alderhide. My sister. Does she get along with the princess?! How come I didn’t know…

「 So a bastard? A count nobility one at that. 」

「 You would be correct, Hime-sama. 」

「 Hmph! Of course… 」the princess sounds annoyed,「 why do I even have to go to the same academy with the likes of you. 」

「 What? Got nothing to say…? 」I say.

Why am I even on the ground?

Gukh!!!

A swift kick hit my stomach. Stars burst in my vision, all of my senses wired to the stomach. My hands make it way shielding the stomach, grimacing the painful agony.

「 You lowly bastard speak too much! Hime-sama hasn’t given you permission to speak! 」Another one of her followers says.

F-fuck… it fucking hurts… I want to throw up…

Why is she acting like this? All I ever did was observe her from afar. That’s hardly a crime! Is this the price I pay for sticking too close to the rose?

I can’t think. I can’t comprehend at all. Is this reality?

「 People like you I hate the most 」

Hate. Hate. She clearly said that. She hates me.
My most beloved crush. The royal princess.
How could you really hate me this much?!
I didn’t even start anything… All I did was to look up at you from a far distance.

「 So… Cefre-san… What should we do with this little brother of yours? 」

「 He’s not my little brother, 」disgust apparent from Cefre’s voice, 「 father didn’t outright abandon him purely because he loves his mother more than my own mother. A leecher bastard fits him more. 」

Multiple Shadows fell on me, engulfing me to nothing but darkness. They encircled me. Their laughter is sinister and sickening.

And then all I can feel is pain, pain, and pain, the world spinning around, the ground by the atomic distance inches closer and closer to my face.

I can’t scream. The world no longer makes sense.

Pain. Agony. Inside and out. My heart, my body, everything fucking hurts.

I can’t fathom it. She was so beautifully innocent, so pure, so… clean as I observed her from a far distance. But up close right now she exhibits the end of the spectrum. Malice. Is this the price I pay for sticking too close to the rose?

Why?! Why?! Why?!

「 Pardon my intrusion, Hime-sama, 」Amidst my anger, I look up towards the direction of that voice,「 could you tell me what’s going on here? Why does Hime-sama use her spare time to bother a lesser noble? 」

That harsh remark on lesser noble bores deep into my heart. The young man as he walks closer towards us has fiery red hair with equally red eyes. He folds his hands tucked near his chest as he approaches the princess.

「 It’s none of your concern, Noxburg-san, 」an irritating smirk making its way on the princess’s face.

「 Oh it is, Hime-sama, 」he insistently continues, eyes staring daggers at her,「 It doesn’t fit the royalty image to harass lesser nobles. A united nobility is what we are in dire need of right now Hime-sama. If your harassments towards him come to light to the nobility community, or if worse, the commoners, hell will let loose. Do I have to remind you of the great unrest that’s happening in the international community? 」

「 It wouldn’t come to light if it weren’t for you showing up, 」one of the princess followers says.

A hand raises to the sky, it is the princess’s hand, prompting her followers to stop whatever protest they are about to raise towards him.

「 You bring up a good point, Noxburg-san, 」the princess continues, 「 however, you forgot one rather small, but nevertheless quite an important detail. That pathetic man dares to offend me,  Vivienne Veinard, the second royal princess of the Veinard kingdom, the white flower of the royal family. After knowing this, are you still going to defend this lesser noble? 」

He looks at me, raising a disturbing eyebrow.

「 It might be improper to say this as the son of the great Duke, Dran Noxburg. However, you need to give some leeway to this one, or else you will put more coal to the fire. I’m doing this for your own good. 」

There is an undercurrent of the meaning behind his words, as soft-spoken as it is. He’s judging me, and he’s simply helping me escape from this situation not out of kindness nor sympathy.

「 Ugh… Fine, 」the princess replies hatefully,「 remember, I’m only giving this lesser noble a leeway with the Veinard Kingdom stability in mind, not on your so-called “noble” advice. 」

An engulfing silence follows as she walks away, maintaining her ever-gracious posture, I would’ve appreciated it if it weren’t for the shame I went through. Soon, it’s only me and Orwen Noxburgh as multiple figures leave this place, following the princess.

「 My job is finally done, 」he lets out a relieving sigh,「 I’m sorry for what you’ve experienced, but please keep this situation a secret. This is not a request, by the way, it’s an order. There will be major consequences if you ever spill this out. 」

Without ever having the chance to spill a single word on my side, he left this place, leaving the once angered, now devastated me behind in this cold, dark place. Sunlight doesn’t shine to this place any longer, only the manaritium lamps shedding some light on this gloomy place.

My shortly-lived crush with the royal princess is destroyed that easily huh.

I know it’s an impossible dream. She’s a princess for fuck sake, of course, I’m not that of a fool. But she’s right, is there even a person out there who will even love me…

Another chill breeze sweeps its way to me, refreshing me to the present moment in the dimly lit campus.

Oh yeah… I need to go back home…

I didn’t think much on my way back home. The insidious insult she throws at me, the humiliation, the shame I experience truly shattered my frozen heart.

Ribs broken, heart shattered. Inside and out.

Out of habit, I check my mailbox as soon as I’m in the housing dorm. Surprisingly there’s a letter, what’s worse it’s from my mother. When was the last time I received a mother’s letter? I just bring it together with me to my room. Thankfully, Elras or Aaron isn’t present in the lounge, I don’t know how to interact with them in this pathetic state of mine.

As soon as I close the door, I leap towards the bed, still holding the letter. Ah fuck it, I should read it now, maybe it will give me some solace…

 

Dear Renald Sweetie,

Congratulations on reaching intermediate mastery of《School of Wits Magic》Renald! I wasn’t expecting you to be able to comprehend the immense intellectual challenge it takes, considering how you are always such a silly boy back then. I miss the days how I always need to give you a stern lecture to get your head down to the books. Oh, how you’ve grown my baby boy hehehe…

I heard that you’re still adventuring around with the son of the Reinhardt Marquis family. Elras Reinhardt was it? I hope you get along with him and nothing bad happens with you in your friendship with him. I’ve personally met the Reinhardt family, and I must say the rumors of them being a rough and barbaric noble family weren’t far from the truth. 

But I should’ve known you will get along with people like him, I know how you love the idea of adventuring and exploring the world. I remember how when you’re twelve you always come back home with weird items you found interesting from the city’s antique market.

This should’ve been a surprise, but I can’t help but tell you how I really miss you so when you’re reading this letter I will be already on my way to visit you! And since it’s a surprise I won’t give you any fixed date for my arrival. You miss your mother too right?

Can’t wait to see you Renald,

Your lovely mother

 

Mother is coming huh…?

It doesn’t matter — none of it matters anymore…

Darkness soon surges, embracing me… I welcome it with open arms.

Just like anything in life, nothing always goes to plan. Days have passed after Elras and I have finished the adventurer’s quest. I rarely saw Aaron outside of a brief moment in the lounge and in our class; putting a tremendous hold in further figuring out what that purple room is.

While waiting for the opportunity to meet with him, I try to keep myself busy like always, booking several adventurers’ quests with Elras and continuing my progress in the academy, especially in the《School of Wits Magic》that I’ve become quite fond of, but not too much. Combat magicians are always and will always be much wealthier and respected compared to Wits magicians. Following my passion will not bring me happiness; I need to always keep this in mind.

There is a bit of a silver lining, however, in joining the《School of Wits Magic》, one-to-one mentoring is very common amongst the department due to having the least amount of students, second to《School of Alteration Magic》. This, with the advantage of the slower time in the sky palace, allows me to master this field of magic quickly. And I’m about to attend my weekly one-to-one mentoring soon enough.

Arriving at the usual door, I lightly knock before slowly opening it. Inside, a source of dim light illuminating the room from a manaritium lantern placed in the middle of a round table with two cushioned chairs. All of it lies in the center of the room; the walls cannot be traced back, as if infinite darkness surrounds it due to the dim light. Creating a serene and somber atmosphere.

Behind the table sits an old lady. Despite her frail appearance and gentle expression, I know what truly lies behind that facet of wrinkles. Headstrong and wise. A profound doctor magician level at that. The very definition of the ultimate Wits magician known for its unfathomable wisdom and stoic nature. Noticing my arrival, she sends a warm smile.

 

---

Welcome, Alderhide-san. I’ve been expecting you.

---

 

I calmly approach the chair and sit down like I always do in our mentoring session, upholding the calm and serenity of the room. A mentally exhausting lesson awaits and every bit of tranquility helps.

Within the depth of my conscience, sheer concentration, and conceptualization intensifies. Symbols, shapes — patterns are all vividly imagined as it flows around in my mental space. An abstract woven-like thread sprung out and with my will, connects its way to her. A link forms between me and her.

A tunnel between two logos.

 

---

Good Afternoon, Instructor Smush.

 

What a pleasant surprise… You are able to cast a chantless《Cogitarn》spell. Albeit, requiring much more intense concentration on your end. It is very good seeing my students progressing rapidly, however, please be aware to not rush on your journey in mastering the《School of Wits Magic》since a single mistake can potentially impair your mind, especially in the realm of our subconscious mind, our… abs-logos. Now, please demonstrate to me any kind of illusion spell you’ve learned in our previous class.

---

 

Still, within my conscience, I recall a different set of symbols while simultaneously imagining the sort of circus I would perform in this room. Tiny sparks of light pop up one by one, and slowly magnifying into much grander colorful explosions. The silent room becomes quite hectic with the reverberated explosions. Illusionary Fireworks. The lights are intense and seem very real, instinctively closing my eyes along. However, it’s supposed recoil blast waves don’t exist. This small missed detail signifies this is only sparkles of light I came up with, not real fireworks.

Once the performance is over, what greets me when I open my eyes is the same warm smiles of hers.

 

---

Excellent display in coming up with the illusions as always, Alderhide-san. You scored very well. On to the next lesson that I’m sure you’re eager to learn. This lesson or spell I’m about to teach you, however, is not within your caliber. 

It is the《Somn》spell. A very complex spell, one that can be bent or shaped to fit whatever the caster’s desire. But generally, it is used to dive deep into the dark unknown of our subconscious that covers the majority of our mind, abs-logos. You might venture into a forgotten memory of your past, the good or the bad. Or perhaps… you will face the other side you’ll wish didn’t exist. Fear. Twisted impulsion. Malice. These are human traits, and as much as we try to deny them, they exist and we must face them. For only by accepting them, we can conquer ourselves, and therefore metamorphose as the true Wits magician.

Usually, the caster of the spell will be able to take a peek at the receiver’s subconscious, however, for this one, I’ll deliberately prevent it to do so. So you can experience the wonders of the spell without worrying over me prying on your secrets. I can demonstrate the spell now to give you a glimpse of it, that is… with your consent of course.

---

 

Wow, I can’t believe she’s going to demonstrate the infamous《Somn》spell. But isn’t this an Advanced magic spell? I’ve only reached intermediate mastery and I’m somehow being encouraged to take two steps ahead. Is this because I’m one of the very few students in her class that is progressing very rapidly?

The subconscious huh…

Now that I think about it. I rarely delve into that part of my brain for a good reason. I always try to keep myself occupied with something. Being alone with nothing to do is such a foreign concept for me. And that spell is well known to be able to explore the other side of human nature…

I should still do it anyway, all for the sake of mastering the art of Wits magic much quicker.

 

---

I consent.

---

 

Without an usher of words from her, I somehow become very sleepy. Sinking into a deep ocean…

 

…..

 

As soon as I’m conscious and able to create coherent thoughts on my current situation, dark rocky caves surround me and only weakly lighted. Its humid, damp air added with its strong musty smell and a tinge of rotting meat makes me wonder how real this dream is. All of my senses seemingly fully wired to the environment. I can even feel the slight uneven rocks beneath my feet.

Wait a minute… Isn’t this that very same cave?

「 It branches to two, Renald. Do you want to split or move up together? 」

I look towards where the voice comes from behind me. Turns out, Elras is talking with the… “other” me, both equipped with adventurer’s gear. Man, that… blue hair still feels pretty weird and awkward. You would think after several years I’ll get used to it.

Looks like I’m visiting a memory of mine where Elras and I went to investigate kobolds’ activity and eliminate them if possible and deemed necessary as an adventurer’s quest. And from the way they don’t notice me as I wave my hands in front of their faces and dance around like an idiot to gain their attention, I’m guessing I don’t exist, a ghost.

It feels quite awkward seeing myself from another perspective. I should probably experience this as if I was watching myself on a recorded video, but this time I can wander around with my own physical body to gain a different view or perspective.

「 Let’s split up, I’ll go to the smaller branch on the left, 」the other me says.

「 Alright, it should be quite easy, at least compared to those damn elves. We already encountered the majority of them anyway. Just remember to retreat back if you think it’s too hard. 」

「 Understood, be careful Elras. 」

They split up as they move towards their designated branch. Hmm… What if I follow Elras along?

I tag along behind Elras as he goes to the right branch. As soon as I got several meters away from the other me, however, a migraine struck like a bolt of lightning. Like a cage of pain, the more I’m away from the other me the more the agonizing pain intensifies. I must go back to the other me again on the left branch where the headache finally subsides.

So that’s it I guess? I can’t get away from the past me? That seems quite reasonable when I think about it. The brain doesn’t have any information regarding the things I haven’t experienced therefore it becomes confused and stressed out, releasing pain in return. At least that’s what I assumed, I would need to ask Instructor Smush for confirmation.

And so I follow along with the past me as we… or I encountered kobolds along the way. It was a grind for sure, killing all of these kobolds as I traverse deeper to the cave. I think it was around ten to twenty kobolds in total just by my own.

Oh yikes, that kobold struck its dagger to the side of my other’s stomach. I winch as I remember how the pain was a fucking bitch and still remains slightly to this day.

Oh yeah, there was that pesky kobold trying to hide in the cave blind spot, but thanks to《Biante》Wits a magic spell that increases my awareness and passively detects lifeforms in a short radius, its sneak attack attempt failed before it even started.

As I followed along with the old me as he encountered more kobolds, slowly but surely I realize this wasn’t just a normal memory… It is the start of an event I am remorseful and very ashamed of.

Oh god, oh fuck, it’s that cave room. No, don’t go there Ryo or Renald or whatever! Just don’t go there!

I try to push the other me away, but I always go through him as if I were a ghost. Ahh fuck, no matter what I did the other me is just going there. I can’t fucking stop it. He’s going to the room. Aah fuck do I really have to follow him. Dammit, that painful migraine fucking struck again. I got to follow him, aren’t I?

There they are, numerous babies and young kobolds. They are clearly underdeveloped, less than half of the already small-sized adult kobold. There’s no weapon in sight, clearly indicating they are very innocent and defenseless. I forgot what emotion I felt when I first discovered them, but one thing comes to mind.

“I need more shadow minions”

That single thought becomes the devastating start of the immoral slaughter.

Their unintelligible screams and dying whimpers, begging to be spared, are all for naught.

Their small bodies spasm, underdeveloped legs kicking in the air, tiny hands clutching to the big sword boring a hole in their stomach, pushing it away in a futile effort.

Again and again and again…

Until I’m the only one who’s still breathing. And the once chaotic cry is replaced with silence, their lives are all speck of dust, worthless, and disappear just as easily.

Their bodies are all laying flat, a deep hole on each of their stomachs, seeping out blood, digestive juices, and even its intestines can be seen dangling out.

The sword’s once shiny polish is now replaced with the glistening blood, dripping to the already dyed red ground, oozing out the immoral act.

If I remember correctly, at this point that child should be… Ah fuck, that one is still alive and is trying to escape, dragging its body on the ground, leaving a trail of blood. It didn’t move too far since it was moving slowly.

And as expected I just walk towards it with my bloodied sword. I mean it’s not going anywhere with its slow pace but still. The sword strikes his back. Ugh… That same haunting dying scream, causing shivers down my spine.

Out of my expectations, the other me turns back, facing directly at me. I remember back then how disgusted I was with what I’ve just done. It turned into one of the worst days ever, as their seconds before death is always replayed in my head over and over again. I have to keep telling myself that they are just monsters. Forcing myself, justifying myself to accept the idea that their death is for the greater good and how it is necessary to kill them for peace and the prosperity of humanity.

I can clearly remember how sour and griefed I was at this exact moment.

So why is he — the once I — devilishly smiling at me?

 

 

W̶͉̍̃e̵͇̖̅ ̴̞̘̀̚â̵̜̼͌r̵̫͆͋e̷̼͌́ ̶̺̙͠á̸̞͝ĺ̷̛̙̘w̸͇͑á̸͚͜y̶͍͚̑͆s̴̨̎ ̶̨̱̚a̷̧͐͒ļ̶̝̇o̸̥͑̓n̷̖͝é̵̫̕.̶̛̠̈́.̶͕̐̍.̸̗͎̾ ̵̳̆

̶̦̟̽D̵̝̪̐̓ạ̶̉m̸͕̰̉͊ṅ̷̫̻͝e̴͔͂d̷͙̦̎ ̶̰͇͌t̵̹̱͂͐o̶̮͐͌ ̶̪̈́e̴͙̋ͅẗ̸͉͚́ē̷̹̬r̵͉̖̕͝n̸͔̗͌ȃ̴̩̰l̴͖͍̐ ̴̫̮̋͗l̷̟͊͐ò̸̡̘́ņ̵̼̎e̸͎͠l̵̩̈́̕i̶̭͖̐͒n̵̘͛è̵̟s̸̨̳̀s̷̩͎̔.̴̱̞̀͗

̶͎̓̀P̵̗̓̓o̶̳͂w̷̺̳̒͘e̶̘͎͘r̶͚̫̆̾.̵̮͌̚ͅ.̶̰̊.̸̗̙̊͒ ̷̮͒͝Ô̴̿͜h̷̘͉̽,̶͍̆ ̷̨͍̆̓h̴̡̝̍o̸̳̽̃w̸̫͋ ̵̱͎̾͝w̶̠͓͛̓ẽ̷̥͂ ̷̟̦͊y̶̙̹̎̃e̸̕ͅả̴̦́r̴͉͆͘n̸͉̙̐͌ ̵̟̜̓f̵̝̕ö̵̢́͑r̶̻͒̕ ̴̓ͅi̵̼͆̇t̸̢̞͛͆.̵͍̻̒̊

̶̱̮͑Ö̵̪̚ǘ̸̯r̵̝̈̃ ̴̬̬͐ọ̷̻͒n̶͎̬͂l̸̰̲͌ẏ̷̩̲͘ ̶̠͝s̶̨̓ͅả̴͓̄l̷̨̆v̵̜̩̾a̴̟͂̍t̷̖͖͆i̶̩̘̎o̶̮͊́n̸̯̔̽.̸̩͔̊̆

̴̞̠̈͑

̵̼͉̃̎D̶̪͒͝o̶͕̱̕ṇ̶̡̓̀’̷͖̥͛t̷̞͚̐ ̷̙͆̔͜y̷̭̓o̸̻̮̓̔u̶̮͋ ̶̺͚͐ṭ̸̣͐h̴͓̩̀͐i̵̗̭̽̊ǹ̴̠̕k̶̝͎͌ ̶̫̊̎s̶̤͓̈o̸͖̓ ̵̡͋t̴͙̤͛̎o̸̡̍o̵͈͆ͅ,̶̜̖̈́ ̸̗̽̔R̸̙͝ý̶͈o̷͍͕̍?̸͙̎͋ ̸̢̫͋

 

 

 

---

I feel a great disturbance in your mind, Alderhide-san.

---

 

Her voice from within my mind unknowingly pulls me back to the surface.

It was a small period of darkness before now I’m back in the room with Professor Smush again. I could feel my heartbeat… every single pound in my chest. This pressure urges something… Something horrible. Each beat, pulse, thumping seemingly trying to urge me, reminds me of the other me.

She seems to keep herself and remain calm but the more apparent wrinkles on her forehead indicate she’s heavily worried about me.

 

---

Are you alright?

---

 

Not wanting to make her worry too much, I immediately nod to her.

 

---

We should end the session a little earlier than normal. You need to take a rest now. I’m very sorry for making you experience a bad memory. If you need any kind of help from this event please don’t be shy and let me know.

---

 

「 Thank you, Instructor Smush. I will take my leave now. 」

I immediately leave the petrifying room, trying my hardest to appear calm and to not bother her while the tsunami-like beating from my heart is still ongoing. A worried smile plastered on her face as I closed the door. Damn, I made her worried huh. I should be able to stop this fucking annoying beating soon enough.

I go outside the building, smelling the fresh air to calm myself down, but the thumping is still present. It didn’t work; why won’t it stop.

Damned to eternal loneliness…

Domination and Submission. Numerous people refer to it as something viciously evil, something uncivilized for us humans who have evolved from our betters, deeming it unfit in our new, just world. Yet, like the animals we evolved from, we always check the status quo, comparing one another, seeking who’s fit to rule or to be ruled, see who’s better, powerful, wealthier — superior amongst ourselves.

It’s ingrained in our social nature and daily interactions in plain sight. Managers with their staff, Politicians with their citizens, teachers with their students, and even in the almost equal relationship between a man and a woman. No matter how hard society tries to deny its existence or create a utopian system to prevent our reptilian thinking to manifest its way to societies working, it will always stay with us.

Even more indisputable in this new world with the advent of slavery. Yes. The very same slavery reviled in my previous modern world. It always has been a fussy topic. Denying its existence when centuries ago it was common and even considered as “good” for society. But then again who actually wants to be owned as property and submit to a person?

It is the undeniable truth however, that slavery is the pinnacle of domination and submission we humans can get. The master dominates his or her slaves and the slaves submit to his or her masters to the fullest extent.

Although I must agree it is a very immoral and bad practice, I don’t have time going on about the morality issues or ramifications of it when I first discover its practice in this world. So I ignore it, stored at the back of my mind to never see the light again. It was only until that slave girl came that the notion or concept came to the surface.

That shortly lived existence of hers that makes it through my life puts a rather unimaginable amount of fuel on the once extinguished ideals of mine I hold dearly, on the first day I stumbled upon this world, reborn from my previous treacherous life.

It reminded me of my twisted desires.

I want absolute, unwavering devotion. I want certainty. I don’t want to be betrayed or abandoned. I want complete exclusivity of body, mind, and heart.

But that doesn’t exist. My previous life showed that.

Her slight appearance, however, gave me a revelation — a hope — at the once foolish fantasy.

Her features are cute, but boring I dare say; just another typical person in the vast seas of humans with no major-breaking beauty that distinguishes her from others. But not for me. For her devotion and loyalty towards her master are the personification of my dark desires. Her outer appearance might be seen as a lackluster stone, common in the midst of gravel road, but her inside is where her true beauty is at, diamond resides in her core, radiating its magnificent charm.

It made me question the true cause of the sudden strike of the blade that ended her life. Was it to respect her dying wish? Or…  for something far more sinister? Spitting over myself for never experiencing that kind of undying affection one can have from a faithful person. It makes me wonder what if I-

「 RENALD ALDERHIDE! 」

Loud shout brimming with sheer authority echoes throughout the lecture room. The echoes vibrate following multiple eyes peering over to me, their expression disrelish. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?

I sluggishly stand up from my once relaxful seating position. Preparing for the stern lecture.

「 Yes, Professor Meyer? 」

「 Explain to me when the Verum Shihi Era and what is it! 」

「 Uhh… I think… It happened before the start of the Tenebris Shihi Era which starts around…  around two hundred thousand years ago by the historian, Cadres Redd, while the dragonkin historian, Kazler, refuses his claim and deduces it, in fact, happened a million years ago or even more. The Verum Shihi Era is a… is an era where mana is plentiful, surrounding the atmosphere. Gigantic races, ancestors to some races such as dragonkin, Rengda, and many more reign supreme at its time. It was due to multiple huge meteors crashing into the world that led to their demise and the start of the Tenebris Shihi Era. 」

「 Hmph, 」a condescending sneer making its way on the professor’s face,「 That answer is correct but that doesn’t justify your overwhelmingly slacking manner in my class. Don’t do that next time. You may sit down. 」

By the time I’m done with putting up the nerve-wracking show, Professor Mayer continues his profound lecture in ancient history. Pointer sticks in his hand, guiding the students as he teaches us the myriad of ancient beasts and dragons drawn on the board.

In the end, all of it is just that. Fantasy. With no true resemblance in reality. I’m not so sure what exactly causes the undying affection the slave girl can have, but It will do me better to be in the present moment right now, focusing on the [History & Politics] class.

So far the history that has been presented in the class doesn’t give me much resemblance to the characteristics of the purple room in that mystical sky palace. There’s no mention whatsoever about the uncanny decagram star magic rune surrounded by the equally strange four hooded angel statues in each corner, nor the alter table. None. I wonder why? There surely must be some historical significance of that room. Am I on the wrong track or just being impatient, too desperate in trying to find the usage or the purpose of that room?

Perhaps I should figure out what kind of era the room perhaps comes from, in order to narrow down my research?

Verum Shihi Era — where true dragons with massive wings, thick scales, and other numerous gigantic races reign supreme. Their superiority stems from their heavy reliance on mana both for simply living and powerful magic that is abundant in the air.

Humans, however, were not so lucky.

The world is an unforgiving, ruthless place for humans at that time. Defeated both in magical prowess and physical endurance, they were left gathering the scraps leftover from the mighty races. Humanity lived the majority of their lives in underground caves or rivers, hiding from the vicious world, unforgiving to the weak.

It is this era where I highly assume the purple room originates from. Humans lived in constant fear and desperate for resources, so it would be very reasonable for them to do all sorts of means to survive in that brutal era. like a blessing or even summoning ritual which I predict to be the room’s purpose.

Tenebris Shihi Era — Not much is known about this era, but the majority of historians agree that multiple meteors crashed to earth starts the mark of this era, changing the world forever. A calamity.

Chaos descents as meteors bend the earth’s shape, its mark can be seen in several places to this day. It also changes the status quo for all living beings.

It disrupts mana. The once bountiful mana around the atmosphere becomes volatile, and slowly but surely depletes.

It causes major unrest for most of the world’s inhabitants. To them, mana is their second oxygen. They are completely dependent on it in order to simply live by. As the mana in the air decreases, their kind dies off — races went extinct.

Human’s small, fragile body, independent from mana in order to live, ironically, becomes the ultimate saving grace that allows us to be untouched and unaffected by the world’s worst phenomena. It’s also the start of humanity crawling their way through to the surface.

Once the humans become more apparent than ever before, and how they seem to be completely fine in a turmoil-filled world. Dragons and other gigantic races start to race their way through in adopting a human form — one without the need of mana to live by. It was their only way to survive.

It was due to this massive trend that results in hybrid races such as dragonkin, and Rengda — former races from their once supreme ancestors.

Minimus Shihi Era — today’s era where we currently live. The current year is 1547 MSE, signifying the number of years after the Tenebris Shihi Era is over. Mana stabilizes and reduces to almost nothingness in the space.

The rise and spread of humanity become more obvious in this era. The once weak and unseen humans become much more prosperous with the absence of gigantic races, replaced with their humanoid descendants. From the underground we came to the vast surface we made claim.

Now, humans are almost in every corner of the world and the majority of its inhabitants.

A bell ring echoes, silencing Professor Mayer’s lecture, marking the start of the monotone buzz of several-ten voices hummed like an orchestra run by fellow students.

「 I didn’t know you would slack off in this class, Renald. You always seem to be the very definition of a diligent and uphold student. Looks like even people like you can fall asleep once in a while in his boring lecture. 」

A friendly smile appears as Elras said that, even when as far as patting my shoulder. Too friendly for my taste. After the《Kualitatem》outlaws encounter three weeks ago he acts differently. Less strict on his request for doing his assignments in this class, all the way to prioritizing his time with me over his friends. His rarely seen eagerness in inviting me to join his next adventurer’s quest for tomorrow is to mildly put it, quite unbearable.

It raises so many questions. The aftermath and how it happened are kept secret thanks to Elras. I bullshit my way through by heavily injuring myself and saying some nonsense excuses. Even he didn’t ask much about how the outlaw was able to be eliminated just by me alone.

I can only assume he’s interested in whatever happened in my encounter; perhaps he knows there’s something fishy and how I might have a hidden ability that helped me. But that’s fine by me since he’s not making much of a ruckus about it.

「 I’m going to meet with Professor Mayer after this class. How about you, Elras and Aaron? 」I ask.

「 I still have《School of Assault Magic》class for today, 」Elras sighs.

「 Thankfully I’m done with university for the day. I’m going to head out to the Saint Goxara Cathedral and the nearby orphanage. Obligatory duties as always, 」Aaron says.

We went our separate ways after class. The nostalgic smell of old books hits me as soon as I’m inside Professor Meyer’s quarter. It’s been a while. He’s sitting at his desk, on each side are bookcases filled with all sorts of books.

「 Ah, if it isn’t one of my favorite students. But also the one who daringly betrays me by sleeping right in my very class, 」Professor Meyer says coldly.

「 Hello Professor Meyer, 」I reply briskly,「 I apologize for my carelessness. Recovering from my heavy injuries hasn’t been kind to my energy. 」

「 That’s reasonable, 」He gestures to the seat in front of his desk,「 Please take a seat, I have a feeling you are not here just to apologize. 」

I sit down, making note of his dragonkin’s iconic characteristic of the two tall black horns with zaggy curves near the tip.

「 I was quite curious. From what you’ve taught us minutes before, are you by chance the descendent of the Mervyn dragon race? 」

「 Wow, for a student who slept in my class, you were still able to pay attention, 」He says, excitement flashed in his eyes,「 For your answer, yes, my bloodline can be traced back to my revered ancestor, Mervyn. It’s very rare for humans to tell apart dragonkin races. How come you notice this rather small detail? 」

「 Well, I always have a curious outlook on what happened back in the past. It just made me look more attentively at the finer details of history. I was able to connect the dots when you went over some ancient dragon races in the class. 」

「 I wish all humans had the same thinking as you do, heavily passionate about the past wonders, 」He mutters,「 It would make my academy professing career… much more enjoyable. 」

Well, of course, I’m not the first or going to be the last one to fall asleep in his class.

「 Do you remember my question about the decagram star magic rune surrounded by four hooded angels? Do you have any clues or leads about it? 」

「 Oh, that one. I’ve already looked into some of my records, and I’m sorry to say this but I just cannot find anything that mentions what you’re looking for. 」

Welp, There goes my hope and dreams in figuring that purple room from the ancient history perspective.

「 I’m not sure whether this will help you with your research, 」He continues,「 I’m building an excavation team, and around the next vacation period, there will be an archaeological expedition. A good friend of mine found what seems to be the ancient site of an unknown dragon race on the other side of Ivrett mountain range. We will be the first to ever go inside the site. Because of this, It will be dangerous for sure, but I would love it if you could join my excavation team. Maybe you could find some insights or clues on your research from it. 」

「 That is quite an interesting offer… 」I say, recovering from my past disappointment,  「 But I would need more details about the operation before I could make a decision. How are you arranging the logistics? 」

「 We will rent a ship and it should take around two days from the Hasten port to go there. The living expenditures during the journey will be taken care of by us. As you may know, an expedition is quite pricey, so an upfront fee of a gold coin would be needed. In return, if you found any treasure that us dragonkin deemed doesn’t hold any historical value, they will be yours to do as you please. 」

「 I’m not so sure Professor Meyer. a gold coin is a huge sum of money for an expedition that might result in nothing. 」

「 I agree. The only small assurance I can give is that I’m not getting any profit from any of this. All of the money will only be used to pay for the expedition cost. 」

「 As I said, it’s an interesting offer. However, I would need some time to make a decision. 」

「 Oh, feel free to take your time, 」He says, quite disappointed,「 My offer will always be on the table before the semester ends. Two months from now. 」

「 Okay, thank you for the offer, Professor Meyer. I came over wanting to know the result of my request. Even though there’s no result, I’m still very thankful for sparing your time and effort into looking at it. I have《School of Wits Magic》class after this, so I must go now. 」

「 No problem, my title as a  [History & Politics] professor is not just for show. I look forward to hearing back on your decision. 」

I leave him behind as I ponder whether to join his expedition. It will be interesting I bet.

Regarding the research for the purple room, the ancient history might not be the one. I have to probe about it in relation to the Maria religion from Aaron. When should I ask for his help?  I’m going to be quite busy today with my《School of Wits Magic》class that thankfully is going very well, even instructor Cathryn Smush was impressed with my progress. So today is out of the question.

Maybe tomorrow? Oh yeah, there’s the adventurer’s quest…