UNGODLY HOLY MAN
"Oh, Grandpa ... My head hurts so much ..."
Ryan opened his eyes, instinctively lifting his upper body. With one hand on his face, it took him a while to actually regain his senses.
"This is ... soft ..." He felt the surface of the place where he was.
A bed. Upon opening his eyes, Ryan noticed a very comfortable place, with a huge, comfy bed, and a large room in general. He also noticed that he no longer had his old clothes, and that they were hanging on a clothes rack in a corner of the wall there.
"Huh ... Where am I ...?"
A little dizzy, he got up completely from the bed, wearing something that looks like a blue tunic. His body felt heavy, incapable of very elaborate movements.
"And this mental exhaustion ... I must have lost a lot of Mana yesterday ..." He said, just to himself.
Ryan tried to remember what had happened last night, but without much success in finding anything.
"I remember getting into the carriage and ... Nothing more ... From that point on, I have no other memory ... I must have passed out or something. It is the only possibility. "
He used more Mana than he had the luxury of doing, and it hit him at a rather late moment.
"Anyway, I need to find out more about this place ..."
Ryan opened the large carved wooden door to the room. A faint sound ran down the immense corridor beyond. Several different doors were made in place, all with the same design.
"Where should everyone be? Is there anyone here who can explain something to me? "
Ryan started walking for a certain period of time. The corridor didn't seem to end, and a strange feeling was already catching the attention of the dark-skinned boy with eyes like amethysts.
"The pictures are repeated periodically ..."
No matter how much he walked, Ryan never made it to the end of the corridor, and after a few laps, he noticed a strange pattern, the fact that the paintings always repeat themselves in a definite order.
Not to mention...
Ryan looked at a specific door. A strange sensation was felt emanating from the object ...
"Magic...? There is Magic on that door ... Why is it? " He wondered, staring at the object.
He can naturally feel manifestations of Magic. The door emanated constant and regular "radio waves", which the boy is able to detect. That invisible "magic field" indicates that the object is imbued with Mana.
He put his hand on the doorknob, opening it, to reveal something that made his entire heart leap in pure surprise ...
"My goodness ... How many books ..." He sighed, under his own breath.
... ... ...
"Exactly, I suppose. You just broke into Betty's Forbidden Archive, in fact. "
A voice caught Ryan's eye. Looking in the direction of the corridor that cut through that immense library, he noticed a peculiar figure, holding a thick book with a black cover, seated on a kind of chair.
Realizing that he had just invaded the place where she was, Ryan tried to apologize.
"Oh ...! I am really sorry! I didn't know that this place was the library you go to ...! Forgive me, I will leave right now! "
But when Ryan tried to turn to leave, the door was locked, refusing to open, regardless of his efforts.
"It is useless, in fact. You won't be leaving here right now, I suppose. First of all, Betty must attest to one thing. "
The little girl with cream-colored hair, in the style of drills that fell on her shoulders, descended from her seat, dragging her pompous red dress around the place, until she approached Ryan.
"Are you scared, I wonder?" She looked up, staring seriously at the boy's face, who was sweating bullets.
"Ninth commandment of the Isekai ... 'The Loli girl is never what she seems to be ...!'" Ryan thought to himself.
He had somewhat unpleasant experiences with girls who share the body type of the one in front of him, and he can attest with certainty: Lolis are not to be trusted. Never believe in a pretty face and a child's physical construction.
"Please ... Whatever you are going to do ... Try to do it gently ..." Ryan breathed in deeper and deeper, noticing the girl raising her right palm.
"Very well. Betty will make this as painless as possible, in fact. You are minimally polite, I suppose. "
Without further ado, the girl called 'Betty' placed her hand on Ryan, and ...
" What the hell was that ...?!" Ryan screamed, clutching his stomach tightly, falling as he cried tears of pure pain on the floor of the Forbidden File. "Should this be painless?!" He ended with a complaint.
... ... ...
"You ..." Betty said, in a rather low tone.
She looked at her hand. Betty's entire body glowed with a strange white light, as if she were radiating it.
Beatrice didn't know, but in that moment, her body had been filled with Ryan's Divine Power . The effects of this are not usually bad ... At least, not in most cases. The girl-like spirit now felt something she never lived, an immense boost in energy levels.
She thought faster, her movements were lighter ... And she felt happy, even if only a mere second. It was as if pure life force was poured out on her Od ... like a drug.
For a mere lapse of time, she remembered everything ... everything.
... ... ...
That place, the cookies, the tea, the trees, the water ... All the happy moments she lived in that Sanctuary ...
Roswaal ... Ryuzu ... Ryuzu ... Roswaal ...
Mother mother mother...
Roswaal. Ryuzu. Mother...
Mother.
Mother.
Mother.
Mother...
... ... ...
Beatrice felt alive for a few seconds.
"What did you do with Betty, I wonder ...?" She asked, admiring the glow that gradually faded.
With a lot of effort, Ryan lifted his face, stained with tears, and provided a smile from the corner of his mouth.
"I didn't do anything ... You did it ..." He replied.
"You ... Who ... What are you, I ask ...? There is no such thing as a mere human ... "
"I'm not human ..." Ryan interrupts her, before finally moving from that level of consciousness to another. "And considering what you just said ... I assume you are not, too ... Isn't that right, spirit girl ...?"
Beatrice's butterfly-patterned blue eyes widened immensely. It is not just anybody who is able to say, right off the bat, that she is not just a mere human girl.
"Damn it, I'm going to pass out again ..."
Ryan's vision grew darker and darker, until his senses completely faded ...
"You ... Could you be ... They ...?"
"Oh Grandpa, my head- Wait ... I already said that. Yes. That is not worth it. I need to think of some better phrases ... "
Ryan once again stood up. The weight on his body only seemed greater. For a moment, he imagined that the Betty girl had killed him, and that his "Save Point" had been sent for that moment of the day.
... But, soon something proved that his thinking was wrong ...
"Sister, sister, it looks like our strange guest has woken up."
"Rem, Rem, it looks like our dejected guest is waking up."
A pair of almost identical voices resounded throughout the space. Ryan looked to his left, noticing a pair of people of immense physical resemblance.
"Oh ... Good morning ...! My name is Ryan. Ryan Savoia. Uh ... Well ... "Ryan looked at the pink-haired maid, vaguely remembering that he had interacted with her very briefly.
After a few thousandths of thought, he came to the conclusion he wanted.
"Ah, you must be Ram, right? My memories are a little ... Foggy, I would say, but I remember you. Good morning ... "He then turns to the other. "But you..."
The young girl was almost identical to Ram, except that her hair was blue, as well as her eyes. The position of the side bangs on her head was reversed from that of Ram, as if the two were mirror images that were recolored to be different.
But, there was still another detail ... One that Ryan would not have the courage to point out so clearly ...
Immediately, and much to the boy's surprise, the two hugged each other, looking at him in a similar way to the observation of a lion by a gazelle.
"Rem, Rem, our perverted guest is humiliating you in the depths of his dirty mind."
"Sister, Sister, our lustful guest is holding you prisoner in the ravines of his sick psyche."
Ryan just took a slightly deeper breath when he saw that ...
"So much for looking briefly at their breasts ... I think I deserved this one."
"Why does Isekais are required to have these types of elements ...?" Ryan asked only himself, looking at the floor.
"Ryan? Are you awake yet? The room is so quiet that I thought you were still asleep ... "
A different but well-known voice permeated the door. Quickly, that person opened the door, revealing her presence to the trio inside the room.
"Hello, Ryan! You are already awake! Great!"
It was Emilia. She wore a kind of pink pajamas in a light shade, which did not cover much beyond what should be absolutely covered at all. Ryan was too tired to be able to react to the robes in any way, however.
But, one thing he managed to realize. Emilia looked really happy.
It was not a common fatigue. Ryan no longer felt any sleep or physical exhaustion. The extraction of his Divine Power caused him immense mental and emotional fatigue, which would take a few hours to completely disappear.
Shaking his head sideways, Ryan tried to fight his mental fatigue with his own determination. It usually works, although only as long as he is maintaining that will on a conscious level. Fixing his face, he took in a lot of air, and looked at Emilia.
"Good morning, Emilia." He waved slightly at her.
Immediately Ram and the other maid intervened in the conversation ...
"Miss Emilia ... This man has made us prisoners of his desires in his mind ..." The second maid spoke, hugging Ram.
"Miss Emilia, Mr. Anry gagged us and tied us up in a dungeon in his mind ... "Ram contributed the speech of the first.
"This is going to be difficult ... This is going to be veeery difficult ..." Ryan thought, closing his eyes and taking in more air.
Emilia approached the two, looking at Ram and the blue-haired maid comprehensively.
"And you two, please don't tease him to much, will you?" She requested, with a smile.
"Yes, Miss Emilia. Rem is deeply sorry. " Ram said, for the first time revealing the second maid's name.
"Yes, Miss Emilia. My sister feels extremely bad about it. " Replied the maid named Rem, also bowing her head to Emilia.
" Mmhm! Very good! Now ... "Emilia sat on the bed, staring at Ryan with the sweetest smile he has ever seen a girl supply.
Had he not been flying so much on a mental level, Ryan would certainly have been at least a little embarrassed after receiving that smile.
"How do you feel? Any pain? Everything is fine?" She asked, gently grabbing the boy's large, long-fingered hand.
The contrast of colors and sizes was something Emilia had never seen before. Her hand, small, gentle and feminine, with skin almost the color of snow, coming into contact with the firm, wide, strong and gentle that belonged to Ryan, his dark fingers wrapping and being wrapped around hers.
"No ... I feel good, I think ... Just mentally tired, after that girl from the Forbidden Archive extracted some of my strength ... I entered the place by accident, and it happened ... But that must pass in a few hours, so that's okay. "
Hearing that, the eyes of the three widened. Even Ram and Rem tried to figure out what kind of person could just meet Beatrice by accident.
"Did you manage to find Beatrice's Secret Archive?! This is very rare, especially by accident! " Emilia announced it, which caused some surprise in Ryan.
"Uh ... I didn't do anything I shouldn't have, right ...?" He asked, thinking he had broken some great rule of the place.
"Your very existence is something that shouldn't happen, sir." Rem announced in a loud enough voice for Ryan to hear.
"Your appearance is a mistake in its own right, Mr. Anry." And so did Ram.
Emilia, not knowing what to say, just smiled a little crookedly at Ryan, with a droplet of comical sweat falling on her forehead.
"I just found out that this world is in 'Merciless' mode in terms of difficulty ..." Ryan said to himself, in thought.
"E-eh ... Anyway, what do you think about getting up and having some fresh air, Ryan? The day is wonderful for that! " Emilia soon tried to intertwine her fingers with the boy's more tightly.
She didn't just want to talk. The silver-haired half-elf had, above all, a great number of doubts. That strange boy hadn't explained anything to her the night before - he didn't have time for that.
And above all, she wanted to know ...
"Why would he help someone like me ...?" Emilia wondered to herself.
"Come on, Ryan!" Emilia literally pulled him out of the room.
" Oh ... Hey ...!" He tried to struggle, to no avail.
... ... ...
The two left the room. With that, Ram and Rem undo their clinging hug. The exterior may look normal, but deep down, the blue-haired maid thinks about one thing ...
"That smell ...!"
The two made their first steps outside the place of enormous proportions. All the way, Ryan was being dragged by Emilia. He was unable to fight back in his current state, and Emilia herself is quite strong.
"Perhaps this force is of genetic origin?" Ryan wondered, since he himself has countless superhuman characteristics thanks to his ancestry.
When they finally arrived in a kind of garden with a fountain that appears to be made of quartz, Emilia left Ryan's hand, positioning herself in front of him. The boy, still confused by that set of actions, could only take himself to ask.
"Emilia ... Why did you bring me here?" Ryan asked, looking everywhere, analyzing the rather pleasant outside environment.
"Ryan, I want to ask you a very serious question ..." Emilia looked deeply into his eyes. "Why...? Why did you help me ...? "
Not understanding the question, Ryan tilted his head slightly to the side, asking.
"How so? What do you mean by that question? "
Emilia looked at the floor, hands behind her, like a child who stole a candy bar at the market and that is now being punished by her parents. She took a little courage, before asking with a little more clarity.
"Why did you help me? You don't know me ... You have no involvement with me ...! And yet you came and stopped that woman from killing us ... Why did you do all that, Ryan ...? Why did you help someone like me? " Emilia asked, holding the green crystal where Puck lived with some firmness.
Ryan took a small breath, closed his eyes, and blew out a breath, before smiling serenely at Emilia.
"I did it because it was right. What other reason do I need? I knew that something very bad was going to happen there. I would never settle for letting you die. Simply this."
Emilia was stunned by the simple answer.
"So he helped me out of kindness ... He must not know that I am a half-elf ... That must be it." Emilia tried, with all her strength, to rationalize Ryan's argument, just so she wouldn't have to accept that he might, perhaps, have helped her even though he knew about her heritage.
Emilia spent so much time thinking about it that she didn't even notice Ryan's movement until she felt his long-fingered hand gently touching her left shoulder. He looked ahead, towards the immensity of green and blue that ran endlessly.
"It's over. We're all fine now. Not to mention that it's not like I did it for nothing ... In the end I ended up here, and I'm being helped by you! " He replied, giving another faint smile.
Admiring the gesture, Emilia could feel her cheeks warm up subtly ...
"... He would even touch someone like me like that ..."
Then, with a glow from the greenish crystal, Puck appeared, stretching out and letting out a huge yawn.
"Ah, what a beautiful morning ...! Good morning, Lia! " The gray cat floated until he saw Ryan. "Oh, and good morning to you too, boy!"
"My name is Ryan." Ryan had to still introduce himself to Puck, who just nodded when he found out the information.
"It's my pleasure, Ryan! Again, my name is Puck, but I suppose you already know that ... "Puck made a point of saying the second half of the statement in a certain way, so that only Ryan could have heard it.
"Huh ... It's that weird sensation again ..." Ryan thought.
A strange "grasp" on the back of the neck, as if a hand were there, squeezing your spine very gently. That's the feeling that Ryan experienced that second. Puck's stare at him caused that reaction.
Puck's eyes widened as soon as he found out what was going on ...
"So he can feel my reading of emotions ...? I don't feel hostility from this boy, but it's still good to keep an open eye on him ... "
Trying to dismiss the talk, Puck quickly changes the subject, turning once more to Emilia, who had only been watching them until then.
"So, Lia? Isn't it a perfect day to be outside? " He said, landing on his contractor's head.
"Yes! And the best of all is to be able to enjoy with you! " She replied, holding the little cat's paws between her fingers.
"These two seem to be very close. This is a good thing. " Ryan watched from a distance.
He decided that he would give the space that Emilia and Puck needed. Ryan is the type of person who hates being a wall in any situation, so he decided he would do something different.
"I can practice my sword strikes ...!" He thought, hitting a closed fist against his open hand.
That seemed like a good idea, until he remembered a very peculiar detail ...
"... But where is my sword? I cannot practice sword without a sword ...! Emilia!"
Ryan was forced to interrupt the moment between contractor and spirit.
"What's up, Ryan? Are you hungry? Breakfast will be ready soon, I just ask you to wait a little! " Emilia replied with a sweet smile.
"It's not like that ... I just wanted to know where my sword is, the one I used to fight Elsa. I would like to get it back as soon as possible. "
"Oh, your sword? I think one of the twins was in possession of it while you were unconscious ... You can ask any of them as soon as you see them! "
"I see ... Thanks anyway."
Ryan was not satisfied with the answer ... First Reinhard, and then one of the maids ... That sword was becoming more and more popular, something that Ryan saw as not good.
"I can't afford to let people know about me, my past ... This world could be my new opportunity to start over."
... ... ...
"Miss Emilia, we are here to let you know that Lord Roswaal has just made his return to the mansion."
The sound of the two twins in unison caught Ryan's attention, who was removed from his train of thoughts. The boy, with a hand on his chin, looked at the two maids, wondering.
"So someone important has just arrived ... I assume that person will want to have a conversation with me ..."
Ryan escorted Emilia into the mansion. There, he changed his clothes, reverting to his modern black and white style. Emilia greeted him visually, even thinking that those clothes look good on the young man.
On the way to the dining room, Ryan met up with that peculiar person again.
"Hello! Uh ... Beatrice, right? " He tried to introduce himself. "My name is Ryan. Ryan Savoia. We couldn't talk much before you made me pass out. "
Beatrice was strangely hidden behind a pillar in the hall. In Ryan's opinion, the impression was the exact one generated by a Stalker. He knew that Beatrice was spying on him from there.
And on hearing his voice, the spirit girl jumped out of her place, revealing herself with harsh manners.
"In fact Betty is Betty's name, in fact ... But, to my greater existence, your identity is nothing of importance, mortal. Now, get out of Betty's way, I suppose. "
And, forcing a heavy and authoritative expression, the little girl left Ryan's presence, leaving him behind.
"Well, at least now I have evolved from 'human' to 'mortal' ...!" Ryan tried to think on the best side of the situation, including laughing a little.
"Aren't you going to follow us, Ryan?" Emilia questioned him, seeing his delay.
"Oh, of course ...!"
Everyone was seated at a huge table with various types of food, from cakes, fruits and some sweets.
Ryan chose a place on the basis of randomness. He didn't make a point of sitting next to anyone in particular.
Emilia chose her place directly in front of him, so the two almost perpetually face each other at the table and exchange smiles, even threatening to exchange a few words.
Beatrice decided to occupy one of the distant ends of the table, playing with Puck, but periodically watching Ryan when he was not paying attention.
The two maids entered the room, and beside them, a questionable-looking man ...
"Who is this guy? A clown?" Ryan asked himself mentally.
"Oh my~, Beatrice! I didn't think you were going to join us for this me~al! " The man spoke. His strange accent and the habit of stretching out certain words caught Ryan's attention completely.
But, it wasn't just that ...
"This guy ... He's dangerous ..."
On a superficial analysis, Ryan could conclude that the "heavyweights" at the table are, in ascending order, Beatrice, Puck and that man. Emilia was not weak, but when compared to the others ...
And for thinking about Emilia ...
"What is it? It's kind of like a lock ... "
... Before he could finish his thoughts, Ryan had his attention called by the man of strange behavior.
"What about you, my boy? Who would you be? " He again stretched several words when he said that.
"... And I would say this is it. I woke up in this mansion and here I am, talking to you. "
Ryan told his past to the man at the table. During the conversation, Ryan discovered that that clown was actually the owner of this mansion, called Roswaal L Mathers.
He lied about a wide aspect of his life. In fact, about 80% of what was said by Ryan was just a big and very well elaborated lie.
The boy explained that he was a traveler from a distant land, that he was looking for a job as an adventurer, and that he found out about the location that Elsa Granhiert would attack through an underground information network. He tried to create as many explanatory aspects as possible to support his story, taking painstaking care not to generate any narrative holes.
Upon hearing that, Roswaal closed his eyes, interlacing the fingers of his hands and smiling broadly.
"Well then, young Ryan ... I can only say that I am forever grateful for what was done for Emilia. It would be a tragedy if a candidate for the throne of Lugunica could not even keep her insignia intact ... "
Upon hearing that, Ryan looked at Emilia with brief confusion.
"Oh, that ...! Ryan, I forgot to tell you, but having that insignia qualifies me to be a candidate for the throne as the 42nd King of Lugunica! "
Emilia expected some kind of great response from Ryan, but all she received was a basic response.
"Oh, I understand. So you lost what qualifies you as Queen ... Honestly, Emilia ... If you can't manage keeping a small insignia, who's to say a Kingdom ... "Ryan answered her.
"That's what I was going to say!" Roswaal joined the conversation again. "You took the words out of my mouth, Ryan."
"Reinhard and Julius informed me about the condition of the Kingdom ... But I did not imagine that you would be a candidate, Emilia. This is quite surprising! "
Emilia, who was still trying to expel her despair at being caught up in her carelessness, forced herself to assume a confident posture once again.
"Y-yes! And I will be the one who will win this election and create a better Kingdom for everyone ...! " She replied, in a childishly determined way.
Roswaal once again made his way through the conversation.
"So I see that you are already aware of the political scenario in Lugunica ... How great! Apparently, I won't have to provide explanations. Anyway, we are all grateful for your help to Miss Emilia, and for that ... I will allow you to choose the reward you want! "
Roswaal raised his voice, directing his sharp, bicolor gaze, in yellow and blue, at Ryan.
"Power, wealth, a noble title ... You can choose what you want! Everything in my reach will be guaranteed! Now, may you choose! "
Ryan closed his eyes for a few seconds, creating a heavy silence about the room ... Little did he know, but the sharp stare of a certain person with blue hair remained on him.
... ... ...
"Cash? Riches? A noble title? Nonsense. I know that with these things I will be bored in a short time ... And a person like me needs entertainment on a high scale, so I think I already know what I'm going to ask for. "
"Not to mention that this whole situation of Real Selection seems to be something fun!"
... ... ...
"I have made up my mind, Lord Roswaal. I am in no way doubting the ability of your employees, but this place seems to need more support in the area of 'care'. "
"So, what do you suggest?"
"I want to work here as a butler until I can save money and find a better job in the capital."
Everyone at the table, even Beatrice, seemed a little moved by what he said.
"Is that just what you want?" Roswaal asked.
"Oh, and of course, I would like to have my sword back, if it's not a problem. I will be training in my post-shift time, to try my luck as a Royal Knight. " Ryan replied.
"Do you want to be a Knight, Ryan? Wow! " Emilia reacted to it in a rather childish way.
Roswaal closed his eyes again, and smiled softly.
"So be it. Rem, could you take back the cherished bla~de of our newest butler? "
The blue-haired maid lowered her head, then left the room.
"Well then, Ryan-kun, I'm looking forward to what the next few days will look like!" Roswaal announced with a smile.
"Likewise, Lord Roswaal ... And, Emilia, I mean, Miss Emilia ..."
"Only Emilia is very good! And yes, what do you want? "
"Can I see your insignia? I cannot deny that I am a little curious about it ... "
"Sure! Here it is."
... ... ...
The moment Ryan touched Emilia's insignia, the expressions of three people in particular became pure astonishment and surprise ...
"Oh, so does it shine when it's touched?" Ryan asked, admiring the powerful red light that emanated from the gem in the center of the stone when he got it in his hands.
Receiving no answer, he looked around, seeing frozen faces, gaping.
"Uh ... did I do something wrong ...?"
"Ryan ..." Emilia started to speak. "The insignia reacted to you ... You are a candidate too ...!"
Without understanding much, Ryan turned his eyes to the gem. In fact, the glow it displayed was much stronger than that generated when Emilia or Felt had her in hand. By now, the whole room was literally ruby-red in color.
"But what...?!"