THE STORY WAS CHANGED TO "M" FOR A COUPLE REASONS...
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THE 6TH DRAGON KING CANDIDATE ?!
"I see, so the insignia shone in his hands ... This is certainly something unusual." A male voice is heard.
"Yes, and it was not a common glow ... The insignia never shone like that when I held it!" A female voice responds.
... Uh ... Why is this happening to me ...? What kind of mess did I just get involved in at that moment?
Why is everyone looking at me as if I were someone who should be feared and revered, and above all...
How did these two get here so quickly ?!
... ... ...
"No, don't even think about running away from this conversation, Ryan! This is important for determining Lugunica's future! You stay here!"
"But, Emilia ...!"
"No 'but'! You will stay here, listen to everything and behave like a good boy! " Emilia responds in a way that shows her childishness.
"Oh damn ..." I am sorry to myself, realizing that I will not be able to leave this room.
Right now, all of us, including Emilia, Roswaal, Julius, Reinhard, Ram and, clearly, me, are in one of the mansion's several meeting rooms.
Ram had served tea to everyone present while we talked about the strange event that had happened not long ago in the dining room during breakfast.
They say that I am a candidate for the throne of Lugunica ... So that was the role of the insignia? Define who has compatibility with the candidacy? Anyway, I feel that my peaceful days are about to end before they have even started...
Why is this happening to me? All I wanted most was to live a peaceful life from now on ... Too bad Isekais don't usually provide that kind of possibility ...
Damn it! I had to fight in a celestial war, save an entire world from being destroyed, die once, be resurrected, and then die again to end the war ...! And then, now that I've finally been able to slow down, does that happen?!
Ah, I just want to cry ...!
I can feel Emilia's soft touch on my shoulder. With my eyes down, closed, I can't see her face, but if I have to judge, I bet there is a calm and understanding smile there.
"I know it's a surprise, Ryan, it was for me too! But this is something very important, so please listen, will you? "
Still desolate, I force myself to look at Emilia, who as I predicted, smiles at me very sweetly. A little less badly at seeing that bright expression, I force myself to look at Julius and Reinhard, who also smile softly.
For the love of my omnipotent grandfather, I really am a magnet for terrible situations ...
Without much to do, I slap my hands against each other.
"So, let me see if I understand ... Am I basically an anomaly in the prophecy of the Dragon Tablet? From what I understand from you, only five candidates, who by the way are all women, must exist, right? And Felt's finding completes that set. "
"Exactly. You are almost completely right by then, Ryan. " Reinhard comments, which generates a curiosity in me.
"'Almost'? What do you mean by that? "
Julius then removes a kind of parchment from his robes. The object was kept in a circular container with the emblem of a red dragon. Without taking too long, he removes the paper itself, unrolling it.
"The fact is, today, almost before we arrived, we were notified that the Tablet has updated its prophecy." Julius speaks.
"The prophecy ... Has it been updated?" Emilia's pointy ears even move out of curiosity.
Julius looks at the scroll, reading some things that are there.
"The prophecy now says: 'Among the five pillars, a sixth will emerge. The sixth pillar of the Kingdom will be a unique individual, who will be greatly distinguished among the five. The sixth candidate will be the one who will bring salvation or destruction to the Dragon Kingdom. '" Julius concludes. "That was the update on the writings of the prophecy. I assume there is no questions to be made. "
"Uh, I have a question!" I raise my hand.
"You can ask, Ryan." Reinhard says.
"Can I choose to abandon this process?"
My question generates a strong reaction in everyone there, even Ram, who widens her only visible eye and makes the tea set she carries shake a little.
"And why would you deci~de to do that, Ryan-kun? Don't you want the possibility of trying to secure Lugunica's thro~ne? " Roswaal, who until then had been mostly silent, allowed himself to enter the conversation.
I shake my head sideways. I think the best thing to do would be to provide an honest answer about all of this.
"I just don't possess the ability to participate in this process. I literally just arrived in the Kingdom ...! I don't know anything about the culture, norms, and the administration, not to mention that I am absolutely sure of the ability of Emilia and the other candidates ... I don't hold a candle compared to them. "
I even get up to impose my points more firmly.
"And, I'm sorry for telling the truth, but ... Governing a kingdom is something I have no desire to do. A throne is not the chair at the kitchen table ... An enormous burden falls on whoever is the leader. Someone like me may end up putting everything you have achieved to lose. My administration would be terrible. "
I bow to Reinhard and Julius, lowering my head, with a hand on my chest.
"So, forgive me for wasting your precious time, coming here to hear such an unsatisfactory answer. But this is the only one I can provide. Thank you for coming, but I'm sorry. "
Without saying another word, I leave the place forcing a serious expression. I know that this action is not a very nice thing, but, given the conditions, I cannot just accept it blindly.
"My reign would bring Lugunica immense problems ... I would only bring disgrace."
NARRATOR POV
Almost silently, Ryan left the conference room, walking aimlessly, sword in hand. Only he knows what he should do now.
But right there, in the other corner of the corridor, watching from a blind spot in the darkness, an eye as blue as the sky stood out ... Blue, but with the bloody brilliance of the memories it carried.
"That smell ...!"
/
The meeting had been abruptly interrupted. Ryan had resigned his place as a candidate in front of everyone. He knew what his reaction would generate in those people, but he did it the same way ...
Julius did not want to believe what he was hearing from the man who led the attack on Elsa Granhiert.
Reinhard felt bad, probably imagining it was his fault. If he wasn't so incompetent in scaring Ryan ...
Roswaal was the only true neutral in the situation, just smiling a little, with no further reaction.
Even Ram had changed, losing the already so little respect for the boy after he chickened out.
But, of all, the worst reaction to digest was Emilia's ... She was almost ... disappointed .
Ryan Savoia had already obtained, in the minds of all those present, the title of "Coward of the Year", escaping from something that didn't even really start.
But no ... It's not as if any of them would understand the reason behind that decision that seemed so selfish, since it could save an entire nation.
Yes, only he knows. Only he needs to know and never forget the things he lived ...
"Guys ... I'm sorry."
They don't need to understand, they don't have to deal with his pains, such unimportant things. Only he needs to continue carrying all this pain, alone.
In that bathroom, the sound of water running from the tap took up all the space. He looked at himself in the mirror, admiring the contrast of his amethysts with the dark skin. His hair moved like a wave, going from right to left.
"In spite of everything, it's still me ..." He thought to himself, analyzing the prominent bones of his cheeks, as well as every other detail that makes his person.
After a deep breath, Ryan came out of the bathroom, and ...
"Ryan-kun, you're late for your first day at work."
Ryan almost jumps back in surprise to see who was there. The blue maid named Rem waited in an almost robotic way for him to leave the room. Her one eye, wide open and fixed, only generated a threatening tone about her figure.
"Oh, about that ... Uhm ... I just needed some time. I can start now. " Ryan announced, forcing a more positive attitude.
Rem's tone did not change. The maid did not leave her rigid and rather cold manners behind for nothing, and Ryan felt more and more threatened by her.
"Rem supposes so, after making your name as a coward in front of the whole mansion and the knights." She made a point of scratching the wound.
Ryan responded with a deep breath, accompanied by a weak smile, which does not even mean fun.
Little did Rem know, but Ryan has vast experience in being yelled at by other people and being unable to answer anything ... And for reasons much worse than that.
"Right. Let's start. By the way, am I also going to get a uniform or something? " Ryan completely ignored Rem's speech, like a fly that receives a flick.
"Yes. Rem feels sorry for the fine fabrics that will conform to your body. " She did not spare him another nasty comment. "Follow Rem. Rem will take you to the mansion's dressing room. "
"It's a very peculiar way of speaking ..." Ryan thought, analyzing the way Rem always talks about herself in third person. The same tendency is observed in her twin sister.
For part of the way, Rem noticed the constant stare of the newest employee, directed at her.
"Is something wrong with Rem's face? Rem can pierce your eyes if that will help. " She said, without any pity or sympathy for the boy's possible demoralized mood.
"Huh ... It's nothing. I was just admiring the shine of your hair, I would say. " Ryan said, masking his true intentions.
... But this proved to be an unsatisfactory answer to the top for Rem, who gave him a sharp, cold stare.
"Keep your perversions inside your own head. It is an order from Rem. " She replied with an even more icy tone.
"Okay, okay. I am really sorry."
However, the fact was different. Ryan was measuring Rem's statistics using his few powers. Even if only in a rough way, he is able to do that. With that, he was able to conclude that Rem has physical attributes far above those of an ordinary human, but that, in the general sense, she cannot be considered absurdly strong.
"Would I be able to defeat her in battle?" He wondered, in thought. Ryan is rather lousy with comparisons, but thought he should be able to resist for a long time in the event of an attack by the maid.
"Your look at Rem is disconcerting and disgusting. Rem will advise you not to do this for one, last time. " She once again caught his eye.
Not knowing what to say, Ryan just turned his face away.
Given a few more meters, they soon reached the given space. After trying out a few sizes, Ryan was able to find something that fit him.
"I think this is perfect." He admired himself in the mirror, seeing how the size was almost perfect in himself.
"Yes. Perfectly ridiculous. " Rem replied, holding up his other pieces of clothing.
"What to do...?" Ryan thought to himself, adjusting his bow tie, not knowing how to react to what Rem said.
By chance, Ram, who was supposed to be walking around, passed by the place just as the two were leaving.
"Ah, it's you, Anry. Your terrible face is an almost unrecognizable mass, after all. " She said, showing no surprise or appreciation for the tall boy's new style. In fact, Ram's always drooping face hasn't changed at all.
Rem closed the door, and addressing her sister, she said.
"Sister, sister, the new butler of the house does not have the ability to control his animalistic impulses. Rem is afraid of being raped at some point. "
For the first time, Ryan found himself in a position to counter these insults, even if he didn't, things would only get worse for his fame.
"This is not true and you know it. Don't go around spreading unreal things. "
Upon hearing this, Ram raised her right eyebrow, showing some emotion, even if minimal, and crossing arms, she said.
" Oh ? At what point did you find the courage you dropped, Anry, the Cowardly Candidate? " She even provided him with a title, in association with the terrible nickname.
"You know you may be offending heavily some Anry around the world, right ...?" Ryan raised the point that there may be someone named Anry, and that Ram may be offending that person, even though she didn't know it.
... For that, she just raised her arms, snorting before laughing wickedly.
"These details don't matter. The important thing is to know who I am addressing my divine insults to. Better to idolize Ram, Anry, since no one will treat you as the mistake you are with as much grace as Ram. Massage Ram's feet at the end of the shift to make up for your horrible existence. "
"Does she want to make me a masochist ...?" Ryan trembled at the thought.
And before he could allow himself to think of a version of Ram dressed in latex and with a whip in hands, the young man tried to burn that thought in formation with sacred fire inside his mind.
"NO ." He thought.
"Anyway, Anry, you are going to accompany me now. Ram will advise you on how things work at the mansion. " She announced. "Rem, please attend to your daily work as usual for now."
"Yes, beloved sister. Rem will work as usual. " The blue-haired one lowered her head.
Rem turned away from them, walking to the end of the corridor. Ryan watched her until she turned right ... Only to be met with another tasteless comment from Ram.
"Take your lustful tendencies away from my sister. Don't you dare touch Rem. "
"You don't have to worry about that, Ram. I will not." Ryan looked at the empty end of the hall.
"... Why does the air seem so much lighter now ...? Why did [Danger Sense] activate? " He wondered, comparing the atmosphere of when he was near and far from Rem.
[Danger Sense] means its name in a literal sense. Ryan often calls them "passives" - the influence of the video games he used to play. It is something like what the people of this world would call a Divine Blessing.
When faced with a situation of hostility, this passive is activated, sending signals of "danger" to Ryan's body, which are usually manifested by a chill in the spine or a slight difficulty in breathing.
And that was exactly what he felt when Rem looked him in the eye ... Ryan's heart leapt, but for a reason far from being passion.
"Strange ... But I need to continue watching for now. Maybe she just doesn't really like me. "
"Anry, hurry up and come with me." Said Ram.
"Oh, of course. I was just thinking about something ... A mere nonsense. "
"As expected of someone like you." The answer came as cold as ever.
/
"I suppose we were a little too rushed with the process ..." Reinhard, who was looking at the grass floor, said.
"Yes ... It's like he said. Ryan is just an outsider, someone completely new to the Kingdom ... I feel that even I could be affected by the immense pressure of knowing that I am a Royal Candidate in a place where I badly just made my home. " Julius replied, placing a hand on his chin.
Emilia and the two Knights were in the mansion's front garden, the last two ready to leave, back to the Capital. With Reinhard's [Divine Blessing of Riding Mastery] , it wouldn't take much more than a few minutes to go all the way.
An enormous weight fell mainly on the two. Mainly, Reinhard thinks that he made a mistake at some point in the whole process, and that he may have scared Ryan by coming so suddenly.
Emilia felt no less bad, after all, she started it all by sending a letter via carrier pigeon to the Capital, announcing Ryan's discovery as a possible candidate. Now, she regretted not having consulted him before.
Even though they were technically rivals in competition, Emilia was happy for him when she discovered this fact. It was a pity that the boy himself did not think the same thing about it.
And the look on his face ... It felt so painful ...
"In any case, I hope that we can return, to approach the situation in a way that does not put so much pressure on him. It was wrong of us to arrive at a time like this. " Julius lowered his face to express his regret.
They had not considered the boy's state of mind. Emilia just felt more bad about herself when she realized that that morning, Ryan said he was mentally exhausted, and that she just ignored it.
"You were not to blame alone. I will try to talk to him about it later. Anyway, we appreciate the visit, but don't you want to stay for a few days? " Asked Emilia.
"Unfortunately, we won't be able to. I have to take care of some matters related to Miss Felt and her candidacy. " Reinhard announced.
"And in my case, I have to accompany Miss Anastasia to a meeting to discuss matters pertinent to our faction in Priestella. We will see each other again only in the Real Selection, Miss Emilia. " Julius was also justified.
Emilia, trying to understand the positions of each Knight, just smiled and also greeted them with respect.
"I understand. So, I wish you a good trip and success with your particular situations! " She said, in a way that would make any marshmallow melt.
"Likewise, Miss Emilia. We wish you all the best and for everyone around you. " Said Reinhard, arranging the placement of his sword in the scabbard.
Julius repeated his gesture of kneeling to kiss Emilia's hand ... Which did not generate a great reaction in the girl, contrary to what anyone would expect.
And so, the two disappeared on the horizon of the dirt road with immense speed, which made Emilia very surprised. A huge curtain of flowing earth followed the path that Reinhard and Julius did, fast as an arrow, riding the Ground Dragon.
"Incredible...!"
... ... ...
Meanwhile, watching from his office window, there was a certain clown.
" Hmmm ... It is not the best result, but it is close to that." He said enigmatically, closing a thick book in his hands, before shooting an ambiguous smile.
"What other types of surprises do you have under your sleeves, Ryan-kun?"
/
"Will I be like my grandfather when I get a few hundred years old ...?" Ryan thought, while admiring a perfectly peeled potato.
He's not even twenty years old. Precisely, Ryan is 19 years old, and he was already thinking about what his life would be like for the next thousands of years.
"That's great ... I'm barely a grown-up and the midlife crisis is approaching ... I have to be careful not to be cranky like the gods."
Ryan remembers his grandfather, Rothius. He does not even have a defined physical form, being as broad as the universe it governs. Through his own "hands", he created every star and planet that existed in his universe.
But in the end, he was still an old man in a terrible mood. The eons worth of existence, stress and memories should be terrible even for an omnipotent being.
"Eh ... I don't want to end up like him. No way." Ryan peeled another potato, positioning it in a kind of bowl. "Dysfunctional family is an understatement."
His father, Volkihar, hated Rothius, his grandfather, who to continue the cycle, also hated his son, who hated Ryan, who also hated his father and Rothius at the same time, and the latter hated Ryan as well.
Generally speaking, everyone hated each other, and Ryan was afraid of eventually absorbing some of the genocidal, diabolical, or megalomaniacal tendencies of his predecessors.
His father was a frustrated teenager with the power to destroy entire countries that never matured for refusing to do so, and his grandfather was so overcome by his own omnipotence that he refused to accept that perhaps he could apologize to his son and help him move on the right path.
"Even though I am immortal, my perspective on life remains that of a human ... Ah, I don't think I can stand living for millennia ...!"
... And while mentally human, Ryan is also someone susceptible to going insane with his own power ...
While mentally whining, Ryan couldn't hear the calls around him, until he felt a painful stimulation in his left foot ...
" Ouch! What was the reason for that ?! " He reacted, almost dropping the potato and the knife he used to cut vegetables.
Ram had made that move, then pointed to Ryan's potato bowl, or rather tato.
"You peeled too many tatoes, Anry. Because of this carelessness, we will have to eat them all. " Said Ram.
When Ryan stopped to analyze, his pile of tatoes was about twice the size of Ram and Rem's ...
"I cannot believe that...!" He mentally lamented, as he counted today's sequence of fiascos in his head.
"Oh, I don't know...! Just puree it or something! " With no more patience to deal with things, he chose to speak a little louder.
... only to be met by constant, robotic looks, accompanied by a deep silence ... Ryan immediately discovered the reason behind such a reaction.
"You ..." He looked at Ram and Rem. "Don't tell me you don't know what a puree is ..."
"Disgusting. Anry is so passionate about having us in his fantasies that he even developed the power to read minds to try and win us over ... Isn't it terrible, Rem? " Ram looked at his sister, not missing an opportunity to belittle Ryan.
"Yes Sister. Ryan-kun is a horrible being for being able to read our minds that way. " Rem perpetuated the process.
Ryan's deep breath could be heard even by anyone outside the kitchen.
"Why the hell did I decide to accompany Emilia here?! My life is going downhill in this place! "
To calm his rage, Ryan squeezed the knife he was using to peel his fingers a little too hard ... Sounds of something hard being crushed by sheer brute force traveled throughout the room.
"Oh ... Sorry about that. Now let me see ... "
The silvery blade had been split in half like a cookie, and although they didn't show it, Ram and Rem were certainly surprised by that.
"Cardboard world ... Superman was right ...! This lifestyle is inappropriate for a person like me ...! I am too OP to live like this! " Ryan groaned inwardly, in agony.
He put the two pieces back together in one of his hands.
"It shouldn't consume much of me, so ..."
... ... ...
"Anry, what are you doing?" Ram asked, seeing the huge amount of sparks coming out of the knife when Ryan touched it with his finger.
"Welding. It is a modern cousin of the forging technique. A little more and ... There you go ... Actually, you shouldn't even be looking at this. It's horrible for the eyes. "
Ryan analyzed the work he did with the knife.
"Perfect, now let's get back to work. Anything else that needs to be chopped or peeled? "
"Just your strangeness, Anry." Ram said, still trying to process what happened there.
Ignoring what she said, he continued to peel, this time with the well-known appas. As Ryan placed them one by one in a separate bowl, he thought.
"Why does medieval worlds never know about puree?! This is a crippling worldbuilding issue! "
... Little did he know that a particular person did not remove their eyes, ears, and especially their nose from him...
"Again that cold on the spine ... [Danger Sense] must be broken ..." Ryan thought, peeling the appa's skin like an industrial machine.
/
"Is something wrong, Betty? You are a little more thoughtful today than usual ... Is there anything that worries you? Was it our new butler? I realized that you have a special interest in him ... Or am I wrong? "
Puck's voice resonated throughout the Forbidden Archive, attracting Beatrice's attention. The spirit girl just stared at a distant point in the room, with an expression devoid of any mark.
However, when called by the feline-looking spirit, the little girl with the blond drills was startled, and soon tried to deny any kind of inference.
"Not at all, I suppose ...! Betty is not at all interested in that mortal, in fact ...! " She replied, shaking her head like the small child she is in a negative way.
Puck just laughed a little, floating over Beatrice's head as he bit a piece of a pinkish type of candy, before giving his own answer.
"You shouldn't be lying, Betty ... You know you can tell the truth to me, don't you? Everything we talk about here stays here until the end! Don't worry, I won't tell of your interest to the boy! " Puck did not want to miss the opportunity to play with Beatrice's mind.
"None of that, in fact! None of that ...! Betty has no interest in him ...! " She tried to counter.
Puck laughed again, but this time, in a more understanding way. He knew that Beatrice was too proud to admit anything that might put her in a less than perfect position or that would embarrass her.
... And for that, he decided to help break that barrier with his own answer.
"The boy may be a little too enigmatic, but he is certainly not hostile. I would never allow anyone with the slightest violent impetus to approach my daughter ...! " He started. "Not to mention that he has that aura around him ..."
Beatrice seemed more attentive to the conversation from the point where the boy's "aura" was mentioned.
"Didn't you feel it? That strange energy field that surrounds him? For some reason, I feel strangely comfortable when I approach that boy, and that is a little scary, I admit ... Knowing that there is something external pressing me to like him, I mean. "
"Is he aware of these energies, I wonder?" Beatrice asked.
"It doesn't seem to be the case." Puck shook his head in denial. "Even though I searched his mind, I couldn't find a conscious will to keep this up. He must not even know that his own spiritual affinity is so high ... "
Puck lost himself in thought, looking in the same direction as Beatrice, but again surprised the drill girl with a question.
"Is that the reason you are interested in him, Betty?"
For such a question, Beatrice almost jumped out of her chair, proceeding to deny it with extreme vehemence.
"What are you talking about, I suppose ?! Betty will never be interested in any mortal, in fact! Stop talking about it, Bubby, I suppose! "
Anyone looking at Beatrice would see something similar to the expression of a high school girl when facing her crush. The red on her face was simply unmatched.
Puck continued to have fun with Beatrice, as this was a great day to do that.
/
To say that Rem's eyes were open was an enormous easing of the situation. The maid every second just stared at more and more daggers towards the boy with a very different skin tone in her opinion.
It was break time. Thanks to his help, they had managed to finish everything about two hours earlier. To say the least, Ryan's performance was ... Uncanny.
He was able to clean well, cut vegetables as if his life depended on it, and even taught his sister Ram how to cook a new dish with potatoes, called "puree". Throughout the process, Rem herself was concerned to see if he was not tampering with the food.
The innocent facade of this boy does not deceive her ... Can't do so to anyone who can smell that horrible odor that emanated from the soul itself, infesting the environment.
In the end, he was still just a Witch Cultist. One that needs to be killed, exterminated for all the pain he has caused.
Rem watched the young man, who, in the front garden of the mansion, swung a sword from side to side looking like an idiot, sometimes making some strange movements and even smiling a little.
"Typical of those who live to kill ..." Rem thought.
It was increasingly difficult to hide her immense hatred for that invading figure ... Her paradise, her safe place, now tainted by the presence of its worst enemy ...
Even though sister told her not to take hasty actions ...
... ... ...
"Rem?"
With a little panic, Rem was able to react promptly.
"Yes, my lovely sister?"
Ram approached her, also watching the way the newest butler trained without any help, trying one move after another.
"Rem, Rem, don't you think our new butler looks pathetic with that sword?" Ram asked.
"Sister, Sister, Rem thinks our new butler looks like a fiasco with his sword." Rem replied.
And then, the two see Ryan stop to sneeze during training ... Twice in a row.
... ... ...
The two continued to watch the training. Ram laughed a little, laughing the way Ryan failed to make a move he tried several times.
From what they could see, he was trying some kind of horizontal air slash. Ryan jumped as high as he could, trying to make a quick horizontal cut with his blade ... which never worked. He always missed timing or was unable to make the move for reasons of physical positioning.
She gave the loudest and most perceptible laugh when she saw him drop the sword with enormous anger after making a mistake about twenty times, and stomping the hardness out of the stone path with force.
"Sister ..." Rem thought, seeing how much Ram seemed to be enjoying the new butler-shaped flaw.
In her hands, Ram held a portion of that new food with potatoes, as well as a spoon. Although she judged the dish as just "acceptable" in front of Ryan, the fact is that the pink-haired maid was already in her third portion.
She carried spoons full of that ... Thing up to her mouth, pretending to like it ... It just made Rem more angry ... She couldn't understand how could Ram act like she enjoyed a disgusting goo made by a Witch Cultist ...
"Haha ha! Look at him, Rem ...! Anry is a complete incompetent ...! " Ram pointed at him from the window, which was now kneeling, clutching its head in despair, with the sword stuck in the lawn.
Rem's expression just got darker ... What does this Witch Cultist think he's doing ...? After all the pain that made sister suffer ... How can this person dare to make her laugh as if nothing happened?
Impossible, inconceivable, illogical.
Trying to swallow her hatred just a little longer, Rem dug her nails into the depths of both hands, almost making them bleed.
... But, lunchtime was close, and she didn't want to make things dirty, so she stopped herself. Rem wanted no more work for her sister.
/
"I can't ... Why can't I do it...?!"
Ryan looked to the skies for an answer, even though he knew that none would come. Kneeling on the lawn, under the hot sun of what should have been almost noon, he wondered if there was a better way to do that.
"That move ... I would like to learn how to do something like that."
He was referring to one of the movements used by Elsa during their combat. Ryan remembered how she jumped and at the same time launched a dangerous attack with a kukri, slashing horizontally.
"I wanted to acquire a new skill ..." He thought.
Much due to the influence of video games, Ryan had acquired the tendency to try and copy a movement of each opponent he defeated, upon discovering that he had supernatural powers. It was almost like the way that some characters in certain franchises acquire the "special power" of a boss by defeating it.
His proudest and favourite move was the "Seven-Slashes Hit Combo" learnt from Friedrich Stargazer. A powerful and violent, fast flurry of sword slashes that cripples any enemy in the act, aimed to hit key spots, like knees and flanks.
In this case, Ryan was trying to copy a movement from Elsa, aiming to adapt it to his sword ... Which has not been very successful. He has failed by a huge margin in each of his attempts.
"Gut-Chopping Slice" was the name he gave it.
Tired of continuing to try, and still a little mentally drained from have his Divine Power drained by Beatrice, he let himself fall into the small shadow that the still present angle of the sun generated in the immediate vicinity of the mansion.
And leaning against it, Ryan just thought about how his life had gone from perfect to true hell in two years ...
"I was unwillingly pulled out of my student life, I discovered that I am the son of none other than Satan himself, I was pushed into a war, I fought for weeks on end, uninterrupted, I lost almost all those I appreciated ... Then I blew myself up in an ethereal supernova, ended up in a strange place with strange people, fought a psychopath and died twice ...! I passed out, arrived at a mansion where I am more mistreated than a punching bag on a verbal level, had 90% of my motivation drained by a Loli, was framed in an immense conspiracy for the throne of a decadent kingdom, and the worst .. I can't even taste the food in this place either ...! "
Zerchiels don't eat, so they don't need a taste. The point is that, unfortunately, because he is half human, Ryan needs to eat ... That's when the problem begins.
"Atoms ... Everything tastes like atoms ...! I can feel every electron, every neutron in the food ...! How I miss feeling the human taste of things ...! "
The discovery of his power came with a price. Right after awakening his skills at 17, Ryan lost all ability to taste, or at least experience them the way humans do.
Most atoms have a mild taste, although some are remarkably strong.
"Hydrogen is my favorite so far ... After carbon, of course. They are the most acceptable ones ... But uranium is completely violent ...! I don't even want to imagine cesium! " Ryan compared the taste of the elements.
... ... ...
"Ryan ...?" A subtle, familiar voice called out to him.
"Oh ... Emilia. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be having lunch with the rest? "
... But Ryan soon noticed Emilia's fallen gaze, which approached him with some caution, almost as if intimidated.
"Emilia ... If this is about the Royal Selection ..." Ryan stood up, picking up his sword from the floor. "Do not worry. I'm fine, and I don't blame you for anything. It's not like any of us had any way of knowing. "
He walked over to Emilia, providing a slight smile.
"And after all, you should be happy, since being in the Royal Selection would make me your opponent ...! Look, less competition for you! "
"That's...!" She tried to speak, only to feel herself locking in place, like a rusty bicycle chain.
Emilia felt the touch of Ryan's big hand on the top of her head. It wasn't as heavy as she thought it would be, but rather, strangely comfortable.
"Let's go to lunch, shall we? You know ... I'm a little hungry! Are you not?" He said, inviting her to return to the mansion.
Emilia found herself unable to answer for about two seconds, still amazed by that sudden and unconcerned touch, but she quickly tried to follow him.
"By the way, what have you been up to now?" Emilia asked him, remembering the strange movements she saw him perform from one of the corridors' windows.
"Ah, that? It is a very effective attack in development! I will use it when I take part in the test for the Royal Guard! "
Emilia admired Ryan's determined smile, who was looking straight ahead. His aspiration to be a Royal Knight also filled her with motivation for her own goals.
"So, can we make a promise to each other?" Emilia asked, making Ryan stop in the middle of the hall.
"A promise? Of what kind?"
"I promise to study hard to become a great King, and you do your best to become the best Knight ... That is the promise!" She said.
"Oh, in that case, promise accepted! We will strive to become the best we can be! " Ryan responds with another smile.
... ... ...
Halfway, the two parted. Ryan urgently needed a shower, after all. Going to the Dining Room, Emilia was still thinking about the interaction they had ... And above all, that touch.
"Could he be my knight ...?"
/
AUTHOR'S NOTES
That concludes today's chapter!
And I would like to know, if possible ... Do you appreciate better what kind of model for chapters?
1- Larger chapters, with more posting space between them.
2- Smaller chapters, with more frequent posting.
So far, I have done the first type, but if it is the readers' preference, I am willing to change that. What do you think?
AUTHOR META
Don't expect Ryan to interact with the characters in the same way Subaru did. Ryan is not Subaru and will certainly make decisions different from his.
One thing about the character is already a fact: He is very powerful, something that Subaru is far from being, and although these Arcs 1 and 2 may indeed remember the main story, remember these details, as a big change in canon is reserved for Arc 3!
His way of looking at things is also different, as is his reasoning. In the next chapters, more revelations about the character's past will be made.