After I fainted, I was teleported back to the Operational Base and was being carried back to the palace by Iris.
However, we have completed our objective in the Crimson Demon Village, which was to find the book concerning Volras' abilities. So it would be natural for us to return to the Operational Base and chill out for some time while we try to decode and interpret what the girl was trying to tell us.
By the way, I still have the book with me for this whole time, as I hid it in one of the Summoning Scrolls.
Then, we left the Operational Base and headed back to the castle after Iris changed her clothes.
"Where... where am I...?" I asked weakly as Iris put her arm across my back and my arm on her shoulder during our way back to the castle.
"Geez, you are too reckless this time, Onii-chan." Iris lectured me with a soft expression on her face.
"My bad..." I replied as I gave her a smile.
We returned to the castle without anyone noticing, which was good. But then, we ran into Rain in the hallway, which was bad. And what makes it worse was that she found me in my battered state.
"Guardian-san! Iris-sama, what happened to him?" Rain asked Iris about my injuries after she yelped in shock.
I patted on Iris' shoulder and glanced at her to indicate her to keep that a secret.
"I don't know! Onii-chan was injured by the time I saw him! Can you help Onii-chan back to his room?" Iris answered Rain as she put her other hand on my chest to prevent me from falling.
Rain looked at us with a doubtful glance.
"...Please...?" Iris pleaded her as she used her ace in the hole - her cute puppy eyes.
And after that, Rain helped me back to my room as well.
At my room...
"Iris-sama, I know you really cared about Guardian-san a lot, but it is time for you to take your lessons..." Rain persuaded Iris as she tugged on her sleeve, signaling Iris to leave.
Iris then looked at me as if she was asking me whether she should go with Rain or not.
I beckoned her forward with a smile.
"Remember to eat that. Close the door while you are at it." I whispered to Iris to remind her about the Memory Crystal.
"See you later, Onii-chan." Iris said with a smile before she left the room with Rain.
After Iris left the room, I lied on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Then, I recalled about the image of a Phoenix-shaped flame spread its wings I saw back in one of my dreams.
What could this be? A new Core Outfit? But no. I have the Fire Core Outfit, which corresponding Core Constellation would be Phoenix.
So that wasn't about a new Core Outfit. Maybe a skill? That remains to be seen though.
Speaking of Core Outfits, I do have some ideas though. Maybe someday I should visit the blacksmith when I have the time for that.
The bedroom door was opened after for a period of time without knocking.
The person who did that was Claire, who had a teacup on a saucer on her hand.
Silence filled the entire room as we stared at each other silently.
"What's the big deal?" I asked, being the first one to break the silence as I sat up. "If you don't have anything to tell me, I would like you to leave, so that I can rest peacefully."
"What happened to you? It's rare to see you being in a battered state like this." Claire approached me as she put the teacup and saucer on my nightstand.
"Nothing extraordinary. I am an adventurer, right? It's natural for us to be wounded when we fight monsters once in a while." I sighed in resignation.
"Anyway, thanks for the tea." I grabbed the teacup from the nightstand and took a sip.
"That is one cup of good tea. Did you made this yourself?" I asked Claire as I put the teacup back on the nightstand.
Claire gave no response as she stared at me.
"Hello? Are you there, uh, mademoiselle?" I waved a hand in front of Claire as she looked like she spaced out.
*knocking noises*
"Good afternoon, Claire-sama, Guardian-sama-" An old man wearing a tailcoat, (most likely a butler for Iris or some noble, not that I care anyway) knocked the door and then greeted us with a bow.
"... I mean, Guardian-san." The butler changed the honorific after he noticed my gaze.
"Well, good to know that you remembered that." I said nonchalantly as I gave the old man a smile.
"Anyway, what can I do for you?" I continued with a smile.
"Here's a letter from the King and there is an Archwizard by the name of Loby wanted to see you." The butler stepped forward and handed me a envelope with the royal seal on it.
"Thank you, also call him in please." I thanked the butler and asked him to lead Loby here with a smile.
"No problem." The butler bowed before he turned around and left my room.
"Well, time to read the letter." I muttered as I took out a dagger and remove the seal.
"Guardian-dono, you must have done some great deeds if you received a letter from the King." Claire's attitude towards me did a 180 degree turn after she saw my letter. I mean, she never called me by my name, much less with the honorific "dono".
"Can I read this as well?" Claire continued as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
'Well, why not? Since the chance to get along with Claire is hard to come by.'
"Yeah, sure." I said nonchalantly as I nodded.
A few minutes later...
"The Archwizard has arrived, sir." The butler informed me about Loby's arrival after he knocked on the door.
"Stay away from Iris-sama, you little piece of shit!" Claire grabbed me by the shirt as she shouted in an angry tone.
"Stop it! To think that you, an aristocratic lady would grab onto an innocent person just because the contents of the letter pissed you off that badly, what kind of education do you even have, young lady?!" I was struggling and tried to push Claire away from me as I retorted in an irritated tone.
The butler and Loby stared at us with blank expressions, but I didn't notice them as I was trying to get Claire away from me.
"Ahem. As you can see, the Magic Swordmaster is currently busy at the moment. Would you like to have a cup of tea while we wait for them to finish their, uh, squabble?" The butler turned to Loby.
"Alright then-" Loby answered as he turned around, and ran into Iris and Rain. It seemed like they were about to pay me a visit as well, and somehow they arrived at the wrong time.
Brilliant. Fkin brilliant. *sarcastic clapping*
Why did I have such rotten luck?! It wouldn't hurt for you to stop messing with me like that, Eris.
"Ah." X3
"You have quite a lot of explaining to do, Magic Swordmaster." Loby said in a threatening tone as his eyes glowed dangerously.
"No (Iya)!"
"I couldn't believe it... To think that you wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of an injured party member, or rather, party leader..." I said between fake sobs as Loby panted heavily.
Actually, the butler and Rain restrained Loby before he could hit me while Iris stood in front of me in case he broke free (even though he had a low strength stat), so I didn't got hit by Loby in the end. *Phew*
Claire continued fighting and she gained the upper hand in a few seconds time due to the advantage of me not being fully recovered. Currently at this moment, she grabbed my hands and kicked me a few times.
"Sierra to Commander Zulu! Sierra to Commander Zulu!" Saki's voice rang through the communicating device.
"Um, sorry, if you would excuse me..." I said with a slightly embarrassed tone as I requested Claire to let go one of my hands.
"Oh okay. I guess there's no other way, then. We'll continue after you finish. But I get to keep the upper hand here, okay?" Claire replied in the same embarrassed tone as she let go of my left hand.
"That's fine, we will just continue after she finished talking." I grabbed the communicating device.
"This is Zulu talking."
"I have obtained some more information about Volras and his Cult."
"Is that so? Well done, and thanks for your hard work." I praised Saki and pressed the reply button.
"Thank you." Saki replied warmly.
"Okay, carry on please." I requested Saki to report her findings.
"No problem."
I pressed the record button on my communication device and turned the volume to the minimum.
"Okay, let's go!" I said as I headbutted Claire in the chin and continued where we left off.
"Ah! You sly bastard!" Claire returned the favor with a punch to the stomach.
"Never have I expect a high-ranking noble would have a vulgar tongue, you sure have impressed me a lot, young lady!"
"Don't you dare call me that!"
Meanwhile, Iris approached my nightstand as she noticed the letter.
"Let's see... To the Magic Swordmaster. I am writing to thank you for protecting my daughter from all kinds of danger. I have heard everything from Iris. You saved her from bad guys since your first encounter, taught her a lot of things like life lessons and tactics. But the most important of all is that you made her smile and gave her a good time." Iris picked up the letter from the nightstand and started reading it.
'So that's how Father treats Onii-chan..." Iris muttered to herself.
"She always looks refreshed when you are around, and her smile was completely different. It is more genuine than what we normally see before, therefore I can say that she is really happy when you are nearby. Not to mention, she talks about you most of the gatherings. There was no one who could make Iris put on that beautiful smile of hers, at least not that I know of. And that is something that makes you different from all the nobles Iris have met over these years." Iris continued reading with a warm smile on her face.
'That is true.' Iris thought to herself as she kept on reading the letter.
"From here, I could see that my daughter is quite fond of you. But not to worry, I am fond of you too, you gave out that powerful but kind aura right from the beginning. I also have high hopes for you, if you can defeat the Demon King, you can marry Iris, according to the traditions of the Belzerg Kingdom. Therefore, I wish you the best of luck in defeating the Demon King. One more thing, it doesn't matter if you failed. After all, I still have some alternate ways to pair the both of you up. I will be rooting for you! Yours Sincerely, the King." Iris put down the letter as she finished reading it.
Then, she turned her attention to Claire and I, who were currently squabbling at that moment.
"It wasn't my fault that the King wants me to be his son-in-law!"
"Shut up! You aren't worthy for Your Highness Iris!"
"You can marry Jatis if you want to be the King's daughter-in-law!"
"That's not the point!"
Twenty minutes later...
Iris and Rain separated Claire and I, then Claire left (or rather, got dragged out) the room with Rain and the butler.
After the butler closed the door, an awkward silence filled the entire room.
"You owe me an explanation." Loby said blankly as he pointed at me.
I took a deep breath, and somehow the ambiance got even more intense after that.
"I am sorry. Her name is indeed Airisu, but I refuse to disclose her true identity." I apologized before I refused to disclose Iris' identity.
"Why?"
"Because you don't need to know. Since it doesn't bring any adverse effects to your life, there's no point in disclosing Iris' identity and let her expose in danger. Or rather, you should give me a good reason why I should do it."
"Aren't we comrades-"
"Oh by the way, our identity as fellow party members doesn't count as a reason." I interjected before he used a makeshift excuse.
"Unless Iris herself agrees to disclose her identity." I continued as I looked at Iris. "After all, this is something she should decide by herself as that's her own privacy. No one has the right to disclose her identity without her consent."
"I will. However, this is not the right time to do so." Iris said in a slightly resigned tone as she shook her head.
"Is there anything else we can help you with?" I asked Loby after hearing out Iris' decision.
"Nah, I am here to check up on you, since I was the one who wounded you indirectly."
"Well, thanks for your concern." I interjected with a gentle tone and a smile on my face.
"Then, I am leaving, as there's nothing I need to find out and stuff like that." Loby continued as he headed towards the door and leave the room.
"Ok, bye." I waved Loby goodbye with a blank expression.
"Hey Iris, I need you to do something for me." I turned my attention onto Iris after Loby left the room.
"Loby-san! Onii-chan asked you to go to the front gate at three in the morning!" Iris caught up to Loby.
"What is that man planning?" Loby asked with a blank expression.
"I don't know, Onii-chan didn't tell me anything other than the meeting time and place..."
'That man... He is definitely planning something...'
"No problem. I will definitely be there."
"Thank you!" Iris told Loby with a smile before she turned around and returned to my room.
A few minutes later...
"Okay, Onii-chan, I have informed him." Iris told me as she sat on the side on my bed.
"Thanks." I said with a smile as I patted her head gently.
"But why did you ask Loby-san to meet you in midnight, Onii-chan?" Iris asked as she looked at me with curiosity.
"Because I promised to teach him a unique skill. After all, I am indeed a man of my word."
"Is that so..." Iris looked at me with respect.
3 am at the Front Gate of the Capital...
"Core change, Fire Phoenix." I muttered as a set of red combat outfit started to materialize on my body and covered my bandaged torso.
I took out my Adventurer Card and saw Explosion on the skill slot.
'Well fk it, I have quite a few of skill points to spare.' I thought to myself as I learned Explosion.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
I felt a warm sensation when mana flowed around my body, as if warm flames were coursing through my veins and circulated around my body.
According to the guards who were stationed at the front gate that night, it seems like an orange-red aura flowed out of the Core Outfit. I mean, it sounds pretty cool but it couldn't be possible, could it?
'Gather the mana at that one point... Right there!'
I opened my eyes and extended my hands towards the distant trees.
"Phoenix-plosion!" I shouted the name for the new skill as a phoenix-shaped magic spell flew out from my hands and towards the trees, which some of them exploded on impact with the magic spell.
Loby POV
Remember that time Iris told me to meet Guardian at the front gate in the morning? Well, I have arrived already, that guy didn't show up.
Seriously, you shouldn't request a guy to show up at a place on the destinated time when you couldn't even arrive on time yourself.
Oh wait, never mind. I went to the wrong place. I will be back monologizing momentarily.
A few minutes later at the front gate...
Alright, I have arrived at the correct meet up spot, I am going to continue my monologue again.
So right at that moment, here I am at the front gate at this moment. But I didn't see anyone around.
Really, he is late again. Can he be on time for once-
"Phoenix-plosion!"
A phoenix-shaped magic spell flew towards the trees, which some of them exploded on impact with the magic spell.
Then, I heard a person snapped his fingers three times, once per second. And an explosion occurs a second after the last snap.
I was amazed by that powerful Explosion. To me, it feels like this type of Explosion was even stronger than the original Explosion.
So I looked closely at the figure who was standing in front of me. It was kinda hard to recognize the person with his back.
Hold up, I think I know who he was. That pair of slash blades, and that nodachi placed across the back... I know it.
The figure in red turned back and looked at me. Just as I thought, it was the Magic Swordmaster, Guardian.
After casting the Phoenix-plosion, I looked back and saw Loby at the front gate.
"Did you see it?" I asked Loby.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"Good, I was afraid that you missed it." I flexed my shoulders as I walked towards him.
"Now, check your Adventurer Card and there should be a skill called the 'Phoenix-plosion'. You might know the procedures of learning a new skill, or magic spell in your case." I continued with a smile.
"Is this the one?" Loby showed me his Adventurer Card.
I nodded in response.
"Just to let you know, the Phoenix-plosion is powerful and can help you regenerate a portion of mana, but it is hard to use it. Are you sure you want to continue?" I asked with a slightly concerned tone.
"My name is Loby! The foremost mage in the Belzerg Kingdom! I will learn and use the spell even better than you do, Magic Swordmaster!" Loby declared with over-flowing confidence as he pointed at me.
"Oh nice. Do you need any tips?" I replied with a blank expression and a thumbs up.
"No!"
A few moments later...
"That was hard! How did you pull that off?" Loby exclaimed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Like I said before, concentrate your mana at that one spot." I replied patiently.
"Demon King Army Alert! Would all adventurers please gather at the main gate of the capital immediately?" The broadcast systems boomed as about two legions of monsters marching towards us.
"We'll continue later." I turned to Loby before I advanced towards them.
"Phoenix, alternate form please." I muttered as the set of red combat outfit turned into a set of red samurai armor.
"Hey look, that man changed his outfit!"
"Oh right! Is he the rumored Magic Swordmaster? Listen up, you lot! We are going to be rich today!" The leader shouted as he raised his fist into the air.
"We'll see." I muttered to myself.
"Charge!" The leader commanded and the troops rushed at me a few seconds later.
I pulled out my nodachi and mentally prepared myself for battle.
"Ready or not, here I come-"
"EXPLOSION!" Loby pointed his staff and killed every single armored monsters standing in front of us.
"We have arrived! Oh wait..." The adventurers rushed to the scene and found out the monsters were blown to piles of dust. Even though I couldn't really say they turned into piles of dust, considering the fact a gust of wind just blew the dust away.
"Man, that was refreshing~" Loby leaned against his staff as he said with a relaxed expression.
The atmosphere started to turn awkward as nobody spoke up.
"Now, if you would excuse us..." I attempted to told them off politely as I dragged Loby towards the gate.
I tried not to look back as I figured the looks on the adventurers' faces wouldn't look good.
"GIVE US BACK OUR FKIN MONEY, YOU SONS OF-"
"Thank you for attending the emergency quest! Those who participated will have a reward." The broadcast systems made the announcement.
"Money!" The adventurers rushed towards the Adventurers' Guild to collect their cash.
"Alright, see you around then." I let go of Loby and walked towards the main gate after I sheathed my nodachi. "Good luck in mastering the skill."
"Eh? That fast?" Loby asked with disbelief.
Ten minutes later, in the blacksmith...
"Good morning kid! What can I do for you?" The blacksmith greeted me as I opened the door.
"Morning, chief." I greeted back as I put four blueprints on his table.
"New Core Outfits?" The blacksmith asked nonchalantly as he started to take a look at the blueprints.
"Precisely." I replied as I snapped my fingers.
"I will tell you when I finished creating them." The blacksmith nodded as he spoke.
"Thanks." I handed the blacksmith a pouch of coins.
"By the way, chief."
"What is it?"
"Can you help me create one more thing please?"
Thirty minutes later...
"Here you go." The blacksmith handed me a white and blue Summoning Scroll.
"Thanks chief." I answered with a smile as I received the scroll from the blacksmith.
Then I reached for the door.
"Hey Guardian." The blacksmith called my name before I left his shop.
"What is it?" I looked back at the blacksmith and asked.
"Say hello to Iris for me."
"Will do." I gave a small smile before I opened the door and left the shop.
On my way back to the castle...
I heard a kid crying as I was walking down the road.
Of course, without a doubt I approached the kid.
"Hey, what's the matter?" I slightly crouched to get myself to her eye-level.
The kid ignored me and kept on crying.
"Let me guess, you got split up with your parents?" I asked her with a reassuring smile, and she nodded in response.
"Now, not to worry, I am here to help. I will bring you to your parents, so just follow me around." I coaxed the kid as I led her away from the scene gently.
As I walked around with the kid, every bystander looked at me with disdain.
I ignored them and kept on walking.
"My expectations for him were really low already, but holy fk, what the hell did he do to the girl?"
"Making a child cry, he is definitely the worst..."
People started to talk about us, but I kept on walking, since the topic of their discussion regarding my reputation doesn't really matter, in fact, I don't really care about that.
All of a sudden, I heard someone running towards us.
I kept on walking and neglect the guy who attempted to attack me.
However, that person had shown zero signs of stopping. If that's the case, he must have some malicious intent against me.
I drew my nodachi abruptly as I spun around and parried the hit from the attacker.
"Good grief (Yare Yare)..." I sighed as I channeled my mana into the nodachi.
"What?!" The assailant looked at my nodachi with disbelief as flames appeared in place of the blade.
I kicked him in the stomach and was about to escape with the kid.
Yes, the kid probably ran off and disappeared.
Then a black-robed man jumped as he was about to bring the blade to my head.
I held the nodachi in one hand and used the other to chant Tinder.
The man's black robe got set on fire.
"Core change, Phoenix to Pegasus!" I changed my Core Outfit and then left the scene amidst the chaos while the man got distracted in putting out the fire on his robe.
"Summon Core Constellations: Fire Phoenix! Wind Aquila! Shadow Wolf!"
After that, I started an all-out search for the kid.
Meanwhile...
"Phoenix-plosion! *clown horn*" Loby pointed his staff towards the distance.
"Damn it!"
"What's wrong with you? You have been practising this skill for hours." One of the guards asked Loby and gave him a bottle of water.
"This skill is my party leader bestowed on me. But it's hard to concentrate my mana at that one point!" Loby sighed as he threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Oh really? Maybe I can help you, after all, I am a Rune Knight. Let's take a break before we continue." The guard answered as she signaled Loby to come over and take a break.
"Is that so? Thank you very much!" Loby gave that rune knight onee-san a look of gratitude.
"Hey, hey! You are getting too close!"
A few moments later...
"So, who created this skill? That person must be someone uncommon if that skill is hard for you to master, considering you are an Archwizard, a job that requires a high intelligence stat."
"It is my party leader, the Magic Swordmaster, Guardian."
"Excuse me, what Swordmaster?" The rune knight onee-san asked as she slightly tilted her head in confusion.
"The Magic Swordmaster."
"..."
"Um, no. I still don't know who you are talking about." The rune knight onee-san answered as she shook her head.
"The guy who can change his outfit and weapons in a short period of time." Loby explained quickly as he saw that confused look on the rune knight's face.
"Ah, I see! Is he one of Iris-sama's bodyguards?"
"Iris who?"
"You know, the girl who has long blonde hair which was partially braided on the right side and blue eyes?"
"Yeah I know. But who is she?"
"She is the Princess of the Belzerg Kingdom."
'No wonder why Guardian doesn't want to disclose Iris' identity...'
"I see..." Loby answered as he nodded in response.
"Well, let's continue, shall we?" The rune knight rose and extended her hand towards Loby.
"Yeah, thanks." Loby took her hand and rose.
A few hours later...
"Ah right. Saki said she got some info about the Cult. Maybe I should hear it out, since there is no one around." I muttered to myself as I grabbed the communicating device that was hanging on my belt.
I set the volume at an audible voice to me before I raised it near my ear and played the recording.
"Good day to you, Commander Zulu. This is Informant Sierra speaking. *walkie-talkie rustling noises* I have received information concerning the Cult's infiltrators within the capital of Belzerg Kingdom. *walkie-talkie rustling* There is about 50 people scattered within the capital, 35 adults, 15 children. I am not certain what they are after exactly... They were most likely... still after... you... Stay... on... your... guard! Here's the tip: look for the hidden black skull tattoo, over!"
'Well, thanks for the tip anyway Saki.' I thought to myself as I pulled my sword out.
Then, I channeled some mana into my sword, which started to emit a blue glow. And then, I raised the glowing sword like a torch.
"Now kid, I know you are hiding somewhere here. Your parents are worried about you. I mean, that's exactly how parents are. They care about your well-being and will do anything, even sacrificing their lives to ensure that you are safe and sound. Come on, we, or rather, you, don't have the time for games." I advanced slowly as I readied my sword.
"So, come out and let's get back to your parents, okay?"
However, I received no response for a few seconds.
"Fine. I am leaving." I sheathed my sword and turned around. I mean, I don't really have to take this bullshit.
Then, I heard quick footsteps behind me.
Following my instincts, I spun around and pulled my sword out to defend myself, the sword clashed with a dagger, which belonged to the kid I was looking after sometime in the morning.
"In case you haven't noticed, you have fallen right into my trap." I let out a smug smile as the Shadow Wolf approached us slowly and pounced onto the kid.
Then I searched for the tattoo Saki just mentioned. Sure enough, the kid had one on her back.
I will be sure to thank Saki for her info. concerning the infiltrators of the capital, once if I got the chance and time for doing so that is.
"You, are a member of the Cult, right? I have quite a lot of things to ask you. You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so." I said in a stoic manner as I fixed her clothes before taking her back to the Operational Base.
"Oh, I'm afraid not." The kid replied with a grin.
It turns out there are 7 children surrounded me, 4 boys and 3 girls. They all had vicious expressions and judging from their expressions, it seemed like they really wanted me dead.
"Oh well, fk me dead." I muttered.
Meanwhile...
"Phoenix-plosion!" Loby pointed his staff at the distance as a small phoenix-shaped Explosion flew out from the staff.
The magic spell dissipated after it collided with a tree and blew up.
"We did it!" Loby raised his staff excitedly as he exclaimed with a smile.
"Congratulations!" The rune knight onee-san congratulated him as she gave him a round of applause.
"Thanks!" Loby replied as he turned to that rune knight onee-san.
"You are welcome." The rune knight onee-san maintained that proud smile of hers.
All of a sudden, the Fire Phoenix flew towards them.
"Zulu to Lima. I can need some help here. Would you mind get on the Fire Phoenix and get over here as soon as possible?"
"Um, sorry, it seems like I would have to go." Loby apologized as the rune knight onee-san look at him with confusion.
"It's okay. I worked at the Royal Castle from time to time. So I might meet your party leader sometime. But can you say hello to him for me please?"
"Yeah, sure. What's your name?"
"My name... is Alicia. Alicia of the Astroraia House." The rune knight onee-san smiled as she placed her right hand on her chest and introduced herself.
"My name is Loby! The foremost-" The Fire Phoenix flew away before Loby could finish his Crimson Demon-style introduction.
"REALLY?!"
A few minutes later...
"Now, I don't really want to use this kind of underhanded tactic, but I will do what I must." I said as I placed my sword somewhere near the kid's throat.
"You have two choices: Tell me everything about your Cult right here, or let the girl speak to me in private." I continued with a stern tone as I had a stalemate with the members of the Cult.
And then, Loby did a superhero landing after he jumped off the Fire Phoenix, even though his cloak covered my head, as if we were doing a Chinese Lion Dance.
"Guardian! Where is he?" Loby shouted as he looked around for me.
The seven kids pointed at his cloak with blank expressions on their faces.
"Wait, what? Since when did I add some blue to my cloak?"
'I am very sorry for my not so bright party member..." I silently apologized as I facepalmed myself internally.
"I got to ask Cheekera-" I whacked Loby in the head before he could finish his line.
"Core change, Pegasus to Phoenix!" I muttered as the blue trenchcoat disappeared and the Fire Phoenix got divided into a few parts.
I donned a set of red combat outfit with my pair of slash blades and nodachi equipped on the back within a minute.
After that, I pulled out my slash blades and thrust them onto the ground.
"Wildfire." I muttered as I channeled my mana into the slash blades and created a ring of fire.
I dragged Loby and the kid I just subdued left the scene and head towards the Royal Castle while the rest of the kids were too busy covering their eyes and coughing.
That night, in the Royal Castle...
"Hey Iris, it's time for dinner." I knocked on Iris' bedroom door.
"Onii-chan! Um, may I ask who is this?" Iris opened the door and greeted me with a smile before that smile of hers turned into a confusing expression.
"Also, would you care tell me who is in charge of the law enforcement here?" I asked Iris with a smile as the kid was struggling to break away from my grip.
"I am." An energetic yet gentle voice spoke out.
I looked at the direction where the voice came from and saw a moderately armored girl walking towards us.
The girl had blonde hair like most nobles do, and the hair length was somewhere at her upper back, and the shade of blue of her eyes was way darker than that of most nobles, or at least those I knew, namely Iris, Claire and Rain. The girl had a nice body figure that rivals Claire. Her looks suggested that her age was similar to mine and she was slightly shorter than me.
She wore a set of lavender combat outfit with cream borders, blue pants and black boots and fingerless gloves which were quite similar to mine. And her sword was hung on the left side of her waist.
"Iris-sama." The girl greeted as she bowed in front of Iris.
"Good evening, Alicia." Iris answered as she did a curtsy at the armored girl.
"Um excuse me, Alicia-san... was it? Do you know where the dungeon is? I need a cell with maximum security for this little gal here." I interrupted politely as I showed them the kid who was still struggling to break away from my grip at that moment.
"No problem." Alicia clapped her hands twice as she replied with a smile.
A squad of twelve knights stepped forward and took custody of the kid.
"Alright thanks." I replied with a small smile.
"You're welcome." Alicia responded as she nodded.
"By the way, you two haven't met before, right?" Iris chimed in while Alicia and I eyed each other up and down.
"Hm? No, we haven't." Alicia and I answered in sync as we looked at her.
"Onii-chan, this is Alicia from the Astroraia House, which is mainly responsible for the lawmaking and law enforcement of the Kingdom." Iris introduced Alicia as she did the Will Smith style show off pose.
"Alicia, this is the Magic Swordmaster, Guardian." Iris then introduced me to Alicia as she did the same pose on me.
"Well, nice to meet you, Alicia-san." I said with a smile as I extended my hand at Alicia.
"No, the pleasure's mine, Guardian-san." Alicia replied as she did the same.
We squeezed each other's hands tightly the moment our hands touched.
Holy shit, never did I expect she had a strong grip. It actually hurts a little.
Okay, I stand corrected. It hurts. I think I just made a slightly pained expression, as Alicia had a smug smile on her face.
But then again, judging from that slightly pained smile of hers, I knew I had a strong grip that rivals hers, to say the least.
Our faces turned red and tears formed at the corners of our eyes as we squeezed each other's hands even harder due to the sheer pain from the grips.
In the end, we let go of each other's hands as neither of us could endure the pain any longer.
We took off our gloves and saw a purple-red hand-shaped mark on our right hands.
"Are the both of you alright?" Iris asked us as we held our right hands in pain.
"Yeah... We're fine."
During our way escorting Iris to the dining room...
"Hey, your party member started to get the hang of your skill." Alicia told me as she looked forward.
"I am sorry, but I think I don't quite understand what you meant. Would you mind doing some explaining?" I replied as I also looked forward.
"Your Archwizard friend, Loby-san... Is it? He started to get the hang of your skill, Phoenix-plosion. He managed to create a smaller version of Phoenix-plosion in a few hours' work." Alicia continued as we kept on walking.
"Wow. Good to hear that."
"Couldn't you give a more enthusiastic response-" Alicia started to lose her cool and looked at my way.
"Pardon us, Alicia-sama, Guardian-sama- Er, I mean Guardian-san. We have the kid locked away." A knight stepped forward and reported to us while few knights and mages surrounded us.
"Is that so? Thanks." I gave him a thumbs up as I heard that the kid is locked away.
"Go take a break, you guys deserved it." Alicia ordered gently with a smile.
However, neither the knights nor the mages moved an inch.
"Hey, your boss just to told you guys to take a break. Would you guys move a little bit?" I asked as I waved in front of them.
There was no response from them.
It was at this moment I knew something went wrong.
I pushed a knight aside and ran with Iris.
"What is wrong with you?!" Alicia ran next to me as the knights chased us down the hallway.
"Guardian-san!" Rain shouted. "It seems like someone disguised as guards in the castle!"
"Why the fk am I that smart..." I muttered as I facepalmed myself.
"Rain-san! Bring Iris to Claire and keep her safe!" I shouted back as I signaled Iris to go towards Rain.
"Understand!" Rain answered as she left the scene with Iris.
"Core change, Phoenix to Pegasus!" I muttered as the blue trenchcoat materialized on my body.
"Now, this is probably our first time fighting together and most likely to be your first fight. So try not to get your ass kicked, okay?" I said as I channeled my mana into the sword, which blade started to turn blue.
"You don't have to tell me that. As a matter of fact, I should tell you the same." Alicia retorted as she also channeled her mana into her sword, which blade begun to turn pale purple in a few seconds.
"We'll see."
"That's my line."
We gave each other a defying smile as we advanced.
A few minutes later...
We went to the courtyard and saw a guy standing in front of us.
"Okay, what the hell is this...?" I asked as a squid-human hybrid (to describe that guy simply, just imagine Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean) wearing a set of knight armor stood in front of us.
"It's okay... It's okay... You can do this..." A soft voice whimpered.
I looked at my left side and found a scared Alicia shaking in her boots.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You are fine just a second ago-"
"Kya! Help me!" Alicia screamed as she pounced on me in fear.
"Hey get off me!"
Alicia then got off me and hid behind my back.
I eyed this guy and made a few assumptions about him.
'Now, I don't know what the hell is wrong with her, but this is nothing... I hope.'
"En garde...!"
So I scream and shout, and pulled my sword out.
Peculiar enough, that Davy Jones bootleg didn't move an inch.
I was that close to bringing my sword to that guy's head, however, I slipped.
'Fk!' I shouted internally as I fell face-first onto the ground.
However, that helped Alicia to pull herself together.
"Are you okay?" Alicia ran towards me, and then she slipped.
"Ouch (Itai)! I twisted my ankle..."
The Davy Jones bootleg laughed maniacally as he drew a knife which was made of... bones?
Just before he could go for the killing stroke, the Water Dragon sprayed water on the Davy Jones look-alike.
While that unknown creature got distracted, I gave Alicia a princess carry and left the courtyard.
But as soon as we left the courtyard, the Water Dragon stopped attacking the creature.
So, we got ourselves surrounded by a few rogue knights and the strange creature.
One of the knights drew his sword and was about to bring his sword to my head.
"Hold up a second."
"What?"
"Alright listen up. Before you attack, I would like to tend to her wounds first." I put Alicia down and raised my hand.
"Oh okay." One of the knights nodded in response.
I took off Alicia's boot.
"Create Water, Freeze." I created a small chunk of ice and applied it on her ankle.
"Now, stay where you are and don't move that chunk of ice unless your ankle started to feel pain, okay?" I said with a warm smile as I gently pressed the chunk of ice on Alicia's ankle.
Alicia nodded with the same smile.
"Well, I really feel bad for trying to kill the both of you, as romance started to blossom between you two..." One of the knight said shyly as he fidgeted.
"She... She's not my girlfriend!"
"He... He's not my boyfriend!"
"Oh... Is that so? I think you two are a perfect match." The knight commented while the others (including that Davy Jones look-alike) nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, en garde!" I tried to hide my embarrassment as I pulled my sword out and pounced on one of the knights.
"You little...!"
'I couldn't leave her that far...' I thought to myself as I glanced back and saw the remaining knights approached Alicia.
"Oh no you don't! Sacred Thunderbolt!" I shouted as I unleashed a network of light beams and dispersed the knights.
"Who are you targeting at? I am your opponent!" I yelled as I turned to them, stood in front of Alicia and readied my sword.
It took me half an hour to knock the rogue knights out, so I am just going to skip the process of how I defeated them, since it involved hitting them with the hilt repeatedly until they got knocked out.
So right at that moment, the Davy Jones look-alike was the only guy standing in front of me.
He gave an ugly grin. And somehow I begun to understand Alicia's fear of tentacles. His smile wasn't as scary as the one I saw two chapters ago, but still. It was pretty gross that I couldn't look at a living squid or octopus directly.
Just then, I felt an oily sensation on my fingertips. Was that... oil?
"Core change, Pegasus to Phoenix." I changed my Core Outfit as I came up a good tactic.
I drew my pair of slash blades.
"Flashfire Combo Slash!" I dashed forward and swung my slash blades in a rather quick succession. The strange creature dodged my attacks, like what you may have expected.
I glanced at the floor and my assumption was proved at last: that guy did secrete oil from his body and leave a trail of oil. No wonder why it was hard to kick his ass.
If that's the case...!
I pulled out my nodachi and thrust it on the oil trail.
"Burn madafaka!" I yelled as I channeled my mana into the nodachi and set the trail of oil ablaze.
The man struggled a bit before he turned into a puddle of goo.
"Did we, or rather, I did it...?" I muttered to myself.
The puddle of goo formed a tall figure.
A few seconds later, a tall man with white hair with black tips, devil horns and ears similar to an elf's appeared in front of us. He wore a dark purple mantle, or rather, a short cloak and a dark purple faded into black cape.
"We meet at last, Magic Swordmaster." The man said with a deep voice.
"Excuse me, but have we met before?" I raised my hands in confusion.
An awkward silence filled the entire room.
"It's me, Volras! The God of Darkness and Death!" Volras pointed at me with a slightly pissed expression.
"Wait, what?" I did the stop gesture and closed my eyes as I was recalling my memory.
"Oh yeah! You stalked me in my dreams! Or something like that..." I exclaimed as I finally remember who that guy is.
"Hey Alicia-san, could you arrest that guy over there? He has stalked me for quite a while." I turned to Alicia as I pointed at Volras.
However, Alicia gave no response as she was probably stunned by the scene in front of her.
"Enough! I leave. But don't think you have seen the last of me!" Volras bellowed before he disappeared with a flash.
"With all that done..." I approached Alicia and noticed a red spot on her ankle.
"What the fk are you doing?! You are going to get frostbites at this rate!" I asked in a rushed tone as I removed the chunk of ice instantly.
"I couldn't help it! It felt comfy when you applied that chunk of ice on my ankle! And then, before I knew it, I somewhat enjoyed the pain from the coldness of the ice..." Alicia retorted with the same tone. I internally facepalmed myself in response to her explanation.
I tied one of Alicia's boots on my belt, gave Alicia a princess carry and left the scene.
A few moments later...
We checked on the dungeon if the kid I caught earlier today escaped from her cell. Fortunately, she was still sitting right there.
After checking on the kid, I carried Alicia towards somewhere near the main gate of the Royal Castle.
"You are good! Glad we had your help." Claire complimented Loby with a respectful tone. Her troops nodded in agreement, some of Rain's subordinates even asked him for contact methods, since most of them were mages.
Really, what's with the difference in the treatments we're getting? It wasn't like I want better treatment, but can you actually be fair for once?
"Hey look! I managed to do the Phoenix-plosion- What?!" Loby approached us and was probably surprised to see Alicia here.
Alicia gave him a smile as she thought he recognized her. (even though I thought so too, but oh well)
"Did you guys got married or something?"
"No!" X2
Another three minutes later...
"By the way, I have heard from Alicia-san that you started to get the hang of the skill, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, I did." Loby answered nonchalantly.
"Show me."
"Eh?"
"Show me your Phoenix-plosion. I want to see to what extent did you get the hang of it."
"Very well." Loby nodded solemnly as he raised his staff.
"Not here. Somewhere else." I reminded him with a somewhat serious expression.
As we were about to leave the Royal Castle for Loby's demonstration, Claire stopped us.
"Excuse me, but who do you think you are carrying, Magic Swordmaster?" Claire looked at me with hostility like I did something extremely horrible.
"Alicia-san from the Astroraia House. See you around." I answered before I ignored her and kept on walking.
At the front gate of the Capital...
"Phoenix, spread your wings and fly! Phoenix-plosion!" Loby pointed his staff towards the distance, with the exact same pose and stuff like that.
Anyway, a small phoenix flew out from his staff and three trees exploded in contact with the phoenix-shaped Explosion.
By the way, I know you may ask if I was still carrying Alicia. And I can tell you. Yes! I am.
Since I was still using the Fire Core, the high strength stat enables me to carry her with ease.
"Not bad. The hardest thing to master the skill is that you need a large amount of mana to cast Phoenix-plosion. It seems like you had your mana reserves increased to a certain extent and a quick rate. Nice work." I commented on Loby's attempt on casting the skill.
"Really?" Loby asked with uncertainty as if he wanted to confirm whether did I give him genuine comments on his Phoenix-plosion.
"No. You can focus even more mana at that point and let it burst. And... skip the incantations. Congratulations, you are a failure." I put on a straight face as I joked.
"Oh, I failed, did I?"
"Yes."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
"Did I?"
"Well yes, but actually no. Don't get disheartened, practise makes perfect. I will be waiting for you to show me the best Phoenix-plosion you ever had." I told him with a slightly softer tone before I left with Alicia via Teleport.
"You know, you can compliment him more often." Alicia spoke up after a few moments of silence.
"Let's be honest. I didn't expect him to get the hang of the skill that fast. He has already exceeded my expectations." I sighed as I slightly shook my head.
"Then why-"
"Because I know he can do better than that. Besides, he would need to cast it better than that if he wants me to compliment him." I said quickly before Alicia could finish her line.
A few minutes later, in my bedroom...
"Your ankle's condition was okay at first, but... the frostbite made it worse." I looked at Alicia with a blank expression after I placed her on my bed.
I tossed my set of sleepwear onto the bed.
"Put this on, this should fit. I am going to take a bath, so don't do anything dumb, okay?"
"You don't have to tell me that!"
A few minutes later...
"Alright, have you-" I stopped as I noticed Alicia stared at me with flushed cheeks and her hands covered her nose and mouth.
I looked down and found myself shirtless. Then I looked at Alicia and did the same.
The sleepwear accentuated her breasts, and emphasized that nice body of hers.
What's worse, is that blood trickled down her chin, which made it obvious she had a nosebleed. Not to mention, I felt the same thing due to the nosebleed.
An awkward silence filled the entire room as we averted our gazes away from each other and try to stop our nosebleed.
"Okay, let's keep this as a secret between the both of us." I said with a muffled voice as I handed her a handkerchief.
"Yeah... Thanks." Alicia nodded as she took the handkerchief.
Since Alicia slept on my bed, so I slept as I sat on a chair after I folded her combat outfit and placed it on my table.
But I didn't slept well thanks to her groaning while she was sleeping.
As a result, I approached Alicia, who was sleeping at that moment, grabbed her foot and cast Sanctuary on it.
It turned out the twisted ankle was the reason why she was groaning, since she snored softly, which meant she had a good night's sleep after I healed her by casting Sanctuary on her ankle.
Well, I finally got to sleep in peace, to say the least.
The next morning...
"Good morning..." I said sheepishly as I yawned and stretched my body.
Then, I took off my shirt as it was drenched with sweat. And I headed towards the toilet to get changed.
The toilet door was opened when I was about to open the door. And Alicia was about to leave the toilet to get her combat outfit and get changed, so, she only had a bath towel on her body right at that moment.
"Ah." X2
"Pervert! Where do you think you are looking?!"
"That's my line! You were like 'Oh My God' when you looked at my body a few seconds ago!"
Alicia and I started fighting and we somehow brought this to the bed, with me on top of her and got her arms pinned on the bed a few minutes later. And then, Alicia hooked my legs with hers so our faces were an inch away from each other as our bodies were engaged in close contact as our bodies pressed against each other.
Since we fought against each other fiercely, as a result, both of us were heavily drenched in our mixed sweat and panted heavily as we looked into each other's eyes.
"Shut up! What are you two doing-" Loby kicked the door open and saw us in a suggestive position while we glared at each other at that moment. And I guess the fact that the both of us were in half-naked state didn't seem really convincing to him as well. Loby looked at us with a disbelieving expression.
The atmosphere turned awkward as no one said a word at that moment.
Loby grasped the door knob and closed the door slowly as he stared at us with empty eyes.
A few minutes later...
"Pardon me. I lost my composure." Alicia knelt in front of us.
I couldn't help but let out a smug smile.
"Seriously, you really are something else. Not only did you sexual harass me with your eyes, but also attacking me without a good reason...!"
"Ah! You, you bastard!"
Seeing my cocky expression, Alicia gave me a harsh glare.
...And so did Loby.
"..."
In the face of Loby's piercing gaze, I broke down eventually and went to kneel beside Alicia.
"... For some reason, I feel like I should kneel before you as well."
"Well, it's good that you took the initiative."
Hearing Loby's reply, Alicia looked at me and put on a smug expression as if she was enjoying my plight.
I rolled my eyes as Alicia looked at me with a defying expression. Loby gave the same gaze to Alicia, who lowered her head in embarrassment.
Then, our roles got switched with Alicia rolling her eyes and me looking at her with the same defying expression on my face.
It didn't take a long time for us to glare at each other with murderous expressions silently.
"You two really are two birds of a feather... Couldn't you two just get along already?" Loby sighed as he looked at both of us.
Five minutes of us changing later...
"Good morning, Onii-chan, Alicia." Iris greeted us and saluted as we ran into Iris.
"Good morning, Iris(-sama)." Alicia and I said in sync as we saluted back.
"Well... Good morning, I guess...?" Loby also greeted Iris in a tsundere way.
'It wouldn't hurt to be honest with yourself, right?' I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes in slight exasperation.
"Iris, would you like to join us and decipher the book together?" I asked Iris with a smile.
"Sure!" Iris replied warmly.
"Um... Pardon me, Guardian-sama, Alicia-sama. However, Iris-sama has lessons today. Would you mind leaving her alone?" Rain interrupted us politely as she tried to get Iris to take her lessons.
"I refuse." x2
"Your refusals are rejected." Claire appeared with a stern look on her face as she stood in front of Rain and Iris.
Claire had a silent staring contest with us.
"How about you go for a few rounds in pairs?" Iris suggested as she raised her hand.
"Yeah, let's do it." I nodded as I gave Iris a thankful glance for giving us a chance to get her with us.
"Sounds good to me. Rain, get ready!" Claire answered as she gave us a defying look.
"But-"
"What, are you scared? Well, I guess I couldn't blame you though, since you are about to face against a duo that is proficient in both magic and swords." I taunted Rain with a slightly defying tone.
"Come on, Rain! Let's show them who's the boss here."
"Understand!"
In the arena...
"Remind me why are we here again?" Loby asked Iris with a resignation tone.
Iris shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"In order to let Iris play- um, I mean to decipher the book with us, we can't lose right here. So I will be counting on you, Alicia."
"That's my line, Guardian. Let's do our best together."
Alicia and I gave each other a heartwarming smile and a fist bump.
"May the best duo wins... Begin!" Iris declared.
Alicia and I drew our swords as we lunged at Claire and Rain.
We channeled our mana in our respective swords, which blades turned blue and pale purple respectively.
Alicia and I split up at the last second, when Claire slashed downwards and Rain cast her spell and they missed their attacks.
After dodging their attacks, I dashed towards Rain while Alicia was after Claire.
"Lightning!" Rain cast her spell at Alicia.
"Light Absorb Shield!" I summoned the milky shield and absorbed the spell before it hits Alicia.
However, I stopped moving as a result and stood between Claire and Rain.
As Claire was about to brought her sword onto my head, Alicia protected me by blocking the attack with her sword.
So the situation at that moment was Alicia and I had our backs against each other as we were fending off attacks from Claire and Rain.
"Hey." I said.
"What?" Alicia answered.
"Get either one of the two for me." I suggested as we turned sideways slowly.
"But how?"
"By this!" I kicked Alicia out of the pincer attack.
"Remember! You owe me a kick!" Alicia shouted at me as she lunged at Rain to stop her from casting any more spells.
"You don't have to remind me that!" I shouted back at her as I continued fighting against Claire.
I kicked Claire in the stomach to create some distance between us.
"Core change, Pegasus to Phoenix!" I muttered as my Core Outfit transformed into a set of red combat outfit.
Then I drew my pair of slash blades and started to channel my mana into them.
'Flashfire Combo Slash!' I shouted the skill name internally as I swung my slash blades in a quick succession.
Claire kept moving backwards while I advanced and kept on swinging my slash blades.
After that, I flipped the slash blades and held them in a reverse grip.
Even though I wasn't as skilled in fighting with slash blades in a reverse grip since that was my first time fighting by using the slash blades in a reverse grip, I still did a pretty good job, or at least I think I did a good job.
What comes after next was that I thrust the slash blades into the ground and used them as a stepping stone, then I pulled out my nodachi and did a flip.
Claire fell onto the ground after our swords clashed with a loud clanging sound.
I pointed my nodachi at Claire's throat, who raised her hands in defeat.
Then I looked at Alicia, who managed to close the distance and subdued Rain successfully.
"Congratulations, Onii-chan, Alicia! You did it!" Iris declared our victory as she congratulated us.
"Well that was fun, nice work-" I turned to Alicia with a smile on my face as Alicia ran towards me.
It turned out Alicia dropkicked me in the face before I could finish what I was saying.
"Okay, now we are even." Alicia let out a beautiful smile as if she had get everything off her chest.
Seriously, what the hell. Can nobles actually read the atmosphere for once? I mean, I haven't seen one who could actually read the mood and avoid doing some stupid things.
"Really, can you read the mood for once, you idiot?!" I whacked Alicia in the head as I sighed in exasperation.
Alicia whacked me back in the head without saying a word.
The situation then escalates into an all-out battle between the both of us as we exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks in order to get as much hits off from each other.
Loby and Iris separated us before we went overboard.
And right now at this moment, we were at the Operational Base after I cast Sanctuary on Alicia and myself and healed the both of us.
"Seriously, to think that you two would fight over trivial matters as adults..." Loby sighed as he facepalmed himself.
"Well, whose fault do you think it is-" Alicia and I answered in sync and stared at each other right after.
"It's your problem, don't you dare deny it. This wouldn't have happened if you didn't kick me during the fight."
"Excuse me? I was just trying to get you out of harm's way. Also, what are you expecting from me? You couldn't expect me to push you while I have a sword in one hand and a shield in another, can you? Not to mention, I promised I would let you kick me back after that. It is true that wasn't your problem at first, but you didn't read the mood back then and ruin the entire moment, and that is your problem."
A few minutes later...
"Like I said, that was your problem to begin with!"
"No you!"
Alicia and I glared at each other and reached for our weapons in attempt to intimidate the other as the discussion started to turn into a heated argument.
Witnessing our conversation, Iris began to giggle. Without a doubt, Alicia and I both turned our attention onto Iris.
"You two really get along well." Iris said with a smile.
"What?"
"Seeing Onii-chan, who I think of as a brother, and Alicia, who I think of as a sister, fighting like this, this feels like a sibling scuffle."
Dumbfounded, Alicia and I turned to meet each other's gaze reflexively.
'A scuffle between siblings is definitely an understatement.' Loby conveyed the message by glancing at the remaining party members, who all nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let me introduce you to Alicia, she is a Rune Knight." I sighed in resignation before I introduced Alicia to my party members.
After a few minutes of introducing my party members to Alicia...
"Are you interested in joining our party? You may piss me off at times, but I actually do consider you as a formidable ally, an adventurer to be reckoned with. So, I would like to invite you to join our party." I asked with a slightly serious tone and extended my hand at Alicia as I looked at her.
"Um, sure. Count me in." Alicia answered with a positive tone and a warm smile as she shook my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Alicia-san!" Yunyun grabbed Alicia's left hand with both of her hands.
"Yeah, me too, Yunyun-san." Alicia answered with a smile.
"Alright, with all that done, let's start and decipher the book." I said as I clapped my hands together.
I took out the Blue Summoning Scroll and summoned the blood-stained book we obtained back in the abandoned facility from the Crimson Demon Village.
"What's with this book? It stinks." Alicia pinched her nose and asked me as she looked at me with a doubtful gaze as if I pulled a prank on her.
"This is the book we obtained from a poor girl in an abandoned facility." Loby explained.
"So... what happened to the girl then...?"
"Do we really have to point out the obvious for you? The girl is dead apparently." I sighed.
"At any rate, let's continue." I pulled my sword out and channeled my mana into the sword.
"You know what? Alicia, would you mind to channel your mana into the sword?" I sheathed my sword as I looked at Alicia.
"Sure." Alicia drew her sword and channeled her mana into her sword, which gave out a pale purple glow.
The words appeared under the presence of the purple light emitted from Alicia's sword.
"Let's see..."
"Hey, Guardian, what is this?" Alicia showed me the page that has a bunch of English words on it.
"That's English, one of the languages from my world."
"Anyway, let me check that out... In case of you are wondering what these are, the weird-ass symbols on the pages after the introduction are Wingdings."
Wingdings? Wait, what is she talking about? Oh right, the symbols in Microsoft Word, huh? This girl... Is she yet another cheat item holder reincarnated into this world? Not that I care anyway, but still, I mean, not everyone from my world know the font Wingdings. So it would be impossible for people from this world know Wingdings.
"The location of the book for translation is hidden inside the book. Good luck in finding the book!"
I closed the book silently as everyone looked at me.
"What's wrong?" Karu asked.
"Fk you!" I shouted as I raised the book as I was about to yeet the book out of the window.
However, Alicia grabbed me by my wrist before I could threw the book out of the window.
"Hold up a second. What's the matter?" Alicia asked.
"Go and get your stuff ready in two days or so. We are going to the Crimson Demon Village again a few days later." I said in resignation as I turned my attention onto them.
A/N:
Hope you all enjoyed the story and positive critiques are always appreciated, either via PM or reviews.
Also, I would like to say thank you to those who followed or favorited my story once again, as that meant a lot to me and gave me motivation to continue the story.
Stay tuned for the next chapter!