As I write this, I remember the fact that anyone that enters the castle of dreams has their memory read by Echidna almost instantly. So, as a way of making this make sense, Ren now has protection from mind reading without his consent.
I'm quite the impeccable author, aren't I? /s
I understand this might seem like I'm being lazy, which I am, but you guys gotta understand that…I'm too lazy to change previous chapters, I'll leave that job for later.
It is now later, I still have not changed anything…lol
Chapter Five:
Time Past
Irlam Village
"Thank you so much, Lord Fujimura." One of the villagers thanks me for helping him out.
Closing the quest completion screen, I respond back to the villager. "It was no problem at all, and please just call me Ren. I'm certainly no lord of any kind." Bidding him goodbye. All of my business done in both the village and forest, I start making my way back "Home". The whole way back, I think back to my first training session with Echidna, four weeks ago.
Loading Flashback…
The sight of my mom laying on the hospital bed surprised me at first, and the fact that I couldn't remember this ever happening worried me a little. But to think this is my birth…
"This is another world? It is just like he said, no magic in sight…" I hear Echidna from beside me, but that's the least of my concerns. 'Even if it's just a memory, I get to see my mom again, even if it is just for a little bit…but where's dad?'
As if on cue, I hear a loud bang from behind me. The door to the room is slammed open, at the door is a disheveled man. That man being my father. "I didn't miss…anything did I?" He asks my mom in between a breath.
"No…you're just…on time, Hon." Mom's soft voice sounded like music to my ears.
"Sir, please stand next to your wife." The Doctor instructs my Dad on what to do, and soon enough it starts. My Mom throwing all kinds of explicit obscenities at my Dad, who is struggling to stay awake from the pain of having his hand crushed.
All the while, I can only smile and laugh at my father's misfortune. Fortunately for him, his torture ends quickly after the sounds of a crying baby start to be heard. The sight of baby me being wrapped up in a blanket, and given to my mom to hold is too wholesome not to remember. "...Ha!...I win…" Mom says out of nowhere.
"Huh?" /"Huh?" I'm about as confused as you dad.
"He's a boy…isn't he? That means…I get to name…him. He even…got my looks." Sounding really triumphant, my dad just laughs in exasperation.
"So, what did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking…the name Ren would fit him perfectly, but he'll also…get my surname too." Mom seems to finally be catching her breath bit by bit.
"I have no complaints, I don't really think Ren Williams rolls off the tongue that well."
"Right?"
"You don't have to agree so quickly, you know?"
"Oh, come on. I'm just joking, a little. Besides, you get to choose his middle name."
After a few seconds of thinking, dad finally finds an answer. "...Oh, I've got it, it'll be Maxwell."
"Like your Father?" Oh right, Grandpa's name is Maxwell, guess that's where that name came from.
"Yup, Dad'll freak out when he finds out…"
"..."
"..."
Silence, judging by the surroundings now being frozen still, any recollection of this memory ends here. Turning to Echidna, I find her with a contemplative look on her face. "Is something wrong?…Echidna?"
That snaps her out of it. "Everything is fine my apprentice." Despite her reassurance, I get the feeling she had more to say. "It is time for you to wake up, see you again tonight." Tapping me on the forehead, I am taken back to the mansion.
Flashback End
'It was nice getting to see mom and dad again.' Getting back didn't take long, opening the front door I was greeted by one of the maids. Thankfully, it was Rem. I don't hate Ram or anything, she's just not really a person I like to deal with for long periods. "Ah! Ren-san, how was your visit to the village?"
"It was fine, thank you Rem." In the span of three weeks, she's opened up a lot to me, guess that little incident in the forest made her trust me more. Not to mention the surprise winter festival in the middle of spring.
"Will you be joining us for dinner today?"
"Sorry I can't today, I've got an early morning tomorrow." If everything goes right, I should be able to fight and kill the boss in the forest by the end of tomorrow. 'Small puppy my ass, that thing was the size of a fucking small home.' I had gotten a look at the big boss today, it seemed to be looking for something, probably me. I guess it didn't like me killing all of its minions, I don't think anybody does really…
"Good Night Rem." Excusing myself from a possible conversation, I head for my room, leaving the blue maid to her cleaning or whatever it was she was doing.
POV Change - 3rd Person
Unknown to Ren, was the downtrodden look being given to him by Rem. 'Did I offend him in some way? It's been nearly 2 weeks since Ren-kun has joined us for dinner.' Having gathered enough of her trust, Rem no longer saw Ren as a threat to her or her sister. In fact they had spent enough time together, that Rem had grown a small little crush on the young man.
Of course, Rem doesn't really quite understand the feelings she has, so she has opted into not saying anything and figuring it out herself. Ren, on the other hand, has no clue about her feelings for him. He wasn't dense, Rem has just been surprisingly good at hiding her affection for him.
'I wonder if this world has an adventurers guild or not, there hasn't been any mentions of it, but I'd like to join it if there is one.' Or maybe he was dense…
Irlam Forest
Pov Returned
"Oh man, here we go…" Entering the Dungeon, I activate my newly upgraded stealth ability. "Presence Concealment D."
[Dungeon Boss has spawned]
So I was right…wonder where it is exactly though. The regular wolgrams are probably also here, so should I take them out first? Or should I just ignore them and head straight towards the Boss? That leaves me vulnerable to an ambush from behind though…Actually no matter my decision I'll end up being flanked, whether it's by regular Wolgrams or by the Boss.
'Ah, Fuck it. There's no need to overcomplicate it, I just need to kill the boss.' Jumping up to one of the trees, I deactivate my stealth skill and start jumping from tree branch to tree branch. If the sounds of my jumping don't alert them, then their noses will.
…
Jumping from branch to branch has gotten pretty easy, compared to my first time at least. I still remember my first fall, damn Wolgrams got a few bites on me, they all died a painful death. That was my first attempt though, I've realized that these things aren't that smart. Smart enough to know that hunting in packs is the optimal way in hunting, but too dumb to notice that I'm leading them straight to a trap. And if I'm right, the boss should be in the clearing up ahead. It practically screams "Boss Area''.
Jumping out of the treeline and into the clearing, I quickly dodge the bite headed my way from the big boss. 'I hate being right sometimes…'
Finding an opening, I quickly take it and continue running off. Leading the wolgrams and the boss into the greatest trap ever.
Heading back into the forest, I circle around until I find where I layer the trap. Jumping over the totally not suspicious pile of sticks and leaves, I finally stop and turn around.
Not too far behind me is the Boss, and right behind it are its minions. Normally I'd be horrified by the amount of wolgrams, but thanks to our differences in intelligence, most of them fall straight into the pitfall, boss included. And the ones that don't fall in? Well, nothing a Huma can't fix.
Looking down into the pit, I find most of the wolgrams stuck down there, and those that try to get out, failing to do so. "Having trouble down there?!" I yell down into the hole. "Oh, Wait. You guys don't understand me, that's awkward… El Goa. "
The initial blast takes out a good portion of them, the ones that lived are currently on fire except for the boss, who seems to have a resistance to my spells. "God the smell is horrible, maybe another Goa'll do the trick. El Goa ."
"Ugh! The smell…I think I'm going to throw up." And he's still alive, he's durable, I'll give him that much. "Please, for the love of God, just die already. El Huma, El Huma! " Summoning a ton of shards, I shoot them all at its head. It doesn't take long before it's body slumps to the side.
Boss Defeated!
Wolgrams x 24 Defeated!
Claim Rewards? (Yes) (No)
'Oh thank God, I was not looking forward to an actual fight.' I'm no battle hardened warrior, at best I am an apprentice mage. 'Yes.'
Wolgram Boss Horn x 1
Rank: D
Wolgram Horn x 6
Rank: F-
Wolgram Meat x 13
Rank F-
Wolgram Fangs x 26
Rank F-
Level Up! x 4
I sell all of the loot drops other than the boss horn. Closing the window, I exit the dungeon with a satisfied look on my face. I am also pleasantly surprised by the appearance of two different windows.
Hidden Quest Completed
Job Selection Requirements Reached
I decide to check the window that showed up first.
Quest Complete!
"Dungeon Crawler"
Objective: Complete a Dungeon
Rewards: Bounded Field (Skill), 10 AP, 1000 G.
Claim? (Yes)(No)
Claiming the rewards, I look towards the other window for more information.
Job Selection Quest is now available, starting this quest will transport you to a Dungeon.
Start This Quest?
(Yes)(No)
As much as I'd love to find out what job I might get, my fatigue is too high to try and risk more dungeon exploration. Refusing the quest, I start making my way back to the mansion.
Castle of Dreams
"What's the occasion? You don't usually make tea when I'm here, are we having any more surprise guests?" I ask my teacher.
"The others know not to intrude while you train, so no, they will not be joining us today. Unless of course, you'd prefer them over your beautiful teacher."
"Their company doesn't sound so bad right about now. They're certainly more preferable than a certain greedy witch." I say jokingly, having met all of the dead witches of sin here, other than Envy, since she's not here, at least from what I've been told. "But really, what's wrong? You don't usually bring me here this early."
"Is it so wrong of me to want to see my apprentice?" I have a lot of things to say to that, but I think it's for the best that I keep my mouth shut. "Today we will just be talking, no training or memory session. Just you and I, nothing else."
"Huh. I guess I do need a break from all the work. Alright then, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"How has your stay been? Is everything alright with you?" Normally when someone asks this, they do it out of concern. Not Echidna though, she just wants to know how I, another worlder, am adjusting to a completely foreign world. Purely out of a strange form of curiosity. I don't actually care how she may view me or the world, who am I to judge someone on their flaws?
"It's been fine, mostly. The mansion residents have treated me well, even if we don't converse much. I on the other hand…I'd like to believe I am alright, thanks to you."
"I see." A genuine smile appears on her face. "…Are you not going to drink your tea?"
"Course not, I'd rather not ingest anymore of your fluids."
"It was one time, and either way, I didn't put anything into this batch… Not much at least." I don't quite catch that last part, but I slowly start to consider the offer. "You wouldn't say no to a young maiden like myself, would you?"
"You're unbearable, you know that?" Picking up the cup of tea, I take a slow sip.
"Even I can get offended, you know?" She says, the hurt expression on her face looking rather genuine. But I know better than to fall for it.
"That so? My apologies if I hurt your fragile heart." My response coated in sarcasm.
"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind your last training session being canceled?"
'Oh right, I forgot. Tomorrow is the last day of our contract…wait, what!' "I was just kidding! It was just a joke! You're not unbearable, in fact, I love spending time with you!" In my hurry to change her mind, I say something I probably shouldn't have said.
"Fufufu…to flirt so shamelessly with your teacher, are you perhaps into older women?" This woman truly is unbearable.
"...Can I go now?" I ask, I'd beg if I need to.
"Not yet, there is still one more thing I'd like to show you." She pulls out a pyroxene necklace, which I just observed.
Pyroxene Necklace (Filled)
Rank: A
(Filled) this Necklace contains the original soul of Echidna.
"Your soul? Not even a copy? Why are you giving me this?" An object of such importance is probably best kept here, than with me who could lose it if I were to unfortunately die.
"I am entrusting my soul to you, I know you will find a way in making use of it. Oh, but don't put it on, unless you want to be possessed by me." This is now never leaving my inventory for two reasons. "You are free to leave now, my apprentice, but if you're willing to spend more time with your beautiful young teacher, then who am I to deny you?"
'God, she's insufferable…' I decided to stay for a while longer.
Forbidden Library
POV Change - 3rd Person
Sitting in the same little chair of hers, Beatrice stares at the door, waiting for the young man's arrival. 'Where is that boy? It's been nearly a week since his last visit…not that Betty cares, in fact…' Her actions betray her thoughts, as she continues staring at the door in hopes of it opening.
After a long while, she'd look down at her lap where her Tome was. Its empty pages would stare right back at her beautiful butterfly shaped irises. Their beauty is slightly diminished by the tears now falling from them.
'Not again…' She would end up falling asleep until dawn.
"..."
Tap, tap. She'd wake up to the sound of footsteps. Looking around, in her peripherals, she would find a standing young man reading a book. The same young man she was waiting for all night.
Ren, the young man, noticed the movement from her direction. Closing the book in his hands, he addresses the now awake librarian. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" His apology was accompanied by a small smile.
"..." Beatrice continued to just stare silently at him, confused at how naturally he would speak to her. He'd treat her like how one would a close friend or family member.
Taking her silence as a sign that she was listening, Ren continued speaking. "I just wanted to drop by and ask you a few things. If you don't mind, of course."
"Hmph! Betty couldn't care less about what you have to say. In fact."
"Even if it's about 'That Person'?"
"H-How do you know about that? I suppose."
"That doesn't matter, does it? I came here to ask you about it. More specifically, how much longer will you wait for someone who doesn't exist? I understand that you have a contract that binds you here, but I am nearly positive that others have come to you offering a contract that ends the one you have. Why didn't you take their contract? Was it pride? Did you not like their terms? Or do you want to stay here forever?"
"Of course not! Betty has spent every waking second, in hopes of 'That Person' opening the door to the Forbidden Library and taking her away from this prison."
"I see. Then, I am that Person, and I am offering you a contract, will you take my hand?" Instead of answering him, she pulls out her Tome, flipping through pages like a madman. "You won't find any changes, Beatrice. What I have just told you is a lie, but I guess you already knew that, you just wanted to believe it was true, right?"
"..."
"I don't blame you, Echidna left you with the mission of protecting the Forbidden Library and waiting for 'That Person', but let me enlighten you a little, 'That Person' does not exist, they will never exist. 'That Person' was supposed to be someone of your choosing, not some idiot that somehow gets in here."
"..."
"I can't save you, if you don't want my saving, so make me that person who will save you from this prison. Make me that person who will show you things that are completely new to you…I can't make you do this, so until then I will wait for your answer. Oh! But I will be leaving tomorrow, so that might be your last chance…Goodbye for now, Betty." Closing the door behind him, he somberly sighs.
'I hope you can give me an answer, Beatrice.'
[} To Be Continued {]
I know I said I'd make some big changes but nah, I made a few changes, neither big or small. So, yeah.
I know I also said he won't be a Subaru clone, but he will be having Betty as a contracted spirit…whoops! Well it was pretty obvious this was going to happen, no? Either way Betty is best girl...Not in a romantic way of course.
Also, will be adding a scene with Echidna comforting Ren in the next interlude.
Other than that, if you have any questions I'll try to answer them, I will not spoil anything else though.
That's all Folks! Buh-Bye!