Phew, it's been a hot minute since my last upload.
I got a rather nasty case of writer's block that made me stop working on everything, but video games came to the rescue and helped me brainstorm. I beat Dark Souls III for the first time during my brief hiatus, and I'm currently playing Hogwarts Legacy and Metroid Prime Remastered. Real shit, I can't wait for the remake of Resident Evil 4 since the original is one of my favorite games of all time, which is why I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Because once that game and Tears of the Kingdom come out, I'll be dropping everything to play those until I'm satisfied.
That's not a joke. I literally took a week off my job to play Breath of the Wild practically nonstop until I was happy. (And I was!) So I'll likely be doing the same for its Sequel in May.
AO3 users might have noticed the new tags. I'll go into more detail in the post-chapter notes, but I'm not lying when I say that the next chapter should be my most ambitious with this story so far.
In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero
Chapter Nine: Guilt
"Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last eats out the very heart and substance of the metal."
-Robert South
Alfred continued pacing around the fireplace of his office, thinking carefully about how he would finish the letter he was currently writing to his elder brother, the King of Belfast. Between needing to explain himself for why they had suddenly requested the services of both the current Royal Physician and the Royal Court Mage on such short notice, not just for a mere adventurer, but a foreign commoner no less! However, there were other pressing concerns seemed to align with the possible attempted kidnapping of his daughter.
'Amanesque town is part of Count Balsa's domain...' Alfred thought as he finished another lap around his office. 'However, one of the other great lords could have used the gangs of Amanesque to try and implicate Balsa instead. With the meeting next month to facilitate the treaty between Mismede and us. That and Princess Yumina's engagement ball with the Great Lords...I can foresee trouble brewing if nothing is done.'
As the Duke finished another lap, the doors to his private office opened, revealing his wife with a sad smile on her face. The recently healed Duchess had been quick to return to her duties as the Lady of the House. It was her, as the daughter of the previous Royal Physician, who had quickly taken charge of the panic after the young man had collapsed, from calming everyone down to placing a gag order on the staff and finally summoning the two greatest experts in the Kingdom to the manor, all while reassuring the girls in Alex's party that she would do all she could for them.
"How is he doing, Ellen?" Alfred questioned as he watched his wife silently reach the chair closest to the fireplace.
"Raul and Charlotte have him breathing," Ellen answered calmly as she sat and poured herself a cup of tea. "So he is alive at the very least but is still quite weak at the moment."
"Thank goodness," Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. While he may not know the lad all too well yet, he could see a ton of potential in him that could be very useful for the country. Between that and the debt he owed the young man, The Duke was relieved that the young man was on the road to recovery.
"Perhaps you should take a seat, my love," Ellen suggested as she poured another cup of tea for her husband. "It will do your heart no good if you continue to stress yourself. Wait for Raul and Charlotte to finish treating that poor boy. Then you can finish the letter to your brother with a calm mind and a calm heart. With any luck, they should be finished any minute now."
"You are right, my dear," Alfred confessed with a long sigh as he took the seat next to his beloved wife and accepted the cup from her. "With everything that happened in just one day, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed..."
"I can not blame you," Ellen replied with an understanding nod. "Which is all the more important to remain calm, lest you make an easy mistake."
"It is good to finally have you back by my side," said Alfred with a bittersweet smile. His wife had always been a pillar of strength and support, especially after being made Duke of Ortlinde. Even during her time blind, while unable to carry out her typical duties, she would still hear his thoughts and give him counsel when prompted. "And how are the girls?"
"They are all distraught," Ellen answered with a sad smile, knowing that Sushie had cried herself to sleep about an hour ago. "The Eashen girl seemed to be holding it together the best. The elder twin is taking it the hardest, while the younger twin is trying to console her sister. For now, I have them in the guest room, next to the one Alex is in, and the maids are attending to their every need."
"I see..."Alfred sighed before taking a drink of his tea. He didn't mind these unexpected guests spending the night or nights to come. Especially when considering the debt the Duke owed to the whole party. However, he was still a little curious to see if his wife knew any more details regarding Alex's condition and decided to press for more information.
"In my time reading my father's old books, I believe Alex may have gone beyond his mana limit," Ellen answered with an educated guess as she had recognized some of the symptoms. "It is a rare condition that could leave the body in a death-like state; as we saw earlier, of course, the person could still die if not treated quickly."
"That should not be possible," Alfred commented as he mulled over his own education on the arcane. "We all have natural magic limiters to prevent such a thing from happening since they normally stop an individual from completely depleting their mana reserves."
"It is not completely unheard of some people being born without those limiters," Ellen answered after taking another sip of her tea. "So it quite possible that Alexander is one of them."
"That could be quite dangerous," Alfred commented as he remembered Alex's unique talent to apparently be able to use all kinds of magic. "Without a natural limiter, he must have difficulty controlling his magic."
"It could explain his rather legendary talent of using all kinds of Null Magic. Of course, that's just my current theory," Ellen replied as she placed her empty tea cup down and looked at the warm flames. "Once Raul and Charlotte are finished, they'll be able to give us a more thorough answer. All we can do now is pray for the boy's swift recovery."
"Indeed," said Alfred as he finished the rest of his drink. "I think I know how to finish the letter now."
It was time to get back to work.
The next day arrived with little fanfare as Sushie Ortlinde woke up late in the day with red, grimy eyes from all the tears she had shed last night. Her maids quickly got her ready for the day, remaining silent as they did their duties upon arriving at the dining hall to find her parents at lunch with a guest. As much as Sushie wanted answers, and would usually pester her father until satisfied. However, having guests in the household meant she was expected to play the part of a young noblewoman and was expected to keep proper manners and decorum.
"Good morning, everyone," said Sushie with a short curtsy to everyone at the table before sitting next to her mother. As Leim drew her seat, her father, Alfred, quickly introduced her to their guest.
"Sushie, you remember Charlotte Willcraft, right?" said Alfred as he motioned to the beautiful woman with the long green hair. "The current Royal Court Mage."
"Yes, father," Sushie answered politely as she turned to address the two honored guests. "Good morning, Master Willcraft; how do you fare today?"
"I am doing quite well, My Lady," Charlotte answered with a kind smile. "I am pleased to see that you were unharmed despite your rather turbulent journey."
"Indeed..."Sushie sighed as Leim served her meal, but alas, she felt no hunger, as the sadness kept her belly uncomfortably full.
"Sushie, dear."
The young girl looked up at her kind mother's smile.
"Alex is alive."
"Really?!" Sushie suddenly woke up as a broad smile grew on her face.
"Indeed," Alfred interjected with a nod while brushing his goatee. "Your mother's quick thinking and our friends' expertise saved Alex from death last night. Charlotte has elected to stay behind to observe him, while Raul, the Royal Physician, has returned to the King's court."
"Can I go see him, father?" Sushie quickly requested, shedding the noblewoman persona and turning back into the excited ten-year-old that she was. "Please?"
"Now, Sushie, remember your manners," Ellen quickly intervened with a firm but understanding tone. "First, finish your food. Once you are done, we can see him...and only if you are quiet. Alex is still asleep and needs to rest. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, mother!" Sushie answered as she looked down at her meal of sweet porridge that was likely a leftover of breakfast; with her mood turning for the better, so did the girl's hunger. However, she did struggle to restrain herself from eating too quickly as she could feel her mother's watchful gaze on her, ensuring that she ate like a proper lady.
Charlotte couldn't help but stifle a giggle while giving the Duke a knowing expression. It wasn't hard to see that Sushie seemed to be utterly smitten with the young man. Charlotte couldn't help but wonder if the Duke might have some ideas on getting this strange young man into the family one way or another. Especially if the letter to the King that Alfred had slipped with Raul wasn't any indication. It wasn't unheard of for members of the Belfast Royal Family to marry non-nobility if they had unique magical talents or prove to be a large-scale benefit to the Kingdom. Ellen was the most recent example, being the daughter of the previous Royal Physician whose descendants could one day inherit the Recovery Null magic spell that could be a boon for any family to have at their disposal.
'Of course, having someone who not only has every affinity but could apparently use every kind of null magic? There's no question that the King or the Duke would do whatever they could to have the boy roped into the family. He'd be invaluable to the Kingdom...' Charlotte pondered as she remembered the details that Alfred and Ellen had shared. After all, it was already a surprise to see that Ellen had her eyesight back, despite Sushie's inability to cast Recovery. Instead, Sushie had ironically and unknowingly brought someone who could. 'Crown Princess Yumina's engagement ball is next month. Mayhaps the Duke is planning on placing this Alex fellow as his candidate?'
"Finished!" Sushie chirped as she showed her mother the empty bowl. Again, Charlotte had to restrain herself from laughing out loud. However, even she could see Duke Alfred struggling to do the same. Even Ellen could barely hide her amusement under her firm gaze, but she would keep her end of the bargain.
"Very well, but keep quiet when we see him, alright?" Ellen commanded as she rose from her seat and addressed her husband and guest. "My love, we will return. Master Willcraft, please continue to enjoy our home. Our servants are at your disposal."
"Thank you, My Lady," Charlotte answered with a short bow.
"Come along, Sushie," said Ellen as her daughter and a few servants followed closely behind them.
'It's such a strange device...' Linze pondered as she looked at the magical artifact Alex always carried with him. It was small, dark, and rectangular with a strange but colorful shell in the pattern of red and white stripes, with a smaller blue square that contained several white stars. The front seemed to be nothing more than a purely black glass that occasionally lit up brightly with strange symbols and cylindrical image that blinked red whenever Linze pushed the buttons found on the side of the device, cut into the groove of the colorful shell. It did change, however, with time, as 4% slowly changed into 13% since the last time she looked at it last night. While the small cylindrical symbol seemed to fill up with the red light.
Linze wasn't sure what any of that meant but prayed it was a good sign that the young man sleeping next to her was on the mend.
'He did say that this device was tied to its user...' Linze slowly readjusted the blankets as she lowered the device and settled in to get more comfortable. It was strange to be sharing a bed with the gently sleeping boy. Still, Master Willcraft had been insistent that it was the best way for the young man to recover his mana faster, by sharing some of hers with close physical contact. To be fair, Linze hadn't ever heard of someone completely draining their mana reserves, but who was she to contradict the Royal Physician and the Royal Court Mage? What was apparent, however, was that they had discovered that not only did Alex have deep mana reserves but that it recovered slower than the average mage. It might have been possible that in all of the time, she had known him. Alex might have never wholly recovered his mana reserves, but only fractions at a time, and with his constant use while practicing, might have never allowed him to surplus. However, it did explain his massive appetite and frequent naps throughout the day when practicing or after a job.
'That's so scary to think about...' Linze thought as she looked at the boy's peaceful face. Since she was the only dedicated mage in the party, she knew the importance of keeping mana levels up as constant overuse could cause permanent damage to the body to the point of a possible spell rebound or even worse losing the ability to channel mana. 'And with every Null magic spell being different in mana consumption, it was little wonder that Alex finally met his match with one of the most powerful healing spells in existence. The amount of mana it must have used was just enough to put him over the edge without outright killing him.'
'Yet, he was still able to do so much...' Linze added as a blush grew as she continued staring at the lad. 'Despite everything...kept going...until there was nothing left...'
There wasn't any doubt in Linze's mind that she had slowly developed feelings for the strange young man. Feelings she had only read in some of her more...risky novels that were often hidden from her sister's prying eyes. Yet, these feelings served as a double-edged sword. As happy as she felt being with him, speaking with him, fighting alongside him. Linze knew Elze was starting to feel the same way, even if she didn't know it herself. It wasn't hard to see how she looked at him or the changes she had made because of him, which made her feel another type of feeling she wasn't used to.
Jealousy
While not wholly unfamiliar with this particular emotion, especially with her elder sister. It was the first time she harbored such strong feelings against her twin sister, and she hated it. Elze was all she had left in the world after her parents died. There was a reason why they no longer lived with their extended family back in the Imperium. Yet, despite this, Linze had almost smirked in triumph, almost wanting to gloat when it had been decided that she would get to stay with Alex alone. Despite knowing that Elze had practically cried herself to sleep out of sheer guilt. Her desire overruled any possible guilt over her sister's pain. It was only when they were finally alone, did Linze begin to feel the shame and guilt for her initial lack of empathy towards her twin that had been driven by a rare drop of avarice in her heart. To want the boy all to herself, even if only for a while, where she could be as greedy as she wanted to be...where she could hold him as much as she wanted...where could even...kiss him if she wanted. Linze didn't even realize how close she was to his face. Her lips were so close to his.
At least until the door suddenly opened, the girl had to instantly lay back down and hide her bright red face under the covers.
"Hello?" Linze heard the soft voice of Sushie Ortlinde call out. After calming down, Linze raised her head, pretending to have just woken up from a nap. Hoping that she was convincing after rubbing her eyes, Linze turned to look at the young girl and her mother approaching Alex's bedside.
"Good morning, My Lady," Linze breathed out to the Duchess and her daughter after noticing their staff remained at the door. "Can I help you?"
"Relax, my dear" Ellen answered as she and Sushie took the seats that Elze and Yae had left behind. "We just wanted to check up to see how your leader was doing."
"Oh...well, he's better than last night," Linze answered awkwardly. Never in a million years did she think she would have such a casual conversation with a Duchess and her daughter while being in bed with a man. Then again, life hasn't been the same since Alex came into their lives. "His breathing has steadied, and Master Willcraft said that Alex should awaken sometime tomorrow at the latest."
"Excellent," Ellen answered as her gaze turned to look at Sushie, who seemed deep in thought. "Oh, and may I ask where the rest of your companions are?"
"Of-f course, My Lady," Linze stammered, much to Ellen's amusement.
"Relax, my dear, relax," the Duchess repeated as she reassured the nervous commoner girl. "You are all honored guests, whom we are greatly indebted to for your shared actions. We also in the privacy of my household, so there are no qualms in speaking to us more informally."
"Thank you," said Linze with a small smile as she felt more at ease to speak. "My sister and Yae went to visit Viscount Swordrick to complete our original mission for the Adventurer's Guild."
"Ah, yes," Ellen said with a nod. "Ah, I had almost forgotten. Alfred told me you were adventurers. May I ask how long you have been in the profession?"
"We've been with the Guild for just a little over a month," Linze answered with a friendly smile.
"Oh, so you still quite new to the profession," Ellen responded, surprised by the answer given when considering their apparent expertise as read in Arne's report.
"Kind of..." Linze replied with another nervous laugh as she readjusted herself on the bed. "My sister and I were actually freelance Adventurers before we met Alex."
"Was Alex the one who convinced you to join the Guild?"
"No," Linze shook her head. "Actually, there's a funny story about that...my sister and I ran into a spot of trouble with our last employers as freelancers. They tried to shortchange us and when we refused to comply they were ready to become violent...then..."
"He stepped in..." Ellen finished for Linze with a curious expression.
"He did..." said Linze with a soft smile as she looked at the sleeping lad. "He seems to have the knack of stepping in to help those in need...I think it's his best trait. It's happened more times than I care to admit. We even met Yae in the same way when we stopped by Amanesque Town, and Alex found out about the plot to kidnap your daughter."
"Thank you..."
Linze and Ellen stopped to look at Sushie had she finally spoke up.
"Thank you again...for saving me, Leim, and the rest of my guards," Sushie sniffed as fresh tears ran down her face. "And...and...and for...l-l-eti-ng...my-moth—mother-se-e-again..."
"There, there," said Ellen as she embraced and comforted her daughter. "I think we have taken enough of your time, Ms. Silhoueska. Please continue doing what you need to do, and let my maids outside of the room know if you need anything, okay?"
"I understand, My Lady," Linze said with a short bow of her head as she settled back into bed with Alex and watched the two leave the room. Little did she know that the plan Ellen was cooking up with the answers she had received from the young Silhoueska twin would shape their futures forever.
Elze Silhoueska's pain as her bare fists slammed into the practice dummy was almost cathartic. She expressed all her anger and frustrations towards the unfortunate construct of sackcloth and stuffing. Refusing to wear her gauntlets, or even use her Boost spell. For her, this was the simplest way to try and resolve herself of the guilt that had been gnawing at her very soul since last night and it didn't help that Yae had been silent their entire trip to Viscount Swordrick's estate.
It was strange that Elze would even care that Yae had seemed to be silently judging her since Alex collapsed yesterday. Typically, she wouldn't give a damn about the opinions of someone she barely knew; after all, she had only known the Eashen girl for less than three days! Why would the thoughts of a stranger matter to her so much? Yet, deep down, Elze knew why Yae's opinion mattered so much. As a fellow female fighter, a certain kinship could only be found by those who refused to conform to more traditional gender roles. Knowing another girl who seemed like her and understood their challenges was refreshing. Then there was the rather forward relationship that the swordswoman seemed to share with the strange boy.
'There is it again!' Elze thought as she slammed her fist into the face of the dummy at hard as she could, sending another painful shock up her arm. 'That strange feeling in my chest...'
Despite also knowing her for the same amount of time, Alex and Yae's relationship seemed to advance far more than she had expected. Hell, the fact that Yae learned that Alex had apparently lived and knew Eashen before they did was almost infuriating! Why didn't he ever share that information with them? Didn't he trust them?
'Why should he? When I...' Elze thought as she finally sighed in exhaustion, taking a seat on the floor to nurse her raw hands as fresh tears began welling up. 'Yae was right...I am horrible...'
"Ms. Silhoueska?" Elze quickly stood up and wiped the offending tears out of her eyes before turning toward the entrance of the training room. There stood Viscount Carlossa Swordrick with a kind smile while a crestfallen-looking Yae was looking shamefully at the floor. The Viscount stepped forward with a new seal letter on hand. "My most sincerest apologies for the wait. Between the delivery and the surprise visit from my former master's daughter, it took me more than a moment to draw up an appropriate response for Mr. Zenfield."
"Not at all, My Lord," Elze answered with a short bow. "I actually needed the time to collect myself."
"I'll say...I see you are not the only one who needed to vent today," said Carlossa as he surveyed the damage done to his training dummy with a bemused expression. However, he did pause when he noticed Elze's damaged hands when he had handed the young woman his new letter. "Please allow me to summon my maid before you leave. She is quite adept with Light magic and can fix your hands in an instant."
"Oh...I...thank you, My Lord," Elze managed to say, unable to hide her embarrassment but grateful for the offer nonetheless.
"Not at all," said Carlossa before turning to face Yae. "As for you. Best of luck to you, Yae, and if you ever return to Eashen, please give your father my regards."
"Of course, sir," Yae said softly with a deep bow. "Thank you for seeing me and for your council."
"Please don't be a stranger; you are always welcomed here anytime, Yae," Carlossa said before exiting. "My maid will be here shortly to heal and escort you out. Farewell."
Elze could almost laugh at Carlossa's ability to cut straight to the point. The Viscount was famous for being a master of the sword and apparently a man of few words. However, as soon as the Viscount was gone was when the awkward air between Elze and Yae returned. The young Eashen swordswoman hadn't moved from her spot near the training hall entrance, still looking away from the elder Silhoueska twin. Elze was quickly reminded of her guilty conscience.
"My form was excellent, but my heart was clouded," said Yae as she suddenly turned to look at Elze.
"I'm...sorry?" Elze followed with a confused look.
"It's what Master Swordsrick said to me after he had defeated me," Yae responded with a sad smile. "My strong emotions interfered with my match. "My strikes were direct and true, but my stance, my movement; they were stiff and predictable as every hit was laced in anger..."
"I see..." said Elze as she looked away in shame.
"I'm sorry, Elze."
Elze suddenly turned to see Yae bowing toward her.
"Wait...what?"
"I have been naive," Yae answered as she raised her head. "I have been thinking about the conversation between you and Alex...and the one we had when we debated whether we should have Alex heal Duchess Ortlinde. I left Eashen to learn more about the world and new ways to hone my blade. My journey has taken me across the face of the earth, but I still remained naive. It wasn't until I heard wisdom from Master Swordsrick during my spar with him that I realized that I was actually angry at myself. Yet, I misdirected that anger on you...because I couldn't accept my own folly."
"So...you were actually a lot like me and Alex, huh?" said Elze with a warm smile as she felt the guilt in her heart easing off her shoulders. The irony of this conversation was not lost on her, considering everything that happened yesterday.
"No, I was worse," Yae confessed with a shake of her and a hand to her heart. "You and Alex knew how you were each of you was in the wrong. I...I...I did not. I wanted to blame you for my blunder, because I couldn't accept them, but in the end. You were correct. I know in my heart of hearts Alex would have healed Duchess Ortlinde at his first opportunity. None of us could have expected had what happened to Alex, but now that we do...and know how to prevent it and we can continue forward together. That is...if you will continue to have me..."
"You..." Elze realized what she meant. "You want to continue traveling with us? Even after...?"
"I learned a lot during my short time traveling with the three of you," Yae continued with a small smile. "You made me rethink how I should go about things in the future."
"What about your journey to continue studying?"
"Actually, it was Master Swordrick who suggested that I should remain in place somewhere to truly live life outside of Eashen," Yae answered with a nod as she looked at the Viscount's personal banner that hung above her. "I have learned all I could as a traveler. It's time to take what I've learned and refine them. That said, it would also be nice to no longer worry about getting funds through odd jobs when I could have steady work with the Guild."
"I..." Elze did have to think on it for a moment. She was still confused regarding her own personal feelings towards Alex with her sister alone, and throwing Yae into the mix might only complicate things further. However, in the end, not only was Yae reliable, but she was another means to keep herself in line. Plus, she didn't get this far in life without accepting new challenges."Yae...you have my vote."
"Really?!" Yae breathed out excitedly. "You forgive me and will let me continue traveling with you?!"
"Yeah," Elze said with a serene smile as she let go of her anger and self-pity. She was doing her best to continue living up to the promise she had made to Alex yesterday. Just like Yae, Elze had to open her mind to the possibilities. "I forgive you...even if I personally believe that there's nothing to forgive."
"But..."
"Let's not have a repeat of my conversation with Alex yesterday," Elze said with a renewed grin. "Let's just call us even and move forward together, alright?"
"Thank you, Elze," said Yae with another deep bow.
"Excuse me?" The two girls turned to find a friendly-looking woman in a maid's outfit standing at the entrance of the training hall. "I'm here to tend to Ms. Silhoueska's wounds."
"Ah, yes," said Elze with an embarrassed smile as she walked forward while presenting her hands. "Thank you for the help."
"Not at all," said the maid as she promptly got to work on healing Elze with magic. "I was already on my way to speak to you when Lord Swordrick asked me to heal you. I have a message from your rather handsome escort."
"Arne?" Elze questioned as the guard had volunteered to be their driver in the Duke's private carriage that they were permitted to borrow to make their journey through the noble district easier.
"Ah, that's his name?" The maid said with a giggle, much to Elze's mild annoyance. "Well, no matter. A runner arrived from the Duke's palace, and I was asked to relay the message addressed to both of you."
"What's the message?" Yae asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Alex is awake."
Author's Commentary
Once again, I pushed back my original intentions with this chapter as I was supposed to bring more of the Dark Souls elements to this story, but it kept screwing up the pacing. So I ultimately went with this new approach where I would cover the day without Alex and cover the characters during his time asleep.
I wanted to make the Belfast nobility more dynamic and active participants. For example, making Ellen, the Duke's wife actually take charge with the readjusted background of being the daughter of the previous royal physician. Then there is adding the element of making royal marriages outside of nobility, not unheard of if the candidate could benefit the family or the Kingdom. (Which is far more than canon ever gave us.)
Ellen was pretty much a plot device and eye candy. Here, I wanted to make her an active participant with the Duke regarding the Kingdom's future. I also introduced Charlotte early as a potential candidate for the harem that you guys can vote for. I've already said that Sushie and Leen will be excluded from the harem. (Of course, this won't stop the Duke from suggesting the idea before Alex ultimately puts his foot down on the subject.) But Charlotte is also here to introduce another element to the story later down the line, even if she isn't made part of the harem that should make things interesting for her character.
I mentioned before that one of my biggest problems with most stories that deal with Harems. (Be they original works or fanfiction.) Is the focus of the relationship outside of the MC. I feel like the relationship that each girl part of the harem has with each other is just as important if not more important than the one they share with the MC. IAWWS is just another example of the relationship that the girls have with each other is practically hand waved, and I'm not about that life. I think the relationship between Elze and Yae was ready to come to a head with this chapter as Yae becomes a permanent team member.
We also have Linze learning a little bit more regarding Alex's smartphone and some of the secrets it holds that might just bring into question just who is this mysterious boy and where did he originally come from? Since I like slow-burn stories that make a relationship feel earned. I want Alex to work and earn his harem that he didn't ask for. Still, I gave him anyway because I just happen to feel a little bad for all of the shit I put through and will continue to because I'm a cruel son of a bitch, especially toward my own creations. Jesus, I ranted hard there, didn't I?
Now for the new Isekai tags.
Rising of the Shield Hero and Arifureta. We'll see how several of these and the other Isekai series tagged along with Dark Souls tie in the next chapter that covers a dream...or could we really call it that once certain details are revealed?
What I can say with 100% certainty is that the next chapter will be named.
Encounter with the Scholar.
Anyways, that should cover things for now!
Until next time!
-ZX
