Part I
Light stabbed as I opened my eyes. I laid on a hard bed with a firm mattress and an itching brown blanket over me. Lifting my head up from the feather pillow, I could tell that I wasn't in Oneka-senpai's bedroom and definitely not mine. Beside me was an open window. The light breeze swayed the cream-colored curtains. The walls were made out of stone, with wooden pillars running across the border as supports. The wooden floor had a trail of dust that led up to the bed.
Where am I? Was I dreaming?
"You definitely are not dreaming." a voice rang in my head.
My lower back and neck were throbbing in pain as I maintained my head up to look around. The last thing I could recall was Uki-chan and I being carried by some woman dressed up in medieval armor. The wooden door in the corner of the room creaked open. Mia-san peeped her head as I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Her footsteps grew louder as she approached me, causing the wooden floor to creak. I felt her soft hand touch my forehead.
"I know you're awake." she whispered into my ear.
Her warm breath sent shivers down my spine, but I kept my eyes closed.
"I guess if Akira-kun is asleep, then I can do whatever I want." Mia-san said, giggling.
I began to sweat as I could feel her presence leave my side. In an effort to not make any movement, my muscles began to tense up. I heard her footsteps walk around me. She grabbed onto my feet and moved her hand up my leg. She lifted up the blanket and entered with me. Her soft body pressed up against mine, making me heat up more with her warm presence. She shuffled up and moved her head against mine. I could feel her mouth near my ear.
I felt something warm and wet on my earlobe.
She's licking my ear!
I opened my eyes. My heart was pounding seeing Mia-san on me.
"You're awake now." Mia-san said, looking directly into my eyes as our foreheads touched.
"Oh, haha, yea, do you know where we are?" I asked nervously, trying to take my mind off the fact that she was on top of me.
"Emika is asleep. Oneka is getting her injuries taken care of. I got out first, so it's just you and me alone right now," Mia-san whispered in my ear.
I could feel Mia-san's warm breath close against my ears.
"You hurt your back, didn't you?"
"I think so..." I was reminded by a sharp sting in my back.
Mia-san got off me.
"Turn around." Mia-san ordered.
"Huh?"
Mia-san took my left arm and twisted me around. I was thrown onto my chest with my face buried in the pillow. She ran her finger down my back, sending tingles down my spine.
"It'll be over quickly." Mia-san said as she raised her hand back.
"What? What will be? What's happening?!" I said frantically, turning my head to look at her despite the pain.
She had her hand flat and above her head. Swiftly, she swung her hand down. Within an instant, I felt the heel of her hand slam directly in the epicenter of my pain.
I screamed as I heard a loud snap in my back.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A shock of pain bursted from my back. Despite the initial flare of pain, the tension and pain started dissipating.
"I hope the pain is gone now." Mia-san whispered as she pushed the blanket off to the side and got off.
The door burst open, and a woman stood at the doorway.
"What happened?!" she said out of breath.
"Nothing," Mia-san said as she smiled, putting her shoes back on.
Taking a closer look, she looked familiar. It was the same woman who rescued us from the wild hogs. Her armor was still on, but the blood was washed off, leaving a light red tint on her white chest plate. With her helmet now off, I saw her red hair stretched back into a ponytail.
"Oh. Well then, since I didn't get to properly introduce myself to you, I shall do so now. My name is Ayano Fransworth, but you can call me Ayano. I am an imperial knight from the Capital," she spoke formally with pride.
I got up from the bed and stretched my arms and legs. My clothes from my date with Uki-chan were caked in dust.
"If you are okay, I can show you guys around," Ayano-san said.
"Sure." I said while stretching my back.
All three of us left the room. Oneka-senpai stepped out from the room next door.
"Thank you," she said, bowing to someone in the room.
As the door closed, we made eyesight, and she came over.
"I'm glad you are okay," Oneka-senpai said.
"Mhmm, he sure is." Mia-san said as she held onto my left arm tightly.
Oneka-senpai gave me a stern look and turned to Ayano-san.
"Thank you for saving us back there." Oneka-senpai said.
"Ah, haha, no problem. I was just doing my duty as a knight of the Capital,"
"If it is too much to ask, can you show us around? We...are not exactly from around here."
"I had a feeling. I have never seen clothes like yours. I am not going to dig into your circumstances, but it would be my pleasure to show you around," Ayano-san beamed with a big smile.
We started walking towards a gate when I remembered Uki-chan's condition.
"You guys go on ahead; I'll be back soon."
"Going to check up on Emika?" Oneka-senpai said.
They all stopped walking.
"I just want to see her quickly."
She sighed.
"Okay, we will wait five minutes for you. If that's okay with you, Ayano-san,"
"Of course! Ah- your friend is in the room right above you!" Ayano-san said as she waved at me.
"Okay, thank you!" I said, running back.
I went back to the hall where we came out. At the end was a staircase that led to the next floor. Each step made a creaking sound. Arriving at the top, I walked over to where my room would have been.
Could this be Uki-chan's room?
A soft muffle was coming from inside the room.
I inched closer towards the door. My hand pressed up against the cold metallic handle.
As I slowly creaked the door open and slipped my head in, my heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened.
In front of me were two grown hairy men kissing each other. One man looked like a patient in a white dress. The other was in a medieval-like nurse outfit.
I whipped my head back and slammed the door shut.
I think I just witnessed something unholy.
"Sorry!"
I heard a high-pitched yell come from the room, but I didn't turn around; I kept running.
I ultimately did not run that far, and was left gasping for air. What can I say? It's not like I got much exercise staying home all day. I started my search again, reading each door label meticulously to check the information on the patient inside. Ayano-san must have given me the wrong directions.
I wouldn't want to make the same mistake again.
Scanning across each door, I finally found a door that matched her description.
Silver-haired, Blue-eyed female. This has to be her!
I opened the door slowly.
Please don't scar my eyes again. Please. Please!
I popped one eye inside, and there she was. Uki-chan was lying on a bed. She had a brown blanket on her and had bandages wrapped around her head. I cautiously approached her. I didn't want to disturb her, though she looked adorable sleeping. I pulled over the stool from the nearby desk and sat down beside her trying to make the least amount of noise. It was just her, Oneka-senpai, Mia-san, and me in this strange new world. I grabbed her warm hand with both of mine.
"Mmmm," she groaned.
Her eyes started to open up.
"Huh? Where am I?" Uki-chan said quietly.
"I'm glad you're awake. We were all worried for you." I said, holding Uki-chan's hand.
"I'm not sure where we are, but the woman who saved us is showing Mia and Oneka around. Her name is Ayano-san."
"How are you feeling." I asked.
She turned her head and looked at me. Her face was a lighter skin tone than usual, but she had a confused look on her face.
"Who are you?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
Huh?
"It's me. Akira Tsuruoka, your boyfriend. Remember?"
How could she have forgotten me within a few days of confessing her feelings for me?
Behind me, the door opened, and a woman dressed in a white cloak entered. She had glasses with long brown hair and green eyes with a shirt that stuck to her skin. I assumed she was the doctor based on the attire. She came over to Uki-chan and put her hand on her forehead, then turned to me.
"Your friend here appears to have a minor case of amnesia. The medical reports say that her body was induced into high amounts of stress and some sort of head trauma. Based on the condition that you and the others were found in, that sort of thing is expected. There is no need to worry, though. I expect her memories to come back soon. Now that she is awake, we can run some quick tests on her. No need to worry, though; we will get her back to you in one piece," the doctor reassured me.
"Oh, okay. Uki-chan, you should stay here and get some rest until you feel better and your,"
My hands tightly held onto her's.
"Okay," she said, nodding her head.
I got up from the stool and placed it back where I got it. I looked back as I closed the door. The doctor started talking to Uki-chan, and I quietly slipped out of the room.
I made my way towards the exit, where I found all three girls waiting for me outside.
Oneka-senpai had her arms crossed, leaning against the brick gate post.
"What took you so long? It's been ten minutes. Didn't I give you five?" Oneka-senpai said, looking slightly annoyed.
"Sorry about that; I went to check up on Uki-chan. She has some memory loss, but other than that, she seems fine."
"Oh, well it's good to know that she's recovering! Now then, while your friend rests, let's get started on the tour!" Ayano-san said, smiling, lightening the mood.
Ayano-san walked past the gates of the hospital and out onto the bustling paved streets. It was filled with merchants and shoppers alike. Many carts were selling all sorts of items like jewels and pendants that reflected the sunlight onto our faces. On either side were shops made of stone with wooden homes on the second story. Women with aprons were hanging their bedsheets to dry in the breeze. The sound of footsteps, merchants, and the rustling sound of the bedsheets really made me think we were in one of my RPG games. Two wired lines ran above our heads. As we made our way through the streets, I could feel the glares we were getting at. We stuck out like a sore thumb with our shirts. Everyone around us had typical NPC attire: men wore a brown vest with a white shirt with pants and boots, and women wore dresses that reached their knees.
"We are in Swindelf, my home city. Compared to the Capital, it's like a small town, but anything that you would need, you can find it here!" Ayano-san said.
"Oh, how far is the Capital, Ayano-san," I asked.
"Hmmm, well, I don't know the distance exactly, but it takes 2 days by horse. There is also teleportation crystal sites which are instant, but those are only used by those with high ranks in the Capital and their guards,"
"What are these wires above the street?" Oneka-senpai asked.
"Ah, that is our line capture system. At the corners of the city are giant wheels that rotate, pulling the wires. It is used by the local police and knights like me to get around town quickly and catch criminals on the run. We have these special hooks on our gear that link up to the wires, so only we are the ones who have access to them," Ayano-san said, proudly showing her hook.
"Here we are!" she interrupted herself.
We stopped in front of a shop with a t-shirt logo etched into a wooden sign. Stepping down a few steps, the shop was much larger than it seemed. In the center grew a giant oak tree with all sorts of clothes hanging off its branches. The tree was huge but wasn't visible from the outside.
"Ayano! What brings you here? You didn't happen to destroy the armor I made for you last week again?" an old man yelled from the back of the store.
His feet were planted on an old wooden table, reading what looked like a newspaper.
"Bernard-san! I didn't expect you here! I thought you were helping with construction on the new town hall extension!" Ayano-san replied.
"Haha, you know me! The work always finishes early when I am there!"
"Of course! My new friends here aren't from around here, and they are in need of new clothes,"
"Hmm, you are definitely right about the need for a wardrobe change. I've never seen anything like those designs," the man said, checking me out from head to toe.
Mia-san and Oneka-senpai walked off on their own to browse through the clothing. Not too long ago, I was doing the same with Uki-chan. In my past experiences playing RPGs, I would spend hours customizing my character to look the coolest. Versatility and appearance are crucial. Browsing through the store, there were a lot of strange and unique options to choose from. Many were complete sets of chainmail armor or plated suits. All of these would be hard to move in and would be bad for combat.
Nothing seemed to catch my eye. As I reached the end of the store, I gave up and headed towards the front of the store. Having a button-up plaid shirt with a blue t-shirt and grey shorts doesn't seem fitting for this world. Looking out the window, I could see the feet of those who walked by.
Zoning out from the sound of the road, I suddenly spotted it.
In the window's reflection was a deep dark blue cape with a white shirt and black pants. I turned around and walked over to the set hung on the side of the tree. I must have missed it when entering the store. Taking it off the hanger and feeling the smooth, silky texture of the cape, the vibrant dark blue of the cloak was like staring into the deep parts of the ocean. On the sides ran a thin golden strip matching the gold stripes on the white shirt and black pants. It was light and had a basic design. This is what I want.
I grabbed the clothing and headed towards where the girls were at the front desk.
Mia-senpai wore a pink top with a purple skirt that had frills towards the knees with a darker purple ribbon tying around her waist. It was a nice contrast against her golden hair. Oneka-senpai chose a more basic black and wine red dress with a skirt and stockings.
"What do you think?" Mia-san said as she twirled around, showing it off to me.
"It looks good!"
"I agree! Is that what you are getting?" Ayano-san said as she looked at the clothes on my arm.
"Yeah," I said, unfurling the clothes to show.
"I gotta say kid, you got taste!" Bernard-san said, smiling at me.
"Alright then! Let's get you guys registered as adventurers. Bernard-san, you can put the bill on my tab," Ayano-san said, looking at the smiling man who knew he made a huge sale.
"Of course! Come again!"
I changed into my new set of clothes, putting my old clothes in a bag, and joined the rest of the girls outside.
As we followed Ayano-san, the streets got more expansive, and more of the blue sky was visible. We reached a sizable circular courtyard with a large white marble fountain in the center. Women were sitting on the bench watching their kids run around, and on the sides were castle-like buildings with different logos. There were other paths that all came to the exact center. The layout of the streets was like a giant ship wheel, with the fountain in the center. Directly behind the fountain was a stone building that made the other buildings look like ants. The large bell tower at the top scraped against the clouds. Beneath was an equally enormous clock. It read five past noon.
"Coming here for the first time is always a shock for travelers. It can be a lot to handle, but here we are in the city center! The guild is inside the town hall. That is where we will register you guys into the city so if you ever get lost, people can identify you," Ayano-san said.
We walked around the fountain, which burbled against the sides, and entered the large iron gates. Passing through the thick wooden door, on either side were halls that didn't seem to end. In the middle, a large guild hall filled with tables in the center roared with the sound of people. Ayano-san took a deep breath and marched into the center.
The hall bustled with life. Chatters from many different conversations hit our ears, filling them with noise. There were people passed out on the tables as booze foamed out of their mouths. Others were arm and arm with beer mugs in hand swaying as they sang. The frightened women in black dresses with white trim and white apron had nervous looks as they frantically cleaned up the spilled booze. Everything seemed routine for an adventure guild.
SNAP!
In front of us, a man lay passed out against the broken wooden table. Fragments of the table were scattered around him as people nearby got out of the way. A large buff man stood in front of him. He had no shirt on, flexing his large chest and his tattoo of a snake-like eagle that wrapped around from his heart to his right hand. The man's fist smoked as he grunted and walked away.
The scared maids rushed to clean up the mess and dragged the passed-out man away.
"Uhh, should we help?" I asked nervously.
"Haha, no. This sort of small brawl is common. The alcohol does a number on these people!" Ayano-san said as she raised her left arm up and grabbed her bicep with her right.
We walked around the maids cleaning up the mess and followed Ayano-san to the front desk where a woman waited. Mia-san and Oneka-senpai were unfazed.
"Ah, Akira Tsuruoka, Oneka Toyora, Mia Azuro, glad to meet you all! My name is Rita Uresu," the woman behind the front desk said.
She wore a white button-up and black pants, but what stood out the most was her large white bunny ears.
"How do you know our names?" Oneka-senpai asked the bunny girl.
"Oh, I guess Ayano-san didn't tell you. We have guards at the gates of the city who can transmit information about those who enter with their Shin."
"Shin?" I step forward to ask.
"Oh, do you guys not know what Shin is? Shin is the ability to use special powers in exchange for experience points. The power was discovered way long ago by the church in explorations of the Devil's cave, but that's enough history for now. Once you max out your stats at your current level and fill up your experience, you progress to the next level and gain an experience point. You gain experience by doing quests through the guild, but even the average citizen can gain experience through their jobs. Quests, however, are the fastest way to earn experience, with E tiers giving the least and S tiers giving the most. Of course, not everyone starts off with E-tier quests; it's all based on how much base skill you have," Ayano-san explained.
"Yeah, You can determine the maximum capability of your Shin through the Ezalia Papers. The Ezalia paper tells where you are right now and how much potential you have for growth in your current state. When it comes to power, it depends on what class you choose. There are four different classes: fighters, rangers, clerics, and specialists. Fighters are good with close combat and generally use swords. They are best charging in. Rangers are exactly how they sound, doing damage from far away and being weak in close combat. Clerics can be both long-range and short-range healing; typically, short-range is stronger, but long-range is more versatile. Finally, specialists don't fit into any of the other categories, but they are rare. Of course, the strongest adventures are those who maximize their abilities in their own categories, and progress in the other classes," Rita-san explained.
Rita-san pulled out blank brown papers from under the desk and laid them out in front of us.
"Grab these Ezalia papers, and concentrate on putting all your energy into it,"
Mia-san, Oneka-senpai, and I grabbed a paper. It felt like any ordinary piece of paper. A bright light flashed on my right where Oneka-senpai was. From where she gripped on the paper, writing started to be inscribed. On my left, Mia-san's paper also flashed as her stats were displayed.
"Oh wow, these are high stats for a beginner!" Ayano-san said as she looked over Oneka-senpai's shoulder.
"Mia-san, you also have outstanding stats!" Rita-san said, looking at her paper.
The two senpais were quickly able to focus their energy, but here I was, looking like an idiot crumpling the bottom half of the paper, trying to muster up something. Ayano-san looked up at me.
"Ah, haha, it can be hard sometimes for beginners, try thinking of your energy as an extension of yourself," she said in a encouraging voice.
I closed my eyes and focused on the paper, taking a deep breath while flexing my hand. The pressure was immense. There's no way I could look weak in front of my two senpais! Suddenly, I felt a slight tingle at the tip of my finger as a bright white flash illuminated the entire hall. I cracked open my eyes to catch a glimpse of what was happening, but I was met with sharp painful jabs of light. The tattoo on my hand also glowed a bright purple shade.
Everyone's eyes were on me as the light dimmed and my stats began to appear on the brown paper. The once-bustling hall was dead silent. My eyes came back to their senses from the blinding flash. The singed paper was warm to the touch.
"This definitely must mean I am overpowered," I told myself.
I scanned the paper for information. Reaching the bottom, I stared without blinking. Most of the writing was foreign, but the numbers did not lie. Towards the bottom center of the page were four bars with descriptions underneath, but out of 100, the bars read 1. I had the stats of one out of one hundred for all four bars.
Ayano-san and Rito-san came over to take a look at my paper. Some random adventures came to take a peek at my writing.
"These are the weakest statistics I've ever seen anyone have. I think a twelve-year-old once came in, and his stats were in the low 30's" Rito-san said.
Ouch. Rito-san, you could've held back.
"Well, at least there are a lot of areas of improvement!" Ayano-san said in a nervous voice.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
Laughter flooded the hall as those around me looked off my shoulder to read my stats.
"He's the Zero hero!" one man yelled from the back.
"Yeah, and here I was excited that there was someone new worthy of fighting," a man dressed in his silver suit of knight's armor said. His golden hair complemented his ocean blue eyes.
"Don't mind them, Akira-kun," Rito-san said with a smile.
Oneka-senpai and Mia-san looked down at their stats and then up at me.
My life is 100% over. Even in a new world, I'm a loser.
"Well, we should get you guys started off on deciding jobs based on your skillset. Oneka-san, your stats are 78 in Skill, 65 in Strength, 84 in Shin, and 89 in Intelligence. Your stats are pretty good for a ranger. Same thing with you too, Mia-san, since your stats are 67 in Skill, 72 in Strength, 76 in Shin, and 86 in Intelligence. Akira-kun, I honestly don't know for you since you have 1's in every category," Rito-san said.
How do I have one in intelligence? Like sure, my grades in school weren't the best, but am I actually that stupid?
"I think it would be best if you trained with me, Akira-kun,"
I felt Ayano-san's heavy hand on my right shoulder.
"Perfect! Do not feel so bad, Akira-kun. You still receive one skill point, which you can use to gain your first power," Rito-san said.
"Now, Oneka-san, Mia-san you guys can head over to the board where quests are posted and come back for approval. There are different levels, and under each level are ranks of missions between S and E tier. Everyone starts off at level one, and progresses after mastering all the skills within that level. I think that at your current skill set, you guys can do B tier quests."
Rito-san pointed her hand at the wall on the side of the hall. There were numbers under each group of boards representing each level. The majority of people gathered around the level five boards, with fewer at higher and lower level.
"Ayano-san, what level are you?" I asked.
"I'm level 13. You have to be level 12 to become a knight of the Capital. It sure took a while, but well worth it."
We approached the B-tier board for level one. Mia-san and Oneka-senpai stepped forward to read the list of quests that were posted. Numbers and Names were assigned for each quest, along with a description of the task. In addition, there was a drawing of a head representing the number of people in the party required for the quest.
Ayano-san went to help the two girls choose their first quest.
"Hmm, how about this one," she said, pointing at the board.
"A farmer needs an escort through bandit-infested mountains?" Mia-san said, touching her bottom lip with her index finger.
"Ayano-senpai, what brings you here?" a voice came from behind us.
Turning around, a girl dressed in armor similar to Ayano-san stood leaning against her bulky sword. Unlike Ayano-san, she had short orange hair and yellow eyes with a scar that ran down her right cheek.
"Mito! I am helping these new adventures pick their first quest!"
"Oh, newbies, huh."
The woman lifted up her sword and swung it around her body to sheath it behind her back. She crossed her arms as she looked at the girls and me.
"So you are the boy who has the lowest starting stats ever recorded?"
"Ahhh, yes. But don't worry! He is going to be training with me, so I'll whip him into shape!" Ayano-san replied for me.
Ayano-san sure was confident that she could help me be of use to the group. I just hoped I could at least match the bar that was already at the ground.
Mito-san looked at me.
"You're in for a treat, kid! I was Ayano-senpai's student until I became a city knight,"
"Oh, come on now, it wasn't that bad! Plus, look at you now! You're a knight of the city," Ayano-san said as she hit the back of Mito-san's head. "So what are you doing here?"
"Not much, really. The city is protected, and with the new batch of recruits from winter training, the senior knights are just taking time off getting drunk. I decided to come here to do some quests as training,"
"Oh? Then why don't you help Mia-san and Oneka-san with their first mission," Ayano-san suggested.
"That would be very helpful," Oneka-senpai responded.
"Of course! Can't say no to senpai's orders!" Mito-san saluted.
She walked off with the two girls back to the counter to Rito-san. Ayano-san looked in their direction and then turned to me.
"Well, they should be fine since they are with Mito. She was once in their positions too, and I had to teach her from orders from my senpai,"
Ayano-san's expression darkened when she mentioned her senpai. The three girls came back, and we all headed out the gate back into the bustling streets. On the way out, I got stares and pointed out at. Even the maids were whispering in each other's ears as they stared at me.
"This is where we part ways, I guess," I said to Mia-san and Oneka-senpai.
"We know you'll do great," Mia-san said in a cheery voice.
"Do your best and don't slack off," Oneka-senpai followed with.
"I'll take care of them!" Mito-san said as the three girls walked off into the distance.
"Let's get going too," Ayano-san said as she started marching in the opposite direction.
"Sure," I said, following her.
Part II
The sound of metal dragging against the cobblestone paths was all I could hear. Ayano-san marched through the streets as I followed her, carrying a hefty brown bag overflowing with scraps of metal and wood. Ayano-san collected these scraps along the way, thinking that they could be used for weight training.
"Hmm, it was too bad they didn't have anything either," Ayano-san said as she came back from the doorstep of another house.
"Oh, thank god," I thought.
Eventually, we made it to the gates of the city. My body collapsed as Ayano-san went to greet the guards. The sounds of gears roared from within the walls. Looking up, you could see the wired lines looping around the large metal pulley. Workers were repelled against the side of the wall. Sparks flew off the sides of the gears. They weren't using any tools, but there was a visible orange glow around their hands.
"Alright, let's get going!"
"Where exactly are we going?" I said, taking a deep breath and slinging the trash around my shoulder.
"There is a cabin in the mountains where we are going to stay till we get you to raise those level one stats. I got special permission from the guild for Ezalia papers so we can track your progress,"
"Wait, what about Uki-chan?"
"Oh, don't worry! Emika-san will be fine. I have been in a coma in the hospital for months before, and they patched me up! Hahaha!" she said nonchalantly.
"Though if it bothers you that much, I can have one of my good friends check up on her occasionally. And don't worry, I'll have her test her Shin ability, so she doesn't fall behind you guys,"
"Okay!"
Knowing that Uki-chan was in good hands was at least a little assuring. Coming to a new world, we were lucky to be saved by Ayano-san. Who knows what would have happened if she didn't show up. Or if I didn't use the crystal. I reached into my pocket to make sure the crystal was still there. I transferred it from my old clothes into my new ones.
The scenery had changed entirely from tightly packed buildings and a cobblestone road to an expansive, vast green scenery outside the city. The smell of grass filled the air as seeds flew past my eyes. The dirt-paved path we were on was long and windy. Off in the distance were large snow-capped mountains.
"I used to come outside the walls and explore the flower fields nearby. Or sometimes, I would hop on the backs of traveler's carts and take a ride out into the forest. My mom would get mad at me and lecture me in front of everyone," Ayano-san said, looking around.
"So what made you want to be an imperial knight?"
"Well, there were many reasons, but I believe that I can bring the most reform in the government by gaining a high status in the Capital. Growing up, Swindelf and many of the other cities were just starting to grow in population. At the same time, rulership over this domain was transferred to the brother of the former king, who died mysteriously on the way back from a neighboring state. Officials announced that there was an accident; however, some believe that it was a planned attack. The new king is harsh on his subjects and abuses his power, using the people's tax money to fund constructions of statues of himself while the rest of the country suffers from famine and disease. Soldiers come to collect the exponentially high taxes from cities like Swindelf. The wealthy are barely taxed, whereas commoners face the highest tax amounts. Those who are unable to pay are taken by soldiers to work in the mines under conditions. My father was unable to pay up, and the soldiers took him along with many of my neighbors away," her expression got serious as she gritted her teeth.
The pained expression on her face and the silence that befell between us told me I shouldn't dig deeper. The sound of my boots against the dirt path and the light clanging of the metal scraps filled the void.
"But, that was a long time ago. Now that I have a position in the Capital, I can change all of that so no one else can go through what I went through,"
She managed to lighten the mood as we approached the base of the giant mountain. There was a small shed near the entrance of the woods.
"Here, you can throw the trash inside that shed,"
I walked over towards the shed and flung open the wooden door. The weight lifted off my shoulders felt incredible. I felt so light. I closed the door and turned around to see Ayano-san bending over, touching her toes.
"Alright then, the cabin is at the top of the mountain. I'll see you there!" she smiled.
Ayano-san got into a running stance. She put her helmet on, having her ponytail stick out and turned her head facing me.
"Oh yeah, be sure to watch out for wildlife! They eat humans!" she shouted.
CRACK!
The floor beneath where she stood broke into pieces as her body became a red flash, racing into the depths of the forest. A gust of wind kicked up a dust cloud as small pebbles flung in my direction.
"What the actual fuck,"
As the dust began to clear, I walked to where she stood. The air was significantly warmer.
Did she say there were man-eating animals? Where the hell did I end up?
I looked into the forest. It was like looking into the void. The sun was setting as the sky turned a bright mix of orange and red. The snow-capped mountains glowed orange as the splotches of clouds dragged across the evening sky. A soft breeze caressed my hair, hugging me gently as the orange sun went down.
With the sunset, the temperature started to drop as the sound of crickets took over the night.
"That knight is probably already at the top," I thought to myself.
I wouldn't have to do any of this if I just got god-tier stats like my manga's main character did at home. I looked behind in the direction we came from and thought about how my two senpais were doing. Given that they had good stats and were with a pupil of Ayano-san, they were probably okay. Uki-chan was also said to be in good care, so I only had to worry about myself. Taking a deep breath, I turned my head towards the forest and stepped into the shadows.