We haven't even exchanged words and he's already oppressing me because I'm a minority![2]
I rolled my eyes to the side in an attempt to seek help from Richard or Amelia.
Richard's gaze is straight and un-shaking as he looks at Sir Kuda respectfully while Amelia gives me a side glance with an apologetic expression on her face.
"That saint aura leaking out of you is truly unsightly. The possibility that the saint and demon bloodline can exist in one vessel is unimaginable but…" Kuda paused, eyes moving as if scanning my body before continuing.
"Here you are, a living abomination"
Abomination this, abomination that, do you have any idea what it feels like to be called an abomination all the time… I honestly don't know because right now it just sounds like a nickname a bully would call me.
"Report your name!" Kuda says in an authoritative tone and I felt the pressure on me reduce considerably, allowing me to talk.
"Huhh Aito… Kyoji Aito…*sigh*" I said with much difficulty.
"Aito, I have something perfect for an abomination like you" Kuda says before a buzz saw appears behind spinning at an incredible speed.
My instincts reacted immediately and before the circular saw dashed towards me, I forced every mana in my body to resist the pressure in order to dodge the incoming danger.
Unfortunately, I was too late and the saw was already before me, heading towards my neck.
Although I felt it was too late, my body still moved and I leapt backwards, inevitably feeling something hit my neck while mid-air.
I couldn't land on my feet because of the fear and shock, causing me to fall on my back.
Before I can gather my thoughts or figure out why I'm still alive, I feel a jolt go through my whole body and my mana flow suddenly gets disrupted, disabling me from being able to use mana.
I sit up slowly to see that on the floor not far from me is the servant collar that I was wearing and feel around my neck to discover another one.
Realising what happened I suddenly felt angry and ashamed but I can't even show it on my face as I can't use mana to resist the pressure from Kuda.
"This is the first and last time I would ever disrupt your mana flow. If you ever act out of line, that collar would surely remove your head"
My body shakes in fear and because my heart had not recovered from the previous scare, my reaction was quite intense.
Kuda has a slight grin as he looks at me in disdain, Amelia has a look of shock while Richard has a slight frown on his face.
"You! What's your name?" Kuda asked.
"Sir! My name is Amelia Ambler" Amelia although previously dazed manages to answer.
"I heard you were the one that apprehended this abomination, you did very well but I have a few more tasks for you"
"I'm going to get someone to make preparations to have him attend your military academy, so I need you to watch his every move and report to the academy heads if you're even the least suspicious of him, is that clear?" Kuda says authoritatively.
"Yes Sir!"
"Also, from now on there would be no need to hide this boy's identity as an abomination and I don't care if he gets bullied or isolated by the other students or instructors"
"If he can't get through such a small hurdle then we would have no use for him" Kuda says with a cruel smile.
"Yes S…" Amelia responds but gets interrupted by Richard who has been quiet for a long time.
"No offence sir but wouldn't exposing his identity attract some unnecessary attention? If the boy is unlucky, he might get assassinated in a few months" Richard says urgently.
"You think I don't know that? If he gets killed that easily then so be it, in the end it just means that he was never going to be useful in the first place" Kuda replied while looking at me.
He stares at me for a few seconds before turning around, walking towards the aircraft that's still floating above the gate.
"I would be leaving for now" Kuda says without turning back before jumping lightly into the aircraft.
It was not until the jet was out of my sight did I finally feel the pressure assaulting me completely evaporate.
My body shivered as my mind slowly recovered, allowing me to think straight again.
I looked down at my body to realise that the hoodie I'm wearing is completely soaked with sweat.
I lay down flat on the floor to rest as I reviewed the whole experience in my head.
Although my performance was unsightly, there isn't really much I could have done about it.
If I had resisted further or showed a more defiant attitude then Kuda would have used these acts as reasons to restrict my freedom or have me killed on the pretence that I'm too difficult to control.
Now that I finally have the permanent slave collar on my neck my major worry has been resolved because as long as I don't do anything overly suspicious I won't be in danger of losing my life anytime soon.
"Aito are you okay?" Amelia asks from the side with a worried expression on her face.
"Huhhh I'm okay… *sigh* I'm just exhausted" I said, panting while lying on the floor.
I honestly feel physically and mentally weak, it's as if I just ran a marathon.
What the hell was that pressure? I remember Ryan and his group used something similar so it shouldn't be something too advanced.
"What exactly was that spell?" I asked Amelia.
"That is called
"It's done by concentrating most of the mana in your body on a person or group of people thereby locking on them with a mana quantity far surpassing theirs"
"The mana in our body reacts to this naturally even without us seeing the mana difference ourselves and sort warns us of the incoming danger causing the changes in the our mind like experiencing fear or difficulty in movement"
"Luckily these symptoms can be partially suppressed with pure willpower, by directing the mana in our body, or using
Interesting, so it's some sort of mental attack. Wait, doesn't my instincts make this spell especially effective on me?
"Hold on! So the mana in our body can warn us of danger?" I asked expectantly.
"Hmm… Well to some extent, mana can be used to sense danger after reaching Expert level of mana control but what you experienced before was just a reaction based on instinct"
"Oh… Interesting" I muttered.
It would be amazing if I could combine Kanjutsu and mana control of that level.
Maybe I can finally advance in the technique or at least make it stronger.
"Don't be too cornered about the way Sir Kuda treated you."
"People at his level of strength and age have been fighting against the saints all their life, so it's normal for them to show resentment towards anything that has to do with the saints" Richard says with a slight frown on his face.
Awww and here I thought I was getting the cold shoulder from my ex-master but looks like he's worried about me as well.
On a serious note, I don't blame Kuda for his behaviour because from what Amelia told me, the saints have been in conflict with the demon race even before they completely evolved to what they are now.
Now don't take this the wrong way, I still think he's a dick, I just don't blame him for being such a dick… Yeah that makes sense.
"Are you okay? you've just been staring into space all this while" Amelia asks.
"Yeah, I'm just exhausted, I think I need to take a nap *Sigh*" I said with a sigh.
I haven't even done anything this morning and I'm already tired.
"Alright, just return to your room and Amelia, take it easy for today, prepare to return to the Academy tomorrow" Richard says before walking away.
"I'm going to take a shower first" I say, feeling my clothes soaked with sweat while getting up from the floor.
I feel like
You know, just wake up every morning, endure a few minutes of mana pressure and sweat buckets, easy peasy and the only drawback is the mental torture you have to go through.
"I'll still be coming over to train at noon, you'll be there right?" I asked as we started walking back.
"Of course, it's not like I have anything better to do" Amelia says as a matter of fact.
Training and eating is all I ever see her do, it's not like I have any problems with that because with everything I've seen since I got here, I don't think I can ever get used to the excitement of using magic.
I just miss anime and the other numerous forms of entertainment in the human realm.
I wonder if I'll be given some basic necessities when I get to the Academy… like a phone[3].
***************************************************
The rest of the day went by uneventfully, I slept for a long time to catch up on all the sleep I've been missing before I had lunch and joined Amelia for some training.
After dinner I tried my best to fall asleep and finally managed to sleep for about four hours.
After waking up to the usual morning announcement I freshened up and packed my "luggage" before heading to the cafeteria.
By luggage, I mean the change of clothes that was given to me… I don't have any other possessions.
I still have the hoodie I stole from when I entered that city, it's just that it now has a fist sized hole passing through it.
I've decided to keep it as a memento from when Amelia tried to kill me.
I saw Amelia waiting for me at the front of the cafeteria as usual and I walked over to greet her.
"Morning Amelia"
"Morning Aito, let's hurry, we'll be leaving once we're done eating" Amelia says with a smile.
I followed Amelia into the cafeteria and we started eating immediately we got our bowls.
It was delicious as always and across from me, Amelia has already finished her meal, she always eats so fast.
I notice that she isn't with any luggage, does she plan to go back to her quarters to get them? Won't that waste time?
"Hey where are your belongings, aren't we leaving immediately?" I asked Amelia after finishing the food in my bowl.
"Oh! They're in my storage ring" Amelia answers, pointing at a ring with a small blue gem on her finger.
"You may have heard of it in some of the fantasy works you have in the human realm"
"They are made from a special material that's practically made from the space element, These materials can end up having a space inside then when supplied with mana and this means that the blacksmiths that make these storage rings don't need to have affinity for the space element in order to make them" Amelia says taping on the ring on her finger.
"Can I Get One?!" I asked the moment she finished speaking.
"What? Obviously not, the materials to make these rings are very expensive, I can't even afford it myself, I got this one as a gift" She answers sternly while covering the ring she was just proudly showing off.
"C'mon let's hurry, someone will be driving us to the train station, we'll head straight for the academy from there and we should be at our destination in six hours" Amelia says before getting up from her seat.
I followed Amelia out of the cafeteria and we walked towards the gate where I had been tortured yesterday.
A black coloured futuristic looking car was waiting for us outside the gate.
The car is small but long and from the number of windows, it looks like a four seater car.
"Good morning Ronald, thanks for the lift" Amelia greets a man in military uniform standing beside the car.
The man that looks about five feet tall with dark blue hair had his back facing us until he heard Amelia's greeting.
"Morning Amelia, don't worry about it, the Major asked me to help send you off in his place" Ronald said with a bright smile as he turned around.
"Greet Richard for me, I really appreciate the hospitality even during my extended stay" Amelia says politely.
"Me as well, send him my thanks" I say politely slightly bowing my head.
"HaHa No problem, get in so we don't miss your train" Ronald says joyfully before opening the door and hopping into the driver seat of the car.
Amelia sat shotgun while I sat in the back seat quietly.
The first thing I notice upon entering the car is how soft the seat is and how cold it is compared to outside, that's practically a dessert although the heat barely affects me now.
The car drove very fast as I looked outside merely watching the sands pass by and after ten minutes I finally saw the huge wall of the first city I ever entered after coming to this world.
You know, looking at this wall again gives me some complicated feelings and I can't say I regret what I did but I feel a little remorseful coming back here after some time.
It's probably the same feeling a criminal gets after returning to the scene of the crime.
"It was that prank of yours that alerted those at the barracks and in the end I was sent after you" Amelia says while looking at me with a slight grin on her face.
"How did you guys conclude that it was done by a saint?" I ask, remembering that both her and Oliver's group were looking for a saint when they met me.
"Well that aura of yours must have leaked out of you when you casted that large scale spell because after someone was sent to investigate, remnants of your saint aura was found and we concluded that a saint must have infiltrated the city"
"You were quite lucky though, my orders were to kill on sight and I did in fact try to kill you on sight, you were so close to being my first kill HaHa" Amelia says chuckling slightly at the end.
I can never get used to how lightly demons treat life and death… I could assume that she's just joking but at her age, I can never imagine that she's had the opportunity to kill an enemy before and yet when we met for the first time she didn't hesitate to go straight for the kill.
Nevermind all that! We're friends now, she seems like a nice person and it's just the way she views life and death that's weird or better yet still, it's my view on life and death that's weird looking at it from the demon's perspective.
I shake my head to get these depressing thoughts out before focusing on the view outside the window.
We had just gone past the gate entrance and I was able to see some familiar sights from when I had first entered this city.
I still vaguely remember where I stole that hoodie but… but I don't think I'm going to be returning it.
There was no traffic as we passed through the road until we reached a slightly busier area and stopped at the parking lot of a building that I assume is the train station.
"Thanks for the ride again"
"Yes, thank you sir" Amelia greeted and I followed after.
"It's alright, just make sure you visit the barracks if you end up close by and maybe next time you'll be strong enough to train with me HaHa" Ronald says joyously before driving off.
I turned around to examine the train station and engraved in giant letters is the Words "Ragar Main Station"
"Ragar Main Station?" I said in uncertainty.
"Ragar is the name of this town and main train stations are high speed trains that travel round a district and only stops at other cities, not stopping in the same city twice and we should be in bright flame city after three hours"
"Just so you know, Ragar is a small commercial city and if you had tried that prank of yours in the city we're going to, you might have been spotted and killed before you even got past their gates" Amelia explains.
Woah, so I did end up in some kind of beginner village. I guess the rules of Isekai apply to me too[6].
I followed Amelia and walked into the building trying my best to be as "invisible" as possible.
I kept trying to control my saint aura from leaking out of me by using the mental image of an egg in a microwave not exploding[5].
After a very short process of buying a train ticket and getting on the train we were off to… where are we going again?
***************************************************
The three hour journey went by fast and at the end of it all, I'm just really happy that no one noticed my peculiar "smell".
One thing to note is that the train was fast, like really fast and I've been on a bullet train before, but this one is at least 1.5 times faster.
After we got off the train, Amelia suddenly says that she needs to make an urgent phone call.
"The security of this train station is relatively tight and I need to inform the security personnels of your existence so they don't overreact when they see you" Amelia explains.
"Ah shit! This won't cause any problems would it? How are you going to explain my existence to them?" I asked nervously.
"Don't worry, sir Kuda made sure I got all the necessary documents to grant you safe passage" Amelia says reassuringly.
I sigh in relief as Amelia proceeded to call a number on her phone.
"Hello… Yes we talked on the phone yesterday about my special situation… Okay, I'll wait for you…" Amelia said on the phone before hanging up and talking to me.
"Let's wait for a while, the head manager would be coming to see us soon"
We waited for about five minutes before a mature lady with bright red hair in a business suit approached us.
"Hello, I'm the head manager of this station, you must be Amelia" The lady asks as she stretches her hand to shake Amelia.
"Yes I am, nice to meet you, sorry for the inconvenience" Amelia says while shaking the lady's hand.
"It's all right, we haven't had a case as serious as yours before so it's a must I make an appearance today, lest my people may overreact even after giving them clear instructions" The lady says before looking at me with a slight frown.
I felt her eyes scan me and her frown suddenly twisted to a look of disgust as I tried my best not to look her in the eye.
"Is it safe to leave him out in the open like this?" The lady asks.
"Yes, as I've explained before, Sir Kuda personally placed a leash on his neck" Amelia explained with a smile on her face.
The lady said nothing and just stared at me before ushering us to follow her.
I subconsciously touched the black choker on my neck as we walked.
Is this going to be the only confirmation that I'm safe… I feel like this is some evidence of me being a trained dog… Well on the brightside, at least she didn't call me an abomination.
We followed the lady and were able to leave the train station without causing any problems whatsoever.
After saying goodbye to the lady, Amelia came to me who was busy admiring the beautiful view of the city.
"Where are we?" I asked in amazement as I gazed at the tall skyscrapers and other beautifully shaped buildings.
"Bright Flame City, Capital of the Bright flame district" Amelia says in a proud tone.
… Okay now I feel stupid for asking that question becouse I have no idea where that is.
[Author's Note]
1. Word count - 3421 words.
2. You see what I did there?... You know, like minorities being… I dare not complete that sentence myself and no offence to any… ah dammit I nearly did it again, you know what, I'll just delete this whole paragraph later.
3. Who else thinks a phone is a basic necessity.
4. For those of you that are not familiar to the isekai genre, the rule of isekai I'm talking about means that the first group of threats an MC comes across after being sent to another world, are the weakest threats that exist in that world.
5. I don't know if the "rules" of Isekai are an actual thing… I probably came up with it myself.
6. If you don't get it, forget about it.