Author's Note: We are slowly approaching the end of the chapters that I feel satisfied enough to post. After that, you probably won't hear from me for a few months.
*****
Oliver Schtrom.
Apart from being a Devil, Kurt mentioned that Schtrom was a refugee of the Empire. It's possible that before coming to this lovely Earlshide Kingdom to conduct his experiments, he had done so too in the Empire.
I'll need directions. But for now...
"One by one, I'll be taking you guys back into your respective homes. Capiche?"
When everyone nodded, I picked up the first person I kidnapped and teleported with them to their home from where I snatched them from.
"Remember to never tell anyone about this."
"Umm, yeah. Thanks, Batman."
"Good. Here's a gold coin to keep your mouth shut."
The people I kidnapped—Ehem, saved from the fate of becoming Devils, were all fine and dandy after my operation on their bodies. Since I knew the procedure was gonna be painful—thanks to Kurt being a nice volunteer—I used magic to dull their senses. After some questioning, they told me that all they felt was a small, uncomfortable buzz which was good news for their mental health.
I teleported back to the Batcave and continued taking everybody home. Each and every single one of them pocketed a handful of gold and other gems when it looked like I wasn't looking, but since it was such a measly amount, I let them keep it.
The reason I was teleporting all over the place and not using the gate like I usually do is to prevent the figure known as Batman (literally me) to be associated with Shin and me (literally me). Considering how useful gate is, we'll probably be using it enough times that one of the people I kidnapped will recognize it. If it got out that the Magi's grandsons were kidnapping people, our grandparents would scold the shit out of us.
I didn't need a disguise since light magic can make me look like literally anything. Like Batman (literally me).
Once I was the only one left in the Batcave, I replenished my reduced treasures before going back home.
It was already night. It's been a long day. Can you believe that the last few chapters all happened in the same day?
The mansion was noticeably empty. I mean, there were servants around, but apart from them, there weren't any of the people I brought over from the academy.
*Grrrrrrr*
My stomach growled.
"I need a snack."
On my way to the kitchen, I heard a voice call out to me.
"Thomas! Wolford!"
I froze on my tracks. I only know one person who would call me by my full name...
"Where have you been?! You should have been here during the meeting with your classmates and their families."
Grandma Melinda had a mean look on her face.
"I-I was just chilling. Y-you know, walking around the capital."
"Don't say that. I know you well enough to say for certain that you simply didn't wish to attend what you would call a 'boring discussion.'"
"Oh, yeah. That's right. That's definitely what I did. Nothing illegal. Anyway, nice to see you grandma. I'm gonna go get a snack..."
"Hold it, young man."
Damn.
Grandma Melinda didn't let me off so easily.
"You can't just wander off when important matters are at hand. You must've been aware that it was regarding one of your classmate's safety."
"Well, yeah, but I was sure that with Shin here, I wasn't needed. He's very capable after all. No stalker's going to get past him. Shin was gonna enchant her uniform too, right? His defensive enchantments are better than mine, so Sizilien will definitely be fine."
"...I suppose you are right."
"See? Everything went just fine."
I nervously walked to the kitchen. I peeked on grandma's face when I had the chance, and she didn't look like she'd stop me anymore.
I mean, I did heal Kurt from his Devil sickness or whatever it was he had. I technically tortured him too, not like I meant to, so I don't think he'll be messing with my sister-in-law in the future.
Luckily, the kitchen had a handful of chicken wraps laying around. Thank you, head chef Correll.
******
The next day was a school day—the official first day of school.
As always, Shin and I woke up super early, so we had a lot of free time until we had to go walk to the academy.
I continued my research on what I call World Travel Magic. I know it sounds pretty lame right now, but it's a temporary name. I'll think up a better one later.
I spent a bit of time fiddling with my magic power. Unsurprisingly, the same issues popped up.
Hmm. I need more info. Library time.
The royal capital had multiple libraries. Public, private, school, royal, etc. I teleported home and ran to the nearest library in the noble district. Our mansion has a library, but they were all the same books we've been taught as kids.
"Excuse me, but is this all you have regarding magic?"
"Umm, yes."
The noble district's library was big, but only about 1/100 of the books were about magic.
"The magic academies in the capital have more detailed and elaborate books. The only problem is that only students may access them."
"I see. That's a shame."
Looks like I'm going to school early.
After cloaking myself in invisibility (light) magic, I teleported to the information board in the school entrance. I remembered it having a map of the school.
Following the directions on it, I reached a library smaller but grander than the last.
The Advanced Magic Academy's library had loads of books. They used spatial magic tools to store a ton of books in a much smaller area. I'd say this library had more books than the one in the noble district.
The best part was that 90/100 of the books were about magic.
Maybe I can find something useful here...
...
Not here either?
Everything, and I mean every single book in here, I've already learned from my lessons with grandpa.
No... come on... don't they have something like a Hero Summoning ritual? Anything?
Considering this school is the so called "Advanced Magic Academy," I have less expectations for the other schools in the capital. I've reached a dead end.
Have I unknowingly learned everything there is to learn?
The thought was frightening. Of course, I knew that there was so much more to magic than what I've learned. Shin was evidence that the magic of this world was unrefined and filled with possibilities.
They just haven't been discovered yet.
I'm back at the start, huh.
"Everyone, please vacate the library and head to your respective classrooms," said the librarian.
School would start in a few minutes. My research will have to continue another day.
Even though my knowledge of magic hadn't taken a step further, the school library did give me something I've been looking for.
A map of the world as we know it.
The Empire, I know where you are now.
*Rrrrrrrrrinnnnnnng!*
Right on time, the school bell rang. Peering through a nearby window, many students rushed to their classrooms. Teachers can also be seen mixed with the crowd.
"Come on! Time to go!" The librarian ushered me off.
"Yep, yep. I just have one last question. Is this map..."
For the first time, I would be learning magic from someone other than grandpa.
.
.
.
.
.
"Thomas."
School just finished. Students filled the corridors before filtering out. I planned on going to the toilet and teleporting home when Shin called out to me.
"What's up?"
"You."
"...me?" I pointed at myself.
"Yes, you. You've been acting weird lately. I've never seen you so... motivated. Tell me what's going on."
"Nothing's going on. Actually, I should be asking you the same thing."
I waved at Sizilien who stood just outside the classroom door. She must be waiting for Shin to walk her home, along with Maria by her side.
"Walking to school together and walking her home for the next how many days. Your relationship sure has progressed from simple classmates to... well, this. Should I be expecting kids soon?"
"Don't do that," said Shin with a frown.
"Do what? Wave at your girlfriend? You jealous?"
"See, you're doing it again. Don't try to change the subject." Shin crossed his arms. More than that, he positioned himself to stand between me and the classroom door.
Tsk. You're usually so easily flustered.
It didn't seem like Shin will let me leave unless I told him the truth.
"Come on. Spill it. We're brothers man. You can trust me." Shin continued. "I know that worrying for you sounds unnecessary, considering that we are probably the strongest magic users out there, but there are things even magic can't solve."
I don't think I've seen him wear that kind of face until today. It was a face I usually saw on our grandparents.
Grandma had the same face last night.
"...fine. I'll tell you." I don't think I can hide anything from my family.
Everything will eventually come to light.
Shin's expression immediately brightened, and he visibly relaxed.
"I'm planning on leaving home for a bit. I'll go and do some soul-searching in the other nations."
"That doesn't sound too bad..."
That was a half-lie.
Eventually, everything will come to light.
Eventually.
I knew that simply saying that I would go "soul-searching" isn't the most believable thing to say in this situation. That's why I've thought of another, far more believable excuse.
"I'm dropping out of school."
"Wha—you are?!"
"It's not that surprising," I shrugged. "Be honest, did you find any of today's magic lessons helpful?"
"N-No, but we didn't come here for that anyway."
"Learning about common sense, right? But I think I've learned enough to live a fairly ordinary life. I see no point in coming to school anymore."
Shin went silent. Anything he might say about staying won't stop me. After all, I'm already an adult of this world, just like him.
"We're adults now anyway. We shouldn't be living with our grandparents or whatever. That's just common sense... right?" I used the common sense card to the deliver the final blow.
Shin stayed silent. I can see the gears in his head rotate.
What I just said was indeed common sense, but common sense from my past world. I dunno if it applied here. I'm still lacking in my otherworldly common sense studies.
"That's not everything. We'll continue this at home," I gestured to the girl patiently waiting for my brother. "Don't keep your girlfriend waiting."
By this point in time, the academy was practically empty. Apart from me, Shin, Sizilien, and Maria, only the teachers and a handful of students remained in academy grounds.
I opened a gate. Shin didn't stop me from escaping.
On the other side was a lonely mountain peak. I've returned to this depressing place where I first killed a man. Just remembering it made me feel strange in my stomach.
I slapped myself awake.
Get your shit together. Not now.
Unlike the last time I was here, the sky was clear, and I could see the royal capital in the horizon.
I changed out of my academy uniform. Thank God for spatial magic making my life so much easier.
Then, I took out a map. Not just any map, but the world map I found in the academy library. I bribed the school librarian to let me have it for 10 gold coins.
"Let's see... this mountain is called 'Azula's Peak,' and since the royal capital is here on the map and in that direction in real life... the Empire is that way."
The Empire on the map was a pretty big place with multiple villages and cities, just like the Earlshide Kingdom.
Wait! I can't leave for the Empire yet! I've only checked the royal capital for demons, not all the other settlements in the kingdom!
There may very well be people who Schtrom experimented with in the royal capital that left for someplace else. It's also possible that Schtrom had gone to the capital after experimenting on people from the countryside.
If so, there is a very high likelihood that a Devil could appear this very moment.
I'll need to be quick.
Floating Magic.
Oliver Schtrom showed me this magic, and like all other new magic before it, corresponding knowledge of it appeared in my head.
The thing is, this magic only makes me hover in the air. It's definitely useful for gaining distance from swordsmen and the like, but if I just edit it a bit...
Flight Magic.
"I can fucking fly!"
Since the sky was massive and without traffic, (apart from the occasional bird/bird monster) I can fly as fast as I can (I killed the bird monster. It was a Morning Crow. How lucky).
Next phase then.
"Tiid!" (Slow Time)
The world was tinted blue as the march of time slowed to a still.
With this Thu'um, I'll have all the time in the world since I wasn't affected by the time-slowing phenomenon, courtesy of Ddovaah's Voice being so potent. I didn't know the duration of the shout, but Ddovaah said it lasts for a while. "A while" for a dragon that's been alive for ages must be practically forever for a mortal like me.
Of course, that's only if I used the shout on full power. There's no need for that though.
"Feim!" (Become Ethereal)
The Thu'um transformed my whole body. What was once material became spectral. A feeling of invulnerability entered my mind as I felt even the wind phase through my body.
Stacking shouts was very possible. I used the combination of the two shouts to reduce the time I waste on traveling and to completely remove air resistance—not to make me go faster, but more so for the kingdom's safety.
Just like when a slight nudge during Slow Time was enough to send Schtrom flying, if I started flying in high speeds while Slow Time was active, I'd probably be causing massive noise disruptions and potentially destroy stuff with the air pressure I generate. I feel like I'm already flying beyond hypersonic speeds, so it's already pretty disruptive.
By taking on this ghostly form, I don't have to worry about those things.
Imagining myself as a fast-as-fuck fighter jet, I soared through the air, heading to the nearest town. I pushed my search magic to its limits, covering an area twelve times time size of the royal capital, making my sweep through the country much faster.
I flew over the town and quickly went past it. It didn't have anyone with malicious mana in them.
I simply headed for the next town and repeated the process.
...
Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be anyone in these places that Schtrom had experimented on. False alarms like demon beasts in the area were pretty anticlimactic but more preferable than future Devils walking around.
When I returned to the royal capital after disabling my fancy shouts, a random clock I saw showed that less than half a minute had passed since my conversation with Shin.
I underestimated my shouts. I can scour the entire Empire and the countries surrounding Earlshide Kingdom before having a nice, much-deserved dinner at this rate.
I took a mini break, which consisted of buying a bunch of snacks (as always) to eat during my search. It was still early enough for food stalls to still be open.
While I was doing that, I suddenly thought of the possibility that a potential kidnap victim might be standing in a crowd.
Let me explain. When I was doing my mass kidnapping yesterday, it was already night time and everyone I snatched up was on their beds, blissfully unaware that they've been transported to my Batcave.
It's around 4pm right now, and most people are still up and about. There might be instances where the kidnappings will take place in a public space.
This is as good a time to reveal my splendid suit of armor. I'm not finished with it's enchantments though, but it's not like I'm using it for combat.
With my armor on, no one will recognize me. If I use magic, there is a possibility that someone can see through it, so something solid works best. I know I can, so maybe there are others too. Everything will be just fine.
I teleported into my bedroom in the mansion, pulled out my armor from my spatial storage, changed, and went on my way—
"Oh? What's this?"
My search magic detected Shin arriving in the mansion. His magic signature entered the living room all of a sudden, probably by going through a gate. He must have finished taking Sizilien home.
The weird thing is that Grandma Melinda and Grandpa Merlin were already there.
They were waiting for him.
I augmented my hearing, allowing their voices to pass through the many walls between my room and the living room.
They're talking about me. Now, why would they do that?
Since the topic of their conversation seemed interesting, I decided to stay behind for just a bit.
*******
In the living room of a certain mansion...
"Thomas is definitely acting weird, " Shin remarked, prompting nods of agreement from the elderly couple present.
"He thinks we won't notice him running all over the place. Like, come on! I taught him the magic to do that!" Merlin complained. "Hmm... did he find himself a girl as well?"
"A-As well?" Shin unconsciously blurted out.
Hearing the panic in his voice, Melinda smirked. "Kiddo, you aren't hiding anything. Your grandpa and I know how smitten you are with that Sizilien girl."
"True that. You are very obviously into her. Even a blind man can see that."
The elderly couple wouldn't be surprised if Shin married her. In fact, they would be extremely surprised if the two didn't marry.
"Never let that girl go, you understand? She's one of the best I've seen."
"Grandma! Kuhum. Anyway..." Shin diverted the conversation back to the main subject. "I worry for my brother. I don't think he's being secretive because of a girl. It's definitely something else."
Merlin, Melinda, and Shin tried to think of a good reason.
"...is it because of magic? By that, I mean his special magic that you have been telling me about for quite some time now." Melinda recalled the stories she would hear from Merlin, stories that defied all common sense.
"Hoh~ that could very well be the case."
All sorts of strange happenings would occur in the forest Merlin lived, and they all started when he picked up the two orphaned babies.
It didn't happen straight away, but as the babies grew, strange and inexplicable phenomena would occur.
"Do you remember, Shin? Your brother went out to the forest to 'play' on his own when you were younger, and while I was teaching you magic, the sound of—"
"The sound of thunder came out of nowhere. On a clear day. No clouds were in the sky. I remember, grandpa."
"Yes. And when storm clouds threatened to ruin your brother's 'Minecraft Dirt House,' they retreated before our very eyes. Or when all the animals in the forest suddenly passed out, frothing at the mouth. I remember getting goosebumps and light-headed when that happened."
"I've heard all of these stories and more, Merlin. Recounting them won't help us now. What I'm asking is if you have any clue whether or not this has to do with Thomas's behavior."
"It could be, but I'm not sure."
Melinda was right. Speculating the reason behind Thomas's odd actions wouldn't actually get them anywhere since only the person himself knows the truth.
The trio only had one option: to hear the reason from Thomas himself. Other options like spying on him was impossible. Merlin taught him precautions for that, and Thomas was able to perfect them.
All that training in the forest created two terrifying beings, with one even more so.
"He said we'll talk about it later," Shin revealed.
"Good news then! Tell us all about it!"
"Oh, and he's planning on dropping out of the academy."
""What?!""
The two oldies nearly had a heart attack. This news was far too sudden!
"Umm, yeah. He has apparently learned all the common sense he needs. Since grandpa taught us more than enough magic knowledge, he finds the classes boring."
"..."
Merlin and Melinda looked at each other. They sent messages to each other with the slightest twitch of an eyelash, or the faintest wrinkle on their forehead.
"That boy! We really need to talk to him about this! He used to be so obedient!"
"Hohh~ Well, he's an adult now. The boy is now a man. He can do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't hurt himself or anyone."
While Melinda was practically losing her shit, Merlin gave a hoho they sure grow up quick kind of vibe.
"Merlin! This is your fault. You and your forgetful brain. Now we have to worry about these things."
"Okay, I admit that seeing them two soak up everything I taught made me want to see how far I could push it. I neglected other aspects of their education, that much I admit. But I trust Thomas. He's a quick learner, so maybe he really does know the necessary common sense to let him be."
"Less than a month isn't enough to learn what you didn't teach in 15 years!"
"Grandma, please calm down..." Unfortunately for Shin, he was stuck trying to deescalate the situation, and quite terribly at that. Melinda wouldn't calm down so easily...
Then, there was the sound of chewing. It wasn't silent, but it certainly wasn't loud either.
The chewing was masked by Melinda's scolding voice and Shin's attempts to calm her down. Before long, however, Melinda would run out of breath, Shin would sigh out of relief, and when a comfortable silence returned to the living room, they would finally hear the odd noise coming from a corner of the room.
Shin was the first to hear it. And when he looked...
"Since when have you been there?!"
He yelled at the clearly eating individual.
"For a while now. Hello everyone." Thomas waved at everyone present. He did so while holding a chicken wrap, and some of its sauce fell to the floor. "Oops. Let me clean that—"
"Explain yourself, boy!"
Melinda moved so fast that she looked like she teleported, giving him no chance to clean up the tiny mess he made. She grabbed poor Thomas's shoulders and violently shook him, causing even more sauce to spill.
"Spill! Are you really planning to drop out?!"
"I don't want to go to school... it's useless to convince me otherwise... please stop shaking me... I'll throw up..."
"You're really dropping out?!"
With one final shake, Melinda let her grandson go. But she wasn't done since she balled up her fist and bonked him in the head.
"Ow!"
It was Melinda's hand that got hurt.
"Y-you're so hard-headed!"
"Sorry Grandma... but I really don't want or need to go to school anymore. I want to focus on my magic research instead, and for that I'll leave home." Thomas sincerely apologized. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Melinda was only acting like this because she worries for him.
Merlin came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. No, he didn't start shaking Melinda, but he did shake his head.
"Thomas is an adult now. Let him make his own choices. The kids aren't just kids anymore," he said. "You know... if it weren't for me forgetting to teach them common sense, they would have left us much sooner. Spending more time with them like this... isn't that enough?"
Thomas added, "What are you worrying about anyway? I know gate magic. I can come here every day no issue. And since I won't be coming to school, I can hang out with you guys for as long as you want."
"I don't need you to come here every day!" Melinda harrumphed, though she didn't seem so against the idea... tsun.
"Wait, Thomas. Don't get ahead of yourself." Merlin interrupted. "We want to know the reason why you have been so busy lately."
Shin and Melinda pricked up their ears. After all, it was the reason why they all met up in the living room in the first place.
"Oh, that's just me making preparations to move out. I'm looking for houses to move into in many places, even outside the royal capital. Absolutely nothing to worry about. Definitely nothing to worry about."
"Is that so..." They found such a reason acceptable.
"Anyway, I'll be on my way. There's a lot of properties out there that need checking out. I'm supposed to be meeting their owners soon. See you guys."
Thomas casually made a gate.
Before he could enter, Merlin said, "Why don't we ask your Uncle Tom for a favor and find you somewhere nice? He's a well known merchant with loads of connections. You'll also be needing money for the house. Your Uncle Tom can help with that as well."
"No need! I'm an adult, remember? Mister Independent is who I am from now on! I have enough common sense to get me through absolutely anything! And let's be honest. Shin is the slowest one out of the two of us with this common sense education. He's the one that needs to get out and touch grass the most."
"Oi. I'm right here, y'know."
"You aren't wrong about that either..."
"Oi!!!"
No one stopped Thomas anymore. He hurriedly went through the gate. It really did seem like he needed to be somewhere.
"...should I leave the house too? If my brother is doing it—"
"No! You heard the man. Stay with us until graduation!" Melinda was quick to reply.