"Look, Ryuu is not a freak like you. He's a great swordmaster who is liked by many girls, wherever he goes, the girls follow him, while you are alone," Rafe said with a laugh and patted Hayato's shoulder.
"An NPC like you doesn't deserve to insult a main character, you freak! You still claim to be a member of Neutron when it's obvious that you're just an NPC trying to act cool!" Hayato snapped.
"Even your strange words are hard to understand, but I know you're insulting me with them!" grumbled Rafe as he looked up at the sky. Rafe tried to digest the situation that had just happened to him.
"Your name is Hayato, right?" asked Rafe after a long silence.
"Yes. As an NPC you should remember it well," Hayato replied.
"By the way, why are you suddenly interrupting my fight?" asked Rafe.
"In novels or manga, usually a major event that happens around the main character will greatly affect their journey. Usually, if there is a problem, the NPC involved in that problem might be his future wife or an important NPC in the story. That's why I got involved on purpose to prove it. This is my first big event in this world," Hayato explained.
"Come on, act like a normal person. Don't mix your words with foreign terms from this kingdom. I don't understand a word you're saying," Rafe grumbled as he stood up.
"Where are you going?" asked Hayato.
"I'm going to find my other friends. I'm sure this is all Xavier's doing to take revenge on Neutron, though I don't know how he survived his death," Rafe replied with a serious look on his face.
"Let me tell you one thing. Knowledge of the Acedia Era is strictly forbidden in this era. Only certain people know about Neutron and the history of the Acedia Era. If those important people knew that you knew the history of the Acedia Era, then all the kingdoms in this world would turn against you and hunt you down," Hayato explained.
"What? Why is that?" asked Rafe with a shocked look on his face.
"Most likely, there is a mysterious person who is trying to control the world right now. He has incited all the kingdoms of the world to erase the history of the Acedia Era and destroy those who try to investigate it. If you think that Xavier has resurrected and is behind your existence in this era, it's possible that he's also the one behind the abolition of the Acedia Era," Hayato replied.
"Although these are just my thoughts, Professor Nia never thought that Xavier would resurrect. What is clear is that I have to bring that NPC to him now," Hayato thought while looking at Rafe.
"Then it will be difficult to find out the whereabouts of my other friends. Xavier won't keep quiet either if they want to take revenge on Neutron," Rafe mumbled thoughtfully.
"Why do you think Neutron is in this era now, just like you?" asked Hayato.
"Because I believe that Xavier brought me to this future, and the only reason he did it was to take revenge on me and the other members of Neutron. There's no other reasonable answer than that, only a demon king like him could do such a thing, his power is so terrifying," Rafe replied.
"Our last battle with him even caused the Solaris continent in the south to break into four pieces, his power is beyond human reason. It's very dangerous if he rises again, I must look for other Neutron members immediately," Rafe continued, clenching his hands into fists.
"I have a proposition for you," Hayato said.
"What is it?" asked Rafe with a serious look on his face.
"Go with me to the Elexia Academy and become a student there. You can gain a lot of knowledge about this world there, you can also get a lot of information there, because Elexia Academy is the only academy in the Kingdom of Ruttera, in the capital of Ruttera itself, many tough adventurers from different parts of the world stop by, because that's where the main guild of the kingdom is located," Hayato replied.
"Without having to ask many people about Neutron, you can get information about Neutron there, and the risk of getting caught is very low. There is only one condition for everything to go smoothly, you have to become a student of the academy there," Hayato continued.
"How can I find out about my friends without asking for them there? You're so strange," Rafe asked.
"Because there is a lot of secret information circulating in the Ruttera capital, you just have to buy it. Besides, there are many other ways to get information there, you can sneak into some places to get it. But all that has risks, but it's safer than asking directly about Neutron and other Acedia Era history," Hayato replied.
"Alright, I more or less understand. But who is the Elexia Academy? Why do I have to be its student? Is he that powerful?" asked Rafe with a curious look on his face.
At that moment, Hayato sighed deeply. It took him a long time to explain about the Elexia Academy, which was a school for adventurers in the Ruttera Kingdom. If you want to become an adventurer and get an adventurer's card, you have to go to school there, and later, after graduation, the adventurer's rank will also be determined depending on his abilities.
Hayato also explained that while they are students there, they are already half adventurers and can take on quests. The difference is that they can't do quests in other kingdoms because they have to graduate from the academy first. Rafe could only nod in understanding after Hayato had explained it for quite a while.
"I didn't expect it to be so difficult to become an adventurer in this era, whereas in the past, you didn't need any permission," Rafe murmured with a deep sigh.
"How is it? Would you like to come with me? I'll explain the rest on the way," Hayato asked.
"Hehehe... there's no reason for me to refuse. It's the only option for me. Besides, I feel that the mana in my body and the physical strength of my current self are drastically reduced, maybe I'm still recovering from the fight with Xavier," Rafe replied with a laugh.
"I see, I didn't expect a kid your age to have participated in the battle against Xavier," Hayato said as he stood up.
"Huh? A kid like you doesn't deserve to call an adult a kid! Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" grumbled Rafe with an annoyed look on his face.
"Aren't you still my age?" asked Hayato with a confused look on his face.
"What do you mean, are you short-sighted? Take a good look at me, I'm already twenty-nine years old and three months away from getting married," Rafe said while bending his waist.
Hayato then used his ice magic to create a large chunk of ice for Rafe to reflect in. Suddenly, Rafe's eyes widened. He could see it clearly now, his body was the same as when he was sixteen years old.
"Eh!" exclaimed Rafe in surprise.
"What's wrong?" asked Hayato.
"Why did I become a boy like this?" asked Rafe with a confused look on his face.
"I see, he didn't notice. It's likely that he's in the same situation as me, his body shrunk due to the effects of time and space when he traveled to this future," Hayato thought.
"Damn, this must be Xavier's work, no wonder he made my mana and physical strength decrease as well. He thinks he can defeat Neutron in this state," Rafe grumbled, clenching his hands into fists.
Continued...