In a small, charming, and dark room where all the curtains were drawn to block out sunlight, a young man sat on his bed, moving his hand repeatedly. This was Laos, spending his time without gaming devices or light novels. Yes, he was playing with his penis.
"Ah, ah, I'm done..."
After finishing the masturbation session, Laos collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. At first glance, his face showed profound depression, and in truth, he was indeed deeply depressed. He couldn't forget that moment. It replayed vividly in his head every time, making it hard for him to sleep.
Laos had suffered from depression and insomnia many times before, but this time, the weight of these feelings was much heavier. So much so that it made him consider ways to leave these emotions behind and become a creature without feelings. But how could he do that when he was merely human, governed by countless emotions?
Laos had spent countless hours in darkness but had never experienced true nothingness. He tried to escape it by fabricating imaginary scenarios, yet at every turn, he realized he was only engaging in futile actions that wouldn't free him from this void. Still, despite this realization, he continued to run away, accompanied by his fictional companions... Yes, what Laos needed most at this moment was to become a material being, distanced from emotions.
Laos needed to change his fate, no matter what it took, even if it meant destroying the entire world... After all, the human self comes first—that was part of Laos' logic.
"My God, Maris is amazing in bed..." Laos murmured, trying to distract himself from that scene.
He rose from the bed and opened the curtains, allowing brilliant light to flood the room, highlighting every corner. He paced back and forth, trying to think about something that didn't exist—yes, pure absurdity. His thoughts were completely scattered, and there was no escape from this sense of futility.
"Alright, today I'm supposed to meet someone named Sabrina... My God, why can't I just talk to men?!"
After a while, Laos mustered up the courage and left his room. The area outside was quiet. Suddenly, he returned to his room, closed the door, and went to the windows. It seemed he remembered wanting to look at the view outside the palace. So this was what he had been thinking about while pacing.
He opened the windows, and a beautiful breeze hit him. The scenery was lush green, with shrubs lined neatly in rows. Birds chirped all around, and towering mountains loomed in the distance. Among them, a group of dragons soared majestically. Above them, the sky was clear, and the sunlight illuminated every corner of the area. Yes, this is the another world.
Wait, did Laos just smile? As the failed teenager gazed at this view, he suddenly opened his mouth, letting out a heavy sigh, followed by a radiant smile—a smile that hadn't graced his face in a long time... Had he... had Laos just grabbed onto a thread leading to happiness? Or was it merely a fleeting dopamine rush?
"This is it! This... this is stunning. It's like the rural villages in Switzerland... My God, I love this," Laos murmured as he wiped away tears. For the first time, Laos shed tears of joy.
Some might see this breathtaking view and feel nothing, but believe me, Laos felt immense happiness at the sight. So much so that he could stare at this view forever.
"Wait!... Is this happiness?... Impossible!" Laos spoke with a smile even stronger than before.
"Yes! I've found my source of happiness... It's nature... It's nature," the teenager added, wiping his eyes to clear away the tears.
At this moment, all we can do is thank Mother Nature for offering this simple gift to this miserable teenager. Thank you, Mother Nature. Thank you for bringing joy to the loser, Laos. Thank you for making the 'Divine Hero' happy.
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"Laos, Lady Sabrina would like to see you," someone called from behind the door.
"Damn it, I forgot about that Sabrina business!" Laos muttered to himself.
He then walked to open the door, finding Maris in front of him—the very person he had been fantasizing about during his masturbation earlier.
"Follow me, Laos. Sabrina is waiting for you. The vacation is over, so I'll guide you and then return to my duties," Maris said in her feminine voice.
The two headed toward a staircase leading upward, clearly to the third floor. After some silent climbing up the stairs, they reached their destination, stepping onto the third floor. It resembled the second floor, with ornate ceilings, windows covered by curtains, and a red carpet underfoot. The walls were adorned with numerous paintings, one of which caught Laos' attention—a depiction of a warrior being stabbed by a blue-haired woman, reminding him of Lunariss.
"Hey, Maris, what does this painting represent?" Laos asked as he followed her steps.
"Oh, that one? It's a painting by a renowned artist in the kingdom. It depicts the scene of the traitorous hero's death at the hands of the Moon Goddess."
The hero? The Moon Goddess? Hearing this, Laos was reminded of the backstory he had created for himself. He began to think deeply before blurting out in a slightly loud voice, "Can you explain more?"
"Not now... We're here," Maris replied as she stopped before a wooden door painted red.
"Lady Sabrina, Laos is here," said the cow eared girl in her voice.
"Let him in," came a voice from behind the door—a feminine voice, but one filled with arrogance and pride.
Maris then stepped aside, leaving the way clear for Laos, before heading back downstairs to resume her work. She left Laos standing in front of the door, unsure and hesitant.
"Good luck, Laos," Maris said with a smile as her final words before vanishing from the teenager's sight.
Standing there alone, Laos hesitated, scared and confused. What should he do? In that moment, Laos was overwhelmed by embarrassment. For an introvert like him, it would take hours to mentally prepare for such a meeting—what to say, how to speak to Sabrina—but he couldn't turn back time. The only thing left for him to do was open this fucking door!
◆ ◆ ◆
I opened the door with trembling hands. As I did, my nose was hit by the scent of pleasant perfumes, as if I had entered a French perfume shop filled with those annoying girls testing every scent without buying anything.
Once the door was fully open, I could see the room.
It was somewhat large, filled with books and two cabinets. A closed glass window allowed sunlight to stream through, brightly lighting the room. The space was also filled with various natural flower vases that emitted diverse scents, and its corners were adorned with bronze statues of knights and mages, giving the room a fantasy atmosphere. The walls held numerous paintings of that fucking goddess.
But among all these details, one thing stood out the most: a desk made of oak, behind which sat a woman in her thirties or late twenties. She wore a witch's outfit, with long black hair, a purple witch's hat, and a violet robe embroidered with black lines. When I saw her, she was gazing at a wilted flower. Suddenly, she touched the flower with her soft white hand, and without warning, a green light flowed from her touch, revitalizing the flower and making it bloom again. Yes, it is the magic.
When she finished reviving the flower, she glanced at me with a strange look, then closed the open book on the desk and set it aside. After that, she extended her hand toward an empty chair and said in her voice:
"Please, sit."
I stepped forward and asked if I could close the door. She nodded, prompting me to close it. I then sat on the chair and stared at her face up close. Her skin was white, her silver eyes were beautiful, and a small mole rested beneath her lips. She was stunningly attractive, but her robe obscured what, to me, defined beauty… I bet she had amazing boobs. But what was a witch like her doing in this palace?
"So, you're Laos. I am Sabrina, the deputy head servant. I assume you've heard of me before coming here," she said, gazing directly into my eyes.
"Yes… Maris mentioned you several times," I replied, staring at a scroll on the desk. But wait—since when could I read the language of this world?!
"Well, Laos, the servants of the first floor found you at the palace gates. They swore they saw you appear out of nowhere. At that moment, we realized the Moon Goddess had brought you here. So, I instructed them to take you to an empty room and prepare you for this moment," she added, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Thank you," I replied in my introverted manner, barely able to hold a proper conversation.
"Well, do you know why you're here?" the witch asked.
"To know my job," I answered, trying to maintain eye contact, but I couldn't because I'm a fucking introvert.
"Exactly... Well, Laos, before that, it would be strange to work in a place you know nothing about, so let me be your guide in the world of Staria," Sabrina said, opening one of the drawers in the cabinet.
After a while of searching through the contents of the drawer, she pulled out a scroll, then returned to her seat, laid the paper on the desk, and raised her head to look at me again while I was staring at the paper, which was a map of the world.
"Come closer," Sabrina said.
After that, I grabbed the chair and moved closer to the desk so I could examine the map more closely.
"Laos, this is the map of the world of Staria. As you can see, the world of Staria is divided into three continents: the western continent of Bardel, the northern continent of Atekia, and the eastern continent of Sevios... and there are many islands, but we won't touch on them now."
"Okay, now our subject is the continent of Sevios, where we are. The continent of Sevios is the second largest after Bardel, and it contains many kingdoms. We are currently in the Kingdom of Yarum in the west, right inside Princess Tiana's palace, in the far east of the kingdom."
Sabrina sighed and continued her explanation: "The Kingdom of Yarum suffers from numerous attacks by demons coming from the island of Diablos, which is located in the middle ocean. The demons repeatedly attack the kingdom, so King Yarum, Adalos IV, asked the Moon Goddess to summon heroes from another world to help him in his battle."
"Can demons think in this world, or are they just beasts that follow their instincts like animals?" I asked, glancing at the map and sometimes sneaking a look at Sabrina's bare legs, which were stretched out, reaching my view.
"Yes, demons in Staria can think. They are intelligent creatures, and they can speak too, but we don't know who rules them, nor do we have any other information about them or their island, except that they constantly attack Yarum for unknown reasons," Sabrina added after noticing that I was staring at her legs. fuck, why didn't I look away quickly!!
"Okay, aside from the demon island, the Kingdom of Yarum has other rivalries with its neighbors. Just two years ago, a war broke out between Yarum and the Kingdom of Deryal."
"What are the reasons for these rivalries?" I asked.
"Well, there are two reasons. The first reason goes back a long time. Speaking of time, the world of Staria has its own calendar, called the Elder calendar, and we are currently in the year 954 of the Elder calendar."
"Let's continue. In the year 213, an adventurers from the Kavaz tribes, a tribe that worships the fire god, Ifrit, came to these lands, which were just empty green lands. This adventurers then founded the first kingdom in the west of the continent of Sevios, the Kingdom of Yarum. After that, the adventurers ruled the region and prevented any people from establishing kingdoms near him, and this is where the enmity began."
"And now we move to another time, specifically the year 253," the witch said as she shifted her finger to one of the nearby kingdoms to Yarum.
"After a while, another kingdom was established in the area, the Kingdom of Deryal. Deryal prepared the land for several peoples to establish their own kingdoms, and then prevented Yarum from suppressing them. Thus, the years went by, and many kingdoms were established in the west of the continent of Sevios, but this did not please the Kingdom of Yarum, which wanted to control the area alone."
"But that means Yarum is the wrong kingdom," I replied as I thought about the story.
"The answer is yes... and no, but the question of whether Yarum is wrong or not will lead us to another story," Sabrina answered.
"Okay, what is the second reason?" I asked after looking into her eyes.
After asking this question, an odd silence spread. Sabrina then lifted her hands off the map and looked at me intently, which added more tension. Finally, she said:
"Laos, The second reason... is that all the servants in this palace are slaves!"