Third Person Point of View
Rudeus opened his eyes, sitting inside the same infinitely white—and profoundly irritating—space of the Man-God, who stood behind him with a smile, as if he had been waiting for him forever.
The boy felt his jaw tighten the moment he saw him.
Shit, this guy again...
The Man-God, smiling as always: —Is that how you greet me? You haven't changed at all —he replied carelessly.
—Why have you brought me back to this place? I told you I don't want to remember how I looked before —Rudeus replied, not hiding his annoyance.
—You're so cold. It's been a year since we last talked —Hitogami replied with a tone of sadness in his voice.
—Remember that thanks to my advice, you have that demon eye. Don't you think you should trust me more by now? —Hitogami spoke, circling around Rudeus.
—Ha... Don't talk nonsense. If your advice were so good, I wouldn't have ended up in prison, nor would I have fought with Paul.
Hitogami just laughed upon hearing what he said— —Your adventures never cease to entertain me, but truly, was all of that my fault?
Rudeus clenched his jaw, not knowing how to respond— "Ugh... fine... Thank you very much, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here. Now tell me what your next advice is," he said with resignation.
—But now what I want is to know about my family: Zenith, Aisha, Lilia. And also Sylphie, Ghislaine, Philip, and Sauros.
—Ah... Let me think about that... but on one condition: if I tell you, you will have to trust me more.
—Mmm... agreed. If your advice helps me find them, I'll consider it.
—Okay... that will be enough... So, let me give you my advice. Listen closely, her name is Aisha Greyrat. You are going to arrive at this place... but you must not tell her your real name; you must use an alias and ask her to explain her situation to you... Then, send a letter to the royal palace of Shirone to an acquaintance.
While he was giving his advice, a small vision flashed through Rudeus's mind about Aisha. Surprised, he asked:
—What was that...? An acquaintance, what do you mean? —Rudeus asked, confused.
—Do it, and you will successfully rescue Lilia and Aisha from the Shirone palace.
While all this was happening, Hitogami did not realize that the future he told Rudeus changed slightly due to a variable.
Before Rudeus could ask, everything began to blur.
Rudeus woke up dizzy and couldn't help but stand up and run to vomit into the sea.
—I don't understand, he gave me this demon eye just to show me this —Rudeus wondered.
Arthur's Point of View
—Well... —I said to myself as I put on my cloak—. I've been sad for long enough.
I walked down the stairs. The tavern keeper was cleaning glasses with his worn-out rag. Seeing me, he looked up and gave me that sad smile he'd worn since that day.
—Are you sure you don't want to stay a couple more days, kid? —he asked, crossing his arms.
—Well, I'll only stay for tonight —I replied. I tried to smile, but it came out crooked— I don't want to abuse your help too much.
The man shook his head, approaching to put a hand on my shoulder.
—It's alright... kid. It's the least I can do; your grandpa was a great friend to me.
I smiled when I heard that— 'll be right back.
I left the tavern—I adjusted my backpack.
I walked down the main street, full of opening stalls, people haggling, children running around.
—At least I have enough to live for a while... —I muttered.
I remembered my grandpa's things that I sold to travel lighter. Things he kept for years. It hurt, but I had to do it.
—I'm sorry, Grandpa... I should think about what I'm going to do. Mmm... become an adventurer?... Not for now, I can't... This body still doesn't let me use all the strength that an advanced swordsman should have... not to mention that my mana reserves are not as large as Rudeus's.
I looked around, realizing I was in an alleyway—I sighed, tilting my head back— —I guess I didn't realize where I was going —I let out a nervous chuckle.
Suddenly, the sound of fast footsteps echoed—breaking my thoughts. They came from the alley to my left. Those steps sounded closer and closer, and behind them, other steps, but they sounded heavier.
My body reacted before my mind. I slid behind some rotten wooden boxes, hiding.
I peeked out just enough to see. A red-haired girl appeared, turning the corner. She was wearing maid clothes. She was running in the direction where I was standing before.
Behind her, two kingdom guards appeared, panting, their faces red with anger. —Stop, you wretched girl! —Don't make it harder!
The girl passed by me without seeing me. It was now or never.
I dropped my backpack and moved. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the gap between the barrels and the wall. She let out a gasp, but I was faster and covered her mouth with my hand.
—Shhh... —I whispered close to her ear—. Silence.
Her green eyes fixed on mine, trembling with terror and surprise. I kept my gaze steady, conveying calm. Gradually, she stopped struggling, beginning to calm down. I gently removed my hand.
—Stay there and rest —I told her with a smile—. I'll handle it. —The girl just nodded.
I stepped out into the alley, intercepting the men's path—The soldiers stopped dead in their tracks— —Hey, you, brat —the taller one barked—. Have you seen a girl pass by here?
The other one looked around impatiently. —Come on, kid, if you don't know anything, get out of our way, don't waste our time.
I brought a hand to my chin, pretending to think deeply. —Mmm... let me see... A girl, you say?... No, no, I haven't seen her.
The first soldier ground his teeth, losing patience. —Don't be a smart aleck! We know she came through here!
At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Aisha had peeked out too much. When they saw her, she just smiled.
—There she is! —one shouted, pointing at her.
The guard drew his sword and charged forward. —Get out of the way, you nuisance! If you don't move, I'll cut off your arm!
I sighed —Such rude people.
I smiled, and mana began to flow through my limbs. —Try it.
Both lunged their swords at me. —Before they reached me, I raised my right hand, palm open towards them.
Wind Magic. I compressed the air into a dense sphere and released it in a burst.
BOOM!
The blast of compressed air hit them like an invisible sledgehammer. The two soldiers were thrown backward, their feet leaving the ground, and they violently crashed against the opposite wall of the alley. They fell to the ground, unconscious, their armor dented.
—So weak —I muttered, dusting off my hands—. How can they be royal guards with that level?
I turned to the girl. She slowly came out, her mouth slightly open and her eyes shining with amazement.
—Well —I said, walking towards her—, can you explain why they're chasing you? I'm Arthur, by the way.
She snapped out of her daze and made a quick, albeit clumsy, bow. —My name is Aisha. Aisha Greyrat. You have my full gratitude. I'm running away from those men... because they have my mother locked up. —She took a crumpled envelope from her pocket and pressed it against her chest. —I was trying to escape to send this letter to a relative.
I froze for a second, though I kept my expression neutral on the outside. Greyrat. Red hair, green eyes, maid clothes—I looked at her features—Rudeus's sister. —Could this be the day Aisha meets Rudeus or arrives before him? I should do something, but it might change the plot, mmm.
—Hey, are you listening to me? —the girl asked, confused, seeing that Arthur wasn't answering.
With that, I snapped out of my thoughts— —I understand —I simply said. I picked up my backpack and started walking toward the alley exit.
Aisha blinked, confused. —What are you doing? Where are you going?
I stopped and looked over my shoulder, giving her a smile. —What are you waiting for? We're going to save your mom.
—Huh? —Her eyes filled with confusion, and then hope—. Are you... are you serious? —But... why would you do that? We barely know each other —Aisha asked.
—Well, if you ask me, it's because I want to. There's no other reason —I replied, looking at her.
Aisha was visibly surprised by such a response.
—Come on —I said, moving forward—. Let's not waste any more time.
Third Person Point of View
Near the Location
Rudeus, who had already sent the letter to the palace to the acquaintance—he remembered that Hitogami was referring to "Roxy," his teacher who was giving classes in the palace—had also asked Eris and Ruijerd to help him search for information about Lilia and Aisha.
—How strange, I've been asking for a while, but I can't find any trace of them —I hope Roxy replies quickly and helps me search for them. He said this, completely forgetting that Hitogami told him they were in the palace.
...
With Arthur
—So you said you were going to send that letter to a relative —Arthur asked, following Aisha.
—Yes, I wanted to send it to my father.
—Ah... But don't you have any family, siblings, or aunts?
Aisha turned and replied— —Well, yes, I have an older brother, but I can't count on him.
—What? May I know why? —Arthur asked, already guessing the reason.
—Of course —she replied, a little resigned—, you know, in my house there was a box that my mother treasured —she said not to touch it or check it, and I asked her why not— she told me it had something very important for my brother, that when my mom wasn't around, I should check it —and guess what I found inside?
Trying not to laugh, remembering the scene from the anime— —I can't imagine, perhaps it's a gift.
—Panties! ... At the age of four or five, he was a panty devotee! And you know what? They were small! —According to my calculations, they belonged to a girl who was around 14 years old.
Wow, she is indeed very intelligent for her age —Arthur thought.
—And I also heard my mother say that he spied on that girl in the bathroom and on my father and his wife in bed —I'm sure she was trying to hide it, but... My older brother is definitely a pervert!!!! She shouted a little, frowning.
—This Rudeus seems to enjoy his childhood a lot —Arthur thought— —Well, let's keep going. Let's not keep your mother waiting.
The walk to the mansion was ridiculously easy. Every guard we crossed paths with ended up knocked out before they could raise the alarm.
But upon arriving in front of the high walls of the governor's mansion, Arthur stopped dead. And he looked around to see if there were no guards nearby.
—So, do you have a plan? —Aisha asked.
—I do —he looked up. —Tell me, where is your mother? Exactly.
Aisha hesitated for a second, processing the information, but her intelligence shone instantly. —West wing. Third floor. At the end of the corridor, there's a utility room where they are keeping an eye on her.
—West wing. Perfect.
I crouched down in front of her. —Climb onto my back. And hold on tight, as if your life depends on it.
—What are you going to do? —she asked, confused, as she wrapped her little arms around my neck.
I channeled mana into my legs. The wind concentrated under my boots, dense and powerful. —We're going to fly.
WHOOSH!
Before Aisha could say anything, the ground cracked under my feet. They shot up vertically. Arthur ran three steps up the vertical wall, defying gravity, and with a final gust of wind, he landed smoothly on the third-floor balcony.
There was a guard smoking. He turned and asked— —But wha—...?
I didn't let him finish. With a fluid movement, I struck his temple with the hilt of my sword, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Aisha, now somewhat recovered— —Incredible... —Aisha whispered from behind.
—Alright, let's keep moving.
Arthur moved through the corridors with the speed of a ninja. Thanks to his training, they were undetectable. Reaching the wooden door at the end of the hallway.
—It's here —Aisha said.
The lock was keyed— —Step back.
I unsheathed my sword just a few centimeters. A silver flash. Sword God Style: Flowing Cut. The lock split in two with a clean metallic sound and fell to the floor.
They opened the door.
Inside, a woman with dark reddish hair was folding clothes, lost in thought. Hearing the door, she turned sharply, putting herself on guard. She looked emaciated, with deep dark circles under her eyes.
Lilia looked up. She scanned me up and down with expert eyes. —You... you are not a guard. A child?
At that moment— —Mom! —Aisha jumped off Arthur's back and ran towards her.
—Aisha! —Lilia fell to her knees, catching her daughter in a desperate hug—. I thought they had captured you! I thought...!
While they had their moment, Arthur guarded the hallway, sword in hand. —I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion —he said with a firm voice—, but we have to leave before someone notices their guards are taking a nap.
Lilia remembered her situation and stood up, taking Aisha's hand. She walked toward the door, but suddenly, she stopped dead, pale.
—Wait! —she exclaimed urgently.
—What's wrong? —Arthur asked, stopping.
Lilia ran to the back of the room. She knelt by the bed, lifted a loose floorboard, and pulled out a small wooden box. She frantically cleaned it with her apron and hugged it against her chest.
Seeing the box, Aisha and Arthur exchanged a look, remembering what they had talked about earlier.
—That's it —she said, breathing a sigh of relief—. I couldn't leave without this.
Arthur shook his head, holding back a nervous laugh. This woman's loyalty to Rudeus is terrifying.
—Good —he said—. Now let's abandon this place.
They took the same path, heading toward the balcony. Lilia looked at the height and swallowed hard. —You came through here?
—Don't worry. Trust me.
Arthur grabbed Lilia by the waist (carrying the box with one hand) and Aisha climbed onto his back. With one leap, they dropped.
Lilia stifled a scream, but before they touched the ground, a gust of wind I invoked cushioned the fall, gently setting them down as light as a feather.
—And where do we go now? —Lilia asked, recovering and worried— I'm sure if they don't find me, they'll send guards to look for me.
—I know a place where they can help you while you figure out what to do.
Lilia was slightly hesitant to follow him.
—Don't worry, Mom, Arthur is a good person —Aisha, next to her, pulled her mother's hand— Lilia, seeing this, moved forward, still a bit doubtful.
We ran through the alleys, entering the tavern where I was staying, along with the two of them.
The tavern keeper was surprised to see this. He approached Arthur and leaned in to whisper— —Hey kid, don't tell me that you already got a little girlfriend in just a little while —he said in a mocking tone.
Arthur got a little nervous upon hearing that— —Hey, stop teasing, better help me with something.
Seeing Arthur turn serious— —I'm listening —the tavern keeper replied.
Once the whole story was told— —Mmm, I understand. So you want me to hide them for now until you figure out what to do —he said, looking at Lilia and Aisha.
—Alright —honey, help me prepare a room.
—Coming, darling —replied his wife, who had also heard the story.
At that moment, Lilia bowed in a perfect formal curtsy towards the tavern keeper— —Thank you very much... sir, for your kindness.
—It's alright... it's just a favor this kid will owe me —he said, putting his hand on Arthur's shoulder.
Lilia bowed again— —Thank you very much, Lord Arthur. I am indebted to you.
Aisha looked at me with absolute admiration.
I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed by so much formality. —It was nothing. I just did the right thing.
The tavern keeper's wife clapped her hand
s, getting their attention— —Well... accompany me to your room, Madam Lilia. I'm sure you are tired from all the commotion...
End of Chapter