Chapter 46

"Hey, bird bitch."

―A familiar voice was heard.

Along with it, a nicely-tanned, bronze arm could be seen; fiercely grabbing the arm Ariel was overwhelming Jae with.

Her expression visibly grimaced as the hand tightened its grasp on her arm―a sign that it could indeed inflict damage on her.

The voice continued without breaking eye contact with Ariel; surprisingly enough, this alone was enough to give her goosebumps.

"What do you think you're doing to my friend, huh?"

"..."

"Get. Your hand. Off."

Glancing over, the two's initial reaction was identical: surprise. That surprise then morphed into two additional things for each of them.

Jae―was both confused and relieved. He wondered what this person was doing here, but was simultaneously relieved that he was saved.

Ariel―was both irritated and curious. She wondered why this person had interfered, and why he had then claimed something about a 'friend'.

Hah? Friend? This person? No way. His clan was annihilated centuries ago. Though he ordinarily acts carefree, he should have no room left in his heart for such fragile relationships. And, these two should not have met before? Even so, for him to claim that this putrid, sacrilegious being, is anything except something to be eradicated... What utter insanity. Truly, the irreverence of an irreligious man is repulsive.

Thus, she asked.

"...I can say the same thing to you. What do you think you are you doing, Evil Eye?"

"I won't say it thrice.", Nazar snarled, "Let. Go."

His beady, fiery orange eyes lit up like a ravenous flame, hungry for destruction. Because they were wide open, it caused the hairs on even Ariel's back to stand as her goosebumps intensified. He looked like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.

Staring into his these petrifying eyes that seemed to distort time itself, Ariel instinctively released Jae; her fingers, shaking. He pitifully collapsed onto the ground, heaving a sigh of relief and clutching his pained throat as he spluttered.

*cough, cough!*

His coughing was wild as he was still choking madly, even after being let go, so he just focused on healing himself while listening to the confrontation between Nazar and Ariel.

At the very least, he thought the whole ordeal would end with this. Hopefully, with both Nazar's protection and Leila's accountability, it shouldn't happen again if he continued to stay in the castle.

...But, he has to admit. He didn't expect Nazar to be able to effortlessly fend off Ariel, who he thought was already a complete monster. That made him extremely curious as to how strong he actually was, but he knew now certainly wasn't the time for that.

Upon Jae being released, Nazar also dumped Ariel's arm. When she quickly withdrew it, she seemed to be delicately massaging around the area he grabbed; indicating that it was perhaps bruised. Though he couldn't be sure unless he saw the arm under the clothes.

After a tension-filled moment of silence, Ariel spoke while glaring daggers at the two.

"...It seems there was something of significance that happened, and I wasn't informed about it. Otherwise, I can think of no reason how this thing would have infiltrated this place, being so vile and weak."

"Keep squawking.", Nazar replied in an equally unfriendly tone, "Don't cause a scene, ignorant bird. Flap your wings and fuck off, why don't you."

Ariel widened her eyes, appalled.

"Bird... Tsk. Truly deserving of the name Sand Devil, I see. I now am beginning to understand why you dare defend that unholy being in my presence. I will let it pass just this once, however, because I seem to have missed something of importance. I will return. Next time, it will not go so easy for you."

With a short flash of blinding white light, Ariel was gone.

""...""

Neither of them said a word at her disappearance. By this point, Jae was pretty much back to normal, so he rose to his feet and called out.

"How... I thought there were at least a few more days before your arrival here... Did something happen?"

Nazar turned to Jae and put on a smile, as if his previous, fearsome figure, never existed.

"Heya, Jae. "Did something happen?" Uhhh, yeah? You almost died, that's what happened. I sorted it out for you, so you're welcome. Sorry, that chick just doesn't know how to keep to itself."

"...What? No, you know what I mean; aren't you supposed to be at the inn? Why are you here?"

"Ah, I cut my time there short, because it was boring. I wanted to see you, more importantly. You should know how I got here so quickly. I also thought there'd have been some conflict by the time I arrived, and what do you know, the one person I told you not to confront was choking you to death."

"...Uh- Listen, alright? I didn't confront her. I didn't even know she was here until I was one moment away from getting slammed headfirst into the wall. What the hell even is she?"

Also, though I'm glad you saved me, I didn't really want to see you again. What is that supposed to mean?

Nazar laughed roughly while rubbing his neck, "Yeah, I know right? That bird-brained bitch; can't resist her impulses when it comes to her judgement and beliefs. By the way, though the official name is Seraphim, her kind are called 'angels' by most. Ridiculous, right? And I'm the guy who's called a devil..."

"Are all angels--no, Seraphim, like that?"

"As insane or bird-brained as her? Depends. If they encounter a being they define as 'evil', or if their god is insulted, they freak out and go berserk. Incidentally, most Angels follow the "Number One God", a.k.a, the God of Light, a.k.a, the Holy God. For you, I presume she judged you an evil presence because of your status as Sinful God's Apostle."

...That's bothersome.

"It was kind of unlucky on your part to have crossed paths with her so soon."

"......Can't you at least tell me how she identified me? So that, maybe I can do something about it?"

"Uh, I'd love to, but Jae, that might be difficult..."

"Tsk... Really?"

"Mmmm... You see, it doesn't work for the human or Demon races, but the [Lords] of almost every other race will be able to identify you as under the Sinful God by merely seeing you. It's a little strange, but just think of it as similar to an animal's instinct."

...So in the end, there's nothing I can do, huh...

Jae sighed as the thought entered his head that every [Lord] he would meet from this point forth would try to fight him.

Shit... Can I really do nothing...? If all the other [Lords] are as strong as Nazar or that crazy angel, then......

"―To be honest, though, it's weird. I've never seen that girl go as crazy and attack someone in a short a time as she did you... Maybe the God of Light has a hostile relationship with the Sinful One?"

"I don't know anything about that."

"I see. In any case, you won't need to worry about her anymore since I'm here."

[Ah!? This bastard! He's currying favour!]

Wrath abruptly screamed in Jae's mind, but he tried his best to ignore it.

"...Thanks. But, how did you know you were strong enough to beat her? I thought you've never fought her before."

"Oh, no, you're right, haha. I'm glad you remember..."

Nazar continued after a short pause, "We've never battled, and neither of us has seen the other person battle... But you see, Jae, the two of us are quite experienced existences, with long lifespans. Once you reach a certain point, determining a person's combat power at a glance becomes trivial."

He then smirked, "It also goes without saying, that it becomes even easier when all you need is to discern whether someone is simply stronger or weaker than you."

"..."

"As well as that, we've each heard plenty of rumours about the other, so it's not really that hard to get a rough estimate of strength through that."

"I see..."

"Anyway, we're both old enough to understand that a fight between us would be useless, so we know not to start anything. It wouldn't accomplish anything, nor result in anything of value. But it still doesn't stop us from having an antagonistic relationship, haha... I'm sorry you had to go through what you did because of her, Jae."

"Ah..."

"She may be old, but she's not mature. Her views are childish. Just like most Seraphim, she's obsessed with her god and old beliefs."

"Right... Well, it's fine, since I'm alright You don't need to apologise for anything. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime.", he spoke with a smile, "As I said, you don't need to worry about that bird anymore."

Hah...

"Anyway, I've got some things to report to the Queen, so I'll see you later if you're staying in the castle."

"Yeah, I'll probably be here for the foreseeable future. Bye."

―Then, he vanished without warning.

Standing alone in a room with only corpses remaining, Jae thought.

...Calling such a strong person a 'bird'... Nazar, you cheating bastard... If he really wanted to, couldn't he kill every single man in the country--no, on the whole planet, within a single moment...?

He suddenly became determined.

...I need to become stronger. I can't just keep getting pushed around and toyed with all the time by all these [Lord] bastards.

With a new resolve, Jae decided. Taking a deep breath, he spoke aloud in the empty room.

"Alright, Reius, you fucker. I know you are watching me right now. So talk to me. Tell me where the Sin Dungeons are. When I sleep, if I don't see you, I'll kill you when I eventually do. And you know I will."

Was it a pure coincidence? Fate? Or was it really because of the Sinful God?

Whichever one was the cause―didn't even matter. Because that night, when Jae went to sleep...

His prayer was answered.

----------------------------------------

Jae opened his eyes to see a familiar black void surrounding him.

It didn't even feel like five seconds had passed before an even darker haze appeared in front of him. The haze gathered and formed a humanoid silhouette―exactly the same as how he remembered it.

With 'its' appearance, 'it' spoke.

《Haha... You called? I hear you wanted to become stronger, Jae, is that correct?》

"..."

Still not used to the voice that seemed to rock his very soul, Jae hesitated for a moment.

Cutting right to the chase...

He wanted to ask about various other things, such as why he never showed up since the first time, but, knowing this guy, and seeing how he was acting right now, Jae was certain that he wouldn't stand for questions unrelated to the topic. He stayed silent about such things; so as to not risk him just abruptly leaving.

So, he just said what he desired most right now.

"Yes. I want you to tell me where the Sin Dungeons are."

《Hah.》

"..."

With but a single snort from Reius, Jae was anxious as to whether he made the correct decision. He was well aware that this opportunity could be ruined with but a single word, after all, and the chance would have been completely wasted. He would do anything he could to prevent that from happening.

《I must say, I'm rather disappointed.》

"What--"

《―If that was all, you should have said so sooner, my boy.》

Fortunately, however, it seemed that he would happily comply with Jae's request, causing him to reflexively breathe a sigh of relief.

《Now, truth be told, I don't have much time at the moment. That's why I haven't contacted you recently. But this is a matter of urgency, right? That is why I will tell you the one you should go for upfront. You wish for great power, yes?》

"Yeah."

《Well? Then specify. There are many different kinds of power that exist, you know? There are things like combat power, autocratic power, power over people―you get the gist.》

"Uh... Combat power...? I don't know. I just want to be strong―strong enough to not be pushed and pulled around like a fucking toy. Strong enough to protect my family. Whichever one will assist me to that end."

《Ahah~ Very admirable indeed. In that case, you would probably prefer pure combat power, correct? It's simple, but effective. For the protection of others, it's a must.》

"I guess so."

《Alright. So, for the kind of power you want―let's just call it combat power―the two Dungeons I would recommend you go for, are the Wrath Dungeon and the Greed Dungeon.》

Oh right, Wrath Dungeon... Damn, the current「Wrath」feels kinda shit, though I haven't used it in a long time. What was the second system called again? Causality Interference or something? Distortion? Something like that; it sounded overpowered, so I assumed it would be a huge leap of improvement if I acquired it. On the other hand...

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"I get Wrath, but... Greed?"

What does the sin of greed have to do with strength?

《Ahahah. My. You say that now because you don't understand.》

《Greed is the desire for everything that exists in the world. You could even argue it is the desire to own the world itself. To own reality, perhaps. It encapsulates everything else―And, of course, within that infinitely wide scope of things, are things that would make you stronger.》

"Okay... I understand it enough, but wouldn't it make more sense to go for Wrath if I want strength? Isn't that what the sin is based on?"

Of course, other than the major side-effects they each may have, I've been told many times that「Greed」is incredibly powerful―with Envy even going as far as to call it cheat-like, but... Wait, location is an important factor too.

"Hold on. Where are those Dungeons, then?"

《Haha. You realised? Wrath is in the Southern Continent, whilst Greed is where you are right now, in the Northern Continent.》

"So everything points to the Greed Dungeon, huh..."

...Yeah, I'm not going all the way to the Southern Continent. At least, not yet. Isn't that where Nazar is from? I'll just go with him later; I'm sure he'd show me around.

"...Guess I should go with Greed then...", Jae muttered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the ends of Reius' lips arching up, as if he was smiling. But, he ignored it, passing it off as just creepy. After all, his appearance was scary, with him just being a hazy, black figure with eerie eyes and a strange curved line-like thing for a mouth.

He sighed, "Haa, alright, where's the Greed Dungeon?"

But then, Reius said something unexpected.

《Hoho, I don't know if you're going to like it very much, Jae.》

Jae frowned at his words.

"...What? The location? Why?"

Is it in a human country or something? Don't tell me, Seronia...?

《Mm, spot on! It's actually inside Seronia's palace, hahahaha...!》

"..."

His brows flinched.

《Pfft!》

"...Hey...", his expression distorted angrily.

《Ahh. Wow. What took you such a hard time to get away from again?》

"Shut up. This isn't real..."

《Hah! Open your eyes, kid. Truthfully, though, it isn't that big of a deal. You don't need to worry.》

"What do you mean?"

《Like, if you just brute force your way in, then I doubt they can do much to stop you.》

"Huh...?"

《Oh, have you forgotten? How fragile humans are. Something like this wouldn't be much.》

"No? Sure, most humans are weak, but there was Reon, wasn't there? Physically, he is much stronger than even me. No, he outclasses me in most aspects outside magic, right?"

《Oh, the Midas boy... I suppose you could call him an anomaly. Most likely, you won't see anyone like him any time soon among the humans. He is closer to a monster than a human anyway. Just forget about something as silly as that.》

"...Okay...?"

I wonder what that means... Speaking of which, shouldn't he be arriving here at the castle soon? Huh... I need to tell Leila about it. Fortunately, I can tell he's still alive, so the contract is still in place.

《Anyway, you'll know when you get there since you have the「Mapping」thing, but other than that, there are only three things you need to be mindful of while you're there.》

"And what's that?"

《Ah, nothing serious. You probably won't have any issues. Just be sure to keep aware of these things. Firstly, the otherworlders. Your ex-classmates... Eh, I don't care about them anyway, so just do whatever you want with them. Just keep in mind that some of them will have odd Unique Skills.》

"..."

Jae only listened silently.

《Second, are old people. Watch out for old people. Well, you've got Envy, so you'll be fine. Still, just know that, in this world, old people are far more dangerous than young people, in most cases. Some of them might even be stronger than the otherworlders.》

For this, Jae was confused, so he had to ask.

"What? Why old people?"

《Oh, come on. You know how it is. The older someone is, the stronger they usually are. It's because of the way skill proficiency and levelling works; naturally, an old guy who's fought for 50 years is going to be stronger than a young guy who's only fought for 5 or 10 years. Both in terms of skills, level, and experience. Therefore, the longer someone lives, as long as they fight, they will typically be stronger.》

His eyes widened, "...I see. I didn't realise."

《Not like it matters though; since a human's lifespan is a mere 100 years. That isn't nearly enough time to grow as strong as some of the other races, though there are exceptions.》

"Okay... And what's third?"

《―Traps. I don't think you'll have any problems, but like I said, keep an eye out. The possibility isn't nonexistent that there could be snares with immense magical energy that even you wouldn't be able to easily defend against. Anti-magic traps, skill limiters, you get the idea. Again, the possibility is exceedingly low, but not impossible, so it's good to keep an open mind.》

Jae nodded. He thought that Reius was being a little weird, overpreparing him and warning him excessively about certain things, but that only meant it was really a threat, so he chose to keep it in mind.

"I see. Thanks."

《It's nothing for my one and only follower. Know that I'm counting on you. Keep it up. You're funny recently.》

"..."

《Anyway, I'm busy. I'll contact you whenever. Bye~》

"...Sure."

And with that, the meeting with God ended as he waved Jae goodbye.

----------------------------------------

After listening to what Reius had to say, Jae decided to get it over with quickly.

He wanted to spend as short a time in Seronia as possible, so he acted in haste. Coming up with an idea, he paid a visit to the Queen to ask for her assistance.

Before that, however, he made some things clear: he told Leila about how he would not be marrying her any time soon, but he would take the role of Rena's father. Fortunately, Leila accepted that it would be fine as long as the child herself wanted him as her father, so she permitted it.

Next, he informed her about Reon's imminent arrival at the castle. Hearing Jae's explanation, Leila agreed that he and his family would be accommodated if they came, and not to worry about it. He trusted her words and decided to leave the rest to her.

Finally, he declared that he would refuse to be in the same room as the Seraphim called Ariel, causing Leila to inquire if something happened between them. Omitting what transpired almost entirely, he only said that it would be best for the both of them.

In turn, Leila admitted that Ariel had already come by to see her.

"She shouldn't be causing any more incidents here.", she briefly said before moving on.

Apparently, they had a long conversation about various topics, but she eventually managed to convince the stubborn angel to leave Jae alone. To be honest, he didn't really want to hear about the matter, so he left it at that.

Then, he told her about his need to visit Seronia, which was the primary issue.

"The royal palace of Seronia, you say...", she muttered.

"Yeah. I need to go there as soon as possible. It should only be for a short time, but I was hoping you'd be able to help me. I was thinking I could use magic... Do you still have some kind of Transportation Magic similar to what you used to get Jiyeru into the Cursed Zone?"

"...We do have such a thing. Before that, though, I must ask you: Will this hinder or obstruct my goals?"

"You mean your intention to come to eventual peace with Seronia, right? Well, they'd probably think I'm being helped by you guys anyway, and whatever the reality is, they'd pin the blame on the Demons either way; so, even if you did nothing, then you'd gain hostility. In that case, it's better to just help me anyway."

"No, that's not entirely true. But let's say that it was, for the sake of your argument: even still, I think it would be rather hasty to go forward with this. Maybe we should think a little more about the plan?"

"What?", Jae light creased his eyebrows, as if he thought it was annoying, "Listen. I'm going whether you help me or not, alright? It's not an attack; it's infiltration. If they attack me first, then I will only retaliate against the aggressor. All you need to do is state officially that you didn't help me, and then no one can say that you did, right? I thought that that was how it worked politically, or am I wrong?"

"...You are neither right nor wrong, as delicate politics such as those related to invasion and war isn't so simple."

Maybe she had a change of heart? Perhaps it was something else, like the fact that this man was her daughter's father? Whatever it was, something ultimately caused Leila to cave in to Jae's request.

"......Nevertheless, it is not possible to take you any further than the brink of Seronia's capital city. Any more than that, and it would become something strictly classed as an invasion."

"That's plenty. Thanks. So, how long will it take to set up?"

"If your business there is truly necessary... Then I will make sure that everything is prepared by mid-noon. On the condition that you return within a year, of course."

Jae frowned questioningly at her words, "A year? As I said, it shouldn't take long; maybe a few days, at most."

"I meant the travel back.", she quickly corrected herself. Jae froze momentarily.

"...Oh... Is there no way to teleport me back here when I'm done?"

"Technically, yes, but realistically, no. The amount of time and resources it would require―not to mention the experience and technical knowledge of the person setting it up―are all, as far as I know, much too insufficient. Unless you already know how to procure the materials for, as well as correctly set up, a magic circle for Transportation Magic?"

"Tsk... Fair point."

Damn, will I really just have to come back manually...?

[Keheh. Travelling won't be an issue after you acquire Greed. That fucking--]

Really? Can anyone else confirm? Or is it yet another thing you guys can't tell me?

[Hmm. This "Greed" fellow... I've heard you lot mention him often. Especially recently. What's so great about him, huh?]

Hey, you, shut up for a moment. Wrath, Sloth? Gluttony? Do you guys have anything to say?

[I don't know~]

[No, no, listen. That scum, Greed. He's a right bastard, he is. A cheating, fucking scammer bastard.]

[Huh? The fuck you think I know? He's a shithead, right? I don't care if he's a fucking cuck, a two-timer, a bastard, or whatever the shit, okay? And Sloth is sleeping, so shut your mouths and stop talking already.]

[What'd you say!? You arrogant little shit! No one sleeps in my presence!]

[...Hmm~~?... What...? Whaat~...?]

[No, Wrath, how about you shut your mouth? Seems like the heated reunion with that Evil Eye riled you up a bit, huh?]

[Bitch... Now I'm really gonna beat the shit outta you, you dirty motherfucker! And lizard! Shut the fuck up! You died of old age, idiot! I'd fuck you up too!]

[HUH?! Say that again, punk!? I'll obliterate your entire species with a single breath!!]

...Ugh, damn, my head hurts. It's worse than usual today. I told him to shut his mouth, so why the hell is he so loud...?

----------------------------------------

Eventually, Jae just accepted the fact that he would have to travel back to the castle by himself. He sorted out the plan with Leila and decided to idle around with Rena and Bailey until then.

Of course, he wasn't just idling. With the last of his time, he was teaching them by instructing the two the next step of training their magic.

They stood in one of the castle's outside spaces.

"―So, for you, Rena, I would say that your current goal is... to use magic whilst holding an anti-magic brick. Let's start with that. Remember though, it will actively drain your mana while you hold it, so don't overburden yourself and be careful."

"Okay~!"

"Master, what about me? What should I do?", Bailey asked.

"Well, I'd normally say you can try the same thing, but your mana capacity is much smaller than Rena's because you're human, meaning that anti-magic will drain you a lot quicker. So, that, combined with your lower level of「Mana Manipulation」, means that you'd most likely have a substantially harder time with that kind of training..."

In response to hearing Jae's words, Bailey lowered his head to look at the ground. He must've felt ashamed, and quite dispirited. He probably thought he was far behind Rena.

Knowing that this was likely the case, Jae knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, though. It may not seem like it, but I think you might actually have talent. You said your parents were adventurers, right? That's why they left you at Baghwud. I think that one of them was probably a magician; otherwise, I don't think you could've even got to where you are right now."

"...But it's still not enough..."

"Hey. Bailey, you're not lacking anything. Remember what I always tell you. And anyway, you're not even a magic user, are you? You're a fighter who happens to be able to use a little bit of magic. Why should you feel bad about yourself? It's abundantly clear, to me at least, that you have plenty of talent, and in more than just one field. Because this is the case, you have nothing to feel inadequate about, okay? Chin up."

Following his words, Bailey raised his head, making his enlightened, dark brown eyes, visible.

"...I'll try my best. I want to be stronger too. Not left behind...!"

Jae smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Good. So keep your word and don't let me hear any more self-deprecation from you. Prove your will to me, else there's no point in even teaching you."

"Mmh..."

Jae nodded, "Well then, for now, you can practice combining your swordsmanship and magic. With your left hand, fire magic at the wall, and with your right, sharpen your sword skills."

Nodding, Bailey began to follow Jae's training instructions. Now, he was motivated once more.

Truthfully, there had been quite a number of cases similar to this, where Bailey had felt insecure about his progress, and Jae has had to fire him up.

An inferiority complex... I suppose that, when compared to Rena, his magical proficiency could indeed be considered insignificant. He realises this and puts himself down whenever he sees that Rena is a few steps ahead of him in terms of magic. Even though, objectively, his talent is not half bad. Even I, who only knows magic as Aphy taught me, as well as what I discovered myself, can see that.

Just a small push... Something that could serve as a jumpstart for his growth. Jae thought that, as soon as the ball got rolling, Bailey's negative and fixed mindset would no longer be an obstacle for his development.

All he needs is something he can best Rena at, and that inferiority complex should soon disappear. Or even just something to give him some self-confidence. Anyway, if left alone, it could evolve into something horrible like a feeling of envy, or malice. Fortunately, he has swordsmanship, which he is far more skilled at than Rena. His aptitude for it is quite something, actually. It's rather surprising.

Jae never would have foreseen that the little rascal he once thought of callously disposing of, would not only have an aptitude for all kinds of swordsmanship but also become his student.

If he can merge that gift with his talent for magic... it would really be something. Even I wouldn't be able to replicate it, most likely. Hell, the only reason I could even raise my mastery of the great-sword to 10 in the first place, is because I'm from another world. If I wasn't, it'd be impossible. It's not like I have any talent, after all. I was just lucky to have the strongest teacher, Aphy.

At least for Jae, his high level of「Great-Sword Mastery」allowed him to replicate techniques and such that he imagined in his mind, and he gained a partial understanding of the fundamentals of swordsmanship. However, it was completely different compared to someone who either had the innate talent or was taught by a master.

In the end, roughly half of the efficacy of a skill is one's talent and aptitude. One can tell if they don't have talent fairly quickly if they don't advance leaps and bounds with each skill level up.

And then, there was Rena, who consistently performed outstandingly whenever it came to magic. However, at one point in their training, she seemed to hit a strange wall. A kind of unforeseen roadblock in her growth. Since noticing this wall, Jae had been having Rena practice other things, as he was just as stuck on how to deal with it.

Namely, this wall was related to the so-called 'Dragon's Magic' Jae used himself; for some reason, whatever it was, Rena was simply unable to use it. It made Jae think back to how he, himself, trained to use it.

「Mana Manipulation」... I thought that was all one needed, but that's clearly not it. For me, there was nothing out of the ordinary. So, just what is it that prevents her from having an influence on the world's mana?

To reiterate, a dragon's magic worked―in Aphy's words―by "exerting authority on the world's mana to artificially create phenomena".

The phrase was easier for Jae to understand when he thought of it as just "using a combination of your willpower and the skill to make environmental mana do what you want".

When he was taught this unorthodox method of magic, all she taught him was simple tricks to increase his level of「Mana Manipulation」, as well as the essence of commanding it to his will, which was pretty much just another kind of training he saw as standard. He replicated these teachings for Rena in hopes that she, too, would be able to use the magic of a dragon.

However, it was fundamentally impossible for her.

Jae went over it dozens of times in his head, but the only reason he could come up with for why it wouldn't work is that it's impossible for anyone other than a dragon or an otherworlder to do it. It made complete sense if he thought of it like that, but it just didn't seem right to him for that to be the reason.

I know she said that normal races simply couldn't comprehend it, but there has to be a way, right...? It just makes no sense that I could do it merely because of the fact that I came from another world...

Was it really just a mental block?

There was nothing special in his Status that indicated a reason for why only he was able to do it, either, other than the「World Traveller」title. In any case, Jae was forced to cancel his plans on having Rena become such an overpowered person, and now instead has her focusing on improving her already expert-level skills and techniques.

"Haaa, anyway... When's it going to be ready...?"

"Excuse me, sir..."

Suddenly, someone spoke. Turning around, a man dressed as a butler stood there, politely bowing his head.

Oh. Speak of the devil, Jae thought.

"Is it done?", he asked expectantly.

The butler raised his head and replied with a nod, "Yes, sir. Her Excellence has prepared the Transportation Magic for you."

"Alright. Lead the way."

"Very well."

If I had enough time, I might've been able to understand even a little about the legendary 'Space Magic' through studying Transportation Magic, but I just need to get「Greed」as soon as possible, so I'll leave it for another time. They said it wouldn't take that long anyway once I acquire it, so it should be fine.

Just as the two were about to leave, Rena called out to him.

"Daddy!"

"Hm? Rena?", Jae asked, surprised, "What is it?"

"Daddy, where are you going?"

"Well, you're going to have to stay here for a while―"

He abruptly stopped talking and wore a stiff expression, causing Rena to tilt her head. The butler, who was still astonished at the words which exited her mouth previously, was stunned. He hadn't heard that Rena's father had returned to the castle, so it was an understandable reaction...

Seeing the commotion, Bailey also got curious and came over.

Uhh......

Originally, Jae was intending to let the kids stay here in the castle to train themselves. It should also be much safer for them, so long as no one tried anything.

...Well, it might not be true that this is the safest place anymore, but...

However, Jae was now hesitating on his next words, because he knew that the kids would want to come with him if he told them that he was not going to be here for what could potentially be a long, long while. As he looked into their eyes, blazing with enthusiasm, he knew for a fact that this was the case.

They were zealous kids when it came to it, and Jae easily imagined that something bothersome or even dangerous could happen if he denied them here; such as them running away to find him, or worse.

......Right. It will be excellent training if there ends up being any equal opponents for them, too. I don't know how strong everyone from all the way back then would've gotten, but I doubt they're anywhere close to my level since it's only been a year for them, so it should be fine even if there's a bunch of them...

Eventually, Jae just said exactly what he was going to be doing. If they wanted to follow him, he would allow it.

"I'm visiting Seronia's capital for a short while to do something. It'll probably take a while to get back, so--"

""Take me with you!"", they shouted simultaneously.

Although he was interrupted midway through his sentence, Jae didn't mind. In fact, he expected it.

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous, and it may be a long time before you can return here."

"What? But staying near you is the safest place, isn't it?", Bailey said as if it was the obvious thing. Rena, on the other hand, was silent.

...Haa, I guess he could be right about that. At least, if they're with me, then I don't need to worry about something happening to them while I'm away...

"Ah~, sure then. Bailey can come. Rena, what about you? You need to think carefully, alright? It's only been a day since you returned home, so are you sure you want to leave so early? Shouldn't you stay home? Think about your family, too."

Oh, speaking of family, I need to speak to Jiera again to clear things up with her... Well, it'll be fine for now.

After a moment of thought, she declared assertively, "...No, I want to come with Daddy."

"Well...", Jae closed his eyes to think for a moment, muttering, "If you're this adamant about it, then I don't want to stop you..."

He belatedly turned back to the butler. Jae ordered him.

"Go on then."

"A-At once, sir!"

"Oh, wait. Do we even have enough resources to send three people?"

"That... shouldn't be an issue, so long as Her Excellence permits it."

"Good. She will. Then, let's go guys."

"Yes!"

"Okay!"

Like this, it was settled that the three were to pay a small 'visit' to Seronia's capital. And, if there was one thing that could be called a coincidence, it was the timing of this event. Because, unbeknownst to anyone...

Conflict was right around the corner.