Sorry for delay – I was in mountains for past 2 days, with no PC.

Dear “Source” thanks for feedback, yet I wish to ask you what do you mean by saying that MC got “silly” and act like “clown”. Well, as I intend to present him as semi intelligent dude planning his stuff… I wanted to make him act a bit semi crazy as he is stressed or put under a pressure… but maybe I made him be a bit more “idiotic” without paying attention, so if you could point out or describe situation you found annoying, I could fix it out in the future. Saying only that he is stupid doesn’t really solve anything for I have no idea what to attention to.

Dear “John kash” thanks for rating. Btw. First thing I wanted to do as you pointed out that there are too many polls was to make a poll asking if there are too many polls… (nope, I am not joking here)… but I have to disagree with you, that the story is out of my control and I do have a confidence in myself. The only time I let you to really go wild with the story was while I made a race poll. Every single poll that was made has a variation of answers I wanted to pick, simply have problems with deciding.  So you were picking one of the option from pool of already approved ;)

Okay, that’s all I wanted to say, now to the chapter!

Edited by: KenChi死

Am I really the type that has to encounter death at least twice every week? I know, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… but sometimes it is what doesn’t kill you that makes you a cripple, so I would prefer to avoid such situations…

Yet the cooking skills of Aira are terrifying. I thought that they will only taste bad, not that would give me a food poisoning, especially such dangerous one. And she was able to “achieve” it as I was guiding her – does it mean that if I would eat meals prepared completely on her own I would be dead now?

Pffh, I wished for it, probably I would be dying in agony for a month… but she was trying her best! BUT IT IS STILL DANGEROUS! BUT…  ahh, I am done. Injuries, anemia, and food poisoning… what else is going to happen to me?

I have to stop lamenting over the little things. I have died already, so what is bad about it? I would have my memories wiped out and have to start everything from the scratch. 

Just noticed, it’s no longer that painful? Actually I feel nice and warmth…

* “We are getting him back, my Lady ” Some strange voice said. It sounded very pleasant… to pleasant. Like some child acting to be cute in front of her mother.

I opened my eyes and took a look around. What a crowd. There were six individuals staying inside  without counting me: Aira (of course), some woman dressed in shiny armor, with blonde hair. She was almost emitting light. And four… angels. No matter how I would look at them, they are angels. White wings on back? Some sort of Halo? To cute punchable faces? You all can say those are angels.

* “Zaaari? Are you all right?” Aira asked sniffing with her nose and wiping her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. “Why did you ate it if it was bad?” Now, how to tell her that I didn’t want to get her angry or sad?

* “Magnificent! Truly splendid!” One of the angels said while looking in some distant place like a lunatic. “To sacrifice his own health! To put his life on the stake for sake for another’s smile! Order is strong in this one! He should be marked as a believer… no… as blessed one… or as a Saint!”

Sure thing, make me an inquisitor right on the spot. Nobody expect… uh, that would be a puny joke.

So, Aira was sniffing, Angles were acting like they would overdose on some shit, an… The last one was looking at me with uneasy gaze.

* “We are here on business. Leave as alone” The woman said. She barely finished a sentence before the angels vanished in a flash of light. “You to sister. I would like to talk with him in private.”

* “But!”

* “No but’s here, it will take only a few minutes. I am not going to kidnap him nor to force him in any alignment. I am not like Heira… I will honor the agreement of the gods.”

I don’t feel like I would like to stay alone with her. Somehow the air around her is the same as the one you see around a dictator. Not a nice one.

* “Something wrong?” She asked

Crap. Did she notice that I am a bit uncomfortable around her?

* “Y… you are Luxia am I right?

Nod

* “I just imagine you to look a bit different…” I said putting on an awkward smile

* “What do you mean by different?”

It wasn’t a nice tone. Great, leave it to me and my skill to piss everyone.

* “You… just look a bit different then forms that Aira and Heira showed me”

She nodded… and nodded – not answering me, more like she was thinking about it. Then she hit the fist of one hand into open palm of the other as she reached some conclusion.

* “I see, so that is your type. Well, if that will make our conversation better…”

And once again she was surrounded by a light so intense I had to squint. When I opened my eyes the tall armored woman was missing, instead there was an armored kid.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Armor looked to be a bit too big for her, hair still blond but now instead of falling to waist were cut in boyish manner… And I could swear that the silver looking sword was replaced with a wooden one. Cheeks puffed and red… Now, you made me look like some kind of pedophile, didn’t you?

* “I don’t like wasting time for pointless, worthless and stupid matter so let me get to the point” Her voice was no longer proud, instead it was very high and… well, she sounded like some spoiled princess that looks upon everyone like there some butler or maid… Great.

* “You know that you have been marked by the Church of light… my church… Well, of course you do, you have already killed eight of them, didn’t you?” Crap… “One of them was a good man, you know?” Fuck.

She let out a sigh.

* “It probably could have bin done other way. In war no technique is forbidden… I just want you to know, that it was done without my order nor permission…”

* “ SO, can you possibly ask them to get the hell out?”

* “No”

I was dumbfounded. So what the hell do you want from me?

* “Then… you want to me stop killing them?

* “No”

WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM THEM, WOMAN?

* “If you could halt from making any acts of violence toward my believers… then of course would I stay neutral to you… You would have my thanks”

So… You want me to not take vengeance upon civilians? Are you mad? Why would I even want to do so?!

* “ I think you whole journey here was not necessary. I am not the type of person that would harm someone who did nothing to me… if there would be no gains for me…”

* “You do not seek for revenge?” Her eyes were open wide.

* “Um, well... I do. But only on those inquisitors… maybe the prophetess for setting up a bounty over my head… but what is the sin of some peasant living in the Holy Kingdom?... but may I ask why you told them to hunt for witches? In the end this is what… one of hunters “told” me.”

* “This is an honorable part of you… and I never told them to kill magicians. I told them to seek purity as in life as in magic. I only gave them knowledge and basic laws. The rest is up to their interpretation of those. Wasn’t it the same back where you came from? One of deities gave your people ten commandments. One of those was “do not kill”, yet for millennia those rules were interpreted like: “do not kill unless he is an unbeliever” and so on. It will take some time for humans to fully understand what the one they worship truly wanted to say to them… I am grateful for your understanding… stay healthy and aim high, young one. You may have a splendid future just in front of you”

… Weird. But I should thank them… they did cure me in the end. As her presence vanished the doors to the room opened wide with a “slam” sound. Aira was standing there. Both sad and angry. Guess who is going to be grounded?

Later

I was called an idiot, mindless fool, retard and so on, and so on… And I was literally kicked outside. I had to keep myself busy for some time… till one lil’ loli deity will stop being mad at me. How long can a deity without lifespan be mad? I think that I don’t want to know the answer for this.

Aaand she is now trying to improve her cooking skill. I was also told that she would call me when she will find those to be good. Looks like I have a few centuries for peaceful hunting.

So, what is the best way for a man to do, when he tries to wait the the storm of a woman will calm down? He would go fishing! And what fishing is? It is a wonderful time when you can both relax and kill something! So it is literally a hunting. And what is the best thing to hunt here? Rabbits? Meh – not enough exp, and I would rather to not add them to my monster traits yet, wolf, deer and/or boar? Sound nice, but I wish for some serious bloodshed now. So - humans.

I still remember the sensation I felt when I upgraded my class. The feeling of being one with the forest… it could be a nice scanning skill. How did I do it? Wait…

I took off my shoes and step on the grass. I felt mana gathering on my body, then send it to the ground to spread itself out in a circle. Then it would come back to me. Something like echolocation used by bats, but instead of sound I am using magic, and instead of air it’s the ground and all living forms.

The signals get back to me… And it was a failure. No one said it would be easy. One more time!

And I stand there… like an idiot I probably am, wasting precious mana resources for something that I have no idea that will even work.

For constant performing of action you have gained a manifestation of [Nature Manipulation]

[Nature Manipulation] manifestation - [Echo of Nature] Allows the user to detect presence of beings in his vicinity.

The distance and accuracy improves with level and spirituality.

This skill can be used together with other detecting skills.

This skill can be used together with presence hiding skills.

User can be detected by skilled magicians.

User may not detect skilled magicians or if targets has an appropriate tools.

… I thought it would take me longer to get it…

~”He? It already took you long enough. This is pretty basic skill out of earth/nature domain. And you already know how it worked plus your level of Nature magic even is not very high, it is also not low either…”

I can create my own skills?

~”You didn’t know? Upsie… But, yes actually you already did it. You have combined bow usage with explosive bolt. You also used explosive bolt without the skill itself. Magic is both easy and hard to use, for you posses a limit only to your imagination… well, and mana pool. Here is a tip… if you would use ice spell together  fire spell… how can it work?”

Ice is a water… and water is oxygen and hydrogen… and both of those are highly explosive and may act as fuel for the fire… if the flame has enough of heat to melt, and then further evaporate, then shatter the structure to separate atoms… it can act as a boost for explosive power?

~”aha, but shh, “chemistry” is not well known here, so keep it for yourself.”

By the way, book chan, when will I be able to get my hands on other of your spells? Than blood magic seem pretty useful too, so if I could lear…

~”No. I will not show you anything more. For now.”

The hell?

~”First improve those that you already have. You have to understand the basic of magic, about the alternative sources of power. And level up what you have. It is pointless to have dozens of magic branches if you would have no time to improve them all. Normally mages have 2 maybe 3 branches. Someone is called a genius if he can use on high level skill in those 3. And here you are, with fire, chaos, nature healing, nature manipulating and summoning… but don’t get distracted. You wanted to use a spell you just got, don’t you?”

Do not change the subject of our conversation! Guh. Why the hell am I even collecting those tomes of you, if you are useless?!

~”Tsh, you have no idea what you would acquire if you would gather at least 4 of those… Ah, Darion was not like that! He was so nice… when I showed him one of the spells…”

Let her talk. In the meantime… The magic spread once again through the ground. I have somehow seem few hundred meters all around. Not enough. And found nothing (well I found few animals, but those were not my target).

And here my journey through the forest begins. Hundred meters, Echo, walk some more, another Echo. And so on. It was getting dark, when after spell I get a feedback I was looking for. And then my heart stop for some time. I found hunter. 12 of them, to be precise. Looks like 3 groups tired of arduous labor joined forces. They were just making a camp. And as the number of them grow so did their safety level. More people could be send to guard, and when the battle would star… well fighting one against 12… okay, okay, there were Kaito and ravens so let’s say 4 versus 12. Still not nice…

Every individual that would posses at least a bit of sanity would turn back.

But I have split personality, talk with gods, ate human flesh and perform magic (with necromancy). Do I look like a sane individual to you?

One more thing, I came from a country with a pretty decent history of war… especially guerrilla warfare.

I didn’t have to kill all of them at once. Just some semi attacks in the nights, even if without a causalities. I would not let you sleep. I would send just one arrow a time. 3 bodies at once, 2 bodies at once… or even one single death every attack. As long as I keep “tormenting” you, I will win.

What is the best time for a surprise attack? Just before the morning 3-4 a.m.

I grinned before going to sleep. I have about 6 hours till then. Enough to take a rest and refill mana used for my scanning ability.

Let me show you the art of war from my nation!!