It was quite a while before Estelle arrived. Someone knocked on the wooden door. Knock, knock, knock. Both Francis and Hye-Sung tried to ignore it, but whoever was on the other side was quite persistent. He motioned towards the door, and mimed the drawing of a bowstring. With an amused look, she nodded and grabbed her bow. Putting three fingers up, he mouthed a countdown. Tiptoeing to the door and using his chair for support, he put his fingers down. The door creaked open, and he peeked outside.

“My lord?” a familiar voice came.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” Francis immediately spun back and shouted.

“Whoa! Alright.”

She turned her aim towards the floorboards. The blue arrow dissipated like sugar dissolving in water. Francis pulled the door open, and met the familiar grey hair. Hidden in a hood, her face was hard to make out, but that hair betrayed her. It seemed like she had neglected to do anything about it, and left it out in plain sight.

“Grey? Is that you?” Francis asked.

“Yes, my lord.”

She pulled down her hood and revealed that striking grey hair. Francis nodded, and turned around. He asked Hye-Sung for permission for his guest to enter, and she allowed it. Grey stepped into the house, and took a look around.

“I noticed an anti-magic barrier. Were you the one that set it up, my lady?” Grey asked, with her head bowed.

“Yes. I’m surprised you could tell, actually. Maybe it really is less sneaky than I thought.”

“Your magical ability is on the higher end if you are able to sustain it for so long. What sort of barrier is it?”

“What do you mean ‘what sort’?”

“There are multiple ways of making barriers, how did you do it?”

“I don’t know. I just... Did it.”

“Your potential for magic use must be very high then. And you must be extremely talented, perhaps even on par with my mistress.”

“Oh yes. Your mistress. How is Ms Angelica?”

“She’s not in a good state right now. That dragon really spooked her. Speaking of him, where is he? He touched you and disappeared.”

“Before that, did Ms Angelica throw me out of the windows?”

“Unfortunately yes. But I am thankful that you are not hurt, my lord. Shall we return?”

“Return to captivity? Nah, nah. Never again. I just want to go home. That aside, how are you Grey?”

“Alright. I tried helping my mistress but she seemed a bit too spooked.”

Francis nodded in understanding. If he met a dragon just like that, he’d be spooked too. But since he had already met and even spoke with the dragon of dragons before, it really wasn’t that frightening.

Grey gingerly took a seat. Francis and Hye-Sung followed suit, and he handled the introductions. The two ladies shook hands.

“But you have a talent for magic, my lady. Have you ever considered being a mage?”

“I have. But I need an instructor, and I don’t have any official documents.”

“Ah the illegal immigrant,” Francis commented.

“Haha! Yeah, I guess so. But do you have any insights to give, Ms Grey?”

“Hmm. Well, how exactly are you using your mana?”

“Just like that. I just think about casting a spell, and it happens.”

“I see. Then your issue is simple.”

“Oh? Is that so.”

“Yes. Your issue is that you are using it as that. A spell.”

Kim Hye-Sung closed her eyes. What was she thinking about? Francis leaned back in his chair and tried. He was told that he couldn’t use magic, but did he actually try? Sticking his hand out, he tried firing off a blast of energy.

Nothing. Not even a spark. He took a deep sigh, and collapsed onto the table. Of course not. She negotiated with a god, after all. And what did he get? A trash body, incapable of magic or sword fighting. At least he had money, but that’s pretty much it. His damned blood got him in this situation in the first place. Bahamut gave him absolutely nothing. No, worse than nothing, he cursed Francis with a fate that no one would want to have. Everyone should be a hero of their own story.

“Hmm. So, it should be like this?” said the blessed one.

Francis sat back up. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask ‘so, how was it?’ and shot a glance at her hands. Ah. Of course. Of course she would succeed on the first try. Blue sparks formed on her fingertips, like static electricity arcing into the air. She closed her fist.

“You’re amazing! What incredible talent,” Grey said.

“Yeah. You really are. Want to work for me?”

“Oh definitely. What do you want me to do?”

“Be my bodyguard. Put that talent to use. Don’t waste it all here in the middle of nowhere. And you should use it to help someone.”

“Alright bigshot. Fine by me.”

“Good. You should use those talents for the untalented, like me.”

Both Hye-Sung and Grey stifled their laughter. But still, a smile bubbled up to the surface of their faces. So it was that much of a joke. He should have known better.

“I’ll calculate your pay later. Sorry.”

“No, don’t be.”

“That said, there really isn’t a lot to do here, is there?” Francis looked around her house.

As modern as it was, it really was largely empty. There were no board games, no internet, no TV shows. How boring it must be.

“How do you usually spend your time?” asked Francis.

“I hunt, and sleep, and clean. Pretty much it actually. Oh, and experiments. That’s how I developed the you know.”

“Hm. Sounds pretty normal. Maybe I’ve just been too used to living in the imperial palace then.”

“How about you? What do you do there?”

“If I’m not spending time with her highness, I’m probably in the library. I like reading you see, and I’ve gone down quite a fair share of Wikipedia articles.”

“Ah. So I should consult you for knowledge.”

“In a sense, I suppose. Though I don’t think my knowledge will be in any way helpful. Well! Get to practicing then. It would be nice if you could fire off blasts like a certain character,” Francis raised his eyebrows.

“Ah, but there are no wish granting balls to gather here I believe.”

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“Heh. Talking about this is nice.”

“Right? It’s like an inside joke.”

“But really. Work for me. I’ll make sure that you’re treated well.”

“Oh of course. For all I know, you could be the only one.”

She patted him on his head. How condescending. He tilted his down, and rested it on his hand. What to do, what to do.

The three of them spent their time chatting. Topics like the weather got dry, really quickly. There really wasn’t a lot to talk about. Politics? The only one that was even vaguely caught up with politics was Francis, and he was in the centre of it all. Kim Hye-Sung lived out in the middle of this forest with no communication with anyone. Meanwhile Grey served her mistress, who lived in the forest as well. And neither Francis nor Hye-Sung wanted to talk that much about their world, since it meant leaving Grey out. A perfect trifecta, the solution to this problem was not found. Fortunately, they didn’t need to search for it, for the solution presented itself with a neat bow.

He felt his stomach drop. Like looking down from a cliff, or a tall building. The climber’s hands were sweaty, and he stood up.

“You felt that?” he asked, hoping for an answer.

“Yeah. Hide!” Hye-Sung ordered.

Grey grabbed Francis’ collar and pulled him into another room. Hiding in the shadows of the room, they waited in bated breath. What could cause that type of reaction?

Wood crashed. Did someone break down the door? Francis fought against the urge to take a look. He felt his heart in his chest. If whoever that was had good hearing, then hiding was useless.

Talkings took place outside. He couldn’t make out their voices amidst the strain of his heart. He held his breath, and covered his mouth with his hand. Grey did the same. A minute felt like an hour. Then, footsteps.

“Hey. There’s a girl who claims to be your sister. Do you have any 2FA or anything like that? Security questions?” Hye-Sung peeked into the room and asked.

“Huh..? My sister?”

“Yeah. Black hair? Kinda tall.”

“That sounds like my sister. But it could be someone using magic to disguise themselves. Ask her what my position is. And what I am, like what’s special about me.”

She nodded, and headed back out. Francis could half relax. His sister was coming to rescue him. That much was true. But was it a case of something like The Little Red Riding Hood? Shortly after, she shouted.

“She seems safe! Tell me if you want me to shoot her.”

Francis walked out, assisted by Grey. He turned to face the intruder, and her face lit up. Estelle stood there, like a stoic knight. Francis suppressed the urge to sigh. Of course. Of course, right? He would need to get rescued. Trash. Absolute trash, absolutely.

He walked towards her, his feet dragging along. Francis broke first. He always was the weakest one. Powerless, useless, arrogant. What use was there for him in the world? Useless, stupid Francis. The bastards. Immature, stupid, dumb Francis.

The damned cursed fate was set in stone, anyway, right? So what was the whole point of it? Why couldn’t he just off himself right there and then? Who was going to stop him? Definitely not the police. Even they couldn’t stop him from jumping off. Then who could? Ah, right. The family, the princess, the knight. What were their motives, then? The stake to the throne, definitely. They would want to overthrow the imperial power and ascend if they could. The princess? That was the tricky one. Easy to manipulate? A puppet emperor. So her motive was that. And finally the knight. Being the emperor’s bodyguard was a quick way to promotion. Ah, yes of course. And what the common thread tying all of them together? The simple, undeniable fact that he, despite being the son of a duke and potential emperor, was powerless. Weak-minded. Stupid. So fucking stupid wasn’t he. An emperor that would act out the whims of his family, his damned lineage, and a wife that controlled his strings. By using him as a stepping stone, even the knight could get a cushy life. Besides, the only reason why he had a knight was because of the lack of power. Francis recalled his family. No one guarded them. Hell, they did more fighting than the knights themselves. And there he was. The convenient set piece. Just a pawn in a greater game. He suppressed the urge to lash out, but something bubbled up first.

“That’s what you think of them, huh?” the original said.

“Am I wrong?”

“That’s not for me to decide. But you’d be correct in being cautious. Especially my brother.”

“We have a brother?”

“He’s studying abroad right now.”

“So what?”

“He doesn’t know that we’ve changed. He might still think that we’re both immature.”

“Is that so.”

In her warm embrace, he felt himself melt. The marshmallow over the fire would drip in molten form, and she was able to do that. Somehow, despite all his doubts, seeing her face and her touch was soothing.

“I... Really missed you.”

And after tea, they headed outside. He had asked to be brought outside, but still. The soft green grass was surprising. He sat down beneath a tree, whilst Estelle laid down beside him. She seemed tired, especially since she closed her eyes. Her hand was firmly interlocked with his.

A dark cloud passed by. It really was strange, wasn’t it? He was only an Arcleus, that being the emperor candidate, because he was powerless. No one else in his family had that opportunity. Was it a blessing then? Like hell it was. Emperor candidate or not, he could have lived a happy life. But no.

He looked at his sister. Her body was well trained, definitely, but even then, she was slim. Strong and beautiful, and rich. Everything that one could ask for.

“Are you seriously checking out our sister?” the original gagged.

“No. Just reminiscing, I suppose.”

“What about?”

“My sister. Well, I wonder how she is.”

“Is she still alive? When you died, at least.”

“Yeah, she should still be alive. I hope at least. If anyone should live, it’s her.”

“Is that so? And why not anyone else?”

“Hmm. Well, there’s quite a few people who should live. Her, and...”

“And? You were going to say?”

“Nevermind. That’s not for now. I don’t think we’re close enough.”

“Kind of one-sided, isn’t it? I’m lending you my body and you’re checking out the people I should be checking out. You have access to all my memories, and everything. And yet I know nothing about you. Not even your name.”

“That is true. But to be honest, I don’t really want to recall it. My past life has... Some unsavoury memories, shall we say?”

“How bad can it be?”

“Well to give you a clue, I committed suicide.”

“Ah. How bad was it?”

“The police were chasing me.”

“What? Are you a criminal?”

“That’s a debate that some people don’t want to get into.”

Estelle wriggled a bit. Was she dreaming of something? That question led to another.

“Wait, can you see into my dreams?” the imposter asked.

“Probably? I mean, I only woke up like what, not long ago? I think I only woke up when you got that splitting headache.”

“So that was you? I thought that was connected to the brain damage and maybe the cause.”

“Oh, nah. Just a head’s up though, don’t panic too much if you get a headache. It’s most probably me doing something. But I’ll let you know in advance, alright?”

“Right... Well, can you do something about the brain damage?”

“Me? Probably not. The dragon?”

“Ah! Yes, hello partners. What Exchange do you want to do today?”

“I don’t really understand this whole Exchange thing. Mind going over it again?”

“You puny humans really are... Fine. Basically, are you familiar with the concept of trading? Giving money for something?”

“We’re not stupid.”

“Yeah right. Anyway, you basically give me something, and I’ll try to help you out. Your currencies are health, time, and lifespan. And you pay the equivalent value in that currency for my help. Understand?”

“What’s the difference between lifespan and time?”

“Imagine a burning rope. The end that isn’t burning is your death. When the rope fully burns through, you drop dead and die. Time means that I light a fire close to that end. Lifespan means I chop off part of that end. Essentially, it's which years you want to sacrifice. The years now, or the years later. Got that?”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s pretty easy to understand. You’re good at explaining stuff.”

“O-oh. Uh, thank you. That’s actually the first time I got complimented on something.”

“Is that so? I’ll make sure to compliment you much more then. Oh right, could you try taking like, a minute off my lifespan?”

“Don’t try to cheat fate, human,” a great voice boomed into his mind.

“What the hell?” the imposter asked.

“Huh? You alright?” asked the original.

“I see. So you knew everything then, Bahamut. I really am just a puppet.”

“Of course I knew.”

“What? Who’re you talking to, human?”

“Please keep quiet, both of you. And Bahamut, can’t you help me out here?”

“Uh I’d like to. But some people would get angry at me.”

“Really now. Nothing at all?”

“I’ll try negotiating for you. No promises though. At most, you can expect a freebie or something.”

“Is that so. Now get out, useless ‘True Dragon’.”

Some time passed, and Estelle seemed to wake. Her eyelids fluttered open, and he greeted her. She stood back up, and carried him back into the cottage.

“What were you two doing when we were outside?” asked Francis.

“Just lamenting about the fact that you two are siblings. You two go surprisingly well together,” Hye-Sung replied with her chin resting on her hand.

Francis could only laugh it off. In truth, had they not been brother and sister, and he didn’t have that crippling doubt, he might have fallen in love with her. She was exactly his type, after all. But he turned his attention to Bahamut. Despite his hatred, he had to rely on that dragon.