Jonah stared blankly as Serina fished a pair of gardening gloves out of a pocket and grabbed the burnt arms on the closest corpse before dragging it toward the shed. His glance shifted between Serina and the other dead inquisitor.

Jonah didn’t think of himself as overly squeamish or sensitive to gore and unpleasant things. But he had almost fainted at the sight of the fake Serina’s neck splitting apart and blood gushing out.

Grabbing a partially cremated body with his bare hands was out of the question for Jonah.

“I’m good.”

Serina looked back at Jonah and saw on his face and how pale green it was that he probably wouldn’t be much help.

“Wuss.”

She wondered what kind of world Jonah came from since he was so sensitive to dead bodies. Since Thyskria was constantly embroiled in battle, whether large-scale or individual combat, and most invaders were combatants, Serina had a hard time imagining a world so peaceful that Jonah hadn’t even touched a dead body before.

She decided she would have to ask him about that later when they weren’t in as much danger.

But now, she had to focus on getting the dead inquisitors into the shed.

“Come with me.”

When she had moved both bodies, she led Jonah to the cabin. Jonah did feel a little useless since he hadn’t helped, and he trailed behind her while trying to organize his thoughts.

The tension from when the inquisitors had appeared and when he thought he had killed someone had started fading and made space for a seemingly endless stream of questions that filled his head. Jonah knew they still weren’t in the clear since more inquisitors were on the way, but he was still curious about basically everything.

“Hey, how did you know I was talking a different language? And how are we communicating?”

But the first thing Jonah wanted to know, and the first thing he dared to ask, considering they didn’t really have the time for a Q&A, was how they understood each other. When he thought about it, he hadn’t noticed any difference in the way Serina talked. To him, it sounded like she was talking like a native from Earth, born and raised on the aspian language, which had been on an upward trend ever since Britannica fell.

However, she knew with certainty that he wasn’t from Thyskria, and one of the points she had raised had been the fact that he spoke another language, a language she knew wasn’t even close to similar to the ones she had heard of before. Considering the different places the languages stemmed from, it made sense they were different.

But Jonah didn’t understand how she could hear a different language when he heard his own language. Based on her lip movements, it even looked like she was speaking aspian.

Serina turned around as she opened the door to the cabin and invited Jonah inside.

“You’re an invader. There’s no way you speak my language.”

“...right.”

“As for how we are communicating?”

Serina didn’t bother closing the door behind them as she led the way to a table in the middle of the cabin. It was a simple wooden table. The table, combined with a rustic kitchen and a bed, was everything inside the small wooden cabin. It was cozy. But Jonah didn’t have time to admire the interior design, so he continued listening to Serina.

“I worked for my father a lot when I was younger, and since I had to talk with a lot of people from different countries and even continents, he got me this necklace.”

As she spoke, Serina turned and showed Jonah a necklace that she held up long enough for Jonah to see that it was a silver chain with an open book emblem.

“It lets me speak the language of the one I speak to, but I don’t learn the language, and it only works on one person at a time.”

Jonah didn’t know what to think about such a wondrous magical item, so he remained silent while Serina grabbed one of several folders lying on the table. She burned the rest with a quickly conjured flame that could barely be called magic. The fire spread to the table and the rest of the cabin as Serina handed Jonah the folder and pushed him out of the cabin.

“This is your identity now. You can still use your first name since it won’t matter, and it will be easier not to make any mistakes. Start memorizing it.”

The surprisingly flammable cabin completely caught fire shortly after they left it. Jonah looked back, slightly entranced by the flames devouring the cozy house.

But he realized Serina hadn’t stopped moving, so he hurried after her while glancing at the folder and its contents.

It was an identity. It was a surname, birthplace, parents (deceased), and information about what he had done in his life. His latest achievement was leaving his village and going on an adventure, upon which he encountered Serina and discovered a talent for mana and magic.

Jonah caught up to Serina.

“Is this person real?”

She looked him up and down.

“Sure is.”

“That’s not what I meant. Did this person exist before I arrived?”

“On paper, yes. It’s a secret identity the Lockstar family has prepared for when necessary. So, in all ways that matter, Jonah Fairchild is as real as me.”

“Okay. Like the mirror image?”

“Oh, right, take this.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Serina ignored Jonah’s jab and handed him the necklace.

“You will use this until you learn the language, both written and spoken. It would also be great if you could learn it at a native-speaking level. Thankfully, Jonah Fairchild is from the sticks. We can blame any weird accent on that.”

“Okay. Good thing I’m pretty good at languages.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. After all, magic is language, right? So, being good at languages helps when it comes to magic, and vice versa.”

“Pfft– What?”

Serina held a hand to her mouth as she stifled a shocked chuckle.

Jonah tilted his head.

“Being good at languages has nothing to do with magic.”

Jonah stared dumbfoundedly at Serina as she confidently claimed something that went against the very basis of Earth’s magic.

“What?”

“Yeah. Magic is just memorizing magic circles and controlling mana. Why do you need to learn languages for something like that?”

‘Fucking what?’

Jonah was as far from satisfied as he could possibly be from Serina’s summarized description of how magic worked. But what she said also explained the lacking efficiency in her Fireball, which was so noticeable that Jonah could tell just by looking.

Instead of questioning Serina further, which Jonah realized would be useless, he wanted to find out more about the magic they used on Thyskria.

“Can you show me a magic circle, please?”

Serina looked around them.

“Right now?”

Jonah realized that they weren’t in an optimal location, considering they were in the middle of the forest. Without him realizing it, they had long since left the clearing with the cabin far behind. He couldn’t even see the fire from the cabin and shed anymore.

“I guess not. But there are a couple of things I want answers to.”

“Shoot.”

Serina and Jonah continued to walk and talk.

“I guess the most pressing concern I have is why you want me. Well, maybe not me specifically. But it seems like you have gone through a lot of trouble to secure an invader and help them enter Thyskria. Considering what you’ve said about invaders and the danger they pose, it’s pretty suspicious.”

Serina silently looked at where she was putting her feet without answering. But Jonah didn’t rush her since he could tell she was thinking about what to say. It was fine as long as she wasn’t concocting a bundle of lies.

“The short answer is that I need your help.”

Serina eventually looked at Jonah and answered his question.

“You were silent for several minutes only to give me the short answer?”

Serina gave Jonah an apologetic smile.

“Well, it would be a shame if I told you everything and you ended up not wanting to help, wouldn’t it?”

Jonah scrunched his brow to express his confusion.

“Don’t I need to hear the details to decide whether I want to help?”

Serina shrugged.

“I mean, how much trouble wouldn’t you have been in now if not for me? I guess none, really. You would have been dead by now if I hadn’t saved you.”

Serina spoke with an entitled tone and crossed her arms as she looked forward again.

‘Does she know where we are going?’

“So that’s the card you’re playing? You save my life, and since I owe you, I should help you unconditionally?”

“Yes.”

There was not a shred of doubt in Serina’s voice.

Jonah sighed.

“...But don’t worry, Jonah. It’s nothing bad. As you saw on [Invader], invaders grow quickly, and they deal bonus damage to natives of Thyskria. And while they’re killed on sight because of the threat they pose and the damage they have caused in the past, strength is strength. It is not inherently evil. As long as its wielder is good, so is the power wielded.”

“So…? Where are you going with this?”

“Invaders aren’t necessarily only dangerous. As long as they use their strength properly, they can also be helpful.”

“You still aren’t getting to the point.”

Serina could tell that Jonah wasn’t interested in hearing any more blabber. If she was going to say anything, she should at least answer his question properly instead of beating around the bush.

“I want you to… use your strength for my sake.”

Jonah grew silent as he thought about the implications of what Serina said.

“As a bodyguard?”

“Yeah… among other things.”

At Serina’s avoidant tone and behavior, since she suddenly found a very interesting tree, which looked exactly the same as the rest, Jonah pieced together what she had in store for him.

“...weapon. You want me to be your personal human weapon?”

“No!”

Serina whipped her head to look at Jonah with an aghast look. She waved her hands in front of her to deny Jonah’s guess. But as Jonah stared at her with a chilly expression, she faltered and started fiddling with her fingers as she looked at the ground again.

“...I guess that’s one way to put it.”

Jonah rubbed his temples as he continued walking, Serina trailing behind him, waiting for him to say anything.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you want an invader? Doesn’t that just put you at unnecessary risk? If you get caught aiding an invader’s entry and growth, won’t you get, like, sentenced to life in prison?”

“Death, if I’m unlucky.”

“So, why? Also, your father sounds like a big shot. Shouldn’t he be able to arrange a bodyguard or a loyal servant for you?”

Serina nodded.

“He could. But when it comes to a ritual I must undergo in the future, I’m forbidden from getting any help from either of my families. I need someone that’s mine. And if I want a subordinate, I want the very best.”

“Thanks for the compliment, I guess. But why an invader?”

“That’s not what I meant. I didn’t know I would get you before you showed up, right? How was I supposed to know I would get an unlucky guy from some out-of-the-way, far-as-fuck-away planet that no one’s heard of?”

“...”

“Anyways. Usually, since it’s so costly to send someone to Thyskria, the ones who send people over send the ones with the most promise since they are most likely to survive and eventually make it back or establish a foothold.”

“So, you were expecting a young talent that you could win over with your amazing fashion sense and then use as you pleased until when? Until they decide they don’t want to listen to the whims of a spoiled princess anymore and backstab you?”

Serina looked a little defeated at Jonah’s critical analysis.

“Urgh. This dress was supposed to give off a slightly ditzy but cute and charming impression that would earn any male’s goodwill. And then, I would try to negotiate a deal. They work for me for as long as possible, and when our cooperation is done, we go our separate ways. Well, they go back to their world, and I will do what I want with the power they’ve helped me gain.”

“...”

“Considering the help I can provide to anyone who’s here, what with language, identities, knowledge about culture and geography, and even leveling spots, anyone would want my help in exchange for working with me for a few years.”

Jonah couldn’t even retort to that fanciful plan.

“But then you and your annoying ass appeared.”

Serina directed an unjustified glare at Jonah.

Jonah sighed.

“It’s not like I want to be here, either.”

“...”