“----------”

‘Fuck.’

Jonah realized the necklace’s limitations as soon as one of the four inquisitors opened their mouth. He could only understand the language of the person he spoke to. If Jonah didn’t speak to anyone, he couldn’t understand them. Jonah was also pretty sure, based on how the necklace’s magic probably worked, that even if he talked to someone while someone else was talking nearby, he would only understand his own conversation.

But now was not the time to let the inner workings of the necklace’s magic distract him from the situation in front of him.

The inquisitors had only been two at first, but as they got closer, two more had approached from the sides. It was fortunate that there were several of them since that would increase the chances of success of Serina’s attempt at fooling the System into changing Jonah’s surname into Fairchild.

However, if things went awry, it would be that much more difficult for them to fight their way through.

Jonah looked at the four inquisitors while they approached him and Serina, who had stopped when one of them spoke. Two of them were clad in blue uniforms, while the other two had gray ones. The uniforms were in similar styles. The only difference was the color.

They had long overcoats with two rows of buttons down the front, and although intact, Jonah could tell that the ones with gray uniforms were from the same seventh division as the two rookie inquisitors Serina killed.

Jonah couldn’t help but gulp nervously and nod in greeting as he saw and felt the four inquisitors each give him their own scrutinizing gaze. They would have continued staring at him if he hadn’t hidden behind Serina.

She also stepped in front of him as she spoke. Unfortunately, Jonah couldn’t understand a word of what she was saying. And neither could he understand what the inquisitors responded with.

Since his hearing was useless in this conversation, Jonah didn't even try to understand what they were saying. Instead, he looked at Serina’s and the inquisitors' body language as closely as he could.

The inquisitors were skeptical of Serina’s words and were clearly impatient and doubtful of whatever she was saying. But only until she showed off a ring on her hand, which Jonah hadn’t noticed before. This moment was the first time he saw it, and he couldn’t understand how he had missed it since it was a beautiful and elaborate ring.

The ring was silvery white with an emblem of a nine-pointed star that sparkled in the tendrils of sunlight that pierced through the leaf-ridden canopies.

The inquisitors grew immediately more respectful and less hostile as they saw the exquisite ring. However, it was more of a general level of respect that one would hold for a superior or someone worthy of respect because society deemed them worthy of it. It looked a little too weak to be personal respect for Serina, at least if her story about her parents were to be true. Or maybe it was because of her parents?

Jonah’s doubts were confirmed when one inquisitor, who looked doubtful, pointed at the ring with a questioning expression as if asking for permission to take a closer look.

Serina nodded and held out her hand for the inquisitor to look at. The inquisitor leaned in, and when he confirmed the intricacy and details of the ring, he instantly retreated a step before taking a deep bow.

The inquisitor, one of the two in a blue uniform, said something, and the other three also bowed politely.

Their attitude had changed drastically, but their mission hadn’t, and they still had protocols and rules to follow, especially now that the two different divisions were working together.

So, even if they had coincidentally encountered the Stargazer’s daughter, they still had a duty to carry out.

“Hold out your hand, Jonah.”

Jonah saw the inquisitors look almost apologetic as they requested something from Serina, so he had half-expected her words as she stepped to the side and let him out again.

Jonah nervously held out his hand according to Serina’s order, which he had understood because she had been talking to him, and he had been ready to respond.

The inquisitor showed Jonah none of the respect he held toward Serina as he brusquely grabbed Jonah’s hand with a glare-like expression of impatience that showed he just wanted to get this over and done with.

Jonah had been looking at his status window in real time since he knew what to expect.

It was possible to read someone else’s name and class by touch, as long as they allowed it. Skills would require more effort from both parties.

However, since Jonah wasn’t used to doing it, the inquisitor would have to be a little patient. On paper, it was because he came from a village in the countryside where everyone knew and trusted each other and hadn’t had to share his name and class this way before. In reality, it was because he had only been connected to the system for a little while—much less time than necessary to learn how to control that connection with enough skill to learn how to show his name.

But his struggles to show his name weren’t only a cause for trouble or something that would irritate the inquisitor. They were also an opportunity for Jonah to confirm that his name changed in accordance with the System and Jonah’s own perception of himself.

And so, when the status changed from [Name: Jonah Wilchammer] to [Name: Jonah Fairchild (Wilchammer], Jonah actually let the inquisitor see his status window. If it weren’t for Serina’s assurance ahead of time that the inquisitor would only be able to see the name outside the brackets, he would have tried to get it away.

Apparently, ‘Wilchammer’ wouldn’t ever permanently leave since it was stored in the System as his last name. It was almost a shame, but it didn’t matter that much. After all, he had officially put that surname behind him and taken on the identity of Jonah Fairchild, a country bumpkin from the boonies of the Viesta Kingdom.

The inquisitor had stopped looking directly at Jonah, even if he was looking in Jonah’s direction. He was looking at the system window that popped up. After reading and putting the name to memory, the inquisitor turned to Serina and asked her a question as he let go of Jonah’s hand.

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Jonah happily forgot the inquisitor’s touch and stepped back behind Serina, letting her cover him with her body. It was significantly easier to endure the harsh looks from the inquisitors, with her blocking the way since they didn’t dare glare at her.

Jonah didn’t like the looks. But he could tell they were harmless. It wasn’t because they thought Jonah was an invader or, in any other way, suspicious.

He recognized the looks from his time at Gyza Academy. Not just the Academy, even. They were looks he had received the majority of his life following the discovery that he was useless as a mage.

Jonah knew he wasn’t useless since he was pretty good at understanding magic formulas and spells. He just couldn’t use them.

But it was that last part that was so vital to how his parents and peers treated him.

To everyone except the Academy as an institution, Jonah’s magic, or lack thereof, made him lesser than everyone else. That was the kind of gaze he got from the inquisitors as soon as they heard from Serina about Jonah’s identity as a commoner from a small farmers’ village in the middle of nowhere.

Even if Serina had handpicked Jonah for his talent, Serina’s reputation came from her father and mother. Besides, he was a [Triangle Mage (lvl 1)].

It was a class they had never heard of, and it was level one. The inquisitors had no reason to treat Jonah with respect. That didn’t necessarily mean they had to treat him with disrespect. But since they felt superior to him, it was natural for them to treat him as inferior.

Jonah continued watching Serina’s and the inquisitors’ conversation while making it seem like he was listening to what they said but staying silent out of respect for Serina or something.

Eventually, thanks to Serina’s identity, the inquisitors couldn’t hold them any longer since there wasn’t anything suspicious other than their decision to travel through the forest after an invasion, and Serina and Jonah were free to continue with their journey. Well, the inquisitors would probably be checking Jonah’s identity after they returned to civilization, and their search concluded without results.

But the reason why Serina and Jonah traveled through the forest, despite the invasion, would probably be enough to keep people from suspecting Jonah Fairchild. The disturbance caused by the invasion was simply too grand. Even if Serina and Jonah crossed the Jadur Woods, the odds of meeting the invader were close enough to zero that they dared to take the chance.

After all, the thunderstorm Jonah’s arrival caused covered the entire forest. Although it was likely that a powerful invader had appeared—another reason why it probably couldn’t be Jonah since he oozed weakness—based on the size of the disturbance, they would have to be good at searching and eager to kill humans to find Serina and Jonah and decide to track them down and kill them. In short, the pros outweighed the cons of traveling through the Jadur Woods, even with the thunderstorm.

Besides, who was to say it wasn’t an ordinary thunderstorm? Or that they had begun their journey before the invader started on theirs?

“What did they say?”

When the inquisitors were far gone, and Serina gestured that it was alright to talk again, Jonah did just that.

“Nothing interesting. Well, they were a little curious about why someone so ugly and generally below my status accompanied me. But they let it go when I said that it’s what’s on the inside that matters.”

“Ha. Ha.”

Jonah’s sarcastic laughter was enough to make Serina chuckle.

“Just kidding. I didn’t tell them that. I told them I wondered the same.”

Jonah nodded.

“I understand. I guess that’s what one could expect from a grass lady. If people found out that you would be several personalities bundled into a neat package named after weed, there would be no end of trouble for you.”

Serina glared at Jonah at his claim she had split personality disorder.

“If that’s how you’re going to act, I’ll just go ahead and report you to the authorities.”

“Sure. I’ll tell them how you helped me.”

“Why would they ever believe you?”

“Lie detection magic?”

“Shit. Fine. You’re off the hook for now. But keep that up, and I’ll deal with you myself.”

“Likewise. Stay annoying, and I’ll just disappear into the night when I know the language and don’t need you anymore.”

“Then I won’t teach you the language.”

“I’ll teach myself.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. But if you can learn it, I’m not even sure I’ll need any well-wishes.”

Jonah stuck out his tongue and giggled as he avoided Serina’s attempt at smacking him. Well, he tried to avoid it. Serina was too fast and easily hit his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.

“Hey! Not so hard.”

“Sorry. I forgot you were so weak, what with how you’re speaking like you’re such a big deal.”

“Tch.”

Jonah clicked his tongue and rubbed his shoulder as he decided he would concede for now.

‘That’s going to leave a bruise.’

However, Jonah was only quiet for a couple of minutes as they walked through the uniform Jador Woods before speaking again.

“Hey, didn’t you say my clothes were weird? How come the inquisitors didn’t react?”

He threw Serina a curious but suspicious look as he asked. It was one of the reasons Serina had used to inform Jonah of how suspicious he was. It had slipped his mind due to the charred corpses of the two rookie inquisitors and the reality of his situation.

However, if his clothes were suspicious, shouldn’t they have done something about them before they encountered more inquisitors? Considering Serina’s preparations and how she had expected his arrival – she had even arranged a false identity – shouldn’t she have been able to get a change of clothes as well?

“About that….”

Serina avoided Jonah’s gaze as she fiddled with her fingers and put their tips against each other.

“Let me guess. It was a lie.”

Jonah narrowed his eyes as he looked at her even harder and stopped walking.

She had dissed his clothes for no reason. And she had done it while wearing the striped abomination of leather and something that looked like cotton.

“Ah! Not really! It’s not a lie that it’s suspicious to wear something like that in the middle of the forest while hunting Rock Roarers!”

Serina’s triumphant expression and tone were all Jonah needed to know that she had realized it that very moment. Although she had said it before as well, it was probably an extension of her jab at his clothes back then.

“Hmph.”

Jonah snorted.

“Well, I guess what you’re wearing is proof that your fashion sense, despite being a princess, isn’t something to be envied.”

“Hey! I’m not a princess.”

Jonah held up his hands.

“If that’s what you say. But I mean, if the mere mention of your father is enough to get rid of the inquisitors, and you don’t know how to dress yourself, I would say you’re close to being a sheltered princess, you know. The only thing that’s lacking is a lack of common sense and an understanding of how money works.”

“I have both those things!”

“You have a lack of common sense?”

“No, I have common sense!”

“Really?”

“I have more than you, at least.”

Jonah stared at Serina with a worried gaze.

“Princess, I’m from a different world. Of course, my common sense is a little off.”

“...”

Serina couldn’t respond to Jonah’s gentle words and continued walking with a pout.

‘That’s for the bruise.’

Jonah celebrated a victory in his mind at having eked out a childish win in a verbal spat against Serina.