“And that is what happened, your majesty.” [Cain]

“… I see… For now, good work. You’ve protected our heroes well. Your men shall be given the honor they deserve.” [Charles]

“I am deeply grateful, your majesty.” [Cain]

Cain was reporting what happened in the ruin to the king while on one knee. Behind him were Ryner and Maya who were also kneeling for the sake of appearance. They were in the audience room where they met King Charles for the first time. Guards and nobles were also present and keeping a stern eye on them.

Ryner, Maya, Cain and the heroes made their way back to the surface. Although there were many monsters on their way out, they were easily taken care of by Ryner, his slave and the old Knight Commander. A few of the heroes still had enough spirits to fight as well, but they didn’t help much. Luckily, even if the group of students lost their will to fight, they were all S rank, so the enemies they encountered couldn’t hurt them.

Once they finally reached the exit after some minor difficulties, they went to their horses that were tied to metal spikes sticking in the ground near the ruin and rode back to Elura. The trip was uneventful and gloomy as no one spoke a word.

Crossing the city and reaching the castle, Cain had everyone go back to their rooms to rest while he went to the audience room to make his report to his king based on what the heroes witnessed. He had asked Ryner and Maya to follow him to fill in the blanks. The bodies of his men that were stored inside Ryner’s pocket dimension were entrusted to his subordinates so that they could say their farewells and prepare them for a funeral.

“To think such powerful creatures dwelled in the ruin… I also extend my thanks to you two. You have played a major role in protecting my kingdom’s heroes.” [Charles]

“No problem, our lives were also in danger after all.” [Ryner]

Charles rubbed his bearded chin and was deep in thought as he thought about the Predator that nearly wiped out the heroes that were summoned to help him. Seeing the two people kneeling behind his trusted knight, he also expressed his thanks to them, though he had a slightly reluctant look on his face.

However, he knew that he had to play nice with them. If what the Knight Commander said was true, then this master-slave duo killed the monster that surpassed S rank. Moreover, they did it using Artifacts, ancient weapons that the whole world craved for. Not only that, but if it allowed them to take out that creature when the strongest hero couldn’t do anything, then they were even more powerful than his kingdom’s treasured Artifact, the sacred sword.

He wanted to examine them. No, he wanted to take them. Such Artifacts would be greatly beneficial for his kingdom. If he gave them to his greatest soldiers such as Cain, no kingdom would ever think of invading them. In fact, if he gave them to the heroes instead who were already a great deterrent, then they would be unstoppable. After all, if Ryner, who seemed incapable of using magic, became strong enough to stand his ground and wound the Predator, then Ryan, who was an S rank hero, would have easily won against it.

“(My initial action was a mistake, huh?)” [Charles]

However, no matter how much he wanted them, he knew that Ryner wouldn’t agree to give them to him. If he used his authority as a king again, then there was a high chance that he would escape or, in the worst case, attack him outright. With the heroes depressed and lifeless, there was no way they could win, even with Cain. He wasn’t about to invite danger inside the walls of his own home.

“(There really are too many unknowns with this man. I need to be more careful when dealing with him.)” [Charles]

Realizing how dangerous this mysterious otherworlder really was, Charles decided to be more cautious around him.

“(But, his Artifact… Could it be?)” [Charles]

From what his knight said, Ryner’s Artifact was a magic sword that was white with a guard resembling wings and a blue gem embedded in it. Taking a quick glance at Cain, the old man who was looking at him also seemed to be thinking the same thing as well. In fact, the nobles surrounding him were restless when they heard the description of Ryner’s weapon. No matter how dangerous he could be, the king had to make sure of it.

“This is an important discovery for we now know that there are creatures in the lower levels of the ruins that are much more powerful than S ranks. You have truly done well getting back alive. Rest and recover your strengths. I thank you again.” [Charles]

Once the trio got up and left through the doors behind them when they got the king’s permission, Charles looked around him as the doors closed. The nobles that served as his advisors were all looking at him with the same eyes. They were silently urging him to confirm if Ryner’s Artifact was the real deal. As such, while thinking about what it would mean if it was real, he gave out an order.

“Dispatch a messenger to the church right away.” [Charles]

“(What’s that king up to? He and the nobles were all looking at me weirdly… Whatever. More importantly, I need to check out my fortress and see which functions still work. Obviously War Puppet Production is still online. I’ll also need to see what was stolen. Hopefully, no one took my Heaven’s Blades.)” [Ryner]

Having split up with Cain, who had some business he needed to attend to, and Maya, who wanted to go back to her room, Ryner walked down the hallway by himself while thinking about his next step. He pushed his worries about King Charles aside since he needed to investigate the ruin or rather, his beat-up fortress, and ascertain which part of it was still usable as well as scavenge for any weapons.

“(After checking the status of the core and the system, the priority would be the Heaven’s Blades. I’ve got the White Wing, the Honeybees and the Fire Breather. The other four should be damaged and lying around somewhere.)” [Ryner]

Those seven magical weapons were in a class of their own. He had to make sure that they wouldn’t fall in the wrong hands. It was his duty.

“(Damn it, Alice! You must be laughing your ass off!)” [Ryner]

He now had some problems that he needed to take care of no matter what. Alice didn’t tell him at the beginning just to mess with him. His vacation was pretty much ruined already. So, he couldn’t help but frown as he imagined Alice’s arrogant smile.

“That’s a pretty scary face you’re making.” [Aria]

A deep and feminine voice suddenly brought him back to reality. Ryner instantly changed his expression back to a sleepy one and looked in front of him. He saw Aria that was leaning against the wall with her hands crossed in front of her chest about ten meters ahead of him.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” [Ryner]

He asked while tilting his head as he kept walking, trying to change the topic. The girl got off the wall and also walked towards him. Once they were a few meters away and stood face-to-face, she finally opened her mouth and spoke with a serious expression.

“I just wanted to thank you for saving us. Maya’s not here and it’s a bit late, but… Thank you.” [Aria]

She deeply bowed to him and conveyed her heartfelt gratitude. The recipient merely waved his hand in front of him and shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t worry about it. I got you friend to thank me already, so it’s all good.” [Ryner]

“At least try to take me seriously… I feel like an idiot when the guy in front of me has such an idiotic look on his face.” [Aria]

“Who are you calling an idiot?” [Ryner]

Aria said unhappily when she raised her head and saw his usual sleepy-looking expression. But, it was quickly replaced by a wry smile.

“Of course, I’m talking about the guy that fought that monster, saved us and asked for nothing more than a ‘Thank you for saving me’ in exchange.” [Aria]

He fought while making sure that the Predator wouldn’t be able to attack the helpless group of heroes. When he and Maya defeated it, he didn’t boast about their victory. Furthermore, even that scolding that Ryan invited was for their sake. It shocked her classmates. It made them depressed, but that would prevent them from jumping into danger without thinking. This man gave them so much and only asked for a verbal “thank you”. In short, he was an idiot. Moreover, his slave that kept quiet and fought with him in that crazy battle was an equally huge idiot. Truly, they were idiots.

“What? Are you that unhappy? In that case, give me your lunch money! Go buy me some juice too while you’re at it!” [Ryner]

Ryner spoke in a low and commanding voice, but he didn’t sound threatening at all and it only reinforced Aria’s impression of him being an idiot. She stifled a laugh and answered him with a strong voice and sharp eyes, but there was a happy smile on her face.

“You’re actually trying to extort lunch money from an ex-delinquent? And how am I supposed to buy you juice after giving you all my money?” [Aria]

“Seriously? You were a delinquent? What happened that you lost your path and became… This?” [Ryner]

Ryner leaned back with surprise and asked while gesturing to all of her. She frowned when she saw his obvious acting and let out a sigh.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Shouldn’t you congratulate me for finding the RIGHT path instead?” [Aria]

She looked to the side with eyes that were gazing not at the wall, but at something else that only she could see. She was silently reminiscing about her past. She was remembering her encounter with her.

“… During middle school, I met an idiot that tried to be my friend.” [Aria]

After a few seconds, Aria spoke with a nostalgic look on her face.

“That idiot wasn’t scared of me and didn’t judge me. She kept hanging out with me even when I continued to brush her off. I even threatened her. But, she didn’t get scared and kept smiling at me. Haha… She even had the nerve to scold me whenever I skipped class.” [Aria]

The ex-delinquent let out a small laugh and smiled fondly as she thought about her best friend.

“Elena, huh?” [Ryner]

Ryner said and Aria looked back at him with a surprised face because of his correct guess before smiling again.

“That’s right. She’s my best friend. She’s also my first real friend. That’s why I really am thankful.” [Aria]

Her eyes became serious and she deeply bowed once more.

“Thank you for protecting my most important friend.” [Aria]

Because of her position, she couldn’t see his face. Right now, Ryner was thinking about her words, her words that reminded him of his own past that was like a painful thorn in his side. A bit of sadness was in his eyes as the faces of his own first friends floated in his mind. Not letting his emotions swallow him, he shook his head to disperse them and looked at the girl bowing in front of him.

“… Your other friends will be sad if they heard that, you know?” [Ryner]

She raised her head and shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re probably right. But, they all know that already.” [Aria]

“By the way, shouldn’t you be mad that I punched your friend?” [Ryner]

“Actually, Ryan deserved it. Heh, that was some wakeup call you gave us back there. I guess we all didn’t think about it or just put it in the back of our minds. I know I didn’t… It’s scary after all…” [Aria]

She held her arm and looked down as she remembered her actions thus far. But, instead of wallowing in regret, she shook her head to reset her thoughts.

“Ah, also, I want to apologize for his attitude. Trust me, he’s not a bad guy. He just doesn’t use his head very much, despite having a good head on his shoulders. Kind of like Jayce, except that his brain is made of muscles.” [Aria]

Aria responded in an amused tone while thinking about Ryan and Jayce who were the ones that she was the closest to after Elena. Ryner looked at her smiling expression and decided to tell her something that saddened him. Every word he uttered stabbed him in the heart, but he had to say it. He didn’t want this young girl to become like him.

“If… If you care about your friends, then make sure you grow strong enough to protect them yourself.” [Ryner]

His strong gaze took her aback. There was something in his eyes, in his voice, that deeply affected her. It made her unable to take what he said as a joke or as a casual warning.

“I won’t always be there.” [Ryner]

She opened her eyes wide and her mind processed his words for a few seconds. Then, she firmly nodded with a resolute expression. But, a smile emerged soon enough and she looked at the man standing in front of her with a gentle gaze.

“You’re a strange man.” [Aria]

“Really?” [Ryner]

“Really. You’re an otherworlder that suddenly appeared in this world, you’ve got that handy ability that runs on whatever it is you use and you’ve got guns and Artifacts.”

“You’re an otherworlder too and my strange ability runs on magic.” [Ryner]

He answered while scratching his head and lied a bit to not arouse suspicion.

“I thought you couldn’t use any magic. You never did during your fights.” [Aria]

She looked at him curiously and wondered if he lied to her to look cool.

“I can’t use this world’s magic if that’s what you’re asking. It’s just that I gained that ability when I was summoned here and that’s the only thing I can do, so it’s probably running on my mana.” [Ryner]

“Mhh, is that so.” [Aria]

Although Aria was sharp, there was no way she could see through his deception once he got his Poker face on. The man pretty much lied to live. It was a necessary ability for someone that intruded in a world and fed off its life force.

“Then, what about the gun, the magic sword and the magic gauntlets?” [Aria]

“The hell’s a magic sword and magic gauntlets? I thought they were Artifacts?” [Ryner]

“I didn’t make that up. That’s how we call them in this world. There are different types of Artifacts, so people made different categories to classify them.” [Aria]

“So sticking ‘magic’ in front of anything makes it a category? Lame~. They need to work on their naming sense.” [Ryner]

“Whatever, just answer the question!” [Aria]

Ryner crossed his arms in front of his chest with an arrogant smirk on his face.

“Hmph, that’s a secret.” [Ryner]

“…” [Aria]

A vein popped up on her forehead and her eyebrow was twitching. She then sighed and asked him her other question with her arms crossed in front of her chest as well.

“Then, at least tell me your full name. You better not say that your last name is a secret too.” [Aria]

As if he didn’t expect it at all, Ryner opened his eyes wide and kept quiet which puzzled her.

“Why do you look so surprised, I’m just asking for your full name.” [Aria]

He didn’t speak for a few seconds and the two stood in the hallway in silence with one person cocking her head and waiting for the other to talk. Finally, Ryner sighed and scratched his head before answering her lazily.

“Actually, I don’t really have a last name.” [Ryner]

“Huh?” [Aria]

“It’s too troublesome to remember two names, so I just hang onto my first name.” [Ryner]

“Wait, what the hell? How is it too trouble…? Oh, I see. Well, it’s fine.” [Aria]

Her words trailed off at the end as she looked at this weird person scratching his head with that sleepy-looking expression. She had suddenly remembered what she saw with Elena that night. She was a sharp girl after all. This man had deep wounds and she had most likely just touched one of them. She hurriedly tried to think of something else to change the subject, but before she could say anything, Ryner asked her his own question.

“By the way, do you know where the library is? Also, where’s your teacher?” [Ryner]

“Hm? Why are you looking for Kelly?” [Aria]

“Well, I need her to help me with my studies.” [Ryner]