After the Holy Wings’ test, Ryner, Evelyn, Maya, Kelly and the heroes were sent out of the audience room while the rest continued to debate on the result. When the doors closed behind them, Ryan, who had been eerily quiet, bolted down the hallway as if he was running away from something.

“Ryan! Tch, that guy!” [Jayce]

Jayce chased after him while everyone was dumbfounded by his sudden action. Elena and Aria were hesitating on whether to go as well or to let Jayce handle this, but Ryner gave them their answer.

“You two, stop standing around and follow them. You’re his closest friends, right?” [Ryner]

He said, guessing their relationship from the interactions between the four high schoolers. According to what he saw, Ryan was more opened around them since he smiled more, laughed more and showed his troubled expression more often.

The two girls that were called out to looked at him with a bit of surprise on their faces. Then, without saying anything, Aria nodded and followed the two boys. Elena politely bowed and ran after her friends.

“I’ll go too!” [Kelly]

“No.” [Ryner]

“Kya! What are you doing?!” [Kelly]

Kelly angrily yelled at the man that prevented her from going after her students by grabbing onto the back of her collar.

“You should leave this to them.” [Ryner]

Looking unaffected by her glare, Ryner calmly answered her with his usual sleepy expression.

“But, as a teacher, I-“ [Kelly]

“It’s because you’re a teacher that you can’t help. You need to be in their positions if you want to get through to that kid.” [Ryner]

His words shut her up and she unhappily closed her mouth. After confirming this, Ryner then looked around him and spoke to the other students that were worriedly looking at the end of the hallway where their four classmates disappeared to.

“Same for you guys. Bringing a crowd to his room will only cause trouble. Just let those four be alone for a while.” [Ryner]

Some meekly nodded, some reluctantly agreed and some unhappily looked at him. They understood his logic, but this happened because of the sword he brought. With no one voicing their thoughts, the young heroes started walking towards their rooms while thinking about what happened just fifteen minutes ago.

“What is the meaning of this?!” [Random noble]

“No matter how you look at it, the Holy Wings has clearly rejected him!” [Random noble]

“Impossible! He should be the chosen hero! The one that will save us from a future calamity!” [Random noble]

“Perhaps it is a fake? Who confirmed its authenticity?” [Random noble]

“Our brother of faith, Bishop Nicholas Pietred, confirmed it with his own eyes. Is that not so?” [Random clergymen]

“Y-yes, the power it possesses from the reports in the ruin and its appearance… It should indeed be the sacred Artifact shown on the tablets.” [Nicholas]

“Moreover, this is the first time I have heard of an Artifact capable of rejecting its wielder. It must be the real one.” [Random clergymen]

After Ryner declared what happened, the room fell to chaos and everyone loudly exchanged their views on what they just witnessed. Many didn’t believed that it could be possible, but the youth they held in high regards as their best hero, Ryan, was knocked back by an invisible force when the Holy Wings let out a bright light.

They could only see this as proof that he was rejected. Some even suspected that the legendary Artifact was perhaps a fake. Those who came to represent the church were also in a panic since they couldn’t understand why the object tied to their beliefs refused someone known as the leader of the heroes.

The classmates of said leader were also confused and anxiously stared at each other. Kelly seemed quite flustered and was worried that her student might have gotten hurt, but she stayed put since Elena was with Ryan and she knew of her healing abilities.

“Silence!” [Charles]

In this loud storm of chatter, King Charles’ booming voice brought order back to the room and silence reigned once more. Although he was initially at a loss at what to do, he now calmed down and looked at the enigmatic man who might have some answers.

“Ryner, what is the meaning of this?” [Charles]

“It is as your majesty saw. The sword rejected him.” [Ryner]

Ryner said calmly, still kneeling down like a knight. All eyes turned towards him, but he easily ignored the tense atmosphere. He might be used to dealing with these sorts of situations, or he might be panicking inside. It was hard to tell when his stoic expression hid his emotions.

“It rejected my best hero even though it accepted you?” [Charles]

“As I have said before, I do not know how it evaluates its wielder, so I cannot explain this outcome. However…” [Ryner]

“What is it? Speak.” [Charles]

“It is the first time it has let someone hold it for so long before rejecting him. I do not have any basis for saying this, but it may mean that the young hero has fulfilled some of the criteria.” [Ryner]

Hearing Ryner’s hesitant statement, murmurs spread once more. The Artifact did not instantly send Ryan flying like it did with Cain. Now that Ryner brought this important fact to their attention, nobles and clergymen speculated on its meaning.

“Then, are you saying that it does not completely reject his touch?” [Charles]

“Yes, your majesty. As for why, I cannot tell. It may simply be that Ryan Wayer has been chosen, but he is not ready yet to wield it.” [Ryner]

The king fell deep in thought, wondering if he should trust his words. The people around him swallowed this new piece of information and started talking in hushed voices before Charles raised his hand to get them to quiet down.

“Still, it does not explain to me why you can wield it.” [Charles]

“I… I cannot say.” [Ryner]

Ryner looked completely at a loss. He truly did not seem to know why he could wield it.

“Your majesty, perhaps he is the chosen hero?” [Random noble]

After some hesitation, someone brought up this plausible idea.

“But, I have heard he cannot use magic nor was he summoned by our country. He is an unknown otherworlder.” [Random noble]

Another one instantly rejected it.

“The Holy Wings chooses its wielder. Does that not mean that he is qualified as a hero?” [Random noble]

“But, according to what just happened, the Holy Wings did not reject Ryan Wayer completely. So, maybe more than one person could wield it.” [Random noble]

“Then, this man is a stand-in until our hero is ready to receive it?” [Random noble]

While everyone was debating on whether Ryner was hero material, a clear voice addressed Charles.

“Your majesty, though it is presumptuous of me, but may I ask for your permission to speak?” [Evelyn]

It was the woman that he met today, Evelyn Ivyblood. She was a blond-haired beauty that seemed to be of noble blood, but her sense of humor was awful, not to mention that she was quite the bold person to joke in front of a king.

“I permit it.” [Charles]

“I am most grateful.” [Evelyn]

Curious as to what she would say, the king allowed her to speak and she stood up after thanking him. This time, all eyes were focused on her with some forgetting about the matter at hand and simply enjoying the view.

“I am aware of the circumstances. He is the same kind as the heroes, a being from another world. Taking into account what had happened just now, I would like to share my hypothesis. I believe that Ryner is not the hero.” [Evelyn]

“Hooh… And on what do you base that hypothesis?” [Charles]

Charles said, interested on how she reached such a conclusion. He didn’t reject it since that was what he wished for.

“Your majesty, first off, I need to state that, I believe that you can trust him. You see, I am from a wealthy merchant family and, having been taught by my father, I’ve learned to develop a keen eye to look for bargains.” [Evelyn]

Comments such as “A wealthy merchant family?” and “It’s certainly possible.” flew around. A middle-aged man with a great mustache spoke of his misgivings.

“How could being a merchant possibly tell you that that man is trustworthy?” [Random noble]

“It can.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn stated and looked directly at him. Her sharp eyes made him take a step back.

“A good merchant will know when a deal will be profitable and when the people he is dealing with will double-cross him. I am quite confident in my abilities, mainly, my ability to judge people. It is an indispensable skill for us. My lords must all know what I am talking about since you have to attend to your duties in the social world as well. As such, after spending a few days with him, I can say with absolute certainty that Ryner is worthy to become a hero.” [Evelyn]

Her confident attitude and the strong light in her red eyes made people gulp. At the same time, when she passed her gaze over the crowd, quite a few men blushed and absentmindedly gazed at her.

“Did you not say before that he is no hero? Moreover, how did you two meet? Explain yourself.” [Charles]

The king asked her sternly, wondering why she was contradicting herself.

“Yes, your majesty. The truth is, my caravan was attacked by bandits on the way here just a few days ago and Ryner along with his slave are the ones who saved me. Presently, I have hired them as my bodyguards so that I may return home and I have heard from Ryner about the Holy Wings.

I apologize once more because I know I have no right to be here, but my mother is a believer of the Hero’s Faith, so I wanted to witness this moment myself.” [Evelyn]

When Evelyn elegantly bowed, the crowd around her started talking in hushed voices again. The look in their eyes, especially the clergy, changed when they understood why she had come here and how she had met Ryner.

“Getting back to business, Ryner’s personality may have one or two things that he needs to fix, but he is an honorable man and possesses a valiant heart. That is why I said that he could be the hero.

However, after taking everything that transpired into account along with my own evaluation of the man known as Ryner, it is possible that the sword did not choose him as a hero, but rather as its protector.” [Evelyn]

“Protector, you say?” [Charles]

The king, his family and everyone else were puzzled by her words. Before anyone knew it, they were sucked into her pace as Evelyn spoke with great charisma.

“Yes, your majesty. I believe that Ryner has said before that when he suddenly came to this world, the Holy Wings was already in his possession. If you think about it, to suddenly possess such a legendary weapon is an oddity. Furthermore, to not be able to use magic, but to be able to use that unique ability that can store away objects at will is simply too strange. I feel like it wasn’t someone that summoned him here, but it was fate itself.” [Evelyn]

She eloquently explained her ideas to the crowd full of important people that was gobbling up what she was selling. The nobles were admiring the sublime and gorgeous woman while the clergymen were listening to the words of a possible fellow believer. The royal family was impressed by her conduct while the young heroes were utterly smitten by her.

“Also, for a hero that will save the world from a calamity, he is much too weak. Great power is necessary to stop a force that will destroy the world. The very fact that he can’t use any magic disqualifies him as a potential candidate.

No matter how you see it, the one known as Ryan Wayer is much more fit for it than him. However, it does not mean that he is powerless. He has many strange weapons and powerful Artifacts to help him and I have seen him in action with my own eyes. Are my lords aware? He is also in possession of another powerful Artifact.” [Evelyn]

Those present instantly remembered that, in the reports, it was stated that he defeated the powerful ruin dweller with his slave that was equipped with magic gauntlets. They looked at Maya who was staying quiet before looking at Ryner with a hint of fear in their eyes.

“Not only was he practically given the Holy Wings, but he also has another wonderful Artifact along with unusual weapons. He came to this world armed to the teeth. I believe that, such a man that can defend himself and possess that uncanny ability to store objects away was meant to protect the Holy Wings.” [Evelyn]

“So, the sword is not allowing him to wield it because he was chosen as the hero, but because he is supposed to protect it?” [Charles]

“Yes, your majesty. You could say it is a natural defense mechanism. We cannot rule out this possibility since we aren’t dealing with an ordinary Artifact. After all, his power is more secure than any safe we could build and it is absolutely impossible to steal the Holy Wings from him.

Also, the young hero, Ryan Wayer, was not completely rejected and may simply be, as mentioned, not ready yet for the enormous task expected of him. Pardon me for saying this, but he may still be too young, too immature. Was he not defeated not long ago? How could he protect the world if an opponent on such a level gave him trouble?” [Evelyn]

“… You certainly have a point.” [Charles]

“As such, Ryner may have been charged with protecting the Holy Wings until the true hero has grown and become stronger. That is what I believe. Like with the summoning magic that your majesty’s kingdom possesses, the man known as Ryner is an instrument brought to us by the gods to help us survive the incoming calamity. He will protect the true sacred sword so that the hero may one day wield it to save us all… Just as it was predicted in the tablets.” [Evelyn]

With her explanations finished, Evelyn elegantly curtsied and kneeled down again. The king digested all of the plausible information. He then broke the silence and stated his opinion.

“… indeed, what you said could be true.” [Charles]

“Y-your majesty, I believe she… Miss Evelyn may be on to something.” [Random noble]

“Why yes, how else could we explain that man’s sudden appearance?” [Random noble]

Voices of agreement sounded out. What she said made more sense than if someone told them that Ryner was actually the chosen hero. Furthermore, as a daughter of a wealthy merchant house, she most likely received a strict education and would mingle more often with nobles than with vulgar commoners. That was what her elegant aura told everyone.

So, there was no way a woman with a strong personality who could joke in front of a king would normally associate herself with someone like Ryner, not to mention that she seemed to respect the Hero’s Faith that her mother believed in. That was why they assumed that she was cut from the same cloth as them and that she wasn’t plotting with Ryner to try and make them believe some tall tale.

Also, as a merchant with discerning eyes, her evaluation of that man after observing him for a few days was probably more accurate than what their first impressions told them. Besides, they all saw his weird ability and it might have really been given to him just so he could protect the Holy Wings like she said.

While everyone was slowly convincing themselves, Ryner, who was still kneeling, stealthily scrutinized them one by one.

“(Whoaaa, they believe her. They actually believe her. As expected of a beautiful woman, no, of Evie. If it was me saying it, I’d only get skeptical looks. Then again, this is a convenient interpretation for them. No one wants me to be the hero, so this is easier to accept.)” [Ryner]

After a few more back and forth, Ryner and his group as well as the heroes and their teacher were dismissed. The rest stayed to debate on the point that Evelyn brought up and to decide on their future course of actions.

“People really are easily swayed by appearances, huh Master?” [Maya]

As they stood just outside the audience room, Maya commented in a quiet voice once she made sure that no one could hear her. All of the heroes were leaving and they were too far to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Pretty much. That’s why the spokesperson is often a beautiful woman and why you never put your picture on your CV.” [Ryner]

“I-is that so?” [Maya]

Maya asked while tilting her head. She wasn’t too sure about what her master just said.

“By the way, Evie, did you get a good look at them?” [Ryner]

Flipping her blonde hair with her hand, Evelyn answered him as she remembered the faces of everyone in the audience room.

“There were quite a few, but I can’t be sure since ambition and greed are normal when you see a powerful weapon before you. There was also a few disgusting stares.” [Evelyn]

“That so? I think I have one possible lead, but it’s just a hunch. By the way, he was also giving you a disgusting stare.” [Ryner]

The trio stopped talking when they noticed two figures approaching them. Two girls had turned around and were heading towards them with uneasy steps. One of them had short blonde hair and brown eyes while the other had long black hair and dark caramel eyes. Also, she had brown skin and was of a small build, making her look too young to be in high school. The two girls that were of the same age, but didn’t look like it approached Ryner.

“Hey, do you have a minute?” [???]

The one with blonde hair asked to which Ryner nodded while looking at her quizzically.

“… My name’s Sasha and… Actually, it’s a bit late to say this, but thanks… For saving us… The two of you.” [Sasha]

She scratched her head and looked away, obviously uneasy. It was overdue, but she gave them her thanks for saving their lives when they fought the Predator. Ryner blinked since he didn’t expect this. Maya smiled, happy to see someone show their gratitude to both her and her master.

Evelyn, on the other hand, frowned. She was told of the situation beforehand, so she expected them to grovel on the ground and ask for forgiveness for their rude behavior. These so-called heroes haven’t exactly been courteous with Ryner after all. Also, she had a thing against women approaching him without her permission, but it was just a small personal problem.

“… You know, you don’t need to thank us if you’re gonna look that reluctant about it.” [Ryner]

“No, I figured I should say it. The rest of us probably didn’t, right? But, we just don’t know how to approach you guys after what happened, especially you.” [Sasha]

“I think some of you don’t like me either.” [Ryner]

“Well… Yeah, maybe. Anyway, my friend also wants to thank you. This is Suzie.” [Sasha]

Not knowing how to respond to what he said, Sasha tried to muddle through it by presenting her friend who was staying silent with a sour look on her face.

“Wrong… My name’s Suzanne-Roxanne Kerrina-Kerkani.” [Suzanne-Roxanne]

“Suzie for short.” [Sasha]

“… It doesn’t sound cool.” [Suzie]

Ignoring the pouting girl, Sasha pushed her forward and urged her to talk. With a truly reluctant look, Suzie reached for her back and took the big pouch that was tied to her belt. She then presented the contents to Ryner with both hands. It was a present of gratitude.

“… Thank you… If you want, you can have this.” [Suzie]

It was a skull. It was what Ryner gave to her. Seeing the gift, Maya suppressed her urge to laugh while Evelyn’s eyebrow twitched. As for Ryner, after staring at the somewhat sad face of the skull-loving girl, he rejected her present with his usual sleepy-looking expression.

“… You know, if you’re gonna be that reluctant about it, you don’t need to give it to me.” [Ryner]

“Really?!” [Suzie]

“Yeah, I think Maya’s fine with it too.” [Ryner]

“No problem~.” [Maya]

Suzie’s mood drastically changed and her eyes widened with both surprise and delight. Right away, she carefully put the skull back in the pouch and hugged it to her chest with both hands. Bowing to her saviors, she happily trotted away before anyone could say anything.

“… Sorry, this wasn’t how I expected it to happen.” [Sasha]

Sasha sighed with resignation and wearily shook her head.

“Oh well, it’s fine. But, that girl likes skulls a bit too much.” [Ryner]

“Says the guy that gave it to her. She also likes black cats, so you should have given her a plushie or something.” [Sasha]

“I’ll make a note next time.” [Ryner]

“Yeah, well, anyway see ya. Thanks again.” [Sasha]

Waving goodbye and bowing her head in greeting to Evelyn whom she met for the first time, Sasha ran after her friend, leaving the trio behind.

“… Well, let’s get going too.” [Ryner]

With this personal matter settled, the three of them headed for their next destination.

“… These creatures resemble humans, but they feast on their flesh and are very dangerous…” [Kelly]

“(Staying here is proving to be more trouble than it’s worth.)” [Ryner]

“… If you need to go through the Sea of Erpas, you need to avoid this region here…” [Kelly]

“(I should leave soon, but they won’t let me since I’ve got the White Wing. I’ve also got to investigate why there are seismic activities near the entrances to the fortress.)” [Ryner]

“… That is why mermaids are feared by sailors everywhere…” [Kelly]

“(I’ll have to make a fake one and leave it with them. Avalon’s workshop will have everything that I need.)” [Ryner]

“… And so… Are you listening, Ryner?!” [Kelly]

Fed up, Kelly yelled and slammed her hands onto the table.

“I am, I am. We were talking about little mermaids.” [Ryner]

“They’re not little! They’ll tear you to pieces!” [Kelly]

Seeing the sleepy-looking idiot yawn without shame, Kelly covered her forehead with her hand and sighed. By his request, they were sitting at a table inside the empty library and she was teaching him all that she had learned about the world. But, he didn’t even seem motivated at all.

“Geez, you’re worse than my students…” [Kelly]

Hearing her complaint, a certain blonde-haired vampire looked up from her book. It wasn’t just Ryner and Kelly, Evelyn and Maya also tagged along and were both reading a book besides Ryner.

“Miss Skye, was it? Your students were eyeing me in a rather uncomfortable way. I don’t think Ryner is worse than them.” [Evelyn]

“Uhh~, that’s not what I meant. I was just saying that he should focus more… And Miss Ivyblood-“ [Kelly]

“Evelyn will do.” [Evelyn]

“T-then Evelyn, it’s actually because of you that they-“ [Kelly]

“So you’re saying that it’s my fault that they were staring at my body lewdly?” [Evelyn]

“T-that’s not…” [Kelly]

Kelly shrank under her piercing red eyes and couldn’t even finish her sentence. Evelyn exhaled unhappily and closed her eyes.

“I swear, it’s always the same no matter where I go. The way those men were looking at me was like they wanted to turn me into a dump for their-“ [Evelyn]

“We don’t need any graphical comments. Just where did you learn such foul language?” [Ryner]

Ryner quickly interrupted her and spoke like a father lecturing his child. On the side, Maya was giggling while Kelly’s face turned red.

“Where? I learned it from some of the books in your collection.” [Evelyn]

With a straight face, Evelyn stated the truth without revealing the existence of the Avalon. Aboard that ship was a small library with books written in a different language. After mastering the humankin language of this world, she began to learn this unknown language out of curiosity.

Although it was hard, she had managed to learn it thanks to a few books that taught kids how to read and write. As the genius that she was, it only took her a day before she could read any books on the shelves. Among them were a few odd ones that she studied for the sake of her grand plan.

“According to what I read, to increase your arousal levels, you would call your partner by some rather interesting and degrading terms such as-“ [Evelyn]

“Wait! You went through the adult section?! That’s off limits!” [Ryner]

Ryner said, surprised that she had learned how to read the books on the Avalon. Sitting in front of him, Kelly eyes turned round and her mouth was wide open.

“Wha! Y-y-you have such things with you?!” [Kelly]

“No! They’re from different people that brought them and they were left there for everyone to read! I’m just holding onto them!” [Ryner]

“Your friends brought indecent books for everyone?!” [Kelly]

“This is annoying! Evelyn, stay away from any such hazard zones from here on out!” [Ryner]

“Does the, if I remember right, chemical room count as a hazard zone?” [Evelyn]

“There’re some nasty poisons in there! You actually visited that place?!” [Ryner]

“Chemical room?! Just where did you take her, Ryner?!!” [Kelly]

“Why are you blaming me, you damn teacher!?” [Ryner]

With Evelyn added into the mix, Kelly yelled at Ryner more than usual and Maya laughed harder than usual.

“Showing Evelyn indecent books, can’t you take things seriously?!” [Kelly]

“No, she went and read them on her own. And I don’t want to take things seriously. I’m supposed to be on vacation, but now a bunch of stuff popped up.” [Ryner]

“Vacation?” [Kelly]

“Rather, you should worry about yourself. You’ve got like thirty different people you need to bring home alive.” [Ryner]

Being reminded of the huge task that she gave herself, Kelly silently looked down and clenched her fists. Ever since he showed up, one thing after another happened to her students, so she wasn’t sure of herself anymore.

“… Ryner, can you help us?” [Kelly]

That was why she asked for his help. Along with Kelly, Maya and Evelyn stopped what they were doing and looked at Ryner.

“Weren’t you going to believe that everyone would go back safe and sound? Why are you asking for my help?” [Ryner]

“Because you’re the only one I can think of asking this from.” [Kelly]

She looked at him with a strange belief in his eyes. For some reason, this sleepy-looking man that often got on her nerves had become a reliable existence.

“I really, really don’t want to overexert myself right now. Just like you, I’ve got my own share of problems.” [Ryner]

“That’s true. You were also summoned to this world against your will, right?” [Kelly]

She nodded in understanding, believing that he was in a similar position as her.

“That’s why I’ll only ask that you do what you can, so long as it doesn’t trouble you.” [Kelly]

“Is that really fine? I might not raise a finger for you guys, you know?” [Ryner]

Ryner said lazily while supporting his chin with his hand, but Kelly simply smiled at him.

“That’s fine. I’ll just believe that you will do your best to help us.” [Kelly]

“I’ll just believe that you will do your best to help us. After all, we’re friends now.” [???]

Ryner’s eyes widened and he remembered the face of the silver-haired woman from long ago.

“(First the church and now her… For a second time…! I’m being reminded of you quite often nowadays, Adelina… This is the bad side of talking with people. Sometimes, you find a bad apple in the bunch.)” [Ryner]

“What’s wrong?” [Kelly]

Kelly asked, puzzled as to why he suddenly froze up. Maya and Evelyn were also peeking at his face and wondered if he was alright.

Ryner looked away sulkily and tried to gloss over his misstep.

“It’s because talking with you can be annoying sometimes!” [Ryner]

“What?!” [Kelly]

“You witch, hitting at a man’s weak points!” [Ryner]

“What did I do?! And did you just call me a witch?!” [Kelly]

“No, I just called you an evil teacher!” [Ryner]

“Eiii!! That’s it! Before we continue, I need to fix that personality of yours!” [Kelly]

In the end, it was the usual arguing between these two with Maya and Evelyn watching the show. One of them was holding back her laughter while the other was staring at the black-haired man as if she wanted to gobble him up.

Eventually, once night fell, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep. Having made a deal with Maya, Evelyn was sleeping with Ryner. It was just the two of them, alone in bed. She was in pure bliss.

“It’s been a long time since we last slept together.” [Ryner]

“That’s true. So, you’d better let me do what I want for tonight.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn said with a smile on her face. With the blanket over them, she was using Ryner’s right arm as a pillow and was clinging to his shirt. Wearing a black nightgown that the servants had given her, this vampire lady was finally sleeping with the man she loved after finding him again. So, right now, what was going through her head were-

“(Ahhhhh~! Ryner’s smell! It smells so good! His body feels so good! I want to stay like this forever! Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff…)” [Evelyn]

Inappropriate thoughts that no one who saw her in the audience room could imagine. They wouldn’t think that the aristocratic woman that charmed them could show such a pure and wonderful smile… Or such a sloppy expression filled with lust.

“… Still, do you have to carry out this charade? Why would you kneel before a king when you are an existence that transcends their comprehension?” [Evelyn]

Evelyn said and stopped trying to fill her head with his smell to talk seriously. Ryner, who was lying on his back, looked at her from the corner of his eyes and then stared at the ceiling again.

“There’s no point in making enemies for no reason. I’ve got enough things to worry about, so I don’t want assassins coming after me because of some angry king.” [Ryner]

“You could just kill the king and anyone else that tries to harm you. I would gladly help if you decide to do so.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn said with a bit of bloodlust oozing out of her. She was definitely ready to turn the castle into a slaughterhouse if they ever tried to lay a hand on her man.

“I think I taught you to kill when necessary and to sacrifice when necessary.” [Ryner]

“Yes, is this not such a time?” [Evelyn]

“I also taught you to properly bear every life you take and to avoid fighting when you can, didn’t I?” [Ryner]

“You wish to avoid a fight with them? Certainly, by this world’s rankings, those young humans who are S ranks are strong, but-“ [Evelyn]

“Wrong Evie. This isn’t like taking on bandits. If you take on a country, there will be a lot more enemies, enemies who’ll keep coming after you and enemies who are only following orders. Eventually, they won’t even know why they want your life and will ignorantly march into battle, leaving the reason for fighting to someone else. You’ll have to kill them too, kill everyone until there’s no one left that wants to fight you… I don’t feel like spilling so much blood over pride and formality.” [Ryner]

Ryner said as he remembered the little boy that happily challenged him to a game of chess whenever he could. Would that boy be able to continue smiling like that if he declared war on his family?

“… I see.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn nodded with a displeased look and tightly clutched onto his shirt.

“You really are nice, Ryner.” [Evelyn]

“No, I’m not nice. Everything I do is for myself. Besides, remember what happened the last time I made a certain drunken prince my enemy?” [Ryner]

Ryner quickly denied her and reminded her of the reason why he died in her world. Hearing him, Evelyn bit her lower lip and nearly tore through her skin with her fangs because of anger.

“Yes, I do. You’re right… You should have killed all of his soldiers and burned his kingdom to the ground when you made him your enemy.” [Evelyn]

“Not what I meant…” [Ryner]

Ryner said in an exasperated tone of voice, but he then thought back on what he talked about with Kelly.

“By the way, Evie, you came to this world. Do you know of a way to send those kids and their teacher back to where they came from?” [Ryner]

Secretly thinking that he really was nice, Evelyn considered it for a while and answered him after a short pause.

“I’m not sure. The spell worked in my world and was powered by the mana in the surroundings. It might not work in a different world that I know nothing of. The flow of the mana and the laws governing magic, if anything is just slightly different, the spell could fail and they would be lost forever.” [Evelyn]

“Then, what if you studied the summoning magic that brought them here?” [Ryner]

“It could greatly help me in devising a spell that would return them. But, it might take me centuries or decades to complete.” [Evelyn]

Ryner slowly nodded to her words.

“… Is that so? For now, until you study their summoning magic, let’s keep this a secret.” [Ryner]

“Is that alright? This could give them a lot of hope.” [Evelyn]

“We don’t want this information to leak to anyone. The king and his men want to keep them here so they’re being nice right now.” [Ryner]

“True, they might try to detain them by force by taking hostages if they try to leave.” [Evelyn]

“Yeah and also, hope has a tendency of letting you down. So, we’ll first confirm if it’s actually possible to send them back home before telling anyone.” [Ryner]

“… As you wish.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn obediently listened to his instructions before closing her eyes. She didn’t plan on defying him. If he wanted to help those humans, then she would do whatever he asked of her, so long as they didn’t pose a threat to him.

Once they were done talking, the pair wished each other good night and fell asleep… Or at least that was how it looked.

“Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women.” [Evelyn]

With a dark smile on her lips, the strong and noble vampire was whispering the same sentence in a sleeping Ryner’s ear over and over again like a curse. She was also carefully groping his body while blushing.

“Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women.” [Evelyn]

Because she had slept with him for many years, she knew that he would stay still for a few minutes before his nightmare began. He would then cry and talk in his sleep. Depending on what he saw, he would toss and turn and even scream.

“Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women.” [Evelyn]

Whenever that happened, Evelyn would tightly hold onto him as if to tell him that it was alright, that she would always be there for him. However, before that happened, she would wisely use those precious few minutes to offer him a few suggestions.

“Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. Evelyn and Maya are attractive women. You strongly desire Evelyn the most.” [Evelyn]

That was how the first night with Evelyn since coming to this world peacefully went by.

“Not yet? Is it not here yet?” [???]

Inside a dark room, a figure spoke to himself while looking out the window.

“Come on, come on. Those dumb beasts! Can’t they follow simple orders at all?!” [???]

He didn’t get a wink of sleep and stayed glued to his window. The night was already almost over. His patience was reaching its limits.

“Tch! Every last one of them! They’re all useless!!” [???]

Just as he was about to take out his anger on his pillow again, they appeared. When the sky was beginning to brighten, he finally saw them and a twisted smile formed on his face. With the sun rising over the horizon, multiple shadows could be seen flying towards the capital city that unsuspectingly welcomed the dawn of a new day.

*Author* The next part will be about fighting. I'll break it into chapters, so be careful of cliffhangers.