Roland opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Is this becoming an annoying pattern? Why always that I go unconscious this happens?” He thought.

“You have finally woken up, sleepyhead,” Lucy said.

“Now it is certain this a recurrent pattern with this déjà vu I’m feeling.” Roland thought and said with his body still tired from the fight against Oliver. “How much time have I been sleeping?”

“Just eighteen hours, now its already time to the sunrise.” August resting on a comfortable cushion said. “That girl is needlessly making breakfast to you since we said you would wake up by this hour.”

“That girl? And where I am? Can you guys explain to me what happened after I went unconscious?”

After Roland went unconscious everyone was worried about his safety, principally Vaen that felt guilty of being incapable of saving him and George that still had plans for him after his splendid performance of having the winning hand against a genius three layers above him.

It was then that Carmen began to frantically tap her fingers on the air with a crazy expression before chanting in a language nobody on the trial of fire ever heard.

From her body came a relaxing and pleasant green energy that when touched Roland’s body it began to heal him. It looked as if it made Roland’s body come back in time with his burnt hair growing back and almost all of his injuries being made non-existent.

Unfortunately, Carmen also went unconscious after using this strange power and fell on Roland’s body.

Oliver that was the cause of it wasn’t punished since everything worked fine and it wasn’t his fault that Carmen stayed immobile, and he was officially made the Crown Prince of the Society. He had to him one of the biggest houses and could take two Followers, and had access to the best techniques and resources the Society could offer to him.

Meanwhile, Roland was made one of the ten minor Princes and Princess that have the rights to houses big enough to accommodate people they like and access to many things, not as many as a Crown Prince though. But if he wanted he didn’t even need to use the official garment of the Society. And since it was already discussed to him be a Follower of Elizabeth, a Queen, they gave him the best mansion near to the enormous castle that is Elizabeth’s home.

As Roland wasn’t at risk of losing his life, they dumped him on his new mansion together with Carmen that was also unconscious and the reason for his injuries and healing.

“I need to get stronger to have an opportunity of fighting Oliver again and receiving information about Victoria,” Roland said. “But I am happy that Carmen is fine.”

Roland observed his new home, because it was from the Master Blacksmith Society everything was black or red like Elizabeth’s room.

He had a nice comfortable bed he is laying down and his room was full of things, it had big mirrors, windows to the outside to see the sunrise, wooden wardrobes, embellished tables and a beautiful door with symbols of smelting furnaces.

Lucy told Roland that his mansion was just as impressive on the outside being big enough to be comparable to three houses, and had many guest rooms, bathrooms, open spaces and special places to train and study the Arts.

“But you recovered so quick not only because of Carmen, your body is now not more mortal. Look at your hands that you used several times to hold a lightning-fire sword, no even Carmen’s strange powers healed them.” August said. “Your next objective now is the second tier, Inner Body Recasted, which you use life force or attacks from someone to completely adapt your body to any situation possible. In the peak, the normal fire won’t hurt you more.

"Before you become a Magus Rank 1 I will teach you a Spell to demonstrate to you the power of your new body that can be considered a new physique, the Asura Body.”

Roland looked at his hands and saw the gashes on it being slowly stitched because of the natural regeneration of his new body.

The door to his room opened and from it came a crying Carmen that jumped on Roland. “Roland, you are awake! I was so worried.” She hugged him and sprayed her snoot on his naked chest.

“Carmen, I thank you for healing me but right now I want some privacy and also to you to stop crying on me, your snoot isn’t what I call of ‘clean and enjoyable’.” Roland pushed her out of his bed.

Carmen looked at Roland and perceived he was completely naked because his clothes burned in Oliver’s attack, he will later make another set but right now it wasn’t possible.

She felt no shame in seeing Roland’s body after noticing his state and tried to see his ‘equipment’.

“Carmen, are all the girls at your age so shameless now? When I was younger things weren’t in this way.” Roland sighed, standing up from the bed naked and throwing Carmen out of his room. “I need to take a shower because of you and change to new clothes, don’t disturb me until I left the room.”

Roland closed the door and heard Carmen’s serious voice beyond it. “Hey, Roland. Why did you save me? You hadn’t any reason to do so and if you evaded the attack there was still a chance of you winning and receiving information about this ‘Victoria’ you are searching.”

“Are you timid for only asking this after not seeing my face anymore?” Roland teased before honestly saying. “I saved you for two simple reasons, the first one is that I don’t want to become like Victoria that betrays the others and information for my vengeance doesn’t compare to the value of one life. The second one is because I said you were my friend and that I would protect you.”

“Even though I am lying to you about at least two things?” Carmen meekly asked with tears falling down of her cheeks once again. She never met someone that would something like that for her, Jimmy was a scaredy cat and too clumsy to help her in her plights. To her it felt it was the first time that someone wanted her to be alive despite knowing her faults, her past mother and father only screamed to her how it would be good if she never was born or to her commit suicide.

They really liked to exaggerate in her honest opinion.

“I thought it was only one but yes even if you are lying to me I will consider you my friend until you betray me.” Roland awkwardly laughed. “I think I have a magnet on me that makes the majority of people I know to initially lie to me about their identities and motives, so don’t worry. I’m used to it.”

“Do you want to know the truth? I don’t think right now I have the right to be your friend if I continue hiding from you. Not after you what you did for me.” Carmen unhesitantly tapped her fingers on the air to ‘buy’ the right for telling Roland the truth.

“Only if you want, I won’t force you.”

“I will tell you, go to the kitchen after you finish of bathing.” Carmen began to walk with her head held up, she never really trusted on someone, be it her grandpa in this world or the clumsy Jimmy, and now it was time to change it.

For how long will she continue living in a web of lies? If she doesn’t tell Roland today, who will she tell? Roland used his own body to protect her and that image when she was in despair was still engraved in her mind.

Roland nodded and was turning around when he suddenly shouted in fear, reminding of the horrible experience in the Major Castle when he got lost until the old butler appeared to save him. “Wait! Don’t go, I don’t know how to go to the kitchen. I will be lost.”

“But your masters know the way, they went there with me when we were exploring the mansion. I’m going now.”

Roland looked to Lucy and August, full of questions in his face. He didn’t care for them revealing their relationship or that they could talk but he thought they were against revealing information to someone that isn’t him.

“What can I say? I liked her because of how she healed you, can read the flow of World’s Fate and because-” Lucy tried to talk.

“She is ugly as you when you were younger before meeting Father.” August interrupted with a smirk on his face.

“It seems someone lost the fear after I diminished my interactions for you, little shit, just because of it is harder to someone like you have chances of bonding with Roland.” Lucy’s fur stood up and she menacingly walked up to August. “I have to teach you once again why you shouldn’t ever disrespect your Mother.”

“Wait, Mother. We can talk about this, it was just a joke. Come on, don’t need to be so self-conscious about your appearance when you were in the streets.” August slowly backed up from the cushion he was, in complete fear, dread and horror.

“He is fucked up, isn’t he?” Roland ignored his masters and went to the bathroom to take a shower with the background sounds of August’s forlorn cries.

***

Roland and Carmen finished eating the breakfast she did with food Roland wondered where it came from, the food wasn’t good but wasn't bad either, it was just like her, average.

“Hmm… from where should I begin? We have some time before it’s time to leave the mansion to present ourselves to the high elder responsible to show us the Society.” Carmen tilted her head. “I think it's better to clear my identity first. Roland, I’m the Carmen you knew in the jungle and the one you met at the Autumn Festival.”

“But your age and appearance are different?” Roland was surprised but not by much, they had the same name, after all.

“My birthday was yesterday so I'm now sixteen years old and this is actually my true appearance. Not the one you met.” She pointed to her long green hair and face. “I painted my hair to try to make me look cute and also used a lot of makeup to me not look as ugly I am right now. So nobody even thinks I’m that Carmen.”

“You aren’t ugly.” Roland honestly said.

“So am I beautiful?” She sarcastically said.

“No, of course you aren’t beautiful. Your face is just average and you should stop eating too much since it is bad for your health.”

“...Roland, you will be a terrible husband to the person you marry. Girls don’t like of men that tell the truth about their looks, they want to their husbands always praise them and say they are the most beautiful women in the world.” Carmen sighed, yet feeling refreshed by receiving a pure honest opinion without any malicious thoughts behind it.

“Why should I lie to my wife about her appearance? It makes no sense.” He shook his head. “Marriage should be about acceptance of the flaws of the two parts and love for the other part despite and because of the flaws they have. If I lie about her appearance to make her feel better about herself, so I’m not accepting she is ugly, I’m just trying to ignore it and forget about her flaws.”

“Wow, I got an answer more serious than I was thinking I would get.”

“And appearance is a matter too subjective and useless to make someone initiate a serious relationship with anyone, after all. At least in my opinion. I don’t know how other people think though, maybe they only select their partners based on appearances and wealth. The only other person I discussed this was my Father and he shared my opinion.”

Carmen didn’t know what to do, suddenly the conversation’s subject became too serious and different from how she learned in her homeland to intervene. She liked of everything Roland said, she couldn’t say it aloud though. It would be too much obvious what she is implying when she begin to agree with him since she is ugly.

“Oh, sorry. The matter got sidetracked, didn’t it? Continue with the explanation about what you were saying to me.” Roland said when he perceived Carmen silent.

She coughed to hide her embarrassment and said. “Like I was saying, I’m the Carmen from Kirin Renascence. I left my previous Society and said to Jimmy and my grandfather cover my disappearance.”

“That is something I been wondering, how did you swear fealty to the Master Blacksmith Society without the founder punishing you?” Roland knew that even if you left a Society the pledge of loyalty is eternal and won’t let you join other Society, and if the one that makes the brands of loyalty discover you are from other Society they will kill you.

“It’s because I’m from another world and have a ‘system’ with me that let me bypass many limitations in this world.” She deadpanned said.

“Excuse me?” Roland, Lucy, and August said at the same time as if it was scripted.