“This weather is very nice for taking afternoon nap, right… Gi-Chan?”

“Why you always want to take an afternoon nap even you still not find the Ryn herb for the quest?”

“Gi-Chan if you always like that, there is not even a single boy will marry you, you know”

“Shut up! It is not your problem and help me find the herb too!”

“Nah Gi-Chan…”

“What— Your face… your face is too close!”

“About what I said before…”

“Before? About I can’t marry anyone right? Are you perhaps making fun of me?”

I draw my face close to Gi-Chan’s ear and try to whisper my next word to her.

“If… you can’t marry to anyone… I will take the responsibility, okay… fu~”

“Hya—!”

When I say that while breathing, Gi-Chan’s ear turning bright red and she startling herself. Trying to face me while looking shy, she ask me while fidgeting her finger.

“Are you… sure?”

“Pfft! Ahaha… that’s reaction of yours sure is cute, you know!”

“Na—!”

“Guha!”

While I’m laugh with the sudden change of Gi-Chan’s reaction, suddenly she give me a very clean yet strong uppercut exactly at my chin.

“I’ll Search the herb alone, make sure you find the other 10 for the quest, got it!”

“Ugh!”

While I’m still laying down after got uppercut by Gi-Chan, I’m not trying to move from this place and just feel the breeze around here that slowly passed my body.

It is already 10 years since I got reincarnated to this world. Currently I’m living in the Orphanage that found me while I’m still an infant in front of the Orphanage at Ippotis kingdom. As Mogu said, he granted my wish so I can still have the exact same appearance as I have before in my past life.

If you say the reason why I’m in the middle of the forest now, my answer is that I still doing a quest that I take from the guild. My quest that I must find 20 Ryn herb around the Botan Forest. Ryn Herb itself is a kind of herb that can be used to make a potion to restore Mana for magician. As I am now, I still an adventurer that have [Wood] tag at “HI” Tier. Frankly… a newbie.

Still… Since the first victim appeared 3 years ago, there is nothing happen in my daily life. Even in 5 years from now will be a blood battle between us the candidate, why it is so peaceful right now?

That day… when the dusk comes 3 years ago it seems not only me but all of the other candidate got a very important announcement through Mind link that Mogu send us. The content is,

“Yo! Long time no see… even you can’t see me but I can see all of you clearly, okay stop with the nonsense chat, I’ll tell you a very important message right now~ so, listen to it carefully. Just a moment ago the first victim from you, Cheater candidate already appeared… give the applause. *Clap… Clap… Clap…* what should I say… it is a little bit disappointing that this person fell before the Great War start but like I care about something like that. Ah and the most interesting part is why he can got killed when there is a restriction I placed on you guys? Okay that’s the only announcement I tell you guys and every the victims appear I’ll announce it to you so… prepare yourself if you don’t want your name to be the one got announced. Ah! Once again before I forgot, so… can you guess who is the culprit? See you again in another victim report~”

Yes… that’s the content of announcement Mogu tell me that day. When I hear that the first victim appeared 3 years ago it really makes me uncertain about one thing, who can killed us a cheater in this world? The answer is… nearly none. But suddenly at that time I remember what Mogu talking about before,

“As you can see, there will be a punishment if you kill another candidate before all of you turn adult. But, if you put them in worst state before they turn adult, feel free to do it! Maybe like… cut both of their leg and hand… something like that~”

Every time I remember what Mogu said in that white room before we depart to our new life, I can’t even doubt a single thing that time. But, if I’m trying to thinking it a little now, all of the rules Mogu told us is full of flaw and from what his easy going trait can clearly make us take the wrong meaning of the rules itself. It looks like Mogu makes it like that on purpose. From he said “…If you kill …” and “…Feel free to do it! ...”it means except us the candidate kill another one directly, we can do whatever we want to do if we win again another candidate in battle.

Ha~ really who can kill another candidate and can clearly find the hole from Mogu’s rule only after they turn 7 years old?

That’s why after I heard that announcement that time, in the next day I apply as an adventurer to gain experience in real combat. In there, 2 years after I join, I meet with Megali Gi, Gi-Chan, who is a still new adventurer at that time. Because she is from snow wolf tribe that is rare around this city, she can’t get in to any party. After all, that time she is still 8 years old. Who can trust a kid as part of the party except they have another motive. That’s why I ask her to join me because I’m alone and the only I can do is support.

What should I say, I can clearly see a Heart Emblem carved on top of my right hand after all. Of course who didn’t know about it will say it is just a birthmark as Mogu said. And in the detail its… “4♥” emblem. From what I remember, “4” is my Cheat ability ranking where “10” the weakest and “Joker” the strongest and “♥” or heart is my ability… Support type. It means I have an advantage if I face with “♦” or diamond user and have disadvantage when I face ”♣” or clover user.

This life really complicated… ha~

When I’m trying to close my eyes to fulfill my wish to take my afternoon nap,

“Kyaa!”

“Hm?”

I hear a scream voice from inside the forest. It is clearly not Gi-Chan’s voice but I’m sure it is a voice of a girl. I don’t know who is she but… it kind of dangerous if I just laying down in here without doing anything.

It seems I must trying to work now… carefully don’t raise any flag that can be my graveyard later…

After standing, I’m running to where the direction of the voice came from. I’m passing through several purple trees around the forest. I jump the stone one by one to cross over the lucent river. Really whenever I come to this forest, it is a very ideal image of a nature that I seek when I’m still in middle school days.

After I’m arrived near the blue firefly lake. I can see a girl with red hood chased by the herd of giant wolves.

Is it a “Red Riding Hood” story that my grandma talking about when I’m still a child looks like?

Of course it is not.

The girl wear a pink frilly dress while bring a basket full of Gurapu fruit in her hand. Gurapu is a fruit that has a purple color that usually used to make wine… in simple way, it is a grape fruit. Her red hood hiding her pink short hair that sometimes peek out from the hood. I can’t really see her face but from what I see, her hand is so small and very delicate.

Really~ what kind of thing that she do to invite a literally lusting wolf to attack her?

When the girl still distract the wolves attention, I’m trying to search for some rock, but I couldn’t even find a single once. Even I’m a bit reluctant I draw my sword and trying to approach the wolves from behind silently. I use my skill to make a stepping foot on the air so the wolf can hear it.

[Air Shield - Stairs]

I cast it several times until it looks like a stair that will bring you to the sky. I really didn’t want to kill the wolf if I can do it. But, if the condition force me… I must kill some of them in the end.

Walking slowly 100 meters from above the ground, I approach the girl after cast,

[Air Shield - Vertical]

With the size of 5x10 m, so the girl can’t be attack before I reach there. Of course as the name implied, this ability make the shield from the air and the enemy except me can barely see it directly.

It’ll become troublesome if my cloth get drenched if I fall to the lake… so, I think a safe choice will do.

Make a very wide horizontal shield on top of the blue firefly lake, once again I make a stairs from there.

“Pardon my rudeness, Red Hood Princess… Because of some miracle bring me here to save you, I came to see your wonderful figure. Shall you take my hand so I can carry you to the save place”

Shit! Before I realize it… my mouth already spoke nonsense again! If this goes on….

“S-sure!”

Look she already fidgeting shyly like a maiden in love! Even her face already turn bright red! Crap! If this my bad habits go on… without fail, I’ll die the same way as my past life!

Before I realize it, the red hood girl look at me shyly. Really why I got this bad habit of mine.

“Try to jump to the lake and you’ll see a very thin stair that make from the air. Follow it and come to my side”

“U-um! Understand!”

Even I said something so nonsense to that girl, she still obey my instruction and do it the same way as I said. Around several minutes later, the girl arrived in front of my place.

It seems she doesn’t have any problem when jumping from one to another [Air Shield] that can barely be able to see.

“Then follow me”

“Ah! U-um!”

Crap! Why… Why I touch her hand without thinking! Really… how many flag I raise in this girl heart now?!

Habit is… a very dangerous thing after all.

While I’m walking above the ground, I can see the wolf look at me and stare so intently to my direction. Of course I know the reason, it is because I suddenly appear and steal their food.

Their chase after me for around 15 minutes before give up.

But still… walking on top of the forest in the afternoon is very hot and make my head dizzy.

After I’m arrived at my rest place before I chase this girl voice, I jump while give her princess carry before realizing it.

Really… if this goes on I’ll die one day…

After I make her be able to stand up in her place, I tell my name and ask for her name. really—

“Thank you for helping me before…”

“No problem I just coincidentally hear your voice that asked for help before. By the way, Nice to meet you… I’m just a mere adventurer that live in Ippotis, Koto—I mean Evrys Ouranos. And if you didn’t bother about it, can you tell me your name?”

“Ah! Sure! My name is… Rozy Prinkipissa Ippotis, the third princess of this country, nice to meet you too”

“Eh?”

—Why I, Kotobuki Sora… currently Evrys Ouranos, suddenly raise a flag on the third princess in this kingdom.