When I wake up, I’m not in a familiar place.

Oof.

I put a hand on my neck—it’s sore.

Clicking my tongue and sighing, I slowly hoist myself up with great effort.

I feel like I just came out of a superstore and forgot where I had parked my car, but the car, in this case, is my life. I have no clear memory of what happened, and I can’t see anyone around me ready to explain what’s happening.

I turn in a soft bed of red silk sheets. It’s one of those beds with the columns—what are they called, again? Whatever. You get it. Apparently, the room I slept in is as gothic as a girl in her teenage years can only dream of. Black and red silk with lace as decoration on top of the bed. There’s also a fair amount of leather furniture in the room—a big, shiny couch in black leather that totally doesn’t remind me of some 2012 meme. There’s also a candelabra on a table. And it’s lit.

Very gothic, I find myself thinking.

But most of the light comes from overhead floating [Lights]. When I activate [Advanced Mana Sense], I can see their complex structure. They are draining Mana from the environment, making them more of an enchantment than a proper spell. They are basically self-sustaining [Lights]. If I’m sensing this correctly, there seems to be a component in their matrix to store Mana and one to let you charge said storage. A Mana battery, that’s impressive.

As I try to get out of bed, all the pain that I feared does not materialize. Nope. I’m the fittest I have been in a while, save for my neck. With a hand on the only offending region of my body, I start to look around the room. Someone has replaced my underwear, I notice. I’m not wearing the red, glittery shorts anymore. Instead, I’m wearing a pair of nondescript linen boxers. That’s it. Well, gotta let the jewels breathe.

“Joey!”

As I was trying to understand if the candelabra flames were magical or not, someone barged into my room and hugged me. It’s more of a tackle, actually. But at least it’s been cushioned by two soft airbags.

“Lucinda?”

“Princess Valarith told me what you did for me!”

She keeps hugging me.

What did I do?

I’m positive I helped her somehow. I remember most of the duels. But how did I end up—

“Levener is so sorry! He said he exaggerated!”

Levener?

Suddenly, a scary image pops up in my mind.

The guy with the mouth sewn together with black threads. Did we fight? Did I suffer a concussion, maybe? But most of all, isn’t Lucinda half-naked?

I suddenly look at her very skimpy garbs with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

After a few seconds of me not answering, she looks into my eyes—eyes that are not looking at her eyes. She blushes and suddenly distances herself from me.

“I was sleeping! Our rooms are close! The Princess changed both of us! This is—”

“All good, all good,” I say with a nod.

As I start stretching out, I realize I’m hungry.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days, Joey. I was so worried. It’s the middle of the night. You woke up screaming.”

Huh.

Did I?

Is she gaslighting me?

I shake my head, banishing the thought.

“Oof. Do you have some food by any chance?”

Also, isn’t it too quiet here?

Lord Juler? Hello? Are you doing some kind of a freaky experiment like last time? Can we please not blow ourselves up?

No response.

“Sure! I’m sure they are all still studying together. So, why don’t we visit them first?”

“Them?”

“The Princess, Lord Levener, and Lord Juler.”

Huh?

...

Now, putting aside the fact that Lucinda and I are ignoring a crucial conversation... She has brought me into a massive library while attempting small talk. Three people are hunched over some books in said library, silently flipping pages with one hand and taking notes with the other. It’s a scene so normal you could place it in New York’s public library, minus the influencer-girl/streamer who needs viewers to finish a chapter of her Political Science book.

“Princess,” Lucinda says with great respect, bowing.

She gave me some clothes and changed herself as well. I told her that I was fine with her keeping the skimpy pajama, but she did not agree with my wise judgment.

---

“Is that Lord Juler?”

I see the man looking like the projection I saw when I entered the weird soul-space. He’s old, a bit wizened, but with deep eyes and his characteristic multi-colored irises. But he’s definitely less magical than I remember him. There’s something off about him.

“Yes, Joey Luciani, it is me. I think you might have many questions. I have had time to catch up with—”

“Hell no. I’m not doing this on an empty stomach. Where is the kitchen?”

Valarith points in a direction.

I turn on my heel and walk in that direction.

“We’ll talk after I have had a sandwich. Or three,” I shout over my shoulders.