Shu was just getting used to the soft and fluffy life on the road with Lisa and Ouroboros 7 when a small, fortified town came into view on the road up ahead. They'd taken their time, but now they were finally here. His first encounter with civilization in this world, waited for him just up the road. Though in all honesty, it wasn't much of a city. It appeared to him more like one of those old wooden forts of long forgotten history.

"That's Harbrook town?" Shu asked, raising an eyebrow in question at Caia, who nodded. "Doesn't seem very intimidating. Those walls would burn quite easily."Shu commented.

"Yes. It's enough to deter the creeps and monsters around here though. Harbrook's primarily for adventurers. It serves no real purpose in the defense of the lands and the current King cares little for its existence." Caia said. He appreciated that the woman was making an effort to inform him of the world.

It was something she'd taken up after a particular evening conversation in which his worldly ignorance was laid bare and an awkward silence followed.

He should properly study this worlds common sense at some point in the future, in order to make himself less conspicuous.

Dust rose in their wake as the group advanced. It was quite the unusual group that approached Harbrook town and the guards took note of that, stirring uneasily as their spears clanked against bucklers.

"So we're now in the territory of the Azure Kingdom, correct?" Shu asked.

Caia nodded."Yes, the offspring of the Kings royal lineage pride themselves on being direct ancestors of a noble line from the fabled Blue wind Empire that once ruled the midlands, but finally fell during an epic battle. The legends.." She trailed off, giving him another one of those preponderous looks she had so often cast his way these past few days.

It was likely that she suspected something, given how she kept prodding and poking, then gazing at him to gauge his reaction. Especially since the tent he put up had the sign of Pandemonium displayed clearly on its side.

Perhaps it had been unwise, but there were certain limits to going incognito, a certain amount of homage had to be paid to his guild. He'd never leave it or deny that he was a part of it. Although none of the adventurers had inquired about it, they threw him the occasional dubious glance when they thought he wasn't looking.

He could hardly blame them though. However, the only person that Shu felt inclined to inform in full was Lisa, but she hadn't asked about it.

He wondered again what he should do with her and why he felt so strongly connected to this girl, who should by all accounts be a complete stranger to him, yet felt like she was his... kin? No that wasn't quite right, but not far off the mark either.

With furrowed brow, Shu approached the vigilant guards one step behind Caia's group, letting them lead for now.

It would look odd if a child suddenly took charge.

"Halt! Present your papers!" The guards yelled, waving their spears threateningly.

Shu almost laughed at the pathetic display, but Caia stepped forward, showing the guards the appropriate identification required to gain entrance to the town.

"Your Guild card checks out. Welcome back to Harbrook, Ouroboros 7." The guard said, bowing respectfully. His eyes met with Shu, and there was a glint of something hidden there. Shu wanted them to quickly move past the gates before the men got any funny ideas and stirred up needless trouble.

"We're currently on assignment." Caia explained. "So if you'll excuse us." Caia said. The guardsman nodded and motioned them forward. Why was entering a minor outpost town like this such a hassle? If Harbrook town was a frontier base for adventurers, it would make sense that security would be more lax out here. Did that mean other towns and cities required more checks or was this somehow just standard procedure everywhere?

What if he had to enter a settlement and did not possess proper identification? What of him being demonkin? These were major obstacles to living his life in a relaxed manner and he still knew little of how the world and society had evolved.

Alot could happen in a thousand years.

Just look at how the roman empire rose and fell and before that, the egyptian pharoes.

Perhaps Caia could be of assistance.

Still, he supposed it wasn't that bad compared to how things were in his previous world.

"Sorry for troubling you with this." Shu muttered once they were past the gates. Caia waved away his apology. "It's fine. We've been in your care these past few days, so I'm just returning the favour." Caia said.

"Agreed." Brock rumbled, and the others nodded their agreement too. "Never had food that fucking good on the road before, heck it was good enough to rival that of a five star royal restaurant. I'm not complaining." Fiona said.

"My dear, " Shu said, covering his hand with one hand as he spoke. "Why, It's only natural for me to provide my faithful guards with supplies, yes? After all, I'm just a witless little noble being escorted by an esteemed A-rank party right? Ohoho!"Shu said and the adventurers chuckled, but gave him an odd look aswell, as if to question his sanity. After that, Shu ruffled Lisa's hair, his hand inadvertently brushing against her horns. She made a cute sound. "Mumyuu~”

The town itself was sparsely populated, and every single person he saw, be they man, woman or child, were armed to the teeth. He saw Swords, daggers, bows, crossbows, staves, maces, flails, spears, halberds, axes... and more. There were surprisingly few mages, and even fewer cleric types around.

The world would probably not conform to the class distributions of Edge Online after a 1000 years, though he was surprised to not see more magic casters wandering about.

Most, if not all of these people, were clad in leather or chainmail armor. There were few buildings other than some small Inns, seedy taverns and a few shops that bought monster parts. Harbrook certainly gave off the impression that it was an adventurer's outpost, since it did not really resemble a place where normal people lived.

Shu cocked his head, staring at a young boy who was currently helping his mother with the laundry. There hadn't been children in Edge online, and the NPCs didn't reproduce, just respawn.

This in itself was a bit odd, because they were so life-like.

All of Edge Online's competitors had children and marriage systems in place, and indeed virtual sex and lineage creation. Edge had opted out, so seeing a child and his mother casually living life, kind of brought home the point that he wasn't in Edge Online any more.

He could faintly make out the banging of a smithy at the other end of town, and on his way to the Adventurer guilds Harbrook branch, he passed an Alchemy shop and several other similar establishments selling vital supplies to adventurers.

”If only Edge had been that convenient,” he muttered. Shu had little time for deliberation and sightseeing though, since he soon found himself entering the Adventurer guild's Harbrook branch behind Ouroboros 7.

The air inside was filled with fragrant smoke from pipes, accompanied by boistrous laughter and the sound of mead tankards being chugged and smashed down on wooden tables for refill, as ample bosomed maids tended the tables. It seemed more appropriate to call them mead runners rather than maids. A bard sat in a corner looking very redfaced as he furiously downed drinks with a very well-rounded lady by his side. The bard hiccuped, leaning against a lute without strings.

Many eyes turned towards them as they made their way to the reception desk that doubled as the bar. Nothing like this had existed in Edge, so Shu looked around, intrigued and a little confused.

He thought this arrangement was a sub-optimal way of countering the monster threat, but then again he didn't really know exactly what the monster threat was, since Caia had only talked about it briefly and in such a manner that it indicated everyone should atleast know about it, so he'd been loathe to betray his ignorance on the subject lest she grow too suspicious of him.

Given his passive auras, it was unlikely that he'd encounter any low level monsters if any existed. He hadn't seen a single one so far, so perhaps they mostly dwelt in dungeons these days? Perhaps he should labour to turn off his passive auras and try to see if he could catch and dissect a few of these so-called monsters.

The receptionist greeted them with a warm smile that seemed genuine enough. ”Hey C, welcome back. You guys succeeded I take it?” Caia shook her head. ”No.” was her taciturn reply.

At that, the receptionists eyes bulged. She was a homely looking woman with bowl cut brown hair and thick, black triangle spectales, perhaps in her mid thirties. ”You're pulling me leg C. It was a simple investigation request. I have a hard time believing that you failed it.”

”You misunderstand. We did not fail the request, it was abandoned.” Caia said calmly, even as she crossed her arms over her bossom.

”What?!” The receptionist shouted. ”It was specially comissioned by our guild master! It can't just be abandoned, even by you guys. There are rules and regulations...”

”Calm your tits Yulia.” Brock said. ”The king nullified it. Or more specifically, his bloody knights did when we met them on the road. In no polite terms, they told us to scram and to not even go near the place.”

”Explain?” Yulia asked, cocking her head. Caia sighed, shaking her head. ”Is Noran in?” Caia asked in reply.

”Hmpf, yes he is. I suppose you should just go on up. The man isn't busy. He never is, you know?” Yulia said, then gestured to a door that led to a backroom.

Entering behind Caia, Shu followed silently with Lisa in tow. She was currently gripping his hand and shaking slightly. Perhaps she had a fear of people? Lisa was very taciturn when they first met, but she warmed up to him as she got to know him, especially after those days on the road...

Her current anxiety level made Shu wonder just how much this girl had been mistreated at the hands of those slavers. It wasn't the first time he, as Master of Pandemonium, had encountered something despicable and disgusting, but this... because it was Lisa, it was somehow worse.

Just picturing her in those rags... serving dirty gap toothed bandit piss ants with that downcast, subservient expression and crying herself to sleep at night in a cold, dank cell...

He remember how hungry she'd been in the cave. How she went crazy at the sight of food. He could just imagine her holding a stale piece of bread between small, dirty hands, shaking and taking small chomps as the whips cracked in the background.

It made him angry. It made him so fucking angry...

Shu swore that if he ever found the men responsible, he would rip them apart without mercy, before exterminating the entirety of their operations across all nations.

Slavery was unacceptable.

That kind of shit was utterly unacceptable.

Entering the Branch masters office, Shu noted the trophies mounted on the walls. Various stuffed monsters made up the collection, some even doubling as coat hangers. Beneath the trophies were plaques with monster names different from the ones Shu knew, and dungeon names he also did not recognize.

Beside him Lisa shuddered. Shu didn't really think them anything special. The trophies were all from low level mobs in Edge. The kind that beginners would hunt. He supposed they could've undergone an evolution and gained some levels. After all, it had been a millenium...

Still, he was surprised to see quite a few species, he did not recognize lumped in with the ones he did know. He would have to look into that later.

Noticing the group, the big burly man behind the desk got up and waved at Caia in greeting. ”Ho there Miss. I see you're back already. Ouroboros works fast, just as the rumors say.” The big man mused.

”Hmm? who are those guys ya got there? This ain't no place for children.” The man said, gesturing to the various stuffed monsters.

Fiona chuckled at that. ”We thought the same when we first met them, but well. They be special, so ye shouldn't mind them.”

”Is that so,” The Branch master said, stroking his huge square chin. He was probably unwilling to take Fiona at her word.

”Well this is a little embarrassing. I haven't actually prepared the reward yet. I expected this request to take you more than just a week to complete. I see now that I underestimated you guys again...”

Caia shook her head and said ”Not at all.”

Then she proceeded to explain the circumstances to the man called Noran.

He was of a stocky build, with short brown hair, beady eyes and a soulpatch beneath a swollen lower lip that made him look decidedly odd, especially when it all combined with his enormous square chin. Once Caia was done explaining, Noran eyed Shu and Lisa with a questioning glance.

”So Caia, I noticed that you didn't really tell me bout those little fella's behind you. If me gut feeling and me keen eye's correct, they're demonkin.” Shu tensed slightly, but he didn't sense any hostility in the man, so perhaps not all humans in the Azure kingdom hated his kind, though Caia had certainly made it seem that way when she had explained it to him. Perhaps they should disguise themselves?

”Yeah they are, but you needn't worry about them.” Caia began. ”They're just passing through. Don't know where they intend to go though.” Caia said, eyeing Shu. They had decided to talk it out once they got to Harbrook. He figured Caia might know some place where he could hole up and gather information about the world. They were to discuss further arrangements in the tavern later that night.

Lisa could do with some strengthening too, so thinking up a way for her to quickly get stronger was also a priority. It would be good if she could protect herself. That would make Shu's life a little easier and decrease the chance that she would get hurt. It shouldn't be too hard to get her to a level where she could dispatch the likes of those weak knights with ease.

However, there was one thing Shu might need to get in order to move more freely within the Azure kingdom.

It would undoubtedly be beneficial for Lisa too, so he pushed for it.

”Actually,” Shu said, stepping forward. ”Since we lack means of identification, I was wondering whether the esteemed Branch master would be able to help us out somehow?”

”Hoho,” Noran chuckled, drumming his meaty fingers on the hard desk in a peculiar rhythm. ”I believe this is a first Caia. I have never heard of any demonkin that want to enter the Azure kingdom. Most want to leave it, but I guess you guys don't look much like the others. You don't appear to be slaves either. You could almost pass for humans if not for those horns.”

Shu narrowed his eyes at that and asked in a frosty tone. ”Slaves?” Caia furrowed her brow at Shu's suddenly cold voice, but Noran didn't catch the tension at all.

”Oh yes, all of your kind, atleast in the Azure kingdom, work as slaves. That extends to our northern neighbour, the Empire, aswell. Most are slaves to nobles, but some wealthy merchants can afford you aswell.” Shu pressed his lips together in a thin line, glaring at the branch master.

Noran raised his hands. ”Don't get me wrong kid, I don't endorse slavery, really I don't. But what's a man to do eh? The Chain Emporium is too large for any one kingdom to oppose. Even the Empire has to bow to their demands and trade with them, lest they risk economic backlash. Their leader is devious, and infamously strong aswell, reportedly a match for the purple handed witch herself! So you see...”

”Those things are irrelevant.” Shu said, his cold tone surprising even himself. Caia's group eyed him nervously, and Lisa squeezed his hand, which kind of surprised him. He had looked down on Lisa too much, he realized.

She was obviously capable of handling herself better than he first judged.

”They're stronger than anything a kid like you can imagine. You're a frog at the bottom of a well kid. If you truly want to challenge the Chain Emporium, you should start building up your power from the bottom. Things like that can't be rushed, you know? Perhaps a few years as an adventurer? I can facilitate...” The man trailed off as Shu fixed his gaze on him and stepped forward, clenching his small fists.

Wait, the man had said chain emporium, hadn't he? Shu suddenly relaxed, his lips curving into a predatory smile. ”Since you've identified them for me, the days of the Chain Emporium are numbered.” Shu said, glancing at Lisa, who was gripping his hand tightly and staring at the floor.

Noran laughed as if Shu had just made a joke, but when nobody else joined in, Noran looked around with a frown.

”Whats the matter with all of you?” Noran asked, but Caia and her crew remained silent.

”Rest assured branch master,” Shu said, speaking into the silence with a voice filled with an inexplicable darkness, ”I will encompass their complete destruction. Not a slaver nor any soliciter of such, shall be spared my wrath. This I swear on the honor of my guild.” Shu said.

Beside him, Lisa shook quietly.

He squeezed her hand.

”The Chain Emporium's destruction is a foregone conclusion. Look forward to it.” Shu said stiffly, his voice flat and cold. It was strange to hear himself speak such words in the voice of a young boy. But he had to vocalise this vow of destruction. He felt that this was significant.

It was a goal, his first goal in this world besides simply finding out what the hell was going on and how he'd ended up here.

Shu's words rang through the empty room, and for a long while the only thing that could be heard was the hefty breathing of men and women trying to digest what this so-called child demon had just said. After a long silence, Noran swallowed audibly, righting himself on the chair and trying to fix his his appearance.

The man had finally caught the scent of trouble and noticed that there was something off about Shu. It probably helped that there was a tangible aura of fear clinging to Caia's group, a party of Strong A-rank adventurers. He frowned.

He hadn't meant for it to go this way, but there was a roiling hatred in his heart that made him want to... kill.

Ah but still, this is no good. Hadn't he worked hard to disabuse the adventurers of the notion that he was a dangerously strong individual? This seemed to undermine his previous efforts.

He cleared his throat, and everyone in the room jumped at the sound. ”Sorry about that.” He said, his voice regaining its usual jovial tone.

”Thank you for the information, Branch master. I don't know how to repay such a favour, as this information was quite valuable to me.” Shu said, looking over at Lisa, who stared up at him with wide and glistening eyes.

”That is why... I hesitate to ask another favour of you, but I would really like to acquire some form of identification, so as to better avoid future trouble and enter settlements without a hassle.”

Noran shook himself and recovered more quickly than Shu would've thought. Perhaps he'd given Noran too little credit, but that remained to be seen.

”I understand.” Noran eyed Caia's group. ”It was wrong of me to treat you like a kid, sorry.” Shu nodded his head to show that it was fine. He truly did not care what the man thought of him as long as he didn't get any funny ideas about trying to capture Lisa to sell as a slave.

”About your request, I'm not sure I can help.” Noran said. ”Hmm. I don't think the guards would issue identification to demonkin. You'd be taken as...” Noran trailed off, his eyes going wide for a second before he coughed and collected himself.

”No, yes. Right. There hasn't been any adventurers of the demon race yet. If I were to register you guys as adventurers here at my Harbrook branch, people would say wow that guy Noran was the first! So smart, so handsome. Haha yes, I can see the potential. Let's do that.” Noran said, trying to force a smile. His fidgeting sausage fingers betrayed his state of mind though, along with the beads of sweat that dripped from his forehead.

Why was it so easy to intimidate the Branch master of an adventurer's guild? Shu hadn't even used mana, and he had the body of a child. He was not exactly someone you could call physically imposing. So why was this man so... nervous? As far as Noran was concerned, Shu could just be a completely powerless kid with a fake horn glued to his skull. Even if the horn was real, there was no guarantee that he was strong enough to do anything. Perhaps the man had some sixth sense skill that allowed him to feel danger? Shu cocked his head in thought as he pondered this possibility.

Could be true, he supposed. He really had to find some information on the world, skills, classes and what these people considered to be normal.

”Lisa?” Shu asked, and she jumped, clearly not anticipating being addressed or included in the conversation. ”What do you think we should do?” He asked her in a soft and warm tone. He was reluctant to part with her for some reason.

Noran eyed him strangely.

”I... uh, if it's alright with you... I would like it, I think. Being an adventurer I mean.” Lisa said, her voice as quiet as a whisper, but hearing it was not a problem since everyone else was being obediently quiet. Again, Shu turned his gaze towards the branch master and raised an eyebrow.

”Righto, ah. About the registration process. You usually need to go through a power test and ah, relinquish a drop of blood for the testing tablet to read your stats and the fee...”

”Why are you so nervous Branch master Noran. My quarrel is not with you, but with the slavers.” Shu narrowed his eyes at the man. Perhaps he had had dealings with slaves in the past? If it was normal to own slaves, then it wasn't completely unthinkable. Shu sighed.

”Right, yes well... about the registration, will you? I mean, if it's not too much trouble.” Noran said, wringing his hands like some sort of nervous sleaze-merchant about to be caught in a scheme.

”What do you want to do Lisa? Want to see your stats and register properly as an adventurer?” Shu asked, giving her a comforting smile and squeezing her hand. She nodded.

”Very well then. We shall undergo the usual procedure.” Shu said, and Noran called for an assistant to bring them two testing tablets and two blank guild cards.

In truth, he was quite interested in how this whole adventurer's guild thing operated, since it hadn't been implemented in Edge Online.

It was clear to him that the Adventurer's guild did not function like a traditional guild such as Ouroboros. Perhaps there would be other guilds, ones for mages and alchemists and the like. Something more akin to an organization or a company, perhaps.

It was an odd thing, but for a living world, it kind of made sense. This separation between profession guilds and normal guilds hadn't existed in Edge online though, so it was a bit strange to him.

In the mean time, Caia and her party stood aside, waiting patiently for Shu and Lisa to register. The receptionist Yulia came rushing in with two marble-like stone tablets and two thin, shiny metallic sheets. Upon entering, Yulia clearly noted the tension in the room and eyed her Branch master, raising an eyebrow in inquiry. He hurriedly motioned for her to hand over the tablets and guild cards. ”Here, as requested Branch Master.” Noran nodded. ”Thanks Yulia.” The branch master said, waving a hand to dismiss the woman.

”Huh? It's for the kids? I know there are no rules against registering kids in the guild, but don't you think it's a little early for them? They don't even have any weapons or equipment and this is a frontier town.There aren't any collection quests for newbies out here, just subjugations and patrols.” Yulia said. Under normal circumstances, Shu supposed that it was reasonable.

”No, no. Yulia, it's fine. Leave everything to me. Go see to the others, go.” Noran said, still twitchy and nervous. Shu felt a little bad about causing the man such anxiety, but since Noran was cooperating smoothly, it bothered him little. He doubted the man would just hand over guild registrations to two random kids walking in off the street, or two random demonkin at that.

This way, there was no long and troublesome procedures, just a quick drop of blood and they would have what they required. Or so he believed.

He approached Noran, who looked a little hesitant. Shu felt excitement though. Would he finally be able to learn of his own stats? His level? Would he have the same level as his character in Edge online or would he be set all the way back to level 1?

That was rather unlikely though, since a level 1 character wouldn't be able to use high level teleports and obsidian barriers. He wondered just how much information such a tablet could display. It was surely better than nothing right? He hated not having access to the AI functions, such as status and inspect, instant messaging and the map function. And the friends list...

Shu reached out to take a tablet, intending to go first in order to show Lisa that it was harmless, but a small honey-colored hand stopped him. ”Me first.” She said. Quiet, but insistant. Shu smiled, at the same time marvelling at how insanely soft her skin was. It was like the skin of a baby, and smelled sweet and clean to boot. Why was he smelling her hand? Stop it you fucking creep. He brushed the moment off by lifting Lisa's delicate hand and gently kissing it before bending down before her.

”Of course, my princess.” Shu said with a grin. Lisa's cheeks flared up and she stammered. ”N-no Sh-Shu, no-not here, you du-dummy.” Her cuteness level, it was over 9000, or 8000 depending on where one was from.

He flashed her another grin, pleased with himself for having averted a crisis. ”As you wish.” Shu said, stepping back and making space for her and folding his hands behind his back.

Good.

He wasn't sure how to answer if she'd asked him why he had smelled her hand... the fuck was wrong with him? The effects of the demonkin body?

He had to find a way to fix his weird relationship with Lisa, perhaps some time away... and she needed to get stronger too. But how? And there was the issue with the chain emporium. He didn't want to bring Lisa along for his extermination.

Looking at Lisa, Shu wanted to go away and quickly destroy the Chain Emporium for her sake. He wanted to watch her reaction as he broke the news to her. How sweet it would be to see his little princess smiling and crying tears of joy at the news. He shook his head, forcing himself from fantasy land and back to reality.

Bravely, little Athelisa stepped forward, tentatively taking hold of a marble-white tablet that looked slick and smooth to the touch. Apparently there was some sort of connection between the tablets and the thin sheets?

Noran cleared his throat. ”One drop of your blood needs to hit the surface and that'll be enough.” Noran explained.

Lisa eyed the tablet, then her gaze shifted back to Shu. ”Right.” he said, fishing out the black box.

Noran eyed it curiously, but when Shu produced a glistening dagger from the small box, the man sputtered as if he was having a stroke, which wasn't entirely out of the question given how high his anxiety level was.

”This should do just fine. It's clean and won't hurt when you cut.” Shu said, handing the knife to Lisa. This was a good way to test the girls mettle. Truth be told, ever since he had met her, she'd been giving off a vibe of helplessness. Hidden beneath that however, there was something else. A desire to be free. A desire to be independent and strong. He could feel it from her, see it in her eyes and in the way she clenched her fists and set her jaw.

Being a Slave had not broken this girl completely like it would so many others. That was something to admire.

Shu... in that respect, was weak spirited compared to her.

He was already frayed at the edges, holding on to his own sanity by a slim margin. Whenever he thought of his guild, his old friends and comrades, even his personal NPCs... he felt a sucking, gut-wrenching, terrible void forming in his stomach.

Shaking his head at how pathetic he was, he looked over at Lisa, reminding himself that what she'd been through as a slave was likely many times worse. Incomparable, even. Self pity was an ugly emotion unbecoming of one such as he.

Lisa's small hand closed around the leather-wrapped hilt of the dagger. It was just a random level 200 epic. His guildies used crap like that to cut their vegetables when cooking, but Norans eyes were as wide as saucers as he beheld the dagger. ”By the great dragon...” He muttered to himself.

Shu glanced around the room to find that Caia's group was also staring at the dagger. ”Those enchants are so powerful.” Caia muttered under her breath. He had not anticipated this reaction.

Peri had cast a few enchants on the dagger, so of course they were strong... Still, they were just basic enchants, not stat boosts or damage increases.

Shu couldn't help but chuckle, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. ”Please stop that, this is just a crappy low level kitchen knife, but it's enchanted to always be clean and sharp and cut without pain. It's perfectly suitable for this task. Remember Lisa, just a little prick with the tip of the knife, otherwise it could slice your finger clean off.” Lisa gave him a serious look, then she nodded.

”Ki-kitchen knife he says...what the fuck...” Brock muttered. Noran looked like he would collapse.

With a serious look on her face, Lisa carefully pricked her finger. Her eyes widened in surprise when it didn't hurt. Then she let the drop of blood fall unto the white marble tablet. The blood sizzled and evaporated, and the white marble turned green with little shards of purple hidden in it here and there. Interesting. Another thing that he hadn't seen before. He was kind of excited.

”Hey now, That be unusual. Is it because ye be a demonkin?” Fiona asked curiously, but received no answer. Lisa was too busy looking with fascination at the tablet and the words it displayed.

Shu watched eagerly as letters appeared on the tablet. As of right now, the letters were only visible to him and Lisa. As soon as the letters started appearing, she gasped and tried to hide the tablet, but Shu held it fast, transfixed and fascinated by what the words revealed.

[Princess Athelisa Sylthana Hellspirit Ashbrook].

Race: Demonkin (Sub-species: Elven halfbreed).

Age: 16.

Level: 32.

Class: None.

[Stats].

HP: 270 (+2000) = 2270.

MP: 1808.

STR: 16.

AGI: 16.

VIT: 16.

INT: 39.

WIS: 25.

SPI: 114.

[Titles].

The visitation of Woe.

Cursed child.

She who dipped her toe in the pool of Nihil.

When he saw Lisa's stats, Shu became contemplative. Her name indicated that she was an actual princess, which was something he hadn't expected. What did those titles mean? Why did she have such a high spirit stat compared to her other stats? Her MP was also quite impressive. If she chose a class like the mage, her stats would improve even more as she received the passive boosts.

Her talent was extremely high, but what worried him most of all was her low HP. Even the crappy clothes he gifted her, increased her HP many fold and that worried him. He should pick out something better for her. It was a testiment to how meager her HP really was. Wait, age 16? What? She was 16? How the hell could that be true? Did the tablet malfunction?

”Lisa.” Shu whispered, letting her hide the tablet. Quickly, and with much force, Lisa pulled it to her chest to hide it from view, eyeing everyone around her suspiciously. Even Shu received such a glare, which hurt him a little inside. ”Athelisa.” He said sternly, and her frightened gaze fell on him. He leant in to whisper in her ear. ”We can deal with the other stuff later, I just want to know one thing.”

Lisa fidgeted nervously.”Wh-what? About me being a princess? About the curse?.... about-”

He put a finger to her mouth. ”Shush, no no. Are you really 16? If so, why do you look like you're 9 or 10? Is it because you're a half-elf?” She shook her head, biting her lower lip.

”pool of nihil, curse... why do you look like you're only 12?” She mouthed. Shu had no idea what the pool of nihil was, but this was clearly not the place to talk about this stuff. 6 pairs of curious eyes stared at their hushed conversation. ”We'll talk later. I'll let you see my tablet too okay? Let's trust each other.” He said.

”Un.” Lisa said, nodding and tearing up again. Really, she had to stop that. She was 16 years old already. This was making it hard on him. He planned on leaving, but if she looked at him like that, how could he leave? Sixteen... just how much had she been abused to end up in such a state...

He cursed the slavers that stole part of his little Princésses childhood. Just you wait, Chain Emporium. Just you wait...

”Lisa is level 32, but she doesn't have a class yet.” Shu said and Caia raised her eyebrows. ”That is quite a high level for a kid her age. Usually you can't get beyond level 10 without a class. Then again you two are special, aren't you.” Caia said.

”Lisa is certainly special.” Shu said, patting her head. No, stop it. Don't treat her like a kid or a dog. She's bloody 16. Did that mean she was legal? What the hell was he even thinking about. ”I think she has the talent to be a splendid mage. If she wants to, of course.”

”What makes ye say that.” Fiona asked curiously. Throughout the whole process, the Fiona woman had been slowly sliding her sword in and out of her sheath and chewing on her lower lip. She was quite the impatient sort. She probably wanted to get back to the tavern and guzzle mead with Brock. The two were practically functioning alcoholics.

”Lisa has 1808 MP at level 32.” Shu said, grinning at everyone present. Beside him, Lisa seemed to straighten a little. Good.

”Bu-but that's ridiculous. Even if she'd been a mage from level 1, that is simply impossible...” Caia exclaimed.

”She'll make an excellent mage.” Noran concurred. The man looked shaken, but he was hiding it well. Shu guessed he had become numb after receiving so many shocks today. That was for the best. It was simply no good for a branch master of the Adventurers guild to be so faint of heart.

Even if he became lugubrious for a time as he pondered his own inadequacies, it would better for the man in the long run if he recognized his weakness and moved to strengthen himself.

”Now it's my turn.” Shu said, and soon the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He'd keep his promise to Lisa, but he wasn't sure he should show the tablet reading to anyone else, what with their exaggerated reactions to the crappy kitchen knife.

They would probably break if they learned of his level and stats... not to mention those troublesome titles. They would certainly give him away even if his level and stats did not. He was sure his entire status screen couldn't fit on the tablet, so it probably had some sort of page function.

Lisa held up the dagger and Shu took it, but instead of proceeding to use it on himself, he stored it in the guild chest from whence it came. At Lisa's puzzled look, he quietly explained ”I need something a bit sharper than that kitchen knife.” Everyone in the room stiffened.

He had meant to whisper, but they apparently heard. Well, it was a little too late to be inconspicous anyway. Once he left this little town, he could worry about trying to hide himself. He wasn't very good at keeping a low profile, as had been evident from his dealings so far. Keeping a low profile was not something that he ever did as a Guild Master, but right now doing so would serve his purposes well. He had to learn the skill, so he could inconspicuously gather information about the world and learn its common sense.

[Wind blade].

Shu cast the spell, willing it to shrink to the size of a finger. A small, almost invisible blade of wind materialized at his fingertip, whirring like a chainsaw. It gave off an unpleasant whine, stirring the air despite his best efforts to suppress the power of the spell.

Ignoring the gazes from the others, Shu brought the wind blade to one of his fingers and drew blood. As the wind blade bit into his skin, it came to an abrupt halt, then dissipated leaving a shallow cut from which flowed a single drop of blood. He quickly directed it towards the other marble tablet. When the droplet of blood splashed onto the tablet, his wound had already completely healed.

When the drop hit the tablet, it immediately turned purple, then completely obsidian black, then dark blue, then crimson red, then back to purple... then black. It kept repeating this cycle of colors, flashing faster and faster.

Cracks started to appear on the smooth surface, and then, without further warning, the tablet exploded, spraying sharp fragments of stone everywhere.

Instinctually, Shu raised a barrier around Lisa. It was a good thing the agility stat raised his reaction time.

”Are you okay?” he asked. She had fallen to the ground at the sound of the explosion and curled into a little ball. The pitiful sight brought a bit of something sour to his throat and tongue. He could just see it before him. Lisa pitifully cowering like that, as a fat, ugly bandit abused her. He gritted his teeth at the sight. He had to do something radical. What would bring her power and strength? It was all because of those slavers that she'd ended up like this.

The bastards had to pay, they had to die, to suffer in agony before dying a flaccid death. His hands shook slightly, and he took a deep breath.

He willed his face to hide the pity he felt for her and instead displayed a stern mask of disapproval. He held out a hand, steeling his resolve. ”Come on Lisa, get up.” He said, and she weakly took his hand. Shuddering at what he was doing, he pulled her roughly to her feet.

”Really Lisa? Getting scared over such a little explosion. You need to grow up.” He said, cringing at his own cruel words. She looked up at him with wide-eyed fear at his unfamiliar tone. Then slowly, Lisa narrowed her eyes at him and her hand went limp in his. There were unshed tears lurking in her moist eyes, but she clenched her fists refusing to cry again.

Shu let go of her hand, and it fell limply to her side. A chill so cold he thought he was standing in the middle of a blizzard, crept into his heart. He tried to suppress his shudder, but was unsuccessful. He wanted to cry aswell. But he had to be strong. This was his opportunity to seperate from Lisa and go deal with the damn slavers. He had to do this. For her sake...

”What about them?” Lisa asked coldly. Shu had never heard her use such a tone before. It was too emotionless, and felt wrong. He followed her gaze and caught sight of Caia's group standing on wobbly legs. Noran was nowhere to be found.

”I'm leaving. Caia, meet me at the designated inn tomorrow. I'll pay you whatever amount is appropriate for your cooperation. There will be more information next time we meet. Treat this like a guild request if you need to.” With that, Shu turned his back to Lisa and the others and strode for the door. Behind him, a strangled sound from Lisa made him miss a step, but he determinedly continued forward.

With each step he took, it felt as though he was carving out his own heart. It took all his strength to stay the course. That little sound from Lisa had almost made him turn around and break, but would that really help her grow stronger? Damn it, Goddamn it all. He wasn't sure anymore.

He felt like a heartless bastard for walking away from her like this.

He planned on returning, but for her own good and his sanity, those damn slavers had to die. He couldn't just be like 'Hey Lisa, I'm gonna go slaughter everyone at the chain emporium, lol brb'. He didn't even know where to begin looking for them either.

Gritting his teeth, Shu quietly whispered ”Later. Take care, my little princess.” Under his breath. It didn't seem like anyone heard him.

With a bang, he slammed the door shut behind him and thundered down the stairs. Was it no good after all? This course of action... would it really help her become stronger? When he himself had grown strong, it was because of similar things. His first group in Edge online had been horrible, and he had ended up with no loot and even negative experience from dying so much. In the end, the tank and healer hogged all of the loot, claiming that since they did all the work they should receive the loot rather than a useless crap dps that couldn't pull his own weight. After that, Shu struggled alone bitterly for awhile, gaining strength by himself. He made his own groups, chose his own people... and did not trust easily after the betrayal.

Bloody hell... had he really done the right thing? Would Lisa really be okay? Could he trust Caia's group to keep her safe until he returned?

Probably, but he still didn't like this. Not at all, not one bit. He was a fucking idiot. Yeah. He had thought he could strike two birds with one stone, but he'd probably just made the girl feel like shit.

Lisa had been about to cry... she'd made that strangled sound... he really hated himself right now.

The heartless decisions and deliberations of a Professional Guild master hadn't helped him this time. Quite the opposite.

He had to learn how to be a man, not just how to be a guild master and a top tier player, but how to be a man.

Storming out of the adventurer's guild, Shu pulled at his hair in frustration, muttering incessantly to himself as he stalked the streets of the town, uncaring of whoever saw the demented writhings of his unsightly form. His stomach churned. This was the same kind of feeling that always assaulted him on the eve of a powerful battle.

Was his strategy really correct? Had he chosen the right avenue of attack, split the groups correctly and assigned the proper CC and resistance gear? He felt like he wanted to throw up from anxiety and guilt, and was puzzled. Why did he end up like this?

He was a total wreck. He couldn't even imagine himself in such a state if his entire family died. He hadn't thought it was possible to feel this crappy and shitty.

He'd inadvertently collected a new experience, a new feeling, but this was not a feeling he wanted to experience ever again.

This sickening clenching of the stomach. He felt like he would throw up.

Fuck! He needed a long and hard think, a strategy meeting. After all, he had only just arrived in this world... and was it real? Or fiction? It was real. His gut told him so. But if it was real then he had acted like... Agh! Damn it all. STRATEGY MEETING? He needed to collect himself.

This fucking world, this fucking situation. It was all too much...

[Teleport].

Shu disappeared from the town, leaving a large space time ripple in his wake as he went far, far from Harbrook to a place that had seen no living being for over a millenium.