This is certainly an interesting predicament. I am not only bombarded by malice from all sides but also fear and disgust. I can tell from their faces that whatever happened to my body was not pleasing to watch nor hear.

“IT MUST BE PURGED! TAKE IT TO THE STAKE AND BURN IT!”

Though I did agree with this being an interesting situation, what the hell was she thinking dropping me off here out of the blue? Does she want to see me fail? Because right now, I’m threading on an atomic level of thin ice.

Asking questions to myself wouldn’t bring me anywhere right now, first off I have to analyze the situation clearly. The red-headed beauty over there seems to be the head honcho of them all. The guy beside her with blood still dripping from the tip of his blade seems to be her advisor of sorts. And I am the son of the former emperor — presumed to be dead — who had been executed, but came back to life by ‘black magic’.

Mother… Your son’s going to hell now, please wait for me over there; if you can, will you also fill up the bathtub? It’s freezing down here and I’m craving the sweet embrace of a hot tub.

No! I mustn't think like that! There must be another way… But this body is amazing though. Every time I’m about to panic, there seems to be some kind of muscle memory to steady my breathing and relax my muscles. For a kid that looks to be about 10 years old, what kind of things did he have to experience so that the act of calming oneself down is muscle memory?

While I was engrossed in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice the two big burly men that walked over to me and strapped me out of the guillotine. They held both of my arms and walked me down the path of shame in front of many people, to a burning stake. I need to think of something and I need to do it quickly, or else my head is gonna roll once more, but this time I sure as hell don’t know how to put them back.

The path of shame continues on until I almost pass the red-headed lady and I come up with a brilliant Idea. My therapist once said, ‘If you don’t know what to do, just be honest with yourself and say…’

“... Fuck it!” I yanked my slippery arms out of the two burly men and proceeded to run as fast as I could towards the red-headed lady. Everyone, not including the red-headed lady, is flabbergasted and has their hand on their hilt, ready to chop me down with a single swing. But I’m not gonna let that happen! For my next move will be…

“Greetings your highness! I, you humble servant, am not the Alton Crenada that you know. For I am actually a traveler of worlds and is brought here by a god to-”

“The kid’s gone mad.” She said as her uncaring yet sharp eyes scanned my whole prostrating body. “The sight of Elton Crenada, the proud child of my late sister, prostrating upon me and spouting nonsense is quite entertaining. But, I don’t see the point of keeping a mad 10 year old in my castle,” continued the queen as she gestured to her attendant to take me away from her sight.

“Wait! I’m not mad! I’m telling the truth! There must be some kind of magician here that can use lie detection magic or something right?”

Oh… I guess the tears of a 10 year old moved her heart a bit. She’s whispering something to her advisor while glancing at me. After a short amount of time, the advisor left and I was put into a cage. There, I thought about the most likely outcome, and I must admit, it is not good at all. There are only two outcomes: The first outcome, the lie-detecting magic will be able to tell that I’m not lying, and out of her interest, the red-headed lady — which I presume to be the current emperor — will free or take me under her wing. The second outcome, the lie-detecting magic will be able to tell that I’m not lying, but everyone will think that I’ve gone mad enough to believe the nonsense that I’ve been spouting.

As sad as it is, the second outcome is the most likely outcome to happen. But what’s even sadder is that I can’t do anything about it; I can only hope that the emperor would free a mad ma- boy like me into the streets.

Not long after, a person dressed in a robe that covers their whole body from head to toe is standing upon me. I can’t see any distinct features but the mole under their lips. The person then started to speak with a stoic tone.

“Magic speaks the truth. Magic seeks the truth. And magic is absolute. Alton Crenada, will you speak the truth, and only the truth from now on?” Said the robed individual, holding his hand up towards my face from outside of the cage.

“... yes, I will.” As soon as I said that, a muffle made out of blue light formed around my mouth. I began to explain everything that has happened through the muffle, which spits out blue orbs that fly out to the sky every time I end a sentence.

“That will be enough,” they said as the blue muffle on my face disappeared. They then walked away from me and strutted towards the emperor. They then prostrated themselves in front of the emperor before the shining blue orbs came down from the sky into his head, probably telling them if I were lying or not after ‘seeking out the truth’.

This is the part where the two outcomes I’ve talked about would happen, but apparently, the world is not as predictable as it seems. The robed person screams at the top of his lungs while cradling their head, blood starts to pour out of his nose, and his whole body is visibly shaking. Everyone, including the emperor and I, was once more flabbergasted at this sudden happening in front of us. His scream is akin to the scream of a banshee turns my leg into noodles as I fall towards the cold iron floor of the cage.

The advisor, quick to his feet, smacks the living hell out of the robed man until he’s unconscious and is silent. The red-headed emperor rose up from her seat and looked at me, before she walked toward me. Her dignified walk coupled with her fiery red unruly hair contrasted with my undignified state of a boy whose body had gone limp. Though this body was calm before, I guess there’s a limit to what kind of pressure a 10 year old body could endure.

“What did you do to him?” Said the emperor while looking down at my slightly shaky body.

“I- I- I-...”

“Did you do some kind of other worldly magic to him? Or was that black magic? Is that the same magic that you used to bring you back to live? Were you tempering with his magic while being questioned before, hence making him suffer an unbearable pain?”

“No- I- I didn’t…”

My voice is not coming out, it’s like somebody is holding down my throat. My body is shaking, and it feels like the temperature around me is getting colder and colder. My eyes are getting heavy, and it feels like I’m about to pass out.

The cold darkness surrounds me. I think I’ve passed out. Here’s hoping they wouldn’t decide on killing me while I’m still asleep.

+++++

A familiar room of unending whiteness, a familiar feeling of calm and floatiness, and of course a familiar old lady in front of me. It seems to me that I have died once more.

“You didn’t die. I just brought you here.”

“Oh… why did you bring me here?”

“Because I can.”

“...”

“And, because I want to tell you how similar you are when you’re begging to get into an isekai and when you’re begging to not get killed. It was truly humorous”

“Oh my! I’m truly honored that my suffering has humored you. They do say that laughter will prevent your skin from sagging. I mean, look at that! Your wrinkles are still as wrinkly as the last time I’ve been here, marvelous!”

“What do you say about reincarnating again as a goat on a farm with a zoophile owner?”

“I would say that I’m very sorry and I will never insult you again, I promise.”

After dodging that very deadly bullet from the goddess, I sat down on a gaming chair that she had prepared for me. In front of me is a gaming table with triangular snacks and colorful drinks to keep my mouth company. This is bizarre.

“The reason I’ve brought you here is because I want to give you a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yes, I want you to stay alive.”

“‘Staying alive’ that’s my mission?”

“Yes.”

“Well, oh golly, oh boy! What a wonderful mission! It’s so new and fresh and filled with excitement-

“I guess you do want to be a farmer’s goat wife huh?”

“Of course not, milady! I would accept that quest with my fullest heart!”

“Then begone and bring me glory!”

“Wow, wait! I don’t know your name! I need it to persuade the emperor!”

Once again, with a flick of a wrist, she transported me back to the other world.