He opened his eyes and got up the moment he felt free from sleep. Perfect—he was still dressed. He glanced around and understood, from the arrangement of the beds, that his roommates had come and gone.
He gathered his thoughts. He ran to get to class, and fortunately, the professor hadn't arrived yet. The classmates were standing in groups, each talking in their own corners.
Having neither friends nor allies yet, he took the seat that had been assigned to him.
She was there too, sitting, her hair tied up this time. She could lie down without it touching the ground. *"She's cute,"* he thought. She slid her eyes toward him and saw he was slightly red.
– "Huh? What's wrong? You're all red," she exclaimed with a mocking smile.
– "Oh? That surprises me," he replied, quickly turning his head toward the board as the professor finally arrived.
– "You're lucky. You'll see, by the end of the lesson."
He paid no attention and prepared for the politics class.
*
It wasn't as interesting as he'd hoped. It seemed diplomacy was even more boring than on his home planet. This disappointed Aaron, who had expected major improvements. The most notable thing was that influential families didn't just seek ties with other important families but also with key individuals.
But it was also said to be the only class of the day. They were free afterward.
Heading toward the exit of the establishment, he tried using his magic to fly. He managed to levitate, but that was it. Despite the height limitation, he could still move faster. So he left the capital and went to hunt monsters.
After an hour, seven slimes and four Vixe had been slain. And as he'd hoped, he still had time to venture deeper into that place where heat reigned supreme. Truly a unique spot. But intriguing. The space was so vast it could undoubtedly hide ruins or relics. Maybe even sandworms! At least, that's what the young man hoped.
As he moved forward, he was stopped.
– "What are you doing here? And why are you going into the Isolated Desert?"
– "What are *you* doing here?"
– "Honestly, nothing. I just happened to run into you."
– "I doubt it. You can't be just anyone if you managed to follow me. Who are you?"
– "Who I am? That interests you? Really?" she said mockingly before stepping in front of Aaron. "I am the Second Princess Helyana, youngest of the royal family."
– "And what's a princess doing here without guards or any real purpose?"
– "That's all you have to say??? Hmph, I knew you were mean!"
– "I'm just asking the necessary questions. I'm only looking for useful answers."
– "I see. If I describe this behavior to Mother, she'll probably think you have potential and that you'd be useful if she married you to me," she said defiantly, amused.
– "Then you'd better not. Anyway, I'm busy. Thanks, but goodbye. I'm leaving."
– "You're not just going to leave a defenseless princess behind, are you?!"
– "I shouldn't even have to deal with the whims of a noble in the first place."
– "Mean!"
Ignoring her last remark, he went off in search of anything interesting in what she had called the Dead Desert. Nothing was visible over long distances, but the sheer size of the place clearly ruled out any hasty conclusions.
An hour of walking followed. Still nothing. They kept walking, tirelessly. No real monsters found, except for a desert fox-like creature, defended by the little princess because it was "too cute."
Along the way, he learned to use magic to alter matter almost entirely. He turned sand into a sharp flint, originally intended for that fox. Its use, however, was vetoed by the princess. So he decided to keep it for potential emergencies in this unknown place.
Three hours of walking had now passed. They had to return to make it back to the academy on time. So they turned around, began their trek back, and the ground began to tremble. Helyana screamed, falling at the first tremor, followed by Aaron, who stumbled after two movements. Visibly, a hill was forming beneath them. Still able to act and think clearly, he quickly stood, grabbed the princess, and ran as fast as he could to escape the top of what had nearly become a mountain. Halfway down, the ground violently split, flinging the youths nearly twenty meters away. Chunks of clay soil rained down as if an artillery shell had exploded atop the rising earth. From the explosion and dust emerged a gigantic scorpion, gleaming and visibly smooth, its pincers layered—likely for better digging or gripping. Aaron was finally going to fight using everything he'd learned.
Helyana, still terrified, was startled by the unconscious smile on the young man's face.
– "Hey! What are you even thinking about?!" the young princess shouted.
No answer came. For Aaron, the battle had begun the moment he let go of her.
Sand swirled, rushing toward Aaron. The temperature rose rapidly as the sand disassembled and reassembled into daggers. The sand had turned into quartz—solid and sharp. He quickly made a second one, and the instant the scorpion landed, close combat began. Aaron, smaller than this behemoth, used his speed to his advantage while keeping his distance. At the same time, he cooled the ground beneath the enemy and condensed the air to make it muddy.
*"How can he hold his own against a Mythrilipe?"* Helyana thought.
The monster, realizing its dwindling advantage—already weak to begin with—tried to flee.
At that size, killing it was impossible. Aaron knew that. He just wanted a piece of it. So he charged, severing one of its legs before letting it escape. It was already impressive enough to have wounded such a clearly stronger monster.
That strength was reflected in Helyana's expression. She was in shock. At Aaron's age, defeating such a monster was unthinkable. *"What rank is he...?"* the fighter wondered. He turned to the young princess, the scorpion's leg in hand, and asked:
– "Shall we go now?"
She struggled to answer. Whether from astonishment or fear.
– "Y... Yes..."
She stood quickly, trembling like a leaf, and took the lead of the group—now consisting of Helyana, Aaron, and the leg.
It took them a solid three hours. Arriving at the city gates, they passed through without issue. He suggested the girl head to the academy while he stopped by the guild.
Standing before the first building he'd entered upon arriving in this world, he drew even more attention stepping inside. Not a single word. Not a sound. No one moved. Not until that leg was placed on the counter—or at least, what could fit on it.
– "Hello, Ilîa. I wanted to know a few things about this monster, since it seems to shock everyone..."
– "Of course. It's understandable for a newcomer to be shocked. You should expect the royal guard at the academy. News travels fast. You found this leg in the Isolated Desert, right?"
– "I didn't exactly *find* it, but yeah, it was there."
– "I should've expected this... It's my fault for not telling you some areas are off-limits by imperial decree. I apologize. However, I can offer payment for this leg, but it's so rare I'll need to consult the guildmaster. Can you wait until tomorrow and come back so I can handle everything?"
– "If I must, then I'll wait. I also wanted to ask—what rank is this monster, and where can I find a world map?"
– "A full map? I think I can get that for you myself, as an apology for today. As for the Mythrilipe, adults are around rank B, while younger ones are C2. Yours must be close to rank B, given the size of this limb. And it's sturdy enough to withstand a normal iron sword. What weapon did you use?"
– "A weapon? Oh, I made one from the sand there."
– "Magic? That explains how you fought such a force. It seems your level doesn't match your knowledge. I wonder what else you'll bring us as a hunter besides good results."
– "I wonder what use I'd be besides hunting. Thanks, I'll head out now. Goodbye!"
– "Goodbye, young man."
With those last words, Aaron left for the academy—but outside, Helyana was waiting.
– "What are you doing here?" he asked.
– "Waiting for you, idiot. Let's go!"
Only a sigh answered as they began a sprint to try and make it back to the academy on time.
It came down to ten minutes. They arrived just in time.
Inside, they each went to their respective dorms. Aaron, reaching his, knocked, waited, and heard two voices say, "Come in." They were there. He entered and saw two young men, both slightly younger than him. One looked naive and playful, the other taller and more mature, clearly serious. Aside from glances, no words were exchanged. He went to his spot, took his pajamas, changed in the bathroom, then returned to his bed to sleep.
All he heard were whispers.
"He seems really cold!"
"Quiet, he might hear you—he just lay down. Leave him be."
"Alright..."
Silence. Not another sound.