Part 0: Testimony
It is now early winter, year 412 of the Armored Dragon Calendar.
I think I'm quite bad with words, however, with what has happened, I feel I should leave some evidence. I have more than one reason to suspect that someone will want me dead after what has transpired.
It all began at the end of year 411 of the Armored Dragon Calendar, when I arrived at the Ars Royal Capital Academy. There, I met two friends, Henry Whitebear and Tristina Purplehorse.
And this is what I, Atur Notos Greyrat, wish to recount. What is written here will be my testimony, and I swear on all the honor I have left that what I write is the truth. About the disappearance of my two friends, and those who must be held responsible for it.
Part 1: Tristina is Number One
Three months before the letter.
Since the day I decided to teach Tristina the North God Style, the girl has been like a fish in water, swimming and splashing around in her element. And as Ken once said, the North God Style is the natural enemy of the Water God Style. If it weren't for my experience dealing with that bald knight's tricks, I would have had quite a bit of trouble sparring with this young lady from House Purplehorse.
Today, like always, I went to the forest with Tristina on the weekend to train under Ken's guidance. However, Henry said he was busy with something and couldn't come along. So, it was just me sparring with Tristina.
It's been seven months since I started instructing Tristina in swordsmanship. She can now deliver proper slashes, her breathing is steady, and she no longer rushes in with aimless strikes.
*Whoosh*
"Hmph...!"
*Clack*
However, this still isn't enough to trouble me.
"That's enough for today," I said, after knocking the wooden sword from Tristina's hand. "You've improved a lot."
Hehe, it feels pretty cool to say a cool line like that once in a while. The feeling of being superior to someone is just too great.
"Is that so?"
Tristina didn't seem very satisfied. However, she still slowly picked up her wooden sword and put it away. Meanwhile, Ken raised an eyebrow at me.
"Feeling smug again Atur? Don't cry later when I defeat you, alright?"
"Tch..."
"In any case, you have made progress, Atur."
Hearing that, my eyes lit up. I clenched my fists and asked excitedly.
"So, have I reached the Intermediate rank yet!?"
"It's barely noon, and you're already daydreaming?"
"Tch..."
What a buzzkill.
Seeing this, Ken shrugged.
"Progress doesn't mean jumping an entire rank. Today, your sword swing was a tiny bit faster; that's also progress. Don't be discouraged." Ken patted my shoulder, his voice deep and warm, a stark contrast to the words he was about to say. "Many people never even reach the Intermediate rank in their entire lives, so you're not necessarily an exception. At only 6 years old, you have a long, long time to be disappointed."
This bastard...
"If I'm not an Intermediate Water God swordsman by the time I'm ten, I'll go learn the Sword God Style," I declared heroically.
Ken clapped.
"Oh my, you don't just want to fail in one, but *two* sword schools. How admirable."
I want to kill this guy!
But the damn thing is, this is part of the lesson. If I get angry, Ken will hit me on the head. This lesson about calmness is unbearably difficult. Especially with a venomous-tongued person like Ken.
So I just clenched my fists until they turned white. Hold it in. I told myself to stay calm. Don't lose to these cheap psychological tricks. Atur, you're over thirty years old, you can't let yourself be provoked so easily.
"Sir Ken, could you please not say such things to Atur? At least he knows how to use a sword more skillfully than most kids his age."
When I heard Tristina's voice as she wiped her sweat, my eyes lit up, and I almost couldn't hold back my tears. Until she added this final blow:
"If he abandons swordsmanship to focus on crafting magic tools, your entire Notos family will go bankrupt."
Seem like in this world, no one can be nice to me for more than two sentences.
Speaking of magic tools, that seems to be the thing I've been stuck on the longest for the past nine months. Between my part-time jobs and the allowance from Pilemon, I think I've burned through more than ten Asura gold coins.
To explain how much that is, I should explain a bit about the currency system of this Asura Kingdom.
The lowest, the small change here, is the copper coin. Usually, two or three coppers can buy a loaf of bread. 10 copper coins can be exchanged for one large copper coin, which is typically the value of a full meal for a family of three at a restaurant. Sometimes when I go out with Henry and Tristina, we spend about 2 large copper coins because Henry always insists on drinking beer.
Larger than the large copper coin is the silver coin, at the same exchange rate: 10 large copper coins for one silver coin. Things valued in this currency are no longer in the realm of daily necessities but are things people only buy a few times a year. Like a new dress, for example; a decent one usually costs 1 to 2 silver coins. A durable sword would cost about 3 silver coins. Or the adventurer's guild's body retrieval and burial fee, which is 4 silver coins. Yes, that's the initial registration fee; they don't just collect it for fun, they really use it to find my body and bury me if I die. How thoughtful.
And finally, 10 silver coins exchange for 1 Asura gold coin. Items calculated in this unit are considered luxuries. Like a piece of jewelry, a magic tool, real estate, and so on... To convert it to Earth money, I think one gold coin is worth about one hundred to two hundred thousand yen (about 1000 to 2000 US dollars). One gold coin can let a middle-class family live comfortably for a few months if they don't have to pay rent.
Though, come to think of it, rent in this world isn't very high. Perhaps because the urbanization rate is still low, a decent-looking house in the middle-class district only costs about 1 to 2 silver coins, not including taxes. Yet Ken still chooses to live in the suburbs outside the city walls, because according to him, a room out there, including food, only costs 8 large copper coins.
Maybe in a few hundred years, the urbanization rate will increase, and rent prices will rise with it. Should I invest in real estate so my descendants can live comfortably? But then again, I don't even know if I can escape this state of being perpetually broke if I keep burning money wildly on magic tool research.
I can't stop, though. I'm so close to a breakthrough. But the time for studying is taking up more and more of my schedule; I've already registered for classes all day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Now I can't even earn extra money as an adventurer.
That left only one way.
On the way back, I clasped my hands together and grinned at Tristina.
"Oh, beautiful Tristina. Please lend me some money-"
"No." I was refused immediately. "Why don't you go ask Henry? He always looks like he's rolling in money, doesn't he?"
"It's *because* he always *looks* like he's rolling in money that he's actually broke."
"That's true." Tristina nodded, but still shook her head. "But I don't have any money either. Even if someone else wanted to borrow, I couldn't lend it, let alone lend it to *'you'*."
"Come on, did you really have to emphasize the word *'you'* like that?"
"You know exactly why."
Yeah, well, I borrowed money from Tristina last time and forgot about it for several months before I could pay her back. I didn't even pay any interest (because she didn't ask). But to be put on her bad credit list just for that is a bit too harsh.
"How about Sir Ken... ah, I guess your sky-high pride won't allow you to borrow money from your own knight, right?"
"You're learning these little provocations pretty fast, aren't you?" I forced a smile.
I don't borrow from him, not because he's a knight, but because he'd definitely laugh in my face and then say 'no' anyway. Though, both reasons boil down to me having high self-esteem. But what's wrong with having self-esteem!?
"You're the one who told me to practice anytime, anywhere, even with words. Can't be helped. If your fragile heart can't take it, I'll stop."
"..."
And yet, she only applies it to me. Only me! Even Henry doesn't get teased like this all the time. This means I now have *two* Kens in this world!
I truly regret dragging Tristina down this path of the North God Style. Even though I still win 100% of our spars on the training ground, it seems I've never won a single verbal spar.
Maybe I should try to tease her back?
"Tristina." I cleared my throat, trying to look as serious and grave as possible. "If you keep this up, you'll never get a husband."
"Even better."
"Tch. What do you think your parents would think if they heard you saying such terrible things to a classmate?"
"I don't care."
"Then... then... you shorty!"
"Still taller than you."
"In ten years, I'll definitely be taller."
"Then enjoy being shorter than me for ten years, shorty."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa! A crushing defeat! I even lost at body shaming! What have you turned my little and cute Tristina into!?
But I can't surrender! I have to play my final card!
"Ha. If you're this rude, Princess Ariel will never accept you. Do you think a royal princess would accept someone who uses a common back-alley sword style?"
"...!"
Aha! A reaction! Her fists are clenched! I can finally use 'psychological warfare'.
"What... Did you just say? You think Princess Ariel is that petty?"
Tristina's blue eyes flew wide open, her pupils dilating to their maximum. Her face lunged toward mine as if she was about to eat me alive.
"Ah."
What is this terrifying feeling? Killing intent? Suddenly, I see my past six years flash before my eyes, just like before that truck killed me.
What should I do? Run? Can't, my legs are frozen solid. Strike first? Hitting a woman is despicable; I'd rather die.
Then there's only one way.
"S... Sorry. I misspoke! The next five training sessions are free, please spare my life!" Going into a Dogeza pose, I slammed my head on the ground. Better this than being strangled to death. And just to be safe, I went into full-on sycophant mode. "No one on earth deserves to be by Princess Ariel's side more than you, my brother Luke isn't worthy. You are the best! Tristina is number one! Tristina is the prettiest! All hail Tristina!"
"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Princess Ariel!" Tristina yell.
"I'm sorry, Second Princess Ariel! Princess Ariel is number one! Her beauty is number one! Her generosity is second to none!"
That's how I narrowly escaped death: Worshipping the fanatic's idol.
Part 2: The Light Bomb
In the end, I still went to borrow money from Ken.
The bald knight laughed in my face for being a noble borrowing money from a servant. Contrary to my prediction, he actually lent me the money. No interest, ten-year term, installments. To say he's the most generous lender in the world would be an understatement.
But thanks to the clause 'if you can't reach the Intermediate rank of Water God Style by age 15, the debt doubles,' I'm a little scared. Although, even if it doubles, over 10 years, the interest rate is still only around 7% a year, which is still too low for an unsecured loan. Yet, every time I think about it, I feel a little annoyed.
Does he really think I can't reach Intermediate in the next ten years?
I don't mean to underestimate that rank; after all, 15 is the 'normal' age for a swordsman to reach the Beginner rank after their first 5 years of training. That means me reaching Intermediate by 15, as Ken set, would still be an impressive figure to many normal people. I could still become a knight in the Imperial Guard.
But compared to my goal of reaching the Advanced rank by 15, isn't this a bit of a letdown?
So I demanded a bet: I'll reach the Advanced rank of Water God Style by 15. If I do, he'll erase the 10 gold coin debt he lent me. If I lose, I'll pay him back tenfold. Thinking back, my hot-headedness really does lead to bad decisions. And I still haven't learned my lesson.
"Sigh... What can I do? It was obvious he was just provoking me."
Anyway, back to the research at hand. I used the 10 gold coins to buy a few more necessary materials, mostly from magical beasts. Based on my 'improved' design, after nearly a full day of diligent work, from sunrise to sunset, and late into the night, I finally finished it.
It's not perfectly beautiful, but at least it looks 'passably average.' I really have a problem with design. But whatever. Because after many months of research, I've finally succeeded.
"It's done! A Magic Lantern!" I cheered proudly, holding the lantern in my hand.
"Whoa! A Magic Lantern!" Henry clapped along.
"Hurrah!"
"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah!"
The two of us held hands and danced in a circle, beaming.
"Hey, wait a minute! Why are you here!?"
When I realized something was wrong, I immediately flung the brown-haired guy's hand away.
"In my room!? The door was locked!? Can you walk through walls!?"
"Ah, through the window." Henry replied nonchalantly, pointing to the wide-open window. "I didn't see you all day, so I dropped by. You looked so focused, I sat down to see what you were doing."
"You're invading my privacy," I glared.
"What? What's privacy between adventurer teammates? Haven't you heard? Once you're in a party, you even bathe together. Sometimes even sleep in the same bed."
He breaks into someone's room and then demands to bathe with them. I really want to call the guards and have this guy thrown in jail.
But I can't, he's a creditor, so I can't do anything. That's right, I also borrowed from Henry, about twenty-six silver coins. So now I've just walked right into his trap.
"Anyway, what's this thing for?" Henry tilted his head, looking at the Lantern in my hand.
"Ah, it's a magic tool I made," I puffed out my chest proudly. "It lights up using mana. Like this."
I held up the lantern and channeled mana into it.
"..."
But nothing happened. So I continued to channel mana into it. Again. And again... but nothing. The lantern remained silent.
"Is it broken?" Henry tilted his head in the opposite direction.
"Ah, no, it's because I forgot to flip the switch."
I almost forgot, I included a 'switch' feature on my magic tool. The original purpose was for the lantern to light up automatically with a magic stone, like a battery, but seeing as the magic stone cost more than the lantern itself, I switched it to use mana directly from the user.
And yet I forgot to remove the switch. How stupid.
"Now I just need to turn it on like this..."
The moment I touched the small lever on top of the lantern, a blinding light, as if we were staring directly at the sun, erupted.
Henry and I were temporarily blind for the rest of the night.
Aside from that unfortunate incident, the lantern worked better than I imagined. I could channel mana into it and keep it lit for hours on end without exhausting my mana. That showed my optimization ability had improved by several levels. The light was also quite steady, not flickering, and even much brighter than a candle. Now I could read books at night comfortably without worrying about straining my eyes.
Additionally, when I took it for appraisal, it seems I had succeeded more than expected because this lantern also had a rather effective exorcism property. The reason was that instead of using normal light magic, I had used 'Exorcist Light' magic and adjusted it to be less glaring. And so, we have the 'Exorcism Lantern' - a tool that can help adventurers explore with more peace of mind, without worrying about vengeful spirits, and can stay lit as long as there is enough mana.
Or so I thought.
"If you need to exorcise something, a Beginner-rank mage can already use that spell. Besides, hiring a person means you get more spells than just light." - A C-rank adventurer with a scarred face shook his head.
"If you need light, just hold a torch. Why buy an expensive magic tool?" - A D-rank adventurer with a large chest said.
"Holding this takes up one hand. If it's a mage, their other hand is holding a staff, so they have no free hands for anything else. She's right, you're better off with a torch." A B-rank adventurer who looked older remarked.
In short, I failed completely at selling my product.
Actually, someone did ask to buy it, but the price they offered wasn't even half of what it cost to make, so I had to just keep it for myself.
"Grr... I'll definitely put this thing to good use."
I hugged my exorcism lantern and lay sprawled across a table in the guild hall. Henry sat next to me with his legs crossed, shrugging and shaking his head.
"That'll be tough. You heard what the seniors said, right? Even if it works well, with that kind of practicality, I doubt even you can find a use for it."
"Et tu, Henry?" I glared at him.
Henry didn't seem to notice my mood and just grinned, patting my shoulder.
"It still works well, though. Next time, just make something more useful, like speed-enhancing boots or strength-enhancing gloves. Don't give up!"
"You can find plenty of those at the market," I sighed. "The magic guild from Ranoa seems to dominate the market. I can't break in and compete, big bro."
"Still better than making something nobody needs, right?"
"Tch..."
He's so right, I can't argue.
Maybe from now on, I'll consider something a bit more practical. Like night-vision goggles? Yeah, that seems reasonable. That way, I could sell them to more people instead of just one per party, hehe.
"Henry." Suddenly, a clear, gentle voice rang out. I looked up and saw the adventurer's guild receptionist. She was smiling, but it didn't look very happy. "Did you bring your adventurer card today?"
"Ah, here it is."
Henry quickly handed his card to the receptionist. The girl, whose chest was bigger than my head, let out a sigh and took the card away. Of course, she didn't forget to remind my brown-haired friend.
"You must always bring your card when you complete a quest so I can record it. If you keep forgetting, I'm not going to count your completions anymore."
"Yes, ma'am, hehe."
"Hmph."
The receptionist took Henry's card back to her desk and placed it on some kind of book. I could hear her muttering something; the card glowed with a faint light. Done, she brought the card back and placed it on the table in front of Henry.
"There you go. As of today, you are a D-rank adventurer."
She announced professionally and turned to leave immediately, as if the two of us were some annoying creatures. She's right, though. One guy who does quests without his card and a kid (me) who goes around bothering everyone to hawk his wares... we must be an eyesore. But since there's no rule against it, she can't do anything but glare and try to get her job done without scolding anyone.
All in all, pretty professional.
I don't want to say it, but... big chest, pretty face, short red-brown hair. If I were 10 years older, I would have already asked her out to dinner and started a 'healthy colleague' relationship. I missed out on these things in my past life, so in this life, being better-looking, I'll definitely seize the opportunity.
But then again, what if I get acne when I hit puberty? That's why I had no confidence all through high school in my past life. Crap, I need to research how to maintain this splendid face. For the sake of my future 'finding girlfriend' career!
"D-rank, hmm... So I need about 75 more E-rank quests... probably about a year or so to get to C-rank, huh?"
"Are you really trying to grind your adventurer rank, Henry?" I looked at him, a little worried. "Isn't it a bit early?"
Even though he looks two heads taller than me, as Henry seems to be an early bloomer, he's still only 12 years old. And from what I know, C-rank quests and above have a 100% chance of combat with magical beasts, and D-rank or higher ones at that. That means the mortality rate is much higher.
"Early? It's not early." Henry tilted his head with his usual nonchalant look. "Anyway, I'm graduating at the end of this year. I've got to find a job."
"By becoming a C-rank adventurer?" I asked again, a bit confused.
"You have to be C-rank or higher to earn enough to live on."
"Oh?"
I was surprised. Not because Henry was thinking maturely, but because Henry was actually *thinking* about something, seriously. I mean, in the nearly one year I've known him, all I've seen from this friend is an age-appropriate innocence. A stark contrast to the two little old folks like me and Tristina. The only thing I've seen Henry seem to care about and invest in is finding ways to get punched by Tristina.
And now he's actually thinking about getting a job to make a living!?
"Henry, are you running a fever? Are you possessed by a demon? Need your little bro to use the exorcism lantern on you? Only one silver coin per use."
"What? I'm fine, totally normal." Henry put a hand to his own forehead to check his temperature, then glanced around nervously. "Why do you ask? Are you seeing ghosts floating around here?"
"Well... It's just... this isn't like you." I said honestly, my eyes still scanning him from top to bottom to see if I was mistaken. "Are you really thinking seriously about the future?"
Hearing that, Henry froze for a moment, then put a finger to his nose and sniffed lightly with a somewhat smug smile.
"That's right. Everyone has to grow up eventually, Atur. There will come a time when you'll be a grown man just like me."
Wow, I just got lectured by a kid one-third of my age.
"But why not join the Imperial Guard or maybe the Knights' Guild? Someone like you could probably get a high position."
I rolled my eyes, picked up my fruit juice, and took a sip.
I'm just asking, but I can already guess the answer will be something childish like 'because it's no fun'. Hehe, I'll make sure to laugh in his face.
"Because it's no fun, of course."
"Aha!" I immediately slammed the table. "I knew it. What kind of adult does something just 'because it's fun'? Hehe, you're still just a kid."
"Is that so?" Henry tilted his head slightly, as always.
"That's right!" I nodded vigorously, crossing my arms and raising my chin to the sky. "A real adult chooses a job seriously, considering benefits, what the boss is like, working hours, and many other things like promotion potential, bonuses, vacation time..."
"You know, Atur, you sound exactly like my dad."
"Hehe." I was completely proud of my comeback. Today, this Atur has won... at putting a 12-year-old kid in his place.
"But I think, if you have to do something for your whole life, the most important thing is that it has to be fun, first."
Suddenly, Henry's usually dopey face turned uncharacteristically serious. It made me wipe the smug smile off my face and furrow my brow.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean..." Henry scratched his head, seeming to relax a bit from just a few seconds ago. "The thought of having to wake up at a fixed time, go to a fixed place, and do a fixed job for a long time... it makes me feel suffocated."
He picked up his mug of beer, paused for a moment before continuing, his gaze the deepest I'd ever seen.
"If I have to do one job for the rest of my life, I think I should choose something I like."
"Something you like...?"
"That's right, like how you are with magic tools and cooking, little Atur." Henry grinned. "Oh, and swordsmanship, too."
"I don't like swordsmanship," I protested. "That's for self-defense and duty, like an adult should."
"Right, right, keep lying to yourself, little old man."
"Hmph."
Come to think of it, I think I just acted like a total kid. Should I call this good acting, or am I actually behaving like a child?
In any case, I understood Henry's reasoning, to some extent.
In my past life, I spent many years doing a job I hated... no, it seems like *everything* I did was a job I wasn't suited for. It was even a disaster, leading to a downfall so bad I lost my entire fortune.
Actually, I did have a short stint as a teacher before I died a ridiculous death. If, instead of being reincarnated in another world, I had just gone back a few years on Earth, besides investing in cryptocurrency, I probably would have gone to teacher's college and gotten better qualifications.
But I quite like my current 'present' life. I'm no longer imprisoned and controlled. I can tinker with and research magic and magic tools, and I have some pretty harmless friends. If you said I'd be happy to go back to a corporate life like my previous one, that would be a lie, but I have no intention of becoming an adventurer either. My current goal is still to overthrow Pilemon, make Luke the head of the family, help him marry the princess, and then live off them, using the family's money to do what I want.
In short, I have a clear plan.
However, there's still a chance I'll fail and become a desperate, salaried knight for the rest of my second life. Or maybe worse, be married off to some old noblewoman who fancies pretty boys or some fierce young lady and be her punching bag for the rest of my life.
I don't even know if Luke wants to be the family head. It's possible that after marrying the princess, he won't be able to lead one of the Four Great Noble Houses. And I can't be sure that the two of us will stay on good terms. Many relationships in my past life started out great and then fell to pieces.
"In any case, you have a point."
After thinking for a while, I nodded in agreement. I've been given a new life; I should enjoy it and live it the way I want.
"But by giving up your role as a noble, you're throwing away a huge privilege. If you don't want to work, you can just go home, right?"
In response to my question, Henry shrugged again:
"It's fine. My old man is planning to kick me out of the house after graduation anyway."
"What?"
"I'm not the eldest son, and I'm the fifth son at that, so it's pretty normal for a mid-level noble house." Henry explained with a tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "So either I find a job here, or I get kicked out. My dad told me that five years ago when he sent me here."
So the amiable Lord Firun also has an interesting way of raising his children. Who tells a 7-year-old kid who's just left home something like that? But wait, that's still better than being threatened with slavery or being openly sold off for dowry money.
Hearing this, I felt a sense of sympathy for Henry. It turns out he doesn't have a very normal family either. Ah, but then, it seems like *no* noble family in Asura is normal, is it? I wonder how this country hasn't collapsed yet.
"Besides, I don't really like being a noble." Henry crossed his arms, his face wrinkling a bit. "You always have to be so restrained and bow and scrape just because someone else was born into a better family. I'd rather be an adventurer where we just talk based on strength."
"That part is reasonable," I nodded.
"Hehe. When an adult speaks, it has to be reasonable, right, little bro?"
He's putting on airs again.
And so, even though I couldn't sell my invention and continue to sink into debt (once again) in this life, it seems I've come to understand my brown-haired friend a little better.
Still a fun day at least.
Everything seemed peaceful. The next two months passed without any major issues. I also gradually learned to save money and tried to pay off my debt to Henry before he graduated.
But just one week before the time I'm writing these lines, Tristina Purplehorse suddenly disappeared. No one could find her. The Royal Capital's guards immediately got to work and searched, but after only a short time, they gave up.
That was when Henry appeared in my room through the window again, covered in blood.
He told me he knew where Tristina was—the Prime Minister's Residence—the home of Darius Silva Ganius.