The air in the room in Axel felt denser, heavy with the scent of old wood and wax—a total contrast to the wild freshness of Emma's forest. Theo blinked, feeling the slight dizziness of the dimensional jump dissipate. He let himself fall onto his mattress, releasing a sigh that seemed to have been building up for hours.
"Phew... there's nothing like being back home" - he murmured, stretching his legs.
Even though the apartment was small and simple, the familiarity of the place returned a sense of security he hadn't realized he'd lost. His mind, however, kept drifting back to the events of the last few hours. He remembered the spectacular night with Blanchette; the warmth of the cabin, the hints that turned into reality, and the way she, with a blend of tenderness and fire, had made sure he forgot the pain of his wounds.
The next morning, Blanchette hadn't let him leave without first preparing a hearty breakfast of eggs, homemade bread, and fresh milk. "I won't let a hero leave on an empty stomach," she had told him with a knowing smile while Emma finished readying her basket. Theo had said goodbye to both with a mix of gratitude and nostalgia, watching as the grandmother set off to lead the girl back to the village. Once he had moved far enough among the trees and ensured he was alone, he requested the return.
Now, back in Konosuba, the clock showed that barely more than an hour had passed since his departure. 'Time dilation is insane,' Theo thought, closing his eyes. He decided to rest for a bit before lunchtime. His body was superficially healed, but he still needed plenty of rest so his body could focus solely on healing his wound.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, Eris did not take her eyes off her mirror.
The Goddess of Luck had an expression of surprise mixed with evident relief. During that last hour, her divine heart had been hanging by a thread. She knew that Theo's month of training ended today, which is why she had been watching him closely. Seeing him suddenly disappear had left her in shock; although Seleneia had told her Theo was just an experiment, what she didn't expect was for her to actually take him out of this world to do whatever it was she had planned for him.
"Please, let him come back safely..." - Eris had whispered, interlacing her fingers. In these two weeks, she had grown genuinely fond of Theo.
When Theo reappeared in his room, Eris let out a sigh of relief that made the curtains of her hall vibrate. However, her expression changed to one of concern upon seeing the bloody bandages and her pupil's pale face. She knew he had faced something serious.
'He received a deep wound... but his eyes have changed. There is something new in him' - Eris thought, detecting the new vibration of the skill Theo had obtained. She decided to give him a few hours of leeway to rest before descending.
Near noon, an insistent and rhythmic knocking resonated on Theo's wooden door. There were no shouts, but the persistence made it clear that whoever was outside had no intention of leaving.
Theo woke up abruptly, his hand instinctively reaching for the spot where he usually left his sword. He rubbed his face, trying to shake off the sleep.
"Coming, I'm coming..." - he groaned, walking toward the door. He knew perfectly well who it was; no one else in Axel knocked with that mixture of confidence and mischief.
Upon opening it, he found Chris. She wore her thief attire and carried a gift bag on her arm. Her smile was radiant, but as soon as her purple eyes detected the bandages on Theo's shoulder, her expression flashed with a spark of concern, which then turned sarcastic.
"Wow, I barely leave you alone for a few days and you've already turned into a human sieve?" - Chris blurted out, entering the room without waiting for an invitation. - "I go off to settle some matters and my best student decides it's a good idea to fight something that bites harder than he does."
Theo laughed, closing the door behind her.
"I ran into a pretty strong monster, Chris" - he replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Chris huffed, leaving the gift bag on the table.
"Well, since today officially ends your first month as an adventurer under my tutelage, I decided to bring you a gift. Open it before I regret it and keep it for myself."
Theo, surprised, gave his thanks and opened the gift bag. Inside, carefully folded, was a reinforced leather trench coat of excellent quality, in a very dark brown color, meant to reach below the knees. The trench coat had golden embroidery on the lower edges and a high, stiff collar. It was light but resistant, though it looked much like something an aristocrat of this era would wear.
"It's a high-level protective garment for just a piece of clothing; plus, it has several simple but useful enchantments" - Chris explained, crossing her arms with pride. - "I had it made a week ago; consider it your graduation diploma in survival."
"It's incredible, Chris. Thank you, really" - Theo said, running his hand over the texture of the garment.
"Don't thank me yet" - she said, gesturing for him to stand up. - "Put on a clean shirt. We're going to have a professional heal that shoulder. I don't want my gift getting stained with blood before you even wear it."
"Chris, I don't have much money right now" - Theo admitted, thinking of the rent he had paid.
She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. - "Don't worry about that, dummy. Let's go."
Chris led Theo toward a small chapel in a less traveled area of Axel. There, a Priest with an unfriendly face accepted Chris's coins and, after a brief chant, a warm light enveloped Theo's shoulder. The sensation was disconcerting: in seconds, the stinging pain and the tension of the stitches vanished, leaving only fresh, pink skin where a deep tear had been before.
"It's incredible..." - Theo murmured, moving his arm with total freedom.
"Don't get used to it" - Chris warned him as they stepped back outside, giving him a stern look. - 'Healing magic is a tool, not an excuse to be careless. If you want to learn Heal, remember it's not just about saying the words. You must practice a lot and not make its use a habit, understood?'
Theo nodded seriously as the skill's data recorded in his mind. As he suspected, at his current level he could only treat minor cuts, but it was a vital start.
They went to lunch at a quiet tavern. Between bites, Chris dropped the news.
"I've finished my pending business and I have a few days off. I've been talking to Darkness and... well, we've decided it would be fun to form an official party with you. What do you say, Theo? Will you join us?"
Theo didn't hesitate. Being with Eris and the most resilient (and eccentric) crusader in the world was the best strategic and social option.
"Of course. Count me in."
"Great!" - Chris clinked her mug against Theo's glass. - "See you here tomorrow for our first mission as a group. There's... something to know about Darkness, but let's leave that as a surprise for tomorrow..."
She gave him a mysterious wink before saying goodbye and disappearing into the crowd. Theo, now alone and with his body renewed, felt it was the perfect moment. He didn't return to his room. He headed to the forest clearing where he used to train, the place where his journey in this world truly began.
The afternoon sun bathed the clearing. Theo stopped in the center, breathing in the scent of the grass. He had decided that, unless a mission was urgent, he would only accept two per month. He didn't want to become a killing machine; he wanted to live this second chance at his own pace, savoring every bit of progress.
"Right... let's see what this Inner Beast business is about."
He activated the skill. It wasn't like mana flowing for a spell; it was as if someone had injected liquid fire into his veins.
Theo let out an involuntary growl as he felt his height increase by about five centimeters, giving him a slightly higher perspective of the world. His muscles tensed and bulged under his shirt, and a vibration of heat began to emanate from his pores. His eyes, now a bright yellow with slit pupils, moved with frantic speed, detecting the movement of every leaf and the hum of every insect meters away.
A wild restlessness invaded him. He summoned his sword on impulse and began throwing slashes at the air. The strength was raw, immediate. However, something unsettled him: he felt an urge to hit something real, a desire to stop analyzing and simply destroy.
"It's... too much" - he whispered, after deactivating the skill after a few minutes.
The adrenaline rush vanished, leaving him with a slight tremor in his hands.
"It's a dangerous skill" - Theo thought, wiping away sweat. - "That feeling of power... if I let myself go, I'll end up being a real beast. I don't want to lose my head in the middle of a fight."
He sat on the ground, reflecting. He had seen enough anime to know that "berserker" transformations were usually a double-edged sword. He would have to train not only his body, but his will to tame that instinct. He decided he would spend the rest of the afternoon entering and exiting the "Inner Beast" state while waiting for it to get dark to go to dinner.
After that, time flew by until the sun began to set, tinting the sky orange. Theo continued practicing, only stopping when hunger and darkness indicated it was time to return for dinner. Tomorrow his life in a party would begin, and with it, the real problems of Axel.
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At first I thought about having Aqua say that the trench coat was one of the items given to a reincarnated person, but then I thought that she didn't even remember Mitsurugi, much less an item, so I left it with Chris explaining it, although without telling Theo.
Unfortunately, I started university today (I really thought it would start at least next week), so even though I have chapters written, I don't know if I'll be able to keep uploading one every day. So, there will be times when it takes me a few days to upload a chapter. Just so you know.
I hope you enjoyed today's chapter.