《Is it wrong to be an Elf in a Dungeon?》


 1) Ember Ljos Alf

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I looked at the book on the table, touching its cover, I flipped it and started reading it. The book was written in the Language of Elves, named Elvish, and often called as Alfian as well, named after the Royal Elven family of Alf itself. Although all Elves knew it, they didn''t used it to communicate with other races and limit it within the Elves, pure-blood Elves themselves.


    Reason? They consider other races not worthy to speak in their mother tongue, of course some just simply use Koine, the basic language that almost every creature in the world learns, as it acts as a way to break down the language barrier between all the races with no motive of discrimination. I sighed, and putting aside my thoughts I focused on the book, time started passing and finally I had finished reading the book.


    " Your Highness! Here you are!!", suddenly I heard a familiar voice, and turned back to find Remia, the maid assigned to me. She bowed seeing me, a feverish respect in her eyes, common to every Elf, even the Nobility among the Elves for the Royal lineage." Remia is it time for dinner already?", I spoke, my voice sounded very childish due to my young age.


    " Indeed, your highness, and although as a mere maid, I shouldn''t speak this, but Your Highness I know you might be a genius, but please refrain yourself from overexerting yourself. Of course, it is just a request from a mere maid", she said, her voice laced with respect and concern for me. I didn''t mind it, I knew she was right, after all a mere 3-year-old kid reading for hours sitting alone was not something normal.


    " I would keep it in my mind Remia, thanks for your concern", I said with a nod, a smile formed on her lips, as she seemed happy and satisfied with my answer. She bowed and asked," Now if you would give me the permission, your Highness", I gave a nod indicating that I gave her my permission, and she then came forward and gently pulled me into her arms.


    Finally, she escorted to me the Dining room, where my father, mother and sister were already waiting. Remia gently put me down on my chair, and bowed towards my family, they nodded, and she went back. I looked at the lavishing dishes put up in front of me with slight saliva dripping from my mouth.


    I won''t lie, half of the reason I was so fired up to read books in the library, was because I knew my Dinner would be sumptuous, after all if I don''t get a treat after working so hard, I doubt I will be that fired up about reading books. In the end, quickly taking hold of fork, I was about to attack my food, when I was pulled in a hug.


    " Ember!! I heard you were reading in the library, that''s so cute!!", said my sister, Riveria Ljos Alf as she took me into her lap. I gritted my teeth and looking at her with slight anger I spoke," Sister! Leave me! I am hungry!", though my act only earned a gleeful chuckle from her, as she quickly started rubbing her cheeks against mine.


    " Damn!! How can anyone be so cute!!", she said as she rubbed her cheeks against mine," Riveria", suddenly our father spoke, his face stoic and cold," It doesn''t suit Royalty to act like this while dining, put Ember back into his seat", he said, his voice containing a hint of authority. Riveria pouted, and our mother giggled," Leave it Larfal, she is just a child, and just having fun with her little brother."


    He stared at Riveria for a few more seconds, and in the end sighed," Fine", he spoke and continued with his food. My mother eyed us, and she gave my sister a sly grin, and my sister nodding started playing with me, literally like as if I am doll. Soon, once she satisfied and sniffed enough of my scent she handed me to my mother. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " Ember, come to Mommy", she said with an affectionate smile, but I knew what she was going to play like me a doll. I tried struggling, but grip of my sister was stronger than me who was a mere three years old, and in the end, I was buried in my mother''s embrace, if it had happened to past me, I would have certainly enjoyed it being in the embrace of such a beautiful woman, but being a three-year-old does more wonder than you might think!


    Finally, after having enough of their sibling and mother-son bonding time, I was returned to my seat,'' Damn it!! I will sue your pedos for sexual harassment!! '', I thought with anger, though my hand focused on the food on the table, and I did a quick job on finishing it, finally once I was finished, I was again escorted by Remia to my room.


    " Your Highness is sure loved by your mother and sister", she said giggling I retorted," I still don''t like that they treat me like a doll though!", hearing my complaint she said," Ah! If I wasn''t a mere maid, maybe I would have dared to have a bonding session with your Highness as well", I looked at her deadpan, disgust on my face.


    She froze realizing the words she spoke by mistake, finally she started fumbling a bit, and then became silent, in the end, she quickly escorted to my room quietly, and once putting me down she got on her knees and said," Please forgive me your Highness!!", she begged, I smirked and said," Should I? What you said really changed my view on you Remia."


    Her face became pale,'' Man, I am having so much fun '', I thought with a smile, and pointing at her I said," Pervert Elf!!", her face even became more pale, as she looked at me disbelief, I nodded in satisfaction having achieved the result I wanted, when suddenly her eyes turning dead serious," Your Highness which wretch had the audacity to teach you about Pervert word", she asked.


    I froze realizing my slip, though I didn''t fumble and quickly said," I remember Remia calling your husband that when he came here", she clenched her hands and said," I see so it''s his mistake." Yes, she completely shifted the blame on her husband, well not I do feel bad for him, but well I guess he have to deal with an angry wife.


    Thus, sending a silent apology to her poor husband, I sent Remia off my room, finally I got on my bed, and then I looked through the window. " It has been three years", I sighed, to be honest it came a total surprise when I reincarnated as an Elf, a High Elf at that, and if it wasn''t enough I was born as a Royal Elf. To be honest I am quite satisfied with my situation.


    Firstly, I am born in Danmachi, well I had trouble believing it first due despite the similarities like the name of Royal Family, and me having a sixteen-year older sister Riveria till I got to know about Gods and Falna, well I blame Riveria for that, after all she had none of the serious attitude shown in the anime, instead she was like an energetic and curious child.


    She was also very doting on me, if it was me from my teens, I would have grinned and said,'' An Elf Waifu! '', or ,'' Incest is Wincest '', but well reality is different, when your pass the stage where your hormones stop hay wiring, and this child body left the matters of lust into trash Bin, thus I had no such dreams, at least for now. Hmm, anyway, as I said I am quite satisfied with my situation.


    Dying in my thirties while being single fared better than I expected, my parents were dead already unfortunately by my thirties, so I was over their death already. I wasn''t too close to my other relatives either, I did have friends, but it wasn''t that hard moving on though I did cry out loud on my first day of reincarnation.


    Well, how did I reincarnate anyway? I have no idea, I didn''t meet a God who killed me by mistake, a Rob who wanted to grant me with Op wishes, neither a Goddess who found my soul in the void, or something and decided to give me a second chance. If I even met one, then I don''t remember. Maybe it''s Rudeus like situation, and to be honest it isn''t that bad either.


    A lack of cheat though was disappointing but wasn''t as one might think. Firstly, maybe system or whatever cheat I had might not show up unless I am physically an adult, or till I am brink of death, or simply till I get falna, aka God''s grace. I wasn''t that keen on putting my bets on that though, systems or cheats did come with their fair share of trouble.


    Not having one might be disappointing but nothing that I can live through, I had decided to simply live my life and prepare myself for the future. I won''t trash away the idea of getting system or cheat awakening at some point, but I won''t let my life revolve around it, I will do whatever to get strong in this world whether I get a cheat or not.


    I sighed, having a novel reader did give me a lot of imagination in this area. Still, my start had been wonderful, I am the only Son of Larfal Ljos Alf, and Ada Ljos Alf, Ember Ljos Alf, and as a person born in Royalty where Elves take decades to procure a single offspring, my position as the future king was almost set in stone.


    Though that time won''t come till like a century later, Elves were endowed with longevity, easily capable of living over two hundred years, and High Elves even more so surpassing the life span of five hundred years. Yeah, that meant I had quite the long time to spend to get on my shoes, maybe by the time I am a King, I would have already explored the majority of the world.


    But I had a dream a goal, getting strong was one aspect of it, I always held a thirst for an adventure and maybe waifus, the thing is, If Danmachi World can exist what are the chances that other anime worlds, comic worlds, and movie worlds can''t exist? Such a prospect was absolutely thrilling for me, I wanted to explore the possible realities, get strong as heck, and maybe bag up a few waifus on the way.


    Yes, it was childish, my dream was childish, maybe even naive. But do I care? I knew that as long as I achieve this, I will be satisfied, I will feel fulfilled, so what other mattered? The chances of me achieving my dream of exploring other realities is slim though If I don''t get any cheat, but well I am not the person to be stopped like that.


    In simple words," I want to reach the furthest reaches of the Heavens!", I said aloud, and then blushed in embarrassment. A lot of happened in past three years, from me being proclaimed as a genius due to mastering a firm grasp of Elfish at such a young age, though I didn''t showcase any other special abilities, and my parents just dropped it on me being a Royalty.


    Even other Elves believed in that, Elven Royals were extremely respected by the entire Elf population, it won''t be wrong to say, they put Elven Royality even above the Gods, at least most of the Elves do, though the Adventurer Elves tend to take the side of their God, unless they are in the wrong against Elven Royals, showing the feverish respect enjoyed by the Alf family.


    Well, although I had a clear roadmap in my mind of my life, my father being a God hater didn''t make things half easy. I couldn''t blame the man thinking of Gods as assholes though, they are assholes at least most of them are. I mean they could have simply destroyed dungeon to end the suffering of all races, but instead they made into a game to get rid of their boredom.


    '' Well, Whatever, Ember you must have a firm will on your goals! And well it has been quite the time I had been self-monologuing annndddd it''s time to sleep! '', I thought and yawned a bit, feeling a bit sleeping, I closed my eyes, letting my tired brain embrace the sweetness of sleep. There was a lot that I needed to ponder about, but that can wait for later.


    To be continued...

 2) The world of Danmachi

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I looked myself in the mirror and rubbed my eyes to fight back the sleep, in my previous life I had the habit of sleeping no more than five hours a day, but this new body of mine isn''t adapted to that habit and being a child didn''t help, still I refused to waste more than nine hours for sleeping. After all, taking advantage of the time I have, I can gather enough knowledge for me to plan my future.


    " ~Your Highness~ I am here!", I heard a familiar voice, I turned and looked at my maid Remia, she had blonde hair and brown eyes, nothing special. She was a maid especially assigned to me; one might wonder why my mother isn''t taking care of me? Well although father as king has most of the work, my mother isn''t free either, that''s why they assigned a maid for me.


    " Good morning, Remia", I greeted her, she smiled and said," Now let''s get you up ready for the day!", she grabbed me and quickly escorted me to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth, not using toothpaste of course, instead I used a Neem stick, they call it Alpeen here. After brushing my teeth, Remia took me to a bathtub and undressed herself.


    '' This still feels like weird '', I thought, it had been three years since Remia has been taking care of me, which included handling all my basic needs. One might think as a grown man, I should have some dignity and shouldn''t engage in such shameful act considering my age. Well, they will be fool then, I am child and doing everything myself is tough, especially when you are an Elf.


    Elf children are way weaker than human children though once they grow up their strength surpasses of an average human. That''s why I don''t act stupid in the name of being a grown ass man and just simply accept that I am child who needs such special treatment. Remia getting naked though? Well, I am not Rudy to have pervert thoughts at least considering my hormones aren''t raging.


    It did feel shameful for me for a week or two, after that I simply adapted to it. Well, just like that Remia started washing me, and in the end we both were finished with taking a bath. Then she escorted me to the Dining room again, and well it was only for me and some maids serving the food, my parents had breakfast early as they had to work, and so did my sister as go out training. After having breakfast, I was escorted to the library.


    " Remia you can leave now", I said looking at the blonde maid," Your Highness, as your maid it is my duty to accompany you all the time and take care of your need", she said, I sighed, there was one of thing that if I felt extremely uncomfortable was someone staring at me like a rare animal when I am studying.


    Thus, I often take a book when Remia has to leave for some work, huddle up in some other room, or another part of the library, to read my book." Remia, please", I looked at her with begging eyes, her eyes wavered but she steeled herself," No! Your Highness! Last day you said you were going to just walk in the palace, instead you huddled yourself in a corner of the library till it was quite late!", she complained.


    Of course, things never go easy, I sighed and decided to simply let her be," Fine, Remia I want a book on the geography of the world", I said, she squinted her eyes knowing that I would always escape by diverting her giving such orders. " I will follow you", I said putting her into ease, finally she found me the book I desired, my eyes shining. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I had been learning Elvish and Koine for most of the part, and only a few weeks ago I started delving into the books, now it was time to learn Geography and Topography. I flipped the cover of the book, and started searching the map, soon I found it and looked at with a sigh. The map showed just a huge continent surrounded by several islands, biggest of which was Far East.


    My eyes glistened as I rummaged through the map,'' It is so exciting '', I thought. Unlike what main anime had shown there was an exciting world outside of the Orario! Though the dungeon was dangerous, some places were more dangerous than Orario''s dungeon leaving out the deep floors. There were unexplored places, militaristic nations, and so much more!


    There were huge countries more exciting than Orario''s lame city. Seriously, I am going to explore all this places! I quickly returned to first page, and started reading through the first chapter, which well introduced the races in the world. The book Remia gave me was one of the most informative one, I was sure, because she wouldn''t give me any less.


    First come the races, naturally first was listed as Elves here. I even doubt that the Elves will let a book which doesn''t list the Elves first in the races in their library at the first place. Anyway, Elves are highly intelligent beings who excel in Magic and live in forest, then pointy ears, longevity, beautiful face, the common stuff about the Elves.


    I started looking through the lines, to see if there is anything new. Hmm, there is sort of, there are two types of Elves, White Elves and Dark Elves, each have a High-Elf variant. High Elves are basically Royalty or the High Nobility of the Elves, all of them are highly respected, extremely so. Now, while White Elves are in abundant, the Dark Elves'' population is extremely small, because majority of them were slaughtered due to monsters in ancient time.


    They also have different Magical powers than White Elves, rather they can use different type of spells. Then comes Amazoness, they are race of warrior woman, they have superior strength to most races except a few Demi-Humans like Boaz and Weretiger. Their magical ability is lacking though, and they lack any males, forcing them to mate with other races for procreation, and they can mate any race fine.


    I could see Remia glaring at the book as I read about Amazoness, not that I care. I started looking through other races and found quite a variety of them. Then came a variety of Demi-Human races in the world of Danmachi, many were listed in the book, they include Boaz, Bulls! My eyes stopped at its name.


    Bulls are a race with cow ears and horns, and well their females are naturally endowed in a certain department. They are often referred as cows, then I continued rummaging through the other races, and found many like Cat People, Renard, Chienthrope, Hume bunny, Pallum, Racoon, Sheep, Werewolf, and a few more.


    Damn it''s more diverse than what was shown in anime, thankfully I had the knowledge other than main series otherwise I would have overwhelmed. Then came the variety of Half-breeds a new race formed due to union between two races, mostly between humans and other races, they are mostly Half-Elves, Half-Pallum and Half-Dwarves.


    Finally came the Humans, generally considered the weakest race, though they have a huge population due to their breeding rate. Then comes Pallum, they have worse than humans and their night vision doesn''t helps them that much. Last was Dwarfs, which are said to be physically one of the strongest races, but they are alcoholic and have a bad beef with Elves.


    After races came the geography of the world, at first glance I found Orario wasn''t in the center of the continent, however it is said to be the center of the world, as said by Gods. Then there were many Kingdoms or states scattered all around the continent, there were Island countries, the most famous being the Far East due to its huge size.


    There was a country famous for its magic, Altena, they supposedly have a large number of high levels in their ranks. Though by their standards it is Level 3s and 4s. Then there was a sword smithing city Solingen, famous for their high-quality crafts and majority of their population being Dwarves. I continued reading through the book.


    During afternoon, I had a small break though, and Remia brought my Lunch at the Library for me to eat. She is considerate as ever, I gave her a genuine thanks, and after having my lunch I continued reading the book. I did take same breaks, either to relieve myself or just let my mind rest. After all I am not a God, and I have to eat, drink and shit.


    In the end, when Dinner time came Remia escorted me to Dining room. I quickly realized that my father was missing. " Ember!", my sister came and took me from Remia''s hands and said," I heard you were reading books the entire day! Although you might be a smart kid, but you are a kid! You need to go out once a while!"


    " I see, then I will take a rest from reading, sister", I said, not retorting, joy appeared on her face, and she started rubbing her cheeks against me." Ember! You are such an obedient little brother! You are all that I can ask from a sibling!!", she said with glee, and ruffled my hair, my mother smiled and said," Indeed, Ember has been holed up too much in his study, he might be smart, but he is just three years old, Riveria, it''s your duty to take your brother outside tomorrow."


    "Gladly!", she replied, and sat down on her chair," Mother, where is father?", I asked, though I knew he should be busy with his Kingly duties. My mother sighed and said," Something just came up, so your father had to leave", I nodded in understanding," C''mon, Ember open your mouth!", meanwhile my sister pushed a piece of food near my mouth.


    " Sister! I can eat myself!", I retorted, she giggled and said," Nope! As a qualified big sister! I need to personally feed my cute little brother! ", in the end I was forced to be fed by her. She was too clingy, and for me who was an adult inside it was uncomfortable, still it made me think, will she become like her anime self?


    It won''t be too much of a shock if she would, her current age is 16 while she is supposed to leave the Alf''s forest like at her 70''s or something. Add a father who forces her to remain within the boundaries of the forest despite her constant protests, it wouldn''t be impossible for her to turn into a reserved type.


    I know she is going to change with time, and maybe I will think how good it would be if I she would be like right now, Clingy, energetic, and so naive. She is cute, my sister is cute, and thus with a smile I let her feed me, though after some time," Riveria, how about you give Amber to me? I need to give love to my son as well", mother said.


    Riveria pouted, but seeing mother''s smile which slightly widened she gave in. " Fine, though before that Muah! Muah! Muah!", she planted kisses on my delicate cheek," Ugh", I grunted, a bit taken back by the surprise attack, this time I need my revenge, so mustering up all strength I could, I kissed her on cheek.


    " Eh?!", she was stunned, so my mother and Remia, I grinned and said," That''s what you get!", though that only made her give out a cry, " Ember!! That''s so cute!!", and she started rubbing her cheek against mine, again. In the end, she handed me to mother, and I gave her a kiss as well, after all it would be unfair if only Riveria is to get a kiss.


    Satisfied she fed me till I was full and kissed on my cheeks a few times before handing me to Remia. After I washed my hands, she escorted me to my bed, and then leaving. Thinking of my mother and sister, I smiled, time passes and so does the moments, therefore one should always cherish their loved ones.


    They are annoying indeed, but in the end, they are my family who loves me a lot. I sighed, and closed my eyes, falling to sleep, just like that another day passed.


    To be continued...

 3) Aina Tuelle

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I looked at myself in the mirror, I had beautiful Jade like green hair like my sister and father, but my eyes contrary to my sister and father''s eyes my eyes were pale blue in color, like my mother. My mother was quite a beautiful Elf looking like in her early twenties, she had blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Now, one might wonder why my name is Ember if I don''t have red or orange hair or eyes?


    I did ask my mother though she blushed on me asking the reason behind my name and so did my father, and they decided to tell me when I am old enough. I can already guess a bit on what the meaning behind my name might be, but it is better to leave it for now. " Your Highness, there you go! ", said Remia as she finished changing my clothes for the occasion.


    " Thank you, Remia", I thanked her, she giggled and said," You are so sweet your Highness, I am pretty sure there will be a huge number of ladies charmed by you once you are old enough", suddenly my sister coughed as entered the room," Greetings, Your Highness", Remia quickly performed a bow, Riveria gave a nod, and quickly came beside me.


    She ruffled my hair making it a mess out of it, I glared at her much to her amusement," Looking cute aren''t you, my sweet little brother!!", she said pulling me into her arms, I didn''t protest, after all I am used to getting carried like that anyway." Sister, you made a mess of my hair! Miss Remia worked so hard on them!", I said.


    Riveria gasped, a sly grin formed on her face as she glanced at Remia who was gasping as well, then winking at me she said," My, my Already taking the side of the beautiful Lady, Ember? Are you going to be a playboy?", Remia chuckled hearing her words, while I squinted my eyes at her.


    Excuse me?! I am a fucking three old kid! You expect me to bang Elven beauties?!


    Though I just thought that in my head and remained silent, chuckling she said," Whatever, enough of the jokes! It''s time I get you outside of this Palace!", I nodded, and she walked to the outside, soon we were followed by few of the Elven guards. While the chances of any Elf attacking us, the Royal family is almost zero considering how devout they are towards the Royal family and their members.


    It doesn''t make sense for us to have guards, when monsters might break in, and just by chance, a heretic Elf might try to attack us. I ignored the guards and instead focused on the surroundings, I had come a few times outside with my mother, but it was still a novelty for me. Once could see huge, lush trees as far as the eyes met.


    I looked back at the Palace, it was carved inside a huge tree, and the tree was still living, there was a huge garden surrounding the perimeter of the caste as well, then a small castle wall, made of stone enclosing the place. Elven Soldiers and Magicians regularly patrolled the area, as we made our way, every Elf, no matter soldier or magician got on their knees.


    The Royal Alf Family were like the absolute rulers and the gods in the eyes of White Elves, after all the main reason that White Elves even survived the massacre in the ancient times were due to Alf family, and our famous ancestor Celdia who was a famous Hero having perished in the battle against Big Bad Black Dragon.


    " Hmm, Ember, how about I introduce you to my friend, I have taken some time off with my archery practise, and my studies, so did her for this meeting", Riveria said, her voice contained excitement. I perked my brows trying to remember who her friend might be, I knew recalling everything would be impossible for me in the far future, so soon I would make a secret diary, to write the details of the plot in it.


    But for now, I remembered basically everything I knew about danmachi, and soon realized whom it might be. As Riveria made her way towards her friend''s house, we got into the market, it was bustling with Elves, and well just Elves. Suddenly the soldier in front of us announced some words like members of Royal Family are coming, my sister''s expression visibly dropped, as every Elf in the road started kneeling with a feverish expression.


    My sister just sighed on seeing it, well this was surprising for me as well, maybe because mother didn''t take me in a carriage, and I was mostly in her embrace. " Sister, why are all of them are kneeling? If they just make the way, won''t it be fine?", I suddenly asked my sister, after all kneeling just because a member of Royal Family is passing through must be very inconvenient for the normal Elves. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " I can''t help it Ember, Royal Family is considered sacred, and so our members, Elves consider a blasphemy to not give us appropriate respect", she said, slightly annoyed. I nodded, and looked around finding the Elves have an expression consisting of reverence and well just other good things for us. I could see some Elven women looking at me with blush.


    I looked at them deadpan, and sighed, soon we reached my sister''s friends house. A soldier knocked on the door, and soon the door opened, revealing three Elves. " We greet her Highness and His Highness!", they said together. My sister looked at them annoyed," Aina, didn''t I said there was no need for such greeting right?", she asked.


    Aina gave a defeated look, her father quickly stepped forward," I do understand it Your Highness, and nothing gives me much more joy knowing someone like our daughter, not even belonging to Elven Nobility is friend of Her Highness but do know that it will be rude of us, not at least give a proper greeting", he said.


    Riveria just sighed, she was annoyed, and I was as well, after all just imagining that every meeting with Elves if are going to be this formal, I might be as well as become a loner. At this moment, I finally comprehended, the one of the main reasons behind why future Riveria would be like that, which is a total shock knowing current her.


    After a few minutes, Riveria managed to pull Aina in a private room, although the Royal Soldiers were outside Riveria and Aina were free to converse without any unneeded formality. " Sorry, Riveria, when my mother and father came to know, that you will be coming, they decided to make sure they are ready to receive you", Aina apologized.


    " No need Aina, I can understand it. Anyway, Aina meet my brother Ember! Isn''t he just a little cutie?!", Riveria said. I looked at Aina, and so she did, I found her to have pretty green hair, darker in shade compared to Riveria''s and green eyes, lighter than Riveria''s. My sister put me down, and I forwarded my hand while putting up a smile on my face," Nice to meet you Elder sister, I am Ember, please just call me Ember", I said.


    She became silent for a few seconds, before pulling me into a hug," So cute!!!", she said and started rubbing her cheek against me," Riveria! Your Highness is so cute! He is so polite as well!", she said, while I didn''t enjoy being treated like this for umpteenth time, I did understand that why she managed to become my sister''s friend, after all she was cuddling me, without any care that I belonged to Royal Family, even Remia didn''t have enough guts to do this.


    " Do you believe me now? My brother is the cutest brother in the whole world!!", Riveria said proudly, puffing her chest. I found it funny seeing her like that, Aina got me in her lap and ruffling my hair she said," Your Highness, I am Aina, you can call me Elder sister, on second thought would you call me Elder sister once more?"


    I nodded and called out," Elder sister", and instantly regretted it as she hugged me tightly and yelled," So cute!!!", Riveria this time looked a bit jealous," Hey! Aina, he is my brother! Give him back to me!",  she said Aina shook her head mischeviously, grabbed me while standing up," Nope! Get him if you can!", and started running away while taking me.


    " Get back her you, Aina!!", Riveria yelled following after her, it was all good and nice, but why the fuck I am dragged around like a ragdoll?! " Eld-aahhh!", I tried to call out Aina to stop messing around, but she slid down the banister of the stairs with me on her lap, and quickly pulled me as she started running away.


    '' Sister save me!! '', I looked at Riveria who was running down the stairs with all her might, but she was too slow, " Give me Ember back!!!", she said, but Aina easily managed to outrun her again, in the end after a few minutes of torture, I could take it more," Put me down!!!!!", I yelled, freezing Aina and so the Riveria, Aina''s parents faces became pale while soldiers gulped. Aina realizing that she got away while playing quickly put me down.


    '' Fuckers! I am just a toy to play around '', I thought with anger, I will get my revenge and it should be instant! Thus, with revenge in my mind, my eyes quickly became moist as I started crying." Ember!", my sister panicked, do did the others, but I shall not give them mercy, and I started crying out even louder.


    In the end it became a total disaster for my sister and others, in the end somehow my sister managed to quite me down, though not after agreeing to some demands. " What''s the meaning of this?!", a soldier yelled at Aina, taking me back my surprise. " Making Your Highness crying! Playing around while holding him like a doll! She shouldn''t receive anything less than death penalty!", another soldier said.


    Aina''s face became pale, while Riveria gritted her teeth, though before she could say anything, I said," What''s the meaning of this!!", the soldiers froze," I allowed her to grab me, she did go overboard in the end, but so did my sister! If you blame her doesn''t that means you blame her Highness as well?", I said, and they became pale.


    They wanted to retort, but how could do they in front of a Royal Family member, even if I was just a three-year-old kid. In the end they were shut up by me," Forgive me Ember, I got a bit carried away", Aina said in a apologetic tone, I smiled and said," I forgive you elder sister, while it did trouble me, it was fun seeing you and sister enjoy themselves."


    Aina was struck by my cuteness, and rolled backwards, falling unconscious. I looked at the scene in disbelief,'' Damn it, is my Shota power off the roof? '', I suddenly realized a terrifying fact. It would seem Shota me was too deadly, especially for women. The rest of the day went pretty exciting though, after Aina woke up, we were escorted to the forest outside of the city limits.


    Under the safety of Royal soldiers, all of us three played together, even if I mostly just watched it was still fun. Once the evening came, and we were forced to return to Royal palace, I suddenly realized something, '' Wait a minute! Aina is Eina''s mother, and by plot she is 99 years old, and right now she is 16 like my sister, it means there is little less than a century before the plot starts. ''


    It blew off my mind, I almost forgot it, while I knew there were decades before the plot starts, I really didn''t gave much attention to it. " What happened Ember? Are you feeling unwell?", asked Riveria worried, I smiled and said," Nothing!", hearing my words, she became relieved and made her way to the Royal Palace, with me in her arms, riding without any worries.


    I consider this a win! Since it would mean I have plenty of time to get overpowered as heck, mind you that Riveria had falna only for a little over sixteen years and she reached level 6, I can try so many things if we look in that perspective, I might be already a level 9 or even 10 by the plot starts, it might be a bit boring once plot starts, but well do I care? Of course not!


    To be continued...

 4) Archers of the Forest

    ...


    Ember Pov


    " Your Highness, just like that nock the arrow in the bowstring, and then aim with your one eye closed, and then let it go", said the instructor, as he demonstrated it to me, the arrow hit the mark perfectly. " Now, Your Highness if you would", he said, and I nodded, nocking an arrow on the bowstring, I closed my one eye and aimed at the target, and finally left it, unfortunately for me, the arrow completely missed the target, whizzing through its side.


    The instructor didn''t look much surprised and quickly said," Don''t be discouraged your Highness, it was your first time", I nodded at him, a soldier from beside me handed me another arrow, I nocked it when the instructor, Noel, came beside me and grabbed my palm," Your Highness, depending on each bow, the target distance, and other factors, aiming also changes."


    " Now, the bow you used is quite a special build, it is made to be easily pulled, so the force it releases is also a bit low, thus if you would adjust your aim like this", he said, guiding my aim, and then whispered," Let it go", and so I did, the arrow whizzed through the air, this time accurately hitting the center of the target.


    " That was great Your Highness, now you just need to practice what I had taught you", he said, and I nodded," Thanks, Noel", I said, and he smiled, he got back letting me have space. The soldier who was beside me again handed me an arrow," Here your Highness", he said, I took the arrow, and again nocked it, before aiming again and letting the bow string go.


    The arrow again whizzed through the air hitting the target, though not at the center, but it was extremely better compared to my previous one. Noel clapped and I said," Give me another arrow", and the soldier handed me another one, then I the arrow, then again, and again, and again, just like this before I knew time had passed, and it was already evening. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I was sweating by now," Your Highness!", Remia said as she came near me, I didn''t see when she had come here, but seeing her it should be for not long, she quickly started washing my sweat using an expensive looking cloth. Once she had cleaned my face, and hands I said with a smile," Thanks, Remia."


    She just nodded happy with my praise, it was no surprise to the maids, and even instructor that I was too polite, often thanking them for their help or services. While as Royalty, I had no need to do so, and they were paid well for their work, I decided that I could at least thank them to show my appreciation towards their fantastic work.


    " I guess, that will be all for today, Your Highness, your performance today was indeed spectacular, it would seem you are a genius in archery", he said, flattering me. I was used to this, so I just nodded, but I knew I wasn''t a god-gifted genius, I have just started learning archery using a well-built bow, made specifically for me, and the targets weren''t very far off, so hitting them was easy once I got the hold of on how to use a bow.


    So yup, I wasn''t any world-shattering monstrous genius, but I knew I had considerable talent in archery considering my performance now. It wasn''t too great but still quite good. I can say it was because of me being an Elf and my hard work. Elves are naturally endowed with a better eyesight than humans, better hearing, and more flexible body.


    There is a reason that Elves are called the Proud Archers of the forest, well to be more precise just Archers of the Forest, the word proud was just added due to their arrogance. " Thanks Noel, for today, and well you as well", I said thanking my instructor and the soldier who became flustered and knelt," Your Highness! It makes me so happy, to think you would consider my mere effort worthy of being praise by you", he said.


    I nodded with a smile, these reactions were norm for me now, I won''t say I love it, but still the feeling was nice. My wishes and desires mattered a lot to others, in previous life I had no such liberty, so I had come to like this treatment, but I do understand one might even get bored or even hate this treatment after decades or so.


    Anything too much or too little is always bad, shaking my thoughts off, I grabbed Remia''s hand, who escorted me to the Palace. My current age is seven now, since the age of five I had been walking on my own to get anywhere, instead of being carried in Remia''s or Riveria''s embrace like before. It did felt annoying at first walking on my own, but again I can''t always be carried by others, right? So, in the end I had to put a stop to that.


    " Your Highness, did you enjoy the training?", asked Remia, I nodded with a smile, and replied," It was fun, Archery was really fun!", my voice sounded less childish than compared to before for obvious reason. She casted a melancholic smile, earning my attention," What''s the problem Remia?", I asked, as we arrived at the castle gate.


    The soldiers performed a salute, while she remained silent, they opened the door and after we entered, she said," It''s nothing Your Highness, it''s just- You have grown up, compared to before you now don''t require much of my assistance", I sighed hearing her words, and holding her palm tighter I said," It doesn''t matters Remia, you are still my personal maid, and always will be."


    My words caused her to blush, she said,"~Oh my, my, is your highness proposing to me? But I have a husband what should I do?~", there she goes again, into her own world, seeing her dazing off, I left the hold of her palm and ignoring her I just ran towards the staircase, and started climbing it up," Wait a minute! Your Highness, you shouldn''t run like that!", she said.


    I grinned and said," Get me if you can!!", I dashed quickly through the corridor, she started chasing after me, my physical strength has improved quite the bit with my age, even so I was no match for Remia who was an adult, but she was wearing a long maid uniform thus it was going to be hard for her to catch me in those clothes.


    Thus, she could only relentlessly try to get me, and I charged through a corridor, turning to another, I saw a person passing by, he stopped and looked at me, I also stopped realizing they might collide, and well they did. I didn''t even get the time to mutter the famous half-spoken words, as Remia crashed against that Elf, leaving him tumbling back the floor, while falling herself on the floor.


    " Huh?! What''s the meaning of this?!", the Elf shouted, as a soldier who seemed to be following him, came and quickly lifted him up. Remia''s face became pale,'' Can it get anymore cliche? Wait it is an isekai world, this world is itself a cliche '', I thought with a sigh, I have seen this trope many times in novel, and one might wonder despite being how cliche it is, why many novels follow this.


    Simple, many of such cliche are real, they are based on thing that happen frequently. " I-I apologize Sir! It was my mistake that I didn''t see you coming!!", Remia apologized, but I knew depending on who the person might be, Remia might lose her job that not I would let her lose her job. " Sir Selland, is there any problem?", said my father who came here followed by a soldier.


    " Indeed, your Majesty, this insolent maid suddenly crashed against me! I was just walking through the corridor when she suddenly came running and collided against me!", he said with anger, Remia kept her head down as father looked at her," Is that true Remia?", she nodded, before he could say anything further, I decided to intervene," Father, it''s my mistake. I was playing with Remia", I said bluntly.


    " Ember, you were playing, within the castle grounds?", he asked me, his voice cold and I nodded with a reply," Yes, Remia was just following me, it isn''t her mistake. She was just performing her duties, Sir I apologize for my mistake", I apologized to the Elf as well," I- Fine, considering that his Highness admitted it was his fault, it would be embarrassing for me to blame her or his highness", the Elf quickly said.


    " Sir Belland, still this maid has stepped out of her boundaries, if you want, I can dismiss her immediately", my father said, although his words sounded polite, he was just asking the man that if he wants, he can throw her out of the job, and once dismissed by King herself, Remia''s life would be anything but easy in Alf''s forest.


    " No, your Majesty, there is no need for you do anything like that, his highness has already apologized to me, it would me rude of me if I pursue this matter any further", he said with a bow, my father sighed and said," I see", soon the Elf took a leave, while my father looked at us, I moved towards Remia, and stood in front of her.


    " What''s the meaning of this Ember?", he asked me, his eyes narrowed, as he looked at me with a cold gaze. " Father, I am ready to accept any punishment, but letting Remia take my blame, it would make me ashamed and wouldn''t be right as a member of Royalty", I said, and he sighed hearing my words, then he asked me," Do you know who that man was?", I shook my head showing my ignorance," He was the King of White Elves in an Island known as Hjaeningav¨ªg, to say he was a King of a small nation wouldn''t be lie, yet he came here for not any reason but for our suggestion in a matter and future co-operation between us, as they respect us greatly", he said.


    He stared at me and said," He came all the way from his Island to here, and yet he had to leave like that. What you did does deserve a punishment, that''s it, you shall be on a house arrest for next month. Repent on your mistakes!", I did a bow and said," As you say, father", he turned around and looked back," I did not give this punishment to you as your father, but as your King."


    " I apologize then, yes, Your Majesty", I said, and he left," Your Highness, why did you take the blame? Now your reputation would take a hit", said Remia as she hugged me from behind," It would have been better, if I was dismissed", she continued, I turned towards her and looked at her moist eyes and tears pouring down her cheek, I took a handkerchief from my pocket and I wiped her tears.


    " Don''t cry, Remia, that was but a small mistake, no need to stain your face with tears for such a matter, and it was my mistake in first place. Not to mention, it doesn''t matter if my reputation takes a hit, I am just seven at most people will roll it off as me being rebellious or something", I said soothing her, she nodded and hugging me tighter she said," I am lucky to serve you, Your Highness."


    " And I am lucky to have you as my maid", I replied with a smile, and well, next moment I was attacked with a flurry of kisses on my cheek," Muah! Muah! Muah! You are so cute your Highness!!!", she said as she left lipstick mark all over my cheek. If I was any older, anyone would have thought I would have done something scandalous, with the kiss marks all over my face.


    '' Well at least she is better now '', I thought mused, still as I thought of the event that had transpired just now, I frowned,'' Selland? Where did I hear the name? '', I thought, and soon I realized,'' Isn''t that the surname of Hedian Selland? One of the executives of the Freya Familia!! '', I thought, if everything as I thought then that man should be him, or his father.


    '' I need to quickly make a written record of Danmachi events '', I thought, I was glad that I had took the liberty of reading the two main Novels of Danmachi, while reading through manga of the side stories, otherwise I wouldn''t even have an inkling of who that man was. Since I was on a house arrest, just a fancy or more formal term of being grounded for a month, I had plenty of time to write a diary.


    Still, it was a bummer considering, that I had just started learning Archery, I was very much eager to learn Archery to the level of future Riveria, where she could shoot three arrows using a bow, aiming at very far away target. After that, I was escorted to my room for a rest, after which I took a bath, and well Remia helped me bath, it was still one of things she helped me till now, and would be helping with for next few years.


    To be continued...

 5) Magic and Swords

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I nocked the three arrows on the bowstring and aimed at the moving bosses, and then left the hold of the bowstring, the three arrows went whizzing through the air, and two of them pierced the bosses while one of them missed," That was wonderful, Your Highness!!", Remia said as she clapped, my instructor nodded," Indeed, to think Your Highness could shoot multiple arrows with such accuracy at age of twelve is nothing but mind boggling."


    Mind boggling huh? I guess considering my young age it is indeed acceptable, but I had to put my sweat and tears into this. For the last five years I had been waking up early, having breakfast, then reading books for three hours, after which I have a light supper, then I train in Archery for two hours before resting and having my lunch, after which I again train relentlessly till night.


    I often do take breaks in between them for any purpose needed, after all following such a schedule robotically is impossible, however I still train hours every day in training Archery, if not for the fact that I am already very smart, and a genius in Academics, I doubt my parents would have let me maintain such a schedule which barely includes classes for etiquette and other stuff.


    I have also learned to use different bows, and even have gained the capability to hit moving targets, even multiple targets, going as far as to learn shooting multiple arrows from a bow that clearly is only made for shooting one arrow at a time, and just now I managed to shoot two fast moving targets using such a bow, and multiple arrows.


    " Your Highness, here, let me wipe away your sweat", Remia said as she came with a cloth and started wiping away my sweat, meanwhile I glanced at my bow,'' I am twelve right now, my plan is to get ready to leave Alf''s forest around when I am between sixteen or eighteen '', I thought, I have learned everything about Alf''s forest, it''s geography and whatever knowledge is available about the world outside here in the library.


    I did have read books related to magic, but only a few and there are a lot other that I haven''t read, but it wasn''t needed. I don''t need to be the all-knowing saint, only what is necessary is I need to learn and master. I had plans to have a good knowledge of herbs, plants, geography, a bit about history, archery, sword, magic and spear. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But at this rate I would have to abandon my idea of learning Spear or Lances, I need to do with Sword and Magic for now. I have a good knowledge of herbs and being Royalty I was able to verify my knowledge by seeing actual herbs stored in the Royal treasury brought from all over the world. My basic knowledge to survive was clear, but I need to get the real combat knowledge.


    My Archery was far from acceptable level that I want, I still haven''t hunted real targets using my archery, I need to be able to survive outside, which is full of monsters. So, I will need at least some combat prowess of a level 1 at least. While I was in my deep thoughts, Remia''s voice broke my trance," Your Highness!! Is something the matter?"


    I looked at Remia who looked at me with worry," You haven''t been replying, is something in your mind, your Highness?", she asked me, I nodded and looked at my instructor," Sir Noel, I would like to learn swordsmanship", I said, declaring my intention. If not for the best treatment I receive leaving such a grinding lifestyle would be impossible, I would like to not rather waste this time, and get my combat techniques to a good level.


    " You want to learn swordsmanship? Your Highness, I think it is still early for you to delve in the art of swords, how about learning it a year later?", he said, his words made sense, but not that I want to follow that path. " Sir Noel, please I need to learn swordsmanship! I have already reached the limit of how much I can improve my archery through training", I said, he looked at me and sighed.


    " Fine Your Majesty, if that''s what you want then I will be happy to teach you the basics of swordsmanship. I would train you for today, but for your further training we would need His Majesty''s permission", I nodded, I will get my father to agree no matter what, even if I have to use my cuteness to get mother on my side!!


    After he agreed to train me, I took a small break and had a light supper, after that Noel took me to a different training area, and handed me a wooden sword," We will learn the basics today, First I will teach you how to hold a sword, the basic sword moves, the footwork, and rest of basic knowledge", he said and I nodded, he then introduced me to different types of sword.


    The sword he had handed me was a basic one, and easiest to begin with, he taught me on how to hold it, what pose my body should be, and finally, the basic moves of swordsmanship, which are lunge, attack and parry. In the end I kept training with the three moves for the rest of the day till I was tired, due to my already intense schedule I had developed a well enough stamina, so I was able to cope up with the training, still I was drained by the end of the day.


    In the end with Remia''s help, I was escorted to my personal bathroom, where I took a refreshing bath before joining the dinner. Though this time Remia obviously didn''t join me in the bath, since I had become old enough, amusingly she had expressed a great deal of sadness two years ago when I refrained her from taking a bath together with me, while I wanted to enjoy the leisure my position provided.


    It was unavoidable that I need to become independent to achieve my plans, so once I reached an age where bathing by myself was necessary, I started taking baths by myself, while Remia could have bathed me till I was fourteen, and even after that I could have hired a butler to do the job. Finally, I reached the dining room, lavishing dishes were presented on the table, enough to make my mouth water.


    I quickly took my seat, and barely held myself back from digging in and looked at my sister and father, mother was absent this time as she had left for some job."~Ember! My brother! Give your sister a hug!!~", my sister said as she approached me and hugged me. '' Sister! I am twelve years old! Stop with this now! It makes me embarrassed or so what I would like to say, but I didn''t.''


    Once I leave it might be for decades that I don''t meet my sister, so I let her enjoy herself spoiling me. I smiled and she rubbed her cheek against my head, and well,"Umff!", she pressed me against her breasts taking me by surprise and hugged me even more tightly, I looked at her with deadpan eyes, as she smiled and kissed my forehead.


    "How about it? Your sister has grown right?", she asked in a teasing tone, not to be outdone I nodded and said," Indeed sister, you have grown up a lot, especially here", her face became flushed on my blatant words and my hands touching her breasts, she didn''t break the hug though," You are getting naughty!!", she said, and I chuckled.


    " Enough!", Our father suddenly ordered, my sister looked at him with a pout," You both should dine instead of doing such a disgraceful act in front of your king!", he said coldly," Father! My brother is always holed up in his archery training, and whatnot! I am also busy the entire day! So what''s wrong with spoiling my little brother, meeting him after an entire day everytime for a brief moment!", she retorted.


    " Riveria! Give up these childish acts! You might be young, yet you aren''t kid anymore! And Ember! I can expect her to be brazen, but why do you always go with her acts?!", he reprimanded both of us, to be honest his constant rants are well annoying. We know we are Royalty and whatnot yet expecting us to live like graceful robots is honestly, disgusting.


    " Hmph!", my sister snorted, and after kissing me on forehead she said," Ember, you must be hungry go and eat your food", I nodded as I looked at her kind eyes, she knew our father might get even angrier if we were to continue defying him, so she had no choice but to stop her antics. I quickly started eating my food, being extremely hungry, it was very hard for me to hold back from eating with my bare hands.


    Some habits just don''t die I guess, once I had finished dinner, my father asked me," Ember, I hear that you want to practice swordsmanship? ", I looked at him and nodded," Yes father, not only swordsmanship I also want to start learning Magic", I replied surprising both my father and sister." Eh? Aren''t you too young Ember?! Even I started learning swordsmanship at the age of fourteen!", Riveria said.


    " Yes, it might be the case sister, but I have hit limit with my archery, and it won''t improve unless I get some real experience, and combat is always dangerous so I would like to learn swordsmanship, and I am also very eager to start learning the Elven Magic", I said to her, she frowned a bit but, in the end, gave up.


    My father stared at me for a few moments and said," Ember, if you promise that you won''t lag behind in your etiquette and academics, I will let you start training", I felt joy on hearing his words, he might be quite arrogant, but he was still my father, and well my mother was there to get him in line if oversteps it.


    Thus, giving him my gratitude, I went to my room, excited to start learning the swordsmanship. Once I arrived in my room, and Remia left the room I closed the door, and quickly went towards my bed, bending down I took a luxurious box, it was something that I had requested my mother for, it has a lock mechanism, and if someone tries to open it forcefully, it will burn off anything inside it.


    The key to the box was hanging down on my neck inside a locket, I quickly opened the locket taking out the key and opened the box, revealing a book, I took it out and placed on the table, flipping the cover, I looked at the first page and sighed. There were paragraphs written in English, Hindi and French.


    This book was where I had listed all my knowledge of danmachi, I would go through it once or twice a week, so I don''t forget things. To ensure my greatest secret of reincarnation is a secret, I have taken many steps. Firstly, I have written nothing about my reincarnation, just about the plot in the book, I have written it in several languages, and the sentences in the paragraph are made up in a mixture of the languages I knew in several combination.


    The combinations included two languages at minimum to all languages I knew in a paragraph. I have written it in Hindi, English, Hindlish, and French. I have also used little bit of Bengali I knew at some places, anyone who even knew all the languages will be confused unless he reads it carefully, as my handwriting wasn''t beautiful either.


    That was my first barrier to protect my secret, second was this box that I got from mother which was quite sturdy and had a lock mechanism. If someone tries to open it by force, it will release a chemical and stored up acid, burning the book into ashes. Even if it fails to burn book completely, my objective will be achieved.


    Third is naturally the key, I have two keys, one that I have stored up in a secret place, and second that I keep within my locket. Finally, I read the book every once a while to keep my memories fresh, also to ensure incase my book is destroyed or anything else happens, I am not left absolutely clueless with hazy memories of the plot.


    I had done my best that I could, if this plan doesn''t work then there is nothing else, I could do. Though I doubt it won''t keep my secret safe, finally I started reading through the book, and after a hour or so, I kept the book back in the box, locked it, put it below my bed and kept the key in my locket, then I went to sleep, excited to finally learn something new tomorrow.


    To be continued...

 6) Hunting with Sister

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I dashed through the bushes, holding the bow in my arm and nocking the arrow quickly, I aimed at the moving target in front of me and released the bowstring. The arrow whizzed through the air making a swoosh sound and pierced the head of the deer, the animal released a painful howl before falling down and dying. I took a deep breath, joyful with the success of my first hunt.


    "That was amazing!!", Riveria said as hugged me from the behind and started patting my head," I can''t believe it! That was your first time on top of it!", she said with joy, I smiled and replied," Indeed sister! It went better than what I had expected", she looked at me with pride and said," Hmm, well you are my little brother, of course you would perform excellent!"


    " Indeed, that was spectacular! His Highness not only managed to hit a fast-moving target like deer on his first try, but also did it while maneuvering through the bushes and piercing through deer''s head!", Noel said, some other Elves who were with us started clapping as well, singing praises for me. I chuckled a bit embarrassed, but I was proud of my skills. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    My race indeed has given an advantage when it comes to Archery, but in the end, it was my own hard work that made me to perform the kill with such precision. For myself from previous life it would not have been possible, sure one could have expected for me to solve problems that would take the entire space of the board to solve in minutes but expecting me to do something Athletic was a pure fantasy for me back then.


    With my first successful hunt I didn''t stop yet, previously Elven soldiers had discovered a target for me, but this time I used what I had learned to discover targets and kill them, I managed to kill twelve animals, mostly deer, but some huge ass boars and other agile animals were there too. I also only shot fourteen times to kill the animals, one of my arrows missed, while other wasn''t that fatal as I expected.


    It did provide experience to me but well, others seemed impressed." Thirteen! You successfully hunted thirteen animals on your first hunt will using mere fifteen arrows! That''s it! My brother is an Archery genius!!!", Riveria said from behind as she suddenly grabbed my shoulder with excitement, I laughed awkwardly before I was subjected to a flurry of kissed on my face.


    '' Sister!! Everyone is watching! What are you doing?!! It is so embarrassing or what I would like to say '', I thought deadpan as I wiped my cheek using a handkerchief while Riveria pouted," Ember! Your actions hurt your poor older sister", she complained, and I thought,'' And your actions made me embarrass I can think of some rumors already making their way from the royal palace.''


    I glanced at other Elves who looked away, with slightly flushed faces pretending to not have seen anything,'' These guys '', I clicked my tongue in annoyance. " Well, your Highness you have hunted enough animals for the banquet ", Noel said to me as he bowed," Well, I guess Ember, you did hunt some huge animals that are usually hard to hunt even for adept Archers", my sister said agreeing with Noel.


    We elves loved nature and trees, Elves did eat meat, but they always made sure to only kill animal if they are trying to hurt them, or when they need food. Elves tend to never kill more than unnecessary, but I am a Prince of Alf family, if I want, I can continue with my hunt, and only my elder sister will have power to stop me.


    " No, it''s unnecessary, though instructor Noel, I would like to see the monster hunt", I replied, I have already seen how my archery is, and I can say it was more than enough. I hadn''t tested my Swordsmanship skills in real hunting; however, I use to have regular spars with soldiers which had honed my sword skills to a considerable extent, thus I can lay it off from my list for today.


    " Ember, I think it is still too early for you- Monsters are very powerful, even a weak one needs a group of Archers and Soldiers to put it down", Riveria said to me, nervousness and worry for me was visible in her eyes. I smiled and looking at her I replied," Sister, I know you love me. But I refuse to remain weak, I know what my position entails, but there are Elves who start fighting monsters as early as they are ten. So how can I cower when I am in the protection of an Elite squad, nonetheless?"


    She hesitated," But Ember, it is still dangerous", seeing her hesitation I hugged her much to her surprise and looking in her eyes I said," Sister, I also want to see you in Action! Please let me come with you! Pleassseeee?", I tried my best, my shota power has weakened considerably, however I gained an equal amount of Handsome boy power, so my attacks are still deadly.


    Riveria''s ears turned red slightly at their end, and in the end, she nodded," Fine", I smiled and started jumping with happiness, Noel looked at us amused, while other Elves seemed to be moved? Weird, their expressions were weird, but I decided to ignore it, after all sometimes even I found it difficult to know what is cooking in their mind, never doubt the craziness of fanatics.


    Thus, under Riveria''s care and Noel''s protection I was escorted to a fortress. There we met the Commander of Fortress, upon seeing me and Riveria, he and some other soldiers knelt, while the rest of them saluated us. " I greet His Highness and Her Highness", he said with respect and loyalty, Riveria nodded accepting his greeting and so did I, and Noel said," Sir Juriuf, Her Highness is here to join the monster hunt as a Magician, while His Highness is here to observe the bravery and skills of Elven soldiers, archers and mages!!"


    The Elf, whom Noel called Juriuf gave a nod," I see, Her Highness does come here often so it wasn''t surprising for me however for His Highness to come here it was a surprise for all of us... His Highness I promise on my Elven Honor, I would protect you during the hunt!", he said bowing to me, I said," Head high, Sir Juriuf, I would like to present my gratitude for you to become my protector despite my impromptu arrival."


    He stood up, and said," Surely you jest, Your Highness, as an Elven soldier it is our duty to protect the Alf Family and the people, not to mention your life holds much more significance than us, which we will sure to protect with our very lives", I narrowed my eyes hearing his words and sighed inwardly, yes, I totally get the reason why Riveria hated the attitude of Elves, in their eyes, we Royal Elves are the chosen ones to lead their race, to them, our lives matter more than them, sometimes even more than their families.


    '' But I would take this devotion over followers who can betray anytime '', I thought, I wasn''t Riveria, and I preferred their attitude, it was my selfishness, but it was what it was. Thus, after some small talk we finally departed under the safety of Elite Elven warriors, I decided to put up a small talk," Sir Juriuf, if I am not wrong fortress like this are built all around the Alf''s forest, right?"


    " Indeed, your Highness, around three hundred seventy-nine fortresses surround the entirety of Alf''s forest stationed with countless Elven soldier, protecting the people from the monster. They don''t form a circle; however, they do surround the entire Alf''s Royal Forest in a zig-zag manner, on top of that seven great fortresses lie in the outermost perimeter of the Alf''s Royal Forest", he said pausing for bit letting me ponder about his words.


    I nodded after verifying that everything was as I have read in the book, and so getting my signal he continued," The Outermost Great Fortresses are around an Elfen City and are filled with High Level retired Elf Adventurers, and highly trained soldiers, with countless Elf Mages, they are the first line of defense of Alf''s Royal Forest, and kill all the stronger monsters that usually approach the Forest, though many lower level monsters manage to slip through them, and the fortresses like ours in the inner area take care of them."


    " Sir Juriuf, I assume this defense also works against invaders?", I asked with interest, while I was sure of the fact, I still asked to broaden my horizons. Juriuf with a nod replied," Indeed, Your Highness, they also work against invading armies, though most of the countries don''t dare to attack us."


    Yes, who would be foolish to attack a country filled with Magicians and excellent Archers, even if their magic is weaker than Adventurers'' due to not having blessing of Falna, a group of well coordinate magicians can still unleash attack equivalent to Level 3s and even Level 4s, although they need a long-ass throat paining chant, the soldiers and Archers easily grant them time.


    Most importantly, Elves are a very united race, at least White Elves are, all Elves respect Alf''s Royal family, and if we are in trouble, all White Elves will come flocking back towards us to finish off the invaders, and if Orario''s high-level Elves come here, then invading country is pretty much as good as doomed.


    I again felt how good it is to be a Royal Elf belonging to Alf''s family, soon we arrived at our destination and Juriuf said," We have arrived, soldiers take your position!", everyone heeded his command," Sir Juriuf, I will begin with my chant then, Ember please stand away", Riveria said, and they nodded, and I was taken away to stand.


    "Efish Vir Meru Hshhimi...", Riveria started chanting the spell in Alfen, there were no Magic Circles forming around her, however I could feel the air around her behaving weirdly, she pointed her staff forward and soon a monster was running towards us, it was gravely wounded with several arrows piercing his body, my sister had completed the chant and quickly released the magic through the staff.


    A huge beam of fire released out of the tip of the staff and shot the approaching monster blowing it to smithereens, the Elves started praising her as the monster fell dead, and vanished leaving a Magic stone, it was purple in color, and fairly big, I think. " That was amazing as always, Your Highness", praised Juriuf, and Noel nodded.


    Riveria though just gave them a nod and looked at me with a smirk," How was it Ember? Your Big Sister is amazing right?", she asked, I chuckled seeing her and said," Indeed that was amazing! You annihilated that monster with a single strike!", she giggled hearing my praise, pride appeared on her face. " Your Highness, that wasn''t just any monster, it was a Level 2 monster", said Noel from my behind.


    " Level 2?", I asked surprised, and Noel said," Indeed your Highness, Her Highness''s Magic is indeed exceptional. There are 36 congenital Magics, out of which White Elves can use 12, her Highness has already mastered the strongest spells, I assume that in a little over two decades, her magical prowess will rival a Level 3."


    Noel''s words made me look at Riveria in different way, while she seemed to be on cloud nine from all the praise,'' Indeed, Riveria is not labelled as the Orario''s strongest Magician for nothing '', I thought, while congenital Magic has a big-ass chant, has higher chance of Ignis Fatuus, and overall weaker than a magic used with Falna, it is still impressive to reach the prowess of Level 2 or 3 without Falna and while I have read it in the books, seeing it in real life blows my mind.


    Again, that made sense, if that wasn''t the case the Elves would have been wiped away long ago when the Ancient Monsters had attacked us, after that we hunted a few more monsters, Riveria wiping away three more with magic before hitting her limit and had to drink a Magic potion to recover, the soldiers skillfully killed five more monsters themselves with no injuries showing their skills.


    Finally, we returned home at late night, after having a bath and dinner, I fell on my bed tired," Today was truly a wonderful day", I said to myself, tomorrow I will be fourteen, and in the celebration of my age coming ceremony a banquet was to be held, I yawned tired and decided to not think about it any further and fell to sleep.


    To be continued.

 7) Teatime with mommy

    ...


    Ember Pov


    "~Ahhh~Ember how is it?~I like this one the most~", said my mother as she sipped tea, I replied with a smile," It is delicious, mother", she chuckled, and an old Elf maid said," Your Highness this tea is especially imported from the Far East, it has an amicable aroma, a whiff of it heals you soul...", and so started her class on this tea''s seven wonders.


    The women around me giggled; my eyebrows twitched as I looked around. I was sitting on a chair beside my mothers, our chairs surrounded a huge rectangular wooden table, several other chairs had beautiful female elves seated on them. Everyone had a maid standing behind them except me, my eyebrows twitched in frustration as I was the sole male present here among a group of Elven Beauties.


    " Ada, now I carefully look, his highness is really handsome", said a Red-haired Elf, she had a truly voluptuous body, in fact every of the women sitting here had and it was something common. All of them were Milfs, and even I had hard time holding myself back from staring them. Ughh, I have just come to realized that Milf Elves are my type.


    " You are right Alyesia, my baby has grown up to be a wonderful man, though he is still quite young", my mother, Eda Larjos Alf said with a smile, her eyes cast a look at me full of affection, and next moment she pulled me into a hug into her bosom," Ghuk!", my head was pushed between her peaks, she hugged me tightly.


    "~Kyaaa! My son is so cute! I just want him to shower with my love, Ember is just so hardworking, graceful, good-looking and most importantly so cute that I often rethink about my marriage!", she said with a giggle,'' Rethink of your marriage? '', meanwhile I thought of her words and gulped. " Ada, it is not right, His Highness is so cute, we must also shower him with our affection!", Alyessia said, and others supported her.


    My mother pouted and said," Hmph! Why should I give him to you?! He is my son! I was the one to bear him in my belly for eighteen months!", my mother grabbed my head with possessiveness, but the other women weren''t to be trifled, as a war ensued and before I could comprehend, I was within the bosom of Alyessia.


    I looked at her and she giggled, "You are right Ada, your son is a real cutie!", she said, as I was snatched by another woman," So cute!!", and then by another," Your Highness!", and then by another, just like that I was passed from one Elf''s bosom to another, I silently enjoyed it, I was already sixteen yet they treated me like a child, despite all the training I didn''t got gorilla like muscles but slim muscles due to having Elven genes.


    My face while handsome was cute as well, at first, I was troubled as I neither had beard nor the moustache I had in my past life, but maybe if I am going to get this treatment by women it isn''t half bad. " Hmph! Give my son back!!!", mother shouted before claiming me in her bosom again, I smiled as this was heaven.


    " What are you old hags doing?!!!!!", suddenly a loud voice froze everyone, my mother became nervous and with a stiff smile she looked at the source of voice, I parted from my mother''s bosom, she had a very alluring body, but in the end she was my mother, so I just enjoyed her cute actions, and let her do whatever to me, even accepting her and her friends childish behavior as we rarely spent any time together.


    In the end she was the woman who had me in her womb for eighteen months, my cute and childish mother. Anyway, I turned to look at Riveria who was red with anger," What were you doing?! You all are older than a century! Teasing my younger who is a little over fifteen, don''t you all have any bit of shame?!", she asked, but all the women quickly shook her head," No", replied Alyessia in a blunt tone.


    " What about you mother?! Don''t you have a bit of shame?!", Riveria spat, Ada chuckled regaining her calm," Sweety, Ember is my son, why should I be ashamed of spoiling my child? Do you want to be spoiled as well? How about you come here?", our mother said, Riveria quickly got near us and grabbed my hand by surprise," Ember! Don''t let these old hags take advantage of you!", she said.


    " Ouch! You break my heart your Highness, to call a beautiful woman like me an old hag", said Alyessia, Ada nodded with her friend and said with tearful eyes," Indeed Alyesia, my daughter is a sort of authoritative person and quite sharp tongued, going as far as to insult her own poor mother", the other Milf women also had sad expressions. Even if I knew they were joking, seeing them like that troubled me.


    " As if I am going to believe in your fake tears!", Riveria snorted pulling me from there, I waved my hand at my mother, hinting that we will meet after I escape from my sister as I was pulled by my sister, she nodded with glee and once we left the garden, and had gone far enough, she stopped, looking around," It would seem they aren''t following us", she said with a sigh.


    " Sister, what''s the problem, I doubt my mother''s friend would do anything like that", I said with a serious expression, Riveria''s expression fell and ruffling my hair she said," I used to believe the same, but in the end, those old hags have nothing to do much, and once they get a sniff of something exciting, they go quite far", seeing her expression I realized she must have an Episode in past with them, but as her little good brother I didn''t dare to ask.


    " Anyway, I can understand the behavior of those old hags, even our mother is sometimes too much, but Ember! Why were you playing around with them?", she asked me, looking at me seriously,'' Ah the typical big sister glare '', I thought, not faltering I replied truthfully," Mother and her friends seems to enjoy, so I let them be, and their hug was comforting as well."


    Riveria''s face flushed in anger, before she took a deep breath to calm herself down, my height was still a bit shorter than her so I had to look up to her," Oh Ember you are so innocent, don''t worry as your Elder sister I will protect you from those disgusting old hags!", Riveria said in a resolute tone, she pulled me into a hug, and kissed me on my forehead.


    I was used to her affection, so it wasn''t anything surprising but still it made me wonder what my mother and her friends did in past to make Riveria like this, well on second thought let it be a mystery, I don''t want to ruin the image of my mother, she might get over the top sometimes, but she loves me a lot, and so do I her, if I get her image ruined, my eyes filled with disgust might break her, so for our sake it is better that, the past is buried.


    Riveria soon started giggling though leaving me confused,'' Did she think that she got one over my mother with hugging me? '', I thought, I was well aware of how affectionate they were contrary to the fact I usually spent very less time with them. My father was strict and rarely showed affection, but my elder sister and mother literally spoiled me to death.


    ...


    " So that''s what happened", I said feeling like an idiot, my mother was sitting beside me, she had already briefed me about what had happened in the past, apparently my mother and her friends had compared their assets in a bath with Riveria present, and even included her and well things went downhill with Riveria labelling them as perverts.


    " Riveria took it too seriously, I mean we were just having a tiny bit of fun. It''s not easy being a Nobility among Elves, we often get too tired and just do something silly or stupid to take all the tension off", said my mother with a sly smile, I just nodded as I know that something like this can be among the women considering their situation.


    " Still Ember, I told you so much Adult related things, yet you are so calm about it", she said with a smirk, I replied calmly," Isn''t that something just Biology, and you and your friends are just having fun being silly mother, if you expect me to go all blushing about it, I just can''t", being Biology student even only if limited to High-School have many perks, often your shamelessness level increases. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " So cold Ember, you are the type of the many women you know? Wait a minute! How about I introduce you to my friend? She only has hit her 80''s, and has one daughter, her husband is sadly dead, however she is open for a new guy, she has told me she likes cold people like you", she said, I gave her a deadpan look and sipped my tea and nodded.


    "~Kyaaa~ You are totally her type! How about I fix your date? Do you want to marry her daughter as well?!", she continued with her nonsense, one might wonder how I am able to take it, well in my past life I was used to my relatives especially Aunties joking that they will marry me when I am adult, and I always used to end up a blushing mess... at the beginning before I started becoming proactive.


    My mother''s ears dropped seeing me barely reacting to her and she released a sigh," Ember, you can react you know, if you don''t it takes away all the fun", my mother said with a pout, she looked cute, much cuter than my sister if I must add. Seriously how can you be an over century old and look cute as heck, well I mean if you have an extremely beautiful face, looking like human''s 20''s, it does make sense.


    Finished with my tea, I stood up and said," Now, mother I should leave, yesterday I wasn''t able to train, but today I have plans to go on a hunt", she smiled and approaching me hugged me," Ember, me and your father can''t spend much time with you and Riveria due to our duties, not to mention your father is always cold to both of you due to his position, but we both love you, so remember if you always need help, we are here, and well if that idiot doesn''t helps you, I will be always there for you and Riveria", she said.


    I became silent for a moment, and replied with a smile," Yes mother!", though only to get assaulted with kisses all over my cheek," So cute!!!", my mother yelled, sometimes having such an affectionate mother is trouble, but the one that I very much welcomed. Soon, I left the place, my mother had some work unfortunately, so she had to leave, however, she had said she would take some time out of her schedule for next few weeks to teach me Magic, after all her experience over a century was no joke.


    I have already learned three Congenital spells that White Elves use, they have only 9 verses of chant, and their attack power can barely kill level 1 monsters, still it was powerful enough to kill most of the weaker level 1 monsters. I soon reached my training area," Your Highness, it seems you are here", Miss Maya my Magic teacher greeted me.


    I nodded, and said," Indeed, Lady Maya", she smiled and chuckled, I was always polite to everyone. It was my way to get a good impression on everyone, even if Elves highly respect their Royalty. I quickly got there and took my Magic staff; it was a high-quality one normally used by level 4 or 5 adventurers.


    I already have plans to take some equipment with me when I leave the Alf''s forest, but that''s for later. I grabbed the Magic staff and got in the training area," Your Highness, make sure to concentrate while chanting, we wouldn''t like having an Ignis Fatuss right?", she said warning me, she did it every day, after all she didn''t want a member of Royal family like me to get injured.


    Magic came with its fair share of risks, while acquired magic has very little risks same can''t be said for congenital magic. This type of Magic can only be used by few races in the world, mostly the White and Dark Elves, and some species of Demi-Humans. There is also rare chance of any member of other species even a Prum or weretiger having affinity for magic, though that''s very very rare.


    I began my chant," Amia Meru Nidhe Sefar....", after nearly a minute a gush of water released from the tip of my staff, the pressure of the water destroyed the wooden target in front of me. Soon some soldiers standing nearby came and replaced it, as I began another chant, and released a fire ball at the wooden dummy, burning it into ashes.


    After that I continued the process till, I had used magic seventeen times more, before I started feeling dizzy," Here, take it Your Highness", Maya said, grabbing my shoulder from behind, and letting me lean on her body for support, she handed me a Mind Potion and I drank it feeling less dizzy, and my condition started getting better.


    " Your Highness, your magical talent is the best I have seen so far", Maya praised me, one would expect instructors and even teachers to be strict to me, but they barely did so, and often praised me so much that I would get embarrassed. But Maya didn''t lie about magical talent, when I used magic first time, I was able to use magic Eleven times before getting a mind down, while my sister barely used magic seven times before experiencing a mind down.


    It also needs to be taken in consideration that she had started learning magic at a much older age than I did, and after decades of training, she can use a weaker congenital magic at least twenty to thirty times or a stronger congenital magic three to five times before experiencing a mind down. Meanwhile I can use those easier spells, nearly nineteen to twenty times, this showed my Magical Talent.


    Now if by chance I experience an Ignis Fatuus with weaker spells they will barely hurt me, and with dozens of magic potions were prepared daily, just so I can heal from my injuries, and I fully took the advantage of it. But stronger spells'' Ignis Fatuus is life threatening, even if they had Elixirs in store, they still didn''t want me to get hurt when I can decrease the chances just by having more experience. So I had abstained from learning those longer chant magics.


    " Thank you, Miss Maya, it is your teachings that have brought me so far", I replied to her with gratitude, she blushed and said," My my, His Highness is sure a womanizer", I looked at her deadpan, replace some other Elf with me, lacking High-Elf race, and last name Alf, all you will get a cold stare, and some harsh words from her, that''s why I truly love my surname and so my race, I sighed, deciding to rest before starting with another round of Magic practice.


    To be continued...

 8) Slaying Monsters with a Sword Part 1

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I grabbed the hilt of my sword and looked at the Goblin walking through the bushes, without any further wait, I charged from my hiding place startling the Goblin, taking the advantage of the moment I lunged forward and stabbed its throat, using all of my strength, I pushed the sword upward cleaving its head into two halves, and the monster dropped dead.


    " That wasn''t bad", I said to myself, I was used to killing hordes of Goblins from far away with my bow, riddling them with arrows, I had even killed an Orc using magic, and recently even managed to slay it using but a few poisonous arrows. However, I didn''t have much experience of slaying monsters with a sword, which I needed to fix.


    So, after getting a good mastery over my sword skills, I was finally let to engage in close combats with monster, I had spars with Noel, and even Juriuf, they had praised me for my sword skills however pointed out that I lacked the experience and while I could fight against Elves just fine, I might face trouble with some of the monsters.


    Thus, choosing a Goblin, a being weaker than a human as my first target was idle, I can''t even begin to understand how much soldiers must have worked hard to prepare an ideal training situation for me." Your Highness that was wonderful, you were decisive enough and aimed at its vital point, however Goblins are very weak monsters, so a less lethal attack will work on them as well", Noel said jumping from the tree.


    There was a platoon of Elven Archers, who were really experienced acting as a safe measure incase anything goes wrong, there were also soldiers stationed a bit far from here, making sure no other monster breaks into perimeter. I felt embarrassed seeing the protection I had, if that poor Goblin had even survived for a second more, he would have been riddled with arrows, and poisonous ones on top of that, my security was really over the top.


    " Noel, I want to train more, taking a single Goblin out is nothing noteworthy", I said, and he nodded in understanding," Very well, a platoon of Elf Archers are keeping an eye on a Goblin nest not very far away from here, they have a mere sixteen Goblins, I think as long as we can separate them into smaller groups, Your Highness can engage in combat with one", Noel said. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " I would engage with all of them", I said my words widening his eyes," Your Highness! I can''t let you do something that risky! While Goblins are weak, in a group they can even overpower most seasoned of warriors!", he said with worry, I looked at him, " It''s my order Noel", I said, he became stunned hearing my command.


    Gritting his teeth, he sighed and said," Fine, your highness we will let you engage with them, however, an entire platoon of soldiers will surround you and the goblins, and Elf Archers will shoot the moment they think your life is in danger", my eyebrows twitched hearing his words, while I appreciated his concern for me, I was just going to deal with goblins.


    They were weakest of the bunch in entire dungeon, even slime-like monsters that existed were extremely stronger than them. I just nodded, knowing well If I were to push harder, for my safety they might even defy my orders. He nodded solemnly and started giving out orders, now why I was pushing my luck when I just had killed a single goblin?


    Yes, goblins are weak, but they are known to kill newbies by surrounding them in groups, earning the title of Newbie killers alongside kobolds on the surface, they kill off all those arrogant adventurers who think that weakest of monsters are easy. The thing was, I will be fighting against hordes of monsters, many times even alone in the future, how will I survive after leaving Alf''s forest if I can''t do something simple like this?


    This was the best time to learn this, I needed to learn how to fight hordes of monsters while keeping myself alive, or even how to escape them. When I will get falna is questionable, maybe for a few weeks I will have to survive without any falna, of course it will be in the worst-case scenario, but I will need to have some experience before to survive.


    It was the best time to get that experience, the chances of me dying here are very low, I am in protection of seasoned warriors who had been fighting against monsters for decades, even if I am injured, I won''t die, even if lose a limb or two, it isn''t the worst case scenario as High Potions and Elixirs were prepared just for to heal me if things went wrong.


    Thus, it was the current time that I learn, not when I have no protection and can die easily. Soon we arrived at the place," Noel, I want all of you to be on standby, don''t engage in the fight unless my life is threatened", I said, he nodded and quickly gave out order to the Elf Archers who were plenty, every Elf Archer kept a watch on a goblin, showing how much overkill of protection this was.


    I decided with a frontal assault, charging forward, I came in the view of the Goblins, they were startled by my presence and taking advantage of the chance I slashed one through its neck, beheading it, then stabbing another through the chest, finishing it off. By now, the Goblins started responding, I lunged forward, slashing three Goblins in a row rapidly.


    Then twisting my body, I slashed through the eyes of the Goblin that wanted to kill me, with a quick stab I finished it off, a Goblin lunged at me with a wooden club, I parried its attack, and then with a thrust I pierced through its chest, the Goblin released a painful whimper, but not caring about it, I kicked it''s body away freeing my sword and lunged at another Goblin cutting through it''s lower half.


    I kept attacking like this, my entire focus on being the Goblins, I parried their attacks, counter-attacked, slashed, thrusted, before I knew I had slayed every Goblin. I panted slightly looking at the dead figures of the Goblins lying on the ground. I felt a sense of accomplishment, I have done it, I have killed a horde of Level 1 monsters, even if the weakest of the bunch, but without falna and being an elf.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Noel watched in awe as Ember sliced through the horde of Goblins, while it seemed to last for a lot, the fight barely lasted long over a half a minute, he and other soldiers looked as their Highness disposed of the trash, not using Archery that Elves had mastered through sweat and tears, not the Magic that set them apart from other races, but swordsmanship and close combat.


    Elves were physically stronger than humans, but it wasn''t by a huge deal, just by mere 10%, yet being the proudful race they were they took note of every advantage they have over other races. They were born more agile than other races, they had a better hearing comparable to many demi-humans, a better eyesight than humans and most demi-humans, flexibility again greater than dozen of races.


    They were naturally adept in Archery due to their racial advantages, if that wasn''t enough they were one of the few beings know to possess congential magic. They naturally had a magic, and more than 90% of the Elves could use it with some practice, if they were granted falna then their chances of developing magic was one of the highest in entire Genkai, only a few demi-human races like renards had a magic talent rivaling them.


    Yet, they had a lot of disadvantages, they were again, one of the physically weakest races in Genkai, they were only above a few races like prums and humans, most of demi-humans surpassed them in strength, their rivals dwarfs were easily three to four times stronger than any average Elf, even Amazons, the race of warrior women were on average twice as strong as they Elves.


    So, in close combat Elves were always in disadvantage, therefore few Elves opted for the close combat, and even if they did, they preferred to fight in groups, only the Elves that were granted falna could escape this racial limitation and can be more ease with close combat. This just showed the reality of feat that Ember has accomplished.


    He wasn''t a seasoned warrior, and merely fifteen which can be considered a child by Elves'' standard, even if he was sexually an adult, still he was a child in other Elves'' eyes. Goblins and kobolds were one of the weakest races in the world, even then fighting against a horde, several newbie Elf soldiers need to be there to avoid any mishaps.


    Only a seasoned warrior with more than decades experience of fighting these ugly creatures can take on a small horde by himself, but Ember whose it was first time fighting against such a horde showed remarkable abilities. There were some mistakes indeed, as Noel thought Ember made some unnecessary movements, but again it was due to lack of experience than of skills.


    Of course, appreciating his skills wasn''t the only thing they did; in fact, they were ready to assist Ember in anyway if something was to happen. Archers would not hesitate to make goblins into porcupine if even so much as a scratch was made on their prince. Swordsmen were ready to charge in a way even if it risks their life, and they had to act meat shield for Ember, showing his position among the present Elves.


    " Sir Noel, I have finished them, how it was?", Ember asked for his opinion," Your Highness-", he took a deep breath and continued," It was spectacular", he praised him, even other Elves started praising him, Ember remained calm, and then Noel started telling him of his mistakes, however light it may be. Ember listened with focus, and nodded, asserting to hunt another horde, this time they had a kobold lair nearby.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    We arrived at the kobold lair, they had approximately thirty kobolds here, again Noel expressed his concern, but I shut up using my authority. This one was an open lair, the monsters were not killed only for them to become living targets for the newbie soldiers to train. There were numerous Kobold lairs, they were often slain in bulk, however a few were left to re-populate.


    I walked through the bushes, and looked in front, I could see small creatures having a wolf head, two hands and two legs, they had a semi-erect spine. I could see more than a dozen of them, sneakily the Elf Archers surrounded the areas, the Kobold suddenly became wary as they smelled of us, without hesitating I lunged forward, killing one by dividing it into two halves.


    The Kobolds screeched as they glared at me, they started attacking me, I smiled, and taking a battle stance I counter attacked a Kobold''s attack, and then stabbed in its eye killing it, then I slashed through another kobold, stabbed another, one suddenly attacked from my behind, lunging on me, as it struck me, I grabbed it and threw it upside down, then kicking it at its face, I slashed another kobold down, before stabbing the one below me in its mouth.


    The blood again spilled on my sword, and this time even staining my armor, I grinned as the Kobolds stopped, finally feeling fear. They were just that weak, and attempted to run to save their puny lives, when I charged forward and stabbed one from behind, slashed another, and then again slashed another, just like that I continued fighting, though for first time I heard a few arrows whizzing through the air, not to protect me but to penetrate the ones that had managed to escape me.


    Once I had finished, I was panting lightly, I was a bit tired, but my stamina was enough for me to go longer, maybe perform this feat two or three more times." Your Highness are you injured anywhere?", he quickly asked me, a potion in his hand, I shook my head, he breathed in relief," Your Highness you are a genius, you managed to slay twenty-four kobolds, and the rest that escaped your range were slayed by the Archers", he said praising me.


    " Here takes this your highness", he said trying to hand me the potion, but I shook my head, and ordered to go to next lair, this time having trust in my skills they agreed. I also reasoned with Noel, that I had enough stamina and wanted to see how far I could push. The monsters here were weak, pathetically so, but I didn''t have falna as well, so my performance was quite good.


    I don''t believe I am extremely strong heaven defying genius, I am still waiting for my system, having slight hope of it remain within me, however I won''t stay still, and continue to push myself forward, the feat that I have achieved was testament of my hard work poured through sweat and tears, and I wanted to take out best of myself, before I leave Alf''s forest.


    To be continued...

 9) Hunting monsters with a sword Part 2

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I finished the Goblin below my feet by stabbing it on its head, it released a small cry before dying. I took a deep breath, as I threw the body of Goblin away, I didn''t knew how many monsters I had killed today, and neither I bothered, I looked at the wound on my hand gritting my teeth slightly, I had been fighting for hours, moving one place to another, fighting off the hordes of Goblins and Kobolds, and in the end one of them had managed to hit my hand.


    Worse it was with a knife, a bit rusty one, and had cleaved through my flesh, fortunately wound wasn''t that deep and I quickly used an antidote, but refused to have a healing potion till now, it happened exactly in the previous round where I slayed the monsters, even if the soldiers begged me to use a healing potion, I refrained to do so, only using the Antidote.


    I wanted to increase my pain tolerance further, thankfully due to my intense daily training, I already had quite the pain tolerance, enough not to break into tears, and still give these bastards hell while I am at it." Your Highness!!", this time a female Elf came, bottles of potion where in her bag, and held a Health potion.


    " Please your Highness, take the healing potion!", she begged with teary eyes seeing my wound, I gave a tired smile and said," I will, now would you han-", she quickly splashed the potion on my wound not letting me finish my wounds, I released a small moan, as the wound on my hand magically clotted quickly, and then shed revealing the white skin free from any blemish.


    I looked at my hand in shock, as the process happened too quickly, I looked at the Elf for answers, she blushed and said," That was an Elixir", finally I understood how my wounds healed so quickly, and my mouth widened," Wait a minute isn''t an Elixir worth like hundred thousand Alfians?!", I said shocked, that was too expensive of a treatment, I was thinking about taking only a High Potion.


    " Your Highness!", Noel said looking at me with slight anger, I was surprised to see a very rare expression," I know you are a genius your highness, but we don''t want you to get hurt, please don''t work so hard, you can rest you know?", he said," Indeed your Highness, while it is incredible that you managed to slay ninety seven kobolds and fifty two goblins, please don''t work hard", another female Elf stepped forward looking me with extreme worry.


    I sighed looking at the Elf that splashed an Elixir on my injury like it is worth dimes," Your Highness, that goblin dared to blemish your body with that bound, using an Elixir to make sure that the injury heals, and no scars remain is but a small price to pay, I dare say, that if it for your highness, I will pay out of my pocket to buy Elixirs, to ensure you remain unsullied from the wounds done by those lowly maggots", she said surprising me.


    "I- I see", I replied, shocked myself, they were devoted I knew, extremely so, and I had thought I have understood the depth of their devotion, maybe I did, but seeing it for real feels unreal.'' Damn, they are gonna guilt trap me like this '', I thought wanting to cry, suddenly Noel asked me," Your Highness, your armor is covered in the blood of those filth, please let us remove it."


    I nodded deciding to let them do whatever they want, Noel and some soldiers came and removed my armor, while I sat on a rock, once they did, the female Elf Archers came, and looked at me eagerly," Your Highness, please let us clean the filth on your body, it is painful for us to see you in this state", an Female Elf said, her eyes filled with worry, I just gave a nod.


    The moment they received my answers joy filled their faces, and taking out clothes, and dipping it in a water from a bucket, which God knows from where came they started cleaning sweat, dirt, and blood stains from me, their movement was gentle and delicate filled with care, and I felt joyful seeing several female Elves, each one a seasoned archer and a beauty treating me like this.


    After half an hour of wiping me with clothes, and making sure I was clean, did they stop. I was already rejuvenated due to the Elixir, but I still felt it was a waste, as my wound wasn''t too deep, otherwise I wouldn''t have been able to continue fighting in the first place, but well what was done is done, no need to cry over spilled milk.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Five months have passed since Ember''s first hunt with him using only his swordsmanship. It had caused quite a stir once Ember returned, since his behavior was deemed extremely reckless by everyone, while his father seemed slightly pleased, and why wouldn''t he be? His prodigious son once again proved himself, that his talents aren''t limited to only academics, once he heard of the feat accomplished by Ember he was pleased.


    Of course, not everyone shared his feelings, especially Ember''s mother, sister and his maid, who were petrified hearing of what he did in the forest during his hunt. His mother was almost on brink of tears, hearing her son pushing through all those difficulties ignoring the leisure provided to him. Even Riveria had questioned him sternly, demanding an explanation of his actions and his answer baffled them.


    '' Sister, this world is a dangerous place, monster roam over the ground destroying lives as we speak of, as an Elf Royalty responsible for the Elves, how can I remain weak? It is my duty to get strong for not only their sake, but also for my own '', he had replied, earning appreciation from every Elf present, once his achievement and words leaked out of palace, they shook the entire Alf''s Royal Forest.


    The White Elves felt extreme respect for their prince, their beloved prince, and his words moved them all. Many even gathered before the perimeters of the Royal Palace, showing their respect, devotion, and gratitude to their prince. Ember was totally embarrassed by it, as while his words weren''t a lie, his objective by no means was that noble as they thought to be. He just sighed and decided to focus back on his training.


    For the past five months he had been training monsters daily, slaying them in close combat, however often he would use his bow to strike down stronger targets like Killer Ants, War Shadows, and even Orcs, the first two were known as newbie killer''s similar to the newbie killer duo of Kobolds and Goblins, whom people with Falna can defeat easily, the former two were newbie killers of dungeon and latter were of world outside the Orario, where one might find a bigger horde of Goblins or Kobolds in wild by accident.


    He also killed Orcs using his congenital magic spells, and Ember soon found the necessity of learning and mastering the concurrent chanting, which could be game changer, giving him capability of slaying Level 2''s in the wild, at least the monsters since their long chant made them impractical against the sentient species.


    ...


    Riveria Pov


    I finished chanting my spell, releasing the magic from the tip of my wand, I obliterated the foe that stood against us, a Lizardman, it had been already on the brink of death by the poisonous arrows we had shot, and was reduced to my practice target, now after being a victim of my magical prowess it was reduced to dust, even its Magic stone decimated.


    The Elves with me started praising me, the older Elf mages looked me with pride, while younger one with adoration, however to me it felt empty, as I gripped my staff harder. '' It''s useless, for decades all I had been doing is but killing monsters even if Level 2 or 3, gravely injured by the Elf Archers, and soldiers, even the hunt that provides some fun to me, now seems dull '', I thought in my mind.


    I was born as a High-Elf, an Elf Royalty, noblest among our kind. The power that comes with position is astonishing, as long as I say the words, the Elves would do so without any questions. I have loved reading books, ones that were filled with knowledge of the world outside to Alf''s Royal Forest and magic, I have read, read and read so many books, enough to fill half the Royal Library. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I wanted a change, I wanted to challenge myself, and the spark that had been hidden inside me was ignited by the reckless act of my younger brother. Ember Ljos Alf, he was born with same destiny as me, sheltered, revered, respected. He was fond of knowledge as I am, he is also a genius who mastered basics of Elvish after six months of speaking his first words at the age of seven months.


    He even started walking at the age of nine months, after that he showed us many wonders, he mastered koine, showed intense talent for Arithmetic''s, almost perfect memory mastering everything taught to him. He started Archery training at an early age, magic training and now even had learnt swordsmanship at the age of sixteen.


    It didn''t seem special if we ignore that his mastery over the respective fields were comparable to people who had been working on them for decades, the only people who could compare to my younger brother, were them, the people bestowed grace by the Gods. The topic of Falna, God''s blessing, and the being called Gods always interested me, but unfortunately my father, hated them to his very being.


    I could understand the reason if the words he spoke truth, I even had tried verifying it from the Elf Adventures that would often come to Alf''s Royal Forest, yes, Gods treated our world like a game, but I have heard from an Elf, his God has mourned for the child he had lost, cried for hours before calming down, heard him say how painful it was for him to watch his God, depressed for weeks after the death of his child.


    I have come to conclusion, just like mankind, how there were various types of people from pure evil to selfish, to extremely kind, gods were same, but my father refused to believe it and with the tradition of our lineage guarding the Alf''s Royal Forest and leading our kind, he had refused my any request to visit the outside world.


    There were a few things that gave me joy, and my little brother Ember was one of them, watching him reading books, with his eyes focused on the pages was soothing to me, seeing him embarrassed or attempting to express his feelings was extremely cute, he seemed cold and aloof, but it was because of him going with flow, and maybe being fed up with the treatment he was receiving.


    I never understood though why he was so determined to get strong, it''s not like I totally don''t understand but he doesn''t have much experience of the world, yet to crave for power despite not experiencing the need for it, was something baffling to say the least. There were just so many things, that my little brother made me proud over.


    His reckless actions of attempting fight monsters like kobolds and goblins, given they are weakest of the bunch, alone using sword had nearly given me a heart attack. Yet, it had ignited me, I wanted to feel the thrill in my boring life, the same thrill and excitement he must have filled when battling those monsters, I was an excellent Archer with huge experience to back me up, my congenital magic is capable of killing a single Level 3 if I use all of my mind.


    But here is where problem lies, I am a bad swordswoman, heck I had even given up seeing how difficult and unsuitable it was for me, the only close combat weapon that I was good at using was a spear or a pole, and they don''t make an ideal weapon for an falnaless Elf to charge in a battle against a horde of monsters alone.


    " Is something the matter princess?", my instructor, Arina asked me with worry breaking my thoughts, I just shook my head and replied," Nothing much, I was just thinking on how to improve my abilities ", she nodded, ugghhh, how much better it would have been if I could just have falna, but no! I have a father who loath Gods, a mother who while doesn''t loath gods, isn''t going to help me either, in fear of something bad happening to me.


    Seriously Ember being in my life is just so refreshing, his cuteness just soothes my soul, and even if he isn''t a child anymore, he was still cute, and extremely charming. The moment he smiles, he looks so charming as if I can see his entire being glowing, and a melody ringing in my ears.'' That''s it! Tommorrow I will accompany Ember and see what I can learn from him! '', My eyes lit up on the idea, as I hummed slightly, being comfortably seated in the carriage.


    ...


    A few hours ago,


    Ember Pov


    My close combat abilities had increased with leaps and bounds, I have slayed over three thousand monsters using nothing but swordsmanship, a spectacle truly praiseworthy, I could bet I would have gotten 300 or 400''s in my stats if I had falna. Whatever, today I had a new goal to achieve, and I have ventured to the southern part of the Alf''s Royal Kingdom within the forest for it.


    " Your Highness, the scout has returned reporting the presence of a small group of Killer Ants", an Elf commander said to me, Noel was behind me, just doing his job of bodyguard. Now one might wonder, how there are so many monsters in the Alf''s Royal Forest? In this era, the dungeon''s underwater opening hasn''t been closed and all three great quests are yet to be announced.


    That means Behemoth, Leviathan are still alive, monsters are breeding as always, however fighting against unpredictable monster hordes costs lot of lives, and are devastating, so my grandfather came up with a clever plan, to let some nest of monsters remain on the perimeter of the Alf''s Royal Forest, where many Adventurer Elves gather, mostly to retire or just to have a break of decade or so.


    This adventurer will not only use those monster nests and control the selective monster populations, but the monsters will also act as experience for newbie soldiers and Elf Adventurers, not many species were allowed of course, only Level 1 species, there is also a constant stream of monsters trying to invade Alf''s forest, most of which are slayed on the perimeters, however a few managed to roll inside, which are taken care by soldiers in fortress or deliberately guided to become practice targets for Elf Mages or Archers.


    This plan was clever and came up with its own share of risk, however it was successful, making even Falnaless Elves a force to reckon with, even the Amazons and Rakia Kingdom don''t dare to invade Alf''s Royal Forest, and if they did, or any other power, they won''t only have to go against Elves living here, but also all Elf Adventurers from all over the world, who will gather the moment they get the whiff of their motherland in being danger.


    Now, we had received reports of a small group of Killer Ants escaping to the inner parts of the Alf''s Royal Forest, and they have been found, I replied after deciding on what to do," I would like to engage in close combat with them- and before you all panic listen to my entire plan", my words shocked them. Noel sighed, and so did others waiting patiently to listen my plan.


    " I want the Elf Archers and Mages to finish up all Killer Ants leaving but a single not injured one, then I want you all to chase them to a place, where I and a group of seasoned soldiers will be with me, and Elf Archers on the watch, I want to engage in close combat together with them, which will also ensure my safety", I said, they sighed hearing my plan, and soon replied with a thundering voice," Yes, Your Highness!!"


    Soon the plan was put into action, Noel and five more soldiers were waiting with me, to kill a Killer ant, on average three soldiers would be enough to do the job, however for my safety, more will be taking part in the fight. " Very well, I want Noel, and anyone of you to engage in battle against Killer Ant with me, if the fight seems to be not in favour, I want the rest of you to chim in", I said, giving my orders and they nodded, quickly choosing the second fighter amongst themselves.


    " It is coming!", an Elf Archer sitting on a tree branch said, the Killer Ant soon came into our view, it was running towards us, it had a red exoskeleton, and three pairs of limbs, it also had big mandibles that could crunch bones into pieces, without any wait, I commanded," Attack!", I charged towards the Killer Ant while drawing my sword from the sheath strapped on my left.


    The monster screeched seeing me, it''s mandibles clicked rapidly as if wanting to crunch me into pieces alive, I have seen Killer Ants from far, crying in despair as I riddled holes in them or just obliterated from the face of the earth with my magic, it was thrilling to engage in a close combat with it, the Ant charged towards me.


    I grinned and charged faster, then with a feint, I moved to its side, Noel attacked on its face, the Ant became confused seeing his opponent change and had to face Noel to save himself from being ripped apart, moving from the side, I jumped, and stabbed the sword on its throat. I heard a metal clink as my sword clashed against its hard exoskeleton, I quickly withdrew knowing that I had missed the attack, the second Elf soldier meanwhile quickly garnered its attention from me.


    I quickly focused on its neck, not willing to make a mistake again, I charged forward, and then with a powerful slash, I beheaded it, the next moment its head rolled down, a sense of accomplishment filled me, as the monster laid dead on my feet. " That was amazing Your Highness, your swordsmanship being as amazing as ever", the soldier praised me.


    " No need, I made a mistake in my first attack, otherwise it would have been died on my first strike", I said, shutting him and others up, who were about to praise me for my kill," Indeed your Highness, however that was only because of you not having fought them in close combat, you quickly organized yourself after your failed attack, and landed a swift strike beheading it", Noel praised me anyways.


    I nodded, it wasn''t something glorious as my first day, but I was satisfied with my kill, since that would only mean less hard work for me in future," Let''s call it a day, Noel. I am satisfied with today''s hunt", I said, deciding to take a rest, not to mention, I was hungry and couldn''t wait to dig in the delicacy that would be served during dinner, made by Remia and others. Thus, we soon departed for the Royal Palace.


    To be continued...

 10) Learning Concurrent chanting with sister

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I looked at my sister, Riveria who was looking outside the carriage, I looked behind to see the Royal City getting smaller with time in my eyes. " It would seem it will be your first time visiting that fortress", Riveria suddenly said, and I nodded," Indeed sister, although every year our mother takes us to visit other Elf cities, and by now I have visited most of the Elf Cities, I still haven''t visited another fortified fortress other than the ones near our Royal Palace", I replied.


    I have visited most of the major Elf cities that are within Alf''s Royal Forest, firstly the Alf''s Royal Forest itself is quite large spanning around a ten thousand square kilometers in diameter, it is a large forest which constitutes of several large tree species. Almost at the center of the forest is the Royal Capital, spanning a few dozens of square kilometers.


    Then come the major cities in the middle between the centre and outer region of the forest, surrounded by a large number of fortresses, on top of each city having its own guards. They are ruled by the members of Elf Nobility, then come several smaller cities and towns, then finally come the border cities, which are full of Elf soldiers, archers, mages, and most importantly Adventurers.


    While Royal Family as whole, excluding a few like me, had been hating gods, they do know the importance of the adventurers, so many retired Elf Adventurers settle down in the border cities, which are a tad more modern the inner major cities, to work as soldiers, guards or anything, as it pays very well, they can also live in inner cities, or even in the Royal Capital.


    On this matter, apparently three level 5''s and one level 6 live in Royal Capital, however I have barely seen them, and they only work when there is trouble that Falnaless Elves cannot stop, I mean they are retired for a reason, and I believe many of the adventurer leaving in the border cities are the same. Only acting when there is danger, well I did find it to be upsetting, as I couldn''t get a high level as my instructor.


    There aren''t many adventurers leaving in Royal Capital, just four or five, with all being High-Level Adventurers, I sighed, my sister asked me," Is something bothering you?", I looked at her and replied with a slight shrug," It''s nothing much, it''s just I found it to be upsetting that I didn''t knew we had high level adventurers until a few months ago."


    Hearing me complain she chuckled," I get it, even I got to know it a lot later on, when I was about 16, we both know father hates gods and he ignores topic related to adventurers, it was only when I asked about it, mother told about it to me", she said and I nodded, only when Riveria found out about me trying to learn about adventurers a few months back, when I had just started with my close combat, did I learn about it.


    " Hey, sister, there is a lot of time till we reach, how about you share your knowledge with me?", I asked, she pouted and said," You are always like, '' I want to know this and that '', chill a bit Ember, you wouldn''t like getting overworked", well I guess here it goes my chance to learn something new," Well, on second thought, I can tell you about something", maybe not?


    I looked at her with attention," Well you know Aina right? It''s about her, and what I learned when she became my maid", she asked staring at me, I nodded," Of course I know about Aina, it''s hard to not forget her when she is your personal maid now", I said, she nodded and said," Well, while Aina and her parents are normal Elves, her grandfather was an High-Elf, he didn''t have the most pure bloodline, and he married a normal Elf, resulting their children being Normal Elves."


    " I see", I replied, suddenly her face was full of displeasure," It is funny, I didn''t knew we were cousins till she became my maid, though now it makes sense why her hair colour and eyes were so similar to mine and father''s, apparently her father being a normal Elf was no longer eligible to live in palace, or become a duke, well he could have been a noble, but decided to discard the opportunity", she said.


    I can understand her, I knew that Aina''s ancestry from my memories of past life, well it is quite handy that I have nearly an eidetic memory, again a perk of being High-Elf, but that''s later for now," How many things our father has been hiding from us?", I suddenly asked," A lot", she replied bluntly, I just nodded, I know he loves us, he encourages us whenever needed, praises me often when I do something spectacular.


    But he is also a man with flaws, he hates Gods so much, that it blinds him from the opportunity of seeing the few Good Gods present. He is also extremely dutiful to his kingdom, barely sparing any time for us, in fact none if we speak. Since he was thrown to become a king under the expectations of everyone discarding his dream, he would dislike if he we will know the outside world more than he do or hate if we try to explore it.


    In a way he was basically the hard-working good father as long as you stay away from the topic that gets on his nerves, and he will turn into typical conservative father. Truly a hassle, I shook my head thinking about him. After that I found a random topic to talk with my sister, we discussed various things about the world we know, we have read, our knowledge of magic, and our eagerness to explore the world yet unknown.


    Before we knew, we had arrived at the fortress, the conservation with my sister was over, it started unpleasant and I can already smell her annoyance towards father in her words, did that man did something to irk her? Maybe I need to ask mother once we return. We came out of the carriage and saw a not so surprising scene.


    Dozens of Elf soldiers, archers and mages were standing on both sides as a carpet was laid on the ground to the main entrance, the commander of this place I assume, came running to us, he got on his knees the next moment and said," We greet her Highness Riveria Ljos Alf and His highness Ember Ljos Alf!", the soldiers saluted.


    My sister gave a nod, and said," Commander Redin, we are here on a monster hunt to hone our skills, though it would seem evening is near, and it would be best if we started tomorrow, I would like if you show way to our abode", her voice sounded majestic, cold, and commanding, the Elf nodded, and quickly walking forward us.


    We were escorted to our room, and after giving him a think with a small blow, we got into our rooms, at least I tried to before my sister dragged me into hers. " Sister, what''s the matter?", I asked, she grinned and said," Ember, you are sleeping with me!", I instantly replied," Nope", and pausing for a second I continued," We are outside the royal city, and palace, sister, it would be weird to others if we sleep in the same room, considering I am an adult by now."


    " Ember it is the order of your elder sister! You must obey me!", she said in an authoriative tone, and the next moment I had half of my body outside the room," Wait a minute!", she said grabbing my arm," Won''t you let your elder sister spoil you rotten Ember?", she said in a sweet tone, her facial expression also made her seem like cute, yes seem like cute.


    She was the cold type of beauty, not the airhead, trying to act like one only made me feel weird and the entire situation awkward. " Nope", I rebutted her, and left the room, getting into my own only for it to be invaded by her. " Sister", I sighed as she entered the room," Ember", she bit her lips, with a deep sigh she said," It is weird right? We are siblings, yet we have barely time to meet each other, I miss those days when me, you and Aina used to play together."


    She was being overdramatic, but it had the effect she had intended as my poor weak heart gave up under her assault, with me finding my head buried on her bosom as we laid on the bed. " You are so cute Ember, no matter how old you grow up, for me you will always be cute", she said, this woman knew how to appease me, I was an Elf, and despite my peculiarities, I liked the praise, especially when it is coming from a hot ara-ara onee-san. Just like that we passed the night.


    ...


    The next day after having our breakfast we were near an Goblin hideout, it had apparently fifty-nine Goblins, which made me itching for fight," Ember your idea is reckless", my sister remarked, glaring at me," Indeed, but it will be best way for me to get stronger, and learn concurrent chanting", I replied, I had naturally taken many thing into consideration, I was reckless indeed, but not a fool and I won''t be alone in this battle.


    " Fine, I will join you", she said, making my eyebrows raised, the commander meanwhile quickly said," Your Highness, his highness is an outstanding close combat, but I fear-", he stopped, he didn''t accidentally want to insult her abilities, which made it just more difficult for him to persuade her. " No buts, commander Redin, I may be not as good as my brother in close combat or using sword, but I can use a spear just fine, and our enemies are but measly goblins, lowest of the lowest", she said.


    Commander Redin didn''t say anything further, as it would only entail, we are incapable of handling the weakest of the surface monster dwellers. Me and Riveria had already discussed about it earlier, both of us wanted to learn Concurrent chanting, well my sister had already learned a bit of it, capable of chanting continuously as a monster runs towards her, or chanting as she evades attacks.


    But she just like me wanted to learn concurrent chanting being capable of fighting monsters while releasing out magic like it''s nothing. We soon took our position, the Elf Archers stealthy got on a branch, Goblins were stupid creature, so it was easy to surround them. Soon, we charged, startling the Goblins, brandishing my sword, I cut through a Goblin and started chanting.


    "Asf inem Ghir Deima...", I chanted as I tackled and battled against the horde of the Goblins, my focus on the chant I was reciting, making it difficult for me battle against the Goblins, the act of chanting while battling enemies was tough, it was just like thinking of doing two things at same time, however I continued reciting.


    "Shrrrrring", A sharp sound resounded as my sword clashed against a rusted sword held by a Goblin, I stepped backwards and on getting my balance I again charged forward," Emeri-", my chant stopped as a wooden club struck my legs with such force that I could feel my bones cracking, I fell forward as the rusted sword of the Goblin struck towards me.


    *Booom* S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A boom resounded throughout the place as the Goblins near me were thrown away, while blood dripped from my body. I got on my feet, my vision blurry, I could hear the whizzing of the arrows as they penetrated the vile creatures to their death, cries of many people, including my sister. I tried to take out the potion only to fall in the ground.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Ignis Fatuus occurs when a person fails to use their magic, letting their mana go awry in the midst of the chant, causing an explosion that not only injures the caster, but also the people nearby if they are close to the caster. The chances of an Ignis Fatuus were extremely higher in congenital magic than in acquired magic, also using concurrent chanting had a greater risk of Ignis Fatuus.


    It was extremely dangerous, especially to the Falnaless, as they have no superhuman endurance or durability of an adventurer, even the weakest Falna user magician have a superhuman durability making the effects of their own Ignis Fatuus not severe to them, but a person with no falna, using a magic capable of killing level 1, if he gets an Ignis Fatuus, it could be life threatening.


    That exactly happened, in the midst of the battle, Ember was barely managing to prevent an Ignis Fatuus with his half of the attention on fighting his enemies, Archers were observing Ember and Riveria from far, especially Riveria, as she had less close combat experience than others, Commander Redin had specially instructed them to take care of Riveria, as compared to him Ember was a prodigy.


    He had done so many feats that it had become common for everyone who heard his deeds to think that he was capable of doing just everything, add an unhealthy amount of devotion into the mix, Elves would rather admire their prince than think he needs their help. That was the same mistake archers did, with majority of them having their eyes on Riveria, the few that were looking after Ember, were admiring his swordsmanship.


    They wanted to see the first concurrent chanting of their prince with their own eyes, as nothing would make them more blessed to see one of the feats achieved by their prodigal prince. Their eyes were so fixated on their prince that they missed the Goblin slowly making his way to the back of Ember, it jumped suddenly striking Ember''s legs from back, cracking his bones.


    The chant that Ember was reciting stopped and next moment a boom resounded as the magic that Ember was conjuring exploded. The Goblin with the rusty sword was thrown back, for a second there was silence, the Elves who were Archers were frozen on their place, all of their eyes widened to see their prince in a bloody condition, his body was charred black, blood leaked from his countless injuries on the body, it was miracle he was alive.


    *Whiz* *Whiz*


    Without any further await the Archers rained hell on the Goblins, the soldiers surrounding the place charged without any hesitation," Save His Highness!!", Commander Redin commanded, as he ran towards barely standing Ember," Ember!!!", Riveria shouted canceling her magic, ignoring the wound on her hand, that occurred due to her losing her focus in the fight she ran towards her brother.


    The moment Ember fell, the hell began, the soldiers seeing their prince falling on the ground went crazy, charging recklessly to kill the Goblins, getting injuries in the process. The Archers jumped from their place and started shooting at the Goblins mercilessly. Redin and Riveria reached near the unconscious Ember, Riveria quickly turned his body upside down, and burst into tears seeing his condition.


    Ember''s face was half-black with his skin charred, he was bleeding heavily from his forehead, his hands and legs were in same condition with his light-weight armor cracked and broken at places. Redin quickly took out his armor, and Riveria steeling herself, took the potion fallen on the ground and splashed it on his body.


    She took another from her and splashed again, then took out another and splashed another. In a few seconds his body started healing however, his breathing was extremely weak," He must have internal injuries, we must make him drink the potion for it to be mor-", Redin stopped seeing Riveria taking a mouthful of High-potion in her mouth, and kissing Ember the next moment.


    She quickly started passing the potion in his mouth through hers, finding resistance she used her tongue to resolve it. Then breaking from the kiss, she looked anticipatingly at Ember, a moment latter his healing hastened, seeing it was working, she took another High-potion in her mouth, and kissed Ember to make him drink the potion.


    Soldiers and Archers had long slayed all the Goblins, the limbs, heads, and blood of the foul creatures was all over the place, they had surrounded their highness, looking with extreme worry, as Riveria fed him a potion, many even had tears in their eyes seeing his condition, a few Elf Archers fell on the ground grabbing their head, they were none other who were charged overseeing his fight.


    Once Ember''s 90% of the injuries had healed did everyone got relief, Riveria hugged him in her embrace, crying with relief, as she felt his heartbeat against her chest, Redin stood up, and quickly glared at the Elf Archers, three female and one male, on the ground," You piece of shits!", he cursed as he grabbed the sole male one by collar and punched him on the face, breaking his nose.


    " What the hell you were doing?!!!", he shouted holding a bloody Elf Archer and glaring at other three who shrunk down," Commander Redin enough!!!", Riveria said, stopping him, she looked at him and said," We must escort Ember to the fortress first, and prepare an Elixir for him, after that we can decide their punishment!", Redin said nothing, seeing the extremely cold look she was giving to them.


    " Everyone, quickly gather!", he said, and then started giving his orders, soon they had escorted him to the fortress. The moment they reached the fortress it caused an uproar among the soldiers, on seeing the condition of Ember, realizing something must have happened. He was quickly escorted to his bedroom, and two Elixirs, the only present in the fortress were taken out.


    " Damnit! I am a fucking idiot! Why didn''t we take an Elixir with ourselves?!", Redin berated himself, Riveria remained quiet looking at Ember, a female Elf quickly entered the room, she was none other than one of the few healers in the fortress," Seria, quickly check upon his highness!", he commanded her, the female Elf nodded, and quickly checked on Ember.


    " He is out of danger, however, he might still have internal injuries, so making him drink an Elixir, while splashing another on his remaining wounds would be preferable", she gave her diagnosis, as an Falnaless Healer, her healing magic was barely on the level of a normal healing potion despite her being one of the Elite healers.


    However, due to it, Elf Healers were taught Elf anatomy, and various medical practices, diagnosis methods, etc. They were doctors of danmachi world in a sense, thus her words held more worth than one might thought. Riveria on hearing her words, quickly grabbed an Elixir, and drinking it, quickly kissed Ember next moment, using her tongue and mouth to pass down the Elixir.


    The Female Elf froze, and Redin sighed, once Riveria had finished with kissing Redin said," Your Highness, you should have let Seria handle it", Riveria blushed upon hearing it, Seria said," It doesn''t matter, what her Highness did was an effective method- not to mention I can understand how worried she is", Riveria gave her grateful look, and Redin nodded.


    " Your Highness should we imprison those Elves", he suddenly asked," Yes", Riveria replied not looking at him, but clearly angry on inside, Seria shook her head realizing well that most probably those Elves will get beheaded for their mistake," Sir Redin, I will request though, do not give any punishment till Ember wakes up, it should be him to give them a punishment", suddenly Riveria said.


    " It shouldn''t be any other way, Your Highness", Redin said with a bow, soon he nudged Seria to leave, and they left the room. Riveria gritted her teeth and clenched her fists,'' Why? Why did it happen? '', she thought to herself looking at Ember, she knew the answer, yet she couldn''t find the right reason. She could only wait for her brother to recover.


    To be continued...

 11) Distraught emotions

    ...


    Ember Pov


    '' Where I am? '', The first thought that came to my mind as I opened my eyes, seeing a well decorated roof, I couldn''t remember what exactly was I doing last, well who I am anyway? The thought remained for a fleeting moment before I recognized myself, '' I am Ember Ljos Alf, the prince of the White Elves of Royal Alf''s Forest, I am also someone who had reincarnated with no cheats whatsoever in this world, having the memories of my past life.''


    I found myself to be relieved on not losing my memories, wait why I am worried in first place? Ughh, all my thoughts seemed to be in a mess, I tried to stand up when I felt a lip brush past my cheek, I got alerted and turned my head to feel something on my lips. My eyes widened as I backed off, I got up and looked at my sleeping sister, she seemed to have dry tears on her eyes.


    '' Did I kiss her? '', I thought, realizing what I had just did, '' Wait a minute why she is in my bed in first place? '', I thought, she might be clingy, but she tries to get the permission before doing anything like that, don''t tell me she had turned into a creep?! I shuddered realizing my sister might be one of those disgusting pedophiles, or creeps.


    " Ember?", I suddenly heard her voice, as her eyebrows fluttered, before I could ask anything, she pulled me into her embrace, into her a hug," You are awake!! Finally, you are awake!!", she shouted as tears started coming out of her eyes, I was stumped, when I realized what had happened," Yes! We were fighting against Goblins! I was trying to concurrent chant when!", I stopped as I only had blurry memories of what happened next.


    " It was Ignis Fatuus, you had an Ignis Fatuus", Riveria said, as she nuzzled against me, she looked at me with apparent relief in her eyes, everything became clear to me, as I realized what happened. " How long I was unconscious?", I asked, she got a bit away and biting her lips she said," Four days, you were unconscious for four days. We fed you with potions, special ones that could quench thirst and hunger."


    I became silent, it was a risk I knew, but for the first time I had to bear the consequences, I nearly died, I can tell from her expression. They must have used Elixirs on me, and several High potions to save me from first place, after all I was conjuring a magic equal to peak Level 1. Something that could blow weak adventurers into shreds, if not for my armor, and the fact that Ignis Fatuus was much weaker the actual magic and if I were trying to conjure a magic equal to Level 2 using half of my mind.


    I would have died, without any exception. It would have been the end of the line for me," F-Forgive me", I said, my voice trembled realizing the pain, and suffering she must have been put in due to me. I hung my head down with shame, she hugged me again and said," It wasn''t your mistake Ember, it was there, those shitty Archers who were daydreaming instead of doing their job", venom was filled in her voice.


    Did it give any comfort to me? Maybe yes, maybe not, but it didn''t change what I did, would I do it again? Yes, I would, unfortunately, to make sure that I thrive in this world, to get strong enough and to fulfill my goal. To reach the farthest reaches of Heaven, of me, of Gods. I wanted to explore the worlds beyond this one, and for it, I can''t let a single failure dictate my life, it''s just, it would be better If I fail not in front of them, as it would give them only pain.


    " I am sorry, I am sorry", I said breaking into tears, hugging her tightly, these damn tears just won''t stop pouring out of my eyes, I even felt that my sorry held no meaning, considering I might do such reckless act again and again. Seriously, how did we come to here? " Ember, sweetie don''t cry", I heard my mother''s voice.


    I looked to see our mother, my mother, behind Riveria, her face showed that she hadn''t slept for a while, yet it held a unique motherly charm as she smiled upon seeing me. She moved towards us, and then patted me, pulling me into a hug from Riveria, her embrace was soothing, as she whispered gently," Ember never let a single failure dictate your life, and never blame yourself for what can''t be controlled."


    I just nodded with a hum, I needed that. I am lucky to not only have a kind mother just like my previous life, but also to get a kind sibling like Riveria. It''s just, I looked behind my mother wondering if he had come," Ember are you looking for your father?", she suddenly asked, her voice wavering, I knew what the result would be, yet I couldn''t help but feel disappointment.


    " He was busy, so he couldn''t come, though he gave his reg-er expressed his worries", mother said, I just nodded wondering if it was my destiny to get an asshole father in my every life? In my previous life I had an abusive father, and this one- while better doesn''t give me much confidence either. I decided to forget the topic for moment, and instead started talking with them.


    In the end, I realized what had happened, most importantly that my first kiss in this life was stolen by my sister. On finding it out I looked at Riveria who blushed and looked away," My, my, is there something between you two? Perhaps more than what it should be?", our mother teased us, it was new for me to have such a mother, and despite getting used to her antics, Riveria didn''t.


    " What are you saying old hag?! It was just emergency, so I had to feed him the potion through my mouth! Don''t make something weird out of it!", Riveria replied, her words were harsh as always, my mother again acted as if crying and said,"*Sniff* My daughter doesn''t love me, she is always scolding her poor mother, Ember come here! Console your poor mother", she hugged me.


    " Oh, Ember it was her first kiss as well", she said in the end making a blushing mess out of my sister, I just sighed, though a smile curled up on my lips, no matter how childish my mother might act, but she does knows how to change the mood of us, my previous sadness and guilt vanished like fog, seriously she is best mother!


    ...


    3rd Pov


    A few weeks had passed by and Ember had been training to get back into shape before continuing with hunting, he and his mother and sister, long left the fortress returning to the Royal Capital. Now, rejuvenated Ember and Riveria had went to another fortress for their training. As for what about the Archers who did their work poorly. Ember had forgiven them preventing their execution, though they had lost their place in army, and could only do other work in the Alf''s forest.


    " Your Highness, it''s already time for lunch", said Remia as she came forward and looked at the Ember, his upper half of the body was completely naked, his muscles were visible for all to see, however they weren''t bulky but rather slim and compact. Not to mention, the sweat glistening on his body made him look more appealing.


    Remia gulped her saliva on seeing him like that, she had a small bucket filled with water and towel in her hands," Uh- Remia you are here", Ember said looking at the towel and the bucket of water, he was all sweaty, and even if it didn''t smell bad due to his High-Elf genes he still preferred for the sweat to be washed off.


    Remia put down the bucket of water before him and said with a smile," Your Highness, you must be tired why not let me wash your body?", Ember looked at her and then nodded," Fine, Thanks for the help, Remia", he said, and she became joyful. Without waiting any further she started washing his sweat with the moist towel.


    Her eyes though were fixated on his muscles, she glanced at his handsome profile from the corner of her eyes and gulped her saliva again. She knew what she was doing was,'' Wrong'', she thought, she was married, even if the man she had married wasn''t some Noble, warrior or extremely handsome, he was a fine husband. He loved her very much.


    They loved each other very much, but Remia loved Ember as well and why wouldn''t she? She didn''t have a child, even after countless attempts so far, the love of the couple was fruitless. They were frustrated by the lack of a child, and in the end decided to save up money to consult a Elf clerk. They knew that the treatment might cost a hefty amount so Remia decided to become a maid.


    The Elves respected purity unlike Human Nobles, so even if the males had an harem, there was rarely a case of infidelity, for both male and Female Elves. So, her husband didn''t object her desire to earn by becoming a maid, and more importantly when she managed to become the personal maid of the prince Ember, they were overjoyed.


    Soon they had gathered enough money and were able to consult an Elf Healer and doctor. Unfortunately for them the news wasn''t a good one, Remia had some problem in her womb, and as it wasn''t an injury or disease, so it wasn''t curable or healable either. It had broken them, so much that in the end they got in a fight, with her husband who usually showed her with kisses and sweet words had slapped her.


    She was very upset after that, though remaining faithful as her duty of Ember''s personal maid she attended him the next day, though her bad mood was visible. '' It was his highness who had helped him '', she reminisced about it again as she washed Ember''s front. Ember had given up his days of normal study routine just to make her joyful again, and in the end her husband apologized to her, kneeling before her.


    But she knew a crack had formed since that day, even if they somehow went back to their previous lives, Remia couldn''t see the same love her husband for her, not what she had for her husband before that and before she knew, she had grown dependent on Ember emotionally. That''s why she couldn''t help but lust over the man she had raised as her own child.


    " It''s done", she said with a neutral face as Ember stood up," Thanks, Remia- Now let''s have our lunch", he said, and Remia nodded. After having lunch, Ember went back to training, while Remia went to her personal maid quarter, and slapped herself hard. " What the fuck is wrong with me?!", she said as she looked herself at mirror.


    " H-How! How I can be so disgusting to lust after him? I had raised him like my own child! And now I am lusting after him?!", she berated herself, slapping herself once more. She understood her feelings well, they were inappropriate, they were ugly. She had raised Ember like her own child, and from being emotionally dependent on him, she started lusting after him when he grew older into an fine and handsome man.


    " Maybe because I am not his mother? But still I have a husband", she broke into tears, there was a ridge between her husband and her indeed, however it was only because of the incapability of her to bear him a child. He still loved her very much, he still cared for her, and she was here lusting after another man? She never felt so disgusted at herself before.


    Once she had stopped crying, she looked herself at mirror and said with a sigh," I guess that''s the truth huh? A bitch like me now has another person in her heart than her husband, and she sees him as a man. I guess I deserve this", she muttered with sadness, she had decided she won''t betray her husband, however she wouldn''t distance herself from Ember either.


    It will hurt him if she tries to distance from her, when she was like a second mother to him. That man whom every Elf was devoted like he was a God respected her and treated her as an equal, however that doesn''t give her right to hurt him, though she had decided, she would take her feelings to her grave.


    (A/N: Her grave she says! Boys mark it down!)


    To be continued...


    Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 12) Concurrent Chanting Learned!

    ...


    Ember Pov


    " Atseria Guoun Sek!", I finished chanting and released a fire beam though a small magic staff, the magic struck the horde of the Killer Ants obliterating them. It was exhilarating to kill a horde of monsters stronger than me several times literally, with concurrent chanting while engaging in close combat with them.


    I was pushing my limits, doing the feats that could only be done by the geniuses, the top icing of the world''s powerhouses, one among millions. But it wasn''t enough as someone once said,'' Keep pushing through your limits! '', I needed to do it as well, and I again had a reckless plan brewed in my mind, that would make others question my sanity.


    " I want to fight an Orc, in close combat", I said stating my desire, Noel slapped his face, Maya, my magic instructor seemed to be nervous and horrorified, Riveria who was accompanying us glared at me," Ember! It seems you are getting too spoiled and overconfident! Do you think engaging in close combat with an orc is a good idea?!", she scolded me.


    " It is dangerous indeed sister, but I have learned Concurrent Chanting, mastered Swordsmanship, I have become an excellent Archer, and now it is time for me to put them together", I said, she gritted her teeth," Shut up! We almost lost you!!", she said erupting in tears, and then asked me," Please- Don''t do anything reckless like this", uh, I feel a bastard now, because my answer from the beginning was already set in stone.


    " Forg- Right, you don''t need to forgive me sister, but I will do this", I said, with a gentle bow, my reply fueled her anger, and I coldly commanded everyone," In the Royal name of Alf, I Ember Ljos Alf command you all to follow me, and allow me to hunt an orc in close combat!", I said, everyone gasped as I basically used my Royal Authority, and my words were now considered absolute.


    I glanced at Riveria with sadness, she is used to be calm and collective, even if she is cold to everyone else, she is clingy and different with me and sister, however her anger was justified, it had been like what? Two months since I have recovered, learned concurrent chanting, and I am again throwing myself into a battle where I can die, even someone like Riveria is ought to become like this.


    I sighed and decided to quickly do the job done, as there were few orcs which had slipped into the forest, and we knew their location, and I wanted them to be my targets, I got on my horse, and decided to leave when I heard my sister''s cold voice," If this is how you want to play then fine", I looked at her, she had rubbed off her tears, her face was now cold, and calm.


    It was her face towards outsiders, and I knew she was really, really angry, as her next words confirmed it," In the Royal name of Alf, I Riveria Ljos Alf, hereby declare my younger brother''s decree overruled! If anyone is to assist him in his reckless act, it would be considered treason against the Royal Family!", she declared, all the Elves who just had sat on their horses looked at her, they were bewildered.


    They now didn''t know whose command to follow, I was their Prince, someone who is ought to become the King in the future, however, I was younger than their Princess, her Royal Highness Riveria, so considering I was just a prince, her command held more sway over mine. I gave a wry smile,'' Drama never ends huh? Well, if it was three months ago, my sister wouldn''t have gone this far, but ever since I nearly lost my life, it would seem she had become extremely concerned for me ''.


    Seeing the confused look of everyone I sighed and said," You win sister", and then looking at everyone I said," Everyone, you heard her command. She is older than me, and thus her authority overrules mine", hearing my words caused them to be relieved, they didn''t want me to risk my life nor they wanted to mistakenly disobey the royal command.


    Brazen? Nope- I must applaud my sister for critical thinking, she really thought this through. I guess that''s to be expected from someone who will become one of the big three of the Loki Familia in the future. In the end we were forced to return to the fortress, when everyone heard what happened it caused a small ruckus, of course no one confronted us, after all who in right mind try to meddle between the affairs of Royal Family?


    But my sister is naive if she thinks this is enough to stop me. I grinned as my horse galloped through the tracks, the Orcs will be killed tomorrow so I didn''t have much time, thankfully it was still after noon giving me enough time to efficiently kill them. How did I escape from the fortress under the eyes of everyone? I simply covered myself in a full soldier''s armor, and since soldiers repeatedly dispatch and come back to ensure rock bust safety it was easy to sneak out.


    A soldier going out is normal ignored, after all soldiers themselves go out for hunt and thus it was very easy for me to slip out. Once I reached near the place, I quickly got off my horse, and started taking out the heavy armor I was wearing. Elves wearing heavy armors?! If not for the threat from monsters and Elves not having heaven defying magic like in other isekai''s, this scene would have been impossible.


    Once, I had covered myself with light armor, I got ready to engage in battle with orcs, I swiftly made my way to the tree and looked around, seeing the tracks of Orcs I quickly got down and started following the tracks. Using the shade of trees and bushes as shade, I swiftly made my way through the forest and soon I found them.


    ''Orcs '', I thought gripping my sword, nervous? I was indeed! But well, I was ready to engage with them. But not before going on with my precautions! I quickly climbed up a tree and grabbed the bow on my back. I had prepared an arrow quill and a few arrows. All the arrows were poisonous, and they can finish off orcs in two minutes as long as struck.


    Even if they just scratch the flesh of the Orc, they will die in a few minutes either. That was the only safety I could get; it wasn''t foolproof either. But that was the best I could come up with, so without any hesitation, I nocked three arrows on the bowstring, there were four Orcs. I waited patiently for them to come under the aim of the arrows, and once they did, I left the bowstring.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    The arrows whizzed through the air and struck the orcs, one roared in pain as it''s one eye was shot, second''s throat was struck and third''s head. After shooting the arrows I quickly nocked another one and shot at the remaining Orc. It pierced its head, making it roar in pain and agony. The orcs while having strength to plummet falnaless into meat paste, had the shortcomings of poor smell and hearing.


    Only their vision was good, and even that wasn''t extraordinary, add their slow speed on top of that, they were basically meat tanks, so I was going to take advantage of it. I quickly climbed down the tree and began my chant," Asf inem Ghir Deima...", I dashed through the bushes garnering their attention, they released a primal roar of anger as they walked towards me. I looked at the Orcs and grinned.


    I had managed to put enough distance between them, so I quickly charged at the first one, It had no weapons, and struck using its fist, I swiftly dodged it and sliced off its hand using my sword, then jumping quickly I avoided it''s second fist, and swung my sword cleaving through it''s pig like nose to its wretched belly.


    It fell back in pain, and I quickly struck at its throat, piercing through it killing it. " Emeri oong Ashei For Vitera...", continuing with the chant, I had no time to celebrate my success as the second orc had reached me. I quickly moved back creating distance, it roared and suddenly charged at me. I was stumped by its actions; however, I quickly out maneuvered it using the trees around us.


    The trees crashed against each other as it ran like a bull, no all of them ran, I feared the third one as it had a wooden club in its hand. I quickly turned around with the trees and charged at the fourth orc," Agni Om Devya Kurdoscht Algara...", it was unarmed, and hadn''t caught up with me turning around, I moved towards it''s back, suddenly it turned around twisting its body.


    I didn''t get the time to dodge, so I used my sword to cut through his flesh, using his own force against him as I cleaved his hand into two, however with a single swing of another hand I was thrown away, thankfully I managed to deflect it on time, and wounding its hand as well, so only the resultant force acted against me.


    I crashed against a tree, however, the next moment I quickly got up, and started running, I could feel my rib was broken, but I hadn''t lost, as I turned around, seeing all the three orcs against me, with the wounded one at the last," Shiesh Gormana !", I finished my chant and using the short magic staff I shot the spell at them.


    *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*


    The three orcs were blown into smithereens by my magic, however once it was done, I barely stood on my feet, I had an internal injury and it was hurting like a bitch, but falling here on the ground was dangerous, and so I climbed up a tree, enduring the pain, sitting on a thick branch I started gasping for air," Fuck!", I cursed feeling my pain, I quickly took a High potion underneath my armor, it was stored in a leather pouch so it didn''t break.


    I quickly gulped it down my throat, and soon felt better, as my internal injuries started healing. I took out a meat jerky that I had brought and started chewing it, that fight was draining, and once I had finished eating and drank a few sips of water. I drank up another mouthful of potion and finishing it I got down.


    Suddenly I heard the bushes rustling and quickly took out my sword, and put my magic staff back under my cloth. " Your Highness!", I heard Maya''s voice, as she and many other came into my vision. '' Oh- They got the gist of me being missing '', I thought with narrowed eyes, as Maya who had located me shouted with joy.


    Suddenly a figure came running through the bushes towards me, it wasn''t surprising who it was either, It was Riveria with a cold look," YOU BASTARD!!!", she shouted with extreme anger, as her hand swept towards me- and passed by me as I avoided it. I had no motive of getting slapped after getting an intense thrashing.


    " You!", she looked at me with bewilderment for avoiding her slap, and then her eyes started looking at my body for any injuries. Once she had made sure I was fine, the hell broke," Ember!! What were you thinking?! You ran off on your own!! Do you know how worried we were?!! ", she started blaming me, and I sighed.


    " Shut up", I replied, my voice cold, she stopped as if being choked hearing my words. " It would have been better if you had listened to me as I would had no need to sneak out ", I stated, her breathing became rash," Y-You... Ember you have become crazy!", she said, but her voice softer now. I snorted," As if I wasn''t crazy enough already, forgive me sister- but no other child likes spending his entire day drowned in books, or practising archery day and night out, learning magic till he gets unconscious, or learning the art of slicing other beings with relish."


    My words were cold, and she stopped, her head down, I decided to walk away when she took me by surprise and landed a slap on my cheek. '' It stings '', I thought as I saw her moist eyes, the sister that would spoil me like I am her Teady Bear has now slapped me, who thought would have thought this would happen?


    I didn''t say anything further and quietly walked by, I ordered for a horse, and they got one, getting on top of it I started riding away. '' I hate this type of circumstances '', I thought, no one was wrong in these circumstances, she had all the reason to slap me, maybe she was overreactive, but wasn''t wrong. However, from my perspective I wasn''t wrong either.


    '' I guess it''s time to leave Alf''s forest '', I gripped the reins harder, I had strengthened my resolve. My growth had hit a limit, there was no time in dilly-dallying now, it was time to get serious and leave this place. One day my sister would understand it as well, leaving it as well. It was set in stone; we weren''t meant to be caged in the leisure of Royalty, and my dream held utmost position in my heart. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To be continued...

 13) House Arrest

    ...


    Ember Pov


    The last two days hadn''t been good for me, nor for my sister. Both of us didn''t talk with each other, not even a bit. Even the soldiers were tensed seeing the condition and remained dead silent in our presence. '' Should I ask for her forgiveness? '', Such thought did cross my mind a few times, but what''s the use of this forgiveness when I am going to do reckless things anyway?


    I would rather not ask for her forgiveness, than to plead with false hope. She was angry at me, and had every reason for that, but I also had my own reasons. Sometimes in life two people against each other''s opinion aren''t wrong, but they have different perspectives, and my perspective doesn''t allow me to waste time.


    I had wasted plenty of my time in my last life, confused on what to do, thrown from here to there by my parents, teachers, my relatives. I still hardly belief that I managed to get out of that shit and became quite successful in my 30''s. Dated two or three girls maybe, entered a sexual relationship, only to break it before marriage.


    My past life was a mess, and as much as I would like this life to be the perfect one, it can''t be. There will be some struggles, like now, there will be times I will hurt someone else, there will be times someone will hurt me. That''s just the cycle of life. I sighed putting away the pessimistic thoughts clouding my mind.


    " Your Highness- You had an argument with her highness, I heard", Remia suddenly asked me, I nodded and said," Yes, I did have an argument with her, she isn''t wrong in her own right, but neither I am ", man I sound like some narcisstic bitch. After berating myself on my conduct, I walked till I was in the Royal Hall.


    " Father... Mother", I did a small bow as I entered, my father was busy reading some reports, and my mother seemed to be having a bit of rest, as I could see a glass of fruit juice in her grasp. My father frowned, and my mother suddenly glared at me," Ember... I heard you did something reckless again", she said, I didn''t try to drop the topic and bluntly stated," Yes, I did, however, it was essential for my growth."


    " Ughh- Just two months have barely passed... Larfal I think it''s time we put more attention on Ember, he must be feeling pressurized, and lonely because of us", she said, looking at my father who sighed and replied," Ada, I don''t think our son did anything wrong- Reckless it might be, but he came out unscathed as a victor! Just think about it! Our Falnaless child killed four orcs on his own!"


    They continued bickering for a few more minutes, until I dropped the bomb," Father, mother I want to leave the Alf''s Forest", I said, they both stopped, looking at me stupefied. Suddenly the sound of glass shattering broke the silence, I looked to find the maid who had taken the half-filled glass from mother, had dropped the same glass, staining the floor with the juice.


    But they both ignored it, all of them. Even I can see Remia shocked with my words," You won''t!", I heard a cold reply coming from my father''s reply, he walked towards me. " E-Ember, what are you talking about? Have we mistreated you in anyway? I heard Riveria had slapped you, that girl! Ughh! I will have her punished for that insolence!", my mother said, with a rare expression on her face, anger.


    " Mother, Father with all respect. My sister''s behaviour has nothing to do with my decision, I hope you don''t hold her accountable for something she hadn''t done. I-It''s just I always had a desire to visit the outside world, but knowing how dangerous it is, I trained myself from an early age, I readied myself with the best knowledge and skills that were provided due to your courtesy, and I think- It''s the time I take that step and become an adventurer", I said laying my intention bare.


    I hadn''t lied here, I wanted to explore the outside world, and whatever lies outside it. At first, I thought about escaping myself, but why take such drastic measure when I didn''t even consult my parents? They have every right to know about my cherished dream. So, I told them about my intention.


    " Ember! Have I never told you of Gods?! How evil they are! They treat our world, our lives, just like a game! Do you think I will let my son anywhere near those vile creatures?!", my father shouted with unhidden disgust for the Gods. I looked at him with a gentle look," Yes, father I understand that. But you must also understand that not every God is evil, there are some good among them. It''s just like with every race, there are bad people, and good people", I said in a calm tone.


    " Good Gods?! Hmph! They just deceive us through their tears, they don''t cry for the loss of their so-called children but feel regret for losing another pawn in their game", he said, I guess I had hit a nerve. " Father, I promise, that I won''t ever visit Orario for next fifty years, after that if I find that all Gods are as you have said, I will return to Alf''s Forest", I said.


    " Ember...", he stopped, anger faded from his face, but I got a chill seeing his face," Larfal wa-", my mother seemed to get the gist of his next actions but was too late to stop it as a slap landed on my face. The sound of the slap seemed to echo through the halls, there weren''t many people present, Remia, some maids, and just a few ministers in the Royal Hall, however, all of them wore a look of disbelief on their faces.


    '' Ah, it stings '', I winced feeling the stinging pain, slapped by my sister first and now by my father. I held my head down, I had told him everything, even he, and everyone knew how hard I had worked for my dream. But he just slapped that dream away on my face, without any care. Ah! How Nostalgic! I smiled wryly.


    My father stood coldly in front of me, shadowing my figure or I would like to say, but he is shorter than me. Next moment all hell broke loose," Larfalll!!!!", a bone-shuddering shout from my mother was enough to make my father wince. His overbearing aura subsided, replaced by slight panic as my mother stared him draggers.


    " Why did you slapped him?!", she asked, he quickly retorted in anger," Ada! He is saying about leaving Alf''s forest! It is taboo amongst Royalty to leave the Alf''s forest! It is nothing short of cowardiness and betrayal to their Royal duty!", his words fell into deaf ears, as I was pulled into a hug. My mother caressed by cheek, and seeing the mark her anger intensified.


    " Enough! You have slapped your son for such a silly reason! ", she said in anger, Larfal sighed, and said," Ada, in my name of Alf! I hereby punish Ember with house arrest for six months!", my mother glared at him," Ada, you can ask me anything! I will fulfill all your requests but only as your husband! Don''t forget I am the King!", he said in a overbearing voice.


    My mother bit her lip, in authority she was second to my father. It won''t be good if she challenges his Royal Authority of the King, it may cause a dispute, and at worse, a civil war. That''s how serious things had gone," Fine! But remember! If I got a whiff of another punishment, get ready for the consequences", she said, giving in.


    My father glared at me, unable to meet my mother''s glare. '' Well, that''s new '', I thought sarcastically, the man was barely able to go against my mother''s anger, and he couldn''t give her a glare back. So, he chose me, with eyes that said, '' I am disappointed with you '', and '' You disgust me '', it would have been really painful, but I am way past that stage where you can guilt trap me.


    Breaking from mother''s embrace, I bowed to Larfal," I apologize to you, and mother for all the ruckus caused because of me. I accept your punishment", I said, easing his anger a bit, my mother snorted, pulling me into a hug," Let''s leave son, let your father faithfully perform his kingly duties", she remarked, my father again winced at her words, and I was pulled away by my mother.


    Remia who was silent till now, quietly followed us, fearing that she might entice anger of either party. We left the Royal Hall.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    " Um- Your Majesty", said a minister as Larfal fell on his throne,'' Damnit! What have I done?! '', he thought, due to anger and disappointment towards Ember, not only he slapped him in front of his most trusted ministers, but also got an argument with his wife. He can already get the idea of his wife ignoring him straight for years if not decades.


    Just the thought of it caused him a chill,'' But I am not wrong! Ada why don''t you understand me?! '', he thought with grief. There was a time, he yearned to see the outside world, just like Ember. But in the end discarded his dreams under the weight of his duties. Thus, just like his predecessors, he considered it to be a taboo to leave Alf''s Forest, though even if he didn''t admit it was more of jealousy.


    How could he let anyone else visit outside world? When his own dreams were unfulfilled, such were the thoughts of the King of All Elves. " Y-Your Majesty, Her Majesty seemed really angry", the minister suddenly said, Larfal looked at Pempler, his minister. " Indeed, Pemp, I fear it would destabilize the Alf''s forest once the words reach to her brother", he thought realizing the mess he was in.


    Alf''s Forest has a Royal Family, and seven ducal families, each ruling one major city. Each ducal family consisted of High-Elves, they weren''t very large, having only one or two child each generation. Ada hailed from one of the ducal families, despite being High-Elves they respected the Royal Lineage as everyone, and never thought of settling anywhere out the Alf''s Forest, despite having the chance of ascending to another Elven Royal Lineage themselves.


    Even the Royal Family respected them, and treated them equally, if by chance Royal Family couldn''t get a suitable successor, anyone else hailing from Ducal side will succeed them, however, their family name will be changed forever. It used to happen in past, before the descension of Gods, thus all the Families have extremely close ties with each other.


    Now Larfal feared Ada''s brother might cause a ruckus, after all who can bear their beloved sibling getting suppressed by their spouse? " Ember, that boy he has disappointed me",he said blaming the person responsible for the mess, the minister nodded. It seemed ironic, that the same people who used to praise Ember like he was the Elf''s chosen one, now considered him disappointment because of his single wish, for which he burned his sweat and tears.


    ...


    " Ember are you all, right?", asked Ada as Ember rested on her embrace, he nodded deadpan, his mother caressed his head with full of love. " Remia give me the cake, Ember must be hungry", she said to the maid who nodded and handed her over the plate. Ada quickly took a piece of cake with the spoon, and moving it close to Ember''s mouth she said," Sweetie, say ''Ahh'' ", Ember obediently opened his mouth, and Ada fed him the cake.


    " Good boy", she said in a sweet tone, rubbing his hair, Ember meanwhile felt socially dead inside, his mother on the name of Son-Mother bonding forcefully, spent the entire night with him, hugging him tightly like a teady bear. Now, she had taken him in her embrace and fed him like a child. Usually he would feel giddy, but his mother was overflowing with love.


    (A/N: Who is hoping for some Overflow? If yes! Then you are at wrong place!) Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Once he had finished with the cake, he looked at his mother, who was showering him with affection. He gathered up courage and said," Mother please forgive me, because of me, you and father got in an argument", he looked ashamed recalling how his father yelled at him. Ada giggled and said," Don''t worry sweetie, you father was asking for it! He had been getting on my nerves lately", her face fell thinking of Larfal.


    " Don''t worry! He will soon apologize to me, last time we got in argument, he did apologize in seven years!", she said in a nonchalant tone, while Ember almost got a heart attack hearing the time it took for his father to apologize. " Embe-", suddenly Riveria barged in his room, she looked at her mother and son cuddling together.


    She sighed and looked at Ember, guilt filled her face as her eyes met his. " Si-ster", Ember said in a strained voice, Riveria closed the door,'' Damnit! Why this old hag is here?! Should I leave! No that would make things only worse! '', she thought, Ada meanwhile realized her dilemma and said," Come her sweetie, don''t you have to say something to him?"


    Riveria barely nodded and sat on the corner of the bed, Remia quickly left the room sensing the atmosphere, " Em-Ember! Please forgive me!", she said as she lowered her head in front of Ember," No need sister, it was my mistake in first place, and I shouldn''t have said those things either", he said with guilt.


    " It might be, but I overreacted, an-and even slapped you! I can''t believe it myself!", she said, with moist eyes, Ember pulled her into a hug," How about it? Sister you forgive me, and I forgive you", he said, and nodded, in the end both of them hugged each other. Ada smiled happily seeing her children reconciling.


    '' Oh Larfal, only if you can get out of your Kingly duties and see how much we have neglected our children, they are practically adults, yet we have been barely in their life from childhood till now. '', Ada thought, how she wished she could smash her husband''s mind open and see what went wrong with him, why was he blind to such an obvious truth.


    To be continued...

 14) Escaping from the Alf’s Forest Part 1

    ...


    3rd Pov


    One could see a handsome Elf with his hands folded in front of woman wearing Maid Uniform, he was none other than Ember, with mesmerizing blue eyes, and green hair, asking for help from none other than Aina Tuelle who seemed troubled. " Please Aina, help me!", he said, seeing him like this Aina didn''t knew on what to do.


    As for what was going on. Ember was seeking help from Aina, his sister''s handmaiden, to gain her help in escaping from Alf''s Forest. Ember''s house arrest has just ended, and he had already turned into sixteen, he knew his father wasn''t going to let him out, and he didn''t want to wait till Finn and Loki come to escape from here.


    He had already made most of the plans on how to escape, now he just needed for someone''s help to arrange things, so he can run away once the opportunity arrives. He decided to choose Aina for the help, after all escaping from Alf''s Forest was no joke, if not for the delayed communication in this medieval world, he doubted escaping from Alf''s Forest in his circumstances was whether possible or not.


    " Y-Your Highness! Please do not bow before me!", Aina said with panic, she couldn''t bear a High-Elf bowing before her, someone who was just an Elf not even a Noble. " Aina, I know my request is extremely selfish, I am basically going asking you for helping me to escape, basically runaway, which is same as going against my father, then how can I not bow before you?", Ember said.


    Aina was baffled, Ember has already explained his plans to her, he never asserted or ordered her, just asked her. If it was any other request, even asking her to become his lover, she would agree despite how awkward it might be for her. But his request was going against one other High-Elf''s wishes, and it was none other than their King himself!


    " Your Highness, you can ask me for anything else, but helping you to escape- I-It is difficult for me", she said with hesitation. Ember sighed, he also knew the consequences if she was exposed, she might get harsher punishment than him, thankfully he had it covered. He finally said standing up," T-This time I won''t ask this request as the prince of Elves, but as your younger brother", he said.


    Aina flinched, and looked at Ember''s serious eyes, she had literally spoiled him together with Riveria when he was small, she was like an older sister. " Sister Aina, I am fed up with here. I want to explore the world unknown to me, I know there are dangers out there, but I have prepared. I have worked hard, really hard from my childhood, so just one day I can see all what I want to, and to achieve that I need your help, if you don''t want to please tell me. I won''t trouble you any further", he said with emotions glinting.


    Aina gulped her saliva, myriads of thoughts passed through her mind. Finally, she sighed and grabbed his hands," Ember! Don''t worry! Your Big sister will help you achieve your dream!", she said, she had decided to help the person before her, who was equivalent to his only younger brother.'' Even if it is his majesty, how can I let my younger brother''s dream be buried? As for punishment? Who cares! '', she thought.


    Ember was overjoyed and hugged her, Aina blushed in his embrace, she sighed,'' To think the little boy that I knew grew up to be such lady killer, if not for the fact I knew him since his childhood, I would have probably had a crush on him '', she thought, finally they separated, and discussed a bit more of their plan before Ember left.


    ...


    Five months have passed since their talk, currently a luxurious banquet was held in the Royal Place. One could see Larfal Ljos Alf, talking amicably with the ducal heads, who were High-Elves as well. They were Elf Royalty as well, just handling the Alf''s Forest as dukes. " It would seem Sir Phineas couldn''t attend the banquet", a High-Elf said.


    "It can''t be helped, a small beast tide has occurred there, he needs to be present to ensure there are no causalities", another high elf said, and they nodded in agreement. " Still, he has his son, who recently became 67 years old this year, he is also an excellent mage and commander, he should have been able to take over as the commander, considering it is a small beast tide of Level 1''s", another High-Elf asserted.


    " He must be worried, after all who wouldn''t be?", Larfal said, with the duke absent being none other than Ada''s brother. Larfal talked with them for a while, before going to talk with someone else, however he frowned, when he couldn''t see Ember anywhere. He looked at his wife talking with other Noble Elfs, knowing well intruding in their topic would be anything good, he decided to look for his daughter.


    He finally found her surrounded by some Nobles, and two sons of other dukes, bickering each other slightly, to get her attention and favour. Riveria just replied to them with short and cold answers, Larfal approached them, seeing the King himself approaching them, they became quiet and bowed elegantly before him.


    He nodded, and asked," Riveria, where is Ember?", Riveria sipped the juice in her glass, and answered," Ember should have finished training, he would be getting ready on his own", she replied in brief, Larfal frowned and asked," What about his maid? Shouldn''t she help him dressed?", Riveria replied," She had taken leave for this week and Ember refused any other maid to tend to his needs."


    He nodded, and walked away, not noticing the sly look on Riveria''s face. Their conservation was observed by Ada, once the mother and daughter''s eyes met, they knew their plan''s first step was successful. Just like that time started passing, with hours passing, when finally, dukes asked about Ember from Larfal, eager to meet him that he noticed the problem.


    He noticed that his son was still missing, he quickly ordered a maid to look for him, however when the maid didn''t return for quite long, everyone in the hall became silent. The Duchesses and the queen became silent as well, Larfal started getting impatient and ordered a few guards as well, and soon they returned with a shocking news.


    " Your Majesty! His Highness isn''t in the castle! We have searcher everywhere! His room! Kitchen! Training ground! Everywhere! But he seems to be vanished! This maid had found this letter on his table!", the guards said, the same maid who he had sent first quickly came before him and handed him over the letter.


    On reading the letter the entire face of Larfal became pale, and his eyes were in disbelief. On noticing his expression, everyone understood that something is wrong, so a High-Elf duke quickly asked," Your Highness! What is written in the letter!", Larfal broke from his trance, his hands trembling, his eyes seemed to be filled with anger.


    " Emberr!!!!!!!!!!", he shouted stunning everyone, he breathed heavily, quickly everyone calmed him down and he said," Ember! He has run away from here!! Quickly! Assemble all the guards! All the soldiers! Send the news to the fortresses! To the other cities as quick as possible! He shouldn''t leave Alf''s Forest!!", hearing his command everyone was shocked.


    The guards though baffled, quickly assembled and carried out his commands. The entire Nobility was stunned by the stunt pulled by Ember. The dukes quickly decided to leave with their spouses, so that they can start searching for Ember in their cities as well. Larfal appreciated their concern, and soon the entire Capital was in an uproar. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " It''s you Ada, isn''t it?", he suddenly looked at Ada who while didn''t reply but had a smirk on her face. Larfal wanted to say something else, when she approached him and grabbed his collar, making him look into her eyes," Larfal, you have made me really angry. Squashing the dream of our son for which he worked hard day and night, took so many risks, did even stupid and reckless things, and even got in argument with his dear sister for that. Do you think I will take on that lightly?", she said.


    Larfal gulped his saliva on seeing her glare, a blush came on his face startling the maids, and Riveria,"*Ahem*", Riveria coughed breaking his trance, Larfal looked away with embarrassment. Everyone thinks that Larfal is the cold, dominating one in his relationship with Ada, who is normally cheerfully and having silly fun from time to time.


    How wrong they are! Only Riveria who got the chance to know the truth knows it is totally opposite, unless one touches the sore spot of Larfal, their relationship is completely different compared to everyone''s cognition, especially in the bed *ahem* *ahem*. '' Fucking perverts! '', Riveria glared at her parents.


    " Ada- I will get him, I won''t let my son break the taboo!", he said with determination, Ada giggled and said in a sweet tone,"~Honey, then why don''t you try it? ~Do your best honey~", everyone shuddered including Riveria, seeing the smiles on the faces of their parent. They were glaring at each other with their peculiar smiles, and everyone could feel, the mess they have been involved into seeing them in such a condition.


    ...


    " Neigh!", the horse released a grunt as his master pulled its reins causing the horse to gallop faster. The person''s entire body was covered in cloth, one can only see his beautiful blue eyes, which were filled with determination as he rides on the horse. Soon he reached before the entrance of a huge city, his horse slowed down as he released the reins.


    He saw many Elves, some humans and demi-humans standing in a line, facing towards the entrance which seemed to be heavily guarded by Elf soldiers. Seeing a passing Demi-human, a cat man, he stopped him and asked," Sir, sorry for stopping you. But can I know why there are- too many soldiers?"


    The demi-human looked at him, and said," You don''t know? Are you from one of the towns? Well they should have sent soldiers their as well. Whatever, the prince of Royal Alf''s family, Ember Ljos Alf has run away from the home, he wants to leave the Alf''s forest. A royal decree has been issued, to halt all the usual activities and search for him. I guess adventurers wouldn''t be able to work properly for a few days."


    He nodded, understanding everything. '' You did response very fast, Larfal '', he thought then a smirk came on his face under his mask,'' Though it is useless in front of me '', he thanked the demi-human, and started running away in a different direction. As for the demi-human, he was slightly suspicious of him indeed, but how can he believe, that he talked with one of the esteemed High-Elves, who usually never leave Alf''s forest?


    If that wasn''t enough, all Elves are haughty and proudful creatures by their natures. Even if it is mostly only towards other races, the High-Elves are respected so much, that every one of them get a haughty tone towards Elves, even if it isn''t their intention. Thus, the Demi-human carried on, oblivious the fact he met a High-Elf.


    The person quickly got in a pre-determined position, where a person was waiting. " Your Highness!", the person saluted, and he nodded," Is everything ready?", he asked, and the person nodded. He removed his cover revealing his long green hair, and blue eyes, though the person frowned a bit. " Is something the matter?", he asked, and the person said," Well, you look a bit different than what was shown in the painting?"


    " I have done a bit of make-up, if not for the fact that the dye I has been using is used up, I would have my hair dyed blonde", he said, and the person, whose name was Klause nodded. " Are you scared of assisting me?", he asked, and Klause sighed," I was shocked when my friend Aina came up with Her Majesty''s letter telling me, to help you to escape Elf''s forest. But I have made the decision already", Klause replied firmly.


    Then Klause quickly helped him dress up in a soldier''s armor, and then with his help, he sneaked in the city unrecognized. It was pretty simple, he pretended to be someone Klause has heard about and researched and entered, and then Klause later entered on his own. At best, even if they get suspicious, they will be after that person whom Klause barely knew but understood very well due to stalking.


    To be continued...

 15) Escaping from the Alf’s Forest Part 2

    ...


    Klause Pov


    I was completely shocked when my friend, Aina, came to me with a letter, written by none that her Majesty herself, stating how I must help her son to leave the Alf''s forest. I mean why chose me? I was no one but a common soldier. Though I couldn''t refuse, firstly the person who asked me, was none other than my crush Aina.


    Secondly, the letter was sent by her Majesty herself! She is a High-Elf, for her to choose someone as lowly as me to escort her very son outside the Alf''s forest was a great honor for me. Apparently, Her Majesty had asked for Aina''s help, and she recommended me, which also moved me, considering Aina trusted me enough to recommend me! That means I still have a chance!


    It left me giddy, however it wasn''t all sunshine for me. Firstly, following Her Majesty''s command, meant going His Majesty''s will. But after much thought I decided to follow her Majesty''s will, since that meant going along with Aina''s wishes as well! Poor Aina had begged me, to help them!


    I felt a bit angry at His Highness, for making poor Aina a part of his plan! But well it''s not that I understand why she was chosen to help him. She is Her Highness'' handmaiden, and should know his highness very well, still it made a bit sour, that she came to meet me after so many years, because of His Highness'' will.


    Ugh! Why am I thinking like this?! Of course, it is his highness and her majesty''s will, that''s why she came to me, and chose me to show her trust in me! Thus, according to the instructions given I prepared everything needed for his highness to successfully leave Alf''s Forest. The place where I live is a Border City, under Duke Crampton''s rule.


    It is quite a good place to live if you ignore the occasional beast tides, well I can always train safely in the training grounds, where there are some weak monsters are left alive to breed and used as targets. I really admire the grandfather of his majesty for making such a decision, at least these low-lifes are of some use.


    Well, to ensure that no people are hurt due to His Majesty''s plans, monsters are breeded in set perimeters and killed if they try to advance. Though some manage to advance through gaps, but then the fortresses come into play, they always have some items that attract monsters, keeping them out of harms away.


    The paths are also guarded by soldiers regularly, and they quickly report for anything suspicious, and a team finishes off the monsters. It is quite complex and work consuming, but due to this all Elves are elites! Even if we aren''t adventurers, no one would like to go against Elves from Royal Alf''s Forest because of it. Even those battle maniacs like Amazons, have to think twice before crossing paths with us.


    I am so proud to be an Elf, *ahem*, anyway, as instructed, I prepared for receiving His Highness, I even had to stalk someone whom I didn''t knew, so that we can lead suspicion on him if anyone gets the gist of it. Thus, after a lot of preparation, I waited patiently for his Highness. Finally, he came riding on a white horse.


    The very moment he came in front of me I got a bit tense wondering if it is him, then the next moment I felt something in my very being. '' This feeling! '', It was as if I was standing before a being superior to me, I wanted to kneel, prostrate, and serve him. It was the feeling of being in the presence of a High-Elf.


    As much as I know, High-Elf can assert a certain aura on other Elves, though limited to their kind. They can also suppress that aura or highlight it. Though most high elves let their aura be on the normal level or, so Aina had told me. This aura couldn''t be copied, and thus all doubts in my mind vanished, the person standing before me was his highness himself.


    I wanted to kneel but decided on not to. It wasn''t time for greetings, clock was ticking, and every second wasted can potentially lead to our failure. His Highness removed the cloth wrapped around his face, revealing a handsome face, with long-green hair, and mesmerizing blue yes, though on seeing his face I frowned. As for why? It didn''t match quite the painting I have seen.


    Everyone in the city has seen up various paintings of His Highness since he had been growing up, that much was the importance of him in Royal Alf''s Forest, for us he was our future king, if we don''t know the face of our future king, what kind of people we are? Well, it wasn''t like he didn''t match the painting but rather, he seemed more mature. Ugh- what to say?


    " Is something the matter?", he suddenly asked me, sensing my emotions, I replied quickly," Well, his Highness, looks a bit different than what was shown in the painting ", he then explained me how he had done some make-up. Well, it did make sense, thus I quickly made him wear the armor, and explained about that person.


    Soon, we both were inside the city, and I guided him to my house. " You live alone?", he asked, and I nodded," My parents live in a town, and I came here in hopes of honing my skills", I replied truthfully, I wanted to impress Aina, she had rejected me once, but I still had hope! As long as I can impress her, I will get her hand in marriage.


    Once inside, I knelt respectfully, he stopped me and whispered in my ears," Don''t act like that, for the time being act normally with me otherwise it can lead to failure", I nodded, and thus for the next few days onward I acted normally with him, doing last bits of preparation and waiting for a chance so that His Highness can leave the place.


    Unfortunately, things didn''t went as wished. " Listen everyone! The Royal Guards have arrived here! They suspect that His Highness is within the city! Thus, from now onwards the entire place will be on Lockdown and everyone will be inquired!", a soldier announced, and my pupils dilated, I swiftly made my way out of the crowd to my house.


    ...


    " So, this is the matter", I finished explaining everything to his Highness, he became silent. His Majesty had dyed his hair blue, which wasn''t very uncommon for Elves, however his Green Hair only belong to Royal lineage, or Elves descending from it. He sighed and said," I knew it wouldn''t be easy, I guess I need to leave today, we can''t afford to wait any longer", I nodded.


    It was going to be a desperate run, and we must think of something to distract the soldiers, the already tight security is now at another level, without a major distraction it will be hard for his Highness to escape, after a lot of thinking we came up with the idea to spread out fake news. It wasn''t the best idea, I would have preferred burning down some houses for the distraction, but neither His Highness nor I could go that extreme.


    Finally, I started spreading the fake news, I thought I had did a good job, unless they came before me. " So you are the one spreading the fake news", the person said coldly with a sword in his hand, my hands were tied, they had captured me. " My name is Antolar, I am His Majesty''s loyal confidant, a Level 4 adventurer", he said making me fell into despair.


    I understood how I was easily exposed, with superhuman abilities, everything becomes much easier. I cursed at my luck," Now we can beat you black and blue to get our answers, or you can spill truth", he said coldly putting the tip of the sword against my neck. A terrifying bone-chilling aura came out of him, my legs started trembling and before I knew I had spilled the entire truth.


    " I see, as his Majesty and our scouts reported. His Majesty seamlessly made his way to this border city, unfortunately for him, the security was already tight, and they were waiting for an opportunity to escape. Alas, we Royal guards came as well, this time we adventurers were pulled as well, His Highness now can''t escape", he said and other nodded.


    I kept my head down, guilt flashing through my mind. I recalled every interaction with his highness, on how he trusted me, how Aina put her trust on me, but soon negative thoughts flooded as well. '' He is just using me as pawn after all, otherwise which sane Elf will go against His Majesty? '', I thought, finally blaming his Highness for my circumstances, he must have used his lofty status to pressurize my poor Aina!


    " Good, now Klause, your name was?", Antolar said, and I nodded," You will help us capture His Highness, if we barge in his house, he might get shocked and do something stupid. His Magical prowess is of Level 2, and it can be quite dangerous if he loses control in shock. With your help, we can ensure his safe capture", he ordered me, I gritted my teeth and nodded, reading myself to betray the person, that had put so much trust in me.


    '' You can blame only yourself, your Highness! Making me a pawn to escape! Ha! I would like to see how your childish dream to leave Alf''s forest drowns in despair! '', I thought, and soon returned to my house. " You are back Klause", he said with relief, I snickered inside my mind. Although it would be wrong to say I hate him, I do dislike him, I hope he can become more mature after this setback and give up his foolish dream.


    Why abandon all the status and power given to him? If I had that power, status, would Aina have rejected me? I would have gotten a harem of Elf beauties by then. Thus, convincing myself, I unhesitatingly laid out my escape plan and he nodded. Soon it was nighttime and a commotion erupted in another part of the city.


    We swiftly made our way through the Alleys, running towards the second exit, as long as he leaves the exit and runs into the forest, he will be out of Alf''s Forest, unfortunately for him, a group of soldiers surrounded him the moment I lead him to a deviant path, " Klause! Buy some time for me!", he said, and I almost wanted to snort at his arrogance.


    " Sorry His Highness, but you are too immature, His Majesty''s orders are absolute!", I pulled out a small broken sentence out of my mouth, he looked me in disbelief, and with betrayal as he was captured by them, without injuries. " Klause! I trusted you! Aina trusted you! Her Majesty put her trust on you!", he said with grief.


    " Your Highness, did you think for a second about me before pulling me into your scheme? I am but a common soldier, what would be the consequences I must bear, once I am exposed with helping you run away? You must have pressurized Aina as well, to include her in this scheme!", I said with a slight grudge, though a part of me felt, I was being a hypocrite to mask my betrayal.


    The soldiers grunted seeing me insulting the Prince, I quickly stopped, and lowered my head. Whatever the circumstance, Ember was still the prince, when I was a measly soldier. Suddenly, the Antolar guy walked before him, and nodded at the soldiers. They left the hold of his Highness, they had already consificated all his weapons, staffs and anything else swiftly, thus he could do nothing in front of a Level 4.


    Antolar knelt before him, making me recall the identity of the person in my mind. " Your Highness, please forgive us. But we are ordered to take you back to Royal Capital with force now if you-", he suddenly stopped seeing his face, his expression took a drastic change, as his eyes widened, "D-Duke Phineas!", he muttered out a name shocking me.


    " Haha, I thought I could play it for a day or two till I meet up with Larfal and my sister, but well it is you Antolar so I guess, this is as far as I can delay", he sighed, though a victorious smile on his face." I-Impossible! What about his Highness! Wait is this a distraction!", he suddenly glared at me, when he heard the strict voice of the Duke," Antolar! That person is innocent! Klause, I apologize for pulling you in our scheme, and I promise you on my name, no harm shall come upon you", he said with a bow.


    I fell on my knees, realizing how stupid I was. I wondered why I was pulled into this plan in first place,'' His intention was to get caught up from the very beginning, so he included me? But then not why his loyal confidant? Wait a minute Aina recommended me so- '', my eyes widened, and I didn''t want to think about it any further. Aina knew me very well, I was a coward, and I had even betrayed them back during training, being scared of monsters, not once, but seventeen times.


    It was so shameful of me, even after that I foolishly proposed her, only to get a rejection with disappointment in her voice for me. So, I moved to a border city, to get stronger, to get braver, but alas, I remained the same as a coward deep inside. I gritted my teeth; I needed answers from her!


    " Wh-Where is His Highness?", Antolar asked the duke who grinned much to his nervousness," Outside of the Alf''s Forest! Yup Definitely outside of the Antolar forest!", he replied and Antolar cursed," Fuck!", we all have lost, beaten. Who could have imagined that the prince they were following after wasn''t the prince at all? I bet they would have used a spell to determine if the traces belonged to a High-Elf, and with Sir Phineas taking the role. It was useless, they had lost the moment they got his trace. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    " That''s how it was", Antolar finished explaining, Larfal became silent while Ada whose face was filled with worry was replaced with joy and erupted in laughter as if mocking Larfal''s plight. " Sister, I did as you said!", Phineas said with a bow, Ada hugged him and said," Thank you so much Phineas! To go along with my selfish request!", Phineas blushed, enjoying his sister''s affection.


    " Sister, as long as you say the word. I will do anything!", he said with determination making her chuckle, Larfal rubbed his temples in frustration, what could he do? Blame Duke Phineas? No that would disrupt the harmony in Alf''s Forest, Blame his daughter? Their relationship is already not so good, at least with Ember he could put up a conservation, but with his daughter leave it.


    Blame Ada? Unless he wants to anger his wife further, and bear her wrath, he shouldn''t even think of it. He had failed, yes, he the King of Elves, Larfal has failed. " Ada, your plan- It was without any mistake impeccable", he admitted causing the Queen of Elves to giggle," My plan? Larfal you must be mistaken; it wasn''t my plan rather your son''s. It seems he had surpassed you in that aspect as well", she said with voice filled with pride.


    Larfal was shocked, but he quickly berated her," Y-You won, but you know where you have pushed our son? What if something happens to him?", he looked at her, and she said," Larfal, you shouldn''t bind your children with your love, you should have faith on him, he is my son, our son", he grunted knowing well he would not get a straight answer out of her.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Klause was standing before Aina demanding an explanation," Klause, I don''t love you", she said, breaking Klause''s heart, he quickly said," B-But Aina! I have worked hard! I have worked so much to change! I- I, you used to treat me good, despite me being a coward- I", he broke in tears, Aina gave him support, and washed away his tears.


    " I thought of you, as a friend. I never thought you as a spouse, forgive me, if it pains you. Even if you are a coward, I trusted enough to let the disguised Duke Phineas seek help from you", she said though became awkward in the end realizing, Klause spectacularly failed again, Klause looked down in shame, though she consoled him stating, he couldn''t have gone against soldiers who would have tortured him, if not for him spilling the beans.


    However, Klause remained in shame," Aha- I remember, His Highness has written a letter for you", she said handing it over to him. Klause read it, realizing how much glad Ember was for his help, apologized for decieving him, and in the end said," She must have treated you well, but remember, don''t take it for her loving you. As Harsh it maybe moves on, she isn''t for you, and you aren''t for her, one day you will find your own other significant half."


    He became stunned, not knowing what to say. He could only feel ashamed of himself, for having vile thoughts against him earlier. What he didn''t knew that Ember had saved him from being completely broken, when he found Aina married a human in the future. Thus, taking the lesson to his heart, he moved on from his feelings with Aina, and later got a reward from duke himself, making him quite rich.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    A horse galloped through the track, an Elf was sitting on top of it, the Elf was none other than Ember. " The plan seemed to have worked!", he thought, he had many troubles in refining this plan, even the fact there is a spell that could tell whether a High-Elf had been there or not was a pain from him, thankfully the spell only works up to six hours and only till then a High-Elf''s trace can be detected.


    It has already been two weeks since he had left Alf''s Forest, and the spell was a congenital one, requiring very precise mana control. Thus, he was out of their chains. Yes, he was free." I am finally here", he said, stopping his horse, and looked at the village below the hill, it took a lot of effort for him to decide on where to settle down after leaving Alf''s Forest.


    This place was many one of them of his choices, if he can, he didn''t want to go to any kingdom, or city for now. That''s why, he decided to choose the smaller places, and he has arrived at his first destination, now for whether it will be the place he will stay for the feasible future, he will have to see, thus with renewed vigor, Ember started heading towards the Village.


    To be continued...

 16) Shawn Village

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Shawn Village was just like any other village you could find in Tenkai, having only a few hundred wooden houses, surrounded by a wooden fence at its perimeter, having a farmland, chicken coops, cow sheds, pigpens, etc. They had people ranging from bakers, to carpenters, from farmers to soldiers, the majority of the village population consisted of Humans, with a few demi-humans living such as a few families of cat people, and few families of cheinthropes.


    They were very common among Demi-Humans on top of that, and no other race, especially Elf lived here. Overall, it was a common medieval village, if we leave out the modern appliances such as lamps and fridge they use powered by Magic stones. However, if anything made it different a typical village was that it had a presence of a Divine.


    Some villages often had a drop of a powerful monster to ensure that monsters don''t approach their villages, however even that was considered a rarity, the majority of the villages had only a small group of guards or soldiers consisting of villagers only, however most villages didn''t face many threats, considering they existed in the first place due to them being located in a considerable safe region.


    Even then, the threat of monsters was apparent. In Tenkai, a villager might leave out his entire life without encountering any significant threat, or a young villager might victim to a massacre by monsters. As such, having a Divine in a village elevated the safety, as a Divine could grant falna to them, helping them become strong enough to survive in this world, in face of many dangers that would have erased them otherwise.


    However, Gods didn''t descend in Tenkai with the pure intention to help, they wanted enjoyment, get free of boredom, so no God was stupid enough, even the Kind ones to stay in a village, even if some Gods chose to live in a Town or a small city, it was mainly to get less competition and develop their familia, till it is time for them to move in a bigger city, or to the center of the world, Orario.


    No god wanted to waste his time in a measly village, where the chances of developing a powerful familia were minimal, and unless they get a dozen of genius, it was foolish dream to achieve that. Thus, that''s what make this village stood out from rest, however it wasn''t something special either. Not many knew of this village either, only Riveria once had heard it about from an adventurer who had rested in that village, being interested of the outside world, Riveria who was disguised that time took the opportunity to talk with them.


    The Adventurers kindly told her all they could, however for them that village didn''t hold any significance either, at most it was peculiar because a God resided in it. Riveria too was disappointed as the village just stood out an oddity and nothing more, still she remembered this peculiar case, enough to suggest it about Ember once they were making his plan to escape and where would he go next.


    Even then Riveria had just casually suggested it with its location, not too serious about it, however for Ember it met his needs. A place where he can get Falna and not be in limelight for a while? Which place can be better than this? Thus, Ember who had located the village, moved towards it on his house, once he arrived at the village''s entrance, he found two guards situated there.


    " Please stop there!", one guard said, and looked at him. Ember had already stopped, and got down from his horse and said," I am a Traveller, I want to stay in this village for a while", he revealed his face, seeing his face and especially his ears they became stunned. " An Elf!", one of the exclaimed, he had never seen an Elf in his life!


    The other guard had a much calmer look and sighed," Fine Sir, now would you please write your name, and give the fee", he said, and Ember nodded, his eyes suddenly fell on the first guard who was still staring at him, with an awkward cough the second guard woke up the first guard from his trance.


    " Jason! Why are you staring at him?! Don''t you know it''s rude! He is an Elf, their kind are always quirky, stare then and he might punch you in your guts!", the second guard, said to the first one, whose name revealed to be Jason. " Marthon, can you blame me? Look at his black hair, and blue eyes! I have never seen a person as handsome as him in my entire life! Even our Goddess'' charm pales in comparison with him!", Jason said.


    Meanwhile Ember''s eyelids twitched hearing their conservation, he coughed stopping both of them. Passing through the entrance, the guard sat on his chair, a wooden table was in front of him, with a book and a quill. He asked," Sir, what your name would be?", Ember replied without any hesitation," Ber", his reply was short, and the guard quickly noted it down.


    " Race Elf, huh age- Leave it. Now sir the reason you want to enter is stay here, right?", he said, and Ember nodded," For how long?", Marthon asked, and Ember replied," I don''t know it myself, but shouldn''t be for very long. I would like to rest here for a week or two though", the man nodded nonchalantly.


    While the other seemed surprised, finally after writing down everything he needed, he said," Twenty Valis is the fee for entering, we accept other currencies as well", Ember nodded and took out four Alfians and handed it over to them. Jason looked at the currency mesmerized, while Marthon took it and said," Sir, head towards the centre of the village, there you will find an inn."


    Ember nodded giving them a thanks surprising before leaving it on his horse. Once he had left Jason looked at Marthon. " Uh, I guess you want some answers", said Marthon on seeing Jason''s stare, the latter nodded," Very Well, I guess I can tell you. It was seven years when we received and Female Elf, naturally as an Elf she was very beautiful, falling short only to Kami-sama in beauty."


    " Eh, I guess I do remember something like that, and I guess I saw her a few times, as you said, she was very beautiful", Jason said in deep thought, Marthon sighed and said," We did some mistakes that day, firstly Elves are quirky people, arrogance is in their bones. So usually, they talk haughtily to other races, thus try to be as polite to them, to avoid unpleasant situation. Secondly, don''t ask their age, you wouldn''t believe the shock I received when I realized that woman was older than my grandfather, and my reaction earned her ire, making my situation not so pleasant."


    Marthon''s face became pale as he narrated the past, making Jason gulp," Lastly, Elves perceive time in different way, believe me, when an Elf says he is going to stay for two months, take it as if that Elf is staying for two days. I guess, we are luckier this time considering it''s a male Elf, female ones are much more difficult to handle", he finished with a scared tone, Jason quickly memorized his words by heart. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    I ignored the nonsense those two guards spouted; I mean my hearing is too good even among Elves. As I walked through the village, I couldn''t help but look around, people noticed me as I passed by, women blushed on seeing me, while I could almost see stars in the eyes of younger females.


    " Um, excuse me", I decided to ask someone for directions, although this village wasn''t big, and I will surely find the place, I wanted to save the time. " Yes, Esteemed sir! How may someone as lowly as me help you?", the girl said, and I froze wondering if I had heard wrong,"~Ara~Ara, Maria, it seems you learned the trick I taught you."


    "Eh, Kami-sama", the moment I heard the word, I looked at the person, the moment I looked at her a feeling came into my mind as if I was before a higher existence, someone Divine, undoubtedly a God''s will it was. I looked at the Goddess, she had brown hair and black eyes, even among female Elves she can be considered exceptionally beautiful, well too bad my aesthetics in women are ruined by my mother and sister so I didn''t end up in blushing mess.


    " An Elf? It has been a while since I met your kind", the Goddess said with a gentle smile, I bowed towards her and introduced myself," My name is Ber", her eyes blinked innocently the next moment, most probably she caught up my lie. Well not that I care, and she seemed to not care either. " Nice to meet you Ber, I am Aurora, Goddess of Dawn, and the Divine that presides over this village", she said.


    Aurora, the Goddess of Dawn in Greek Mythology, she is a minor Goddess however I know her because of the story of her and Tithonus. Good, it would mean I wouldn''t be in complete blank, and can pretty much guess her position in heaven, though comparing her personality to mythology is pretty much useless.


    She giggled, meanwhile a older woman got beside Maria, and twisted her ear," Ouch-Mother! I am sorry! Please I am really sorry!", she said with teary eyes," Maria! It has been a half an hour since I told you to buy and bring pork! Here are you talking with a stranger!", her mother said in dissatisfied tone.


    " C''mon Martha, look at Sir Ber, so young and dashing. I am pretty sure he can steal anyone maiden''s attention and make her forget her quest", Aurora said in a gentle tone, and Martha left the hold of Maria''s poor ears, who rubbed it in pain. The scene looked a bit comedic to me, almost making me laugh.


    " Goddess! Although I respect you! Please don''t teach my daughter any more weird ''otaku'' knowledge! You don''t know how many complains we get every day because of her saying some nonsense", Martha said with a defeated look, while Aurora looked away with wry smile." Um lad... You are an Elf?", Martha looked at me surprised, I guess she hadn''t observed me carefully.


    I just gave a nod, I decided to be elusive for now, because I want to observe... Goddess Aurora, she might look like a cheerful, and a kind Goddess from the interaction I had, but Gods... they are terrifying, except a few naive ones, most of them are cunning schemers, and the worse of them... As my father said, they look at the entire world like a gameboard.


    "*cough* Anyway, Sir Ber apparently you require some assistance, may I ask of you what it might be?", Goddess Aurora asked me, and I said," May I ask of you where might be the inn maybe?", suddenly Maria''s eyes sparkled hearing my words, then getting on her one knee before me, she took out a rose from inside her clothes and took it in her mouth, then getting in a dramatic position she looked at me.


    " As the Fates would have desired, our meeting is an divine prophecy, telling us of our heavenly union in the future under the blessing of Goddess of Dawn, Sir, I am the daughter of the inn owner, now let us take you in my heavenly abode", she said with strange sparkle in her eyes, Goddess Aurora started clapping with a joyful face, while Martha facepalmed herself.


    Meanwhile I doubted what I have seen and heard, for a moment I wondered If I have traveled through another world, no that might be the case, but on seeing Goddess Aurora who was muttering," You made me proud, Maria", I understood the cause of the situation, looking at them deadpan, I moved on ignoring the chunnibyou girl and stood before Martha.


    " Lady Martha, I am a traveller, and I would like to stay in your inn", I said, she nodded with a smile," Good, we have variety of dishes, now let me fill you up with the prices and delicacies as we walk", and thus we departed leaving the two weirdos." Oh poor, Maria, it would seem you had been ignored by the Cold Male Lead ", I heard Goddess Aurora say as we walked away.


    " Maria! Don''t forget to get the pork ribs!", Martha shouted out a last time before we went far enough. Ah, I guess I should have been prepared, I have seen in anime and read how weird these gods were, as if they weren''t Gods but otakus, who got divine powers. As we reached the inn, I looked at the inn building, it had three floors, and was certainly bigger than the most of the houses here.


    Martha looked at me proudly and said," Me and my husband run this inn, we have eight rooms here, and warm food for the travellers, merchants and adventurers alike. It has been two weeks since I have got a customer, Sir Ber, you would find our place very comfy! I can assure you that!", I nodded and we entered, I guess it was time to take a little rest, and eat something good other than dried up jerky.


    To be continued...

 17) How to become a saviour unintentionally

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I yawned as I woke up, I rubbed my eyes and got up. Then taking toothpaste and brush, I got near the sink and looked myself at mirror. I brushed my teeth for a few minutes before, washing myself, and getting fresh. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall, it showed that it was 6:12 A:M, I walked out of my room, and descended down through the wooden stairs.


    I walked towards the dining table, and sat on my chair, Miss Martha as always had left two boiled potatoes sprinkled with some salt. I slowly ate it up, and as I rubbed my mouth with handkerchief, I saw her. " Good morning, lad, a beautiful morning doesn''t you think?", she said with a grin, I nodded and said," Good Morning Miss, Martha."


    She chuckled and patted my behind," Have a good time lad", she said, and I nodded, leaving the inn. Well, I guess she is the type to get really close to others easily, and she herself had said, she likes me better than the previous Elf, since she had patted the back of that female Elf once and it had caused a ruckus, as Elves don''t like to be touched by other races.


    Anyway, it would be two hours before I get any breakfast here, unlike back in Palace where I would get a sumptuous breakfast at 6 A.M. with meat, vegetable soup and soft and delicious bread, I get my breakfast at 8 A.M here, which is basically vegetable soup and normal bread. Because of my need though, Miss Martha boils some potatoes, and sprinkle it with some salt, so I can have a buffer before the breakfast.


    I walked through path seeing many villagers who had already woken up. " Good Morning, Sir Ber. I hope you have a wonderful day", said a person in armor as he greeted me, I nodded and replied," Good Morning, Sir Jason", he smiled and nodded. In last week, I have come to know some of the people of the village due to the courtesy of Miss Martha.


    Jason is fifteen years old, and a Level 1, and one of the many guards of the village. His duty starts early during the day and ends late at night. He and Marthon, guard the village entrance, while some other people with falna guard the perimeters of the village, and many also go out to hunt for the village or their families. Getting Meat here is easier than what I had thought, as not only they breed animals in surplus, but also hunt regularly.


    They also daily kill some monsters they might encounter to ensure the safety of the village. Well, I had plans to go to the forest and train for a bit, and then observe Goddess Aurora if I could. If I have learned something, the best way to observe someone without suspicion isn''t to stalk but be in the person''s plain sight deliberately.


    So, I quickly went ahead with my plan, going in the forests, I started stretching my limbs, and doing a bit of exercise, I would charge through the trees, jump from one tree to another, not like a monkey though, after getting enough sweat, I grabbed the hilt of my sword, unsheathed it and got in front of a tree, taking a deep breath, I charged forward and slashed on the bark of the tree, creating a deep mark.


    After that I continued slashing on the same place, after a few tries, the tree was down for good. While it might seem a bit weird, for an High-Elf such as me to cut down trees for my practise, I wasn''t exactly the typical Elf. I appreciated the sight of cleaved tree trunk, it was a feat impossible for my previous self, even if it wasn''t something superhuman like slicing through a two-metre trunk with a single strike, I was satisfied.


    Finally, finished with my morning training I started walking back to the village; after going through the entrance, I met a person whom I knew very well. It was none other than the village girl, Maria. She had chestnut brown hair, black eyes, and a beautiful face. If I will give her a title, it will be undoubtedly the Village Maiden. She was an example typical, village''s most beautiful girl only in the looks though.


    " Sir Ber, I present this banquet of flowers to you. Please see my passion reflected in these dazzling stars, and gift me with the opportunity to beside your side, to become your Dao Companion!", my eyebrows twitched hearing her words again. This girl has been pestering me from the beginning, always trying to create a cliche romantic situation, and get laid with me.


    I sighed and got an headache on how to deal with her, she was brazen, sometimes used otaku words, talked weirdly, and explained them as the divine knowledge granted to her by Goddess Aurora. I couldn''t also tell her to fuck off, since she is the daughter of the inn owner I am staying, and it will be rude to them.


    ...


    Jason''s Pov


    I am a Jason, a typical Village NPC, you might wonder what is an NPC? Well, I wonder as well, that''s just that name granted to me by my Childhood friend Maria and since she gave me, it must be something meaninful. Me and Maria had been friends since our childhood, she is cute, she is beautiful, she is beautiful again.


    She is the sunshine of my life, I am love with her though she doesn''t knows, I really love her, even she turned out to be like this, I sighed. After becoming so-called Enlightened One under the preachment of Heavenly Truths by Goddess Aurora, my childhood crush became weird, or rather became closer to Gods according to Goddess Aurora.


    To be Honest 90% of stuff she utters, I have no clue about it, only Goddess Aurora seemed to understand it, even I tried to learn the knowledge because of my love for her, but all things just went through my ears never settling in my head, I still remember Goddess Aurora saying out my Aptitude for Cultivation is trash, and I can never hope to achieve Dao in my entire life.


    While I didn''t understand what it meant again, I knew the realm of Divine wasn''t for me. Though I never understood how I needed an aptitude to Cultivate, I mean despite me being a soldier, I am a farmer as well, and a pretty decent one. Anyway, recently I have been extremely troubled, as the person I have been in love with, seemed to fell in love with another man.


    I was heartbroken and jealous, or that''s how I supposed to feel, until I saw Maria acting like- You know, weird? I doubted if she was really into that man, but well I was still jealous, so now, I used to secretly look after her, to make sure that Elf doesn''t accepts her request, while I doubt he would, it still stinged my heart, seeing her proposing to him day and night while she ignored my love for her, I think I am already used to it by now as well. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now, from the corner of the wall, I observed Maria muttering out some weird stuff again. I am still confused about what the fuck is supposed to be Dao? Atleast I know it''s something we don''t eat, maybe drink? Grunting I looked enviously at Maria,'' What the hell does she even finds in him? I mean he is young, handsome, has an Godly body, but so am I! '', I thought, I just hope the worst doesn''t happens.


    " NTRRRRR"


    " No it can''t happen", I said clenching my fists as I looked how close she was to Ember.


    "NTRRRRR"


    " I won''t let it happen", my eyes became bloodshot as I looked at Ember patting her head.


    "NTRRRRRRR!!!"


    " Noooooooo!!!", I cried out in despair, and almost fell on my knees, when I realized something and turned around to found Goddess standing in front of me with a mischievous look. "~Ara~Ara~ I thought you didn''t understood anything I taught you, but to think you remember the meaning of Ntr", she said in a sly tone, my eyebrows twitched.


    If I have met her for first time, then I would have been smitten by her, but for someone who grew up in this Village, despite the extreme respect I have for her, I wanted to smash her face into mud, I mean just how nice will be it to punch her grin eating face into shit! Goddess Aurora''s eyes suddenly darkened, and she grabbed my shoulders, her eyes became scary, and she looked at me," Did you just think something really, really rude about me."


    At this moment, I knew I fucked up.


    "Aghhhhhhhhh!!!"


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Ember didn''t know what to do, seeing the comedic situation unfold, he somehow quickly escaped from Maria and returned to inn to have his breakfast. " Yer back lad?", asked Martha with a smile, and he nodded, he quickly took a seat, and soon Maria presented the food before him. It was vegetable soup, two boiled eggs and a medium sized loaf of bread.


    It was pretty simple as breakfast for him, who was used to have delicious food in the morning. He did a prayer and started eating the food. " Miss Martha, your food is as delicious as ever!", he praised, and she chuckled," You got a sweet tongue boy, also I see my daughter has been troubling you for a while, don''t worry I will get her in line soon, seriously that girl is troublesome", she said. He nodded and continued with his breakfast.


    ...


    " C''mon Jason! Let''s go quickly! I must collect some apples to give it to Sir Ber when we meet next time!", said Maria as she dragged Jason, the man meanwhile looked in deep trouble. '' Although I have agreed to help Maria, but still, helping her to prepare gifts for the man she has crush for? What am I just doing?! '', he thought with a deep sigh.


    Soon they arrived near the Apple Tree, with Jason''s help, Maria took some Apples into her basket and giggled." I have heard Elves love nature and fruits, so this time I thought why not collect various fruits to gift him? Unfortunately we just have berries, thankfully there is a Apple tree here", she said explaining to him, Jason''s eyebrows twitched and he finally asked," Maria I have a question."


    She looked at him and he continued," Do- Do you really like him? For you to work this hard to impress him?", Maria giggled and said," Ofcourse! He is like the prince charming I used to read in stories, how many times I have dreamt that a prince would come, we fall in love and marry each other, and then live happily ever after!", her reply was childish, but it made him breath in relief.


    As they were talking, a figure somehow sneaked behind Maria''s back, and the moment Jason''s eyes fell on it, he quickly grabbed her and threw her away," Maria!", he shouted as with a boom he was thrown away like a ragdoll. " Jason!", Maria looked at her childhood friend, who stood up and coughed blood, then she looked at the preparator.


    Her eyes widened in shock, fear took over her, as the Orc roared, it started moving towards her, while she remained frozen at her place," You ugly pig! Stay away from her!!", Jason shouted throwing a rock at the orc, it scratched the head of the Orc, angering it, however it also garnered its attention successfully.


    " Maria! Run away! Quickly ask for help!", he gave her the command, seeing Jason risking his life for her she gathered her courage and nodded, she didn''t wanted to leave, but she knew she will be only a burden for him, not to mention she knew that the monster was an Orc, and Jason was incapable of killing it alone.


    Thus, taking a deep breath, she quickly ran away, heading towards the village, hearing the grunts of the monsters and the sound of sword breaking, her fists were clenched, she stopped, and looked back to see Jason thrown away from another punch of the monster. His arm was twisted, and bent in wrong directions, his chest plate was sunk, indicating the possibility of broken ribs, and he bleed heavily from his forehead.


    At this moment, her mind went blank.'' It can''t be! '', she thought with despair, her friend was going to die, she gritted and quickly ran back with a single thought,'' I have to save him! I want to save him! '', and thus, taking up a rock from the ground, she threw it at the monster with her full strength. It hit the orc, and she shouted," You fucking Oversized swine! Come here!", the Orc''s attention shifted from Jason.


    Seeing it, Maria breathed in relief and the Orc started walking towards her, she started running away. The Orc also hastened its movement, now Maria was scared as hell as she heard the sounds of the steps grow louder with each second. But she didn''t give up, she ran like never before. Alas her leg hit a rock, and she fell on the ground.


    '' I am dead! '', she thought as she closed her eyes, " Arghhhhh!!!", the monster cried out in pain, she turned around opening her eyes, and saw the unbelievable scene. Ember has cleaved through the monster''s chest, and he shouted," Maria! Get up!", and she quickly stood up and moved away, she stopped at a safe distance and looked nervously at his fight.


    The Orc punched, and Ember nimbly dodged it, grabbing it''s arm he swung himself on back of the monster, and thrusted the sword in its neck, the monster cried out in pain as blood fell from its throat, and fell down with a thud. She was shocked, as she knew that Orcs were extremely dangerous, even Level 2 Adventurers lose their life to them.


    Yet, Ember had taken down one, without falna, as much she knows, but this wasn''t the time for expressing her gratitude, recalling the dire state of Jason, she quickly said," Sir Ber! Jason! ja-son! He is injured! We need to go back!", he nodded, and they quickly went to take Jason. On arriving, Ember saw the bloodied Jason lying on the ground.


    He quickly checked his pulse and breathed in relief, as he still alive. " We need to quickly take him to the village", he said and Maria nodded, when they heard some people coming. " Sir Marthon! And the others!", Maria cried out, " What happened?! We heard the roar of an Orc!", Marthon asked, she quickly explained everything, while another soldier fed Jason a potion.


    " Sir! Jason''s ribs are broken! His hand is in pretty bad shape as well, while his bleeding has stopped, I doubt he can hold up for much longer!", said the guard, and Maria panicked," Please! Save him! I-If only I hadn''t be so foolish to venture so deep into the forest- It would have never happened!", she said, they nodded and quickly took him to village.


    " Jason!", cried out Jason''s mother, and his father looked at with worry. Goddess Aurora had come as well, as she analysed Jason''s wounds. " His condition is critical we need a High Potion to save him!", she said, soon a soldier returned and informed with distress," I have checked it! We have no High Potion!"


    His words caused everyone to despair. Aurora gritted her teeth, while Jason woke up and looked at them," G-Goddess", he said, and Aurora grabbed his hand," Jason! I am here!", she said with panic, her eyes were already moist seeing the state of her child, while she was unable to do anything to help him.


    " M-Maria", he looked at her love, he knew he would most probably die, he was already having extreme difficulty in breathing, he wanted to propose, but knowing it might leave her broken he made a decision," Maria, don''t blame yourself. It wasn''t your fault... I am just sad, I wasn''t able to see your and Sir Ber''s children", he said with a sad chuckle.


    " You Dummy! It isn''t time for this! You won''t be dying on us! We will live happily till our old age, and die together!", she said while crying. Jason also broke into tears, everything was looking dim, when Ember who had been missing for a while, charged in, " Sir Ber?", he ignored everyone and took out a vial of potion, and grabbing Jason, he chugged it down his throat.


    "Chughhkk!", Jason almost choked by the sudden influx of the fluid when he heard," It is a High-Potion, quickly drink it", he nodded and drank the potion, soon his twisted hand recovered and so did his sunken chest, he coughed out taking a deep breathe." Sir Ber! Y-You saved our son... I can''t express my gratitude in words!", said Jason''s father, while Ember sighed.


    Goddess Aurora meanwhile breathed in relief, and so did Maria. Jason had been saved, by none other than the impromptu guest of their village. Ember meanwhile looked conflicted, but he had made his decision. Not to mention he had observed Goddess Aurora enough, and came to a conclusion,'' She is a really kind Goddess '', he thought.


    To be continued...

 18) Goddess of the Dawn

    (Author''s Note: There is slight info dump in this chapter, I have tried to explain the entire Falna system is brief, and in an immersive way, please read the info, as I have detailed the workings of the falna system in whole, if you are ever going to write a danmachi fic, it might help!)


    ...


    Ember Pov


    Yesterday''s event was a complete shock to everyone including me, I was just strolling in the forest, when I heard a beastly roar, I quickly ran towards there as my experience told that the monster was probably an Orc and had met a prey for it to release such roar, I just wanted to make sure it wasn''t any human and sadly it was. They were Maria and Jason; one was heavily wounded while another was chased by the monster.


    I got on top of a tree and quickly charged on the Orc, with my flexible and Agile body, with my impeccable sword skills I managed to slay that Orc. It involved risk though; I would have preferred to use Magic but finishing the long ass chant in time to save Maria involved significant risk on her life, and so I had to engage in Close combat.


    Thankfully, it was just a single Orc, and I had experience battling in close combat before, or I would have been in a hitch, after that we took the unconscious Jason to the village, and rest is history. I was a little conflicted when I handed over the High-Potion to save him, technically me and Jason were still strangers, we just knew about each other, and for him I was a traveller who would soon leave the village.


    I was definitely not some good-hearted hero, but neither a fucking prick. I had eight High-Potions with me and two Elixirs for emergency, so the hesitation within me lasted only for a moment, saving the life of the poor guard, and earning the gratitude of everything. I also managed to analyze Goddess Aurora, she was one of the good Gods, like Njord if it isn''t an alternate world.


    I had observed her for days and then I have come to this conclusion, I have now planned to join her familia. To be honest as lucrative it sounded to join an already established familia, currently only Zeus and Hera familia were worth the effort, but joining them had a significant risk, and I would rather play safe. Afterall slow and steady wins the race, when you have time.


    So, now I am in front of the house where Goddess lived, amusingly, she lived alone in a house, and while it was quite big it still fell short in front of the Village Chief''s house, as for why she didn''t live in village chief''s house? Probably she didn''t want to disturb in their love life, though that''s just my guess. I knocked on the door, and waited for a while, and she opened the door.


    "Ah, sir Ber, you are quite early today, it is barely 4:OO A.M", she said with an yawn, I said," Goddess Aurora I have something important to talk with you", I won''t lie I was a bit nervous, I even had questions like,'' What if my decision is wrong?'' or '' She isn''t the Kind Goddess she pretends to be?'' in my mind, but to be honest it was now just pure paranoia acting up.


    " Well, come in", she said, and I entered the house, closing the door, she took me to the guest room, and we sat on a sofa, she smiled and said before I could say anything, " Sir Ber, you can call me just Aurora, after all the Goddess title is so long... And well thank you for yesterday", she bowed before me," You lots have already paid the money for the High-Potion", I said.


    She looked at me with a sincere look and said," It isn''t about money- You saved Jason... I can''t thank you enough for that. I have literally watched his parents since they were kids, and him as well. Seeing the person, I watched since kid and played with him, dying slowly before me as I was helpless to save him, it wasn''t a good experience, never was."


    " I see... First, how to say this? My name isn''t Ber actually, though I know you must already know it", I said truthfully looking in her eyes, she giggled and said," Indeed, children can''t lie in front of Gods, same cliche stuff, so what''s the reason for telling the truth? Just you know Ber, it doesn''t matter. I have a lot of experience knowing whether a person is a bad person or not... And even if you lied, and stalked me, I knew you weren''t a bad person."


    Hearing her say that I stalked her I winced internally, I thought I had played smart, well I fell short in front of a Goddess with centuries of experience, I guess. I sighed and said looking at her," My real name is Ember Ljos Alf, yes I belong to Royalty, not long ago I ran away from Alf''s Forest, and had been looking to join a familia ever since."


    " Oh! You were observing me for that reason? Ara Ara and I hear I thought you had fallen in love with this voluptuous body of mine", she said as she puffed her chest and her milkers jiggled, the previous me would have blushed like an idiot and gulped his saliva, but as I said, my sense of beauty had been long destroyed by the Elf beauties that surrounded me since my childhood, so I just stared at her deadpan.


    She coughed with embarrassment seeing her usual antics didn''t work on me and said," Anyway, Your Highness Ember, do you really want to join my familia? I won''t lie, while I am very open to grant you my falna, I would probably feel quite accomplished to have a High-Elf as my child, other than the falna, I don''t have much to offer, at best a house to stay, clothing to wear and food to eat."


    She then looked at me seriously," Honestly you won''t accomplish much by joining my familia, your highness, someone like you deserves much better to be honestly", she said, she wasn''t berating herself but just stated plainly I chuckled and said," I wasn''t looking for a Grandeur familia to join in the first place, otherwise I would have headed to Orario to try my luck with Zeus and Hera Familia."


    " I wanted a God, who would truly cherish me, and won''t see me as a pawn to his game... That''s all I wanted", I said looking at her and she blushed and looked away," Your Highness, you are pretty handsome and even cute on top of that... If you look me that intensely, I might not be able to hold myself back", she said, my eyebrows twitched at her nonsense.


    " Anyway, Goddess Aurora you don''t need to call me '' Your Highness '', or anything like that, just call me Ber, or Ember since we are alone, and please tell me your answer", I said to her, she smiled and said," Ember, it had been exactly 352 years since I had descended into lower world, at first I lived in a city which was run by my friend and her familia."


    " It was by chance I happened to run into this village, unlike now, that time it was in a desolate condition. The villagers were extremely poor and lived a very bad life. I wasn''t able to see their misery and decided to stay in this village and improve the quality of life of the people. In two decades, the villagers were literate and well off, but by then I had developed quite the affection for this village", she said.


    She sighed and said," I feared what would happen if I left this village, what if after a few years it returns to what it was before? Thus, despite my friend''s insisting me, I stayed here, and after that, I just remained here... New generations came and died, and I was unable to leave, but to be honest I am happy that I arrived at this village that day, since I am finally happy."


    She stood up and said," Ember I can''t grant you lofty status, I can''t even grant you quality weapons... potions or meals, I always joke what seems nonsense to others, my otaku side often acts up, but I promise, if I am your Goddess, I will never betray your trust, that you put in me", her voice serious unlike her usual self.


    '' Don''t trust her, she might be lying '', or, '' She might betray you for this village '', rang in mind, to be honest it wasn''t even funny. But I ignored them, and with a smile I took her hand and planted a kiss on top of it, " Nice to meet you my Goddess", I bowed slightly, she giggled and suddenly hugged me taking by surprise," Nice to meet you... My Child", her voice, it was filled with so much joy that it felt unreal.


    Soon, I was lying on her bed naked with my back facing her, she prickled her finger and dropped her blood on me, as I felt some shackles inside me being broken. It was done, I had falna. I could see the figure of holographic status from the corner of my eyes. She closed it, and copied my status on a paper and handed it over to me. She said," You are really talented, you already have one skill and one magic!", and I looked at my status.


    [Level 1


    Strength: I0


    Endurance: I0


    Dexterity: I0


    Agility: I0 S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Magic: I0


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    It was pretty simple, unlike what others assume it didn''t show the name of the person or their race, only their level, basic parameters, development skills if any usually along the basic parameters as they are growth type, then skills, and finally magic and magic slots and the familia the person belongs through an emblem of the familia as a tattoo in a side. Seeing my skill and magic, I smiled a little, after all having a skill and magic from beginning is already good start.


    " Well, Ember now that you have got falna let me explain how it works, and everything else", she said, taking my attention off my status, and I nodded ready to listen to her words carefully. She smiled and standing in front of me she explained," Firstly, Falna only breaks off the inherent shackles of the Adventurer, doesn''t expand their innate talent."


    " Now, you have five basic parameters, namely Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility and Magic, they do as their name suggests, to increase your parameters you must gain excelia, there are a few ways to do that, physical training is one of that, however battling opponents and killing monsters are the most efficient way", she explained to me.


    " The growth in your basic parameters is proportional to your own abilities, if I were to explain in a simple way- Let''s take a normal human and a beast man, if both are Level 1 and have Strength A800 then the beast man will be much stronger than human, as his innate strength is already greater than and so will be his senses", she said and I nodded.


    She suddenly smiled with excitement and said," It means! You will be already much stronger as compared to others at same level! Your body is already peak of what Elves can achieve, and I am sure you already know congenital magic, and as High-Elf have a pretty good innate mind. It would mean physically you will be stronger than all humans at same level and parameters, even many beast men and amazons, since you fucking killed an Orc without any falna and so will be your magic!"


    Her excitement was valid and so was mine, as I grinned at hearing her words. She continued,"*Ahem* We went off topic, now returning to my explanation, the parameters are shown with a rank and number which are from 0-999 in number and I to A, then S in alphabetical order from low to high, represented as 0-99 is I, 100-199 is H, and so on till 900-999 is S, that''s the limit of the falna container or so I know", she said, I nodded, as I already knew this much.


    " Then comes natural talent, while in earlier stages of parameters amount of hard work is equal to gain in parameters for everyone, in later stages, for some it becomes a bit harder to raise their status than others. That''s why not everyone manages to achieve an S in their parameter before level up", she said.


    " Now comes Level up, the Level starts from 1 and goes on, I don''t know it''s limit considering it is still unknown what is the maximum level one can achieve, basic parameters increase through gain excelia and one can rank up using high-rank excelia which is obtained from feats that could impress Gods, meaning achieving things that isn''t meant for their level such as defeating stronger opponents", she said.


    " With every rank up the parameters are reset to I0, however the previous parameters are there, stored in a form of layer, due to each rank up, overall abilities increase greatly, thus it is a way to improve your strength even if you had hit your limit, with many choosing to level up once they had hit level, while ironically many choose not to", she paused and took a breath.


    " Ember, Gods can choose to apply or restrain the excelia gained by their, both normal and high-ranking type, thus a God can prevent their children''s basic parameters increasing or gaining development abilities if God doesn''t want to, but rarely any God does this, mostly only refraining them so that they can increase is a later on as a huge boost in parameters", she said.


    " On other hand, many Gods choose to restrain the High-Ranking excelia, so that their children can increase their basic parameters before leveling up. It is a very good strategy, devised around a century ago by Zeus and Hera Familia. Now comes, Development abilities, they can be only gained after a rank up", she said.


    " Development abilities are those abilities that you gain through circumstances, like a swordsman can gain swordsman Development skill, and a person who had gained a resistance to poisons by consuming them regularly, gaining Abnormal Resistance skill and so on. Development abilities are represented by alphabets from I to S, they increase by performing the same task over and over, development abilities help an adventurer increase their skills, and talents, extremely fast compared to natural methods", she said swirling her finger.


    She then sat beside me, and looked at my status, pointing at my skills she said," Now comes, skill, they are like development abilities, however one gets a skill due to a desire or his own innate speciality, they are like maximum from the start, however one can refine their use through practice. Skills can be anything from increasing your any basic parameter, to your intellect temporarily or permanently."


    " Now comes magic... It totally depends upon one''s talents, some might have no talent for magic having no magic slot, and most talented ones have maximum of three magic slots, showing as long as they continue growing up, they would have chance to acquire maximum of three different magics. Magic with short chant is usually weaker than magic with longer chants, Ember you have a pretty good talent, since having three slots is limit", she said.


    I suddenly asked her," Is there any way to increase the magic slot?", she smiled and nodded," I was getting there, the only way to increase a magic slot beyond three, and sure way to gain magic and a new slot is by using Magic Grimoires, that''s all I know. Lastly, there are curses, another type of method of combat like magic, using Mind of the user or Magic status, however unlike magic they are of restraining type", she said.


    " Curses like Development abilities don''t show up in status unless you get them, and the way to get them is similar to magic, I don''t know much detail about them, but as I said, they are of restraining type, they effect the target''s strength, endurance, agility or even senses depending on their type, that''s all about the Falna, Status, Parameters, Development Abilities, Magic and Curses!", she said taking a deep breath.


    I have already taken her information inside my mind, and have analyzed it, realizing the vastness of this system. Truly, anime never did the falna system it''s justice, not showing how detailed and planned it is. Thankfully I had read the Novel, unfortunately I left the novel in the middle, and had only watched the anime till season 6.


    I looked at my status, I can already guess why I gained Decipher skill, I have basically been deciphering things since my birth, like I deciphered the race, and identity of my parents and me, the world I am, the way to train, and how magic works. I have literally deciphered the entire plan to escape from Alf''s Forest on my own, so I gained this skill, I smiled a little as I could see this skill was working, as I basically deciphered the reason behind why I got this skill.


    For magic, I will do tests later on, but for now. I looked at my Goddess, who was looking at the clock," Ember, it is already 5 A.M. some villagers would soon wake up", she said, I stood up and nodded, then I asked," Goddess what should I do with my name?", she looked at me and said," Indeed, you are Elf Royalty and have ran away from Alf''s forest, we can''t use your real name as it might get you caught up."


    " What about using an Alias? Technically my name is Ber, taken from my full name Ember, however if I were to use an Alias, then there should be lower problems", I said, explaining her my intention, she nodded with a smile and said," Ember, do you know, while Gods can tell whether a mortal is lying in front of them, it is limited to what the mortal believes to be truth, thus right now when you said your name is Ber, it was truth."


    I had a guess on it, but I nodded in gratitude for her, she basically told me the way to lie to the Gods, which usually no God would do. " As for an Alias... Well, I am not good in names, the last villager I named was Babyboo... And well he still resents me for that", she sighed, explaining her poor naming sense, I gave an Amen for the guy who was named '' Babyboo '', and thought for an Alias.


    I smile curled up on my face as I looked at her," So what''s the name?", she asked me with a knowing smile, well aware that I have an alias ready for me, without any hesitation I told her about the name for my alias," Tithonus... I want my alias to be Tithonus."


    To be continued...


    (Author''s Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The info dump was very much required! I mean which God doesn''t explains the detail of how falna works after granting them? Maybe it might be a common knowledge, or maybe just because the Goddess is Hestia who has her mind filled with her eyes on Bell''s D than to have any other thought.


    Anyway, I hope you are liking the story so far! Give this story a five star rating, a good review(Maybe when this fic has 50 chaps), and some comments!)

 19) Testing Magic and Leaving for the town

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I quickly left Goddess'' place to test my magic. I had it finally, after so much waiting I had falna! I grinned recalling it, now I was quite impatient to test my magic, so I quickly rushed to the forest, and got near the lake, yup there was a lake nearby here, connected with a river. It was around a hour walk from the village, thankfully I had my trustworthy horse, so I arrived quick.


    Arriving near the lake, I took my Magic staff and pointed towards the lake, I started chanting," O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation! ", and a blue fire manifested from the tip of my magic staff and shot at the lake.


    *Boom*


    A resounding sound filled the area as I watched a dazzling blue fire evaporating the water, no it literally boiled it. With a grin, I quickly search for a log nearby the lake, and used it as my target, the moment my magic fell on it, the wet log started burning rapidly and turned into ashes in a few seconds.


    I was impressed with my magic, as even from far I can feel the residual heat radiating from it, and it was hot. If I were to estimate the temperature of my attack it should be around 1400 degree Celsius or so. The colour of fire is somewhat related to its temperature, from dull red to white, and blue flames are comparable to white flames.


    It was quite hot, and can easily kill even Level 2s, maybe even Level 3s. I finally understood how monstrous my Magic was, thus without any wait, I quickly got back on my everyday work, which is to grind! So, I released a flurry of fire magic one after another, abusing the poor lake till it''s shore was dry, I gasped heavily feeling my mind heavy and took a Mind Potion feeling relief.


    But things didn''t end here, I quickly took my horse and ventured into the forest, fighting off any stray monsters that I meet. I killed 56 Goblins, and 12 kobolds today, it wasn''t something special and I barely found any monsters, but content with my hunt I returned to the village in the evening. As I approached the village''s entrance, I found Goddess and Miss Martha already waiting for me. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " Ember! Did you enjoy the monster hunting?", she asked, and I gave a wry smile understanding what I did was reckless, I haven''t eaten anything today other than some meat jerky''s either. " I apologize Miss Martha for missing out today''s meals... I was rather excited", I said with a simple bow as I got down my horse, she sighed and said," Here i was thinking of scolding you, and then you show me how polite and mature you are... Anyway, tell me before leaving next time."


    I replied," I will", and soon they escorted me to the front of the Miss Martha''s Inn, and I found lamps illuminating the entire place, chairs and tables place on the outside. I frowned not knowing if there was any special occasion, Goddess Aurora smirked and said," This your welcome party Ber! From now onwards you are not only a member of Aurora familia but also Shawn Village!"


    I was stunned and looked at them surprised," Shocked lad?", Miss Martha asked, and I replied," Well... I didn''t expect... something like this", she chuckled, and soon others villagers arrived. Goddess Aurora grabbed my hand, and took me into the center," Everyone! This impromptu party has been decided on the joy of Sir Ber joining our family!", she said and everyone cheered.


    I looked at the villagers, and said," I thank everyone for the kindness everyone showed to me, to be honest it was rather impromptu, but I had been searching for a suitable familia to join, and after meeting the goddess here, I think I met the one I was searching for", and everyone cheered, while Aurora smirked," Now Let''s get the party started!".


    " Yeahhh!!!", everyone shouted.


    We sat and women and some men presented dishes in front of us, I drooled on smelling the aroma of the meat and fruits. There was meat, a lot of it, pork, chicken, and goat. There was fried dishes, some soup, and then enticing fruits, there was bread and some other dishes as well. It did pale in comparison to what I ate everyday back in palace, but-" It''s delicious!", I said as grabbed the pork rib and ate the flesh.


    Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, infact the village''s younger girl even started performed a dance and so did a few couples, I honestly enjoyed that- Though I didn''t like Aurora''s constantly insisting trying to make me drink Alcohol. When some people tried to force me as well, I made them realize, how actually Elves are, showing Elf Anger for first time.


    Other than that, it was overall a good day. Goddess Aurora was slight drunk, however I managed to convince her to update my status, and she was excited as well. Thus lying on the bed, I glanced at her updating my status from the corner of my eyes. " Done", she said and copied my status on a paper and handed it over to me.


    [Level 1


    Strength: I0---> I18


    Endurance: I0---> I16


    Dexterity: I0---> I19


    Agility: I0---> I15


    Magic: I0---> I23


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    I released a sigh upon seeing my status, I mean I knew it already, but still I was a tad disappointed on seeing my upgraded status. '' I guess this is the difference between normal guys and ones with cheats huh? '', I thought with a wry smile," Huh? You seem disappointed?", suddenly Goddess Aurora asked and I sighed," I didn''t expect much, but the status didn''t even cross twenty-five", I replied with honesty.


    " Is that so? To be honest... The increase in your status in a single day has been the greatest I have ever seen", she said, surprising me. But it also showed, why the Adventurers or Orario were superior, sure my growth was impressive for a day, maybe I can level up in a year, but leveling up in a year wasn''t my goal.


    I wanted to surpass and achieve SSS rank or whatever the limit is in my all status before my rank up, that was my goal. Forget about that, whether I can surpass my S limit was another question, but I knew getting my parameters to even B''s, with the nearby monsters wasn''t going to be an easy task. I needed to think of something, I quickly explained my worries to her.


    " I see- Well, you don''t regret it now, right?", she asked, and I replied," Nope", she smiled hearing my answer and then got serious," Ember, I doubt you will be able to grow up here. There is a single choice, you need to move into a monster infested area, there is a town or rather small city named Argon with three familias and a guild branch, around thirty kilometers of here."


    She then continued," Despite being a small city, there is a level 4 present there and it gets regularly attacked by monsters of Level 2, to be honest I didn''t wanted to send you there... But it might be the place you are looking for", she looked at me with slight worry. " I see... Then I guess, I need to leave Goddess, don''t worry I will act cautious and return every month for a status update", I said and she flashed a sad smile.


    " To think you have to leave this early", she said and I replied," Well, I guess I should wait till my status are in 100''s to leave", and her expression turned better, after that I left her house returning to the inn, for the next month I worked really hard, slaying whatever monster I encountered day and night, i encountered some killer ants, and even five orcs! After venturing far away in the forest.


    Soon, I was ready for another status update, and seeing the change in my status, I smiled with joy.


    [Level 1


    Strength: I18--->H187


    Endurance: I16--->H199


    Dexterity: I19--->G212


    Agility: I15--->G201


    Magic: I23--->G255


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    I was genuinely surprised, after all the increase in the status was incredible considering my condition. Goddess Aurora praised me," That''s the highest increase in month I have ever seen in my life, Ember this increase isn''t only because you are talented, but also you have worked hard. You killed monsters day and night, and trained a lot, so that''s why there is such a significant boost", I nodded.


    I could feel strength surging with me, I took a deep breath. I quickly counted my parameters, and it was 1054 points. That was a quite the significant leap in a month. Goddess Aurora said," This is just a bit short of the status of Jason''s if you exclude his Magic, and it had been over a year and half since he got falna, showing how good your progress is", she looked at me with stars in her eyes.


    " Good, now let me lock your falna", she said and I nodded, lying back on the bed till she finished locking my falna. " Good, now unless someone uses that status snitch, your status should be safe", she said and I nodded," Thankyou Goddess, if not for you... It means a lot to me", I said with slight embarrassment.


    She chuckled and said," Thanks to you Ember, because of you I will finally feel what it is like to sire a genius!", she grinned, I facepalmed myself realizing she was returning to her previous antics. Though it didn''t matter as we both laughed, next day I was ready to leave the village. I had decided to keep my horse in the village''s stable and take another, after all, despite the small chance some might recognize my horse.


    I also made plenty of dye, took rations, I was going in carriage, pulled by two horses, followed by another, and some other familia members, including a level 2. " Sir Ber, my name is Edward, and I am the Captain of the Aurora familia", he said with a smile, I shook my head with him," Sorry, I neither met you during the day of party, and neither after that due to my training", I said.


    He laughed and said," Don''t fret over it, Sir Ber, well I guess I should you call by your Alias, Tithonus, anyway, welcome to the familia and if you need any help, ask me. I should visit Argon every month, with rest of the familia members", I nodded, it was pretty simple, they were going to sell some village goods, magic stones collected, and buy some other stuff from the city.


    So, the Aurora familia makes a trip to the city every month to buy some essentials, sometimes they leave out the trip during winters, buying more stock before it. We all were going to travel on horses, with me, Sir Edward, and other six members, who were level 1 including Jason. " Sir, I would like to again thank you for saving me that day", Jason said as he came in front of me.


    " You have already thanked me, like dozen of times Jason... Enough with this!", I said, and we laughed, suddenly I looked at the Goddess who has come to wish us good luck along with Maria, who was fidgeting for some reason. '' Don''t tell me?! '', I thought considering she might propose genuinely to me, before she bowed before and said," I apologize!"


    I was surprised and listened to her words intently," I disturbed you a lot, and even pestered you! Please forgive me for my rudeness!", she said, and I smiled," Fine- It seems you have learnt your lesson Maria", I said and she winced, and then looked at Jason who smiled. " Thankyou Sir, for forgiving someone as foolish as me!", she said, getting back on her usual self, garnering a laughter from both Jason and Goddess.


    " I wish you luck Ember!", she said with a smile, and suddenly kissed on my cheek," Hehe, don''t forget your poor Goddess!", she said with a sly chuckle, while everyone mouth was wide open. '' I guess she didn''t kiss them after they grew into adults '', and I nodded to her, giving my goodbye, once we set off, Jason said to me," Damn! Goddess kissed you!"


    " It isn''t something big Jason, we are like children to her", I said with a shrug, and another person chimed in," You don''t understand Tithonus, while Goddess has kissed us on our forehead and cheeks when we were child, she never kissed us after we grew old, even girls included! Always saying it is reserved for her soul mate!", he said with an exaggeration.


    I chuckled and ignored them, Goddess falling in love with me? While there was indeed a chance, but I doubted that was the case, atleast for now, while in future it might be a different case. Thus, not commenting on the matter, we continued galloping slowly atop of our horses.


    To be continued...

 20) Argon Town and Guild

    ...


    Ember Pov


    The journey took two days, and it has been smooth sailing, we did encounter some monsters here and there, but they were only Goblins and Kobolds. I was a bit nervous about encountering bandits by chance, thankfully no such cliche happened. This isn''t a bandit infested area due to the Guild branch and familias here, after all no God will give falna to bandits, and Adventurers who were superhuman could easily get rid of them.


    Once we arrived at the town, I finally found bustle of the people. There were many demi-humans, and humans in the town, and many were wearing Adventurer''s attire. While others went to sell the goods, Edward personally took me to register in the guild. We soon arrived in front of the Guild," So this is the Guild huh?", I asked, and Edward nodded.


    " Guild is a neutral body, it is only a small branch here, but it provides with many functions. Not limited to quests for adventures, the guild advisors here also detail you about the monsters, and what monster you should take on according to your parameters, they also trade the monster loot for money, and also act as a bank", he said, and I nodded.


    " Now let''s get you registered", he said, and we went inside, upon entering we saw a few adventurers, all of whom looked at who had entered the guild, aka us. Ignoring their stares, we came in front of a Guild advisor. " Disha, I want to register him in the guild, as our newest member", Sir Edward said to the guild member.


    She had medium length brown hair, and brown eyes, she had two dog ears on her forehead showing she was a Chien trope, she nodded and then looked me with surprise," An Elf? That''s like... He is the second Elf in the entire Argon!", she said with a gasp, in fact everyone stared at me, and at Argon with... Jealousy? I felt weird at the notion of it.


    " It would seem Aurora Familia is really lucky", said an adventurer, while Edward glanced him from the corner of his eye, shutting him up. I was confused here," Sir Edward...are Elves here really that sought out?", I whispered to him, and he nodded," Yes, Elves are well known for their talent in Magic, and archery, that''s why they are really sought after", he said.


    I grunted in displeasure; it was basically a genius is in low level powerhouse situation. Disha meanwhile asked," Anyway, Sir if you would fill up this form", and I looked at the form, it was written in Koine, the most common and simplest language in the world. I filled my name as Tithonus, marked on a Familia Adventurer, apparently falnaless adventurers exist here.


    Next, I marked my level, when I looked at my occupation, I wondered what I should do, in the end I wrote their Archer, Magician and Swordsman. Disha gasped seeing my occupation," Sir you are really talented, more than Miss Amalda", she said, and I just stated," I am still not a magic swordsman yet, I need a lot of practice till I can become one", it was a lie to hide my true strength, and she nodded," Understandable."


    Yes, while I won''t hide, that I can use archery and magic and I am swordsman as well, I would leave out the fact that I am Magic Swordsman, the most powerful category of Adventurers. Then she continued to explain me the Guild services, some common knowledge and other stuff, after that together with Edward I managed to rent out a place. It wasn''t something grand, just a single small room, with a bed, and sink for 5650 valis per month.


    " Good, now I should just introduce you to some other people", said Edward, and he took me to a blacksmith. " Sir Tithonus, you know about the three familias here, right?", he suddenly asked as we stood in front of the workshop, and I nodded," Goddess Aurora has already detailed about it to me, there are three Gods in this town, namely Goddess Achelois, God Modi, and finally Goddess Oshun."


    He nodded and said," Thanks to Guild and circumstances, we don''t have any hostile relationship with any other familia, we are neutral with Modi Familia and Oshun Familia, and our Goddess is a friend of Goddess Aschelois, in fact it was her who received our Goddess when she descended, thus we can purchase items from their black smithy, albeit at the 10% raised price than what they sell to their own familia."


    I understood the ins and out of the matter from the words, and as we entered, I heard the sound of metal colliding. He rang a bell, and after waiting for a few minutes, he came out," Well, who is her-", he paused looking at me, disgust appeared on his face. I sighed realizing he was dwarf and as an Elf, we had a rivalry for absolutely no reason.


    Well, there was a reason, basically speaking our Ancestors insulted Dwarven ancestors due to their big heads, short stature, and hairy bodies, calling them ugly or disgusting, and praising our Kind as epitome of beauty, while them as ugly toads, and just like that, Elves and Dwarves became a mortal enemy, cursing my stupid ancestors in their mind for their actions I prepared myself for an unpleasant situation.


    " Who is this fancy Elf you had brought with yourself Edward?", he asked with a snort, Edward said," Damper, listen to me. I know you hate Elves, but Sir Tithonus isn''t like other Elves, not to mention you have an Elf in your familia as well", he snorted sitting on a table and said," Don''t remind of her, she is so arrogant and annoying, if not for the goddess, I wouldn''t even make a pin for her."


    He then looked at me," He is different? Then how about having a handshake with me? Do know that I am all sweaty", he said with a smirk, I felt speechless, other Elves have hated this, like really. But for me who had no such arrogance, that was such a simple thing to do, hence I went forward and grabbed his hand and did a shake.


    " Nice to meet you sir, I am Tithonus, newest member of Aurora Familia", I said introducing myself in a polite tone, he looked at me shocked and uttered out," Lad, are yer a Half-Elf?", it sounded racist, and I winced at that,'' He thought I am a Half-Elf? Me a High-Elf? '', I thought a bit amused, wanting to laugh at being mistaken for a Half-Elf.


    " Well, I am a pure white Elf", I replied in a calm tone, and withdrew my hand, he looked at me and frowned," You won''t clean your hand with a handkerchief and berate my sweat dirtying your pristine skin?", he asked me with shock, making me scream internally, just how my kind behaves outside the fricking Alf''s Forest? This dwarf seems in intense shock and surprise, he seemed to go through an existential crisis.


    "Um, I don''t understand?", I said in an awkward tone, and Edward coughed, finally the dwarf sighed," I see... He is really unusual for an Elf, far too easy going with no Elven pride, I even doubt he was raised in an Elf''s forest, well if he doesn''t annoy me, I will make him weapon and armor, and do the repairs, at 10% raised price like yours", he said.


    Edward nodded in relief and so did I and we thanked him, leaving the workshop, finally Edward and rest of the familia left for the village next day, while I got ready to explore this area, before that I decided to get some information about the monsters and dangerous areas around here. Thus I re-entered guild.


    " Miss Amalda, he is the new Elf you are searching for", I heard Disha''s voice, with a frown I looked at the person, and realized it was the only other Elf here. She had long black hair, and black eyes, though her looks were average, in my sense. She walked to me and introduced herself," I am Amalda, from Aeshina Forest", she said with a gentle bow.


    " I am Tithonus, from Alf''s Royal Forest", I said with a bow as well, and she said with a slight gasp," Alf''s Royal Forest? I have heard that His Highness Ember Ljos Alf, ran away from there not long ago", I acted normally upon hearing her words and nodded," Indeed, it might sound a bit foolish, but I though on following his highness'' footsteps, and decided to leave the forest", I chuckled.


    She nodded and said with a relief," Finally there is another Elf I can converse with, Sir Tithonus, why don''t we sit there and talk?", she asked, and I nodded, once both were seated, she said," The people here aren''t bad, but they don''t respect Elf customs, they are also a lot touchy, and the best blacksmith of my familia is a fricking big bearded dwarf...", just like that she kept on complaining.


    My eyebrows twitched upon hearing her words, though I can guess she thought as a fellow Elf I will share feelings,'' Sad for her... I don''t '', I thought amused, and just listened to her words with a bit of attention to be polite, soon she stopped and said," Anyway, l guess I still didn''t give a proper introduction, right? Sir Tithonus, I am Amalda from Aschelois Familia."


    " I am from Aurora Familia", I replied, and she nodded, suddenly we heard a voice," Amalda! Who are you talking with?", I looked to find the owner of the voice to be Chienthrope girl, she had grey hair, and black eyes, alongside her, I could see a few people. " Guys, meet him, he is Tithonus, a White Elf from Royal Alf''s Forest", she said introducing me and stood up.


    " Sir Tithonus, they are my party members", she said, and I stood up, and greeted them in a polite tone," Nice to meet you all, I am Tithonus", I said, and they nodded," I guess Amalda you really wanted to meet the other Elf here", the same girl said and Amalda replied," Well, while this place is infested by a lot of monsters, and have plenty of Adventurers, it is still rare to find an Elf here, so I got curious to meet my compatriot."


    " Well, anyway, introduce yourselves", Amalda said, and the Chientrope with grey hair said," My name is Aika! I am a Level 1 Chientrope Adventurer and a close combatant", then a man wearing heavy armor introduced himself," I am Bosh, I am a Level 1 Adventurer, a human and a tanker", then a girl wearing a magic robe, and long witch hat, and holding a staff introduced herself," I am Mika, I am a Level 1 Adventurer, a Chientrope and a Magician", I noticed her hair was grey as well.


    Aika and Mika were defintely related, however I didn''t pry to it. Then I looked a man, who looked at me with displeased look," I am Chad, I am a swordsman and the group''s leader, a Level 1 Adventurer and a human", he said as he stared at me, Amalda frowned at him," Chad what are you doing? staring at Sir Tithonus like this? Don''t you know it is extremely rude to an Elf?", she reprimanded him.


    The man''s expression took a 180 degree turn and he became panicked," Amalda it isn''t that... It''s just how I look", he said failing to explain himself. My eyes meanwhile fell on the last member of the group, he was covered in clothes and upon seeing my gaze on him, he quickly said," I am Newton, and I am a scout ", my eyes widened hearing his name, but I calmed myself down,'' His name is a bit of amusing '', I thought.


    " Sir Tithonus, now I think you are from Aurora familia, and the members of your familia should have left", Amalda said, and I replied," Yes, I plan on hunting monsters'' solo", she frowned hearing my reply," How about you join our party? We are the strongest party of Level 1 in Argon", she said while Chad frowned," Amalda we can''t just let anyone join our party, not to mention he belongs to a different familia!"


    " He belongs to Aurora Familia Chad, our Goddesses are friends and on good terms with each other, it should be fine. Not to mention Sir Tithonus, is not only an expect Archer and Magician like me, but he is also a swordsman, just a bit short on becoming Magic Swordsman, with him our party will be able to take upon stronger enemies!", she said, causing everyone to become surprised.


    Chad seemed displeased, however he also seemed in conflict." Miss Amalda, thanks for your offer, but I have no experience working in parties, I fear, I will not be able to fight efficiently", I quickly said, but Amalda said," It''s fine, everyone starts somewhere, so how about it?", Bosh said," I think it would be good, other than Sir Romblo, we have no Magic Swordsman in Argon, and everyone knows how strong Sir Romblo is."


    " Well, he is the only Level 4 here, duh", Mika said and then they looked at me, I sighed and after thinking for a bit, I decided to work with them, building a relationship with Aschelois Familia will be good for me, after all they have the only Level 4 here, if I am not wrong, then there isn''t a single Level 3 here, only six level 2s here, including Sir Edward.


    " I guess, I will accept your offer", I replied and Amalda nodded with a grin," Good, let''s go on a monster hunt now!", she said, Chad sighed in defeat, though I didn''t miss the jealous look he had as he stared at us. After a bit of talking with Miss Disha, we left the guild. " Sir Tithonus, forgive Chad for acting rude earlier, he is a good person, it is just he had got a crush on Miss Amalda", suddenly Bosh explained to me the reason for his earlier behaviour.


    " Still, thinking I am interested in Miss Amalda is a bit of childish", I replied in a calm tone, and said," You aren''t interested in her?!", he looked at me with surprised face, I looked him in confusion, and Mika beside me told," Sir Tithonus, Miss Amalda is most beautiful woman in the town, only Goddesses surpass her in the beauty, even Bosh and Newton here are smitten with her." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I finally realized that while for me, Miss Amalda is average, as I was used to surrounded by hot Elf Maids, especially Remia, then my mother and sister are extremely beautiful as well, heck Maya and others look more beautiful than Miss Amalda, and my mother''s friend, they have a beauty comparable to my mother,'' Ah it is my ruined sense of beauty acting again '', I sighed.


    As we left the premises of the town, I just hoped that things go better than I hope, I don''t want an idiot guy in love, who tries to fight against me in jealousy, or worse thinks I have fucking cucked him for absolutely no reason. I stared at Chad with grimace.


    To be continued...

 21) Hunting with a party

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Chad quickly ordered everyone, and everyone started hunting the monsters, Ember quickly realized that while Chad tactics weren''t anything impressive but were effective, as he was experienced. Bosh was to shield Mika who would use her fire magic to attack the monsters, and he would kill the monsters attacking him as well.


    Aika was to fight in the front alongside, Chad and now Ember. Amalda and Newton were in the middle killing the monsters, Amalda used her arrows to kill the monster, and she had a dragger as well. While Newton used two long draggers to kill the monsters, the current monsters they were fighting was a horde of killer ants.


    " Take this insect!", said Chad as he charged and slayed a Killer Ant, an arrow whizzed by his side killing another, Aika was using a sword as well and killed monsters together with Chad. But most impressive was Ember, as he nimbly dodged Killer Ant''s attack and pierced it''s skull with a thrust, then withdrawing, he slashed another one dead.


    Anyone can see Ember wasn''t a novice but rather experienced much more than Chad and others, as he could easily take multiple killer ants at a time."...O haze of Fire! Burn my enemies! Flame Burst!", finished Mika with her chant, and from the tip of her staff she unleashed a fiery hell on the ants, toasting them alive.


    " Good job Mika!", said Aika seeing a portion of the horde of monsters being decimated, Bosh meanwhile finished a Killer Ant with his Heavy Sword, undoubtedly, he had the most strength and Endurance here. " These guys are troublesome", Newton grunted as he finished one with his draggers and jumped back evading other''s attack, which next moment was pierced in its eye by a poison laced arrow making it shriek in pain and die.


    " Amalda! I would need some assist!", said Chad and the Elf nodded, getting by his side she started chanting," O Spirits of Forest, Goddess of Healing! Grant mine request and heal the child of yer! Healing Glow!", she said and used the magic from her palm, casting it on Chad, his small injuries healed rapidly, and he looked more energized, then with a smirk he said," C''mon! You oversized Insects!" and charged at them.


    Their hunt was going exceptionally well, when a sudden roar halted all of them." Quickly! Fall back!", Chad ordered in a grim tone, and everyone quickly withdrew, the Killer Ants started running away with their focus no longer on them. " What was that voice?", asked Ember as he realized others knew, Aika grinned," That was a Minotaur."


    " Sir Tithonus, you don''t need to worry, our party has taken down Minotaur before, however if there is more than one, we would have to run away, also don''t try to fight in front, it will be suicide", Amalda quickly said, and he nodded, suddenly a figure came out of the greenery, it was a single minotaur with no equipment''s.


    " Captain there are no other Minotaur''s!", Newton shouted from atop a tree, hearing his words everyone grinned. " Aika! Amalda and Newton! Let''s Distract the Minotaur! Bosh take Mika behind and let her chant her magic and recover!", Chad said then he looked at Ember," I have an attack Magic", Ember said, and he nodded," Then stay behind!", hearing his words Ember nodded and fall back with Mika and Bosh, while others started distracting the Minotaur.


    '' I see, they can''t harm Minotaur with their strength, however Minotaurs outside the Dungeon are just as strong as a strong Level 1, thus they can be killed using Attack Magic, and from his tone, they intent to hand Multiple hits on it '', he thought quickly realizing their plan. Obviously, it had loopholes, and risk, in fact if not for the fact that their party consisted of brilliant adventurers, and had many members such a plan would have been a suicide.


    Ember didn''t fear the minotaur much, as he taken on stronger monster without his falna killing them with his magic, and now with his acquired magic he had no fear of Minotaur thus he began his chant,"O'' Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation! ", he unleashed the magic through a small magic staff, a huge torrent of blue flames suddenly struck the Minotaur.


    It screamed hysterically as under everyone''s eyes it burned to its death in a few seconds and fell down, turning into black particles and vanishing leaving a magic stone. By the time Mika hadn''t even finished her magic, and due to shock, she froze, almost getting Ignis Fatuus if she hadn''t canceled her magic in time.


    " Am I dreaming? Normally it would have taken one or two hits from Aika''s Magic to get wounded, and once Newton and Amalda had used poison arrows and darts, we would have slayed it after fighting for a while, but... It just took a single hit?!", exclaimed Bosh, he looked at Ember who realized he overestimated them. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    '' I see so that was their plan '', he realized, although Aika''s magic can''t kill the Minotaur, it can effectively burn somewhat of its thick hide, letting Newton and Amalda freely use their poisonous darts and arrows respectively, making it lethargic, and after then a few more arrows, magic, and some slashes would do the trick.


    This was also a reason the party was willing to engage in battle with a fierce some Minotaur, as fighting against it will not provide them with excelia but also High-Ranking excelia, though not much if stacked it will be enough for their rank up. Everyone looked at him, and Ember said," I have learned congenital Magic, so my mind is larger than others, it was to be expected"


    " Indeed! As a proud Elf! It is to be expected of Sir Tithonus!", Amalda said with a nod, pride evident in her voice. Mika looked at him with envy, she was considered talented, and her magic was the strongest Level 1 in Argon, only two Magicians and Sir Romblo had stronger Magic than her, so it hit her pride to see a magic comparable to Level 2 Magicians, casted by a Level 1 newbie Adventurer.


    Chad, Aika and Bosh wanted to say something, but they remained silent, as Amalda kept on praising Tithonus, hint of jealousy flashed in Chad''s eyes as he said," Stop Amalda, if not for us even if he has strong magic, he wouldn''t have been able to kill the Minotaur, not to mention, he had literally stolen our excelia!"


    Amalda stopped and stared at him displeased," Chad, you are just jealous of Sir Tithonus", she said, and Chad grunted. Newton looked at them silently, his eyes narrowing, and no one knew what was going on his mind. Ember frowned seeing them bickering, and he said," Miss Amalda while I am happy of your praise, it can''t be denied it was because of everyone else, otherwise for a Level 1 as me, even if I have strong magic, chanting them in front of Minotaur is no easy task."


    Hearing his words she nodded in understanding with a sigh, and everyone felt better. The hunt continued, they didn''t encounter any strong monsters, however, Ember did encounter a few silverbacks which he swiftly disposed off using his magic. Everyone was clearly impressed with Ember, even Chad though he was most jealous. Finally, it was evening, and they returned to Argon.


    " That will be 47,000 valis", said Bisha handing over the money in pouches. That much money was the monthly income of an average non-adventurer, showing how much it was. But the party consisted of several members, that''s why the earning for every individual wasn''t too much impressive.


    " Hmm, that is much more than yesterday", said Aika, and Mika said," Now it is to divide them", as she came forward and started counting the valis and separating them. " We have seven members including Sir Tithonus, which would mean around 6,714 for everyone, and few extra valis to Chad", said Amalda, Ember meanwhile thought,'' I see they usually divide the valis into equal amount for everyone except Chad, who gets a few valis more.''


    It was a smart strategy, as they often ended up in odd figures, they decided to give an extra few valis to Chad, not that they amounted to much, but this also prevented disputes from occurring as giving a few more valis to Chad, as he was their Leader. " Sir Tithonus, so what do you think about our party?", asked Mika, and everyone looked towards him.


    " Well, I can go on with hunts with you at times, however I prefer to go solo even if it seems a bit dangerous", Ember said, whether it sounded arrogant to them or not was for them to decide. However, seeing they weren''t reacting negatively, Ember considered it a win. Finally, they decided that they would hunt tomorrow again as a party.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    I charged forward with swift steps, holding my sword I slashed splitting the head of the Kobold into two, and quickly turned around to thrust the sword through another. I stopped and looked at all the slayed Kobolds lying on the ground, some of them dissipated as their Magic stones were broken. " Good job team, Newton and Tithonus you guys take out the magic stones, while others will guard", said Chad.


    It has been week since I had been hunting with this party, to be honest my relationship with Chad was still iffy but it was better than before. He had come to realize that I had no interest in Amalda, much to his relief. I sighed and sheathing my sword, I took a dragger from my small sheath on left. I had three sheaths strapped around my waist, one was for sword, another was for magic staff and last one was for a dragger and a pocket to hold magic stones.


    I started dismembering the corpses and taking out whatever pitiful magic stones they have. Well they trusted me I guess, after all despite how it might seem, I can easily steal magic stones and they won''t be able to blame me. Since checking an Elf is considered to be extremely rude and disrupting their privacy, giving such a task meant they trusted me.


    Once I have finished taking out Magic stones, Amalda came," There is a horde of Orcs from approximately two hundred meters here", she said, it was a bit odd for her do scouting as it was Newton''s job, but to be honest she was more effective. " How many they number?", asked Chad, another thing I have realized Chad wasn''t the leader because he was impressive in leading and strongest.


    Nah, he was the weakest here, he didn''t have any magic or skills. Aika and Bosh were physically stronger than him, while Newton was faster than him, leave out Amalda who completely outclassed him in everything except strength. Mika had magic, the reason he was the leader as he was experienced and calm most of the times and bit brave, but yeah jealous and bit of insecure as well.


    " Thirteen", she said, and we grinned. " I guess it is time to fuck those pigs", said Aika, no one commented on the use of her foul language, and we quickly discussed over our tactics. This time I was to fight in the frontlines with Aika and Bosh. We quickly arrived near the Orcs, and one roared as it smelled us.


    " Get ready!", said Bosh as I took my stance, an arrow whizzed out of the top of a tree, piercing an Orc''s head, it diverted their attention, and we charged. I quickly jumped and slashed through the Orc wounding it greatly, it cried in pain and turned towards me only to be finished by Aika. Bosh took a direct hit from an Orc, deflecting it using his robust shield, and he sliced the Orc''s hand off with his great sword.


    " Flame Burst!", rung the cry of Mika as her magic descended upon the Orcs heavily wounding them, taking the advantage of their injuries we started finishing them one by one, with Chad coming in the end to kill the last one which was heavily injured. " That was a good haul! We managed to kill a dozen orcs!", said Aika.


    I sighed and looked at the scene, having a party surely made things easier and safer, well I changed my mind to party with them for so long to afford some funds to buy potions without danger. Now, the task was done it was time to return to solo hunting, till my funds run out and I party with them again.


    After taking the magic stone from Orc and unexpectedly getting a loot drop, we returned to the guild and exchanged today''s haul for ninety thousand valis. " Today''s haul is great, we have been going on full force for last week, how about taking a rest?", suggested Bosh. " That''s a good idea, we need to blow away the steam", nodded Newton.


    " How about your plans Tithonus?", asked Aika, I pondered for a bit and said," I will return to my solo hunting, sorry but we won''t be able to team up for a while", hearing my words caused her to sigh. " Well, I won''t deny things had been safer with you, not only we gained an extra close combatant, we also have someone capable of Killing Level 2''s if we were to encounter a strong monster", said Mika.


    " Don''t force him Mika, Tithonus'' decision his own, not to mention he is pioneering to be a Magic Swordsman, and he will need solo experiences for that", said Amalda, after talking with them for a while and getting my share, I left. '' A party huh? It wasn''t a bad experience '', I thought, I wasn''t sad as it wasn''t the last time I was going hunt with a party.


    To be continued...

 22) Solo Hunting

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I looked at the establishment in front of me, it was without a doubt a potion shop. There were no potion makers here, thus the potion was imported for the nearby places. Thus, the price of the potions here unfortunately was a bit more than their average price, however still less than in Orario. I entered through the opened gate, and a woman welcomed me," Welcome Sir! We are Merry Potions shop! You can find Potions! Mind Potions, High Potions and other stuff here!", she said introducing their products.


    " I would like ten Potions, two Mind Potions, one High Potions and Seven poison bags", I quickly ordered the stuff I wanted. Her eyes shined hearing my order, as it was quite big and thus without any delay she started taking out the stuff, and finally said," Each potion costs 400 valis, a Mind potion costs 9000 valis, and a high potion''s current price is 15,000 valis. Poison bags cost 100 valis per each, so that would make your order... around 37,700 valis."


    I winced slightly at hearing the price inside my mind but nodded calmly, taking out a few pouches, I lined them up, each contained 10,000 valis, so after sorting it out in front of her, I gave her money and took the goods. '' Damn now that I don''t have the support of my monthly allowance it is going to hurt, well I still have three million valis stored up, so it''s fine '', I thought.


    I have earned around 46,000 valis last week hunting with the party, so basically my all costs were covered. '' I also have two Elixirs stored up, and this makes it around seven High potions that are left, I have only ten potions, and two mind potions and seven and half poison bags '', I thought and recalled all the items I have.


    I quickly left the potions in my room, in a secure place. I have sneakily broken the wall behind the cupboard, and made a secret storage stash, I also made the opening such that once closed it does not produce a different sound compared to the rest of the wall. Thus, taking two mind potions, three potions and a high potion I quickly departed for my hunt.


    With my recent adventuring I have got a gist of the surrounding area, the Argon Town is surrounded by a forest, and one can find the strongest monsters on two sides, Northeastern side and Western South side, former was towards the Dragon Valley, and latter was the direction towards the Orario, thus it made sense for the monsters to be in huge amount there.


    Taking the advantage of my race and my slightly superhuman abilities, I jumped from tree to tree, avoiding the monsters like kobolds and Goblins, and finally saw a horde of Killer Ants. I observed the surroundings and them for a while before jumping on top of a killer Ant, and thrusting my sword through it''s body and finishing it.


    *Screech!* *Screech!*


    The killer ants clicked their mandibles rapidly and charged at me. I smirked, and charged as well, with a jump, I slayed one, and then with another thrust I sliced another to two along with its magic stone completely disintegrating it. The swings of my sword cleaved through their bodies; my equipment undoubtedly was of a high quality made to kill Level 5 monsters.


    Thus, with my strength and its sharpness I quickly slayed all the Killer Ants. Once I was finished slaying them, I heard the rustling of bushes, I grew wary and heard a voice," Wait a minute, Sir Elf!", I quickly looked to find four people, three men and one woman. I have seen their party in the Guild, my eyes narrowed, as I readied myself for chant.


    Meanwhile I started focusing on my hearing to see if there was a hidden Archer. He suddenly raised in his hand in surrender and said," Sir Tithonus, while I can understand your wariness, can you listen to me first? We have no hostile intentions, it was just we were hunting here when we found you hunting this horde, to be honest I am impressed, and while I know you belong to Chad''s team, however you aren''t it''s true party member, so would you like to form a party with us? "


    My senses told me he wasn''t lying, however better to be prepared. I pretended to let my guard down, however I was completely on alert, I can imagine an arrow whizzing out of nowhere towards me, but seeing that no arrow came I finally looked at their party and replied," Thankyou for your invitation, however I have no plan to party up", my words caused his expression to change into one or regret.


    They didn''t pester me any longer, and with some with some parting words left the place, I sighed and looked at the carcasses of the killer ants lying on the ground. I sheathed my sword and taking out my dragger I started dismembering them taking out their magic stones, thankfully all recorded monsters had a set place for their Magic stone, so I was quickly able to take 56 Magic stones.


    It was a big haul, equivalent to that guy''s party''s one day haul, however, for me it was just the beginning as I got on top of a tree, I took a bit of packed dried jerky, ate it and drank some water while taking rest. Once I had recovered I continued with my search, jumping from one tree to other nimbly.


    ...


    I stared at the ugly creature in front of me, whether in games or fictions, or even reality, these creatures are ugly as ever. They are Orcs, pig monsters known for their strength, in this world they are just Level 1 Monsters, well known for their strength. Meeting them head on is suicide, only a Level 2 dares to do that.


    " Cremation!", I used my magic taking them by surprise and blasting a few of them dead, only two survived, even then they were injured, I nimbly got down the tree and started running around, meeting it head on was risky, even if it was weaker than its dungeon variant infamous for making Level 2 Adventurers immobile, it wasn''t a weak monster.


    Once I had ran around it, I quickly turned and charged at the Orc behind the first one, It stared at me and roared, and punched, ducking below, I sliced its arm through and turning around, I jumped on it''s back and thrusted my sword through its throat killing it, then moved back to create some distance between me and the other Orc, which charged towards me.


    I nimbly moved to the side, and sliced through its side, it roared and turned around, punching towards me, I moved back avoiding them and quickly started running away, it charged again, with another swift move, I moved to its side and got behind it, taking the advantage of the situation, I jumped and thrusted my sword in its head.


    It cried in pain and fell down, dead. I started panting and looked around quickly for another threats, after a few seconds I saw a lone goblin roar and move towards me, I quickly slayed it, and after that no monsters were nearby. I quickly started taking out the Magic stones, and once I have taken them out, I quickly climbed on top of a tree to rest.


    I sipped water and ate some dried jerky, suddenly I heard a loud roar. My eyes squinted as I climbed higher to see the monster, and I finally saw it. '' An Infant Dragon '', I concluded, it was a Level 2 monster and stronger than your average Minotaur. Now, there were two options left for me, either to retreat or to advance.


    While killing it in combat is impossible for me, I can slay it with my magic. Though another thought loomed in my mind,'' Why the monster is here? Normally, only Level 1 monsters can be found here '', it was concerning for obvious reasons, but it wasn''t the place to think about it, so make a quick decision I started jumping from tree to tree, from a branch to branch while chanting.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! ", he chanted as he jumped on another tree, and grabbing the branch swung himself to the top of another thick branch, landing on it, his speed continued becoming faster, at some point, his movement was inhumane. One can argue why he wanted to be strong, he was born as Royalty among Elves, he had high-level elves as his protectors and the comfort of rich, then why?


    " Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! ", he continued the chanting. The answer was clear, that''s why he was going against the monster that can kill him. Abandoning the safety of his castle, he yearned to travel the world, see the mystical sights that were just a fantasy in his past life. To fulfill his dream he needed strength, does he need a tragic cliche background to have the drive? The motive? To have hatred against monsters? Nope, his drive stemmed from his goal, and it was ever burning, everlasting.


    " Cremation! ", he finished the chant, and had arrived near the Infant Dragon, which roared looking at him, but was met by a torrent of bluish hell, that descended upon it''s scales. The scales that it was proud of melted under the bluish flames, the muscles that were its strength, burned and scorched, it''s life like a fleeting ember, was extinguished, in a few seconds it dropped dead.


    While Ember dropped on the ground, feeling pain in his legs as his drop from the height was rapid. " Haha! Holy Mother of cow! That was reckless as hell and freaking fantastic!", he laughed out loud seeing the dead body of the monster, he had used up nearly half of his mana to kill the monster. He could have used less mana to kill it, after all he had killed an infant dragon once before getting falna.


    However, he didn''t want the infant dragon to survive by fluke, so he used more mana than necessary toasting it alive. After cheering up for a while he got up, he could feel his legs were almost numb due to his reckless drive, but seeing the dead body of the Infant Dragon, made him grin. He took an health potion, chugging it down his throat and kept the empty glass tube back in his pocket.


    He moved towards the infant dragon''s corpse which dissipated as he started digging out its magic stone, and he was pleasantly surprised by the loot it dropped. It was a huge dragon scale, which can be used to forge considerably strong armor. " My luck is quite good huh? ", he muttered, but after that he felt troubled.


    He can''t take the loot back to the guild, for monster stone he can break it into small pieces however if he were to take the Dragon''s scale, people will be either jealous of him or will realize he is a magic prodigy. He was leaning for a small genius, who is thriving to become a proficient Magic Swordsman background, not a prodigy who can kill a monster higher level than his own, when he had been an adventurer barely for two months.


    So, after pondering for a while, he hid it and brough a bag and waited till midnight before returning to the inn and hiding it there. '' I should buy a house '', a thought came up, while using an inn had it''s pros, it would be better if he had his own house. In such a rural area, making an wooden house, and the price of land will not exceed 500,000 valis and even then it will be quite an comfortable place.


    For now, though he decided to rest, it was already midnight and having a late night snack was all he could afford before heading to sleep, he was really tired with today''s hunting however a satisfied look was on his face as he slept quietly. Even then he looked Elegant, thus with a satisfied hunt, Ember''s first day of solo hunting was over.


    To be continued...


    sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Character Image

    First I would like to say, what the heck I have written? When I got a review, which stated I have written many sentences, that don''t make sense, I was wondering what the heck was going wrong. After thinking about it, I didn''t find anything, until I re-read the chapters that made me go through self-doubt, wondering If I had written it while drunk(I don''t drink alcohol), well the thing was obvious, while the part where maid was concerned, I don''t give a shit about it by the way. Maid has hots for Mc, any problem with that bro? Go and read Self-Castrated fic.


    But he had point in the English, well to be honest it is my mistake. I am very busy and often write chapters in a hurry. I use grammarly to fix the grammar but don''t do proofreading, sometimes when I have time, I do, and sometimes I don''t. That was the result. I will revise the chapters, maybe not all mistakes will be fixed, but majority of them will be.


    Secondly, here are the character Images.


    Goddess Aurora Normal Form(Mortal Form):


    Goddess Aurora when her Divinity is Unleashed:


    Goddess Aurora when she is really Angry and her entire Divinity is leaking out:


    That''s for the Images, she looks the like the first two, and this third is just for an imaginary scenario, where her entire Divinity is unleased


    S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 23) Six months later

    ...


    3rd Pov


    After six months, Ember had returned to the Shawn Village. For the past six months he had been hunting, like a lot, however he had also started meditating daily, like for half an hour a day. He didn''t know if he would gain anything, however meditating helped him calm his mind. The last six months had been hectic to say the least, a beast tide had occurred, which was the main reason behind the increase in the monsters.


    Thankfully the strongest monster that attacked the Town was just a Level 3, which was quickly slayed by the Level 4 of the town. Ember didn''t participate in the frontlines and instead acted as a support and used his Magic to kill the monsters, getting a lot of fame and a new title Blue Hell. Even the other deities were interested in him, inviting him to their familia, even the Goddess Aschelois invited him to her familia but he refused them.


    That was three months ago, and now he is returning from the hunt, with the intention to take a break for a week or two. Once he reached the village, he entered through the gates, meeting Maria on the way," Sir Ber! To think you have returned!", she said, and her mother smashed her head," Call him Tithonus, he is using that alias, as Goddess has briefed us", said Martha.


    " Hmph! Still Sir Tithonus are you an Elf Nobility? And have run away from your home?", Maria asked with innocent eyes, he chuckled seeing her so energetic,'' Some things never change huh? Glad to see she is still like this! '', he thought and said," Well it''s not that much, it''s just using an Alias is better in this dangerous world."


    Martha nodded," Indeed, we are villagers, and only threat to us are some pesky monsters, but Sir Tithonus is an adventurer, even if he is strong his family might not be... That''s why always watch your mouth Maria", she said, and the girl pouted. After talking with them, he left, once near the Goddess'' house, someone jumped at him.


    "Welcome back!!!!", shouted Aurora as she jumped at him, he took her into a hug, and she swung herself, making him swing as well to insure she isn''t injured. " Goddess! What are you doing?", grunted Ember, while she rubbed her face on his chest. " Umu! You smell elegant as ever!", she said perversely, and he smacked her head.


    " Ouch!", she cried out in pain and looked at him pitifully, but Ember didn''t care about it and said bluntly," Goddess, I want you to update my status", he said, and she grumbled," We meet after six months of separation! And instead of having a romantic date you want m- wait I can see your naked body!", she said in joy.


    Ember facepalmed himself, he knew Gods were otaku, and even among them his Goddess was well accomplished in the Dao of Otakuness, finally they entered, and she quickly updated his status, with a ''Wow'' look plastered on her face. When Ember took his status, he realized the reason behind it.


    [Level 1


    Strength: H187--->D546


    Endurance: H199--->D523


    Dexterity: G212--->C604


    Agility: G201--->C619


    Magic: G255--->A802


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    That was massive increase in six months, counting the day he got falna it had been just over seven months. " Damn! Ember what were you doing? I expected your growth substantial but not this much! You also have sufficient High-Ranking Excelia for rank up! Do you want to level up?!", she said with stars in her eyes.


    " Nope, I won''t not until all my parameters are S999 and even then, I want you to abstain my rank up, since I want to try something", he replied, and made his intention clear. The last thing he wanted was for Aurora to rank him up after all his parameters are S999 missing the opportunity to get the SSS parameters.


    He wanted his parameters to be at least the limit of SSS before every rank up. While Ember didn''t know if will be able to break the limit of his falna like Zald, Alfia or Bell. But he wanted to at least try, even if it takes a decade, he can give it. Only after the final result will he choose on what to do next. '' Still have High-rank Excelia is good, it would mean I can rank up once I hit my desired parameters '', he thought.


    Meanwhile, Aurora nodded hearing his words," Indeed thinking about you having S999 in each of your parameters, undoubtedly you will have a topnotch foundation, and you will be invincible in the same realm!", she said nodding to herself like a Heavenly sage. Meanwhile Ember looked at her wondering if she was reading Chinese Novels back in Heaven.


    He decided to not ponder upon it, and focus on his parameters,'' They work pretty much as I guessed, Strength gets higher as I push my entire strength to fight, even running increases it, Endurance increases as I use my stamina, and endure attacks, dexterity increases the synchronization between my mind and body, agility not increases my speed but also my reactions and magic increases with the capacity of my mind '', he thought.


    '' Though If I have to say the main reason behind the significant increase in my parameters was because I fought against stronger opponents, since I haven''t updated my status any single time during last six months, I was also fighting against the likes of Orcs, which normally a person with G or H in status shouldn''t fight '', he concluded and decided to wait at least another year before updating his status again.


    He also noticed the new skill he got; he had been killing Orcs even before he got falna, so maybe that''s why he got the skill. '' Well, this skill is not useless '', he thought, even if there are few pig like monsters, getting a 20% boost in all of his parameters is a welcome. Even if he had slayed Orcs before, if he were to encounter a group of Orcs and can''t use magic for some reason, he will be done for.


    After pondering about them, he decided to visit Martha''s inn to have lunch, and Goddess followed him. On the way he met the villagers and greeted them, and Goddess said," Jason''s and Maria''s relationship had changed, it maybe not long before I become Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother!", she said proudly.


    Ember looked at her weirdly, getting a pout from her," Hmph?! What''s with this look?", she asked, and Ember said with a shrug," I thought women are sensitive about their age", and Aurora smirked," Of course, but only certain old hags having no confidence about themselves and who are in state of denial are like that, my great self is way past those mortal shuffles! I am Level 999 Endgame Goddess! Muahahahah!", she said.


    Ember was genuinely surprised by her words wondering if she really meant that or that was just really a part of her weird personality. Soon they arrived at Martha''s place, and they were greeted with the pleasant smell of mutton broth. " You guys have arrived! Sir Ber and Goddess I have made Mutton Broth, and steak for you", Martha said with a grin. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They drooled at the sight of the steak and gulped. The aroma of the food left them saliavating," Damn Martha you sure know the way to this Goddess'' stomach!", praised Aurora and they both sat and dig in. " This is so delicious!", both said, and started eating, while Aurora ate like a wild dog, Ember ate at a fast pace but slower than her and much more graceful.


    Ember couldn''t help but cry! While in the past six months he had eaten nutritious food, a lot of vegetables, meats and carbohydrates, the taste of the food undoubtedly was too plain. He didn''t even bother to take rest for a day and get a good meal. If not for the fact, killing monsters was addictive to his inner gamer self, he wouldn''t have done so.


    After they finished steak, they were greeted by the alluring Mutton broth, and both thanked her before digging in. By the end Ember was fully satisfied but when he looked at the bulging belly of the Goddess his eyebrows twitched." Haha! Ember, I ate ten times as you!", she boasted shamelessly, and looking at the plates beside her he realized she might be speaking truth.


    " Did you two enjoy?", asked Martha with a smile, and they nodded. '' Damn it had been a while since I had food equivalent to my everyday breakfast back in the Capital '', he thought and nodded, not missing the fact that he used to get food as delicious as this every day. He shed silent tears,'' I guess this is the sacrifice I made, but as they say no pain no gain! ''.


    Martha''s smile suddenly turned devilish, and she said," Ember your amount is 3700 valis while Goddess your is 29000 valis", hearing her words Goddess who was enjoying the feeling of full belly nearly got an heart attack," Huh?!", Ember on the other hand took out a pouch and after counting the valis he handed it over to her as if he had already predicted this.


    " W-Wait! Martha you will take money from me?! Your lovely and hot Goddess Aurora?!", she asked with shocked expression. " Goddess I especially brought the ingredients for this steak, and it took me a lot of work to prepare it, so you must pay for it. Normally the meal per person would have costed 4000 valis, but you...", she paused in the end and looked at her belly with a twitch in her eyebrow.


    '' As expected of a Goddess her hunger is also Divine '', they both thought. Goddess Aurora''s eyes quickly shifted on Ember who sighed and gave ten thousand valis extra to Martha and then said," Get the rest from other Familia members", and left, meanwhile she looked at his back as he left and then at Martha who had an evil smile. '' Damn it! This guy doesn''t play according to the routine! '', she thought.


    She couldn''t blame him either as being her child, he paid one-third of the amount which must have hurt his pocket. Seeing his sincerity and decisiveness, she couldn''t help but be impressed and more attracted to him. '' Anyway, it is time to ask my other children for money '', she thought and suddenly all of her familia members shuddered feeling their pockets heavy for some reason.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    "...Cremation!", I finished my chant and shot the Magic pulverizing the rock and took a deep breathe. I was practising my mana control, normally I use around 5% of my mind to use cremation once at normal strength which can pretty much kill any Level 1 if hit properly but hardly injures a level 2, while I need to attack with at least 20% of my mind to kill a normal Level 2 and around 1/4th of my mind to hunt down a being like Infant Dragon.


    If I am not wrong using more than half of my mind should kill weaker Level 3s and nearly my entire mind will pretty much kill any Level 3, however it was easier to be said than to be done. Hitting a Level 3 was another matter, the amount of time required to condense such a magic using all of my mind is way longer.


    Using my magic repeatedly I have discovered a lot about the workings of the magic. A Magic with longer chant usually are stronger than one with a shorter chant, while my magic isn''t a cheat like Instant Magic like Bell''s whose Magic prowess is somewhere in the middle, my magic while having a small chant has the power of one with a long-ass chant, so that was a plus.


    Now, how faster I can infuse mind in my magic over than its normal limit depends upon my control over the mana itself. So what I am trying is to infuse my mind faster in my magic to reduce it''s time to a normal chant, and then make the normal one''s duration even shorter. I also need to apply it to my concurrent chanting after mastering it without concurrent chant.


    I sighed seeing how difficult the path ahead in front of me will be. '' Since I am back in the village far from the prying eyes of the other familia members it will be best I stay here till I master this technique '', I thought, undoubtedly what I was attempting was pretty high-level and it would definetly need a lot of hard work, so I continued with my training.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: My health was a bit bad so late update.


    Anyway I have finished the proofreading of the first ten chapters of the fic and have edited them! You can check them out and re-read for a better experience!


    P.S: Akros Peace out!)

 24) Bandits

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Larfal slumped on his throne as he heard the informant, it had been months since he had been searching for the whereabouts of his son. But he got nothing, not even a clue about him, as if he had vanished completely. He had Elves from Magic Kingdom Altina search in their kingdoms, and all the nearby kingdoms, the Empire had done a search as well, even the Solingen and the dwarves who hate their kind searched for him.


    His envoys had gone from kingdom to kingdom, from west to north, for south to the far east, even the Goddess Amaterasu did a search in her kingdom on his request, he had used his powers, his authority and his status to turn the entire world upside down, the Elves of Orario had also searched the Dungeon City and Melen for his whereabouts, but in the end he got nothing, absolutely nothing.


    It was a very few times that Alf family had to use their authority outside of their kingdom, and it was a few of that times that he did. While the world was made to recall the authority the Alf family possessed but it also made him defeated to have not found his son despite mobilizing his true Authority.


    He dismissed the informant and sighed in defeat," Fufu, already admitting defeat?", he heard the mischievous voice of his wife and looked at Ada with a frown. " Ada this is not a joke, tell me where he went, the outside world is not very safe he could be in a bad situation", he said but Ada had no intention of giving him any clue and just chuckled making veins appear on his head.


    " ADDDA", he spoke in a loud voice demanding an explanation, and his wife said," LARFALLL Pffttt-", she started laughing while Larfal took a deep breathe," Fine! Fine I admit my defeat, I shouldn''t have been so strict, I promise I will repent on my mistakes and make things right, but it concerns about the safety of my son, so tell me where he is?", he asked admitting his defeat.


    Ada became silent and looked into his eyes, they stared at each other and said," It seems you do understand it now, jeez you always had been idiot but to think you will neglect our children as a parent, anyway the thing is I don''t know", she shrugged and Larfal asked in disbelief," What do you mean by you don''t know?!"


    " As you heard, the plan was made by Ember and we just suggested some improvements however where he would go after running away was a mystery to us as well, to be honest you have searched all the places we had told him, or I could think of... Now that I think it was a very smart move, he must have inherited his smartness from me", she nodded proudly puffing her chest.


    Larfal hearing that became stunned, suddenly he could see world go round and the next moment he was unconscious, the stress and nonsense had taken a toll on him. Ada seeing him unconscious said," Guards! The king is unconscious!", her words didn''t contain much worry and soon guards arrived and escorted their unconscious king to his bedroom.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    I released the bowstring letting the arrow go whoosh and pierce the leg of the man," Aghhh!!!", he cried in pain alerting everyone, I quickly nocked three arrows and aiming at the bandits released them. Whizzing through the air they hit them in various spots making them cry in pain and fall down.


    " Who the fuck is it?! You sissy! If you are a man, come and face us!", the leader of the bandits screamed and I nonchalantly released another arrow hitting his elbow, the rest of the bandits seeing their leader going down started running away. However I started hitting them with arrows, making them all go down for good. Once the last of the bandits were down for good, I jumped off the tree.


    The bandit behind me shrieked and gulped looking at his fallen comrades, he was a beastkin, and said," I-I have done as you said, so please let me go!", he begged and I looked at him with cold eyes," Not yet, show me all the bad deeds you have done", I said and his face became pale, I couldn''t help but have a bad foreboding as I looked at his place with narrowed eyes, I sighed and looked around,'' Just how I end up in this mess? ''


    ...


    *Flashback*


    My horse galloped through the path as I sat on top of it, I steered it to run faster when I felt something, a very slight sense of danger and before I knew I had pulled the reins, the horse fell down due to momentum throwing me off, and landing down I could feel my bone crack slightly but ignoring the feeling I quickly ran towards the nearest cover I could find, once I had gotten behind a big rock I took a deep breath.


    " Quickly get out! And hand over all the money!", I felt annoyance as I heard the voice and the tone of it, but I quickly grabbed the hilt of my sword and looked at the enemies,'' There are four of them and are dressed in armor and armed with swords, there is one archer harder somewhere... There he is! '', I looked at the Archer coming out in the plain sight.


    I took a deep breath and then charged coming out of the cover, they were prepared however as I approached them and clashed the blades against the first one, I found something surprising as my blade sliced through his and then his chest. " Ughhh!!!", they were non-adventurers! Thus, with a quick response I quickly took out the rest of them with ease scaring the heck out of the Archer.


    " Stay there!", he looked with a panicked expression as with trembling hands he nocked an arrow and fired at me,'' His aim is not bad '', I thought as I deflected the arrow with a swing of my sword, seeing that his eyes widened as he knocked two arrows at once and fired at me, which I again deflected with ease, and not wanting to delay it any longer I dashed forward and before he could knock another arrow I cut his arm off.


    " Aghhhhhh!!", he screamed in pain as blood came out of his arm and my sword tip pointed on his neck," Don''t move! Otherwise, this time it won''t be your hand down there", I said in a threatening tone as he froze and barely held himself from wailing in pain. " Tell me about your purpose behind ambushing me", I asked.


    He gritted his teeth and said," W-We- I - ughh! We belong to a bandit group, o-our purpose behind the ambush was to loot you", my eyes narrowed as I heard about it and then looking at his hand still bleeding, I said," Quickly bandage your bleeding arm", hearing my words gave him relief as he quickly bandaged it using a cloth, my intention was simply to prevent him from being unconscious till I get my answers.


    " Good now you better answer my questions honestly or your head be down there", I said threateningly, but I had no intention of killing him. Disabling them should be fine, his rest of the members are down unconscious and I haven''t killed them. '' I would prefer to not kill them, but seeing how they attempted to pretty much kill me, I don''t care if they end up disabled or dead '', I thought.


    Truth to be told I haven''t taken any sentient life, not in my past life not in this life, and until my life depends on it, or someone pisses me enough to make me wanna kill them, I would prefer my hands clean. Soon he spilled everything, they were a group of 27 bandits who were travelling to Kaios Desert which is a chaotic region and perfect for killing and looting.


    On way they decided to make a temporary base here, since according to their intel the only familias here work around town, and the other one while in village goes in a group for safety, they could loot others before moving again. I asked him to show me the bandit hideout, I didn''t want to leave behind a potential threat, so I decided to get them arrested for good.


    I tied up the unconscious bandits and him, before getting my horse and tying it to a tree, I took my bow and the arrows which luckily were not damaged. " Y-You are an Archer?", he asked me with a incredulous look, I mean it must be hard to believe for him after seeing my swordmanship. I didn''t reply to his query and instead said," Show me the way and be silent, do remember if you shout for help your head will be rolling down", and hearing my words he gulped his saliva and nodded.


    He soon showed me their bandit hideout and luckily there was an small elevation with dense trees on top of it, so I got ready to attack them from a long range, after all it will be wiser to engage in long range battle than short range battle considering how this guy was their one of the pitiful three archers, and after swiftly taking out their other two archers, I got ready.


    ...


    I moved inside the cave and saw carriages with a prison, and seeing the sight inside me almost made me puked, there were many beast Kin chained and naked, with bruises all over their body. Mostly were female, around nine, and there were only other two beast kin who were male. Without a doubt the females were raped, and beast Kin were treated harshly. However, what made my blood cold was the sight of two children.


    They were nine- or ten-year-olds, and were boys, and their body was in the worst condition. '' Fucking scum! '', I thought enraged while he quickly knelt and said," Please spare my life! I didn''t do this! They did it! ", he looked with a beggin expression, I looked at him with emotionless face," I will let you go, if you tell me the entire story", I said and hope appeared in his eyes.


    He quickly blurted out everything, apparently they had just sold the slaves they have caught and these were failed merchandise, the bandits decided to take them together for their own pleasure, the females were raped and played with while the males were used as workers, as for the two children.


    I clenched my fists as I looked at the unconscious female in front of me, without any hesistion I stumped on her belly," Aghhhhh!!!", she screamed seemingly waking up a few others, unfortanuately for them they were tied up. " So you are the one who raped them huh?", I asked while she looked at me with fear, suddenly she puked blood and looked horrified at her belly, which was sunken.


    Something had come out with a vile smell but ignoring it I looked at her," It was her! She is a pedophile and the one who raped those boys! ", he had said, and now that female looked with me a begging expression," Pl-Please spare me! I know what I did I was wrong! I am willing to be your slave, your co-", I sliced her head off not willing to hear anymore nonsense.


    The other bandits trembled in fear, and I without any hesitation I started killing them ruthlessly, what did I felt when I took their life? Definitely not guilt, just the sadness that I had to do something like this, once they all were dead the remaining one said," T-They all are dead, you can kill those as well, n-now I should leave right? You promised me right? " sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I changed my expression, and smiling I said," Yes!", hope appeared in his eyes as he turned and I thrusted my sword through his heart, he coughed blood and looked at me horrified, eyes full of betrayal," W-Why?", I snickered hearing his question, without explaining it to him I pulled back the sword watching him fall dead.


    I looked at the place filled with corpses, I turned back and returned to where I have tied the remaining bandits and finished them off, once I returned, I took a deep breath and looked at the unconscious slaves,'' So how I handle this? '', I thought sitting on a rock, for a moment, the world seemed to be cruel as dungeon.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: Have been really ill, to be true, I had a blackout the day I am writing this, but I feel much better now. )

 25) Winter Hunter

    ...


    Ember Pov


    Winter has just arrived, the temperature has decreased significantly, and the Gods predict this year it will snow heavily. I don''t know how they know, apparently, they made use of science and weather prediction skills which left everyone saying,'' Just usual God stuff that nobody understands '', but as someone who knows about science and wonders, I just guessed Gods used their unfathomable experience of countless Millena''s, they have literally created Tenkai, so they ought to know quite well about the weather pattern.


    With that experience they should have calculated the possibility of weather. " Damn that hits the spot!", said Chad who is not so Chad as he chugged down an entire large cup of beer. " Teth you don''t know what you are missing, you should try this is good stuff ", said Bosh. I calmly said," Don''t go on assigning nicknames to me, I don''t like it", and then chewed the chicken meat.


    " Haha! Too late! From now onwards we will be calling you Teth or Tet for short! Your name is mouthful after all!", said Aika laughing as he drank a cup of beer. My eyebrows twitched and I know it was a lost cause, Amalda gave me a silent apology with a sigh, I just shrugged in defeat. " Our hunt today was quite good ", said Newton.


    " Indeed, though I am worried about the weather- It''s getting colder than what I expected", said Mika, and Amalda grumbled," I don''t like winter it makes hunting just so harder", hearing her words Chad swiftly replied," Miss Amalda with me here! You don''t need to fear anything! As long as you feel too tired or cold I am ready to carry you!"


    Amalda gave him a stare much to his embarrassment and said," Thanks but I am pretty much capable of handling myself, CHAD", he looked down in defeat having another unsuccessful attempt to woo her. What''s this guy is even doing? He thinks he is a Chad, but he is not, unfortunately for him the dream of wooing Amalda might be just a dream, after all from what I can see, she only has the idea of marrying another Elf to carry the pure Elven lineage.


    Yeah, that''s too much bullshit. I munched down the last piece of the hot bread and finished up drinking the milk," I have eaten", I said putting the wooden plates and cup into the tray and put it to the Kitchen. " Sir Ember you are sweet as always, you are the only one who puts the dirty dishes to the kitchen", said an old woman.


    " Miss Naria that''s just basic decency", I said, and she nodded with a smile," Indeed, unlike these ruffians who can''t see that I am already too old", she snarled and some choked. " Hey granny! It''s not our fault that Mister Handsome Elf is a polite boy! Not to mention it''s the staff duty to take the empty dishes."


    " Oh? So, you are blind to see that the only people who run this inn is an old woman in her sixties and her poor grandson?", she snickered, and said," The younger people nowadays have no sense of responsibility or sense of respect towards their elders", she shook her head. Some complained that she should hire some people, but she said she would have if they were responsible.


    I sighed as I swiftly made my way out of the inn after saying a polite goodbye, as I stepped outside my feet sink gently into the snow. I took a deep breath and looked at the snowflakes falling," It''s snowing", I muttered and rubbed my forearms, I am the one wearing the thinnest clothes here, and that''s not because I poor, nope smart me thought it is a good idea to train my cold resistance.


    '' Well, it isn''t as bad as I thought it would be, probably due to the fact that I am an adventurer '', I thought as I walked through the street towards my house. The lamps hung outside the houses casted a gentle glow, brightening up the streets. I walked slowly looking at the dark sky admiring the view.


    I haven''t seen such a scene in my past life, leave out snow, in an overpopulated country even having peace in nature was a pipe dream, at least for me. I continued walking when I saw someone lying on the snow. I quickly ran towards the person and turned around to find a familiar face. " Goddess Aschelois?", I said in shock as I looked around.


    " What the heck she is doing lying here?", I muttered seeing no one around, at least in this street. I sighed and looked at face and saw the red hue on her cheeks and touched her forehead to check her temperature, I was relieved to find she didn''t have a fever and then decided to try to wake up her. However, I didn''t have any idea on how to do it, should I gently tap her or... Yeah, let''s do that, I don''t want to accidentally send her back to Heaven by slapping her.


    I tapped her gently and she smiled beautifully, I looked at her deadpan and said," Stop pretending", and she opened her eyes looking at me mischievously, " Teehe, you caught me!", she said as she stood up and dusted off the snow from her clothes. I sighed and said," Now would you tell me your reasons for doing that or- I should just dump you in your familia."


    " Ara, Ara so cold~ It makes me feel hotter", she said making a slightly erotic face and I grabbed her like a sack of potatoes," Fine! I lose! Now let me down!", I put her down and she grumbled," Others would die to be in the presence of beauty as me! And here you are carrying me like a sack of potatoes."


    She gave up easily, and I chuckled," So tell me Goddess Aschelois your motive behind this", I asked, and she pouted," You are an hot Elf and I am beautiful Goddess, shouldn''t be there be forbidden romance between us?!", she said justly as if it was a law made by heavens, and I looked at her deadpan," I have no interest in you", I bluntly said and she made an expression as if she had been stabbed.


    " Damn it! My forbidden romance story ended before it began!", she said with a pitiful expression, and I carried her to her Familia house. Reaching the place, I looked at the huge wooden building, it was semi-made of stone here and there, but that was a pretty top-notch considering this is just a big town, short of being considered a city.


    I looked at the two adventurers guarding the door," Wait? Why are you carrying our Goddess like that?!", a guard yelled pointing his spear at me. I sighed wanting to throw their Goddess at their face, when," Hey stop! I am not in mood for a cliche face slap! This rejected Goddess needs some alone time and has no patience for drama", she said, and broke from my grip and then she bashed both their heads.


    " Hmph! You gotta pull your game guards A and B and stop acting like extras, if you act like that you will put my name into shame", she lectured them, and both just nodded not knowing what they did wrong meanwhile I found the situation hilarious. " Tell me Goddess, was that your real motive?", I asked again, and she turned back to me," Of course! I had been reading so many romance stories and I liked that one about Elf Noble and a common human girl one, so I thought why not try it out?", she replied.


    "Seriously?", I said with a grunt and her face fell," My forbidden romance story ended before it even began! *Sniff* *Sniff* Mister handsome Elf don''t worry we shall marry in our next life", she said with moist eyes, and I quickly made me exit hearing that,'' Damnit! Why these Gods are so weird? '', I thought wondering if these Gods had been otakus in their past life.


    ...


    Finally making my escape from the weird Goddess the next day I went hunting to the forest alone, the party had decided to take a break because of the worsening weather condition, however I decided to train and hunt monsters, thought careful to not venture deep as it would be foolish and suicidal.


    I crouched and slowly walked through the place; the trees were covered with snow making it difficult to travel through them. I quickly found a bunch of Kobolds and then slowly taking an advantageous position I attacked them, with a slash I disembowelled the nearest one, the others roared and attacked me but easily dodging them I slashed through them and in a few seconds, I had killed the last one.


    " They are really no longer a challenge huh", I muttered as I looked at the dead corpses, I killed around nine kobolds in ten seconds with ease. I sighed and taking out my dragger I was about to take out their magic stones when I heard a roar. I quickly put my dragger back and moved back while taking my sword out. The bushes rustled as I looked a dozen of Orcs.


    '' They are so many! '', I thought and then grinned. I started chanting my magic while running away, I needed to make sure I am not surrounded by them. Once I was in the clear I looked at the Orcs back running towards me, and released my magic on them. The blue flames caused a blur in the air as they struck the Orcs, in one strike seven were dead and others left heavily wounded.


    I charged in, my speed accelerating as I gripped my sword tightly and with a swift strike beheaded and Orc, before stabbing another in its head. I slashed another one which was approaching me, killing it by breaking it''s magic stone, then moving sideward I dodged the attack of an Orc and swiftly sliced it''s arm off, and then stabbed through the back of it''s throat.


    I looked around and focused on my hearing, there were no sounds of Orcs or steps, all were dead. I breathed in relief and looked at the dead Orcs, I quickly got their magic stones including kobolds and even got three drop items. I then walked for a bit before encountering a pack of Hellhounds. '' This is going to be tough '', I thought as I swiftly climbed up a tree.


    Hellhounds weren''t no joke, for me they were tougher than to deal with Minotaurs. Thankfully I have my bow and some arrows strapped on the back. I quickly counted the number of Hellhounds. '' Five '', I have to deal with five of them. I took out my bow, despite looking simple it was my royal bow capable of dealing damage from level 4 so possibility of it breaking was low.


    My arrows were fine as well so taking my position firmly I nocked three arrows at once, pulled the bowstring and aimed at the Hellhounds, they were barking and growling well aware of my presence however they were unable to pinpoint me. I waited patiently for any three of them to come under my aim, and when they did, I released the bowstring.


    *Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*


    With a swoosh sound, they struck the hellhounds. One of the arrows successfully pierced one''s eyes, instantly killing it, while another struck other''s head, making it howl in pain. Unfortunately, the third one just grazed the skin of the third Hellhound. I quickly nocked another arrow and aimed at the fourth one and hit in its eyes killing it instantly.


    "Groowlll!!", a burst of fire hurled towards me, without any wait I jumped off the tree dodging the attack, the attention of remaining hellhounds was on me. Three of them remained, one of which heavily injured while other two almost at their peak condition. I started running away while beginning my chant," O''Flames of Legends!...", and barely dodged the two hurling fire bursts from their mouths.


    I ran towards a tree and jumped on in its trunk, then doing a black flip, I pierced the head of the hellhound killing it," Zingg...", I tried to pull my sword when a ball of fire hurled toward me, and I was forced to abandon it, I quickly grabbed my short wand and," Cremation!!", a burst of blue flames released from the tip, hurled towards them.


    Two fire bursts were released from their mouth, however my magic overpowered it and then struck them, they howled in pain before turning into cinders. I breathed heavily and seeing that they died I quickly ran towards the corpse of the hellhound, and pulled my sword and then quickly climbed the tree, I breathed heavily, tension filling me as I watched for more monsters.


    '' None '', there were no monsters nearby, I quickly drank a potion from the tube, finding one broken. I sighed and looked at the dead hellhounds,'' My magic is powerful enough to kill them, that''s a relief '', I had just used more than a little mana in my usual attacks. I was totally exhausted, not only physically but mentally.


    I pulled out my chain clock and looked that it was still noon. '' I am in periphery yet there are so many strong monsters, this is not good. This is a sign of a... Monster horde! '', my eyes narrowed, in this age monsters still escape from dungeon, thus monster hordes are plenty. They aren''t as terrifying one might think, but only if you manage to defend in all fronts, if somehow a few of them manage to break through barricade it will be a disaster for lower-level adventurers and the town.


    I gripped the hilt of my sword, and drank some water, dropping down the tree I collected the magic stones before engaging in a battle again. This time I found around nineteen Killer Ants however I managed to kill them with ease, then I was attacked by a group of Orcs with dozens of kobolds and a few goblins, again I manged to slay them. My magic proved more useful than I thought, I used tactics, depleting all my arrows by the afternoon.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Ember quickly departed from the forest once his clock hit 4''o clock. He was tired and had wounds at several places that had just began healing. He wasn''t seriously injured but completely drained out, he had killed more than hundreds of monsters just today alone, solo. He encountered many monsters far stronger than what someone with his parameters could take, if not for his magic and archery he might have died.


    But in the end only a grin remained on his face, as he looked at the bag filled with goodies. He had put off his bag on a tree located very near the periphery so that he can take all of his magic stones. He quickly went to his house taking a silent route, and on reaching his house. He dumped the magic stones in his small cellar.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    I had built the cellar myself, and it was filled with thousands of magic stones, and several drop items which I planned to sell a lot later on. After resting for a bit, I took plentiful of magic stones and went to guild. Once I entered the guild, I found the atmosphere of the place to be tense. " Mr. Tithonus are you again here to sell Magic stones?", Disha asked me, and I unloaded the magic stones on the counter along with the drop items.


    " Damn! As expected of Blue Hell!", someone exclaimed while Disha seemed shocked, the magic stones while in a large number where only of Level 1 monsters, not the stronger ones for obvious reasons. " Haha, surprising as always", Disha chuckled still unable to accept this as normality. Before she could start counting, I said," Disha while hunting today I encountered... plenty of strong monsters and I was just at periphery."


    " Yes, we have been reported this by several adventurer parties who went on hunting today, all of them returned quickly and some of the adventurers were heavily injured and one died", Disha sighed in sadness, " Undoubtedly it is the sign of a Monster horde incoming", I said, and she nodded. " Well, I guess we can expect excellent Magic support from the blue hell", she said as she began counting the magic stones and drop items.


    Whatever the case might be, it would seem that this monster horde is going to be bigger and far more disastrous than previous one. I sighed and decided to do a plenty of preparation and practise, thankfully I had enough potions in my house. " Sir Tithonus, here is your 96,500 valis", Disha said breaking me out of the stupor.


    I could feel the greedy eyes of a few adventurers looking at my valis. I took the valis and departed from the guild ready to do my preparations.


    To be continued...


    Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 26) Monster Horde

    ...


    Ember''s Pov


    I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I was sitting in lotus position and meditating for the last one hour. It was my daily schedule to do this, and it did help make my mind calmer if nothing else. I stood up and looked at the Calendar hung on the wall. I looked at the date with a sense of nostalgia washing over me, it has been seventeen years and two months since I have been reincarnated in this world and nearly nine months since I have escaped from Alf''s forest.


    " I haven''t sent them any letter either", I muttered, I have discussed about it with others, that to make sure my father doesn''t get any clues, I will not contact them for one year, but I decided to contact them early. After all everyone must be getting worried about me, it isn''t going to be much tough on how to send the letter to Alf''s Forest. I can take the help of guild for it.


    After giving a small thought I came out of my house, walking towards the guild when I encountered a familiar kid. " Sir Tithonus! Wi-Will you play with us?", a kid tugged my clothes and asked me, seeing his face I smiled and patted his head," Sorry, but I am busy today, though I will play with you guys later on, okay?", I said, and his expression brightened.


    " Really? Promise?", he asked, and I replied," Yes, Pinky promise", I smiled, and he cheered, then along with his other friends he ran away to play. I sighed feeling glad how better he is. " He has recovered Sir Tithonus, and a few others as well. Unfortunately, most of them are still traumatized", said Disha as she came towards me while glancing at the kid.


    " He is happy, because of you", she said with a smile, and I nodded. By the time I had rescued these slaves, three of them were already dead. The rest of them survived however they were traumatized. Thankfully Guild alongside the three familia took the responsibility of tendering them until they recover. Just like this kid, his name is Aaron, and he was the first one to recover.


    All of them had been brutally abused, and most of them have been raped. Those filthy men raped the female slaves while torturing or killing the male ones if they were in a bad shape. Meanwhile the male kids were raped by that female bandit. All of them were scum undoubtedly, with them being pedophiles only made it more disgusting, I have no guilt on the fact that I have killed them.


    " Anyway, Miss Disha I wanted to talk with you about something", I said, and her focus shifted on me," Yes, what it might be?", she asked, and I told her about my intention to send someone letter but anomalously. " Well, your request isn''t that hard... But rather costly", she said and then continued," Normally a letter is directly sent to the location if a direct link is available, otherwise it is sent to a bigger guild branch before being sent somewhere else."


    " In your case, we do have a guild branch located on the outer cities of Alf''s forest, and the letter will be handed over to the Alf city''s posts. You can send a letter anomalously as well, but it''s cost will be very high, as such letters are sent directly to Orario before being send to somewhere else, I would also need to see the cost of such a letter", she said and I nodded," Fine, then please inform me when you are done with it."


    " Leave it up to me!", she said in assuring way, then we entered the guild. The atmosphere was tense and then Disha said," By the way, Sir Tithonus signs of beast horde has alarmed the town. The adventurers will be stationed to the outer town wall soon, newer adventurers will stay inside the city alongside one level two and the others will be deployed on the periphery."


    " Things have become messy huh?", I said, suddenly someone called my name." Tet! There are you!", I turned to find it was Mika standing up there," What''s up, Mika?", I asked her, she was the one who preferred magic over her sister who was completely into brawl. " Tet the activity of monsters have increased, I think it won''t be long before the Beast Horde starts!", she said to me with worry.


    My eyes narrowed and Disha said," I thought we still had time! It would seem we would need to mobilize the adventurers!", she quickly left to ring the Guild''s siren. I sighed and quickly followed Disha to the town''s outer wall. Thankfully I had worn my light armor and had my Sword and magic staff with me.


    " Wyverns", someone yelled hysterically as we reached the place, I looked above seeing several wyverns flying over, casting a shadow over the walls. " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation! ", I quickly chanted my magic, a torrent of bluish flames appeared from the tip of my staff, bursting towards the Wyverns.


    *SCREECHHH!*


    The Wyverns screeched in pain and went in disarray as my magic hit, a few of them were instantly killed turning into dust as their magic stones fell off, many of them fell down, a few of them managed to survive albeit sustaining injuries of various severity. " That''s Blue Hell!!!", someone cheered and others began to follow," Blue Hell! ", "Blue Hell!", "Blue Hell!!"...


    I wanted to facepalm myself, I hurriedly said," You idiots! Stop dozing around and take out the remain wyverns!", hearing my words instantly pulled them out of their cheers. They gazed upon the remaining wyverns, some going crazy and attack directly, a few trying to flee, out of them, two landed before us.


    Mika used her magic, manifesting bullets made up of Earth and firing them off. She shrieked as the wyverns landed before us, I quickly unleashed my sword, charging front, I dodged their attempts to bite my head off, and pierced through the abdomen of one, and jumping up, I pierced the head of another, killing it off. The remaining one was killed by someone else who made his appearance.


    " It''s Brian! Level 2 of Modi familia!", everyone cheered. This was the most NPC moment I have ever seen in my life. Brian waved his hand, and ignoring him I rushed towards the wall, where I finally met other members of the party. " Amalda!", I said as I found the Black-Haired Elf," Sir Tithonus! Finally you are here!", she said with excitement and relief.


    " How is it over here?", I quickly asked as I looked around seeing dozens of monsters coming out from the shade of the trees. " It''s going great, the monsters we have encountered till now were just weak Level 1''s however the presence of Wyverns took us by surprise", she said, as I watched the close combatants fighting the monsters.


    However the efficiency was low, it was winter Afterall, thankfully today was a sunny day however I could see black clouds over a distance, signalling that we might not be very far from experiencing a snowstorm. Yes, the real difficulty here wasn''t the monsters but the looming snowstorm, once the snowstorm occurs it will become a hell for us.


    " I guess I will take up the work of the magician", I said, and she nodded, though I could see her face a bit pale. She must have exhausted her mind using healing magic. I quickly started chanting my magic pouring down my mana into the spell, hearing my chant many reacted and started spreading out. Once my spell finished, I unleashed my magic," Cremation!", and the spell hurled towards a group of Orcs instantly decimating them.


    I could see many shocked, after all no matter how many times they have seen this spectacle, seeing me a Level 1 Magician annihilating a group of Orcs was something very mind-blowing. I didn''t stop and started hurling one spell after another, decimating the hundreds of monsters alone, once my mana reached Half I stopped, and took out a Mind potion and chugged it down my throat.


    " Do you need me to heal you?", asked Amalda as she looked at me with worry, I shook my head and moving forward I took a random bow lying beside the stone fence and some arrows. " Can you fetch me some poison arrows?", I asked her, and she nodded, meanwhile I aimed at a Hellhound and notched the arrow, pulling the bowstring I let it go, and it wheezed through the air piercing through its head and instantly killing it.


    I nocked another arrow and aimed at the head of an Orc, letting the arrow go it pierced it''s eye making it roar in pain and turn into dust. I continued with my hunt, using one arrow after another, I emptied two quills of normal arrows and at least a dozen poisonous arrows, my every arrow except three had hit its mark, and over half of the monsters were killed instantly, while others seriously injured.


    Suddenly a roar resounded through the area feeling everyone, even me with dread. " What was that?!", someone shouted, my eyes travelled all over the place and their it was! A huge, towering Mammoth with two tusks coming out of each side of its mouth. Undoubtedly it was the infamous monster known as Mammoth fool, a monster from the middle floors of the dungeon.


    " T-That!", people froze as the monstrosity roared, other monsters made way for it as if running from it. Undoubtedly it was the cause of this monster horde. A Level 3 equivalent monster requiring a group of at least four level 3''s to safely kill it. However, due to its slow speed it could also be slayed by a single experienced Level 3 with fast speed.


    It didn''t seem much of a threat considering we had a Level 4 who made his move as soon as the monster made his appearance. Grifith was his name, and he battled against the monster. It would have been easy, but it started snowing and in minutes it turned into snowstorm. " Are you freaking kidding me?", exclaimed Bosh, while the Level 4 was having it hard to kill the monster.


    '' I should be the one to utter it out- Are you freaking kidding me?! He is a Level 4 for God''s sake! Ugh '', I rubbed my temples seeing him dragging the fight. It is a rare information, but certain monsters get stronger in certain climates, I can totally imagine a Mammoth getting stronger in snowstorm but how the heck he is unable to kill it.


    " Magicians! Help, Sir Griffith slay down that monster!", a man ordered and I sighed quickly running through the wall getting in my position. " Lad already recovered?", asked Juliet, adorned in witch''s clothing looking like a typical RPG magician. I just nodded and she started chanting her magic, while I started mine. This time I delayed my chant pouring more mind into it.


    " Cremation!", my chant finished when others had finished their chant by twice or thrice, however the effect were also visible as the torrent of blue flames were much lighter in colour, and as they hit the Mammoth it vaporised it''s entire limb making it fall down, letting Griffith kill it instantly. Everyone cheered, while magicians beside me shocked and so was I however I didn''t let my feelings show and started panting pretending to be weak.


    I quickly took out a mind potion and chugged it down,'' Damn! I just used over 25% of Mana! '', I thought, If I was to use half of my mana or my entire mind wouldn''t that have killed the Mammoth? I also cursed myself for making a scene, but what''s done is done. I am an Elf, naturally gifted in magic, so they would just think my magic at full power can harm a Level 3.


    Not to mention Magicians have an edge over Meele fighters anyway. " Tet! Are you okay?", Amalda asked me with worry as she provided me with support, I just nodded a bit embarrassed as I was acting. Thankfully the weather made my skin look pale. " The monster horde is almost over, you should take a rest", said Juliet, her lips plastered with thick lipstick.


    I nodded, while Griffith returned," Was that you? Tithonus was it? That was freaking awesome! I could feel the heat even if I was far away from the Mammoth", he said praising me, attempting to touch me, only for his hand to be whipped away by Amalda who glared at him," No touching Elves", she said.


    I looked at the scene speechless," Fine! You arrogant Elf", he grunted and then said to me," Anyway don''t worry a portion of loot will be yours considering your contribution", I replied," I guess, anyway I would like to take some rest, also Miss Amalda can you let go of my hand? I can walk just fine", Amalda let the grip go, and I quickly left the place.


    '' I guess this is why they are still here '', I thought, Griffith was clearly an average Level 4, and the average outside the dungeon who tend to be weaker than the adventurers in Orario. I guess Goddess Aschelois has no plans for moving to Orario atleast for a few decades or so. Others gods here were having it worse.


    Zeus and Hera familias was still here, and even if they didn''t have their top adventurers right now, they still had several Level 6''s and Level 7''s, each of being an Elite even at that Level. '' Anyway, it''s time to rest '', I thought taking a seat in the Guild.


    To be continued... Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    (Author''s Note: My health has finally recovered like 90%, but now days of study is upon me, I have to catch up with months of leftover... Ughh... Anyway, I am planning on opening a Patreon in a few months, maybe in six months? I will have to grind chaps for that, after studies ofcourse. You will find most of my fics in that, even those which are not uploaded here.


    Anyway, let''s talk about the story... We will be experiencing progress now, things are going slow, and they will be for a while, before we finish the first part, and begin the second part of the story where the Grind will start!)

 27) The Letter

    ...


    3rd Pov Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After the prince''s disappearance there was chaos in entire Alf''s forest, even the Elves outside of the Orario were ready to search for their beloved prince. That was what being an Elf meant; a race so united that no other race dared to fuck them off. However, the King called the search off much to everyone''s shock.


    King Larfal already knew that despite his prestige and power he wasn''t omnipotent, he had already done his best but if he wasn''t able to find his son, then maybe he just won''t be able to. Using anymore effort and money will be a waste. Finally, after months calm returned to the Alf''s forest and there weren''t any more surprises until the letter from Ember came.


    " Your Majesty! We suspect this letter was written by the prince", came a few soldiers with the news and the letter. The King looked at them with seriousness and said," Hand me the letter, I thank you for the effort", the soldiers nodded and handed him the letter. Larfal opened the letter but couldn''t bring himself to read, so he handed over to his loyal minister standing beside him, " Please read."


    The minister nodded and started reading it aloud.


    [My dear family,


    I know this letter was most probably will be firstly handed to you father. If it isn''t then you can say I was wrong. I won''t make any excuses for what I have done, and I won''t blame you either for the strict restrictions you put on me. Maybe I am not the filial son you hoped for, and my reason for escaping isn''t something grand either. It was my own selfishness that led to this, though I hoped you will be more understanding of my actions.


    Mother and my sister understood my thoughts, my desire... I may not be a good prince, but I will surely become a good man. I can''t talk much about where I am and how I am, however, I am fine. I have become adventurer, unfortunately what you feared has become true father. I met Gods, and yes, they are selfish like you thought, indifferent as you feared, weird which was not unexpected and what to say? Enigmatic?


    I won''t say that the God of the familia that I am now part of is a saint, however he is better than other Gods and kind if that puts your mind into ease. I will be exploring this vast year for maybe decades or even a century, when I think I am done, I will return to my home. I don''t ask for forgiveness but understanding. Thank you, father, for everything.


    P.S: The next few letters are for Mother, sister and miss Aina, don''t throw them away with the letter for you]


    Larfal felt infuriated and he quickly snatched the letter and started folding the paper into ball when the minister beside him said," Sire, the other letters are for Her Highness and princess", hearing his words Larfal stopped midway, he quickly took out the rest of the letters and flattened them up, then he threw his letter to the ground and said," Damn it, Ember!", he gritted his teeth, he was angry. Did his son thought speaking amicably will resolve the situation? Nope! Larfal can''t forgive him, he can only punish him for such an act.


    He took a deep breath, and then with a sigh handed the letter to the minister standing beside him. " Give it to Ada and don''t tell her I almost threw it away", he said much to his embarrassment. His relationship with his wife has become sour... Again! He didn''t want to spice it up anymore. It wouldn''t be good for the Alf''s forest if the king has a sour relationship with king and queen.


    Minister nodded with twitching eyebrows; the majesty of the king was as good as gone! But he didn''t feel much, after Ada was Her Majesty and she held power second only to the king and for the king to remain calm for his wife, showed his love and thoughtfulness. Thinking like this the minister couldn''t help but admire the king.


    (A/N: Elves seeing their royalty sneezing: That''s so graceful!)


    " Your Highness, I request to speak something, however I beg in advance if it sounds rude", said another minister," Speak Darius", Larfal said giving him the permission. " Your Majesty I think prince is a lost cause-", immediately he was interrupted by another minister," Darius! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT ARE YOU SPEAKING?!", Larfal showed his hand," Calm down, Darius continue-"


    " I apologize your majesty, but I think prince Ember is not fit to rule the Alf''s forest, and since he had run away, I think it''s better to give him the freedom. On other hand, her Highness Riveria is a very fit match for the throne and If anyone expresses her ability based on her gender, it will be plain heresy", he said and Larfal nodded.


    " Honestly I thought for Riveria and Ember to get a century worth of experience before I decide about the heirship, but considering the current situation. I think it will be better to crown Riveria as the crown princess. This will be my punishment to my son! Since he abandoned his kingdom, he loses his right to the throne!", Larfal declared, and once he declared his words were in stone.


    Ministers and nobles present, no one objected his decision. Even if Ada wants, she can''t change this decision now, otherwise it will appear as bad leadership. However, what they did not know that time, that the prince they rejected, deeming as failure, having no qualities to ascend to throne, will one day do something so great, that it will shock them to their bones.


    ...


    While the drama in Royal Alf''s Forest unfolded, Ember unaware of it celebrated the festival of Christmas eve, one might wonder if there was Jesus in this world, and actually not. There was a man named Jaina who brought the gospel of Gods when the world has almost lost faith in the Gods and thought of them as fiction, the birthdate of his marked the Christmas in this world.


    Today was Christmas Eve and the entire town was set up with twinkling lights. While this world wasn''t as technologically advanced as the modern world, it had magic and the Gods who came down brought a lot of scientific knowledge, particularly Goddess of Wisdom, Ruler of Altena, Athena. Because of her knowledge, her militaristic nation and familia became a force to be reckoned with, they possess more magicians than anywhere the world, rivaled only by Orario.


    They made so many inventions in world, that many modern stuffs here is common now. Ember was with his party members admiring the view of the town. " Tithonus how about you join Aschelois familia for this Christmas Eve?", asked Aika with excitement, Ember could only nod helplessly as he was dragged into the house of Aschelois familia.


    " Now everyone! Get on the job!", shouted Goddess Aschelois as everyone cheered and started setting up the decorations. "Griffith! Put the Christmas tree in the middle!", goddess shouted and then said to another guy," Mika! Put the decorations there! Also, James don''t slack off! Diana be more artistic with how you put up the decorations, Shazar put the purple lights there!"


    " Goddess! How about you stop commanding us? and start helping us!", James said with anger, " No way! How can you make this lovely Goddess work? I am afraid I will be sent back to Tenkai with tiredness alone", Aschelois said in a dramatic and exaggerated way. Everyone clicked their tongues when Ember entered alongside Aika.


    " Fufu! Amazed, aren''t you?! Miss Amalda was same when she saw this, after all I heard Elves rarely celebrate Christmas", said Aika with a smug look as she showed the Ember half-done decorations which already made the room look very amazing. " Oh, Aika you are here, and Tet as well", said Mika as she greeted them.


    " Sir Elf!", Ember heard the voice, and he couldn''t help but feel troubled,'' Man here we go again! '', he thought, and it became true as Goddess Aschelois appeared in front of him and ran towards him. " Sirrr Elffff!", she said dramatically as she ran to hug him which Ember smartly avoided letting her hit the wall behind him.


    " Damn cold", whistled Aika while witnessing her goddess foolishly crashing to the wall. " Ouch! It''s not good you are avoiding me!", said Goddess Aschelois with a pout as she stared at Ember who looked at her as if looking at trouble. " Anyway, Sir Handsome Elf-", she was interrupted by Ember," I have a name Goddess"


    " He does", said Chad making Ember frown as he stared at him,'' Did he just? Nah- I must be imagining '', meanwhile Aschelois couldn''t help but shake her head as she stared at Chad," Chad, you need to be live up to your name and behave like a Chad!", she said making him confused," But I am Chad?", some couldn''t help but want to laugh especially Amalda.


    " Anyway, sir Tithonus don''t you think today is a fine day to plant your seeds inside me?", she said in a loud tone making everyone stop at their tracks, making many shocked. '' This brat! '', Ember thought and said with a sigh," You are a Goddess", Aschelois didn''t stop smiling, instead her smile became bigger," Isn''t that better? You need not fear impregnating me."


    Many members gasped in disbelief, Ember didn''t say anything further to her and instead looked at Griffith, the captain of the Aschelois familia," Sir Griffith can I just hit her?", he asked in a very, very polite tone. The man grinned and said," Slap her, smash her, she is all yours", suddenly he felt he said something wrong but couldn''t point it.


    Meanwhile Ember facepalmed,'' Language! Damn it! Her stupidity is infectious '', he thought as he looked at Aschelois who suddenly asked," Why do I think you are thinking something rude?", she frowned and Ember replied with a shrug," Because I am", for a moment she was baffled, before saying," Anyway, how about we head to bed-", Ember flicked his finger on her forehead.


    "AghhhhH!!!!", cried out the Goddess as she rolled on the ground in pain," It hurst! HurstS!!!", her cries were ignored as some laughed and Griffith gave Ember a thumbs up, admiring him for his courage. " Tet! How da-", Aschelois wanted to complain but seeing his emotionless face which slowly turned into one with a smile, she shivered.


    " Goddess what were you saying?", he asked calmly, and she shook her head with panic," Nothing! Nothing! I meant you did right! How dare this bitch Aschelois spout nonsense in front of you! She deserves this", some people facepalmed while Aschelois cried in her mind,'' Aurora! Save me! ''. For first time in eons, the Goddess regretted her antics gravely.


    " Achoo!", Aurora sneezed as she was decorating the Christmas tree. " Goddess, are you alright?", asked Maria with concern, Aurora shook her face," I am not ill, it''s probably someone remember me, let me guess! Aschelois! It must be her! ", she nodded while Maria not understanding how she was involved but just got along with her words.


    Meanwhile, back in Aschelois familia Amalda said," That''s what you deserve for threatening an Elf''s purity", Aika made a whistle," Elf Supremacy!", and others laughed out while Aschelois gritted her teeth. " I had enough of your racism!", shouted the Goddess as she started running after Amalda," Get here you!"


    Everyone couldn''t help but laugh, soon the decorations were done and everyone was assembled in dining room for the dinner. " Violin?", asked Griffith as he looked at Ember holding one, who nodded and replied," I saw this one a few days ago and thought why not play a tune during Christmas? I know a carol though it had been decades since I played violin, thus I practised and here we are."


    " Oh! Violin! Play Christmas is here!", said Chad with excitement, " Sorry but I don''t know that one", Ember apologised making others excitement lessen. The fact he was playing after years also made them wary, wondering if their eardrums will wear off. " Don''t care about them play", said Amalda and he nodded, and after a deep breath he started playing.


    As the music played out, it captivated everyone, the entire place became silent as he played the carol, everyone as if in trance closed their eyes hearing the melody, straining their ears to hear more louder, cleared. Ember was playing Carol of the bells, and despite not any other assistance he managed to play it off well, it as a carol never played in this world, and for first time Carol of the Bells graced this world.


    Once the song ended," What was the name of the carol?", asked Goddess Aschelois and Ember replied," Carol of the bells", and everyone couldn''t help but mutter the name. " Tet! Play it once more!", Aika demanded and everyone nodded, " Once More!", " Once More! ", "Once more!", in the end Ember played it again for three times before they started dining.


    To be continued...

 28) The seasons change

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Months passed by in a blink of eyes, seasons changed and after several moons Ember finally got the peak parameters, the pinnacle of what is actually achievable without any specific ability to break through the limits.


    [Level 1


    Strength: S918--->S999


    Endurance: A899--->S999


    Dexterity: A837--->S999


    Agility: S967--->S999


    Magic: S999--->S999


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Eagle''s eye: Enhances the vision.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    Ember got one more skill, and all of his parameters have hit S999, it took a lot of time, a lot of effort to each where he is now. But now he had achieved this level of strength he found himself in a dilemma. " So, the Magic didn''t increase any further? ", he said as he stared at his parameters, written on a piece of paper.


    " Ember, I guess they won''t increase any further. The limit of known falna is S999 after all. The fact you were able to reach S999 in all parameters is already an unsurmountable feat for others. You did this in two years and half!", said Aurora cheering him up. She was a Goddess; she knew this better than anything.


    All mortals have limits, their body and soul limits them, however the presence of falna, and their divine blessing helps them to elevate their body and soul to a higher level, to ascend closer to the divinity itself. Although it is not known what will happen if someone achieves the state of divinity? Will they become the fictional Demi-God? Or they will ascend to Godhood? Even the fact whether it was possible was something they didn''t knew.


    It was totally unknown, no matter what the Gods think unless achieved it will be a mystery and mystery is a very strong words for the Gods. For them who are Immortal and lived since the birth of Universe, mystery and unveiling it was their only drive. Such were Gods. The fact that Ember reached S999 in all parameters was already something beyond the thinking of Aurora.


    She knew the chances of achieving it... her own familia member was abysmally low. Yet here it was! She witnessed something that perhaps only Zeus and Hera familias had ever witnessed. A perfect S999 parameter sheet, of her own child nonetheless! It filled her with glee and made her feel smug, if not for the fact she needed to keep it secret, she would have already bragged this to the entire world.


    But Ember wasn''t satisfied, he wanted his parameters to break through the S999! Only then he can get extremely strong. He needs to achieve that someone else can hardly ever hope to achieve. If he wants to enter the likes of Zald, Bell and Alfia, the ability to surpass the strength of his own level, permanently.


    However, he didn''t know what to do, his magic was the first stat to hit S999 and it is third time he is updating his parameters after that, yet his magic parameter refuses to budge even a bit. He has given his best so far, he would kill with the thought of getting stronger, desire of breaking through his limits burned within him.


    He would go solo hunting from the village, and hunt till his mind is completely drained, he did such a dangerous act with the help of Jason, after all becoming unconscious in the middle of the monster infested forest is dangerous. But he had fought till his hand became numb, even Jason was tired just following him. For two days straight he had fought!


    " Ember~ How about you level up? You already have that sweet High-rank excelia stored, enough to level you and still have some left!", said Aurora as she hugged him from behind and patted his hair softly. She had been growing fond of him, ever since he showed up, and that fondness is only increasing.


    " No! Goddess I still believe there exists a parameter beyond S999! If I reach that, then only I can become the strongest in this world, so until I achieve that. I want you not to level me up", Ember said breaking from her hug." But Ember! I-I think that the limit of every level is just S999, theoretically if one is to reach Level 10 or higher with S999 in every parameter, he or she will be as strong as a lower deity!", she said.


    Usually, she would never speak of such thoughts, no other god will, after all Gods knew it was just a speculation and telling children will only end up things worse. You complicate their life even a bit, it becomes a mess. However seeing her child''s blind dream, she couldn''t help but persuade him. She didn''t want him to suffer.


    Ember gave her a gentle smile," Thank you Goddess for your kind words, but I will not give up!", he said and in the end she failed to persuade him. After updating his status, he quickly went to hunt monsters, Aurora didn''t find him next day and realized he had left for hunting. She waited him to return, but that evening he didn''t return.


    " Where is he?! Just where?", Aurora muttered as she walked to and fro in a frenzy manner as she waited for him. She had already alerted the rest of her familia to look for him." Goddess", Edward came in front of her, and she looked at him with hope, however seeing Ember not alongside other members behind him, she despaired.


    " Goddess we were unable to find Sir Ber, however we found his traces, I think he might have ventured far into the forest", Edward said wanting to ease her. " Far into the forest? Is he- Definitely! He is going to hunt until he is utterly exhausted", she muttered out loud, and then looked at her familia," Go and search for him", she said.


    " Uh- Goddess-", Edward stopped as Aurora gave him a fierce look and asked," What is it?!", Edward quickly replied," It is already midnight, and most of the adventurers are tired... It won''t be wise to venture far into the forest this late", his words made sense. After all just a unlucky encounter is enough to kill off their entire familia, that''s how things work.


    But Aurora seethed in anger as she heard his words, their EXCUSE. '' Here Ember might die at this rate and they! '', she thought getting even more angrier. " That wasn''t a request! Edward Morales! That''s the command of your Goddess!", she said, making a few people gasp. Their goddess until the matter of life and death of village had never given them any command, she was more like a silly elder sister to them to most of time.


    " I-I see", Edward replied, and they went off to search Ember again, this time they didn''t return until the afternoon of the next day. Aurora was filled with hope to see them again, however Edward shook his head much to her dismay. " We lost his trace at some point, and we encountered a multitude of Level 2 monsters, thankfully no one died, but due to circumstance we had to return", he said.


    But to Aurora it seemed as if world had come to halt, dreading thoughts filled her mind, helpless figure of Ember lying on the ground crying out her name, or his bloodied corpse being gnawed by monsters. " E-Edward! Please return! Please search for him!", she said, but Edward was tired, indeed he was Level 2, however their search was met with monsters, this time a few Level 2 tiring him out.


    " Goddess, we can''t", he replied much to her horror. She gritted her teeth," Fine! If you won''t search for him! I will! I will save him!", she said trying to run towards the forest only for her wrist to be grabbed by Edward. " Goddess! What are you saying! Cool your head down!", Edward said, she resisted fiercely however, she was unable to budge him a bit.


    Her strength was of a mortal after all, Level 1 Adventurers were already Superhuman to her, much less a Level 2 like Edward. Seeing they were not letting her go, her anger flared. " Mortal! You dare to stop me?", her divinity exploded. In a second her brown hair turned into cherry blonde, a pressure hit Edward as his grip broke and he fell on the ground, not only him, but everyone near her fell on their knees. At this moment they saw the true form of their Goddess.


    She was barely ristricting herself from unleashing her full Arcanum and searching for Ember, but she knew if she did, she would be sent back to Heaven without any second chance. '' Stop your outburst Aurora '', a voice rung in her mind. It was of the Primordial that oversaw the entire Genkai, but at that moment it only angered her more.


    '' Ouranos! You shall not restrict me! '', she replied, and the voice came,'' If you don''t stop, I will be forced to send you back Tenkai '', she gritted her teeth as she felt an authority covering the entire skies above her, it was invisible but permeated through the matter. The only Authority that the Primordial could use outside dungeon, not earning its ire. The Authority of Order!


    " Goddess!", shouted Jason, and as her eyes fell on the man next to her, injured. Her divinity faded and so did her anger. Her face hung down in shame, she had shown them such an unsightly sight. " I-I apologize for my behaviour", she replied. She was truly a kind Goddess, usually Gods would take no responsibility for their actions, even towards their own familia children, viewing them nothing more than as pawns.


    Everyone stood up, breathing in relief, while the other villagers watched from far. She felt ashamed but she was still worried about Ember. " Um Goddess, my daughter probably forgot something to show", said Martha pulling Maria who was hiding behind her, she walked with scared look and took out a letter. " That night I met sir Ber, and he gave me this letter."


    Aurora snatched the letter and read through it, she found Ember had stated he might return in two or three days and anger came on her face. " You brat!!!", Maria screamed hearing her words, and ran as the Goddess chased her, Martha handed Aurora a belt seeing which Maria''s face was filled with betrayal and horror, that day the painful cries of Maria ran throughout the village, as their Goddess enacted Divine Judgement, hitting her till her butt became red.


    That day everyone swore, even Martha. To never ever anger their Goddess again! After seeing the letter, she was much calmer and couldn''t help but facepalm at her erratic behaviour. '' Ember must have written a letter for me! Why didn''t I think of that earlier? '', she thought feeling ashamed of her behaviour, she also overreacted but she couldn''t be blamed. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the end Ember returned the third day''s dawn, and Aurora who was waiting for to enact her Divine punishment on him, quickly threw the idea away the moment she saw his bloodied and unconscious self. " Ember!", she cried out in panic. Jason who was carrying him on his back said," Goddess, Namien found him, who said, he became unconscious as soon as he met him."


    " He is so injured! Jason hurry! Bring out the potions and bandages! We need to treat him up!", said Aurora, and soon they administered treatment to him. Thankfully he was just tired and had no grave injuries. Aurora patiently waited beside him, and the moment Ember woke up he was confused, as the Goddess reprimanded him.


    " You idiot! Did you know how worried I was?!", she said as she hugged him gently, careful not to hurt him. " I- Forgive me", Ember said after a bit of silent, he had given the letter to Maria who hopefully handed to Aurora; however, he knew, vanishing for three days even if he told them, must have worried her.


    Aurora wanted to complain more, but seeing his condition she let the idea go. " Fine- Just don''t do something like that without a plan and without informing me in advance again", she said, and Ember nodded, when he suddenly realised," But I gave the note to Maria?", he looked at her in confusion and Aurora smiled wryly and shook her head, " My poor Ember, never trust that trash again."


    That day, the cultivation of Maria was abolished by Aurora, and she turned into trash.


    To be continued...


    (Maria: Why always me?! Why? Uwwuuuuu.


    Author:...


    Author: Sorry but no wall breaking get back in the story!


    Maria: No, No! No-


    Author:*Sigh* Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter, by the way just thinking about how I have to edit chaps from 11 to till here makes me give a headache, maybe another day! I will inform you all once I do!)

 29) Hit the Limit? Just push through it!

    ...


    Ember''s Pov


    Four years and six months, that''s how long I have been an adventurer. I could level up anytime I wanted, yet I refrained from doing so, eager to achieve the rank beyond S rank. I toiled day and night, hunting monsters from Level 1 to Level 2, yet without any success my parameters remained at the S999, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, I just couldn''t break through the limit.


    It was as if I had an invisible wall, which was so sturdy that no matter what I did, it just refused to break. I took a deep breath, I had just finished meditation, however it was half-assed, my mind haunted with thoughts. Is it really the case? Can I never hope to achieve what the other monsters did?


    I chuckled, Alfia, Zald and Bell, by the timeline I am in, they are not even born and even if they will be born after my ''Appearance'', remains a mystery. I didn''t delude myself thinking everything will remain same as the plot dictated or I will have to follow the plot. I just needed to get strong, so whatever might come in my way, I can push through it.


    But now that I have remained on S999, unable to push further, I fear if I will be unable to surpass it. I didn''t have any typical reincarnator''s cheat, neither I had the natural talent of Alfia or the emotions of Zald and Bell which helped them surpass their level. My sister was probably more talented in magic than me, my results must have seen appealing but that''s only I was a freaking adult in a child''s body!


    Having more Mind that what by sister had at her age, or being a good swordsman means nothing in front of true geniuses. Magic Swordsman might be rare, but they were plenty in the entire world. I am nothing special other than having my previous life''s memories. I sat on the branch of the tree in pure frustration.


    Am I destined to die as just one of the many geniuses that have appeared throughout the history? I might work hard, and that hard work might let me surpass lazy geniuses, however I can never surpass those with talent and hard work. I looked at the greenery in front of me and took a deep breath. '' I might be able to break through the limit if I am all charged up, but in my situation not a chance '', I thought.


    I should take a break, yeah that will be for the best. As for how long? Perhaps till I regain my spirit. Thus, making a decision I jumped from the tree and landed swiftly on the ground. It was time for me to take a break, a much needed one from adventuring.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    " I am finally Level 2!", Chad cheered, after six years of being an adventurer he was finally a Level 2! The average time that takes for an adventurer to level up was five to ten years, and that was average, for some it can take several decades to level up. Mostly the adventurers in Orario experienced the average time to level up, outside the Orario, leveling up in 6 years was a decent record.


    " Guys! I am a Level 2! Finally, a proud High-Class Adventurer", he bragged as he laughed. Everyone sighed him seeing that. " Still six years huh? Aika and me only took 5 years one and two months respectively", Aika said with a grin. Chad''s enthusiasm was calmed down and he couldn''t help but complain," Can''t you guys have some sympathy for me? I am also giving you a party!"


    They nodded," Yeah, Yeah", said Aika, then Bosh said," I also level up three months before Chad and Newton just needs a deed to level as for you Amalda", he looked at the Black-Haired Elf. She wasn''t the only female Elf now, Argon Town has become more famous after the news that a Level 4 is here broke out. Many Elves aspiring to be adventurers joined the Oshun, Modi and Aschelois familia.


    There are now eleven Elves here, however Amalda remained the most beautiful Elf, garnering attention from both male Elves and other races alike, she had received more than twenty proposals however she had turned all of them down, even the ones from her fellow Elves. One of such proposal was unfortunately of Chad, who was turned down by her.


    Chad had to experience a gruesome heartbreak and was down for two months before he finally sobered up. He has recovered from his first love denying him, and now is in relationship with a sweet girl named Anne from a nearby village. Overall, things turned out good for him.


    " Well, I am just trying to make my magic parameter reach S before I rank up, I have enough High-Level falna", she replied Mika gasped," S rank? Isn''t that too high of a goal? Your magic paramter should already be A and it will be enough ", she asked and Amalda replied with a small but noticeable blush," Tet told me getting better parameters before level up makes a huge difference after level up, so I decided to focus on my dexterity and Magic, my Dexterity is A and it won''t reach S any soon, however my magic should", she replied.


    " It will still take a lot of time, perhaps several months before you can level up", said Newton as he sipped the beer, Bosh nodded and said," Although it''s just my opinion but while ranking up is risky, as you have to fight and kill stronger monsters, it''s still easier than to get good parameters, as it is very time consuming and at some point your parameters'' growth slow down exponentially."


    Others nodded as well and Amalda said," Still I need to increase them as much as I can", then Aika grinned and said," That means our party will be soon a party of High-Level adventurers, Hey Newton better rank up quickly or we will leave you behind", hearing her words the man in question couldn''t help but frown, he said with a grumble," Easy to say for you, but I am a scout and fighting stronger monsters isn''t easy, though I have some High-rank excelia stored up, just a bit more before I rank up."


    They all laughed while Chad who was ignored as they talked with each other about level up couldn''t help but feel awkward. '' It was supposed to be my congratulations party for my ranking up! '', he thought and sighed. As they were partying suddenly, Mika asked," Tet hasn''t arrived yet?", her words drew everyone''s attention on her. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " Yes, about Tet, something is going wrong with him", Aika said as she recalled their previous meetings. " Maybe it''s about ranking up? Well, it might sound surprising but with how talented and powerful he is, coupled with his hard-working nature I thought he will be first to rank up, but he still hasn''t", said Bosh. " Not that surprising", Aika commented, and others nodded.


    " Now Bosh you say that hasn''t Tet killed like several level 2''s and even injured Level 3''s? He should have enough High quality excelia shouldn''t he?", asked Chad with a frown on his face, " Hey Amalda do you know anything about it?", Mika asked her, although the males didn''t know, but Aika and Mika knew it very well that Amalda has a crush on Tithonus, and she was even ready to propose him.


    So, she had worked hard secretly to know about his likes and dislikes, and also know about his circumstances. So, she ought to know the best, and as Mika thought it was correct. " Well... What to say? I have talked with Goddess Aurora, she had told me he wanted all his parameters perfect, so he was refraining from ranking up", she said.


    " Perfect parameters, isn''t that like S999 in all of his parameters?!", gasped Aika, and looked at Amalda who nodded. " Thi-This is... crazy! It is very hard to reach S999 in one parameter much less in all of them! Something like that, I doubt only the prodigies of Hera and Zeus familia can achieve something like that!", said Bosh.


    " It might take him decades for him to do so", said Newton, " Indeed! Shouldn''t he just level up?", said Chad finishing his cup of beer. "That bastard didn''t come for the party either, Tch", Chad said and everyone couldn''t help but feel troubled. " Tet is sure troubling, do you remember two years ago? How he returned to his village and didn''t return to Argon town for eight months? ", said Aika.


    " Indeed, we all went to village just to make sure he is fine, only then he returned", Mika said recalling her headache, everyone that time was really worried for him, especially Amalda who despite being an Elf was the most worried. " Then it''s decided, lets meet up with him!", said Chad smashing the table.


    " Chad! If the table breaks you need to pay!", he heard the voice of the granny and froze, and awkwardly looked at the table and seeing a dent, he nervously started rubbing it with a cloth. Everyone erupted in laughter. Their Chad was like always he was, never a Chad.


    ...


    Ember''s Pov


    " Guys, I thank you for your words, I- I will be honest I was feeling down, and hearing your words make me feel better", I said emotionally as I looked at them. I was feeling embarrassed, I made them feel worried, and even forgot about Chad''s party! Damn, and here I thought I had matured a bit. I couldn''t help but chuckle awkwardly.


    " Damn man! You forgot about my party *Sigh* Anyway, take care of yourself", Chad patted my shoulder earning a glare for Amalda, and akwardly said," Fine, fine, no touching Elves, you Elf supremacist", Bosh teased him," And here I thought you had a crush on her", Chad grunted and said," That''s a thing of past Bosh! Now I love my sweet Anne! So don''t go on telling that I had a crush on her."


    " Tet, please take care of yourself, and I wish you a safe journey", Amalda said to me with a slight blush on her face, I nodded and said," Thank you, Miss Amalda", I wasn''t dark about her crush. It was subtle, unlike the one Chad had on her, but she most probably has a crush on her, which kinda puts me in a pretty awkward position. I guess I will reject her if she proposes, or If I show disinterest in her she will give up, hopefully.


    " Anyway, guys see you later, and definitely I will inform you if I was to stay there for a longer time", I said, and Aika joked," Indeed, don''t repeat the same thing you did two years ago", and everyone chuckled. After saying my goodbye, I sat on my horse and left for the Shawn village. The path should be relatively safe, I haven''t encountered any bandits again so far, though the signs of beast tide were troubling.


    I continued travelling for a day and half, when I encountered a horde of Orcs, being skilled adventurer I am, I easily dispatched them all, however, never have I thought that I would encounter this during my journey. It was a huge-ass beetle, but that wasn''t the problem! It was a monster found in the middle floors, usually monsters outside dungeon are weaker, but monsters which cause beast hordes are usually stronger than their dungeon counterpart.


    I took a deep breath, and I quickly tied my horse taking my most important stuff and got on top of a tree and put it there. '' That thing could probably fly, and it will sense me If I try to run, sneaking away is not an option, I need to kill it '', I thought gravely. It was a Level 3 monster with how big it looked, the only way I could kill was using my magic, but I needed to pure at least 90% of my mind and hit a perfect shot to kill it.


    Risks were high,'' But I have no other choice, it already has my smell '', I thought as the buzzing sound started getting clearer. I quickly jumped and started moving from one branch to another and started chanting," O''Flames of Legends!... ", and the moment I did the monster started following me with a fast speed. My heart started racing, as my senses screamed danger, but I didn''t stop running.


    My chant was slow, since I needed to pour most of mind in this single shot. Thankfully, I have practised chanting before, so it should fine. I started jumping from one tree to another, but buzzing sound only became clearer," Burn brighter than thy enemy!... ", I chanted the next verse when my senses went haywire ,'' Damn it was too fast! '', I quickly turned myself to see the monster charging at me. I landed on the ground and then-


    *Slash*


    I slashed using my full strength, but it barely made a dent on the monster''s chitinous outer skeleton, and with the force of its horn it threw me back, I crashed on the ground, thankfully my bones didn''t break and standing back again I started running away, I quickly got behind the tree and then ran, when I heard the sound of the trunk breaking," Turn them into cinders!... ", I continued chanting as the tree fell.


    I avoided the tree falling, however, the next moment the monster was in front of me, and charged with its horn, I tried to deflect it, but my arm snapped by the sheer force, I felt my bone breaking, though I gripped my sword despite the pain of my fingers getting twisted, I knew if I let my sword go, it will be game over for me.


    I was blown away backwards, but somehow regaining my balance, I grabbed the sword with my another hand,"...Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! ", I threw the sword with my entire force hitting it''s forehead, making it cry in pain as the sword pierced a bit deep, my chant was almost done, but the beetle appeared in front of me again and tried to attack me.


    I managed to dodge it but turned and hit me on my back, making me crash, I felt my ribs crack, gritting in pain I turned and with trembling hands I took my staff and pointed its tip towards the monster which landed in front of me," Cremation!!!!! ", I shouted as the tip glew and the next moment.


    *Boom*


    A torrent of bluish flames, far stronger than anything I have witnessed in my life emerged and burned through the monster, through it''s flames, the very monster that almost killed me turned into ashes. Trees behind it turned into crisp and once the magic recided, I coughed flood," That''s you deserve, bastard!", I said with hatred and relief as the monster died.


    I finally examined myself, seeing my hand broken, and pain in my back and chest, thankfully my spine was intact, otherwise it will be end for me. '' What''s with my damn luck? '', I thought as I took out a tube of potion and chugged it down, feeling some relief, after resting for a while, I stood up and started walking.


    I drank a dual-potion and took my sword, which was intact. Then walking slowly and stealthily I took back my backpack, and finally drank a valve of High-potion feeling the pain in my back and chest receding. I grabbed my hand and ignoring the pain I straightened it up and attached a log with clothes to keep it straight to make the healing process easier.


    I remained on the tree for a while, before securing my horse, which was still alive. Thankfully. Due to High potions, I had healed for most of the part, and thus with slow steps on top of horse I continued my journey.


    ...


    Aurora was terrified to hear of my experience, she almost cried thankfully I soothed her," I am happy! That you are alive", she said as she hugged me gently. After that she brought updating the status herself, knowing well I didn''t have the will to ask for. I had almost given up, and I think I should level up when," What?!", Aurora exclaimed.


    "Y-Your parameters! They have surpassed S999 and entered SS!", she said with shock evident on her voice, she quickly created a status sheet and handed it over to me.


    [Level 1


    Strength: S999--->S999


    Endurance: S999--->SS1003


    Dexterity: S999--->SS1001


    Agility: S999--->S999


    Magic: S999---> SS1009


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Eagle''s eye: Enhances the vision.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    Yes, my parameters had surpassed the limit after so long, and something told me, that if I surpass all my parameters, something amazing will happen. It was if my guts were telling, no- a skill that I have been using very less and has been with me from the start. I grinned, I have finally realized the way to surpass my parameters.


    All Hope wasn''t lost.


    To be continued...

 30) The limits are broken!

    ...


    3rd Pov


    The Gods love the lower world because of the sheer amusement it provides them. They witness miracles again and again, what they thought would be impossible becomes possible. I mean how can a falnaless child slay off monsters as ten times as strong as himself? How with a mere blessing of a spirit one can fight off one of the calamities that almost enters the realm of Gods. The soul of mortals wasn''t made by Gods, they are made by the world, thus every soul itself is a world unknown to the gods.


    To see what has been unknown, nothing excites Gods more than that, and now Goddess Aurora, a mere Intermediate deity, just one of the many virgin goddesses under the Goddess Artemis'' protection. She witnessed something that perhaps the primordials or god kings have never witnessed, she witnessed a mortal break the limits of falna set by the Gods! The falna system itself was very versatile, created and designed by the combined might of several High-class deities.


    Despite its noble origin it didn''t grant mortals anything but the ability to realize their potential and go beyond it, though ''Going beyond it'', was tougher than becoming an average Level 5. Something that very much she had just witnessed now! No God has witnessed a mortal surpassing the set limit of falna, yet she has! She has a child that broke through his limits! At first, she was beyond joyful, though it turned into extreme worry once she realized her child is going to do something stupid again. " Goddess, I guess I will need to fight a monster way beyond for my level to improve myself", he said.


    " No! I always supported you Ember, but not this time! K-Knowing that I might lose you- I will never let something like that happen! Ember I will never let you get that hurt again!", Aurora said, logically being a Goddess she should encourage her child, a God''s curiosity must push her child further to see, how much he will shine, perhaps if it was any other of her child, she would have yielded, but for Ember, she held something special, something that she couldn''t deny yet not bring herself to say about it to him.


    " Yes, Goddess I know that is foolish, but please hear my entire plan!", he reasoned and yet she still didn''t yield, after a lot of persuasion and hearing his plan, she finally yielded, though she felt bitter about it. " You will get hurt", she said in a downcast voice, and Ember said," Goddess we both know, being an adventurer without getting hurt on the path is impossible."


    " Yes, I know", she grumbled, Ember could see the special care she held for him, and he had suspicions, but again he was dealing with a Goddess, so he decided to let things play out on their own. Ember''s plan was pretty simple, he would find a Level 2 monster and make it stronger, then slay it alone while in the presence of the rest of the familia.


    His relationship with Aurora familia had soured slightly since the Goddess has lashed out last time at them for him. But his relationship with Jason and Edward is solid, and perhaps only the presence of Edward will be needed. A single Level 2 after all can do more than what a group of Level 1 can. Begrudgingly she accepted, she had lived countless Millena, and knew he wasn''t a caged bird, and without risks he can''t grow.


    Though the thought of him dying haunted her, and unknown to Ember she had made a decision. " Ember, do you remember our promise?", she asked him, and Ember nodded," The one we made after that ordeal two years ago right? I promised you Goddess that I won''t die", he said, and Aurora said pointing his finger at him," Now there is an addition, if you were to die, I will give you divine judgement for breaking the promise, even if I have to return to Heavens!", she said.


    He gasped and then said with a sigh," Now I am troubled, it makes me fearful what you might do, and make sure to not break the promise", he replied, and she grinned. " Indeed! So better keep your promise!", Aurora said. After that Ember started working hard to find Level 2 monsters, and slayed several of them, however his parameters didn''t increase though he reached to a conclusion.


    ...


    Ember''s Pov


    I start deducing what monster will be best for me to surpass my limits, and I came to a conclusion. Minotaur, a Bull-like monster that ravages anything on its path. Killing it has the highest chances of surpassing my parameters in strength and agility. Strength wasn''t my forte, however at base level I was stronger than 90% of the species in this world, whereas speed was totally my ground.


    Elves were lightweight and nimble, so agility was on my side. Thus, I decided to make minotaur my opponent, however it was easier to be said than to be done, since finding Level 2 monsters in the forests were a rarity, unless a beast horde one usually never finds a Level 2, showing how rare it is to find them.


    I hoped I will find one quick, however things never go on my way, do they? It took me five months to find a group of Minotaur. I first divided them into groups and killed a lone one myself, it was far easier than I expected, so I increased the danger and fought two at once, and finally three at once killing them. After slaying them, I knew my plan was doable, since I was able to kill three minotaurs myself all alone, I should have no problem slaying a single stronger one.


    Finally, it was the last minotaur that I performed my experiment on. I wasn''t Ottar who can beat martial arts into a minotaur, instead I fed it Magic stones and watched from far as it devoured them, slowly but surely, its skin colour became darker, at some point it resembled to Asterius, I even fed several magic stones of Level 2''s and a portion of the only Level 3 magic stone I had.


    And it brings us to here." Tet, you must know what you are doing is extremely risky", said Sir Edward and pausing for a bit he continued," I am here, I have slayed a group of five minotaurs alone myself. But I fear it might be very quick for me to react", he looked at me as if looking at madman. I sighed and said," I have hit a limit Sir Edward, and to break through it, this must be done."


    He sighed knowing well it was impossible to refuse me. It was his last warning as I ran towards the direction where minotaur was. He followed me and soon, we reached it. " Moarrrrr!", the minotaur roared as he looked at me, the moment he locked eyes with mine, I felt a chill deep inside my spine. My superhuman senses warned me of the danger, it was far less that of the beetle, but engaging in close combat with it was life threatening.


    " What the heck is that minotaur?!", Sir Edward said as he got on defensive, yeah, he must have felt it. The overwhelming might of a Predator, one that can destroy everything on its path. I grinned, looking at the monstrosity in front of me. It was my work, me who created it. The minotaur charged at me, at a very rapid speed.


    '' Here it comes! '', I focused on the monster, twisting my body, I evaded its charge and swung my sword ripping through it''s hide and creating an almost inch deep wound on its torso. The Minotaur crashed against a tree, finally stopping, however the tree snapped, and it fell down. The Minotaur roared almost numbing my senses and ran in a different direction breaking through the trunks of several trees as if breaking twigs.


    Then it turned and dashed towards me, I readied myself, and evaded, this time twisting my body downward to avoid it''s arm. I slashed cleaving through it''s arm this time, however barely. It stopped after a while and I regained my balance, both of us looked at each other. It suddenly grabbed the trunk of a tree with its arms, and my eyes narrowed as it uprooted it.


    " Moarrrrr!!!!!", The Minotaur roared, as it grabbed the entire tree and swung towards me,'' You got to be kidding me '', I thought as I jumped avoiding the attack, the tree that it swung broke through several other trees and made them go flying, albeit barely. However, it showed its inhumane strength which without a doubt managed to frighten me and made my blood pumping more.


    " Come here! You fricking bull!", I laughed, and it charged at me and suddenly stopped before me, leaving no time to evade, and punched with its full strength. I quickly swung my sword, " Ghukk!", I felt my entire hand trembling as my sword met its attack head on, the ground below me cracked, and I could feel small fractures forming at my arm.


    It punched again, this time I evaded nimbly, and swung my sword cleaving through its arm, making blood spray all over. " Roarrghhhhhh!", It let out a bone chilling roar, and swung its body, I tried to move back but with sheer speed, it threw me back, making me crash against a tree. Blood spurted out of my mouth as I felt air being pushed out of my lungs.


    The minotaur charged at me enraged, I knew if it hits me now, I will be left immobile if not straight up die, a part of me felt regret on creating such a monstrosity, but-'' This fucking bull! '', I thought as I quickly flipped my body jumping back, as the bull crashed on the tree breaking it. I jumped avoiding its path and then seeing Minotaurs'' back I pulled my sword and charged forward wanting to stab it.


    *Splurrt*


    The blood spurted out from its chest, not wanting for my sword to be stuck, I twisted it and tried to slash through it when it turned around soundly saving himself, however I managed to cut its entire left arm and a portion of it''s chest off, making it bleed heavily. The monster shrugged, and I was thrown away on the ground, several meters away, thankfully my grip on the sword remained strong.


    I quickly stood up, I was bleeding from my head, and had several injuries throughout my body. My mind felt hazy, the minotaur glared at me and prepared for another charged, '' Should I call Edward? '', a thought came in my mind, however I couldn''t sense him near, The minotaur let out another roar and I licked the blood falling on my lips, a grin forming on my face.


    '' This measly bull! How dare he tarnish me? A High-Elf? '', a thought suddenly came inside me, as if being an instinct to hate anything ugly as the minotaur. The thought of it leaving myself in this state made me angrier, the bull charged, and I felt a sudden rush out of strength, as if all my limits were broken. I swung my sword,


    *Swoosh*


    The air was pierced and the minotaur stopped in front of me, an almost invisible twirl of air behind it hit a tree far away forming a deep slash mark. The minotaur''s body was divided from right of left, it''s upper and lower halves got separated and suddenly turned into black particles leaving behind only a magic stone.


    "*Huff* *Huff*", all my strength vanished as I almost fell on the ground," T-Tithonus are you okay?", Sir Edward suddenly appeared beside me and I nodded, before my consciousness faded.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Limit off, a state where an adventurer is infused with excess falna for a short period of time, increasing his or her strength. This state is so rare that 95% of the adventurers never experience it even once during their life. Ember on the brink of being killed, experienced this, his noble origin of being a High-Elf, and his intense emotions reacted elevating his strength to Level 2.


    However the strain made him unconscious, and Edward grabbed him, he looked at the destruction around him, and finally at the leftover magic stone of the minotaur. " What was that monstrosity? ", he muttered, fear evident in his eyes. He then looked at Ember and said," How was he able to fight and kill it?", his voice filled with shock and disbelief.


    Ember thought that Edward will save him if things go south, but with that Minotaur''s appearance he himself was shaken. He was stronger than Ember for sure and had more experience but even fighting that minotaur he couldn''t say he will come alive; one wrong step and he will just die. There will be no second chances.


    Infact he was thinking of running away, however knowing well how enraged her Goddess will be and unable to leave his comrade to his death, he was looking for a moment to strike the Minotaur and run away with Ember, he wasn''t going to fight that thing. Yet, Ember under his very eyes slayed that monster, a word unconsciously came to his lips," A hero ", as he looked at Ember.


    Only a hero could slay that monster while being a Level 1 and that hero was in front of him. He took a deep breath and quickly administered treatment, giving unconscious Ember High-potion which he drank unconsciously and most of his injuries healed instantly. Edward sighed in relief and took him back to village, the memories of the battle continued flashing in his minds.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    I opened my eyes and as I got up, I was hugged by a familiar person. " Goddess, I am fine", I said and she gave a ''hum'', this time she didn''t reprimanded me, which I am very grateful for. I recalled the fight with minotaur and how Sir Edward quickly came to my aid,'' He was to intervene I think '', I thought when my eyes fell on the third person.


    " Edward?", I said a bit surprised, and he nodded giving me a gentle smile," I came to see you, now that you are fine, I will leave", he said and I quickly said," I thank you, for your help", he looked at me awkwardly and said," I didn''t help you during the fight", and I chuckled," Well I slayed it myself, but you were about to intervene in the end right?"


    "Yes", he said, though his expression a bit complicated? " Anyway, I am leaving Goddess", he said to Aurora who nodded, and he left, after hugging me for a bit she separated and said," You killed a freaking Minotaur! Congratulations", I grinned and said," Yup, in close combat nonetheless, I am so eager to see the changes in my status."


    She frowned and said," But for now rest! I will bring you the soup, after a while we will check it okay?", I nodded, not denying her. Though I was excited, I knew my limits. It would be also rude of me to do so.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    " A hero huh?", Edward muttered recalling Ember''s fight and the stories he has heard till now, a person who makes impossibility a possibility, who bring hope in midst of despair, who impressed the Gods with their deeds. He never thought he will see one, a member of his own familia nonetheless!


    '' And I was so helpless '', he sighed, he didn''t tell the Goddess how freaking strong the minotaur was, he just told it was stronger than average minotaur. He didn''t know Ember had made that minotaur stronger by feeding magic stones, even Aurora didn''t know that Ember fed that thing several Level 2 monsters'' magic stones and even a Level 3 monster''s magic stone.


    Edward was already in his forties and perhaps he won''t be alive to witness the future acts of Ember, but he will be the only one, who had witnessed the first step of Ember, becoming a being that defied common sense.


    ...


    " Hmmm, Let''s see!", said Aurora as she excitedly updated his status and was shocked by the result," Hahaha!", she erupted in laughter seeing such a mind-blowing scene, she quickly copied his status on a paper and handed it to Ember who too laughed," Hahaha! This is what I was looking for!", he said with joy.


    [Level 1 sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Strength: S999--->SS1011


    Endurance: SS1003--->SS1023


    Dexterity: SS1001--->SS1009


    Agility: S999--->SS1005


    Magic: SS1009--->SS1009


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Limit Breaker: Helps the user break through the limits of his parameters and abilities.


    Double Croissance: The rate of growth of falna and acquisition of all abilities is doubled.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Eagle''s eye: Enhances the vision.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) N/A


    3) N/A]


    All of his parameters had broken through the limit but that wasn''t the only joy, he had acquired two new skills, first one which like Bell''s Liaris Freese let him surpass the set limit of Falna permanently. Bell didn''t know about his abilities and wasn''t able to use it to its full potential, however Ember will. Secondly, he got a growth booster, which doubled the rate of falna.


    Compared to bell''s seven to nine times faster growth it seemed lackluster; however he could feel it, these abilities were a total game changer for him and perhaps surpassed the abilities of the three cheaters. He had just become the fourth and the first cheater of this world, the path of becoming overpowered as heck was visible now.


    To be continued...

 31) Seven Years it has been!

    ...


    Ember''s Pov


    Two years had passed since I have broken my limits and entered the realm of cheaters. The day after I got new skills, I held a party feeding all the familia members tasty food. Since I had a lot of money stored up, it was barely a hassle. Next, I tried my skills, and after three months the results were obvious.


    Due to my Limit-Breaker Skill, all my parameters freely grew beyond the S999 without any problem, and the growth rate was a bit faster than I expected thanks to my second skill. It motivated me, and I ended up hitting the limit again by end of eight months. Yes, apparently falna has a second limit at SSS1599, it was a pretty odd number for limit, thankfully due to my Limit-Breaker skill, I was able to surpass them.


    This time nothing grand like slaying a peak Level 3 or Level 2 was needed, however after SSS1599, to grow every point in parameter a limit was needed to be broken. It meant for growth of every point the limit equivalent to S999 was needed to be broken. Again, I went on a hunting frenzy, by now the area around the village up to several hundred square kilometers is cleared of monsters.


    This time I spent another year and four months to raise my status, expecting them to rise to 1999 points however it was much harder, without my skill I would have needed to slay a Level 3 monster to raise every single point to raise my parameters beyond SSS1599, and so after some thought I decided to level up.


    " Finally you are going to level up! ", Goddess Aurora said excitedly," I am very excited to see what Development abilities you might get!", she continued clapping her hands and looking with twinkling eyes. Joy was evident on her face, I smiled and laid down, with my upper half fully naked. She drooled a bit on seeing my body making me feel awkward.


    Then shamelessly rubbed my back as I laid down,"~Fufu, a muscular body with six packs, however you do not have horrendous looking muscles but rather a compact body, this body can steal hearts of many women", she praised me, and I said,"Goddess!", she sighed and said," Fine! Anyway here it comes!", she prickled her finger and dropped her blood on my back.


    The familiar holographic status appeared, and she updated it. Then she said," Damn! You have five Development Abilities to choose from! Wait?! You can choose two development abilities?!", she looked me with agape face. I had already expected that I might get two development abilities, however the fact that it was true, made me mirthful.


    " Goddess what are the development abilities I got?", I asked her, and she came out of her shock and said," Hmm, let''s see... They are Swordsman, Mage, Spirit Healing, Hunter and Mystery! I have just heard of the Spirit Healing and Mystery till now from Aschelois!", she started panting, and I was thrown into a dilemma. I didn''t know why I got Mystery, maybe because of the scientific knowledge I possess.


    However, Spirit Healing was also a very rare skill, Mage and Swordsman were much more common, while from what I remember one can only acquire Hunter at Level 2. According to my plans, It was more preferable for me to have Magic related skills, at first, I thought getting two development abilities each level was an extreme cheat but hearing the names of abilities I can choose from it seemed lackluster.


    I sighed and pondered for a bit,'' If I can''t make a firm decision, how can I get stronger? Let''s go with my plans! '', I thought, which eliminated Swordsman and Hunter, leaving out only magic related skills and I finally choose," Goddess I want Mage and Mystery", I gave her the answer and she smiled as she updated my status," Done! Now see your spectacular status sheet", she said as she handed me the sheet.


    [Level 1--->Level 2


    Strength: EX1673--->I0


    Endurance: EX1689--->I0


    Dexterity: EX1702--->I0


    Agility: EX1723--->I0


    Magic: EX1819--->I0


    Mage: I


    Mystery: I


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Limit Breaker: Helps the user break through the limits of his parameters and abilities.


    Double Croissance: The rate of growth of falna and acquisition of all abilities is doubled.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Eagle''s eye: Enhances the vision.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) Cure-Se (Chant): " Devoid of any injuries and poison, Heal Mine self!"


    3) N/A]


    " Damn I also acquired a new magic, a healing magic? Let me try it, Devoid of any injuries and poison, Heal Mine Self!", a gentle yellow light enveloped me up, as I could feel my tiredness after hunting disappearing. I tried it a few more times, and realized how it worked. " A healing magic that only heals myself?", I muttered, something like this could save my neck in difficult times, after all it will be easier to chant a magic for me than to drink a potion during battle.


    Now that I have levelled up, it was time- to go into a much bigger place. I took a deep breath and said," Goddess, I am planning to leave this place for a while", and she looked at me a bit sad, however her eyes tell as if she already saw it coming. " To where?", she asked and I replied," Altena, it is a place perfect for my next step." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I had already planned it for a while, the problem with my parameters was resolved now only time and effort were needed, but for my magic I needed to do something. In this world, one can only have maximum of three magic slots naturally, to increase the slots beyond their natural limit, the only option were Magic grimoires, however they were expensive as heck.


    I had stored up like 110 million valis, 45 million values worth cash and rest in Magic stones. It was all of my savings and result of my hard work during past seven years. I wanted to go to Altena and purchase a magic grimoire, to acquire a magic that lets me use more magics than the slot permits, like Lefiya and Riveria.


    There is no way I will be using only Three Magics for the rest of my life. Now that I have got Magic and Mystery, I also want to try Magic tool crafting and learn how to make Magic grimoires. The best place to learn all that stuff will be without a doubt the Magic Country Altena. " How do you feel after leveling up?", she asked me curiously.


    I examined myself and moved a bit," I feel as if I am at least three times stronger than my previous self!", I said, although the feeling was subtle, it was there, next came my Magic, my parameter that was the highest, after getting Mage I probably had Mind equivalent to a Level 4! That''s when Mage was only at ''I'', once its rank increases it will be much more powerful!


    She looked at me with joy, and then suddenly said," Ember-No Tet, I have something to tell you", I looked at her, she was fidgeting and had a nervous look and said," I know you must be planning to throw a party for your ranking up, but... Can you go on a date with me?", her last words barely a whisper, however I clearly heard them.


    '' A date? '', this time all my suspicions became true, it was apparent she was in love with me. '' What about me? '', I thought, I liked her, in fact a lot. The idea of her becoming my lover was rather appeasing, I was open to idea and knew that if we were to become closer, for real I might... My heartbeat skipped, and I looked at her, she was blushing heavily fidgeting her finger.


    '' It is rude to keep a Lady waiting '', I thought and decided. " Goddess, if it is with you, then I am willing", I said, and she was stunned," Really?", she asked me, as if not registering what I told her. She looked extremely cute, I smiled and said," Yup", and next moment she cheered," Yes! Yes! Finally! Finally! I said it! A-And he accepted it!", she jumped in joy.


    Meanwhile I felt awkward, since she was doing all of it in front of me, suddenly she grabbed my hand and said," Tet! Get ready for the best date of your life!", her smile infectious. " Sure!", I replied, and she planted a kiss on my cheek before running away," Don''t forget! Let''s meet tomorrow 11 A.M sharp!", she said as she fled.


    Once the door closed with a thump! I touched the place where she had just kissed. " This girl", I smiled, despite being a Goddess who lived for so long, she was like a cute woman in her late 20''s. I felt my heart warm and excitement for the date swelled up inside me. This was going to my first date in this life! Never I had dated a woman as beautiful as Aurora either!


    " Still, It has been Seven years huh?", I muttered, recalling that I am 23 years old now felt nostalgic. It has also been Seven years since I have seen my mother and sister, and I missed them. Although I have sent many letters during past seven years, a letter at the duration of every six months. I haven''t received any letter in the end, after all knowing my address could potentially leak to father.


    '' Once I reach Altena, I will send them the address of there, in this way I will be able to recieve their letters '', I thought and felt it was for the best. However, for now, my thoughts should be on tomorrow''s date, which made a dreaded thought appear in my mind,'' What should I wear tommorrow? '', and I felt troubled.


    ...


    '' He has accepted it! I can''t believe it! '', she thought as she rolled on her bed, with pillow in her hands. Ever since Ember shown up, she had been falling slowly for him, at first it was amusement but soon turned into a crush and then full-blown love. For some reason she liked calling him by his nickname Tet, it made her feel much closer to him.


    It was as if her heart strings were pulled, as if the name was destined for her, and so was he. She knew Ember better than anyone present in Shawn Village and Argon Town. She knew all his secrets and it made her feel closer to him. '' Oh Ember! Oh!! '', she giggled as she thought of him fondly, suddenly she stood up and opened her drawer," What clothes should I wear tomorrow, this? Or this?!", she said.


    Something told her, that Ember would appreciate whatever she wore, however she wanted it to be special. She even thought of some naughty things which made her wet,'' That''s how a date is supposed to end right? '', she thought and gulped. She was a virgin Goddess and never knew the pleasures of flesh, however she wished that tommorrow she gives herself to her beloved.


    Just like that she finally spent hours, and finally decided to sleep, when she realized,'' I am so nervous that I can''t sleep! '', she panicked, not knowing a certain Elf was also experiencing the same.


    To be continued...


    (Author''s Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, also please give more comments! It makes things much more spicy when I get more comments!)

 Character Illustrations 2

1)Riveria Ljos Alf


    2) Ada Ljos Alf


    3) Remia


    S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 32) Date *r18*

    ...


    3rd Pov


    The news of the date spread really quick throughout the village. While some were envious of Ember, and some even wanted to complain to the Goddess, there were also who supported them like Martha, Maria, Jason and Edward, and since Edward supported their relationship, he insured that other familia members don''t ruin their date.


    As for how news spread. It was simple, Aurora had to tell a single person for it to leak and then spread, the place being village also made everyone aware of this news. The next day, when Ember was ready many people gave their support for his date much to his embarrassment. There was a small magic fountain in the middle of village, where they had planned to meet each other. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    '' Last night I barely slept, thankfully being an Adventurer has its perk '', he thought. He didn''t look tired at all, and patiently waited for the Goddess on the bench. Soon the Goddess arrived," I am here Tet!", she said and as he looked at herself he was surprised because she looked as if she didn''t sleep entire night!


    " Did you not get any sleep?", he asked her and she shook her face helplessly, and with fidgeting fingers she said," You see, I was so excited about our date- That I wasn''t able to sleep at all! ", her face showed helplessness. Stronger Deities are able to use a portion of their power without unleashing their Arcanum, as if the world simply bends for them.


    So, they have better endurance than non-adventurers, but for a Minor Goddess like Aurora, she was no different than any average human. " Don''t worry I have drunk Coffee, it should be fine!", she said and nodded,'' Caffeine you must save this Goddess'' date! '', she prayed inside her mind, and Ember chuckled.


    " Anyway Goddess, let''s begin our date, shall we?", he said with a gentle smile, forwarding his hand which Aurora grabbed decisively,'' So lewd! '', thought the virgin Goddess, thankfully she had the compulsory God education, otherwise she would be thinking babies were made from handholding and kissing.


    They quickly went to an Apple Orchard, there wasn''t much to do in such a rural place, however admiring the beauty of the nature, and doing some calming tasks were the focus of their date. Undoubtedly the newly opened Apple Orchard was in the list as well, they admired the scenery as they ate fresh apples.


    Then they went to the flower field, it was filled with Lilies, roses, turnips, a paradise of beauty. " Hmm~ Your idea of cultivating flowers to make perfume is coming up quite nicely~", Aurora said, after all it was his idea, as to make village richer. He smiled and said," How about we make wreath for each other?"


    She looked at him surprised, not knowing he knew to make them, as for her. She was a Greek goddess after all, she used to make dozens of wreaths from divine flower back in Heaven. "~Fufu~Then get prepared to see a million years of my wreath making experience!", she replied, and he smiled. Both of them finally started making wreaths.


    Ember chose to make a wreath of roses, while Aurora chose to make wreath of various flowers. Once finished with their wreaths, they showed their wreaths to each other, " You look quite charming I must say", Aurora teased him with a drool barely escaping from her mouth as she looked at Ember.


    " You are very beautiful my lady", he said, after having a bit of more fun, they returned to village. Martha has prepared Candlelight dinner for them, and after having a fantastic candlelight dinner they went to stargazing. The night sky shimmered with twinkling stars, as if a beautiful painting covered the night sky.


    " This is the last event of the date! I have predicted that today there will be a short meteor shower", she said with a smile. He raised his brows," How do you know?", she chuckled and replied," Do not forget I am an Omniscient Goddess!", hearing her words he laughed and said," Really? Then my Omniscient Goddess tell me, if this will be the last event of today?"


    [R18 Warning!!]


    She looked at him in confusion before a blush crept of her face. " Oh my! Didn''t thought you for a naughty one~ I like it~", she said licking her lips and Ember gulped, as the meteor shower began it signalled it was the perfect time. "~Hm~", their faces inched closer, and their lips meet. Soon a simple peck involved into something much more intimate as Ember''s tongue invaded her mouth.


    "?~Slurrrp~?Chu~?Slurrrp~?Slurrrp~?"


    Their tongued rolled as they exchanged their saliva, Ember''s hands grabbed her waist and Aurora grabbed his back, as they kissed each other passionately. They went closer to each other as if they wanted to merge themselves, finally after a few minutes they separated leaving a thin lining of saliva between their lips.


    Ember touched her cheek, and she blushed,"~How about we go to my home? ~", she bit her lips, and Ember pecked her lip intimately and nodded. Soon they arrived at Aurora''s home, and as they entered her bedroom, they started kissing each other passionately. This time Ember''s hand roamed around Aurora''s voluptuous body.


    "?~Slurrrp~?Slurrrp~?Chu~?Slurrrp~?"


    His hand traced her belly and then and moved upwards slowly, stopping at her breasts. Aurora released a moan as he grabbed it and fondled it. She caressed him gently as their lips separated and she said,"?~Ember take me~?", hearing her words he whispered gently into her ear,"?~As you wish my love~?", oh how sweet it sounded!


    Her heart skipped a beat as he gently took her into princess carry and then slowly dropped her on the bed. She blushed as he got on the bed, over her and looked at her with love. Her heart melted seeing his eyes, and she grabbed his hand and directed it towards her breast. He kissed her on her neck, and she moaned, slowly he undressed her and then himself.


    Aurora couldn''t help but look at his body, it was muscular but slim and had a golden ratio. Her heart started beating faster as Ember traced his finger gently to her vagina. She clenched her legs feeling his finger rubbing her entrance gently. He then slowly separated her legs, revealing her beautiful pussy.


    " It''s beautiful ", Ember said, and she chuckled," More than me?", she asked him in a teasing tone and he replied," Its a part of you, so you are the most beautiful", Truth. There was no lie in his words, and as he gently inserted his finger she moaned. He started fingering at first gentle however soon his fingers started picking up the pace.


    He leaned forward and cupped her breast with his other hand, and gently licked her nipple."~Umm~", she released a small moan as he started licking her nipples and sucking it gently. As his fingering started becoming faster his sucking also became stronger. Aurora moaned as she grabbed the back of head and pulled him into her.


    "Suck it! Harder!", she begged, and he started doing his magic. A feeling of pleasure enveloped her being, for the first time in her life she was experiencing what is to be loved by a man, and she wanted nothing more than this pleasure to continue forever. Suddenly her vagina clenched tightly on his fingers, and getting the signal he bit gently on her nipple and-


    "?~Ahhhhhh!~?", she orgasmed. An intense wave of pleasure washed over as she released her love juices squirting it all over his fingers. She panted heavily as she thought,'' This is sex?! I have never felt such pleasure before in my life! '', a deep blush adorned her face as she stared at Ember, who looked at the sticky liquid in his fingers and... licked it.


    '' That''s so hot- I mean dirty! '', she thought and said,"~Ember...Don''t- It''s dirty~", Ember gave her a grin and said,"~Oh my love... You don''t know what is dirty~", his tone made her heart skip her a beat again. She was feeling on cloud line, just how did he know to pull her heart strings so easily?! Her eyes suddenly fell on Ember''s dick... and only one thought emerged in her mind,'' It... It''s huge! '', her eyes widened.


    (A/N: Not all cocks are same; some are just superior)


    Her friend Aschelois when decided to leave her status as virgin Goddess, told her that cocks averaged at five inches, then just why her boyfriend''s cock stood at proud nine inches soaring over her pussy? Thinking about that it was to enter her she couldn''t help but shudder in fear and gulp her saliva,'' If- that enters inside me '', she couldn''t think more.


    Ember rubbed his glans on her pink pussy lips and anticipation and nervousness washed over her. Ember on seeing her nervousness said with a smile," Don''t worry, you will feel pain at first but soon pleasure will cloud your mind", she nodded and he inserted his penis gently at first and then thrusted it entirely inside her!


    "?~Oahh!~?"


    She released a moan as the tip of his penis reached her cervix, the pain of her hymen been broken only made it more pleasurable for her. If there is one fact that Ember didn''t take into account was that she is a Greek goddess. Thus, the penetration was just another kind of pleasure to her. His body suddenly was bathed in a light startling him.


    " *Huff* *Huff* Ignore it, and just fuck me!", she said as she looked at the phenomenon, she knew what was going on, but for now, she wanted to be filled with his love. He nodded deciding to ignore it and not to ruin their moment. He started moving his hips gently, the sound of flesh slapping and colliding with each other filled the room.


    *Plap* *Plap* *Plap* *Plap*


    "?~Ahhh~?Ah~?Tet~?Ah!~?"


    Ember too moaned as the pleasure filled him, he could feel his cock being clenched around inside her vagina. Her pussy was tight, extremely tight and soft at same time. It gave him a unique pleasure he had never experienced before, Aurora could feel his cock molding her pussy into his shape, as if claiming ownership of it. His pace hastened, giving more pleasure to her.


    *Plap* *Plap* *Plap* *Plap*


    "?~Agh!~?Fuck!~?Fuck!~?Fuck me hawder!~?"


    She was on cloud nine, nothing in this world mattered to her anymore, other than Ember and getting fucked by him. Her legs locked his back as she started moving her hips to his rythm wanting to feel more pleasure, Ember didn''t disappoint her as he leaned towards and kissed her while fucking her like good.


    *Plap* *Plap* *Plap* *Plap*


    "?~Ahhh!~?Slurrrp~?Umm~?Slurrrp~?"


    Their tongues rolled together, Aurora drank his saliva greedily melting at his kiss, at this moment her pleasure was at maximum! Her legs locked tighter and her pussy clenched his cock tighter, it was demanding to be painted in his colour. He did just that, pushing his cock deeper, making her eyes widen,"~Oahhh!~Fuck!~", her eyes rolled backwards as intense pleasure assaulted her and she orgasmed easily.


    " I am coming!", seeing her orgasming he didn''t held back and came as well. Thick ropes of ropes of cum shot from his dick to her womb, filling it. The cum was thick and the amount was huge. Aurora grabbed him tighter, at first, she thought while Ember was fingering her it was already the greatest pleasure she could get, but now... She can''t return to her previous virgin self.


    As he came inside her filling her and painting her womb into his colour, she breathed heavily, he gave a hickey on her neck and then on her breasts, after that he slowly pulled his cock out rolling out with mixture of his semen and her love juices and blood. It slowly dripped out of her beautiful pussy, creating a dazzling scenery.


    After a few minutes of rest, Aurora finally recovered and looked at Ember''s still hard cock, her previous shyness vanishing. She boldly grabbed it and looked at him with a sultry look," I have heard about it... The blowjob, let me give it to you", she said and got down the bed, he turned towards her, and his cock towering over her.


    She gulped and grabbed it gently, he smiled at her and said," Very well go ahead", she nodded,'' I want to pleasure him as well! '', she thought. She was a novice, and Ember was the one who took the lead, but she too wanted to take the lead! She looked at his cock, her sexy lips parting and she planted a kiss on the glans,'' Thanks Aschelois! For teaching me this knowledge '', she couldn''t help but thank her friend, who taught her knowledge despite Artemis'' warning, ultimately getting a beating from her.


    She licked the pre-cum gently, feeling attracted to the taste. He gently ruffled her hair, and she blushed as she licked his cock awkwardly, her tongue licked around his cock, underside, and she even took his balls in her mouth giving them a good lick. Her movements were awkward however, slowly she improved and finally decided to take his cock in her mouth.


    "?~Slurrp~?Ghurrrk~?Slurrrp~?Ghurrrk~?"


    She took a third of his length in her mouth, her spine tingled as she felt a kind of pleasure from this act. She started bobbling her head up and down, sliding her tongue underneath his cock while sucking him gently. Her pussy started getting wet as she inhaled his...manly scent. She looked at him and he released a grunt of pleasure," You are doing good", he praised her and patted her head.


    "?~Slurrp~?Slurrrp~?Slurrrp~?Ghurrrk~?"


    Happiness filled her! The scene looked erotic; however, she knew Ember was going easy on her. She continued sucking him for a few minutes, and he finally grabbed his head," I am coming!", he said and guided by his hands she quickly took half of his length. He cummed and she was taken back by the amount, but despite by the first time she was able to gulp it down, and once finished she opened her mouth and showed it to him.


    Her mouth was tainted with his semen, and he patted seeing the erotic scene and praised her," Good girl!", her eyes twinkled as she gulped the rest of the semen,'' Being praised by Tet~Feels so good!~'', she thought, after that they had sex for two more times, after which Aurora was very tired. Ember gently hugged her, while she panted and adorably got into his arms.


    " I love you, Ember", she said and kissed on his cheek, he smiled and kissing on her forehead he said," I love you too, Aurora", finally they slept together, falling into sleep. Once the morning sun striked, Aurora was the first one to wake up surprisingly. She was more tired to Ember, but slept less than him today.


    She looked at sleeping Ember and smiled,'' He looks so cute! '', she thought and then recalled the previous. " We did it huh", she muttered and looking at Ember she clenched her fists making her mind," I Aurora, Goddess of Dawn, Take the Heavenly Oath of marriage to Ember Ljos Alf", she said calmly.


    Her body glow as she transformed into her divine form, her declaration soon received a question. " Are you sure? Aurora, he is a mortal", the voice of the Primordial rung in her head. " Yes, I will be together with, forever now", she replied, and the God fell silent, a sigh was heard before he replied," I bless you", and invisible chains of marriage bind her.


    She smiled, not bothered about the restriction, since by doing this, she has basically made herself the wife of Ember. Although it restricted her, compared to being united with Ember was more important to her. Just like this, Ember got the first love of his life.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: I might have to go Hiatus soon, let''s see if I can finish up this Arc)

 33) A farewell?

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Heavenly Oath of a Marriage was an amendment made by the Supreme deities after taking the nature of deities in consideration. Deities were eternal and so was their nature, meaning their personality was fixed since birth. However, they experienced emotions too like humans, yet their emotions could barely change their personalities.


    Essentially it wasn''t that big of a problem. The problem was when marriage was considered. Gods can''t give birth to children, yet the act of marriage was prevalent among them. Whether monogamy or polygamy, the Heavenly Oath of Marriage was valid for both. It was made after taking the fact that spouses might betray each other for whatsoever reason, mostly due to their nature which either dictated them firmly loyal, or unloyal to their partner.


    To prevent the marriages being spoiled, all the Supreme Deities used their divinity to make this Heavenly Oath of Marriage in Heavens, unbreakable even by Primordial Gods. After taking Heavenly oath of Marriage, the two people can''t engage in any sexual activities other than with their spouse. Even if they were charmed by a God or Goddess of charm, any erotic thing that could be done to them under charm was rendered useless if they had taken this oath.


    However, it didn''t mean that Charm was nullified, in fact the God under charm despite having heavenly oath of marriage could kill their spouse if orders given. It only provided a failsafe to ensure their marriage wasn''t broken until both of them agreed upon it. Normally it was an equal pact for the spouses, however in case of Aurora and Ember it wasn''t.


    Ember was a mortal, he can''t take Heavenly Oath of Marriage, ensuring that only Aurora is chained together to him, however Ember was free of any restrictions. The very act of chaining a God to a mere mortal was considered blasphemy, yet the Goddess did it for her love, so no charm can ever make her betray her love.


    She was confident in her love for Ember, after all she was a former Virgin goddess, loyal to her conviction. However, she was but a mere Lower Deity, last thing she wanted some God of Charm or Love to play a prank on her dead lover by trying to engage with her, forcing his or her charm. She knew some sly God will definitely want to try it now that she isn''t a virgin Goddess, so she took the Heavenly Oath of Marriage.


    Thankfully, the primordial that oversaw her Marriage was Ouranos, otherwise they would have tried to refuse or persuade her. Although Mortal killing God was considered a great taboo, yet the fact that a God will be chained to a mortal for eternity was even a bigger taboo. Yet the Primordial permitted it for he wasn''t a narrow-minded god like other but one of the wisest deities to exist.


    Also, a virgin goddess giving her virginity signified giving upon her purity. It had the power to empower their mate, albeit barely however for Ember, while his physical body remains the same. His soul has been strengthened several times, capable of doing more than what a single mortal soul ever could do, unknown to them.


    ...


    Ember''s eyes fluttered, and he yawned and woke up. He couldn''t see Aurora anywhere however he could smell a pleasant smell. It was coming from the kitchen and as he stood up and dressed up slightly, he entered the kitchen to see Aurora cooking. His heart melted seeing her, and she turned around and said," Good Morning Ember, just wait for a bit... The mutton soup is almost ready"


    He smiled as he approached her and hugged her from her back," Ahh!", she yelped as she felt his embrace."~Hehe, you naughty boy~", she whispered and pecked on his lip. " Goddess if you do this for me... for us, how can I resist you?", he said and kissed her, she closed his eyes and reciprocated his kiss, soon they were engaged in a passionate kiss.


    Later on, the kitchen was filled with sexy moans and the sound of flesh colliding. After they ate their lunch, they did it again in bathroom. They went out finally getting congratulated by Jason, Maria, Martha and Edward. Ember could also see the sour faces of some people, since essentially Aurora was a second mother to them, and despite some screw loose, she was hot, real hot.


    For next few days, they fucked each other like rabbits. As long they were in house, they engaged in debauchery loving each other till they were dead tired. They tried in different positions, in different places. Their love for each other was overflowing, and Aurora finally understood how it felt to overflow with her man''s love.


    It wasn''t until the third week that their debauchery calmed down, however they preferred to be intimate, especially Aurora, who couldn''t get enough of his kisses, embrace and love! To her it seemed as long as Ember was by his side, she was on cloud nine. The third week they were graced with another pleasant news.


    ...


    "Congrats!", everyone cheered for Chad. He was now father of a child after all. " Haha! Isn''t your Jr. Chad cute?", said Bosh as he looked at the sleeping baby in Anne''s arms. " Yes, you have been married for just ten months and already a child. I admire you Chad", Newton gave him a thumbs up and Chad blushed in embarrassment.


    Chad and Anne had gotten married to each other, ten months prior to this. Anne was a blonde girl nineteen years old, and she proposed to Chad after falling in love with him. For Chad his life was a roller-coaster, he was rejected by Amalda, and his heart was shattered. It took him weeks to recover, and soon he developed feelings for Anne, however due to his previous heartbreak he didn''t have courage to purpose to her.


    Ultimately it was Alice who proposed to him, and they ended up getting married after dating for a few years, and Chad faithfully carried out his duties as a species. One week ago, Anne who was pregnant finally gave birth to a baby boy much to everyone''s joy. So now, a party is being held by him to celebrate his son''s birth.


    " It is really good to see you levelling up as well, Tithonus", said Amalda putting everyone''s focus to him. " Indeed, while seven years is an average record, having S in all of your parameters is exceptional", said Mika, and everyone else nodded. Ember was the last one to level up, however despite it no one underestimated him.


    " Congrats Tet on ranking up", said Chad with a smile. " To you as well, now you are a father so act more serious", he said and Chad chuckled, elbowing him slightly," You are not my father idiot", then he pulled him into a corner and asked," Amalda proposed to you, didn''t she?"


    Ember looked at him and replied," You are eight months late to ask this but yes... and I rejected her", hearing his words he sighed," I see", a complicated look formed on his face. He used to have a crush on Amalda, however he soon noticed that she had a crush on Ember, maybe she had racial bias, however more Elves have joined their familia, so her crush persisting meant she really loved him.


    When he was rejected, he was very angry on Ember, thinking as if he had stolen his lover from him. Thankfully, he regained his senses soon and fell in love with Alice who loved him as well. In fact, it was better for him, after all an inter-racial love, especially between Elves and humans was difficult. Elves had longer lifespans and having human was a lover, meant seeing them aging and dying. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That''s why Half-Elves were rare to find. " How''s see... I mean?", he asked and glanced at Amalda from the corner of his eyes. " What are you whispering there?", she frowned and looked at him, Chad showed an helpless smile. Ember broke from his grasp and said," This idiot is asking me, about my rejection to your proposal"


    " Damn, Chad not cool... You are eight months late", said Aika, and Amalda said with a sigh," I guess some idiots never change", hearing her words Chad retorted with gritted teeth," I am not an idiot", Alice interrupted," Well you are correct Amalda, because my husband is indeed an idiot", Chad looked at his spouse with betrayed eyes and everyone erupted in laughter.


    " Chad, everyone isn''t a kid like you who makes a fuss after being rejected", Aika said cruel worlds almost breaking his heart," You guys are merciless, anyway! Let''s forget this stuff! Today I am giving party for my son! Let''s eat and drink to your heart''s content", he said trying to change the topic. Everyone cheered along with him.


    The party began, it was being attended by Goddesses Aschelois, his familia members and Ember, though he invited Goddess Aurora, she refused to come with him, saying the presence of Divine was necessary in the village. As everyone partied, Newton couldn''t help but ask," Chad will you be taking break from Adventuring?"


    The Scout''s question garnered everyone''s attention. They wanted his reply as well. Chad became silent for a moment and said," I- I am thinking of quitting Adventuring", his reply earned everyone''s shock. Aika frowned and said," I know that Adventuring is a risky job, but you are level 2 and have hope of advancing to the next rank."


    Chad sighed and said," Truth to be told, my parameters are barely budging... I think I have reached my limit. I have saved quite the sum, I am thinking of inheriting Alice''s land in her village, and farming for my rest of life. I have family, my wife, a child... Sorry, I just can''t risk it", his words held a father''s responsibilities.


    Adventuring by its nature was a risky job, each day dozens of adventurers die in entire world. Although they area they lived was quite safe, but Chad with his poor talent can''t go further. The fact he is Level 2 already puts him above the half of the adventurers in entire world. He is quite strong and decided to settle down.


    " But wait, what''s about your dream of becoming a high-level adventurer?", asked Mika and Chad chuckled," Guys, dreams... are just dreams, once you grow up you realize it is much more difficult than you thought, you are right maybe I can level up to 3 or 4, but it involves greater risk", he said and everyone felt silent.


    Suddenly Aschelois slapped his head," You are giving them a party for farewell or what? Don''t worry I will make this idiot continue adventuring though not full-time", she said, as a Goddess she knew, stronger the Chad is, better it will be for him. Everyone chuckled and Alice looked at Chad silently, she understood his decision, and supported him though Aschelois words did sparked an idea in her.


    " By the way, what are you guys will do... I mean your future goals?", Chad asked and Aika replied," I will level up atleast to 3 before thinking of even settling down", and Mika followed her sister," Same", Newton grumbled," I will see if I can rank up as well", Bosh nodded as well. " I am thinking of going to Atlena", suddenly Ember said.


    " Atlena? The city of magicians? You are planning on leaving Aurora familia?", asked Aschelois with a curious look. He said," I won''t leave my familia, I will return every once a while... This is my decision", everyone looked at him with complicated look. Ember has become an integral part of their party, they have been friends for years, and now they hear that it will be difficult to meet some of their friends in future makes them sad.


    Amalda meanwhile looked at Ember before getting in deep thought,'' Atlena? '', she pondered and made a decision,'' Once I reach Level 3, I will too move to Atlena '', she decided. Soon the party ended, and a week later it was time for Ember to depart. His familia and friends from party came to see him off.


    " Guys, it was really nice to be with you", Ember said as he looked at his friends, feeling nostalgic. " Don''t forget us... Tet", he smiled looking at Chad whose eyes were moist. '' Huh, this guy is quite emotional despite how he looks... He isn''t Chad, but well is indeed our Chad '', he thought and replied," Never ", he has already parted with Aurora, and boarding the carriage, he waved his hand saying goodbye for the last time.


    " Send us letters Tet!"


    " Visit us soon!"


    " See you Tet!"


    After some time, the figures of his friends disappeared, and he sighed, " It has been 23 years and five months, isn''t it? ", he looked at the distance. He was growing and so was the world, a journey has ended but a new was about to begin and he was eagerly waiting for his new journey.


    To be continued...


    (Author''s Note: With this the prologue of this fic is finished. With next arc we will see the world-development. The world of danmachi is much wider than Orario, unfortunately the material for outside world isn''t much and I would have to create it myself referring to the original. However, you will see a new wider world, and many more interesting arcs.


    I will be going to hiatus, but before that... I heard people complaining about the sex scene I have written.


    That''s my personal writing style for eroge inspired by Rysangel''s, if you have problem then you can say that. This fic is new, I can change it for later chapters, however, don''t go on insulting me.


    LASTLY, I am going on Hiatus, for minimum of three months which can stretch to six months, Once I return I will come up with patreon most probably. I have like a dozen fics, just not here. If you want to read them, then you can.


    I am a writer that writes diverse fics, and while I can''t promise quality of chaps of my earlier fics, they are interesting to read.


    Here are my fics!


    Fate/Gacha( Cliche Pokemon Harem, Gacha, Wish-fulfillment type)


    Fate/Poseidon( Harem but not pokemon one, Principled Mc, strong Mc, and struggle)


    Marvel Age of Raphael( See the wattpad version for this, Mc is genderless, no harem, and mc is neutral evil)


    Reborn as Apollo in Danmachi( Mc transmigrated as apollo(Yup, I will change the title if needed), so far no women and has less chapters than this)


    Mushoku Tensei with Unique SKill Great Sage(Started as eroge, now much more... You can finally see an Tensura abilities true power outside of its verse. Op, but with tensura logic)


    Villain with Ultimate Cultivation System( Yup, a cultivation fic)


    Replacing Rimuru(Dropped but rewrite is coming after hiatus! No harem, neither this nor rewrite!)


    I have written some ideas, like Gamer in Doraemon, Rimuru in Marvel, Omnipotent Creator, etc. it will be available in patreon)

 34) The Country of Magicians, Altena

    ...


    3rd Pov


    The trees rustled as the wind blew. Ember looked out of the carriage to see a huge wall in the distance," So that''s Altena, huh?", he said, and the coachman laughed and said," Mister Elf, I see you are a magician as well, right? No wonder you are travelling to Altena, it''s a haven for magicians and Elves."


    " Hmm", he responded, it has been three weeks since he began his journey. If he was solo, he could have arrived earlier, however he needed a carriage to carry his money. He had converted all of his magic stones into money, amounting to 73 million valis, which was a considerable sum. He needed that money for a Magic Grimoire, so it was going to be emptied unfortunately.


    Soon they reached in front of the gate, in front of which there was a considerable line of carriages and people. After an hour their turn came," State your name, nationality and occupation ", the guard asked some simple questions. The coachman showed gave his details and showed his affiliation with his commercial group.


    Meanwhile Ember filled up his name, as Tithonus Ber, his nationality Alfian, and occupation as an Adventurer and showed his Adventurer card. Upon seeing that he was an Elf, the guard got the gist of his situation, and after taking a fee of 100,000 valis and creating a temporary resident identity for him did he let them enter. " The fee was quite hefty", Ember muttered as their carriage entered the city.


    The moment he entered he could see a huge white palace from a distance. The coachman laughed," Well, here things are very systematic, and entry fee for outsiders is costly", he said, and Ember''s eyebrows twitched. This was a militaristic nation headed by a single Goddess, Athena, however it welcomed people from all over the world, from different familiae, but obviously there were more taxes for outsiders than their own citizen.


    While only Goddess Athena resided in capital, it had other four major cities where many familias resided, all in a cooperative relationship with Goddess Athena and her familia. Unlike Rakia which didn''t tolerate other familias in their nation, Goddess Athena allowed other familias to settle down in her country albeit not in capital.


    '' Goddess Athena is truly well deserved of her title as Goddess of Wisdom '', he thought as he realized the deep meaning in the ruling system she had established. Her nation also had several level 5s and 4s boosting their prowess. In this Age where Hera and Zeus familia haven''t reached their pinnacle, the situation was similar to post dark age of Orario, level 5s and Level 6s being the absolute powerhouses in this world.


    Their first stop was the Guild, where he quickly deposited all of his money and only did, he breath in relief and went to get a rent. " The rent will be 17,000 valis per week, two meals will be included, one during morning and evening ", said the Inn hostess, he rented a considerable room and obviously the price wasn''t cheap.


    Finally, everything was set, and after paying 500,000 valis to the coachman of the carriage, did his initial expenses end. '' The entire day was hectic, tomorrow I will go to Guild to get information about Magic Grimoire '', he thought as he went to sleep, after having the dinner.


    ...


    Ember Pov


    As I entered the guild, I could see the place bustling with adventurers. No one paid attention to me, unlike in Argon Town. I made my way to the counter where Adventurers were taking guidance from the Guild receptionist. Once I came in front of a guild receptionist, she greeted me. " Hello Sir, how may I help you?", she said.


    " I am new here, and I have something to ask... How can I get a Magic Grimoire?", I said, I was a little skeptical that some greedy adventurer will hear me, but I was as strong as peak Level 2, so I can handle pretty much anything in my way. Stronger Adventurers won''t stoop low either, it is after all Altena not Orario. If someone stoles the purchased Grimoire, it will affect the country''s reputation.


    So, I wasn''t very much worried about it. " Hmm, you want to purchase a magic grimoire? Then we will see which of the Item makers are free and will inform you shortly. Also, the cost of a magic grimoire will be 25 million Atlen, or 50 million valis", she said, I nodded and asked her a few more details about it.


    Apparently, there are five Item makers each of them level 3 or above, possessing both Mystery and Mage Development abilities, making them capable of making Magic Grimoires. This number was very high, if we take into consideration that these five people possess both Mage and Mystery as their development abilities.


    " Well, there is one last thing", I said to the receptionist, garnering her attention again and continued," I would like to purchase a property, so can I get some help?", and she smiled politely," Yes Sir, I can introduce you to a property dealer... However, it might take some time, how about you return tomorrow?", she replied, and I nodded," Thanks."


    Leaving the guild, I wondered where I should head next. '' Let''s see how monsters fare here '', I thought and quickly headed towards the exit of the city. After leaving the city, I went towards the forest designated for newbies. The farther one leaves from the city, the more monsters they encounter.


    I could see several adventurers on the periphery of the forest. I hopped on a tree branch and surveyed my surroundings. There were lush and green trees as far as my eyes could see. It also made me appreciate the beauty of the forests. No matter how many times I see the green scenery, a sharp contrast to my past life''s memories.


    '' Not to mention life in an overpopulated country was anything but easy '', I sighed and started jumping from one tree to another. I located Goblins, and kobolds. However, ignoring them, I set my sights at Hellhounds. I have fought with these monsters'' countless times before as a level 1, which is totally insane for a level 1 to challenge.


    However, I have always emerged victorious, though there were times where I had skin scorched from simply near dodging their flames. '' Now I am level 2, let''s test my strength '', I smirked and jumped down in front of the hounds. They were five in number; they quickly took a battle stance upon seeing me. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I unsheathed my sword, and dashed," Growwllll!", they growled and charged at me, two preparing to unleash torrent of flames from their mouth. However, I sliced through their bodies with ease, in a few seconds of our encounter, all of them died, leaving behind only the magic stones on the ground as the proof of our battle.


    '' Powerful- This is totally different '', I thought as I turned and looked at the magic stones, the boost I received from ranking up was nothing to scoff off. I was already as strong as an mid to late average Level 2, before ranking up, and my magic alone touched the realm of Level 3, considering my normal magic attacks. My stronger magic attacks were at the level of 4, probably late 4 due to the courtesy of Mage.


    " I can''t get drunk in this power ", I muttered, I was a very strong Level 2, however I was still Level 2, in frontal combat I wasn''t so sure against a proper Level 3, probably an early Level 3 I can handle, but stronger ones still posed threat to me. Only in Magic I outclassed people far higher in level than me. My journey has just begun, arrogance will only hinder my path.


    After a self-monologue, I picked up the magic stones and hopped on a tree with a single jump. If a peak Level 1 counted as Captain America, then level 2 was downright superhuman surpassing limits of peak human. I quickly went deeper into the forest encountering many enemies like a group of Almiraj, few Orcs and two minotaur''s.


    There were fewer monsters than I expected, however it meant sense. Unless beast hordes pass through these areas, due to the Athena familia, these places were relatively safe. It was almost evening, when I encountered the infamous green monster ''Hobgoblins ''. They are larger versions of Goblins, two metres in length. Having potential strength of a Level 2.


    I spotted their group, and quickly hid among the leaves, watching them from above. There were nine of them, alongside a big group of goblins. '' Good, they will be a perfect target to wind up things '', I thought and jumped down from the tree, leaping on a hobgoblin and slicing it''s head off. Scaring the goblins.


    "Huhghhhhhh!!", a Hobgoblin roared, as I started concurrent chanting," O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter... ", I stepped forward and sliced through several Goblins in a swift way, killing off another two Hobgoblins. The others took a step back, finally realizing that going against me was futile. But it was too late for them," Cremation! ", a torrent of blue flames manifested from short staff, raining upon them, turning them into ashes.


    They cried in pain, as they died out. Goblins alongside their magic stones melted horribly, only the Hobgoblins'' magic stones survived the fierce flames. All of them dead, I sighed and looked at the crumbled trees, turned into ashes. I watched for any burning trees, last thing I wanted a forest fire because of my actions.


    Upon seeing a single tree was caught in flames, I used my congenital magic," Elber Justi, Moren... Vandsprojit !", a spray of water unleashed from my staff calmed down the raging flames. I could use twelve spells of Congenital Magic without any conflict to my acquired magic. After that I departed from that place, running back to the Atlena.


    ...


    Next day, when I arrived at guild, the receptionist I had met earlier welcomed me. Taking me into a private room for discussion. " Sir, meet him... He is Sir Gandalf, one of the renowned item makers in Atlena, he is willing to sell you a Magic Grimoire at the cost of 52 million valis", she said introducing the man, I raised my eyebrow slight at the mentioning of his name, before politely greeting him.


    " Nice to meet you Sir Gandalf, I am known as Tithonus", I said forwarding my hand for a polite handshake, he took my palm and shook it, a smile emerging on his lips. He looked very much like his name, an old man with big white beard, with a wizard''s cap on his head. He said," Nice to meet you as well, yesterday I recieved a letter from the guild, and today I showed up in person to meet my buyer."


    " I would like to thank you... To be honest I didn''t think that I would get a response... So fast", I said honestly surprised. He laughed, stroking his beard and said," Selling a Magic Grimoire is no small matter even for me, I can do as much to hand it in person to my buyer... Here is the thing you need", he pulled out the grimoire out of his bag and placed it on the wooden table.


    My eyes focused on the magic grimoire the moment I saw this, my breath hitched. He grinned and said," Sign this document of transferring 52 million valis and its yours. Also let me give a few details about it", I nodded, and he continued," First, it will surely grant you a magic and unlock a slot as long as you don''t have magics greater than three, after that it depends on your luck", my eyes narrowed hearing it.


    " Secondly, I advise to use it within the limits of Altena. If it is stolen outside Altena, the country or I will be held responsible for it, however if it is stolen within bounds of Altena or someone tries to coerce, you can ask for an Audience to her majesty. Altena respects its deals, and attaches great importance, that is all I have to say", he said.


    I nodded and l took the document analyzing it carefully, I signed on it transferring 52 million valis to him. I felt pain seeing years of my savings being drained so quickly, however looking at the Grimoire I felt the money was well spent. Thankfully it wasn''t Orario, where the price of Grimoire usually reaches at least a hundred million valis.


    I took the magic grimoire and after some pleasantries, I bid goodbye them, telling the receptionist I will come for my property deal on over morrow. I left the place, heading to the inn while barely containing my excitement. I already had the idea on what type of Magic I needed, and once I reached inn, I quickly went to my room, ready to get a new magic.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: I am back guys... To be honest right now I am under a lot of stress and kinda fcked up my life... Didn''t have much time to stock chaps... I have written a Re Zero fic, I have 5 chaps of it stocked, each 10k words per chap. I am having trouble uploading it here, you can check it on fanfiction or wattpad, it''s name is Re Zero: The Great Sage. Mc has two souls fused into one, no system and two abilities. First Classic RBD as Subaru, and otaku knowledge alongside[Redacted]. He is extremely weak in the beginning, however his endgame self can be one shot a group of Reinhards, many stronger than the canon of original Subaru.)

 35) What is Magic to you?

    (A/N: Sorry guys, I was too busy with my re Zero fic that I forgot to upload the chap here)


    ... S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    3rd Pov


    Ember on returning to his inn, made himself comfortable on the bed. He looked at the magic grimoire in his hands with anticipation. He took a deep breath, after awakening two magics he still had a slot empty, and it was perfect for his plans. The question was what he wanted as his third magic? He had his answer.


    He opened the grimoire and started reading it, soon he was deep in his mindscape floating aimlessly in pure expanse of white. " It is up to you, the path you desire, what is your goal, what you want to achieve", a voice rung in his head. Next moment he was standing before a replica himself.


    The scenery changed and he was in an open grassland," Okay let''s start. What is magic to you?", his other self, asked a question. " To me? It is a miracle to bring forth my deepest desires into being. To bring forth my imagination into reality, a grimoire of infinite miracles."


    "What do you want to achieve with it?", another version of him manifested before him. The surroundings changed again, this time in a jungle of concrete. A figure running past them. He had black hair and brown eyes," I achieved a lot, becoming so called Engineer... Earning hefty amounts of money... But neither we found nor love or happiness. It was a life based on others'' expectations."


    "What I want is simple... A adventure", his surroundings changed again. This time he was standing on a sandy hill. Countless weapons were imbedded on the ground, ranging from spears to lance, swords to maces. " I want this magic-", however he wasn''t done.


    This time he was standing on top of a castle tower, a man held staff and thumped it on ground unleashing an explosion of holy magic, cleansing filth and covering the barren surroundings with greenery. " I want this magic", the scenery again changed. This time he was standing on top of a tower as the world turned into reflection of itself dividing into two opposite parts." I want this magic as well-".


    "You are greedy", his projection said, " You are wishing for impossible", another said," Do you think you have chance of acquiring this level of magic?", the third added. He smiled and said," As I said I want a grimoire of infinite possibilities not limited by any chains. This is what is magic to me, a miracle with no limits, the only limit is myself."


    " I guess, that''s just myself ", they said simultaneously merging together. When Ember opened his eyes, the grimoire was empty, and he took a deep breath. He needed to update his status; however, he was dozens of miles away from his goddess. Thankfully it was planned. He took out a vial containing a golden liquid out of his drawer.


    It was the first magic item he had made and too be honest he was extremely lucky with it.


    How to update his status was a major obstacle back in Shawn village. He decides he would visit his goddess once in every six months for status update. However, it meant his acquisition of new magic will be delayed. So, in curiosity he brought status snitch, deciphered principles behind it after using it and tried to make a status updater from his Goddess'' blood.


    And it worked, rather to say he lucked out. He tried its limitations, and it was extremely limited, working only on himself, not even on other familia members. According to his Goddess it was unfinished product, the reason it could update his status was simple. Her blood imbued with his mystery had recorded the process of updating the status.


    That was it, however as an unfinished product it had severe limitations. Firstly, it worked only on him. In a simple way to say, it was like a computer code, hardware being his mystery and software being his Goddess'' ritual of updating status. To use it you will need a receiver which was just him. However, his status shouldn''t be locked otherwise it won''t work, the liquid only recorded the act of updating status, and nothing else.


    (A/N: Just on note, he was a software engineer in his past life, so that helped. However he lacks other knowledge, and his software engineering won''t improve his abilities, just Item creations a bit)


    It means everyone could see his status if he is naked, that''s why he needs to make sure to hide his back. After it is Altena, there are bound to be plenty of people capable of reading hieroglyphics. He quickly laid down and dropped the liquid on his back. The hieroglyphics lit out as the status started updating and once it was done, he took a paper and touched it on his back, copying the status sheet.


    [Level 2


    Strength: I67


    Endurance: I68


    Dexterity: I44


    Agility: I57


    Magic: I81


    Mage: I


    Mystery: H


    Skills:


    Decipher: Helps the user Decipher the truth, theorems, and workings of the world through logic, prediction and guess.


    Limit Breaker: Helps the user break through the limits of his parameters and abilities.


    Double Croissance: The rate of growth of falna and acquisition of all abilities is doubled.


    Orc Slayer: Grants twenty percent buff in all parameters against pig-like monsters.


    Eagle''s eye: Enhances the vision.


    Magic:


    1) Cremation (Chant): " O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! Cremation!"


    2) Cure-Se (Chant): " Devoid of any injuries and poison, Heal Mine self!"


    3) Magic Grimoire: It is a magic that allows the user to copy any magic seen. ]


    His previously empty third magic slot was now filled with a new magic. Magic grimoire, seeing the description, his eyes lit up. It was pretty much a magic like a magic grimoire. not danmachi one but one that recorded spells. He couldn''t wait to test the magic. With this, his plan in Altena to enhance his magic began.


    ...


    On over morrow, he brought a property of 2 million valis. Finally getting a place to call home in Altena, it wasn''t something fancy. It was a three-floor wooden house, with two rooms at each floor. It was enough for all of his needs. He spent the day arranging furniture and tidying up the house.


    The next day was when he was going to go on adventuring. He had already talked about Guild receptionist to introduce him to a party, thankfully when he arrived at the Guild, she was ready. " Sir Tithonus, here is a party that wants to accept you", she said introducing him to the party. He looked at the members to find all of them to be Elves.


    " Nice to meet you, I am Lance from Wishe forest", said an Elf with yellow hair, and yellow eyes. She was wearing a female Knight''s armor that exposed her thighs, though she had metal kneecaps. She forwarded her hand for a handshake. Ember accepted it and shook her hand firmly," I am Tithonus Ber, from Alf''s Royal Forest, I am a Magic Swordsman."


    " What a coincidence, I am a Magic Swordsman as well", she said with a grin and then turned towards her other members," Let me introduce you my party members, the elf with purple hair is Jasmine our healer. The grey-haired lad there is our Archer Ash, the black-haired Elf is our mage and her name is Aurielle, and this guy covered in armor, is Jack, our Tank and a weretiger."


    " Nice to meet you all", Ember said, and he looked at their well-organized party. Infact a party of three adventurers was considered adequate, you might find a party of four adventurers however anything bigger than that was considered a rarity. " So, you are looking for a party to team up with, right?", asked Lance.


    " Yes, I am new here at Atlena, and I belong to another familia ", Ember said in a polite tone. She smirked and patted his back," Enough of this politeness, let''s go outside and you show me your skills, if you pass my test, we take you in", she said, her voice contained a strength. Ember quickly thanked the receptionist before going out with them.


    They reached outside of the city, and Lance said," Jack, test him", his imposing figure stood before Ember, he smirked and said," Gladly, Boss", and drew out his giant sword, " Since you are a Magic Swordsman, you should be able to go against Jack, right?", she said with a smirk. Her words contained a warning, that if what he told was a lie, then Jack will rough him a bit.


    Ember drew out his own sword, and Lance whistled," A nice sword, however a powerful weapon doesn''t make you a strong adventurer", they both made some distance between them and took a battle stance. " Jasmine, do the honor", said Lance and the Elf nodded," Three, two, one! Go!", the moment she said ''Go'', Jack charged.


    He pulled and swung the sword, his move looked terrifying as if it was to cleave Ember into two, however he hadn''t put a lot of strength behind his attack. Ember responded by deflecting his attack, Jack wasn''t at all surprised, the strength he put behind his attack could be resisted by a newbie Level 2 adventurer, he slashed again, and Ember responded by a slash.


    Their swords collided and a small shockwave was released from their clash, blowing the wind away from them. This time Jack was surprised, he was an Weretiger, a race famous for their Strength, Endurance and Agility. His strength status might not surpass Lance''s however his strength surpassed her; his Endurance was the highest here and even his agility was quite good.


    So, behind his strikes, there were considerable strength, yet Ember retaliated them with a equal amount of strength, despite being an Elf, a race not famous for their strength. " Woah, his strength is certainly not bad", said Aurielle, and Jasmine nodded," His speed is also superior to Jack''s", she added in the end. Ash commented," Well he is an Elf, we are best when it comes to agility, dexterity and magic."


    They nodded and continued watching the duel, Ember started dodging his much more powerful attacks and deflected the others, pushing Jack behind. Lance grinned she had already half-approved Ember in her mind, after all Jack''s frontal combat ability was only second to hers. Only she could push him behind in frontal combat ability.


    Thus, all was left to witness Ember''s magic, normally she would have ended the match and let him demonstrate his magic. However Ember has proudly stated he was a Magic Swordsman, and there was a skill that every Magic Swordsman had mastered, without which they couldn''t even call themselves a Magic Swordsman, which was none other than Concurrent Chanting.


    Ember meanwhile was focused on battle unaware of Lance''s thoughts. '' He is strong, his strength parameter must be high before he levelled up '', Ember thought, '' However he is weaker than me '', it wasn''t a joke, if he wanted, he could go toe to toe against Jack, despite him wielding a Long great sword.


    However not only he was an Elf he was a newbie level 2, and Jack was probably reaching the limit of his strength parameters for Level 2, he was probably a mid or even a late level 2, and an weretiger on top of that. Thus, it wouldn''t make sense if he could go toe to toe against him, he only wanted to show that he was competent not a monster.


    " End the fight!", Lance shouted, and they stopped, she clapped and said," You fought good Jack, and you as well Mr. Tithonus, your name is moutful, how about a short pseudonym? Hmm... Tits, how about I call you Tits", her face contained a smirk earning glare from Jasmine," Captain! Don''t make fun of him!", hearing her words Lance shrugged.


    Ember''s eyebrows twitched hearing the nickname she gave him. He wasn''t a freaking Milf for Alf''s sake! Before she could assign him this nickname he quickly said," Call me Tet, my friends use to call me that", hearing his words, Aurielle nodded," Tet, this does suits him", Lance came forward," So now- Tet, you told me you are a magic swordsman", she said.


    " Yes", he replied, and she grinned," Let''s have a match between us... Don''t get it wrong, but I need to confirm your words, if you know swordsmanship and magic doesn''t mean you are a Magic Swordsman, so i need to test your words", she pulled out her spear strapped at her back and pointed its tip at him.


    He could feel pressure from her, it meant she was strong and far more formidable of a foe than Jack. " Good luck on surviving her attacks", Jack patted his back before going out of the way. She took a battle stance and pulled the spear back. '' I guess a spear suits her, even if it isn''t a lance '', he joked slightly in his mind before taking a defensive stance.


    " Three, two, one! Start!", Jasmine said, and they began. Lance pushed her Lance forward, with intent to stab him, but Ember deflected it, and then she swung her spear to slash him, and he slashed his sword colliding with her attack head on. Their attacks left behind sparks in the air, as they fiercely collided.


    " Not bad, but it''s time I get serious", Lance commented and then started chanting," O Apostle of Storm, Lance of Thunder! Respond to my call!", hearing her chant Ember too began his chant as he deflected her attack," O''Flames of Legends! Burn brighter than thy enemy! Turn them into cinders! ", he dodged her rapid stabs while deflecting them, showing an impressive footwork.


    " I pray to Great Father of Gods, Zeus, bestow your thunder upon this child! Like a Vajra Let it pierce mine enemy-"


    " Let their Ashes wash in your blue flames! "


    "Thunder Bolt!"


    "Cremation!"


    Thunder crackled around Lance''s spear and a bolt of thunder manifested from the tip of her lance, While Ember took out his short staff, and a torrent of blue flames erupted from the tip. Both the attacks strike forward, colliding with each other creating a small explosion equivalent to several TNTs.


    Both Ember and Lance were thrown back by the shock, while other shielded their face from the shock except Jack. " The fuck- His magic was that strong?", Aurielled said and Jasmine nodded. Ash looked at the aftermath in disbelief. The ground between them was sunken by a few metres, completely scorched.


    " Hahaha! That was freaking fantastic! Despite having a small chant your magic packs quite a punch! ", Lance laughed out loud. Ember chuckled, at her ignorance. His attack was below average strength as compared to his normal strikes. Not to boast, but his normal magic attack was comparable to Level 3, and stronger ones could harm Level 4s and probably even Level 5s.


    It wasn''t something that a Level 2 Adventurer that could handle, he didn''t want to kill Lance by mistake, that will be horrible for his future plans." Tet! Welcome to our Thunder Lance party!", she said shamelessly declaring that the name of party was after her. Ember grabbed her hand and shook it, they laughed, while others looked at them as if looking at monsters.


    Ember laughed even louder than her because,'' I have copied her magic '', he smirked in his mind.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: Here is the discord invitation code: Xb47VnFUpQ


    BY THE WAY! I HAVE UPLOADED A RE ZERO FIC HERE! SO DO CHECK IT OUT!)

 36) Athena

    ...


    3rd Pov


    Ember successfully joined the Thunder Lance party, and they decided to go on a hunt. Boarding on a carriage, they departed for the middle northern zone of the forest. " Leader, are you sure our tents will be enough?", asked Ash. The duty of holding supplies was up to Ash, Jasmine and Aurielle. They had tents, salts, spices and other stuff.


    " Don''t worry, Ash you will share your tent with Tet", said Lance with a shrug and the Elf looked at her with grimace and then at Ember. " At least I am not sharing my tent with Jack", he muttered, getting a glare from the weretiger. They were going on a monster hunting for a minimum of three days, till then they will hunt, and camp in the forest.


    " What about you opinion Tet?", Lance asked, despite him joining their party just half an hour ago, he got ready to go with them. For him it was an impromptu adventure. " I do have some experience staying outside, I can sleep on the trees", Ember replied, often during his solo hunt, he used to climb and sleep on a tree.


    " I am already liking you", she replied hearing his answer. Two hours later their carriage arrived at their destination. " We are here, from here we will walk on foot", Lance said, and Ember nodded," Everyone get ready", she clapped, and they took their bags. " Let me hold a bag and help you", Ember said ready to help them when Lance stopped him.


    " Listen Tet, me, you and Jack are frontal combatants. It is their role to supports us, so let them do their job and follow my lead!", her voice was serious, and he awkwardly looked at her and nodded. " Thanks Tet, but it''s our job to hold supplies", said Jasmine with a slight smile. They knew Ember was just being polite and might be feeling awkward in a new party.


    " Very well! We will act according to our usual tactic. Jack you will be in my front, Ash and Aurielle behind me, Jasmine you will be behind them, and Ember you will be beside Jasmine, and it will be your duty to protect her and Ash and Aurielle", she said in an authorative tone, and everyone nodded, not retorting.


    He nodded and they entered the forest, as they walked Lance commanded," Everyone introduce yourself properly to Tet", and Jasmine was the first one to begin. " Tet my name is Jasmine, and I am a Level 2 adventurer, I hail from Aeshina forest. I possess healing and Ice magic", she introduced herself.


    '' I see, while her primary role is of a healer, she can use attack magic as well '', Ember thought, it wasn''t that big of a surprise, in Danmachi the healers mostly possessed just a single or two healing magics at most. In Danmachi possessing even three different magics was very rare, so mages lacked versatility. However, their sheer power compensated for it.


    " I am Aurielle a Level 2 adventurer, I am from a village named Edas located in Beol mountains. I am magician with a single target and wide area annihilation fire type magic spells", she said introducing herself. Then it came turn of the grey haired and brown eyed male Elf. " I am Ash a Level 2 adventurer, I am Archer of this group, scout, supported, I also possess wind magic ", he said.


    " Ash''s wind magic while not powerful is quite versatile, he can apply it on his arrows to pierce through stronger enemies", said Jasmine, and Ash blushed. " It''s nothing much special, compared to your magic- What was it again?", he asked, and Ember replied," It was a fire-type magic, I also possess a healing magic, however it is a self-healing magic, so I can''t use it on others."


    " Jack your turn", said Lance and the Weretiger introduced himself," I am Jack Wills, I am a weretiger and I am a Tanker, I do not possess any magic", he said in a solemn tone while walking. Unlike others he included his surname in his introduction. Finally, Lance turned towards him and said," I am Lance, as I said I am from a Wishe forest, I am Level 2 and a proud Magic Swordswoman. I possess a single Thunder magic."


    " On a side note, don''t forget all of us except you belong to Athena familia", she added in the end. Ember nodded and said," Let me reintroduce myself, I am Tithonus, I am from Alf''s Royal Forest, I am Level 2 and a Magic Swordsman", hearing his words Lance couldn''t help but say," Have you ever seen Royalty, High-elves or especially prince Ember?", her voice contained a curiosity.


    " I was lucky enough to see High-Elves, and I guess Prince Ember running away is still a hot topic after so many years huh?", Ember said, his words were ironic. Ash chuckled and said," Well it has cooled down, but you see our captain has a personal crush on Prince Ember", his words surprised Ember. " Ash, do you want to be beaten black and blue?", grumbled Lance as she turned away, slight blush adorning her face.


    " Have you ever seen Prince Ember?", Ember couldn''t help but ask with slight nervousness. " Unfortunately, I have just seen a simple portrait of him. However, it was him who inspired me to leave Wishe forest, after six months of his escape. I left Wishe forest and came to Altena to find him and create my own path just like him!", she said proudly.


    " Yeah, yeah- our perfect captain has a crush on someone a decade younger than him, what a news ", teased Ash earning a glare from her. Ember meanwhile chuckled awkwardly, while Lance said," Many reprimand Prince Ember for his actions, but I support his actions wholeheartedly, only after I came to Altena and joined Athena familia did, I knew what I was missing in my life!", her voice full of appreciation for the prince.


    '' Ah great, another woman has crush on me '', Ember thought, it would have been better if he didn''t know about this. Thankfully he always dyed his hair in black, so no one never associated him with prince, as black hair was sign of commoners and no way the Royal Prince, who can command Elves to his wishes will dye his magnificent green hair especially black!


    '' Point to be noted, never let them know that I am the freaking royal prince that she has a crush on '', Ember thought solemnly. As they walked deeper into the forest, they encountered weak monsters like group of Kobolds, goblins, and Orcs which were dispatched by Ash, and Jasmine.


    ...


    Meanwhile in the Royal Place of Altena,


    " Thank you all of you attending the meeting despite your busy schedules", said a beautiful woman wearing a standard Olympian attire. She had striking white hair and golden eyes. Her eyes seemed to contain boundless wisdom, and her dress contained her boundless assets. Despite wearing a slightly revealing cloth, and having a figure that could bewitch anyone, no male present dared to have bad thoughts about her.


    For she was their leader, their Familia Goddess, the King of Altena, the Goddess of Wisdom herself. Athena. " I have called you because of a special reason- We have received a request from Zeus and Hera familia", she quickly got on the point. " What it might be goddess?", asked a person, and she crossed her legs and replied," Merina please... show the design", the women quickly revealed a huge diagram.


    " This... Is magnificent", Gandalf said as he looked at the design," It is the epitome of Science and Magic, a floating ship. That''s what their familias wants us to build in the future", she said and then said," Unfortunately not enough material exists in Lower world, just to get stage where we could produce a ship of such scale would take hundreds of years."


    " That much time?!", Gandalf exclaimed almost getting a heart attack," So what we will be building isn''t this, we will build up experience! I want to start us building magic ships that could transverse through seas using magic as energy! If what I envision is true, it would shorten our time greatly to produce such a ship!", she said with slight excitement in her voice.


    " Is that so? When we can build a ship like this Goddess?", Gandalf asked in excitement and Athena ruthlessly replied," In a century or so-", her words directly silence him. " No! I can''t believe this!", Gandal screamed in pain. Merina grinned and said," Don''t worry, I will put flowers on your grave when it is built."


    Hearing her words Gandalf gritted his teeth and said," Damn Elf!", Merina chuckled. Athena sighed,'' Lower world is so backward '', she didn''t like it. It took her decades just to teach them Athena''s three laws of motions. '' These idiots couldn''t even understand laws of magnetism and electricity. If they were any smarter it would have taken just a decade or so to build a ship of this caliber '', she thought.


    She had personally observed it, as long as principles of magic were included in scientific language, they were able to learn it easily, however as soon as the very concept of magic was left out, it became hebrew for them. To say, she led a country housing smartest people in the world, however they were like ape men compared to her wisdom, she wasn''t joking, back in Heavens she used to build spaceships in collaboration with likes of Hephaestus which could freaking wrap through space!


    " Goddess why do I think you are insulting us in your mind?", suddenly Merina said with a very cute smile, " I am not", Athena looked away with slight panic. " Is that so?", Merina didn''t buy it. She knew her goddess often compared them to monkeys and called them ape men, which of course didn''t sit well for a beautiful Elf like her!


    Seeing their Goddess'' embarrassing situation, others couldn''t help but laugh. There were very few times that their so-called perfect Goddess did a mistake, and it was mostly in presence of Merina. " What about your idea in this Arcesius? Do you think you can craft a Magic Ship within a decade?", Athena said in a slight challenging tone. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " Goddess! Now that you have said it! I shall take it as a challenge!", said Arcesius, full of excitement. Gandalf, Merina, Arcesius, Autolycus, and Amphithea were the five people in kingdom of Altena possessing both mystery and mage development abilities. " Oh, I remember you recently sold a Magic Grimoire to an Elf Gandalf", Athena suddenly said garnering everyone''s attention.


    " Things never escape you, do they? Haha, goddess yes, I have gathered details about the buyer. His name is Tithonus Ber, and he belongs to Aurora familia located in the locality of Argon Town. He belongs to Alf''s forest, as for deeper information, I don''t know", he replied earnestly. Athena nodded and said," It is not always some can buy something as pricey as a Magic Grimoire, so we must always be aware of our potential buyers and their information."


    " Still the sur name Bers rings a bell, doesn''t it?", Athena said, as she said," Ember, the prince that escaped from Alf''s forest and had been missing for over seven years ", everyone couldn''t help but recall him. " Still no news about him? I think he is already dead", said Gandalf earning glares from the Elves, Merina, and Amphithea.


    " I mean- it is as if he simply vanished, no trace nothing! You can''t help but doubt right?", said Gandalf in defensive tone. " Gandalf, better be careful, we have plenty of Elf supremacist here", said Athena in a teasing tone. " Still, I do wonder where he escaped to, I had investigated his escape plan, and it was nothing short of wisdom. It was quite a good plan, that Larfal had quite the trouble", she praised him.


    " Anyway, let''s leave the umpteenth talk of missing prince behind and get back on topic", said Merina earning a pout from Athena as their focus shifted back to the topic of magic ships. They didn''t knew that the person named as Tithonus was the missing prince, that once shook the entire world with his escape.


    To be continued...

 37) Copying Magic is as easy as breathing

    ...


    3rd Pov


    The conditions for copying magic were easy. He needed to know the chant of magic and see it work in action just like Lefiya. However, he didn''t have the racial limit like she had with her magic. Of course, more aspects like focusing on the magic were involved, somehow Ember got it in his first try as the chant of the magic was so easy.


    The same thing Ember did when Ash, Aurielle and Jasmine were sent to dispatch a weak Level 1 monsters. As they were weakest in frontal combat, the priority of killing Level 1 monsters were given to them. Yes, they were not good in frontal combat, however Goddess Athena has personally taught them that a Magician that can''t fight in close combat, isn''t magician at all.


    (A/N: A magician that can''t fight in close combat, isn''t magician at all- Athena 2025 )


    Yes, it sounded weird, but they didn''t doubt the wisdom of their Goddess. That''s why even they practised frontal combat, albeit against opponents a level weaker. Jasmine didn''t use magic but a short sword, while Ash used twin daggers and for Jasmine. She simply used her magic staff, smashing the hell of the goblins.


    '' It seems terrifying '', Ember thought as he watched Jasmine smash a Goblin''s face into gore with a cute smile on her face. For some reason he was made to remember so called ''Yanderes'' from his previous world. Thankfully due to this setup he easily copied, Ash''s wind magic and Jasmine''s Blizzard Magic. They were rather weak, however versatile.


    Ash could use wind magic to envelop a body part of himself in magic, or apply it to his weapons or arrow, it improved his agility and defense. It seemed a cheap-rip off version of Ariel. As for Jasmine''s Frost magic, it released a torrent of blizzard of white snow and small hails, quite effective against groups of weak opponents, but not so against stronger opponents.


    '' I feel guilty copying this magic, they included me in their party and here I am copying their magic, without their permission '', Ember couldn''t help but feel guilty. He didn''t justify his actions as right; however, he knew have a few extra whole cards can save his life in vital moments. He couldn''t die a pathetic death, now that he had a lover, almost a wife- Aurora, there were also his family.


    (A/N: See how Ember thought of Aurora first, Tsk, Tsk, people really get closer to people who were unknown to them a few years ago- and love them more than their family who loved them entire life- Truth of current world)


    Thus, for his Aurora he will live, even if it makes him do slightly despicable things. Not to mention, as long as this party doesn''t betray him, he planned to do his role of their team mate faithfully. So, when they arrived deeper in the forest, finally they encountered a strong foe. A group of Orcs. " Roar!", the pigs roared seeing them, seeing a dozen or so Orcs Lance grinned.


    " Everyone get in the formation!", Lance commanded, and everyone got in their defined place. Jack moved forward and swung the great sword slicing through several orcs, like the pigs they were. Lance charged forward slaughtering two orcs with her spear with ease. Aurielle casted her fire magic, her chant being bigger than Lance''s and Ember focusing on his role, couldn''t copy her magic.


    Instead, he stayed beside Jasmine and easily slaughtered an Orc approaching them, Ash used his magic alongside his bow and easily pierced through an Orc''s head with an arrow. Soon all the Orcs were dead," They were fine appetizers! But we need something better! Let''s see if we can encounter a Level 3!", Lance said in an energetic tone.


    They walked for another few hundred meters when they heard screeches, " Wyverns! Wyverns are coming! Everyone get ready!", Lance shouted, and a horde of Wyverns flew above them. They screeched as they dived downwards towards them," Protect the magicians!", she commanded as Jack met a wyvern head on creating a strong gust of wind.


    Lance started chanting her magic, and so did Ember as he protected Jasmine who too chanted her Ice Magic, Ash threw his bag away and started striking the wyverns through his arrows, enchanted by his wind magic, piercing through Wyvern''s thick Hide, Aurielle too chanted her magic, Ember was the first one to finish his chant, and a torrent of blue flames were released by his short staff, all the Wyvern''s in its path were burned to a crisp.


    Lance''s chant finished after him and her thunder struck several wyverns killing them, as they turned into black particles dissipating into nothingness. Finally came Aurielle''s magic, a torrent of bright orange flames erupted from her staff, striking the wyverns obliterating them, leaving behind their magic stones, soon all the wyverns were finished off.


    They returned on their track and continued walking, encountering a horde of Hellhounds, which again the party killed easily. Soon the sky turned orange as the sun was about to set, finding an open space, Ash and others started setting up the camp, while Ember, Lance and Jack remained on the guard.


    Once the camps were set up, Lance said, " Start cooking the food, Jack you are on the guard", the weretiger nodded, as Ember and Lance sat near the campfire. They had caught two rabbits on their way, which were skinned by Jasmine. '' So, this is behind the scenes of an RPG adventure, healer skinning animals '', Ember thought as he looked at Jasmine who was smiling while butchering the rabbit.


    " So how was the first day with our party? ", asked Lance as she drank some boiled water. Ember replied," It was good- All of you are skilled in your role and your coordination is also very good", she chuckled and gulped the rest of the water. She then said," Your coordination was quite good as well, have you worked with a big party as us before?"


    He nodded, recalling his friends back at Argon friends, all of them were Level 2s now, so working with a Level 2 party didn''t prove hard to him, however Thunder Lance party was a bit stronger. While Ash while prepared vegetable soup, Aurielle pitched the tents. As they were a stronger and bigger party, they could afford to be more relaxed. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    " Tet, the colour of flames of your magic are quite unique, I have never seen a magic releasing blue flames. The fire magic mostly releases red to orange flames, with magic with orange flames being stronger than the red flames. So, your magic is quite unique", Aurielle said with interest in her eyes, undoubtedly, she was piqued by Ember''s magic.


    " Well, I am also intrigued by Miss Lance''s magic, your magic is nothing to scoff, especially yours Miss Aurielle", he said politely, Lance patted her back while laughing and said," When it comes to raw power Aurielle''s magic triumphs over mine, however when it comes to versatility my magic tops her."


    " Captain I also have a medium-length chant magic", said Aurielle with twitching eyebrows," Bah! It is just a single target magic, while mine can be used both on single and multiple targets!", she boasted shamelessly. Aurielle sighed and so did Ember,'' What about me? Who has all of you magics except Aurielle''s? '', he thought slyly.


    Since the party consisted entirely of Elves except Jack, pretty much everyone had a magic. An average Elf has one magic slot, some slightly talented Elves has two magic slots, and talented Elves have all three magic slots. There were plenty of talented Elves in Altena, so there was rarely an Elf who has not talent in magic, thus being an Elf adventurer is synonymous with being a magician.


    (A/N: Meanwhile that Side Character Elf who was taken advantage by Dionysius crying in the corner)


    Soon the food was ready, and Lance called Jack back, going on guard duty herself," You all eat, I will be on guard duty", she said grabbing her spear and walking away. Jasmine served the cooked rabbit and the vegetable soup. As they dig in, suddenly the bushes rustled. With a dash, Lance charged and slayed the goblin that intruded," Just some pesky Goblin, you all continue eating."


    " You can''t even eat at peace here", Aurielle said with a sigh," Hey! I am guarding so shut up and eat!", Lance retorted as she slaughtered another goblin. Others laughed while Ember remained quiet, reminiscing his time with his previous party members. As the time passed, and they finished with dinner, Lance returned and said," Tet, you are on guard duty", she took a bowl of soup and sipped it.


    He nodded and walked away. He guarded for two hours and encountered no monsters. After that it was Jack''s duty, and finally Ember got time to sleep. Next day, on dawn the party finally moved from their place and deeper into the forest. They encountered a group of Bugbears," Let''s divide our attention Jack you will be on the front! I will be on your left, and Ember you will be on his right! Aurielle and Ash provide support from the back! Jasmine get ready to heal us!", she quickly assorted everyone their roles.


    Ember quickly got on Jack''s right and charged forward; with precision he sliced through a bugbear''s neck killing it. Jack meanwhile clashed against a Bugbear and swung his great sword slashing through its body, meanwhile Lance released a torrent of stabs piercing through the Bugbear several times in a second. Ash released arrows that pierced accurately a Bugbear''s eyes greatly restricting its movement.


    Soon Aurielle released her magic obliterating two Bugbears, soon they were finished with Bugbears. " Not a bad haul, if we fight more of these guys, I know we will raise our parameters by a few points", Lance said and her words did held some truth. Bugbears had same strength and defense to that of Minotaurs however their agility surpassed them, making them formidable foes.


    They continued with exploring the forest, often meeting with Level 1 monsters and defeating them, rarely encountering Level 2 monsters, their expedition lasted for another two days before coming to an end. Ember had also managed to successfully copy Aurielle''s both magics. Ember had become the person to possess the greatest number of magics in the world. Even the elites of Athena family might have maximum of four to five magics, but he?


    He possessed three fire magics, two healing magics, one wind magic, one thunder magic. A total of seven magics that already surpassed any other adventurer in world if not in Altena. They returned back to the Atlena, and once arriving at the guild they sold the magic stones and divided their spoils earning a total of 2.1 million valis.


    " It will make 333,400 valis each and rest of the valis will belong to Lance", said Jasmine as she divided the valis amongst her team members. " This time we made 800,000 valis more than our last expedition! This is the third largest haul we had in any expedition!", said Aurielle. Normally they would make 1 million valis in each expedition, however with the addition of Ember, it allowed them to take more risks and earn more money.


    " So, how about it Tet? Do you plan to continue adventuring with us?", asked Lance, looking at him for his answer. There wasn''t much conflict in his face as he replied," I find Thunder Lance party to be quite capable so I will continue adventuring with your party, though I am also fond of going solo, so I might not be joining you often"


    " You like going solo? You know that''s quite dangerous right?", Lance asked with a frown on her face. Only people who had no other familia members would go solo. While in Orario going solo wasn''t a big deal, ironically it was in outside world." I know, however I believe a solo experience is important for sharpening your abilities", Ember replied.


    Her eyes sparkled," Indeed! It is the best way to hone your abilities... I think I will try solo runs often more", she said agreeing with him. Meanwhile her party members looked at her with a sigh, they gave a long face to Ember. Then they parted taking their money, and Ember left.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: I have uploaded a fic called Re Zero: The Great Sage beyond the heavens and it is a blast! I have used a different and more efficient writing style for it, one chap is 10k words(Though I have divided into three or else my pc starts lagging) So yeah! Check it out!)

 38) Magic Craftsman?

    ...


    Ember Pov


    I stepped into the library; a small creaking sound was made by the floor. I looked with slight surprise at the size of the library, it was no less than the Royal Library back at the castle. Truly a wonderous sight. I went straight to the Librarian," My name is Tithonus... and I am here to borrow the books on Magic Crafting", I said.


    The Librarian gave me a knowing look and nodded, understanding what I wanted these books for. He quickly told me about the row number and the column number of the books where I can find the books, I gave him thanks and soon got my hands on the book.


    One might wonder why a book written by Divine herself was free and open use for public. The reason was simple, firstly the concepts introduced in this book were quite abstract, it was basically magical physics, advanced mathematics, and chemistry in one. Thus, people of this world generally found it very, very difficult to understand them.


    Secondly, they were but basic concepts needed to use in Magic Crafting. Altena was famous for Magical products throughout the world, ships that could sail through the oceans without wind, but used a turbine which used magic as fuel. Fridge, Cars and even Air Conditioners were manufactured in Altena.


    Majority of the scientific and magical advancements were made in Altena. After giving an exam, one could enter the manufacturing company ran by the Athena and earn a hefty wage while manufacturing magical tools to be supplied throughout the world. One of the basic requirements to manufacture standardized magical products was to be magician, and to have knowledge.


    My target was to participate in the upcoming exam and join the manufacturing company to broaden my horizon. Eventually through the company I can reach to the Mystery holders of the Altena and become a true magic craftsman. I possess both Mage and Mystery development skills, however I am still level 2, so until I become level 3 I aim to learn the science of magical tools.


    I flipped the book cover, on the very first page Basic Principles of Magic were written. It seemed that Goddess Athena has standardized the magic into attributes like it is in any isekai world. Though the magic spells that anyone can learn is three, it doesn''t means there is an attribute advantage. Reading the book I soon understood how she has classified it.


    Magic was divided into Elemental Magic, Healing Magic, Purification Magic, Boost Magic, and Attribute less magic.


    Any magic that manifests elements of the world is classified into Elemental magic, since everyone''s magic is unique Elemental magic can be of infinite types. However, Fire Magic will be weak against Ice Magic or Water Magic, Earth Magic will be weak against Water Magic, Wind Magic is weak against Fire Magic, While Thunder Magic has no such weakness.


    Next comes healing magic, which as name suggests provides a healing effect of various types, purification magic meanwhile purifies abnormal affects, like corrosion, poison and even curses. Boost Magic boosts a user''s any basic parameter for a short period of time, lastly is attribute less magic, generally every magic which is not included in the before mentioned categories comes in this category.


    There were some more details given; however, I flipped back the page to see the list of topics and then flipped page to the Thermodynamic. Yes, it was a High-School level scientific topic and when I read it, I was surprised because in how easy language it was. Goddess Athena has sure made it easy to understand, otherwise I doubt the people of this world will be able to understand it.


    There was also no complicated formula, just laws of thermodynamics and that''s it. After flipping through the pages and reading all the topics given. I felt it was too easy, usually it will take five to ten years to pass the entrance exam for an average person here and by average, I mean Elves who are well known for their wisdom, as for humans?


    They have higher chance of becoming businessman than becoming a bonafide Magic Craftsman. I continued reading the book till it was night, and I had to leave. I sighed, my plan was to become a Magic Craftsman, Goddess Athena had made a new high paying job where magicians without mystery as long as they know science and magic principles could make modern tools that run on mana.


    For example, Fridge, oven, lamps, etc. everything that is used all around the world is made here. Yes, in this world there are fridges introduced by Athena herself which helped the populace around the globe. Thus, it was my goal to get a systematic idea on how to make such advanced tools before delving into the mystery.


    I had trained for six months, and to be honest I was a bit late as the exam was just in a few months however I was confident that I could complete it if the syllabus of this level, and most of the theories I already knew from my past life. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    3rd Pov


    Ember worked hard daily, stopping his usual hunting and going out only with the Thunder Lance party every once a week. Rest of time? He was deep into books, going through theory and experiments. The exam that will be held at the end of the year was just a few months later, and he toiled every day to ensure that he passes his exam.


    His new party members were stunned by his decision and tried to persuade him, after all to pass the Magic Craftsman exam Elves had to study for years before passing and it could affect his adventuring career greatly. Normally when the Elves retire from being adventurer do they opt for this path.


    However, Ember was young and his future in adventuring was exceptionally bright. According to Lance herself Tithonus could become a First-rate adventurer in a few decades, wasting his precious years would be stupid, however in the end Ember didn''t listen to them. In fact he found the syllabus of the exam too easy, as compared to the competitive exams of his past life.


    Add the perk of his near eidetic memory, the syllabus was a breeze for him. In the end the Thunder Lance party gave up on persuading him, and he went out with them only every once a while. Still in last ten months since he come to Altena his parameters have reached D except magic which was B and that was ridiculously fast, considering he wasn''t Aiz Wallenstein fighting monsters every day.


    He deduced that his skills were at work, essentially, he got falna despite fighting weak monsters due to which continuously broke his limits and his speed up his growth, yeah, they were such a cheat. Now the first round of exams were to begin, and he had signed up with a fee of 10000 valis.


    Ember took a deep breath and sat on his allocated seat, more than a hundred elves and three humans were taking part in the exam, however half of them are going to be eliminated here.  Then there will come an interview and how many will pass was subjective, either all of people who passed first round will pass the second, or just a few.


    Soon the examiner and invigilator came, with dozens of question papers, everyone seat was quite a distance from each other, and the invigilators would be walking around keeping eyes on everyone to prevent any cheating from taking place. Finally the question papers were distributed and everyone was allocated quill and ink, and dozens of empty papers the exam duration was five hours.


    The moment the exam begin, Ember carefully read through the questions. There was no extra time allocated for reading, so Ember hadn''t turned the question paper till now. The moment his eyes fell on the question, he was surprised as they were either too easy or just long. While everyone was writing on their paper furiously, he read through the questions twice, before beginning.


    Time passed and after two hours, he was finished.


    ''It is like giving 10th boards exam all over again'' he thought, the answers were that simple, there were some which evolved critical thinking; however, he had done well. After completing his exams since he still had time, he went through his answer to see if he had done any mistakes, after going thoroughly another hour passed.


    He was sure of every answer except one, which he couldn''t remember. It was from the subject he hated the most... Chemistry. Yeah, to him maths was much easier since he could just brute force through by writing sums again and again, but Chemistry? It was his bane; in the end he decided to use the Ultimate trick that always worked.


    ''Eeeny meeny mineey moe! Mujhe chaiye pineco'' he randomly guessed and answer and wrote it. He left that answer to God, hopefully the luck will shine upon him. He prayed to his Goddess Aurora for good luck, wondering if her booty will help him. After waiting for the next two hours, and going through questions over and over again, till the exam ended he was tired.


    As he came out of the exam hall he met with Jasmine much to his surprise. "Jasmine? What are you doing here?" he asked confused and she smiled. "You had exams right Tet? I came here to wish you luck, alas I found you nowhere when I came here, and waited till the exam ended" she said touching his heart.


    "So... How did it go?" she asked him curious, while the rest of her party members including Lance didn''t believe Tithonus will pass, she believed that he will, after all she had seen him working hard. Not to mention while passing on the first attempt is hard it isn''t impossible, 10% of the people who took the written exam passed on their first try.


    "I will pass" he replied in a measured tone. He knew he will score over 90 points, and the passing criteria for the first exam was just to score 40 points. She nodded in understanding "Cheer up! I know you will pass!" she said patting his shoulder, "Anyway you must be tired, how about we visit a restaurant to fill our tummies, don''t worry I will pay" she smirked.


    He grinned "Very well, then I shall empty your pockets" he chuckled and they went to a good restaurant to have their fill. Ember didn''t know he will be soon for a surprise.


    ...


    The examiners after checking everyone''s paper got a surprise, someone had got scored 98 out of 100! At first, they thought he had cheated, however when chief examiner said that the exam papers were made by Athena herself and copied under the eyes of adventurers, they realized that the probability of Tithonus cheating was very low.


    "S-Should we inform this to Goddess Athena?" an examiner asked and the Chief examiner said "There is still the interview, let''s tell her if he passes the interview" everyone nodded, agreeing to his words. In fact, Ember had scored the highest score ever in the exam, previously the highest score was 92 which showed how high Ember''s score was.


    After a week, the interview was scheduled. The Thunder Lance party''s faces were pretty interesting when they got to know that Ember passed the written exam. "See! I told you that Tet will pass the exam with a breeze" said Jasmine in a proud tone, her chest bulging.


    "Stop acting as if you have cleared the exam" Lance rolled her eyes, then she looked at Tet and said, "Congratulations Tet, you have passed the written exam, just a single more obstacle to pass and you will be a magic craftsman", everyone else followed the suite. Ember just thanked them all before going to hall, for his interview.


    "Tithonus Ber" the interviewer who was none other than the Chief examiner looked at Ember carefully as he sat before him. ''Let''s see if you truly are a genius or a cheater'' he thought getting ready to unleash the heaviest questions ever asked in the interview.


    To be continued...

 39) Mana Circuits

    ...


    3rd Pov


    "Sorry I don''t know that one" Ember said making the interviewer breath in relief, he asked one of the hardest questions which was basically just critical thinking based, however Ember answered all of them. At this moment the interviewer aka, Chief Examiner began doubting his life and finally posed the most difficult question of all.


    Even the Chief examiner didn''t know the answer to the question and finally Ember faltered before this question much to his relief. At this point he was doubting if Goddess Athena disguised herself as this black-haired blue eyed Elf male and was making fun of them. After coming to the conclusion that Tithonus was really a genius he smiled.


    "Congratulations Sir Ber, you have passed the interview spectacularly, soon you will be issued your passing certificate, and you can begin your training under the Magic Craftsmen" he said, and Ember breathed in relief, to be honest he had answered all the questions except for the last one, however he was still in doubt, thankfully he passed.


    The interviewer stood up and so did Ember, they shook their hands. The Chief Examiner smiled and said, "Remember Sir Ber, Knowledge is the foundation of everything" and Ember nodded "I will etch these words on my soul" and the smile on the interviewer widened. Ember came out of the Hall and was greeted by his friends.


    "Tet, how was the interview" asked Lance curious, everyone looked at him. "I passed" Ember replied and they looked surprised and happy for him. "Haha! Now I can brag that my party has a Magic Craftsman!" Lance patted his shoulder laughing. "Lance do you really just think of bragging all the time" Aurielle rolled her eyes.


    "Passing on your first try, only five percent have achieved that. Be proud Tet, you are one of the best now" Ash complimented, Jack meanwhile remained silent, however he was indeed surprised by Tithonus'' achievement. "Yeah! Let''s celebrate!" said Jasmine and everyone agreed, they went to a restaurant to have a party.


    After the party, Ember said "Sorry Miss Lance, it would seem I won''t be able to adventure with you all for a period of time" after all during the duration of his training he will busy six days of the week, and even after he gets the job, he will have to go at least four days and work eight hours. After everything, he will just earn a fifty thousand Atlen per month.


    A level 2 adventurer like him can earn way more by adventuring, however Lance didn''t mind it. "Tet, all the Adventurer who now have Mystery, and hold high position within the administration of Atlen were once a Magic Craftsman, and naturally this job demands a lot of time. Don''t worry, once we get the job, I will adjust our expedition dates so that you can go with our party" she smiled.


    "Thank you, Miss Lance, to be honest I am being a little selfish" he bowed however she laughed, "Man, Tet you are such a sweet guy, normally others don''t care much about the party they are in and join and leave as they please. It is something normal, you don''t have to fret over it, just focus on the job. After all, while adventuring is all good and nice, having a higher position should always be one''s goal!" she said.


    She was right, after all Magic Craftsman was a job that attracted people from all around the world, reason was that Magic Craftsman job had a huge chance of getting the adventurers the Development ability Mystery, however most of the Magic Craftsman weren''t adventurers otherwise the number of Mystery users would have been higher.


    Not to mention the laws and theories introduced by Athena was too tough for them. I mean she had stated if something is on rest, it remains on rest and if something is moving it keeps moving. Just this single law made everyone troubled everyone for weeks if not months, only for many to protest it is wrong as things moving come to halt.


    She has stated how this law works, however how the people who have never gone to space are supposed to know what is vacuum and cosmos? In the end, due to their incomplete knowledge one thing leads to another, and then another making it all jumbled up. That''s why passing this exam was too difficult.


    ...


    Soon Ember got his passing Certificate and was allocated work under a senior Magic Craftsman. Ember looked at the workshop in front of him, took a deep breath and entered, and a worker helped him to take him to the Senior Magic Craftsman. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So you are the one I am supposed to teach huh?" Ember looked at the person, it was a burly Elf, with black hair, and black eyes. His skin was also tanned, he looked more of a blacksmith than a magic craftsman. "My name is James Chadwick" Ember almost coughed out his saliva hearing his name.


    James frowned seeing Ember''s and thought he was about to laugh, his expression hardened. "Remember! Just observe what I do! You are not supposed to disturb me" he said and Ember who was slightly embarrassed nodded, while the worker shook his head. ''It would seem this guy started bad with the Magic Craftsman; I wonder if he will quit after not learning anything'' the worker thought.


    He quickly went to do his job while the Magic Craftsman started doing his job, the magic craftsmen create the sophisticated parts of the machineries like Mana Circuit, etc. The normal parts are made by workers; however, it is just an empty hull until the sophisticated parts are included in them. Ember watched carefully as the magic craftsman made the parts, it took him an average of 30 minutes to finish a Mana circuit portion each time.


    Ember observed the way he made them, the function of each part and how they worked together. It wasn''t that hard; however, he had no former knowledge on how to do cravings and join the delicate parts. In the end he realized, unless he makes a circuit himself, he won''t be able to learn anything else.


    He decided to attempt to make a circuit, however seeing Ember getting the different parts and tools, James noticed him, and he quickly reprimanded him. "What are you doing?" he said with a grunt, and Ember replied smoothly "I am going to try and make a circuit myself" however it seemed to irk James.


    "Do you even realize how expensive these parts are? If they are broken and wasted my salary will be deducted!" he said in an angry tone. However, Ember simply said "Don''t worry, I will pay for them if they are wasted" he had earned around seven million valis in the last six months and had three million worth of valis magic stone stored, so he had plenty of money to spare.


    James started fuming in anger, he himself had trained for a year before making circuits himself. The parts were delicate and wielding them together required skill, experience and knowledge! That''s why Ember''s words seemed the words of madman to him. "Fine, do whatever you want" James decided not to intervene, he wanted Ember to realize his foolishness.


    Ember meanwhile ignored him, and followed the steps carefully, however he failed to make the circuit on his first try, making James smirk who was watching him. However, Ember wasn''t disappointed and tried again, this time he managed to make a circuit, however on careful observation realized it had many problems and would not work properly.


    He discarded it and went for the third, this time he successfully managed to make a circuit, and it had no flaws. Ember smiled in glee as he saw that his circuit had been successful, now all was left to test it. Theoretically it was a perfect circuit however a practical test was needed to see if there were any mistakes.


    It took him forty-five minutes to make this circuit, and he quickly went to the Chief manager who was responsible for overseeing the work. Seeing Ember the Chief manager was confused, " You are one of the new trainees right? Is something the matter?" he asked and Ember explained everything to him.


    "I-I see" he was surprised and looked at the mana circuit that Ember made, it was a bit rough however it had no problems. "This circuit is indeed doable, you want me to use this to make a fridge?" he asked, and Ember nodded, he sighed. To be honest he was indeed shocked by the fact that Ember managed to make such a hard circuit on his first day.


    The Mana circuit for the lamp was easiest to make, and it costed around 5000 valis, with material and labor cost of 2100 valis. The lamp itself was priced at 10,000 valis, however compared to oil-based lamps it was much reliable and had less fuel cost, a 50 valis magic stone could light it up for 12 hours, while 600-800 valis of oil will take for it to be lit up for 12 hours.


    That''s when prices of Oil are normal, at worst the cost of it can hike up to 2000-3000 valis for a lamp to be lit up for 12 hours, when the oil production is hit with scarcity. That''s why Oil lamps have slowly become obsolete, replaced by Magic lamps. That''s why Magic Circuits are precious, and so are the people who can make them.


    The Chief manager after warning Ember that if something goes wrong, he will have to pay for the fridge he ordered the circuit to be used in a fridge. To be honest he knew the circuit was pretty much perfect, however he was still in disbelief. But he wasn''t arrogant and knew there were geniuses, having worked under Athena directly, he had etched in his mind to be never arrogant.


    Soon the results came out, the Fridge was working properly without any issues. The Chief Manager quickly went towards James. "Hey, James did you teach Tithonus about the circuits?" he asked and James felt embarrassed, "A-Actually he just saw me working and learned himself" he decided to be truthful, the Chief manager nodded before realizing something.


    "Did you not teach him anything?" the reason was obvious, Ember was supposed to be a trainee under James, and it was James'' duty to teach him, he was even given more money to tutor Ember which Ember didn''t knew. "I-I actually" he stammered not knowing what to reply, instantly Chief manager realized something was wrong when Ember intervened.


    "Sir James said to observe him first, I managed to make circuit on my third try and he was busy with work, so he didn''t notice" Ember said, and Chief manager didn''t care about anymore. "Sir Tithonus, can you make a few more mana circuits in front of me?" he said and Ember nodded, a few hours passed however the Chief Manager was patient, and he watched Ember crafting a few more Mana circuits, and the time he used to make each one shortened considerably.


    "Your Dexterity must be really high" the Chief manager said, dexterity determined your skill, and combined with other parameters such as agility, it affected reaction speed, etc. All the adventurers had an inhumane level of skill in whatever weapon they used regularly and that was because of dexterity.


    Dexterity was a unique parameter, and it was most neglected parameter of all. Only the smart and strong adventurers didn''t neglect it, after all while with every level-up overall parameter increased, Dexterity was the one which increased the least. Ember already had skill at inhumane level before he gained falna.


    After not many can slay an Orc, and coupled with his over-the-top parameters, he had now dexterity equivalent to a low level 4, while his strength was now of a low to mid-level 3, while his magic bordering at the level 5. It showed how much it paid off waiting to break his parameters through S-rank.


    Meanwhile James felt ashamed of his actions, Ember didn''t care much about him. He had observed and knew James wasn''t an adventurer, being Magic Craftsman was probably his only source of revenue. Ember wasn''t petty, his goal was to reach Beyond the Heavens, so why waste time on being revengeful and petty?


    Not to mention no one will remember this guy after a few chaps.


    To be continued...


    (A/N: I searched the use of Magic Stones, and it was for a fuel, I can get that ovens, and fridges use them, however there should be more stuff than this. So I came up with this idea, to expand their use. Magic Ships, Magic Cannons, Air Conditioners, Big Machines that manufacture toothpaste, shampoo, soap, each of them use Magic Stones to function.


    I am making Air Conditioners unpopular for the simple reason the temperature in medieval ages was much lower than todays, and secondly they worked continuously without any remote control. Even in desert areas they were unpopular, as the cost of operating them was usually too much, and their price was unaffordable for the most. That''s why we don''t see Air Conditioners in Danmachi.)