In the span of a single instant, Kyle envisioned countless potential outcomes for this encounter.The strange man might blanch in terror and flee. He might lunge at Kyle, knife flashing, leading to a desperate struggle. With luck, some member of House Lither would come bursting in to subdue the intruder…Eyeing that gleaming blade, Kyle harbored no illusions about the man's intent.Ill intent? More like murderous intent.Arson, assault and battery seemed well within the realm of possibility.In that frozen moment, Kyle's mind suddenly kicked into overdrive. What to do? Try to fight him off? Not bloody likely - in his scrawny, freshly-isekai'd body, taking the man head-on would be tantamount to assisted suicide.Scream for help, then? Probably his best bet, certainly better than trying to brain the blighter with a water sphere. Though who could say if any guards were close enough to respond in time…But just as he was about to let loose a mighty bellow, his knife-wielding visitor did s

Holy light envelops the world.Legend has it that this was the first divine decree issued by the Almighty at the founding of the Church. In the turbulent years of war, the first Pope recited these words as he held aloft the faintly glowing sacred light, allowing it to ascend into the night sky during humanity's darkest hour.In the millennium since its establishment, the Church has grown from a humble charity in the eyes of the masses into a colossus that dominates the continent. Three centuries ago, the Horian Kingdom was founded around the Holy See, becoming the mightiest nation on the landmass. Though the kingdom has a royal family, everyone knows they are mere marionettes dancing to the Church's tune, forever prostrating themselves at the feet of the divine.It can be said that every child born in this realm is a subject of the Almighty. From their baptism at a hundred days old, to their wedding vows, to their funeral rites, the will of the divine permeates it all. This is how the

Grumbling under his breath, Benjamin entered the living room to face his father."Father, I've returned."The duke, seated in the place of honor, regarded Benjamin silently. Not a hint of warmth graced his features, only a glimmer of reproach that set Benjamin's nerves on edge.What in the world had happened?Benjamin had carefully studied the memories related to his father, Claude Lither. The man was head of the family, a duke of the realm, and occupied a position of utmost prestige among the Horian Kingdom's aristocracy. A staunch traditionalist through and through.As a dyed-in-the-wool noble, Claude held fast to the old ways. Loyal to crown and church. Prideful of his blue blood and the chasm it carved between himself and the common man. Obsessed with reputation and appearances, clinging to the tattered remnants of nobility's bygone glory. In short, the man was a hopeless relic, his thinking mired in the prejudices of a feudal past.On a

It wasn't just Ikes who was dumbfounded - Benjamin's jaw practically hit the floor.At this point, even a complete idiot could see what his grandmother was up to.She had deliberately tripped Dick to save Benjamin's skin. And what a masterful job she'd done of it too. The way she'd swung that cane - with Ikes standing between her and Dick, mind you - and still managed to hit her target? Either this was the most miraculous accident in history, or his grandmother had skills that would make a ninja jealous.No doubt about it, she'd done it on purpose. By tripping Dick and making the chamber pot smash into him again, she'd firmly placed herself on Benjamin's side. Now, if the Fur family wanted to punish Benjamin, they'd have to punish her too. Otherwise, they'd be violating their precious "noble's honor".And there was no way in hell they'd dare throw a chamber pot at the old lady. If they accidentally caused her serious harm, there'd be hell to pay. The Church would get involved, and the

Just as Benjamin was getting a serious case of the willies from those unblinking eyes, the owner of said peepers suddenly spoke up from the other side of the iron door:"Shh, I just managed to send Jessica on a fool's errand, but she'll be back any minute. I can't linger."It was a gentle, womanly voice. It tickled something in the back of Benjamin's mind, but he couldn't quite place it."Who the heck is this?" he mentally prodded the AI."It's your dear mother, genius," the AI replied dryly."…"With the AI's oh-so-helpful reminder, the pieces finally clicked into place for Benjamin. The owner of that voice was none other than Marie - Claude's wife, the old lady's daughter-in-law, and Benjamin's own mother. The very same Marie who had briefly spoken up in the living room earlier.His mother had given his jailer the slip to come check on him in secret.According to the abridged version of his backstory the AI had so grac