"What do you wanna do? Stay? Or leave?"Rick asked while munching on a beef jerky. They decided to distance themselves for the time being after Ian accidentally let revealed his presence a while ago. Right now, there were a few miles away from the tribal village. Everyone had already stopped concealing their presence and was just freely walking around. They weren't particular doing anything, since there wasn't any order from Ian, neither did he say anything about setting up a tent. It wasn't that Ian was being indecisive, more like he was out of it.The somewhat dazed expression on his face was evidence enough that his mind was somewhere else. "Stay? Or leave?"Rick nudged him from the side again, waiting for an answer. This time, Ian finally came out of his daze and looked to the side. "Let's... stay the night.. just to make sure.. ""Alright. So we're setting up the tent?"Rick nodded his head hearing Ian's decision like it was obvious. And asked something which also had a quite
Both Ash and the tiger tribe member in front of him were momentarily lost in their thought after they came face to face with each other. But the silence only lasted for a second before the two of them came back to reality at the same time, looking at each other and asking what they were curious about."Who the hell are you?!""What did those people say?!"Both the tiger and Ash asked simultaneously, over-voicing each other. As one party tried to understand the words of another, they paused again, although only for a second. "Whatcha talking about brat? They who?"The tiger tribesman asked first, pretending to have no clue. Ash wondered what was the right thing to do at that moment, what would be the most appropriate answer. But then again, he wasn't a genius when it came to making instant excuses either. So the only thing he could do was tell the truth."The people that came before me. The ones you mistook me with.""Who were they? What was their motive?"He asked honestly without
Ian and his party was guarding the Mountains where the Tiger tribe lived.They were keeping an eye out for any sudden or unnatural movements to confirm whether the organisation had made it all the way here or not. But it was taking a while. While they stayed, ate and slept in tree branches like some monkey, Ash ran out of patience and decided to check things out for himself.So he decided to pay the owner of the mountain they were guarding a visit while Ian was supposedly sleeping. He put in a lot of effort to make countless shields around Ian before he finally left for the mountain with a peaceful mind. As he met the tiger and was invited to come in, he was genuinely shocked by how similar it's house inside the cave looked to a human abode. But then again, he wasn't there to sightsee or enjoy the scenery while sipping in tea, so he got to the point straight away as soon as he sat down on a chair."Did a group of people visit you before us? Can you tell me what they came here for?"
'I didn't do anything bad, right?'Ash thought to himself as he replayed the events of his visit at the Tiger's den a few days ago. He considered it to be a secret visit since he went there after confirming that Ian was asleep. He only wanted to lessen some of Ian's burdens so he went to check if everything was okay or if there really was an issue.If there was, then Ash planned on solving it before Ian woke up or at least before he started realising what was happening. After he was done with his visit, meaning after confirming that there was nothing wrong yet, and giving the tiger tribe member a fair warning, he left the mountain and went down to where Ian was again.Seeing how peacefully Ian was sleeping, he was happy and also a little relieved. He didn't make any more sudden or unannounced movements for the next 3/4 days that they stayed there and just enjoyed their peaceful and quiet days with Ian. That's why, although he got caught, Ash didn't think too much about it. He was r
"Do you know anyone there?"The Phoenix asked as it saw Ian heading towards the tribal village. He had his presence hidden but that was all. He wasn't sneaking around or hiding behind anything.As long as one had good eyesight, they'd be able to easily see Ian. Leading the phoenix to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, if so, whether Ian already knew anyone from the tribe. "Mm.. I guess?"It was an ambiguous answer. He didn't care to elaborate either. Because, truely, Ian himself couldn't explain it if asked. He knew them from reading a novel. But to be able to recognise them at first glace just because he read about them in a novel, it seemed unbelievable even to Ian himself. He felt weird.Ian was almost within the ranges where the villagers would be able to spot him when he finally stopped. A smile appeared automatically on his lips as he felt the sharp killing aura coming from behind him.The sharply pointed blade touched the back of his neck, threating to thrust in the moment
Erza, one of Arthur's future party member.Although she joined them in the middle of the story, she was one of the most favourite characters of the readers. They all loved her dearly.Not only wasn't she a burden to the team and got adapted to their style soon, she also had her own unique personality and strength.She was a character that had a past and her own story. You rarely find someone like that in a male protagonist oriented fantasy novel.Noah was also a fan. And just like any other fan, he was also head over heels for Erza.Just like her name, which meant the Guardian or protector, she was the one looking after her tribe and ensuring their safety for years.At the age of ten, she protected her father, the chief of the village, from an assassination attempt amd awakening her power in the process.Since then, she fought against monster waves, human traffickers, bandits and robbers. And each time she faced an enemy that was stronger than her, she only grew stronger in the face o
At the moment when Ian was being taken to the village by Erza, a severe crisis was brewing within the member of Ian's party.Louis, who was supposed to secretly tail Ian and keep an eye on him, in case he did something stupid, saw the whole thing go down between Ian and Erza.This is the version of the story that Louis made up from what he saw and delivered to Ash after he came back to the tent in a hurry.1. Ian went to take another look at the village.2. He was caught by surprise as some unknown beautiful tribal woman warrior held a blade against his neck with all hostility.3. Although he managed to somehow persuade her to put the weapon down, he was still taken hostage by the woman.4. Lastly, he got dragged into their village against his will.He said that he came back to the tent so he could take either Ash or Damon with him.Since they were capable of knowing each other's location, he wanted to let Ian know that they were coming to his aid by taking one of them with him."What
Ian was being interrogated. Not just by one person but multiple. And they were all elderly people.As he sat in the middle of what could be called a dining room, he was being stared at, measured and questioned by at least fifteen elderly people who were surrounding him completely.Erza didn't even get a chance to explain herself as she was dragged inside by her parents the moment her mom showed up."Hmm.. The muscles aren't in too bad a condition..""But he's too thin..""He got the right eyes though..""But look at his clothes.. They're dirty..""Is he poor? Are you poor?""When did you meet our Erza? Why are you still alive?""Why would she bring him home? Why?""Are you a poor wandering adventurer?""He sure looks poor.""But hey! It's not a bad thing for us, right?""Right, right? If he's poor and alone, we can just keep him here.""You're really thinking about accepting a scrawny guy like him for Erza?!""Hey! Shh! She might hear us and decide to run away with him, y'know!""Exac
Ian returned. After wondering the continent for half a year, he came back with a 'Bang!'. Right when the nobles all around the country gathered to 'show the hero his place', Ian returned. Crazy hypothesises such that Ian being a Devil worshipper, betraying the country and being on the run or that he's actually a demon etc etc all came to an end as he openly took Arthur's side and threatened the other nobles.Of course, most of those rumours weren't too far off the mark. Ian did prefer villains over heroes, demons over angels, he had no love for their country and lastly, he was a darkness ability user with a twisted moral sense. And! To top it all off, he also preferred these rumours over ones that would hail him as a hero. he'd rather be on the run after being called a demon rather than be called a hero and worshipped. Again, twisted morality. But he couldn't do that this time. There were too many people using his name so he couldn't just let it be as those people got treated bad
"It's been a week since young master lost consciousness."Rob wrote in his diary as he sighed. There was a heavy atmosphere surrounding the duchy ever since the day Adrian fell down from the roof and went into a coma. How or why it happened was still a mystery around the duchy but speculations about an attempted suicide was slowly spreading around. Rob didn't believe them though. The Adrian he knew was too selfish and arrogant to do something like that. Yet, even when he was so sure, a small part of his mind kept lingering over that quiet and motionless room where Adrian was."Ah.. It's been a while."With that, Rob went to take another look at the sleeping Adrian for the 36th time that day. Although he was telling himself that Adrian's situation wasn't that serious, that he'd wake up soon, as he tried to remember all the bad things Ian did in his short lifetime just to mask his worry, he didn't even realise that he was unconsciously heading towards Ian's room again. After worryin
Things Ian did(Unintentionally or intentionally) that influenced the future of Arthur's world: First of all, although the effect wasn't that eye-catching at the moment, Ian was going to be known as the figure that erased racial discrimination. Due to him giving shelter to people of all age and race, and the humans around him having constant changes in their views and perspective, it was going to be the seed that erased all future discrimination and racial profiling. Secondly, he was going to be known as the bridge between Humans and the Demons. The Queen of the Demons, Ash's mother who had gone back to the demon world to deal with some 'internal affairs' would soon return with an actual offer of friendship between the demons and the humans. It was Bela's way of showing gratitude to the people who had taken care of her son in his times of need. Ian's love for Ash was plain as day and the care and gentleness he showed when dealing with him was no different from what a parent woul
"What..?""That's absurd!""Is that sorcery? Does he think he can fool us so easily?!"There were looks of disbelief, shock and confusion on everyone's faces as they looked at Ash. But no matter how tough they acted or how oblivious they tried to be, the bone chilling aura coming from Ash that slowly filled the room was undeniable. It was an aura that was impossible for any human to manifest, dark and scary."It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not.""I'm not the one behind bars looking at lifetime imprisonment and possible death sentence."Ian shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner as he signaled for Ash to stop. He was only here to give these people a chance. A chance at repentance. If they refuse to grab it, he didn't care less whether they died or lived inside a cage forever. 'Human resources are valuable after all.'That was one of the other reasons why Ian was here. He wanted to bind all these people under contract and have them serve the country. It didn't sit right
"You're gonna let them go?" Arthur asked, conflicted, as he looked at Ian. They were currently in an underground prison, the biggest prison that was made on Ian's request under the Duchy. The war criminals, the cult members, were being held here. Seven days had already passed since Ian's soul returned to his body. He was forced to have complete bedrest this whole time by his parents and the kids. They finally let him go after he managed to manipulate them emotionally with everything he had. It was a difficult job indeed. But nothing was impossible for Ian. "Let them go? NO?" Ian asked back in utter shock instead. But it wasn't Arthur's fault that he misunderstood. Ian did indeed say something that could be easily misinterpreted. "But you just said 'It's time to go out.'..?" That's what he said. To the criminals. Not that he meant it literally. "To the hall. TO.THE.HALL." Ian repeated himself twice, once for the criminals and once for Arthur. Everyone captured already had
Ian's time with the kids were cut short as the Dicarious couple arrived in a haste. A part of Ian was happy to see them again after so long. But a part of him was also wondering if they really were there for Ian. What if they were expecting their son to come back? What if the person they expected to see coming to his senses was Adrian and not him? How disappointed they would be. With a mixture of these various emotions coursing through his mind, he failed to make any type of expression when faced with those two people. Neither could he smile wholeheartedly nor apologize and cry. The kids were guided outside by Arthur and Albert, giving Ian and his parents the room to themselves. Ash was reluctant to leave seeing Ian's expression, but the atmosphere was too heavy for him to interfere. So while everyone else went to another room, he stayed, waiting while standing outside Ian's room. The others also didn't force him to leave since they didn't know which was better. "Are you
"YOU!"Smack!"THOUGHTLESS!"SMACK!"BAS-! JER-!! PERSON!"Ian had to wake up from his peaceful sleep with the sound of someone's shout along with the obnoxiously loud yet not so painful smacking of the pillows."Ow ow ow.. what the hell...?""Huh?""I'm back?"Ian woke up rubbing the back of his head that was the victim of continuous battering and looked around. The changed bedroom and the familiar faces made him aware of the fact that he had indeed come back. "What?""What are you talking about, young master? You didn't go anywhere."Both Albert and Arthur looked concerned as they checked Ian's status for any abnormalities. Only after multiple checking did they finally sigh in relief. "Ah no.. ""Hey guys.. Long time no see?"Ian greeted the kids and the Prince and the Knight all together while leaning back on his bed. The one responsible for the ruthless battering from before still had a massive pout on their face as they silently glared at Ian. "Are you angry? I'm sorry. How lo
Ian enjoyed the tea from hell while having a long and informative conversation with death, or at least that's who he assumed the other person was. He learned about the past that he had locked away and the people he had forgotten. But it all felt distant, like he was viewing the life of somebody else. "Why did I do that? Lock my memories?"Ian was curious. Just by watching the memories of Noah's future, he could tell that he lived a pretty okay life. The daughter he adopted also turned out to be great. She became his family. These were precious memories. So he couldn't understand why he'd lock them up like this. "After I presented you with my request, this is what you told me."Death continued showing Ian another set of completely different memories. An old man, wrinkly hand, white hair, hazy eyes. The room looked similar to the one he was in right now, and so was the person in front of them. "The me right now cannot save a world.""The blade has already lost it's edge.""I've grow
"What do you mean by welcome back?"Ian asked, confused. As far as he could remember, never before in his life did he see this man or these scenes. And these weren't circumstances that he'd forget 'by chance' either. "After your first death, you came here.""First death.. Ah.. When I jumped down the bridge?"Ian remembered his last moments as Noah. The music that played, the scenery he watched on top of that bridge, they were all very memorable. Yet, he had no memory of coming to this place.But unlike Ian's thoughts, the guy in front of him shook his head in denial. Not understanding exactly which part he was denying, Ian tilted his head to the side slightly."What death are you talking about then?""You didn't die back then."The guy sat down on the bed, facing Ian and the endless hell behind him as he spoke. "When you were at the verge of losing consciousness, you heard a childs cry.""A child?""Yes. It was the final monster outbreak." Ian wondered what this guy was talking abo