"They're here!"
Ian excitedly went down the stairs followed by the others. As the carriages stopped in front of the gate, a few knights came out first and led the children behind them.
Ian went forward and received them from the knights. The knights bowed their head and left, letting the kids and Ian finally meet.
"Welcome.."
Ian smiled as he welcomed them into the mansion. Although they looked a bit hesitant at first, seeing Ian acting like his usual self, they soon became comfortable.
"Aren't you all tired? It must've been a long journey.."
Ian said as he signalled them to follow him inside.
"It was fun."
"We used a teleportation portal for the first time!"
"The knight uncle said that they were there to guard and protect us."
They spoke as they followed Ian like baby ducks following their mother.
"Of course. It's important we make sure that
"Young master, are you close with the prince?" Asked Arthur after Albert left. Corner was in charge of escorting him back to the royal palace, which left Arthur with Ian. "Hmm... We became friends yesterday." "Yesterday? But you guys seemed so close..." Ian wondered if Arthur also wanted to become friends with Albert. In the original novel, they did became quite close aquintances after the incident at the Lancaster duchy. But since Ian was the one who took the credit this time, Albert's attention changed as he focused on Ian instead of Arthur. "He's seems like a friendly guy. Oh, he also mentioned you yesterday. He wanted to get to know the knight that saved him." "Did he?" Arthur couldn't hide the slight excitement showing on his face as Ian put him on the spotlight. There was very few people in the world who didn't like be
"what-ugh!""Oof-""Uwah!"The knights gathered in a circle all jumped up in shock as the water dragon disappeared and drenched them in water.It was cool and refreshing but since none of them was ready for the sudden drenching, they all looked like wet rats as they stood there hopelessly."Pfft...hahahaha..."Among that crowd of shocked people, Ian was the only one who burst out laughing at the scene in front of him. He was finally feeling better after drenching them.It was a petty revenge for the constant stares he received from them everyday which made him self conscious."Young master..."Their admiring gazes were gone and was filled with puppy like stares full of complaint as they looked at Ian. Ian couldn't help but laugh even harder as he faced those gazes."Ahahaha... Pfftt.. what the hell.. hahaha.."As they tried to shake off the w
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?"Albert asked Ian who was wearing his usual mask and robe."I apologize for not getting your permission beforehand. I felt like this would be the safest spot if we're meeting up in secret, you see."That was indeed true. There was no other place in the kingdom as godforsaken as this palace, the one of the deceased queen. If it wasn't for Albert sending his own servants once in a while to take care of this place, it would've turned into a playground for the wild animals.'To think this would be the fate of the queen of a kingdom...'Ian couldn't help but sigh at the thought of it."You still haven't answered my question. Who are you? Remove your mask.""Oh! I cannot do that, I apologize once again. As for my identity, I'm Noah, a prophet.""A what?"&n
After Ian told Albert the secret about his brother, Reynold, they couldn't continue their conversation for much longer. Albert was too distracted by his complicated thoughts and feelings to focus on anything else."We should end today's meeting here."Ian wanted to give Albert the time he needed go gather himself. They decided to meet on a later date and left the place. Arthur decided to escort Albert back to the palace so they parted their ways at that."Don't forget to do what I asked you."Ian said to the both of them. He had different instructions for Arthur which he had explained to him before leaving the place."The night air sure feels great."Ian said as he stretched. He was walking along the riverbank while enjoying the refreshing air of the night. It made him feel relaxed and calm."That's right. It's cold and refres
Ian wondered for a second what he should say to get out of the situation quickly and he soon got a few answers. He judged them by their importance and chose one that'd be the toughest to achieve otherwise. Once he was done deciding, he looked at the King with a determined expression."It seems like you've finally found something that you want. Speak."Said the king with a smirk, wandering the extent of Ian's greed. And Ian was very greedy indeed, much more than what he could've expected."I wish for one of my knights to be bestowed the title of a Marquis."He said with a smug expression knowing how difficult it was to grant someone a title, even for the King. He wanted the King to have a hard time and intentionally asked for that."...What?""How presumptuous!""Such Impudence in front of the King!"The King was dumbfounded while his aids reacted viciously. Ian wondered if they'll ask him to get the hell out of ther
"There was this little kid and his brother. They were orphan.. and the world was a dangerous place to live in..." Ian said as he tried to remember that hellish world that he had to face all alone with only his brother by his side. The zombie attacks were the least of their worries. Whether they'll be able to find something to eat or drink the next day was much more worrisome and of importance. "But they still didn't give up. They fought and fought. They cried and laughed together, ate and starved together as well." 'It wasn't too bad a life.' Ian thought as he saw the prince wriggle under his blanket. "After a few years of struggling, they even managed to find people whom they could call family. Isn't that great?" Ian asked, knowing he won't receive a reply. He didn't mind either. "One day, the brothe
"That bastard finally opened his mouth?"Ian asked Corner as he sat down under the tree on the training ground. Corner nodded his head in confirmation at Ian's question. They were talking about the guy that they captured at Saint Mary's Island.Ian wondered what kind of hellish treatment that bastard went through to open his mouth so quickly. He was inwardly praising the torturer of their duchy, although he didn't know who it was."What did he say?"Ian wondered how much of the truth was revealed by his confession. He wanted to at least have the organisations goal revealed, even if not the details of their plans."Well.. pretty much everything..""Everything?""Yes. What young master said was correct. They were all a part of a cult. I'm amazed by the fact that they managed to stay hidden till now.""Yeah.
'Am I really doing this?' Albert asked himself as he sat on the sofa inside Reynold's study. He was doubting his decision of storming into his brother's mansion after listening to some strangers words. 'What if it was all a lie?' He couldn't help but doubt. Even until a week ago, he thought that Reynold hated him to the point of not even making eye contact with him. But to think that the boy was actually trying to protect him and his rights while harming his own image. It was simply unbelievable. 'I better go back.' Albert stood up intending to leave the place but as he turned around, he came face to face with Reynold who also entered the room at that moment. "Whoa.." "Brother..." Albert who was startled, and Reynold who had a poker face, looked at each other.
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