"Wait here."
Yohan nodded after one of the knights ordered him to stop and wait in front of a large double door in the western part of the palace. There were many guards standing around in the area. They glanced at Yohan curiously but did not dare to say anything.
"Come in, the saint and the crown prince are inside."
Yohan widened his eyes. "Wait, the crown prince too?"
The knight roughly slapped away Yohan's palm holding his robe. "Don't touch me, otherworlder!" he shouted.
Yohan raised both hands while rolling his eyeballs. "Wow, relax, man."
When Yohan entered, Alastair was also inside and glanced at him. This was the first time he saw the crown prince's face up close. Previously, he had seen his face in the hall during the summoning, but he did not really pay attention to his face.
"Sit down, otherworlder. What is your name?" the crown prince asked.
"Yohan Dharmawijaya."
Yohan glanced at the high school girl who had accidentally dragged him into this land of nowhere. She had been wearing clothes from this country.
"My name is Destrian Nobert. I am the crown prince of this kingdom."
Yohan nodded. "Greetings, your highness."
"I am so glad you are well, Mr. Dharmawijaya. I was really worried when you collapsed and were covered in blood in the hall. Ah, my name is Kiara."
Yohan looked at the girl. "Calling me Yohan is fine," he said.
Yohan did not know why, but the atmosphere in this room really made him uncomfortable. He did not know what the purpose of the high school girl calling him here was, but if she was just worried about the condition of his wound, then he hoped this meeting would be over soon.
"Yohan, I want to see if-"
"Your Highness!"
Yohan and everyone else in the room turned their heads when a servant girl entered with a panicked expression.
"What is it, Tehanu?" the crown prince asked.
"Prince Elys fainted after vomiting blood. I've called a healer to check on him, but-ah, please forgive me."
The servant girl who reported the news only realized that there was someone else in the room.
The crown prince looked worried. "Alright, I'll go to his room." He then turned to Alastair, who had been standing in silence. "Alastair, please take care of the Saint."
Alastair bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Highness."
After the crown prince left, the air in the room was a little lighter. Yohan did not know if he felt uncomfortable because of the crown prince, or if he was just reluctant to be in the room.
"Captain Alastair, sit here with us," Kiara called.
Alastair shook his head. "I'll just stand here, your holiness."
Kiara's face looked disappointed, but the girl tried to accept it. She looked back at Yohan and gave him a kind smile.
"What will you do here next, Mr. Yohan? Are you going to participate and help the kingdom?"
Yohan raised one eyebrow at the question. "I don't know, even if I stay quiet and lazy, this kingdom still has a responsibility to take care of me. I'm here because of them and you, right?"
Kiara's face looked surprised at Yohan's words. "W-What do you mean, Mr. Yohan? Are you blaming me?"
Yohan laughed softly. "No, I'm not. Don't make that face, I'm not blaming you. After all, it was me who decided to grab your hand when your body was sucked into the portal. I could have just left you."
Kira cleared her throat softly. "Are you really not going to do anything?"
"Hm, let's see, I was curious about the famous Nox area. Captain Indark offered me to join as a hunter. Maybe I can see how scary that always-dark area is."
Kiara widened her eyes. "Eh? Isn't that dangerous? What if something happens to you, Mr. Yohan?"
Yohan chuckled. "You should be worried about yourself, Miss."
"Huh?"
"Are you sure you're capable of saving this country?"
Yohan's question instantly made Kiara stop sipping her tea. The girl's face looked surprised and unhappy. Yohan knew that perhaps the girl had taken his question the wrong way and thought he was underestimating her.
"What do you mean, Mr. Yohan? Are you saying that I don't need to do it?"
Right! The girl immediately raised her voice.
"Not really. Honestly, I don't care about what you're going to do here. Let's just say, I'm worried about your safety. You're just a high school girl. You're too young to deal with the monsters in the Nox area."
When Yohan mentioned the monsters in the Nox area, Kiara's face showed a slight look of worry. Of course, what was to be expected from an innocent high school girl like her? Even before she came to this country, Yohan was certain that the girl had never faced a problem big enough to ruin her life. Most likely, she was a good girl with a good family.
"Why do you speak like that, Mr. Yohan? Are you saying that I am incapable? Do you want me to abandon this duty and save myself? Only I can save this country. How dare you say that?"
Yohan sighed. "You are too easily carried away by your emotions, Miss."
Kiara's face turned red with anger. "Stop it! Stop what you're saying, Mr. Yohan. I will save this country from disaster, and you have no right to say otherwise."
Yohan scratched his head with a lazy expression. "Yes, well, whatever you say, Miss. I appreciate your kind heart. Just make sure you remain safe."
Kiara slammed the table until the cup and teapot on it fell and broke on the floor. The few servants who were there were startled. They quickly left to follow Kiara as she strode away in a fiery rage.
Yohan sighed as he glanced at the girl's leaving. "Hmp, so naive," he muttered.
"Why are you talking like that?"
Ah, Yohan forgot that Alastair was still watching them. He immediately laughed softly even though Alastair was loyal to his flat expression.
"I was just warning her. She's still young, right? She's not from this world either."
"You think my country is not worth saving?"
Yohan shook his head. "I'm not saying that. I think there must be some other way than letting a teenage girl like her dive headfirst into such dangerous territory. Well, I haven't seen the Nox area with my own eyes, but the hunters have given me quite detailed information."
"She won't go there alone. The knights will help her."
Yohan laughed softly. "Yes, I know. Ah, by the way, I will accept your offer. Make me one of the hunters."
Alastair was surprised. "Eh?"
And Yohan just smiled broadly as if deciding to become one of the hunters was not a big decision.
***
After Yohan confirmed his participation as one of the hunter members, he began training together with the other hunters. Yohan had acquired the skills of a bodyguard before. Physical training was not new to him. Yohan's stamina was also quite good. He was used to relying on his own stamina, so even hard training was something he could do well. His only weakness was magic. He did not have magic like the people here."You're doing great, Yohan. The physical training of hunters is usually a nightmare for new members, but you are able to follow it well until the end," Ancel said happily.Yohan smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I'm used to this kind of thing.""Uh, what do you do in your world?" asked Ancel."Bodyguard.""Bodyguard? You mean like those guys?" Ancel pointed at the group of escorts who were patrolling around the hunters' base.Yohan laughed amusedly. "More or less, I'm confused about how to explain my job to you because our worlds are completely different. Let's just say it's the same
When entering the Nox area, Yohan did not hesitate to grasp the sword he was carrying. The sword belonged to Alastair. He lent it to Yohan because he had just become part of the hunters and did not yet have his own weapon. Normally, a hunter who had just entered would not immediately be invited on an expedition to the Nox area. But Yohan was different. Just a day after he agreed to Alastair's offer to join the hunters, he had to join the expedition to the Nox area."Are you okay?" asked Ancel with a worried expression.Yohan laughed softly. "What? Does my face look really scared?"Ancel shook his head. "It's precisely because you look so normal that I'm worried.""Take it easy, Ancel. Dealing with death is not something unfamiliar to me. At least, in my world, I've also come close to death many times. It's just the way it's done that's different from here."Ancel smiled. "No wonder Captain Indark recommended you to become a hunter, you already have a lot of experience in your world. I
Yohan was surprised. "No, no way."The dragon had stomped two of his comrades to death in a gruesome way. Ancel turned his face away. He quickly pulled Yohan's arm away from the area."Hold on, we'll escape soon."Yohan pulled his arm from Ancel's grip. "I won't just let that thing live."Ancel was surprised. "What do you mean, Yohan?""I'll kill it."Ancel gaped. "What? What are you thinking-eh, Yohan!"Yohan ignored his comrades' calls and ran forward toward the rampaging dragon. Ancel and the rest of the hunters wanted to help, but they were all terrified beyond belief. They were used to dealing with the deaths of their comrades, but the grief of losing friends did not dissipate that easily.Yohan looked down at his own arm. "If the poison in the dragon's saliva doesn't kill me, then I have a chance to defeat the dragon," he muttered."Roooooaaarrrr!"Yohan jumped up and held on to the dragon's leg. The dragon flew up and kept moving its legs violently to make Yohan fall down. Fort
After Yohan gouged out a few of the green dragon's scales and then took a few drops of its blood, the dead dragon's body suddenly shattered into flakes of ash. He crouched down and touched the flakes. It felt very smooth, almost too smooth when compared to the ashes left over from burning wood. He also sniffed the aroma, and there was no burnt scent at all from the smooth flakes."Would a dead dragon disintegrate like this?" Yohan muttered. He went back to check the dragon scales he had taken and they remained intact as they should. The blood he put into the bamboo container was also still safe.Out of curiosity, Yohan put some of the soft flakes into the leaf container he had picked up carelessly nearby. Perhaps he could study the item later. Who knows if the flakes were as useful as dragon scales or blood?After an expedition, hunters would usually be given two or three days to rest and be free from training. During this time, they will normally use the time to sleep and restore the
Yohan was surprised when he saw the alchemist's strange expression. He stared at the dragon's ashes like a psychopath who had successfully minced human flesh. He did not know, maybe Yohan was just overthinking it. Yohan quickly turned his face away and left the place. Whatever the alchemist did was none of his business. The important thing was that the weapon he wanted was made well.Yohan parted ways with Ry that day. The girl said that they should meet again sometime. Yohan agreed. He did not think too much about it. Maybe they will meet again in the same place, or who knows? They were not that close to each other to begin with. But Yohan was very grateful to Ry because the girl had brought him to the alchemist. At least, he would have his own magic weapon and no longer need to borrow Captain Indark's.In accordance with the initial agreement, Yohan returned to the alchemist's place a week later. The difference was that Ancel accompanied him this time. When he told Ancel that he had
The alchemist was shocked. He approached Yohan, who was still lying on the ground, groaning in pain. "I-It's... This is the first time I've seen something like this." Ancel frowned in disbelief. He thought the alchemist knew why a black mark suddenly appeared on Yohan's body when he touched the dragonscale weapon. "Hey, are you okay?" Ancel tried to help Yohan to his feet. Yohan's breathing was labored. Ancel could feel his uncomfortable breathing. "Yohan!" Yohan looked weakly at Ancel. "It hurts like hell." "Come on, help him up and put him on the chair. I'll check the mark." Athlas got up and took some things from the old wooden cupboard at the back of the room. Ancel's brow was still slightly furrowed. It was obvious that he was puzzled by what the alchemist was about to do. "What are you going to do?" Athlas took a small bamboo phial from the leather pouch he had taken from the closet. Ancel continued to watch what the man was about to do until he prevented Athlas from taki
Perhaps Yohan should have listened to Ancel's words about the spear they had brought from the alchemist's house. When they reached the palace and were about to enter the hunters' barracks, Alastair Indark was already standing there, staring at them with a fierce glare in his eyes."Captain Indark!" Ancel bowed to the man immediately.Yohan grimaced at him. "Hey, um... I was going out for a while and Ancel came with me because he was worried."Alastair tugged at the collar of Yohan's clothes. The rough action made Yohan moan in pain. The black marks that suddenly appeared on his body still looked like burns.Alastair noticed the change in Yohan's expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.Yohan immediately shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing.""You're lying."Alastair quickly pulled off Yohan's clothes and examined his body. He was shocked to see the black marks all over Yohan's body. His eyes were filled with horror. He immediately pulled Yohan's arm in the direction of his room."Wait,
"Hello? Is someone there?"Yohan frowned in surprise. He was quite sure that his hearing was not wrong. He heard a loud crash outside the railing."Ancel? Are you there?"Actually, Yohan did not want to cross the railing. His position as a person from another world was already enough of a cause for serious concern here. Alastair Indark would certainly have a problem if Yohan's reckless behavior were to be reported to the crown prince.Yohan sighed and scratched his temple. "Did I hear wrong, huh?"Just as Yohan was about to turn around, he heard another crash. But this time it was softer."Damn, I can't take it anymore."Not to mention if he had to deal with the crown prince later. Yohan could not just walk away, suppressing his curiosity."Hey, is anyone in... what the hell?"Yohan ran over and approached an unconscious body with blood on its chest."Ancel! Ancel! What happened to you, why is it like this?"Yohan slowly laid Ancel's head on his thigh. His nose was bleeding, his mouth