After the explanation he gave to Miria, Vyra presented the place around to Tasha. Elin vanished from his sight worryingly.

Miria called him to her office in the basement to talk to him alone. He felt apprehensive, thinking he would receive some sort of punishment for Elin’s or Vyra’s mistakes. But she didn’t seem too bothered by it.

As Kael marched to the office, he spotted Tasha. She was sitting on a bench in the hallway, looking tired. Her eyes flickered, almost closing.

But when she noticed Kael. She let them wide open as he passed by. He stopped, still feeling guilty.

“I’m sorry, as before, this was a rather difficult way to meet someone…” he said, putting his hand on the back of his head.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that bad; it’s better than I imagined, even.”

Better? How could this possibly be better?

“Why do you say that? Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure. It’s kind of embarrassing to be a servant again, but I can learn magic. A peasant like me wouldn’t get this chance, not even in a thousand years.”

“Is magic truly beyond your reach?”

“Huh, yes. Of course, you should know that better than most, since. Some academies don’t even accept men as students.” She responded, raising her eyebrow at Kael.

“Oh, right, that’s true. Stupid of me to ask.” I forgot that. The other women were so indifferent about me being a foreigner that I forgot I shouldn’t mention it.

“It’s surprising to see you walking around so freely. A man of your caliber doesn’t come cheap, so do you know why that is?”

He put his hand under his chin, closing his eyes for a few moments before answering.

I’m not exactly free. Is she referring to the fact that I don’t wear a collar or something similar? That would be terrifying if that were the norm.

“At first, I thought she might be simply inconsequential.” He stopped a bit before completing. “But now that I know how powerful Elin is, I’m sure she’s confident I couldn’t escape.”

“I see. It makes sense. I’ve only ever heard about her from rumors. I thought she would be a bit meaner than this.”

“From rumors? Is she that popular?”

Tasha frowned, hearing that question. “Well, unless you’ve lived in a cave, it’s impossible to escape her news about her. Even people from other continents would have known that.”

Dammit, she’s suspicious of me. What the hell do I say? Do I lie to her?

“It’s because…” Think, think, think. It has to.

“My last owners. Had hidden me in a house for a long time.”

Her eyes immediately widened upon hearing that. She put her hands on her lap as her eyebrows trembled.

“I understand. I apologize for prying. Nobody should have to endure such a thing.”

It worked.

“Yeah, everything feels new to me. Apart from the vocabulary I was taught, I don’t know much about this world.”

That’s my excuse going forward.

Tasha stood up and approached Kael, extending her hand.

“I’m feeling sleepy. But I hope we can be great mages in the future to free ourselves from our misery.” She exclaimed with a smile.

“Yes, definitely.” He replied, shaking her hand back.

“Take care. Hopefully, you can run away from them, too.” She moved past him and entered the corridor with the line of bedrooms.

Yes, at least I have someone with a goal in common. I still don’t believe it. For some reason, Tasha didn’t seem mad about what happened. Next time, I should ask more about her.

Kael quickened his step once more and headed to Miria’s room.

…

…

…

In front of a door with details of flowers swirling, he knocked twice. And a voice from the other side spoke, “You can come in.”

He entered the room and looked around. He saw many shelves filled with books and others holding various items. To his left, there was a mannequin with small pieces of armor and a saber at its side.

In the center of the room, a large wooden table stands. It has a beautiful cloth on top and, surprisingly, a typewriter. On the opposite side, sat Miria on a chair with a red cushion.

“Take a seat. We haven’t had a proper chance to speak since you got here,” Miria stated, breaking the silence.

He took her advice and sat in one of the two chairs that were turned toward her.

“Yes, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a minute.” He replied, still wandering his gaze at the various objects around the room. From different types of armors to bones from creatures. “You keep quite the collection here.”

“I’m still adding to it. Only time will tell what will be part of it by the end,” Miria responded, her chin resting lightly in her palm, elbow propped casually on the table as her gaze lingered.

Kael’s face reddened as he exclaimed, “I will put up a fight.”

“I hope so; I want to see what a man from another planet is like,” she teased.

“How are you so unbothered by the fact that I’m from another planet?” Kael exclaimed.

“Kael. Do you know why you are here?” she inquired.

“N-no.” He hesitated.

“Then merely enjoy your stay. Don’t overthink the decisions made by fate.”

Dammit, I know that she has access to the system. Does she have any information on me? No chance… Perhaps. If she has the system too, and the others. Could she be from another world too?

His eyes widen once he reaches that hypothetical conclusion.

“Let’s drop this silly debate—I’m just not interested. But others might be, so keep a low profile. You’re going to draw enough attention as it is.”

“Fine,” he rested his back against the chair. “What do you want to discuss?”

“I wanted to talk about three things,” Miria pointed one finger up. “First, we’re heading to the capital in two weeks. Get as strong as possible with Vyra.”

She then raised her second finger. “Second, I sent Elin on a mission during this period. She is as unstable as they come. So again, you have to get stronger.”

“Why does she act so strangely all the time?”

“I’m afraid I can’t share the answer with you. I also don’t think you’re strong enough to stop her. The problem is that she likes you.”

“What? Am I not part of your crew as well? You said that men were rare and expensive. Even if you look at me like property. Don’t you think you should protect me as such?”

“Even if I did, you are not worth the trouble nor more than her in the current state. She is nearly as strong as I am. And second, there might not be another soul on this entire continent that is as loyal and strong as she is.”

“We’ll see about that.” Kael murmured with a frown.

“Your enthusiasm delights me. This desire to get strong will only make her wish for you more.” She then raised her third finger. “If you desire to know my goal. You have to play by my rules.”