The morning was bright. I stretched on the bed and rubbed my eyes before looking at the sunlight streaming through the window and shining on my stomach. Then, I got up and stared at the view outside. As usual, it was breathtaking... Wait, hold on.
I slept!!
Oh my God, I didn't have that nightmare last night. I actually slept peacefully and woke up refreshed. This... this is amazing! Yes, I slept. I can't believe it. I think it's thanks to Maris. She stayed with me until I fell asleep. I have to thank her! Oh God, sleep is truly wonderful. I even feel so light and relaxed. Whoa...
But still, I didn't feel happy. I know why, of course. It's because of what happened yesterday. What should I do? Should I go through with my plan—ask Sabrina about the reason behind it? Okay, but imagine if that angers her, and she tries to kill me like before. That would be terrifying... No, it doesn't matter. I have to go talk to her. Yes, I'll do it!
I put on my work clothes and left the room. Oh God, I'm so nervous! I washed my face and waited for it to dry because I hate using the towels in this palace—they're so disgusting. After a while, Evol arrived too and went into the bathroom with some other servants.
"Laos, is your training starting today?" Evol asked while splashing water on his face.
"Yes, today, but I'm going now to talk to Sabrina about yesterday," I replied, staring at his sharp horns.
"Oh! Good luck," Evol said.
After that, I left the bathroom and headed to the third floor. I climbed the stairs, trembling with nervousness and fear. Finally, I reached the door to her room... Oh God, this is terrifying. I've felt this way before—a feeling that stops me from opening this specific door. I haven't spoken to Sabrina in a while, so it's going to be hard to talk to her.
Come on, I have to talk to her, even if it means my death... I'll knock on the door, now! No, no, oh God... I can't even knock on the door. Nooooo, what should I do?! Should I just stand here until she opens the door and finds a fucking sixteen-year-old servant with dark circles under his eyes and a just-out-of-bed face, wanting to complain about the butler's decision?
"Come in."
Suddenly, Sabrina spoke from behind the door. Oh God, I forgot I'm in a fantasy world where sensing someone's aura is a thing. Fuck! I opened the door and finally entered. Her room was one of my favorite places in this palace. It was definitely a fantasy-style room. I moved closer until I was standing directly in front of her desk, where she sat reading some book.
"Sabrina..." I mumbled, feeling extremely nervous. Oh God, this witch is one of the strangest people here. Sometimes, I can talk to her, and other times I can't.
"You want to talk about your promotion issue?" Sabrina asked, flipping through the pages of her book.
"Yes," I replied, feeling my nervousness ease a little.
"All right... Listen, Laos, the decision not to promote you wasn't mine or Gaziel's. It came from someone you know very well," Sabrina said.
Yeah, I've been thinking about her—it's Tiana!
"Who?" I asked.
"The princess. It was her order," Sabrina replied, closing her book.
"Ah... But why? What's the reason?" I asked.
"We don't know. All we know is that she didn't want you promoted. I think she hates you."
"Sabrina, I want to ask you, does the royal family have any issues with people who have an NPC class?" I asked, sadness filling my heart.
"The royal family doesn't even know such a class exists," Sabrina replied coldly.
"So... so how will I ever get promoted if I stay like this?!" I said, raising my voice slightly.
"Ask Tiana when she returns," Sabrina said.
"I will," I replied, stepping back to leave the room.
"Laos... if you tell anyone in this palace what I just told you, I'll kill you," Sabrina said in a terrifying tone.
Hearing that sent a shiver from my toes to my head, followed by an itch all over my body, and finally, my heart started pounding fiercely... Oh God, she's such a terrifying woman. I gathered my words and said:
"Of course, I won't. What kind of warning is that, huh?"
After that, I quickly left the room and returned to the second floor. I swear I'll never speak to her again, no matter what. I'll never talk to her again! But what does that crazy princess want from me? I thought she liked me. What happened to her?! Well, they've left me no other choice. Yes, I'll escape from this fucking palace!
After a while, I found Maris alone. When she saw me, she approached. Oh God, I'm seriously starting to love Maris—not just in a physical way but genuinely!
"Good morning. What happened in your talk with Sabrina?" Maris asked.
"She didn't know the reason, unfortunately," I replied.
"All right, let's go outside. Your training starts before lunch," she said, heading toward the first-floor stairs.
Suddenly, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. Yes, I need to thank her first.
"Maris, the reason I couldn't sleep was that I had a nightmare every time I tried to sleep... But last night, when you stayed with me, I slept. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Maris," I said.
"..."
"Laos, that's wonderful. It seems I'm useful to you," she said with a radiant smile.
"Yes, you're amazing... I really love you, Maris. You're important to me," I said, hoping my feelings reached her.
"Well, that's so embarrassing... Stop talking like that," she said, clearly blushing. How beautiful.
"Let's go outside. The others are waiting," she said as she descended the stairs.
Thank you, Maris.
◆ ◆ ◆
We left the palace. The morning air was wonderful, and the breeze was truly delightful. After some walking, we reached the others. There were Evol, Petal, Camelia, and some servants I didn't know. We approached them, and from what I overheard, they were talking about adventuring. Oh, their situation is truly sad—they talk about adventures while being trapped in this palace.
"Laos, you're finally here. Let's get your training started," said Petal.
"Yes!" I replied enthusiastically, nodding my head.
"All right, let's begin!" Petal said, clenching his fist.
"Wait, wait! You're not going to start teaching him combat skills on an empty stomach. Camelia and I will explain the power systems to him first, and after lunch, he can begin learning the combat arts," Camelia interjected.
"All right, Laos, you need to understand how things work in this world. I've read plenty of books on the subject, and there are several power systems in Staria. There's colored magic, which is elemental magic, gray magic, which is non-elemental magic, and then rune—a spiritual power that first appeared during the Rune Ages. It's incredibly challenging to use but extremely powerful. And, of course, there's healing magic," Camelia explained.
"What about aura?" I asked.
"It's not a power system. Aura is something everyone is born with, but its strength varies from person to person. Some have aura so weak it's imperceptible, while others have overwhelming aura that can incapacitate people. However, it's not used for combat. People usually raise their aura to avoid wasting time on weak opponents. For example, let's say a knight has traveled a long distance to return home but is stopped by a group of bandits. The knight is exhausted and doesn't want to fight them, so all he does is release his powerful aura, knocking them down. That's what aura is for—it's useful but not suitable for combat. Additionally, increasing your aura level is difficult," she explained.
"Okay, now let's move on to magic," Maris chimed in.
"As Camelia mentioned, there are several types of power systems, with magic being the most famous—both colored and gray. Like aura, magic is something everyone is born with, but some are born with an almost negligible amount of it. That's why not everyone in Staria can use magic. But that's not our focus today. Magic is deeply tied to human willpower. The stronger your willpower, the faster your magic will develop. This is particularly true for gray magic."
"Colored magic is also linked to willpower, but it requires meditation and harmony with nature. Additionally, some people are born with a natural affinity for the elements of nature, like Evol or the dragonborn race in general. This race is born with a strong connection to the fire element, allowing them to quickly develop and use fire magic. I hope you understood my explanation. To summarize, when you sense your magic, you need to assign it an element to use colored magic. However, if you lack any natural affinity for the elements, you'll be limited to using gray magic."
Oh, this is amazing! What an incredible magic system. I'm so excited! I think this world is truly wonderful. If only I could leave this palace, I swear I'd enjoy my life and achieve true happiness! This is absolutely fascinating. For the first time, I felt a spark of joy while someone explained something to me. Man, I even felt a little happy.
"And finally, we have healing magic. I mentioned earlier that the gods granted it to their followers. So, quite simply, if you want healing magic, you need to follow a god. The more devout you are, the stronger your healing magic becomes. That's magic in Staria. As for rune, we don't understand much about them, and they're rarely used on this continent, making them a somewhat mysterious power system."
"Maris, which god do you follow?" I asked, thinking about healing magic.
"Currently, I don't follow anyone, but I was a devoted follower of the Moon Goddess in the past."
"That's why I possess a healing spell." Maris added.
"Okay, how do I use magic?" I asked.
"It's a bit complicated," Camelia replied.
"To use magic, you need a lot of meditation, merging your willpower with your heart, and attempting to sense the magical energy flowing within your body. If you can't sense it, it means your magical power is very weak. In that case, you can rely on external resources like magic stones, magical scrolls, or certain magic items that enhance magical abilities, or even consume some potions," Camelia explained.
"So, I need to meditate?" I asked, recalling Camelia's story.
"Meditation isn't everything. It's about willpower. You need strong willpower when meditating and merging it with your heart... Oh well, I know my explanation is terrible because even I don't fully understand this stage. Every time I read about it in a book, I get lost in the complexity. But... listen, Laos, imagine that you won't be able to escape the palace if you can't use magic," Camelia added.
"I'll try," I replied.
After that, I sat on the grass, closed my eyes, and let my thoughts wander. Oh God, I just remembered—she said that everyone in this world has it, but I'm not from this world. Will I really be able to use magic?... I hope so. I continued meditating, thinking about how I wouldn't be able to escape if I didn't learn magic... After a long time, I didn't feel anything. Fuck, what does willpower have to do with magic? This is really weird!
Never mind, I'll change how I think. Imagine... Imagine that if I learn magic, volume 23 of The Rising of the Shield Hero will be released... No, no. Imagine that if I learn magic, Highserk Senki will get an anime adaptation... Ahh, imagine... Imagine that if I learn magic, Riviera: The Promised Land will get a sequel... Ugh, this isn't working... What is this nonsense?!
Calm down... and imagine... that... if I learn magic... I'll be happy... Ah! Ah! What the fuck?! What the fuck is that?!, I suddenly jumped up and opened my eyes. Fuck! What was that thing that moved in my heart... Ahh!! I felt it moving—it's magic!! It was moving like an insect inside my heart!!! Yooh, that's terrifying!
"Amazing, it seems you succeeded on your first try. Well done, you did it—you've passed the first stage, which is sensing the magical energy in your heart," Maris said.
"So I can use magic?" I asked, shocked yet excited.
"Absolutely!" Camelia replied.
"Thank you... Thank you all," I said.
Out of everything, this was one of the best experiences Laos had ever had. At this moment, he felt immense joy, forgetting all his past troubles. Nothing mattered except this achievement—sensing the magical energy moving within his heart. Yes, this feeling alone was enough to make Laos the happiest person alive, unconcerned with his problems. And above all, for the first time in a long while, Laos felt a sense of belonging to this world. Especially after being able to use magic—a fantastical concept that only exists in stories. But now, Laos had felt it, and that feeling alone was enough to transform him completely.
Laos began to feel a little more at home.