The wind was harsh, or maybe it wasn't. I couldn't tell. Thubir was flying like a student who just realized their exam got rescheduled earlier—on the same morning. I raised my hands to shield my eyes, squinting against the blinding speed. Everything was a blur. Menyurl wasn't far now.
But… wouldn't it be weird for a child to be flying through the air, carried by a bird?
"Hey, Th—" The words caught in my throat. The wind was too strong. "L—let… me… d—down…!"
Thubir heard me. He swiftly started descending, gliding like a plane. My feet brushed the ground—then touched it. But he didn't stop. He was still flying. I had to run. Legs struggling to keep up, I stumbled, tripping over my own feet.
—THUD.
"…Ow." My face burned. But—I smiled. I turned to Thubir, rubbing my sore cheek.
"Thanks, Thubir."
He perched on my forearm, letting me pet his head.
"Go back to Diagung. I'll keep an eye out, don't worry about me."
Thubir didn't move.
"…And take care of Diagung too, alright? He's angry all the time, but he's just lonely."
He stared at me for a moment before finally taking off. I watched him disappear into the sky. I never had a pet in my past life. But now, I did. And it was an adorable legendary creature.
Menyurl was still kilometers away. But I'd rather walk than risk Thubir being seen. Lucky we even found Menyurl at all. We spent all night flying in random directions. None of us knew where it was—until we practically scouted every town. This was the last one left. This was Menyurl.
"Whooo…" I finally made it. Menyurl was a lot livelier than Hollowbrook. It had the structure of a medieval city—but with touches of modernity. As I walked through the streets, I felt their eyes on me. I could hear the whispers.
"Hey, who's that kid?"
"He looks hurt."
"Poor kid… is he from the church?"
"Should we help him?"
…A lot more caring than Hollowbrook. I didn't blame the people from Hollowbrook. Poverty there was brutal. You had to look after yourself. Me and Liese were lucky Rosa took care of us.
Oh, right. Arcane Pact. I still needed to avoid the temples.
"Hello, child."
I froze. A man with green hair and darker green eyes stood before me. He looked like a saint. Behind him, a group of children stared at me, nervous. He spoke again.
"Are you lost? Where are your parents?"
Shit. Just my luck. I ran into him.
Vasalir. The main priest of the Temple of Angrobod, the God of Gifts.
I shook my head and turned to run.
"Wait—"
His voice was calm. Gentle. Like an angel. I was sure if Heide or Liese met him, they'd be happy to stay with him.
I was running past adults, bumping into people as I weaved through the crowd. I wasn't thinking, just trying to get away. But then—thud!
I slammed into something solid and fell backward. Dazed, I looked up. A guard. No… a palace guard? His uniform looked like something straight from the emperor's army.
"Hey! How dare you barge into me—" The intimidating man looked down, his deep voice booming. His sharp brown eyes and well-groomed beard gave him a commanding presence, and his broad, muscular frame only made him scarier.
I froze. My body refused to move. Why… why was I more scared of him than of Diagung?
His anger vanished in an instant. "Wait… a child?" He bent down, concern replacing his glare. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"
What? That deep voice wasn't scary anymore, but my legs still trembled. My throat tightened, and before I knew it, tears were pouring down my face.
"Ah, wait! Hey, calm down! I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry, hey—"
Before he could say more, another guard approached. "Lysander, c'mon, you're scaring the kid."
The second man was thinner, clean-shaven, with black hair and pale eyes.
"Juno, you don't need to tell me that. I can't help it."
"Well, of course you can't. You look like a damn gorilla to a child."
Gorilla? Wait… gorillas exist here?
Lysander stood up, glaring. "You and your ego."
Juno smirked. "Oh, please. You're the one with the ego."
Lysander scoffed but didn't argue. Juno crouched down, smiling at me. "So, young man, how are you? Where are your parents?"
I didn't answer. Unlike Lysander, Juno wasn't intimidating, but I still hesitated.
Near Juno's neck, I noticed a small mole. He was… unmistakably handsome. No wonder women were fawning over him. His long, silky hair looked better than most women's.
Lysander smirked. "He's not responding, Juno. Probably thinks you're sketchy."
"Of course not, you shitbrain," Juno shot back. "He's just curious."
"Oh yeah? He's probably wondering why a man in his forties still looks so young. He must think you're some weirdo using alchemy."
"You fat pig, I don't use alchemy! And first off, you look like you're about to hit fifty. Shouldn't you be walking with a cane by now? Maybe retire already?"
"You rude bastard! Watch your mouth, or you'll dirty the kid's ears."
Watching them, I could tell they were good friends.
But then, Lysander's eyes flickered to my torn shirt. He noticed the red whip marks on my back. His smirk faded.
"Hey, Juno… look at the kid's back."
Juno's playful expression stiffened. He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, turning me slightly. When he saw the marks, he froze.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
They knew. Children got punished. It wasn't uncommon.
Even I didn't realize how bad it was. Ethereal Love made this world seem beautiful, but that was through the protagonist's eyes.
Reality in fact was cruel.
We never got to see the darker side of the world in the visual novel. Goes to show—you can't just assume a world is full of happiness just because the story tells you the protagonist enjoys it.
For some, the world is beautiful. For others, it's hell. It all comes down to luck—the environment you're raised in. I never understood why people said being poor was a punishment for crimes in a past life. If a god truly wanted to punish someone, why let them reincarnate at all? If they were reborn, they were a new person, someone who had done nothing wrong. And yet, the world hated them from birth, forcing them into suffering. Then, when they turned to evil, the world blamed them—never stopping to consider how they were made into what they became.
It was disgusting. That's why I didn't choose a god in this world. I didn't want to learn the teachings of some deity that let such things happen. If a god existed, then they were unmistakably cruel to some people.
"Hey, kid? You alright?"
I snapped back to reality. Juno and Lysander were looking at me. I pointed at the ground, signaling that I wanted to get down.
Juno blinked in surprise. "Oh, you wanna get down? Here you go…"
He gently set me down. I gave them a small wave before walking away. They hesitated, confused, but eventually waved back.
"…Hey, Lysander, should we tell the temple?" Juno asked quietly. "That kid's been through something. Maybe he's traumatized… or those noble bastards did something to him."
Lysander didn't take his eyes off me as I walked away. "No."
Juno frowned. "What? But—"
"If that kid wanted help, he'd have gone to the temple himself already. And besides… I don't like those temple bastards. You remember Evena, right?"
Juno went silent.
—
I sighed, frustration bubbling inside me. Where the hell is Arcane Pact's building?
I had been walking for what felt like ages, turning down different streets, but I still couldn't find it. This was a pain.
I turned another corner—and suddenly, I realized I was standing in the middle of the road.
Before I could react, I heard the thunder of hooves.
A horse-drawn carriage was racing toward me.
Too fast.
I couldn't run. My childlike body wasn't quick enough. I turned my head—no one was there to help.
Why?
No—some people had noticed. I saw their horrified faces. Some were screaming for the carriage to stop.
But it was too late.
Everything slowed down.
Despite how slow the world seemed, my body felt even slower. I couldn't move in time. Was this it? Was I really about to die to a horse-drawn carriage?
I closed my eyes.
Then—
I felt the ground. My fingertips tingled with vibrations.
Something was different.
Suddenly, a wall shot up in front of me.
The horse neighed loudly, rearing back in fear. The carriage came to a sudden, jarring stop.
The world snapped back into normal speed.
I gasped, breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to catch my breath. My legs trembled as I forced myself to stand. The wall that had saved me sank back into the ground.
A crowd gathered around me. Dozens of eyes locked onto me.
Some people looked relieved. Others were angry.
"What was he doing in the middle of the road?"
"Where are his parents?"
"Tch." I clenched my fists. Always asking about parents. Haven't they ever seen an orphan before?
Just then, someone picked me up.
Strong, wrinkled hands lifted me effortlessly.
I looked up. A man with a long beard, streaked with black and gray, gazed at me with sharp yet kind eyes.
"Hello," he said, voice calm and steady. "I'm sorry—my grandson caused you all trouble."
Grandson?
Me? No, I wasn't his grandson. I didn't even know him.
But he just smiled down at me, turning to the gathered crowd. "Sorry for taking my eyes off him," he said casually, as if I really was his grandchild. Then, his voice took on a firm yet gentle tone. "Listen up, boy. You're lucky I stopped that horsecar. Don't pull such stunts again."
He scolded me—but he did it with a smile.
He didn't seem angry at all.
And… it was him. He was the one who had summoned that wall.
I looked up at him, searching for something in his expression. Then, without thinking, I leaned forward, resting my head against his chest.
It was warm.
Comforting.
For some reason, I liked it.
My real grandfather, in my previous world, was never this kind. He was strict—always talking about education, always pushing me to study harder. He never asked me about my life, never spoke to me like a normal grandson. Our bond had been distant, strained.
But this?
This felt different.
"Ho ho, tired, huh?" He chuckled, his voice rumbling in his chest. "Alright, let's go home."
He carried me effortlessly, walking away from the crowd with a smile.