Chapter 80: Bon Voyage

  While the main threat had been dealt with, the ordeal wasn’t over yet. There were still so many things that needed to be done. The big bad villain was gone, but the effects of his actions lingered. The snake had been killed; now, it was time to treat the venom it’d left behind.

  Not everything was bad news, though.

  Olivia was released from the hospital, healthy and good as new, back home and living with Danjo once again. They were trying to go back to what life had been like before, but that simply wasn’t possible anymore. Not after everything that had happened.

  Albert and Bren were having trouble finding all the slaves and putting them to rest. As information was slowly released, though, most people were helpful. No one wanted a flesh puppet serving them while knowing there was still a person trapped inside. On the surface, the town seemed to be normal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was broken. The more you looked, the more you could tell.

  Graves were dug en masse, the sound of wailing constant among the streets as people realized they would never see their loved ones again. Parents would never hold their children. Children would never feel the warmth of their parents. Lovers would never see each other again. Those who had hope, those who’d been holding out, waiting for their missing loved ones, only to find out that there had never been any hope in the first place…

  The screams of anguish were harsh.

  There were a few, though, that refused to give their slaves up. Some didn’t believe the messages being sent out, thinking it was some kind of joke. Some couldn’t afford to give up their slaves and required convincing. And some simply didn’t care about the predicament their slaves were in. One of these was a particular noble.

  “They think I’ll return these slaves? Our family paid good money for these!” Draco yelled as the messenger cowered in fear. “These are now our property. They are not yours to claim. Do you dare to question our family’s authority?”

  “No, sir, but-”

  “Then you understand. Leave immediately!”

  The news of this spread, and the people were displeased. But what could they do? To challenge the Wynton family was suicidal. Not only would you doom yourself, but your family and loved ones would suffer as well.

  Among the people who’d caught wind of this situation were Destiny and John. Since then, Destiny had been expecting John to do something about it. Truth be told, he’d been eagerly awaiting it. He would never do something like that of his own will. But if someone else asked for his help, that was a different story altogether. He just needed the temptation. The slightest push would send him into the deep end.

  Unfortunately for Destiny, John had no such plans. He had no plans at all. Even Prota was more proactive than him, going out and finding slaves that people weren’t aware of. She dragged her brother along, of course, but he was nothing more than her mouthpiece. If she hadn’t taken any action, he’d probably be in his room all day, waiting for something to happen.

  Eventually, Destiny couldn’t take it anymore and found John himself.

  “You’re not gonna do anything about it?” he demanded, bursting into the small inn room.

  “What?”

  “Draco. I thought you were gonna do something about him.”

  “...not anymore,” John said sadly.

  Destiny looked at him oddly. Something about his tone felt off.

  “You… you good?”

  “Yeah. Just… eh, it’s whatever. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Come on. There’s no way you don’t want to do something about him. What happened to you?”

  John sighed. “I can’t afford to do it anymore. Trust me, I’d like to. Wait, I don’t wanna hear it from you. Weren’t you the one who told me it was suicide to attack a noble household?”

  John did want to do something about it. He really did. His conversation with Kit had made him realize something, though.

  [Resets] were gone. He couldn’t use them anymore. His whole life, he’d lived as if mistakes could be fixed with a simple push of a button, as if death were nothing more than an inconvenience. That was no longer the case. There were consequences to his actions now—things that couldn’t be changed, things that couldn’t be fixed. He could no longer do as he pleased.

  With that in mind, he no longer had the capability to go against an entire noble family on his own. Prota wasn’t strong enough to do something like that, and if she couldn’t, then he couldn’t either. [Reset] truly was his only win condition.

  “Fine. I won’t push the issue anymore,” Destiny sighed, turning to leave.

  John stopped him. “You sound disappointed. What’s up?”

  “W-what? Why would you think that?”

  “Well, I mean, it’s cause you’re a good person, right?”

  Destiny frowned.

  “What?”

  “You’re a good person, Destiny.”

  “So are you.”

  John shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Don’t lie to yourself. You don’t need to say things just for the sake of saying them.”

  “But-”

  “Look, I don’t think I’m a bad person, either. I just… you know. I exist. I do good things. I do bad things. It’s fine either way. So you don’t need to say things just to make me feel better.”

  “Then the reason you kill-”

  “Look, it’s not that deep. I kill. If I get killed, then that’s that. I’m selfish, Destiny. I fight for what I want. Not for a better world. Not for a just cause. I just fight for me.” John turned around, but his face wasn’t sad or empty. It was more like someone just stating things as they were. “You sort of learn that nothing’s really right or wrong. No such thing as good and bad. Things just… they are.”

  “But- hold on. You can’t just say something like that. Our opponent was simply evil. There’s no other way to put it. There was a man in my past life that was also pure evil. There is such a thing in the world as good and bad.”

  “Maybe,” John shrugged. “If that’s the case, though, then am I good? Or am I bad?”

  “I-” Destiny started, but stopped as he realized he didn’t know the answer.

  John stopped and stared deep into Destiny’s eyes, making the latter feel uneasy. There was a moment of silence before John nodded, seemingly understanding something.

  “Destiny. Good and bad. What do those things mean to you?”

  “I-”

  “Let’s say I’m an assassin. I’ve been sent to eliminate an enemy general in times of war. His young son hears of his father’s death, learns that I’m the one who killed him. In hopes of revenge, he sets out to kill me. Is he in the right? Or is he in the wrong?”

  “I- neither?”

  “If someone killed your father out of duty, would you accept that as an answer?”

  “Hold on-”

  John had no intention of letting Destiny get a word in. “Let’s say I get killed next. My son goes after my murderer, who killed me out of revenge. Then what? Can you tell me that, mister morals?”

  Destiny didn’t say anything.

  “Look, I’m not saying that there’s some sort of complicated moral code you have to follow. Everyone believes what they want. To convince someone that they’re doing wrong when they think they’re right is impossible. All you can do is do what you think is right.” John paused, thinking about what he’d just said. “Or, well, you don’t have to. It’s not my place to judge.”

  “I- I see.”

  “Oh, you do? That’s good. I don’t.”

  “But you just-”

  John shrugged. “The world’s too big for us to be worried about whether we’re justified or not. All we can do is our best, no? Or, at the very least, do what we set out to do.”

  “So then Draco is-”

  “Oh, no, that guy needs to kill himself.”

  There wasn’t a single stutter in that sentence. John’s voice and tone hadn’t changed, but there was a new feeling Destiny got from that one line.

  “But your whole talk about good and bad-”

  “Yeah, and did you not hear the part about me not caring? I don’t care what that guy’s circumstances are. He needs to die.”

  John began to talk faster and faster as he began to get more and more heated.

  “He gets to do whatever he wants because there’s a fat bitch of a pig sitting on a greedy little throne. Do you understand? He doesn’t have shit on his own! I could pick him up by the throat, and he couldn’t do shit about it, but do I? No! Why? Because the full wrath of capitalism will come down on my ass! So that son of a bitch-”

  Destiny interrupted John mid rant, putting his hand on his shoulder.

  “I understand, John. I get it. And… by the way. What you said. That we should do what we think is right. It… to me, it seems like you’re doing what you think is right. Doesn’t that make you a good person?”

  He got up, turning to leave, pausing before going through the door.

  “Maybe you’re not the terrible person you think you are, John. You have someone you care for. That makes you better than at least one person, in my eyes.”

  John had no answer to that. Destiny got up and left, leaving John alone to think about what he’d just said.

  ~~~

  “Alright, Danjo. Think about it, ok?”

  The day of departure had finally arrived. There was a discreet carriage near the edge of the town, waiting to take Destiny back to his home. John and Prota would be coming along as well, their bags packed and goodbyes said. Only one thing remained.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “Um… sis, you really won’t go?” Danjo said hesitantly, staring at the letter in his hands.

  A form of application to Scholaris. A caged pigeon sat at his feet, ready to fly.

  “No, Danjo. You have to make this decision on your own.”

  “...alright.”

  Danjo folded up the paper neatly and tucked it in his pocket, then looked back up at his old comrades. His allies. His saviours.

  His friends.

  “T-thank you, everyone,” Danjo said. “For… for everything. And…”

  “Don’t worry about it, Danjo,” Destiny grinned, sticking out his hand. “It was worth it, wasn’t it?”

  “Y-yeah,” Danjo smiled. “I guess it was.”

  “Hah, look at you. All grown up.” Destiny grinned, wrapping his arm around Danjo and knuckling his head. “I’d better see you at Scholaris, ok?”

  “Um…”

  “You’re considering it, aren’t you?. I’d better see you there, ok?”

  “I-”

  “Alright, Danjo!” John yelled as Prota dragged him toward the carriage. “I’ll be seeing you! And sorry about throwing you to the wolves. I won’t do it again!”

  “Do come visit,” Olivia said, waving as Destiny followed. “I’ll have a warm meal for you all. And thank you.”

  “You got it!” Destiny yelled, the carriage growing further and further away.

  Danjo started tearing up as they started to get out of sight. He thought back on what had happened this year. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t that bad after all. Obviously, it would’ve been better if he hadn’t been captured at all, but… well, was that true?

  He’d suffered. So had Olivia. But in the process, he’d learned so much. How to protect himself. How to raid a dungeon. What it was like to be an adventurer. He’d invented new things, made new friends, done new things, and experienced a life that he would’ve otherwise never had. He would’ve still been alone in their little house, tinkering away, maybe getting nowhere.

  “You’ve grown, Danjo,” Olivia said quietly, wrapping her younger brother in her arms. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “...is it really alright for me to go?”

  “That would be up to you. But know this. I’ll always be here, no matter what. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support you. So go and make your own choice, alright?”

  Danjo hesitated as he felt the paper in his pocket. Maybe… maybe it would be alright to go.

  “Wait!” John yelled.

  Danjo turned around to see John running full sprint, waving something in his hand.

  “Danjo,” he panted, leaning on his knees as he got his breath back. “Here. These were some ideas I thought of. They’re not super complex. They’re not weapons. But if you can make these and sell these…”

  John handed the piece of paper over, then was dragged as Prota came running up, hitting John over the head before dragging him back.

  “Now we’re even, alright?” John yelled as Prota dragged him away. “So I’d better see you there!”

  Danjo stared at the paper in his hands. This world had devices, John had learned. Communication devices and projection devices existed. But they were expensive, and they weren’t easy to make.

  On the paper were things like phones, hair dryers, toasters, and microwaves. Simple everyday things that would make life much more convenient. They weren’t revolutionary.

  But they were a start.

  John hadn’t said it, but Danjo could tell. This was his apology. He didn’t show it well, but it was clear that John cared. Maybe not as well as Destiny, but he was watching out for the young dwarf.

  “...yeah,” Danjo said quietly, watching as the carriage drove out of sight.

  ~~~

  “Whew!” John sighed, leaning back as the carriage started up.

  Surprisingly, there were no bumps or any rattling despite the road being uneven. Even Prota looked down in confusion.

  “It’s equipped with a levitation rune, so the carriage isn’t physically attached to the wheels. It also makes things easier on the horses,” Destiny explained.

  “...huh.” John grimaced.

  There were still quite a lot of things he needed to familiarise himself with.

  Magic circles. Runes. Mystics. Elements, cores, magic, combat, all of it. The explanations he’d received were rudimentary at best, open-ended and unexplained at worst. He had an inkling that the [Author] had simply failed to plan the world’s magic system properly, but surely such things would be explained at Scholaris, right? He grimaced and shook his head. Things would be taking a turn from here.

  Prota was staring out the window, completely fascinated, unaware of John’s plight. Now that he thought about it, she’d never ridden in a carriage like this, right? How interesting would it be to take her in a boat? What if they rode on a bike? A car? What would she say if she went on a plane? The thought completely dominated his mind as he wondered about theoretical situations that would likely never happen.

  “The trip back will take at least a couple of days. Make yourselves comfortable.”

  The outside of the carriage was bland, but the inside was quite large and luxurious. There was a table in the centre, with drinks and snacks provided in cupboards underneath the seats. The space was large enough to allow everyone to stretch their legs and shift around, so the trip would likely be a matter of boredom rather than discomfort.

  John settled into his seat, spreading his arms behind him as he leaned back, getting himself comfortable. Prota was curled on the seat next to him. Destiny was sitting rather primly, Kit curled up on the seat next to him, napping away. Now that John knew Destiny’s origins, it made a bit more sense. Royalty. A mercenary. Had the hero been shoved into a wooden box the whole trip, he likely would’ve been just as comfortable.

  “Hey, Destiny. What are you going to Scholaris for? You’re pretty well trained, aren’t you?”

  “...not well enough,” Destiny admitted. “My swordsmanship isn’t the greatest. Besides, combat isn’t the only thing they teach. Alchemy, magic circles, magical engineering, studies of mana beasts… it’s a school, John.”

  John made a face at that. “Yeah, school. Great.”

  “Destiny needs to learn magic because he was… mercenary?” Prota said suddenly.

  The atmosphere in the carriage went from warm to cold very quickly. Destiny looked around to make sure that no one was nearby. That was impossible, of course. They were in a carriage, after all.

  “You… who told you that?”

  John sighed, speaking and sending a message simultaneously.

  [Doctor never spoke about the camp, Prota. You remember it. Destiny doesn’t. How would you know about that?]

  [sorry]

  “I guessed and told her about it,” John said, speaking up. “Are you that surprised?”

  “I… ah, forget about it,” Destiny grumbled.

  There was no point in questioning it anymore. If John said he guessed, then he guessed.

  “Well, I’ll give you this one. Your habits were a giveaway,” John explained. “Calling Albert “sir” instead of boss like he wanted. Your dedication to training. Your mannerisms in dealing with others. Technically, you could’ve learned that growing up, but it was part of your past, too, wasn’t it?”

  Destiny just stared, answering the question. It wasn’t like John needed to ask, but if he hadn’t asked the question, Destiny would’ve been a little suspicious. And John didn’t feel like explaining just how he’d found out about Destiny’s past life.

  “Do you miss it? Your old life.”

  “I- not really. But I have regrets. Things I wish I could’ve done better.” Destiny laughed. It wasn’t joyful, though. It was more bittersweet than anything. “I’m sure you have regrets too, right?”

  John shrugged. “Sure. I didn’t get to settle things with Draco the way I wanted to. I didn’t get answers to the questions I had. Where did Doctor learn about souls? Where do Prota’s powers come from? Stuff like that. But in the end, it just doesn’t matter.”

  “I was talking about your old life, but… doesn’t matter?”

  “Yeah.” John looked out the window, watching as the trees flew by. The horses were quite speedy. “I can’t do anything about it right now. So why worry about it? Things will come as they come. And for now, it’s time to relax.”

  “...that’s all you do, though.”

  “Nah. I need to relax more. My life is incredibly stressful as it is.”

  Destiny just shook his head, laughing. “You really are something special.”

  The carriage grew silent. The mood was so strange. Less than a year ago, they’d been fighting for their lives. Planning, training, growing, discovering crimes against the world. They were a last line of defense, the only line of defense, and now…

  “Hey,” John said, breaking the silence. “Your past.”

  “My what?” Destiny frowned, turning to John.

  “Yeah. You were a mercenary, right? Come on, let’s hear more about it. I wanna know what your life on Earth was like.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “We’ve got time to kill. Why not? In return, I’ll tell you a little more about us.”

  “How about your life on Earth?”

  “That was incredibly boring. I was just a normal guy. What is there to hear? Here, you want my life story? I woke up. I went to school. I came back and did things for fun. Played video games, hung out with friends, whatever. I grew up. I got a job. Blah blah blah. I was just one among billions, you know? Nothing interesting.”

  Destiny seemed hesitant, but after a while, he eventually gave in. “Fine. But in return, I get some answers to my questions.”

  John nodded. “It’s a deal.”

  Prota’s head turned ever so slightly. She was still intent on watching the scenery, but she, too, was interested in Destiny’s past.

  “Hm… my earliest memory… I remember standing in front of a roaring flame, a large man hammering something on an anvil next to me…”

  ~~~

  [In each life is a story. A jumble of events, actions and words, tossed together into a journey. And in each story, there are many lives. The lives of the [Characters] we adore.

  We watch them live.

  We watch them struggle.

  We watch them die.

  And our [Characters] have travelled. Our [Characters] have journeyed. Our [Characters] have struggled. Our [Characters] have grown.

  And they’ve lived.

  Such an interesting cast we have, do we not? Like a bundle of misfits bound together by some kind of higher being.

  A reincarnated hero.

  An orphaned dwarf.

  A god in hiding.

  A broken girl.

  The strings known as the [Plot] pulled them together. What started as a quiet life of recuperation and healing barreled into something more. Something extraordinary, a tale that would shake the very world itself.

  The royal palace.

  A humble home.

  A burning village.

  All different starts, their paths converging.

  Mercenaries, assassins, nobles, demons and kings, life and death, a jumble of words that individually are nothing, but put together, become something.

  The broken girl of the burning village meets the hero of the royal palace. They journey. They grow. The dwarf of the humble home becomes a prisoner, only to become a fighter searching for his sister.

  An instructor dies a traitor while an old warrior becomes a leader once more. An old friend gone bad, an old enemy reborn, an epic battle to save a town from a disaster nobody knew was coming, to save the world from a threat nobody will ever know of.

  A sister is found.

  An enemy is defeated.

  A traitor is saved and forgiven.

  A city is saved.

  But we are not done yet. The arrival of the hero signals some kind of change, and he will be at the center of it. He will flip the very world on its head, and the world will watch as he does so. Some will celebrate his arrival. Others will sneer. But it matters not, for the world revolves around him.

  The fox and the dwarf will follow him. They are his companions, after all. And they, too, will sit in the stagelight, for they will be next to him.

  The broken girl. Living, dying, growing stronger with each mistake she makes. Exploring the world. Making friends. Enjoying life, facing fears, overcoming obstacles, and learning what it means to be alive.

  Quite the special one, isn’t she?

  The lives of these [Characters], shining. Each one of them a [Story] in their own right. A lifeless world, brought to life by our little cast. And that cast will continue to grow. This isn’t over yet.

  This. This is a [Story].

  There is a hope that these [Characters] have great beginnings, extraordinary lives, captivating journeys, heart-wrenching relationships, and incredible growth. But that hope may be waning. Or perhaps it was never there in the first place.

  Ultimately, whether they are great or not will be up to them.

  You who are reading. You who writes. Is this what you thought it would be? Is it to your liking? Are you dissatisfied? Are you pleased? Tell me.

  Is the [Story] great?

  That will be up to you.]

  https://discord.gg/tejGxKEqYu). Otherwise, dear [Readers], I'll see you in May.