Take on The World Substory – Ken Kaneda Part 4

I dashed behind them and slap the healer on the back, rendering her unconscious. While they are disoriented, I dropkicked the archer in her jaw. The musclehead turns out smarter than I imagined him. The magician cast an enchantment magic on him and charged towards me. His strength is even stronger now. I better not hold back with him. He and I trade blows, releasing a flurry of punches and kicks while the magician throws a fireball at me, which does not damage me, but it really is an inconvenience. My palms turned into closed fists and the fight gets really exhausting. There must be some weakness in him. I scanned around him, and I found it. He always makes sure his back is adjacent to my body, so I jumped back, and circle around him. I am personally a big fan of wrestling since wrestling is pretty big in Japan, so I am eager to do this, so I wrap my hand around his waist and give him a good German suplex. The ground is cracked a bit, but the musclehead is now unconscious. Held back a bit. Now onto the magician, he throws all kinds of magic at his disposal, but thanks to magic circulating my whole body effectively, I feel nothing. So I show him my own magic. Compressing wind magic on my left hand and releasing it all at once in a short burst with my open palm. Sending him flying back 15 meters. There is some clanking heard from what I assume is the guards. I went back inside, the people make way for me. I smiled, trying to inform them, that I am their friend. The waiter with a tray in his hand is bringing what can I assume to be my food. "Is that mine?" The waiter nods. The rest of the tavern patron is starting to come in with the guards. THe guards approached me, with their hand on their sword, on standby. "Are you the one who caused this commotion?" "Me? No. I'm just here to eat" "Those unconscious folk outside says otherwise" "They were hassling me when I tried to eat. They are extorting me for beer. They threaten to hurt me. Go ahead. Ask around. One of them even threatens to rape me. So they grab my collar and throw me outside. So I knock them down. Next thing I know, I am getting harassed by the guards too" "Are you really this hostile?" "Look. Can I just eat in peace? I have been through a lot today and I'm tired" The guards look at me with caution, and they move away from me, taking statements from the patrons while I eat. They corroborate my story, confirming my story. Once they are finished asking around, one of the younger guards approaches me with his shining plate armor, which is fancier than others. "Alright. You're off the hook this time" "Off the hook? OFF THE HOOK?!" They thought I am a troublemaker? Did they think of me as guilty? That's it! I had had enough of these guards. "I WASN'T THE ONE STARTING ALL THESE SHITS! I WASN'T THE ONE THREATENING MONEY! WHAT AM I OFF THE HOOK FOR?! DEFENDING MYSELF?!" The older guard looks like a captain of the patrol approaches us to defuse the ongoing tension "Kid. Please come down. You're causing a commotion. We now know you are innocent" "THEN WHAT AM I OFF THE HOOK FOR?!" "My colleague misspoke. Please forgive him" The patrol captain bows his head and forces the young guard to bow, who outright refused to bow "Why are we bowing our heads to him? He's a citizen. A commoner. We should take our pride as guards" "You wanna fight?!" I shoved the younger guards, which in turn, have the other guards separate us. "No, please young man. I apologize for my subordinate attitude" "I'm really sorry, captain. But I was never guilty, to begin with. To assume I am means that there is a bias and prejudice from the guards toward commoners. Toward me" "I understand. I deeply apologize for my subordinate" He bows with his spear on his side. After bowing, he approached me closer, whispers something in my ear "He's our new recruit. He is a noble son, his father is a military higher-up. He was placed here because his father thinks he's more of an annoyance than assistance back in the capital" "But that doesn't excuse his attitude" "I am completely aware. That's why I am apologizing on his behalf" "...fine, captain. You talked me into it" "Thank you, young man. I'm afraid I don't know your name" "Ken. I just moved in today. I lived on the residential just outside of the gates" "Oh, I have heard of you. The other guards have received an order from Guildmaster Hull and told me about it. Are you an adventurer?" "No, I'm just a normal kid" "How about your parents?" "I'm an orphan" "Sorry to hear that. Well. My name is Captain Harlan. If there's anything you need help with, just ask, okay?" "Thank you for the offer captain, but I'll be fine. I'll try to stay out of trouble" "It's a relief to hear that. About those adventurers who attacked you, would you like to press charges?" "It's alright, captain. I'm hungry and tired. I just want to be left alone for tonight" "If you say so. Alright. I'll be out of your face. Have a great night" The guards went out of the tavern, dragging their new recruits outside. Now my food is cold. I just ate them for today and order a takeout to eat back home. I called the waiter. "I heard what you've done. You have my thanks" "Huh?" "Adventurers, am I right? Rhino's party is a B-ranked party that kept harassing the tavern patron for free drinks. Some of my regulars are reluctant to come back because of them" "Why don't you keep them from coming?" "We can't. We have a contract with Adventurers Guild. They will handle any disturbance involving adventurers. They're probably getting fined, or worse, deranked" Oh yeah. I heard about this in my adventuring days. "Oh right. Can I have some takeouts? My meal is cold. I'll just eat at home" "Sure. What do you want? It's free of charge" "What? Why?" "For helping with Rhino's Party" "Please. I can't accept that. I don't want to be a burden. Please, let me pay. I don't want you to feel indebted" "Young and considerate, eh? Alright. I'll give you a small discount then. Don't worry about the indebted thing" "Thank you. Do you have rice?" "We do, but we don't have a lot. Rice is pretty scarce since The Corsair Princes take over" "Can I have your soup, a cut steak, and some rice? How much do I owe you?" "2 gold. With the discount, 1 gold" "Alright. Here" I hand him one gold "Oh, I wanted to lighten up the mood back in the tavern. How much should I pay to buy all the tavern alcohol and food for tonight?" "Are you sure you wanted to do that?" "I kinda have to. I worsen their mood for them. Twice" "Alright. I'm just curious. This is the second time this has happened this week" "Must be rich" "I know. Let's see. Since this is already night, we'll close in about 5 hours, which would mean 30 golds" I handed him the coins. I ask him to let me tell them. He nods. I waited for the food and gets up. I address the tavern patron. "Ladies and Gentlemen, about today's commotion, I apologize. Due to my action, the mood here has turned somber. I paid the tavern for the rest of the day. I understand that it's a bit hypocritical, but please accept my apology. Go ahead eat and drink all you want. Good night" I bow and I leave. Went back to my house. I hastily walk back to my house and eat the takeout again. After I fell full, I went to take a warm bath under the moonlight and go to sleep. In my sleep. I saw the moons of Terra turn red and exploded. Creating many meteorites to fall into Terra. The world was taken into shock after this, and many countries are having a hard time recovering from the seemingly apocalyptic event. There was me, Shin, A gentleman in a suit, a bronze robot, a female archer, a military juggernaut, and a dog, and behind us, hundreds of thousands of soldiers going against 3 gigantic horned figures and seemingly endless demons. It all seems hopeless. As time passes on, We killed a lot of demons. But at the cost of the soldiers' life. There are now a handful of demons. All of us focus on the defense, taking in our breath. "I'm out" Says the Juggernaut. He pulls out a knife and a gun and started slashing and dicing the demon while shooting the farthest one. The female archer picks up the arrows from the dead body. "Aki-chan. Create some arrow for me would you?" "Use your magic arrows!" "I ran out of Magic" "Already?!" Akira conjures a lot of arrows from purple crystals. The dead demons' bodies turned into dust and drop a glowing stone, that looks similar to the stone this Akira conjures the arrows from. Now, all the demons are already dead, All of us are fighting these gigantic horned creatures that stand twice our height. "Humans are unable to kill devils. Demons are one thing but devils are equivalent to a celestial being" "I am strong enough. I killed 3 of them already" "But you can't handle them alone" "I know. Kaneda will keep Satan busy. Elcina and Talos, Take on Belphegor. Shin, you take on Beelzebub with Ivanov. I will try to conjure celestial lightning. Buy me 5 minutes!" Before the fight begins, I heard a knock on my door. I woke up from my sleep and approach the door. It was someone I don't know but from the way he dress, he must be an adventurer's guild staff. "Can I help you?" "Hi. Are you Ken? I was told by the adventurer's guild master to ask you to come to the guild" "I'm not an adventurer. What is it that you want?" "It's regarding the incident at the tavern last night" "What does he want?" "You are a victim of last night incident. He wanted you to come to explain the story" "In this time in the morning?" "It's still early, sure. But it's better to start early he says" "Okay then. Let me lock my door first" I went inside and wash my face, change my clothes and locked the door. I ask him to lead the way. "By the way, thank you for last night" "For what?" "Treating us to food and drink" "Eh, I kinda have to. Adventurers loved free drinks and food" "How do you know that? Are you an adventurer?" Oops, I better backpedal a bit. "I...am not. I used to hang around with adventurers a lot back in my homeland. I appreciate it if you don't pry into it" "Alright then" We walked the whole way in silence. Once we were in front of the adventurers' guild, we entered the building. Once inside, they are already placing a cuff on the adventurers who attacked me last night. They are put on trial. "So, is this the kid?" "Yes, sir. This is him" I am clenching my fist. Preparing to fight if what happened in Kingsport happens again here. "Welcome, Ken. I appreciate you coming in here in this time" "It's fine, Guildmaster" "Call me Traeger. Now, we recently heard a report that some of the adventurers are causing a commotion for you last night at Roderick's tavern. We have heard the gist of it, now you may tell us what happened from your perspective" I told them everything. The more I continue, the more the party that attacked me looked guilty. They can't get away from this. "I see. This is some serious stuff. Adventurers are not allowed to lay a hand on a civilian. Since we are an independent organization, it would harm our reputation. And you didn't press charges?" "No. I was hungry and tired. I just want to eat and go home" "Onto the next question. After your fight with them, you treat them to food and drink. Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" "I kinda have to. Our fight has made a commotion. I do know that I was partially responsible for the commotion, but all I want in the first place is to eat and go home. Since the mood was sour after our fight, I have to take responsibility. So I treat them to food and drink and left. The point is, I just want to be left alone" "I see. Were they drunk when they asked you to buy you a drink?" "It does look like they do" "Alright. That settles it. Does Rhino's party have any defense?" "Yeah. He called us names and told us to go away" "Ken?" "I did. To have them go away" I didn't deny it. My case is strong and in the eye of the adventurers. I was in the right. "Thank you for your honesty. Now that I hear everything. I hereby deliver a verdict to Rhino's party. They are to be deranked from B to E. The party is forbidden to make any transaction within any Adventurer's guide within 5 months, and you are not to be within 50 meters of Ken within your excommunication. Violation of this verdict will brand you a criminal, and you will be subjected to Kingdom's law. May god have mercy on your soul. The court is dismissed" Demoted, excommunicated, and a restraining order. The law nowadays does not mess around. Somehow, I feel sorry for them. I try to object and raised my hand. "Yes?" "That's too harsh even for one night in a drunken stupor, beside, I didn't press charges against them. If I remember correctly, they are able to pay a fine instead, am I correct? Based on the Adventurers Guild Handbook, Light misdemeanors are able to be subjected to a heavier punishment IF monetary compensation is unable to be met. I request that the court subjects monetary compensation instead of corporal punishment" "We are indeed to be hard on punishment. This has reached the ear of Lord Frederick. But if you requested a lighter punishment instead, We can submit the petition to the lord" "Please do" "This court is adjourned. We will submit a petition for monetary compensation instead for the victim. In the meantime, please escort Rhino's party to a holding cell" The party looks a bit relieved. They look at me with a combination of anger and gratitude, but the anger is not directed toward me. I know well the look. It's the pride and ego of being an adventurer. I just brush off their looks. "Ken, can you come with me to my office? I need you to sign the petition" "No problem" I followed the guildmaster to his office. He hands me a piece of paper and I signed it. "One more thing, Ken" "Yeah?" "Please, have a seat for a moment" I sat down in front of the guildmaster. "Ken. I know what you are" Uh oh. Do I need to fight out of the city again? "But I don't hold it against you. I know what happened in Kingsport" "Are you going to hunt me down like the guildmaster of Kingsport?" "No, absolutely not" "Then why are we having this conversation?" "I know an experienced adventurer when I see one. But since you are in hiding, I want to ask you if you would like to work here as a staff here. Of course, you know that we are an independent organization, but the relationship between the guild and the country is important. The Kingsport Guildmaster is from Iberria, but I'm a native of Wilhelmshire. I have no intention to rat you out" "I see. If I am a staff, will you keep my identity a secret?" "No. But the guild has the power to protect you" "To be completely honest, I missed adventuring. I can't do that with being a staff?" "I don't remember anything about that in the guild regulation" "Huh?" "You could still be an adventurer and be a guild staff. Some of our staff are retired high-ranked adventurers" "How about the pay?" "We pay by the month. 50 Silver coins. If you're a senior staff, that doubles your salary. tax will be handled by the guild, and a bonus will be added if you performed well" "But Mister Hull said not to be an adventurer" "Don't worry about him. I will personally guarantee your protection. You see, one of our staff has just resigned to adventure with her lover. And you are an even better replacement. Please consider working with us" "If I am going to work, At least I want to raise my rank to A class first" "I have your previous adventurer document here. You are already an A rank. I just need to change your name and you'll be ready to work" I smiled. I feel like being an adventurer and adventurer staff is a big plus. "You seem eager for me to work with you. Fine. When do I start?" This is the end of the month. I can have you start tomorrow" "Great" "In the meantime, here's your card. Go on adventuring to your heart's content" He hands me my adventurer's guild card. Since the guild card back in Iberria is made of paper, they replace the card here with metal. An A-ranked adventurer here will be given a gold plate card. I thank Traeger for his time and start my adventuring. I picked 3 of the most dangerous quest that is posted; A colony of Ogre, A pack of Griffon, and A Chimera. The adventurer near me looked at me in astonishment. So I approached the guild bench and handed the guild the quest paper. "I'm sorry, but you could only pick one of the quests" "Just keep them for me. I will be done with these quests in no time" She sighed. "If you are that confident, fine. Here's the detail. The griffon is located on grassland near Antartes Forest. The ogre colony is deep inside a cave on Antarte forest, and the Chimera is on the south of the forest" "Great. I will be back" "Wait! Are you going alone?" "Yeah. Why?" "You can't defeat all of them on your own?" "Watch me, lady" I rushed outside of the guild and headed to the Antarte forest, running as fast as I can, while using my wind magic on my foot efficiently, thanks to the book I borrowed. I put on my brass knuckle and go to work on the Griffon. With this Enhanced strength, 20 of the Griffon is no match for me. Put their dead carcasses in my inventory storage and moved on to the Chimera first. This thing has 3 heads, so I combined Ground magic with wind magic to create a dust storm to blind them, and rip each of their head. The blood of this creature is thick brown. A little disgusting and they are still going to my inventory. Now the ogre might pose a challenge. They are in a cave so it would be in an enclosed space. Moving wildly is what I do best. So I sneaked inside the cave, and see 50 ogres. Can't fight them head-on, so I'll devise a strategy. If I crush them with the cave ceiling, I would be trapped inside too. That's a no-go. So I decided to smoke them out. Cutting several trees around and building a big bonfire at the entrance of the cave. I set them on fire and use my wind magic to move the smoke inside. I started slowly since the fire is still quite small, but once the fire is getting bigger, I blasted it full power, so they could suffocate. After a few hours passed, I make my way inside the cave and put the ogre one by one into my inventory. That's the final of the quests and it's not even sundown yet. I ran back to the guild and approach the staff. "Giving up?" "You wish, lady. I finished all my quests" "Yeah, right" "Should I take it out here?" "Sure" She replied sarcastically. So I take them all out of my inventory until she's not feeling sarcastic anymore. "Wha-" "Here's my guild card" I say, proudly. "A-rank? But... You're so..." "Young? I started adventuring early. Age 7" "That's not possible" "They made an exception for me" "A-alright. Would you please take the carcasses back to the dismantling room" I put them all back in my inventory and put the carcasses back in the room. The guildmaster is in the room, overseeing the dismantling process. "Hey, kid. Adventuring?" "Done for the day. Here's the loot" I placed all of the carcasses in one space. "As expected of you. Milara. Go ahead and reward him. Once you're done. Give him a staff employee. He'll be your co-worker starting tomorrow" "Is he now? Wow. You must leave quite an impression on the guildmaster" "I did bring the monsters now, didn't I? She nods and directs me toward the counter. "So, for the chimera, the reward is 150 gold. For the flock of Griffon, a total of 20, 350 gold. For the ogres, 550 gold. The total for the reward is 1050 gold. Would you like them in gold coins or in other denominations? "A platinum plate, and 50 gold, please" "Alright. Please wait a moment" Milara went back to collect my reward. How comes the reward is so high? "Here you go" "Milara. Can I ask you a question?" "Yeah. Go ahead" "Why do adventurers get so much money? Where does all this money come from?" "The money comes from request. Sometimes personal, or the government request them since soldiers are needed in times of war. At first, we take a loss, but we can net additional income after dismantling the monsters and selling them" "What happened if the guild went bankrupt?" "It's impossible for the guild to go bankrupt. We're too big to fail, anyway. We always racking up money, and the money is redistributed among the guild" "Oh, alright" "Any other question?" "Can I have my uniform, please?" "Sure" She reaches under the counter. The uniform is a beige color at the base and a deep green for the collar and the vest. I went home and rest. The next day, I wore the uniform and went to work early, maybe at 6 in the morning. I start my training with the guild staff. It was quite a secure job I have. I worked as staff on my workdays and on my days off, I went adventuring. They said I learned quickly. After 6 months, I got used to the work. Keeping secure the guild, serving the adventurers. Giving quests and rewards, sometimes advice toward newbies. Today, I turned 16. One more year before adulthood. The guild throws a party for me. After the party, the guildmaster cast me aside for a talk. "Hey. Happy birthday once again kid" "Thank you, Traeger" "Now. I have some news for you. The bad news is that I have to let you go" "What? Why?" "That comes to the good news. Master Hull told me that he found a solution, and the head office has agreed to transfer you as a guildmaster to a newly established Adventurer's Guild" "Guildmaster? Aren't I moving too fast?" "You're smart, you got a good head on you, and you're already better than I am. That's why they appointed you as Guildmaster" "Thank you. But, where am I transferred to?" "A new kingdom. Pack your bags and get moving. You'll be going to New Miami" "Miami?" Isn't that a city in the US? "You'll be going tomorrow. The ships will be ready for you at dusk. You need to recruit your own staff and establish connections. Take the rest of the day off to prepare" "Tomorrow?" "It's urgent. So say your goodbyes, and pack your bag. Kid, I'll miss you" "Me too. I wanted to say goodbye to all of them. Over months, I have around 4500 gold. I want to throw a party" He nods. He put is outdoor voice. "Everyone, listen up!" Every person in the guild turns their attention to Traeger. Every adventurer and staff look toward him. "Today will be our last way with Ken. He wanted to throw a goodbye party. Go ahead, Ken" "Thank you guildmaster. Everyone. I'm sorry for this sudden announcement. But tonight I want to say goodbye. I will be moving away from Wilhelmshire. I hope all of you will come to Roderick's because food and drink will be free for all" The adventurers cheer, and the staff has mixed feeling about this. "That was a good speech. You better go home and pack. I'll inform Master Hull, too" "Thank you, Traeger" I run to Roderick's and ask to meet with Roderick. I ask him to book all food and drinks to be free for tonight. He asked me for 450 gold to rent the place, I gave him 1500 gold. I told him to stock up on food and drinks, and I went home. I pack up my clothing, and my stuff into my inventory storage. I went to the library. I invite the librarian to the tavern for tonight. They ask me what happened and told them everything. They seem sad, but also happy for me. Come night, I went to Roderick's. The place is packed, full of people, adventurers,s and staff alike. They are already wolfing down food and getting drunk. I joined them, eating all I can and drank something non-alcoholic, which Traeger reprimand me for. "Why are you drinking Honeywater? This is a party. Try to drink something alcoholic. That also would be important to build connection, kid" "I don't like the taste" "I know you don't. But that's part of growing up. Come on. Drink!" He hands me a mug of watered-down wine to get me used to alcohol. This isn't bad. "Great, You're getting used to it" The rest of the night, I'm having the night of my life. Once Roderick's about to close, Traeger encourages me to give a speech. "Everyone. Thank you for coming. I know you're all drunk, but please hear me out for a second. These 6 short months, have been the best moments of my life so far. Knowing all of you is an honor. There were some ups and downs but thanks to you all, I get to experience all of those. This time, I want one of those experiences for you. Although I will be going away, this experience... this memory... will always be a part of me. So thank you for the memories, because tomorrow, I'm starting to experience some more, without all of you. So thank you" The staff hugs me. The adventurers cheer for me. Roderick shakes my hand, saying goodbye. Mister Hull, although he is happy I will be leaving, he knows that we will keep meeting in the future, since he said the kingdom I'm going to belong to his son. I fall asleep in the tavern. Everyone who is already passed out does, including Milara. I slip outside and head to the docks. The ship I'm on is a cargo ship. It was a merchant ship belonging to the Kingdom of Newlight. The captain welcomes me, asking me to go aboard and rest. He will inform me when we will arrive. 3 days passed. The ship is anchored to the port. Once I disembark the ship, I assure you that you cannot imagine my astonishment to see a Kingdom, so advanced, it reminds me of back on Earth. There are cars, motorcycles, trucks, and modern clothing. Shin, who heard that I'm coming, is here to greet me. He told me that the king is the friend he told me about. Here, I am safe from persecution from the Iberria. He walks me toward the guild building, which is a big building, almost like a mall. There's an Adventurer's guild, Merchant guild, shopping areas, food court, and almost everything. He told me to 'earth up' my appearance which is only mean one thing. To dress like back home. "Where I will be staying?" "There's an apartment near to the mall. The penthouse is yours" "Penthouse?" "Something wrong?" "No, no. It's just weird to see a penthouse in this world" "It's alright. Go ahead and see your home. Here, we have everything Earth has" He walks me toward my clothing store to dress up. He told me to dress whatever I want. I picked up what I usually wear back on Earth. A white shirt, black jeans, black and white sneakers and a black Leather Jacket, a gift from my friend back on Earth. I paid for the clothing but stopped by Shin. He said he paid for everything "Are you sure?" "We have a different currency here. We used yen" "Yen? Japanese yen?" "A bit different, but it's similar, yes" "Where could I exchange them?" "In the bank. I'll take you there" He walks be toward the bank, which is packed. The bank manager knows Shin, so they let us pass and invite us into the office. I told him that I need to exchange money and place all my money on the table. one Platinum plate and 3000 gold. The manager happily takes my money and came back with 40 million yen in ¥10000 denomination. I have never seen so much money back on earth, now I'm owning 40 million. Each bundle has 100 notes, and one bundle is equal to one million yen. And now I have 40 of them. "How am I supposed to carry them?" "You don't. You can use a card here. Opens a saving account. Or you could use the safe back in your Penthouse. Your choice" "So that means I can withdraw via ATM?" "No ATM yet, but we are planning on it. You can withdraw via the counter. The card is enchanted with magic, so it is impossible for someone to steal them. "I don't have a wallet yet" "We have a wallet here. It's free for you" "Alright. I'll take one bundle and save the rest in the bank" "Great. Mr. Isaac will handle them for you. Thank you, Isaac. We'll be going now" Isaac, the bank manager, bowed and we moved out of the bank. "Right. One more destination to go before your penthouse, Ken. But we're going a little bit farther. We need a car to get there" He walked into something of a garage, he took out a car from the garage. It's a sedan, not much of a luxury car, but quite nice. I get in the car and he drives us toward a bridge. In the distance, I can see a castle. Wait, we're going to the castle? "Wait a minute. I'm not dressed to be in a formal meeting" "Bah, he wouldn't mind. As long as you were polite clothing, you'll be fine" He stopped near the gate. The guards are standing nearby. holding onto their spears. "Hey fellas. We're here to see Akira" The guards greet Shin casually. They let us in and we park in front of the front door. The castle is massive. It's taking an entire small island. He walks toward the king so casually. "You're back" "Hey, sucker" Did he call the king "sucker"? "This is the kid I talked to you about" I kneel to him. Common courtesy for the royal family. "Kid. We don't do that here. Stand up" "Oh?" "Hi. You must be Ken. I'm Akira. Sorta like the king around here. Call me Akira" "A pleasure to meet you, Akira" Shin laughs while Akira just smiles "No need for formality now. We're not in a royal setting after all" "If you're fine with it?" "I specifically ask for it" "Oh. Alright then" "You're our guildmaster then?" "I am appointed to be one, yes" "Great. We'll be seeing more often then" "Why is that, Akira?" Shin answers before Akira can. "We're basically an adventurer. Once he's coronated, we're planning to go back to adventuring. We have our proxy already, so it's fine to leave the country in their hand" "Both of you?" "Yeah" "Are you allowed to do that? Can I ask what is your Kingdom title, Shin?" This time, Akira answers before Shin can. "He's basically our co-king. But he refused to be one" "That's because a co-king title is ridiculous. I'd rather be part of the royal family" "You're from Japan, right?" "Yes" "We're glad to have you on board, man" "Anything you need of me, Akira?" "Yes. I need you to manage the guild starting next week. Recruit people, receive requests, and everything related to the guild. Today, enjoy yourself, buy a car, or a motorcycle, and enjoy everything the city has to offer" "Now that you mentioned it, I wanted to have a warm bath" "Then you might want to enjoy Hakone. It's an hour from here, but Hakone is a hot spring city" Hot spring city? "Alright. I can see you're eager to explore the city. Go on" "Thanks, Akira" I looked at Shin and he seems to be eager to go too. We went back to the car drives off the castle. "Can you take me to a motorcycle dealership?" "Buying a motorcycle, eh? Nice. I'll take you to one" "By the way, how did this vehicle run? I can't see any fuel tanks in here" "Oh, we use magic. Each vehicle has a different magic tank. Let's see your motorcycle first" We drive to the dealership nearby the commercial district, which is outside of Ocean Drive. He stops at the parking lot. When I went inside, there were a lot of motorcycles of every kind. The dealer greets me and takes me to see all variants of motorcycles. But my eyes are taken to one motorcycle. A vintage cruiser. A little bit different from what I used to ride, but this is the most beautiful one I have ever seen. "How much is this one?" "This is going to cost you 2,4 million yen" "Shit. I only have one Million in my wallet. Can I buy with a card?" "Of course. Please follow me" He walks to behind a counter. "Now, before we sold them to you, do you have a driver license?" "I don't" Shin interrupts. "We have it covered. Personally issued by the king" "Oh! what a rare privilege. Are you sure you want to buy that?" "Yes, Please" "Alright. Let me tell you about V1 Cruiser. A full tank in the tank would get you 12 hours if you drive nonstop. The indicator of the fuel will be shown on the meter. It can be a bit heavy, but once you move, it's progressively easier. It has a 6-speed transmission and it could be really fast. If the tire is punctured, it can use magic to repair the tire and fill the air, but the magic in the tank will be sapped out" "I think I get the gist of it" "Great. Your card, please" I hand him my bank card, an obsidian black piece of plastic with my name on it, and my bank identification number. "Please put your signature here, here and here" I signed the signature "And a fingerprint here" "Do we use blood or do you have an ink?" "I have the ink right here" He grabs the inkpad from his counter. I stamped my fingerprint on the paper. "Great. A blue V1 Cruiser is now yours. Do you need any accessories?" "Any saddlebags?" "We do. Metal or Leather?" "Leather, please. Great. It will be fitted shortly. Please wait in the waiting room" I waited for a minute and the dealer came into the room. "Here's the key. I have placed the plate number and the saddlebags" "Thank you" "Enjoy your ride" I went to the garage for my motorcycle. It was love at first sight "Congrats, Biker. I have to go now. Got some business to attend to" "Thanks, Shin" "Oh hey. Welcome home" He left. I took my bike and went straight to Hakone. On my ride there, I see there are still workers rebuilding the place. The road to Hakone is smooth, and the air is amazing here. The vehicles in this country do not have any pollution whatsoever. When I reached Hakone, there are plenty of shops and houses, inns, and onsens. But the best one must be the Hakone Onsen. The biggest hot spring inn in the city. I parked my vehicle in the garage, I booked a room for 3 nights, and paid with cash. Went into my room, and change. The hot spring here is indescribable. It has a Japanese feel to it. No, it is Japanese. I went to Men's bath and take a shower. I relaxed my body and my mind. Something that he said resonated within my heart. For the first time in my life, I truly feel like I'm home. I never feel like this back on earth, But maybe, just maybe, I am home.