It had an old feeling, and the wood smell was a bit nostalgic.

“Okay, we’re going try and find you a place to stay tomorrow, so sleep with us tonight,” Arthur says, clearly not as annoyed with me as before.

“Thank you,”

I at least had basic manners.

“But first, let’s change and then have some dinner,”

None of them had clothes that fit me, so I was forced to wear the same tattered clothes as always, but at least they were washed.

We then had a nice dinner filled with actual flavor.

Bitterness.

Sweetness.

Sourness.

Tastes I hadn’t experienced in a long time flowed into my mouth through the variety of dishes.

And upon finishing everything, I entered a food coma, never to be seen awake again… until the next morning.

…

“Alright, Orion, get your ass up. We’re leaving now,” Arthur says, waking me up from my peaceful slumber.

I ate too much yesterday, so I threw up most of it as soon as I tried to get out of bed.

“That was a lot of money,”

“Sorry?” I respond before washing my face, brushing my teeth with my newly acquired toothbrush, and washing my hands because I got a bit of puke on it.

We then made our way downstairs, where the rest of the raiding party was having breakfast.

But just as I was about to sit down at one of the tables, Arthur grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me up in front of him.

“We’re going,”

“Can’t I have breakfast?”

“You gotta learn to not overeat. Don’t stuff yourself if you’re still full,”

Though Arthur said that, I was thinking it had an undertone beneath it…

“If you don’t want me around, just say it,” I say as we exit the inn and make our way down the sidewalk.

“I don’t want you around,”

“You weren’t supposed to say i-“

Suddenly, Arthur picked me up and covered my mouth as we slipped into an alleyway.

The shadows provided cover for us as Arthur’s eyes stalked the men in robes before us.

Just like his party’s name, he’s a lion… who stalks his prey.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as soon as he lets me down.

“They’re an enemy party from an enemy guild we’re currently at war against,”

“But I don’t see a-… Nevermind. I understand,” I respond.

As Arthur had already figured me out, I didn’t need to be wary and act childish around him.

“Yeah, it hasn’t turned into a physical war yet. Well, some of it is physical, but I do think a civil war is coming,” Arthur says as we walk back onto the street.

“That’s cool. I don’t care, but that’s cool….”

“You little… *sigh*… You look like you have something else you want to ask. Go ahead,”

“Okay. Well, I’ve been meaning to ask, but why are you dressed in armor while everyone else is not? I mean, some people are also dressed in armor, but very few,”

“That’s because we’re adventurers. And though it sounds like a cool job, it’s not. We make a lot of money, but that, of course, comes at the sacrifice of human lives,”

“Hmmm… What do you do?”

“Ah, right. Well, we just enter dungeons scattered outside the city and go inside them. We then complete a task or quest and then leave the dungeon. If we can, we try to complete it because the final boss and task rewards we get to keep…”

“Did you do that last time?”

“No, we lost too many people. You normally do it with lower-level dungeons anyway,”

“That’s cool,”

“It’s not,”

“Sounds cool to me,”

“Well, it’s not,”

“‘Kay,”

“‘Kay,”

There was then a long awkward silence as we walked through the city and all the way to the edge where a large school was.

“You’ll be staying here. It’s free, but just be wary of the nobles… They’re assholes, so just stay away from them,” He says as we enter the front door.

“Welcome. Are you here to register your child,”

“I’m here to register “A” child,”

Arthur emphasized the “A” for obvious reasons.

“O-okay, well, please fill out this form. But, I will say, you need parent permission for them to stay here,” The receptionist woman says.

Arthur looked back at me, and I already knew what he wanted me to do.

“My parents are dead,”

“Oh! Please excuse my manners… I was unaware- no, I should’ve assumed so. Please forgive me,” The woman says, bowing deeply, but Arthur just waved his hand.

She immediately got back up and helped Arthur hands-on now as she felt a bit guilty.

It took quite a while due to Arthur not being my legal guardian, but eventually, we managed to figure it out after a few hours.

“Okay, we’ll provide everything necessary here. You can come to visit anytime you want, but please be wary of his schedule… Since you signed him up for a lot… and a lot of hard classes,” The receptionist says, her face paling upon looking at what I learned was a tablet.

“He’ll be fine,” Arthur says before leaving me.

“See ya,” I say, and he just waves without looking back.

Look at this asshole trying to look cool… I saw you blushing when the receptionist got next to you.

“Okay… Orion, what a cool name. Let’s get you to your dormitory. Mister Arthur requested to put you in a single room for disclosed reasons, but if you would like to move, just give us a word,”

Well… I guess I leave my fate in the hands of the gods… For what happens next.

『Status』

[Name: Orion]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 1/10] (41/100) XP Needed

[HP: 10/10 MP: 5/5 SP: 5/5] – Normal Human

[Strength: -1] – Sub Human

[Defense: -1] – Sub Human

[Magic: 0] – Normal Human

[Speed: -1] – Sub Human

[Skills: [Tangible Bloodlust]

…

(Unknown POV)

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I should’ve had him! He would’ve been the perfect match for my system!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET OUT! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE COMING HERE! SERVANTS! HAVE NO OTHER GOD ENTER!” The same man who sat on a throne made of blades says.

“Well… He would’ve been perfect for Athena,” A sly man with snake-like eyes says.

“I know… SO GET OUT!”

“Okay, okay,”

The sly man quickly left the dark castle before being greeted by a few of his servants.

“How was he?”

“He was alright… Not in the best state of mind… Like always, but I do think he made the right move. The boys potential in being a strategist and jobs akinned to a strategist I’d say is on a duke level,”

“A DUKE!?” One of the servants shouted in surprise.

“Yep… But it seems he also has a talent for war. I don’t want to see him break too soon from Ares, but… We can’t do anything. I see where he’s trying to guide him as well… But Athena, who is the strategy part of war would’ve been the perfect fit for him, but I guess he wants to make the boy a perfect all-rounder type…”

“Such a shame. He could’ve been even greater than Athena if it wasn’t for Ares,”

“Well… We’ll see… Let’s leave it in the hands of fate,”

…

(Orion POV)

And so, a few years have passed, and I was finally able to leave that stinking school.

“Okay, goodbye, miss,” I thank the one teacher I liked, the receptionist, from the very beginning of my journey at this hellish school.

“Goodbye, and I wish you the best of luck in high school,”

“Thank you,” I reply before stepping onto the teleporter.