9 - Maybe I can [Return] After All - Battle Against Isekai Tropes To Save Aeryis-San - Part 2

A sanctified church. Filtered light through stained glass in every color imaginable.
Cherubic faces carved from marble looked down on me, judging me in silence.

Background music from an OST, and not a musician in sight. A perfect church.

I don’t know a thing about religion in my own world—let alone this one.
And yet here I was.

They told me to come here.
To reflect.

“It is customary,” the king had said, “for the Hero to meditate before undertaking his first great quest.”

What? By myself?

Did they not hear me? I have all the fighting experience of a closet otaku.
Like, literally.

Did you see that guy’s sword?
Who is he? G*ts?

Can’t I get a knight or two? Or a dozen? Or a very large angry dog?

God.

I could still leave, you know.
It’s not like I signed a contract.
I didn’t want to be here anyway. I have school tomorrow.

I’m supposed to be writing Ryuji’s next arc right now.
Instead I’m in Fantasy Vatican, prepping to die for someone I met yesterday.

I determined—years ago—that I’d be grey before thirty.
Not from trauma. From pulling my hair out in frustration.
First from writing Isekai, now, from living it.

But she said my name.
And I said hers.

Is that really enough?

…Maybe.

I’m a student. Not a hero.

And you may not expect this from my immaculately dry sense of humor and my god-tier ability to bail at any moment,
but fighting a guy who can lift a sword taller than me?

That’s scary, man.

I blew out a slow breath.

“Status. Shuu.”

Welcome back, Hero.
We have revoked your monthly audio suspension privileges.
To reinstate, consider topping up your Ise-koin™.

“. . . Status. Shuu.”

Name: Shuu
Level: 1
HP: 13
MP: 9
Skills:
– [Return] – Mastered
– [Writing] – Amateur

Not gonna lie.
Still salty about that ‘Amateur’ designation.
It’s called experimental fiction, okay?

But what does it mean to have mastered [Return]?

I stared at the screen, narrowing my eyes.

“‘Mastered,’ huh? Is it because it was a skill from the Goddess? Is that why I can use it freely?”

The system replied instantly—of course.

Correction: [Return] does not consume resources at any level.
Mastery is indicative of your ability to wield the skill, including all extension skills related to it.

Wait—extension?

What possible extension is there to a skill that just warps me home?

“Display extension skills. [Return].”

[Return] – The ability to return to a designated home under any circumstance.

Extension Skill: [Set Home] – The ability to set a designated “home” target for [Return].

Huh.
Never noticed that bit.

“What does that mean?” I muttered. “If I change my home… won’t I be stranded here?”

The system didn’t wait for me to finish.

Restrictions: [Return] cannot be used within your universe of origin, even if it can take you back to it.
[Set Home]: No restriction. Homes may be set in any and all space.
There is no limit to the amount of ‘Homes’ you may possess.
There is a limitation, however: you must be aware of the ‘home’ target on some level.

…Huh.

Welp.
Might as well give it a go.

“[Set Home] – Fountainsong Throne Room.”

No confirmation. No jingle. No fanfare.

Where’s my production value?
What happened to the sparkles? The choir? The classic whoosh noise?

“[Return].”

With all the flair of switching YouToob videos at double speed—the world blinked.

And I was there.
Instantly.
Just there.

I materialized directly behind the king and queen, bypassing a dozen elite guards, an enchanted door, and roughly seventy layers of narrative tension.

No sound. No flourish. No footsteps.

Guess they don’t call these cheat skills for nothing.

The royal couple turned in unison—eyes wide, posture stiff.
A few knights reached for their weapons. One of them dropped his.

I raised a hand casually.

“Yo.”

The red-haired king looked equal parts furious and impressed.

“Master Shuu,” he began, voice straining through clenched teeth,
“Have you… figured out a way to return Aeryis to us?”

I scratched my head like a man trying to Google how to stop a dragon kidnapping in a dead zone.

“No pressure, right?” I muttered. “I’m working on it.”

I shifted my weight awkwardly.

“Any idea who that guy was? Where he might be?”

Both parents exchanged a heavy look—somewhere between genuine parental panic and genre-mandated cluelessness.

They shook their heads.

Of course it couldn’t just be easy.

…Or could it?

“Display party.”

Current Party:
– Shuu Jinko (Amateur Author) – LV 1
– Aeryis Fountainsong (Princess of Fate) – LV 30

Still in the party.

[Set Home: Aeryis Fountainsong – Party Member Location]

…

Can I get a patch or something?
What is this, running on Younity Engine 3.0?
Where's my dev support? Where’s the “bug report” button?

“…Display Homes.”

The queen tilted her head, puzzled. Her voice was gentle, confused.

“Who might you be talking to, Hero?”

I ferociously ignored her.

Current Homes:
– Shabby Apartment
– Fountainsong Throne Room
– Aeryis Fountainsong – Active Party Member

Hey! It’s not shabby! It’s rustic! Rustic!

Yeah.
This is broken as all hell.

I decided it then, on the spot.
I was going to hit my word count today.
Be in bed in time to get at least four hours of sleep.

Oh. And I’m going to save Aeryis too.

“Alright. Gloves off. I’m done letting a genre write my Monday.
Stupid Isekai tropes.
Stupid Mondays.
Stupid trucks.”

The monarchs of Fountainsong looked… completely lost.

I smiled my best introvert weak-sauce smile.

“I’ll be back soon. With your daughter in hand. This makes us even.
I’m going home after this!”

Despite selling it with my best thumbs up, I didn’t wait for a reply.

[Return]