I Quit

The dim underground prison stayed behind them as the group finally climbed out of the hidden stone stairs. 

Emerging into the morning light of the courtyard, the Great Witch Amber adjusted her tattered robes and looked at the ragtag gathering.

"We return to my old sanctuary in the woods," Amber declared, her voice steady and sharp.

"There, I can finally brew the potions required to stabilize that poor, blighted girl and this dead man walking."

Lily flinched in surprise, looking over at the stoic Japanese salaryman. Her brother looked very much alive to her.

Makes sense, Toshio thought, adjusting his cuffs under the open sky.

Bard Zale pointed his thumb toward the manor behind them. "What about him?"

"Nothing," Toshio answered simply. "A deal is a deal. Prince is free to go."



The party began walking toward the grand iron gates, their boots crunching against the grass.

"Um... can I also come with you?" Suzuki stood at the edge of his manor veranda, his high school uniform looking slightly too big for him now. He clutched his hands together, his gaze fixed on the dirt.

"From the moment I was transported into this world, I relied only on my skill. I used it to manipulate thousands of people. Now that I’m finally normal... I want to see the fantasy world." He smiled, probably at himself before anyone else did.

Luck and Zale bared their teeth. "Why?" Luck snapped, blocking the path.

"Aren't you still friends with your little council? The Holy Heroes?"

Suzuki paused with bitter smile.

"No. Do you want to know who killed me the first time I arrived in this world? The Holy Hero, Grace! Every single one of those legendary heroes has slaughtered me more times than I can count. But I'm not scared of them anymore."

Toshio didn't answer. He simply kept walking toward the exit without breaking his stride. The rest of the group followed behind him. Toshio was their leader, and where the manager walked, the subordinates followed.

Suzuki watched them leave, a sad wave of regret covering his face as he lowered his head.

"Hey," Toshio’s voice echoed from the front of the line. "Aren't you coming?"

Suzuki’s head snapped up. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes! Yes, of course! I'm coming!" He sprinted down the steps to catch up with the vanguard.

Zale scoffed but didn't say anything. The Perfect Prince had joined the party.



The departure from the valley did not go smoothly. In fact, it erupted into absolute chaos.

The moment they reached the center of the town, Suzuki announced his retirement to the gathering masses, flatly stating he was no longer their Perfect Prince.

The townspeople went wild with disbelief. Without their omniscient savior, they felt completely helpless.

To shatter their delusions, Suzuki began aggressively dumping their most embarrassing secrets into the open air.

"I wasn't a divine genius!" Suzuki shouted over the roar.

"I just turned back time! Not anymore, though. That’s how I controlled your lives!"

"Hey, Grandma, you are a nun right? I know the exact grave where you have hid your stolen gold coins! And that merchant over there is selling fake vegetables!"

"Oh, and the librarian? She's the one who torched the eastern library a few years back because she was smoking in the library! And Mr. Whittaker? He’s been stealing the ladies' undergarments from the clotheslines!"

The plaza instantly turned into a boiling cauldron of rage. The crowd completely synchronized in their desire to skin him alive.

"Run!" Luck yelled. They had to sprint for their lives out of the district.

The very first people to turn on the former prince were his own palace guards, mostly because Suzuki spent the entire run reminding them how terrible they were at their jobs.

"Not exactly a graceful goodbye, huh?" Lily panted, wiping sweat from her brow as they finally broke past the outer valley ridge.

Suzuki looked back one last time at the screaming townspeople who were returning back to the valley. A faint smile touched his lips.

"They’ll be fine. They were fine before I arrived. They’re just dumb, ordinary people."

"Hopefully the new mayor is as good as you?" Toshio taunted Suzuki. They laughed a bit.

Deep within the shifting shadows of the mountain pass, the group finally slowed to a brisk walk.

"Where to next?" Suzuki asked, looking at his leader.

"We follow the Grand Mage Amber," Toshio directed.

Amber was surprised.

"Not many people still use the title of Mage for me. Well, we journey to the ancient elven woods to my hidden cabin. I need every drop of primal mana and every forbidden scroll I can unearth to remove these curses."

As the old witch reached up to tie her silver hair back into a tight knot, the movement exposed her ears. Her left ear was long, elegant, and pointed like a purebred elf, but her right ear was short, thick, and round.

The entire party stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at her head.

"What?" Amber snapped, glaring at the speechless adventurers.

"Have you countryside fools never seen a half-elf, half-dwarf woman before?"