CHAPTER 11: KURO’S TRUE POWER

After some time had passed, I found myself walking once again around the palatial gardens to change my pace. Again, around this time, everyone in the palace—save for the guards—was already sleeping soundly.

I need to take in some fresh air, I thought. And it’s a routine of mine, anyway.

Well, with the reward that Sir Simon gave me, I could now move into a new home I was planning to buy for myself. However, I still had to search for one, not to mention I also had that job contract with Mister Ricardo back in Arles.

I’m planning to work for him for at least one full season before moving on to the city of Kamran.

I sighed with relief. Finally, I could begin my real adventures in this other world…

“!!!”

I quickly retreated to a more hidden place in the garden when I saw two figures come out of the Holy Chambers palace. It was no other than the Saint and the Second Prince of Nerfes.

Wait, why am I even hiding? It’s not like I’ve any intentions of eavesdropping on them!

“…”

I am eavesdropping!

I was surprised to see Her Holiness wearing a new dress—something that she doesn’t wear on regular days and differed vastly from the holy garb she’s usually clad with during the holy services. If I may say, that kind of dress was something a girl would only show to the man that made her heartbeat to appear more attractive.

And damn yeah, she is beautiful in that dress!

“…”

Well, fuck me, it looked like I stumbled on their ‘secret rendezvous’. I better be careful slipping past them unnoticed.

“!!!” I immediately stopped in my tracks when I heard that familiar yet terrible sound of someone being slapped way too hard. I rushed back to my ‘eavesdropping’ place.

“…”

I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, since they were conversing in low voices. But somehow, I could see Sir Simon holding his face. And Her Holiness’ eyes were watery, but she’s trying her best not to cry.

Yeah, that’s it, Your Holiness! Don’t cry, you’re a big girl now.

“!!!”

The second prince tried to console her, but Her Holiness pushed him away. What, am I watching an afternoon drama here? And what the heck were you doing, Romeo? You shouldn’t please Juliet with gentle approaches…

You have to fucking grab her tight and never let go, idiot!

Ahem. Excuse me for getting carried away.

“!!!”

Suddenly, tears fell uncontrollably from Her Holiness’ eyes, and she was forced to run away. Sir Simon and I had bewildered expressions on both our faces.

Looks like shit happened.

----------

Man…talk about awkward.

It was all quiet when they were eating at the breakfast table in the courtyard. The servants just kept on doing their jobs as usual, and the guards stood at attention not too far from the royals and Her Holiness. The king of Nerfes and Sir Simon sat on the right side of the Saint, with the monarch taking the chair nearest her.

“Of course, I needed to prioritize the lives of my men, so I gladly took the attack of the Junki with my sword!”

King Rambo was the only one whose mouth just won’t shut up. He kept on bragging about how he saved his men from a weak Junki’s attack, or how he used his skills with the sword to destroy the poor creature. I guess he omitted the fact that he ended up injured because of his stupidity?

“…”

Come on King Rambo, have some feelings, will you? Can’t you see Her Holiness isn’t in the mood to talk? Even Sir Simon is getting embarrassed by your heroic nonsense!

I couldn’t bear to watch it, so I closed the windows of my room and went back to my business.

“…”

“Oi, Senshee, quit staring too much at those people,” I told off the slave boy, “Are they that interesting to you?”

“Hmm…the human heart is complicated, huh?” Senshee muttered as if he’s in a trance.

“You alright dude?” I asked my companion, “Are you starving or what?”

“Hmm? You were talking to me, Master?” he went back to his clueless self.

“Well, you’re saying weird things, you know,” I checked on his head, “Did your head injury get worse?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Master Kuro.”

“I’m telling you, I’m voiding our contract, so quit calling me ‘Master’. I’m Kuro and you’re Senshee; we’re equals.”

“That’s rather…” Well, I could understand his circumstances. Being a slave for most of his life, Senshee must’ve thought of calling another person by his given name as awkward.

But hey, he’s a free man now, and he has to adapt to his new status.

“Come on, dude,” I slapped his back in a friendly manner, “I know you’re way younger than me, so it might create some grave misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding about what?”

“Nothing. You’ll understand someday,” I changed the topic, “By the way, can I request something from you?”

“Ask away, Master—I mean, Kuro.”

“Can you get me these books from the library? Just tell the maid there that you’ll bring those out to me; I got the permission of Her Holiness anyway, so you’ll be fine.”

“Right away, sir!” Senshee grabbed the book list and set out towards the library. He’s such a handy guy, honestly. And I was left alone in my room once again.

“…”

Dude…that scene at the garden lingered in my mind.

It was the first time I saw Her Holiness with such a sorrowful expression. I felt pity for her every time I was reminded that she couldn’t pursue a proper relationship with the person she loves because of her saintly duties.

Damn…did she even agree to this kind of arrangement?

“…”

I could only speculate. But honestly, I wanted to help those two.

If it’s about love problems, I guess my 25-year-old adult virgin self could help!

----------

The second prince looked wretched when I chanced upon him, wandering alone near the library building. I went out to check on why Senshee was taking so long to fetch the books I requested, but I guess this should be an excellent opportunity to talk to the prince about what had transpired between him and Her Holiness.

“How long have you been listening earlier, Kuro?” Sir Simon’s sad voice confronted me. He knew I witnessed their scene.

“Err…since you and Her Holiness came out of the Holy Chambers. I was out for a walk when you appeared. I don’t want to spoil your moment so I hid myself, Your Highness.”

“Ah, I see…” Sir Simon’s mind seemed to drift, “I’m sorry you had to see that, but I sincerely wished you interrupted us.”

“It’s fine Sir,” I assured him, “Well if it’s too heavy for you to bear, you can tell me your problems so we can do something about it.”

Sir Simon then pondered on if whether to accept my offer. He was awfully quiet that it eventually became too awkward to break the ice. Fortunately, just as I was about to excuse myself, he spoke, “Maddie and I fought.”

Yeah, I just saw that. No need to tell me, thank you. But of course, I didn’t tell him that, or he’ll be further depressed.

“You see, Maddie, James, Lily, and I were originally childhood friends,” Sir Simon began his story with a return to his childhood years, “We were so close that everyone around us keeps on dubbing our group as ‘siblings’.”

Oh…so that explains why Her Holiness and the Head Maid are close.

“However, everything changed when Maddie got consecrated as the Human Saint,” the second prince had a nostalgic look in his eyes, “We were separated, with Lily going with Maddie and I was left with James.”

Dude, honestly, that sucks. You are left with that edgy steroid boy…

“The only thing that didn’t change is Maddie’s feelings for me; she’s been in love with me for long. And James’ feelings for Maddie, as well. He’s been always too protective of her from other guys, even from me.”

So that explains that obnoxious guy’s behavior towards me!

“And partly because of that, I couldn’t answer Maddie’s feelings.”

“Partly?”

“Well, she’s the revered Saint, and I’m my country’s second prince.”

“Oh…is it forbidden for Her Holiness to get married?”

“Not really. It’s just that…”

“Hmm?” I think I knew where this was heading…

“I love someone else.”

Damn…I knew it. Talk about a tragic love story.

Sir Simon continued on his narrative, “I told her earlier that I really can’t be with her, no matter how hard we both try. It’s just difficult; I don’t want her to suffer because of me. I never intend for my dear childhood friend to have false hopes anymore.”

Shucks. If Her Holiness could just hear this, she’d be more depressed. It’s difficult to be ‘friendzoned’ after all. However, I could also understand Sir Simon; you couldn’t just twist your heart to love someone you had no feelings for.

Man, this is indeed complicated.

“…”

However, what if Sir Simon can see the good points of Her Holiness? Will his heart waver towards her?

“Ah, if I may ask, Sir Simon, what qualities attracted you to the person you like?” I asked him.

The second prince was visibly surprised when I put that question up for him. He gave me a long stare, and his face blushed terribly, “Err…uh, it’s so sudden but I think I can answer it, Kuro.”

Heh, well this is for Her Holiness so I can wait, Sir Simon.

“Uhm…what I liked about that person is…” the second prince was bashful, completely out of his usual character, “…his muscles.”

What?

“Those well-built pecs and biceps…oh, I can’t imagine myself being wrapped with those firm muscles. His beautiful scars and stern face added to his sexy appeal…”

Hold on…is this Rambo? You’re referring to King Rambo?

“Oh, and by the way, James isn’t my brother,” Sir Simon was quick to explain, “I’m adopted into the royal family, see?”

Well, that conveniently solves the ‘siblings’ issue. But wait—

“You’re a guy, right?” I anxiously asked.

“Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing.” Honestly, my conservative upbringing made it a surprise for me. But then, I guess if he loved him, then who am I to judge? “I hope your love triumphs over adversities.”

“Thank you, Kuro!” he brightened up, “To be honest, it’s only you who accepted it the first time I told someone about it. For most of the time, all that I get is weird stares.”

I try to be open with every belief as much as possible…

“I’m so glad I’ve met someone like you!”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Her Holiness and try to explain your situation,” I reassured him.

“Will you please do that, Kuro? You’re the only one who can help me.”

“Don’t worry, I will do it.”

I offer you my condolences, Your Holiness. Your love is doomed right from the start.

----------

Well, I guess talking to the Saint could wait for a while. For now, I needed to find Senshee. I was having awful premonitions that something must’ve happened to him while I let him get the books I requested from the library. Again, this place wasn’t welcoming to boys…

At least to the ugly ones.

But Senshee’s not too shabby in his appearance if he was compared to Sir Simon. I’d say he’s also a ‘bishounen’ too, provided someone fixed his looks. I guess the maids would treat him better than me…

“…”

Wait, I was worried about him if he encountered that bitch from the kitchen, Jessica.

Anyway, I should check if he’s still alive or what.

“!!!”

I heard loud footsteps heading in my direction as if someone’s running. Turning around, I saw Senshee rushing along with the books I requested, which fell on the floor as he drew near.

“Senshee! What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“Sir Kuro!” Senshee was gasping for air, “It’s a good thing I found you!”

“What? Did the maids come to murder you?”

“N-no! I smell blood, Sir Kuro!”

“Ha?” I was confused by his statement, “What do you mean by ‘smell blood’?”

“Where’s Her Holiness?” he asked, almost snapping.

“Err…somewhere around…” I didn’t know the answer to his question, so I replied randomly.

Senshee sniffed the air, just like how a dog would do. With a horrible expression, he turned to me and said, “This is the smell of Her Holiness’ blood!”

“Ha? How did you know? Are you a dog, or something?”

“No time to explain!” Senshee grabbed my hand, “We need to find the Human Saint as soon as possible!”

Honestly, my mind was in disarray. But hearing the urgency in Senshee’s voice, I wasted no time and hurried after him.

----------

Because of the emergency, I roused the entire Holy Palatial Gardens on the whereabouts of Her Holiness. As a result, the Paladin Corps, the maids, the nuns, and even the entire royal entourage of the king of Nerfes joined the search for the Saint. Before that, our fears were amplified when Lily went to check on Her Holiness in her room and found it empty.

“Are you sure that Her Holiness is in danger, peasant?” King Rambo was visibly worried, and in denial, that he resorted to threatening me with his sword, “If your information is fake then I swear I’d lop off your head right now!”

“James! Stop with the threats, brother!” Sir Simon rebuked him, “Maddie is missing; this isn’t the time for that!”

King Rambo fell silent as if he received a slap to the face. Well, at least that put this meathead in his proper place.

Meanwhile, Senshee was restless. He kept on muttering, “If only I’m not in this form…” or, “I wish she wouldn’t hide like that…”

I had to ask this fellow and clarify some things after this incident was resolved.

“Let’s go around once again,” I suggested, taking charge of the chaotic situation, “I’ll try looking at the fountain area this time. Lily, you go that way. Sir Simon, can you look at the library? Senshee, try searching the gardens over there. Rambo—I mean, Your Majesty, can I ask you to go to the area behind the Palatial Armory?”

“What’s with the Rambo?”

“Don’t ask, just do what I say!” I snarled at him.

“Muu…be thankful that Maddie is involved here, you insolent peasant!”

We all agreed to separate ways and search in our respective areas. The others were looking at the places we couldn’t cover, so I guess it’d be a matter of time before we find Her Holiness…

For god’s sake, she better not hurt herself.

“…”

Drawing near my area of responsibility, my instincts told me I look into that certain shadowy spot at the western edge of the small, man-made lake that formed most of the fountain area. Well, if I was depressed and was looking for a good place to inflict self-harm without someone noticing, this would be an ideal spot.

“Your Holiness?” I called out. As a Saint with the powers of the gods, there’s a high chance she could turn invisible; I was wondering how would I able to find her if that’s the case.

“Are you here? Please let me find you…” I half-muttered, half-pleaded in desperation. After all, I didn’t want the idea of someone I knew dying…much more if she’s a friend of mine.

The place where I was looking was a grassy spot with lots of trees planted in close order, giving that area the cool shade in which one could hide. I was carefully searching for a ‘dent’ in the grass; that would tell me she’s been here, or if she had turned herself invisible.

“…”

However, what I found was much more horrible.

This…this is blood! Much to my terror, I found droplets of blood scattered around the area. Shit, don’t tell me…

“Your Holiness!” I cried desperately. I ran around in circles, trying to find any clues to her whereabouts, until…

“!!!”

I finally found the Saint lying on the grass near some hedges that were covered by trees. Her beautiful dress was stained by the dark red color of her blood, flowing from the wounds on her arms near the wrists. Beside her was a pair of bloodied scissors.

“K-Kuro? You’re too noisy…” she weakly smiled at me. Her Holiness’ lips were already pale.

“What the hell are you doing?” I wasted no time; I tore off a portion of my shirt and quickly made a makeshift tourniquet to prevent further bleeding.

“Don’t do it; that’s your shirt from your old world.”

“Shut up, will you?” I snapped, “If you have the time to remind me of that, at least be responsible and take care of me ’till the end.”

The Saint kept silent as I tried to apply first aid to her. But I could see the tears flowing down from her eyes.

“It’s alright, Your Holiness,” I reassured her, “Your friends are looking and are worried about you.”

“I want to forget my pain…” the Saint began sobbing terribly, “I cut myself so I can feel more pain and forget the one that’s in my heart…”

“Shh…calm down, Your Holiness,” though I may not be the right one to do it as of now, I guess she could forgive me later. Gently, I hugged the Saint. “I understand you. But this isn’t the right way to do it. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

Damn, she needed help as soon as possible. Should I carry her?

But if I made a mistake, I might drop her, and she gets even more injuries…Fuck it! I’m too useless!

“…”

Oh, wait! Here’s Rambo!

“Hey, King Rambo! Over here!” I waved desperately to catch his attention. Fortunately, he saw us and rushed to our area.

----------

“Hallo!”

“…”

“Hey, don’t just stare at me as if I’m some abnormality!”

“Well, what did you call me out here for?” I asked the black-haired Saint. If I remember right, I was following King Rambo as he rushed to the Holy Chambers’ palace while carrying Her Holiness. Then I was caught in a bright flash of white light, and now that I looked around me, am I in a sort of dream again?

“You are,” the black-haired Saint replied, “Although I prefer if I appear to you next time we meet, I have to use your mind to come for you.”

“Hm? You talk like you have something urgent for me, uh, what should I call you? Perhaps ‘Your Holiness’ would suffice?”

“Oh right, I haven’t told you my name yet. Just call me Natasha,” the Saint named Natasha then muttered, “‘Your Holiness’ is a bit too much for me if it comes from you after all.”

I quite heard that but decided to keep silent about it.

“Ah, anyway, I heard they started calling you ‘Kuro’ here?”

“Yes, for now, I’m Kuro,” I answered.

“Okay then.”

“So, what is it you want to tell me?”

“Ah, right. Thanks for reminding me,” Natasha recalled the reason behind her sudden appearance, “Well, aside from claiming some ‘air time’ to remind the readers of this stupid story that I still exist, I have to talk to you about the future.”

“The future?” aside from the initial nonsense Natasha spouted, I was surprised when she mentioned the word ‘future’, “You mean you can see into the future?”

“Well, not too much. I can only experience visions of the near future, not far into it.”

“Oh okay…still, I think it’s cool,” I looked at her with admiration. I honestly wished I had the same abilities.

“Thanks!”

“Does this mean Her Holiness the Saint of Chersea can also do that?”

“Unfortunately, even as she is a Saint, the gods simply didn’t grant her that ability. Her divine gift lies in her power to heal the sick and the gravest of injuries, while they gave me the knowledge of the future.”

“So, you mean, different saints having different divine abilities?”

“Yep. The gods have deliberately made it so that no one has the power to dominate the others. See, there were other saints besides me and Madelaine—your saint over there—that possess powers like turning water into wine, multiplying a few pieces of food to feed the crowd, and even control over the weather.

Somehow, that setting reminded me of the miracles that could be found in the Bible. And I was also surprised to hear that other saints exist in this world.

Natasha then continued, “Anyhow, let’s proceed with what I’m about to tell you. As I have said, I have the power to see into the future, and I came to you now in a hurry because I need to tell a matter of utmost importance.”

“Which is?”

“Well, be more aware of how you deal with the people around you.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“You know of a certain theory back in our old world called, ‘The Butterfly Effect’, right?” Natasha asked, “To cut it short, your actions have already influenced the timeline of this world.”

I fell silent upon hearing about the ‘Butterfly Effect’ theory. For those who didn’t know about it yet, it’s a theory about the effect of things that happened in relevance to its importance. For example, a butterfly fluttering its tiny wings in Arles may be deemed insignificant for the time, but somehow, that insignificant event could have a profound effect on the brewing of a tremendous storm over the Holy Palatial Gardens.

In short, the little, unimportant events could have a direct or indirect effect on the future course of time.

“Ah, as expected of Mister ‘Kuro’,” Natasha laughed softly, “You still haven’t lost your edge about these things.”

“Well, I couldn’t care less about that,” I replied, “Anyway, what is it that will happen in the future that I have an important role in it?”

“If you ask me, it’s not necessarily bad,” Natasha explained, with a hint of apprehension in her voice, “But I wouldn’t say it’s quite good either.”

“Huh? Can you stop speaking in riddles, I can’t continue guessing what you mean forever.”

“Riiight…” then Natasha began producing white smoke, which she turned into familiar faces that I’ve encountered lately, “For one, the Princess Lilyhaven Tamriel von Leese. In the timeline without you, she’s supposed to have become insane because of the loss of her brother, but you saved her from that fate and here she is now, all is well…”

And now Lily’s giving unwanted affection to me.

“The second one, Duchess Eris Braunhauer. That little girl should’ve become the concubine of the Crown Prince of Amaranth after she voluntarily resigns her duties as a maid because of severe bullying. However, you intervened in her fate, and as a result, she continues to work at the Holy Palatial Gardens.”

Well, isn’t her bullying started all because of me?

“Duchess Braunhauer has been a target of bullies ever since she entered servitude. You know it right, that little maid is as cute as heck!”

I can’t deny that fact; Eris is cute, alright.

“The third one, my fellow saint, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth,” Natasha explained, “Though she may not look like it, Maddie is prone to depression, which is why she is bored almost all the time. And, in the timeline where you didn’t appear, she’s supposed to have passed on as of this moment. And a new human saint will be chosen a bit later.”

I couldn’t find the proper reply to that information. So basically, if I didn’t appear at the right moment, nor was I summoned, Her Holiness had killed herself.

That’s…some heavy stuff…

“…”

But…

“I don’t understand,” I was getting confused, “What you just told me are good things, right? I prevented Lily from going insane, Eris could enjoy her life as a kid because I rescued her from her bullies, and Her Holiness was saved from committing suicide.”

“Of course, it’s all good,” the black-haired Saint agreed as well, “However, I’m referring to the other latest addition to your harem—I mean, the people you saved.”

Oi, I heard the word ‘harem’. And I think it’s too much.

“…”

Wait, is she referring to—

“Yes, that slave you saved from Arles, Senshee…or would you want me to refer to that person as Ruro of the Wolf, the Cherwind’s Saint of the Tempest.”

At that very moment, a bright light shone behind Natasha. Although she didn’t seem to be bothered by it, well, I was. For out of that light came out the slave Senshee.

----------

My eyes popped out from their sockets when another person appeared behind Natasha; it was the slave Senshee, only this time, I saw him with a pair of wolf ears on his head and a beautiful wolf tail on his back.

And wait, is that also a pair of boobs—

“I think my new master is fascinated by my true appearance, isn’t it, Natasha?” Senshee interrupted my train of thoughts.

“Indeed, he is,” Natasha curtly replied, “He is a man, after all.”

I stared at both of them, unsure of what to say—or do—next. For one, Natasha’s revelation to me about Senshee, or rather, Ruro, was a big surprise already. But the second revelation, that of Ruro himself—or herself, was much more of a shocker.

Yep, Ruro of the Wolf is a girl.

“Hello, Mister Kuro!” the beast girl curtsied before me, “My name is Ruro, formerly from the Wolf tribe of the Beastman race, now fulfilling her duties as the Saint of the land of Cherwind.”

“Uh…hello?” I greeted her in reply.

“Ah! I haven’t thanked you yet for saving me!” Ruro smiled, “Seriously, I thought I was a goner when I bumped my head on that carriage back in Arles. I have to run fast, you know; that stupid bitch Welt is a cruel idiot.”

“Uhh…indeed she is,” I couldn’t find a proper response for her.

“And also, thank you for saving my friend, Maddie.”

I just nodded.

“Ahem!” Saint Natasha waved her hand for a bit to get our attention, “So again, back to our topic. As I’ve said before, you need to be careful in dealing with the people around you. You may never know whether the person you’re saving is someone who’ll be a villain soon.”

“Hey, Natasha!” it was Ruro, who was protesting, “You talk as if I’m some suspicious person!”

“Oh, isn’t it the truth, doggie? Isn’t disguising yourself as a human boy and intentionally letting herself be captured for slavery just to enter the Holy Palatial Gardens suspicious enough already?”

Yeah, I thought of that. Can’t she just come right into the gates and enter properly?

“What? Quit calling me that! I thought we’re friends!”

“I enjoy bullying my ‘friends’, don’t worry.”

“Uuu…” Ruro wasn’t able to answer back to Natasha, who was smiling in triumph. With her back forced into a corner, the Beastman Saint explained, “Well, I’d like to observe the human boy Maddie summoned from another world. Of course, without myself getting exposed as a saint; or he’ll be careful in dealing with me. That’s besides my primary goal of dropping by for a visit to Maddie.”

Man, I don’t get how these Saints process their train of thought. There’s something wrong with their brains…

“Oi, don’t forget we can still read minds, Kuro,” Natasha reminded me.

Sorry.

“And so there you have it, Kuro,” Natasha tapped my shoulder, “I hope you’ll be careful next time.”

“Err…thanks, I guess?” And then, I remembered something important. “By the way, what about Her Holiness? Will she be alright?”

“Yep!” it was Ruro who answered, “Don’t worry, she’s safe now, only resting in her room with the Nerfes Princess at her side.”

“I see…” But there’s something else I have in mind…

“If you’re asking if she’ll commit that foolish act again in the future…” Natasha had read my thoughts, “…the answer will depend on you.”

“Ha? Why me?” I was shocked when she passed the responsibility on me, “I think Sir Simon or King Rambo is more suited to calming her heart.”

Ruro and Natasha exchanged confused looks. And then Ruro asked me, “Master Kuro, perhaps you’re unaware of your ability?”

Huh? Isn’t it I’m powerless when I came into this world?

“Well, indeed you are,” Natasha agreed, “But what I’m referring to is not the one you might gain in this land; I’m talking about the ability that you wielded, long before you were summoned here.”

“I’m honestly confused,” I admitted, “Is there such a thing?”

Natasha gave out a sigh, “Isn’t it you’re a teacher? Your words have a lot of weight unto it. For short, you have the power to influence people using your lips.”

And then, I realized my true abilities as a person…