CH 5. Being Stupid

He felt a cold sensation around his wounded cheek and hissed in pain, cursing himself again for not using that when he had the opportunity. Seeing that Emilia gave him a concerned look, she said, "I'm sorry, but please bear with it. It isn't a pleasant sensation, but it will heal you."

'Not pleasant' is one way of putting it. He could feel his numb muscles slowly regaining their sense; however, it did not feel natural but more like the muscles were forced to wake up because of the pain. He did not know how severe the damage was, but it was probably quite bad as there was a lot of blood coming out. He felt like a part of his flesh was going to fall; he did not even dare to touch it, fearing it would fall off. Just imagining such a thing was enough to make him blanch.

"Hm?" murmured Emilia.

"What's wrong?" asked Alex.

"Your wound… It is already healing itself…" she commented with slight surprise. "It's not completely healed, but it is already starting to mend itself," she exclaimed. "The spirits, the lesser spirits around us, are healing you," she said, sounding very astonished by that.

"Excuse me?" he blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means you have an affinity for spirits," she explained.

Alex gave a small look toward Reinhard, who was approaching them from the corner of his eye. The red-haired Astrea seemed quite interested in what he was witnessing.

"Lesser spirits have the ability to heal injuries, and if they like you, they will gladly help you. Just like what happened to you," Reinhard explained while gesturing to his injured cheek. "It's quite a surprise to see someone else having that kind of affinity."

"…I take it you have one too?" If Alex remembered well, Reinhard has his own healing ability. And he wouldn't be broken if he didn't have multiple of them.

"You can say so," chuckled Reinhard. "Although my ability is nothing major, it can certainly help, trust me."

Alex did not make any comment and let out a grunt of agreement. He knew well how Avalon's regeneration helped Shirou. It was very helpful even if it was not at full power because the young man was not its owner.

"It's a strange thought…" commented Emilia with a perplexed expression.

"What's strange?" asked Alex.

"I'm a spirit contractor, so I can communicate with them and feel their emotion even if only a little," informed Emilia. "And I know that the spirits were not very fond of you–they were just plain neutral–but now they are beginning to like you," she said with confusion. "And you said you had a bad history with spirits in the past, so…"

"That's… indeed strange," murmured Reinhard in agreement while rubbing his chin. "Do you know something about it, Alex?"

"No, I don't."

And he was honest here; he truthfully didn't know what the elf was asking, but he didn't have a hunch what it could be.

But… If they were willing to heal him, then who was he to deny their generous offer? And it was just a one-time thing as soon he will have Enhanced Regeneration Level III and type 1 pure immortality. Which will make living through this hell just a little bit easier for him.

It still bore investigation though; who knows, maybe there was some kind of payment that these spirits wanted. He would ask the next time he would meet Beatrice.

"Thank you…"

Alex blinked once, snapped from his stupor, and turned to Emilia.

"Huh?"

"Thank you," repeated Emilia in a softer voice, "for helping me. You're being nothing but polite and helpful, even if you were a bit rude and demanding. But you're a kind person." She expressed her gratitude sincerely, giving the man a warm smile.

"I was feeling skeptical and wary of you at first. However, after experiencing all this, I do believe that while your way is rough and harsh, it's all to help and keep me safe."

She then tilted her head slightly. "Seeing that we both barely know each other and only met for a short time, this means something."

Alex looked at Emilia with a surprised expression, obviously taken aback by her sincerity. Truthfully, he did not help her out of the goodness of his heart; rather, it was for his own gain. But with such a kind and genuine attitude, it made him feel ashamed and guilty for trying to trick the girl.

'No… while I did this for my own gain, I did save her life. So it's normal that she is thanking me like this. Life is something precious after all,' Alex said to himself.

That was right, he did this for his own purpose, and she was thanking him; this was just a logical behavior.

But still, it was kind of nice… To get such a heartfelt thank you from someone…

He felt his cheek redden slightly and turned away from the beautiful girl who kept on smiling at him. Damn her good-looking face, if it was someone else who said that, he sure as hell could have shrugged it off!

'Where's Reinhard?! He was here just a moment ago. Did he leave so we could have our moment? What kind of flag did I trigger here?!' He thought with annoyance, seeing the red-haired knight missing.

Romance was the last thing he wished to have in this place, considering how it was going to hinder him if he went back to his world later on.

"Here, it is healed already," said Emilia as she retracted her glowing hands. She inspected the previously wounded cheek to make sure it was completely healed and found herself satisfied.

"Thank you, Emilia-san," replied Alex with a polite voice.

"Is there anything you wish?" asked Emilia. "You helped me so much today, and if you were not there, I could have lost my life. For that, I want to repay you."

"…Well, truthfully, I helped you because I had nothing to do," answered Alex, giving a half lie. He really did not have anything to do.

"And while it would be good to get a reward –I guess– for now I don't want anything from you. Besides, you also saved my life," he said while tilting his head.

"I guess seeing you safe is already enough for now."

He knew he had to choose his words and act carefully. With Puck on Emilia's side, he couldn't pretend to be a nice guy. One way or another, the spirit would soon notice his mask; not to mention they started on the wrong foot. He also wasn't like Subaru, who was known as a good and sincere man. Alex just… was not.

Besides, if he was too kind, Emilia would be suspicious too. For all her naivety and lack of common sense, she actually was far from stupid.

Knowing all that, he tried to give her a half-truth. In one way, he really felt happy that she was safe. It meant he didn't have to face the wrath of a being on the level of a Phantasmal or Divine Beast– in the worst scenario.

"I see…" Emilia sounded uncertain for a moment. "You are a strange person, Alex."

Indeed, from Emilia's perspective, this man just came out all of a sudden, offering to help her, and then refusing any sort of rewards. Oh, make no mistake, she knew he was hiding something; it was not hard to see after all. Puck himself had told her that while he didn't have any ill intentions towards her, the man seemed to wish to 'use' her somehow.

Then when the argument about letting Elsa go appeared, she could sense his sincerity. He was not lying then; he really felt at fault for the Bowel Hunter's escape. Which was absurd considering it was her who got her insignia stolen in the first place.

She couldn't decide whether he was a good man or not. However, one thing was sure; he had a decent personality. He was not a man who let someone get killed in front of him if he could help it – of that she was sure.

Oblivious to the half-elf's dilemma, Alex felt his lips twitch a little at her comment, "Not the first time I've been called that."

The half-elf, hearing this, let out a soft, gentle, and angelic laugh. And what a laugh Alex noticed; no wonder it got a full scene during the anime.

This made him blush a bit, and he turned away as he realized where his thoughts were leading him. Damn her, she wasn't only very beautiful but also very nice. It was too Mary Sue in his opinion! Someone couldn't have all those traits! Nerf her down already, damn it!

"Hey…" Alex heard.

He gave a grateful prayer as someone decided to butt in. In his opinion, if this were continuing, the atmosphere between Emilia and him would go down an awkward direction. And having such a moment with a beautiful girl like Emilia made him feel quite uncomfortable.

Don't get him wrong; he did not fall for her or anything like that. But nice girls always have their own charm and aura. It was kind of bothering him, actually.

It's not like he wasn't good with girls. No, it was more because he still felt bad about trying to trick her. Granted, he still gave her a half-truth, but still…

He may be cynical and a jerk, but that did not mean he had a wrong moral sense.

"Yes?" asked Emilia of Felt, who was fidgeting under her and Alex's gaze.

"Uhh… I want to return this," Felt extended the royal insignia, and only then did the duo realize that no one had picked it up from the floor until now. "This is yours… Sorry for stealing it."

"Like I said, it's okay, I forgive you," chuckled Emilia in a kind manner as she retrieved the badge. "But if possible, I would like it if you stopped your thievery altogether."

"This is something I cannot do," Felt said in a flat voice, "Just so you know, I'm only returning this to you because I owe you all my life. I don't think I did anything wrong, and I have no plans to stop."

"Then you will meet someone like the Bowel Hunter again in the future," Alex dryly pointed out, making the petite girl grimace.

"Look, I won't tell you to stop since I'm aware of your condition. But at least please be careful, do some research before deciding to steal something. Obviously, if they hired you to steal a Royal Insignia, you would have to face someone in a high position and quite dangerous," he lectured.

"Uhh, yeah, I guess you're right," Felt rubbed the back of her hair sheepishly. "You seem pretty good at things like this, Onii-chan. Were you also a thief in the past?"

"I'm good at it because it's called common sense, you dunderhead," replied Alex while pinching Felt's cheek and making the girl yelp in pain. "You need to learn more about the world if you want to survive living like this."

While on Earth, there were no gigantic beasts or crazy cults that threatened to destroy the world, they had their own bad guys. Those did not have such raw power but rather reached their goals through cunning and sly strategies. Politicians… Gods know just how damn many poor souls they sucked dry so they could fill their own pockets. They used nothing but smooth words and their cunning minds, but it was more than enough to make sure the world couldn't touch them.

"Huh, your cheek is kind of soft," commented Alex as he was rubbing the blonde girl's cheek at the same time as pinching it. "You make a good stress relief."

He always had a soft spot for cute things, especially children. That was also the reason why he could easily talk to Puck despite knowing its real nature.

He still could remember his little sister always being mad at him whenever he pinched her cheeks. She even called him "Cheeks-pincher." In his defense, it wasn't his fault that his sister happened to be so cute!

"Thwat's swound vwerwy disgwusting Onwii-chwan! Lwet gwo of mwe!" The thief shouted while trying to pry the armored man's hand from her cheek.

Indeed it was, however, Alex didn't care about any of that; he was only pinching her cheek, after all. Nothing was wrong in his opinion.

"I admit you have a pretty face, but I don't think this figure of yours is helping," he commented as he released her cheek, making the girl instantly start to rub it to soothe the stinging sensation.

"Alex!" chided Emilia, her face turning slightly red at his blatant vulgar words.

"What? I'm telling the truth," defended Alex.

This time it was his cheek that got pinched by the half-elf, eliciting a yelp from him. The gentle-looking girl for once looked stern.

"You really have rude behavior, don't you? Especially with that mouth of yours," she admonished with a glare. She knew that Alex was capable of being polite; she had seen this side of him. However, it seemed this guy was in reality quite rude and had a sharp tongue. It was very unfitting for someone who was proclaiming himself a knight in training or wished to be one.

"Get him back for me, Onee-chan!" cheered Felt while still rubbing her own red cheek. That hurt! He really was not holding back while pinching her!

"Am I interrupting something?"

Reinhard, who was gone for a moment, returned. He looked very amused at the sight of Alex being reprimanded by Emilia – who was quite shorter than him, barely reaching his nose.

"No, you don't," answered Emilia, releasing Alex, who rubbed his cheek instantly while mumbling incoherently under his breath about how 'He didn't do anything wrong in the first place' or 'Women and their sense of justice'. If the half-elf heard him, she didn't show any sign.

"Where were you, Reinhard?" continued Emilia.

"I was sending a message to some knights to come check around here. We can't be too careless; the Bowel Hunter is quite famous after all," answered Reinhard. "I also asked for some men to escort you back to your mansion, though I can cancel if you disapprove."

"No, I don't mind," said Emilia. "Normally I would have refused, but after what happened, it is good to be careful."

"Understood," Reinhard nodded.

"What is your plan after this, then?"

"We will have to declare the area off-limits for a while and spread the wanted poster of the Bowel Hunter. I don't think it'll help much since she is already an infamous person, but renewing the warning of her presence might do some good," Reinhard's gaze then turned to Alex.

"Though I doubt she will cause more problems, the wound on her arm looked quite bad," he said, recalling the injury received by the killer. "You must be very talented to manage to injure her like that. The Bower Hunter has killed many knights in the past."

"It's mostly thanks to the element of surprise. She underestimated me and paid the price," said Alex, trying to escape.

"Yet you were still able to stand on the same ground as the Bower Hunter herself. This isn't an ordinary feat. Many knights can't even hold their ground against her," pressed Reinhard.

That was because he was fairly stronger than a normal human. This was the only reason he could exchange blows on equal ground against her. To compensate for his lack of skill, he used his superior strength and speed, even if he could hardly use that.

But even so, it still wasn't enough. Not nearly enough in Alex's opinion.

"And that sword in your hand…" Reinhard's eyes immediately went to the invisible Excalibur. He knew it was a sword the moment he laid his eyes upon it, despite its invisibility. "I must say, I've never seen a sword of that kind, and it makes me very curious."

Since Reinhard came from a line of master swordsmen, this clearly meant something. Just by being close to it, the red-haired man could tell that the sword must be legendary, like the one on his own waist. Moreover, its power right now was suppressed, meaning it was very powerful, as he could sense it even in this state.

And it didn't end there; the golden scabbard at his waist was also releasing a power he had never felt, an energy that couldn't be touched. 

Then with the other black sword hanging on his other side, he could feel an energy that is only released by Mabeasts. Black Miasma, like some kind of Demonic energy.

The energy they were leaking was in very tiny amounts, but Reinhard could feel it with his blessings. It put him on guard as something Demonic could not be good.

But when he saw how upset Alex was when Elsa escaped, he knew the man in front of him wasn't a bad man.

Such an idea was bothering him. He always had a soft spot for swords, even for a badly crafted one. And now he found two swords that rivaled his own. However, he felt in his heart that he could trust the man in front of him for an unknown reason. There was some sort of aura radiating from Alex that made Reinhard trust him.

"You can say they are something I inherited," answered Alex as he glanced at his invisible sword. Now that he mentioned it, he also had its original sheath, the one that used to cover it. Yes, he was in possession of Avalon, the Ex-rank barrier that could grant Enhanced Regeneration Level III and type 1 pure immortality.

While he was feeling stupid for not using Avalon before coming here, he made a promise to himself never to make such a bluntly stupid mistake again. It had cost him his life.

Which is why he was feeling that he had lost brain cells for not using Avalon before joining here. It could have saved him from all the pain. But now he can't use Avalon here, not in front of everyone; he needs to be alone. Now that he has unleashed the sword, I am not going to use Avalon as a sheath; it would be like wasting such a thing.

How was he going to hide the sword now? Of course, it was invisible, but he wanted to be able to store it and call it for battle, especially Excalibur Morgan. It's a demonic sword with too much power to let it just be outside all the time.

Its sheath was just a normal cardboard that became a seal the moment he came to this world, so Excalibur Morgan is still covered by it.

But now, it would be very convenient if he could call it whenever he wanted! Just like servants, especially as it was invisible; he himself would have a hard time finding it if he put it down somewhere! When he holds Excalibur – no, the moment he grasped it before the battle, he became aware of its real size, look, and length. When using it, he could see it for what it really was and not be covered by wind.

It was as if he had spent all his life with the sword, and its exact features were rooted deep inside his mind. It felt strange; the sensation was very foreign and yet not unpleasant.

'Let's see,' thought Alex. He closed his eyes and began to focus. He felt something surge inside him, flowing from the surface of his skin, crawling through his clothes and gauntlet. Then it reached the invisible sword, slithering like wires, began to cover it whole and then…

What occurred next was something indescribable. To put it in words as best as he could, it felt like dropping an object into the water while at the same time touching the surface of the liquid and feeling the ripples the act caused with his other hand.

That was what he felt when he released Excalibur from his grip, and then the sword was gone, disappearing from the living world. He did the same with Avalon and Excalibur Morgan, and they also disappeared from the living world.

"…!? What did you just do?" Reinhard seemed aware instantly of what happened despite being invisible to the naked eye. The sword was already invisible, so it was almost like nothing happened. The Saint Sword could catch a glimpse of the sword even while invisible, but now?

He could not see it anymore, and it was the same for Alex's other sword and the sheath.

"I just hid it," answered Alex in a calm voice. He was quite proud of his act because inside he also felt dazed by the sudden event.

"A simple trick I learned, very handy, I might say. By the way, what are you going to do with Felt and this old man?" He quickly asked when he noticed Emilia looking at him with curiosity. He didn't want to talk about his trump cards, after all.

Still… it means he does the same with his armor? If yes, then… Okay, he was going to test it later, obviously, not now. What if it left him naked? That was something he didn't want to happen.

Hearing him say that, Felt stiffened as the Saint Sword's sky blue eyes fell upon her. Reinhard feeling that Alex didn't want to explain his trick, decided to continue with the discussion.

"It's hard for me to grasp all that has happened, but given my occupation, I don't think I can ignore what they were doing. However…" he paused and then shrugged his shoulders with a knowing smile. "Today happens to be my day off, so…"

"Hahaha, you really are a terrible knight," joked Emilia with a laugh while Felt showed a relieved expression.

"Do you hear that? Make sure you are careful next time, girl," commented Alex, patting her head.

"Stop treating me like a little girl!" yelled Felt, squirming under his grip and trying to pry his hand away. "You don't look that much older to me!"

"I'm eighteen going on nineteen, and you're what? Twelve?" answered Alex.

"I'm fifteen! You aren't much older than me!"

Alex could only shake his head and release the girl. His green eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at the glowering thief.

"Well, you have a pretty face, one that makes you look young," commented Alex. "I mean, forgetting your dirty appearance, I could see you in a dress. I'm sure it will suit you well."

Felt's cheeks reddened a bit; this was the first time someone praised her for her look. She didn't care much, truthfully, but she was still a girl.

"Like hell I would wear a dress!" she huffed. "It looks strange and it is too frilly for my taste."

While Emilia smiled in amusement at the duo's interaction, Reinhard saw something flash in the thief's red eyes.

He then recalled what Alex had just said, 'Wait, could it be…' His eyes widened a little. He had watched from a distance when she returned the insignia but thought it might have been his eyes playing tricks on him. However, now that Alex mentioned it… He suddenly reached out and grabbed Felt's shoulder. His action made the trio turn to him with a surprised look – though one of them seemed to already know what it was about.

And it went just as Alex had imagined. Reinhard interrogated Felt about her identity and insisted on her coming with him. He was tempted to butt in to improve his image in front of Emilia – and also because Felt shot him several desperate looks. But that decision was taken from him when Reinhard knocked her out, just like in canon.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth. However, he wisely refrained himself from making any comments.

"Thank you, Alex," said Reinhard, making the blond blink. "If it wasn't for your comment, I wouldn't have put it together."

Alex didn't know what to say. After a moment of consideration, he chose his words carefully. "I had my own suspicions when I looked at her. Your action, however, seems to prove I was right."

"Right?" asked Emilia, still oblivious. "What's right?"

"Well…" Alex rubbed his chin uncertainly. "I guess you have a right to know, though I think it's better if you find out on your own later."

"Eh? But-"

"Besides, it is still only a guess. There is no solid proof, right, Reinhard?"

"Yes," answered Reinhard. "There's still a certain procedure that needs to be done to be sure. Though I have my own suspicions just like you."

Hearing both sword-wielders speak seemed to be enough for Emilia to relent as she gave a slow nod.

"As for the old man, I will take him to the nearest post and tell him about these new suspicions," informed Reinhard.

"By the way, what are you going to do, Alex?" he asked. "You're a tourist, right? What did you come here for?"

"… Truthfully, I never intended to come to the capital," said Alex, already prepared for this conversation. "I took the wrong ride at the wrong time in the wrong place, and I realized it too late. Moreover, the ride to the capital is more expensive than my original one… As a matter of fact, I'm sure I got scammed," he added with a grimace. It was a lie, but he actually never wished to come here, so it had some merit… right?

"I don't know about the currency here, so I bought goods. But what I traded them for is more than it should have been," continued Alex.

In other words, he was moneyless, homeless, and didn't know where he was going to go now.

That was what crossed Emilia and Reinhard's minds, but they refrained from saying it aloud as it would be rude. 'Well, it's not like he would care,' thought Emilia. Alex seemed used to talking in such a way, but she still was too well-mannered to say it.

"Well," chuckled Reinhard. "You can come to my house then; I wouldn't mind having you as a guest."

"No, allow me to provide you shelter," suddenly said Emilia. "You've been very helpful to me, Alex, and I have yet to repay you. So I insist that you come to my place to rest."

Alex was silent for a moment, seeming to consider both offers deeply, but in reality, his decision was already made from the beginning.

"I guess… Giving my current predicament, it would be foolish of me to not accept your offer. Very well, then, Emilia-san," he said with a nod of acceptance.

He then turned to Reinhard, "No offence, but I prefer Emilia-san's company; she is more appealing to the eye."

Emilia's face turned red at the obvious compliment, while Reinhard laughed in a good-natured manner. "It's okay. Here, this belongs to you, right?" he asked rhetorically, showing a bag, prompting Alex to remember he had left it behind at the start of the battle.

"Thank you, Reinhard."

"No problem, oh and here, this is for you too."

After accepting his bag, Alex caught a pouch that Reinhard tossed him and took a peek inside.

"This is…"

"The money that the Bowel Hunter brought with her. I don't think she has a use for it now, and since you are going to need it, you can have it," replied Reinhard. 

"Consider it a payment for guarding Emilia-sama; it is supposed to be my job as a knight to guard the Royal Candidate, after all."

Well… He didn't know how to respond. He didn't even know the currency of this world, how much the money he got was worth, and what he could buy with it. However, if he remembered well, Felt sounded pretty awed when Elsa showed twenty holy coins – the amount in the pouch – which meant the amount must be quite large.

"I will take half of it then," he said as he took out ten coins. "Give the rest to that old man; he is going to need it to fix his place." He handed it back to Reinhard, who blinked.

He noticed that not only Reinhard was looking at him, but Emilia too. And her smile seemed approving.

"You're a good person, Alex," confirmed Emilia.

"I agree; you may appear rough, but you have your own way to show your good side," nodded Reinhard, with an approving gaze of his own.

This made the armored man's left eye twitch. The only reason he gave the money back was that he didn't know what to do with it! And he also didn't know how much money it represented in the first place!

"Hn." He only grunted and turned away from the duo praising the look. His eyes wandered to the moon that shined down in an alluring way. 'I guess this is my first checkpoint, then? Speaking about the checkpoint, this is the first day I'm here and yet…'

And yet he already almost died many times and faced a deranged assassin. But again it happened because of my own stupidity and recklessness. It truly feels like I have lost some brain cells. Great, just great… He had a feeling things would only be more complicated the next day.

"That would be your ride," said Reinhard, prompting Alex to turn towards where he was looking. "I guess I should be going as well," he added.

Alex saw a well-designed carriage pulled by a… lizard. This type of lizard, if he remembered well, was called an earth dragon in this world. Though in his opinion, it almost looked like a dinosaur rather than a dragon. Nonetheless, he still found himself captivated for a moment; it was quite a sight for someone new to this world after all.

"Yes, thank you for your help, Reinhard," replied Emilia in a grateful voice.

"There's no need for that; I barely did anything," Reinhard responded, shaking his head.

"Your presence was enough to repel the Bowel Hunter," chimed in Alex. "If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have retreated that easily." And that was the truth, judging by how Elsa was looking at him before she ran away. It seemed he managed to enter the assassin's blacklist.

"Yeah, but I still barely did anything. The credit actually goes to you, Alex. You're the one who protected Emilia-sama and sent Felt to call for help."

At such a response, Alex allowed himself to sigh, not in the mood to banter about who should be thanked. He only nodded and said, "Let's just agree that we both did the right thing."

"I like the way you put it," laughed Reinhard. Such a unique way of phrasing words! He might be using them in the future.

Exhausted would be the right thing to say about my current condition. I did not speak about my body. No, as a matter of fact, I was sure I still could run around the city without a problem. But my mental state was something else entirely…

It had been almost thirty minutes since we left the slum, and we were now on our way to Emilia's place. In this short time, not much had happened. Emilia herself was leaning in her seat, trying to relax. She must have been exhausted. The strain from both healing Rom—who had fatal injuries—and supporting Puck, who seemed to be half serious while facing Elsa, unlike in canon where he underestimated her.

I didn't think she had exhausted her mana, but it was more of a mental strain. Just like what I felt right now.

I, myself, was also leaning in my seat in a relaxing manner while staring outside. The seat was quite comfortable, and the ride was smooth. I was afraid that the carriage would be one used for trading merchandise, but it appeared Reinhard made sure we got the right one. Though it was still a bit hot here with no AC, I could open the window, but the night wind isn't healthy, so… Oh, how I missed you, my precious AC.

AC was one of the main necessities of my life, and now it has been taken away from me… My lovely coffee. Curse you and your backward technology, Medieval Age!

Deciding that I didn't have anything special to do, I opened my bag and was about to play with my cellphone. However, I suddenly remembered that I might need it in the near future and that it was best to save battery.

Well… I did have portable chargers and an emergency power bank, and right now I was also not that bored but quite exhausted, so…

"Emilia-san, do you want some water?" I offered as I pulled a bottle of water from my bag and extended it to Emilia, who blinked at me.

"Ah, yes, thank you." She took it graciously and drank.

I took another and began to drink too. Water wouldn't be a problem since I was going to live at the mansion, so I could drink them all.

I then noticed something that caught my attention: a book, one that I had no memory of bringing. I still remember when I bought this snack, but this book? I never bought it or brought it when I was at the cosplay convention. Who brought a book at a cosplay convention?

I picked it up and began to observe it. It was the size of a novel, but it was its design that interested me. It looked a little old and tattered, as if it had been used many times. But at the same time, it was also clean, and it seemed to have been used with care.

I tried to open it in the middle; however, to my surprise, it refused to budge. I added more strength and tried again, but it didn't open! What the hell?! I could break a knife with this amount of strength but couldn't open a book?!

Deciding that using more force would attract unwanted attention and make me look stupid, I relented and tried to open the book from the first page this time. But to my surprise, it did not open on the first page but a few pages after the first one.