mysterious boy

"Did he deliver the item?" the king asked, exhaling deeply as he tried to steady his thoughts. "Yes, my lord," the butler replied in a calm voice. "He entrusted it to someone he deeply believes in, and it was delivered safely."

Nectol gazed up at the sky, his mind heavy with unspoken worries. I can only hope that everything unfolds as planned, he thought. Then, almost in a whisper, he muttered to himself, Ash… try to get stronger. Hate me, despise me, but I will still do my best to protect you—while keeping them away from you.

"and as for your sister", he paused and then added..."you will now it when the time is right.

With that, he took a deep breath, turned away, and began walking back toward the castle.

Inside the grand palace, multiple smaller palaces stood opposite each other. These residences did not belong to nobles or guests but were instead the personal domains of the king's wives, all living together in one place.

Within one of these palaces, a young girl was having her hair styled, attended by numerous maids. This girl was none other than Alee Nectol. "Mom said we won't be seeing Ash for a long time… huhu!" Alee thought to herself, cute tears welling up in her eyes. Despite the emotional atmosphere, the maids present dared not let their smiles fade.

Two maids standing at the back whispered to each other, ensuring their voices were low enough that Alee wouldn't hear.

"Isn't Her Highness just adorable?" one murmured.

"Her Highness is simply natural beauty born. What else could we say?" the other replied with a soft smile.

Then, with a more serious tone, the first maid added, "If not for that freak prince, Ash, who is now being punished in the Middle West, Her Highness would have shined even more!"

A moment of silence followed, as if both agreed on the matter.

But before they could continue, Alee suddenly stood up from her seat, her voice rising in alarm.

"No...!!" she cried out, her face filled with disbelief. Then, as if realization struck her, she added in a desperate voice, "Ash can't be in that hellish place!!" She dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. The maids, their faces now filled with fear, rushed to calm her down, realizing that their careless words had caused an emotional outburst in the twelve-year-old princess.

"What's going on?!" Was heard.

Issyl burst into the room, her elegant dress flowing behind her as she rushed toward her younger sister. Her golden hair, much like their father's, shimmered under the soft light. Without hesitation, she knelt beside Alee and pulled her into a warm embrace, pressing her against her chest.

"Alee, get up. What happened?" she asked gently, her voice filled with concern. Then, shifting to a softer, reassuring tone, she whispered, "It will be alright, sister. Just calm down."

As they sat on the bed, the difference in their age became apparent. Issyl, appearing around nineteen, was clearly the elder of the two.

Through shaky breaths, Alee tried to form words between her sobs. "They... they said Ash is in the Middle West and won't come back, and… he… he—" Her voice broke, her small hands gripping Issyl's dress tightly. Tears continued to pour down her cheeks as she struggled to finish her sentence. "He will die there and… and we will never see him again… AA!!" Her sobs grew louder, cutting off her words. Issyl, who loved her younger sister more than anything, slowly turned her gaze toward the maids. She said nothing, but her piercing stare alone was enough to make them tremble. They knew immediately—something terrible is going to happen to them.

Turning her attention back to Alee, Issyl cupped her sister's tear-streaked face. "Listen, Alee. Ash wasn't sent there to die. You know our father wouldn't kill his own children, right?"

Alee sniffled but nodded slightly.

Issyl continued, "He was sent there to become strong. So strong that nothing in this world could stand in his way. Think about it—what if you became just like him?" She added trying to erase her sister worry, and continued "What if you trained hard, and when you see him again, you surprise him with your strength?"

Alee's crying slowed as she processed Issyl's words. Though she was still young and couldn't fully grasp everything, her sister's words gave her something to hold onto. After a moment of silence, she wiped her tears and forced a small smile. "Yes i can,I can do it. I'll show Ash that I can be strong too," she said with a shaky but determined voice, And cried even more.

In the dimly lit royal office, King Nectol sat on his grand chair, his gaze unwavering as he observed the woman standing before him—Soba, his third wife. "I don't really trust you. At the same time, I don't hate you… and I can tell what's really happening." His voice was calm but carried an undeniable weight.

Standing to his right was Balgeed, his ever-loyal butler, watching the exchange in silence. Though the king's words sounded fair, Soba couldn't find any comfort in them. The burden of her past actions still weighed heavily on her, making her lower her head in silent shame.

Noticing her guilt, Nectol leaned forward slightly. His piercing eyes bore into her as he spoke again. "If you want to redeem yourself..." he paused, then turned to Balgeed.

"Bring the item." Without hesitation, Balgeed stepped forward and handed the king a rolled-up blueprint. Nectol unfolded it and placed it firmly in Soba's hands.

"Complete this." His voice grew firmer. "It's a territory belonging to the demons."

Soba's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly clenched her hands around the blueprint. She knew this was a test—perhaps a punishment. But more than that, it was a chance. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I promise I will definitely not disappoint you another time!" With that, she turned and exited the office.

As the doors closed behind her, Balgeed finally spoke. His voice remained composed, but a hint of doubt lingered. "Will this really be alright, my lord?"

King Nectol leaned back in his chair, exhaling slightly before answering.

"I have faith in her."

Ash stepped into the Adventurer's Guild, his eyes widening in awe at the structure before him. It was even grander than he had imagined, resembling the what he had read about back on Earth.

The moment he walked through the entrance, his senses were overwhelmed. The air buzzed with energy as adventurers moved about—some collecting missions from the guild's request board on the right wall, while others engaged in lively conversation. At the front desk stood a young woman managing the registration and test process.

Without hesitation, Ash stepped forward, excitement coursing through him. "I wanna register as an adventurer!!" he declared with enthusiasm, his hands clenched into fists as if he could barely contain himself.

The receptionist woman, barely reacted to his eagerness. Instead,she gave him a registration latter, and Ash fulfilled in seconds, again she pulled out a white crystal orb and placed it on the counter. "Place your hand here," she instructed, her voice professional "And pour your mana into it."

Ash nodded eagerly and placed his hand on the orb, expecting the rush of energy or some kind of glow like he had always read about. However— "Oh?… This has never happened before."

The receptionist's voice held a rare trace of surprise as she stared at the orb.

"Haha... you thought I was a newbie, huh?" Ash said, hiding his embarrassment. Then he added, "Just give me the lowest rank. I don't want my identity and power to be revealed!!" while strengthening his voice, because he remembered that he was cursed and doesn't have any mana pathways.

The woman standing there, after hearing his voice and looking at his height and partially hidden face, started to believe him. She hesitated for a moment, then quickly pulled out a badge and handed it over. The badge had "E Rank Adventurer" written on it.

The woman couldn't see Ash's face since his coat covered it, but deep inside, he was feeling pain, suppressing his frustration.

"That would be 3 silver coins," she said shyly.

Ash, who didn't have any silver coins, took out 1 gold coin and said, "Give me the change." He had already planned to rent a room, as he might need one. The remaining amount was 7 silver coins, which she handed over with a smile.

Just as Ash took the money, a young man entered the guild through the door.

The moment he stepped in, his face seemed to be glowing with a smile. As Ash looked at him, he was confused—because the boy who just walked in was extremely beautiful. His white hair, radiant face, and stunning crimson eyes made Ash wonder… was he a boy or a girl?

"Sir, are you surprised by that boy?" the woman asked as she watched Ash still standing in place.

"Well, kinda," he replied, still staring at the boy.

The woman chuckled and said, "We were also surprised at first. We almost mistook him for a girl, but he arrived just a little earlier than you."

Ash, after hearing that, was even more shocked. He observed how the boy behaved, and his suspicion grew. Back on Earth, people like this were often called gay.

Not wanting to get involved in anything like that, he sighed and thought to himself, Even in this world, there are people like this? Tsk! Such wasted beauty. He then turned to leave through the guild's exit. However, just as he reached the door, the boy blocked his way, smiling, and said, "Hey! Can we form a party?"

Ash was about to react in shock, wondering why people like this even approaching him, ready to yell and move aside. But then, he noticed the badge in the boy's hand—S-Rank.

He was an S-Rank adventurer.

Ash held back his frustration and calmed himself down, thinking,"what if he is a weirdo and just he kill me if i refuse?!!" Well, surviving is all that matters, even if it means being around people like him. With that thought, he forced a smile and accepted the invitation.

...

"But why do we have to accept a mission, right away?we just formed a party!!!" Ash screamed in his mind as he sat at the back of the carriage, With him and same boy he had formed a party with. They had taken on a mission to escort someone back to his village. The reason? These roads were dangerous—bandits could ambush travelers at any moment.

"Black coat guy, why are you so silent and not talkin?" Said by the boy.

The boy's beautiful face showed a hint of boredom as his crimson eyes fixated on Ash's coat.

"The name is..." Ash was about to introduce himself but stopped, realizing he shouldn't reveal his real name.

"Uhum! The name is Aryan," he quickly corrected, adding, "There isn't much to talk, as that there's no need to talk."

He meant it. Even if the boy was an S-rank adventurer, Ash had no intention of talking meaningless chat.

"Wow!! What wonderful words you've got there!! But is that really it? You won't even ask my name?"

The boy's face lit up with a playful smile, causing Ash to sigh before reluctantly asking, "So, what's your name?"

As if waiting for this moment, the boy grinned.

"The name is Fil."

Then, he burst into laughter, his dazzling features making it almost annoying to look at.

Ash stared at him, unimpressed, and thought to himself, "Does he wanted to copy me or something?" He sighed again and muttered, "What a weirdo!"

Hours passed, and still no bandits appeared. Ash and the boy were growing bored, with all they did being casual conversation. Ash had learned many pointless things from the boy, like how he was the only boy in his family and how happy he was, right now that he isn't there. The boy even went so far as to say he was so happy that he could die right here and right now. Ash didn't like this at all, especially with the way the boy said it. He thought to himself that the boy sounded like a gay, which made Ash uncomfortable.

"Oh!! That's the village!!" the man driving the carriage said, excited, as they neared their destination, thanking Ash and Fil.

As they got off the carriage, Ash couldn't help but think, "If this was a novel and I was reading it, I would've stopped long ago, because of how boring this would be." And added, "We arrived in this village safely, as if there was no need for us to even begin with."

Looking at the sky, he noticed the sun was setting. As the warm orange glow of the sunset began to fade, Fil, with a bright smile on his face, said, "Let's just sleep for the night, the sun is setting anyway!!!"

Ash glanced at him, taking in the beauty of his face, but then remembered the fox beast that was In his storage and then shouted," agreed!! let's go quickly look for a place to sleep and restaurant, yeah especially a restaurant!!" Fil confused, but just followed the vibe and shouted back at Ash"yeah let's goo!!!".