Astraea: The Journey of Magic

Winding back time a bit once again, Akano was waking up in the Church. Today was the last day he would be there, as he was setting out on his journey this morning.

In truth, he was happy to leave for many reasons. As grateful as he was to the nuns and priestesses who helped him, they were incredibly strict and even though Akano didn't even have a stitch and was still in shock from what happened, they made him do chores. As such, he had rather forcefully been made to comply to the common sense of this world in just a few days. He also learned just how laundry was to do in this world, since there was no magic that just cleaned everything. In fact, magic couldn't be used to clean, due to mana intoxication.

That said, they also educated him a bit, bathed him, fed him, and even provided him with clothes for free, so he was still grateful. Embarrassed for awhile, but one could only feel that way for so long.

However, he had other reasons he needed to leave as well. He needed to find Kuroki, Juno, and Reiji. He was most worried about Kuroki. Although it seemed almost a guarantee he would be able to use magic in this world, given what he learned about the Starfallen and how the Starfall process works from the head nun here, there were still concerns. Kuroki could be a bit shy, due to always being made fun of for his height. And while they all did have other friends Akano was worried about as well, Kuroki had the absolute worst luck. Akano wouldn't be surprised if he had to make a multi-day trek to the city completely naked, or endure some arrogant or pervert guildmaster, or got targeted by a criminal organization that trafficked in young boys. He even heard from the nun that last one really existed.

There was also the fact that tens of thousands of shooting stars were seen the night of the Starfall. It looked like the storm blanketed the whole city before everything went white. This could be especially problematic on if the outskirts of the city were in range. And it could mean Kuroki's father was here in this world too.

Kuroki is in grave danger.

He had been willing to wait to learn and practice magic a bit, and supply up, largely the fact even he wouldn't rush off bare ass naked helped. But he couldn't dally. Kuroki was in grave danger. This world had magic in it. Kuroki loved magic, but shitty father hated that about Kuroki most of all. It was bad enough when magic was just fictional, but what would happen in a world where magic was real? Where he lost all the reputation and connections he built up, but was also in a world where violence was more often used to solve problems and disputes?

Akano knew. Kuroki's father will try to kill him. He will actively seek out his son to end his life. Especially since Akano was sure he would somehow blame Kuroki for all of this too. And that would apply for his essentially brainwashed disciples too. They would do it out of jealousy, out of envy, and most of all, to get in his father's good graces. Even if they didn't go for the kill, they might endlessly torment Kuroki, and hurt and kill people around him. The laws and order of their previous world and held Kuroki's father and his disciples back. There was no guarentee this world would do the same.

And so, Akano was setting out at first light. He got out of his bed, the sheets still a jumbled mess. He was still naked, but his clothes were carefully folded and out on the nightstand next to him. They had been freshly laundered already, so after doing some morning stretches and using the sheets and a towel to wipe himself dry for extra measure, he put them on.

In addition to the normal traveling clothes, the nuns here after a rather unpleasant and embarrassing measuring system with him, had made him something as well. It was just a simple thing to throw over his other clothes, but it sort of made him look like he worked at an old shrine at his old world. His shorts were rather baggy as well, and it was all short sleeve. That would be fine though, since apparently they were just entering the warmer half of the year. Days would be warm, and maybe even hot, while nights would be cool and crisp.

Another thing they gave him was a modified shrine maiden's staff, which had been shortened to suit his height. When he touched it, he felt a similar pressence to what he felt yesterday.

"Testing testing, can you hear me?"

It was the voice of the young boy god he had met yesterday.

"Yes I can hear you. Is this going to become a common thing, Talia?"

Akano couldn't see Tama, but it appeared that Tama was speaking to him remotely, or telepathically. That said, it felt a bit...like there was static in the transmission. Like there was effort being put in to make it go through.

"So you intend to begin your journey for your friends".

"Yes. I have to find them, before those people do".

"That is fair. Those people are certainly making even us gods worry for the future a bit".

"Then why dont you help more directly?"

"Oh, I want to. But I can't. The guy in charge is...well, if I can speak candidly, he is an asshole".

The God of Friendship just outright insulted the God of Order. Even Akano was surprised by this, and this got the boy god flustered.

"Sorry sorry, I let my emotions leak out there a bit. Thats unlikely me. Well, it is true that this world has become far too solidified, that recklessly using our divine power all the time would be...problematic".

"Problematic?"

"Does the words 'Multi-day continent wide storms' give you an image? I mean, thats only if we go all out, it wouldn't be like that if we did just a little. But we do too much of a little, and it could build up into that".

"I see..."

That sounded rather...consequential.

"I am guessing these storms would be more then rain?"

"More like flooding rain. And maybe some tornados. And a lot of lightning. And if we really dont hold back, soccer ball sized hail. That or people throwing up their organs".

"...I feel like I heard something dangerous there, but okay. I get it. There are rules, and there are consequences".

"Yes! Doing a few minor things should be fine, but the God of Order is not only restricting everyone, he is actively restraining the restorative power of the world to make us disinclined. Its quite vexing".

"Anyways...so did you have something to say, or did you come here to vent?"

"Ah. Well..."

Suddenly Talia appeared leaning against the wall next to him. But even more confusingly, he was wearing a purple hoodie and blue shorts. They were quite blatently clothes from his world, and he even recognized the logos...actually...

"...hold on, are those my clothes? From my room in the other world?"

"To be exact, they are illusionary recreations. I had a little looksie, and I thought I would at least tell you this much. Your family absolutely did make it to this world...and it hit everything in the outskirts".

Akano froze when he heard that. He finished getting dressed right then and there, and slung the bag overhead.

"Take care! Keep in mind we won't be able to talk that often!"

Akano quickly made it out of his room and through the halls, hurrying to the front. When he got there, a carriage was already waiting, with the head nun on board.

"Akano, you look ready" she commented, inviting him on board. The moment he boarded, she signaled the carriage to go full speed ahead. "I take it you got a visitor as well this morning?"

"Are they normally this active?"

"No. They are risking a lot. But that just shows how outside the norm this Starfall was. Its not the first time we have gotten multiple Starfallen at once, but its never had this many before. Its clearly an oddity. I wonder if the Demon King is somehow involved".

"The Demon King? Wasn't he defeated fifty years ago?"

"He reincarnates, or his power does anyways, every fifty years or so. It would be around time for the next one, and I am sure that's why everyone was summoning heroes. But from what I heard via the sparrows, the summonings went weird as well. Rather then failing however, multiple summonings succeeded, and managed to summon multiple heroes. That should be impossible, so it means we have to doubt everything we thought we knew. As such, my own god has asked me to head to the capital and look into things, as well as prepare support for those who might be our allies in the future. I sincerely hope you and your friends will join them. Considering this likely involves what brought you to this world and why, you are certainly involved".

"First, I need to find them. Then, we will need to talk about it as a group".

"Understandable" she said, giving a nod as the carriage picked up speed. The stage coach suddenly used some sort of magic in the horses and the carriage, and they began to pick up speed. It was far faster then a carriage should normally be able to go, Akano was pretty sure. She then looked back at him. "So, what news did you receive that made you appear so grave".

"The area of effect on our side might be larger then I anticipated. And that is a problem".

"How so?"

"This would mean that a juvenile detention facility, that specialized in trying to help those with psychological issues especially, was likely in range. It was technically outside the city, but only by like ten minutes. And whats worse is on the other side, just thirty minutes away by car...was a prison. A prison with its own psych ward".

"I see. Then this next news might upset you further. I heard from my contacts, and it looks like a lot of Starfallen have already died. So far its been mainly if not entirely adults, but it appears there might be 500-700 casualties that we know of in this Kingdom. If we consider the relative scale, we could be looking at 14 thousand to 16 thousand dead worldwide".

"...that's closing in on nearly half the total population of the city".

Akano remembered from a sign near the highway that the population was estimated to be around 40 thousand, however it was an old sign. It might actually be closer to 50 thousand and no one bothered to update it. He doubted anyone knew of the true number, but knew a number of people tended to round it down for some reason.

"It seems to mainly be the elderly admittedly. Starfallen are typically people under 30 or at least 40, and Summons are almost always in their teens. Something to do with the strength of desires and wishes being stronger. Its possible however that they need to be young to survive the shock of traveling between worlds. At least some could be natural causes...although admittedly, many were found clearly having been murdered".

The amount of Starfallen in the world was drastically being reduced.

"Its been slowing down each day however, and from what I heard, a few of the murderers died themselves. Apparently they were demons, which supports the Demon King revival theory. But I also heard Devils have been involved. So who knows what the truth is".

The carriage shook violently as it went over a rough patch.

"...this speed isn't just for my sake, is it?"

"You catch on quick. Yes, we are being chased. Apparently, gathing up children's clothes in a hurry and bringing them back to a church full of women draws some attention. The ones who have been murdering Starfallen already are tracking us. It appears they intend to ambush you here and now".

"So we are running away?"

She shook her head.

"No, I simply needed to make sure the others were out of the area of impact" she said with a dark chuckle. She then looked out of the opening, and saw various blue skinned humanoids with horns riding what appeared to be Raptors going after them. "Now perhaps I shall display you the power of my title"

"Your title?" Akano asked, as she stood up and drew her holy staff.

"The Witch of the Silver Moon" she replied. "But please, feel free to just call me granny".

She raised her staff with such words, and immediately a huge amount of golden glyphs appeared. Akano felt a surge of holy power from her, but it was somehow mixing with her mana. He had practiced with both of them separately, but never had he heard they could be combined.

"Feel my Golden Radiance, imbued in me by Astoria, the God of the Moon. Feel the Silver Light, which pierces through darkness and destroys calamity. Watch them mix together, brilliantly shining. The moon shines brightly even during the day, and abhors the darkness which tries to claim the night. And thus, it is known that those who worship her stand against such darkness. We are the shield and the sword of the Gods of the World, and we are the ones blessed to enforce their will and protect the innocents. From every elderly woman to every little boy, and all inbetween. We are the divine provenance, and we are divine judgement. And thus, I bring my sword of judgement down on you! Your darkness cannot escape from its light of truth! Celestial Retribution!"

Suddenly, countless lights shot out of her staff, moving around as they charged forward, not heading straight but turning and zigzagging, and making sharp turns on a dime at some point. Their pursuers saw this and tried to evade, but it was no use. They were hit by countless beams of light, which turned and pierced through multiple people multiple times. They shimmered with golden light, and seemed to vaporize so not even any blood escaped their bodies, keeping the ground free of their fluids. It almost looked like they were being torn apart inside of a golden vortex, only they were pierced more then they were torn.

And then, if that was not enough, a huge beam of silver came down from the sky, vaporizing not just them, but the trees they were near and the bushes which stood adjacent.

"Whew. There. Got them all" Granny said, as she sat back down. "Now, if anyone asks, you are my beloved adorable grandson. By using such a fake identity, it should make it harder for them to track you down. After all, no doubt they will send larger and stronger foes this way after such a wipeout. There had to be twenty of them at least".

Akano had only seen six or seven, but perhaps she had sensed others he had not.

"Hold on, do you even have children for this to work?"

"Little boy, I am over a hundred years old. I have great grandkids out there probably. No one is going to think twice, and besides...it fits, considering what you are".

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Hmmm. I wonder if now is a good time to reveal the truth..."

"What do you mean? What are you not telling me?"

"See, I have never actually seen something like this happen before, although I have heard of it".

"Heard of what?"

"I thought you might be too shocked by everything else to deal with it, so I used some advanced illusion magic to hide it".

Akano was growing rather annoyed.

"Tell me what?"

In response, Granny waved her hand through the air. Akano felt a bit of mana surge towards him, but then it felt like something got clearer and his head less heavy. He went to feel it, when he noticed something.

"Eh?"

"Oho. Thats quite a reaction".

"Ehhh?"

"Uh huh. Come on. You can say it. The memory blockers should be gone now too" she mentioned.

"I am an elf?!?!"

Yes, Akano had the pointed ears of an elf. This was unexpected, but...not entirely unwelcomed.

Having grown up short like Kuroki, even if his case wasn't anywhere as severe, he had heard all the typical insults and got bullied as well. The various sexist remarks like "only girls should be that short at that age" or some other nonsense. In fact, some referred to them as Elves even, though he admitted he was not sure if they meant Santa's Elf or Fantasy World Elf. Akano never had a meaningful discussion with those people after all.

But it had made him interested in Elves. And the more he read, the more he got kind of annoyed how any elf character always seemed to be female. It wasn't something he spent time obsessing about, but in the back of his head sometimes he thought "Why not make them male and mix things up a bit".

And eventually that mutated a bit into being interested in being an Elf as well.

In fact, none of his powers he gained were unwelcomed. He had been interested in becoming a doctor, so healing and support abilities were great. He also wanted the strength to defend his friends and attack those who would mean harm to them, so his combat abilities he seemed to gain and practiced with the last few days were also good.

"But still, why hide it? Also how?"

"Honestly, a huge part of it is what happened 50 years ago with the previous hero. There have always been some otherworlders who showed unusual facinations with other races, but that last one really caused the issue overblown. To think he would end up inciting five rebeliions and six diplomatic incidents alone from just one moment of stupidity....haaaaa".

"Was it that bad?"

"Our relations with the Delathid Empire have continued to deteriorate to this day. And all because of his fascination with Elves".

"Wait, how did that connect?"

"Well, one of hte later additions to his harem was...the third princess of the Delathid Empire. The Delathid Emperor and all of his children are Elves, always have been to keep the purity of their Supreme Spirit Bloodline".

Akano wanted to facepalm something major.

"...so just to be clear, this otherworlder basically caused a world war with his harem?"

"Yes".

"Alright. I am still puzzled, slightly hurt, but I understand why you did it. Also wow, that guy..."

"Indeed. Some of his wives still are plotting revenge against all who were responsible in his execution. Really gives me a lot of headache".

Akano looked confused. "Why does it give you so much headache?"

"Because I was part of the team who went to arrest him, and I read him his final scriptures before his execution".

"...thats going to cause problems occasionally, isn't it?"

"Well, its been a few decades, so hopefully not. The executioner himself is still alive after all, and I think that would be their first target. That or the King of this Kingdom, King Azvalo. Or perhaps one of the five princes. The second one is abroad somewhere, and supposedly the third is holed up in some tower for some reason doing research, but any of the other three would make good targets for them".

That was a relief at least. It seemed that he wouldn't be immediately targeted which was a nice plus.

And so, in the abnormally fast carriage that appeared to be going about 40-50km per hour somehow, they quickly made their way towards the nearby city.

It was only just with a lowering sun that they made it to the city of Vastria. According to the map he had, it was a city that was more or less a frontier city, although not as much as Darenthal or Azralia was. Still, this whole region could be considered a frontier, as monster activity had been on the rise in this whole region as of late. Apparently, this all resided within the Rizamal Woodlands. They had only recently ascended to the rank of Duke however. and apparently the previous two Dukes who governed this region both fell into disgrace and were wiped out. The current family was Duke Canathorp, while the last one was Duke Remia, and the one before was Duke Soriok.

Vastria was apparently near the ocean, and had quite a bit of tourism. In truth, Akano was surprised this world even had tourism, although apparently it was actually somewhat helped by the kingdom to help encourage financial fluidity throughout the kingdom, and to also see if it could help spark the discovery of talent in those who had not yet realized it by getting more people to experience things. That said, naturally it was still mainly for those who could actually afford it.

Apparently, Vastria was especially famous for its tamed beasts. Akano admittedly was always a fan of animals as well, so he was quite interested in seeing the variety. He had more then a few questions for "Granny" as they traveled.

"So they prefer warmer envirornments, but are capable of adapting to the cold then?"

"Yes. According to a specialist I talked to once back in my youth, apparently they can switch between warm blooded and cold blooded, and can even grow fur as needed, although they are faster without it".

"Interesting".

Apparently they were also called Velocifangs. They had an actual scientific name apparently, as well as a more serious name, but everyone knew them as Velocifangs. They were actually a type of monster, one that could actually be tamed, unlike Orcs and Goblins.

As they made it to the gate, one of the guards came over and went to the carriage driver.

"We need to see IDs, as well as anyone who needs to pay the entry tax".

At those words, Granny just showed her smile and then showed her religious symbol. It glowed ever so briefly when she held it into the light. Akano did the same, and the guard seemed to nod.

"I see. Sorry about that. We will let you right through then".

He quickly dismounted and went back, telling the others to let them through now.

"Woah. So we just get in?"

"For those of us who have been given a blessing or at least the backing of a god, yes. Normal priests and priestesses could never do it. As a Shrine Maiden, you are inherently linked to a singular god who has given you their favor, which puts you above the average crowd. It also gives you benefits like this. And I have the blessing of the God of the Moon, Astoria, the little brother of the Goddess of the Sun, Greth".

From what he had picked up, the Goddess of the Sun was a really big deal, so any sibling of hers was probably just as great.

"Wait, doesn't that mean you are incredibly high ranking for this area granny?"

"Indeed I am" she said with a playful laugh.

"What are you doing out here?"

"An Oracle I know said he saw that I would be needed in this area four weeks ago and had me come here to oversee things while on a pilgrimage as an excuse".

"I see...do you think he forsaw the Starfall?"

"I think he knew something major was coming, but that boy is still green behind the ears. I suspect he was not able to interpret it as a Starfall event".

"I see..."

"While you look for your friends in this region, I will return to the capital and see if anyone has heard of anyone by the names you gave me. It may be some time after I depart before we speak again in person, but I will try to keep in touch using carrier birds and familiars. There might be those who try to intercept them though, so make sure you keep up the ruse to be safe, understood?"

"Right, Granny".

"Good boy".

The carriage entered the city soon after. Apparently, they even had the fee waved not just for them, but for their carriage driver as well. Apparently even people with divine power normally didn't get such privilege, which meant they were getting treated as high ranking people for sure.

And so the first stop they made was...

"The adventurer's guild? Do I really need to go to one when I already have this?"

"True, unlike most of the other Starfallen, you got lucky with that. It gives you some authority. But there are very few jobs that would take that as a good referral, especially given the scandal a few decades ago" she mentioned. "That said, the Adventurer's Guild always needs healers, and if your friends are in an even worse spot, that means becoming Adventurers was probably about the only route for them to go. That or having someone take care of them, unless they got very lucky".

"I see. So by joining, and doing requests, I might find them or hear about them that way".

"Yes. And no one raises an eye when an adventurer travels around, and its not too uncommon for shrine maidens and younger priests and priestesses to become adventurers. It helps with their training, and also provides relief for people".

"I see..."

"Of course, such things are also encouraged, and in exchange for these regular cooperations, the Adventurer's Guild always gives Church requests priority".

"Ah, so its not just a training thing, but a politics thing as well".

"More or less".

As they spoke, they arrived at the Guild.

"I am going to have a chat with the guildmaster, so how about you chat with the receptionist okay and register, sweetie?"

"Right, got it granny".

The two headed inside, but in different directions. Akano headed to the receptionist, while Granny went to the side door and talked to the guard, who let her in. The receptionist was not a beautiful young woman like was in all the stories, but actually a man in his thirties, probably late thirties. He had a sort of faded red hair, and crystal blue eyes. He looked rather muscular and brawny, and just a tad bit bored.

"Welcome to the adventurer's guild. Are you here to place a request?"

"No, I am here to register".

"I see. Normally there would be a fee, but it seems like there is an exception for this case".

He seemed to eye the religious symbol, as if he could sense something inside of it.

"Right then, I just need you to fill out some paperwork is all. Most of it is optional of course, but some of it is required".

Hearing that, Akano decided to fill in a good bit. After that, he was asked to prick his finger and drip some blood onto a blank card. He did so, and once that was done, he took the paper and the card, and then put the card into some sort of microwave looking like thing. It quite certainly looked like a microwave, only it didn't make the typical microwave noise. Instead it made "fwooop" and "zwooop" noises and occasionally some clanging and such, and he was pretty sure he heard thunder in there at one point.

Eventually after about two minutes, it opened up and he was handed a card.

Name: Akano Age: 15 Rank: H

Class: Shrine Maiden/Priest Titles: Photo ID Here

However, right as he finished, three hooligans suddenly seemed to appear around him.

"What is this? A brat like you wanting to register as an adventurer?"

"What are you? Like ten years old?"

"How about you go drink some of your mommy's milk".

Saying some stereotypical thug lines of mockery, Akano was pushed backward immediately, stumbling to the ground. He quickly was able to get up, dusting himself off as the three thugs surrounded him again.

"Shove off".

"Oi, you can't speak to us like that! We are D-Rank adventurers!"

"Yeah, we are new members of the Roaring Dawn".

The receptionist rolled his eyes as they said that. It didn't seem like he had high opinions of the group.

Akano looked at the group. "Huh....is that really all D-Rank has got?"

The moment they heard that, they drew their weapons. Akano seemed to be in a bit of a mood, since he found them quite annoying. He looked towards the receptionist, who gave him a thumbs up to go ahead.

Immediately, Akano moved to the side as they swung down their swords.

Their attacks are slower and have less force than Kuroki's shitty dad. They are a lot easier to dodge and deflect.

His work to try and punch that asshole wasn't for nothing. Akano backstepped, and then used his staff to parry one of the swords and even knocked it right out of his hand. If these people were D-Rank adventurers, Kuroki's father was probably more like A-Rank. Although in truth, he had doubts they got to their level through legitimate means. Something about them screamed "scam" and "phony" to Akano.

As such, he fired a wave of light from his staff, knocking him the attacker back. He moved around the side as another one came at him, tripping him with his staff and then whacking him in the back of the head while the staff was charged with holy light. The third one looked enraged now, as he charged at him again. Akano proceeded to step to the side, tripping the man up again. At least he thought he did, but this last guy must have had some skill even while enraged. Akano briefly wondered if his class was Berserker.

He charged his staff with holy light again, and hit the sword full force. A shockwave emerged from the staff, and threw the attacker off balance. From that, he struck the legs again to trip him up, making him land on the ground. After that, Akano whacked the man in the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Well, that is that" Akano said.

"Mhm. It seems you possess sufficient enough combat ability. If you hand me your guild card again, I will promote you accordingly".

"Oh? Cool".

He handed the card back, and after a minute or two, it was then returned, now saying F-Rank.

Still though, he thought it was odd they just engaged him like that out of the blue. Was it set up by someone? No matter how you looked at it, it was strange that they just decided right at that moment to attack.

"Ah, you look confused. Simply put, the guild treats attacking civilians far worse then sparring with fellow guildmembers. Adventurers fight all the time, and its usually not serious" the man said to him. "Well, we do have idiots like them though. Still not sure how they were promoted to D-Rank with those shoddy skills. Iv seen E-Rankers far more skilled than that".

Akano nodded, understanding. So they were unusual weak. Seemed a bit out of it too, so Akano wondered if they were drunk.

"Does this happen often?"

The receptionist nodded. "Some get drunk off of their alcohol, others off their promotions or when they join an Adventurer Organization or Clan, and then there are others who just have rotten personalities. Though, it does feel like there have been more of them in the past few decades. Although, any newbie is likely to get into some sort of trouble when they register. After all, hazing and putting newbies through trials is something that happens everywhere. Its all about blah blah blah builds character, and maybe it does, but I am pretty sure part of it is also that they went through such trouble and humiliation, so they think other newbies should as well. Especially when they look so short and young like yourself".

He then looked at the three unconscious hooligans.

"Although, showing some of them up like this might make them target you in even more nasty ways, so I would recommend you be careful. But, the more you rank up and get yourself promoted, the more the guild can have your back, so that might be a good idea. Especially since those of the Churches dont have as stellar a reputation as they used to".

"They don't? Is it that thing from a few decades ago? Iv heard it mention, but no one ever told me it in detail".

"Ah. Basically, it was actually three different incidents technically, but they all came about at the same time. Followers of the God of War felt like people were too weak for relying on summons, even though any soul that crosses through the dimensional barriers recieves some kind of power. Thats why they cant just grant the power Summons get to others. Their magic only pulls them through the barriers, they cant affect the barriers themselves".

Akano had not heard this bit, so this was rather useful information. That was why they relied on Summons, although it seemed those who are Summoned recieve more power then Starfallen get for some reason.

"In any case, they caused quite a few wars to errupt, which wasn't difficult thanks to all the tension the last Hero created".

The last hero, who created a harem, really caused a lot of issues. Apparently, that was the reality of what happened with harems. From what Akano heard on the way here, there were various internal conflicts between them as well, which escalated to their various supporters and factions.

"This also revealed a criminal organization that had been operating in the shadows. They had already been partially revealed thanks to a young hero named Anna, who uncovered their connections in the Mage's Guild fifty years ago. It was then exposed through investigations and other incidents decades later that they had a quite a number of people in the Church, manipulating things from the shadows. Apparently, this included the abduction of various young boys, and even connections to...well, prostitution slavery rings. And while a number of people got arrested, its still believed at least some of the leadership escaped capture and might still be operating and recruiting within the Churches".

First what was basically a shadowy War Cult within the Church, then this? It was no wonder it had damning effects.

"And then finally, there was the fact that the Church had been infiltrated by literal Devils. That was probably an even bigger black mark then the other two".

Akano froze.

"...say what now?"

"Yep".

"Devils...the same ones that came from another world? That actively try to kill or dominate everyone else to claim power?"

"Yep".

"In the Church, the most Anti-Devil organization out there?"

"Yeeeep. If it makes you feel better, things have simmered down after a few decades at least".

That only eased his concerns a little. Especially since Granny had told him that it was possible Devils were behind the hunting of the Starfallen, or at least had a connection to it. She mentioned it might not be so simple after all, since someone would have had to told them this was happening ahead of time in order to have such an immediate and successful attack on them.

Once that was done, he waited for Granny to return. At the same time, he overheard some of the others chatting away.

"An Elven Priest?"

"He destroyed Murrok so easily".

"Serves them right, getting all cocky even though I am sure they fudged numbers to get promoted".

Some spoke of him in awe.

"What a cheeky little brat".

"To think he doesn't know how to respect his seniors".

"We should teach him some humility".

Some seemed to want to embarrass and humiliate him, viewing him as prideful and arrogant.

"Hehehe...I am going to enjoy teaching him a personal lesson".

"Well what do you know, I was thinking the same thing".

"Ara ara, he doesn't need a young woman or a man teaching him these things. He needs an older, experienced woman".

Some of them were looking at him with disgusting and filthy eyes and made Akano want to attack them right there and now.

"..."

And one of them just stared at him, his face covered by a black hood as he sat in the shadows. He looked to be about the same height as Kuroki, so unless he was really short as well, he was probably about nine or ten. He seemed unusually focused on Akano for some reason. His clothes were dark colored as well. He had black boots, dark blue shorts that seemed a bit shorter then average, a black cloak with a hood that was up, a black sleeveless shirt, and dark blue gloves.

The Cloaked One didn't make any aggressive moves, and Akano did not feel any malice coming from him. But he could feel the boy staring at him. Of course it could have been a girl as well, since he couldn't see any of the Cloaked One's features. Its not like there would be any chest development at that age really.

However, it was clear Akano had attracted that person's sole attention.

And yet, that focus was broken by a voice that came shouting through the guild. Akano not only heard it, but recognized it. He briefly looked in the direction, anger and dread filling up with him.

"Get out of my way, girly boy".

The moment he heard that voice, Akano had a mind to blast him with several beams of light. Perhaps even try focusing them.

However, the moment he saw that person's face, he immediately looked away. He raised his own hood to be safe, to try and avoid trouble.

After all, that person was something of a nemesis for him...and especially for Kuroki.

Someone who was in the same grade as them, had tormented them and hurt them many times, harassed them. A highly talented martial arts prodigy, and someone who was a direct disciple of Kuroki's shitty father.

Torita Ogami. Someone who was in the Elite Class, and perhaps the seventh ranked from the top of them. He was not sure how much power he might have gotten from the Starfall, so for all he knew, he might be an incredibly bad matchup for Akano. In fact, if both of them had even just received equal power, he was no match for them. And while he had been stopped from going too far, usually, by the police and order of the old world, there were no guarantees it would be the same for this world.

Unfortunately, Akano's group had stood out to bullies a lot, so they had often been targeted. That resulted in him knowing all the bullies and troublemaker in the area essentially, for better or worse. In this case worse, since that also meant they knew him.

It seemed he was kicking up fuss about some mage who had bumped into. Kuroki's father was half brainwashing them with his own beliefs even as he trained them earnestly and normally otherwise. The Elite Class was essentially made of people who were similar in thinking and ideology to him as well. Which probably meant he would look down on Akano just as much, especially if he learned he wasn't just a priest, but a shrine maiden. But even just realizing who he was would end up bad. Akano's life could very well be in danger, so he made sure to stay off to the side and keep his hood up.

This guy clearly was seen as a bit irritating, as even the people who seemed to agree with him were annoyed. After all, he was shouting and causing a mess. The receptionist he talked to before scowled.

"You shouldn't disrespect people like that. Young magicians like that boy are highly appreciated here in this guild after all".

"The only thing a man needs is muscle".

"Oh joy, another person affected by the Heretical Hero's idiocy".

"What did you say?!"

"I said calm down, or do you want to forgo ever ranking up again?"

His words seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. Kuroki's shitty dad had a ranking system in place at his dojo for those who wanted to participate, and all of the Elite Class did. There was in fact quite a bit of importance put on rank and hierarchy, so it seemed those words still had an effect on this boy. Interesting.

"Besides, you are holding up the people behind you".

At those words, the Cloaked One passed and walked around Ogami. Akano didn't even realize he moved, let alone made it so far without him noticing despite having drawn his attention earlier. But even more noticeably, he didn't make a single sound as he walked. Akano had good hearing as an elf, but he couldn't pick up a single sound.

With a single hop, the boy launched upward as he turned around, landing his butt right on the counter that would have been too high for him normally. He then took some things out of his satchel. A few wooden boards, and then a collection of green ears, tails from what were probably rodants, as well as a small pile of magic stones. Probably about twelve to fifteen.

"I see you completed all your requests successfully. Please give me your Guild Card. I will be promoting you from Rank F to Rank E, due to factoring in the amount of requests you took, the shortness of the time you took to complete them, the fact you properly brought back evidence of your kills, and your previous contributions you made yesterday and the day before. Still, to make E-Rank at your age, and so fast. Splendidly done boy".

Akano was sure now. That boy was almost certainly an otherworlder as well. And already E-Rank? Had he encountered a similar situation as Akano?

Akano wanted to approach the Cloaked One, but he was right next to Ogami, someone Akano had to avoid. Furthermore, Ogami was glaring at the boy. He seemed to be irritated someone younger then him essentially cut in line, and lashed out with a fist. The boy however dodged it easily, moving around the fist as he landed on the floor. Ogami tried to kick him, but the boy ducked and dodged, avoiding the kick by taking up a table position before jumping back up and kicking Ogami in his boyhood. This naturally hurt a lot, but not before the Cloaked One somehow made it around him in the blink of an eye, and kicked the back of his head.

Still, this did not knock Ogami out, but it did render him unable to do anything for awhile. The Cloaked One then looked at the crowd, and gave a thumbs up. This caused the crowd to erupt in cheers.

"Yeah! Finally got that loudmouth to be quite!"

"He has been here shouting rude comments at any male mage, priest, and rogue for the last two days! Finally, someone taught him a lesson!"

"Good going, shrimp!"

Even the ones that wanted to humiliate Akano were happy, probably because they hated that guy even more.

At this point, Granny finally emerged from the door. She looked around, and smiled, but it was Akano who spoke first.

"Granny, we should get going and find an inn".

Hearing the level of warmth and emotion that Akano had in his voice, as well as the fact he gave her a hug and grabbed her hand, let her know everything. She figured it all out instantly.

"I see. Let us go then, sweetie. Granny wants to make sure we get a good rest tonight".

They quickly left the guild after all that, and once they were a good deal away, Akano began relaying everything that happened to her.

Such a serious conversation happened as they kept up the ruse of being grandma and grandson.