ʋօʟʊʍɛ 2, Part 2: Infinity Exists Everywhere.

|JULIAN GREYRAT|

Nestled within the "seemingly" ancient recesses of the weathered 3rd floor, where time had etched its indelible marks upon the rugged, scratched walls, we sought solace from the tumultuous floors above us.

This particular labyrinth exhibited a unique operational mechanism distinct from others I had encountered. Notably, its floor-system functioned in a manner contrary to conventional labyrinths. While the intel on usual labyrinths and games on earth often depicted labyrinths ascending, this labyrinth deviated from the norm by descending through wide tubular structures.

While this configuration posed a potential hazard, as it allowed monsters to descend and potentially overwhelm the safe level where we resided, curiously, the monsters exhibited an inexplicable aversion to approaching the exit tube.

The intermittent flames of the bonfire projected oscillating shadows onto the moistened walls, bestowing an otherworldly ambiance upon the unsettling obscurity. The dimly lit chamber pulsed with an enigmatic allure, its ethereal beauty intensified by the flickering glow of the crackling bonfire.

The cavern's cool embrace sent a shiver cascading through my body, prickling my skin with goosebumps, like a certain chill that nipped at my skin.

Positioned in direct opposition to my own, Roxy sat with her countenance aglow, ensconced within the comforting luminescence emitted by the crackling fire. Her presence exuded a vibrant and buoyant energy as she voraciously indulged in the steaming stew I had just made. While I was inept at cooking in my past life, over the course of time I had been away from home, I have mainly focused on my cooking skills.

Mainly because this world didn't exactly have high standards when it came to fine dining. If I am able to work as an adventurer at the current pace and nothing troublesome happens, I can retire before 20 and become the owner of some restaurant in some far-off place. For what it's worth, people always indulge in lavish food. And if I am able to recreate the foods of earth here, it will definitely sell of good.

My plan for a peaceful life is already set. However, that is exactly what makes me anxious. If I were to factor my luck in, things have never gone too smooth for me. More so, in this world, where I have been the hub of attention despite trying to avoid it. Although, expecting no attention was an unrealistic expectation in the first place since it is impossible to rank up quickly without standing out.

Glancing upward, I caught sight of Roxy gleefully plunging her face into the bowl and inadvertently upending it, causing morsels of meat to escape along with the stew. "Uwaaah~ Thwat waz shoo gewd~" she playfully uttered a stream of gibberish with an endearing and muffled exclamation.

In a rather comedic fashion, she extended the empty bowl toward me, grasping it with both her hands, accompanied by something that could classify as a full-blown display of "puppy eyes." Taking the bowl out of her hands, I scooped out a huge portion full of bits of meat and refilled her bowl. Not being able to wait even for a bit, she stood up and sat by my side, bumping her shoulder into mine. The contents of bowl tumbled sideways before stabilizing.

"Slow down a bit. You might choke on it." I advised in a slow tone, keeping my voice just enough for Roxy to hear.

"If I am going to die eating a meal like this, I don't mind it!" Roxy replied with a playful glee as she once again started to gobble it and stuff her mouth.

"You don't look very lady-like gobbling stuff like that."

"I don't feel the need to put on airs around you. I can be my true self," Roxy asserted with a spirited defiance.

"Hm. Fair enough." I replied with a shrug as she finished the second bowl and let out a contended, exasperated sigh of relief.

"Are you "not" good at something? You can totally open a restaurant and hit it off!" Roxy spoke in an exaggerated manner.

"Only if you promise to become a daily customer." I tried to joke but the lingering silence after that only served to nail a crushing hammer into my fragile ego. However, as I cast my gaze downwards, I noticed Roxy's ears turning a rosy hue, her gaze fixated on the ground as she fidgeted nervously with her fingers.

Hmm, I didn't say anything to embarrass her though. Did she get a wrong impression of me somehow?

"Err, what do you mean by that?" Roxy asked, her voice a wee quaky, trembling ever so slightly.

"Is it too much to ask for, as a friend?" I asked as the redness that I had assumed as "blush" disappeared. After a few seconds, that totally didn't feel like "a few seconds", she looked back at me.

"No. It isn't. I'll be your first customer but no promises about being a regular." She replied with a smile but there was a certain sullen look on her face. She was talking to me, but she was not looking at me, despite directing her eyes at me. Somehow, as if trying to look past me.

"That is good enough." I replied and a moment of silence enveloped us once again.

"......Wait! Are you really serious about opening a restaurant!!?" She asked as if she had just caught on to my intentions.

"Did I give the impression that I was joking?" I asked, raising a curious brow.

"But why? Isn't adventuring doing good for you? I mean.... I spent so many years to reach A-Rank but you did at such a young age and just under 2 years. Why would you give up on it?" She queried, her voice carrying a subtle undercurrent of disappointment, a delicate lacework of emotions woven into her words.

"It is. Although, it is tiresome. And I seem to be more interested in cooking rather than killing monsters. Everyone should do what they enjoy and grow old doing that. All I want is a quiet retired life after I turn 20." I spoke, this time my voice higher than before.

"Woah.... you're really serious about it. Your wife would be one lucky girl..." she paused, her voice fading away like a childish whimper.

A brief, extended moment of silence ensued once again as none of us spoke for a long while, staring blankly at the unwavering, orange flames that didn't flicker due to the lack of fast winds. The nip in the skin due to the cold weather was ploddingly receding, leaving a warm veil of warmth over my body. I could feel Roxy's body temperature fall into a reasonable range as well as she was resting her body against my shoulder.

Taking in a wife was something that was prudent later on, but I haven't really given it a deep thought. There was no reason for me to rush.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Roxy broke the silence, once again, as she left the support of my shoulder and looked up at me.

"For now, no." I replied as shortly as I could. Extending an answer would just make her find something to nitpick at.

"I see...." she replied and put her back against my arm, resting her head on my shoulder as she let out a long sigh.

"You should try getting some sleep."

"You too."

"I'll guard the area. There might be no monsters here, but you never know."

"Mhmmm.... have some rest later though."

"....."

|RUDEUS GREYRAT|

All right, so here is the current status of Ojou-sama.

--Status--

Name: Ojou-sama (Eris Boreas Greyrat)

Profession: Granddaughter of the lord of Fittoa

Personality: Violent

When talking to her: Doesn't listen.

Language: Only able to write her name

Math: Single digits

Magic: Not even a scintilla

Sword: Elementary ranked in the Sword-God style

Etiquette: Boreas's style greeting

The people that she likes: Grandfather, Ghislaine

All in all, she is a lost cause... for the most part. I have a little hope in salvation, but I am still wavering from the feeble hope. She is like a wild animal, untamed.

Today, we are going to initiate the plan of kidnapping Ojou-sama and having her understand the importance of magic and book knowledge.

(***)

When I woke up, I found myself inside a small and dirty warehouse. The sunlight was pouring in from the window with metal bars installed it. My entire body hurt, and after I ensured that there weren't any broken bones, I started to chant Healing Magic in a small voice. My hands were tied behind my back, but this was not really any trouble to me.

"Alright." I was now completely healed, and my clothes were not torn. Very good. The strategy is progressing smoothly. The plan for convincing Ojou-sama was this;

1) First of all. Going with Ojou-sama to the clothing store.

2) Because Ojou-sama is very mischievous, she will want to run out of the store by herself.

3) Usually Ghyslaine will be beside Ojou-sama as her guard, but she will not notice Ojou-sama by 『coincidence』.

4) Even though I'm following her, to her, I'm just a brat who's weaker than her and submitted into being beaten on the follow after quarreling with her, so Ojou-sama doesn't take notice of me at all.

5) I will be treated as her follower, and move with Ojou-sama around the area. Gradually moving to an isolated place in the city (She seems to admire adventurers).

6) At this point, the bad people that the Greyrat family arranged will appear.

7) Easily knocking Ojou-sama and me out. Then kidnapping and bringing us to the neighboring city, and locking us up.

8) I will use magic and escape from the area.

9) Realize that this is a different city.

10) Using the money hidden in my underwear and taking a horse carriage back.

11) Teach Ojou-sama when we reach home.

Up until now, it had gone smoothly until step number 7. The next thing would be me using the Magic, knowledge, wisdom, and courage to escape from here in style. To keep the realism, I still needed to improvise an act. I don't know if it will succeed, and feel slightly uneasy...

"... Hm?"

But this place was slightly different from the arrangement. The entire warehouse is full of dust, and the corner had a broken chair and an armor full of holes. Didn't they say the place wouldn't be shabby...?

Well, even though it's an act, there's a need to bring out the real stuff. Let's just take it.

"Urgh... hmm...?" After a while, Ojou-sama also woke up. Opening her eyes, she realised she's in a foreign place. She tried to get up, but soon realised that her hands were bound behind her, and after a while of struggle she fell to the ground like the little arrogant worm she was.

HAH! Serves you right, brat!

"What is this!?" Ojou-sama discovered that she couldn't move and started making a noise. "Stop joking with me! Don't you know who I am!? Let go of me!"

What a terrible yell. I had once thought of it back at the mansion, but she has never tried to control her voice at all. Can it be that she does it so that she can cover the entire house with one yell, in that incredibly big mansion?

No. She probably has never thought about it. The Ojou-sama's grandfather, Fittoa's lord, is the type that also uses a voice to pressure others. The grandfather had used his voice to intimidate both the servants and Philip, and Ojou-sama must have witnessed it countless times. Kids like to imitate things, especially the bad stuff.

"You're too noisy, you shitty brat!" While the Ojou-sama was creating a racket, the door got opened roughly, and a man entered like a typhoon. He had ugly clothes. His entire body stunk with a face full of stubble, and a bald head. If he presented a name card with bandit written on it, it would be quite persuasive. The acting is quite good. Now I don't need to worry about my acting being crude, hehe.

"You stink. Don't come near me. You stink too much! Don't you know who I am? Ghislaine will immediately come and cut you into half!"

*Bam.*

With a noise that sounded like it hurt very much, Ojou-sama got kicked by the man. She uttered a noise that a lady will never make. Her entire body flew up and finally knocked against the wall violently.

"Damn you! What are you trying to be arrogant for!? I know you two are the grandchildren of the lord!" The man mercilessly stepped on the immovable Ojou-sama whose hands were bound behind her back. Hey. Isn't this a little too much?

"Ow... It hurts a lot... Stop... Ah...... Stop... Ow...... Stop..."

"Tch."

The man kicked Ojou-sama for a while and finally spat at her face. Then he turned around and glared at me. As I avoid his eyes the next instant, I got kicked in the face once, and I flew out.

"... Ouch!" That really hurt. Even though it's an act, can you please not hit so hard? Even though I did say that, I can use Healing Magic to heal wounds.

"Hmph! Acting like you're happy...! Weirdo."

Well, you aren't wrong. I am weird in a lot of ways....heh.

The man walked out of the warehouse. I heard something as he walked out of the door.

"Quieter now?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't kill her right? If you injured her too much, the money will go down too." What? Their dialogue is really strange. If it's just great acting......... that is fine, but it doesn't feel like that. Could it be, you know.... THAT?

"What? Well there's nothing much to it. At most, it's good enough for that boy to be alive."

It's not good at all.

"..."

After I couldn't hear their voices anymore, I counted a full 300 seconds, and burned the ropes with Fire Magic, and moved over to Ojou-sama. Ojou-sama still had blood flowing from her nose. Her eyes were unfocused, and she kept muttering something in her mouth. When I listened closely, it was something about, absolutely cannot be forgiven something, I'll complain to grandfather something, and afterwards, some dangerous words that weren't really suited for the ears.

In any case, I'll check her injuries and confirm it with my hand.

"Ahhh!" Ojou-sama met my eyes, and trembled, as if she felt that pain. I used a finger over my lips and signaled her to be quiet. I confirmed the positions of the injuries from her reactions. Two of her bones were broken.

"Oh merciful mother of Gods, please heal this one's wounds, and let her recover with a healthy body."

I quietly chanted the intermediate ranked magic, and healed Ojou-sama's body. Healing magic isn't effective by pouring more mana into the spell. I don't know if it will completely heal her. Hopefully the bones are not set wrongly...

"Eh? Ehhh? It doesn't hurt..." Ojou-sama looked at her body in surprise. I got closer to her and whispered in her ears.

"Shh. Don't be so loud. Your bones are broken, and I just used healing magic. Ojou-sama, we seem to have been kidnapped by bad people. They are the sworn enemies of the lord. Our next step should be..."

Ojou-sama completely didn't listen... at all.

"Ghislaine! Ghislaine, save me! They are going to kill us! Quickly save me!" I quickly hid the ropes underneath my shirt and ran to the corner. With my back to the wall, I hid my hands behind my back, acting as if I'm still tied up. The man broke open the door in response to Ojou-sama's full efforts in screaming.

"Shut up!"

Aaaaaaaaaaaand....... it went the same way as before.

He kicked the living fuck out of Ojou-sama, however this time longer than before. I'm really speechless over her learning capabilities.

"Damn it. If you scream again, I'll kill you!" Even I got kicked twice. I didn't do anything at all. Please don't kick me. I really feel like crying...

"Urgh... Uuuu..." She whimpered. This is too much. I'm not sure what happened to her bones, but judging from her mouthfuls of puked blood, it seems that her organs have ruptured. The bones in her hands and legs have all been broken. I don't really know too much about medical stuff, but if she's left like that, she will probably die right?

"Let the power of God be converted into a bountiful crop, and bestowed into one's who had lost their strength to stand up once again. 『HEALING』"

In any case, I'll use elementary ranked magic to cure her a little. Ojou-sama isn't vomiting blood anymore. She probably wouldn't die now... Maybe.

"Uuu... I-it still hurts, h-help me heal... Ah."

"I'm not doing that. If you're healed, aren't you going to get kicked again? Please use your own magic."

"H-how do I know to use... that?"

"If you learned it from before, you can use it right now." I threw down a line like that and moved towards the door. I then placed my ear against the door, wanting to listen to what they say. The more I think, the more I find this to be strange. No matter what, hitting Ojou-sama till she's half dead is over doing things.

"Then, are we going to sell to that guy from the last time?"

"No. It's better to ask for ransom."

"Wouldn't we get caught?"

"It doesn't matter. We will go to another country." Judging from their words, they really plan on selling us. Requesting someone familiar to pretend to attack the girl, and in the end, we meet the real deal. That sort of development? Where did it go wrong? Did the ones who were supposed to kidnap us get targeted by them? Did they target us from the start? Or did Philip really intended to sell his daughter?

That last possibility isn't really possible.

... Whatever. I'm not going to think about this now. No matter what, the things I'm going to do aren't changing.

It only lacks the 『safety』.

"Compared to selling, ransom is higher right?"

"In any case, we better make a decision before tonight."

"No matter which decision, it is right."

They seem to be discussing whether to sell us or seek ransom from the lord. They look like they are planning to leave here tonight. In that case, I better move while the day is still bright.

"Alright."

But what should I do? Break out of the door and subdue the kidnappers? After beating the kidnappers to a pulp, Ojou-sama will respect me... I don't feel like it will happen that way though--.

I think she will feel that she would've won, if not for the part where she was tied up. And in the end, she will think that violence is the only way. That will not work. I must teach her that there's no advantage to using violence, otherwise, I'll get hit in the future. I need to let her feel helpless.

(... Ah. It's possible that I may not beat the kidnappers anyway.)

I'm pretty sure that I will lose if the kidnappers are as strong as Paul. In that case, I will be killed. Without a doubt. Alright. No matter what. Without contact with the kidnappers, we will escape from here.

|JULIAN GREYRAT|

It has been a while since Roxy had fallen asleep. The bonfire was still in its prime, burning with a passion. The 3rd floor was eerily quiet, and the only sound here was the slight crackle of twigs inside the bonfire as they twisted and burnt and Roxy's rhythmic breathing as she slept peacefully.

She was the one who used most of her mana inside the second floor, so it was natural for her to be tired. However... there was something I wanted to see for myself on the 2nd floor.

Putting Roxy's head on a plush object, I stood up from there. Picking up my robe, I tied it around myself. The robe itself, was a gift, from someone. It seemed to have some resistance to external magic attacks. While the robe surely was an attention grabber, it was quite continent to use in almost any weather since summers in this world weren't exactly extreme, so to say.

After wearing my robe, I quickly grabbed the sword Paul had gifted me and started moving towards the tube that led upwards, towards the 2nd floor. Standing beneath the huge tube, I used wind magic and propelled myself upward. With a swift move, I reached there almost instantly. With a gust of wind, I cushioned my fall and landed deftly on the tropical ground of the second floor.

There was a stark contrast between floor number 1 & 3 and floor number 2. While 1 & 3 were extremely cold, floor 2 was more brisk, reminiscent of the outside world. It had a rich flora was extremely rich in mana.

I wonder if I can perform THAT here.

Due to the absurdly high concentration of mana in this zone, the monsters here are all B Ranked or higher. Hoping we do not encounter an S-Ranked monster, me and Roxy just made a run for the next tube. However, since she isn't here now, I can try out a few things.

Looking up at the ceiling, there was a bright orb. It wasn't sun, of course, but it was something that was radiating light and heat at the same time. I haven't really seen anything like this before. It almost made me want to break it down and observe it. However, it could have some serious ramifications of I did so. Delving into something that had factors like uncertainty in the mix was not really how I did things.

"Alright, let's find a monster first." I muttered to myself as I unsheathed my sword. It was surprising that the sword was still holding on. Even after using so much mana to augment it and use it so roughly in experimentation with my low amounts of mana and touki, the sword held on for quite a lot of time. Despite being a horrible parent, Paul knew his way around combat related stuff.

Grabbing the sword by the base of its hilt, I let its tip fall on the ground below. The tip of the sword clashed against the occasional pebbles and rocks, producing a sharp, metallic sound. As I dragged the sword along lazily, I dropped my guard, at least on the visionary level.

There was something I wanted to try.

Layers of rippled space caused by gravitational singularity.

Gravity magic itself is a branch of elemental magic that can be used to harness the fundamental force of gravity to manipulate and control the gravitational field surrounding objects. Enough efficiency in it can result in some logic defying phenomenon such as the formation of singularities. A singularity is a region in space where the gravitational field becomes infinitely strong, resulting in a distortion of space-time.

Weaponising the polarity factor was the trickiest part.

To perform the technique, I was trying to devise was to tap into the power of the gravitational force, focusing their energy to generate a localized singularity effect around their body. This singularity acts as the epicenter of the rippled space phenomenon. Hypothetically, if an object approaches me the gravitational force exerted by the singularity interacts with the object's own gravitational field, causing an alteration in the space between them---a veil of rippled space.

The mechanics behind the rippled space veil are intricately tied to the properties of gravity and the geometry of space-time. As an object nears the singularity, the gravitational attraction between the object and the singularity intensifies. This results in a gravitational lensing effect, where the path of light traveling from the object to myself would be curved, creating an increased distance.

If that happens, hypothetically, again, then the perceived distance between me and the approaching object would expand as a result of this gravitational lensing. The more an object comes closer, the greater the curvature of space-time around it, thus amplifying the distortion of the perceived distance.

In rather simple terms, in the region of intense gravity around my body, the space-time continuum becomes severely curved, effectively stretching the distance between the me and the incoming object.

Of course, it had its obvious flaws.

For the phenomenon of "Spatial Expansion" to occur, it depends on the force and speed of the attacker. The more someone attempts at breaking through the limitless space barrier, the stronger the force of repulsion would be, hence an increase in damage. However, it is not omni-potent and relies heavily on my own affinity with it.

A slower feint and then a faster one which could blitz by perception was enough to break through this barrier. Even though I want it as a 24/7 defense mechanism, it requires me to use my mana eyes. Excessive use of mana eyes overloads my brain.

Why do I need mana eyes, you might ask?

A human body is comprised of multiple mana points that allows mana conduction. While using mana, it is a natural course for some mana to leak out. Its like the uncontrollable waste in manufacturing industries. For example, transferring a liquid from one pot to another. While on a broader spectrum of observation, it doesn't change. But that is only because the waste is negligible. After a good while of pouring the liquid from one pot to another, the waste starts to become obvious.

However, not everyone has mana detecting eyes. And even if anyone else do, they won't be focusing much on their own mana points.

Now in itself, the wastage is not enough to cost one a life and death situation. However, it has some other use as well. The formation of singularity and polarity manipulation requires an extremely high amount of control over mana.

And testing out trials on gravity was dangeous since it can destroy my own body.

Reaching out for the mana in my body, I started my preparations. The gravity around me increased three folds first and then dropped suddenly. The huge rocks broke under the increased gravity and the sheer force of it while moments after the debris left from it started floating in the air.

Letting out a deep breath, I controlled the gravity's force as the small chunks and sand-ish debris fell on the ground. I only had to increase the singularity around my own body like a thin veil. I felt a sudden strain on my body, the mana depleting at a rapid rate. However, I stayed still, planting my legs in the ground as hard as I could.

Suddenly, as if waiting for me to drop my guard, a huge silhouette jumped in my direction. Followed by another. One after another, around 20 shadows circled me, letting out low, unintelligent growls.

With one eye shut, I looked at them. I couldn't see them because of them hiding in shadows of the lofty trees but their mana outline was visible to me.

Bipedal, four-armed porcine monsters.

'This doesn't look that good.' I thought to myself as I felt my body quiver under the effects of the veil of singularity around my body.

These were "Terminate Boars". Classified as B-Ranks when in group. Looking around, I detected 8 of them.

This is going to be a hassle.

I am going to die if I try to form the singularity veil now. The boar closed the distance with a low-pitched growl and swung its huge hammer at me.

Infinity exists everywhere.

Cohesion and Dissemination.

Synthesis and Divarication.

Influx and Outflux.

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Convergence and Divergence.