Chapter 23: Prove Otherwise

Perseus POV

"So most people here just got fail romance?"

"Not necessarily." Old man Reese replied

"Yeah, see that lady over there, the one with the child?" The pub owner pointed to a woman by the window, "Her parents wanted a boy, got her and neglected her until they got a boy, where they outright abused her and used anything she's earned and gave it to her brother.

"She ran away one day but got run over by a noble in his carriage, the noble paid for her healing fees and gave some leftovers for use after recovery, but her parents took the money and gave it to her brother. She was in a coma at the time...and well, after she woke up, she realized she was pregnant."

"Huh?"

"Yup, long story short, the healer settled out of court to not have their case go public, her family tried to get her money again, blah blah blah, and she's here. Need I say more?"

"No, I've pretty much figured everything out."

*****

On my way home, there was this one guy who ran up to me to just dump his beer on me, called me an unwanted demon, and walked away. The old man asked if I was going to do something, but I just shook my head and headed back with him.

The world will continue to treat me like this.

What was the point of retaliating? What good would it do to lash out at those who saw me as nothing more than a nuisance, an unwanted presence in their midst?

No amount of retribution could erase the deep prejudice that had taken root in their hearts, nor could it undo the years of scorn my people have suffered, and I'm too young to even experience what the others did.

But what the pub owner said earlier did interest me a bit, and until then, I'm going to need to be good enough to pass their tests, because ain't no way they're just letting us in, no matter how good Cedric or whoever he is will become, they can't just let me in for inclusivity purposes, I need to be able to pass.

I can't ask the old man to train me either, for the physical and magic part, the system can get me by, as for techniques, I rather not learn about anything that's involved with this empire unless it's something about how to counter it.

*****

I read any book that the old man had in the house during my free time, apart from the brewing, he had me do his chores and other household things, it's much safer and tamer compared to the dangerous deep waters back in that camp thing.

It was about the abyss dungeon and according to the book, only those who had reached the age of 20 or possessed a certificate from a recognized magic academy were permitted to venture into its depths.

I stumbled upon grim accounts detailing the fate of dungeon raiders who dared to brave the depths of the Abyss. You would think that going down this dungeon is stupid, after all...curiosity killed the cat, right?

But if we didn't kill enough monsters...there would be dungeon breaks, catastrophic events in which the monsters imprisoned within the dungeon managed to break past its invisible barriers and spill forth into the world above.

These breaches were rare but devastating, unleashing chaos and destruction upon the unsuspecting humans who found themselves in their path. It will only close once a certain number are killed, and the remainders will live out here, it's why you can find monsters in the wild now.

*****

[A: Why are you practicing useless magic?]

"Learning brewing magic will make my job end faster, and even then...I need something to keep my mind occupied while I'm struggling with other magic."

[A: What do you mean? You used simple combat spells well, these other ones shouldn't be hard.]

"Can't practice to my fullest extent, I would damage the house and alert the empire, you have already seen how people look at me every time I go out...it's already hard to determine where or who the spy is among the prying eyes...causing any kind of damage would boost the stereotype, and I rather not die because of it."

[A: Does it not look weird every time you're talking to me? it looks like you're talking to yourself, I didn't think you were so brave.]

"I am not, but being and looking crazy won't seem that strange when you've been raised in such an environment. Anyone would go crazy, besides...with the number of people who died every time I get close to them and how the places I've been having people dying everyday...there's a lot of people who talk to ghosts."

[A: How do you plan to accomplish the quest?]

"Don't know, but doesn't matter, I'll finish it and I'll go back home."

[A: What's your home like?]]

"Boring, but...way better than here and I liked it."

[A: What if it was meant to be?]

"If it was, I like this world to show it, the only lucky thing I've experienced was the prince arriving on time, and its result was that I get to live a tad bit longer."

[A: You were chosen for a reason, your position is as prestigious as the hero's. If the hero is no longer here, you are to replace him.]

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like this world agrees...I've been treated like crap ever since I came."

[A: As your virtual assistant, I can assure you, that once you make a name for yourself, you will receive praise, and you will be beloved.]

"That feels shallow.

[A: There are people out there who believe in you, they believe in your character.]

"Then I hope to see them soon...because if it keeps going like this, I don't think that I'm going to make it, I have no proper motivation to fight for this world, it's not like its denizens proved otherwise."