Ganersam Volume 1

“So that’s what happened, huh...”

During our fight, Riko was able to slip out of the field and take a position at one of the buildings the man built. The arena was surrounded by multiple sand buildings with complex structures and layouts.

Navigating through such a maze takes time, and that’s why Riko didn’t appear up until the very last moment. The complexity of the structures is obvious even from the center of the battlefield, and I would argue that it was very unnecessary.

Why he decided to use that, we would never know.

Riko used a sniper rifle to take out Alexander. Guns are pretty rare in this world, but they’re still accessible. Shrapnel, on the other hand, is very rare. Shrapnel is the nickname given to metal bullets, the ones used back on Earth.

They’re expensive, and in most cases considered to be overkill, even against the demon’s army. Usually, only the high-ranking members of the demon’s army get anti-magic armor, so for your average demon, they could be settled with normal magic or laser bolts.

Alexander relies on his armor to neutralize magic. His armor also protects him from most laser-type shots, especially the weaker less-damaging types like paralyze or sleep.

That armor doesn’t do anything against shrapnels though.

‘Firing from the ground is too risky, as if I missed and he became aware of a shrapnel user among the enemy, his tactics would definitely change.’ That’s what Riko said.

In bosses like this, it is best to keep your trump card up to the very end.

After defeating him, we went to Omega. There were medical facilities at Misana, but we were needed at Omega. Nia managed to recover not long after the battle ended, but Emma was still unconscious.

“Will Emma really be alright?”

I muttered worryingly.

“The doctors said she’ll be fine, she just needs rest.”

“I wonder what happened to her...”

Emma had low stats, and based on what Riko told me, healing is a rare ability few people have. It took a long time to learn, so your average person won’t be using that so soon.

Someone of her capabilities isn’t supposed to have that kind of spell in their arsenal. Buff is an entirely different thing though.

While buff does exist in this world, obtaining it is less simple.

Several high-level foods give you a slight buff, but they’re far too expensive for your average adventurer, and the buff they give isn’t that high either.

Some potions could also give you a buff, but like food, their effects are very limited.

Although, unlike Emma’s buff which is temporary, the buffs some food and potions gave you were permanent, although they too have a limit on how far they could push you.

The fact that we could keep up with Alexander after receiving Emma’s buff means her buff is simply unnatural, a testament to her angelic abilities, assuming it really is her angelic abilities at work.

“Let’s not worry about her for now.”

Riko snaps me back to reality. He’s right, thinking about Emma won’t speed up her recovery.

We were now walking toward the Royal Castle, the building in the center of Omega, the center of this kingdom.

I still haven’t gotten the name of this kingdom yet, though. I really should ask someone about it.

After arriving here, we rushed to a nearby hospital in order to take care of Emma and Nia. After getting clearance from the hospital, we moved to a nearby inn. Riko’s client requested to meet us, so we went to meet them in a dark alleyway.

“Are they trying to hide the fact that they’re involved?”

“Probably. If you check the news, the cause of death is a starship accident.”

Kingdom officials did arrive not long after we finished the battle. It’s not far-fetched to assume the Royal Family doesn’t want any direct involvement in this. Amel did say that nobles here couldn’t do whatever they wanted, unlike back on Earth.

Although Alexander being able to rule for that long is admittedly quite suspicious.

“He didn’t say a word until the very end, huh...”

I muttered.

“Is he the silent type?”

“After his reappearance, yes.”

Being silent does make him a bit scarier though.

It gives a chilling atmosphere, coupled with the mysterious arena and the cold air, it really was quite the battle.

But I wonder why he chose that as a gift. I assume he could build from anything and not just sand. Maybe he’s an architect? He’s a noble, so maybe at some point, he wanted to build for the people?

We also didn’t get why he sided with the demons. If only he would speak more.

Argh... give me that juicy lore, damnit.

Sigh... guess some things will forever remain a mystery.

I looked around. Omega is an entirely different city compared to Misana and Alpha. There are far more people. It’s far larger, and the layout is far more complex. Streets cross each other, forming a vast network of roads. It would be easy to get lost around here.

If it wasn’t for Riko, I would probably have gotten lost by now.

From a distance, you could already see the Three Towers looming high above the city.

The castle in Omega is unique. Its main building is built on top of Omega hill, causing the castle to have a higher elevation compared to the rest of the city.

The main building is a large rectangular-shaped building, with a smaller rectangular room behind it.

On top of the main building, there are three different towers, each around 200 meters in height, surrounding a small garden in the middle.

These three buildings all serve different roles. They’re also the tallest building in Omega, although not the highest in the country.

It sure is not the conventional castle design.

The city had two different walls surrounding it. The inner walls protect Omega hill and everything in it, while the outer walls protect the city. Laser cannons could be seen above those walls.

There were four large main streets leading to the castle, one for each wind direction.

We were now on the road leading from the south.

I wonder what’s waiting for us there, although I couldn’t help but feel wary.

I wish the girls were with us.

Our plan is to meet a representative from the Royal Family and make our final report. I don’t know why we’ll need to report the same thing twice, but that’s what the client wanted.

We reached the inner walls. There were guards all around. While technically the inner walls are still a public area, there aren’t many people around. For your average people, the inner wall was not a place you needed to be in.

There were no shops, restaurants, or the like. There were several buildings serving as rest areas, but they’re few and far between. Most of the inner wall consisted of the central government offices and military stations for the Royal Army.

For security purposes, all of the buildings were unmarked, including the rest areas. You probably don’t want your enemies knowing which building is important and which isn’t.

The road got narrower as we approached the castle. The roads were decorated with various plants and greenery.

We made our way to the main building. We arrived in front of a massive gate. A guard stopped us from entering.

“Name and ID.”

Riko approached the silver-armored knight and whispered something to him.

The knight nodded in reply and called one of his superiors. After a minute of waiting, another knight approached us. The knight wore the same armor compared to the knight before, but this time the silver armor had a golden trim to it.

“Please follow me.”

He said briefly before turning back. Riko and I followed closely behind him. We entered the massive castle.

The main building’s interior is box-shaped, similar to the exterior. It is around 200 meters from side to side, with four pillars supporting each of its four corners. There are several rooms on its sides. In the center of the building, there are three different box-shaped rooms facing each other, presumably access to the three towers.

The interior is well-lit and is painted in a bright yellowish color.

The knight led us toward the northern room. There, he handed us over to a different knight, this time clad in all gold armor. We proceeded to enter the room. After passing through security checks, we followed the knight deeper. There’s a large elevator inside the room, enough to fit up to 20 people.

Using his ID Card, we went up to floor 11. We were now inside the northern tower. After exiting the elevator, a different knight, this time in dark red armor, greeted us. He brought us into a room at the end of a corridor.

The room was pretty small. Inside, there were only two sofas facing each other, with a small table in the middle.

“Her Highness will be with you shortly.”

The knight said as he closed the door. We sat on the sofa. A little while later, the door opened and a girl entered the room.

She had long straight yellow hair. She’s wearing a beautiful pink gown, suitable for those of nobility. Her movements were slow and elegant, and she sat on the sofa across from us.

“Greetings. I believe this is the first time we met. My name is Princess Minya, and I will represent the Royal Family of Golaana. May I know your names?”

She said politely, her face sporting a bright smile. She has a pretty face.

She mentioned the word Golaana. I wonder if that’s just the name of the royal family, or if it’s also the name of this kingdom.

“My name is Riko, and this is William.”

“I see. Very well. May we get to business?”

Riko nodded to that question.

“If you don’t mind, could you please repeat the report for me?”

She said softly while bowing her head. I wasn’t expecting the princess to treat us with so much respect.

Riko started recounting the events of that night, and the princess paid attention. After finishing, the princess nodded with satisfaction.

“Thank you for your report. A silent figure, it really is the fake, isn’t it?

I nearly spat the tea I was drinking when I heard that.

“Fake!? ... Ah, pardon my rudeness.”

“I forgot to tell you about that. There’s a high possibility that the Alexander we fought is a fake.”

“What do you mean!?”

I tried to control my voice but I just couldn’t.

I looked straight at Riko with a confused look on my face.

“There’s a high suspicion that the Alexander we fought isn’t real.”

Princess Minya nodded along with Riko’s words.

“We need your help in investigating this.”

“No.”

I answered briefly. The two looked at me in shock.

“We will pay you well, so please consider it.”

“No. Emma is still lying in bed right now, I’m not accepting another impossible boss quest.”

Hearing that, Minya shook her head.

“Ah, don’t worry. The real Alexander is a nice man. He cared deeply for his people and is active in protecting them. He disappeared a few years ago during the battle of Asparagus, and after a couple of months he reappeared, but as the Alexander you fought yesterday. There’s a suspicion that something happened to the real Alexander, and that’s what we want you to investigate.”

“So no more fighting?”

“There’s a very low chance of that.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll consider it.”

Emma and Nia’s recovery is still the priority, but if it’s just a normal investigation then I think we could handle it.

“The Domestic Investigation Bureau will assist you in this, so you need not worry.”

Minya gave me a reassuring smile.

“I’ll say it one more time, I’ll consider it, but it doesn’t mean I’ll accept it.”

“I look forward to your help.”

Riko continued several other discussions with the princess. After a while, we left the castle.

“What would you be doing now?”

“I’ll be here for the next couple of days. We are still looking through the recovered documents. They may give us a clue. How about you?”

“I’m planning to take the girls back to Alpha.”

As a reward, we were gifted a large sum of money. I’m planning to buy a house and start a business, and maybe buy some better gear while I’m at it.

“Alright. So you’re taking Amel with you?”

“If she wanted to, then yes.”

The pain in this world is real. Now that I feel that pain myself, I would prefer to stay away from fights as much as possible. This isn’t a game where drinking a healing potion would fully heal you, unfortunately.

If Amel joined the party, I would be able to move to a more supportive role. That would also mean battles would end faster, reducing the risks of injuries significantly.

We stopped in front of our inn.

“I had something to do, so you just go in first.”

“Alright, see you later.”

I entered the inn. This inn is a far larger inn compared to the one back at Misana. It’s like a 5-star hotel. The wall was decorated with white marble, matching the colors of the floor. There was a red carpet that stretched far into the building, and a chandelier hanging above the main lobby.

I made my way to the elevator located at the side of the building. Floor 5, room 107 and room 108, that’s where we were staying at. It’s a double room with a connecting door.

I knocked on the dark wooden door.

“Welcome back.”

Amel said as she opened the door.

“Thanks. Riko had something to do, so he’ll be out for a while.”

“Alright.”

“You’re making tea?”

On the table near the door, there’s a cup.

In that cup, there’s a dark brown liquid. And there’s an opened box of tea leaves beside it, so I assumed it was tea.

She looked at me, then at the cup, then at the box, before nodding back to me.

Do you need all of that just to answer yes?

She brought the tea to the bed.

“You’re awake?”

I asked Emma who was still lying on the bed. Amel brought the tea to her. She took a sip, before answering me.

“Yes, I had just woken up.”

“What happened?”

I asked as I sat on the chair beside her.

When I asked that, Nia was sitting on the sofa and Amel was standing behind me.

Emma looked at the other two.

The two girls nodded and left the room.

That’s pretty considerate of them.

But anyway...

“Didn’t they already know you’re an angel?”

“I’m unsure. But I think it’s best we keep this between us for now.”

“So, what happened?”

“I’m an angel, and to tell you the truth, I could still use my abilities. My human body isn’t designed to use those abilities, and I’ll ‘burn’ my body if I use too much of them.”

“You know what I’m going to say, right?”

She tilted her head.

“Never, ever, use that again.”

She looked at me, a slight surprise in her expression. She then nodded.

“Alright. I’m not planning to anyway. Just don’t get wounded.”

“I’m not even going adventuring after this.”

I showed her the check I received from Minya. Emma’s mouth opened wide, and she let out a gasp.