"Well well well, we meet again."

When we reached the top of the hill, I was greeted by, who else, Elun. She stood with a smug grin on her face—something that immediately triggered my desire to punch her.

"Aw, what's with the frown? Don't worry. I'm no longer after your head. Master Ilymhyrra would never let me hear the end of it if I break my promise to her."

Master… Ilymhyrra?

"Stop it. I'm not your Master," the elf interjected.

"Oh, come on now, Master Ilymhyrra! I have declared my intent to fully devote myself under your tutelage! You can't just reject me like that!" she replied with a playful smile. "Yes, I now have acknowledged her as the Founder's Master." She turned to face me again, putting one hand on her waist. "These past month, my observations of her conclude that yes, she's indeed the person whom she spoke of. Naturally, this means I should grovel on her feet to make her accept me as an apprentice."

"I'm not teaching you anything," the elf interjected with a glare.”

"Don't worry. She'll get around, eventually.” The blue-haired mage ignored her statement completely. “More importantly," She suddenly walked up close to me, making me take a few steps backwards in apprehension. "You, Hugo Greenwood, you are truly a madman, aren't you? You're thinking of saving Felicia, knowing full well that the Church will make you a heretic for it. Have you fallen for her charms? I know she's quite the looker."

"I'm not," I replied with a frown. "I just want to talk to her."

"Ha! As if I'm going to believe that! But it's fine. I like your gumption, boy." She smirked. "Are you sure you don't want to become my husband? I want that kind of man to be my significant other. Though you're just a boy right now."

"Not interested."

"Are you sure? Let's give that a test, shall we?"

She twirled her index finger, and suddenly—

*WOOSH*

A gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere, lifting the blue-haired mage's skirt. Its hem flew all the way upwards, revealing the blue-striped underwear she wore underneath. They clung tightly to her womanhood, adding a lot to their seductiveness despite being plain otherwise, especially compared to the fancy lace panties the princess showed to me just yesterday.

Naturally, they immediately charmed my poor, virgin eyes.

“Like what you’re seeing?” She had her hands on her waist, her skirt still fluttering to the wind. “Just so you know, I have a lot of suitors back home. None interests me though. They’re all inferior to me in the art of magic. But you. You are different. Even though you’re still so young, you are already capable of defeating me. If that’s not a sign of an unpolished gem, then I don’t know what that is. And so, I want you to become my husband. Under my guidance, and Mother’s, you will become the great mage you are always meant to be. I have no doubt about it whatsoever.”

I nodded, barely hearing what she was spouting out of her mouth.

"Hey, are you even listening?" She pouted. The wind finally died down, allowing me to regain my senses. "I see it now." She smirked. "The rumors of you being a perv were right after all."

To be honest, it wasn't the first time I saw her undergarments. When we fought before, she didn't really attempt to hide them either. With how short her skirt was, it was only natural I got a view or two.

"Eh, I've seen better," I put on my mocking smile. It's true. In terms of lewdity, that princess' lingerie was still lewder.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "From who? That blonde girl you're with? I doubt it. My panties are my biggest charm point. I've seduced many men by showing them off."

"Then they just have a low standard in panties," I fired back. Now, I wouldn't say I'm a panty-connoisseur per se, but upskirts were certainly one of my favorite ecchi tropes. And to think I could indulge in them this much in this second life, aah, it's truly a blessing.

"Hmph. I see you're not cultured enough to appreciate a good striped panties. Fine. How about this then?"

She twirled her index finger once again. And just like before, a gust of wind blew her skirt upwards.

Only this time, she added some hefty acting on top of it.

"Iyaahh!"

She let out a painfully obvious fake screech as she tried to both keep her hat in place and her skirt down. Ever so slightly, she turned her butt to my direction, allowing me to see her panties in a completely new angle from before.

"T-the wind! I-it's not stopping!"

The striped fabric didn't cover her buttocks completely, leaving a visible buttcrack in the middle. They were indeed a good pair of low-rise shimapan.

After a while, the wind stopped.

"Kyaah, such a perverted wind… I'm lucky no one is around to look…” she said as she gave a smirk towards my direction.

“I’m sorry, that level of bad acting won’t work.” I folded my arms and shook my head. “We both know you’re shameless enough to not feel any embarrassment whatsoever when people can see your underwear. Unfortunately for you, my type of girl is the shy, innocent kind, precisely the kind of words I won’t use to describe you.” That’s a lie, of course. I’m into lewd, promiscuous girls as well. As a guy who’s afraid to make the first move, I certainly want a teasing girlfriend who will throw herself at me. Not her, though. I might be a perverted virgin, but I’m not a naive one. She just wanted me for my magical talent. And my seed, if I had to imagine. To raise a child strong in magic so the strength of her family would be bolstered—that’s exactly what Vera wanted with Marina. I’m not going to fall for that!

She let out a huff once again, before putting up another act. This time, it was the classic puppy eyes. “Really? You’re not attracted to me in the slightest?”

“Nope. Not even a little.”

She let out a long sigh. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to use my ultimate weapon now.”

Ultimate weapon? What is she—W-whoaaa!

My heart nearly popped out of my chest, for she started to pull her striped panties downwards, right in front of my very eyes. Noticing my reaction, she gave a victorious smirk, before continuing with the process, teasing me as the fabric slowly traveled down her luscious thighs.

Until a certain person stopped her anyway.

*SMACK*

“Ooww! What was that for?!”

“That’s enough. I’m not here to see you flirt with him.”

It was Ilmyhrra, of course. She had hit her with the end of her staff.

“Fine.” She grumbled, lifting her underwear back in place.

"Tell him."

"Ah, right, I guess he deserves to know." She put her hands on her waist, her usual smug smile forming on her lips. "You see, I have a confession to make. I was the one who gave the hint to those Inquisitors of Felicia's presence."

My stomach suddenly churned.

"It was simple, really. I knew they were passing by, so I sent them an anonymous letter, detailing everything that she had done. The zealous fools wouldn't be able to ignore it, of course, and when they sent their men to investigate, they would find that the letter was speaking the truth. And so, they would take care of her. I didn't have to do anything other than providing the information. Isn't my plan genius?" She grinned. "Originally, I wanted to bring her back to the Magocracy, but now, my orders were to kill her by any means necessary. So I chose this. Less exciting, for sure, but I don't have to risk making the kingdom send a complaint to the Empire about our presence here."

I suddenly remembered her words after we first fought. "You might want to check on your redheaded friend." I didn't realize it back then, but it was clear now that she was referring to Felicia. That was her other goal—the one she had accomplished.

"You're quite the snake, aren't you?" I said in a surprisingly cold tone.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she replied, patting herself on the chest. “As one of the spies of the Magocracy, I have to take care of its possible future enemies after all.”

“What about me? You think I won’t become an enemy in the future?” I confronted her.

“According to my assessment, you would.” She still kept her grin. “But, you have gained the protection of Master Ilmyhrra. And I’m not going to go against her wishes. Nor would the Council, if they believed her statement, which, after a few demonstrations, they should. After all, she’s the master of our Founder.”

I turned my attention towards Ilymhyrra. "And I guess you don't want to grant her the same protection?"

"Why would I?" the elf replied with a questioning look.

...Yeah, of course not.

"Is that all?" I returned towards the blue-haired mage. "Got any other schemes or plans you want to tell me?"

"Nah, that's all of them." She smiled. "Though I have one more thing to say."

"And that is…"

"If you really want to do something stupid like killing the Inquisitors, then I suggest you get stronger. Much, much stronger. As strong as a Council member, at the very least. Or else you won't survive when they come after you in full force."

"Do you think I don't know that?! Why do you think I kept up my training every day?!" Before I realized it, I had raised my voice. "And why are you telling me that anyway? You don't want me to be around, do you?"

"Just a simple friendly advice, nothing more." She smirked. "You might think you're a hotshot after beating me, but there are people much stronger than both of us out there. After this, I would return to my training. As someone who would inherit the Brine family name, I still had a long way to go, if I can still be beaten by a kid half my age."

My eyes went to Ilymhyrra. People like her.

"Why are you guys here anyway? Just to give me advice that I already know?" I asked the elf.

"I simply wish to observe, that's all," she replied.

"Observe? You're not going to interfere?"

"Interfere? My days of interfering have long passed. I am now just a simple wanderer, nothing more. Though I do have another advice for you." She walked closer towards me. "The way you're living right now… you're going to dig your own grave, sooner or later."

"I'm going to live however I want, thank you very much,” I readily answered. I could feel I was starting to get annoyed by the sanctimonious way she spoke. “It’s better to die early than to rot away living a life you don’t want.” Like my old self.

“So you wish to play the hero.” A look of disgust came onto her face. “Who are you to do so? You’re not chosen by the Heavenly Dragon. You’re just a kid who thinks he’s special, just because he’s a little better in magic than the average people. You should learn your place, before the world forces you to.”

Yeah, that's it. Now she's really seriously annoying me.

"I know I'm not special. I know I'm not like you who got to be the mentor of the Great Archmage herself. I know I can't even land a scratch on you at my current strength. But know this. I'll fight for what is precious to me, no matter who the opponent might be. That's how I'm going to live my life." I stared right at her eyes without flinching. " What about you? You're a thousand years old. Maybe even older. What have you done with your life? If you spent all those years just wandering around without purpose, just observing things without actually involving yourselves into them, you'll only regret it once you left this world.”

In my old life, I would laugh cynically at people who dreamed big and tried to change things. Activists, politicians, or even wide-eyed newbies who devoted themselves to the company I was working under. I believed myself superior to them, as in my cynicism, I believed that all their efforts were for naught. I scoffed at the idea that it’s better to try and fail than never try at all, while at the same time, hypocritically feeling jealous towards those more successful than me.

I was just being a coward. I was afraid to put myself out there, outside my comfort’s zone.

So I remained a mere observer, having nothing to be proud of in my own life, while criticizing others’ life as if I had the right to do so.

It was an empty and hollow existence.

“Though perhaps that doesn't apply to your kind, being immortal and all,” I added with a bitter smile. “We humans don’t have that luxury, unfortunately. So keep your platitudes to yourself.”

I then realized what irked me about her statement.

It was the same words given to me by those bullies back in my old life.

I still remembered it clearly, even if it happened a long time ago in another life. I had stood up to a girl who was being harassed by them. I was really naive back then, with no idea on how cruel other people could be. I didn’t know that they already hated me, thanks to how popular I was with the girls.

It was a memory I would rather forget.

--------

“Ahahahaha! Look guys! He’s pissing himself! Some Hero of Justice, you are!”

“P-please, s-stop…”

“Hmm? What’s that? I can’t hear you! Speak louder, you idiot!”

Another kick to the stomach. “Uurghhh!” My stomach retched. I puked out what I had for lunch.

That fateful day, we were behind one of the large buildings in the school complex, hidden away from the eyes of the public. After I tried to stop them, I was dragged here by force, before they started pummeling me over and over. I tried to fight back as best as I could, but naturally, with them bigger and older than me, I couldn’t do anything. It didn’t take long until I was on the ground, paralyzed from the pain.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?”

The one who spoke was their leader. Unlike his subordinates, he wasn't as big and muscled as they were. If I had to compare his face, it was akin to that of a rat, with two teeth too big for their own good at the front. He wore a pair of thick, unfashionable glasses. Add his bowlcut of a hair, it was clear that he wasn’t the fashionable type.

Fujiki Chiyama. It was a name I would rather forget as well.

He crouched near me with a vile, victorious grin on his face. “You know, I’ve hated you ever since you came to this school. Just because you have good looks, you think it gives you the right to pick up any girls you wanted. Don’t you understand how it makes the rest of us feel? Us who are not blessed by your looks?” He stood up and placed his right foot on top of my head.” Now you see that you’re nothing special. You’re just a nobody. Just from some upper middle class family who thinks they’re good enough to enter Tenjouin. They didn’t get the memo that this is supposed to be a school exclusive to rich and influential people. Like me, the son of the owner of Chiyama Incorporated. And so, even though I do this—” He kicked me in the face once more. “I won’t get into any trouble in the slightest. You know why? Because I am important while you are a nobody. Without my father’s support, this school wouldn’t thrive as it is right now. And if you’re involving the police, then I have an army of lawyers that can protect me, something you certainly cannot afford.”

After another kick to my stomach, he left the rest of the job to his goons. I was beaten black and blue until I soiled myself as well. And then, I was thrown to the middle of the school grounds, just in time before the afternoon bell to ring.

The whole school saw me in that humiliating state, exactly what he wanted. 

And when I returned a year later, my popularity had vanished into the wind, and my spirit with it.

---------

He believed I wasn’t special, that I was just a nobody.

He was right. Just like how Ilmyhrra is right. I am not the hero of some isekai story with their cheat powers. I am just a guy who somehow reincarnated into a fantasy world where I was given a second chance in life.

Still, it doesn’t mean I’m going to debase myself in front of these “heroes” and “Chosen Ones”. I have my own life to lead, even if it means crossing their paths.

“Elun.” I turned to the blue-haired mage. “Use a spell. Just a basic one.”

“Hmm? A spell? What for?”

“I’ll show her.” I gave a glance towards the elf. “I’ve gotten stronger since the last time we met.”

“Ooh, interesting!’ She grinned. “Alright then! One simple bubble spell coming up!”

She opened her right hand. I walked closer to her and reached out with my own hand near hers.

And then, I could feel it—the shift of mana near said hand. I responded quickly, sending my own mana to disturb hers.

“Hmm?”

She continued gathering mana, only for me to scatter it, over and over and over.

Her grin now turned into a nervous one. “N-no way… You learned it, didn’t you? Master’s technique…” I looked at Ilmyhrra from the corner of my eyes and saw her surprised expression as well.

“I learned that, just by remembering when you used it on me a month ago.” I faced the elf. “Sure, the range is still really short right now, but eventually, it’ll reach your range.” I walked closer to her. “Know why I did it? Because I don’t trust you. Maybe you’ll come after me and those I care about one day with your full, terrifying strength. I would curse myself forever if I don’t prepare myself for that day. I don’t care if you’re Mira’s master or whatever. I’ll fight you with all my unimportant, insignificant self.”

She returned my gaze with her own. We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, until she broke hers.

“Then you shouldn’t have shown it to me, you brainless buffoon.”

To my surprise, a smile appeared on her lips.

“That’s what I used to call her. In a sense, you are terribly alike to her. You both have the same flaws and strengths. You both have hero complexes. You both like to charge into danger without thinking first. You both have foolish pride towards your magic, even when you're not that good at it. You both can't stand it when you're being underestimated. You both want to prove yourselves very badly. And of course, you two are already this strong even at such a young age. I still remember that day when I found her in the flaming rubble of her town. She had managed to take out the Demon Lord that invaded it, all by herself, without anyone ever teaching her magic beforehand. She was just around your age." She gave me a mischievous glance. "Though a dragon might not be on that level, for your case."

I could only stand in silence. The sudden change in her behavior really took me by surprise.

She averted her eyes once more. "I shall be watching you, Hugo Greenwood. You and your short, human life." She started to walk away. "I'll be observing you. I wish to know what kind of life you will lead."

With those totally-not-ominous words, she and Elun departed, with her short tale still echoing inside my mind.

Me? Similar to Mira?

Perhaps the heroes of old are more human than I thought they were.

I watched them disappear into the horizon. She’ll be watching me. Until the day I die, I presume. To me, that’s a lifetime of stalking. But to her, it’s probably just a short note in her long history.

...Welp, I think I just picked up quite the troublesome person to be interested in me.

But I’ll show her. And my own self for that matter. That I wouldn’t waste this second life of mine.

I looked towards the entrance to the dungeon where Felicia had hidden herself. 

Starting from her.