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“….” (Edmond)

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“…” (Alfred)

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Awkward.

That’s the word people would use when interacting with strangers.

But you know what?

There is something more uncomfortable then interacting with strangers.

And that is…

“Talking to an Alien.”

“I cannot believe I am talking to another life form.”

“It’s worse then I thought it was.” Alfred whispered loudly to himself.

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Edmond heard that, but he did not say anything. He himself knew that if he was in Alfred’s shoes, he would act the same as Alfred did.

As such, he just stayed silent and stared at the invisible screen in front of him.

Apparently, the screen said that his race has changed.

Moreover, it seems he got some superpowers when he arrived in this foreign world.

“…”

“Yeah. It worse then it looks.” 

Edmond didn’t grief for his loss of humanity. Humanity wasn’t anything special. But he still felt bothered a bit. Being human is all he knows how to be. If given the chance to become something else, Edmond really didn’t know how to act like that ‘something else’. All he knows, is that he will still be his old self even if he had his race changed.

That, is something he is very sure of.

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“Ha.” Exhaled Alfred.

Then, out of nowhere he took a cigarette from his breast pocket and lighted it up using his index finger.

“Puff~!” A small crimson flame appeared 1 cm above his finger.

The flame heated the cigarette enought to start smoking. Afterwards it faded away, as if it had never been there.

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“You know.”

“That flame is more believable then this illusionary information window.” (Edmond)

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“Magic isn’t allowed to be used in public, around these parts.”

“However… there are laws that explain in greater detail where and when magic is allowed to be used.”

“Lighting a cigarette with magic in public is nothing but a daily occurrence.”

Alfred offered a bit of his wisdom, as he sucked the cigarette with his lips. 

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“I certainly didn’t know that.” (Edmond)

“Anyway. Returning to our topic.”

“I am serious when~” 

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“When you said that you and I are not from different worlds.” 

“I heard that loud and clear.”

“It’s just that. Haha. Ha.”

“It’s quite complicated.”

“Normally planet Avrora doesn’t get visitors from other worlds frequently.”

“The only visitors that ever come weekly, are those messed up cultivators, that often try to destroy the planet out of impatience.”

Alfred interrupted and told Edmond.

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“…”

“Em…” (Edmond)

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“What?” (Alfred)

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“Please focus on my issues first.”

“I am not a native of this planet, and I cannot hope to comprehend everything.”

“If anything, I really am in need of information and help to return home.”

Edmond said as he lowered his head. He too was coming to feel exhausted from this sort of conversation.

Same could be said for Alfred who now was saying things out of Edmond’s ability to comprehend.

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“Don’t worry.” (Alfred)

“I may seem like this to you, but I am still a scholar at the end of the day.”

“Certainly we could find a way to solve your ca~”

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“Here is the extra warm tea you ordered, kind sirs!”

“That will be 4 gold coins. Using the table instead of self service costs +2 gold coin. That and the teas you ordered were 2 gold coins each.”

The waitress interrupted with a smile. Explaining the costs of the camomile tea, and that using the table was also an additional charge fee for clients.

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“Here are 4 gold coins.”

“Thank you for the service.”

Alfred told her. He took 4 gold coins from one of his lower pockets and gave them to the waitress.

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“Thank you for attending [Early Gray’s] cafe house, kind sirs! If you need more drinks, please call again!”

The waitress thanked the men and left.

Only her footsteps were heard as the two men were left stunned by their exchange with the cheerful waitress.

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“She is hot.”

“And her appearance is quite attractive.”

“It’s a shame that I cannot flirt with her in open daylight.”

Edmond confessed as he saw her walk away.

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“Yeah. Yeah.”

“Anyway. Where were we at, again?” (Alfred)

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“The part where you would give your all to help me solve my case Mr. Alfred.” Edmond winked.

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“…”

“I am not doing that. You should take care of yourself on your own!” Alfred shouted.

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“Oh! Come on.”

“Don’t you have any sort of pity for your foreign, alien, friend?”

Edmond expressed as he made a pair of puppy eyes 🥺 at Alfred.

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“No! I won’t take responsibility for you!” Alfred hissed.

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“Come on Mr. Alfred, if you take me in as your right hand man, I will let you dissect me.” Puppy eyes 🥺 

“Better yet, as long as you help me, I will give you my body~♥️.”  Edmond teased.

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“You are an illegal immigrant. You have no residency in this country.”

“Not even a background check would help, in making you a citizen of Ledwigton.” (Alfred)

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“I am pretty sure, I could give a lot of useful knowledge from my home world, Mr. Alfred.”

“Do you know… hehe.”

“…that my world is several times more advanced then yours. Haha.” 😈 

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“Ugh!”

Alfred wanted to refuse.

He really wasn’t up to become the guardian of Edmond. Let alone his guide in this world, where gods walk around as if it was nothing great.

But~!

When he heard Edmond tell him that his world was several times more advanced then his…

Alfred bited the hock.

His face changed from a stern look at a curious one.

Alfred was a scholar after all. If he was given free information without any sort of payment involved. Why should he to refuse it?

For all he knows. He might make some scientific breakthroughs in the world of science. Better yet, maybe he can get rich from using the information Edmond gives.

Advanced knowledge is worth in gold coins, some say.

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“Em… well…” 

Alfred definitely didn’t want to lose this opportunity. But he also didn’t want to aid an illegal Alien immigrant in settling in Ledwigton.

How much paperwork and gold would it take to register Edmond in his society?

This question gave him a headache for real.

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“Mr. Alfred. I am serious. This is a good cooperation opportunity. Furthermore, I am one of the most capable students in my University.”

“If you lose this chance, you might later learn that another man took your lifetime’s opportunity. And made quite the discoveries. Hehe.”

Edmond whispered with a serious yet seductive voice.

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“Ugh…”

“Fine! Fine!”

“I will take you under my custody!”

“Happy now, you alien bastard!” Alfred shouted as he choose to accept the worst deal of his life. He wasn’t even being paid for this, but the opportunity of gaining knowledge was worth the efforts.

As long as Edmond gives him scientific knowledge, he is okay with taking care of Edmond.

“Ha.” Sigh

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“He he he. Ah ha haha.”

“Well. Let’s seal our deal with a handshake for now. Later on, along the way we might seal our deal in a contract.” 

Edmond expressed as he had a really devilish grin in his face.

A sign that Alfred ignored by tilting his head away from Edmond. Since it looked that the alien might just go crazy.

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And crazy it was, for Edmond really had no solutions to his problem of being ‘isekai-ed’.

He needed a smart and caring man by his side. A man that can help him comprehend all this ‘another world’ bullshit.

Alfred was the right man. He is a scholar. A curious man. And wise teacher.

Well… not all that wise… but still wise enough to be of use to Edmond.

Also. The most important matter.

As long as Alfred helped Edmond settle in Ledwigton, Edmond’s illegal immigrant status would be solved.

He had no paperwork or document of residence, after all!

If he doesn’t get them ASAP, the local security forces are going to put him in jail!

This was one of the otherworldly man’s most feared problems.

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“Puff~” The cigarette was sucked from it’s end by Alfred’s lips. Soon enough, the lips opened and released white smoke in the air. 

The smell of smoke was pleasant, yet not that intoxicating. For it was just a drug meant to soothe people’s heart, and the damage it caused to people wasn’t something mere low tire healing spells could heal.

“Done with your crazy thoughts?” 

With smoke coming out of his lips, Alfred asked.

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“Yes. I am done.”

“Ha.” (Exhale)

“What’s next now. I have nothing else to be impressed about.” (Edmond)

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“Hm… I accepted your deal and I don’t plan to break it unless you betray or worse, kill me.”

“As such, let’s shake hands for now. If the knowledge you have it’s useful, I will seal our deal in a contract later.” (Alfred)

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Wasting no time at their disposal, the two men looked each other in the eye and shook hands strongly.

From now on the two of them are partners. Men who are tied to each other by morals and obligations, despite not having any when they met an hour ago.

Alfred has accepted being the guardian of an alien.

Edmond has accepted being a foreigner in a world far different then the one he knows.

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Hell. Now that they know each other a bit better, it would be a pity to not take advantage of one another.

For this. The two men are happy about.

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With crazy smiles the men began to drink their tea, as the loud noises of a cafe made it impossible for them to talk seriously anymore.

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▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️

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“Gods. Are they real?”

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“Yes. They are.”

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“How are you so sure about this?”

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“I am. For I have seen them descend on the mortal plane. Better yet, I have been blessed by one of them.”

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“….”

“Sip.”

“Unless I see them with my own eyes, I cannot believe them to be real.”

“Is there a way to meet them?”

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“Sip.”

“For what reason, would you like to meet them?”

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“For the same reason that brought me here.”

“I want to know if they have any means of sending me back to my home world.”

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“I understand.”

“Sip.”

“Nevertheless, it will be hard.”

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“Why?”

“Sip.”

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“Gods only appear in front of those whom they deem worthy of feasting on their sight.”

“And for that to happen, you must accomplish feats worthy of catching their eyes.”

“You must become a well known man, with enough power and authority to affect this world’s nations.”

“Only those men that reach the peak of this world can ever hope to be guaranted audience in high halls of the Gods’s throne rooms.”

“Sip.”

Alfred explained to Edmond, while drinking his tea bit by bit.

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“…”

“Sip.”

Drinking his own camomile tea, Edmond listened at Alfred with all his attention. He didn’t wish to miss any sort of explanation about Gods.

However…

“What’s the fastes way to attain the attention of a God.” Edmond asked.

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“Such a way does not exist.”

“But if you are desperate enough, go commit suicide in front of one of their cathedrals.”

“I have heard that many miracles happen to people who die in holy grounds. Some of those miracles go as far as being called resurrections.”

“The gods were never ones to like having their homes stained in innocent blood.” Alfred replied 

Then he added.

“Sometimes, when death happens in their cathedrals, Gods themselves descend to take care of matters left by the deceased.”

“The current pope, was one of those people who came back from the dead after dying in one of their cathedrals.”

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“Wow.”

“I certainly don’t wanna try such folly. Even if that means I get to meet them.”

Edmond said as he felt weird about all of this.

Honestly, who is that mothe-fucker that would try such ~.

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“Insane method.”

“It’s a method that all would agree to be stupid, but often it works for real.” (Alfred)

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“Ah! Enough with gods.”

“This conversation doesn’t help much.”

“Sip.”

“Before my sister sent me here, I remember that she read an incantation, in some sort of black satanic book covered in webs and strange crimson symbols.”

“Since you are a scholar. You should know something about this.”

Edmond changed the flow of the conversation from gods to his sister’s creepy book. That thing seemed to have come from a catacomb.

Worse case scenario, his sister might have snatched it from some tomb in a cemetery.

He fears she might have taken that form a corpse for all he could hypothesize. Since magic requires old incantations and other bullshit thingies.

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“A dark colored book covered in webs and crimson simbols.”

“Hmm…”

“If I am not wrong, the spider webs are locks that are meant to keep the book closed for many purposes. As for the crimson symbols, they are ancient runes made with the blood of the book’s owner/author.”

“It’s probably a necromancy book or a dark arts performance one.”

“Whichever the case, how is that book connected with you in all of this?”

Alfred explained and asked.

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“Beats me?”

“All I know is that without that book my sister wouldn’t have had a way for me to be here.”

“Sigh.”

“I am starting to think, she might have just used that book to get rid of me. I mean, I did ignore her for an entire year and all.” (Edmond)

“Sip.”

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“Sip.”

“Any other details that you can remember before you hopped worlds?”

Alfred began to ask more questions. He needed to know more before making an accurate guess of what really happened to Edmond.

“What sort of ritual was your sister performing?”

“Dark arts aren’t made to help people, especially allow them enter other worlds.”

“I am pretty sure that all dark arts require sacrifices in order to get a result.”

“What did your sister sacrifice, to make you come here?”

“The amount of energy required for entering other worlds is enormous. I have difficulty believing she could be capable of such by herself and without any aid at that.” (Alfred)

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“…”

“Sip.”

“Em… She sacrificed me, didn’t she.”

Edmond said with a hazy stare as he listened to Alfred. Then he continued.

“All I remember is a basement with a circle that had a star in it. Candles were lit in a few spots in the circle and the book was giving creepy vibes just by being there.”

“That’s all I know. I swear.”

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“Ha.” (Exhale.)

“She probably sacrificed you.”

“But that doesn’t explain why are you here.”

“And most importantly… who did she offer the sacrifice to, if she was using dark arts from a book that looked like a~.”

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“Grimoire?” Edmond finished the last of Alfred’s sentence.

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“Indeed.”

“A grimoire. A textbook of magic, typically including various instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to preform magical spells, charms and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, deities, and demons.”

“There is no end or idea, of what a grimoire can do and be capable of. Some even theorize that such hight quality books were written by crazy Gods or other entities, to teach humans that they shouldn’t mess with the supernatural if they do not wish to attain a horrible death.”

“Many are the people who have studied or used magic grimoires to satisfy their own greedy curiosity, only to end up as warm dishes served on a silver plate, to deities beyond our comprehension.”

“In simple words. These kind of magic books are the darkest, maybe even the deepest form of magic ever created by the fruits of human minds.”

Alfred explained with profound words as he spat out some of his knowledge about such books.

He seemed to want to continue this conversation about dark knowledge. But refrained from saying any more, for fear of what could happen, if someone of the townspeople inside the cafe house heard him.

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“…”

“Sip.”

“Ha.” Exalting his stress. Edmond caressing his forehead and spoke his thoughts on the matter.

“I don’t think my sister is evil enough to sacrifice me to a devil. Clarissa isn’t that kind of person.”

“If anything, she would just ignore me for a couple of weeks before deciding to mend our relationship.” Ed said to Alfred as the tea cup began to empty little by little with each of his sips.

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“Mr. Edmond… as much as I would like to believe in your sister too. I think that she is~”

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“Enough.”

“Clarissa is my little sister. I did be a fool to not notice her hostility towards me.”

“It’s impossible for her to have sacrificed me. Something definitely went wrong with Wha she was trying to do.” (Edmond)

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“…Or maybe she chanted the wrong incantation. Unwillingly making a mistake which costed her dearly.”

“Sip.”

Drinking the remaining herbal liquid in his tea cup, Alfred hypothesized. Afterwards he looked at Edmond again. Trying to learn more from his facial expressions.

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Edmond was in a bad mood. The thought of his sister having another side to her. An evil one at that. Was unacceptable to him. He knew his sister very well. She surely wasn’t capable of doing evil.

Unable to accept the fact that his sister may have been thinking of disposing of him. Edmond felt sad and angry. But at the same time his feelings of protection for his sister took over. Making look like a man who was battling his inner self for control of his thoughts.

Seeing this kind of inner battle, Alfred felt bad for the young man called Edmond Arc. He had so much life in his eyes to be experiencing this cruel reality. 

Edmond luck and choices surely have brought him great pain. Alfred could feel that. As such, he decided to interrupt his train of thoughts for now.

A heart broken man was the least he wanted to take care of.

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“Stop. Thinking. Too. Much.”

“Edmond, I may just be your first contact in this world, and your relationship with me is vague. But allow me to say this.”

“Don’t pressure yourself too hard. Only a broken soul can come out of those who despair at their circumstances.” Alfred adviced.

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Hearing his new friend’s advice. Edmond looked at Alfred in the eyes, then he stopped thinking about difficult stuff.

If he wanted to learn the truth. He had to learn about a way to return home, beside his sister and ask her himself, if she hated him or not.

Only like this could his doubts rest in peace.

“You are right.”

“Thinking too much isn’t good. I will learn everything about her circumstances when I get home.”

“For now, I will focus on finding a a way to return.” (Edmond)

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“Good. That’s more like a grown up. More like yourself.”

“Remember. Don’t lose yourself to the possibilities that come into your mind. Keep yourself sane bro.”

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“…” (Edmond)

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“…” (Alfred)

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“A hahahahaha~!” (Edmond)

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“Wa hahahahaha~!” (Alfred)

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After a moment of deep concern for each other. The two man from different planets felt a stronger connection to one another. They felt their bond as friends deepen. Becoming something more akin to real friendships.

And then.

They laughed like madmen.

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The two of them laughed together. Forgetting all their worries about the future, and caring only about the present.

To hell with being sent to another world. Or encountering an alien from a different galaxy.

As long as they could understand each other. The two of them were fine with how the situation was.

Surely it will take a while for Edmond to get home, but he is fine with it. The important thing is that he is still alive. And as long as there is life there is a way. 

A way for him to return home one day.

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>>>>

To be continued…