It was late evening when Akira reached the city and along the way to his home he saw some weird things, first the number of normal guards was much much higher than the usual and second they were fanatically questioning everyone.

 

There were even a few platoons of elite guards marching throughout the city, was there an external attack going to happen? In the city hall there were at least half a dozen knights talking with the city officials.

 

Something was off, he could tell after looking at the numbers of soldiers gathered that this was an army level search operation going on but what was it that they were aiming for? 

 

He didn’t remember anything major happening in the first few weeks of the academy apart from his supposed beating so what in the world was going on? Is it a side effect of his transmigration? A butterfly effect or the so-called Murphy's law?

 

“No,no, I haven’t done anything to change the story. Yes, it is definitely not related to me.” He reassured himself and began walking away from the city market not before someone stopped himself.

 

“Oye, kid where are you coming from?” It was a high pitched sound and definitely not human.

 

“Eh?” He was startled to be stopped in his tracks and turned back to see that it was his uncle Adam, a demihuman.

 

Adam who was closing his shop came close to Akira and put one of his large muscular hand on his back and said in proud voice,

 

“Leo was right, you are indeed getting stronger.” He said while flashing those extra large teeth of his.

 

“Huh?” Akira was surprised on how even Adam could tell his development, wait was he also an ex-adventurer?

 

“What? Not gonna say anything? Cat got your tongue?” Adam teased him.

 

“Uhh… no I was surprised on how uncle Adam could tell.” He replied.

 

“Haha, what do you think kid? This old man had been on a lot of adventures myself. Wait Leo didn’t tell you anything?” Adam asked while being perplexed.

 

“Eh.. No he didn’t.”

 

“What a dumbass, we were together in a party.”

“No way!” Akira was shocked.

 

Adam, both his parents and Lily's parents were in the same party. How cool was that?

 

“Haha, well those were the good old days. So where are you coming from?” Adam changed his tone, it was subtle but Akira noticed.

 

“Ughh.. you see I was practising in the academy.” He lied and Adam’s gaze began sharp but after a few moments he laughed again, relaxing the atmosphere.

 

“Good,good you at least know how to hide things unlike your father.”

 

It looks like his father had already told Adam about his son’s dungeon diving and now he was checking how Akira would reply.

 

They chatted like this and soon reached the cross-section where they would be changing streets but before parting Akira decided to ask him about the troops in town.

 

“Uncle Adam, why are there so many troops in the city? Are we getting attacked or something?” 

 

“Haah, The specifics are not known as only the knights are allowed to talk about it but from what I have heard, a princess and her two attendants have gone missing.”

 

“A princess is missing??” He shouted but the voice was muffled due to Adam’s hand blocking it.

 

“Why are you shouting?” Adam yelled at him.

 

“Mhmmm…mhmmm…” 

 

“What are you saying?” Adam then realized that his hand was still blocking Akira’s mouth so he quickly took it back.

 

“Haah, haah, haah, you ha- had almost killed me.” Akira panted due to lack of air.

 

“It’s fine, it’s fine you are young blood.” Adam shrugged it off like he wasn’t just about to choke him.

 

“Oh so yeah, a princess and her two attendants have gone missing and apparently they are from the same academy as yours.”

 

‘Didn’t I just save some guys and a girl back in the dungeon and weren’t they from the same academy as his? No, no it can’t be the same, those three were definitely someone else.” He again reassured himself.

 

“So who ordered the search?” 

 

“No one knows but most probably it was your principal.” Adam said.

 

“Don’t think too much about these things kid, focus on your own future.” Adam gave a suggestion after seeing the somewhat pale face of Akira.

 

“Uh.. yeah you are right uncle adam. Thank you.” He said and they went their separate ways.

 

Akira reached home and knocked his door,

 

“I am back.”

 

Running sound could be heard from inside and when the door opened a figure quickly hugged him not giving any chance to think or escape. His view was blocked but he thought that it must be his mother so he hugged her back.

 

‘Eh? What is this soft sensation?’ He questioned when two fluffy balls enveloped his head and when he tried to look upwards, it wasn’t the usual golden hair color but vibrant green color greeting him.

 

His mind stopped when he saw the face of the person holding him, it was Jasmine and she was holding him like no tomorrow and that was getting a little embarrassing for him. So he coughed to break the awkward position.

 

Jasmine finally let him go and took a sigh and said,

 

“Akira-kun, where were you? Do you have any idea how worried we were?” She asked in a somewhat angry voice.

 

“Ahh.. I am sorry.” He couldn’t say anything else, there were too many things going inside his mind.

 

“Get inside, your mom wants to talk to you.”

 

“Yeah.” He replied and went inside to only find his parents sitting on the sofa with a frown on their face and that was something he never wanted to happen.

 

His mother literally jumped out of the sofa after seeing him come over and pulled him into a bear hug and after staying like that for a few moments and then began checking his clothes for something and when she didn’t find anything she let him go.

 

“Akira you are not hurt anywhere are you?” She asked.

 

“No mom, I am perfectly fine.”

 

“Thank God but do you know what time is it? There are knights conducting a search operation and apparently a kidnapper or a killer is on the loose.” Her voice was breaking, telling me how worried he made her.

 

“I am sorry mom.” This time he hugged her and conveyed his emotions through that.

 

That might have made her worries go as she finally relaxed in his hands but to show herself as strict she again began reprimanding him on how he was is supposed to come home after the academy and not roam in the city, that continued for a while until she asked,

 

“Akira dear, what were you doing after the academy?” His mom asked and now all the three people were looking at him.

 

He was now in a dilemma because for first he didn't want to tell her the truth and make her worry more as she was a former adventurer, though only a healer but she knew the dangers of a dungeon and she wouldn’t want him to go through those dangers at this age.

 

But on the other hand seeing how much she cared for his well-being, a part of him didn’t want to lie to her, will that be the right choice though? Well his father was also present and to his good luck he came to the rescue.

 

‘Cough… cough..’

 

Leonard coughed and now took the attention of the room then said,

 

“Darling, aren't you asking too many questions? He’s a grown up now, he can take his decisi-” He couldn’t complete it as Evelyn turned back and looked at him with an ‘innocent’ smile.

 

“Hmm? Are you saying something darling?” She asked in a completely ‘normal’ way but by the looks from Leo’s face and how suddenly the atmosphere in the room dropped by a few degrees made it not so ‘normal’.

 

“I-I was just saying that h- he can be roaming around the city with his friends..” Leo kept stuttering in between his sentences.

 

Akira knew her mother was the dominant power in the house but not seeing something like this happen in front of him had made that fact somewhat redundant but now when he saw this interaction he immediately knew who’s the boss at home.

 

“Yeah but don’t you think he needs to inform us if going for so long, especially when so much is going on in the city?” 

 

“Absolutely right dear, it’s his fault.” With this last statement Leonard’s try of easing Akira’s situation ended pathetically.

 

Akira was thinking how easily his father gave up and was this how regular conversation went on between those two? His father was maybe having a tough time winning any discussion involved with her.

 

“So Akira where were you?” She again asked but more sternly.

 

“I.. ughh… was at the academy, yes after the classes ended..ughh… some students stay back to train.” It was an extempore so he had to improvise and tell her a half-truth, something which was neither the full truth nor full false and this was something he remembered from the game.

 

After the usual classes some students form groups to help each other out in combat training or simply use the advanced mana simulation room situated there but since it was not a general practice and only spread from mouth to mouth most of the students get to know about this in the second half of the year.

 

But with Richard being Richard and by the logic of the game he knew about these facilities so he and his little group did these activities from the get go and this also made the other capable students aware about this and from the first week itself a whole of people could be seen working out.

 

“Ahh so you are still in the academy.” Evelyn nodded.

 

“Yes Evelyn he’s right, Lily had also told me that she is training after the classes.” Jasmine, who was quiet for some time, spoke.

 

“Well I can’t really stop you from training as it is the most important thing for an adventurer but can you promise to inform me beforehand if you’re going to be late?” From the way she spoke hat didn’t looked like a request, it was an order from the head of the family and all he could do was-

 

“Yes, Mam this soldier promises.” That got some chuckles from everyone and also helped to ease the slightly tense atmosphere.

 

And because of that his attention went onto the fourth person standing there. Wasn’t her mother planning to cut ties from the mother-daughter duo? So what happened?

 

“Okay everyone is tired so why don’t we have something to eat and relax?” His mom suggested with a clap and now that she said, he was starving.

 

“Akira, go clean yourself up and come back.”

 

“Yes mom.”

 

At the dinner table it was like a feast, spaghetti and meatballs, rice and curry, grilled meat of mana beasts which was quite expensive, caesar salad, some starters like the french fries and to end it there was a small chocolate cake.

 

Akira due to the fact was growing stronger, his eating capacity had increased and so had the metabolism rate hence he devoured the delicious food without saying much in the conversation going on.

 

After eating the food Jasmine was going to her home and his parents went to the door to see her off and when they returned,

 

“So Akira you must be thinking how come she’s here right?” Evelyn asked him and due to the super sweet cake in his mouth he could only nod.

 

‘Sigh’ 

 

“Well you see it was not only you who came back late, even Lily was not home.”

 

That was going to happen as she must be following Richard’s offer to train after the classes and given the fact she wanted to become strong in her swordsmanship she must have accepted. It was the plot in the story where in the duration of this training and solving side quests she and Richard would grow their relationship.

 

How he would help her to solve those problems from her past and they would fall in love, just like that. It was cliched according to him but having never experienced ‘love’ he was not sure.

 

Maybe that was the process? Like at first two individuals come together and they help each other grow strong and become more compatible. Then in course of time the feelings deepen and one of them or both understand that the other is someone special for them, someone they can’t live with.

 

So they try to understand their feelings and then one day when they do understand it is called love, right? Well that’s what manga’s, LN’s, novels, games and movies had taught him about this abstract feeling of ‘love’.

 

“So in panic first she tried to contact her with Lily not responding to the calls then Jasmine tried to go to the academy to find her but decided to come to us first and then she knew about your situation.”

Communication devices were something valuable in this world; only rich and affluent families had that and Akira’s family had one but it got broken a few years back so right now they didn't had one.

 

“Okay?”

 

“Seeing the situation in the city we decided to head out to the academy but were stopped when Lily informed her that she was fine and about her situation.”

 

“I asked about you but she said that she had not seen you so I decided to head out but was stopped by your father who told me you would be fine.” She finished and he understood what might have transpired.

 

Jasmine was troubled and where do people go when they are in trouble? To their family and friends and since her family is nowhere near and her only friends were his parents so she came here and true friends might develop some complications between them but they always try to help each other.

 

After everything went calm they must have chatted about the events of the last dinner and everything should have been solved between them. His parents have known her for more than twenty years so they know her real nature which was not something you could stay angry at.

 

“Well I am happy that everything went well.”

 

“Me too dear.” Leonard said from behind.

 

Akira too was happy for Jasmine and his parents. They were true friends and it was good that they were on good terms again. Jasmine didn’t had a lot of people she could trust on and she was too honest despite living among humans for so long the ‘seven sins’ had not tainted her so much.

 

So it was good that his parents could help when the time for ‘that thing’ comes.

 

They talked for a bit and when Akira was going in his room her mother calls out to her and says,

 

“Oh by the way she had also invited you to her home.”

 

“WHAT??”