Haruto staggered, his vision blurring, but he still managed to whip around and deliver a final, brutal punch that sent the guard flying, his jaw shattering on impact.
By now, Haruto's uniform was soaked, deep crimson spreading rapidly across the black fabric.
"Shit!" Serephin's scream echoed through the corridor. She had broken free of the others and was already mid-air, delivering a devastating kick to Kenjin's stomach that sent him skidding away, before she rushed to Haruto's side, catching him as his knees buckled.
She cradled him in her arms, her face pale with terror. "What happened?! You're bleeding so much!"
Haruto let out a ragged, pained breath, his hand gripping her shoulder to steady himself. His face was twisted in agony, but he forced a weak, reassuring smile. "Don't... don't worry. My body has a high-level healing factor... but it really, really hurts."
Serephin watched in shock as the jagged wounds on his back started to steam, the skin knitting together slowly. She looked at him with watery eyes. "It's... it's healing, but it's so slow."
Haruto grimaced as another wave of pain shot through him. "It's because... those weren't ordinary weapons," he wheezed, his voice straining. "Until the magic residue from the blade is fully purged from the wound... my body can't heal at its full speed."
Serephin looked at him, her eyes wide with confusion, still struggling to process the sight of the blood soaking his clothes. Haruto steadied himself, his breathing slowly evening out as the steam from his back wounds began to subside.
"Don't worry," Haruto said, his voice regaining some of its usual strength. "I have a special healing factor—maybe it's a perk from my reincarnation. If the attack is purely physical, I can recover instantly. Magical residue is the only thing that really slows me down."
He stood up, wobbling slightly, and looked down at his ruined, blood-drenched maid uniform. He let out a strange, almost manic laugh, gesturing to the stains. "Look at this, Serephin! I know it's a mess, but doesn't it look kind of... cool? Like a battle-hardened veteran?"
Serephin didn't find it funny in the slightest. She gripped his arm firmly, her face set in a stern line. "No, it doesn't look 'cool.' It looks like you nearly got yourself killed. We're going home. You aren't walking around like this."
"Wait, just a little longer," Haruto protested, eyes narrowing as he scanned the fallen guards. "I wanted to fight more."
"Why?" Serephin snapped, exasperated. "Why didn't you just use your magic to wipe them out instantly?"
Haruto's expression darkened, his mind drifting back to the terrifying power of his black-hole spell with Daisy. He sighed, rubbing his chest. "I have a type of magic that's... extremely dangerous. It's incredibly difficult to control. I realized a while ago that something about this ring I'm wearing is acting as a damper—it's suppressing my magic, keeping it from leaking out. I could have tried to force it open, but I didn't want to risk it here. I decided to stick to brute force for now."
Instead of heading toward the main royal palace, Haruto insisted that they detour toward his own private mansion.
When they finally stepped through the grand double doors of the estate, the familiar scent of old paper and polished wood washed over them. Inside the main hall, Asobi was lounging comfortably on the sofa, propping her feet up while casually puffing on a small pipe and flipping through a thick volume of ancient texts.
Hearing the doors open, Asobi didn't even look up from her book, letting out a breezy greeting. "Welcome back, boss. Took you long eno—"
She stopped dead mid-sentence.
A sharp, coppery scent of fresh blood hit the air. Asobi slowly lowered her book, her eyes drifting toward the entrance, only to freeze at the sight of Haruto standing there dripping in blood, still wearing his utterly ruined, blood-soaked maid uniform and black wig.
Asobi rubbed her eyes frantically, dropping her pipe onto the floor. She pointed a trembling finger at him, her voice cracking in pure disbelief. "W-Wait... is that Haruto?! And why the hell is he wearing a maid outfit covered in blood?!"
Haruto gave her a weak, lopsided grin, running a hand through his messy wig. "Yeah, yeah... it's me. Long story."
Asobi stared at the gruesome sight, her jaw practically hitting the floor as she burst into loud, mocking laughter, pointing right at his blood-stained dress. "What on earth happened to you, boss?! You look like a disaster area!"
Haruto raised a hand, cutting off Asobi's endless barrage of teasing. "Alright, alright, pipe down. More importantly, Asobi—why didn't you come with the others to look for me?"
Asobi sighed, floating slightly off the sofa as she crossed her arms. "Boss, I told you before. I'm magically bound to this mansion. I literally can't step outside the estate grounds."
Haruto frowned, stepping further into the hall with Serephin still supporting his weight. "Seriously? There's really no way around it?"
Asobi offered a small, gentle, yet apologetic smile. "Nope. But don't worry about me. Somebody has to stay behind to protect and look after this place, right? You go on, travel the world, and experience everything outside—I'll be right here holding down the fort."
A soft, understanding look crossed Haruto's face. He nodded slowly. "Yeah... okay. Fair enough." He turned to her with a faint grin. "Say, since my clothes are completely wrecked and covered in blood, can you use your magic to clean me up?"
Asobi grinned mischievously, snapping her fingers. A swirl of clean, sparkling magic washed over Haruto in an instant, evaporating the bloodstains and restoring his regular clothes underneath the ruined maid outfit, leaving him looking fresh once more.
"There, all fixed up," Asobi said, though a hint of lingering worry flickered in her eyes as she added quietly, "Just... make sure you come back soon, okay?"
Haruto gave her a reassuring nod, letting Serephin lead him toward the inner chambers to properly rest. But even as he walked away, a heavy, restless feeling lingered in the back of his mind. Man, this place is a fortress, but being cooped up here with all these secrets...
As the afternoon bled into evening, the golden light of sunset washed over the grand estate. Haruto, fully recovered thanks to his regenerative healing factor and Asobi's cleansing magic, stood by the entrance with Serephin.
He gave Asobi a quick wave. "Alright, we're heading out. See you later, Asobi."
"Don't do anything too reckless, boss!" Asobi called back with a smirk, floating near the doorway.
With no time to waste, tonight was the night they would slip out into the wider world to properly explore this dangerous new reality. Slipping away from the academy's chaotic aftermath, they made their way back toward the royal palace under the cover of dusk.
Once inside his quarters, Haruto changed out of his ruined clothes and into his standard, comfortable attire. Taking a deep breath, he dropped the subtle magic disguise he had been using on his vocal cords, letting his voice revert entirely to its normal tone.
Serephin, standing nearby, lit up with a bright, genuine smile upon hearing his natural voice again. "There it is. I missed hearing you sound like yourself."
Haruto gently pulled back from the queen's embrace, letting out an exasperated sigh as he turned his gaze toward Serephin.
"Hold on a second," Haruto crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the princess. "You were the one who forced me into those girl's clothes in the first place, and now you're standing there saying I actually looked good in them?"
Serephin flushed, quickly waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, drop it already! Forget about the maid outfit—tell me more about that maid back at your mansion.How was she floating?"
Haruto rolled his eyes. "She's a spirit, Serephin. Besides, she's not just any ordinary spirit—she's level 90."
Serephin froze, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief as she grabbed his arm and shook it hard. "Level ninety?! Spirits are high-realm entities! Are you insane? How on earth is someone like that bound as a slave?!"
"No, no, no, she's not a slave—" Haruto started, backtracking quickly.
Before he could explain the full arrangement, Serephin blinked in confusion, interrupting them. "Wait...did Lilith know about it?"
Haruto immediately shook his head, waving his hands. "Never mind that, Your Majesty—it's a long story, and honestly, we don't need to worry about it."
Serephin narrowed her eyes at him, a sudden realization dawning on her as she crossed her arms.
"Wait a minute... if you're bound to a level 90 spirit, and you reincarnated with this much power, doesn't that mean you must have an unlimited mana pool?"
Haruto paused, giving a slow, hesitant nod. "Yeah... My mana pool is technically limitless. But the problem is, I can't actually access or utilize most of it yet. My magic control isn't high enough, and trying to force it is way too dangerous." He offered a wry, self-deprecating smile. "I'm still learning, step by step."
Wanting to steer the conversation away from his overwhelming stats before Serephin started interrogating him further, Haruto grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here for a bit."
He led her out of the royal chamber and down a quiet corridor, pulling her into a secluded room where every queen and Haruto's family was drinking tea.
Pushing the heavy mahogany doors open, Haruto and Serephin stepped into the private parlor—only to freeze in their tracks.
Sitting comfortably around a low table, sipping steaming cups of tea, were the queen and the rest of Haruto's eccentric party members. The moment the door creaked open, heads snapped toward them.
Toya was the first to speak, his eyes widening in mock surprise as he stood up.
"Oh my, look who's finally here! And wow, Haruto... you look completely different. Is that a new look?" She teased, flashing a knowing grin.
Haruto instantly felt his face heat up, coughing awkwardly and muttering under his breath to change the subject.
Before he could retort, Lilith gracefully stood from her seat, floating effortlessly across the room until she stopped right in front of Serephin. She tilted her head with a playful, enigmatic smirk, appraising the princess from head to toe.
"Well, well... if it isn't the birthday girl. Happy birthday, little princess."
Serephin blinked, taken aback by the sudden closeness of a level 99 entity. Recovering quickly, she leaned past Lilith, walked straight up to the queen, and whispered something urgently into her ear.
The queen's expression shifted instantly. Her gentle, warm demeanor vanished, replaced by a flash of absolute cold fury as she glared in Lilith and Haruto's direction. "Is that true? If those allegations are correct, this is a direct threat to the entire royal family."
Haruto threw his hands up, taking a cautious step back. "Whoa, whoa, what did I do?! What is going on?"
The queen suddenly burst out laughing, waving a hand dismissively. "Relax, Haruto, I'm just teasing you!"
With the tension instantly evaporating, everyone settled back down around the table. True to form, Lilith immediately sidled right back up to Haruto, shamelessly clinging to his arm and pressing against him with a mischievous laugh.
Bang!
Without warning, the heavy double doors flew wide open, slamming against the stone walls. King stood in the doorway, chest heaving and eyes wide with frantic relief as he stared straight into the room.
"Lilith..." the king gasped, his voice trembling slightly as he took a breathless step forward. "My daughter... you've finally come back."