Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation
Crimster
Chapter 18: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Interlude Chapter: A Minister's Folly and When the Village Boy Met the Eccentric
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Interlude Chapter: A Minister's Folly and When the Village Boy Met the Eccentric
In the illustrious city of Ars, the capital of the kingdom of Asura, a man sat in a lavish room in the Silver Palace. His plump and large body didn't move as he worked and wrote on papers on his desk. Most, if not all, were far too confidential to leave his room without being in the hands of his most trusted confidants. Of course, those people were few and far between in the palace, especially for a man such as Darius Silva Ganius, who had quickly risen to the seat of a high-ranking minister.
He made many enemies in his time, rising to the position he found himself in now, but that mattered little. He had a foothold in the palace; no meager attempt would dissuade his position from changing. This meant he had also grown lax and somewhat bold in his activities. Be it from his choice of food to his living expenses…even the women he wished to bed.
Darius was a rotten man to many, but very few knew how deep his depravities ran. To him, it didn't matter what he had to do to get what he wanted. All that mattered at the end of the day was that he got it. If he wanted a woman in his bed chambers, she'd be there by that night. If he wished to see a noble's brat disciplined, he'd make sure he did it personally. Those examples just scratched the surface of Darius Silva Ganius's true identity. A depraved fat bastard who'd found himself in a high-ranking position of power. That's who Darius was.
How did a man like him make it so far up in the pecking order of the cutthroat political world that was the Asuran kingdom? The answer, while simple, was also improbably insane.
Darius made it as far as he did because a self-proclaimed god had come into his dreams and guided him to where he stood. This god was aptly named the Man-God by his followers. Only a select few knew this name; even fewer would live to usher it. That was because most of the apostles of the Man-God were short-lived.
There were many reasons for this, but the largest was a single man with a vendetta against their god. This man was known as Orsted. Otherwise known as the current Dragon God. Obviously, Darius knew not to trifle with the man; his god advised him so. So, instead, he set his sights elsewhere.
Not long ago, his god came to him in a dream. It had been years since the last, but the Minister's devotion hadn't waned, not even a bit. His god asked of him a straightforward request in the white plane of nothingness that was his domain.
"I need you to kill a family in Buena Village. More specifically, I need you to kill one boy." The request was simple. One that Darius would've scoffed at the simplicity of, but this was at the behest of his god. If he wanted it done, then so be it.
Kill Rudeus Greyrat and his family. That was the job given to the Minister, and because it was a request from the person he held above all, he made sure to be extra thorough. It took him quite a bit of planning and a change of hands a few times to ensure it would go without a cinch, but Darius eventually figured out the best course of action. After all, there was little a low-ranking knight like Paul Greyrat or the saint-ranked water mage Roxy Migurdia could do against North King Nuckelgard. The Minister had his thoughts about the blue-haired girl who had escaped his grasp, but he would hold off and do as he was told for now.
With that, the Minister went about his days in relative peace, knowing that within a short time, he would do his god's words justice and end the life of the filthy cretin that somehow managed to draw his ire. That would be all, and this matter would be settled.
"Just thinking of making him happy gets me in the mood…" The man peered into his papers and landed on one name. "I wonder how she'd taste?" His tongue licked at his chubby lips in anticipation of the new delicacy his sight had fixed to.
All the Minister had to do now was wait for the word of Nuckelgard about the confirmation of the assassination. "Graaaaawh…" A yawn escaped the Minister's throat. It was only midday, but he found himself oddly tired. "Well, if it's just a nap, it never hurt anyone. Besides, paperwork without a break can hardly be called enjoyable." With that, the Minister of Asura found himself drifting into sleep at his desk.
When his consciousness returned, his body had ended up leaning toward one side of his chair with his body pointed toward the windows to his room. The sun, which had been bursting through the curtains in his room recently, was now firmly planted high in the middle of the sky.
"What a waste of a couple of hours. Why didn't anyone bother to wake—" His body turned toward his desk. An acrid smell invaded his nostrils as he did so. It should've been evident to him as soon as he woke, but his body was still reeling from his slumber.
The pungent odor of blood was spilling from his desk. The same desk with papers scrawled over it only a few short hours ago now housed a repulsing sight. One that made Darius' face go white with terror.
Two decapitated heads of the assassins he had assumed he'd be hearing from at any point now were lying on his desk. "What the hell?!" His body shook as he stood up. His breathing quickly grew irregular from fear. His sudden outburst only minorly abated when he noticed no one else was in the stench-ridden room.
Instead, his attention went to what lay infront of the dreadful sight that had found itself on his desk. A simple letter was set infront of the heads of the North King. A letter that had a stamp with a simple but recognizable symbol.
That of the Dragon God.
His stump legs wobbled at just the sight of it, for Darius Silva Ganius knew what that symbol meant to any devout follower of the Man-God.
Their certain death.
He stumbled forward in a scared manner toward the letter. His awareness was at the highest it had ever been throughout his life. The sense of fear, dread, and adrenaline that the simple piece of paper made him feel was suffocating. Even more so than the lifeless heads of Nuckelgard. With a motion, he grabbed the letter and ripped it open. His breathing hitched as he did so, and he seemed stuck in time as he read it.
"To Minister Darius Silva Ganius,
I usually start with a polite introduction in most of my letters, but you could find me questioning that thought understandable in my current circumstances. After all, you don't usually treat your enemies who'd send an assassin after your family kindly, would you?
However, an introduction is due, even if I find it unnecessary. My name is Rudeus Greyrat, otherwise previously known as the Magic God. Frankly, I know you were the one to send Nuckelgard after me and my family, and as you can so easily see, they were… let's say, dispatched…to keep the nitty gritty out of things.
I know your pitiful god was the one who told you exactly what to do. You even keep a journal of your 'audiences' with him. The fact that the guy has a singular follower amazes me with his attitude."
With the mention of his encoded journal, the piggish man shook in his boots. The entire letter to him made almost no sense in the grand scheme of things, but one thing had unmistakeably been proven. Rudeus Greyrat, somehow, was a follower of the Dragon God and even proclaimed himself the Magic God. A title that, to Darius, no one had ever held.
"I'll cut to the chase, Darius. You're lucky to be alive right now. The only reason you are is because I find you more valuable to us, alive than dead at the moment. You can thank my boss for his generosity.
So, where does that leave you?
I'll make sure to lay it out plain and simple for you.
If you do anything to meddle in my plans, I would see it necessary to retract the kindness I've offered you. Unlike you, the Dragon God and I find it essential to treat people cautiously. I've set you aside instead of taking the necessary steps to remove you. Consider yourself in my debt.
So know this, you fat, piggish bald man. At any time, on any day, I could waltz into your office and butcher you like the swine you are.
So tread carefully, Minister, know you're being watched, and remember to steer clear of my family if you value your life.
Also, don't even bother sending Auber Corvette or your lap dog, Reida Reia, to finish the job. They'll both die the same grisly death that Nuckelgard had, and if you at the end of all this still don't take this letter seriously, you can rest assured that you can at least have my word on that front."
The Minister had turned pale by the time he reached the end of the letter. He didn't breathe in the short moments after he finished reading. Because of this, he fumbled a little, and the letter he'd been clutching to the point of his knuckles turning white slipped to the ground. When he tried bending over to retrieve it, his knees finally gave out from the dread and fear he'd been afflicted with.
He knew in his bones that the boy his god had warned him of had been in this very room not long ago and most likely had stood beside him at many points. Darius was a dead man walking, and he knew it was undoubtedly a fact. He looked down at the envelope and found another slip of paper.
"P.S
You should really get the defensive barriers in your room checked. They could use a bit of repairing after I left.
Also, these letters should disintegrate within a few minutes after you unseal the envelope."
Upon recognition of the letter's words, the minster found his hands scorched with flame as he was forced to let go of the letter and watch any hope of blackmail vanish into thin air.
The prime Minister panicked as he sprinted out of his office as fast as his legs could. It didn't take long to find the Silver Palace's barrier specialist, and within a few minutes, the Minister and the older man returned to Darius's office.
"So you're telling me someone broke through multiple king-ranked barriers?" The older man's voice's inflection clearly showed how irritated he was.
"I don't know! Just check! What do we pay you for?!" Darius's voice had grown shrill.
The man moved over to one of the bookshelves and promptly scooted it out of the way. "Whatever… My time is better spent elsewhere—" His hand brushed against the magic circle behind the bookcase. His voice completely cut off as his eyes focused on it.
"So? What is it?!" Darius yet again screamed toward the man. The man, however, didn't respond but instead stayed silent for another minute.
"Well, the barriers are still up." Something in his voice shook as he spoke. It was almost as if he didn't believe his own words.
"That's good—" Darius, however, took that as good news, but the barrier expert cut him off before he could finally relax.
"But they're not mine." The chill that ran down the Minister's spine was something otherworldly.
"So… What does that mean?"
The older man looked back to the Minister with widened and shocked eyes. "If all of the barriers are like this one, then we can safely assume that the king-ranked barriers that lined your office were replaced with what I could only assume to be emperor-ranked ones." The man's face was filled with a severe expression.
The Minister realized at that moment that his unwanted visitor who had invaded his room not only taunted him with the heads of the assassins he sent after him but decided that while Darius slept, he might as well replace the barriers that lined his office with superior ones. It's a stupidly naive idea. It's an impossibly stupid move on his part.
But that wasn't how it came to the Minister. Darius knew at that moment that this was Rudeus Greyrat's way of telling him that he could and would be able to kill him if he ever wanted, no matter where he was or what he was doing.
That night, his god came to him in his dreams and warned him to steer clear of the boy and focus his efforts elsewhere.
A few weeks later, a rumor circled around the Silver Palace that Minister Darius's room was the safest place in the capital. But to Darius Silva Ganius, that room became nothing more than a prison where he was awaiting his sentence.
>Rudeus<
"Haah." A long exasperated sigh escaped my throat as I walked down one of the many crowded streets in Ars. While my body was still that of a child, it didn't necessarily mean I was averse to physical activities. Actually, I was anything but. Still to fly off to Ars in only a couple of hours from Buena right after last night's goings-on. Even I felt tired. I wasn't going to mention how I managed to worm my way out of the village without drawing anyone's attention, but at the very least, I shouldn't be bothered about my little outing.
"Maybe fear factoring him into compliance wasn't the right idea. If he sends Reida or Auber after me, I doubt I could just so casually toss them aside." As I walked, I continued to think to myself. Sure, making Darius back down is a good thing, and the fact that both Orsted and I already know he's an apostle makes our job significantly easier later on when we decide to deal with him, but for some reason, I just didn't like how things were headed. Maybe it was because I'm messing with something I didn't even think about last time that's getting to me. At this point, I could only play a supporting role in Orsted's missions. I was still far too young to be helping with everything else. So, I'd resolved to play my role from the shadows.
Maybe that's what's bothering me. I just outed myself to an apostle, but did I have a choice? Orsted isn't a reliable source of protection for my family right now, so I have to be the one to do it… No, this was the right decision. I firmed my resolve as I continued walking.
"Still so much work to do," I sighed. "—I guess I finished at least one job…" I kept walking toward an exit to the city. "Honestly, what does my boss think he's doing running a kid like me ragged—" Without realizing what was happening around me, I bumped into something and fell backward.
"Oh, sorry about that! You better watch where you're going, kiddo." A chipper man's voice called out as an armored hand shot toward me to help me. "You looking for your parents or something?"
"No, I'm not. Sorry about bumping into you, mister—" I looked up to see the man in question.
He stood taller than Paul. His figure was covered in bright plate mail, but the armor offered no restriction to his movement, and just one glance at the man told you he was more than physically fit. His dull red eyes gleamed down at me as a cheeky smile spread across his lips. His long black hair was slicked back and fell past his neck. His other hand scratched his unshaven face in a slightly awkward movement.
The pole fastened to his back jostled as he dragged me up to my feet with his hand. It was his weapon of choice. If anything about him was the dead giveaway, it was that. "You good?" I knew who this was. There wasn't any way I could forget.
I stopped and stared and mistakingly said the only thing on my mind. "Kalman?" I couldn't even prevent the words from slipping out of my mouth. The shock of his appearance made my jaw practically fall on the floor. What were the chances you would meet Alexander Ryback on your day out? They were low, considering the man liked to travel all over the place and preferred to stay in one place for a short time. At the end of the day, he was a wanderlust fanatic.
"You know me?" His finger pointed to himself, and his eyebrows raised. His eyes, for a second, grew sharp but quickly receded into the easygoing appearance they were before.
"O-of course not." Panic ran through me as I chastised myself for my lack of caution. Now, I had a North God clearly wary of me.
"I don't really think you can pretend not to after what I heard. Also, please, I go by Sándor von Grandeur these days." His hand shot out infront of him for a handshake. "Just call me Sándor."
"Uhh, Rudeus Greyrat." I shook his hand and shook it. "I should really be going, actually—"
Grrrrrr.
My stomach rumbled… Because, of course, it just had to. I forgot to eat before I left Buena.
"Care for a bite? I don't mind paying." The man flaunted his arms in a welcoming gesture as he pointed behind himself to a tavern.
"I really shouldn't impose."
"I don't mind, but I'd love it if you answered a question or two. It's not every day that I find some random kid that knows my name." His approach wasn't forceful, and he didn't seem like he'd suddenly swing at me.
I don't think it should be that bad. I mean, it is Sándor. He's an easygoing guy… yeah, why not? What could possibly go wrong? When I say it like that, I feel like I may end up dying today or something.
"Well, if you're that adamant, I can't say I'd mind."
"Good!" With a thumbs up to me, I followed Alex into the tavern.
The crowd inside was noisy, but no one even paid the two of us any mind as we entered and sat. A barmaid made her way over to us. I ordered quickly, but Sándor didn't.
He must not be hungry. I guess being an immortal demon has plenty of uses besides being 'immortal'.
"Okay!" The man's voice was loud and boisterous as he looked at me. How he spoke at that moment reminded me a lot of his mother.
"Okay…?" I answered dumbly.
His smile only grew wider. "I was going to ask how you know me, but I figured it would be rude to be the only one asking the questions, so how about we play a game of questions while you eat?" His jovial attitude never subsided.
"You're the one paying for my food, so I don't much mind—"
"Nonsense, it would leave me doubting my sense of justice if I did so." Now, he was talking about justice or whatever. He sure was a character, alright.
"Sure, go ahead then."
"Okay, then first, I'd like to know how you know who I am." His big eyes didn't look away even as the maid placed my order infront of me and left. I've gotten this far but didn't know where to start. Do I just get down to the meat of it all and confess? The Sándor I knew was the sort of guy you could tell the truth to, and he'd believe it at face value. Even if he was relatively airheaded and easygoing, he was still very perceptive. The fact that I'm here right now means he doesn't see me as a threat.
So, go with the truth from the start, then?
"Would you believe me if I said I was the Magic God and knew things a regular child shouldn't?" He blinked at me as he didn't move or speak, and even then, he just kept staring. Without a word, I conjured a Water Ball , and his eyes widened slightly.
Maybe he'll just call my bluff and walk away from here? That'd be the best in this situation.
He brought his hand to his chin a moment later and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Silent caster, huh…? Hmmm…"
"I didn't think you'd—"
"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." His response left me dead in my tracks.
"W-What? J-Just like that?!" The man shrugged his shoulders at my attitude.
"I've been lied to for lesser things." His response was flat. "And it's not like I've gone by Kalman in a long while, so no one reasonably alive should remember me." He shrugged his shoulders again. "Plus, you talk awfully weird for a child your age. Well, unless you're a hobbit or some demon race—"
"I'm a human." The man nodded at my remark.
"That only makes what you say more believable." He let off a short chuckle. "So, mister Magic God. What would you like to ask of Kalman II?" At the mention of the names, some patrons focused their confused gazes toward us.
"Well, what're you doing in Ars, Sándor?" The man hummed at his name.
"You know you could ask something more. I don't know…impactful?" I shook my head toward him as I cut up the pork on my plate.
"I think the reason you're here is impactful enough."
"Well, suit yourself." He ran his hand through his hair as I ate. "I'm in Ars because I just wound up here." Now I know why he asked me to reconsider. Of course, it was that simple.
A thought came to mind with his proclamation. "You didn't see a man in your dreams, perhaps?" I probed further. It was essential to know if the Man-God had contacted him in any way, shape, or form. Especially considering the city's importance and the coincidental timing of when I happened to be here.
"Can't say I have." Yet again, a flat-toned response. I decided to leave it there. Sándor didn't typically lie about such a thing, so I decided to trust him.
"Okay, what do you want to know next?" I scrubbed my face with some conjured water as I spoke.
He stroked his chin. "I guess I'll take a page out of your book then. What's someone like yourself doing in Ars?"
If I were telling the truth, I could continue to do so. "Assassins were sent after me and my family, so I was busy delivering the heads of North King Nuckelgard to their employer." I figured lying wouldn't get me anywhere, and surprisingly, Sándor seemed reasonably receptive to my viewpoint.
His eyes looked to the ceiling as he nodded along. "I see." He continued shaking his head and stopped when he snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "How'd you do it? I'm pretty sure the two whelps were North Saints by themselves, but from what I've heard, they're a pretty underhanded bunch." The mention of underhandedness seemed to make him twinge.
"Gravity magic," I wasn't going to start lying now. Alex's eyebrows rose alongside my statement as his interest peaked. "And wind magic to cut their heads off." I finished.
"You know gravity magic?" The way his voice inflected showed just how important the topic was to him. I guess his old weapon, being a gravity magic-infused sword, made the specific subject something of a point of interest.
"I only managed to master it after many years of grueling study."
"Years? You reincarnated or something?" His question only turned even more heads.
Will they kick us out for being a couple of wackos?
"You could say that." Go big or go home, or whatever the saying was.
"Wait, if you're the Magic God and a reincarnated person… You wouldn't happen to be Laplace, would you?" For the heavy subject matter, the man's voice remained carefree. Though I could tell he tensed just a slight bit.
"I'm not."
"Good." The simple back and forth eased him a little. I wonder what he would've done if I said yes. Nevermind. He would've probably come after me right after I confirmed it.
"You mind using whatever you did on them on me?" When he spoke, he signaled 'them' by cutting his neck with his finger and then pointed to himself.
"I don't mind, but—"
"I can handle it." He reassured me, a smile on his face all the while.
It's not like I didn't think you could.
"Sure then." I only agreed because it wasn't like I was in any shape to refuse. I mean, I was sat across from the North God. Retired, sure, but it didn't make him any less life-threatening to me if he decided I was a bad apple he wanted to get rid of.
With a raise of my hand and a lowering of my wrist, I applied magic to the man in front of me. The spell aptly named Crush was what I used. When I first learned gravity magic, I could only make objects float briefly, but now I can do all sorts of things with it. Make objects heavier, fly, and even return objects that I throw. Hell, I can even manipulate spells mid-flight with it.
I relied on earth magic a lot in my last life, but after I learned gravity magic, those two specific trees were all I needed to use whenever I found myself in a fight.
The force I applied to him wasn't anything to scoff at. It was around the same weight I used on Nuckelgard when their bones snapped under the pressure. Though almost unsurprising, the man sat calmly before me, even with the added weight. Completely unmoving or flinching.
"I'll be." He spoke slightly appreciatively and almost melancholicly as I released my spell.
"Good enough for you?"
"Very." His cheery smile returned to his face. "I was a little skeptical about you, but consider myself sold!" I don't know if I should be happy or scared that a man like him recognized me.
Probably safer to be scared.
"So, that was what you were doing? I thought you just wanted to see if I could do it?"
"Well, gravity magic is one heck of a thing to learn. Not many devout mages can even begin to use it, so if a child could do it, I'd only be insane to think you're nothing less than a god-ranked mage."
"You'd be insane to think a child is a god-ranked mage." I clarified, and the man hummed in response.
"Well, maybe I am. I've been called mad more than a few times." He scratched at his stubble. "Kay, you're next." The man pointed toward me.
I thought for a while. Then, almost as if a light bulb had gone off, I asked a question I thought better not to remain unknown. "You wouldn't happen to know where your son is, would you?" The man eyed me.
"Alek? No, I haven't talked to him in a while." The man's tone took a bit of a somber one.
Well, I guess I should've figured that one out.
Knowing where Alek was helped in some ways. The main and most evident one was that I didn't want Hitogami just sending him out of nowhere to kill me, but given his nature of wanting to become a hero at this point in his life, killing me meant little. Unless Hitogami somehow convinced him that I'm the reincarnation of Laplace or something.
"Okay, Rudeus. Final question."
"Go ahead, Sándor."
"From what you've told me, you seem to be on your own agenda, but I feel that someone like you wouldn't work alone." I could tell where he was taking this. "So, who is it that you work with?"
Now, where is this coming from? Is this his way of seeing how I stand? Or is there some other reason…? To confirm things about me? No. That smile hasn't changed a smidge, and it doesn't matter if I tell him who I work for, considering I already disclosed that info to Darius in the letter. There's no way in hell a man like Alexander would ever be an apostle, either.
"I guess you could say I'm the Right Hand of the Dragon God." I flashed him my bracelet.
His eyes widened. For the first time in any part of this pseudo interview/interrogation, I could visibly see that what I told Alex had thrown him for a loop.
"So, you work under that Dragon God?" His face held a stern demeanor.
"Orsted and I are what you could call comrades. Maybe friends if you're generous about the terminology. I guess it wouldn't be wrong to think that way either." I scratched at my chin as the man whistled at my words.
"Well, damn." His face relaxed as he leaned back on the stool he sat on.
"Any other questions?" He shook his head. "Then, if you'd excuse me, I'll have to get home." I sat up, and the man offered me a nod and a smile.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Rudeus Greyrat." The man held out his hand, and I took it with a shake. "Let's catch another time." He pulled his head back a little and let out a laugh. "Though that could be a couple of years from now. I've never been that time-sensitive."
"The pleasure was all mine, Sándor von Grandeur." I let go of his hand and, with a wave toward the man as he placed coins on our table, left the tavern, and walked back to the outskirts of Ars.
The meaning of what I had just done only dawned on me after my departure as I flew through the sky with my applied gravity magic.
Did I really just nonchalantly talk to fucking Alexander Ryback?! I stopped moving in mid-air. Holy shit, I really did... Now I have something else to worry about.
That was the day I met Sándor von Grandeur. A man I'd never have expected to meet at such a point in my life.
"Fuun Fu Fu~ Fuun Fu~" The man hummed to himself as he meandered the streets of Ars. It was a tune that not even he knew the name of. Why was that, you may ask? Well, it was because it was entirely made up on the spot.
Still, the man found himself in a particularly cheery mood. Not that he wasn't particularly cheerful most days, but he found himself like that this afternoon for one reason. He met a person he found incredibly interesting. A boy, to be more specific, but even he found himself doubting that about him. To the man, the boy he talked to had the air of an older man. Maybe he was not a particularly old man, but he was definitely far older than he was physically. The boy he had met earlier that day was Rudeus Greyrat, a person Alexander Ryback had learned was something of a reincarnated person.
That alone piqued Alex's interest, but his claim that he was the Magic God only heightened his curiosity for the boy. From what Alexander could remember, no one had ever claimed the Magic God title. Sure, Laplace himself could've, but he was always called the Demon God, though some people did change his title colloquially. So, what did that title entail exactly? It obviously meant that the mage in question could at least cast god-ranked magic, but the title of Magic God had a specific weight behind it.
It meant that the mage had mastered all kinds of magic to their absolute peak. This told that the boy Alexander Ryback had met not even an hour ago was someone who could most likely cast every kind of god-ranked magic there was. Or at least the majority of them.
Why did he go along with a young boy's wild imagination? It was because Alex had a strong sense of whenever someone was lying. To him, that boy hadn't spoken a singular lie; even if he had, being on friendly terms with the Dragon God of all people made him significantly more credible than ninety-nine percent of the nobility in this country. Orsted was someone whom Alexander had only briefly been graced with the presence of, and in that short time, he had been at the complete mercy of the man. That enough indeed spoke volumes of the boy's skill.
Alex knew that the boy wasn't someone anyone could take easily. He had demonstrated incantation-less magic infront of the North God and even used gravity magic on the man. A spell that he knew the boy could've put significantly more weight into.
The notion of a person like that only widened Sándor von Grandeur's smile as his attitude brightened even more. Then, a most horrible realization dawned on Sándor. "I never asked where he lived!" The people beside him quickly darted their heads toward him as if he were insane.
His shocked demeanor only stayed a moment longer as he righted himself and continued to walk as if he didn't have a worry in the world. "Well, I guess there are only so many Greyrats in this country. So it shouldn't be too hard to find him."
With that spoken out loud, Alexander C. Ryback went about figuring out where the boy he had spoken to earlier that day lived.
Though, that story is for another day.
Notes:
Author's Note: New week, a new chapter. Or something like that. I figured having some kind of buffer chapter between arcs is something that I would like to do. I also have plans for extra chapters later on, but for now, this is the only 'bonus' content you're getting. Though I don't really think this counts as bonus content, considering how important it is.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. I'll see you next week in Roa!