"What... what is that?" one of his Council members whispered, his face turning a sickly grey. "That metal... it does not obey the laws of mana."Malphas didn't answer. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the gold-leafed table. He watched his elite Void-Walkers, men trained to die for the Gothic crown, turn and run in absolute, pants-wetting terror. And then, he saw them—the Knights of the Rose. He saw Milla and her Amazonian killers emerge like ghosts to systematically slaughter every last one of his fleeing men."BASTARDS!"Malphas roared the word, and the sound was like a thunderclap in the confined space. He swept his arm across the table, sending the gold-rimmed chalices and ancient maps clattering across the floor.The Council members scrambled backward, pressing themselves against the cold obsidian walls. They had seen the King angry before, but this was different. This was the fury of a man who realized he had brought a knife to a god-fight."He used a toy!" Ma

The next day, it was business as usual. The sun had barely climbed over the horizon before the "Open" sign was flipped, and the rhythmic thrum of the air conditioning units kicked into high gear. And the addition of solar panels was making Eto dizzy. But he was too nice to not complainedI opened the shop, manned my Elsa, Jeon and Herbert, each of them taking their positions like seasoned veterans of a retail war zone. Elsa was practically glowing, her new fire-affinity making the coffee machine hiss with extra respect; Jeon was stacking Spam and toothpastes, toothbrushes and soaps, shampoos with military precision.Herbert was at the door, greeting customers with a smile t

She adjusted his pillow three times in a minute, her movements sharp and territorial. Whenever I took a step closer to the sofa, she would flare her mana just enough to make the air shimmer with heat, a silent warning to stay back."He doesn't need 'inventory reports' in his dreams, Elsa," I sassed, stepping forward anyway, ignoring the heat. "He needs a stabilizer. My mana is of the 12th Circle; I could easily bridge the gap and—""No!" Elsa hissed, jumping up and placing herself between me and the sofa like a mother dragon guarding a hoard of gold. "No more 'bridging.' Every time you touch him, he ends up in a coma! I’ll handle the nursing. Jeon! Bring more ice! Barnaby! Watch the door! Nobody enters this room unless they are carrying a medical degree or a direct order from me!"Millan let out a soft, dry cough. "The girl has spirit, My Lady. Misguided, jealous spirit, but spirit nonetheless."I leaned against the wall, watching Elsa fuss over Arthur’s bangs, her face a mask of fie

"First era relics, huh?" Arthur turned to me, winking as if we were just discussing the price of flour. "Hear that Ellene? It looks like our 'Premium Customers' are getting desperate. Maybe I should send them a coupon for a 'Relic Disposal Service'?"I smiled, a thin, dangerous line. "It would be only polite, Master. After all, we wouldn't want the Gothic King to feel neglected.""Exactly!" Arthur turned back to the scout, snapping his fingers. "Barnaby! Throw this guy a blanket and another piece of the truth-pastry. I want a full list of every 'Forbidden' toy Malphas has in his closet by sundown. If he skips a single detail, the next thing I freeze will be his favorite tail-fin."As we walked out of the room, leaving the whimpering scout to his chocolate-induced crisis, I looked at Arthur’s back. He was humming that "Power Rangers" tune again, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had just interrogated a High-Scout with a breakfast snack."Millan," I whispered as we reached the h

Actually, it fits perfectly in the warehouse. I had originally looked at the tank, but let’s be real, walking through the village and to the farm and back and forth makes my feet hurt, and I’m a CEO, not a marathon runner. I needed something with speed, style, and a serious amount of attitude.So yeah, I purchased 100,000 VP worth of Honda CBR500R, red color because why not? If you’re going to revolutionize a fantasy world, you might as well do it in a color that matches the "Go Go Power Rangers" vibe of my security team. Along with the bike, I purchased a gallon of fuel, high-octane, refined-from-another-dimension gasoline, which made Millan and Elsa faint the moment it appeared in the warehouse back end of the Arthur Shop. To them, the smell of petroleum was like a "Divine Aroma of the Forbidden Heavens." They hit the floor before I could even explain what a "combustion engine" was.Okay, I did not expect some divine sassiness from the System, but this was my dream motorbike. Bac