'Everyone deserves a second chance'. That is what we would say to otherworlders once they set foot in this world. It was a way to give them calm, but also ourselves. For if we could summon people to our world, perhaps one day we could also be summoned for an adventure of our own? But that sentiment changed over time.

  The first otherworlders that arrived were only mildly traumatized, but otherwise excited for their new life ahead. The new ones: they were terrified. They would break down, saying something was following them.

  A few years later, the people started hating otherworlders. They would appear even though the priest would swear they summoned no otherworlders. At this point, when an otherworlder appeared, only death followed. They would appear with those crimson eyes, and then they would kill and destroy anything they saw. Even if a guard cut of their limbs, not even for a moment would they stop attempting to destroy the world.

  Make sure not to lose yourself to The Madness, otherworlder.

  - ???

  Tom walked closer and joined the small crowd that consisted of quite a diverse group of people. Workers, soldiers, and even some visiting nobles. To his surprise the cultist noticed him standing at the back of the crowd and waved at him.

  "And what does this cult do? Is this blasphemy? Answer me!" A nobleman demanded.

  The man continued tap-dancing . "No. We worship the Mirror Maiden, so worshiping other higher beings is not something we are against. Do you not think the tyranny of the Hero should stop? Forcing the land around the Void to stand still. Disagreeing with ‘unnecessary mingling’ between species. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just open up?" The man stopped dancing and held his hand up towards the crowd. "Be it through war or peaceful cooperation, the Error Cult is open to any and all ideas."

  "I don’t know how to feel about that suggestion," Tom mumbled. But Alice did say the nations were dependent on each other in trade. What that entailed, he wasn’t sure of.

  "Also," the other hooded person at the back said with a much lighter voice. "The Hero hasn’t been seen in years."

  "But is the Hero that bad?" Someone in the crowd asked. "After all, we aren’t otherworlders."

  The first hooded man smirked. "Isn’t there a reason why the kingdom's army is spread so thin? It was the Hero no who murdered the finest knights of this kingdom? The same goes for the other nations. Do you believe that if the Hero attacks again, putting the kingdom in a weaker position than the demons, the other nations in the south would help? They are all fixated on their own obsession looking after some group of surviving otherworlders. People in the south despise the Mirror Maiden as they do their supposed foe the System Manipulator. The same Mirror Maiden that gave the frigid cold north fertile land for farming, made communication with people easier, and allowed people to live in this desolate place. They won’t understand our plight. We need to take things into our own hands. Take down the barriers created by the Hero!"

  "The only thing that is going to be taken down is your vile delusions. As a royal knight of Boreas, I order you to halt!" A thundering voice spoke.

  "Oops. Gotta go!" The hooded man grabbed the second cultist and ran off into an alleyway.

  "Halt I said!" When the royal knight arrived to where the man had been, he was already long gone. The crowd dispersed, several of them whispering amongst each other about what they had heard.

  "Talk about failing. She should have snuck up on him," Trash commented.

  "True. For once you have a good take," Tom whispered.

  The distraught royal knight locked eyes with Tom who was still standing there. "You! Who dares badmouth a royal knight?"

  Tom gulped. "Me?" Tom had no idea how she managed to hear them from so far away. She got closer, giving Tom a better look. The person who had called herself a royal knight had a spear on her back, and she was wearing a bikini which looked like it was supposed to be her armor.

  She looked Tom up and down, but glared more intently at Trash. "You … You are Tomassio Rossi are you not?" She unsheathed her sword and held it up towards him. "I challenge you to a duel!"

  "No thanks."

  "What?" She stammered. "Have you no honor? A true knight never declines a duel."

  Tom shrugged. "Don’t feel like it today. I’m tired. Maybe another day."

  "It is barely midday. How can you be tired?" She grunted.

  "Why do you even want to duel me?" Tom asked, confused. "A bit of an overreaction if you ask me."

  She put her sword back in her sheath. "Because of Captain Zev. The Captain is the finest knight in the kingdom who has never personally trained anyone. How can someone like you receive that honor?"

  So it was about Zev? "So you’re jealous?"

  "What? No! I am merely speaking the facts." She crossed her arms and nodded. "That I am more deserving to be trained by him is just an objective fact. Yeah, that's right. It's logic, not jealousy."

  Tom dismissively waved his hand. "You can have him for all I care. Zev is a useless teacher."

  She took a step back. "Useless? How dare you utter useless, and the name of the greatest royal knight in the same sentence! The disrespect. Listen here, kid. All you did was get a small break from military duty to go on a trip to the South to look at a hole. A literal hole in the ground! You did nothing revolutionary, so get off your high horse."

  "A hole in the ground?" Tom repeated. What was she talking about?

  "I for one have to work hard for years in the boring palace to even dream of getting a leave of absence. I was actually supposed to be the one to inspect the South, but you had to butt in."

  "Hey, I didn’t do it on purpose...Probably. And is this a way to speak to the son of a Duke?"

  She shrugged. "Royal knights only need to show courtesy to the king. Not brats like you."

  Now she was really getting on his nerves.

  "What’s going on?" Sierra said, walking up to them. "I thought I told you to lay low," she whispered to him.

  "Lay low?" The royal knight repeated.

  Sierra looked perplexed by the fact that she had been heard.

  "Sierra, let me share some of my observer knowledge with you. Look at her armor, all of her vitals are exposed aren’t they?" He made sure to speak loud enough that people around them could hear them. As expected some soldiers did start whispering, forming a small crowd.

  Sierra looked at the woman and nodded in surprise. "They are. Does that even count as armor? ... How did I not notice that?"

  "It’s the wearing-armor-that-isn’t-really-armor cliché. She’s a weirdo. A royal knight who is not focused on defense. There is nothing wrong with wearing such clothes in your free time, but it literally has zero defensive purposes in a battle. And she dares to criticize us hard working soldiers in this camp who often have to wear heavy armor in battle?"

  "He is right," a soldier behind them said.

  Another nodded. "How can she call herself a royal knight when all of her vitals are exposed like that?"

  "And having the gall to criticize one of us? Unbelievable."

  The royal knight nervously waved her hands in front of herself. "No, no. People, calm down. This is a legendary armor made by otherworlders. It is strong and even creates a shield when I'm in danger. I swear."

  Tom scoffed. "And now she’s pulling the otherworlder card. Are there any otherworlders around here that can support her claim?" He looked around. "Any otherworlders here?" No one answered. "See? Do better next time."

  The royal knight fumed. "I will have my duel with you one way or another. I am Hilda the Deathspear, don’t forget it." Then she ran off.

  Trash hummed. "You should socially torture people more. It was entertaining to watch."

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "That was a royal knight? I have to be more careful. I was being too relaxed," Sierra said. "I swear I blocked off the sound," she mumbled. She shook her head. "Anyways."

  Sierra explained what had happened at the store. The employee said it had already been done, but Olga liked to get confirmations just in case. According to Sierra she had a good reputation and was viewed as the most diligent instructor. "An interesting background character," he thought to himself. Tom did remember that he was supposed to get himself a satchel, but to his surprise, Olga had already ordered a replacement. It looked like she had been testing him the same way Zev did on his first day. Strange. But he didn’t mind. He had learned a lot today.

  If that royal knight was correct, then Tomassio had been quite the individual. What was this about a hole in the ground, surviving otherworlders in the South, and a System Manipulator? There were so many different pieces of information but he had no idea what to make of it. Was this System Manipulator the reason why there was no proper system in his isekai adventure?

  Forget it. Tom should focus on the task at hand.

  "Now, let’s go to the library!" Finally he would get to the perfect place to gather information.

  "About that…It’s going to be a bit difficult," Sierra said.

  Tom sighed. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. They walked over to a nearby fountain, and sat on one of the benches surrounding it. "Why is going to the library difficult? Even Alice had her small little library. Although, I think her secretary would definitely try and kill me if I tried to read books there without Alice around."

  "Well, she is the Commander. Normal citizens have some libraries to go to, but those are mostly in the capital. Not close to an active warzone. There used to be a public library here. It was driven by an observer monk as their elective, but … I had to get him removed."

  "You killed him?"

  Trash hummed. "Cold-blooded murder. You go girl!"

  "No! I do not commit any unnecessary murders. That would be a liability. No, he just got a mysterious letter about a new open position in the royal library. It was a good deal with generous work benefits. Observers are coveted by the king, so he often lets them work in the capital for him instead of staying in the camp. But I doubt you will receive the same treatment with Tomassio being the son of a Duke."

  "Then how can I get to a library then?"

  Sierra shrugged. "Maybe you could use some of your special otherworlder privileges, if they even exist." She joked.

  Otherworlder privileges? That's right. This dumb world was predictable enough, so the answer was bound to come right to him anyway. Looking around the area he noticed a familiar face. The nobleman he had met on his first day in this world. They made eye contact, but the nobleman swiftly avoided Tom's gaze seemingly trying to avoid him.

  Tom leaned towards him. "Then how can I get to a library then?" He asked out loud.

  The nobleman looked at him, confused.

  Trying again, he made a dramatic pose holding his forehead. "Then how can I get to a library then?" Eyes bulging, he looked at the nobleman.

  The nobleman finally walked closer, and awkwardly coughed to get their attention. "You are looking for a library? That sounds like something within my capacity."

  Tom turned to see two people with paint stains on their uniforms. He did not recognize the older man but did know one of them. "Finally. You’re that one nobleman background character."

  "What an interesting way to refer to someone. Actually, my name is Leonard, son of Marquise Ronan. You should know that… I—."

  The older man put his hand on Leonard’s shoulder. "Remember to act as befitting of your status, young lord."

  Leonard nodded.

  "You are?"

  The man bowed. "Constantine Faux. The head instructor of the nobles." He twirled his mustache. "May I ask why you are looking for a library?"

  Tom scratched his head. "I am looking for some sort of catalog of higher beings. It’s for research. Secret Duke’s son stuff."

  Constantine nodded. "Understood."

  "I can offer you help with that," Leonard interjected. "Our barracks have their own library with a fine collection of books. You could come to the noble’s ball which is in a few days. It’s invites only, financed by my father. So you still being stuck in the filthy commoner’s barracks doesn’t bar you from entering." He smirked. "All the other nobles look forward to meeting you, and might I add that they are a bit jealous of me being the first to greet you."

  Getting into the nobles barracks...Perhaps he could be able to get admitted there? He was curious to see how differently the nobles had it.

  Tom looked at Sierra who nodded in agreement. "Can I take her as my partner? She’s my, erm, trophy commoner."

  Leonard eyed Sierra. "A trophy commoner? I have never heard of such a trend."

  Tom tried to fake an arrogant laugh. "I am the son of a Duke. I make the trends."

  Leonard stared at Sierra, and for a moment Tom was nervous. Chuckling Constantine clapped Leonard once again on the shoulder. This time his grip was much firmer. The instructor looked Leonard directly in the eyes who immediately looked away.

  "I see. I will accept your request." He coughed. "It isn't like a trophy commoners is that big of I deal. We have a tropy otherworlder in the barracks."

  Tom's eyes widened. "You do? How the space did you—?" Sierra gave him a stare. "I mean, isn't that dangerous?"

  Leonard looked confused. "Dangerous? Oh, no. I think you are misunderstanding. The otherworlder is … well he isn't dead, but not exactly alive either." He gestured at Constantine. "Head instructor Constantine could show you the otherworlder. His speciality is world history."

  Constantine gave a small bow. "It would be my pleasure."

  Tom nodded his thanks, as Leonard and Constantine said their goodbyes.

  This was perfect for Tom. He could go to the library, possibly get admitted there, and at the same time fulfill his deal with Sierra, and meet another otherworlder. He was a genius, and to celebrate he wanted to eat something good.

  Tom took Sierra to a random restaurant for which he said he was going to pay. She rolled her eyes and mumbled something, but didn’t reject the free food. Tom was not surprised to see spaghetti on the menu — some previous otherworlder must have taught that to this world — but he was confused as to why they were served with a blue sauce on top.

  They sat down and Tom figured this was the right time to ask questions.

  "You don't happen to have some sound-protecting barrier so we can talk freely?"

  Sierra had a smug look on her face. "Of course." She snapped her finger, and smoke brewed out of the shadows and enveloped them. It was a thin layer of darkness, unnoticeable to the eye besides the missing patches of shadow under the table.

  "That's a cool skill."

  "I am a genius spy. But it isn’t a skill. Demons aren’t able to use skill templates. I just used my shadow affinity to create a barrier to constantly embody and reflect approaching sound."

  "Really? That’s a cool way to use embodiment. Can I ask you why you became a spy? The demons we met in the forest looked shocked when they saw you." Tom figured it would be smart to flesh out her backstory. He was sure about Ilona, but unsure if Sierra belonged in his future OP team.

  "That … I didn’t get delegated this job, but I still think it is important. I don't want the invasion to happen. The situation is not good back at home. It’s only the powerful demons living further north, and what I learned coming here, the church that wants this war."

  Trash hummed. "Plot twist, you all want to kill each other. Why chicken out?"

  Sierra sighed. "Trash, do I really seem that bad to you? My elder brother was an astute pacifist, and … it didn’t go well for him. Compared to certain other demons, I am more lenient with my approach."

  "Ugh, ethics. In a real war no one cares about that."

  Tom shook his head. "Don’t listen to him, he’s dumb. Evil demons are an old trope anyway. But don't your family and friends get worried?"

  Sierra looked down at her spaghetti. "They don't. My parents did not agree with my mindset, and my friends were a part of the demons wanting another war. Most of the fertile land is hoarded by the demons in the north. For the shadow tribe the best land lies close to Skypiercer Mountain. And with the great error beast Ether residing there, it gets difficult."

  This was a surprisingly realistic reason. "Couldn’t you trade for food? You said everyone wanted your spirit stones."

  "The church hates us, so most stones are sold using the witches as an intermediary. It is a slow process, and we buy the food we need from the witches. But traveling with a lot of items across the Void is difficult. There is also lingering hate for the humans from all the previous invasions, which puts a damper on any dreams of a peaceful solution."

  This was a tricky situation. Maybe he could ask Alice for help? But she didn’t like it either, so Tom didn’t think she had any leverage going for her. Maybe he could stop a war and get a cool noble title, and then live the slow life of a noble in another world? Tom was sold on the idea, but it was going to be a lot of work. However, pretending he had an idea of how to fix it would probably make him look cool, wouldn’t it?"

  "Don’t worry, we will figure it out. With an otherworlder on your side anything is possible now. Don’t beat yourself up over it. For all its worth, you’re the coolest and best demon spy I know."

  Trash hummed. "I am pretty sure she’s the only one you know."

  Sierra smiled. "Thank you."

  ***

  Sierra had never thought she would get so lucky. Another person hiding their identity. Although his reason was a bit selfish, she didn’t mind that much. Surprisingly, other than his weird way of speaking, he was a normal boy who seemed to have lived a peaceful life. He was her key. Perhaps he could also get something out of the wretched Commander? Breaking into her office was near impossible.

  "Why do you even want to live a less stressful life? Being super powerful, what use would that be to you?"

  Tom avoided eye contact. "It’s just that I have always…not excelled at anything. My parents constantly favored my little sister who had much better grades. All I had left to do was to try again and push through to become extraordinary. But then I was transported to another world." He smiled. "In my world we have tales of such: isekai adventures. I read a lot of books where the main character gains overwhelming strength and goes on a fun adventure. Now that I am in that position, I want the same. I know it’s selfish, but I want to be selfish. Become extraordinary…Is that weird?"

  Sierra shook her head. "Something I learned from my brother's demise, and my clan's nonchalance, is that you aren’t obligated to do anything. If you want to live your life in such a way, it’s fine. As long as you are happy."

  He looked away and scratched his head. "Thank you for understanding. Although, I am kind of regretting this isekai adventure to be honest. It isn’t going as I anticipated. According to what I have learned, my predecessors went a bit crazy. But I guess I am stuck here, and who knows; maybe I will be able to prove that everyone deserves a second chance? No matter what happens, let’s do our best to help each other."

  She nodded. Living as a human had made her stiff. Talking to someone as a demon…She missed her homeland, but she had already made her decision. She looked over at Tom. This otherworlder was weird and sometimes embarrassing to be around, but perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all?

  "By the way, do you miss your homeworld?" Sierra asked. Knowing that there existed more worlds out there. It was intriguing. Maybe there existed a world where all races lived in peace? She had heard that otherworlders would often tell people details about their previous world.

  He shrugged. "In the beginning no, but after experiencing this world I do miss it."

  "What was your world like?"

  Tom’s expression turned completely blank. "In the beginning no, but after experiencing this world I do miss it."

  Wait, that was weird. "Yeah, you said that already. But what was it like? Are there demons there too?"

  "In the beginning no, but after experiencing this world I do miss it."

  "But—."

  "In the beginning no, but after experiencing this world I do miss it." He repeated, yet again.

  "Trash, what’s wrong with him?"

  She waited for a response from the sword, but all she heard was some sort of static noise. The sword did not say anything intelligible.

  Tom retained his usual expression and looked at her. "Sorry, I spaced out there. What were we talking about again?"

  Sierra sighed. He definitely wasn’t normal.