The newlyweds spent the rest of the night comparing and contrasting their worlds until the banquet ended. They never found any obvious differences between their Earths, but it quickly became clear that their lives had been very different.
Bastion had knowledge of science, technology, and world events. He was, overall, a responsible adult. Seraphina, on the other hand, had watched hundreds of anime, played over a hundred games, and read thousands of novels. Their general knowledge simply didn't overlap by much.
In a way, they had come from different worlds. Seraphina's was built on anime, games, and fantasy tropes, while Bastion's was grounded in the reality of science, politics, and responsibility.
In the end, they agreed it didn't matter and that it was better not to assume they came from the same Earth. That way, they wouldn't misunderstand each other or underestimate the other heroes.
The next day, Elyra reported that Bastion's parents had already left the city and were unlikely to ever return.
Bastion wasn't particularly affected. His upbringing ensured he cared little for his parents and wouldn't throw a fit over them abandoning him. He was, however, sad that he likely wouldn't see Sibelle again.
He thought about all the time he spent with Sibelle, her stern face, strict demeanor, and harsh criticism. The way she watched him get beaten up, healed his wounds, then asked him to do it again. The strict lectures and firm scoldings. Okay, maybe he didn't have pleasant memories of her, but she was hot, and that counted for something.
Bastion got dressed and ready for his date with Seraphina. He wore slacks, a dress shirt and comfortable shoes before meeting her outside her wing of the guest palace.
She wore a simple but elegant dress of soft lavender cinched at the waist with a pale ribbon. Her red hair was loosely braided over one shoulder, a few wisps escaping to soften her features.
"You look beautiful," Bastion commented.
"Even when I look like a commoner?" Seraphina replied with a smirk.
"Do I look like I give a fuck?"
She laughed before taking his arm as they made their way to the city.
"Is there anything you wanted to do while we're in Aurenthal?" Bastion asked.
"I need to go to the Mages' Guild to pick out Rank 1 skills. Then, the Crafters' Guild for supplies."
"What skills are you planning to buy?"
"Basic mage skills. Since I plan to play the part of a mage, I need to have the flexibility of one. Spells are too annoying to cast in the middle of battle, while free cast is too slow."
"To the guild district then."
The couple headed for the Crafters' Guild first, where they shopped around using their newly attained wealth. A hundred magic crystals was an insane amount of money, even for Rank 1 individuals. Hence, they went wild and bought as many supplies as they wanted.
Bastion bought smithing and enchanting supplies, while Seraphina went wild and bought a little bit of everything for each of her professions. She wasn't planning on taking all of them seriously, at least not until she eventually settled on the least tedious profession.
In the end, they spent less than a single magic crystal and still managed to nearly fill their magic bags. Granted, they didn't buy any Rank 2 materials, but the quantity of Rank 1 and lower materials they bought was significant.
Next, they headed for the Mages' Guild, where Seraphina went on another shopping spree.
In the end, she bought Tame, Grease, Magic Armour, Magic Missile, and Magic Shield. Tame, so she could control creatures instead of relying on the power of friendship. Grease, to fuel her flames. Magic Armour, for added toughness during unexpected melee encounters. Magic Missile, for when she couldn't reliably hit the target. And finally, Magic Shield, to block incoming damage.
She would have picked more, but Bastion reminded her that she'd have to level each of them to level 5 before reaching Rank 2 if she wanted a better class.
Once they were finished, they had lunch at the café overlooking the square in the guild district.
"These pies are amazing," Seraphina gushed.
"They're on the expensive side, though," Bastion said.
"You're a duke. You're not exactly strapped for cash."
"I meant for the economy. They're expensive for commoners and mostly available to guild employees or nobles who can afford the exorbitant prices."
"Well, the kingdom is built specifically to harvest produce, so rather than going to the people, it goes to the empires."
"Which makes me wonder why even have nobles in the first place. Just place some managers in and streamline the costs so more people can benefit."
"You should've been king with thoughts like that."
Nobles were rich, powerful, and had protections from the royal family, but they had their duties as well. They were essentially tasked with producing as much as possible through farming, commerce, hunting, mining, gathering, etc. Ultimately, though, they were as easily replaceable as managers.
The people didn't like them, given their obvious wealth, but they didn't revolt either. Their lives were comfortable enough, an effect of the stability the royal family had preserved for millennia by the Goddess's decree.
"I'm just happy they aren't allowed slavery," Seraphina said. "This whole kingdom would be a nightmare."
"Well, production would definitely increase under those conditions."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously advocating for slavery?"
"Of course not," Bastion replied. "Just playing devil's advocate."
They finished lunch and started walking around. They passed by shops, inns, and markets along the way.
As they walked around, Bastion spotted a young lady selling flowers. His talent activated, showing him her vivid future. She lived to a hundred and fifty, happily cared for by the many children she raised in the flower shop she eventually came to own. It was a heartwarming vision of a life fully lived.
"Bastion?"
"Sorry, what was that?"
"You spaced out for a moment."
"I just saw that young lady's end. She died happily, surrounded by family in the shop she worked in her entire life."
"Oh, yeah. I remember you telling me you saw my great fate. Is it still great?"
"Yes, although it doesn't seem as great as before."
"Because I defeated the Demon Lord, my fate has been rewarded and is now equalizing?"
"That's my best guess."
"Hm… Tell me that guy's fate," Seraphina said, gesturing toward an adventurer with a greatsword strapped to his back.
"I can't control it. It's gotten more vivid since my Intuition hit 100, but it still activates sporadically."
"Maybe something will happen when you reach Rank 1."
"Maybe."
The more people Bastion saw, the more visions he managed to trigger, most of them showing relatively happy endings, except for those in dangerous occupations who eventually met grim ends.
He shared his visions with Seraphina who enjoyed the new perspective of people who happily lived their everyday lives.
Bastion suddenly recalled his earlier conversation with Seraphina about whether nobles were truly necessary. If nobles were replaced by managers, the day-to-day lives of the people might not change much, but their resentment would shift. They would no longer hate their equally poor managers but target the wealthy king or the guilds instead.
Perhaps having nobles around to hate drew attention and criticism away from those who truly held power. It was a subtle form of misdirection that allowed the people to openly love their king, who brought fairness and stability, without questioning the deeper roots of inequality.
Bastion shook the distracting thoughts out of his head and continued his date with Seraphina.
They walked around until it was time for dinner, where they dined at an expensive restaurant.
"The prices are so cheap," Seraphina commented.
"I'm very sure you have a more skewed sense of money than I do," Bastion said.
The meals cost about a platinum per person per meal. It was incredibly expensive for the majority of people. It wasn't even Rank 1 ingredients.
"I'm an alchemist. Of course I have a skewed sense of money. Do you have any idea how expensive raw materials are in this kingdom?"
"It should actually be quite cheap considering they are grown here."
"Well, it's the exact opposite. Prices follow the empire's trend, so it's actually more expensive since 80% of our produce simply disappears, leaving little for the rest of us."
Bastion chuckled before they each ordered and had their meal.
"It's okay," Bastion commented. "Elyra can do better."
"True."
They enjoyed their meal before heading back to the guest palace for the night.
Along the way, Bastion thought about the young woman who had been selling flowers and her eventual demise. He began to pity her for having lived a mundane life. Worse, he was starting to see his old self in her.
There was a time when all he wanted was a stress-free, peaceful life, supported by passive income. He would marry a kind, understanding woman, someone to build a quiet life with.
Now, he was on the cusp of receiving that life after completing his mission from the Goddess. He was to become the duke overseeing a third of the kingdom and receive 20% of its goods as passive income. He had enough savings to live without work for the next 5,000 years. He was accompanied by a loyal maid, an adorable wizard, and a fangirl mage.
All his dreams and more were coming true, and he couldn't wait to finally sit back and relax.
But at the back of his mind, or perhaps deep in his soul, he was starting to dread the dream he had always desired. Somewhere along the line, he began wanting more. Maybe it was his younger body, raging hormones, enhanced strength, wisdom, intelligence, or even the lump of dread in his chest. Whatever the reason, he started wanting more.
There was still so much of the world left to see. So many stats to gain. So much knowledge to explore. The world had opened up beyond his wildest imagination.
Once he arrives back at his territory, he will have to see whether he settles into the life of a noble or grows impatient and sets off on new adventures.
He didn't know where the next path would lead, but for the first time, he was ready to walk it without looking back.
-----
This officially marks the end of the academy arc. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.
The next arc will focus on territory management, preparations for departure, and the introduction of a new hero whose story will be intervened. More secrets will be revealed, and a new girl will join the cast.
Unfortunately, I won't be returning to daily releases due to this story's lower popularity compared to my other work. Don't worry, I won't be dropping it. This series is still my flagship, and it will serve as the foundation for the worlds of my future works.
I already have one on Patreon called Futanari Warrior set in the Southern Empire. It's very character-driven and follows a local rather than a hero. The release schedule depends on my mood, and so far I've only written five chapters.
Regarding my earlier promise to release this as a book: I followed the advice of my patrons and decided to finish Book 2 before pursuing publication. There are still parts of the later chapters that need critique, and given the current popularity, revenue from an early release would likely be minimal.
On a brighter note, I've gone back and edited the earlier chapters based on feedback, and I'll continue doing so as more comments come in. Let me know if there's anything else I should adjust to improve the story. Thanks for reading.
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