Scholaris ended somewhat quietly. An announcement was put out that the headmaster had been called back due to family matters, and that the school would need to be shut down for a few years until a replacement could be found.

The students, of course, were upset, but nobody aside from a few fools harboured resentment. After all, the ability to be taught by Mystics was incredible in itself. How could one complain if the Mystics were the ones who felt the need to shut things down?

Best of all, though, there were no protests. No incidents. After all, what could you do to a god?

Nothing.

Lilith and Ryan gave their goodbyes to Prota, letting her know where they stayed in the event that they wanted to visit. It seemed they truly were just [Extras], beings who had no relevance in the [Plot] at all. They might've been important to Prota, but in Destiny's [Story], there was nothing for them to do.

The true [Side Characters] were shown by what action they would take next. Briar had invited Danjo to come learn a little blacksmithing with her back in her hometown. Danjo had agreed reluctantly, and so the two would be honing their skills in the land of the dwarves for a little bit. In any case, the two had grown tremendously in their years at Scholaris. John wasn't sure how much Briar had improved, but Danjo was starting to cook up some truly impressive creations.

It seemed that Arthur and Aurora would be heading out together as well. Arthur was an orphan, and Aurora lived on a farm, so there would be ample space for Arthur to conduct his experiments. It was a strange synergy, but the two didn't seem to mind it, so for the time being, they would be improving their skills as well. Arthur was especially close to completing the formula his father had given him, and with that, something amazing might be born.

Destiny and Celestia were to return to the royal palace. This much was obvious. After all, they had roles laid out for them; Scholaris was just to help them hone the skills they might need.

"Where are you two going?" Aurora asked John as they all sat down for one last meal.

"Us?" John frowned, swallowing. "Um… hm. I don't really know."

His next step was to ask Kit for advice. He didn't really know what was necessary for their next steps; Diaboli was far too strong for anyone in this party, but new methods of training weren't something he could think of at the moment. So, in lieu of getting stronger, it was time to satisfy some of his curiosities.

One such curiosity was finding out Prota's origins, but he had no clue as to where to begin. Ultimately, that idea was off the table.

The other curiosity was determining who had given Sofya the [Deus Ex Machina] power. It wasn't Diaboli herself; they would've sensed the demonic mana. Something Lupin—or was it Leora?—had said lingered in John's mind.

"It has the faint trace of Mystic aura."

Destiny had given John a look. It was time to ask the other Mystic they knew, one John hadn't seen in quite some time.

"I guess I'll go with Destiny for now," John shrugged. "Maybe I'll become an adventurer in Lunaris or something, who knows."

"You're coming with us?" Celestia said excitedly. "Cool!"

"No, it's not… ah, whatever," Destiny sighed.

He looked at John, and a look of understanding passed between the two. There was still business to be done.

The group slowly finished their meal. Nobody was all that eager to say goodbye. They'd made good memories. Was it really just going to end here? Just like that?

Despite the originally cheerful atmosphere, there was now a feeling of longing. Of regret. It wasn't like they wouldn't see each other again, but the possibility was there. They had no way of communicating. No way of—

"H-here," Danjo said awkwardly. "Um… I wasn't supposed to make these, but since we're all leaving anyway…"

He pulled out a bag, revealing eight talismans of sorts. Each was small, easily fitting into any pocket or bag one might carry, but they were intricately made. It was clear a lot of time and effort had been put into making these.

"They're communication talismans. I couldn't figure out a way to identify who is calling, but it'll light up if someone wants to talk. You can answer by feeding your mana into it… ah, but only use it in an emergency or something! It uses up a lot of mana to talk over large distances…"

John's eyes lit up as he received his gift. By his definitions, this was nothing impressive. Earth, after all, had plenty of technology like this. But it was clear something amazing had been made for this group of friends.

Maybe he should reciprocate the effort.

He waited until everyone finished praising Danjo, letting the dwarf soak up the spotlight. He deserved it, after all. But once all that was done, he cleared his throat.

"Hey. Follow me."

Arthur frowned. "You're not… up to something dangerous, are you?"

"No! Just follow me, ok?!"

The group of friends walked out the dining hall, chatting and laughing as they followed John to the island's beach. The weather was still cold, and some snow remained on the sandy ground, but the waves were unfrozen and crashing against the shore. A few clouds hovered in the otherwise clear blue sky, with not a whisper of wind in the air.

John pulled out a camera from his pocket and stood facing the water.

"What… what is that?" Aurora frowned.

"Don't worry about it," John sighed. "I still can't believe you guys draw all your images for your newspapers… alright, everyone, line up. Over there. Yeah, over- ok, good. Danjo, get in front or you won't be seen. Arthur, Aurora- no, you can't be in the front! You're gonna block everyone else! Seriously, it's like you guys have never taken a- oh, right. Ok, good, good…"

Everyone in place, John raised the camera and put it to his eye.

"Alright. Uh. Say cheese or something. Ah, fuck it. Just smile."

There was a quick flash as the picture was taken, seven copies printing out at the bottom. A camera didn't exist like this on Earth, but that was ok.

For something like this, a little bullshit was allowed.

"Whoah!" Celestia exclaimed upon receiving her photo. "That's amazing! Is this some kind of-"

"Don't ask," Destiny grumbled, but even he seemed pleased upon receiving his copy.

The group once again burst into conversation and laughter as a final memory had been made. Scholaris had definitely been an unusual schooling experience, but it was one none of them would forget.

"H-hey," Danjo said timidly. "John, you're not…"

"Ah, don't worry about it," he said, waving them away. "Someone had to take the photo. Just draw me in or something. Plus, Prota's in there, right? Surely you guys will remember me if you see her."

Danjo smiled. "Yeah, I guess… thank you, John."

~~~

John noticed that the kingdom of the Elves definitely smelled different. It'd been a while since he was last here, but there was a considerably different air to it than Scholaris.

"You look like a hunting dog," Destiny laughed as he watched John sniffing furiously. "Seriously, what are you doing?"

"You guys got different fauna or whatever?"

"Flora," Destiny corrected. "And yeah, there are plants native to this country. Is that surprising?"

"No," John said, shaking his head. "Just… you know. Smells different."

"You can tell the difference?" Celestia said, surprised.

"Huh? You can't?"

"Well, I suppose so, now that you mention it… Still, what an interesting thing to notice."

There was no malice or insult in Celestia's voice, but John still felt a little hurt anyway. Was it really that odd?

"We're here," Destiny announced as the carriage stopped.

John looked up to see the castle once more. It'd been about three years, but it was as impressive as ever. Thankfully, his system remembered it even after all this time, and navigating the place was no trouble.

"You guys can use the guest house again," Destiny nodded. "We've already informed people that you'll be here for the foreseeable future."

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"It's not too much trouble?" John asked, surprised.

"Didn't think I'd see the day where you turn down free stuff."

"No, no, it's just… really?"

Celestia giggled. "Do you think we're poor or something? That could be seen as an insult to the wrong people, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," John said, rolling his eyes. He was beginning to regret ever asking. "Whatever. Thanks, though."

"You're a friend, aren't you?" the princess smiled. "Don't worry. This is nothing."

John and Prota made their way back to the guest room, where Prota promptly jumped onto the soft, velvety bed. The rooms at Scholaris had been nice, but this was miles ahead of anything they could ever experience.

Their rest was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. Prota lifted her head, but John looked equally confused.

"Wonder what's going on," he frowned, walking over.

The door was opened to reveal a messenger. He bore a letter with a wax seal on it, which was promptly handed to John.

"The king requests your presence. Please accompany me to the throne room."

John raised an eye. "The king?"

"Yes. Do you need time to prepare? If so, I will wait here until you are ready."

John looked back at Prota, who discreetly shook her head.

"Does she need to come?" John said, pointing to his sister.

"No. Only the presence of one John Quarta is requested."

John made a small face, turning back to Prota once more. She looked a little concerned, but what could they do? This was a safe space, probably. They had a quick, non-verbal communication, but in the end, there was nothing they could do about it.

"Alright, let's go," John sighed.

~~~

John stood in front of the king and queen once more.

"You don't look like you've aged a day," the king smiled as John lifted his head from a half-baked bow.

"...that's the first thing you have to say?" John asked.

"Ha! You are the same as ever, it seems. Scholaris didn't teach you anything about noble etiquette, did it?"

"Actually, it didn't," John shrugged. "At least, I never took that course."

"Really? That's strange. It is meant to be a minor lesson… no matter. I have called you for a different reason."

John suppressed a grimace. Noble etiquette was probably one of the classes he'd slept through. Oh, well.

"John. It has come to my attention that your favour has been… used, it seems. I would like for you to return the favour. Or, at least, keep me updated on your situation."

"Ah."

He took a deep breath. Right, that was part of the deal he'd made. Although it hadn't been verbalized, the king expected results. John could've easily skirted around this, lying through his teeth. Or, he could've easily made some kind of excuse to get out of the situation.

The thing was, he had no reason to lie. And if there was no reason to lie, then what was the point in doing so? He could be a scumbag, but he wouldn't be scummy just for the sake of it.

John did a lot of things for the love of the game. This was not one of them.

"You're not, uh, upset or anything?"

"No," Aegnor shook his head. "I did not expect you to do this, but I have been informed of this Wynton fellow. While your actions were… reckless, I suppose, as Haze told you, it has all worked out in the end. Besides, you have given me some political leverage since my name has been tied to your success."

"My success?"

"The discovery of a noble allied with the cultists. Such a thing should be celebrated, no?"

John grimaced. Great, political games. He might as well steer away from this while he could.

"Ok, back to our deal!" he said hurriedly. "This might be a bit of, um… can we move somewhere else?"

The king nodded. "Follow me."

The queen smiled at John as they left. The two made their way down a somewhat hidden hallway to a small room filled with charts and books.

"We should be undisturbed here," Aegnor said as they sat down. "Now. What is it you have to tell me?"

John was too busy looking around to answer the question.

"If you're looking for Haze, she's here. Just hidden. However, she tells me you have already informed her of a few things. She is someone to be trusted; please, act as if it is only I in the room."

"I didn't make a deal with her," John pointed out. "And if you want everything, she's gotta go."

"...just what is it you have to tell me?"

"Something- ah, whatever. You're probably just gonna tell her anyway. Hey, if you're here, just come out. I'll feel more comfortable if I can see you."

Magically, Haze Windwalker slipped out of the shadows. John didn't even flinch as she sat down next to the king, her red eyes piercing into John's soul.

"Alright. Here we go."

~~~

Eventually, Prota got bored of waiting for John. She knew nothing would happen, so she went out of the guest house and wandered the palace grounds. She wasn't sure what she'd do. Perhaps she'd go to the garden, but it was still a little cold out. There wasn't much to see. The library? Maybe, but she wasn't keen on reading any books at the moment.

In the end, she wandered aimlessly until she heard the noise of metal clashing. How peculiar. What was going on?

She approached the noise until she found herself near a training ground. From what her system told her, this was the knights' training grounds, although she didn't remember this particular fact. Well, there was no reason for the system to lie to her.

She pushed the door open a crack to see a large, open field with knights practicing their swings.

"One! Two! One! Two!"

A man with a fancy white mustache stood at the front, shouting as the men and women in armour swung their weapons around. She continued to watch, fascinated. Eventually, the exercise ended, and a break was called for.

This was the worst thing that could've happened.

As it turned out, Hart was present. Prota hadn't noticed her, what with the shining metal armour and dozens of other people around, but Hart had definitely noticed Prota. She walked up to the door, a polite smile on her face.

"I see you've returned. Does that mean my brother is back as well?"

Prota nodded hesitantly.

"Mm. I did hear something occurred at the school, but… well, I'm sure I'll be told eventually. I do hope Des doesn't fall behind because of this." Suddenly, her face lit up. "Ah! But you've improved since then, haven't you? Come, introduce yourself!"

So, against Prota's will, she was brought out before the knights and introduced. They all seemed impressed that she was a student of Scholaris, but when Hart spoke of her skill, they became a little doubtful.

"Oh? Do you believe my words to be false?" Hart said, her smile showing just a bit of irritation.

"Miss Windwalker, no matter what family you come from, you must remember you are now a knight in training," the man with the mustache sighed. "You cannot expect us to simply believe something as ridiculous as this just because you said it."

"I'm ashamed you think I'm using my family's honour to pull weight," Hart said as her eye twitched. "Sir Randuin, I truly mean this. Underestimate this child, and you might end up in a situation you will not enjoy."

"I see."

Prota glanced back and forth between the two, the concern present in her heart but not on her face. What was going on? Why were the two fighting like this?

"Then, you won't mind if I test her?" the man said, raising an eye.

"By all means."

Hart moved close to Prota and whispered in her ear.

"This man has been… a little annoying. I'd really appreciate it if you could put him in his place. I'll treat you to something nice in return."

Prota didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, she didn't mind doing Hart a favour, but on the other hand, was this really something she wanted to get involved in? She felt a little uncertain as Hart stood back up, turning to face the captain.

"Sir. I swear on my pride as a knight that this girl is fit to defend anybody. Should a strong opponent come her way, she has the means to defeat them."

"This girl? Are you underestimating the knights?" Sir Randuin scoffed. "If she were protecting a criminal, surely one of our number could easily subdue her."

"Hm." A curious smile rose on Hart's face. "So you mean to imply that, should we need to take in her brother, she would be powerless?"

"Of course!"

Something inside Prota snapped. This man was saying she couldn't defend John?

She'd fallen for the most obvious bait in the world, but that was fine. Hart stepped aside, letting Prota step forward.

"I'll fight," she said quietly.

"Hmph. We won't go easy on you just because you're a child."

Prota's eyes began to glow as a knight stepped forward.

Her pride was on the line.

~~~

He started by explaining the situation with the cultists, but that was to be expected. Destiny had already reported such events, but that wasn't the point John was trying to make.

"Do you remember what I said?" John asked. "This world is like a train. It's going down a set of tracks. The cultists are part of those tracks. That's to be expected."

"...I see," the king frowned. "Then the rise of the Demon King-"

"Is imminent, yeah. Um. Get ready for war or something. I'd rather- well, it's too late. Just don't ask me too much about the future."

"What do you mean by that?"

John just sighed, reaching for a piece of paper. He took a pen and began to draw.

"Ok. This is the world. You're headed down these tracks. Down the road, there are various crossroads, and there are decisions to be made: left or right? The thing is, your destination is preplanned. All of the choices are already made."

The king nodded, rubbing his chin. "Continue."

"However, now that I've told you something, it's like you've moved from the passenger car and into the operator's seat. You can now choose to change your path. And if you do, the train is no longer headed for its destination."

"So you're telling me… something worse could happen?"

"I'm not saying anything," John shrugged. "My point is, the world adapts to what's going on. If you prepare too early, it's just going to- my point is, don't overthink it. My job is to tell you what's not on these tracks, right?"

John could tell Aegnor wasn't exactly pleased, but that wasn't his concern.

"Continue."

"Look. I explained this to a few people, so I'll explain it to you."

John continued by explaining the situation with the Wynton household, finishing by explaining that he wasn't sure if such a situation was intended or not. However, due to the fact that it was a little odd, he considered it to be an anomaly.

Most importantly, though, he explained the situation with Sofya.

"She did what?!" Aegnor exclaimed.

"You heard me. It wasn't… malicious, or anything. But she's dead now. Do you remember how I said Doctor was special? Unique? Listen up, because I'm about to explain all of that."

John used the same explanation he'd given the Mystics. He reduced [Deus Ex Machina] power to "conceptual energy" and explained how it existed outside of this realm. Certain beings had gotten hold of this power and were using it in ways it shouldn't be used.

"So are you some kind of… interdimensional watchforce?" Aegnor frowned. "That would explain the skill you and your sister bear…"

John barely reacted to that. He hadn't mentioned coming from another world, but it seemed the Elf king had somehow deduced something of the sort anyway.

"No," John said, shaking his head. "Do you think a watchforce would be someone like me? It's not like I listen to rules anyway. Why would I want to enforce them?"

Aegnor laughed. "That is a fair point. Then… why help us? What is your purpose in this world?"

"My purpose?" John shrugged. "That has nothing to do with our deal."

"I suppose you have a right to your privacy. Then… I suppose everything is dealt with?"

"That's right."

"Very well, then. And… thank you."

John's eyes shot up.

"I am but a king," Aegnor said, shaking his head. "A peasant may be nothing before a king, but what is a king before a god? The forces of nature? Calamity? I may bear this title, but that is all it is: a title. You… you seem to bear no title at all, yet you do what you do without concern as to how you may be seen. In a sense… that is far more respectable."

"Don't call me that," John said, suppressing a laugh. "I've done my fair share of, uh, unrespectable things. We have a deal. I'm honouring the deal. That should be enough."

"Some would have backed out. Thank you, John Quarta."

"Yeah, yeah."

Such sappy moments weren't for him. When a dishonourable person was praised for their integrity, such words were meaningless.

"Haze will see you out. Have a good stay. Please, let us know if you need anything."

The two walked out, and while John was following the king's bodyguard, he eventually found himself in an open clearing instead of the room he'd been staying in.

"...oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

Haze turned back, a small smile on her face.

"You've been learning combat for three years, have you not? Surely you've learned something new. No matter how skilled a child may be, there is always room to grow. Come, the same deal as before. A favour in exchange for a blow."

John groaned inwardly. There wasn't any room for him to grow. To make things worse, Haze was now aware of his strange movement. Things wouldn't be easy this time around. Did he even have a skill set that would let him win?

But to back out here would be cowardly. John didn't mind being a coward, but Haze was someone he'd rather not make an enemy out of. Obviously, something like this wouldn't make her hate him, but… well, he could just take the loss.

"Fine," John sighed, his scarf fluttering in the wind. "Let's do it."

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