Atlas and Tau, the child who had just joined them moments ago, had walked away. After the questions swirling in his mind, Kaelis sat back down on the log he had been using. He gritted his teeth and slammed his hand on the table.

  “Hngh— damn it!”

  Eduardo was watching his behavior with hazel eyes. Though he appeared as if he couldn't quite make sense of it, he understood Kaelis perfectly. Eduardo let out a sigh. Kaelis turned his gaze toward Eduardo, the source of that sigh.

  “Where do you think they might have gone?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Hngh— probably something important happened—this was his first time.”

  “What are you talking about, huh?”

  “For the first time, Atlas didn't say "May God protect you!" when leaving a place, and that only fuels the fire of worry inside me even more.”

  “That’s not something worth exaggerating. Atlas is a busy person, after all.”

  Kaelis was trying to quell the effect of the worry burning within him. He attempted to think of other things, but the feeling inside wouldn't subside no matter what.

  “I hope something important has happened. That's what I'm hoping.”

  While lost in his own thoughts, Kaelis suddenly paused. He didn't want to accept the reality of what he'd just heard. The person Atlas had referred to as a "friend" wishing them bad luck? It was unacceptable. Kaelis snapped out of his reverie and fixed Eduardo with a sharp glare. In a trembling voice,

  “Wh-what did you say?”

  “I said what you heard.”

  “———”

  “I'm betting on something important having happened.”

  After hearing it repeated a second time, Kaelis was certain. Eduardo was truly doing what he suspected. Though he didn't want to accept it, he had to. Then, he abruptly sat up from his log, slamming one hand hard on the table as he lunged forward, grabbing the area near the collar of Eduardo's sleeveless vest with his other hand and trying to pull him closer.

  “What the heck are you talking about?”

  “I'm impressed—you're bold and strong enough to try grabbing me by the collar and lifting me.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Didn't Atlas already say it?”

  “Cut the crap and answer my question!!!”

  “Atlas sure found himself a rude friend.”

  “———”

  “Eduardo Garcia—『The Unlucky One』”

  For a moment, Kaelis's anger subsided, replaced by a look of surprise on his face. Someone calling themselves 『The Unlucky One』? He desperately wanted answers to his questions, but he knew he couldn't get them through force. Eduardo could probably knock him flat with a single punch. Kaelis released his grip on Eduardo's vest and sat back down on his log. In a slightly irritated and angry tone, he began to talk.

  “What does 『The Unlucky One』 even mean?”

  “So that's what all this was about.”

  “———”

  “You tried to attack me because you didn't know who I was. Still, it was a pretty stupid move—I could've beaten you easily.”

  “Well? Are you going to answer my question or not?”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Eduardo kept beating around the bush. He was stubborn and full of empty talk. Without losing his composure, Kaelis told Eduardo to stop his nonsense and give him the answer he wanted. Eduardo let out another sigh.

  “『The Unlucky One』is a nickname that shows who I am.”

  “So?”

  “I wish you were a bit sharper. Anyway, you know what 『The Unlucky One』" means, right? It means the unlucky one.”

  “———”

  “This is a『Divine Grace』. But don't ask me, how bad luck can be a divine grace, I have no idea.”

  “Huh… What does your 『Divine Grace』do?”

  “It turns bad luck into reality. Whatever way I want an event to go, it goes the exact opposite.”

  “The exact opposite? Then, by wishing for the opposite of your desire, you could play with fate as much as you want.”

  “That's a logical perspective—sometimes your brain does work. But something like that isn't possible.”

  “But according to what you said—”

  “Hopping for a stroke of bad luck to happen is usually, in itself, bad luck when it doesn’t happen.”

  After receiving this answer, Kaelis stayed silent. That must be why Eduardo had said what he did. Though he thought this power could be incredibly strong, Eduardo had pointed out a flaw he'd missed.

  Eduardo took advantage of Kaelis's silence. He reached into his sleeveless vest, as if slipping his hand into a pocket and searching for something. Then, having found it, he pulled his hand out. In his palm was a shiny yellow coin. He placed it on the table and pushed it toward Kaelis's side. Kaelis shifted his gaze to the coin.

  “Take that coin.”

  “Are you giving me some kind of allowance??”

  “Just take it—I'm not giving you free money or anything.”

  Kaelis picked up the coin from the table. In his hand was a bright yellow coin. On it was a symbol resembling the sun, and the glow was strongest over that sun emblem. The coin shone in a way that wouldn't let Kaelis's eyes look elsewhere.

  “Now, you're going to flip that coin for heads or tails.”

  “Heads and tails? You mean that thing where we toss the coin in the air?”

  “Yeah bonehead.”

  Kaelis positioned it properly in his hand and tossed it upward. The coin spun and spun in the air. As it flipped, a voice came from Eduardo.

  “It'll be heads and tails.”

  Kaelis then shifted his gaze to Eduardo and tried to warn him in a cheerful, foolish manner.

  “That's not how this game is played—”

  As Kaelis said this, the sound of the coin clattering onto the table echoed. Kaelis looked down at the table to see what it had landed on. The coin was standing upright on its edge.

  “How—how is this possible?”

  “『Divine Grace』”

  “You really are unlucky…”

  Kaelis was utterly shocked to see the coin standing on edge. Meanwhile, Eduardo, already knowing the outcome, responded without any surprise.

  “That kid who came earlier—Tau—you saw with your own eyes how he moves so fast without getting tired…”

  “———”

  “Tau has a 『Divine Grace』too. That's why he's so fast.”

  “That kid was really fast... You've been talking about Divine Graces all morning, but does everyone have one?”

  “No, most people I know don't.”

  “Is power only tied to this”

  “Of course not—you can achieve things through your own efforts too. A 『Divine Grace』 just gives you a head start.”

  A power that not everyone possessed, only special individuals. Though the word "power" didn't quite fit the description, there was no better term. Something like bad luck had no tangible benefit. Kaelis was greatly surprised by what he'd heard. It was as if he was mentally reviewing everything he'd seen so far—his spirit seemed detached from his body as he plunged into thought. To keep Kaelis from drifting off, Eduardo continued the conversation from a different angle.

  “Maisy is a sweet girl, isn't she?”

  “Huh, what???”

  “And pretty too.”

  “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

  “Come on, it's just two guys talking alone. Don't hide your thoughts—what do you think about Maisy?”

  “Maisy…”

  Kaelis recalled the girl from the place he'd stayed yesterday, with her hair scattered from just waking up. She truly looked like a princess—Maisy. Kaelis was afraid of saying something stupid, but his conversation with Eduardo was going well.

  “Well, she's a beautiful girl.”

  “Is that all you think about the girl you stayed in the same house with for a day? You pervert”

  “What... you just ask—”

  “Keep whatever you're going to say to yourself. Did you see the swords that girl uses?”

  “Swords? Ah, yes, they were on top of the wardrobe there.”

  “That's right—she splits guys who like her in half with those.”

  “———”

  “Anyway, putting the joke aside, the best 『Divine Grace』 I've ever seen belongs to that girl.”

  “Does it have something to do with swords?”

  “Yes, her swordsmanship ability is extremely high. If something happens here, no one but she can protect us.”

  After Eduardo's silly joke, Kaelis looked a bit dazed. Then he began pondering what Eduardo had said. Kaelis found it strange that such a heavy responsibility as protecting everyone here was placed on a girl—not by her choice, but because of the 『Divine Grace』 she has.

  While thinking this, Kaelis looked at Eduardo sitting across from him. Eduardo's appearance had caught his attention. Aside from Carlos's veiled explanation earlier, he hadn't learned the full meaning of these things since arriving. He wanted to ask Eduardo, who had just given him important information.

  “Your ears look a bit strange—more like, different.”

  Eduardo brought his right hand to his ear and grasped it.

  “You mean these? These are elf ears—a feature of my race. Normally I'd question you, but I guess you've never seen an elf before.”

  “Yeah, not even once!”

  Eduardo was a member of a race called elves. Kaelis had never seen anything besides humans in his life. Now, he was in dialogue with a race called elves, something from fairy tales or stories.

  “I've heard that elves usually have white or gray-toned hair.”

  “Huh— I don't want hair like yours. I'm happy with my own color.”

  “Oh… Sorry, I think I went too far.”

  Kaelis said this with an apologetic expression. Then he looked at Eduardo again and continued speaking.

  “Because of where I lived, I haven't seen or spent time with many people. What other races are there?”

  “Does it say "sage" somewhere on me? How would I know? Wolves, cats, things like that, I suppose.”

  “Wolves and cats, huh? I've heard of and seen those before. There were even dogs, and if you count their hybrids too, there are a lot. But here, it seems like there are more mythical races. I wonder about dwarves, demons, or dragons—”

  “Don't utter that word— ”

  “Eh? What's the problem?”

  “Don't make me repeat myself! Don't even think about saying that last word you mentioned again.”

  The atmosphere in the area suddenly changed. Eduardo seemed angry about something. It was clear from his face. The last word Kaelis had said was "dragons." What could be the issue with that? If it was a big problem, it was normal for Kaelis not to know—he was in an entirely unfamiliar world, after all.

  “Don't ever say that cursed word anywhere again. Rich, poor, wolf, human—it doesn't matter what kind of people you're with. The fact that you don't even know that amazes me!”

  “———”

  The angry atmosphere persisted. Eduardo was practically venting his anger at Kaelis. After that, a heavy silence fell over the area.

  During the silence, a group of children ran past them, heading somewhere. Eduardo stopped one of them.

  “Hey kiddo, look here?”

  “Sir?”

  “Where are all of you running to in such a group?”

  “They're saying he's arrived. We're going there.”

  “I see but who's there right now?”

  “Big brother Carlos isn't there, so Aunt Catalina is there.”

  “That's not good. Go ahead.”

  After Eduardo gave the children permission to go, they continued running in the direction they were headed. Kaelis had witnessed this with a curious expression on his face.

  Eduardo stood up from his log and turned to Kaelis.

  “Stand up, we're going”

  “Hey— What's happening? Where?”

  “Just follow me, bonehead.”

  ***

  This was the large open area in front of the bridge where Kaelis had first arrived. A crowd had already gathered in the area. Barely visible at the back of the crowd was a horse-drawn carriage.