The last time Heron was aware he was on a date–if he could even call it that–was when he was in middle school. Much sad. They had gone to a cafe where she had ordered a large matcha strawberry frap-a-chino or whatever she called it and he had twiddled his thumbs nervously and ordered a black coffee because he thought it’d make him look cool.
It wasn’t that cool and he had burnt his tongue instead. Very hot. The coffee, not the date.
Now he was sitting across from Alice, the irritated knight intern who was probably too young for him–considering she looked to be in her mid-20s–and Serafina, the politely dangerous miniature dragon who had just casually said he would never have the opportunity to speak again if he ever mentioned that Alice was a knight intern and not a knight–
Stop saying intern in your mind. Serafina’s voice cut in once more.
Sighing, Heron took a sip of water to wash down the tater tot he had choked on. Not an intern, just… a knight in-training? Regardless, this was not a date.
And if it was, neither of the ladies–whether it was the elf girl or the dragon–seemed to be into him at all.
That is correct. Serafina mused in his mind.
His date might as well be Lucifer.
I don’t know what a date is but unless it spells world domination, I’ll pass.
Great, in conclusion, Heron was just rejected unanimously. He tried not to take that personally. At least the tater tots on his plate couldn’t reject him.
With Serafina returning to cutting its steak efficiently and eating as politely as a dragon could with silver cutlery, Heron glanced over to Alice who was mid-way through her strawberry crepe. She looked a bit out of place given that the cafe was flowery, soft, and kind of magical with date-like vibes while Alice was dressed in a full suit of armor. She stuck out like a sore thumb, or rather, a sore knight in a semi-empty cafe full of sweetness.
Speaking of sticking out like a sore thumb, Heron recalled the tiny, little judge that had overseen his case at the courthouse. With her braided pigtails, large round glasses, and black dress, Judge Julie had looked like she was playing dress-up as the judge with the large black robe that clearly wasn’t designed for a child’s size.
Which brought up the question: why did the judge appear like a child? Was she actually a child or maybe she was some magical being that looked like a child but was actually hundreds of years old like the most overplayed trope ever?
No, Judge Julie is twelve years-old. Serafina’s voice echoed in his mind.
Well, child labor is not cool.
She is also not a child by your human standards. She is blessed by the Dragon’s Order.
Before Heron could even question what that meant, Serafina continued.
The Dragon’s Order utilizes magical essence and can grant blessings amongst mortals to extend their lifetime by decreasing how quickly one ages. Judge Julie is one of the few mages selected at a young age and was chosen based on her talent and performance. She may appear twelve but she has over thirty years of experience as a judge.
So she was kind of a magical being that looked like a child!
Even with her experience, she is still an adolescent; she just ages more slowly. So while her peers grow-up and grow older, she remains in a physical and emotional stasis but it enables her to perform her job adequately.
Well that sounded a little sad, Heron couldn’t imagine watching his peers grow older while he didn’t age. Seemed like a recipe for loneliness.
These blessed beings agreed and chose their path. They are not regular folks; they were chosen by the Gods of magical essence compatibility. The School of Essence recognized their talent and had put forth the recommendation to the Dragon’s Order.
But still, Heron couldn’t help but wonder if Judge Julie ever got to act her age since according to Serafina, she was still technically twelve.
She doesn’t need that. She is fully satisfied with her role and position as a representative of the king.
Well, the king smelled of bull—
Do not finish that sentence. Serafina said sternly in Heron’s mind as she chowed down another piece of steak.
Heron shoved another piece of potato down his throat. He hadn’t met the king—hopefully he never would, considering how ‘trigger happy’ the king seemed to be—but he was curious to know what kind of kingdom the king ran. After all, he had no choice but to stick around since his planet was currently ping-ponging back and forth between the kingdoms of Morningstar and Everlight. Not to mention, Alice had mentioned something about nobles and their role in warring times.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
I suppose I can give you an introduction to the kingdom, Sir Heron of another world. Serafina sighed, as it wiped its mouth with a napkin.
Long, long ago, the kingdom of Morningstar was blessed by the Dragon’s Order. This planet thrived under the blessing and magical essence was utilized to foster the planet’s growth. Initially, this world was granted to be run by one kingdom, the kingdom of Morninglight. But due to internal conflicts, the kingdom split into two, forming the kingdoms of Morningstar and Everlight.
After many generations, the tension and strain between the two kingdoms have only grown due to territorial disputes and trying to gather enough power in the ranks of the intergalactic system of the Dragon’s Order. With a higher rank in the intergalactic system, the more support a kingdom receives from the Dragon’s Order.
Both are attempting to gain the reputation as outstanding kingdoms even though they share this planet. There are some planets that have opposing kingdoms like this one, but I am not familiar with them. The intergalactic borders are difficult to navigate depending on the world and its laws. As I am bonded to Alice, I have not traveled very far or very wide due to her ranking.
Perhaps this was too big of a picture for Heron; he needed a watered down version. Even national conflict was too large for him to visualize, let alone international or intergalactic.
Very well, Sir Heron. To put it simply, this kingdom is behind in the scale of technological advances in comparison to other worlds under the Dragon’s Order. Our kingdom has a noble lineage, families who serve the king and run the kingdom. Of these families, the majority of them are compatible with magical essence and are bonded to a familiar—typically dragons. It is part of a noble’s duty to protect the kingdom when there are troubling times.
Heron nodded, listening to Serafina ramble. That would explain why Alice had thought Heron was some lowly ranked noble that was hiding on his tiny planet as a way to get away from warring times. But what determined which family was of noble lineage?
As you may have already concluded, due to magical essence compatibility, nobles are able to cast magic. Magic gives the nobles the power to conduct their business and ensure that the kingdom is run per the king’s will. This also means that they are required to have a magical license that is granted when the noble attends and graduates from the School of Essence.
Heron let out a nervous whistle—it wasn’t like he had performed magic in front of Alice, Serafina, and Nancy the receptionist at the City Hall. No, he totally did. He summoned a potato from thin air. Aw crap, surely he didn’t need a license since he wasn't a noble?
Well, Alice refuses to believe you’re from another world. And I tend not to jump to conclusions until I have all the evidence I need. That being said, Nancy did ask you for that potato you summoned, so I imagined she submitted it to the king’s court of mages—
No wonder they named it DMs—Dragon Monologuing. Heron thought Lucifer monologued a lot, it turned out that Serafina was just as bad, if not worse.
How rude.
Well, that was that. He didn’t care for the rules or regulations of this place. His only goal was to get back to Planet-C5 and live with Lucifer, Melvin, and Charcoco. He just wanted to live his simple life as a potato farmer. With his mouth full of potatoes, Heron swallowed when Alice wiped her mouth with a napkin as she finished her crepe.
“We should discuss how the community service will work, since I have been assigned as your warden.” Alice said quietly, her voice bitter in stark contrast to the sweet she just had.
A flash of guilt coursed through Heron as he grimaced. It was clear that the ‘intern’ comment had stung, in addition to how Serafina had acted—making it seem like he had burned down a village and eaten their children.
“Sorry about… earlier.” Heron cleared his throat, setting his fork down with a clink.
”About what? Nevermind that.” Alice responded nonchalantly, her voice calm and cool. “As Judge Julie stated earlier, your community service order should come in the mail within the next few days. Most likely it will be sent to the Farmer’s Guild since you will be registered with them and the guildmaster will inform you when you’ve been called for the activity that the judge assigns.”
”From there, you will report to me at the Knight’s Station, and I will accompany you to the delegated service. I will proceed to log your hours, and only once your service has been completed will you be released from the order. Until the order is completed, you will remain as a provisional citizen. Only after the order is completed and thirty moon cycles have passed will you be able to apply for full citizenship.”
Heron nodded, brushing off his recognition that Alice was most definitely not accepting his apology. “So what happens if I complete my community service, apply for full citizenship, and am granted it?”
”Well, if you’re approved, you become a legal citizen of the kingdom of Morningstar.” Alice responded simply.
”Is… there a way for me to go back to Planet-C5?” Heron asked hopefully.
A long pause.
“Unlikely.” Alice admitted coolly, crossing her legs. “The micro-planets that belong to the kingdom are delegated by the king to nobles who have earned the planet as a reward for their service. But due to warring times, these planets are under territorial dispute. So given that you’re not a noble and these planets are not up for grabs, I’d say your chances are… close to zero.” She smiled politely.
But… What about Melvin? And Charcoco?
That thing you called ‘cow’ was evil anyway. Lucifer snorted as it tapped its rabbit foot on the chair it was sitting on.
Okay, but Charcoco was innocent—
It ate my hut one time. We can fetch you another one of those cursed animals if that is necessary for conquering the universe.
Heron sighed. “Very well, we’ll make it work.” The perfect response to both Alice and Lucifer.
If we are all done eating, I believe it would be best if we escorted Sir Heron to the Farmer’s Guild now before the sun sets. Serafina’s voice echoed in his mind.
”I’ll pay you back.” He said sheepishly but Alice waved him off.
”No need. We won’t be familiar enough with one another for you to get a chance to pay me back.”
With that being said, Alice pulled out a coin purse and paid for their meals, leaving Heron with a debt he couldn’t and wasn’t allowed to pay while Serafina and Lucifer—though Lucifer really should, considering it was part of Heron’s little entourage—didn’t bat an eye.
As the three of them waited outside the cafe for Alice to finish paying, Heron glanced over to Serafina. “So… the Farmer’s Guild? Then what?”
We will have you situated with the guild, but after that, you will be on your own. You will await the orders served by the judge, and once you receive them, you’ll report to the Knight’s Station where Alice will meet with you to escort you to whatever service you have been assigned.
To the Farmer’s Guild it was, at least the day wouldn’t get any weirder or crazier.
Right?
OP Regression ? LitRPG ? Urban Fantasy
Of course, I chose regression.
But I won’t be.
What to Expect:
- ?? Overpowered main character with a human heart
- ? Full regression with future knowledge
- ?? A hostile System and an unforgiving world
- ?? Dark progression fantasy with ruthless growth
- ?? Epic battles, betrayal, and real consequences