The Author's POV

The aperture in the cell was so small that very little light could pass through it. It was eerily quiet and pitch black. He had no idea how long he had been locked up for. He had long stopped keeping track.

He just felt numb.

Thinking about his wife and daughter, he felt his heart get torn into pieces.

He was innocent. He didn't do anything, but for some reason, he was framed. It wasn't just him; Levisha and Gravar were put in the same circumstances as him.

… They had been wondering why, but the only response they got was a list of charges. Each worse than the other.

The looks of scorn and the contempt he received from the guards were something he'd never experienced in his whole life.

'Why are they doing this to me?'

Toshimoto's head slowly raised as he gazed up at the pitch-black ceiling above him with a blank expression on his face.

He felt so empty…

Rumble!

Suddenly, he heard a muffled rumbling sound coming from a distance, and he lowered his head to look in that direction.

"What's going on?"

He wondered, weakly raising himself and moving toward the door.

Rumble!

Another muffled rumble reverberated. This time, it was a lot closer, and Toshimoto was able to make it out clearly.

'Did something happen in the facility?'

He felt his heart beat quicker.

Rumble!

The rumbling was getting louder and louder with each passing second, and it wasn't long before it reached his direction; he could feel the entire room shaking as it happened.

"This power?"

It felt terrifying and oppressive.

"Mia?"

He was able to instantly recognize it due to the heaviness of it. What was more terrifying was the fact that it was getting weaker and weaker by the second.

'Is she fighting against someone?'

It soon became clear to him that something major was happening. An attack perhaps? He wasn't sure… but for it to require Mia's personal intervention... It had to be extremely serious.

Booom!

The terrifying sound of an explosion came from nowhere, and at the same time, the door of the cell was violently blown open.

Toshimoto had to quickly cover his eyes with his arm in order to protect himself from the sudden influx of light that filled the room.

"Argh!"

He still nonetheless felt his eyes sting.

"W,what is happening?"

Toshimoto forced himself to open his eyes and see what was going

caught sight of two deep blue eyes staring at him.

to meet

***

Master? Benefactor?

Technically speaking, he wasn't the same person as the one from my world, but at

Or was he not?

is so

how to address him. In the end, I still

was a form of respect for everything that his martial manual had granted me.

"Y,you, who are you?"

from the Keiki that

the remnant soul I had met back then, he looked much older and more malnourished. The skin on his

me help you get

offered him my hand, which he glanced at with

caution, but you really have no choice but to take my hand. It's either you

face changed before he eventually

"You're right."

rather surprising,

of my hand. It was at that point that I directed my mana into his body, and finally, his frail body started

red, his posture began to

looked like a completely different

"This…"

sudden changes, but I

do for now. Let's

Rumble!

felt a strong force heading

"…How annoying."

figure slammed into

"Cough… Cough…"

found myself on the

"I,impossible."

weakly muttered while trying her best to get out

turned to look at

"What's wrong?"

looked at me was akin to that of someone looking at

"T,that… How?"

"Don't worry about it."

before turning my attention to the other two prison cells. After pointing at them, the doors suddenly blasted open,

'Grandmaster Levisha, Grandmaster Gravar.'

sped in my direction. When they

and the two of them began to heal very

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?"

their attention back to me. As soon as they laid eyes on me, I smiled warmly and

an honor

each other before shifting their attention toward

three of them were, I didn't bother

their situation, I'd have reacted the same as

"Ukh… Cough…"

had just finished speaking when I was startled by a series of coughs coming from behind me. Turning around, I

'She's quite tenacious.'

what are

"Can't you see?"

it was fairly

all over her face,

"D,don't you da-pftt"