In Another World with Absolute Awareness

Taylor was lying in his bed, half dead.

’Damn... I overdid it...’

The residual curses were eating away at his hands and working their way up through his bloodstream.

A lot of dark mana had wormed its way into his heart and mind.

Every few minutes, painful surges of mana would tear at his nerves, thus making the last few days hell.

When was the last time he’d eaten?

When was the last time he drank water?

...When was the last time he used the toilet?

”Cough...! Cough, cough!”

Blood was pooling at the back of his throat, flooding his mouth with the taste of iron.

It was then.

Three heavy knocks landed on the door to his tiny room, nearly blasting his door off its flimsy hinges.

”Oo—oh! Oh shi—”

Someone swore behind the door, catching it before it fell over.

—Creak.

Then, there was silence as the door slowly cracked open, revealing a head of blue-green hair and a face framed by scales.

Vertically-slit topaz irises scanned the room, instantly locating the person they were searching for.

Before the Snakespawn could speak, another face popped in, with golden-brown fur, shoulder-length hair of a similar color, and beautiful green eyes.

Her cheerful voice brought life to the dreary room.

”Hello! Are you Taylor Alleri? Your landlord called us to come find you— Ah...”

Another person appeared just as the green-eyed Satyress realized what was going on.

”Oh, damn...” Said the Werebat.

Suddenly, there was silence.

Taylor watched as they looked at his pitiful state, stunned and wary.

Finally, the Snakespawn spoke.

”We’re here to help. Could you tell us what happened?”

With great difficulty, Taylor managed to nod.

”Cursed... books...”

His eyes darted towards a pile of ominous tomes, with an age-old scent and dark miasma overflowing.

The Snakespawn frowned.

”...How long were you exposed?”

”...Uh,”

”Never mind. Don’t answer that. Let’s get you out of here first—and the name’s Clementine, by the way. What should I call you?”

***

Reazue wracked his brains trying to formulate a counter-curse to the abomination that was plaguing his client.

Looking at the motionless Taylor, lying on a stone altar and bound by ceremonial chains, the Werebat sighed.

”Kuvie... I’ll need your help for this one. Use the following blessing magic in order... I’ll match each with a counter-curse.”

The Satyress nodded, her body shifting to become a plant—her fur receded, and green skin surfaced, looking like a plant stem. Her hooves turned into human-like feet capable of growing roots.

Finally, her aura shifted into one of benevolence and age-old grace.

The Nymphs of this world were all pacifists.

”I’m ready,” said Kuvie, as the mana within her churned.

She seemed more mature. More grounded.

Reazue’s eyes lingered on her for a second longer than he was conscious of.

Luckily, he caught himself before he started staring.

”Alright, let’s begin.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Reazue saw an annoying smirk appear on Clementine’s face.

”Heh,” she seemed to say.

Reazue’s face turned a lighter shade of red. Begrudgingly, he fought the urge to retort.

A man was dying in front of him.

It was not the time to bicker.

—Vwhoom!

Soon, the screams of a human echoed throughout the altar room. The marble walls, floor, and pillars, however, turned his screams into sanctifying music.

***

Aventine watched this occur with a grimace.

”Well, that’s what you get for overdosing on cursed tomes, I guess?”

With a quick scan of Taylor’s brain and the amount of dopamine it released while reading such books, Aventine concluded that the man was addicted.

”What a rare breed...”

Looking away from his fellow human, Aventine left his mage tower and appeared on the streets of the Soulless City of Grakkis once more.

This city, located on the Western-most side of the empire, had a gigantic Adventurer’s Guild branch.

Although it was not tall...

It was an entire miniature city on its own. A city within a city.

”...Oh, it’s Heaven’s Grasp.”

After getting off the carriage he took to get here, Aventine’s passively expanded senses caught five familiar scents.

It was the sharpshooter Feura, the great mage Ella, assassin Quill, runic mage Laurence, and the shieldbearer, Opheus.

Notably, their leader, Lila, was no longer with them.

”No wonder they look a little lost.”

After Lila accepted the responsibilities of a hero, she had left without a word, thinking that her friends would be too much at risk if they came with her.

This is what the past Heroes of Leisha had done, and thus, so did she.

After all, the Hero’s Party was not the same as the adventurer’s party, Heaven’s Grasp.

Certain were needed to keep the demons at bay... and Heaven’s Grasp did not have the necessary .

If they truly accompanied Lila on her journey... they would return as enemies to humanity. Enslaved or twisted beyond comprehension and demonized.

It was an unfortunate truth of their leader’s circumstances.

The rest of Heaven’s Grasp could only accept it.

”Ah—”

As if by chance, Feura found Aventine’s face despite the bustling crowd and distance. There, as if drowning among the myriad races, among horns, manes, tusks, and wings, was an individual who looked completely unassuming.

Blending in with the white and grey metropolis of the empire.

”Is that...?” Before she could have that thought, a gaze that saw through the soul made its way over.

Feura met Aventine’s gaze.

A smile appeared on the young man’s face. He waved and mouthed a greeting.

—[ Hi! ]

An awkward smile appeared on Feura’s face. Normally, young masters like Aventine would enrage her in the first few minutes they met.

Those shallow, mindless perverts weren’t worth anything more than the name they inherited from their parents.

Of course, there were outliers...

Aventine was one such outlier.

’No, wait...’

Feura frowned. That’s not exactly right, either.

After a moment of thought, she inwardly concluded, ’He’s an outlier among outliers.’

”Oh! It’s Young Master Aventine!” Suddenly, Ella chimed in with a surprised tone, having traced Feura’s line of sight and spotted the so-called noble. ”What’s he doing here—? Ah, he’s coming over.”

Opheus noticed the girls’ commotion. ”Oh, the guy from the caravan? What’s he doing at the Adventurer’s Guild?”

”Probably to post a quest,” Quill answered as he glanced over at Laurence.

The man had been waving back.

Heaven’s Grasp thus waited for about half a minute before Aventine stood before them.

”It’s been a while, you all. How’s life been in the empire?”

That refined, polite, yet subtly mischievous tone once again rang in the adventurer’s ears. They were once again reminded of this mysterious noble’s character.

”Do you need something?”

Still, Feura seemed as prickly as ever.