“Phew, that went well,” I muttered.

After parting ways with Sara and the others, I headed straight to the royal castle to deal with some pressing business. There was no way I could just sit back after seeing Sara attacked twice.

The second attack even caused me some trouble, and finding out that Sara is a descendant of the Grand Mage only strengthened my resolve. After all, the Grand Mage forcibly passed on such incredible powers to me. Leaving their descendant in danger would make me an ungrateful fool.

What I actually did was simple: infiltrate the royal castle, locate the rooms of the First and Second Princes, and intimidate them with my intimidation skill. That’s all.

Using the Grand Mage’s stealth skill, I managed to sneak in smoothly. However, the highly skilled guards were sharp enough to almost catch onto my movements, so I had to paralyze and put them to sleep temporarily.

But man, the magic tool that the First Prince used really freaked me out. I didn’t expect such a massive attack from someone who seemed so weak. My danger sense skill reacted like never before, and I had to quickly deploy three layers of barrier magic to block it. One of those layers even cracked.

The sheer power of that attack, which could shatter one of the Grand Mage’s barriers, was terrifying. If I hadn’t had those barriers up, I’d definitely have been dead. The thought made me shudder.

Apart from that, everything went smoothly. I also dealt with the Second Prince, though I was on high alert, fearing he might also have some powerful magic tool like his brother. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

It’s not like magic tools of that caliber can be everywhere. If they were, the monsters of the Forest of Ruin wouldn’t be feared so much.

As for the curse I mentioned—it’s a complete bluff. The Grand Mage’s magic arsenal does include something resembling curses, but nothing as conveniently binding as what I claimed. Still, after witnessing my overwhelming power, the Princes likely found the curse entirely plausible.

At least now, Sara should be safe from those two. I used the intimidation skill strongly enough to render them speechless with fear, so it should have left quite an impression.

The day had turned to evening by the time I finished everything. Searching for the Princes’ rooms in the vast royal castle took longer than I expected.

Leaving the city, I entered a nearby forest and teleported back to the Grand Mage’s house. Everything there was as I’d left it three days ago—no signs of monster intrusion. I stepped through the portal back to my room.

This three-day weekend had been packed with events: I saved some people (who turned out to be elves and royalty), explored a new world, infiltrated a castle, and got a real taste of the Grand Mage’s incredible power.

But tomorrow, school resumes. Ugh. I’ll need to be careful not to accidentally use magic.

Monday morning. I trudged to school with heavy steps. Last night, my mom asked me where I’d been over the weekend, and I barely managed to bluff my way through. Next time, I should probably prepare some photos or souvenirs in advance.

“Morning, Abe, Watanabe.”

“Yo, Tachihara. Morning.”

“Good morning, Tachihara.”

I was the last to arrive today. Abe and Watanabe were already in class, chatting. I put my bag down at my desk and headed over to them.

“Morning, Tachihara.”

“Sup, Tachihara~!”

“Morning~”

On my way, three girls who had talked to me after school last week greeted me.

“Good morning, Yanagi, Ichikawa, Yoshii.”

Even if I have mixed feelings about them, ignoring a greeting isn’t something I’d do. Besides, what guy wouldn’t feel a bit happy being greeted by cute girls?

“Good morning, Tachihara. Thanks again for the help in P.E. last week!”

“Good morning, Kawabata! I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”

Kawabata greeted me too. She’s always been polite, even back when I was bullied and overweight.

“Aren’t you getting popular?” Abe teased as I approached.

“Yeah, I’m feeling the real-life hero explosion vibes,” Watanabe added sarcastically.

“I doubt it’ll last,” I said with a laugh. “Oh, by the way, I read the manga you two recommended. They were so good I’m thinking of buying the latest volumes when I get my allowance.”

I’d picked up two volumes each of their recommendations last week. After returning from the other world yesterday, I stayed up reading them—and they were fantastic.

“Oh, you liked them? You should check out the anime adaptation. It’s just as good!” said Abe.

“Right? The heroine is adorable!” Watanabe chimed in.

“Yeah, the story was solid too. I’ll definitely watch the anime since it’s free,” I said.

From chatting with friends to getting greetings from girls, my school life was finally starting to feel more vibrant.

Incidentally, Isosaki is on a one-week suspension starting today. Knowing I won’t have to see his face until next Monday feels great. As for his lackeys, they’re walking on eggshells around me after Isosaki’s outburst last week.

They didn’t actively bully me like Isosaki did, so I’ll let them off for now. Let them stew in fear if they want—it’s their choice.