Strange Times

Arriving back at the tent I found that not only Alias but Nefamiti and the other soldiers were inside the tent speaking with Shion tearfully.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Going on alert I approached quickly.

"Agashiiiiiii!!!!" Alias jumped at me but this time I was ready and dodged seeing him fly right out of the tent.

"Agashi, it's okay mate, congratulations on becoming the new Lord of Durlivan, I look forward to working under you!" Why did the first half sound sad? What is going on? Why are the soldiers all looking at me like Shion did before?? Am I really so pitiful??

"Shion...?" I looked over at Shion who sat there looking at me with open arms.

She wants a hug.... right?

Walking forward nervously I reached around her and the instant my arms touched her she acted like a fly trap closing her arms tightly around me. So nice.

I could really fall in love with this feeling.

"What is it? Shion?" I asked carefully, she seems to be shaking.

"I heard from Alias and Nefamiti about the situation in Durlivan, are you going to be okay?" Her voice sounds small, is she worried about me? But we've only known each other barely a day??

Things are moving too fast. With everyone and everything.

In the span of three days, I went from having a loving family and dying over a girl to killing tens of people, becoming the lord of a land, friends with a prince and fiance to a princess as well as leading over a hundred men and commanding the ire of tens of noblemen and by extension making enemies with the territories they own.

Everything is going to be alright.... right?... right?!

Ah, the tension is leaving my body, I can't anymore.

Walking towards the bed at the corner of the tent with Shion attached to me like a rice ball I laid down on the bed. Soft. Not as soft as Shion though.

Reaching around Shion I saw her face go red, is it embarrassment or anger? Ahhh who cares... that's tomorrow me's problem, isn't it?

Holding her tightly I closed my eyes and passed out instantly.

Morning came quickly, far too quickly, I didn't even have time to dream, or maybe I did dream and don't remember, ahh whatever.

"Shion?" Feeling my arms empty I immediately shot up surveying the tent only to find Shion's eyes wide as a cats changing her clothes.

"Close them!" She screeched throwing a sword my way. 

Immediately I turned away and closed my eyes, hopefully, she doesn't throw another sword at me or I really will die this time.

Christ, it went straight through the tent.

"O-okay, it's fine to look now." Turning my head she was now completely clothed, she had changed into a much more logical set of clothes than a dress, wearing skin-tight pants and a slightly loose top she tied her hair up, much more logical better maneuvering potential and easier to run in.

All in all ten out of ten. She also looks quite beautiful though that's a given, isn't it?

"Your new look is super efficient, and you look really pretty," I said.

In the past, I was incapable of telling others how I felt or my thoughts, so I'm not gonna mince words with those I care about in this life, I'll say what I want when I want and exactly how I want to say it.

"W-we should get going." She stammered, really, is she okay?

"Alright let's get going then." I stood up putting on my shoes that had somehow come off during the night landing neatly at the bedside.

"Your not going outside like that." Shion instantly stopped me, "Your hair is a mess and your muddy and your bloody and you don't have a shirt and your pants are ripped."

"Then fix me up." I smiled touching my forehead to hers.

"What are you doing??" Shion said pushing her head forward slightly.

"Hum. Didn't you do this before when you were talking about that important stuff you wanted? Is this not normal noble culture here?" I replied, naturally I understood it wasn't normal since I had never seen anyone do it when ordering another around, but I can't be on the receiving end of embarrassment all the time can I?

"No it's not normal and you can only do this with me, understand?" Surprisingly Shion replied seriously, seems she wants to monopolize me.

I like that. So cute.

"Alright, then I'll only do this with you." A big smile etched onto my face I knocked my nose against hers, "So fix me up?"

"Fine fine, let me go fetch some clothing and such, I'll be right back." Shion left swiftly.

"Why can't I go with her?" I muttered.

After a few minutes, I got bored and started walking out of the tent.

I opened the tent flap, the sun hitting just right.

"Lord Durvilan! Why are you all ragged?" Alias yelled catching all the soldier's attention.

"Trouble maker! He is a lord now! You can't say those things!" Nefamiti slapped Alias upside the head hard enough to hear a ding.

"It's fine, you were all prepared to lay down your lives for me and even followed me all the way here from Durvilan, so treat me like normal." I waved my hand casually then looked to Alias, "I slept really well and didn't realize I was so disheveled, Shion's getting me some clothes, it's been several days since I've washed or anything so she said I can't go out like this."

"Oh~" Alias muttered glancing at Nefamiti who then looked away taking Alias with him.

"Agashi! I told you not to go outside! What are people going to think about seeing you looking like that!" Shion quickly ushered me back into the tent under the strange gazes of the soldiers.

"It's fine isn't it?" I replied, "All of them are the same way?"

"They are soldiers, you are a lord, and for reference, there are no armies like yours! No army walks around covered in blood and smelling like death all the time! No army is so fiercely loyal! No army marches as they march! We are considered a complete oddity among the other camps and lords! They think we are savages for heaven's sake!" Shion said as she took off the wrappings which up until now had basically covered my whole upper body acting like a shirt, "W-what?"

"What is it?" I asked looking down, why are those scars there?!

Isn't this a new body?? Didn't I possess a new body?? I get I never actually saw the face on this body or even really the whole body but there's no way my body was transported here! My voice is different and most importantly there wasn't a massive gaping hole in my neck from Amiya's biting!

Quickly grabbing a pail of water I looked into the water and found that I am indeed a different person, but then why are the exact same scars here?? Could my body have been transported but not my head? That would explain why the sword wound was missing in the hole in my shirt, but then it reappeared? Could it have been time lag?

Perhaps my body god brought over but not my head, my soul resides in my heart supposedly if that old man didn't lie to me back at the dojo, so my soul was in my body while this bodies soul left, so my body merged with this ones and my soul took over the head leading me to believe that all was fine.

But then what about my injury? Maybe my body was still merging with the new body and as it continued to sync up the sword wound gradually reappeared? Time lag damage?? But nothing else has come up since then so it should just be that right? The wound that killed the previous owner?

Perhaps... this body is the manifestation of my true soul in physical form...? Hah... don't be stupid.

All of that theory aside, it seems my body is indeed the same but the head is slightly different, that alone is undeniable unless this body's old owner had an identical life to mine which is extremely unlikely.

Ahhh, not my problem! I'm alive, that's what matters! I'm living! Oh. That's right I'm living right now... not surviving but living...  I see, that was indeed a stupid paradox I caught myself in back then...!

"Um, Agashi?" Shion's voice pulled me back to reality as I put down the pail.

"Sorry, I had a flashback, please don't mind it." I replied and she continued to clean my back however she was especially careful around the scars, "Please don't mind the scars, they are old and not at all useful, do not hesitate."

'Do not hesitate, is it?' She thought her eyes drooping as they wandered all over his back almost no part left unscarred not to mention these clearly didn't ever heal properly, 'It's a miracle he's even alive right now, he could have died from any of these wounds either by an infection of just bleeding out! Yet he says do not hesitate? Jeez! He's just an incorrigible oaf! Tch... but... he's trying to move forward. I can't hesitate! For him, I'll forge on.'

Like this time passed quietly, once Shion finished with my back I quickly scrubbed the front, all of the blood and such washing away quickly.

"I am not wearing that." I said seriously as she showed me an extremely colorful and very peacock-like outfit, "I will wear this instead."

For a while now I had been wanting a cape, capes are cool, all of the superheroes from back home all wore capes.

Walking forward I grabbed a grand white fur cape off the wall and showed Shion, "Since I was a little kid I looked up the people who wore capes and thought they were cool, so I've been eyeing this for a while, I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all!" Shion beamed helping me put on a nice shirt that I could live with as well as a nice pair of pants with a lot of flexibility turning my outfit into an all-black outfit save for the white fur cape.

Grabbing onto my arm I headed out to find that the soldiers had been cleaned, glancing down at Shion who is smiling grandly.

Looking over at Nefamiti I nodded clearly understanding exactly who would carry this out, after all, Alias doesn't really care about hygiene nor do any of the other soldiers.

Only Nefamiti kept himself clean throughout the journey.

With regular linen shirts and swords at the hip they walked behind me and towards the main camp, today Surnova would send everyone off officially ending the campaign and releasing everyone from service.