Alden stirred in his bed, disturbed by a ray of morning sunlight that snuck through a gap in the curtains. The light danced across his face, forcing his eyes open.
"Oh, it's morning already," he mumbled, stretching his stiff muscles. A good night's sleep clearly wasn't enough to get rid of the aches all over his body.
Alden got out of bed and stood up. Eyes still half-closed, he intended to head to the bathroom to freshen up.
However, before he could reach the bathroom door, he caught the sound of approaching horse hooves. The sound was familiar, yet confusing.
Alden paused, puzzled. He tried to remember what day it was. Was there an important appointment he'd forgotten? Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind.
"Crap! Today's my first day at the academy! No wonder I heard a horse," he whispered with a soft chuckle. He'd forgotten that today was his first day as a student at the very academy he'd founded.
With a rush, Alden hurried to the bathroom. He needed to shower and get ready as quickly as possible.
Five minutes later, Alden emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and a refreshed face. He headed towards the dining room, even though it looked a bit messy.
---
In the Room
In the dining room, Alden found a leftover piece of bread. He began to chew on it casually, enjoying his simple breakfast. However, before he could finish his bread, the crack of a whip broke the morning silence.
Crack!
"Ugh, looks like my coachman is getting impatient," he muttered, speeding up his chewing.
Alden took a final bite of the bread and grabbed his bag containing his school supplies. With quick steps, he hurried towards the horse-drawn carriage that was already waiting for him outside.
---
Outside.
Outside the house, Alden saw an old coachman with a sour face waiting for him on the carriage. Alden approached him, slightly out of breath with the remains of his bread still in his mouth.
"Sorry, sir, for making you wait," he said with a tone of regret.
"Enough already, just get in," the coachman replied with a grumpy tone.
Alden gave a small smile, trying to hide his guilt. He jumped into the carriage, imagining his laid-back life at the academy.
"The academy I created, wait for me, I'm coming," he muttered to himself.
The horse-drawn carriage began to move slowly, leaving Alden's house behind. Enjoying the ride, Alden gazed at the scenery outside the window. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and a sly smile spread across his face.
"Looks like I've already found a candidate to join my guild," he whispered with a tone full of anticipation.
---
In the Distance
In the distance, on the edge of a steep cliff, a woman stood with a blank stare and a broken heart. Sadness and despair were clearly etched on her face.
"I'm tired of living like this. If I could be reborn, I want to be strong and bring light to this world," she said softly.
The woman closed her eyes and prepared to jump into the dark and deep abyss. However, before she could carry out her intention, a mysterious voice called out to her from behind.
"Oh, you want to be strong and bring a light of hope to this world? Is that true?"
The woman was startled and turned around. Before her stood a mysterious cloaked figure whose face was hidden by a hood.
"Who are you? Why are you wearing a cloak like that?" she asked with a trembling voice.
"If you truly want to be strong, meet me at the bottom of this cliff. Think carefully," the figure replied with a mysterious smile.
Without waiting for an answer, the cloaked figure vanished, leaving the woman in confusion.
"If I want to be strong, I have to jump into this cliff? Will I meet him there?" the woman muttered, swallowing hard.
With burning determination, the woman took a deep breath and jumped into the abyss.
"I'm scared, but if I want to be strong, I have to meet him!" she shouted with all her might.
As her body plummeted rapidly towards the bottom of the cliff, suddenly a glowing gate appeared before her. On the gate was engraved an image of eight brightly shining stars.
"What is that gate? Could it be the path to meet that person?" she thought with sparkling eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, the woman changed her position to be like a torpedo, with her feet in front and her head behind. She sped towards the glowing gate.
Swoosh!
The woman successfully passed through the gate, and instantly the gate closed tightly and disappeared from the cliff.
---
In Dimensional Space.
Inside a strange dimension, the woman found herself sitting in a chair in front of a round table. Around her were seven other empty chairs.
"Where am I? Why are there seven empty chairs here?" she muttered with a confused tone.
The woman looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of a magnificent throne that towered high above the eight chairs.
"That throne is so big. Could it be the seat of the leader of this place?" she thought with great curiosity.
As the woman continued to stare at the throne, suddenly a strange energy began to gather there. The energy grew stronger and stronger, until finally it formed a giant shadow that seemed to want to pierce through the dimension. The shadow was a manifestation of Alden's true self.
---
In the
Inside the horse-drawn carriage, Alden closed his eyes and smiled mysteriously. The coachman, who saw him from the front, felt a slight shiver.
"This student is really strange," the coachman muttered to himself.
The coachman didn't know that Alden was currently in his own dimension, interacting with a woman who would become a member of his guild.
---
In the.
In the dimension room, the woman was stunned to see the giant shadow standing before her. The shadow had no clear shape, only a thick cloud of mist that radiated an extraordinary aura of power.
"Hello, welcome to the headquarters of the Astra Octavius guild, Luciana," said a calm but forceful voice from within the mist.
Luciana was shocked. How could the figure in front of her know her name without her telling him?
"How do you know my name? Who are you really?" she asked with a tone of disbelief.
The shadow smiled, although Luciana couldn't see it clearly.
"I heard you want to be strong and bring a light of hope to this world, right?"
"Yes, that's right. But my strength is not comparable to what I want," Luciana replied with a disappointed tone.
"Alright, Luciana. I will grant you one wish. Choose one of the two options I will give you." The voice waited patiently for Luciana's answer.
Luciana, who had been looking down, raised her face and looked at the shadow with a hopeful gaze.
"What are they, Master Mist?" she asked with great curiosity.
Alden smiled inwardly. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, the moment when he found someone who had the potential to become a member of his guild.
The shadow spoke with a voice that echoed throughout the dimension.
"One: Become my first member in the Astra Octavius guild. Two: Reincarnate and I will give you a second chance to join my guild."
Luciana was silent, thinking about the offer carefully. Alden waited patiently for her, giving Luciana time to make the right decision.
After considering everything, Luciana raised her face and looked at the shadow with a determined gaze.
"Master Mist, I choose the first option. I will join your secret guild. Will Master Mist's guild really save the world?" she asked with a curious tone.
Alden smiled hearing that question. He knew that Luciana was the right person to join his guild.
"Yes, that's right. The goal of the Astra Octavius guild is one: To save the world, or even the multiverse. Two: To search for ancient artifacts that possess extraordinary power. That is our goal," Alden replied, leaving a bit of mystery about his guild.
Luciana got up from her chair with burning enthusiasm. She was not afraid of the enemies she would face. She was ready to fight to save the world.
"I swear, before Master Mist, I, Luciana, daughter of the King of the Aethelgard Continent, will be loyal to you and Astra Octavius!" she exclaimed with a loud and respectful voice.
Alden, who had always been known for smiling, now showed a sincere and enthusiastic smile.
"Alright, I accept your loyalty, Luciana. Now, I will give you power," he said with a tone full of respect.
Alden conjured a gold card in his hand. In his hand were eight gold cards that shone dazzlingly.
"Luciana, choose one of these cards. That way, you will become stronger and able to fight enemies stronger than this world," he said, throwing the cards into the air.
Luciana saw the cards spinning around the round table at high speed.
"Do you see the images on those cards, Luciana?" Alden asked.
"Yes, Master Mist," Luciana replied with a respectful tone.
"Choose one of the cards that has the image you like the most."
Luciana carefully observed each card that was spinning around her. After a while, she reached out her hand and grabbed a card that had the image of a great angel. It was the Archangel card.
"I choose this card, Master Mist," Luciana said firmly.
"Archangel, huh? Very fitting for you who has a noble and kind heart," Alden commented with a smile.
Suddenly, the card that Luciana was holding shattered into shards of light that enveloped her entire body.
The light grew brighter and brighter, until finally it exploded with tremendous power.
BOOM!
Luciana transformed into an Archangel. Her hair, which was originally red, turned golden blonde, her eyes, which were originally orange, turned golden yellow, and a pair of large and beautiful wings grew on her back. Her clothes turned into a shimmering white and gold gown. Her smile radiated warmth and kindness.
Luciana stared at her transformed body in amazement. She felt new power flowing within her. Her smile turned into a cheerful and enthusiastic smile.
"I swear, before Master Mist, I will bring a light of hope to this world with my own hands. And I will avenge my family who has hurt me," she said with a tone full of determination.
"Alright, but remember, we are a secret guild. So, hide your strength and pretend to be weak. Oh, yeah, one more thing, if you want to meet me, enter the Imperium Aethelgard Academy. We will meet there. Goodbye, Luciana."
Alden prepared to disappear from the meeting room of the guild members, even though at this time the guild only had one member, namely Luciana.
"Will I meet Master Alden at that famous academy? What is this?" Luciana muttered with a panicked tone.
Suddenly, she heard a whisper in her ear. It was Alden's voice.
"Call me Master Alden, don't call me Master Mist. Understand?" Alden whispered.
"Yes, understood, Master Alden. I will meet you at the Imperium Aethelgard Academy," Luciana replied with a respectful tone.
Luciana closed her eyes and prepared to leave the dimension. She had to leave for the Imperium Aethelgard Academy immediately.
Inside the horse-drawn carriage, Alden opened his eyes. He was surprised to see the scenery of the academy that was already in front of him.
"Have we arrived at the academy already? I thought the journey would be long," he whispered with a confused tone.
Alden got out of the horse-drawn carriage. Before him stood the magnificent gate of the Imperium Aethelgard Academy, which looked even cooler than he had imagined.
"Damn, the academy I created myself is really good," he muttered with a tone of admiration.
However, as he was about to step into the gate, Alden suddenly stopped. He turned back with a cold, soul-piercing gaze.
"Why? Are you guys still watching me? I know you're all awake. But remember, if you disturb my laid-back life, you know the consequences," he whispered with a threatening tone.
Alden stepped into the academy gate with a drastically changed expression. His face now radiated happiness and mischief.
---
Epilogue
In the distance, a woman with long, wavy red hair lay weakly on a hospital bed. She stared out the window with a blank gaze.
"When are you coming home, darling? Our child keeps waiting for you to come home. We will always wait for you," she said softly with a tone full of longing.
Beside her, a small child smiled warmly at his mother. He also missed his father who had not returned.
"Mom, when is dad coming home? Does dad not care about us anymore?" the child asked with a sad tone.
"Don't worry, honey. Your father is shouldering a very heavy responsibility, which is guarding the entire multiverse. Because of that, father can't come home so soon," the woman replied, comforting her child.
The child hugged his mother tightly, shedding tears on her clothes.
Who are that woman and child? Who is their father? Why did the woman say that her father was shouldering the entire multiverse? More and more questions arose in the reader's mind."
---
Chapter 4 Completed.
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Hello to all the awesome readers of The Lazy Overlord's Gambit!
Just wanted to introduce myself – I'm Noval, the writer who (sometimes) makes you scratch your heads with my... unique writing style. Let's be honest, I sometimes get carried away and switch perspectives without even realizing it. That's all because I'm writing late at night while half-asleep, hehehe... Sorry if it gets a little confusing! 🙏
But, even though my writing is a bit... out there, you guys are still so supportive. Thank you so much for all the support and understanding! You're all amazing! 🥰
Penulis
Noval 📝