"When I was little, I once dreamed of getting the Manhattan Peninsula near the imperial capital. Anyone, when they were a kid, probably had that kind of dream, right?
But I lived in a decaying noble family. Because I went against the family's expectations, my mom ended up being shunned because of me.
If only she had been a little more selfish—like my scumbag of a father—and abandoned me, she wouldn't have ended up worse off than a servant.
Yet my mom still loved me so much. She was a theist; she believed that as long as she did more good deeds, after she died she would meet the goddess in heaven.
And the goddess would pat her head, praise her life, and recount all the good things she had done.
It's ridiculous, isn't it? What a foolish belief—and yet that was the meaning that kept her going.
Because of me, Mom could only do menial servant work in the family's stables to make ends meet. Even working from dawn till dusk, the pay was barely enough to fill her stomach.
Back then, I refused to give in. I wouldn't tolerate the nasty pranks those spoiled kids in the family played right at my doorstep, so I ended up offending those rotten old men in the clan.
When I was three, during the family clan meeting, it was my turn to ladle stew. They handed me a bowl with no bottom and said, 'Oh, little brother, how can you ladle stew with a bowl that has no bottom?'
I thought about it for a long time. I wanted to use my shoe to hold the soup and eat it, but my mom stopped me—and slapped me hard.
That's a scene I'll never forget to this day. I watched as Mom slowly walked over, raised both hands above her head, and begged them to pour the stew into the palms of her hands.
'Please pour some soup for me? It's fine even if you pour it right into my hands.'
It was freshly boiled stew—impossible to touch directly with bare hands. Catching it would scald the skin open in an instant, but she resolutely did it anyway. When the soup hit her hands, she didn't flinch even a little, didn't shed a single tear...
I cried and shouted 'No, I'm not hungry at all,' stumbling over to her side, begging Mom to let go of her hands. But Mom said nothing, only kept urging me to eat.
That meal is unforgettable to me even now. I ate it bite by bite, tears mixing with every mouthful, surrounded by mocking laughter all around, until the bowl was completely clean.
Afterward, Mom said something that etched itself into my bones.
She said: 'No matter how poor you become, never abandon your dignity.'
Not long after, because of the severe burns on both hands, infection set in and left lasting damage. On my fifth birthday, after giving me this cross pendant around my neck—"
At this point, Diego gritted his teeth as he spat out the conclusion.
"She died!!!"
Soon, Diego quickly calmed himself and continued:
"If back then, I had grabbed the hands Mom used to catch the stew... would my life have turned out differently?"
"Even though it's been fifteen years, I still regret it to this day."
Shinomiya Kaguya half-crouched on the empty patch of ground beside the swamp, staring at Diego whose body was half-sunk in the mud, and slowly spoke:
"I see. So why are you telling me all this?"
"Ko no Dio ga, was blasted away by the Demon King's desperate self-explosion during our battle. When I woke up, my body was already deep in this bottomless swamp.
I had just barely recovered from the Demon King's explosion—I had no strength left at all. Plus, the swamp had no solid footing. I was done for.
But if you could grab this hand I'm reaching out... maybe something could change."
Diego extended his mud-covered hand toward Shinomiya Kaguya, expression unchanged as he spoke.
Shinomiya Kaguya pressed her index finger to her chin, adopting a thoughtful pose, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upward:
"Hold on a second. Let me think about it."
"Was there anything in that whole conversation worth thinking about?"
"First, your hand is filthy. I have absolutely no desire to pull you out.
Second, guess where you are right now? This is the Shinomiya family courtyard. Do you know what happens if someone sneaks in here and gets caught?
Third, your story was interesting, sure, but it seems like you're still lost in your own fantasy world in your head?
This isn't a world of swords and magic, and there are no heroes or Demon Kings. I'm considering whether to let you off the hook just because your story was entertaining."
"Now isn't the time to worry about whether my hand is dirty, is it? I've been baking under the blazing sun for two and a half hours waiting for you and that maid lady over there. I really want to go up to the rooftop and catch some breeze already!
Please, help me change the outcome from ten years ago—let me be rescued with my dignity intact!" Diego pleaded with an expression that screamed 'please don't do this to me.'
Shinomiya Kaguya pinched her chin, teasing with an amused look:
"How cute... Fine, just this once, I'll forgive your crime of trespassing on Shinomiya property because of that story you told. Hayasaka, toss him out."
Hayasaka Ai, who had already put on white gloves and was holding them in her mouth while adjusting their position slightly, struck a pose that said 'time to punish you.'
"All right, Mr. Dio. Whatever your reasons, next time don't sneak into one of the four major conglomerates—the Shinomiya family—on your own.
If anyone other than the young lady had found you, you'd be in serious trouble."
After two hours and thirty minutes, Diego was finally freed from the swamp.
At that moment, Diego lay sprawled on the ground like a fish that had drowned in water.
Diego Brando remained completely motionless!
Hayasaka Ai squatted beside Diego, poked his cheek, and leaned close to his ear:
"I couldn't tell when you were in the swamp, but you're actually pretty tall and built nicely, huh."
"Hayasaka-nee, stop it!"
"Shut up! Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand—what are you even thinking?! I meant you're too heavy—I could only drag you out. You don't mind, right?" Hayasaka Ai let out a quiet sigh and gave the 1m95 Diego a helpless glance.
Diego said nothing, simply raising his hand in a thumbs-up to show agreement.
Hayasaka Ai rolled her eyes at Diego and continued: "Still, in your current state, you can't exactly refuse. Just bear with it a little."
With Hayasaka Ai's help, Diego felt a sensation like being constricted by a python. A few minutes later, he was successfully deposited in a nearby park.
"Thanks, miss maid." Diego, now seated on a stone bench, offered sincere thanks.
Hayasaka Ai shook her head, bent down, and asked: "It's nothing. Your story actually touched me quite a bit. So... is it true?"
A hint of nostalgia flickered in Diego's eyes. He gave a helpless smile and paused for a moment: "Just pretend I made it up to get rescued."
Hearing that, Hayasaka Ai stared deeply at Diego for a moment, then turned and walked away, as if she had made up her mind about something.
Swish...
"Here, catch."
Without looking up, Diego reached out with one large hand and caught the bottle of mineral water Hayasaka Ai tossed him.
Watching Hayasaka Ai's departing figure, Diego casually picked up a small pebble, exerted a slight force, and destroyed the GPS tracker attached to her.
That energy fluctuation couldn't be mistaken—the miss maid is being monitored...
The wind of parting brushed against Diego's face, his hair fluttering in the breeze. As the clouds parted, sunlight once again shone on Diego's face.
"Seriously... there could have been a gentler way, right... You stubborn, dishonest miss maid."
"Scary Monsters." Diego dinosaur-ized a single finger, poked a hole in the mineral water bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the water flowing down the side.
Gulp gulp gulp, ah~ Diego let out a satisfied sigh.
"So, what the hell kind of place did it dump me in? And that weird thing I saw at the beginning—what was that? A goddess?"
Diego clutched his head, recalling the fading fragments of his consciousness.
...
After the Demon King's self-explosion, that bizarre spatial rift...
The moment he opened his eyes...
Dear valued customer, greetings! Welcome to Blue Star. I am a god from another world, and you are a transferee. In this harsh world, I shall grant you a power for survival...
"...Ugh... ugh... ugh... That bastard! He really... got torn to pieces by me... The Demon King died on the spot! I won!"
"Ko no Dio is the final... winner!"
Ah... my head hurts so much, my legs have no strength to stand, and I feel like throwing up. How is this possible—ko no Dio feeling sick from the Demon King's explosion...
Frieren and the others... are they okay? Did the Demon King really... die? Somehow... it doesn't feel like things will end this simply.
"Hey, what are you buzzing around my head saying? I can't understand a damn thing, you bastard." Diego opened his eyes to see a hazy figure and roared angrily.
I approve. I have granted your wish. If you go to schools and libraries, you can acquire the minimum required knowledge in those sacred places of learning.
"Where'd this AI come from? Hurry up and switch me to a human operator. Don't think I don't know..." Diego's head lolled to the side, and he passed out again.
"How rude. That was my carefully thought-out high-EQ conversation technique."
...
"Ah~ This great one gets it now. I must no longer be in the original world. The Demon King's self-explosion tore open a space-time passage in that instant and sent me to some unknown hellhole—just like that guy who got the Freeze God Sword."
That damn god gave me the ability to understand languages from another world and then just casually dumped me in that place, making me bake under the sun for two and a half hours for no reason.
This isn't over between ko no Dio and you!
Just wait till I catch you!
Feeling the injuries in his body, Diego couldn't help but smirk: "What an insanely exhilarating attack. I think I'll probably never forget you for the rest of my life, Demon King."
But right after, Diego grew a little troubled.
Next up is struggling to survive... Otherwise, maybe latch onto a rich lady, or go back to my old trade—take commissions in the black market. Only places like that won't care about someone like me having no identity.
Drip.
The muddy water from his clothes interrupted Diego's thoughts.
"I don't have any spare clothes right now. If I hadn't crossed over, I should be back in the capital collecting rewards by now. Then I could have had Frieren clean me up perfectly."
Diego shook his head. Even now, as a gravely wounded body, ko no Dio would still become the strongest man.
But the priority right now is to wash these clothes clean first. Let's find a nearby river—no one likes looking like they're covered head to toe in mud.
...
After scrubbing the mud off his clothes, Diego hung them on tree branches, letting the blazing midday sun dry them.
At the same time, he dinosaur-ized his palm, turning several leaves into dinosaurs and letting them infect more.
"Clothes problem solved. But since I'm already by the river, cleaning my body is definitely necessary too, heh heh~"
Several hours later, Diego put on his now-dry clothes and headed cheerfully toward the city center.
Passing through a park, Diego realized a problem.
He had zero understanding of this world—how was he supposed to find something like a black market?
He needed to ask someone where the chaotic areas were. Underground bars in places like that usually had info on black market entrances. Drunks' mouths were the easiest to pry open.
As that thought crossed his mind, a flash of pink suddenly entered his vision.
Roar roar, I've decided—you're the one I'm getting my dinner info from.