American Isekai - Chapter 109 (Patreon)

When I woke up, I wasn’t able to open my eyes.

I felt Umara’s arm across my face, her breath tickling my neck, along with some drool.

Her leg was also across my waist. She was using me as a body pillow.

But it made me smile as I adjusted our positions, turning toward her.

It was a good thing I tended to sleep like a log. But besides that, I was glad to see her all over me. I was worried about how she would react to our conversation, which is why I gave her some space last night to think. I didn’t even cuddle her as we usually did in bed, not to mention that she came to bed a bit later.

But I felt like things were all right. I was still a bit worried, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and moved on.

It was actually difficult to think of these things when I knew that my Crown would be concocted today.

Knowing that the operation would be happening tomorrow was a bit nerve wracking. Part of me wanted it to happen right now, but the other part of me didn’t feel ready.

I knew it would be dangerous, though I didn’t actually think there was a chance I would die. I wondered if I would just be put under like a surgery, but then again, I had no idea about the process. I didn’t even know what the Crown itself was. Was it just a potion to drink? Or was it something else?

I was anxious, but I still had to get through the day.

I decided I could take a break from training, so after getting out of bed, I ordered some breakfast.

When the room was filled with the aroma of breakfast meats and what were effectively pancakes, Umara emerged half awake.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Our greetings were succinct. Neither of us were very cheery when it was bright and early, so our mornings were usually spent in silence for the first hour or so while we woke up.

We both ate and cleaned up before I got a call from Vetsmon.

“He wants to take us on a tour of the city. The school as well. I guess the Holy See has something like the Magsiterium.”

“Mm, they do. It’s called the Ark.”

“So why didn’t Vetsmon go there?”

“Not sure. Maybe it's a relational thing. A way to forge ties between the Church and Kingdom.”

She muttered while stuffing some bread into her mouth, making me hum.

“Well, since we have nothing to do, we can go.”

I smiled a bit before heading to the room and dressing myself.

However, that’s when I got another message from Maxwell, my face falling a bit.

“Shit.”

“What?”

Umara asked from around the corner.

“I’m getting called out. Maxwell needs to see me.”

“Oh. Well, do what you need to do. You’re here on business, after all.”

“Sorry about this. We’ll have more time after the operation.”

I pulled down my collar before walking up to her, looking down into her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine.”

“Hm. Well, just let me know if there’s anything on your mind. I dropped a lot on you and want to make sure you don’t have any lingering concerns. I did that so you would trust me, not otherwise.”

I suddenly looked down at my Aerial after I said that, seeing another message.

“Tsk, he’s being impatient. Alright, I need to go. Have fun with Vetsmon.”

I kiseed her forehead before leaving the room, heading out to where Maxwell wanted me to meet him.

……

…

“Where’s John?”

“He’s got business. It’s just us for now.”

“Alright then.”

Vetsmon nodded as Umara walked to his side, the two leaving the Walk of Saints.

From there they took a carriage to explore they city. Vetsmon showed off some of his favorite places, including some of the military training grounds where he used to practice the sword as a child. Being the son of a Tower Lord, he naturally had an impressive upbringing.

Umara didn’t really have her mind on any of it though. Other than the fact that it was based around a religion, the Holy See wasn’t much more impressive than the Whetted City. Nothing could quite compare to the wealth of the Church, not even the Capital, but it wasn’t like its majesty was so eye catching that it was all she could see.

Instead, her mind constantly thought about John and the news he had broken to her. It was difficult to think about much else, especially with a clearer head.

All the little details about what it meant for him to do that with someone else kept tugging at her mind, regardless of the other complications.

Well, he wasn’t an innocent boy, that much was certain. The only issue was how okay she was with it.

He was at least right in that it didn’t change anything. Umara already knew that even if she didn’t like it, that changed nothing about how much she loved him. And she was pretty certain that he felt the same. It was also fortunate that he never saw much of that girl anymore, saving her some doubt.

But it was still a bit shocking. It was a blight on the perfect image she had of them, even if she previously had some suspicions. There was a lot about John that she didn’t know, so she was naturally scrutinizing. The only solace was that he was open about the fact that he had some secrets. And over time, he was handing them to her.

This just happened to be one she didn’t qute like.

But she wanted a second opinion. It was actually why she was quite happy that John had left for some time. She could ask Vetsmon,

As the big man talked, she suddenly tappeed his arm.

“Vetsmon.”

“Hm?”

“I have some to ask about. Or, perhaps get your opinion on. John and I had talked last night and he gave me some news.”

“Alright. What about?”

“Turns out, he’s quite far from being a virgin.”

“O-Oh…”

Vetsmon’s eyes widened, though not out of surprise. It was more so the embarrassing topic that caught him off guard.

But it only took a few seconds for the information to sink in, and he realized where Umara was coming from.

“So I assume you didn’t find that very settling.”

“No. He gave me the details and I know I can’t really blame him. The place he came from is far different from the Kingdom. He told me he first had sex when he was 15.”

“That young?!”

“That’s how I reacted.”

She smirked a bit. It was nice to see someone else in her shoes.

“Anyway, apparently he had a complicated relationship with a friend from his work several months ago. He hasn’t talked to her in a long time, so I at least don’t have anything to worry about. But… It’s still vexing. I don’t like it.”

“Well, I can understand. You won’t be his first…”

“...”

Vetsmon drifted off in thought, Umara lowering her head in silence.

That was the crux of the issue. She wouldn’t be his first. If the only times were when he was young, then she wouldn’t care so much. He was just a kid and they were all impressionable. It was difficult to blame any of them at that stage in their life. So it didn’t really matter either way.

But that wasn’t the case for the most recent woman. Although she understood the complicated circumstances, that didn’t mean she felt any better about it.

It was difficult to think about how your partner had been so intimate with someone else, and to know that you weren’t as special as you initially thought.

Umara sighed, combing back her ashy gray hair.

“Am I just overthinking things? I don’t want to be mad about it, but it’s hard not to be.”

“...I would say that you’re not in the wrong. It’s okay to be mad, but I wouldn’t direct that towards him. As you said, he comes from a place much different from here. Although he’s not the person he was when he was young, that doesn’t mean he didn’t carry certain ideals over. Besides, he’s crazy about you. I can’t possibly fathom the idea of him being unfaithful to you. And that’s despite him getting a whole lot of attention from other girls.”

“Attention? How?”

“Hehe, you guys don’t see it, but I constantly have girls come talk to me in order to ask about John. It’s honestly getting annoying. Feiden is dealing with the same thing. I heard his girlfriend had to start chasing them off.”

“Oh…”

Umara smiled a bit, making Vetsmon chuckle.

“You two are always in your own little world. But at least you know that there’s no possible way John has anyone else in his eyes but you. So I don’t think it matters all that much that he’s not a virgin. And why should you let those other girls make you mad? It only hurts you.”

“That’s true…”

“The only thing you have to worry about then is the Inception.”

“Well… I may not have to, but we’ll see.”

“What sparked the conversation anyway?”

Vetsmon glanced over at her, watching her shrug.

“He wanted to know how anybody would know if we, as he cometimes calls it, did the dance with no pants.”

“Hehe.”

“Anyway, he didn’t even know that Inception was a thing. Because he came from a place with no magic, and thankfully, has never experienced it. That gives me hope, but neither of us can be completely sure until that day.”

“You’re waiting until marriage?”

“Mm. But only because we have to.”

“Hm, I can’t imagine what you guys would be doing without all the nobility to hold you back.”

Vetsmon smiled at her, causing her to smirk as they continued walking.

She punched his sturdy arm.

“Thanks big guy.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yea. I think I just needed to talk to someone. Besides, I’m going to have bigger things to worry about soon enough. I can’t worry so much about all that when the operation is tomorrow.”

“Maybe he told you about that now because of that.”

“...Really?”

She looked at him with raised brows.

Vetsmon just shrugged.

“I don’t know. Just a thought.”

“...Alright.”

Umara shook her head, deciding to just clear her mind of the subject and move on.

……

…

The day of the operation was here.

Umara and I met with Maxwell at the bottom of the Franks Tower, taking the elevator up to the top where we met with Terrace.

The day before, I had done nothing other than drink some odd potions Maxwell gave to me. Their effects were varied, from making my skin tingle to making my entire body boil with heat. Some of it was incredibly uncomfortable, while some of them made me feel great.

Then all I had to do was wait. He didn’t want me doing anything, not even eat. I could at most drink tons of water, and along with the potions, it all served to clear my body.

I was positively starving, but didn’t mind the feeling as we arrived in a special wing of the tower.

It was a large medical facility with tons of personnel. There were many patients of all shapes and sized being treated, some of which were quarantine in some way. There were also plenty of surgeries going on.

I was about to become one of those plenty.

Maxwell took us to a large room, the entire place relatively clean, but not nearly sterile enough for my liking. I know I wouldn’t be going under the knife, but it wasn’t comforting to think that people who did wouldn’t get good cleanliness.

Then again, they all used magic, so what the hell did I know.

The room we entered had a bed in the middle and some odd devices on a table next to it. Other than that, there were several contraptions hanging around the table, for what I couldn’t possibly guess.

Finally, there was a separate tray to the side, on top of which were several large vials and syringes. It looked scary.

I took a deep breath as Terrace motioned to the bed.

“Take off your shirt and lay on the bed. Once my assistant gets back, we’ll begin.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and stripped off my coat and shirt, sending them into my spatial sack before climbing onto the hard bed.

There was no noticeable cushion, but I was too anxious to worry about that.

I looked around at the vials and syringes again. I never had a phobia, but needles and the like still got me antsy. Especially when they were so damn big.

I turned my head, watching Terrace make some final preparations.

“Is there going to be any numbing?”

“Partially. I’ll explain the process so you understand what’s going on.”

He lifted a vial and scanned it with a magic spell before nodding.

“Crowns are no mere medicine or potion. They are deep modifications to the human body, requiring extensive and invasive procedures to impart. They are dangerous, painful, and can take quite some time to apply. What we are going to do today is inject a liquieifed solution of White Crystal into your blood, using that as the catalyst to apply the Crown. Once your body is sufficiently saturated, the Crown itself will be applied via an ocular injection.”

“A fucking what?”

“An ocular injection. You wanted to enhance your eyes. Well, we need to get straight into the eyeball.”

“...I’m gonna lose my eyes.”

My head fell back, Terrace smirking.

“Yes, in a way, you will lose your eyes. Most of your eyes will be destroyed in the process before getting regenerated in their new form. This is the part we will numb you for, because the process is notoriously agonizing.”

“Why don’t you just knock me out? I’m not sure I want to be awake for any of this.”

“We can’t. A side effect of injecting you with liquified White Crystal is the effect it has on your Psyka. Let’s just say that it makes it impossible for summoners to fall unconscious. Your mind will become severely overactive, so much that the only thing that would sedate you is an overdose. And from past experience, sedating you first only worsens the experience when you inevitably wake up. It’s enough to send the body into shock, potentially killing you.”

“Fuck…”

I cursed with a logn sigh.

“Am I even going to survive this?”

“Of course. Just because its painful doesn’t mean it’s going to kill you. Don’t worry so much though. We can’t sedate you, but we can paralyze you. It’ll keep you from making this more difficult for me.”

“That’s not comforting.”

“Then take comfort in the fact that you won’t have a choice, and that you’re in my hands. There’s nobody better than me.”

“...Umara, I’m ready to write my will.”

“Little brat.”

Terrace clicked his tongue. At the same time, I established a telepathic connection with Umara.

She looked at me worriedly from the side.

(Are you okay?)

(I’ll be fine. Probably.)

(Well, just keep in mind why you’re doing this. You’re going to get through it. There’s a lot of people who have sacrificed for you to be here. Don’t let them down.)

(Don’t worry. Momma ain’t raise no bitch.)

I smiled before suddenly hearing the doors swing open.

I looked up to find the assistant, another man who looked to be a bit younger then Terrace.

“Ah, Barron. You’re here.”

“Yes sir. This is John? Pleasure to meet you. You’re in good hands.”

“Thank you.”

I shook the man’s hand with a smile. Then, he prepared some gloves.

Terrace grabbed a vial, flicking it with his fingernail and letting out a nice clink.

“Very well. Time to begin. We’ll start by injecting the White Crystal. Just relax. This is the easy part.”

He said that while filling a syringe. Then, he placed it up against my arm.

I took a few long breaths.

And so it began.