Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 6: Jeanne and Ellegaard

The buttons of a controller clicked through the dark room. Gunshots and spells unleashed with overwhelming arcane force blasted from the console’s speakers.

As always, Mitsuki was playing video games. But to him, these marvels of programming and design were more than that—they weren’t just incredible interactive stories told behind a screen. They were what helped him escape the cruel and boring reality he lived in.

It didn’t matter how simple the narrative was or how bad the gameplay felt; he played with a faint smile on his face, marked by heavy dark circles under his eyes. His arms were wrapped in white bandages stained with blood, and beneath his shirt, dozens of bruises throbbed with dull pain.

He had just turned fifteen at that time. It was also when he stopped going to school.

***

Suddenly, he felt himself floating in the depths of a dark abyss.

He felt tired—broken inside. He couldn’t move, speak, or think. It was as if he were dead, yet deep down he knew he wasn’t.

Within that suffocating darkness, a mysterious entity brought its delicate hands to Mitsuki’s face and caressed him with maternal tenderness. Its shadowy, blurred figure smiled gently as it whispered a lullaby.

"It hurts..." Mitsuki said. At last, he could speak. "It hurts so much..."

The shadow embraced him and stroked his hair.

"I want... to go home..." he whispered. "I want to see my manager again. She... she was the only one..."

The rumble of carriage wheels and the neighing of horses echoed nearby. Two voices sounded close to his ears.

He opened his eyes.

First, he stared at the ceiling of a carriage, confused. His memories were blurry, so he slowly sat up, fear creeping into his chest. He touched his head in pain and sighed.

"You’re awake, wanderer?" Jeanne said.

Mitsuki immediately looked to the side—and found himself staring at the most beautiful woman his eyes had ever seen. Not even the girls from the dating sims he once played could compare to the beauty of this blonde girl clad in armor.

Wait, that’s not important right now!

Startled, he scrambled to the other side, but his back bumped into someone’s slender legs.

Looking up, Mitsuki met another beautiful girl—with pointed ears.

"Don’t touch me," she said with a look of disgust.

Mitsuki lowered his gaze, disoriented.

For an instant, the memories of what had happened in the castle returned, disturbing his fragile mind. Desperate, he crawled to the back of the carriage and raised one hand while gripping his forearm with the other.

"He looks scared," Jeanne said.

The elf nodded silently.

"Pathetically scared."

With fear tightening in his chest, Mitsuki stammered:

"FIREBALL!"

Energy gathered in the center of his palm and shot forward in the shape of a spherical flame.

The spell passed between Jeanne and the elf, flying out of the carriage before fading into the horizon.

"Wow..." the elf said. "I’ve never seen Elemental Fire Magic that pathetic."

"Even a child could do better," Jeanne added.

Confused, Mitsuki looked at the girls and asked,

"Where...? Who...? Why?"

The memories of his imminent death finally settled into his mind. Instinctively, he glanced at his arm, searching his tattoo for answers. After all, being crushed in a single blow by the black knight had left mental scars.

"We saved you from wandering through the forest like a drunk fool. First you thank us with a fireball, and now you’re asking questions like nothing happened?" the elf said arrogantly. "Looks like you left your manners at the bottom of a bottle."

Jeanne shook her head.

"Don’t be so harsh on him, Ellegaard. He doesn’t seem drunk. Look at his clothes. I haven’t seen anyone wear something that fine in decades."

"If his clothes are elegant, then he probably stole them. And do you remember where we are? This is Nemoria, Jeanne. You know better than anyone that no weakling walks out of this land alive. Most likely, he’s a demon."

"If he were a demon, you wouldn’t have agreed to let him into the carriage. Just admit you’re looking for an excuse to be mad at me over the grimoire."

"And what if I am? It’s your fault to begin with. You told me I’d find the treasure here." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"We’re not having that argument again."

Jeanne sighed and turned her attention back to Mitsuki. Meanwhile, Ellegaard crossed her arms and looked toward the road behind them, visibly irritated.

"I apologize if her attitude makes you uncomfortable. She’s like that with everyone, so don’t take it personally."

With a strange elegance, she offered her hand to Mitsuki.

"Let’s start from the beginning. I’m Jeanne Sardonyx. It’s a pleasure to meet you. This ill-tempered elf is Ellegaard. What’s your name?"

With a somber expression, Mitsuki tried to take Jeanne’s hand, but something stopped him. Even if it was rude, he pulled back slightly and answered:

"Mitsuki... Mitsuki Kirishima."

Jeanne raised her eyebrows curiously. She withdrew her hand and relaxed her posture.

"I see. Where are you from, Mitsuki? I come from a distant kingdom in the north. As you can see," she said, lightly tapping her armored chest, "I’m a paladin."

"I..."

Mitsuki stopped. This was a huge problem.

’I don’t understand any of this... I can’t take the time to check the system. And then there are these girls. They said they saved me? That doesn’t matter. There’s a real elf sitting next to me.’

His mind in chaos, he shook his head to clear it.

First, he needed an excuse—something that wouldn’t expose the fact that he came from another world. But that was the problem. Years of isolation and speaking to only one person had severely damaged his social skills.

It was already hard enough to look that beautiful girl in the eyes, yet he forced himself to try.

’I have to answer... Just imagine it’s a dating sim...’

He braced himself and said,

"I don’t know... I don’t remember."

He used his appearance to his advantage. He knew he looked like a piece of homeless trash. At least for now, that would keep him from being killed.

"That’s unfortunate," Jeanne replied. "Nemoria is a very dangerous place where anything can happen. The Ancient Mysteries still affect the world even today, so it’s no surprise something might have tampered with your mind."

’Ancient Mysteries?’ Mitsuki thought, staring at the floor.

"He’s lying to you, Jeanne. How can you not see that?" Ellegaard said, raising her staff and glaring at him. "Tell us who you are, human."

Suddenly, Mitsuki felt dizzy. He grabbed his head in pain—something was digging into his memories.

"Even if he is lying, you shouldn’t pry into other people’s minds," Jeanne said firmly. "If that’s all he wants to tell us, then so be it. We have no right to force our will onto others."

Ellegaard rolled her eyes with a sigh. She lowered her staff and rested it beside her.

"You’re too soft on everyone, princess. Someone’s going to stab you in the back one day."

With a smile, Jeanne replied,

"If that day comes, I hope the dagger is in your hands."

Ellegaard blushed. She turned her gaze back to the road and said nothing more. Jeanne then looked at Mitsuki again.

"You see? That’s just how she is. She’s cute, don’t you think?"

Mitsuki looked at Ellegaard. It was true—she was beautiful, as beautiful as any elf he had seen in his games.

’Setting aside the fact that I don’t understand anything...’

Yeah...

"Yes, she’s beautiful."

Too late to realize what he had said, he covered his mouth just as Ellegaard’s staff pressed against his forehead.

"You haven’t earned the right to speak about me, filthy human. Want your head to explode?"

Covering his mouth with both hands, Mitsuki shook his head frantically. Ellegaard clicked her tongue and returned to her seat.

’I take it back. She’s not.’

On the other hand, Jeanne seemed resigned to her companion’s attitude.

"It’s better to leave things as they are."

"Y-Yeah..." Mitsuki said. He glanced at Ellegaard, thinking carefully about his words. "Mitsuki Kirishima is my name—I didn’t lie about that. Even if there are things I don’t understand about this world, I know I’m nothing compared to whatever I might encounter here."

Looking at his tattoo, he reflected on his own statement. He thought about how insignificant he had felt before the monster that had granted him the title of "Master of Cinder."

Jeanne seemed surprised. Even Ellegaard, who pretended not to listen, appeared impressed by those words.

Mitsuki had been unexpectedly sincere. That probably earned him affection points—or at least it would have in a game.

"In any case, you’re lost, aren’t you?"

Mitsuki nodded timidly. Jeanne smiled faintly.

"I understand. Ellegaard and I are traveling across Nemoria. It’ll take us two weeks to return to the nearest kingdom. In exchange for a favor, we can take you with us. You know—nothing in life is free."

That sounded good.

Having finished reading the notifications on his tattoo, he accepted.

"I don’t have anything to offer, but I’ll try to repay you."

’At least this way, I won’t be in as much danger.’

While Jeanne spoke kindly, Ellegaard kept one eye on Mitsuki’s tattoo. There was something about those "ancient runes" that caught her attention. If not for that, Mitsuki Kirishima’s journey might have been as normal as any other isekai adventure.

He had no idea what kind of insane world he had fallen into.