My Life in Another World Is Awful

By Alberto Catellani

Librhom's life as an ordinary guard was cut short too soon, and forced to travel alongside Lillhei of the Canids, he once more crosses the border into Hiepigodia and into the waiting hands of destiny itself-or so you'd expect, if this was the usual Isekai-standard fare. Leading a mercenary company through thick and thin, battles and ambushes, and handling aspects of bureaucracy he is not prepared for, the new name of Libvir shall become known as the Captain of the Fifth, though what is honor to one side may just as well be tragedy to the other.

Old faces appear, and new faces show up. Yet, no one can predict the future. And more questions open up on the nature of the world itself, though when they'll be answered, no one can truly guess.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alberto Catellani
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005442262

Alberto Catellani

Alberto Catellani was born on the 9 of March from the country that brought forth the greatest of inventions: the Road. We are talking of Italy, and he was born on a dark and stormy night at 3 in the morning. From a bright and early age, he wanted to write and once he found his grandfather's old typing machine, write he did. What he wrote back then is best left forgotten to the annals of time. Still, he keeps writing on. Known on the Internet as Shadenight123, and outside of it as someone with fifteen years plus of experience as a Dungeon Master capable of actually finishing the campaigns he starts, he has enjoyed a Classical Schooling, moved on to the beer-filled lands of Germany, and is currently attempting a Master level degree with, hopefully, a Ph.D afterwards. And in the meantime, he keeps on writing. Writing brings happiness, to himself and to those who enjoy his books and that, more than anything, is what truly makes him willing to write more and more. If you work at something you enjoy doing, after all, it will be as if you haven't been working at all.

Book preview

Acknowledgments

To those I have inspired, and whom in turn have inspired me,

To those I have stood steadfast by the side of, and whom have stayed,

To my family, who understands little English, but acknowledges my efforts,

To my soon-to-be-thin brother, whom I wish good luck.

To my readers from beyond the borders of nations, the groups of cultures, and the yoke of tyrants,

Thank you all.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

Map Of Calemil - Year 811

Preface

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Map Of Calemil - Year 811

Preface

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. That’s true, but not for lack of trying. We tend to fantasize about the past, romanticize it even. We honor or remember the great stories of the leaders and forget all about the common soldiers. It is never a private, a single archer, or a spearman that won the day in a siege, or in a war.

It’s always the cunning of the Generals, of the Leaders, of the Government.

Isn’t that the greatest theft of history? Someone must have scaled the walls first, and someone must have breached the walls. It was not a fancy lord on a horse who did that; who was the man in charge of the trebuchet? Who was the archer whose arrow struck down the besieger’s finest?

We will perhaps never know.

History has stolen them from us. It has stolen them from their own honors. It is easier to lay laurels on the heads of Generals, then to hand off whole forests to the common man.

It is not my attempt to restore them to prominence; I am sure historians might be more capable on doing that. This is merely a book that finishes the trilogy of Hum, a common man thrust in a world beyond his modern sensibilities to handle, and who adapts to its flaws and virtues.

Life is not one linear crescendo of triumphs; high and lows encompasses us all. We are lucky, however, that we live not in a time or in a place where death is so common as to be the consequence of the simplest of failures.

We should thank the common man for that; give them a round of applause.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy this final book of the first trilogy (another will be in the works soon after), and come to cheer, and regret, and understand.

Seeking another, better world for escapism isn’t a solution; not when the world in question is real enough to bring with it all of its troubles.

But enjoy the story, and perhaps, who knows, you might feel blessed you were not forced in the same situations as poor Hum was.

Alberto Catellani

Prologue

Congratulations, Hero . You have been reborn into the world of Calemil to save it!

That message appeared on a bright blue alert screen, the style floral and the buzzing around him signaling that it was, indeed, quite similar to a virtual reality game. One from which he couldn't escape by pushing logout.

Though he wondered about where the logout button even was, or who he was; or for what reason he might try to escape. The place was cool and comfortable, and it sure beat the cellar he had been in before.

Oh, valiant hero, a voice called from above him. It was difficult to understand if it was male or female; it felt like both, as if two people were speaking as one. Please, save the world of Calemil from those who would see it destroyed. Keep it safe from the ploys of evil and safeguard its people from those who'd wish them harm!

He felt the darkness recede. Light seemed to be shining from far ahead. The darkness started to warm up.

You will be reborn as an instrument of Our will! Bring forth salvation! Bring forth goodness! Go now and strive to become a valiant paladin of Conbasu!

He had no idea who Conbasu was; yet he felt himself being pushed forward. His body tightened, and his arms wrapped around him as he felt incredible pain. He screamed, and his screams turned into wailing cries as he was brought into the light by a pair of strong, vigorous giant hands.

It's a boy! a loud, booming voice said. You finally did it, Vugi! We have a son now!

I am glad, husband, a tired, female voice whispered. Can I... Can I see him?

His vision was blurred, but he soon felt a warm sensation as he was passed delicately in the arms of a woman, and his ears could feel the relaxing, methodical heartbeat that was so close to his ears. His vision came into focus after a while, and he could finally see the face of his mother.

She had a bear-like face, and dark, beige fur.

Her teeth were sharp, and his eyes widened as he realized that his own body had a light sheen of fur.

Aunog, she said. That will be your name. Don't you like it?

She smiled, and that simply made him cry louder.

Mission Start: Tutorial.

Hello Hero! Welcome to the world of Calemil! You have nothing to worry about for now! You are born into the family of a wealthy land owner of Hiepigodia, and your first few years I will be your companion in explaining to you how the world works, how the people of Calemil go about their daily lives, and how you can act to better improve their conditions!

Though be wary Hero, just as there are those who would bring justice and kindness to this world, there are those chosen by the Gods of Evil to do the opposite! You must wage the eternal battle between light and dark, good and evil, and bring forth victory!

Enjoy your new life, and the benefits you have received. To consult them, say Status Screen. Do not worry about anything for now. Enjoy being pampered! Enjoy being loved!

With ever-increasing affection for you, your trustworthy Hero Journal!

Aunog wondered why it felt so familiar to him, as if it was nothing more than a game. Then, he felt his stomach grumble and knew what was to come. He cried and got the attention he deserved.

It wouldn't be that bad of a thing, living his life in this other world, kicking back and relaxing, and perhaps since his father was a wealthy landowner, he'd do something about the fields and expand. He knew so much that could be of help to these, no doubts, backwater and ancient times.

Everything about being a paladin and fighting for the forces of good sounded too much of a chore for him; he'd do what he could, but it wasn't like he had signed up for this.

Somewhere else, perhaps in another place or dimension entirely, some of the gods laughed and enjoyed themselves as one more 'Chosen' entered the field of a battle meant for their amusement and joy, for them to gamble upon and win or lose.

There was no Good or Evil.

It was never about the fate of the world.

But they lapped it up, those humans from other worlds.

They lapped it up and fell for it.

And thus, they enjoyed their game. Others disagreed, and some even rebelled against the idea, but it didn't truly matter. It was all in good fun.

What was the point of being a God, if you couldn't enjoy it?

Librhom

Lilhei wasn't a weak, frail lady who needed a horse to march, but she still was not a trained mercenary or soldier that could keep up with the likes of my speed. Especially not once she had let go of the horse, leaving the poor beast to trudge by itself on the grass on the way to Berorentum.

I doubted the poor animal would survive, and while it did feel like a waste, I knew better than to claim it as my own and leave the Canid hybrid to fend for herself.

I could have done that; I could have perhaps very easily threatened the woman at sword point, taken the horse, her gold and her provisions and then just left her to handle the road by herself, or return back where she came.

Yet even if I could have done that, and even if there was quite the desire to do so, I held back. I still needed to cross the border, and Lilhei had apparently planned how to do so for quite a while. I didn't doubt that her family would be looking for her, and if she had a plan on how to escape, then trying to run on my own might just be more problematic.

Especially if whoever captured me believed I'd have killed her, rather than just stolen from her. Still, the desire to just leave her behind was tempting. I chalked not doing so to simple self-preservation; if they caught up to us, I could just leave her behind and run by myself. They wouldn't pursue me knowing she was safe and once more in their hands.

Instead, if I wound up leaving by myself and they found me, they'd hold me prisoner until they knew what had happened to her, which might even mean torture for all I knew.

She must have known that, because as she let the horse go and started to walk by my side, I could see the nervousness on her face. She had made a perfect plan, but it was only perfect for as long as my patience, and kind soul, allowed it.

The moment we crossed the border, however, I'd leave her to fend for herself.

The satchel she fetched from her horse before leaving it to the wilderness was now on her back, and it was big enough that I hoped it contained enough provisions for the trip, but I doubted it.

We'd need to supply in Clauvonalas.

Thankfully, the road would lead us to the river Nargis, and from there we'd take a small boat.

That was the plan.

It still meant three days of march before reaching the river, however. And in those three days, my patience might just run thin enough to snap.

I was a good man, but being patient with a blackmailing, conniving noble lady was a far greater hurdle for the likes of me to pass.

Chapter One

Lilhei had a rucksack , while I had but my wool sheet. I was used to sleeping on the ground, and the grass was soft enough that I didn't really mind. I gathered a few dry branches from the outskirts of the forest, not daring to go deeper inside even though between the monsters in there and the one outside, I knew which were the ones I liked the most.

The shoulder-length blond curls of the Canid hybrid were an unmistakable trait of the woman, as were her amethyst eyes. For the latter there was little one could do, but for the former she had come prepared.

Charcoal dust and ashes, she muttered as I finished piling the dry wooden sticks together, before grabbing hold of the small piece of flint I carried with me, and using the sharp edge of my blade, began to work on starting a few sparks on the driest bits of grass I could find. They'll darken my hair as long as I don't wash it off.

I said nothing, too busy working on getting a fire started. Sometimes I was lucky, and it took minutes, other times I was unlucky, and it took nearly half an hour. Still, as the grass quickly started to smoke, I bent down near it and blew softly, the smallest sticks going first, and then as the fire started to properly crackle, I brought the bigger ones into the fray.

Some cracked by themselves, clearly a bit too humid, but they were what we had, so we'd make do with them.

The thing that surprised me the most was that Lilhei wasn't wearing the sleeveless shirt and short-pants ensemble of the one escape I had been the unlucky and unwilling participant in but was dressed more conservatively. She had a simple enough tunic that reached all the way to her wrists, and a pair of leather trousers that while not the norm wasn’t out of character for a man.

As long as the man in question was fighting in a war, or rich enough to buy a horse. Most people went by with a knee-length tunic after all, at least in Solis, and those who didn't had short trousers and wore greaves as they were, once more, soldiers.

It was clear that Lilhei had gotten her more spartan clothes from Metatus or his wife; and she was wearing an ensemble of the two. Now that the fire was underway, I could relax ever so briefly and take in the events of the days’ past.

You planned your escape with a mercenary, I pointed out.

Lilhei grimaced, but then quietly nodded. Metatus would have found someone willing to escort me, had you not come along. When you did, I took it as a sign of the gods.

Bah, I spat to the side. The bastard even went so far as to look contrite you were planning to escape on his wedding day.

He's always been a good friend, Lilhei said, I didn't involve him purposefully until the last attempt.

Yet, you didn't trust him with the actual city you planned on going to, I said.

If I did, he would have refused to help, Lilhei said gently. The road to Coviar is safe, and well-trafficked. I always wore clothes befitting my status and rode there on a horse. He thinks I'll do the same this time around, she chuckled. I trust him to keep quiet for a bit, but I can't trust him not to worry and speak up in the end.

You plan on passing off as some kind of mercenary then? I retorted, glancing at the crackling fire. You lack a weapon.

I'll get one in Clauvonalas, she answered. It's not uncommon for women to serve as mercenaries in Pydria. I'll pass off as an eager, naive youth seeking to become as strong as an Amazon.

Suit yourself, I mused.

Listen... Lilhei muttered, I understand you are angry about the current turn of events, she continued, But I will keep my word. You will be rewarded if I reach Patay intact.

You seem to put a lot of faith in your honor and your word, yet where was it when you decided to rope me into your foolish plans? I remarked. You can't play the honor card once you've already burned it.

Lilhei glanced away, You're a learned man, she said, You're not just a mercenary, are you?

I shrugged at that, I have had some kind of education, I said. But even if I did, it doesn't really matter now, does it? What good is the knowledge you learned, when it's meaningless against the sword or the fangs of those who would seek you harm?

Lilhei chuckled at that. It's just...is it so wrong? To strive for happiness?

No, I said, But your freedom must end where another one begins, I retorted. You could have attempted to escape a thousand times; I wouldn't have cared. I am angry because you roped me in, without a chance to refuse, without a choice, and you burned my options to keep me from at least backing out from this, I stared at her sharply. Make no mistake, saying that I am angry is a gross understatement of what I truly feel for the likes of you.

Yet...you haven't tried anything, Lilhei whispered. You...you have me in your power, don't you?

I mulled the thought briefly, and then shook my head.

You're not worth it, I said in the end. I placed another stick on the fire. And I am better than you.

I could see her eyes glance down at the fire in turn, her arms crossed in front of her knees. Guess that's why I decided to pick you.

Because you're a fool? I muttered.

Even back on the ship, she said, you had no reason to help me, yet you tried all the same.

Ah, I saw there where the problem was. She believed that when I told her to drag the barrel along, I was trying to help her. In truth, I was just trying to help myself. That misunderstanding was what brought along the current situation.

I should have just let her get caught, not bothered with fighting the Canids, and maybe hid myself in a cabin or a barrel to wait it all. I could have stayed in the kitchen like Dantin probably did. Instead no, I hadn't.

And now the consequences were clear for me to see.

If that's what you think, you're naive, I said instead.

Am I? With me, the marriage will solidify the situation between Solis and Lamoutiers; there will be less risk of war, and many lives will be spared, she answered right back. True, the Serpes' king may be displeased, but he won't immediately rebel, he was given his lands back by the King, and it would be a show of poor of character if he strove to bite the hand that aided him in his time of need.

What makes you think that your Lamoutiersian noble will still be interested in you? I asked instead.

He's different, Lilhei said. Even though the people of the Prime God dislike us, he was willing to marry me. He said he found my eyes beautiful, and we met often as children. It is not a mere flight of fancy; we came to enjoy one another's presence...and I wrote to him before embarking on my attempts. I made it clear that I'd still try to be with him, if he so agreed.

I wished to roll my eyes but did not.

He agreed, she sighed, That is why, I will try. True love triumphs.

Tragedies fill the world more often than comedies, I quipped back, but the fire's crackled enough. Get what rest you can. Tomorrow we'll march more.

Lilhei nodded at that and placed her rucksack of sorts close to the fire. I turned my back on her, placed an arm under the side of my face, and then sighed.

If death were to come in the night, I merely wished it to be quick, and painless.

It didn't. Truly, even my expectations were regularly shattered.

We reached the Nargis river, and the small village that was propped against its bridge, by the middle of the day. By that time, the charred and burned wood of last night's fire had been ground and generously placed over Lilhei's hair, which she even allowed me to cut short.

Not so short as to mistake her for a slave, but short enough that if she wore the right attire, she might perhaps pass off as a man to those who didn't know her.

Canids recognized by smell, but humans didn't. Further, to a human a Canid or a Hybrid weren't that easy to recognize if they wore different clothes or belonged to different species.

The hair is uneven, Lilhei muttered under her breath. Thankfully you are not a barber.

I wondered why I hadn't let my sword slip quite a few inches lower to her neck, but then shook my head.

The village had many boats, and fishermen who would follow the river to the sea when they wanted to fish seawater fishes, or simply had people spend most of their mornings and evenings in the fields, and then a few moments before the night came to fish along its tranquil streams.

The good days they'd bring up large fishes, and the bad days they'd go home without a fish. They also had a few flat barges that were pushed alongside the current by long thin poles, as apparently the end of the Nargis river coincided with the meeting of crossroads that led to Clauvonalas, but also Marnum, Loncantia, Berorentum and