Those four words are never good to hear. Depending on what Lysander says next, I might have a heart attack and keel over on the spot.

I spin around on my heel to face him. “Huh? What? Talk about what?”

“Sir Clark, I really am concerned for you.” He’s got his arms crossed. This is bad news. “If, in the future, you are to come to this world more often, you must be ready to defend yourself.”

“I’ll be fine! I’ve got a knife, and if I don’t have one I’ll take a gun or something. You don’t have to worry so much about me, seriously.” I hope that’s reassuring enough.

“No, you don’t understand!” Okay then, it wasn’t enough. “The rules of this realm are different from yours. No matter how superior your technology is, you will never be able to win without the proper techniques! You must make a decision, Sir Clark,” Lysander implores, “stay here and strengthen yourself, or return to your rightful home and live a peaceful life.”

What’s he on about? A gun’s a gun no matter where you are. What does technique matter? The laws of physics are the same in every world, aren’t they… more information’s always useful, though, so I’ll stay. 

What do I have to lose, anyway? There’s nothing much to miss out on at home; maybe family visits, certainly not promotions or anything interesting at work. Besides, dear old Lysander probably doesn’t know that the merger will literally combine our worlds… so that ultimatum he just gave me isn’t so much of a dilemma rather than a temporary choice.

“Alright. Show me the ropes, bucko.” Let’s see what this guy can do.

Lysander smiles, drawing his broadsword from its sheath. “I’m glad you’ve decided to stay, Sir Clark.” 

“Mhm.”

“Now, the first thing you must remember is that pure strength is not the only way to win. Physical prowess can be bested by magic or intelligence — but overconfidence will always, eventually, end in defeat.”

Funny coming from a guy with such a heavy-looking set of gear. He might as well be a table-top game paladin with a maxed out STR stat. “Okay.”

“I can’t teach you how to become smart or strong. I’m not a good enough teacher for that. What I can do, however, is guide you on the use of magic. My friend the Saintess was far more adept than I was, but I did learn a few things from her… Of course, I also knew some common knowledge that everyone in this land knows.” 

“You set your sword on fire before. How’d you do that?”

Lysander points the broadsword at the ground. “Magic requires a conduit. For me, my conduit is my sword. That spell you saw me cast was a simple fire spell, but very versatile.”

He could be lying, but I can’t tell if there are any hidden compartments on either the blade or the hilt of the broadsword. The hilt is the same golden as his armor, with a similar design on it. An intricate sun giving off rays, and an insect of some kind inside it… looks like a dragonfly.

“I would cast it again to demonstrate, but… I am feeling rather faint.” Lysander sets his sword down on the cobblestone. He takes off his breastplate, somehow, in a way that’s too fast and confusing for me to understand.

Wait, what, he’s not wearing anything under there except a shirt? He’s so skinny, too… I would’ve expected some padding or reinforcement or something, not whatever’s going on here.

“What’s the matter, Sir Clark?”

“Nothing, I just thought you’d be a bit… bigger.”

Lysander laughs awkwardly. “I suppose I am rather svelte. It’s all thanks to the Goddess’s blessing… I was rather sickly in my youth, but her powers assisted me in attaining strength despite that.”

“Wow, maybe I should try getting blessed by the Goddess instead of protein powder.”

“Powdered proteins… I beg your pardon?” Lysander looks confused for a micro-instant, but then he’s back to his usual serious self. “In any case, no such blessings will be given out.”

“Does she not like foreigners?” I joke.

“No, of course she would—!” Lysander stammers, flushing bright red and getting defensive. Reeling himself back, he crosses his arms, sighing. “She’s simply… deceased.”

Oh shit, how’d I forget? Must’ve touched a nerve with that one. “I’m, uh, sorry for your loss.”

“No need for apologies, Sir Clark.” His tone becomes grave. “It was… a long time ago, and I… was not particularly close to her. If you conversed with any of the Saintesses, however… they would be distraught. Save your condolences for them.”

I throw my hands up in surrender. “I will, I will.”

“Now, back to your training. It is of utmost importance that you learn this, and learn it well; for you, like my people, will not always be under someone else’s protection.”

“I know, I know.”

“Now, your world may differ, but everyone in this world possesses something called ‘mana’. How should I best explain it… ah, imagine a tube filled with liquid. Casting magic spells necessitates knowing how to perform the incantation, and having enough mana in order to cast it… thus, imagine tipping out some of the liquid in the tube in order to make… ah, who knows, a barrel of wine. Thus the wine-barrel would be your magic spell, I suppose.

“Mana replenishes naturally over time, albeit very slowly. The recovery process can be hastened by eating and sleeping well. Mana depletion leaves one with few options, even outside of combat — one tends to tire quickly without mana.

“What else… types of magic… ah, yes. In this continent, our lives are governed by the four elements — fire, water, earth, and air. There is a fifth one, but it is, ah… special. I shall tell you more about it later; for now, we focus on the basics.

“These elements determine the effects of any magic a person may want to cast. Fire makes things hotter, drier. Water dampens and cools. Earth steadies and air gives freedom. Each one is associated with many traits, such as cardinal directions, colors, and climates… but a caster’s affinity for each type is linked to their personality.

“Fire magic users tend to be impetuous and fickle. Water, unpredictable. Earth, reliable. Air-users… the few I have met were idealists, I suppose. 

“Normally, a person will have one type of elemental magic they excel at; their mastery over the other elements will almost certainly be lesser than their specialty. The Goddess, however, granted me the potential to do a lot more than the average person, so I would be an exception to this rule…” Lysander smiles again. “So! Don’t be discouraged if you only have one specialty, Sir Clark — it’s perfectly normal.”

This guy’s not making any sense. I know what these words mean on their own, but the way he strings them together sounds like complete gibberish.

“Uh huh…” I mumble.

“The four elements form a cycle of strengths and weaknesses; water extinguishes fire, fire consumes air, air erodes earth, and earth absorbs water. However, the amount of mana used in an elemental spell can overpower a weaker spell of a stronger elemental affinity, so both raw strength and affinity strength make a difference…”

Wait, is that how they all put out the fire so quickly? With water-elemental magic? I’ll find out later. I need to get to the action.

“Although physical strength is not the only path to victory, it is usually a deciding factor—”

Trying to bring him back to his senses, I cough. “So what am I supposed to be defending myself against, again?”

“Ah, right! My apologies, I’ve been talking far too long, haven’t I…”

“It’s fine, I just wanted to hear about something else.”

“You may have to fight against bandits and those who would want to do you harm, of course, but for a long time the main threat has been the Demon King’s army of monsters.”

They really were monsters, huh. How does that work? “What do you mean by ‘monsters’?”

“I refer to creatures of nature that the Demon King has corrupted into being his servants. They dissolve back into mana once they die, reuniting with the natural world and becoming part of the mana system once more… In truth, all living things do this, which is why eating good foods replenishes mana, but the Demon King’s monsters dissolve at such a fast rate that their dissolution happens near-instantaneously, as opposed to the slower degradation of all other things…” Lysander strokes his chin. “Perhaps it is something to do with the corruption process they undergo…”

It’s a hell of a lot to take in, and I’m not sure I got any of it. Reminds me of my high-school days, back when I still took biology courses, trying so hard to learn something I’m total dogshit at. 

“You’ve done well keeping pace with the theory — now, it’s time for you to gain some practical experience.”