Sephiria

In the days that followed, Roland explored his body's potential while thinking about how to leave Planet Vegeta. After turning the idea over and over, he decided the most convenient plan was to get his identity restored first, then take any mission that would send him far away from Planet Vegeta.

Once he was away, he could cut off his communicator. Who would care what was happening back on Planet Vegeta?

Whether the Saiyans lived or died had nothing to do with him.

He could travel the universe without a care, get into the occasional fight, kill a few aliens, and, when he got tired, find a planet rich in supplies where he could relax. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Come to think of it, he could also go to Earth. He'd be invincible there, and maybe he could even flirt with some of the heroines from the original story and get up to a little something with them.

Roland thought about it happily, feeling that his future was full of promise...

Life on Earth really did seem more suited to him.

Wait. He suddenly snapped to attention, remembering something extremely important. What if the story was still many years away? Or what if he got to Earth and discovered it was still in the ancient era? What would he do then?

It wasn't impossible.

Cold sweat broke out. Roland suddenly realized he might have been overlooking a possibility all along. Who said he had to arrive close to the start of the story? What if he was decades or even centuries too early? By the time the story began, he'd be nothing but ashes.

Surely his luck wasn't that bad...

"No way. Aren't transmigrators supposed to arrive around the time the story starts? That's just how it works!"

He gave an awkward laugh and wiped his brow, but even he was starting to doubt it. If transmigration could happen, who knew what else was possible?

He remembered a novel about a local protagonist whose childhood had been miserable. Then, by chance, he went on an adventure and found the journal of a transmigrator from an ancient era. The insights he uncovered in it changed his prospects and sent him on the road to success. Clearly, a transmigrator didn't have to be the protagonist. He could just be a convenient cheat prepared for the protagonist.

Thinking of it that way made Roland even more uneasy.

This didn't seem like a safe bet.

Damn it, why was he still holed up here? He had to get back to the settlement and check! If he waited any longer, he might lose his place as the protagonist.

A troubled expression crossed Roland's young face. Whatever happened, he had to go back. He frowned and thought for a while. Fortunately, he still had his predecessor's memories. Once he had figured out where he was, Roland's small body began to float, and he flew toward the nearest Saiyan settlement.

Saiyans couldn't sense Ki, but they could use Ki Blasts and fly with ease.

The bitter wind kept blowing against his face, and Roland shivered. It was freezing. His body couldn't take it, and he was just wondering whether to slow down when the energy inside him reacted. It surged hotly, forming a protective film over his skin, and the cold vanished without a trace.

That made sense. If he could already fly, there was no reason he shouldn't be able to withstand the cold.

Although life-forms in the universe didn't understand Ki and couldn't sense it, they were certainly well-versed in using energy. When Roland covered his body with energy, his ears, eyes, and other senses became especially sharp. It seemed that energy really could enhance the body's senses.

Perhaps that was why aliens had developed the habit of relying on their eyes to see and Scouters to detect things.

Only in a harsh, "low-power" environment like Earth, where energy levels were pitifully low, had people developed the martial arts technique of sensing Ki.

For Earthlings, every bit of Ki was hard-won. They might have to cultivate for decades just to gain a little, so they couldn't possibly waste it. That was why such a rigorous system had naturally developed.

When Goku and Krillin first learned to use Ki Blasts, they were just like the aliens out there: they knew how to fire them, but not what they truly involved. For Earthlings with battle powers of only a little over a hundred, Ki Blasts were more like a badge of status for advanced martial artists. They weren't very practical in combat, since they consumed a lot of energy to defeat an enemy, took a long time to prepare, and were far less effective than punches and kicks. So most of the time, martial artists preferred to fight hand to hand.

Goku and Master Roshi were both like that.

Only after training at Kami's Lookout and advancing to a higher level did the advantages of Earthlings' Ki gradually become apparent.

Roland didn't know any of this yet. He was simply using energy waves out of habit, relying on his memories.

He had to change that. If he let the habit take root, learning to use Ki later would be much harder, and he'd have to work twice as hard to get half as far.

Night hung heavily overhead, like a pair of enormous hands pressing down on the world.

The nearest Saiyan settlement was only a little over a hundred kilometers from Roland. At his flying speed, he could get there in just over ten minutes.

Dim lights appeared ahead.

This was the settlement where Roland had once lived. It wasn't very large, so living conditions weren't great, and it couldn't compare with the big Saiyan cities or the Royal Capital. Settlements like this had originally been established by Saiyan squads to make carrying out missions easier. Over time, as their populations grew, they had gradually developed into places resembling market towns.

After slowing down, Roland landed.

The settlement was very quiet at night. Rows of buildings, like stones hollowed out in the middle, stood in neat lines.

There was a plaza in the center of the settlement where Saiyans parked their aircraft. Even at night, adult Saiyans guarded it, so no matter how much Roland coveted those aircraft, his better judgment told him not to go near them.

"My home should be in the southeastern part of the settlement." Following the memories in his mind, Roland avoided the people in the street and walked to a low stone house.

It was the house his parents had left him.

"Hm?" A dim light ahead caught his attention. The lights in his home were on.

A burglar! That was Roland's first thought. Then he shook his head. Saiyans weren't that uncouth.

Those skinflints hadn't reclaimed his house, had they?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Roland's mind as he muttered curses and crept toward the house. He pressed his head to the window and peered inside.

The window was open, so he could easily see the furnishings. The interior door was shut, and nothing in the room seemed to have been moved, but someone appeared to be walking around inside.

Just as Roland was about to investigate, the person inside noticed him.

"Who's there?" A girl's voice rang out, clear and lovely, though cold.

Roland's heart tightened. He reflexively tried to run, but just then a cold breeze swept by, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance. His feet lifted from the ground, and someone picked up his small body.

The person was a beautiful young woman who looked about sixteen or seventeen. She was tall and slender, with an aura of contained vitality. Her smooth hair fell over her shoulders, and her skin was fair and clear, though her expression was decidedly cold.

Roland and the girl stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Who are you, and why are you in my house?" Roland's neck was caught in her grip. He struggled with all four limbs, but she was too strong for him.

"Your house?"

The girl stared at Roland. "You're Roland. Weren't you dead?"

Roland's dark eyes widened. "Of course I'm not dead."

The girl tossed Roland to the ground. She quickly grasped what had happened, her expression turning icy. "Those bastards at the treatment center told me you were dead."

"Who are you?" Roland got up, rubbing his backside. From the way things looked, she didn't seem to mean him any harm.

The girl across from him was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "My name is Sephiria. I'm your older sister, more or less."

"What?"

The surprised exclamation slipped out of Roland's mouth. He stared at the girl before him with dark eyes. How had he never known he had an older sister?

"What are you talking about?" Sephiria frowned.

"Oh, I was surprised by who you are." Roland studied the girl who claimed to be his older sister. She really was beautiful.

To make the most of their advantages as a warrior race, Saiyans went through an unusually long adolescence. To better disguise themselves, they also remained in a childlike state until just before adulthood, then grew rapidly as they approached it. This girl was so stunning that she was probably close to adulthood.

Still, no matter how beautiful she was, she seemed rather cold.

"I'm your older sister. There's no doubt about that."

So Sephiria began to explain her background. It turned out that her mother and Roland's mother were biological sisters. In other words, she was Roland's cousin, fourteen years older than him, and one of the rare elite-class Saiyan warriors. Five years ago, she had gone on a major mission with her parents and the rest of their group. She had only recently returned to Planet Vegeta. Sephiria didn't say much about the mission itself, but it seemed that although they had completed it, they had suffered heavy losses.

"So you really are my older sister?" Roland asked again.

"Yes!"

"An elite-class warrior?"

"That's right." Sephiria didn't say much. She seemed rather cold.

"What's your battle power?" Roland asked with great interest.

Sephiria glanced at Roland. "A battle power of 4,200!"

Roland gasped and couldn't catch his breath. Clutching his chest, he felt as though his heart hurt terribly! Compared with the girl in front of him, he felt utterly defeated.

This girl was definitely a genius.

"Are you all right?" Sephiria placed a hand on Roland's forehead and calmly checked his temperature.

"I'm fine. My heart hurts a little."

Your hand is so cold.

Roland slowly breathed in, then out, steadying his emotions. He arranged his young face into an expression of admiration.

He was absolutely going to cling to Sephiria's coattails.