It wasn’t exactly the fear of heights that had Heron quaking in his salary man shoes.

  Smoke breaks were common in Heron’s first life while working as an office worker at his small shady company. It was where he had felt at peace with the wind in his hair while standing on the veranda at the top of his company building. Peering over the railings, he had watched the sun set with the smoke on his lips–now all but a distant, nostalgic memory. That was the kind of height that he had never feared; after all, there was a safety railing.

  To prevent him from falling.

  And now Heron was being carried like an infant by the claws of a dragon as he held onto Lucifer like an emotional support chihuahua as they flew into the sky and out of the atmosphere of their tiny planet.

  Let. Me. Breathe.

  Oops. Heron had been gripping Lucifer a bit too hard, suffocating the poor thing. He tried to say sorry but no words came out. Or maybe the words did but his heart had drummed so loudly that it drowned the sound away with the relentless pounding in his chest. His eyes flitted over the surface of the planet, scanning across the roof of his simple cabin, his several fields of crops, and the crater in his potato field. As they rose higher and the planet appeared smaller, he swallowed the lump in his throat as he held Lucifer in a more friendly and non-suffocating way.

  Heron hoped that Serafina wouldn’t accidentally—or purposefully—drop him from a height this high. He wasn’t exactly relying on the off chance that Lucifer could return to its dragon form or that a stack of hay would be of any use if they were hundreds of meters off the ground. It also didn’t help that Serafina had been quiet since the moment the four of them had regrouped and Serafina had picked him up like a rag-doll and taken off into the sky.

  Not that any reassurance would help–completely relying on someone, anyone, just wasn’t Heron’s forte.

  As the four of them broke past the skies and into the plane of time and space, Heron had no choice but to leave his fate—and Lucifer’s—in the hands of an elf and dragon he had met a few days ago.

  Heron held his breath. Not that he needed to. But he held it for as long as he could till his throat burned and his lungs ached.

  He didn’t know what outer space was made of—what if it was something dangerous that he didn’t know about? What if it was like second-hand smoke? He didn’t want to get space cancer.

  This was exactly the reason why he hadn’t wanted to fly out with Lucifer in search of chickens–even though Heron longed for edible eggs–in the recent months. The unknown of this universe wasn’t just frightening, it was potentially dangerous.

  Unfortunately, Heron couldn’t see Alice since she was riding on top of Serafina as they flew in space, and he had the assumption that it was likely Alice had far more knowledge about this world than he did. Perhaps she had cast magic to protect herself from exposure to space aids, who knows?

  Heron wouldn’t know—after all, he was just an isekai’d plebeian.

  Muttering under his breath, he prayed to whatever gods that were out there to limit space travel as much as possible in his second lifetime. He did not want to fly around and find out just how far the drop would be if he ever fell while in this outer space. It felt strange to fly through space and feel the wind brush against his cheek—which was very good news since oxygen was kind of required for him to breathe.

  Sighing, Heron held Lucifer close to his chest. Lucifer had been quiet for a while now, either asleep or passed out—hopefully the former. Its white fur was puffed and its ears folded back. It wasn’t shaking like it had in previous stressful cases, and currently it was stiller than rock. He just held onto his friend, his palms slick on its fur. At least if they fell, they would fall together.

  Heron squinted as his eyes caught the circular visual of a planet. During this trip, they had already passed by several other planets that had appeared on the smaller side, just like the tiny planet they had originated from. This one? This was different. It reminded Heron of the planet they had visited when they had stolen Melvin from its strange, smiling family. From his perspective, it could be the same planet, but maybe it wasn’t. Either way, he had a feeling he was about to find out.

  As they approached closer, Heron could make out the shape, size, and structure of the planet.

  It… reminded him of Earth. But it wasn’t Earth. Yes, it was large, circular, and had land and water that was much more significant in comparison to his tiny planet. But with only one angle to observe from, Heron couldn’t see whether it had the same ratio of land to water like it did on Earth. Nevertheless, as they flew closer and closer, he prepared himself for when they broke into the atmosphere of this new planet.

  The kingdom of Morningstar was awaiting Heron and Lucifer.

  Unfortunately, Heron and Lucifer weren’t being welcomed as heroes into the kingdom of Morningstar.

  Technically, they were lawbreakers—at least, the only offense that Heron believed that he had accidentally committed was… squatting. But that wasn’t really his fault; the isekai god had sent him there without his permission. If Heron could have it his way, he would’ve been fine with just saving that random kid from Truck-kun. Instead, he had been whisked away into a world where his magic was best used for summoning potatoes.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Nevertheless, it was a good thing Heron and Lucifer weren’t fugitives. Right?

  Heron had never been labeled as a criminal and he was not looking forward to being one. He didn’t feel like a criminal. And he most definitely didn’t look or smell like one. He prided himself on being a model citizen, a good man–he was especially good at group projects. Always pulled his weight, was someone who never said no for any reason, who was always agreeable and always agreed, who never caused a fuss or made a scene, never imposed or was a bother or asked for too much or–

  DONG, DONG.

  His breath stilled as Heron’s eyes widened. The sound of bells rang loud and clear through the sky as they descended at a steady rate onto the planet. Heart pounding, blood rushing, his eyes traced a clear dirt path on the ground that was surrounded by grass and wildflowers. Trees distanced behind them as they flew closer towards the kingdom walls that towered over the plains and clearing that were spread before the front gate.

  The arch of the front gate was tall enough for a giraffe to saunter in with ease, and the gate itself was strung high—leaving the entrance open with a few guards in front of it. The kingdom walls were made of cream-colored stones that seemed aged from countless years, yet appeared clean and were as perfect and ideal as a wall could be. Heron was no architect but from his point-of-view, the kingdom appeared to be in good condition from the outside.

  He could only hope that the people here were as gracious as the kingdom appeared to be, as it looked like it was from a fantasy storybook instead of a fantasy horror-book. And the difference between the two? Heron hoped he was more likely to end up as a princess than executed. And neither option sounded good to him. He just wanted to go back to his tiny planet and get right back to farming and live his quiet, peaceful life.

  Unfortunately, his second life seemed to have other plans for him.

  Please prepare yourself for landing, Sir Heron and Lord Lucifer.

  Oh uh, were his legs asleep? He was getting old after all. Before he had the chance to wiggle his toes, Heron braced himself as Serafina swooped close to the ground, flying in at the speed of what one might expect from a dragon descending from outer space. It was fast. Too fast.

  Gritting his teeth, Heron held his breath as he gripped onto Lucifer for dear life, getting a squeak out of it like a squeaky toy before he felt his shoes touch the ground.

  Then he went flying.

  Not actual flying, more like fall, tuck, and roll. And so he rolled with Lucifer before they eventually came to a stop. He hadn’t expected a smooth landing but at least nothing hurt. That was good, right? His head spun as he felt the back of it rest on the grassy ground as he stared into the blue, clear sky above him. Clouds drifted slowly overhead as the scent of nature wafted around him. He felt a flower tickle his cheek as he blinked, resuming his breath.

  Once again, Heron now found himself on yet another planet that he didn’t belong to.

  I am… Lord Greatest of All Time. Going to… conquer the universe. Must be… victorious.

  The mumble jumble of whisperings danced in Heron’s mind as he heard Lucifer’s voice dizzying in and out. Strangely enough, he could feel exactly how Lucifer was feeling in the moment. Which was… not well. Definitely it was dizzy from the several rolls they had made when they had landed. Also, it probably didn’t help that Heron had essentially squished Lucifer when he had rolled in order to soften the landing.

  Sitting up with Lucifer in his lap, Heron groaned as his back cracked several times. His body ached from the impact it had taken but nothing too severe that prevented him from moving. A rough landing it was, but he could have broken every bone in his body, lost a limb, or snapped his neck. He was grateful to still be alive with Lucifer by his side. Maybe he was being a little dramatic–it wasn’t like he had been that close to dying. The landing would’ve only been worse had Serafina not been so careful with them.

  He watched Alice hop off Serafina, her metal armor clanging as she landed on the grass. After adjusting the hilt of her sword that was attached at her hip, she gave Serafina a few rubs at her side which earned her a deep rumble of appreciation from the black dragon. Whipping around to face Heron, her emerald eyes met his, and her brows furrowed before her expression seemed to soften.

  “Get up. We still have a bit to walk.” Her voice was curt as she spun on her heels.

  It wasn’t like he had a choice so Heron stood up, holding Lucifer like a football as he patted down his slacks. When he raised his head, he blinked as he noticed that Serafina had… shrunk? She was now the size of a small pony but still a dragon. Just smaller and more fun-sized.

  Might I suggest it is rude to stare, Sir Heron? Serafina mused as it trotted behind Alice like a velociraptor.

  “Sorry,” Heron blurted as he followed the two of them onto the dirt path leading towards the kingdom walls.

  Never seen a size-reduction before? The black dragon glanced back as it eyed from Heron to Lucifer then back to Heron again.

  What? Ya got something to say?

  Heron felt Lucifer bristle in the crux of his arm as he walked. Perhaps it wasn’t the most dignifying appearance his friend could have. He had always assumed Lucifer had chosen to become a rabbit at… interesting times. But it did raise the question in Heron’s mind as Serafina had asked Lucifer earlier today.

  Why was Lucifer a rabbit?

  I—

  “Halt.”

  Heron halted at the sound of a man's voice up ahead. Shifting from side to side, he tried to get a better look between Alice and Serafina. It wasn’t that they were big or anything, they were just kind of in the way of his vision—

  How rude to think that of two ladies. Serafina spoke in his mind calmly and Heron caught the teasing note in her voice.

  “What did he think?” Alice shot Serafina a look before turning her attention to the front.

  “Good afternoon, sir. Here is my paperwork,” Alice reached into the small leather pouch that hung at her hip on the opposite side of her sword and pulled out a hand-sized, thin notebook. Having cracked it open, Heron could see an old-fashioned photo, notes, and a metallic engraving in it.

  The front gate guard—who looked like a classic knight—reviewed Alice’s paperwork, nodding as his eyes scanned the notebook. Clearing his throat, he returned the paperwork to Alice who pocketed it back in her pouch.

  “Thank you, Alice of the Third Order.” The guard peered past Alice’s shoulder, his gaze meeting Heron’s. “And the man behind you? Please step up.”

  Alice flicked her head back, gesturing to the guard. “Heron. Your paperwork?”

  What.

  What paperwork?

  Heron blinked. The memory of Alice mentioning paperwork and registration before they had gotten ready to leave the tiny planet flashed in his mind. He hadn’t gotten a chance to respond due to Lucifer interjecting. He also remembered when Alice had asked him if he had everything and all he could think about was him wearing his clothes–

  Hold on.

  Was he going through customs right now!?