Tenth author's journal 2: Mikhail

15_Limelight

Chapter 15: Common Enemy

Wouldn't it be too soon? The night is approaching, and he has already called me on it... Would it be far from here to the north border? I should consult with someone about it. The palace is eerily quiet at night, save for the demons who are rumored to be creatures of the night or that belong to vampires. There was no one to be seen outside of their quarter.

Is there anyone there as the night torch in front of the office turns greenish blue? What a unique system they have, which I have glossily overlooked due to how inefficiently one's mana is used to forget how majestic the cover they wear... What was I thinking? I'm getting absorbed in nothing again; if someone was in the office, it had to be the advisor, right?

The figure drops the book it is holding after unexpectedly opening the door. The hard book was the result of a knock on the floor. I can't see anything but the blurred figure in front of me because the light didn't reach my eyes completely when I entered.

"I apologize for bothering you, Advisor. "However, I have an emergency." The figure snatches the thrown book from my grasp and grabs my hand. The hand appears to be too soft for that Advisor. A wicked voice speaks before I can refute my misunderstanding.

"Perhaps you're still a little dazed, little angel." "Won't you speak up after you recognize me?" Was he here to play this late for the coins collected from taxes? Regardless of the intention, erasing and repairing documents is illegal. Despite being the superior person, Agriculture spoke highly of him. What kind of courtesy might he extend now that we're alone?

"Oh, the commerce minister." I believe this is our first private meeting; please don't let me disrupt your work any further; I have an urgent matter to attend to." To be safe, I begin with a friendly greeting.

"Hold your horse. Is that something I can assist you with? After all, I'm here to make clear a portion of this morning's meeting. A gracious debt of mine that is worthy of your presence?" To the point, was this card working against him or in favor of his advance? Based on how demons usually act on me when I first arrive, he's just testing whether I'm a weak-minded one or not.

"All right, if you insist." "Could you please get me a map to the north border?" Asking him to cast 'Collocatione' on me is a risk; I'd rather dip my wing in hot lava than accept such assistance. Mention of the agriculture minister is unaware of his mana manipulation; the commerce minister is the polar opposite, boldly using the faint mana scent in the office during our morning meeting. Advisor was noticing the changed atmosphere, whereas I seemed to be seeing it only clearly.

"May I inquire as to why?" His expression is peculiar; at my request, all of them are the same. Curiosity is what plagues the mind of a specific creature such as I, and for the natural order to be twisted in such a way, that individual must have the ability to resist the quota.

"Well, his Majesty has asked me to come to his aid as soon as possible." I can't use 'Collocatione' in this context." That is a lot of information that I am willing to give, take, or leave. Commerce is not as easily trusted as Librarian or Advisor.

"I can understand that. But I'd rather you take a look at this." Taking a parchment with stitches from his subspace to hand over to me. This piece contains words about the port of Fimbulwinter, detailing how it was built and the materials used on it. "It's difficult for me to have this teleportation scroll in my possession." Simply direct your mana at it, and you will appear on the northern border." This type of used technology, one of the demon's artifacts, never ceases to amaze me.

"What's the catch?" As you stated, it is not simply a repaid favor." Looking at the demon in front of me, his eyes sparkled with surprise, and the deepening shade of red filled the demon's eyes once more.

"You pick up on things quickly. My majesty would have accepted it without hesitation, and I usually take gold from the treasury as compensation. But now you've asked, "Doesn't your effort merit a discount?" The tone becomes increasingly ecstatic as his obsession with possessing me manifests itself before my eyes. This kind of aura irritates me. The closer he gets, the more twisted his expression becomes. Is this my punishment for piquing a demon's interest? If he gets any closer, I'll... I will

"Not less than 15 gold coins." You can offer something of equal value." He holds back on moving forward as his eyes return to emerald green. He recognizes the action he is about to take at the last second. To be honest, I'm powerless in the face of that kind of approach; it brings back memories I'd rather forget.

"No thanks, I'd rather pay here." As I finish it, ten gold coins fall onto the table; I'm not going to let him take advantage of this. "I can remove your next sala... such generosity from me So it was a good transaction, and I hope to conduct future ones with you rather than his majesty." He gathers the loose coins and walks away.

The parchment has a simple rune that means place rather than a complicated one. It absorbs mana like a normal artifact, and the more you pour onto it, the more precise it becomes. Because the threshold isn't very high, I'll try not to rip it open and create a small black hole with it.

"Collocatione" I'm concentrating my pour of mana onto the parchment; the draining is weak and inconsistent; perhaps it wasn't designed for anyone other than a demon to use? The parchment and blinds let in a lot of light. So, I made a mistake, didn't I? The light engulfs my entire being, "I was played by my own curiosity," the last thought I had before the room in front of me vanished completely.

…

My head...this place is devoid of indifference; everything appears to float out of thin air. By surrounding oneself with void mentions of one's failure. A home? There isn’t any plant or dirt to be held onto. What's the deal with that floating in the air?

Taking a step forward is difficult because it is without foundation and requires complete concentration to keep me from sinking further into the abyss below.

"Someone, anyone, please help," I yelled, and the house began to brighten. Noise can be heard inside, indicating that it is not a mirage caused by my desperation.

A chatter is heard inside the house, and the group of people appears to include at least one female; they speak a common language that I can understand, but the topic appears out of nowhere. Is the Librarian's folk talking about books and characters as if they were alive and well? Are they also concept beings?

The door opens in front of my eyes, and a short girl with blue eyes and golden hair answers my calls, a purple ribbon wraps around the big dress covering her lower half, and a large shadow is cast over as a man stands to watch her... The clothing appears to be that of a noble human... My mind is racing from the devastation of the voice, and I can't think coherently any longer.

“Child…good…while…state…bad.” What is she saying, I can't understand her? Is she claiming that she, not they, created me? So, who am I?

"Well...goodbye...maybe...see you later." No, what exactly is she doing? I can't fall here because I have a promise to keep... Gabriel…

…

I guess this is near the Fimbulwinter port, as I awoke the snow flew. While the parchment didn't get me exactly where I needed to go, it did the job quite well, so I'll ask him to make me some more another day. My head hurt, was I doing something before coming here, and I was filled with dreadful fear? Was I having a nightmare before?

"Give up now, you can't win against me." A roar came from the front, followed by continuous blasts of magical spells and invocations that fired left and right. A fight breaks out not far from here, but where are we? I'm in an unknown part of an unfamiliar forest, and I'm not sure whether this is the northern port or not until I look behind me.

The fallen port is brimming with an unending flame of mana, but it is not black flame; something higher is at work here. The corpses of demons scattered nearby, with no survivor except for a pitiful imp crawling with his upper half separated from his lower half.

Stitch his body to one's with mana thread, internal organs still dripping with blue. He has no choice but to keep growing. "Damn angel also comes here?" "This kingdom is finally coming to an end," the imp's throbbing voice says weakly.

"If you have time to speak in this condition, should you prioritize healing?"

I cast 'mitis tenebrae' on the flesh that won't heal. The imp regeneration begins slowly but steadily, flesh stitched together to form an incomplete mess, but the imp is alive.

"What are you doing?" Or is it a new form of torment for an angel? " The imp stands up straight and wipes the blue blood from the stitches slowly. Already moving, resilient, must he come from a line of the guard?

"Tell me where this place is, for that healing you receive." Despite the fact that the battle is currently taking place, it is best to keep track of the events leading up to it. A negotiation should take care of normal circumstances, after all, most of the peace of Saudade was achieved by truces and contracts.

"So you mean like this, fine, I am not that despicable not to repay the debt I own," the imp says, pointing to the escalated live show behind the two pine trees, telling me what has happened before I arrive: "An ancient evil was awoken behind those trees, my prince has been fighting with them for a day or two and no time of stopping."

With a glance over my shoulder, he sighs and walks away, thinking, "If I were you, I would stay away from this place." In any case, this kingdom is doomed."

Ancient evil...time It's for a practical test, and I'm hoping to finish this quickly before the advisor scolds me.

The end

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So many shades of grey, how could you live but still not know?

I am killing someone maybe, you're killing someone maybe.

I am killing you maybe, you're killing me maybe.

We are just pretending to be the hero on the good side.

Villain - Stella Chang