Tenth author's journal 2: Mikhail

18_Our duty

Chapter 18: Aftermath of a battle

Kryos yawned, remembering the sleepless night he must have spent with my corpse. There wasn't anything like this before; perhaps the lack of common knowledge led him to believe I was still "alive." The chamber that this vessel surrounds itself in is a closed-off space, with the only door leading to the outside world. This appeared to be a cremated space for burying the dead in luxury.

"What's with the surprised look, little angel?" "Do you have amnesia because you've slept so much?" scoffs Kryos the prince. Of course, my analysis is met with a snide remark; amnesia... My soul still echoes my creator's guilt and trouble after being mixed up with Sariel's experiment logs. Lamenting the past would be counterproductive; instead, I need to organize the treaty with Andromalius.

"Your Majesty, death." "I was dead," I said monotonously. There isn't much value to my life; now that I have complete control of the death realm, I can "rebirth" whenever and however I want without dread of being undone or being watched.

“Death? It's no surprise that I couldn't feel any mana express from your soul. So you're a little demon now? I've noticed less and less of your angelic features since the moment you woke up." That statement irritates me in some way. He gambled of his own volition because he understood how the soul worked. In terms of physical appearance...

"...In this land, adapting is a simple choice. Consider my dedication to your cause, your Majesty." I walk weakly to the door, my gaze cast away from his interrogation. One step, two steps, he was going to ignore my frail self before I tripped over myself, but he stopped himself from going out and having fun.

"What are you doing?" You've just awoken, so take some time to rest. No one will hold it against you if you spend another day in bed." He expresses his concern. I'm not here to find adornment or a useless doll to polish Saudade's might. I am the prince's equal, his shadow. Cleaning up his leftovers is my responsibility, not his. Aside from the treaty, my idea is that if the prince goes to the negotiating table, he will gamble again, but this time without the advantage of Andromalius' ignorance.

"Your Majesty, I need to work." There aren't many people as carefree as your majesty, and I merely envy your spirit." With certainty, I say. It's not meant as an insult or a compliment. It's always been my envy for other people's ignorance as if they were living in bliss. I despise the feeling of needing to rest; there are so many things to do, and choosing to ignore them all is selfish and foolish. I keep moving forward without looking back.

"Wait a minute-" A large figure stops me as I walk through the hallowed door. I've fallen face-first onto the floor like a blinded newborn deer. I believe it must be Blood Claw, he is the only one in the council with this type of large body.

"I'm sorry, small angel...” "Wait a minute, Mikhail, you're awake!" What's wrong with my prediction these days? It's not Blood Claw, but Andromalius. Even with logic and minor observations, I am guessing incorrectly. Perhaps it's a side effect of those experiment logs.

"I apologize for walking blindly, Mikhail." Andromalius appears to be apologetic; was he here to check on me? After all, he was the one to blame for my unexpected "rebirth." I have no intention of holding a grudge, especially since he has the ability to snap my vessel if he tries. "I am fine, Sir Andromalius-" Kryos cut me off with a taunt of his own.

"When did you get so close to Little Angel, uncle?" And why are there blood tulips again, this isn't a funeral, you understand?" Kryos mentions the red flowers in Gorgon's hand. They're quite lovely, as the name deviates from the tulips stained with sinners' blood. They represented an apology because they were painted with the apologizer's blood. He's come this far, hasn't he?

"Talking with a brainless bunch like you is pointless." I'm not here to see a prince like you, nephew, but to see the real king." Andromalius scoffs at the careless remark with a title imprinting. I'm beginning to suspect that the whole nephew and uncle thing is just a bygone formality.

"How come you!" Kryos becomes irritated, and a purple flame appears on his palm. He'd mimic my previous 'Infernium ignis,' but a temperature that low can't do much damage. "And what are your plans?" Fight me once more? Those limpsy succubus spells aren't going to scratch me." Andromalius is agitated by Kryos's unflattering display of spells, so he casts the green flame in his hand, the poison-coated spell that would burn through even the toughest dragon scale.

"Enough of you two," I yell. For the first time, I awoke with such a headache. If this occurs later, it will be a disaster to deal with. I am thankful that I am still classified as "ill." They both back off because the room will not be suffocated by two clashing mana.

"I need to speak with Sir Andromalius." "Would you mind accompanying me to work?" Priority is given to the treaty. Any of his will be resolved at a later time. I am not something to be trifled with.

"Are you on his side, too, little angel?" Kryos pouts, his intention was to play but truly it is for me to continue resting. I am aware of this, but his concern is unnecessary at this time.

"No, your highness, I will not take part in your dispute." I simply wish to speak with Sir Andromalius about this." I urge Kryos to remove Andromalius from the situation. Any longer would result in a muddy showdown between the prince and his shadow.

"What are you discussing?" You must not forget, little angel, that you are only..." Kryos says, aiming right at my core. Will he choose to draw this card? So, if you'd like, I'll acknowledge my place.

"Your highness' replacement, Kryos. Or you prefer to call me your shadow." I have not restricted you from your entertainment and free time. However, your gambling was endangering both you and the kingdom. I can't stand being idle and not cleaning up after what's about to happen." Kryos is taken aback by my audacity; too stunned to respond, he stumbles over his own words.

"I am-was... You're inserting words into my mouth." Andromalius remains silent throughout this conversation, his scaly hand still gripping my small hand tightly. Oh, I forgot how small this body is in comparison to demons. I could have been deluded into thinking that the librarian could change its mind.

"Was I? Have I not arrived a split second later, and have you not been ripped to shreds by those snakes? Or had Andromalius realized on his own that his grief would bring tragedy to this kingdom?" Andromalius looks down in shame as I explain the logic. That statement may have been overstated. Will Kryos now back down? Looking at Kryos, his incubus white smooth face changes from pondering white to blissful red. Wasn't he outraged by it?

"Fine, do whatever you want." Know that I am the contract holder, and I have complete authority to terminate it." Kryos walks out of the room. As I lead the big gorgon through the brightly lit corridor, silence quickly takes over. I'm not sure why the imps are bowing so deeply to avert Andromalius' gaze. Wasn't I being treated normally?

Through the front garden, behind the defunct water fountain. The office door is still closed. The light is turned on outside, indicating that someone is present at this time. It's best not to startle them like I did the commerce minister.

Knock, knock, I open after two or three knocks. Andromalius is perplexed by my actions, wondering why a king would do such a thing; his expression begs me to explain, but no words come out. I have a reason, but it is not due to my nature.

"So you decide to appear after leaving unannounced, little majesty." Agriculture is located near the table. He moves closer to me as he closes the book in his hand. His eyes are filled with rage, possibly as a result of my broken promise after boasting about my grand plan.

"I apologize, Agriculture Minister. There is an extremely important matter that comes up." Please accept my apologies. I really wanted to finish what was going on in the kingdom before coming to help Kryos, but it was better to abandon it before I lost my contractor.

"I see… So important that you brought the northern tyrant here?" The agriculture minister casts a glance at Andromalius, who had been silent earlier. How much of an impact did my argument with Kryos have on him? He used to be a proud man, but now he's quite shy. I don't understand and will never understand.

"Be careful with your tongue. You're conversing with your sovereign here." Sneers Andromalius.

"Oh, an old-school demon, still acts out aristocratic manner." So, I'm not sure what they did back then, but these days even a commoner like myself can flip off an old sack like you!" The agriculture minister mocks him. So, in addition to being painfully honest, he dislikes nobility. I might have some details about his death.

"Why, you pitiful creature!" Andromalius loses his cool yet again. Surprisingly, I find this more natural than his previous quiet demeanor.

"Please don't fight anymore. Agriculture Minister, I will write the method before the dawn of tomorrow. "Are you able to keep these until then?" I take the catalysts from my sub-space: a bottle with a golden whisk of elf soul, some contract papers, and an ink bottle. If I hadn't been rushing, these would have been handed to him a long time ago. It was entirely my miscalculation.

"Oh, it was quite light at the time." Suitable for the body of a small majesty such as yourself. Okay, I'll keep them as keepsakes. "Don't make me wait another week." Before leaving the room, the agriculture minister jokes,

"Yes, I won't..." I sigh with relief because there is so much to do. I've squandered...wait, what did he say? yet another we- So I've been..."

 I'm struggling to gain ground, but how long have I been in that realm before? A week!? Those experiment logs took a long time to complete. Sariel, you wicked being; you say give me time, but I had to spend the majority of it reading your diaries? I don't feel all of the guilt I used to.

"Mikhail, you slept for a week." Andromalius attempts to break the news, his tone shifting from harsh to gentle. Why is he being so nice to me for no reason?

"No, my "rebirth" takes a week." No, filling in the blank for Andromalius is too dangerous. He isn't trustworthy right now because we don't have mutual trust. Allow him to speculate as he pleases.

There are so many things I want to do, but only so much time. The heretic annihilator is on his way, and this kingdom is still in ruins. I don't know much, but with this kingdom's defenseless state, even Kushiel could annihilate it in a single day (And his form of magic is usually target based)

"Then we must act quickly." Sir Andromalius, I'd like to change the course of this kingdom." Andromalius is rushed to the table. These are the words that will determine the fate of a kingdom. It is reasonable to assume they must be heavy on both our conscious.

The end

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Trust is a meddlesome thing.

A bond takes years to create and can easily be broken.

A grudge that takes years to hold can quickly clear out.