Tenth author's journal 2: Mikhail

28_World Affair

Chapter 28: Far-fetched delivery

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Aimia: Contreated light into weapons made of light. Depending on the user's mana output. Light magic of this level will not cause harm to those demons of “marquises” and above. Upon making contact, the weapon will become a remote control bomb that will detonate as the user will.

Words of an apostle: An authority of the previous “Kushiel”, which binding the enemy to the words of faith. As command of God,l the discipline will succeed in carrying. Kushiel controls the enemy that suited the mission of God, this will not cost any mana but an aching pain that is similar to the sinner will be placed upon Kushiel as a trade-off.

Archangel of discipline: An authority of the previous “Kushiel”, which imitate any instrument of rehabilitation. Those instruments will be invisible to the naked eye but visible with mana sense. The difference between this authority and spells of rehabilitation is the inability to negate and high mana consumption.

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[Ash pov]

Finally, teleport out of that office. I have never thought the little majesty dare to ring the bells let alone in front of others. Well, the gold will be out of my pocket when I meet master again, sighs how will I eat those human foods without gold now? Well, a promise is a promise, I have to give the kid some justice to actually predict his consort to actually ring the bell.

So an Asmodeus’s descendant has seen my mana essence, so what? Seeing him on the edge has calmed me not to dispose of the child before the eyes of the little majesty. It’s not like that I serve under monarch Abaddon in the old time, but lord Mammon is always quaint to make those under Abaddon’s protection.

In truth, it irritated the most for my essence to be leaked out like that, I envy Stolas for having contained it in the library. As Andromalius…I see him using the little majesty for absorption, the place has been reeking of venom ever since I last visited. However, the little majesty unknowingly cleansing that poisonous mana is quite nice. Unlike the master whenever Andromalius visited, an unfortunate imp lost its life.

Well, enough monologue, I should get going with those letters otherwise the little majesty will surely be mad at mad my incompetence. Let's see here there are three letters, each with a different location, the worse of them is going to the sixth archangel place. How icky of them.

Well, I will have to change this hideous costume of a harpy. It isn’t well made but it comes from a real harpy skin so they might have thought of me as a deformed harpy. It doesn’t matter much.

I have long buried myself under that skin that my peek become so crocked, I mean angel can look through normal ‘illusio’, yes? So I have to wear real skin to disguise myself, my beak has been crocked so much by the harpy’s jaw. It’s not my own kin so why should I feel any sense of guilt, after all, they are but beasts.

It’s tiresome but it’s more suited than showing myself like Stolas. After his master is dead, he doesn’t need the name of “librarian”. Why bother keeping that anyway?

Well on to the first place, the sixth archangel castle. Flying west of here is most treacherous because of the damn boundary that separates the demon territory from the angel ones. How I wish to eradicate them all to suit the mortal kingdom atmosphere, everywhere is just either too clean or too filthy.

Crossing the boundary is there, laying obnoxiously at damned of its own. The “divine” castle as humans would call it, I simply it “murderous slum” as how gloomy it is compared to others.

“Alert the archangel, there is a demon crossing through.” A small voice from below. Ah, so there are those small creatures calling themselves angels, they are nothing but glorify humans strapping themselves with wings and irritated light magic amplified. However, I shall be entertaining these for a little before their boss goes out.

“So what are you going to do? Kill me?” I provoke them as raining of arrows made of ‘aimia’. Firing desperately as they try while I just stood there as those futile shots tried to lay on me. One by one, those weaklings falling down just by my mana engulf their, sickening spores of various diseases. As I said, a glorified human with wings; it’s so unlike little majesty, where they could give me physical contact as such.

“Ceased the firing! That demon isn’t being purified by your weak faith.” The imitating voice coming from the castle gate so he has decided to come after all. The sixth archangel with golden hair and white skin, that flesh is but modified occurring to the little majesty. Coming here alone is risk-taking.

“Caim, the 53^rd demon president of Ars Goetia. Are you here to surrender your life to me? The mercy of God isn’t too late for a betrayer like you.” Ah the sixth archangel comes out barking, it’s past noon yet he still muddles about. If the representative is the less temper eighth or the dignified fourth, this would have gone better.

“Ah, we start with name-calling, aren’t we? Well, archangel I too have that type of card. Kushiel, archangel of discipline.” I mock the arrogant human whose wings clenched into steel-like. The off-guard he makes…it’s so satisfying for me.

“Where are you getting that, foul fiend? As if you are wishing to end your pitful existence right now.” Raising the weapon at me, his chain carrying out the blood of demons alike. A dancing plague now? But I digest, those two letters aren’t going anywhere without me.

“I am here to deliver a letter nothing else. As for the reason, you should read it before speaking.” I flaunt, throwing the handcrafted letter at the sixth archangel. He cut open the front, which wastes most of the small majesty's dedication to it.

Chuckling that manic, speak utmost of heinous words “Ah, so you are a servant of that homunculus huh? I break my heart how I thought to discipline it to the righteous path again.” I don’t understand how archangels nowadays would be so cruel to their siblings, but a homunculus aye? I see how that thing devalues the little majesty.

“Ah, they won’t come back again. The third archangel has chosen to fight by our side as my sovereign.” I proudly announce to those deaf ears. It wouldn’t stir a reaction but I am curious how things may play out on the world table. Will they interfere this time?

“I see…Since you came here without ill will, I will let you leave intact. However” A chain surrounding me, a voiceless chant? No, it would be an authority which was it? Anyway, neither can I move nor can he truly harm me so a listen would not be so insulting.

“Tell it that I am looking forward to seeing it again on the world table and try not to die until then.” once he finishes the chain [disappears, I still don’t know which authority, either [Words of an apostle] or [Archangel of discipline].

I should get out of here before either of us lose our temper. The plague that strangles those glorified humans should have gone now. I don’t see any of them return for revenge so I guess it is done.

Next one…the human kingdom or the dwarven again? I don’t remember those three races have been passing on and off for quite some time. Time to check the letter “Marvos the third” …well that gives nothing to know off. Where is the address? “Kingdom blessed by….” of course it is going human this time. At least they have the best food of the three.

Flying west, across those mountain ranges where the human said to those only “worthy” to ascend. What a bunch of fools! I mean traveling here is treacherous but impossible or otherwise just randomly ‘wrap’ through the seeable view of mountains.

The human kingdom is at the center of the world such as those egoistic little things should be. Well my presence here would be damaging and breaking the rule of the world table so much, ‘Illusio’ would get me the free ticket of blending among the humans but it isn’t my holiday, is it? I am short on gold anyway. So…

‘Collocatione’ and appearing in the middle of an afternoon court in the throne room.

“Who are you?”

“Why is a devil here?”

“Call a priest at once!”

Shouting and chaos of normalcy, how delectable that I like it. I will stay silent to scare these little pests a little. Ah, here is my mana taking effect, the fact that I am not quite good at concealing makes an advantage here.

“Ah, my breath…”

“The air is poisonous, everyone covers your nose.”

The target, the king is silently watching, it was rumored that he was a great mage in his prime time as a prince. It seems that time corroded even the greatest mortal's mind.

‘Cleanse’ So the king finally speaks huh? I won’t expect much but ‘cleanse’? It will be hard ‘anti dotum’ let alone ‘cleanse’. However since he dares himself to bring his presence onto the table, I shall retract some of my mana.

“What are doing here, demon?” the king speaks with a stern tone, no hostility then. Does this one not hold any against us? Then a courteous tone I will use.

“I am just here to deliver a letter, your subordinate is acting quite strange,” I speak while bowing down. I am not some creatures to hold bring at all times, bow never hurt my dignity the slightest.

‘Cleanse’ once more as he opens the letter. He seems very careful then, a well-manned one I am impressed. The letter is briefly open and not harming the little majesty's handwriting, I concur with the carefulness.

“I understand but will you stay after this? A guest is a guest as you are fulfilling your role as a messenger no less.” He speaks as the letter sent to the servant below. As hospital as this is, I have to go.

“How kind of you but I need to deliver more. I hope your majesty has a better time than now.” One last bow before I left that place, I hope the little majesty won’t kill this one if possible.

‘Collocatione’ as I return to the sky above.If I remember correctly, the blizzard settle at dusk, which of the season does the human show now? Almost the ninth new moon, it is autumn. So the blizzard occurs briefly as no chance of freezing my wing here.

Why don’t I cast‘Collocatione’ may one wonder? Because of the magic barrier surrounding those places and I am not made of an ocean of mana like the little majesty.

I have heard the tale where their first battle occurred as the prince’s equal. Though the battle wasn’t gruesome or somewhat victorious, their feat is still frightening to me. ‘Tenebrarum Terra’ A spell creates a ground abundance of dark mana that consumes the user's mana endlessly as long as it hasn’t been deactivated.

It is supposed to be a group spell that uses the mana of a unit, that one…the little majesty alone has kept it on for two hours. Can you imagine how much it consumes? Let me rethink, the normal ‘Tenebrarum Terra’ has a 25 meters radius casting for a half hour costing around 50 demon earl entire mana.

The little majesty ‘Tenebrarum Terra’ which may I mention as that venomous snake described; cover from the battlefield to the smoking Fimbulwinter port which is roughly half a kilometers radius for two hours. What kind of monster amount of mana is that?

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked, flying to the north would be easy at this time of the year, the northern wind of winter hasn’t come yet.

Coming up the mountain is the dragon villages as they represent the beast-like race in this world. Most of them are able to assume the form of humanoid but refuse to stay on that side, but I can’t understand their reason. I only know why-

“Well, an oddly floating human. What are you doing here in these high mountains?” A familiar voice came from the village entrance. And I guess I haven’t gotten rid of ‘illusio’ maybe getting close to a suitable human has made me lower my guard.

“Well, I am a demon you see. I am here to see-“ Well how rude of that white dragon but “Caim?” suits my assumption. It’s Little Cinder the one I have saved accidentally a long time ago.

“Well Little Cinder, you have grown much.” I smile, however, my smile always turned into the most hideous smirk.

“It’s Tanwen now. Why haven’t you visited me?” She asks

“Work has been busy with the Saudade. Anyway, I need to see your tribe leader give this to him.” Looking around, there isn’t a trace of that annoying black dragon anywhere, has he gone senile and wandered off?

“That would be me now, my father has passed due to a spell of a human,” Tanwen speaks with a sad tone, what a sob story to welcome into.

“Oh that’s so sad, I feel so sorry.” I apologize for the insensitive comment.

“You sound so sarcastic. Give me the letter already.” She rips onto like a small infant dragon, reading those lines. She comes to a question.

“So that Mikhail is the demon new demon’s representative. What is he like?” Tanwen asks, a simple mind like her would have missed his introduction as well …it will be simpler for me just to explain.

“They. Mikhail is both genders. Anyway, they are quite graceful for an archangel.” I speak briefly of their achievements.

“Are deceive me or the two opposing factions has finall-“ Tanwen squealed like a child as quickly as she was excited too, it went silent as fast.

“Don’t get any wrong idea, Tanwen. It’s merely the little majesty's choice to betray their own kind.” I sigh.

“I won’t click with me much I dislike betrayers, you know.” Tanwen clicks her tongue at the irony of her sentence.

“I know. I must be going now, unless you.” I turn tail waiting for an invitation, going back would be meaningless as long as I don’t have any duties left.

“Demons always welcoming here, you know we don’t waver to those idiots.” Tanwen declares, that the silly little girl didn’t know whom she has angered if those in paradise hear it.

“Fine if you insisted on inviting me. Let me send a message first.” I turn back at the scoff of that child. Even as the tribe leader, Tanwen is still childish as Small Cinder I found her to be.

“Numtium’ The floating light appears as it turns white “The deed has been done, your faithful servant Ash.” The floating light turns black it disappears into the night sky. It should reach the little majesty soon, for master…meh he has the military minister to be entertaining with.

“Who’s Ash?” She asks. I don’t mingle work with personal business so it is best to keep at that.

“Just my working name. Let go in then, I have been deprived of alcohol long enough.” As the night of the new moon vacant the moonlight, I am going to enjoy this long-deserved vacation.

The end

Dusk fall and night come.

Traveling to where called home.

To those who needn’t mourn.

You aren’t doing this alone.