Chapter 24

The next morning, Emori came up to me. “I’ve talked with him. You can go meet him in the castle. Should I come with you?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

The mages in Syla already respected me, so there was no reason for Emori to come along. While I never met Arnold before, I have met Asytelar. I’m pretty sure there would be no issue since I only want to speak with them. That said…

I like being near Emori.

Maybe it was because we’re dating, or it was because I just like her vibe. Regardless of the reason, I liked the idea of going around with Emori. So, even if there would be nothing for her to do, I see no harm in letting her come along.

“You should ask Nayala to babysit those two for today.”

“Alright. I’ll tell her about our plans as well.”

A symbol for Connect appeared in Emori’s right eye, and she fell silent for a moment. I went to the dining room, our breakfast already waiting for us, Emori following behind me. There were some maids who came to serve us, but both Solicea and Maya weren’t there yet. We did wake up earlier than usual. Maybe they’re still asleep.

The Connect symbol in Emori’s eye disappeared, and she turned to me. “I’ve got confirmation. She’ll be here later to take them.”

“Alright. We’ll tell those two when they woke up.”

We enjoyed our breakfast then made our way to the living room, where we waited for the other two. Not long after, Solicea and Maya came from the second floor.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“You two are up early. Did something happen?” Solicea asked. I then explained what I heard from Nayala, and how I’m returning to Syla to confirm something. The two listened carefully.

“I see…”

“I’ll make sure to use the musket to uphold evil and uproot justice.”

Solicea grabbed Maya’s shoulder. “Umm… Maya, pretty sure you got those two switched.”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I?” Maya shrugged. “We’ll hold the fort here. You go and do whatever you need to. I’m dying to try out that new musket anyway.”

“Please be careful,” Emori said with a wry smile. I was worried as well, considering how dangerous a firearm is to a regular person. Since Nayala agreed to put aside her work and accompany the two of them for today, it should be alright. I hope it will be alright.

“So, should we go?”

I extended my hand and took Emori’s. “See you two later.” I painted the castle’s image in my vision then painted the symbol for Teleport. The next second, we found ourselves inside the castle, to the surprise of some of the soldiers. They readied their weapons, realized it was just me and Emori, and put them down.

Emori guided me through the castle hallways, heading straight to where Arnold and Asytelar was located. We arrived in one of the towers on the northeast edge of the complex and began making our way up the spiral staircase. We climbed higher and higher, the world outside visible through the window. It took a bit, but we eventually arrived in front of a door.

“He lived here?”

“No, but he prefers to do his research in a secluded place.” Emori reached out and knocked the door. Sound of footsteps came from the other side, and a man appeared behind the door. He wore a long purple robe with a tall purple hat, thick-rimmed glasses in front of his eyes.

“Good day, Your Highness and friend. My name is Arnold, and I acted as the castle mage.”

“My name is Fortisbel, and I'm Emori’s friend. Nice to meet you.”

“Please, come in.” Arnold opened the door for us. Emori gave me a light punch on the side.

“Friend?” She whispered.

“Calling myself that feels… weird?”

Emori giggled but said nothing else.

We entered the small room. It had various tools and books to the side, with a small table and a chair underneath a window.

“My apologies, but I do not usually receive guests here.”

“It's alright. We're sorry for disturbing your time.”

Asytelar, who was in her crow form, turned her eyes to me and flew my way, landing on the floor in front of me. She tilted her head.

“Fortisbel? Why are you here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“I see…”

Arnold noticed me speaking directly to Asytelar. “Should I leave?”

“Ah, no. It's alright.”

We then sat down on the floor, and I conveyed through voice everything Nayala told me. Despite being in the body of a crow, Asytelar had no problems hearing me.

“That flower symbol on the deepest floor of every dungeon… that's a door? I couldn't trace anything even remotely resembling magic the last time I went to one.” Arnold murmured after hearing what I had said.

“Me neither.” I never noticed anything even remotely suspicious about it, hence why it didn't even enter my mind until now.

“But those symbols are in Syla as well. That doesn't answer why they believe the demon king’s attack would happen in Nanawak.”

“Nayala mentioned that it may have something to do with Nanawak’s resources.”

It was true that in terms of oil and gold, the output of Syla was not even close to the amount produced in Nanawak. How monsters would be able to use them remained a mystery. Even in our time fighting monsters in Nanawak, we never ran into one that remotely had anything to do with those two things.

“Even ancient magic and the magic of the giants had nothing to do with oil and gold… so what are they after?”

“Our best course of action is to investigate the dungeons for now. We may have some clues there,” Arnold wrote some notes in his book.

“We're going to do that as well.” I would also put greater attention to monsters, intent on finding the missing link between the monsters and Nanawak.

“... Is there a reason why the demon king targeted Syla in the first place?”

I noticed Asytelar turning her head away the second she heard Emori’s question.

“Asytelar? You know the reason?”

“Asytelar?”

Ah, right. Emori never knew about her.

I thought about telling her that, but decided against doing it unless I have Asytelar’s permission.

“Ma- Maybe he has some deep rooted reason. I mean, who knows, right?” Arnold smiled sheepishly.

“... I guess…”

“Is there anything else?” Arnold asked. While shaking my head, I stood up and helped Emori stand. “I think that's all. We should be returning.”

“Thank you for the information. I'll talk to the rest of the mages and will send you any new progress. Thank you for your time.”

“Thank you as well.”

With that, we returned to Nanawak.

•••

The skies were dark when I returned back to the castle. My return naturally piqued the curiosity of some knights. Maybe out of familiarity, or maybe out of respect, they didn't ask me why I returned. Some did come to greet me. I returned their greetings, making my way to Arnold’s tower. I wished I didn't have to climb, but I didn't have any other options. I couldn't use Teleport as I hadn't remembered the place yet.

I knocked on the door, but there was no response. Maybe Arnold already returned to his room. I took the handle and tried pushing it, but the door won't budge. The window above his place remained open, and a familiar crow came through it.

“Fortisbel…?”

Asytelar flew down to the stairs and landed next to me.

“Does Emori not know about you?”

“No. All this time, she only knows me as Arnold’s familiar.”

“Is there a reason why you decided not to tell her that?”

“I simply don't have a reason to. I didn't even know she came from Earth.”

“I see… So… umm… About the demon king?”

“Yes?”

“You know why he targeted Syla, didn't you?”

Asytelar fell silent.

“Sometimes I wonder how you can be so observant of these things.”

“When enemies use a specific move or magic spell, there are often little differences in animation that tell you how to counter it. Even the smallest detail could mean losing or winning.”

Many games had such indicators. In Mimosa Online, spotting one is harder, as the first warning came on the enemies’ right eye. Depending on how many spells used at the same time, the symbol would shrink. I used quad-casting often back then, as a result, the symbol became hard to verify.

Most players didn't bother to learn them, though. I'm one of the few who got so deep into the game that I memorized it for the slightest bit of advantage.

Asytelar shook her bird head. “I should have expected that.”

“So… why?”

I could tell Asytelar wasn't willing to answer. Half of me didn't want to force her, but the other half thinks that her secret might propose a solution.

Silence occupied the room, neither of us saying anything. I eventually realized that it wasn't worth it. Whatever information she had might not be relevant anyway.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“I used to know the demon king.”

“...You… what?”

“A long, long time ago, he used to be a kind and strong person. That was back in the era of the giants. In order to free himself and his people, he made a deal with some demonic force to grant him powers that corrupted him.”

Asytelar took a quick pause before she continued. “He succeeded in freeing his people, starting the war that would eventually end the giants’ control over this world. However, that power began corrupting him. He then created many weapons and spells to help his descendants in defeating his corrupted self.

Asytelar gazed at the night sky, longing for a time long past.

“Then, he went into exile and sealed himself, hoping that by the time his seal was broken, humanity had surpassed him in terms of strength. I believe his soul left this world a long time ago. The… him… of today harbors none of his benevolent traits, only an instinct for destruction and a burning hatred with no cause. His target is the very nation he built.”

Asytelar's crow face looked pained as she spoke. She raised her wings, then let them down again.

“Is… is this something you should be telling me?” Even though I was the one that asked it, I could tell that this was painful for her.

“I brought you here and thrust this mission onto your shoulders. It’s the least I could do.”

“If you say so... By the way, how old are you?”

Asytelar’s face turned to me with utter shock. “Have you never hear to not ask a lady for her age?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Asytelar shook her head in exasperation, her wings flapping. “That is all I know. I could dive deep into the person he was, but I believe you already learn about his heroics from history books. Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

“So you know nothing about the doors or symbols on the deepest floors of dungeons?”

“Even all those years ago, we had no idea what they were for. They were never used. Some of us believed it had something to do with the giants. Amoriaz… he made the deal on the lowest floor. He didn't tell me who made the deal with, just that one day, I may be forced to fight him.”

“I see… Thank you… and sorry for forcing you to talk about this.”

“It is not a problem. Good luck, Fortisbel.”

Asytelar flapped her wings and returned to Arnold’s room. I watched her fly off before using Teleport to return to Nanawak.