Vol. 1 Chapter 7: Old Man

As the main office of the Philippine branch of the Adventurers’ Agency was surrounded by a few large commercial districts, there were times when I would just go out and entertain myself at the nearby malls. My ‘separation pay’ from my former workplace had just been credited to my bank account; needless to say, I got money to spend for myself and my companions.

I plan to buy Temaire, Alice and Rico some cake later. They love that Brazo de Mercedes stuff…I guess geniuses like to fill their minds with mountain-loads of sugar.

One of the places I liked to spend my free time was the bookstore. Browsing titles that interest me, I would often lose myself in the myriad of books I could check without paying. Sometimes, I would even sit on the floor—together with others who were of the same mind as me—and not bothered by the length of our stay in that place. The guards didn’t mind as well; I guess this was part of their marketing strategy to encourage people to read and buy their stuff.

Heh, I’m not complaining!

Of course, the selections ranged from the boring textbooks, like nursing, accounting, business and marketing, but there was also a section for novels, graphic novels, and even coffee table books. This place was much better than the ‘other,’ well-known bookstore in this country where their ‘choice’ books was locked behind the glass panes. The only way to check its contents was the moment you buy it.

“Ah, here it is!”

It had been a while since I read a volume of the light novel I was following. Back in my apartment, I would browse its chapters from the illegal ‘aggregator’ sites uploading copies of this book. However, as I moved with Temaire, Alice and Rico, I couldn’t find a ‘quiet moment.’ If not inside the training simulation, my day would be spent attending to my companions’ needs, or dealing with their petty quarrels.

It’s what you get if you’re used to servants as in Temaire’s case, or been in battles for too long, you can’t adjust to normal life, like Alice and Rico.

“…”

I’m really thankful I retired; I can’t imagine what our room would look like if we all are still adventurers…

“Seems like you got full trouble in your hands, young man.”

“!!!” I was surprised when I felt someone tap on my shoulder. Honestly, I would think the speaker was pertaining to someone else, but when he touched me, I couldn’t help but put up my guard.

“Calm down!” It was an old man, with his hair full of black streaks amid the grey. His face was full of wrinkles, though beneath those was a seemingly kind expression that was natural of him. He chuckled as he settled down on the chair opposite of mine, with a heavy book about the history of the Second World War in his hands. “I’m not here to bring you some money scams; I just noticed you haven’t turned a page of your book, even though you’ve been staring at it for a long while.”

“Oh…” Indeed, his observation was right. I was just holding the book at the title page.

“So,” he lowered his voice, so as not to be heard by the others reading. “Is this old fellow spot on with his observations?”

“Well, yes,” I answered, though really, there was a weird feeling inside me. I mean, why would he ask that from a complete stranger? “But not really heavy stuff, grandpa.”

“Must be women,” he chuckled again.

I said nothing, and continued reading the first chapter.

“I don’t want to take up much of your time, young one, but do hear me out.”

Honestly, I was a bit annoyed at this persistent grandpa. But as a sign of respect to him, I closed my book and turned my attention to him. “Is there anything you want to say, Sir?”

“Oh, don’t call me ‘Sir’!” he smirked. “Just call me Greg; I’m sure this is not our last meeting.”

Well, he said something that piqued my interest.

“Ah, that’s not the only thing that’s interesting in me,” the old man puffed his chest. He placed the World War 2 book on the table as he revealed, “I also know that your name, Yuuki, is the only thing that is true for you.”

At that moment, my guard went up. I was ready to fight him once he made the wrong move.

“That won’t be necessary. In the first place, I give no hostile aura around me. And I’m unarmed. Also, why will you fight a friend?”

A friend? You’re freaking me out, old man!

“That’s sad. Why are you so freaked out?”

He can also read minds—!!!

I had no time to assess the danger before me as he suddenly tapped on the table, and the entire bookstore scenery around us changed to simple, bright white. Removed from the crowded bookstore, I quickly pulled my brass knuckles, kicked the table towards him, and took a fighting stance.

“I told you; you don’t need to be hostile, Yuuki!”

At a flick of his finger, my brass knuckles suddenly melted from my hands…though for some reason, it never burned me.

“Wh-Who are you?”

“I can’t give you my name yet,” he replied, and brought out a coffee table and a pair of chairs from nowhere. After setting those in front of me, he invited me to sit. “Again, I do not wish to fight you. If that’s my intention, you have long been dead.”

Well, he does make sense. Those magic skills he showed are not typical of ordinary mages; I only saw that in Temaire.

“…” With my guard still a bit up, I obliged. I just blinked my eyes, and there was a cup of coffee and some cookies on the table.

“No worries, those aren’t poisoned.” The old man had a cup of his own. “You really need to chill, Yuuki; you’re too cautious for your own good.”

-----

The impromptu coffee party lasted for a few moments. And I got to admit, the cookies were delicious; the coffee as well. As I didn’t feel anything weird, I guess he was telling the truth.

“Why would I lie?” he asked, bringing out another plate of those delicious cookies.

Yeah, I forgot he can read minds.

“So, uh, Greg, is it? Why did you bring me here? Why are we even talking in the first place?”

The old man sipped his drink first, before answering, “You reunited with your old party, right?”

He even knows about OyasumiSe7en. Who is this person?

“More like, I was dragged into it.”

“Heh, I agree with the word you used,” he chuckled. “Temaire can be a real headache.”

“You seem to know my childhood friend. Did you two met before?”

“No! Not even once,” the old man paused, as if remembering something. Then, he continued, “Let’s say I know her through you.”

“I can’t understand.”

“You don’t need to, at least for now.”

“So, what do you want?”

“I’ll tell you this once; you know of Temaire, but never of Alice, Rico, Kikyo, Lucille and Rachelle. You are with them before as your teammates, but you never knew of their true names.”

“It’s the Adventurers’ Agency protocol to hide our real identities, and also the adventurer’s prerogative to give their names if they wish. I won’t force them to give it to me.”

“You don’t need to state the obvious,” he offered me the cookie plate. “Any case, what I’m trying to say is, you have to get their true names.”

“Why? That will make me creepy as heck!”

The old man put down his coffee and took a deep breath. Then, after a few seconds of awkward silence, he spoke. “Yuuki, listen, there was once a powerful being—let’s call her a goddess, so it’s easy to tell her story—that has been sent down to Earth by the heavens. However, this goddess is so powerful, that when she donned a mortal’s body, her person split into several versions of herself.”

“Whoa! Wait, wait a minute!” I was getting weirded out by his story. “Are you telling me that this ‘goddess’ is Temaire?”

He nodded.

“So, her claim that she’s a goddess is true?”

“You can look at her achievements and skills, then ask yourself that question again.”

“Shit…”

“Words.”

“Sorry.”

“So back to the story…her powers are so mighty, she effectively split into several versions of herself. And that, my friend, is the other members of your party, OyasumiSe7en.”

“And why do I have to get their names?”

“Names are powerful, see? If you remember that king guy, Solomon? He controlled 72 demons by their names.”

“You’re asking me to wield control over my teammates?” I blurted out. “What are you trying to make me do? Enslave them? I can’t do this!”

“Hey, I’m not asking that! On the contrary, you’re the only person in this world I can trust in this matter,” the old man insisted. “Look, Alice, Rico, Kikyo, Rachelle, and Lucille are powerful ladies in their own right, inheriting a sliver of that goddess’ power within them. Now, tell me, what will happen if they fall into some other person’s hands?”

“Like marriage, or something similar?”

“No, how about a government entity seeking to exploit their powers?”

“Yeah, I think that’s problematic.”

“So, you understand my point, then!”

“Well, I get what you mean.” I mean, it was a well-known fact that adventurers could be conscripted as soldiers in times of war. This was why governments set aside a portion of taxpayer money to finance and support adventurer parties through the Adventurers’ Agency. But it was a practice as old as the first elves crossed into the world of humans back in the 16th century!

“No, not that kind of ‘exploitation,’ but yeah, it’s related.”

“Please speak clearly, grandpa. I’m tired, and my brain is not functioning normally anymore.”

The old man clicked his tongue, though he explained, “Within your childhood friend resides a powerful being that can move even this entire world. Of course, the governments around the globe will never allow the existence of this ‘goddess;’ similar to the issue of the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

“They can’t allow her to live?”

“Yes, but at the same time, they are afraid of awakening this being within Temaire. Imagine if that ‘goddess’ woke up and saw everyone’s out to murder her. Your world will not last a second more.”

At that point, Yuuki felt cold sweat trickled from his forehead. Up until now, he only saw his childhood friend as a regular girl, albeit slightly unhinged in the head.

“Don’t worry; this is why I’m talking to you right now. You—the man she loves—only need to maintain her emotional stability, along with the other versions of herself.”

“Let’s say I’m going to believe you, grandpa…” I couldn’t come to terms of the stuff I learned just now. “I gather Temaire’s other ‘selves;’ but if I do get their true names, would they still have their own wills?”

“Why are you so hell-bent about those? Yes, they will retain their wills; it’s just that, because you took their names, their fates will forever be entwined with yours.”

“Meaning?” Isn’t what he’s saying the same as my fears?

The old man fell silent; he looked at his watch, which suddenly appeared on his arm. “Ah! Look at the time, Yuuki! It’s late! You should go back to your apartment now!”

“Wait, you haven’t cleared that ‘fate’-thing yet!” Don’t just suddenly bail out, damn it!

However, he didn’t listen to me, “Talk to you soon!”

With a blink of my eyes, the white room changed back into the bookstore, and I was sitting again on the table. However, the World War 2 book was there, and the old man was gone.

What the hell just happened?

-----

The words of that grandpa repeated in my head during my commute back to the Adventurers’ Agency main office. Honestly, I couldn’t believe that the ‘craziness’ of my childhood friend was true. I mean, my country had many Roman Catholic adherents, and I was raised one, but the idea of an existing ‘goddess’ was a foreign one for me.

Much more, the said goddess is my childhood friend.

“…”

But I had to admit, that guy made his point. If I would look at Temaire’s achievements, those things were impossible without any sort of ‘divine intervention.’ And also, our former companions…they were geniuses in their own right.

I shook my head. I really had no idea of how to approach this issue, nor would I condone to the part where I had to get the names of those girls, so I could ‘entwine’ their fates with mine.

What does that even mean? Grandpa said I wouldn’t ‘enslave’ them, but thinking about the case of King Solomon; he gained power over those demons by getting their names.

I’m scared to try if his example applies to my friends.

“…”

But, at the same time, there was also this feeling within me that I wouldn’t want anyone else to control their powers. I’ve seen how these ladies wielded their magic. Though not as powerful as Temaire’s, they could hold on their own. And militaries could exploit them, should the need for it arose.

God, I’m at a loss on what to do. I’m just an ordinary government bloke last time!

“…”

I took a deep breath, and fixed my hair. My frequent shaking of my head caused the other passengers inside the train to give me strange looks. Besides, I already bought the Brazo de Mercedes cake; one wrong move and it might fall on my lap, so I better stop moving too much.

-----

Temaire’s purple eyes lit up like a child when she saw that I brought them their favorite cake. She quickly grabbed the box from me, set it on the table, and gave me a hug so tight, I nearly lost my breath. Then, pulling my hand, she forced me to sit on the dining table, grabbed a pair of plates and spoons, and set those before me.

“I’m not really into that stuff,” I admitted. Yeah, I don’t like the sweetness of Brazo de Mercedes. I’m puzzled that these girls liked it.

“You can’t say no!” she answered as she started cutting the cake into irregular shapes. I guess Temaire was used to having her servants cut it up for her. “You’re the one who bought this for me, so as your wife, I’ll make sure you have your portion!”

“Ahaha…okay then, let me have some.” Well, she had a point. Besides, I didn’t want to disappoint her. Temaire was really cute when she was happy, like a puppy jumping around her master because she was given a bone.

“Hmm…?”

I noticed that she stopped on what she was doing, and just stared at me. “What?”

“You’ve been thinking of some weird stuff?”

“Ha?”

“I know when you do that,” she chuckled. “You have a weird expression on your face.”

“I-I do?”

Temaire smirked. “Just kidding; but you’re thinking of something about me, no?”

“Heh, I just thought of you like a puppy jumping in excitement because you got a bone.”

“Oh, well, I can be your puppy,” she offered, giving me my cake portion. “Would you like me to lick you?”

“Ahahaha…please don’t.” The atmosphere around us suddenly turned awkward. For some reason, my childhood friend’s voice turned seductive, and her intense gaze on me didn’t help alleviate the situation.

“There’s another thing I like, M.A.S.T.E.R…your bone—”

“Oi, stop it, Temaire!” I sent a flick to her forehead, effectively getting her off her mood. “We got Alice and Rico around!”

“So, it’s okay if they’re not here? By the way, Alice and Rico went back to the hotel they stayed before, after the training, to get their other things. I think they will stay the night there?”

“Oh…so we’re alone here.”

“Hehehe…I got you all to myself!”

“Still no! I told you I want to finish college! I’d like to honor my promise to your Maman; no sex until marriage. So keep it cool.”

Temaire smiled and sat beside me. Then, while we eat the cake, she leaned her head on my shoulder, as we looked outside the beautiful Manila skyline at night. Yeah, with Temaire like that, it was hard to imagine that this perverted girl was a goddess…

-----

***The Arctic Dungeon…***

A column of ten adventurers could be seen crossing the multiple ice floes that covered the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, where its namesake dungeon was located. Their other equipment, primarily their snow tracks, were left at a point known as the ‘Staging Area’ to avoid being compromised if ever they got themselves trapped in the ever-shifting ice.

“…”

At the head of the column, a blue-haired girl with the adventurer’s name, Tsukushi. Armed with a sniper rifle, a Kevlar-plated steel armor, which was wrapped in white cloths to blend with the Arctic snow, she would reconnoiter for her team, disable traps, and skirmish with monster groups so her companions could destroy those later. Following behind her was another scout, call sign ‘Kloe.’ Compared to Tsukushi, Kloe was the more inexperienced, thus, she had to learn from the former the tricks and tips for a successful scouting mission.

Tsukushi kept on pushing along, the thick snow layer that reached to half of her legs rarely slowed her. This was her usual work-style; but her teammates greatly lagged behind…

“Tsukushi,” Kloe pleaded to her. “Don’t scout too far from us! We’re only golden bands; we need you close!”

The blue-haired scout was annoyed; her teammates were keeping her from going out with her full abilities. Nevertheless, Tsukushi slowed her advance, so that Kloe could at least keep up.

But then, just as the other scout reached her spot, something changed. Tsukushi’s sight began to waver, and Kloe’s appearance slowly morphed. Her hair suddenly grew longer, resembling sea grass on her head. Her hands also stretched; from the beautiful manicured fingernails, it transformed into hideous, bent shapes straight out from a horror movie. Kloe’s face also mutated into something sinister: her lips reached her ears, teeth became sharpened, and her eyes…it gave an eerie yellow-green glow.

Tsukushi, horrified at the transformation, trained her rifle at her companion. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, however, a hand reached out from nowhere and pushed her gun’s barrel sideways, causing her to miss that point-black shot.

“You are a shame to this family!” Tsukushi was shocked to see her father standing with the monster.

Stunned and speechless, the scout found that she couldn’t pull the trigger anymore, no matter how she forced her body to. As the figures of the monster and her father loomed over her, the only thing that Tsukushi could do was close her eyes, and expect the worst…

“!!!”

And the dream would end there.

-----

“Rico, are you okay?”

The scout was relieved to see the face of her friend, Alice, checking on her. Looking around, her heart slowly calmed down when she realized that she was still in their hotel room. The time was 2:33 a.m.; earlier they just completed another dismal training simulation, where Rico got eliminated repeatedly. Probably that was the reason she had that nightmare again. The brawler gave her a face towel.

“That Arctic dream again? You’ve been screaming in your sleep.”

She nodded.

“Maybe you got too excited when we found Yukie,” Alice gave her a head pat. “I mean, we would all agree that our time in OyasumiSe7en is the best.”

Rico said nothing. But she agreed to what her friend said.

“Well, in any case,” Alice reached for the air-conditioner unit and adjusted its settings. “If you’re fine, go back to sleep. I’ll watch over you so you’ll wake up from your bad dreams. Hang in there, Rico. Soon, those nightmares will be gone.”