Chapter 10- Reincarnated. I know HJ and the Force behind M.A.Y Part 1.

(Why do I need to do this?)

(She said it is you she wants to speak with.)

(I thought it was you she opens up to, why me now?)

(Ask her as she speaks with you.)

Elsa and I were in the library, sitting at a desk opposite each other. She told Aisu that she wanted to speak with me about something that happened yesterday during her fight with Galim.

“Are you done speaking with Master Aisu?” she said in a very humble tone.

“Huh, y-yes?”

She is being too polite with me. I guess this stuff must be deep. She proceeds to bring out a book, most likely a sketch pad, and drew something. It looked like a village that was in ruin.

“What’s that?”

“A village of ruin from 10,000 years ago.”

“10,000 years ago?”

“Yes, it was the first village that experienced ‘The Campaign’, which was held by Demon Lord Galim.”

“Galim?!”

“Yes, all demon lords pick a particular day, only they themselves know and raid a place in an attempt to get enough souls for strength, and in this process, at least 1,000 casualties are recorded.” She said, removing the sketch pad from the table. “Galim decided to only kill the fathers, mothers, old people and children below the age of sixteen, leaving the rest as labourers or pawns in her army.”

“I get it, but what do you mean by strength?”

Elsa explained that the strength they needed to get was to strengthen their bodies; apparently, they get more power than their normal body can handle. So to strengthen their bodies, they need to get as many souls is equivalent to their power, and thus the campaigns happen.

“You see…” continued Elsa. “I am not sure about Galim working with us.”

“Huh…why?”

“She may tend to do it again, and also, the village that was attacked was an elven one. The village I descended from.”

“You descended from?”

“Yes, but I won’t go into the details for now, but...” She said before tears started rolling down her cheeks, which startled me. “I need you to find out whether Galim is actually helping us or not.”

“… Huh…O-Okay…”

“If push comes to shove, I will sacrifice myself to destroy her.” She said, slowly wiping the tears that were on her cheek.

“What do you mean by 'sacrifice' yourself?” I shouted, standing up from my chair and slamming my hands on the table.

“She is stronger than anyone in the team, excluding Master Aisu at full power, she is at level 1,500, which is well above the max level, and none of us has managed to reach that level, even level 800.”

“You’re damn right about that…” came an extra voice.

“…Huh…?”

Elsa and I looked behind us to see a girl with pink hair. She descended from the second floor of the library, and she had a mix of an irritated and furious look.

“Hey, elf, I wonder what you mean by everything you say.” She boomed, releasing her hot pink mana.

“Demon, I have no reason to anwe-”

“Demon. I am afraid you have it all wrong. I have no amount of demon blood in me.”

“⸻⸻⸻”

“I am half slime and half dragon. I am a demi-god, as a matter of fact.” She said with every inch of pride pouring out of her. “Galim Hajun, that’s my name; only a few members of M.A.Y have ever borne that surname.”

Galim was ready to unleash a whole lot of fury on both of us. Elsa tried to get me out, telling me that she could use the library as a support to fight her. I wanted to go, but I knew we would need both of them in the upcoming battles.

“Wait. Elsa. Galim. Let us hear the stories from both sides. I am sure there is something you want to get off your chest, right, Galim?”

“Huh…”

“You seem piss, but I know deep down there is a grudge you hold against someone.” Well, it was Aisu that found that out for me using Adaptation and past history with her.

“Shinta…”

“How… HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!”

“I told you-”

“No… I-I-I mean…why…do you want to know?” she said, getting more frustrated and pouring out more of her mana.

“I am more of a pacifist than a warrior, I mean, I lived a simple life before coming here. Being a mediator in such situations is what I am known for.”

“Fine.” She said, calming down, “I will show about my past, but only a bit.” She changes the room’s appearance into a place of eternal darkness.

“This is the story behind my pain, my origin.”

*****

The clouds covered the sun, setting a dark hue over a large, flourishing garden and the buildings in its vast landscape. Through the window of one of the buildings, there were two women discussing a particular topic.

“I wonder how Galim is faring?” asked a female with blue hair that becomes lighter at the ends who was playing with a pen on her nose.

“She may have a few problems, Lisa, but I trust Lord Shinta to help her overcome her past.” A red-haired and red-winged woman said, removing the pen and placing it on a desk.

“Why do you trust him that much?” asked Lisa.

“Because he seems like the kind-hearted type.” She replied while going out of the room. “I also feel like I have seen him somewhere before; it just feels nostalgic.”

After their little talk, the red-haired woman left the room, leaving Lisa, who stood up from her chair and continued playing with the pen on her nose, “Being around him does make me feel nostalgic, too.” She whispered.

The clouds parted ways after, allowing the sun to shine again. Lisa pondered much on the idea of where she had met him before 10,000 years ago, when Demon Lord Galim ruled the planet, when she earned the word Terror and gave it a new meaning, a meaning that drove fear into the hearts of those who heard.

“I wonder who he feels like?” Lisa said before removing her pen from her nose and dropping it on the table to focus more.

She just gave up on it, remembering that a distant memory is harder than it looks. All it took was a butterfly to distract her, and she flew out the office window.

*****

Shinta, Elsa and Galim herself were suddenly enveloped in a black barrier. Galim, being the one who placed it herself, was finally about to reveal her origin to someone for the first time.

She pondered on why she wanted to tell him- Shinta- but banished that thought with another. He will just end up as an enemy if I don’t tell him, but if I tell him, he may just be that one I was told about.

*****

"I will bring you back, and there will be a hero who will help you."

*****

Galim remembered something before speaking to the other two with her. “It all started the day I was born, to my point of reincarnation. The two of you share a place in this story as well.”

“…Huh…”

“W-What…do you…mean?”

Both of them replied to her comment, even though their own beings didn’t know when, where or how they were related, but to her…

“It’s just a hunch.”