"I am fine, don't worry about me."
Ena said as she looked at me with a bitter smile. Her eyes were red, probably due to crying. Her face looked tired, and her overall complexion could garner the sympathy of the world.
"No, you're not. Just look at yourself."
I said bitterly. After all, I was the culprit behind her current situation. I honestly didn't want to face her. That's how my nature was, I would rather run away from things than face them head-on.
But I was tired of running away, and Ena would be the last girl I would want to leave hanging. She was so sweet and caring that it would be a sin to run away from her instead of trying to sort things out.
After Ena had run away, Jeze noticed and told me to go after her. Saying stuff like she knows what Ena is feeling and that she doesn't want to rob me from her.
Ena avoided making eye contact with me, but as I kept staring at her, she looked back and bit her lips before suddenly hugging me tightly.
"Uh."
"Just let me be for a moment."
Hearing her response, I just stood still and hugged her back as I patted her head. My inner introvert felt very weird about hugging a girl like this, but I suppressed my thoughts as I focused on Ena.
After a few sniffles, Ena finally left my embrace. She looked much better now, although her eyes were still red and there was a healthy shade of red on her cheeks.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, I am fine."
Ena replied in embarrassment. She kept avoiding my gaze, but there was a smile on her face.
'At least she's not sad anymore.'
"Let's go back to everyone."
"Sure."
I said as I turned around immediately to avoid any more embarrassing moments.
"Shura!"
Just when I turned, I heard Ena's voice again.
'What now?'
"Hmm?"
"You're still getting engaged to me after we get out of here. I am going to make you love me too!"
Ena shouted with red cheeks.
'Oh well, fuck.'
—-Pfft!
I could hear the voices of Jezebeth and the others trying to suppress their laughter as they kept peeking from inside Kai's rebuilt hut.
'What am I going to do about this situation?'
I felt my world spinning as I was at a loss for what to do.
"Oh, umm… okay?"
"You're so weird!"
Ena shouted at my weird response and rushed inside the hut where the others were waiting.
'ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N ovelBi(n)',
"....."
'What was I even supposed to do? God am I dense.'
***
Currently, inside the hut, I was sitting on a chair as the others were standing in front of me.
—-Jiggle Wobble.
Hmmmmmmmm.
"...Why are you sitting on my head?"
I asked with a speechless tone to the slime currently sitting on my head.
~~Because I am small. I wasn't able to look at everyone properly! This place is good :3~~
I swear he was making that horizontal three-face right now.
—-Ahem!
I coughed as I looked at everyone, waiting for me to speak.
"So, can you tell me what exactly happened here? Tell me all the details."
'And how did everyone revive anyways? I was sure I only barely had any power over Jeze's revival.'
~~I think it's the spirit of the world that helped you. Especially considering everyone else had recently died. Wouldn't it be much easier to revive them when compared to Jezebeth?~~
Song replied.
'Why would Gaia even go out of her way to help me this much?'
~~Ask that from someone who knows.~~
"....."
Kai stepped forward and started retelling the events that happened after I was gone. Apparently, nothing major happened when I left the village and everything was going smoothly until one day, the guy called Fire General Egran showed up.
"Felice is such trash, she has the emperor's genes after all. Couldn't even clear up such small fries and she wants to fight for the throne? And why would the emperor want to befriend such low-level trash is beyond me. I'll be the magnanimous one here and clear up their mess. This time, I'll be sure to win the battle for the throne!"
Or so Egran said to his deputy back then, as if the ogres who were looking at him were nothing more than ants.
"Bring me the guy who killed our precious pet. I'll gut him alive."
"He isn't here, and even if he was, we wouldn't hand him over to you."
That was what Kai had retorted, after that, everything was a blur to him because he was dead before he could say anything else. The others didn't even get a chance to speak as they died.
Egran left behind the others so that they can serve as an example and as a taunt to me.
'Well, he succeeded in doing so.'
So he killed so many people just to satiate his ego? And what's wrong with this emperor guy, why isn't he doing anything against me?
It was scarier to know that he was interested in me than to know that he was an enemy.
"Where can I get this Egran guy?"
I asked casually. There was no way I would just let him go after what he did. And I am sure he'd come running to me if he knew I was back in the abyss and that everyone he had killed was still alive.
"Shura, don't mess with the Chasm Empire. Although the generals don't usually get along as they're all each other's competitors, they would still not allow an outsider to roam free in the Chasm Empire."
Kai started explaining whatever he knew about the current situation of the generals and the Chasm Empire. Although he lived in a village, he was still a village chief and was active in other villages as well, so he had a basic understanding of the empire.
'ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ No(v) e lBin ᴏɴʟʏ.',
"What about the emperor? What do you think would be his stance on all this?"
I asked even though I already knew that the emperor had no intention of picking a fight with me, at least not yet.
"The emperor is too big a power to be meddling with issues like these. He usually doesn't even come out of his castle and people always just wonder how he beats everyone every decade when he doesn't even train or polish his skills. The generals are the one who actually rules over the territories, and the emperor just keeps them in check. I've told you before; this is an empire that rules on people's fears."
'As I thought.'
This emperor wasn't a simple guy. He definitely had his own secrets that nobody in the abyss knew of. Well, as long as I don't directly trample on his dignity, I can kill a general or two… probably.
"How strong is the Egran?"
"He's very strong, even stronger than the summoning general Felice! It's said he's already in the second cycle of power, he's that strong."
He was above level 200 is what Kai meant. He was definitely strong, but he was also an egoist. As long as he keeps underestimating me, my job would be easy.
"Where does he live? Where can I find him?"
Kai looked at Kylos as if asking him to persuade me, but Kylos didn't say a word. His little son was killed by this Egran guy, there was no way he wasn't angry.
Kai sighed and gave up.
"Rewan village falls under General Felice's territory while the town just four miles away, Newham Town, falls under General Egran's territory. His mansion is also there."
"See? It wasn't that hard, was it?"
I said sarcastically and Kai just dropped his head. I knew he meant well and didn't want me to get in trouble. But sometimes ignoring the danger doesn't mean the danger is over. If I leave that guy be, he'll probably kill everyone next time.
'And I can't revive them again.'
And one more thing.
[Prophecy (2) (Chain quest)
Difficulty - SS
By the strings of fate, you have been thrown into the Abyss. The Abyss hasn't had any visitors in a thousand years. You have become the candidate of a 'prophecy'.
A thousand years ago, The lesser key of Solomon, the grimoire Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis had prophesied something in this Abyss.
As a foreigner in Abyss, you would be taken as an unwelcome guest by many. Prove yourself to the people of Abyss that you are capable of becoming a 'Candidate'.
Quest completion condition:
1) Take over the rule of a part of Abyss.
2) Be crowned as the 'Ruler' of a part of Abyss by the will of at least 100,000 residents of Abyss.
Quest Failure:
,m 1) -5 levels.
Quest completion reward:
1) Ruler's Crown
2) Unlock the special stat - Conundrum.]
'It's about time I get serious.'
It was time to expand my forces. Since people wouldn't take me seriously, I'd become big enough that they can't ignore me anymore.
'I am going to gather a lot of attention. I am gonna become the one thing that I hate the most. An attention whore!'
...
//DreamNote//
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