Chapter 38:

Chapter 38:

Chapter 38

[The One Who Resembles the Brilliant Light]

I couldn’t hide my expression when I saw that title.

‘I had a bad feeling, but I didn’t expect him to move so soon in this world.’

The One Who Resembles the Brilliant Light was a title that I knew very well.

No, not just me, but most of the collectors on Earth would recognize his true name if I said it.

The lion who entered the den of light, and the most prominent one among the four archangels of Eden.

Archangel Saint Michael (Sancte Michael Archangele)

The holy spirit who was equal to Satan had sent me a personal message.

The message was simple.

He wanted to meet and have a conversation with me.

His attitude was polite and courteous, asking for a private meeting in this world.

He was so gentle and respectful that it was hard to believe he was a first-generation holy spirit.

He was a being who was too far away to meet even if I wanted to in my previous life.

And he wanted to meet me now.

‘The reason is... well, I don’t have to look for it, I can guess right away.’

It was because of Satan.

It was obvious from their records.

Michael had been a nemesis of Satan since ancient times.

Since Satan showed interest in me and acted like he knew me, he must have contacted me to verify that.

‘Hmm. But it seems like he has some other intentions besides that.’

To be honest, when Satan acted like he knew me very well last time, I thought I might be targeted by the holy spirits of Eden.

But ignoring my expectations, he contacted me through the most optimized holy spirit in Eden.

‘To be honest, I thought he would contact me through a second-tier holy spirit from Millenarism, considering the position of Eden.’

But instead, he contacted me through one of the top-ranked ones in Paradise, the first-tier of Eden.

I couldn’t refuse this no matter what.

“Everyone. I’ll be away for a while.”

“Huh?”

“I have an important guest who came to see me.”

[The One Who Resembles the Brilliant Light requests a private meeting with you.]

[Do you accept?]

I immediately pressed the button to accept.

A private meeting had nothing to do with protection, so it didn’t matter.

Right after that, my body was forcibly moved by something.

It was not just leaving the atmosphere of Earth.

It was crossing the dimensional barrier, to a distant space that I couldn’t even guess where it was.

“Is this... the place for the private meeting?”

A space where holy spirits and tellers could face each other and have a private meeting.

This place, which was supervised by [Genesis System], was somewhere I had never been to in my previous life.

As far as I knew, even that Choi Do-yoon had only been there three times.

“Welcome.”

In that endless white space, someone greeted me.

I turned my eyes and saw an angel wearing white clothes.

The white clothes and wings that symbolized angels.

And the brilliant blond hair that looked like it was squeezed out of sunlight.

His beautiful face made it hard to guess his gender.

He looked like a man and a woman at the same time.

Even his thin voice was the same.

That was Michael’s avatar.

“Thank you for accepting my sudden request.”

“Not at all. I didn’t expect someone so great from Eden to come and see me for a private meeting.”

The person in front of me was Michael, who could be called Satan’s nemesis.

He was one of the top-tier holy spirits in Eden who specialized in combat.

“Please sit down.”

There were chairs and a table in front of Michael, which I didn’t know when they were placed there.

I sat down opposite him.

He seemed slightly surprised by my natural behavior.

His sapphire eyes didn’t leave me.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

Their organization was so clean that there was hardly any bad word behind their backs.

Considering that this image alone gave them half of their advantage, Eden’s existence was really impressive.

But.

“I decline.”

“May I ask why?”

“I told you before. I have something else to pursue, and for that, I don’t intend to have any patrons at all.”

“I don’t want my library to be biased towards one side.”

“...Are you saying that the stories you want to show include not only good but also evil?”

“I don’t see it so simply. I just pursue the perfect freedom for my stories, not to be influenced by anything.”

Even if I don’t know where the end of my story is heading.

I think the process itself is valuable enough.

“And that will surely be a different story, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.”

Some might see it as arrogant.

I declared that I would walk my own path, not the one set by others.

To Michael, who had walked the same path until now, my words might be considered heretical.

He was a righteous being who lived by his faith in his goodness and the brilliance of light.

But, I wanted to ask him this.

Could that righteousness really be the truth of this world?

Righteousness is good.

But it’s not always right.

Sometimes life needs curves and bends.

If it’s too straight, it’s boring.

“...”

Michael stared at me with a blank face.

His golden eyes seemed to read my sincerity.

Whether what I said was true, or just a lie to avoid this situation.

He must be curious.

Curious out of his mind.

“You don’t have to believe me. But I refused his offer for the same reason as well.”

“I see.”

“I don’t care if you think I’m insolent. That’s your freedom. But if you’re still unsure, I think it wouldn’t hurt to watch where I’m going and what I’m trying to achieve.”

“...!”

For the first time, his emotionless face showed a sign of agitation.

I smiled at him.

You wouldn’t have been able to do this before.

The ease and confidence that I couldn’t show before.

“Aren’t you curious? The Teller who rejected Eden’s offer, and the library he leads. Where are they heading and what kind of end will they meet?”

My words made his eyes sparkle.

He was a being close to the word ‘selfless’, but Michael was also a spirit who desired [stories].

The spirits who had already reached high positions, especially those like Michael and Satan who stood at the top, were crazy about other stories that they couldn’t find in themselves.

He might pretend otherwise, but inside he was boiling with interest for the unknown stories.

“You...”

Michael, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth.

“Are you saying that you will embrace both Eden and Pandemonium at the same time?”

I didn’t answer and just smiled at him.

This judgment is up to you.

In the end, Michael was the first one to wave the white flag.

“I understand. We from Eden will respect your wishes.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“The story you’re trying to create, the path you’re trying to follow. I’m curious about them too. So I’ll see and confirm them with my own eyes.”

“By all means. My library welcomes any spirits without discrimination.”

It was the moment when I welcomed a new patron to my library.

“I’ll also thank you separately for accepting my personal invitation.”

“Thank you?”

“If we just parted after having this conversation, Eden’s name would be tarnished.”

Michael said that and handed me a small egg.

It was a pure white egg that seemed to emit a sacred aura.

“It’s my personal gift. Please accept it.”

I looked at the egg and tried hard to suppress the corners of my mouth from rising.