Chapter 142 135: Underground District

The sounds of pages flipping filled the air.

After a long, peaceful night, Anatolia was reading through her personal diary. Written in characters made in the future during wartime for earthlings to communicate while avoiding the eyes of the other planes of existence, it was a language that no one but her could understand.

The words written on the latest pages would have gone unnoticed by anyone but her, the one with the blood of the Royal Family.

"Imperial Magic..."

The Empire of Atreus, founded on the back of a deal with the demon king Balam had received a special privilege that no other being on earth possessed.

Once every decade, they could use Balam's great authority.

The ability to rewrite the events of the past.

Certainly, it had great limits. The best it could do was to make people forget a war or two. Even in Balam's hands, it was barely possible to wield the authority enough to make a small event on the level of a skirmish non-existent. Having people forget things was already more than they could ask for.

Usable only once a decade, no one but the wielder of the power could hope to remember what had gone by.

"Lady Acacia..."

Anatolia didn't remember why she chose this person.

She didn't know why she had erased this person's existence, sacrificing three hundred lives. She didn't know why she wanted to get rid of this lady and hand her over to the Demon King. She didn't even know if it would work when she thought of the war that had passed by in her previous life.

But she held trust in herself. The her that had returned from the future.

For the sake of not just the world, but everyone close to her.

Becoming a devil was not a big deal.

With this, no one would be able to pick an objection when the demon returns to fulfill the promise.

'Pluck the flower.'

She would say.

A flower that no one knew, that no one remembered.

She would open the door to hell in a few days and present this woman to the demon king. Then, as if nothing had happened, her empire would proceed with the celebrations of its founder and her birthday. According to her writings, she had already had the lady kidnapped last night when she still had a chance. It should've been easy with no one remembering this lady.

"This time, no one will be hurt."

No one but the one who deserved it.

And what if it wasn't deserved?

Such a thought entered Anatolia's mind. She slammed her book shut and stood up, a cold glare filling her usually lively eyes.

Deserved or not, it didn't matter.

If it came in between her goals.

She would crush it all.

***

The lady dragged me to the edge of the seventh district. The furthest district was surprisingly not as bad as I expected it to be. Though people in rags entered my sight and some streets were unclean, the empire was doing a better job at keeping its citizens well than I thought it would.

It was not as good as Apollon, though, naturally.

We stood out. No, I stood out a bit with the suit that the lady had forced me to keep on as I accompanied her, who was practically invisible to everyone else.

I had stretched my hand toward her and she had linked arms with me as we walked. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have noticed her even then.

"We'll take a turn in that alley."

The lady and I entered a deserted alley wedged between two buildings. The alleyway led to a small dark staircase leading underground at the very edge of the district.

I hadn't come this far, but I hadn't noticed such a place while exploring the sewers.

"What is this place, my lady?"

"It's where you can learn about me the best."

I raised my brow as the lady dragged me by the hand down the staircase. I had to lower my head a slight bit as the ground became a cover on top of the staircase.

"Or should I say, it's a place where I can be myself?"

"Is that so."

The dark staircase soon led us to a small space with a door at the front.

The lady placed her hand on the door and pushed it open casually as if entering her room.

Light filled the wide space beyond the door. Many people in different clothes from suits like mine to overcoats that hid their identities walked around the huge space that was reminiscent of another district in itself. Buildings this far underground of barely a floor or two stood around while dozens of shops and establishments filled the streets.

Curving ahead, the space below seemed to stretch over a giant space.

"This is the underground district of the Empire," the lady said. "My district."

Lamp posts illuminated the place where no sunlight reached. The grounds were packed with stones making for a great road that would leave many cities behind. People were jovial and free. Some people extorted someone in broad daylight while others watched while snacking on something.

The underworld of the capital city.

The place that the lady used to rule.

"Come along," she said, dragging me by the hand as she strode around. "It stretched around the walls of the capital, so it's larger than every other district. Everyone from nobles to petty criminals come here to show their mug."

"It seems free-spirited," I said, my gaze stuck on a group of people fighting each other.

"Doesn't it?" the lady's voice was slightly cheerful, I guess. "There's only one law here, after all."

"Which is?"

"Me. I am the law."

Fuck. Cool.

"Let's go eat something. I am famished."

Hand in hand, the lady and I set off into the underground district.

***

"Look, dude. Do you expect me to go cash out something from the Acacia family? This seal won't work."

The lady and I were currently at a stall selling grilled chicken.

Her grip on my hand slightly tightened as the seal of the Acacia family was flat out rejected by the shopkeep. He kept flipping the chicken while glaring daggers at me.

Just me.

This bastard, even though he had noticed her once, he still didn't look at her.

Well, this was a rare chance where the lady's seemingly never-ending supply of coolness had failed to be useful. It was my chance.

I smirked and ran my hand through my hair. With a lofty gaze, I flicked my hair. The shopkeep reeled back, but that didn't matter.

"Leave it to me, my lady."

I snapped my finger and a pouch full of coins appeared in my palm.

The lady tried to leave my hand free, but I grabbed her's back. With my magic, the pouch as pulled open.

I leaned ahead and peered in the pouch, so did the lady and the shopkeep.

"Oh my, it's all gold coins. My apologies."

I snapped my fingers again, and the pouch was replaced.

Then again.

And then again.

Feel the power of an adventurer with nothing to spend on, you fucks. Feel my coolness.

I was savoring the situation with all my heart. As the lady's arms stiffened, I felt my heart leaping in joy.

Finally!

Finally I could settle the score and show off my coolness! My entire deal with the lady was coming to an end!

Then, I opened the seventeenth pouch and pushed it ahead. Filled with bronze coins, I handed it to the shopkeep.

"There you go, mister. Feel free to keep the change."

The shopkeep looked at the coins and frowned deeply.

"You doofus, where do you expect people like us to exchange foreign currency?"

Oh.

"Oh...?"

The lady's grip tightened even further. I slowly turned to the side to see her hiding her already-covered face with her fan and holding back her laughter.

"Get lost if you can't pay! No chicken for you!"

Well fuck.

I was let stunned as the lady, now giggling just a slight amount, pulled me away.

My jaw was left open and I didn't even notice where we were going.

After a while, the giggling lady stopped and shook me slightly.

"Look there," she said.

On a bench not far away, an arm wrestling booth was set up.

'Winner takes all. No entrance fee.'

Said the board next to it as a crowd of bulky and thin people filled the place.

YES! CHANCEx2!!

I smirked and flicked my hair again. The lady let go of my hand.

"Leave it to me—" I was about to place a hand on her shoulder when I was pushed by my chest.

"Stand here, guard. Stand, and watch."

With that, the lady pushed me back and walked over to the booth.

"Who wants to get crushed," she said, banging the table.

Though people around had no choice but to notice her like that.

"M-my lady! Let me—"

My words fell on deaf ears as a bulky man the size of a bear clapped his hands and stood in front of the lady.

"Some kid thinks we're joking around?" he said.

"Quit yapping."

The lady placed her hand on the table, and so did the muscular man who's muscles looked less like flesh and more like desperate prisoners trying to escape his body.

"START!" the arbitrator said.

—BAM!!!

The table slightly cracked.

"AHH!"

The muscular man was crushed.

"Alright, next."

I bet everyone had the same thought as me.