Download App
31.25% UPF: The Case of Mercat Island / Chapter 5: Establishing Romantic Subplot

Chapter 5: Establishing Romantic Subplot

16:00 - Black Cat Cafe

Ender Light walked down the stairs of the black cat cafe. She waved and smiled kindly at the sight of Emilia standing behind the bar table. The little girl nodded a little before looking back towards the door.

"You look tense," Ender said.

Emilia looked down a little after hearing that. "I'm sorry…"

"You're not forcing yourself are you?"

"N-no, no, really, I like working here," she said.

Ender nodded understandingly. "Don't push yourself, I'm going out for a while, see you later Emilia," she said before walking out of the cafe.

"Later Miss Light."

The second she opened the door, a cool breeze swept over Ender's form. She took a deep breath of the fresh air before stepping out of the cafe. She looked at the small fountain near the restaurant and the pedestrians walking around.

The chirping of the birds and soft purring sound of the feral cats made her walk through the city even more worthwhile. She stopped by a bridge and looked down the fresh, clean water below her before walking down the quiet and calming alleyway.

'Where am I going again?' Ender thought to herself. 'Yes, I'm going to the jeep to get Marshall, but… why? The mission is over, I told Alan he passed with flying colors, I should just leave him alone and let him return tonight.'

Another thought crossed through the agent's head.

'Don't tell me I'm starting to like him… Damn it, I am aren't I? I'm starting to like this demon boy?'

Ender pondered about this for almost half an hour before she made it just outside the village. She turned towards the public parking lot and head straight towards her jeep. "Oi, Marshall," she opened the door and saw a demon just waking up from a good day sleep.

"Mmm, good morning ma'am…" he stretched his arms and yawned a little. "What time is it?"

"Around five,"

Marshall stepped out of the jeep and stretched out his wings. "Aah… What now ma'am?"

"I just got a new mission and…" Ender paused a moment after realizing she literally has no idea what she has to do with Marshall. "You… you follow me for a bit, at least until we figure out what to do with you," she said.

Marshall sighed a little. "Do you have to make it sound like I'm a burden?"

Ender felt pang guilt after hearing that but said nothing.

With that, the two of them walked through the streets. Unlike earlier today, there are almost no cats roaming around. Ender thought it's because it's almost nighttime, but then she noticed a cat scurrying away from them in a hurry.

Ah, they're scared of demons.

Ender looked Marshall and found that he's already hiding his wings and horns. So the cats in this town are somehow more sensitive to the presence of a demon. She then remembered the long cat wrapped around Emilia's neck and realized that this is the perfect chance to learn more about it.

"Say, ma'am, don't you think this town is weird?"

"How come?"

Marshall looked around a little bit. "I dunno, like…" he clicked his tongue. "It's too clean, I literally don't see any negative energy, not even from the alleyways," he looked at the alleyways. "I mean, it's like I'm in that heaven, it's sickening."

"Interesting…" now that Ender thinks about, she didn't see any violence or suffering happening in this town at all. A perfect utopia like this shouldn't exist. "Don't pry too much, it's above your pay grade," she said.

"You know about this town ma'am?"

"No," Ender replied. "For some reason, the secret of this town is a Rank-S secret,"

"Whoa… Must be some crazy secret history," Marshall said in awe. Then he realized that Ender is leading him somewhere into the town. "Where are we going anyway ma'am?"

To the Black Cat Cafe, Ender wanted to answer. But then, a thought entered her head, a silly idea that's been eating away her mind the whole day. "To our next mission," Ender said finally.

Marshall's eyes widened after hearing that. "There's more?"

"You don't want it? If you don't I can call the HQ for…"

"NO!" his voice echoes through the whole street, turning some heads. He looked around nervously, and his face reddens. "I-I mean… It's okay ma'am," he said.

They walked a bit more in silence. It's borderline awkward for Ender, but she didn't feel like saying anything.

"Ma'am," Marshall broke the silence. "I-I failed didn't I?"

"What makes you think so?"

"I mean… Shouldn't I…" Marshall looked at Ender and saw her not even bothering to look at him. "Shouldn't I be going back now if I pass?"

"Then what will you do after you return?"

Marshall blinked a little after hearing that. "Uhh… I will get my B-Rank promotion and begin my first mission?" he half asked.

"That's… right," Ender said.

'Yes, he's going back and get his first partner, what's so weird about that?' Ender clenched her fist. 'Okay, screw it, I want him to be my partner. Yes, I like him. Yes, I don't want to say goodbye to him,' she stopped in her tracks and turned towards Marshall.

The demon stopped and looked at Ender in confusion. He found her staring at him flatly and slowly shrunk beneath her gaze. "Uhh… Ma'am…" he whispered. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't," Ender replied with a sigh before walking towards a bench nearby. "Sit down," she pats the spot beside her, and Marshall sat down beside her. "This might be the last time we meet."

Marshall looked down and sighed. "Yes… Unfortunately…"

"Do you accept it?"

"What?"

"Are you willing to accept that this is the last time we're going to meet?" Ender looked at him, her gaze boring straight into his eyes. "Do you Valmir Apocalypse,the sole heir of the Throne of Thirteenth Hell, accept this reality?"

The boy lowered his gaze once again. "I don't want to but… there's nothing I can do about it… I can't go against the Foundation."

Goddamn you pushover demon, you're putting all the work to myself…

"What if I say that I won't accept it,"

Marshall's eyes widened after hearing that. "Ma'am? Are you…"

Ender nodded a little.

"Th-then… What should I, you, I mean, we? Should do?"

The girl looked up at the now dark sky and took a deep breath. "You're gonna have to work twice as hard and prove yourself," she told him. "As for me," she took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Alan,"

"Mmm? What is it Ender?"

"Prepare mine and Marshall's partnership document.

"Haha! I knew it! No tsundere can resist-"

Ender made a hand sign, and Marshall quickly covered his ears.

"A shape of the col-"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I'll get right into it."

Ender ended the call and pocketed her phone.

Marshall uncovered his ears and looked at Ender in amazement. "Wow, that was very cruel of you ma'am," his tone is that of genuine praise and admiration. "I love how you abuse your powers like that."

"That can still get me into trouble you know?"

"Still, it was impressive of you ma'am."

After a moment, Ender stood up from her seat and led Marshall through the city once again. She thought about what she just did and felt like there's something in this town manipulating her. 'No, that's impossible, nothing can manipulate me,' she thought to herself.

Nighttime in Mercat City is no less beautiful than the daytime. The river and canals sparkle from the light of the stars and the buildings of the city. The balconies of the buildings were filled with feral cats sleeping together.

"It's so quiet," Marshall said. "Isn't there any red light district or something in this town?"

"I don't think so, no," Ender replied. "This place is anomalously peaceful."

Marshall sighed a little. "This is my equivalent of hell, you know that right?"

"I know, bear with it, maybe if we're lucky we'll accidentally stumble upon the deep dark horrifying secret of this city," Ender said optimistically. "Maybe this city is built on top of a suffering of other people or something like that?"

"Yeah, that would make this mission worthwhile…" then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what's our mission again?"

"Remember Elliot? Well, apparently he has a daughter and my mission is to confirm if she inherited his power and to what extent,"

"I see… How are we doing this?"

"She's Elliot daughter so I prefer using the friendly approach,"

Marshall looked a bit disappointed after hearing that but nodded anyway. "Then, what do you need me for?"

"For backup, of course,"

"I won't let you down ma'am."

"Ender,"

"What?"

"You're my partner now, call me Ender,"

A small smile formed on the demon's face. He put a hand over his chest and looked at his mentor's towering figure. "Yes, Ender," he said.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Haios_Paradox Haios_Paradox

Anyway, let me know what you think, have fun then~

Chapter 6: Demonic Prejudice

Footsteps came from the stairs, and Emilia walked down from it. "Good Morning Miss Light," she said.

"Good Morning Emilia," Ender replied.

Emilia looked at Marshall in interest for a moment. She was about to step closer towards him only to froze in her tracks. The long cat around her neck opened its eyes and seemingly glared at the demon. "M-Miss Light, who is this?"

"This is my friend Marshall, say hi Marshall,"

"Hi Marshall," the boy joked. He then held out his hand. "You must be Emilia right? It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

The girl took a step forward, and hastily shook his hand. "Th-the pleasure is mine…" she muttered before jerking her hand away from him like touching the boiling water. "I-I should go… Prepare for the cafe," she said.

Ender watched as the girl walked towards the bar table and started preparing it. The cat around her neck was glaring at Marshall the whole time. Emilia, on the other hand, seems to be desperately avoiding Marshall's presence.

Ender took out her flip phone and started typing:

"You think Emilia knows if you're a demon?"

She sent it to Marshall, and he replied:

"What if she does and what if she doesn't?"

Ender text back at him:

"If she does, then it means that Emilia definitely has some sort of power. If she doesn't, then it means that she has the same sensitivity as the cats in this town or that she can somehow share feelings and or communicate with her cat. Or… her cat is special and is capable of communicating with her."

Ender ignored the amazed expression on Marshall's face and looked back at Emilia. The girl is sweeping the floor. "Emilia,"

"Yes, Miss Light?"

"Why are you preparing the cafe alone? Shouldn't Rena help you?"

The girl looked up with a flat look on her face. "Now that you mention it," she held up her broomstick like a weapon and started walking upstairs.

Ender can hear some faint screaming and yelling sound coming from upstairs. A few minutes later, Emilia returned back to the cafe with a satisfied look on her face. "She's in the bathroom and will go down here shortly," she said before continue cleaning up the cafe.

"Well, I should probably explore the town," Ender said.

"Hold on, Ender," Marshall took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ender. "I tried to make it as detailed as possible, I hope you like it."

Ender unfolded the paper and found a detailed hand-drawn map of the Mercat Town, complete with the vital landmarks. At the corner of the drawing is Marshall's insignia in the middle of a magic circle resembling a compass. Not only that, but there's a blinking dot near the logo of Black Cat Cafe.

"It's perfect…" Ender said in amazement. "So it tracks my position?"

"That's impossible, believe me, I've tried," Marshall replied. "It tracks the position of the map itself."

Ender folded the paper and pocketed it. "Alright, thanks Marshall, I'm going out now. In the mean time, see what you can find from Rena," she stood up from her seat and stretched her back. "Ahh… Now what should I get for breakfast…"

[[UPF]]

With that, Ender bid Marshall and Emilia farewell before walking out of the cafe. A cool breeze and warm sunlight welcomed her the moment she stepped outside. She looked at the fountain in the middle of the intersection and saw some people jogging around it.

Ender took out the magic map and observed it for a few minutes. She then pocketed it and start walking down the cobblestone path. The girl thought about having breakfast in the Secret Garden restaurant. But she decided against it.

Instead, Ender followed the map towards a spot called 'Fleeting Sorrow Park.' It's a pretty dramatic name for a park, Ender noted, but it gives her an idea to learn more about the origin of these names.

After walking and sightseeing for almost half an hour, Ender found herself in the middle of a beautiful park. She noticed a very familiar person setting up a Crepes stand near the park bench. She jogged towards him and waved at him kindly.

"Good Morning, Christopher," she said.

The boy's eyes widened after hearing that. "I'm sorry, I think you got the wrong person," he said nervously. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Ender smiled sheepishly after hearing that. "Oh, sorry, I just know someone who looked exactly like you," she said while taking a closer look at the teenager. He's using the Crepes uniform and nothing else, so Ender is pretty sure he isn't wearing a disguise. "I'll have strawberry and chocolate ice cream crepe,"

Christopher look-alike started making the Crepes. He's very skilled at it like he's been doing it for years now. After a few minutes, he made a crepe with strawberry chocolate ice cream with all sorts of sweets. "That would be twenty Vrells."

Ender took out some money before taking the crepes from his hand. "Thank you Christopher look alike," she said with a smile before taking a bite out of it. It's cold and sweet. He also added a chocolate bar to make it even more delicious. "You should come to the Black Cat Cafe, there's your twin there."

Christopher meanwhile is currently looking at both of his hands. He even tried to look at his reflection from his shiny cooking utensils. Then he looked back at Ender in disbelief.

"Excuse me…" he said. "Can I ask you something?"

Ender looked up from her crepes. "Hmm?"

"How do you know it's me?"

"What are you…" Ender blinked a little in realization. "Oh… Now that's a twist…" she took out a pair of glasses and wear it. Just like that, the boy was replaced by someone else entirely. "This is… D-Ranked illusion charm. I almost didn't notice it there."

Christopher looked at Ender with fear written all over his face. "Are you… are you going to take me away?"

Ender blinked a little. Sure using illusion spell for work is illegal, but it's mostly overlooked on something petty like this. But of course, Ender isn't an agent for nothing. "Of course I will take you away," she said. "Fooling someone with magical charm is illegal you know?"

The boy looked down nervously. "I'm sorry, please, I'm doing this because…"

"Because?"

"Because I don't want Rena to see me like this!"

'Ah… You are threatening to arrest a lovestruck guy trying to safe his face from his crush. How far have you fallen Ender?' the agent thought to herself.

"Alright then, if you tell me where you learn or get that charm, I will let you go with a warning," Ender replied simply.

Christopher bit his lip and looked down.

"It's… Emilia…"

"She gave it to you?"

The boy looked like he's about to cry when he shook his head.

"You stole it?"

"I'm sorry!"

Ender narrowed her eyes. She put her Crepe on the stall and folded her arms. "Show me the charm," she said.

Christopher held out his right arm, showing her a white ring with a very familiar logo. It's a logo that Ender has seen her entire life. The logo of the Universal Peace Foundation and a number etched below it, Elliot's designation number. "Where did you get this? Emilia's room?"

The boy shook his head.

"Is it room three and a half?"

The boy nodded a little.

'Goddammit you idiot! Of course! That room is his armory, what else could it be!?' Ender thought to herself.

"So how did you enter that room?"

"I sneaked in when Emilia entered that room. It just appears whenever she wills it."

"What's in that room?"

Christopher looked down. "I can't tell you,"

Ender sneakily took out an analog stopwatch from her pocket. It is cased in pure gold with numbers counting from one to sixty. It has two silver arrows pointing at the number sixty. She clicked it, and one of the hands start moving with every second.

Then she looked at Christopher's fearful face. "Because something scary in there threatens you not to?" Ender asked.

The boy nodded hastily.

"Is it…" Ender wracked her brains, trying to find the best question to narrow it down. "Does it have something to do with the cats and or Emilia?"

"Yes..."

The moment he said that. Ender felt like being transported into a different world. The very air around them stood still, and everything went silent. It's like the entire world just stopped breathing. Ender can't even feel any signs of life.

"Miss Light…" Christopher whispered, his eyes wide in terror. "Wh-what's happening?"

"The scary thing in room 3.5 being mad at you," Ender replied calmly.

Then, the ground near them started to ripple like water, and a particular figure ascended from within. It looks like Emilia, only older. She has long, snow-white hair and glowing blue cat-like eyes. She has cat-like ears on her head and a long white cat tail.

"I'm starting to think that Elliot didn't marry a human…" Ender muttered to herself. She then moved between the Crepe stall and the woman. "Let me guess, Alicia?"

The woman hissed at her. "Silence demon worshipper," she snapped.

"I think you have that backwards," Ender commented. "But whatever, you don't seem to be the type who listens to reason," she crackled her knuckles threateningly. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, which do you prefer?"

There was a flash of light, but Ender didn't flinch. Her hand caught an arm that was about to scratch her, and she twisted it. "AAIIIEEE!!!" the woman yelled in agony. She dropped to the ground and looked at Ender in disbelief. "Wh-what… are you?"

"Agent Ender, UPF, and you are going to answer some of my question," Ender replied.

"As if-AAAH!" the woman yelled in agony when the girl broke one of her fingers. "Im-impossible…" she waved her hand around, but Ender doesn't budge. "Kill me!" she spat at her.

'Goddamn she's persistent,' Ender thought. 'Let's see what she think of her own daughter.'

"I will kill you, after I torture Emilia to death, in front of your face, how about that?" she asked her.

Alicia paled, and her body shook. "N-no!" she struggled desperately under Ender's grip. The ground shook, and reality was torn asunder. But Ender stood firm as if the world itself isn't collapsing around her. "No, please!" she said desperately.

"Then I want you to answer all my questions, can you do that?"

Alicia gritted her teeth before slowly nodding in defeat.

With that, Ender started interrogating the possibly godlike entity in front of her. She didn't stop until she can find everything about her and more.

Apparently, this was Alicia, Emilia's mother. Her soul was transferred into the cat upon her death. Since then, she has been protecting Emilia for a long time. She doesn't know how she gets this power, just that she got this power after her death.

Ender tried asking her about Emilia's power, but the cat woman looked like she's ready to call her bluff. So she decided that it's as much as she can get from her.

"Huh… Interesting," Ender said before letting go of the cat.

Alicia glared at the girl. "Leave this town… You are not welcome here…" she said.

"Yeah, why do you hate demon so much anyway?"

"A demon killed my mother…" Alicia hissed, her voice dripping with malice.

"Yeah, a human killed both of my parents, do I have anything against them? No, because I'm not a racist idiot," Ender retorted.

Alicia narrowed her eyes. "Not all humans…"

"Not all demons are evil," Ender replied. "Sure they are naturally cruel creatures who enjoy suffering in other creatures, but… sometimes there are demons who are a necessary evil for everything in this world."

"This changes nothing…" Alicia said. "I will make sure you leave this town if it's the last thing I do…"

Ender sneakily took out an analog stopwatch from her pocket.

The stopwatch is cased in pure gold with numbers counting from one to sixty. It has two silver arrows pointing at the numbers around it. She clicked the button on top of it, and the hands reset itself.

[[FPU]]

Ender looked at Christopher's fearful face. "It's okay Christopher, you don't have to tell me," she told him. "I'll go check out that room myself."

"Thank you…"

The girl grabbed the Crepe ice cream she put on the stall. She took a big bite out of it, noticing that even the crepe wrap itself taste really good. "You know, I think you should come clean with Rena," she said after enjoying the cold and sweet sensation.

"Wh-what?"

"Come on, Rena is a nice girl, I'm sure she will understand," Ender replied.

Christopher looked down. "But I… I lied to her…"

"Everybody lies, big deal," Ender held out her hand. "Now give me that ring, I will return it to Emilia," she told him.

The boy sighed and took off the ring. Ender grabbed the ring and took a closer look at it. It looks brand new like it's the first time being worn.

"Well, good luck on your work Christopher," Ender said. "Have some confidence, relationship built on lies is a very bad idea."

"I will, thank you Ender…"

"Your welcome!"


Load failed, please RETRY

Weekly Power Status

Batch unlock chapters

Table of Contents

Display Options

Background

Font

Size

Chapter comments

Write a review Reading Status: C5
Fail to post. Please try again
  • Writing Quality
  • Stability of Updates
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • World Background

The total score 0.0

Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
Vote with Power Stone
Rank 200+ Power Ranking
Stone 0 Power Stone
Report inappropriate content
error Tip

Report abuse

Paragraph comments

Login

tip Paragraph comment

Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

GOT IT