Chương 62: Arc 4- 60th Adversary: Miko’s Family
After he was placed in handcuffs, Miko was brought away by the Dragna soldiers.
"Wait."
That's when Nova spoke.
"Do you have a problem with the decision of the three clans, Nova?"
Krow asked.
"I have no problem, Uncle. However, I have a problem with the state of Miko's body. He's severely injured and is only able to move because of his adrenaline. Before he's imprisoned, I request that he's to be treated."
"Fair enough. Treat him and then take him to the Demon's Nest."
Krow easily agreed. He looked at everyone that was on Miko's side with a sharp gaze as if he was remembering their faces.
"Miko must've had some accomplices…."
He looked at Momo and the trio.
"But there's no proof since we only got reports of him and Nebulous."
He turned his back to them.
"By the way, what happened to the 11th Elder? I heard he tried to put a stop to Miko and Nebulous' battle."
"Oh, Hector."
Nova laughed.
"He overstepped his boundaries, so I had to remind him where he stands in life."
"In other words….?"
Nova was confused by Krow's question.
"That's it. There's nothing more to it."
"I'm asking what you did to him."
"Oh. I think it's better for me not to say since children are present."
A chill ran down the spine of most of those gathered. Despite his charming smile, they knew Nova had done something really gruesome to Hector.
"Very well. We'll discuss the appointment of a new elder at a later date."
Krow didn't seem to care. He couldn't punish Nova despite being higher ranked than him. That would only lead to a massacre on both sides. It wasn't worth it.
After saying what he needed to say, Krow left. Everyone else watched as Miko was carried away.
"Tsk!"
Irritated, Sasha turned her head away from him and looked at Momo.
"Momo!"
"Yes, Aunty!"
Momo flinched and ran up to Sasha with a nervous expression. Sasha silently looked at her and the trio. After a while, she spoke.
"We're going home. You can tell me everything that happened there."
"Yes!"
Their group started to leave. Hina, however, stopped and looked back in Miko's direction.
"Huh? Where's Ishma and Regis?"
Almost an hour later, Sasha, Leon, Nova, Momo, Hina, Ace, and Sora all went to Miko's home.
"I heard Tiamat was staying here while we were gone, is that true?"
Sasha asked after entering the house.
"Yeah. She and Miko lived here for a few months. I occasionally stayed here as well."
Momo answered.
"Hm….I don't know how to feel about that."
Sasha invited in everyone and then went deeper into the house.
"So this is Miko's house?"
The trio started looking around the house. The rooms were painted lavender and white. The furniture didn't look expensive. They were some things even commoners could afford. Even so, they were still stylish and neatly organized.
"I thought it would be fancier, considering you're all royalty."
Ace mumbled.
"Shh!"
Sora and Hina both covered his mouth with their hands in a hurry. They slowly glanced at Leon who was nearby.
"Hm? Ah, I don't mind. We purposely designed it this way. We didn't want Miko and the twins to become too fixed on possessions and believe they're better than others."
Leon was all smiles. Hina and Sora were relieved that Leon didn't get offended. They made sure to make Ace shut his mouth though.
"There's no need to be afraid of Leon."
Nova walked past them and sat on a couch. He didn't wait for Leon to offer him a seat.
"As long as his switch isn't flipped, he's docile."
"What switch? I have no such thing."
Leon took off his black and gold coat and hung it up in a closet. He then took a seat in the living room.
"You all can take a seat."
He said to the trio. They sat on the free couch, while Momo was forced to sit with Nova, who was smiling from ear to ear.
"Sorry for making you wait."
Sasha walked into the living room, after changing her clothes. She was wearing a brown sweater, denim jeans, and slippers. Even though she dressed casually, she was still stunning.
"My sister, you are as beautiful as ever. As your brother, I'm proud to have a sister who can even make the sun and moon seem underwhelming."
"Big Brother, I'd appreciate it if you keep your dotting to a minimum in front of guests. It's creepy."
She sat beside Leon.
"I refuse. The women in my family are treasures worthy of an eternity of praise and the whole world must know it."
"You and father really are sick in the head."
Sasha sighed.
"More importantly, my sister. Why are you sitting so far away from me? It makes me lonely."
"I'm sitting with my husband. Make do with Momo."
Momo looked like she wanted to protest, but Sasha ignored her pleading eyes. It was obvious she was sacrificed by her aunt.
"...I never expected that the Chaos Emperor would have such a personality considering the stories surrounding him."
Hina mumbled.
"More importantly, Momo. Tell us what happened in the three months while I was gone."
Elsewhere, Layla was walking through the destroyed district where Momo and Hector fought. She looked at the destruction without much interest.
"She let me go just like that….."
After Tia heard that Layla wanted to help Miko to follow Darius' will, she didn't laugh, get upset, or even reacted that much. She only smiled and told her to do what she want. She disappeared leaving Layla alone.
"What should I do now?"
She sat down on the ground, ignoring the fact that her dress was gonna get dirty.
"I mean, I want to help Miko but how? Is he even going to trust me? There's a chance that he'll come after me too….."
She sighed.
"This will be difficult. Not to mention that Nebulous was announced as dead, and all of the crime lords we had under us will now believe they're free. Even if I appeared calling myself Nebulous, they won't listen to me. They'll believe Krow's words over mine.
She placed her hands behind her head and leaned on a piece of rubble.
"Not only that, there's a chance Krow will come to silence me. Miko is imprisoned, so I can't use him as a shield. It's possible to become a second Crime God if I use our leftover resources, but I don't think that'll stop Krow."
She sighed again.
"Before I can help Miko, I need to ensure my own survival."
"That's where I come in."
"Hm?"
Layla heard a familiar voice and looked back. There, she saw a man dressed in a grey shirt, dark jeans with a chain around the right pocket, and a pair of dark boots. He had a good-looking face, curly brown hair which covered his forehead, and silver eyes.
"Jason, you're still here."
Layla quickly got up and looked at the man with obvious shock in her eyes.
"Of course. Why did you think I was gone?"
"I mean, Nebulous is dead. I thought you would've left to enjoy your freedom."
"Well, I admit the thought ran across my mind."
Jason took out a mask. It was a black and red mask. This was the mask that NoFace used.
"But I still think I owe you guys a lot. Besides, Darius had asked me to watch over you. He's my god, so I have to obey."
Jason smiled.
"I don't have any problem staying with my goddess either."
Tears gathered in Layla's eyes.
"Thank you. Thank you, Jason."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and then grinned.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
The two started walking.
"Krow will probably make his move, I want to go into hiding for a bit, or at least until Miko's trial is over. After that, I'll make contact with him."
"That won't be necessary."
"Why?"
"Because Miko already made contact with us."
"What?"
Jason smiled.
"And you won't believe what he wants us to do"
Back at Miko's home.
"So many things happened in three months?"
After hearing Momo's report, Sasha was a bit overwhelmed. She didn't expect so many things to happen around her son while she was gone.
"So, Miko's your boss?"
Leon asked the trio.
"Only in name, I guess. We're more friends than anything."
Ace replied.
"Friends, huh?"
Leon smiled.
"Miko isn't one to make friends, so it's kinda reassuring that someone was willing to call themselves his friends."
"Leon's right."
Sasha bowed her head.
"Thank you for being friends with my son, and sticking with him when he needed it."
"Ah, no. You don't have to be so polite."
Hina and the boys became flustered.
They didn't know how to react.
"Aunty may be scary at times, but she's a gentle person as long as she's not provoked. She's also honorable, so it's better you accept her gesture."
Momo whispered to the trio.
"It was nothing. Miko is our friend after all. As long as he needs us, we'll help him out."
Hina was the first to speak.
"I see. I'm glad to hear that."
Sasha lifted her head and smiled.
"But, I didn't expect Miko to become friends with one of his favorite authors. He was always praising your work."
"Yeah, I kinda went out of my way to meet him."
Hina was still a bit nervous.
"Hmm…."
"What's wrong, Uncle?"
Momo noticed a strange expression on Nova's face.
"I was just wondering something about Miko and Darius."
He turned to Momo and the trio.
"They were friends who spent a lot of time together, right?"
"Yeah. From how mad he got, I think it's safe to assume that Miko respected and admired Darius."
"Then Miko must've wanted to know Darius' reasons for everything he did. That's probably the main reason he fought him, but what if Darius, who had mental problems didn't explain anything? Or rather, what if he was unable to explain everything?"
Nova looked at Sasha and Leon.
"What do you think Miko would do?"
"?!"
The two of them immediately realized what Nova was implying.
"He would use his powers to read Darius' soul."
Leon mumbled.
"Wait. Darius had a very strong and unstable personality. If Miko read his memories…"
Momo came to a realization. Nova nodded.
"Miko's mind will be impacted and his personality will completely change. In fact, it already has. I could tell from the vibe I got from him earlier."
"Is this bad?"
Hina asked.
"Not necessarily. Darius before he was Nebulous was influenced by my father and turned out to be similar to him and myself. So Miko might just turn out to be like us."
"It's a disaster!"
Sasha held her head and shouted.
"Hey, I'll have you know that the old man and I are perfect gentlemen."
Nova defended himself.
"150 years ago, who was it that slept with an emperor's wife and then blamed it on his brother and caused a civil war that led to that country's downfall?"
"You have no proof that was me."
"Who went to the Undead Country and fought with Hades' Proxy, Underworld Prince Spector, for a rare diamond all because Big Sis Sonia said she would like one on whim?"
"It was a birthday present."
"Who was it that threatened to castrate any boy that even thought about hitting on his sisters, and actually tried to?!"
Nova looked at Leon.
"....I'm not apologizing."
"See?! This is why Miko becoming like you guys is a huge problem!"
"I still don't see the problem."
Nova looked completely clueless about what Sasha was unsatisfied with.
"Sasha, calm down. You know that this won't go anywhere."
Leon attempted to pacify his wife.
"Oh."
Nova stood up and looked towards the east.
"The Old Man and the others are back."
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