章節 188: Confused Angel.jpg
*Click* *Click*
In a dimly lit room, Kaguya typed furiously on the keyboard, the bright screen reflecting her anxious eyes.
"Reisen, how's it going on your end?"
Kaguya's sudden call startled the busy moon rabbit beside her. She hurriedly replied, "I've sent the princess's games to Yewi's rabbits, but there's still so much more to do..."
"Then work faster, you damn rabbit! If Eirin comes back and finds them..."
"EHHHHH!"
Kaguya glared at Reisen, her eyes blazing with intensity, scaring the poor rabbit to tears.
"Shifting the blame won't last for long, tch." Kaguya clicked her tongue as the clock ticked on.
"P-Princess, why don't you confess to Eirin-sama? I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"What do you know?! Of course she will, but the consequences are unavoidable, and I want to struggle through this!"
Kaguya knew that Eirin wouldn't let her off without an explanation and a punishment. Fully aware of this, she ran away without saying anything, leaving Eirin to ponder alone.
In Gensokyo, the only person who could take the Moon Princess (Kaguya) away without the Moon Sage (Eirin) noticing—and convince her to keep silent about it—was the Yokai Sage (Yukari).
As Kaguya contemplated her situation, Eirin sensed that Kaguya was hiding something from her. Coupled with the current circumstances, she grabbed her bow and arrows to pay a visit to the Yokai Sage.
Naturally, Kaguya didn't mind using her ability to 'speed things up,' but Eirin seemed to uncover what she had hidden even faster this way, leaving her more perplexed.
{This is for bashing my face into the keyboard, you damn Gap hag.}
Kaguya gritted her teeth at the memory of that incident before adding, "Also, it's annoying to explain, and I am not talking about becoming the guardian of worlds and fighting to protect all that is beautiful and good."
"Eh? That sounds amazing, Princess!" Reisen clapped her hands, stars shining in her eyes, and Kaguya couldn't help but beam with pride.
Kaguya's expression grew awkward, as if she wasn't sure how to continue.
"I've made several friends in that group, visited new places with them, and... after some circumstances, I ended up taking responsibility for a few of their problems and maintaining order."
Reisen's eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Kaguya in horror and instinctively reached for a colorful potion in her pocket.
"Stop! Do you think I want this? The person who should've been responsible dumped all their problems on me! Everything that's happened to me recently is because of my involvement with him."
"Did the princess's new friend cause that terrible illness?" Reisen felt both dizzy and deeply concerned about Kaguya's choice of friends.
After all, this was an 'illness' that even Eirin couldn't cure easily, and she had to ask for help from a certain Yokai living in the human village.
"No, he was actually the one protecting me at that time, but what we faced was too much, even for him." Kaguya shook her head, recalling the irritating side mission.
"Is he really strong?" Noticing Kaguya's tone and the fact that she mentioned 'he,' Reisen's ears twitched in curiosity.
"Strong? Hmm, I don't really know the full extent of his power, but he gives off the feeling of someone who could pluck a star from the sky and place it in your palm." Chuckling, Kaguya looked at Reisen with a teasing smile and added, "Can you believe he was just a regular human, like the ones in the village, only a few months ago?"
"…Ha?" Reisen blinked, completely unable to keep up with Kaguya's words.
"There's no point in comparing yourself to someone unique and talented like him. I refuse to believe anyone else could've done what he did. But that doesn't mean he can just do whatever he wants like a fool."
Reisen was confused but chose to remain silent. It seemed like Kaguya was talking more to herself than to her.
"He reached the stars in one step, but in the process, he threw himself into a quagmire. Whatever he's done, it has consequences, and there's always a price to pay. He knows that. What he did is eating away at him as we speak, which is why I'm curious…"
Noticing Reisen's perplexed expression, Kaguya smiled. "How will he deal with it? Because it looks like a dead-end to me."
"But isn't he the princess's friend? Won't you help him?" Reisen asked, only to be met with a look that made her feel like an idiot.
"Help is for those who need and want it. How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved? That's beyond me. Which is why I'm so curious. But as a friend, I wouldn't mind front-row seats to this tragic play."
"Princess…" Reisen muttered, sensing Kaguya's mischievous side resurfacing.
"Enough about that fool. Hurry and finish your work before I decide to make rabbit stew today."
Watching Reisen flee the room, Kaguya shook her head, her eyes catching an icon on her desktop. She hesitated for a moment, then clicked on it and cracked her fingers before starting to type.
[NEET Princess: *Cough* *Cough* Everyone, I don't think I'll make it. It was really fun… being with all of you. Looking back, it's funny. Maybe this is all I ever wanted in life.]
As soon as Kaguya's message appeared, it caused a stir in the chat. Everyone realized that the chronically online Kaguya had been absent for more than a day.
Reactions varied, especially Kazuma, who prayed and pleaded for Kaguya's safety, even stooping low enough to pray to the chat room's Evil God (Leo).
[Advocate of Gender Equality: BOSS!! You can't die like this!! I refuse to believe it!]
[Big Sister Lion: *Picture of Chat Room's healing feature.jpg*]
[NEET Princess: Ah, Kazuma, I'm afraid you'll have to carry on without me. My only regret is not giving your location to all your debt collectors. I can't bear to see you live such a dishonest life.]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Boss, Crying Emoji I know you'll be okay! You'll come back and pay me my salary!]
[Bri-Bri: *How to use the Chat Room's healing feature.gif*]
This touching scene was only possible because Kaguya was his dear friend, someone close to both his heart and wallet. Someone irreplaceable.
[Advocate of Gender Equality: By the way, if she dies, can I get her points? I'll even change my nickname to hers to honor her legacy and continue her journey.]
[Bri-Bri: ( ͡°- ͡°)]
[Advocate Of Gender Equality: Changing my nickname to yours can also be considered. ( ͡°ʖ ͡°)]
Misaka watched as the chat spiraled into nonsense once again. She felt numb and helpless, unable to resist joining in.
[NEET Princess: Sorry, Kazuma, but my legacy is reserved for the hero who protected me. I hope he'll remember me, and never forget that this was his fault. My memory will be etched into his mind, filled with pain and regret, haunting his nights and days…]
The chat fell into a brief silence before several ellipses flooded the screen after Kaguya bloody speechy.
[Advocate of Gender Equality: I bet your dearest best friend would be thrilled. By the way, what happened to your best friend? He seems so weird and creepy now. I don't remember him being like this at all.]
Walking out of the bathroom, Kazuma finally took a sigh of relief. His innate sword is still sharp and ready to carry the grand order of humankind preservation.
Shaking his head, Kazuma laughed at himself. To think he believed in the words of the Devil. This is like trusting Aqua with your money.
[NEET Princess: What? Best friend? I don't—Ah, yes, my dearest best friend. The one and only for me in this world.]
Kaguya quickly scrolled up and read the previous messages, tilting her head in confusion. Yet, her hands didn't stop typing.
[NEET Princess: As for what happened to him, it was inevitable. This is what happens when you hang out with Type-Moon people—mental germs everywhere. I wonder if the chat has taken any steps to quarantine the Type-Moon flu.]
[Gudako (Chaldea's Admin): Hey! That's unreasonable! Have you ever considered that this is just the norm in my world?]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Yeah, and trying to save the world is basically equivalent to trying to destroy it. Any genuine attempt is met with a manhunt.]
[Big Sister Lion: How messed up is your world if it would rather be destroyed than saved?]
[Gudako (Chaldea's Admin): No, I swear it's not like that!]
[Bri-Bri: Stop bullying Ritsuka. She's got enough problems in her own world.]
[Gudako (Chaldea's Admin): Misaka-san...]
[Bri-Bri: I'm sure she didn't mean to say embarrassing things over and over. She's clearly being forced into this.]
[Gudako (Chaldea's Admin): ... @Annihilation Maker (admin), I'm ready if you want to give Gaia a mud-bath.]
Ritsuka's eyes went blank, and she decided to give up. Talking to these people was bringing out the worst in her.
[NEET Princess: Speaking of which, what did Leo do this time to make you so scared of him, Kazuma?]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Ah, he was just messing with me because I told him I'd take revenge for everything he's done to me. Then he said I'm cursed to be impotent. Does he think I'm a child to believe that?]
[Gudako (Chaldea's Admin): Revenge? You? confused.gif]
[Bri-Bri: Can I join?]
[A Hero For Fun: Likewise.]
[The Strongest Man In The World: I'll join.]
[Big Sister Lion: Count me in.]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Alright, come to this world. Leo gave me way too much money, and now I'm stressed about how to spend it. Hiss I almost forgot my revenge when I saw the number on this card.]
Just like that, the chat was unified under one banner. Everyone involved had been annoyed or troubled by Leo more times than they could count—even Leone, who hadn't interacted with him much, had suffered at least twice because of him. Especially after finding out the decision to blow up the empire was his doing.
No one really knew how much trouble that reckless decision had caused, but it was enough for Leone to go sleepless for days because of the extra work. She would never forget that grudge.
[NEET Princess: Hold on, are you in the DXD world? And Leo told you that to your face?]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Yeah, I was promised a vacation here.]
Kaguya took a deep breath to calm down, but her shoulders were still shaking, which frightened Reisen behind her.
[NEET Princess: ...I don't know how to tell you this, but Leo promised me he'd be more honest from now on.]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: Kaguya... Don't]
[NEET Princess: Usually, if you were really cursed, he'd just stay silent and let it happen. Him telling you means there is really a big problem.]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: This isn't funny.]
[NEET Princess: Also, didn't you know there's a good chance the DXD world is going to have problems after that side mission?]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: I-]
Kazuma quickly opened up the chat room and grabbed a world-traveling ticket, but he found that the option to use it was grayed out, with a small clock icon next to it.
[Cooldown: 29 days.]
[NEET Princess: *You are cooked.jpg*]
With a pale face, Kazuma sat down on the couch, his legs trembling. He slowly covered his face as a faint laugh escaped his lips, growing louder until the hotel staff near his door backed away nervously before quickly leaving.
[Advocate of Gender Equality: @Annihilation Maker (admin), I've made a severe and continuous lapse in judgment, and I don't expect to be forgiven. I'm simply here to apologize.]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: @Annihilation Maker (admin), buddy, it doesn't have to go like this!]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: @Annihilation Maker (admin), please, I'm still young! Think of the children!! MY FUTURE CHILDREN!!]
[Advocate of Gender Equality: @Annihilation Maker (admin), don't ignore me!! HEEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!]
Meanwhile, in the Dimensional Gap.
"Why is the chat more active today?" Leo muttered, closing off the chat room entirely. Shaking his head, he wondered what those guys were up to, but the matters at hand were far more important.
The light seeping through the window faintly illuminated the dim office. Despite the kaleidoscopic nature of the Dimensional Gap, the clear light didn't seem to carry any of its strange colors.
Of course, Leo had long passed the stage of wondering about the oddity of having light in a void—there were far more important things in life.
Like how, despite the natural-looking light, the shadows in the room weren't so honest.
Centered around Leo, the shadows danced and swirled along the walls. In various places, eyes blinked open and shut. The furniture and solid walls warped unnervingly, forming eyelid-like shapes that would give anyone with ommetaphobia a heart attack.
Leo sat in his chair, staring at the open book before him. To be honest, the current scene felt excessive. Grimoires, as vessels of magical knowledge, often had an instinctual desire to share their contents with a worthy reader. But this display—infecting the surroundings like this—felt like a pointless waste of energy.
Perhaps it was overcharged after spending several days absorbing Leo's mana, and now, with the most suitable reader (Leo) present, it was performing at its peak.[1]
That's what Leo would've thought, anyway—until he actually opened the grimoire.
Bathed in the iridescent hues of the Dimensional Gap, the book lay open on the desk. Its yellowed pages, worn by time and experience, were blank.
Yes, from start to finish, the grimoire was nothing more than a stack of empty pages.
Scammed. Absolutely scammed. Those were Leo's initial thoughts. After all, the supposed carrier of knowledge had no knowledge inside! He was already considering how to get a refund when an eye suddenly opened on his glove.
Oddly enough, through the connection with his own life force, Leo could sense some of the grimoire's intentions. It was eager—desperate, even—to pass on its contents to the worthy reader before it. But something was missing, something even the grimoire itself couldn't comprehend.
This led to the strange scene unfolding now: the grimoire ejecting its "information" all around the room, though no one could understand a thing.
"Then the next step is to find out how to access the knowledge within."
Scorched by flames, dampened by water, and sprinkled with blood, Leo wasn't too worried; there were several ways to decipher grimoires and access hidden information.
So, if reading wasn't an option...
"I, too, have watched Harry Potter." Pulling an ink pen from nowhere, Leo wrote without hesitation on the first page of the grimoire.
'Dumbledore is gay.'
Admiring his literary talent on the blank pages of the creepy book, Leo failed to notice all the eyeballs suddenly shifting toward him, accompanied by the smell of burnt ink.
The words ignited in flames and vanished from the grimoire without a trace as Leo rubbed his chin. The current reaction indicated he was on the right path, but not quite there yet.
"So, what should I write?" Leo pondered, thinking for a moment before taking the pen and writing quickly.
'A long, long time ago, deep in the mountains, thousands of kilometers from the city... This is where our fantastic tale begins.'
'There lived a young monkey boy named Son Goku...'
However, before Leo could continue, the ink began to burn, despite his attempts to write faster.
"Hey, aren't you nitpicking too much? Do you really think you can beat Goku?" he joked, shrugging as he leaned back in his chair.
The eyeballs crept closer to the desk, but their gazes never left Leo since he started writing, enveloping the office in an eerie silence.
"I know, I know, don't rush me. Art needs inspiration." Rubbing his forehead, Leo felt the weight of their stares and focused once more.
"If you keep looking at me, maybe we lack a proper introduction."
'My name is Leo Artisaltek.'
Writing his name, Leo didn't expect much, and sure enough, the words began to burn. To his surprise, however, not all of them did. His name ignited in flames, but 'my name is' slowly shifted to the right, leaving space for a small addition, making Leo blink in disbelief.
"Ain't no way."
To confirm his thought, Leo wrote 'Hello' at the beginning, and sure enough, nothing happened. The words settled into the book, feeling as if they had always belonged there.
"Ain't no way."
Pausing for a moment, Leo hesitated before gritting his teeth and writing something he never thought he'd have to in this life.
'Hello, my name is Cassian Santi.'
As he finished writing, outlines began to appear on the page, with a small vertical inscription at the edge. The words looked like a tangled mess, but Leo deciphered it as 'The Saint Name.'
'Ain't no fucking way.' Covering his face with both hands, Leo couldn't bear to look at the book any longer. He suddenly realized what this grimoire wanted.
Just as he contemplated sealing the grimoire forever, the wall of his office exploded, and the impact rushed straight toward him.
The office furniture shattered without warning, launched into the air like bullets as the entire mansion trembled violently, shaking as if caught in the midst of an earthquake.
A huge crystal sword pierced through the smoke and what left of the wall like a arrow.
Grabbing the grimoire from the desk, Leo stepped aside just as a sword crashed into the wall, shattering into countless fragments.
As crystal shards flew around him, Leo's first thought was: How did my spatially reinforced office wall explode? His second: Why does it smell like rotten fish?
There was no time for answers, though, as a burly figure cladded in an armor dashed straight towards him, fist swinging through the air.
The shards—now suspended in midair—began to glow like prisms, radiating an eerie light from the center of the broken blade.
"DIE KATHRÉFTIS!!!"
"Who?"
Illuminated by the gleam, the atmosphere around Leo began to ripple like water surface engulfing the entire office.
*BOOM*
The rest of the office had finally been leveled, but strangely, the vibrant explosion was oddly confined, shooting skyward as if hemmed in by invisible walls, sparing the mansion entirely.
The frequent blasts stirred all the creatures within, their alertness palpable, but as if obeying an unseen command, they began to retreat from the center of the destruction.
Suddenly, a hulking figure burst from the smoke, a clear, scorched footprint imprinted on his chest. With arms crossed, he regained his balance mid-air and landed atop the mansion's roof.
Close behind him, Leo descended a few meters away, locking eyes with the intruder.
Clad in dark armor from neck to foot, leaving only his head exposed, the man's buzz-cut gleamed under the light. His arms, encased in gauntlets with animalistic designs, dropped to his sides.
From beneath the iron mask covering his mouth, his voice growled, rough and unpleasant. "You're not Kathréftis."
Leo glanced at his wrist, where faint, crystal-like substances were healing. After a moment of thought, he said, "You should check the mirro—"
"Enough!" the man snapped, raising a gauntleted hand to cut him off. "I'm here for Kathréftis."
"My signal led me here, and that bastard Exlorashif said he is in this filthy world."
He muttered to himself, completely dismissing Leo's presence. Amused, Leo quipped, "Sounds like Exlorashif lied to you. Go and kill him inste—"
"I said shut it!" the man barked, gritting through every word "I don't have time for you pathetic losers still whining about being raped by this cursed world. I only care about Kathréftis."
"...???"
Just as Leo was about to bombard the loud man before him, his expression froze, and his eyes widened.
{Pathetic losers? Does he mean there are other people like him invading this world, and...}
{He's not using that word figuratively...}
For the first time since his mind had evolved through the Book of Law into the Heaven Domain, Leo felt his thoughts stalling, unable to process the situation.
*Leo.exe is not responding.*
The man noticed Leo's shock and chuckled. His voice dripped with mockery. "You really don't know anything, do you? Just another clueless fool, helping those raped bastards tear this world apart to feel good about themselves."
"I won't say it again. I'm only after Kathréftis. Stay out of my way."
With that, the man waved his hand and turned his back on the stunned Leo.
A portal quickly materialized in front of him, and without looking back, he stepped through it, vanishing as the portal closed, leaving Leo frozen in place, his mind still reeling.
After a moment, Leo finally managed to respond, muttering, "WTF!!"
Elsewhere, a portal opened as the armored man stepped out into a world under a purple sky. He took out a compass-like device and began tinkering with it when, without warning, he leaped back, narrowly dodging a blade that shot out from the void.
Following the blade, Leo emerged from thin air like a ghost.
"Answers. I need them. Speak." His words were clipped and intense as he took a few steps forward. The ground around them trembled, as if the world itself was reacting to his presence, but the man didn't budge.
They stood a few meters apart, locked in silence as the air grew thick with a menacing tension.
Meanwhile, in Kuoh City, Kazuma finally gave up trying to ping Leo in the chat room. The despair etched on his face made it look like he'd been given a death sentence, with no point in resisting anymore.
Suddenly, the doorbell to his room started ringing. He ignored it, sinking further into his gloom, but the persistent ringing wouldn't stop.
"Can't you let me wallow in peace—!?"
Reluctantly dragging himself out of bed, Kazuma stormed to the door, flinging it open with irritation, but the words caught in his throat as he saw a stunning woman dressed in a hotel staff uniform, her face lit up with a mesmerizing smile.
Like being hit with a spell, Kazuma stood there stunned.
{Mom, I think I'm in love.}[2]
In that moment, the despair-ridden young man found new courage, a rebellious spark against fate igniting within him.
Notes:
[1] : The whole deal of cooking the grimoire is to make it more used to Leo's life force and deem him the most fit to read it content. Because of this, the grimoire will actively cooperate with him in passing the knowledge.
[2] : Bruh.
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