Answering Questions

My body, everything hurts!

"Alan!"

I didn't expect that using Noir's power for the first time would be so painful!

"Alan!"

Where am I anyway? Everything is dark. The last thing I remember is fighting the assassins and that Rose killed someone.

"Alan!"

And then...

"Alan!"

And then...

"Alan!"

"WHAT!" I screamed irritated, waking up abruptly. 

I found myself face-to-face with a wide-eyed Rose after opening my eyes; she stepped away from me scared. 

I sighed after realizing what I did, mentally cursing, I looked around, realizing we were in a strange room. 

Now I remember what happened after the fight. We came to the inn, the same one we stayed in when we arrived in Cagliamola.

"I'm sorry Rose... *COUGH*, *COUGH*" I coughed mid-speech, seeing blood after taking my hand away from my mouth.

"Alan!" Rose screamed, approached me worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, using magic for the first time got to me, but I'll get better with time." I reassured her with a pained smile,

"Speaking of magic, explain it now!" Rose demanded, changing her attitude and pointing at Rubrum and Noir. Rubrum was on a table in the room while Noir floated beside Rose.

"Lord Alan! How do you feel?" Noir asked worriedly, approaching me. 

I appreciate the concern but I wish he wouldn't act as if he was my servant.

"I'm fine Noir, just tired." I said laying back on the bed and turning towards Rose who stared at me angrily with crossed arms.

"I think you want an explanation." I said to her.

"Yes! Who are you? Where are you from? How can you use magic? And what the fuck are these books?" Rose demanded, making question after question.

"Hey! Language! And don't insult Noir and Rubrum, they are my friends." I screamed back.

Rose quickly approached me and smacked my forehead with her closed fist.

"OUCH! I think I deserved it." I said, rubbing my forehead. 

"You dare?" Noir screamed, approaching Rose and making her step away surprised.

"Calm down Noir, she didn't hurt me." I said, trying to avoid another disaster.

"As you wish Lord Alan." Noir replied, returning to his previous location.

"The way I talk is the least of our problems! Now answer my questions!" Rose said angrily, crossing her arms again and sitting down on a chair facing my bed.

"Very well, I'll answer your questions, but for that, I'll have to tell you about past events that happened in my homeland, better get ready because it's going to be a long story."

"I'm all ears." Rose sighed.

"Right, the events happened before I was born. One day in one of the greatest cities of my homeland a dragon and a giant monster fell from the sky."

"A dragon?" Rose asked surprised.

"Yes, a dragon. The two fought in the moment they fell from the sky, according to the rumors, the sound of bells echoed throughout the city, and white and black circles collided in the sky in some kind of fight."

"Bells?" Rose asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, no one knows how, but the deafening sound of bells was heard everywhere. Eventually, the dragon won the fight and the giant turned to dust."

"And what happened to the dragon?" Rose asked curiously.

"We killed it." I shrugged.

"You killed a dragon!" Rose screamed, jumping on her seat. From the surprise in Rose's voice, it sounds like a dragon is something powerful in this land.

"Yes, it wasn't difficult, a well-aimed missile and the dragon fell from the sky and was impaled on a tower in the city."

"What is a missile?" Rose asked again.

"A weapon made to take down flying enemies." I replied, it's more complicated than that, but I don't feel like explaining modern technology right now.

"Continue." Rose said, nodding to my answer.

"Nothing noteworthy happened for a while. The government of my homeland cared for the wounded and everything returned to normal."

"Something bad happened didn't it?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Yea, a plague appeared. It seemed like a normal disease, but it spread at an absurd speed as time passed on. Medicine had no effect against it and the healers of my homeland didn't know what the plague was exactly."

"It doesn't look that bad, I may know next to nothing about Midgard, but one thing I do know is that plagues are common around here." Rose answered, looking at me doubtfully.

"That's where you're wrong, it was that bad. The plague had two outcomes, you'd either become a salt statue or you'd become a snow-white, red-eyed monster known as a legion."

Rose went silent, thinking for some time before answering. 

"This is hard to believe, becoming a monster or a salt statue. It sounds like a horror story." Rose replied, shaken back.

"You can believe what you want Rose. The plague spread, and the government didn't know what to do, so they gathered all the sick people in one part of the city and built a wall around it."

"Did they lock up the sick in one part of town? That's simple?" Rose asked, annoyed.

"Yeah."

"The King of where you come from looks like a bastard." Rose answered with disdain in her voice.

"Yea… King… Of course… The army was unable to defeat the legion, so a nuclear bomb was dropped on the part of the city where the sick were."

"What is a nuclear bomb?"

"A magic bomb with enough power to destroy a city."

Rose stared at me wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"It is true. It seemed to solve the problem, but the plague appeared in different regions of my homeland worsening the situation and the legion wasn't contained in one place anymore. Then the years passed."

"It just got worse from there, didn't it?"

"Yes. The plague got out of hand, the legion increased in numbers, and life for the common people worsened. The gap between rich and poor widened even more, and huge slums were built by those affected by the chaos."

"It's all going to hell. It was not?" Rose asked, looking towards the floor while speaking in a low voice.

"Yes, for a long time, but the Hamelin Organization emerged, they promised to fight the legion, passing the image of heroes. But that was a façade as they did something terrible behind the doors."

"What do you mean?"

"People disappeared, children mostly. Taken from orphanages, off the streets, and taken to the Hamelin Organization, lured by the promise of a better life just to never be seen again."

"It just gets worse and worse! What hellish place did you come from?" Rose asked, staring into my eyes.

"I think you better calm down as the story isn't over yet." I sighed.

"Go on." Rose spoke, breathing deeply, doing as I said.

"I distrusted the Hamelin Organization when some friends of mine disappeared; they were people trying to survive in an abandoned city. They told me they were going to the Organization and after that, I never saw them again."

"Abandoned city?"

"The city where the dragon and the giant appeared before the plague spread, the city was abandoned, with groups of survivors fighting for resources and shelter. I survived there relatively well, got into fights with other survivors, but found a nice apartment to live in, it's not like the owner would care."

"You were there alone? Moreover, your family, your parents where were they? And what is an apartment?" Rose tossed question after question.

"One question at a time. Yes, I was alone in the city, as I had nowhere to go. My family was just my parents and the person who taught me how to survive, I prefer not to talk about them, and it brings back bad memories. An apartment... How to explain? Imagine a tower made of houses that touches the sky, and in each house lives a family. Apartments are very common in my homeland when we could no longer expand to the sides, we expanded upwards."

My parents, how long have I not thought about them? Not since the... I'll stop there; I don't want to bring back bad memories.

"Alan?" Rose spoke, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for the concern; I'm just reminiscing." I replied, smiling at her but she looked back at me sadly.

"You can stop if it's bringing back bad memories."

"Now that I've started, there's no reason to stop, but thanks anyway. All the people turned to salt covering the city like snow, and the fight against the legion continued until the Organization won, but the plague still spread. One day someone followed me when I returned home and on that same day I met my new family, Nier and Yonah." I replied smiling sadly.

"Do you miss them?" Rose asked, looking away.

"Yes. And I wonder if I'll ever see them again."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room; with a weary sigh, I continued my story.

"Now I believe it's time to talk about Noir and Rubrum. I found Rubrum in a pile of books just like her, they were about to be burned by the soldiers of the organization, they said that Rubrum was a failed project, whatever they meant by that. In my opinion, Rubrum is a success; she helped us a lot so far."

As soon as I talked, Rubrum jumped a little on the table where she was, it looked like she was happy.

"Yonah got sick one day, so Nier, Yonah, and I went to a shelter that was supposed to help the survivors in the city. The problem was that the Hamelin Organization funded this shelter, and the Organization's soldiers were all over the place. I felt like something was wrong."

"And what happened?"

"When we entered the shelter, the soldiers weren't distributing food or medicine, but books."

"Books? So you mean that Noir..."

"Yes. I received Noir from the soldiers, and Nier received a book too. There are several Grimoire Noirs."

"Is that true?" Rose asked, staring at Noir.

"Yes Miss Rose, I'm only one of many, but I serve Lord Alan, I'll destroy all of my Lord's enemies even if it costs my life." Noir replied proudly.

"Lord?" Rose asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, explain it to her Noir." I sighed.

"As you wish, Lord Alan must be treated with the utmost respect for being worthy of holding the title of Original Gestalt." Noir said in the same tone as before.

He flatters me too much, not that I don't like it; I love it when someone strokes my ego.

"And what is an Original Gestalt?"

"Unfortunately my knowledge is limited; I was left ignorant of a lot of information due to security concerns, so I can only give limited answers. The Original Gestalt is a MASO-compatible human."

"And what is MASO?"

"MASO is the element I use to cast magic. MASO is also what is making Lord Alan stronger and stronger; his power is yet to reach its peak." Noir replied, his voice getting louder with each word, happy to praise me.

Maybe I should praise him back.

"So does that mean you're going to get even stronger?" Rose asked me.

"According to Noir, yes."

"As if you didn't cause enough trouble already." Rose answered; face palming and breathing deeply.

"Hey! I'm not that bad." I screamed offended.

Rose lowered her hand and stared at me intently. 

"Maybe I'm a little bad." I replied nervously, flinching at her gaze.

"It's good that you know. Now continue your story."

"We heard a voice upon touching our books; it was Noir speaking to us. Suddenly, something I can only describe as a nightmare happened, all the people who touched Noir except for Nier and I turned into monsters!"

"Isn't this over, or is it just one disaster after another?" Rose asked, staring at me impassively with an emotionless face.

"It's been like this ever since the dragon and the giant appeared; I can't do anything about it. Continuing, the three of us fled the shelter while the monsters killed the soldiers and hid in a market, but the monsters followed us."

"And what happened?" Rose asked apprehensively, sitting on the edge of the chair and leaning forward.

"I left Nier and Yonah hidden in the market and went outside to fight, killing a couple of monsters in the process."

"So you were always that strong?"

"HAHAHA... COUGH, COUGH, No, I was just a normal person, but don't think I came out victorious like a comic book hero. The moment I killed two of the monsters, the rest surrounded me and beat me." I laughed, following it with a cough.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what happened next?" Rose said, swallowing hard.

"Noir appeared, and lent me his power, saving my life."

"I'm not worthy of such praise, Lord Alan." Noir spoke submissively, acting as my servant again.

"Take the praise Noir, you deserve it." Noir didn't say anything, but I could tell he was happy.

"What happened next is just a blur in my memory, all the monsters were dead on the ground and I was covered in wounds. I fell to the ground; bleeding to death when my senses came back, but then I heard something, a song."

"A song?"

"Yes. I probably hallucinated thanks to the blood loss, but I swear that I heard a woman singing somewhere. The next thing I know, I woke up in a forest with Noir calling me, the rest you already know. Therefore, this is my story, now I'll ask you a question. Do you believe me?"

Rose thought for a few minutes with several expressions passing through her face, doubt, anger, surprise, and sadness, then she breathed deeply before speaking. 

"Alan, you are an idiot..." Rose said calmly.

"Hey, I'll tell you the story of my life and you…" I complained but Rose interrupted me.

"I'm not finished yet! Alan, you're an idiot, always putting yourself in danger, but still helping people! I seriously don't understand that part of you! To this day, I still wonder why you helped me, I still wonder if this is just a dream! You came out of nowhere, saved a girl you don't know, got her a home and a job, taught her to read and write, and taught her to live! You are strong enough to dismember a person, you have two magic books, and one of them speaks and treats you like a king!"

"I don't know where you want to go..."

"I haven't finished yet!" Rose screamed hitting my forehead again.

"OUCH!"

"Until yesterday I thought you were someone unusually strong, but then I discovered these two books, and now you're telling me that you came from a faraway land full of monsters?!? Do you know how absurd that is?!? You are an imbecile! A dragon and a giant falling from the sky, people turning into salt statues, weapons that can kill dragons and destroy cities! Do you think I'm a kid who believes everything she's told?!?"

"I'm sorry..." I replied ashamed, averting my gaze.

Rose raised her fist one more time, but slowly lowered it; I think it's better if I shut up already.

"Even so, I can't ignore everything you've done for me, not to mention, of course, the magic books of your absurd history that are right here; I don't need more proof than it!" Rose screamed, pointing at Noir and Rubrum.

"So even with all the bullshit you said, I believe you." Rose said, smiling gently at me.

"Thank you, Rose..." I answered, smiling back.

"But, if you hide something like that from me again, I'll break every bone in your body, understood?!?" Rose screamed menacingly, pointing directly at my face.

"Yes ma'am!" I replied, smiling nervously. I don't doubt she's going to do that.

"Excellent!" Rose smiled back, with her hands on her hips.

Suddenly, someone knocking repeatedly on the door interrupted our moment.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" A male voice screamed, knocking furiously on the door. Must be the city guards wanting answers about what happened last night. 

"Noir, Rubrum under the bed now!" I screamed to the two grimoires. 

Quickly, Noir used one of his Dark Hands to grab Rubrum and float under the bed right after.

"Rose, I'm going to lie to the guard, I need you to cooperate with my lies. I can count on you?"

"Yes!" Rose said determinately.

"Then open the door for me."

Rose walked towards the door while I got up with some effort and sat on the bed. Rose stopped in front of the door and looked at me, waiting for my signal. I nodded, and Rose opened the door, letting the city guards in.

Of the three guards, the ones on the left and right wore leather armor with some metal plates on the wrists, shins, and chest; they also carried short swords and small shields. 

The one in the middle wore leather armor, but covered with more metal than the other two; he also wore a metal helmet and medal attached to his chest, probably to show his rank.

"Hello! A good day, no? How can I help you, sir?" I said politely, smiling at the guard in the middle.

"We are looking for the people known as Alan and Rose; we were informed that they were seen heading towards this inn. It's you two isn't it?" The guard spoke, staring at me intently.

Sweat ran down the back of my neck and I saw out Rose looking at me worriedly of the corner of my eye. It's time to lie as I'd never done before.

"Yes, we are." I replied, hiding my nervousness.

"Very well, I would like an explanation about what happen last night, specifically about the bodies found on the street and inside your house. I hope you can clarify the situation." The guard said, approaching me.

Damn it! Shit! Fuck!

"Come on, I'm waiting." The guard spoke, stomping the floor impatiently.

"Of course, pardon me!" I said, doing my best poor bastard voice.

"You see my good sir, Rose and I were attacked by bandits last night, they tried to kill me and kidnap my dear sister." I said with tears in my eyes, approaching Rose and hugging her.

"We have no family, our father died from overwork, and our mother died of illness soon after. We survived with what little we had, we traveled from city to city, doing all kinds of heavy work, being underpaid and exploited by our bosses." I said between tears.

I looked at Rose and she stared back at me with a look that said 'What the fuck are you doing!' and I stared back with a look that said 'Collaborate with my lie!'

"It's true. My idiot brother cared for me for years, always looking for work and always failing thanks to his stupidity." Rose said, hugging me back.

What the fuck are you saying, Rose?!?

"I wouldn't have to look for work if you hadn't set the inn's kitchen on fire a year ago!" I screamed at her.

Rose stared at me angrily with half-closed eyes.

"Well if you weren't such a womanizer we wouldn't have to flee every town we stop at. Seriously?!? The innkeeper's daughter, the baker's daughter, the carpenter's daughter, even the priest's daughter! We wouldn't have so much trouble if you could keep your pants in place!" Rose said in a dramatic voice and with watery eyes.

So this is the game you want to play.

"I wouldn't try so hard to have fun if you didn't cause me so much stress, you get into fights with tugs, steal food from the stalls, and worst of all, you stole money from an orphanage and told the children that if they had any problems with it, they should complain to their parents. Tell me, Rose, if our parents could see us what would they think?"

I said, covering my eyes with one hand, hiding my fake tears with a vengeful smile on my face.

My smile turned into a pained face as Rose stomped on my foot with her heel using all her strength. 

I held back a pained cry, and I slipped my hand over Rose's shoulder as if to continue our embrace and pinched the side of her arm hard, but I was careful not to hurt her. Rose kept a straight face, but a tear slipped from her left eye.

"Enough! I'm not here to hear the tragic story of your lives! You were attacked last night, I believe! But that doesn't explain the decapitated body, the one with its jaw ripped off and the one crushed into a paste." The highest-ranking guard screamed, losing his temper.

"Sorry sir, we got carried away by our family ties, but to solve your doubts, we were saved by one person." I said, bowing down and forcing my hand to the back of Rose's head, making her bow too.

"A person? I doubt that one person could do all this alone." The guard asked doubtfully.

"One person did all this because she used magic." I replied.

The guard's eyes widened upon hearing my answer and he ran toward me, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Magic, are you sure?!?" The guard asked startled, shaking me frantically.

"Y-yes, w-why the s-surprise?" I stuttered between the shakes. Seriously, why was he so scared?

"Listen to what I'll tell you boy, and listen well! The lords who rule these lands are cruel wretches, demons in human flesh, and every one of them uses magic! Normal people don't stand a chance against them, but magic users, that's another story. The Lords feared that strong enough magic users could kill them, and that's why they enacted a law that no one can use magic without their direct permission; the Lords also recruited magic users who showed loyalty to them! If word spreads that someone used magic without the Lords' permission, Cagliamola will be destroyed, and every man, woman, and child will be slaughtered by the armies of the Lords! So tell me what this person was like. Who saved you?"

Think Alan, think of a person who doesn't exist! I can't, I'm too nervous!

"Tell me!" The guard yelled, shaking me again.

"It was a woman!" Rose screamed, approaching the guard.

Thank you, Rose, thank you. You saved me.

"A woman, go on." The guard replied, releasing and approaching Rose.

"She was short, with short red hair, yellow eyes, and dressed like a noblewoman, wearing a red dress that covered her entire body, black gloves, and black high heels."

That's it Rose, creates someone who is the complete opposite of me!

"Are you sure?" The guard asked.

"Yes!" Rose nodded quickly.

"Very well, I thank you, citizens, for your cooperation, you are doing the city of Cagliamola a great service, the three of us are going to withdraw now." The guard said, walking towards the door.

"We didn't do much; we just did our civic duty." I replied smiling.

"Boy, are you a noble?" The guard asked, staring at me for a while

"No." I answered quickly.

The guard shrugged and walked away, leaving us alone.

"Why does everyone ask if I'm a noble?" I asked Rose.

"You speak like one; always using complicated words that I've no idea of the meaning." Rose replied.

"I'm just well versed in the pronunciation and writing of the alphabet of my homeland, thus maintaining dialogues for a great amount of time using various synonyms, avoiding the repetition of words. Because of my high knowledge, which is above Midgard average person, I created the misconception that I have a higher social status than a citizen of this nation does. Am I correct, my dear companion?"

I asked Rose with a cocky smile on my face, but Rose just looked back at me blankly.

"I've no idea what you just said. But changing the subject..." Rose said, approaching me quickly.

"ARGH!"

I screamed in pain after she stomped my foot again.

"What's the idea of pinching me?!?" Rose demanded, screaming angrily at me.

"It was because you stepped on my foot!" I screamed back, grabbing Rose's cheeks, pulling and pinching them.

"I stepped on your foot because you told lies about me, I didn't rob an orphanage!" Rose answered, grabbing my cheeks and pulling them too.

"And I'm not a womanizer; I haven't even had my first kiss yet!" I replied and Rose laughed.

"HAHAHA! So does that mean you're a virgin?!? I knew it!" Rose laughed with tears in her eyes, escaping my grasp and running away from me.

"Listen here you little shit!" I screamed, running after her.

-Alan and Rose's House-

We returned to our house taking longer than usual because of Alan, he stopped coughing up blood but he was still in pain. We walked together with the excuse that if someone attacked us again we would be ready.

However, that was a lie; Alan needed someone to lean on but was too embarrassed to ask, so we slowly walked to our home, one step at a time.

He acted as if everything was fine, but failed miserably. He was pale, breathing heavily and with difficulty, I felt him shaking as he leaned on my shoulder, it looked like he was going to drop dead. Please don't let this happen!

We entered our home and saw that the bodies weren't there anymore, but the bloodstains still marked the floor. I helped Alan to a chair in the kitchen where he sat down, sighing relieved.

"The house is a mess, isn't it? All these bloodstains in our bedroom and on the living room floor, I think I better start cleaning up." Alan said, struggling to his feet.

"No! You'll sit there while I'll take care of this mess!" I replied, approaching him and pushing him back to the chair.

"But..." Alan stuttered.

"No, but! You'll sit your ass on that chair!" I screamed, pointing at the chair in question.

"Okay, can you at least bring me a pillow?" Alan sighed defeated.

Nodding, I entered our bedroom, picked up a pillow, and gave it to Alan. Alan put the pillow on the kitchen table and looked at it for a few seconds before falling with his face on it, falling silent right after, looks like he is sleeping now. 

"Now how am I going to clean this up?" I spoke to myself as I looked at the bloodstains.

"Please, allow me to help you, Miss Rose." Noir spoke, approaching me while using two magic hands to carry buckets of soapy water.

"Thank you, Noir." I replied with a smile, picking two brushes for Noir and me. 

Therefore, we cleaned the place.

"Noir, do you mind if I ask a question?" I asked the book while brushing the ground.

"No, I don't mind, Miss Rose." Noir replied, cleaning the floor too.

"What is it like to be a book?" I asked curiously.

Noir went silent, brushing the floor slowly.

"That's a tricky question to answer. Tell me, what is it like to be human? As I recall, I was always a book from the day I woke up until now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I wasn't born Miss Rose but created. I couldn't see, hear, feel and I had no conscience when I came into existence. As if I slept in a deep and dreamless slumber, but I saw a light in that void one day, and then I woke up, with the first thing I saw being Lord Alan. I suddenly knew what I should do, I should serve him, protect him, for he was an Original Gestalt, it came into my mind as an instinct, I had a goal now." Noir said in a sad tone, changing it to a happy one upon talking about Alan.

"You like Alan, don't you?" I replied, smiling slightly.

"Yes Miss Rose, after all, he is my Lord. But he isn't the only person who I appreciate the presence of." Noir answered vaguely.

"Seriously? And who is the other one?" I asked curiously.

"It's you, Miss Rose." Noir said gently.

My eyes widened with the answer and I couldn't look at Noir. The floor became so interesting all of a sudden.

"Thank you." I whispered to the book, however, I couldn't hide the smile on my face.

"No problem, Miss Rose. Mind if we talk some more?" 

"No, Noir. What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about my dreams." Noir replied, his voice changing to a serious tone.

"Dreams, you can dream?" I asked surprised.

"Yes. I work on a MASO basis, so I don't need to sleep, but I still sleep from time to time, it helps to rest my mind."

"I understand, now tell me about your dreams."

"They are horrible Miss Rose. I was in the body of a child inside an orphanage full of children, suddenly the orphanage's door opened and soldiers entered. What happened next is just a blur; I remember screams and blood, one boy, one girl, and me."

"And what happened afterward?"

"The boy tried to protect the girl but he couldn't, thanks to me, only the boy the soldiers and I remained in the end. Therefore, the doors opened again and the soldiers took us away, but the dream ended as soon as I passed through the door. As you know I'm just one of many Grimoire Noir, perhaps the dreams I've are the memories of the original Noir."

Noir went silent after his explanation, waiting for my answer. What should I say? I never had this kind of conversation before, take a deep breath Rose, and speak.

"I also have bad dreams. Sometimes I wake up and I'm back in the brothel, I can't escape that shitty place and I end up spending the rest of my life there, but the truth is I'm afraid to wake up and find that the life I'm having now it's just a dream. But still, in the back of my mind, I know that this is real, that you are real, that Rubrum is real, that Alan is real, all of you are real and I'm not in the brothel anymore, I'm here now."

"What are you trying to say, Miss Rose?"

"What I'm trying to say is, we're all here now, I'm not in the brothel and you're not in the orphanage, that's the reality, our memories of the past may come back to haunt us, but in the end, they are just that, memories, we decide what to do with them. About you being a copy of the original Noir you have to ask yourself 'Does it matter?' From what you said, you were sleeping before you met Alan, think about it, out of all the copies, you managed to wake up and get a goal. Doesn't that make you better than the original? As far as we know, he might still be sleeping. Noir you succeeded where the original failed."

"Thank you, Miss Rose; I honestly don't know what to say other than thank you, thank you for listening to the concerns of this fool book." Noir replied in a mixture of happiness and sadness, I think he would cry if he could.

"Noir, please don't call yourself a fool." I answered worried about him.

"Of course, Miss Rose, but if I may say, what you said was surprising; I didn't expect that from someone like you."

"What do you mean you didn't expect that from someone like me?!?" I demanded angrily, dropping the brush and approaching Noir.

"Don't get me wrong Miss Rose, but based on your way of acting and speaking..." Noir said nervously, floating away from me.

"So you mean you thought I was just a dirty-mouthed whore?" I said, grabbing Noir before he floated out of my reach.

"N-no Miss Rose, but I didn't expect you to be so kind." 

"So you mean you thought I was a cold-hearted bitch?!?" I asked again, approaching one of the water buckets with Noir in my hands.

"M-Miss Rose, what are you planning to do?" Noir asked fearfully.

"Well since you doubt my kindness, I'll show you how kind I can be." I replied, smiling evilly at him. 

"Miss Rose, wait!" Noir screamed.

However, it was too late as I dipped Noir into the water bucket.

"YOU SHITTY BOOK, I FUCKING OPEN MY HEART TO YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU THANK ME YOU BASTARD?!?"

"Miss Rose, stop! You will ruin my pages."

"AND WHO SAID THAT I FUCKING CARE?!? I TRIED TO BE NICE BUT NO, YOU HAD TO OPEN YOUR STUPID MOUTH. I CAN SAY SOMETHING SMART IF I WANT, YOU KNOW?!?"

"Can you two please shut up!? I'm trying to sleep here!" Alan shouted without taking his face off the pillow.

"Lord Alan, help!" Noir screamed in panic.

"You got yourself into this problem Noir, now you're going to get out of it. Nobody told you to open your mouth. Rose, try not to ruin Noir." Alan said tiredly, with his voice muffled by the pillow and without looking at us

"You can leave it with me! We are going to spend some time together." I replied happily, giving Noir a sweet smile.

"NO!" Noir screamed from the top of his lungs, trying to escape my grasp but ignored his screams and plunged Noir back into the bucket.

"HAHAHA!" A little girl laughed, looks like Rubrum is watching us from the kitchen table, I'll let her enjoy the show.

-A few weeks later, Land of Seas-

The Land of the Seas was Midgard's biggest trading point with ships docking every day, bringing exotic goods from all over the world and explorers setting sail in search of adventures in unknown lands, seeking to leave their names in history.

Men, women, and children walked the streets, but these were not normal people, they were nobles, aristocrats, and rich merchants, they dressed in the best clothes, full of ornaments and details.

The women wore long dresses made of the finest fabric, pearl necklaces, and bracelets of pure gold adorned with diamonds; they used the most expensive perfumes and the most beautiful makeup. The women of the Land of the Seas were the epitome of grace, beauty, and manners.

The men wore clothes that showed everyone their place in society, each of them wore a top hat adorned with bird feathers, and long coats that reached the back of their shins with the emblem of their family sewn into it.

The children wore colorful clothes of the best quality, looking like little dolls walking through the streets.

The Land of the Seas was a great place to live, at least that's what it seemed. The reality of most people of Midgard hides behind this luxury. 

The difference between rich and poor was absurd, beggars and sick people were scattered in alleys, ignored by the high society. In the seas, pirates attacked all the ships that weren't under the direct protection of the Lords.

Soldiers who were supposed to uphold the law and protect the people extorted the common citizen by taking money and food from those who could not defend themselves.

The city of Avalon Wharf was built on a hill that descended towards the sea, the city docks were in the lower part of the city while the population houses were built up the hill.

In Avalon Wharf the difference between rich and poor was obvious, wooden shacks were everywhere, dirty water ran down the streets, and rats ran through the alleys and houses, spreading diseases.

Beggars leaned against walls asking for crumbs to survive, and families did their best to feed their malnourished children. Robberies and murders were common in this part of the city, but there was no use calling the guards if you couldn't pay the "Protection fee."

The high-class population lived even higher on the hill with extravagant and exaggerated mansions covering the top, whereas the high-class lived without caring about the problems of the world. After all, they had money and power no one could touch them.

Clothing and jewelry stores were present on every street, restaurants sold the best quality food, brand-new buildings were everywhere, and the people who lived there enjoyed the good and the best.

Whoever saw it from outside the city wouldn't imagine that the distance between the ghettos and the high-class neighborhood was just a small street, but no one from the ghettos dared to go up the hill, after all, guards always protected the neighborhood of the high class.

A mansion bigger than all the others was at the top of the hill, it was the mansion of the Lord or Lady of the Land of the Seas, Caerula.

Caerula was a woman with purple hair and green eyes; she wore a beautiful noble dress. Currently, Lady Caerula is in her room looking for a new dress to wear with a young girl serving as a maid next to her.

"Not this one..." Caerula said, pulling dresses out of her closet.

"Lady Caerula, what do you think about this one?" The maid said, showing a blue dress to Caerula.

"Silence, you will speak only when I allow you!" Caerula screamed.

"Yes, Lady Caerula!" The maid replied, adjusting her posture, and waited for further orders.

Suddenly, a knock on her door interrupted Lady Caerula.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

"Come in." Caerula said.

A young man dressed as a butler entered, bowing down and waiting for his master's words.

"You are allowed to speak." Caerula ordered, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"A man wants to see you, Lady Caerula." The butler replied politely.

"A man, I hope he has a good reason to interrupt me." Caerula said annoyed, hiding her expression with a fan.

"He claims to have encountered a magic user who is acting without any of the Lord's permission."

"Send him to my office." Caerula said seriously, staring at the butler behind her fan.

"As Lady Caerula commands." The butler answered before walking away.

-Office-

Caerula waited in her office at her mansion, curious about what the man had to say.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

"Come in." Caerula said, waving her fan.

The butler opened the door and a man with both legs bandaged sitting on a wheelchair entered and stopped in front of Lady Caerula's desk.

"You can go." Caerula said to her butler who bowed down upon hearing the orders and left the room.

"I hope you have a good reason to waste my time," Caerula said menacingly to the man in the wheelchair.

"Yes, Lady Caerula! I was attacked by a magic user who doesn't have permission from the Lords." The man replied scared, sweating profusely.

"A magic user you say? What kind of magic did he use?" Caerula asked seriously.

"He had a floating book that fired magic, filling one of my friends with holes, and then the book created hands, crushing the head of another one, as if that wasn't cruel enough, another man was crushed to a pulp by the book." The man said dramatically with fake tears falling from his eyes.

"And what did he do to you exactly?" Caerula said, looked at the man's legs.

"I tried to run away after seeing what happened to my poor friends, may they rest in peace, but the magic user ordered the book to shoot my legs, and sentenced me to a wheelchair for life." The man said, crying even more.

"Describe this magic user to me." Caerula ordered.

"It will be a pleasure." The man replied smiling.

-XXXXXX-

"And that's what they look like." The man finished describing the magic user and the girl that always accompanied him.

"Thank you for your cooperation, my butler will reward you for the information. These outlaws will have their heads on the bounty and their wanted posters will be spread all over the Lands."

"Thank you Lady Caerula, thank you!" The man said happily, joining both hands in prayer.

"Right, now stop wasting my time and get out of here! Wait, before you go, answer me a question."

The man nodded and went silent, waiting for it.

"Why did you come to me? You crossed the sea despite your condition. Why not go to the Lord of the forests or the Desert?"

"But I did it, Lady Caerula, but they ignored me. They said I wasn't worth the time."

"INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" Caerula screamed angrily, slamming her table, and cracking it slightly.

The man recoiled, turning away from Caerula.

"He will deliver your reward, just accompany him." Caerula said, clearing her throat and ringing a small bell on her table, calling her butler.

DING!

"Thank you Lady Caerula."

The butler opened the door and the man left the room while Caerula looked at her servant and ran her thumb in a slashing motion across her neck. The butler nodded understanding the order and left the room.

"Magic user, will you join me or become my enemy?" Caerula said thoughtfully, looking at her left hand aging at an alarming rate, and then she rang the bell on her table again.

DING!

In a few seconds, a maid entered the room. 

"You called me, Lady Caerula?" The maid asked.

"Yes." Caerula said, getting up and approaching the maid.

"Lady Caerula?" The maid asked confused.

Suddenly, Caerula pierced the maid's chest with her hand, grabbing her heart, the maid's body withered and Caerula's body got younger, and then Caerula removed her hands from the maid's chest, letting the dried body fall to the floor.

"Damn it! I did it again! It's the third one this week! Too bad, she was my favorite. I'll have to get another." Caerula said, covering her face with her fan and kicking the maid's body away.

END OF CHAPTER