Chapter 5: Millis

Leon decided to call it a day when someone called for him just outside.

"Leon! Leon, are you in there?"

He lifted himself up from a bed made of straw and pushed open the wooden window. As he looked to see who the voice belonged to, he saw a woman wearing a farmer's garb. She had golden hair tied in a ponytail with a scrunchy, and she wore a farmer's hat. It was Millis, Leon's best friend.

"Millis, why are you shouting at someone's house so early in the morning?"

"Morning? It's already noon!"

"How was I supposed to know that?" Leon mumbled. It was a reasonable question—how was he supposed to know the time when the house barely received any sunlight?

"Anyway, come here. I've got something for you."

Leon pushed his tired body out of bed and made his way outside. He promptly closed the door behind him to prevent sunlight from entering.

"Here. Take a look at this." Millis handed him a book with a cover devoid of any title. The cover was ragged.

"What's this?"

"Something you need to know."

Leon examined the book for a moment before opening it. Inside, there was writing that eluded his understanding. While Leon struggled with reading, he could usually make out some words. However, this text presented a different challenge with unfamiliar language and letters that left him completely in the dark.

"I can't comprehend anything here."

"Oh, right, you're not great with reading."

"Even if I were, understanding this is beyond me. What language is this?"

"Huh?" Millis tilted her head. "I can read it just fine, you know?"

"Really?"

"Indeed. Odd. I thought this was just a..." Millis suddenly fell silent. "Oh, I see," she muttered to herself.

"What?"

"N-Nothing. Anyway, if you can't decipher this, then I should provide you with the content of what I read here."

"What is it?"

Millis took the book from him and opened it to a specific page. "Here, let me read it for you. It says, 'A mystical creature from the age when the end of the beginning was born into this world to initiate the beginning of the end. That creature was blessed by multiple gods to wreak havoc in the realm of mortals. However, it is not only a harbinger of doom but also a salvation from everything. It can cleanse sinners, revive the dead, and cure incurable diseases.' Do you grasp the significance, Leon?"

Leon understood what Millis was suggesting. Essentially, she was conveying, 'we've found a cure for your sister's illness.' Yet, like the keeper of all knowledge in the world, it wasn't easy to believe in such fantastical tales. It was challenging to accept, considering they were mere myths.

"You seem skeptical."

"To be honest, yes. It's not easy to suppress a laugh at such an exaggerated tale."

"But what if it's real? You'll only miss a chance if you don't investigate."

"And if I investigate and discover it's nothing more than nonsense, how do I compensate for the time I wasted? I appreciate your assistance, but I don't think your persuasion is going to work on me."

That was the issue. If he spent time searching for the witch or the mystical creature Millis mentioned, he feared he might discover that none of those myths were true. If that happened, he would have wasted more time that could have been spent earning money.

"But what if it's real? Are you not going to take the chance?"

"I have already taken enough chances, Millis. None of them have worked. I can't risk more time searching for something that likely doesn't exist."

"But they do exist. I mean, Archangel Aria exists."

Leon suddenly felt a surge of anger within him at the mention of that archangel. Was Eve holding such a grudge that even he could feel it?

"How do you know she exists?"

"She talks to me in my dreams! She's even the one who advised me to give this book to you and have you read it."

Was that really true? Even if it were, it could be nothing more than a dream.

"Master, I can sense the essence of that archangel on her. It's possible that what she's saying is true," Eve communicated in his mind.

"How do you know that?" Leon inquired aloud, causing Millis, who stood before him, to tilt her head.

"I just told you, she talks to me in my dreams. Are you even listening to me?" Millis responded, though Leon's question wasn't directed at her.

"If you delve into history books, you'll discover an account of a woman who was once aided by Aria. She was the one who won numerous battles in the hundred-year war and liberated many cities in the country of Drid. She claimed that in her dreams, she conversed with an angel, and that angel guided her actions. Due to this, the King of the Drid Kingdom bestowed upon her the title of a knight and hailed her as a beacon of hope for many. However, an malevolent individual accused her of fraudulence, labeling her claims of conversing with an angel as lies, suggesting she might be a witch. Fearing the woman's supposed dark magic, the king, swayed by the deceitful informant, ordered her immediate execution for a crime she did not commit. They bound her to a stake and set her ablaze. Yet, before succumbing to the flames, she apologized to the people for not completing her mission."

Leon hadn't read anything about that, but he recognized who Eve was referring to. It was Jeanne, the woman who liberated several cities from the hands of the demon race and was known for acting under divine guidance from the Archangel Aria. However, she was accused of heresy and witchcraft, leading to her immediate execution. There was no way to verify if what she claimed was true, but even in the face of death, she never recanted her assertion of hearing the voice of an angel. Ultimately, whether she truly heard the voice or not remained a mystery. From Leon's perspective, it was plausible that she was delusional.

"That woman aided the hero, Arthur, in slaying the demon lord of greed during the war. She was a remarkable woman. Her death was unfortunate, but, as a demon lord back then, it was also advantageous for me. Having one of Aria's subordinates killed was one of the best things that happened in that war."

"Don't tell me you're the one who killed her?" Leon questioned. Once again, Millis tilted her head.

"Killed who?" she asked.

"Don't be foolish. I don't enjoy eliminating small fries."

"I see..."

Well, that was such an Eve thing to say. So typical of her.

"What 'I see...'? Are you even paying attention, Leon?"

"Huh?! Oh, yeah. Forgot you were still here, Millis."

"Forget I've been here this whole time? You're quite the jerk. I came out of my way to bring you this book, and you're just brushing me off."

"Anyhow, I appreciate you going out of your way to assist with my sister's illness, but handing me history books won't cut it. I'm not great with reading, and I can't put my faith in curing my sister with something as dubious as this. Even if that creature or witch is real, they might not help us."

Millis sighed, "I get it. But let's give it a shot, okay? I'll read it for you, if you have the time, of course."

Leon smiled. He was genuinely thankful that Millis was his friend, "Well, if it's not too much trouble, I guess I'll hear what this book has to say."

Honestly, he didn't hold much hope that a cure for his sister's mysterious illness could be found in books, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to take Millis up on her offer.

"Oh, right. May I step inside for a moment? I wish to greet Seres," Millis inquired.

"Your presence is always welcome, Millis," replied Leon.

Millis entered Leon's residence and proceeded to locate Seres.

"Master, I sense potential danger in allowing that woman to persist. It would be prudent to eliminate her immediately," urged Eve.

Leon was taken aback. "What? You mean kill Millis? That's out of the question."

"She could be a pawn of Aria. She mentioned seeing her in her dreams, right? There's a possibility she might evolve into someone like Jeanne in the future."

The notion of Millis transforming into a new Jeanne puzzled Leon. Eve's words seemed nonsensical.

"I cannot bring myself to harm Millis. She is a friend, and even if she happens to be manipulated by Aria, I won't resort to killing her. Moreover, your grudge is against Archangel Aria, not me, and certainly not Millis."

"You're being idealistic, Master. If you're adamant about not eliminating her, fine. While she may not pose a threat currently, Aria does. I implore you, Master, if you wish to avoid being targeted by Aria in the future, consider corrupting Millis so that she becomes unusable to Aria."

"Corrupt her?" Leon had a sense of what Eve was implying but opted not to vocalize it.

"Rape her, Master, and subject her to the pleasures of sex. Corrupt her both mentally and physically until her thoughts are consumed by you and your desires. Make her a slave to pleasure."