Mr. Laufeyson

Having spent a couple of minutes in silence, having just brewed two cups of coffee, that we were both currently enjoying, I felt like I had to initiate the conversation.

"So excuse me, but what do you actually want? I'm assuming that you know something about me that makes you either feel like I have something you want or there is something you want me to do. It would most likely make our conversation a lot easier if I also knew what premise you are acting on."

*Tak*

Placing his cup on the table, Mr. Laufeyson put his head in his hand as if he was disappointed in my reflection of the situation, "Haaa... You know, you aren't exactly wrong about what you are saying, but why do you have to make it so boring? Why not play a little verbal cat and mouse for a bit, seeing if you can subtly pick up clues and hints about my identity, as to then turn the tables on me?"

If this was a normal situation, I might have done so. However, this was not a normal situation. In fact, this was one of the most abnormal scenes that I had ever found myself an actor in. This was because of two reasons; Firstly, there was the fact that he managed to sneak into my apartment without me noticing, clearly showing he was able to make his way in and out of the academy as he saw fit. Alternatively, he was either a student at the academy or part of the staff working at Ainu.

For me, the first alternative felt a lot more plausible. I doubted the fact that someone at the prestigious academy wouldn't be looked up to the point where it was unlikely for someone as shady as him to get hired.

The second reason was a lot direr, the main reason why I didn't dare to try and play mind games with the man. He appeared to be incredibly relaxed even while infiltrating the academy and intruding in the apartment of one of their precious students. Simply put, he was either strong enough to not have to care or he had the logistical freedom to know he could never get caught.

Both of these rationales were enough to make me hesitant to risk angering him, thus it was better to try and move along the conversation while still being polite. Instead of answering the man, I just looked at him with a smile, letting him know that my prior question was still in play.

*Tap, Tap, Tap*

Letting his fingers dance on the table for a couple of seconds, he finally responded, "Tsk... Fine. I'll humor you. I'm here to ask you a couple of questions, and I would appreciate it if you answer them truthfully. I would go as far as to say that it would be in your best self-interest to do so."

Once again, another statement that needed a bit of time to decipher. He was either threatening me, telling me that if I lied, or didn't answer his questions, he might hurt me. Or he had something that could help me, maybe information or something tangible, that he wanted to bestow on me.

No matter what, there was still only one right answer, "I would prefer if I could get to know the questions before choosing if I want to answer them. The privacy of the individual is sacred, after all. If that is not possible, I'm assuming I don't have a choice in the matter anyway."

Taking up his cup, he somehow took a sip of the hot brew through the wood of his mask, a magic trick he had already displayed several times already, "You always have a choice, young man. It's the mindset of a weakling to think that they don't make their own decisions in life, pathetically eluding themselves by believing that just because someone is stronger, they cannot choose to do something. Shouldn't you be a perfect example of this?"

Mr. Laufeyson appeared to know about how I had lived during my short time at the academy, pointing to the fact that even though I was weak, I could choose to act in other ways.

Shrugging my shoulders, I let out a diffuse answer, "Maybe that is so."

"Now, as for your question, you can choose whether to answer or not. Just do not lie. Lies are boring, after all. Now, my time seems to be running out, so let's begin!"

The masked man was strangely excited, as his eyes glowed in purple again. Nodding my head, I confirmed that I was ready for his questions.

"For my first question, why did you choose the [Trickster] Manual?"

'Oh no...'

This was bad, unfathomably bad. With just a couple of words, the man let me know two things. One, which was bad but not as bad, he knew about my Manual, therefore he was someone who knew exactly what weaknesses it had. The second thing he knew was a lot worse though.

Mr. Laufeyson somehow knew that I 'chose' the Manual, pointing to the fact that he knew about my transmigration to this world.

Of course, there was the off chance that he thought I had just randomly picked it up and chose to use it. However, there was not a single piece of available information about the Manual online, thus I had already made up my mind that it was a very unique kind of Manual, not something that a commoner would get his hands on.

'Let's just be honest...'

"I chose to use the Manual because I thought it would be fun. That, and the fact that it is very useful."

Nodding his head several times, he appeared to approve of my answer, oddly energetic about it, "Good, good... Yes, that's good! Now, next question! What is your purpose?"

Luckily, his next question was a lot easier to answer. There was no underlying information that had to be analyzed this time. "First and foremost, I want to survive. Secondly, I want to enjoy this life as much as possible."

He wasn't quite as fond of my answer this time, clicking his tongue, "Tsk! A bit disappointing... To survive? That's not fun... I guess it makes a lot of sense though, you're just a hatchling right now, and hatchlings have to grow before they can take flight..."

After a short time of mumbling, he finally looked at me again, his third question at hand, "For my last question, why do you hide? Why don't you fight? I'm not exactly unhappy with how you are dealing with things, but, as a [Trickster], there is a big boon in showing off your power every now and then."

Another easy question to answer, an answer I didn't have to think about before opening my mouth. "I hide because I'm weak right now. Biding my time in order to grow as fast as possible."

*BAM!*

"𝘿𝙊𝙉'𝙏 𝙇𝙄𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙀!"

Suddenly, an invisible force started weighing down on me, feeling as if I was on the bottom of an ocean. The devil in front of me exuded an endless amount of pressure as the room was illuminated by the intense purple light coming from his eyes.

"𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔! 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐄!"

His voice sounded like we were suddenly in a deep cave, echoing inside of my mind, relentlessly tormenting my ears. Gritting my teeth, I managed to squeeze out an answer, defying the pressure that was pushing me down.

"Fine... I'll... Answer..."

The pressure faded, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Leaning back into his chair again, Mr. Laufeyson, relaxed a bit, "Good. Now, go on then! Time waits for no one! Oh, except for that one time when I managed to trick him into believing he would get to go on a date with Aphrodite..."

Not minding his stupid antics, as I had already gotten a pretty clear idea that he wasn't a normal human, I spoke the truth, "I hide because I know that humans always make justice of their actions. And with this knowledge, I don't trust myself, as I am also a human."

Yes, the unpredictability of others was scary, frightening even, yet the thesis that I had spent my life working on during my time on Earth wasn't about other humans. It was about myself.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

"Splendid! Now that's an answer I can understand! Yes, humans are unpredictable and impulsive. They go to war in order to please gods that do not want them, they burn books containing the truths they don't want to acknowledge and they don't hesitate in killing their own blood as long as there is something to be gained. There was not for naught that Cain killed Abel after all..."

*Bam!*

The last part of his sentence triggered something inside of me, making me throw the chair I was sitting on to the floor as I stood up, "Why do you know that?!"

Mr. Laufeyson just raised his hand, signaling me to calm down, "Please, sit down, Mr. Jackson. You are not yet in a position to ask me anything. If you continue to develop, then, in time, I will let you know everything. Now, I will, unfortunately, have to take my leave."

Standing up, his body started to blur, slowly getting more and more transparent for every second that passed by. Just before his body was gone, he left me with some final words, "Oh! Please do get rid of your stupid insecurities and begin showing others what you are capable of. Of course, you shouldn't let them know the secrets of your skills, but it's unsightly for someone who might come to represent me to hide like a coward. Ciao!"

Then he was gone, leaving me with a multitude of questions left unanswered. Still, he did indeed give me a gift that I desperately needed.

'It's unsightly...'