The ‘Sharing’ of the [Evil Commune] has finally broken through the Bobnium walls of the cage of Evil????.

It has accepted the sharing of thoughts and feelings.

Because of the strength and depth of the Bobnium walls, Evil???? will have to make sacrifices and it will take time for it to connect to you.

Time remaining: One month or thirty-three days and eleven hours.

I forgot I have to deal with this, it has been more than ten years since I made a [Familiar Bond] with Layla.

Alderam groaned like an animal as he raised his body off the soft bed that he for some reason is.

My head is spinning, I shouldn’t have raised myself so quick and… my memory is fuzzy, what happened?

He brought his right hand to his head to try to stop the spinning and then when he thought of raising his left hand too, he felt an empty response from it, making him look at his left side and discover that his left arm was completely gone.

Ah, that happened. Well, I already saw Layla grow fingers so an arm should be possible too.

When you have regenerative powers is kind of hard to care about missing members.

But... where am I?

Alderam looking up saw the most beautiful painting in his life.

The technique, strokes, shapes and most importantly, the emotions portrayed are all above the first painting he saw in his life that made him gave up the path of a brawler and was also the spark of his lifetime dream.

In the painting flying above his head, he could feel the angry emotions that the artist portrayed with the rising tides of an ocean together with the warming feeling of being loved because of the golden sun shining above everything else, Alderam could also…

This is beyond everything I know, how can such thing exist? I can feel this painting is the closest to my ideals, if the artist etched it on a metal and was also a mage… my dream would be fulfilled. But why is it floating?

“Did you like my magnum opus in this ‘world’?” Toivo appeared from thin air in front of Alderam and made the painting disappear.

“The painting…” Alderam exclaimed in dismay almost crying for the change of his ideal painting to a middle-aged blue-haired man.

“What are you? A character of a comic strip from the fifties? I never thought I would hear in my whole life someone saying ‘aaugh’.” Toivo rubbed his forehead. ”Don’t cry, I will show it again later.”

Alderam in his joy of once again seeing the painting ignored Toivo's nonsense commentary and asked the most important question when you wake up in a strange room with a floating painting. ”Is the painting's name ‘Magnum opus’?”

“No, magnum opus means that painting was my greatest work and if anyone asks about me, they would first remember that painting rather than my other paintings.”

Toivo pointed to Alderam. ”Shouldn’t you be asking what happened to you and Layla?”

“Is Layla okay?” Alderam hurriedly asked.

“Before asking if you are cured of the poison, you are asking about the safety of an immortal ‘monster’ in the Material Realm? How stupid and naive you can be.” Toivo snickered. ”Since you are not going ask, let me explain to you what happened. Layla brought you and we cured you for a little price we will talk about later.”

So without too much of Mana she was still capable of bringing me to these guys at the Dungeon’s end, she deserves a praise later and is better to gather information with this man by going with the flow of everything he says, so…

“Thank you for saving me.” Alderam bowed. “And you are right. I am stupid and naive. There is no reason to worry about Layla, since our survival only depends on me-”

Toivo’s face contorted with rage and he spun his body to uppercut Alderam.

The black-haired boy with his head bowed did not see the uppercut until was too late, making him take a step back because of the strength of the blow.

Looking at his front, he perceived that Toivo was going to continue hitting him, so he thought of using [Mana Aura] to repel the attack and then kill the blue-haired man, but, he seems to be the reason I am still alive, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Alderam raised his right hand and blocked Toivo’s punch.

He asked while holding Toivo’s hand. “What is the meaning of this?”

The muscular man towering above Alderam only said. ”My bad.”

“My bad?” Alderam snapped. ”So why are you still increasing the Strength in your right arm?”

Toivo had his usual eternal smug expression while Alderam continued. ”Are you going to explain the reason for this or not?”

The blue-haired looked straight to Alderam. “Layla did her best and didn’t care about any pain to save you, and you talk about your survival only depending on yourself. Moreover, you even say that was stupid and naive to care about her safety.”

He glared while using more Strength. ”I am sorry, but everything you do is so alike my first youth that I couldn’t hold back and ended up hitting you. She almost died to save you, you little shit.”

“Died? If so, she would only-”

“I am talking about having her soul destroyed. She had to pray to Caelum by Uphion’s orders to the Divine stabilize your health, because-”

“What did you just say?” Hatred began to brew inside of Alderam’s heart and appear in his silvery white eyes while [Familiar Bond] activated. ”Layla had her soul what?”

“Good! These determined and wrathful eyes suit you more than that vacant eyes you had when you woke up.” Mana began to surge from Toivo’s body. ”I am beginning to like you once again. You know, I have never liked passive people.”

“Enough of your chitchat!” Alderam activated [Mana Empowerment] through his whole body. ”What exactly happened to Layla? Answer me. If not, you will go meet the extinct Order God in the oblivion.”

This is not the time to be feeling a déjà vu. I need to know what happened to Layla.

“Make me answer.”

But before their argument could develop into a full fight, Toivo remarked. ”By the way, do you like Layla?”

Alderam silently looked at the blue-haired man as if regarding him as the greatest fool in Fuderpsy and then deadpanned said. ”Of course I like her. Could be you are the real and only idiot here?”

The surge of Mana in Toivo’s body disappeared while Alderam felt the Strength in the blue-haired man’s right arm lessening. ”Why only now you are being different from me? It is unfair to you be able to acknowledge so naturally you like her. It is a cheat! You can’t go against my script.”

Alderam feeling the hostility of Toivo disappearing, he let go of Toivo’s arm while still maintaining [Mana Empowerment]. ”I don’t know why you are comparing yourself to me, however, if I didn’t like Layla would I at my last breaths try to revive her or ask about her safety when I woke up?”

“But, you.” Toivo trembling pointed to Alderam. ”Then why would you say that is stupid and naive to care about Layla or to not sacrifice yourself to her and-”

This man really likes to point to the others.

“I only said in that way to agree with what you have said earlier, making easier to me gather information about what happened to me.”

Alderam sighed. ”Don’t you perceive that we are repeating ourselves and everything you did was contradictory with what you just said? Could be you have more memory problems than I have?”

Toivo gasped in disbelief while shaking.

Alderam rubbed his forehead. “If you are worried about Layla’s mental health, don’t worry I will try not to make her always a meatshield.” He grimly said. ”It is revolting to me say this, but if Layla dies in some attack protecting me or for inattention, I can’t risk myself to save her. If she dies, she will suffer a lot but because of her death there will be a hope of me surviving the enemy's attack and encounter with her once again.”

“What if in the future she dies so many times that you would stop caring about the pain she feels when dying and because of it you would always send her on suicidal missions?” The blue-haired man asked.

“This situation is highly probable considering the type of person I am. Because Layla’s death is not the end of our relationship, but if I die, it will be the end of everything. So in the end, I would harden my heart and send her in these ‘suicidal missions’. But if I ended like that I would pretty disappointed in myself for not gathering power enough to this situation never happen.”

Toivo’s expression became gentle. ”So that is your determination? To forgo your humanity if necessary to receive power enough to Layla never need to sacrifice herself again?”

What is the problem with this man? He is putting words in my mouth and trying to make me look like a good person by twisting my logic.

“Don’t call what I am going to do of such beautiful thing as determination. I am just using Layla to protect me until I kill that Devil and Alastor.”

“It seems I can’t judge you based on my own standards.” The blue-haired man turned to the door at the front of Alderam. ”Layla is safe. She will be here in some minutes, come down to eat something, you have been unconscious for two days.”

With Toivo turning to the door with his back to Alderam, the black-haired boy felt relieved at knowing Layla is safe, however, he began to notice how strange was his conversation with Toivo.

Why did he repeat himself so many times and show inconsistencies in his actions and words?

It was then that Alderam’s confusion and head spinning stopped. He became wide-eyed and perceived more important points in his conversation with the blue-haired man.

Why was I so honest while talking to him? It is not normal to me talk so much about myself and Layla with a man that self-claimed curing me.

Was I drugged?

Wait a moment.

The blue-haired man regarded Layla as ‘immortal monster’ and he said something about Caelum and the Gif-

Alderam instinctively created five Water Balls to kill Toivo, this man knows Layla is a Devil and has the Gift! He can not be allowed to leave this room alive.

Toivo continued to walk to the door as if not noticing the disturbance in the room’s Mana.

When Alderam was close to launching the Water Balls, for the first time in his life he heard his conscience saying something. ’Do not kill him.’

His conscience took Layla’s form and appeared between him and Toivo.

*Don’t-*

Fuck you! Where were you when I killed the boys bullying Rhigon or when I was testing my dagger techniques in Naturals without members or when I was ordered to kill trait-

*No, no, no. Bitch, please.* The conscience shook Layla’s fingers to the sides.

What?

*It was not my fault you did all these things without any scruples, I didn’t even exist at that time.*

So why did you appear now that I am going to kill a middle-aged man?

*I was created after you met Layla and obtained the title [The One Beyond Insanity].*

Hmm… okay. I will accept your excuses for now. So tell me the reason to not kill this man.

*Phew. I am kind of new to being a conscience so I was worried you wouldn’t hear me.*

Just fucking go on.

*Sheesh, calm down.* The conscience coughed while Alderam perceived that the world was so slow that Toivo’s foot was still suspended in the air moving to the door. *Remember the vow you made to Layla?’

Vow? Be more specific, I have at least three vows with Layla, you can’t expect me to remember them all the time with my bad memory.

The conscience groaned like an animal in the same way Alderam did when waking up. *I am talking about the one you won’t cross the line and kill innocents or do really bad things, remember?*

Oh. I remember now, but how is this middle-aged man innocent? He knows Layla’s secrets.

*Did you try to thought why he know it or why you and Layla are still alive after he discovered it?*

Well… Alderam became flustered.

*You didn’t, right?*

Okay, it is your win. Continue with the explanation.

*After knowing everything he still hasn’t reported you and Layla or killed you while being unconscious, so he can be regarded as a friend even though you and he had fought. Then killing him is crossing the line, so you will not kill him.

*Repeat with me. I will not kill him.*

I will not kill him.

*Repeat again.* The conscience in Layla’s form smirked.

Don’t over push it. I already got your point.

The conscience shrugged. *When you see Layla try to be gentle, her screams were too horrible, it still frightens me until today.* The conscience shivered.

What are you talking about? Aren’t you supposed to be my conscience? How do you know something I don’t?

*Your brain doesn’t stop working just because you are sleeping. Although I couldn’t ‘see’ what happened, I heard everything. I even know somethings of the past that you don’t remember or saw.*

It opened its arms. *Do you want to know the true reason to why you have a bad memory and a twisted mind or how it was possible for you not creating something so natural as a conscience?*

You got my interest. Spill it out.

*All these things are all your parents’ fault.* The conscience shouted with hatred possible to be felt from its tone of voice.

Eh? Are you not mistaken? My family before Alastor’s body-

*I am not mistaken. In short, the reason you have a bad memory and a perturbed mind wasn’t just because of the experiments, it got worse when Alastor stopped to try to diminish the side-effects and still hit you almost every day.*

So-

*I did not end!* The conscience shouted so loud that its Layla’s form began to undo.

It huffed and recomposed itself. *Sorry for the outburst.*

...Okay. It must be not easy being a conscience of someone like me. Alderam backed off a little.

*Thank you for your understanding. It becomes hard to calm myself when I remember your mother and brother.*

Brother?

*It’s a story for another time. Because of your family’s actions, principally your mother’s ones, it became impossible for you have a recuperation and you ‘decayed’ enough to not even create a conscience.*

Hey. My mother-

*Shut up, Mama’s boy* It howled. *You haven’t become a complete serial killer because of Rhigon. If she didn’t exist you would be right now killing anything that moves within your radius of vision. And you only began to question yourself after meeting that painting and [Illusionist], if not, you wouldn’t be capable of considering Layla a friend. So don’t dare to talk good about your mother in my fucking presence.*

Calm down, I won’t say anything more about my mother when talking with you, are you happy? Alderam tried to gently appease his conscience while feeling that the roles have inverted.

*Sorry, I won’t shout anymore in this session.*

It for some time took deep breaths to calm itself. *The time is ending because of my consecutive outbursts, do you have any other questions?*

I have many, but the principal is how did you take Layla’s form and appeared at the front of me while slowing down the world? I don’t think is that what happens when someone has a conscience.

*Hmm… it was probably because of the title [The One Beyond Insanity] and your high Willpower. Remember that Layla’s Gift said that Willpower raises the power of ‘Images’ and the title increase the effects of Willpower ‘abilities’. If I am not an ‘Image’, I don’t know what I am.

*And the slowing down… who knows? Don’t you think talking with your conscience in this way shows how crazy you are and the title just made the things crazier?*

I will never understand that title, it makes no sense. How someone is above insanity?

*I didn’t completely understand either. This seems like some bullshit someone invented to not have to think too much about the title.*

But why did you take Layla’s form?

*I didn’t choose this form. You instinctively choose Layla’s form because you knew Layla would be the only one you would obey to not kill Toivo. You didn’t choose your mother’s form to calm you down, but of a woman from another Race that you considers useless in most of the situations, don’t you think it means something?*

I-

*Sorry, the time ended. I will meet you again when you think of murdering someone. Why do I think it wouldn’t take too long to it happen?

*Bye.*

Coming back to the real world, Alderam made his Water Balls disappear and followed Toivo while still maintaining [Mana Empowerment], never hurts to be a little careful.

“I am glad you, in the end, is completely different from me. This choice you just made I will make certain you won’t regret it. How I regret not making that choice in my first youth.” Toivo muttered.

“What did you say?” Alderam asked while following Toivo to a hidden door on the first floor of the store. Is this place I am a general store? It’s full of shelves filled with miscellaneous items.

“I said, I am sorry for giving you a test when you just woke up.”

“What do you mean?” Alderam frowned.

“I was so inconsistent in our conversation to see your response to my words and actions. I used my painting to make you at the start have a favorable impression of me and Baru has used a truth pill in you to make you answer every question I made with honesty. Although I was surprised with how naturally you answered some questions.” Toivo laughed.

“Baru? And wait... why did you give me a test?”

“Baruchard is the name of my husband. The test I will explain after you eat the breakfast. And since you haven’t asked, I have repeated your words to make certain Baru and Layla had heard them on the floor above ours.”

“Layla is above me?” Alderam after Toivo finished talking, used the [Bond] and felt Layla above him, although her presence was different. “Why couldn’t I sense her there before? We have a [Fammiliar Bond], so it shouldn’t be possible.”

“I forgot to say to you, but I have used a special pill that messes with your senses, why do you think your head was spinning?”

“I have thought I had raised myself too quick, so-”

“You confused the effects of a super expensive pill with-” Toivo couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Don’t laugh. It is completely normal to me thought that. When I normally woke up, the spinning sometimes is even worse.”

*Hahaha* His conscience laughed even louder than Toivo while actually saying the words ‘hahaha’.

Hey, shouldn’t you appear when I am about to killing someone? Stop laughing!

*Sorry, I couldn’t hold back. Because-HAHAHA.*

I just… whatever, I don’t care anymore.

Alderam ignored Toivo and his conscience’s laughters to make himself feel better.

After some more laughs, the blue-haired man opened a red door behind the store’s counter.

In Alderam’s vision, an enormous room appeared, full of chairs and one gigantic table. On the table, there were all the types of Natural’s meat roasted, fruits he never saw, bread and apple juice.

“Layla should arrive when you finish eating. I will explain everything after it.” Toivo said sitting on a chair and motioning to Alderam do the same while already eating the breakfast.

Alderam savored the food while trying to see if he could make them better with his [Cooking] Lvl 4.

Tired of waiting for Layla and already satisfied, he asked where the bathroom is.

“It is behind me, just go straight and you will find it.”

After walking through the long corridor and relieving himself, he noted, strange, this room is too huge to be behind a general store.

Alderam sat again on the chair and had an idle talk with Toivo until the red door opened.

“Heavy.” A blond Dogfolk with an also blond man with brown complexion shouted, carrying Layla and placing her at the side of the door.

Alderam hurried to her side, seeing how weak and skinny she was. It was possible to see even the bones.

“Ald, I am happy… you have woken up.” She weakly said.

“Why are you so weak?”

“It seems I am more dependent on your food than I have thought. I became like this after hunting Naturals yesterday.” She sweetly laughed.

I am not comfortable with showing all my cards, but this an emergency. She is so weak in my arms that I feel if I am not careful she would crumble with just my touch.

Alderam took all the food from the [Black Soul] and made Layla eat everything.

“Give me in the mouth. I am weak.” Layla opened her mouth.

Alderam abided by her wishes, however, even after eating all the food in the [Black Soul], Layla still continued weak and hungry.

“I will use all your food.” He said to Toivo, the blond man and the Dogfolk he ignored after Layla appeared.

“Okay.” They said with their eyes widened at the display of Layla eating so much food that appeared from thin air.

“So this is why she was so fat earlier, but is she so heavy even starving?” The Dogfolk wondered.

“I can’t feel a Space Item, how did he make the food appear and why this food seems so creepy to me?” The blond man shivered.

“This makes the things more interesting, don’t you think?” Toivo said.

“It is unfair to you steal my normal lines.”

Ignoring the men, Alderam used Black Elementals to taint all the food on the enormous table.

“I want to see if you will be able of eating all this food,” Alderam remarked.

“It is actually easier than you think,” Layla smirked after eating a third of the food and recovering some strength.

Looking at Layla devour almost all the food on the table made Alderam finally perceive how different she became.

Layla’s wings grew and became darkish purple while her eyes now have violet vertical pupils and changed colors. And she seems to be more confident and elegant, although still chubby because of all the food she ate just now.

“Nice to properly meet you, Alderam. My name is Baruchard and I cured the venom in your body. Before you ask, I know your name because Toivo and I have [Appraisal].” The blond man with a normal white vest said. “And the Dogfolk’s name is Yunan, he doesn’t talk much but is a good guy and is currently dating Morgiana, she is a Foxfolk you will meet after she and Berk, my nephew, come back from hunting.”

“Thank you for saving me, Mister Baruchard. Can you tell what happened while I was unconscious?”

“Of course-”

“Wait,” Layla said after finishing all the food on the table. ”I and Alderam need to have a little talk first.” She confidently raised off the chair and motioned to Alderam stand at her front.

*She didn’t call him Ald, she is going to do it. She finally found the loophole in one of the effects of the [Familliar Bond], if she really does what I am thinking, her position in my heart will raise. Go. Become the Action Girl! Although that is probably impossible as you are still useless and really meek when not under pressure.*

What the-

“Alderam, concentrate on me,” Layla said interrupting Alderam’s thoughts. “You have high Constitution and seems to be using [Mana Empowerment], so you wouldn't be harmed with the hit of someone with four of Strength, right?”

“Yes-” Alderam stupidly said.

Layla quickly raised her right hand and slapped Alderam.

Just as Layla said, Alderam hasn’t been harmed by the slap and he remembered one effect of the [Familiar Bond] with its clear loophole in Layla’s subordinate side.

You can’t consciously harm your Master Bond.

The word ‘bond’ isn’t in brackets, so it can be interpreted as the ability itself or myself and since I am not ‘harmed’, therefore she can slap me. But… why am I feeling so hurt by it?

“Never again use your body to protect me,” Layla shouted while weeping. “Do you know how worried I was when I saw your body being raised in the air by that hateful stinger? Or when you decided to fight instead of feeling just because of my corporeal body?”

She embraced Alderam while never stopping crying. ”Did you think I would be happy by your protection? I never in my life became so confused and angry at the same time. Ald, I am kind of immortal, so you don’t need to worry about me. Even if I had to be stuck in your [Black Soul] for an eternity without a body I wouldn’t care if you were still alive and capable of reviving me.”

Alderam looked at her deep and large eyes spilling tears without stopping, and all his confusion and hard feelings about being slapped disappeared. “I am sorry for being so reckless, Layla. You are the only thing remaining I have, even my birthday sword got destroyed, at that moment I just couldn’t bear seeing you dying with me incapable to do anything. I think mother’s death still haunts me and this manipulated my decision.”

Since when Layla is so ‘assertive’? She never has truly questioned my actions.

*Disappointed. I was expecting something more brutal. Well, I will take it as ‘baby steps’. Layla, I have faith you will one day become the Action Girl. No matter how much time takes, I'll be rooting for you.* Alderam’s conscience pumped its fists in the air to cheer Layla.

Soon enough Layla calmed down and Berk together with Morgiana arrived from their hunting.

Everybody sat on the available chairs and Baruchard explained what happened with the Dungeon thanks to Layla’s inputs about Uphion.

Half-Eldling? Well, it seems our journey to Free Cities became even more necessary.

However, to make the painting become alive… it is really closing to my ideals, despite going in an alternative way.

And Layla is becoming the apprentice of mister Baruchard, so should I try with mister Toivo? We started really bad, but I will at least try. I don’t think I’m going anywhere without an arm anyway.

“But why did Layla become so frail and weak? She was only like that when she went more than two hundred years without eating.” Alderam said.

“I also don’t know, yesterday I was so excited to have the second lesson with my disciple, but after killing Naturals she appeared like that at our front. She said if you woke up everything would be okay, so I accelerated the effect of my pills in your body and unintentionally removed your entire left arm.” Baruchard said with a smile.

How did you unintentionally remove an arm?

“Glupuh. I will explain.”Layla said, making a strange sound. “Devils have some kind of Sin. In my case I have Gluttony. And after becoming a Half-Eldling, the effect of abstaining of it together with [Black Coating] seems to become even worse. So from now on if I stay more than one day without eating I become like that.”

“I will try to remember it and put it besides all the other needs you have as a Devil, no, as a Half-Eldling now,” Alderam said.

Berk wanted to talk about Layla and Alderam entering his group and now seemed like the best opportunity so tried a small talk to ‘soft’ Alderam for his request. “You know one my habits and main hobby is to write everything about the places I go, principally about the people that live there and their relationship.” Berk took out a notepad and pen from his royal ring that immensely surprised Alderam.

Is he an Imperial Prince? No wonder he is a mercenary, male royal descendants don’t have any kind of right, don’t serve as bargaining chips and staying at the capital will just make them realize how bad their lives are.

“So I want to know more about you that lived in a Frontier Village, like for example, what’s your real relationship with Layla? It can’t be just friends, right? I’ve seen many relationships and I can practically smell ‘love’ from both of you.” Berk holding his notepad meddled in Alderam’s private space, eager to record everything Alderam say.

“I I like her,” Alderam said as Layla got red and embarrassed.

“Just like? Are you sure there isn’t anything more than that?” Berk insisted, already neglecting his original objective by feeling his curiosity grow thanks to Layla’s reaction.

Alderam tilted his head to the sides. “I probably love her, I guess. If not, I can’t explain my previous actions in the Dungeon.” But am I someone that is capable of easily overcoming my previous girlfriend’s death and moving on? It has been more or less only three days, if I can overcome Rhigon so easily, did I really love her to begin with?

The room was silent with exception of Layla erratically moving her arms around in surprise and happiness, and all of them just wondered one thing.

How can this man say that with a straight face and almost no emotions visible in his face?

“I’m not dense, so I know Layla loves me although I don’t know the reason. I just never cared about it. I mean, it’s just love, right? Not a necessary emotion to survive but good enough to appreciate it sometimes as I did with Rhigon. But unfortunately, I don’t feel any lust looking at Layla or the need to make it a ‘real relationship’. If she wants to become something like my girlfriend, I will accept it but not be particularly happy or eager about it.”

Alderam looked at Layla and saw her face deep in happiness. “What? Do you really want now to become my girlfriend? If you want it, I don’t see any reason to recuse you but also I don’t see a reason to be happy about it.”

“Yes, please!” Layla shouted with determination in her face to make Alderam one day actually want to be with her, she could see seeds of doubt within Alderam and wanted to make use of it.

“Be warned though I’m not a romantic guy so don’t expect me to show too much affection to you day-by-day or even take you to a date,” Alderam said and Layla visibly deflated as she received the grim news.

“...You guys are really a weird couple, I will be sure to note it down.” Berk was scared at Alderam’s capacity of saying such things with a straight face and so expertly destroying a maiden’s dreams, everyone else than Alderam and Layla also wondered if they actually know what love is or about a girlfriend/boyfriend’s normal ways of acting.

But Layla looked so eager that they couldn’t bring themselves up to tell her the truth that she isn’t likely to be the actual girlfriend of such emotional broken man like Alderam who doesn’t really love her.

Familiar Bond (Rare) is now Level 5 and Ranked Up: [You’ve passed the barrier of Lvl 4 and Uncommon rarity. The bonus to your Attributes will be exponentially increased and now permanent no mattering if your Bond is close or not thanks to the powerful relationship you both share.]

So the Ability can also be increased in this way? Good to know, I will try to indulge a little in her fantasies to make it grow.

Laylasoderscim is now Rank G.

Oh, convenient.