Finally, I am able to return to my room to get some peace of mind.

Or I would.

The problem is I forgot that I'm sharing it with my mum.

"Oh, Iori. Nice that you're also done. How was your day?" (F)

"Ah, hello, mum. Alright, I guess? Ehm, how was your day? Anything noteworthy?" (I)

"Anything? Mh, I'm not sure... Oh, yes! How about this? There was this giant wall of doom that was rushing in our direction! You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, Iori? (S)

It's still scary when mum uses miasma to emphasize her point.

"Chiaki! It was Chiaki! She made this thought slip into my mind and suddenly it happened!" (I)

"My god. I just hope that stuff like this won't happen when we're back home. You know, a suddenly emerging wall won't be enough to protect all the people in our hometown." (S)

Recently, mum utilizes miasma quite frequently to get her point across.

Though, probably not intentionally but rather on an instinctual level.

Nonetheless, it's intimidating when she says stuff with an echo while the room goes dark.

"Did you get another boost from Kuri?" (I)

"Might be related to the fact that she's been linked to me all the time we've been here." (S)

"Sorry, mum. I didn't want her to use it against you. But she absorbed so much." (K)

"No, no. I don't blame you." (I)

However, I'm not sure if becoming more demonic is good for mum.

"Well, aside from that incident, I could almost get used to the job here. Everyone was very polite and they seemed to appreciate my efforts to get some order in their storage halls." (S)

"Okay. I'm still planning that we all leave eventually." (I)

"Yes, sure. Don't get me wrong. It's soothingly simple here, but I'd certainly miss my modern amenities. It's more like spending your vacation in an idyllic hut far off from all the city noise, but I already start to miss my series and novels." (S)

"I think as well that we should leave tomorrow. The weekend will almost be over by then." (I)

"Sounds like a plan. On another note, don't you want to get out of... that?" (S)

She points at my maid uniform.

"Oh hell I do!" (I)

"No swearing." (S)

"Sorry." (I)

Still, I quickly get out of this cosplay outfit before I rip it apart in my desperation.

Halfway through the ordeal, I realize that I have nothing else, but my school uniform and instead shift into a casual shirt and pants for sleeping.

"Uh, do you know how it looks from the outside when you do that?" (S)

"N-no? I never paid much attention to it." (I)

Usually, I just picture what I want to wear in my mind and then, before I notice anything, I'm already wearing what I wanted.

"It looks like a mix of malleable flesh, liquid, and... I guess worms, adjusting into a new shape. Just so you know and wouldn't recommend that you try it outside." (S)

Ugh, I really should've been more aware of this.

Is my mind trying to protect me from unsettling impressions?

But I maybe should just relax now.

It was an extremely eventful day.

But before doing so I quickly teleport into my room in the castle, where I retrieve my gaming console that I forgot in all this stress.

Then it's back to mum.

Finally, I sit down on my bed.

And promptly Kuri is in front of me.

"Ehm, hey Kuri. Is something the matter?" (I)

"Can I lie down with you? I didn't have any time with you, mum." (K)

I basically used her all day for my convenience to protect mum.

So I should reward her in some way.

"Yes, sure. And you know what, tomorrow you can stick with me. I guess mum has absorbed enough darkness to be safe." (I)

"Not sure what I should say to that." (S)

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, mum!" (K)

"Be careful with the miasma!" (I)

This time I help a little with cleaning the smoke from the room.

I'm seeing this as some kind of training to control my powers.

Being able to get rid of the effects of my influence can only be beneficial in the long run.

And after this, I play my game while Kuri snuggles by my side.

The next morning comes soon enough.

Or at least there's the sound of a bell that says it's morning.

I didn't even notice how time was passing, which might be linked to the fact that no time passes for me while I'm in this meditative state.

A bit reluctantly, I slip into the maid uniform.

Mum has a more practical work suit.

I don't know where she goes but she seems to know the way.

So I'm left with Kuri.

"Ehm, I know I said you could stay with me, but is that alright? I mean, can you be so close without me reacting in a way that is bad for you?" (I)

"I don't know, but I really want to." (K)

That's a very bad reason to risk getting reabsorbed.

Fine, there's no other way than to be careful.

Otherwise, she'll eventually be discovered.

"Okay, you can come. Veeery carefully." (I)

She moves to my shadow and promptly disintegrates into darkness and plunges into it.

"Ehm, are you still there, Kuri?" (I)

"Yes!" (K)

A head emerges and I look into Kuri's familiar face at my feet.

"Okay, this might work out. Just don't get seen." (I)

Without saying another word, her head merges again with the rest of my shadow.

Now I'm ready to get back to work.

The problem is, I don't know where to go.

Eryna probably should have told me yesterday, but no one can blame her for forgetting this after everything that happened.

So for now I can do nothing else but wait here for someone to fetch me.

Fortunately, I still have my gaming console and for some reason don't even need to charge it.

After a while, I notice that people are approaching my room.

More precisely, I feel instinctually that they're intentionally walking along the corridor in my direction.

I should just accept that I'm simply connected to this whole realm.

This means I can feel their movements as if they're walking... well, through my body.

"Knock, knock"

Before they enter I hurriedly hide my console below the cushion.

Then the door opens.

It's the same butler who fetched us yesterday.

And he still has this slightly condescending look when he speaks.

"The great magician wishes to investigate the emergence of the great water. For this reason she's leading an expedition and she has requested specifically for you to accompany her." (butler)

Huh?!

- Elder Rowen -

I have to hurry.

My lord summoned me with the greatest urgency and letting him wait won't do me well in regards to his short temper.

His quarters where I shall meet him is close to the audience hall.

Naturally, we can't meet in the hall and lead this discussion for the public to hear.

The moment I open the door the lord's attention is already on me.

"Rowen, finally you're here! Tell me, what should we do? The people grow restless. The recent events caused an uproar among them." (lord)

"Milord. Yes, there were several incidents. Aside from the arrival of the new people, there was the great wave, which absolutely everyone noticed. And then only a short time later we discovered that the great library is dysfunctional." (R)

"How can this be?" (lord)

"Lord Antaras, it might be that the events are linked, but we fail to see the pattern yet." (R)

"Can't you just consult the library?" (A)

"We tried. Our scholars looked for books that might be related to the topic but none of them made any sense. They were all just a chaotic mess. They even continuously re-arranged themselves. As if they didn't want to reveal their truth." (R)

It was certainly a weird occurrence.

But not as severe as the incident.

"You're saying the library didn't show results?" (A)

"Yes, but that's not the greatest issue. At first, it was only books related to the recent events, but the rest worked fine. But then, only a short time after the emergence of the great water, suddenly the problem with the books spread to other topics which we were able to research before. Not only that, but also all the books outside the library turned into dust. It has been impossible to bring them out since then." (R)

This truly is a concerning development.

If this situation worsens, our order of scholars might lose the foundation for its existence.

If we cannot read the books in the library we'll become useless.

And then the knights won't hesitate to throw us out.

"Do you have any idea why all this is happening?" (A)

"Yes, and no. Currently, it should be safe to say that the incidents are linked in some way. The arrival, the wave, the library. All this happened in such a short span of time that it's unlikely to be just by chance." (R)

"So, could the new people know what’s happening here? Might they even be responsible?" (A)

"We can't be sure yet. There is some power at play here. Because of what happened to the library, we know that it wants to cut off our information and cover its doings. But if it's like this, why would it send us people who know what is going on? They might just have been brought here without knowing. I certainly don't believe that any of them is capable of sending the wave. Even the great magician among them, who shows extraordinary abilities, couldn't do such a thing." (R)

"Are you sure about this?" (A)

"No. How could I be? We don't know if one of them hides a secret. But the truth is that all of them worked the whole day like the rest of us. And all of them were under surveillance while they tended to their duties. They had no chance to plot anything." (R)

"Still, the whole situation is far too strange. Something is shaking the peace of our community and this could turn out badly." (A)

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door.

"Yes. Enter." (A)

The one who opens the door is one of the younger knights assigned to this "magician".

I certainly plan to unravel her secrets.

"Milord, the great magician wishes to make a request." (knight)

"Tsk. After one day she already demands." (A)

I should interject here.

"Please, milord. She was until now very open about sharing her knowledge with us. It wouldn't do well to give her a reason to stop being cooperative. At least we should hear her out regarding what she wishes for." (R)

"Fine. Tell, soldier. What is it the magician wants from us?" (A)

"She asks if she could go to the great water to "check it out". She was very set on doing so." (knight)

"Hm, this sounds awfully suspicious. So shortly after it happened she wants to visit the scene." (A)

My lord might be right about this.

It's certainly a bit too convenient that she wants to go there.

She seems pretty fearless in general, but to think that she would want to approach it while everyone else is assuming the worst about the event is unbecoming.

It's an indicator that she might know more than we do.

However...

"I would recommend that we send her." (R)

"You opt to give her what she wants? Wouldn't this play into her hands? I was rather thinking that we should arrest and interrogate her." (A)

"No, no. There's no need to antagonize her. Instead, we will host an expedition. We send our best men with her and they will make sure that she won't be able to act against us. And while she's there, we can observe if she truly knows more than us about the event, based on her actions. This approach should be more promising than interrogating her, milord." (R)

"Hm, your plan has its merits. Nonetheless, we should send all our strongest fighters. Nothing can be left to chance here. We need to maintain control of the situation." (A)

"And we will, milord." (R)