Greetings everyone, it's been a while.
I have no excuses for the 20-day gap other than setting up my worldbuilding and writing without ai at ALL, and preparing you all for a dive.
Slow pace? Yes, this is as an introduction. The real action will start soon.
I won't delve into spoilers but let's say you won't get bored.
So bear with me, the novel will be interesting.
But for all those expecting a fast-pace novel, I'd like to apologize.
And to the very next time.
---------- Author-nim,
--------------------------------||IndeedisitmesoObey||
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Pepa walked a few steps backward, her eyes not moving from Noel's despite the shattering glass as if she had expected such a situation to occur. Her eyes briefly flickered toward the ceiling where the glass had shattered, her dress slightly fluttering at the change of temperature, before they went back to the slumped figure on the ground.
"... It seems the Hour of Law has begun."
Noel, unable to hold in his curiosity, turned his head toward the now-shattered ceiling, his eyes scanning them as if attempting to identify the cause of damage.
Yet he was unable to determine the source of the damage.
No matter how he thought about it, it was too much of a coincidence for the glass to shatter as a dramatic effect to Pepa's words.
Yet his eyes widened for a brief moment in surprise as he witnessed something he did not expect, before returning to normal. He looked back to Pepa, as he gave her a questioning gaze.
"The ceiling... is it—"
"Yes, it's self-repairing itself, forget-me-not. It's one of the benefits the Creator had added to the library when it was first designed."
With wobbling legs, he stood up, brushed imaginary dust from his clothing, as he approached Pepa. However, as if there was an invisible wall stopping him, he felt something before him preventing him from taking a step forward.
"...."
He stared at Pepa for a few more seconds before he raised his eyebrows as if he found something strange, his feet tapping lightly on the carpet as if he couldn't suppress his rising curiosity.
"... You don't seem to have the intention of killing me?" he asked fearlessly, as if he was surprised at the notion of asking the question itself.
Pepa stared at him apathetically with half-closed eyes for a few seconds before she looked down to her pretty and neatly trimmed nails, observing the colors that gleamed with the lighting.
"If you really want, Pepa will happily take your soul, but that doesn't seem to be what you want? Tell Pepa your wish, and maybe she'll fulfill it, forget-me-not."
Pepa's attitude took a 180-degree turn, as if her anger and authority had disappeared, and instead turned back into that of a small, arrogant, and spoiled child, puffing her chest in pride.
Noel breathed out a sigh as he pondered over a certain thought.
Although Pepa seemed like a child, the world was not to be taken lightly under any case whatsoever.
Perhaps her previous words of exceeding the age of 800 were not a lie, and he did not have room to doubt her words in the first place. Despite the thought being uncomfortable,
Noel realized that the test he had run earlier was nothing short of suicide and that any other similar attempts would not end well.
He needed to be more cautious, less reckless. Noel had no intention of dying. The thought itself was unpleasant.
The importance to play it safe for now.
Deciding to behave himself like any well-mannered child, a smile appeared on his face as he decided to ask Pepa about all he wanted by attempting to slowly butter her up.
He cleared his throat before giving a light, respectful bow.
"Miss Pepa, I deeply apologize for my previous transgression, and I hope your magnanimous self will find it in your large, open heart to forgive me."
Pepa paused swinging her legs at his sincere voice, the expression on her face twitching slightly as she held back a smile that threatened to break on her face.
"Hmph, it is well that you have realized my greatness, although it took your time... was your name... what was your name again... ah..! Nomel, was it? Indeed so, as I thought, my memory would never betray me, forget-me-not." She snapped her fingers as if her memory had started working again.
A hint of pride flashed in her eyes before settling to normal.
As expected, flattery did wonders. If he played his cards right, he could perhaps even gain her favor and get benefits that could help him for future endeavors.
A genius plan that seemed quite flawless.
Noel became delighted, holding back his happiness from bursting at the incorrect moment.
"Miss Pepa, my name is actually Noel..."
"Are you doubting my memory, forget-me-not?" she remarked sharply, her eyes narrowing. She jumped off her chair as she approached Noel with calm footsteps.
Hurriedly, Noel shook his head as he clarified his words, desperately holding back the trembling of his pupils as he realized one wrong word could send him to the embrace of Pluto.
"No, no, not at all. It seems you have misheard me, Miss Pepa. You must have heard me incorrectly. My name is indeed Nomel, as you have said."
Noel took a step back as he forced a smile upon his face. Pepa looked at him unconvincingly as she raised a finger at him accusingly.
"If I truly misheard you, then why did you repeat my own words? Am I perhaps deaf?"
Noel's heart rate increased, his mind struggling to get a convincing excuse.
He accidentally shot himself in the foot in the process of defending himself, and his excuses were running out.
He scraped his mind for proper excuses that wouldn't get debunked easily.
Pepa said, amused, as she leaned forward. Before she was able to fall forward, a luxurious, obsidian mattress adorned with golden threads appeared before her.
She naturally fell on the mattress with a thud, shifting her weight a bit, her drills brushing against the soft cushion.
Intertwining her fingers in interest, she intently gazed at the individual before her, a smile playing on her lips as if she understood Noel's internal struggle.
After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers in impatience, earning her an anxious look disguised with neutrality from Noel before her.
"... Haha! What a hopeless guy."
She let out a cute giggle as her outfit changed to that of a simple light blue sleeping outfit that children commonly wore, and her hair disentangled to turn into a waterfall of purple that cascaded down her back.
She brushed her hair back for a moment before her hairstyle suddenly changed to two buns upon the top of her head.
She lightly touched her hair, examining it before she gave a light, knowing smile, turning to Noel, who stood there dazed at her sudden, unexpected change. His eyes were filled to the brim with suppressed curiosity that he did not dare to question, his hands clasped behind his back, nails digging into his palm.
As if understanding his expression, she urged him on with her chin, her crystal purple eyes that revealed an unnatural formed butterfly.
"Ask what you like, but make sure it's worth my time. It better be interesting, Noel, forget-me-not, or you won't like what will happen to you. So weigh your words carefully."
Noel did not reply immediately as he reached out to touch the solid object underneath him, subtly realizing that he was sitting on a chair.
.... Since when?
He recalled that he never sat on any chairs earlier, his eyes turning to the only possible cause of his sudden position.
Looking at those unreadable eyes that held an immense depth that was almost impossible for him to reach, he tried loosening his constricted clothing as he felt his body heating up unknowingly.
Her previous reactions were contradictory. Several options roamed his mind as he started puzzling the personality of the thing before him.
She seemed to either have a split identity. That was a plausible thought, although it was highly unlikely for several reasons. One, for instance, was that there was a clear transition between her reactions, which did not match those that had dissociative identity disorder.
It could also be that she was acting, but for what purpose? To Noel, who was familiar with all kinds of people who wore masks on a daily basis, she was not acting at all, unless she was proficient to that degree.
There was only one option left, and that was the most likely option that seemed to somewhat describe her personality.
But Noel had ignored this option not because it was unlikely, but because he did not want to admit it.
To admit that the individual... no, that the thing before him was actually 800 years old.
Merging paradoxical personalities into one is not something normal people could do, something almost inhumanly impossible.
An ancient being, in other words.
He realized that beating around the bush was not a good idea and decided to get right to the point as he cracked his sore neck in unhidden anxiety.
He did not even try to hide it at this point. The only word he could describe it with was—
Meaningless.
It was incredibly meaningless to try to hide anything from her. His breathing turned shallow as he felt his mood taking a dark turn.
His vision slightly blurred, and he held his forehead as a headache crushed his mind.
Negative thoughts started appearing in his mind like a plague. His sense of worthlessness only increased more. They kept popping up from nowhere, his head throbbing even more.
Noel looked at his trembling hands, gently extending his fingers as if counting them, a dazed expression written upon his face. He raised his eyes slightly absentmindedly before they stopped at a pair of eyes that were gazing at him intently.
Amethyst eyes that looked emotionless to him. As if a machine had programmed them. The eyepatch was taken off.
She did something. There was no other explanation.
SKRRRR!
Noel scratched himself on the arm, taking a step back as he pressed on his bleeding arm that had four clear red marks and one faint one to feel the pain clearly and snap back to reality.
When he realized that such an action was not enough, he scratched his neck vertically.
He slowly sat on his knees, his eyes dimly looking at the ground as he spoke in a low voice, trembling unhidden.
"Great Pepa—"
"Elias. Call me Elias from now on."
She spoke with a small smile on her face, her eyes not moving from Noel's figure.