No, I might be jumping to conclusions.
However, as I stared at the Conductor and saw the twisted smile on its face, my heart sank.
Could it really be...?
"You sure love to attract trouble."
There was my answer.
"How do you know it’s that anomaly?"
"Because I could feel it while you were in the room with it, along with your companions in the research institute. I could tell it was targeting you specifically."
I drew a deep breath.
Suddenly, I recalled those monts.
I recalled the extra presence in that room back then.
"So that’s the anomaly that dragged to hell?"
"...Actually, I am not entirely sure about that."
"Hm?"
"I asked the mirror too, but it doesn’t seem like they know as well. Perhaps the two were working together, or sothing else. Either way, that anomaly is still lurking, and it seems to be getting stronger. You should get rid of it before it’s too late."
"I know."
I didn’t need to be reminded.
I knew this all too well. I had tried it the last ti, but it led in a different direction.
’I should prioritize this when I get out. That... and the Kyle situation.’
Thinking about Kyle, I felt my head ache.
I really needed to find a way to get him to listen to .
’The more I drag this out, the worse it becos for . And if I wanted to, I could probably just force him to listen, but if I do that, I don’t even know if things will ever return the sa between the two of us.’
I did... care.
Yeah, I cared.
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at the Conductor and then the mirror.
"Since you’ve shown all of this, I’m sure you have agreed to work with . In exchange for your help, what is it that you want to help you with?"
Besides Mirelle and the Realmwalker, most of the anomalies tied to had so sort of goal in staying with . The Conductor wanted to witness more chaos. Mr. Jingles was bound to the orphanage and its children. What would the mirror want from ?
I grew cautious while staring at the reflection staring back at .
Then—
"Mist..."
A soft, yet broken voice reached my ears.
"...Rid."
I understood then.
"You want to get rid of the mist?"
The reflection nodded slowly. To which, I smiled.
"I can try that."
I didn’t make any promises. However, I had a feeling that I’d have to do sothing about the mist in the near future. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to agree to this situation. Especially since I knew that the mist was closely tied to hell.
Thinking back to Paimon’s words, I had the feeling that I’d soon get tangled up with the mist in order to better understand what it ant by saying, ’You’re not human.’
What the hell was that supposed to an?
’Is it simply because I’m not from this world? Or is there more to it that I don’t know?’
The curiosity was killing , and for a mont, I almost felt tempted to use Paimon’s gift in exchange for an answer. However, I was quick to curb the desire as I looked back at the Conductor.
There was a more pressing matter at the mont.
"Can you ask her to tell more about the mist? What exactly is it? How did it happen? What caused it? Just anything."
I was in desperate need of this information.
This was sothing that I needed in order to complete the quest.
"Hmm."
The Conductor tilted its head, as if conversing with the mirror. After a mont, it turned back to look at .
"She’s not quite sure."
My heart sank.
"But she might have so things that might help."
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the Conductor reached into the mirror and pulled out several items: papers, photos, and all sorts of things I had seen in the research facility. My eyes widened slightly as I stared at it.
The Conductor chuckled.
"She’s absorbed many people. Naturally, she has retained all of their posessions."
"...Ah."
It suddenly clicked in my mind as I reached for the papers and began skimming through them. Most were useless, but after a certain point, I found myself stopping, unable to look away.
That was because I found myself holding sothing that felt eerily similar to what had been shown back at the Congress. Another fragnt that seed to belong to a ring, just like the one Joanna had found back then.
"She said that she had another piece, but had lost it when a situation turned unfavorable for her."
"...I see."
I fiddled with the piece of the ring before putting it in my pocket.
I didn’t know what it was, but I had a feeling that it was of extre importance.
Shifting through the other items, a lot of them were useless. There was nothing of real importance in the items that were handed to .
Until—
"Hm?"
I finally managed to pick sothing up.
It was a thick book, but it was also rather worn down.
At first, it didn’t look like much. A lot of pages were faded, with hardly anything that I could make out. However, as I sifted through the first few pages, I paused when I reached a certain section.
’9:2. When the abyss is opened, smoke rises like from a great furnace, and the sun and air are darkened by it.’
Wait.
The mont I caught sight of the passage, sothing in my mind shifted. My eye twitched, and suddenly my chest began to rise and fall faster as the words seed to pull themselves from the page.
I suddenly heard whispers, and as I held onto my head, my eyes couldn’t help but drift towards the first two numbers.
9:2.
I wasn’t religious, but... I knew.
I knew what these numbers ant.
They were indicators found inside the bible. Chapter and verse number.
"O-oh."
Covering my lips, things beca clearer to .
’Right, of course. Since hell exists, I’m sure that so sort of opposite also exists. In that case, I should be able to get my answers if I can get my hands on the bible.’
Holding onto the book, I finally understood what it was.
This was a bible.
That was when I heard it.
Ding—!
The familiar chi that signaled the end of the quest.
[Quest Completed]
[Host successfully managed to find information regarding the mist.]
[Reward 1: 10 Essence Shards [Attribute of choice]]
[Reward 2: 300,000 SP]
Staring at the rewards being handed to , I didn’t react. My mind drifted in and out as I looked down at the bible in my hands, trying to decipher more, but the pages were worn and difficult to read.
After a while, I put the book away.
’I’ll go look for a copy when I’m out.’
That shouldn’t be too hard. The bible was one of the most read books in the world, as far as I rembered. Finding a copy wouldn’t be hard.
Thinking this far, I took a deep breath before looking at the Conductor and then the reflection.
"Well, then."
I extended my hand to the mirror.
"...It seems like the two of us will work out just fine."
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