"Glad to see you like them. They're books I found on my journey. I've gone through them already, so I'm lending them to you now... I'm sure they'll be—"
Before I concluded my statement, Ana jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly.
It was unexpected, and my body slightly tilted backward as she rested her weight on me.
'She's so light...'
I could smell a faint whiff of her. She smelled good—though a bit sweaty.
Still...
"A-ah! So-sorry for being so forward..." Ana snapped after a few seconds of being locked in my embrace.
As she began drawing away, I pulled her back and smiled.
"No, it's fine."
'It's my fault for not hugging her back...'
Even though we were friends, why was I being too formal?
'No more!'
If I didn't give her enough emotional support, Ana could end up kissing another guy. If this was what I needed to do for her... then I wasn't going to hold back.
I brought her close to my chest and hugged her too. Ana's head rubbed upon my shoulders, and I felt her hair tickle my face.
'Ana... wait for me, okay?'
Once I was done with the Demons...
... And when I had completely eradicated the threat my enemies posed to me...
'I'll finally have an answer for you...'
Till then, this was the best I could do.
*******************
Ana kept thanking me profusely, grabbing all the books excitedly.
It was as though she was never tired.
'With this, she'll understand that Lewis Griffith's Theories are complete. With that, she'll be able to build upon it and achieve greater heights. Both in Magic... and engineering!
Then, she was also delving into Alchemy.
Her long range of talents and skills never ceased to amaze me.
Once all the excitement died down for a bit, I bid my farewell to her.
She was initially hesitant to see me go. However, after we spoke for a while, and shared some words... the girl finally agreed to part ways.
"When we next meet... I would have grown even better than this!" She declared brazenly.
My lips curled up in a smile and I nodded.
"I expect nothing less."
Rising from her bed, I gave one last farewell, and activated The Tower Arcana.
With sparks of blue energy, and the warping of space, my body vanished from Ana's room... and I departed for my journey.
****************************
>VWOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH!!!<
My body flew in the night sky, witnessing the brilliant glow of the moon descend upon the world.
As I traversed the clouds, my eyes witnessed thousands of houses and structures beneath me while I moved at ultra-speed.
The cold wind of the night brushed my face, and I felt the pervaded darkness around me.
"Now... one final thing..."
The Royal Capital was my last goal.
Once I resolved matters there, things would go much more smoothly for me.
The problem was the woman that Neron mentioned.
'Serah Crimson, eh?'
My mother had to be close to the Capital by now, since she would be using Magic for transportation—not just a carriage.
According to Neron, there were a few other acquaintances that I would get to meet. One of the names had me in a bit of excitement.
'Maria Helmsworth... I wonder how she has been!'
Of all the friends I made at Ainzlark, she was the one I was least interactive with. Yet, the girl's talent and unique disposition had me drawn to her.
Hopefully, she had also grown immensely.
As I made these thoughts, an energy swirled within me.
I sensed the disturbance and knew what it was. Now that I was flying, all alone, he had finally manifested.
>FSUUUUUUUUU<
A deep, dark energy emanated from me. Like a shadowy fog, it hovered beside me. This was the partial manifestation of one of my Familiars.
"Kahn... what is it?" I smiled.
The dark fog kept silent for a bit... and then it spoke.
"My Lord... about your earlier conversation with Neron Kaelid..."
'As expected.'
He was most likely referring to my private conversation with Neron while we were on a walk.
The discussion of my plans for the Demons.
"I meant every single word." My words were blunt.
"Understand, Master. But..."
Kahn was a loyal being who acted according to my whims.
Even though it felt a bit weird, since I was well acquainted with him in the past, I made sure to properly establish our master/servant relationship.
Still... it didn't mean that he would feel comfortable with every decision I made.
"Do not worry, Kahn. I haven't forgotten my promise to you." I gave a slight smile.
Even though he had caused such a great tragedy at Ainzlark, I knew Kahn was a being of principle.
It was due to this knowledge that I was extremely confused by his actions. They weren't ordinary.
Keeping this in mind, I decided to investigate.
It wasn't until after assimilating Kahn properly, and restoring him to full strength, that I realized the ugly truth.
He had been manipulated!
Even he wasn't quite sure as to how and why he decided to lay waste to the human settlement.
Also, according to the information he gave me concerning the current state of the Demon Realm, I could surmise that the Demon King did not betray the pact.
This was most likely a rebellion—an uprising.
The Demon Society operated in a strict hierarchy, and it was nigh impossible to break out of it.
That was why a rebellion was highly improbable... unless they had help.
'Does this have to do with the organization Legris mentioned? I wonder...'
If that was the case, then I had a good idea of what they were after.
In any case, I needed to be more careful and take many things into consideration.
"... I understand. Thank you, Master." Kahn's voice interrupted my thoughts.
As soon as he spoke in relief, the black fog dissipated, and he returned to his abode within me.
I smiled and stared far into the horizon. With my current speed, I would arrive at the Capital in a few minutes.
'As much as I'd like to see the authorities now, courtesy demands that I wait till morning. Unless...'
A mischievous smile appeared on my face and an idea wrapped presented itself in my head.
"That will work!"
After all... time was of the essence!
