《Mytheology》


 Chapter 001: An Angel in the Morning

    Chapter 001: An Angel in the Morning


    Ernest Coy woke up to the sound of silence.


    Sprawled on a king-sized bed and tucked underneath a set of dark red comforters, he absentmindedly stared up at the ceiling with a hazy fog in his gaze.


    The ceiling itself was ornate, styled with a series of intricate, complex, and overly extravagant designs. Gold molding ran along the edges of its gilded frame, while a ribbed outline sectioned of the ceiling into neatly organized squares. It was an expensive piece of architecture that may even qualify as art, but to Ernest, it was something that he had long grown tired of seeing.


    What drew his attention was not the familiar ceiling of his bedroom, but rather, it was the thing floating directly above him.


    For lack of a better term, it was an angel.


    It had wide eyes, a rosy complexion, and little dimples on its cheeks. A somewhat impudent smile floated to its lips. It was the sort of face that one instinctively wanted to punch.


    The thing was female in form and slightly cherubic. It was similar to the floating baby angels that so often decorated valentines¡¯ cards, but instead of a baby, this one had the proportions of a five-year-old little girl. If it was any consolation, she was still only about a foot tall.


    As for her appearance, she had light brown hair that shimmered, despite the fact that there was no discernable light source anywhere within the room. Her hair was cut short, only reaching down to her collarbone. Her eyebrows were thick but short, kind of like bisected caterpillars. A glowing halo and a pair of tiny white feathered wings completed her appearance.


    Ernest frowned.


    As his eyes slowly came to focus, he tilted his head and turned his gaze to the side. Hestaredout at a wide, Victorian-era window. It was tall, almost as tall as he was, and nearly just as wide. The window was framed with a simple, yet strangely archaic design, matching well with the ceiling¡¯s previously lavish nature. The glass was coated in a light layer of dust and provided an obscured view of the outside world.


    Ernest¡¯s eyes slowly wandered. The room was desolate. It was impossibly large, almost three times as big as a normal living room, but at the same time, it was sparsely decorated. With the exception of the bed, which acted as the lone centerpiece of the space, there was only a single drawer, tucked away in the far corner of the bedroom.


    He did not know how, but for some reason, such a large space felt incredibly small.


    The digital clock on the dresser indicated that it was still 7:30 AM.


    He turned back up to the ceiling. The angel was still there. Itstaredback at him with the same, ever-present smile.


    He blinked.


    Am I still asleep?He silently wondered to himself.Is this a dream?


    Ernest tried closing his eyes. He counted down to sixty before he opened his eyes again. Once again, the angel was still there. Once again, the same impudent looking smile greeted him.


    Before he could do anything else, she suddenly spoke. In a cheery, bell-like voice, she said, ¡°Hello. You have a message from God.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His eyes widened. Just as Ernest was about to respond, an unexpected noise startled him.


    A faint knock came from the oaken double doors located all the way on the other side of the bedroom. An unconscious frown formed on his face. His gaze darted back and forth between the door, the angel and then back again. A few seconds later, the door abruptly opened.


    A beautiful lady who looked to be in her early twenties walked in.


    The newcomer possessed an almost perfectly sculpted figure. The parts that needed to be slender were slender, while the parts that needed to curve, curved. Her skin looked soft and supple, while her complexion gave off a healthy rosiness. Her appearance radiated a youthful glow, but her expression conveyed a certain sense of maturity.


    The girl¡¯s almond-shaped eyes were adorned with magnetic, emerald green irises. It was a bit unfortunate that such a pair of beautiful eyes were currently creased into a stoic, almost impassive expression.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Her hair flowed down in cascading strands of black, while the crown of her head was decorated with a white, ruffled headband. To the experienced eye, the headband could easily be identified as the same ones that French maids normally wore. What made it stand out though, was that she wasn¡¯t wearing a matching uniform, but rather a pair of light aquamarine colored pajamas.


    Her stone-faced gaze wandered through the room before they landed onto the impossibly large bed.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already awake, Young Master Nest.¡± Her eyes slightly widened. Although her face was like a board of wood, her voice betrayed her inner disappointment.


    Nest stared down at her with a narrow, scrutinizing glare. His gaze lingered on the ruffled headband that sat firmly on top of her head.


    ¡°Why bother wearing that thing when you¡¯re going to walk around dressed in pajamas.¡± He voiced out the complaint that had been bubbling inside his heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m a professional maid.¡± She instantly responded.


    ¡°Professional maids don¡¯t normally walk around in pajamas.¡±


    ¡°But I do.¡± She bluntly spoke with a serious expression plastered on her face. Straightening the headband on her head, she approached his bedside with even footsteps. ¡°I came here to wake you up, but I see you¡¯re already awake. While I find your efforts commendable, I can¡¯t help but feel a tad bit disappointed¡­¡±


    Hearing her words, Nest¡¯s complexion worsened. For a moment, he completely forgot about the angel floating above him.


    Anya Loris, a maid employed by his family. Whether or not she was good at her job, he couldn¡¯t say, but there was one thing about her that really bugged him: every morning, without fail, she would come to his room in an attempt to wake him up.


    That in itself wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, but with her, such a simple task snowballed into a very unpleasant experience.


    In short, Anya had this very malicious way of waking people up. Dumping a bucket of ice water on his face, banging a marching drum in his room, or just straight up shouting into his ear, these were just a few examples of the rather ¡®creative¡¯ methods that she loved to use.


    It had gotten to the point where Nest accidentally conditioned himself to wake up earlier than normal, all in an attempt to avoid the routine suffering that he so often faced in the mornings.


    Despite waking up earlier and earlier these days, Anya still routinely came to his room every morning. According to her, she needed to make extra sure that he was really up, but Nest knew better. He was convinced that she was simply looking for an excuse, waiting for the moment he slips up. When he does¡­ Nest felt a cold shudder crawl down his spine.


    He let out a sigh.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the bit of sentiment that existed between the two of them, then he would have long since fired her.


    Nest shook his head and asked, ¡°Is breakfast ready?¡±


    Anya nodded. ¡°The food has already been prepared downstairs. Pancakes and eggs,yourfavorite.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my favorite.¡± He replied. ¡°That¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I apologize.¡± She feigned a look of shock. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m already coming of age¡­¡±


    He rolled his eyes.Coming of age my ass.Anya was only twenty-one this year, about a year older than him. If she was coming of age, then grey hairs were already growing on his head.


    Anya stared at him for a moment, before she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, I will leave you to your own devices. Please quickly get changed and come down soon, Young Master. If you¡¯re too slow, then there might not be any food left.¡±


    He bitterly stared at her.This glutton, she¡¯s not really going to eat all the food, is she?Knowing her, he was somewhat worried.


    Just as she was about to walk away, Nest suddenly remembered something. He discreetly glanced up. As expected, the angel was still there. Much to his dismay, it hadn¡¯t disappeared. It simply looked down at the room with curiosity-laden eyes.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Nest suddenly called out.


    ¡°What is it, Young Master?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ is there anything, uh, strange going on?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, um¡­¡± he had trouble wording out just what it was he wanted to convey. Nest kept glancing up at the angel. In response, it stared back at him and chuckled. Eventually, he managed to spit out, ¡°Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary within this room?¡±


    Anya tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± She thought for amoment,before she widened her eyes and made an ¡®oh¡¯ sound. ¡°Do you want me to change you?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He shouted. ¡°Where did you get that idea from!? Since when have I ever asked you to change me!?¡±


    ¡°Then, is there a pimple on your back that you want me to pop?¡± She exaggeratedly sighed. ¡°Although I loatheto touchyour acne ridden back, as a poor maid, I can only do my utmost to assist you¡­¡±


    ¡°No! Damn it, my back is normal!¡± Nest eventually sighed. In the end, he gave up. Conversing with this girl simply gave him a headache. He waved his hand dismissively, ¡°Never mind, just go already.¡±


    Anya stoically nodded before she left the room.


    After she was gone, the bedroom once again descended into silence. Nest turned his attention back over to the angel. He inwardly shook his head.After one nuisance gone, now I¡¯ve got to deal with this. I¡¯m not losing my mind, am I?


    He awkwardly cleared his throat, before he asked out loud, ¡°Um, little girl? Are you my subconscious? Am I going insane? Why couldn¡¯t she see you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The Angel scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest. ¡°Only you can see me. Nobody else is allowed to lay their eyes on a creature of divinity!¡±


    ¡°A creature of divinity¡­¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°Is that what you are? You really are an angel?¡±


    The angel enthusiastically nodded. She paused for amoment,before she suddenly flew towards the center of the room. In a grand gesture, she raised the cuff of her dress and bowed towards him like an actress at the end of a play. ¡°Greeting, human! I am the angel,Niphilili. As the ninety-seventh retainer of the God of Origin, I have come bearing his message. Will you accept?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±Nestwas caught off guard. He blankly nodded. Even now, his mind still could not quite catch up with the current situation.


    ¡°Good.¡± She nodded back in response. ¡°Then listen carefully human! Your world is about to face a calamity of apocalyptic proportions!¡±

 Chapter 002: A Hard-to-Believe Prophecy

    Chapter 002: A Hard-to-Believe Prophecy


    ¡°An apocalypse?¡± Nest furrowed his brow.


    He looked out the window. Wisp-like tufts of cotton lazily drifted across a blue sky. Occasionally, a bird or two flitted from his view. Today was another peaceful day.


    The tiny angel, Niphilili, pursed her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    In truth, Nest still couldn¡¯t quite shake off the feeling that he was going insane. After all, visions of miniature angels sounded like the sort of thing you¡¯d hear in a psychiatric ward. What¡¯s more, said angel was also spouting on about the end of the world. It couldn¡¯t get any worse than that.


    Right now, Nest felt like a textbook example of a crazy person. If he were to tell anyone about any of this, the question wouldn¡¯t be whether or not they¡¯d believe him, but rather, how fast would it take for them to lock him up in an insane asylum.


    His obvious suspicion apparently angered the tiny angel. Nest tried his best to calm her down. ¡°Little girl, first of all¡ª¡±


    ¡°Niphilili! This great one¡¯s name is Niphilili, you stupid human!¡±


    ¡°Right, Niphil-Niphilili¡­ That¡¯s a bit of a mouthful, can¡¯t I just call you Neppy? Or maybe Lily? It sounds cuter, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You stupid, dirty, nincompoop! How dare you blaspheme the name that my great master gave me! It¡¯s Niphilili! You are not permitted to change it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± Nest let out a sigh. He raised his hands in defeat. Niphilili flew around the room in a fit of rage. Right now, she seriously resembled an annoying house fly. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t say such a thing in front of her. It was enough for him to think it.


    After a while, she eventually calmed down enough to stop. Although her face was still beet red and her tiny chest still heaved heavily, for the most part, she had returned to normal. At the very least, she stopped darting through the room. Niphilili floated a few feet in front of him. A stern expression was etched onto her child-like face.


    Swept along by her mood, Nest quickly composed himself. He sat on his knees and stared up at the angel with what he hoped was an ¡®eager¡¯ expression.


    ¡°So, why did God send me a message?¡± He asked. He still wasn¡¯t utterly convinced of this angel¡¯s authenticity. Although he didn¡¯t believe her, making her mad was a pain in the ass, so he decided to put on this fa?ade of enthusiasm.


    He bitterly smiled to himself. Right now, it felt as if he was humoring his own subconscious.


    ¡°Good question, human!¡± She excitedly answered. ¡°My master is indeed quite a busy fellow, he doesn¡¯t just send messages to any random passerby.¡±


    ¡°As expected, god is a busy guy, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course! He is the God of Origin, after all. My master reigns supreme even amongst the other gods!¡± She proudly raised her nose up in the air. A smug smile stretched her lips. It was as if she was touting her own accomplishments, and not just her boss¡¯s.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the message!¡± She clapped her hands in realization. Niphilili then reached below her tunic. The angel proudly pulled out an ancient looking scroll. The paper was of dirty yellow parchment, while the scroll itself was as thick as a regular man¡¯s forearm. Normally, the space underneath her tunic would never be able to fit an object of that size.


    She unfurled the scroll and began intently reading.


    After a while, she nodded in satisfaction. She rolled the scroll back up. Niphilili looked at him and smiled. Without warning, she suddenly chucked the scroll towards him. Nest instinctively flinched, but before it could hit him, the scroll stopped in midair.


    It unfurled itself. The paper slowly disintegrated into a splatter of golden dust. The dust, as if swept away by some invisible force, clumped together and formed two glowing words.


    [Morelia¡¯s Revenge]


    ¡°Morelia¡¯s revenge¡­¡± Nest subconsciously read out loud.


    Then, the words suddenly changed. They shimmered, before they transformed. Suddenly, a block of text appeared before his eyes.


    It detailed the story of a girl named Morelia.


    She lived in an era where monsters lurked and the gods walked amongst men. Morelia was a woman possessing divine beauty. Everywhere she went, men would throw themselves at her feet just so they could catch a glimpse of her smile. The number of suitors that fancied her exceeded that of an entire country. She was so beautiful that not even the Gods were immune to her charm.


    One day, the God of the Sun caught sight of her bathing in a lake. He instantly fell in love. In order to win her heart, the God gifted her with the power of prophecy.


    Unfortunately, Morelia already loved someone else. When she rejected his courting, the God grew furious. He wanted to take back his gift, but as a god, doing so was no easy task. So, instead, he cursed her. No matter what truth she spoke, nobody would ever believe her.


    It was said that shortly after this incident, Morelia prophesized her country¡¯s own demise. Unfortunately, when she attempted to inform her fellow citizens, no one believed her. She died with regret in her heart.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nest somewhat pitied the woman. In a sense, her own beauty was what led to her calamity. Still, who was this Morelia woman? How was she related to this whole message from God? Also, the god in the story was not the God of Origin, but rather the God of the Sun. The angel briefly mentioned it too, but were there really different gods out there?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Seeing the confusion on his face, Niphilili explained. ¡°Morelia is your ancestor.¡±


    ¡°My ancestor?¡± Nest widened his eyes in surprise.


    She nodded. ¡°Morelia was a pitiful woman who lived during the era of the Gods. You just so happen to carry with you her lineage. Although, I do find it a bit weird¡­ She was purported to be a woman of unmatched beauty. Why are you so ugly?¡±


    Annoyed, Nest threw a pillow her way. Niphilili easily dodged. She fluttered towards the other side of the room before continuing, ¡°Either way, after her country¡¯s destruction, she directed her anger out on the Sun God. In order to get revenge, she sought assistance from my master. In the end, in exchange for a price that I am not at the liberty to disclose, she made a deal.


    ¡°The deal was simple! During the next great calamity, my master was required to help out Morelia¡¯s descendant. As for you,¡± Niphilili pointed a finger at Nest. ¡°She implores her descendant to do one thing: get revenge for her.¡±


    Revenge? Nest¡¯s brows furrowed. Revenge on who? The Sun God? Was that auntie of his right in the head? How the hell was he supposed to get revenge on a god?


    ¡°Ai, you are so simple minded!¡± As if she could read his mind, Niphilili sighed and exaggeratedly shook her head. ¡°Morelia knows that no matter how great her future descendants might be, they still stand no chance against a full-fledged god. She only hopes for you to impede on the Sun God¡¯s advances, maybe kill his champions every now and then¡­ Although, I¡¯m afraid that before the calamity officially starts, you will be hard pressed to find any of a God¡¯s chosen warriors roaming the streets¡­


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t sweat it too much! I¡¯m sure if she were to see you now, she would equally lose hope!¡±


    The angel patted him on the back. She was trying to console him, but why did it feel as if he had just been insulted?


    After he brushed her aside, he thought for a moment, before asking, ¡°So, since you¡¯re here, that means a great calamity is about to befall Earth?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. The land will be torn asunder and the era of the gods will return. A scant few of you will survive, but don¡¯t feel too bad. My master is here to offer his assistance.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ and what sort of help did your god plan to give me?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± She spread her arms out wide.


    Nest expected something to happen, but even after waiting for a full minute, nothing ever did. He tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I have already given it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My master¡¯s gift is an early warning.¡± She smugly explained. ¡°Three months from now, the calamity will officially start.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s it?¡± Even if he wasn¡¯t expecting much, he still couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed.


    In response to his dismay, Niphilili simply shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Morelia may have been borne a princess, but she did not hail from a powerful lineage. There was very little that she could offer to my master. Thus, there is very little that we can offer you.


    ¡°Still, do not worry. In addition to the warning, I am also here!¡±


    ¡°You?¡± He looked at her with unmasked skepticism in his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this great me has personally come down to assist you!¡± Without warning, she suddenly pulled out a bottle from underneath her tunic. The bottle in question looked exactly like one of those old glass soda bottles that you¡¯d be hard pressed to find today. Even its insides were filled with a black material reminiscent of Cola.


    ¡°I, along with what¡¯s inside this bottle are here to correct your fate!¡±


    ¡°Correct my fate?¡±


    She enthusiastically nodded. ¡°In fact, that is my primary mission. Fate correction. If I can¡¯t accomplish this task, my master won¡¯t let me back into heaven, so you better get your fate properly corrected, got it?¡±


    Nest blankly stared at the bottle in her hands. A Coca-Cola bottle. No matter how he looked at it, it was just a Coca-Cola bottle. The insides looked exactly like Coke. It even fizzled. Was fate carbonated? When she pops open the cap, will he hear a sizzling sound?


    Unaware of the thoughts that filled his head, Niphilili happily continued. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t look so surprised now. This thing isn¡¯t actually something from my master, but rather, it is a precious treasure that your ancestor procured after making another deal with a Goddess in charge of Providence. With this bottle, you can change fate for a total of three times. As to what sort of fate you chose to alter, well, that is up to you. Aside from that, my loveable self is also here to personally help. Do not worry. No matter how ugly or how stupid you may be, I will do my utmost within these next three months to help you prepare for the Great Calamity!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Nest subconsciously touched his cheeks. He wasn¡¯t really that ugly right? At most, he was average. On good days, some might even say above average.


    ¡°Then, shall we get started?¡± Niphilili moved towards him. She stopped a mere inch away from his face. She smiled at him with an overly-eager smile. Dimples formed on her cheeks.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nest wordlessly got up and walked over towards his closet.


    The angel buzzed around him. She curiously tugged on a tuff of his hair. ¡°Where are you going, human? Is this the first step in your preparation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to change clothes.¡± He nonchalantly answered.


    ¡°Oh¡­ and then are we going to prepare?¡±


    ¡°No, after that, I¡¯m going to eat breakfast.¡± He opened his closet and shifted through the many articles of clothing that he owned. For a person as lazy and disorganized as him, his closet was surprisingly tidy. Of course, that was all in part to the people who cleaned his room every day.


    ¡°Then after that, we prepare?¡±


    ¡°Nah¡­ I¡¯ll probably just spend the rest of the day playing videogames or something. There¡¯s a new game out today. They¡¯ve been hyping it up pretty extensively for the past couple of months. I bought an early copy, so I kind of want to see if it lives up to any of the hype.¡±


    The angel titled her head in confusion. ¡°When are we going to prepare?¡± she asked. ¡°We need to do it soon. The Great Calamity is truly dreadful! If you die somewhere during the first month, that¡¯ll mean I did a bad job. If I do a bad job, my master will surely punish me!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll prepare.¡± He mumbled under his breath as he rummaged around looking for something to cover his bare behind. Right now, he was conflicted between a pair of gym shorts and a pair of sweatpants.


    ¡°What!?¡± she shouted. ¡°Why not?!¡±


    Nest slowly turned towards her. He stared at her tiny child-like face. Her eyes widened like almonds. ¡°Because I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°W-w-w-what!?¡±


    Of course Nest didn¡¯t believe her.


    Right now, he was still wondering whether or not he truly had gone insane. Wasn¡¯t this angel in front of him just a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? Was he coming down with schizophrenia? Nest was pretty sure schizophrenia wasn¡¯t something that you just come down with, not like a cold or the flu, but then again, he was no expert in psychology.


    Come to think of it, his grandfather¡¯s brother had schizophrenia. Was he prone to it? Did it run in the family?


    Either way, why the hell would he believe her? Delusions were best kept in the back of the mind.


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t believe? You really don¡¯t believe me?¡± Compared to Nest¡¯s relaxed attitude, the angel was seriously freaking out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me!? You stupid human, even after the great me went out of my way to explain the situation to you, why don¡¯t you believe me?! Ah, ah, you¡¯re going to bring death onto yourself! Master¡¯s going to punish me, master¡¯s going to punish me for real!¡±


    Nest let out a sigh. Having voices in your head was already bad enough, but his voice also came equipped with a face and body. Was this advanced schizophrenia?


    ¡°Human, you must believe me!¡± She stared at him with pleading eyes. Niphilili¡¯s back broke out in a cold sweat. If she can¡¯t convince this human, then it wouldn¡¯t be proper for her to say she completed her job. If she can¡¯t complete her job, then she can¡¯t return to heaven!


    ¡°Ahh, enough about that.¡± He waved her away. ¡°We can talk about all that complicated stuff later. Right now, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

 Chapter 003: The Coy Family

    Chapter 003: The Coy Family


    Nest breathed out an exasperated sigh.


    The miniature angel, Niphilili rested on the crown of his head. She laid spread eagle with her stomach pressed against his scalp. It gave off a somewhat weird sensation. She was definitely there, that he did not question. After all, he could feel it. Her clothes brushing up against his skin, small hands furiously tugging on his hair, he felt it all, but¡­ there was no weight. The girl had no weight to her existence.


    It was as if the angel¡¯s insides were completely filled with nothing but helium and the thing rubbing against the back of his head was simply a balloon tied too close to his neck.


    As for the little angel, she was currently sulking. Since a while ago, Niphilili had lapsed into silence. Nest did not know what sort of face she was currently making, but he had his guesses. He had tried his best to appease this little delusion of his, but nothing seemed to work.


    Shaking his head, Nest quickly made his way to the door. The moment he left his bedroom, he immediately widened his eyes in surprise.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    It was Anya, his one and only personal maid. Of course, the word personal was something that she had tacked on herself, but that¡¯s beside the point. She stood by the wall, opposite his bedroom door.


    ¡°Young Mater Nest¡­¡± She started to speak but hesitated. Her brow creased while a shallow frown formed on her lips. With a somewhat concerned expression on her face, she cautiously asked, ¡°You¡­ are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nest tilted his head in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I heard you talking to yourself.¡± She explained. ¡°I thought that you might have finally snapped.¡±


    His left eye twitched. Nest¡¯s expression grew bitter. He shot a look at the angel above him, but all he could see was the ball of a child¡¯s foot dangling from the top of his head. He inwardly blamed this little angel, but then again, Niphilili was more than likely just another part of his subconscious. If he wanted to blame someone, then the only person here to blame was himself.


    So, to answer Anya¡¯s question, no, he certainly wasn¡¯t okay.


    Still, Nest wasn¡¯t about to admit any of that in front of her. The last thing he needed was for this stiff maid to think he was going crazy.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think that I might have been on the phone or something? I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the first thing a person would conclude when they hear voices coming from inside someone else¡¯s bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± Anya almost laughed. Luckily, she was able to stop herself just in time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Master, I have already eliminated that possibility. I know full well that you don¡¯t have any friends.¡±


    Dark lines ran down his forehead. He bitterly glared at her, but Anya¡¯s impassive expression remained unchanged. Once again, he felt the biting consequences of this girl¡¯s unfiltered personality. She was truly like a venomous snake!


    Without another word, he simply marched down the hallway. Anya followed closely after him.


    He headed towards the dining room. Although the property was large and often times, its hallways daunting, Nest had grown quite familiar to its labyrinth-like layout.


    Wisteria Manor. The Coy family¡¯s private home. Compared to the family¡¯s long-running legacy, its history was quite recent, but that did not limit any of its grandeur. Four stories, more than fifty rooms, extensive outdoor facilities and patches of land that stretched on for acres upon acres. Rather than calling it a mansion, it was more akin to a personal castle.


    Wisteria Manor completely reflected the family¡¯s deep pockets, but that was not what Nest cared about. Right now, what he found most unnerving was the silence.


    The grand lavish halls, with its walls adorned in expensive paintings and priceless antiques, felt abnormally desolate. He let out a silent sigh. It was a completely different atmosphere compared to the past that he fondly remembered.


    ¡°Did anyone leave last night?¡± He asked as he stared out the window. Purple-hued flower petals danced with the breeze. Spring had long arrived.


    Anya nodded. ¡°Two maids. Their contracts expired two days ago. They spent the entirety of yesterday packing up.¡± She hesitated for a moment, before tentatively asking, ¡°Did you want to renew their contracts?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Nest shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was just wondering.¡± He answered. His hollow words echoed quietly through the empty space.


    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°How many people does that leave?¡±


    ¡°Only three. Right now, it¡¯s just the head maid, your grandfather¡¯s old steward, and me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, not a lot left, huh?¡±


    Compared to the twenty plus staff that the manor once employed, its current state was quite dismal. Still, Nest did not blame anyone for this. Rather, he had nobody to blame but himself. After all, it was he who pushed the manor to such a situation.


    ¡°Should I ask the head maid to hire a few more people?¡± Anya asked.


    ¡°No,¡± He shook his head. ¡°This is already¡­ it¡¯s fine. We don¡¯t really need all that much, right? After all, I¡¯m the only one here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Anya stared at him. Reflected in her eyes was the silhouette of a young man against the backdrop of his hollow castle. At that moment, one word came to her mind: lonely. His back looked so incredibly lonely.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Unaware of the thoughts floating in his maid¡¯s head, Nest continued down the hall.


    It¡¯s been about a year now, hasn¡¯t it? He silently thought to himself.


    Nest faintly recalled the events that had taken place over the past couple of months. To be exact, it had been less than nine months ago. It was rather recent, but the memories felt incredibly distant, almost as if they had happened to someone else. At the same time, like a festering wound that had been left out in the sun for one too many days, Nest still bore that time¡¯s poison even to this day.


    Even now, he felt a heavy weight press down against his shoulders.


    Ernest Coy was the last living member of the prestigious Coy family.


    The Coys were a family with a long history, dating all the way back to a time when America was still obsessed with the idea of manifest destiny. The first Coy came alongside the earlier waves of immigrants brought on by the California gold rush.


    While their wealth did not come from gold, they still made enough to open up a simple business selling shoes. That business eventually expanded and once it did, the Coys truly began to shine. Now, after successive generations of successful business ventures, that once simple shoe store had transformed into a giant conglomerate, one with its fingers dipped in a variety of different industries.


    Nest¡¯s grandfather was the family¡¯s previous patriarch. Unfortunately, he died. Nest¡¯s father should have been the one next in line, but he died too. In fact, everyone died. Everyone except him.


    Approximately nine months ago, the Coys suffered an unforgettable tragedy. During a family vacation, a car accident occurred. A blaze of fire so intense that it rivaled that of Hell¡¯s. The smell of burning flesh intermixed with rubber and gasoline. The screaming. No, there was no screaming. All of it was muffled out by the burning flames.


    Honestly, Nest did not remember much.


    There were people there to remind him, to tell him what had happened and how it had happened, but his memories, his real memories were far and few between. Most were blurry, and the clearer ones had less of a chance of being real and more of a chance of being something that his imagination conjured up in order to fill in the blanks.


    The only thing for certain was that people died. Important people died.


    On that day, five people were in that car. Only one came out. His grandfather, his father, his mother, and his nine-year-old little sister. All of them, all four of them died. Only he survived.


    He survived with only a few scratches. He would later find out that what had killed them was not the raging fire, but rather the initial impact. Everyone was already dead by the time the fire started. He was the only one screaming.


    Was it intentional? Maybe. The Coys were wealthy, but they were also passive. Some saw them as easy targets. It also did not help that they had numerous business rivals. The tragedy back then could have easily been orchestrated by a third party, that possibility certainly existed. Still, none of that mattered anymore.


    The family¡¯s entire heritage, accumulated through several generations, all of it fell on the laps of the only surviving member of the Coy family, a nineteen-year-old by the name of Ernest Coy.


    With the inheritance, he received an astronomical amount of wealth in the form of ownership to one of the world¡¯s most profitable international conglomerate, ownership of a few other large-scale domestic and foreign companies, the shares of another few dozen fortune 500 companies, and this large, overly extravagant manor.


    The manor was located on the west coast, a fair bit away from the nearest city. It basically functioned as an independent, modern-day fortress. The surrounding area, be it the forested fields near the back or the empty, uncultivated plains by the roadside, all of it belonged to the family. All of it belonged to Nest.


    After receiving the inheritance, he was not excited nor did he burn with vengeance. All he felt was this wallowing emptiness as if there was a hole in his heart that refused to close up.


    The death of his family haunted him. As a result, he entered a state of lethargy.


    Many of the businesses that the family previously owned, Nest lost. Some were stolen away by other competing powers, others sought independence of their own, while even more simply crumbled under the pressures of an ever-fluctuating business world.


    Nest watched this all happen from the sidelines. He acted as a simple passerby as a once thriving business empire slowly disappeared, swallowed up by wolves and hyenas. Nest was still in grief. He simply did not care.


    Eventually, things spiraled into so much chaos, that it even began to affect the distant Wisteria manor. Slowly but surely, after news of the family¡¯s imminent demise began spreading, the people of the manor, those that had once worked for the family, one by one, they all left. Now, only a scant few remain.


    It would be a lie to say that Nest felt nothing. Fully aware that he was squandering entire generations¡¯ worth of effort, Nest felt guilty, but at the same time, he simply felt no passion towards the family business.


    Did he need more money? No, of course not. His ancestors made more than enough for Nest to live life ten times over, and even that would only be scratching the surface. He thought about continuing, about taking up the mantle of Coy family patriarch, but he never did. Even without all the grief in his heart, he never was like all the other Coys that came before him.


    Nest simply did not care for extravagant wealth. In fact, after the deaths of his family, he began to hate the money in his pockets.


    Wealth was certainly a good thing, but too much of it and it simply becomes baggage. No, not even that. It wasn¡¯t baggage, but rather, a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.


    Thinking up to there, Nest tilted his neck back and stared at Anya.


    ¡°What is it, Young master?¡± Upon noticing his gaze, Anya mildly asked with the same deadpan expression that he had long since grown used to seeing.


    ¡°I was just wondering when you were going to leave.¡± He spoke without reservation.


    She paused for a moment and blinked. Anya thought for a while, before responding, ¡°When my contract is over, then I¡¯ll stop being your maid.¡±


    ¡°And when exactly is that?¡± he asked with an exaggerated groan.


    Anya Loris was someone who had been with him from the very start. Nest¡¯s grandfather had taken her in when Nest was only three. That meant he spent more than ten years of his life together with this girl.


    He did not know the full story, but apparently, Anya¡¯s parents had once saved his grandfather¡¯s life a long time ago. After they passed, an orphaned Anya was then brought into the family. Although she was being trained as a maid, Anya was treated more like an extra Coy. Cut to now, and Anya was Nest¡¯s one and only self-stylized personal maid.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the one that employed her. Anya¡¯s employment had been previously handled by Nest¡¯s grandfather before he died. Things like the terms of her employment, her salary, or anything even remotely similar were completely unknown to him. There were even times when Nest wondered whether or not Anya really was a maid, and not just somebody who liked to play dress-up.


    Anya smiled. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    A groan escaped from his throat as he stared reproachfully at her self-satisfied face.


    A maid who won¡¯t listen to what I say, a maid who doesn¡¯t dress appropriately for work, a maid that I can¡¯t even fire¡­


    He felt inwardly distressed about his rather willful childhood friend, but in the end, he could do nothing but swallow his pride and take the momentary headache.


    ¡°You, if you keep being like this, then don¡¯t be surprised if I lower your salary.¡± He weakly threatened.


    ¡°Young Master, you don¡¯t even pay me though?¡±


    ¡°Then why is it that you still work here?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± she responded with another tightlipped smile.


    He really couldn¡¯t deal with her. In the end, the halfhearted desire to fire her fizzled away as the smell of cooked food tickled his nostrils. He climbed down the stairs and moved towards the manor¡¯s kitchen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop this topic for now,¡± he exasperatedly spoke, ¡°First, we¡¯ll go eat some breakfast.¡±


    As Nest let out another sigh, the faint traces of a playful smirk quietly faded from Anya¡¯s lips.

 Chapter 004: Good Morning and Hello

    Chapter 004: Good Morning and Hello


    From the master bedroom on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor of the manor all the way to the kitchen and dining hall located on the first, the full trip took up almost five minutes of time.


    When they finally got to their destination, Nest¡¯s hunger had grown exponentially.


    The dining hall was another spacious area designed much in the same way that the rest of the manor was designed. Expensive looking paintings decorated the walls, while a glass chandelier could be seen dangling from the ceiling. At the center of the room was an exaggeratedly long dining table. Crafted from aged agar wood, it was an expensive piece of furniture that Nest¡¯s father had purchased during an auction.


    The dining hall was the sort of place meant for hosting large-scale banquets, not intimate family dinners.


    Marching on ahead, Nest quickly entered the kitchen, which was located behind a set of double doors situated near the back of the hall. Almost instantly, the faint aroma of breakfast intensified.


    He quietly scanned the room.


    As expected of such a luxurious expensive manor, the kitchen was overly spacious and its design took to mind both functionality and extravagance. Raised dark-wood cabinets lined one side of the room, while directly underneath it was a stainless-steel sink whose size dwarfed even that of a bathtub¡¯s. It was wide enough and deep enough to fit a fully-grown farm pig, or maybe an adult human.


    On the other side of the kitchen was a line of ovens, all of different make and each with a varied number of uses. The stovetops were separate, located just a few feet away from the ovens.


    At the center of the room was a single marble island. It was designed as a prep table, and above it was a heavy industrial exhaust hood. Underneath the table were storage units designed specifically to house the kitchen supplies. To the back of the kitchen, there were two stainless-steel heavy-duty refrigerators and matching freezers. Right next to that was a wooden door that led to a walk-in pantry.


    Altogether, the amenities within this room cost more than $200,000 combined, but Nest didn¡¯t really care. In his eyes, that amount almost negligible. His gaze drifted towards the stovetops.


    He caught sight of a familiar silhouette. She stood near the back of the kitchen with her figure hunched over a sizzling frying pan. Beads of sweat ran down the back of her neck. A slight flush colored what little skin he could see.


    She was a woman in the prime of her life. Her every action exuded out a sense of rare maturity. From the way she flicked her wrist and rolled her shoulders, all of it screamed ¡®adult¡¯. Nest felt a certain unease as he watched her work. In his eyes, she was the sort of archetype adult that he knew he needed to become.


    Unfortunately, that necessity did not translate into action. Even if it was a concept that he sorely needed, it still felt so very far away.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nest stood there for a while, lost in thought, his foggy gaze constantly fixed onto her busy silhouette. The woman was so focused on her cooking, that she had not even noticed their arrival.


    Eventually, Anya sneakily peered up at her Young Master¡¯s dazed expression. She immediately curled her lips, seemingly finding something unpleasant within his gaze. She jabbed her elbow ruthlessly into Nest¡¯s exposed ribcage.


    He instantly snapped out of his self-induced reverie. Nest winced. He glared reproachfully at the person who had just injured him. Anya simply glared back.


    Nest shook his head. He took a moment to recompose himself, before he let out an exaggerated cough.


    The woman by the stovetop finally reacted. Her shoulders jittered in surprise. She slightly turned her head. What greeted him was an oval-shaped face with slightly narrow, cat-like eyes. Her sky-blue irises contrasted greatly with the slight flush that colored her cheeks.


    Normally, her ash brown hair fell all the way down to her collar bone, but today, she had it styled into a short ponytail. A white ruffled headband decorated the crown of her head, while a black laced choker wrapped itself around her slender neck.


    Just like the girl with the unpleasant expression beside him, this lady was also a beauty whose looks rivaled that of a supermodel¡¯s. Although unlike a certain someone, she was dressed in an actual maid outfit, with the addition of a white apron draped over the front of her body.


    The moment she met eyes with him, a soft smile floated to her lips.


    ¡°Nest, you¡¯re up.¡± She spoke in a melodious voice.


    He simply nodded in response.


    This lady who looked to be somewhere between her late twenties and early thirties was actually the head maid in charge of Wisteria Manor. Her name was Hildegarde Rosen, or Hilda for short.


    Hilda was part of the scant few that had chosen to remain with the family. Of course, there was only one reason why she willingly stayed with such a sinking ship; loyalty.


    The head maid only became the head maid shortly after the accident. Prior to that, she worked as the family¡¯s personal secretary. It was a position that she unofficially ¡®inherited¡¯ from her now deceased mother. Even as a child, she had a fairly close relationship with the Coys.


    Her status was one that combined both friend and employee, and even bridged into the realm of family.


    She first worked for the Coys as an unpaid intern in one of their subsidiary companies. This was all the way back during her middle-school years. In order to apply for the position, she had even lied about her age. She officially became a secretary working under Grandpa Coy back during her first year in college. Of course, while some of her achievements were due in part to her mother, most of it had come from her own hard work.


    In all, she spent more than a decade of her admittedly short life under the employ of the Coys.


    After the accident, she quit her position as secretary and instead, took up the role of maid. Under normal circumstances, a person of her talents and qualifications would never willingly demote themselves into such a position, but Hilda had her reasons, or rather, she had one reason; Nest.


    Nest had always been a constant element in her life. Hilda¡¯s oldest memories of her young master dated as far back as when she was a child, back to a time when her mother was still alive.


    Back then, Hilda¡¯s mother routinely brought her over to the manor and while the adults did their adult things, Hilda would interact with the young scion of the family. When she was in elementary school, he was a mere toddler just learning to walk. Maybe it was the age gap between the two, but rather than that of a friend-to-friend relationship, they developed into something resembling siblings.


    In the end, she grew up under the protective wing of the Coys and she watched as Nest grew right alongside her.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    When his entire family died, Hilda felt compelled to do¡­ something. She did not know what that something was, but at the very least, she needed to be there for him. Even if it was a pointless gesture, nevertheless, she needed to try, as much for his sake as it was for hers.


    Of course, Hilda spoke nothing of her true intentions. When questioned, she merely stated that she still hadn¡¯t saved up enough money for retirement and being a maid was a far easier job than being a secretary to a multi-billion-dollar global conglomerate.


    As a maid with no actual maid training, she wasn¡¯t a very good maid. Still, she wasn¡¯t a complete lost cause. In fact, if there was one thing to praise about her, then it would be her cooking skills.


    She was good. Like, seriously good. The aroma that wafted through the room was a testament to that.


    ¡°Good morning, Hilda.¡± Nest lightly greeted.


    ¡°Good morning to you too, Nest.¡± She greeted back with a smile.


    Hilda was a person who directly called him by name. Nest did not mind. While he had grown up with many people calling him ¡®Young Master¡¯, Hilda was special. She was someone that he had known for a very long time. He would have just felt awkward had she suddenly started to change the way she addressed him.


    In fact, he already felt that way regarding Anya¡¯s situation. Back then, she was the one who had given him the nickname ¡®Nest¡¯. Now, she was the one calling him young master.


    Compared to Hilda, this particular maid was vastly different.


    Nest felt that Hilda was a lot kinder. Maybe it was the fact that she was almost ten years his senior, but she often treated him not as an equal acquaintance, but rather like a little brother. Nest didn¡¯t really mind all that much. He liked the pampering. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t just let himself be pampered by just anyone.


    Hilda gave off this sort of motherly vibe. She had this mystical way of disarming people and putting them at ease. Nest attributed her ability to the fact that she was nearing her thirties. After all, older women tended to be a bit more motherly, right?


    Still, he would never ever ever mention this sort of thing to her. If there was one thing that Hilda hated the most in the world, then it would be those who brought up her age.


    ¡°Old hag, get the food out! The young master is starving.¡± Of course, there was always that one person who simply did not care.


    For a moment, Hilda¡¯s shoulders trembled. Her face remained stiff and frozen.


    After a second or two of silence, Hilda spat out through gritted teeth, ¡°¡­ Alright then, some French toast coming right up.¡±


    Hilda moved into action. She prepared a plate of thick-sliced French toast, and garnished it with a combination of ingredients ranging from powdered sugar to diced strawberries. It was a simple task, but her hands moved like lightning. In the past, Hilda was known for being a very meticulous and all-around perfect person.


    Rumor had it that she could write five times faster than a normal human being. Now, those paper-trained fingers were being skillfully used to prepare his breakfast.


    Seemingly unimpressed by this display, Anya simply curled her lips. Her eyes shifted to the plate in Hilda¡¯s hands. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she furrowed her brow. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before that the Young Master wanted eggs and pancakes today?¡±


    Hilda rolled her eyes and scoffed. ¡°Please, Nest¡¯s favorite food is French toast, not pancakes and eggs.¡±


    ¡°Young master Nest wanted to try something new for a change. Eating your stale bread day in and day out is bad for his health.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you lecturing me on Nest¡¯s health.¡± She bitingly responded. ¡°Don¡¯t try to add in your own personal bias. I¡¯m not cooking for you, but for Nest.¡±


    Hilda then turned towards him. With a soft smile on her face, she gently asked, ¡°This is fine, right Nest? If you really don¡¯t like it, then I can cook something else for you.¡±


    ¡°No, this is fine. Thanks as always.¡± He lightly responded. Without reservation, he pulled up a chair and sat down by the counter. Nest did not bother going back to the dining hall for his meal. That place was simply far too lonesome for his tastes. He much rather preferred the atmosphere of the busy kitchen, where the smell of butter drifted through the air and the sight of a beautiful lady at work greeted his eyes.


    He did not wait any longer. Nest began eating.


    Standing right beside him, Anya¡¯s expression soured. She glared reproachfully at Hilda.


    ¡°Useless number-crunching old lady¡­ you can¡¯t even cook breakfast properly¡­¡± she started muttering something underneath her breath. Of course, her words weren¡¯t very quiet. They echoed clearly through the kitchen


    ¡°Hah?¡± Hilda¡¯s brow furrowed.


    ¡°Do you see the bread?¡± Anya suddenly pointed, as she raised her head up high. ¡°They look so soggy that they¡¯re practically sweating milk. Do you know how to use a frying pan or did you forget to turn on the stove this morning?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are you seriously lecturing me on how to cook?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t bear to admit your mistakes?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    As the two spat out biting remarks at one another, Nest swallowed down a mouthful of food and breathed out a sigh. It¡¯s already starting¡­


    Anya¡¯s earlier scheme failed. Truth be told, Anya hated French toast. He did not know the reason why, but she did.


    After spitting out a few more lines, Anya bitterly glared at the stovetop. With a glance, he could immediately tell what sort of thoughts were currently running through that head of hers. She was probably debating whether or not she should cook her own food, but Nest knew better than that. Anya was simply terrible at cooking. It was one of her many weaknesses. Even she did not dare to taste her own creations.


    Underneath the scrutiny of Hilda¡¯s red-faced glare, Anya shifted her eyes and suddenly leaned over towards Nest.


    She whispered in a not so quiet voice, ¡°Listen, young master. You need to be careful. There¡¯s a particularly dangerous individual quite close to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± After glancing over at Hilda¡¯s fuming face, Nest did not dare answer.


    Unperturbed, Anya continued, ¡°This is just a secret between us, but¡­ someone here is seriously ¡®pent up.¡¯¡±


    Pent up? Nest raised a brow in curiosity.


    ¡°You, what sort of nonsense are you telling him!?¡± Hilda suddenly shouted.


    Anya turned towards her and sneered. ¡°I¡¯m just informing the Young Master. He needs to know of the particular dangers present around him at all times. After all, there¡¯s somebody right here that poses a serious threat to Young Master¡¯s precious chastity.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now, it wasn¡¯t only Hilda glaring at Anya.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Despite his desire to stay out of this situation, Nest still couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ this is just a secret between the two of us, but there¡¯s someone in here who has wasted the best years of their life.¡± Anya explained. ¡°Because said someone was so zealous in their work, they completely missed out on the joys of youthful indiscretion.¡±


    In a very not-so-subtle way, she motioned towards Hilda. ¡°Can you believe it, Young Master? Already so old yet still unmarried. In fact, its common knowledge that she hasn¡¯t even gone out with anyone before. Young Master, you be careful now. I heard that ladies like her have a tendency to go after younger men. You might be in danger as we speak. It¡¯s best to lock your doors at night.¡±


    ¡°What right do you have to say all that?! Aren¡¯t you in the same situation as me?¡± Hilda shouted in opposition.


    ¡°The same? Me?¡± She scoffed, a look of derision twisted her lips. ¡°The difference between us lies in our age. I am still very much in the prime of my youth, while you¡¯re already on the decline. Our situations are completely different! It¡¯s like comparing apples and oranges.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­¡± Hilda¡¯s entire face flushed. Her glaring eyes looked as if they might just spit out fire. Still, she could not say anything back. Anya¡¯s blatant words had stunned her into silence.


    Anya met eyes with her. For a moment, silence, before she exaggeratedly gasped in surprise. ¡°Oops, I¡¯m sorry. Did you hear all that? Those monkey-sized ears of yours aren¡¯t so useless after all.¡±


    ¡°M-my ears are normal sized!¡±


    Actually, they were slightly larger than average, but not by much. Apparently, Hilda had quite a complex regarding the size of her ears. It was the reason why her ears were usually covered by hair. Of course, it only took Anya less than two days to discover this weakness. She was like that. A venomous girl who was not afraid to bite.


    ¡°Alright, whatever you say, Miss elephant.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ what are you, a grade schooler?! Resorting to something as childish as name calling!¡±


    Ignoring her, Anya said, ¡°Oh, do you prefer Mouse Ears?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re an idiot!¡±


    Nest, the ever-silent young scion, continued his meal. He easily accepted their bickering without much excitement. For some odd reason, these two were prone to fighting whenever they were around one another. It was like that back during his childhood, and it was like that now.


    On a side note, Hilda was very weak to verbal disputes. In addition, she was not as sinister or as sharp-tongued as Anya. So, during these confrontations, it was always Hilda on the losing end.


    Amidst everything, the angel that he had all but forgotten, suddenly shouted.


    ¡°I got it!¡±


    Nest almost fell out of his seat from the surprise. Looking around, he quickly noticed that the two were so busy glaring daggers at each other that they had not noticed his little commotion. He breathed out a sigh of relief, before discreetly turning to the angel.


    Niphilili had moved away from his head and now floated directly in front of him. Her glowing halo just barely touched the kitchen¡¯s exhaust hood.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He quietly whispered.


    ¡°I found a way to convince you.¡± She excitedly declared.


    ¡°Oh? How?¡±


    The little angel smugly smiled. ¡°Stupid human! I¡¯ll show you the art that has long since been lost to the mortal realm! Ancient and mystical, wonderous and fantastical¡­ magic!¡±

 Chapter 005: A Convincing Strategy

    Chapter 005: A Convincing Strategy


    ¡°Magic?¡± Nest raised his brow in surprise.


    The little angel nodded her head furiously. ¡°This great me is a genius! I should have realized sooner that you humans have such narrow minds. The first thing I need to do is widen that puny brain of yours. Although you¡¯ve given me quite some trouble up until now, none of that matters anymore! Hehe, even if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll force you to believe me!¡±


    ¡°And how exactly does magic play into all that?¡± Nest skeptically questioned.


    ¡°Simple, easy, I¡¯m glad you asked! In order to convince you of something that you previously deem unbelievable, I just need to show you something you would consider equally unbelievable. I will indirectly prove to you the existence of the great calamity!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it.¡± Nest nodded. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like ¡®if this thing exists, so this other thing must also exist¡¯, right?¡± Niphilili was using a version of indirect proof in order to prove her theory. In this case, her ¡®theory¡¯ would be the validity of the Great Calamity that she kept rambling on about.


    ¡°Yes, exactly!¡± The little angel happily exclaimed. The two wings on her back slightly fluttered, an action reminiscent of a dog wagging its tail. ¡°So, what do you think? Isn¡¯t is a genius idea? Well, it is only natural. After all, it was this genius me that came up with it.¡±


    Nest stopped and thought about it for a moment. It might work, but then again, it might not work.


    His subsequent reaction all depended on the type of ¡®magic¡¯ she performs.  If it was something like creating lights from her hands or really anything that Nest can¡¯t directly interact with, then he would not be convinced. Even if he could interact with it, he might still not be convinced.


    In a sense, if it was more realistic than fantastical, then he would have a higher chance of believing.


    Nest inwardly shook his head. He felt somewhat silly for thinking about all this so seriously. Deep down, he knew he shouldn¡¯t be doing this. Entertaining this delusion of his would only worsen his current mental state. Rather than nodding along and listening to this little angel, he needed to find a way to suppress his hallucinations.


    Still, he had to admit, there was a tiny, minuscule part of him that wanted to believe. Of course, the moment he believed, Nest would be no different from any of the other schizophrenics that they kept locked up in various psych wards.


    Hiding the doubt in his heart, Nest turned back towards the eager angel. After a quick bout of hesitation, he flashed an ugly smile.


    He wanted to say no, but Niphilili, this girl, she made it extremely difficult to do so!


    This damn angel¡¯s face, why does she look exactly like a kid who just heard from her parents that they were going to Disneyland! It was a dangerous combination of childhood innocence and adorable enthusiasm. Nest secretly cursed his own imaginative subconscious, before he bitterly nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea. You¡¯re pretty smart.¡± He praised.


    Niphilili¡¯s haughty smile turned even haughtier! She raised her nose high in the air and chuckled loudly. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that only he could hear her, then surely even the arguing duo beside him would have heard the high-pitched laughter.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m smart. It¡¯s only natural for the great me to be so great!¡±


    Hearing her words, Nest felt somewhat amused. She did not even attempt to hide her arrogance. In fact, her entire face was screaming, ¡°Praise me! Praise me some more!¡±


    After some thought, he added. ¡°I see. You¡¯re just a naturally great person, huh? I wonder if all the other angels are like you?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment. After some time, she eventually nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s right. Angels are pretty great in general, much better than humans. Still, I am just slightly better than everyone else. In the end, I¡¯m still the greatest!¡±


    Ah, so she¡¯s arrogant not only towards humans, but also to her own kind¡­ I seriously wonder if all angels are like this¡­


    Nest felt somewhat worried about the future of the angel race.


    Still, Niphilili¡¯s arrogance wasn¡¯t exactly a bad thing. In fact, it made her just a little bit easier to deal with. As long as he kept praising this little thing, then she¡¯d remain relatively docile. Nest was learning fairly quickly that a docile angel was infinitely better than an angry angel.


    But all of that was an issue for another time. Nest thought back to her words. He felt a tiny sliver of excitement within his heart.


    To be honest, he was sort of curious. How convincing could his imagination really be? In a battle between his rational mind and his subconscious insanity, who would win out on top? Either way, Nest was already slipping from reality. He kind of wanted to see how far he could fall.


    ¡°Then, what sort of magic trick are you going to show me?¡± He asked.


    Niphilili smirked in response. She suddenly pointed a slightly chubby finger his way. ¡°It won¡¯t be me who does it, but you!¡±


    Nest widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Me? Really?¡±


    After seeing his reaction, the little angel grew even haughtier. She had already felt the disingenuousness of his enthusiasm. Still, Niphilili was vain by nature. Even if it was fake praise, it was still praise nonetheless.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    His reaction right now was one hundred percent genuine.


    ¡°Hehe, do I have your attention now?¡±


    Nest mutely nodded his head. Although it was coming from his own subconscious, the prospect of learning magic still excited him. Even if it wasn¡¯t realistic, even if it wasn¡¯t plausible, even if it sounded impossible, as long as there was a tiny sliver of a chance that it could be real¡­


    Seeing the interest hidden beneath his eyes, Niphilili secretly breathed out a sigh of relief. With this, the first part is done. Now on to the next step¡­


    She nodded to herself, before she said, ¡°Good. Now, wait for a while.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I need to do something first.¡±


    Without bothering to explain, Niphilili suddenly closed her eyes. A deep crease formed between her brow, as she abruptly jabbed both of her pointer fingers towards the base of her skull. ¡°Gununununu¡± noises leaked out from her clenched teeth.


    ¡°What¡ªwhat are you doing?¡± Nest stared in fascination. As the seconds ticked by, the flush that crept up onto her cheeks only intensified.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ looking¡­ don¡¯t disturb me¡­¡± She slowly spat out. The strain in her voice was almost palpable.


    Niphilili remained like that for what felt like a long time. She was like a stone statue. The little angel remained still and unmoving, with only the occasional grunt or groan to differentiate her from any of the other nonliving things scattered throughout the kitchen.


    Left with no other option, Nest patiently waited for her to finish.


    ¡°Young Master?¡± Just as he settled down, a soft voice suddenly called out to him.


    He almost jumped up in surprise. Nest quickly turned his head, only to see a pair of familiar faces looking at him with concerned expressions.


    ¡°When did you guys stop fighting?¡± He furrowed his brow. The two of them were staring at him as if there was a giant spider on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two?¡±


    They briefly exchanged glances before Hilda stepped up and said, ¡°Well, for some time now, you¡¯ve done nothing but stare out into space.¡±


    ¡°You were also mumbling to yourself,¡± Anya added. ¡°Very crazy-person-esque, if I do say so myself, Young Master. If that was the type of look you were going for, then I¡¯d say you succeeded.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay, Nest?¡± Hilda asked. Unlike Anya, who hid her concern through multiple layers of biting remarks, Hilda wore her emotions on her sleeve.


    He hesitated for a moment, before he suddenly let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You worry too much, Hilda. You two were just so loud that I couldn¡¯t even think straight.¡± He casually waved his hand. Unlike his real emotions, his face was the perfect picture of calm and composure. ¡°Get out of here, both of you. Let me finish my meal in peace.¡±


    Anya and Hilda did not look as thoroughly convinced as he would have liked, but after staring at Nest¡¯s face for a while, they eventually complied. In the end, they both had some self-awareness. Nobody liked waking up in the morning to an argument, even if you were simply just a spectator of said argument. This was especially the case for a person as lazy and irritable as their young master.


    They both left the kitchen.


    Still, just because they were willing to make a few concessions for him, that did not magically mean that their relationship was now suddenly fixed. Not a second after the doors closed shut, Nest could already hear both maids arguing with each other.


    He let out a weary sigh. As the muffled voiced from behind the door intensified, Nest returned to his meal. After a while, Niphilili jumped up in the air and shouted. Even at a glance, the satisfaction on her face was apparent.


    She wiped a bead of sweat from her little forehead and breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°It took me some time, but since I¡¯m such an amazing me, I finally did it.¡±


    Of course, the first thing to come out of her mouth were words of self-praise, but at this point, Nest had grown used to her odd mannerisms.


    ¡°What were you doing?¡± he curiously asked.


    ¡°Scanning this world for magical artifacts.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Oh? What did you find?¡±


    Instead of straightforwardly answering, Niphilili let out a disgruntled sigh. ¡°This world is so barren that there are hardly any artifacts here! To think, only nine artifacts! Nine! For a world as big as this one, nine is simply too little!¡±


    ¡°I see. Sounds like a real problem, huh...¡± Nest had no idea what she was talking about, so he simply nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It is a real problem!¡± She shouted.


    Niphilili hesitated for a moment, before she corrected herself, ¡°Well, it is a problem, but it will only be a problem for a short time. After the Great Calamity occurs, that should all change. Still though, Earth is somewhat pitiful.¡±


    She bitterly shook her head and let out another sigh. Nest found it somewhat amusing. Her expression was like that of a mother who had given up on her disappointing son.


    ¡°Enough about that. Since I already went out of my way to find them, I can now show you the power hidden within the artifacts of this world.¡± Her attitude immediately shifted. ¡°Without a doubt, after witnessing something as amazing as this, you¡¯ll surely believe in the coming Great Calamity.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Nest slowly nodded his head. His pensive expression looked as if he was seriously digesting her words. After a while, he broke that illusion and said, ¡°That all seems like a bit of a hassle. Why can¡¯t you just perform a magic trick here? Do you really need those artifacts? If you want, I can probably get you a deck of cards or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me, you stupid¡­er, stupid!¡± As expected, she immediately flared up in anger. ¡°The body you see right now is merely an avatar created by my great master. My current body does not possess the strength to perform magic.¡±


    ¡°But weren¡¯t you just scanning the world or something? Isn¡¯t that magic?¡±


    ¡°Idiot! That¡¯s not magic.¡± She shouted in a huff, not bothering to explain.


    ¡°Right, right. My bad.¡± Nest lamely responded.


    She shook her head. ¡°Enough nonsense. For now, we need to go get an artifact. Let¡¯s start with the strongest artifact on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the strongest artifact?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s something called ¡®Joyeuse.¡¯¡± Niphilili muttered as she crossed her arms and tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ it is somewhere in a place called Lub, Louvre.¡± She stuttered.


    ¡°Joyeuse?¡± Nest thought about it for a bit. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite remember where he had heard of it before. Maybe it appeared as a weapon in a videogame he had played in the past or maybe it was something from history, it wasn¡¯t really important, although not remembering did bother him a bit.


    ¡°How are we supposed to get it?¡± he curiously asked.


    From his memories, he knew that the Louvre was a rather famous place in Paris. It was one of the world¡¯s best museums. Thousands upon thousands of tourists swarmed the area nearly all year round. In fact, Nest had been there a couple of times himself. He wondered just how exactly was this mini angel going to get her chubby little hands on what he could only presume was one of the museum¡¯s centerpieces.


    She blinked. Niphilili stared at him as if he were an idiot. ¡°We take it, obviously.¡±


    Nest¡¯s expression dimmed, dark lines ran down his forehead. ¡°You¡­ you want me to fly all the way to France and steal something from one of its national landmarks? It¡¯s not my place to ask this, but are you alright in the head?¡±


    She tilted her head to the side. ¡°No good?¡±


    ¡°No, of course it¡¯s no good!¡±


    She let out an irritated sigh. ¡°Fine, we can pick something else. How about the seventh strongest artifact? It¡¯s just in some grubby antique store. You can definitely take this one.¡±


    ¡°And where exactly is this place?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ a place called Reno.¡±


    ¡°Reno? As in Reno, Nevada?¡± He thought about it for a moment. To his own surprise, he nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was somewhat ridiculous. Most people would hesitate when their hallucinations told them to travel across the country, but Nest was different. Despite his obvious misgivings, he felt inclined to humor his hallucination. This was a privilege only available to all the insane people in the world with fat pockets. Being a spendthrift came naturally to him.


    If anything, it would be a somewhat interesting deviation from his normal monotony.

 Chapter 006: To Reno

    Chapter 006: To Reno


    After coming to his decision, Nest immediately acted towards it. Under the urging of an eager little angel, he quickly finished his meal and ran off to find Anya.


    It did not take very long.


    In the middle of a spacious dining hall, a pajama wearing maid sat at the end of an extra-long dining table. She was all alone. At some point, Hilda had left. Nest did not know where she had gone, but that wasn¡¯t very important right now.


    He approached her.


    Anya¡¯s expression was gloomy. Her puckering lips gave off the impression that she had just sucked on a lemon, while the furrow in her brow made her even more pensive than usual. She had a bag of opened potato chips splayed out in front of her. Nest had no idea where she had procured such a snack.


    He wanted to comment on her poor eating habits, but now wasn¡¯t the time. He had more important things to deal with.


    ¡°I want to go to Reno.¡± He straightforwardly told her.


    ¡°Reno?¡± She looked up at him and raised his brow. ¡°Why?¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I want to stretch my limbs. A change in scenery doesn¡¯t sound too bad every now and then.¡±


    Anya narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She did not even attempt to hide her skepticism.


    For over a year now, Nest lived a sort of sedentary lifestyle. He never once stepped outside the manor, and there were even days when he simply stayed locked up in his bedroom. He was truly a shut-in. A waste of space. A NEET with money. After living a life like that, he suddenly wants to fly to a whole other state just to ¡®stretch his limbs¡¯?


    Anya would have to be a total idiot to believe his words.


    Nest could clearly see the doubt in her, but he didn¡¯t particularly mind. No matter her thoughts, in the end, he was the master of the household. Even if he were to make an even more outrageous demand, she would have no other choice but to comply. Of course, he did not utilize this privilege very often, but it came in handy for situations like these, where he wanted to do something, but had no real rhyme or reason as to why.


    ¡°Book a flight.¡± He commanded with a firm tone.


    Anya hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she eventually nodded her head.


    After thinking it through, she decided that the best course of action was to just simply do what Nest wanted. A spontaneous trip to Reno was by no means normal, but for the rich and wealthy, it wasn¡¯t anything particularly too farfetched. Plus, she wasn¡¯t actually opposed to her master¡¯s sudden desire to go outside. If anything, when it came to his situation, she believed that any change was a good change.


    The current Nest was the human embodiment of lethargy. He was so entrenched in negativity that if it continued any longer, then it would be near impossible to pull him back out. What made it worse was that Anya saw all this happen right before her eyes. She knew that he was spiraling down a path that he may never recover from, but to her dismay, she could not save him.


    After all, Anya could not bring the dead back to life.


    This was a tragedy that Nest had to handle by himself. Whether he continues to drown or manages to raise his head above the water, all of it was on him. People like her or Hilda might be able to do a few things every now and then, but in the end, Nest¡¯s own decisions held the greatest impact.


    Maybe going out and seeing the sun might help. In either case, she felt inwardly happy that Nest had finally taken what she thought was his ¡®first step¡¯ to recovery.


    ¡°Do you want to take a commercial plane or one of the family¡¯s private jets?¡± She mildly asked, hiding her real emotions behind her normal indifferent expression.


    Nest thought for a bit. He did not want to experience the tedious and troublesome process that normally came with commercial flying. Since he had the means to do so, he decided to pick the one most convenient for him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a jet. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been on a jet.¡±


    ¡°Alright. When exactly do you want to go, Young Master?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Now?¡± She hesitantly repeated.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He nodded. ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit difficult to accomplish.¡± She carefully explained. ¡°Since we terminated most of the employment contracts, we don¡¯t have any pilots available right now. It will take at least one or two days before we can find someone suitable to fly the jet.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Hearing her words, Nest¡¯s previous excitement cooled. ¡°So, it¡¯s no good?¡±


    Anya stared at him for a few seconds, before she shook her head. ¡°Well, not necessarily. There is one person, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, if there¡¯s someone, then let¡¯s just go with that person.¡±


    ¡°No, but Young Master, the someone that I¡¯m talking about is Oldman Roche.¡±


    Nest frowned. ¡°Uncle Roche? Really?¡±


    Uncle Roche or Oldman Roche referred to Anthony Roche, the Coy family manor¡¯s resident steward. He was someone who had worked for the family for over fifty years. Even now, he was still here.


    ¡°Um, isn¡¯t he nearing eighty?¡± Nest worriedly asked. ¡°Does he still have his license? When was the last time he flew? Can he still even fly a plane?¡±


    Nest¡¯s worries were rightfully so. Lately, Uncle Roche had started succumbing to the wiles of aging. His eyesight had gone bad, and his hand-eye coordination wasn¡¯t what it used to be. He was a man with nearly half his foot in the grave.


    Anya lowered her head and stayed silent for a moment. After a while, she hesitantly nodded. ¡°It¡­ it should be fine. We can trust him, probably. He is ex-military¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°If you really want to leave today Young Master, then we don¡¯t have any other options.¡±


    Nest bit his bottom lip, before he decisively nodded. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll get Uncle Roche to fly us. He is a pretty reliable guy, so I¡¯m sure nothing will happen, right?¡±


    Anya did not dare to respond. Instead, she stood up and started walking towards the stairs. Nest shakily laughed, as he followed after her.


    They went off in search of their future pilot. It only took them a few minutes, before they arrived at a room resembling a cluttered office. Surrounded by piles of paper, there was a withered old man with thinning hair. He sat in a leather swivel chair. In front of him was a wooden office table.


    He was staring intently at a computer screen, the reading glasses precariously balancing on the tip of his nose reflected rows of impossible large numbers. He was currently reviewing the fiscal policy that the government had granted for one of the family¡¯s subsidiary companies.


    Anthony Roche. He worked as the family¡¯s steward for over fifty years. In his time of employment, he also took up several other positions, such as bodyguard, secretary, and at one point, even CEO for a small subsidiary. He was a man of many talents, someone that the entire family respected.


    He started off as the previous grandfather¡¯s assistant. Back in the day, when the Coys were just starting to enter the international market, he was an integral part of their operations, playing a similar role that Hilda had once played.


    Now, his glories of the past had faded. He had come of age, and his health was deteriorating. Still, he worked not because the family forced him, but because he wanted to. He was a strange man with workaholic tendencies. Although right now, he was technically a butler, he wasn¡¯t able to do much housework. Mainly, he dealt with the financial aspects of the manor, but even then, most of his work was handled by young assistants that came from the main company.


    He was in a weird state of pseudo-retirement, where the family still gave him money, but he did minimal to no work.


    Nest knocked on the door. The old man looked up and widened his eyes. He immediately stood up, and attempted to bow. Due to his back problems, it came off as more of a lurch.


    ¡°Hello there, Young Master, Miss Anya. What can I do for you today?¡± He spoke with a gravelly voice. If someone were to hear him speak, then they¡¯d immediately assume that he was once a heavy smoker, but that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth. Anthony Roche had once been diagnosed with throat cancer. Luckily, he managed to survive the ordeal, but it left a permanent impact on his voice.


    ¡°Hello Uncle Roche. I want to go to Reno.¡± Nest straightforwardly told him.


    ¡°Oh, may I ask what for?¡± As far as he could recall, the family had no outstanding businesses within Reno.


    Nest shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Just sightseeing.¡±


    The old man happily nodded his head. Unlike Anya, he wasn¡¯t so probing. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. Ever since the accident, you¡¯ve been cooped up in here all day long. A change in scenery is good. Maybe afterward, you can start considering the matter with the conglomerate. The family business isn¡¯t doing very well without a unified leader.¡±


    Hearing his words, Nest¡¯s bitterly smiled. In the face of Uncle Roche¡¯s expectant eyes, Nest subconsciously shifted his gaze.


    The business not doing well was an understatement.


    Compared to just last year, the Conglomerate¡¯s stocks had plummeted. It suffered from an almost forty percent dip. Many of the subsidiaries that were once attached to the main business had taken the opportunity to branch out on their own and sever ties with them. While they were still making money, it was only half of its output from last year. That number was steadily declining.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mention that¡­¡± He muttered out.


    Seeing the young man¡¯s expression, Uncle Roche nodded in understanding. ¡°Well, money isn¡¯t all that important. If the Young master wants to continue or if you want to do something else with your life, I¡¯m fine either way. I think its fine to just let the past be the past.¡±


    Nest wordlessly nodded. Silence, before he asked, ¡°Can you fly us there?¡±


    Uncle Roche nodded. A knowing glint flashed through his eyes. ¡°Since you came to me, I¡¯m guessing you want to leave today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As early as possible.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± He lowered his head and thought for a moment, before he looked back up at Nest and explained. ¡°Flying won¡¯t be a problem. In fact, I¡¯d be glad to do it if it means I can finally take old Bertha out for a spin.¡± In this case, Old Bertha referred to the family jet. They had three planes in total, and all of them were named Old Bertha. Nest did not actually know which plane he was referring to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need about an hour to get everything sorted out with the airport and air traffic control guys. Is that fine with you, Young Master?¡±


    Nest nodded. ¡°Sure. Also, I don¡¯t plan to stay very long. I expect to come back sometime tonight.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be an issue. Then, let¡¯s head down to the airport now. I can sort out everything else when we get there.¡±


    With that, everything was decided. Nest, Anya and Uncle Roche would go down to Reno, while Hilda would remain here to watch over the manor.


    They quickly piled into a car and with Anya at the helm, they peeled out of the driveway and drove towards the airport. As the scenery before him shifted, Nest discreetly glanced down at the angel beneath him. Niphilili rested her head on his lap, while the rest of her was splayed out onto the leather seat.


    He recalled back to Uncle Roche¡¯s words. For the first time in a long time, the weight of obligation breathed down his neck. The guilt, the sinking feeling that he was tarnishing his family¡¯s reputation¡­ all the emotions that he had once buried, some of it came trickling back out.


    For a moment, he wanted to believe in the little delusion next to him. If the world were to truly end within the next three months, he couldn¡¯t help but think that that might not be such a bad thing.

 Chapter 007: Reno

    Chapter 007: Reno


    Despite his old age, Uncle Roche proved himself to be a very adept pilot. Except for the one instance of turbulence that occurred halfway through the flight, everything else was pretty much smooth-sailing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± A child-like voice continually echoed through his ears.


    Nest sat on a black leather chair. His hands clenched tightly onto the leather armrests, while there were dark bags under his eyes. Even with such a countenance, Nest wasn¡¯t particularly bad with flying. In fact, as a child from a rich family, he often flew from one location to the next. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he spent at least five percent of his life in the air. Most of the time, his flights took him to various parties organized by either the company or his parent¡¯s rich acquaintances.


    No, his distress came from the loud, pesky, and irritable angel sitting on the crown of his head.


    Niphilili constantly pulled and tugged on his hair, urging him to go faster, as if he was the one piloting the plane and not Uncle Roche. Occasionally, she slapped the top of his forehead with her little hands. There was even a time when she stuck a tiny finger into his ear.


    Unfortunately, Nest wasn¡¯t able to do anything. Sitting directly opposite of him was Anya. Her limpid eyes stared piercingly into his own. If he so much as attempted to interact with the invisible angel, then surely Anya¡¯s opinion of him would sink. The last thing he needed was for her to start thinking that he had gone crazy.


    ¡­ although in retrospect, she might already think that.


    ¡°Young Master, you look particularly sickly. Are you okay?¡± She asked with a flat voice. It was almost impossible to distinguish any sort of emotion from her words.


    Nest shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He looked out the window. There, he could see an open runway. Scattered throughout the long stretch of pavement were various planes of all shapes and sizes, while located just further away was the airport.


    The Reno-Tahoe International Airport. It was a large place, and considering what sort of place Reno was, the airport bore witness to hundreds upon hundreds of people every day.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, let¡¯s go.¡± He shook his head and stood up. After a prompt from Uncle Roche, who sat in the cockpit, the doors opened.


    From out of a sleek, cloud-white private jet, a black-haired youth stepped out into the blazing sun.


    Almost instantly, he frowned. The heat of the Nevada sun made him sweat.


    He was once again reminded of just how weak he had become. An almost year-long sedentary life had turned his skin pale and his constitution sickly. The babbling angel above him didn¡¯t make things any better either. Once they had gotten outside, Niphilili¡¯s enthusiasm spiked. She buzzed around the air like an annoying house fly. It was unfortunate, but Nest did not have a fly swatter.


    ¡°Let us go, human!¡±


    ¡°I can smell the artifact!¡±


    ¡°We must hurry, the Great Calamity waits for no one.¡± All sorts of things spewed out from that tiny little maw of hers.


    Nest felt truly bitter. This angel could not interact with the outside world. She even passed through walls and ceilings as if she was a ghost. As far as he could tell, Nest was the only one who could interact with her. By extension, that meant he was the only one here to weather the brunt of her zealous eagerness.


    This once again validated his theory that the angel was merely a projection of his subconscious.


    Seeing his expression souring once more, Anya couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°Young Master, are you seriously okay?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nest blankly turned towards her. For a moment, he squinted his eyes. This time around, Anya was dressed in a complete maid outfit. A black dress that fell down to her knees, while a white apron-like garment was wrapped around the front of her waist. The upper portion was buttoned up, but the fabric on her chest looked as if it was under some serious strain.


    She was dressed to the nines, and her outfit looked particularly stuffy, but not a single bead of sweat ran down her face.


    ¡°You really do look sick.¡± She said. ¡°As expected, for a NEET like you, going outside is a struggle, huh?¡±


    His left eye twitched. Nest declined to comment, and instead, he turned back towards the jet.


    ¡°Is uncle Roche coming?¡±


    ¡°No, the Oldman said that he¡¯ll stay here and wait.¡± She answered. ¡°Because we came to Reno under such short notice, one of us has to stay and watch over the jet. Plus, his family has a history of skin cancer. The sun doesn¡¯t do any good for his health.¡±


    Nest thought for a moment, before he nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine too. We won¡¯t be staying here for long, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then, where to, Young Master? The casinos? I can¡¯t fathom anything else of interest within this desert city.¡±


    ¡°No, not the casinos.¡± Nest shook his head. His expression creased, a small frown floated to his lips. ¡°Get a cab first. I need to look something up.¡± To his absolute hatred, the pesky angel did not have an actual address. The only thing she knew of was the name of the store and its general location. Even looking up the name online proved useless.


    Right now, either this antique shop was real and totally obscure, or it did not exist at all. Nest was a bit bitter. This whole thing felt like a giant goose chase.


    A few minutes later, the duo hopped onto a taxi and following Niphilili¡¯s vague directions, the two weaved in and out of the sinful city of Reno. Eventually, they arrived at a dingy looking shopping lot near the outskirts of the casino district.


    The lot was abandoned, or at least, it was near abandoned. At first glance, this area was very rundown. The only stores still in operation were a thrift shop and a heavily armored laundromat.


    As they were making their way here, Nest had heard some things from their taxi driver. This place was part of an impoverished neighborhood overrun by gangs and crackheads. Basically, it was the underbelly of the city. It was the sort of thing that they keep hidden away from all the tourists and gamblers. It definitely wasn¡¯t the sort of place any normal law-abiding citizen would seek out.


    Walking around the trash-laden streets, Nest caught sight of a few men with unsightly appearances. Tattoos and bandanas around their heads, and fake gold chains dangling from their necks. Some looked fierce, while others looked sly and underhanded. One wrong step in a place like this and you were illegible for a bullet to the chest.


    All in all, it was a very shady place.


    Anya looked at him with suspicion. ¡°Where exactly are we, Young Master?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    After seeing the surroundings, Nest was also at a lost for words. Since it was the little angel guiding them, he expected their destination to be a little bit out of the ordinary, but not something like this.


    ¡°Er¡­ didn¡¯t I say it before? Sightseeing. We¡¯re just going sightseeing.¡± He laughed weakly. Even to himself, it didn¡¯t sound very convincing. Regardless, seeing as how Nest refused to give a proper answer, Anya could do nothing but drop the topic. Still, the doubt in her heart remained.


    The sight of a sickly young man and a girl dressed in a maid outfit was definitely an unusual one and attracted more than just a fair share of attention. Unsurprisingly, most of that attention was directed towards the girl.


    ¡°Is that a real maid?¡±


    ¡°Are they filming some sort of show?¡±


    ¡°Is she a model?¡±


    ¡°Hah, I knew it! Those guys from Br**zers finally bought out the shopping lot! Looks like they plan on setting up a club here and by the looks of it, the girls they¡¯re bringing in are pretty high quality.¡±


    The last comment brought a frown to Nest¡¯s face. Br**zers was an adult entertainment company. Although their main focus was on adult videos, they¡¯ve also been known to dabble on other related industries, such as sex toys, strip clubs and escorts.


    In short, they completely misunderstood Anya! Hearing them talk badly about his maid sparked an irritation deep within the pit of his stomach. Although he didn¡¯t like it, a part of him somewhat understood. Although she didn¡¯t look like the sort, what other explanation would there be for such a beautiful woman to be walking around in a place like this?


    He discreetly glanced up at her. Anya seemed unperturbed by all the comments, and Nest knew that wasn¡¯t because she hadn¡¯t heard them. Rather, she looked completely clueless. This wasn¡¯t surprising either, since Nest only really knew about the company from all the sleepless nights he spent in his room by himself¡­


    ¡°Young Master?¡± Anya returned his stare and tilted her head. She had noticed him looking.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± He shook his head and sped forward.


    A few more minutes past. The angel continued to guide Nest forward. Along the way, they met with similar comments and similar gazes. Eventually, a few of the gossiping passersby finally couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and moved into action.


    ¡°Hey girl!¡± A very rough introduction echoed through the air.


    Nest gave a passing glance towards the direction of the voice. Just a little bit away from him were a group of what he could only assume were gangsters. They were dressed in baggy clothes, consisting mainly of the colors black and green. He found it somewhat amusing that they matched and color-coordinated their outfits. It was the sort of thing you¡¯d see a family on vacation to D*sney World would do.


    They swaggered towards them. Nest caught sight of something metal protruding from underneath their waistline. It was a pistol and they made almost no attempt at hiding it.


    They hooted and hollered like monkeys. Of course, such things were directly concentrated towards Anya, which again, wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. It couldn¡¯t be helped. She was simply too beautiful, after all. Anya directly ignored them and faithfully followed after her young master.


    Still, they kept pestering. As they approached, Anya couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°You didn¡¯t come here to buy drugs did you, young master? A shady place like this¡­ I can¡¯t fathom anything else being here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± He spoke in a confident tone, something which ran completely counter to his inner emotions. ¡°I hear that there was a pretty good antique shop here, so I wanted to check it out.¡±


    ¡°An antique shop?¡± She raised her brow in suspicion. ¡°Since when were you interested in antiques?¡±


    ¡°Since a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Still, I doubt there¡¯s anything good here¡­¡±


    After that, he chose to directly ignore any of her further inquiries. He knew that if they really kept going with this conversation, then he would ultimately lose.


    At the same time, the guys from before finally arrived. They blocked Anya¡¯s path. Their muscular bodies created a sort of fence that separated Anya from Nest. Of course, their intentions were clear. Their thoughts were completely reflected within their lecherous gazes.


    Even if you were a total dumbass, it would be clear to all that these fellows weren¡¯t any sort of good people.


    ¡°Come on girl, don¡¯t be so quick to leave.¡±


    ¡°Hehe little miss, are you here to give us a preview for your new store?¡±


    ¡°If you can satisfy us tonight, then I¡¯ll be sure to stop by once it opens.¡±


    ¡°Maid outfits really are great. I¡¯ve never tried that sort of play before¡­¡±


    Such remarks leaked out from their fluttering maws without hesitation. Although Nest thought that they were quite a clich¨¦ set of lines, the guys apparently did not think so. From the looks of it, they seemed quite experienced with this sort of ¡®flirting¡¯.


    While this was going on, Nest only spared a glance, before he continued along and walked forward. The angel above him looked curiously at the scene, but he directly ignored her. Nest acted as if nothing was happening.


    ¡°Would you look at that. Your little boy toy doesn¡¯t even care. How heartless of him.¡±


    ¡°No, no man.¡± Another thug shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s obviously her pimp, dude. He¡¯s just sending off his girl to work.¡±


    ¡°Tch, hopefully, she doesn¡¯t cost too much.¡±


    The group of thugs laughed amongst themselves, unbeknownst of the minute changes that occurred on Anya¡¯s ice-like expression.


    ¡°Come with us, we¡¯ll show you a good time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got more costumes that you can try on¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ he truly is heartless.¡± Anya¡¯s soft-spoken voice cut through their banter like a hot knife on butter. For a moment, the surroundings turned quiet. The silence was only broken by her next set of words.


    She let out a despondent sigh. ¡°But I guess I am to blame too.¡±


    One of the guys reached out towards her. His extended hand suddenly froze, or rather, it was stopped. A thin, pale white hand had grabbed onto his wrist.


    For a moment, the thug looked confused, before his expression morphed into one of agony. Anya twisted his wrist. The guy¡¯s knees instantly buckled. He was forced to kneel down, while Anya retained her hold on his wrist.


    Another sigh leaked out from her pale lips.


    ¡°Young Master is just too aware. He knows me far too well. I can¡¯t play the damsel in distress like this.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It hurts to be a capable woman.¡±


    As a widespread confusion filled the group of thugs, Anya turned her gaze back over to the man currently kneeling in front of her. ¡°Let¡¯s handle this quickly. My master is getting lonely.¡±


    ***


    A few minutes passed. Anya jogged up towards a certain sickly young man.


    ¡°How could you leave me like that, Young Master?¡± She immediately complained.


    ¡°Leave you like what?¡± Nest spat out, clearly irritated by her feigned display of weakness.


    ¡°Even if I am like this, I can still feel fear, you know.¡± She argued. ¡°In fact, I was deathly afraid.¡±


    He scoffed. He slightly turned his head back. There, he saw a group of thugs sprawled in the middle of a trash-laden sidewalk. Despite being all unconscious, a groan or two occasionally leaked out. What was even scarier was the fact that a few of their limbs twisted in ways that should not be twisted.


    As always, Anya was ruthless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nest quickly noticed that the guns that they had been carrying around were gone. He narrowed his eyes. At the same time, he caught sight of a stuffed brown recyclable grocery bag slung over Anya¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Did you seriously take their guns?¡±


    She nodded briskly. ¡°They are the spoils of my hard-fought victory.¡± Anya had responded as if it were completely natural. Dark lines ran down Nest¡¯s forehead. He did not know what was more amazing, the fact that not a single bullet had gone off during the whole exchange, or Anya¡¯s lackadaisical attitude. She acted as if she had just finished a battle with a group of random mobs in an RPG.


    ¡°Are you really planning to bring all that home with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to get it through customs?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Master, I have my ways.¡± She flashed him a knowing smile.


    Nest shook his head in response.


    ¡°You do realize that you¡¯re my bodyguard, right? Protecting me should be your number one priority.¡± He slowly started speaking. ¡°In the first place, you have to seriously stop attracting so much attention. If you didn¡¯t go around dressed in a maid outfit in the middle of downtown Reno, this whole thing probably wouldn¡¯t have started.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Young Master. Whenever I¡¯m outside, I must let others know that I am a maid employed by the Coy family¡­¡± she paused for a moment, before adding, ¡°Besides, you were the one complaining this morning about how I wasn¡¯t properly dressed.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a time and place for everything!¡± He exasperatedly shouted.


    ¡°Then that time is always and the place is everywhere.¡± She responded coolly.


    Nest sighed. ¡°At least put a bag over your head or something. You¡¯ll attract less attention that way¡­¡±


    He wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with this sort of situation. In fact, he had experienced a number of similar such situations in the past. Of course, the source of his troubles all came from her. Anya simply attracted too much attention! Everywhere he went, as long as she was with him, then trouble was bound to happen.


    ¡°Oh? Are you perhaps jealous Young Master?¡±


    She completely misunderstood his exasperation for something else, but Nest wasn¡¯t in the mood to correct her. Plus, he knew if he said something now, it would only further stoke her ego.


    Just as a smug smile floated to Anya¡¯s face, the angel above him suddenly shouted. Nest almost jumped up from the fright. ¡°I found it! It¡¯s here!¡± she excitedly pointed towards a certain store.


    Looking up, he finally caught sight of his destination. A grubby looking hole in the ground that looked even shabbier than the rest of the shopping lot. A neon sign that had long stopped glowing was displayed on the front of the glass door. It read two simple words.


    [Antique emporium]

 Chapter 008: Antique Emporium

    Chapter 008: Antique Emporium


    ¡°Is this really the place?¡± Anya hesitantly asked. The doubt in her voice was almost palpable.


    Nest didn¡¯t dare to respond. After blankly staring at the neon sign for a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and pushed open the door.


    A rusty jingle reverberated through the air. It was immediately followed by a hollow echo that gave off the false impression of space.


    After seeing the interior of the store, his expression did not get any better. In fact, it worsened. Nest did not know how it was possible, but the insides of the store looked far worse than the outside.


    The moment he walked in, he was immediately hit with the smell. Now, it wasn¡¯t an unpleasant smell, mind you. It smelled faintly of paper and ink, and reminded Nest of a library or of his father¡¯s old study room. Looking around, it was obvious why such an aroma permeated the air. Rather than calling this place an antique shop, it would have been more appropriate to call it a bookstore. Most, if not everything in here consisted of old books and scattered pieces of loose-leaf paper.


    ¡°Overdue bills, messily scribbled journal entries, and torn pages of books long forgotten¡­¡± Nest furrowed his brow as he inspected the papers strewn across the floor.


    There were other types of antiques here as well, such as cracked vases and old radios with half of their contents splayed out right next to them. It somewhat reminded him of the ruptured organs of a squirrel that had just been run over by a truck.


    Other similar objects included, rusty car parts, broken silverware, nonfunctioning handheld game consoles and the severed hand of a porcelain doll. All of it was scattered across the shop, either on decaying shelves or simply on the floor, where they added to the store¡¯s decrepit atmosphere.


    These more ¡®physical¡¯ antiques only made up a scant minority of the store¡¯s contents. The majority of it was composed of old books.


    All in all, it was a literal trash heap of unwanted objects. He really couldn¡¯t believe that a magical artifact was hidden somewhere within this mess.


    Unaware of the various thoughts that filled his head, Niphilili excitedly tugged on his hair. She was clearly pulling him towards one specific direction, one that led farther into the store¡¯s cluttered interior.


    Nest brushed her aside as he gingerly took a step forward. He craned his neck and carefully scanned the small room. After searching around for a bit, he finally saw the counter of the shop. Helming it was an old man with clearly dyed black hair. He was slumped up against his chair, snoring. A trail of drool ran down his chin and wettened his shirt. The old cash register by his side had been opened. Nest did not know if it was always like that or if someone had come in and stolen some of it prior to their arrival.


    ¡°Young Master, this place¡­ you can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± Anya curled her lips and furrowed her brow. She was clearly taken aback by the horrendous state of the shop. Nest could only imagine the sort of horror she felt as a person whose main occupation involved cleaning.


    He looked over at his companion and flashed her a bitter smile. ¡°We¡¯re just sightseeing. Don¡¯t mind the appearance so much. It¡¯s good to visit a place like this every now and then. If you can find something interesting, then I¡¯ll even buy it for you.¡± He spouted out one line after the other, but Anya remained unconvinced.


    ¡°What could I possibly find interesting in a place like this?¡±


    Nest shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I saw some old antique guns near the back of the store. That might be interesting.¡±


    It was an open secret that Anya was particularly fond of guns.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Her eyes slightly narrowed. Although she was not as overly excited as he had hoped, at the very least, her interest had been piqued. Anya thought for a moment before she nodded.


    Without another word, she quickly walked over towards the back of the store.


    After he watched her disappear behind a bookshelf, Nest breathed out a sigh.


    ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡± While he had temporarily dealt with one problem, another one was still very much present.


    Nest frowned. The little angel had stopped tugging on his hair. Instead, she resorted to pulling on his ear. He let out a wince, as he hurriedly swatted the angel away. She deftly dodged his hand and zigzagged through the air. She hesitated for a moment, before she started flying back towards his face.


    Her goal was simple and her intentions were clear. Niphilili was aiming for his other ear.


    ¡°Alright, already. No more pulling. Just lead the way.¡± Nest hurriedly muttered out, before the angel could bother him any longer.


    He quickly followed after the angel. Niphilili led him deeper into the messy innards of the store. They eventually stopped at one of the bookshelves. The angel pointed towards a certain book.


    Nest curiously pulled it out.


    He widened his eyes in surprise. The book in his hands was written entirely in French, a language that Nest had zero comprehension on, aside from one or two words here and there. The sands of time had done quite a number on it, evident by all the wear and tear on both its pages and on its cover.


    The cover itself was that of a dark green. Written on its surface in faded red print were two words: [Petit Albert].


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Nest turned over the book and flipped through its pages. He thoroughly inspected the book with keen interest.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°It¡¯s a grimoire,¡± Niphilili informed him. She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned closer towards the book. Her nose wrinkled. ¡°It¡¯s a bit shabby looking and it can only really be classified as half an artifact, but the mana it gives off is clear.¡±


    ¡°Mana?¡± He thought for a moment and gingerly traced his hands across the printed letters on the cover. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel anything.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. Until the Great Calamity starts, the level of mana on Earth is practically nonexistent. Although some of it might leak out every now and then, in the end, it¡¯s all negligible. While the artifacts scattered across Earth are real, many of them are restricted thanks to the condition of the Earth itself. This grimoire, in particular, is one of the weaker ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Although most of the things she spoke about sounded like nonsense, Nest had to admit, he was somewhat interested. ¡°Then, isn¡¯t this thing useless?¡±


    ¡°It is until I awaken it.¡± She suddenly stretched out her hands and stroked the cover with her index finger.


    Almost instantly, the book started shuddering.


    Nest breathed out a shocked gasp. He felt the book violently shaking in his hands. For a split second, a surge of foreign energy enveloped him, but just as it had appeared, it was suddenly gone a second later.


    The little angel nodded her head in satisfaction. ¡°Good. I have properly activated it. Usually, grimoires activate by themselves once they have accumulated enough mana. I simply awakened it ahead of schedule¡­ still, although the great me tried her hardest, I can¡¯t do anything about the inherent disadvantage of this world. The mana here is so weak that this thing is practically dead. It will get stronger after the apocalypse, but for now, it should be enough to prove things to you.¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± Out of everything Niphilili had said, Nest focused in on that one word. For some reason, the way she had said felt different. ¡°¡­ You speak as if this book is alive.¡±


    Niphilili nodded as if it was obvious. ¡°That¡¯s right. That is what a grimoire is. It is a living magical codex. In it is a soul that can symbiote with its user.


    ¡°With a grimoire in hand, even the most pitiful magicians can become overnight sensations! Of course, their performance is dependent on the quality of the grimoire. As for this thing, it is very pitiful! The soul inside isn¡¯t even a soul. It is an incomplete life and judging by this book¡¯s current state, it cannot grow any longer. Rather than a grimoire, it is more akin to a half-grimoire.


    ¡°The best comparison I can make is that this thing is like a corpse! Or a child that died during the process of birth.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Nest thought that her descriptions were a bit dark. What¡¯s more, it was all the weirder considering those words were coming from someone who looked almost exactly like a five-year-old. Still, he somewhat understood the concept she was trying to describe.


    ¡°So, even after awakening it, it¡¯s still pretty useless.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°It is mostly useless, but it still has some uses.¡±


    Nest nodded. He pushed the issue aside for a moment and turned toward the counter. ¡°For starters, let¡¯s buy it.¡±


    He quickly approached the counter. On his way there, he met back up with Anya. In her hands was an old revolver. Half of the metal was covered in rust, while the wooden handle had clearly decayed.


    ¡°See, you did manage to find something.¡± Nest encouraged.


    Anya scoffed. ¡°It isn¡¯t anything impressive. In fact, it was the only gun in here. I¡¯d feel bad if I didn¡¯t make you at least spend some money on me.¡±


    They arrived at the counter. The old clerk was still fast asleep.


    Nest felt somewhat hesitant to wake him up, but Anya did not have such qualms. In fact, there was very little in this world that Anya hesitated to do. She slammed her hand down onto the table. A loud sound reverberated through the room, while the clerk was startled awake.


    He blinked in confusion. ¡°What the? Who the hell are you guys?¡± He muttered out as his red eyes glanced back and forth between Anya and Nest.


    ¡°Customers.¡± Anya answered briskly.


    ¡°Customers? Oh, customers!¡± The haziness in his eyes immediately disappeared, only to be replaced by an excited glimmer. ¡°You two are actually customers! That¡¯s great, that fantastic. It really has been a while.¡± His wrinkly face morphed into an ugly smile.


    ¡°You guys are unlike the rowdy sort that usually come around here to cause trouble. Real customers¡­ real customers! Can you imagine that!¡± He kept babbling, and from the looks of it, it appeared as if he would not be stopping anytime soon.


    Nest exaggeratedly coughed, which snapped the clerk back into focus.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s see what we got here¡­¡± He looked intently at the items that the two had placed onto the counter. ¡°Oh, this is a Smith and Wesson replica revolver. If I¡¯m not mistaken, then this should be based around the first model of their New York line. You can tell from all the grooves near the border between the barrel and the handle.¡±


    He pointed towards the gun that Anya had brought over.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a replica¡­¡± She sighed in disappointment.


    Hearing her sigh, the clerk hurriedly corrected himself. ¡°No, no, just because it¡¯s a replica, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s any less valuable. I reckon that even for replicas, there aren¡¯t too many of these things floating around out there. Maybe a little less than a thousand. If you sell it to a collector, then I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll fetch you a pretty good price.¡±


    Anya thought about his words for a moment, before she nodded. ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll buy it.¡±


    The clerked breathed out a sigh of relief. He felt inwardly lucky. He had almost just lost a customer, and for a place like this, every customer was as valuable as water in a desert.


    ¡°Right, then what¡¯s next?¡± He spoke out loud as he turned towards the green book that Nest had brought over.


    For a moment, his eyes twinkled.


    ¡°Oh, you have a good eye young man. This right here is the Petit Albert. It was a book mass produced during 18<sup>th</sup> century France. It was advertised as a grimoire and was mainly purchased by young ladies and middle-aged old women. At the time, it was something similar to the natural remedies that you here all over the country nowadays.


    ¡°This book right here is one of the later additions¡­ I don¡¯t exactly have an exact date but¡­¡±


    As the clerk continued his explanation, Nest had a weird expression on his face. ¡°A copy of a mass-produced book marketed to housewives¡­ something like that actually contained real magic power? Isn¡¯t that a bit ridiculous? Did that mean that there were several copies of this thing floating around all over the world? Do those copies also contain magic in them?


    Seeing his suspicious expression, Niphilili scoffed. ¡°There are two types of methods for a grimoire to become a grimoire. One is for it to be purposely created, while the other is for it to gain enough accumulation.¡±


    ¡®Accumulation?¡¯


    As if she could read his mind, the little angel explained, ¡°If a book passes through enough hands, or if it is cared for by enough humans, then it will eventually develop a seed of life. This thing doesn¡¯t only happen to books, but various other items as well, but only a book can transform into a grimoire. The distinction here is the intention of the item. A book is meant to house information, so it is the best medium for becoming a grimoire.


    ¡°Once the seed of life germinates, the book will become a grimoire. This book here has gone through a lot, far more than its other copies¡­ still, it is not perfect. The seed has only half-germinated, so at most, this thing can only count as a half-grimoire. It possesses no real life. If this were in my master¡¯s realm, then this thing would be considered trash, but on Earth, it is an okay artifact.¡±


    Nest nodded. While her explanation was quite interesting, he didn¡¯t care much for it. He still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced of both the book¡¯s authenticity and the validity of the Angel¡¯s existence. Unless he had concrete proof, then he refused to believe.


    The two quickly checked out their items and left the store. Nest and Anya returned to the airport and flew back to the manor.

 Chapter 009: The Half Grimoire

    Chapter 9: The Half Grimoire


    Later that Evening.


    Nest eventually made it back to his manor. After a quick dinner, he argued with Hilda as to why he suddenly flew all the way to Reno. In truth, he really had no appropriate response to her barrage of questions, which only further worsened the situation. She acted like an overbearing mother with all of her concern, but Nest found some comfort in her worry.


    Night had fallen and after things finally settled down, Nest retreated to his bedroom. He placed the weathered book on his bed and stared at it with scrutinizing eyes.


    ¡°So, what am I supposed to do with this thing?¡± After a while, he asked Niphilili. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly read French.¡±


    ¡°Stupid human, even with such a magical artifact before you, you are still so narrow-minded.¡± She shook her head and let out a sigh.


    As expected, the first thing to come out of her tiny mouth was an insult, but at this point, Nest had gotten used to it. ¡°Yes, yes, humans are stupid, angels are amazing. Can you just explain it already?¡± He exasperatedly spoke.


    Although she seemed dissatisfied with Nest¡¯s attitude, in the end, she said, ¡°First you need to make a pact with the grimoire.¡±


    ¡°A pact?¡± Nest raised his brow.


    The little angel nodded her head. ¡°Make a pact. Although it is only a half-grimoire, it still has the same basic mechanics as a regular grimoire. Grimoires are special in that they are selective in their owners. In order to use it, you must first make a pact with it. This way, it will become rightfully yours and nobody else can snatch it away from you. The pact can only be broken upon death, either yours or the grimoire¡¯s. Usually though, the user dies first.¡±


    ¡°So, anybody can just make a pact like this?¡±


    She shook her head and sneered. ¡°No, of course not. I already said it before, so pay more attention! Grimoires are very picky. They only choose the people that they like. Even if you are the world¡¯s strongest magician, if a grimoire doesn¡¯t like you, then that¡¯s that.


    ¡°It is difficult to pinpoint the exact criteria that a grimoire uses to select its owner. A grimoire is like a person. They have their own quirks and ¡®personalities¡¯, and as such, they have their own dislikes and preferences. If this thing were a regular grimoire, then judging by how ugly and stupid you are, you would probably have less than a fraction of a chance of becoming its wielder.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Ah, no offense.¡±


    Just because you say no offense, doesn¡¯t make what you said any less offensive. Nest did not know whether to laugh or to cry.


    Ignorant of his inner thoughts, Niphilili continued. ¡°Well, luckily for you, this grimoire¡¯s soul did not form. It is like a person in a coma. Even if you forcibly claim ownership of it, nobody would stop you.¡±


    ¡°Right, lucky for me.¡± Nest sarcastically remarked, to which Niphilili responded by simply rolling her eyes.


    He awkwardly coughed. ¡°So, how do I make a pact?¡±


    ¡°Easy. You just need a drop of blood.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He wasn¡¯t surprised. In fact, Nest had a feeling that it would be something like that. The concept wasn¡¯t foreign to him. He often saw similar developments in some books and movies. Whenever someone wants to bind a weapon or make a contract with a monster, it was always with a drop of blood.


    Why couldn¡¯t they pick something less painful? A fingerprint or a signature would have worked just fine.


    In short, in order to proceed with any of this, he first needed to injure himself.


    Understandably, Nest was hesitant. Was he really about to commit self-harm just because a visual and auditory hallucination was telling him to? If he were to describe his current situation to any sane, rational human being, then they would surely think the whole thing sounded insane¡­ Then again, his current predicament was a lot tamer compared to the things he had already done. What was a drop of blood compared to a surprise flight to Reno, of all places?


    After giving it some serious thought, he eventually complied. He had already come this far, stopping halfway would leave a bad aftertaste in his mouth.


    Nest took a razor from his bathroom and nicked the tip of his finger. A single red bead slowly seeped out from the paper-thin opening on his skin.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Niphilili nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Now you just drip the blood onto the cover of the book and you¡¯re done. It really is a simple process.¡±


    He followed the little angel¡¯s instructions and dripped the blood onto the green cover of the grimoire.


    Nest felt the change immediately. When the scarlet bead touched the cover, a cold shiver traveled down his spine. Rather than staining it, the book seemingly devoured the blood. At the same time, the color of the cover changed. After a few seconds, it was now this ugly shade of murky yellow.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯ve done it. You are now officially an artifact holder.¡± Niphilili clapped her hands in delight.


    Her words barely registered in his ears. Right now, his attention was completely concentrated on the book in front of him. He stared piercingly at its new cover. The faded letters that once spelled out ¡°Petit Albert¡± danced amidst the murky yellow background. They morphed and shifted, moving around like animated snakes in a desert.


    He hurriedly flipped through the book. To his utter surprise, the same thing was happening on all the other pages. The French words twisted and rearranged themselves. What was once a language completely foreign to him had suddenly transformed into something a whole lot more familiar.


    The French had turned to English.


    ¡°Because you have formed a pact with the grimoire, naturally, all of its contents transformed into something you would be able to understand.¡± The angel conveniently explained. Seeing the genuine surprise on Nest¡¯s face, Niphilili broke out into a smirk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be satisfied with just this though, the real fun has yet to begin.¡±


    As the little angel spoke, something even more shocking occurred to the book. The words and letters continued to transform. They moved around, most disappearing from the pages while a scant few rearranged themselves to form completely new words. Of course, all the new words were written in English.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    After a while, a shallow frown formed on his lips.


    Nest continued to flip through the pages. To his utter dismay, he discovered that most of them were now blank! Just a few hours ago, this whole thing was chocked full of French, but now, there appeared to be less than a dozen pages with any actual content to them and this number was rapidly decreasing by the second.


    By the time he finished searching through the entirety of the book, the number had dwindled down to just three.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Nest widened his eyes in shock.


    ¡°Most of the stuff in this thing was useless nonsense,¡± Niphilili explained. She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. ¡°From the looks of it, this thing really is an incomplete grimoire. Even the most basic of grimoires contain at least seven spells within their repertoire. This thing only has three.¡±


    ¡°Spells? Like actual magic spells?¡±


    ¡°What other sort of spell would there be?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°A grimoire¡¯s most common use is as a conduit for magic. With a grimoire in hand, its owner can use stronger spells and recover their mana more efficiently. In this regard, it is somewhat similar to a magic staff or any basic enhancement type magical item. What sets a grimoire apart from the common item though are two things: sentience and its role as a compendium for magic spells.¡±


    Niphilili suddenly moved forward. She rested her chin on the crown of Nest¡¯s head and peered curiously at the book. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ the first page is a spell for removing pain, the second page is a spell for restricting movement, and the third page is¡­ oh! That¡¯s interesting!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Nest couldn¡¯t help but ask. The other two spells inside the book didn¡¯t really seem all that flashy or fantastical, but the third spell caught his interest. What sort of thing could surprise this pesky little angel?


    ¡°The third page is something that has no connection with the book¡¯s original contents. It is an abnormality, probably created from the catalyst that first turned this book into a grimoire.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What sort of spell is it?¡±


    Instead of answering him, Niphilili continued to stare fixedly at the third page. After a while, she vigorously nodded her head. ¡°This is good, this is great. This spell is perfect! With this, you will surely be convinced.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked again.


    Niphilili still did not answer him. Instead, she hurriedly said, ¡°This third page. Concentrate on the third page!¡±


    Swept away by her forceful enthusiasm, Nest eventually complied. He flipped to the page and hesitated for a moment. He did not really know what to. After a while, he decided on just reading out loud the contents of the page.


    The page wasn¡¯t very long, just a single passage, written in a way similar to a poem. He carefully read each and every word. The longer he read, the weirder his expression turned. Although the words were clearly written with the phonetic alphabet, to his surprise, the words weren¡¯t actually in English.


    No, it was a lot harder to describe than just that. The words on the pages were in English, but the words coming out of his mouth weren¡¯t. They were of some other language, one more ancient than the ones currently used by man.


    After a little less than thirty seconds, he finally finished. Almost immediately, he felt something leaving his body. It pooled at the tip of his left index finger. A scalding heat pulsed out.


    Nest¡¯s knees buckled. He plopped down onto the soft mattress of his bed.


    At first, he panicked. The sudden weakness had spread throughout his entire body. It was almost as if a piece of his soul had been forcibly yanked out from somewhere deep inside him.


    He was only able to calm down after hearing the angel¡¯s child-like voice.


    ¡°Quickly! Pick an object in your room!¡± She fiercely roared.


    What? In his confusion, he wanted to retort, but he found that he lacked even the strength to move his mouth. At the same time, the scalding heat at the tip of his fingertips suddenly moved. It flowed into the grimoire. The book started to quiver. At first, it was only a slight movement, but it gradually increased.


    Not even five seconds later and the book was shaking like an epileptic at a rave. Nest instinctively felt something wrong. The book, it creaked and groaned. There was a certain ache to its movements. The grimoire was on the brink of exploding.


    ¡°Point to an object! Pick something already! If you don¡¯t, the grimoire really will break!¡±


    The urgency in her voice spurred him on. He fought through the feeling of weakness and moved his index finger. It was barely a twitch, but nevertheless, he had done it. Nest pointed towards his bed. To be more specific, he pointed towards the king-sized bedsheets.


    The energy stored within the book suddenly gushed out. At the same time it left the grimoire, Nest felt strength returning to his body.


    As he quickly recollected himself, he angrily asked, ¡°What the hell was that?!¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡± Niphilili simply responded. She turned towards him. ¡°Congratulations. You just used your first spell.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Nest sat there in stunned silence.


    Before he could react, the little angel continued, ¡°Since you live in such a poor environment, it is only natural that you had such a reaction. Your body was practically depleted of all of its energy. You were only able to recover so quickly because of the grimoire. It shared what little energy it had stored up with your body. You might feel a little bit weak for a few days, but the numbness from before shouldn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus now. You still have your spell to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Just as the words left his mouth, the bed sheets underneath him suddenly started moving. They wriggled around like a thousand earthworms dancing in the ground. Nest hurriedly jumped out of his bed.


    The sheets began floating. For a moment, they hovered in the air, before they suddenly came together to form a ball of wriggling cloth. Nest¡¯s bedsheets were not made from any ordinary fiber. They were weaved together from bamboo, something specifically designed to fight against body fluid retention.


    The circular ball was about the same size as a basketball. As the seconds ticked by, the ball grew increasingly smaller and smaller. Eventually, it had been reduced to the size of a tennis ball. At the same time, it had drifted away from its original circular shape. Now, it was shaped into something resembling a person.


    Two stubby arms, two stubby legs, a stout torso, and a circular head; it was a cloth shaped humanoid. At first glance, it very much looked like an ordinary stuffed toy. With the exception of its simplistic design, it could pass for something sold at a cheap carnival.


    After a while, it suddenly plopped back to the bed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a moment, nothing, then one of its arms twitched. Nest watched in fascination as the plushy-like object picked itself up and suddenly started moving. It walked on the bed. At first, it was clumsy, similar to a newborn deer, but as time passed, it quickly grew accustomed to its new body.


    Soon, the thing was jumping up and down all across the room. What surprised Nest the most was its speed. The thing was fast, faster than even a starved mouse. What¡¯s more, he had a feeling that this was not its fastest speed.


    Eventually, the thing turned its featureless face over towards him. It jumped up and crawled its way into the palm of his hands.


    Nest gingerly touched it. Even though it was made completely of fabric, because of how it had been condensed, the thing felt surprisingly solid and somewhat heavy.


    ¡°What is this?¡± He asked the angel.


    ¡°Animation magic.¡±


    ¡°Animation magic?¡±


    Niphilili nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It is a rare art form. It is somewhat surprising that there is something in this world that can produce such a spell, especially considering the current era.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m guessing this sort of thing is something rather amazing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ it is so-so.¡± Contrary to his expectations, the angel seemed rather indifferent. ¡°It is only surprising because this thing is something usually reserved for non-human creatures, or those with a particular profession. Overall, it is a magic that lacks any real offensive capabilities.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± As Niphilili continued to explain, Nest watched in fascination as it playfully jumped up and down on the palm of his hand.


    ¡°Is it going to stay like this forever or will it turn back?¡± Nest asked as he watched the little thing dangle from his index finger.


    ¡°This sort of spell seems to be the permanent kind. Look back at the book.¡±


    He did just that. To his surprise, the third page disappeared. Now, there were only two spells left within the grimoire.


    ¡°This thing can be considered an inanimate familiar,¡± Niphilili said. ¡°It is now tied to the grimoire. Should the grimoire die, this thing will also die. If the familiar dies, then the grimoire will be fine. There might even be a possibility of the third page returning.


    ¡°I should have probably explained it to you better, but no harm. Although it might have been better to create a familiar out of a sturdier material, like steel or diamonds. If you really want to, we can destroy this thing and see if you really can start over¡­ hey!¡± Niphilili¡¯s arrogant face suddenly twitched. ¡°You, dirty human! Are you even listening anymore!?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nest poked the little thing¡¯s belly. It squirmed around in his touch.


    ¡°¡­ I think I¡¯ll name you Plushy.¡± He muttered out with a small grin on his face.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Just as Niphilili was about to explode into an indignant tirade, a sudden knock echoed through the bedroom.


    Without pause, the door swung open and a certain black-haired maid stepped into the room.