Chapter 53: Hello, Pax

’Well, shit.’

Peace watched uneasily as Ashren drew laborious breaths to calm herself.

When she finally sat back down, uncaring that she’d dropped her clipboard, she said to him:

"Peace... my apologies."

Peace managed a faint smile.

"It’s alright, I understand."

"No, not for that... you might just have some of the worst luck in existence."

’Oh...’

Peace had been telling himself that for quite some time now; hearing it from someone else felt somewhat therapeutic. At least it meant he wasn’t baselessly complaining. If such a thing as ’luck’ truly existed, it had clearly forgotten to grace him.

Ashren glanced up at the slit window.

"Now that they have a lead to her whereabouts, they won’t leave you alone. But that’s not even all... the small amount of freedom you had left is now all but gone."

Looking around the room, Peace sighed, then said:

"I figured it already was."

Ashren swallowed harshly, then bent down to retrieve her clipboard.

"No, you misunderstand... We truly intended to let you live as you pleased if you passed the subsequent screening; the royal decree is what brought you here. And the royal decree only said to bring you in and give you something, not keep you."

’Oh... screw that charlatan king!’

But, also...

’Screw me!’

It seemed he’d dug himself into quite the hole.

’All because some terrorist girl decided to haunt me...’

Peace nervously asked:

"So, what’s going to happen now?"

Ashren lowered her head.

"I’m not the one to decide such things, but if I were to guess... you’re going to become the government’s puppet."

Peace’s lips turned down slightly, the humorous tone he typically tried to force into his voice fading.

"I don’t particularly like the sound of that..."

Ashren’s eyebrows scrunched.

"You shouldn’t."

Peace tilted his head back, as far as the chair he was strapped to allowed, then said:

"Ah... fuck me. Could you, uh, elaborate a bit?"

"For starters, your life is going to be under full surveillance, and you are going to live here. You’ll also be sent back into the dungeon, whether you wish to or not. I’m sure of that. But don’t mistake those times for freedom; they’ll only let you go in hopes of you meeting her again. You are also going to be made to give reports on anything and everything you find or encounter. You’ll probably be made to help decipher that book, too. Again, that’s only what I can think of off the top of my head; I’m sure there’ll be more."

Peace’s eyes fell from the blinding light to Ixion’s diary.

"What is that book?"

Ashren brushed the cover with her hand, tracing the title etched into it.

"We don’t know... we cannot open it, and it appears to be written in the ancient Catatran, based on this marking. A lost language."

’Ancient Catatran?’

Peace didn’t dare let it show on his face, but he breathed an enormous sigh of relief. He didn’t understand why he could read it — perhaps ’transmigration BS magic’ or something — but apparently, the entire thing was written in a language the natives couldn’t comprehend.

They also couldn’t open it.

Meaning, as long as he didn’t reveal that he could open it or read it, his secret was safe.

For now.

"I see."

After a long pause, Ashren said:

"You seem to be taking this quite well."

"I mean... I assume I’ll be fed here, correct? Can’t let the test subject die and all. If anything, perhaps I’ll live a better life in here."

Ashren shook her head.

"I doubt it."

’Hey, don’t be so absolute when I’m trying to be optimistic!’

’Aren’t you going to be scolded by your superiors for that?! Honesty is the last quality anyone wants in a government official!’

He could make all the jokes in his head he wanted; yet not even he could force anything resembling a smile onto his face.

"You’ll get an idea of what your new life will be like soon, once the full report is made. For now... let’s finish this."

Glancing at the new Eye of Truth, which was hopefully nearing its end, Ashren asked:

"How did you meet her? And where?"

Shaking a little as he thought back to his first dungeon adventure, Peace replied:

"Somewhere in the Skeletal Plains... she just appeared out of thin air."

Ashren jotted it down with the half-broken writing utensil, nodding nervously as she did.

’Ghost Girl... you definitely met her before, haven’t you, Ashren?’

Nobody got that frightened over stories and legends.

After she finished, Ashren set down her clipboard and said:

"Alright... Your clothes. You reappeared wearing something you hadn’t entered with. How did you get them? Spare no details, or we’ll have to assume foul play."

Peace glanced down. He couldn’t see it, but he could still feel the alloy tag around his neck.

’They should know I didn’t kill anyone.’

Beyond that...

’How... do I protect her?’

If he told them the truth, Dita would instantly fall under suspicion of being a Soul Stealer simply for not being racist.

’What a twisted world.’

Not that he knew for certain she was a Soul Stealer, anyway.

Peace spoke slowly.

"Someone I saved gave them to me. Not just out of gratitude, but because I’d lost my clothes and they couldn’t bear to see me in the nude."

Ashren nodded.

"Okay. Could you please describe in detail your encounter with this person, as well as any others you encountered? Please include physical descriptions and names if you know them."

’Tch...’

Reluctantly, Peace began to recount his entire first journey — carefully omitting the most critical details, like his bone-munching escapades. He told her about being summoned onto the Maw of Hell and meeting Lanx, then the Witch of Corruption — leaving out the weird place she’d dragged him to — then Dita, her proposition, his counterproposition, and finally their escape before meeting his murderous new party.

Naturally, he did his best to paint Dita as a victim of circumstance who had only agreed under duress, even if spinning the story that way made him seem scummy.

In the end, his version seemed to satisfy Ashren, and the questions about his dungeon adventures eventually came to an end with second Eye of Truth also timing out.

Finally, Ashren picked up the white envelope she’d brought with her.

"This is what the Nameless King wishes to give you."

"A letter?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Not only would it be treason for us to open it, but it has an Enchantment that will cause it to combust shortly after being opened. However, I assume you know how to read in case it is?"

"Y-yeah. I can."

’Combustion?! I don’t want to explode! Keep that thing away from me!’

Unfortunately for him, Ashren walked over, freed his wrists, and placed the envelope in his left hand, leaving him little choice in the matter.

At last, Ashren turned to leave, scooping up everything she’d brought with her — except the letter. Before reaching the door, she stopped and, with her back turned to him, asked:

"One final question... is there anything you want?"

Peace weakly held up the envelope and inspected it.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ashren swallowed harshly, then said:

"You’ll be here for quite some time. Besides basic amenities, is there anything you wish for? If it’s in our power and reasonable, we can grant it."

Peace took a deep breath.

"Hmm... I assume I’ll be getting questioned like this regularly. Will you be the one doing it?"

Ashren nodded, her dark blue hair bobbing with her head.

"Most likely."

Without wasting a breath, he said:

"Then, ditch the white coat and wear your uniform."

Ashren looked down at herself. Her face twisted in confusion.

"I said—"

"I heard. And that is my request."

"I don’t particularly understand... but it sounds easy enough."

’So... there is a god.’

With that, she left the room, leaving Peace alone with the letter.

’Now...’

His fingers traced the cornered edges.

’What in the world did you want to say to me?’

Tearing it open, Peace pulled out the single sheet of paper inside. After unfolding it, his eyes flew wide open.

In English, it read:

’Hello, Pax.

Your sister, she’s here. Somewhere within my Immortal Citadel.

If you wish to know more, come to me.

I’m sure you understand what that means.

C’est la vie.’

Like flash paper, the letter and envelope went up in flames, quickly crumbling into ash until nothing remained.