Underground excavations, wow, what a great...idea.
"Mr. Joakim Hans! The tea is ready!" Renato's cheerful voice contrasted sharply with how focused and stressed the members of the Third Round Sect were. Of course, Joakim and Renato obeyed what Ji Noo had said; after obtaining the place where Gene and Liam had gone, they managed to bring more people to carry out these excavations.
His only condition was never to cross beyond the second gate of the third world. In any case, that's where the most dangerous demons were found.
"…"
Joakim never imagined that while he was leading his people to see what they could and couldn't excavate...Renato would just spend his time on his 'picnic' chattering nonsense.
"Commander," Karmen called. "You look too stressed, let me finish taking care of it."
"…Tsk," Yes, he was fucking stressed out, but he preferred being stressed to putting up with Renato's nonsense. "Of course not, I'm the boss, I have to take care of this."
Karmen nodded, while in the background Renato's whimpers could be heard saying 'Joakim don't leave me talking to myself!' or 'Joakim we're a team! Rest here with me for a bit!'.
"…"
«Why is this bitch so loud...?»
"Karmen." The mere mention of the woman's name made her turn around, and with a glance, he signaled for her to cover him.
Karmen nodded, gave a very polite military salute, and then took Joakim's place to lead his soldiers.
Joakim snorted; at least he knew his sub-leader sect was capable enough to do it on her own; Joakim trusted her for a reason.
Finally, he turned around and walked towards where Renato was; sitting on a tablecloth in the only place where there was grass.
"Joakim!" Renato was pleased to see him, moving to the side so that he could sit with him too.
Joakim, instead, gave one of his head wings a tug. Renato let out a small 'ow' while whimpering. "Where did the formality you said you would show me go? I don't see you applying it now."
Renato nodded several times, through tears. "I understand now, I understand now...! Forgive me, Mr. Joakim Hans!"
"That's better, but still pathetic."
Finally, he released his wing, and then sat down next to Renato, keeping a considerable distance.
Then, Renato brought Joakim a cup of tea.
And Joakim politely rejected it, pushing it aside, and letting the cup break on the floor.
But Renato was insistent, and gave him another one.
And Renato rejected it again, throwing the cup aside.
"…" He thought Renato had finally gotten tired, until this time, he passed him the whole teapot. "Haven't you noticed that I don't want to drink anything?"
Renato made a sad face, like a scolded puppy, but since there are no dogs in that world, much less scolded ones, he looked like a demon about to attack.
"It's just that you look really stressed...we're a team too, you know?"
"I don't see that you've brought people to help there."
"Because you told me not to do it!"
"And did I order you to obey me?!"
And well...Joakim knew it wouldn't be a good idea to spend so much time with Renato...
One of those reasons was this; Renato worrying a lot about Joakim, when Joakim was perfectly fine.
Perhaps his age is starting to take its toll...
"At least...can we talk...without fighting?" Renato's suggestion was tempting, clever, Joakim dared to say.
"Okay."
"Layla said..." And upon hearing Layla's name, Renato drew all of Joakim's attention to him. "That your sect leader...disappear after giving you his power?"
It was a direct, bold question, since no one had asked him directly until now.
"He was never my sect leader."
"Uh?" Renato knew how strict Mr. A was, no, rather, Carl V. Clausewitz, so strict that when Renato had offered him the opportunity to join forces, Clausewitz refused on more than one occasion. "So how did it happen to...?"
"He made me a deal," He began to speak, recalling that day… "He said...'this body of mine is too old to travel any longer...and you are dying, so, lend me your body, and I'll give you my vitality.'"
Renato seemed surprised, but...at the same time...for some reason, he saw it coming? He meant...Clausewitz was too reserved; in his youth, when he was a magician like Renato, he was rarely seen. He was even initially accused of carrying out attacks on remote villages in Anarxie, however, no one could prove it.
"So...that's why you're a bit like him..." And Renato hoped that this 'little' resemblance to Clausewitz wouldn't affect Joakim in the future.
"Pft…a bit? Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
For Renato, yes. Because that meant that Joakim, at least, wasn't ready to be alone like Clausewitz was. And he could accept their help for a little while longer.
"Clausewitz used the ancient variant of your power; manipulation magic, so he didn't really need a formal sect, just saying a few words was enough."
"Clausewitz was his name?"
For some reason, Joakim's curiosity seemed...endearing to Renato. "Yes, that was his name." He smiled, remembering old times. "He never liked us calling him by his name, hence the nickname Mr. A. He said it was too complicated for our little brains."
Joakim gave a mocking laugh, while crossing his arms. "Well, I guess I was right; that guy sounds too cool, too bad I didn't know him for very long."
"Eh? Didn't you do it?"
Joakim looked at him, serious. "It was during the Pandemonium War that he made me that deal. He didn't give me any further explanation, just that deal."
The revelation made Renato think.
It is assumed that at that time, Naon, the governor of that era, was very careful about who entered the war and who did not. Thousands of young people capable of becoming members of sects died, And after that, all the great sect leaders of that time; The Sect of Eternal Life and The Vanguard Sect, decided to reveal the attempted genocide to Anarxie.
Naon was removed from his position, and from then on, Anarxie is ruled by the most powerful sect of all; in this case, the Rosicrucians.
And yet after that, nobody knew where Naon went.
And some theorized that he simply became the cause of terrorism in several towns; the young Aria, La Vie en Rose, and other small towns.
However, that happened thirty years ago, or less, and that man has probably already passed away.
"Why are you thinking so much? Is it really that serious?" Joakim's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he immediately turned to look at him and shook his head.
"It's just that...I remembered Naon's dismissal. Do you remember it?"
"Ah…yeah," Joakim was young, and it happened just as he began to form his own sect. "We are now free from Naon, but we are condemned with..."
"…"
Perhaps Naon only despised beings capable of using magic like themselves, but cared for ordinary humans. But in Randy Bornman's case...
It was difficult to even guess which side he preferred; he intentionally caused demons to arrive in Anarxie, and now he suspected murders of his own members and companions...
"Yes, it's hard to know what he's thinking…" It was the only thing they could say. "And perhaps, our life has already been told..."
"…"
Joakim sighed; unfortunately for him and his family in Region, that reality was very common. They died young, and they had to live fast. Even now, having left Region, they are still condemned to that curse from generation to generation.
"You're forty-four, Joakim," Renato recalled, with a smile. "You are the first region to exceed life expectancy."
"It's no use being proud when my entire other family dies because of that curse; even I, if it weren't for Clausewitz choosing me, would have died four years ago."
And Renato's smile faded. "You're right."
They were all going to die, but hearing the despair of losing family so young...living fast and...
"You should introduce me to your family...we're in a somewhat serious relationship now, aren't we?"
Joakim watched his people work, while he stood with his arms crossed. "And what could I tell them? 'Family, this monstrosity is my partner, and if I get home late it's his fault.'"
"Of course!"
"You're an idiot!"
And without realizing it, Karmen was standing next to Joakim. "…" Her gaze struck them both, and immediately they both looked at her, confused and, even Joakim...afraid. "I didn't know you two were dating...commander...I didn't know you were—"
"WHAT? NO, NO!" Joakim gave Renato a shove, sending him flying. "We mean that we're a partners; in the sense of a teammate!"
And Karmen didn't believe him. "A good comrade who wants to be introduced to your family, Commander?"
Without realizing it, Joakim turned red; when Renato returned, he would give him a good beating for suggesting such nonsense out of nowhere…and he also wanted to hit himself for having played along with that idiot!
Renato hit a tree, knocking it to the ground.
"Cough, cough!" He stood up from the ground, and it was there, among the roots of the fallen tree, that he saw a book. "Huh?"
Renato picked up the book; it was obvious that, being underground, it was almost ruined, the letters on its pages were faded, almost invisible. It was then, seeing the back cover of the book, that he recognized something;
The book was leather-bound, so the lettering was finely inscribed on leather. Renato would call it 'a deluxe book edition', and that wouldn't be bad.
It was written in an unknown language, but underneath that paragraph, it was in English, and soon, he began to read it.
"…" And the more he read, the more his heart stopped. "…"
And immediately, he ran towards Joakim. "Joakim!"
Joakim turned to look at him, angry at his rudeness, but seeing Renato's serious face, he ran towards him as well. While they were together, Renato whispered something to him that Karmen couldn't hear, and then Renato showed him the book he had found.
"Another book with strange lettering?" Joakim said, looking at the empty pages of the book.
"Joakim Hans," Renato said, drawing Joakim's attention, and then... "The back cover says..." He pointed to the part in English. "...'This volume tells the story of the leader Joakim Hans...and how he died," Joakim's eyes slowly opened. "…a volume requested by everyone after the death of Joakim Hans in the third chapter of the first volume.'"
"…"
So, Joakim...should be dead by now, right?
"So, does that mean...that the nonsense you told me about 'belonging to a story' is...real?" Renato told him this after they had both argued following what happened with the confrontation with Amina. Joakim didn't take it seriously, yet he feigned interest, until now.
"Yes," And now that he knew...even so, Renato didn't know why Joakim died in the first few chapters; yes, he himself admits it, Joakim was very annoying in the first few chapters, and anyone would want to see him dead, but now, he was a good ally.
And why didn't Ji Noo ever tell them? He wrote the story, how come he never warned them about that?
"If he knew, then he just wanted to see me die, right?" He was referring to both Randy and Ji Noo. Ji Noo for creating the story, and Randy for almost completely controlling this world.
And yet, nobody seemed to care if he died.
"Whatever the case may be, I won't let you die, Joakim."
Joakim knew he had overcome his destiny, and perhaps that's why he wasn't so angry after no one warned him.
"At this point, death doesn't terrify me; it's so easy to die that I fear more the future of this world after I die."
In any case, if Anser, Renato, and he ended up dying, it would be Randy's definitive victory; without what remained of the five great sects leaders, it would mean that the other smaller sects wouldn't face the power of Randy Bornman, whatever his power may be now.
"Do you think Randy already knew?"
"…"
In fact...on Walpurgis Night, wasn't it Randy who sent Joakim and Karmen to confront the giant demon that was formed from that witch?
"Yes, I suppose you must have died on Walpurgis Night. But since Ji Noo was there...your death could not be completed."
Something...
…curious.
Whenever Ji Noo is around, something bad happens, and coincidentally all that bad stuff usually goes towards him, except in the case of Sherly's death, although, on that day, when they all arrived he had already been killed. And when Layla was cursed...it could have been avoided, but it was due to time constraints that she was saved, something that Ji Noo could not control.
It's not being justified, rather, it's...an attempt to explain the strange nature that seems to surround everyone close to him.
"So...does that mean that every day that passes is likely to be my last day alive since I've escaped death?"
"Probably...yes."
"…"
So, he had to prepare his people, especially Karmen, so that in case he died...she could face Randy.
"Commander. The soldiers found something." Karmen said, and immediately, Joakim and Renato went where she was leading them; right in the middle of the town of Sh'ual… "We found something similar to the structure of a house."
Around the hole, everyone kept digging; it looked like the roof of a house, yes, but; it had a pyramidal spire in Gothic style.
This is curious, since they did not possess that type of architecture, at least not in towns so far from Anarxie, with the only exception being the Rosicrucian base, whose base was once a chapel; and it remains a chapel every holiday.
"Have you seen a structure like this before, Renato?" Perhaps that was the first time he called him by his name instead of some insult.
Renato analyzed it for a bit, and then denied it.
"No," Then, he lowered himself gently almost heavenly into the hole, where they could barely see half of the roof. "We should dig a little more; perhaps we could discover more hidden structures."
Joakim nodded, and then raised his hand, a glow emanated, indicating that he was making use of his leadership skills. "Continue the excavations until you find more underground structures; likewise, all particular objects must be reported to me."
All the soldiers lifted their tools, their energy fully restored.
"Yes sir!"
Then Joakim looked at Karmen. "Keep training in your free time."
Karmen nodded, "Yes sir, thank you."
Then he whistled, catching Renato's attention, who was talking to some of Joakim's female soldiers, who seemed timid in the face of the excavation recommendations that Renato was giving them. "Big bird, you and I are going to dig at the entrance to the third world."
Renato nodded, then flew towards Joakim; he was practically on air, and ran gracefully towards him.
They both went to a tunnel; that was the entrance to the third world. Joakim was the first to enter, Renato followed behind; a mist covered the ground, while Joakim looked for a suitable place to dig.
And then he found it; there was a small, dry pit in the ground.
"Here." He drew his sword, and then buried it in that part of the ground. He placed both hands on the sword's hilt, and just as he was about to unleash his energy, Renato grabbed his arm. "What?"
"Y-You have ghosts grabbing you…"
Joakim looked to his side; two ghosts were holding him at his waist, two more on his legs, and one on his back.
"Why should I care? They're already dead."
"But they're holding you for a reason! Maybe they're preventing us from digging!"
"Clearly that's what they're doing."
Renato sighed, and then… "Stop for a moment! Haven't you considered that if you do what they don't want, they'll haunt you for life?"
But Joakim's face clearly said 'I don't care' which contrasted with Renato's worried expression.
"B-But—"
Ignoring Renato, Joakim let his power flow to the ground, making the ground wobble, and at the same time, attracting more ghosts that clung to Joakim.
"J-Joakim! Stop!"
But Joakim ignored it, and more ghosts attached themselves to him, and when finally his energy surged further; the ground broke, just as they had planned.
Renato floated in the air, but Joakim couldn't move; the ghosts had numbed his body. "Damn it…"
Before Joakim could fall off the platform where he was standing, Renato grabbed Joakim, ghosts and all, and then carried him out of the hole.
"I told you to stop for a bit..." Renato murmured, as he let him step onto the ground, his body still motionless. "Now, I doubt the ghosts will let you go so easily."
Joakim frowned, "You're an exorcist too, do something, you useless thing!"
Renato sighed, "Of course I can do something, but these ghosts seem to have been trapped here for a long time! I can't even figure out what they might want to be at peace and help exorcise them…"
"Just exorcise them!"
Under pressure, Renato approached Joakim again, and just as he was about to do something, he heard something coming up the hole they had dug. "H-Huh…" Quickly, Renato approached the edge of the hole to find out what it was; and that's when he saw that it was water, rising at full speed through the hole. "J-Joakim!" Quickly, he ran towards him, grabbed him again, and lifted him into the air.
Joakim couldn't say anything, because it was at that moment that the water shot out.
A few minutes passed, and the ghosts detached themselves from Joakim, one by one, and all the ghosts immediately surrounded the hole from which the water was slowly flowing, the fountain calming down.
Both Renato and Joakim saw the ghosts; among them ghost children, all looking at their reflections in the water.
Perhaps that was what they needed; water.
"So that was enough for those idiots..." He said, then looked at Renato. "Put me down."
Renato nodded, slightly nervous; he had forgotten that he had Joakim tied up with him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Once they were both on the ground, the ghosts looked at them, for just a couple of seconds, and then, among the ghosts, they could see the silhouette of a woman.
They both saw the silhouette, and looked at each other; they both knew they had to follow it.
Joakim circled the now-water lagoon, while Renato floated across it, and both followed the ghost woman who was walking in a different direction, far away from all the other ghosts.
"Don't lose sight of her, you big bird."
"Got it."
And while Joakim followed Renato from the ground, Renato followed right behind the woman from the sky.
Suddenly, the woman disappeared, forcing them both to stop right in front of the entrance to something that resembled a forest.
"What were we supposed to be here for? I can barely see anything."
Renato snorted at Joakim's words, and then a glimmer came from his hand, allowing them to see their surroundings at least better.
It was then that he noticed something strange; it was the arch of a large doorway, similar to the chapel where the Rosicrucian base was located.
"I think we found something more…interesting." Renato said, and all he received in response was a snort from Joakim.
"Let's get out of here and inform that to useless Ji Noo."
Renato sighed, then nodded. "First, we need to take some photos."