N flew through the night sky, its blackness fading into blue as the sun began to rise. But this wasn't what worried him; his only concern was Uzi, whom he carried. Although this was the second time he'd flown with her, she hadn't reacted. She was lost in thought, replaying what had happened before they left the swamp, or more specifically, what Julia had told them when Grog's body vanished.
A few minutes earlier:
N and Uzi turned toward the source of the laughter and were both surprised to find Grog's body gone. Neither of them knew how such a giant figure could disappear without them noticing, but they both knew who was responsible: the master Grog served, the one Julia had mentioned to Uzi.
Uzi was bewildered by what had happened, and as she pondered, a voice broke her train of thought. "I warned you," Julia appeared before both N and Uzi, continuing, "I warned you that challenging that monster meant directly challenging its master's authority. Now you must bear what's coming, Miss Doorman."
N stood before Uzi, transforming both his hands into swords. "Uzi, take cover behind me. There's another one ahead."
"No, N, stop," Uzi said. "She's not with that monster. She's on our side, I think." Uzi turned to Julia. "This is Julia Brown, the ghost who lives here in the swamp. She's also an acquaintance of Mum's, I believe."
N felt somewhat embarrassed to draw his weapons in front of her. He lowered his hands and bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brown," he said. "Please excuse my rudeness; I meant no offense."
Uzi was surprised by this behavior. Although she knew N was exceptionally kind, for him to act like a gentleman from the early 20th century was something else entirely.
Julia said, "You're a gentleman, young man. Don't worry about it. I'm used to such things. People either run away or start screaming at the sight of a ghost." She turned to Uzi and continued, "You're Uzi's friend, aren't you? I saw what you did for her there. What bravery to stand up to that monster and risk your life for her."
N felt a little embarrassed. No one had ever praised him like that before. His cheeks flushed, and he said, "Your words make me blush, Miss Brown. As you can see, I was simply doing my duty, nothing more."
Uzi interrupted the ongoing conversation, saying, "Well, if we're done with this old-fashioned talk, why don't we get down to business now?" She turned to Julia and asked, "First, do you know anything about this mysterious man? And second... I think you know... what I mean, don't you?"
Julia sighed and said, "Yes, I know, but first, let's talk about the danger you've put yourself in. Mr. Grog is one of the most powerful lords of the underworld."
Uzi was taken aback by the term and asked, puzzled, "Underworld? What's that?"
N replied, "The underworld is similar to the world of gangs and the mafia among humans, but the only difference is that there are different kinds of monsters who run it, and each monster has its own hunting ground."
Uzi said, "Okay, I understand now..." Then she asked N, "Wait, how do you know all this?"
N said, "Well, that's what I heard from J and V when they were fighting some of those monsters because they were trespassing on their hunting grounds."
Julia said, "What your friend said is absolutely true, but the one we're talking about now isn't just a normal monster. His name is Salazar Gungutsu, and from what I've heard, he's incredibly powerful in the monster world. So, trying to confront him would be like throwing yourself into hell. If one of his followers dies, he intervenes immediately. But the strange thing is, he didn't kill you when he took Grog's body."
Uzi, her face showing shock, said, "Wait, wait, you mean he was here?! And he could have killed us!"
Julia said, "Yes, of course."
Uzi said, "But... but he didn't... Why?"
Julia said, "That's what I don't know. Maybe he's planning something, or maybe he doesn't care about Grog at all, which is unlikely. I heard once that he skinned 200 werewolves just because they killed one of his followers."
Tension began to show on both Uzi's and N's faces when they heard this. It seemed they were now in the clutches of a death-wielding scythe, either to be killed or to wait for their deaths. But what still preoccupied Uzi was the key, so she tried to ask Julia about it. Julia replied, "I know what you're going to say, but I don't think you'll like the answer."
Uzi understood what Julia was trying to say. She had offered her two options: either take the potion of forgetfulness and return to her normal life, forgetting everything that had happened, or take the key and return home, leaving N behind. But after all that, she chose to return and help N get the key. She said, "I know, I know. I've given up the key, and I can never go back on my decision."
Julia said, "No, that's not what I meant."
Uzi was surprised by this and asked, "What do you mean?"
Julia took out the key and said, "Well, let me tell you, the key you and your friend came for is worthless. It's completely useless."
Uzi stared at Julia, trying to process what she had just said. At the same time, N said, "Wait... Miss Julia, do you mean the key..."
Uzi interrupted him angrily, "What do you mean the key is useless? Did we come here and fight a rabid beast, risking our lives and becoming enemies of the Underworld Lord or something, all for nothing?"
Julia replied, "Yes, as you can see, the key is useless. To open the book, you need to use a specific kind of power."
"Then why are there words on the back of the book and that mysterious map? And why did you show me the key and that spell before if the key was useless? Whose idea was that? Who's the idiot who came up with this stupid scenario?" Uzi exclaimed hysterically.
"Your mother," Julia replied calmly. "She's responsible for that."
"Uzi," Uzi sighed, "Bite Me," then took a deep breath. "Why?"
"Well, that's what Nori told me," Julia explained. "If my daughter comes to you one day looking for the answers and doesn't have what it takes to open the book, give her the key. But as far as I know, this key won't actually open the book. And knowing Nori, I think she put a spell or something in there to destroy the book, in case her enemies use you to get it."
"Hey... what do you mean by 'what it takes'?" Uzi asked. "What kind of power did I need to open the book?"
"I don't know about that power," Julia replied, "but I think it's called Solver, Absolute Solver."
Uzi pondered the name. Although it sounded strange, it made her feel uneasy. The minute she heard it, she felt a pang in her stomach and a bit uneasy too. N noticed Uzi's expression and tried to ask, "Are you okay...?"
"Then why did you try to give me that potion?" Uzi asked. "Like you told me, Mom told you to give me only the key, not the potion of forgetfulness, right?"
"That was my attempt to save you," Julia said. "To save you from this cruel world and bring you back to your normal life. But it seems fate has something else in store for you."
Uzi said, "Wonderful... absolutely wonderful. This is exactly what I needed: to come to an old swamp, get into a fight with a stupid monster, and be in danger of being killed by that monster's master. And on top of all that, the main reason I came here was just a trick by my mother. And to open the book, I need to use mysterious powers I know nothing about. Is there anything else?"
Julia said as she walked away, "Well, the sun will be up soon, and that won't be good for your friend here, will it?"
Uzi was surprised by her words and looked at her watch. It was 5:50 AM, ten minutes until sunrise. Apparently, the night had passed quickly, and neither she nor N had noticed. N said, "Uzi, we should go now."
Uzi said, "I know, but..."
Julia said, "I've told you everything I know, Miss Doorman, and there's nothing left to say. As I said before, I don't want to get involved in any trouble. If you have any questions, I suggest you look for the answers on your own." Julia said her words and disappeared into the swamp fog, leaving both Uzi and N confused and unsure of what their next step would be.
Uzi was still pondering what Julia had told her, especially regarding those powers called "The Absolute Solver." What were they? What was their nature? How were they used? And most importantly, what did her mother have to do with any of this? While Uzi was lost in thought, N's voice interrupted her, calling out, "Uzi, Uzi, can you hear me? Uzi!"
"Yes, yes, I can hear you," Uzi replied irritably. "What do you want?"
N said, "Sorry, but I wanted to say we've arrived in the city. Where would you like me to drop you off?"
Uzi was surprised by this, then remembered that he had managed to cover a 45-minute flight in just 6 minutes. Looking up at the sky, she noticed that the sun was about to rise. She checked her watch to see the time and was shocked to find that there were less than 4 minutes until sunrise. This wasn't good at all. No matter how fast N was, could he get home quickly enough before it was too late? And not only that, but looking at him again, she noticed his tattered clothes. His coat was completely ruined, half his white shirt was ripped, and his trousers were in bad shape too. Uzi asked, "But if you drop me off here, what will you do? The sun will rise any minute now. Can you get home in time?"
N was puzzled by the question. She hadn't been wrong at all; he would have difficulty reaching the facility, if he could even get there at all. So he would have to find another way or place to hide. N said, "Don't worry, I can manage." N didn't want to worry Uzi, especially after the trouble she'd faced that night, and particularly after what she'd heard from Julia. He didn't want to be a burden on her.
Uzi wasn't convinced by N's answer. An idea came to her, but it would be dangerous and embarrassing. But if it were N, it might be okay. Uzi said, "Not here. We'll go somewhere else."
N said "Somewhere else? Where?"
"To... my house," Uzi said, her face flushed.
"What? Your house?" N was taken aback. He was taken aback by the answer and said, "No... Uzi, I can't... you don't have to."
But Uzi interrupted him, her voice angry. "You idiot! Hurry up! The sun will be up in less than two minutes. Either you come with me to my house or you'll get sunburned. Hurry!" N had no choice but to do as Uzi said, so he set off in the direction she was pointing, heading towards her house.