"So, another tomb? Please don't tell me this is another resurrection plot," Rakna deadpanned.
"{I don't think so… probably.}"
"How promising, Higure," he quipped and opened his palm again. "[Fortune Search.]" The golden ring scanned the entire mansion and highlighted a certain double door before returning to Rakna.
⠀
❮◈❯ Fortune Search has leveled up! ❮◈❯
⠀
"Well, I know where we're going," he said and walked to the doors with his hands in his pockets.
"What kind of treasure do you think this place hides?" Evelyn asked curiously while following him while Pronos and Tyran ran around the house as carefree as ever.
"Hm, I don't know. It's an author we're talking about so… books? Who knows? And it's not because this guy was famous that he necessarily left something very valuable behind," he said as he put his hand on the knob of the door. "If anything, it's probable that everything here is fake. An imitation of reality made with magic," he added and opened the door.
"Hahaha! What a sharp and clever young man!" A voice immediately resounded afterward and his eyes narrowed. Evelyn trembled and stepped back while Tyran and Pronos became wary.
Rakna scowled at the room they had opened the passage for. The voice came from inside of it but there was no one in it. Even worse, there was no furniture as well. It was just an empty room with a wooden floor lighted by a small chandelier.
The only reason he wasn't blowing it up with a spell or ordering Ganymede to flood it was that he still didn't feel a sense of urgency. There wasn't the usual urge to retreat, observe, or attack. It was as if nothing seemed able to threaten him.
"I see… All of this is a tale, isn't it?" He muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh…?" The voice came back with an appreciative and captivated tone.
"Not just this mansion. The oasis. The array. All of it is some kind of story. Even you are part of it. I'm sure of it; there's no living soul in this place. Not a single one. On top of that, it's not normal for me to be so at ease. I should have been on edge ever since I landed earlier, but I feel nothing. It's as if the very notion of danger ceased to exist all of a sudden. As if everything was a pretty world, where violence and blood were nonexistent; a fairy tale. Am I right, Fray Brazwein?"
"My, my…" The voice sounded amused. On cue, a swirl of wind appeared in the middle of the room and Rakna calmly watched it. Nothing was dangerous about it; he knew it. After a few seconds, it died down and a figure was standing in its place.
It was a handsome man with long black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an eastern black and white robe and hiding his smiling face with a fan with the words 'A Laughter Is Worth A Hundred Years of Life' painted on it.
"How enthralling you are," he said while tilting his body to the side and waving his fan in front of his face. "You are correct. My name is Fray Brazwein, this marvelous oasis enduring in the midst of heat and desolation is a tale of mine. And you, sir, have fallen right in between its pages."
"W-wait, I'm not sure I understand," Evelyn raised her voice. "Does this mean you're not dead?"
"Oh no, dear, I am undeniably as dead as you could ever presume me to be," Fray said and clasped his fan closed onto his other hand. "As your friend stated, this is a tale. I wrote this fable before my demise. I created the story of an earnest traveler, roving perilous and self-less voyages, wandering lost and exhausted in the desert only to find rest and solace in an oasis of dreams where a humble author would meet them."
"So, you are…" The succubus trailed.
"A product of my own craft. Indeed," Fray smiled and opened his fan again to cover his mouth.
"Is that traveler supposed to refer to me?" Rakna frowned.
"Yes. Are you displeased by such a setting?"
"I'm the farthest thing from a self-less traveler. I wouldn't say that I was lost in the desert either nor was I exhausted by any means."
"Are you certain?" Fray retorted and closed his fan with one hand as an old-looking book appeared in the other. The pages flipped by themselves and the author appeared to be reading them with attention. "Wouldn't you think that the life you have lived until now is akin to an aimless march in the desert?"
Rakna's eyes hardened. "How would you-"
"-know such a thing?" Fray completed as he continued to read. "I know of your tale. I read the grim and dim allegory of… Rakna Xiorra Blade," he said and slammed the book closed. "You're tired, lost, pained, broken, and hungry for emotions. What are you if not stranded in a desert?"
A black aura suddenly burst from Rakna's body and his eyes flickered to red. Fray kept a neutral face as the waves of unadulterated terror swept over him. Evelyn, on the other, severely paled and hugged herself. Tyran cowered and whined while Pronos hissed worriedly.
Ultimately, the aura disappeared and Rakna calmed down on his own. His face had somehow not changed during the entire process. His eyes faded back to purple and he silently stared at Fray.
"So many ingredients were thrown into that concoction of despair," the writer said with a sigh. "I will ask you again… are you not a weary traveler?"
"What do you expect to gain from me admitting that?" Rakna uttered. "Draw your own conclusions as much as you want. I don't care. But be careful when using your magic to turn my life into a story that you can read at your leisure."
"I understand," Fray said and bowed with his hand over his heart. "My apologies. I pried into your past without your accord. I am to blame."
"Accepted," Rakna huffed and the author straightened himself with a small smile.
"Rakna…" Evelyn whispered in worry and he simply patted her head to reassure her.
"It's all right. There's nothing to worry about," he said, fully aware of how bad he was making her blush.
"{Casanova.}"
'Shut up, horny cat.'
[Rakna, was the name mentioned by Fray Brazwein your full one?] Alexa abruptly asked and he stopped moving. The succubus noticed it and switched from embarrassed to worried again.
"Technically… it is, yeah," he answered to his AI.
"Hm? What is it that you are saying?" Fray asked with a tilt of his head.
"Talking to my AI because a certain someone couldn't help himself but blurt out my full name."
"Oh… hahaha," the writer laughed sheepishly and covered his mouth with his fan.
[I'm afraid I will have to update your status… It is a protocol that I cannot go against. If you wanted to keep it hidden for a personal reason, I can suggest you use Absolute Cover. Since last time, the number of elements has grown by a few.]
Rakna sighed. 'Do it.'
[Understood.]
"Evelyn, can you keep this a secret from the others?"
"You mean your name?" The succubus replied. "I don't mind… but why?"
"Nothing too serious. It's my uncle's surname which he decided one day, in a stroke of genius, to give it to me as well. In any case, it's just that I'm used to hiding this little info about me and they don't need to know who my old man truly was."
"Hoho!" Fray's eyes flashed. "Yes, that man… What a tale he makes."
Rakna frowned at him. "You also looked into him?"
"A bit…" He said evasively. "Anyhow, are you ready to continue with my little fable?"
"What? Wasn't the objective of the ordeal to find the secret of this place? Haven't we done that already?" Rakna inquired.
"Oh, lord, no. How dull would that be? Every main character must go through difficulties to attain their due reward. I do not believe that what you performed with that lovely incarnated myth over there," he said as he pointed at the silent figure of Ganymede. "Can be considered difficult."
"So? What is it that you want to do? Make us fight?"
"Of course not. Have you forgotten who I am? A storyteller only points their quill at paper," Fray said with a grand pose. "Furthermore, this is a fairy tale. Not a sort of gory novel. So, to you, wise and disenchanted traveler, I will tell you three stories. At the end of each, I will ask you a question."
"And I have to answer them all correctly?"
Fray grinned merrily and waved his fan. "No. For the first one, I want you to answer the opposite of the right answer. For the second one, I want you to answer the smartest answer. For the third one, I want you to answer the wrong answer."
Rakna's eyebrow twitched. "…are you being serious right now?"
"Absolutely. Ah, and you cannot receive help. That obviously includes Higure Mios."
"{So, he knows about me too, huh? Not surprising.}"
"Hence, are you ready, traveler?"
Rakna grunted and leaned against the wall of the room. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it before puffing a cloud of smoke. "Sure… ready."