"Huh?" I was really confused at that point.
"I'm here to make sure that it doesn't end like this." He replied.
"End like what?" I asked.
"The end of the villainous empress and the beginning of the brave hero's rule." He replied.
"What?" I asked.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen." He replied.
"How?" I asked. "And more importantly, why? Why would you be helping me?"
"Because I sympathize with you." He replied.
"Sympathize with me? What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"There's a lot of things that I'm leaking to you, but like I said, I'll make sure that doesn't happen in the true ending." He replied.
"True ending? What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"The true end." He replied.
"What?" I asked.
"Of the novel... Yes, it had the brave hero defeat the villainous empress and save the world." He replied.
"And what did happen after he defeated the villainous empress?" I asked.
"The brave hero began to rule over all the world." He replied.
"And then... ?" I asked.
"And then... The story ended." He stopped talking.
"Just like that, huh?"
"Just like that." He nodded his head.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why do you sympathize with me if I'm supposed to be the villain of this novel that you're talking about?" I asked.
"You remind me of this girl that I used to know. She was kind, she wanted to help others, but the others looked at her like she was an enemy." He replied.
"What happened to her?" I asked.
"She was killed in front of me by the people that looked at her like she was an enemy." He replied.
"And... Did you do anything about it?" I asked.
"No..." He replied. I could see the sadness in his eyes.
"Well, you're not doing anything about it this time around either. You know, it's kind of a little too late for you to save me from myself. That's another thing I want to ask you. Why did you want to save me from myself?" I asked.
"I'm not here to save you from yourself. I'm here to save you from all the impending dangers." He replied.
"What's with you and the unnecessary explanations? I get it. You're here to save me from the fate you already know I'll have. But you know what? I'm tired of this pity party that you're having. If you've come to put me back on the right track, then please leave." I replied.
"I'm not going to leave you even if you ask me to." He replied.
"Geez, you're as stubborn as hell." I sighed.
I immediately got out of my bed and began to walk out of my room. I could see Akio, floating above me quietly and solemnly. I wonder if he understood what I told him. I wonder if he really understood that the path I walked on, it wasn't the path to redemption.
I turned around to look at him. He was still floating there. He looked really calm, as if he wasn't really bothered with me asking him to fuck off.
"By the way, you're the mysterious figure that that my soldiers talked about, right?" I asked.
"Yes." He replied.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I'm here to save you." He replied.
"I told you to leave me alone. I don't know if you really know what I'm doing or not, but regardless, I'm fine with what I'm doing. So, why don't you just go home and hope that the novel goes on the way it is." I replied.
"What if I told you that I know what you're planning to do?" He asked.
"I already told you. I'm planning to rule over the world." I replied.
"Yes, you said that, but that's not the point..." He replied.
"What is the point then?" I asked.
"The point is, I know what you're planning to do after." He replied.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I know that you plan to defeat the demon lord before the hero even thinks of doing that." He spoke.
"And that's the only thing you know?" I asked.
"No." He replied.
"Then what else do you know?" I asked.
"I know of a way to seal away the demon lord." He replied.
"What?" I asked.
"I know how to seal it away somewhere that no one will ever find it... The demon lord, I mean." He replied.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"I know because I know everything." He replied.
"That's a very empty answer." I replied.
"I can't say anything else. Not right now at least." He replied.
"Fine then. If that's what you're going to tell me, then that's fine. I'm going to have to ask for you to do something for me." I replied.
"And what would that be?" He asked.
"Goodness! Up until this point, I was desperately trying to make you stay away from me, but I have no choice now but to trust you. Fuck, I don't even know why I'm trusting you... Anyhow, will you guide me to beat the demon lord and expose that little prick of a hero?" I asked.
"I can guide you, but I won't do any dirty work for you." He replied.
"Ugh! I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to be my guide. I'm asking you to show me the right path to take. Anyhow, if you're not willing to help me, then can you please get out of my sight. I don't want to see you anymore." I replied.
"Fine, I got the message. I'll guide you to beat the demon lord, but I won't do anything against the hero even if you ask me to." He replied.
"Fine then. That's really all I need to know. As long as you're fine with what I'm doing, then please be my guide. I'll deal with that hero myself." I replied.
"You do you, I guess." He spoke.
"So, Mr. guide... What am I supposed to do right now, if I want to obtain success in my venture?" I asked.
"Well, I'll ask you to proceed with your plan to conquer the neighboring kingdom." He spoke with utter confidence.
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