Gargling out odd sounds while glaring at me, was the fiends hard at work. They were pulling the 80-80 into the base and from the looks of things, it was kind of heavy.
Since I was the one to destroy it, maybe I should have offered some help, but I didn't feel like it. Pai and Malius both went to check up on the broken scorpios, leaving me alone. I could feel their cameras on me in the corners of the room, but I chose to ignore them.
It was obvious they were still cautious of me, but even then, I wasn't scared of them or anything. The most important thing was figuring out why I was here in the first place.
"Twenty-minute adventure, she said."
I grumbled over the fact that it had been way longer than the promised "Twenty-minute adventure" and I was slowly losing my mind from boredom. Back in Larm, there wasn't much to do for fun, but I could at least keep myself busy with slowing down the progress of certain things. It was no fun to finish everything in a day.
Still, I did want to get a better look at everything here. With how advanced their technology was, if I took this knowledge back to Larm, I'd be able to improve our defences. This "Divinium" thing seems to be their power source, but how does any of it work? Where can I acquire it? Is it available outside of Hell? Can I use it for stuff outside of hell?
The only way to get these sorts of information was through befriending them, but the owl didn't like me, .Pai was cautious around me and Malius… well he's Malius.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I didn't like the fact that I was mauling over such things.
'I'm a 15-year-old, almost 16 for crying out loud! I just want to play video games, skip school, reading my novels and manga and fantasize about a non-existent girlfriend! What the hell is all of th-UH!?'
A bolt of lightning struck my brain as I was ranting. I paused for a moment, trying to process what just happened and then a familiar voice spoke into my head.
<<Oh, you're already in the Greed Ring. Good work, master>>
'Eh? Agent?'
<<Yes?>>
'Agent!'
<<Master! ...?>>
'Where have you been? I haven't had any access to you or the other guys! I was so lonely!'
<<Oh, the system master shut off the system to alter it. You won't have any access to the system till we return to Elecryea>>
'Eh? That doesn't mean I should lose access to you or the other guys.'
<<The skill [God's Wisdom] was personally suspended by the system master and the functioning of the skill [Supreme Wisdom Council] seems to have been paused by an unknown external force… Sytem Master Alpha has deemed it not worthy of her attention>>
'Ah… what the hell? Who is doing this?'
<<That is unknown>>
'Right… I guess the same applies to my other skills.'
<<No. You should still have access to all previous skills>>
'Seriously? I haven't been able to cast a single magic attack since I got here though.'
<<That might be due to your lack of technical know-how. The system provided an easy means for you to utilise your abilities. A second factor may be the change in environment. In here, mana particles aren't nearly as friendly to outside beings as they are in other realms. Another could be th->>
'That's enough of that!'
The agent was starting to drag this thing on for way too long.
<<Understood. Would you like to hear the details of the mission?>>
'Eh? You know the details? Spill.'
<<Our objective is to acquire the 'Akashic Records' of the King of Hell, Ozvaloth.>>
'The Aka-what?'
<<A compilation of the information of every single soul that has existed or will exist in all realms connected to Elecryea. The 'Akashic Records' or otherwise known as the 'Book of Life'>>
What? That sounded awfully too important.
'When you say every single soul that has existed or will exist in all realms, you don't mean…'
<<Higher beings such as gods, ascension dragons and spirits are included>>
'Oi, oi, oi! That's insane! That's beyond insane! It's… it's… it's… I don't know what it is, but it's insane! What the hell does she want with something like that?'
<<Her true purpose is unclear, but she seemed to be quite desperate for it. We have till the end of the month on Elecryea>>
As expected, Alpha didn't want to tell me what she wanted with this dangerous thing. She was way too greedy with this kind of stuff.
'Tch, wouldn't something like that be heavily guarded?'
<<Well… it is, but isn't.>>
'Huh?'
<<The king of hell just leaves the 'Akashic Records' on display in his royal chamber, but no one touches it>>
'Of course no one does. Who would touch his book with him right there.'
<<Actually, he is almost never with the book. He's just monitoring all the rings of hell at most times>>
…
'Oh, then let's just hop on a Sheol, stroll into his palace, steal this transcendent book containing all information on all life and get back to life in Larm! That sounds super easy, yeah?'
<<That's just silly.>>
'Ever heard of sarcasm?'
<<We'd need an Imperial Sheol to get to the 9th ring to do any of that. The only devils allowed in the 9th ring are the Devil Princes and Devil King>>
'…I was being sarcasti-'
<<The Greed Ring has no current prince, so you should be able to access its Imperial Sheol easily. We can acquire the bo->>
'STOP!'
I paused the agent for a moment. I needed to organise my thoughts before going any further.
'What the hell is all of this?'
<<What?>>
'Why do you know so much?'
<<The skill [God's Wisdom] has information on everything in the world and your sur->>
'Cut the crap. If you did have such information, there wouldn't be a need for this mission in the first place. Stop mentioning the skill when I talk to you, devil. Explain how you know any of this stuff.'
After ordering the agent, there was a moment of silence. It let out a heavy breath then spoke.
<<Before being summoned to Elecryea, I was originally the prince of the 6th Ring. Vagetha the Golden Conqueror. I've been to the 9th ring once before which is why I know so much>>
…
Eh?
No way.
No way in hell did I have a prince of hell up in my head for over two months!
I looked around and no one had noticed any change. They were all going about their work as usual, ignoring my existence in total. I scoffed then went back to the agent.
'Um, let's start from the top. How did any of this happen?'
<<Hmm, I'm not too sure, but I think I was once a being that travelled through several realms for some time in search of a cure for a disease I have. Through my search, I found that the solution to that problem could be found in one of the rings of hell.>>
'The 'Akashic Records'?'
<<… which was owned by the King of Hell Ozvaloth. Unfortunately, a low-ranking devil couldn't access the 9th ring as that is the home for souls that wouldn't be getting punished. The only way to do so was by being a devil prince or king, so I raised myself through the ranks and assisted the Devil King in usurping the original 9 monarchs of hell. In the end, we won and I got the position, meaning I could waltz into the 9th ring willy-nilly now>>
'Woah.'
<<But… I forgot my reason for getting there in the first place more than 3 times in a row.>>
'Eh? What kind of crappy memory do you have?'
<<When I remembered why I wanted to get to the 'Akashic Records', I acted as quickly as possible and tried to acquire it, but my plans were foiled and I was banished from the 9th ring permanently>>
'… just banishment?'
<<After a century of boredom, I created a new vessel for me to convert my consciousness too. The princes of hell aren't permitted to enter Elecryea for fear we might alter the realm far too much. So I put my mind in a weaker body and waited till I was summoned. When I did, I searched for a means to cancel my contract while remaining in the realm. My research led me to the theory of an Ursula major capable of severing the ties between realms, hence shattering the contract that bound me to my summoner and hell. I made a mistake of underestimating the power of an Ursula minor, which got me in so much danger I had to flee. Unfortunately, I was hit with a soul erasing attack. The only means of survival in that moment was->>
'Me, huh?'
<<Yes. And now, here we are. Back here, with a second chance at saving myself.>>
'That's um… hmm.'
I wasn't sure what exactly to tell the agent. They had been quite busy for some time. Having a disease that was frightening they spent centuries trying to find a cure just sounded unfortunate. I mean, I hated a simple cold so I couldn't imagine having to deal with a disease this scary. A disease…
'Wait up! What sickness are we talking about and will it affect me since you're in my body!?'
<<… I've forgotten what it is, but I might remember when we get the book>>
'Eeeehhh!?'
<<Besides, this is a mission you accepted from System Master Alpha. You'll have to go on it whether you like it or not.>>
That was right. I already signed my death contract before knowing what exactly I was being thrown at.
'Tch, can I at least get a temporary system while I'm in hell?'
<<No.>>
