<546 – Want to Eat Just One More (1)>
With the revolution successful and the emperor overthrown, Jezel, who was only thinking of teleporting Oknodie onto the magic circle for an escort to the Academy, received the shocking news that Oknodie and Jiang had vanished.
“Haha. Don’t joke, come out already. Do you think I’ve forgotten that you two are masters at hide and seek?”
Jezel opened the wardrobe door.
Jezel opened the vent cover.
Jezel looked under the desk.
Jezel peeked out the window and checked the wall.
Jezel used Mana Scan to check all life responses within the building.
Jezel mobilized her revolutionary comrades to conduct inquiries throughout the capital.
Jezel expanded the search network across the empire by utilizing the Dark Trading Company’s intelligence.
But there was no news of Oknodie and Jiang anywhere.
Two people vanished overnight like mere phantoms!
“Jezel… What are you doing at this late hour without even shaving?”
“I was just reflecting on life’s regrets for a moment.”
Isabel approached Jezel, who was gazing at the night view of the Imperial Palace.
The rich smell of wine wafted from her disheveled collar, trailing along with her disheveled breath.
“The emperor has changed twice, and the Revolutionary Army has succeeded. All of this has been accomplished through our hands. Yet, the little lady has once again slipped away from us, so what meaning do all these successes and powers hold?”
“You entrusted the mission to me because you trusted me. Even if the one who carried out the emperor’s downfall was Warrior Ishtar, you were the one who created the opportunity, Jezel. At least you are our warrior among our classmates.”
“Haha. Even the Revolutionary Army General shares the same opinion?”
Isabel quietly nodded.
“Don’t worry too much. Jiang is Oknodie’s best buddy. They must be off doing something together.”
“The Seonhwang has also gone missing. I can’t adopt such an optimistic outlook, but… I’ll accept your consolation.”
Jezel, unable to enjoy the festivals and night markets occurring in the palace, was lost in a despairing atmosphere as if the world would end tomorrow.
As she squinted, not turning her head, the darkness writhed, revealing a single informant.
“Emergency report from the night market.”
“I told you I don’t want to hear a report from the Dark Trading Company right now. If it’s work-related, please postpone it to tomorrow.”
“Understood. The report regarding the forbidden book presumed to have been sent by Lady Oknodie will be delivered tomorrow.”
“Hold on a second.”
A forbidden book sent by the little lady?
What absurdity is this?
“Bring someone here. Especially Head Maid Katarina and Titosso. Follow the brightest light in the night market; Titosso should be there.”
The informant quickly brought Titosso.
Titosso, slumping her shoulders weakly, was singing a sorrowful song.
“I’m a~ twinkly bug~
I have~ no friends~~…
I want~ to play~ together~
But there’s~ no one~~…”
Like a boxer who had exhausted all her strength, Titosso sang while shining the light stand faintly; she was the lighthouse keeper of the night market and the forlorn leader of lonely twinkly stars.
“Why did you call a lonely child, abandoned by Oknodie and Jiang, alone…?”
“Are you trying to make me cry on purpose?”
Isabel huffed, making a sniffling sound.
Ignoring Isabel, Jezel delivered the important news first.
“We’ve found traces of Oknodie.”
“Really?!”
The joy was short-lived.
Titosso’s expression turned shockingly gloomy as she bowed her head.
“But Oknodie’s only true friend is Jiang. They probably thought it was okay to leave me behind. Yeah, I’m just a twinkly bug. I have no friends, and even the singing birds fly far away… Hihihi.”
“A letter sent by the little lady has been caught in the Dark Trading Company’s information network. However, the state of the letter is quite special and grave.”
“I have nothing to do but sing until I fall asleep while crying…”
“It’s a letter made from the pages of a forbidden book.”
“…?”
“Do you still not understand? The little lady who once faced death due to shock from the forbidden book has contacted us via one. This means the threat to her safety hasn’t ended.”
Life returned to Titosso’s faint eyes.
“Oknodie didn’t abandon me, right?”
“Perhaps she might have protected you. From danger.”
“Oknodie protected me… we’re still friends… Friends have to help!”
Revitalized by the miraculous syllogism, Titosso energetically infused mana into the light stand, showcasing her overflowing ambition.
“What should we do first?! Making missing person flyers?! Drawing a montage?! Registering a bounty with the Adventurer’s Guild?!”
“First, could you turn off the light that’s attacking my eyes?”
“Eek!! I’m sorry!!”
As the lighting turned off, Isabel gave a faint smile, nearly dying from the previous brightness.
“If the blinding light had continued just a bit longer, I would have been stuck squinting like Jezel forever.”
Titosso, who had become extremely bright since capturing the emperor, turned out to be a terrifying weapon all on her own, even with her eyes closed.
“Currently, 32 informants are working in shifts for the decoding of the forbidden book, sharing the burden of mental pollution. As soon as we get decoding results, we must analyze the little lady’s letter’s meaning and respond as quickly as possible. Titosso, you’re with us, of course.”
“But I’m just a light stand tool and a nuisance to everyone; the only thing I can do is be a lighthouse keeper in the night market…?”
“Whoever told you that nonsense, you are a precious individual. Don’t accept others’ scorn and ridicule; act proudly as Oknodie’s friend.”
“Hihih. Jezel…!”
Seeing Titosso shed happy hihihs instead of sorrowful ones, Isabel and Jezel smiled contentedly.
The warm atmosphere came to an abrupt end as an informant burst in with the decoding results.
━━━
Hello everyone. (Thank you for everything so far.)
I’m doing well. (Please forget me and live happily.)
The emperor is watching over me. (This is Oknodie, having fun in the Netherworld.)
━━━
“Our informants interpreted the letter to mean this. If we could make a letter from the pages of a forbidden book that could induce suicidal impulses just by reading it, which also injured twenty informants, then it’s certainly not in a normal state. Perhaps they’ve turned into ghost…”
“Stop!”
Despite Jezel’s cry, Titosso’s sobbing erupted.
“Waaaah! Oknodie sent a letter from the Netherworld. She’s with the emperor. She might be crossing the River Styx right before following the deceased emperor! Waaaah!”
“Calm down. Besides the shortest-term rocket emperor, there are also new lousy emperors and the former emperor, aren’t there?”
“Waaaah?”
“Of course, since the Masugaki Princess is already confirmed to be searching for the little lady’s whereabouts through work cooperation, the culprit is more likely the former emperor. It would be more reassuring to think that the little lady, who has already passed away, sent a farewell letter from the Netherworld than that Oknodie sent a survival letter after being kidnapped by the second strongest being on the ground after the Dragon Principal.”
“Waaaah… I don’t feel reassured… I feel like I have to cry…!”
Feeling a pounding headache from Titosso’s intense wailing, Isabel hurriedly jumped in to support.
“Oknodie is requesting our help while in a kidnapped situation. But if you keep crying, who will save Oknodie? You, her friend, need to help!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Everyone is counting on Titosso’s Titos beam. Your efforts were essential in defeating the imperial emperor too.”
“That’s what you said about that short-term rocket emperor…”
“The water rocket is the first step toward the great progress of science. Imagine history’s greatest emperor being defeated by Titos beam after ending the era of magic and achieving scientific victory.”
“Waaaah…! I’m such a bad girl!!”
Waaah waaah waah!
At first, Isabel tried to soothe her and saw her as a poor child, but as the endless chain of tears continued, her patience began to wear thin.
How did Oknodie manage to toy with such a child like a puppet?
It would take at least three nights and four days to drag her to Professor Sadako’s lecture hall!
“Ow. With Titosso here, what are you all doing?”
“Son Ohchun. Help me.”
Isabel immediately explained the situation.
Hmm hmm, oh ho ho.
Nodding, Son Ohchun proudly said.
“Actually, I once saw a mouse and its friends heading to a mad professor’s lecture with wild hair. I had never seen how the mouse handled its friends, so I remembered that method clearly.”
“How do I make this infinite Möbius of hihih hihih waaaaaah stop?”
“It’s simple.”
Son Ohchun produced cellophane and adhered it to Titosso’s light.
“From now on, for every time you cry until we rescue Oknodie, we’ll extend the time spent applying cellophane by one hour!”
“Gasp!!”
Titosso’s wailing miraculously ceased.
