The Transmigrated Author

268  When The Night Ends (2)

"What are you doing here?" I rephrased my words after realizing what I had just said.

He dusted himself off and frowned.

"I live here, you dumbass," he retorted, climbing to his feet. "Didn't they tell you? My house is just inside this forest."

He gestured towards a sprawling estate nestled deeper amongst the trees, barely visible in the darkness.

"Your house? Here?"

I'd completely forgotten about this detail. In the original story, Anouz had his own private residence within the Montclair estate grounds. It was a convenient plot device to give him some distance from the main family, but I hadn't expected it to be so... secluded.

Anouz smirked, clearly enjoying my confusion. "Surprised?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I like my privacy. It's a bit hard to come by in that damned mansion."

He glanced back towards the main house with a disgusted tone.

"Right..." I mumbled, trying to regain my composure. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Well, I should probably get going. It's late."

I turned to leave, hoping to avoid any further conversation and the awkwardness of having just slammed the eldest Montclair son to the ground.

"I can assure you that if you leave now, I'll blow you up from where you stand."

I froze, slowly turning my head back to face him. Anouz's expression was cold as his eyes narrowed. He was serious.

If anything, Anouz could obliterate his surroundings without much effort. I had no doubt he could make good on his threat.

"I-I just wanted some fresh air, It's a bit stuffy inside."

I stuttered, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. But of course he wouldn't buy it. "Bullshit. The air conditioning in the mansion has cutting edge technology. So tell me... You know about that organization, right?" My blood ran cold. Had he caught me changing out of my gear?

The possibility of it was extremely high, but if he doesn't mention anything about me being a mercenary I should be okay.

"..."

I chose to stay silent, hoping he wouldn't press further.

"I heard everything from that man's conversation, and the fact that you watched the exchange makes me wonder if you're with them or not. But if you are..." Anouz clenched his fist, and his entire arm was enveloped in aura.

"I might kill you where you stand."

I looked at him, weighing my options. Lying would be pointless; he could likely sense any deception and fighting him here wouldn't do me any good either.

So I decided to offer a partial truth.

"All I know is that the man who was talking over the phone isn't a good guy," I said, choosing my words carefully. "And that he's looking to harvest an orb within the library."

Anouz studied me for a long moment as his eyes piercing through my facade and finally, he relaxed his stance.

"Interesting," he murmured, "So, you're just a curious onlooker, then. But... I don't understand how you know that man."

He's not wrong. I only know him because I wrote him, I physically shouldn't know of any of the darkworld criminals. "Tell me now."

He took a step forward, and I fabricated the most believable lie I could conjure.

"That man..." I leveled my voice to the point where it was trembling.

"He killed my mother."

I poured all my emotion into the words, channeling the grief and anger I'd witnessed countless times in reading shit novels.

I even managed to squeeze out a tear, letting it roll down my cheek.

"...!"

Anouz's expression transformed and his eyes were now filled with sympathy.

"I...I'm sorry," he stammered, clearly taken aback. "I may not have lost something as important as a parent, but I understand the desire for revenge. That organization has caused my family a great deal of pain. If anything... I want to take them down, at all costs."

"If we have a common enemy, perhaps we can help each other."

He extended his hand, and I suddenly realized the gravity of my lie. I'd fabricated a story, but at what cost? He now believed I, as Rel, would join him in fighting against Han?

I already had a lot on my plate, and helping Anouz seemed pointless, especially since 'Axel' was already working against the organization.

"I'm not sure—"

"You can pick out any artifact within the library if you help,"

"Okay."

I suppose helping him would make this whole incident wrap up quicker. I could play along, at least until we reached the Orb of Phantasmal.

I shook his hand and Anouz smiled.

"I'm glad we can agree on something once more," he said. "I'll fill you in on the details of what these guys are doing and everything about that orb. I know you're only here for one day, so tomorrow I'll need you to meet me at the top of the roof."

He turned and headed straight back to his house.

"Be there," he called out, waving without looking back.

I stared after him, dumbfounded.

**

Valencia tossed and turned in her bed, filled with with countless thoughts of today.

Specifically being what Rel's "type" is.

The very thought itself continued to plague her. If that maid was anything close to what he liked, she really didn't stand a chance.

But why was she dwelling on this all night?

She barely knew him, yet she desperately wanted to be his friend.

Even after today, she felt like she was far off from ever getting close to him.

"Haah... whatever, I'll just go for a night stroll," she muttered, throwing the covers aside.

She slipped out of bed, stealthily tiptoeing towards the door, trying not to wake up any of the girls. Finally, her hand reached the doorknob, and Valencia left the room in her nightgown.

As she wandered down the hallway, she noticed a shadowy figure standing on the balcony near their room. The figure's shape seemed familiar, but she wasn't curious enough to investigate.

So instead she tried to sense the figure's mana, to see whos signature it was but there was nothing there.

Strange, who could it be?

Changing her mind, she slowly walked up to the entrance of the balcony and as she peered through the window, she saw a sight that she would've never expected.