"I recall you saying you get bored when I read," Lucius said with a smile. "So why not just tell me about this world's rules yourself?"
"I can parse this world's rules directly, but I'd only give you the rawest truths. I've told you that before, right?" Mozlis replied, stopping the swing of her small feet and crossing her legs.
To illustrate, she likened it to a fable.
Some truths are hard to grasp.
But when woven into stories, they become easier to understand.
In Mozlis's eyes, only the most fundamental rules existed.
For Lucius, only through narratives could he comprehend those deeper truths.
"I know," Lucius nodded slightly. "But for you, turning what you know into something I can understand shouldn't be impossible, right?"
This world's magic systems leaned heavily on mythology.
Thus, explaining its rules was complex, increasing his workload and complicating his quest to master the world.
If Mozlis could simplify the rules in a way he could grasp, his task would be much lighter.
"No can do. Goodbye," Mozlis said firmly as soon as Lucius finished.
Was he kidding? Asking her to do such tedious work?
Parsing the world's rules was easy for her.
The real hassle was translating them into terms Lucius could understand.
That was like being a corporate drone.
To ask her to do that was an insult to—
"I recall you saying you're bored when I read books," Lucius repeated, anticipating her refusal and ready with a counterargument.
"If you help me here, I won't need to spend so much time on grimoires."
"You're bored anyway, so why not help me out?"
"Then, with the time saved, I can do things that won't bore you."
And the most crucial point:
"If you help me more, I can help you sooner, right?"
And so, the demon fabled for tempting humans…
Was persuaded.
But…
"Knowledge can be poison. You know that, right?" Mozlis said, rubbing her forehead with a sigh, as if giving up.
If she hadn't committed to their pact and mutual trust, she could've laid countless traps through knowledge.
Even now, she felt tempted at times.
It was like a retired thief finding an unlocked vault.
Lucius knew this well.
In myths like those of the Cthulhu, forbidden knowledge often drove people mad.
"Turning my knowledge into something you can handle isn't impossible, but if I slip up, it could cause irreversible damage," She added, pausing. "And I worry that agreeing now might erode our trust."
"You want my help, but if you later suspect me because of it, it's not worth it. When you reach a higher level, you might view giving you unfiltered knowledge differently."
She understood the risks of missteps.
"I see…" Lucius frowned, feeling a pang of regret.
Trust between him and Mozlis was paramount.
"But you can analyze the divine power you've absorbed to glean basic rules. With that foundation, I can explain higher-level rules," She offered.
So, she was willing to help—somewhat.
"But I feel like all your talk was just to string me along. My mistake?" Lucius asked.
"Ehe~" Mozlis winked, laughing cheerfully.
Soon, though, her mood soured.
"Liar! What about your promises?" She whined. "You heartless jerk, exploiting even a demon and not keeping your word."
"You said you wouldn't just sit and read."
"You said you'd keep me from boredom."
"I'm gonna cry right now."
She wiped fake tears, sobbing dramatically.
"I only said I'd spend less effort analyzing rules," Lucius replied, unfazed. "Right now, I'm studying the wisdom accumulated in this world's history."
Wow, this guy's awful, Mozlis thought, her expression lifeless.
Why was her fate tied to such a lousy guy?
Fine…
She flopped like a salted fish.
Only a jerk like him would dare—and survive—to make a deal with an equally awful demon like her.
So, this mediocre guy had to stay mediocre.
He was the type least likely to die.
So, when a demon like her decided to be generous for once, this idiot better be grateful!
At that moment, Lucius closed his book and picked up a small box nearby.
"It's here," He said, examining a fist-sized obsidian medallion carved in the shape of a snake-haired gorgon.
The divine artifact, the Gorgon Stone.
To Lucius, it was bait to lure the Heretic God Athena.
It was a gift from the mage associations upon his return from meeting the Black Prince.
"Speaking of which, the so-called plot should be starting soon, right?"
Sardinia.
Verethragna and Melqart.
Lucius wouldn't let anyone snatch what he'd set his sights on.
He smirked.
"A shoddy one-man show, starring yours truly."
"Care to watch, Mozlis?"
***
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