"Wait, what about you?" I raised an Eyebrow at Showa, "How come you're not mad at them for shooting you?"
"Well, it didn't really hurt all too much." She shrugged, "Besides, they thought I was an enemy that was trying to hurt you. I would have done the same if I was in their shoes."
"You're in no one's shoes though..." I sighed.
The men briefly recapped what had happened on their end. Not much, mind you, but they did tell us about how they immediately began searching for us when they found out Lem and I were gone. Apparently they got the same invitation to come here from the old man as my dad and uncle Ed. Just what in the world is Olya scheming up by inviting everyone here?
"Nelly, before we continue..." Lem cleared his throat, "Where's Lemmy?"
"Ah, he's..." I glanced around awkwardly, "Around."
He didn't seem to appreciate my tactful reply about his son, in fact he quite disliked how I was beating around the bush in regards to the topic. Right now, Lem's state is stable, though unconscious for an unknown amount of time. I think the best way to have Lee find out is to show him firsthand how Lem's doing.
"Ah, he's fine!" I reassured him, "Don't get me wrong, he's alive and well! Err, "well" might be pushing it... Look, I'll show you just what I mean, so let's just go to the residential area and...!"
"Nelly." Showa put her hand on my shoulder, "The other islanders won't like intruders. We can't let these two get seen by anybody, especially the old bastard."
"Old bastard?" Meil tilted his head.
"The man who kidnapped Lem and me and took us to the Archipelago." I explained, "Old man Olyahim."
"Olya-!" Meil's Eyes glew Red for a moment.
"Meil, that's him!" Even Lee seemed livid.
"You know him?" Showa asked.
"Here." Meil handed us his letter of invitation, "This was apparently left in our mailbox after the kidnapping. The name written at the bottom matches his."
Wow, Olya was really egging Meil and Lee on in this letter, geez. What's with this—Almost two entire pages filled up with mocking jeers about how he took "the Book" and "Nelly" and how weak Meil was in their battle. Hm? Hold on, Meil wasn't present in the battle, was he?
"I assume he wrote this letter ahead of time and only decided to stuff it inside the mailbox after his success." Meil groaned, "This is the only explanation for why the letter was written as if it had already been."
"Yeah, by the way, we never did understand what he meant by "the Book"..." Lee raised an Eyebrow, "Any idea what that is, Nelly?"
Oh right, these two don't know anything about the Book. Should I tell them, in that case? I feel like they won't believe me, but well...
"Huh!?" Both Lee and Meil audibly gasped when they saw me pull it out, "The Brown Notebook!"
"Wait, what the hell? You guys know of it?" I cocked my head back in surprise.
"Meil, this is the same Book that gang from a couple years ago was looking for in the Library, right?" Lee asked semi-quietly, "I had to flee the country for a while just to be able to get it back, so I would know!"
"Y-Yes, that is indeed the same Book, but..." Meil gulped, "Javi confiscated it from us back then, and took it back to the Library, so how did it get here?"
So they do know about Misfortune, after all... Hold on, so Meil knows he's Ouroboras!? Oh Gods, that'd be horrible if it was true! Wait, maybe he never got the chance to open it?
"Do you guys know what it can be used for?" I asked with a questioning, open-ended tone.
"Beats me. I think it's just crazy writings, from what I recall." Lee shrugged, "Something something protagonist or whatever."
"Yes, I recall reading the same thing." Meil nodded, "Nothing made sense, so I did not particularly pay too much mind. Should I have?"
"No! In fact, this is perfect!" I grinned.
Thank you, Gods! He doesn't know he's one of you! Geez, I don't know if it's because of the tumble just now or the anxiety leaving me finally, but I feel like my legs are about to give in! But in regards to Misfortune, how should I handle explaining its power to them now? I feel like right now, I can't afford to be keeping any secrets, but also if I show them, then Meil might find out he's the Sun God. If that happens, my chances with him will practically be zero...
"This Book is the reason Nelly was taken." Showa spoke unapologetically.
"S-Showa!" I shut her up.
"Nelly, let her speak, this is important." Meil scolded me.
"Don't worry about it! The old man entrusted it to me anyways, so I can't be giving it to just anyone!"
"So you're actually going along with your kidnapper's plans?" Lee frowned, "I can't imagine my son ever being complacent with such a situation. Either Lem's dead or he got hit in the head so hard he stopped being himself, so which is it?"
"Guys..." I felt nauseous.
"Nelly, tell them about Misfortune!" Showa shouted.
"Nelly, tell me why you're trusting this old man if he's our enemy." Meil glared.
"Tell me what happened to Lem, kid!" Lee frowned.
"Gahh! Too many questions at once!" I finally snapped, "In due time, okay!? Geez, we're in danger of getting found out, so we need to find a place to hide first, THEN I'll tell you everything!"
Oh my fucking Gods, this goddamned situation is just too confusing and complicated! What the hell is even going on, for fuck's sake even I don't know anymore! This island, the Archipelago and Olya, the Books and the Universe, Schnell, Heaven and Hell... They can all go fuck themselves! I just wanna go home and go back to the way things were!
***
"For now, we should listen to Nelly and hide away somewhere to talk in private." Meil shook his head, "Olyahim might sniff us out if we stay here for too long."
"About that..." Showa and I returned a tired smile, "He already knows you guys are here."
"Eh? Is he here!?" They looked around in a panic.
"Nah, he's probably still sitting pretty in his house down by the residential area." I explained, "But thanks to a certain Book of his own, he can find out exactly what's going on without fault."
"What...?" Lee looked confused, "Okay, so what's the point of hiding away then? Just explain everything here and now."
"We can't, the other islanders might hear us." Showa added.
"So then where!?" Meil got fussy.
Whoa, he actually raised his tone? Sleep deprived Meil means business, I kind of like it! A more assertive Meil is always welcome in my book! Ah, no pun intended. But in regards to where we went, we had decided to steadily make our way back up the hill to the viewpoint Showa and I were on just now. It felt like the most isolated part of the island, after all. The people here are nosy, but I assume since no one has any reason to hike up to such an altitude, no one actually goes up there. Perfect for us, though.
"Okay, so basically..." I explained, "There exist two Books—I have one, Olya has the other. They're magic and can be used to alter the world however you want. I found the Book in the Library of a Thousand Passages some time ago, so that's why he took me. Lem was just collateral damage."
"I see." Meil nodded, "And what is his endgoal?"
"To revive his friend, and the person this Archipelago's named after, Schnell Douglas." Showa interjected.
"Revive? That's possible...!?" Lee looked horrified, "W-Wait, what all is required for one to revive someone?"
"As far as I know, just the Books." I shrugged, "But he mentioned that he needed dad to come here as well for some reason too. That's why the old man didn't leave me be back home and insisted on kidnapping me."
"And Lem?" He asked.
"He saved Lem's life." I took a deep breath before explaining, "Well, that's kind of wrong. Lem tried to defend me from him back at the house with all his might, but the old man beat him up until he was knocking on death's door."
"Dear God..." Lee's Eyes shrunk back in fear.
"I saw his injuries. Lem wouldn't have survived if the old man didn't take him here and get the best doctors the world had to offer to take care of him." I explained hastily, "So the old man isn't exactly a bad guy, per se..."
"Nelly, what am I hearing?" Meil couldn't listen anymore, "This person, Olyahim, had kidnapped you and brutally beaten Lem, and you still refuse to call him an enemy?"
Oh come on, the world isn't all allies and foes! This guy, must he look at everything from such a binary standpoint? Besides, I said so already, didn't I—The old man just wants to meet his friends again. Nothing wrong with that, though he seems to have a preference for Schnell more than Shaid, whom he killed just for getting revived prematurely.
"Meil, he had his reasons, besides..." I groaned.
"So my son almost getting killed for your sake is just a write-off, is that it!?" Lee was the one who was truly angry though, "You're saying my boy is fighting for his life somewhere on this island, somewhere I can't even go to visit him, and the person responsible for it all is a good person to you!?"
"W-Wait, that's not what I...!"
"I agree with you two, the old man is an enemy." Showa shut everyone up with her stern voice, "But he's used the Book's powers to become immortal a long time ago. Nelly is naive to still think there's some redemption in him, but she's not stupid enough to think he doesn't deserve punishment."
"He said he wants to rid us of a curse." I added, "I don't know if he's lying, nor if he's bluffing, but it's a fact that he's been treating me and Lem with the utmost care. If he just wanted to use me to revive his friend, he could've forced me to, but he asked me multiple times if it was alright."
"And you agreed?" Lee frowned.
"He's helping me bring back Lem." I muttered, "The least I could do is return the favor."
"...Tch, you're thinking is crooked." He turned around, "Come on, screw this. You girls go back to whatever house you've been living in or whatever. Meil and I will set up a tent here."
"That's not good, you guys are gonna starve out here!" I worried.
"Heh, you kidding?" They both smirked back at us, "We've been living off the road for the entire time we were searching for you. At this point, what's a few more nights outside?"
"Meil, are you okay with this?" Showa asked.
"...I trust you two will make the correct decision." He nodded, "Whether it be to find a way to stop him or to help him get his way, Lee and I will be here with you until we can all leave this place together."
"We won't let you down." I twiddled my thumbs, "Hey, can we come visit you sometime, then?"
"Yeah, of course. Whenever you get stuck on something, feel free to consult with us." Lee said as he picked off some leaves for the roof of the tent.
"Sorry for this, Lee." I looked down, "We'll be visiting Lem soon, so I'll tell him that you're here."
"...If it'll help him wake up sooner, do whatever you want." He refused to look at me as he said that.
"Help him wake up sooner..." I muttered the words back to myself as I looked at the Book of Misfortune I tightly clenched, "I think I have an idea on how to do just that!"
