I Hate Systems

"It's me!" Compass Carburettor said upon entering the cave, noticing the two servants relax a bit. Though, they still had their guards up, unable to clearly differentiate whether he was a friend or foe now.

'Cooperation is basically impossible now.' He sighed, 'It's unfortunate. They are tremendously skilled to the extent they can manage and execute anything I think of.'

But, a seed of doubt had already sprouted in them. Beyond this, it was just a question of how long their allied relationship could last before falling apart. So, he might as well sink the bridge and become the dog that bites the hand that fed it.

The very air Compass Carburettor carried with him caused the two servants trepidation. Even though each of them was strong enough to mop the entire Dungeon with him, a sense of fear had set in them somehow.

If needed, they were able to easily kill Compass Carburettor. But, the same could not be said about the Grogars. If Duchess faced them in her Grogar form, then death was their only option. They might be able to prolong their life to a certain extent, but that was it.

After all, considering the toughness of the chitin armour covering Duchess, the most their high-quality energy blades could do was inflict her with scratches and surface-level injuries. And, this was in the case she stood without attacking.

But, Duchess would be moving forth with all her momentum, relying on her vast supply of Darlac to move without becoming tired. So, not to mention injuring her, it was a question of how long they could last against her before death.

And, Duchess had behaved subserviently to Compass Carburettor. They had laid witness to the scene. So, the servants didn't dare harm him, still hopeful that he hadn't entirely changed or decided to kill them.

'It's unfortunate.' Compass Carburettor sighed, saying with a casual tone, acting like his usual self, "Do you know about Spirits?"

"Of course, though we haven't ever seen them. And, the continent they were said to hail from is somewhere too far beyond our reach." Caithy controlled her nerves, trying her best to speak in her usual tone. "Spirits are simply written off as legends in our records as all we have ever heard about them are rumours."

Considering their training, she was able to perfectly mask her emotions. Fealta too was the same. If not for the fact that Compass Carburettor was able to sense their Mental Energy streams, the two servants would appear in his eyes like they were taking a casual stroll through the cave.

Everything they felt or expressed was only in their minds. Their outward appearance was that of two humans that had everything in their control, casual in their visit of the place.

"And, what do you think now?" Compass Carburettor said casually, "You've been with me for quite some time already."

The moment he said his piece, the atmosphere within the cave plummeted as the feeling of tension could be visibly pronounced in the air. The facial expressions of Fealta and Caithy had changed for the first time, paling as they were visibly shaken.

"Of course," Compass Carburettor scratched his cheek, saying in a tone that tried to guilt-trip the other party, "I never lied."

Caithy shuddered, thinking of everything Compass Carburettor had said in the recent days, looking at him as she stammered a bit, "Night…Spirit?"

"Well, you could say that." He laughed, "I mean, wasn't it strange that I suddenly appeared in the palace without alerting any guard?"

"Then, did you infiltrate the palace for…" Fealta said, trying to dig out the reason for his schemes when she saw the other party shake his head.

"As I've told you," Compass Carburettor said, "I haven't lied to date. But, I wasn't telling the entire truth either."

Sighing, he spoke, "Plottopia is the name of the place we Spirits originate from. And, one of them plotted against me, teleporting me into the palace."

He then detailed further, "The reason I am after Regriel is precisely due to the fact that he is obtaining help from a Spirit. This is an internal dispute that I hope to solve."

"But, going against him is dangerous, tremendously so. Thankfully, your Queen is mysteriously capable of sensing this danger. That's why she asked the two of you to accompany me and help me retrieve General Artica." He finished speaking, watching the two servants frown in thought.

Finally, Caithy decided to get into the truth of the matter, "Then, what do you need from us? There should be a reason you've decided to tell us this, right?"

"Yep," Compass Carburettor nodded, giving them one of the symbols they had manufactured, "I need the two of you to gaze at this symbol and try to exhibit as much loyalty as possible for at least a second in time."

"And, why do you need that…?" Fealta asked.

"Once you do that, you'll be unable to divulge any information to Regriel. This is a precaution that I must take since the two of you know too much." Compass Carburettor said solemnly, "If you don't do that, I'll have to ask the two of you to remain in this Dungeon until this matter is dealt with. Of course, everything you need would be provided by the Grogars."

"Fine," Caithy said in response, causing Fealta to look at her in shock.

"It…can be a trap." Fealta whispered to her, "If we fall for it, then we would be doomed."

"True," Caithy nodded, glaring as she then whispered, "But, if we don't do so, we'll be making an enemy out of him, a Spirit. And, you've seen the capabilities of the Grogars under him. They can turn into humans. If they infiltrate our kingdom and turn into monsters to butcher everyone overnight, what will you do? After killing to their limit in their monster form, they can readily return to their human form and avert any suspicion."

"We cannot afford to make such a mistake. If we have to fall into a trap or die, it's better than making an enemy out of him." Caithy said, sighing, "We never had an initiative in this, to begin with. Our situation is passively dependent on his mood."

"If it ends with just our lives, then it's…for the best." Fealta resolved herself, gazing at Compass Carburettor as she said boldly, "We'll do it!"

Author's Note: November Mass Release Quota

For every 10 GT (Golden Ticket): 1 Bonus Chapter would be released

[Major Gifts Extra Releases]

Gift (Castle): 2

Gift (Spacecraft): 5