We were walking across the sand again, the desert wind smacking me in the face like it hated me personally. My neck cracked as I stretched it, and I couldn't resist bugging everyone the way only I could.
"So," I said with the confidence of someone who absolutely didn't have a plan, "how many Eremites are we punching today? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Don't hold back on me. I need numbers. I can't wait to use my new secret punch technique. Greg taught it to me."
Greg, the smug little reptile, perched on my head like a crown jewel, tail swishing lazily as if to say, Yes. I trained this idiot personally. He looked proud. Too proud.
Nilou tilted her head with a worried smile. "You… really shouldn't be so excited about fighting, Shigeru."
I gasped like she had just told me Santa wasn't real. "Nilou. Please. This isn't fighting. This is art. The art of punching. Greg's school of martial nonsense."
Greg flicked his tongue like he was blessing my words. Master Greg-sensei.
Alhaitham pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and muttered, "Why am I here…"
Lumine's hand twitched like she was one sentence away from punching me into the Abyss. Nilou, bless her pure heart, quickly grabbed her arm. "Calm down, Lumine. He's just… being himself."
"That's the problem," Lumine said flatly. Her eyes sharpened like blades and I suddenly wondered if she practiced stabbing techniques in her free time.
Paimon had already flown ahead, arms crossed, pretending she didn't know us. Classic gremlin behavior. "Don't drag Paimon into your nonsense!" she yelled without looking back.
I raised a finger. "Correction. Greg is the one teaching nonsense. I'm merely the vessel."
Greg flicked his tongue again. Traitor.
We walked a bit more in silence—well, they tried for silence. I hummed dramatically like a marching song. "Da-da-da-dum! Today we conquer the desert! Or at least annoy it to death."
Nilou covered her mouth to giggle. Lumine groaned. Paimon muttered something about losing brain cells.
We eventually reached the Eremite base, and standing there were a bunch of people looking like they'd been waiting for us forever.
"Ah, they're here," Alhaitham said, like we were late even though we weren't.
"Huh? What are they doing here!?" Paimon gasped, floating in circles.
"I gave them some technical work to do," Alhaitham replied smoothly, adjusting his gloves. Man always had to look like he was preparing for a debate.
One of the Scholar turned, a man I assumed was named Morghi since he gave off strong 'side character with a speaking role' energy. "Oh? It's the Scribe… and is that the Traveler I see?"
Alhaitham wasted no time. "How's the work going?"
"Ah, yes!" Morghi beamed. "We have fixed the devices according to your instructions. One is ready for use, while the others are still under repair."
Paimon gasped again, pointing dramatically. "Aren't those devices for Canned Knowledge extraction? What are you doing with those!?"
Alhaitham turned to Lumine, ignoring the panic in Paimon's voice. "Look here."
"Wait wait wait," Paimon waved her tiny arms. "M-More Canned Knowledge!? Are you going to put more weird stuff into Lumine's head again!?"
Alhaitham stared at her. "What's that look on your face? Are you scared?"
"Paimon is a little scared, but also very, very furious!" she snapped.
"Hmm. An interesting response," Alhaitham said, completely unfazed.
I crossed my arms. "And here I thought I was the only one with interesting responses. My thunder's being stolen."
Nilou smiled gently. "Don't worry, Shigeru. No one could steal your thunder… it's too loud."
"See? She gets it." I puffed out my chest proudly.
Greg smacked my forehead with his tail. Instant betrayal.
"Anyway," Alhaitham continued, ignoring me as usual, "we're not going to use this just yet. As I mentioned during the meeting, this knowledge capsule contains a decree I drew up in the past. The Akademiya should also have their own copy. And according to the plan we just came up with—"
I raised my hand, interrupting him. "Hold on. So we're in an Eremite base, right?"
Alhaitham gave me the driest nod in history. "Correct."
"And that's an Eremite right there." I pointed directly at a random Eremite soldier, who looked confused like he wasn't paid enough to be in this conversation.
"That is also correct."
I clapped my hands together. "Yet we're not punching him. Why?"
Lumine facepalmed so hard I swear the sound echoed across the desert. She reached for her sword, murder in her eyes. "Nilou. Let me go for one second. Just one."
Nilou held her back like she was restraining a divine beast. "Now, now, Lumine. Calm down. It's fine. He's just being… Shigeru."
"Let me hurt that idiot for a bit!" Lumine growled, trying to push forward.
"Whoa, whoa, blondie, calm down!" I yelped, backing up with my hands raised. "Goddess, hold that thing tightly! She's feral!"
Greg raised both claws in surrender like he was saying I wash my hands of this fool.
Alhaitham sighed, completely deadpan. "You don't have to punch something all the time, you idiot. This is serious."
"Okay, okay, geez," I said, putting my hands up in surrender. "I almost lost my life there."
Nilou finally managed to soothe Lumine, though my so-called partner still glared at me. Her glare said, Take this seriously, or I'll smother you with a pillow in your sleep.
That gave me chills. Greg tightened his grip on my hair, clearly agreeing with Lumine's unspoken threat. My life was in danger, and not from Dottore or the Akademiya. From my own girlfriend.
***
We were still standing around the Eremite base, my brain stuck on the fact that Lumine almost ended my entire bloodline five minutes ago. The Goddess had defused the situation, but I could still feel the danger radiating off my girlfriend. One wrong word from me and boom—instant obituary. Cause of death? Being myself.
Nilou glanced at me nervously, whispering, "You should probably keep quiet for a while, Shigeru…"
"Impossible," I whispered back, clutching my chest like a tragic poet. "Silence would only make me louder inside."
Greg slapped his tail against my cheek. Translation: shut up.
Alhaitham, clearly noticing that I was a hair's breadth away from getting murdered, finally cut in with his very professional, very bicep-heavy voice. "Alright. Anyway, Traveler. I want you to record something into this capsule."
Lumine blinked. "Huh? Me?"
I threw both hands up. "Wait wait wait, what about me? Don't I get to record something? I've got wisdom, man. Pearls of wisdom. Nuggets of brilliance. Nuggets of chicken too, but that's beside the point."
Paimon floated down, arms crossed. "Chicken nuggets aren't wisdom!"
"They are when you're hungry enough," I shot back.
Alhaitham didn't even look at me. He just deadpanned, "Shut up for a minute, you idiot."
Greg flicked his tongue at me from my shoulder. Traitor number two. He actually looked like he agreed with muscle-boy.
Alhaitham turned back to Lumine. "Do you believe we can save Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Lumine's eyes hardened like steel. She nodded firmly. "Yes, I do. What I may lack in faith, I'll make up with my actions."
I whistled dramatically. "That's my blondie right there! Someone write that on a motivational poster. Goddess, did you hear that? Pure gold."
Nilou clapped her hands with a bright smile. "She's so cool!"
Lumine turned slightly pink, which I noted for later teasing material. I puffed my chest. "See, that's my girlfriend. Meanwhile, I once said 'I believe in Greg,' and everyone laughed at me."
Greg tilted his head smugly, like as they should.
Alhaitham ignored my suffering and gave a small approving nod. "Good. Conviction is the most important part of all of this. Now, please get ready, and put on this device."
Paimon wobbled closer, frowning. "Wait, wait, you want us to record our conviction into the knowledge capsule?"
"Yes," Alhaitham said simply.
Paimon flailed her tiny arms. "Paimon is still really worried about this…!"
"I understand. But trust me, Paimon, this is something we have to do. It's best if you can do as I say," Alhaitham replied, calm as ever. "Because to achieve this impossible task, you'll need to fool your own heart first. Although it may feel like a trick, self-encouragement may be the most important tool we have."
Nilou tilted her head thoughtfully. "Fooling your own heart… That sounds strange, but also kind of beautiful."
Paimon tapped her chin. "Hmm… Paimon can kinda see the point you're making, but it still sounds weird."
"I'm ready," Lumine said, adjusting the device without hesitation.
I waved wildly. "Wait, wait, she's ready already? At least let me give her a pep talk first! 'You got this, babe. Remember, if the device explodes, just think of happy memories. Like me. And Greg. And Nilou. But mostly me. And maybe Paimon too.'"
"Hey!" Paimon yelped.
Greg slapped his tail against my head like, don't drag me into your nonsense.
Alhaitham gestured like he was conducting an orchestra. "Please imagine this: We have orchestrated our plan and successfully rescued Lesser Lord Kusanali. As a result, we have changed Sumeru's entire political landscape. Everything went without a hitch, and everyone recognizes and praises our achievements."
I leaned toward Nilou. "So basically, imagine we're famous. Easy for me. I already am in my head."
Greg rolled his eyes. Yes, a lizard rolled his eyes. He's that done with me.
Lumine closed her eyes, calm and focused. "Sure… Okay."
"Now," Alhaitham said, "open your eyes. Here."
He handed her a note. Lumine took it and read aloud, her voice steady, though I swear half those words sounded like ancient curses.
I narrowed my eyes. "What the heck is she saying? Is she cursing me? If my hair falls out tomorrow, I'm blaming you, Alhaitham."
Nilou giggled. "No, no, it sounds very… powerful. Like a prayer."
Alhaitham shot me a look so sharp it nearly shaved my eyebrows off. His eyes basically said, If you don't shut up, I will personally shove all this canned knowledge down your throat.
"Geez, fine, I'm shutting up," I muttered, throwing my hands up. "Calm your biceps down."
When Lumine finished reading, the capsule glowed faintly. Alhaitham nodded once. "It's done."
Lumine opened her eyes again, blinking. "What a fascinating experience…"
Paimon zipped around her like a tiny doctor. "Is your head okay? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine," Lumine reassured.
Alhaitham adjusted his gloves. "It's just a recording. There should be no negative effects."
Paimon tilted her head. "But… what was the point of doing this? Paimon doesn't get it…"
"That's perfectly fine," Alhaitham said. "In any case, these capsules aren't meant to be used by you."
"Wait, what!?" Paimon gasped. "What do you mean!?"
"Have you forgotten?" Alhaitham explained. "Our plan needs to account for those who have long relied on the Akasha. You may find it hard to believe, but for those people, everything the Akasha transmits is nothing short of absolute truth."
Nilou's brows furrowed. "That sounds so… restricting."
"Imagine," Alhaitham continued, "that you've been using a device like the Akasha since birth. It has always supported you in times of need. After all that time, what do you think you'd become?"
Paimon puffed up her cheeks. "Uh… A fool? A machine?"
Alhaitham's gaze sharpened. "A slave to orders."
That made Nilou's shoulders tense. Even Lumine frowned.
"And that's why rules are so important," Alhaitham added. "In addition, those who understand the rules can delineate boundaries, and identify gray areas."
"Why would you need to identify the gray areas?" Paimon asked, clearly lost.
"Because those ambiguous zones can be very interesting. One might even say advantageous, in the right hands…" Alhaitham's voice dipped lower, thoughtful.
I squinted. "Wow, buddy. That was deep. I didn't understand a word of it. Gray areas? The only gray area I know is when Greg steals food and pretends he didn't. Right, Greg?"
Greg licked his eyeball. Useless lizard.
Paimon groaned. "The things you're interested in are all really out there… Are all Sumeru scholars like this?"
"Anyway," Alhaitham cut off, "that's enough chitchat. I'm going to take those two to work on some small projects. You can head to Caravan Ribat and start preparing for the next step."
"Small projects?" Paimon echoed.
Alhaitham was already walking away. "We are going to tinker with the Akasha Terminal and make a few modifications."
I raised both hands proudly. "Hey, don't you want to copy mine as well? I'm fabulous, you know. Pure conviction right here."
Lumine smacked me on the head so fast I didn't even see her hand move. Nilou didn't even stop her this time. In fact, she laughed softly and said, "You kind of deserved that one, Shigeru."
Greg wagged his tail in agreement. Betrayed on all sides. Again.
_____________
End of Chapter 135
Quests Completed:
*Successfully record Lumine's determination into a Knowledge Capsule.
*Resist the overwhelming urge to punch an Eremite in their own base.
*Nilou prevents Lumine from ending Shigeru's bloodline for the third time this week.
* Argue that chicken nuggets qualify as wisdom. (Result: Rejected by literally everyone except Greg.)
*Accidentally boost morale by existing as comic relief.
*Unlock the legendary Greg-approved Secret Punch Technique. Success rate unknown.
Rewards:
*+1 Canned Conviction Capsule (Lumine-flavored)
*+500 Nilou Giggle Points (caused by Shigeru nonsense)
*+3 Lumine Murder Attempts (unlocked new passive: Pillow Smother Threat)
*+200 Paimon Exasperation EXP (level up pending)
*+Greg's Silent Judgment Stare (duration: permanent)
*+1 New Keyword Learned: "Gray Areas" (definition: things Shigeru will never understand)
*+2 Imaginary Wisdom Nuggets (Chicken, extra crispy)
*+1 Brain Cell Lost (from standing near Alhaitham too long)
*+5 Affection Points (Nilou) – awarded for sheer survivability despite being dumb
*Temporary Buff: "Still Breathing After Lumine's Elbow"