Wish 26: Tension?

[ I rule the virtues as the Pride of absolute sovereignty... ]

[ From within the great chaos... I have chosen you! ]

Haah!!

Huff.. huff!

I woke up from my sleep due to a powerful sound echoing in my head suddenly!

I couldn't move for several seconds after waking up...

As if there were massive mountains above me!

In recent days, I haven't been able to sleep due to these noises...

In fact, I haven't had a proper sleep for 6 months.

And that's for several reasons...

Firstly, I started the investigation about the nobles in this empire...

Initially, after I witnessed it, I thought it was just a few individuals, but...

After a 6-month investigation, I discovered much more than that.

These nobles have gone out of control!

This leaves me with one thing to do to make my final decision...

And that is to visit the Emperor tomorrow.

Haah...

I'm exhausted... very much...

The second thing that has kept me awake in the past few months is this voice that echoes in my 

mind...

I heard this voice once before when I heard the Black Wish order...

And this confirmed my suspicions that I still have the Black Wish, but not as a skill...

Rather as a power!

This is strange in itself; this power is similar to the Virtue of Pride permissions that I acquired...

Yet, this former one seems to be something beyond my control...

Or one might say... It's the one controlling me!

And as an example of that, when that furious virtue killed me, I returned back in time.

Haah...

So many things are happening to me that I no longer understand...

But I feel that the key to understanding everything lies in becoming a Virtue...

So, let's see what my final decision will be regarding this empire!

...

"Master Tell! Oh... are you training again?"

This little one, she seems to have become active these days after I taught her various skills...

And she managed to find a way to continuously increase her mana.

"Tomorrow we're going to the Imperial Palace, so prepare yourself. We'll leave from here tonight. In the meantime, I'll try to discover more about this mysterious energy..."

Kugssa looked at me with sadness.

"But, Master, aren't you pushing yourself too much? I mean, look at how many times you lose control 

of your true appearance."

By mentioning that...

It seems I'm gradually losing control over my own mana for a strange reason...

The more I discover about this mysterious energy, the more I lose control...

But I can't stop!

It's like being addicted to something and not being able to stop using it.

Also, this energy somewhat resembles the energy that comes from the void that absorbs despair 

within me.

Initially, this energy seemed strange to me, but as I've come to understand it, I feel more connected to 

it...

Strange!

"Um... alright, Master. I'll go prepare myself..."

I guess I need to stop here for today, my mental strength is low due to the impossibility of sleep.

Let's take a quick bath before leaving.

...

Haah...

This is comfortable...

When was the last time I took a bath?

I remembered!

"It's been a while since I summoned you, Loner!"

I forgot about him due to my long preoccupations...

Even though he accompanied me during the most difficult times...

"Oh, now you remember me, you fool!"

Hey...?

Can he talk now?!!

No, he's communicating with me telepathically...

Since when did he learn this?

'I learned it while you were having fun and forgot about me."

Oh... 

Now I have another one who can read my thoughts.

"I apologize. I've been through very bad situations lately."

"Then?"

What does he mean by 'then'??

"I want to ask you about something... Just what are you? Even though I created you, I can't understand you or your nature."

Loner started fluttering in the air and then flew around the place several times...

"I don't know... I can't understand my nature either..."

Well, if he knew, that would be strange...

What's even stranger is that I don't know his nature despite creating him.

"So, my fool master, when are you leaving for the palace?"

We'll leave as soon as I'm done with my bath...

[ Axis of the universe... I beseech you to transform first and ease the fate of the miserable... ]

Ugh...

That voice again!

But... this time an image appeared in my mind!

Was that me?

And in my hands...

Am I holding a world?!!

"Are you alright, Master? You lost control of your appearance again."

"Wait... before this, how do you know what's happening to me when I haven't summoned you before?"

He came in front of me and fluttered again.

"We share the same consciousness, Master. So, some of your memories reach me when I'm asleep as well."

Then he perched on my shoulder.

"That's not important, Master. Do you love wings to this extent?"

What does he mean...

I struggled to look at my back and saw another wing...

Just what is happening to my body?

Each time that voice similar to the Black Wish's comes to me, a new wing grows...

And when I return to my true black appearance, mana butterflies start to appear around me...

These wings resemble the wings of fairies...

Is this a coincidence?

Well... I have something more important to do now. I'll look into this matter later...

"Kugssa! Hand me a towel quickly."

"Coming, Master!"

'Use magic to dry yourself you fool master'

"Alright, let's go meet this Emperor!"

Once again... I wished I had paid more attention to what I considered petty, even just a little...

If I had done that...

I wouldn't have repeated this mistake again!