39. Zou’s Master Plan [1]

Ariel and Neel were sitting on a Japanese 'tatami'. With a cushion on it, Ariel folded her legs and sat down, while Neel followed the same.

Ariel poured some hot water inside two cups and prepared some green tea for both of them.

"So, Neel. Tell me everything that has happened to you, I am all ears."

With a gentle and alluring smile on her face. Ariel said.

"Thank you for having me miss. Ariel. However, you haven't told me anything about this place or yourself. So please stop treating me like a child and answer my questions as well."

Neel frowned.

All the time they were walking, Neel asked Ariel numerous questions to which Ariel answered none.

"Fine~ Then let me take the lead in this conversation, but before that let's have the tea, shall we?"

Saying this Ariel sipped her tea. although Neel doubted the tea, he decided to trust Ariel.

Sip- sip-

"So Miss. Ariel what place is this?"

Neel took the lead.

"Hmm… This is my master's domain, and is called Soul World."

Ariel answered.

"Oh… then are you a soul?"

This question startled Ariel, she did not expect Neel to ask such an obvious question.

"When you spanked me, didn't you feel me? If I were a soul, would you have been able to touch?"

She pouted and stated the most embarrassing thing without knowing it.

However, the realization hit her immediately when she thought about what she spoke!

But Neel was the master at changing subjects so he did not let Ariel overthink.

"But then why is this world called as soul world?"

"Ohh… because except for me, my master, and a few individuals, all the living beings you saw, heard, and feel were souls. Although you cannot touch them, you can sense their presence."

"Ok… fine. Then my next question. Why I was teleported here?"

Neel asked Ariel.

"Hm? Don't you think, you should ask 'how I was teleported here?'"

Ariel asked.

"No, because I knew I will be teleported, but that slip did not have any other information."

Neel answered and continued.

"You see, Miss. Ariel, I was given these three things and a task. After which I was supposed to get my reward. However, this slip directed me to use teleportation and I am here, in front of you right now."

Neel did not want those typical clichés where the MC and the side character keep arguing back and forth just to solve some minor issues.

So he decided to tell Ariel everything.

He retrieved all three items, that is the bottle of Potion of determination, the black box with the doll, and the slip.

Ariel who saw this had a dumbfounded expression.

She had used a medicine so that Neel would tell her all the truth when asked, however, Neel just got straight to the point. Her expectations of the back and forth arguments were just thrown in the trash.

But this feeling did not last long as soon a deadly silence fell in the room.

Ariel was looking at the three objects with eyes, as wide as a potato.

She was dumbstruck.

"H-how…?"

This was all that she was able to say.

"What do you mean 'how'?"

Neel was confused at her question.

"Hehe… you completed this task, is what you want to say?"

She asked Neel.

"Yes, although it was troublesome I did it."

"You mean to say, you t-took mythical rank potion and completed this?"

"Why are you making me repeat?"

"…"

Ariel just stared at Neel.

"Do you by any chance know what you have done?"

"What do you mean? Get to the point."

"Well you see, the thing is…."

***

"Master Agatha, how have you been?"

An old man with a long white beard bowed ninety degrees and asked.

"Oh, Zou! You finally came huh? I am doing great, as you can see. But looking at you it feels like you are on the verge of death."

A girl, looking like in her mid-twenties, having orange-red hair flowing to the floor, thin eyebrows, a small nose, and orange-red eyes noticed Zou enter her palace and greeted him.

As she descended the staircase her hourglass-like figure moved with a rhythm.

Noticing Zou's wet eyes she continued.

"Ohh come on Old man! Don't behave like a child now."

Holding back her tears Agatha tried to calm Zou.

"M-master."

Zou clapped his hands and knelt.

This was the only person who freed him from the darkness. This was the only person in the world he respected the most.

Agatha belonged to one of the four major powers in the entire world.

She left her family to accompany a friend of hers on a journey.

In that whole journey, because of her, Zou was also able to roam the entire universe and take part in their adventure. Setting himself free from her family.

He swore his loyalty to her only because of this reason. That she helped him to get free from that cage.

"You are here, that means my legacy is passed on huh?"

Snapping him out of his gratitude was Agatha's sad voice.

She thought that she was finally free from a burden. A burden she carried all the time in her entire adventure.

But she was happy that someone else was now the heir of her legacy.

"That… is why I am here master, to tell you something."

Zou tried to cover himself.

"Hm?"

Agatha raised her brow as she realized that Zou was hiding something.

"Spill the beans Zou, what did you do with my legacy?"

She asked.

"No one was capable enough to get your legacy, master."

Zou said while lowering his head.

"Then why you are here?"

Agatha became furious. A few seconds ago she wanted to give her legacy a ceremonial send-off. And now Zou dared to not complete his last given task.

"P-please listen to me, master."

Zou did not wait for her reply and continued.

"I visited hundreds of planets, and then found a perfect one, called Hestia. As I sensed strong cultivators, there I decided to wait for someone capable. However, to my disappointment, no one was able to complete the basic requirement and find me."

"That's why I decided to leave. However, then came a young man! Not only did he pass the trial, but he also had this unfathomable aura around him! When I tried to gauge his prowess, I was met with someone that reminded me of Lord Parshurama, from one of our adventures. He had this same dreadful and merciless demeanor and there were one hundred…"

Zou continued to tell his encounter with Neel.

After half an hour or so, Zou was sweating profoundly.

He was describing his meeting with the 'sixth' in the best possible way.

After telling everything he felt at that time, he continued.

"That is why I felt like giving him the impossible challenge."

At this moment, however, Agatha who was massaging her temples looked at Zou with a contempt gaze.

"You don't mean it, right? You didn't give him 'that' challenge just to satisfy your revenge, did you?"

Agatha asked as she thought about Neel's condition.

"Zou! Speak!"

To her raised voice Zou shuddered.

"I-i… thought that being should not exists, so y-yes m-master."

Zou said while putting his gaze down.

"You Asshole!!!"