Chapter 95: [An Old Story!]
"Can you please stop staring like that?" I finally asked as my patience ran out, while I continued with the cooking. The pie was basically ready and I just needed to serve it now, though I decided to cut it into 6 pieces before giving her 3.
"How can I not? What you have said is basically absurd. Something like that shouldn\'t even exist to begin with," she spoke as she observed me. It would have looked pretty serious if not for that idiotic smile on her face.
"Well. It\'s not like there is anything of loss for you as well," I spoke as I passed on 3 pieces of pie to her. It was a bit hot, so I changed my [Energy] into [Ice Mana], before using it to cool the pie down.
"Thank you," she thanked me and then ate a piece of the pie with that same stupid smile on her face.
"Nom nom… I know that… nom nom… mmh it\'s good… but it doesn\'t seem… nom nom… ah! The perfect strawberry pie… like it is possible… nom nom… tasty-"
-Bam!
"Either eat or talk or compliment the food. Don\'t do it all at once," I stuck her head, making her look at me with an intent gaze. Looking at how she was rubbing her head with a joyous expression, it made me wonder if she was macho or something.
And thinking that I slid my chair a few steps away from her.
"You can even hit me… seriously. I guess, you really aren\'t bound by the system, huh?" She spoke as she curiously observed me for a few seconds before she looked at the pie,"ah! It\'s getting cold!" And then she began eating it once again.
I could almost bet that she was more worried about that pie than me right now.
"Are you really… nom nom… mmhh… going to connect the tutorial and the safe zone?" She spoke as she looked at me with a doubtful gaze as continued,"I don\'t think I can trust you that much, you know?"
I passed 2 of the three pieces of my pie towards her.
"Maybe I can trust you, but will it work?" Her attitude changed once again as I sighed. Well, at least it was going in a positive direction?
Though before I can decide what to say, she spoke again, this time her voice a bit more serious than before,
"All right. I will help you out. I don\'t think I have anything worth losing in what you are trying, in fact I can gain another place where I can visit from time to time."
Even though there was a smile present on her face, her eyes… They looked rather sad. Lonely a little.
"What is it? Does something bother you? It would be better if I have all your doubts cleared or else there could be unnecessary complications later. In case you have a change of heart, you know?" I spoke as I took a bite from the strawberry pie piece that I had.
She had two strawberry pies in each hand, and another one was in her mouth as she was gulping it down. Though her eyes were focused on the one that I was eating. Finishing the one in her mouth, she then spoke,
"It\'s not that. Honestly, I don\'t care much about it really. I am helping you out cause it seems fun. The worst that can happen is die, which is honestly still better in my opinion. It\'s just that… my husband. I wish he could see this beautiful world with me.
He loved the thought of adventuring but… "
She then put down the strawberry pie, while a sigh escaped her mouth. Looking at her making that expression, I couldn\'t help but get curious,
"What happened to your husband?"
"Hmmm… well, it\'s a very old story but a long time ago there was another admin of the first floor. Being the soul of the first floor, he was the only one who could see me, and perhaps he was the only one there with me. Living with him for a long time, obviously we fell in love, even got married," she spoke as she explained her story a bit.
Her eyes gazed distantly in the empty space, same as the time when I found her at the central tower.
"Then one random day, there was a system message that he was promoted to the 46th Floor. And without any warning, any words, he was just teleported to that floor. A new admin, Clair, took her place and explained a few things to me on how the Admin on that floor was imprisoned by the tower for something he did, and how the tower has promoted the First Floor\'s admin to that floor."
"I can\'t leave the first floor. And the Admins of Floor 40 to 60, can\'t go come below 40 or go above 60. Though what was worse, I heard that all his memories of me were erased, making him go insane and throwing the entire floor into chaos. That is all I know…"
A silence covered the entire area as I looked at her taking a deep sigh. I could see a couple of tears escaping her eyes, while I wondered what I should say next.
"The 46th Floor Admin, Novak. He has currently locked himself up in his castle," and a voice appeared from a distance as three people appeared within the kitchen. A man and two women that had the worst stench of that corrupted energy that I had seen up until now.
Though despite having that stench, I can sense that they were strong. Far far stronger than anyone I have met up until this point in the tower.
As I was wondering who they were, I saw Annabeth and the Admin, Balthazar, walking behind them, observing us with a saddened expression.
\'Were they listening to the story?\' I questioned as they walked closer to me and Nora. Nora had her eyes narrowed at them, a bit varied and a bit cautious. If I were to guess who they were then, probably the people from the [Corrupted Ones]? They were here faster than I thought.
\'It hasn\'t even been an hour, has it?\' I guess I underestimated them.
"You must be the Soul of the First Floor," that man spoke as he politely bowed before speaking,"I apologize for causing problems for you. As for compensation, I can tell you about your husband. I am from the 46th Floor, after all."
Though he was speaking to Nora, his eyes were peeking at me from the corner of his eyes. Even the two girls beside him were constantly gazing at me, as if I were a zoo animal or something. A mix of surprise and shock was apparent on their expression, while I simply looked at Annabeth with a question filled gaze.
"My husband? How is he?" Hearing his words, Nora\'s defense was down as a hurting look appeared on her face. She felt rather desperate as she looked at that man.
Annabeth slowly walked beside me in the meanwhile as that guy began explaining the story of her husband.
Apparently, her husband had lost his sanity due to sudden loss of memories and closed himself in his castle. The entire floor is dead with no life energy present on the floor. The 46th floor is a dead zone where nobody goes and is generally used in case of emergency gatherings such as for war.
Her husband is found to scream Nora\'s name at times, though the screams that follow that name shudders the entire floor, killing all the plants in there. Plus the energy that flows out of the castle suffocates most of the weak players, so it\'s more of an instant death for those who weren\'t strong.
"That is all that I know about him. I apologize for the lack of more information," he spoke with a sad expression, while a stream of tears trickled down Nora\'s cheeks, as she looked at that man.
A look of desperation appeared on her face as she then turned to me with hope,"hey you! Crowley! I will do it! I will help you out! will do anything you want! Can you… can you… please help my husband?
You don\'t forget about me like the others, right? Can you go tell my husband about me? Tell him that I am fine? Tell him it\'s okay? He can forget about me! Please please!
I… It… it\'s too cruel… I… Crowley… Can you please…"
And once again I saw a woman crying in front of me, breaking down, begging me. And once again, I sighed as I wondered if I should really do it. The more I avoid being the center the more things become complicated…
[I was going to ask you to save that Admin later, anyway. Though for now, it would be better for you to increase your strength. You aren\'t strong enough to handle it. Later you will not only save that admin, you can even bring him to Nora.]
I sent that message through the [Game Master System], in front of me, for everyone to see. While what I say directly would certainly have some effect, the words of a [???] contractor who can make changes to the [System] is way heavier than mine.
This way, I can avoid being the center of attention to some extent. Though before that…
"…"
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"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
I wonder how I am gonna handle the stupefied expressions of the people present here.