I woke up the next morning to meet Gruzhnil again. He had told me last night to see him in his office this morning. Was he going to discuss the events that defied reason from yesterday Honestly, even if he asked me for an explanation, I would not be able to say much because everything had happened beyond my understanding.
I was escorted by an officer to his office. Grelmure greeted me and Gruzhnil was also there. He said he wanted to speak directly with Hellraider and that he had already asked for permission last night to visit his residence today. He had only nodded.
The three of us headed to Hellraider's residence. Ever since the incident where he began to understand our words, I truly felt a significant change in him. I remembered how, in the beginning, he always threatened me physically. But it seemed this was the turning point for Hellraider to understand my words just before we shook hands. Could I truly guide Hellraider's journey toward a better ending? I could only remain optimistic about that.
We arrived at his residence, and Gruzhnil knocked on the front door. Hellraider opened it, looked at us briefly, then turned around and walked back inside. We took that as permission to enter. Hellraider sat at the dining table, and we followed, sitting around it. I noticed the interior of his house was more or less the same as my old house near the colosseum. On the wall near the door hung the spear and sword that he often practiced with in the front yard. As I remembered from the gameplay, Hellraider did have a special residence filled with various weapons and technological tools used to modify and assemble them.
Gruzhnil began speaking about the encounter of Greslan near the forest yesterday. He said it was an extraordinary event that occurred roughly once every 200 years. As I already knew before, Greslan was primordial being of this planet, granted directly by the Archangel Marsiel. He was the ancestor of the Groth. However, what deeply confused Gruzhnil was why Greslan had appeared before people who did not carry the bloodline of Grivendal founders.
According to belief and tradition, if a descendant ever met Greslan directly, then that person was worthy to become the next ruler of the empire. No one could falsely claim to have met him just to seize the throne. If they did, they would fall ill and die. He was revered because it was believed he could hear everyone across the planet. Even Emperor Gregustus was said to have never met him directly.
Gruzhnil continued that the peak of the strangeness was when Hellraider had growled at Greslan and he retreated into the forest after it. Greslan would never attack anyone; he only tested the mental strength and spirit of those who managed to encounter him directly. Gruzhnil, Glynpatra, and Grelmure agreed to keep this incident secret from the other high officials.
I would never be able to understand why Greslan suddenly appeared or how Hellraider managed to drive him away. Gruzhnil did not seem to have the courage to ask him directly. I even thought it would be ironic if Greslan had intended to 'choose' Grelmure, who was not a noble, only to be scolded by Hellraider instead.
Gruzhnil then conveyed directly to Hellraider the key points from yesterday's meeting, in case he had not fully understood them at the time. He also apologized to both of us for our faces being displayed so clearly on the large screen. Hellraider then rose from his seat while staring at Gruzhnil.
"I want to speak with you in private..." He said flatly. Gruzhnil simply smiled and followed him to the back.
"What do you think they're talking about, Sir Grelmure?" I asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps it's related to the upcoming expedition plans. Sir Hellraider must have a specific request,"
That was likely true. Hellraider seemed unwilling for us to know his intentions after he began to understand the language here. I didn't feel belittled by what he did. He still had his own desires that I didn't need to force myself to know.
Suddenly Grelmure's wrist device beeped. He took something like an earphone from his pocket and adjusted his wrist device. It seemed he was receiving a call. I saw Grelmure smiled while listening before ending the call.
"Weeelll… you're quite lucky to have a special guest at headquarters right nooowww!" Grelmure teased.
Huh… who else would want to meet me now??? I worried it might even be Emperor Gregustus wanting to see me personally. But if that were true, surely he would not need to come all the way to headquarters—he could simply summon me to the palace again. Once again, I felt reluctant to ask who it was, since Grelmure seemed intent on surprising me. Ah… that rascal, already comfortable enough to joke with me. After a while, Gruzhnil and Hellraider returned to the table.
"Come, let's head back to headquarters. That's enough for our little meeting today!"
The three of us left Hellraider's house. On the way, I again felt hesitant to ask Gruzhnil what Hellraider had said in private.
"Ahh, you must be very curious about that, right Johann? It wasn't anything personal. He simply wants to go to the weapons production building to choose his own weapon. I take it he agrees to join the expedition to the realm of terror," Gruzhnil smiled.
Ohh… My prediction had been correct! Could it be that Hellraider could not access his previous weapons like he did in hell, so he wanted to create new ones here? I felt our path was aligning with the gameplay.
After we arrived at headquarters, Grelmure and I got off. Gruzhnil went on to escort Hellraider to the weapons production building. Grelmure hurried to take me to meet the special guest who had come. The guest wished to meet in a private room. When I entered, I was once again shocked by who wanted to see me. It was Princess Glynpatra.
I remembered she had said she wanted to meet me again—but this soon? What did Glynpatra want now? Why did I again suspect she would ask about Hellraider?
Grelmure left us alone in the room. Fortunately, part of the wall was glass, revealing the lounge area outside. Glynpatra apologized for arranging the meeting so soon. Then she asked me to tell her about my origins. How many times had I retold the story from the beginning of the tragedy until now? Still, I was happy to share, following my rule not to reveal my personal matters or anything related to The Mayhem. She listened enthusiastically to the version I had carefully polished.
"So you didn't know Sir Hellraider before? What happened to you is indeed very strange..."
I nodded. I felt she was beginning to steer the conversation toward Hellraider.
"You have only been with him for a few days, right? Do you know what activities he engages in or what he likes?"
Ahhh… I knew she would ask that.
"Princess Glynpatra, honestly, during my time here, I have not interacted much with Sir Hellraider because he is a very closed-off person and strongly resists conversation. But recently I've noticed he likes observing scenery alone, has interest in weaponry and often trains with them," I replied.
"Hmm… quite interesting, and it seems to align with the story you just told," Glynpatra responded.
I felt relieved that she didn't press further about her curiosity regarding Hellraider.
Glynpatra then spoke about her personal life. As the only child of Emperor Gregustus, she was being prepared to become the first female emperor with full authority in Grivendal's history.
However, she said this was met with negative views and pressure from certain noble families and high officials suspected of being a hidden opposition. She believed they still adhered to a patriarchal system. She also said that although the Grivendal Empire appeared stable from the outside, political turmoil had persisted for quite some time since her father's reign began. It stemmed from an action taken by him that caused widespread controversy.
"Will you promise to keep this story to yourself, Johann?" Princess Glynpatra asked seriously.
"I promise, Princess," I replied. I wondered how many people had entrusted me with secrets.
Why did it feel like so much about the game's lore was hidden from me?