Everyone simply fell silent and looked at one another after hearing David's statement.
"A-Alright, My Lord. Tell us what we should do right now..." Glynpatra said.
"I have to find my replacement first."
Glynpatra and Gruzhnil looked confused about how they could replace someone who was similar to David in both appearance and personality.
"Forgive me, but it seems almost impossible to find someone similar to Lord David..." Gruzhnil said.
The light from Mendicore's disc then shone brighter and immediately turned toward Sherubiel.
"You once said that you had created a human clone before using a strand of hair, didn't you? Do you still remember how to do it from your time in High Heaven?"
Gruzhnil and Glynpatra looked at Sherubiel with expressions of disbelief. They had never imagined that the sweet angelic girl was capable of doing something like that.
"I-I still remember how. But the problem is that my laboratory there has already been sealed off or perhaps even destroyed by the other angel authorities. I don't think I can do it using the technology that exists here..."
Everyone became confused about what other method they could take. Suddenly, David walked over to Sherubiel.
"Are you sure you've never experimented elsewhere before?"
"Eh... Ah! I just remembered, Lord David! I actually did conduct experiments before in a place hidden from High Heaven's surveillance. My very first experimental equipment is still there. But... I don't know whether Mendicore can create a portal to that place."
"I'll help you, Sherubiel! I'll try to find the signal from a higher altitude!"
David then pulled out several strands of his hair and handed them to Sherubiel.
"Carry out your task well!"
"Y-Yes, My Lord..." Sherubiel accepted it.
"Perhaps I should inform you first, My Lord. The human clone created by Sherubiel is still far from being considered perfect. An ordinary human clone only has a lifespan of about five years. I don't know how long a clone of Lord David would live." Mendicore explained.
"That's more than enough..." David slightly smiled.
Sherubiel said goodbye to the others and left together with Mendicore through its portal. Now only the three of them remained.
"L-Lord David, are you going to leave your family forever??? What if they become heartbroken because you leave them before they do??? We only need you to restore Grivendal and find Johann!" Glynpatra became emotional.
"Princess! Please calm yourself! We must follow what Lord David has said!" Gruzhnil patted her shoulder.
"Do you think restoring your empire and finding Johann can be done in just a day or two??? I also have a wife who is pregnant with my second child..."
Glynpatra immediately blushed in embarrassment and apologized to David.
"Then what comes next, My Lord?" Gruzhnil asked.
"You two wait beside my house near the garage..." David opened the basement door.
David then took several sets of his own clothes and some of Dianne's from the dressing room. After that, he went to his car, and the three of them departed. Glynpatra and Gruzhnil were still confused about where they were going.
"You two stay at a motel for just one day while looking for a place to live as I put together this strategy." David said while driving. The two of them simply nodded.
After arriving at one of the motels, David asked them to change into different clothes first in hidden place. Fortunately, the atmosphere in the midnight was already very quiet, so they were not too worried because of their unusual appearance compared to the people here. They went to the receptionist, and David had already booked one room with two beds. He also gave them some spending money since they had not brought anything with them.
"Where's your other man? Didn't he come here?"
"Oh... you mean Grelmure, My Lord? I ordered him to become the temporary leader in Grivendal. At first, only me, Grelmure, Sherubiel and Mendicore who were going to come here. But the Princess insisted on coming along. I told her who would govern Grivendal if all of us came here. In the end, Grelmure decided to remain there." Gruzhnil smiled as he glanced at Glynpatra. She responded with a pouting look.
"Alright. I'll come back tomorrow afternoon. Don't attract too much attention!" David went outside.
"Thank you very much for your help, Great Lord David. We will obey your command." Glynpatra bowed his head.
The next morning, David went to work as usual. Dianne had asked where her husband had gone in midnight. David said that he had only wanted to look for a late-night snack. He told her that starting today and from now on, he would often come home late because he had to investigate the aurora. He had already asked the maid to stay at the house to help Dianne and Darla.
After returning from work, David went straight to the motel again. As he entered, he noticed that the two of them looked rather unusual. Gruzhnil looked exhausted, dressed like a construction worker, while Glynpatra was wearing the uniform of a waiter. Mendicore had apparently already returned as well. They immediately stood up when David appeared at the door.
"What did you all do today???" he frowned.
"Ohhh Lord David, you will surely be surprised by our story today! Uncle Gruzhnil and I were looking for breakfast in the city this morning. While passing a building construction site, uncle suddenly ran into the area and ended up saving a worker from a pile of cement that was about to collapse onto him. The foreman thanked him, and after seeing uncle's physique, he offered him a job there to help with the construction. I immediately told Uncle to accept it, and he started working that very day." Glynpatra giggled as she looked at Gruzhnil. He only let out a deep sigh.
Glynpatra explained that when she returned to buy breakfast at a food truck near the construction site, many people immediately looked at her with admiration. The owner of the food truck approached her and asked whether Glynpatra wanted to help as the cashier. She immediately accepted because it was a good opportunity, and she also started working that very day.
"Princess and commander do stand out from most of the people here, My Lord. They said they didn't want to keep depending on Lord David's money..." Mendicore said. David looked at them while letting out another sigh.
"Very well. Just don't get carried away! Remember our main objective! Now let's move to an apartment!"
They checked out of the motel and drove into the city to look for a suitable apartment. Glynpatra happened to notice an apartment near her workplace. When they arrived, the apartment looked simple but neat and clean. They immediately agreed to stay there temporarily, and once again David paid the rent. Glynpatra thanked him once again. They all immediately began discussing what David would do from now on.
He took out his work laptop, and together they watched a complete storyline of The Mayhem videos. Glynpatra and Gruzhnil stared in astonishment, unable to believe that they themselves appeared in one of the game's cutscenes. The events that happened in the game were actually different from what they had experienced.
"Johann must have already known this storyline beforehand. But it seems that back then he was just as shocked as we are now when most of the events in that game actually didn't happen. I never imagined that he kept all of that knowledge to himself, My Lord!" Mendicore said. David merely nodded.
After they finished watching the entire storyline of that game, they had dinner together first and then continued by watching a documentary about how The Mayhem was originally created, the studio behind it, and the developers who made it. They all felt that something was very strange because those developers had created them without ever meeting them in person.
"My journey with Johann from High Heaven to the Primordial Plane will most likely appear in the final installment that is about to be released. If we want to save him, then we must change its ending." David said.
"Y-You mean we have to meet those developers and ask them to change it before the game is released? But will they really be willing to grant your request, My Lord?" Gruzhnil asked.
"I won't beg. I'll force them to change it."
"W-Wait a moment, Lord David. I'm only worried that this will make it harder for us to find Johann if the ending you want doesn't match the previous storyline. As far as I know, reality will change completely if something suddenly disrupts its fundamental principles." Mendicore said. Gruzhnil and Glynpatra became confused.
David stared sharply at Mendicore. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
"If you don't like it, then find Johann in your own way!"
Mendicore immediately apologized to David repeatedly and insisted that it still wanted to follow him. David then explained the plan he would carry out the following afternoon. He had already requested permission to work only half a day and would pick up Gruzhnil and Glynpatra if they were still at work.
"Tonight, you investigate the entire studio building. If possible, find out information about their activities tomorrow. Our target is the head of the game's development team..." David said to Mendicore.
"Can you obscure people's memories of our appearance?" he asked again.
"I-I'll do my best to use that ability, My Lord..." Mendicore replied.
"They probably won't know Johann. But this is the only way for us to set everything right!" David brought the meeting that day to an end.