Healing System

As Meph's words landed in his mind, the illusion vanished, the mana scattering into the air.

'It looks like he has a serious side to him too.' Michael applauded inwardly. From what he had seen of Meph, he had expected him to be some sort of trickster, one who did not pay the surrounding people any mind, only acting as he wished.

Yet he was able to discern his serious tone, meaning that he understood the weight of the questions Michael would be asking.

Without wasting any more time, he made his way down to the castle, arriving in front of a single window, situated at the topmost room. It was also where the red dot was currently located.

As he approached the window, he found it already open, and without hesitation, he went inside.

Michael furrowed his brows at the size of the room. It could fit two whole houses inside it, yet it barely had any furniture. Just a single king-sized bed, a fancy long table and simple comfy chairs for meals. Lastly a desk on which sat a lone laptop.

That was where Meph currently was, idly sitting by the laptop and scrolling through some information before turning his gaze to Michael. Find your next adventure on empire

His appearance was a little different. The body was Zane's, but the eyes were Meph's. They were as piercingly ominous as ever; even looking into those crimson eyes made Michael's head ache.

"Welcome to my humble abode... or something. Sit wherever you'd like. The servants will bring the snacks in a moment," Meph said in a bored tone without even turning around, still scrolling through the websites.

Michael had a little time to kill, so he decided to indulge in this moment of peace. It would not be wise to aggravate Meph either; he could not win in a fight against him.

'...Or could I?'

No. While he can't read your thoughts, he can just turn you into a vegetable. You would need to be much stronger if you want to resist true mind-altering magic.

A shiver ran down his spine at the system's words, and he decided to simply sit down and wait for the snacks to arrive. The questions could definitely be postponed for a moment.

He walked up to the table he had noticed earlier and sat down on the chair, waiting patiently while also trying to sneak a peek at what Meph was doing on the laptop.

But upon seeing the contents of the information he was reading, Michael nearly fell out of his chair.

'He's reading a "How to Run a Kingdom for Dummies 101" digital book...? Seriously?' He tried his hardest not to laugh, even using mana to force his lips shut.

Pft... Yeah, it's a good book. I might have you read similar ones in the future to fill up your empty mind.

'If I'm free, then sure.' Michael shrugged off the insult and suddenly remembered something.

Stretching his hand above his head, he grasped the halo and immediately transferred 30% of his total mana into it. He had been doing this every time his mana reached 100%.

The system said the halo did not have a limit to how much mana it could hold. Therefore, he used it as some sort of life-saving artifact.

Even the previous situation he found himself in could have been avoided had he been actively giving the halo mana. At the very least, the system could have interfered.

Stop dawdling on that. Also, the food is here.

Just as the system's words fell, the door suddenly swung open, and a massive tray, almost the size of the entire table before him, entered. It carried all sorts of dishes, ranging from exotic to gourmet.

However, the one he was most interested in was the pizza. It looked like it had some gold sprinkled onto it and some other stuff he had never tried before.

Meph finally got off his laptop and thanked the servants before sending them out and sitting beside Michael at the table.

"Eat whatever you'd like. I can guarantee the quality of the food here," Meph stated, and then, with a wink, added, "I personally designed half of these recipes."

"Why not become a chef instead?" Michael remarked with a small chuckle while grabbing the pizza and, without waiting further, biting into it.

Meph thought for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I wish. All this city lord stuff is getting a bit tiring."

"Someone like you isn't bound to such a position, no? You can just switch places with a servant, just like you did with Zane," Michael asked, pizza in hand.

"Sure, but I've been having fun..." Meph said before adding, "I planned on staying here for only a tad bit and then heading back to my original home. However, the allure of this place made me stay. It made me feel normal."

Michael listened in silence before replying, "I see... I'm glad things are working out for you. I, myself, am planning to leave."

Meph stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Ask your questions."

"Just a moment..." Michael said and stuffed the remainder of the pizza into his mouth; it was delicious.

Get ahold of yourself. The food in the other world is much better than here.

'I was starving... Give me a moment.'

You don't even need food to survive; just use mana.

Michael ignored the system, and after a few moments, he was finally done. Wiping away the sauce from his mouth, he spoke, "The person, Reinhardt—can you tell me more about him?"

However, as the words left his mouth, the room suddenly turned chilly. It seemed like Michael had hit a nerve, but it only meant he was asking the right questions.

Meph blankly looked at him before answering in a slightly distorted voice, "So that is his name, huh. I see..." He fell silent for a moment.

But just as Michael began feeling uneasy, Meph spoke up again.

"He is a man I fought back in my homeland a long time ago. He took over my territory and banished me down here." His voice grew more distorted as he spoke.

"He had the gall to use someone precious to me in order to seal me. If I ever find him again, I will feed his soul to a hellhound." A tinge of hatred followed by sorrow was present in his tone.

Michael listened on, and in the moment of silence, he added, "Have you heard of the Evangelists? He is a part of that group."

Meph froze for a moment before staring directly into his eyes. "Evangelists? You mean that ragtag group that had nothing going for them?"

'Hmm?' He tilted his head in confusion; they were anything but a ragtag group. Their influence was present in many worlds.

"Look, Meph, I'm not sure how long ago you first saw them. However, they're a real threat now, and the person you're looking for is a part of that same group," Michael added.

All the while, Meph sat with a sour expression, seemingly finding it hard to believe.

In the next moment, his eyes lit up with an ominous red aura as he spoke, "Are you lying to me?"

Michael was about to answer, but he found it impossible, as if his whole body had been frozen in place, including his thoughts.

His mind swirled for a mere moment before returning to normal. He once again regained control.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

'Did he just mind-control me?' Michael asked the system with a frown.

He was seeking the specific memory of that instance, the memory where you found out Reinhardt was a part of the Evangelists. Hence why I did not interrupt—no need to waste precious mana on stuff like this.

Michael felt relieved but also cautious. All Meph did was say a single sentence, and it completely rendered him immobile.

'So that's what mind mages can do, huh...' Michael thought and glanced at him; his expression was one of utter shock yet clarity.

The two once again made eye contact, Meph's red eyes were filled with determination as he spoke,

"Tell me more."