Shadow Slave

It was still very early in the morning, so the streets of Bastion were mostly empty. However, someone had already come to the Brilliant Emporium.

As the door opened, a melodious sound spread through the interior of the Marvelous Mimic. There was a beautiful silver bell affixed above the door, its soft and pleasing ringing welcoming the entering customers.

Of course, it was the Sonorous Silver Bell.

Sunny looked up from what he was doing, then wiped his hands on his apron and left the kitchen. There was an elderly gentleman standing at the door, dressed in a patchy enchanted robe. He had messy grey hair, absentminded eyes, and a pair of bushy eyebrows that seemed to have a life of their own.

Sunny suppressed a smile.

"Awakened Julius. You are here early."

The old man looked at him and smiled politely.

"Ah, Master Sunless! Well, I am a night owl. Plus, you know what they say, the early bird gets the worm. Wait... I am mixing metaphors..."

He hesitated for a moment, then coughed.

"Sorry. I seem to remember that you dislike birds. In any case, it is nice to see you on this pleasant morning."

Sunny nodded.

"Likewise. The usual?"

As the old man assumed his favorite spot near the window, Sunny returned to the kitchen. There, he went about making coffee for his former teacher, while at the same time preparing a light breakfast.

are running low on coffee beans, indeed. I'll have to

hot chocolate were Sunny's selling point. That was because he exclusively used the pure water from the Endless Spring

essence into the stove and placed the cezve on the fire. The

Spring off the shelf, poured water into the cezve, and placed it back on the fire. Ideally, he should have been

Then, Sunny opened the icebox and took

the best attempt to imitate the luxurious refrigerator he had greatly enjoyed owning in the past. In fact, it was more of a large cabinet than a box, made out of natural wood instead of synthwood. So, in a sense, it

door of the cabinet

pan with the other, Sunny mixed the eggs while slowly blending

omelette to set, then effortlessly flipped and folded it, finally adding some mushrooms, vegetables, and ham. Well... monster

on a tray, Sunny glanced at Aiko, who was still going over the books, and left the kitchen

at the book the old man was reading. Its cover was hidden by a leather jacket,

Report on

the nobody in question,

though he had lost credit for his previous academic papers, it seemed like a shame to just leave all the knowledge he had accumulated in the Third Nightmare go to waste. So, even knowing that it would

and everything he discovered in the Estuary to himself, though, concentrating on the

better left unsaid, but also because some knowledge was simply too dangerous to share. There were very few people in the world who could withstand a mere mention of the Forgotten God, anyway, while many could be harmed by being exposed

redacted parts, his report had caused a furor in

had caused a furor in some

the

the Nightmare of the Tomb of Ariel, after all. And since none of them was the author of the report... then who the hell was? And how did that person know so much about

by nobody, was under a lot of scrutiny. Which was why even a respected professor like Teacher Julius chose to hide its cover under a jacket and read it in the Dream Realm, as opposed to on

coffee, he got distracted

smell! Ah, I've been looking forward to

pointed