Vol 16 Prologue (1/2)

Prologue: The Hermit's Awakening

The pair of icy cold eyes opened.

The stiffly closed lips parted. A breath flowed slowly. The soft sound became an airflow, making the air vibrant.

”Nina has left the plan. What's going on?”

The sound making the vibrant was low and heavy. A male's voice. The voice sounded dry like an eraser rubbing against something. Perhaps it had been a long time since he last spoke.

”That's an event difficult to judge,” a female's delicate voice replied. ”Zuellni obviously wants to act independently.”

”In this kind of situation, a mere Electronic Fairy? Though the environment you arranged for her is very special......”

”It's still hard to decide if such an arrogant action should be stopped.”

The slightly opened eyes widened, capturing the voice of that owner. It was a very beautiful half-bird, half human. The Electronic Fairy living in Senou City. She was the mother of all electronic fairies, Schneibel.

It was obvious that the type was different. The light Schneibel exuded seemed to be swallowing its surrounding darkness, but there was nothing in the depth of that darkness. It simply existed in this dimension.

Except the voice of the owner whose eyes were closed.

He was like a man carved from stones. There wasn't any redundant muscle. Each piece of muscle was smooth as if it was polished. He looked like an elder, but his skin was in contradiction. It even seemed to be bouncing off Schneibel's light. However, his hair was white, the same as his beard. The gaze from the slightly opened eyes was intense and sharp, as if another life was in this body.

A very strange old man.

As if he was some furniture. Just like a delicately carved piece of wood.

”She doesn't trust you.”

”Is that so?”

Schneibel looked fl.u.s.tered at the old man's words, and then a bitter smiled appeared on the old man's face. Wrinkles not of a human's showed up on the corner of the mouth. The dry voice broke.

”Let me ask you. What have you seen in that child?”

Moisture slowly seeped through that voice. The change was low-key, but the voice was strong.

”I don't know. I don't understand what she's thinking.”

”Fu..........”

The owner of the voice squinted, a smile through the eyes.

”As if that child is in her rebellious phase.”