A few of the plants, bushes, vines, and trees rustled as if someone was shaking and pulling them.

“Oh, right! It would help me a lot if I could confirm having talked to a real person face-to-face!”

Micah belatedly realized that Pride could just tell them to bugger off without giving them a chance to meet. So, he hurried to give a reason to make sure Pride allowed them inside.

Micah wasn’t sure if Pride had actually been about to use the plants to relay a message of some kind. But the plants stopped moving for a few moments after his shout. And then, after a minute or so, the plants began shaking again.

Micah forced his face to remain neutral as the plants withdrew and moved to the side to create a path leading from the front gate to the mansion in all its ivy-covered glory.

Micah had been in Hell for a little while by now and had seen multiple people recover after getting their necks snapped. He even had a flying eyeball accompanying him. But it was the first time he saw something that was more akin to magic than the mysteries of the afterlife.

A forest moving on its own and creating a path was also a lot more flashy than people’s bodies getting surrounded by fog and then returning to exactly look like they had looked before they died again.

Micah looked on with both awe and shock as the forest fully retreated and revealed a neat stone path. However, he didn’t let it show on his face since that would be unprofessional.

But Micah didn’t only look on in awe. He was also scrutinizing the plants and their movements as much as he could in the short time they moved.

Baldas had already told him that Pride’s ability was to manipulate plants. But Pride was supposed to be powerless, or at least extremely weak compared to his prime. Yet, he still managed to clear a path through the forest surrounding his mansion in only a few moments. He probably had a home-field advantage since he had set up the plants a while ago and on his property.

However, if Micah was going to enter Pride’s Mansion, he wanted to get an idea of what Pride was capable of and what he could do with his plants, especially if his anti-introvert idea flopped.

Unfortunately, based on how deftly the plants moved, Micah didn’t think there was anything the current him could do against Pride. Fortunately, Micah didn’t have any plans of engaging in hostilities with Pride. If anything, he wanted the exact opposite. His First Task was to get Pride back on his feet, after all. It would be easier to do that if he were on friendly terms with the person.

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“Ahem. The gate is still closed.”

But before he could begin getting acquainted with Pride, he first had to enter the mansion.

Shortly after Micah pointed out that the gate was still closed, it swung open with a creaking sound. It wasn’t rusty. It just hadn’t been used in a long while, and despite the magic of Pride and Hell suffusing it, it still showed.

Micah picked up Baldas’ jaw that the eyeball demon had dropped to the floor, despite not having one.

“H-how…?”

Baldas looked between Pride’s Mansion and Micah, his eye wide as a saucer.

“I’ll explain later. Now, can you keep it together, or do you want to stay here?”

Baldas plastered an expression of forced composure on his face and accepted the jaw Micah picked up for him.

“I’m your assistant and guide. Of course, I’m coming with you.”

“Okay. But I’m chucking you out of this place as soon as you do something stupid.”

“Please do.”

Baldas accepted Micah’s promise with a nod as he looked from side to side as the two walked on the path toward Pride’s Mansion. The Mansion itself was just as clad in plants as the estate had been, but the building’s charm wasn’t hidden by the plants. The opposite, actually. The mostly green plants created a nice contrast with the dark grey roof and the white walls. Micah couldn’t tell what materials the house was made from, but it looked impressive.

Micah and Baldas admired Pride’s house for a few steps before they turned around due to a sudden rustling sound.

Micah and Baldas were startled by the sudden closing of the gate and the plants that swept in behind them to seal the way out. But they were only startled because it was so sudden. They didn’t have any intentions of leaving until they talked to Pride, and Pride most likely closed the path because he didn’t want anyone else to sneak inside or because he was more comfortable with it like that.

Micah didn’t think Pride wanted to keep them there forever, so after confirming that the plants kept their distance from him and Baldas, he just turned around and continued walking toward the house.

Baldas was a little careful and made sure to stay as close to the center of the path as possible. It earned him a slightly judgemental look from Micah, which helped him calm down and not treat the plants, trees, and vines as bloodthirsty monsters aiming for his body. But Baldas still clung tightly to Micah and made sure the plants were at a safe distance all the way to the house.

And then, before long, the wrench-carrying Micah and the slightly restless Baldas arrived at the doorstep of Pride’s Mansion. Well, one of them, at least.

The mansion had a large double-door entrance in the middle as well as a smaller, single-door entrance more to the side.

Usually, the double door would obviously be the official entrance and the one Micah should have used. However, it was partially covered in ivy. It did look as if it could still be opened with ease, especially if Pride was the one to open it since they had their plant manipulation ability.

However, the single-door entrance showed signs of use, so that one was evidently the one Pride used regularly.

Micah walked up to the door and knocked. He and Baldas heard someone unlock the door and grab the handle close to directly after Micah’s knock.