“Is this a joke?”

“No?”

“Oh, I see! The second page has a way to hide information, right?”

“No.”

“Then, illusion?”

“No.”

“Mister Micah Witherom. This is a serious matter.”

“I know.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“If you’re going to blame anyone, blame yourself. I think it’s your fault my ability looks like this.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. You had trouble awakening my ability. You even collapsed afterward. So, isn’t it fully possible that something went wrong?”

Baldas immediately lost his cocky and sarcastic attitude as he nervously sank into thought and pondered on what Micah said.

“W-well, when you put it that way….”

“Right? That’s what I thought at first as well.”

“It does look like it might be partially related to the forceful awakening. But I assure you, I did my best to ensure the procedure’s success- Wait, you said ‘at first’?”

“Yeah. The message that I got from the system said that it would help me control and master my ability. Isn’t it reasonable to assume that my book only has one page because I’m not proficient enough at my ability?”

“Pfft- Puahah!”

Micah didn’t know why his words suddenly got Baldas to burst out in laughter, but he was instantly displeased by Baldas’ unprofessional attitude.

“Ha! You’re such a fucking hoot, Micah. Where did you even get that idea from, the dumpster?! Haha!”

Baldas continued laughing while mocking Micah, and the frown on Micah’s face deepened even further.

But since Baldas was so caught up in laughter, he missed Micah’s hands and was swiftly captured by Micah’s steely grip.

“I wonder how to tell your superiors that you perished performing your duty. Do you think they’ll miss you?”

Micah growled the words as he began folding Baldas’ wings and pushing them together as he bent down and placed Baldas in the hole.

“H-hey. I-I’m sorry, alright? I went too far! Please don’t bury me again!”

Baldas finally realized what position he was in and hurried to apologize. But Micah didn’t stop, and he held down Baldas with one hand while he began shoveling down the dirt whit his other.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Are you apologizing to save yourself or because you are sorry?”

“To save my- No! Because I’m sorry! Micah, I didn’t mean to laugh at you! You know me, I’m a nice guy. I don’t say mean stuff. And if I do, it’s by accident. Come on, man. After everything we’ve been through, are you really going to be like this?”

“Yes.”

Micah didn’t even flinch as he responded. Baldas was forced to close his eye due to the dirt that poured down.

“W-wait, if you bury me like this, who’s going to guide you through Hell? Who’s going to help you restore balance? You need me, Micah!”

“I’ll manage.”

“Ugh!”

Micah’s answer to Baldas’ attempt at trying to convince Micah to spare him was so cold that it made Baldas groan in heartache.

Eventually, Baldas was so covered in dirt that his voice grew muffled, and Micah could begin letting go since Baldas couldn’t leave the pit on his own.

Micah sighed in relief.

“Who knew getting rid of pests could be so soothing?”

Micah stretched and looked up at the red sky for a few moments.

He brushed away the dirt covering Baldas’ body and picked up the teary-eyed Baldas with one hand.

“Are you going to behave?”

“You meanie!”

Micah just sighed and began putting down Baldas again, uncaring about his wildly flapping wings.

“W-wait, wait! I’ll behave! I’ll be a good boy from now on!”

“Promise?”

“Promise!”

“Alright.”

“Really?”

Instead of answering, Micah just stopped pinching the top of Baldas’ eye.

“Haha! Sucker! You’ll never save Hell if you’re this naive! You should thank me for teaching you this lesson!”

Baldas began spouting nonsense as soon as he felt Micah’s fingers release him. Baldas flapped his wings like a madman as he tried to fly away from Micah. He tried to, but he didn’t succeed.

After letting go of Baldas’ main body, Micah immediately grabbed one of his wings and held on tight. By the time Baldas noticed, it was already too late. He had already said too much.

“W-w-wait! J-joke! It was just a joke! I didn’t mean any harm!”

“Of course not.”

Micah smiled so deeply that his eyes were nothing but slits. And Baldas fooled himself into thinking that he had successfully convinced Mich to forgive him.

“This, too, is just a joke. Don’t take any offense, please.”

Unfortunately, Micah’s words shattered Baldas’ hastily made illusion.

Without waiting for Baldas to plead for his life again, Micah once again buried him in the pit.

Baldas’ muffled pleading went unheard for several minutes. And then, after a short while of tranquil silence, Micah looked at the mound of dirt that was Baldas’ grave. He poked the mound. And without Micah even digging, Baldas still started spewing lines upon lines of gratitude and apologies.

But after poking the grave so that Baldas felt it, Micah retracted his hand and continued his sky-gazing. He didn’t have any urgent business that he desperately needed to attend to. There were things he could do instead of tormenting Baldas. But did he want to do them? No.

Who knew when the next opportunity to relax would come? Micah wasn’t so foolish as to waste such a precious moment of silence. And the fact that it came at the cost of Baldas’ suffering felt like a cherry on top to Micah. He even considered closing his eyes again and taking another nap. But he didn’t need it, and it was more a sign that he was bored rather than tired.

That meant Baldas had probably suffered enough. With a sigh, prompted by the thought of hearing Baldas’ voice again, Micah began digging up Baldas again. At first, Baldas thought Micah was tricking him again. But when light spilled through the ground, and Baldas sensed Micah’s hands, he cheered in freedom as he screamed a thank you to Micah before trying to fly away.

However, Micah caught him before he could get anywhere.

“Tell me! Are you the Devil’s child?!”