Mystical Fantasy : The Lazy Real Young Master [EN]

It was already four in the morning by the time Al finally returned to his room in the grand Virellano residence.

The entire mansion was quiet, wrapped in that eerie stillness that only existed before dawn. The faint hum of distant night insects was the only thing that dared to disturb the silence.

Al's body, however, felt heavier than stone. As soon as he reached the edge of his bed, he simply let himself fall onto the mattress, letting out a quiet exhale that carried both fatigue and relief.

He still had responsibilities waiting for him later that morning—he had to meet with the construction workers before they entered the area that had been cloaked under illusion wards.

Those workers, being ordinary humans, wouldn't survive the confusion of a distorted perception field unless he gave them a magical neutralizer first. That meant… there was no room for him to oversleep.

But for now, exhaustion ruled him.

His attire had already changed into something simple, a set of comfortable casual clothes that made him look like any normal young man rather than a leader of a mysterious combat organizaiton.

On his right hand, a small artifact still emitted a faint trace of light—subtle, like the dying glow of embers beneath ash.

He sat up slightly, glancing around the room to make sure no one was watching him—not even a hidden presence or surveillance spell. Once he was certain, he raised a piece of parchment before his eyes, the corners of his mouth tightening in concentration.

The fragment was about the size of an adult's palm, its texture aged and dry. Even in its worn-out state, the parchment released a faint golden shimmer, dim yet sacred in its own way.

Ancient runes written in a substance that had long turned black still managed to gleam faintly under the golden light, as if both ink and paper refused to let time erase their brilliance.

Al narrowed his eyes, studying it carefully.

"Hmm… these really are Azzaleth characters," he muttered under his breath, tracing a finger in the air above the letters. "But… older. Far older than the modern variation. Haah… too bad most of it's unreadable."

He sighed, then extended his left hand toward the parchment. A faint, transparent energy—like a ripple of liquid light—flowed from his palm, slowly trying to make contact with the mysterious artifact. Yet the moment his energy touched the parchment, something pushed back.

A brief vibration spread through the air. The parchment trembled, then released a pulse of golden energy that struck back at him. The shockwave wasn't strong enough to harm him, but it sent his arms recoiling instinctively, nearly causing him to drop the artifact.

"Tch… I see," he murmured, catching it just in time. "If that reaction's real, then this might actually be a sacred relic." His brows furrowed slightly. "But why would they be after something like this? And how in the world did they even find out about it?"

He thought for a moment, then decided to store the parchment inside his dimensional storage. It vanished with a soft ripple of light—success.

Al leaned back, mumbling to himself, his tone mixed with irony and reflection.

"My team's been too focused on social integration lately… we've probably forgotten that this world still hides countless ancient mysteries. Maybe it's time to pay attention to those as well. After all—what's the point of being accepted by the world, if that same world ends up destroyed by lunatics?"

His mind lingered briefly on that thought—the other DIAR factions, their ambitions, their methods—but fatigue soon dragged him back to the present. He let himself collapse onto the bed again, this time pulling the blanket up to his chest. There was still a bit of time to rest before morning came.

With a light snap of his fingers—click—the room's lights dimmed and vanished. Shadows stretched across the elegant furniture. Within moments, Al's eyes were closed, his breathing steady.

But then—

Scrraaatch!

A sharp, scraping sound tore through the silence.

Al's eyes snapped open instantly. His reflexes kicked in before his mind even caught up. With a swift movement, he threw the blanket aside, exposing whatever was hiding beneath it.

His pupils widened in shock.

Resting on the mattress, right where his chest had been moments ago, was a small, moving object—a crystal sphere, no larger than a human eye, rolling slightly as if it had a will of its own.

Al raised his hand, energy gathering in his palm. One strike, and he could crush it before it became a threat—

But then—

"Al! Stop!"

The voice was faint, muffled, but unmistakably human.

Al froze mid-motion. His gaze darted around the room. No one was there. The voice… came from the crystal itself.

He frowned, stepping closer, and cautiously picked up the tiny orb. "Who are you? What are you?" he demanded.

The sphere quivered in his palm, almost like a living thing. Its central core pulsed faintly, like an iris narrowing its focus.

"It's me. Don't you recognize my voice?" came the reply from inside the orb.

For a few seconds, Al just stared at it, his mind racing through familiar tones and memories until—

"Oh… you're Devy," he said finally, eyes widening slightly. "What happened to you? Why do you look like this? Did someone curse you? And why are you here, of all places?"

"Ugh, I'm not cursed," the voice grumbled. "This is one of my spells. I'm not far from where you are…"

The scene shifted.

Somewhere not too distant from the Virellano estate, atop a nearby building, Devy was sitting cross-legged, one hand covering her right eye while the other sustained the spell. Her posture was lazy, almost casual, as if she were merely relaxing rather than performing a complex ritual.

"…I was just looking for you," she said simply.

Back in Al's room, he blinked. "Looking for me?"

"Yup," Devy answered without hesitation. "Yura threw a bit of a tantrum because you didn't reply to her messages all night. Things were… let's say, chaotic because of that."

"Yura, huh? Right… I've been so busy tonight that I completely forgot to check my phone." He scratched the back of his neck. "You're with her now?"

"Nope. She's in her room. Fell asleep about an hour ago, I think—probably passed out from being angry at you," Devy said teasingly.

"So you came all the way here just to check on me? Did she tell you to do that?" Al asked again.

"Not really. She didn't order me or anything. I just… happened to drop by."

"Happened to?" Al raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound very coincidental to me."

Devy chuckled. "You should've heard the explosion in the southeast part of the city earlier. I went to take a look—it wasn't far from Atenri's residence. While I was out, I thought I might as well check on you too. Lucky for me, most of the Virellano's strong guards were away, so my spell could slip in undetected. Hehe, sorry for the intrusion."

Al sighed. "Explosion, huh? I didn't really notice… I was too caught up with something else." He released the crystal, letting it hover in the air where it floated like a tiny, glowing will-o'-wisp. "Your spell's impressive. Not easy to detect, though the form looks too real—and fragile. Can you actually see me clearly through this?"

"Not perfectly," Devy admitted. "The blue-white glare still dominates most of the view, especially with your room's lighting reflecting off the surfaces. It's kind of dazzling. But I can hear everything crystal clear."

"I see…" Al nodded slightly.

"Anyway… so you didn't really check out that explosion?" Devy continued. "It was massive—and from what I observed earlier, it looked like a group of dark-energy users were fighting against a powerful holy creature. Probably one of the DIAR factions. The battle should be intense—massive energy signatures everywhere. Definitely not something ordinary."

"Is that so?" Al replied calmly. "But I'm not really interested in that right now. What does interest me is… did you see what just happened in this room?" he asked, wanting to confirm whether Devy had witnessed what he'd just done with the artifact.

"Nope," Devy replied quickly. "I was hiding under your blanket when you came in. I did hear bits and pieces, though. Something about… an artifact, DIAR, integration—stuff like that."

"Ah, I see." Al exhaled softly. "By the way, how'd you even know this was my room?"

"I checked it yesterday morning, during all the chaos. Found it by accident," she said. "Though I also noticed a few… mysterious areas in that resident"

"Right. Well, let's just say I hope you don't make a habit of sneaking into people's private rooms from now on," Al said dryly.

"Haha, alright, alright. My bad," Devy replied, her laughter light. "I won't do it again. Anyway, everything seems fine now. Just… make sure you reply to Yura's messages, okay? She'll definitely need your help soon."

"Yeah, yeah. Got it," Al muttered, sounding mildly exasperated.

"Good. Then I'll be off," Devy said, preparing to deactivate her spell.

Before the spell could completely fade away, Al suddenly spoke up.

"Wait!" he called out.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Devy's voice sounded slightly startled from the crystal orb.

"There's something I want to ask before you leave."

"Oh? What is it?"

Al fell silent for a few seconds, his expression thoughtful as he tried to form the right words. Then finally, he asked—or rather, inquired carefully.

"You've been wandering for quite a long time as a DIAR, haven't you? You must have met all kinds of people—some of them probably quite knowledgeable. Do you happen to know anything about an artifact that looks like… an ancient piece of parchment?"

Devy paused, as if recalling distant fragments of memory.

"I think I might've heard something like that before. Are you talking about the legend of the fragments of the Holy Scripture?"

"Holy Scripture?" Al repeated with a curious tone. "You mean the one carried by the Last Covenant?"

"The Last Covenant? What's that?" Devy asked, genuinely confused.

"Ah, never mind. It's fine if you don't know. So, what do you mean by the legend of the Holy Scripture's fragments?"

Devy exhaled lightly, her voice softening as she spoke, almost as if recounting a story she'd heard long ago.

"I don't remember all the details clearly, but the person who once guided me—someone with deep knowledge about the world's forgotten history—told me a little about it. About a great war that took place long ago. A war that spanned across dimensions, so vast that it reshaped everything we know. After that war ended, the world was never the same again."

Al nodded, while Devy continued,

"He said peace only returned because of a sacred scripture—some kind of divine tome that governed both dimensions, keeping the balance between them. That 'holy book' became the foundation of order itself."

Al's brows furrowed. So it's true then… that war was real. This must be connected to that scripture, he thought silently.

Devy continued, her tone carrying a faint hint of melancholy.

"Unfortunately, human greed is a curse that never truly disappears. Peace became dull to them, like a song played too often. People grew restless, corrupted by their own desires. The scripture—once a living guide of order—became nothing more than a ceremonial relic, a symbol of authority displayed by rulers who no longer followed its wisdom."

Then her expression shifted—turning sharp and focused.

"Eventually, a dark faction rose and stole the uncorruptible tome, believing that if they possessed it, they could become kings of both dimensions—and overthrow the rulers who had long claimed divine right to lead."

"What happened next?" Al asked, his interest clearly piqued.

"A war erupted—an all-out war between two great factions," Devy explained slowly. "One side was the rebels who had stolen the scripture, calling for revolution and a new world order. The other was the old kingdom, claiming divine protection and the promise of eternal rule. They believed that only their lineage had the right to govern the world until its end."

"And how did it end?" Al pressed further.

Devy let out a small laugh, embarrassed. "Honestly, I don't remember the ending very clearly. I was half asleep when it was told to me. Haha."

"But if I recall correctly, seven ancient sorcerers—often called the Elemental Heroes—decided to intervene. They shattered the Holy Scripture into several fragments and scattered them across the world so that no one could ever claim it entirely."

And with a long, steady exhale, she brought the legendary tale to an end.

"From then on, the world fell into an endless race: whoever could reunite the fragments would hold the right to rule all existence. But… to me, it's just a legend—something passed down from thousands of years ago."

Al nodded slowly, analyzing the information. There were still so many uncertainties, too many pieces that didn't quite fit yet—but his instincts told him that the ancient parchment he possessed was indeed one of those fragments. And if that was true… then the other DIAR factions must already know about it too.

No wonder Axis was so desperate to obtain it. The legend perfectly aligned with her ideals—revolution, domination, and the dream of becoming the sole ruler of the world. This is going to be interesting, Al thought, his expression unreadable.

"I see," he finally replied. "Sorry for troubling you, that's all I wanted to ask."

Devy chuckled lightly. "What's with the sudden curiosity though? Why bring up something that old out of nowhere?"

"I'm… not sure," Al admitted, his gaze distant. "I can't explain it yet. But I have a feeling I'll need your help soon—and when that time comes, I'll tell you everything once I've confirmed it."

"Hmm, alright then," Devy said softly. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. And sorry for disturbing your night—or, well, your morning, haha."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the information," Al replied.

With that, the crystal orb shimmered faintly before dissolving into thin air, leaving only a faint trace of cold energy lingering in the room.

Al stared at the residual glow that slowly dissipated, then leaned back against his bed once more.

"Fragments of a legendary scripture… Elemental Heroes… world rulers… a war that shaped the world." He exhaled slowly. "There's still so much out there that even my faction doesn't know. This world is far vaster—and far stranger—than any of us could imagine."

He sighed, rubbing his temple tiredly. "Huff… if that scripture really has the power to make someone the ruler of the world, then Axis will be almost impossible to stop. But… can she even use it? That thing clearly rejects dark energy."

Al pondered deeply, his thoughts swirling in countless directions. But fatigue was already blurring his focus.

"Ugh… my head's spinning. Whatever. I'll deal with it later."

He grumbled, pulling the blanket over himself again.

And with that, the long and exhausting night finally came to an end—for the world's laziest genius.

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