We took a quick look around in the junkyard and found a couch and a chair that looked good enough to use during our talk. They were sitting in difficult positions, but I found this situation a good opportunity to try the [Levitation] Null Spell I learned earlier. Since how much I could move depended on the Strength's rank in my Innate Status, I had no problem lifting the furniture off their difficult positions and setting them on the ground next to us. Though I had to do it one at a time, Ren got ecstatic as she watched me, at least according to her tail's erratic movements. Ume and Sue, meanwhile, only shrugged, not too surprised I was able to do this.

Once I leveled the furniture decently, I cast [Clean] to make them less gross to sit on. The difference before and after the spell was like night and day. They looked like new furniture that got into unfortunate wreckages after I was done. With that, I sat on the couch with Ume and Ren sitting on each side of me, while Sue took the chair across from us. The cushions were quite worn out as I was almost sinking to the very bottom, but it would have to do.

After we were settled in, I cast [Soundproof] to keep our conversation private, "Now, before we go any further, there is something you must know, Ren. I admit that this is something Ume, my familiars, and I have been keeping from the rest of the party, but it looked like you were catching onto our secret. Let me first apologize for keeping this from you and the others." I then bowed my head to my Werewolf slave with guilt.

"... I had a feeling that something was going on," Ren said, "I wanted to believe you're keeping quiet for a good reason, Master, but I couldn't help but get worried."

For the sake of both our comforts, I lightly petted Ren's head, "I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Ren. After taking deep consideration and getting some second opinions, though, I decided to fill you in on what's going on. What I'm about to reveal, however, is very important. I need you to promise me that you won't say this to any of the others in the party until further notice, and that even after hearing this truth, you'll stay calm and won't take reckless action unless I say so."

"... Wouldn't it be simpler to change the Command level in your slave settings?" Ren asked while tilting her head in confusion, "Even at its lowest setting, while I still have freedom to move and voice my opinion, I couldn't go against many orders you'd give me."

I nodded in understanding, "That may be true, but as your Master, as your Alpha Male, I don't want to force you into something you don't want to. I want to put my trust into you not as a slave, but as my mate, my ally. I'm limiting the number of people who know this secret not only to reduce chances of this being leaked, but to avoid the others being targeted to extract that information. Not many would even think of confronting me or Ume after they know our powers, but I couldn't say the same for the others in our party. I'm entrusting this secret to you because I believe you have the strength to carry the burden that comes with it. Does that make sense?"

Ren looked down in thought for a moment before coming back up and nodding to me, "I understand, Master. I'm honored to know you have so much faith in me, and I won't let you down. I'm ready to learn this secret whenever you are."

With that confirmation, using Nyra's assistance, I implanted the memories of my times with Sue into Ren's mind, mainly the interrogation and our agreement from earlier. It was the fastest way to get everything out there in a short amount of time. The process only took a couple seconds.

When I was done, Ren's eyes widened before turning to Sue with disbelief, "Y-You … did that to Master and Nyra … why?"

Sue sighed, "I honestly wanted to avoid it, if I could, but I needed to see my mission through. I'm sorry for deceiving you and everyone else, Ren."

"That isn't the point!" Ren yelled in anger, surprising me, "Was everything up to now a lie?! Being Master's fan, getting close to him, all so you take him to the Demon King?!"

"Of course, not," Sue answered, keeping calm while resting a hand on her large bosom, "I do want to help Jinma see Her Highness, and I like to think I'm a fan of his, too. Heck, the Demon King has also grown a liking to him after hearing his exploits."

"... Lies," Ren said with a shaky breath, "I don't care what my [Intuition] says, what you're saying right now has to be a lie."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Sue asked, looking curious.

"What kind of person says they like someone and then messes with their heads after that, huh?!" Ren yelled, "Do you have any idea how much pain you've made to my master, to Nyra, who were both taking a liking to you?!"

Sue's expression was blank, but her grips on the arms of her chair were very strong. I think they even pierced through the fabric as she dug her fingers into them. 

I'm not liking where this is going.

"I'm not talking about their heads, either!" Ren continued, "Their hearts, their souls, the pain of learning someone you know is not who you think they are, you have no idea what that feeling is really like! The Demon King is no better if she even gave you permission to do that! Hell, she has no idea what she's doing as a ruler if she allows people's minds to be abused like this!"

"Ren," I said calmly, trying to stop her, but she didn't listen.

"I don't agree with what Chaos Barrage is doing, but maybe the Demon King should step down, because anyone, even Master, would be a better Demon King than she is at this point!" Ren continued, "The Demon King may be trying to bring the three territories together, but she doesn't know the first thing about trust if she can't even release her fucking name to her own people!"

"That's enough, Ren!" I yelled while jumping in front of her, arms spread wide as I faced Sue.

Whether I know the controversy or not, Ren's outburst would surely be taken as an offensive against royalty. I don't know how strong Sue really is, or how much privilege she has to kill anyone under the Demon King's name. If Sue's loyal enough to her king, Ren's execution for her offense could be taken place right here in the junkyard. I had to get in between them and act as a shield because this fake Arch Imp was tasked to keep me alive until I got to the Demon King. I had to use this chance to defend Ren, and should the worse-case happen, I'll have to hope Sue doesn't have anything that would pierce through my stupidly high defenses.

"I know this may be taken as a high offense, but Ren's only emotional after experiencing that influx of memories I put into her," I reasoned calmly, "I'll make sure she calms down, and as her master, I will take responsibility for her outburst. I'll bear whatever punishment is necessary, but please, Sue, spare Ren's life!"

Sue sat there blinking, dumbstruck, trying to absorb what was happening in front of her, "... Oh, right. Jinma, please stand down. I won't harm Ren."

It was my turn to be surprised, "... Ren's off the hook?"

"She has done nothing wrong, and neither have you," Sue calmly explained while shaking her head, "It was shocking and gutsy of her to speak up like that, yes, but I understand her anger. I won't condemn her or you for something like that."

I was stiff while standing in place, still holding my pose. I wasn't sure if Sue was going to suddenly go back on her word if I moved.

<I think she means it, Jinma,> Nyra said, reading my thoughts, <I don't sense a hint of anger in her throughout Ren's whole speech.>

<You're sure about that?> I asked.

<On the contrary. Though she's putting up a calm face, she's experiencing great levels of guilt, anxiety, and self-doubt right now,> Nyra explained.

I blinked in surprise, <... Wait, self-doubt? You're sure on that?>

<All the doubt Sue's feeling right now is directed at herself, yes.>

That doesn't make sense. 

Ren was mostly spouting how bad the Demon King is. Doubting your own head of government would make more sense after coming across some sensitive information they don't want you to know. Could Sue be doubting herself over something else?

Before I could think further, a pair of claws touching my shoulders made me jump in surprise. I immediately found out they belonged to my Dragon wife.

"I think it's okay to relax for now, Jin," Ume said, "I've seen how she behaved back at Noire's cottage while you were gone. I don't think she's the kind that would go back on her word over something like this. Ren, I hope you realize things could have gone worse if you spoke anymore than you already have. Be mindful of how they could affect the people around you in the future."

"I … didn't realize until it was too late. I'm sorry for putting you in danger like that, Master," Ren whimpered behind me.

I turned around and saw her wolf ears folded while her tail curled around her. 

I sighed in relief and petted Ren's head, "I get you're mad for me, and I appreciate the gesture, but this conflict falls between me, Sue, and the Demon King. It’s not my strong suit, but I'm going to try and settle this with them diplomatically. All I ask is that you keep what you've learned today to yourself from the others until it's over. In the meantime, I might ask you to watch over Sue when it's needed. Are you okay with that, Ren?"

Ren nodded firmly, "I understand, Master. I won't let you down."

With that settled, we all took our seats again before Sue spoke, "If I may, the Demon King is fully aware of the fault and inconvenience she's caused to Jinma and Nyra. She's given me the mission of escorting you all to her castle and providing whatever help I can. Her Highness will also make sure she'll make it up to you all for the trouble, too."

Ren furrowed her brow and snorted, perking her ears up in attention, “Whatever the Demon King has to offer won’t make up for wronging Master like that, and I’m not going to be satisfied with whatever you have to offer me, either.”

"Still, Ren's outburst brought up an interesting fact,” Ume said while also furrowing her brow, but more inquisitively, “The Demon King doesn't release her name to the public. Pardon me for not knowing, but I’m not from this country originally and I've not heard of a ruler being that guarded of their own secrets. Is what Ren said true?"

Sue sighed, “It is as she says, but it’s more accurate to say they forgot her name than not knowing it, and it isn’t just the current Demon King’s name they don’t remember. The identities of the previous Demon King, the current one’s late father, and the Court Magician, Shining Tea Set, were also forgotten on the day of the former’s death. Furthermore, the Court Magician also disappeared that day. No one could find their records or pictures to find out who they were and what they looked like, either, save for the current Demon King’s image, of course.”

“Interesting. Does the current Demon King have anything to do with this widespread memory loss?” Ume asked, “Did it only affect everyone in the Demon-Kin’s Territory? You were able to manipulate Jin’s and Nyra’s memories, after all, so you can’t deny something like that is impossible.” 

Sue looked down, “This widespread memory loss, the phenomenon that we call ‘The Blink’, affected not just the Demon-Kin’s Territory, or even the whole continent of Padimon … but the entire world of Raiza.”

The three of us on the couch sat there staring at Sue, wide-eyed and speechless.

THE. ENTIRE. WORLD?

<Whooooooa,> Nyra said.

“As for the cause of The Blink, the only thing I’m allowed to say to Jinma and those who’re in the know, is that Shining Tea Set played a significant role in crafting the magic to make it possible,” Sue continued, “And her magic, as well as the tools to come up with it … are unlike anything you’ve ever found or heard of in your lifetime.”

I felt a furry, beastly hand suddenly interlocking with one of my own. Looking over to that side, Ren was trembling in her seat, all hairs standing on end, and her tail tightly coiled around her. As she stared into space, her paw was clenching my hand in a death grip, desperately hanging on as if I would suddenly float away. This Werewolf clearly didn’t want to be left alone right now, and I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way.

I then glanced over to Ume, the most-experienced magic user in the group, and she was looking down with widened eyes shifting side to side, a claw to her mouth, and breaking sweat. She was desperately looking over her memories for any knowledge that would come close to The Blink’s effects. If she was freaking out over it this much, then this was something that’s beyond even the Dragons’ understanding. What’s more, this phenomenon seems like something no one would even notice happening. Wherever they were in the world, it happened in an instant, and no one would even know what they missed as they went about their day. 

Maybe this was why they called this phenomenon The Blink. It’s because blinking is so fast and natural to us that there’s no way we’d be able to notice anything that happened during that tiny instant of blindness in our vision. All that just to wipe some memories and records related to three people? No matter how you look at it, that’s just breaking the power balance for how much of an overkill that is.

“So, Shining Tea Set played a ‘significant role’, meaning she’s not the only one responsible for The Blink, right?” I asked.

Sue nodded solemnly, “Yes, and I’m afraid that is all I can tell you about The Blink. This is very sensitive information, and it’s important that no one outside of our small circle knows of this. The Demon King is already on incredibly thin ice just allowing me to mention the phenomenon, let alone its secrets, so please understand why being this discreet is so crucial. You can ask me anything else that isn’t related to that, and I’ll answer whatever I can, but if you don’t mind, I have some questions I’d like answered, as well.”

Just what is it about those three that’s so important that Shining Tea Set had to do something as crazy as alter the entire world’s memory of them? What kind of magic is she able to do that’s even outside of Ume’s knowledge? 

Tephalia referred Shining Tea Set to me as a possible source of info on my [Devil Eyes] skill. Maybe she could answer what my D-Human lineage is all about, too, but after hearing this, I’m not sure whether seeking her out is a good idea. Honestly, I’m not sure if I was in the mood of asking more questions after that, so maybe what Sue wants to ask could help steer my mind away from this subject for now.

“Okay, let’s see what questions you have for me first before we switch back around,” I proposed before taking out a water flask from my [Storage] for a drink. I was getting very parched from how tense this talk just became, and it seemed Ume and Ren were the same as they asked me for a sip after I was done.

“Thank you, Jinma,” Sue said, “What I want to know is that you’re seeing the Demon King to ask some personal questions, right? Is there any among them that I could answer, at least to have some peace of mind until you bring it up to her?”

Now that she mentioned it, seeing that she’s so knowledgeable about this kingdom’s secrets …

“Well, if you know anything about why I could use [Devil Eyes] when I’m not a Devil, as well as what a D-Human is and why I’m classified as one for my race in my status, then I’d love to hear it,” I said.

Much to my surprise, Sue’s eyes glimmered as she clapped in excitement with a big smile, “Ooooh, I’d love to talk about both of them, no problem! They’re both actually related, and their origins come from an awesome story my father told me when I was a child! Do you want to hear it?!”

Both of them are from a fucking bedtime story?! I screamed in my mind.

I had a million retorts to counter Sue’s question, but I was already exhausted after hearing about that worldwide memory wipe. I didn’t even care how much of what this fake Arch Imp will tell is bullshit. Going by her current mood, this story seemed more entertaining and lighter than that bomb she dropped, and honestly, I could use something like this to help me get my head back in order. I’ll decide by the end whether this info of my D-Human race and [Devil Eyes] skill is worth remembering.

Before answering, I took out a bag from my [Storage] and held it up, “Anybody here want some jerky? This sounds like it will take a while and I could use a snack.”

Orange_Rain

I’ve been looking forward to bringing up this chunk of lore for a long time. You may be surprised at what you’ll see. Please look forward to it.

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