"Back so soon? What else do you need?"

"I have a meeting with the Hero King from the Kingdom of Appallia in the afternoon. I'm wondering if we can discuss that a bit before I head off."

"Huh?" She blinked twice, staring at me with confusion.

"Do you need me to repeat that?"

"Wait, no, I heard you the first time. I just... It's just too sudden. I should ask for a pay raise..."

"How much are you getting paid?"

"That's off topic. Explain to me the full story, every bit of detail you're allowed."

I explained as much as I could while not disclosing my subspace. Though, anyone would have guessed that I had access to something outside of norms. I did reveal that I had captured and killed two demons, as a bonus which surprised her. Also, I had to leave out any parts regarding experimentations within that facility.

She rubbed her forehead, "To think you can even subjugate demons..."

"Yeah, something like that. Vorte can do it too, with ease, so you're all in good hands."

"That's certainly reassuring. I know he's a proper guardian now. Are you also a guardian?"

"Not quite. I'm unaffiliated with any groups, but as of now I'm still technically a citizen of Grusia which is why I came to discuss how I should negotiate with the Hero King."

"I see. If the meeting was any later, I could have consulted with my superior. Alas, some things can't be changed. Do you know if any demons are associated with the Hero King?"

"I am in the dark regarding that. However, there seemed to be demons lurking within every country."

"Many of them have the ability to teleport, that much I'm aware. At this moment, we have little countermeasures against them. I know I'm asking too much, but can you track them down, if possible, seal them away? I'm sure the empire will gladly reward you."

Hmm... Should I? I guess once things settle down, I'll be a little bored. Demon hunting doesn't sound so bad? There's technically no rule against killing other higher order beings as long as there's no collateral damage... Heheh...

"I'll consider it."

"I thank you on behalf of the entire empire. Now we're getting off topic again. I know the higher order beings have some sort of rules. Are you allowed to side with us and remove the Hero King?"

"No. I cannot directly take down a hero. If he directly attacks me without my provocation, then perhaps that's a different story."

"I see... I guess that's why you opted for negotiation. In that case, how much do you know about the reason they waged war on us?"

"They want your resources, the mana fountain?" I replied with a question.

"To be honest, that place is nothing but a disaster zone. It's referred to by locals, when translated, as the Abyssal Gate." She sighed slowly, "truth be told, we're at our limit. The sealing barrier cannot contain the mana much longer."

"Then, why not use it?"

"It's not so simple. Unlike mana from smaller mana fountains found across the world, the mana from the Abyssal Gate cannot be readily used if at all, especially with magitech. If we could actually draw energy from it, we would have done so already. Moreover, the raw mana there is extremely volatile. The only function it could serve would be a weapon of mass destruction, even that would be difficult. No matter how we examined the situation, there was no way we could trade something that dangerous with another nation, right?"

I nodded in agreement. "True... If it's in the wrong hands. I understand. Is it alright if I examine the seals and the mana there? Also, how come demons haven't made a ruckus there?"

"It's obviously overseen by guardians. If you wish to visit the Abyssal Gate, then a seal of passage is required. I'll prepare the documents for it, and of course, I will go with you."

"Still don't trust me?"

"It's more than that. I'll also accompany you to Appallia to negotiate with the Hero King."

"Wait, what!? That's dangerous!"

"Why do you look so shocked? I obviously can't leave the negotiation to you. At the least, I want to be there as a witness."

"But the thing is, you aren't invited. If you show up, you would count as an invader."

Regardless if an invader was another hero, a demon, a guardian, or some strange outsider, a hero's unique trait would activate.

"I know that."

"Then why?"

"You can keep me invisible and I'll feed you the words I wish you to say."

"That's not going to be easy... Let me think."

Hey Echo, since I'm a mediator, what exactly counts as invasion?

[Invasion is an act of aggression or violence, intrusion or infiltration, or assisting others in similar functions with intents as such. As a mediator, as long as no intents mentioned previously exist, there was no act of invasion.]

That would mean I could cross boundaries set by mortals and gather information as I wish? However, I can't freely share some of that information.

[Yes.]

With the definition cleared out of the way, I had to be clear of Kanoko's intentions. If her intention as pure, as a diplomat, I could defend her in the presence of one or more heroes.

"Kanoko, I just want to confirm, what do you plan to gain from the negotiation?"

"I want our land returned and possibly a peace treaty signed. I can't hope for a trade deal at this point. Yes, returning our lost land will be the first step."

"He'll probably ask for the mana fountain in exchange for the land. Alright, since I was invited not as a hero or a diplomat from the empire, I could pose as either. He simply wanted more information on me anyway which is to our advantage. In the worst case scenario that I can't hide you from him, you'll be revealed as my assistant, is that alright?"

"That's fine. I'm getting some paperwork ready before we head off."

"Alright, I'll come pick you up after lunch? Also, is there any official dress code or something we need to abide by?"

"No worries, meet here in one chime."

One chime was quite a bit of time for me. Just as I was about to leave, a group of familiar faces showed up at Kanoko's office.

"Hmm? Looks like I was a step ahead of you all. Go ahead, my business is done here."

"Uh, thank you."

Two winged beasts, Haelley's kin, were here, likely to report the situation. Though, since their ability to communicate through common language was limited, there wasn't much I could say to them.

How nice, maybe I should learn their language for intelligence gathering. Say, Echo, can't you just download a language package to me? I rather not waste time learning a new language.

[No such package exists.]

How is that possible? Can you understand what the beastfolks and their likes are speaking?

[Yes.]

Then I want a download. I want to be able to fully literate in that language. I should have that much access, no?

[Unnecessary. Auxiliary functions are not granted.]

Ah, let me guess. Although there's a language core, it's not in a downloadable format that can be easily integrated into me. In addition, I don't have the access to be able to create one.

[Yes.]

I'm a genius or what? Maybe I should take a course on telepathy to bypass these language barriers.

With nothing else to do here, I returned to my subspace to check on Oortez. I had left him alone for too long, surely he'd be super bored by now.

"What's up? All done with your work?"

"Oh, you're back so soon?"

"Really? I thought you would have finished organizing all that stuff ages ago."

"I've been trying to imprint everything into my memory. Such fascinating data... " He rambled on and on about useless things he learned with such passion that I stopped listening halfway through.

"Okay, I get it, I get it. Get to the point. Is everything organized?"

"Ah, yes."

I created several jars enchanted with |void| trait. Piece by piece, pieces of that demon's soul was added into these jars before I sealed them. After that, we added labels onto each jar. Technically, it was just for show since I had already done this for the previous catalogued soul energy.

A new area was added into my subspace dedicated to storing soul energy. I wasn't sure what to name it but it would act as a library for those capable of reading soul energy. This place would serve to secure loyalty from Oortez, act as an information collection centre, and also emergency mana supply depot. All in all, it was beneficial to everyone.

As for the pieces of soul that served no purpose at all, they were recycled and integrated into me to help me level up. Oortez protested but I ignored him.

"Just bear with it for a while. I'll collect some other useful soul energy for you later, alright? Just think about it, a demon with thousands of years of memories... They might more knowledge on ancient civilizations than anywhere in the world. Their technology, with such memories... Amazing right?"

While we were here, I added the stacks of soul energy I had catalogued into the library including ones I had taken from Oortez himself.

"Ahh... I can see it... Yes... Oh how wonderful!"

The way he spoke was theatrical and dramatic contrary to his usual demeanor.

"Won't you let me set up a workshop just for you. You can even trying building some of the gadgets you've seen in those memories. How about it? Hmm?"

"Oohh... How thoughtful of you!"

Oortez, you're more of a simpleton than I thought! I smirked with delight knowing such a trick worked on a demon.