It was now a few days after Miko had become Tiamat’s Proxy. He was currently sitting in the town square reading a book.

“Argh…..”

He heard a groan and stomped down his foot. The ground was instantly silenced. He continued reading in silence. There were people around him looking at him in shock. The reason was simple. There was a heap of bodies at his feet while he sat on a bench in a relaxed manner. The bodies belonged to assassins who attacked him while he was out for a walk.

Miko no longer tried to avoid the public eye. He made more public appearances now and didn’t hesitate to make a scene. No matter the time and place, he didn’t hesitate to destroy all those who attacked him. However, there was a greater meaning to this. Miko realized all of the assassins seem to be back by someone in the clan. The fact they can find him no matter where he went was proof.

He would capture his attackers and see if they could tell him the identities of those supporting them, unfortunately, the attackers were mere pawns. They didn’t know the identity of who supported them. They only knew they were approached by masked people, who wanted to support their assassination plans. After finding that out, Miko didn’t waste his time anymore and simply killed them and carried on with his life.

“Tia.”

He called out to Tiamat via telepathy.

(What is it?)

“Where are you now?”

(I’m at the Summit Of The Gods.)

“Summit Of The Gods…..isn’t that the place where all of the Higher Beings reside? The one that no one knows the location of?”

(That’s right. I’m here to get some stuff so I can move to the mortal world for the time being.)

Tia’s voice sounded a bit hurried.

(Why did you ask?)

“I just wanted to confirm something.”

(Confirm what?)

Miko put down the book.

“I feel like I’m being watched.”

(You do realize there’s a literal heap of bodies at your feet, right? It would be odd if you weren’t being watched.)

“I’m not talking about that. I’ve been feeling a strange gaze for the last couple of days.”

(Strange, how?)

“I don’t feel any ill intent behind it. Normally when I’m stared at, anger, hate, fear, disgust, all of these emotions and more are behind them. However, I don’t feel anything like that from this gaze. Also, it isn’t Nina since she wouldn’t hide. It’s somebody else.)

(Maybe you have an admirer? )

Tia chuckled a bit.

(I mean, you’re extremely beautiful, even on female standards.)

“You’re only saying that because I look almost identical to you.”

(Hey, I’m a heavenly beauty. You should be grateful to have inherited my looks.)

“We’re off topic.”

Miko sighed.

(Does the gaze make you uncomfortable?)

Miko nodded.

“However, the fact I can’t pinpoint their location means they are very far away.”

(And that’s why you wanted confirmation. You wanted to know where they are?)

Miko nodded again.

“This Empire is under your jurisdiction. So you should be able to pinpoint them.”

(What are you going to do when you find them?)

“See what they want. Depending on what that is, I might put them 6ft under.”

(As usual, you’re the personification of violence.)

“Correction, I only use necessary violence. If it can end peacefully, then I’ll gladly do it.”

Miko’s words contradict his action of stepping on the bodies underneath him.

“So where are they?”

(A couple of hundred meters to the right.)

“Oh? They’re pretty far.”

Miko stood up and put away his book. He turned to the right. He kicked off the ground and flew towards his target.

(Miko, they’re running away.)

“So they want to avoid fighting?”

Miko smirked.

“Then it’s a game of cat and mouse.”

He accelerated. He cut through the crowded streets without losing speed. He glimpsed someone dressed in black running through the streets.

“Bingo!”

He accelerated even more.

“Huh? I’m not getting any closer.”

His target leaped onto a rooftop. Their speed increased as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

Miko leaped onto a roof and followed them. He increased his speed again.

“I can’t catch up? I know I’ve been slacking for 5 years, but even so….Tia, can you see their face?”

(To be honest, I can’t see who you’re chasing.)

“What? Then how did you find them? Besides, this is your jurisdiction. There’s nothing you’re not supposed to be able to see.”

(That’s not true. If someone is at the Divine Level like myself it’s hard to track them. When they hide it creates a hole in my observation net, that’s how I know where they are. That person is a blur to me so I can still barely see her.)

“Meaning?”

(The person isn’t at the Divine Level but is under the protection of one. Someone made sure that they won’t be easily tracked.)

“I see.”

Black static started dancing around Miko.

“Even more reason to catch them.”

He transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed at his target. He instantly cut the distance. He thrust his hand at their back. The person spun wearing a mask. They twisted their body to avoid Miko’s hand.

“At this speed?!”

They leaped back to create some distance. They no longer ran. Miko stopped and faced them.

“………”

“………”

He kicked off the ground. His opponent did the same. Miko aimed a kick, his opponent slid underneath and leaped off the roof. Miko chased after them. His eyes widen. His opponent didn’t run and stood in the road. He landed and rushed at them. He threw a punch. It was evaded with a sidestep. He follows up with a kick. It was forced back down with a palm strike. He thrust his fingers at their throat. He followed up with an uppercut when it missed. His opponent leaped back again.

(You’re being read like a book.)

“I can see that.”

Miko calmly examined his opponent.

(From the figure it seems to be a woman. They’re at least as fast as me and seem to be used to high-speed combat….Is it someone older than me? If I could see their face I would know if they’re from one of the Three Royal Clans.)

He took a deep breath. A draconic glare appeared in his eyes.

“Ah, I give up.”

The masked person lifted their hands in the air.

“It looks like you’re gonna get serious so let’s stop here.”

They removed their mask. Miko’s eyes widened when he saw the face.

Some time passed. Miko was now sitting around a table that was on a patio of a two-story café. In front of him was the person he was chasing earlier.

“……….”

Miko silently observed the woman. She was rather quite the beauty. She had fair skin, brown hair, bright purple eyes, and an oval face. She was dressed in a casual white blouse, blue jeans, and a pair of slippers. Miko noticed that she had a notepad in front of her as well as a book. He recognized the book as a part of the same series as the one he was reading earlier.

“To think that one who was watching would be you of all people.”

(Do you know her?)

(I know about her. This is our first time meeting.)

Miko spoke to Tia in his mind to prevent their conversation from being heard.

“Just to confirm, You’re Gamiko Dragna the Third, right?”

“If I weren’t, you’d be dead already. I might look identical to them but my uncle and grandfather’s strength is out of this world.”

“But you can’t blame me. All three of you are identical except for your hair color. It wouldn’t be odd if there were more people who looked like you.”

There were, there was Tia who could be said to be the original.

“Your personality was different from what I heard too. So I was a bit confused.”

“Makes sense.”

Miko nodded.

“So, why were you stalking me, Hinami Akume?”

The woman opened her mouth to talk. Miko lifted his hand to stop her.

“Before that, I need to verify your identity.”

“Eh?”

“If you’re that Hinami Akume, show me proof.”

Miko stretched out his hand and said.

“Proof huh?”

She began pondering while leaning her head to the side.

“Ah! At the end of the next volume, I’ll reveal that antagonist is actually the-”

“I believe you. So don’t say another word, got it.”

Miko interrupted her with a sharp gaze and tone. Seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, Hinami remained quiet.

“You really don’t like spoilers do you?”

She chuckled a little.

“Spoiling a story for someone is the greatest sin you can commit. It’s punishable only by death.”

Miko spoke with a serious tone.

“Hahaha! I would’ve never known that you had a sense of humor from the rumors surrounding you.”

Hinami wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

(Oh, she’s the author of those books that you’re always reading?)

Miko answered Tia with a nod.

“Hinami.”

“Ah, Hina is fine.”

“Alright, Hina. Although I know who you are, I still need to you tell me why you’re stalking me.”

He started tapping his fingers on the table.

“To be honest, the only reason you still have your head right now is because I can’t sense any malicious intent from you. You being one of my favorite authors isn’t enough to stop me from slaughtering you, if you were hostile towards me.”

Hina nodded with a smile

“I know. I’ve been watching you slaughter all who came after you for the last few days. I know that you don’t show mercy to your enemies.”

She proudly patted her chest.

“However, be at ease, Miko! I am not an enemy!”

“Not that I completely believe you, but what are you then?”

“A fan!”

“Huh?!”

(Oh! I was right! No one can resist my beautiful genes!)

Tia's voice resounded in his head.

“A fan?”

Hina nodded.

“I heard countless rumors about you, and the more I heard them the more interested I became in you. You just seem so much like an interesting character!”

“Interesting?”

Miko furrowed his brows while Hinami nodded.

“I was so interested in you that I even tried to base a character off you.”

She suddenly looked deflated as she spread out on the table in front of her.

“But it was no use. No matter how much I tried to recreate you as a character in my story, it just felt off. I was convinced that I wasn’t portraying you properly. It soon resulted in me falling into a slump.”

She then perked back up.

“That’s why I decided to seek you out and get to know you. That way I’ll be able to portray you in my stories better.”

“You do know that’s dangerous, right? What if I had killed you the moment I sensed you stalking me?”

“It isn’t art if you aren’t willing to stake your life on it!”

“…. That line is from volume 4.”

Hina nodded.

“It’s my true feelings. I believe that if the artist isn’t willing to come out of their comfort zone and take a risk all for the purpose of improving a piece of work, then they shouldn’t waste their time on it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it doesn’t mean the world to you, and if doesn’t mean the world to you, it isn’t worth the sacrifices an artist has to make.”

“If it doesn’t mean the world to you then it isn’t worth the sacrifices, huh?”

Miko repeated her words.

“As expected of an award-winning writer, you have a way with words.”

“Thanks.”

Hina showed a bright smile.

“But I gotta say, I never expected for you to be a fan, Miko. It was a huge shock, to be honest.”

“I have two hobbies; sleeping and reading. When I can’t sleep any longer, I read. I have no preferences, I literally read anything I come across. My attendant recommended your stories to me and I got hooked by your innovative storytelling and clever wordings. Next thing I knew, I became a big fan of yours.”

“So we’re each other’s fans then? That’s great.”

Hina smiled with a cheerful tone.

“…Seeing you in front of me and the way you act, it looks like it’s true that you’re only 17 and not someone who only looks young.”

“What, do I give off the impression of a granny from my stories?”

Miko shook his head at the pouting Hina.

“No, the level of wisdom that you showed in your characters, I just thought that only a seasoned writer with decades of writing experience could create such well-balanced characters. I’m impressed.”

“Hehehehe. Praising me won’t get you anywhere.”

Hina’s happily flushed face lit up the patio.

“Alright, I feel like I can get out of this slump after talking with you!”

She shouted as if trying to pump herself up.

“I need to go back and write. See ya!”

After saying that, she started to pack her things on the table into a handbag not too far away from her.

“Thanks, Miko. It was great getting to meet you and talking to you like this. I’ll be sure to come to pay you a visit if I get in a slump again. Oh, and sorry about the whole stalking you thing. I didn’t fight back when chased because I knew I was in the wrong.”

“I don’t mind, I guess. But I need to be the first to see your new work.”

Hina laughed.

“Alright, deal.”

She started to walk away.

“Oh, by the way, Miko…”

She glanced back at Miko.

“Even if you had tried to kill me from the start, it’s not like you would be able to succeed.”

After that, she turned around and continued walking away.

“See ya. I hope you continue to support me!”

Miko watched her as she disappeared from his sight.

“Tia, that girl not only kept up with my max speed, but she was clearly an experienced fighter. She’s not from any of the Royal Clans or enlisted in the army. It’s rare to find such a person among regular civilians, and she’s a famous author on top of that…”

Meanwhile, Tiamat was in walking down a spacious golden hall. The walls and ceilings were embedded with various gems, while the floors were made of the most beautiful marble. There were countless doors in the hallway, all with golden nameplates. Rah, Loki, Barbatos, Lancelot, and Sun Wukong, these were just a few of the names she walked past.

“Well, there’s definitely something special about her. She’ll definitely come see you again. Keep an eye on her.”

(Alright.)

Miko’s voice echoed in her head. A smile crept on her face and she started humming. Her joyous mood was cut short when a certain nameplate caught her eye.

“Zeus.”

“Tsk.”

She clicked her tongue and continued along the hall.

“Your time will come, Brat.”