The tender moment is interrupted by the sound of paper rustling behind me. Throwing a curious glance over my shoulder, I notice that a new message has arrived in our MMC.
That's weird...who's messaging us at this time?
Not wanting to disturb Alto, I subtly use my gravity spell to float the paper into my hand, then unroll and read it. As my eyes lazily scan its contents, I freeze, a shiver running up my spine.
Mizuki,
If you don't want to see everyone you care about die, investigate the threat within the Freden Kingdom. Start with the royals and nobility.
You must be discreet with your abilities – don't let the human countries discover Mizuki the adventurer's magical prowess. Ask Levi to help you with your investigation.
No matter what, don't trust Alto...you'll regret it.
Sincerely,
One otherworlder to another
My eyes scan and re-scan the small scrap of paper, unwilling to come to terms with the implications of the letter. Meanwhile, endless thoughts race through my head as I reflexively fixate on one line of the message:
One otherworlder to another
Setting aside whether there is actually another transplant like me involved, the author's reference of me as an otherworlder is enough to shake me. After all, I can name every single person on this planet that knows the truth about where I'm from. That would be bad enough, but...the message also came through the MMC.
The only people with access to those currently are Levi's group, the Egris house, and the royals. Could one of them have really sent me this message?
No...I admit that doesn't make much sense. There's little reason for any of them to do so. Plus, Levi's group doesn't even know that I'm an alien. However, if it wasn't Levi's group, Elira, Dargo, Cara, or Alyse, then that's even more terrifying...
Everyone else in the world who both knows about my true nature and has access to an MMC is in the elven royal palace right now. Even if one of the people who was in the nobles' meeting today had wanted to send that message, they'd have to both find out where the MMC was hidden in Dargo's office, and sneak their way through the most secure building in the country, all in the span of a few hours.
It just doesn't seem possible. Moreover, I have a hard time imagining any of the elves who were present today sending such a message. It's not their style, and they have nothing to gain. Besides, they know that such an action would have a small suspect list, and that I can merely ask them about the letter in front of Nina. There'd be no way to hide their actions...
That brings me to the terrifying part...there's someone out there, in either the Elven Kingdom or Elmesia, who knows everything about me while I know almost nothing about them. Worse, they seem willing and capable of infiltrating my friends' homes. Could the sender really be an otherworlder? If so, how do they know so much about me?
As for the contents of the letter, I have to assume that they know Nina's real identity, so why are they implying that she'll be killed too? Could there really be something in the Freden Kingdom that could threaten her? Why would it be targeting us, when we've never even been there? If that's all a lie, then what purpose does it serve?
None of it makes any sense, but it's also too concerning to ignore.
Then, there's the last part of the message...about not trusting Alto. The whole tone of the message makes it seem like the sender is trying to help me. And yet...warning me not to trust Alto only makes me think they have nefarious intentions.
As far as I'm concerned, Alto's trustworthiness is absolutely above reproach. She's my most trusted friend, and one of my most powerful allies. That's why I can only see such a warning as an underhanded tactic to drive a wedge between her and I. To either weaken me and my friends, or to isolate Alto so she's an easier target.
As if she can sense herself amidst my thoughts, Alto suddenly lifts her head from my chest and speaks in a concerned voice.
"Mizuki, what is it? What's that letter? Your whole body is tense, and I haven't felt you breathe for over a minute." (Alto)
I glance at her in surprise, and I see her looking up at me with an earnest but concerned expression, her sapphire-blue eyes still puffy from crying. After a moment of contemplation, I purse my lips and hand the letter to Alto without responding.
She raises her eyebrows in confusion, but seeing the serious look on my face, she quickly takes the letter and scans its contents fervently. After a few moments, I see her face go pale. She looks back up at me with a shocked expression.
"Mizuki...did this arrive just now? Who sent this? This threat they mentioned, do you know what it is?" (Alto)
I shake my head solemnly.
"It just fell into our MMC while we've been sitting here, but I don't know who sent it, or anything about what the letter references. For all I know, none of it is true and they're just grasping at straws. However, I'm glad that you didn't feel the need to ask if I believed the part about not being able to trust you." (Mizuki)
Alto's expression darkens considerably, and her voice turns cold.
"Of course not...I'd never betray you, Mizuki. Never. That part was clearly a ploy to manipulate you into...something. To affect our relationship in some way." (Alto)
I sigh and nod, glancing off thoughtfully.
"I agree...that seems like the only reasonable explanation to me as well. If they already know about my abilities, then driving a wedge between us can't be meant to physically weaken me. So, they hope to either isolate and target you, or they're worried that you may help me overcome something that can't be solved with strength alone. If this is really about you, can you think of any suspects or motives?" (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a troubled expression, seeming to contemplate the question for a while. Eventually, she just shakes her head.
"No, Mizuki...I'm sorry. I don't have any other friends, much less enemies, and I'm not sure what help I'd offer you that someone would be so afraid of to warrant this. But I promise, I'll help you get to the bottom of the who and why of this letter." (Alto)
I give her a small smile.
"Great, I was counting on that." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes seem to warm again, and she gives me a nod.
"So, what do you want to do? Are you going to take this supposed threat from the Freden Kingdom seriously? And how are we going to identify the letter's sender?" (Alto)
I purse my lips thoughtfully at her question.
While I think it over, I'm wrapping up my magic sense scan across the Elven Kingdom, first searching for human signatures, then for non-elf signatures at the Egris mansion or royal palace, and finally for any powerful signatures in the country. Other than Nina, I haven't gotten any notable hits.
I frown disapprovingly at the negative result. Either the message originated from Elmesia, which is outside my magic sense range, or the sender is a well-connected elf.
Setting aside that problem for now, I turn to face Alto and shrug.
"I'm honestly not sure how to track down the sender, but I find it very unlikely that they're actually an otherworlder. From what Azazel told me, I'm the first one in centuries, so none of the prior human transfers should still be alive. That only leaves the Greater Spirits and the other Elder Dragons, none of whom know I'm an otherworlder.
"As for the alleged threat in the Freden Kingdom...I'm inclined to investigate it as the letter suggested, once we take care of these other matters with the elves and Empire. If it turns out to be true, I'll be glad we took it seriously. If it's just a ruse to further the sender's agenda, then I'm confident in my ability to protect myself, and I'll at least gather some clues about the sender's identity or motivations." (Mizuki)
Hearing my answer, Alto nods, then her eyes steel with resolve.
"Alright, then we'll investigate the Freden Kingdom. But I'm coming with you, Mizuki. I won't let you go there alone." (Alto)
I give her an incredulous expression, preparing to lecture her about how it's too dangerous. However, as though she can sense what I'm going to say, she narrows her eyes and raises her hand to cut me off.
"No, Mizuki, I'm coming and that's final. I know you're worried about me, but think about it. Either this person wants to isolate and target me, in which case the safest place for me is by your side. Or, this person wants to deprive you of my help, in which case the only way to undermine them is to keep me with you." (Alto)
I open my mouth to argue again, but...I realize she has a point. So, after a moment of begrudging contemplation, I let out a deep sigh and turn to Alto with a reluctant smile.
"Okay, Alto...you win. Whatever the sender of this letter has planned for us, we'll face it together." (Mizuki)
Alto finally gives me one of her classic smirks.
"Well, what a pitiable position they find themselves in." (Alto)
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AN: That's it, the end of volume 6!
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you small, devoted group of recurring readers of my humble web-novel (you know who you are), and to make a few announcements about the future of Curiosity of God.
First, at this point I'll be taking a short (I promise) hiatus from the novel, no more than 4-6 weeks. In addition to some personal stuff as I prepare to make a big transition in my life, I also need this time to prepare an outline for V7-8 material for the novel. I've hinted that the story will be taking a much darker, more serious turn as it progresses, and that time is upon us. However, that also means more work and forethought on my part. Hence, the outline and the hiatus.
Second, you're all surely (hopefully) aware of how long the novel's chapters have been so far. Upon reflection, I think that has been harmful in a number of ways. It's been harmful to you, the reader, because it drastically reduces chapter release frequency. It's been harmful to me, the author, because the infrequent releases (I've recently learned) drastically reduce the story's exposure via WebNovel's recommendation algorithms. Finally, it hurts the novel, because it clogs the flow of the story to bury multiple major events or even arcs into a single death scroll worth of writing.
So, from V7 onward, I'll be adopting the more classic ~1500 word length chapters and making my releases much more frequent. I doubt I'll be able to manage the 1-2 per day of most novels here – I do work full time, and I have a partner and other hobbies – but I'll publish at least two chapters per week.
Third, I'll be using this opportunity to change some other things about the novel. Mainly minor things, like its formatting. I'll make sure to clarify them with author's notes {AN} in-text, as needed.
Anyway, that's about it! Once again, thank you all for reading for this long, and I hope you stick with the story as it continues to grow and progress. I'm excited for what's on the horizon!
Best,
BosonConfidential