Crimson Eternal - Book 6 - Intermission 3 (Patreon)

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Table of Contents

Click the following link for the intermission:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k9vj6O7_MxFSaXER6mGdfKgnB6X0_xGG2KHhPaArtP0/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

The Grand HallNot long before Aria stops the Epidemic

Shirogane narrows his eyes as he sits next to his father at the table within the Grand Hall. And, while he isn’t the main representative for the Eternal Dynasty this time, he still has the authority to make decisions.

This specific meeting has a single purpose. The greatest emergency the universe has faced in thousands of years.

All because of the epidemic caused by the Horseman of Pestilence’s Pestilence Spirits.

“The epidemic has spread all across the known universe, and even into the disaster systems,” Leopold declares, his voice echoing through the Grand Hall to each of the Grands in attendance. “The rulers of each disaster system are growing restless. If this continues, they may leave their disaster systems to rampage through the nearby galaxies. I hereby propose a group effort to breach into the Plane of Pestilence and halt this epidemic at its roots.”

Silence fills the Grand Hall for a brief few moments as the Grands look at their own reports sent by their subordinates. With the only Grand amongst them not worried in the slightest about the situation being Raja, as his people are largely undead and unaffected by the epidemic.

“I agree with Leopold,” Lucilia declares with her arms crossed. “The epidemic has already breached our ships, and our pestilence mages are struggling to stop the epidemic’s progress. The only way to deal with this threat is to fight it at its source.”

“You have my assistance if needed,” Raja declares despite his lack of motivation for the cause.

Leopold nods towards Raja as he states, “You have our thanks, pharaoh. Our first priority is to build up the forces necessary to handle the Pestilence Spirits within their own plane.”

Shirogane begins to open his mouth to speak and offer his own support for the plan, only to feel surprised when his father suddenly raises his hand with a single finger raised to stop him. Then Amatsuraki declares, “There is no need to stop the epidemic ourselves.”

The other Grands all turn to look at him at once. But not a single one shows any anger at his words. Because they all know that he never speaks unless there’s a reason for it.

“What did you see, Amatsuraki?” Leopold asks with a frown on his face. “Will the epidemic end on its own?”

Shirogane watches his father snap his finger, making a screen appear in the middle of the Grand Hall’s table. One showing a single café that is almost completely empty, with just a couple people and numerous Death Spirits roaming around it.

Not a single Grand in the hall, nor Shirogane, fail to recognize the café. One famous across the universe as being the first café of the Horseman of Death’s café franchise.

None of the Grands say a word at the sight of the screen, but Shirogane can’t help but notice the pharaoh showing significantly more interest now than before. Especially when Aria enters the café through a Gate.

“The epidemic will be dealt with by another,” Amatsuraki declares, his words and actions of showing the screen paint a picture of what might happen in everyone’s minds.

And within moments of his words, everyone in the chamber shows great surprise at what they see. Because everyone in the room finds a sight they have never seen before. Not even Shirogane has ever seen it before.

The sight of Aria getting genuinely angry.

She… can get angry?

Shirogane feels stunned at the sight. But the rest of what happens isn’t shown to those in the Grand Hall. Not after Aria opens a Gate and enters the Plane of Death.

Then silence fills the Grand Hall for a while as the Grands and Aria’s family digest what they just saw.

Even Shirogane looks down at his hands, feeling lost in thought about it. He has never seen Aria angry before, even during the time he traveled with her.

He has heard stories from her and her comrades back on her old planet of Vortel about her getting mad about her past enemy there, but he has never seen her mad before himself.

In fact, he would be surprised if she has ever gotten mad since then.

Why did she even get angry? She’s usually indifferent when she sees wars and conflicts in passing…

It doesn’t take long before everyone is snapped out of their thoughts. Specifically when the various different pestilences and pestilence energy in the air begins to vanish in mere moments. Following which the Grands all begin to receive reports from all across the universe stating that the epidemic is ending out of nowhere.

The Grands all begin checking on their separate territories now that the entire reason for this meeting has ended rather anticlimactically, meanwhile Shirogane sends a message to Aria asking about what she just did. But he doesn’t get any response for a while.

Eventually he and the Grands see Aria reappearing in her café on the screen. Only for her to quickly head over to a storage area in the café, where she begins to place numerous ancient and extremely high class wines. Confusing Shirogane even more in the process.

“Was she going to stop the epidemic, or steal from Pestilence’s wine cellar…?” Shirogane can’t help but mutter to himself, making some of the Grands who are closer to Aria fail to hide a laugh.

The Grands and Shirogane just watch her store away different wines before sitting down to begin drinking some of the wine in silence. And Shirogane finds that she doesn’t answer his message until a few hours later, when she responds saying that she merely went over to the Plane of Pestilence to tell Pestilence to knock it off. Then she took all of his wine as compensation, and he just returned to whatever he was doing.

When Shirogane shows this message to the other Grands, an awkward silence fills the room. Because the problem they were holding an emergency meeting for was solved by Aria simply asking Pestilence to ‘knock it off’.

This is… actually, it’s just like Aria to do something like this…

After the Grands recover, they proceed to move onto the next matter at hand.

Finishing the crusade against Pestilence.