OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 405: Becoming Human



Emir was in his office, relaxing in his chair.

His eyes were closed, brows furrowed, and his face showed an expression of near desperation.

He seemed to be trying extremely hard to remember something, but despite all his concentration, he ultimately failed, slumping back into the chair in defeat.

'I guess he really removed... no, he just soothed my mind so much to the point that I can't remember a single thing after that snap.'

He couldn't even recall how he had interacted with the other chess pieces after his private talk with Mr. Player.

It was as if he had suddenly appeared in his office without warning.

For others, this might have seemed suspicious, as Mr. Player could have cheated by not enacting the oath. But Emir knew better.

The oath was completed—and completed with extreme fairness... He felt it—a tug.

So, he abandoned his attempts to remember, deciding it was for the best.

Even though he knew more about souls than the average Seraphim, he still wouldn't have been able to handle the backlash from such information.

This memory loss, though unsettling, was ultimately for his own good.

'It's better to just move on.'

Standing up, Emir left the main room of his office and entered the training area.

There, he saw Lyra sitting on the ground in a lotus position, cultivating, awaiting his arrival.

Without a word shared between them, he stepped near her and sat down, leaning his back on hers.

Slowly, his memories began transferring to her, and she smiled, happy for him.

Emir could now do something that he wanted to do for what felt like a long while.

Which was to announce the existence of Setrenc to his family.

The oath 'stamped' it as something safe enough to be revealed to those who shared his blood -and Ragnar.

And that was exactly what he planned to do come Sunday morning.

Until then, he and Lyra simply spent their time cultivating.

Their weekend meetings were postponed, as everyone was still outside, occupied with missions or deep in ruin dives.

On Friday, Emir had also completed a mission, killing another Tyrant.

This one was a five-core, so it wasn't as exciting as the last one and it didn't need any preparations.

Emir went alone, killing it in under five minutes after exiting Ragnar's portal.

Since it wasn't something to write home about, both men returned to their respective duties and training, not spending much time together.

The prince maintained his usual monstrous schedule, one that would drive most of his peers in the Celestial Hierarchy insane, while Ragnar tried his hardest to catch up, not wanting to be of such little use to his brother.

When Sunday arrived, Lyra and Emir left the office and headed home, where they joined the family in the dining room for breakfast.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It had been a while since the "prodigal son" last visited, so his mother went all out, preparing a feast of pancakes and french toast-enough to feed an entire squadron of theirs.

Lily complained about the mess she made, but Laura proudly bragged about their androids- more precisely, their maid droids-that cleaned up after her with every step.

Though Laura had initially resisted the idea, only accepting it due to their insistence, like most hard-headed parents, she had eventually warmed to the change.

There was no need for her to reenact the struggle of putting food on the table anymore. They would do it for her.

How convenient!

Emir read those exact words from the emotions he saw on her face.

He felt the urge to go to her and start playing around with her slightly chubby cheeks while kissing them to oblivion, her innocent purity affecting his rational mind. But, he managed to keep himself in check, knowing that it wasn't the time for that, and instead chatted away with his little sister and Ragnar as they waited for all the food to arrive.

Their conversations didn't have much substance, if any at all, but he enjoyed them greatly.

Lyra, who sat next to him at the head of the table, was of the same opinion.

She experienced the same joy he felt through their emotional connection, so even though the feelings didn't technically originate from her, she enjoyed herself as well.

Now, If asked whether she trusted Emir, her answer would be "Like no one else."

This would differ from her earlier hypothetical response, as it had evolved over time.

A couple of years ago, way before she was even introduced to the family, her answer would have highlighted her singular trust in him.

This meant that while her unbreakable trust in Emir remained unchanged, her perception of those he loved had shifted.

They began to evoke emotions in her, no matter how slight-it was a first.

Such a thing wasn't new, but what was new was that these feelings didn't solely stem from

their connection to Emir.

Instead, they arose from their own existence as separate individuals.

She even began to feel a growing level of trust in them.

Despite this, her core nature remained the same; she continued to be Emir's shadow, both literally and metaphorically.

Emir's previous thoughts were correct, his AI was slowly turning human, or at least, she was acquiring more human traits, ones other than pure and unbridled obsession.

"Hey, don't you think it's a bit cramped? Go back home."

Venomous words spewed from his right, originating from the very girl that dominated his thoughts for the last minute.

"No, I ain't moving. If it's really bothering you, leave yourself."

His left-hand man, who uncoincidentally sat on his left, shot back at Lyra, genuinely ticked

off.

"Says the guest... We shouldn't have invited you today."

"Haa? You think I came for you? My brother wants me here, so shoo off."

"Humph, you believe yourself to be special? I'm the first, his right hand. You are second,

never forget."

Apparent to anyone listening, this wasn't the first time they argued, as they constantly fought over who would sit next to him.

There was no conclusion, and they both sat at the head of the table, crowding Emir, leaving Lily and Laura by themselves on the left and right of the table respectively.

"An Order's AI will always remain—"

"Alright. That's enough."

Emir cut in, stopping them before things got real.

"Both of you will sit here and that's that. Understood?"

Dejected at not being chosen, they both looked down, but eventually nodded their heads.

"...Sure."

"Whatever you say, lil bro~."

Lily and Laura giggled at the scene, treating it like one of their favorite drama shows.

Emir laughed too, delighted to see them so happy.

"Good, let's eat."