Damn.
That was the only word that was running through my head right now. My sister was standing on the terrace, a mug of tea in her hand, looking as if she had just caught an alien mowing the lawn. Which... It wasn't so far from the truth. Kneeling in front of me was a six-foot-tall man with horns, red eyes, and an aristocratic expression. And he addressed me as "my lord." The situation was not ideal.
"So..." she began slowly. "Do you want to explain to me what the hell this is?"
I looked at Agrona. Then at my sister. Then at Agrona again. "This is Agrona."
Silence. "That didn't help me much."
"I expected that."
Agrona was still kneeling, not moving, like a statue. A very scary statue. The nurse blinked several times. "And why is he in our garden?"
"Because I created it." Another silence.
"Please? Created as..." She pointed at him. "Created created?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Me neither."
"Mephisto."
"What?"
"Don't be kidding." I sighed, I guess I deserved it. If I saw my younger sister making a grown man out of shadows in the garden, I wouldn't believe her either. "Okay," I said.
"I'll show you something." I held out my hand. "Come out." My shadow rippled.
The nurse flinched. A black mass began to rise from the ground, and within seconds a familiar silhouette appeared next to me. A fox, red eyes, dark fur, the familiar bushy tail.
The nurse's eyes widened. "What?!"
"I've had this for several years."
"A few years?!"
"Because."
"AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!"
"It was a secret."
„MEPHISTO!"
"Okay, okay." I raised my hands in surrender. "Maybe I was hiding it a little."
"A little?!" Meanwhile, the fox came to her sister. She sniffed her leg and then sat down. The sister looked down, then at me, then down again. "Can I pet her?"
I had to smile. This was perhaps the fastest change of subject in human history. "If he wants to." The fox immediately pushed her head into her hand. "Awww..." Betrayal. Absolute betrayal. He's ignored me for years and let her scratch his head every thirty seconds.
[The system confirms the betrayal.]
"Thank you." I spent the next ten minutes explaining as much as I could. Not everything, of course. The system remained a secret, as did my past life, but the existence of the shadow soldiers was no longer something to hide.
Strangely enough, the nurse took it better than I expected... maybe even suspiciously well. "So this fox is your soldier."
"Yes."
"And that strange man too."
"Yes."
"And they both listen to you."
"Yes."
"That's thick."
I expected fear. Panic. Interrogation. Anything. Instead, I got: That's thick.
Never underestimate older sisters. We finally made a deal. She won't say anything. I'll let her pet the fox sometimes. Probably the strangest contract in history.
When she finally went inside, I turned my attention to Agron. For the first time since his creation, we were alone.
"So..." I said. "How are you feeling?"
Agrona straightened, his red eyes meeting mine. "Complete," he replied calmly. "And incomplete at the same time."
"That sounds mysterious."
"I am a reflection of my master's imagination."
Ah, so the philosopher is great. "And what else can you do?" He thought for a moment. "Analysis."
"Good."
"Strategic planning."
"That sounds useful."
"magic"
"Great."
Just then I remembered, I still have the dungeon key, during that time it wasn't my only key, I collected two more, but finally the time has probably come, I finally have a soldier capable of fighting "Agrono."
"Yes, my lord?" I slowly pulled out a small key from my inventory. "I think..." I smiled. "That we're going on a trip."