The sound of the rolling wheels entered my ears as I enjoyed the view of the road passing by.
-Flip
Turning a page of the book I was reading, a magical book thanks to the courtesy of 'Gandalf', I barely suppressed a yawn.
A week and half had passed since that night.
In the end, both Cana and Syrus found us before long. And thankfully, they took in account how tired I was, and decided to spare from their questioning.
Passing the still sleeping Allen to Cana, I was about to order the group to retreat when Syrus reminded of one last task – Salvaging the corpse.
It was a basic common sense in this world to loot the corpses of enemies or even comrades who died in action. And yet, who had actually made this cruel common sense had forgotten about that.
I was just that tired, or maybe I just didn't want to be anywhere near that woman's corpse.
But I couldn't leave it alone as it is. Not when it was a corpse belonging to a demonic cult mber that could give certain important clues.
So, as much as the idea of looting a woman I just killed disgusted , I followed through it...
Of course, I didn't do it myself.
Instead, I had the more experienced Syrus do his thing...
Taking out a small cubical box, which had quite a peculiar design of an eye engraved on it from my bracelet, I opened it and picked up the even smaller cuboidal object stored within it.
This small object was the reason of my all-nighters.
It was one of the many items Syrus collected from the corpse.
The only one whose use I couldn't tell.
The others more or less I could guess, but this one... I had no clue.
It was crystalline black, like a black onyx. But once in a while a white hue overca the darkness as if trying to escape...
But each ti, without fail, the darkness devoured the light.
[Mana Reading]
My eyes glowed with the strange tri-colored petals. Squinting, I injected so of my mana in the object and compared the flow of mana I observed in this small object, to what had been described in the book.
'Not even close...'
Though so minor parts were similar, there were so major changes in the mana circuit, setting them completely apart.
'...Another failure...'
I sighed, closing the thick book and leaning back into my seat.
'Looks like I really don't have protagonist's luck...'
I thought while lanting.
Whatever this small object was, it was important. I knew it, cause it was packed in that special box which could have been another death trap if I didn't know the demonic cult's modus operandi.
The box was essentially a seal and a tracker that couldn't be opened or disabled by a random two-bit runesmith like .
So how did I open it?
Well, when you have a 'Super-dad', who has a whole faction under him... you have your own ways.
Dumbing it down, I just hired the help of a top-class runesmith to unlock this box. The 'I' obviously aning my dad.
Speaking of my dad...
-Sigh...
A sigh escaped from my mouth as I rembered how tiring it was to explain him what had happened the next day.
With that protection array in my head, protecting my 'mind and spirit', being made by my dad himself... it really was hard to hide sothing major from him.
After I killed that woman, Naserra. A na that I only ca to know after her death. My mind was in absolute chaos.
Emitting strong 'emotional' fluctuations that were quickly stabilized by the array made by him...
Yes...you guessed it right...
The array notified my father about those 'emotional' fluctuations...
And what happened next was a truckload of explanation and desperate persuasion, over the communication amulet.
Desperate and tiring.
And though I managed to talk my way out of it, bull-shiting that it was only the rush of my first real battle and all, I knew the Magus never really believed .
Making the whole process pointless, even more tiring and even more frustrating.
Now, I really need to know how to bypass this array. Speaking of which, I wonder how Reonald will fare this ti.
In the novel there was no such thing as this array, so he was easily influenced. But this ti...
I don't really know.
Hmm... wait.
Wasn't it today?
The day when dad and Valen will et each other. aning this could very well be the first ti Reonald will see Valen, the target of his jealousy.
Well, I don't think they will really et... but there was a chance.
Just another thing to keep my eyes on.
'I will call him later. Hmm, maybe I'll give a call to Reonald and mother too.'
I thought, as I stored the box and the book in my bracelet, before knocking on the carriage window, thrice.
-Click
Soon, the door opened of the still running carriage and a sweaty Syrus, who was running along with it, entered my view.
He was still as silent as ever, quietly running along the carriage with his mouth shut.
His eyes were speaking though. His gaze asking a silent question, 'Did you find any clue?'
None.
I shook my head, giving him the answer, while saying, "I'll re-join you."
With that, I jumped out of the carriage, joining Syrus in our usual training, as we ran side by side.
And though soone quipped, "Those two are at it again.", I ignored it skillfully.
"Don't say that big sis! Even though training maniacs aren't right in their head, they are still people! You shouldn't insult them like that."
Ouch.
Though I was really happy to see him recovering good and well, without any visible ntal scars...
'That one really hurt Allen.'
And it hurt even more cause I knew that they knew that I could hear them.
Glaring at the duo driving the carriage for a bit, I turned my head.
The serene face of Syrus infecting with its calm, as I decided to let this one go... for now...
Just you wait, I will make both of you work to your bone later.
Evilly laughing inwardly, I planned, while injecting my mana into the weights that I wore under my usual adventurer attire. Their mass increasing as I did.
Increasing till I was lifting around 40kgs with each limb.
'This much is enough.'
I thought as I had so difficulty running around, but could still more or less continue running without slowing down the carriage.
'Three more days...'
Just three more days and I will be there, our next destination, the city of Lueurre.
Yes, the sa city, I told that guy in Rabhat, for reasons.
Lueurre, the city blessed by Atlas, or the two floored city.
I was looking forward to it, my first step to becoming a irregularity.
My first step to beco like her...
Unknowingly a smile crept up my face, as I continued running.
anwhile, Cana and Allen got chills, but knowing that they brought this on themselves, they both steeled their minds and continued driving the carriage, refusing to look back.
***
[Ellsworth Estate]
[Guest eting Room]
In an atmosphere that could only be described as tense, two kids and a man sat facing each other.
Well, there was also a skinny man standing in between them, but he was an extra, so it was okay to ignore him.
The gazes of the little boy and the man clashed. Their eyes interlocked, as they did a weird staring contest, creating the current situation.
The man standing between them who had worn a long, deep red mages' robe which had a huge 'OCTAA' embroidered in its back, had tried to break the atmosphere between them. Alas, he was ignored, like the extra he was.
Thankfully soone ca to his rescue. It was the girl accompanying the boy. The girl with purple hair.
Strongly elbowing the green haired boy till he winced, she broke their stare-down.
"Ouch."
The boy winced.
But instead of apologizing the girl leaned closer, and quietly scolded him.
Whispering, "Valen you know he is our recruiter right? Then why the hell are you staring at him like that!?"
"He is the one who started-"
The boy whispered back but the girl simply refused listen to him.
"Can you just stop staring back at him!"
"I know!"
"Just do a favor. Close your eyes and shut up. Let handle this one, okay?"
As he glanced at the no nonsense look she was giving him, Valen decided to relent, this ti.
The girl had a lot of sides to her and was full of ticks. Sotis a crybaby, sotis dependable. Sotis a yandere, sotis a kuudere. And sotis even the smallest of his actions changing her behavior, leaving him bewildered.
And he surely didn't want to trigger her right now. So, he just closed his eyes and leaned back.
'Do whatever you want.'
That was his stance.
And the girl understood this well.
Looking back at the black-eyed, black-haired man sitting in for of her she politely smiled before asking,
"Nice to et you, Sir Raniel. If I am not wrong then you are the Knight Commander of the Ellsworth estate, yes?"
The man, Raniel Shin Devart, looked at her with a bored face, his fist supporting his cheek as he answered.
"No, I am not the Knight Commander."
Raniel swiftly said.
"Huh?"
His answer confusing the girl, as he continued.
"At least I was not supposed to be the Knight Commander today, as it was my first day off after a grueling month."
His eyes glowed, flashing red for a second, as the smile on Tiara's face cramped.
'Surely... surely it wasn't because of us.'
She prayed.
But as the Armored Commander continued while smiling, his nacing voice completely out of sync with his expression...
"Lady Tiara, you surely wouldn't know the cause of it now, would you?"
...Tiara got absolutely sure.
'Hiii!! It's because of us!!'
"No, of course, I don't have the faintest idea, Sir Raniel."
Tiara said, fooling no one while inwardly crying. Wishing for nothing but the Earl's arrival.
And just as she was on the verge of losing it. She heard them.
-Tap.
-Tap.
-Tap.
Light but resonant footsteps that easily resounded throughout the floor, accompanied by a mind-numbingly powerful aura that made the hair on the back of her neck to rise up.
She knew without a doubt. The one coming here, the one on the other side of that door...
...is an existence far beyond her reach.
She glanced sideways, seemingly to wake up Valen, but there was no need.
His eyes were already wide open.
Just like her he had sensed it too. Especially when the person in question had literally showcased his aura.
The difference in their existences, he could feel it too.
Feeling like nothing more than an insect in front a behemoth. Like a small pebble in front of a mountain.
Like a drop of water compared to the whole sea.
An insignificant life form in front of a great being.
The feeling washed over him like a raging river. Engulfing him like the small pebble he was, drowning him with another mighty current.
-Bubble, bubble.
And before he knew it, he was sinking.
Sinking in the raging as it endlessly sucked him in. The heavy current sending him down, in the river's pit.
The bottom of the raging river, the water was surprisingly serene. Serene enough for the slowly descending Valen to ask...
-Am I worthless?
My drive, my motive, my goal...
Are all of them, insignificant for him?
Then what am I doing here?
What am I striving for? What am I struggling for?
Just what am I trying to achieve??
The little boy asked questions that even adults couldn't answer.
Drowning deeper and deeper into the river.
Slowly, mories of the past events flashed through his mind.
The mories of his young naïve self, the little but happy mories that he made with his mother, the day when his mother fell ill, his failure of saving her and sight of her body still lying in the bed, even though she died days ago.
He rembered it all, the pain, the despair, the loneliness...
All of it, he rembered.
And that didn't feel worthless to him.
The pain wasn't insignificant. Rather, it was the proof that he was alive.
So, he moved.
Moved while thinking.
'Maybe my pain is worthless for you...'
He swam.
'...but they aren't worthless to , and...'
Going back up, to reach the surface. To face the raging river.
'...you are just as worthless to !!'
-Bubble.
-Splash!
And that was what he did, with a newfound motivation.
But what he didn't know was that on the other side of the door, a certain Magus' lips curled up as he lightly muttered, 'Interesting...'
The Magus already knew how talented the boy was in alchemy.
He had already inspected the potions he got from the orphanage and knew that the boy held imnse talent for it.
So, the only thing he needed to check was the boy's ntality, or more specifically his persistence, the only other important quality needed for alchemy.
Thus, this little test. As for its result.
'My son found another unpolished gem...'
With that the Magus opened the door, as the real eting finally started.
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