I turned around, again, and saw a man with in a uniform that I knew all too well, from the monitoring division.
He had medium, unruly blond hair, green eyes, and slim features. The man walked towards me with a dignity that got me thinking if he had gotten a promotion or something.
He approached me, and scanned me from head to toe, with a squint in his eyes.
And after a bit of what I thought to be careful consideration, he finally spoke again.
"You're under arrest for the murder of a monitoring division member, configuring an act against the Wielders Association itself."
I raised a brow towards him, confused for what he was doing there right when I killed Quintus, instead of when he started to wreck havoc in the guild.
But right when I was about to ask about it, I felt Rodrick's presence, followed by his voice behind me.
"You guys are pretty quick... When it's convenient..."
Him and the Red Oracle were getting out of the elevator.
And the oracle already looked better than before.
The guild must have one hell of a healer.
"Division members always go on patrol in pairs." The blond man answered. "Now, before I take him into custody, can any of you explain to me how a sixteen year old awakened, is capable of killing one of the association's A-ranks?"
So that's why he looked apprehensive when announcing my arrest...
"Well, all I can say is that, either the awakened is also an A-rank, or he awakened to be an S-rank wielder." The oracle said, looking at me strangely.
"Also, aren't you any interested in knowing why he killed Quintus Blake?"
"No, not really." The monitoring division guy acted nonchalant.
So he was one of these people, too...
"But since you seem to think there's a logical reason for an unofficially ranked awakened to kill an association's employee, let's hear about it."
"Okay, then." Rodrick responded, turning towards me and saying. "Why don't you go downstairs and eat something? Take Eve with you, you two, lovebirds, really seem to have some things to talk about."
And then he winked at me.
I took some time to process what he just said, but when I did, I immediately corrected him.
"No, no, old man! It has nothing to do with it, whatever it might mean..."
I didn't look at Eve, but Rodrick retorted, before sending us on our way.
"Uhuh, right. Now, off with you, young lads!"
As I walked, I could still hear what he was saying to the blond man, and I hoped that it turned out our way, since the Shadow guild had lost some things today.
Rodrick was such a lovely old man, despite his constitution and serious look.
But he already got my back when I went to the [HIDDEN NEST], so I knew him and I would get along more than just fine.
But when I came to my senses, leaving my thoughts aside, I heard and saw the Red Oracle calling me, by my side.
"Kurt? Kurt? Are you listening?"
"What? Oh, sorry, I was a little bit lost in thoughts."
"I asked what happened. First of all, you look like you just went out for a swim, second, it's like... I don't know..."
Her eyes darted me as she stopped on her tracks and scanned me from head to toe.
She looked curious.
"it looks like I didn't meet you. It feels as if I don't even know you from three days ago. What happened to you?"
I stopped a few steps from her and looked at myself.
She was being kind, I didn't look like someone who went out for a swim.
I looked like garbage.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me I was smelling like fish.
"Well, long story short, Quintus and I had a fight, right after I came back from..."
"From your breakfast with Rodrick."
"Yes, precisely, after I came back from the breakfast with the old man. I almost had the upper hand there, but then, something happened, and I ended up half-dead, in the bottom of the port. I guess that sums it all up."
She gasped, and for a moment, she was just a regular girl in front of me. There was nothing of that ethereal presence that surrounded her in that room, the first time I visited the guild.
And it was weird, but funny at the same time.
I couldn't imagine the almighty Red Oracle, acting like that in front of anyone.
It made me chuckle.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
She pouted her lips.
"It's just that... You know, you're the Red Oracle and all, and yet you are..."
"Just like every other girl?" She said, and for a moment, I thought she looked disappointed.
"Yeah, kinda. But it's refreshing, too."
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree after that.
"It is, really. Knowing that I'm not alone in this world. That there's another person as... Different as I am."
Her expression changed from lit to serious in a blink, and I wondered what I said wrong.
"We are different, you're right." She gave a grave pause, and then followed. "But we're not the only irregulars in this world. And I'm not the Red Oracle, yet."
I felt as if when I called by her title, she acted out a bit, but I had to know why.
"Did I step on your toe or anything?"
Even if she wasn't the Red Oracle, yet, she was the only person who seemed to have some answers, and I was desperate for some answers.
"You really don't know how to treat girls, do you?" She huffed, waking a bit faster, but I followed her with ease.
Which seemed to make her even madder.
So we went to the elevator in silence, while the Red Oracle... Evellyn, puffed her cheeks, looking...
Frustrated?
"Fine!" She finally said. "Let's grab something to eat, and go to my room. We can talk privately there."
I nodded, and then we arrived at the tavern floor of the guild.
"You guys have a thing for medieval stuff, don't you think?"
But when she was about to answer, we heard Rodrick's voice from the other side of the tavern.
"Thank goodness I found you two! You need to come with me, immediately."
I found that a bit annoying, to not be able to stop even for dinner, but I approached Roderick, and Evellyn came right behind me.
"What is it?" We asked, almost at the same time.
Roderick raised a brow, but acted like ignoring his own thought, and spoke right away.
"You two need to come with me, now. We found something that only Eve might be able to figure out, and you might want to see it, too, Kurt. After that, we can call it a day, and solve everything that we need for you to join the Shadow Guild. Also, you can sleep here from tonight on."
I didn't know what to say for a moment, the memories of my past life resurfacing and making me feel as if I just received an act of kindness from a stranger.
Which Roderick seemed to notice, because he quickly retorted.
"You didn't think I would let a fellow wielder, and a strong one, at that, without a roof over their head, did you?"
I smiled, but kept quiet and just followed him.
I didn't want him to notice any more of my emotions.
We took the same elevator to go up, but this ride was much more silent than the previous, and I wondered what was so important, that required both me, and Evellyn.
But Rodrick seemed a bit on the edge, so I asked about another topic that, undoubtedly, concerned me.
"And what about Quintus's death?"
"Chief Leblanc refused to believe what his eyes saw, so, after I told him about Quintus's strange demeanor in the last few days, and how he tried to kill you and came here to contend with me, wrecking havoc all over my guild, and if it weren't for you, we would be in a pretty worse shape than we already are... Well, let's say that we agreed to tell the monitoring division that I killed Quintus after he didn't accept to solve whatever business he had unfinished reasonably. And it'll stay at that. Is that good enough, young man?"
I looked at him and smiled, quietly.
It was more than good enough.
He told me he got my back, and delivered what he promised with interest.
So I was determined to pay it back, also, with interest, one day.
And with that thought in mind, we arrived at the lobby again.
Quintus' corpse was still there, and the man from before, whom Rodrick had called chief Leblanc, seemed to be expecting us.
"Welcome back, and I'm sorry by my rudeness from earlier. I didn't know I was in the presence of such illustrious consultant."
He said all that while looking at Evellyn, which made me think.
But I kept my thoughts to myself, and just looked at Leblanc, solemnly ignoring me while speaking.
"I went through Quintus's body, and found something that has been quite the topic around the association, lately, and might... Explain why he was acting so... Off."
He, then, took something out of his pocket, and gave it to Evellyn.
But chief Leblanc looked like he wanted to stay between me and Evellyn.
As though he didn't want me to see it.
So I cloaked myself and got behind Evellyn in one step, uncloaking my [SHADOW WALK] after I was close enough to see her hands, elevating my presence just enough for him to notice where I was, before reappearing.
He staggered a few steps back, muttering "What the hell!", as I smiled.
I looked at Evellyn, and she was deadly quiet.
Even her breath seemed to have stopped.
Then I looked at her hands, and noticed a guild badge within them.
A badge that I never saw in any book before.
It was a black sun crowned with thorns, and two hands holding it in their palms.
I wanted to ask what guild it was from, but I felt just from Rodrick's gaze, that I had to remain silent for a bit longer.
And after a few more minutes, Evellyn suddenly came back to her senses.
She staggered backwards, almost falling to her knees, but I held her firmly.
She gasped when she felt my touch.
"What? Weren't you...?"
"What happened? What's that badge?"
"That's not the right question. The first question you should be doing is why did Quintus have not just one, nor two, but three guild badges on him?"
"I don't mean to disrespect you, chief, but for the chief of the association's monitoring division, you surely seem to not know shit..."
Rodrick's tone felt like a joke, but I did feel the same.
I'm sure the people in the monitoring division were meant to know more.
After all, they were the ones who kept the wielders at bay.
Weren't they?
Leblanc snorted at Roderick's question, and Evellyn spoke in his stead.
"It's the New Dawn guild's badge... They're..."
"They call themselves the harbingers of the Pure ones." Leblanc followed. "It's just a hoax, no one has ever seen them in action, even though rumor has it that, from time to time, some regulars die by their hands."
"And let me guess, you never found a single body, nor a clue that could lead to that guild, yes?"
My question was greeted by another one of chief leblanc's snorts, but it was easy to see through him now, after what he just said about the rumor, and what the guild represented.
"I think it wraps things up, right? How about we call it a night, have dinner, and go to sleep? We have business to attend to tomorrow, right, old man?"
"I guess you're right. I think we have enough on our plates and none on our bellies, and I'm starving!" And with a polite smile that showed incredibly white teeth, Rodrick turned to chief Leblanc and said. "How about it? We call it a night and wrap it up from here?"
"Yeah, whatever. Just keep one thing in mind..." He looked accusingly at me. "Keep your new freak on a leash, or else we will."
He asked for it.
When he finished his sentence, I released a very threatening portion of my power towards him, just so he could feel it, and after that, I just tried to make it sound as cute as possible.
"Woof, woof!"
Leblanc jumped backwards and almost armed himself for combat, immediately recomposing himself.
"Freak!"
Then he just dragged Quintus' body out with his telekinesis, and we were left alone, for once.
"So, let's get downstairs and grab some dinner?" Rodrick had a large smile on his face. "Your act just now was priceless!"
Evellyn was laughing, too, but just for a moment.
"Do you mind going ahead? I need to stay with my thoughts for a little bit."
"Sure, but if you take more than five minutes, I'll come find you." Roderick's expression was serious at that answer.
"It won't take that long." Her tone was, somewhat, reassuring.
Then we walked towards the elevator.
"Good thing we're finally going to eat something, old man. I'm starving."
"If you call me old man once more, I'm gonna smack you in the head." And he laughed wholeheartedly.
"You could try." I laughed to, and he wrapped my shoulders with one of his big arms.
Evellyn was left alone with her thoughts.
And I felt like having a family, for the first time in my lives.
Anda mungkin juga menyukai
Komentar Paragraf
Fitur komentar paragraf sekarang ada di Web! Arahkan kursor ke atas paragraf apa pun dan klik ikon untuk menambahkan komentar Anda.
Selain itu, Anda selalu dapat menonaktifkannya atau mengaktifkannya di Pengaturan.
MENGERTI