Eternal Elysium

The grotesque scene had made my stomach turn upside down and eyes hazy.

Seeing human organs splattered around and crushed was never a sight I would wish to ever witness again.

The walking cannon, as the guard had called her, seems to be the one responsible for this incident. Her ability held devastating power—a walking cannon was truly a name fitting for such a person.

Their personality and way of doing things were thoroughly planned.

It was such that I could even discern their personality a little from just guessing.

Sina is a person with hot blood and recklessness. But she was highly skilled as well and knew what to do in unfavorable situations.

The man with those onyx arms had not shared any words with me; his cautious approach and sharp intellect were quite obvious. He had kept himself hidden, knowing that I could stop him in place, and supported Sina indirectly and even took her away in the shadows.

And for the man with no sword and the walking cannon. Any information about them was unheard of except what was already known.

However, everything was perfectly executed, and it seems my presence was also under their expectations with how the guy with onyx arms had hidden himself beforehand till the last moment.

And all of this was done by—

"Elric," I mumbled.

"Yes, that's correct, Sir Asher."

I turned up at the sudden sound and saw Ains walking calmly inside the room I was waiting at.

Ains eyes were baggy with dark circles present below them. His face, which should have held the glow of youth, had been worn out from the long night's trouble.

His body, worn and torn, holding many injuries mended by bandages, was walking down with tattered steps.

Seeing one more person wearing a butler outfit enter the room, I sighed and stopped their time.

The next second I stepped forward, closing the distance instantly between us, and kicked the butler's knee, releasing the frozen time.

As his eyes widened and filled with pain, he fell on the floor. I raised my sword and pointed it at his neck.

Startled, he let out a groan and muttered.

"W-what?!"

"Sir Asher, what are you doing?!"

Ains, shocked seeing this, yelled in surprise but soon fell silent; he gave the butler a strong gaze and then looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

"No one heard a sound while the mansion guards fought… And strangely enough, your butler seems to have the ability to silence any voice. Don't you find this coincidence too good to be true?"

"Are you suspecting Sabastian to have betrayed me?"

Sebastian, with his bloodshot eyes, turned his head to look at Ains. His eyes filled with dread and his brows furrowed, he begged.

"N-No, Master Ains! I didn't do this?!"

"I do suspect him. But the question is, do you suspect him as well? You are smart, but you have not said a word regarding this, Ains. You must have thought of this at least once, right?"

Ains sighed and nodded.

"I am suspicious; it would be wrong and foolish if I never was… But a part of me believes he didn't do this and he could never betray me."

I didn't say anything more and thought in silence.

Elric had planned several things, and the people he had sent here were experts and professionals in their work.

If the butler was part of it, then leaving him as it is would be a stupid stunt to pull.

'... Something like this. Huh?'

I stared at the butler's face for a few seconds, seeing the minor injuries he had suffered, and then something clicked in my mind.

'...Runes! They can also provide concealment!!'

Giving the butler a wry smile, I let him go.

"Sorry, but it seems like I was wrong." I said as the butler stood up from the ground, staggering back.

"I see." Ains sighed and tiredly sat down.

Giving Butler a side gaze, he ordered him to leave and rubbed his face. Then with a small voice he asked.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"So what did you find to let him go so easily?"

"...I will tell that later, but still keep an eye on him."

I couldn't confirm anything, but being wary was all we could do in our current situation. Sighing quietly, I sat down as well, leaning back. The room was closed with no one present beside us, so I removed the mask, letting cool air hit my face.

The small burns made by the mask had been healed when I took the potion, so at least no scars remained.

Ains didn't look up and said in a calm voice.

"You were unusually fast even when I first met you, and when you drank the potion, your figure became a bit more clear to discern. That's why I could guess your identity."

Hearing his words, I leaned back and placed my legs on the table. I was too tired mentally to care about manners anymore.

Ains's words made sense, and it was not like I was especially careful with my identity to begin with. Those who knew of my identity were mostly allies or beings above me in rank.

No enemy knew about me… at least for now.

"I will be more careful from now on… But tell me, Ains, did we win or lose?"

Ains yawned and leaned back on the sofa, his head gently resting on the cushions, and said.

"If I am alive, that means it's my victory, though I guess I was not the priority here."

… Being alive doesn't always mean victory, now does it? The way Ains had said that means they had come for a different reason, and they succeeded in that. Unknowingly I had praised Elric a lot. But now it does make sense—

"What did they steal?"

This was the only reasonable development I could clearly think of. That something precious was taken away in the midst of chaos.

Ains life was not the main goal to begin with!

"Family insignia… Just this week Luna trades were officially given the status of a noble family."

"Well, there's also the fact that it's not a transcendent family but rather a merchant's family, so some complications were bound to happen… Uncle got me good."

'They became a noble family?'

My shock was evident as I stared at Ains's face. He was still calm and calculating what to do next.

From what little I had found out, insignia was important for every new noble house. It was a condition bestowed on those who had gained the noble status with unconventional means to keep it safe for two years as proof of strength.

Since they didn't follow the requirement of being transcendent or doing something great and beneficial for the country. This condition was needed to remove the bad apples before something could harm the system from the inside.

Generally losing an insignia wouldn't mean much to a transcendent, but for Ains it could mean a death sentence.

"Some guys had come to my workshop… They were sent by Palto, but I think your dear uncle was the one behind it."

Ains frowned.

"And what happened?"

"...I arrived on time, so nothing bad happened. I had taken care of them. The girl or man, whatever she was, had followed me quite a lot recently as well."

"...Sorry you had gone through a lot of trouble due to my mistake."

I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair, letting it move close to my eyes, covering them.

"I am not doing this for free, Ains. As a merchant, you should know this better than me. Nothing comes for free; we need to pay the price in one way or another…"

Ains froze, his eyes fixed on me. Rubbing his eyes, he said.

"I know… But how can I compensate you? Not to sound ungrateful, but I am not in the best condition to pay you back, at least not right now."

"Just help my people when I am not here… financially and well in any way possible while still keeping them independent."

"... That's a lot you are asking for." Ains said, raising his brow. What Asher had asked for was not too hard to do, but the problem lies with how long. From his tone it doesn't seem to have any limits.

"Don't worry, I will make sure it's worth it."

Ains raised his brows hearing my words and asked back.

"How so?"

I smiled.

"I have a plan… Well, your support is much needed for it to work out."

Ains frowned, not understanding the meaning behind my words. He currently has a lot on his plate to deal with; having some new trouble was surely to be avoided. But he felt that this might work out.

A small feeling that everything will work out.

"So you are on my side?"

"I am on my side, but in a way, yes. I am also on your side; after all, you didn't attack me even once."

The corner of Ains lips twitched. He rubbed his head, shaking it gently, and scoffed softly.

"Haa, I had asked you previously to help me at least manage the outcomes or change people's opinions. You gave me a vague answer back then. So I didn't have much hope at that time."

While it's true that I had given Ains no direct answer back then and twisted my words to look reasonable.

In the end I got busy and did nothing.

Yes, it was not my fault, really.

It was the fault of the one who made me enter that horror mansion and then fight a godlikebeing in my soul. And before all of that I was busy with Silverwill's new business as well. So having free time was not possible for me.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on the past. We have several things to discuss, and to be honest, you do not have much faith in me to begin with."

Ains sighed.

"I am… tired. I almost died just now. And you wish to discuss your… plan?"

Staring at him for a few seconds, I rolled my eyes and sneered back.

"I almost died protecting you."

Ains was suddenly lost for words. He couldn't understand whether what Asher was saying was shameless or logical. Shaking his head slightly, he said.

"Mr. Asher, I am just a kid."

"Yes, so please work hard for us in the future as well."

Ains's face twitched; he could feel his hands shaking and heart beating loudly.

"Very well, what's the plan?"

"Let's tell everything to the authorities."

"...."

Ains's silence spoke louder than anything; his eyes remained fixed at one spot as he asked with an irritated voice.

"And what's that supposed to mean? I am not sure you know this, but we have no proof that my uncle was behind all this."

I nodded and continued not minding his frustration.

"We don't need proof; we just need to create it!"

"So you wish to accuse him falsely? That's a very risky gamble, Mr. Asher."

"No, it isn't... I have been thinking of this for a long time. I had come to a very specific conclusion that even you might know a lot about."

Ain's eyes widened.

"Do you…?"

"Yes, I do know about that. I was not sure; no one was actually." I said, nodding my head. "Even the Temple had some suspicions… So, to me it sounds like the perfect opportunity."

Ains remained silent; he obviously knew something and wasn't keen on telling that. If the plan works, the city will face a lot of issues… But it was a very big opportunity for several people as well—either to make money or to correct the wrong they had done in the past.

"Okay… I will see what I can do." Ains said, his words not confident as usual.

'In the end he is a kid.' I thought maybe he was scared.

I nodded and then asked, tilting my head.

"What are you going to do about insignia? You will be facing a lot of problems starting now."

I was not sure if there was supposed to be some kind of penalty for losing the insignia, but it won't be surprising if there actually was.

"Oh, about that, please don't worry, Mr. Asher." Ains smiled and calmly continued closing his eyes with a small chuckle.

"I never had an insignia to begin with!"