Eternal Elysium

Coming out of the carriage, I gave the driver one last look before letting him go towards the place Albert was currently waiting at.

I sighed, feeling tired from my last encounter with Betty.

Sometimes I can talk freely with others, while at others I seem to have no interest in anything whatsoever.

"Yeah... I am the strange one here. I will need to work on that." I muttered to myself and looked at the temple.

A tall bell tower and surrounding it stood spires of buildings, tall and magnificent. Several things were engraved over its wall, showing its old architecture.

The cobblestone path leading to the entrance was worn out by years of foot traffic, but the greenery that surrounded the temple was vibrant and well-maintained, giving the place a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

At times I was left in awe at how big this place truly was.

Taking a step forward, I walked towards the entrance and looked at the priest preaching to the believers while standing at the podium below the white star.

I contemplated if I should wait for it to finish before moving towards the corridor at the left.

In the end I sighed and walked towards the corridor, hoping that my presence wouldn't interrupt the sermon.

The priest's voice was comforting, a gentle rhythm that filled the air with a sense of peace and tranquility. As I passed by, I noticed the believers' faces, each one lost in thought, perhaps seeking guidance or solace from the words being spoken.

Seeing their eyes never strayed from the priest made my lips twitch.

'Sorry Celestia... Um, Goddess Celestia. I am not much of a believer.'

Feeling a sense of guilt, I placed my hand over my heart and bowed my head a little in the stars direction.

Then I quickly moved toward the official area where the Temple's main staff used to work.

The corridor was dimly lit with candles flickering on the walls, casting dancing shadows that created an eerie ambiance.

As I passed through the inner sanctum of the Temple, the air grew cooler and the garden came into view.

A young man wearing a white tunic and a trench coat above came walking in my direction. Seeing me, he raised his brows and smiled.

"It's you... Mr. Asher, correct? What are you doing here?"

I smiled back and nodded before greeting him.

"Sir Mathew, it's nice to see you again. I was here for some work."

"Oh, really? What work? This place is not allowed for civilians to enter after all."

Seeing Mathew's curious face, I thought for a while. He had also visited Ains mansion along with other Templar knights.

"Ah, yesterday some awakeners came to my workshop… and caused a ruckus. Hitting and threatening my workers."

"I know Franz, your captain. He is a good friend of mine, so I wanted to consult with him on this matter." I quickly added.

There was no need to lie. It would one way or another be found by someone eventually. It would be better for now to leak some information about it before they hear it from someone else. This way I could plant a picture of Hestor and his group running away.

Mathew's eyes searched mine for a moment before he nodded. "Ah, yes, Captain Franz is in his office. Let me take you to him."

We walked through the quiet corridor, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

"I also heard some big incident happened last night. Do you need anything, Sir Mathew?"

Mathew, hearing me, stayed silent for a few seconds, his mind lost in thoughts. Frowning, he shook his head and said in a small voice.

"Ains, the current owner of Luna Trade, was under attack. The mansion was almost destroyed as many awakeneds and awakeners had fought there… It's actually a surprise he even survived!"

My brows furrowed up as I frowned.

Sigh…

"Is that all? You all didn't find who did this?"

Matthew chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, and he answered back. "No, we didn't find anything… not anything now at least." He smirked, "But trust me, we will find them soon. And judgement will be given accordingly!"

'So enthusiastic.'

"Well, thank you for your help." I said as we reached Franz's office.

"Ah, no issue at all." Mathew looked at the door and nodded. "Have a nice day, Asher."

"Yes, have a nice day as well… Mathew."

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I dropped the formalities as he went out of view and opened the door.

Inside Franz, sitting on his desk, raised his head to look at me. His brows raised in surprise as he frowned before asking.

"Asher… What are you doing here?"

I sighed and walked toward him with slow steps.

"How are you doing, Franz?" Greeting him with a wave of my hand, I sat on the chair beside his table.

"Uh, I was fine before you came here…" Franz sighed and looked at me up and down. Curious, he paused, his eyes narrowing, and asked. "What did you do this time?"

"...Why do you always think I am the one causing trouble?" I was left baffled by his choice of words.

Franz leaned back in his chair, his gaze unwavering. "Because you usually are, in some way or another. Now, what's going on?"

I sighed and leaned back, crossing my legs. My arms tapped the armchair. My gaze landed on Franz as he continued to give me an annoyed yet curious look.

"Several things happened... And maybeit's time to do what we had previously discussed."

"Are you talking about the promise you made? For which you asked for our cooperation...?"

I nodded.

"Yeah," I pursed my lips; my gaze seemed to wander to the back of Franz and then to the room.

"Last night, my workshop was attacked by Hestor and his group. They were the ones who worked for Palto. I had gotten rid of them well, so that's not the issue at hand. Elric has most likely instigated Palto, and he has also tried assassinating Ains as well..."

"Wait! Wait!" Franz raised his hand, stopping me.

I frowned and asked back.

"Yes, what's the issue?" I leaned forward, placing my hand on the table.

"How did you get rid of them again?"

"Oh, well, when I saw them attacking my staff, my mind went blank, and they were left bloody."

Franz's eyes widened, and his hand gripped the desk tightly. "You killed them?"

"Yes... Is there any problem?"

"Ah, no there is not..." Franz sighed; his eyes went dizzy as he whispered. "Good work; I hope you asked them all the necessary questions."

I nodded slightly.

"I did interrogate them, but they didn't know much." I said, thinking as such, and then softly added with a serious face. "I also know all the crimes they have committed. I will leave that with you."

Killing and not being killed was like survival of the fittest in a jungle. Humans turned out to live in a similar manner.

"I was trying to see what your reaction would actually be." I whispered, leaning back. My face resting over my hand.

Franz leaned back hearing this, his expression unreadable as he rubbed his chin.

"Okay... Asher, let me tell you something. The Temple and guild work to save people. We will gladly turn a blind eye to anyone or anything that can be useful to us." Franz winked; his grin was not of someone working for justice but rather of someone who knows what to do to make something right when needed.

"Bounty hunting is legal… if we say it."

He took out a paper from the drawer and began to scribble something.

"What are you writing?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"You killed them, right? This will put them on the criminal list and put a bounty on their heads... So no crime was done just in case."

"Oh, thanks!" I smiled, nodding my head.

Franz was indeed useful!

"Don't be so happy now; first write down all the crimes they had committed in detail before leaving. I will take care of the rest."

Franz handed me the paper and a quill. I took them and started scribbling everything down.

"I plan to put some evidence on merchants guild activity... I just need to find the illegal artifacts or something like that." I said, still writing.

"You don't know that yet?" Franz asked. He had thought Asher had come after finding all the information needed to target them. But that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Shaking my head, I sighed.

"No, I don't. To tell the truth, it's not that necessary. We just need to catch one person..." I raised my head and looked at him. "The rest will come out automatically."

The promise I made with Morgana, which allowed me to rob Palto, was simple, yet effective. The monster wave still had many participants left roaming free. The gangs were not the only ones responsible for the incident; many merchants had helped them knowingly or unknowingly.

But since the temple and guild had no proof, they couldn't catch anyone.

But that could change now... If we plant something on them.

Franz leaned in with interest, his eyes gleaming with understanding. "A scapegoat, you say?"

"Exactly; however, I fear Elric has some very strong and experienced awakeneds at his service right now. And one of them just so happens to be a shapeshifter, so be especially careful when searching. That will make things hard to deal with later on."

"I see... Are they also the one who attacked Ains last night? It is also possible for them to be mercenaries Elric has commissioned."

"Yeah, I managed to stop some of them."

'Mercenaries, huh? That's possible actually.' I thought for a while, then focused again on Franz.

"You were present there?" Franz asked, his fingers tapping the table.

The corner of my lips curled up slowly as I grinned, feeling a little proud.

"I was present there... Ains has promised full cooperation, so other merchants won't be a problem."

Franz sighed, rubbing his head. He closed his eyes and asked.

"You do know, right, if we fail, other noble houses might get involved? Those damn merchants have too many connections."

'Oh, I didn't think of that...'

Thinking for a moment, I nodded, not letting this surprise me for long.

"I do... But we can still manage. I have perfect evidence to plant."

"And what is that?" Franz, not believing, asked, his brows raised in curiosity as he crossed his arms.

Sliding the paper back towards him, I summoned a black box.

"This... um, is the potion used to turn humans into creatures from beyond."

Franz's eyes grew wide as saucers as he took the black box. He held it with trembling hands, his expression a mix of shock and disgust.

"Where did you get these?!"

"From Greth... He gave them to me before I killed him. I had them for some time. Lady Morgana let me have them for now." I lied with a straight face.

Morgana wouldn't mind me using her name, I hopefully thought.

"Yes... That could work. It could work perfectly. I will tell Lady Morgana as soon as possible."

I nodded, taking the box back.

"Just notify me when you all are ready to take action."

Franz nodded.

"I will. Is there anything else you need to discuss?"

There were several things I wanted to ask and discuss. But I truly felt at a loss when the time to ask them came; rubbing my chin and feeling uncomfortable, I asked in a small voice.

"Your friend Nena… How is she?"

Franz's face darkened. His eyes looked distant as he licked his lips, feeling overwhelmed by intense emotions. Slowly his lips parted; hesitating, he said calmly.

"She is okay… but just that. She has come out of a coma, but she won't be able to move for maybe a year or two."

"...I see. How about the others?"

I asked, tilting my head and keeping a stoic face just like Morgana.

"They are well and will join the work soon."

The condition of Nena was currently not the best… I found this using several channels. Franz had toned it down by a notch, but from what I knew from doctors, she will die an agonizing and slow death.

I had two potions left, and one is more than enough to completely heal her. But again comes the question of it being very precious and my morals fighting over it.

'Maybe there is something I can still do…'

Franz, looking at me, rolled his eyes, unaware of my intentions, and chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, she will be better in no time. I have faith in her… Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

I raised my head and looked at him with a perplexed look on my face at the sudden change in topic.

"What is it?"

"... Would you like to join the Temple?"