Eternal Elysium

"...Join the Temple?" I asked, taken aback by the sudden offer.

It wasn't totally unexpected, but hearing it directly was still shocking. Joining Temple had its benefits but also came with the risk of losing my freedom of moving freely.

Seeing me perplexed, Franz smiled, his eyes gazing down at the paper I had passed to him. Just as he skimmed through what was written over it one by one, he made a look of disgust and whispered.

"...Truly worse than animals."

Seeing the look of disgust on his face, I sighed and said calmly.

"I will think about the offer. But for now let's get rid of everything from this city."

Franz remained silent for a few seconds and then asked curiously.

"Asher, Can I ask why you are in such a hurry?"

I frowned, not understanding the meaning of his words.

"Hurry? No, I am not in any hurry, Franz." I said, shaking my head. I paused, unsure of my own words, as a foreboding seemed to appear in my heart.

I sighed.

"...Maybe it is true that it may look like I am in a hurry from other people's eyes, but to me, I am here just wasting time. I had come to Atlas with certain goals. And not many have been completed yet."

This time it was Franz's turn to be in confusion. Rubbing his chin and his eyes wandering around the room. Probably looking at his dear spirits.

"And what were your goals? Maybe I can help."

"I wanted to find out more about those monster potions… which led me to find out about the lost prince. He seems to be the pillar of what those followers of Kaizer are. I don't even think that's what they are actually called."

Franz calmly assessed the situation, unlike me, who was more desperate than the others—he held a grudge but not as deeply as me. Franz wishes to avenge Nena along with his team, but I wish to kill the one who sits at the top of it.

"I see… That truly is an issue for you then. But you are forgetting an important part as well… The witch, that vile woman. She is also connected with them, isn't she?"

Hearing his words, the corner of my lips started to twitch, suppressing my smiling. I said, irritated.

"You want me to hunt a Zenith…? Do I look that crazy?"

"...Are you not?" He spat out loud, his face grinning.

I fell silent and thought for a while.

I knew Franz was just joking and throwing words around with no meanings behind them—but to me they were not wrong.

'To catch a Zenith, I need to be a Zenith myself… However, I can still look for clues regarding her.'

"Asher, you are making quite a complicated face… You didn't take my word seriously, did you?"

"Ah, no, no. I am not insane… at least not now."

Franz raised his brows and chuckled softly.

"Remove those unholy thoughts. That will be better for you and me as well. Otherwise Lady Morgana might give me hell!"

'Really? That's the reason you are worried?'

Feeling dubious, I leaned back, my foot tapping the table bottom rhythmically as I gazed up, thinking about what I will do now.

"Actually Franz, I want to ask you something… Um, something personal."

"What is it now? I have to go on duty, so be fast."

Irritated by all the questions, Franz didn't hold back his tongue anymore and spat out with a frown on his face.

"Well, what do you do when someone likes you?" I asked, making the most serious face I possibly could.

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Franz's foot stopped tapping, and he stared at me with a mix of surprise and bewilderment.

"What? Someone likes me?" He echoed, his voice rising slightly.

I blinked left, bewildered at this reaction.

"No, like what do people do if someone likes them... How do they deal with it? You looked experienced, so I asked you... Was I wrong?" I said calmly.

His eyes narrowed a bit as he took in my words.

"Oh, that. Well, it's simple, really. If someone likes you, and you return their feelings, you get to know them better, spend time with them, and build a relationship. But if you don't, it's best to be honest and let them know gently. It's better to maintain friendship than to lose someone over misguided feelings." Franz paused, his grin widened. "So, someone likes you?"

I hesitated but nodded slowly.

"I guess... I am not sure." As I said that, one more face appeared in my mind. "...Two people actually."

Love and like—what was even the difference?

I had loved my family and my friends, but do I wish to build a relationship with them...?

'No, I don't.' I thought, shaking my head.

Miss Betty harbors some feelings for me... and maybe even Elda. But I couldn't understand what they were. It was totally a foreign feeling.

As I sighed and turned to look at Franz, I froze.

He was gritting his teeth, and his lips were twitching manically. Hesitating, I asked cautiously.

"Eh? Franz... Is something the matter?"

Phew... Franz released a small breath and said in a threatening tone.

"Asher, at first I thought you were making up a story. So as someone well versed in romance, I played along. But! Two! Two people like you? Seriously, when I am having trouble finding one due to Lyra's mischief? How is that fair? Are you making fun of me?!"

'Wh-What is he even saying?!' I thought, leaning back with my face hardening. Overwhelming was a small word to express what I was feeling right now as Franz's pent-up feelings exploded.

"No no no! It's not what you think!" I protested, raising my hands in a defensive manner. "I didn't mean to brag or anything! It just came to my knowledge recently. And I have no idea what to do about it!"

Franz's expression softened a bit, but the tension in the room remained palpable. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving me.

"Look, Asher, I'm not mad at you. But if you're going to be a part of the Temple, you can't go around blabbing about your love life like it's some sort of joke. This is serious business."

'This guy can't be jealous, right?'

Pursing my lips, I looked at him in amusement. The annoyed face he was making was anything but stupid. Still, it was funny to look at.

"Alright, alright." I agreed to not let him get more spiteful than he already was.

"Asking you was the mistake. I will take care of it on my own."

With that, I stood up, deciding to leave the topic of my 'love life' behind before it turned into a full-blown argument. It was clear that my words had hit a nerve, and the last thing I needed was to stir up more trouble.

'... Should I just? No, that would be a cruel thing to do.'

An idea came surely, but I didn't like it. Shaking my head, I let go of such thoughts. When the time comes, I will also deal with it.

'...Is this how teenagers feel? Truly not the best experience.' I chuckled and walked out of the temple.

*****

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Taking a sip from the cold tea Elda has prepared, I rested lazily on the chair; its creaking sound as it moved back and forth was like a sweet melody in the ears. Making me even sleepier than before.

After some research I had finally understood how that group of people had attacked so silently and efficiently.

It all depends upon the ritual they performed to invoke the rune magic and create a charm.

A charm was something like an artifact but weaker and can only be used one time. It even had a time limit before it became useless and expired.

In the book Morgana gave only two waysto create them. One was to inject the power of a high ranker into the material that could be considered of supernatural origins. Since the exact rank was not given, it would not be wrong to assume it means either transcendent or zenith.

This method was pretty useless for me and the others. Find a high ranker and ask them to let me borrow their powers.

'Never gonna happen.'

While the second method was more feasible and likely to work for me.

It needed nothing more than some materials and a mediocre amount of knowledge on rune language. By doing the correct incantation and building a connection with the world of Abstract, which held all the concepts and rules, we can borrow power directly through it.

That group has most likely done this as well.

"But the chance of success is low." I muttered, rubbing my chin.

Making a charm was like a gamble with low chances of winning.

But I had a way to make it work out.

'I bear the mark of a god. Even if it has played its original purpose, the mark still exists and will probably vanish after some time.'

'Still, I am a proxy of God in a roundabout manner. How can someone say no to me? My chances of creating a charm are higher than anyone else's, as it depends on luck and status.'

"I should try this today." I said and turned to look at Albert coming this way.

I have already bought the materials needed and even borrowed some from Temple, which were not available in the market.

"Boss, here is the newspaper!" Albert said, his voice filled with excitement.

Taking the paper in my hand, I gently opened it, showing no hurry.

Leaning back, I placed the cup beside me and looked at the front page.

The corner of my lips started to curl up, and I read the news aloud.

"A famous merchant, Palto, was caught by a joint investigation of the Guild and the Temple. Several proofs have been found that showed his involvement with previous gangs and the monster wave that terrorized Atlas."

Albert's ears perked up as he gave me a smug look.

"Will Atlas finally be free from the regime of terror?"

'How catchy,' I thought while looking at the news headlines.

Placing the black box was easy, and putting Greth's belongings inside his house was even easier with Franz and his spirits supporting in the background.

"Boss, isn't this awesome?" Albert asked.

"Yes." I said and sat straight, shifting slightly.

Ains has also provoked several merchants in the background, so by now many must have come forward and given their input in this matter to the guild by now.

'The only one left is Elric.'