Eternal Elysium

Last night was turbulent in every sense of the word.

Many things have changed and will continue to change moving forward.

As I continued to walk through the crowded streets of the market and look around me. A sense of emptiness seems to have filled me from within. I was free from all the work that has overwhelmed me for the last few weeks. Now the only task that remains is to get filled by leftover details.

For that I had decided to visit Ains today after having a proper rest.

There were many questions that had come to my mind after Elric left those venomous words to me. Maybe it was also a ploy from his side, a final act of defiance to make chaos. But honestly I don't care much about who was the reason behind Ains's family's death.

Elric's words simply gave me two clues.

One was that Ains was more or less the culprit behind his family assassination, and the second was that they were not some good people to be looked up to as well.

The second clue was daunting in a different sense. After all, it was likely saying that Elric was protecting his nephew Ains. Something hard to believe. So, I had decided to not dwell on this for too long. It was likely a pre-planned trap set to catch me in his schemes.

'The deciding factor will likely involve Ains.'

Thinking as such, I saw Ains' mansion come into view. Several workers were walking inside with bricks and wooden panels in their hands. The broken mansion was slowly being built back to its former glory.

'They sure have a lot of money for this.'

Just making a mansion like this will take all my money, and if I added the cost of maintenance and maids that would work inside, I would probably need to hunt at least fifty beasts every day to keep it clean.

'Now I feel poor… No wait, I am still rich. Just not super rich!'

One more goal was added to my list of things to do.

Standing in front of the gate, from the corner of my vision I saw Kohler standing as a guard inside. I raised my hand, trying to get his attention. Soon he saw me, his brow raising in surprise.

"Oh, Sir Asher!" He walked towards me wearing new armor. Most armor in the end was useless against monsters and slowed down people. Unless made from special materials, even I tend to avoid them.

Seeing me staring at him, he chuckled before speaking with an amused voice.

"My old armor got destroyed that night… Well, good for me, I got a new one!"

"Ah, I see. Good for you, Mr. Kohler." I nodded without thinking much and started to follow him inside.

Walking through the front entrance, we soon came inside the mansion. Everyone was in a rush, walking hastily to reach their destination—the maids looked especially busy as well, considering the loads of things they had to carry in their hands. I looked at them once and then carried my steps to the second floor.

Kohler didn't say much and only glanced at me once we reached the gates of the tightly guarded room. In front of the door I saw a man standing straight; he was the person whose life I had saved last time.

'Already back to work, huh?'

He stared at me and then nodded at Kohler before opening the door.

I stepped inside and didn't look back.

Ains was sitting on his seat beside a long wooden table in a sealed room. No sunlight came inside, as all lights were made from crystal lamps decorated on the ceiling. I frowned and saw him looking up at me with a surprised look.

"I didn't expect you to come today, Sir Asher." Ains said, rubbing his eyes. Dark circles were present below his eyes, his hair was unkempt, and his smile was tired.

"I don't like waiting, so I came as early as possible… You look tired instead of me, Ains. What happened?"

I said, carefully choosing my words.

Ains paused, his eyes shining brightly with a sad glint in them.

"After that attack the security has been kept too tight for me to even breathe properly. Sebastian won't compromise; he even threatened to leave if I don't listen to his words." He grumbled; for a moment he looked like a kid complaining about his strict mother.

I chuckled softly and nodded.

"Well, that's for your safety. Sabastian also has this side, which is a surprise, to be honest."

"Haha, yes, his stubborn side is also a surprise…"

Ains laughed. His figure shifted in his seat as he smiled before speaking.

"So, what brings you here, Sir Asher? Tell me how I can help you."

I sighed and leaned back.

"Elric has been caught. You should get news about him soon… He said some interesting things, you know?"

Ains frowned, his eyes raising in confusion. He rubbed his eyes once again before speaking.

"Oh, really? What did my uncle say?" He asked politely, not showing any signs of anxiety.

I didn't say anything immediately and thought for a while, choosing my words carefully. Should I play along with his act, or should I just be blunt now? Of course there was no proof regarding Ains' involvement in anything. But to tell the truth, I believed Elric that maybe Ains had really done it.

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There was no logical reason behind it, just a gut feeling.

"...Just about your father. How he was a very kind man, a goddess devotee. He would visit the temple alongside your mother regularly. It was just small talk, really. He might have been reminiscing about the good old times now that he has been captured." In the end I decided to play along with him. There was no reason for me to make an enemy out of Ains. Since he didn't say anything, I might just keep to myself.

Ains fell silent; his eyes remained fixed on me, and then he whispered.

"Only if he could have said it to Father directly…"

'Ains, Elric is not dead. Why are you killing him already?'

I thought and chuckled softly but didn't say anything else. Seeing Ains's face, I leaned back on my seat and said in a solemn voice.

"Well, that's the thing with regret. It always comes too late."

Ains nodded but then smiled, asking with curiosity.

"Is that all you came to tell Sir Asher?"

"...Yes, almost everything. I hope you keep your promise, Ains. After all, I would not like for any problems to occur in my absence."

Ains' smile froze; his eyes gave an innocent look as he blinked before asking.

"Are you going to leave? When all the businesses are about to rise in the city."

"I'll be around," I assured him. "But I do have other matters to attend to. And I expect you to handle your part as well."

"I, I see. I will make sure to keep my promise. I owe you a lot, Sir Asher."

Ains spoke, his voice sounding sincere. It was hard to read through his emotions. Was he really upset about his uncle's words, or was it something else? I decided to keep my cards close to my chest for now.

"I should leave now... I will see you again soon. Hope from tomorrow you will handle everything."

Just as we were about to stand up, I remembered something and looked at Ains.

"Well, I am actually curious about something as well. How did you fool Elric into believing the insignia was real?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. This question was also asked by Elric last night, and honestly my curiosity was also piqued by this.

Ains smiled innocently and said with a playful tone as if the answer was obvious.

"When I was given the insignia, I simply asked for one more. They were kind enough to give me another one as a souvenir. Well, of course that one will not be valid! The difference can only be noticed by a very few, and I mean that. I couldn't even tell which one was real at first." Ains spoke, his voice filled with confidence. He had thought of everything. The plan was foolproof, or so he believed.

'Really? It was that simple! You asked and they did it?!!'

I was dumbfounded but nodded hesitantly.

"That's one way to do it…"

Ains smiled brightly and nodded along as if he had not scammed anyone.

"Yes. Don't worry, Sir Asher. Just wait one more day, and I will make your business invincible by the end of this month!"

'He won't scam me, right?' I stared at him suspiciously.

"Alright… Um, I will trust you."

Saying that, I immediately took my leave and walked through those familiar corridors of Ains' mansion.

This time I didn't walk slowly and went a little faster than before, reaching the outskirts of the mansion, where I saw a pale grey public carriage waiting.

Before it could depart, I reached for it and said in a calm voice.

"Temple."

"That will be 2 R."

"Alright." I didn't argue over the high price and quietly sat inside along with the other passengers.

The carriage moved with a sudden push, making me lose my balance for a moment.

'Sigh, today is also not the best day. Ains still is playing innocent. Unless he does something against me, I will ignore it. I should also tell Temple about this later.'

For the next ten minutes I sat in silence, eagerly looking outside to see the bustling market as the carriage passed through the streets with incredible speed.

"We have reached the Temple!" The carriage driver yelled, stopping at the city square. I jumped out and placed the money in his hand. The driver looked at it for a few seconds before nodding with a small push of his hand.

"Thanks!" I said before leaving him behind and walking towards the Temple.

I entered the temple in the next second and walked toward Franz's office through the corridors.

Reaching out for the door, I knocked before speaking with a polite tone.

"Franz, it's me, Asher! I have come for a visit."

"Come inside!" Franz answered back without wasting any time.

'…Phew. Everything is way too far. Can't they make things closer to reach?' I complained a little in my heart before moving inside.

The room was as modest as ever. Unlike the laborious hallways and decoration used for the outside, I have noticed that the offices were kept simple. Whether it was their own choice or the Temple design was hard to tell.

"Good afternoon, Franz. How is your day going?" I greeted casually and sat on the chair, leaning back.

Franz rolled his eyes and leaned back.

"As good as you can expect. The guild is moving fast and helping us catch criminals, so paperworkis less, but physical labor has increased on me." He sighed.

"Those three mercenaries have been kept in a safe house under watch. We have taken their testimony, so we might let them go soon after giving them mild punishment. They turned out to be more innocent than we thought." Franz said with an irritated tone and perked his brows.

I raised my brows in curiosity and leaned forward before asking with a surprised voice.

"Really? What did they say?"

"The contract they had signed with Elric was to provide him safety for a limited time and to retrieve some items for him. Normally they had discussed the legal boundaries and didn't mind theft much. But Elric had fooled them into signing a special contract created in the Temple. That contract holds special powers, so going against them will be suicidal. Enzo finding this out secretly sabotaged Elric's plans and provided intel." Franz sighed, shaking his head.

"We are still checking the facts and timelines he provided. I suspect Elric might have gotten his hand on the Temple contract by bribing some guards. So it will take a little over four days before they will be let go." Franz added.

'Some kind of special contract? Elric was bound to use it if he had one.' I thought and chuckled at their stupid stunt of being a double agent.

"That was truly foolish on their part. Make sure to give them suitable punishment for their crimes!" I said, not holding back my anger at them.

"We will… Also, you can have that sword later. Lady Morgana is checking it out for now."

'She is not planning to keep it, right?'

I pressed my lips at the dreadful thought and shook my head.

"Alright, just give it back later."

Franz nodded, but his eyes were not confident. He was hesitant and stressed by this whole ordeal, it seems.

"Ah, also Asher. What did you think of my offer? Would you like to join the Temple as an honorary Knight captain?"

My eyes widened as those words left his mouth.

An honorary member was better for me than being a direct member, but a knight captain? A high rank at the start… This felt sketchy.

"You… You are not trying to scam me, right?" I said, not hiding my suspicion.

"Haha… Scam? No, absolutely not, Asher. Why would we scam you? Your powers and skills are already more than enough proof for that position. And Lady Morgana suggested for us to give you an honorary position to keep you free and unbound." Franz laughed, his poker face breaking at my suspicion.

"It's tempting to say the least… But I might actually accept it based on the work you might give me." I paused, thinking for a moment before continuing.

"I accept the offer, but I might decline work if it doesn't suit me in the future."

This time Franz fell silent. For a moment his brow shot up as he gave me a look of pity and smiled wistfully.

"A pity indeed… I will tell Lady Morgana later that you have decided to join us."

"Congrats Asher… You are one of us now. Welcome to the Temple." Franz said, getting up from his seat and shaking my hand.

But my eyes didn't miss his smile and the look of pity he threw at me.

'I just accepted the offer, and he says it's a pity? Yeah, something is definitely wrong!' I again looked at him in suspicion and leaned back, my lips twitching uncomfortably.