Eternal Elysium

Nasi stayed silent. Her gaze was heavy as she let out a humming sound in deep thought.

"Normally one will need a permit and written reason to see such things."

My smile froze.

I had hoped Miss Nasi would allow this. But maybe I was wrong.

I could go to Commander Alos and ask for it but there was a chance he might ask more questions. I wanted to avoid doing that.

There was also a chance Plague was keeping an eye on him.

I had already considered it as a monster outside the norm. It was intelligent and cunning. Not a risk taker—that much was obvious to me.

"I will allow it."

"Huh?"

Nasi laughed, placing one hand on her lips.

"I will turn a blind eye to it this once. Okay? But don't make a habit of it."

"Thank you, really."

"Hmm, but at least tell me why you need it."

I stayed silent and didn't answer at once.

My plan… it's quite a simple one actually. Something I have done a lot after coming here.

"You can't?" Nasi tilted her head and asked with a soft voice.

I gave her a wry smile in return and rubbed the back of my head once before speaking evenly.

"I can—"

Shoosh!

The door suddenly opened, taking me aback.

I swiftly turned my head and saw a black-haired woman enter the room with calm steps.

"Nasi, I was looking for you." Sion said in a dull voice before turning her head to look at me.

"Oh, Captain Asher, you are also here. It's nice to see you again."

Sion's words directed at me were polite and respectful, while the tone from which she had called Miss Nasi felt friendly. The words put me off for a moment that I even forgot about the conversation we were previously having.

Are they friends?

Miss Nasi smiled at Sion and waved her small hand.

"Oh, Sion, you came. I was waiting for you. Come join us." Nasi paused and glanced at me as if remembering something.

"Do you mind if she joins us for a moment, Captain Asher?"

I looked at Nasi and then at Sion before nodding slowly.

"No, I certainly don't mind."

"Ah, I see. Thank you."

Nasi nodded.

In such a busy schedule she probably had finally found some peace among us, even me, a simple acquaintance. So much so that she seemingly had let go of our previous talk without even being aware of it.

Then Sion took two steps forward and closed the distance between us.

The room was pretty empty and held just a little over ten chairs scattered around and a small window at the top of a wall. It worked well as a ventilator but still couldn't illuminate the whole room. Currently only a modest amount of light could enter from outside.

"Sorry if I disturbed your talk, Captain Asher. I won't take long."

"It's alright." I said softly and leaned back on my chair.

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Sion nodded before taking out some reports and passing them to Nasi.

"Eh?"

Suddenly holding reports in her hands, Nasi let out a dumbfounded sound. She looked disappointed, even dejected.

She looked pitiful and dejected but Sion, vice-captain of the 2nd division, just tilted her head, not understanding her plea.

I let out a small chuckle but didn't say anything.

After one or two minutes passed, we all remained silent, letting Nasi go through the reports one by one and sign them. Her face was still pale, though her complexion had improved slightly as she took sips from the juice in her hand.

"So, Miss Sion, how are you? I have heard one of the 2nd division teams met a sudden monster wave and got gravely injured."

Sion turned her head back to me and then said evenly.

"Yes, something like that did happen. I am currently here to check on them on behalf of Captain Lenz, who couldn't make it here."

While I was already aware of the situation, I still wished to know a little more. Sion was awkward, not in the sense of not knowing how to communicate but in terms of human precision. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong or what was right. However, I knew her words would not be directed to mislead; she rather felt like an observer to me—a spectator of sorts.

I let those thoughts cloud my mind for a moment before focusing back.

"Hmm, I see. I had recently faced a similar situation myself. I think you should have heard of it, but let me tell you a little about it."

Sion nodded, not changing her expression. I couldn't tell if she was smiling or not, as her lips were pressed tightly together. Her expressions were unreadable.

Seeing her paying attention, I continued.

"Our first encounter was with a wave of monsters. Just like it happened with your division. We met them suddenly; it was really an unexpected situation. Luckily, like I had said before, some soldiers outside the camp took notice of it. Otherwise we would have all been wiped out."

I paused, inhaling deeply.

"But even after all that, we still were met with a corrupted beast. It appeared suddenly as if it had teleported there. But it didn't have any such powers."

I tried to fill her in as much as possible while still keeping important parts a secret. At some point in time Nasi joined our talk—or more like mine since Sion didn't say much.

"It could have been an illusion or some monster hiding there who could cast it."

Nasi added.

"But that would mean that monsters are now sharp enough to attack even while hiding. If they could do that, they would have attacked, not just mindlessly but with proper planning."

I rebutted with my own words.

Even though our debate was becoming heated, a hint of enjoyment still lingered in Miss Nasi's eyes. However, the content of the debate was anything but friendly.

Miss Nasi was not only a good healer but she was knowledgeable and experienced as well. She held an in-depth idea regarding monsters' nature as well as that of humans.

"Not all monsters need to have formation. You must have noticed that high-rank beasts or extremely strong ones have minions following their orders. If even one could have been led, the scenario I speak of is not impossible." Nasi said with a sharp voice, her fingers raised as if depicting a story.

Although not technically wrong, I couldn't call it correct either.

Her theory had too many issues and holes in it.

But I couldn't come to deny them.

There was no reason to.

Seeing me remain silent, Miss Nasi let out a small chuckle, already celebrating her victory.

But then an unexpected voice came.

"What if it's none of that?"

Sion said with an expressionless face. We turned to face her only for her to look us straight in the eyes with a strange look.

Nasi frowned, her brows furrowed together as she asked with a calm voice.

"What do you mean, Sion?"

The question lingered in the room for a few seconds.

Sion didn't reply.

I looked up as I saw the light from the window starting to shrink slightly; a chilly wind came, making me shiver.

Then, as if done with her thoughts, Sion said with an expression that was quite unreadable due to the absence of light on her face.

"What if they had just teleported there?"

I frowned deeply.

While it did answer all the holes of why illusion couldn't be the answer and seems to fit seamlessly in all parts of the issue.

Sion's words still were not practical enough for me to agree.

"That doesn't feel possible." I whispered, shaking my head.

Nasi nodded, giving Sion a wry smile.

"It's alright. We had also thought of that once." Nasi patted Sion's shoulders, trying to cheer her up, but she remained unmoved.

"I see."

With a soft sigh, Sion turned to look at me.

"Anyway, Captain Asher, what were you talking about with Nasi?" She asked casually.

"Ah, just some everyday stuff."

Miss Nasi said, trying to hide our conversation.

I was grateful for her efforts to cover up for me, even going as far as to lie to her friend.

But that was alright.

There was no need to go that far.

Sion's presence here has saved me a lot of time.

"It's alright; I can say it."

I said, stopping Miss Nasi. She glanced at me, her eyes filled with worry and doubts. But she didn't voice it out.

"Hmm, what can you say?" Sion asked, showing interest.

I looked at both of them and closed my eyes before saying.

"I can't say it directly or tell too much but I am actually doing a secret investigation in Kalista."

They both leaned closer, trying to hear clearly.

"Some important people have went missing… I am trying to find the culprit; for that I asked Miss Nasi for some help."

I didn't say what help was needed.

That was not needed.

But their reactions were more than satisfactory.

A look of shock, even a little admiration, was present in their eyes.

"I promise… I won't tell anyone about this." Sion said, placing her hand over her heart.

"Me too."

Nasi added, nodding alongside Sion.

"I will help in any way I can, Captain Asher."

My lips curled up into a grin, but I suppressed it, not letting it show on my face.

With a burdened, almost sad look, I nodded, placing one hand to cover my face.

"Thank you. I am grateful."