Chapter 321: The Second Round [4]
'....Isn't the first time that she has dealt with this?'
Leon's words added another layer to the confusion that I already felt. What was he talking about...? And how was that related to Aoife and Kiera?
"I know you're confused, but I'll explain everything later."
"..... Alright."
As Leon placed the communication device into his pocket, his expression continued to appear solemn. He stood in the same spot for a few seconds, seemingly trying to understand what to do next before he started to move.
I walked in silence, following him without asking many questions.
I knew I'd get answers soon enough.
At the same, I interpreted the entire situation inside of my mind with whatever little information that I had in mind.
Soon, we arrived in front of a small inn, where a slender figure was waiting for us. With long purple locks and dressed in the standard Black Haven Academy uniform, she leaned casually against the side of the building. When she noticed our approach, her expression brightened momentarily, but it quickly faded when she caught sight of me.
Her expression stiffened when she saw me, and I touched my face.
I wasn't that scary, was I?
"Looks like you've received my message."
"I did."
Evelyn tacitly replied, her eyes darting in my direction before she waved her hand slightly and murmured, 'Hi'.
It was clear that she was always quite reserved around me.
I had noticed it for a long time. There was an invisible wall between us that made it difficult to connect with her. Whenever I tried to engage in conversation, she would respond, but that was as far as our interactions went.
In reality, she seemed to want to purposely keep her distance from me.
... And I was fine with that to some extent.
'As long as it doesn't increase the Calamity Bar.'
Tilting her head up, Evelyn brushed her purple locks behind her ears before asking,
"So...? What did you want to talk abou-"
"There's something strange with Kiera and Aoife."
"Uh?"
The confusion on Evelyn's face became apparent.
Before she could voice her worries, Leon continued,
"It's highly like that they've been influenced by something, and I think you're the one who is best suited for figuring the situation out. Since..."
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Leon stopped, glancing my way for a brief moment.
Evelyn stood in silence, coming to an understanding as her eyes widened. Judging from her expression, she understood the implications of his words, her expression tightening considerably.
However, she quickly composed herself, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. "Hooo."
Pursing her lips, she stared at Leon.
"How sure are you of this?"
"I'm quite sure. I noticed an abnormality with Kiera back in the tournament but I didn't think much about it until my intuition brought me to her."
"Kiera?"
"No, Aoife..."
Leon replied in a serious tone.
"My intuition only brought me to her, but the moment I got close to them, I felt the same thing from them."
"....Danger?"
Leon shook his head.
"Madness."
".....'
Evelyn quietly stared at Leon for a few moments, as if trying to peer into his eyes and discern whether he was lying. I couldn't tell what she saw, but eventually, she nodded and cast a fleeting glance in my direction.
I didn't pay much attention to her actions.
In fact, I hadn't paid much attention to anything. From the moment Leon revealed the situation, my mind raced as I thought of a possibility.
Could it be...?
'....The Angel.'
I had always wondered why things had been so quiet since the Angel attempted to influence me back at the Plaza. At the time, I believed I had somehow managed to resist its influence, at least for a short while, and since then, I'd kept my guard up.
.....I thought it'd try to reach for me again, especially since in the vision I had been the only one
present.
But I was wrong.
The Angel...
'It changed targets.'
It directly went ahead and influenced Kiera. And now... Aoife. No, were the two of them the
only ones that were influenced? Could there be more?
The thought sent a chill down my spine as I looked at Leon and Evelyn.
"That..."
I spoke, gathering their attention toward me.
"...I think I might have an idea of what's going on."
That was when I explained to them about the statue, and how it had tried to influence my mind back in the Plaza. I told them how I didn't think much back then but felt like it was
important. I didn't mention anything about my foresight ability.
I felt like Leon would figure something out if I were to tell him about it.
...I wouldn't know how he'd react.
Especially since he seemed to disdain these 'Gods'.
As I spoke, Leon and Evelyn listened quietly. It didn't take long for me to explain the entire situation to them, and the two fell silent shortly after, seemingly digesting my words.
In the end, Leon was the first one to speak.
"So you think it's related to this statue?"
"...Yes."
Leon pursed his lips and glanced at Evelyn, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression. It wasn't until Leon coughed that she snapped out of it.
"Cough."
"Uh, ah? Yes!?"
Leon didn't know how to react when he saw her this flustered.
He gave her a moment to compose herself before explaining the situation. She seemed to
have taken it all in and nodded in understanding.
"It does seem a little suspicious."
"....Can you go to the Royal Library to check for information?"
"The Royal Library? I think I can do that. I should still have a pass."
"Good."
With a serious nod, Evelyn turned and hurried away. Given the limited time before the second
round began, she needed to act quickly. Of the three of us, she was the only one with access to
the Royal Library.
She was the only one with a high enough Noble Rank to access it without special permission.
As a noble, I also had the potential to visit the Library, but I required permission from Julien's father, whom I had yet to contact.
I had my reservations when interacting with Julien's old family. Nonetheless, I still tried to
get permission, but it brought no luck.
I didn't get a reply.
It only made me grow more wary about Julien's relationship with his father.
'I feel like it'll give me a headache further down the line.'
I could only lament my luck.
In the end, with no access to the Royal Library, I could only go look for information
elsewhere.
There was a public library, but that didn't have much information with regard to what we wanted to know. I knew because I tried finding information right after the vision.
The information I found was far too vague to make anything with it.
"Tsk."
Clicking my tongue, I recalled something and looked in the direction of where Evelyn went.
"What's wrong?"
"It's..."
I pursed my lips, recalling Aoife and Kiera as they left the Separation Point. In particular, the
books that Aoife was holding.
"...I'm not sure she'll find much."
***
The morning passed, and the afternoon came.
It was now the time for the Second Round of combats to start. The location of the second
round was the same as the first.
In the center of the Plaza, the grand, imposing statue stood tall, while the platforms floated
above, supported by chains that held them in place and caused them to tilt slightly from time
to time.
Delilah sat in one of the balconies that granted her a view of the entire Plaza from above,
including the platforms that were suspended in the air.
Opposite her was Atlas who had arrived earlier.
Their seats were reserved as delegates from Haven. And despite Atlas's position, he preferred
to sit here, stating, 'It's a little too loud over there. I'm better off here.'
Delilah paid him no mind and placed a book on the table.
It was a purple book that had a small paper cover that blocked the cover of the book.
With a 'Hmm' Delilah read the book.
Flip-
She casually flipped through the pages, her dark eyes gliding from one page to the other.
Her actions drew the attention of Atlas, who quietly set his teacup down. It was the first time
he had seen Delilah so absorbed in reading; she was usually indifferent to such things.
Pursing his lips, he grew a little curious.
'What sort of book is she reading?'
She looked rather engrossed in it.
He also noticed a small book by the side as she took notes from time to time.
'Interesting.'
"Is the book that you're reading interesting?"
"Hm?"
Delilah raised her head, taking her attention away from the book. Her eyes briefly fluttered
with a flicker of acknowledgment before she returned her focus to the pages.
"So-so."
It was neither interesting nor boring to her.
She was just reading it to better understand a few things that she wasn't aware of.
"So-so?"
Atlas blinked his eyes for a brief moment before smiling and losing interest. What other
response did he expect from her?
Regardless, there was something he was more interested in.
"Looks like we're about to start."
Lowering his head to stare at the Plaza which was filling with familiar figures, he propped his
chin up while fixing his attention on a couple of figures. In particular, a young man with short
black hair and hazel eyes.
The sight of him made his lips curl.
'....You've done well so far.'
Julien's matches may not have been the most eye-catching, given the injuries he sustained,
and the time it took for him to defeat his opponents, but it also had to be noted that the
opponents he fought against were bad match-ups, all of which were designed to attack his weaknesses.
And yet... He still came out on top.
This was what impressed Atlas the most.
.....And when he thought back to the past, to the first time he saw Julien, he couldn't help but
feel the corner of his lips pull slightly.
'Right, he's grown a lot.'
He was known as the 'Weakest Black-Star' back then.
But now...?
That was no longer the case.
Though he no longer was the Black Star, Atlas believed he'd be able to get the title back if he
wanted to. In the case he did, Atlas knew he would no longer be referred to with that name.
Though he'd also not be called the 'Strongest Black-Star'.
That title belonged to someone else. Atlas's eyes turned to face Delilah who was still
engrossed in her book.
It was just a fleeting glance, but as Atlas turned his head to look at Delilah, he noticed that the
cover protecting the book was slipping slightly, revealing a glimpse of the title.
Squinting his eyes, Atlas took a peek, his expression gradually turning strange. 'How to sedu-'
