"Jim has been taken care of," said Gregorio. He took a sip of his tea before staring at the crimson-eyed man who sat on the opposite end of the table. "But… you don't look satisfied… Why is that?"
The soft breeze tickled Arthur's skin, yet a dark atmosphere descended around him.
"It's nothing," replied the crimson-eyed man, finishing his tea. He placed the cup on the table in front of him before wiping his mouth with a few napkins. Then, he stood up with the intention of leaving. "I have a few classes today."
"Jake is not dead, you know," said Gregorio. "Are you dissatisfied that we couldn't heal his injuries? He's a cripple, but he's not dead."
"No, I can fix his disabilities," replied Arthur flatly. "I'm surprised you didn't take action yourself. Instead, you sent a great mage, your non-blood nephew, to take care of Jim. It's truly suspicious, considering your track record of completing all missions by yourself."
"Are you accusing me of something, Arthur?" Gregorio asked, leaning forward as he clasped his hands together. A dangerous glint flashed across his eyes, and chills shot down Arthur's spine while gazing into his jewel eyes.
The two remained silent for a few seconds, gazing into each other's eyes as if it were a battle. Eventually, Gregorio was the first to avert his gaze. "If only you would put so much effort into our plan."
"I already told you," said Arthur, letting out a sigh. "I will get on with it soon. For now, keep an eye out for Gary. He's dangerous, and perhaps involved with enemy factions. He pretended to be severely injured to frame Jake."
"Yes, he's dangerous," replied Gregorio. His expression turned solemn at that remark. "Our intel-gatherers couldn't find a single thing on Gary Anderson. It's like a veil is draped over our eyes, preventing us from viewing the truth."
Arthur let out a chuckle at Gregorio's words, finding them to be funny. The concept of truth was truly fascinating.
"I'll be taking my leave now," said Arthur, waving as he bid farewell. Gregorio mustered a faint smile as though they were buddies. To be fair, the two were partners in crime, so it only made sense.
'Arthur suspects something…' thought Gregorio, massaging his forehead as a migraine awaited him. Although he acted with friendliness towards the crimson-eyed man, both he and Gregorio knew their relationship was purely due to business.
Gregorio was a monster, a person regarded as one of the strongest in Arcadia.
On the other hand, Arthur Solace was a commoner from a distant village, unknown to anyone and everyone except that one incident during the practical exam.
However, their thoughts were similar, as if one had weaved them together. It was both borrowed from the compendium of knowledge combined and stored in their minds. Gregorio wondered whether he would be outmatched by a mere teenager.
'Well, it'll be for the greater good if I get outmatched,' thought Gregorio. It would only benefit the Ainsworths if their plan worked, and if Arthur was the one to bring to fruition, then so be it. He would receive proper credit.
But the deciding factor was whether he could achieve it.
Although not all depended on the crimson-eyed man, a lot of it did. The reason Gregorio valued Arthur so much was due to his involvement in the plan, which surpassed even Alisha, Mason Lucas Ainsworth's daughter.
Stroking his chin, Gregorio sipped on his tea, allowing the fragrance to tickle his nose. Revealing a faint smile at the pleasant scent, he cherished the moment, as things would soon get messy.
'I hope he becomes a bit more indifferent to such matters.'
Little did he know, Arthur was attempting to rectify his mistakes. Being too indifferent was one of those mistakes.
*
"This'll be the eighth day I'm missing classes," commented Arthur, letting out a deep sigh while traversing across uneven ground. He'd left Arcadia the day he conversed with Gregorio and headed back to his village.
Melzer… he possessed nectar capable of healing Jake.
The only problem was his cost. Arthur didn't even consider the possibility of receiving nectar without an appropriate cost, but he wasn't certain what Melzer would ask of him. Perhaps, he would request Arthur become a slave?
But that wasn't possible, so if Melzer demanded an unreasonable request, Arthur would have to give up on healing Jake.
But the stakes were quite high. Jake was required if Arthur planned on allying with the Garcias, and that would practically be a deciding factor of whether their plan worked or not. It was quite necessary.
Other than that, it was due to Arthur's mistake that Jake was almost assassinated…
Although he didn't regret allowing Jake to monitor Gary, it was true that the incident wouldn't have occurred had Arthur not requested that of him. Such feelings were unfamiliar to Arthur, but he could somehow recognize them.
Guilt…
It was a funny feeling, really. It emerged from nothingness, and once one subjectively redeemed themselves, it simply faded away as if it had never existed. Feelings were based upon subjectiveness, and were interpreted differently by others.
It was a hoax, a trick of the mind. But it was also difficult to ignore the pleas of the mind.
And since Arthur's goal was to embrace those pleas, he somehow managed to endure the stupidity.
After a few more hours of traversing through the muddy ground, Arthur arrived at the place he previously called home. It was a nostalgic feeling, although he'd only been away from the village for a few weeks.
The village was bustling.
Well, it only made sense, considering Melzer's influence. His loneliness in the village was beyond bounds, so he probably invited a few friends to stay in the same village as him. Arthur smiled at his immaturity.
Walking across the city, he navigated through the narrow streets and crowds of people. Eventually, he arrived at Melzer's place.
It still looked just as rough.
Suddenly, a tiny cat approached him, its eyes glittering in the process.
"Meow."
"Good to see you, too, Melzer."
