"We need to help Kuzon!"
As I heard the voices of both Ana and Beruel echoing in my ears, I was filled with confusion.
'Help... Kuzon...?'
Kuzon was one of the most powerful people I knew. If he needed help, then what kind of threat was he facing?
"It's the Second Seat. His uncle, Kido." Beruel was yelling at this point, thus answering my question.
"We need to act fast!"
Ah, according to their expressions, it was an urgent task, one that didn't require much of my analysis.
'Could it be a trap?' I asked myself, watching Ana and Beruel cautiously.
They both seemed like themselves, and they both seemed fine, but how certain was I that this wasn't due to our enemy's use of Original Magic?
We currently had the upper hand with all the Arcanas in our possession.
Could I really count it as a mere coincidence that Beruel was suddenly a good guy and accompanied Ana to tell us about a friend that was in danger?
'If this is a trap, then what would be the most effective solution?'
"JARED! KUZON NEEDS OUR HELP!" Ana's scream pierced my ears, and I honestly felt a sting within me.
But pragmatism was my strongest suit. I had to think ahead in times like this.
'If I don't want to lose against Legris... or the Cult.'
"What are you thinking about, Jared? That it could be a trap?" As expected, one of my allies understood my line of thought.
I cast my glance towards Neron and nodded, hoping to get an inkling of what to do from him. He was incredibly resourceful—especially in moments like this.
It hadn't been very long since he and Serah returned from their mission, and just as I had expected, they brought back an Arcana. No, two of them!
I would have liked it if they had captured the Cult Member that Serah killed, alive, but it would have probably ended up like the case with Vaizer.
In that case, they did well by eliminating the enemy and gaining the one Arcana that I wouldn't want to be in the enemy's hands at the moment.
'The Fool...' I smiled at Neron, casting a side gaze at Serah, who was kind of comforting Ana and calming her down along with Lemi.
Edward stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do, but Ivan, Jerry, and Ciara decided to keep a close watch on Beruel. He was still an enemy in my mind, after all.
Nothing had been explained yet.
"I can use [Timeless World] to check. That way, I'll confirm everything."
Ah, what a simple solution!
"You're a genius, Neron! Please do. And if the opponent really is overpowering Kuzon, then help him."
If Neron didn't show up after a specified time, we would simply assume that he was engaging the enemy, and we'd be right behind him.
"Alright. Spell Card, please."
While I summoned a Spell Card to transport Neron, I felt a gaze from behind me. It belonged to Ana.
"Y-you... don't even believe me? You're not hurrying?" Her voice quivered as she stared at me in disbelief.
Ana's glare conveyed a lot of deep emotions, and it seemed highly unlikely that she would fabricate this story.
'But Magic can be very tricky. She could have been shown an illusion for all I know.'
"This isn't about trust... but about safety." I told her, giving Neron the Spell Card that would allow him to teleport to the exact coordinates Ana was returning from.
"Guess I'll see you all soon."
I smiled and nodded. For us, it would be nothing but mere moments—probably not even up to a second.
>VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH<
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>VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH<
"I'm back."
Neron's voice and his return happened almost as soon as he left, causing me to get a little disoriented.
The concept of time was a little difficult to understand.
But, I did know something upon Neron's arrival.
"Kuzon isn't in danger, is he?" I smiled, now switching my gaze to Ana.
Neron's gaze was calm, and his expression was practically the same as always—stoic. The fact that he wasn't hurrying us into action meant my theory must have been correct!
'This is why you have to be cautious about stuff. It's probably be a trap.'
Our enemies were brilliant strategists—Legris especially.
If we wanted to win, we couldn't act impulsively, or on emotion. We had to think very hard about things.
"So, Neron, tell u—"
"It's better you see for yourselves." He sighed, seeming too tired.
Something about Neron's distracted and now hesitant gaze gave me an odd feeling, but... I decided to shelf that.
'Could they have gotten Neron too? Nah, not possible!'
Was I being hypocritical by trusting Neron's vague testimony more than Ana's? No, not really.
Neron fulfilled the conditions of our arrangement, and he did so in [Timeless World]. The data we had at the moment suggested that he was practically invincible in this state.
Sure, he couldn't interfere with anyone or anything without bringing them into the Timeless State with him, but that also meant that his arrival exactly as soon as he left meant he'd no interaction with an enemy.
'It checks out. Besides, there are many factors that make Ana's story less believable.'
One was Beruel... but I decided to shelf that curious line of thought for another time. At this point, we had to act on the situation.
'I don't want to be seen like more of a jerk than I already appear to be.'
Lemi and Ana were side by side, and it seemed she was doing a good job comforting the girl. I could see Edward's awkward stature behind Ana, as he gave her a light tap on her shoulder, a way of showing his support.
'Let's go check this out, shall we?'
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[A/N]
Jared is being calculative for a reason, as you should all know. I understand why some of you might be annoyed with him, but he doesn't know anything.
He's also the leader, so he has to think of every single possibility. Look at me defending him... pfft.
I personally feel pained about Kuzon's death btw.
