A strange room, a strange man, a strange body…
When Asher Norn's consciousness returned to him, everything seemed unfamiliar.
"Ahk…!"
He winced. His hands went to his head as a stabbing pain filled his skull.
Memories of past events came back in fragments. He couldn't recall it all because most of it had been repressed by his trauma response, but the bits and pieces he did remember were terrifying enough.
From his head to the rest of his body, his hands rapidly patted him down as he tried to assess his condition.
By all logic, he should've been at least half-dead by now. If not, then crippled.
But looking at himself internally and externally, there didn't seem to be a problem.
Then, when considering everything else…
"You…saved me?" He uttered, still overcoming his confusion.
"I did," Damien responded.
"Ah…!"
Asher exclaimed without knowing what to say.
If this man was here, the one who tortured him was likely already dead.
And if that man was dead, then he was in a position to regain his freedom.
"My savior…how can I thank you?"
He didn't think of anything else. Kindness had to be repaid tenfold. If not because one wished to be just, then because not doing so could very well attract ire from the very one whom one called one's savior.
Rather than that ire turning into a grudge with unknown consequences, wasn't it better to put everything down first and express gratitude?
Damien smiled slightly.
His thoughts were barely ordered after he found himself confronted with a new enemy that needed to be eradicated, but the demeanor of the man named Asher Norn was refreshing enough to take his mind off of it.
After all, Damien could see into his soul. This man was weaker than him, so whether it be thoughts or subconscious beliefs that even the man himself didn't know, they were all clear to him.
"You don't need to be so tense. I'm here because I accepted a commission from your family, so the repayment is already in order."
"I see…" Asher nodded his head in understanding.
"Then, can you explain the current situation?"
His relative calmness was impressive, and since Damien had nothing better to do, he slowly told Asher about what had happened to him.
"There was such a plot!" Asher exclaimed after hearing the story.
"I apologize, but this is something I must report to the Family Head immediately. If it isn't included in your pay, I am willing to add additional compensation if you can escort me home."
"I'll hold you to your word, then."
Whether extra compensation was needed or not, Damien wasn't one to refuse.
"But before we go…"
'I feel bad for the ancient god who originally made this ruin, but it has to be done.'
Damien lit a flame of purgatory in his hands and threw it nonchalantly to the side.
That flame would eventually devour everything in its path and consume the ruin whole, leaving no traces of Richter's research for others to find later.
As for his other hideouts, Damien would slowly destroy them one by one for that purpose.
Such experiments didn't need to be continued.
But that was a story for another time.
"Shall we go now?"
Damien smiled and turned away from Asher. The man was more than capable of walking on his own now, and Damien already clothed him before he woke up.
"Absolutely," Asher nodded, "but…how?"
"Ah, that's the easiest part."
Maybe his teleportation was restricted, but Warp was a broken skill.
It ignored such things as restrictions. As long as Damien knew where he was going and had the mana to take himself there, he could move anywhere.
At his current level, that included travel between planes.
A portal opened up behind him, leading to the same martial arena that was used to test mercenaries before the expedition began.
Damien and Asher came out on that side and saw the sunlight of the Verdant Principality once more, and while it meant nothing to Damien, it was obviously different for Asher.
He knelt on the ground and cried. He tried to hide it, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing from his eyes.
His mind refused to remember his suffering, but his body recalled it clearly. The fact that he'd escaped that hell only set in now, and naturally, that realization was accompanied by a rush of emotions.
'This is going to take a bit.'
Damien stood by without a word and waited for Asher to get himself together. Several minutes and a short apology later, the two were on their way to the Norn Family Estate.
It was a decently large area that encompassed several dozen acres of land, but compared to the grandiosity of structures Damien had seen in the lower universe, it wasn't anything much.
'Well, this is also one of the lowest levels of influence present here. There are ten thousand like it in this cardinal region, and if you include the rest, the number is uncountable.'
Damien followed Asher to the gates, and once his identity was confirmed, the two were able to enter the estate without much trouble.
They passed by anything and everything until they arrived at the main house, and waiting in front of it was a refined man with hair as white as snow.
"Asher…?" He said incredulously.
"It's me, father," Asher responded in the same tone.
The two had a touching reunion that Damien had no business being a part of, and when it was over, the questions finally started.
"Why are you here? The expedition party hasn't even entered the Vanishing Dunes yet," the man who was evidently the Family Head of the Norn Family asked.
"I was saved by this man. It is also due to his power that we were able to return with such haste," Asher responded, giving Damien the credit he deserved.
The Norn Family Head turned his gaze to Damien for the first time and scanned him up and down.
"First and foremost, I'd like to sincerely thank you for saving my son. However, I hope you can understand my doubts."
Damien sighed to himself.
"Naturally, so just ask away. I'll answer what I can."
"Then, please excuse my rudeness."
It started with a simple, "How did you know my son was missing?"
Damien gave his background as a hired mercenary, and the follow-up question was naturally a, "Why are you here before the expedition party?"
The questioning came to an abrupt halt here, because Damien's answer wasn't something the Norn Family Head could easily fathom,
"They were too slow, so I ditched them."
Damien said it as it was, and while the Norn Family Head definitely had more questions to ask, he had to refrain, because Asher's true circumstances were brought to light.
The kidnapping, the torture, and everything else, all leading up to the conclusion that he would've been dead by the time the expedition party arrived if Damien hadn't moved ahead of them.
Asher Norn was an upright person. He made sure Damien was given the treatment he deserved and told his story in such a way that glorified his achievements.
In this way, Damien would be able to properly reap the rewards of completing the mission, which, in Asher's understanding, was the reason Damien did everything from the start.
The trio entered the mansion as their conversation continued. The topic of rewards, small talk about worldly affairs, some prying into Damien's identity, and much more ensued, but Damien was only half paying attention.
He let the events fly by.
His original goal seemed meaningless now, because the slow and steady approach he was attempting to take had been crushed to bits.
The connection with the Norn Family had already been formed, and as a reward, he already requested a meeting with the Sapientia Clan.
Since they controlled the information network within the Eastern Region, they were a perfect match for the current Damien.
But first…
'...I need to find Yulia.'
That woman from the Veritas Clan would be the biggest contributor to his current plans.
So before anything else, he needed to meet with her.
But did he know…?
Just as he was looking for her, she was looking for him.
Their meeting was fated from the start.
And it wouldn't be too long before it took place.
