‘What about him makes you go so crazy?’
Upon hearing the question, Atlas remained quiet for a few seconds. What exactly did he see in Julien that made him act like that?
The answer wasn’t hard to figure out for him.
It wasn’t just Julien’s talent that attracted him to take him in as his disciple. For someone who had lived for as long as he had, he had seen plenty of talents.
Julien was amongst the top, but talent wasn’t enough to move him.
No, it was something else…
“His desperation.”
Yes, his desperation.
That was what moved him.
Sithrus’s features remained unchanged, and yet, it almost felt like his brow raised. There was also this clear feel of amusement that exuded from him.
“Hm? His desperation? That’s a rather interesting answer.” “Yes.”
Atlas lowered his head.
“It’s his desperation.”
The first time Atlas had met Julien, he was a far cry from being the strongest talent of the four Empires. While he was talented in Emotive Magic, he was severely lacking in every other aspect.
There was a reason why his previous nickname was; ‘The Weakest Black Star.’
He was called that because he was truly the weakest black star.
And Julien fully understood this aspect of himself. He knew that he was the weakest, and yet, in spite of knowing it, he antagonized everyone to push himself further.
“His desperation is what makes him push himself to the point of injury and exhaustion. He won’t stop until he’s achieved his goal.”
Even now, Julien was the same.
While he didn’t seem as desperate as he was back then, feeling a lot calmer than in the past, it was that calmness that Atlas appreciated.
He had now reached a point where he knew when to stop.
He was desperate, but he now knew his limit.
“Qualities such as these are what makes him stand out from the others. There are talents out there who will listen to anything that I say without any objection. They don’t think question, but just follow orders.”
Almost like puppets.
“However, in the end, they’re merely useful at receiving orders instead of providing orders. To be a Seat, you need to be able to give orders. Think for yourself. I’ve taken Julien in since I believe that he knows what he’s doing. The current situation is a result of his actions. While I still don’t understand how he was capable of killing the Pope of the Church of Oracleus, he was still able to shift the situation in a way that made it seem like he was one of the victims.”
Atlas still didn’t fully grasp what had happened. However, based on all the information he had received-along with the message instructing him to be at a specific place and time to witness the scene he deduced that Julien was either responsible for the Pope’s death or had played a significant role in it.
And that was a significant achievement considering the relationship between Sithrus and Oracleus.
“Yes, the Pope. I did hear about his death.”
Leaning against the chair, Sithrus propped up his face with his fist.
“It’s one of the reasons why I came here. His death is quite significant. You could even say it’s a great achievement, but…”
It was the sudden ‘but’ that plunged the room into a sudden state of tension.
One that even Atlas couldn’t remain unfazed with as his body stiffened. Slowly turning his head, he saw Sithrus’s empty stare looking directly at him.
“…Do you really think this is a coincidence?”
It was enough to make him stutter.
“P-pardon?”
“Do you really think Emmet would allow something like this to happen? Do you-”
Pausing, Sithrus shook his head and shifted his attention away from Atlas. As he did, he shook his head while mumbling, ‘No, maybe you don’t. None of you understand him like I do. Anything he does has a purpose.’
Atlas’s brows furrowed upon hearing Sithrus’s mumbles.
This hadn’t been the first time he had heard such words from Sithrus. For some reason, since knowing him, he had always been wary of Oracleus.
It almost felt like an obsession.
Like something was chasing Sithrus’s back. It was enough to make his obsession turn into paranoia.
Whenever something happened, he would always mumble, ‘Is this your doing? What are you planning? I know it’s you.’
But not once did Oracleus ever show up or show hints of being present.
Was he really overthinking or did Oracleus have a hand in all the situations like Sithrus had
mentioned?
“There’s no need to doubt me.”
Sithrus casually waved his hand to dispel Atlas’s thoughts.
“You’ll eventually come to understand, Dawn. While Emmet might’ve never been strong, he sees things that we don’t. Be it the past present or future, he can see it all. But that’s not the most bothersome part of him. No. If it was just that, then it would’ve been manageable.”
A powerful silence plunged the room as Sithrus stopped speaking.
It was a tense and stifling silence that made one capable of hearing the sound of their own heartbeat.
“The most bothersome part is the fact that he can influence all those realities. He may be dead, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone. There’s no way he’s gone.”
‘Especially not when his brother is still alive,’ Sithrus quietly mumbled while leaning his head
forward a little.
“It’s impossible. He’s here. I know he is.”
Atlas swallowed quietly while staring at Sithrus. His current presence felt suffocating, almost unbearable. It was always like this whenever it was about Oracleus.
Thankfully, it didn’t last too long.
“Anyways, as I was saying. Be careful.”
Shifting his attention back to Atlas, Sithrus’s tone became lighter.
“Investigate the Pope’s death carefully. I want all details reported to me after you’re done.”
“Understood.”
This wasn’t much of a problem for Atlas.
“Good.”
Satisfied, Sithrus stood up from his seat and walked over to Ivan. Pressing his hand against
Ivan’s head, he mumbled,
“His strength is not bad. I’d say he ranks quite high in this world. Getting rid of such a character will lead to quite a bit of trouble. Since I also can’t erase his memories of the event,
we’ll just change them.”
A faint and powerful pulse of mana swept over the room.
Atlas’s clothes fluttered while a white glow manifested over Ivan’s body. His blonde hair
fluttered back and his face turned pale.
Sithrus remained unmoved while his faceless features showed no hints of emotion.
The process lasted half a minute. By the time he was done, the room returned to how it was
before.
“Good.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Sithrus looked at Atlas.
“There are two more things that I wanted to say.”
“….Please.”
“I’ve lost connection with the sword.”
“Hm?”
“The smell. It’s gone.”
Raising his hand, a white pulse spread out from Sithrus’s hand. It gently spread throughout
the entire Academy before fading.
“I can’t sense it anymore.”
“How could…?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
Atlas’s brows furrowed. He knew exactly what Sithrus was talking about. Sithrus had warned him in advance about the presence of the sword within the Academy. Originally, he had been placed in this Academy due to the presence of another artifact, but it
wasn’t long after that another artifact appeared. Given the timing of its appearance, it was clear that one of the first years was in possession of the sword. Furthermore, given how it had also made it to the capital during the Four Empire Summit, further narrowed down the list of potential possessors.
In Atlas’s mind, Leon was the prime suspect.
As a swordsman, it only made sense that he was the one in possession of the artifact, and yet,
he had never truly found anything from him.
And just when he thought he had found more leads, the scent disappeared.
What did this mean?
“There’s not many things that can hide the scent of the sword. It’s either an artifact or the
sword is broken. Given how hard it is to break the sword, it’s most likely the first option.”
“But what kind of artifact is capable of doing this?”
“I’ve got a few in mind.” Sithrus casually waved his hand and tossed a book in Atlas’s direction.
“I’ve made a list over here. Investigate the first years and see if any of them are in possession
of these artifacts. If they are then…”
Sithrus stopped there, but the meaning of his words was clear. Understanding this, Atlas
quietly lowered his head and nodded.
“Good.”
Sithrus nodded in satisfaction. It was then that Atlas suddenly felt a shift in surroundings as a
broad smile manifested over his faceless features.
“Now, onto the second thing.”
It was a creepy and unnerving smile that brought chills down the room.
“….I think I’ve found Noel’s whereabouts.”
***
Throb!
A sudden throb shook me out of my thoughts. When I looked down, I noticed my ring
trembling uncontrollably.
“What’s going on?”
Immediately, I dove my consciousness into the room in hopes of understanding what was
going on, but the moment I entered, the sight that greeted me shook me.
Rumble! Rumble-
The palace that stood within the ring trembled.
From the pillars that held the structure to the very ground.
“What?!”
Stunned, I didn’t know how to react to the sudden situation. I only snapped out of it when I
saw Owl-Mighty and Pebble rush out of the palace and head to me.
“Human.”
Owl-Mighty’s voice was calm.
“….Something is happening to the box.”
“Box?”
Blinking my eyes, it took a moment for me to understand what it was trying to say, but soon it
hit me.
“The sword!’
I didn’t hesitate to rush into the trembling building.
Rumble!
Rushing into the building, the rumbling became more pronounced. For a brief moment, I
almost lost my footing but I kept going. I wasn’t worried about being buried in the palace in
case it collapsed since I could just bring my consciousness out of the place.
I was, however, worried about the sword.
While I was still unaware of what it did, I knew that it was incredibly important.
I couldn’t allow anything to happen to it.
Clank!
Opening the door that led to the backroom, my eyes immediately fell on the box that held the
sword.
Claka! Claka! Claka!
Jumping from side to side, the wooden box started to crack and split apart. It only grew worse
with the passing of the seconds and just as I laid my eyes on the box, it fully tore apart,
revealing an intricate-looking sword.
A powerful pulse of mana spread through, sucking the air out of my lungs and pushing me
back.
“Wha…!?”
Right as the sword escaped the box, a bright glow enveloped the sword. It left me blinded for
a brief moment, stinging my ears. I even felt a couple of tears trace down my cheeks as I
forced my eyes open.
It was then that I saw it.
The sword…
It hovered right in front of me. Almost as if it was alive.
Opening my eyes wide, I silently swallowed my saliva as a thought occurred to me.
“What if…”
I reached out to grab the sword with my left hand while looking down my right forearm. Right
where a four-leaf clover tattoo appeared.
“What if?”
I pressed down on one of the leaves.