What will happen once the experience bar reaches 100%?
It was a thought that crossed my mind for a brief moment. In fact, it had been a thought that had been plaguing my mind for over a year now.
This thought was now even more relevant than ever before. Just what was going to happen? If I completed these quests, would I reach the end? Then what about the other quests I hadn’t completed? How come those were still there?
In fact, if I completed those quests, wouldn’t the bar reach above 100%?
What then…?
But…
It all quickly faded to the back of my mind at this very moment.
Right now.
I couldn’t care less about the experience bar.
There was only one thing on my mind.
And that was…
‘He stole from me. He really… took my rewards.’
I stared blankly at the quest window before me, my hands trembling. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back my anger.
However, I had to hold back my anger.
I couldn’t let it out.
Not yet, at least.
‘Focus, maintain clarity.’
I knew I could erase my emotions at this very moment to calm myself down. However, if there was one thing that I had learned over the past six months while training my Emotive Magic, it was that one’s control over Emotive Magic was reflected in how well they could control themselves from letting it spill out.
I couldn’t let my anger get control of me.
I had to suppress it and then savor it.
In a way, stopping myself from becoming angry and managing my emotions was a way to improve my control of them.
Ding—!
A notification flashed before my vision, and I took a deep breath, the previous anger fading into nothingness.
“Alright, that’s better.”
I raised my head and looked around me.
So far, the first day of the Congress appeared to be over.
Everyone looked startled, and the guards that were stationed were on full alert, checking everyone who was leaving the hall with sharp eyes and certain scanning devices.
Considering what had happened, I had initially assumed they’d cancel the entire event, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Were they so confident that they’d be able to stop whatever new situation occurred, or was the information that they were going to reveal that important?
Whatever the case was, I would eventually find out tomorrow.
For now, I planned on going back to the Inn to rest.
…Or at least, that was the original plan.
“Julien.”
A certain warm, yet familiar voice reached my ears.
I slowly turned my head, and a pair of bright yellow eyes met my gaze as Atlas approached from a distance.
Seeing him arrive, I felt a lump form in my throat as I lowered my head to greet him.
“It’s good to see—”
“Let’s save the greetings for later, Julien. I need you to follow me for a moment.”
“Eh?”
I raised my head back up and looked at him.
My body tensed slightly as I pursed my lips.
“You need me?”
“Yes.”
Atlas smiled but didn’t elaborate as he turned around and motioned with his finger.
“It’s something rather important, so it would be best if you hurried.”
“…Ah.”
Could it be…?
Did he find something out?
My stomach flipped as I struggled to keep myself composed.
“Julien?”
But I had no choice.
Straightening my back, I nodded once again and followed him from behind.
***
“In order for the investigation to proceed smoothly and fairly, we’ll be carefully reviewing the situation before a trial takes place. Whether the involvement of the Templars had anything to do with the Church of Oracleus or not will be determined during the trials.”
After the events of the first day of the Congress, Jackal, along with several others from the Church of Oracleus who volunteered to accompany him—including the Cardinal—was led toward a particular building.
The location was unfamiliar, but it seemed to have a hidden floor beneath it, and that was where they were all guided.
Shortly after, they were all brought to several rooms where they were all informed about the situation before being split into different rooms.
Of course, just because they were being suspected of trying to ‘assassinate’ the Emperor, given their current positions and prestige, none of them were treated badly.
At the very least, they were held to a certain regard.
And that was why the Cardinal and Jackal were permitted to share the same room.
However, aside from a large desk and several chairs, the room was otherwise empty.
“Hmm.”
Jackal traced his finger over the table before looking at it.
“….It’s quite clean.”
In spite of the situation he found himself in, he appeared extremely calm.
Eerily so.
This didn’t go unnoticed by the Cardinal, who looked around the room.
“There are runes engraved in every corner of this room. I’m afraid that unless a Zenith comes, or the Chancellor of Haven is present, breaking out of this place is impossible.”
“And why would we break out?”
Jackal raised his brow while looking at the Cardinal’s aged features.
“We’re innocent, so why should we be worried about what is going to happen to us?”
“…That’s not what I’m worried about. I was just making a simple observation of the room. I’m rather curious about the place where they’ve brought us.”
“Well… it does seem interesting.”
Jackal pulled one of the chairs back and sat down.
At the same time, his lips curled into a happy smile. He looked somewhat giddy.
‘Why is he so happy?’
The Cardinal had noticed this since they had left the venue, but Jackal, rather than looking distressed or even confused about the situation, he…
He looked happy?
Why? Was it because of his sudden enlightenment, or was there more to it? It would make sense if it were the Enlightenment, but his expression was somewhat twisted.
It felt almost scary.
“Jackal, is some—”
“I’m almost there.”
Jackal abruptly interrupted the Cardinal, his leg tapping impatiently against the floor. Clutching his trembling chest, he finally lifted his head to meet the Cardinal’s gaze, his eyes now bloodshot with intensity.
“Cardinal, I can feel it. I’m almost there.”
“Almost…?”
At first, the Cardinal was confused, but soon his eyes widened with realization as everything started to click in his mind.
“Yes, I’m almost there. I’m about to be whole. I can feel it. My body can take it now. There’s just one thing that I’m missing.”
The Cardinal moved towards Jackal, his expression extremely serious.
“Tell me. What do you need?”
Jackal licked his lips, his face trembling as he tried his best to keep his expression from twisting.
“The fake fragment.”
He mumbled,
“…I need him. Once he’s gone, I’ll be able to fully inherit everything.”
For just a fleeting moment, Jackal managed to steal from the fake fragment—and in that brief instant, he saw something beyond comprehension.
It was hard to put into words, but it felt as though he’d been yanked into the vastness of space itself.
Stars, countless and brilliant, spiraled around him—distant yet tantalizingly close.
At that moment, Jackal felt as though he had pierced the veil of existence, touching a plane of power he never dared to imagine.
But like a dream slipping away at dawn, the sensation was gone almost as soon as it had come.
Before he could fully grasp it, he was torn from that otherworldly realm and yanked back into the hall where the chaos had erupted. He wanted to go back there but knew it was impossible.
At least… for the current him.
With the taste of that power lingering on his mind, Jackal couldn’t shake the hunger for it. He craved it, wanted to control it, to make it his.
He wanted to…
“Get him… We need to get him.”
Reach that strange realm again.
***
“How long has it been since we’ve last seen each other? It feels like quite a long time. With the upcoming Congress, I’ve been quite busy, and so I haven’t had the time to properly see you.”
“…That’s alright. I’ve been holding up quite well.”
“I can see that.”
Atlas appeared to be genuinely praising me.
I could only take his compliments at face value. I couldn’t really tell what was going on with his mind, so I had to be extremely careful.
“You’ve grown quite a bit since the last time that I saw you. This is gratifying to see.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re here.”
Eventually, Atlas brought me to a certain door within the palace. It was a large wooden door, and staring at it, I felt my body shift.
‘Just what sort of…?’
Clank—
The door swung open, revealing a vast room. A rich red carpet stretched across the white marble floor, its vibrant hue contrasting with the elegant surroundings.
Paintings adorned the walls, and sofas were neatly arranged along the sides. A towering bookshelf stood beside a grand marble desk, behind which a figure—one I knew all too well—was seated.
“Ah, you’ve brought him.”
With sharp yellow eyes and graying features, it was none other than the Emperor.
I quickly attempted to greet him, following the etiquette I had been taught, but before I could finish, Atlas intervened, halting me in my tracks.
“Eh?”
“…There’s only two people you should ever bow to.”
I nervously swallowed while looking at him.
He soon answered.
“Me and Sithrus. There’s nobody else that should ever make you bow.”
“Oh.”
I looked in the direction of the Emperor, but seeing nothing strange with him, I could only nod my head.
“Good.”
Only then did Atlas look satisfied as his attention soon fixed on the Emperor once again.
“You asked me to bring him here. What is it that you wanted to talk to him about? Surely it isn’t because you wanted to meet him, right?”
“…Of course not.”
The Emperor answered, his expression calm while he studied me with his piercing yellow eyes.
I tried not to react under his gaze, but his eyes felt uncomfortable.
Just as the discomfort reached its peak, he finally broke his gaze from me and pulled out a device.
“I’ll make this quickly in consideration of Atlas.”
The Emperor tapped on the device, displaying an image.
My heart almost leaped out of my chest at the sight of the image, as the image soon shifted into something else, and a video played.
—The Emperor is under attack!!
As my voice echoed from the speaker, the Emperor put the video on pause and looked at me.
“I commend you for defending me like that, but I’ve been wondering…”
His eyes narrowed all of a sudden as the video restarted, and he replayed the video again.
—The Emperor is under attack!!
Again.
—The Emperor is under attack!!
And then again.
—The Emperor is under attack!!
And then again, before eventually stopping.
“….”
A heavy silence settled over the room as all eyes fixed on the video. The tension in the air felt suffocating, and just as I thought I could breathe, the Emperor’s gaze shifted back to me, locking eyes with an intensity that made me instinctively tense up.
“I might be overthinking things, but why does it seem like you knew something was going to happen before it happened?”
His brow raised.
“…Is it just because you’re sharp, or is there more to it than you’re letting out?”