A fluttering sound echoed within the confines of the empty store as an owl materialized from out of nowhere, nestling itself on top of the wooden counter.
Sensing the Owl, Lazarus placed the book in his hands onto the counter and smiled.
“Did you notice anything strange?”
“…Yes.”
Owl-Mighty frowned a little as it replied. It was still having trouble getting accustomed to Julien’s sudden change.
From the way he carried himself and spoke… He was slowly starting to feel like a completely different person.
But Owl-Mighty understood the reason for Julien’s actions.
If this was to help himself grow and become stronger, then Owl-Mighty was prepared to help and support Julien.
Just like he had done for it.
“I’ve noticed a sudden shift in the tides. The sea level has risen, and is showing signs of rising more. The nearby monsters have also started to grow restless. Something big is coming.”
“Hmm.”
Lazarus covered his mouth and started to ponder. He had read a lot of books over the past several months, and as such, he was quite knowledgeable in a lot of the things that were happening.
Hearing the details from the owl, a possibility crossed Lazarus’s mind.
“Red tide…”
Only such an event seemed to fit all the descriptions detailed by Owl-Mighty. And if that were the case, then the situation appeared a lot more serious than expected.
Not only was the red tide incredibly dangerous, but it was also not supposed to happen for several dozen more years.
Something was clearly off about the situation.
But what exactly could the reason be?
Deep in thought, Lazarus was about to reach for another book that might have information about the situation when the door to the store suddenly opened.
Owl-Mighty’s figure faded from the spot.
Clank!
An’as entered the store in a rush, his expression twisted.
“You…!”
He raised his hand and pointed it at Lazarus.
“You did this, didn’t you? You’re the one who is creating all of this mess. I saw it. I saw it all!”
“Oh…?”
Rather than being shocked or surprised by An’as’s sudden actions, Lazarus remained calm. He just casually leaned back on his chair while looking at his assistant.
Before he could get any word out, An’as shifted his attention towards the book he was previously reading.
“That right there.”
He pointed at the book.
“…Do you think I wouldn’t remember that?”
“This book?”
Lazarus shifted his attention towards the book on the counter.
[Xa’ruhl, the one who rests beneath.]
A look of realization soon crossed his features.
“Ah, that…”
An’as’s body grew tense. The mana in his body circulated quickly as he prepared to attack at any given second. He couldn’t allow anyone to do any harm to the land of the Goddess. He was prepared to use his body to end things quickly.
However, instead of the reaction he expected to receive from the merchant, all he was met with was a subtle laugh.
“Hah…”
This made An’as frown.
“Why are you laughing?”
Instead of answering immediately, Lazarus covered his mouth before shaking his head. There were subtle hints of disappointment in his voice as he spoke.
“I had previously chosen you because you were smart, but I’m starting to think that I made the wrong decision.”
“What—”
“Did you seriously come here accusing me of masterminding some massive secret plot involving the Great Primordial One — just to damage the city and the temple?”
An’as licked his lips, his mouth dry.
“No, I… you could have other motives.”
“Such as…?”
“I… I…”
Lazarus raised his hand to stop An’as from speaking.
“Alright, let’s say you’re right, and I’m the mastermind behind all of this. What exactly do you think you’re going to achieve by marching all the way over here just to tell me you’ve figured it out? Didn’t it ever occur to you to lie low, quietly spy on me, and actually find out what I was planning? Or, I don’t know — maybe bring backup instead of showing up here all by yourself?”
The more Lazarus spoke, the more An’as felt himself grow breathless.
Everything that he was saying was correct. They were all the things that he should’ve done and yet failed to do.
Instead, he had so naively run back to the merchant and spilled everything.
An’as felt his heart sink. This… This was his one true weakness and the reason why his chances of becoming a Luminarch were low.
It was because of his impulsiveness and blind devotion to the Goddess of Light.
To him, she was his everything. His saving grace in his worst moments in life. She was the one who accepted him despite the dirty blood flowing inside his body.
She meant everything to him.
And that was why whenever something that threatened the Goddess and her power occurred, he’d lose all rationality.
“You’re lucky.”
The merchant quietly stood up, walking towards An’as and standing right before him.
It was only now that the two stood in front of each other that An’as noticed the disparity in their heights. The merchant… he was almost a head taller than him, while he was scrawny in comparison.
But this wasn’t something that he could control. His lack of nutrition and diet had resulted in his stunted growth.
And even then, he was faring much better than the vast majority of the people in this city.
“…Had it been anyone else and you would’ve probably have had your head flying. Thankfully, I’m quite the forgiving person. I’ll give you one more chance.”
Lazarus placed his hand over An’as’s shoulder, his eyes narrowing into slits as An’as felt a certain coldness run through his body. It was almost as though his entire body had been plunged into the depths of the cold ocean.
Thankfully, the sensation didn’t last for very long as Lazarus removed his hand shortly after.
And it was only then that An’as felt his breath return, cold sweat trickling down his back as he took deep and heavy breaths.
“Haaa… Haa…”
Without glancing at him, the merchant walked towards the windows of the store and looked towards the streets.
“A red tide will be coming soon, and given the information that you’ve told me, it seems that some sort of organisation, or person, is trying to stir up trouble with the great primordial one in order to cause trouble to this land.”
Lazarus caressed his chin, his eyes hazy as he was lost in thought.
On the other hand, An’as slowly started to recover his breath, staring at the merchant’s back with a complicated expression.
In that moment, he had almost felt death’s touch.
He… had really been close to dying. And that made the merchant before him even more enigmatical in his eyes.
By now, if it wasn’t already clear before, it was quite clear to him that he was no regular merchant.
He was definitely hiding something.
But An’as felt it was impossible for him to figure out. Right now, he could only quietly submit while trying to learn more about the situation.
His only loyalty lay with the Goddess.
Nobody else could take it.
“…To provoke the great primordial one. These people sure are very ambitious.”
Lazarus cracked a smile at the thought.
As far as he had read, Xa’ruhl was a creature that even the seven lords of the seas avoided at all costs. It was probably a figure that the woman from the Academy would struggle to fight against.
Monsters always tended to be a little stronger than a humans when they were of the same rank.
The same was true for a monarch against a primordial one.
‘This is a very interesting situation.’
Lazarus turned his attention back towards his assistant, who had slowly started to recover.
“Are you feeling better?”
“…A little.”
“That’s good then.”
Lazarus reached for the door of the store and slowly opened it, allowing the dry air of the city to filter into the store.
“Since the appearance of the red tide will be quite troublesome for me and what I have planned, how about we go and check the situation out?”
“Uh? Check the situation out?”
An’as blinked his eyes, at a complete loss.
It took him a few seconds to finally realize what Lazarus was trying to say, and his eyes widened.
“Wait, you’re saying we should investigate the ones responsible for this?”
“…Yes, why not?”
“But that’s the temple’s duty. There’s a chance it might interfere with their work, and we might get mistaken for—”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Lazarus raised his hand and stopped An’as from speaking.
Looking around, he took a step forward and headed down the street. An’as could only stare at his back for a short moment before clenching his teeth and following from behind.
“Investigating the situation might be very dangerous. We might lose our lives. Don’t you think that a decision like this should be made with more caution? It’s also wise to work with the temple. If it’s them—”
Lazarus stopped, his gaze falling on An’as, who suddenly stopped talking.
The silence carried until the merchant smiled.
“…..Huu.”
An’as bit his lips, and lowered his head in resignation.
He could see that anything else he said regarding the situation would only arouse his anger. The only thing he could do was walk behind him in silence.
That was until he recalled something.
“About the book from before…”
“The one about the great primordial one, Xa’ruhl?”
“Yes.”
An’as nodded.
“Why were you reading that?”
An’as was really curious. The timing felt a little odd to him. What were the chances that such a coincidence would occur?
“About that… It’s really nothing noteworthy. I was just curious about its abilities and its bone. What sort of abilities would it give me if I took it?”
“Eh…?”
An’as suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the walking merchant as he covered his mouth, his heart pressed tightly against his throat.
That…
It couldn’t be, right?
As if sensing his sudden shift, Lazarus turned back and looked at An’as before cracking a smile.
“Why do you look like someone who has seen a ghost. I was just joking. I know my limit. There’s no way I can get a primordial ranked bone.”
Shaking his head while mumbling things like, ‘I’d rather sell it if I have it. I bet it would give me enough to buy a city hahah.’
Listening to him, it really did seem like he was joking.
And yet..
An’as felt something sink deep into his stomach.
For whatever reason, he really struggled to believe him.