“Would you like to join the Order of Ouroboros?”
Ethan looked at the man in front of him with a frown.
It was impossible for him to not know the man when his portrait could be seen in the common room of Dud Manor.
He was none other than Fortis Dud.
The Founder of Brynhildr Academy, and one of the Heroes who defeated the Demon Lord.
He was also one of the very few people in the world who had the ability to cast a Perfect Resonance, allowing him to move unhindered across the entirety of the Wizarding World despite him being a Dud.
“Are you really Fortis Dud?” Ethan asked.
The man’s mischievous smile widened after hearing Ethan’s question.
“The answer is yes and no,” Fortis Dud replied. “Since you’re wearing my ring on your finger, then it means that the real me has already kicked the bucket. Well, that is the fate of Mortals, no matter how popular and powerful they are.
“And yes, to answer your question, I am Fortis Dud. But I am also not him at the same time. I am simply a Will that he left behind inside the ring who is duty-bound to ask you this question.
“Would you like to join the Order of Ouroboros?”
The frown on Ethan’s face deepened as he continued to gaze at the man in front of him. He could tell that he was in some sort of Domain.
Fortunately, he wasn’t alone in it.
Sebastian and his Other Half were also looking at the person in front of them with calm expressions on their faces.
“What is the Order of Ouroboros?” Ethan inquired.
“I can’t answer that question,” Fortis Dud replied. “You’ll only get an answer after you join the Order.”
“Who is the leader of this organization?” Ethan asked.
“I can’t answer that question either,” Fortis Dud smirked. “Basically, any question you have regarding the Order will only be answered once you join it.”
Ethan sighed. Since the man didn’t want to answer his questions, he decided to use a different approach.
Although he didn’t feel any malice, or evil intention from Fortis Dud, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t wary of him.
“And what if I don’t join this Order of Ouroboros?” Ethan asked.
“Then nothing will change,” Fortis Dud replied. “You can live your life the way you want to, just like you have been doing until now.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Ethan was perplexed after hearing Fortis Dud’s reply.
“You’re not going to convince me to join?” Ethan gazed at the man in front of him with a solemn look on his face. “You’re not going to tempt me with benefits?”
“And why should I do that?” Fortis Dud tilted his head. “The Order of Ouroboros doesn’t force anyone to join it.”
Ethan took a deep breath in order to regain his composure.
The lack of answers coming from the person in front of him was making him unsure about how to proceed.
lightsΝοvεl ƈοm This was the first time he was hearing about this Order of Ouroboros, and he didn’t know what kind of organization it was.
“You said earlier that you can’t answer the questions I asked earlier,” Ethan stated. “Then can you tell me the things that you are allowed to tell me?”
Fortis Dud chuckled after hearing Ethan’s words.
“Hmm… things that I can tell you within my authority.” Fortis Dud rubbed his chin. “While I can’t tell you anything about the Order of Ouroboros, I can tell you why you are seeing me right now. It’s because you have met one of the conditions of the Ring of Mór Ríoghain.
“However, to make things simpler, let us just call it Morrigan’s Ring. The person that this ring recognizes gains the opportunity to become a member of the Order of Ouroboros. As you may already know, Morrigan’s Ring has seven abilities.
“The ability that you are using right now is the most basic, and that is Storage. If you don’t ever meet any of the other conditions of the ring, you would only have access to the ability, Storage, until the end of your lifetime. But since I appeared, that means that you have managed to clear another condition. As to what that condition is, I can’t tell you.”
Ethan nodded in understanding. He knew that the ring he had acquired was special and had other abilities aside from Storage. The Professors in the academy called it the Ring of Fortis Dud. But now, he discovered that its real name was Morrigan’s Ring.
“So if I reject your offer now, will I get another chance to join this Order of Ouroboros?” Ethan inquired.
“Short answer is yes,” Fortis Dud replied. “However, I will only appear if you meet the other conditions of the ring, which is very hard to accomplish. Since the same conditions can’t overlap, you cannot repeat the same condition that you did today to make me appear and invite you to join the Order.”
Ethan could tell by looking at Fortis Dud that the Order of Ouroboros wasn’t simple. If he joined it, and the organization’s goal was to commit misdeeds, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
He pondered for a bit before asking another question.
“Can you at least tell me if joining the Order has downsides? Like, will my freedom be restricted?”
“You are really pushing for freebies, huh? I like you!”
Fortis Dud chuckled. He had been observing Ethan since he received the ring from the Headmaster of Brynhildr Academy.
He had seen what the young man had experienced and how much he had grown during his stay in the Lands of Alastor. Because of this, he had a very good impression of the boy, so he decided to throw in the freebie that the latter needed.
“Your freedom will not be restricted,” Fortis Dud replied. “You may do anything you want to do with your life. The Order has been around for thousands of years, and it is a very carefree organization. However, just like any organization, you are duty bound to do one thing and one thing only.”
Fortis Dud paused for a bit before looking at the handsome young man with a solemn expression on his face.
“You need to protect…”