Feeling somewhat bewildered and disappointed, Bock Griffin was about to turn and leave when he caught sight of a figure approaching from the stairwell around the corner.
He was a young man from the Southern Continent with a weathered air about him. He looked to be over six feet tall, with long, dark red hair, bronze skin, and sharply defined, handsome features.
He wore a thin, dark robe wholly unsuited to Backlund's current season. Scars of varying depths marked his exposed chest, but they did nothing to diminish his presence. Instead, they lent him a beauty born of strength and violence.
After staring blankly for half a second, Bock awkwardly averted his gaze. He sensed a peculiar charisma about the man that made people want to follow him and pledge their loyalty, as though he were a born leader.
Tobias, who had happened to hear his own name and come over to investigate, glanced at Bock Griffin before looking at the attendant at the front desk. He said calmly:
"He's here to see me."
After a brief pause, he turned his head and said:
"Come with me."
"All right." Bock instinctively nodded in response.
Tobias gave a slight nod, then turned toward the stairwell.
Coming back to his senses, Bock hesitated as he watched the figure ahead before finally stepping forward to follow...
In a lounge on the restaurant's third floor, Tobias looked at the visibly tense and uneasy Bock. A scorching, savage pressure suddenly surged from him:
"The Lord once said that faith should be free and come from the heart. So, as long as you harbor no ill intentions, the things you're worrying about right now most likely won't happen."
Bock remained silent for a long time. Thinking of what went on within the Moses Ascetic Order and