Inside Halsey's Moving Castle.
Aaron made a round of the hall but found nothing that suited his fancy.
As he passed the long table of the Lily sisters, he deliberately paused for a few seconds and flashed Lily and Jesita a smile. The result was that Lily went deathly pale with fright, which he found rather amusing.
After making a circuit of the market, Aaron arrived at the conference room on the castle's second floor.
Today was Friday, January 15.
The regular gathering began as usual.
When Aaron entered the conference room, he saw quite a few faces—or masks—he had seen last time.
"Green."
Langley Tannis rose to welcome him. His manner was somewhat excessively respectful, leaving the surrounding Beyonders thoroughly baffled.
But Langley offered no explanation.
After all, this Green was an outstanding "Craftsman," possessed a Non-Human-grade mystical item, and could forcefully slay a Dark Beast. He was practically a Non-Human combatant!
A figure like that was fully capable of establishing a secret organization, like Spet's, that would earn a place on the Investigation Bureau's wanted lists.
"Langley." Aaron nodded in greeting and asked, "The professor didn't come?"
"He won't be able to come for quite some time."
At the mention of this, Langley could not help sighing.
The surrounding Beyonders all nodded, apparently not surprised by the outcome at all.
"After exploring the City of Fallen, being able to return alive without even losing anyone is already something to be thankful for."
A Beyonder who seemed to know a little of the inside story spoke up.
Aaron looked at him and saw that he wore no mask. He was very tall and thin, with deep lines running from his nose to the corners of his mouth.
Upon noticing Aaron's gaze, the man immediately gave him an ingratiating smile.