Gregor turned his head sharply, and SilverAsh silently noted Rhine Lab's reaction.
"I'm from Kjerag."
"Kjerag?"
Jeston quickly searched his memory for the place name; he recalled it as a remote, small country with almost no international presence.
The enthusiasm on his face faded somewhat, and his tone became a bit perfunctory.
"Oh... I've heard of you. Are you two here in Kazimierz for business?"
"Some were involved in the fur trade, and others happened to be there to watch the competition."
"I see."
Jeston clearly lost interest in a deeper conversation. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, he headed towards the exit and left.
SilverAsh watched Jeston's retreating figure disappear, his smile slowly fading.
This was not the first time he had encountered such disrespect.
"Don't worry about it."
The electronic voice sounded calmly, and SilverAsh turned around, a smile returning to his face:
"Of course I wouldn't care. Similar situations were commonplace when I was studying in Victoria. Some people's standards for judging value are always so... shallow and direct."
Gregor nodded.
Over the past few days, he had a good impression of SilverAsh —calm, decisive, and good at assessing situations, and did not show excessive fear or greed due to his "abnormality".
He thought for a moment and added:
You will succeed.
SilverAsh was slightly taken aback, then burst into loud laughter.
"Haha, thank you for your blessings, my friend."
The two continued walking out of the venue, SilverAsh seemed to casually mention:
"Speaking of which, now that you've obtained the inhibitor, do you have any plans or destinations for the future?"
"Kazdel."
"Kazdel... that's indeed quite far. The journey would be arduous, and it probably wouldn't be easy to bring Miss Ifrit along."
SilverAsh changed the subject, his tone becoming sincere.
"Mr. Gregor, would you be interested in visiting Kjerag? To be honest, I have some influence in my hometown and can certainly do my best to be a good host."
My family is waiting for me.
SilverAsh immediately understood and smiled regretfully:
"I see... Family reunion is indeed one of life's greatest joys."
During their conversation, they had already gone outside the venue.
"We should have definite news about the inhibitor by tomorrow night."
SilverAsh stopped and said goodbye to Greg.
"I'll handle this personally. The scenery in Kazimierz is also quite nice; you can go and take a look."
Thank you for your help.
The two parted ways temporarily; SilverAsh hitched a ride and left, while Gregor stood there, lost in thought.
[Rhine Lab...]
The sounds of collapsing buildings and screams rose indistinctly. Gregor rubbed his head and touched something hard.
[Well...]
Gregor turned and walked back the way he came to check.
Was the voice he heard then the one he was thinking of...?
However--
Gazing at the cross before him, Gregor began to recall.
Was there a crossroads when you came here?
While Gregor was hailing a car to ask for directions, on the other side...
"You don't need to stay with me, Saria..."
Silence sighed and looked at Vouivre was constantly on guard beside him.
"I'm not as fragile as you think."
Your expression isn't convincing.
Saria calmly retorted, her gaze sweeping over the shops lining the street.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat? My budget is plenty."
"I can make my own nutritious meals..."
Silence's soft rebuttal was abruptly interrupted.
"Want an ice cream cone? I'll go queue up."
As Saria turned to leave, Silence instinctively reached out to pull her back, only to grasp nothingness.
Both of them fell silent.
Saria paused, then gently took Silence's hand with her left:
"... Let's go queue up together."
"Um."
Soon after, the two sat side by side on a park bench, holding scoop-shaped ice cream cones, and silence filled the air.
"... I'll feed you."
Silence raised the small spoon in her hand, and before Saria could refuse, the cool liquid was already in her mouth.
Not far away, a little girl curiously tugged at her mother's clothes:
"Mom, why are those two adults feeding each other?"
The young mother hurriedly covered her child's mouth and gave the two of them an apologetic smile.
Silence awkwardly tried to lower her hand, but then heard Saria's calm voice:
"We haven't finished eating yet."
"..."
The spoon was raised again and slowly brought closer.
Just then, a series of urgent shouts broke the silence between the two:
"Miss Ifrit! Please slow down!"
Silence's hand trembled violently, and Saria tilted her head back, avoiding the spoon that was poking her nostrils.
The two of them stood up at the same time and looked towards the source of the sound.
A tanned young man was anxiously chasing after a petite figure wearing a dark hood.
The figure ran incredibly fast, and was about to disappear around the street corner.
"Eve... Litt...?"
Silence's body involuntarily leaned forward, but Saria grabbed her and held her down.
Light shimmered from the right sleeve, and enamel material solidified into the arm, gently lifting Silence up.
"Pay close attention."
Ahead, the Courier felt a darkness above his head, and a tremendous force pressed him to the ground.
"Ugh!"
Amidst cries of pain, Ifrit, who was running, turned back.
In that instant, a trembling yet warm embrace completely enveloped her.
Ifrit's other hand instinctively reached for the seeds (Gorth's) in her pocket, but she froze the moment she looked up and saw the person's face.
"Ifrit ..."
Silence hugged her tightly, his words tumbling out in excitement.
"Let her go—uh!"
"Feel sorry."
The Courier, pinned to the ground, struggled fiercely, but Saria's tone was polite yet uncompromising.
"Please be quiet for a moment."
"Saria! Silence!"
Ifrit finally snapped out of her shock and immediately began to wriggle in Silence's arms.
"What are you doing here? No... Saria, let go of me! Weiss is my friend!"
Saria loosened her grip, Courier the opportunity to catch his breath, looking at the two "uninvited guests" with suspicion and uncertainty.
The people around them whispered among themselves. Saria frowned, picked up one person with each arm, and Courier behind her who was still in a daze:
"Keep up."
"Huh? Wait! Who are you?!"
--After a long time--
"Phew, this is simply Miracle..."
At the medical facility provided by the Commercial Union, Silence looked at the data on the test report and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Ifrit, are they really your family...?"
The Courier squeezed close to Ifrit and whispered his question, which Ifrit made no attempt to conceal.
"Of course! Um... I should say..."
Ifrit's voice gradually faded as she looked at Saria, then lowered her head in silence.
A familiar touch gently rubs the head, and an enamel hand offers candy.
Ifrit finally couldn't resist and hugged him tightly, her voice muffled.
"Sorry..."
"I'm the one who should be apologizing..."
Saria's expression darkened. If it weren't for that disaster, she would still be unaware of that old bastard's true purpose.
(Nominally, it was a chimera therapy treatment for Ifrit, but in reality, it was a collaboration with the military to revive and control the Flame Demon.)
Silence looked over, her feelings somewhat complicated.
She had thought that after Ifrit was taken away, the problems of suppressing the Flame Demon fragments and Ifrit's Oripathy would worsen.
However, after the recent tests... the Flame Demon fragments are perfectly stable, as for Oripathy...
Looking at the Originium fusion rate on the test report, Silence was utterly shocked.
"Nothing has changed..."
"Silence."
Saria's voice came through, and Silence met Ifrit's evasive gaze.
His expression softened, and Silence stepped forward and gently hugged the girl.
Anyway... I'm glad you're alright.
Ifrit gently nudged her, Silence let go, smoothing her hair.
"Don't worry, Ifrit."
This time... we won't lose you again.
"..."
Ifrit?
"Silence..."
Ifrit clutched the hem of her dress and finally looked up.
"I can't go back with you."
Silence was taken aback, then immediately became anxious.
"Are you worried about those people at Rhine Lab? Don't be afraid, I can quit my job at Rhine Lab, we can work together..."
"My boss is very good to me..."
Ifrit hugged Silence, her voice muffled.
He often teased me and grilled meat for me.
Although the eldest sister is a bit serious, she always comes back to play with me whenever she has time.
The third child looks a bit scary, but he patiently helps me draw.
The fourth child is nothing like an adult; he's always fighting me for the TV, but he's a good person too..."
Everyone listened quietly as the girl recounted her story, and Silence's initial panic gradually turned into heartache.
"Everyone has been very kind to me, and you, Silence, have been very kind to me too, but..."
Are you bringing that monster with you!?
"I can't go with you."
Ifrit loosened her grip, her gaze resolute, unlike that of a child.
"I haven't become strong enough yet, I can't protect you."
"I can't leave."
"Ifrit ..."
Silence was somewhat at a loss and subconsciously looked at Saria, Saria was serious at the moment.
"Ifrit, the boss you were talking about..."
"Is it that Flame Demon?"
Where am I now?
The sky had darkened, Gregor stared silently at the alleyway before him.
After the driver took him to all the coffee shops, Gregor, unable to find anyone, decided to go back to the hotel.
But then the driver's beloved car got a flat tire...
"That's strange, where did these nails come from?"
I was thinking of taking another ride, but the driver rejected the idea.
"It can't be found; this is Sector Zero."
"If you hadn't said you wanted to visit every place, I wouldn't have come here."
Is there any particular custom or rule?
Gregor asked in confusion, and the driver whispered.
"A group of Infected live underground here, and they're no pushovers..."
[Infected...]
"I have to leave now, would you like to come with me?"
No, thank you.
The driver didn't try to stop him; he grabbed the Pure Gold and sped away.
Having confirmed that the person had left, Gregor burst into flames beneath his feet and leaped to the top of the building.
[It should be this way...]
Boom--!
With a roar and a burst of fire, Gregor leaped into the distance.
Clang--!
The black blade hurtled through the air, only to be cleaved in two by the raised sword.
Even so, the separated arrows still pierced through the metal ground.
But the price for taking that arrow was clearly not low. The blond Caprinae glanced at his slightly trembling arm and crawled into the alleyway.
"Tsk, what a monster."
On a distant, high-rise building, the man in black robes put away his giant crossbow and turned to leave.
He knew that if he didn't get away soon, that woman would come after him.
[How is the situation...?]
A question came through the earpiece from his companion, and the man in black robes curled his lip.
Are you here to mock me on purpose?
[Hmph... Looks like you've gotten old.]
"Don't just stand there and talk like you know what's going on. That's the Black Knight! A living legend!"
[Stop being stubborn... the higher-ups won't care about these things.]
The man in black robes' expression darkened; of course he knew.
Even though their arrows could easily take the lives of those merchants, they were still at their mercy.
The Kazimierz of today is no longer the place where "violence can solve all problems."
"Let's gather the other Darksteel; next time we must..."
Boom...
The man in black robes suddenly turned his head, his eyes widening in shock.
"Meteor?"