Standing within the courtyard with the two men beside her, Eleanor felt the gaze of her teacher, Lady Prudentia, bore into her.
"You wish for permission to leave with two men of strength exceeding my own? And you will not tell me where you will go?"
Rubbing her temples hard, the emerald-eyed woman found it hard to believe that her student would even suggest such a thing.
Never had she shown any desire to break the rules that kept the Great Beyond's hierarchy together, yet on a day Death himself had ordered Eleanor Lynn to be kept under a watchful eye, she now wished to leave not only Infinium but the city itself?
"Absolutely not. I am under strict orders to keep you safe, and if I were to fail…"
She paused, noticing the pleading look that was strewn across Eleanor's face.
Regardless of her own beliefs in the matter, there was no possible way she could defy the ruler of this domain; not even the begging of the child was enough to sway her.
Glancing upward towards the eyes of Marcus Twynam, she felt a sense of calmness that she commonly noticed upon intense spirits.
Those who lived complete lives acted differently from those who met an abrupt end; the clarity of their existence was something that couldn't be imitated.
The golden-haired Angel watched as his lips parted to reveal a warm smile that shone like the sun but was embedded with a meaning akin to that of a mystery.
"This matter is of the utmost importance to Death, and he would be displeased if we were to let this opportunity pass by."
As Marcus finished, Norman Reed took a step forward.
"I detest agreeing with the drunken fool beside me; however, he is sadly correct. If you wish for your apprentice to accomplish her mission, it is imperative to allow us freedom."
Eleanor raised her brow, but quickly nodded along.
Still standing firm, Prudentia's left wing twitched, a telltale sign of her fluctuating emotions and the inner turmoil she was experiencing.
The only mission she had assigned the girl was to collect information regarding Esmerelda's disappearance, and if she truly had a lead, then there was almost nothing more valuable than that.
To follow up on such a thing, she would need to allow the girl to defy Death's own wishes and leave the city at a time when the seal on him was at its most volatile state.
If her corruption has truly degraded to the level that I can sense, there shouldn't be any possible way for communication between the two realms anymore. Perhaps the Lord is just being too cautious…
Her muddled thoughts and wavering resolve were reflected in her emerald eyes that were locked on her student.
"I… I'll allow it."
She exhaled hard, a knot in her chest threatening to suffocate her with guilt for defying her Lord for one of the first times.
To defy a god in their own domain was akin to direct disrespect, and for a servant of that deity was far worse than the average citizen.
Watching as Eleanor smiled and prepared to depart, she closed her eyes, breathing slowly and listening to the world around her.
Forgive me, Lord, but if it can help locate Esmerelda, then I must try it.
…
For the first time in many decades, both men accompanying the blonde-haired girl stepped out of the city gates, the cool grass beneath their feet unfamiliar compared to the artificial variety in Infinium.
"Is this really such a good idea?"
Eleanor, who had been convinced by the chance to explore and figure out more details about the disappearance of the Angel, had agreed, yet there was still great uncertainty within her.
Standing on each side of her, both men chuckled before Norman replied shortly.
"You are beside a Sea King; what is there to fear?"
Marcus stopped laughing, his expression going cold.
"And the former boss of those Sea Kings."
The girl watched their back-and-forth bickering continue as they walked through the barren fields, the two never quite ending their needless bickering.
To keep the free entertainment going, whenever the conversation began to die out, she would bring up another topic that she could tell both men would disagree on just to fuel the flames of chaos.
Perhaps he wasn't wrong about me being a corrupt priestess…
Smiling to herself as she continued forward, she found peace in their insults, the sounds reminiscent of the Sea Fallen docks whenever a new shipment had just arrived.
As they made their way through the hill-filled terrain, memories of her own journey to the city reappeared in the girl's mind.
The Wanderer who had guided her through the wasteland was nothing more than a tinted blip on her past, while the events directly preceding her entry into the city were as blank as Aaron's own of his past.
Such an oddity left her confused and slightly worried; however, there was nothing that could be done.
If, as she suspected, the person that they were seeking out was in fact who she believed he was, then it would all be revealed soon enough.
Twynam was directing the group, his masterful memory allowing them to avoid various ravines, lakes, craters, or more that would almost certainly add numerous hours onto the already long trip.
Norman, on the other hand, was in charge of security; the sight of anything even remotely dangerous that appeared would be his domain to deal with.
While nothing within the Great Beyond needed to hunt for survival, some who had yet to be sentenced to the pits of Hell still wandered the outskirts, killing anyone who dared cross their path.
Occasionally, foreign beasts appeared, attempting to devour the human girl who smelled like life, but on approach, their minds entered a state of drowsiness before being split apart by Reed's bare hands.
Such a sight only reinforced the title that Eleanor knew the man by: The Hunter of the Oceanic Association, who once bore the name of a Sea King.
After some time, though, as they walked through a narrow pass between two mountains, the gray-eyed girl looked back at the city far in the distance, its shape vanishing behind the rocky terrain.
It's nearly the end of the daily work shift in the city and certainly already the sixth of November back home…
Time passed faster than she could keep track of, and the world she longed to return to was now months ahead of what she had experienced.
Aaron, you're running out of time…
She bit her lip, turning her eyes towards the dirt-covered ground that stretched on for nearly a kilometer ahead.
It would not be long before they arrived at their destination, and when they did, she would be ready to gain any information she could from the man called Nautilus.
…
Thirty minutes later, beyond the mighty mountains that blocked the view of the City of the End.
They approached the run-down shack slowly, the smell of stew permeating the air and creating an unforgettable aroma.
"Is this it?"
The purple-haired Sea King wrinkled his nose at the smell, his eyes observing the lone building within a barren wheat field.
"It seems so."
Marcus seemed equally distrustful of the exterior; however, in the end, it did not matter what he thought about the man who resided here.
Eleanor watched from behind, careful to stay close to the powerhouses ahead of her but also not to appear fragile when she wasn't that weak herself.
I'm nearly at the same level I was back when I was still alive, and I even know more spells now! What is there to be afraid of?
Comforting herself internally, she looked up at the door, its wooden frame riddled with holes and propped open slightly.
"Are we sure he hasn't faded?"
Once again, the former King spoke up with his doubts, and Twynam didn't interject immediately, only taking a step ahead and knocking lightly.
"Hello…?"
There was a long pause after the gentle rasps, a tension running between the trio who had come all this way.
After a few seconds, Reed threw his hands up.
"I told you! He's a myth!"
Eleanor turned to face him to scold him about his words, yet as she did so, she saw something that instantly frightened her.
"M-Mister…"
Tap. Tap.
Norman's head whipped around, his expression broken and his eyes dilating quickly.
"What the hell!?"
Standing less than a meter behind him, within the wheat stalks, stood a tall figure, his body incredibly muscular and covered in a cloak.
Eleanor instantly recognized him, sending a jolt down the back of her spine.
"I-It's you!"
The man's turquoise eye moved slowly off the Sea King, who was clearly preparing to strike, disregarding the threat as if it were child's play.
Looking down at the short blonde girl, he tilted his head to the side.
"Why does an Angel humor me with her presence?"
Eleanor furrowed her brow in confusion at the man's words.
"What do you mean, Angel? It's me. Eleanor. Remember? You guided me through the wasteland to the gates of the city."
It was the Wanderer's turn for confusion, his hands moving towards his temples where he rubbed them gently.
His black eye-patch twitched slightly yet did not budge from its position over his eye, his blond beard still as magnificent as ever.
"Eleanor…"
He took a step closer, causing both Marcus and Norman to react swiftly.
A flash of magenta light shot out from the hands of the former King while the chairman leaped in front of the girl, his left fist shooting out at the man who was less than a meter away.
"Hmm…?"
In a fraction of a second, the massive man's left arm shot out, grabbing the ball of magical light and suffocating it within his palm until it dripped out without a drop of mana remaining.
The punch that cascaded towards his chest stopped centimeters away from its mark, blood appearing on Twynam's fist without even making contact.
Both of Eleanor's guardians instantly tensed up, their eyes locking for a moment before agreeing on the only rational solution.
Run.
Norman moved through the wheat fast, arriving at the blonde girl's side and hoisting her onto his back without an instant's delay.
Marcus continued his attempts to strike the man, each ending with more and more blood spewing from his limbs that didn't even connect with their target.
The Wanderer sighed as a kick flew towards his face, the same hand that he had used to snuff out the Sea King's magic wrapping around Twynam's leg.
"AGH!"
The brown-haired man let out a grunt as he struggled against the pure and utter strength of his attacker.
Already moving, Reed stopped hearing his comrade's pain no matter the distance.
Closing his eyes, he released a silent prayer for a swift death for the former chairman.
When either of them died, they would simply be reincarnated in Infinium later that same day without any negative effects.
Eleanor, on the other hand, would truly become that of a deceased spirit, never again being able to walk the path to life again.
Such a thing could not be allowed to exist, and both men knew the risks of approaching an ancient being like Nautilus.
Preparing to shoot off into the distance and leave his ally behind, Norman felt a sudden aura behind him.
"Leaving so soon?"
A hand wrapped around his neck, throwing him backwards with such force that even a former Sea King couldn't resist.
He rolled twice before slamming into a mound of dirt that threatened to break his bones, the massive man appearing over him.
In his grasp, Eleanor stared in shock, her gray eyes wide and her breathing short and shallow as if she were in a nightmare.
"What the hell—"
Norman coughed up a drop of his own blood.
"D-did you do to her…"
The turquoise-eyed man looked down at the fallen King with a shadow covering his expression, the light of the World Tree not reaching the deepest meadows of the Great Beyond.
"I did nothing that hadn't already been done. I simply released the Mind Weaver spell that had been plastered over her mind while simultaneously taking a fragment of those memories for myself."
He squatted down to reach the eye level of the purple-haired man, who was trying to conjure anything he could.
"Do not worry, Sir Norman Reed of the Sea of Dreams. I have no urge to harm a living soul any longer. I can see now what I missed before. This corruption was not her own doing."
The Wanderer sighed.
"You, on the other hand… Are an unwelcome guest that, unlike her, already has a Spore ready for their revival."
Reed's blood ran cold, the implication of what the brute had just said hitting him like a whale.
A Spore is already being formed… That means Marcus…
He had no idea how someone could possibly kill the former chairman, who was hailed as the strongest of the Twynam family, so quickly, and now, a former Sea King would be next.
"God dammit—"
Another burst of blood came from his mouth, the apparent damage from his collision seemingly far worse than he had anticipated.
There was only one thing he could try that might allow him to save the girl; however, if it failed, there wasn't anything that would save him.
『Hypnian's Req—』
His head melted into a clump of red paste as the Wanderer's boot came down hard, the most powerful spell he could still successfully cast without his Ghostship failing to be cast.
It should've been impossible, the magic already having been prepped with the incarnation, all that remained.
Even if he had died before it had been said, it should've still activated, yet for some inexplicable reason, against a foe of unimaginable strength, it failed.
For when faced with a monster among men, a god amongst humans, and the being who despised the God Slayer more than any other throughout the universe, no mortal could ever call themselves an equal.