For a moment, there was silence at the table.
On the day he first arrived, they had told him that he could work for them in the future. This was not something new.
However, he was not sure whether this was something he could do. He didn't want to bind himself to anything before getting his revenge. And what would happen after that? Wouldn't he just become a burden to them? But he assumed Professor Reiner had already considered that part.
"I only want you to think about it. As you know, we are short on people. But the incidents we have to deal with are increasing these days, so we need people we can trust... Your siuni is useful to us. Think about it for a while and give me your answer." the Professor said.
"You know what my priority is. As for what comes after that… I have no plan. But wouldn't joining you like this cause trouble for you?"
"I don't think so. As we promised you before, we will help you. Besides, the people you are looking for also have connections to siunis in some way, so I believe our interests have aligned. Let's help each other, Arsh. Think about it without rushing, and then tell me your decision"
...
When Herman arrived in the afternoon, Professor Reiner asked everyone to gather.
Herman opened his briefcase and laid out the documents on the table.
"Arsh, can you check these photographs? Are these the people you were looking for?" Herman asked.
Arsh picked up the documents and began looking through the attached photographs. The first picture belonged to the man they had seen with the Minister the day before.
"Dave Thorne… this man was there," Arsh said. Then, he glanced over the other photographs. Some faces were unfamiliar. He picked out the ones he recognized and handed them back to Herman.
"These people were with Professor Millway in Kurshan," Arsh said.
"I see… and as expected, they all work for Minister Hulston," Herman replied, pointing to the photo of Dave Thorne. "This one is the captain of the second team responsible for the Minister's security."
"So, Minister Hulston sent his own personal security to Kurshan. But why? What kind of connection does he have with Professor Millway... or this excavation?" Professor Reiner asked.
The situation seemed utterly absurd. Arsh thought it made no sense for one of the most prominent public figures in the country to directly assign his own guards to a task that would cause a massive scandal if it ever came to light. Looking at the others, it was obvious they were thinking the same thing.
"We are trying to understand what kind of connection there is between Millway and the Secretary, and what they were trying to find in Kurshan... For twenty years, Millway has been leading archaeological excavation projects in various regions of Kurshan. He has made significant discoveries, yet in every case, he eventually handed those excavations over to other archaeologists. Funding for all research conducted in the colonies by the government is provided through the Ministry of Colonies. At this point, Millway's research has received funding each time. " said Bera.
"What about his latest excavation? Was its funding also from the Ministry of Colonies?" Arsh asked.
"Yes. In fact, he almost didn't receive any funding except ministry. Universities and museums also have their own funds for such matters, but aside from the excavations he joined as an assistant in his youth, all of his projects have been carried out solely with funds coming directly from the ministry. He is currently at a research center in Hals. However, security is very tight, so I couldn't get inside. And... you won't be surprised. the Archaeological Research Center in Hals was also established with funding from the Ministry of Colonies." dedi Bera.
"Have you found anything about Will Jones's connections? He doesn't have a high rank within the organization he is involved in, but perhaps we can find a few low-level connections." Professor Reiner asked, turning to Bera.
"He was discharged from the hospital just yesterday. No one visited him while he was there. We have our men following him, but he hasn't contacted anyone yet," Herman reported.
"Both of you, continue the investigation," Professor Reiner said to Herman and Bera. "We cannot act without understanding the connection between them. If this leads directly to the Minister of Colonies, we might not be able to get out of this easily."
Arsh couldn't say he was happy with how things were developing. While they had gathered more information about Millway and the others, he felt like he was drifting away from his goal rather than getting closer. He felt that if thry got too caught up in Millway's connections and the reasons behind the Kurshan excavation, the chance to just kill him and be done with it would simply slip away.
'Be patient, Arsh,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe it's better this way... we'll get there, step by step.'
…
Mes led Arsh—who was still sitting there lost in thought—out of the library. Only Professor Reiner and Bera remained behind.
"Do you want to keep Arsh under control?" Bera asked. Even though he already knew the answer, he wanted to hear the reason.
"Arsh is a smart kid. He learns quickly, adapts well, and his siuni is strong…"
"But that's not the real reason," Bera said.
"In fact, those are part of the reason. But yes… Bera, you must have noticed it too. We may have come across an opportunity. We cannot take the risk of Arsh acting on his own. We don't know how long this will take. If he becomes impatient and tries to act alone to take his revenge, this opportunity will slip out of our hands."
He understood what Professor Reiner meant. Bera was also questioning the connection in a similar way. He had many questions in his mind. If his assumptions were correct, Arsh's revenge seemed likely to reveal something big that they were after. His intuition was telling him that.
A university professor leading excavations in Kurshan, the slaughter of the villagers who worked in the excavations, the killers turning out to be the Colonial Minister's own guards, and the entire project being funded by the Ministry itself… The only reason these connections were coming to light was due to a single variable. That variable was a child who had been tossed into a well to die, yet had somehow managed to survive.
The fact that Arsh had found a siuni by chance, his encounter with Juan, and finding himself in the middle of an operation involving children who were sold to be used as test subjects for Siuni research, and that all of this led them to the trail of General Debraz... These were what worried Bera. Everything felt too coincidental.
He had liked Arsh. In general, he could say that he was an honest and sincere guy. As Professor Reiner had said, he was also clever and had potential. Still, something did not sit right. What that was, he'd find out in time.
As for Arsh's revenge… they would help him. But it was clear that this would not happen as quickly as he expected. That would depend entirely on their luck.
...
Arsh was seriously considering joining the FFSD. Despite thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't decide. He wasn't sure what he might gain or lose.
But there was one thing on his mind. Juan had told him that it was difficult for a person to have more than one siuni. However, Bera had two siunis. Yet, just as Juan had said, his siunis did not conflict with each other; they supported one another. So it was possible for Bera.
Finding a new siuni on his own was difficult. Although he wandered through the library, he couldn't find any detailed sources about it. There were only mentions of siunis in legends and folklore, but no specific information about their physical appearance. Professor Reiner was probably keeping the important sources elsewhere.
If he wanted to grow stronger, the idea of having another siuni was tempting. Perhaps with the support of the FFSD, he wouldn't even need it while taking his revenge. But over the past few days, he had begun to feel that he needed to be prepared for anything. If joining the FFSD meant they would help him find a new siuni, then becoming a member might not be such a bad idea after all.
He also couldn't say that he disliked being here. This place wasn't "home," but the companionship of the people around him was helping him move forward.
He spent most of his time with Mes, and contrary to what Walter had said, he actually enjoyed his company. From what Arsh could see, because of Mes's frail body and gentle nature, the others were fond of him too. Professor Reiner and Herman showed a lot of interest in him, respecting his academic skills and supporting him. While his thoughts about Bera hadn't changed, he had started to notice how attentive Bera actually was toward the people around him—though this was probably due to his siuni, which let him read emotions well. On the other hand, Walter was fun to be around, and Herman was someone he could count on.
The person he felt most distant from was Professor Reiner. Still, he could easily chat with him, and they regularly discussed his progress.
That evening, after dinner, he decided not to wait any longer and to share his decision. He was staring blankly at the book in front of him, lost in these thoughts.
The clicking sound pulled him back to the present. Mes, who was sitting across from him, put down his book and walked over to the telegraph in the corner. When he saw the message on the paper, he smiled cheerfully.