Had I been careless?

I didn’t think so. In fact, I had been extra cautious.

I had employed all of the skills that I had available in my arsenal and even hid my traces. And yet, he was able to find out about me. From the paper, it was obvious that rather than me being careless, he knew all about me from the start.

"Haa."

I let out a long breath, putting the paper away.

’I knew that selecting a random Gate Warden as a personal bodyguard was too good to be true. He probably did it on purpose. From the start, he knew all about me. He very likely threaded the situation to become this way.’

This guy...

He was scary.

"There’s no need for you to be too worried. I’m just here to have a casual talk with you."

Taking a seat on his sofa, he patted the armrest a couple of times before pointing at the seat opposite him.

I stared at it in silence before walking towards it and sitting down.

"Do you know what the hardest part is about reaching my position?"

He suddenly posed me a question, his legs crossing as he interlocked his hands.

Forcing my calm, I answered.

"Maintaining your position."

"Haha! It seems like you’re aware!"

Tharvek laughed leisurely, his hand brushing his ashen gray hair to the side as he continued to stare in my way, his posture relaxed.

"Do you know what’s funny? I used to think the exact opposite in the past. I thought that things would become much easier once I managed to crawl my way towards the top, but it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve had a much harder time maintaining this position than snatching it."

The smile on his face faded.

All of a sudden, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as the tension rose.

"I’m cautious by nature. If I see something that seems suspicious, I’ll get rid of it. Even if they’re innocent. My life comes before anything else."

"....."

"This is how I’ve operated since reaching the top. Nothing escapes my eyes. I know every single person who comes into this city. I know what they’ve done since entering, and who they were with at the start."

"I see."

Things started to click.

"I didn’t pay much attention to you and your guys at the start, but from the moment your ’friend’ joined the Ranking Battle, I had no choice but to pay attention to them. I pay attention to every. single. person. that. enters. the. rankings."

He made sure to emphasize the last part, his voice pausing every word.

"That’s also why I had you become my private guard. The original plan was to use you as some sort of leverage for when your friend and I fought, but after learning about your achievements, I had a change of heart."

Unfurling his legs, Tharvek leaned forward a little.

"...I tested you a couple of times, and you never once budged. That’s what impressed me the most about you. I know that you’re quite strong, but you still somehow held back. That’s how I also started to wonder something. For him to hold back this much, what is he trying to achieve?"

The smile returned on his face as he looked at me.

"You’re here for the elixir, aren’t you?"

"..."

I blinked slowly, my heart skipping a beat.

He was both right and wrong. I did want the elixir, but not because I was in need of it, but because then I’d be able to find Noel. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

That was my goal from the start.

"...What if I were to tell you that there’s a way for you to monopolize it?"

This guy...

Looking up, I could see that his smile was even wider than before.

"The elixir is the ultimate symbol of power within the city. I may be ranked first, but I’m far from the most powerful person within this city. I don’t like that. I want to be the one to stand at the very top."

Tharvek’s smile faded slightly.

"And the only way for someone to reach the very top of this city is to obtain the elixir. That’s the moment they truly hold the key to the city."

In that moment, I saw it completely.

The true face of the man called the Dune Conqueror.

That was also the moment I felt the blank slate of his body stir, as if something within it had finally begun to surface.

An endless greed.

A greed so deep that I found myself at a loss.

’Joy?’

But this wasn’t quite the green that I was used to. It was a little bit deeper and more twisted.

Ecstasy.

... or Greed.

That’d be more accurate.

’This man is quite something. No, he’s lost in his own greed.’

From the way he spoke, he knew about Dawn. At least, he seemed to be aware of his existence. And yet, he still coveted the blood. In that regard, he was extremely greedy.

I had a feeling that he wouldn’t stop at the elixir after all was over.

Taking a deep breath, I finally got some words out.

"You want me to help you get the elixir?"

"No."

He shook his head.

"You’re going to help me."

I raised my brows.

He just smiled in return.

"I can see that you desire the elixir as well. When the time comes, I’ll provide you with some elixir as compensation for your help. In the future, you may even request some. But that’s as far as my generosity goes."

Leaning forward, he stared straight at me as his voice deepened.

"You also don’t have a choice. I’m sure you understand your current position. You can’t escape from this place even if you want to. Not when I’m standing right before you."

"I can always pretend to agree to your terms and run."

"You won’t be able to do that either."

He suddenly snapped his fingers.

All of a sudden, a change occurred within my body. My brows shot up as something extremely cold seeped into me, spreading through my limbs and making every part of me go rigid. My thoughts turned stiff, and the world around me began to wobble.

"W-what...!"

Snap!

The sensation left as fast as it came as Tharvek snapped his fingers.

However, those few seconds were enough to make me sweat heavily as I took deep and heavy breaths.

He cleared his throat.

"There’s not much to it. Unless you want to die, you’ll have to listen to me."

"....H-ha."

Holding onto my chest, I lowered my head.

However—

’I see. So he must be related to ’them’. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to control the weird dark energy provided by them. If I dive in deeper, I might be able to find out more about them.’

"Do you understand your situation now?"

"....."

I chose to remain silent.

Naturally, I was subjected to another round of whatever that was.

"Ukh!"

I let out a groan and acted my part like the award-winning actor that I was. In the end, I forced a glare in his direction before eventually being subjected to another round and finally conceding.

"It wasn’t so hard, was it?"

He laughed while leaning back against his chair.

On the other hand, I remained in my seat, sweat pooling from all sides as I struggled to keep my breathing steady.

In the midst of that, his voice echoed again.

"Just so you’re aware, if this isn’t enough of a deterrent, I’ll kill everyone who came with you at the start. Believe me, I can do that right now with just a thought. I would advise you to be careful."

Closing my eyes, I drew a deep breath.

That...

"Get up."

I stood up and looked at him.

He was now standing as well, and as he glanced around the room, he clasped his hands behind his back before making his way toward the door. Catching my breath, I eventually stood up and followed him out.

’Where is he trying to bring me?’

I remained alert the entire time. I knew that I couldn’t trust the man who stood before me. There was a good chance that he was going to use me before throwing me away. Nevertheless, this situation had turned favorable to some extent.

’...If I play my cards right, I might be able to find out where Noel is faster than originally anticipated. However, the danger is only going to amplify.’

Step. Step—!

The sound of our steps echoed through the space as we descended the stairs, eventually reaching the back of the estate. Stopping at the gate, Tharvek stood still, looking ahead in silence.

I stood still, not making a single sound while staring ahead.

Eventually, a figure appeared at the entrance.

I was caught completely off guard by their appearance, unable to tell when they had arrived, as my heart pounded against my chest.

’Who are they?’

"You’re here."

A soft, almost whisper-like voice echoed out. For a moment, the figure glanced my way, just long enough to make my chest tighten.

"A new one...?"

Tharvek smiled.

"Indeed."

My eyes narrowed slightly, trying to make sense of the exchange. However, that was all the two said before they pulled out a wooden crate.

Tharvek laughed at the sight, a little too eagerly.

"Amazing."

He was just about to take the crate when the figure stopped him. Tharvek’s smile stiffened, if only for a second, as a colder voice followed.

"Do not entertain useless thoughts. The great sun sees everything. You may use the elixir to reward the best, but that is as far as things go. We’ve tasked you with taking full control of this space. This will be the last time we’ll entertain your greed."

The voice faded shortly after, the figure vanishing with it, as if it had never been there at all.

A tense silence followed.

The kind that pressed in from all sides.

It was soon broken by Tharvek, who reached for the crate and lifted the lid. From his tone and the way he moved, he did not seem to mind how he had been spoken to.

If anything, he seemed distracted, focused on something else entirely.

"Have a look."

My stomach churned the moment I saw inside the crate. My expression nearly fell apart as Tharvek reached in and pulled out a severed hand.

No blood dripped from the cut. The skin looked pale, but everything looked incredibly well preserved. As Tharvek waved the hand lightly, he smiled.

"Yes... this will do."

Then he looked at me.

"With this, we can begin looking for the one this hand belongs to."