Emisarry Of Time And Space-Chapter 216 - 217: Remember I exist.

Orion felt his eyes widen.

'She just asked directly.'

For a brief moment, his mind stalled—not out of panic, but surprise. Of all the approaches Emily could have taken, bluntness was the one he had least expected. There was no probing, no circling, no soft framing. Just a direct question, asked in front of Sylgrid, with no visible concern for consequence.

Did she not consider that it might be sensitive?

He dismissed that thought almost immediately. Ignorance didn't fit her. Not after days of observation. Not after how she handled people, movement, and tension. Emily wasn't careless.

Which meant this was deliberate.

A test, perhaps. Or a gamble. Or she had decided that pretending ignorance was safer than appearing informed. Orion couldn't tell yet, and that unsettled him more than he liked.

The Sylgrid tilted his head, the motion slow and curious rather than defensive.

"You seem to be confused, human," he said evenly. "The jade mined by the Sylgrid are not called Sylgrid jades. They are simply jades."

His tone carried no edge. If anything, there was mild amusement in it.

"If you are in the Jade Forest because of an interest in jade," he continued, "then you are far too deep into the forest for common trade."

"Oh, I see," Emily replied, her expression shifting smoothly into something thoughtful rather than embarrassed.

Orion exhaled internally.

As expected. Not all of them know.

The Sylgrid's response confirmed what Orion had already suspected from Tala and his wife. Knowledge of the Sylgrid Jade wasn't widespread. It was compartmentalized. Restricted. Either by hierarchy or necessity.

He glanced at Emily from the corner of his eye.

She'd caught it too.

There was a brief tightening around her eyes, subtle enough that most would miss it, but Orion had been watching her long enough to recognize the shift. Her question had been a probe. The answer had given her confirmation.

Still, a part of him couldn't help running the alternative.

If the Sylgrid had reacted differently—if recognition or hostility had followed—he would have left immediately. No hesitation. No warning. The numbers alone made confrontation meaningless. Thousands against twenty-five wasn't a battle, it was a waste.

He wasn't here to die proving a point.

"We thought the Sylgrid Jade was some special type of jade," Emily said with an awkward chuckle, leaning lightly into the misunderstanding.

The Sylgrid regarded her for a second, then nodded.

"Oh. If it is a special jade you seek," he said, "then you are actually in the correct region."

Emily's attention sharpened instantly.

"But," the Sylgrid continued, his expression shifting, "you are here at the wrong time."

That single sentence altered the atmosphere.

Emily didn't rush him. She waited.

"How so?" she asked.

The Sylgrid gestured vaguely in the direction of the capital, still obscured by distance and forest.

"Certain jades are not freely exchanged," he explained. "They are tied to families. Authority. Process. At present, movement surrounding such matters is restricted."

Orion listened carefully.

The wording was careful. He didn't say forbidden. He didn't say dangerous. He said restricted. Which implied regulation rather than taboo.

"An event approaches," the Sylgrid added. "Until it concludes, access to the capital is limited."

Emily nodded slowly, absorbing the information without interruption.

Orion watched her closely now.

This was the moment his plan could fracture—or stabilize.

She had enough information now to draw conclusions. Enough to realize that the capital was the center of everything. Enough to decide whether to proceed, withdraw, or question why someone like Orion hadn't spoken sooner.

Instead, she sighed.

"In that case," Emily said calmly, "we'll still head to the capital."

Orion blinked.

She continued, unfazed.

"The event is in five days. We can wait outside if necessary. Turning back now would only waste time and energy."

It was pragmatic. Efficient. Annoyingly reasonable.

The Sylgrid hesitated.

For the first time, discomfort crept into his posture. His gaze flicked briefly toward the larger procession behind him, then back to Emily.

"That would be… unwise," he said carefully. "If you interfere, even unintentionally—"

"We won't," Emily replied without hesitation. "We're not interested in disrupting anything. We only want information."

The Sylgrid studied her, visibly torn.

Orion could almost see the calculations running through his head. Responsibility versus convenience. Risk versus obligation. Punishment versus avoidance.

Eventually, he nodded.

"I will point you in the correct direction," he said. "But I will not accompany you further."

"That's fine," Emily replied. "We appreciate the guidance."

The Sylgrid gave a few concise directions, marking landmarks rather than paths. He spoke plainly, with no attempt to mislead. When he finished, he stepped back, clearly eager to put distance between them.

They parted without ceremony.

As the group resumed moving, Orion discreetly checked his bracelet.

The direction aligned.

That, more than anything, unsettled him.

The Sylgrid hadn't lied.

Whether it was naivety, confidence, or something deeper, Orion couldn't tell. Tala. His wife. This Sylgrid. None of them behaved like people who feared deception.

Stop it, Orion told himself. You're doing it again.

He forced the spiral down.

As the forest closed in around them once more, Emily adjusted the formation with a few quiet instructions. The group moved smoothly, confidence restored.

Orion stayed in the middle.

Then Emily drifted closer.

He didn't react outwardly. He'd sensed her approach long before she spoke.

"So," she said, her tone casual but her face serious, "are you going to come clean…"

She matched his pace effortlessly.

"…or do you want to keep playing the lover's spat, kid?"

Orion let out a small hum, not slowing, not turning his head.

"I didn't play anything," he replied evenly. "You assumed, and let your imagination do the rest."

She studied him for a moment, eyes sharp.

"That's how you want to play it."

Orion turned to her with a raised brow.

"There's no play here," Orion said calmly.

She turned back to him.

"Yes there is. You've been playing us for some reason, you knew about all what the Sylgrid said yet you kept it from us." Emily said.

"You're stating the obvious." Orion said.

She frowned.

"You don't feel remorseful?" She asked.

Orion's expression twisted to confusion.

"I have no reason to be, and please drop the act, stop acting hurt, It won't work on me. You've known something's been up with me since I joined you, yet you said nothing about it, it's obvious you had a feeling I knew something and you simply wanted to take advantage of me for info but for some reason, you're wary enough not to challenge me directly." Orion said directly.

"We can't defeat you." She replied.

"Hmmm…If you're basing this on instinct then I'd commend them, they're sharp enough, but you're coming to me now because you want something from me, else you would have continued your act, so state it directly." Orion finished.

Emily fell silent for a few minutes.

"I want you to include me." She finally said.

Orion's brow raised a bit.

"It's obvious you and your group are up to something and you want to use us for cannon fodder, and as much as it hurts my pride to admit it, I'm not sure we can or I can go against it." She said, her teeth gritted.

'She's practical.' Orion thought. She reminded him of Irelle when he'd first met her at the trial, but this was no trial.

"You're singling yourself out." Orion noted.

"Because I'm alone." She said without hesitation.

"That's a dangerous thing for a leader to say." Orion commented.

"But it's the truth." She replied with a straight face.

"Only one group can come out victorious." Orion said.

"Yes," She replied.

"If I were to include you, I'd be giving you a chance to one up us." Orion said, despite how low the chance might be.

"Yes," She replied again.

"I'm sorry Emily, I don't like chances." Orion said calmly.

"To you, the chance might be there no matter what I say but to me, it's zero, I promise not to jeopardize your mission in any way. " She said.

"That's a wobbly promise Emily, If you're assured of your loss, I don't see any reason for you to head to the capital in the first place."

"The same reason I came to the Jade forest in the first place, I want to improve, I want to be better but I don't want to die."

"It's obvious if I were to go into that capital, I might end up being killed, I'm not powerful but I want to be."

"So you want protection."

"Yes."

Orion sighed, even he wasn't assured of his own safety, how was he meant to ensure her own, his friends were currently in dangers embrace, he couldn't be here promising to protect someone else.

Before he could refuse her.

"I know you're about to say, you're not assured of your safety and I understand, I don't want you to watch over me,"

"I just hope whatever situation you find yourself in during the conflict, remember that I exist."

Before Orion could say any other thing, she increased her speed to join the others in her group.

Orion had a small frown on his face.

'What a pain.'