Numbers x Casket-Chapter 11: No Record

In a room large enough to call a library, each of its walls had shelves filled with nothing but books; there was a middle-aged man lying on the floor. Papers with drawings and scriptures scattered, floating on the air. His eyes were busy staring at the magic circle on the ceiling when a sudden knock on the door called his attention.

"Come in!" the man stated, and the creaking sound of a door being opened followed.

Afterward, footsteps reverberated inside the room, but the man continued to stare at the complex pentagram pattern.

"Grand Lord!" a woman greeted as soon as she came closer.

She had light brown hair and a pair of transparent glasses, which covered her emerald eyes.

"What's the matter, Cecile?" the man asked without any intention to stand up.

The woman whom he referred to as Cecile pulled out a scroll behind her, opened it up, and read the contents of it.

"The young lady was seen near the borders of Graphite City with a man. Based on my investigation, his name is Efraim Von Regalia, an appraiser with two strings," the woman stated, giving emphasis to the individual's identity.

"Hmnn, if it's only about missions, I see no problem with it, but if emotions are involved, I'm afraid I need to set some boundaries for my daughter," the man replied.

He stood up, and the scattered papers flew towards the direction of a table, and they fell on top of one another, creating a single pile. Then the complex magic circle on the ceiling dissolved and vanished without a single trace.

"How many days are left before Lindsay's engagement ceremony with the Chronos' heir?" he added, now looking at Cecile.

"Exactly two days after today," the woman answered, her gaze lowered.

"Still plenty enough; prepare my clothes; I'll be heading out," the man stated.

"As you wish," Cecile replied, and then she bowed down and moved towards the door.

And as soon as the woman stepped outside of the room, the man levitated in the air and took a peek in the small window.

Aside from the sea of clouds and the blue sky, nothing different could be seen.

"An appraiser, huh?" he uttered, his eyes laced with curiosity.

. . . . .

Two days had passed, and Efraim, along with four other individuals, traveled back to the ruined city. Due to the guild's demand, they were forced to examine the giant pit to mark the completion of their mission. In regards to this, the guild deployed two additional equators to assist them in the expedition.

With still the guidance of the old man, whom Lindsay referred to as Captain Zed, their journey went smoothly, with no obstruction or any kind of ambush. Before the sun set below the horizon, they reached their destination.

"Hmnn, it's really big, bigger than I thought," a man wearing a black mask commented while looking inside the giant pit.

Based on his clothing and the two daggers at his back, his class was an assassin.

"I wonder what's inside; do you have any idea, Enrick?" a woman answered, staring at a giant pit.

There was a bow at her back, and a quiver was strapped above her right knee.

"Maybe... some sort of tunnel heading elsewhere or a massive creature is living underneath," Enrick conveyed his thoughts.

"Hey! Don't jinx it!" the woman exclaimed upon hearing the assassin's statement.

"Seriously, Kendra? You're too old to believe in something like that," the man chuckled as he replied.

The next second, he turned around and looked at the three people behind them. His eyes especially stared at the black-haired woman; he couldn't believe that someone this beautiful actually existed.

'During this mission, I'll make sure that she falls for me,' Enrick thought as his mind began to suffer from delusions.

Then, he noticed the appraiser next to Lindsay and, being an equator for a long time, he started to question why a non-combat class was included in a dangerous mission like this.

"Hey! If I may ask, what is an appraiser doing here? And are those swords for decoration?" Enrick asked, igniting an argument.

Lindsay was the first to react upon hearing the assassin's provocation.

"Who are you to question him?" she stepped forward and asked, her eyebrows furrowing in contempt.

"He's way better than you in all aspects, and that's a fact!" she added, exclaiming.

Then, a ball of fire conjured on her hand. Upon seeing the rage in Lindsay's eyes, Efraim moved in between the two equators and held Lindsay's shoulders.

"Just let him," he whispered in the woman's ear.

Lindsay looked at Efraim, and with a deep sigh, she clenched her fist, and the fireball dissipated into thin air. However, she still diverted her gaze towards the assassin and glared at him before turning around.

Upon seeing the rage in the woman's eyes. Enrick just shook his head.

'I'll make you admire me in no time,' he thought.

Then he looked at the appraiser, who was facing his back at him.

'And you, let's see how long you will survive,' he conveyed inside his mind before distancing himself away from the rest.

Meanwhile, Efraim took a glance at the assassin; a number seventy-four written in blue was floating in his head.

"Pathetic," he uttered.

. . . . .

Darkness enveloped the entire area in no time; the group of equators decided to conduct the expedition tomorrow morning before sunrise, so they set up their camp next to the giant pit.

"Please, don't take him seriously! He's just concerned about everyone's safety," Kendra apologized on behalf of her companion during dinner.

Despite the food being so appetizing and flavorful, Enrick didn't join them and just lay several meters away from their camp.

"No worries," Efraim answered while picking a slice of fried meat that soon went to his mouth.

Kendra's eyes lit up upon hearing his reply, then she glanced at Lindsay, but the woman was busy eating and didn't even look at her.

"Don't mind her," Efraim stated as he noticed the sudden drop of Kendra's shoulder.

The appraiser's words made the archer smile, even though Lindsay ignored her apology. As they were done eating, the old man and Efraim acted as night guards while the two women went inside the tent.

"You can go to sleep as well, Captain," Efraim stated as he leaped onto a boulder.

"I'm still looking at the stars," Captain Zed replied, staring above.

The next second, Efraim crouched down and began to stand using his hands while the old man smiled upon seeing him in that state.

Both of them uttered not a single word, minding their own respective business. This continued for several minutes until Captain Zed broke the deafening silence.

"Efraim, would you mind lending me your ears for a second?" he asked.

His tone felt so serious that the moment the appraiser heard them, he pushed his body upward and landed on his feet.

Then, he looked straight at the old man, waiting for his next set of words.

"The young lady's treatment of you is different from others. She saw something special in you, and I know that you're already aware of that," Captain Zed opened up while still staring above.

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"As someone who has served the young lady since she was a child, I always prioritized her safety, so I did a background check on you," he added as he diverted his gaze towards the young man.

"Efraim Von Regalia, a fancy name, but everything about that name is shrouded in mystery. I don't even know if that's your real name. No record, no hometown, as in nothing. All that I found was that you arrived at Celestia a year ago and registered as an appraiser," the old man stated while staring at his companion.

Efraim didn't respond; he just listened to the old man.

"But I know as well that you have your own reason why, and I believe that you're a good child." Captain Zed paused for a second and smiled; then he put his right hand on the appraiser's shoulder before continuing. "And don't worry, I would not pry on your identity any further. Just remember, if you want to pursue the young lady, prepare yourself to die. Good night!"

The old man turned around, leaving the appraiser without even waiting for his reaction. As soon as he left, Efraim covered his face with the palm of his hand. Then he looked at the countless stars above and noticed that their positions created a pattern that resembled a butterfly.

'Xenen,' he thought.

. . . . .

After a long night, dawn came, and the golden rays coming from the sun were already in view. The group consisting of five people prepared themselves to explore the giant pit.

The captain looked at everyone, and upon seeing them nod, he gave out the command.

"Don't let go of each other no matter what. Let's move!" he ordered.

The group jumped towards the pit. All of them were holding onto one another's hand to avoid getting separated.

Lindsay threw a floating orb of light underneath so they could see if they were about to land, but the pit was so deep that they continued falling for more than a minute before the ground came into their sight.

"Gather beneath thee, destroy thy impact, set us free!" Lindsay chanted, and a green magic circle appeared on the ground. Then, a sudden surge of wind came out of it, cushioning their fall.

. . . . .