Numbers x Casket-Chapter 16: Black Ring

A day ago, back to the ruined city. Lindsay stared at the man standing underneath the clouds. Jet-black hair and a pair of golden eyes similar to hers.

"What brings you here?" she asked, unfazed.

However, the man didn't answer right away; first, he descended in front of her. Captain Zed and Enrick kneeled while lowering down their gaze. They were so afraid just to make eye contact with the most powerful person in Celestia, known as the Synchrocaster—Riel Nightfall.

"I just want to see my daughter; is that reason valid enough?" the man replied with a question.

He stepped forward, and the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

"If it's about the engagement, I'm not going home," Lindsay answered; her words were like sharp knives hovering towards her father.

Upon hearing her declaration, Riel nodded, then his gaze directed to the sleeping young man next to Captain Zed.

"Is it because of that appraiser?" he asked, and the smile on his face disappeared.

Upon hearing her father's words, Lindsay stared at him with a cold glare. Then, she raised her hand, and a worn-out grimoire appeared in front of her.

"Please leave!" she exclaimed.

Riel felt surprised to the point that his jaw dropped as he witnessed his daughter's reaction.

"No hesitation, huh? So it is really because of him," he stated, his voice calm yet filled with intimidating pressure.

Then, with the appraiser as the center point, several layers of magic circles took shape above.

"I won't hesitate either," he declared.

Lindsay swallowed with difficulty as she stared at her father. She played different scenes inside her head to determine the outcome if they really went into a fight, but it always resulted in her loss or her companions' death at most.

Even if Efraim woke up midway, she couldn't picture them winning against the Grand Lord of the Magic Tower. Therefore, she clenched her fist, and the grimoire in front of her disappeared.

The corners of Riel's lips curled into a smile, and the magic circles above shattered into fragments.

"Wise choice," he uttered.

Then he placed his hand on her daughter's head and gave her a pat. Meanwhile, Lindsay lowered her gaze, then she bit her lower lip and inhaled a deep one.

"May I ask for a second?" she whispered; her voice had a trace of sadness.

"Of course, my dear, go ahead," the Grand Lord gave his permission.

Lindsay turned back as soon as she heard the approval; she bent her knees and sat next to Efraim. Captain Zed took a glance at her, but he was too afraid to utter a word.

The young mage stared at the unconscious appraiser; a smile bloomed from her lips, but it was not enough to hide the grief present in her eyes.

"How I wish I could stay with you," she whispered.

Afterward, she pulled something out from her finger and looked at the old man.

"Captain Zed," she uttered.

Upon hearing his name being called, the old man turned his gaze towards Lindsay. His heart ached after seeing the agony in her eyes.

'How could you still smile despite being in pain, Young Lady?' he questioned inside his thoughts.

He did not have enough courage to blurt it out in front of the Grand Lord.

"Can you please give this to him?" Lindsay asked before extending her hand.

Captain Zed looked at the ring on her palm. It had a shining black hue with her initials engraved, written in white color, on its shanks. The old man hesitated for a second, but upon seeing her nod, he took it on the spot, no questions asked.

Lindsay forced herself to wear another smile. Then she stood up and walked towards her father.

As soon as she came closer, a magic circle with intricate symbols appeared underneath them. Then it illuminated a white glow.

Lindsay turned around and took a second to glance at the appraiser one last time before disappearing from her position.

The two people were left there still on their knees, with Enrick trying to process what he had witnessed while the old man stared up above the clouds.

Though it was vague due to the sudden brilliance from the spell, he definitely saw teardrops fall from the young lady's eyes.

. . . . .

Efraim stared at the ring on his little finger while lying under the shade of a tree.

"Lindsay," he whispered a name, and her image flashed right through his mind.

Ever since the captain told him about Lindsay's engagement, he always found himself sulking and not in the mood to interact with others; he even declined several missions given by the guild.

As if the art of laziness corrupted his body, he spent most of his days sleeping somewhere peaceful and silent.

Efraim looked once again at the ring, but this time, he did it with his left eye glowing in a cyan-colored hexagram.

A number eighty-nine written in black appeared above his little finger, signifying that the ring was just a normal ornament with no hidden mechanics. However, even though it did not pass the criteria of being an artifact, the initials engraved on it made it special at some point.

A letter L and N, for anyone, would just be some random letters, but for the people of Celestia, especially those living in the capital city, it symbolized one thing—power.

Efraim put down his hand on his side and shifted his thoughts. He looked above him; the previous zero on his head had now increased to one, still at the bottom of the list of the lowest marks, though much better than nothing.

This gave Efraim a hint on how to increase his own figures.

'Monarchs' relics, huh? Now, I wonder who they are and where I can find those relics,' he pondered as he diverted his gaze towards the clouds.

Based on his deduction, the lake from his dream and the lake they investigated were the same place. While that man with the strange markings was the Ironclad Brawler that the casket referred to.

He didn't know if his line of thinking was correct; he had already tried to ask the casket for seeking confirmation, but the voice that he heard from that time never responded.

"I really don't have any idea where to start..." He paused and let out a sigh before continuing. "And why is it me?"

Frustrated without having concrete answers to his questions, he stood up and decided to take a stroll into the town.

Upon arriving, the laughter of the children playing down the street and the screams of merchants selling their products were the things that greeted him.

He continued on his strides until he reached the town's center. Then, he noticed that there was a gathering of people in front of the town's announcement board.

This piqued his curiosity, causing him to squeeze his way through the crowd.

As soon as he got himself in front, his eyes squinted upon seeing a poster with Lindsay's face and another man's.

'You are all invited to Celestia's Wedding Festival. The Magic Tower would host a three-day celebration to congratulate the newly engaged couple of the Nightfall and Chronos.' Efraim read the first two sentences through his eyes, and he felt a lump stuck in his throat.

Thus he turned around and was about to leave, but he heard something that caught his attention.

"There will be events with different prizes!" someone exclaimed in excitement.

"I don't care about those weapons and relics! I'm eyeing the gold," another man stated.

Upon hearing the word relic, Efraim spun around and looked at the board one more time.

'The first two days will be filled with different kinds of events with a lot of prizes ranging from gold, weapons, and relics, while on the third day, the marriage of the couple will commence and will be the closing end of the festivity. The festival will start in a week's time.' He read the remaining portion of the news.

Afterward, he pushed his way out of the crowd and sauntered without a proper destination in mind. He just let himself be dragged by his own feet. Then, he found himself standing in front of a tavern.

Efraim pushed the door open, producing a long creaking sound. This garnered the attention of all the people inside.

The chitchats disappeared, and the laughter stopped for a moment. All the eyes stared at the newcomer, observing him from the tip of his hair all the way to the sole of his boots.

And after a while, some returned back to their business and chugged the ale in their mugs, while others glanced at the tattoo on his arm and whispered to the person next to them.

But the appraiser ignored them all; he went straight to the bar counter and sat on one of the empty chairs.

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"One honeyberry ale, please," he stated, pushing a piece of bronze coin towards the server.

The old man took his money and went inside to brew his drink. While waiting, Efraim looked at his side, and he felt surprised upon seeing a familiar face.

"Enrick?" he said.

The assassin glanced at him after gulping a mug of liquor. His face was red and his eyes were squinted, indicating how drunk he was.

"Oh, the appraisher," Enrick muttered with hiccups between his words.

"Are you here to dull the pain? Your lover is about to get married after all," he added.

. . . . .