The journey back through the seventh and sixth floors was fret of any danger, there were no bothersome beasts to worry about making it a very quiet walk
As quiet as it was it did not bring any peace to the group, in fact, this was the most nerve wrecking time for Mustela during their entire rollercoaster of a journey, even his steps were inaudible in hope he doesn't come under the notice of the very upset YuJu and become the outlet of his withheld anger
Even the ever so curious Ellis kept her mouth shut during the journey, only Anput was brave enough to rub against his legs every now and then to soothe him however much she could
'What did I do differently from what was planned? What was that weird moment?'
All this while he has been reviewing every single action he took and every single word, not only that but he even looked through his memory for that woman's skills which were almost all known to him, she was the enemy of their order back then so he had done more than enough research on her to know what she was capable of
'I don't think she was the one who had me absorb her blood, that possibility is rather ridicules, just her shocked face is enough to tell that I was the one who caused he phenomenon'
Ruling out any outside interference it meant his body was the source of the problem
'Is it because of my vampire blood? But why did I not absorb any blood before that moment then, I was literally bathing in blood just a while ago'
Everything didn't make sense and he couldn't shove this manner to the side so easily because his carefully prepared plans were thrust into disarray because of this one thing, now the checkmate situation he imagined was gone and he had to fight a long and arduous game with 'him'
Sensing his thoughts treading a cycle of repetitive regret and pessimism he took a deep breath in a bid to calm himself down
'If I have to change my plans then so be it, I have gained more opportunities to gain soul slaves anyway, that means more chess pieces to spread across the board, coupled with my extensive knowledge there is no way I could lose'
Regaining control over his temper he let out a heavy breath and finally spoke just as they were approaching the entrance to the fifth floor
"Mustela"
"Yes Sir"
Wasting no time Mustela replied
"You did not witness anything today, we left you on the seventh floor to wait and the only thing you know is that I came out very upset, isn't that correct?"
This time he didn't instantly reply for he was weighing his options, sure he feared YuJu but he feared the commander's anger just as much which made this a very hard decision
Seeing the weasly man choose to remain silent YuJu turned his head to the side and looked at him dully
"Even if I kill you in front of all the generals I would suffer no repercussions for Aminta herself would be the one to stand up for me, my advice to you is to keep what you saw to yourself, believe me when I say nothing you reveal will be hidden from me"
Leaving him to decide after finishing his warning YuJu walked into the fifth floor once again
"...Haah, this is hell"
Sighing at his misfortune the pooer guy followed hem back don as well knowing full well his life would only get more difficult from this point onward
"Sir!"
The guards at the checkpoint saluted their group respectfully as they passed through then one of them stepped forward with a small group
"We will be escorting you to your residence Sir"
The guard led the way after receiving a nod from YuJu while Mustela was pulled to the side by another who was supposed to bring him to the conference hall under the commander's orders
"Farewell Sir, I hope you have a nice day"
Mustela wished before leaving toward his unavoidable interrogation
One quick walk later Mustela was walking into the conference hall where Belbus was once almost squished to a pulp before being sent to the purple swamps, he hoped his own situation would be brighter than the probably deceased man
The situation wasn't exactly as he predicted it to be though as all the generals but Verbrand and Latvia were absent, this was both a relieving and stressful for the absence of the rest meant this isn't exactly a trail but only an interrogation, but at the same time it meant he might be silenced depending on the situation
"Commander"
Saluting her he bowed as his mid-level position allowed him to forgo kneeling
She nodded before Verband took a step forward, speaking to the nervous fellow in her stead
"I believe there is no need to explain what you are here for little one, begin your explanation"
"..."
They waited for him to talk thinking he was trying to figure out where to start but the wait took longer than they thought making them all frown heavily
"Little one, did you no hear me"
"I heard you general, but…."
Instead of explaining why he wasn't answering he turned to the commander and asked his own question nervously
"Commander, excuse me for asking but if by chance the leader of the black guards, YuJu, was to kill me in front of all of you, would his actions be….punished accordingly?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, show your respect and answer what we asked!"
Latvia berated harshly from the side but was ignored by everyone, instead they were looking at the silent commander for an answer
Sensing something amiss Latvia also turned to look at the seated Aminta only to see a look of debate on her face
"Commander?"
Not believing that the iron fist ruler was actually thinking about this Latvia called out, and an answer she quickly received
"Lock him up in a highly guarded solitary prison, don't treat him harshly but make sure no one makes contact with him, if he wishes to speak his mind then record his words and have them sent to me"
Latvia couldn't respond as she didn't believe the words her ever forceful commander was saying thus Verbrand took it upon himself to put the silent man into prison
"....Why would you go so far for him when he is the root of another"
Latvia asked doubtfully once Verbran and Mustela were out of the hall
"I cannot harm him, and though I do not know why he is keeping me in the dark I know he wouldn't harm me"
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ "But to go to such lengths, it is not of your character"
"He is...dear to me I suppose…"
"....."
Seeing the matter might relate to her past the general kept quiet which plunged the hall into silence for a very long time
...…
"Prepare a meal for Ellis only, bring me some rinea as well"
YuJu ordered in the hungry red head's stead as she was changing into looser clothes in her room then sat down heavily on the comfy chair
"Awu wu"
Anput complained wanting a meal of her own but he reminded her that she had eaten not long ago
"Wuuu…"
"Hmm, fine then, prepare a meal for Anput as well"
"Yes Sir"
He indulged the little fellow's appetite while wondering to himself where all the food went
"Would you like a bath Sir?"
"No need, I also do not want any visitors, make sure I am not disturbed this time around"
"As you wish"
Knowing that they might have a head flying than an arm if they committed the same mistake the maids made sure to shoo any would-be visitors at a glance
With his peace guaranteed he started sipping some rinea while petting Anput until her meal came, something that always soothed his mind
While he was peacefully sipping and petting in the comfort of his home the maids outside were sweating bullets, or whatever their equivalent was for their race
'G-general!"
"Hello there, mind telling my friend inside that I came for a visit"
"Y-yes Si- a -actually…"
Recalling the orders to turn away any visitors they didn't know what to do, sure they couldn't stop a general but that didn't mean he wouldn't cut their heads off for it
"Actually?"
"With all due respect general we have been asked to turn away all kinds of visitors, I am sure Sir would invite you inside but…"
Thinking this always helpful general would be much easier to talk with the maids pleaded for his help, wanting him to vouch for them when he went inside so they wouldn't have their heads cut off wrongingly
"Hmm, don't worry about it, just tell him I am here"
"Yes!"
Thinking they were out of the woods the maids went in to ask for YuJu's permission
"Sir"
"Hm?"
"General Verbrand is visiting"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let him in"
"Yes Sir!"
Happy that the situation did not escalate at all the maid went to the gate and came back with the general in tow
"Verbrand my friend, it is nice of you to visit"
Standing up he gave the burnt tree a friendly smile
"I hope I did not come in at the wrong time"
"Not at all, by the way, who was it that let you inside?"
The tree man paused for a second, his expression couldn't change but one could guess his confusion at the sudden unrelated question
Even though he didn't know what this man's plan was, which he always seemed to have, he pointed at the maid who opened the door with her single arm
"I see, would you mind fetching us some food? Since your so full of energy that is"
The one-armed maid knew that she was about to receive yet another punishment which was unjust unlike the last time where she allowed the problematic Belbus in willingly, still she answered respectfully hoping it wasn't anything bad, and if it was she would have to depend on the good-hearted general
"Whatever you need Sir"
"Good, go to the purple swamp and gather a few Uvambaca"
Instantly turning her eyes to Verbrand for help she noticed he was silently facing YuJu, clearly not intending on helping her get out of this tricky predicament like he had them believe
"You go help her look for them, make sure she gets them fresh"
YuJu added to make sure she doesn't cheat her way out before dismissing the unwilling two along the rest of the maids while Anput went to eat her meal before Ellis wiped the plates off before she got there
"Do sit"
Left alone with the burnt tree man he poured him rinea before sitting down for a talk
"Was that really necessary? I think you already established your position last time, they were hesitant to let even me in"
"If I wanted to establish dominance then I have other more civilized ways of doing so, what I did has its own hidden reasons"
"You seem to love hiding things, don't you? It is to the point that you hurt the ones you should be keeping safe?"
His tone had a tinge of intimidation and slight anger, he might not speak of it but he was clearly very concerned about Aminta's well being, in fact, it was the main reason for his visit
"I know you care about her oh elder root of Mitra, but trust me when I tell you I care even more"
"I won't be surprised by this secret that you somehow came to know, there are many classes that gain insight into the unknown so don't expect me to follow along your ploys young man"
"Do you believe me to be bluffing?"
The tree man stayed silent but his answer was clear bringing a smile to YuJu's face, unlike those from the Genus Insania who he could convince with both actions and words by using his unique class or Aminta who he had the bond as proof of trust he couldn't give this man any obvious proof without showing his hand
"I will not ruin my plans for you my dear friend, but I assure you that I am done with my rather 'troublesome' steps, I only await my items to be delivered before taking my leave"
Hearing he was gong to go Verbrand stayed silent, if he did leave the mess he created then Aminta would never be able to relax until she figured what the hell was going on, but this also meant they would have enough time to draw up plans for his weird actions and somehow start coping with them
"When will you be coming back, or is that yet another mystery?"
"Haha, not at all, It should take me about two months or so, if nothing goes wrong in my journey"
"Are you heading back to the new world?"
He probed
"The opposite way actually"
"Hmm"
Stroking his white beard the old man thought about it for many minutes during which YuJu sipped his rinea silently
"I wish you a good journey then, do come back in one piece, you have left many riddles yet to be answered"
"Worry not, I am sure you will be more than satisfied by my next visit"
"I sure hope so young friend"
Back to his good attitude Verbrand got up and thanked him for the hospitality and rinea before leaving
'If only you knew what danger these riddles would spell, oh how good it would be to stay ignorant then'
His knowledge of the future always brought him more worries than relief, he might as well shoulder this burden alone for a little while more, he didn't need help anyway
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