Thor closed his eyes for a moment, replaying the memories, before whispering in a low voice, "Yes… it seems he did it deliberately. He could have acted indifferently, and that way he would have left Ralph alone… but when he met my gaze directed toward the balcony where I was sitting, he chose confrontation."
The man with the emblem laughed, his features carrying a mixture of tolerance and pride. "Heh… that means he chose to fight him to prove before your eyes that he is strong and intelligent… in your opinion, why would he care about such a thing?"
Thor moved toward the exit to take Ralph to the clinic. "It seems he knows the nature of the admission tests, so he wanted to save time and prove himself in front of me. That was his choice."
After Thor left, the man with the emblem added, "And I believe his goal was either to gain battle experience in the garden… or to remain close to the site of the catastrophe that struck his village."
"Why did you hit him so brutally? Ralph's face is almost disfigured!" Melissa was slightly agitated; from her perspective, Eugene's actions were completely unjustified.
Eugene looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "For me, that was the least I could have done to him."
"Why? Isn't it enough that his face turned into a purple and red mess?!"
Eugene tilted his head lightly. "No… he's provocative and annoying."
Before Melissa could flare up again, Eugene continued, "Besides, he tried to kill me!" Melissa's eyebrows shot up. "And also, he killed Rem's cat. In the end… she had every right to do that."
"Wait… he tried to kill you?!" Ren lifted his head, clear worry on his face. "Who tried to kill Eugene?!"
"No… nothing, it's j-…" Eugene lightly kicked Melissa's foot in a clear signal to stop talking.
Melissa understood he didn't want to frighten Ren or the others. "No… he was telling me about a movie he watched recently." Eugene forced a rather foolish smile.
Fred pointed toward Eugene, asking curiously, "What's in the box?"
Both Rem and Ren turned their attention to the box Eugene was holding. Eugene tensed for a moment before saying, "This… it's… it's a box with a gift inside."
"A gift?!" The three reacted in unison, a mix of disbelief and surprise. But the moment passed safely.
As the hours went by—singing and music, food and many questions—Eugene was absorbed in eating, Rem was talking with Melissa, while Ren and Fred chatted. During the conversation, both Fred and Eugene suddenly stood up.
"Wait, where are you both going?" Ren asked, noticing they rose at the same time.
Fred spoke, gesturing behind him. "Going to meet an old friend."
"And I'm going to get some fresh air," Eugene said, pointing in the opposite direction.
They left Ren alone. As he stared at the food in boredom, a voice came from in front of him. "Excuse me…"
Under the dark night sky, beneath the moon and stars, at around eleven-oh-five. Eugene stood on the outer balcony, gazing at the star-studded sky. While he stood there, someone approached from the left, speaking confidently: "So you're Eugene!"
Eugene turned to see the same man who had been with Thor. "Yes, I'm Eugene. And you are?"
The man removed his glasses and began polishing them before speaking in the same tone of confidence and pride, a smile on his lips. "My name is Idris. I am the first disciple of the Master of Alchemists, and one of the Four Geniuses… oh, and remember, I'm also Melissa's older half-brother."
Eugene gave him a cold look before saying, "Melissa's half-brother… that explains why you don't resemble her."
Idris raised his eyebrows briefly, thinking in surprise. This boy is strange… he didn't care that I'm one of the Four Geniuses, nor that I'm the disciple of the Master of Alchemists, nor even that I'm her brother… he only commented on that. He let out a faint, muffled laugh before putting his glasses back on. "Heh… you're strange, boy… tell me, did you beat Ralph that brutally without reason?"
Idris knew Eugene's reason, as Thor had said, but he wanted to confirm it himself.
"Strange! I heard you speaking to Thor and you mentioned my name, and said you are a Master of Alchemists. Alchemy is considered a science connected to psychology. Are you trying to confirm your analysis… about why I hit Ralph so hard?!"
Idris looked at Eugene with slight shock. "Hahaha… oh boy! You look foolish, but you're somewhat intelligent."
Eugene frowned for a moment. "Who are you calling foolish?"
A breeze passed, leaving a brief silence before Idris spoke again. "Listen, boy."
"What?"
Idris raised two fingers. "I have two questions for you."
Eugene met his gaze. "And I'll ask you two questions."
Idris raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm making a deal with you? They're just two questions."
Eugene shrugged lightly. "Two questions for two questions… if you want me to answer yours."
"Ah…" Idris sighed briefly. "My first question."
A faint trace of mockery appeared on Eugene's face. "Are you asking me or testing me? There's no need to say 'my first question.'"
Idris's expression tightened, while Eugene laughed slightly.
"Oh… fine. Do you remember what happened in your village incident?"
Eugene's features stiffened. Memories rushed like arrows, each one carrying flashes of that catastrophe. "Oh…" he muttered before saying, "No… I don't remember. All I remember is blood, screams, Ren pushing me before a massive rock struck me."
"Really? That's all you remember?"
Before Eugene spoke, a thought ignited in his mind, replaying everything in slow motion.
"The symbols!"
"What symbols?" Idris did not understand.
Eugene continued, his emotions mixed with mystery and astonishment. "Those golden symbols… they didn't appear randomly… they formed before the attack began… a specific geometric shape!"
Idris's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! And what was that shape?"
Eugene summoned it in his mind. "It was a shape… like an inverted pentagram inside a circle."
"An inverted pentagram… I feel like I've seen that emblem before!" Idris's thoughts clashed in his mind like a storm. "I don't know whether it's coincidence or not… anyway, what's your second question?"
"My second question… oh, remember: you know the Empire's borders are extremely dangerous."
"Yes."
"And neither the borders nor even the mountain will help you regarding that attack."
How does he know I want the truth… this is a strange question… Melissa must have told him, or he deduced it himself. After a few seconds, Eugene answered, "Yes."
"Then why do you want to go there? And why do you persist in this at all? There are organizations, investigators, experienced people looking into the matter. Why act as if you alone are responsible despite all that?"
Eugene thought briefly, moved his head slightly, then raised his finger toward the sky. "Because whatever it is… in the end, that is my homeland. No one under this sky has the right to avenge me or investigate this matter except those who belong there… and in that case, Ren and I. Besides, since childhood I wanted to be a farmer, but battles, victory, journeys, learning, adapting… these things excite me far more than a life of boredom. That attack was like a key that opened this door for me."
Idris stepped closer, and as he passed beside him, he placed a hand on Eugene's shoulder. "Your answer is strange… outwardly noble and grand, inwardly selfish and strange."
Idris disappeared into the crowd, while Eugene returned to gazing at the sky.
On the other side, someone else was also staring at the sky—Musa. Eugene saw him sitting at one of the tables, looking through the window, the night air brushing his long hair. Eugene moved toward him.
Musa felt his gaze, and his heart began beating quickly, afraid Eugene would ask about the symbol, or about James, or about his expressions that day. Eugene sat in the chair opposite him…
Ren lifted his gaze and saw a man whose hair and beard formed a rectangular shape, with a light mustache and beard connected by a strip of hair. His eyes were brown, and he wore a complete black suit, leaning on a wooden cane.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
The man spoke, and despite the wrinkles on his face and his aged appearance, his voice was clear, loud, and full of confidence. "I would like to know if you saw a relatively tall woman, blonde hair, blue eyes like diamonds, wearing a light white and green dress, appearing to be in her late thirties… pass by here?"
Is he talking about Melissa? But Melissa isn't in her late thirties, nor is she tall… Ren muttered internally before answering, "No… I haven't seen her."
"Oh, I see. Sorry to have taken your time." The man smiled lightly.
Ren returned the smile. "Don't worry, you didn't bother me at all."
The man walked in a certain direction, gradually disappearing into the shadows.
To be continued.
End of Chapter.