Chapter 886 – Those Who Come

000

A reunion with Aaron, a member of the clan that guards the ruins that Resia visited in the past, and a military commander who commanded the eastern government troops stationed nearby.

I was happy, but at the same time, I was momentarily taken aback by her sudden hug.

When she whispered the words in Cleon’s ear, he immediately regained his composure and tried to look around her.

However, Aaron read the expression on his face and responded to the presence of a follower that could not be sensed even by his ability to detect his presence.

＂It seems like the other person is a pro at tailgating. I am familiar with this feeling, thanks to the various training I received as a member of the government military.”

“… I see. After all, you can’t win against the official in charge.”

While Cleon answered like that, he noticed that Aaron was gently falling from his arms.

“It looks like you’re on the edge of your sensing range. … I don’t think it’s a very desirable situation to be followed secretly by an enemy or an ally…”

“I was going to go to the temple like this… But if someone is following me, I can’t go to the temple with something like that.”

Could it be that the Expulsion Church began to move immediately?

Since they had lost a number of executives following the Sky Fortress, they probably thought that if they did not move, they would end up with only losses, so in some ways it might have been a reasonable idea to attack Cleon as is.

When Cleon frowned at her, Aaron smiled back when he saw Cleon.

“You make that kind of face when you’re in trouble, right?”

“Well, it was just when I thought things had finally been sorted out. Anyone would have an expression like this.”

“I agree. Just when I thought I could rest for a bit because the fortress was gone, I sighed when I received orders to clean up this place and make sure no one approaches this frozen man.”

Aaron nods his head as if he understands how Cleon feels.

As incidents broke out in various places at the same time, it seemed like she was given an important mission that was not originally under her jurisdiction.

In any case, if you don’t stop following him… Or catch him and blow something.

Seeing Cleon’s worried expression, Aaron spoke quietly to him.

“If you leave it to me, I will take care of the tailing.”

“What? But…”

Cleon tried to say that it was her own reason that she was being followed, but as if she had anticipated Cleon’s words, she put her index finger to his lips.

＂You are the one who fought to protect the Eastern country without looking back at yourself. It’s only natural to help you. Besides… Even if it’s only temporary, this has become my area to be in charge of. “I’m not a soft soldier enough to not catch a criminal stalking someone in there, am I?”

“… Is that true too?”

Cleon could only nod his head as if he understood what she said.

It was as if I had gotten motivated because I had caught her, and I felt something similar to the way I felt before in her sparkling eyes.

“Then, Lord Cleon, please head to the temple like this. I will take care of those who are following us safely. It’s okay to say that it’s a substitute. After the Five Elements Festival is over, have a drink.”

“… Will this become the trend I live by?”

“Hehe. Either way, I think it would be fun to have a drink with you? Oh, by the way, I’m a pretty good drinker.”

She leaves behind some scary words at the end and returns to where the other unit members are.

Cleon feels a few shivers run down her spine, and then watches her laughing and sharing her story with her troops.

Then, some of her unit members remembered her face, so they must have been senior unit members who followed her from the base that guarded the dungeon to here, Asteris.

They sensed that her daughter, who had raised Cleon with care, was looking at her father’s grim face and eyes as he looked at her boyfriend who had suddenly been brought home one day.

Naturally, I had no choice but to turn my head and avoid looking at her.

“Hmm. Aaron is cherished by her troops. I think they are good people.”

While rationalizing himself.

001

In the end, Cleon decided to continue walking towards the temple.

Because I couldn’t tell the location of her pursuer, and I knew very well that she wasn’t in perfect condition either.

This is because she decided that it would be better to leave it to an expert named Aaron, rather than approaching from this side and causing a fuss.

The people returning home following the government’s guidance were unable to take their steps, as if they were anxious about leaving behind the collapsed palace and the sacred tree that had not yet bloomed.

It wasn’t something I didn’t understand.

It was natural that the fact that there was a huge threat looming right in front of us would cause unrest in the citizens.

At the very least, if Miyeom-gong had shown himself to be healthy, this confusion and agitation could have been calmed to some extent. However, although his wounds were treated and entered a stable period, they were quite deep, so it seemed that it would be difficult for him to appear in front of the public for a while.

Riomes and Demis, who replaced him, were traveling around the city calming the citizens, but they would not yet have the same influence as their father.

Aside from the fact that these two people are great royals.

“Ah! Cleon~!”

While thinking like that, Cleon tried to walk quietly, but he had no choice but to stop when he heard the voice calling him again.

It’s been a little over a month since I came here, and meeting someone I know within a short walk isn’t proof that I was involved in quite a few incidents.

When she turned her head, she saw a woman walking towards her, holding her machine parts in her arms.

It was Attis who tilted her head and made eye contact with her, carrying a mountain of miscellaneous items on her arms that made it difficult to see clearly in front of her.

And, behind her, there was also the figure of Kshat holding various mechanical parts.

Artis is clearly Fleur’s butler, but she’s using him almost like her own personal worker.

Even if we are just friends, is that still okay?

“Are you okay. Because we have properly received Fleur’s permission.”

“They haven’t said anything yet.”

Cleon responded to Attis’ words as if he had read his doubts through her expression, and then looked at the parts they were carrying in her arms.

“This Cleon is real, right?”

＂…?＂

And when Kshat says something incomprehensible, Cleon looks like he’s asking what he’s talking about, and Artis replies with a grin.

“Then. What’s here is real. “I am the only one who looks so tired.”

“… That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. What. Please understand Kshat’s reaction.”

As she said that, she slowly turned her head and pointed with the tip of her chin to one of the parts Kshat was holding in her arms.

Then, it had the shape of a half-destroyed human face, and Cleon was able to confirm that the face was identical to his own.

“… Is this a part of an automaton?”

“That’s right. Interestingly enough, an automaton that copies the appearance of a human being. Almost 97% of the appearance was copied. It’s quite sophisticated, isn’t it?”

Feeling a strange sensation, as if looking at her own face in front of her mirror, Cleon pondered for a moment whether he should nod his head at her words.

＂All the automata that attacked the underground shelter in this form have been eliminated. In the process, several government soldiers were injured… And some were seriously injured.”

＂… I guess so.＂

She had already heard about her from Lila, but the fact that she had planned to attack people with her own face was very unpleasant to Cleon.

However, she also knew that thanks to the efforts of those who knew about her, she was able to finish the job without major damage.

“I received a request from Herti to handle the remaining parts of the automata here. Automata like this are ultimately related to ancient relics, and in a way, I am the one who knows the most in detail in this country.”

After Artis spoke as if she was a little proud, she smiled at Cleon.

“Now that I think about it, the fortress Vajra has crashed outside Asteris. “I don’t need to check that?”

“Ah. That’s because I was asked to wait a little while. Please be patient until we can form a proper investigation team. What. Even if I start the investigation right now, there are limits to what I can do alone… I will have to form an investigation team with my assistants.”

As Artis says that, he nods his head and adjusts his glasses that seem to be falling down.

“But. That’s number two. The most important thing is… Now that the Five Elements Festival has ended, the time has come for this side to achieve its original purpose.”

＂… Leviathan.＂

“You didn’t forget?”

Cleon nodded as if her words were obvious.

Leviathan, an ancient weapon buried in the Four Dragon Mountains.

In the end, her ultimate goal is to confirm and excavate its reality.

As Cleon, she was hoping that Leviathan would be of some help in the future battle with Adam, so she had no intention of putting it off.

Especially now that the conflict with the exiled church has surfaced and intensified.

“That’s it. What. The fortress is there, and it will not disappear. Moreover, it seems like the kingdom and the academy are also trying to intervene. It will be a politically important moment. If Duke Miyeom or the royal family asks for help, I will help them, but until then, I don’t want to actively participate in politics.”

“… Since it is an ancient relic that fell from the sky, does it mean that there is a dispute over the leadership of the investigation?”

Artis nods at Cleon’s words.

“What. Still, the Academy and the Eastern Bureau will not fight each other that much.”

＂Why? Isn’t the Academy on better terms with the Kingdom?”

“Haha, are you serious? The hero who saved the academy is not in the kingdom, but right here right now?”

Artis smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

“The kingdom and the academy have only maintained a superficially friendly relationship following the war with the empire. It was already out of sync here and there. Well, most of the discrepancies were due to the elders whom Laila eliminated. The Kingdom is not pleased with the Academy, which has begun to return to being a purely academic institution.”

As expected, I couldn’t help but feel a headache when it came to politics.

“Furthermore. If that kingdom had the academy’s hero, Cleon, on the wanted list, it’s natural to think something was wrong. Isn’t that right?”

“… I would be grateful if the academy’s students and teachers thought that way.”

Cleon answers Attis, shaking his head as if he understands or as if he doesn’t know.

“What. So you can rest assured about that. At least I won’t let any harm come to Cleon.”

Artis asks while frowning and winking with one of his eyes.

For the first time, I felt like she was a little trustworthy.

＂If it comes to politics, you might be able to be of some help. When it comes to things related to Cleon, you act strangely proactively. Miss.”

“Ah… Thank you for that…”

When Cleon heard the two people’s story, he scratched his cheek as if he was a little embarrassed.

＂”Something… I’m a little unfamiliar with everyone complimenting and offering to help.”

Same goes for Aaron, Attis and Kshat.

No, if I think about it, Anatis and Beatrix felt the same way before they left the mansion.

“What are you talking about? I do it because it’s worth it. Right, Kshat?”

“Yes. Cleon, he needs to get used to being praised a little more.”

As expected, I feel like I’m getting an excessive reaction to something that doesn’t seem like a big deal.

Should I say it feels like my head is being forcibly stroked?

“… Well, it’s okay if you don’t force it to float like that! Well, then I’ll just leave.”

“Ah. Run away.”

Attis mutters as he watches Cleon walk away while saying that.

“What. It’s time to become aware of the public’s gaze on you and your own influence.”

“You’re probably not used to it.”

As Kshat said that, he and Attis smiled slightly.

But, then.

“You are here, Artis!”

A government soldier, running in a hurry, calls out her name as if he was looking for Attis and stops her.

“Huh? Government forces? … Let me tell you, haven’t I done anything yet? This was requested by Herti…”

＂I don’t know what you’re talking about… But they are looking for Attis at the kingdom’s military garrison. I think the story is that among the prisoners captured in the fortress, there is someone related to Atis…”

＂… Haa?＂

When Artis asked with a bewildered expression what he was talking about, the government officer himself simply replied that he had just heard it that way.

“… I can’t help it. I’ll go check and come back. Then Mr. Gwangun. I will ask you to bring this to my lodgings at the Dark Dragon Company with Kshat.”

“Yes?! Ah, no, I understand!”

So, after forcibly handing over the parts he was holding to the government forces, Attis headed towards the kingdom’s military base with light steps.

Without even anticipating the worst reunion waiting there.