Year 2035, March
22:30 P.M
Rome, Italy
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The round bun I held in my hands felt warm. In a cold night, anyone would be pleased to have warm foods fill their bellies. It was a given. At that moment, I slowly opened the bun's plastic wrapper and took a bite. The bun tasted sweet, albeit a little bit underwhelming that what I had expected. Then, for some reason, I started to feel annoyed.
"Why do I have to eat this kind of food?" I mumbled.
My back was against the wall as I sat down, and I took the liberty to straighten my sitting posture. The dark alley where I was at didn't suit my taste for a place to sleep. But, after a week spreading my Aegis particles back in Germany while sleeping in the streets, I got used to it.
Almost.
I had spent three days in Italy, spreading my Aegis particles all over the place. So far, no Ancile or one of the Four Pillars had noticed my movement.
I sighed, before taking another bite of the bun. "I need to spread some more Aegis particles in this area. A few more days should suffice before I leave Italy."
The sound of a heavy object hitting against the ground pulled my attention.
To my right, an Ancile approached me with a leather school bag in its hands. The bag was filled to the brim with more freshly baked buns. When the Ancile halted a few feet away from me, it placed the bag slowly on the ground, revealing the same baked buns I was eating.
"I still don't want to trust a machine, but those three managed to hack you to join us, huh."
The Ancile just stared at me, and I waved at it. Instantly, the Ancile looked away. That robot was salvaged by Klaus a long time ago and with the help of Erhi and Hope, we were able to overwrite the robot's A.I to follow my commands. Anything related to the C.U had been erased from its storage drive permanently.
"Agatha gave you this, right?" I asked the Ancile.
CORRECT. MASTER GHEELE.
It looked at me with its red eyes and I found it to be unsettling. "Sit down."
AFFIRMATIVE. MASTER GHEELE.
The Ancile sat down next to me. It didn't move after that, staring at the damp wall.
"Better wait for Agatha to return," I mumbled, opening the wrapper of another bun. It didn't take long for Agatha to appear, as she brought a few more supplies for us.
"I'm surprised Amathelia still let a few companies here and there operate," said Agatha.
"She must. If she didn't do that, the three regions will crumble from the almost non-existent economy. That woman still needs to feed the C.U's soldiers on way or another."
Agatha nodded. "Glad that a bakery nearby is still in operation."
"We chose this spot for that very reason." I ate the bun in my hands and tossed the wrapper in the leather bag. "Let's sleep early. There's still some more place that I think would be suitable for my Aegis particles."
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The next morning, we walked down the streets of Rome while spreading my Aegis particles. As expected, no one was nearby. While we were walking, I held a cluster of orange Aegis crystals in my right palm. Bit by bit, the crystals broke down into smaller particles and floated high up away from my position.
"Um, Master Gheele," called Agatha.
I turned to look at her, who was behind me. "Is the winter coat warm enough for you?"
She nodded. "Ah, yes. Very comfy, Master Gheele."
Agatha and I wore the same dark winter coats, with our face partially hidden by its hoods. "Apologies, what's your question again?"
"No need to apologize, Master Gheele." Agatha covered her mouth with the gray mittens that she wore. Then, she looked at me with serious eyes.
"Are we going to go around Italy in one full circle? "
I narrowed my eyes at her. "We didn't do that back in Germany. There's no need for us to do so here as well, Agatha. As you can see, my Aegis particles can travel as far as one hundred kilometers from its initial spot. Also, I just need a clear advantage for my army if we ended up invading these places in the future. Covering every crevice of Germany, Italy, and Sweden will take too much time."
"Ah, I see." Agatha darted her eyes at a white truck to our left. She breathed a sigh then looked back at me. "The Four Pillars have been on my mind since we started this mission. I'm sure they are making their move somewhere."
I cracked my neck a few times before answering her. "As long as they are nowhere near us, it should be fine. Avoiding the Four Pillars is our second priority of course. The moment we meet any one of them, it will be the end of everything."
Agatha made a pained expression after hearing those words. "We . . . Wouldn't stand a chance. But, Master Gheele has the Aegis Gear that Klaus created, right?"
"Yes. Don't worry. I have it underneath my Lutalo uniform."
"The First Pillar, Kian . . ." Agatha mumbled. "I heard he took down the whole People's Light in Russia by himself."
"Not only that . . . He even managed to crush the rebels in China under a week," I said.
"By himself," continued Agatha.
"What is his specialty?" I asked her. "Klaus must have his data too, along with the other three."
"He has . . . But he didn't want to tell me when I asked him back then."
"Hmm? How so?"
"He seems scared, somewhat."
I looked at the small cluster of Aegis crystals in my hand. "I should be the one who asked him. I was ignorant in this regard."
"Master Gheele . . ."
"Anyway, Agatha." I formed another cluster of Aegis crystals, but it was in my left palm instead. "Why did you follow me? I'm pretty sure I have made it obvious that I like to work alone."
Agatha smiled. "You might need an additional pair of eyes aside from that Ancile, Master Gheele. I can do some reconnaissance once in a while if you ever ask such a thing from me."
I nodded, then I returned her smile with my own. "One thing I'm quite certain is that, since we are in enemy territory, I should expect the worst to come barrelling towards us."
"We just need to avoid it from happening," said Agatha.
"Indeed. Preventing is not that hard of a task. Remain diligent and alert, Agatha."
"Yes, Master Gheele."