Hresha who was observing Elihim scratched her head.
"Maybe my eyes are tricking me. After all, I'm not that near to see his expressions well."
Even after all Elihim's experience, there are some things that he couldn't control. If he was perfect, he wouldn't be Elihim nor would he need to do these all sorts of things. He had reached a compromise.
In his last lives, whenever he would think, his servants would only be mesmerized. No one had a problem with the wiseness he was emitting. As long as it had not happened, he had not experienced it, that should be simple logic. Therefore, with everyone else keeping their mouth shut about the mysterious aura that envelops him, he was oblivious to this fact.
Furthermore, with his sixth life being him just alone, this should be expected. Elihim might've some foundation on introspective but as an individual, he wouldn't be able to avoid having blind spots no matter how powerful he was back then.
With wisdom deeply rooted in this being, Hresha couldn't help but feel it to her bones. The thought of 'there's something wrong with this kid' is being solidified as her curiosity heightened.
"Should I ask him directly?"
For all Hresha knows, there are a few Imagi's who can change their appearance to some point. However, she does not know anyone who can change the structure of their body.
If this kid is not his original look, that begs a lot of questions.
Is his missing body parts also part of the transformation or is that permanent? With that kind of ability, he must be a master, why would he need to go through all the trouble? Does that mean that he's scared of the Emeralkan as a whole or the principal specifically?
All these thoughts flooded Hresha, however, she could not answer any of them.
'What's the worst that could happen?' she thought.
Either this guy is a master of changing his appearance or he's just a little kid, both possibilities are not dangerous to her eyes. If it was the former, that would mean that it was his specialty, being sneaky. For her to be aware of that, she had already destroyed this expert's mask.
Of course, Hresha didn't immediately come out. She waited for a while for Kurtan'ss group to come back, bringing four carcasses. It seemed that they are improving but they still needed about a quarter of an hour to rest before they went out again.
As soon as they are out of sight, Hresha entered the woodless area where the shelter is built in the middle.
Elihim noticed that the person that was observing him came out.
'I wonder what this person's deal is?'
However, he feigned ignorance. Only when Hresha's footsteps could be heard did he turn around as if he had no idea what it was for him to see an attractive lady.
"Um..."
He muttered with a slightly surprised expression.
Hresha raised an eyebrow towards him.
'Am I wrong? No, maybe he's still acting.'
With that thought, she straightforwardly asked. Again, what's the worst that can happen? Well, the worst that can happen is that she was wrong and she will look stupid to her colleagues. However, in exchange for the possibility that she will uncover an expert, she will take that chance!
"Who are you?"
Hresha stood domineeringly in front of Elihim.
"Ah... m-my name's Elihim, M-ma'am!"
Elihim 'panicked' in front of pressure.
"No, what I mean is..." Hresha walked around the small shed where are there are dead animals inside, "Who are you?"
On second thought, she decided to become passive-aggressive. At the very least, if she's wrong, the consequences wouldn't be that harsh. Hresha is a prideful woman but her confidence and courage do not counterbalance her pride.
"I... umm, I don't understand-"
"Just answer, my question! Who are you truly!?" Hresha stopped in front of him while covering her nose. Although the animals are not rotting, she was disgusted by them.
Elihim shrunk as if he had no idea what to answer.
"I came from a s-small town and... my parents... they-"
"I repeat, who are yo-"
"Could you stop interrupting me?"
Suddenly a cold voice entered Hresha's ears that gave her slight goosebumps. She was about to give up on that third question but she didn't expect this meek and timid child to suddenly intimidate her.
"..."
Hresha gulped as the child's unwavering eyes looked towards hers. Somehow, she felt like the little one here, changing the sides of the table.
"What do you want?" Elihim sighed and simply asked. He figured that if he just continued to act, this woman wouldn't be satisfied with that. If she continues to follow her, their Karma Strings may form and worse, become stronger. So the best way to deal with persistent people like her would be to satisfy their curiosity along with scaring them.
"I... umm..."
This time, it was Hresha who had a low voice while Elihim walked around her, imitating what she had done earlier.
"What happened to your confidence earlier? You're trying to scare a child now you're getting scared by one?"
Hresha frowned, she was about to rebuke but seeing Elihim's cold glare, she felt that she was under the watch of a terrifying monster. With no experience in battle, she could only succumb to the pressure.
Compared to Elihim's experience, Hresha couldn't even be likened to a toddler.
"I was just... I was just curious..."
"You're bored? Had nothing to do?" Elihim stopped and stood in front of her. Even though he was the smaller one, she subconsciously took a step back.
"..." she couldn't reply since being bored was one of the reasons why she was meddling with her junior, Merim's matter.
She practically had no job there since Merim received the job of arranging and guiding the students.
'No way, she's actually doing this because she's bored?'
Even Elihim was a bit stunned seeing her expression and not denying him.
'This is the first time I dealt with such person.' he frowned.
Eventually, Hresha began to tear up, surprising Elihm even more. After all, her confidence and courage are bleak, compared to her pride. Once the feeling of safety was removed, Hresha's domineering stature instantly melted.
"S-sorry..."