Furthermore, even in the presence of a complete stranger in the room, she seemed hesitant to share her concern. This made me realize that the issue she wanted to discuss with the patriarch leader was truly serious.
"I believe it would be best for us to resume our conversation at another time. I will come back later so as not to disturb you. You probably must have seen where I am staying, as I mentioned it in my registration. With your permission, then, I take my leave"
I interrupted the silence and stood up, ready to leave the room. However, before I could exit, the patriarch raised his hand, signaling for me to wait. Then, he turned again to the woman.
"It's alright, Huang. I have an idea of what you probably want to discuss with me, considering what I asked you to investigate. So, it would be wise to allow him to listen as well"
His words immediately captured my attention. If he is mentioning our previous conversation about my continent, it implies that he was already investigating before I even arrived here.
In the end, I chose to sit back down, as denying his request would have been strange, especially considering the effort he had put into reaching this point. On the other hand, the woman merely nodded, accepting the situation. She then entered the room and closed the door behind her. I had no idea what she was going to discuss, but it seemed to be something quite serious.
"I apologize for the delay, patriarch leader. Unfortunately, the investigation took longer than I expected. If we had been quicker, perhaps we could have prevented Jun"
Upon hearing these words, I realized that the patriarch leader raised an eyebrow. I was just watching the situation unfold to begin with, as I didn't even know who this Jun was.
"Wait, Huang. Speak in detail. What exactly could we have prevented?"
Upon hearing this, Huang seemed to realize that she had skipped several steps and let out a sigh. She fell silent for a few seconds, as if carefully formulating the next words in her mind. Somehow, I wasn't liking where the conversation was heading.
"Following your instructions, we initiated a deeper investigation into patriarch Jun"
Huang began, maintaining a serious expression in her gaze. The patriarch, upon hearing this, simply nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"As we proceeded with the investigation, we unearthed several pieces of information. One of them pertained to a new continent beyond the sea, located exactly in the area where frequent maritime storms occur. Surprisingly, Jun found a method to traverse these storms, and indeed, we discovered the existence of a new continent in that region"
The patriarch discreetly turned to me and cast a meaningful glance. Of course, this expression did not go unnoticed, neither by me nor by Huang. Although she also glanced at me, she didn't seem to fully grasp the significance of that look.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Upon hearing the patriarch's words, Huang composed herself, organizing her thoughts. She then proceeded.
"We found various names in one of the books we investigated. They seemed to be of important figures, but one of them was particularly highlighted, accompanied by a drawing of a skull beside it"
Upon hearing all of this, it became quite obvious what she would say next. So, I remained completely silent as she continued.
"The name written was Duke Ren Solaris Orchid. Additionally, below the name, was the reason why he was to be killed"
To be honest, this part truly intrigued me, as the reason why they tried to kill me was also something I was unaware of. At this moment, the prospect of finally finding out the reason made the scar on my skin itch, as if it were reminding me of something important.
Moreover, I had just informed the patriarch about the assassination attempt against me, as well as the injury I received that day. His gaze, as it rested upon me, made it clear that he knew that was my real name.
"Do you know why this person should die?"
Upon hearing the patriarch's question, Huang simply nodded in response.
"Apparently, this is the name of one of the greatest scientists from the other continent. From what we understand reading, he aided the continent with various inventions and quickly rose in his position"
In a way, it was intriguing to realize he held such a high opinion of me, even though I didn't see myself that way. The way he described me made it obvious why he wanted to eliminate me. If I were in his position, coming from another continent, I might see someone like me as a threat too. Of course, it didn't mean I would try to kill him.
"I understand, this information is indeed crucial"
Said the patriarch. Hearing the patriarch's words, Huang cast him a look of uncertainty.
"You don't seem so surprised by this"
She observed. The patriarch laughed, turned to me, and pointed with his finger.
"I mean, we have a person from the other continent right in front of us, at this very moment"
When he mentioned that, Huang turned to me with a surprised expression on her face. It was probably the most genuine reaction of astonishment I had ever witnessed in my entire life. Usually, in a situation like this, the reaction would be apprehension, but she seemed so shocked that she didn't have time to feel anything else, or at least that's how it appeared.
"Well... hello"
I greeted, putting on a warm smile. Then, the patriarch began explaining me to Huang, including details about the wound on my chest, which I showed as proof. Huang's expressions were, at the very least, intriguing. Although she seemed apprehensive at first, soon her expression turned to compassion and then to anger.
From what I could understand, she was furious with Jun, as I had been stabbed without reason while I was at the museum with Emi.
"Anyway, what did you mean by "we could have stopped Jun"?"
Asked the patriarch. At this moment, Huang finally seemed to recall the reason we had gathered there.
"That's right, Patriarch. Jun is not in his territory, and I fear he is about to launch a full-scale invasion on the other continent soon"