"If you have gotten this information, I believe the main star empire has got the information too. Even if it's too late, they won't remain silent. Obsidia City will become their target on the pretext of not being able to guard the god's relics." .
"No, the empire won't blame Obsidia City. If that's true, then they won't take any action that will reduce allies. If this hunch is correct, the Age of Darkness will return soon, Gathering allies is the truest path" A young man interrupted .
This conversation continued, occasionally turning into a serious discussion and once in a while it would turn to another topic before finally returning. This discussion will not end if it continues, therefore the meeting ends after the clock strikes 10.
Leaving aside the matter regarding the "Sun Orb", the Conference attendees agreed to deal with the problem of the shadow creatures in the city of Vandash first. This was not without reason, even if they tried to take action, none of them could reach a point where it could affect that fact.
Adam Lopez as one of the guardians is tasked with overcoming the problem of these shadow creatures. But due to the notion that the shadow creatures were not limited to just one, it made him have to get help from other Guardians.
While Zach didn't say anything, everything he knew about the shadow creatures he didn't reveal. According to him this is a good thing to raise awareness. If two shadow beasts were to appear, then it was possible that it would be more than two.
Participants left the room one by one, started by Adam Lopez who seemed to be in a hurry. Currently, only Zach, Ilya and several core members of Clan Boreas remain.
When Zach was about to stand up and walk away, he was stopped by Bell Avalon.
"Ilya, how are you?" Bell seemed to show a better smile than the previous meeting.
Ilya returned the smile and bowed a little, "Very good"
Then Bell Avalon's gaze shifted to Zach, and that expression turned serious. "I've heard about you from Jack"
"To be honest a lot of us don't really understand, and don't believe in this"
"Jack must have told you that the last person to bear the name Clourfuss died"
The atmosphere tensed up instantly, Zach couldn't properly respond as he lowered his head. "The high priestess has told me the outline..."
"Tch, the Clan head has confirmed that your sealing medium is authentic after all… There's nothing we can argue about that." Bell Avalon seemed to become gentler as he shifted his gaze to the other Clan Boreas members who had yet to leave the room.
Their gazes seemed to show different emotions while observing Zach. "...Uh, I withdrew my thoughts that I wanted to be the center of attention. Now I'd rather be ignored like before!" Zach muttered to himself while secretly smiling.
"Young mistress is our jewel… I can't believe it could be taken by a weakling like you…" One of the clansmen grumbled.
"You already know how to seal... We will work together a lot in the future. I hope you will be prepared and confident about it"
"I warn you, shadow creatures are more terrifying than you can imagine." Bell Avalon stared blankly as if thinking about something.
"Fine" Zach just answered as briefly as possible.
"Vanders is currently out of town. He won't be back anytime soon. If you have any questions, you can come to my place. I will be your temporary mentor." Bell Avalon handed him a paper with his address on it.
Zach nodded slightly and took the slip of paper.
"Go home, the more night, the more dangerous this city" Bell Avalon added.
After exchanging chats that were difficult for Zach to follow, they finally left the room.
Descend the stairs carefully. Reaching the first floor, the previous gaze returned. But this time it's more towards Zach than Ilya. "I feel like they're going to jump up and get me at any moment" Zach muttered to himself.
Holding Ilya's hand, they exited the inn and avoided lingering. They immediately walked home.
The city at night was a little quieter than before. Even though there were certainly still activities going on, it seemed to be covered by an eerie atmosphere.
After walking 10 minutes. Ilya's walking tempo suddenly slowed down. "Mr Clourfuss, can we rest for a bit" Ilya said sweating abnormally.
Zach stared at Ilya for a few seconds before looking around. He knew that Ilya was not feeling well. "Have a cold?" Zach glanced around and couldn't find the right spot.
Street activity was still active but nowhere else was open other than a nearby bar.
"Do You have you been like this since earlier?" Zach asked gently.
Previously there was nothing abnormal. Even at meetings, Ilya looked normal. Tonight is also not so cold because it is still in the summer.
Ilya held Her head as she softly said, "No,"
Zach couldn't think of a cause and in the end chose to believe in the possibility of catching a cold. Even though it wasn't that cold, the windy night still made one catch a cold.
Because of that, Zach lowered his body and half crouched his back to Ilya. "Come on, we'll be there in a minute."
...
The farther away from Brown Street, the quieter the road. The street lights occasionally cast eerie shadows that Zach wasn't used to.
Walking at a slower tempo than usual, carrying Ilya behind him.
"I'm sorry" Ilya said softly as he hugged Zach's neck while holding the wooden box which was Zach's sealing medium.
"Don't beat yourself up, catching a cold is normal" Zach continued his steady pace.
Besides that, Zach felt a strange feeling that was no longer familiar to him. His heart was beating faster than usual but he tried to cover it up with calm. His eyes became withered as he continued walking without saying another word.
"...This fast," Zach muttered as if feeling stupid.
Time passed until they arrived at Green Grass Street. Without encountering obstacles, they entered the house quietly.
One thing that confused Zach was the fact that on their way home, they didn't encounter any police or Gatekeepers on patrol. Actually, Zach had already prepared several excuses when they were discovered by the patrolmen. But it was all buried because the ride was quieter than he had expected.
"Didn't the Joint Team start their patrol tonight?" Zach, who was confused, put Ilya down.
After changing clothes, Ilya immediately rested while Zach sat on a chair in the living room trying to recap everything he got from the meeting.
"Sunball, I've heard of it. But I didn't think it would have this much impact on peace. The night time increases... If I had never encountered such nonsense before, I would never have believed this" Zach closed his eyes, leaning his body against the back of the chair as he thought quietly.
"The presence of the shadow creatures and the Sun Sphere's destruction are something related. It can't be a coincidence. Well, that also applies to me activating the Clourfuss symbol. I'm sure all of this is related."
"The cold war between cities also died down due to problems like this. The knowledge of the people will be centered on daily life without knowing what will come"
"The decision to hide this matter from them...I don't agree"
Right now Zach felt a strange sensation as he remembered his past life. He sneered with a self-deprecating smile "I can't believe I can be this calm when faced with such a big problem. If it was the old me, what would I do? Well, this is good... this way my life will be the opposite of Zach Alfred's"
Time passed as his eyes started getting heavy. Without being able to do anything else even his mind went blank as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
...