"Master!"
"Welcome!"
"Good day, master!"
He raised his hand to stop them from bowing down to him.
"I don't need such formality. Continue your work."
"Yes, sir!" All of them shouted in unison.
He scanned the place and managed to find the right person.
"Amethyst."
The man who was called Amethyst made a long step towards him before the man bowed respectfully.
"Master. I apologize for the wait. Let me guide you to Jade."
He followed his subordinate, who had purple eyes, into a room while the other three people who had greeted him just now carried on with their work.
Amethyst pushed open the door and stepped aside to let him enter the room before the door was pushed back.
"Jade."
"Master."
"You don't need to move."
He prevented the man on the bed from moving. He was walking near the bed when he saw the disobedience of the man with green eyes. He pushed the man to lay back down on the bed before he sat on the chair beside the bed.
"Stop acting so stubborn, Jade."
"...I apologise."
Jade frowned for two reasons: his inability to greet his leader properly and the incoming headache that had been there since a week ago, even after he consumed the painkiller pill and a bottle of potion.
"No need; it looks like your condition is still not improving. Did you take the potion as I instructed?"
"I already have, with a painkiller."
His mouth frowned in concern; this was the most severe condition he had ever seen on his subordinate's face, just like the first time they met.
"I should apologize for making you use those powers to investigate."
Jade quickly sat up and held his leader's shoulder away from bowing his head.
"Master, please stop. I did it on my own accord. There's nothing for you to apologize for. This is nothing compared to what you've done to me in the past."
"Amethyst, go get another—"
"Master, no need. Potion won't do anything against my condition right now."
"Tsk fine. You should rest. I'll come another day when you're already in better condition."
He began to walk away but stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist.
"Wait, master. I can report my investigation right now."
"No, get a rest and report after you've become better."
"Master—!"
He ignored the cry from his subordinate and walked towards the door. Amethyst, who has been standing at the door since then, opened the door for him.
"The identity of the corpse—I've found it! There are not two but three people involved in the incident!"
The last sentence managed to keep his master on track before the pink-haired boy looked back at him with a serious expression. Amethyst quickly pushed the door closed without a sound.
"Three, you say?"
"Yes, master. One, who was killed four years ago, was named Grole. He is an aura user who specializes in strength and speed."
He nodded, recalling what his father had told him. Michaelis is the one who killed Grole, and he was more than satisfied to know that.
"Second, the corpse, named Visilon. A man with long, dark brown hair is also an aura user. He specialized in healing, or more specifically, limb creation. He can create back the limb that someone has lost, like a regenerative power, but the condition is that he must see the full body of that person if he wants to create a new one."
Jade scrunched his forehead and pinched his nose bridge, recalling that all the information he received was not pleasant. Moreover, when he saw the information until the root.
The more information he sees, the more time is needed for him to heal. He had stopped using his power when he saw the crucial information he needed to tell his master, but those details were taking a toll on his body because there was too much to comprehend.
His power allowed him to see the memories of other people with a single touch. Yes, it was his aura. He was born with it. If he hadn't met Rezal, his now-master, he would've died years ago. He couldn't control it before, and his aura was slowly damaging his brain and sense of reality, but his master helped him overcome it.
It started from recent memory until past memory; that is how his aura worked. Strangely, his aura only works on humans, and he never knew when it all started. He also knew about aura affinity, but he never worked on it due to fear of losing control and getting caught by authority.
"Don't push yourself, Jade."
"I'm fine; I can continue."
Usually he would write a report after he was in good condition, but he knew how vital the information he had was for his master.
"The third, a man with silver hair. He wears a mask, covering his lower face. The name is Uda. From what I see, he is the leader of the group and also the one who conducts the torment on the princess."
Rezal clenched his fists when he heard that.
"He never opened his mask whenever they gathered together, so I didn't really discern his face; he also always closed his eyes."
One died, and one was killed. The other one ran away? Or is he the culprit?
"From what I see, Uda can control bugs, insects, and the same species. He is the one who always gathers information by using his bugs; he is also an aura user."
Jade bent forward while covering his mouth with his hand.
"Jade! Amethyst, go get a bucket!"
"I.. apologise. I will continue."
"Jade, stop!"
"I get to know that their motive for the kidnapping and assassination was to ruin the imperial family from below. They knew the emperor treasured his children, and they took it as his weakness. They never want to give the princess back to the imperial family. Their goal was to kill both the crown prince and the princess together."
Jade closed his eyes tightly, but he didn't stop talking when a nauseating feeling continued to emerge from the pit of his stomach. Amethyst also comes with a bucket.
"Erm, it's not directly their goal. It was their client. They were hired by someone else, but Visilon did not know the identity of the person who was hiring them for this mission. The one who knew was Uda, and he never disclosed any information about the client."
So there may be someone or more behind this incident. Jade took a deep breath before he opened his eyes to look at Rezal.
"Hah, besides, from the last memory of Visilon, Uda is the perpetrator who killed him. Ugh, erm, he used his bugs to slowly kill Visilon. Ergh!"
Amethyst quickly gave the bucket to Jade before Jade threw up all the previous food he had eaten into the bucket. He didn't stop until only water came out of his mouth.
This is the worst. He wouldn't want to see those grotesque images anymore. Recalling how Visilon died was the worst gut-wrenching thing he ever saw. That was the first image he saw when he touched the bone, and he almost got into a panic attack. He could feel the bugs crawling on his skin.
He never liked his aura.
"Stop recalling all those memories. Listen closely to me, Jade. Focus on my voice."
Jade let out a shaky breath but felt a soothing feeling when he felt a hand rubbing his back in a circular motion.
"You should go out to buy the pastry you like in town. We could go together like last time, and I'll pay for you. You can choose anything."
Jade spit into the bucket to wash away the vomit taste in his mouth before he coughed.
"...But I would empty your wallet."
Rezal smiled.
"Who do you take me for? I'm rich. Well, then, let's go out to eat with everyone when you are fine. How about it, Amethyst?"
"That's a great idea, master. Everyone looked like a zombie now, just focusing on their work with no social life."
"Don't talk like you are any different, Ame."
"At least I have a girl."
The smugness was evident on his face.
"Shut up, master is also single!"
The hand on his back stopped moving. Jade realized what he said before he raised his head from the bucket.
"You hurt my feelings, Jade."
"I...I didn't mean to offend you!"
"I understand, Jade. Whoever wants to be with someone like me?"
"Master, wait—I don't! You are still young. Ame, stop laughing!"
Rezal scoffed before he smiled. At least he managed to turn Jade's attention away from the memory toward something more pleasant.
He also got the information he needed. Now, he just needs to find that man named Uda before he can know the mastermind behind that incident that took his friend's life.
After years of investigating, he finally gets a clue to move forward.
'Just wait, Micha. I'll bestow their heads to you.'
×××××
A puff of smoke was coming out of his mouth when he let out a sigh.
His vision was filled with a bunch of tall trees with white surroundings because of the snow.
"How do I want to find that flower in this area?"
He let out a sigh again before he kept walking. He had inspected this area once, but his memory was not that good to remember everything in one glance.
But he knew he saw the yellow colour somewhere when he went through this area.
"System, show me the previous trail I used."
< UNDERSTOOD >
< LOADING DATA... >
In just three seconds, he could see his previous trail. His footprints were clearly seen by him through the system, even though, in reality, there are no such things anymore.
He walked for an hour before he stumbled upon the flower he was looking for. He smiled in satisfaction.
"Found you."
The yellow-coloured flower, winter aconite, was buried in the snow, almost not visible because it was half covered by it.