While Lucius was contemplating this newly awakened power, he heard sounds of footsteps which by the looks of it was headed towards his way.
Immediately he put the matter at hand away and shifted his attention towards the entrance of the tent. The veil blocking the entrance of the tent fluttered as somebody walked inside.
It was Carl.
"Oh!! You're awake"
His tone laced with surprise and relief, he exclaimed.
Although Lucius had gathered quite a bit of information, he still was greatly lacking. And to gather more information, he needed someone naive whom he could coax into revealing the information he desired.
And Carl who was rather loquacious seemed the perfect candidate.
Acting as if he had accepted this fellow's friendly intentions, Lucius replied in an unreserved and amiable tone, "Yeah, sorry for troubling you but how long was I out?"
Previously Lucius seemed quite defensive and cynical. It was like he had built up an invisible barrier around him and was suspicious of everybody.
But right now, he was acting different.
And Carl immediately sensed this change. However, he didn't think much of it and only attributed his previous behavior to the danger he had faced on his way.
After all the Lucius he knew was rather kind and caring. The Lucius whom he knew was someone who fought for the rights of the poor.
Though he never spoke with him based on his personality he could tell that Lucius wasn't someone cold and arrogant.
And right now, Lucius's way of speaking and manner of conduct perfectly attuned to the image of Lucius he had in his mind.
"Roughly 20 hours" answered Carl while closing in towards Lucius, "Sorry about the shackles though, we've been ode..."
Before Carl could finish his sentence, Lucius cut him short, trying to ease his sense of guilt, "Yeah, I know. You've been ordered by your captain. I'd have done the same thing if I was in your position. So don't fret it"
Carl felt an unusual sensation of warmth and reassurance from Lucius's sugar-coated words.
"By the way, I overheard those guards outside that you are here to track the berserker. If I'm not putting you in a tight spot, can you tell me more about it?"
While trying to be considerate of him, Lucius tried to delve deeper into the earlier topic he had heard from the guards.
Part of the reason behind asking about it was his curiosity regarding that monster.
For a while, Carl hesitated as his mouth opened and closed multiple times while he rolled his eyes towards and away from Lucius.
Sure enough, judging by his body language, he seemed quite nervous and reluctant to talk more on that topic.
"Umm..., Since you've already heard about it. There's no point in hiding but don't tell others though..." In a hesitant tone, Carl requested him to keep their conversation a secret.
Making a gesture of zipping up his lips, Lucius nodded his head.
Revealing a subtle smile, Carl then started to fill him with some details regarding their mission, "About some week ago, we received a report regarding the sighting of a three-eyed monster which greatly resembled a human"
"Based on the report, top officials assumed it to be the monster from Legend— berserker. And I'm sure you're quite aware of the capabilities of berserker, right?"
Well until some moment ago, he didn't even know about the identity of that monster. But having experienced its might firsthand and recalling his previous memories, he was much more aware of its threat than anyone else present in this tent.
If that monster were to appear here, nobody among them would even be able to scratch its hair, let alone fight back. It would be a one-sided massacre.
Which is why he was quite perplexed about their presence as well.
If none of them were capable enough to deal with it, why were they pursuing it in the first place? Perhaps this is a suicide mission?
Sure that burly man named Marcius from before could at least hold some of its attacks but even that man wasn't its opponent.
So why were these miserable people tracking such a dangerous monster in the first place?
There must be something more to this mission than what eyes could meet.
With such thoughts in mind, Lucius was trying to get some insight from this naive boy while indirectly probing him to fill him with the details.
Nodding his head, Lucius inquired without giving out his real intention, "Yeah, according to legends it can flatten an entire mountain by itself during its berserk state. But from what I can see, none of you here are capable of facing it. So, how are you going to stop it?"
While asking such questions, he made sure that he was only asking them out of sheer curiosity. He didn't seem suspicious in the least.
Rather he seemed quite worried which made it seem that he was just asking such a question because he too was afraid of facing that monster.
"You don't have to be afraid, we have our ways of handling it. But I can't tell you what it is, I hope you'll understand my circumstances" Carl answered apologetically.
This naive-looking boy despite appearing aloof was quite a reliable fellow. And just based on his answers Lucius could tell that he wouldn't get anywhere even if he tried to inquire further.
Thus, instead of probing further into that matter and giving out his real intention, Lucius decided to drop this matter to preserve his gentle and tender persona.
"No worries, at least I know that I'll be safe here"
Lucius answered compassionately.
Lucius's compassion towards him didn't go unnoticed as Carl deeply appreciated him not putting him in a tight spot. This was the Lucius he had seen before.
He is a gentle guy who would help anyone who comes in his way regardless of their status.
"By the way, have you heard anything from the academy? Captain Marcius said that he'd be contacting the academy"
Lucius then quickly changed the topic of the conversation.
"Ahh right, I came here to inform you about that matter. Did something happen between you and Princess Rafaela? We've received an urgent summon order for you"
Sounding extremely worried and flabbergasted, Carl broke the news.