Yawning wide, Aaron stared out his window, the fresh morning sunlight reflecting off the dirt and straight into his eyes.
Squinting slightly, he heard a quiet voice echo inside his head.
『You ignored me after you arrived yesterday. Why?』
Penelope's words were laced with irritation; however, the blond boy didn't respond, only walking towards the bathroom.
Placing his hands on the spare clothing the church has loaned him, he brought it inside the tiny room.
Leaving it on the vanity and removing his worn attire, he showered quickly, still not responding to the woman.
『Have you lost it finally?』
Sighing heavily at her comment, Aaron opened his mouth while facing the mirror, his clothing sliding onto his body without much effort.
"This glass door makes it seem like anyone could be watching me from outside. It's really a poor design…"
He did not change his expression even the slightest bit, his eyes coldly locked on his own appearance as he finished up.
『You don't mean…』
There was a pause in her voice as she scanned the region, a light gasp from her disembodied form reverberating through his ears.
『The Church is suppressing my senses.』
Releasing a fragment of his mana for a moment, Aaron created a thin layer around his skin, a trick he had been taught by his mentor after nearly meeting his end during the first round of the exam.
The momentary gap in the divine influence of the sanctum allowed Penelope's detection abilities to activate.
Her gaze fell over the entire western edge of the Bay of Thorn, nothing escaping her piercing watch.
『The two watchers are back… But how could you have—』
She was interrupted as the boy spoke again, his words barely a mutter as he exited the bathroom and reattached his chestplate.
"That was a close call yesterday… If that cultist attempted to fight me, I'd have to release more of my mana to sense him better."
To an eavesdropper, his way of speech was clunky at best, random intervals of partial lunacy that were simply showcased as a mumble.
Yet to Penelope, they were more than just that, a silent code that, when given context, revealed the deeper meaning.
『You sensed them when you threatened that hooded fool? Perhaps I might have underestimated your abilities.』
Shaking his head and smiling, he tapped his temples, his secondary sight coming to life and shrouding the world in color.
Far in the distance, located atop the largest plateau that wedged the church in between its rocky surface, two cords of mana appeared in full.
One was a murky black, hidden behind a wall of crystalline diamond that oozed with a deathly presence.
The other was a light magenta, one that distorted and bent the air around it to its will, passing it into a slumber.
The Sea of Dreams and the Sea of Souls. Each is far stronger than myself…
Biting his lip in worry, he put on his hunter's attire, covering his armor and exiting the room quickly.
He had finished his short quest the day before; his only remaining duty was to help escort the transporters across the bridge and into the main city.
I'll have to get creative once we get to the destroyed segment…
Curling his smile upward, he heard a set of footsteps resounding down the hallway, an unusual hurry behind them.
"Mr. Grimstall!"
The voice shouted down the hallway, a masculine and commanding tone that shot the boy into a sense of alertness.
"Yes?"
He called back quickly, not wishing to leave the man searching for him all over the place.
The clergyman rounded the corner hurriedly and shrank back in shock at being instantly met with the blond boy's face.
"Y-You have guests."
The man stuttered, speaking politely, a bewildered look in his eyes, as if he had just witnessed something hard to believe.
Aaron's brow furrowed, a cold sweat of unexplainable nature appearing on the side of his forehead as he felt the quiet purr of the Naelith throb inside his head.
"I'm not expecting anyone—"
His concentration was shattered as Penelope resonated a message through his skull, her tone panicked and worried.
『Run now. Something divine is approaching. You need to flee.』
The boy's eyes immediately widened, an agonizing pain shooting through his mind like a sudden lightning storm.
Slamming his hand into his forehead, he turned away from the messenger, rushing away before he could say another word.
As he bolted through the empty hallways, he smashed against walls, furniture, and even nearly tumbled down several staircases.
However, the throbbing did not recede, whatever creature that reigned over his mindscape denying entry to the presence of the divine.
"Hello, Aaron."
The back of his shirt was tugged backwards, a solid grip holding him in place as he struggled to get away.
Turning his head back slowly, he felt a barricade of unwavering force shroud his consciousness, the voices of Penelope and the Naelith vanishing in an instant.
His mind had been blocked off and silent, leaving him alone to face whoever caught him.
Making his eyes over the two behind him, he was released from their grip, launching himself backwards and facing them warily.
"No need to be frightened. We are only here to chat."
Raising his hands up slowly, the man by the name of Solister Lune smiled faintly, the figure behind him stepping into the light.
"He's not lying, Mr. Grimstall. We mean you no harm."
Irvin Webley placed his hand on the other man's shoulder, whispering for him to back up slightly to avoid further increasing the tension.
Aaron did not speak, for he already knew who these two men were, as per the headline in the newspaper a few days prior.
"Y-You're the commanders for Lord Lepaie Quinn and Lord Vaelmyr Droskyn. I saw you on that report about that island in the Sea of—"
He paused, noticing both men grimace and speak at the same time.
"Let's not talk about what happened with our captains."
Winking at the boy, Solister took a step forward, Aaron's head exploding in a mess of agony as he was berated by his gaze.
He expected that meeting the Sea Kings or their subordinates might have some effect on him—since the Kings were known to have connections to gods—but he did not expect things to be this bad.
If he was already in so much pain just from meeting the commander's gaze, how much more would he have to suffer if he met an actual Sea King?
And what would happen if the men before him tried to pry his mind open in this state?
As if Solister could hear his thoughts, he gave Aaron's head a curious look.
"Quite the mental barrier you have up. Shall I try to break it as a—"
Responding faster than he could finish, the blond boy practically screamed out a response, his sweat soaking his undershirt completely.
"No! How about we talk somewhere else… Like um… The sanctum!"
Watching the two men shift uncomfortably at his strange suggestion, Aaron walked past them, urging them to follow with a quick hand gesture.
"T-This way, sirs."
…
Sitting in an empty room at a decent distance away from one another, both men and the boy spoke softly, their voices still echoing through the chamber.
The aspiring Hunter was the first to break the silence, and the two commanders listened intently.
"What are you doing here?"
He spoke plainly, too distracted by the raging headache to observe proper decorum when addressing men of such high status.
His question was simple, one that could be easily answered without much thought, yet both men shifted uncomfortably as if unsure about their reasons.
"You see…"
Irvin spoke first, Solister patting him on the back to spur him on.
"Our captains have taken an interest in you."
Furrowing his brow slowly, Aaron took a deep breath, looking from their eyes, down to the floor, then to the ceiling.
Blinking once, then twice, he felt a tremendous surge of anxiety course through his chest like waves against a ship.
Dammmmmmmit… I'm so dead… They know about the Ghostship, and they want it…
On the verge of just collapsing on the spot and accepting his fate, the boy recentered his gaze on the men, asking a question that he thought was obvious.
"S-So why is it that two of the Seven Kings have taken an 'interest' in a humble child like me? I hope it's not because of my first mission, because I can assure you that I definitely have battle scars."
At his odd response, both men glanced at him with confused expressions, yet, quickly, Solister straightened up to answer the boy's question.
"What an odd thing to say… But you are incorrect. They wish to hire you for a certain task that they can only trust someone with your abilities."
Aaron's expression paled, the seemingly instant confirmation sending another wave of pain through his head.
M-Maybe they are fine with it and just want to hire me…
Shifting his eyes back to Irvin, who looked like he was about to speak, the blond boy listened carefully, trembling on the inside.
"Are you willing to hear us out? I understand you are busy with your exam; however, if your worry is time, then we can help out with that."
Pulling a small paper from his pocket, he unraveled it in front of the boy.
Glancing down, Aaron slowly scanned the delicately written words, reading aloud.
"By order of Lord Lepaie Quinn and Lord Vaelmyr Droskyn, if Aaron Grimstall agrees to the terms of this contract, then he shall be granted an audience with the Kings listed prior and a ranked evaluation per Guild regulations. He will also be granted remedies for whatever time is lost due to our intervention."
The parchment continued onward for dozens more pages; however, as the blond boy finished the first, he was stopped by the men.
"We can only disclose the rest if you agree."
Staring at the turquoise-eyed boy, the two men waited for his answer.
Meanwhile, Aaron pursed his lips as he fell deep in thought.
There was an eerie silence as the two co-captains looked between one another, Solister's gaze flickering for a moment as he whispered to his partner for the day.
"Did you feel that fluctuation from across the island yesterday?"
Hearing his question, concern flashed across Irvin's face, disappearing as quickly as it came to the surface, and he inhaled once, ready to answer.
However, a soft murmur from Aaron interrupted their conversation, causing them to shift their attention back to the boy, unsure of what he had said.
"What was that boy?"
Solister looked at the youngster with curiosity, leaning forward as he waited for his response.
Noticing Aaron opening his mouth to speak, he tried to remember the long speech he had been instructed to give when the challenger accepted.
Blah, blah, blah. I just got to tell him the rewards, right?
Readying his perfect smile, the tan man listened to the boy's words happily.
"I decline."