He dropped the book he was holding, surprised that their target was coming into their room.
Albert shook his head and said calmly, "I will explain everything. Just don't make the butler stay here, for his safety. Also, order him to bring an extra meal daily."
Rui, who had been standing behind, came to his side. He looked around and realized this wasn't just a room but a full house. There were three main rooms: a combined living and dining room, and two bedrooms. One had a single bed, the other a double bed. From where he stood, he couldn't see the entire space. There was also a bathroom with a large bath.
This is not a room but a house.
He looked at Alfred. "Would you like to introduce him, or should I pry into his identity?" He pointed toward his bag.
Alfred sighed and said, "There is no need to do that. He is my friend, the same age as me. His name is Paul. He comes from a wealthy family that owns mining businesses. He is also part of the same organization…"
"About that organization," Rui interrupted. "What is its name, and what is it about?" He had wondered about this ever since the book had first told him about it.
Alfred turned to Paul, worried about revealing information he shouldn't. Paul also turned to Alfred, and both were quiet.
Rui sensed their worry. "You don't have to tell me. If you are that tense, you can find someone else to explain. You can choose which room I will stay in."
Alfred looked at Paul and asked, "Do you want to stay with him, or should I give him my room?"
Paul thought for a moment. "You can switch rooms with me. You can watch over him, right?" Paul was clearly pushing all the responsibility onto Alfred.
Alfred pointed to the room with the two beds. "You and I will be staying in that room. Meals are delivered here, so you won't need to go to the restaurant."
He walked into the room and put down the bag he was carrying. Rui followed, put down his bags, and took out the book. Alfred tensed up when he saw it in Rui's hands. He walked back to his original room to bring his belongings. Paul followed behind, carrying his own things to the other room.
After switching rooms, they all sat together at the table. Alfred and Paul sat on the same side, while Rui sat opposite them. The book was laid on the table. Alfred hadn't removed his gun, and Paul sat with his arms crossed.
Rui was the first to speak. "What was that item you aimed at my head? It isn't a weapon I know."
Alfred bent his arm and drew it from his holster. "This is what you call a gun. It's a new type of weapon. You place gunpowder inside, then a steel ball, or something with a pointed tip, and fire it at someone. It has more power than a bow and is light to carry. These are heavily controlled by countries, so it's hard to get one. There are also different types, but they are rare and expensive. Each type has its own name, but I don't have information on them."
Alfred explained as best as he could.
Rui nodded. "So that is why you wanted to kill me."
He pieced together the words from the book mentioning Alfred's desire to buy rare and expensive items.
Alfred's face turned slightly red as he put the gun back in its place.
Rui turned to Paul. "Why were you reading that novel? It has nothing of interest." Rui voiced his opinion bluntly.
"The beginning is bad, but if you get into it, it's really good. I recommend you continue it." Paul spoke slowly as he went to his room to grab the novel. He placed it on the table and slid it toward Rui.
Rui shook his head. "The book here copied the content of the novel."
Paul was stunned. He felt like he understood something, yet became even more confused.
Rui looked at Paul and Alfred. "I can explain the powers of the artifact as well as what happened, if you are interested. After all, I am planning to join your organization."
Paul gestured for him to speak.
"I am not completely sure of its powers, but it can answer most questions asked below the level of a deity. It also has a personality and thoughts of its own. It records the life of its holder and can transfer the memories of its previous holder to the current one. It refers to itself as a true artifact and says there are others like it.
"I only know of one other that can change the fate of anyone. My fate was switched by Him. He is also the one who caused that genocide and the reason I was teleported to the southern continent.
"I don't think I can talk about Him, or you would die in the blink of an eye, just as they did."
Rui felt immense guilt as he said those last words.
"As for why I am going back north, it is to find the organization that this book mentioned, the one that seems to hate Him. It is under His control, so it wants me to free it from Him in the future, after I accomplish certain things."
Rui explained his motives in a quick summary. He wanted to build a good relationship with Paul and Alfred.
They were completely dumbfounded. Several words caught them off guard: true artifact, altered fate, Him, and the incident itself.
Now I feel like an intruder being stared at. I have nothing to talk about, and they are limiting their speech so they don't slip up.
Rui looked around the room but found nothing to do.
A thought flashed through his mind. I will take a bath; they will have time to talk privately and think of something to make the situation less awkward.
"If you don't mind, I will take a bath," Rui said to Paul and Alfred, who were still in a daze.
Alfred quickly lifted his head. "You are free to take a bath."
Upon hearing the response, Rui quickly left them alone.
He entered the bathroom and locked the door. He took off his clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them on the floor. He walked to the filled bath and soaked himself in it.
So cold. His body shivered intensely.
…
Paul walked toward the sofa and lay down. He looked at Alfred. "What are we going to do? We can't just take him to our hideout, can we?"
Paul was so anxious that he began sucking his thumb.
Alfred shared the same worry. "One of us can go, and the other can wait with him in some city. And don't just throw it all on me; we need to be careful.
"And I believe what he said, so we also need to take into consideration the person he referred to as Him."
Both of them fell into deep thought. Paul closed his eyes to imagine scenarios. Alfred didn't interrupt, even when he had an idea, so as not to throw him off track.
…
An hour passed. They had some ideas, but they were too focused on exact scenarios. If even one detail changed, their plans would fall apart. The best plan they had was the first one: they would both go but leave Rui alone in a city. They would give him a meeting location where he could check daily to see if they had returned. They also planned to go in the wrong direction for a few days so he could not follow them.
Rui was still soaking in the bath. He had delayed leaving for as long as possible, but he had reached his limit. His entire body was stiff.
He grabbed one of the two towels hanging on the wall, dried his body and hair, then put on his clothes and walked out.
He found Paul alone on the sofa, reading the novel from before. He looked around, but Alfred was not in the room.
When Paul heard the door opening, he looked up and, seeing Rui searching for Alfred, pointed toward the room they would both share. "He is sleeping, if you are looking for him."
Rui shook his head and yawned. "I am going to sleep. Good night."
"Good night," Paul replied as he turned his attention back to the book.
Rui knocked softly on the door before entering. Alfred was in such a deep sleep that he didn't notice someone had entered. Rui closed the door slowly to avoid making noise, then went to sleep.
…
"Year 742, October 18th."
Rui was the last to wake up. His hair was messy from all his tossing and turning.
I definitely slept better than the nap from yesterday, but nowhere near as well as sleeping on land.
He looked at the other bed where Alfred had been, but saw it was empty. He stood up, fixed his hair with his hands, and walked outside.
He caught sight of Alfred and Paul sitting at the table.
"Are you in the mood for breakfast?" Alfred asked.
"Yes. How long will it take?" Rui replied.
Alfred recalled quickly. "It takes ten to twenty minutes to arrive."
"Go call the butler to bring the meals," Alfred ordered Paul, who was sitting next to him.
Rui stretched and said, "I will go for a quick walk. If the food arrives before I am back, don't wait for me."
He quickly moved and exited before Paul could stand.
There was a thin layer of fog and heavy winds.
The weather sure is terrible. I don't have any coats to wear.
Rui shivered as he walked around the deck. He looked up at the massive sails and wondered how many men it would take to control them. The sails were bigger than some ships.
There were heavy footsteps and sailors yelling as they ran around.
The first thought anyone would have seeing this was a problem has arisen.
"This has nothing to do with me for now; I should return to the room."
He turned around and walked down with his head lowered.
The footsteps and yelling grew quieter as he reached the door. He knocked and waited. The door opened to reveal Alfred.
"That was quick."
Rui entered and took the opportunity to sit on the empty couch.
"The weather is terrible, and there seems to be a problem, but not a major one. Is Paul not back?"
The situation between them had improved since yesterday; there was no longer as much awkwardness.
Alfred explained that Paul would return with the butler. "You need to pay me back for the meal plan later; it's two gold stags."
"…" Rui was stunned and looked away. "Can I pay later? I don't have that much money right now."
Alfred nodded. "As long as you will pay me back, I don't mind."
He sat next to Rui. "So, how long have you been in that organization?"
Rui wanted to know something before meeting a higher-up.
"I was your age when I became a member, but it's not as good as it seems. We barely meet anyone from there, and it's like they threw us away because we didn't meet their expectations, or they don't want us to become core members."
Rui glanced around, then turned back to Alfred. "I will be doing something in the room. I recommend you don't enter for your safety."
Rui walked into the room and locked the door.
I am going to pray to 'Him' and grab some info from 'Him.'
His eyes glimmered as he took out a candle and sat on his knees. He lit the candle and held it between his hands. He decided to chant an honorific since he was still scared of Him.
"I… I pray upon your grace.
"For your gaze, for your love,
"The lord who bestowed gifts upon us, the lord of elements, the 'Ancient Watcher.'"
The candle flame grew stronger and spread out as a thin layer that completely engulfed his body.