Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Seraphiel went into thought for a moment at Atlas’s question, ’I could go with him now but...Solaris is waiting and wanted to say something important.’ She remembered the serious expression Solaris had carried when she mentioned it, and thinking back to it, Seraphiel also wanted to know more about that strange mechanism. ”That will be possible, but...Kaelion will take you there as I won’t be able to accompany you myself, a Friend of mine is waiting for me at the upper floor.”

”Will that be fine for now? I mean, you are just going to see it and not enter it yet. When you do enter it though, even Her Majesty will be coming, as it’s one of the most mysterious places in the whole World.” Seraphiel spoke with a slightly worried voice, she wanted to accompany Atlas to that place, and although she had gone there many times with other special People who had fulfilled all the requirements to enter it, she felt that this time was completely different from those previous visits.

Even though she knew Atlas was strong, far stronger than the people she had accompanied there before, she was still worried about him. She had felt the same concern when she first told him about the Ruins, because no one truly knew what kind of Mystery existed inside. Even the Divine Rank Relics mentioned by the survivors who had managed to come out of the Ruins had never been properly confirmed, and Seraphiel couldn’t even be certain whether those stories were completely true. Still, this was the only choice she had if she wanted to make sure Atlas wouldn’t sever their Contract.

There was also one thing Seraphiel had noticed during this conversation. Atlas’s Attitude and expression seemed to have changed from the detached feeling he had given off before, and that small change made her smile slightly. ’One good thing happened though...’ She thought about how telling him about the Ruins seemed to have gone better than she had expected, even though she still didn’t know what had caused that change in his overall personality.

”Alright, I don’t see any problem with Kaelion taking me there. After visiting it, I will most likely head to the Library anyways, but you said Her Majesty the Queen herself will accompany me to that place along with the Rosaria Household? Hmm...” Atlas nodded at her as he thought for a moment before slowly standing up. ’Well, I just need to get that Divine Rank Relic, it doesn’t matter who accompanies or not.’

Seraphiel also stood up after seeing him rise, assuming that Atlas was preparing to leave. ”Kaelion.” She called out, and the moment she did, a soft wind passed through the window before gathering near the doorway. Kaelion emerged from within that wind without making the slightest sound, his figure becoming clear as he bowed toward Seraphiel, ”Yes, Lady Seraphiel? What is your command?”

Atlas noticed the loyalty Kaelion held toward Seraphiel, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wasn’t limited to Kaelion alone. The same loyalty seemed to be present throughout the entire Rosaria Household, ’Maybe that’s why he lied to me that day? Well, whatever...’

Atlas dismissed the thought immediately. Whatever reason Kaelion had for lying to him, it didn’t matter anymore, and there was no point in continuing to think about something that had already happened, ”Take Atlas to the ’Ruins of Eclipse’. As you already know where it is, I won’t be explaining it. He will just see it from the outside, is that understood?” Seraphiel spoke with her calm voice.

Kaelion responded with a nod. ”Yes, I understand.”

He then turned toward Atlas and spoke, ”Mr. Atlas, follow me. I will be taking you there in just a few moments.”

Atlas nodded, and the moment he did, Kaelion’s figure vanished into the wind once again. Atlas didn’t waste any time either, with a single step, his figure disappeared from the room.

Seraphiel arched an eyebrow when she failed to sense even the slightest trace of his movement. ’I couldn’t even sense his movement? I just became an S-rank too, how is he so fast?’ She couldn’t help but wonder how strong Atlas actually was, especially since she remained unaware of the actual Ranking the Guild would assign to him later that evening.

With a small sigh, Seraphiel turned toward the exit and walked out of the room. She then made her way toward the upper floor, where Solaris had already been waiting for several minutes.

- - -

In the room where Solaris had been burying her head into the pillow earlier, she could now be seen sitting on the bed while holding it tightly in her arms. Her expression had become more thoughtful as she went over everything she had just witnessed. ’That was him huh? He is strong, strong beyond reason. He hasn’t even stepped into the True SSS-rank Cultivation yet, not even awakened any Element yet...his speed was ridiculous.’

While Seraphiel had been gone, Solaris hadn’t been sitting idly by. She had been spying on the entire conversation between the two of them and observing Atlas from every perspective she could, especially because her curiosity had reached its limit after realizing that Seraphiel had developed an interest in someone. Solaris had known Seraphiel for more than a decade, and throughout all those years she had never seen her easily become interested in someone, especially not some idiot or weak person.

Seraphiel had always been calculative and calm regardless of the situation or the person standing in front of her, and that personality had remained the same since childhood. Yet the same Seraphiel had been blushing just from Atlas looking at her eyes a moment ago, and Solaris could only think of two possible reasons for such a change. Either Atlas had used some kind of Hypnosis ability on her, or Seraphiel had actually fallen in love with him.

The former suspicion didn’t hold much weight because Solaris herself could see through any Hypnosis if it had been cast on Seraphiel. She had also observed Seraphiel closely when she came to the Villa and hadn’t sensed anything unusual affecting her mind. That left the latter possibility, and the more Solaris thought about everything she had seen, the more it seemed to fit the situation perfectly.

’My concern is his personality. While he is suppressing it to an extent that is not possible for others, it’s still too much...what kind of hatred is this? It was so dark it even gave me, a Special Ex-rank, discomfort...’ A pause before she continued in her thoughts again,’...though it’s good it’s not targeted towards any Angels or Seraphiel, or by now I would have killed him.’ Solaris thought as she remembered the black, foggy swirl of emotion she had seen inside Atlas’s chest while observing him.

She had seen many powerful Individuals throughout her life, including those who carried hatred because of their past experiences, but what she had sensed from Atlas was different enough to make her cautious. He wasn’t openly displaying that hatred, and that was exactly what made it more difficult to understand. He kept it suppressed beneath his calm expression, allowing almost nothing to surface unless something specifically brought it out.

Just as Solaris was thinking about all of this, the door opened and Seraphiel entered the room with hurried steps. She stopped after reaching Solaris, who was still sitting on the bed with the pillow held tightly in her arms, ”You were spying, I suppose? You wouldn’t be able to fool or hide it from me even if you wanted to, so spill the beans already.” Seraphiel spoke with a smile that looked gentle on the surface but carried enough pressure to make Solaris shiver.

’Shit! She caught me!’

”W-Well, what can I do? I was bored and had nothing to do in this room alone, and also, as you said that this person would enter the Ruins of Eclipse, I had to see him myself, hehehe.” Solaris tried to explain herself, but her awkward tone only made her nervousness more obvious.

Seraphiel immediately noticed that Solaris was hiding something. She knew her friend well enough to recognize when she was trying to avoid answering directly, and from the way Solaris was speaking now, it was obvious that she had learned something during the time Seraphiel had been gone. The problem was that Seraphiel already knew exactly what Solaris had most likely discovered.

But what could she do now? It was already spilled milk.

Seraphiel sighed and lowered her head, her fingers slowly moving until her two index fingers touched each other in front of her. A faint blush appeared across her face as she finally asked the question she had been trying to avoid.

”S-S-So...what do you think? Is he good?”

The moment Solaris saw the red blush spreading across Seraphiel’s face, she stared at her for a moment before a smile appeared on her lips,’Oh God, it seems she is a lost cause now. She has completely fallen for him.’

Solaris looked at her friend for another moment before finally opening her mouth.

”I think...”