OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 416: Bad News



***

"Class SS-1's ruin dive will be brought forward."

"...Say that again?"

Two men, Amon and Emir, sat opposite each other in the latter's office.

The larger of the two leaned forward on his table, his arms digging into the expensive wood.

"What was brought forward?"

The younger-looking, but actually much older of the two, chuckled, his right hand flicking the air.

"Your. Students. Ruin. Dive. Was. Brought. Forward."

"...When?"

"Friday."

"You can't delay it?"

"No, it has to happen on Friday. That's final."

"Why?"

"Because I say so."

"Is there nothing I could do to delay it?"

"Why are you so adamant? Heh, will you even accept being called that or-"

"I am. Tell me."

Amon paused for a second, staring at him, then slowly said:

"...No. I fear an influx of Aether is arriving by Saturday. Due to that, even the monsters in our ruin will be too much for the students to handle. We'll be forced to other ruins that aren't in our complete control, giving way to variables that I don't have the time nor mind to manage." Emir opened his mouth then closed it, speaking only after a few seconds had passed:

"How do you know? I expect there to be an influx soon, but I can't predict the exact date like you did."

Smirking, Amon waved his hand again and then gestured for Emir to look up.

"A praying woman told me."

Closing his eyes, Emir matched his expression and nodded.

"I see..."

Opening his eyes, he looked back down and continued saying:

"Guess I should've expected that."

Their snappy back and forth ended there.

Emir then looked further down.

'Hm.'

It seemed that he hadn't heard wrong...

What he jokingly mused would happen did in fact happen.

The first major disaster, an event that was scheduled to happen a few weeks from now, was forwarded to Friday... Tomorrow.

And that was due to the increase of Aether on Earth, which was something that he had kept track of since their day of judgment.

Furthermore, a hidden character influenced this date's advancement.

Templar's true leader.

Like how the Liberation Army had kept its true leader, Judal, concealed from the public eye, Templar also had their own figurehead, taking away the spotlight from who truly mattered. This puppet was a religious fanatic who stirred the masses with fervent rhetoric, but the actual leader, "Praying Lady," was the exact opposite of that.

Behind the scenes, it was she who truly wielded power, using Templar for her own gain.

She operated from the depths of the underworld, her influence shaping much of it through a vast network of information, manipulating the many gangs to her whims.

All that Emir knew of her from the 'novel' was that she was an Astral, a specialization that used the power of stars and read fate.

Her unique abilities made her the Templar's most valuable asset, the reason they could stand toe-to-toe with other powerful factions and corporations.

Her information was invaluable, drawing in the wealthiest and most influential donors- whales that kept them above water, and her many digital pockets full.

The biggest whale of them all was Isidore, a king of assassins who always dealt in

information.

Due to this, Emir's plan of framing the death of the 'bitch'-the daughter of one of Templar's leaders-as Alex's doing was extremely risky.

They were up against an expert in fate and information gathering, and there was no way to know if their plan had already been discovered.

The tension they observed between the two factions suggested that their deception might hold, but they couldn't be certain, they couldn't afford to be complacent, not against her.

For now, they needed more information before making any decisive moves.

The final piece of the puzzle would come from Aquila of the Eagle.

His report would determine how they would proceed, and whether they could go ahead with the plan or if they needed to rethink their strategy entirely.

'...It's time.'

Looking up, Emir's eyes focused and his face turned indifferent.

"Do you want to know why I am so 'adamant?' And before you say yes, whatever you're assuming, triple, no quadruple it's impact on the Academy."

Amon smiled.

"Sure, tell me... Or so I'd say if I didn't know that you'd never give out this information for free. What do you want in return?"

"Third-Tier Privilege in the Archive, EX clearance... I want to read what only you can read, see what only you can see."

Surprised, Amon was about to shut him down and ban him from ever suggesting that again, but Emir raised his hand, stopping him from speaking, and continued:

"I know. Learning more about Archons before becoming one will kill me, but I crossed that

'step' already. My soul might be godless, but my blood isn't."

Amon's eyes widened and dimmed, then a golden crown slowly formed atop his head.

"Speak."

Emir's indifference momentarily faltered, but he quickly protected himself from the sudden

pressure, letting out a sigh.

"Will you use force on your own son?"

This time, it was Amon's turn to be speechless as he opened and closed his mouth several

times.

Tsk...

Eventually, the crown above his head dissipated and he leaned back into his chair.

"I'll give you what you want..."

Before Emir could smile, Amon added the infamous:

"But! I'll have you help in solving whatever disaster is upon us."

Thinking that he'd react, Amon gave a second to process it, but Emir instantly agreed:

"Deal. Send the privilege invite first."

"...You."

Shaking his head, Amon realized that he had fallen into his professor's trap.

Emir had always planned to help with the First Major Disaster, he simply didn't put it in as a

part of his offer to make Amon feel like he had one-uped him with the negotiation.

"A clever boy you are~."

"I am indeed."

Amon complimented him, and Emir acted shameless about it, accepting it openly.

They shared a chuckle, and Amon stood up, as did Emir a moment later.

Stepping closer, they held on to each other's right forearm and clutched.

{Trade offer. Accept or Decline?}

"Accept."

"Accept."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Both didn't look at the contents of the trade, knowing the other wouldn't cheat, and accepted

just as the prompt showed up in their HUDS.

"...Ah."

That low mumble from Amon indicated that he had just processed all the information that he

received.

There was no need to question the authenticity of that information, he knew Emir wouldn't

lie about such things. And the fact that he seemingly knew the future wasn't under question.

Again, Amon knew Emir to be an Order's Chosen, or at least he used to be, and that meant that

he had information others could only dream of.

"So..."

Emir silently looked at him and then asked:

"Can all the students survive?"

The principal blinked a few times, lost in thought.

"I... don't know."

Snickering, Emir sat back down and said:

"Me neither... me neither." Amon remained standing for a while, and after a minute or so had passed, he finally moved.

But instead of sitting down like Emir, he headed towards the door, intending to leave.

"Where are you going?"

He glanced back, then continued forward, exiting the office.

Emir was left alone, his eyes staring at where his self-admitted father used to be.

"He'll need Arthur's luck to get through this without using up any of his strong abilities."

Turning around in his chair, he too became lost in thought.

'The disaster was moved up, so that must've affected Templar's and Liberation Army's

preparations, right?'

[No, they're prepared. At least I'm sure LA are.]

His left eye twitched.

[Ly?]

Her hologram materialized as he called her by her nickname.

[Yes?]

[You, how are you sure of that?]

She smiled and reported, which was quite an unusual combination of actions for her:

[Once I heard the news, I immediately informed the family.]

Emir nodded, guessing the rest.

[Ah... I see. Kiera did something drastic.]

[Yes...]

She confirmed and added:

[Her grudge at what they did to her family remains. Unfortunately, I didn't check where she

was when I shared the news.]

[The slums.]

[Correct. She went to one of their hunter group's bases and... well, let's just say that she's

under house arrest.]

There wasn't any need for her to complete that sentence.

It was obvious that Kiera had gone loose, crashing out and killing an entire hunter group in

the time Emir and Amon had talked.

"Can't blame her... Though this'll cement their involvement in the disaster."

Sighing again, he tapped the table twice and said:

"This only makes my decision harder."