OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 65  Secretary II

Those who did survive however, became some of the strongest hunters on Earth.

And there was an obvious disconnect between hunters below rank 50 and those above.

While Emir had not encountered any high-ranking hunters himself, he was aware that their strength was incomparable to his own.

This knowledge of his was only based on bits and pieces he gathered from information floating around on the network.

'As someone who has read the novel, I should've known this 'secret', but strangely, nothing comes to mind,' he thought, leaning his head on his palm.

'Maybe I've forgotten it among the hundreds of similar novels I've read…'

'But then it comes into question of how I remembered a simple auction event involving just one single character yet forgot such a crucial aspect of the novel—the hunters themselves.'

"Emir..."

'It's all so contradictory.'

'Every time I encounter someone or something...'

'My memories of them would suddenly unlock, resurfacing as if they hadn't been hidden just moments before.'

It was as if the encounter acted as a key, unlocking his mind's memories like a library accessible only by that specific key.

"Emir... Emir."

'This begs the question, is this by design?'

'Probably.'

'But then are my memories still being manipulated?'

'I thought it would be over with Lyra's attempt but I guess not...'

'Then is this why my memories of my previous life are so jumbled and mostly forgotten?'

'Or is it really due to some supernatural malfunction that happened during my reincarnation?'

'I think the last scenario is a bust, but regardless, whatever the outcome may be, it shouldn't pose any threat to me, physically at least.'

'It might be all a lie even...'

"Emir!"

Even if his memories were still somehow being manipulated by the Order, it would most likely be to control his future actions by removing the potential variables created by this undisclosed information, whatever it may be.

He let out a sigh, bringing an end to his jumble of thoughts.

"They sure are something else," he muttered under his breath.

Having your memories manipulated like this would be taxing on anyone's mental health. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Emir, however, saw no reason to worry about something that was out of his control, so he redirected his focus toward what he could do.

He also wondered if he should ask Lyra to gauge her reaction but decided not to, for obvious reasons.

"EMIR!"

Finally registering his mother calling out to him, he looked up in surprise and a smile spread across his face.

Chuckling, he replied, "Sorry, Mom. I got lost in my thoughts for a moment there."

Seeing his reaction, Laura scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Why are you laughing?! Actually never mind that, what's wrong? I called out to you for a while now... Are you alright?"

Emir shook his head.

"Yes, I am. Anyways, what's on your mind?"

Laura let out an exasperated sigh, her frustration evident.

"I'll ignore the fact that you were dazed for a whole minute and continue like usual. I know you won't tell me what's on your mind anyways."

Their eyes locked, and Emir's smile faltered for a moment as he realized she saw through his attempt to deflect.

Resigned, he thought, 'She got me there~'

With that, they returned to their previous discussion, which ended shortly after as Emir asked a question that had plagued his mind for thirteen years of his life.

"Mom... Do you mind telling me more about Dad? How you met him, and what else do you know about high-ranking hunters?"

As those words left his lips, he observed a visible change in his mother's demeanor.

Previously relaxed and lighthearted, she now displayed glimpses of anger, her eyes glinting and her face contorting.

He had expected to see her overwhelmed with grief, or at least a semblance of it, not anger.

This revelation didn't surprise him for long, as a thought instantly crossed his mind.

'She is suspicious of his death too?!'

'I should've expected that... She is my mother after all.'

Laura noticed the pride apparent in Emir's eyes as he looked at her.

Realizing the effect her anger had on him, she calmed herself and let out a sigh, allowing her face to return to its normal expression.

With a soft tone, she repeated: "Of course, dear."

At that moment, they both understood each other's intentions without needing to say a word.

It was a tacit agreement to tactfully retreat from the subject, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention from the Order.

Moving on, she told him all she could about Oliver, his father, but since he was under a confidentiality agreement, her knowledge didn't amount to much.

And as he was a high ranker at the time of their marriage, she wasn't all that knowledgeable about the come-up of hunters either.

Emir then remembered what his mother told him about her parents.

They passed away while living in the camp next to the frontlines, a casualty of the war that raged on unpredictably to this day.

Oliver, on the other hand, was a slum kid who grew up without the support of his parents, fueling his journey towards becoming a typical protagonist with a heroic mindset.

Along the way, he met Laura, fell in love with her, rescued her from her depression, and they went on to marry.

Soon after, they had Lily and then finally Emir.

Alas, Oliver died sometime before his birth, leaving a void that his mother tried to fill as best she could.

Seeing that those questions were taking a toll on her, he decided to switch the subject, bringing up something else that had been on his mind for quite some time.

"Can you tell me why you named me Emir?"

"It doesn't really fit all that much, or does it?"

She smiled, a tear threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I mean… Emir Oliver, it's a good name but, you can see the disconnect, right?"

With a chuckle, she asked, "You're not questioning my naming sense are you?"

He joined her in laughter.

"No… God no, I love my name, you gave it to me after all."

She smiled, a tear threatening to fall from her eyes.

"To be honest, it wasn't me who named you Emir, it was your father... I asked him why, but he never told me the reason, only saying that it was important."

Emir quickly stepped up and handed her a few tissues. "No worries Mom. Thank you for answering all my questions today. You've helped me a lot."

She accepted the tissues, her smile growing brighter as she waved him away.

Chuckling, he realized it was getting late and spoke up: "Just to remind you, I'll be going ruin diving tomorrow."

"Hopefully, I'll get used to it quickly so I can start exploring the ruins that Lyra discovers."

"In the meantime, you can focus on learning more about negotiating tactics and relics. Is that alright with you, Mom?"

"Yes, of course, I'll be sure to study, I won't let you down."

"You never will," he said, standing up.

And with that, they went back to their respective rooms, bidding each other good night.

….

Waking up the next morning, Emir freshened up, but not before saying.

[Good morning my dear jailer.]

[Good morning Emir.]

And now with his routine done, he began with his day.

After eating breakfast with Laura, he went out of the house, planning to get a few weapons, an augmented suit upgrade, and a new bike.