Chapter 745 Conflict On Trust
"Uwaaahhh! It feels so good to finally feel your touch again, Master!"
The warmness of Emil's voice, and the jiggly feeling her slimy body had as it rubbed against him made Rey laugh. He couldn't deny that it felt good to have her optimistic voice echo in his ears—the same voice he considered annoying in the past.
Somehow, losing the Symbiote Slime made him realize just how much he cherished her.
"It feels good here, too." He gave an honest reply to Emil's words, causing her to giggle loudly. He felt her body rub off against him even more, and he let her have her fun. He didn't even care that this was happening in front of an entire population of Elves. The current Rey would do anything to spoil Emil for her accomplishments.
'I definitely won't hold back on appreciating her this time.'
"Hehehehehe! Master loves Emil!" Well, there were things Rey thought he would have to clarify, but for the most part… he felt things were still within control. As long as his Slime didn't have any strange ideas, he didn't really mind whatever she said.
"Master and Emil are going to have a—"
"Okayyyy, slow down!" Rey swiftly raised his voice, feeling within his gut that this was the right time to cut Emil off from whatever she was about to say. 'I have some idea about what she was about to say, and… yeah… too far!'
He instinctively stole a glance at Esme, not really knowing why, and he found that her gaze was not on him. Something about that made his heart sink, but also relieved.
"What's wrong, Master?"
"I really need to teach you about filters!" He found himself whispering rather viciously at the Slime.
"That's not the only thing I want you to teach me, Master. Hehehehe…"
"S-stop! Just… stop!" Rey was slowly being reminded of the obnoxious side of his Familiar, causing all the nostalgia to evaporate rather quickly.
'Ah, yes… Emil has always been this kind of person.' His thoughts trailed, but he still strained a smile regardless of the slight frustration coiling within him.
She was childish, immature, very suggestive, and incredibly clingy—not to talk of her tactlessness and a bunch of other qualities that Rey could remember off the top of his head.
"How did you even manage to fool Adrien?" He mumbled to himself, nearly out of disbelief.
It was strange to think someone like Emil came up with that strategy.
"A-ah! Ater was actually the one who proposed the idea to me."
"Huh…?"
As soon as Rey heard this, his strained smile froze in place, and his playful mood vanished. His eyes remained wide open and he stared keenly into Emil's eyes.
"What did you just say?"
"W-well… he told me to keep it as a surprise for you, but… when you were asleep that one time, he told me of a plan that he thought would make you very happy."
Rey's fingers rubbed against his chin as the image of Ater appeared in his thoughts. He could definitely see him pulling off something like that.
"It worked, didn't it? You were very excited to see the surprise, right?"
Even though he clearly heard the question, Rey didn't reply immediately. Instead, his thoughts remained fixated on Ater.
'He really went behind my back to plan something this intricate. I can understand the end goal, but… now that I think of it, this entire thing with the Elves has all been a part of his plan.'
Meeting Adrien, meeting The Oracle, and a whole host of issues; it all stemmed from Ater guiding Rey to the Elves and working certain things behind the scenes. 'He also hid important information from me, and I still don't know the extent of his knowledge since I didn't restrict his activities. I'm also not with him very often, so I have no clue what he does a majority of the time.'
In the past, Rey wouldn't bother thinking too much about it, but—
'The Oracle's words… it has to be about Ater.' He narrowed his eyes, parting his lips as he resumed his bright smile towards Emil.
"Of course, Emil. I am excited!"
"Yayyyyyyy!!!"
If Ater could use Emil—his own Familiar—to perform a task that he wasn't even aware of, Rey was slowly beginning to worry about just how deep his influence was. The worry grew into slight hints of fear.
'None of these would be a problem if I was certain that Ater was on my side… and for the longest time, I thought he was.' Rey thought to himself.
He always knew the Absolute Beast was evil by nature. Ater didn't even try to hide his malevolent side, so there was never an issue with it. As long as Rey could control him, and he was completely loyal, there would be no problem.
But… was that truly the case?
'Is he only professing loyalty due to some grander scheme? The Oracle told me to be wary of him, and so does the System. There has to be a good reason for that.'
Unfortunately for Rey, this wasn't the time or place to think such thoughts.
'Even if I think deeply about it, I don't know what I'm supposed to do to stop him. He's very useful, and I really could use him as an ally. He's also not shown any real animosity towards me, and he's always acted in my interests.'
The secrets and half-truths ultimately benefited Rey, so could he really complain?
'Should I trust The Oracle's words over Ater? Or should I trust Ater? What if his goals are simply parallel to mine—at least for now—so he is only on my side because it benefits him? The moment that ceases to be the case, then…'
Rey could feel paranoia beginning to creep in, and he didn't like the feeling.
'In the end, I think there's only one way to solve this problem, and that is to use my new Skill…' He heaved a sigh.
The one he got from The Oracle, and the best tool he had on his side at the moment.
'... [Clairvoyance].'