"Just imagine it," he continued, his voice lowering slightly, carrying a quiet weight, "Angels using this chance to suppress the Transcendent Circle, and people slowly starting to join the Church of Light out of fear and doubt toward the Transcendents, letting suspicion grow where faith once stood."
"Who do you think everyone will blame?"
"Can you answer that for me.....Miss Elizabeth."
A chilling and dangerous silence filled the shop, the air growing heavy and still as if even the faint sounds from outside had been pushed away, leaving only the quiet tension between them.
But the very next second, something unexpected happened as Elizabeth, who had been looking at Ash with cold and piercing eyes, suddenly let out a soft chuckle, as if she had just heard something interesting rather than threatening.
"You....are interesting. I like you!!!!"
Elizabeth said while pointing her finger at Ash, a strange smile forming on her face as her posture remained relaxed, her body filled with boundless confidence as if she had not taken his threat to her heart at all.
Ash frowned inwardly, though outwardly he kept his neutral expression, his voice steady and flat as he replied, "But I don’t seem to like you Miss Elizabeth."
But Elizabeth just chuckled again, her reaction light and almost playful, as if his words had only made things more amusing for her.
Tsk, Women are really strange.....one second they are angry, the next second they are laughing, I don’t know how lucky I was that I had Elysia with me, because she was not like these typical women at least....
"I will leave if you don’t want me here, but before that....why don’t you tell me the reason behind your gaze that I could feel from kilometers away? Was it not you inviting me here?"
She crossed her hands and leaned her upper body onto the counter, bending slightly forward to look at Ash directly in the face, her eyes steady and curious as if she was trying to read every subtle reaction from him.
She turned my threat around like it was nothing huh, never mind I did not have any cameras in the shop anyways.....though I have Eva who can record these things...
"Invitation? As if. I just wanted to observe what was going on, I was too lazy to go into the stadium as it is a hassle, and watching online was not up to my taste. If you feel invited by such a simple gesture.....you must have the habit to barge into places uninvited then, am I right..? Miss...?"
Elizabeth’s smile widened a little more, her eyes narrowing slightly as if they were almost disappearing behind that smile, giving her expression a strangely unreadable look.
Seeing that, Ash felt a faint chill run down his spine, a quiet instinct warning him that something beneath that smile was not as simple as it looked.
Did I anger her too much...?
"You have got quite a sharp tongue."
She spoke in a normal tone, yet Ash could feel a deep anger and restraint hidden within those words, as if she was holding something back deliberately.
She left the counter and turned around with her hands now behind her back, taking long and light steps like a child as she moved around the place where she was standing, her gaze drifting upward as if she was looking at something imaginary above, her movements casual yet carrying a strange kind of control.
"Fine, I will leave if you don’t want me here, but who knows if the word will spread after my departure that.....the owner of such an ordinary shop was a hidden master whose beauty and handsomeness are out of this world, I wonder if you will get famous overnight, and how much attention that might bring to this quiet place."
She spoke those words calmly, clearly expecting Ash to show some reaction, perhaps even a hint of panic, as she turned to look at him.
But she was taken aback by what she saw....
She saw Ash’s eyes shining with delight, a faint brightness flickering within them as his posture shifted slightly, as if he had already drifted into deep thought, completely detached from the tension that had just filled the space.
Then she heard him mutter something under his breath, but with her heightened hearing, those words sounded as clear as if they were being spoken through a speaker, leaving no room for doubt.
"Does that mean she will launch me in the market? That’s not a bad idea, I always wanted to get launched by someone powerful and gain popularity...and even a beauty like her accepts that I am just soo handsome, people are gonna fall in love with me....although it will be a hassle, but I can manage....."
Elizabeth felt her head start to ache as a vein visibly popped on her forehead, her expression tightening as irritation and anger rose together.
How can someone be so shameless and at the same time so irritating to talk to? And how does the brain of this fellow even work? Why is he thinking something so completely out of the blue..?
For the damn sake, I was threatening to leak his information, but instead of panicking he is actually fond of that idea...??
But hearing what he said next felt like the final push that broke whatever little patience she still had left.
"But wait!! A woman launching me would not look good right? People will talk about how I relied on a woman for success, I don’t seem fond of that idea....even if she is beautiful, she seems crazy to me, I would rather stay away from crazy women."
Elizabeth almost felt like vomiting blood from sheer anger as his words sank in, her mind going blank for a brief second before a surge of frustration filled it completely.
I am crazy? You are crazy, your whole damn family is crazy you motherf ** king bastard!!!!!!
She took deep and hurried breaths, trying to steady herself as she stared at Ash, her eyes burning with restrained fury while she held herself back from simply lashing out and beating him on the spot.
Maybe Ash sensed that she was at her limit, because he suddenly stopped speaking and looked at her, his expression returning to that calm and indifferent look.
"Oh Miss, you look so tired, do you want some water....?"
Elizabeth looked at that innocent face that seemed genuinely concerned for her, and for a brief moment, she felt that it was indeed so much pleasing to look at, the sharpness of his earlier words completely clashing with the calmness he was showing now.
NO!! What the hell am I thinking? This bastard has made me lose my cool countless times in such a short meeting, he is dangerous....!!!
But again, he is such a raw talent, it would be a pity to leave him behind, I need to control my anger, I need him to join us and after he does that I will leave him under Perseus’s care, yeah, he should handle this headache....
She slowly collected her thoughts and calmed down visibly, her breathing evening out as the tension in her expression faded just enough for her to speak clearly again.
"Look, although I came here with the intention of finding out who that gaze belonged to, but now I don’t care about that. And from looks of it, all of that was just a misunderstanding. What I care about right now is you. Do you know our earlier clash that happened is called the Clash of Wills, and it can only happen with people who have awakened and manifested their Soul Flames, but somehow you were able to manifest your Will power even without the Soul Flame, that was really something that should not be possible. I think you are a prodigy who can walk the Path of Transcendence very easily, thus I want you to join the Transcendent Circle. So, what do you think...?"
Ash raised his eyebrows hearing that, his expression turning thoughtful as if he was seriously considering her words, his gaze lowering slightly as his mind moved quickly.
Clash of wills? That was Clash of Wills!!! I see, I didn’t know that, looks like she thinks I am a prodigy, well I think I am a prodigy, after all my Will is mine alone and no Rune interfered in that.....
Also, she gave me the proposal to join the Transcendent Circle, nice. As long as I join them, I can learn about many things, mostly related to the Path of Transcendence and their information network, I need to take things step by step...
"So, what will you offer me if I join?"
"Huh.!!?"
Elizabeth was a little taken aback, as she did not expect Ash to ask something like this so directly, her expression shifting slightly as she looked at him.
"Isn’t joining the Transcendent Circle your luck? You will get guidance from the best of our people, that I can make sure, so what more do you even want?"
Ash shook his head slightly as he replied, his tone calm yet firm, "You yourself said that I am a prodigy, that means I might be the only person who can manifest my Will power without Soul Flame, that makes me special right? So if there’s no benefit, why would I join the Transcendent Circle? After all, I am living fine on my own, and I do not see a reason to place myself under someone else without gaining something worthwhile in return."
Elizabeth fell silent hearing that, her expression turning slightly serious as her mind began to spin rapidly, weighing his words and his value at the same time, realizing that this was no longer a simple recruitment but something that required careful handling.
And after thinking for a few seconds, she spoke again, her tone now more measured than before, carrying a hint of consideration that was not present earlier.
"Fine, but before that, you might need to prove yourself to the Elders of the Organization, because only if they see your true potential will they be willing to offer you some sort of Contract, and that is something I cannot decide on my own. What do you think? Do you want to follow me back to the headquarters of the Transcendent Circle??"
****