Chapter 193

  Dreadus looked at the helpless boy and hummed. “I see... Gale, eh? Well, this is not much of a concern for me. It changes nothing. This here is a trade caused and done by you, after all. I am leaving Celeste for this day. I will be back to get her when it is over.”

  Waving his hand, he turned and walked away.

  “Hey!” Mi-Yung shouted. “What the hell!? I thought you would—”

  Then, Dreadus bashed against the floor as he jumped far away, disappearing not only from the library but from the central square in a second.

  “Fucker.” Mi-Yung cursed and tossed William back to the ground.

  Ellie felt as if she was dreaming. Wasn't that a freaking Dreadus?! A Rank 7 Raider of the Great Green Vault?! Also, who was that girl hugging a freaking Hound?

  There were a lot of questions in their vicinity, so it couldn't be helped that Mi-Yung felt like she should have involved Anna. Too bad she wasn’t adequate and up to this task.

  Sighing, Mi-Yung approached Celeste next and showed Hound one powerful gaze. Hound panicked, whimpered, and got so small, he barely settled in Celeste's panicking hands, and frowned when her shield turned useless. Only then did she judge and look at Mi-Yung.

  “We've met already, Celeste. It is nice to see you kept your style going and that you aren't running away like a certain fool who cares about you.”

  “H-hello...?” Celeste greeted her in the most awkward way possible. It was a miracle she finished the word, all things considered.

  It was literally a work of the last few days that Dreadus accomplished, with bits of Reaz as a helpful voice, of course. Making her talk better and safer was far from easy.

  To no one’s shock, Reaz wasn't around today, which Mi-Yung found suspicious and more than joyful. Mi-Yung swore that long-haired lady always pissed around her whether she touched something she was interested in.

  “This is going to be difficult... but it is my little mission and pain to get through this. Alright.” Mi-Yung reckoned and pointed at Ellie and William. “Do you want to flee like Dreadus?”

  William wasn't following, and Ellie couldn't leave at all. Celeste hid her face behind a handful Hound, who hissed at Mi-Yung like a rat.

  By now, William had caught up with his wit and approached this situation differently. Why? He had met this girl already, so that was that. He recognized that man as well, and there was no way he would overlook this Dark as well. Then, he thought about this job Mi-Yung had glossed over a few times.

  It cleared up a lot, did it not? “What is going on, Mi-Yung?” he asked the most likely person who could answer anything meaningful.

  “It is a job.” She said simply. “I am to take care of her learning experiences before the Examination and made her see it finer. That's a job. You are my goal, so... why not toss one ball and hit two goals?”

  “I don't think this is the correct sentence,” Ellie suggested, taking an interest in whatever was going on.

  She observed a girl of William's age and saw her dress, face, eyes, and the rest. At first, she looked like any typical disciple coming from a high-class organization.

  Then she recognized that kimono-style attire and realized how bloody neat and expensive it looked. Her hair and face were washed and clean, giving her a completely different look from days ago. How much effort it must have taken; no one had an idea.

  Celeste looked quite different from the last encounter, even from William's point of view. Then, there was that Hound, who probably didn't matter. It was a strange experience, considering those shoes and the meeting.

  Celeste shifted her eyes several times, sniffed Hound, and figured these three people were looking at her for a reason. What about Dreadus and his promise? Where was he? Well, he said he would give her gifts and time. Then, everything would change for the better.

  It was about learning a lost sense, or so Reaz said. While Celeste didn't think of herself as bad, she wasn't naive to omit a new kind of sense. In those mountains, she learned a lot of things. In more depths and elevations, she HAD to learn a lot of things.

  Looking at the broad world of the Federation, she got plenty of ideas that she was like a fish in a vast pond, and there was a lot of food and other fish. There were also… well, what were fish anyway?

  William approached her after Mi-Yung's obvious and unquestionable sigh.

  “Hello, we meet again,” he waved at Celeste, who gave him a dumbfounded look. She had never met this face.

  “Again?” Mi-Yung caught on. “You've met? Where?”

  “Shoes? Well, it was brief, so...” William tried to appeal to something clever and failed.

  Hound screeched like a dumb rat, and Celeste finally caught on.

  Or pretended to. All these people were hard to remember.

  “Dunno. W-what's here? Dreadus ran away.” Celeste said.

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  “We know, and I promised something to you before all that sham with tests and pain.” Mi-Yung pushed William aside and talked to her. “Giving you news is my kind of idea. I think this place will give much more than that, and you will like it.”

  Celeste doubted her with her ten whole fingers and two eyes. Hound was the same, but with many more points to make.

  William figured she must've promised this long before she met him. This girl was the case for Mi-Yung's forceful methods and vacation.

  Celeste shrugged and expected nothing.

  Mi-Yung wanted to keep trying, but a surprising person appeared behind her, pushing her aside, or attempting to be successful. It didn't work, but there was a ton of space around here to go around.

  Ellie made her move as someone much better at dealing with this sort of situation. She dealt with William already, so she wasn't fearing a girl even smaller than herself.

  “Hello, what's your name?”

  No answer came.

  “My name's Ellie, and you have very pretty clothes. I am envious. You must be confused, so can I show you this place and talk to you? Showing you around would make me very happy, so how about it?”

  Celeste blinked and didn't mind her look or voice, unlike a certain someone. Hound howled and pushed onwards, enlarging until he was the size of a lap-dog again.

  Ellie yelped and stepped back, but William pushed her forward and kept her back straight. He whispered behind her back. “Don’t worry. It is as harmless as it could be. If it wants to be, or if you get it.”

  Celeste shook and hugged Hound tightly. “Celeste.”

  “Oh! That's such a pretty name.” Ellie said, nodded to William, and walked even closer. Forcing herself to Celeste without a single shame came with no hidden burdens. William understood what was going on and wasn't one bit surprised.

  The one who felt the worst was Mi-Yung, who felt ashamed. She should’ve seen this coming from miles away. Ellie stole from her yet another kid. Great. This was probably the best possible outcome, though she wasn't feeling that great about it.

  “Well, don't feel bummed. I feel Ellie is the biggest light I can imagine.” William tried to appease her. It didn't make her frown disappear. “What I mean, Ellie is really good at this.”

  “At what?”

  “Her dream is…this? Anyway, shall we go up?”

  “No.” Mi-Yung said resolutely, caught up to Ellie, and whispered something William couldn't discern.

  Ellie frowned and nodded, telling Celeste to keep up with her and focus on her words.

  This entire party went ahead, reaching the staircase.

  “Go on,” Mi-Yung suggested to William and Celeste. Then, she grasped Ellie by her shoulder and let her close.

  “What for?” William added.

  “I want to speak to her for a bit one-on-one, and it seems there is someone already here.”

  They were midway to the second floor, and Burton was eyeing them like a falcon, looking at his prey from the lowest floor.

  William sighed and went with her suggestion right away. The last thing he wanted was yet another burdensome problem, so he gestured for Celeste to come to the second floor with him. She followed him without knowing where she was going or with whom.

  At least this youth wasn't so pitiful and obnoxious. His first impression was compelling to her soft side, and then the sharp side.

  Watching him leave, Ellie clenched her fists behind her back and looked at the grinning Mi-Yung in front of her.

  “You like him, don’t you?” Mi-Yung asked with a mischievous smile

  “I… won’t tell.”

  “Good. You think high, girl. Though it is a bit brave for you to set your eyes on this young Walker, I don't think it is overly inappropriate. Almost, that is.”

  Ellie jolted, set her eyes on the ground, and Mi-Yung lifted her chin up. Blushing, she wasn't willing to admit her feelings to someone like this. Even worse, this person wasn't a person she could go against. Her mind was always like an open book to Mi-Yung.

  “Being young is super nice. I am wondering what would William think about this.”

  “What do you want?! Don’t tell him, jeez.” Ellie urged, taking Burton as a hidden camera.

  “Help me out, so I will help back. Deal?”

  “Sounds... awful. I don't want this, Mi-Yung. I will do it for myself instead. And that girl is... who? Explain yourself, and I might think about this more.” Asserting herself with unlike strength, her surprising bravery and voice took Mi-Yung by a flashbang.

  Youths these days have surely grown up a lot.

  “Celeste, right? You want to help her. With what, exactly? Do you know Celeste if William does as well? Maybe he has feelings for her too. Two Walkers... well.”

  “No. He isn't interested, I think. His mind is full of learning, and his ideas are quite... raw, I think. He is getting somewhere with this land and place. Or… I am not.”

  “So?”

  “Maybe... some help wouldn't hurt.” Ellie agreed and felt her stirring emotions messing with her speech. It was a typical Mi-Yung cause.

  “Hm.” Mi-Yung nodded in approval. “You think large. Alright. For once, Celeste is worse than William by hundred times. It is not going to be easy, even for you. Dreadus told me interesting things and forced this upon my vow. I won't run away from it like he does. She has been lost in Australia and lived without a soul in the middle of nowhere. Link the rest or make her talk, because I don’t really care.”

  “Australia? Wait… Wait… I don't get this. Dreadus? Her? Wait...”

  “Seems like you've heard of something nicer, eh?”

  “Once in a decade skirmish is hard to suppress. She... who is she?”

  “They found her and now she is here. Simply put, that is.”

  Ellie felt even more shocks and had no idea what to think next. “She has no concepts whatsoever, right? She barely spoke, while her mood and personality are kind of... scewed. Oh. I can imagine it is much harder than William.”

  “She can't read or write and her talking habits have limits like her status. She isn't weak, though. Dreadus wants more from her. It can be better a lot, I know. But the time?” Cringing, Mi-Yung didn’t think it was very good.

  “I will do it!” Ellie shouted without hesitation. This was beyond her dreams. She will put herself through this no matter what and give even more reasons for others to accept her dreams.

  “Glad to hear that.” Mi-Yung patted her shoulder and glanced down.

  “What about you, Burton?” she shouted, ignoring her manners in this library.

  Burton stood like a statue, pointed to his eyes, and then to hers.

  Mi-Yung smiled, pushed Ellie away, and walked back to that interesting trio.

  “It doesn't matter to me what comes out of this, Ellie. I am definitely not against you or anyone. William is free. I am helping him because of karmic ties with his father.”

  “Father? I thought he was an orphan.”

  “He is, but he is also gone.”

  “Oh, that's what's up. Alright.”

  “Look at yourself. You can keep on trying, and perhaps he will like you back. I don’t know him that well for now, but he seems like an honest boy with a lot of naivety and secrets. I want some of that, too, by the way. We're gonna talk a lot, Ellie. Anyway, good luck, and I hope our partnership will be fruitful.” Mi-Yung whispered her last piece before catching up with William.

  Ellie remained skeptical about this entire ordeal, yet her expectations rose beyond this tall roof.

  She patted her cheek, hoping she was no longer blushing. “Is…this bad, or terrible? Have I been too excited? Too expectant? Is liking William a bad thing? Love is... what exactly? Just a process... of hormones, yes, and whatever else.”

  Quenching her mind over nothing was not her usual problem.

  She stopped in her tracks and calmed her frantic mind. She knew what to do with one thing, but the others were so damn heavy, she had no clue how to proceed.

  Perhaps Celeste would help against this unrest, so she caught up to her and took Hound's howl with a forced smile. At least he didn't want to snatch her nose away.

  William reached the second floor alongside Mi-Yung and wondered what she was planning to do with him and Celeste. Maybe there were no plans. Typical.