Chapter 243: Support, And Information

Rael followed after Simon as the two strolled through the mini cherry blossom forest.

He wasn’t sure what this kind of talk would be about, since these things were a total mystery to him.

After all, he couldn’t remember his parents. Just a memory fragment of his sister existed in his life, and that was all.

Still…

“Are we walking for the sake of walking, or is there something you have in mind?” Rael asked patiently.

“I’m not sure yet,” Simon replied. “I was initially thinking of having a spar with you, beating you, then scolding you or something along those lines. But after inspecting your stats, I changed my mind.”

“Inspected my stats? You can do that?” Rael asked with a raised brow.

Simon shrugged. “Being smart is only one of the many qualities that make me one of the best merchants on the continent.”

He raised a single finger. “But having a trump card is what sets us merchants apart. I can see the potential of everyone I inspect. Because of that, I am known for my good judgment of character.”

“Touché,” Rael remarked. “So what’s your judgment of me?”

“I don’t see any potential in you,” Simon replied flatly. “Not because you don’t have any, my skill just doesn’t really work on you. But your stats alone tell me that you’ve been through a lot, and I’m glad someone of your caliber is there to protect my daughter.”

A faint smile appeared on Rael’s face. “Of course.”

Rael paused, looking up at the dark sky, then back at Simon.

“So if you knew all that from the very start, then why take me out here?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t look too deep into it. I was just curious,” Simon replied. “My daughter has always been reserved, even when we had nothing. As much as I hate to say it… after she became the queen, I expected her to stay single until she reached her 50s.”

“So you thought she was too stubborn to settle down?” Rael mused. “That’s interesting… but from the way she described her childhood, I can understand why you thought that.”

“She was a happy child, but she was also hiding a sadness,” Simon continued. “Children her age were either too immature or simply had nothing in common with her… At my boutique, I taught her how to sew pretty clothes, but she went ahead and sewed herself some casual swordsmanship attire out of my most expensive materials.”

Rael chuckled. “Yep, that sounds like something Zafira would do. Did those clothes last long?”

“She ripped them up the next day,” Simon replied with a sigh as a faint smile tugged at his lips. “But… it was one of the few times I saw a genuine smile on her face. And when she was talking about you, that smile didn’t fade in the slightest.”

A warm feeling welled up inside Rael’s chest.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure her happiness lasts, even in the future,” Rael assured.

With that, the two chatted a little while longer. And of course, that chat was mostly regarding Zafira and some more embarrassing moments of her childhood.

After they were done chatting, Simon headed back to the wooden house. As for Rael, he stayed there for a few moments longer.

He walked to the side, bought himself a chair, sat on it, and waited.

A few minutes passed, which soon turned into an hour.

And as Rael stood up and prepared to leave, a voice rang out inside his mind, one that he recognized immediately.

[Hey, Rael. The fight just ended a couple hours ago. Sorry for the wait,] Alune said softly.

“It’s no problem… so, did you beat Solenne?” Rael asked.

[Of course not,] Alune replied flatly. [She’s way too strong for me to handle. I called father to deal with her. He even managed to injure her slightly. Though I’m sure those injuries will heal in the next millennia or so.]

“Right…” Rael trailed off. “So, what was all that about? Was it a coincidence the Depths were closed right before those people descended?”

[No, it wasn’t…] Alune sighed. [I had a feeling they’d find out about us soon, yet Solenne sent down the Five Seats. That meant she knew about us for a very long time now.]

“And by ‘us’, you mean the people of the Depths?” Rael asked. “On that note, she mentioned realms and all that stuff. Heaven, Hell, the Mortal World, and I believe the Void. Are you people considered to be from the Void?”

[Yes and no. We exist in the Inner Void as it’s the only place where living is possible. It’s considered an independent place, and you wouldn’t be able to find us since not many know of the Inner Void’s existence. Of course, that’s unless you know what to look for,] Alune replied truthfully. [Still, the Void is infinite in scale, and it’s also a lawless place, so the laws of the world or the universe don’t affect us.]

Rael nodded. “So you’re like Outers then?”

[When you put it that way… kind of? Not really,] Alune mumbled. [The Void is connected to all universes, so you could say we don’t exist in just one. We’re similar in that laws don’t bind us, and causality has no effect on us. It doesn’t even accumulate, so people like Solenne can’t use it against us.]

It seemed a bit too good to be true, but Rael decided to put his faith in her.

Alune seemed to catch onto his thoughts as she let out a giggle.

But as the conversation was starting to die down, Rael decided to ask the question that had been weighing on his mind ever since he met the Hollow King, Kareth.

“What exactly is this world, Alune? Who’s in charge of it, and why can they just go ahead and delete anyone they want?” Rael asked. “Same with all that universe stuff… I just don’t get it.”

A moment of silence ensued until Alune finally spoke up.

[It’s a bit difficult to explain, but I’ll simplify it,] she stated. [There exists the Will of the Universe, and the Will of the World. Both those things are similar, but slightly different…]

Alune took a deep breath and began explaining.

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