Chapter 221 – Jason

Earlier

Jason had grown sick of tasting his own blood, but he couldn’t help it. Biting his cheek was a habit he’d inadvertently picked up over the last couple of months. By now, it had grown a little out of hand.

He’d already chosen to ignore multiple calls from Deimos, afraid his boss might order him to return to the Guild. Of course, not answering was a serious offense in and of itself, but he could still play dumb later. Defying a direct order, on the other hand, wasn’t something he’d be able to downplay as easily.

‘I really hope this is the one…’ he grimaced as he continued to follow the latest trail.

Eventually, a large wooden mansion faintly appeared on the horizon, drawing his attention. And the two karmic threads were pointing straight towards it!

‘A noble House? It has to be one, right?’

This was certainly more promising than the shitty towns and fields the last couple of threads had led him to. On second thought, it wasn’t that surprising. He’d already exhausted more than half of the trails, so he just had to be getting closer to Nesha.

‘Well, unless she’s also dead.’

One possibility he hadn’t given as much thought to was one where the alchemist had murdered both of his accomplices – Percy and Nesha. Should that be the case, the threads extending out of her clothes might never lead him to his target.

‘I suppose there’s no sense in worrying about that. If that’s the case, I’m screwed anyway.’ he shrugged. ‘What province was this again? Camelot, or Sentin?’

Getting a little closer, he managed to make the insignia out, carved on several spots along the outer walls. It depicted two faces, looking away from one another. Digging through his memories, he tried to recall which families had a similar symbol.

‘Hmm…  Briareus… Cottus… Avalon?’

Jason froze in his tracks upon thinking of that last possibility. Avalon?! As in, Percival Avalon?! The dead runt?! No. That couldn’t be the case. Why would Nesha or the alchemist visit the family of their dead collaborator?

Merely avoiding their own families wouldn’t have been that strange. After all, Nesha’s House was already destroyed. The alchemist might not want to stay at a conspicuous location either. But there were so many alternatives to choose from, if they just wanted to divert attention. Why pick Percy’s House? The only possibility that made sense was that the boy was still alive.

‘Why would they even keep him around? Did they grow fond of him? Or maybe the alchemist was a relative of his to start with?’

Jason’s heart skipped a beat, as countless possibilities swirled within his mind. He still had no idea what to make of this mess, but it didn’t really matter. The odds of having finally stumbled upon something important had just shot through the roof!

Taking out the device, he was about to activate it, though he hesitated. If he contacted Deimos now, there was no going back. His superior was bound to lash out at him over his failures, and the missed calls. All would be forgiven if his current lead yielded a result, of course. But if not…

‘It’s not like I have a choice. I doubt I’ll get another chance anyway. If this one is a dead-end, I’m screwed. It’s best to know what I’m dealing with…’

Making his mind up, he opened the watch, pouring his mana into it. He barely had to wait a moment, before the other side picked the call up.

“JASON!!” a furious voice yelled, barely a second later. “If you ignore one more of my calls, I swear I’m going to skin you alive!! HOW DARE YOU DISAPPEAR FOR WEEKS ON END?!?!”

Having expected the outburst, Jason had already leaned away from the device, though the sheer fury contained therein still caused him to flinch.

“Deimos, just shut up and listen! None of that matters! I think I’ve got some real results this time!” he hurriedly said, before his boss had a chance to interrupt him again.

Deimos remained silent for a few seconds, letting his words sink in. When he next spoke, he did so far more calmly, some cautious optimism inadvertently spilling into his voice.

“If you’re lying to me, I’ll give you exactly one chance to reconsider.” he grumbled through gritted teeth.

“Look. I can’t be 100% sure, ok? But I’m confident in this one. The thread has led me to House Avalon.” Jason doubled down. “Can you check if there’s anyone else in the Guild from that family? Besides the Red-born, I mean.”

Deimos hung up without saying anything. It wasn’t until about an hour later that he called Jason again.

“Nobody. House Avalon hasn’t sent anybody else here in decades.”

“I see. Well, Nesha has to be around, otherwise her clothes wouldn’t have brought me here. Percy has to be too, as nothing else makes sense. I don’t know if the alchemist is with them, but I’ll make them spill his whereabouts out regardless.”

***

Activating his Karmic Vision, Jason saw the threads were already on the move. He wasn’t deterred in the slightest, however, his lips only parting into a grin. The fact that they’d chosen to run away as soon as he arrived could only mean that he was correct.

‘Run then. As far as you can. You won’t escape this time.’

He could chase after them right away, though he’d rather speak to the family’s leader first – to gauge the House’s stance on the culprits. It was the Divine Root’s protocol to do so in cases like this, to not give their adversaries a chance to come up with believable excuses.

‘I’ve missed doing my job properly so damn much…’

As for his targets, they were no longer of any concern. He’d only need a couple hours to catch up to them, now that he’d singled out the correct threads.

Resting one leg over the other, he leaned back, sinking into the couch. This was the first time he was able to relax in years. Ignoring the hushed whispers of the local nobles, he patiently waited for the Violet to arrive.

“Forgive me for the delay.” a bald man said, stepping into the hall. “You’ve chosen a rather strange day to visit. You see, we’re expecting the emissary of the Divine Order to arrive.”

“Oh? Is that today?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

So long had he been on the move, he hadn’t even registered the passage of time. Not that he was particularly concerned with the lotus. The petals weren’t even compatible with his affinity.

“You must be Archibald, then?” he asked again with a shrug after not getting a reply to his last question.

The man nodded, before speaking.

“I won’t presume to know what matter was important enough to bring the Divine Root to our doorsteps, but I’ll do my best to entertain you.”

“Really now?” Jason asked nonchalantly. “Why do I have this sneaking suspicion you know exactly what I’m here for?”

Archibald remained silent, however.

“Fine. I’ll play along. I’m looking for Nesha Veritas. And Percival of your House. I know they were here just minutes ago, so don’t even try to pretend otherwise. I’m sure at least one of your relatives will crumble under the slightest bit of pressure.” Jason said, gesturing at the other nobles.

“Did you come into my home to threaten me, boy?!” the powerful Violet hissed.

At the same time, a suffocating domain descended upon Jason, pressing him into the pillows. The latter’s smile only widened, however. He could sense the old man was holding back a great deal. No way his domain was weaker than Deimos’s. Naturally, he just didn’t dare harm a single hair on his head. And they both knew it.

“Threatening you isn’t quite as serious a crime as inhibiting the Divine Root’s official investigation. Or would you like to personally explain to the gods of the Divine Order why everyone on Remior is still drinking the regular elixirs, after all this time?”

The man’s features softened as he withdrew his domain. The fury in his face all but evaporated, replaced by some unconcealed concern.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you deny the two people I’ve mentioned were here? Or that they came here from the Alchemists’ Guild?”

Archibald appeared to ponder the questions for a few seconds.

“I do not. It’s true my grandson used to be in the Guild. He left our house years ago, of his own accord, after we denied him the elixirs he needed for his growth. A rather common story on Remior, is it not?”

“You do know the Guild has been on lockdown since Hermes’s message, right?”

“Naturally. Percy claimed he’d left months before the incident. You can’t really blame me for believing him either. Are you telling me a young low-born like him somehow got involved in such a grand matter? Or that he managed to slip through the Guild’s perimeter without anybody finding him for years?”

Jason could smell something fishy going on. Archibald’s words made sense, but he couldn’t shake the impression the man had intentionally delayed meeting with him, buying time for his grandson to escape.

‘Well, if either of them knew of my affinity, they wouldn’t have counted on that.’ he struggled to suppress a smirk.

For now, his best bet was to get the man to implicate himself further.

“What about the girl? Didn’t you question where your grandson picked her up? Also, was there a third person with them?”

Archibald furrowed his brow, appearing to seriously ponder the questions.

“It was just the two of them. Of course I asked Percy about his girlfriend. Our House is in the middle of a war right now. We can’t let outsiders join willy nilly. Honestly, I didn’t even know she was a noble. They both showed up in filthy rags, claiming she was a commoner he’d met in some town.”

“You understand how serious the repercussions will be if you’re lying to me, right?” Jason asked.

“Do you take me for a fool? I’ve lived dozens of times longer than you, boy.” Archibald stared him in the eyes, completely unfazed. If he was lying, he was good at it. “This is the first I’m hearing of my grandson’s involvement in this matter. House Avalon had nothing to do with this. We’ll fully cooperate with your investigation.”

Glancing around at his relatives, Archibald then raised his voice for all to hear.

“From now on, Percy is excommunicated from the family, until such time as the Divine Root determines his innocence. If he tries to contact any of you, you are to arrest him on sight, and deliver him straight to me. His girlfriend too.”

Jason shrugged. This hadn’t been particularly helpful. Guilty or not, the old fox clearly knew to say all the right words. Either way, it didn’t matter. The fate of House Avalon was something for his superiors to decide. His only remaining responsibility was to capture the culprits. Then, he could finally wash his hands of this nonsense.

Leaving the mansion, he activated his ocular technique once more, pinpointing the conspicuous threads he’d identified earlier. They’d already travelled a few degrees to the north, probably varying their paths to ditch him.

‘A bunch of fools.’

Such tactics might have worked on anybody else, but not him. Against a karma user, their best bet had been to escape in a straight line, prioritizing distance above all else. Not that it would have made much of a difference, though. At most, it would have bought them another hour or two.

Cracking his neck, he sped after them, eager to finally get his hands on the bastards that had screwed with him for so fucking long…