134 Recreation

Sebastian tapped his finger on his desk repeatedly. He had his eyes closed as he tried to remember what he had seen in detail.

'A stigma in the form of a beast…'

Because of Merlin and Balanos' words, he knew that he was the only one who had a stigma in the world, but that didn't mean he was the only one who could wield one.

Even if he's the only one now, who's to say that there won't be another in the future?

While he wouldn't have minded years ago, he finally realized the true potential of the stigma. It wasn't a simple tattoo that allowed him to use a variety of skills, it was a strategic weapon.

If he wanted to create a giant explosion, then he would just have to imagine making one. If he wanted to soar through the skies, he could will it. If he wanted to flip mountains, he could do so if he had enough power.

It was unlike the limited abilities of Inheritors. So long as his mind could imagine it and the stigma could support it, he would be able to use it.

'I'm one thing, but what if the next person who wields a stigma doesn't have a sense of morality?'

If that person were to slaughter everyone in their path and focus on getting power, nothing would be able to stop them.

"Umm… Sebastian?"

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Sebastian's eyes focused and he could see Serena looking at him.

"What is it?"

"Hound is looking for you… are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking of some things."

Sebastian stood up and walked to the door.

"Umm…"

Sebastian turned his head. Serena was looking at him worriedly. It was rare for her to see him spacing out as she rarely accompanied him on missions so she probably felt as if something was wrong.

'Though, there actually is…'

"It's nothing…"

Serena decided to let it go and released Sebastian.

Though, she couldn't stop giving him some worried glances from behind.

…

"You look horrible."

Sebastian looked tiredly at Euphea. She was wearing a mask and a hood, but he was all too familiar with what she looked like.

"Is something bothering you? You look like a tired soldier who just survived three days defending in a siege not knowing when the next attack will be."

"Isn't that too specific?"

"I'm basing it on experiences," Euphea shrugged and placed the cup of tea she had back on the table.

"Miss Luna has been causing a great deal of trouble recently."

"..."

"In her search for you, she's taken an audience with me several times to wish for permission to investigate Blue Rose. Though, at the very least, she hasn't gone crazy. If Blue Rose weren't to take too kindly to her investigations, then they might abandon the whole kingdom altogether, so I managed to stop her."

"And, I'm guessing that I'm going to have to provide her a trail now?"

"You catch on really fast," Euphea chuckled. "A far cry from the past you."

She took a dagger and threw it at one of the maps on the walls. Sebastian followed its trajectory and saw it land in a city he was all too familiar with.

"I'd like you to show yourself in Tidas, and cause a small commotion as well."

"Is there any other reason it has to be there? Couldn't I go further?"

In the past four years, the production of long-distance communication items has been on the rise. Now, it was possible to contact someone in Aurora from somewhere as far as Typhonia.

If Sebastian could find someone who would be able to report his location to Amy, then she'd be off Blue Rose's back for a few months at the least.

"Wisteria has an assignment for you there as well. I wasn't told the specifics, but she said that you've already taken it. Revealing yourself there is just killing two birds with one stone."

"Alright, I'll go and ask Wisteria. When's the best time I should go?"

"Preferably, next week. It would be too much of a stretch to see you show yourself immediately. Make sure the way you'll be seen is believable too."

"Understood."

As Sebastian left Euphea in the room and closed the door, he began to contemplate.

'I'll be returning in a little more than a month and a half, I'll start on Euphea's task next week—'

As Sebastian continued calculating what he needed to do for the rest of his time, he paused and looked outside the window.

"What… is that?"

…

At the same time.

"...The moon?"

Mile frowned.

"It's supposed to be midday. Why would the moon appear now?"

"That is not the moon."

Balanos appeared beside Mile and spoke.

"That is the thing which we should fear the most. The All-Seeing Eye."

"'The All-Seeing Eye', isn't that too much for a name? I don't see anything resembling an eye.���

"It has yet to open. 'On the day the stars align, all shall be revealed. None shall escape the prying sky, for it is the All-Seeing Eye.' It was a poem—a legend that originated from the distant past."

"On the day the stars align… Could it be referring to the Celestial Alignment?"

Balanos held out her hand and a green light illuminated their surroundings.

"Once every twenty years, the stars align perfectly. It may only last for a few seconds, but it is when the power of the God everyone speaks of is at its peak."

The green light changed. It took the shape of the moon in the sky and then a slit appeared horizontally in the middle. The eye slowly opened and Mile felt a chill run down her spine. Under the eye's gaze, she felt like her everything was laid bare. Her mind's deepest darkest secrets were being explored without a single barrier blocking its attempts.

Balanos then closed the eye and Mile fell down on the floor. Her breath was rough and her sweat was falling down on the ground in drops.

It was just a few seconds, but Mile felt like it lasted hours.

"That is a replication of the power of the eye. The real one will be far stronger."

Mile took a second to catch her breath and stood up.

"Why did it appear? Didn't you tell me that the God is already gone?"

"Supposed to be gone. Even I don't know if he's truly disappeared. But…"

Balanos looked into the distance.

"Is it aiming for Sebastian?"

"I believe so."

Mile's frown became deeper.

"What will happen if he's seen?"

"...unless he has the power of a Sage at that time, he will not survive the investigation."

"Unless he has the power of a Sage..."

It was impossible for him to become a Sage in such a short amount of time. Mile had seen the Celestial Alignment once in the past, and in a few months, it would appear once again.

"Are you sure he has to become a Sage by that time?"

"No, there's another way. Sebastian."

"...Yeah?"

Sebastian was taken aback. He had just arrived through the portal but Balanos spotted him before he could even go through. Mile looked surprised as well.

'Even though I worked so hard in concealing my presence...'

He didn't know if Balanos was just very attuned to finding hidden threats or if his training was lacking against a Magus, but he never seemed to be able to hide from her.

"How far have you gotten with training it?"

"Not much... I'm still at the peak of the first stage."

"Then, there's no helping it. Seek out Merlin, he's the only one that can help you now."

"What do you mean?"

Balanos pointed at the sky then turned her eyes back at Sebastian.

"In a few months, that will become an eye and it will kill you. If you had managed to reach the final stage of the technique then you may have been able to survive... However, it is too late. Merlin is the only chance we have."

"Isn't that simple? I'll just sneak through the shadows."

Mile chuckled. Sebastian looked at her in confusion.

"Haven't you heard? Everything related to you is being closely monitored. Your old dorm room, your friends, everyone. With the exception of me, everyone and everything is under surveillance. I doubt even a rat could go to the academy unnoticed. That girl's obsession is frightening."

"How could she lock down an academy? And for this long, that would take an enormous amount of resources..."

"Exactly, frightening. The academy's even more guarded than the royal palace."

During the past few years, Mile had gone out of the forest to accompany Sebastian to many places. Aurora was one of them, and she took the time to inspect the city—something that Sebastian was reluctant to do.

Luckily, her face wasn't known among the common populace as during battles, she wore a helmet that concealed everything but part of her face.

Save for the higher-ups of the various kingdoms who knew of her, to anyone else, she was just a pretty face with great fighting skills—a common sight. And, as there were no posters of her to spread around, even if Amy could identify her, nobody else could.

"There's no need to worry about the academy, Merlin is no longer there."

Sebastian knit his brows and waited for Balanos to continue.

If Merlin was no longer at the academy, then how would they be able to search for him? Merlin was far from an ordinary person, and he even had powers beyond that of Inheritors. Even if Sebastian scoured the entire world, he might not be able to find a single trace.

"I'm well aware that it's foolish to even attempt finding him. If we can't find him, then isn't there a simpler way?"

Balanos stared at Sebastian and waited for an answer.

"...To summon him instead?"

Balanos nodded lightly and held out her hand. Sebastian took that as a signal to grasp it and all of a sudden, memories popped into his head. It wasn't just one or two, there were dozens. Sebastian even blacked out for a moment but managed to regain himself before he fell down.

Once the memories stopped pouring in, Sebastian sighed.

"Please try and give me a warning next time. If I hadn't trained my mind, I would've fainted."

Ignoring Sebastian's pleas, Balanos continued.

"This is the ability that you're going to recreate. The power of contracts, summoning."