Chapter 350: Difficult Decision

Atlas remained silent for a long time, his mind continuing to calculate the consequences of his current situation and the reasons that had led him here. After considering everything, he came to understand that even if he had never accompanied Melina to her world or engaged in a battle with that woman, he would eventually have encountered beings like the Weimbrons.

His involvement in those events might have brought the danger closer, but the existence of such powerful beings meant that he could never avoid them forever.

His thoughts also drifted toward the ash-bodied man and the stone-like creature who had attacked him. They, too, had claimed that Seraphiel was special and had wanted to take her away, and remembering that they were merely Avatars made Atlas pause again.

If even Avatars of higher beings had shown such an interest in Seraphiel, then the danger surrounding her was beyond anything he had imagined. The man standing before him didn’t interrupt his thoughts, understanding that Atlas was facing a difficult decision.

Atlas turned his eyes toward Seraphiel, his hands brushing against her face once again. His lips pressed together as he confronted his inability to do anything about the situation in front of him. He knew that if he refused the man’s proposal, the man would simply leave without harming anyone, but the Weimbrons would eventually make their move to kill him and take Seraphiel.

He couldn’t ignore that possibility, especially when he had no idea when they might act or what they were planning.

’Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!’ He cursed inwardly before forcing himself to calm down. After a moment, he turned toward the man again and asked, "How can I trust you?" The man smiled at his response and replied, "It’s good that you’re cautious, but... you need to trust me based on my words alone, because nothing in the entire Galaxy can bind beings like us through a contract or oath."

He paused and stepped forward before placing his hand on Atlas’s shoulder. "But you already trust me to some extent, don’t you? After all, I’ve allowed you to keep that Logic Alteration ability active all this time. You know I’m not lying, don’t you?" Atlas’s eyes widened in horror as he realized that the man had been able to see through his ability without any apparent difficulty.

The revelation made him question whether Metadata Axiom, which had served as such an unusual advantage, was meaningless in the presence of beings like this man.

"Let me confirm one thing, and you can judge my words through that ability of yours." The man removed his hand from Atlas’s shoulder and waved it casually. "I will not harm you, this girl, or anyone else in this world, even if you refuse my proposal. However, I won’t protect you either if you choose to refuse." His words were direct, leaving Atlas to make his decision without any threat of immediate retaliation from the man himself.

The moment Atlas heard that, his widened eyes relaxed slightly, and his gaze shifted toward Seraphiel. ’Until I become stronger... I’m unable to live peacefully, huh?’ The realization finally dawned on him, making him wonder why he hadn’t understood it earlier.

He had spent so much time focusing on the enemies directly in front of him that he had failed to fully recognize how vast the world beyond them truly was.

’I’m a small fish in a massive ocean right now.’ That was how he interpreted his situation. ’I might have become arrogant without realizing it. Just because I could kill a Sovereign and those two powerful beings... I thought I was strong, but in actuality, I’m still weak.’ He clenched his fist as he continued thinking, finally accepting that his previous victories didn’t mean he could protect everything he cared about against every possible threat.

’I need to get stronger, for both my own sake and Seraphiel’s. If she dies... I will not just lose all meaning to my life, I will...lose her, my whole world. I can never let that happen.’ With that determination, Atlas finally turned toward the man and nodded, "I accept your proposal, but I want you to keep one thing in mind."

"If you or a single person in this Conclave harms Seraphiel, I will kill them regardless of the circumstances." The man stared at Atlas’s serious expression as he continued speaking. "Even if you say you won’t harm her but later change your mind and do something to her, I swear you will regret it. I don’t care whether you’re at the pinnacle of the Galaxy or not."

Atlas’s eyes remained fixed on the man, carrying a deep and unwavering determination that left no room for misunderstanding. The man observed those intense eyes and thought to himself, ’Well, well. He’s a good person... at least when it comes to his partner.’

With that thought, the man nodded and replied, "Alright, I understand what you mean. And as I said, if I were to kill her or do anything to her, it would ruin the Conclave’s purpose entirely. So it’s in our best interests to protect her rather than get involved in meaningless conflicts." Atlas nodded at his answer, and after exhaling a long breath, he extended his hand first.

Although he still couldn’t fully understand the man’s intentions, he had decided to accept the proposal while making his own position clear.

The man looked at Atlas’s outstretched hand before extending his own. As they shook hands, he spoke again, "Now that we’ve settled the matter, I should introduce myself." He paused briefly before continuing, "I am the Third Pillar of the Conclave, Oriendar Jester."

Atlas heard the name, but nothing happened, and he had expected it to echo or cause some unusual reaction, similar to what had happened when he heard the names of the three beings from the Conclave in Frostars whom he had met previously.

Nevertheless, Atlas didn’t dwell on the matter and simply nodded. "I am Atlas Mariorett." Oriendar nodded in response and said, "Well, I already knew your name and everyone you’re associated with. That’s one of the privileges you gain once you reach our level."

Atlas arched an eyebrow at the statement, but before he could ask anything further, he noticed that his surroundings had already returned to their original state. Even his position had returned to where it had been, with Seraphiel still held securely in his arms.

"As I already know what’s happening in this world, I’ll send my people to take all of you to our base of operations once that Veil wears off. For now, I don’t think this projection of mine can maintain itself here any longer." Atlas watched as Oriendar’s entire figure began fading away after those final words.

A moment later, time snapped back to its normal state, and the world continued moving as though nothing unusual had happened.

Seraphiel’s warm figure remained close to him as Atlas wrapped his arms around her even more tightly. She looked at him, noticing that he was behaving as though he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon, and a small smile appeared on her face.

She closed her eyes and hugged him back, her earlier embarrassment having completely vanished despite the fact that her parents were still looking at them. For the moment, she seemed content to remain in his arms without worrying about anything else.

However, while they continued clinging to each other, something suddenly occurred to Seraphiel. Her smile changed into a small grin, and her right eye snapped open as her pupil began to glow. In the next moment, both Atlas and Seraphiel appeared high up in the sky, away from their previous position.

Seraphiel pulled back from Atlas’s tight embrace and looked at his confused expression, knowing that he had obviously sensed her using her ability to move them.

"Atlas, I-I want you to say something..." Atlas looked at her awkward expression and asked calmly, "What is it, Sera?" The moment he called her by that name, Seraphiel blushed deeply and hurriedly spoke up.

"Wh-What? Why are you calling me by that name?" Atlas became confused by her reaction and answered, "I heard your mother call you that and decided to use it. Don’t you like it?"

Seraphiel blushed even more as she muttered inwardly, ’W-W-W-Wait! When did he become such a sweet talker?! N-No! Atlas wasn’t like this!!!’ She could only wonder what had changed about him, as she hadn’t expected such a straightforward response from Atlas.

Before she could think about it any further, his voice reached her again, pulling her attention back to the reason she had brought them up into the sky, "Anyways, what is it you wanted me to say?"

In an instant, Seraphiel came out of her reverie and gulped before speaking. "R-Repeat after me, alright?" She lowered her head as she said that, seemingly struggling to gather the courage to continue.

Then, she suddenly lifted her head and shouted awkwardly, "I-I love you, Atlas!"