Chapter 55: The one and only salvation

There existed a neutral zone right along the border between the Slums and Central. It was the kind of place that could be called a luxury district by Slums standards, and an underground district by Central’s.

That area served as the hub for extravagant vices like gambling, auctions, and all sorts of illegal shops operating freely, so long as you had the money to spend.

And within that Neutral Zone stood an abandoned warehouse, typically occupied by homeless drifters who had no intention of ever returning to the Slums.

That was where the meeting was set, right at night, with the moon hanging high in a sky scattered with stars.

Ariel stared at the warehouse in front of him, alone, then, without a shred of hesitation, stepped forward and pushed open the warehouse door.

A crisp creak echoed through the silence as the door swung open, revealing the interior. Several worn, collapsed wooden crates were scattered about, cardboard boxes strewn everywhere, while in the center of the room stood a table, lit by a softly flickering candle, barely illuminating the warehouse at all.

Around that table stood three figures, and one seated in a chair.

Those standing were clearly subordinates, while the one seated was the leader, but Ariel felt a flicker of unease looking at a girl standing there, her eyes covered with a blindfold.

’What are they doing bringing a blind girl here?’

Despite the darkness, Ariel could still make out her silhouette. He felt a bit puzzled, but decided to brush it off, stepping forward, pulling out the chair in front of him, and smiling.

"So, this must be you all, right? Good evening."

The man across from him, the leader himself, looked like a relaxed sort, his face marked with scars, his build unremarkable, though enough for Ariel to recognize him as a seasoned hunter.

"I’m Wilson."

"You can call me Ariel. So, what exactly are we discussing here? Why do you all worship the ’White Glove,’ assuming we’re talking about the same person, or is there something I’m not aware of here?"

Ariel spoke calmly, every sentence measured and carefully considered. Meanwhile, the man across from him hesitated for a moment.

Before Wilson could answer, a faint golden flicker passed through Ariel’s eyes, unnoticed by anyone in the darkness.

"To us... he is the god we worship. The one and only salvation that will save this world from its inevitable ruin."

"Hmm..."

’Nothing more than a bunch of fanatical idiots, huh?’ Ariel couldn’t quite wrap his head around what these people were thinking.

But so far, maybe they really were talking about a different person entirely. Because Ariel’s own savior was, fundamentally, just a human, an extraordinarily capable human, sure, but still just a man.

"I see. Mind if I ask something?"

Wilson nodded at Ariel’s request. They didn’t seem the least bit surprised by it, after all, there was a clear reason Ariel could afford to be this bold. Even though he’d come alone like this, in truth, right now, hidden in the darkness, Ariel’s own guards had followed close behind, tucked within the shadows.

Neither side acted recklessly, since from the start, there was no real conflict between the two parties. If they couldn’t find common ground, well, then this conversation would simply end here.

Returning to the main topic, Ariel studied Wilson in silence before saying:

"What’s your position within this cult?"

"What kind of question is that?" Wilson looked genuinely surprised, his expression briefly forming into an awkward yet relaxed smile. "Isn’t it obvious?"

Ariel nodded. "It’s obvious you’re clearly not the leader. Your body’s showing far too much anxiety, worried your lie might get exposed. Even if you’re acting relaxed, you can’t make your body follow along the same way."

Ariel smirked, and behind his gaze, tinted with that golden glint, he could see Wilson tense up on the spot, breaking into cold sweat, a strained smile still on the man’s face, though he shut his eyes as if surrendering.

"So, who’s the actual leader here?" Ariel glanced at the first subordinate, then shifted to the second, and finally settled on the last one, the girl, smiling.

"It’s definitely you."

"..."

Silence took over the building for a moment. The night felt colder than usual tonight, cold enough that Ariel found it faintly amusing watching the girl, apparently wrapped in layer upon layer of clothing, only her face visible beneath that distinctive blindfold.

Her hair, it turned out, was blonde, and Ariel noted that she looked genuinely beautiful and adorable, bundled up like that.

"Hehe."

Then came a small, amused laugh as the girl turned toward him with a smile. She took a step forward, while Wilson suddenly rose from his seat to assist her.

The girl sat down, taking Wilson’s former place, confirming Ariel’s guess had been correct, that she was indeed the leader.

"Just as expected," she said, her voice carrying a relaxed tone, yet impossibly gentle and pleasant to listen to. "How is it you’re this sharp, despite still being a child?"

Ariel’s face scrunched up. "I’m not a child."

"Ah, yes, of course," the girl nodded, her lips twitching, clearly amused by his sudden defensiveness.

After that, she didn’t waste any more time and got straight to the point. "What’s the actual name of the person you’re referring to as the White Glove?"

Ariel’s answer would essentially decide everything here. Once he named his savior, it would determine whether they were talking about the exact same person.

"...Julian, it’s Lord Julian Clair."

The girl’s smile widened, her cheeks flushing red. Ariel, watching closely with his golden eyes, felt his brow furrow, a chill crawling across his entire body, cold sweat soaking through him instantly.

’What’s wrong with this girl?’

Through that observation, Ariel could tell, she wasn’t simply fanatical, she’d reached a level so extreme it edged into genuinely dangerous territory.

Ariel felt his heart pound as he parted his lips. "So it’s the same person, then?"

The girl’s expression had already made that clear. Ariel didn’t need any further confirmation and continued, "So, what exactly is this collaboration you’re proposing here?"

The girl "looked" at Ariel, her smile subdued. "You’re struggling to expand the reach of your information network, aren’t you? Because there’s no way you could possibly cover the entire Slums on your own."

"Which is exactly why I’m offering you help. In fact, we could even try building a network within Central itself, on just one condition, never stop worshiping that man."

’Crazy person.’

A forced smile appeared on Ariel’s face. He found himself struggling for a moment, especially thinking about how this problem the girl had just described was something he’d never mentioned to anyone else at all.

The exact issue of not knowing how to expand his information network further without drawing the attention of territorial powers.

So how exactly did this girl know about it?

Ariel understood one thing clearly now, this cult wasn’t just unusual, they might genuinely be insane.

’Should I actually agree to work with them?’

Even given that oddly specific condition, Ariel didn’t mind it in the slightest, because that man was his savior, the one who’d brought Ariel to where he stood today.

So, before answering this proposal, he wanted to ask something first.

"Why? Why do you all worship him like he’s some kind of god?"

The question hung in the air, and even the girl’s own subordinates glanced toward her, as though they too wanted to know the answer.

Their body language said it all.

Ariel felt his heart pound, but the girl simply tilted her head. "What would change if you knew? Well, I won’t say anything, besides, eventually, you’ll come to understand it yourself, in time."

"That he is the one and only salvation."

The girl rose to her feet, and with her subordinate’s help, began walking slowly past Ariel, who stood there in complete silence, utterly confused.

Watching her about to leave, Ariel let out a small sigh. Then, their footsteps stopped, making Ariel turn, finding the girl had turned back toward him.

"Oh, right, you want to get into an academy, don’t you? It’ll be hard for you to get into a good one in Central. But I can help you get into a different academy instead, I’ll let you know later."

Then, after a brief pause, the girl seemed to notice that Ariel might be genuinely shaken by just how much she knew about him.

And how could he not be?

Ariel had indeed been planning to enter that academy, true, but he’d never once mentioned that to a single soul.

So, how?

"Don’t think too hard about it. You might have plenty of information about the present, but I have plenty of information from... well, the future, I suppose."

With those words, the girl finally left, leaving Ariel standing alone.

Ariel stood there in complete silence, feeling a headache coming on, finally raking his hands through his hair.

"What was that about? Information from the future? Is she some kind of fortune teller or something? Absolute nonsense."

From the shadows, four figures emerged, all of them Ariel’s own people.

"What are you going to do, Ariel?"

"...Let’s wait and see how things play out first. For now, let’s head back."