Chapter 23 - Objective: Survive The Argonaut

As he traversed the halls, he could feel the man's breath reach the back of his neck as he followed close behind him. He felt like running but at the same time, his body felt stiffened with fear. Stopping in front of a completely random door, he decided he needed to take a bet.

He grasped the door handle, placing every ounce of hope he had that it was unlocked--it opened.

Inside the room, it seemed to be a private lounge for reading. What truly mattered is that there were two seats. He let out a sigh of relief before standing to the side to let the man in first.

The walls were lined with bookshelves stocked full of books, it seemed to be a room older than the rest. There was little lightning besides a small fire that seemed to be supplied by a continuous magic spell just like the lantern in his room. The compactness of the lounge room would normally make for a comfortable setting, but now it forced him in a close environment with the eccentric Argonaut.

--I'll take what I can get. He closed his eyes for a moment before sitting down in the chair across from Rouge.

The room fell silent as the man stared at him for what felt like an eternity without blinking once. He nearly jumped out of his seat as the door to the room closed on its own, all while Rouge continued to sit there with an unwavering gaze and smile.

"Do you understand the reason for my visit here, Ren?" Rouge asked his first question, crossing one leg over the other as he got comfortable in his chair.

"Not exactly," It wasn't a full lie--but he didn't feel like speaking of "otherworld" entities if he didn't have to.

"Well, you're at least aware of what my job is as an Argonaut, correct?" Rouge smiled at him.

"To find otherworlders."

"To kill otherworlders," Rouge corrected him as his tone dropped.

As soon as the word "kill" left the man's lips, he could feel the constant aura of bloodlust spike up--flickering through Rouge's irises of blood. It was the first time setting his eyes on someone he recognized as a true killer, not one made by the act of self-defense or out of war, but for the pure satisfaction of it. That bloodlust he carried so naturally came with what Ren could only guess was a heavy amount of experience, emanating a charismatic joy from his own smile yet singing of death from his eyes.

--Does he already know it's me? How--? Did I give it away just from my nervousness? He began to sweat.

"So how long have you been with the Althaus estate, Ren?" Rouge rested his chin against the top of his hands. Each word rolled off of the man's tongue in a maniacal elegance as he watched closely.

"About a month…"

"I see," Rouge's smile lowered into a neutral expression, "then tell me, have you met any otherworlders in this estate?"

Ren fell quiet as he attempted to gather his thoughts, although it was easier said than done with Rouge's soulful gaze watching him intently. Finally, he slowly shook his head in response to the question, leaving the enigmatic man with a playful frown before shifting back into a wide smile.

"I'm going to test you to see if you're an otherworlder or not--don't worry, it's just common practice when investigating. Since you're a new figure to me--I have to keep my suspicions," Rouge assured him with a smile that screamed of falsity.

"Sure…"

"Here's your first question then that I'd like you to answer: what is the name of the founding hero of Mastorn?" Rouge raised a finger as he asked his question.

Awaiting the answer to his little game of trivia, the man held such a smile that would likely haunt him for days to come. In that bright grin, he was unapproachable, almost inhuman, clearly only driven by how own sense of fun.

"Elias," He answered confidently.

Rouge spread his arms and smiled wide, "Bingo! Correct! See, not so hard, is it?"

Despite guessing right, his heart didn't cease the relentless pounding against his chest. He got lucky with that topic--but he wasn't counting on that luck to continue.

"My next question--what is the name of the current ruling king of Mastorn?" Rouge spoke in a serious tone, "This is quite an easy one!"

With just one simple question--his heart sank into the pit of despair that was his stomach. Of all the things, the most simple concept to learn, the one name of all he should know--he didn't know. Before he opened his mouth to give his best guess, the door suddenly opened.

Standing in the doorway were a pair of men that for once were a sight for sore eyes--Althaus and Norbert. For a second, he caught the nobleman glaring daggers into Rouge before shifting into a welcoming smile.

"Apologies, sir--I was preoccupied with some important business. I hope my gardener here gave you fine company," Althaus entered the room, standing between the Argonaut and Ren.

--Me? The gardener? I don't know how that is believable in the slightest, but alright. Ren was both confused and relieved.

"No complaints here, he is a funny fellow," Rouge chuckled before standing up, adjusting his dark coat.

The two men shared a brief laugh before the room fell silent again. Althaus walked over to Norbert, whispering something to his ear before the skyscraper of a butler escorted Ren out of the room without so much as a word.

"What's going on?" Ren waited to ask until they were out of ear-shot distance from the room.

"The lord has made a noble decision," Norbert said sternly without looking at him, "We must see to it we follow through with his desire."

"And that is…?"

"For you to live," Norbert affirmed.

He fell silent as he followed the butler through the manor in a quick step. The air became intense as words were seldom spoken by the stern butler. They entered an interior courtyard that was set within the mansion--something he hadn't seen before. A large display of stained glass overlooked the pocket of nature, shining a warming ray of sunlight down on them.

"What is this place? Where are we going?" Ren asked, now confused as he stepped through the courtyard--finding the idea of walking through trees while inside a building to be almost mind-numbing.

"The library," Norbert answered before stopping in the middle of the tucked-away courtyard.

Before he could get time to process that answer, the butler circled his index finger through the air--forming some sort of circular seal formed of blue and white light. Soon, the space within the circle shifted before turning into a tall wooden door, engraved with an array of unknown symbols.