Thinking about a plan was easier said than done.
Several factors were involved and several variables to be avoided. All in all, to Asher, thinking of an elaborate plan for the first time was nothing but a pain in the ass.
This was not due to the fact that he had never done any planning; rather, it was the opposite. From the moment of his awakening, Asher had done nothing but plan for survival, for his own and for everyone around him.
But they sadly never worked in his favor… As he always remained the last man standing.
All his plans were made on the spot on the battlefield and executed immediately on the spot as well. So, this was a refreshing experience. To use his powers like this felt right, as if he was finally starting to become whole once again.
'But I hope it works well.'
Last night, when those three monkeys had left, I was there as well. Invisible to their eyes. Following that, I had made the effort to follow them to their base of operation.
And managed to get all the necessary details needed from there with the agreement documents.
The guild oversees all the pacts and documents with Temple as their backing.
Not following an agreement signed in the temple was the same as disregarding the goddess's authority. Well, these pacts were costly as well; many also tended to use the pacts and agreements overseen by the kingdoms they lived in.
'I wonder who people generally trust more. The Temple or Kingdom?'
Anyway, it does not matter…
"Sir, are you listening?"
The woman sitting in front of me asked. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, as she was wearing a blue tunic, unlike the last time I had seen her.
"Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought… What were you saying again, Mrs. Receptionist?"
She sighed, and her hands moved to grab her purse as she took out a white envelope.
'Need to try harder, Betty.' She whispered to herself and smiled in my direction before pushing the envelope towards me.
"I had come to deliver this letter especially to you, sir."
'Oh, I had completely forgotten I was supposed to get a letter in return as well.'
Taking the letter in my hand, I nodded hesitantly.
"Thank you, but do receptionists generally tend to deliver letters? Doesn't it have a separate job post?" I asked her in concern.
Her smile cracked as she avoided my gaze.
Fanning her face, she answered back.
"Ahaha, a postman would normally deliver letters. But since I knew you and was planning to visit this restaurant today already, I thought I should do it myself."
I raised my brow in confusion but didn't question her back and simply nodded my head in her direction.
"I see… Thank you."
Her smile beamed as she nodded enthusiastically.
"No problem!"
Silence…
An awkward silence followed between us, as I found myself troubled on what to do next. She and I were not close enough for me to be my usual self.
"Um, anyway, I didn't catch your name. What was it again?" I asked, hoping to not let the conversation die weirdly between us.
Her eyes widened as she smacked her lips and hastily answered back.
"Betty! My name is Betty. How rude of me to not even introduce myself."
Betty's face was red, as she truly felt embarrassment hit her like a train. She bit her lips and muttered under her breath. 'I have gone crazy. Truly crazy. This is why people tell me not to talk with myself this much!'
I listened to her quietly, and even though she was saying everything in a small whisper, her words were long enough for me to detect.
With a soft chuckle, I got her attention and told her gently in a calm voice. "Don't worry, Miss Betty. I also am a habitual repeater of the same habit."
Hearing my words, she froze; her gaze fell to look at the table. Then in a small mumble she asked. "...Was I mumbling to myself again?"
'Yes, yes. You were telling your history as well'.
I thought, but trying to keep her dignity intact, I gently shook my head.
"Not much, just a little…"
"You don't sound confident in your words." She smiled bashfully and answered back.
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.
'There was no point in keeping this conversation long.'
It was a rude thing to say, but truly I could use this time to discuss my plan with Castor right now.
I was grateful to her for bringing my letter. But this was a duty she had taken by her own choice.
"Oh, anyway, did you hear about the weird case of last week?" She asked.
My face hardened for a moment, but I quickly assessed she was not talking about me. I have hardly done anything big these days. The last big thing I had done publicly was beat that redhead, and he was just an awakener.
Even Elric won't care about such small details.
"No, I have not heard anything about any weird cases." I replied, keeping my voice collected and calm.
She nodded and leaned back before crossing her arms.
"Last week, a request was posted to the guild. It was not some grand quest. But something trivial regarding taking care of an old lady for a few days."
'Ah, I saw that request!'
It had totally left my mind. I had thought before to even check it out, but in the end never got the time to do so.
Seeing Asher nod, Betty continued, "A woman had accepted that request, and according to the details and testimony,. The old woman she had to take care of was a very famous actress in the past. She had won several awards in her lifetime as well and amassed a lot of wealth."
"Wait? If it's from someone's testimony, then does that mean this information was not public on request?" I asked.
'If the old woman was rich, why did her son put the request on guild? He could have hired a nurse directly.'
Betty nodded and tapped her arm. "Exactly! We knew nothing about her except small details. She was an actress of the past, so it was also not a topic for secrecy."
"I see." I nodded, understanding her meaning.
I could only make a single conclusion from this.
'The old woman was dead… and it was sadly not a natural death.'
Sigh…
"According to all reports, the woman died shortly after the request was accepted. The son and his wife accused the request accepter with charges of killing his mother… This incident took away my sleep for several days. Since I was asked to participate in this investigation." She sighed and shuddered with her shoulders grabbed by her hands.
I chuckled seeing her pale expression and leaned back in my seat.
"You have been through a lot. So, what happened in the end? Was the murderer caught or not?"
Betty smiled and nodded. In an excited tone she continued her story.
"Yes, we caught him pretty early, actually. The son and his wife were the ones who secretly poisoned her. The old woman was going to give half of her property to her son, while the other half was to be donated to the charity. This had led to a heated debate between them for several months. In the end, the husband and wife decided to take a trip outside while simultaneously planning to kill her and frame someone else."
Betty told it in a single breath, as sweat formed on her forehead. With a small pat from her handkerchief , she smiled.
'Forget about the story. Was I even allowed to hear this? Since the information was not publicly heard, it means she leaked guild information'!
My lips started to twitch as I realized my previous description of her was indeed correct.
'Miss receptionist—no, Miss Betty likes to gossip a lot.'
Just as she was about to open her mouth again. Something came between us. Several plates were being placed as I turned to see Elena working as a waitress today.
I tilted my head to the side and asked.
"Miss Elena, why are you serving today? Are the others doing delivery?"
Elena stared back at me in silence, completely ignoring Betty, who was at her right side.
"Sir Asher, Please call me just Elena. I have told you several times." She pouted and said in a small voice,.
With a wry smile, I saw Betty with her eyes open wide. Choosing to ignore this comical sight, I focused on Elena, who was standing beside me and hugging the tray in her hands.
"Sorry, I just feel comfortable that way…"
"I, I see." She muttered hesitantly, her eyes downcast.
I had called her Elena last time, without any formalities. Well, at that time Franz was also there and the case of him getting slapped.
Seeing her downcast expression, I sighed and looked at her once more.
"But… I can still try."
"Really!"
Elena's eyes lit up instantly as she asked in excitement.
'I feel like a third wheel here.' Betty muttered under her breath once more. But sadly I could hear her words.
'Why is everything so awkward today…?'
I sighed and continued our conversation… forcefully.
*****
As I sat in my office, I leaned back and relaxed for a while with my eyes closed.
As some minutes passed in silence. I finally opened my eyes and grabbed the envelope kept on the table.
Feeling the paper's rough texture in my thumb, I gently rubbed it and then tore it open.
'Two pages? No, to be exact, two letters.'
Unknowingly I found myself smiling; my heart was calm and tranquil. These days my heart was used to overworking and beating like a warm drum in fear.
But this was a good change of pace for today.
"I hope you are doing well, Asher. Your previous letter was one of shock. You haven't sent anything in a month, so we all were worried. But I have a question to ask of you…"
'This is written by Anne.'
I locked my lips and continued to read.
"Why do you think we will assume that you will be involved in some kind of gang fight?! What kind of life are you even living there? I had thought you would live there quietly and try to search for your own goals. But in the end you truly made me worry so much. I want to scold you for taking such a risk and not taking care of yourself more, but I fear this letter might turn into something else entirely."
Reading this letter was weird; there were no real answers in it, just questions. Somehow all of those questions were related to me and my health.
'We have known each other for no more than a single month. Yet she is worried about me like a young mother.' I laughed as these thoughts passed through me.
'I wonder if it's because we all have been through life and death together.'
"Write more to us next time. Or I might just come to check on you next time. For your question, we all are doing well."
I placed the letter silently on the table and leaned back before smacking my lips.
Running my finger through my forehead, I muttered under my breath. "She just ranted out her frustration. This letter was too one-sided!"
'She feels alright, and from the looks of it, others are doing well as well.'
Sighing in relief, I grabbed the next letter and turned to look at it.
"Asher, how are you? I hope the letter reaches you safely. I was sure Anne would not have written a proper reply, so I placed one more letter just in case."
'Yeah, it's Liber.'