If Argus were to recall what happened during that tragedy in his past life, he will say for certain that, for the level of progress in terms of strength that his birth world possesses, it wouldn't even be fair for those devouring bodies to claim that the world's denizen stands even the smallest chance, not even winning, but fighting against said threats.
This had already been proven true, as if not for the intervention of cultivators near this world detecting such alarming growth of not only an individual, but multiple devourers, then the already ruined world might not even be able to save itself from true death and collapse.
Still, even with cultivators' intervention, the damage is already too severe for the once prosperous, vigorous world to recover from, with only a mere fraction of the massive population remaining, and the lush, life-filled fields of flora and fauna are now a desolate plain of sheer nothingness.
That is just how much of a threat a devourer is to a world that is incapable of completely eradicating their existence, as no matter how much one is damaged, so long as they have just a little bit of life remaining in them, they can always devour everything around them to regain, perhaps even surpass, their former strength.
And this seems to be the case for the ones that are within this world right now, the words from the ethereal lady solidifying the young man's guess even more.
"Not to mention, it seems to become more and more frequent in recent years… there may not be a lot within the empire, but rumors about it in the neighboring lands are reaching even the high nobility, meaning there's a high chance those rumors at least contain some truth to them."
One might call it a woman's instinct, or perhaps it is a premonition developed by the cyclic repetition of ages that made anyone who's lived long enough to see a certain pattern, but speaking those words, even Arcana herself couldn't help but feel like something is extremely off with these cases, the only hopes for a clarification regarding this odd feeling being the young man in front of her.
Hearing the words from this elder, a former comrade who's resisted those gluttonous beings to the end until the arrival of the cultivators in this world, Argus couldn't help but frown as if he just received quite the bad news.
'So that's why it was that easy for them to completely overwhelm the forces of this world… their development is far worse than I expected.'
He thought to himself as he started putting his mind to work, racking his brain for a possible solution to prepare himself for this upcoming threat, something that can only be solved through great, no, overwhelming power and strength.
As he continues to plan though, thinking and trying to recall opportunities that might help him accelerate his already astonishing growth to prepare himself all the more when that dreaded time comes, the young man was snapped back to reality by the curious, intrigued gaze of the ethereal beauty, a gaze so heavy that he just couldn't help but wonder why is it that she's looking at him with gaze like that.
"That… is certainly helpful, Lady Arcana…"
The young man said as he felt like the lady no longer had anything to say about this topic, prompting him to wipe the trace of worry on his face as he smiled at her while he spoke, that short pause allowing him to compose himself once more before he continued with his words.
"I've got the information I want, now, I think it's your turn for a question, Lady Arcana, a question in exchange for another, right?"
As those words escape from his mouth, Arcana, who seems to be preoccupied by that feeling of oddity, of danger, from this incident that she just realizes is anything but normal, composes herself as well, a single thought appearing in her mind as she does so, a thought that causes a wry smile to appear on her charming face.
'Looks like my senses have been dulled by the passing of time to the point that I didn't even notice how odd this is…'
She thought to herself as she shook her head, in her mind a decision already forming, as the curiosity about what this young man was hiding was now shoved to the back of her head, her focus now on what could be the reason for these mysterious disappearances.
"The reason for those incidents, you know it, don't you, young man?"
With her melodious voice resonating in the air, Arcana spoke with a mixture of curiosity and urgency in her tone, her gaze trained on the young man, seemingly a bit anxious about his answer, as if she were already preparing herself for the worst.
Meanwhile, seeing that determined look on the immortal maiden's face, as if she already has a general idea of what is going on with these incidents, the once-greatest sage couldn't help but admire her mental acuity, as well as her resolve to face the situation head-on.
Still, knowing the kind of person Arcana is, Argus chooses not to tell her in complete what is about to happen now, as more than anyone else in this world, perhaps even more than the lady herself, he knows that she's willing do anything in her power in order to stop a crisis that will destroy not only the Kyrios Empire, but the entire world whole, even if it means throwing her life to achieve such end.
"Forgive me, Lady Arcana, I cannot answer that question… at least, not yet."
The young man said, his acting flawless as the remorseful expression on his face deceives even the lady, who believed each and every single word that came out of his mouth as he spoke with that expression of his.
"The only reason why I brought this to you is that I heard about these occurrences during my travel to the capital. I am… currently in the process of investigating them as well… it's just that my father once mentioned to me that you're one of, if not the wisest person in the world."
Argus decided to slip in some flattery that he knows works all too well for the lady in front of him, a faint smile appearing on her face as she heard the last part of his words, prompting her to reply in a voice a little bit different—softer, more cheerful— than what she was previously using.
"I see… well, it certainly piques my curiosity as well, so why don't we continue this for your next visit, young man?"
The lady, realizing that she used her question for nothing as the young man himself appears to be just as curious about these incidents as she, decided not to let go of the chance to know what the origin of that overbearing and sharp intent from the young man is.
Hence, the reason why she immediately decided to give the young man permission to return right here, to meet her again in the future, under the pretense of sharing information and thoughts regarding the disappearance incidents.
'It's like killing two birds with one stone.'
She thought to herself as she smiled, thinking of the fact that she's going to dig into everything about these two things that piqued her curiosity, unaware of just how much this simple curiosity would change what the future has in store for her.