The Extra of The Lunerra-Chapter 489 - 24: Complex Emotions

Things were progressing better and faster than I had expected.

It had been five days since Alaric suddenly appeared before me. Since he had said he would show up again in a few days, I was expecting him to appear before me again soon. Probably today or tomorrow.

Still, I hadn't let it bother me. On the contrary, I had devoted myself entirely to my work.

The Inferesse Family's financial situation was improving when looking ahead. The steps taken regarding the bar chain business were also going relatively well. The foundations had been laid, and agreements had been signed for several branches and acquisitions. The employees have been busy with advertising and promotions these days.

Speaking of employees, that issue was also going well. Hiring trustworthy people had become quite important after the family's recent events, but we were managing. With background checks and the use of lie detection spells and mechanisms during interviews, we had slowly begun to rebuild our workforce.

Thanks to the money flowing from the alliance, I had handled all this and much more with fewer problems than I had expected.

Of course, I had also worked on our relationship with the Bluelet family. I was in daily contact with Margaret Bluelet. I didn't hesitate to share information to show her I trusted her, constantly discussing what we could do in the future.

In short, I was in a really good position. Even better than I had imagined, in fact. At this pace, I could reach the stage I planned for in just one month, instead of the six weeks I had estimated under normal circumstances. Which would make things a lot easier...

But there was still a long way to go to reach that point. I had other things to focus on right now. For example, one of the biggest factors that could throw a spanner in our plans...

Stephen, the right-hand man of the family's former head, Phillip.

"Now... let's hear what you find."

We were in my office, the place I was starting to get quite used to being in. The person across from me was Alex himself. He had gone to investigate the Helmon Family five days ago for our plans to eliminate Stephen, and he had returned about ten minutes ago.

Without any sign of fatigue on his face, he extended his arm and pulled a holographic screen from his watch, directing it between us. The screen displayed the information he had gathered over the past five days.

"Interestingly... it seems the Helmons are indeed plotting to remove you from the alliance. The only problem is that they seem to be taking a more passive approach to the situation. It doesn't seem like they have any intention of killing you. It looks more like they are devising blackmail schemes to try to convince the others in the alliance."

...

Wow.

I've already made enemies, haven't I?

It's commendable that they're trying to resolve the issue without killing me, though. Especially considering they're a mafia family.

"Then our job isn't so difficult, is it? The number of variables we need to manipulate is reduced, after all."

Alex nodded as he scanned the screens he had carefully prepared.

"Right. The first thing that came to mind was..."

And he began explaining his plan, showing examples on the screens.

It was simple, really.

First, he would make a few unsuccessful assassination attempts on me, but he would 'escape' by taking advantage of the loopholes we had carefully arranged together. I would report these failed assassination attempts to the alliance and request protection. And in the next assassination attempt, after Alex killed Stephen, he would 'escape' again, leaving behind a corpse bearing the Helmon family crest.

We would use this corpse to frame the Helmon Family. Then, with Alex's evidence showing that they were already against me, we would kill two birds with one stone.

That was the main theme of the plan.

It was a plan that needed to be implemented quickly, but it would work. So Alex got down to business quickly and left my office to start preparing.

I, on the other hand, returned to my own work.

The hours passed.

The sun set, and night fell with its accompanying darkness. It was only half an hour before midnight when, suddenly, I felt something disturbing in my mind. Something... or rather, several things that shouldn't have been there.

"A- ah..."

Suppressed emotions.

A wave of negative emotions, just like last time, that I wasn't used to controlling and that made me feel strange.

I tried to regulate my breathing and took my focus off the files and screens in front of me even though it took some serious effort. I pulled the files aside and turned off the screens completely. As soon as I closed the screens, I could finally see the figure standing behind them, which I hadn't been able to see until then.

He had his back to me, so I couldn't see his face, but he was looking at one of the paintings on the wall. It was Franz Martin Inferesse's painting, which had been hung on the wall after I took over as the new head of the family.

"Franz Martin Inferesse. The fourth head of the Inferesse Family. Damn. I wonder what the family would think if they knew their head was actually dead... and all of this was part of a grand plan devised by someone only twenty-three..."

I narrowed my eyes, tried to lean back comfortably in my chair despite the turmoil inside me, and somehow succeeded.

"I don't know what they would think... but personally, I thought that you would stop babbling about such unnecessary things now that you are no longer my 'enemy' but my 'teacher'."

He turned his head slightly back, just enough so I could see his right eye and part of his face. He seemed to be smiling, even though I couldn't see his whole face.

"I like babbling, Ethan. It's an old habit that keeps the madness swirling in my head at bay. It's not something I can easily give up, to put it simply. I hope you don't mind."

He was mocking me outright.

"Oh, I will... don't worry. But these 'habits' must not have worked very well, since you're still considered the craziest of the wieras, even though you died years ago. Interesting, isn't it?"

I expected him not to respond, expected the smile on his face to fade a little.

But... it didn't.

On the contrary, when he turned his face completely toward me, his smile seemed quite sincere... as did his expression.

"Yeah, it's interesting indeed. I wonder how much crazier I would have been if I hadn't tried to suppress it?"

Unable to get the response I wanted, my eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. Emotions I hadn't been used to controlling for a long time were rushing through my thoughts so quickly that it was difficult to control my expression.

Alaric knew this too. Still, he chose his next words to change the subject rather than use this to press me further.

"Anyway. Since we can't turn back time to test these, there's no point in discussing what-ifs. Let's focus on the matter at hand."

I didn't like it.

Nothing about Alaric pleased me.

And despite that, I said...

"Go... on."

I didn't really have any other choice.

Alaric broadened his smile as if he enjoyed the situation. The sparkle in his purple eyes even seemed to flicker for a brief moment.

"For now, we can only create gaps where I can appear before you for ten to fifteen minutes every three or four days. That's enough time to officially begin your caora training."

He began to approach me with slow steps. His eyes were completely on me.

"Lean back, close your eyes, and listen to me. I know your thoughts and feelings are chaotic right now, but our time is limited. So focus all your attention on listening to me."

I did as he said even though it felt like I was obeying an order.

I had to endure it.

"What you know about caora is good, fine. But it's too basic. Until now, you've only used caora to strengthen yourself and patch up your wounds, and... that's it. Nothing more."

He paused for a moment.

"Although... you did use it to confuse some of the dwarves' minds while escaping from Caleuche. I beg your pardon. But when you tried it afterward, you couldn't do it again; your control was always lacking. Why, do you know?"

The answer was no.

I didn't know.

I was really... a bit unsuccessful at using caora effectively.

"There are many reasons, actually. First of all, you can't imagine caora doing anything, because it is a destructive energy. It's not like ordea or mana. Its purpose was never to 'create something'. It was always to destroy. And you're too fixated on that definition."

My eyes were closed, so I couldn't see what he was doing, but I couldn't help feeling as if he was approaching me.

"But that's just a minor issue."

There were no footsteps; he wasn't real, after all. He was creating a false body for himself using my senses, that's all.

But… he was clearly getting closer to me.

"The real problem is that you refuse to accept caora."

…

"Caora is interested in you. Perhaps more than anyone else. It wants to use you with its three wels' worth of intelligence. And you want to use it too. But you're interacting with it as little as possible while wanting that. You just straight out hate it."

I do.

I despise that energy called caora to its very core.

After all, it's one of the main reasons I'm in this state in the first place.

It's the one that wants nothing but destruction, pure chaos.

It's one of the many things that basically ruined my life, but probably the most profound.

But none of those matters.

Because the most important thing is...

I paused for a moment, suddenly unable to do anything.

My lips parted, but I didn't want to speak. Even though my eyes were closed, they were twitching, and I couldn't control anything about my body.

Despite all this, that sentence played in my mind as if it were impossible to stop.

After all, it was he who didn't respond to my desires when I needed him most.

Then came the memories of that day.

I felt my body tremble. It was as if I had goosebumps all over. Breathing became even more difficult. I wasn't even sure if I was breathing, actually.

A few simple words and... memories were what triggered this.

I could literally see and feel it.

It was as if I were there again.

"A- ah... haa..."

My body, numb with pain with every step I took, begging me to stop.

The uncomfortable warmth of the blood soaking my clothes.

The last words I refused to listen.

"H- haaa... haaaaaa...!"

That gravestone I waited in front of for hours.

Emotions beyond my control enveloped my body so completely that I didn't know what to do.

Tears were streaming from my eyes; that was all.

But then I heard a voice, Alaric's voice, that I not only heard with my ears, but felt echoing throughout my mind.

'Ethan, calm down.'

"Kh- ghk-! haaaaa...!"

'Clear your mind, I'll help you. But you need to cooperate. Relax, let go of the past, and focus on the present.'

I really wanted to do as he said. But with every passing second, my consciousness seemed to slip from my grasp.

"What has happened has happened. There's no way to change the past. Focus on the future. On the revenge you want, on your hatred for Saligia and caora. On your plans."

I tried.

He really must have been helping me because I felt things I couldn't control spinning around in my mind. But rather than trying to stop it, I let it be.

Seconds passed, each more uncomfortable and painful than the last.

But finally... I felt myself calming down.

After the trembling of my body ceased, my breathing began to steady. Shortly after, my eyes stopped watering, and my mind truly began to empty.

I don't know how exactly it happened, but... somehow... I managed to suppress all those complex emotions without the Absolute Mind.