As strange as this entire encounter started, Kaufman let Mi-Yung walk aside of him and didn't stop her, or mention anything else. William looked at his calm, smiling face as if it was an old statue of a buddha. Mi-Yung kept pulling him like a child who did something bad and she constantly whispered a bunch of nonsense as her pace increased.

  I hate this... William thought as Mi-Yung walked from the museum, and no longer saw Kaufman.

  “Hmm! What in the world was his problem this time around? I swear Kaufmans are all the same.” Mi-Yung forced William up with a lift of a finger and talked straight to his face. They were back in the hallway, right beside the entrance.

  “You seem to be very familiar with him, so maybe you know it better than I do. I guess... That’s it. Nothing but a guess, Mi-Yung.” William mumbled, still a bit perplexed by those glowing eyes and her terrific grip.

  “Familiar my lunch! I don't respect him one bit! He is old, laughable, patronizing, direct, precarious, obnoxious, unforgettable, and who knows what else. His hat is even terrible! You hear it! Terrible?!” She glanced back after she dropped him and crossed her arms, and shouted.

  She had a lot of words on the tip of her tongue, for sure. Just a little, as there remained a rare whisk of respect for that old man deep in her mind.

  But he gave her more than petty troubles, so Mi-Yung wasn’t taking this for anything but a problem she had to deal with now, or very soon. Whatever he wanted with William meant trouble, weird sincerity, and consequences.

  Why here? Why now? He didn’t even do anything but greet her and state that they shouldn’t go to the upper floor.

  Why the fuck not?

  Anna, their first meeting with Luke in that building, and yesterday. There were a lot of things she wanted to know, and William wasn't prepared for most of them, or he shouldn't even be involved.

  She was furious because Kaufman, out of all sorts of cretins, should know what this meant for her.

  “What if it was just a coincidence? I saw him yesterday, so maybe he was taking a stroll around this place for real. He said to me yesterday that he hadn't been here for years. A lot of things changed.” William tried to guess Kaufman’s reasons, but Mi-Yung didn't want to acknowledge it.

  “No way. I bet he has eyes on you again, and I don't like it,” she argued, knowing nothing about what went behind the scenes, but her guesses and William's words should give her enough need to play with it.

  Unless Kaufman came to her, that is.

  It wasn't as if William wanted to provoke her too much. He wasn't even aware of what was wrong, so what was a big deal? Frankly, William wanted to tell her to calm the hell down because it was... Yeah. It was a terrible idea, notably by her eyes and attitude. He didn't want to speak to her after this exchange.

  ***

  Back in the exhibitions, Kaufman strolled around, admiring the work, art, and pieces of this place. It was true; he wanted to check his love since he hadn't done it in what felt like forever.

  “Do you like it like I do, Ellie?” He said, and wind and space flared, pushing Ellie and Celeste, and Hound from their corner.

  Each tightened in their own ways. Ellie laughed awkwardly as she greeted Kaufman, Hound shivered, yet didn’t get smaller or larger, and Celeste swore those faces were terrific. Hiding behind Hound and Ellie gave her less attention than she deserved.

  “G-greeting, sir Kaufman. We meet again. And yes. I enjoy this museum like a stroll through beaches, sir,” Ellie said, bowing her head.

  “I didn’t ask that.”

  “I still agree.”

  “Good...”

  “...”

  An awkward second passed after the other.

  A trio couldn't move a single step away or back, as Kaufman appraised every one of them. Aside, swords, spears, shields, and many kinds of weapons showed the wonders of older eras. They were old, ancient, and more curious than his own flesh and mind. He liked them while detesting the others.

  Weapons were modest tools, right? But the pistols? He didn't like those, and people made them centuries ago. They changed the entire political spectrum of history, if not the whole world, and not for the better, he guessed.

  Rifles or pistols, it didn’t matter. This era had their needs, and shotguns were much broader and better, while a good hammer or a sword went a long way too.

  Smack a head with brains, and that could lead to forceful reverberations and even dents and deaths. That sounded wonderful.

  Looking at these weapons came like a flash of intent, as he uncovered most of them himself, so he had some affection towards them.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  If he recalled, many tools came from the ruins of Egyptian museums in Cairo. He could afford to be nostalgic about them, as he fought a Rank 7 Yelldrill in the middle of the destroyed museum, surrounded by Flame Spirits and Creatures of Sun Spawn. It was an intense and heated moment, yet he lived through that hell and walked back with a building on his 'back'.

  “Can't we leave? I want... We want to go with William ahead,” Ellie suggested, unsure if she should move or go against this old man.

  “What does that one behind you have to say? Depending on her answers, I might let you go. All three. Or.. four?”

  Ellie was getting desperate and wished to turn to Celeste, but couldn’t.

  “Skelly...” Celeste mumbled.

  “What was that?” Kaufman said, eyes rising.

  “Old skelly. Leave us alone. Old skelly,” she repeated the word that came to her mind when seeing Kaufman.

  “Is this supposed to be an insult?” Kaufman was disappointed, for sure, if that's the case. “Listen, this is awkward. I thought it would go better, but she is furious. Help me out.”

  “Ske...”

  “Wait a second, Celeste,” Ellie suggested before Celeste unleashed even more insults and realized Kaufman was speaking to her. “What is this about, sir? You know who Mi-Yung is, and… she is a kind of intense and busy at the moment. It is not very good looking, if you know what I mean.”

  “And that's why it's getting desperate.”

  “Because of William?”

  “A little bit.”

  “Why? Isn't that wrong to assume everything about that boy? He is still young and rather clueless. He is growing, and I bet Awakening will show it all.”

  “That is a small matter. I have my reasons and actions to consider, and that is my main problem.”

  “And mouth as well. Mind you, sir, I also promised Mi-Yung to work on something personal. Miss Heidi was also... there, so...”

  Kaufman frowned and massaged his temples. In a moment, his hat flew up and hovered in the air against his wishes.

  Celeste felt like screaming and started to shake even more than Hound. Ellie got nervous for her more than for herself.

  “Ah... This is not fine. Not fine. Leave.” He waved a hand, and this trio flew like a kite away, disappearing and racing between the exhibitions without breaking anything.

  They all screamed for various reasons and left Kaufman alone.

  Not for long.

  Still frowning, a single step echo revealed a familiar cloaked figure that formed from the shadows. It was an almost imaginary action, and much different from the last time.

  “Enjoying the view?” the cloaked man said.

  “Enjoyed the view?” Kaufman asked in return, and felt very much livid with passion seeping into his heart.

  “T-t-that's... not what.. No... Yes. I did,” the cloaked man said awkwardly, and shook his head. Strange space patterns lingered all over him, hiding most of his features.

  “So?” Kaufman, unbothered by this invasive asshole, demanded the results of whatever this was about.

  “The boy seems interested in the nature of organizations and the world, but it could be for the Examination. He is quite clueless about any of them, as we anticipated, and if I am being completely honest, he doesn’t seem to think of anything in particular. He is stupid, too, but he is learning. Not fast, for that matter, or great in our matter. He is naive and green. Weak. Inadequate. It is starting to trouble me.”

  “Good. Good. Richards, you are not THAT disappointing. I almost thought you were clever once. What a strange world we live in.”

  “You jest. Though I must say, it is unconventional to be so obsessed with such a boy. Why so sudden? We don't understand. People are asking, waiting. Timing is also terrific. Why not return?” Richards begged and questioned this hegemon's integrity.

  “Because I can and will not do so when it is fine, but when I want it to be. Is it not the words Mi-Yung wanted to tell? No. I like these words. They are direct and fierce. Not taking a step back, talking like I used to. Being clever and having a point in this world. I ought to remember that. Besides, that boy is a fun, rough toy. Like father, huh?”

  “You saw her. She means troubles.”

  “No. She does not. She got haughty like her singing father and crazier than most Korean women I've ever known. Now, look at me. Time was rough against me, and I hear fears of old and power all the time. 'Hat is terrible.' 'Leave that aside.' I think it suits us! I didn't choose it! Fucks's sake....” Kaufman kicked the air, touched his vest, and believed in everything he had said.

  At least his vest was looking good. He liked tropical climate, and a hat protected his receding hairline and sharp eyes, so who was there to call it bad? He found it as a memento, so what Mi-Yung shouted was less than acceptable.

  “I doubt many people would argue about your position, or... appearance. Rank 8 is no easy feat, as we are all aware what it takes and what it bears,” Richards added with much more politeness than ever before. It was straight up obnoxious, unlike their previous meeting.

  A lot of things have changed since then. All because of a single report. Perhaps Richards should've started on a much better foot, or done it better, because threading unknown waters wasn’t simple.

  “No Rank is worth the effort of caring about countless people in return. It is so tragic, yet so lonely to be surrounded by idiots. I am rather nostalgic about it, though. I wonder if it is because of that boy or something else.”

  Richards didn't know what was right to tell, or terrible to mention. There were more ways to worsen this situation than to mitigate this exchange.

  “Anyway, pardon my rather foul mood, Richards. What about Mi-Yung? What to make of her? I knew she would be here even without knowing too much about any details, but this will exceed our expectations. She has no idea, or... she wanted to trust it like those a decade ago? She is weirdly confident about it, so what makes it right? Maybe it doesn't need to be right. She forced her way in and is way too trustful over something she perhaps knows, fears, but tolerates. She has to do it, right?”

  “She... She is a variable, to say the least. Also, William's citizenship is pending in tolerating freedom, while the Assembly has yet to notice him. His choice might be quite important, but I can’t see what it means directly. He is still lacking, while his points are scattered like tales that she stole. Still, I don't think she is aware of everything, the same way as us. What is what, however?”

  “Scattered or dead, who the hell cares? Everyone believed this wasn’t possible, but he walks among us. I was just one shadow who heard and touched that. Freedom is relative. It is not a big deal to forget it altogether with a simple wave of a hand.”

  “For you. For him? Not so much. Mi-Yung could also do stupid things. Her taunts have weight. Her work with the Academy increased, and Fain seems to be happy about it. But he might not know… this? I mean…”

  “Fain? Oh...” Kaufman had another headache when hearing about Fain, and his hat, hovering above him, turned to him.

  “I think I should go back to them. What do you say?”

  “Depends. I have a certain doubt that Mi-Yung won’t be able to handle this idea, but her interest is indeed genuine, and time is interesting. She wrapped it up too tightly, in fact. I fear my choices might not be fine any longer. Perhaps I could wait? What do you say?”

  “That whatever is needed shall be dealt with. Our leadership will probably support you. There is a likelihood of a loss ahead, but it is true that Awakening might change everything. Still, Mi-Yung is just a Lower-Pillar.”