Chapter 18 : Unexpected Meeting

"Mhm ?"

Lloyd turned his head, not expecting someone to stop him in the middle of the street for no apparent reason.

"I've never seen your face around. Show me your ID." The man behind Lloyd ordered coldly, still clutching at his shoulder.

He was wearing a neat grey uniform, with only a chest plate for protection. It was made of steel and entirely painted in light blue.

The crest of a shield between two spears decorated its left side.

The man also wore an unusual helmet that resembled an iron beanie. It covered his eyes and the top of his head, making it difficult to see his face. However, Lloyd could estimate his age through the tone of his voice and the visible lower part of his visage.

A rough jaw, a disheveled beard, a tanned complexion, and very few wrinkles on his skin were the only thing Lloyd could see.

'He seems to be in his thirties.'

Although he wasn't much older than Lloyd, his muscular build and the deep scar across his left cheek gave off an intimidating air, like that of a seasoned soldier.

'So these guys are the Vigilantes...'

The man had a long spear strapped on his back and was escorted by two other soldiers of shorter stature who looked to be his subordinates.

Their appearance perfectly matched the description of Vigilantes given earlier by Selita.

"If I may ask, for what reason are you halting me, exactly ? I haven't done anything wrong."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes.

He didn't appreciate the way these guys stopped him in the middle of the street for no reason whatsoever.

The sideglances given by the people passing by were annoying, too.

"I won't repeat myself. Show me your ID."

The Vigilante still holding Lloyd's shoulder didn't answer his question. Instead, he increased the strength in his grip and reached for his spear with his other hand.

[Just listen to him, owner. There's no reason to make a fuss over a simple identity control.]

'Maybe, but... These guys lack manners.'

It wasn't Lloyd's habit to rebel against authority, but the way these guys approached him was too impolite and disrespectful for him to just let it go.

Even though Lloyd was kind by nature, he wasn't a pushover. He didn't like those who trampled on his pride.

Lloyd didn't know if it was because he was still used to modern Earth or if he hadn't completely acclimated to Lunaris yet, but after such a rude introduction, he didn't feel like obeying these guys at all.

The way he was held by the shoulder like a thief who had been caught during the act only added fuel to the fire.

The strength the Vigilante puts in his grip may have not been much for him, but for someone ordinary like Lloyd, it was hurting.

"If you want me to cooperate, start by removing your filthy hand from my shoulder and fixing your manners."

"??!"

As wrath was slowly emerging from within, Lloyd was gradually losing reason. His dark eyes gleamed, and thin glowing tendrils appeared in his pupils.

[Owner...?!]

Selita was stunned.

She had never seen Lloyd act this way, nor did she expect him to become so aggressive all of a sudden.

[Are you feeling alright...?]

She asked just in case, but Lloyd didn't answer, as if he didn't hear her...

[Wait, don't tell me...!!]

...or rather, as if he couldn't hear her voice at all.

The aura unconsciously leaking from Lloyd's body was filled with malice and killing intent.

It was as if someone, or 'something', was gradually taking over his body.

[No way...]

Selita instantly recognized this vile energy she was all too familiar with.

She just now realized that she wasn't the only entity bound to Lloyd's soul and living within his body.

[Igor, this fucker... He dared !]

The owner of this disgusting energy was 'something' Selita had always been wary of. She couldn't fathom how Igor had managed to wake it up, much less how he had managed to shove it into Lloyd's body.

[Seems like this era's owner is quite unlucky...]

She thought silently, deciding to not interfere with 'that thing' while it was awake.

Oblivious to all that, Lloyd didn't feel much different than usual, except that he was getting more and more pissed against the man in front of him without really knowing why.

'I know these guys were rude, but it isn't like me to lose my temper for so little...'

Whereas common people would fear for their lives in front of Vigilantes, Lloyd didn't feel the least bit threatened.

As strange as it may seem, he wasn't afraid.

"What did you just say ?!"
"Chief, let's arrest him !!"

The two subordinates behind the tall man shouted while unsheathing their weapons and pointing them toward Lloyd.

Refusing an ID check-up was more than enough reason to get arrested in Valora, especially during these troubled times when terrorists like Crescent Moon were active in the capital.

However, as if frozen in time, their superior didn't move an inch nor say anything.

"Chief...?"

He was still holding onto Lloyd with one hand, looking down on him, when suddenly...

"Ah... AHHHH....!!"

...he stumbled backward, sweat running down his cheeks.

When Lloyd turned his head and the chief looked directly into his eyes, he saw a flicker of movement inside Lloyd's pupils.

When he gazed at it...

His consciousness abruptly left this body.

Although it lasted for only a second, it felt like an eternity. The man had never experienced anything like this, even on the battlefield.

It was as if his very own soul had been sucked into a pool of nothingness...

A dreadful space where no light could shine.

Amidst this oppressive darkness, he watched glowing tendrils and tentacles slowly making their way under his skin.

He couldn't move, shout, or even cry.

He could only endure.

He was somehow aware this space wasn't real, yet it did not alleviate the pain he felt in the slightest.

Even now, he could still feel the eerie sensation of sharp tentacles crawling up under his skin, forcing their way inside his flesh and bones.

Even if it was just an illusion, he had never been so afraid in his entire life.

"Keuk!..."

When the man came back to his senses, all strength had left his body and he collapsed lifelessly on the ground.

"By the love of Arthemil...W-What in the world was that—Bleurgh...!"

"Chief ?!"

The man mumbled something, before throwing up his last meal on the side of the pavement.

The people in the street watching the scene from afar gasped when they saw such a strong-looking Vigilante, who seconds ago was towering over Lloyd, suddenly drop to his knees in front of him.

"Hum, are you alright ?"

Lloyd, who also calmed down and came back to his senses, asked with a worried voice as if nothing happened.

"Y-You...!! What have you done to the Chief ?!"

"Huh ? I did nothing..."

"Stop lying !"

"Look, his face is pale and he is sweating buckets. I'm no doctor, but I don't think your chief was feeling well in the first place. I don't know why you're blaming me for him being sick..."

Lloyd spoke sincerely, but it only made it more infuriating for the two remaining Vigilantes.

They looked at him suspiciously, a tinge of anger hidden in their eyes.

'What evidence do you have ?'

...was how they interpreted what Lloyd just said.

'This guy is a lunatic,' they both thought.

While one of them was patting the back of his superior—who was still puking—, the second man pointed the tip of his spear toward Lloyd's chest.

"Y-You're under arrest !!"

"Excuse me ?"

The fact that Lloyd had an expression of total disbelief plastered on his face when he just made a veteran of the last Great War drop to his knees only served to further anger the Vigilante.

"Don't play innocent !! You're coming with us to—"

"Enough."

As the Vigilante was about to apprehend Lloyd, an elegant man came out of the crowd that formed around the scene and cut him off.

"Who dare to..."

When the Vigilante looked behind him and saw who had interrupted him, his face lost all color.

He immediately shut his mouth and straightened his back, not daring to move a single inch.

"In-Inquisitor...!"
"By Zenon's beard, a high-ranking one at that..."
"Hey, let's quickly get out of here !!"

The people who flocked around immediately left the scene when they saw the black skull made of obsidian the man took out from his inner pocket.

Only a group of foreigners, most likely adventurers, stayed behind. They didn't understand why the locals fled the moment they saw this man.

One of them, their leader, asked his party member who was a native of Valor.

"Hey Monica, what's an Inquisitor ? Who's that guy ?"

"D-Do not ask. Do not look. Do not listen."

"What...?"

"Move, you dumbass !!"

"Huh ? W-Wait...!"

In the end, his comrade grabbed him by the collar and ran away from the scene as fast as she could.

Stores shut their doors, carriages went back on their tracks, curtains closed...

In an instant, an entire section of Goldenwhale Avenue became deadly silent, completely empty.

And this, was because of a single man.

Such was the effect the title of 'Inquisitor' had on common people.

"Good evening, Boss Lloyd."

The elegant man advanced and smiled at Lloyd, slightly bowing his head.

"Huh, Sir Thelec ? It's been a while !"

"Hoho, indeed. I see that you're having... some trouble ?"

The inquisitor spoke lowly, sending a death glance toward the three Vigilantes who were frozen in fear.

"Ah, this ? It's fine, it was just a misunderstanding. I believe these gentlemen were about to leave since their chief was feeling sick, am I right ?"

Lloyd looked at the Vigilantes, urging them to acquiesce.

"Y-Yes, yes !!"

Lloyd felt bad for putting the Vigilantes in this situation, but it's not like they didn't deserve it. Now all he could do was forgive them, so Sir Thelec wouldn't punish them later.

The Vigilantes, on the other hand, couldn't believe the guy they were about to arrest was related to an Inquisitor.

A High Inquisitor, at that.

It now made sense how this weak-looking guy could incapacitate their chief without even touching him.

He was a monster in disguise.

"Mhm, I see. I'm glad the issue has been resolved."

The inquisitor wore a kind smile, but the Vigilante could feel the hidden threat behind it.

"You guys better leave if you don't want to get involved any further," Lloyd murmured to the Vigilante who pointed him with his spear earlier.

Among all his customers, Sir Thelec was probably the man with the highest status... but also the shortest patience.

Although these guys offended Lloyd, it wasn't anything serious. He didn't want them to have problems just because of that.

It was obvious that their chief wasn't feeling well, so Lloyd just forgave him for his previous discourtesy.

The two Vigilantes helped their superior stand on his feet, before bowing to the Inquisitor and leaving in a hurry.

___

'I didn't expect to find boss Lloyd here... What a surprise.'

It was a pure coincidence that the man named Thelec met Lloyd today.

He was on his way to one of the Arbiters' hideouts in the capital to attend a meeting about Crescent Moon when he heard a commotion on Goldenwhale Avenue.

Curious about who would dare to cause trouble in the middle of the 3rd district when so many Vigilantes were patrolling the streets, he decided to make a detour and check the situation by himself.

What was his surprise when he saw that the man in question was Lloyd, the owner of the mysterious pet store !

He first watched from a distance, curious to know how Lloyd would deal with the Vigilantes, but at some point... He had to intervene.

When Thelec felt the air getting colder and noticed Lloyd's eyes slowly changing color, he knew that he had to stop the situation from escalating any further.

Thelec was one of the rare people in the capital who knew what the owner of this seemingly ordinary pet store was truly capable of.

If Lloyd unleashed his wrath in the middle of the street just because of the mistake of some ignorant Vigilantes... Thelec couldn't imagine the consequences this would have.

It was already a pain to properly hide information about Lloyd and his store from his superiors and other departments, even as a High Inquisitor, so he couldn't allow boss Lloyd to stand out any more than this.

Protecting Lloyd's privacy was a matter of utmost importance for Thelec.

More than that, he considered this a matter of national security.

'I believe this is the first time I've seen the boss wander so far from his shop... It's not a good sign, something must have happened for him to suddenly leave the 7th district.'

Thelec had always kept an eye on the pet store.

Up until now, Lloyd had never left his residential area. The rare time he went out was to buy groceries in the nearby stores, especially the butcher shop next street that was home to one of his customers.

Thelec had an entire team dedicated to observing and following Lloyd 24/7, reporting to him every day.

'Tsk. Now that I think about it, those incompetent idiots didn't do anything before I stepped in. I guess I didn't teach them well enough, I'll have to take care of them later.'

He looked coldly at the members of his special team who were hiding in the adjacent streets and back alleys, his eyes emitting a dangerous aura.

After catching a glimpse at whatever was hiding within Lloyd's dark pupils, Thelec's body moved on its own the moment he felt that it was about to emerge like the 'last time'.

He even had to make his presence known to the surroundings to de-escalate the situation. Fortunately for him, Lloyd calmed down and didn't plan to pursue the matter any further.

When Thelec saw the blue tendrils wriggling inside Lloyd's eyes, he was reminded of the first time he met him. He still had shivers running down his spine when he thought about it.

'If not for Boss Lloyd's generosity... I would have died miserably that day.'

That day, after leaving the pet store alive but deeply traumatized, the first thing he did was to order his most competent men to always keep an eye on the store and never let anyone offend its owner, no matter who it was.

As one of the rare people who saw Lloyd Aurelion's true appearance when he lost his temper, he took the responsibility to never let 'this' happen again.

Or at least, not in the capital. The casualties would be... innumerable.

He took this mission so seriously that he didn't even report this strange store to the higher-ups of the Inquisition. He feared that they would antagonize Lloyd without knowing the consequences of doing so.

Up to this day, the team he dispatched always made sure to conceal the store and its owner. They also prevented 'undesirable' people from entering.

Of course, he couldn't stop anyone from entering, especially the other regular customers, but he had to at least limit the common people's interactions with Lloyd's store.

Today's event was the perfect example of why it was so important.

'I don't think these Vigilantes realized how lucky they were that Boss Lloyd let them go after only scaring their leader...'

Just as Thelec was lost in thought, Lloyd approached him with his usual cordial smile.

"I knew Sir Thelec held a lot of responsibilities in the capital, but I didn't expect people to flee just after recognizing you, haha."

"About that—"

"Don't worry, I understand if you don't want to talk about your job."

"...Thanks, Boss Lloyd."

Thelec cautiously peeked at Lloyd's eyes, but he couldn't see that horrible thing anymore.

'...What a relief,' he thought.

After confirming that Lloyd calmed down, Thelec asked him.

"What are you doing so far from your shop, Boss ? It's quite late for you to wander in Valora."

"Ehm, I'm looking for the Adventurers' Guild. I have some 'urgent' matters to take care of."

Thelec's heart jumped a beat.

"U-Urgent...? What do you mean by that ?"

Lloyd scratched his head with an apologetic expression.

"Well, I can't really tell you about it, sorry."

Lloyd smiled bitterly, before adding.

"I thought I would reach the Guild before night fell, but since something 'unexpected' happened, it might be wiser for me to just call it a day and find a place to spend the night instead."

Thelec felt uneasy.

First, the strange cases of brutal murders in the upper districts.

Then, the sightseeings of multiple Crescent Moon operatives infiltrating the capital.

Even stranger, his mentor, the most secretive of Lord Inquisitors, suddenly reappeared in the Capital after a decade and his first order was to dispatch Thelec and another High Inquisitor to assist the Arbiters.

And finally, the most worrying of all the recent news...

Lloyd Aurelion left his shop to visit the Adventurers' Guild.

'What the hell is happening...'

Thelec had no idea what was transpiring behind the scenes, but each piece of the puzzle pointed toward something big.

Indeed, the capital was in turmoil, but for even his mentor and Boss Lloyd to make a move...

Thelec's mind, usually sharp and focused, now wandered through a labyrinth of thoughts, searching for answers that seemed to elude him.

For the first time in a while, he found himself completely clueless about what was going on.