Sero wanted to argue that if it wasn't for him, then the alliance wouldn't have learned what they did about Culling and their plans. But he was also aware that the consequences of his actions far outweighed their progress.
He glanced at Amaya, who had a look of disappointment on her face. She knew what he was going through, and she didn't like it either.
"I understand you might feel as if this were a punishment, but there are upsides to this," Dante continued. "By providing support here, you can help manage communications as well as respond quickly to any threats should they appear."
Sero wanted to protest that this wasn't what he'd signed up for, but he bit his tongue. He knew that arguing would only make things worse. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll do my best to help out from here."
Dante nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Then, Enzo and Max will continue to make rounds around the Zone while Meredith and I will investigate places of interest. Elizabeth, continue to keep in touch with your A.R.E.S. division. Amaya, please guide Sero in his duties here. I trust you'll be able to get him up to speed on the tasks to be done?"
"I'll do my best," Amaya said with a soft smile. "I'm sure Sero's skills will come in handy here too."
"Dismissed."
Dante's dismissal brought the briefing to an end. Sero exchanged glances with Amaya before they both stood up. They nodded at Dante and the others before heading out of the room. Once they were alone, Amaya turned to face him.
"So, you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.
Sero sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Honestly, I am a little upset at being sidelined once again, but after everything we went through, I can see where Dante's coming from. I'll just have to behave for now, and hopefully they'll let me back out in the field."
He paused, thinking about the events leading up to their current situation. "I can't help but feel like we're still missing something. There has to be more to this Culling plan than we know. I just know that Culling's behind the spikes in monster outbreaks up north."
Amaya chewed on the nail of her thumb. "I'm sure the alliance is aware of this. That's why our forces are divided as evenly as possible. Even if it was a ploy to spread our strength, we'll be somewhat prepared for whatever they throw at us."
"But what if they're not spreading our forces?" Sero countered. "What if they're just trying to get rid of the strongest members, weaken the alliance here in the 25th?"
"Sero, the people here are still pretty strong. Don't forget, Enzo is the 10th strongest S-rank elite. Dante and Meredith are also the heads of the top five guilds in the western hemisphere. And Max is part of the Janitors, the strongest mercenary branch in the south sector, barely rivaled by the Silverbloods in the north sector and the Five Serpents in the west."
"If you say so," Sero leaned against the wall. "I just feel useless here."
"Hey," Amaya punched his arm. "I actually work here."
Sero grinned at her. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just frustrated. There's a problem that I want to solve, but I don't have the methods to do so, with my probation and stuff."
"Come on, let's go to my desk. I have some paperwork to do before I show you the communications room."
Sero walked towards the restrooms, feeling a little strange at the sudden change of pace. He was so used to action that sitting with Amaya at her desk doing paperwork felt claustrophobic and dull. Granted, the lack of action gave him time to sort his thoughts and take a break, but he found it ironic that he was itching to jump back into the fray of things, considering his initial dream was to laze around doing nothing.
"Oh, Sero."
He blinked, finding Elizabeth coming out of the restrooms. She wore a black blouse with the cuffs rolled to up to her elbows and khaki pants. Her dark violet hair pulled back in a ponytail and she had an awkward smile on her face.
"Hey, Liz," Sero greeted her, feeling a bit uncomfortable himself. "How... are you?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I've been better. You?"
"Bored since Dante forced me to stay here. I'm itching to get back out there."
Elizabeth smiled softly, dimples appearing in her cheeks. Sero's heart ached at the sight of her expression. Sero knew that it was wrong of him to still feel this way about her even after he and Amaya shared a moment together, but it wasn't like he could forget how close they had grown in such a short while.
"Oh? I would've thought you'd want to be by Amaya's side rather than risking your life out there."
Sero gave an awkward chuckle. "Y-yeah, you have a point there."
Elizabeth stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. "I didn't have the chance back then, but I just want to thank you for saving me when we were captured," she lifted her other hand to her neck. "And I'm sorry for burdening you and Amaya."
Sero looked at her, confused as his heart skipped a beat from her touch. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, if I wasn't there or didn't get captured, you guys would've been able to beat those Vultures and maybe somehow rescue those children. In a world of Ascendants, regular humans like me can't really keep up, can we?" Elizabeth drew away with a sad grin. "It was silly of me to think I could help you."
"You don't have to apologize for that, Liz," Sero said, his voice quiet. "You were there. You fought. And you survived." He paused, then added, "And I'm glad you did."
There was an awkward silence between them as they stared at each other. Sero couldn't help but feel that there was something more he wanted to say, something that had been building up inside him ever since he'd met her. But he didn't know how to express it, or even if it was the right thing to do.
"Sero," Elizabeth began. "I've been thinking about what happened back then, with what Luna said. I'm not quite sure where I stand, but I just wanted to let you know that I think of you as a friend. I mean, we've gotten closer than I ever thought was possible in such a short amount of time, and I think that might contribute to any other feelings you might have for me."
Her words hung in the air, as Sero struggled to process them. Part of him wanted to deny her words, to insist that there was nothing between them, but another part of him couldn't help but feel a spark of hope. He swallowed thickly, finally finding his voice. "I... I've been feeling the same way," he admitted, his gaze never leaving hers. "I care about you, Liz. More than I should, maybe. But I don't want to lose you."
Elizabeth laughed softly, covering her mouth as she looked away. "That makes me happy to hear. I don't want to lose you either, so that's why I think we need to set some boundaries. I wouldn't want Amaya to think there was anything happening between us. We're just friends, right?"
Her words stung like a slap in the face. Sero felt a mixture of hurt and confusion. He wanted to believe that there was more between them, but he couldn't deny the fact that Elizabeth had a point.
"Yeah... we are," Sero smiled weakly. "Just friends." He cleared his throat, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Well, I should get going then."
Elizabeth nodded, stepping back and giving him a small smile. "I'll see you around, Sero. Take care of yourself." She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, feeling a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite process.
Sero shook himself out of his thoughts, turning to walk into the bathroom when he heard a pair of voices bickering behind him.
"If we fought in an arena filled with metal, you still wouldn't have been able to beat me."
"Huh?! Are you daft? The only reason you won was because there wasn't any metal around at all! And I still managed to back you into a corner."
"I don't know why Boss thought you needed to stay, since I'm more than enough to handle whatever happens in the 25th."
"I could say the same for you. Don't forget, I'm literally right behind you in the rankings. Slip up once, and I'll be taking the 10th place."
Enzo and Maximillian suddenly noticed Sero standing in front of the bathroom.
"Ah, Sero," Enzo said with a smirk. "Caught you eavesdropping, did we? Thought you might enjoy hearing us talk about how much better I am at fighting than Max here."
"Eavesdropping? He's literally just standing there- You are not better at fighting than I am!" Maximillian scowled, puffing out his chest. "In terms of technique and strategy, your answer to both is literally to charge straight forward."
"Well, if it works, why change it?" Enzo retorted with a grin. "Just because you're too chicken to actually admit it, doesn't mean I'm not better. And speaking of chickens," he said, pointing at Sero, "why don't you ask him who he thinks is better? I bet he'd choose me over you any day."
"Please don't make me choose-"
"The reason he'd choose you is because he's never seen me in action before," Maximillian turned to Sero. "Speaking of which, you trained him right? Which means he's probably weak, too."
"What was that?" Enzo bared his teeth. "You think my training with Sero didn't make him stronger or something?"
"Ha!" Maximillian scoffed. "I doubt that very much. But if you're so sure, let's set up a sparring match. Just the two of us, no one else."
"Wait, it feels like I don't have a say in this-"
"You're on. We can use my Sponsor's arena. If Sero can hold out for at least 10 minutes, you have to do my paperwork for a month." Enzo held out a hand.
"Make it 15 minutes and my paperwork, and you have a deal," Maximillian countered.
Enzo grinned, shaking his hand firmly. "You're on. Sero, you better not disappoint me."
Before they moved to Enzo's Sponsor's personal space, Sero texted Amaya, letting her know of his sudden situation. As his phone began to buzz with messages, Enzo teleported the three of them to the sunny desert, where it lost service and quieted.
"I'm not expecting you to beat him," Enzo said to Sero as Maximillian took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. "But I am expecting you to last the full 15 minutes."
Sero nodded, stripping off his own jacket and shaking out his arms. "I'll do my best."
"No, don't hold back," Enzo growled, folding his arms. "As much as I hate to admit it, Max is definitely worthy of taking my spot in the S-rank elites. Not to mention Duke, one of the last two people in the Janitors you haven't met yet, is also on par with him."
"That... doesn't help me," Sero grumbled. "Besides, why are we doing this? Don't you guys have to patrol the area?"
"My dear student, think of this as an opportunity to acquire more skills from the legendary Iron Tyrant," Enzo replied with a smirk. "Though he doesn't have much, they are definitely very powerful. I know you're itching to copy them."
"I mean... you're not wrong..."
"Plus," the Demonic Judge lowered his voice. "I heard about what you've been going through in terms of mental stability. I think having a match will help let off some steam. If I'm being completely honest, you'd be perfect as a member of our team."
"Oh," Sero blinked at Enzo. "Thanks, I guess?"
"I'm sure we've touched on it, but the Boss recruits people with troubled histories. Me, Max, Cass... every single one of us has our own issues that make it perfect to carry out the jobs the Janitors are known for."
Enzo clapped his hands together, signaling for them to start. "Enough about that, though. Just last the full 15 minutes, and remember to not hold back. Max is going to come at you with everything he's got, so try not to die."
"Try not to what now?"
Before Sero could get an answer, he sensed an overwhelming amount of mana surging from Maximillian. He whirled towards the Iron Tyrant, seeing an aura of silver covering his body.
"I can let loose, right Enzo? Your student won't die on me?" Maximillian grinned, an unhinged look in his gray eyes.
"He's no student of mine if he does," Enzo replied, baring his teeth. "But I wouldn't underestimate him. He beat my little brother, after all."
Sero glanced at Enzo, then back at Maximillian. He swallowed, feeling a bit apprehensive for the match.
