The sound of carriages and rain drops, unlike last time, could not be Heard as William crossed the streets with a face that could scare a child. Ofcourse, a moment Ago people, wheather man or woman, laid their eyes on him because of his beauty, but that was before he had this expression.
Anxiousness and worry— that was what he felt while walking through the empty streets alone.
He wasn't afraid of the darkness, because the streets were lighted by the lamps.
He wasn't afraid of burglars, because it was unlikely for a thief or even a bandit to be around.
Was it the silence? Though it didn't bother him, he did feel a familiar feeling.
It was as if the silence that he experienced after coming here for the first time has come back to meet him. Though the difference this time is...
He had more knowledge and information. He wasn't scared of the silence itself, but he was once scared of the lack of information he once experience. And that is what scared him.
But even then, it wasn't what he was afraid of the most.
But what is also strange, is that the information he got was what scared him. Yes, information he got from teh woman from the bar.
...
AT THE BAR
"Do you know anything about the Night Eye Association?"
"..."
"..."
"Eh? What did you just say?"
"Do you know anything about the Night Eye Association?"
Silence struck the room as if all the excitement and anticipation disappeared in an instant.
Her face, while being lifted by William's right hand, did not show any emotions as she did earlier. Instead, it showed the combinations between confusion, shocked, and surprise.
"Pfft...! Puhaha"
She suddenly fell into laughter so big, that she apparently had to leaned back and Embraced herself with her own hug.
She laughed for Ten seconds until finally calming down.
"I didn't expect you to ask me. I thought you were gonna make a move on me." She said while still chuckling.
"You asked me if i want anything else other than drinks, right?"
"Hm... True, i did say that, didn't i?" she said, remembering what she said.
"So, you want information about the Association?"
"Yes"
"What do you know about the Association so far"
"Nothing"
"...excuse me?"
"I know absolutely nothing"
"Wait, then hnw did you even know about the Association?"
"Because i-"
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As he was about to answer and tell her, he suddenly felt an instinctive "stop". Wheather it be his own reflexes or quick realisation, that feeling might have saved him from a potential of getting captured or even worse... Killed.
Why? Because he himself did not know anything about the Association, including wheather it'd be an Associationthat stood up in teh name of justice and good or evil.
The percentage of the Association being evil is fifty percent, same with the percentage it maybe if it were a good Association. Because of this, he decided to not tell her about his relations with the Association, including the fact that he would be working there.
Because of that, he replied with:
"Because i read it on a news paper"
"The Association never appeared in any paper"
"Oh... Did i say news paper? I meant to say that i heard it in a confersation once"
"Where?"
"I- In a restaurant"
"You Heard an info regarding a top secret organization from a bar?" She asked while lifting her left eyebrow.
"Yes"
While still lefting her eyebrows, she looked at William as if suspecting him.
William thought it was the same face he would see in movies when polices tries their best when interogating a criminal by suspecting the hell out of them.
She let out a faint sigh before she crossed her legs and leaned towards the sofa while holding a wine glass filled with alcohol.
She crossed her arms while still holding the wine glass in her right hand.
Her eyes began to face towards the wine glass she was holding. As if playing with the alcohol, she moved her hands in a circular motion, forcing the alcohol to follow it's motion.
"To be Frank, i myself don't know much about the Association. What i know, is that the Association specialises in Ghoul hunting"
"Ghouls..."
William had remembered encountering the name while he was still in the library.
A creature that wasn't able to leave the realm of the living due to the souls promise with the world. In other words, a soul that didn't fulfill it's purpose. Using a new body they receive from the land of the dead, they mutate their very body to match their purpose or wishes.
"Though it's an unknown organization, it's still famous all throughout the continent"
"...Because it specialises in Ghoul hunting?"
"No, because only those who have become a transcendent is able to kill a Ghoul. Meaning the organization itself mostly consist of transcendents"
"... transcendents?"
At this point, she has had enough of his ridicule unknowingness. Wheather it be about the holly orders or even the omnipotent war, she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know these things. But for him to not even know what a "Transcendents" is... It Made her want to question him:
"Have you been living under a rock or something!?" She shouted while still in disbelief.
William was only able to scratch his head and let out a faint smile.
"Hehe..."
Once again, she sighed in disbelief
"Transcendents are beings that have transcended through the capabilities of a mortal"
'transcend the capabilities of a mortal...? Wait... Does she mean-'
"Yes, supernatural powers"
William's eyes, which was once in a serious manner while discussing about the Association, suddenly sparkled.
His face which resembles that of an excited little kid, illuminated an innocent like atmosphere.
Her eyes, as if imitating that of the innocence from William's, also sparkled, only this time, it's because she Saw cuteness.
She covered her mouth with her left hand while still holding the wine glass in her right. Hiding her vulnerability.
Why? Although many people see her as the adult type, she is strangely vulnerable to innocent things. So, seeing innocence that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, caught her off guard.
It was as if she wasn't seeing a twenty year old man, but a child who had just opened his presents. Though it wouldn't be strange for her to think of that because his build itself is slim and short, just like a child's
'a little kid! So cute!!!'
She turned away hiding her face from the attacks of radiating innocence from his eyes alone.
Getting back on the conversation, she immediately goes back to a mannerfull sitting while adjusting herself.
"Wait, is Ghoul hunting all they do?" William suddenly asked.
"Hm..? So far, yes"
'that's odd...'
He remembered that the Association gave Claude reward just for getting in, how were they able to get that much money?
"How do they get their money when Ghouls don't appear that often?"
Infact, he had not encountered any Ghouls ever since he entered this world.
"What are you talking about?" She suddenly asked.
"Hm...?"
"They're everywhere, we just don't encounter them because of the Association." she said before taking a sip of the alcohol while her eyes still started at him with the intention of recorrecting his thoughts. She thought that he had misspoke as it's common knowledge for the people of Evernight. Though, that isn't the case for him.
William sat there with his eyes widened, only this time with the expression of horror and shock.
It did seemed strange to him that although manifestation of Ghouls could happen anytime, he somehow never thought about it actually happening.
"Gulp... W-what would happen if the Association failed to kill even a single Ghoul?"
"Hm... It would mostly Depend on the type of Ghoul it is, but..."
"But...?"
"It would be more likely for it to search for a prey on the streets"
"..."
"..."
'damn it...'