Arc walked out of the building, Carter trailing behind him, softly bobbing his head as if a gentle melody was lulling him to sleep. Arc didn't pay much attention to the child's peculiar behavior, as he considered it just another quirk typical of most Feyrisians. He brushed off Carter's strange actions as normal, although still out of place.

The guard who had returned to his post outside the door shouted at the departing pair, but Arc paid no attention to the words or actions of those around him. As he turned to wave at the guard, a deep smile spread across his face, causing the guard to freeze in place, his hand suspended in midair. The guard's expression was shocked at the unexpected smile from the older Feyrisian.

Arc turned around, feeling a little more pep in his step. He understood exactly what the old guard was saying, even without hearing or paying attention to the floating words around him. Soon, none of it would matter; he would be leaving this desolate village in the middle of nowhere and heading back home to his library and lab—though, unfortunately, that also meant dealing with the old man.

Being back home with his books and research was thrilling, especially after the brief adventure he had just experienced. The more Arc thought about it, the more excited he became. Exploring and experiencing new things was enjoyable, and the opportunity to get as far away from the old man as possible made it even better. First, however, he needed to deal with the child. To do that, he had to leave and return to Pilosophis to drop the brat off with Vanir.

"Which would be easier?" Arc mumbled to himself as he walked out of the gates of the Central Building.

Although there were many options for leaving the village, he had already decided to use the underground passages. He was familiar with only two entrances to the underground, each with its difficulties. The first was the orphanage, which he had discovered by accident. However, Seedlings likely guarded it, and it was far enough away that there would be plenty of time for someone—specifically Zindra—to find him. The second option was the old mansion, which had once been the home of the village's former head. While it was closer than the orphanage, it posed the same problem, if not worse, of being monitored by the Seedlings and being in the now busiest part of the whole village.

Arc weighed his options as he strolled, occasionally glancing back at the child following closely behind him. Looking just a little to the side, he could see the old mansion not far away, just a short walk from the Central Building. Although he wasn't in a rush, he felt a sense of urgency. He couldn't ignore this easy opportunity, but therein lay the problem: more Seedlings were moving about from who-knows-where, stumbling through the streets like gamblers who had lost everything.

Arc stopped to think about what he could do if he were alone. If he were by himself, he would use the old mansion like he had been since it was the easiest, but with this useless child in tow, a problem arrived.

"...Oh, I think I just had a great idea," Arc said, a sly smile spreading across his face as he looked at Carter.

***

Arc stood not far from the old mansion, hidden in the shadows of the taller buildings that dominated this part of the village. Carter could be seen wandering aimlessly among the lifelessly ambling Seedlings as he strolled down the streets. Although his short stature allowed him to blend in with the taller Seedlings, his icy blue hair stood out in stark contrast to the pale pinks and browns surrounding him.

Arc's plan wasn't complicated; in fact, it reflected his lazy, easygoing personality. Although the plan had flaws, the oblivious Seedlings would never see through it. Only Zindra would have the ability to see through this simple, foolish scheme, and that was because she knew Arc well.

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Arc continued to watch Carter wander around the area like a lost child looking for their parent, his head swiveling around while the crowd washed around him; this brought a simple smile to his face. The plan relied on two key factors: first, that Carter would continue to be the mindless, useless fool he always was, and second, that the Divine Race would fulfill their duties—two assumptions that Arc felt confident betting his life on.

Not long after, one of the other caretakers from the orphanage's Divine Race came out to find Carter and brought him inside the building. With that, the most challenging part was over. Now, all that remained was for him to search for Carter as if the useless child had run away again. Once he did, he and the boy would be safely inside the building.

Arc leaned against the wall, watching the old mansion, lost in thought. He waited for the right moment to get Carter, but all he could do was sigh. He would be the first to admit that this plan was foolish. It wasn't even the kind of dumb that could be considered smart; it was just senseless. This whole scheme arose from his inability to trust anyone else's skills but his own, regardless of who they were. Thus, the reckless decision to let them know where they were as a diversion seemed like the best choice, even though it was foolish.

After what Arc felt was an adequate amount of time to lose a child, Arc walked to the back of the alley he was in and started to run around, working up a bit of a panic and sweat to help his story a bit. After some time, he ran around, panicking in the open and screaming for Carter.

When one of the Divine Knights guarding the old mansion noticed him and rushed over, Arc looked at him with a panicked expression. He thought his acting was great, but the knight's strange look said otherwise, or maybe it was just his imagination.

"Family Head Arc, did you happen to lose young Carter again?"

"Ye-Yes, have you seen him? He was with me one moment, then a large crowd came out of nowhere, a-and he was gone a-and...!"

"Calm down, sir. It's fine. It seemed he wandered near here, and one of the caretakers found him. He is with the other children. We just sent someone to ask Istina and Ibada about this, but I can see that the mystery is solved."

"Oh, thank the ancestors," Arc said, placing his hand on his chest and exhaling deeply.

"Everything is fine now. I will get one of the caretakers, and they can bring you to the child."

"I appreciate your kindness. May I?" Arc motioned for himself to enter the premises while the knight nodded, leaving the other knights to guard while he and Arc walked into the building.

"Wait here while I get someone."

"But of course."

Arc stood with an exhausted smile as he waited, and before long, a woman with short brown hair and a child with short icy blue hair started to walk towards him.

"I heard you lost this little one while wondering about the streets?"

"Yes, maneuvering today is quite difficult. I'm just glad he managed to find his way here, and nothing else happened to him."

"Indeed, losing this one as important as he is would have been tragic. I'll see you both off if you do not mind."

"Oh, you don't have to trouble yourself... actually, do you mind us staying for about an hour and letting me rest? Maybe let this hoard settle out before we set off, and there isn't a reason to see us off. We can care for ourselves... I think haha."

"Oh, of course, rest as long as you like, but I will say the West Wing is supposed to be off-limits to everyone, so stay away from that side. Everything else is open."

"Oh, don't worry. We will stay close to the entrance to keep an eye on this traffic while I rest, and then we will be out of your way."

Arc waved at the leaving caretaker before turning to Carter with a sly grin.

"And you thought it wouldn't work."

Carter stared at Arc with the same tired eyes he always had, not showing any emotions.

"You acted as if it wouldn't work when I mentioned it..." Carter stared blankly at Arc as if he hadn't heard a word. "Uh... Anyway, come along; we are going now."