CHAPTER 169: EXIST

There was a silence. The pair only waited for Thalia’s reaction. Not to say the other had the initiative, but a response on her end was needed for this conversation to continue.

After a momentary pause, as if she had already thought about it. In any case, whether she believed the two were not yet the most important right now.

"Are you the only ones engulfed inside?"

Kamille did not know, so he shook his head.

While both voluntarily let the gate draw them in, they did not know if there were other Espers with them. They did not even know if the regular citizens were still alive or were scattered throughout this world.

The two continued to talk while Rise just listened, even looking a little bored. As a result, his mind started to wander. To the things that he felt he had overlooked.

No, not overlooked but intentionally ignored. For him, the scenario at this gate was not actually important, and so he decisively just skipped it and did not put all of his intention there. No way he would read a so-called development between the protagonist and the male lead like how novels did it.

However, some bits he could remember, like the setting. In fact, that was one he was most surprised about. The inside of that gate was not this.

Rise was sure of that.

Probably because it was still early? That could be a possibility. And so, Rise did not know what would happen or what exactly was going on here.

With this woman who looked exactly like Thalia but clearly not the same person, and the world that seemed shaped similarly to their world. So... would they be able to find familiar faces?

But if that was the case, in this world, they did not exist?

Rise turned his gaze to Thalia again. She did not recognize them, like everyone else. If not, as soon as she saw them, they would not be treated as outsiders immediately, even if they emerged from beyond the barrier.

Was this world truly like a parallel world, or was it only an illusion created by the mutated gate? For now, he could not be sure. A lot of things still need to be uncovered. Rise once again felt that he was still too far from the truth, and he barely scratched the surface.

It did not take too long, and they were escorted to their temporary room, though they were still under surveillance. Neither cared since they had their means to escape if they wanted to.

Only that, this place was more convenient for getting information than wandering without direction outside.

"She didn’t believe us entirely." Rise spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

He could freely say what he wanted after checking the place for any bugs or anything. Unexpectedly, there was none.

Kamille plopped beside Rise and lay down, closing his eyes for a moment.

"It doesn’t matter," he replied and opened his eyes, looking Rise in the eye.

Rise was sitting beside him and looked down lazily, hand reaching out and touching Kamille’s cheek. His wavelength immediately connected with the other, albeit it was weak and not really guiding.

Yet, it left a tickling sensation for both of them, making them at ease. As if comforting each other that even in the familiar yet unfamiliar world, they were still together.

"Right, it doesn’t really matter." Rise nodded.

Neither side would work based on trust anyway.

Rise then asked, "What do you think of this world? A parallel world?"

Rather than mulling the matter alone, he preferred talking about such matters with his guild leader more. If not for the restriction by the world itself, he had long told Kamille everything.

"Yes, but not quite." Kamille briefly paused and did not wait for Rise to respond to continue his theory. "Based on what we know so far, it’s a world pretty similar to ours. Thalia was one, and so was the Evergreen Guild. But the differences are just as glaring."

Kamille did not elaborate as those were obvious already to Rise. Seeing him nod, Kamille solemnly proceeded.

"About our identity here... I can’t be sure about this right now. For the next few days, we first gather information here before venturing out."

Without much surprise, Rise agreed with Kamille. Their plan for the next days was then decided. Thalia also did not forbid them from using any sort of communication devices, given that both knew it was also under surveillance.

They did not mind at all since they would not search for any confidential information, if that was even searchable publicly. Some were easier to search, while others they only had to be subtle about it.

Not wanting their intentions to be clear to those behind the scenes.

Their finds over the past few days were still fruitful. Like how the big guilds were still the same as the ones in their memory. Except, there was no Dark Crimson Guild in the record of the guilds.

This made their conjectures correct about where their identities lie, but still made the questions around them all the more apparent.

Most information about the two worlds was almost the same, but the differences were just as obvious. They could not pinpoint the Dark Crimson member’s current identities. Obviously, they were not famous at all. Another possibility was that they also did not exist, but that needed further investigation later on.

One more surprising thing, or could be said inevitable change, was how the influence of the nobles was deeper here. The human area had shrunk significantly by a third compared to their world, and so had the population.

The zones were also huddled or near each other. They seemed to have abandoned certain areas to centralize the power and also make the defense easier to manage. There were disadvantages and advantages, but humanity hardly cares about that other than survival.

"Invitation?"

Kamille nodded. "Thalia invited us to a meeting."

"The government can’t wait anymore, huh?" A grin spread to Rise’s lips, not surprised.

"This is just right. We won’t be able to gather more information online. It’s already the limit."

Rise watched as Kamille stood up, seemingly preparing to leave. He did not move from where he sat.

"Not going to come?" Kamille softly asked, dark pupils staring through at his companion, observing.

Usually, he would not let this opportunity slide, but this time he shook his head. He let out a smile, assuring.

"You go, Guild Leader. I don’t like attending such meetings, they will only bore me." It was both a truth and a lie.

Serious meetings, especially with those sitting in the government, typically bored him; that was not the reason he did not want to come.

Kamille only stared at him, and Rise bravely met his eyes.

"Really. I’ll behave here." He reached out and squeezed Kamille’s hand. "You know I can protect myself, so be at ease to attend without me, Kamille."

With these words, Kamille seemed to have been convinced. After all, Rise was a strong esper in his own right and did not need his protection.

Rise might love to act like a damsel in distress with Kamille, but when it came to serious matters, he was not afraid to remind his guild leader that he was also an esper, a strong one at that.

Kamille could only sigh in the end, seeing him determined and left alone. Of course, the two shared a few seconds of a kiss first before that.

Rise watched his Guild Leader leave, and only after he could not see him anymore did the smile on his lips falter slightly. He went inside, and his expression darkened.

Now, time to ponder about things that could not be discussed with his guild leader.

For example, that bitch, Epsilon.