The Eidum's HQ at the Great Divide consisted of four sections. Three of these had seven floors, with one huge floor close to the surface.
The first section was the one close to the surface. All supplies were kept there. The second section below it was where the Infirmary, Apothecary, patients' ward were found. Following that section were the sleeping chambers, kitchen and the dining hall. Finally, the last section, which was at the bottom of the chasm was the assembly hall, offices of the leaders, and the exit to the lower ground.
At the moment, Kyran, Hilam and Soria was inside the receiving room of the Saint. It is located at the lowest floor and was also close to the assembly hall.
"What did you just say?" The Saint asked after hearing Kyran speak some inaudible words.
Kyran shook his head and replied, "Sorry, it's nothing."
He took out his identification, intending to get to the bottom of his coming, "I came here because I had an agreement with the Great Abbot."
"Hilam and Soria already told us that. More importantly, they said, you told them that the Abbot has been abducted."
Instead of addressing what Kyran had said, the burly man with crew-cut blonde hair and light blue eyes at the Saint's left side growled at him.
"That is the most absurd lie I have ever heard!" The burly man added with such conviction.
"Commander Gidan," the Saint suddenly called with a warning tone. She also heard the news and did not believe it. For this reason, she wanted to meet Kyran as soon as possible and see for herself what he was up to.
The commander, Gidan, grumbled in protest but did not attempt to question Kyran again. He was still glaring at him, though.
"Sir Azikh?" The Saint addressed the other man on her right, who was about six feet with an average build. He had long blonde hair tied at the back, and his round blue eyes made him seem amicable compared to Gidan.
"Yes, leader."
Azikh looked at Kyran and smiled, "May we see the identification given to you by the Abbot?"
Kyran threw the scroll in his hand in response to his request.
Taken aback, Azikh barely caught it with both hands.
"You—!" Gidan started. However, the Saint's interrupted him with a firm, "Commander Gidan."
"But he was being disrespectful of us, leader! He threw the damn—."
"Commander Gidan."
"Ugh...! Fine."
Azikh looked at Kyran lightly and said, "You did not have to throw it. We won't do anything, even if you approach and hand it normally."
"Don't get me wrong," Kyran replied with a shrug. "I just thought throwing it is faster than handing it over."
"Hm... You have a point."
"Oi, Azikh. Don't just agree to what he says, you have to be—."
"Do I have to repeat myself, Commander Gidan?" The Saint spoke warningly at him once more.
"He had those sons-of-bitches' hair and eyes, leader," Gidan explained while glaring daggers at Kyran.
"Yes," the Saint replied. "You already told me. But did Hilam and Soria say anything against him? I believe they had traveled with him for a few days and is better suited to be his judge."
Hilam and Soria immediately lowered their heads at the mention of their names.
"Leader. Nar is a trustworthy complete being."
"You two!" Gidan glared at them. "Are you blind?"
His remark immediately caused a drop in temperature in the room.
Hilam and Soria shivered in fear and dared not raise their heads to look at the scene.
On the other hand, Kyran tilted his head in amusement.
The one that caused the drop in the temperature was not the Saint.
Even after hearing Gidan speak of the word 'blind,' she was unaffected.
But that did not seem to be the case with Azikh.
Kyran guessed that Azikh could be someone close to the Saint if he reacted that way just because of an offhanded remark that could leave a bad memory even if it was not directed at her.
Still, what amused Kyran was that Azikh's strength seemed greater than Gidan's. If not, the latter would not look like he was about to piss his pants in fear.
"That was not meant for the leader, Azikh. T-Try to calm down..."
"The leader has already warned you not once but three times," Azikh said with a gentle yet cold smile. "If you keep interrupting and hindering the progression of our questioning, you are free to leave."
Gidan responded by straightening his back and nodding once.
"Thank you," Azikh said before turning to the Saint and handing the identification given by Kyran.
"The Abbot's seal is authentic. Whether he took it from someone else or was truly given by the Aboot can only be confirmed by you," he told her as if nothing strange had happened.
"Thank you, Azikh," the Saint said while carefully touching the scroll. "I will have to examine it in greater detail."
"If you need time to check it, go right ahead. But first, I'll explain what the Great Abbot and I had agreed on."
"Very well," the Saint said. "I am listening."
Before Kyran could say anything, Soria grabbed the hem of his sleeves and whispered, "The Saint could detect any lies from a person's voice. You have to be careful about what you will say."
"You do not have to fear for him, Soria," the Saint said, chuckling lightly. Apparently, she was not only good at detecting lies from hearing a person speak but had a good ear in general.
Soria flushed and lowered her head again in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry."
"How should I address you, sir...?"
"Nar is fine."
"Nar, it is. Please tell us what you and the Abbot had agreed upon."
Kyran shrugged, "Nothing complicated. He asked for my help, and in turn, he said I could find what I was looking for in this place. That's why I will help deal with the situation here. I only ask that you allow me to search for... that person."
Azikh and Gidan frowned at what Kyran said. Even the Saint's brow furrowed slightly.
"'Help deal with the situation here?'" She repeated. "Are you even aware of what we are dealing with now?"
Judging from her expression, it was obvious she did not believe him. To be precise, she did not believe the Abbot would ask for a stranger's help dealing with the situation at the borders.
The situation had worsened to the point that they could barely defend the borders, not to mention their supplies— though Hilam and the others had brought some— could only last for another two weeks. A month if they halved the allocated amount of food for each fighter.
They could not do the latter because most fighters were recuperating and needed adequate food to recover properly.
Apart from that, Kyran looked too young. His origin was questionable as well.
The old man, watching the exchange from inside the Void World, could not help but sigh inwardly. As much as he wanted to help mitigate their suspicion, the key that would help him was not there.
"A little," Kyran responded.
Earlier, when Hilam and the others entered the HQ, he went to the edge of the chasm and checked the battlefield below. There he noticed dead bodies of beast-likes and complete beings.
Some of the bodies were already rotting, but some appeared fresh. From this, Kyran guessed that the confrontation between the two sides happened on a regular basis. Not to mention, the casualties were tremendous.
Kyran could not confirm if the bodies below were mostly from the enemy side because the clothes worn by the Eidums were covered in dirt and blood, making them appear dark, like the ones worn by the enemies.
But that was the thing; Kyran was shocked to learn the bodies were not wearing any armor. Or maybe, they did, but it was too worn out from the continuous battle that they were destroyed.
"A battle can happen here at a moment's notice," the Saint continued. "We are desperate for fighters and supplies. Nevertheless, we will not employ a young man's assistance. The Abbot would never ask a young person to come here and risk his life, no matter how strong he is."
"I never said anything about risking my life," Kyran said before the Saint could continue with her pep talk. "That is not part of our agreement. But I agreed to help, so I will."
The Saint felt conflicted. Although she said she needed time to check the identification, since Azikh confirmed the Abbot's seal was in it, it pretty much meant it was 99% authentic. The remaining 1% was their doubt on Kyran's motives.
He said he was looking for someone, and the Abbot confirmed he would find that person there. But was that enough reason to risk his life?
Right. He already confirmed that was not part of the agreement with the Abbot. But if he wanted to help 'deal with their situation,' how could he do that without risking his life?
"We'll just say we believe the Abbot did ask your help," the Saint said after a short pause. "So, let's move to another topic."
"The Abbot's abduction."
"Yes."
"It's true," Kyran told them with a straight face. "The news probably spread to the inner city and will reach here soon. Initially, I did not want to say it. But once you hear it, I'll become the most suspicious."
"Because as far as we know, you are the last person the Abbot had spoken to."
"Which is why I told you the truth," Kyran explained. "I don't want to deal with such complicated things. I'll be dealing with the situation here and looking for someone, so I can't be bothered to—."
BOOM!
Suddenly the whole room shook as the HQ's siren blared outside the room.
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