Claud was in the middle of doubting his life when an odd pulse came from Dia of all people, and everyone else stirred. The reason was due to the small box that had popped up on his interface…although he had the feeling that what the others were seeing was completely different.

[The Prime Salvation Star is in close proximity. Using your powers in its presence will alarm it. All nearby Bearers of Destiny have been made aware of the Omen’s presence. Be careful.]

“Adversary…” Thirteen muttered this word quietly. The scythe spinning behind her had stopped too, and Claud could taste the faint fear in those words.

“Terrifying, yes.” Seven looked around. “And that bugger is here? Must have snuck into the group that just came in, then. I remember the two missions. Taking out the adversary gives lots of personal contribution, doesn’t it? And the prize pool is 15000 years of life per mission…”

He rubbed his hands. “Who do you guys think the adversary in the ranks of the Absolute is?”

Claud felt a bit bemused at how they were using ‘adversary’, rather than the official title, but he wasn’t going to say anything at all. Instead, he simply bobbed his head and prepared for the final phase of the trial to start. Indeed, the last phase indeed fitted his conception of what the Trial of Aeons should be like — rather than some weird game of cooperation, it should have been a bloody battle from the start.

And now, of course, everyone was going to start the bloody battle.

While he ran through the strategy again, Nero, Dia and Clarissa sauntered towards him, and Claud frowned. He had taken adequate measures to ensure that he would not be easily identified, even by people who knew him. However, and if his guesses weren’t wrong, Dia was probably the being his Status had constantly identified as the Salvation Star.

His nemesis of sorts, in other words. Rather than putting her in an awkward position, Claud would rather just stay away and not interact. However, why did the three of them walk over here? Did Dia somehow manage to pinpoint the Omen’s location?

He took another glance, but for some reason, it seemed like Nero was the one at the front. Claud sidled away slowly a few seconds later as the trio walked up to…Thirteen.

Huh? What are these three trying to do? Do they somehow know each other? But Thirteen’s from the Saran Supremacy…

“Lady Kemata.” Nero stopped in front of Thirteen and held his hand out with a grace that the dude had never exhibited before in front of Claud. “I’ve heard much about you.”

The confusion in Claud’s head intensified, and for a moment, he just wanted to ask Nero about his current objective. That definitely didn’t sound like a desire for an alliance, and besides, he was the Holy Son of the Black God.

“Query. Me?” The scythe floating behind Thirteen spun once, and for some reason, Claud could sense a small hint of bashfulness in it.

“Indeed. You are the virtuous ex-fiancée of the Minor Supreme, yes?” Nero asked, his voice now overflowing with a weird feeling. Claud turned his eyes to Dia and Clarissa; the former had a weird smile on her face, while Clarissa was positively overflowing with what seemed to be freaking maternal love.

“A-affirmative.” Thirteen shifted on the spot, but she didn’t step away. By now, Seven had realised that something funny was up, and he slunk over to Claud, muttering something about missing Holy Sons and abandoned fiancées the whole time.

Chuckling dryly, Claud stepped away from Seven and watched as Nero said, “I would like to ask for permission to court you henceforth.”

The smiles of the two ladies behind him grew a tiny bit more pronounced, but Claud was at least gratified to see that Dia’s smile had a touch of reality in it. That smile on her face twitched once every five or so seconds, so she at least knew that this definitely wasn’t the venue to talk about courtship.

“Still,” Seven muttered, “even if these two hit it off, Thirteen comes from the Saran Supremacy. These don’t quite look like they came from the Supremacy.”

“Eh, Thirteen was probably intending on leaving that stupid place to begin with,” Claud replied. “Don’t really see the issue.”

Dia sent him a curious glance as he spoke, and Claud was abruptly reminded of the possibility that she could see him for the being he supposedly was. It would not do to slink away from her this overtly, but being looked at directly wasn’t an option either. The Moon Lords…uh, Seekers of Life, were familiar with each other to the point that Claud half-believed that simply moving normally would expose him instantly.

The scythe behind Thirteen spun once. “Gratitude. Preliminary acceptance. Okay?”

Nero, the Holy Son of the Black God who had somehow walked up to a lady in public and stated his desire to court her without any preamble, nodded once. Claud had no idea where he got the gall to do such a thing this boldly either, but he definitely was a really brave person.

Clapping in his head, Claud wondered about the issue of a long-distance relationship…or a cross-continental one, but before he could think about the specifics, Nero offered her a small artefact with a gentle smile.

Can someone bring back the old Nero? What the heck is this? The Nero I knew was an alcoholic know-it-all wannabe. What is this modernised Holy Son doing?

As a part of him entered denial at the fact that the legendary alcoholic was actually chasing a good woman, another part of him couldn’t help but think that there was probably a match in statuses here. However, did Nero not realise that Thirteen was the great Dark’s last Bearer of Destiny? If the Dark was defeated, the chances of her being dead would also be very high.

In addition, wouldn’t this ally the Seekers of Life with the great Dark?

Did those buffoons not think it through? Or was there some grand play that had been decided upon in the few days that Claud wasn’t around?

He rubbed his head. The insides of his skull seemed to be throbbing from shockwaves caused by a certain bunch of people who were rushing down the road of recklessness…either that, or his brain was attempting to exercise, so that he could figure out the political intrigue behind all this.

Rubbing his head again, Claud thought about Lily, who would definitely know what was going on.

More impressively, however, it would seem that Nero actually knew about Thirteen. He even had the feeling that the Black God’s Holy Son knew about her from the start…

As the duo somehow managed to hit it off, light filled the venue, and the rift at the middle began to tremble and quake. Within seconds, the whole thing had collapsed into itself, forming a perfectly round sphere of black and gold light. Claud could feel its existence keenly, as if all life was centred around that sphere and that sphere alone.

He could feel a desire to hold that thing stir from deep within him, and Claud had to force himself to not move. It was a desire that seemed to be his exclusively, since the others all looked like they were being cowed by that little sphere that reminded him of Throne…

Were the three little fellows worried for him too? What was Lily doing now?

Claud shook his head slightly, and then focused on the main task at hand. Knowing Lily, she was definitely working hard at increasing her mana circuits. It would be great if she managed to increase her Mana Control Proficiency too, and—

Damnit. I really, really just want to go back to her right now…

Taking a deep breath, he continued to emulate the others. His whole body was tensed up, however — Claud had every intention to monopolise the little ball that was busy condensing right now. The same probably went for the others, but Claud knew that everyone else here — Chromatic Lords, Bearers of Destiny, rulers of the continent — probably intended to wait for other people to make a move first.

It was dangerous, but Claud had full faith in his Presence Nullification. Of course, it would probably deplete most of his skillsticks, which had been prepared for the Red God, but…

Claud clicked his teeth. The Trial was ending soon, but he couldn’t quite find the reason why the Red God had attacked him and Lily back then. After all, his Bearer of Destiny had been killed some time ago, and everyone clearly had their own sponsors. Just what did he want to accomplish? Was it even possible for a Bearer of Destiny to betray their master?

Or did the Red God somehow realise that Claud was the only one without a master of sorts? Was that even possible?

As the small sphere continued to solidify, Claud couldn’t help but complain about all the questions that had popped up in his head over the past few hours. As if this new, flirty Nero wasn’t enough, he now had to consider even more important things, like the future, that sphere that was worth thousands of years…

If only things could be simpler.