Chương 394: Chapter 389 - A favour paid

Empress was considerate enough to vacate the armchair, leaping onto the desk instead as Scarlett took her seat. The cat curled neatly upon it, tail flicking across her nose as she fixed Scarlett with those cool, unblinking amethyst eyes. The Gentleman settled into the chair opposite, placing his top hat on the desk and resting his cane by his knee. For a moment, neither spoke.

"You have been through much," the man eventually said, voice mild.

"I have," Scarlett replied simply. Empress gave a soft meow.

"She wishes to congratulate you on your success," The Gentleman explained. Scarlett glanced at the cat.

"…Thank you, Empress." The feline blinked slowly, then started licking her paw. The Gentleman's gaze drifted back towards the corner of the room, where Slate sat motionless, eyes on them.

"Now that you have the Tribute of Dominion," he said, "what do you intend to do with it?"

"My intentions for her are none of your concern." He let out a quiet but somewhat amused chuckle.

"No, I suppose not. It would be asking rather a lot to be granted insight into those now, wouldn't it?"

"It would." Scarlett tapped her finger against the armrest. The Gentleman leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk.

"I imagine you would prefer to do away with the courtesies. Shall I go straight to the point?"

"Please."

"Very well. I came to ask about the favour I was owed. Did you see it repaid?" Scarlett studied him for several seconds.

"…I did."

"May I ask how?"

"Before I answer," she said, "I wish to confirm something. You did agree that the form of repayment was left entirely to my discretion. That even were I to pluck a stone from the dirt and offer it, you would accept the debt as discharged. Correct?"

"That is what I said, though not in those exact words. Is that what you have done, Baroness? Am I to add a shiny stone to my collection?"

"Yes." He raised a brow, eyes narrowing faintly.

"…Then, as promised, I must accept the favour as repaid." His tone remained calm and polite. Casual, even, as if the weight of the matter barely concerned him. Yet there was something unsettling in the poise of it — the same undercurrent Scarlett had felt when he'd broached the subject before she left for Beld Thylelion. Her gaze shifted to Empress. The cat's eyes met hers, unreadable.

"With the favour already settled, I have little more to keep me." The Gentleman reached for his cane.

"I will take my leave." Scarlett lifted her hand.

"Stop." He paused, his smile small and knowing.

"Yes?" She pulled her [Pouch of Holding] closer on the desk, sliding it past the Array Forge and the [Bag of Juham]. From within, she withdrew a large agate, its swirling core a mix of green and grey now veined with silver and gold. The Gentleman's attention fixed on it. Scarlett turned it in her palm. The gem Arlene had left behind. Two [Spark of Divinity (Divine)] had come into her possession through Fate's fracture. She had used one to raise her pyrokinesis to Argent-tier.

The other she'd had three choices for: to save it for another skill upgrade, to offer it to Itris, or to repay her debt. Normally, she would have prioritised the first or second. At least those paths promised some power or divine favour, which were tangible gains. But after witnessing Fate's vision, she had been… moved—for lack of a better word—by a pull she hadn't expected. A desire to help what remained of that primordial existence find an end it could accept.

Yamina's goal to kill this world's Fate had aligned with that existence's wish, and giving The Gentleman this… Well, Scarlett wasn't sure, but she suspected this did as well. The Gentleman wouldn't have asked her to keep the agate—something he himself had created—without reason. She placed the gem on the desk.

"I hope you understand what I gave up in this." She hadn't even been sure the agate would accept the [Spark of Divinity], but it had.

"I do," The Gentleman replied quietly, his eyes never leaving it. There was an unfamiliar restraint in his voice — and perhaps, Scarlett thought, fragility. She looked at Empress. The cat rested her head on her paws, gaze fixed on him. In those eyes, something heavy, old, and tired seemed to linger. Finally, The Gentleman removed his gloves. He reached out, lifting the agate with care, as if it might crumble in his hands. He examined it in silence, then pressed one bare finger gently against its surface.

The gem's core stilled. The colours bled together, greens and greys giving way to silvers and golds that soon consumed it whole. Then, without warning, it fractured. A muted radiance spilled outwards. It wasn't blinding. Far from it. Rather, it felt deep and resonant, echoing through Scarlett's bones, similar to the sensation she'd experienced when standing before Fate's fracture. The light pulsed once, twice, and gathered into a faint, shapeless form before The Gentleman.

He watched it without a word until it faded into nothing. A soft meow broke the stillness. Scarlett paused as she saw a single tear trace down The Gentleman's cheek. She stared. Something about the sight just felt fundamentally wrong. An instant later, he replaced his gloves, brushed the tear away, and was once more a picture of composure. He offered a small, rueful smile.

"Thank you, Baroness." Empress turned her eyes to Scarlett and meowed again, soft but weighted. Scarlett hesitated.

"…What was that?" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"A farewell to an old, dear one," The Gentleman said.

"That is all?" His head dipped just slightly.

"That is all."

"…I see." She'd sacrificed much for this. And though she had known—half-expected—that it might amount to no more than a goodbye, still, she had hoped for something more. The Gentleman considered her, the knowing in his smile settling back in place.

"I do mean it when I thank you. You may never truly grasp how much this means to me. Though it was done as a favour, and though my hands are not as free as you might imagine, I will not forget it." Scarlett saw in his eyes that he meant it. Perhaps that alone meant it was worthwhile.

"If you are thankful," she said after a while, "perhaps you can answer a few of my questions." Both his brows lifted. A faint exhale escaped him, almost a laugh.

"Perhaps. What would you ask?"

"Why did you choose the name 'Gentleman'?" He paused, one hand drifting to touch his chin.

"It was a mantra, you might say. A promise. A reminder of failings past, and a pledge towards what I hope could be a better path ahead." Empress lifted her head, caught his gaze, and loosed a low meow. He nodded slowly, his voice turning a shade heavier.

"Or that would have been my reasoning, had I chosen it. In truth, it was a role I stepped into. One that merely fit." Scarlett's brow furrowed slightly. The Gentleman had been a figure in the game — a fixed piece of the world's story. Then perhaps, originally, the man before her hadn't been meant to be 'The Gentleman' at all, just as the Anomalous One hadn't been meant to be the creature caged by Thainnith's seals.

"What is your real name?" she asked. His smile dimmed.

"I do not have one."

"Sarisa did." The faintest twitch passed across his face before he shook his head.

"And so did I, once. But it is long gone. I cannot claim it, nor would it claim me."

"Then…" Scarlett paused.

"…May I simply call you Time?" Empress hissed suddenly, sharp and furious. Scarlett blinked. A flicker of surprise touched The Gentleman's face, then softened into warmth.

"…So more of Sarisa lingered than I dared hope." He regarded Scarlett for several seconds.

"But no. I would prefer you call me The Gentleman. It is the only name that belongs to me now."

"Why?"

"Because Time abandoned what he was. As with Fate, little remains but a hollow husk, waiting to unravel. And…" His gaze drifted past Scarlett, focusing on the painting behind her.

"Cowardly as it may be, I would rather not be reminded of what I became." Scarlett's fingers tapped another rhythm against the armrest. She had seen the vision of Time left behind once Fate was gone. The broken being he became. The creations that were erased, rewritten as if they'd never been. She wouldn't want to be linked to that either. But it left her conflicted about the man.

"…I need to know," she finally said.

"About your wager with The Other. About The Other in general." Empress hissed again, tail lashing, fixing Scarlett with a sharp, warning look — though Scarlett got the sense the warning wasn't aimed at her. The Gentleman reached out, running his hand gently along the cat's back.

"Easy, my dear. Not now." His eyes returned to Scarlett.

"…Have you met with it?"

"I met him after this world's Fate was undone."

"Him?" His tone turned thoughtful.

"…What I can tell of our wager is little more than its frame. A chance at an ending for this world not dictated by Fate. Once, I was foolish enough to accept. And while I have not yet lost in name, I have lost in all that matters. What I sought to win I have since learned was never truly possible." He gave a quiet, mirthless breath.

"Perhaps it is the cruellest irony that you, in so short a time, appear closer to winning that wager than I have ever come."

"That is what I do not understand," Scarlett said.

"You were not the one who brought me here."

"I was not."

"Yet my presence seems to tilt the wager in your favour."

"One could see it that way."

"Then why would The Other bring me here? And why did you stand in my way before, when I tried to divert from Fate's path?" The Gentleman fell quiet, still stroking Empress' fur.

"…My choices are best explained by the word equilibrium. The consequences of my gravest interferences were what gave rise to many of the divergences that abound today, brought into being by my contender's hand. Nominally, they favour me. But not all favour the world. And since the wager is no longer my priority, I have had to act—when I could—to maintain the balance on certain matters."

"Are you that afraid of what The Other might do if events shift further?" Scarlett asked.

"I am. As should you be. Regardless of what part they might have played in ensuring Fate's collapse, they will use this to interfere further."

"But why would they act against themselves?"

"I cannot say." Scarlett frowned.

"I cannot say because I do not know," The Gentleman added.

"Though there are also things I merely cannot say. The Other is not an existence that yields to simple understanding, Baroness. Their motives often resist honest comprehension. And while we are adversaries by oath, there have been occasions where we've collaborated. I would advise caution in seeking to interpret them too closely."

"How can I interpret what I barely understand?" Scarlett folded her arms. She scrutinised him.

"…Tell me, how can I find The Other?" Another disapproving sound left Empress. The Gentleman's gaze did not leave Scarlett.

"Baroness, listen carefully. Do not ever seek The Other. If they choose to appear before you, you may have little to fear. But if you were to try to find them first—if you succeeded—there would be nothing in this world capable of saving you."

"I refuse to keep playing into their hands."

"An understandable sentiment. But do not let defiance cloud your judgement." Scarlett looked him in the eyes.

"So you cannot help me locate The Other."

"No. Even aside from the danger, I am bound by other constraints that bar me from such things."

"Agreements?"

"Of a kind."

"That you cannot speak of."

"Yes." Scarlett clicked her tongue.

"You do not appear to be the only one. Is that The Other's hallmark? Forcing others into bargains and riddled contracts that require loopholes just to speak of them?"

"It does happen."

"Then I suppose you also cannot tell me about the books The Other has scattered into certain hands?" This time, a faint crease marked the man's brow.

"Books? I am unfamiliar with that." Scarlett paused. That was…actually a surprise. She could hardly recall a time when he hadn't already known exactly what she was talking about.

"…Are you familiar with a Senior Wizard Yamina Ward?" she asked. He nodded.

"I am."

"She claims she has tried to meet you more than once, but that you have avoided her." For the briefest instant, his expression tightened. Then a modest smile returned.

"Keeping my distance was…best."

"Because of her connection to Fate's fracture?"

"Precisely. Involving myself with her carried risks outweighing any benefit."

"Then you would not know she possesses a book that may contain knowledge of the future. Or that she has met The Other." The Gentleman stilled.

"…Is that true?"

"I suspect it. Though I believe she herself does not grasp the full significance." He seemed to consider this, while Empress let out a restless, irritated series of sounds beneath his hand. He looked down at her.

"No, my dear. That would be unwise. You know the course we set long ago. You have aided the Baroness before, but these are very different circumstances." The man met Scarlett's eyes again.

"If Yamina Ward has made contact with The Other, that is cause for vigilance — though it is hardly surprising, given her role. As for what binds them together, I cannot say."

"Nor can you say anything about the books?"

"Nor the books." His voice lowered slightly.

"The Other have far more freedom to act than I." Empress seemed to have had enough of his touch, slipping from under his finger. She padded across the desk, stepping up to the Array Forge and circling it.

"Then does the term 'Aurelian' mean anything to you?" Scarlett asked, watching the cat. It was the clue Arlene had left behind in her journal. But Scarlett hadn't been able to find anything on that front yet, even with Beldon Tyndall's help.

"…Aurelian, you say?"

"You recognise it?"

"I do, however—" Empress meowed pointedly at The Gentleman.

"…Please, dear. That is not a path to tread. And it would only burden her further." The cat's eyes narrowed at him. She turned to Scarlett and meowed again. Scarlett frowned.

"I do not understand what it is you are trying to tell me." Empress held her gaze, and Scarlett could have sworn the cat sighed. Suddenly, the amethyst of Empress' eyes flared with a viridescent sheen.

"Dear—" The Gentleman began, but Empress ignored him. Something seized Scarlett's senses, and the office fell away, dissolving into a whirl of colours and shifting impressions. An instant later, she stood in the middle of a street, stone buildings on either side and crowds bustling past. For a breath, she didn't know where she was — until she saw the bronze-red spires rising above distant rooftops. Dawnlight Palace, which meant Elystead. But this didn't seem like the Elystead she knew.

The cut of the people's clothes, the masonry, even the air itself. Everything felt different, somehow. Subtle, but undeniable. Slowly, she realised what it was. A soft meow drew her eyes down. Empress sat at her feet, looking up with those calm, unblinking eyes. Scarlett stared at her for several long seconds before speaking.

"…Empress, to what time have you brought me?"