Mimic Awakening

Once Azrael and Claire agreed to lend their hands to Carlene’s request, the conversation progressed to the discussion regarding Azrael’s identity. Thought they did not reveal anything to her. They keep his awakened abilities hidden to a certain extent.

Claire believes that Carlene is trustworthy enough to reveal his secrets to her. Azrael puts his trust in her as Claire promises she will take responsibility if it is compromised.

"I understand it now. Azrael has taken the hero’s body for his human form. Everything makes sense now. The dungeon, the disappearances, the lake. It’s all coming together to him."

Carlene calmly expresses her thoughts after hearing Azrael’s story, which is sort of unbelievable if Claire has not backed it up. The noblewoman is now contemplating how she should treat this monster of an existence.

If Carlene heard it right, Azrael, who has the power to create a lake with permanent water that big, must have mana comparable to that of a catastrophe-class threat. An entity this powerful is almost unheard of. He is on the same level as the Great Calamities, beings capable of destroying civilizations.

Beings with that much power tend to have no control of themselves, as most of them in history were Great Calamities. From what she has seen, although he acts like a statue, void of expressions, she can see intelligence and reasonableness in him.

Other than that, she notices that he seems to be lacking in common sense as if he just got here. Given that he was just a mimic born in the dungeon, Carlene understands that he has a lot of things to learn about this world. She even considers putting him under her wing if Claire allows it.

"Lady Carlene. There is something I want to ask."

"You can address me with just my name, Azrael. No need to be so formal." Carlene gracefully turns her attention to him.

"If you insist, then I’ll gladly take it." Azrael does not want to complicate things. "My question is, I am just wondering who’s more powerful between you and Claire. You seem to be on equal footing with Claire, but I cannot get a grasp of your mana, so I cannot tell how powerful you are."

There are several questions that Azrael wants to inquire about, but that is the one he can muster to ask right now. Some of the questions in his mind might sound like asking for a woman’s age—private things—so he comes up with that question instead.

"Hmm..." Carlene ponders for a few seconds. "To be honest, we might actually not know the full potential of each other’s strength. We have aces hidden in our sleeves after all. But in terms of mana, Claire is definitely the superior, but I am still catching up."

"But mana is not the only factor in a battle," Azrael remarks. "I once fought someone who has way lower mana than mine, but they managed to fight decently with me."

"That’s true. Mana is one of the keys to winning a battle. It is not like I engage in a deadly duel with Claire to see who’s more powerful between us. So I apologize that I cannot satisfy your curiosity."

"It’s fine. I am just asking."

Azrael feels like Carlene is reluctant to answer his question, but he just dismisses that, as she must have her reasons. It would be hypocritical of him to think that, as he holds many secrets he must not expose.

However, Claire mentioned that she is the most powerful person in Western Revoria. That is quite a declaration if he were to ask. Seeing how powerful Claire could be, Azrael firmly believes that her claim is not just an exaggeration.

"Now then, it’s really an interesting day today." Carlene smiles.

"Indeed, it is," Claire responds. "Are you sure you are still going with that plan?"

"Of course." Carlene flashes a confident grin. "I have been planning for this for a long time after all."

Earlier, they had devised a plan regarding how to counter the Tixiar Empire’s forces. Carlene laid out everything and assigned roles to each other. Everything seemed fine, but what surprised them was when Carlene revealed an absurd plan regarding herself.

"Well, it’s not like we can stop her in any way," Azrael says. "She must have her own reasons."

"That’s right, Azrael." Suddenly, Carlene stares and smiles at Claire with such provocative intent, which makes Claire uncomfortable. "Everything has a reason."

Hm? What is this strange tension between them?

The way Claire reacts to Carlene’s approach reminds Azrael that Claire has been finding her weird these past decades. The noblewoman’s smile is like that of a person full of hopes for attention. Her eyes are in contrast to her usually reserved manner; they are dilated as if looking at something especially precious.

From what he has observed, Azrael concludes that there is something between the two of them. Is Carlene into Claire? That is the conclusion he can think of.

"Alright, let’s move out, Azrael." Couldn’t handle the awkwardness, Claire snaps before she abruptly stands up from her seat and turns her back. "We are leaving."

"Too bad, I want to spend more time with you. But before you go, there is something I want to show you."

"We don’t have all the time." Claire turns her head around to look at her. "Please make it quick."

"I’m sorry, but I cannot do that. We have to go to the city first."

"Fine. Bring us there."

◆◇◆

After teleporting in the nearby forest, the four of them enter the capital city of a marquisate in the Kingdom of Roheazul through the gates.

It is a coastal city defended by tall stone walls that is shaped like an unsymmetrical half-moon with the more linear side facing the sea. It is a large city holding hundreds of thousands of residents, with the majority of the population having jobs related to fishing and trading.

As a large city by the sea, it serves as the trading hub for the incoming and outgoing goods coming in and out of Roheazul. Ships and boats consistently dock in the port to unload and deliver goods.

But the four visitors are not looking for a trade or to buy fresh seafood from the market. After walking for about half a shadowturn, Azrael and the others find themselves inside a high-end inn in the city’s exclusive district.

Fortunately, no one seems to notice Azrael’s face yet, given how populated this city is and how popular the hero is. Fearing that someone might find out, he sends a cue to Carlene to hurry.

"So what are we going to do here?" Azrael asks.

"Please follow me."

At Carlene’s lead, the group goes upstairs to the second floor. After passing a few rooms, Carlene knocks twice on the door of a certain room. Not even five seconds have passed; the door slightly opens, revealing the face of a cautious young woman with brown hair through the gap.

"Lady Carlene! It’s you!"

"May we come in?"

"Right away."

The door then swings open and the young woman, who seems like a maid, steps aside for them to come inside. Once everyone is in, the maid then closes the door.

Looking inside, Azrael sees another woman in the room. However, she is lying soundly on the bed with no clear signs of waking up. He takes note that the woman has diagonal scars on her left forearm that seem to be newly acquired.

"So who are these people?" Claire asks.

"I found them along the road on a rainy night a few days ago. They were attacked by a griffin, so I came to save them. Unfortunately, it was too late to save those who have been killed."

"That’s unfortunate." Azrael expresses his condolences.

"Out of six people, only three survived. I then healed their injuries and brought them here."

"So where’s the other one?" he asks.

"He has suffered severe damage and has lost one of his arms. He is currently resting in another room. Apparently, this woman right there is a noble in the kingdom."

"And why did you bring us here?" As Claire folds her arms, she asks her intentions with a tough tone. "What are you trying to do?"

"For that question, let me convey it to you this way."

Shortly after, Carlene engages in a telepathic conversation with Claire. Azrael cannot hear what they are talking about, so he just stares at them. Suddenly, Claire’s eyes briefly widen before she looks at him in the eyes with a complicated expression on her face.