Dante's eyes drifted back toward the weapon. 'Interesting. Very interesting.'
If artifacts really worked the way Jurian described, he wanted one.
No — several.
The thought lasted less than a second before he discarded it. 'Not worth creating enemies over. Not yet.'
Jurian noticed Dante's gaze linger for the briefest moment before disappearing. He inwardly relaxed. 'He wanted it. For a moment. Then he gave it up. That was terrifying.'
It meant Dante wasn't controlled by greed. He could suppress desire through pure logic. Those were the people one needed to be careful around.
Dante waved lazily.
"Background and info dumps switch topics. You're drifting."
Jurian laughed.
"Right. My apologies. I have a habit of explaining too much."
"I noticed. So — what's the actual request?"
Jurian's expression became serious.
"I'll tell you everything I know about Qwarian. His abilities. His fighting habits. The things he dislikes. The mistakes he commonly makes. In return, I want you to eventually help me eliminate two people."
Dante didn't answer immediately. He simply watched him.
Silent.
The room became strangely still. After several seconds, Dante smiled. "...You're testing me."
Jurian froze.
Only for an instant.
But it was enough.
Dante laughed softly.
"It's fine. You want to know what I'm capable of. You aren't asking for help. You're measuring me. You want to see whether I hesitate. Whether I negotiate. Whether I refuse. You want another piece of information. My personality."
Jurian slowly smiled.
"...You noticed. Immediately."
Dante shrugged.
"It wasn't subtle."
The youth let out a long sigh.
"I suppose it wasn't." He leaned back. "The academy teaches many things. One of them is never giving information before measuring the person receiving it."
Dante nodded.
"A good lesson. So — who?"
Jurian answered.
"Eventually, I'd like you to help eliminate Elara. And Sten."
Dante frowned.
"Second years?"
"Yes."
"I can't touch second years. Not now."
"I know. They're long-term targets. If the opportunity ever presents itself. If it doesn't, I won't force it."
Dante considered it. 'Reasonable. Very reasonable. Not an immediate demand. A future possibility. Someone confident enough to think years ahead.'
He approved, the more he spoke to Jurian the more he felt impressed. He wasn't making NPC movements, stupid remarks, or unreasonable demands.
"You have quite the collection of enemies."
Jurian coughed awkwardly.
"...Unfortunately. The immediate concern isn't actually them. The people you should watch for first are failed first years."
Dante leaned forward slightly.
"Names."
"Dagon." "..." "Late."
Dante repeated them once inside his head. 'Dagon. Late. Easy enough to remember.'
Dante inwardly couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kid being given the name late. 'Parents did not love this guy'
"I don't need details. Not yet. When they become relevant, I'll ask. For now—" He placed the cup onto the table with a soft click. "—you've got yourself a deal. I'll keep those names in mind. Now—" A faint grin appeared across Dante's face. "—you've made me curious. Explain Qwarian. Everything worth knowing."
Jurian nodded. He wasn't going to waste time trying to force Dante into some grand promise or blood oath. At the end of the day, there was no real method of making someone like Dante keep his word if he truly wished to break it.
Someone willing to manipulate others would simply manipulate the promise as well. In the end, trust was still trust. Nothing more. Nothing less. Especially when dealing with someone as unpredictable as Dante.
Dante smiled lazily.
"Go on."
Jurian scratched the back of his head.
"I'll say this first. I don't actually know everything. What I'm about to tell you is only what I've personally confirmed. There are still parts of Quarion's ability I don't understand. I'd rather tell you things I'm confident in than pretend to know everything."
Dante nodded once.
"So — you don't possess any appraisal-type ability."
Jurian blinked.
"...No."
Dante merely hummed. So all of this information had been gathered through observation. Meaning even someone as experienced as Jurian couldn't properly analyze Quarion. That alone already spoke volumes, but also annoyed Dante, Qwarian seemed to be the universe's strap on to fuck him in the ass.
Jurian continued.
"The first thing you already know. If someone says his name, he can appear beside them."
Dante quietly leaned back, his right hand absent-mindedly reached toward empty air beside him, his fingers curling slightly, almost as if trying to hold, or rather to grope something.
"..."
"..."
Jurian watched the motion.
"...You're not going to explain that?"
Dante looked down at his own hand before clicking his tongue.
"...Habit. Ignore it."
Jurian couldn't help but give an awkward flabbergasted smile. 'He's gotten used to Vexion sitting beside him.' The thought amused him more than it probably should have. He quickly dismissed it. 'Not my business.'
He cleared his throat.
"From what I've gathered, he places some kind of mark on anyone who says his name."
"A mark?"
Jurian nodded.
"I don't know whether it's magical, spatial, or connected to his skill. But once someone says his name, he can roughly locate them. He can sense their surroundings. And he seems capable of estimating their strength."
Dante folded his arms.
"So ambushing him becomes extremely difficult."
"Exactly... If he wishes, he can simply tear open a spatial rift beside you. He already knows where you are."
Dante thought quietly.
"So there must be a limit."
Jurian blinked.
"...yeah surprised you thought of that. It would be absurd otherwise."
Dante shrugged.
"If there's no restriction, the skill would be ridiculous even for a Mythical ability. So? How long?"
Jurian answered,
"The first week seems to be the strongest. He can appear almost whenever he wishes. He seems capable of sensing your surroundings, and roughly estimating your strength. After that, the connection weakens. It lasts roughly a month. But the information he receives becomes less and less. Eventually the mark simply disappears."