That night, Ferris barely managed an extra hour of sleep, with Judas constantly disturbing him again and again.
Even when Ferris woke up at the crack of dawn, Judas was there.
Even during the early breakfast, he wouldn't let up.
At least we're first in line. Ferris finally received some food in the form of stale bread, questionable milk, and canned beans.
"Why won't you tell me what happened inside that tent?" Judas asked, ignoring his tray of food.
Ferris didn't seem too bothered by hearing that exact same question repeated a hundred times. "It's none of your business."
Not that I'll ever meet you again. Ferris swallowed his last bit of food, then stood up to return his tray.
"Hey, wait!" Judas stood up and was about to follow Ferris but he was stopped.
"But you haven't finished your food yet?" Ferris pointed at Judas' tray which wasn't touched in the slightest.
Finding no error in Ferris's judgment, Judas had no choice but to sit back down and start eating.
Yes, I'm finally free! Ferris cheered his way to the makeshift kitchen, greeted the hard-working cooks once again before setting off to the roof of the mall.
As he made his way up the stairs, Ferris found himself to be the center of all attention.
Right... These guys. He saw the same group of people that were called up to the roof last night.
They were supposed to come here in the morning for the briefing.
Since he had technically refused to join this so-called elite team, Ferris never bothered to show up on time. To the others, it made him look like a lazy person who didn't know how to manage his schedule.
The sun hasn't even risen yet. These guys are very serious. A small twinge of respect stirred in him, along with a hint of embarrassment ,because to anyone watching, it looked like he was the one late for a meeting.
Ferris made his way towards them and went inside the crowd to make his way towards the central tent.
"Excuse me." Ferris carefully weaved through the crowd. He even detached his scabbard on his hips and hugged it as to not accidentally hit people with its tip.
"Coming through," he quietly said to the people who were staring at him with annoyance.
As soon as he made his way to the front row seats, he was greeted by Lionheart who was still staring at him.
I'm.
Watching.
You.
Lionheart said to Ferris using his eyes.
You're lucky I won't embarrass you in front of these people, Ferris replied with his own eyes. If he wanted to, he could freeze Lionheart again.
But since he was such a considerate knight, he wouldn't do something so petty and childish.
Only then, Lionheart quickly looked into another direction and whistled some tunes.
After the quick exchange of harsh greetings, Ferris entered the tent in front of everybody's shock.
In the tent he saw that Elizabeth was sitting in the same monobloc chair just like last night, only this time she was pleasantly dressed in civilian clothing.
Asmadeas was right beside her as always, and she was wearing another set of clothes but still kept that gothic theme as if her life depended on it.
Since her blessing is Seer, he questioned if wearing those kinds of clothes helped improve, perhaps some kind of acting method.
Ferris considered wearing the standard armor of a knight. But there was no way, he couldn't even afford a whole set, let alone even a helmet.
After he was finished observing Asmadeas, he turned to a new unfamiliar face.
A timid blond girl in the corner who was constantly fidgeting and looking at random areas inside the tent.
"I expected you to be earlier than the rest." Elizabeth's words were the first thing to greet his ears after entering the tent.
"Forgive me then." Ferris stopped in front of the table. "So, why did you want to see me before I leave?"
Elizabeth looked at the timid girl. Her mere gaze alone was enough to make the girl panic. "Do it."
"O-okay!" the girl shouted, stepping closer to Elizabeth.
Clap.
A bright light flashed in front of Elizabeth.
Two glowing yet translucent papers and two quills appeared, fluttering down like weightless feathers. Elizabeth caught one of each in her hands.
"Here, take one." She handed over the quill and paper in her left hand.
Ferris took the quill with his left hand and the paper with his right.
The first thing he noticed was the tingling cold sensation.
There's no weight at all...
"We'll be using this to communicate." Elizabeth wrote something on her paper before letting it go.
Instead of falling, it shot upwards and vanished.
A moment later, words etched themselves across Ferris's page.
{Test}
"After you've finished reading, you can let the paper go," Elizabeth explained.
Ferris released his paper, and it too shot upward, disappearing in an instant.
What a useful blessing. If it ignores distance and interference... then it's the ultimate communication tool. Ferris was impressed.
"If you need to send a word, just clap to summon a paper."
Ferris mimicked the timid girl.
Clap.
A paper appeared before him. Without hesitation, he wrote something down, then let it fly.
"Just be careful," Elizabeth added. "Always be in a hidden place when sending messages. There's no warning before a paper appears."
A new line appeared on her paper.
{Good morning, Miss Elizabeth}
. . .
"...and as such, I won't be the one writing to you." Elizabeth pursed her lips, letting the paper go so that it could disappear from her sight. "So I'll repeat this again, go to a secluded place in the villains' base and write there. You can expect a reply within one minute."
"And this is how you store the quill and paper."
She clapped twice, and the translucent objects vanished. A single clap summoned them again before she dismissed them once more with two claps.
Ferris repeated the motion, testing it. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
Elizabeth clasped her hands. "We'll... actually, I'll be leading the elite team to the waterpark this afternoon. I need you to scout the area in advance if possible."
"I can do that." Ferris tapped the hilt of his longsword, showing her he really meant it.
"There's also another matter." Elizabeth looked to the gothic lady always at her side and gave a nod.
Asmadeas turned to Ferris, her expression heavy with concern. "There's a man plaguing your ears, isn't there? The future will turn sour if you don't bring him with you."
She knows Judas? Ferris was struck speechless for a moment — but given the nature of Asmadeas's blessing, her knowledge made sense.
But... Do I really have to bring him to get the good vision? Ferris's face darkened.
"It must happen, Sir Ferris." Asmadeas's voice was firm, her divination was absolute!
For the first time, Ferris wished she were a fraud, only pretending to be a seer and was actually a charlatan all along.