After the two of them finished their discussion, Zold chose to stay and eat together with Maria to talk about the recent upheavals.
"What do you think of the Queen's recent actions?"
Zold asked, cutting into his premium steak.
"It seems like she wants to control the Awakeners in Euryon as soon as possible," Maria replied after some thinking, "Considering her, it makes sense she would do this. She wants to minimize the damage in her nation while gathering power as soon as possible."
Zold chewed quietly before adding his opinion, "She should be able to succeed. As long as she doesn't go overboard, her actions are tacitly approved by everyone in the group."
"I think so too," Maria agreed, but a tinge of worry flashed in her eyes. "But Morgana has always been ambitious. I just don't know if she's willing to see the bigger picture this time around."
"The Queen's ambition has always been tied to the safety of her nation. Compared to Beyond, she's nothing to worry about." Zold shook his head. "Why do you think she convened a World Leader discussion in her enthronement? It's obvious she wants to gather all of us once more."
"I thought so." Maria's eyes fluttered. "Morgana wants to use the convene to quell global chaos, while also subtly calling for a team discussion as well. She considered everything else."
Thinking of this, she looked at Zold hesitantly and asked, "... Then, are you going?"
"I must go," Zold answered seriously. "It's necessary. We have to discuss some rules and limits for one another to prevent accelerating the calamities or worse, cause a conflict between members."
Maria hummed, "Let's go together then."
"Okay."
Zold didn't have any complaints about that. He chewed on the delicious steak before changing the topic.
"Did you get in contact with the Übermensch?"
"Huh? Oh, right!"
Hearing that, Maria suddenly remembered. She couldn't help but pinch herself for forgetting to mention such important information!
Zold looked at her strangely.
Feeling his gaze, Maria smiled awkwardly, "I couldn't reach the Übermensch, but I did talk with the Secret Holder."
"That woman…" Zold frowned, seemingly remembering something unpleasant. "What did she say?"
"Apparently, the Übermensch had already expected the others to reach out for him and left a message through the Secret Holder instead." Maria explained, "He said that it should be safe to use it since it's already connected to our souls. Plus, an awakener's talents can never be taken while they're alive, remember?"
Hearing that explanation, Zold fell silent.
That was true.
Honestly, if it were anyone else in the group, he might not have believed it…
But if the Übermensch was the one who said that, then it should be safe.
In their group of fifteen, besides Maria, he often discussed with the Übermensch the most. From what he knew of the man, he wasn't the type to state something without sufficient conviction.
It was just that Zold had a hard time believing something so good could come their way for free.
What age was he to still believe in such bullsh*t?
'I actually agree with the Übermensch that it should be safe, but…'
Zold's eyes sharpened. He doubted that it was as simple as an extra "talent".
As long as he could discover where it came from, he had a feeling he could understand the real truth about the Ninety-Nine Era Ending Calamities.
Perhaps that was what the Übermensch was trying to find out as well…
"Oh… yeah…" Maria suddenly spoke, glancing at Zold hesitantly. "Are your parents okay? I mean, with the Spiritual Descent."
Hearing her question, Zold couldn't help but frown. But seeing the genuine concern in Maria's eyes, his expression softened, "My parents already died years ago."
"Oh…"
Maria's face fell.
"I apologize."
Zold shook his head, "No, it's fine. How about you?"
"My dad is okay," Maria said with a slight smile, but then her smile faded. "But my mom and my youngest brother, they couldn't make it…"
Zold was silent for a moment. Then, he consoled her, "Sorry for your loss."
"It's okay," Maria waved her hands. "I was prepared anyway and…"
"We can only keep moving forward, right?"
The chandelier trembled slightly, making her radiant smile appear strange.
After having breakfast with Maria, Zold was driven to his home by the Auburn Family's driver.
Due to the lockdown announcement, no one else was in the streets aside from the military.
With the Auburn Family's influence, he could avoid being questioned or outright arrested by the military when they saw him outside.
Soon, he arrived at his home.
Opening the car's door, Zold nodded to the driver, "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure, sir."
The driver nodded back and left when Zold had gotten out of the car.
He lived in a large condominium in Letran City, the capital of the nation Lunaria.
He originally didn't live here, but two years ago, in an effort to move on from his parents' death, he decided to relocate to someplace far away from his old home.
At the time, since he couldn't afford a house and he didn't want to live in a shared dorm, he ultimately chose to rent a condo apartment where he could live by himself.
It was costly, but for the sake of his mental health, Zold decided to bear with it.
Of course, the fact that he had a lot of money at his disposal was a huge factor as well.
With his parents' inheritance money and insurance, he could live comfortably for his entire life without worrying about expenses.
Even so, he tried not to be wasteful, having taken on several part-time jobs in the past. He only had to stop them all since he wanted to focus on college.
'I hope this lockdown period ends as soon as possible…'
Zold frowned while looking at the empty streets.
Even if he could still operate under the lockdown, it was going to be a hassle…
If he got caught by the government, it would complicate things even more.
He wasn't invincible yet.
Even if he was, he didn't need to make enemies out of everyone.
He can wait… besides, Maria said she was going to do something about the lockdown.
'Hm, I can rely on her when it comes to stuff like this.'