Aeon of Roses

Rubedo arc part 6.2

My, my, it’s been a while since we had a cup of tea together, hasn’t it, my dear friend?”

Aureolus grunted, taking a careful sip of his hot tea. “I would have preferred a heads-up instead of you invading without consent.”

“Oh? Already forgetting who paid for your expenses?”

Aureolus didn’t answer. Instead, he took the kettle and poured his visitor some tea, leaving the lady with a satisfied smile.

It wasn’t like Aureolus could complain. Her words were true to the core. Even with the strict deadlines he’d been given to improve himself and relearn the knowledge his past self had left behind, he had no reason to argue.

What was wasted potential, however, was what the Faunus like Kai could offer.

Not that Aureolus cared in the slightest. The boy had been difficult from the moment he’d taken him in while traveling through Mistral—always barking and showing his fangs at things he didn’t like.

Such canine behavior suited him well. It was fascinating to observe how a subspecies like the Faunus operated in a world like this.

How different was their hearing? How well could they see? What challenges did they face where a normal human might pass with ease? Would their proficiency in magic differ?

And… how would he make their god bleed?

So many interesting questions…

Though it was a shame he couldn’t dive further into such phenomenal research just yet. There was something more pressing that had to be dealt with.

“I’m guessing you’re here to see if everything is running smoothly?”

The visitor crossed her legs, playing with one of her blonde pigtails while keeping that gracious smile intact. “What else? It’s been months since we last talked. Naturally, I’m curious about how things are going.”

“Becoming impatient, I see.”

“My dear Aureolus, that Dust project you’re working on should’ve been done by now.”

Aureolus sighed. She’d seen right through him. Aureolus Izzard wouldn’t sugarcoat it. From everything he’d learned from the huntress-in-training named Ruby, he could tell that most of what he’d been taught was useless. Even though Dust was a tricky subject to master, it wasn’t impossible to work with its properties.

Still, it left a bitter taste that he couldn’t find a solution to manipulate Dust in the way he desired. Preserving the content while keeping the shell intact seemed impossible from the start. No matter what he did, he simply couldn’t preserve both.

But that didn’t mean he was up against a wall.

“Seems like you have me cornered.”

“Hmm? Not trying to explain yourself?”

Aureolus shrugged. “Why should I? If you knew what I was doing, then you should know why. For someone who’s immortal, you’re not good at understanding motives… am I right, Miss Tangleroad?”

A soft laugh echoed through the office. “How amusing, as expected from my Memento Mori.”

“...”

“But I’m curious.” Ladylee Tangleroad leaned forward, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “How is that girl you’re teaching?”

“What about her?”

“What piqued your interest in her?” Ladylee continued. “It isn’t every day I see you so invested in something that isn’t about the keeper of the 103,000 forbidden grimoires.”