Conrad stared at the wall in front of him, his teeth gritted as he tried to contain his emotions. He still couldn't contact Eliriel.
"There's still something wrong with me. Or with Eliriel."
Conrad turned to look out the window. There, he saw helicopters flying around more frequently than usual. Smoke and various types of damage could also be seen from here.
The country was still not in good shape. Yet, Conrad couldn't care less about it. All that was on his mind right now was Eliriel.
Then, Conrad suddenly remembered something he should have done from the beginning. He cursed his own foolishness for it.
'The Elves!' he thought. Then he jumped off his bed and rushed out of his room.
Conrad barged into Thomas's room without knocking, almost startling Thomas to the point where he nearly fell out of his chair.
"What the hell, man!" Thomas snapped. "Can't you knock?!"
"Sorry," Conrad said. "Do you have contact information for the three soldiers who fought with us back then?"
Thomas frowned. "What do you want with them?"
"I need to ask them to arrange a meeting with the Elves."
"It's important. Very important. But I can't tell you for now."
Thomas could see an unwavering determination in Conrad's gaze. He had no choice but to comply.
"I can contact General Lennard and ask them to meet with you," Thomas said.
"No," Thomas shook his head. "He's probably very busy right now. He won't want to deal with something ." Thomas paused for a moment to think. Not long after, he said, "I'll go to Sergeant Drake's house first."
"Wait, why are you going there? He clearly won't be there because he's busy dealing with everything that's happening."
"His sister probably knows something. Something I need."
With that suspicion in mind, Conrad immediately left the house before Thomas could stop him.
Conrad arrived at Erend's house without wasting any time. After knocking on the door a few times, Arty opened it.
"Can I help you?" Arty asked.
"Yes. There are a few things I'd like to ask," Conrad said. "It's related to the recent events. I really need your help."
Seeing the urgency in Conrad's expression and gaze, Arty decided to invite him in.
"Come in," Arty said.
Once they were seated in the living room, Conrad didn't want to waste any time with small talk, so he went straight to his questions.
"I'm sorry for bothering you. My name is Conrad. I know you're still feeling scared and uneasy after what happened," Conrad said. "But I really need your help."
Arty smiled in response. "Don't worry. We're getting better. Besides, we didn't suffer serious injuries. But... I don't know if I can help with your issue."
Conrad said, "Do you know anything about the Elves? How can I contact them?"
Arty pressed her lips together, feeling uneasy. "I can't contact them. Everything was done by Erend and his friends."
Conrad felt disappointed with that answer, but he tried to remain calm. "Are you sure you don't know anything?" he asked.
Arty tried to decipher the meaning behind Conrad's questions and his visit through her eyes. What she gathered was quite suspicious. Conrad somehow seemed obsessed, almost bordering on danger.
Arty was on the verge of using her Magic and getting ready to defend herself. But then, Conrad sighed and appeared calmer.
"Sorry, I... I'm just going through something bad. The Elves... they're the key to what I'm experiencing. So... sorry if I seemed forward and rude," Conrad said with a remorseful expression.
"It's okay," Arty said. "I'm the one who should apologize for not being able to help you."
Conrad fell silent for a moment, staring ahead blankly, contemplating. Not long after, he said, "Were you able to use Magic before that incident?"
"Uhm, not really," Arty replied.
"Really? It's impressive that you could survive in that Chaos Realm without using Magic," Conrad said.
Arty recognized Conrad's suspicious gaze. He probably thought she had a connection with the Elves as well because of her brother. In fact, she did. But Arty decided to keep that a secret for now. She didn't know who Conrad really was and what he had planned, even though he had helped them in the battle.
Not until Erend knew about it.
Conrad rubbed his face in frustration. Then he said, "I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave now. Thank you for your time."
Arty smiled. "It's not a problem."
After that, Conrad left the house. Once Arty was sure Conrad's car had moved away, she closed the door and immediately contacted Erend telepathically.
"Erend, the man who helped us earlier came here," Arty said.
Erend, who was amid his guard duty, protecting the delegates from the visiting countries, furrowed his brow. Currently, he was in front of the military headquarters, carrying out his duty.
Journalists had also swarmed the place, although their numbers were significantly lower than usual. The others were busy covering the damage and taking statements from people who might know what had happened.
"Who? Conrad?" Erend asked.
"Yes," Arty replied. "He said he wanted to know about the Elves and how to contact them."
Erend immediately felt his heart sink. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him I didn't know."
"Good," Erend sighed in relief. If Conrad found out about their connection to the Elves, Adrien, Billy, and himself, everything would become even more complicated.
"For now. You have to say the same thing if anyone asks about it, alright?" Erend said.
"Yes. I know that discussing our relationship with the Elves wouldn't be good, Erend."
"Yes. I have to get back to work now. How's mom?"
It had been three days since Erend came home because he didn't have time amidst all the guarding duties he had to perform.
"We're doing fine, Erend. You don't need to worry about us. Just do your job and take care of yourself," Arty said.
After that, their telepathic communication ceased. Erend refocused on his guard duty, even though he didn't see anything that needed guarding. At least for now.
But Conrad disturbed his thoughts. Why did he inquire about the Elves? Had his memories returned, and did he want retribution?