Eventually, wherever his gaze led him, eventually led Elias Joffrey here.
A corner of St. Freya Academy not marked by prestige or ceremony, but quiet bustle.
It resembled more of a casual open-air café than anything official, tucked beside a cobbled courtyard and shaded by tall, rustling trees.
Small white tables dotted the space, each paired with an umbrella that swayed gently in the spring breeze.
Additionally, this place didn't have many customers as it was nearly noon, still early, regardless. But he'd eventually come here.
"Hello."
The voice was light, casual—too casual.
Elias turned.
Beneath the dappled shade of an umbrella, seated with one leg crossed over the other, was a young man with tousled black hair.
He raised a hand in greeting, fingers loose, posture relaxed.
Of course, those eyes were still watching, but he complied. He, too, had come to be curious.
"Greetings to you, too. So, what is it that you want from me to warrant this?"
Said Elias Joffrey, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He couldn't discern the motive of the man in front of him.
"Don't worry, we're not here to stir up problems. In fact, it's the other way around."
Laurel said that, pushing his back against the backrest of the cafe chair.
However, this only made Elias Joffrey's eyes narrow at the man in front of him through his glasses.
"By that… you mean…"
"I'm not here to speak to a mere history teacher. I'm here to speak to Welt Yang. The first Herrscher. Sovereign of Anti-Entropy."
Laurel's elbow propped against the table, his chin resting loosely on his hand. The wind tousled his hair as he waited.
The same couldn't be said for Elias—no, for Welt—whose expression held not even the ghost of a smile in return.
Certainly, his demeanor changed the moment Laurel mentioned the name of the world; however, even in the face of this, the male still kept his calm.
And this was why Laurel liked him.
"So? What's this all about?"
"Nothing, really," he said with a shrug. "Well, that'd be a lie, wouldn't it? So I'll keep it short."
He leaned forward, both forearms on the table now.
"A certain executor of yours got framed. Arrested. Which led to a situation involving someone… important to me."
"Obviously, I can't sit back and watch my person fall apart over it. So… I picked this approach."
"Naturally, said "fraud" is currently being held hostage, and nobody died. Additionally, it's safe to say nobody knows about the incident."
At first, Welt's expression didn't change; he merely kept his gaze fixed on Laurel, discerning him for lies.
However, as the talk continued, his expression soon changed. Not drastically, but enough to stun him.
Laurel explained how he basically covered the incident so naturally that outsiders wouldn't have noticed anything happening.
Moreover, the fact that his body proclaimed that nobody died during their attack on a subsidiary of Anti-Entropy impressed him.
"I see… that's quite the feat. So, then, what is your motive in approaching me? Surely, with your prowess, you could rescue her father from prison, no?"
Welt asked, also reclining back into his chair, a little more relaxed than before.
In response, Laurel let out a breath that was more theatrical than necessary and stretched his arms over his head.
"Haah… of course not. What next? Be chased down by the World Serpent, the government, Schicksal, every anti-Honkai organization with a grudge and a gun? No, thanks."
This time, Welt nodded; it seemed he not only had powers but was calm enough to form a long-term goal.
If Laurel wasn't planning on using this to blackmail Anti-Entropy, then Laurel must have some other motive besides that.
Enough that he'd personally come to find him.
And, from there, he could deduce where Laurel was going with his next words, so he decided to say it first.
"You're right," he said quietly. "And in that case, allow me to apologize."
There was no forced humility in his voice, no unnecessary polish. It was direct. Earnest.
"It's not me you should thank. Thank the victim instead."
"Understood. Then, in that case, is there anything you need? I'll do everything in my power to make it happen, as long as it's within my capabilities."
Welt said that, sticking his hair back as his looks changed. From the once ordinary teacher to a man who was truly worthy of the name of the world.
It wasn't a boast from his side.
Laurel felt that whatever he asked of Welt in that moment—if it was within the realm of reason—he had no doubt the man would make it happen.
It made him sweat just a little.
"In addition to rescinding Raiden Ryoma's charges…"
"Raiden Mei, I recommend her as an executor. Additionally, you must be curious about us. Mei has the necessary details."
"You'll find yourself interested in us when you hear it from her."
Welt blinked, not expecting this response. Of all the things he'd braced himself to hear… Surely, he'd pretty much guessed about the release of Raiden Ryoma.
However, directly recommending Raiden Mei as an executor, does that mean…
"No. I don't recommend her as your successor. You'll meet her sooner or later."
Laurel said cryptically, making Welt's eyes tremble slightly. Now that he thought about it… Laurel had been talking as though he knew more than most.
However, his words there…
They confirmed the fact that… 'This person knows the future,' Welt thought, now looking forward to meeting Mei.
Sure, his plans had been disrupted, but with something this huge, he saw no reason to continue undercover.
With this in mind, Welt reached for his pocket, picking out his mobile device to make a call.
Seeing this, Laurel let out a smirk, hands in his pockets as he left, slowly disappearing into the mist, with Welt watching as he stayed on the call.
~ Unknown Location ~
Rather, some kilometers away from the Far East Branch.
Inside an old café that smelled faintly of lemon and vanilla beans, three figures sat gathered around a wooden table.
The rest of them had been positioned here connected via thought-communication, following the conversation in real-time as it happened through Laurel.
At one corner of the table sat Mei, her head bowed slightly, strands of her hair slipping forward to hide the trembling of her shoulders.
Her fingers were wrapped tightly around a cup of now-cold tea.
However, it wasn't with the sadness she always tried to hold in. This time, it was different.
Luminous, seated beside her, had moved instinctively when she began to tear up—but the smile on Mei's face stopped her.
It wasn't a broken smile.
It was light.
Seeing that, the true ancestor exhaled a small, inaudible sigh and leaned back into her chair.
She's lost the game.
However, on Luminous's face, there was undoubtedly a smile. The same could be said of Lux.
If changing people's faith for good were this fulfilling, then he made up his mind to do everything to support Laurel without question.
Even though it was Mei, he'd felt the happiness and fulfillment of doing so.
Ding~!
The door to the café opened with a ding.
A gust of sunlight spilled into the café like liquid gold, followed by a voice muttering:
"Haah~ what terrible sun…"
Laurel said that, opening the café's door and entering. "Woah," He didn't have time for another word.
Mei lunged at him.
She crashed into his chest with enough force to make him stumble slightly back, her arms wrapped around him tightly, her face buried against his shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered. Again. And again. Her voice breaking slightly each time.
Laurel stood awkwardly, hands hovering midair, looking over her shoulder to where Luminous and Lux were seated.
Unsurprisingly, both were avoiding his gaze.
As for the workers, there was also no reason for them to be bothered. They'd already been entranced by Luminous.
"Don't thank me. It's what I should do. Besides, I feel a reunion with your father is what you need. I believe you should be receiving a phone call soon."
Laurel said, digressing, pulling her over for a hug briefly before easing her grip free.
"Hm. Thank you very much, Laurel."
She said with an overly affectionate tone, hugging him once more before looking over the table where Lux and Luminous sat.
"Both of you, thank you very much, too."
She said with a small bow; however, Lux simply made a V-sign from where he sat, and Luminous waved.
They were friends; there was no need for all this. Besides, sooner or later, they'd be talking it out in the group again.
"Go on."
Under Laurel's gaze, she nodded, dashing out of the store and running away. As Laurel approached the table where they sat, she sat down, immediately exhaling.
"Hey, Lux, Luminous… did we do the right thing?"
"You incorrigible fool. You brought a smile to that girl's face, how can you say that? Or rather, do you want me to teach you a lesson?."
"Luminous-san, I believe Laurel is simply in shock at how smoothly everything turned out."
"Yeah. For now, we give her space," Laurel murmured, glancing toward the doorway. "Until she's ready to come back to us."
"Mhm." "I agree…"
As the three of them agreed with a nod, something bizarre happened.
The three began to slowly fade away as though they never existed, fading to mist.
As they did, the cafe shop's entrance staff slowly blinked, seeing the empty store.