Sejam penuh telah berlalu saat Asher menatap ke luar jendela; ia tidak bergerak, tetap di tempatnya seolah telah berubah jadi patung, keheningan di dalam ruangan memerintah karena tak seorang pun bisa menebak apakah ia kini mengalami krisis identitas atau sekadar memikirkan hal lain yang tak berkaitan dengan pemikirannya sebelumnya.
Keheningan itu pecah begitu pintu terbuka dengan enteng, suaranya menarik Asher keluar dari lamunannya. Asher tak perlu bertanya siapa yang datang; Malrik satu-satunya orang yang melintas ke kamarnya tanpa mengetuk.
Asher menoleh ke arahnya, senyum tipis muncul di wajahnya saat ia berkata, "Kakak, kau sudah kembali," suaranya tenang saat ia menjauhi jendela, ketenangannya kembali hampir seketika seolah badai di benak tak pernah ada.
Mendengar kata-kata Asher, Malrik menjawab tanpa terkejut, "Apakah kau ingin aku mati di Ibu Kota?" suaranya sarkastik dan tenang saat ia berjalan ke sofa dan duduk, gerakannya santai, hampir gemulai, seolah peristiwa yang baru ia alami tak berarti apa-apa.
Asher hanya terkekeh saat duduk di hadapan Malrik dengan santai, tapi sebelum ia sempat bicara, Malrik bicara dulu, jelas tak tertarik pada basa-basi.
"Aku ingin berterima kasih karena kau mengirim para Tetua, itu keputusan yang bagus," ucap Malrik dengan senyum tipis; meski ia tahu dirinya memiliki kekuatan cukup untuk menghadapi setiap Anggota Kabinet sendirian, ia tetap senang adik bungsunya bertindak dengan foresight bukan kelenghan.
"Hah... Aku harus berbuat sesuatu, aku tak tahu apa yang akan terjadi, jadi para Tetua tampak seperti pilihan terbaik saat itu," jawab Asher sambil menghela napas dan menggelengkan kepala, nada santai.
"Lalu, ceritakan, apa yang terjadi?" tanya Asher; meski ia duga pertempuran tak terjadi, ia paling tidak mengira semacam konfrontasi antara Wargrave dan keluarga Kekaisaran pasti terjadi, dan dugaannya tidak sepenuhnya salah.
Malrik tidak membuang waktu; ia langsung bicara, mulai dari saat tiba di Istana Kekaisaran bersama tangan kanannya, Conrad, lalu konfrontasi dan pertukaran kata dengan Kaisar, diikuti bagaimana Komandan Ksatria Kekaisaran gerak pertama. Ia melanjutkan dengan lancar, menceritakan kedatangan para Tetua yang tepat waktu, lalu pertarungan mereka masing-masing, rinci bagaimana ia, Malrik, mengatasi Komandan dan Wakil Komandan Ksatria Kekaisaran dengan mudah, nada datar, tak berlebihan tapi tak tergoyahkan keyakinannya.
Kemudian datang pertarungan sengit antara ia, para Adipati, dan Kaisar, diikuti kedatangan Azaron, kata-kata dan pertanyaan Azaron, lalu perintah Azaron untuk pembersihan Kekaisaran, yang memicu pertarungan lain di mana mereka tak perlu khawatir membunuh musuh... lalu mundurnya Azaron dan perintahnya agar mereka semua kembali ke Wilayah Kadipaten Wargrave, mengakhiri seluruh rangkaian peristiwa dengan akhir yang terkendali dan tegas.
Selama Malrik menjelaskan segalanya, Asher tak sempat bicara sekali pun. Ini tak seperti saat ia minum bersama Azaron, tertawa dan bercerita bebas; tidak, di skenario ini ia bisu, benar-benar bisu, tenggorokannya terasa semakin kering tiap detik saat ia mendengar, detak jantung melonjak mendengar kata-kata Malrik soal perintah Azaron, tiap detail menggenang berat di dalamnya.
\'Keluarga gila macam apa ini?\' pikir Asher sambil duduk dengan ekspresi tercengang, tatapannya tertuju pada Malrik, yang tak terlihat seperti orang yang baru saja menghadapi Komandan dan Wakil Komandan Ksatria Kekaisaran sekaligus dengan segenggam musuh lain, sikap tenangnya hampir mengganggu kontrasnya dengan besarnya tindakannya.
\'Sial,\' pikirnya, \'tadi aku kira tak ada apa-apa, tapi aku cuma terlalu naif; aku tak bisa lebih salah,\' pikirannya berputar tanpa henti, \'bayangkan Ayah memerintahkan pembersihan keluarga Kekaisaran... kekuatan seberapa besar yang ia miliki untuk mengucapkan perintah itu begitu santai?\' ia tak bisa menahan pertanyaan di dalam, pemahamannya soal pengaruh keluarga Wargrave dipaksa meluas.
Meski perintah Azaron terlihat ekstrem, Asher memahami pria itu; bahkan ia, Asher, tak akan diam melihat seseorang mencoba memanipulasi pikiran anaknya, dan keputusan Azaron juga diperkuat oleh pesan terakhir Lily, membuat tindakannya, meski kejam, tidak sepenuhnya tak masuk akal dari sudut pandang tertentu.
"Suatu kebaikan, ya?" Asher akhirnya bicara saat tenggelam dalam pikiran, suaranya lebih pelan dari sebelumnya, seolah beban informasi itu belum sepenuhnya meresap.
Malrik mengangguk, "Bahkan aku tak tahu soal itu sampai semalam lalu; saat Ayah memerintahkan mundur, aku kira ia sudah membunuh Kaisar, tapi ternyata mantan Kaisar masih hidup dan Ayah berhutang budi padanya karena Ibu," ucap Malrik, suaranya lebih rendah dari biasa, membawa sentuhan renungan yang jarang.
Ia baru mengetahui kebaikan antara Azaron dan Cyrvexis dalam semalam terakhir. Azaron memberitahunya karena tak ada alasan merahasiakan lagi, karena ia sudah menunaikan bagiannya. Bahkan Malrik tak tahu mantan Kaisar masih hidup; itu kejutan nyata, sesuatu yang tak ia duga sedikit pun.
Asher diam saat Malrik bicara; pribadi ia sempat duga hal serupa beberapa jam lalu, membayangkan mungkin beberapa Primarch atau Tetua Wargrave tua bersembunyi, mungkin beroperasi dari bayangan atau tinggal di tempat jauh dari pandangan publik.
\'Tak heran Ayah tak membunuh Kaisar,\' pikir Asher, \'dan bayangkan mereka semua langsung memerangi keluarga Kekaisaran,\' ia menggelengkan kepala dengan senyum tipis; setiap kali ia kira sudah memahami kegilaan keluarga ini, mereka selalu menemukan cara mendefinisikannya ulang sepenuhnya.
\'Aku harus mengembangkan afinitas Bintangku, aku harus berbuat sesuatu dengannya,\' pikir Asher saat pikirannya meloncat ke kemampuan Tetua Agung yang digambarkan Malrik, rasa ingin tahu dan ambisi diam-diam menyala.
\'Berapa banyak orang overpowered yang bisa ada dalam satu keluarga? Fictional Reality? Calculator? Manipulasi Awan? Semua kemampuan broken,\' ia menghela napas memikirkannya, keabsurdannya hampir lucu kalau bukan karena nyata.
Tapi senyum muncul di wajahnya saat mengantisipasi hari ia naik ke pangkat para monster ini; lagipula, mereka tak bisa dianggap manusia biasa dengan kemampuan seperti itu.
\'Benar, di setiap dunia fantasi, Pustakawan selalu overpowered, kayak setiap karakter berambut putih,\' pikir Asher saat pikirannya melayang pada kemampuan Morthen, menemukan rasa hibur aneh dalam pola itu.
Saat Asher tenggelam dalam pikiran, Malrik bicara, "Ayah telah memberitahuku bahwa kita semua akan menjalani inspeksi pikiran; meski rapiermu bisa melindungi pikiranmu, itu cuma rutinitas, jadi nanti Paman Yveric akan datang ke pintumu," ucap Malrik, kata-katanya menarik Asher keluar dari lamunan dengan mudah.
Asher hanya mengangguk tanpa tanda kaget; ia sudah menduga begitu, dan itu bukan masalah baginya, karena ia juga menduga Yveric tak akan benar-benar membaca pikirannya atau apa pun, bahkan jika ia mau, ia besar kemungkinan tak akan bisa.
\'Dari kata Kakak, sepertinya Komandan Yveric sudah menggunakan artefak padanya,\' pikir Asher.
An entire hour had passed as Asher stared through the window; he didn’t move, he remained where he was as though he had turned into a statue, the silence within the room prevailing as one couldn’t tell whether he was now having an identity crisis or simply entertaining another thought that was not connected to what he had been thinking before.
The silence shattered as the door swung open with ease, the sound of it pulling Asher out of his thoughts. Asher didn’t need to ask who it was; Malrik was the only person who waltzed into his room without knocking.
Asher turned to him, a small smile appearing on his face as he spoke, "Elder Brother, you are back," his voice calm as he walked away from the window, his composure returning almost instantly as though the storm within his mind had never existed.
Hearing Asher’s words, Malrik replied without missing a beat, "Did you want me to die at the Capital City?" his voice sarcastic and calm as he simply walked towards a couch and sat on it, his movements relaxed, almost leisurely, as though the events he had just come from were of little consequence.
Asher simply chuckled as he took a seat opposite Malrik with calm ease, but before he could speak, Malrik spoke first, clearly uninterested in idle exchanges.
"I would like to thank you for sending the Elders, that was a nice call," Malrik stated with a faint smile; although he knew he possessed enough power to take on every single one of the Cabinet Member alone, he was still pleased that his youngest brother had acted with foresight rather than idleness.
"Sigh... I had to do something, I didn’t know what was going to happen, so the Elders seemed like the best option at the moment," Asher replied with a sigh as he shook his head, his tone casual.
"So, tell me, what happened?" Asher asked; although he had guessed that a battle hadn’t happened, he had at least assumed that some kind of confrontation between the Wargrave and Imperial family had certainly taken place, and he was not entirely wrong in that assumption.
Malrik didn’t waste any time; he immediately began to speak, starting from the moment he arrived at the Imperial Palace with his right-hand man, Conrad, then moving on to his confrontation and exchange of words with the Emperor, followed by how the Imperial Knight Commander had been the first to make a move. He continued seamlessly, recounting the Elders’ timely arrival, then their battles with each opponent, detailing how he, Malrik, had handled both the Commander and Vice Commander of the Imperial Knights with ease, his tone steady, devoid of exaggeration yet undeniably confident.
Then came the standoff between him, the Dukes, and the Emperor, followed by Azaron’s arrival, Azaron’s words and questions, and then Azaron’s orders for an Imperial purging, which led into another battle where they didn’t have to worry about killing their enemies... then Azaron’s eventual retreat and his command for all of them to return to the Wargrave Ducal territory, bringing the entire sequence of events to a controlled and decisive end.
As Malrik explained everything, Asher couldn’t even speak once. This wasn’t like the time where he had shared a drink with Azaron, laughing and conversing freely; no, in this scenario, he was speechless, utterly speechless, his throat seeming to grow drier with every passing moment as he listened, his heart rate spiking when he heard Malrik’s words about Azaron’s orders, each detail settling heavily within him.
’What kind of insane family is this?’ Asher thought to himself as he sat with a stunned expression, his gaze fixed on Malrik, who didn’t look like someone who had just taken on both the Imperial Knight Commander and Vice Commander, along with a handful of other enemies, his calm demeanor almost unsettling in contrast to the magnitude of his actions.
’Damn,’ he thought to himself, ’here I was thinking nothing happened, but I was just too naive; I couldn’t have been more wrong,’ his thoughts churned endlessly, ’to think Father would order the purging of the Imperial family... what kind of immense power does he possess to give such an order so casually?’ he couldn’t help but question internally, his understanding of the Wargrave family’s influence being forcefully expanded.
Although Azaron’s orders had seemed extreme, Asher understood the man; even he, Asher, wouldn’t sit back and watch someone attempt to mentally manipulate his child, and Azaron’s decision had also been further reinforced by Lily’s dying wish, making his actions, while ruthless, not entirely unreasonable from a certain perspective.
"A favor, huh?" Asher finally spoke out loud as he fell into his thoughts, his voice quieter than before, as though the weight of the information had yet to fully settle.
Malrik nodded his head, "Even I didn’t know about it until an hour ago; when Father ordered the retreat, I thought he had killed the Emperor, but to think the former Emperor was alive and Father owed him a favor because of Mother," Malrik spoke, his voice lower than usual, carrying a rare hint of contemplation.
He had just found out about the favor between Azaron and Cyrvexis within the past hour. Azaron had told him about it because he no longer had any reason to keep it a secret, since he had already fulfilled his end of the bargain. Even Malrik hadn’t known that the former Emperor was alive; it had come as a genuine shock to him, something he had not anticipated in the slightest.
Asher sat in silence as Malrik spoke; personally, he had guessed something similar a few hours back, imagining that perhaps some older Wargrave Primarchs or Elders were simply in hiding, possibly operating from the shadows or residing somewhere far removed from the public eye.
’No wonder Father didn’t kill the Emperor,’ Asher thought to himself, ’and to think they all immediately waged war against the Imperial family,’ he shook his head with a faint smile; each time he thought he had understood this family’s madness, they simply found a way to redefine it entirely.
’I need to develop my Star affinity, I need to do something with it,’ Asher thought to himself as his mind shifted to the abilities of the Great Elders which Malrik had described, his curiosity and ambition quietly igniting.
’How many overpowered people can even exist in one family? Fictional Reality? Calculator? Cloud manipulation? All broken abilities,’ he sighed at the thought, the sheer absurdity of it all almost laughable if not for how real it was.
But a smile appeared on his face as he anticipated the day he would climb to the ranks of these monsters; after all, they could hardly be considered ordinary humans with such abilities.
’Truly, in every fantasy world, Librarians are always overpowered, like every white-haired character,’ Asher thought to himself as his mind lingered on Morthen’s ability, finding an odd sense of amusement in the pattern.
As Asher was lost in thought, Malrik spoke, "Father has informed me that we will all be subjected to mind inspections; although your rapier can protect your mind, it’s simply routine, so expect Uncle Yveric at your door soon," Malrik stated, his words pulling Asher out of his thoughts with ease.
Asher simply nodded without any sign of surprise; he had already guessed as much, and it wasn’t an issue for him, as he had also anticipated that Yveric wouldn’t exactly read his mind or anything, even if he wanted to, he likely wouldn’t be able to.
’From Elder Brother’s words, it seems Commander Yveric had already used an artifact on him,’ Asher thought to himself.
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