Chapter 363: Dravia

Another hour later, Atlas could be seen wearing his clothes in the same infirmary room where he had been unconscious. Seraphiel was lying on the bed he had occupied earlier, watching him with a small smile.

After putting on his attire and tying his long hair into a ponytail, Atlas turned toward her and said, “We should go now.” Seraphiel nodded before sitting up and getting off the bed.

For a whole hour Seraphiel had kept Atlas in her capture, even when she had only kissed him for twenty minutes and moved her process further, most of the time was both of them talking about themselves and understanding what they both had gone through.

Seraphiel had shared small details of her childhood while Atlas had shared some details of him going on hunting animals to get some money. Of course, he had omitted out the bad parts as he had felt it to be uncomfortable sharing those.

With that, now both were ready to go outside.

“We should. It seems no one in the Conclave is aware that the Third Pillar himself invited us here.” Atlas nodded in agreement before both of them walked toward the exit, holding hands. The moment they approached the door, it slid open on its own, revealing an entirely different scene beyond the white room.

A massive area stretched before them, with walls made from unknown materials and numerous people wearing similar robes moving from one place to another.

When they emerged from the infirmary, several people paused briefly to look at them before returning to their respective business. Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the people around him, ‘All of them are either Sovereigns or Transcendents.’

He could immediately determine their respective levels with a single glance. However, he soon dismissed the thought of gauging their strength and shook his head inwardly.

Just as he was about to walk forward with Seraphiel, they heard a woman’s voice from behind them, “I see both of you are out of the infirmary.” Atlas immediately turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he realized that he hadn’t sensed her presence at all.

The moment he looked behind him, he saw a woman standing there, wearing the same kind of robes as the other members he had encountered so far. Her appearance, however, immediately drew attention. Her skin had a slightly dark complexion, and a small, curved horn protruded from the center of her forehead, marking her as a member of the Oni race.

Her left eye was concealed beneath an eyepatch, while her visible eye rested calmly on Atlas and Seraphiel. Despite approaching them without being detected, she showed no apparent surprise at their presence.

Seraphiel also turned to look at the woman standing behind them. “Don’t be shocked, I received reports about your arrival at the base. Since I was assigned to guide you two to the Celestial Sanctum, I came to take you there from the infirmary.”

Atlas and Seraphiel stared at her for a long moment, seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Noticing their reactions, the woman spoke again, “What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”

Atlas and Seraphiel immediately came back to their senses, and Seraphiel was the first to respond. “No, it’s not that. It’s just… you’re strange.” Hearing that, the woman frowned slightly and looked at her with confusion.

“How am I strange? Is it because you’re seeing an Oni for the first time?” Both Atlas and Seraphiel shook their heads, prompting Seraphiel to explain further, “No, it’s not because of your racial appearance. It’s your presence.”

The woman frowned again before responding, “Aren’t you two the strange ones here? From what I came to know, the Third Pillar himself invited you into the Conclave.” This time, Atlas and Seraphiel were the ones who frowned.

Atlas looked directly at her before asking, “Is it not the same for you?” The woman turned toward him and shook her head, “No, it’s not. Almost all members of the Conclave have never even met the Three Pillars, let alone received an invitation from them.”

She paused briefly before exhaling and continuing, “There are exceptions, such as you all and two others, but it’s an extremely rare occurrence nonetheless.” Atlas and Seraphiel glanced at each other before nodding in understanding, now having a better idea of how unusual their situation was.

“Well, I should introduce myself first. I am Dravia, the vice-general of the Fourth Army of the Conclave.” Hearing her introduction, both Atlas and Seraphiel nodded without showing any particular reaction to her position. After meeting the Third Pillar himself, her rank within the Conclave held little significance to them.

Even if they had encountered her before meeting the Third Pillar, neither of them would have cared much about her position. It was simply their natural reaction to the situation, or at least, that was how they saw it.

Dravia observed their reactions before chuckling softly, “Didn’t I say it already? You two are the strange ones. If someone else were to hear about my position, they would normally bow before me.” Seeing her chuckle, Seraphiel smiled slightly, while Atlas remained calm as he gauged her strength, ‘She seems to be on the same level as those three…’

Atlas couldn’t help but wonder how so many powerful individuals could exist in a single place. Before he could think further about the matter, Dravia spoke again. “Alright, since I already know your names, I won’t need an introduction from either of you. For now, let me guide you to the Celestial Sanctum.” Both Atlas and Seraphiel nodded, preparing to follow her.

However, Atlas suddenly asked a question before they could move, “Why are you treating us well? Doesn’t a power hierarchy exist within the Conclave? More importantly, I’m sure you’re somewhat jealous that the Third Pillar himself invited us. Considering all that, shouldn’t you be treating us like insects?”

The moment Dravia heard his question, she paused for a long moment, staring directly into his eyes before suddenly bursting into laughter. “Hahahaha! I don’t know where you came from, but just because we’re powerful doesn’t mean we should look at others like insects. In our world, we all live our own lives without even having the time to care about others.”

She paused after speaking, wiping away the small tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye because of her laughter, “As for being jealous? I wouldn’t lie. I am jealous, extremely so. But that doesn’t mean jealousy can come between me and my job, does it? Besides, there’s a contradiction in your statement as well.”

Atlas arched an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain, “If the Third Pillar himself invited you, doesn’t that mean you’re members of greater value than us? What if he heard that I treated you badly?”

Atlas finally understood her perspective on the matter, ‘Sigh, all this time in Eliomor, I’ve been so much on edge that I thought everyone would be like that. Seems there are people who simply don’t care whether I’m strong or not. They have their own work to do…’

His understanding seemed to broaden once again, but before he could think further about it, another voice came from behind Dravia.

“Well, we meet again, little fellow.”

Atlas immediately recognized the voice. It was none other than the Black Arbiter.