"Fine, but before that, you might need to prove yourself to the Elders of the Organization, because only if they see your true potential will they be willing to offer you some sort of Contract, and that is something I cannot decide on my own. What do you think? Do you want to follow me back to the headquarters of the Transcendent Circle??"

Ash fell into a brief thought hearing that, his gaze lowering slightly as if he was carefully weighing every word she had just spoken while his mind moved rapidly beneath that calm exterior.

Alright....Everything seems to be following the way I want, though I had to behave a little bit weirdly just so that I could curb the desire stemming from my bloodline, but I guess she mistook that behavior of mine as my personality....it doesn’t matter though, it’s good.

The more misunderstanding there is, the more ways he can use for exploitation, and in situations like this, confusion only worked in his favor as it gave him more space to act without being truly understood.

But I don’t like the prospect of going to the Headquarters of the Transcendent Circle.....at least not with her....

{But why? I didn’t speak all this time because I didn’t want to distract you, but why are you hesitating now? Isn’t it what you wanted from the start?}

Hmmm...? Did you forget what that High Priest said..? Or did you not focus on the speech of Elizabeth..?

Eva went silent for a brief moment, and with her computational abilities being boosted by the help of the Runes, she quickly went through both speeches again, analyzing every detail with precision, and that was when the issue became clear to her and she realized something after connecting both the things said by them.

{You are right, if you go there.....they might ask you to show your System Window to them for the purpose of identification and verification.}

Indeed, this might have not happened if that High Priest had not spoken up, but once he did, and with the Universal System offering such good rewards, everyone will try to find me in any way possible...and Elizabeth herself said in her speech that the Transcendent Circle along with the other Big Two’s were involved in the formation of the Universal System and Eden....

Do you really think they don’t have enough authority to investigate someone? With the help of the system, finding the Anomaly, that is me, should have been easy, but I am not connected with the Universal System, so they can’t find me. I just don’t know if they have realized this or not...but my gut feeling is telling me that they know that I am not connected with the Universal System....

As each thought connected to the next, the situation became clearer and more dangerous in his mind, the risks no longer appeared vague but structured and real, making his hesitation fully justified.

Thus, even though getting an offer to join the Transcendent Circle is really tempting, I feel I messed up a little, maybe I should have changed my identity into someone else and then mind controlled that person and used his identity to do all my work, that would have made things much smoother and far less risky in situations like this...

Both Ash and Eva were silent for a while, before Eva spoke up.

{And how is that your fault? After all, you did not expect the High Priest to say what he said, and even more, you did not expect Elizabeth to appear here now, otherwise I know you would have made a flawless plan. And most of all, you did not expect this crazy b.i.t.c.h to attack you like that, right? If she had not attacked, you might be able keep your identity hidden.}

{It’s her fault, not yours. Hmph!!}

Ash inwardly smiled hearing the words of Eva, a faint warmth passing through his thoughts, but even then, he knew somewhere deep within his heart that he could have handled things better if he had been more cautious.

Let’s leave this, rather than dwelling on this topic, I need to think of something about the current situat-..

"...What are you thinking so deeply?"

Ash snapped out of his thoughts the moment those words reached him, and when he lifted his gaze, he saw Elizabeth looking at him curiously once again, her black hair tinged with amber hues reflecting the light in such a way that it almost seemed like her hair was gently flowing with a soft glow.

"Nothing, just thinking about how could a beauty like you exist."

Elizabeth’s eyes went wide and her face became red like a tomato, the reaction coming almost instantly before she could even control it.

{WHAT ARE YOU SAYING NOW? HAVE YOU GONE INSANE YOU 7 MILLENNIUM YEAR OLD MAN!!}

Eva was practically shouting in his mind after hearing what he said, her voice filled with disbelief and irritation, and Ash himself was slightly taken aback hearing her call him a 7 millennium year old man.

You are quite rude, Eva, you are also no less than 500 years old from what I know...

{You....You...You.....bad old man, you should not comment on a woman’s age, you will remain single if you keep doing this in the future. Also, why are you flirting with this b.i.t.c.h now? Did you take a liking to her? It’s bad, very, very bad.}

Ash almost felt like laughing out loud hearing the way she was expressing her dissatisfaction, but he controlled himself, keeping his outward expression steady.

Although he noticed the way Eva was cursing someone, he did not point that out and simply ignored it.

I am not flirting with her, I think my high Charm Stats have been affecting her even though she is trying to resist, thus I am trying to smooth talk my way out of this, I need her to lower her guard around me so that I can use that for my benefit....

{I..I...I see, that’s okay then. But doing this, you will become a playboy old man.}

Ash’s lips twitched slightly as he clenched his fists, holding back the urge to react to that comment while maintaining his composure.

"W-What are you saying out of the blue? Have you gone insane? Or are you thinking I won’t beat the hell out of you....or are you trying to mock me?"

Elizabeth asked multiple questions in a quick succession, her voice low and her gaze was slightly turned away as she avoided direct eye contact with him, her face clearly red with embarrassment, yet her tone still carried that same dangerous edge as before, as if she could snap at any moment.

But, for the first time in his life, Ash felt that having a high Charm was not a bad thing, because he was now seeing the very real and immediate benefits of being this handsome in a situation like this.

"No, no, heavens smite me if I lie, I am a very straightforward and a coward person, I don’t like to stay in the spotlight, that’s why I am operating this small shop, away from the public eye. That’s why I just say what comes to my mind, you are beautiful, and that’s an undeniable fact. But I believe my beauty transcends even yours and that’s a fact."

Ash said the last part while appearing quite smug, his expression carrying a confidence that felt both natural and irritating at the same time.

Elizabeth heard his words and subconsciously nodded along at first, agreeing with most of what he said without realizing it, but the moment she processed the last part, her head halted, her lips twitching slightly as her eyes shifted toward the smug look on Ash’s face.

Is he a narcissist?

Elizabeth thought as she looked at him weirdly.

Ash cursed inwardly seeing the strange expression forming on her face, while at the same time Eva’s laughter echoed loudly inside his mind, making it even harder to maintain his composure.

{Pfft....look at your face.....I can’t stop laughing seeing how you are behaving, I never thought I would see that always cold and edgy lord Ash Burn like this...pfffttt....muhahahaaa....}

Ash shook his head underneath her irritating laughter and ignored everything she said, not allowing that distraction to show on his face as he continued speaking in a calm and steady tone.

"Don’t look at me like that, Miss Elizabeth, I am just stating a fact, and as for your earlier question about coming with you to the Transcendent Circle to undergo a clearing from your Elders, I think I will have to pass. I just said I like being away from the spotlight, and more than that, I don’t like to fight unless it is in self defense, so I will have to reject your proposal of me joining the Transcendents.."

"WHAT...!!?"

****