Chapter 30: The Art Of Weaving Trust
However, then, right at that moment, the captain froze, turning around slowly.
"Ah, I totally forgot, what’s your name?"
Aziel flinched for a moment, caught off guard. For a brief second, his mind went blank.
Then, with a slight pause, he spoke carefully, each word weighed.
"Is it... necessary to know my name? Like, to verify if I was on the ship or not?"
The captain gave him a skeptical glance, studying his expression for a heartbeat before letting out a faint sigh.
"Your name? No. The Sailship Association doesn’t bother going as far as keeping a record of those boarding. And there were thousands of you, not to mention."
His tone eased as he continued, a faint trace of professionalism returning.
"Mine is Drozaqy, by the way."
He said it almost casually, as though his name carried little importance, before turning away again.
Aziel felt something stir faintly within him, a sense of invocation he couldn’t quite place, followed by an odd flicker of familiarity that didn’t belong.
There was warmth in that name, Drozaqy, something that almost felt like camaraderie, though they had only just met.
"Aziel," he called out suddenly, making the captain halt mid-step.
"That’s what my name is."
The captain hovered his hand in the air, a silent gesture of acknowledgment, before resuming his stride.
"Good," he said simply, voice carrying a strange calm.
Aziel’s gaze lingered sternly on Drozaqy’s departing figure and his team, until a voice broke through his thoughts.
"Excuse me... Sir Aziel?"
His eyes drifted toward the figure beside him — the one he’d chosen as his assistant — who looked almost comical because of his exaggerated features, a bulbous nose and ears that could rival an elephant’s in his previous world.
"Ahh, you..." Aziel muttered, his tone a strange mix of amusement and mockery.
"Thanks for agreeing to be my assistant. You just had this... strange allure I couldn’t resist, like someone of impeccable knowledge and power."
He spoke with a melodic lilt, though his words dripped with obvious pretension.
"Hehehe, well you’re not wrong, to be honest." The man scratched the back of his neck lazily, his posture slouched.
"If it’s knowledge you seek, you chose the right person."
Even his voice carried that same sluggish rhythm, as if even speaking took effort.
"Man, you’re funny too,"
Aziel replied, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"What’s your name? I want to know more about you."
"Really!?"
The man’s eyes widened, his whole face lighting up with excitement, the earlier laziness gone in an instant.
"I always knew I had a great sense of humor, my friends and teammates laugh at me all the time! You want to know my name, right?"
Aziel nodded, a bit too eagerly for his own good.
"My name is Cthululubutirurueuweu Lu Zuyucu."
Aziel froze. "What the fuck, who has a name like th—" He barely managed to choke his words midway, but it didn’t matter anymore.
The damage was done.
A brief silence fell. The air seemed to thicken as Aziel realized both set eyes, not just his own, had caught the exchange.
Even the assistant, usually so eager to please, froze mid-grin, a faint blush creeping over his bulbous nose and ears.
Aziel exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his shining neck as if trying to erase the shock from his own mind.
’Okay... settle yourself. Act normal.’
He straightened his posture, forcing his features back into the calm, measured expression he relied on whenever he needed to assert control.
"You... right. That’s your name," he said carefully, letting each syllable fall without mockery.
His tone was deliberate, but neutral enough to defuse the tension.
"Noted."
The assistant blinked, still wide-eyed, before a nervous chuckle escaped him.
"I... uh... yes. Not many pronounce it correctly on the first try," he admitted sheepishly, shifting his weight.
"But you can call me by my second name, the human name, Frickon."
’A human name. What does he mean by that? Heck if the human name is their second, then why the hell did the captain...’
"Yeah, it would be much easier that way. Anyways, where do you think we should head?"
Aziel asked, his gaze drifting upward, scanning the hazy expanse.
"For now, we’ll have to get out of here; otherwise, we’ll end up causing trouble for the investigation team."
Frickon replied, his body flickering violently before vanishing, twisting seamlessly into gas.
It was only now that Aziel consciously noticed the flickering.
He realized he had grown so used to the occasional flicker out of existence that his mind had subconsciously neglected it.
He had to admit, these people, unlike the other plasma beings he’d encountered, flickered far less.
Some hadn’t flickered at all.
The gaseous form of Frickon floated ahead of him, steady and deliberate, until Aziel finally transitioned into his own vaporous state, following silently behind.
After what felt like a significant stretch of time, drifting through the misty lake, Aziel abruptly stopped midair.
His form twisted violently back into solid, letting his body drop freely onto the lake’s surface.
The water hit his feet like solid ground, just as he had expected.
’I guess it’s about time I start asking him questions,’ he thought, scanning the surroundings.
Another figure materialized beside him, flickering violently as it struggled to stabilize, a stark reminder to him that not everyone here maintained such control over their plasma form.
"Why did you suddenly stop?"
Frickon asked, his voice curious, laced with the faintest flicker of impatience.
"Let’s just say I wanted to talk with you," Aziel replied casually, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "and I couldn’t exactly do that while in my gaseous form, right?"
Frickon’s form wavered slightly in amusement, but he simply nodded in acknowledgment, answering the first question Aziel had.
"Let’s walk for a while as we talk."
Aziel added, his tone easy, though there was a sharpness beneath it that hinted at the questions already forming in his mind.
Frickon complied without protest, moving steadily beside him, adjusting his steps to match Aziel’s stride.
"Well... then, shall I start with a question?"
Aziel asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gauged Frickon’s reactions, the lake reflecting their movements in faintly rippling silver shadows.