Chapter 326: What A Joke

“Error?” The old man, Jun, repeated the word slowly. From his expression, he seemed to have noted that Finn had not introduced himself as a Fragment Bearer, but he skimmed over that specific detail for a moment to focus on the major point that bothered him.

“Yes.” Finn replied with a steady tone. “Error.”

“I have never heard of a Transcendent that wielded the concept of Error in any records…” Jun said as his clouded eyes grew distant in thought. He tapped his fingers against the worn leather of the book on the table. “And that is quite a statement seeing as I know all three hundred and thirty seven Transcendent powers to have ever existed over the course of history.”

“Three hundred and thirty seven?” Finn raised a brow in genuine surprise. He looked away from the old man and stared at the empty bookshelves for a moment while he muttered under his breath. “That much huh? It seems I have my work cut out for me…”

“Your work?” Jun turned his gaze back to Finn and his expression was sharp despite the haze in his eyes.

“Never mind,” Finn waved a hand dismissively to end that line of questioning. “You said you know all the Transcendents to have ever existed in all of history right?”

Jun nodded slowly.

“Good. Tell me about them. Particularly the strongest ones.”

Finn knew he was being way too direct for a first meeting. He was essentially demanding a history lesson and core intelligence from an Ossuarist with very high standing within the Ossuary. The man had no obligation to tell him anything at all.

Yet, unlike his interaction with the merchant Dana earlier Finn could tell that this old man did not care much for formal protocol. The man smelled of old age and deep experience.

Just from the soul energy radiating off him passively Finn knew Jun was in a different league compared to any other Preceptor he had ever met. And that included Preceptor Elias. Such a man would not be bothered with his directness.

The old man, Jun, smiled. For a second it looked as though he considered calling out Finn’s overbearing directness. They had only just met and the social hierarchy of the Ossuary usually demanded more subservience than Finn was showing.

But then the look on his face changed, as if going through the motions of such an argument was going to be too much of a hassle for a man of his years. He muttered something under his breath before leaning forward in his seat properly.

“Well, I guess you are within your rights to ask whatever you want. I did break the terms of your pact in your fight earlier did I not? It is only fair that I offer something in return for my interference.”

Jun looked up at Finn with those unsettling gray eyes and a deep curiosity glistened in them. “But first, you must tell me of this Error which you claim to bear. It is not every day I get to come across a concept I have never heard a whisper of before… Especially one that sounds as core to reality as yours.”

Finn grunted softly. It was a fair point, but he was beginning to get impatient with the stalling. “There is nothing much to know. My authority finds the flaws between spaces and systems.”

“Flaws between spaces and systems,” Jun repeated the words while he rubbed his chin softly. “How exactly does that work in practice?”

Finn met his question with a deadpan stare. He did not blink and he did not offer a smile. Was this old man toying with him?

Very calmly he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his seat. The air about him became deadly in an instant and the temperature in the library seemed to drop by several degrees.

The old man’s hazy eyes flickered at the sudden change. He could feel the shift in the spiritual pressure.

“I will advise you to stop whatever this is and answer my question,” Finn said. “Do not mistake my formality for weakness. I am not here to entertain your curiosity for the sake of it.”

But the old man simply chuckled at the threat. He did not look intimidated at all. “You truly do not know where exactly you are, do you?” The cordial air of the room vanished and Jun’s voice turned cold.

“You are in the heart of my domain. Do you really think you can do anything to me here? Do you think your little Error can find a flaw in a master of Pacts?!”

Finn was somewhat amused by the response. At this point he was not even sure of what exactly was going on with Jun. At first he thought the old man was simply trying to rile him up and bait him into using his powers. It seemed like a classic interrogation technique. But now he actually thought he might have overestimated the man’s depth of intelligence.

He had given the old man too much credit thinking that because of the power the man emitted, and his authority over pacts, that he was someone smart.

This guy… Don’t tell me he’s just a fucking dummy…

Damn. I should have known from the onset, Finn facepalmed with a quiet chuckle.

The overly mysterious air was the first clue. The useless tacky words used to sound so wise were the second. Even the choice to bend the rules of the pact for one girl was another blunder.

The people of Stratus below successfully believed the pact was a natural phenomenon of this location, yet Jun had risked ruining that entire facade for a girl who was not even going to die by Finn’s hand anyway. That much should have been apparent to any Preceptor with as much depth as he had, yet he had made such a stupid move.

Finn’s mind also went to the petty play Jun had tried with his subordinates at the door as well. It was all so performative.

What a joke, Finn shook his head and continued to chuckle to himself for several seconds.

Jun on the other hand, seemed taken aback by the sudden change in Finn’s demeanor. For a beat it had felt like he was in control and would finally get to see Finn use his powers. But then Finn suddenly switched up out of nowhere.

A brief look of realization, followed by wariness crossed Jun’s eyes for a split second. He masked it quickly but it was already too late. Finn noticed the tremor and it further confirmed his suspicions about the hierarchy of this place.

With a wide smile on his face Finn looked at Jun:

“You. You are not the king here are you?”

Jun visibly shivered at the question, just as Finn’s eyes began to glow a deep and incandescent green, filling him with an uneasy feeling. He felt bare. Fully open before those eyes.

Without thinking, Jun stood abruptly out of his chair, lunging with blinding speed at Finn, right in tandem with the Punisher Paladin soul mass that had been standing silently between the bookshelves a short few steps away.

The four armed humanoid creature blurred across the floor and raised its massive sword in a synchronized attack with its master.

But then all of a sudden—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep