"Oh? You're certainly moving around well." The remark he made as he walked out of concealment from behind a broken pillar made his subject of observation freeze in their steps.

"Colonel Relius Clover," he said with an unwelcoming tone. "…I knew you were somewhere close by."

Ignis dutifully floated behind him as he came to stop. A smirk danced on his lips from the rare joy of looking at something that caught his interest. "This is quite the development indeed. As expected of her."

The lone traveler remained silent and eyed him from where he stood. His bad mood could be read from his posture, dampened by the hooded mantle concealing him from head to toe. Yet there was a sharpness to his gaze he didn't bother to hide.

"Hm…However, the physical construct is plain, rudimentary even. How unusual for someone of her character." He raised a gloved hand to his chin as he peered at the essence of the being in front of him, taking in more information. "The material appears similar to those phantoms… Heh, a clever improvisation."

What impressed him most was how a piece of the soul maintained its existence within a vessel like that. Relius dropped the hand, a low muttering accompanying his train of thought. "Laughable…No, at such a minimal level, it is downright impossible to Observe." An inexperienced Observer's power couldn't possibly be enough, but pure force of will remained as a plausible method. "It must be the result of that bothersome power. Perhaps the clumsy soldering technique too? Mere conjectures for now, I suppose."

"…Did you appear in front of me just to ceaselessly wag your tongue about some drivel?"

"Oh, I do tend to get distracted by my own studying. Forgive me, I don't mean to ignore you." A dry chuckle followed.

He refused to relax his guard. Rather, the air surrounding them tensed up into clear hostility. "I won't pretend to know your reason for showing up, but I suggest that you leave. The presence of you and your doll sickens me, Mad Puppeteer."

"Then why are you standing there idly?" The corner of his mouth rose further up in genuine amusement. "I doubt you're holding back out of respect for this…historical place." Old ruins surrounded them, one of the many hidden places left unchecked by the common folk and the Librarium. It presented a perfect space for stirring up trouble. "Or…" The supposedly anchored state didn't fool his eyes. Relius had a fair grasp of the soul's capabilities in this condition—which was pitifully low. "Is it that you lack the power to 'convince' me?"

"…!" Murderous intent flared but the man held his position. "I'll be doing the world a good by getting rid of you one day. It has no need for your corrupt existence."

"In that case, I truly look forward to it." Naturally, he knew his chances of defeat were not zero. But with a few failsafes and precautions, the odds pointed in his favor. "Alas, I'm not the only so-called 'corrupt existence' you speak of. In fact, including the two of us, there's a few others that roam this plane despite not belonging to it."

"Don't you dare associate me with the likes of you," he hissed.

Even though he had prompted a conversation, he cared little for what words the other threw at him. This had been simply his way to gauge something. "Say what you want, but there's no denying that your presence here is as unnatural as my own. The marginal difference is that I'm here at my own volition and prowess."

"You bastard…"

Deeming it satisfactory for now, Relius turned to make his leave. His partner's gaze lingered on the person standing by his lonesome before following him, becoming wary of something else. "At ease, Ignis. We shall keep our distance from the other guest for now."

He found this situation to be quite curious. Who was tailing who?