#zeljko

Eula and Akemi Straight Vibin', Akemi with her arms raised above her head, with Eula sticking their hands out in front of them.

Željko with goggles on, hair wet, talking about flowers

Eula wearing a strawberry earring and smiling, with their fangs on either side of a lollipop in their mouth.

Rowan grinning with a scarf on, his ahoge is sticking straight up.

Deidre making the 'uwu' face. Rowan stating "How the hell do you do that.", with hell underlined.

Deidre and Eula's faces are pressed together as they both grin. Deidre's mouth is open, while Eula's is not.

Akemi making a poggers face. An arrow then pointing to it snickering at itself.

Željko looking vaguely to the top right with a small smile on his face.

Gilland rose in popularity by promising that they were all going to go home to Elympios. His nephew Alvin found his ability to win people over impressive. He adapted his tone and mannerisms to his interlocutors, and was able to grasp their hearts.

On the other hand, Gilland’s closest relative Alvin held no love or adoration for him. The reason was that a lot had happened between the two. Without that, Alvin might have been able to look up to him honestly.

The small boat Alvin and Zeljko were riding in sailed down the river and eventually left Travis territory and reached the sea. There, they switched to an sea-going ship and arrived at the Exodus headquarters—that is, the Zenethra—the next day.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Zenethra was a passenger ship, Gilland turned it into their living quarters. It was currently anchored off a small desert island in Auj Oule. It frequently changed locations to avoid detection by Rieze Maxians or the spirit Maxwell.

“Good job, Zeljko.”

They were in what used to be the captain’s cabin, and had now been converted into the control room. Standing in the middle of six directors was Gilland, who was holding the Travis letter with a satisfied look and praising Zeljko for his hard work.

“He managed to sneak into that secure Travis manor and brought back this secret letter,” Gilland explained to the directors. “He is proving quite useful.”

Gilland broke the seal and quickly scanned the contents of the letter, letting out a small laugh once he reached the end.

“This is Aurignac’s handwriting, no doubt about it. How much do you think we can get if we blackmail them with it? We could also use it to negotiate with Nachtigal. Whichever way, we’re getting rich.”

In contrast to Gilland’s smug expression, Zeljko looked ill at ease, despite the praise. He kept stealing glances at Alvin, who was standing next to him.

Some of the directors, too, looked at Gilland and Alvin alternatively and whispered in each other’s ears.

Alvin kept his expression neutral, never revealing how he was feeling. He hadn’t spoken a word since entering the room.

“I’m sorry I had you assist a spy when it’s not your unit, Zeljko,” Gilland continued, still ignoring Alvin to talk to Zeljko.

“Not at all, I…”

“I bet you’re sick of doing the dirty work, but it’s important for our organization. Until we can go back to Elympios, we have to gather information in order to survive in Rieze Maxia. We also need money. We can’t afford to be picky. Can you understand?”

“Y-Yes sir. Of course.”

“Anyway, you did good. You can rest until you get your next orders.

“Thank you, sir.” Zeljko bowed and turned to leave.

“Why are you standing there with such a blank look, Alfred? Go with him.” Gilland had finally addressed Alvin, but he was waving his hand dismissively as if he were trying to dispel a nuisance.

Alvin bowed wordlessly to Gilland and the directors, then left the control room behind Zeljko.