Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

917. Ragnelle, The Advisor of Beholder Jury

“Sanguine Doves are impressive in that regard. When I first heard of them, I thought they rediscovered the Angel of Blood’s Oasis.”

She stood beside a seated Jury who made strange mouth noises. The Beholder squirmed in her seat and stretched herself along the table, rocking herself around like a bored child.

“Beholder Jury. Could it be that we did find the Oasis?”

“No… Nothing like that. We don’t even have a lead on where Uriel is. I doubt we’ll find this ‘Oasis’ too.”

The Angel of Blood’s Oasis was exactly as the name suggested. It was an oasis that one would find when they followed a star in their time of despair. The star would lead them through what Ragnelle remembered to be an illusionary desert that one appeared in the Library she served.

It led her to an oasis of blood that granted her the powers of an Honored One.

But as a Healer, it came at a terrible price unbeknownst to her.

Her mask emitted a loud, wheezing sound as it replenished the red mist within. She took a deep breath, savoring the rich, iron taste before she spoke again.

“Perhaps it will help if you stopped squirming in your seat. I assure you, my proposals to enhance the combat efficiency of all members of the Nexus is not to impress you.”

“It’s going to have to be approved by the Amalgam and the Black Wings, not just me. The Directors of each Department of Time Reverberation also have to go through a risk assessment to determine if we can implement these ideas.”

Among the proposed ideas was the suggestion to allow the Black Wings to utilize Atelier Technology to their fullest extent. Black Wings had the strange compatibility with Aspects of Technology. Where overuse led to the breakdown of the body, Black Wings did not exhibit this flaw.

“I’m well aware. I’m only here to put my knowledge to Nexus’ use.”

“I chose the right person for the right job. Then again, wasn’t it a Minu Auditor that suggested you to me?”

Jury was in search for capable people to help run Time Reverberation. Now that it was rapidly expanding, she required a good set of new hands. Perferably those who had experience.

She had therefore asked her Minu Auditors to propose invitations to Time Reverberation to any personnel they deemed worthy. This tactic was called poaching but wasn’t like they were taking invaluable personnel from other Ateliers.

Although, Ragnelle was a significant catch. She was the second in command of one of the Prohibited and most secretive Chapter of Inflow Direct. Chapter: Twenty – Two; Traumatic. Her role had her oversee the operations of Serum T for hundreds of years in secrecy.

But ever since the War in Heaven, she had lived a rather silent life for another few hundred years until Inflow Direct reactivated their machines of war.

Moreover, what better person to appoint to be closest to Beholder Jury than a Healer?

At least that was what Ragnelle believed.

“Therefore, since this is obviously a priority… why is that your table is filled with the apparel of the common folk?”

“That’s why you’re here, right!? My Advisor!” Jury exclaimed, causing Ragnelle to tilt her head in confusion.

“… pardon?”

“No matter who I ask, I always get the same response. ‘The Amalgam looks good in everything!’. No she doesn’t. I mean she does, but I want opinions. Professional opinions. Looking at you, I can tell that you care a lot about your appearance, so you must have a good eye for fashion! The Claw of the Head… that Ber has all the things she doesn’t want to wear.”

Ragnelle was rendered utterly speechless. One could see precisely when the gears in her head had stopped turning.

“Fashion? For the Amalgam? Is that why I’m here…?”

Jury’s eyes sparkled, fully expecting Ragnelle to answer.

She eventually succumbed to Jury’s whims.

“… I don’t believe it is in my place to judge whether the Amalgam looks good in a particular clothing. The Amalgam is the Amalgam no matter what garbs they adorn. Albeit the type of fabric used must not be less than Quality X Cloth in my humble opinion. The exception is that impeccable coat.”

“Ragnelle… that’s the same thing I always hear.” Jury moped.

A vein popped on the side of Ragnelle’s head moments before she slammed a hand down on her desk.

“Beholder Jury. This is a serious matter.”

“I know it is. That’s why I just want some time to breathe.”

Jury’s clutzy demenour disappeared entirely. She said this from the bottom of her heart. No one knew just how much work she did behind the scenes to run Time Reverberation. It only seemed like she had so much free time thanks to the Isolation Sphere.

Every single complaint and report had to come to her. She didn’t want to turn a blind eye to what was happening to the world. If she did, then she feared that her apathy would grow. At the same time, too much exposure was also a recipe for apathy.

It was a balance that Jury struggled to find.

“… I’m still getting the hand of this.” Jury admitted. “I’ll start immediately, if it’s a priority.”

Jury grabbed an ink pen. Her tail gathered the pieces of apparel and pushed them away, clearing her desk as she prepared to commence working again.

But before her pen could touch the paper, Ragnelle cleared her throat.

“I apologize for my rudeness. As your Advisor, I was only seeking what I believed was important for the Nexus. I should have considered that I am working solely for you. The Amalgam has a unique hair color. I picture her looking nice in white to emphasize her hair.”

Jury slowly glanced over at Ragnelle with a thankful smile.

“But what about yourself, Beholder Jury? Would you mind if I also gave you advise? As your Advisor?”

“Thank you, Ragnelle. I’ll be relying on you as soon as I get through a few of your proposals.”

Ragnelle smiled moments before uttering:

“Frankly speaking, I’m not used to these requests. They’re entirely alien to me. The concept of normality does not exist to people like us. I lived in persecution all my life. I contributed to wars that I did not understand. I sang the oath of rebellion. We called for war, blinded by a far-fetched noble cause.”

She swallowed and continued:

“Then, we were sealed away. Abandoned. I can’t imagine a different life anymore. When you’ve lived for this long, such tragedies are considered a matter of ‘when’. I was happy when I heard that the Healers were being given refuge in the Nexus. How many of us would still be alive if we weren’t discarded. They discarded many of us.”

Jury nodded, completely empathizing with her.

Though they had a rocky start, the two bonded over their pain and their mission to prevent the past from ever occurring again. Ragnelle wasn’t too certain about Beholder Jury due to how young she was for a Beholder.

She was not a stranger to how volatile Beholders were.

But she had a good head on her shoulders, and a heart that knew exactly what it wanted. That alone gave Rangelle the confidence that Beholder Jury could only grow from here.