Ardeel hesitates for a moment, before elaborating further about the sword.
"Here, Al. Take a look at this in particular." He points out to Al the familiar insignia that they had happened upon on the previous floor. "It's them. They're at it again. I can't wager the full extent of their actions thus far obviously, but a second occurrence as far as I know happening this soon is beyond coincidence. There's an agenda here, and the more I think about it, I just can't let it go. I know we have a game to complete, surely; but-" Ardeel stops speaking for a moment. It did not occur to him initially what he was saying, but it sunk in just as quickly. He had to investigate this case, even if it meant shirking the duties of actually completing the game. The presence of player killing angered Ardeel, as it was bad enough players were dying in a struggle to complete the game; but to be killed by one of their own? It was cheap. He didn't want these players to die in vain, yet he also didn't see it fit to just stall the efforts to conquer the floors. Something had to give, and unfortunately, Ardeel knew what he had to do. Not very confidently, he continues talking.
"I...I think I'm going to depart from the team temporarily. I know it's early in our time together, but I feel that I need to pursue this further. I apologize." He looks Al in the eyes a bit more focused, trying to seem more resolute although he wasn't quite sure about the decision himself. Al. Ardeel owed a decent lot to him through the game thus far. He saw whatever value Ardeel had inside himself, and that much alone was reassuring. This it was, let alone the growing bonds he shared with his other cohorts. Oregano, Lupus, Bel, Aiko, Ulrich, Lenora; they were all good people. Lenora. Ardeel really didn't want to leave her behind. He could only hope that she was taking this well. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now." he finishes with a nod. Turning away from Al, and finally the rest of the crew, he takes his leave, only looking back one more time as the distance between himself and the others was sufficient enough. Perhaps Ardeel could have explained himself better, but the timing was urgent, and he needed to act as soon as possible. Looks like it was time to get to work.
