The second day of our stay in Goldway was a pretty uneventful one. Unlike the previous day, I stayed indoors with Persia all day, and...okay, uneventful isn't quite the right word, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, at late evening, around 6 PM, we heard a knock on the door.
"Yeah, who is it?" I inquired from behind the door.
"It's Instructor Trocuelo...we're all to gather by the guest entrance within ten minutes. Don't be late."
"Wonder what's going on," I mused, as he left and we began getting dressed.
"No idea, but we should probably hurry," She replied, stumbling as she put on one of her boots.
I caught her before she could fall, as we quickly finished getting ready, before leaving the room and heading for where the others were gathered.
"Hey, Az. You look like you just woke up," I said, greeting my sleepy-eyed yawning teammate.
"How perceptive of you," He replied dryly, rubbing his drowsy eyes.
Before long, the others had all gathered, and we headed for the throne room where the king was waiting for us.
"My guests from the Rustlands, I do hope that our hospitality thus far has been acceptable. Let me start by informing everyone that the nations of Goldway and the Rustlands are now officially allied with each other. We were fortunate to be able to come to an agreement rather smoothly and without any delay..."
He went on to explain that to celebrate the alliance by, upon the suggestion of his trusted advisor Valse Darrte, they would be serving an extravagant feast for us in the castle tonight, followed by holding a friendly bout of exhibition matches tomorrow afternoon between us and their Adventurers.
We would then begin heading back to the Rustlands by the day after tomorrow. They had already sent ten of their S-Ranked Adventurers along with several empty carts to clear up the corpses of the white-robes we'd fought and killed, as well as to plug up the mini-crater in the road that had formed when the underground cave we escaped from collapsed.
I was having a slightly hard time focusing on what he was saying though, thanks to the bloodlust the person next to him was directing at the person next to me.
That bastard was definitely planning something. The fact that he had been the one who suggested both the dinner feast and exhibition matches made me uneasy, sabotaging either of those events would be pretty easy.
I'll have to stay alert and keep my guard up around him.
Anyway...after some discussion, both parties agreed to have eight exhibition fights tomorrow. As the discussion ended, we were dismissed, and began heading back to our rooms.
Before that, the instructors gathered us to discuss which of us would be fighting in the exhibition matches.
"I think it's pretty simple. We exclude these two useless deadweights and the remaining eight of us should fight," Shrugged Misen bluntly, nodding at Bom and Mijy.
They both grimaced but said nothing.
I did feel kinda bad for them, but Misen had a point...he could have been a bit less direct about it though.
Wait, when did I start thinking like that? It wasn't that long ago when I would have seen nothing wrong with it.
"It doesn't really matter, it's just a bunch of friendly exhibition matches, it's not like there's anything at stake," I shrugged.
"He's right, and even if that wasn't the case, you really should be a bit more tactful, Ragiu," Added Vi, frowning at him.
"Er, how about we ask everyone whether they want to participate or not?" Suggested Instructor Trocuelo, trying to ease the tensions, "Do either of you want to fight?"
He first turned to Bom, waiting for him to answer.
He had a pretty nervous look on his face, and no wonder, this whole journey had been one big confidence-crusher for him. He had longish black hair that he used to hide his face, and he was hiding even more of his face than before now.
"N-no, I'm fine...I don't want to fight," He replied shakily.
The instructor then turned to Mijy, who firmly shook her head in reply.
Like Bom, she too had taken a heavy blow to her confidence. At the start of this trip, she had braided her medium-length blonde hair, but over the last few days her head looked more like a frayed mop.
She also had a forked tongue like a snake, and that combined with her hair made for quite a sight.
With both of them opting out, the remaining eight of us would be taking part tomorrow.
"Um...does it have to be only among us? You two instructors are full-fledged Adventurers, so why don't either or both of you participate?" Suggested Azyl, right before everyone left.
Guess he wanted to opt out too.
"Hm? Oh, right...I suppose we can participate too-," Began Instructor Trocuelo, thinking about it.
"Hard pass," Interrupted Instructor Uensh, walking away immediately.
Not surprising.
"In that case...I'm out, take my place, Instructor. Thanks," Azyl said to Instructor Trocuelo, leaving with a yawn before anyone could say anything.
"Tch. Why didn't I think of that?" I heard Misen mumble to himself irritably.
Anyway, with that, the roster for our side of the exhibition matches were set.
We returned to our rooms briefly, before meeting up again a few hours later, in the castle's dining hall.
We entered the massive, sparkly room, and as they seated us along a long table, I made sure to keep an eye on Valse Darrte, he was giving off a suspicious vibe. I couldn't quite figure it out, but it definitely felt malicious.
"What's with the grim look, everything okay?" Asked Persia, to my right.
"Yeah, nothing worth worrying about," I assured her, without taking my attention off my target.
They soon served the appetizer, it was good but I was hardly focusing on it, I'm not even sure what it was. After that, they brought dish after dish, at certain points my brain registered tasting something delicious, but nearly all my attention was focused on the scarred man not too far from where I was, so I didn't actually get to savor any of it.
A waiter walked by and refilled our glasses with water.
"This might be the best meal I've ever had," Sighed Persia, picking up her glass of water.
Wait, it was that good? Maybe I should tone it down a bit and enjoy-.
Right then, I felt a heavy spike of bloodlust coming from him, it felt almost...triumphant. He hadn't moved from his spot, though.
Not good...what did he do!? Damn it, I need to figure it out quickly!
I need to use my mental capacity at its maximum, so...Bloodlust Mode!
I suppressed my emotions and began sharpening my mind and thought processes to the best of my ability. Okay...analyse...think carefully...don't overlook even the tiniest detail...wait, that's it!
I swiftly moved my hand, covering Persia's mouth before the glass of water could reach her lips.
"H-hey, what're you-?" She began, cutting off as she saw my expression.
It was slight, but as I entered Bloodlust Mode, I had felt a hint of bloodlust coming from the waiter who had refilled our glasses, right as Persia was about to take a sip.
So...they tried to poison her.
Something in me snapped.
I wasn't quite in Bloodlust Mode anymore...not all my emotions were suppressed...the moment that I figured it out and stopped it, my rage broke free, and was currently the driving force amplifying my bloodlust.
The only thing keeping me from going berserk and killing both that waiter and the scarred bastard was the fact that the relief from having prevented anything from happening had quelled my burning rage into a cold fury. I still felt angry...but I also felt eerily calm.
As soon as I covered her mouth, the bloodlust coming from Valse Darrte dissipated, which told me everything I needed to know.
First, I'll deal with the small fry.
"Hey, you...," I called out to the waiter in an emotionless tone, "Come here for a second."
"Yes, how can I help you, sir?" He asked politely.
I didn't miss the signs...he had begun to sweat, his palms were slightly glistening and his breathing was unnatural, like he was trying to force himself to breathe normally and appear calm.
Telltale signs of guilt and panic.
"Drink this," I handed the glass to him with a blank smile.
"I-I don't quite understand, sir-," He began, staring at it hesitantly after reluctantly taking it from me.
"Now."
I felt stares on me from all around the table. Looks like I had attracted everyone's attention.
Whatever, I don't care...I just want to kill him.
"What's the matter...you poured that water yourself, so why hesitate?" I inquired, tilting my head in confusion while maintaining the blank smile.
Make him panic more...increase his anxiety...screw up his thought process....and wait for him to dig his own grave.
"I...I, uh," He stuttered, sweating profusely now, as he realized that everyone was watching.
For a brief second, I noticed his eyes shifting towards Valse Darrte, with a pleading look. Not sure how the scarred bastard responded, but however he did, it only intensified the despair in his eyes.
That's when I noticed the slight outline of a ring under the waiters' glove. Could that be...?
"While you're at it...take off that left glove," I added coldly.
Looks like that should be enough pressure to make him snap.
The waiter let out a yell and threw the glass at me, before bolting. That's all I needed.
I caught the glass and put it down, while simultaneously activating Lightning Boost and shooting after him after picking up a fork and knife, catching up to him in an instant. I didn't have my blades on me since we were asked to leave our weapons in our rooms, but no matter...these are more than enough to fuck this bastard up.
I stabbed the fork into his left wrist and violently twisted it, before using the knife to cut off his hand, streaming lightning through it to increase its sharpness.
"Ahhhhhhh!" He cried out in pain, writhing on the floor while waving his bloody stump of an arm.
I pulled the glove off of his severed hand, revealing what was underneath it. A ring with a curved X symbol...the same ring that the members of the Magic Research Group wore.
I ignored the commotion that had now erupted behind me, as everyone began whispering and talking over each other, no longer just staring dumbfounded at me.
My focus was on the 'waiter', time to get some information. I pressed a knee down on his chest and dug the bloody fork into his arm, twisting it.
"Talk. Who put you up to this?" I demanded, slowly dragging the embedded fork down his arm.
"Ahhhhh...please stop! A-alright, I-I'll talk, just please stop- Ahhhhhhh!" He screamed, as I yanked the fork out and set it aside.
That was easier than I'd expected.
"That's better. Start explaining."
"I...I was asked to-," He began to talk.
That's when I felt a sharp spike of bloodlust, directed at the waiter...and me.
Damn it, now what!?
I frantically looked around, before...
"Ahhh, it hurts!" Cried out the waiter, as a red glow began emanating from his chest.
What the...?
I ripped off the front of his shirt, my eyes widening as it revealed a Blood Crystal the size of a fist embedded halfway inside his chest. I sprang back as fast as I could, desperately trying to get away from the impeding explosion.
Damn it, I won't be able to get away time, got to brace myself!
I raised my arms as the flash of red intensified blindingly, making sure to protect my heart, neck and head...before everything went black.
...
...
Wha...what's going on?
Was I asleep? I slowly opened my eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the light.
Was it...morning? My eyelids felt pretty heavy, and so did my body. No wait...it felt more like something was on me.
As my eyes fully adjusted to the sunlight streaming in, I opened them and looked down at my body. Persia was sleeping on top of me, her head on top of my chest. There were streaks below her eyes...had she been crying?
Okay, hold on...let's think back, what's the last thing I remember? I sat up with a start as it all came back to me.
The dinner...the waiter...the bomb implanted in his chest.
"Wha...where am I...?" Yawned Persia while rubbing her eyes, as she sat up and opened them, her eyes widened, "Y-you're awake...I was so worried!"
She wrapped her arms around me tightly, letting out a huge sigh of relief. This...was a pretty nice way to wake up.
"What...exactly happened? The last thing I remember was the Blood Crystal about to explode...," I asked, rubbing my head.
She nodded and began explaining what happened last night. The crystal exploded and I had gotten caught up in it, which had knocked me out and...
"Most of your skin and flesh on the front of your body were gone, your muscles and organs were visible...I th-think I even saw your heart for a moment."
"Seriously? That was close, my Healing Factor can't heal my heart, so I was probably an inch away from being killed there," I grinned sheepishly.
"Idiot, take it more seriously."
After that, the king used his Light Magic to speed up my recovery, but healing that much damage drained all my energy, so I was deep asleep with no physical energy left even after fully healing.
They had also gotten a coroner to examine the remains of the suicide bomber's corpse. The hand that I severed was intact, along with the ring that proved he was from the Magic Research Group. However, no scroll was found in his remains, which was strange.
The energy inside Blood Crystals can only explode or be fired by using a Spell Scroll to trigger them.
"Wait, can those crystals be remotely activated?" I inquired.
"Hm? You mean someone else activated it from a distance?"
"Yeah, if I remember right...that guy was about to talk right before he exploded...so a third party must have triggered it to keep him quiet. Well, it's pretty straightforward and obvious who the culprit is. Valse Darrte."
"I wouldn't be surprised, but what makes you so sure?" Asked Persia.
"I only knew to stop you from taking a sip of that water because I felt his murderous intent the moment you picked up the glass. And again, right before the Blood Crystal exploded, I'm sure I felt it from him, directed at the phony waiter and myself."
Apparently, the poison that was added to Persia's drink was the same as the poison I used...in other words, instantly lethal.
"Where is he? Damn it, if only I hadn't passed out...I just hope that they'll accept my ability to sense bloodlust as valid proof," I sighed, severely doubting it.
"I don't know...oh, right, I almost forgot! They wanted you to head to the throne room after you woke up, I think the king wanted to ask you a few questions," She recalled.
"That so? Good, I have a really bad feeling about all this. I'll head over right now," I replied, stepping out of the bed.
"Hey, if you need to reveal my past to prove your point, don't feel like you need to hide it for my sake, I really don't mind. Besides...he almost killed you last night, so it's totally worth it if it'll help get him what he deserves."
"I...I'll try not to if possible, but...it's probably going to be difficult to avoid, since it is the whole reason behind his motive for revenge against you. But-."
"But nothing. I'll be mad at you if they end up not believing you because you didn't give them the whole story! Now get dressed, you should get going."
My final set of battle gear had been damaged beyond repair in the explosion, as had my arm guards. I rifled through my spare outfits, picking out something to wear.
I put on a long-sleeved spandex top, on top of which I wore a sleeveless, unzipped hoodie.
"Well...see you in a bit."
"I'll be waiting," She replied with a smile, rolling on the bed lazily.
As I left the room and began heading for the throne room, I bumped into Misen.
"What do you know...still alive, eh?"
"Uh-huh," I replied, ignoring him and continuing to walk.
I didn't have the time or energy to deal with him right now.
As I approached the throne room, the guards opened the doors and let me in. I had to admit, this was slightly intimidating, I was facing the ruler of a nation by myself while he was surrounded by guards, nobles and Adventurers. I wouldn't say that I was afraid, just socially anxious, I guess.
"Ah, it is you. I trust that you are fully recovered?" The king greeted me.
"Uh, yes...your highness. I'm totally fine."
"How dare you address the king in such a casual tone-!" One of the nobles barked at me.
Hey, chill out, man...that was probably my most polite tone!
"Please...I do not mind in the least. Let us get to the matter at hand. I do have a few questions I would like to ask you regarding the events of last night. Would you indulge me?"
"Sure, ask away...uh, I mean...yes, your highness."
He started with asking me about the poison, and I explained that I could sense hostile and murderous intent from people.
I ignored the skeptical whispers around me.
I also noticed that Valse Darrte wasn't here...I had a bad feeling about his absence.
I went on to explain that I had only been able to react so quickly because I had already been on high alert.
The king then asked me why that was the case and what I was on the lookout for.
"Before I answer that...there's something I want to know, is it possible to remotely activate a Blood Crystal from a distance?"
"No, I do not know of any such Spell Scroll. Although, I suppose is it not impossible, I heard you encountered a talented scroll user among the ranks of the Magic Research Group."
Oh, right...that crazy bitch, Dista.
"I'd say that she's almost definitely dead. But if I remember right...she claimed to be 'nearly unrivaled' when it came to the creation and use of Spell Scrolls in the Magic Research Group...she certainly was talented, and if she was the best they had, she was definitely the type of person who would boast about it. The fact that she used the term 'nearly unrivaled' instead of just 'unrivaled' means that there's almost definitely others who are as good or better than her in that organization."
"Hm, I see. Yes, in that case, it is certainly not unthinkable that they would have a variety of original Spell Scrolls at their disposal. The 'one way barrier', as you called it, is also something that I have never heard of before, thus is likely a new original spell. This could be rather troublesome, perhaps we ought to tighten security at the gates to prevent any spies from that organization infiltrating us. Do you have any idea why they attempted to poison a member of your group?"
Alright, this is it.
"Yeah, I do. Actually, I don't think the Magic Research Group had any real stake in yesterday's assassination attempt, they simply lent one of their pawns to help someone who did. And that someone is definitely working with them."
"And...that would be?"
"Valse Darrte, your advisor...and former slave trader. I'm confident that he's working with that organization, and that he was behind the poisoning attempt last night."
The skeptical whispers around me boiled into outrage as I spoke.
No, wait...there was also some panic in some of their voices. I see...that scarred bastard had allies among the nobles. They must also be working with the Magic Research Group.
I bit my lip in frustration...damn it, I can't say that out loud without proof, the best case scenario would be them writing it off as baseless speculation.
"Silence!" Boomed the king, as the room grew quiet, "My apologies for my subjects' outburst. However, this is a rather grave accusation. I hope you are not making it lightly."
"No, I wouldn't say this unless I was sure of it. As soon as the poisoned glass of water was picked up, I felt a strong sense of bloodlust from him, while hardly feeling any from the waiter. I felt his bloodlust again, right before the Blood Crystal exploded. And besides...he has the motivation. He may have also been the one who activated the explosion, though I can't be sure of that...it was suspicious that the bomb went off right as the waiter was about to talk, though."
"I...see. And you also mentioned...he was a slave trader?" Said the king, looking a bit taken aback.
Damn it...I really didn't want to tell him about Persia's past, but if I hide it now, it'll look like I was lying or making assumptions without sufficient evidence.
"Did you seriously not know that- uh, I mean...yes, he was, your highness. Um...one of my group members used to be a slave of his...they escaped about five years ago, and gave him the scar on his face. When we arrived here, they recognized him, and he recognized them too. That's why I was expecting him to try something, and I was especially alert last night since the feast was something that he had suggested. If you want my opinion, something's bound to go wrong in the exhibition matches planned for this afternoon. Uh, not trying to overstep my bounds or anything, but I'd advise you to go ahead and tighten security...the ten S-Ranks that were sent to clear up the road we fought on still aren't back, right? That means Goldway is more vulnerable than it usually is, if the Magic Research Group were planning something, they'll probably act soon."
The king pondered for a while, as the nobles around him either glared at me or looked at me warily. Yeah, I had definitely ticked them off.
"I have carefully considered everything you have told us. I must admit, your accusations against Advisor Darrte are rather hard to believe, however...you do not appear to be lying. He headed for the gates this morning, and is due to return around late afternoon or early evening. Upon his return, I will ask you to repeat your accusations, and give him a chance to either defend himself or prove his guilt."
"Alright, I'll be more than happy to do so. What about the exhibition matches...ideally they should be canceled or at least postponed."
"I would prefer to go ahead as scheduled with them. We have already informed the public, and I want to avoid stirring up any unrest among my citizens, so I would prefer to show no signs of distress on the surface."
He was annoyingly adamant about that, and I certainly wasn't about to push my luck, so I dropped the subject. Having said everything that I wanted to say, I soon excused myself and left.
That had gone better than I had expected, but...I still had a really bad feeling.
Valse's personal vendetta against Persia aside, the Magic Research Group was definitely planning something. And then there were the nobles...some of them were clearly rattled when I had accused Valse Darrte of being a traitor, they might try something stupid if they panic.
I should have accounted for that and come up with a counter plan ahead of time. No point crying over spilt milk, I guess.
I soon got back to the room, where I informed Persia about how the talk went. She was relieved that it had gone relatively smoothly, but like me had a bad feeling about the exhibition matches.
"They're holding the fights in a stadium and there will probably be a large crowd coming to watch...if things do go wrong, it'll be an absolute massacre," She muttered, biting the tip of her thumbnail.
"Yeah, I agree...a good chunk of the noble and middle-class population will probably be in the stadium...well, the king did agree to tighten security, so who knows, whatever sabotage was planned might fail. I can't shake the bad feeling I'm getting though."
We soon met up with the rest of our group to get ready for the exhibition matches, and...I really hated repeating myself, but I couldn't just not tell them about what was going on. I filled them all in as briefly as I could without leaving anything out.
"Kuro, do you still want to participate? If you aren't fully recovered from last night-," Began Instructor Trocuelo.
"No, I'll participate. And if possible, I'd like to fight the same guy I fought the other day," I replied.
"Oh...that actually works out well, Einn Olbaw actually requested fighting you too."
Well, there was nothing more I could do besides leave it to the king, so...I might as well enjoy myself, right?
Once the order in which the fights would be taking place was agreed upon, we were escorted to the stadium.
The present members of The Big Five would go first, in order of their rank. I'd be going fifth, followed by Gela, Instructor Trocuelo and the final match would be Persia's.
The tournament began with Ekai facing Goldway's eleventh placed S-Ranked Adventurer, a tall, brunette in her thirties with Fire Magic and a lizard tail.
Ekai was staying on the defensive, canceling out his opponent's attacks by meeting her flames with equal force.
Was he trying to win without revealing his full power?
It looks like he was trying to gauge her power level and then strike with just enough force to overpower her.
"Be right back, bathroom break," I said, heading out as I felt nature calling.
"Want some company-?" Began Gela, with her usual look.
Oh wow, I had almost completely forgotten about her, since I had hardly run into her after we arrived here.
"No, he doesn't," Interrupted Persia with an annoyed look, grabbing her by the back of her collar as I left the room with a sigh.
I took care of my business and began heading back, accidentally bumping into someone as I opened the bathroom door to exit.
"Oh, sorry about that! Hey, it's you."
It was Einn Olbaw, the guy I'd fought before and whom I was scheduled to fight again.
"Oh, hey. I'm looking forward to our rematch, this time I plan on winning," I declared with a grin.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, kid! I'll see you in the arena."
"Hey, before I go, do you mind if I ask you about your weapons? I've, uh, never seen anyone use weapons that look like that," I inquired, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"Oh, these? One of Silvland's S-Ranked Adventurers taught me how to use them about two years ago, he called them nunchucks. I understand your curiosity, I was really intrigued when I saw him use them, and then I turned out to really enjoy using them after he taught me how. Heh, I hit my head a bunch of times when practicing how to use them, but now I'm so comfortable with them that they're like an extension of my own body- oh, sorry! I didn't mean to start ranting! "
"No worries, I'm the one who asked, after all. I was also wondering about your Anima, but I guess that would be too inquisitive-."
"It's a monkey. When it first manifested I was kinda disappointed because I didn't think it was cool, but I was pretty stoked when I found out that my reflexes are way better than average thanks to it. What's your Anima?"
"Jellyfish. I guess you could say my healing comes from it, but that's not technically accurate...it's hard to explain," I grinned sheepishly, "Well, I should head back. Like you said before...I'll see you in the arena!"
As I headed back to our side's waiting room, the excitement over my upcoming fight made me briefly forgot about the potential danger looming over us.
The very real danger that would soon be upon us...
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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism! Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.