Oliver Kibek's pov
There he was, the boy not even half my age about to become one of the central pillars of the world and by extension the continent gazing at me with amusement as he slowly and steadily revealed why I started my crusade against our system of government, was it for glory no,for fame not even close, for the thrill of fighting injustice I couldn't begin to bother with something so trivial
"you hated the way he looked at you"
the crowd who believed their confusion couldn't grow any deeper looked on with even more puzzlement at those words
"you had just begun to revitalize your house using a dangerous but effective method, too bad said method left a lot to said in the ethical department and when Don Langris confronted you on it you couldn't be damned"
he had me but how, how did he know about that, the pretentious asshole left the reason for the fall of my house in the air so that no one could point fingers at me after he wrecked me
"I was an S-class adventure you see and i personally witnessed the effects of your attempt to refill your families coffers, I even tried to stop you but before my blade could reach your neck"
he spoke with clear hostility even though he was still smirking, he would have killed me if Langris hadn't intervened, I found myself trying to look smaller in my seat as members of the crowd were looking intrigued, what exactly could I have been doing that would make a mercenary even an S-class one turn his blade at a noble especially since this case took place years ago probably before the boy awakened his Arcanum
"high grade spice trading"
the only thing more potent than the venom in his voice was the looks of fear and disgust on the crowds, spice a 10th teir contraband, in the right hands it could be used to make medicines although the number capable of being produced from it doesn't number more than 5 but in the hands of someone less altruistic it can be crafted into a variety of poisons each capable of causing severe damage even to an Arcanum user someone whose body was beyond mortal and in the territory of demigods, if the effects on Arcanum users the peak of humanity was that severe one could only imagine how a regular civilian would fare, no one could tell because everyone one here knew its effects clearly.
It was about 5 years ago Langris was the second Don at the time and the city was precided over by 'the lightening emperor Raynold Blast' when the city fell into pandemonium, men women and children were all slaughtered at the hands of the nefarious cult "blood bayonet" all five Don's pulled up all their forces 8n an effort to stop those monsters but when ever there was a confrontation so long as a Don was absent victory would slip through our fingers due to one thing 'caribis' a 2nd teir poison that was inexpensive but almost useless in a fight between blade masters and 7th teir magic casters that Don guilds had plenty of at best the poison would only cause numbness and a little light headedness which would dissipate almost instantly due to how much adrenaline was coursing through the bodies of the people fight but not this time, even the slightest contact with enemy blades slick with the substance would cause the skin of those hit to instantly darken as the both their blood vessels and mana pathways were tangled in a bloody mess, death happened within seconds that's if your opponent hadn't cut you down the moment your movement lost fluidity magic casters had their own spells blow up in their faces and the backlash added to the misery of their final moments and it was all because this seemingly weak poison had its lethality amplified by spice, the spice I was trading in, unfortunately that gold decked bastard spent more time following my tracks than confronting the cultists in time he caught me and when he did this teenager looked at me with contempt, a boy who was just growing hair in specific places dared to look down on me just because he was a little stronger he was able to ruin me, without a trial he wrecked me me!!! every coin to my name was taken all my lands profits and rights I held as a noble was seized but that was only the beginning of my humiliation he topped it off with those horrendous words that haunt me every night
'I wont kill you, no you don't deserve that, I will let you live to see the thing you sunk so low to save, to protect, to revive crumble to dust from the weight of you're disgusting actions you shall spend every waking moment of you're pathetic existence in sorrow as your legacy goes up in smoke from your actions and death will only come for you're pathetic existence when you decide to end it yourself I'll make sure of it'.
Drip
Drip
Drip
I couldn't see how I looked but I could tell even a disfigured would shudder in horror at the sight of me, I don't know when I started but I had been biting on my lip for so long a small pool of blood had appeared at my feet the crowd was actively booing me now some hurling insults and death threats while a few tried to rush past the security and shred me to peices I could see the anger in their eyes I saw as tears pooled around their eyes and spittle flew from the mouths due to the amount of curses they uttered all these people had lost someone at the hands of that cult father's who lost children wives who lost husbands children who were orphaned and countless others who couldn't be mentioned to the side the Don's stood still but it was there the hatred as deep and dark as the ocean it self after all some of them lost subordinates to those men but as I took it all in I tried, I tried as hard as I can to find anything within the depths of my heart guilt at my actions, sorrow for the deceased, or even self condemnation but no, all I felt was rage, rage at my self for getting caught, rage at the bastard pig that squealed leading them to me but most importantly rage at the Don's for ruling the world I wanted to rule, the world I wanted to stand on top off, it burned me the feeling of inferiority of jealousy it depth so large the continent could drown in it and how I was powerless to do anything about it.
It was sudden, no it had been building for a while those whose senses were sharpest among us picked up on it first this faint but heavy bloodlust I only felt it because I was closest to its source but after a while both one was talking for the young man in front of me was excluding such a heavy aura that the sky seemed to darken and even though he instigated this conversation he was no longer smiling, he wasn't frowning either even the most poetic could only describe his face with one word 'dead' it was like all expression in him was dead and it was obvious why everyone in this city had either seen or heard of this expression after all he wore during what was the most important day of his life, the day he slaughtered the purple storm crows
'what are you here for'
I had to ask after all it was the only reason I came this far the reason I kept on living the almost nonexistent chance I could rout the people into disposing of this system that I hated and I had to die knowing i could make even a step towards that goal
"I'm here to delve into the darkness and drag monsters like you toward the punishment you deserve"
I didn't need anyone to spell it out for me the crowd believed it that's why they were cheering, he believed it his eyes held no trace of the contrary and worst of all, I believed it that's why I didn't resist as he formed a blade out of pure darkness around his extended palm and swung towards my head an ending in one swing less grandiose than I deserved.