Chereads / District 42 / Chapter 26 - Realization

Chapter 26 - Realization

"As I thought, you seem to be pretty peculiar, White warrior." While Casper and Raul were walking, the butler stated it all of a sudden.  

Casper was still with that dark expression on his face after he discovered some points about all that situation. He was still lacking a lot of vital information, but surely they would come, it was just a matter of time.  

Casper looked at the butler's back. He was relieved that Raul could not see his face.  Anyway, he also could not see Raul's, which made him a bit bothered.  

He wanted to know what kind of expression he was making behind that mask when he stated those words, which seemed to carry a lot of meaning.  

Once more, that little detail was the giant barrier that turned it impossible for him to sort out the situation, and it frustrated him.  

"What do you mean by 'peculiar'?" 

"You know that anyone who said those things to the Princess could be easily executed in public square in no time, right?" 

"Yeah, I had this feeling." Casper decided to go with the flow, but he also noticed something; no one could hear what Vick and he were talking about back then. 

For someone to be capable of such a feat, they will need to be, at least, inside the hall. Nonetheless, Raul did not enter the dining hall, and Casper made sure that he was not in a condition where he could hear anything from inside there. 

Casper needed to pass beyond some bounds. It was essential to accomplish his goal to control her even a little bit and gain as many details and information as he could. With tiny pieces, bit by bit, he was sure he would be able to get a good conclusion of how things really worked there.  

There were many interests and objectives behind that conversation. If someone smart heard it, it would be difficult for the White warrior.  

"So, you had this feeling…? I see." He giggled discreetly, but Casper could hear it.  

"And what will you do about it?" He went direct to the point.  

The butler suddenly stopped to walk. Casper did the same after made sure that he was an arm of distance from him.  

"What will I do?" He repeated, murmuring to himself, in a very slow way. "Who knows?" 

Then started walking again. 

"But, I will not be the one to stop you, anyway." The butler said, in a kind tone.  

Casper waited for some moments before starting to follow him again. His stare at the back of that man was more intense than ever before. Suddenly, his back seemed wider, and it let Casper cautious. 

"Tag along and don't get lost, White warrior. If you disappear, I will not lose my time searching for you." 

"Sure, sure." 

They went to another Teleporting pad. Raul made sure that Casper was well-positioned and then started mumbling some words. 

It was not the first time that Casper saw someone doing it. Actually, he had passed for some Teleporting pads with Raul sometimes, and he always did the same thing. 

Obviously, he did not want to let Casper know how it worked. However, the soldier did not need to be a genius to know that the position and the words were the keys to use that thing.  

Casper was still sorting out what were those words, but it was difficult since they were different for each pad. And Casper could not read their lips as well, because of the masks. He could only rely on his hearing, which made it more complicated.  

"I hope I can catch up with this soon. I don't want to depend on anyone to go to every location I want in this Castle." It was a hassle to investigate that thing, but it would be fundamental for him. 

After the usual disturbing experience of the teleport, both appeared somewhere they had passed before. 

It was a part of a floor that seemed like a small Village. There were apartments here and there; apparently, individual houses were not allowed to be constructed inside the Castle's residential districts. 

Buildings were preferable because they made better use of the space. Those buildings of the "Village" were very tall, but Casper had passed for some that even touched the ceiling of the Castle's floor. 

Some marketplaces and other essential establishments were there as well, and they were constructed inside the building, replacing the apartments in some parts.  

The architecture was the definition of comfortable and humble. It was a peaceful and nice place to live, although everyone lived stuck in the same building. 

"Say, you, there aren't many prestige Jarls living in these buildings, right? They must be the lowest of the lowest among the royalty." 

"Hmmm, there is one. He is a strange person, however. But, yes, there aren't many acknowledged people here. 

"As the Princess mentioned your identity and existence in this District must be a secret. And even inside the Castle, you need to be careful and discreet. Even if we wanted it, we couldn't let you live amongst the most important Jarls." 

"I see." Casper shrugged. "I don't care that much." He really did not care. As long as he could make contact with the strongest and most prestigious people of the Castle at some point, he was fine living in that place.  

"I will let you settle in your apartment, everything you possibly want from me, you can call me with this." He lent to Casper sort of a smartphone, and a green card along with it. 

"It's very intuitive, so you will know how to use it if you aren't a primitive guy. The Princess will also contact you through this smartphone. 

"Your apartment is the number 70, use the card to unlock the door. Good luck to you." 

He started to walk away, but Casper stopped him. 

"How can I use the Teleporting pads?" 

"You can't. Simple." This way, he waved to Casper and left. 

The White warrior grinned.  

"Or, at least, that's what you think." He thought. "As long as you keep in your mind that I am this dumb, I will always be ahead of you." 

Find out how to activate the Teleporting pads was not easy at all, but not impossible. After a long while observing and guessing, Casper could conclude. 

He was not sure, though, but he had nothing to lose if he tried. 

"I can do it later, though."  

Since now he had a smartphone, Casper was able to take a look on time. 

It was 7 pm already. He did not realize that he walked so much, nor that the other things he did could make the time fly so fast. 

He entered the building, went to the elevator as long as he spotted it, and struggled a bit to find the right floor since that damn butler forgot to say to him. 

Once he entered his apartment, also struggling to know where the hell he needed to put that green card to make the door work, he went to the nearest sofa or bed and laid on it.  

It seemed as though his body realized that he was in a zone where he could finally rest a bit and just turned off.  

Casper could not realize how exhausted he was. All this time a lot of thoughts were crossing his mind, and he could not even stop for one second to take his breath. 

Things happened all at once, and he needed to absorb everything in a matter of seconds to be able to survive.  

It was hard to tell how he could pull through so many unimaginable situations. And twice as hard when you think that he did not have the time to be shocked, sad, or even angry for being suddenly teleported to another world, and in a very complicated one. 

Now that he was looking at the ceiling, laid in a comfortable sofa, with his muscles cooling down, Casper could have a realization of everything that was going on. 

He did not know if there was a way to return to his world. He had not so many things that attached him to his homeland, but it was still sad to lose the few things. 

Now, he was in a totally different world, in a specific place that was totally chaotic and immersed in war and political intrigue. 

The only person he had sympathized, and even liked, in that new world, even though they just knew each other for a couple hours, was dead. And a large portion of the blame for her death was on Casper's back.  

He had the blame because of those three people who died in that house. And whatever was going on with those children, was Casper's fault.  

All those warriors who died in the water explosion had the right to blame him as well. 

It has been just a couple hours that he was in that world, but anyone could say that the White warrior was a murderer.  

And, if the Frelsi were not like Vick had said to him, then he was a murderer for sure, assassinating people who were just fighting for their rights. 

Casper sank into loneliness, guilt, and sadness while thinking about all those things.  

He felt that his hands were strangely dirt, in a disgusting way. The usual bitter taste spread in his tongue.  

Casper realized not just the fact that he was exhausted, but also that he maybe was not so strong as he thought.  

"How many people I will let die until I get strong enough?" He looked at his own hands. "What it feels to be powerful? What the real power is?"  

Casper's eyes got filled with tears, but he did not let any of them get out. He ignored the will to cry. 

"Can powerful people protect everything and everyone they want? Can they do any choice without hesitation or regrets?" 

The soldier did not know when, but at some point he fell asleep, dreaming about the day when he would discover the answers to the questions he just asked himself.