Up until now, I couldn't understand people. The audacity and disregard some people display fascinate me.
What goes through their mind? Was it caused by their environment?
Was it simply because of its innate nature? To brazenly speak in such a disrespectful manner, especially directed towards a princess, with such shameless audacity—perhaps he could be of royal lineage, but would he truly risk opposing the elven kingdom?
And if so, what drives him to act in such a manner?
Most importantly, where does his confidence come from?
Any sane person won't wear their emotions on their sleeves, yet he's different. People are truly complex creatures.
At the end of the day, it's not like I care that much.
"Kuff! Grrrh! B-Bastard!"
His arrogance immediately dissolved as my hand closed around his neck, fingers locking in a vise grip that sent a tremor through his eyes. He struggled, futile against my firm hold, gasping for air. He attempted to fight me to break free, but I fended it off and simply tightened my grip.
Amidst the struggle, a delicate weave of thread seemed to encircle around my body.
"Might I implore you to release him?" King Cyprus' gentle voice cut through the tension.
Our gazes met each other, "Could it be that you are a pacifist, Your Majesty?" I inquired.
No words escaped his lips, yet his eyes spoke volumes, devoid of malice but brimming with unspoken sentiments. His gaze alone was enough for me to recognize his presence as a king, a powerful aura that Master Irene also possesses. In the end, I let go of him.
"Thank you for accepting my reques—"
The scoundrel sputtered, his eyes locking onto mine with a searing intensity. He brandished a dagger, lunging towards my face. Reacting swiftly, I dodged backward, narrowly escaping his vicious strike. But as I moved to subdue him, an eerie transformation overtook his arm—vines and spikes erupted from his skin, catching me off guard. The strange threads that bound me snapped just as I tried to evade, allowing a grazing cut across my cheek as he passed. His smug smirk lingered on his face.
'Bastard's quick to recover. But you never turn your back on me.'
At that moment, an idea struck, and a mischievous grin played on my lips.
"What luck!" I mused before swiftly delivering a swift kick between his legs.
"Aaaaaaaagzxzxzhhh!" His agonized cry echoed through the hall as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his manhood in excruciating pain.
I tugged his hair, bringing his flushed, twisted face into view. Our eyes met and a wry smile curved on my lips.
"Maybe don't spread your legs too much next time. People might think you're too easy,"
"I-I'll─"
I smashed his head to the marble floor.
"Eeeehr!"
"Wrong answer." I stated firmly, then followed it a few times.
'Shit, I got too ahead of myself... Am I going overboard? I think so...'
I lifted his head, revealing his bloody face to everyone, yet he remained conscious. I exasperatedly sighed and whispered into his ears, "Calm yourself down. Get rid of that disgusting bloodlust. You're in the presence of two important figures. Think of this as doing you a favor. So, next time, think first before you open your mouth,"
"Te─" Before he could even utter a single word, I swiftly let go, and his face met the floor with a resounding thud.
I wiped the dust off my hands and turned to Lily with a smile. "Shall we make our way back? They might be waiting," I suggested, trying to downplay the recent commotion.
Rona, the big-mouthed woman, now stood speechless. Meanwhile, King Cyprus regarded me with indifference, a stark shift from his earlier demeanor. With a nonchalant shrug and a casual wave, I motioned for Lily to follow, trying to maintain an air of calmness
"Are you content with how things have unfolded?" King Cyprus asked with his gaze piercing.
"Pardon?" I responded, caught off guard by his question.
"Are you satisfied with how things have unfolded?"
It struck me then; he hadn't intervened afterward.
Lily stepped in. "Apologies for Claude's disruption, Your Majesty. We shall take our leave now," she said, pulling at my sleeve.
King Cyprus remained silent.
"Let's go," Lily urged.
As we started to walk away, he suddenly spoke. "If that's your answer, Claude Weiss... then I bid both of you farewell."
A swift glance backward revealed a serene yet profound aura enveloping him, his eyes carrying a depth that mirrored the wisdom and understanding I'd seen in Lily's father and Master Irene.
"Was he really our age?" I muttered under my breath.
At that, I caught the sound of Lily clicking her tongue in disapproval.
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Lily had been uncharacteristically quiet. I braced myself for the inevitable onslaught of earful sermons, yet oddly, it hadn't arrived. Meanwhile, the inexplicable sensation I'd been feeling grew stronger the longer I lingered here. Diana remained fixated on surveying our surroundings, her focus unwavering. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, though I hoped it was merely my imagination running wild.
"Thanks," Lily's unexpected gratitude caught me off guard.
"What for?" Surprised, my eyes widened.
"Why? I reacted like everybody else."
Lily puckered her lips and cocked her head. "I don't think so, especially the one you kicked was from a royal family."
I stopped in my tracks and asked. "Pardon me?"
Lily stared at me, dumbfoundedly. Then she let out a sigh. "Haaaa... I knew it. His name was Alexander the Thirteenth, named after the previous king, the second prince of Maiveil, the brother of Prince Lykos."
"Fuck." I mumbled to myself.
I was utterly dumbfounded by what I've heard. "Like I will recognize him."
"I'm not even surprised."
"Hey! I know their names alright... I just don't know what they look like." I said while averting my gaze.
"Master won't be happy by this..."
"Tell me about it."
"Agh!" I relaxed my tense shoulders and exasperatedly said.
"But he did well deserve the beating."
"Rightly so," Lily began, pausing briefly. "Hey, what's your take on him?"
I took a moment, gazing upward as I considered. "He certainly carries the air of a 'ruler'."
"You too? Ugh, that annoys me."
"That's not very becoming of you, Lily." I rested my chin on my hand, tilting my head as I contemplated her reaction. "I see. Are you feeling inferior?"
Lily halted abruptly, shooting me a deathly glare. "Huuuuuh? Me?"
I scoffed. "Did I strike a nerve?"
Her temples twitched in annoyance.
That's the very reason she clashed with me in the first place, this particular trait of hers. "It was probably maturit─"
The sudden chill in the air sent a shiver down my spine, and a wave of unease swept over me, causing me to dart my eyes around frantically. I gripped Lily's wrist, earning a puzzled expression from her.
"Hm? Why—" Lily began, interrupted by a resounding announcement.
A quick glance at Lily confirmed she now understood the gravity of the situation. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes tightly, relying solely on my senses. I concentrated hard, attempting to map out the surroundings, but the environment appeared distorted or fragmented, each object's shape contorted beyond recognition.
"No good," I muttered to myself.
"Claude, what are you dilly-dallying there?! Move your feet!" Lily's voice pierced through the chaos.
"Oh, right..." I shook off my daze.
Hurrying to catch up with Lily, the ground unexpectedly trembled, fissures forming beneath me while debris rained down from above. Upon our arrival, a stream of people rushed out of the building in a panic like startled birds, fluttering in all directions. Scanning the lobby meticulously, I scoured every nook and cranny, searching for the rest of our group.
Lily had already darted off, maneuvering through the frenzied crowd.
Taking a deep breath, I concentrated, channeling my energy to stabilize my inner senses. With a surge of focus, I teleported above, granting myself a vantage point over the chaos. My eyes darted around to find Stephanie, Adelle, and the rest of the group. Just as I prepared myself to delve further, an ominous shiver raced through my body.
[Claude! Below you!] Diana's voice echoed urgently.
"Huh?!" I exclaimed, feeling as though an invisible serpent had ensnared me.
Glancing downward, I let out a startled cry, "Aaaaaaah!"
—Crash!
Agonizing pain surged through my back, and most alarmingly, struck the back of my neck, almost causing me to lose consciousness from the impact. Blinking, I attempted to process the sudden turn of events. Staring up at the ceiling in a daze, horrified screams jolted me back to awareness. I realized I was ensnared, not by vines or tendrils of flesh, but by a network of bones.
Reacting swiftly, I hacked at it with a spear, releasing myself.
"What in the world—"
As the floor trembled with the stirring of dormant mana, it was as though the world itself whispered incantations. From the very fabric of space, twisted figures clawed their way into existence, their forms contorted and obscured, and their arrival birthed a cataclysmic dissonance.
Their appearance was partially veiled by tattered, spectral cloaks that swirled in the air. Atop were these hoods seemed to seamlessly merge with their shifting forms, as if they were an extension of the beings' very essence rather than mere garments, rippling and flowing.
Thus, the chaos commenced.
The chaos erupted as screams for help pierced the air. A woman on my left desperately unleashed magic, while not far away, a man was battling for his place against two. The place transformed into a battlefield as everyone fought for survival.
"Help! Help me!" cried a man being dragged by a chain of bones on his leg, only to be rescued as someone's sword shattered the chain. "Are you okay?" asked the sword's owner.
Glancing briefly at the rescuer's face, I muttered, "The hero arrived."
Swiftly spotting Shin's face, I deliberately averted my gaze. Then, as if I were a shadow gliding through a maze of obstacles, I plunged into the chaos, each step a calculated strike, killing every intruder that goes against my path.
[There.]
Shifting my attention elsewhere, I swiftly pivoted my entire body in that direction, leaping into the air. After a brief survey, I fixed my gaze on a specific location, enveloping my entire body and gripping my spear tightly. Uttering, "One, two, three... seven," I drove my spear into the ground. [Walpurgis Murus], I muttered. Then a cascade of dark-purple flames burst forth, spiraling and intertwining to form a wall surrounding them that stood as an impenetrable barrier.
—Crash!!
As I was about to approach them, I witnessed one of the creatures rip the space itself with its bare hands, opening some sort of portal and throwing one of the guards inside.
"Where's Lily?" Stephanie questioned me, shifting my attention.
"She's assisting the other students."
"Axel!" Julia's desperate cry pierced through the chaotic scene.
One managed to break through the raging barrier of fire, clasping Julia firmly around the neck. Axel, attempting to lend a hand, found himself ensnared by another. Miraculously, Adelle's swift reaction spared both Axel and Julia from immediate danger. However, this proved to be just the beginning of their ordeal.
The protective wall I had conjured dissipated suddenly, causing everyone to collapse to their knees, gasping for air. Adelle and I, though resilient, struggled to move under the oppressive force.
"I-I can't breathe!"
"Kuff! Kuff!"
"My b-body's bre--breaking!"
In a fleeting moment, the powerful resonance subsided, replaced by a disorienting gibberish voice echoing in my head.
—Boooom!
Suddenly, as if summoned by an unseen force, the bone-like chains coiled around my body, locking me in place. "Huh?" I exclaimed, my face a canvas of confusion.
The entire lobby succumbed to a swift encroachment of dusk, and I peered down to see my foot disappearing into the engulfing darkness, joined by the others in close proximity. Gradually, an irresistible force tugged at my body.
"Ade... St—" My desperate call resonated through the void, a futile plea as everyone nearby shared the same grim destiny. The abrupt and unforeseen turn of events left me utterly unprepared to react.
Fuck.
Move!
Fucking move!
Moooooove!
With strength dwindling, I closed my eyes, seeking calmness amidst the chaos. Gradually, I sensed my quintessence slithering down my arm, channeling its essence to the tips of my fingers. Despite the feeble strength, my fingers stirred to life, but the process was agonizing, as if every bone and joint were being crushed into bits and pieces.
"Sylvanar en'dalith, eloryndor naethrinal. Elen'tharion aesythor, seladrial elindor. Alarionya naelthindor, avanthor enlyndrial." Strange and unfamiliar words reverberated in my ears.
Upon opening my eyes, I was met with a vacant void of eyes, an unsettling sight. In a flash, everything morphed before me, structures and objects twisting and transmuting.