"What happened to you?" Sitri asks. 'Well, I almost ceased to exist last night so I wasn't able to sleep properly,' is what I thought in my head.
But saying something would obviously cause unnecessary trouble so I should just make up a random excuse. "My mouth was filled with the bitter aftertaste of Anna's muffins that I wasn't able to sleep properly," I said jokingly.
I don't know if Anna has ears everywhere or what, but she suddenly came out of nowhere with a displeased look. "At least mine doesn't cause kidney failures, unlike your ocean muffin," she said with a boasting smile on her face.
I thought of her first as a mature beauty like Sitri but looks like I was wrong. "Y-yeah... my bad about that," I replied apologetically to finally change the topic.
The little exchange did ease my mind a little, but the lingering feeling of what I felt is still there. It isn't simply like dreaming or lucid dreaming where even if you don't have a physical body, you can perceive your surroundings.
It was as if I didn't have the ability to perceive and nor do the space wants to be perceived. As if I'm denying the world and vice-versa.
I don't really understand it either, but this is the first time that this happened other than when Velxia brought my mind to another dimension, leaving my physical body.
If I had to explain what I felt, it was simply nothingness. A void that completely rejects anything, may it be emotions or perception, senses or knowledge.
Just plain emptiness where the only thing you know is that you exist. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Good morning, everyone," the baron, who's currently facing the adventurers started with a morning greeting, "as you all know, Galaxia has influenced our lands with his power. He is the divine spirit that rules over the skies and is a guardian deity that many look up to."
"However, now that he is released prior to his 100-year awakening because of a silent war ongoing between beasts and spirits, he is full of rage and has absent-mindedly spawned a dungeon near the town."
"Which is why we ask for your cooperation in subjugating this dungeon," the Baron explained. Although we used posters to hire adventurers who want to join so the adventurers here are already in for it, this is the baron's way of showing his sincerity.
Right now, we're at the garden between the town hall and the baron's mansion. Sitri's analyzing the adventurers from the sidelines while Sean is on the right of the Baron.
Because of me being younger and Anna being in a wheelchair, we joined in Sitri and just observed from the sidelines as well.
It's not like I'm bound by noblesse oblige. So even if I was to participate, it wouldn't be mandatory. That is unless the baron decides to force me to, but, then again, I am in a body of a young child, and who in their right mind would do something like that.
Well, he doesn't look like he has the intention of doing so anyway, so I should just relax. This should also keep my thoughts away from last night.
After the baron's explanation, the adventurers nodded in unison. The baron then turned his attention to Sean and nodded.
"We would now like to test your strength. I'm sure you're all aware that we can only choose from a select few because of the proper funding we can offer," Sean opened his mouth to speak.
We observe most of the adventurers listening. Some of them have looks of understanding while some looks are a bit distasteful. This was already written in the posters so we assumed everyone must have come here with an open mind.
However, a few arrogant-looking adventurers' scornful gazes are directed to Sean. Well, this is probably because of the idea I suggested beforehand.
"Unruly bunch," Sitri commented with a serious expression. I maintained my composure and just observed. Anna also had a scary look, but I just tapped her shoulder to bring her back to her senses.
"Thanks," Anna whisperingly said. I simply nodded in return before returning my gaze to the adventurers. The baron cleared his throat before following up, "as stated in the posters, this is necessary for preparations against a dungeon born from Galaxia."
"I cannot apologize if you overlooked this as it was stated beforehand," the baron said. At his words, the unpleasant adventurers settled down.
"Let us now proceed," Sean said as he walked forward. "Wait a minute, what is this?" A sturdy man, around early-twenties, exclaimed as Sean got ready, "are we seriously fighting this kid?"
This adventurer was one of the people who had dissatisfied looks earlier. He wields a longsword, similar to sean, but it is smaller compared to Brandon's greatsword.
"Don't worry, I'm sure this child wouldn't disappoint you," the baron replied. The adventurer still had a dissatisfied expression, but he drew his sword regardless.
"Sitri, why didn't the baron introduce Sean as a noble family's heir?" Anna asks. "Oh that. White was the one who asked for that," Sitri replied.
Sitri and Anna turned their gazes at me, prying me to explain. I already explained this to Sitri, but nothing would hurt if I explain it again. "It's the best way to show the true nature of the adventurers," I answered, "The more they look down on Sean as a child, the more we can see their true nature."
This was one of the suggestions I came up with when the baron lent me some study materials to study. "I see," Anna murmured as she returned her sights back to Sean's mock battles. "I could imagine what they'll look like after they know who they're fighting," Sitri snickered with an evil grin.
She normally looks so composed that I often forget that she's a bit scary inside. I also turned my sights back to Sean.
He already defeated quite a few of them, but there are some who still hadn't had their turns and looked pumped up. "Interesting," a bulky adventurer, around his late twenties, commented as he watch Sean.
After a few minutes, Sean was able to overwhelm his opponents with his ferocious, borderline reckless, sword style.
But then, the bulky man who commented from earlier came up next. "I won't be treating you like a child then," he said before charging at Sean. If I was in Sean's point of view, it would probably look like a wild gorilla is trying to tackle me.
But Sean swiftly evades the adventurer's charge, swept his leg, and made the bulky adventurer stumble to the ground. "Next," Sean said with a fresh smile as he looked for the next challenger.
They don't really need to win against an awakened heir of a noble military family. All they need to show is their worth and we would judge them accordingly.
This adventurer was indeed not holding back, but his way of thinking is too narrow as he attacked Sean without caring for defense.
The adventurer Sean made stumbled look back at him with anger and charged at Sean with his sword, preparing a heavy overhand strike. "You brat!" The adventurer exclaimed.
"Sean watch out!" Sitri warned, but the adventurer was already too close. However, just as he was about to strike down Sean, his eyes turned white as he fell unconscious on the ground.
"Oh my. Whatever happened to him?" A voice resounded from my side with a tone of ridicule. I looked to see Anna with a hand covering her mouth and eyes wide.
Despite her acting, she already gave it away when she commented with that mocking tone. I cycled mana through my body to feel the mana from the environment. It was small, but there is a fluctuation just around the nape area of the bulky man.
I enhanced my vision with mana to see the source. At the bulky man's nape was an evaporating red needle. Observing the fluctuations in the air, I could feel that the needle was slowly disappearing and returning back to Anna.
I stared blankly at Anna, who's acting as if she really didn't have anything to do with it. Sitri probably didn't notice as she got off her chair and walked towards Sean.
"That's enough. I've made my choices. We will have to discuss with the baron first, so we'll call forth those we have chosen later afternoon," Sitri announced with a serious expression and an air of nobility.
"As for this man right here, please call upon a staff of the town hall to see to him," the baron ended the announcement as he walked out with Sean and Sitri, heading to the baron's office.
"Was knocking him out really necessary?" I asked Sitri. "Whatever do you mean?" Anna asks back, still playing innocent. We also started heading out to the baron's office where the main party of the BBS is waiting.
"I saw that you know," I replied vaguely to Anna's question. "Ahh... Well, their arrogant and reckless attitude was pissing me off. Besides, you probably would have done worse if I didn't act earlier," she replied.
I'm surprised she also noticed it. Right as Sitri was warning Sean, I actually let mana surge through my body, preparing to intercept the attack. Although my mana quality is still at orange, because of the influence of abyssal energy and infinite energy, it could potentially rival the highest mana quality.
If I dashed while circulating that kind of mixture of energy, I could easily compare to the speed of a cannonball. The only problem is that it's hard to control, so I can only move in a linear direction like I did when I first met the twins and in short bursts to avoid overtaxing my body.
If hit by a child traveling at cannonball speed, even that bulky man wouldn't come out uninjured. Of course, I wasn't planning to actually deal heavy injury to the adventurer since that would surpass the realm of self-defense.
But he would certainly suffer damage one way or another. From her amazing ability to sense mana fluctuations, it seems Anna predicted that I was about to do something. "I see. Well, thanks I guess."