‚I need to use Niam and make him a target. I can't afford to be the main target of the chase.' I thought.
I entered the Inn. Luckily, there was only small gossip going around, not verified information about the death of the Emperor.
I'd thought about how to come into contact with Niam, but when I entered the Inn, he was already sitting in a corner, drinking a beer.
I sat in front of him, his face unchanged, maybe a bit curious, I couldn't really tell.
‚Rebellion needs time to grow. In order to overcome his defenses, I must waste his time and make him follow my lead.'
The Rebellion worked outside of combat too. If I chose a target, it would activate and it would start to increase my prowess. It could make me converse a lot easier and find the right things to say to Niam, in order for him to lower his guard.
It worked as intended. With silly stories and the influence of alcohol, I made an inexperienced drinker into someone who tried to get some information out of me, but had a hard time. Normally, it wouldn't have taken so long to crack a person, but with Niam, it was different. I felt like I was set back at times. The way he changed his attitude midway made it harder for me to know what to say. He would go from laughing, to being stone-cold in the blink of an eye. If I wanted to guarantee that he would be targeted for having any kind of relationship or interaction with the Emperor's killer, I needed to go much deeper. One way was of course to use myself as bait. With the experiences I made, I knew I was someone who would attract a lot of men's attraction with my face alone, so I offered Niam to go somewhere more private.
Meanwhile, Niam had already guessed who I was, perfectly putting the puzzle pieces together I recklessly let him have and put together. I needed him to think he was slick.
The older brother of Niam, whom I'd fought a year back was similar to him but yet so different. Niam's intelligence alone was enough to know that he was a strong Bearer, there was no way he couldn't be.
I took off my robe and let him see my face and body clearly for the first time, after we had met. It did upset me a bit when I got no reaction from him after he saw me, but after I played the role of "clumsy, drunk woman", my plan succeeded. His inexplicable, cold body felt good to touch and I really enjoyed the night we had. It also became a good distraction from all the stress I was under.
‚Now that there are eye-witnesses that saw him and me go into a room together, he would be targeted by my pursuers.'
***
I left Niam sore and a bit drunk.
My current destination, Siran Bridge. I did my research on what kind of people were on Siran Bridge. The one in charge on the bridge, was a woman named Sidika. She had been guarding the bridge in my brother's stead. After viewing several records about Haru, my father and his council decided that it was a good idea to have Sidika guard the bridge, because her Salan ability could cause The Union's Light trouble, if he ever showed up.
Her Salan ability had 2 aspects. She could cause fear in her opponents and she could partially take on characteristics of a wolf.
The second in command, Omar. He did better in training than Sidika but he willingly stepped down and let Sidika be the face of the bridge. Not much was known about his Salan ability, only the fact that he could cause damage to an opponent without having to go near him.
'The news of my father's killing must've reached them already. I don't want to fight or kill anybody, but I'll do so if I must.'
I made my way to Siran Bridge. With a carriage, it would take around 6 hours to reach Central Superio, but by running, the time it would've taken me, shortened to 3 hours. I ran the whole way to Central Superio and right when I was in the middle of the bridge, I was confronted.
"Princess." A male voice reached out.
It was dark, it confused me how the man knew I was there.
"Omar, I presume." I responded.
"You are correct. I heard about what you did. Did I hear right?"
"Unfortunately. It had to be done."
"I understand. I heard you were the reason why we guard instead of kill."
His words were full of gratitude. He understood why I did what I did. I was the only one outside the council that wanted to focus more on defense than offense.
"Who told you? Only someone inside the royal palace knows of my intentions."
"It was Revela. She showed up here a few weeks back. The only reason she told me was, because I don't chase glory."
"Where did she go?!" I demanded to know where my teacher went.
Revela had disappeared shortly after my father changed.
"I don't know." Omar responded.
"What now? I asked, unsure.
"You have 2 options. Option 1, you kill or gravely injure me and forever play the role of the killer. Option 2, you jump into the water and swim to shore. That will make me have never seen you."
I considered option 1, but I remembered I had split my pursuer's attention. Before I came to a decision, Omar spoke.
"Have you seen HIM?" He asked.
I thought about Niam but was unsure if Omar meant him by it.
"Him?"
"Yes. He is one-of-a-kind."
"I did meet him. I went further and used him."
"Hahaaaa! He'll manage." Omar laughed.
I walked over to the the bridge's railings. The bridge was 18 meters high. Not a dangerous height to jump from, but a scary one. Looking at the lake under my feet felt more scary than looking at the empty night-sky.
"Protect the Empire." I ordered and jumped into the abyssal darkness of the lake.
"As you wish, Princess."
The second I spent in the air felt like hours. The only thing in my mind, the direction I needed to go. I swam in the Mana rich lake. The Mana was so abundant in the lake that I had trouble swimming. I struggled to keep my head above water-level but I'd exhausted myself quickly.
"Ghhhh!"
My instinct to breath overcame the instinct to survive. Water filled my lungs.
***
I realized I wasn't dead, but I also lacked the energy to look at my surroundings. It was warm, unlike the lake.
["She is waking up. Look!"] I heard a kid talk.
["I see that. Thank god we found her. Otherwise she would've died. Bring the medicine and some food."]
'Why was the water so difficult to swim in?'
["There, there, there. Steady. Slowly."]
The voice sounded like that of a grandma's. She grabbed my arms and lifted me up so I could sit. Stabbing pain shot through my chest. It hurt like hell.
"AAAAHHH!" I screamed.
["Here, here!"]
The old lady put a spoon next to my mouth. My first thought was not to drink it, my second thought was, painkiller.
I drank whatever was inside the spoon.
"Bleeeh! Bitter." I complained.
["Stay back, child. She might be hostile."]
"I don't understand a single word you say." I explained.
My vision was still blurry, I wasn't able to make out a single detail inside the room I was in.
["She speaks English, Nana."] The kid spoke.
["All right, talk to her."] The old lady responded.
"Who are you?" The kid asked me.
I waited a few seconds for the painkiller to kick in completely. Only after the pain in my chest subsided was I was able to respond.
"Ta-... Pantera. I'm Pantera. And you, kid?"
"Well, I am Kaito. I was once found on the shore of the lake just like you."