"Except being stabbed in the heart, everything else is fine."
Ale spoke in a slow and tired voice. But the reactions others showed hearing his words could be considered anything BUT slow.
"STABBED?!"
"HOW?! WHAT..?!"
"Why's your robe torn like that?! It looks like a sword cut?!"
Kevin almost died of shock while the rest looked at Ale like he was crazy.
They only left him for a few minutes, it hadn't even been an hour. Yet, there was all these chaos happening around him. The others finally understood what Rudy and Ron meant by 'trouble magnet' and 'wanting to protect'.
"Kevin.."
Instead of replying to their screams of worry, Ale slowly called for the one that was closest to him, the one that'd understand him the best, and the one that'd ask the least questions.
"Yes, young master. Is there anything you need?"
Kevin asked, stepping forward, his face latched with worry.
"Can you dry my hair, please?"
Ale requested, his expression turning into that of a baby rather than an old man. The constant dripping of water was starting to bother him, along with the huge number of people surrounding him.
And they took the hint well, since none of them were idiots.
"Since we've confirmed the young masters state, we'll excuse ourselves now."
Alice gave Ale a polite bow and a perfect smile before she took the others and left the place. Phil and Gary wanted to stay since they were concerned about Ale's condition but finally left after Kevin signalled them to.
The two of them left reluctantly, leaving Ale to Kevin. There were times like this in the past as well, times when Ale wanted to be alone , completely by himself.
But this one was an exception, since he asked for Kevin to stay. They were a little jealous, but more than anything, they were worried about Ale. And since it looked like the right thing to do, they left Ale alone for the time being.
Finally, after everyone left, it was just the two of them... and Rudy. That guy didn't leave. His teammates were gone, Ale's knights were gone, but he stood still in his place, silently looking at Ale the whole time.
"Were you also worried?"
Ale sighed and asked, sensing Rudy's will of not wanting to leave. He turned around and entered his room, Kevin soon following after him.
He took the towel from Ale's neck and started patting his hair dry after Ale sat on the bed. Rudy followed them inside soon after, trying to answer Ale's question.
"Is it wrong for me to worry?"
He was worried. But he didn't know whether his worry displeased or made Ale uncomfortable. So he asked directly.
Ale looked up and met Rudy's eyes for a brief second before taking his eyes off and looking at the sofa nearby.
"Sit."
Ale spoke softly as he pointed towards the sofa. Yet, not complying with his words once again, Rudy decided to grab one of the chairs, pull it right in front of Ale and sit.
"It was the disaster's remnant."
"The disaster? Again...?"
Rudy asked, shocked. The thing that had managed to trouble them for so many hour, the thing that they couldn't defeat even after fighting for so long, that thing was back again? Just the thought made him feel bothered.
"Did you not take care of it earlier, young master?"
Kevin wondered what exactly had happened underwater while the rest of them were busy fighting the disaster. Ale still hadn't disclosed the details with them yet.
"No. I just sealed it temporarily back then."
Ale shook his head and finally started explaining.
"Sealed? Then did it manage to break the seal? Is it out again?"
Rudy asked, concerned. Since it was being supressed by the Holy relic, it hadn't been able to express it's full power. He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of trouble it'd cause if it managed to escape from their hands.
"You don't need to worry about that. I supressed it."
"Supress? A disaster?"
Rudy asked, confused. There was only one thing one could do with a power so evil and malicious. Purify it. Get rid of it for good. But Ale was talking about something he had never heard of being done before.
"It's a sword. And I took a liking to it."
Ale's voice softened remarkably when he started addressing it as a sword and not a disaster. It was his baby afterall. There were some things beyond Ale's control, and some that he didn't even realise needed control. This was the later case.
Ale didn't even realise the change in his tone and expression while he spoke about the disaster as if it was something very dear to him.
"I'm sorry, young master but can you explain a little in terms that we'll be able to understand?"
Kevin asked, confused about the whole situation. He was usually a smart person. But whenever it came to Ale, he always felt his smartness drop by a few level. This guy was simply not easy.
The most complex thing Kevin came across in his entire life, that's what Ale was, a puzzle that he couldn't solve no matter how much he tried.
Haah..
Ale sighed, looking at Kevin's helpless expression. He always wondered how a smart guy like that could make expressions like that from time to time. It didn't make sense.
Ale stretched his hand forward as he closed his eyes and called for his baby. The next moment, a black, shining sword appeared above his hand like an obedient puppy. The red gem shone brightly as if to express its excitement at being called by its master, just like a puppy.
Rudy, the one with the strongest mana, and the person with high mana sensitivity, could sense it immediately. The disaster. No. The true danger of the sword.
"That thing... That's a sword..?"
The 'thing' that Rudy was sensing resembled a chaotic and sinister entity, not even closely resembling a sword that was supposed to be delicate and sharp. There was no way he could categories it in the same section as a sword.
"Does it not look like one? Well I suppose it's a little on the darker side."
Ale answered innocently, almost confusing Rudy on whether he was talking about the colour of the sword or the energy it was exuding.
"A little..? That thing is almost as strong as the Holy Relic isn't it?"
'What? Is he saying my baby is weaker than that stupid relic?'
Ale was furious, how could the two of them be compared? The holy relic was surrounded by it's own attribute, water. That was the only reason why it could supress the sword like that. Once outside, that relic was no match for his swords full potential.
"We shouldn't judge them by their past."
Ale answered, a certain spark in his eyes. Rudy took it to meaning that they shouldn't judge the sword by what it did in the past. But Ale actually meant how the Holy relic managed to supress the sword in the past.
Anyway, the two of them came to an understanding as they sensed each others intent to some extent. Ale had no intention of leaving the sword behind, nor giving it to someone else or purifying it.
And Rudy also had no intention of forcing Ale to do any of those things. They both respected each others boundaries and decided to leave it at that.
"Is that how you got the cut?"
Rudy pointed towards Ale's chest and asked. He wondered what kind of battle this guy went through all by himself to be able to finally control something so strong at his will.
Kevin finally caught on and looked at Ale with shock and concern. Ale could almost see a few drops of tears around the corner of his eyes.
"Well, there was a small moment of disagreement. But that's not how.. or maybe it is.. Anyway, the cut isn't a big deal. There's not even a scar left, see?"
Ale removed his robe slightly as he showed off his perfectly smooth chest muscles. A noble shouldn't act like that, a noble should also not show so much skin to an outsider, no matter their gender.
Ale's actions almost made Kevin drop the towel and close the robe in his stead. But before he could do any of that, Ale closed it by himself. Seeing how Kevin was no longer patting his hair, Ale looked up and tilted his head slightly.
"Are you done?"
"Yes? Ah, yes."
Kevin moved away slightly, confirming Ale's questions.
"Thanks. Since I've explained everything to you, would you please tell the others not to worry so much as well?"
Ale pointed towards the door and smiled as he asked Kevin for another favour. The smile on his face was more mischievous, making Kevin wonder what was going on.
On the other hand, Rudy somehow understood the gesture properly and suddenly stood up from his chair. He quietly approached the door and unlocked it.
Bam! Crash! Plop!
The people behind the door fell down one by one and crashed into each other.
"Ouch!"
"Whoa!"
"My back!"
Ale watched the whole thing unfold as if he was expecting it to happen. Kevin's jaw dropped as he watched everyone plop down one by one after suddenly losing their balance.
"All of them?"
"Yep. All of them."
Everyone was there. They just couldn't leave Ale alone when he sounded so distraught and bothered. After Phil and Gary left, the two parties met at the hallway and expressed their mutual concern for Ale.
Ron, at the time, suggested they go back for one final look to see if everything was okay and then return quietly. This was the result of that.
"We weren't spying!"
"We were simply concerned!"
"He's right, young master!"
"It wasn't even our idea!"
"What? Don't put all the blame on me!"
"But it was your idea, Ron.."
"And you guys decided to go along with it!"
"Yeah. We're equally at fault."
"We're sorry, young master."
"I apologize as well, Ale."
They were as chaotic as Ale had expected them to be. He finally burst out laughing while Rudy simply shook his head. The same thought went through their head at the moment-
'These guys are hopeless!'