Chiron, who was still working in the kitchen, started feeling uneasy. He tried to calm this feeling but could not find what was wrong. Already disturbed by his senses, Chiron left everything to his supporters and went out to take a breather.
He was walking around when he saw a crowd gathered in front of their lodging and decided to look.
When he reached there, he heard some people talking about how the young master and Miss Myra went in to catch some traitors. Hearing this, the uneasy feeling in his heart grew stronger.
Chiron started walking forward, hoping to go in, but the guards who saw him coming stopped him before he could go any further.
"Stop. You can't go in now. Just stand over there."
The servants who saw it started murmuring together.
"Hey, did you see, he was trying to enter the house."
"Do you think it's him?"
"Of course, you haven't seen the young master take the right turn; that's where the chefs live. It's him.
"Yeah, I think so too. I always knew something was wrong with this guy. Just look at his body; he's a big monster; how can he be a chef?"
"He must have used this as an excuse to sneak into the mansion."
The people who were talking around themselves fueled the flame, and Chiron was getting more nervous now.
The soldiers who heard everything did not believe it, but they also decided to be alert in case this guy tried to force his way in.
Chiron tried to calm himself down and thought he was overreacting and turned back to leave.
He had heard some rumors about the curse placed on the young master, but the thought that they would suspect him never crossed his mind.
It was then that Chiron remembered something he had hidden from the Floren family, and the chance they might find something left him scared.
After thinking for a minute, knowing that he would not survive if he was caught by the Floren family, Chiron decided to leave and run away. But then he remembered something.
The box that he has been keeping hidden is the last sign of his past. A treasure that was passed down for generations in his family and something that his family died while protecting.
Chiron was still young when the disaster hit his hometown, and his father sacrificed his life just so he could run away.
Chiron tried to open the box several times but was never successful. He tried to break it, but even with all his strength, he could not even make a dent. It was protected by an array powerful enough to take its full power attack and not show a sign. As time passed, Chiron's curiosity died, and he decided to leave it to fate.
_
Chiron, who had decided to run away, halted in his steps when he remembered his father's face from years ago when he gave him the box. He still remembered his last words: "It's our legacy, Chiron. No matter what happens, you must keep it safe. For the future."
Chiron could not take one more step. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath—he had to make a choice—and when he opened his eyes again, his muscular body, which looked relaxed till now, had veins bulging out and his skin, which was turning a little blueish now.
The servants who saw it started running away while shouting "traitor" or "monster."
The soldiers readied their weapons and, without wasting any more time, started attacking Chiron. Though the soldiers were trained and organized, they were no match for someone like Chiron, who had lived all his life roaming in the wasteland of his kingdom or acting as an adventurer before retiring and settling down as a chef.
_
Chiron started fighting with the soldiers. As an aura berserker* who focused on his physical prowess, he could easily overpower them. But instead of killing his opponents, he was knocking them unconscious.
He was planning to rush into the building after finishing the fight with the soldiers, but then suddenly the token in his pocket started vibrating. With a shaking hand, he took it and saw that it was now glowing in red, which meant that someone had entered his room.
He knew he did not have much time. It will not be long before those servants notify someone, or someone much higher ranked, to come after seeing the ruckus.
He looked around and saw the few soldiers trying to get up and stop him, but before they could move, with a burst of aura surrounding his body, Chiron enhanced his speed and ran inside the building.
The walls and little arrays placed on the building were breaking with his every step.
Soon he was in the hallway, and without wasting any more time, he pushed through the last wall.
He was looking around, hoping to get the box before whoever was in the room got a chance to see what was happening, but then he saw a black silhouette who waved her hand, and with a blast of wind, it cleared all the debris falling around.
Chiron, who was looking around, now found himself standing in front of Myra, a genius who reached A rank in just 10 years since her awakening. And the future heir of Floren's holding the very box he tried so hard to protect.
Chiron had decided to come in thinking he could take on Myra, who was an A-ranked awakened, but seeing her spell, he learned 2 things: first, how wrong he was, and second, she was not an A-rank at all. Watching them, only one thought came to his mind: 'hit'.
It was at that moment that he knew—that he fucked up.
_
Myra pushed Aish behind her and stood still, her eyes focused on Chiron, who was standing before her. From what she saw, she could tell that Chiron was a formidable opponent, his body pulsing with an intense blue aura that radiated power and strength. But Myra, who was trained by Artemis since childhood, was not intimidated.
It was the opposite; she was feeling ecstatic; her power-hungry side or the maniacal personality who always wanted to fight those who were stronger, and grow was showing itself.
She took a deep breath and began to move, her hands flashing with quick, precise movements as she started casting spells that could weaken her opponent.
"Shadow zone"
"Shadow step"
"Shadow chains"
Chiron roared in anger while dodging the black chains that started growing from the floor and charged forward, his feet slamming into the ground with tremendous force. His hands moved as he tried punching her, while Myra expertly dodged and weaved, her body moving with fluid grace as she avoided his attacks.
She waved her hand as a dark blade went towards Chiron, who just coated his arm in aura and punched through it.
Chiron continued to charge forward, his body glowing with an intense aura that grew stronger with each passing moment. From the bluish hue at the beginning to the now visible red, it showed how Chiron went all out in this fight to end it early.
As Myra approached Chiron, she could feel the ground shake beneath her feet with each step he took. He towered over her, his muscles bulging as he brandished his massive arms in aura.
Without hesitation, Chiron charged towards her with a roar, swinging his hand in a slapping motion. Myra quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
She retaliated with a swift kick to his side, but it barely fazed him, as if he did not even feel that way. Chiron continued to attack relentlessly, his swings becoming more frenzied.
But Myra was not deterred. She continued to cast spells, trying to trap Chiron, making sure he wastes as much of his aura dodging her attacks, giving him less time to attack, and planning on draining his strength.
_
Aish, who was watching all this in front of him, was covered in shell armor, which surrounded him whole. From what he saw in the darkness, it was a defensive artifact his grandfather had given him last year. It could even withstand some attacks of an S rank awakened. So, he did not need to worry about anything. He just continued to observe the fight.
_
The fight was intense, with Chiron using his brute strength to try and overpower Myra. But she was too quick for him; her thin athletic body provided her great agility. She was dodging his attacks by mixing in the shadows and striking back with deadly precision.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of fighting to Aish, Chiron began to falter. His movements became slow and sluggish, and his aura began to fade. Myra saw her opportunity and struck, sending a final blast of mana towards Chiron that sent him crashing into the wall.
Chiron lay still, defeated. Myra stood over him, her eyes cold and calculating as she surveyed her handiwork.
She won the fight, but at what cost? For even as she stood victorious, she knew the battle had taken its toll on her too.
She had wasted too much mana on spells, which did nothing to Chiron.
Myra was only allowed to fight either monsters or Artemis while using her full power, so she could keep her real rank hidden as a surprise card from others. One of them was mindless, while the other was too smart. Artemis would always defeat her easily and beat her senseless—so she lacked the normal head-on battle experience, especially against someone who used aura to such an expert degree.
'I still have a lot to learn,' she thought.
But that was a problem for another day. For now, she would savor her victory and revel in the power of her art as a smile came to her face.
##
*1 -- AURA BERSERKER: A class to define people who could not awaken mana and learned aura to increase their physical strength. The Berserker term was used because using too much aura for an extended period of time had shown signs of people losing control of their thoughts and going berserk.