Areyos Orionis's Point of View
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"This granny is probably not the real one either," I said to Erina, a smirk on my lips.
"Why do you say that?" Erina asked, looking more confused.
"What makes someone a professional?" I asked suddenly.
"Experience," Erina answered, her expression attentive.
"Exactly, experience. No matter the field, it helps avoid rookie mistakes and makes you more efficient and natural at what you do," I explained.
"Indeed. I imagine you've spotted some mistake in the granny's behavior that I didn't notice," she said.
I paused as we stopped at the edge of a forest, then asked, "How did she write down our fake names when she's supposed to be nearsighted?"
"That's true; I hadn't thought of that," Erina replied, looking pensive and intrigued as we resumed walking toward the forest. "It's not impossible for her to write without seeing properly," she added.
"I'll give you that—it's possible. But in that case, why was she watching us as we left? Given the distance, it would be impossible for a nearsighted person to follow us with her gaze through a window, especially since we didn't take a straight path."
"You've got a point," Erina admitted, her expression thoughtful.
"When I used my seismic sense in the house, I could detect the shape of her plates and pots. But one thing caught my attention. The plates on top were covered in dust, except for her cups and teapots," I added.
"So she never uses her plates or pots, which might mean she never cooks," Erina concluded.
"That's why I didn't find anything in her freezer when I used my seismic sense. The few people who might visit her only have tea—that's why only the cups and teapots are clean."
"It's a rookie mistake to overlook the fact that it's highly improbable for a granny to live solely on tea. Also, the glasses probably belonged to the real Madame Fox, but due to inexperience from the likely lack of frequent visitors, the imposter couldn't convincingly play the role of a nearsighted grandmother, who normally wouldn't have forgotten to wear her glasses. So she isn't the real granny," Erina deduced.
"You've got it," I said.
"So that makes two imposters whose identities we can't prove," Erina mused before suddenly realizing something. "Wait, why are we in the forest?" she asked suddenly. I glanced at her with a grin.
"Remember when you said we needed to dig deeper?"
"Yes—" she started to say before using her seismic sense. "There's a coffin buried here ! And there's a body inside—it's probably the real grandmother, judging by the morphology," she said, perplexed.
"You're quick. I'll bring it up," I said.
"There's no need, since you already know what's in there. Do you enjoy grave robbing?" she quipped.
"Haha, very funny coming from someone who's committed worse crimes than this," I teased.
"Shut up and bring it up," Erina said with an amused smile, resigning herself to let me do it. I raised the coffin.
"Look, Granny! We found your secret!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the forest.
"You can come out of hiding now," Erina added. The granny stepped out from behind a tree, holding a kitchen knife and wearing a psychotic smile.
"You're both incredibly smart, a little too much for my taste—it's risky for our plans. I'll have to get rid of you," she said.
"A kitchen knife? Is it dinnertime already?" I asked with a confident smile.
"Yes, and you're on the menu," she said before lunging at us.
I dodged her attack easily to the side. She immediately followed up with rapid attacks, demonstrating perfect knife-handling skills. Erina, seeing I was handling it well, leaned against a tree.
"You could at least pretend to help," I said.
"Watch out! She has a kitchen knife!" she shouted sarcastically.
"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," I replied in the same tone.
"You're welcome," she said, looking oddly satisfied.
Suddenly, the granny began using earthbending. She launched four large earth spikes at me, but I countered with my own earthbending, sending them back at her. She created an earth shield to block the spikes. Without hesitation, I focused lightning in my right hand and shot it at her shield, piercing through and striking her.
"You're surprisingly good at fighting for a granny," I said, hands in my pockets. The granny was still on the ground, struggling to get up.
"Damn kid," she shouted before starting to transform. Her arms grew longer, and she now had six of them. Additional legs sprouted from her hips, positioned like spider legs. Her hair grew longer and thicker.
"What is that?" I asked calmly, though surprised.
"A nagamorph… They're monsters you can find in S-rank dungeons. They can take the form of any other creature. But I've never seen one talk before. When I trained in dungeons, they'd sometimes take my physical appearance and adapt to my reflexes or even mimic my elements, but they never spoke or thought," Erina explained.
"So it's some kind of evolved nagamorph?"
"Maybe," Erina said, a hint of doubt in her voice. "We need to end this quickly before it takes one of our forms. Don't let it touch you, Areyos," she warned.
"Otherwise, she'll take my appearance, I get it."
"I'll kill you and take your place within your family, then I'll invite the others. Together, we'll replace your entire family, then your neighbors, and their neighbors again and again until we make up 80% of Baringer's population. At that point, no one will be able to stop us, and Baringer will fall," said the monster. The plan was sinister, but it was well-thought-out. How do you fight an enemy who can be anyone?
The monster lunged at Erina, who struck the ground with her foot, counterattacking with stalagmites to immobilize it. However, the monster quickly dodged the attack and rushed toward me, transforming one of its arms into a metallic scythe, aiming to decapitate me at high speed.
"Areyos!!! Move!!!" Erina screamed.
I looked the monster in the eyes, its scythe nearing my neck. After a slight smirk... " 'Flash,' " I murmured. In a blink, I dodged the monster's attack, and suddenly, four of its arms were severed.
"What the...!?" the monster cried out, shocked.
"What was that, Areyos?!" Erina yelled.
"A combination of my new technique, Bloody Web, and Flash," I replied, smirking. Then I bent my index finger, and the monster saw one of its legs severed. Next, I bent my thumb, and this time, its arm was cut off.
Erina Shelter's Point of view
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What sets Areyos apart from others is his unmatched genius. In everyday life, his IQ is already extraordinary, as he's shown in class. But in combat, his strategic brilliance reaches incredible heights. His techniques are not only ingenious but also devastatingly effective, as demonstrated by the infamous Bloody Web. Escaping it seems nearly impossible, especially for those who don't control water. Even powerful users would need exceptional skill to manipulate the threads and free themselves.
Fire users, on the other hand, have a different approach: they can burn the surrounding air to prevent the threads from forming. However, in the chaos of battle, it's unlikely they'd think of this solution in time, given the technique's remarkable speed. Even more impressive, the monster anticipated this possibility. After the initial attacks, it created a fireball around itself, vaporizing the water threads. This quick, calculated reaction demonstrated not only its technical skill but also an unusual tactical intelligence for a Nagamorph.
"It's astonishing how quickly it adapts... It's a bit too intelligent for my liking," I muttered.
"Come here!" shouted the monster, leaning forward and rapidly extending its arm toward Areyos. As usual, he used Flash to position himself above the monster, their backs facing each other. In an instant, the monster's extended arm was sliced into segments. The fireball it had created dried the air around it, forming a safe zone against Areyos's Bloody Web. However, by extending its arm, it left the safety of the zone, and Areyos took advantage of the remaining humidity to launch his technique.
"That was a nice warm-up, grandma," Areyos said with a sly grin. At that precise moment, Areyos displayed yet another demonstration of power. His right arm extended, a whirlwind began forming in the palm of his hand, accompanied by yellow electrical particles converging into a smaller sphere at the center. Soon, a vortex of wind materialized, spinning at a dizzying speed. The orb grew larger as Areyos, still suspended in the air, rotated and slammed the electrified wind orb into the monster's back. The impact was so violent it instantly obliterated the monster's back, and the orb expanded, entirely destroying the monster's body.
"Since when do you control air !?" I asked, shocked but trying to stay composed.
"Since yesterday," he replied, standing amidst the monster's splattered blood. "Remember when I tried to assimilate the peacock king's time power?"
"Yes, I remember it didn't work because its temporal power used Celestial energy as its source—a far superior energy to what we normally know."
"Exactly. But during the assimilation, I managed to integrate one aspect of its power: its airbending."
Areyos Orionis's Point of view
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"Wow, Areyos Orionis, master of the four elements, like Klaus Varray. You're getting closer to being the top student," Erina said with a flirtatious smile.
"Oh, I'd forgotten about him. The four elements, plus his ability to create clones and become intangible. His powers are fascinating. I really need to figure out how chakra works."
"You're really motivated, aren't you?" Erina observed.
"Yeah, very motivated. Anyway, let's deal with the severed body parts. I'd rather not leave any traces," I said, creating a flame in my hand.
"No, let me handle it—I have an idea," Erina said with a mischievous smile.
"What is it?"
"The old woman clearly didn't have memory issues; that was probably a lie. It means she wrote down our names for someone else. She didn't have it on her during the fight—I know because I used my seismic sense while thinking of this plan," Erina explained.
"So, she must have left the paper at home for someone to find… Reiner," I deduced.
"Exactly. I think she knew she was going to die, so she made sure to leave something to identify her killers. What I don't understand is why she'd put herself in danger instead of telling Reiner directly when he came back," Erina pondered.
"Her seismic sense. We saw how well the old woman controlled earth and metal, so she probably had a highly developed seismic sense. She already suspected something, so when she sensed us heading to the forest with her seismic sense, she likely guessed we had detected the coffin. Afraid we'd report it to the army, she felt compelled to eliminate us. She seriously thought she could win against 'new army recruits,' " I explained, walking toward the forest exit, referring to how we had introduced ourselves to her.
"She must have thought we were still inexperienced, poor thing," Erina said with a proud smile.
"Let's take the coffin to Barrios," I suggested.
"No. Put it back where you found it. I have a plan," Erina said, touching her chin.
"What are you thinking?"
"Why do you think the imposter buried Grandma's body in a coffin instead of making it disappear?" Erina asked, falling in step with me.
"That's a good question... the hypothesis that comes to mind is that he still needs the corpse," I replied thoughtfully.
"That's what I think too. So, we'll leave it with the body and see what he does with it. I'll send people to monitor the area. For now, we'll wait for him to make mistakes so we can catch him in the act. I'll let him kill Dave and Nala," Erina said, looking back at me over her shoulder.
"Pardon? But Dave and Nala are our aliases, right?" I said, confused. Erina simply fixed me with a look, the same one I give her when I expect her to figure something out. "No, you didn't... Our aliases belong to real people who can be found in Baringer, right?" I finally deduced.
"Well done, Rey, I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly. Dave and Nala are professional criminals on parole. If they're seen committing a crime while on parole, they'll be executed immediately according to Baringer law," Erina explained.
"I see, so you plan to see how Reiner handles silencing them, since he thinks they know too much about him."
"Exactly. When he gets home, he'll notice Grandma isn't there. He'll probably notice the two names Grandma left on the piece of paper. And knowing who Dave and Nala really are, Reiner will head here to make sure the coffin is there, or he'll use his seismic sense to check. Then, he'll do everything he can to find Dave and Nala as quickly as possible to silence them," Erina explained.
"But since he knows they're professionals, he knows they'll be hard to find quickly. So, he'll probably seek help from his allies to orchestrate the murder of Dave and Nala. He'll probably try to make it look like an execution by pushing those two into making a mistake, so he can execute them without the authorities asking too many questions."
"Exactly, and to find them faster, he'll go straight to the person who knows the criminal world inside out and has eyes and ears everywhere," Erina said with a sly smile.
"Who's that?"
"You don't need to know. I'll call you when those two are taken care of, and I'll let you know what I've discovered about Reiner during the process."
"Hmm, alright, we'll do it that way."
With the plan set, Erina and I parted ways at the entrance to the park. I rejoined the others, who had just finished at the theater.
"Hey, Areyos, you took forever! What were you doing all this time?" Yoko asked, her face filled with curiosity.
"I was taking care of a few things. We'll talk about it tonight," I replied with a smile.
"I bet you were off fighting somewhere. You pull that stunt every time," Yoko added, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Your energy seems pretty low, Rey. Did you really fight?" Oredys asked, her tone concerned.
"Maybe a little. It was the use of my lightning movement that really drained me," I said, scratching my head.
"Lightning movement?" Oredys asked, perplexed.
"Yeah, this one," I replied, giving a quick demonstration. I used 'Flash' to buy a beautiful necklace from a local jewelry store, then reappeared instantly in front of them.
"Wow! That's amazing! I never thought you could move that fast!" Nia exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
"You really know some interesting techniques, Areyos," Oredys said, admiration in her eyes.
"Hehe, I know," I said with a proud smile.
"Look what I got for you," I said to Oredys, pulling the delicate necklace from my pocket. "We probably won't see each other for a while, so I thought a souvenir might make you happy."
"What a beautiful necklace!" Nia marveled, admiring the item.
"Come closer," I said to Oredys. She stepped forward shyly, and I gently placed the necklace around her neck. I looked into her eyes, getting lost in them just a few inches away. Her reaction was filled with gratitude and emotion.
"It's beautiful... thank you, Rey," she whispered, clearly touched.
"Ahah, you're welcome," I replied, my heart warmed by her reaction.
"But that still doesn't tell us who you fought," Nia interjected, her gaze inquisitive.
"Well, uh..." I began, searching for the right words, "I fought a really nasty monster who hated pancakes. I told him he didn't deserve to live if he didn't like pancakes," I explained with an amusingly serious tone.
"Ah... well, good for him, I guess," Nia said with a confused smile, shaking her head slightly.
"You're really unbelievable, Rey," Oredys said, shaking her head while offering an amused smile. The group burst into laughter.
"So, who wants an autograph?" Kaiser asked, arriving with a nonchalant attitude, hands in his pockets.
"Me! Kaiser, you were amazing, I'm your biggest fan!" Nia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"You were awful," I said with a casual pout, just to tease Kaiser.
"You weren't even there, you piece of shit!!!" Kaiser shouted, looking exasperated, which caused a general laugh.
We spent the rest of the day having fun and participating in various activities at the festival, each one a true celebration of color and laughter:
Cooking Contest: Nia shone with a dish of exotic delights, prepared with rare ingredients and perfectly spiced. The judges were captivated by the elegant presentation and refined flavors, and the crowd applauded with every bite.
Freediving Contest: I won this contest by diving into a pool filled with shimmering marine creatures. The competition could have been tough, with divers using various techniques to stay underwater the longest, but since I could hold my breath for an hour, it was easy.
Strength Contest: Kaiser dominated this event, where participants had to lift massive stones and perform strength challenges. He impressed everyone by lifting a giant rock weighing several tons with ease.
Javelin Throwing Contest: Yoko won this contest with perfect precision. The targets were moving and distant, but her javelins seemed to fly straight to the center with every throw, earning the admiration of the spectators.
Drawing Contest: Oredys dazzled everyone with her artistic skills. She created a vibrant mural representing the kingdom's landscapes, full of intricate details in bright colors, showing perfect mastery of the brush and creativity.
As the sun began to set, we helped Nia pack up the leftovers from her cooking stand, hearts light and minds filled with joyful memories of the festival.
"It was a beautiful day. Thank you for everything," said Oredys with a charming smile, poorly hiding her disappointment at having to leave us.
"Oh, it's nothing. We truly enjoy your company, Oredys. Even as a princess, you're never unpleasant to us, and you don't look down on us. I really appreciate you," replied Nia with an equally warm smile.
"That's true. It's a shame you're not with us at the academy," added Yoko.
"At least Areyos would have a reason not to be late," joked Kaiser.
"Ha ha, very funny," I retorted, pretending to sulk, which made the others burst into laughter.
"I'm going to miss you all so much..." admitted Oredys, a hint of sadness in her voice, despite the smile she struggled to maintain.
"Come on, Oredys, this isn't goodbye. Wipe that sadness out of your voice," intervened Mr. Zaymon as he approached.
"Grandfather, Strategist Miller, you were here," exclaimed Oredys, turning around.
"Good evening, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to see you again after all this time. You've grown well," said Professor Kazuhira Miller, a smirk on his face as he gave her a slight bow.
"And you haven't changed a bit, Strategist Miller," replied Oredys with a warm smile.
"You seem to have had a good day," Zaymon observed.
"Yes, it was wonderful," confirmed Oredys.
"I see you have a new necklace. It's beautiful. Who gave it to you? Areyos?" asked Zaymon.
"Yes… How did you guess?" Oredys asked, surprised.
"Just a hunch…" he replied, a mysterious smile on his lips. That old man definitely knew more about me than I could imagine.
"We hope to see Oredys again someday, Mr. Zaymon," I said.
"If you truly wish for it, then not even destiny can stop you," Zaymon said.
"Oddly enough, I was thinking the exact same thing," I added, intrigued by the shared thought.
"I have no doubt, Areyos," he replied.
"Here, Oredys, I hope you enjoyed the pastries from last time. I made you some more if you'd like," offered Nia, holding a box of pastries.
"Oh, thank you, Nia. That's very kind of you," said Oredys, grateful.
"So it was you who filled Oredys' room with that delightful pastry aroma? Would you mind making me some too?" asked Zaymon.
"Not at all, but unfortunately, I don't have any ingredients left with me," Nia replied shyly.
"Ah, what a pity," sighed Mr. Zaymon, disappointed.
"I'll give you some, Grandfather. Don't worry," promised Oredys, a compassionate smile on her lips.
"Thank you, Oredys."
"Your Highness Zaymon, the King and Queen are waiting for you to depart," announced a guard as he arrived.
"It's time to leave, Oredys," declared Mr. Zaymon. "Thank you for everything, and goodbye," he added.
"Goodbye, travel safely," we replied in unison, my gaze meeting Oredys' before noticing Mr. Zaymon's mysterious smile. He was still looking at me before turning and leaving.
In the distance, we could see a kind of carriage drawn by a large griffon, accompanied by soldiers riding smaller griffons, forming a guard around the vehicle. We then returned to the manor with Yoko after dropping Nia off at her house.
"Ahh, what a long day. I'm exhausted," said Yoko, collapsing onto my bed.
"You could make my bed while you're at it," I said indifferently as I took off my jacket.
"It wasn't even made to begin with," she retorted.
"You can't prove that now," I shot back, putting on the white hoodie I had worn that morning.
"You're unbelievable, Rey... Fine, I'll do it," she sighed, exasperated.
"Ahah, thanks. Come join us downstairs when you're done. I'm going to buy some juice for everyone. There's a lot to talk about regarding what I found out today," I said as I left my room.
"Hey, there's not much juice left, Rey. Can you grab some, please?" Kaiser asked as he saw me coming down.
"Yeah, I'm on it," I replied, taking the glass of juice Kaiser had just poured for himself and drinking it in front of him, just to annoy him.
When I returned, Barrios was already there, everyone seated. The discussion we were about to have would likely impact the days to come and might even determine Baringer's survival. If the nagamorph's words were to be believed, others in Baringer might already have been replaced by nagamorphs. Aside from the lingering pain on my head from the hit Kaiser gave me over his juice, everything pointed to an interesting evening ahead.
To be continued...