"This is... amazing!" Gustavo felt almost breathless as he saw the little swirl of wind that Eugene had conjured above his palm. It was not an actual spell, but just a meager manifestation of the elements that were ever present in the atmosphere. However, just this was enough to nearly move Gustavo to tears.
"If only... If only your father was here to see this." Gustavo's head hung sadly.
"I wanted to surprise him. I guess I should have just told him earlier. At least, he would have known that his son was not a lost cause." Eugene said with a sigh.
"Don't say such. You are anything but a lost cause. You are a young two star martial artist. Even though it was not what your father wanted, you should still be proud of yourself." Gustavo rested a reassuring hand on Eugene's shoulder as he smiled fatherly. Eugene had always been like the son he never had. That was why he had taken it upon himself to train him as a martial artist.
Now that Eugene's talent as a mage had been awakened, he was sure that no one would dare to ignore the young master. If Eugene supported him in the coming meeting, then he was sure to be able to take up the post as the temporary City Lord!
"Come now, young master. The others are waiting for us in the meeting hall." After a couple of minutes, Gustavo was able calm himself. He had already told Eugene of the meeting that held the prior night and what he planned to do. Already, Eugene was in support of his choice.
"You're right. I can't let those selfish people take over the city. You're the person my father trusted the most, after all." Eugene nodded his head.
Naturally, Eugene had led a sheltered life up to this point. His mind still carried a hint of childish naivety, and so it might have been easy for him to be misled by people, including Gustavo, especially now that his father was dead. However, Eugene was sure that Gustavo was absolutely loyal to his father and himself, and he was not wrong.
Eugene and Gustavo navigated the palace halls for a few minutes before arriving at a heavily guarded meeting room. There were four two star martial artists, one three star martial artist, and a tier two mage guarding the entrance to the meeting room.
"Young master!" The guards bowed in greeting as Eugene and Gustavo entered the room. They shut the doors behind them.
"...be the one!"
"...wait for the young master!"
"QUIET!"
The room was filled with hushed whispered when the two entered and Gustavo flared his aura to silence the people who were arguing. All eyes immediately turned to land on Eugene, with several of them bearing hungry gazes.
Eugene felt them on his face as he took a seat at the head of the meeting table where his father used to sit. Gustavo dutifully stood a step behind him while training his hard gaze on the vultures that waited to prey on the weak and exposed chick who's parent had been killed.
"Young master, sorry for your loss. We are here to support you if you need us." An old man with a white beard and bald head stood up while stroking his beard and said. He had a sincere look on his face, and his eyes conveyed pity. This man was John Carter, the head architect of Blazing Sun City. He had been a staunch supporter of Marcel when the man had been alive.
"Thank you." Eugene nodded with a grateful smile. "Let's get on with this meeting so we can put my father to rest." He turned to look at the other people without a hint of fear in his eyes. He knew what needed to be done in order to keep the Blazing Sun City aligned with his father's vision.
"You are right. Let us begin-"
BANG!
The door suddenly slammed open, cutting John's statement short. Everyone's gazes turned to look at the broken door and Gustavo unsheathed his sword with wide eyes. How had he not sensed the commotion outside?
He looked down at the body of a two star martial artist that had been used to break down the door. The man was already dead, with a look of shock on his face.
"Are you surprised?" A deep voice asked with a hint of a mocking tone. Gustavo's eyes trailed back up as he fixed his gaze on the man standing outside the room. Around him were the severed limbs of the various guards that had been guarding the room.
"If you are wondering how I managed to kill them that fast, then you don't need to think too much." The tall, well built man said, running a hand through his sandy brown hair. "You will die here, so there is no need for you to know any more." He smiled.
"Who are you?" Gustavo asked through gritted teeth.
"Who, me? I am just an assassin. You don't need to know any more." The man replied and Gustavo's pupils contracted. This was surely related to the assassination the night before!
"Get behind me, Eugene!" Gustavo immediately shoved Eugene behind him while activating a small trap door that was underneath the table. The table's underside was not exposed, so the assassin was not able to see the trap door open.
Eugene saw this and his eyes went wide. He looked up at Gustavo to see the man giving him a reassuring look.
"I'll be right behind you, young master."
As soon as the words left the man's mouth, he sprung forward to attack the assassin. The sounds of swords clashing rang out as Eugene hurriedly jumped down into the trap door. The hole automatically slid closed as soon as he passed.
"Gods above, they had this planned." Eugene was frozen with shock as the sounds of battle erupted up above him. It was only when the walls of the secret passage shook that he snapped out of his daze and ran forward.