Free Web NovelChapter 21: Disproportionated Levels
-Clank. Clank. Clank.
The sound of armored footsteps, heavy and filled with frustration, were heard from some distance as we sat in the beautiful garden.
-Step. Step. Step.
Accompanying these armored steps were careful, noble footsteps that expressed a certain kind of elegance that you do not find in just anyone of noble status.
The two footsteps, however, were approaching this place at a hurried pace.
-Clank.
The clanking of the armor was somewhat halved as they landed on the grass field of the garden, however, they did not get louder after that.
-Step. Step. Step.
The two footsteps were divided as they started looking around the garden, however, the objective of their search remained unclear.
{ "Shouldn’t you help them?" }
Felix was curious why I wasn’t helping them.
"Well..."
And the answer to that was pretty simple: there was no need to do anything in the first place.
"Here, here. She must be here." A voice was heard from the other side of the bushes from where Alex had appeared from.
"Right. That seems like the place." And another voice, as dignified as the previous one, was heard from right beside her.
-Clank.
-Shrrrrrr.
-Step...
Then, two individuals, one wearing full body armor with her helmet held in her hand, as well as one wearing an extravagant dress appeared from the encirclement of the plants.
"Hmmm?"
As they appeared before us, they were greeted by a fascinating sight: one that might seem surprising even to the ones with a rich experience of this world.
"Prism...?"
Alex was sleeping soundly with her head on my lap.
In her hands, she had grabbed Nix as both the cuties rested with the calmest, most serene expressions on their faces.
Felix was supporting the backside of the little one’s body effortlessly, helping her rest as well as she could since she had just fallen asleep a moment ago.
’We were training until a moment ago, but it seems like running away from these mothers standing before us right now has exhausted her too much.’
Still, the elemental birds that were running away from her earlier, the same creatures that saw even the two high tamers standing before us as threats, were now gathered around this little sleeping beauty.
They were playing around her like she had wanted them to. And this also meant she had understood the basic principles of Expression.
Soon, she would learn to do it herself... even without having to actually form a contract with any of the spirits.
’Talk about talent...’
Unlike most other beast tamers, the ones that we call ’blessed ones’ have talents so grand that they cannot be explained with normal categorization.
The ones blessed by the spirits like Alex are individuals who have formed a unique contract with a very powerful spirit at a very, very young age.
This special contract is also the reason they can communicate with other spirits they do not have a direct contract with.
They already possess the ability to use most of the [Bond Factors] that come with the access to different levels of taming.
At the end of the day, powers like ’Expression’ is neither a beast skill nor magic that requires complex appropriate conditions.
"Lady Emilia, Lady Markeet. So you have finally found us." The ladies were certainly surprised by the scene.
However, there was a certain kind of restraint in their eyes.
’It’s obvious they cannot process what to do right now.’
Their instincts were telling him that a person that should not be with their precious daughter was holding her hostage, while on the other hand, their hearts knew just how at peace she was right now.
Also, just from the way these elemental birds were gathered around us, they could infer a lot of things.
"Prism... it’s quite a surprise to see you here." It was Lady Emilia, Flora and Able’s mother that spoke first.
However, the one to take a step forward was Alex’s mother and the second in command of all the battle forces of Sungrade, one of the most powerful knights of the empire.
"What did you do to her?" I think it was because of Lady Emilia that she was able to control herself to this degree.
As a mother who was seeing her precious child in a complicated situation, she would have moved to take her away from us first.
But, at the end of the day, I was not a stranger... even though they had treated me as one for as long as I remember.
"Oh, we were playing and she fell asleep. We were only here to get some books from the library and had to leave so I sent Lexie to get someone."
Well, I only asked her to tell the first person she found out about us being here. It’s surprising that two of the ladies would come here themselves.
"Right... the ones we asked did say a head maid informed them." Lady Emilia confirmed my suspicions.
They must have sent the others to look around this garden while they came here themselves.
Anyways, it doesn’t really change anything for us.
"Yes. So, you should take her back. She really wanted to see the Proof of Worth since she thought of that purge as a festival. That’s the reason she troubled you so much." Since we talked and played for a while, she had come to trust me more than enough to reveal her grand plans.
Sadly, I was breaking her trust by handing her over to these ladies.
"She wanted to watch the Proof of Worth? How did she even know about that?" Lady Markeet, her mother, was suspicious of my words.
However, her instincts confirmed that what I said was indeed the truth.
’Also, there are only a select few people that are allowed to interact with Alex because of her special talents.’
It is forbidden for these people to talk about anything that might interest this young lady in a negative manner since they know how troublesome she is.
As soft as they are with her, they know dealing with her endless curiosity at this age isn’t an easy task even for people like them.
So, the fact that someone told her about one of the worst traditions of this family in a way that made her perceive it as a ’festival’ was genuinely shocking to the two of them.
"All I know is that someone is going to be in trouble and we have nothing to do with that." With a genuine smile on my face, I picked the sleeping princess up and carefully approached the two ladies.
"However, I do know Big sister Flora would have some good information about this. You should go tell her about this incident as well."
I handed the little girl over to Lady Emilia since Alex’s mother was still processing this whole incident.
She was questioning what factors might gain something out of this.
Also, this was not something someone would have done out of ignorance.
Everyone knows the proof of worth is a disgusting tradition meant to weed out the worst of the worst.
For a child like her that’s been pampered all her life, just being there would be a traumatizing experience.
’But then again, they must have wanted this in the first place.’
The assasination, the incident during the proof of worth, and now this.
It seems like the failed assasination attempt has triggered the perpetrators. They are not leaving any chances.
But that also means this might not be the last incident that happens in this house.
"She was having fun here so I suggest you start being a little less overprotective of her. She is a good child." The five mothers that take care of her needed to be more stern with her like they have been with the rest of their children.
They know what they are doing at the end of the day. This whole incident was a good thing for them overall.
"So then..." I was prepared to take my leave so, after a respectful bow, I turned around and took just a single step forward.
-Swish...!
In that very instance, I felt a sharp gust of wind passing from right beside me.
The wind was sharp enough to cut through my skin.
So now there was a cut mark passing from my ear to my cheeks.
"I’ve watched over you for a long time now." The words that came from the mother in knightly armour were sharper than the wind, or the edge of the sword that now rested right beside my face.
"You still have your Energy Decay Syndrome. Your body still doesn’t store any stable energy and yet I see you aren’t alone anymore."
The flowing hair that was the same shade as her daughter’s contrasted immaculately with her deep, blood thirsty amber eyes.
"You were using Bond Expression effortlessly as if you have years of experience with your bonds. And if that wasn’t enough..."
-Swish!
Without an ounce of hesitation, she sliced right through my body, beheading me in an instant.
"I... knew it." Lady Emilia was left stunned when she saw my beheaded body scattering into a gray fog, her attention shifting to the kitten that had been watching them with her glowing blue eyes all this time.
"I gave Flora the permission to investigate the incident in the sixth cradle from a few days ago because she asked me to." The Lady in knight armour glared back at the innocent kitten with her glowing... blazing eyes.
-Thump!
When the glare alone did not scare the creature, she stabbed her sword into the ground, and flooded the entire ground with her energy.
-Oooooooooooooooong!
At the same time, the sword that looked like an ornamental treasure made of gold and carved with precious enchantments, scattered, turning into a hundred golden butterflies that covered the area present around us.
"Mystique arts are a challenge to a human’s mind and instincts. One cannot master it to this degree even with a decade of training."
The glowing eyes of the kitten stayed on the knight as the sword that had turned into the butterflies became sparking fragments, and vanished into the surrounding.
-Zaaaaaaaa...
Right after that, a fog covered the area around us, and I reappeared, standing on the opposite side, with the wounded Felix in my arms.
"You are either a genius that we failed to recognise, or a traitor impersonating one of my children."
Levels of Beast tamers have certain criteria.
Those of Level-1 are beginners, those who can reach Level-2 are privileged.
Those who reach Level-4 like Flora are geniuses, while those who surpass Level-5 are what we call [Masters].
The one standing before me was one such Level-6 Master, one that has obtained the familiarity of a Legend.
There’s no way I stood any chance against her in my current state. But I had to see where I stood against someone as strong as her.
’And I’ve achieved what I wanted.’
Still, the question she asked made me a little disappointed.
"You already know the answer to that." Looking at her with sorrowful eyes, I recalled Felix in her Essence card and placed it back inside the bond mark.
She had exhausted herself in that short instance against this monstrous knight.
"I just wanted to help... as always." Her eyes that questioned my authenticity despite knowing the truth in her heart broke me a little.
Unlike what I thought, they didn’t disregard my existence. Instead, they had just ignored me all this time.
And that was worse.
"Take better care of her, at least." With a look of disappointment on my face, I glanced at Alex one last time before turning away from them.
I was not needed here anymore so, I simply walked away from the two.
"Prism, wait..." Lady Emilia tried to call out to me, but there was nothing to look back to. At least, not today.
Alex was back to her mothers.
And as an (almost) outsider, I’ve done the good that was required of me.
