Free Web NovelChapter 62: Ch 62: Iris’s Internal Voice
Kael came out of the council meeting with a refreshed look on his face. It felt nice to see those councilmen be the ones at a loss for once.
’Ah, it was so worth coming here to see the look on those old men’s faces. It feels so therapeutic not to hold back what I want to say.’
The shy Grand Master from his past life was gone. Kael was finally ready to show his fangs to the council that was trying to interfere with him.
Still, he had pushed both Leon and Iris into his petty exchange with the council, and they were the ones who would be affected by his provocation.
Leon looked indifferent, and there was not a hint of nervousness on his face, but Iris looked worried. Her pupils were shaking, and her hands looked a little sweaty.
It was not like her to become so nervous, so Kael decided to address her quickly.
"Iris, you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. I can make up an excuse for you if you want to back out."
Kael was giving Iris an out.
He ideally wanted her to face her fears and see that the council was not her opponent. But if this was going to become a scar for her, then he would rather not make her face them today.
"Kael, are you sure you want me to fight? I know you trust me since I am a Sword Master, but I have only ever fought dirty against my opponents. I might tarnish your name if I fight in my usual style." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
This was another fear Iris had developed once she started teaching Leon. But she figured that he must know how to fight dirty as well in times of trouble.
But this was not a fight for one’s life, but a chance to show off one’s skill. And since the judges were already biased against her, Iris knew she had no chance of winning.
Iris could not recall ever feeling this nervous before in her life. The only other time she had felt like this was during her first gladiator fight. But at least then, only her life and dignity had been on the line.
"Hey, Iris! Look at me for a second."
Kael grabbed her shoulder, and that forced Iris to look down at him.
The Grand Master looked fragile and breakable, but even his fragile arms held more strength than hers at the moment.
Her attention turned toward Kael, and he took full advantage of it.
"Iris, if you need to play dirty, then play dirty. If you think you can win without it, then win without it. I trust your strength and judgment as much as I trust Leon’s."
Hearing Kael say this made Iris shake even harder.
She was already feeling the pressure, but Kael’s support made it even harder for her to control herself.
Iris looked at Kael, waiting to see disappointment. But the only emotion she saw in his eyes was worry.
"I...think I need to head to the washroom. I will be back in a few seconds."
She was running away from her situation, which she felt she had no right to do, so she half expected Kael to follow after her and question her.
"Iris, if anyone bothers you, then don’t hold back. And don’t worry about the consequences. I will handle them for you."
But he never followed her, making Iris feel even guiltier.
’Kael trusts me. But I...what am I doing? I need to repay his trust somehow. I need to stop being afraid.’
Iris reached the washroom and pushed the door open. She went into one of the cubicles before locking herself inside.
Being in a closed space helped her feel better. Once she calmed down, it became easier for her to decide that she needed to force herself to fight this battle.
’Kael did a lot for me, so I cannot let him down. I better head back now before he starts to worry even more.’
Iris was about to open the door and head back when she heard voices speaking outside. She would usually have forced the door open and not cared about the company, but the words these people spoke made her pause.
"That Grand Master is a prick."
"Yeah! He might be young, but what gives him the right to be this commanding? Does he think no one will protest just because he’s a Grand Master?"
"Let it be. Grand Master or not, he’s a kid in the end. Once the council proves that his choices are wrong, they will likely punish him by locking him up."
"I even heard that the elders are developing a spell that will keep him under their control. Imagine having a former Grand Master as a doll."
"Well, it’s his fault for trusting an ex-slave. She’s likely not even that good. All this fame must have gone to that kid’s head."
"That’s right! Hey, tell you what. Once the council elders make that guy a puppet, why don’t we rough him up? Won’t it be fun?"
"Sure. Hit me up when the time comes-"
Iris decided she could not listen to this bullshit anymore. Her body moved on its own before her mind did, and she slammed the door open.
The two council workers who were talking looked spooked to see her, but they immediately relaxed as soon as they recognized her and began to whisper once more.
"Ugh, it’s that former slave."
"Do you think she heard?"
"Even if she did, what could she do about it? We are nobles and she is-"
Iris punched the man in the face.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing-"
His female partner asked, but Iris did not let her finish before she grabbed her face and slammed it into the basin.
The man gathered himself and decided to defend himself.
"Hey, you are the one who started all this. Don’t blame me for what I am about to do-"
Iris grabbed the man’s wrist before he could recite a spell and slammed his face into the other basin. She hit him hard enough to make the pair lose consciousness.
Her vision was tinted red, and by the time she regained her senses, she had already knocked the pair out.
"Fuck! What did I do? No, these two deserved this, and Kael did tell me to defend myself if I needed to..."
Iris tried to calm herself down, but she was furious and terrified by what she had done. Her hands were shaking, and her head was hurting.
The throbbing feeling in her head was new, and so was the faint whisper she heard.
’Don’t worry so much about what others think. All you need to do is gain power. Once you have enough, no one will question you, and you will never lose anything again.’
