ROSES HAVE THORNS

Chapter 169: Chapter 169 - Betrayal Of The Master Assassin

Emelie was about to let out a witty retort, but the words died in her throat as she finally took a moment to look around.

The previously desolate diner had completely transformed during their conversation. Every single wooden booth was now packed to capacity. She noticed some were even holding up the morning news sheet, whispering furiously while gesturing toward them both.

"We should probably get out of here since we’re done eating anyway. Before someone gathers the courage to come over and ask for an autograph."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "Fair point. Let’s bounce."

"Bounce? We’re bouncing now? Is that what we’re doing–"

"EMY!"

"Holy fuck–! Why’d you scream at me!?"

"Do you know what you’re saying?"

"Why...? What did I say?"

"... N-Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Stop being so weird." Emelie shook her head as she pulled her hood back over her face.

’Is that you Michael? Have you become Emelie De Santa?’

On his way out with Emelie, Kurt caught Cindy’s eye as she rushed past with two handful trays of breakfast. Shouting over the noise, they waved her over, settled the bill with a generous tip, and left a hefty tip for her troubles.

As they walked through the main road, they couldn’t help but notice how it was an absolute sea of movement. Banners representing various nations and their academies fluttered from the stone lampposts.

"By the way, Emy, on a completely different note. Can we swing by the place where the tournament is actually taking place? Is taking a sneak peek possible or not?"

"Sure, no problem. It’s being hosted at Future Academy. It’s a bit of a trek up the hill, but I’m sure you’ll manage. Besides, we can talk while we walk..." She paused, turning her head slightly toward him.

"Seriously... I still cannot believe you actually took out a World Ender. Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?"

"Like I just spent the last hour telling you, it wasn’t me. It was Izumi-san. She’s the one who hung his body on a giant tree like some Christmas decoration."

"Yeah, but you still went toe-to-toe with one and lived to tell the tale. Though, I’m more surprised that Ayako was even traveling with you in the first place. The Izumi clan isn’t exactly known for playing nice with foreign adventurers."

"It was purely coincidental," Kurt explained as he stepped aside to let a merchant’s cart pass by. "We literally just crossed paths at the adventurer’s guild, and she arbitrarily decided to tag along on my F-rank herb-gathering quest under the guise of ’sight-seeing’."

Emelie raised an eyebrow. "And why on earth would a prodigy like her decide to do that?"

"I don’t know. Ever since we clashed blades in a mana-coating standoff a few days ago, I’ve noticed her constantly sneaking these weird glances at me. And let me tell you, it is not the shy, blushing, or loving kind of look.

It’s the highly specific, terrifying kind of look that says she absolutely cannot wait to cut me down to pieces. There was also that moment by the lake where she tried getting my ’attention’ by showboating and showing me what I can do."

Emelie stared at him with a completely deadpan expression before letting out a dramatic sigh.

"Kurt... Ayako is a textbook battle junkie. You clashed blades with her and stood strong, which means you instantly hooked her attention. She’s desperately showing off her power in hopes that it will spark something inside of you – the same twisted competitive fire she feels – so that the two of you can eventually have a real, serious fight to the death."

"Huh. You sure seem to know a lot about her."

"Pshh, please. I’ve been in your exact shoes more times than I could care to count. Now, I’m just grateful that you have taken up that ridiculous mantle of attracting all the local psychopaths. Thanks, Rosie~"

"Haha. I’m happy to oblige... Say, tell me what these ’World Enders’ actually are. And what’s their connection to the cult?"

"Hm. Hold on."

They arrived at a bustling crossroad, forcing them to halt at the edge of the cobblestone sidewalk. A chaotic stream of heavy carriages, galloping horses, and armored vanguard units streamed past, kicking up small clouds of dust. Emelie leaned against a stone pillar and began to explain as they waited for the road to clear.

"The World Enders are exactly what their names imply. They’re not your typical monsters; they’re living weapons of catastrophe. The cult artificially engineers or corrupts ancient entities, binding them to forbidden, archaic mana sources in order to create unstoppable forces capable of wiping entire nations off the map. Their ultimate goal is to completely tear down the current world order and take it over."

"Ha, take over the world? Seriously, every time I hear that, it just sounds so childish. Like a cartoon villain from my time."

"It is nothing to laugh at, Kurt. I’m being completely serious."

The tone of voice told Kurt to not make light of them.

"During my previous cycles," Emelie continued. "I died many times over to that exact entity – the Elder Centipede. In one timeline, I was ripped apart and eaten alive. In another, I was infected, watching my own flesh mutate until I turned into a mindless, screaming monster serving the hive..."

A heavy silence settled between them over the roar of the passing traffic. Kurt looked down at her, the remnants of his casual demeanor entirely gone. He reached out and gently tapped her shoulder. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made light of it."

Emelie took a deep breath and shook her head as the tension left her shoulders.

"It’s fine. Honestly, I’m just happy that I don’t have to deal with that massive headache in this cycle. I guess I technically owe Ayako a massive favor for dealing with him."

The traffic cleared, and Emelie signaled with her head. "Come on, let’s cross."

As their boots clicked against the stones of the walkway, Emelie continued, "You know, while I was away, I was actually preparing to properly take on the cultists in that swamp and face the Elder myself once the Grand Tournament concluded."

"What do you mean by ’prepare’?"

"I spent the last few days compounding a cure for the infection. Spent countless hours over a cauldron... Oh well, I guess I won’t be needing those vials anymore."

"You know how to make the cure?"

"Yep. From Liam. He’s basically the answer to the mess of that specific World Ender. Though, his cure only works on people who’ve just been infected; with a little tweaking I’ve learned from countless cycles, I’ve come up with a proper cure. Rip Liam. He was a good man."

Kurt’s mind flashed back to the horrific scene of the villagers being swallowed into the earth. "It’s a shame we couldn’t save anyone out there."

"Some sacrifices cannot be helped, Kurt. I learned that the hard way. But tell me... what about the body of the Saintess the cultist was using as the main conduit for his research?"

"What about it?"

"Was it intact?"

"That’s a pretty strange question to ask. Yeah, of course it was intact. Izumi-san even made a pretty little ice coffin to preserve her body when we brought her out so the authorities could handle the rest."

"What about her gem?"

"What gem?"

"... There’s supposed to be a gem clearly embedded on her forehead. Was it there?"

Kurt racked his brain, visualizing the pale, serene face of the dead Saintess inside the laboratory. "No... there was definitely no gem on her forehead. I looked right at her face. It was just smooth skin."

"That’s... that’s not possible. That shouldn’t be possible. Kurt, are you absolutely sure? Try your absolute best to remember."

"Look, I’m a lot of things – and I might have one eye – but I’m not blind. I’d definitely remember if there was a magical rock sticking out of a dead woman’s skull. There wasn’t anything there."

"Oh, no..." Emelie whispered, rubbing her temples frantically. "This is bad. Did you search the whole of the underground lab?"

"I searched. The only important-looking thing I found was a journal, which I handed directly to Dom. He also said he was sending a full team of professionals to thoroughly search the place. If we missed something, his men will find it."

Emelie took a shuddering breath, forcing herself to settle. She smoothed down her hoodie, though the lingering anxiety in her eyes remained.

"Okay... okay. We need to see Dominik later today to get an update on that search. If that gem is in the wrong hands, we could be in severe danger."

"What is this gem you’re talking about?"

"... It’s a divine gem known as Bula’s Pearl. Its function is simple: It grants immortality to whoever possesses it. Not immortality as in everlasting life. It’s the kind where no matter the cause of damage you’re inflicted with, you’ll never die. You’ll also be instantly healed. I’m sure you can see the value in having something like that."

"Really? But that Saintess looked relatively young. Mid-twenties at least. How’d she die?"

"That... That’s something that’s not important to our mission. Besides, what’s done is done. Let’s focus on the future."

Emelie shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as they turned a sharp corner, beginning their ascent up the hilled road to the academy. "Let’s change the subject before I have a panic attack."

"Alright, on a totally different note, and not to sound incredibly rude... but your brother is a total, unmitigated jackass."

Emelie let out a sudden burst of laughter. "Ahaha! Really? What did he do now?"

"Yeesh. He literally barged straight into my home and started making a massive scene, throwing a tantrum, and unironically claiming that Diana belongs to him. The hell’s wrong with him?"

"Well, to be perfectly fair to him – in his mind – you did just roll into town and steal his precious childhood friend, his first love, and his only love. Cut the poor boy some slack."

"I don’t give a rat’s ass about his tragic backstory. I am seriously going to whack him one of these days. Thought I should let you know."

"Honestly? Go right ahead," Emelie said with a wicked smirk. "I know all about his overprotective, split-personality nonsense, but I don’t really care to manage it. He will quite literally do anything for me, but he can be so annoyingly suffocating at times.

Just promise me you’ll tell me in advance before you fight him so I can bring a massive bucket of popcorn to watch the show. Just... don’t kill him, okay? I still love my brother despite his horrific personality."

Kurt glanced down at her a bit skeptically. "Wait, isn’t he supposed to be incredibly strong? At least, that was the vibes I got from him."

"Oh, he’s absolutely terrifyingly strong. I mean, he’s been training like a demonic madman for years specifically to stand toe-to-toe with Principal Valentine. But..."

She glanced up at Kurt as a genuine, warm smile graced her lips. "You’re quite the anomaly yourself, Kurt. Tell you what, I might actually bring two buckets of popcorn instead of one. It’s going to be a masterpiece, hehehe."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

As they continued their trek up the road, the surrounding scenery began to shift.

More and more teenagers and young adults clad in elegant, white uniforms began to flood the walkways.

To their left was a wide cobblestone path that led toward a massive complex of luxury dormitories, with streams of students laughing and chatting as they moved back and forth. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

They were about to officially enter the grounds of Future Academy.

As they approached the iron gates of the campus, Kurt’s eye suddenly locked onto a very specific, highly volatile situation unfolding right by the stone archway.

Standing near the gate was a familiar pair of green-haired twin girls.

The fiery, short-tempered twin, Autumn Wingard, was stomping her foot with an angry pout as she scanned the incoming crowds.

Beside her, the timid, soft-spoken twin, Summer Wingard, was frantically waving her hands, trying her absolute best to calm her sister down before she caused a public scene.

Kurt stopped dead in his tracks.

Emelie stopped right next to him.

Simultaneously, both Kurt and Emelie let out a perfectly synchronized, and utterly exhausted sigh.

They turned their heads and exchanged a silent look of mutual understanding and absolute solidarity.

Split up. Rendezvous inside.

Without a single word spoken between them, they immediately split up.

Kurt smoothly drifted to the left, seamlessly slipping behind a large group of young men who were boisterously laughing about the upcoming tournament.

Using their frames as a shield, Kurt lowered his head and successfully breached the gates.

Emelie swiftly drifted to the right as she attempted to utilize a passing cluster of gossiping girls as her cover.

She was halfway through the threshold, nearly clear of the danger zone, when Autumn suddenly stopped mid-rant.

Like a trained hunting hound catching a scent in the wind, the girl’s nose literally twitched. She spun around on her heel and locked her gaze directly onto the oversized hoodie.

"EMELIE?!" Autumn roared as she pointed an accusatory finger straight at her. "EMELIE HERST!! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!! I SEE YOU!!"

Emelie flinched. Slowly, she turned her head toward the left and locked eyes with Kurt who was currently watching the disaster unfold from the safety of the main courtyard crowd.

Her expression was a silent, desperate, and pleading scream for backup.

Kurt met her gaze. However, without a shred of hesitation for wanting absolutely nothing to do with whatever dramatic nonsense was about to transpire, he gave her a deeply apologetic look.

He brought his hands together in front of his chest, offered her a respectful, slight bow of absolute betrayal, and turned on his heel.

Emelie’s jaw dropped beneath her hood.

She sent his retreating back a murderous glare of death that could have melted stone.

Before she could even scream his name, Kurt disappeared into the dense crowd of students like a master assassin vanishing into the shadows, leaving her to face whatever happens next completely alone.