Saida and Kanbe were walking across the street that was close to the castle, in which there was a voting session in the castle to approve or dismiss the new law that would cause the abolition of slavery in Elstivia. They were searching for the noble that had proposed the new law, and they found her walking alongside Flint and Zerana towards the castle. This made both look scared, because they recalled Zerana was the one that took Legias away, and that meant that Evan had a hand in this situation for sure. Or so they thought, and wanted to avoid it by all means.
“Never expected to really have expected this.” Kanbe said as he looked at Zerana and squinted his eyes.
“This had all the stench of Evan's doing by far. No wonder they are going with her. Ensuring that she does what Evan wants her to do.” Saida said as she looked angrily at the beastkin.
“And with that, they will be free. I don't think they are bad... They just are thinking in themselves, unlike us.” Kanbe pointed out, and considering whether he could just stay away from it.
“Something more is planned. I am sure. Evan knew that he couldn't kill us, he would get too much attention if he did so. He even made sure to be faster than us to escape. I am sure he prefers to work in the shadows more than in the open, better to be the one pulling the strings safely than being the figurehead.” Saida retorted, as she was rushing towards the noble.
“You said it.” Kanbe added, as he went just behind Saida.
“And you remember how sad David was when he said that we had to kill this noble? I am sure he does not like to have to kill a friend. Evan's doing is bloody overflowing! But he forgot that David is ready to kill friends for the safety of his kingdom.” Saida said as she was dashing forward.
“I hate to have to do this too. So let's do it fast. In fact, I would prefer to not have to do this. If we can convince her to stop this voting session, then it should be good to go. I do agree that the slavery should be abolished, but not with strings attached. This world should work towards a democracy, and allow everyone to say their piece without any sort of string attached.” Kanbe said as he went faster than Saida.
Saida and Kanbe stopped the noble and unsheathed their weapons, ready to intimidate the noble. That said, both Zerana and Flint noticed the couple and turned to look at them
Zerana and Flint were surprised by what was happening, and Zerana was even trembling. She realized that they both were the ones that attacked Legias, and they were the ones that made Evan fight them. This alone meant that both could be a problem for the quest, and that they couldn't kill the couple on their own, since that would be illegal to the point of being killed on sight in any place of Terra.
“You got sent by David? Hero, you must understand that slavery is wrong! In your world, there is an abolition of slavery! I beg of you, allow us to pass!” The noble pleaded to the hero, while tears came out of her eyes.
“So you know that... It's a shame I have to do this. I do agree with you... But If we weren't sure already, that's the last nail to it. Especially when there are hidden players assisting you for their own reasons.” Kanbe said with a sad look on his face, holding the sword that was on his hip.
Saida nodded while smiling towards the noble, which made the noble recoil in fear of what the princess would say, while Zerana growled at Saida and was considering whether to jump at the elven princess’s throat.
“Evan's stench is all over in this operation. And that's why we have to kill you, miss. Don't blame it on us, blame it on the puppeteer that is pulling your strings.” Saida said as her hand moved to grab hold of her blade.
Flint scowled when he heard Saida's words, and was clearly enraged by the accusation. He would never allow that a friend was accused like that, without not even a proof, and he would make sure that Saida backed down.
“And he has not even planned it! He has nothing to do with this. It is an odd job, but I won't be able to keep professional. Not when the sister of Legias is here.” Flint said while grabbing his flintlock gun.
“Seems that you have a history…” The noble said, as she started doubting her own bodyguards, since the hero is said to be a hero of justice.
“History? More like, I hate her and want to punch her in the face! Even more now, this damnable bitch!” Flint exclaimed, trying to hold back his anger.
“And if this doesn't smell like a plan of Evan... Then I really, really don't know why you even want to hurt me, and now you have a chance to attack me?” Saida said as she smirked.
“After what he planned last time... Even King David is rightfully pissed off. So of course, we will prevent that Evan's plan does not work out this time. In fact, I am sure he is not here to not face the consequences of fighting us here. After all, he would be stopped by the guard and the royal guard if not killed on sight.” Kanbe said, trying to make the children to stand down by intimidating them about a possible interference from the guard and the royal guard if they stand against him.
“Like we care about you and your friend! We have one quest. Escort the noble to the castle! It's an odd job!” Zerana exclaimed, as she growled at Kanbe.
“One question. Why you took the kids when you have an army?” Kanbe asked the noble, knowing exactly that a noble should have her own standing army of loyal knights.
The noble looked surprised by what Kanbe said. She did not carry the army to make sure that no traitor could hurt her, but now if she said that... Her reputation would be stained. This was a trap question for her, because it was either killing her reputation or being accused of conspiring with someone she didn't even know. Kanbe took the noble's silence as an answer, and looked angrily at the noble as he felt that he had hit the nail with that question.
“And here we have it. One more victim of the plans of Evan! Also, I took the liberty to investigate all of this. Who Evan truly is, and all that. It's not the first godslayer that has been reincarnated into this world. And to add more facts, Legias mother is Legadonia, a homunculus of ‘Black Flame Devil’ Evan. Who was assassinated by Legias, but... Why Evan would not kill him? Because he thinks that it was someone else! Why he reached that conclusion? Did he have something more than could have ensured that nothing wrong would ever happen to his children?” Kanbe said, as he started trying to unite all the points by explaining everything to those that maybe had some answers that he didn’t have. He was sure that they knew something, and he could try to guess what was going in their minds by watching carefully their body language.
Zerana started sweating. Literally, Kanbe had found out the truth of Queen Guinevere, and even he was really close to learning who Evan is. No, in fact, she feared that Kanbe probably knew all the truth and so she was ready to jump towards Kanbe's neck. She would be killed, yes, but she would defend the only hope of her friends even if it took her life.
“ And the wolf girl is sweating. And it is September, not August.” Saida pointed out, as Zerana was sweating from the nervousness she was feeling.
“So am I right? Well, now the last shot. I investigated a bit more and had some records of some reincarnated people that explained the abilities of Evan. Too many similarities. So Edward dies and Evan reincarnates in his corpse. Why did he reincarnate in that body instead of his own body? It does raise a nice question.” Kanbe said as he remembered something he had seen before meeting Evan, back in the elven kingdom.
Flint took out the gun and aimed at Kanbe's head, while Saida quickly aimed towards Flint with her staff to keep him from shooting at Kanbe. Flint was going to bluff his way, and hope his acting skills were still up to the task, by giving some false information. Kanbe was way too close to the truth and if Evan was fully caught… The children would be dead, and only the gods knew what would happen to Lillian.
“You bastard. Pushing this much already! No wonder Zerax chose you as a hero. The perfect bastard to touch what you shouldn't. But you are wrong. Edward picked that name to cause you to have that idea and fear him.” Flint said as he faked some fear by making sure his trembling didn’t feel like anger but more like fear. Looking like a scared child wasn’t easy, but Flint had lived in exile until Lillian found him, so he picked the acting skills to be quite the actor.
Saida nodded while aiming towards Flint, and found it a reasonable enough answer to be believed. Also, she thought that Flint was really scared of the two of them, so she had the idea to pressure him a bit more and find Legias again. While Kanbe simply looked at Flint’s body, and squinted his eyes… For the hero, it felt like Flint’s fear was faked, but he couldn’t grasp exactly why the kid’s fear felt so fake.
“Oh. Great thinking. As expected of him. I will kill that noble. Just to be sure, it's just my duty too. If you are conspiring to kill this kingdom, then you will defend her. After all, we hold the authority of King David. If you don't, we were wrong about Evan and you and I will use the authority to find Legias with your help. I want to see his face when you betray him.” Saida said as she smiled and started circulating her mana to attack the noble.
Then Flint started looking for a way to protect the noble and saw a group of workers trying to lift a giant iron ball, with a pulley that used an iron chain since it was too heavy for normal ropes, and put it on a roof. Flint knew what it was, it was the ball used to hit the gong in the autumn festivities when the festivities were over, and quickly aimed his gun at it and shot. The giant ball was going to fall just behind the hero and Saida, but then something unexpected happened.
Sumeragi had seen all, as he was going through the streets to scout ahead for his next plans, and guessed that his father was alive as the former Prince Edward Leonhard. But now he saw two friends of his father going to be attacked because they were trying to stop slavery. He would not allow that and saw the ball falling. Even if he did not want to kill Saida, she was such a disgrace to her sister's memory that she had to die. Also, it was a matter of an old promise between sibling: If one of the family became a traitor, then they had the responsibility to make the traitor's death either painless or extremely painful. And so Sumeragi ran to where Saida was and pushed her, allowing the ball to crush her. After that he trembled, and shivered. He usually killed those who were a danger to the family, but always hoped to not have to fulfill the old promise he did with his siblings.
“Such disgrace of a niece. Rot in hell and do not even dare to climb up again!” Sumeragi said with an angry face as he tried to control his shivering.
“Who are you!? You know what you have done!? You murdered my companion! You killed the elven princess! I will kill you, villain!” Kanbe said, as anger filled his mind and blurred his rationality, while unsheathing his sword.
“My name is Sumeragi. My sister would be crying if I spared her rotten child. Now that she is dead, I hope my sister can rest in peace a bit. I truly hope so.” Sumeragi said as he looked at the hero, and just scoffed as he saw the weak equipment the hero was using.
Kanbe rushed to attack Sumeragi but Sumeragi unsheathed his wakizashi and with a single slash he cut the sword, the armor of Kanbe like if it was butter and left a big wound in Kanbe's torso. The hero fell to the ground as if he was just a puppet whose strings had been cut, and weakly tried to get up but then fell unconscious due to the blood loss.
“Treat him if you want. Or leave him to die. I do not care about blind weaklings like him. I only care of two things: My family and killing ‘Ice Blade’ Mina. By the way, wolf girl, I saved you twice. Seems that you are unlucky with your jobs.” Sumeragi said as he swung the blade to try to get the blood off from the blade.
“Thank you, sir! I will be forever indebted to you!” Zerana said as she smiled at Sumeragi with a bright smile.
“If Evan is who I think he is, then I know how can you help me. Tell him this: Flowers bloom, since the transient world is just a moment. If he answers it with: Let the flames of passion burn... Then tell him that Sumeragi is here and will wait with Grandine. Also, I should be the one indebted. You are a friend of Evan, I noticed that in the talk you had with Saida and this idiot.” Sumeragi said as he nodded at Zerana, and sheathed his wakizashi.
Sumeragi did a seiza as he smiled with a sad smile at Zerana and Flint. He was grateful to the two children for being with his father, helping him set everything for his father return, and for staying with Legias.
“Thank you both.” Sumeragi said as he bowed to the two children.
“Do not thank me now! Thank me later! Now we have an almost dead hero! If the guards find him and us just being around, we will get into so much trouble!” Zerana said as she panicked while seeing the hero bleeding out. She had been so happy that she had forgotten about him.
“One should always show his gratitude on the spot. Otherwise, it's a fact that they will forget how to say thanks.” Sumeragi said as he took a deep breath.
Sumeragi got up and took out a vial with a crimson liquid and left it in the noble hands, he didn't like to trust in a noble, so he decided to make sure this noble followed the children and didn't betray them.
“Let him drink it. That should keep him alive. It is a health potion. Highest grade.” Sumeragi coldly said to the noble, who quickly went to give it to the hero, so the hero would survive.
Sumeragi started to walk away from the area and smiled at Zerana and Flint. He finally had the chance to meet the friends of Legias, and he was grateful for it, even if today was a sad day for his family. But something didn’t add up: Why was the ball being lifted now and in that area, and why a bullet managed to break off the chain? Sumeragi was considering what could have happened, but decided to focus on the situation at hand first.
***
As the group who had faced Saida and ended her life, a man with rosy skin, long black hair, black eyes, a scar on his left cheek, and a small hexagram tattooed on his neck moved towards the massive steel ball and the broken chain.
This man was wearing a brown waistcoat with red stripes, a black vest below the waistcoat, a red shirt below the vest, a pair of brown gloves, long brown trousers, black Oxford shoes, and a black tophat. This man was using a light brown cane that had the tip made of mythril, and the derby handle was golden with several engraved gems and had the shape of a dragon's head.
The cane had a small intricacy that no one noticed truly, which was a small silver piece in the area of the cane holder since the cane had a blade attached to the handle which was hidden by the rest of the cane.
"A shame you had to kick the bucket, Saida. But that's how life is. The oracles proclaimed that you would kill Legias and become queen with your lover, but I don't think that a traitor of the family of the Black Flame Devil would live long after that. Also there was my scientific curiosity poking out, since I wanted to experiment how much I could mess with Fate. Best I keep an eye on the dwarf, if Evan kills him for killing you… I will have to make sure to avoid being caught by him." The man said as he looked at the massive ball that crushed Saida.
"Silent, are we? Oh, wait, you are dead. Maybe it takes longer for an elf to materialise their soul? I should have tested that, my mistake. I should do so now. It has been around four minutes since your death." The man said as he pulled out a pocket watch from one of the pockets of the waistcoat and watched the time calmly, until a formless mass of azure aura with Saida's shape came out of the bloodied ball and looked around.
Stolen story; please report.
"Where… Where am I?" The ghost said while she looked at the man with a clock.
"Six minutes until your soul materialised. Interesting. Usually it'd take two. Either the trauma was too brutal, or elves take their sweet time to become ghosts. Remind me to kill the emissary to confirm things. Petrycole should do the trick, far better than what your father asked with Donny." The man said, while the ghost glared at the man.
"So you are Moriarty! Why are you here!? Where's Kanbe? Why there's a steel… Ah. I died. That ball crushed me… Oh, Eden… My love, my future…" Saida said as she started losing her voice due to the trauma, and the sadness of knowing she was dead.
"That's just my title, princess. I never share my true name, since I work for royalty and criminals alike, and I also hide in plain sight. For that, a title like Moriarty comes in handy. But dead people don't tell tales, I suppose. James Morrisille Articus. That's my full name. And why am I here? To watch my Magnum Opus, no one will ever think I messed with the chain used for the pulley to be weakened enough, so it would break after being hit by a bullet. In short, no one will ever know of my actions. And that is what the perfect crime is, no?" Moriarty said as he smiled.
"Why are you telling me this? I could inform someone of your implication!" Saida said, as she glared at Moriarty.
"Who would believe that a mathematician, magic teacher, and expert archeologist of the academy of Flosais could be the criminal mastermind of such a roundabout regicide? Who could believe that I, a mere teacher in one of the greatest magic academies, would work with crooks and kings alike? I do gain quite a lot of money, after all, and I do use my title as a godslayer for my illicit business as a safety measure. No king or queen has ever seen my face, when asking for my most illicit services, and I dealt with enough scandals that they would prefer to leave me alone. Even if they knew I was the hand that ensured your death." Moriarty said as he smiled widely.
"You killed Donny, in cold blood." Saida said as she growled.
"Oh, yes, your first love. Your daddy asked me to do that. Atropine was what I used, and I had to mix it with alcohol. Bitter stuff, that is. That way, everyone would think that the baker boy had eaten his own bread, stealing from the royal pantry, and ending up being a case of Saint Anthony's Fire illness, or ergotism for those with knowledge. That ensured an almost perfect crime, shame that Katas didn't burn the letters. The hero found out about it, but well, that's why I am this careful when it comes to meeting clients." Moriarty said, as he admitted his crime while looking at the watch without an ounce of regret.
"Eden will believe me…" Saida said as she was leaving, since she was floating trying to locate Eden.
"Alas, he'll go first after Legias. You know that he'll make Legias and his friends suffer. Shame that Evan is with them. I don't have to worry about my safety, I could kill him in a moment, but it would be best to not have to fight at all. So I will leave the gruesome part to your grandpa Evan. But I should consider whether to work with him or not." Moriarty said, as he moved away from the ball, and stored the clock in the pocket, while using the cane to walk in a more refined way.
As Moriarty kept moving, he saw the group of crying children that were rescued by Evan from the illegal slaver going towards Caroline’s house. This made him become curious, and decided to follow them at a distance while ensuring no guard or royal guard would go after them.
Maybe he had found his next job, and the archbishop would pay him a lot to deal with any issue she would have. He had never seen her, but the rumors about her made her seem quite the responsible client, and a bit more of money never hurt a teacher.
As he arrived to the area, Moriarty saw a few thugs trying to catch the kids, but something didn’t add up as the kids were wearing slave collars. There were a few things that didn’t add up as he was seeing the situation unfold, but this situation would attract attention to his own image as he was following the kids too. That attention was entirely unacceptable for Moriarty, and decided to quickly suppress the situation at hand for his own benefit.
“Gentlemen, could I ask you to not disturb these poor and innocent children?” Moriarty asked calmly, with a soft tone that felt more like a suggestion than a question, to not intimidate the children while ensuring to get the attention of the thugs.
“And who are you to ask us that, posh prick!?” One of the thugs, the one who felt like the leader since the other two stayed silent and stayed close to this one, who had short black hair, black panther ears and a black panther tail, hazel eyes, with a scar on his forehead, who was wearing a ragged black short, green pants with several holes due to the wear and tear, and a pair of dirty green shoes.
“I am James Morrisille Articus, a mathematician, an archeologist, and a magic teacher at the academy of Flosais. I am here to talk with miss Caroline, and see if she knew of an interesting prospect to make my own disciple. They seem to be going to the same place I am going to, so I am following the kids as guides. That way, I don’t have to pay any brutish and stupid thug like you to guide me there.” Moriarty said, as he looked at the leader of the thugs, with no fear in his eyes.
“Oi, boss… We shouldn’t mess with him. He is a knighted expert, the last one before David Senior kicked the bucket. They are considered of the same status as dukes! And the rumors about knight James Morrisille Articus are the kind that scare even the smallest boy! Some say he works with Moriarty, the genius criminal mastermind that assisted kings and queens to deal with troubling scandals!” One of the thugs, a human with dirty blonde hair, which was clearly dyed, who covered most of his face with a bandana and wore a black shirt, alongside black pants and black boots.
“You are right, dyed thug. Even if Moriarty is not ordering me, as he is just an old friend who sends me the coded letters. Later on, someone picks them and delivers them. I am just a messenger of Moriarty, but I believe that my status makes a much more reliable shield. So, I hope you understand that my question was not a question nor a proposition. It was a subtle and clear order. Go back, before I call the royal guard and see how long you survive.” Moriarty said with a cold tone that made the blonde thug to drag off the other thug away from the teacher, feeling that something would go wrong. As the thugs left the area, Moriarty raised his tophat for a moment and then placed it back on his head.
By the time the two thugs that were running away could manage to sneak inside an alley, a black panther with blue stripes of fur that shone brightly in the dark, bioluminescent fangs that released a red hue, and golden eyes as it growled at the two thugs. After that, the last remaining thug could hear the screams of the other thugs as they met an unfortunate fate as anyone who would find a panther that had been starved for days.
“I apologize for the slight dishonesty. I hoped you would leave after saying all what I said. I am not a simple messenger of Moriarty. I. am. Moriarty. And the panther in my alley is my pet panther, Reddie. A gift from an old friend you may know as the Black Flame Devil. Either way, you know what it means to know that fact, when no one alongside me and Reddie does.” Moriarty said as he smiled at the last thug, who was shocked by the screams of his companions.
“P-Please sir, don’t kill me! I will not talk! Ever!” The last thug said as he fell to the ground, trying to run away.
“Alas, it’s not my place to choose who lives or who dies. Reddie, do you have space for a very big fool?” Moriarty said, as the panther rushed at the last thug.
The thug used their strength to try to stop Reddie from biting him, only to be pushed to the ground and get mauled by Reddie until there wasn’t even a single bone left. The panther felt a bit lethargic after eating so much, and walked near Moriarty.
“Sleepy after a good meal. You are a good boy, Reddie. Let me get you back to your home.” Moriarty said as he grabbed the tophat and placed it on top of Reddie, who got sucked inside the tophat and vanished without a trace.
After Reddie disappearance, Moriarty grabbed the tophat and placed it on top of his head as he moved to follow the children. The situation was too interesting to allow them to just get away, and both had the same destination right now.
Amelia's status:
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 19 years old.
Height: 1.58 meters tall.
Three sizes: 85-60-87. (Only shown when the analyzed one is 18 years old or older)
Cup Size: C. (Only shown when the analyzed one is 18 years old or older)
Likes: Important clients, profit, smart and cute boys.
Dislikes: Traitors, monsters that attack her carriages, and losing money.
Level: 20
STATS (Maximum of 1000):
HP: 15000/15000
MP: 15000/15000
STR: 100
VIT: 50
INT: 100
DEX: 200
AGI: 50
Magic affinity: Basic Magic.
Skill affinity: Magician, Merchant, Cleaner, Dismantler, Scholar.
Titles: Wicked merchant, Blessed by the goddess of fortune, daughter of the president of Silver Eagle.
Job: President of the merchant guild.
Skills:
Merchant (Master):
Knowledge of materials: Passive, allows the user to see the materials used in any item and be able to know the price of the item.
Discount: Passive, the user will pay less money for the items he/she wants to buy. Success rate depends on the intelligence and dexterity of the user and the target.
Overcharge: Passive, the user will sell the items for more money. Selling price increase depends on intelligence and dexterity.
Eye of the merchant: Passive. The user can see what the client is looking for and what they truly desire
Magician (Master):
Magic Knowledge: Passive. Allows the use of magic.
Magician's soul: Passive. All spells cast by the user are a 20% stronger.
Magic control: Passive. All spells are cast 10% faster. Some can even be used without chanting.
Magic modification: Passive. The spells can be modified to give them new effects and change the way they are used.
Chantless: Passive. The minor spells will be automatically cast without even saying the name of the spell and the user only has to think in the spell and the adept spells only will have to be chanted entirely when using magic modification.
Basic Magic (Master):
Minor Analysis: Active, 1 MP. Allows the user to see the stats of the target. It can be tricked with false status skill.
False status: Active, 3 MP. Allows the user to change what others see when they see the status.
Medium analyze: Active, 5 MP. Shows to the user the status and the personal data of the target. It can be tricked.
False data: Active, 15 mp. Allows the user to change what others see when they see the status window and the skill window when they use analyze skills like Greater analyze or medium analyze.
Fly: Active, 8 mp/second. Allows the user to soar through the sky.
Greater analyze: Active, 10 MP. Shows to the user everything of the target. It can be tricked with false self.
Telepathy: Active, 12 mp/second. Allows the user to speak to the mind of the target.
False self: Active, 20 mp. Allows the user to change what others see when they see the status window, the skill window and even the name and gender that appears in the status window when they use analyze skills.
Teleport: Active, 15 mp. The user can make small teleports. Range of 1500 meters.
Full analyze: Active, 20 MP. Shows to the user everything of the target.
City Teleport: Active, 30 mp. The user can teleport to any city that the user has visited.
Reddie Status:
Race: Legendary Aberration Chimera (Beast, Undead, Fiend).
Gender: Male
Element:Dark/Thunder.
Age: 20 years old.
Height: 1.20 meters tall.
Likes: Eating thugs, sleeping in the mana space of the tophat, cooked meat, playing with a yarn ball.
Dislikes: Traitors, boring jobs, being petted by children, having his yarn ball stolen.
Level: 60
STATS (Maximum of 1000):
HP: 40000/ 40000
MP: 15000/15000
STR: 300
VIT: 300
INT: 100
DEX: 200
AGI: 300
Skills:
Beast Senses: The beast has heightened senses, as all beasts do, and can clearly detect enemies.
Ultimate Stealth: The user is so stealthy that unless it wants to be seen, it won’t be seen.
Specialized Stomach: The user can digest anything they eat, and use it to make the body stronger.
Goblin vision: The user can look in the night. Literally night vision.
Goblin enhanced muscles: The user gains extra speed and strength.
Stealth: Active, 2 MP per second. Allows the user to walk without doing noise.
Increased strength and speed: The user can lift things twice as heavy as himself and ran twice as fast. The effects increase if you increase the STR and AGI status.
Astral form: The user has an astral form that allows him/her to leave the body.
Astral Phase: Active, 5 MP/second. The user can turn his/her body into an astral body allowing the user to not be affected by attacks made in the material plane. It cannot be activated while moving or be used several times in a row.
Tough Skin: Increases the toughness of the body of the user a 200% and grants absolute resistance to acid.
Acidic blood: The user's blood is extremely acid once it is out of the body and touches a great concentration of air.
Acidic Fangs: The fangs of the user are extremely acid.
Electric Fangs: The fangs of the user carry an electric charge that will electrocute the target of said fangs.
Electrical Stripes: The user has some stripes on their body that are inherently charged up with thunder mana and will electrocute those who touche said stripes.
Things are getting worse for Evan! Saida has died and that means quite a lot! And in the middle of all this mess is Flint!
What will happen? Stay tuned for more!
Have a nice day!