Chapter 590 - Facade

"I came because of the next Beyond Expedition. You are more sociable and could plan it out with the others. Soph and Grumpy can help you too if you talk to them. CarrotCake joining could work as well, but I know if I go to talk with him he will want to fight me. I would prefer if you organize it and we can set a schedule," I tell Leticia after Luna brings me to her.

The young woman sighs, "And I thought you came to catch up and chat."

"I'm busy."

"You keep dying as we talk."

"How come everyone can tell?" I complain.

"Not everyone. I'm just that skilled," Leticia smiles. "But I don't mind organizing it. It is a request from Earth's most powerful, so why not, if only to maintain good relationships."

"Sounds good to me. I will make sure to pay you back for all the trouble."

"Well, first, maybe be nicer to us during the events. Luna and I might get traumatized," Leticia says, looking at the golden retriever who starts nodding, then back at me. "Just a joke before you take it seriously."

"Got it."

"You know, you got me all curious. A lot of people know you can use kinetic energy well, but what you showed during the last event... that was something else."

"It's not something I want to talk about."

Something in my tone seems to startle Luna. She whimpers softly and, with lowered ears, pokes my side, forcing me to look down at her. She nudges me repeatedly until, with a sigh, I pet her.

Luna said she used to be a guide dog for Leticia, who was blind before the tutorial. Still, isn't she a perceptive little thing?

"Well, I won't try to get information then. Just a warning: there are some rounds connecting against you, and..."

"It doesn't matter," I say as I get up from the chair. "I don't care if they all come at once. I'll see you later."

I wave them off and teleport away, finding myself back in my workshop where I think about that.

Yes, I don't mind even if all the rounds group up. In my current state, I probably would welcome it.

***

Lily, Sophie, the twins, Savant, and I all sit in our living room with the Sword of Aeons on the table.

The most cowardly guy in the world acts like everything is normal, but he still looks completely out of place sitting here. I’ve barely interacted with him, and from what others have said, he rarely talks to anyone. Every now and then, he shows up to make a trade, always offering knowledge or items he’s picked up on the floors.

He never gives anything away for free. He never helps out or throws in anything extra, always sticking exactly to what was agreed. I can't say I mind that. A purely transactional relationship works fine for me.

There are still two more two-hour-long lessons in kinetic energy I have with him according to our deal. In exchange, I get mana stones with various knowledge, mainly about inscribing items and the usage of thermal energy he got from who knows where.

There is help with the Sword of Aeons as well. He wants us to fix some of the melted inscriptions that are there. As for me, just working on the best mana battery item from Eladore is enough. Not that I’m going to tell him that.

Lastly, and this part is mostly for Lily, he needs help with his hand, the one that used to belong to the lumoran Champion. I doubt he absorbed it just for the Champion grade bones and whatever else came with it. From the way he talked, I have a strong feeling he did it to make handling the Sword of Aeons easier, though I still don’t understand how. I’m relying on Lily to figure that out.

At first, I thought it might be dumb to rely so heavily on an item, but the more we work and talk, the stronger my suspicion grows. This maniac of a cowardly man seems determined to repair the Sword of Aeons as much as possible for one reason.

To absorb it later.

What a brilliant idea coming from someone so cautious.

Of course, I'm sure there are things he wants to gain just by working with us that are not part of the payment. The asshole very, very intently observes everything that happens, and I'm even sure he plans to absorb bits of Lily's healing to examine later, the same way he did with that tiny piece of black mana.

He is very shrewd, so I observe everything carefully and communicate through the link. I have to stop Lily, the twins, or Sophie from giving him too much. If he wants more, he will have to pay more.

At the same time, I also try to gain as much as possible from him. I keep my eyes active all the time and watch every time he uses [Absorption] or some other skill.

As for the reward for helping with his hand, I'll leave that to Lily to decide since she'll be the one dealing with it. I just need to make sure our silly terminator doesn't get scammed or choose something that'll end up being a gift for me later. She is very capable in that regard.

***

Days pass like this. It is the biggest break yet before the last event, and everyone is training or preparing as much as possible.

Lissandra hasn't contacted me since before the 4th event. It makes me nervous, but also more determined at the same time. I'm sure Izzy and I understand her properly and she won't consider the way I dealt with the 4th event as breaking her rules, but at the same time, both I and our empath are sure she will punish me for that by making the last event more difficult for me.

Victoria visits often now that both of us have a bit more time. It still feels strange seeing her here, but not in a bad way. I can tell she's holding herself back a lot. She and her group should be able to do much more during the events.

Other than that, Myrra is also here a lot. She trains and spars frequently, revealing more of her real strength. She is stronger than Maya; she can beat Sophie, the twins, and Min-Jae quite easily. Only Lily causes her trouble.

One day, Jean also comes by, but not to challenge me. He warns me that people from his group asked him to join forces to take down group 4, but he rejected it and decided to do whatever he wants. After saying that, he notices Myrra and challenges her to a fight. Even though it is close, Myrra gets beaten three times in a row because of his ridiculous strength and that physique of his that overwhelms all the mana users.

Surprisingly, the two seem to hit it off because of their similar personalities, and while surrounded by others, they shout their lame jokes and laugh at dumb things.

The arcane item for Channeler is nearly finished, and as promised, I’ve invited Miwa to observe whenever she wants. She’s already committed to working exclusively with group 4, and Channeler reacts like it’s completely expected as if it was obvious from the start.

Channeler and Maya are the ones who deal with people the most now that Tess isn't here. They are both really good at it, and Maya often calls herself my knight and says she has the ability to summon me.

It isn't wrong, thanks to the Ley Lines I have connected to everyone.

Meanwhile, attendees avoid Sophie as much as they can, even most of those in Hell difficulty. She doesn't seem to mind and is just fine being with her sister and our group.

Tent Creep is still ranked first among crafters, with some guy named Mateo in a close second. Miwa is now in 8th place, probably dropping from 5th because she spends so much time observing my work. But she doesn’t seem to regret it at all.

A few times I try to reach the 7th round zone to find that gray kitten, but I can't find it. It's gone, and no one seems to know where it went. I come across a few more animals in other zones: a horse, a hawk, some more cats and dogs, a few rats, and others. Some of them can talk, others can't, and their strengths vary a lot. A few are on the same level as Luna, but none are as strong as Biscuit or as unsettling to me as the gray kitten.

I also find out from Lily and Izzy that Tacita will likely cooperate with other rounds during the final event.

It seems she wasn’t happy about us working with Savant.

***

POV Myrra

The feral one's sister sits there in her usual way, perfectly straight, with her clothes neatly arranged and her hands resting in her lap as if she were posing for a portrait or pretending to sit like a normal human without really knowing how.

While we wait for the feral one to come in from his workshop, the rest of his group acts a bit awkward around her. They try to make conversation, and she follows along effortlessly. She answers questions, asks her own, always with perfect politeness. Not once does she seem annoyed, upset, or bothered by any awkward silence.

I hate it. I hate it so much. It's a facade I can see right through, even if it manages to fool some of the group 4 members. She's always polite and pleasant, always knowing exactly what to say or ask.

Then, as if it were planned, she shifts the direction of the conversation. “There is something I wanted to say if you do not mind.”

"Sure, you don't have to ask," says the mindblender girl, as the feral one likes to call her, smiling.

"Thank you, Sophie. It is a bit more serious." Victoria looks around, as if making sure everyone is listening, then nods. "This tournament is coming to an end, and I won’t be able to see you anymore, so I want to make sure some things are clear. If I come off as too offensive, please do not take it that way. I just want to make my stance obvious, and you are free to ask me as many questions as you want to confirm it."

She looks around the room again, and the atmosphere grows colder.

"I do respect my brother's decision to befriend you all. It is not something I think is ideal or optimal for him, but it is his decision to make. Even though I am against it, I like to see him have fun. To me, he is like a child discovering new things, but unlike him, I do not think this," she gestures around, "will work out. Not in this place and not in this tutorial. But it is his mistake to make and lesson to learn, and I will be there for him when it all breaks in the end."

Victoria adjusts her already perfect clothes, always so composed and logical.

"Please do not take this to mean that I bear ill feelings toward you. While I think some of you are using my brother for your safety and would be dead without him, I also believe you offer him things he thinks he wants in return. Rather than parasites, you are living in symbiosis with him. Even though I still think you take more than you give, my brother seems to believe the opposite, so I can accept that."

No one else speaks as she looks around the room. "I do understand that it might come off as insulting and offensive and that your emotions might lead you to dislike me because of it, but I believe it’s something that needs to be said. Simply put, I want my brother to be happy, even if only for a few weeks or months, and I want him to experience things he could not as a child. But I also want to give you a warning: do not abuse my brother's nature."

She doesn’t say what will happen if that occurs, but the implication is more than clear.

Some look at her as if they’re seeing her for the first time. Others glance around awkwardly as if waiting for someone to say it’s a joke. One or two, though, seem like they expected it.

I then remember what this woman said to Lissandra when they met just a few hours ago. Even then, Victoria didn’t seem to hesitate, not even in front of that woman, and said, "No, I refuse to do what you ask me to when it comes to my brother. You might think I stand against you so easily because I cannot die within the tournament, but I can assure you I would say exactly the same thing even if real death were possible."

Lissandra said, "I can see that you aren't lying."

"I am not. While I do not wish to die yet, I am not afraid of it. Do not think I have not seen what you have done to my brother. I have partially overlooked it because I believe it helps him grow stronger and because he has not asked me for help, but at the same time, I cannot help but deeply dislike you, Lady Lissandra."

"I thought of you as a more logical person."

"But I believe this is entirely logical. My brother is someone I love deeply. So isn't it reasonable that I would see things differently when he is involved?"

"This is something I can partially agree with," Lissandra said as if dissecting a theory. "Protecting someone often requires more than words. I am curious. How far does your logic take you when it means removing others? How many deaths would you accept for his safety?"

And back then, with the same calm tone as always, Victoria had replied, "I do not count things like that. It suggests there is a limit."

She spoke so plainly it took a moment for me to realize what she actually said.

***

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