“Not that bad…” Now sitting in my room, I can carefully observe my cube.
The interrogation was calmer than I expected. The questions were very clear and concise; they didn’t ask redundant questions to check my answers or try to trick me. Being able to open your Imra to demonstrate whether your answers are true or false makes things much easier.
I suppose Susan and Julio helped as well. They must have applied some pressure so I wouldn’t be asked useless or trap questions. It also helped that the transmission didn’t completely shut down; they were able to follow almost the entire fight.
I observe every crack in my cube. I’ve been in worse situations. I’ve recovered from something far more horrible in the past. I’ve already read about this before—putting pressure on your cube, causing small cracks and then healing them has a purpose: making it stronger over time.
My cube right now must be very resistant to damage. The pressure I exerted during the fight would have shattered it into pieces before it was strengthened. Most of these cracks were self-inflicted through explosions of mana and Imra. It was the only way to escape when I was completely trapped by his Jurisdiction.
“Not that bad? It could have been much worse if I hadn’t been with you. You might have ended up injured for months, or even with something incurable until reaching the next rank.” Glia shouts telepathically from the side.
She wanted to come out to get some fresh air after her hard work during the fight against Aaron. Glia spent the entire battle holding my cube together and trying to minimize the damage as much as possible. She’s always there at the right moment.
“Thanks for your help, little sister.” I wink at her.
Glia turns her face to the side angrily, but I can feel her worries fading and that she’s happy to see me safe. Lately she’s been having more trouble controlling the emotions that leak through our connection.
The door to the room opens, blond hair peeks in, and a pair of gray eyes lock onto us. “The food is here.” She had ordered from a very popular restaurant at the fair. Because of her status we had priority in preparation, and they even delivered it directly to where we live.
“Sorry if I worried you.” I speak just as we begin eating.
This is something I’ve been thinking about since I woke up. I always try to avoid these conversations as much as possible, and Brendu or someone else is usually the first to start them. It’s always the same complaints about how worried they are about me and how afraid they are of not seeing me again. Usually I end up apologizing at the end, and I’m never the one who initiates it.
This time I decided to go first. It’s not fair for the other person to always start the conversation. There will come a moment when they simply won’t care anymore if I don’t show any kind of change or improvement.
Brendu’s eyes look a little confused. Her expression shifts to surprise mixed with uncertainty. She finishes chewing while organizing her thoughts. “You don’t have to apologize, Maki.” She says it with a sweet smile.
“Really? But I’m always getting into trouble. I know how much you worry, and today I was even fighting someone very strong. I was very close to dying.” Even closer than when I faced that anomaly.
Today I never had a real chance to win. I just had to buy as much time as possible. Many factors aligned for things to turn out the way they did. If even one thing hadn’t happened exactly as it did, I wouldn’t be enjoying this moment right now.
She places her fork on her plate. “You know, Maki… I will always worry about you coming back alive. Not just me, the girls feel the same way. But little by little I’m realizing that I need to trust you more. I need to be more positive and think about your victory instead of your defeat.” She pauses for a few seconds before continuing.
“If I don’t pressure you or hit you for almost dying someday, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t worried. It just means I trusted you to do it, just like I did today.” She looks at me with a beautiful smile.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
She is one of the few participants capable of escaping the spatial capsule. She had an item her family gave her that she forgot to remove before the event, and her affinity with spatial magic also helped redirect her teleportation point. Brendu could have appeared inside the event if she hadn’t forgotten to remove that bracelet.
“I almost ripped out a lock of my hair at the end. Luckily Uncle Julio appeared and everything was solved.” She looks mentally exhausted when she says the last part.
“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best to never disappoint those hopes. I’ll always give everything I have to come back.” I gently take her hand and then release it. “By the way, what’s going to happen with the event? Have you heard anything?” I forgot to ask.
“It seems they’ll take seven days to stabilize everything. The damage wasn’t too severe. The group battle event between schools will be eliminated this year so the tournament won’t drag on too long.” Brendu explains. It seems quite logical to me. It’s better to remove that event and move to the next stage as soon as possible.
“Even the emperor, my father, and many other people have decided that everything will cost half price for this week. At the end of the week all businesses will send their expenses to a special agency, and the major figures will cover those costs.” Brendu continues.
It seems like a good gesture. That way they won’t lose too many spectators, and it will encourage people to extend their stay for another week.
We keep talking and eating. Glia decides to go back to sleep and help repair my cube. According to estimates I should be able to return to my full capacity—or close to it—before the next stage of the tournament.
Brendu goes to meet our friends. They’re very worried about me, and she’ll give them the updates.
I’m going to sleep for a while. My body has recovered and my mind is clearer, but I desperately need sleep. I feel like my thoughts are becoming foggy and my brain isn’t processing information properly.
Several hours later Brendu wakes me up. Her action surprises me; she was the one who almost forced me to go to sleep. When I notice the tablet in her hand, I have an idea. Arisa, Marga, and Sol are on a call.
I explain the situation, we talk for a while longer, and when they’re finally satisfied they give me time to keep resting. All three of them sounded very sad at the beginning, but by the end of the call they were much more relieved.
“Are you going to ask for some kind of compensation? The emperor seems willing to listen to you.” Brendu speaks while lying across my legs.
“I don’t know. I didn’t do it with the intention of receiving something in return, and I don’t have anything in mind to ask for. I haven’t thought about it. I’ll ask for a few days to think of something.” I’d be an idiot if I didn’t ask for some kind of compensation. The emperor is willing to listen—I just need to find something that isn’t excessive.
“I thought you would already have a clear answer.” She looks at me with a smile, the typical expression she makes when she wants to tease me.
“There is a reward that wouldn’t be completely unreasonable if you asked for it, especially with the support of Uncle Julio and Aunt Susan. You would receive a great reward if you managed to get it. It seems you’ve already realized.” She adds when my eyes change.
She’s right. There is a reward that could serve me well, and it depends entirely on my performance. A pass to the Hero’s Dungeon of the imperial capital. “Yes… I’ll also ask your father for that reward. I deserve it for putting up with his daughter every day.” I joke.
Her fist hits my ribs, and the second punch stops halfway. “You’re lucky you’re still recovering.” I won’t say anything about the fact that she already hit me. “My father would be happy to grant you a pass to our Hero’s Dungeon, but it might take some time. I should go first before advancing to the Ruby rank.” Brendu’s words give me hope.
She is already close to the limit of a Sapphire rank, just like the rest of my friends. Facing monsters one rank above them is enough. She will use the Hero’s Dungeon to push herself further and ascend to the next rank.
“Go to bed. Don’t take too long.” Brendu stands up and runs out.
I remain there for a moment longer, looking at the notifications about the levels I’ve gained throughout the tournament. Most of them come from today’s fight, though I did gain some earlier as well.
Maki Vichag – Advanced Sapphire
SKILLS:• Death Sharpness (IV) – level 15 → level 16• Warlike Architecture (IV) – level 11 → level 13• Deadly Arcane Construction (IV) – level 9 → level 10• Personal World (IV) – level 8 → level 9• Thundersnow (IV) – level 9 → level 11• Dimensional Step (IV) – level 5 → level 7• Advanced Vital Synthesis (IV) – level 6 → level 8• Crushing Zone (III) – level 19 → level 20• Raging Electrifying River (III) – level 18 → level 20• Gravity Overload (IV) – level 1 → level 4
Laws and pseudo-laws:• Yin-Yang Law: Life and Death• Celestial Dominion Law: Space• Dragon Law: Gravity• Absolute Frost Law: Ice• Eternal Edge Law: Sharpness• Personal Rhythm Law: Electricity• Pseudo Law of Perception
Draconian Banner (special) – Rank 2
Two skills have already reached level 20. I can finally evolve them and have all my abilities at Rank IV. That will have to wait until I finish healing. I don’t want to suffer a negative reaction. I’m very excited about the coming days.