Suba’s Point of View:
That young man is an outstanding talent. The rumors about his strength weren’t unfounded. After seeing how he treated Prito like a child, everything became clear to me; he had been holding back as much as possible in case Xinu jumped in and turned it into a two-on-one fight.
When he faced the man with the smoke affinity, I finally got to see his full strength. Xinu forced him to bring out everything he had hidden and even a little more. That kind of willpower, being able to stand back up after that explosion, isn’t something I’ve seen in young people, only in veterans who know exactly what they’re fighting for.
The smoke affinity combined with the life affinity is a pain in the ass, like a thorn you can’t get rid of. I felt it seep into Maki’s body. I was just about to intervene and heal him, but little by little, he found a solution and managed to eliminate the nearly invisible traces of smoke inside his body.
That perception ability of his is also something worth keeping an eye on. Once I got close enough, I was able to detect it. A few hundred meters farther ahead and Maki would have detected me as well.
All I had to do was slightly twist the dimension we were in and pass through it. That way, I could watch him without being detected. I had to be extremely careful not to reveal my position or anything about my ability. That little genius might have gotten inspired if he saw how dimensional fabric could be torn apart.
If that happened, in the near future he might improve his sensory ability to a level impossible to ignore. Maybe, just maybe, it could become powerful enough to detect anyone or any monster below Obsidian rank and Grade VI.
Although I know a few Obsidian ranks who are quite clumsy with the space affinity, most of them could overpower his ability through sheer force. I don’t know what it’ll be like once he manages to raise his ability to Rank V. That’s something I’m looking forward to seeing.
Poor young Prito. He never learned how to choose his opponents and ended up dead because of it. He had that flaw ever since he was young, never knowing who he should or shouldn’t challenge. Many times, we had to save his ass or clean up problems because of that bad habit.
The boss bears some of the blame. He shouldn’t have spoiled him after seeing a bit of potential in him. I look at the spear in my hands. “He spoiled him so much that he even gave him a family relic…” I’m glad I managed to recover it without having to resort to force.
I know we’re desperate to reclaim the name we had a few decades ago, but our vision became clouded when we saw a talented young man. Part of the blame is mine as well because I also chose to overlook Prito’s flaws; we deliberately blinded ourselves, thinking he might change in the future.
His failure to mature led him to this… trying to forcefully earn fame after being cast aside by the family. What was he thinking? I’ll defeat a young prodigy and shine again? Or maybe he intended to take control of this territory with such a promising future? We’ll never know.
Xinu might also have put ideas into his head. He had always been close to Prito ever since they were children. The two of them always fantasized about reaching the top together. At least they managed to die together at the hands of the same man.
Maki could become a good partner in the future if this war continues progressing at this rate. We’ve managed to hold our ground against the forces of the Merno Kingdom because they’re fighting on two fronts.
We aren’t at our best right now, otherwise this whole circus would have ended already. We’re somewhat stronger than a powerful County, but weaker than a Marquisate. We still have powerful fighters like me, there simply aren’t as many as there used to be, and we lack geniuses capable of defining an entire generation.
I could have ended this entire conflict if I were able to participate in the war, but that corrupted dungeon won’t let me enter the battlefield. Only Ruby ranks can enter, or at least that’s what we used to believe.
What bothers me is that a Grade V monster has been spotted. The scouts came to the conclusion that there were certain restrictions in place. The monster was almost completely immobilized because of the power of the corrupted dungeon.
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The problem is: What happens if they manage to break those restrictions only for their side? A Grade V monster would slaughter countless Ruby ranks. Only the strongest among them, working in groups, could stop it… and that’s assuming there’s only one. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if more of them appeared.
This bad feeling and bitter taste in my mouth won’t go away. I lightly smack myself on the head for being an idiot. Now that the thought has entered my head, there’s no way I’ll be able to get rid of it; the worst part is that these bad feelings of mine tend to come true.
If that happens, the consequence will be that the corrupted dungeon will grow larger and larger, devouring more and more of our territory. Little by little, we’ll lose power, and every day will become torment for all the neighboring territories.
I can only hope the situation doesn’t progress as quickly as it has until now. If we have a couple of years, we might be able to come up with a decent plan or find a way to stop its advance. In the worst-case scenario, we would have to ask the Empire for help.
The cost of that help would be high, but not as high as it was in the past. If they start absorbing all the resources from the smaller territories around us, it’s possible that in a few years they’ll become powerful enough to rival the Empire.
A few people come to mind who might be able to put an end to this whole mess even if they manage to bring Grade V monsters into play. Every single one of those people is a prodigy, each of them an army unto themselves.
Yes, especially the last one I just saw. None of the others we’ve gathered information on through tournaments or encounters are at Maki’s level. According to the latest information, they aren’t even close.
Most of the prodigies throughout the Empire, kingdoms, and other territories are at the level where they can fight a Diamond rank under special circumstances. Very few possess any kind of ability capable of resisting a Jurisdiction, fewer than five, and Maki is the only one capable of directly fighting one, even two.
What is he doing right now? Did he realize his limitations after standing before an Obsidian rank like me? Did he feel frustrated after ending up in such a miserable state from fighting only two Diamond ranks? He must be pushing his body to its limits right now.
Maki’s Point of View:
“I should’ve stayed with Grandma a little longer…” I murmur softly. It feels more like I’m talking to myself out loud, without actually raising my voice.
My family went crazy over the audacity of a noble from another territory trying to kill me or start some kind of fight. It’s fairly normal in a certain sense, but we don’t have any kind of feud with them.
When I explained who that idiot was and that he had technically been cast out, they calmed down quite a bit. They were still furious, but at least they could think more clearly.
Grandma and Ritmo were already planning how to use this to our advantage and establish some kind of alliance with a sleeping giant like the Santro territory. They plan to open a dialogue first before asking for any compensation. There are better ways to resolve this situation.
“Did you say something? I thought I heard you.” Brendu looks at me with cold eyes. I simply stay quiet and look at her. That usually calms her down a little, or in the worst case, makes her even more frustrated.
“Those idiots from the Santro territory don’t know how to raise their children. How the hell did they raise that little bastard? He’s lucky he’s already dead, otherwise he would’ve wished he was. He and his stupid babysitter are a pair of idiots.” She turns around as she continues complaining.
“That idiot has been causing trouble for years. Even I’ve received dozens of proposals from him asking to meet or even for marriage. And now he dares to try to kill you.” Lully is complaining just as much.
Why is she complaining? My question is stupid, but I’d rather play dumb than crash headfirst into a certain reality. There are times when pretending not to notice has worked out better for me than facing reality. Somehow, as if by magic, everything eventually disappears.
“Kramuz is a capable man. That’s the only reason I’m not going to file any formal complaint against his territory. He’s a man with principles whom even my father respects. I shouldn’t blame him for something his stupid son has been doing for so many years.” Brendu continues complaining.
At least she isn’t blaming me anymore. She already did that for almost ten minutes. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving for something that serious? It’s easy to ask for help or contact me, and many more things flooded my head.
Brendu and Lully continued complaining about the dead idiot noble for quite a while. They even called Marga, Sol, and Arisa. The five of them started talking shit about Prito. Apparently, that idiot had already been causing problems among noblewomen. Now I feel even better about killing him. Maybe something irreparable would’ve happened if he had remained alive.
They only calmed down when the food order arrived at the house. Before coming back, I stopped by their favorite restaurant and asked the sleepy owner for a favor, to send over her best dishes as quickly as possible. She happily agreed to my request.
I need to get stronger; that thought comes to mind as I stare at the clear sky. I could’ve been in danger if I had fought both of them together. I need to improve as quickly as possible.
The best option is to go to Eisty. I know it’ll be hell, but I’ll grow stronger quickly. The next option is to finally raise my abilities to the next rank. I look at my status before deciding which one to focus on. “You’re the chosen one. You’ll be the next to touch the sky.”