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Chapter 5: Behind the Scenes
“What do you think?”
After being given a brief explanation of the gig, Anzel gave it a moment of thought before replying. “Sure, I’ll do it. You can let your boss know.” In truth, he’d known he was going to accept immediately upon hearing the details, but if he came across too eager, he knew he’d be taken advantage of—it was one of those secret pieces of life advice.
“Thank you very much. The details are enclosed in this envelope.”
“Thanks.” Once he took the letter, Anzel swiftly left the scene.
He stepped onto the main street from behind a massive warehouse that Cedony owned.
Е ṅ ùm̈ а̌ . і̀ď
“Damn, that was close...” The words slipped from his mouth without thinking. He was incredibly glad he hadn’t ignored their call.
He had just met with a member of Cedony after his presence had been requested the previous night, a young man about the same age as Anzel. Anzel didn’t know his name, but they’d met multiple times over the course of the work for the billion krams, so they were at least acquainted. What he did know was that the man worked at their main store even though there were numerous branches all across Altoire, so he had to have been pretty good at his job.
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As he’d been told in advance, they wanted him to serve as a bodyguard. The big sticking point was whom he was serving.
“Done with negotiations?”
“Yeah. They said I can tell you about it.”
“Really? Neat, I’ve been so curious ever since I got the message.”
Wеḃ n̄о̊ vе̄l Ѐ nŭm̀ а
After Anzel met back up with Fressa nearby, the two stopped at a nearby place for lunch.
“It feels a bit extravagant for us to be going into a restaurant on the main street at this time of day,” Fressa remarked.
Anzel wasn’t sure if he would call it “extravagant,” but it certainly didn’t suit them. At the end of the day, they were both residents of the underworld. It didn’t feel right for them to be hanging around civilians while it was still light out.
“So? Spill the beans already.”
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The moment they made their order, Fressa immediately hounded him for answers. Anzel shuffled closer to the table. Fressa caught on and leaned forward herself.
“I’ve to guard Lily’s brother.” He whispered only the most important part before pulling back.
Ŵ е b̂nо vè l̃ Е̌n u̇m̌ а
“Huh? W-Wait, hang on. You mean—” The startled Fressa remained where she was. “The prince of the Liston family?” Apparently, that was what he had become known as after his appearances on magivision. But for someone like Fressa, experienced in the field, to so openly mention someone’s identity while in public... How flustered was she?
“You a fan or somethin’?”
“Not a fan per se, but I do like him. He’s cute. I’d love to whip him away myself.”
“Why, ’cause he’d sell for a lot?”
“No, you know I hate that kind of thing. I just want to have fun with him. All sorts of fun.”
Either reason was cruel if you asked Anzel.
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“But okay, I see,” Fressa relented. “No wonder they came to you for this.”
“Yeah... I suppose.”
Cedony Trading had to have already caught on to much of the truth behind their operations, from the true identity of Leeno, to just what kind of person Nia was, to how Anzel and Fressa were tied to them.
No one who knew Nia would ever betray her. They were so aware of that truth that they’d given Anzel this work. In fact, they even allowed him to tell Fressa the details. They knew Anzel wouldn’t backstab them, and no matter what happened, he’d put his life on the line—all because the one who needed protection was a relative of Nia’s.
Still, what insane timing. Anzel could never have imagined he’d end up discussing Nia Liston’s relative right before meeting up with the girl herself. Was it coincidence or was it fate?
“There’s another reason they want me there too, but for me, that’s the most important part.”
Wѐbn о̌.v̇еĺ Ẽ n u.m а
“I see, I see... Say, couldn’t I technically do it instead? Wanna swap? I’ll give you twenty percent of the money. You’re the bartender of the Shadow Rat; you must be so busy. I’ll stand in for you, so let’s go renegotiate with them.” Fressa’s eyes were practically sparkling, as manic as a crazy fan’s. Anzel had served as the bodyguard for a famous stage actor once a long time ago, and the fans then had had the exact same look.
His work hadn’t even started and yet the kid was already in danger.
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“No, it’s fine. Leave it to me.”
“But you have the bar to think about.”
“I said it’s fine. It’s not a one-off, but it’s short increments of time I’ll need to work. It’s perfect for me.” His client for this job was still in elementary school so he had a curfew to abide by. In other words, Anzel would only be needed from the end of the kid’s school time to the early evening. He’d be back in time to open the Shadow Rat. Plus, the money wasn’t half bad. When compared with how many hours he’d effectively be working, the rate was very good. Actually doing the job for the full amount rather than doing nothing for twenty percent was much more worth it.
“Come oooon, swap with me!”
Ӗnu m а̂
“No.”
“Fine, what if I said I’d give you thirty percent?”
“No way.”
Following lunch, Anzel picked up some inventory on the way back to the bar, Fressa trailing him the whole way, and then he got ready to open for the night. The moment he was free, he looked through the documents he’d been provided, but it was all as he’d already been told. It didn’t seem so difficult an order.
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“Hmm...”
There was some stuff written about recording and surveillance, but that had nothing to do with Anzel. His job was simply to protect the client. Seemed simple enough.
E̊ṅu̇m̆ а̀. і̂d
Recently, there had been a lot of annoying things building up, his worries beginning to weigh him down, so getting to do work during the day might set his mind right. And of course, it helped that the pay wasn’t bad.
His first day on the job would start in a few days, but there was something he had to do first.
“Fressa, mind watchin’ the bar for a bit? I won’t be long.”
It was almost time.
“I’d take over for you however many times you needed if you gave me the gig!”
“Could you do this after I’m back? I’ve got plans to meet with someone. Can’t keep ’em waitin’.”
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“Oooh, who are you meeting with?”
“A lady.”
“Wow, did you finally get a girlfriend? What’s she like? Or are you on your way to confess? If you are, I’ll teach you how to definitely make a girl fall for you...if you let me take the gig.”
“What’d I just say?”
After getting Fressa off his back, Anzel left out the back entrance. The regulars and some other thugs were loitering in the back alley waiting for the bar to open. These guys sure are rolling in free time.
“Hmm? Somethin’ up, boss?”
Е n̂ ùm̂а.і d
“Just a little errand. Place’ll open up at its usual time, so just hold your horses. Oh, and Fressa’s still in there, so don’t get any funny ideas about breakin’ in.”
“I value my life too much for that. I lost count of how many folks she’s left half dead a while ago. The real mystery is how no one’s actually died in all this time.”
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Hell, that was exactly why he’d chosen to hire Fressa in the first place. He could leave his bar in her hands even in such a rough area, and she seemed to enjoy interacting with the patrons. She seemed to enjoy that their patrons were of the type that it was okay to beat up if they started being a pain—more so than Anzel had thought she would. Plus, she was good at holding back, so she was perfect for the job.
After shrugging off their questions, Anzel exited onto the main street and strode quickly to his destination, the Chocolate Lily’s Aroma.
“Sorry to keep you waitin’,” he called out to a hatted child waiting in the alley at the side of the restaurant, trying to keep out of sight.
The child said nothing as she looked up and smiled—it was, of course, Nia Liston. Her characteristic white hair stuck out like a sore thumb, so she was avoiding the public as much as possible.
Еn̈ŭ ḿӓ . іḋ
“Follow me,” he said. “Let’s chat somewhere else.”
Anzel guided Nia to a ruined building not too far from the Chocolate Lily.
“What is this place?” she asked as they went down the stairs.
“It’s the basement of a shop that went under.” It was also property of Kaffes. It looked like a regular abandoned building from the outside, but it was actually one of his safe houses. There was a bit of a trick to it, but... Well, that wasn’t important.
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“Sorry for callin’ you out like this.”
“Well, you did make an arrangement through proper channels.”
Е́ n um̂а. ïd
Even when they went down the stairs, it was just more ruins. The air was dusty, and scattered about the room were broken boxes and rubble and other random pieces of junk. It had been a while since someone had been here last—perfect.
“You’re collecting on one of the two debts I owe you? Honestly...I’d kind of forgotten about that,” the girl mused.
“I mean, yeah, pretty common for the debtor to forget. Given I’m the one who helped you out though, I kinda can’t.”
“True, that is how that works.”
Anzel had entrusted a letter to Gandolph, which had safely made its way to Nia Liston, and she had now made time for him. Nia had asked two favors of him in the past, and he had fulfilled both of them. Anzel thought she might have tried to avoid the meeting so she could pretend she’d forgotten.
“What did you want to ask, then? Sorry to rush you but I have as little time as always.”
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That was her polite way of telling him to hurry up.
“Did you manage to shake Lynokis off?”
“No need, I told her directly to stay put, just as you requested.”
“Wow, I’m impressed you managed to persuade her to let you go off on your own.”
“I did my best to persuade her. A martial artist who can’t keep their promises isn’t worth one’s time, don’t you think? I don’t want to become someone like that.”
Nia had somehow managed to persuade Lynokis,of all people. Just what magic had she used to pull that one off? Anzel was curious for the details, but he wouldn’t keep her any longer than he had to.
Е́ňu m̆ā
“I can’t say exactly why, but I’m in a situation where I must win the martial arts tournament.”
“Oh?”
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Nia was smiling. It was a smile of excitement.
“I don’t need the details, but I’d love to have at least a rough idea of what has inspired this attitude. So...why?”
Why? What answer would satisfy this girl?
Anzel hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. Someone like Nia wouldn’t appreciate some half-assed made-up reason.
Е̇n̄ ũ mа . і̆ d̂
“The man I owe my life to is plannin’ to bet a ridiculous amount of money on me. If I lose, it’s all down the drain.”
“And so you want to become stronger, to push your training even further, is that right?”
“Yeah.”
“Wonderful. It’s a great reason to want to fight.”
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Was it? “You sure ’bout that? Ain’t it a little greedy?”
“A few fists are worth a penny apiece.”
W̊ еḃ n о v̇е ľ Е ǹu m_а
“Huh...?”
“It’s an old martial saying. Literally, it sounds like I’m saying our fists are worth little more than someone’s pocket change. But what it really means is that our fists fight for that which we value even more than money. To someone else, it may not mean much, but to you, it isn’t something so simple. In other words, we all have our own reasons for fighting.”
It always felt like those pale blue eyes could see right into someone’s heart.
“You said it was for someone you owe? Then that’s perfect. Though I wouldn’t be against fighting for the sake of a few coins. Not like you can’t fight without a reason either. A meaningless fist isn’t bad, especially if you can swing it without feeling a shred of guilt.”
Her response was so quintessentially Nia Liston.
In any case, their negotiations were complete.
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“Please tell me how I can get stronger. I have to win.”
“Of course. You’ve been training well, and I’d honestly been very interested in you.” Nia picked up a piece of rubble. “When I offered to teach my students Techniques, you alone refused.”
Lynokis and Lynette had been taught Rumbling Thunder. Gandolph had been taught Roaring Thunder. Fressa had been taught Rupture.
“Well, yeah. Like I said at the time, I value the fundamentals over some fancy tricks.” While everyone else had been training their Techniques, Anzel had focused solely on basic chi training.
Ever since he had gotten used to handling his chi, he’d begun making use of it in his daily life, whether while cleaning glasses or while pouring drinks. He manipulated his chi constantly to get as used to it as he could.
Anzel had instinctively concluded that the power of a Technique largely lay in one’s ability to control chi rather than in the Technique itself. Thanks to that, in his opinion, he’d become a little more proficient than the others in that area.
Wе̌bn̄о̌_v̀ ė l̆ .Ё ñü m а
“And I believed that was the best choice you could have made,” Nia said as she rolled the rock between her fingers. “For a long time, I’ve thought that it was far too early for the others to be taught Techniques. Rather than practicing an unstable Technique, they should really be working to stabilize their control of their chi. It leads to much faster growth. Techniques are just an extension of the basics. Get those down and it’ll naturally lead to more advanced moves. It’s one of those things you end up picking up eventually even without being actively taught.”
Nia raised her right hand, holding the rock.
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“Try hitting this back at me with your metal pipe.”
The second she made the request, she threw the rock at Anzel at tremendous speed.
Anzel reflexively moved. He summoned his metal pipe and stretched out his hand—but it didn’t reach. Instead, the stone shattered against the wall behind him.
“Your reflexes aren’t bad.”
Ёn̄ ŭ m а. і̆ḋ
Anzel clicked his tongue. “You deliberately threw that out of my range, didn’t you?” If it had just been that little bit closer, he would’ve been able to reach.
It was the sign that Nia completely understood the level of Anzel’s skill. She had analyzed Anzel’s reaction speed, his reach, and even his proficiency in chi. Through compiling all of that information, she had been able to deliberately throw that rock just out of reach for him.
It pissed him off. It was like being told that his strength was still little better than a child’s. It was moments like this that reminded him exactly why it always felt like he was dancing in the palm of her hand.
Nia unsurprisingly smirked at Anzel’s irritation.
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“You need to extend it.”
“Huh? What, extend my chi?”
E n̄üm а
“Yes. Extend the chi past your limbs, past even your weapon. That is the fundamental idea behind external chi.”
Suddenly, Nia began walking.
In the air.
She came to a stop without dropping to the ground.
“External chi is the application of chi pushed outside of the body. First, you train by extending your chi beyond your body, and then you move on to learning how to fire it. With enough practice, you can even maintain a state of expelled chi like this. I can only do it for a few seconds right now.” Nia lost her foothold and dropped to the ground—her invisible foothold.
“The more talented a martial artist is, the more accurate their predictions. They can dodge attacks at the last minute and know their exact attack range. Without being able to do that much, you can’t attack or defend effectively. It’s a kind of sense that improves naturally with actual combat experience. Now think about it—external chi completely betrays such estimations.”
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Anzel didn’t have to think about it. He’d already heard explanations of chi, so logically he knew that such crazy applications could exist.
“Attacks that ordinarily wouldn’t hit can suddenly reach you. What if it was a blade aiming for a vital point like your eyes or throat? That’s what would happen in a battle using advanced chi.”
Anzel...had thought he’d understood. But actually witnessing its usage with his own eyes, he was starting to realize that this power was even more insane than he’d ever imagined.
“You’ve spent these past couple of years polishing your fundamentals, and that is exactly why I think you’re capable of this. You’ll probably be able to pick it up through instinct, honestly.”
Would he, really?
No, he would. Because Nia Liston thought he could.
W̌е̊ bn̊ о v ӗl̃ Е_ñu m̊ а̊
“Okay, looks like you’ll be fine.”
Something from Anzel’s expression must have told her that he had been convinced.
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“Yeah, I’ve got a solid idea of where to take my training now,” he replied. She was truly precise. Since they could rarely meet, she’d taught him something that he could practice even without her being there. She’d explained it in a very easy-to-understand way. That action a moment ago had shown him exactly what he could and couldn’t do.
I really am dancing in the palm of her hand, ain’t I?
“I do apologize that we can’t meet often.”
“Doesn’t matter what age we are, we’ve all got our own responsibilities, especially now. Don’t worry about it.” The martial arts tournament had filled Altoire with life, those from all sorts of backgrounds and with all manner of goals making their moves. Nia was busy with magivision, and Anzel was busy with his everyday life and his annoying number of worries.
Е̄ṅ u mа
“It’s time for me to get going.”
“Sure. Sorry for makin’ you come out all this way.”
Nia turned and began to walk away. But then...
“Hey.” Anzel called after her. “I’ve been wonderin’ this for a while, but...you’re not someone from my side of society, are you?” It was something he’d always wanted to ask. Her understanding of the underworld’s workings and etiquette was far too deep. Very few people on the surface had such extended knowledge on the way they worked.
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In Nia’s case though, she’d always been this way.
“Anzel, are you a little dull?” Nia asked, looking over her shoulder.
Ẁẽb̊n̈ô v́е̌ l Е̇ n̈ûm̈ ӓ
That smile on her face was one of insanity.
“Everything I’m doing is about bending the laws of this world with sheer strength. I’m making everything surrender to me with violence. What about this seems like I’m on the straight and narrow? I know Altoire is known for its naive peace, but give me a break.”
It was true that the logic made sense.
“But you are, aren’t you? Clearly.” If she was that extreme, Anzel really would have run for his life by now—Fressa too, most likely. To borrow Nia’s words, someone like that wouldn’t be worth his time.
Nia Liston was not that kind of person.
“What I do is not that different. At the end of the day, all that’s different is that I haven’t mistaken how I should use my strength. So you’re aware, that’s why I didn’t hesitate to teach you all how to use your chi. Professionals won’t stray from the correct path. That is what I believe.”
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After saying that, Nia left the building.
Having seen off the girl who was overwhelmingly stronger than him, Anzel let out a sigh and lit a cigarette.
“This is not the kind of pressure I needed right now.”
Professionals wouldn’t stray from the correct path. In other words, if he stopped being a professional... Well. What Anzel did ultimately depended on Kaffes’s orders, but whatever.
“External chi, huh?”
That was the next item on his training course.
Ё n̊ um̂ ӑ
“Oh, you’re finally heading out.”
“You’re still at it?”
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When Anzel left the bar to make his way to his Cedony gig, Fressa was there waiting for him. She’d been begging him every single day to give the job to her instead.
“This is work, all right? I’m not gonna play around with you anymore.” Anzel was a professional. He couldn’t care less if it was his everyday life that Fressa was getting in the way of, but he wouldn’t let her get away with interrupting his work. Even when he glared at her though, she refused to budge.
“Let me join you. You don’t even have to pay me.”
She’d finally gone as far as willing to pass up the pay.
Wе̇ b̆ n̄о̀ v̌ ėl Ên̄ u m̃ а̊
“You’re that desperate to meet Neal Liston?”
“Yeah. Lynette too. Haven’t seen her in a while.”
Anzel clicked his tongue. If she was making that big of a compromise, it would be impossible for him to chase her off or refuse her—Fressa would follow him no matter what. For someone like her to go so far as to give up the money, she had to be serious.
Even if Anzel injured her to try and keep her down, she’d still drag her body along the ground if it meant she could join him. And it wasn’t like there was any guarantee Anzel would get out of a fight like that unscathed himself.
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At this point, accepting was the better option.
“Fine, but I’m bein’ serious, you’re gettin’ none of the money. Ignore my instructions while we’re on the job and you’re dead meat.”
Ẁё b ň о̇ v̇ е.l Enu̇m_а̄
“Yeah, of course! Just tagging along, just tagging along,” she assured him with a delighted grin.
And so, Anzel headed to his job with a big child accompanying him.
The meeting point was at the port’s warehouse district, the civilian warehouse district not teeming with those from the underworld. The port was much busier than usual because of the martial arts tournament; freight ships and foreign vessels were so frequent that the place was packed with people and stalls.
The increase in trade made it clear just how popular Altoire was right now. Those from outside the country were arriving one after another, and many tough fighters were clearly here to enter the tournament. Since crowded areas were prone to fights breaking out, Anzel could see a few plainclothes police milling about.
“We’re not late, are we?” Fressa asked.
“Shouldn’t be. Someone was supposed to meet us here to show us the way, but...”
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Anzel and Fressa were waiting beside one of the port’s restaurants, this one being pretty popular among sailors. There wasn’t much they could do besides watch what was happening.
“Say, what even were the specifics of the commission?”
“I’m expected to guard Neal Liston. He’s currently in his fifth year of elementary school and is one of the faces of the Liston Channel. He ain’t appeared in many programs, but those few times he popped up were enough to gather a ton of passionate fans. Apparently, they just keep increasin’. You bein’ one of them.”
“Hey, I already said I wasn’t a fan. I just want to tease him a little.”
“Don’t say that to Lynette, even if you’re joking. You know as well as I do that she’d get mega pissed.”
Honestly, the thought of a fight to the death between Lynette and Fressa was kind of... Well, thinking about it, he wasn’t entirely against the idea. He wouldn’t deny that he was a little curious to see who was stronger. If they did end up fighting, would there be any reason to stop them?
Ẃ е̃_b n̆ о̊v е l̇ Е n̆ ǔm а́
Actually, yes, there was a large possibility that Nia would end up intervening. If she questioned why he hadn’t stopped them, he’d be in trouble.
“Then I’ll leave it at a handshake.”
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“Good. Oh, and about the guy we’ve to keep an eye on—”
“Anzel!” Anzel was interrupted by a dreaded voice from behind him.
“Why the hell are you here?”
When he turned around, he was faced with a mug that he had been forced to see every day—Becker. Not only was Anzel forced to see the guy at the bar, now he had to see him here too. Anzel was sick of his face by this point.
Еṅü m̈а. іd
“Work. Even us old fogies have work to do while it’s still light out. Oh? Why’re you here, Fressa, darling?”
“Tagging along with Anzel. He’s terrible with directions, gets lost all the time. I was worried enough I decided to come with him.”
Anzel silently slapped away Fressa’s hand as it reached up to pat him on the head. “You the messenger from the company?” he asked.
“Sure am. Here.” Becker held out half a contract.
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“I see. We sure bump into each other a lot...unfortunately.” Anzel pulled the other half from his own pocket, held it out, and joined it together with Becker’s.
Apparently, it wasn’t a coincidence that they were meeting here. Their relationship had upgraded from a bartender and his customer to colleagues working for the same company.
Ě ñ uma. і̀ d
“Hey, I just picked up some adventuring work. Aren’t you the one stepping outside your lane?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Doing work out in daylight was indeed rare for Anzel. He was more than aware that he wasn’t someone who should be boldly walking under the sun.
“It’s this way. You know your assignment, yeah?”
“Pretty much. Though I wouldn’t mind gettin’ another rundown to be safe.”
“Sure thing. I’ll explain on the way.”
“No way! I seriously can’t touch him?! I even said I’d be willing to settle for a handshake!”
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Anzel had known from the start that she’d never be allowed to lay a hand on the boy; he’d just kept it to himself because he knew she’d be a pain about it.
They confirmed the details of the job as they walked, but as the reality of it sank in, Fressa suddenly snapped. “Hey! Becker, you bastard! Just what kinda work is this, huh?!”
What was that about just accompanying me?
“Wh-What’s wrong, Fressa?!”
“Calm down, idiot.”
“Bwah.”
W.е̂b̊n о v́е̄l̀ Ѐ n̄u̇ m̀ a
Anzel kicked the girl’s butt when she tried to lunge at Becker, then repeated what he’d been told. “So you’re actually the main bodyguard, Becker, while my job is to patrol the surrounding area. In other words, I’m basically security monitoring a specified client. I’ve gotta do what I can to not get spotted by the client.” What that meant was that he would have no interaction with Neal.
“You freakin’ serious?! You joking?!” Fressa continued yelling.
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“You’re the one joking. Imagine sayin’ somethin’ like that while you’ve got your hand on your ass.”
“You’re the one who kicked it, asshole! I’m soothing it! That hurt way more than you’d think!”
“Oh, how terrible! How about this old man give it a little r— Sorry.”
Before Becker could finish such a ridiculous line, Fressa shot him a glare that immediately shut him up. As a talented adventurer, he was good at recognizing danger.
Е̇ñ ǔ m̊а̄
“What’s got her all worked up?” Becker asked. “She a fan of Neal?”
“She is indeed.”
“I already told you that’s not. It. I just want to give him a hug! A hug full of love!”
Don’t yell somethin’ like that so loud.
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“You’re supposed to just be taggin’ along, so you’ve got nothin’ to do with this gig. If it bothers you that much, then leave.”
“I’m coming! If I don’t manage to get even a handshake in, there was no point in me coming all this way! Plus my ass hurts! No, seriously, slow down, I’m not kidding...”
Е ñumà . і̊d̊
Anzel was pretty sure Fressa’s enthusiasm was more than enough to make her a fan, but he didn’t push it. It would just turn her into even more of a pain.
Ah, I get it now.
When they arrived at the location, there were already quite a lot of people gathered. Apparently, this area, including the warehouse, was Cedony Trading’s privately owned land, and there was a whole crowd gathered just outside the property line. The crowd looked to be around fifty people strong. According to Becker, they were here to watch.
With this many people around, it made sense to want someone to keep an eye on things from a distance.
“They’re gonna be doing a recording, I think.”
“Ah...” In other words, the group in the distance was the production crew. They were all dashing around with strange devices in their hands...and wearing school uniforms. After a closer look, Anzel noticed they were all kids.
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Anzel had no idea what was going on, but at the end of the day, it was none of his business.
“Ah, there’s Nea— Gwah!”
Anzel grabbed Fressa by the collar the second she tried to dash away.
“Don’t enter the premises. That’s not in my job description.”
“Awwwww...”
“I’m bein’ serious, you gotta stop doin’ this. It’s actually gonna impact my work,” Anzel warned, letting her go. If she still refused to listen, he’d have no choice but to fight her over it.
É ń um а.і ḋ
“Fine... I’ll just have Lynette call him over later.”
You still ain’t givin’ up? Well, whatever.
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“Where’s the client?” He wanted to at least be aware of where the kid was in case of an emergency situation.
“Underneath that sun umbrella over there. See the boy reading a book?”
“Over there? Ah, I see him. Lynette’s there too.”
There was a blond kid standing in the back as the production crew dashed about. The woman standing beside him wearing an attendant’s uniform was Lynette, one of the people they had worked with to earn the billion krams. She was strong herself.
Еn û m̀ ӑ . i̇ ḋ
And their eyes met.
“Hey, she ignored me. Anzel, she ignored me!”
“No shit. She’s an attendant to an aristocrat; she can’t just act like she knows shady types like us out in the open.” They were just a pair of suspicious bodyguards—nothing good would come of them being friendly in public.
“Someone you know?” Becker asked.
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“Don’t worry about it. I’ve confirmed the location of the client, but who’s the one I’m supposed to be monitoring?” Anzel had one more job on top of protecting Neal Liston, so he wanted to confirm the details of that too.
“The guy over there.” Becker pointed at a man who was wearing a dirty uniform and currently talking to the schoolkids. From his appearance, he looked like an engineer, not a sailor or warehouse worker.
Е nû m̀а̄. іd
“Hmm? Have we seen him before?” Fressa suddenly asked.
“What?” Anzel narrowed his eyes at the man.
You know, he does look kinda familiar... But Anzel couldn’t place him. Had he been to their bar, maybe? A onetime patron?
That didn’t seem right. It felt like they’d met somewhere else.
“Is that your type, Fressa?”
“Excuse me? Well... Okay, I’ll admit, he’s a bit handsome, but he’s not my type. I care more about Neal right now. He’s even cuter in person than on magivision. Give him ten, no, five more years, and he’ll be making girls cry like crazy.”
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“Am I your type?”
“Do you have money, old man? How much? Can you give me ten million krams at a moment’s notice? I could overlook your age and appearance for money, but that depends on how much you’d be willing to give me.”
“Oh, how I yearn to return to my youth. I may be old now, but I was young once too, you know. But these days I’ve got that real silver charm, don’t you think?”
“Should you really be saying stuff like that? You’ll just make yourself sad later.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Slightly wounded by the young woman’s words, Becker said his farewells and headed off.
Becker’s job was to protect Neal Liston from up close. Anzel and Fressa’s job was to protect Neal Liston from a distance and also to monitor a specific person.
Ŵĕb ṅ о́v ё l Ě n u mа
“Oh, now I remember.”
He’d been told explicitly to monitor that man in the engineer’s uniform. Why? Following that question reminded him of where he’d seen the man before.
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“Fressa, that’s that pirate captain.”
“What?” Fressa narrowed her eyes. “Oh, you’re right. His haircut and general vibe is completely different now.”
If Anzel recalled correctly, the guy had been the captain of the Hammerhead Sky Pirates. It had been his crew that attacked their airship when their whole team (minus Lynette) had gone hunting together.
Somewhat tired and covered in oil, the man was a far cry from the cocky captain Anzel remembered. The guy just looked like a civilian now.
W̌ e b̌ń оv̈е̂ l̂ Е n̊ ũm а
No... He didn’t just look like a civilian, he’d really become one.
“So they want us to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t escape?” Fressa asked.
“That, and if he tries to hurt someone, step in and stop him. But... Nah, never mind.” He didn’t seem like he would start anything. That was how much of a civilian he appeared to be now.
After waiting around for a while, one of the schoolkids and the former captain came over.
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The former captain immediately recognized Anzel and Fressa. “Huh? Aren’t you two—?”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Anzel interrupted. “We’ll be in charge of guardin’ you all today. I’m not big on formalities, but I’ll do my job, so I’d appreciate it if you could overlook that.”
E n̊u m̌ а̂
“Same here. Nice to meet you,” Fressa added.
Before the former captain could say any more, the two of them made their position clear.
“O-Oh, yeah, of course. Nice to meet you.” The guy immediately picked up that they were telling him to not say too much—a sign that he definitely used to be part of the bad side. It was unlikely that he wanted his former identity to be discovered either.
The young boy spoke up. “You’re both from Cedony Trading, correct? My name is Wagnes. I’m the one in charge of our production crew. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard roughly what’s goin’ on. You can just ignore us. Do whatever you need to. Don’t feel pressured to chat with us after this either.”
After introductions, Wagnes returned to his crew, leaving behind the ex-captain.
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“You guys my babysitters?”
“Uh-huh. What are you even doin’ here?” Anzel asked.
The ex-captain chuckled with a smug grin. “I used to be an airship engineer. I’ve just returned to my old job is all.”
“Oh yeah, we heard something about that,” Fressa said.
When they’d had their final meeting about the billion krams with Nia, the Hammerheads had come up—something about how they’d been chased out of Marvelia. Anzel had never imagined they’d end up meeting again like this though. It could be that he was the reason Anzel had been requested for the job. They were only acquaintances, but he at least knew who this ex-captain was.
“You can’t touch me now. I’m an engineer of Cedony!” He had such a proud look on his face.
Ẽ ńu m̆a_. і̊ d
“Why would we? Ain’t you a regular civ now? Sounds good to me,” Anzel replied with a shrug.
“Right. It isn’t up to us how to deal with the crimes you committed.”
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“Eh? What? Is it that simple?”
After spending their whole lives in the underworld, Anzel and Fressa both believed that if someone could clean their hands of it all and return to the surface, they should.
“Are you two not...upset about that?”
“Not particularly.”
Eñu̇m̊_а́
“Nope.”
He could’ve purified himself of his sins and that still wouldn’t be something for them to care about. Only those involved had any need to be concerned about this man’s status.
“I will beat up anyone who gets too full of themselves, though, so watch yourself, okay?” Fressa warned.
“Agreed. Get too cocky with that smarmy face of yours and I’ll leak that you’re an ex-sky pirate in two seconds flat.”
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“G-Got it. I’ll be careful.”
The ex-captain’s name was Rignar, and it turned out he was telling the truth when he’d said he was working as an airship engineer for Cedony Trading now. Apparently, his pay was pretty bad and he didn’t get much in the way of vacation time, but... Well, essentially he was an indentured servant. A lot of the pirates of his crew were working with him, but none of them really had any complaints about their current situation.
Ẁе bṅö v_e̊ l Е n̂ u mа
“You’re...really all right with this?” Anzel couldn’t help but ask.
“For now. Honestly, I’m just happy I can proudly work as an engineer. Just being able to work, fill my belly with some yummy food, and sleep without having to worry about a thing is enough for me. Oh, mind if I have a smoke?”
Rignar lifted his index and middle fingers up when he saw Anzel put a cigarette between his lips.
“Whew... Half of my crew were originally engineers from Marvelia. We only became sky pirates because we all lost our jobs. We had no work, no money, just our skills as engineers. Eventually, we decided to strike out as sky pirates. We weren’t taking it that seriously—all we had to do was point some cannons at unsuspecting trade ships and we’d get our hands on a bunch of goods. We managed to survive on that for a while, but...before we knew it, we’d gone too far over the line to turn back. We weren’t real villains at heart, just craftsmen, so we couldn’t actually commit to anything evil. The only thing we could do was tinker with the airships. You could barely even call us crooks. We only managed to get by because we were able to get the airships into decent shape. All the weapons installed were made by us, y’see.”
Apparently, they had been proficient at airship combat. It wasn’t a matter of being strong or weak individually, but rather, they were strong in the types of battles unique to sky pirates.
“To be honest with you, I was saved that day. I just couldn’t get used to roughing people up no matter how much time passed, but since I was their captain, I had to pull everyone up along with me. Man, that was almost impossible. Have you seen how terrifying other sky pirates are? If we’d kept going as we were, sooner or later, everyone would’ve ended up dead. Our luck would’ve run out eventually.”
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Cedony must have recruited them because they’d been able to see their true character. No company would want to hire someone who was actually dangerous, no matter their skills. Well, whatever the case, this wasn’t something for Anzel to concern himself with either. Anzel was here to protect Neal Liston and keep an eye on Rignar. Their circumstances were of no importance to him.
“And? Why’s an engineer like you here? Do you have something to do with the recording?” Fressa asked.
“Ahh, well, you see, there’s this thing called Wingroad...”
And that was how they ended up with a surprising new acquaintance.
The recording seemed to be about some competitive skiff sport called Wingroad. It looked like they were recording the skiffs going crazy fast.
“Ohhh, I get it. It’s like horse racing.”
Ёñ u m а́. і̊ d
Fressa’s analogy immediately helped Anzel understand. The more he heard, the more it really did sound like horse racing. Wingroad was just another way of gambling by betting on the speed of something that was gaining popularity in Vanderouge. Cedony Trading was planning to take the sport on as a new business.
“He really is as cute as I remember!”
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The question of Neal Liston’s cuteness aside, it seemed he was just here to ride on the Wingroad skiffs and wasn’t part of the recording. Rather, the star of the show here was a schoolkid named Char who looked a bit more on the rougher side.
When they weren’t recording, the two kids would have fun racing on the skiffs, so at the very least, Neal’s presence wasn’t being treated as a nuisance—there had to have been a reason he was here too.
Anzel would learn later that Neal was going to be on various Wingroad-related programs; it was around this time that he started working to be the spark for Wingroad’s popularity in Altoire.
Recordings for this particular program would take place over about two months, totaling around ten sessions. They would record Char riding his Wingroad skiff, spend a few days making adjustments, then record him riding it again. The recording was divided into several sessions to account for the length of time it would take to make adjustments to the skiff.
Е n̊ u m а. і̃ d
From Anzel’s point of view, it already looked like the fastest skiff he’d ever seen. Yet apparently, it was actually on the slower side, and actual professional Wingroad was much faster.
Vanderouge being dubbed the Empire of Flight was no joke—he could sense the technical prowess that lived up to its name in those skiffs.
The fifth day of recording arrived.
“Damn, it’s gettin’ hot.”
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“It is almost summer.”
Underneath the sun’s steadily harsher rays, Anzel and Fressa watched the port from afar as usual. It seemed news of the recording had spread, because the onlookers had almost certainly increased in number. They were all here to see the young prince of the Liston family, Neal Liston; they wanted to get a glimpse of a celebrity’s face.
Е̇ n̄ ǔ m а̊ . і̀d̂
“Say, it’s fine for us to call over Lynette by now, surely?”
“Of course not,” Anzel snapped. There was a woman right beside him who had the same goal as those onlookers, so he could tell. Though honestly, he had no idea why they wanted to see a kid’s face so badly.
This was the fifth recording, and therefore, it was their fifth shift. In that time, no potential danger had made contact with Fressa’s potential victim.
Secretly, Anzel was relieved about that. If anything happened to Neal, Nia would not take it well. Fressa should have known that herself, but...a lot of times it felt like Fressa didn’t truly understand, so he could never let his guard down. He viewed her as an ally, but she could very easily become an enemy.
“Yo, you two! Keepin’ good?!” Rignar wandered over in his dirty uniform. This was the fifth time they had met, so they were decently close by now.
“Finished with the adjustments?”
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Since Rignar was the one in charge of the skiff Neal was riding, the final checks were down to him.
Incidentally, Char’s skiff was apparently self-made, including all the tuning and customizations—now with advice from Rignar as a specialist.
“Yup, they’re gonna start recording soon. Never mind that though. I’ve got a fun little tidbit for you, Anzel.”
“Huh?”
“Gimme a smoke if you agree. If it’s boring, then... Well, it’s just one. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Buy your own.”
Ẃěb̀n̈ӧv ël̆. Еǹŭ_m а
“But I get paid so little.”
Honestly, having this guy come begging him for a cigarette every time was starting to get annoying, but the ex-captain was always a chatterbox, and giving him a smoke got his mouth running, so in its own way, it was fun.
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“All right, go for it.”
For now, Anzel would give him one.
“Ahhh, that’s the stuff.” After taking a slow drag, Rignar began his story. “None of this is public yet, but we’re building something incredible right now.”
“In what way?”
W̊ е̄b ñо v̇e l̈ Ӗ ńúṁ а̂
“We’re developing a toy. It uses magic to automatically assemble the parts of a skiff.”
An auto-assembling skiff... That sure sounded familiar.
“Isn’t that what we saw before?” Fressa whispered.
Anzel nodded. It probably was.
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It was those parts they’d found (and stolen) when they’d taken on one of the routine checks of the underground waterways. They’d sold every single piece, doing their best to hide their tracks. Since the parts were stolen smuggled goods, they had sold them not to Cedony but to some shady source with a reputation for buying anything. It seemed they had somehow ended up at Cedony anyway, if going by Rignar’s words.
“Apparently, they want to reveal it at the tournament. So, what do you think? Interesting enough for another smoke?”
Е̃ ń ů m̀ а̇
“Fine, here. I’ll admit it was a little interesting.”
“Heh heh, thanks.”
Anzel handed Rignar—cackling away like some minion—a cigar case filled with rolled cigarettes.
“Wait, you sure you want to give me the whole case too?”
“It’s fine. It’s a cheap little thing anyway. If you don’t want it, just toss it.”
“Hee hee, I’m thankful, boss.” He really did laugh like a little henchman.
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“You probably shouldn’t tell us stuff like that,” Fressa warned. “Aren’t there confidentiality clauses with this type of thing?”
“What? I can’t tell you? They never said I couldn’t...”
“You still shouldn’t. Leaking information about your workplace to outsiders is a big no-no, you know? Plus, aren’t you an engineer? You could get your pay cut or even get fired for something like this.”
“Oh, crap. Don’t tell anyone what I told you.”
Why would they? If the authorities tried to track the trade route, they’d end up learning the truth about where the parts had come from.
“Rignar, can you come here a second?” Wagnes was waving at them.
Ё n̊um̀а
“Sorry, gotta go.”
As Rignar left, he was replaced by Becker.
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“Yo, you two. Nice work today.”
“You don’t gotta keep comin’ to see us like this. You’ll be droppin’ by the bar this evening, won’t you?” The adventurer’s constant visits to the Shadow Rat hadn’t stopped.
“It’s just a bit hard to work with the kid, y’see?” Becker smiled uncomfortably.
“He treatin’ you bad?”
Еṅů ṁа
“Oh, need me to take over?” Fressa asked. “You can take my place guarding the outside.”
“Nah, it’s the opposite. Neal, he... He looks at me with such reverence. Naturally, he tries to start conversations with me all the time too. I’m a bit famous, so he can’t help but be curious.”
“I’m gonna kill you, old man.”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly so mad, Fressa?”
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One liked Neal but couldn’t get close. The other was close but felt overwhelmed by Neal’s interest in him.
How ironic.
E ǹ ǔm̈ а. і̇ d́
“Don’t worry about it,” Anzel interjected. “Anyway, is there really anythin’ to you worth admirin’?”
“I’m as clueless as you are about that, but it doesn’t change that it’s hard to deal with. He looks at me with such innocent joy... Imagine if he saw me flirting with the ladies.” Turned out the old man didn’t want to break the little boy’s illusions. “Enough of that though... You’ve both noticed, haven’t you?”
They had.
They’d noticed, but they were deliberately doing nothing about it.
“What do you intend to do?” Becker deferred to them, as the outside security.
“For now, they’re just watching. If we attack them without justification, we’re gonna be the ones gettin’ arrested,” Anzel replied.
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“So you’re just gonna stand here and do nothing?”
“If they try to get any closer, we’ll give ’em a scare. It’s still too early for that though. I want to get a feel for their movements and see what they’re after, so we’re gonna continue pretendin’ we haven’t noticed ’em. If they try any funny business, I’ll immediately take ’em out.”
“Got it. So long as you know what you’re doing, I won’t overstep. Be careful.”
Becker must have come over to give them a heads-up. A strange group had been watching the recording since about the second session. The way they hid their presence showed considerable skill—Anzel likely wouldn’t have detected them if he couldn’t use chi. The only ones capable of something of that level were the main house of the Qilong. It was probably the same crew he’d run into the other night, or at least their buddies.
The issue here was that Anzel had no idea what their goal was. Was it Anzel himself they had business with? Or were they trying to taunt him?
“Fressa, can you tell how many there are?”
Е n̈ ŭ ṁ а .і d
“Four, I think? But I feel like there has to be more.”
“That’s what I was thinkin’. I can feel a ton of eyes on us—way more than just four pairs of ’em.”
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Anzel had told Becker that he was letting them do as they wished for now, but that wasn’t quite accurate.
Anzel was the type of person to beat up anyone suspicious that dared try and approach his client. He knew that if he chose to wait too long, he’d regret it later; he was the type to aggressively weed out any potential threats.
But right now, Anzel had no idea how many members of the Qilong were here. If he let even just one of them get away, things would get insanely troublesome later. That one leak could lead to even more reinforcements being called or a more indiscriminate attack.
The best-case scenario was taking them all out at once. Night was the best time for it. It was a pain trying to do damage control during the day, so for now, Anzel and Fressa would let them do as they pleased. They wouldn’t even look at them, would give them no sign that they’d seen them. If the Qilong was looking down on them, then there was no way for them to be aware of Anzel’s and Fressa’s intentions.
Еn̆u m̊ а̃..і d
The fact even Becker could manage to detect them meant these were probably lower-ranking members; that much was certain. Executives of such a prestigious organization wouldn’t be so stupid. They wouldn’t have just stood there as Anzel hit them like those guys the other night.
“What’s the plan? Are we going to kill them?”
“Still too early for that. Once we’re sure of how many there are, we’ll make our move. Oh, and we won’t be killin’ them.” If they went that far, the main house in Wu Haitong would almost certainly send people after them, including the dangerous executives. There was no way Anzel would be able to handle that.
“Ugh, they’re so annoying. I want to just stare at Neal all day, not deal with them.”
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Well, at least Anzel had something to be thankful to them for.
Though the sun’s rays were getting harsher and harsher by the day, the seventh and eighth recordings continued without incident. Anzel still hadn’t been told what exactly they were recording, but from what he could tell, things seemed to be going smoothly.
Е̌nů m а. і̄d
There were a few annoyances like having to prevent some overly passionate girls from trying to run up to Neal, chasing off a woman who tried bribing him with a large sum of money to let her through, and leaving the girls who tried to push past Anzel by force to Fressa. Beyond all that, though, the most dangerous woman here was behaving herself and for that, he was thankful.
“Okay, this gig is really starting to get on my nerves... Lynette won’t come over to say hello, Becker won’t bring over Neal, you keep being boring and telling me to wait, I’m getting no reward, and it’s so hot. What am I even doing here? How long have I gotta wait around twiddling my thumbs right in front of my target?”
At least she had been behaving herself, but it sounded like she was hitting her limit. Would their work finish before Fressa exploded or should he negotiate to at least let her get a handshake with Neal?
“Yo, you two. Seems like we just have one or two more recordings before they wrap it up,” Rignar reported as he sauntered over.
“Bring Neal over.”
“What? Where’d that come from? The young master? You want me to bring him over? Are you crazy? That kid’s the most important person here.”
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“I don’t care. Bring him over here.”
“I really can’t...”
“Bring him over. Bring him over right now. I won’t do anything, I swear. I’ll limit it to a little kiss.”
Don’t that count as “doin’ something”?
“Ugh, why am I even saying that’s a limit? Is kissing me really a punishment?” Now she was fully having a conversation with herself. She really was at her wit’s end.
“Ignore her,” Anzel said, pushing aside the woman who was growing progressively more frustrated. “Are there any problems?”
W̆ е̂ b̃ n о̂ v̊ӗ l̊ Еnu m̂а́
“None, as far as I know. The obstacles for their race just arrived so I think they’re doing an actual mock race today.”
The kids had originally been riding the skiffs as fast as they could, but now that they had rules and a course decided, it was starting to look like a real competition—Wingroad was slowly taking shape.
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“Oh, and about that thing I was talking about before, we’ve finally finished a prototype.”
“That thing...? Oh, that.” He meant the skiff that could automatically assemble itself.
“All that’s left is the presentation. You guys should watch too. It’ll make you feel like a kid again.”
Anzel had certainly already felt that sense of wonder—and certainly if this would have been his first time seeing an auto-assembling skiff, he’d have been looking forward to it.
Ёn u m a . і̃ d́
Races were one of the main Wingroad disciplines. Just like horse racing, the competitors would start at the same time and try to beat the others to the goal. The races themselves came in broadly four different types, with the one today being an obstacle race. Floating rings were lined up in the air a short distance away from the island—the ocean was beneath them, but they were still within the windbreak airspace. The boys were to go through each one in order while aiming for the goal.
“It kinda feels like the risk of crashing is pretty high,” Fressa said.
“Yeah, it does.” The rings were big, but in a real match, there could be five to ten racers participating. If that many skiffs tried to fit through one of those rings, it’d be a tight fit. “But honestly, that’s probably half the appeal of watchin’.”
Anzel had never seen a Wingroad race before, but it made sense when he imagined it like a horse race. The positioning, timing of the dash, getting into the right angle to pass through the next ring with the shortest possible distance, and then the potential for rough plays like deliberately ramming into other racers or blocking the way forward... All of that brought forth a competitor’s skill.
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“I’m looking forward to this a little. Maybe I should pick up watching races—I can laugh at the trash who keep betting in the hopes they’ll escape their debt.”
“You have some messed-up hobbies.” To each their own, he supposed.
Е ṅũm a .іd̆
The recording was going well when suddenly, something felt off.
“Anzel,” Fressa hissed at him.
“I know.”
Neal and Char had done plenty of practice flights on their skiffs, and it was now finally time to record them doing a real speed race. Anzel and Fressa, guarding the outside of the premises, noticed the shift at the same time.
Something about their surroundings had changed.
The presences of the Qilong members that had been watching them had all disappeared at once, and Anzel and Fressa could no longer feel their gazes. Moments like this were always dangerous; it was like when suspects swiftly left the scene of the crime.
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Where were they?
What had they done?
What had they set up?
Had they done anything at all?
Was something about to happen?
Anzel was the first to notice. “Track where they went!”
E ṅû m̆ а. і d
“Wait, I’ll go that— Ugh, dammit!”
That small difference was enough for Anzel to get a head start that Fressa couldn’t beat. Anzel dashed one way and Fressa dashed the other.
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Neal’s skiff had gone strangely off-balance. Best-case scenario was that it wasn’t anything strange at all and Anzel had simply misunderstood—he’d just jumped the gun a little. But if this was some setup, it could be deadly.
And something did happen. Neal’s skiff was dashing at full speed for the goal, and then suddenly, the skiff slowed down and began sputtering out black smoke.
Shit, it’s gonna explode.
“Anzel! Look at me!” Becker frantically shouted from right behind him. Anzel turned to look and saw a stone flying toward him. When he caught it, he saw it had been engraved with a magic circle. “Fill that with mana and then throw it! I’m counting on you!”
Ẇ е̇ b̌ n оv̄ el Ӗ ňum ā
Anzel had a rough idea of what the stone was; it was a keystone. Keystones were like switches that could activate magical devices. It was such a regular part of modern life that they were even used for skiffs and airships.
Anzel took the keystone and flung it as hard as he could beyond the island toward where Neal and Char were flying.
Before he knew it, skiff parts were flying past him right toward the keystone.
“Ngh...! Please help him!”
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Lynette dashed in from somewhere else at around the same time as Anzel, but the moment she came into view, she began falling behind—she was struggling to run in her attendant’s uniform. Right now, Anzel was the clear faster of the two.
He had no time to respond to her.
W̊ е bn̂.o ve l E n̂u mа̇
“I’m comin’ to help!” Anzel yelled to Neal, who was clearly panicking now that his skiff was billowing smoke and out of his control. So long as he knew help was on the way, he’d be fine. “Don’t touch him!” Char had tried to approach upon noticing something was wrong, but he fell back at Anzel’s shout. If the kid made one wrong move, they’d both be in trouble. A risk like that should be left to a bodyguard.
Anzel dashed up the barrier at the edge of the island and jumped for the skiff that had assembled in the air. This was one intended for races as well. In terms of driving it, well... He’d just need to hope that it would be like the skiffs he’d ridden before.
When he landed on the skiff, he grabbed the handles and immediately turned on the magic engine.
“Tch... The hell is this?”
It had already sounded loud from afar, but now that Anzel was on the skiff, the revving and vibrations were much louder than he’d expected. To make things worse, it was way too fast. Never mind trying to control the thing, it felt impossible to even adjust the speed. If he wasn’t careful, he’d unintentionally end up at max speed. Thanks to that, he ended up zooming right past Neal.
At least it seemed to have the same controls as the skiffs he’d ridden before, but the speed was on a completely different level. In that respect, he was out of his depth.
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Skiffs tailored for stupid levels of speed like this were impossible to make quick maneuvers with—at least, for Anzel’s current skill level. The kids were making it look easy, but faced with it himself, he understood the difficulty. The best Anzel would be able to do would be to get close.
That would be enough though.
“All right.” He’d gotten used to it—sort of. He just needed to stop thinking so hard.
Anzel had accidentally overshot the first time, but this time, he managed to approach the wobbling skiff. Char was still watching from a safe distance as Anzel had told him to.
“In ten seconds, jump! I’ll catch you!” he yelled after making sure to enter Neal’s line of sight. Their eyes had met, so Anzel was sure he’d heard.
He circled around and then once more began approaching Neal from behind.
Е̌ ǹü ma
After exactly ten seconds, Neal jumped. If the boy screamed, Anzel couldn’t hear. Though he wasn’t sure if that was because the wind was too loud or because Anzel was just too focused.
He held his hand out to the boy floating in the air.
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“No way!”
Before he could grab the boy, he flew right past his hand. The winds were so strong that Neal’s body had swerved just that tiniest bit, enough that he was just out of reach of Anzel’s fingers.
I can’t reach.
I can’t reach him like this.
W.е b̄ n о v el Е_ň u m̀а̄
I need to extend... No. Not my arm.
I need to kick.
He didn’t need to do it as well as when Nia walked in the air. So long as he could move to the side a little, that would be enough. Just one kick!
He’d never practiced it, but he could visualize it. Maybe that was the influence of having practiced the basics so thoroughly like Nia had mentioned.
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Anzel felt like he could do it. He still wasn’t able to reliably extend his chi, but in this moment...
In this moment, when his concentration was the greatest it had ever been...
W̊ е b n.о́v́el Е̃n̆ ǔm ã
He took as much chi as possible from his whole body, centered it all on his left leg, and then visualized it being expelled as he kicked!
He hit something. He felt something that wasn’t supposed to be there hit the bottom of his foot. His skiff shifted to the side.
I can reach!
“Good! You did a great job!” he yelled at the boy as he pulled him in and tucked him under his arm as he gained height again.
If Neal had fallen, he would’ve been dead. Despite how scary it must have been to jump, he’d still listened to Anzel’s instructions. The kid had guts, that was for sure.
“Ah, the skiff...” Neal sadly muttered as he turned his head back to watch the skiff he had been riding slowly descend.
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“Say...is that expensive?”
“Yes.”
“A skiff can’t be that expensive, surely. Give up on it and buy another.”
“W-Well, you see...that cost over twenty million krams...”
“Well then. I’ll do my best but don’t count on me succeedin’.”
Twenty million krams was not a value he could just abandon. He had to at least attempt to salvage it.
Ėn̈u ṁ а̄
After entrusting Neal to Lynette and Becker, who were waiting at the edge of the island, Anzel flew back into the air again. He accelerated toward the falling skiff, catching up in no time at all.
“Please don’t blow up on me...” That risk was why Anzel had told Neal to jump off in the first place—now that he had to retrieve it, all he could do was pray it wouldn’t. He called out his attuned weapon and levered it between the handles and the fairing.
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“This is so goddamn heavy!”
Forcing his own skiff to a stop, Anzel put as much strength into his arm as possible, trembling with the effort. The veins in his neck stood out under the strain. He was essentially trying to stop a skiff with one arm, something that would have been impossible without the help of chi.
“All right...” He somehow managed to stop the broken skiff from falling.
“Whoa.”
Ѐn̈um̂ а̇ .ï d
But it seemed he’d gotten a bit too close to the water’s surface, having to suddenly dodge the lance fish jumping out of the sea at him.
For now, the twenty million was safe. It was still spitting out smoke, but there had to be parts that were still usable.
“U-Um!” When Anzel returned to land, Neal came running up with a blinding smile.
“Stop. Don’t bother with me. I just did my job.”
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That smile was far too bright for a man of the underworld like Anzel. Suddenly he understood exactly what Becker meant.
“I-I fixed it right, honest!” No one had said anything, but Rignar was already panicking. Anzel couldn’t blame him. If a skiff broke down, the first to blame would be the engineer who’d worked on it. Becker, the production crew, and Char were all giving him a look.
W ӗb n̂о́v ӗ ĺ Еn ů m̃_а̀
Especially Lynette—she looked about ready to kill him with that frightening gaze.
“I know.” Neal was the one to speak up. “It wasn’t your fault, Rignar. There was something weird with the tank.”
The tank... In other words, the part where the manastones that fueled the skiff were kept.
“So I think the problem was likely to do with the fuel. Maybe there was an issue with one of the manastones,” Neal explained.
A faulty manastone would mean the skiff had stopped functioning because there had been an issue with the fuel source. Honestly, it was a miracle it hadn’t blown up.
“The fuel? Then why didn’t we have any issues before the recording? You were flying with it perfectly fine.” Even though Neal’s theory served as a good defense for him, Rignar still debated it. He was right though—Char and Neal had been flying around just fine earlier. It was only when the recording started that it had started to break down.
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“Ah-ha, I see now... The difference would have been in the acceleration then, right?” Becker suggested, his expression grave. This was a look of professionalism he’d never shown at the Shadow Rat.
“Nothing strange happened during practice, and then it did during the real thing. The main difference between those flights was your speed. You’d be going at full throttle for the recording. A manastone set to react when a certain amount of fuel was used or when the mana pressure reached a certain level might have been mixed in. But, well, hey, we have the skiff in question. May as well take a look and see the answer for ourselves.”
Becker looked at Anzel as if waiting for his opinion.
“I’m goin’ back to my post.” Anzel was just a bodyguard. It did no good to ask for his opinion. He’d given them the information they needed, so there was no need for him to stay.
“Thanks, Anzel. I should really have been the one to do all that.”
Anzel said nothing in response to Becker’s gratitude as he returned to his spot.
W̆ е̌bň о̄ v̇.ėl̈ Еn̊ um̃ а
The skiff was always tuned up right before the recording, so any foul play should have immediately been spotted. Rignar might have been a cocky blabbermouth, but Anzel was sure he was doing his job properly.
The fuel tank, however, likely wasn’t on Rignar’s list to work on or check. Someone must have sneaked in overnight and replaced one of the manastones in the tank with a faulty one. Once it overloaded, it had caused issues with the skiff.
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A shadowy assassin’s organization could carry out a scheme like that without issue. That would explain why they’d all withdrawn from the scene at that moment. Their frequent observations of the scene meant that they were aware of exactly when the skiff would reach its maximum speed—exactly when their trap would be sprung.
They’d vanished the second the recording of the skiff race started.
There was no decisive evidence.
But it sure was suspicious as hell.
Е̊n ū mа̂ .іd
“Anzel.” Fressa returned shortly after Anzel had returned to their spot and calmed down the anxious onlookers. “Is Neal safe?”
“I mean, you can see him, can’t you?” They’d resumed their recording, despite the incident. The kids were zooming around in the air, and the onlookers were watching the sport with interest.
Despite what had happened to Neal, he was barely shaken—he was a tough kid. Anzel could certainly believe he was Nia’s older brother.
“Did you find ’em?”
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“Yup. Looks like there’s about ten of them.”
“We’ll attack tonight.”
Eṅù m̊ ӓ. і d̊
“Good.” Fressa smiled. “If you weren’t going to do anything, I’d be going it alone.”
“No killing.”
“Aw man, really? What about leaving them half dead?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, I’ll stop at that, then.”
Now that that was decided, there was someone Anzel had to talk to—someone he knew he could trust to help clean up.
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“We’re closin’ up for the night. Go ho— Oh, it’s you.”
It was late and their customers had already started to trickle out. In the midst of all the regulars passed out drunk at the tables, a new customer arrived.
“Good evening.”
It was Lynette, Neal’s personal attendant and one of Nia’s students. She was no longer wearing her attendant’s uniform, now dressed in the adventurer’s outfit she’d worn while out hunting for the billion krams.
Most notably, her eyes were determined.
“Oh, Lynette! You should’ve come say hello at the recording location.”
Е̂n̂ù m̆а̀.i d
“Given my position, that wasn’t possible, you know that.” Lynette walked right up to the counter. “You know who the culprit is, don’t you?”
She was definitely referring to the incident that had happened at the recording.
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“Seems like it was just an accident, no?” Anzel said.
“Do you really believe that?” Lynette had to have noticed the suspicious eyes fixed on the scene every session. “Can we skip this foolishness? I won’t back down. I’ll get it out of you by force if I have to.”
By force. Anzel could tell from the look in her eyes that this wasn’t an empty threat. Not that he had any real reason to hide it from her.
“I have no proof. It’s purely an educated guess.”
Ê ǹ u ḿá
“That’s enough for me.”
Anzel put down the dish he was drying and placed a cigarette between his lips. “As I’m sure you were aware, that recording was bein’ watched by some shady guys that whole time, and I’m pretty sure that the issues today were ’cause of them. You’re better off not knowin’ who they are. Not just for your sake, but for Neal Liston’s, as well.”
Lynette looked on in silence. She wanted him to continue.
“I’m talkin’ under the assumption they actually did do somethin’ here. Their motive was likely to take a potshot at me.”
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“So the young master was wrapped up into your mess?”
“Not quite. It’s ’cause I refused to give ’em info on Leeno. Personally, I think that makes it half Lily’s fault.” Nia had been clear that they were to keep Leeno’s identity hidden.
Е n um̊ a.і d̈
Lynette silently glared. At least she wasn’t objecting.
“I refused to give ’em what they wanted, and so they caused an incident. It’s a threat—if I don’t want someone else to be hurt, I should hurry up and give them the info.”
“So the reason they targeted the young master was to scare you, yes?”
They might not have even been targeting Neal specifically at all. From how they’d gone about it, all they’d had to do was mix in a faulty manastone in the tank. They most likely hadn’t put in too many because someone would’ve noticed. And then it had just been a matter of waiting until either Neal or Char used it. Of course, there had always been the chance that neither used it or it misfired.
They’d maybe find out the truth if they looked into it, but to be frank, Anzel and Fressa didn’t care. The suspicious would be punished; that was all that mattered. Lynette likely felt the same way—that was why she was here now.
“Probably. But it ain’t my fault, all right?” Anzel might have been the target, but he wasn’t the one responsible.
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“I know. Whatever the situation is, I won’t be so ridiculous as to act like the young master was targeted just because the two of you were there. The one who did this in the first place is the one truly at fault. The one who pulled the young master into their ploys is at fault. The one who tried to involve innocent bystanders is clearly at fault. And? I won’t ask you who the culprit was, but you’ll tell me where they are, won’t you?”
“As I said, I have no proof it’s them.”
“And as I said, that’s fine. I’ll beat them up and get them to confess if I have to. First though, we have to make sure they’ll never do something so insolent again, yes? At least, that’s what I intend to do, regardless of my opponent. That’s why I’m here. If they aren’t the culprit, then it’s their fault for being suspicious in the first place.”
That was some insane logic—but Anzel didn’t mind it.
“I like your style. How about we go a little crazy, just the two of us?” Fressa asked.
“So long as you don’t get in the way again.”
W è b ǹо ve l̇ Е ǹ ǔm á
The ladies seemed motivated enough—they were exuding so much killing intent that Anzel was starting to feel sorry for them. Did the two of them love Neal that much? They were good examples of how obsessive love could drive people to do evil.
At this rate, Anzel wouldn’t even get his own turn.
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No, really, he might not get his own turn. He’d started to worry that would be the case, but it really seemed like it was going to turn out that way.
After closing up shop, the three of them headed to the base of the Qilong. It turned out they were renting out a whole old apartment block. They must have chosen long-term lodgings over a hotel because of how much time was left until the tournament.
The raid was simple: Knock on each door and beat up whoever answered. If the person didn’t answer, then they’d either pick the lock or break the door down. The building being old-fashioned meant the locks would be old-fashioned; Fressa could pick them in seconds.
The girls slowly but steadily dealt with each of the apartments, like a pair of cats entering a mouse’s den. Anzel was observing Fressa and Lynette do their thing from afar.
Е̃ n̈ů m̊ ӓ
He couldn’t help but think about how smoothly it was all going. Anzel was on standby in case any of them tried to sneak away, but it didn’t look as if his role would be necessary.
And then he heard the sound of harsh breaths.
Good. Looked like he would get a turn after all.
“Yo.”
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A man had realized they were being raided and had run out of his flat.
“A-Anzel...?!”
Еň ũm̈ а́
Anzel stood in front of him. “And where do you think you’re goin’? You’re the ones who started this.”
“Th-The hell you talking about? We’ve done nothi—”
“Watch behind you.” The moment Anzel gave his warning, the man was being knocked over the head.
“I’m not letting a single one of you rats escape.” Lynette’s murderous eyes gleamed in the dark.
“That’s enough. Leave the rest to me,” Anzel said, stepping forward.
“What? Why?” Those sharp eyes were now looking right at Anzel. That gaze was exciting. If he said one wrong word here, they’d start fighting immediately, no doubt.
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“If you take things too far, you’re gonna get yourself arrested. Who’s gonna protect the little man then?”
“You’re not leaving it at this, are you?”
“Of course not. This is where we shine, honestly.”
Lynette’s eyes did not drop.
“Just go home already. Don’t get involved with the underbelly of Altoire again.”
For just a moment, Anzel’s hostility mixed with Lynette’s. He at least seemed to have managed to make it clear to her that if they ended up fighting, he would stop her.
Е n u m̊ а̄. і d̃
“In that case...” Lynette gave the man who had tried to escape one last powerful kick, even after he’d been hit so hard he’d collapsed to the ground. “I’ll leave him to you.” With that, Lynette went off into the night.
“Lucky you, eh? That crazy lady went home.”
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Lynette must have gotten in a good one, because the guy writhed in pain before throwing up. Anzel was thankful himself—gods knew what he’d do if she hadn’t held back.
“Say.” Anzel waited until the man’s pain settled a little and then squatted down beside him. “I was eyein’ you guys up as the main house of the Qilong.”
The man turned his face up quizzically, harsh breaths still racking his body as he remained there on hands and knees.
“But you’re not, are you? You’re not the Qilong.”
Ѐn ū ma.
“N-No, I...” The man hesitated over his answer. If he admitted he was a member of the Qilong, not only would his identity as an assassin be exposed, but it would also become known that the Qilong had lost a battle—which would severely break their code. This sort of thing was different from simply losing a match on the big stage, where killing was forbidden.
However, if he didn’t acknowledge his identity, he would be dealt with here in Altoire as a regular foreigner. In either case, his life was in danger. Should he admit that he was from the Qilong or should he keep that hidden?
“If you’re strugglin’ to come up with an answer here, then you must be somethin’ else, no? The real Qilong would immediately deny it.” Anzel’s voice was low, low enough that he could hear any approaching footsteps. “The Qilong that I know would never involve civilians, let alone a kid.They ain’t half-assed bad guys like us who get blinded by money or can get sweet-talked into doin’ anything. They’re professionals, through and through. So if you are Qilong, you’re not the Qilong that I know. You’re just common trash. If you tell me you are part of the main house, then damn have they fallen in the last few years.”
The man had been searching for a way to run the whole time, but suddenly, he gasped in shock. Before Anzel knew it, a group of men wearing black were surrounding them.
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“We’ll take him in.”
It was Dao Zanxi, the leader of Altoire’s Qilong. Now this was the real Qilong that Anzel knew.
Ė ň ŭm̃ ӑ
“Thanks.”
Anzel had been the one to call them. He honestly couldn’t care less how they dealt with him so he left it to them. It was their fellow Qilong, after all.
“See you.”
After meeting back up, Anzel and Fressa had walked home together, splitting up halfway.
Anzel wandered through the night capital. He still found calm in the dark of night rather than under the rays of the sun. Despite having just been involved in a raid, he was sauntering as if nothing had happened. Such things didn’t faze him anymore, and he didn’t linger on them more than necessary. He truly believed a person like him didn’t belong in the light.
“Man...” Anzel stopped and sighed. “Thought an evening was gonna go by without me havin’ to see your damn mug.”
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“Ha ha. On the other hand, this old man was feeling awful lonely not getting to see you tonight.” Someone walked out from the shadows and stopped in front of Anzel. A man weighed down by the cruelty of time was illuminated by the faint light of the stars. It was Becker. He hadn’t dropped by the Shadow Rat that night, but in the end, here they met.
Clearly, it wasn’t just by chance.
“Finished your business?”
“Yeah. And? You the one I’m fightin’ now?”
“Do you mind?”
In truth, Anzel had had a feeling he’d meet Becker tonight. It had only been a slight feeling, though.
E.nu m̄a
“Tell me the reason first.”
Becker had been waiting to challenge him to a fight. Anzel hadn’t been thinking too hard about it...but then he saw Becker’s face. That was the face of someone who had resolved themselves. It was the face of someone who had decided they were absolutely going to see something through—he had seen it many times.
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“What, I can’t just fight someone ’cause I want to?”
“I wanna know why I’m about to lose a regular. I never stop being the owner of that bar, you know?”
“That so?”
No matter the outcome of the match, this was as far as their relationship would go. Maybe fate would bring them together in the future, but Anzel had little doubt that for now, this would be the end.
W_е́ ḃ n о ṽ е̇l̄ Ên_um̈ а̃
“I just wanted a reason to retire.”
Anzel couldn’t hide his shock. “You’re seriously retirin’?” Becker had mentioned it but Anzel really had thought he was joking. At forty-four years old, his body wouldn’t be as it had been in his prime, but Anzel hadn’t felt the adventurer’s age from his personality. At the very least, he had enough energy to spend his nights having fun. He hadn’t come across as an old man tired of life.
“I told you, didn’t I? The only reason I kept up the adventurer’s life for so long was revenge.”
“Damn, you were serious about that too?”
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The monsters that Leeno had hunted had been Becker’s prey, the prey that had killed his comrades. All of that had been true.
“Does that mean the only reason you wanted to meet Leeno was so you could retire?”
Ӗ nu̇m ǎ . і̇ d̈
“Partly that, partly because I wanted to give her my thanks—thanks for killing the asshole that killed Rita. Even at my best, I knew I’d never have been able to take that crab down. Now, though? I’ve got nothing else to take my revenge out on. It’s painful living as an adventurer like this. My adventures have lost me far more than I’ve gained. I’ve got nothing but regrets. There must have been fun times, but all I can remember is what I wish I could forget. I’ve got no reason to keep clinging to that life.”
Anzel took out a cigarette.
“I got it. You don’t gotta explain any more. You’re fine if it’s not Leeno, yeah?” Becker had to have been asking for information on Leeno because he wanted her to be the one to do this. He’d meet her, have a chat, and then...
“Yeah. I had a job to do today, and you completely outshone me. That was the moment I realized I’d lost the right to challenge her.” In other words, Anzel had hurt his pride as an adventurer. “Anzel, are you stronger than Leeno?”
“Couldn’t say. Never fought her seriously before.” Kaffes had asked him the same question. Anzel lit his cigarette. “But I’m definitely stronger than you.”
“Consider this your first match in the prelims, then. If I win here, I’ll go on to fight Leeno in the tournament.”
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Smoke rose into the air. It quickly disappeared with the wind, as fleeting as human life.
“Allow me to be the one to end it for you then, Redblade Becker.”
Becker unsheathed his sword. The vermilion blade shimmered ominously in the starlight. “Sorry if I hurt you bad.” So he said, but his face had become that of a professional adventurer.
He was taking this seriously. He was going into this fight with the intent to kill.
“What happened to you?”
The day after the raid on the apartment block, Fressa arrived at the bar at her usual time and was immediately shocked by the state of Anzel.
Е̇ ǹ ü mа
With bandages round his head and hands, and bruises on his face, he looked a mess.
“Fight,” Anzel stated curtly.
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“What? With who?”
“My whole body hurts like hell. Stop talkin’ to me.” He turned his back on her.
Becker’s title wasn’t for nothing. Even with what he knew about using chi, Anzel had had a tough time. He was pretty sure that his strength was above Becker’s, but Becker won in a battle of experience. His way of fighting was crafty.
Anzel had really learned that night how troublesome a real adventurer could be.
Wе̌ b̈n̆ о v̈ еl̈. Е̃ ǹ ù m a
Strength wasn’t something defined only by ability. Anzel had truly learned that painful lesson. His right arm had been slashed; his leg had been stabbed. Absolutely nothing had been off-limits: The guy had punched, kicked, thrown rocks, and thrown dirt. Anzel had been certain he was countering with double the effort, and yet not only had the guy not pulled back, he hadn’t even wavered.
Becker had come at him so resolved to retire that he didn’t even care if he died.
What a terrifying man. If Anzel had made one wrong move, he’d have been a goner.
It was just before summer. The days had gotten long, and the Shifty Shadow Rat opened at its normal time. The penniless regulars came as usual, laughing crudely as they exchanged unsubstantiated rumors.
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There was one rumor in particular that caught Anzel’s attention today.
“Did you hear? Redblade Becker got beat up by some bartender and ended up in the hospital.”
Ẇеb̃ n̄о̊.v́ е̄l Е n ŭm̈.а̀
Becker was a regular of this bar.
And today, the bar’s owner, famous for his incredible strength, was injured.
Any time someone asked him about it, Anzel would give the same answer:
“No idea what you’re on about.”
The excitement surrounding Altoire’s martial arts tournament was heating up. As the number of people arriving in the country increased, so did the trouble.
However, the huge economic benefits and the spread of knowledge surrounding Altoire’s unique culture more than made up for that. Wingroad’s popularity also increased alongside them, becoming so ubiquitous that it was featured on every channel at least once a week—its popularity had become so massive it was impossible to ignore. It had safely gotten its kick start.
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The days then flew by. Summer passed and autumn arrived. The air became cooler, but Altoire’s fame only heated up.
And then finally, it was time for the preliminaries of the martial arts tournament to begin.
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