He will find the answer if a question arises, regardless of the means or methods.
It was a chronic trait of magicians, and Kyle, who inherited Yuriel, was no exception. If the answer was in Andoria, then he would go there. And unlike the past, the outline of that unknown land was beginning to emerge.
Finelli's grand self-introduction was over. The brief pause was enough time for Kyle to gather his thoughts. April, with her arms crossed, said,
"So, why are you here?"
"That's something the head will explain!"
Zahar nodded.
"Until now, liberation has been carried out through simple sparring. All you had to do was defeat the opponent before you."
"It was so boring, right? I'm trying to change that for fun!"
"Finelli. Don't ever interrupt me again. And don't use strange words."
"Okay. Yes!"
Finelli was fascinated by the changes taking place around him. The seeds, which had been lulled into a false sense of security, were now becoming anxious. After all, only the strong can thrive in the face of change.
Zahar's words continued.
"It was a tradition that had been passed down for decades but was not a fair way to assess. Who fights fairly on the battlefield?"
No one answered his question. Zahar nodded.
"True Lutentus are not bound by their environment. But I couldn't throw you into danger because of the Chains. If you push yourself too hard and damage your Dantian forever, that would be a terrible thing."
"Then just remove the Chains."
April's complaining voice made Zahar smile gently.
"That's not possible. The Chains are a necessary tool for you to prove yourselves. And they're also an opportunity for the seeds from the indirect branch."
At his words, some of them blinked, and some of them hung their heads. They were all under the age of adulthood.
Opportunity? Do you really think so? Kyle swallowed his laughter.
The most effective way for the powerful to keep their place and suppress the weak is to instill illusions in them. "You had a chance - it's your fault you're not good enough." In reality, the core and the indirect branches were different from the start.
The method may change slightly over time, but the essence remains the same. The Chains were simply the embodiment of that custom.
"So, I wondered if there was a way to hold it in a fairer environment, and I was able to find the answer. Finelli."
Finelli, who had been blinking with a bored face, smiled broadly.
"Finally, I can tell you! The new rules of liberation are simple! You all know Mipar's Forest, right?"
"Yes!"
"First, go there!"
* * *
Mipar's Forest was located a short distance from the northern tip of Levido. It took about two hours by bus from the incubator. Finelli and Zahar stood in front with the seeds lined up on one side.
*Tap-*
Finelli jumped up onto a large rock with a light movement.
"This liberation will be a survival game that will take place here for a week!"
The Mipar Forest, designated as a development-free zone, was a plain forest with no special features. It was rare to find a "forest" in the vicinity of Levido, where logging had become frequent recently. Dense trees lined up, stretching out of sight. The noisy chirping of birds, like "caw-caw-duk-duk-duk," could be heard occasionally.
"First, accept this... well, not my gift, but something the Duke has 'generously' purchased for you!"
Finelli reached out to the briefcase he had placed on the ground. Even though he didn't touch it, the briefcase floated up into the air following his gesture. Small gasps of admiration rang out from around Kyle.
- Wow...
- Are you from the countryside? You're surprised to see something like that.
- I am from the countryside, but why are you being so annoying? Aren't you from there, either?
- ······ It's kind of amazing.
The briefcase opened, and from it, jade-colored bracelets rose gracefully into the air. Each bracelet flew to an individual seed and hovered in front of them. The seeds, as if entranced, clutched at the bracelets. To others, it was merely a fascinating phenomenon, but to Kyle, it appeared differently.
"Quite delicate."
[Levitation] is a basic spell that can be used in various ways. The several lines that extended from Finelli to each of the Seeds were precise and efficient.
"These mana bracelets have a function that automatically releases you from the shackles if your body cannot withstand the overload! Isn't that amazing? It's a new product developed by Lucidus Company just for you!"
It was possible because the poison emitted from the [Chains] was also magical. The principle is to twist the circuit that activates the poison and to discharge the poison that has spread throughout the body. It looked similar to when Kyle detoxified.
"There are dozens of these artifacts."
Even if the principle of detoxification is not difficult, it is a completely different matter to "imbue" the magic, not to "manifest" it into an object. In order to imbue magic into a bracelet, it is inevitably necessary to have expensive magic stones, and the commission fee for the "artisan" who imbues the magic would be something ordinary people would not dare to imagine.
The bracelet and the dragon stone in the four directions are proof that he's not just rich. Andoria is a place where Lutentus' fame doesn't hold much weight. There must be some connection between the two that he doesn't know about yet.
Bipar asked cautiously.
"So, we don't have to worry about the Chains anymore?"
"Of course not! These are just safety devices! Put on your bracelets, everyone!"
Kyle brought the bracelet to his wrist. With a clatter, he felt a mud-like texture as the bracelet wrapped around his wrist. A faint light on the bracelet displayed the number '1'.
"If you overexert yourself and activate the bracelet, that number will decrease! If it reaches 0, you're immediately eliminated! Oh, and don't remove the bracelet just because you don't like the design – doing so will also decrease the number and lead to elimination!"
"So, if it's decoded even once, you're out?"
In response to someone's question, Finnelli shook his finger.
"Then the numbers are meaningless. Let me show you an example."
Finelli took out two bracelets from his pocket. After touching them together for 5 seconds, a beeping sound rang out. Finelli held the two bracelets forward so the numbers could be seen.
"The one below is now zero, and the one above is 2, right? As soon as it becomes zero, that bracelet loses its function, but the bracelet with the remaining numbers can decode the remaining number! By the way, even if you stack up a lot of numbers, you will be disqualified if you are robbed once, and all the numbers you have collected are taken away, so be careful!"
"So, if you don't lose your numbers for a week, you can be liberated?"
"No way! The criteria for liberation is the number 5, or reaching 5 points! Even if you are disqualified in the middle if you have more than 5 points up to that point, you will be liberated, so don't worry!"
A moment of silence passed. Finelli's words meant that they had to defeat four people or defeat someone with a higher number to be liberated. The hurdle was much higher than the previous system, which judged whether or not to be liberated in one battle.
Finelli, who laughed with a chuckle, added.
"It's not just the Seeds who will be participating! Just like before, the Second Knights will also be participating! We'll give them bracelets too- but of course, they won't have decoding functions. They're expensive. Expensive!"
The Second Knights were not as good as the Core Seeds, but they were by no means low-level. In fact, the average age at which a Seed from the periphery defeated a Second Knight in a duel was around sixteen. There were also Seeds who could not win until the liberation period ended.
A Seed in the corner trembled as he asked the question. He was a boy named Ormang, who was always with Bipar.
"Yes, you have to win four times in a row."
"What's your name?"
Zahar asked nonchalantly, and Ormang answered with his head down.
"I'm Ormang······."
"Well, Ormang? You also inherited the name of Lutentus, didn't you? I mean, did you inherit even a pinch of my blood?"
"······."
"Then what's there to be afraid of?"
The voice was low and menacing. Finelli just smiled and remained silent. April looked dazed as if she was used to it or indifferent to it. Needless to say, the other Seeds were busy avoiding Zahar's gaze.
Ormang's face turned red, and his voice trembled.
"I, I, I······."
"Can't even speak properly. What a piece of trash."
Zahar's large hand roughly grabbed Ormang's cheek.
"Gah, ack!"
"Tell me. Are you really a Lutentus?"
"Y, yes······!"
Zahar kept his grip on Ormang's cheek and pushed him away. Ormang rolled on the dirt floor, but he didn't even groan as he got up quickly. He knew Zahar wouldn't tolerate any more of his nonsense.
Zahar's gaze pierced through the Seeds, one by one.
"Even if I'm forgetful enough to not remember a name, you are also from Lutentus. That fundamental nature doesn't change."
In the midst of everyone's silence, Kyle didn't like this unpleasant silence. It wasn't just because Molson, who was standing in front of Bipar, was shaking his fist as if he was angry.
Now it's a very old faint memory.
A person whose face he can't remember.
His last memory of his father is of him standing proudly before a monster to save him. Even as the monster's hand crushed his head, his father did not turn his head.
He did not look at where his son was hiding.
Even if he wasn't as strong as Zahar. That was the kind of person Kyle thought of as his father.
But the person in front of him, the way the person who claimed to be his father was behaving.
It was no different from a thug.
For Kyle, who had the same blood as them, and for Yuriel, who inherited the pride of the noble Solents, it was hard to just listen.
"If you don't even know their names, then they're no better than strangers, right?"
The voice was neither loud nor soft, but it rang clearly in the silence.
Zahar's eyebrows twitched. It was a small crack in his emotions, a crack that had not been visible before. His relaxed expression gone, he was a savage beast.
"Keep talking."
Reflecting the turmoil of his emotions, a yellow aura flickered around Zahar's body. It was the 'Divine Ki,' a visible manifestation of energy when it exceeds a certain level, visible to anyone with eyes, not just Kyle. The aura was so intense it felt prickly on the skin, but Kyle maintained a composed smile.
"I just want to know. How can a nameless child raised in the indirect branch earn his father's approval?"
Zahar did not answer and did not release his Divine Ki. He simply stared at him as if trying to make him kneel in his silence. But then...
'How twisted of a person is he?'
His face was still stern. The rough aura was pressing down on his skin, making it red. It looked like he was filled with anger, but Kyle could tell.
The unique rhythm that stopped and started, the faint tremor of the aura touching his skin, it was strangely similar to his laughter from earlier. Zahar was enjoying this situation.
"You can prove it in this liberation. I hope the source of your arrogance is a Lutentus-like skill."
April bit her lip. Her father was always kind to her, but sometimes he could be scary like this.
She was worried that he might break her "toy."
In the still heavy atmosphere, April ran up to Zahar.
"Dad. If there are scores, then there must be a first place, right? What will you give me if I get first place? I'm getting tired of Andrea Jean's dresses."
Zahar suddenly erased his Divine Ki and grinned.
"Of course! April is smart, just like me. Hehe. Well, of course, there should be a prize. Finelli?"
"Hehehe... Of course, it's ready! Seeds! You can all look forward to it!"
*Snap*
Finelli snapped his fingers.
*Boooow-*
The soft sound of an engine echoed from the other side of the forest. And then, it revealed its figure.
The glass headlights on the front of the vehicle were emitting light. The angular exterior was shining in black.
"It hasn't even been released yet! Even the high and mighty of the Empire are drooling over it! The ambitious work of the Lucidus Company!"
It was floating a little above the ground. The surrounding dust did not touch it at all. It was truly aristocratic.
"The new premium off-roader L(Lucidus)-wagen is the prize! By the way, it's a full option with cooling and heating functions and automatic washing functions!"
The quality of the mana vehicle was incomparable to the cars that passed by the streets of Levido. April's eyes sparkled.
"I want that!"
Kyle reached out without thinking, then pulled back. He swallowed. He hadn't salivated in a long time. Then he came to his senses.
'Even though it was an unconscious manifestation of this young body, it was such a disgraceful act.'
He quickly returned to a blank expression, but his eyes were still fixed on the L-wagen.
Author's Note
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