Surviving the Death Hunt

Time had been passing quickly lately, and to make matters worse, heavy rain had been falling for three days with thunderstorms and intense downpours. Some areas were already flooded.

Incredibly frustrating, considering Scar had things to do. Ten gold coins in under two months, that was the goal. A lot had happened since the banquet over a week ago, but right now? Money consumed his thoughts.

He didn’t know how it happened, but he could practically smell gold now, even dreaming. Just seeing money made his heart race.

Purple’s cousin Marvel ran a secret gambling operation, and Scar worked there now. Purple had connected them after the banquet.

All the money he made went to the Vey family, of course, but all they needed from him was his charm and charisma. He just had to act like the undisputed boss of the operation, and they’d pay his debt as a reward.

Sweet deal.

All he had to do was look aloof, keep a few unhappy guards around him, count cash, and prevent scams. One week in, and he was more obsessed with money than he ever intended to be.

Or maybe it was all the shit happening to him that created this fixation.

Turned out Haven was in serious trouble. Using her Protector State against the Gate God had damaged her heart severely. Stress caused her heart to freeze over. And Scar, completely unaware, had made everything worse at the banquet.

Her father, Karl Velanora, had declined the invitation to the event. But Arthur, stubborn as ever, wouldn’t accept that answer and helped Haven sneak out anyway.

The whole thing might’ve blown over with a few diplomatic drinks, except Scar had unknowingly proposed marriage by giving her that badge.

There were three meanings when a noble gave their badge. First: Protection, which required an explicit declaration. Second: Affection. Third: Trust.

Offering your badge meant granting at least one. Scar had given his for Affection and Trust, both rooted in love. Between a nobleman and a lady, this constituted an official proposal of marriage.

His obliviousness didn’t matter in this situation. With countless eyes witnessing it, the Rovers couldn’t withdraw without losing face.

Scar would’ve been happy to marry Haven, honestly. He loved her more than anything. But there was an issue that made the whole situation insulting to the Velanora family.

The problem: Scar already had Purple’s badge, given for Trust and Affection. Purple hadn’t specified love versus friendship, and Scar wasn’t a Rover yet when he accepted it. Still, a noblewoman giving her badge to a peasant? That alone spoke volumes. A gesture that suggested romantic affection.

Purple tried to fix it. She told the Rangers, the Rover family heads, that she’d meant friendship, nothing more. She was already engaged anyway. The Velanoras weren’t satisfied. They remained unconvinced.

The Velanoras believed this should have been settled before any proposal. Now? No one knew how to resolve it. And based on their actions, the Velanoras had no interest in resolution.

Because of all this, Scar hadn’t seen Haven since the banquet. The situation lingered in the back of his mind, though his current activities distracted him.

But to keep from obsessing, he’d gotten Amber to investigate Haven’s situation. Hopefully, she was alright, at least.

Right now, Scar was getting dressed after a shower. His daily routine had been running smoothly until the rain started a few days back.

He used to wake up and train in the simulation room against Scarlet Kins, especially the Gate God. Then meditate, working on accessing his inner realm. All before heading to his mafia boss gig. Now everything was different.

The rain had prevented him from working, and even now that it had stopped, the flooding kept the gambling den closed.

Lately, he’d been hanging out with Julien, watching the cadet squad train. Today was different though. He didn’t feel right, so he headed back to his room after training.

He wondered if he was nurturing too much hatred toward a universe that hated him for a crime he never committed.

Though he wasn’t quite sure. He had never been the type to sit with that much hatred without burying it under joking remarks.

While dressing, Julien immediately walked in.

"Well, this is unusual. You didn’t come to watch the children train today, is something bothering you, ’Young Master?’"

He asked, taking a seat on the bed. No response from Scar. Julien frowned.

"Are you okay? If something’s on your mind, you can always talk to me."

Julien was growing impatient, but it wasn’t that Scar didn’t want to respond. For some reason, his chest felt very heavy, and his words wouldn’t come. He was still trying to force them out.

"If this is about Purple, I understand why you’d hate her. She took advantage of how unaware you were and hurt both you and Haven because of it."

A soft smile pulled at Scar’s lips, and he turned to look teasingly into Julien’s eyes. He held no resentment toward Purple. If he had simply asked for advice about handing out badges, they would probably have told him what it meant, and everything would have been settled.

Looking at Julien’s confused expression, the amusement welling up inside Scar was enough to help him find his voice.

"Ha! You are standing up for your fiancée. How cute."

Julien sneered, irritated.

"I told you, this isn’t what I wanted. She’s only doing this because she wants to atone for her mistakes. Once everything is over, I’m certain she’ll call it off."

Scar couldn’t help but laugh. His teasing had no end.

"But you guys kissed. That’s a sign of love."

He sighed.

"I am no expert on love, but if Purple trusted you enough to propose an engagement and share a kiss, then marriage seems less a question of if and more of when."

Julien lay back on the bed, his eyes getting lost on the ceiling. He sifted through his thoughts for a moment, and whatever it was amused him enough to put a smile on his face.

"By the way... where’s Arthur? I haven’t seen him for some time now."

Scar frowned. He didn’t understand what was happening, but Arthur had been missing for some time now, and no one knew where he was, not even his own siblings and children.

Consequently, Amber had refused to start their swordsmanship training until later on. Perhaps the somber atmosphere was the source of his unease.

"He’s probably off training again. Maybe he’s trying to feel younger than he has in the past months."

Julien turned toward Scar. "No, I don’t think so. I have a really bad feeling about this."

He wasn’t alone on that.

Scar immediately lightened the gloomy atmosphere to something more cheerful, though it wasn’t long before Amber also walked into the room.

"Scar, we need to leave now. The Rangers have requested our presence."

Scar grew uneasy. Her words came out of nowhere, and the darkness in her eyes combined with the threatening presence she gave off, this was what made everyone fear her.

"Huh? Me?"

Amber gave him a lazy look.

"Huh? No. All Rovers. We must now. Hurry."