B3 | Chapter 70 – Terrifying
The dinner went rather smoothly, he had half a thought that Maximilian really would attack him, but it seemed his brother had some sense and recognized it as the joke that it was in retaliation to him purposefully putting him in the lowest instance back in the first event.
Though Theodore's occasional poorly suppressed chuckle did elicit glares, pointed glares from Maximilian across the table. Leona was unfortunately not present, though he wished she was.
It appeared to him that she was lowering her guard around him a bit these days. That was a good thing, right? He should maybe plan something, mend their relationship a bit.
He would like that.
"So, Theodore," Maximilian said, not looking up from his plate. "This Julius Ravencroft. An interesting individual."
Theodore put down his fork. "Indeed, he is. Why do you bring him up, though?"
"Because I've been thinking about him. He might be a problem for you. I've been told you're the favorite to win the whole thing," Maximilian said. "I wonder if that will still be the case."
"Brother," Theodore said. "Don't tell me you're concerned about me."
Maximilian scoffed.
Theodore shook his head. "Regardless, I am not the favorite to win the whole thing, not by a long shot," he said. "We should not underestimate the others."
"Indeed," Mother said. "I've met Tessia before. She's quite the prodigy. And Julius is the son of one of my friends. He's quite strong too."
Quite strong, she says. Theodore was certain she knew more than she let on. It wasn't that his mother didn't trust him, it was more that she didn't want to spoil the fun. She liked watching him struggle with these things, it seemed. She liked watching him figure out his own path. It was a good thing, he supposed.
But he liked that too, he didn't want to be told everything.
"Quite strong, yes," Theodore said, pointedly. "Father, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that... skill of his, would you?"
Father shook his head. "Unfortunately not, son. It seems the Duke of Ravencroft is a very secretive man. He rarely speaks of his children, especially not his eldest. All we know is that he's a very talented young man who showed great promise at a very young age."
"I see," Theodore said, not buying that for a bit. He could smell his father's influence from a mile away, and it was all over Julius. After all, not everyone knew one of the royal footworks. Yet Julius had.
"Well, he's certainly a very talented young man, I'll give him that." Theodore's eyes bore into his father but the man didn't budge, and his expression remained the same.
Theodore couldn't even get a read on him. He was good. He was really good.
I suppose being a king would do that.
"But he's still no match for me, right, Theodore?" Maximilian asked lightheartedly.
"Of course not," Theodore said. "You are the heir of the Lockheart household. You are the strongest mage in this family. You are the pride of the Lockheart name. You are the one who will lead us to glory." Theodore said reverently.
Maximilian's eyes twitched.
And just like that, the dinner went on and was over. And now he was in his bed, and it was time to sleep. He had a big day ahead of him tomorrow, after all.
Early next day, he was out in the Capital, searching around for a man well known for solving magical puzzles. Progress at the maze had stalled, and Freya and him had agreed that they needed professional help. Theodore, then, would be able to focus entirely on the tournament because it was coming to a close as the matches were going to be day by day, quick hits to get the audience all hyped up, to sell tickets and stuff. And Freya, well, she wanted to be there and cheer him on.
He felt good about that.
She was a good friend, something he didn't think he'd have in a world like this. After he transmigrated, or more like reincarnated.
So this man, he was going to be the one at the maze most of the time instead of Theodore. Hopefully he figures something out.
It wasn't that hard to find the man. It was a lot harder to convince the man to help him, though. He was a stubborn old fart. But eventually, the man agreed to help, for a price. Of course. A hefty price. The man was expensive.
"Alright, alright," Theodore sighed. "You'll have your money. But you better be worth it."
"I'm always worth it, young man," the man said. He was really old, like ancient looking old. But his eyes were still sharp. And his mind was sharper.
"Now, let's go," the old man said. "I want to see this puzzle of yours. It must be something special if you came to me. I'm an old man, you know. I don't have much time left in this world. I want to spend it doing things I enjoy—"
Time, suddenly, came to a halt.
Theodore sighed.
Was it Seraphina? What did she want with him?
He stood up and looked around for her, but couldn't find her no matter how much he tried. Where could she be?
"Are you going to come out or what?" he said. And now he was suspicious. Spreading his mana around him, he tried sensing for whoever it was.
Quickly, he found a figure cloaked in a black mist, looking down at him. He couldn't make out any features, but the figure was clearly male.
The mist unfurled, revealing the man and he sat down on an empty chair.
He was strong. Stronger than him. Very strong, if he could disconnect them both from time's natural flow.
Theodore sat down calmly, taking a sip of his drink, which had been in his hand when time stopped and he was disconnected from time's flow. He looked at the man and didn't speak. He let the silence stretch and took a sip of his drink.
The man was playing a game, a power play, and Theodore was telling him that he could play.
As expected, it was the man that gave up first. Doing this time mumbo-jumbo had to have been taxing, and the man was certainly no Seraphina. He had limits.
"You're an interesting young man, Theodore," he said. "Very interesting, indeed."
"Why, thank you." he smiled.
"I'm sure you're wondering who I am," he said, smiling back at him.
"No," Theodore said, taking a sip of his drink. "I don't tend to care enough about people that put me in situations like these."
The man looked at him. And Theodore finally slapped his aura away. Why was this guy trying to analyze his levels, and consequentially, his Rank? He hadn't felt anything like that since... well, since he met Seraphina. But that was because she'd let him sense it. It had been a challenge, one that he'd failed.
But this man... while his aura was strong, it was nowhere near Seraphina's.
"Your aura is strong," he said, looking at Theodore. "I suppose I should apologize."
"Apologize?" Theodore asked, amused.
"I'm a... curious man," he said, smiling. "And I'm always interested in talented young mages. And you, my young friend, are very talented."
"Thank you," Theodore said, smiling. "It's always nice to meet a fan."
The man laughed. "A fan," he said. "I suppose you could call me that."
"So, have you gotten what you came for?" Theodore asked, knowing who the man was as Miss Bodyguard whispered it into his ear.
The man clicked his tongue, his gaze flicking to Miss Bodyguard's hidden form for a fraction of a moment, making Theodore's eyes narrow.
"I suppose I shall take my leave. I got this much leeway, I shouldn't overstep. Have a good day." The man disappeared, the mist returning, enveloping the man, and then he was gone. And time resumed.
Miss Bodyguard's presence disappeared. Ever since she lifted another seal from herself, another of her geas, she'd gotten even more elusive than before.
Just how strong was she?
She shouldn't have been stronger than Rank 4 or 5 back in Holden...
He sighed. Maybe he'd ask her later. It was time to finish the deal with the old man first, who was looking confused.
***
Jasper POV
What an interesting young man.
Jasper was an organizer of the tournament. One who was in charge of dealing with more... public matters. So it wasn't that strange for the young lass to recognize him. Especially because of her ties to the royal family, given she was under their protection. She likely had seen him before.
In his younger years, he too participated in the tournament, though he lost to the eventual winner. He was an ambitious man, and so he started working his way up the social ladder, slowly and surely. He had a talent for politics, and it was only natural that he ended up in the position he was now.
And that's why he knew how not only was it hard but downright impossible for a Rank 2 young man to come as far as Theodore had.
Others were as suspicious as he was.
The tournament's grading system was an accurate measure of someone's strength, and it had never in the history of the tournament graded someone inaccurately. Not that Jasper knew of, at least.
Which was why he was so surprised to see Theodore's ranking when the first round was over. The boy was ranked as one of the strongest contestants on their systems, and he wasn't even Rank 3.
It was almost unbelievable.
So he had to see it for himself, and that's why he was here.
It'd taken quite a bit of convincing others. Those old bastards, so set in their ways, unwilling to even accept the possibility of it being wrong. They didn't want to admit their system could be flawed, or that it could be tricked. They didn't want to lose face. But he had to see for himself. And so here he was.
He'd have disqualified him if he found out he was hiding his Rank. But when he examined him with his aura, he was surprised. He really was Rank 2. What a monstrous young man, to command such strength at just Rank 2.
The new generation really is terrifying, he thought to himself.
He could only imagine the kind of power Theodore would have at Rank 5 or 6. He was already powerful enough to be considered a contender in this year's competition, and he was only Rank 2. Though he fell short and would certainly not make it to the top, what would happen when he ranked up?
Though quickly after he examined the young man, he found himself in a void that startled him into overclocking everything he had in caution. Had he been caught in a trap? Just what—
"Know your place," a voice ruptured through his mental defenses and his eyes widened in surprise, his heart thumping as he looked above as two eyes opened in the void.
Like a mountain, they loomed over him. And he felt as insignificant as he had back when he lost the tournament. No, he felt weaker.
It was quickly over and he was back sitting in front of the young man, quickly settling his beating heart and calming his nerves.
Finishing the conversation he quickly left. If that was the young man's guardian, or teacher, or whatever, then it wasn't just his own life that he risked if he pushed too much.
He wouldn't dare touch the young man again.
How terrifying.