Chapter 22: Being Frad
Translator: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh
Anfey opened his eyes slowly. Under a zen state, a person’s senses were unusually strong. Anfey had known soone was there as soon as the stranger approached his door.
The door slid open silently, and Anfey quietly moved over and laid down on his bed, pretending to sleep. The shadow stopped a few steps from his bed. It felt around the bed before turning and leaving through the door.
As the shadow pulled the door behind him, Anfey pushed himself off of the bed. He stalked across the room and leaned against the door, listening for any movent outside.
Whoever just ca into his room was obviously not used to doing this. He was careful enough, but his breathing was too heavy, the floorboards had creaked, and when he was walking up the stairs he had almost knocked over a vase.
Seeing the stranger’s clumsy moves, Anfey snorted. He had the ability to hold whoever it was down, but the whole situation seed too strange, and Anfey didn’t want to startle the stranger before figuring out exactly why soone was in his room.
Anfey followed the person to the fourth floor, and saw him disappearing into a room. Anfey inched over, sticking close to the wall, listening to the sound inside.
There were soone talking inside, but with the door closed Anfey couldn’t hear much. "Ti to eavesdrop," he thought.
A few minutes later, he was back in his own room. When he lifted his blanket, he found a small orange orb laying on his mattress, shining eerily.
"What is this?" Anfey frowned, poking it with his finger. When nothing happened, he grabbed it with his hand.
After a few monts playing with the orb, he put it in his pocket and left the room. He found Ernest’s room and knocked softly on the door.
"Anfey?" asked Ernest.
"Yes, Uncle Ernest," Anfey said. "I’m sorry to bother you so late."
"Nonsense," Ernest said, smiling, and opened the door.
"Uncle Ernest, how did you know it was ?"
"How can I not? No one here knocks on my door. Saul never knocks, either. You’re the only possible one," Ernest laughed. "Of course, I wanted to talk to you too, so thanks."
"Uncle Ernest, why are you thanking ?" Anfey said, surprised.
"Your sword skills gave inspiration," Ernest said slowly. "You showed a path. I believe my skills can grow significantly after so practice. Perhaps then I’ll get my revenge."
"I don’t know any sword arts," Anfey said shyly. "It’s sothing that old man taught for fun."
"No, no. I can feel it, that old man you speak of was a powerful man," Ernest said slowly. "A sword master at least, maybe even more. Anfey, you have to find him again if you get the chance."
"Uncle Ernest, are you going to spar with him?"
"? No, I am no match for him," Ernest said bitterly. If the man’s Qi matched his, then he could never win. Even Anfey, a child, could shock him, so how powerful would the man be?
"But..." Anfey lowered his gaze. "I cannot rember where I ca from."
"You will rember," Ernest consoled. "By the way, Anfey, what did you want to talk to about?"
"Ah, yes," Anfey said. "What is this?"
"This..." Ernest stared and frowned, taking the orb. "Anfey, where did you get this?"
"Soone gave it to ," Anfey said. "What is it?"
"Soone gave it to you?" Ernest repeated. "Impossible. This is a Chasm Dragon Crystal."
"Chasm dragon? Is it rare?"
"Not just rare," Ernest said. "This is the only one, ever. Tell everything."
Anfey told Ernest everything that had happened, including him following whoever it was that went into his room, hiding nothing. Ernest contemplated a bit, then looked up and said, "Anfey, what do you think?" Ernest had already had an idea of what the person who placed this on Anfey’s bed wanted to do, but he wanted to train Anfey to think for himself, to recognize the vileness in people.
"Uncle Ernest, you an... this belongs to Master Saul?"
"Yes," Ernest said. "Chasm dragons are horrible creatures. Dark, skilled with dinsional magic. In my knowledge, they’re perhaps the most powerful dark creatures out there, with the ability to rip through ti and space without any help. This crystal is very important to Saul. He treasures it."
"Ah," Anfey said. "I know what’s going on."
"Tell ."
"Soone stole this crystal and planted it in my room. When Master Saul discovers it is missing, they’ll find it in my room. Then I will beco the thief."
"Is that so?" Ernest said, surprised. "Do you know why they would do this?"
"Because Master Saul is too good to ," Anfey said. "Uncle Ernest, you saw how Miss Niya treated yesterday. There are things you do not know. She was a victim too, talked into questioning ."
"What do you want to do?"
"Master Saul is so careless. Treasures like this should be kept in secret. How could people steal it?"
"On that point, you’re wrong." Ernest laughed. "Saul would never be careless. You cannot feel it, but Saul had already placed a spell on the crystal, and placed the sa spell in the storage room. If the two spells are separated by more than a hundred ters, the spell would activate, and no one can leave with it. It’s a live coordination. Do you think anyone can leave alive with a live coordination, with one of the greatest archmage on their heels?"
"Ah," Anfey said.
"Anfey, say, what do you want to do?" Ernest asked.
"My idea... it’s... well, it’s slightly embarrassing." Anfey said, scratching his head.
"Nonsense. Tell ."
"If we return the crystal right now, whoever was setting up would realize sothing was wrong and change their mind, then it would be more difficult to track them," Anfey said slowly. "Uncle Ernest, if this person can steal this, surely he is close to Master Saul?"
Ernest nodded.
"So we have to keep quiet, like nothing had happened," Anfey said, smiling. "Let them say what they want. They may think they’re cornering , but in truth they’re just back themselves into a corner."
"And then I can step in as a witness?" Ernest asked. "Smart."
"No, Uncle Ernest," Anfey said. "Evidence is stronger proof than spoken words. I think whoever did this will try to make Master Saul angry, make him lose control, leaving no chance to explain myself. Uncle Ernest, if you step up then, Master Saul will think you’re covering for , and we won’t have a chance to defend ourselves." Anfey kept referring to him and Ernest as "us," hoping to hint that they are on the sa side.
"You’re confusing ," Ernest said. "Anfey, you think that when I present the crystal, Saul would trust them and not ?"
"I cannot predict anything," Anfey said. "But it is possible. We can’t risk it."
"What do you want to do then?" Ernest asked.
"Easy. When they co for with Master Saul, place the crystal in a room on the fourth floor." Anfey smiled, "Uncle Ernest, you have to hide it well, not letting master realize where it is. Can you manage it?"
"Short term, maybe. Long term is practically impossible," Ernest said, closing his hand around the orb. "But trust . You know, kid, you aren’t that dumb after all."
"You know, Uncle Ernest, there are things I’ve never told you," Anfey said slowly.
"Can you tell now?" Ernest asked, interested. "Of course, I won’t press you if you don’t want to say."
"You shouldn’t bla , you never asked. You should have noticed so of it," Anfey said slowly. "Yagor kept using us for experints. We weren’t lined up according to age or height, Yagor tended to pick randomly, and whoever was picked never ca back. After a while, we all got scared, so things happened."
"Keep going."
"No one wanted to go with Yagor, but none of us could fight him, so we started playing gas with each other. We aggravated each other, making Yagor mad at other people. We hated each other, and... these are things I would rather not think about. Uncle Ernest, do you know why I’m grateful to Yagor?"
"Why?"
"Because ever since I was young, I’ve been frad ti after ti. I don’t know why, but Yagor always spared my life, even giving a room at the end, letting tend to his everyday life. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve been long dead."
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