54 – Turning Point 1
Master Roxy imdiately stepped in front of , holding her staff. "Rudy. Stay back." Sweat poured down her face. At the sa ti, the magic circles from her
system flared to life.
Sylphy grabbed , wind mana flowing around her, ready to fly away at a mont's notice. "Let's go, Rudy."
Sheer panic suppressed with pure resolve. From both Roxy and Sylphy.
"No." I shrugged Sylphy off and stepped forward.
"R-Rudy?!"
Master Roxy glanced back and glared at . "Rudy! Stay. Back!"
"Have you t Being W yet, Master Roxy?"
"What?" Roxy blinked, caught off guard by the question.
I stared at the man approaching and said, "That guy's been ssing around my life for a while... and I need answers."
The man approaching us wasn't Being W. That sinister white mist was extrely dense around him and seed to be casting a spell of sorts, but there was another mana beneath it. A regal gold and silver mix that was completely inviolable.
But more than that, the man approaching seed hazy. As if he was a person that wasn't really here. Like a mirage, his silhouette was a bit blurred.
Though whether that was a result of Being W trying and failing to interfere with him, the man's natural mana, or so other thing... I didn't know.
But I did know one thing.
The man's face was harsh. His golden eyes were narrowed, and overall he had the appearance of the end ga secret boss from so old JRPG ga.
But because of that, I was suspicious. Not about him, but about his circumstances.
Moreover... I felt a connection between us.
It wasn't rational. It wasn't anything concrete. But it was a gut feeling. Sothing deep within
that said this was a person who wasn't against .
I glanced back.
Since we were at Mom's tree, we were a fair distance from ho. But still close enough to where everyone could get caught in the crossfire if things went south.
The man was still far off in the distance. We had about ten minutes before he arrived.
So I took the ti to think.
He was an unknown factor.
There shouldn't be any visitors.
Master Roxy and Sylphy were put on edge by him.
Being W seed to be doing his damndest to try and affect the man. But failing that, Being W seed to be casting a spell around the man instead.
I felt a strange connection with the man. A faint familiarity like I t him once, a long ti ago.
The man looked harsh and dangerous, but he didn't actually have any hostility. Even so, he had a deanor where he would be ready to fight at a mont's notice, as if he was used to sudden combat.
The timing was weird. Showing up right after I woke up and got my sight back... It was too coincidental.
And the man was powerful.
Like my current state, the man's regal gold and silver mana seed to be a bit dim. But even so, I could tell.
His mana was equal to- No. It was better than mine. Not just in quantity, but in quality. Like how my mana was dense enough to fold in on itself and dominate other mana, his was similar. But rather than folding in, it seed to just continually produce light.
Put in other words... if my mana was like a huge planet with intense gravity, his seed to be a bright star with equal pull but constantly emitting light.
In other words... strong. Stronger than anyone I had seen or even imagined.
The Strongest.
I would go so far as to call the man that.
So the question remained. Why was he here?
I walked forward.
"R-Rudy! No!" Master Roxy called out after , but she stood in place. As if frozen by fear- No. She actually was frozen by fear.
"Rudy!" Sylphy called out as well and tried to walk after . But she stumbled and then collapsed on the ground, her legs trembling.
I glanced back at the two and then smiled. "I think that guy's here for . Don't worry. I'm just going to have a small chat with him."
"You're lying!" Sylphy desperately pushed herself to her feet and shouted. "You're lying, Rudy! Stop! Don't go!" She tried to take another step with her shaky legs. But again, she collapsed. And when she did, her eyes welled up with tears. But not because she was sad. Instead, they were tears of frustration.
Master Roxy grit her teeth and tried to move as well. But she couldn't. Her entire body shook with the effort, but it didn't move. "Why...?" She looked down and then glared at her legs. "Why are you like this now?! Move! MOVE!" She grit her teeth again and then looked at . "Rudy! Stay back! Listen to your Master and stay back! That person's dangerous!"
"I know. That's why I'm going to talk with him."
"Are you stupid!? An idiot?! Just what have you been doing these past few years?!"
"Not enough."
I walked forward, ignoring Roxy and Sylphy.
I could see their point.
The man was strong. Unbelievably strong. Enough to where you could probably sense it without seeing his mana. But since Roxy and Sylphy could see what I saw, I was sure that they were even more affected.
Paired with the fact that I had been unconscious for a week and blind for a day after,
walking out like this was probably their worst nightmare. Considering how much they cared for , this was like their worst fears co to life.
...But I had to.
The man didn't seem hostile, but there was a chance he was. And if we waited for him to approach us, then there was a possibility of hostilities breaking out close to ho. To where Mom, Mama Lily, Sylphy's Mom, and my two cute and vulnerable baby sisters were waiting.
I couldn't risk that.
The man was strong, so it was highly likely that even a casual blow could destroy everything at close range.
So to mitigate it, I had to engage first.
In the best case scenario, this was all a misunderstanding and we went on our ways.
In the worst case... I had to buy ti. No, I was the one who *could* buy ti.
Master Roxy's magic circles were complex, inventive, and powerful. But her mana wasn't dense enough to face this storm.
Even a basic Water Ball from the man would blow her away.
Sylphy's way of using mana was creative and diverse, but she wouldn't be able to control this. Not only that, but she didn't have any fighting instinct. To begin with, Sylphy was a peaceful and kind young girl. Expecting her to enter the dragon's den was sending a lamb to slaughter.
I had been training with her with mock battle gas to give her reflexes to help in actual combat, but this wasn't the ti or place to test those.
To begin with, the man wasn't soone you could react to.
I adjusted my gray scarf around my neck and walked forward, forcefully resisting the urge to prepare magic circles or gather mana.
The man continued his approach, snow blowing around him as he walked across the field.
I stepped beyond the boundary of Master Roxy's warming magic circles and instantly felt a chill fall on . But I ignored it and continued walking.
One minute. Two. Three... Ten.
And then we were standing across from each other.
As if we ca a mutual understanding, both of us stopped at a distance of about ten feet. A gap that could be crossed in an instant if things got serious, but one that showed respect for space.
The man gave
a sharp look, his silver hair shifting in the wind as his golden eyes narrowed in thought.
I felt my hair shift as well, and had to resist the urge to shiver from the chill. Instead, I just stared back at the man.
"...You aren't looking away." The man muttered and then looked past . "Roxy Migurdia and Sylphiette Dragonroad... that's the sa. But you." He looked at
and said, "I don't recognize you."
Roxy Migurdia? Sylphiette Dragonroad?
I could understand him knowing Master Roxy. She had beco pretty famous after her antics and exploits in Shirone Kingdom and the Strife Zone.
But to know Sylphy's full na-
Wait.
Sylphy didn't have a last na though. Laws never took one up. And most people didn't have last nas unless they were noble...
So why did he call Sylphy "Sylphiette Dragonroad?"
...Was she actually a secret princess or sothing? A long lost heir to so fallen kingdom?
The way the man said it was like reciting a fact, not speculation. So it was strange.
Even more questions to consider.
But before I had ti to consider them, Being W started to act up. The sinister white mist suddenly stirred and shot out to affect .
But I was ready this ti.
I learned from my mistake before. That bastard took advantage of my anger to sneak in and influence
last ti, causing
to end up in this whole ss.
So to prevent that, I made sure to continually cycle my mana through my body. Just like how certain ninjas channeled chakra to break out of illusions.
And like I thought, Being W's mana dispersed.
But unlike before, I didn't hear anything. No staticky words or his familiar and damnable voice.
Instead, it was just silence. Silence and the man continuing to look at .
"...Are you finally frightened into silence?" The man spoke again, his voice cold... but also a bit fatigued. As if he was weighed down by an incredible burden.
It was a tone I recognized.
After all, I heard it all the ti in the past.
Not expecting anything, but not giving up. Taking on all the harsh judgnt from reality but continuing on your way until the end.
Recognizing that, I relaxed a bit and shook my head. And to put him off ease too, I smiled and said, "How could I be scared of soone as cool as you?"
"Cool?" The man's mouth twitched. A genuine flicker of amusent. But that was all. As if he had forgotten how to smile or show any other emotion but 'serious', that twitch was all there was.
"Yep! Cool. And you seem super strong too... Did you co to help keep us safe while my dad's working?"
A casual test. Praise, mixed with childish innocence and expectations.
He wasn't a bad guy. If I judged him right, then he actually should be similar to how I used to be. At least, up until the end.
So then...
"...Who's your father?"
"Paul Greyrat. Ah, but I guess he's technically Paul Notos Greyrat?"
"Hm?" The man frowned and said, "Paul should only have two daughters... You're his son?"
Oh crap.
Did I make a mistake?
...Right. Dad was running a coup. Since he was apparently the proper heir, the focus would be on him. And since girls weren't given any weight in terms of inheritance, the enemy would focus mostly on my dad since he was the one who actually had the chance to take over.
That was, unless they knew about .
And it seed like Dad had been trying to hide who I was... and the man just learned my existence.
If he was an enemy...
No, better to not jinx it.
I smiled and then nodded. "Yep! Though." I frowned and said, "I'm trying real hard to not follow in his footsteps. Dad's a bit... well, not the best role model?"
"Mm." The man gave a noncommital response and then beca quiet.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
After a bit, I tentatively asked. "Um... Is there a reason why you're here, Mister?"
"Laplace. Did you successfully resurrect?"
"Eh?" I blinked.
Laplace? Why was the Demon God's na suddenly being brought up?
"...No. You've strongly inherited his traits, but you aren't him."
Wait, what? I inherited Laplace's traits?
"Um-"
The man spun around. "...Ignore . This was nothing but whimsy."
Forcefully ending the conversation, he started walking off.
Our interaction was over.
I didn't know why he ca... and he brought more questions than answers. But we dodged a nuke.
Satisfied with what he learned, the man left us behind.
...So I should have been satisfied as well.
But I was worried. No, I was hopeful too.
...Or maybe I was just desperate.
"Wait!"
I called out to the man.
He paused and turned around to look at , silent.
I stared at the white mist drifting around him. At Being W still trying and failing to interfere.
"Do you know who Being W is?"
The man's golden eyes turned sharp and he completely turned around. "Being W?"
I nodded. "Right. The sinister presence who's like white mist and keeps influencing people."
A breeze blew past, scattering the snow.
The man was silent, carefully observing . And then he said, "No. I don't."
"Ah." I frowned and said, "...Maybe you know him by another na? I think..."
A faint mory. That old man in my dream, cursing soone out.
And that soone's na...
"...He might be called Hitogami?"
A faint blur. White from the snow drifting past as a breeze blew.
My eyes widened.
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