Chapter 97 I Am...
"Again, thank you for saving me. But is your name really Kaizen or is that a secret codename?" Ravastine asked as she entered a room in the arena.
At the same time, she walked over to a basin of water that was on a table, wet a cloth that was further to the side, and began to run it over the deep cut on her right eyebrow.
"That's my name... Did you hear about it from the people in the audience?"
"It was impossible not to hear. Half the audience knows who you are."
When Ravastine turned back toward Kaizen to look at him, she was startled, for he was without the frightening mask from before.
Surprisingly, Kaizen's face was young, his skin was fair and white, his eyes as black as the bottom of a lake and narrow in a way that was hard to find in Tretidian.
"Ow... You are..." She was about to say the word beautiful, but restrained herself and turned back to the basin of water. "Why did you take off your mask?"
"Oh, that? I just prefer that the great masses don't know my real face, so I can walk the streets without a problem. Believe it or not, I used to be a bit famous and it was quite annoying to deal with some of the more obsessed fans. However, it's no problem if a few people know."
Kaizen preferred to save himself the trouble of coercing the woman just because he longed to keep his face secret for as long as possible, so he just let it be understood that she shouldn't tell anyone.
Ravastine was staring at the reflection of her flushed face in the water and heard the man's wood creak closer. Her heart pounded harder at that moment.
"Let me see how those bruises are." Kaizen was hoping for a reward or the start of a mission connected to the history mission that was taking place, so he was insisting on being kind to this woman.
As she turned around, Ravastine's mind made her believe that the man was less than 10 centimeters away from her, but in fact he was at least 60, and that he whispered in her ear affectionate words, such as:
"Noble lady, you are badly hurt. Let me tend to your injuries."
While, in fact, Kaizen used less kind words to say:
"Wow, that guy really finished you off. Let me help you with that."
He took the white cloth that was in her right hand and began to gently wipe it over the cut site.
"Why did you save me?" Ravastine asked, trying to look at the ground as much as she could with a strange man so close to her.
"I just couldn't watch that guy kill you while practically torturing you in public. No matter what you did..."
"..."
"So what did you do to get into a conflict with the Desert Lions Guild?" questioned the newcomer.
"I don't know if I can comment on that with a stranger..." She replied.
Kaizen stopped to clean the cut on her eyebrow, which made her think for a second that he was just a bully who wanted to play the hero in front of the people. However, he stopped for a moment so that he could wipe the cloth a little in the basin of water, and then returned to wiping the cut.
Surprised, Ravastine was left with conflicting feelings.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell. I won't force you into anything."
An awkward silence hung in the air for a few seconds, until Ravastine finally began to speak.
"It's okay, I trust... It's a secret to most of the inhabitants of the Tretidian Kingdom that my father is ill, and a few days ago my stepmother gave the title of commander to this guy named Taznaar. Historically, we also give gifts for every title a person gets and it's normal for adventurers to ask for gold, weapons or a higher salary, however, Taznaar asked for the right to marry my older sister."
"Ow. Isn't that a bit much? What did he do to deserve that? Did he kill a dragon?"
"No, he exterminated a group of Orc's."
"Anyway, asking for the right to have someone is still a bit much."
"Isn't it? I thought so too, except that my sister obeys everything they ask her to do, so she reluctantly accepted when my stepmother granted Taznaar's wish. I was totally against it and of course tried to interfere. Since the most famous way to solve problems between two people in the Royal City are challenges, I challenged Taznaar."
"That explains a lot... But wait a second, shouldn't he be the person fighting you in the arena a few minutes ago and not Leohorn?"
"Yes, it would be that way if he wasn't a commander and guild owner. Since he is, he can send any guild member in his formal duels. It's unfair, but if the rules allow it, there's nothing to be done."
Knowing this part of the story about the challenge made a concern arise in Kaizen's mind, for it meant that should Taznaar want to he could send three players he trusts to the challenge that would take place in two weeks. Even with this possibility, Kaizen knew that the chance of this happening was very low. His challenge was not made in an isolated hall with a marble floor, but in a gigantic arena and in front of thousands of people, maybe even millions considering the numbers on the webnet.
If Taznaar didn't show up on the day to fight, he would lose a lot of credibility with everyone without exception, so the question now was, did Taznaar care about his reputation or not?
The answer to that question didn't matter to Kaizen, because one way or another he would prepare for this battle just the same.
Yes, the rookie could also just not show up on the day, only that would tarnish Kaizen's nickname and he was not willing to do that.
Looking at Ravastine's sad face, Kaizen spoke:
"I am sorry about your father. Is there any other way I can help you?"
This was his last attempt to get a mission from Ravastine.
"Hm~ Come to think of it there is a way, yes. Why don't you meet me tomorrow? I will see what the political situation involving my family will look like now and try to get a new sword for myself by then. Go to the palace any time of day and state your name, the guards will allow you in."
"Right... Wait a second, did you say 'Palace'?"
Ravastine nodded with a frown, not understanding the boy's sudden question.
"I know you're a noble because people have told me that, but who the hell are you really?"
The woman smiled, ungraciously. "I am Ravastine Spelloyal, the second-born daughter of the current King of Tretidian."
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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