Bro, I'm not an Undead!



"The Royale is promising to be a spectacle, isn't it?" Rearren asked.

"Yes," Rias replied, his gaze lingering on Vali before she vanished from the bloody platform. "That woman is bold. She revealed what could have been an ace against strong opponents."

Rearren chuckled.

"That is only under the assumption that she has many contenders who can even challenge her to a mild degree. I count only a few. Besides, her intent in showing off something like this has quite an ingenious reasoning... Well, provided that she survives what follows," the man said.

"I know. It wasn't to impress. It was to reassure and intimidate, wasn't it?" Rias explained while turning to his father. "While she has been recruiting a lot of small Families under her wing through the event, she showed off some of her abilities to strengthen her image and deter any who might have second thoughts on whatever they agreed. She also wants to intimidate her opponents in the Royale too, doesn't she?"

"Indeed."

Vali and the Kinn Family rarely showed themselves in public. Even among the close knit communities built for creating connections and familiarity among Families, she was never one to be seen. Thus, the Kinn Family maintained as much of a sacred presence as that of a House.

Only people like Aurolio had interacted with Vali much and even then, their encounters were few and far between, mainly because Aurolio considered Vali disgusting and the Kinn Family Head considered Aurolio a freak.

That said, they knew much about each other to stay clear of anything to do with the other's business.

In contrast, many were witnessing Vali in action for the first time and the image she had just painted, especially to those that had come under her broad influence, letting themselves fall prey to her attractive offer so as to raise the lifespan and prestige of their own households, had their egos as well as ambitions tamed.

At the same time, the less rebellious ones had their hearts reassured that giving up a large degree of their freedom was worth it.

"Do you think she has an idea of what the Royale will entail?" Rias asked his father.

"Most of the contenders have probably already realised that this isn't what I said it would be. Some most likely don't care either way for our extraneous purpose for the event and are hoping for the reward at the end. Hmph. Well, depending on how the world reacts AFTER, there might actually be one."

Rias nodded.

After a short pause, he then asked something beyond the scope of the event.

"So... What really happened in Genhuis City? Was the chaos there your doing, father?"

"Goodness no. That was merely a coincidence. An opportune one. I only took it by the reins and steered it in my favour, nothing more. You know that I'm invested in only one big, crucial show, son. Show some respect," Rearren defended himself while eyeing the Paladin Champion Ruhrees who still had bits of distress on his face.

Thankfully, he could only hear what Rearren wanted him to hear, otherwise he would be burdened with tonnes of suspicion than he already had now.

He had considered that the monsters that appeared in Genhuis City were the EverSword House's doing, but that didn't seem right.

If Rearren had a force like that under his belt, why would he choose to reveal it now, worsening his situation? Even with it, there were still monsters in this world that could crush him within moments if they so wished.

Monsters that happened to be past the level of Incandescent.

...And Rearren, much like ALL the Incandescent Stage experts, knew this.

The EverSword House Head was more cunning than that. Whatever surprises he had were likely reserved for later, but regardless, this suspicion Ruhrees had was still going to be investigated, whether or not it was unlikely.

.....

Within the crowd, sparks of heated discussions had begun soon after the match between Vali and Kurtish ended.

Before anyone knew it, the mundane folk had added another potential powerhouse to look out for in the Royale, and bits of their excitement were piled up within boiling hearts.

Truly, the Preliminaries weeded out the weak, leaving only the strong, or rather, the competent.

Most of the common audience didn't understand the mechanics of high level powers, but visual effects and impact did leave an impression on them. Even though both of these did not always mean the source was a powerful combatant, in this event, it more than often did.

It was funny how easy it was to capitalise on how easily derailed normal minds could be.

With just a few bursts of stimulation, many had already begun to push away the atrocities that had happened back home. Suddenly, they invited their trust in the Capital Service, beginning to believe that when they went home, things would be alright.

After all, they had powerful, trustworthy powerhouses that could host such large scale events in a dangerous Cluster and still make them feel safe.

Where was the faith?

These thoughts spread like an infection, bringing about an absurd sense of ease.

Sadly, a lone figure in the crowd didn't share the same enthusiasm. She sobbed bitterly while being comforted by maidens at her side.

How could she be at ease when the remains of her fiancé, the last bits of him that remained, were wiped away, incinerated into nothingness in order to clear the stage for the next contenders?

*

As another round of tussling began, its impact and feel in no way a match for the previous, Skullius turned to Aurolio.

"Well, thanks for the generous tips. Any other free pieces of information for me?" he asked.

"Not really. First, we finalise our arrangement and then we can talk all you want," the pale man said.

"About the... Null Badubs... Are you sure they won't already be dealt with by the time we return to the city?"

"Pffft. No way. They are not indestructible, but to kill them, a lot – and I mean a lot – of effort is required. I doubt any of that effort can be applied anywhere close to the city. Divine Blessings don't have much of an effect on the beasts so I'm pretty certain chances are... at the very best, we may find them contained somehow. Brrrr," Aurolio explained with a shiver so intense it almost startled Skullius.

"Are you... alright?" the Hybrid Luman asked, a bit nervous.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What? Your opinion of me shook just because I'm getting slammed by the cold? Think again! I can still hold on my own!" Aurolio suddenly growled, on his face cautious apprehension.

'The flesh? What cold?' Skullius wondered.

Aurolio's temperament, his usual confidence and spunk has vanished all of a sudden, leaving a pair of eyes that reflected his unease while looking at Skullius, as if he expected the Hybrid Luman to suddenly lunge at him.

What was wrong with this guy?

Aurolio snapped his finger and beside him, a beautiful woman in a formal outfit appeared out of thin air.

She calmly gave a surprised Skullius an appraisal before turning to Aurolio.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Did you bring my blanket?" Aurolio asked with a scowl.

"You know I always do," Idline answered with wisps of anger burning in her voice.

"Good. Let's go. I'm done here. You better have the flask and biscuits too. If I have to watch anymore of these shit excuses for entertainment, I'd rather do it with sugar on my tongue!"

Idline sighed and turned to Skullius again who wore a strange expression on his face from what he was hearing. If Idline had to give this visage a name, she'd call it, express tier confusion.

"Sorry. He gets like that sometimes," she apologised and gave a bow.

Before Skullius knew it, Aurolio grumbled and made the two disappear, leaving the Hybrid Luman alone once again in his portion of the extensive tent.

Phew...

Being left to his own thoughts for now, was a great relief.

He could at least begin processing everything that he had experienced without restraint.... starting from the top, but also without any particular order.