The Chief was someone who was typically not used to people being daring enough to talk over him. So, when he saw the King of Lanthanor directly say these words and then wait for an answer, he actually had to pause for a moment in order to gather his mind and wonder just how long it had been since someone had stood so gallantly in front of him.
However, what he asked wasn"t so simple.
Daneel could already tell that something was wrong the moment he saw the Chief pause and then put together his lips as if he was thinking about something unpleasant.
What could there even be that would cause a man like this to feel that kind of emotion?
Daneel received the answer to this question when the Chief opened his mouth and spoke in a serious tone.
"Insolence. That is the world that will be used to describe you, and that is what all those who do not like you will use as an argument so that you no longer have access to the Big Four. The Head already told you that you should get everything done in one visit. The truth is that even though the both of us are the strongest Heroes on the continent, we are still bound by a few rules which we must follow unless we wish to risk letting the entire continent slip into chaos. One of those is that decisions must be taken by the Council, and not by us, individually. Even though a few things can be done by our discretion, a matter such as yours which is something so unprecedented definitely needs the approval of a majority in the Council. In fact, the Head had even been ready to smuggle you in if needed, but he told me that he was pleasantly surprised when a majority was reached, albeit barely. Of course, the detractors were all those who believed that someone like you should never be given a chance like this unless you choose to give up your Kingdom and completely become one of the Big Four. As for those who supported you… After a little bit of time, we understood that they did so because they were happy that the person who was responsible for their children"s and grandchildren"s deaths was killed by you. So, you actually had a stroke of luck to help you out then, but now, if you leave and then come back later, another Council will have to be held as each and every major happening in Angaria is monitored by it. Typically, we are autonomous, but this is in place so that if there are any risks, they can be identified beforehand and handled. This must be the first time I"m explaining myself so much to a mere Warrior, and that too, one from the Central Continent. But I"m doing so because I now see a little bit of what the Head saw in you. I don"t know what technique you used when you stamped that guy into the ground, but I can tell that it was pretty impressive, and that you must have obtained more from Angaria than what you"re letting on."
The Chief paused at this point, while Daneel" heart started to beat faster.
He had used the Basilisk"s Breath for barely a moment, but this guy had still identified that some technique had been utilized in that short span of time. He had known that he must be watching, and had taken care not to expose anything, but it turned out that that plan of his had been a failure.
Still, it was a consolation that he was only taking it to be something not as powerful as an Inheritance that had such an impressive effect as the Basilisk"s Breath. However, Daneel realized that he should be even more careful, and this was pretty d.a.m.n maddening as he had already thought that he was being more cautious here than in anywhere else he had gone to on Angaria.
Putting that aside and focusing on the matter at hand, Daneel wondered what else he could do to find a way to leave.
Yet, it looks like the chief was not done.
Cracking a small smile, he continued, saying "It is good news, though, that you are prepared to partic.i.p.ate in the Legacy Battle. It has been too long since I"ve seen anyone excel in one, and I yearn to find out more of what you might be hiding. How about this? I do you a favor, and you do one for me. How does that sound?"
A-A favor? And that too from Hero like him?
Daneel was pretty flabbergasted. He could never have imagined that he would get this kind of preferential treatment from this man, so this actually made him panic and begin to think what motive could be there behind his actions.
Could it be that this favor would lead him to his death, or put him in a situation where he would have to expose even more of his power if he wanted to stay alive?
Both of those would be pretty devastating for him, as Daneel knew that if any of his secrets were exposed, he would be hunted by the whole continent. And right now, he was definitely not in a position where he could handle that, although he hoped to get there as fast as possible.
Calming himself down, he decided to listen to what the Chief had to say first.
Seeing the extremely cautious expression on his face, the Chief actually chuckled and said, "I can see why you must feel as though I am a threat, too. But the truth is that you are too weak to be targeted by me. Go become a Hero first, and then we can talk. For now, all I"m concerned about is this legacy that needs to be pa.s.sed on. Honestly, at this point, I don"t even care that you are a mage, too, although I used that trinket so that there will be a fair compet.i.tion. I"ve seen nothing so far to indicate that you might win, but I have my reasons regarding why I am hopeful. You say you need a weapon, and I understand. I don"t want you to go into the battle without a full strength. Incidentally, how long do you wish to be gone for?"
Furrowing his eyebrows and pondering for a bit, Daneel answered, "A week."
He had already made a list of all the things he wanted to do outside after all the developments that had happened during his visit to this Sect, so he chose this timeframe which would be enough even if there were any unforeseeable delays.
At the top of the list was even something he had found out from the system just before coming here which he was really excited about, but that excitement had been dampened by quite a bit as he had no wish to take undue risks by giving out favors that could potentially kill him.
On hearing his answer, the Chief first raised an eyebrow, and Daneel started to form another lie, as it really didn"t make sense why someone would need a week to go "grab their weapon".
In fact, he had even given that reason in the first place as an excuse as he just wanted to go out.
Before Daneel could make up a lie, though, the Chief just shrugged and said, "Well, if I do this, the time really won"t matter. If you agree, I"ll use a camouflage technique to take your place, and I"ll also give you a way to leave and come back that can only be used by me. Even though the Council is monitoring everything, they can do nothing if I, myself wish to help someone in this manner. Don"t you think that this is a pretty big thing for me to do?"
To Daneel, this sounded exactly like a conversation that one would have in a shop back on Earth with a shopkeeper who wanted to rip them off.
Seeing the grand personage of the oldest Hero on the Continent act in this way, Daneel almost felt that it was funny, but the feeling of danger that was ever present at this place stopped him from cracking a smile.
He had to admit that this was a pretty big favor, but he wasn"t prepared to take it without finding out the cost.
Also, a doubt had appeared in his mind. What the h.e.l.l could have caused the character of this Chief to change from the person he had been yesterday to the one he was now? Yesterday, he had been all domineering while acting as if his word was law. However, today, he was ready to bargain. Such a steep change set off alarm bells in his mind, and he wondered what he should do about it, as it would keep bugging him even when the time came to make a decision.
Thinking on it for a bit and finding no answer, Daneel nodded in reply.
He thought the Chief was done, but the man opened his mouth and spoke again, proving him wrong and making this doubt in his mind grow even stronger.
"My favor isn"t limited to just that. There are many personal Hero level Fighter techniques that I"ve developed by myself throughout all these years. I"m willing to give them all to you, even though they might not make sense to you now. These are invaluable, and you won"t be finding them in the Secret Archives either, as I am the only one who is in possession of them. And finally, there is one last book that you will also not find anywhere else on the continent. It details the attempts by those throughout the history of my sect in pursuing the Ultimate Path, and it gives a detailed explanation regarding why each attempt failed, or didn"t give very satisfactory results. Without this, even if you obtain the scroll, you would be setting yourself up for a possible failure. But if you are equipped with the knowledge that was collected over many, many generations, the chance of you succeeding will increase exponentially."
Daneel couldn"t believe his ears. The chief was right - any technique was better if there were also studies regarding how others had failed in them. True, he had the system which was capable of carrying out a.n.a.lysis on things like these, but Daneel had a suspicion that whatever was inside that scroll might be at a level beyond that of the current system. Although he was obtaining a lot of EXP recently, he was still quite a ways from the upgrade, so he couldn"t simply twiddle his thumbs and choose to wait for it. But instead, if he had that book with all of that data, the system would definitely be able to run the a.n.a.lysis and at least give him something that he could use if he chose to use the method of the founder of the sect.
At this point, he couldn"t take it anymore, as each and everything being offered by the Chief was more valuable than the one before.
So, he just blurted out his doubt.
"Why this change? Just yesterday, you threw me out saying that I should make a decision, and that you"ll meet me later. How you"re behaving now does not match with that at all. I -"
"cannot help but suspect me? I see why you might feel so. But let me tell you one thing: just hear me out regarding the favor I need from you, and you"ll get the answer to your question. Alright?"
…
Back in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Ca.s.sandra looked as if she was fast asleep on a bed while Kellor was pacing to and fro right in front of her.
The King had charged him with taking care of Ca.s.sandra, and making sure that if she woke up and was able to talk, he would be contacted at the earliest. He also said that the span of time after waking up would be crucial, as she might be panicking due to what had happened. Kellor"s instructions were mainly to help her remain calm, and have her wait for his arrival.
However, remembering that blazing aura which was capable of melting a Warrior into a b.l.o.o.d.y sludge instantly, Kellor wandered what he should do if it suddenly appeared and didn"t give him any time to teleport away.
Thankfully, this thought left his mind when he saw a person teleport right in front of him.
When he saw that it was the King, a broad smile appeared on his face.
The King looked like he was thoroughly amused and happy about something, and Kellor almost asked what the reason was. He decided not to at the last moment, as the King would tell him anyway if it concerned him.
Nodding at him, the King walked up to Ca.s.sandra"s bed, and Kellor opened his mouth to tell him that there had been no movement since when she had screamed and crumpled to the floor.
However, before he could say anything, a low moaning was heard from Ca.s.sandra who drowsily opened her eyes and woke up, as if she had sensed the presence of the man who was responsible for saving her from that state before.
Blinking, she looked around, and when her eyes fell on the King, she got up immediately and said in a vicious tone, "My King, some b.a.s.t.a.r.d kidnapped me and tortured me for days! I think Aran was taken, too! We must find that culprit! And when we do, I"ll burn that b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s b.a.l.l.s off!"