"So you are King Daneel, after all. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you won"t mind that I took up residence in your Kingdom for the past few days."
Hearing this, Daneel"s eyebrows rose as he realized that he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book: confirming something by a.s.suming that the other party was telling a fact, instead of a guess.
He couldn"t even be blamed in this matter. Most of the techniques cast by the system only worked on those who matched its complexity. Hence, it was natural that his Camouflage technique could be seen through by someone who was a Champion.
The feat of breaking through the powerful formation protecting the Ancestral Grounds had led him to a.s.sume that this woman was either a Champion, or using a trinket. Thinking that the former was probably true and also because of the fact that the Matron had discovered his true ident.i.ty and called him "kid" instead of the middle-aged man he looked like, he had given this answer.
"How… were you able to guess?", he asked, curious while he looked at her take out a globe-shaped trinket that looked like it had stars swirling inside it.
"There is only one individual in the entire Central Continent that I know of who could be called as "having potential" by the Matron. Besides, the news has already spread that your close friend is contending for the Throne. Even though he says he severed all connection with you, who would be dumb enough to believe that? Putting these two facts together, I made the guess that you are King Daneel who came here to help out his friend. And you just confirmed it."
Smart.
This was the word that came to Daneel"s mind when he listened to her explanation. Indeed, when the facts were put in this way, it did show that he was probably Daneel.
He just hadn"t thought so much into it because he was very worried about Faxul right now. Even though the old man might not intervene, Tenebrol was a tough opponent who had apparently only gotten stronger due to the spars he had had with Elanev. Even though Elanev had been talking to Faxul daily and telling him about the weaknesses he could target in the King"s technique, there was still a very solid chance that he could lose.
Daneel had considered whether he should help out if that were the case. Yet, knowing that it would be something that would chip away at his friend"s pride and conscience all his life, he had chosen not to. Besides, he also trusted Faxul to put in his all. After all, this was his opportunity to fulfill the wish that had been in his mind since his childhood.
"Well guessed. Let"s go quickly. And you are welcome to my Kingdom at any time. After all, you did save my life. After we get back, you can move to the Palace where we can continue our discussion."
Placing her fingers on the globe and concentrating on it for a few seconds, Sister Xuan acted as though she hadn"t heard Daneel speak.
Yet, as a glow was born inside the globe that started to expand, she looked up at him and said, "Oh? But it did not seem as though you were really worried about meeting your death? I know you had a countermeasure, King Daneel. I don"t care what it was, but I did save you from using it. For that, I will accept your offer. Step into the light door that will appear soon. Molan, are you all right?"
So she had even observed this tiny thing?!
Indeed, at the moment before the old man was about to apparently end his life, there had been no fear in his eyes as he had been focused on activating the clone at the time.
As he watched her concentrate on the globe again, Daneel found himself getting more and more impressed by both the wisdom and beauty of this woman.
Indeed, if Eloise was pretty and bubbly like a vibrant sunflower, then Sister Xuan was like a frozen rose whose ice-cold beauty would attract anyone that pa.s.sed by.
The light inside the globe expanded until it became a doorway, just like Sister Xuan had said.
Eager to find out how the fight was going on, Daneel immediately stepped through before finding himself weightless, as he was in the air above the stadium.
Hastily conjuring a barrier under him, he looked towards the ground to see a shocking sight.
Faxul was crumpled in a b.l.o.o.d.y heap on one end of the stadium, and Tenebrol was rus.h.i.+ng towards him to deal the final blow while the crowd watched on, just as stunned as him.
...
A few minutes ago.
As Faxul walked out of the entrance to the ground, a deafening sound swept towards him which made him pause.
It was the cheers of the millions of people who were watching, supporting him with all their hearts and wis.h.i.+ng that he would achieve victory.
Indeed, public favor was completely on his side due to all the plans that they had carried out. Bolstered by the support, he walked confidently towards the center of the ground where there were two officials waiting who had cages in their hands.
With numerous images of his parents, the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom and the dead soldiers pa.s.sing through his mind, he prepared to put everything on the line in order to not let down all those who had placed their hopes on him.
Tenebrol, who entered the ground in front of him, had a smile of antic.i.p.ation on his face as he too approached this point. As someone who had fought in wars where his side was the losing one, he wasn"t new to being disadvantaged in a fight.
True, the public didn"t support him right now. If he were a citizen, even he wouldn"t have wanted to cheer for a King who had committed such acts.
But what did it matter? If he wanted to live, he had to behead the opponent in front of him.
In this way, both compet.i.tors motivated themselves using different things before beginning the ceremony of bonding the Raven.
Faxul still had no idea how Tenebrol was able to bond with a Raven so quickly, but he had decided to take his time no matter what the spectators thought. Taking the cages into their hands, both of them similarly started to rub on the sensitive spot above the Raven"s beaks which relaxed them.
The King showed the same grace as before, opening the cage in just a few seconds before coaxing the Raven onto his finger where the trinket was and connecting with it instantly.
Yet, Faxul took his time. After rubbing that spot for 30 seconds, he moved on to another spot on its neck. Rubbing this one made the Raven let out a small squak of happiness as it closed its eyes and enjoyed the feeling.
He had learned about this one from the Raven he was bonded to, but he had severed that bond just before entering this fight after explaining to it that he needed to do so. Along with power, the intellect of these beasts also grew, so the Raven had been able to understand him and let go of the bond temporarily without causing any fuss.
Making the Raven in the cage completely comfortable by using a few other spots, he finally opened the cage after a few minutes. All this time, the King gloatingly looked at him, as if mocking him for taking so long.
Of course, Faxul didn"t even notice this. His full focus was on the beautiful beast in front of him which was slowly moving towards the trinket on his fingers.
Its eyes still closed, it moved closer and closer until it was finally p.r.i.c.ked by the needle.
SQUAK
Letting out an angry sound, the Raven opened its eyes and looked at Faxul indignantly, as if to say, "Why should I bond with you, when I know nothing about you except that you are good at making me relax?"
This had been his fear all along. Embarra.s.sing himself in front of so many people and losing the favor that had been painstakingly built.
Yet, at this moment, something miraculous happened.
His pure intention of wanting to bond with the Raven seemed to have been sensed by that well inside him, which sent out a strand of its golden power through his body to the trinket he was wearing.
Immediately, the Raven that had been about to fly away docilely accepted the bond and its thoughts appeared in his mind.
"Ancestor.", it said, before flying to his shoulder and waiting for his command.
As Faxul tried to make sense of what had happened, Tenebrol frowned on seeing this sight.
The officials left after the taking the cages, and the cheering from the crowd only grew in intensity as everyone waiting for the gong to sound that would signal the beginning of the fight.
At this moment, a derisive voice drifted into Faxul"s ear, making his eyes turn red with rage.
"Do you know your father"s last words when his throat was under my foot? He begged me to let him go. He said he would run away from the Kingdom with his family and never return. He was a coward, and so are you. Prepare to die."