Another World Story

Day Thirty-Four: Royal Capital (2)

Two men walked on the roads in the capital traversed only by the nobles.

They walked on, as a black-haired boy, almost at the cusp of adulthood, lead the path.

He, unlike the person walking slightly behind him, does not know a single thing about the capital, he just walked and walked until he reached the path taken by the nobles, the so called 'Noble District'.

The old-man with purple-hair with few grey hair sprouting from the messy yet refined hair of his, talked as if a guide, explaining the things the boy took an interest with.

"Hmmm, the houses here really is different compared to the ones at the 'Outer Rings'" the boy said.

The old-man hearing this spoke gently.

"As you have surmised this place is really different compared to the 'Rings' we've been before, you might have guessed already, but I'll say it, this place is the place where nobles that work inside the Palace live"

"Is it alright for you to tell such things?" the boy ask as he turned towards the old-man.

The old-man stared straight at the void which is the eyes of the boy before speaking.

"It's fine, though I say that they live here, they all have mansions on the different part of the capital"

"Still..." the boy said trailing his words as he took noticed of something.

The old-man noticing the boy's reaction, asked.

"Kaiser, what is it?"

The boy, Kaiser, just stood there, unblinking was his eyes as he tried to look around.

His void-like eyes surveyed the surrounding, moments later he began to walk again as if nothing has happened.

The old-man, Count Rudolf Von Vinceral, stood there, dazed. He couldn't grasp what the boy was thinking nor what he was trying to do, the only thing he could do was follow behind him like a chaperone to a young-lady trying to shop in a market.

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"Is there something bothering you?" the count finally asked as they left the 'Noble District'

Kaiser hearing his voice, looked around once more, he then turned to the count then to the front once again as he continue his walk.

As he took his fifth step, he finally spoke.

"Sir Count" he called.

The old-man followed as they continue their walk, he answered to his call.

"Hmm" was all the reply could do, knowing that the facade was now done.

"They're your men, I presumed" Kaiser spoke, not even looling back to the count.

If anyone had seen this, they would have thought that the boy infront of the honored count was a far higher existence compared to him.

Yet the reality was far from the truth.

Kaiser, knowing that he should atleast pay his respect even if his emotions and reasons were clashing against each other, turned towars the count.

"They're emitting such intense bloodlust, some are even pointing their weapons at me, what is the reason for this? Sir Count?" he stated, a flicker of red light flashed through his retina.

"When did you noticed?" the count true to his title and experience asked calmly, he's gentle eyes now showed no emotions as he looked at him.

Seeing the indifference in the eyes of the count, he could only grit his teeth in his mind.

"...Since the day I woke up" He spoke, hesitation evident from his voice.

"From that far... I guessed I underestimated you quite a bit" the count spoke, his emotionless eyes now back to the gentle-eyes he showed from the beginning.

"But... Why only speak now?" he added.

Kaiser, contemplating on whether to tell his reasons or lie and face the countless weapons that hid themselves on the surrounding, decided quickly.

"I was not alarmed at them at first, tailing me to upto the quarter you've lend and following behind me during my tour on the manor was fine at first, but showing their clear intent was by no means okay. Sir Count, have I done something?" Kaiser spoke, his head hanging as he wait for the reply of the count.

He dared not look up, as what he just spouted was blatant lie.

In truth, he just discovered them today when he woke up, their killing intent made him aware of them.

And from that time, he keep an eye from his surrounding, keeping his excitement to check, but was not able to, he was soon conquered by the 'chuunibyo' inside of him.

This made him lax and forget about the murderous aura that surrounded him.

But the calm and stillness of the 'Noble District' woke him from his fascinated dazed and once again took noticed of them.

"Sir Count, have I done something wrong?" Kaiser once again questioned, this time he look at the reaction of the count, determining the emotions his feeling.

"..." the count didn't answer and just looked back at the boy infront of him, he gazed at him with disappointment.

Kaiser, upon realizing the meaning of the Count's look, for the first time faltered. He realized his blunder too late.

He should've thought up to the beginning, he shouldn't have said that he knew the moment he woke up

For he knew, that in that dark, medical room, there was no other presence present aside from him, the person lying on the bed, unmoving.

'F*ck!' Kaiser cursed at himself. But what can he do? The die has been cast, he could only lament his short comings.

'There's no turning back' he thought.

The Count, observing the young man infront of him, sighed deeply.

'Why lie?' he asked himself. But no matter how hard he thought upon it, only one word popped up from his mind: Wariness

The young man was wary of him, of the people that surrounded him, and he could not say a word that could make things worse, yet he did. Lying infront of the person who cared, fed and gave him necessities, was infact one the greatest blunder he had done.

But this incident was not the reason for that. It was the day he was able to finally moved, that day the count visitd him at the medical room and asked about the reason for why the young man was there at Seira Forest, an acursed forest avoides by the people of Memphis.

"I was a traveler" the young man spoke.

"I was travelling from my home town to the capital, yet lost my way, but thankfully I met companions inside the forest..." the boy continued his story.

He was almost eaten by a manticore, and was ravaged by night wolves on his second night at the forest after futilely hunting a potus rabbit.

He was greatly wounded, the young man said. But the potus rabbit he saved, saved him in return and they traveled together to make it out of the acursed forest.

The story went on, meeting an injured girl who fell from the falls, training the girl to fight, being attacked by a killer bear and a packed of night wolves, escaping the forest, encountering the manticore, his colleagues escaping the grasp of death, stopping the monsters from passing, and the count recalled what happened next.

It was all fine with the story, yet when the spoke about the memory he had lost, a skill activated from the count.

[Notice]

A lie has been detected. One must be wary of the words spoken with such mouth.

His Unique passively skill; 'Interrogation' had activated. It means that lies does not just pass through the Count's head. He greatly trusted the skill as he was saved countless times due to it.

Yet the boy, spoke a lie, memory loss. The Count contemplated about this for a few days, not knowing what the boy can gain by lying, but as he surmised, only the word: wariness passed through his mind.

Thus, he let it pass, but after that time, the young man, continued to lie. He lied about being born on this continent, about not knowing his current level and many such more.

The count let it all pass, as they were all questions that could endanger oneself. But the shadows who have heard those words, was enraged at the boy.

And now, the boy once again lied, he also lie during their short trip towards the inner 'Rings' of the capital.

The shadows went closer towards the frozen young man, but before they could land a hand on him, they count raised his hand slightly his fist closed.

'Stop' is what it meant.

The shadows immediately withdrawn.

The Count, Rudolf Von Vinceral, looked at the frozen stiff young man infront him.

The void-like eyes of the young man was now just normal shade of onyx-black. Seeing the changed in the eyes of the young man, he smiled.

Knowing that the expression that made him uncomfortable yet felt a familiar semblance to someone disappeared, he opened his mouth.

"It's fine to be wary, Kaiser"

Kaiser, just stood there not even looking at the count, guilt was now showing from him.

"It's fine to lie to protect oneself, there's nothing to be guilty about. It is human nature to lie in order to preserved one's own life" he continued, staring at the 'true' eyes of the young man.

"I understand why did so, and I won't condemned you, lies and betrayal is common in the world of Nobles and Royalties, you know?" he asked, a big smile spread across his face.

Kaiser, then looked at the old-man, his eyes ever-gentle as he looked at him.

The non-existent guilt that he felt, disappeared as if it had done its role.

'Damn, I thought I was a goner' he thought to himself.

Kaiser was not lowering his head due to guilt as the count had surmised, infact he never felt it, he was looking down, to avoid facing the evident doom that was looming over him, exposing his neck to show that he wanted a painless deat.

Yet the count interpreted his shaking to be of fear instead of frustration, his lowered head with guilt instead of surrender.

'Ha, Ha, Hahahahaha' He could only laught to his mind of the closeness he was to dying once again

"My greatest apologies, Sir Count" Kaiser spoke, sincere was he to his words that even the unique passive skill did not activate.

The Count only nodded his head, before smacking the back of the young man.

"Well, let us move on to our next destination" the count spok, he looked at the now thawed young man beside him, his eyes glitter as it returned to its 'true' form.

"We're going to the central plaza" he said.