NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter-138 Discord
Ewan opened his eyes and looked at him. “I intend to,” he said.
“No, I mean, break through now,” Kiev said with an awkward laugh.
Ewan frowned and sat straight. Even the pulsing headache couldn’t make him ignore this.
“I know I’m asking for too much, but we really can’t afford to continue like this,” Kiev said.
“You can't afford to, so you want me to pay for it?” Ewan retorted. “You know you’re asking for too much, then why do you?”
“You won't lose anything; we’ll provide you with all you need,” he said. “Even the spell circuit for the rite.”
“No, thank you. I can get it myself,” Ewan said. He had plans for Step-1 and wasn’t going to change it for anyone else. If he broke through without finishing the element baths, without opening the path for a Step-0 Elementalist, he would be at his weakest. He would shoulder the name of a Spirit-Nebula Severynth without the power to support it.
Not to mention if he could break through at all. After all, he hadn’t even assessed his success rate yet. If he failed, if something went wrong, if he couldn’t tread the last step of the rite, he would have to pay the price with his life. Most of all, it wouldn’t be on his terms—others would dictate his actions. The aversion from that alone pulled him away.
“Ewan, please, you saw what happened,” Kiev said with a pleading expression. “Many people have died already and many more will again.”
“I’m responsible for that?” Ewan asked.
“No one is saying that. But we can solve everything and save so many if you just change your plans,” Kiev said with a strained smile, with a slight twitch on his lips.
“Solve everything? At my expense?” Ewan frowned harder; the constant disregard of his free will irritated him.
“Can't you try and see it from my perspective?” Kiev asked, clenching his fists. “Can you not be selfish for once?” He raised his voice.
“Let’s end it here before things get out of hand,” Ewan said, dragging himself up. “You cool down, I’ll go back to my villa.”
Kiev also stood then bowed. “Please Ewan, just this once,” he said. “We’ve lost too many.”
“No.” Ewan said and walked out. “You had to do this…I just wanted to rest,” he said under his breath with a sigh.
“Boss…” Kidd and Valarie stood outside the tent, her eyes breathing fire at Ewan as she gritted her teeth, her nostrils flaring.
“I misjudged you,” she said and barged inside the tent, shoving his shoulder.
Ewan chuckled. Accidents were the nemesis of plans, for good or for bad. A conflict that he didn’t foresee solved a problem that irked him.
“Give it back now,” Ewan said, beckoning to Kidd.
“B-Boss, I kept her safe just like you asked,” Kidd said, handing over the Obsidian Dagger drenched in blood and flesh.
Ewan wiped it against Kidd’s t-shirt and kept it in the claw-ring. “Hmm, you did good,” he said, strolling away. Kidd limped after him, glancing at his face from time to time with dodgy eyes, sweat dripping down his chin.
“Worried?” Ewan asked.
“N-Not at all, Boss. We already have a deal.” Kidd simpered.
“Right, you’re my retainer now,” Ewan said, his lips curling. “That means I can dismiss you.”
“B-Boss, I’ll work harder!” Kidd hollered then gulped, staring at Ewan.
“Your leg,” Ewan said, glancing at it.
“It’s nothing. I just sprained it,” Kidd said, trying to move it but trembled instead. “It’ll be fine with some spit.”
“Sit,” Ewan shook his head and said, gesturing him over to a flattish boulder. “It’ll hurt, grit your teeth.”
He grabbed Kidd’s bent right shin when he sat—and before he could prepare himself—snapped the cracked bone straight. Kidd gasped a sharp breath then bellowed, clawing Ewan’s shoulders, and ringing his ears.
Iris.
She slid out of Dekoth, her roots swaying about, and used Mend on Kidd, healing him in seconds.
“You’re fine now,” Ewan said, patting Kidd’s injured leg, and walked away while Iris rested inside the rune again.
“Boss, do you have some work for me?” Kidd asked, scurrying after him, panting, his face still pale from the shock.
Ewan looked around at the mayhem and destruction. People wailed over the corpses, wounded who barely held on to life gasped their last breath, Kyrons grouped together to save and rescue anyone they could. Many prayed, many despaired, and they raged over the tragedy. Yet they were powerless to resist their fate and lacked the strength for vengeance.
“Find out why they attacked like this then retreated, ask around for any information. Maybe the guards know something,” Ewan said. “Too much?”
“Not at all.” Kidd thumped his chest. “I already have something on this actually,” he whispered, glancing around warily.
Ewan extended his Ryvia and covered them, trapping their voices in—he’d recovered enough to do this without it hammering his head.
“Go on,” he said.
“I saw a couple of shady people heading deep into the mountain forest,” Kidd said. “They went to a crack there.”
“A couple?”
“T-Three.”
“Were they not from Drarith?” Ewan asked.
“At least one of them was an Asheva, I could sense it,” Kidd said.
That again? Ewan frowned. At least this gave him confirmation—Kidd could sense some element, and it wasn’t mystic.
“Asheva…,” Ewan murmured and mulled. If they were from Drarith, their actions didn’t make sense. Hiding from the war was useless unless they intended to never return to the city. Most likely, they were outsiders, either related to the raid or taking advantage of it.
“Did they go in?”
“No, the walls attacked them before they could, and one even died, one got injured.”
“The walls attacked? How did it look?” Ewan asked.
“It just threw wind blades at them, like swoosh swoosh,” Kidd said, acting it out with his hands.
Traps…
Their existence pointed towards one thing—there was something hidden in that crack, something worth hiding behind traps, something important enough that three Ashevas risked their lives for it. Involvement in such matters could pose a risk to Ewan and his stable position in Drarith. But if the crack solved his problems or gave him more intelligence on the ongoing war…
Either could be a boost to him. The risk was apparent but so was the reward.
“Was it only you?” Ewan asked. “Her?” He pointed at the tent with his head.
Kidd shook his head. “Just me. I found it before meeting her,” he said. “Do you want me to look into it? I’ll be careful.”
“No, I’ll tell you what to do later, forget it for now,” Ewan said. “And not a word to anyone about this.”
Kidd bobbed his head and the two continued on their stroll again.
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