283 Blaze's wish

"Phew," I sighed as I flopped onto the bed, feeling its softness beneath me. Closing my eyes, I let out a breath, relishing the moment of quiet.

*Silence*

"Why so silent?" I asked Blaze without opening my eyes, but there was no response at all, making me a bit confused. So, I repeated myself a few times in my mind until I opened my eyes and looked over at the small table in the corner where he sat silently, gazing into the distance.

"Hey, you fine?" I inquired.

"I'll kill Amrose Nexus," he stated calmly.

"....okay," I replied, trying to comprehend his seriousness.

"Not going to ask why?" He turned towards me, his yellow eyes fixed on mine—there was something different about his demeanor, a level of seriousness I hadn't seen before.

"You must have some reason," I replied, pulling myself to sit straight.

"Yes, I do," he confirmed. "It won't make any significant difference in the game's storyline, or should I say, in this world's storyline, right?" he questioned.

"It will, of course," I sighed, feeling a sense of weariness wash over me. "Amrose is one of the most important characters until the war starts, so there's no way there won't be any effect if he dies." I rubbed my palms together before running them over my face. I was feeling sleepy.

"Wouldn't that be problematic for you?" Blaze asked.

"It will..." I paused, looking at him. "But it's not an everyday occurrence that you want someone dead."

"Haa, good to know that you understand," he remarked, jumping down from the desk.

"Is it because of his armor? Someone you know had themselves butchered for it?" I questioned, trying to piece together his agitation.

"One? Haha, I don't know how that spiteful bug of a race got his hands on so many different dragons to make such a cursed object that he calls 'armor'. It's nothing but disrespect towards my people," Blaze's voice betrayed his irritation.

As I listened to Blaze's frustration over Amrose Nexus and his armor made from dragon bones, I couldn't help but wonder about the headmaster's past. Amrose Nexus, a figure shrouded in mystery and arrogance, had a story that intrigued me.

In the game script, I discovered that Amrose Nexus was once a promising young mage who attended the prestigious Imperial Academy over 150 years ago. In his teens, he showed exceptional talent and ambition, quickly rising to the top of his class. However, his thirst for adventure led him down a different path after graduation.

Instead of pursuing a traditional magical career, Amrose became an adventurer, traveling the kingdom and fighting in wars. His skills in combat and magic made him renowned throughout the land, earning him fame and fortune. But it wasn't until he stumbled upon the ancient ruins of Elmshade that his destiny truly took shape.

Deep within the ruins, Amrose discovered a hidden power that changed the course of his life. Inspired by the magic and history surrounding him, he decided to establish a city beneath the ruins, a place where mages and adventurers alike could gather and thrive.

It was during his time exploring the depths of Elmshade that Amrose uncovered the remains of several dragons. Legend has it that he somehow acquired these dragon bones and used them to craft his infamous armor. However, the details of how he obtained such rare and powerful materials remain a mystery, even to Blaze.

Despite the rumors and speculation surrounding his past, Amrose Nexus had become a formidable figure in the magical world. His city, now known as Nexus Institute of Magic, stood as a testament to his vision and determination. And as Blaze seethed with anger over the disrespect shown to his kin, I couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden behind the headmaster's enigmatic facade.

"But you do know that if you attack him in his sleep out of nowhere, you'll get all of us killed?" I got up from my bed. I could feel someone walking towards the door through my mana vision.

"I know... I am not saying now, but I'll surely, slowly, and painfully make sure his bones beg for his soul to be set free," he said. I just nodded.

As long as I have it figured out when he's going to do it, I'll at least try to make the most out of it in one way or another.

I pulled the door knob.

"Hei!?" The man wearing Nexus Institute's staff robe flinched as he was still in the midst of knocking.

"What do you want?" I asked in a bit of a crass tone.

"Luggage," he stuttered as he pointed at the multi-shelf trolley behind him filled with bags of everyone from the team.

"Hmm..." I stepped out, and the man gave me way.

I could see how every suitcase had labels of names on them. I forgot to add one on mine. I just pulled one metal crate and a normal suitcase out of the trolley.

Tud!

One suitcase fell out from the back of the open trolley.

"Sorry for that," I said as I tried to pick up the suitcase. It had Vexa's name on it...

I picked it up, and it was considerably heavy, so I placed it back on the trolley.

Pulling my stuff, I went back into the room immediately.

"Got everything, huh," Blaze said.

I immediately opened the suitcase of my clothes and noticed.

"It was opened and checked," I sighed as I saw how one of my shirts had all of its buttons done in the correct manner, while I made sure to mess up the order a bit.

"Well, not like you had anything to worry about. I don't remember you putting something shady in the suitcase," Blaze replied.

"Well, because it's not in the crate or the suitcase but here," I outstretched my palm and opened the Storage Void.

A small, basketball-sized sac containing eggs appeared on my palm.

"Remember this?" I smiled.

"Oh... Don't tell me you're going to use this... you won't be able to control them," Blaze took a break in between his words until he understood. "... You don't want them to be controlled?"

"Archanroke Spider, the mazes going to be fun." I am sure of it.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone bashed on the door at the moment.

I sighed and went towards the door, only to find Aron standing there in front of me, evident that he didn't like it.

"Hmm, what?" I asked, raising a brow, finding the situation a bit amusing.

"...You wanted to know about Alver, right? I'll tell you-"

"Come inside," my voice went a bit lower without me noticing as I gave him a way to enter the room.

He entered the room, and Blaze went outside. "I'll keep an eye outside," he said.

"So, water?" I asked as I pointed at the water bottle I had placed on the floor. "I don't have anything greater to offer to the first prince-"

"Just get over with it," he's trying his best to not yell.

"Tell me everything you know about Alver," I turned around, kicking my luggage into the corner storage space.

"I won't. You ask, and I answer," he cleared, he's not dumb, huh?

"Tell me, what did you mean by Alver has a lot of connections? What kind of connections does Alver have other than criminals?" I questioned straightforwardly.

"Court officials-" he opened his mouth.

"I know that one and guild-related stuff too. Tell me something other than that," I stopped him mid-sentence.

"Adiel Velcrow, the king of the Hestia Empire—man who's my father. He has connections with my father," Aron said.

"What?" I could feel my eyes widen.

"This Alver guy... by your reaction, it doesn't seem like how big of a personality he is. Not that I know, but I can tell he's much different than what he shows outside," Aron said.

Alver knows Adiel Velcrow. This was a surprise, to be honest.

"How did you know that?" I questioned.

Aron hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting as if debating whether to reveal more. Finally, he sighed and met my eyes.

"I've overheard some conversations between my father and his advisors. They mentioned Alver's name in passing, discussing various dealings and connections," Aron explained.

"Interesting," I murmured, processing the information. The fact that Alver had connections to royalty added another layer of complexity to the situation.

"Is that all?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied silently.

"Then you can leave," I indicated the end of the conversation.

"Huh? What about Cecelia?" his voice raised.

"Don't worry about her. She's not my type to even begin with. You both can have your fun; I won't bother," I shrugged.

"Really?" His voice softened a bit.

"You really do like that girl, huh," I could feel a smile form on my lips.

"That's not the case," he immediately denied.

"Yeah yeah, keep going with that slave stuff. Each to his own," I chuckled.

Aron huffed before turning to leave.

"Just make sure you keep her away from Adam Stales. He might want a bite of her," I advised.

He turned to stare at me for a second before loudly closing the door with force.