Chapter 26: Sovereign

Gladior took at least 3 hours in securing various needs to travel.

It wasn't many, but he had to hide his identity.

As he introduced himself as a Conqueror's disciple, he was quite famous for it.

If he left traces that he was going somewhere as a Conqueror's disciple, his hidden enemies might find it.

Gladior had to be very careful in dealing with matters like these.

Anyway, Gladior was about to go back to the inn where his milady resides.

As usual, he exchanged glances with the owner, went up the stairs, and knocked on the door.

"Milady, it is I, Gladior."

As he waited for the response, Gladior only stood still until he saw the door open by itself.

His eyes opened wide when he saw Grizelle opening the door for him.

"M-milady? What are you doing?"

"Shh. Come in."

Grizelle pulled Gladior in. It was quite surprising that she was able to handle Gladior's weight as a mage.

Shiii. The door screamed silently as Grizelle closed the door gently.

"W-what's happening? Why did you come out, milady?!"

As Grizelle's identity must be kept secret, she wasn't allowed to go out.

She was able to go on a job or mission because the gold reward was needed.

They wouldn't do something that bold unless it was essential.

After all, Kardeum has many people. Who knows if enemies are lurking in here.

Even the risk of her looking outside through the window is high, more so if she was the one to open the door.

"Shh! Quiet. I think I found something good!"

Grizelle answered with a small voice. Her face was full of excitement, unlike her usual face.

Her pink eyes were quivering slightly; her tall nose was breathing roughly.

She didn't have her hood on, so her blonde hair could be seen waving in the air.

Of course, all this was quite unusual. At least, for Gladior.

"P-please hide your face, milady! We don't know who's watching!"

"I said, quiet!"

With Grizelle shouting like that, Gladior couldn't protest any longer.

However, it was also because he saw what Grizelle was looking at.

It was the Limiter, the crystal ball.

Shooong! The ball was shooting out an intense light toward a certain direction.

However, it couldn't escape Grizelle's magic. It was being held in place in the ball.

The light tried to struggle, hoping to go to its destination.

It continued after a while until it finally calmed down.

"Whew."

Grizelle let out a sigh as she wiped the sweat that formed on her forehead.

"That was intense!"

"W-what happened, milady?"

"Ahhk!"

Because Gladior suddenly cut in, Grizelle was startled when she heard his voice.

Her intense concentration was so high that she even forgot Gladior's presence in the room.

"It's you, hah. You remember the mission that we took?"

Gladior nodded his head. After all, it was only a few hours ago when they did that.

There's no way Gladior could forget it.

"The Limiter suddenly changed. The rank that it gave I mean."

"What do you mean...?"

Grizelle held up the Limiter for Gladior to see.

"Look. I told you that it was Rank 0 before, right? Now, it is Rank 1."

"Eh? So what does it mean? It's just Rank 1, isn't it?"

"Ah. I forgot you were clueless about things like these."

'Eh?' Murmured Gladior as his face turned gloomy because he was just ridiculed by his milady.

Well, it's not as if Gladior was totally clueless about it.

"Rank 1 is just Rank 1. It doesn't necessarily change the threat level, does it?"

"Yes, it doesn't. After all, Rank 1 is basically the start of the Way. However, the fact that it changed means something else entirely."

"It means something else entirely? What do you mean...?"

Grizelle was a mage. She was interested in topics like these, where magical and mysterious things happen.

After all, Limiter was already an 'established' fact. The fact that it changed means something was there.

And in all of the knowledge that Grizelle has, there were only two existences that could overrule a 'fact.' A god or a...

"Sovereign...!"

Grizelle murmured silently as she arrived at this conclusion. However, because they were the only people in here, Gladior was able to hear.

"S-sovereign?! A-are you sure about it, milady?! A Sovereign isn't something we can just investigate!"

Gladior, who was a former student of a Conqueror, was silently screaming at the mention of Sovereign.

He didn't expect a Sovereign would appear in a small kingdom like Haroldus.

"Shh! As you said, we can't investigate a Sovereign; however...why did he change it?"

"C-change it? What do you...Ah!"

It was then.

Gladior finally realized what Grizelle meant when she said change.

"D-do you mean...the Sovereign changed the Limiter's results?"

"Yes. It was initially Rank 0, yet it changed to Rank 1. Meaning, the Sovereign wanted us to see that he was there. What's more, you saw how the light was trying to go back to its owner..."

Gladior gulped down some of his saliva as he imagined how the Sovereign would react.

Eventually, he couldn't keep his calm anymore.

"W-what do we do?! If the Sovereign found out that it was us, forget going to Vakigo, we won't even be able to leave this inn!"

"Wait! Keep quiet, Gladior."

Grizelle said as she thought about the events recently.

She remembered how the job came to be. It was because a baron went there and was repelled by a strong opponent.

And then, because the baron had a grand pride like a lion despite being a rabbit, he proposed a job to Adventurers to find out the danger level.

Since the Adventurers were able to use the Limiter while in the forest, it meant only one thing.

"A warning! The Sovereign is sending us a warning."

"A warning, m-milady? What do you mean by that...?"

It was then.

Grizelle, who was holding the Limiter in her hands, suddenly passed it onto Gladior.

She spoke after Gladior took it dazedly.

"Go, bring this to Baron Tell's house later in the evening. We'll escape right after you deliver it."

Gladior knew what Grizelle meant by bringing the Limiter to Baron Tell's residence. It means that if ever the Sovereign got angry, they won't chase Grizelle's group.

Instead, the Sovereign would take revenge on Baron Tell, who persistently investigated the forest where it lives.

Gladior understood this as he was quite familiar with politics and power struggles.

"I understand! I will also inform the guy that I hired! I will be back by midnight, milady!"

"Go! Make sure we can stay alive!"

"Yes! I will do my best!"

Gladior said as he left the room in a hurry. However, this time, his steps were much more efficient and quick. Silent but deadly, he left the inn.

Determined to appease the Sovereign's anger, Gladior released his power so he wouldn't be detected when planting the bomb known as the Limiter.

****

"Achoo!"

Desire sneezed while sitting in a chair.

'Is someone talking about me?' Desire thought as he wiped the snot with a cloth.

Huuu! He blew the cloth with his nose to get rid of the remaining snot stuck in his nose.

As he finished doing that, he heard a familiar voice. It was Jarina.

"Hey! Are you even listening?!"

She said as she slammed the table behind her.

"Why am I even doing this! Do you think this is for me!"

Jarina continued speaking with an angry tone. It seems she didn't like how Desire wasn't listening to her at all when she was helping him.

"I just sneezed! I am listening to you!"

'Oh?' Jarina said as she raised one of her eyebrows.

"Then, what did I talk about? If you can say it to me as I said it, then you are indeed listening."

She then crossed her arms, emphasizing her domineering attitude.

However, Desire wasn't fazed at all. He just answered nonchalantly.

"Why am I even doing this! Do you think this is for me!"

Bam! He then slammed his chair as he reenacted what Jarina said.

"There, I said perfectly." Desire said with a mischievous grin.

However, his grin soon faded as he felt the pressure coming from Jarina. It was the same pressure and aura that he collapsed from before.

When he looked at Jarina, he saw the veins popping in her forehead and neck.

Her bloodshot eyes were scary as hell, even for Desire.

"H-hey! Why'd you have to do this?!"

Desire shouted as he felt the pressure getting stronger.

"It was your fault, you know! Playing with me just because I made you wait for a day!"

It was then.

The pressure suddenly lessened, and the blackish aura circulating Jarina subsided as a faint smile replaced it.

Then she snorted while looking at Desire.

"You think you could escape me? Let me remind you, Desire; you were the one who asked for this."

Desire dropped his shoulders when he remembered what happened that led to this event.

It was when he woke up after collapsing.