The Special Advancement Test
Keres was surprised at first, but as he considered it, he realized it wasn't that surprising. Besides, her identity didn't really matter to him so his initially furrowed brows returned to the scowl he had worn earlier.
Her words soon proceeded, weaving through the air with a serene fluidity.
"Forgive me if this sounds patronizing, coming from a position of privilege, but the truth is, as fancy as it sounds, the title doesn't hold much significance in reality"
"I'm not delusional enough to think society is anywhere near perfect. But in a meritocracy, where success is earned, social statuses become mere shadows in the light of individual achievements" Inara parted her lips, her pupils darting quickly, examining his body language. When she confirmed she had his full attention, she resumed speaking.
"Anyways, to answer your question on why I'm unable to leave you alone at the moment..." She halted and Keres' muscles tensed as he anticipated her following words.
"A satisfying resolution" She said with an air of determination surging around her and Keres tilted his head, forming a stern expression.
"A satisfying resolution you say?" He asked and she instantly responded with a nod.
"Yes" She said.
At the sound of her voice, the forest embraced a profound silence. And before Keres could make sense of what she just said, she resumed speaking.
"Have you ever finished a story with a neat and tidy ending? One where all puzzling pieces fall into place and every question that kept you guessing find their answers"
"Oedipus Rex" Keres uttered softly. He nearly gasped, shocked at himself, as he subconsciously blurted the title of the book Inara was holding during the first conversation they had today. A tragic play which he had read several times before.
"Wow! I can't believe you're into those dark ancient mysteries as well. That's so cool!" She said, radiating excitement that added a vibrant hue to her complexion.
"We could discuss it later, but while it's relatively close, Oedipus Rex doesn't have the kind of conclusion I mean" Inara shook her head slightly, locking onto him with her captivating gaze.
Keres didn't realize this but his fury had quietly transformed into confusion and curiosity. Unbeknownst to him, he had begun anticipating her next flow of words.
"I wouldn't call myself a perfectionist but I prefer to complete tasks with a sense of contentment. It's like making sure everyone in a story gets a happy ending. But, you know, in real life, not everyone deserves a happy ending, just like in Oedipus Rex"
"I see but as I thought, I'm still struggling to understand what this has to do with me"
"Oh, trust me, Keres, it does have everything to do with you" She said and when he lifted his brows into a puzzled expression, she continued.
"It's an unnecessary measure in the overall context of my mission but the initial reason why I approached you was to discern if you deserved a satisfying resolution"
"What... do you mean?" Keres' complexion instantly distorted.
"You still haven't figured it out? Allow me to let you in on my circumstances, then" She paused. Next, her eyes closed for a brief second and she released a gentle breath.
"Most people don't reach this stage until their second year at the Dell academy but I guess I'm what you'd call a fortunate exception" She explained, and when she confirmed he was following, she furthered.
"The thing is, I'm currently at the highest possible point for a D-ranker and in order to advance as quickly as possible, I received a special advancement test" She swept her eyes across Keres and he tensed, nervous and wary.
"A red-white mission to investigate, find and subdue the masked streamer known as Xaviour" She finally dropped the bombshell.
As the revelation hit, Keres' eyes widened with his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Her words rendered him breathless to the point where he could only stand there frozen, feeling the pulsating rush of blood through his veins.
She was unto him but there was no way he would give in without a final struggle. As if a switch had flipped, he took a deep breath, releasing the tension away from his shoulders.
"I have no idea..." He tried to speak but decided to swallow his words when she struck him with a look that said "Don't even go there."
Swallowing a breath of acceptance, Keres clenched his fists.
"How did you find out?" He inquired with his shoulders slumping downwards, defeated.
"The truth is, if the Ancient Church or Dell corp really wanted to get you, it wouldn't have taken them more than fifteen minutes after your first livestream. They're super resourceful, way more than you could possibly imagine" Inara halted.
"Anyways, you always lured your opponents into a Chakra Restricted zone before the fights, right? With those tricky background filters, it's kinda hard to figure out where, but eventually, I narrowed it down to the C-rank test centers" She explained, using a raised finger to add a visual touch to her statement.
"Wondering how? Well, the other Chakra Restricted zones are places like banks, schools, factories, power plants, gas stations, and some private spots. Do you know what all these places have in common?" She asked, motioning toward him, prompting a reply, and he instantly answered.
"They're all non-combat-suited locations"
"Correct. Yet, somehow your duels always took place in a chakra-restricted zone. It's nearly impossible to mess around in areas not suited for combat. So, we're left with only one possibility— The C-rank Test centers" She briefly halted, taking a momentary pause.
"As you know, they're all located here in Vertia so I only needed a bit more digging to find out which of the seven different centers is your base" She gave a subtle shrug and Keres tilted his head before speaking up.
"Still doesn't explain how you made the connection to me though"
"Calm down, I'm almost there..." She responded, taking a pause.
"Since you started live streaming every Tuesday, you only missed schedule once, am I right?" She asked and Keres replied with a sigh. He now finally understood how she linked it all back to him.
"Haaa, you're correct"
"It was on the 17th of October, nearly a month ago. Yeah?" She cast him a quick glance, and he responded promptly with a hesitant nod.
"You never mentioned the reason for it but coincidentally, this year's C-rank make-up test was held here between the 16th and 18th of October"
"Putting 2 and 2 together, I decided to check out this center and after a bit of a search, I found where you hid your stuff. The drone cams and some other equipment were purchased using your real ID so tracking you down from there was a piece of cake" Inara explained confidently, her ivory— pale blond locks fluttering in the winter breeze.
In response, Keres nibbled his lower lip. It wasn't a mere suspicion; she had him in a complete headlock, impressing even him with her approach towards the situation.
"I have a question, though" He said before continuing with an inquiry.
"I mean, why didn't you just use your high-status connections to find me? It feels like you personally went through a lot of trouble when it could've been way simpler"
"As I mentioned earlier, my title barely means much as I am right now. I'm only a thirteen-year-old D-ranker without a pro license so I don't have the kind of influence you're talking about" She shook her head from side to side. "Plus, even if I did have some influence, this mission's a special advancement test from the ancient church. I've got to nail it with my own abilities, and then give a detailed report for approval. It's all about proving myself"
"I see..." Responding to her determined gaze, Keres briefly caressed his forehead.
"But if you're here to apprehend me, I don't intend on going down without a fight" He said, tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. In response, Inara let out a deep sigh.
"Fortunately, that won't happen cause I'm not here to fight you. I told you, didn't I? I hope to reach a satisfying resolution, for the both of us"
"Then why show up here and now? We could've just talked this out in a more suitable place later on"
"Well, the thing is I don't have much time. I only got this mission yesterday but the bounty on your head serves as my timer. If someone else gets you before I do, I fail my mission. And hey, if I could track you down this quick, others probably will too" She paused with concern flickering across her face.
"Also, you're planning to go live again tomorrow night, right? Well, the others would probably aim for that time. Although it would be too late by then..." She hesitated and Keres instantly raised his brows.
"What do you mean?" He questioned, wearing a stiffened complexion. And after the noise from an intense flurry subsided, she responded.
"Judging from your usual pattern of targeting people under the most media glare, I can tell who you intend on fighting tomorrow. And his involvement alone would force everyone after the bounty to back off, you know..." She halted and Keres' face formed a slight frown.
"And in this world of endless possibilities, there isn't a single one where you'd defeat him. So basically, we both have everything to lose if I allow the fight to happen" Her voice echoed, leaving a heavy silence in the air.
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