Chapter 17 - Revelation

"Hey, welcome back-...oh, what's wrong, you two?" Inquired Lycia with a look of concern, as Rhyle and I walked in.

"The Knights were in town, they ended up causing a commotion. And it wasn't pretty," Remarked Rhyle with a grimace.

"They killed a woman and her child in the middle of the street for no good reason," I frowned as I clenched my fists.

"Damned Nobles. Who the hell do they think they are, treating people like they're beneath them?" Growled Argent with a hateful look in his eyes.

"There's more...one of the Knights saw me, and I think he might have recognized me," Said Rhyle with a look of concern.

Yeah, what was that about? I'm too curious to not ask...

"We left right after he saw you, and you looked really pale. Why?" I inquired in response.

"It's...it's better if you don't know, at least for now," He replied after a brief pause.

"If you ask me, I think he deserves to know. He may be young, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. He won't speak about it carelessly," Argent spoke up and vouched for me.

"I agree. He hasn't said a word about our Magic books to anyone, and whenever I've seen him playing with his friends, he holds back and avoids showing off too much," Added Lycia in agreement, "But it's your call, dear."

Okay, now I'm getting nervous, this seems like it's a big secret. But, I'm definitely not any less curious about it.

"Hm...alright, then. Listen calmly, Larrk, and no matter what, never say anything about this to anyone. You see...I am-...or rather, I was...-a Prince of this country. I was third in line to the throne, before I snuck out and left the capital," He informed me.

Huh? No way...he's Royalty!? Wow. I'm kinda speechless.

"I...don't know what to say, it's kinda hard to process. Is it okay if I ask some questions?" I responded in bemusement.

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, then...firstly, why'd you leave?" I asked him.

"For so long, I looked the other way when I saw how poorly and inhumanely my family and the other Nobles treated Commoners. But at some point...I just couldn't take it anymore. Day by day, my hatred towards Nobility festered. I used my Magic to escape the castle and leave the capital. I then headed west, where I met your mother," He explained in response.

"You were pretty insufferable back then. It was clear that you were a spoilt brat, but I did see that you were a good person...eventually," Recalled Lycia with a wry smile.

"Did you have to add the last part? Anyway, a nation-wide search for me was carried out, so I changed my hairstyle and began growing facial hair. Fortunately, Status Bars don't display your name and social class, so I became an Adventurer, and used your mother's last name.

My given name is pretty common, so I decided not to change it," He remarked, before adding with a slight smile, "She was pretty annoyed when she found out that I was using her last name, which by the way, is also a fairly common name."

"Yeah, I mean, who does that!? You were so hopeless back then. Not that that has changed," She sighed in exasperation.

"You know, it's kind of a miracle that mom ended up marrying you, huh?" Smirked Argent with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I tagged along with her on her Adventuring, saved her a few times with my Magic, so yeah. Revealing that I was a Noble was really terrifying though," He smiled wistfully, "But thankfully, her response to it was pretty subdued."

"That's because I suspected as much right from the start. It's very rare, but not unheard of for Nobles to abandon their status for the same reason why you did. And besides...by the time you admitted it, I, um, I'd already fallen for you," She muttered as she averted her gaze with a slight fidget.

"You're still as cute and adorable as you always were."

"H-hey, cut that out!"

...haven't they been married for close to twenty years at this point?

"Ugh, gross, please don't get all lovey-dovey while we're around," Groaned Argent in response.

"Yeah, this is really weird and creepy," I nodded in agreement.

"A-ahem...anyway, shortly after that, we retired from Adventuring and moved here, and a few years later, Argent was born," Said Lycia with a smile.

"But we might have to move now. I recognized that Knight who spotted me, he was a part of the Kingsguard under my father, the previous King," Frowned Rhyle apprehensively, "He's a real rotten bastard, he made a habit of enslaving young Commoner girls under the age of fifteen and having his way with them. Of course, since they were Commoners, no one protested."

That's not very Knightly behavior...at least, from the impression of Knight I had based on stuff from my old world. In this world, stuff like that may very well be the height of Knightly behavior.

"So, what should we do? Leave this place?" Suggested Argent.

Isn't that a bit extreme? No, on second thought, he's right. If the Knights start searching all the villages in the vicinity of the town, it'll only be a matter of time before they find Rhyle. Still, isn't there another way?

"I think that'd be for the best. Otherwise, we'll only end up endangering the other villagers. Tomorrow afternoon, Argent and I will go out hunting, while Larrk and Lycia head into the woods for training. We'll meet up there, and then head out. That should buy us some time, it should be several hours before the others notice we aren't back.

But if we leave in the middle of the night or something and are nowhere to be seen in the morning, it'll be suspicious, they might report us as missing immediately. Every extra second we have of no one coming after us will be crucial," Stated Rhyle, as he began pacing around the room.

Oh, so this is really happening, huh? So much for an uneventful life...no, it's too soon to give up on that. If we find a new village or town to settle into, we can go back to living peacefully.

"We shouldn't take too many belongings, it'll only slow us down. Finding food and water will be a concern, but we'll just have to adapt and manage," Muttered Lycia thoughtfully.

Must be her Adventurer instincts at work. Food and water, huh? Yeah, carrying too much baggage will slow us down...but that's not a concern.

"Oh, I know, let me see what Skills I have. Maybe there's something that could be useful," I suggested, as I focused on the flow of my Mana, trying to channel it into my hand as I recalled the sensation I felt when the guy from the Guild did it.

I did use fire and earth Spells before, so it's not totally unfamiliar.

"That's right, I totally forgot about the appraisal," Responded Argent, as he walked over with a look of curiosity, right as I figured it out.

"Woah, hold on...these are some incredible Skills, three of them are extremely rare!" Exclaimed Lycia wide-eyed, before pointing at my Pocket Dimension Skill, "This right here...this one's just what we need!"

Yup, I already knew that. That's why I mentioned it, after all.

"Universal Resistance, wow, that's one that nearly everyone hopes to get but hardly anyone ever has," Remarked Rhyle wide-eyed.

"And Magic Eater, that one's supposed to be really overpowered," Added Argent with a grin.

"Monster/Magical Beast Thought Communication and Super Hearing are more common, but both are still very useful abilities," Nodded Lycia in response.

"Hm? Dragon Whisker...that's an interesting Soul Weapon name. What kind of weapon is it?" Asked Rhyle curiously.

"Uh, let's find out...what's the chant, again? Oh, right...Manifest Soul Weapon: Dragon Whisker!" I chanted, as a Magic Circle formed around my hand, right before it appeared.

My whip. It was jet-black, the handle fitted onto my hand like knuckle-dusters, with spikes above the knuckles. And at the tip of the whip were four slanted spikes, and a jagged, curved dagger at the other end of the handle. Woah...this is even better than I was expecting.

"It's...a whip?" Mused Rhyle in bemusement.

"It's a suitable weapon for you...with the way you use vines when we train, this might actually be perfect," Remarked Lycia with a nod of approval.

"By the way...I still don't know what any of your Soul Weapons are, you've never showed me," I responded curiously.

"I love the name of your weapon...it's the same theme as mine," Grinned Argent, as he chanted, "Now, Manifest Soul Weapon: Dragon Fangs!"

Magic Circles appeared around both his hands, as two identical blades formed. They had a slight curved, crescent shape to them, were a bit on the wide side, and were somewhere between thirty or forty centimeters long.

The metal was a sleek black, and the handles were pretty long, a bit longer than the blades themselves. Maybe those are closer to spears than swords? He's holding them like swords though.

"Alright, then, my turn. It's been a while since I brought it out. I try not to use it since Soul Weapons are unique to each individual, and using it might give my identity away. Here goes...Manifest Soul Weapon: Wings of Liberation!" He grinned, as Magic circles appeared around his shoulder blades, before white feathered wings formed and spread out...knocking a few things off the table.

"Woah, you can fly? That's amazing!" I responded enviously.

I mean, I'll be able to fly if I figure out how to use Elemental Wind, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. And even if it does, I can't exactly use it in public without giving away the fact that I'm a Heretic.

"Put the wings away, don't bring them out indoors," Sighed Lycia in exasperation, before adding with a smirk, "Now, then, last but not least, it's my turn. Try not to be too amazed...Manifest Soul Weapon:...!"

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