Why the Pale face? I'm not a Ghost

This chapter is pretty big, around 6.3K words long.

Sorry for being late, these last 3-4 days I was in the middle of a Cold, my highest temperature was 38.8 C, pretty impressive for such a sudden cold.

Anyway, we continue from where we stopped with Philip and Viera going to the party, although Viera doesn't know Philip's reasons for going there apart from the fun factor and that it would be rude to refuse to go.

Let's see what happens, by the Title, I'm sure it'll be pretty peaceful!

Enjoy!

------------

Join my Discord!

//discord.gg/zpAgtPBAMK

If you wish to support this series, take a look at my P@treon.

//www.p@treon.com/join/AbadomWriter?

And if you are bored, remember to check my other Novels.

(Including the one on my other account, its called: Azimuth: The Elden Throne

You can also find it by searching for my other account: Follower_of_Abadom)

-----------

.

.

.

-------

'After a calm journey on the floating carriage under the starry sky, Philip and Viera finally arrived at the Manor where the party would be hosted.'

'However, they soon realized things wouldn't progress as smoothly since as soon as they arrived, everything came to a complete halt.'

"It's quite full." Philip pointed out as he looked around

'Dozens of carriages could be seen, one after the other, waiting in line.'

'And theirs was dead last… At least for now, as more and more carriages approached from far away.'

...

'The minutes passed, but things were progressing at a snail's pace…'

"How much longer will we have to wait?" Viera asked, bored out of her mind as she rested her head in the fluffy seat of the carriage

I don't really mind waiting here, it's quite comfortable... But if this continues, I'll end up sleeping, I'm already quite sleepy because it's rather late.

"My apologies madam, but it seems this party is quite full, the road of the Manor is completely full." Said Loid, the carriage driver

"He's right, see for yourself, there are at least 13 more carriages in front of us." Philip replied calmly

"I can see that much, so let's change my question, why are they taking so long?"

It doesn't look like it would take long to welcome 13 carriages, but even so, it is.

"I would like to know the proper reason as well, but from what I observed, they are individually checking all of the invited and announcing their arrival, so it's for etiquette." Philip replied as he looked at the end of the line

"Urg… Huh? What about those guys up there?" She asked as she saw looked up

'Viera pointed towards a group of 3 carriages, all of them with the same emblem, meaning, they belonged to the same group.'

'They completely flew above everyone else arrogantly in a triangle formation, jumping over the line and landing on the other side of the road where it was empty.'

'Just as they landed, a group of butlers and knights ran out of the Manor, running towards the carriages, getting in line to host a grandiose welcome…'

"EVERYONE! WELCOME THIRD PRINCESS VICTORIA OF THE DRALY-APYER KINGDOM!" Said one of the Knights loudly

/FUON!/

/Gasps!.../

'To welcome this princess's arrival, they used several loud trombones in unison, it was so loud Philip imagined even the people at the bottom of the city would be able to hear it.'

'Philip found it rather fun, however, he felt as if he was in a movie… Although the same can not be said for the other people nearby...'

'Viera was fast and cast a spell to protect her ears the moment she saw the 2 dozen trombones, but poor Loid seemed disoriented.'

"... Who?" Whispered Viera to Philip

'He opened his mouth confidently, showing his biggest smile as he said:'

"I have no idea."

"..."

This guy…

'He then shook his head trying not to laugh and said:'

"Okay, I know… At least, I can infer. It's not hard is it?"

"Hum… The name does resound on the tip of my tongue but… I… I think my brain blocked it." Viera said embarrassed

Draly... Draly... Kingdom... Where was that? Urg...

So many kingdoms on this damn Continent.

"The Draly-Apyer Kindom… That's the formal term for the Human Kingdom in the South… The sole one at that." Philip said slowly

I was given enough lessons on that…

There are 3 terms for them: The Human Kingdom, the Emerald Sun Empire/Kingdom, and the Draly-Apyer Kingdom if you want to be fancy…

It means something in an ancient tongue, but I don't know what it means, they didn't teach me that unfortunately, and I bet most don't know what it means as well.

Each of these terms is to be used appropriately.

For example, it would be best to avoid saying 'Empire' outside of the South as the number of people you could trigger with that is worse than saying your opinion on gender identity on Twitt…

"Ah, I remember now!" Viera said as she snapped her fingers

"How did you even forget such a thing…?"

'But Viera raised her hand, stopping Philip from talking any further:'

"Don't start, this is the closest I've ever been to the South, and just because I'm Human, that doesn't give me any sort of attachment to this Kingdom, I had other things to busy my mind with."

'Philip did not reply to that, instead, he observed the beautiful red-haired girl as she stepped out of her carriage, followed by a pretty maid with charcoal black hair.'

'The other 2 carriages also opened, revealing a group of 4 knights each, and with the knights that were driving each of the carriages, it was a grand total of 11.'

'The princess seemed to be in her early 20s, a mature beauty, but to be exact, she was 18 this year.

'Of course, Philip knew all of this due to the forced studies when he was still in the Palace.'

'The reason she looked older was due to the way she acted, her class, plus her looks, she had the facial features of an older woman, lastly, her clothes and makeup made her seem mature.'

'The current King has 12 children, following a policy he himself made of having a child every 4 years, having each of his wives give birth within close periods of each other.'

'The king has 2 wives, each from 2 Ducal families, although there may be a third, however, that is a rumor and one Philip did not pay much attention to.'

'The 2 oldest, the First prince and the Second Prince, each respectfully 22 years old.'

'The Third and Fourth Princess, both being 18, the rest isn't important right now…'

'It didn't take long, but Rafiel soon appeared, walking quickly from within the Manor, holding a large branch of a tree, it was full of beautiful emerald flowers that seemed to shine slightly.'

'That was actually something used to welcome royalty, Philip didn't expect to see it here, looks like Rafiel was more attentive than he showed.'

'Still he seemed just as baffled as everyone else due to the Princess's sudden appearance.'

'By the looks of it, she hadn't been invited to the party… How odd.'

'It was clear that Rafiel was slightly distressed, he certainly wasn't expecting her to be here, on another note, he might've not even know she was in the city in the first place.'

'In the end, he was still a vassal to the Royal family of the South, as the Pyke household has called that land it's home for generations…'

'And even if it wasn't, nothing much would've changed apart from the way he would've used to address her, royalty is still royalty, much less one coming from one of the largest nations on the Continent.'

'Still, showing his skills as the eldest son of the Pyke family, he quickly retained his calm, and invited the princess with the greatest courtesy he could display.'

'Philip was impressed with his actions since from the very beginning, he managed to organize a grand welcome within a few seconds of her arrival in the sky of the Manor.'

'Pyke might've prepared them for this situation, and it paid off.'

'Thumbs up for the Knight that memorized what to say and screamed it loudly and with confidence without messing anything...'

'Still, it seemed that now the highlight of the party had completely changed… Would Pyke even be able to focus on whatever he was planning with him now?'

"How curious." Philip mumbled as he looked at the display

'In the end, he quickly averted his eyes, nobles were unpredictable, who knew what would happen if he stared at the jade beauty for more than 0.5 seconds?'

'Wasn't he here because he did that already?'

What made her come here, I wonder?

I didn't learn much about each Prince and Princess, so I can't tell about their personalities and habits...

As far as I know, she could be here on a trip just like rich girls would usually like to do, visiting here because she found it interesting or had a whim to do so…

Or she could be here for another goal.

Whatever it is, things got both interesting and annoying, is she here by herself or in the name of the Crown?

If the Crown is in the city right now, I'll have to stop being carefree.

Were they to find me, they may just decide to pull me over, even if they already know that I'm here.

One thing is to close one eye and ignore me, even if someone says I'm here, they could just act surprised.

But once the curtain is lifted, they'll have to assume a public stance.

So no matter what, I can't reveal what I am, easy enough to do, few know of the Heroes anyway.

Still, I came here for one problem, and I ended up learning of another issue, I guess this trip has already paid for itself…

"A princess huh..."

It's different, a completely different aura to those pretentious girls back at the Academy.

'While Philip thought for a moment, Viera also turned her attention from the princess. The more he stayed around these pretty noblewomen, the more she felt… Odd.'

'Perhaps it was her suppressed feeling of self-care, finally resurfacing.'

'Jealousy and self-awareness, both things she gave little to no attention previously.'

'Slowly, but surely, she has started to go through what most girls do, the process of growing up.'

'She took a sneak glance at Philip, who quickly noticed her subtle actions.'

'Their gazes connected for a moment, and he raised an eyebrow while she turned her face to the side.'

"... Ah!" Philip said in realization as he slapped his head

'He smiled smugly and said in a deep, dramatic tone:'

"My lady, may you know that thyme beauty is exoteric and these whimsical 'signorina's' are…"

"Stop! Please…"

This is not the time to play around…

'Extremely embarrassed, she raised her hand to block his mouth…'

/Chuckles/

'Philip let out a few hearty laughs, anything to pass down time…'

'But due to this, he failed to notice the serene gaze of a certain red-haired princess…'

…

/A few minutes later…/

'After a tedious 5 minutes moving slowly on their carriage, it was finally their turn where they showed their invite, and got inside without trouble.'

"We got inside." Viera said as she looked around

'It was a very beautiful place, and like most houses in this city, it was made of stone... The proper wording may be sculpted, as everything seemed to be made from within the same stone block.'

'The marble on the walls and ceiling shined so brightly that it looked like a mirror sometimes, there was that coming off from the ground and it seemed it was being artificially heated...'

'They saw many circular tables scattered around the place, and many of them were already filled with people.'

'The party had yet to start, but it seemed it would start soon.'

"Yes, I am surprised the guards didn't cause any trouble." Philip said as he looked around

Perhaps I underestimated them, I thought they were going to cause trouble there but...

The guard was very impartial and allowed my entry without shit talk.

"Huh? Why would they cause trouble for us?..."

Really now… What did he do?

"This is what I came here to figure out." Philip said with a small smile

"..."

"Besides this, let's go to our table." He said as he took a step forward

"We have a table?... I… I'm a bit lost." Viera said slightly embarrassed as she looked around

At least we don't look out of place, our masks actually seem rather simple, and everyone else's is quite extravagant and exaggerated.

Although...

I still can't deal with this cane.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

'Smiling slightly, Philip started walking so as to not block the way.'

"Pay attention to your surroundings and the way the tables are organized, if you take a closer look, you'll notice clearly that they are divided into sections."

"Each section is reserved for a specific group, the higher their influence and importance, the closer they are to the main set of tables on the other side of the room, the place where the host of the party eats with his closest associates."

"For example, people related to the aristocracy of the South are being directed over there." Philip said as he looked to his left towards a table close to the main one

Most likely because the Princess is here, otherwise, I'm sure they would've been closer to the Middle.

"How do you know they're from the South?"

"I know a little bit of the politics from that place…"

"Okay then, what about us?"

'Philip turned his face to the side and said:'

"There, next to the corner."

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's the most inconspicuous place."

"..."

"Forget it, just answer this one last question, why is there such a massive empty space in the middle of the hall?"

"Ah?… This is a masquerade ball after all, the start will just be a minor introduction, after that, we'll go to the middle and talk with the others, this is how people get to know each other…"

"To talk while ignoring your identity, this is the principle of such parties."

"They are only famous among the younger aristocracy though, older people say it's beyond their age to act and 'play' like that, even though they'll do it every once in a while." Philip said with a shrug

Worse, their parties tend to be... Rather 'special' to say the least. A fair bit of scandals would happen if their contents were to be publicized.

"Still… If that's the case, what's the point of separating tables?"

"For many reasons, but for the most part, it's to make the people identify their targets."

"Targets you say…"

"Yes, once the party starts and the tables are removed out of the way, people will start aiming for what they came here to do, making connections."

'Philip smiled slightly and said:'

"If you want, you can try talking with them, try looking for someone that attracts your attention, even the princess is fine… Of course, if you can take the hate you'll receive by doing so afterward."

"No thanks… I'm uh... I'm fine staying in the corner." Viera said in a low tone

"We're two then."

…

/A few more minutes later and a rather decent speech…/

"... Enjoy the party everyone!" Rafiel said in a loud tone as a red magic circle dissipated from his mouth

/Music starts/

'A low, but constant soothing music started to play in the background, and people slowly rose from their seats, some grabbing wine, and other drinks, a few remaining put.'

"The music is quite nice." Viera said as she ate some dessert

"Sure is, if it wasn't he would've failed as a host." Philip said with his arms crossed

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I don't quite like sweets, besides, this food is a bit too classy for me if that's a thing."

"How about a drink?"

"I don't drink alcohol, you shouldn't too."

I'll stick with this juice, from whatever fruit it comes from…

It tastes like bananas with a tinge of strawberry.

"I don't drink either! I was just asking…" Viera said with her cheeks puffed

'She looked around, and couldn't help but comment:'

"It's like another world entirely… People suffer out there and here…"

'She then looked at the extravagant crystal cup in her hands and the silver plate she was eating her cake on top off.'

"How many mouths and for how long would I be able to feed with just the cost of this simple dessert?" She asked in a low tone

'Philip looked at her seriously.'

"Do you want an honest truth or one you can take?" Philip asked slowly

"... To be honest, I don't want to know."

"Then let's leave it at that, if you always think that way, you'll never be able to enjoy life."

"This isn't the place to go over morals…"

To most of these people, that may very well be subjective...

"You're right." Viera said, but she still stopped eating her cake

"Lost your appetite?"

"Yup… I think I understand you now, this food may be a bit too classy for me." She replied with a small smile

"At least it tastes good..." Philip chuckled

'He looked at the side, and it was clear that most of the people had moved towards the upper half of the hall, either to talk with Rafiel, or with the princess.'

'Of course, that was the area where the other big shots were, so it was very convenient.'

"This party… It's boring." Viera said as she closed her eyes

"There nothing about 'parting' in it, it's simply... Bureaucracy."

"You think so too?" Philip asked as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes

'She nodded, yawning slightly.'

Such unnecessarily extravagant parties were never my thing, makes me remember those marriage ceremonies back on Earth, but a few times more glamorous and pretentious.

At least most of the time at a wedding, the main people on the stage loved each other…

Here, I can tell just how bored the daughter of the Azul Family is... Although Rafiel seems more occupied in talking with the princess than with her.

Besides that, aren't things a bit too quiet? Or is it because the party just started?

I thought that guy was going to try something, or at least probe me slightly, anything.

He has to have invited me here for a reason… Unless...

'Philip stared at Rafiel, he was next to the princess, seemingly discussing something.'

Is he too occupied dealing with the sudden guest to pay attention to me?

"Sigh..."

Go on then, I have all night.

I can't say the same for this lady next to me, she looks like me when I go to math class.

"Hum?"

'As he scanned the crowd, he saw a group of knights moving around hastily, normally such actions would be expected deeming the current situation, but they seemed a bit too distressed.'

'Still, there was a princess here, and such, they must be in a bind as her knight escorts are likely making quite the mess…'

"?"

Why did that guy point towards that table? Is there someone there?...

Are they looking for someone?

'Philip scratched his chin thinking, looking at that group of knights...'

"Excuse me." Said a stern voice behind Philip

"Hum?"

Ahh… Here it is.

'Behind Philip was a tall knight clad in fancy armor.'

"Are you for chance, Philip Polter?"

"Yes I am, is something the matter?"

So they were after me, predictable.

For a moment I thought things would take another turn, but it was this in the end.

'As soon as he heard confirmation of who he was, the guard's eyes sharpened, but he quickly hid it with a bow:'

"Could you please come with us?"

"Hum…"

'Philip started to think at high speeds while the world around him slowed down.'

They have no reason to drag me away, so I can easily refuse…

But looking at his expression, it doesn't look like he'll just leave it at that.

In fact, he may have several excuses ready, so it's useless to argue.

To approach me like that... They must be without time… I see.

The appearance of the princess disrupted their plans, so they must've altered them to fit the situation, or they simply had no time to think of something new and went with the simplest solution.

So? Do they want to drag me out of the sight instead of causing a commotion in her steemed presence?

Well, I came here to find out what they want to do with me so…

Let's play.

"Has something happened?"

'Philip also took this chance to check his Level.'

[Level ??]

'This meant that he was at least, above Level 55... More often than not, this Skill has proven useless, another reason to level it up as soon as possible.'

"Yes steemed guest, we're currently doing a quick investigation since we believe one of the invites was forged, but we couldn't pinpoint who forged their invite."

"..."

Wow, not even being subtle? You're telling me I am the one that forged it?

Besides, do I look retarded to them? Every invite had our names on it...

Forget it, better not say it...

"How terrible." Philip said dramatically

"?"

Huh? What is he doing?

'Even Viera could tell that something was wrong.'

"Do I need to bring my partner with me?" Philip asked as he turned to Viera

"No need."

"I see, in that case..."

It's confirmed then.

"Excuse me, m'lady, I'll be back in a jiffy." Philip said as he got up from the table

"Philip..."

{Keep an eye out, if someone tries to approach you, make sure to be on the defensive} Philip said mentally to Viera

{Wh… What is happening?} She asked, confused

{I told you already, there is something I came here to find out, everything's under control, I'll tell you the full story when we're back okay?}

{Okay...}

{Enjoy the party! Oh! If the auction starts, you can use the money I gave you to bid}

{Huh? Hey!... Dammit}

'While Philip was dragged away, Viera frowned…'

"Sigh..."

There he goes.

'She wasn't the only one like that as further away, a platinum-haired girl and a red-haired girl also noticed this event.'

'Each of them took this in a different way, one didn't change while the other one frowned…'

…

'Philip was led outside of the party hall, towards another section of the house…'

'While he walked, he paid attention to his surroundings and overall location, never losing track of where he was going.'

'A map slowly formed inside his head...'

{Hey, Laplabe, you there?}

{Yawn... I was taking a little nap but yeah, I can hear you loud and clear}

{I didn't know you could use telepathy, it makes communication much simpler}

{Are you in a pinch perhaps?}

{Hum? Why? What made you think that?} Philip asked confused

{Huh?... It may have been my mistake, for a moment, I felt the presence of a rather strong person at the party, but it seems we were going away from him}

{Strong person?}

{Strong enough to make me stay alert, but that doesn't matter anymore}

{Do you require my assistance?}

{Nothing much, I just want you to be wary of the surroundings, just in case something happens, as we may be fighting soon}

{Oh my, I didn't expect to do some dirty work so soon}

{Well then, you can count on me, just remember the crystals, if I use too much energy…}

{Yes I know}

"Are we there yet?" Philip asked bored

"Yes, we've just arrived." The guard knight said as he stopped and turned around

"Hum…"

'Philip looked around, they were currently in the middle of a dark forest, without a doubt the back garden of the Manor.'

'The Manor was built inside of the Ravine, so the sky he was currently seeing was a product of magic or something of the like.'

"!"

/BAM!/

/Thud…/

'The knight tried to punch Philip when he was looking towards the tree by punching him in the guts but despite what he expected, Philip simply took the punch on his stomach without flinching.'

"You…" The knight said as his eyes opened wide in shock

/SMACK!/

'Philip wasn't someone for words, he pulled the man with his right hand and punched with his left right on his chin, making him go unconscious.'

/Thud.../

"..."

/Smack!/

'He wasn't done as he smacked him again, just to be sure he wasn't acting.'

"Lackluster."

'He didn't drop his guard though, he looked around, but he felt nothing.'

{Hey Laplabe, you see anything?}

{No, there is no one within a Km, but you already know that, so you must be asking if there's anyone hiding nearby, but I feel nothing}

"... It can't be."

Was this truly all??

What about the villains? The dramatic fight? Was their whole plan to send a single knight to knock me out outside of the party hall and called it a fucking day?

I mean, the guy is beyond Level 55, probably 60... Which should've been enough as it's very very high for the average even if he has a medium Class… But…

Did he Underestimate me, or did I Overestimate the resources of a teenager rich boy?

"Urg…"

'Philip shook his head and crouched, perhaps there would be clues on this guy's body.'

For now, I'll treat it as if the boy underestimated me, in that case, I'll have to predict what level of force he'll throw at me.

What would be the strongest force under Rafiel?...

Level 65? 70? More?... Unlikely, for the Pyke Family in itself, it would be impressive if they had a single Level 80, why would they give a Level 70+ to a kid?

'Philip started to strip the knight, he took out his armor and sword, all the way until his underwear.'

'This revealed a middle-aged knight, one filled with scars.'

'Yet this proved something to Philip, this man wasn't like the kids in the Academy, people who received the resources of their Families to grow.'

'Most likely, he was a man that trained his entire life to achieve his current Level, the only resources he had were the ones he received from the Family.'

'Pretty much, he's a knight trained and for the family.'

'This was important because he was used to the students in the Academy, all of them would usually be high level, yet very young.'

'But this isn't the reality outside, knights and warriors with such high levels would usually be much older due to the conditions they grew in.'

'The adventurer that trained Philip and the other Heroes, she was Sky Rank, and despite that, she was considered extremely talented, her Level was most likely around the high 70s to mid-80s and she was 40ish years old.'

'Despite her ranking stopping for many years, that doesn't mean she got weaker, just that her growth slowed.'

"I found it."

'Inside a pocket of the knight's jacket, he found a note written in terrible calligraphy, probably done so in a hurry. It said:'

[Change of plans, lead the target outside and knock him out, we'll take it from there.

Be wary that we'll take at most 5 minutes to arrive due to the Princess guards, they're hot on our tails, so hold on until then if it comes to it.

Failure isn't an option unless you want to hear the lord running his mouth again for half an hour]

"Oh?"

There are people coming? Something is wrong though...

No matter how hasty they were, there is no need for them to relay messages like this, it's obvious they're making it on purpose unless they're truly... Unique.

Should I stay and risk it, or should I leave?... No, leaving won't change anything, he can just come back another time when he feels like it.

Today is even better, after all, he won't dare cause trouble nor leave the party, there is someone very important to attend to after all...

But this also means I need to be careful, last thing I want is to make the princess come to me on her own.

So…

'Philip suddenly smiled wickedly.'

"Laplabe, time to Morb."

"What did you say?"

…

/5 Minutes later…/

/Hustle.../

'A group of knights walked out from within the leaves.'

'And there they found… a knocked out Philip, and a knight standing next to a tree.'

'He saluted the guards and took a step aside.'

"..."

'But the Captain of the knights didn't seem pleased, he let out a sigh and grabbed Philip, putting him on his shoulder.'

'And without saying anything, he started to move, further away from the party hall.'

/Fwoosh…/

'But in the trees behind them, a shadowy figure appeared, but it vanish quickly without a trace soon after, its destination was too hard to discern...'

…

/10 minutes later…/

"... He's late." Viera mumbled to herself as she played with her cutlery

Everything's strange.

It started with that invite, he gave me a solid explanation but now that I think about it, it makes no sense, if Rafiel were to just invite the Nobles and the rich, this place would have to be 50 times larger.

It's clear he'll invite those of importance, but Philip has made it clear that he's keeping a rather simple profile, from Rafiel's perspective, we're simply rich... Couple.

'She became worried.'

Hum… He came here for that, didn't he?

He came looking for trouble… No, he came here to resolve it yeah.

If he didn't tell me anything then he's fine…

But this party just became worse… It was boring before, but it was bearable when he was here at the very least...

"Excuse me…" Said someone behind Viera

"Huh…"

I saw this pattern before…

'When she turned around, Viera saw a beautiful platinum-haired lady in a blue dress…'

'She immediately recognized who it was, it was the daughter of the Azul family. So why was she here? Shouldn't her be sitting far away…'

"Do you mind if I stay here for a moment? It's a bit too stuffy back there." She said gently

"Ah, no…"

Of course, I do! Look! Everyone's looking this way… How embarrassing...

'But despite it all, Viera remained smiling.'

'Little did she know, it was the start of a long conversation...'

…

/Clang…/

'Philip was brought towards a wide dark room and locked inside.'

'On the way there, the knights dispersed, leaving only the captain and the other knight Philip had previously knocked out behind.'

'After making sure the doors were locked and that there was no one else inside...'

"We're here… You can stop pretending now." He said slowly

"... Oh?" Philip replied amused

'He opened his eyes and got on the ground, the knight captain did not stop him, helping him do so.'

'But the knight next to him drew his sword and pointed it at his captain's neck!'

'It was absurd to think that the man inside the armor would betray his own Captain!'

"You knew? I put quite some effort there." Philip said as he dusted his pants

"I have my ways, otherwise, I wouldn't be the Captain."

"If I couldn't tell even apart how each of my own men acted, I would've retired long ago."

/Chuckle/

'Philip raised his hand, and a dark shadow bolted from within the armor, the Knight Captain barely saw it as in the blink of an eye, a small pocket watch now remained on Philip's hands.'

'He looked at the side to see his subordinate, he seemed fine, just out cold.'

"So? Let's cut down to the chase, what do you want?" Philip asked

"... Leave, I want you to just leave." He said as he shook his head

'His voice seemed tired as if he couldn't wait to get this done with.'

"What? You don't want to capture me not anything?... Just for me to leave?"

"My Lord's actions… Were too rash and inappropriate for his position and future Titles."

"I ask... I implore that you forget about them, I can garantee that he won't try anything of the like again."

"Because he won't be able to, he won't have the time to, nor the resources to seek you out anymore."

"... Who are you to guarantee me that?" Philip asked amused

What a turn of events.

"Me? I guess that was necessary in the end…" He said as he took off his helmet, revealing his scarred old face

"I am Claire, senior Knight of the Pyke Family, under direct orders of the Patriarch of the Family to assist and judge Pyke Rafiel's actions during his coming of age Trials."

"..."

Senior? This means he's half a step away from retirement.

But what he said is pretty interesting.

"Can you elaborate? With an emphasis on what does have to do with me?"

"No offense, I just want to understand just how did little me came into the attention of someone like Rafiel."

"... It isn't a secret anyway, furthermore, I believe you require some explanations."

"Pyke Rafiel has been sent here directly by the patriarch to learn how to operate the family business and to make connections in the meantime, he wanted the Lord to…"

'But he didn't say much else, meaning, it was irrelevant to this case.'

"To be honest, I didn't expect even a minute to pass since we got in the city and that to happen… My sincere apologies." He said with a small nod

"What happened?" Philip asked

"Rafiel is... Very sensitive about matters related to the young Lady of the Azul Family..."

"I did expect this to be all due to her, but how exactly did a single glance escalate to this?"

"My apologies..."

I can't tell him Rafiel decided to do this solely because he investigated him and found out who he was...

"Okay okay, let's say I believe what you say."

"I just want to ask you one thing… What was he planning to do with me after capturing me?"

His goal, Claire... are you willing to betray the young Lord's trust to such a degree?

"... Rafiel was… Planning to keep you in captivity until the seal of the Academy was lifted, allowing communication in and out at the very least."

"The Academy? What does that have to do with this?" Philip asked, slightly disgusted as he remembered his time there

"He wanted to trade you for favors with the people you offended."

"Ahhh… Makes sen... Pfft!... Sense... PFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Philip said as he burst out laughing

"S… Sir?"

Does he find this situation funny?...

No, that may be the case… From this guy's perspective…

That's what my intuition's been saying to me from the very start.

'Philip laughed louder and louder until he was out of breath.'

"Haa… Haa… Okay, I feel better now." He said as he raised his head

"I should've bloody expected this, I'm loving this..."

"To think those pathetic guys would be involved in this mess, even if indirectly, they truly are annoying as hell."

"The world is really small, don't you think so?" He asked as he looked Claire

"..."

'Claire was tense, despite the smile on his face, he didn't feel a single shred of goodwill coming from Philip, instead, the strong feeling on his guts kept increasing.'

[... Condition...]

'He couldn't quite hear it, but the sound of the system rang in his ears, he was momentarily shocked by this, it wasn't every time he heard it after all.'

'It only happened when...'

'But Claire closed his eyes and focused.'

"How do you wish to have this resolved?" Claire asked

"Hum… You said he won't be able to act on me anymore… But that isn't enough, I can't leave with the thought of having an arrogant prick after my ass, yeah?"

"He wants to sell me to them, so even if he can't get me, then he can still get similar results by snitching on me no?"

"Of course, I'll have to deal with those sons of bitches in the Academy, but they are another story."

"Don't worry Sir Polter, once Rafiel loses his chase, he rarely acts again, only doing so when he loses something, I'll convince him."

"I'm willing to take on the punishment while you leave…"

"Wait wait wait… There is one thing I didn't understand." Philip asked deeply

No matter what, the promises he made me are meaningless, why would Rafiel listen to someone like him, especially given his personality?

It seems more like... He's trying to avoid a clash between me and Rafiel, not because of my sake, but for Rafiel's...

Isn't that strange?

"..."

'The air started to get a bit heavy, the room seemed a bit darker now.'

"You came to me and said all of this, I admire your sense of justice and willingness to act, creating an entire plan just to help me while going against the wishes of your Lord..."

"Still, I don't think it was merely because your conscience was weighing on you is it?" Philip said deeply

'His words were like knives stabbing at Claire's heart...'

"Tell me then, why are you truly here? Is something of the matter?... Something you have yet to tell me?" Philip said as he walked closer

He's definitely stronger than that last guy, but strangely enough, I feel apprehension coming from him ever since the moment he saw me in the forest.

He knows something about me, what can it be?

'As Philip talked, his eyes seemed to flash slightly…'

"You know something, don't you? Mind sharing?"

"I don't… Quite like being kept in the dark."

'Claire took a single step back, his right hand instinctively went to his sword.'

'Philip smiled slightly.'

"Right, the simplest method."

"N-No wait...!"

'From Claire's perspective, the world suddenly stopped.'

[Your Title, Single Clasher has activated]

[Your Skill, 3-Instances of Absolute Combat has activated]

'Claire couldn't hear those words, but he knew very well the effects of his own Skills and abilities, he trained them for decades after all.'

'So he gulped down and took the first step.'

"?!"

'Only to see his neck being grasped by Philip's cold hand.'

I only... Lowered my guard for a single moment!

/Crack!/

'The world suddenly broke apart, and it went back to the beginning, Philip smiling, and he grasped his sword's hilt.'

'Had time just regressed?!'

...

.

.

.

Notes

Yes, I did it! My ultimate Skill, Cliffhanger of the Nine hells has triggered.

This is worse than the Shadow realm, now suffer for a weak as I go to sleep.