Against the World II: Transgression
Chapter 24: And Then. Part 1.
...—16th July, E642 | Vladivta Kingdom—...
ALICE— whose face is still hidden mask Evil Mask—spontan stopped when Azet suddenly stopped not far from the gate of the capital Vladivta Kingdom. “What's up? You feel someone is following us?”
“Ah, no, no one is following us. Only, please enter the city yourself. My job is done here. My client will see you alone. Now I have to go. See you later, Evil Mask.”
“Wait first! As I recall her agreement only spoke with—cih, she had already disappeared!”
Alice does not expect Azet to leave suddenly. However, if he thought about it again, it was indeed suspicious that he was brought to this city just to speak. They can talk in the inn, it's a place of privacy. Or, in the arena there was no problem either. Talking in an open space will minimize the attention of the people watching (if any).
Oh, could Azet have gone to take off the mask and change her clothes, then met her in her original identity and acted as if Azet was not her?
“Yeah, whatever.” Alice turned her shoulders and turned around. “I just agreed to hear Azet speak,” murmured and stepped away.
Right enough. He only agreed to talk to Azet, not with the others—even though it was the masked man's real identity. Therefore, if Azet decides to leave, it is only natural that he also goes. Azet's departure meant the ratification of the deal, and that meant Alice did not betray her own words. He was not at all wrong for leaving without entering the capital.
Nodding to self-justify, Alice changed her pace from walking to running. Covering the body with the Light Armor, Alice easily darted beyond the speed of sound. Alice left Vlad City at a speed equivalent to three times the speed of air. In just a minute, the distance and the city were already over sixty-one kilometers.
Alice ran towards the establishment of the Warebeast Great Kingdom. However, this time his goal was no longer the land of the warebeasts. Alice decided to spend some time in Caligula Kingdom. It just so happened that the nearest access was through the road that connected the Warebeast Great Kingdom with that kingdom.
Alice's run stopped immediately. A dart made entirely of blue fire— which is compressed in such a way that it emits immense heat—melt from from the left side. The arrow pierced through the empty air a few meters in front of Alice, then struck a tree and caused a huge explosion that followed the blaze of blue flames. If Alice hadn't stopped her run, she might have been hit by the arrow.
“Where do you want to go, Alice?” Xavier—in the Imperial Army uniform complete with his commander's robe—landed dozens of meters in front of Alice. “I think I've put pressure on Azet to tell you to meet me at Vlad. Didn't he tell you?”
“Can't say I'm surprised,” Alice's response without removing her mask—no wonder Xavier recognized her. “So, who sent you? Kanna's? Evilla? Ah, I thought about it, on whose side are you? Did you just become an Elf Kingdom spy in the empire?”
“You should ask how you are, Alice, isn't that normal to ask when you meet old friends?” xavier asked casually, his left hand turned on the blue flames and instantly everything vanished without a trace, not extinguished. “Kanna asked me to take you back to Nevada.”
“You helped me escape, and now you want to take me back?”
“I didn't think to force you if you were still in that orphanage, but you just went and paraded yourself as Evil Mask. Kanna wouldn't have known where you were if you hadn't done that. If you stay there like you used to, I won't be here wearing this uniform.”
Alice did not respond immediately. He stepped into a nearby tree, then sat down and leaned against the trunk. “I thought it was what I wanted, I thought it gave me purpose, I thought it would give me satisfaction..”.
A brown magic circle suddenly appeared in front of Alice, a seat of earth came out of the magic circle. Less than a second later, Xavier was already sitting on the chair.
Alice doesn't remember Xavier having earth magic. He obviously doesn't have earth magic. And so is teleportation. However, what just now was clearly earth magic. The young man also teleported. If so….
“I won't ask if you're Azet or not,” murmured Alice. “Pun I won't ask what you mean.” Alice sighed, then her eyes looked intensely at that blood red iris. “What I heard about Nizivia..is that true?”
“Kore or less.”
“...That's hard to believe.”
Alice returned her gaze to the sky, and a momentary silence dominated the space that enveloped the two of them.
“So, are we going back to Nevada?” That silence Xavier broke. “You must give a clear reason if you want to make me come back alone. If not, I will be forced to watch you in a way I don't like.”
“I can tell Kanna that you're actually on the side of the Elf Kingdom,” Alice threatened.
An amused smile blossomed on Xavier's lips. “Please say,” he said accompanied by a twitch of the shoulder. “I want to see if Kanna will believe it or not, but I'll bet she won't believe it. If I told her that you said so out of annoyance that I forced her back, Kanna would definitely take your words as a prank. More than that, Emperor Nueva himself knows a lot about me. Saying that to Kanna won't change anything.”
“You have fallen to the dark side, Xavier.” Alice sighed. “I'm sure you didn't even cry when you found out Nizivia was dead.”. “Who knows anyway if you really have a taste for him. It's no surprise to me that you're just playing Nizivia, and Kanna, and Evillia, and even Monica. Heh, look, how many names of women should I mention? Maybe Clara will regret it because in her life she once liked you.”
“Your choice?”
“You ignored my words.” Alice's eyes narrowed at Xavier, looking at him cold and piercing. “Is it so true that you feel compelled to ignore it? How disgusting. I can imagine how disappointed your mother would be if she was still alive sa—”
Alice failed to finish her taunts. His body had fallen lying down; the tree he was leaning on had been crushed unceremoniously. Both of Alice's hands had Xavier clutched. The young man was on it, their forehead and the tip of their nose touching each other. It happened so fast that Alice could not escape.
“Should I show you how far I've fallen?” ask Xavier with a slow, but sharp volume. His eyes looked threatening. “You want to see it?”
“Your acting is bad,” comments Alice, do not bother despite being bullied to this extent. “You wouldn't dare do anything to me. Your mentality is too weak. Your mind is full of conflict. Even when I managed to get you a lock like this, you didn't even dare to shut my mouth. Am I wrong?”