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It was Pilemon.
The current head of Notos, after being influenced by Allen's [Persuasion], was bewildered for a long while. He finally spent a good deal of time suppressing his emotions and left the dojo.
He didn't even bother to respond to the eager greetings of the surrounding nobles, hurrying along, leading his guards quickly towards the dojo's main gate.
Watching this scene, Allen smiled, showing a relaxed demeanor for the first time since arriving in the royal capital.
Then his expression suddenly turned stern.
"Such things as providing aid, if done deliberately, would fall short."
"Your very existence is enough."
Ariel's face showed confusion at his words. Before she could say anything, Allen cut her off.
"Let's leave it here. I want to be alone for a bit."
Ariel paused, then only nodded. She looked up at Allen's expression again.
Finding his face already conveyed a 'dismissing guest' attitude, she could only turn and leave, disappointed.
"Good night, Allen."
Allen did not look at her retreating figure; he merely watched Pilemon, who was exiting the dojo's main gate.
"Good night, Ariel."
By this point.
Ariel turned and walked away, her steps hesitant, thinking there were still countless opportunities to persuade Allen.
And Allen's mind was completely preoccupied with Pilemon and James; he didn't even look at her.
The shadows of the trees rippled back and forth between light and dark.
The banquet candlelight spilled across the courtyard.
Moonlight fell from the sky.
Veiling human faces.
Life, hazy and fleeting, just a few decades.
What was different between the moonlight in the Water God Style Main Dojo in Dragon Calendar 414 and Dragon Calendar 424?
That was not something Ariel and Allen, in their current state, could know.
What about that very moment?
—When the two reunited under this tree, and conversed again, recalling all the various incidents that had occurred in these short few days.
It was merely a sigh.
A fragment of memory from this ordinary day, when recalled again...
...was already ten years apart.
At that time, the last time the two had spoken face to face...
It was also too distant to recall.
Even in the 'present' of the future, neither of them could quite remember their thoughts and feelings under this tree in 414.
Because.
Ten years, so much had already happened.
So much that neither of them could have imagined.
They would still have a chance to stand face to face and chat about the past.
Under the moonlight of Asura.
Allen watched Ariel walk into the dojo. His footsteps, however, were slowly retreating. The moment she entered, when the surrounding nobles' gazes were drawn away.
The moonlight on the ground merely flickered.
The figure that had been beneath the tree was gone.
Beside the Direct Instruction Dojo's pavilion.
At the corner of the wall behind the pavilion, two shadows overlapped.
"Madam, lower yourself."
"Ugh..."
"A little lower..."
"Wait... gulp..."
"Ow! Who stepped on me?"
The noblewoman, squatting with aristocratic grace, jolted in surprise. Her teeth clenched, and she bit down.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!! Breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking breaking!"
The woman slapped the groaning nobleman in front of her, who was doubled over in pain. She stood up and looked around.
No one was around. Only moonlight spilled on the wall.
She frowned and squatted down again.
"Who's making noise? What are you yelling for... You're standing so tall, who could step on you, Baron Charlas?? You're so tall and firm~"
"...Strange. I clearly felt a boot on my face..."
"What boot on your face? Never mind that. Let me... huh? Useless! Not even as good as your brother!"
She stood up and kicked the nobleman in front of her to the ground, wiped her mouth, and twisted to leave.
She even dropped all honorifics at lightning speed.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
The nobleman clutched his back, unable to straighten up. He sat on the ground, his expression a mix of pain and utter wretchedness.
"I really felt someone step on my face just now..."
Silence all around. The graceful figure had already walked away.
He lowered his head and slapped himself, on the verge of tears.
"Never mind... Lady Lirss... is also..."
"Nothing more than that!"
"How can a true man stay dejected for long, living under others, desiring and not attaining?"
"I'll go find Madam Samir myself. I heard she knows just the right amount of force to step on someone... stepping on faces without high heels is like scratching an itch through a boot. That boot was strange; I clearly felt a boot, why did I not see anyone?"
Separated by a wall, a pair of hard-soled boots stepped into the mud beneath the outer eaves.
Asura was also a mountain city.
A thin layer of mist rose by the Artir River at night.
The night wind stirred, ethereal and fleeting.
In the distance, Pilemon's figure hastily stepped onto a carriage. A whip crack pierced the mist. Amidst the whinnying of horses, the carriage rumbled towards the bridge next to the Water God Style Main Dojo.
Allen smiled.
He took a bow stance, stepped forward.
His foot landed. With one step, he crossed from the dry yellow earth beneath the wall to the moist earth by the river.
Rumble! The carriage was already on the bridge.
The ground suddenly sank an inch. Allen's figure, like mist, floated onto the bridge side. He climbed the bridge pier, twisted and leaped, landing precisely on the crystal ceiling of the passing carriage.
He didn't make the slightest sound.
The coachman seemed oblivious, simply swinging his whip, urging the horses on.
And the people inside the carriage didn't look at the roof; suppressed curses rose and fell.
"You brat! You brat! Boreas bastard! I'll kill you!!"
Separated by a single roof.
Above, Allen propped his chin on his hand, leisurely trimming his fingernails, which had grown a few millimeters, with condensed battle aura.
Below, Pilemon clutched his sword in one hand, his hair in the other, his face contorted in rage.
Fingernail clippings and the foul language from inside the carriage fell in fragments into the air.
Verbal provocation.
Martial threat.
Personal degradation.
Dignified mockery.
Pilemon's Notos brain completely buckled under the mental torture of [Persuasion], having utterly lost his noble composure.
"Threatening me! Threatening me! You bastard! You bastard!!"
"Ma... Master, have some tea. No need to get so agitated over that disrespectful junior who talks nonsense. A thirteen-year-old brat..."
Bang!!!
The teacup shattered on the ground. Less than half a second later, the teacup, mixed with faint traces of blood, was casually thrown out by Pilemon.
"Brat? Wet behind the ears! He's a Sword King! He's even a Water King! What are you?! You're twenty-eight, damn it! And you're still a Sword Saint!!!"
"Ma... Master..."
"If he tried to kill me, could you stop him? Could you stop him?!?"
Clang, something heavy slammed against the carriage wall, making the carriage sway violently.
Then came the sound of flesh and boots impacting.
"You have a sword but dare not draw it!! You have a sword but dare not draw it!! Why don't you draw it and kill him! Kill him!!!"
"Resentment only makes you tremble!! Tremble! What's a Sword King for!! Kill him!! Kill him!!"
"The struggle for the succession!! Hesitating!! The First Prince and Second Prince haven't even placed their bets!! Damn it!! Do you know what 'holding out for a better price' means! Holding out for a better price!! You brat!! You brat!!"
"With that good-for-nothing Paul, you still want to take my Notos family's position!! Just him!! Just him!! That bastard of James's!!!"
Thump!!
The carriage compartment vibrated violently.
Then fell silent.
Allen raised his hand, avoiding the bumpiness, then quietly continued trimming his nails, his face as calm as still water.
After a long while, around a bend, the person inside the carriage seemed to stir awake.
"Get up if you're not dead!"
"Ma... Master..."
"Is there any news about what I told you to investigate? That boy Allen clearly came from outside the royal capital. Judging by the path, he's from the Fittoa territory. Did he act at the behest of that old man Saul??"
"No news yet. It's too far; the news hasn't arrived..."
"..."
"But! There's other news! That boy Allen is Philip's hostage sent to the royal capital! I got news from James's servants; the birth times of his wife and concubines don't match up."
"So that's it... Patricide, how ridiculous! That wet-behind-the-ears brat, all he can do is shout! No strategy! He says whatever he thinks! Serving under the First Prince, yet so foolish, so foolish! ...Tch. Heh heh."
"Master, should we leak this news to James..."
"Why would I do that?!"
"Then how should we..."
Pilemon's voice suddenly lowered, becoming almost inaudible.
But to Allen's ears, it was still clear.
"Idiot... The situation in Flowing Falls City is clear. Saul throwing that bastard here this time was a terrible move. James is wary of him..."
"Then shouldn't we provoke their conflict..."
"Not enough. James didn't even come himself tonight; he's avoiding this mad dog. Compared to this boy, Allen Boreas Greyrat, the head of Boreas knows how to endure. He's calmer and more experienced than this young, arrogant brat who doesn't know his place. He's the one who truly bites."
"Then what should we do?"
Silence for a moment. "...That brat, shouting. I should actually thank him. Succession struggle? Feeble? Uninteresting? Mediocre? Incompetent?"
His gritted voice echoed chillingly within the carriage.
"You brat, I'll show you how to wield a blade and stir up trouble in the royal capital..."
"This..."
"Didn't the Second Prince invite me many times? I'll write him a letter shortly. You'll deliver it tomorrow! No! Tonight! No, I'll go myself, coachman! Turn around!"
"Yes, Master!"
On the roof of the carriage, Allen's chin-propped posture grew more relaxed. A thin mist drifted past his eyes, carrying a clear smile.
He propped his head with both hands, lying very leisurely on the carriage roof.
Inside the carriage, the conversation continued.
"...So stupid! Drawing a blade means acting personally? What's the point of having a brain? In the current succession struggle, Ariel has no power; it's just the First Prince and Second Prince vying for the throne. The First Prince already shows signs of gaining momentum, so the Second Prince must be desperate now.
Allen Boreas Greyrat, this mad dog, also wants to kill the next head of the Boreas family, who is under the First Prince. If something truly goes wrong with the Boreas family, James dies, Allen is imprisoned, the First Prince's family will not only have internal strife, but it will also damage his reputation.
Saul is old, and Philip, that good-for-nothing, is even more useless! Will the Second Prince give up this opportunity to weaken the First Prince's influence? He will not!"
"We should use this opportunity! Given James's personality, he will inevitably endure again and again, but even if he endures, he will surely harbor anger. Anger leads to frustration, and frustration leads to a desire to vent. What we need to do is make him unable to hold back, to vent that frustration..."
"From what I know of him, he must be worried about his retreat options. So we'll give him a retreat. The Second Prince's timely invitation is his greatest leverage right now!"
"If he has no blade, and can't draw it, we must give him a blade, and make him wield it. And by then, those rats in the underground factions that the Second Prince has cultivated will come into play."
"...The Second Prince has cultivated underground factions? Didn't we cultivate them?" The guard's voice sounded confused.
"How can you be so stupid, damn it..."
"If the Second Prince doesn't have them, we'll make him have them! Boreas family fighting among themselves—is there anything more delightful in the royal capital? The First Prince's influence is weakened; this is our pledge of allegiance, using this to enter the Second Prince's service, becoming his primary asset, stirring up storms in the royal capital..."
"By then, we'll contend with Darius properly..."
"Master is truly skilled at strategy..."
"Hahahahahahaha..."
The carriage sped around the street corner, its sound carried away by the wind.
At the corner of the wall, Allen looked at his neatly trimmed nails, a satisfied smile on his face.
'[Persuasion].'
'It's so effective when used on the burning ambitions of these royal capital nobles.'
'Pilemon in the original had a tendency to harbor armed forces. Indeed...'
'His mind is also straightforward. Give him a motive, and he truly takes it.'
Allen clenched his fist, glanced at the distant carriage, then turned back the way he came.
'A qualified Asura noble.'
'I had originally planned to explore things, and then use [Persuasion] again tomorrow morning to deepen the psychological suggestion. But his comprehension is quick enough; no need for extra effort. It can be saved for James.'
'Truly a...'
'Good student.'
Slap, Allen waved his hand, shattering the thin mist before him.
'Right? System?'
Smoky words appeared in the mist.
[What in the world are you doing...? So inexplicably, just a thought, and you acted on it? What's the point of this?]
Allen smiled, looking at the system panel. Then he changed the subject.
'Do you think I've been using Persuasion too much recently, making you very tired?'
The smoky text paused.
[When I say once a day, I mean once a day. Can I really withhold your ability?]
Allen blinked.
'I've always had a question, system.'
[Speak.]
Allen's eyes were bright, his words exceptionally fast, speaking the entire sentence in one breath.
'You say, this [Persuasion] of mine, if I were to replace your system with Human God, does that mean He would have to keep an apostle slot open just to maintain the [Persuasion] effect for me? Every time He descends upon the object of my [Persuasion], repeating my words? This one-time transfer is fine, but if it's multiple transfers, is it a burden for Him?'
'Because the one-per-person limit aligns perfectly with His existing apostle slot limit?'
The smoky text froze.
The streetlamp at the corner of the street, exclusive to the Upper Noble District.
Flickering.
It even flashed with the rhythm of rapid breathing.
After a long moment, the smoke, not of Asura, finally appeared again.
[...Good idea.]
Allen smiled.
'Not bad. Good thing you're not Human God. If you were truly Human God, I'd have to ask you.'
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the system panel.
'How [Persuasion] should really be used.'
'Did you learn it?'
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Power Stones==Bonus Chapter