Tap tap tap tap tap…..
Sitting in a room with mirrors surrounding him, Matthew was tapping his leg on the floor repeatedly, as he was wont to do whenever he was displeased with something.
For the past day, he and the others had been confined in such rooms, separately, with all communication methods taken away from them. In front of him was a table, and on it were a few tomes regarding the attitude that one should adopt if they wished to reach the peak. It was idle reading meant for seeds who wanted to pass time, and it had been placed there with the message that he should read it if he was bored.
Food was teleported into the room onto the table at exactly the time when he usually had his meals, and even though the food, itself, was still cooked by the gourmet chefs who were specially employed by the Big Four for the seeds, it tasted bland, because of the situation that he found himself in.
From the beginning, it had been pretty deplorable that they were the ones being suspected for Letitia's murder. She had been a wonderful girl, and she had always seemed to know exactly what to say to become close to them. It had felt as if it was destined for her to become an integral part of their small family, and they had readily accepted her and even sworn oaths together that they would never betray each other.
This had been suggested by Letitia, because she had heard about many other groups not being able to trust each other because there were no such things in place. According to her, she had secretly inquired about such things after finding out that their group of seeds was one that was ranked the lowest whenever there were competitions between the groups.
She had claimed that the reason that the groups were united was that oaths like these existed, and because they had found no fault in her reasoning and as they really did feel strongly that they should be comrades for life, they had right away sworn the oaths, and Matthew had even begun to look forward to finally ending their losing streak.
Yet, this tragedy had happened, and once again, he found himself missing that long-haired girl who had once baked him some of his most favorite cookies.
In fact, she had even helped him speak to one of the other seeds whom he had always had a crush on, and for that and many of the other interactions in which she had proven to be the best friend possible, he had treasured her a lot.
As he sat there, he began to reminisce about everything they had done together, and it felt like a lifetime had passed since she had arrived even though it had only been a few months.
Just like Jessica, when it had been revealed that they were the prime suspects, he had been equally angry, but as the leader of the group, he had controlled himself and not allowed it to show.
After all, he had always trusted himself with the highest of responsibilities, just like in the case where he had taken it upon himself to stop the others when they had wanted to go out and kill the King.
They were his comrades, and they had drawbacks, and it was his job to make sure that those drawbacks wouldn't end up hurting their futures prominently. The decision to even go and target the king on the suggestion of that Hero had only been taken because of the deep-seated hatred that Scarlet and Dave seemed to have against the Central Continent for some reason, and the others had agreed as they also didn't have much love for that place. Surprisingly, that had been the case even with Letitia, even though she was said to have originated from there. Her past was known to all, and they had all pitied her for the gruesome things that she had gone through during her childhood.
Whatever their reasons were, Matthew had been determined to act as a good friend, and as the disciple of the Chief of the Fortress. Even if it would take his life, he had been prepared to give it up for this cause which he deemed to be worthy, but that had exactly been when disaster struck.
Even now, Matthew found himself cursing that assassin who had dared to attack not once, but twice. All he remembered from the second attack was that the man had appeared in the same manner as last time, and even though he hadn't been very afraid as the Head had been nearby, he had been puzzled because the Head had just kept watching without moving. After that, he remembered fainting, and he had been given no explanation except that Dave was the only one injured, and that he was stable, but unconscious. He was pretty confident that the assassin must have been caught, though, because there was no way that he could be more powerful than the most powerful man on the continent.
Normally, he was a firm advocate against the usage of the High Council's famous torture cells, which were apparently created from formations left behind from the age of the Empire by someone who was famous for their expertise in this aspect. But in this matter, he would have agreed to have that assassin placed there, so that the truth would come out regarding just why he had targeted their dear, innocent friend.
He had had this thought multiple times since being confined here, but this time, just as he reached the end of it, a door came into being in front of him.
The room had originally seemed as if it had no doors, and he had actually kept his eyes closed till now as it was quite jarring to see multiple reflections of himself in all directions.
When he opened his eyes on sensing the influx of wind to see that the Head was standing in front of that door, he immediately stood up and asked, "Have there been any developments? Did we find out why he did it?"
"Not he. She."
Hearing this cryptic answer from the Head, Matthew didn't understand, but his jaw dropped when he saw a person behind the Head.
It was Letitia, and her hands were confined in cuffs which looked like as if they were made from solid gold.
What the hell?!
Still unable to really believe it, Matthew staggered outside, almost ignoring the Head. Letitia was standing a few feet away, and it looked like the room he was confined in and the three others like it were placed in a semicircle in the large open area inside the mountain.
Four clones of the Head had appeared in front of the four individuals in all four rooms, and just like him, the other three also stumbled outside. Jessica had even begun to rub her eyes innocently, but no matter how much she did so, the image in front of her didn't change.
It really was their friend. She stood in the same way, and she had the same downturned lips which almost always had a smile that used to light up their day whenever they saw it in the morning. Right now, she seemed extremely disgruntled, because she kept looking down without raising her head to face them.
At the same time, though, as Matthew observed more, he felt that something was wrong. Even though he was a Fighter, he had trained as a Mage so that he can unlock his elementary vision which would aid him in fights, and as he switched it on at almost the same time as the others, he noticed that the person in front of them was actually using a camouflage spell to appear like Letitia.
Then maybe...it wasn't really her?
Why wasn't anything making sense?
Thankfully, at this point, the Head, who had disappeared and reappeared behind Letitia, spoke up.
"Yes, you are looking at the culprit. And although she's not in her original body, which she destroyed, it is really her. Her consciousness has taken full control of this body who formerly used to be her friend, just like all of you. Her plan was to use an obscure technique which would have allowed her to leech off of your power using the bond she created within you in her short stay here. This was her plan…"
As the Head revealed her plan which had apparently started with her identifying them as a group of scapegoats who could be easily infiltrated, Matthew could only stare with wide-open eyes.
Again and again, he kept glancing between the Head and Letitia, almost hoping that they would burst out laughing and declare that it was a prank.
Alas, nothing of the sort happened, and as the entire thing got unveiled, he thought on it, and realized that it all made sense.
Even during the time when they had sworn those oaths, he had gotten a slightly bad feeling, but he hadn't been able to understand it all.
And the way she had been able to get so close to them in such a short time… It had been nothing short of suspicious, but Matthew had never gotten the doubt as he had always trusted the High Council and those of the Big 4 to never have any nefarious schemes against them.
In all his 22 years of life, he had only spent his time training and preparing to fight against the Church. The Chief had often said that he was naïve, but he had never believed that. He had been content in his staunch belief that Angarians would naturally not fight against each other, but now… He realized how right his master had been.
It was Jessica who was the first who reacted. She collapsed onto the ground, and Scarlet immediately rushed to her side. Matthew walked in that direction, too, all while keeping an eye on Letitia- the poisonous snake who had almost ended their future.
She actually had a scoffing expression on her face, and as Matthew saw this, his anger began to rise, but he controlled it and joined with Scarlet to console Jessica, who had just gotten up. Memphis also came and stood beside them, and he actually burst out into laughter and then started to clap.
"Well done. Well done, really."
His words were filled with sarcasm, and even though he seemed to be taking this casually, his slightly red eyes made clear the fact that he was quite enraged.
"Let this be a lesson to you that as seeds, you will be the targets of many, even from Angaria. You will have to be careful with regards to where you place your trust, and when in doubt, it is always best to trust yourself. This does not mean that you should not have companions, but even if you do, you should always take everything with a pinch of salt. Anyway, you can say your goodbyes to Letitia, because she will soon be placed in front of the High Council for judgement. I will be interrogating her more in my abode to see if she has any accomplices, and after her consciousness recovers, I will also be checking her mind. As it stands, it is possible that she is facing a long, long time of imprisonment, along with many, many oaths that she will have to take if she wishes to live. We have the King of Lanthanor and his commander to thank for identifying the culprit, who might have escaped if there hadn't been as skilled a duo on their tail. Seeds, grow stronger from this, not weaker. There are a lot of expectations on you, and I hope that you reach all of them. Farewell, for now."
Saying so, the Head vanished along with Letitia, and Matthew and the rest were left staring at the spot where they had disappeared.
They couldn't believe that this entire matter had come to an end in this method. Indeed, the King of Lanthanor needed to be thanked, but first, Matthew decided to be there for his friends.
For a day, they stayed together, and because Dave still seemed to be recovering, the four of them spent their time talking between themselves about everything that had happened while also remarking on just how they had been made fools.
There were also many bottles of wine which had been sent over as a courtesy from the Head, and because they were from his personal collection, they tasted excellent. As one, the four drowned their sorrows in alcohol, and even innocent Jessica drank a little and promptly fell asleep.
With this, the rest of them chose to retire. They had chosen to lodge in the mountain for the time being, in a small building in the garden which had a beautiful view. Matthew walked to his room to turn in, hoping to have a fresh from the next day.
The night passed peacefully, and it looked as if everything was alright.
Yet… At around 3 AM, Matthew was suddenly awoken by a scream that sounded as if it was coming from the room right in front of his, in which Jessica was sleeping.
Alarmed, he immediately ran outside to find Jessica backing away in the corridor.
In front of her… Was the same assassin who had already attacked them twice.
For a moment, Matthew was speechless.
Hadn't everything been resolved? Hadn't there been no assassin at all in the first place?
He wondered whether this was also Mind Control, but seeing the extreme fear in Jessica's face, he decided that he couldn't take a chance.
If it was Mind Control, there was no way to prove it, and it was best to play safe.
He immediately sent a message and then ran to stand in front of Jessica to protect her.
She was the little darling of their group, and there was no way that he would allow anything to happen to her.
The corridor was in such a way that Jessica's room was at the far end, with Matthew's right in front of her's.
Four more rooms were present with two arranged opposite to the other two, and as Jessica continued to back away, Memphis and Scarlet also appeared from their rooms and came to the same conclusion as Matthew.
Just like the second time when they had all grouped together to protect the most innocent and weakest of them all, the three of them stood in front of her, and the assassin continued to walk forward cautiously.
He looked like he hadn't been expecting this again, because he spoke in a gravelly voice.
"If you value your lives, move. I'm only here to kill her. If you try to stop me, all of you will have to pay with your lives."
He was here to kill Jessica?!
Instantly, anger appeared in all three of their faces.
This incident had made it so that they treasured each other even more, and as childhood friends, this trust was something which could not be shaken.
Jessica had come as a little girl when they had all already grown to be a few years old. She was their little sister, and they had always protected her from everything that they could possibly shield her from.
She had such a strong place in their hearts that they wouldn't even hesitate to give up their lives for her, so now, even though the assassin said this, there was no doubt that came into the minds.
If needed, to save her… They were ready to die.
Even the usually aloof Memphis had this emotion, and he was actually the one who even dared to walk forward so that he could place himself in the first row of defense, along with Matthew.
"Very well. Die."
Saying so, the assassin threw three daggers, and all three of them were covered with the same golden poison that they had thought had taken the life of their friend.
Ironically, now, they were going to be killed by it.
Each of them mustered their power, but the daggers looked as if nothing could stop them.
They had been given no time to completely put their powers on display, and as the daggers broke through barrier after barrier, it looked as if there was nothing else to do but accept death.
Well, at least, they would be delaying the assassin, so Matthew prepared to face his end with the hope that the time they would be buying with their lives would be enough for the Head to appear and save Jessica.
In his eyes, the tip of the dagger came nearer and nearer, and it was aimed at his forehead.
In the last moment, he even closed his eyes, but even a second after that… He felt nothing.
Was the dagger so wondrous that it didn't even cause pain? Had he already died?
But he could still feel his entire body!
Unable to understand, Matthew opened his eyes and took a step back when he saw with shock that the dagger had frozen in place in the air.
Turning around, he saw that the same was true for the other two daggers, too, but when he turned behind him to look for Jessica to ensure that she was safe, he started to feel panic as there was no one there.
Had she been abducted?
Fear appearing in his eyes, he immediately whirled around, but that was when he received the shock of his life.
In his haste to ensure the safety of his companions, he hadn't paid much attention to the assassin, because it was logical to assume that if someone had stopped the daggers, then they would also have restricted the one who was responsible for throwing them.
Just as he thought, the assassin really was restricted, but the reason behind his shock was that the hood of the assassin, which had been covering his face, had been thrown back.
The woman that he had been looking for behind him was the one whose face he saw in front of him, and as be blinked to make sure that he hadn't gone completely crazy, he saw the King of Lanthanor appear beside her.
With a smile that he would remember for the rest of his life, the King spoke in an amused tone.
"Poor, innocent Jessica. You fooled your friends. You fooled Letitia. You fooled me, too. Well, almost. Head, is it possible to throw her in the same cell as Letitia? I've only heard of catfights, but I've never seen them. This would be the perfect opportunity to strike that off of my bucket list!"