Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Kingdom of Anthor (1)

At the edge of an open field, Claude and Rosa sat snuggled together underneath the boughs of an ever-blooming tree. They eyed the two pillars at the center of the field with tired eyes.

“There’s another one.”

Claude pointed into the distance at the tomb’s entrance, which also happened to be its exit.

“Hmm? Is it one of them?”

Rosa lifted her head off of his shoulder and squinted.

“Wait…”

“It’s Meysi!”

They both cried out together and scrambled to their feet. Meysi caught sight of them shortly after and pathed toward them.

“Meysi! You’re finally out!”

Rosa threw her arms around her short friend. Meysi fixed her glasses and hugged her back.

“I’m out, I missed you guys.”

“What was it like? The Trial of Man? Were you able to make it to the Trial of Fire?”

Claude bombarded her with question after question. During the Trial of Water, he had to make an early exit due to his wound, which was being well taken care of thanks to Rosa.

“The Trial of Man is perhaps the hardest thing I have ever done. I fought a deadly battle against my clone at the top of an enormous mountain. The clouds were at my feet, and the only ones to witness my battle were the trees and wildlife that surrounded me.”

Meysi spoke with clear eyes and without her former shyness.

“My goodness! How did you beat your clone?”

“I was only able to survive by learning from my clone and adapting my fighting style. There are so many things I never knew I could do. After hours of exhausting combat, the clone finally revealed an opening. It was a slip up that I wouldn’t have been able to take advantage at the start of the fight.”

The next second, Meysi withdrew her notebook from her bag of holding and scribbled inside. She prudently decided to withhold certain information from her two friends, such as the clone being at B rank and the fight being far closer than how she portrayed it.

I couldn’t imagine fighting an A rank clone. I would have died for certain.

She buried her thoughts away with a grin and held her hand out. Licks of emerald fire curled around her fingers, immediately catching the attention of Claude and Rosa.

“Your fire, it’s different?!”

Claude exclaimed as the green flame reflected in his eyes. This was the first time he had ever witnessed an attributed fire.

“I thought only extremely talented people could master an attributed fire. Don’t tell me—was this the reward from the Trial of Fire?”

Rosa’s voice dropped to a low whisper. One couldn’t be too cautious when discussing world secrets that not even the greatest minds could unravel.

“The trial helped me comprehend this new flame. I wouldn’t have been able to discover it without Lady Elsie’s help.”

Meysi followed suit, also dropping to a whisper.

“I’ll forever be grateful to her for saving us. Speaking of which, did you come across her inside the later trials? We never saw her leave the tomb.”

“I did not see her, but if I had to guess then she is probably doing just fine.”

Claude furrowed his brow in thought before speaking.

“If you’re here, then where is Talru? Did he also make it to the Trial of Fire?”

Meysi froze in place upon hearing Talru’s name. She could still vividly remember his distraught expression within the Trial of Water. His declaration was also fresh in her memories—that he wouldn’t dare leave the trial without first surpassing her.

“He’s not out here with you?”

She threw his question back at him and turned to the tomb’s entrance with a frown.

“I would have spotted him a mile away if he had returned.”

Claude responded, his words laced with worry. Meysi let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

“When I spoke with Talru in the Trial of Water, he said that if he wasn’t out before me then we shouldn’t wait on him.”

“You’re suggesting we leave without my brother?”

Claude crossed his arms and challenged her.

“It’s not my suggestion. It’s what Talru said himself. He said he would find us later when he is ready. I… I also don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Meysi cast a forlorn gaze to the sky, praying for her lifelong friend to make it out alive.

“If that’s the case, then let’s go.”

Surprisingly, Claude was the first one to not linger in place. He immediately turned his back on the tomb and began walking away.

“C-Claude? Dear?”

Rosa chased after him, astonished that he would give up on his brother so easily.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I also want to wait for that idiot brother of mine, but I also will respect his wishes. If he said for us to not wait for him, then we best not wait. Call it a man’s tuition.”

Claude didn’t look back even once and kept a steady pace forward. The two women shared a moment of hesitation before catching up to him.

“Idiot Claude, it is a man’s intuition, not a man’s tuition.”

Meysi elbowed Claude, who merely gave a hesitant chuckle.

“I knew that…”

“That Talru. Tsk… He better not keep us waiting.”

Rosa mumbled as she hooked her arm with her fiancé’s.

“Well, ladies? Where to?”

Claude called out brightly as if to distract them from his brother’s unknown fate.

“Hmm, how about we visit the Capitol of Anthor?”

Rosa proposed beside him.

“Ew, no way! That’s where the infamous womanizer, Prince Marlow, rules over.”

Meysi immediately refuted the idea.

“There are womanizers everywhere, but it is somewhat frightening that a powerful man could be watching your every move. What would you like to do next, Meysi?”

Rosa sympathized with her fellow lady friend.

“I think we should pursue our floor trials. What do you think?”

Claude’s eyes lit up when he heard her suggestion.

“I think you’re right. Alright, we’re a member down for now, but that won’t discourage us. Who’s trial first? Rosa’s?”

The trio walked off into the forest, with a fresh adventure just around the bend.

----

Sans breathed in through his nose, letting fresh earthen fragrances suffuse into his lungs. His eyes were shut tight, and his head felt like it had been cracked in half by a sledgehammer.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Soft…

His thoughts wandered as he slowly came to.

“Wakey, wakey.”

Elsie’s gentle voice called out from above.

From above?

Sans opened his eyes in alarm, only to see Elsie’s angelic countenance hovering over him. She used a free hand to part her hair to the side as she stared into his eyes. The two blinked in sync for the briefest of moments before Sans bolted upright in embarrassment.

Why was I in her lap?!

Elsie straightened out her grey, loose-fit pants with two hands and stood up with a stretch. She wore a matching shirt that clung to her skin and exposed her lower stomach, which was flat and carefully defined. Over her grey outfit she wore a white coat that draped down past her knees.

“Where did you get the new clothes?”

Sans couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the stark contrast of her outfit when compared to before.

“You’re one to talk. What about yourself?”

Elsie smirked and pointed towards his body.

“Huh?”

He glanced down in confusion. A black hooded cloak covered his body, which he hadn’t noticed before. The cloth seemed oddly worn and weathered, matching the outfit that hid underneath. It was as if an experienced traveler had magically swapped clothes with him.

“W-When did this happen?!”

Sans cried out in alarm. The last thing he remembered was sharing a conversation with Marumen’s two memory fragments.

“Wait, the memory fragments! Elsie, I was able to meet Marumen and Ambrosia!”

He distinctly recalled the visit with shining eyes.

“Wow, that must have been exciting.”

She smiled back at him.

“You must have as well, right? What two memories did they share with you?”

He fervently probed her for the details of her visit.

“You misunderstand something, or two things, rather.”

“What am I misunderstanding? Did you not get the reward?”

Elsie laughed before responding.

“The tomb requires an immense amount of energy to function. It follows a system of restrictions to draw that energy, and one of those restrictions is completing the trials. The reward for fully completing all the trials is a single memory fragment.”

“The reward is only one memory fragment? Then why did I get- “

Sans paused and frowned.

“Did you not get a memory fragment at all?”

“That is the second thing you’re misunderstanding. Do I look like I need one?”

Elsie smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was a smooth action, one born of natural grace.

“N-No, not really.”

Sans stammered as he recalled her vicious duel with her clone.

Why did I think this demoness needed any help at all?

He mentally facepalmed before straightening out his new-old cloak.

“So, where to next?”

Sans asked her with a thoughtful gaze. Despite his receding headache, he otherwise felt like he was on top of the world.

“That depends, which two skills did you recover?”

“Recover? Oh, you mean the memory fragments? I learned both alchemy and illusions, but from what I know they’re at rudimentary levels.”

Elsie gave him a knowing look before responding.

“Mm, I can see that. Considering that you still haven’t managed to rein in your innate charm.”

“My charm? Oh… Lazure was complaining about that.”

Sans adopted a pensive look as he thought about the psychotic man.

“That’s because Lazure lived a life without maximum charm. He can be considered one of the older personas. Due to certain circumstances, he scoured the world in pursuit of knowledge. His goal was to use the art of Alchemy to bring back someone dear to him.”

“His wife.”

Sans added the final detail after she finished her explanation.

“Yes… his wife. How did you know that?”

“I once had a dream of Doctor Lazure! He seemed desperate. If you want my opinion, I would hate to be that guy.”

Elsie gave a mirthless smile as she watched Sans in quiet contemplation.

“Charm is a hidden attribute. You once asked why people were constantly staring at you?”

“Are you suggesting that my charm attribute is high? I hate to break it to you, but I think you’re wrong.”

Sans shrugged his shoulders. His thoughts were cast to a time when he had nothing besides rags to his name. There was nothing charming or precious about a poverty-stricken child covered in mud at every hour of the day.

“When someone’s charm attribute is high enough, they can unintentionally charm, or bewitch, people.

Elsie spoke is a monotone voice, but it caught Sans’ attention, nonetheless.

“Charm? Bewitch?”

“Yes, someone who’s been subconsciously charmed will eventually bear cloudy grey eyes.”

Sans widened his eyes as Elsie continued speaking.

“Their actions will change, becoming both possessive and bound to the person that charmed them. The more time they spend around that individual, the more they will lose themselves in their fantasies. Their thoughts will eventually become filled with nothing but that one single person.”

Elsie shrugged her shoulders while Sans sifted through his memories.

Madam Lexene? Meysi? Who else have I unintentionally charmed?

“Since your charm attribute is high, it is possible to even charm men. I’m sure you don’t want to attract man’s gaze, do you?”

Sans furiously shook his head and shivered.

“No way! I don’t want to attract anyone’s gaze.”

“You better not.”

Elsie mumbled inaudibly to herself before continuing.

“Through the use of illusions, you will be able to take control of how much charm others can perceive. The normal use case of this would be to increase one’s charm, but in your case, we will do the opposite.”

Sans nodded, finally coming to a certain understanding. His mouth bloomed into a narcissistic smile.

“I can’t believe I am actually so good looking. Who would have thought?”

Elsie’s mouth twitched and she promptly smacked him on the head.

“Ow!”

“Don’t get full of yourself. Also, don’t you dare go chasing after girls, or I’ll end your life with a snap of my fingers.”

Sans let out a nervous laugh. For some reason he couldn’t detect any sort of sarcasm hidden within her voice, which terrified him to no end.

“Kaima is the one who gave me a memory fragment on illusions. I think with some time, I’ll be more than proficient to wield basic illusions.”

Elsie nodded upon hearing this.

“Kaima’s command over illusion and shadow are certainly unparalleled. Study his memory fragment well, as it will prove useful.”

“I will, but between the two… I think I want to master alchemy more than anything.”

Sans glanced down at his body with a disheartened look. He could still remember the countless days he spent chained away in a cell. Each day he was injected with a costly poison. He had never experienced a lower point in his life, and he prayed it would remain so.

“I would recommend mastering illusions first, but if it’s alchemy that you want then I respect your decision.”

Sans’ face lit up with a warm smile.

“Let’s get going then!”

Elsie called out before taking off in a random direction.

“Where are we going?”

“No idea!”

“Will you teach me illusions along the way?”

Sans chased after her with renewed hope.

“Of course I’ll teach you illusions. By the way, what was your floor trial again?”

“Oh, that? Uh… I need to assassinate the king of Anthor.”

“Really? Assassinating a king so soon?”

Elsie glanced at him in surprise.

“I-I don’t really want to kill anyone. I’m fine with not completing my floor trial.”

Sans fidgeted uncomfortably as he remembered the ridiculous trial he had been given. Elsie merely hummed by his side in thought.

“How about we visit Anthor, and you can think about your floor trial later.”

“What will we do in Anthor?”

“Obviously, we’ll assassinate the king.”

Elsie spoke in a cold voice, causing a moment of speechlessness to follow. She broke the spell of silence with a light giggle.

“I’m kidding! Although we’ll get a close look at this king, how about instead we do something more fun?”

Sans let out a sigh of relief. He shuffled his feet and walked by her side.

“What do you suggest?”

He asked the whimsical woman.

“Let’s open an alchemy shop!”

----

Elsewhere, the splash of water echoed in a silent cavern.

“121…”

Talru stared straight ahead as he struggled to place his foot flat on the ground. His stalwart and unbending figure was straight like an hour. He refused to fall to his hands and knees, fighting against the pressure with everything he had.

“Is this enough?”

He glanced back to the distant shore. How long had he spent in the trial? Was it worth it?

“I think it’s enough. It’s time to move on.”

Turning back toward the shore, he spied the lone island that he had passed long ago. He smiled as he remembered his initial goal upon first entering the tomb.

“I only ever wanted to fight and best my clone. I never once considered that Meysi would have surpassed me in the Trial of Water. But now…”

He recounted each strenuous step that led up to his current position. The words that had pushed him this far still rung clear in his hand.

“How much am I worth?”

Talru stretched his neck from side to side and waded his way to the island. The journey back was much simpler than the trial itself. It didn’t take long for him to be positioned before the entrance to the Trial of Man.

“Finally, our long-awaited duel. Me versus me.”

He walked through without hesitation, finding himself within the well-lit room. Floating before him was a crystalline vial of blue liquid, and beside the vial was a lustrous gem that shimmered a deep ocean blue.

Without questioning anything, he immediately took the vial in his hand and drained the contents down his throat. He could feel a rush of untamed energy coursing through his body, starting from his stomach and reaching out to his extremities. His fatigue was washed away, replaced with a renewed level of vigor.

His eyes sparkled in excitement as the announcer’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Welcome! Adventurer! Can you defeat yourself? A battle of wit and will awaits. With each grade your clone will improve drastically, bringing forth a greater percentage of your potential. Let us determine the grade of your clone and your arena!”

He fervently stared at the screen that appeared before him. The massive colosseum that should have been his was swiftly cast aside for the next arena.

“Testing your mettle! D rank! Passed!”

Talru smiled as a renewed sense of triumph flooded his veins. He stared at the next arena, situated at the edge of a vibrant cliff, in awe.

“At 30 steps, C rank! Passed!”

The cliff disappeared and was replaced by a tall mountain. He imagined himself fighting a solitary battle at the mountain’s peak, but the Trial of Man had other plans.

“At 50 steps, B rank! Passed!”

“Meysi must have fought on that mountain.”

The screen then displayed an enormous tree that dwarfed any object or structure he had ever seen before. He could see the hollowed space within the tree, and the battlefield that was crafted within it.

“At 100 steps… Good luck!”

The announcer whisked him away the next second.

“This is incredible.”

Talru took in the woody scent through his nostrils before letting out a deep breath. Torches surrounded the arena like a tribalistic ritual, while the floor was merely the tree’s trunk itself.

“Welcome challenger, to the A rank Trial of Man! Claim victory of your clone and prove to yourself the heights of your own greatness!”

Stretching his limbs, Talru readied himself for combat. The next second, a series of wooden chips cracked through the arena floor, conjoining together just a short distance away from Talru. A wooden block shot out from the floor, its height matching that of Talru’s.

“This is it…”

Talru cracked his knuckles and watched with rapt attention. He didn’t have to wait long before a mass of wooden shavings fluttered away from the block of wood, leaving behind a replica figure of Talru.

The clone’s eyes flashed to life, and immediately charged forward like a rampaging bull!

“Hiyaahhh!

Talru cried out as he charged as well, beginning a heartfelt duel with a version of himself he aimed to become. He knew that should he best the trial, he would prove to the world that he was not the failure it made him out to be. However, more importantly than anything, he would prove to himself that he had a life worth living.