Chapter 12 – Court of Theories

As the team joyously eats the scrumptious beef soup heated up by Silas, I raise a new topic.

Ever since my encounter three years ago, neither I nor the Omine Family have forgotten our resentment towards Ariadne for making Omine fall ill. After witnessing Silas’s Armament and realizing that shattered reality can be used for offensive capabilities, I begin, “Ariadne was able to use shattered reality to change her form, from a fairy into a girl,” I ask if the Silas Family knows anything about her.

Silas responds after a long moment of thinking. “The only person I know who can change form by using an Armament isn’t called Ariadne. Their name is Figura. And Figura can only change into different human forms, not Deities, Beasts, Fiends, or the nonhuman.”

“Then could it be that I encountered a strange form of a Beast that somehow managed to enter Rosebell?”

“That’s a good guess, but Beasts and their more terrible counterparts -- Fiends -- can never, or rather, should never be able to take human form. So that’s unlikely to be the real answer.”

Leader provides his input. “In that case, we can flip our reasoning. Ariadne is a human with an Armament to change herself into Beasts rather than other humans. That would explain the fairy orb.”

“That would be quite dangerous. And terrifyingly powerful. Though it’s not off the table.”

“What about the activation of the Armament? Does the shattered reality always appear upon activation?

“Cracked lines extend and retract every time, without fail.”

“The thing is, the lines of shattered reality were hovering behind the wisp of light before Ariadne took her human form. And when she materialized, cast her spell, even when she disappeared, it was the same as the activation of your Armament, with the lines extending and retracting, but without getting herself wounded.”

“…Really?”

“I’m certain of it.”

Silas appears obfuscated, and he focuses on his inner thoughts, concentrating on the second soul that partially resides within himself. “[Uriel]”

[Uriel, here.] In doing so, he communicates telepathically with Uriel of Judgment who has disappeared from view yet is sharing in our picnic.

“[Could you use your Gift of Judgment and list all Armaments Users currently in Rosebell matching Brawler and Leader’s suggestion?]”

[Sure. I’m not sensing any.]

“[In the whole of Maltrex?]”

[None. But there’s things that stand out to me about Rosebell. I told you there’s the Nation Elite Captain Brutus, with Michael’s Strength Armament, right? Now there’s also Figura.]

“[Figura’s visiting the capital…? Sounds like a party. Oh, and Brawler doesn’t carry any Armaments, does he?]”

[Yes, no Armaments.]

“[What about Ariadne?]”

[I can’t tell. It appears we’ve never come across her.]

“I just spoke to Uriel through thought,” Silas explains, expressing the updated dilemma. “And she confirmed that you don’t carry an Armament of your own. It’s a Gift of Judgment she alone has, impartial to my blessing -- Armament User identification, I mean.”

“You don’t mean… you just spoke telepathically with her? That’s incredible…”

Silas and Uriel unseen appreciate Leader’s praise and his deductions continue. “I assumed you might’ve been visited by a Deity to bless you, or may have had an Armament secretly resting in you, but neither seems to be the case. Maybe one of the Deities wanted to pick a fight with you. You might’ve actually met some sort of evil fairy goddess, haaha~.”

“Hmmm… Brawler, you mentioned Ariadne overheard the private conversation we had that day, so perhaps…”

“The gods, they watch over us and the entire world. It’d make sense for them to know some secrets. In this case, my best guess is that Ariadne is part of this Divine Audience. Other than Uriel and a handful of others, I don’t know much about them on a personal level.”

“But the girl who visited me three years ago wasn’t divine at all. I think that Ariadne… is something different. Something darker. But maybe you’re right.” I begin laughing to myself. “Hihihi~. Entering the Labyrinth with you guys has opened up a gigantic world of secrets. Sure, I knew there’d be fantastical things beyond the Auralis Gate, but man! This is all so thrilling!”

“Looks like Brawler and I were born in the wrong capital.”

Our laughter breaks the tension of the moment. Edward cuts through softly, almost hesitant. “Isn’t it weird? Hasn’t Maltrex realized how important the Labyrinth is by now? Brawler, Leader, how many Families are there in Rosebell?”

“The city is so big, yet practically none, really. Besides you all, I’ve never met any. Other than, you know, ours.”

“If there are, they don’t make themselves public. The whole kingdom is pretty prejudiced against Conquerors.”

Silas lets out a short, bitter snort. “Sounds about right. It’s not only Maltrex, though. Conquerors get a bad rap depending on where you go. Sure, some of us are heroes. But others? Pirates, thieves, mercenaries. You name it, there’s a Family out there stirring up trouble. Lucky for you, my Family’s one of the good ones.”

Edward’s volume drops. “…The people of Rosebell seem way more than merely prejudiced. Even the civilians. It’s like they’re actively hostile toward us.”

Bela crosses her arms, her tone taking an unexpected seriousness. “What about the Nation Elite? How many of them are there in Rosebell?”

“Three years ago, they were rare.” Leader answers. “But ever since the term ‘Tremors of War’ started popping up, their numbers have been growing fast. In Rosebell, they used to be respected at the same cheap level as Conquerors, but it’s improved significantly.”

Silas leans forward slightly, his gaze locked onto Leader and me. “The Tremors of War… That’s actually one of the main reasons we came to your city. Do you know anything about them?”

Leader looks to me for support and I think of the countless headlines. “Not much. The newspapers have been running articles on the tremors, but it’s small stuff. How the earthquakes are affecting other countries, how they’ve been getting stronger and more frequent. Nothing significant.”

Silas’s expression shifts, gratitude flickering in his eyes, though it’s clear my answer isn’t new to him. “To be honest, I don’t put much faith in Rosebell’s newspapers. Still, you’re right about one thing -- the tremors are getting worse worldwide. I don’t think it’s random. Something big is brewing, and we’re trying to figure out what it is before it’s too late.”

The unknown takes a tangible pressure, the words of the experienced Conqueror leaving a suffocating air.

Leon breaks the silence. “Guess we’ve got our work cut out for us, aye? Investigating tremors, avoiding corrupt capitals, dodging gatekeepers who’d sell us out for a bottle of liquor…”

A rare smirk tugs at Edward's expression. “Work cut out for us? I think you two have more work cut out. How about it? Swordsmanship.”

From the back of the caravan, the Silas Family pulls out blunt wooden practice swords for us to borrow. I can barely contain my excitement as I grab two of them, swinging them experimentally. “Woah! Now this is what I’m talking about! Dual wield!”

The eldest of the party takes a tone that is sharp and disapproving. “You can dual-wield swords, but it’s extremely impractical. See for yourself.”

He’s right. Swinging the swords around, I notice the blades are too long together, getting tangled up whenever I try to attack quickly. Still, I grin defiantly. “At least I can do cross slashes and cross blocks. Watch this -- Come at me, Edward!”

Edward doesn’t hesitate with a killing downward slash. I raise my two swords in a confident ‘X’ formation to block, but the moment his blade connects, mine slide past each other helplessly. His strike lands hard on my collar and upper chest.

“Ghh--! OWW!” I stumble, clutching the spot.

Edward has no soul and has no need for blinking. “Wielding two long swords is the dramatic stuff they do in plays.”

On the sidelines, Bela giggles. “Hehehe~. If you’re intent, you could try using a parrying dagger and rapier. It’s not impractical, rather, it’s one of the most a formidable combos to master and face in battle.”

I wave a hand weakly, agreeing with their best swordswoman. “Y-Yeah… let’s… go with that.”

Edward shakes his head. “Not yet. First, get accustomed to using a single sword in your dominant hand.”

Leader steps forward to help me up. “Edward, did you have to hit my Bro so hard?”

Edward gives him a flat look. “I should’ve gone harder. If there ever comes a time when you need to defend yourself against a real opponent -- a Beast or another person -- they won’t hold back. Neither will I.”

Leon nods, grinning. “You’re a devil, Ed. But you’re right, it’s better to get used to it now.”

“No fair, Leon.” Leader frowns. “You just use your bow most of the time, and you’re not even that accurate.”

“M-My longbow or my gladius, I could beat you with either!”

Bela pats Leon on the head with mock affection. “There, there. It’s okay that you’re the worst swordsman in the Family.”

“Am not! And stop babying me!!” Leon protests, swatting her hand away.

“Enough chatter.” Edward gestures for Leader and me to come at him. “Both of you, together. I’ll take you on.”

Leader tenses for a moment before he suddenly lunges, sword slashing. Edward sidesteps with ease, his movements fluid and practiced, like he anticipated the attack. I follow up immediately, but he blocks with a parry. He’s so strong his swings send numbing shocks up my arm, nearly making me lose hold. “Not bad. You two have some synergy.”

Leader laughs nervously. “Brawler and I have been teamed on nearly everything for three years now.”

“Don’t take us lightly!” I add, smirking.

Edward’s eyes narrow, his tone suddenly colder. “Do you think your pastimes compare? Don’t underestimate the sword!”

A salvo of strikes. Faster now, his precision feels impossible to counter. Whichever came first, my sharp cry of pain, his jab at my lower torso, or my lost footing, I don’t know. As Leader reacts, Edward’s blade slashes, battering his parry and disarming him in one clean motion.

“Gah--ow!” Leader yelps, clutching his shoulder.

Edward isn’t done.

I grit my teeth and aim for his exposed side -- he revolves to block me.

“You’re too focused on my sword,” Edward instructs. “And you’re too focused on my body. The body is better. Find the balance.”

“…Looks like we were right,” I huff heavily. “We need to go all out against Edward, or else we’ll be destroyed.”

Leader chuckles weakly. “…Fight with everything, just like always.”

Edward steps forward, handing me my sword. “Good. I expect nothing less. Now, again.”

…

I have the sensation we’re throwing punches, strong ones too, yet Edward is twisting his whole body to land killing blows.

His relentless counters make maintaining footing difficult, forcing us to constantly readjust and lose ground before lunging again. I realize now that swordsmanship isn’t brawn… it’s a balancing act between strikes, a fearsome dance of blades that requires flexibility, stamina, and many other elements that seek to enhance the resulting brute output.

We manage to block more of his attacks than when we started, but the KO bell rings and Leader and I are wiped out. Lying on the ground, Leader massages his aching body. “Ahhhh… I can already tell I’ll be bruised by tonight.”

I examine my hands -- Sore and blistered despite their calluses. “Our hands, too. They’ll toughen up in no time.”

“You guys took a tumble there. Here, let me give you a hand!” Silas walks over. “It hurts, doesn’t it? But you know, working toward something is always better than betting on the lottery. This is the beginning. Parrying daggers come later, and mastering that will take weeks -- maybe months. Just keep at it! Stay sharp, I know you can.”

…

Two months pass in what feels like no time at all. Whether we’re adventuring in the Labyrinth or spending days in the capital, Leader and I grow close with the Silas Family. They’ve done so much for us -- teaching us, challenging us, and treating us like equals.

So today, Leader and I present them with gifts.

Leader begins, steady and warm. “We now entrust you with crimson scarves.”

I finish. “So it’s only natural for us to call you our close comrades. To us, these scarves are a symbol of Family.”

The Silas Family doesn’t waver. They know about the Omine Family. They take the scarves with smiles that say they’ve been waiting for this for a minute.

Silas chuckles, the sound as warm as the sunlight filtering through the trees. He wraps his scarf around his precious lance. “Are you trying to claim my Family for yourselves?”

Bela, standing beside him, crosses her arms with a teasing wink. “It’s the other way around, you know. The two of you are already part of the Silas Family.”

The words feel even more comforting now, like a shield and a promise all in one. The Silas Family. Friends.

Allies of the Brawler Family.

We’ve come a long way, but with these people, it feels like we’ve started a whole new stronger world.