Chapter 18 – In the Company of Greats, One Must Expect Not Only Admiration, But Also Rivalry

Brawler hawks newspapers on Central Street. ‘Upcoming Grand Festival’ headlines draw crowds, overshadowed by minor ‘Tremors of War’ mentions.

Finley approaches. A man follows her side, burly and in his mid-thirties with jet-black hair and a stubble beard. Brawler and Finley converse nicely, yet the brawny man interrupts harshly upon noticing Brawler’s unique scabbard.

“That design… It isn’t from here, it’s from Fengaru. No, don’t tell me, don’t tell me. The kingdom of Terrapax? Where did you get it?”

“It was given to me as a present.”

The man frowns uglily at his relatively easy answer. “You know someone who’s been to Terrapax, here, in Rosebell, well enough for them to give you that?”

Brawler doesn’t respond. The tone of the unnamed man bothers him, and he continues prodding. “Are you friends with Conquerors? What’s their name?”

Brawler, though worried, confidently holds his ground against the aggressive appraisal to distinguish friend from foe. “You almost remind me of the Nation Elite Captain I talked to. Hihihi~. These past couple of months on the odd jobs have been crazy. Half of the time I’m selling newspapers I’m heavily interrogated, the other half I run into sensible people.”

“I’m both, so answer my damn questions.”

“Sorry sir, but even if your concern about me having Conqueror friends is correct, what do I gain from answering the taboo? At least Captain Brutus offered to get his subordinates to buy odd jobs off me.”

It comes fast. The man reaches for his belt knife out of the line of Brawler’s sight. Brawler senses he’s motioning for a weapon.

It doesn’t take any empathy to understand a bottomless pit of non-empathy. Anyone can tell, even a crawling baby. --A killing sense, he wants to gut him.

Finley places a firm hand against the man’s shoulder, promptly halting the extremely risky situation.

She smiles carefreely at Brawler. “You can’t say? That is too bad. You know, there are many boneheaded Conquerors out there. Adequacy and carefulness are two in a pair.”

The man scowls. “By the way, the one named Figura is a real fucking pain in the ass.”

“Not at all. The truth is that Figura is amongst the kindest Conquerors you could ever meet.”

“I’d be inclined to argue.”

…

Afterward, when Leader and I met with Silas and Uriel at a diner for lunch, I divulged about this encounter.

The names Finley and Figura set Silas off with major suspicion. “Uriel… Let me use the Gift of Judgment. Is Figura still in Rosebell right now?”

Uriel, who has been materializing more often and is enjoying the delightful meal with us, responds nonchalantly. “Yes, they are.”

Silas nearly topples over in astonishment. “…Uriel… You… You should’ve told me sooner.”

“It’s regretful, you see. My Gift of Judgment only allows a few discoveries -- traits of current Armament Users, tracking broad locations, all of this only for those you’ve come to close proximity. How am I supposed to activate it if you never suggest using it in the first place?”

“How helpful and how troublesome… Anyhow, Brawler, there’s an exceptionally high chance that Finley is actually the Conqueror named Figura. Figura is mainly easygoing just like me… Maybe even more in some respects. But Figura can also become deadly dangerous if you’re their enemy… Also sort of like me in a sense. What I’m trying to get across is -- I recommend you stay on friendly terms with them if possible.”

Leader articulates. “Them?”

“That’s right. Figura is androgynous due to the Armament they hold. They can shapeshift.”

“So Finley can show themself as male or female? Huh…”

“My Family is on neutral terms with Figura.” Silas appears concerned. “What about the extra man? What is his name?”

“He never gave it to me. But he’s definitely a man. Probably somewhere in his thirties. Jet-black hair and a stubble beard. Serious-looking.”

“I know many people like that. Did he have any other defining features? Anything that stood out to you?”

“He didn’t say much. Although, he did recognize my dagger’s design and interpreted it as me having a connection to Terrapax or Fengaru. As for appearances… He was taller than Figura and a lot more daunting. Like he was thirsting for battle.”

“As if he was looking for any catalyst to set him off? Hmmm… Troublesome-Conqueror-like.”

“If I’d known beforehand, I could’ve given better descriptions.”

“No, it’s good info. If he assumed dagger equals Conqueror equals Terrapax -- he knows his stuff. Uriel, could you list all the Armament Users we could be mentioning here?”

“Before that, I’ll remind you that Brutus is in this capital, carrying a Strength Armament. Okay, from this conversation, there’s you, carrying my Judgment Armament, Figura carrying Leviathan’s Envy Armament… And Luka carrying Hermes’s Freedom Armament.”

This time, Silas actually slumps over in shock. “Again? Damn it, Uriel, you need to tell me this stuff earlier…!”

Uriel giggles to herself, enjoying the fact that she’s outplayed her friend’s knowledge and judgment.

“It’s not funny!”

“Also, I forgot to mention, but I’ve become good friends with Leviathan.”

Silas is now underground.

Uriel looks thoughtfully at me. “You’ve been talking with Leviathan?”

“Yeah. Levee and I have a nice thing going too, so I’m glad to stay friends with her.”

“Hahaha~, I bet that you want to get a little more than friendly. I noticed you two walking around town yesterday.”

Uriel lifts her glasses in thought and helps to resuscitate Silas. The one she blessed pulls himself upright, his hands locked in concentration. “So Figura might be traveling with Luka. That combo leaves a bad taste in my mouth. For now, I’d say that it’s still okay to stay neutral or friendly with them. Like I said before, they can become fierce enemies otherwise. Hmm… Having a good relationship with Leviathan might help us keep tabs on Figura too.”

“You can’t ask me to be shallow. I actually like her, you know.”

“Ah, sorry! It was just one of many thoughts. Forget I said it. I respect that nevertheless, standing your ground.” Silas sighs. “Perhaps I’ve spent too much time around you two. Saying whatever’s on your mind is admirable but dangerous.”

Sharing hearty laughter, Leader clears his throat with his drink. “If I may, on another topic, I wonder how your Family’s investigation on the Tremors of War has been coming along? These nighttime quakes have continued nonstop.”

“We’ve made new progress. Some of my allies in the northeast discovered the Nation Elite are turning major focus toward The Continent -- Maltrex, the Yandex Theocracy, and Burrya -- in other words, the center of the world map. The Nation Elite appear especially on edge for whatever reason. I can’t blame them either. If they have intel that at least four Armament Users gathered in Rosebell, the smart ones would be running for the hills.”

Leader follows up. “That’s a bad thing because… unallied Armament Users tend to fight?”

“It’s way more than a bad thing. The writing is across the capital, spelling out one thing and one thing only -- High Chance Of Conflict! Heh, our info collection’s almost wrapped up. But man… I can’t shake this feeling a storm’s about to hit. The world’s shifting, big time. We just need one last piece to complete the puzzle… Hmmm… I’ll try tracking down Figura -- see what they know about the Tremors of War.”