Chapter 706: Underdog Rebellion
Chapter 706: Underdog Rebellion
Ai and Layla escaped before they were identified and reported. The two men started shouting as Layla failed to knock them out, although their faces were swollen. Once they were far away from the train station, Layla stopped to check on Ai.
"It's okay. It's over. Sit here," said Layla as she pulled Ai to sit on the edge of a fountain. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, no." Ai shook her head repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I should've reversed them back to sleep. I... panicked..."
"I know those two didn't scare you as much as they triggered a fear within you. Do you want to tell me?"
Layla asked gently to avoid pressuring the healer, who turned quiet before touching her mask. It seems she was considering whether Layla was trustworthy or not. As the warrior was about to drop the matter, Ai opened her mouth.
"These scars were given to me by a bunch of bandits. Ever since that incident, I have flashbacks when a group of people surrounds me."
Layla was quiet, but her heart was bleeding more than words could express. A bunch of bandits wouldn't just scare a young woman like Ai. The image of this sweet and kind small woman treated that way made Layla sick.
"As long as we are together, I'll protect you from them," reassured Layla as she held her hand. The fountain splashed water over them, and Layla took a basin from her bag before filling it. "Drink this. This fountain stems from a natural spring filled with mana."
The healer did as instructed, and the water trickled down the red mask she wore. Then, she seemed to calm down.
"We need to go and finish our chores. If you are not a fan of being seen, then I have a friend who can give you a tour of the city. The alternative is coming with me."
"I'll stay with you."
The words made the warrior gleeful, but she tried to hide it. Finally, after Ai calmed down, the two walked down the bustling street toward a giant building. It was the library of the copper district, Ancient Dust.
Their appearance and combination drew some eyes, but no one dared make a scene at the library. So instead, Layla guided Ai through the countless bookcases toward the stairs and straight to the second floor. There, they found a study with a man inside.
"Off limits!" shouted the man without lifting his head as soon as the two knocked on the door. "Can't you read the sign?!"
"It's me, Night," Layla threw the door open without care and entered before pulling Ai with her. Once the two were inside, Ai saw a man sitting on a desk buried in books. He was bald except for a few red hairs in the middle, making him look like a chicken.
"And I wondered who was so impudent," said the man as he adjusted his glasses. "I thought you would have been killed by now."
"I am, to my bitterness, alive. It seems you knew about the assassination but didn't warn me."
"I warned you last time, but you just tried to kill me. I never make the same mistake twice. What brought you here, and who did you bring?"
"This is a friend of mine. We need a medal for her since she came illegally."
"Have you lost your mind?" the man jumped from his chair. "Close the door before someone hears you! You are still a big-mouthed idiot, dammit!
"What is the matter with you? You aren't usually this restless," said Layla to the man. "Have the women you fooled finally found the great strategist Kain?"
"This matter is far greater than you think, brat!" said Kain as his chubby body rushed to close the door right after looking outside. "It seems that you just returned from the trial. The situation in Helios is quite tense."
Kain turned around as he wiped the sweat off his face. He then glanced at Ai before looking back at Layla. The advisor saw the warrior shrug and sighed before returning to his chair.
"The Holy Knights have been arresting suspects left and right. Anyone thought to be working to stop the execution is facing the same fate: death! The emperor has gone mad after the last provocation!"
"Are you talking about Arthur Silvera?" asked Layla, and Kain nodded while collapsing to his chair. "I understand that things have been restless, but what makes you so nervous? You know better than anyone what is about to happen."
"I'm nervous because I do know. The emperor caught wind somehow that Ascent was trying to stop the executions. Every last illegal immigrant in Helios and the other city has been arrested because of that! He is trying to stop a rebellion from forming under the flag of this brazen guild!"
"And I guess anyone who helps them is also arrested, so you panicked," said Layla before she pulled down a chair. It wasn't for her but Ai. "This makes things a bit more difficult. My friend here needs a medal."
"I have no solution for that. Gray has also been arrested since creating those medals left and right like an idiot. I heard he was chained in the deepest cells of Firehole, slowly burning to smithereens."
"You didn't try to take him out?" frowned Layla. Kain was silent before he gritted his teeth.
"What is there to try? The emperor refused to see me, and your grandfather is in Firehole too. I'm a scholar, not a general who can break into that prison and save them!"
"Well, this is more reason to help her," said Layla as she patted Ai's shoulder. "This woman is the greatest healer I have ever seen. No matter what injury you have, it will be healed. Gray and grandpa need her after they come out."
"You think the emperor would let them go?" snorted Kain. "I understand you are trying to help a friend, but don't dare deceive me!"
"If the emperor is so afraid of something, then it's likely to happen," said Layla as she leaned on the chair Ai was sitting on. "However, he seems to think that none of his subjects would rise against him."
"You are talking too many riddles, Night," said Kain with a frown. "If you have a plan, then out with it. Otherwise, get out of my office."
"Take it easy, old man. What is left from your hair might fall off." Layla walked toward him and lifted her sleeve. "It seems you have yet to process that I finished the trial. This is the blessing I received."
"A Great Blessing?" muttered Kain with shock as he pulled her arm to examine it. "It looks almost identical to the one that your grandfather had. Are you saying that you finished the trial and received this?"
"What other reason did you assume I was alive for?"
"I believed the assassination happened before the trial, and you came back running," said Kain before Layla slapped his hand away. "If you have this, the emperor needs to listen to your wishes."
"Even a talented Holy Knight won't make the emperor change his mind about the executions. I plan on saving my grandpa with this, not Gray." Layla warned Kain, who seemed downcast, but he still nodded.
"If your grandfather gets released, a lot of things can change about this empire. He was the only one who could say no to the emperor and get away with it."
"Until he didn't get away with it. This ordeal started when that man appeared, and it seems he has been haunting the emperor even in his dreams."
"After all, Arthur Silvera exposed how the empire tried to assassinate him during the Runes Apprentices Cup," said Kain. "As a result, Runera stopped dealing with Ilios, and a lot of underdogs abused by the empire started to rise. As a result, the empire is getting weakened."
"The Underdog Rebellion," said Ai for the first time since she came in. Kain turned toward her with confusion. "This nation is on the verge of a world-changing event. It might take a few days or even years, but change is coming."
"More like revenge from Arthur Silvera for what Ilios did to him," continued Layla. "Help us out, Kain. Then, when my grandfather gets released, you will also be protected. After all, the emperor might also turn against his former advisor."
Kain gulped down as Layla made a beheading motion. Although he knew she was manipulating him, her words weren't far from the truth. The man looked like a chicken and started sweating before rampaging through his drawers. Then, he slapped an item on the table.
"An old silver medal? Are you trying to fool us, Kain? Once a metal is assigned to someone, it can never be used by someone else. Even if silver, a simple authentication from the guards would reveal this."
"This is an authentic, unbonded gold medal, as the emperor himself issued it," said Kain while caressing the medal. "It should have belonged to my deceased daughter."