CHAPTER 26: WORLD-CLASS EXISTENCE

It took some effort for the man imprisoned within his own home to carry himself out of the basement. In a way, it was like watching a newborn calf stumble out, trying to walk on legs it wasn’t sure how to properly use.

He held the door open, looking back at the thin resemblance of a nobleman.

Into the lobby, Darius let out a howl like a father that had lost their child, looking at the fallen chandelier, "Ooooh...! Those barbarians—they’ve left my home in shambles!"

"Yeah...well, I’ll leave you to it. My guy is escorting your sis back here," Leon said, approaching the front doors as he watched the degraded man whimper at the mess.

As he left the bounds of the castle, he stepped out of the entrance just as the younger sister of Darius was approaching.

"He’s in there," Leon said, pointing behind him. "The guy is in pretty bad shape, so you might want to get some specialists out here."

Elena nodded her head with a guilty expression, "Thank you...I will make sure you’re compensated for all that you’ve done."

"Well, I’ll let you talk it over with your brother. I’m going to head back now—send a letter if you need anything," Leon said, looking towards the courtyard where Phoenix was waiting.

"Yes, of course—the Haul family owes you greatly, Lord Schoeller. This debt will not be forgotten." Elena said with a bow of her head.

The contrast between the brother and sister left Leon perplexed, questioning how two siblings could be so different. A part of him felt it was reasonable that Darius could change, if Elena was there with him.

’I’m sure she’ll hold him to the deal. If not, well, I won’t be here to stop the Brotherhood,’ he thought.

Traversing the stone tiles leading beyond the castle, the adventurer walked in stride. From the way that Phoenix moved with some energy in his strut, it seemed he could go for another mission.

"Not feeling tired?" Leon asked, looking towards the trees ahead.

"I’m a bit pumped—I mean, I almost died a couple times! Shoot...my armor! I forgot—that wooden bastard shattered it!" Phoenix recalled, moving his hands over his own chest as if expecting steel around his bare body.

"I’ll buy you a new set. Don’t worry," Leon assured with a laugh.

Phoenix jumped with excitement, slapping his own bicep, "Really? You’re the best, Boss!"

He stopped for a moment, letting Phoenix get a few steps ahead.

The swordsman stopped, looking back at him, "What’s up?"

"My sword—" Leon suddenly said, reaching down as his hand surprisingly found the handle of his blade. "Oh."

"What about it?"

"Nothing," Leon brushed off.

Through the quiet woods befallen by the night, it wasn’t difficult to find the way back to the waiting carriage. The moment he approached, tapping his knuckles on the side of the coach seat, the snoozing merchant jolted awake—

"Gaaaah...! Don’t rob me—I’ve got nothing!" Frederick shouted, squirming in his seat.

"It’s just us, Frederick," Leon calmly said with a laugh.

The plump merchant settled down, huffing with some embarrassment as he fixed his hat, "O-oh, I am glad to see you’re safe and sound, Lord Schoeller! And you as well, Mr, err..."

"Phoenix! I introduced myself to you yesterday!" The adventurer exclaimed.

"Right, right! Phoenix! Ah, I must say, it’s very late and my memory is getting a tad foggy..." Frederick chuckled.

’And that’s who’s going to be leading the carriage—that’s relieving,’ Leon thought.

The horses huffed, somehow remaining standing after being in position the entire night. Entering the carriage, he sat himself down on the cushioned seat as it began to roll through the woods.

Phoenix sat across from him, releasing a sigh as the man comfortably positioned himself, "If you don’t mind me asking, Boss...What happened with the Brotherhood’s leader?"

While fresh, the memories were already a bitter thing to remember, though surprisingly, with a bit of fondness. The unexplained phenomena of their souls connecting, for just a moment, left him with a feeling as if the bandit was a kindred spirit, no less than a brother.

Leon sat there, recalling the encounter, "If I’m being honest, he was way stronger than me. I don’t think I really ever stood a chance."

"Seriously? That’s scary to even think about–I mean, you aren’t being modest, are you?" Phoenix asked worriedly.

"Nothing to be modest about," Leon admitted with a sigh, ruffling his hair as he leaned forward in his seat while the carriage wheels ran over the uneven ground of the woods. "--I got a beatdown. Plain and simple. Left him with some lasting memories of his own, though."

"That’s the spirit, Boss! If ya’ ain’t gonna win, at least put some scars on ’em," Phoenix laughed heartily. "Really though...If you lost that bad, why did they even leave?"

"I guess he was just—"

Amidst his answer, an impact thundered in the direction the carriage was heading. It was close, as the ground rumbled intensely, enough to halt the horses and cause the carriage to shake violently.

"What was that—?! An earthquake?!" Phoenix shouted, nearly tumbling over.

Leon shot up, opening the window that connected to the driver’s seat, "Frederick, are you alright—?"

"Lord Schoeller...My eyes must be deceiving me," the merchant responded, his eyes locked forward as if completely fixated on what lay ahead.

From the small space between the back of Frederick’s head and the wood-framed opening, all he could make out was an illustrious light that touched down in the carriage’s path. From the enigmatic radiance that sat in the silent road, a voice emitted–

"Leon Schoeller, present yourself. You have been commanded so by the Arbiters of Magic."

–A great, booming voice filled the air as though coming from an intercom fixated in the heavens. The young man gulped, pulling back as he looked behind him at Phoenix, who was caught wordless in the perplexing situation.

As he was directly called forth, there was nothing to do but heed the summoning, stepping out of the carriage with careful strides. Standing a few dozen meters down the quiet road, bathed in mystical light, was a humanoid figure that stood at an impossible height, at least seven meters, enough to surely dwarf the carriage.

’Is this guy even human?’ Leon questioned, carefully approaching.

[//WORLD-CLASS EXISTENCE RECOGNIZED.//]

["Boros"] [Class: Arbiter of Magic] [Designated Lv: 100]