Chapter 658: Aren’t Exactly in a Good Place Right Now

“We made it…” George breathed out, his voice shaky but full of relief.

Before anyone could reply, Elder Knox and a few high ranking officials rushed toward them, faces tight with worry.

“We thought we lost you all!” Elder Knox said, his eyes scanning the group. Then his gaze froze on George. His expression hardened instantly. “You! Young man, you’re in serious trouble!”

He stepped forward quickly, raising a hand to restrain George, but Nnenna moved before anyone could blink, standing protectively in front of him.

“Wait, Elder Knox! You’ve got the wrong person,” she said firmly.

The elder frowned, clearly taken aback. “What do you mean? He was right there on the stage. We all saw him.”

“That wasn’t him,” Nnenna said, her tone steady but weary. “That was Linda. She disguised herself as George. The real George was unconscious the entire time, we found him locked inside one of the prep room lockers.”

A stunned silence followed her words. Elder Knox looked from her to Arthur, then to Carl and Darius. The identical look on their faces, tired, grim, but certain, was all the confirmation he needed.

“…Then where’s this Linda now?” Elder Knox asked quietly.

“She’s dead,” Arthur replied flatly. His tone carried no triumph, only the finality of truth.

Elder Knox’s shoulders dropped slightly, but he nodded. Before the moment could stretch too long, Arthur turned to the soldiers still standing nearby. “Secure the perimeter. No one leaves until the area’s cleared.”

“Yes, sir!” they replied in unison, saluting before moving out to carry out his orders. A few of them paused briefly, giving Nnenna grateful looks, each one silently acknowledging that they owed her their lives.

Arthur turned back to George. “You need a full medical check up,” he said, his tone shifting to something colder and firm. “Whatever happened to Linda, we’ll figure it out later. For now, rest.”

Then his eyes flicked briefly to Carl purposely skipping Darius, then to Nnenna. “We should go.”

“Wait.” Elder Knox raised a hand, his voice tightening with urgency. “Is the threat still out there?” he asked, scanning their faces for answers. “Should we be preparing for another attack… or war?”

The air grew heavy again at that question. Dust still drifted in the air, the destroyed arena looming like a scar behind them, silent, but far from reassuring.

“We’ll take care of it,” Carl said gently, his calm tone steadying Elder Knox’s rising concern.

——–

In less than ten minutes, they were driving out of the academy, the silence in the vehicle thick with exhaustion and unanswered questions. When they finally entered the Prigrian castle, the tension hadn’t lifted.

Arthur stopped the moment they got inside, his eyes fixed on Nnenna. “I think you have some explaining to do, young lady,” he said firmly, though his tone carried more worry than anger. “What was Linda talking about? And that voice… ‘the balance of the world,’ ‘opposites,’ ‘love and hate system’? What does all that mean?”

As he listed them one by one, the others, Carl, Darius, turned to Nnenna too. They hadn’t heard everything that happened on the stage, but the seriousness in Arthur’s voice told them it was important.

Darius leaned against the wall, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “Sounds like we missed quite a story.”

“I-I have a lot on my mind right now,” Nnenna said, her voice quieter than usual. She unconsciously glanced at Arthur before looking away. “Everything that happened today… I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start from somewhere,” Carl encouraged softly, his tone as gentle as sunlight breaking through clouds.

Nnenna sighed, rubbing her dusty arm. “There isn’t much to tell. Just what you heard. At least now we know what we’re up against. But we don’t have time to sit and talk about it.” She took a few steps back, her words tumbling faster. “We’re planning to attack Reshmi Fortress in a few weeks, and our preparations aren’t done yet. I should… I should go finish that.”

Her voice trailed off, and she turned away. “I’ll be upstairs,” she said finally, before walking off.

Darius watched her disappear up the stairs, then let out a low whistle. “Well… that went well,” he said dryly, heading toward his room.

Arthur folded his arms, still watching the direction Nnenna had gone. “You know she’s lying, right?”

“Yep,” Carl replied quietly, his voice steady but shadowed by concern. “I know.”

“I’ll get answers,” Arthur decided firmly, striding toward the elevator. His voice was low but edged with determination.

She was going to talk, whether she wanted to or not.

This wasn’t just about her anymore. Someone had lost their life today, and if they hadn’t evacuated the arena in time, it could’ve been thousands. Whatever Nnenna was hiding wasn’t just personal, it was tied to everything. To the kingdom. To their safety.

And this was his home. The kingdom he would one day rule. He had to protect it, protect them.

If that meant confronting Nnenna, then so be it. He just hoped she would understand that one day.

“Wait,” Carl called out, his calm voice cutting through the tension. “I think you shouldn’t pressure her.”

Arthur stopped and turned, frowning. “But—”

“Listen,” Carl interrupted gently but firmly, stepping closer. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you two aren’t exactly in a good place right now.”

Arthur’s jaw tightened.

“She’s mad at you,” Carl continued. “And you, you act like you’re walking on eggshells every time she’s around, trying not to expose your feelings. Not to mention, losing control every now and then.”

Arthur’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t say anything.

“If you’re going to go up there and demand she open up,” Carl said quietly, “then you had better be ready to open up too.”

That hit harder than Arthur expected. He froze, staring at Carl, unable to refute it.

Carl noticed the hesitation and sighed softly. “It’s not such a bad thing, Arthur. The sooner you clear her doubts, the sooner she’ll clear ours. And maybe then we can finally stop walking around this weird tension all the time.”