Sarrieth had a tall stature, being just two or three inches short of Leonel. From his exposed torso, he didn't seem to be very muscular. In fact, compared to the others Leonel constantly ran into, he could be considered to be average at best in terms of physique. Other than being somewhat lean, he didn't have any other stand out qualities.
However, it wasn't his physical stature that made those around him feel uncomfortable. It was most definitely the look in his eyes.
Meeting his gaze felt like locking onto a venomous snake. He seemed capable of peering through everything, his intuition and sharpness reaching a level that most couldn't hope to ever even touch.
Sarrieth was very used to people looking away when they saw his gaze for the first time. Even if they recovered later, that first instance would leave a mark on their soul. However, to his surprise, Leonel didn't seem to be one of these individuals. In fact, he locked onto Sarrieth as though he was a beast who had finally found his prey.
The flood that was Leonel's aura made it feel as though the gravity in the surroundings had grown by a factor of ten. Hardly anyone dared to breathe too heavily, scared to gain the ire of this beast.
"I received word that there's been a disturbance here." Sarrieth suddenly spoke, far more quickly than anyone expected him to. Others would have assumed that this standoff would last much longer, but Sarrieth was far too cunning for this. Seeing that he had lost to Leonel in momentum, he immediately shifted tactics. "Care to elaborate?"
"Disturbance? I didn't see any." Leonel said plainly.
Sarrieth didn't seem surprised by this response. He continued to speak unhurriedly.
"Are you aware that lying to a member of the Valiant Council is considered to be an act of rebellion."
"I'm well aware of all your little rules." Leonel replied. "Unfortunately, though, 'disturbance' isn't clearly defined within your by-laws. So, I can only interpret your question to the best of my ability.
"If, though, what you meant was to ask if a battle had occurred, then the answer is yes. But, this was a sanctioned battle recognized by Valiant Heart."
Sarrieth's gaze narrowed. "Oh? In that case, it seems that I've made this trip for nothing."
"Indeed." Leonel nodded, moving to walk by Sarrieth. "But, you also seem to have a habit of doing exactly that, no?"
Sarrieth didn't react much to these words, but Nigmir's forehead vein bulged. It seemed like he wanted to attack any moment now. How could he not tell that Leonel was referring to the matters of that day? In fact, it felt as though he was publicly mocking them.
Back then, not only did Sarrieth come too late to do much of anything, for the sake of the bigger picture, he also had to swallow his pride and wait patiently for all the matters to be concluded. It was precisely because of Sarrieth that their plot went so smoothly and it was also because of this his path toward the blue belt was so easy and why he had a place reserved for himself on the Valiant Council despite being the youngest member.
Now, they could only watch as Leonel's back receded further and further away.
"King, we should have taught that brat a lesson! We could have easily come up with any number of fake charges if we wanted to!"
Unable to hold back his anger, after Leonel had left, Nigmir couldn't help but growl this out in a low tone. But, what he received in return was a smack to the back of the head.
This smack wasn't from Sarrieth, but rather the red-headed beauty beside him, Aanlin.
"Don't say such stupid things again." Aalin warned.
Nigmir bit his teeth. "Why?!"
If it wasn't because he knew that this woman was Sarrieth's closest confidant, he would have most definitely lashed out by now.
"Use your head. Why is it that that 'brat' was effectively accused of killing ten students, a crime punishable by death, yet is still able to walk and strut about?"
Nigmir froze.
"Now you want to use your head? Do you really think that Raylion didn't say his name because he disdained to? That was just a convenient excuse. The real reason he didn't say that kid's name is because it's obvious that the elders are hiding a secret about him that they haven't told any of us. Not saying his name is akin to leaving us a way out should anything go wrong in the future.
"As long as matters stay like this and everything remains above board, things can be dismissed as matters between kids. But, the moment you start bending rules to suit your needs, it becomes bigger than that.
"Rules are agreed upon by the upper echelon, if they're ignored, it can be argued that it's by tacit agreement of the elders. In that case, this matter will blow up.
"He can be suppressed, he can be bullied and even somewhat humiliated, but don't take things too far until we learn of what his background really is."
Nigmir clenched his jaw so tightly that his gums almost bled.
"Are you trying to tell me that we should just let him strut about as he pleases because he comes from a powerful family?"
"Are you a child?" Aanlin snapped. "That's exactly what I'm saying. The world isn't fair. You better put that murderous intent of yours away. It's not like you can defeat him anyway.
"The only reason Raylion pitted himself against this Leonel so firmly was to force the elders to choose. He sees himself as the future of Valiant Heart Mountain and can't allow the elders to be swayed by the potential of outside support.
"None of that means that he's willing to become enemies with such a family. If you want to seek death, do it yourself. This arena we're playing in right now is a duel between those two. Read some history books if you want to find out what happens to those who stick their noses into the battle between two lions."
Sarrieth didn't say a word from start to finish. But, his gaze told a completely different tale outside his expressionless visage.
'Two lions, huh…? Aren't their corpses devoured by the hyena in the end regardless?'