Chapter 860 D 1
"Don't you just love this place? Anyone can be any way they want to be! No consequences, nothing! Well, even if you don't have the power to back it up, you might find yourself on the ground, but that's that! And who cares about a few defeats here and there, anyway, if you can grandstand your way through everything?"
Hearing these words uttered by the strange guy as soon as they entered an arena, Perfect was even more perplexed.
He had just decided to have a fight and get it over with, but from the moment he had met him, something had seemed off. Mainly, he didn't like the idea that this guy knew him, while he had no clue regarding who he was, and why he might seek him out.
These were very dangerous times, and he had no intention to take any chances.
So, raising his fist, he directly activated his Peak Champion level aura and said, "Look here, you…"
"Oh, pish posh. Stop trying to intimidate me with something as simple as an aura! Even if you put on a Hero realm one, I won't be scared! By the way, does it feel good to be the only one on the Board of Achievements, when you actually did nothing to finish the mission?"
The last sentence was said in such a scathing tone that even Perfect flushed with anger, and he pulled back his fist, ready to send his opponent flying.
Yet…reason prevailed, and he decided to get to the bottom of why this meeting felt odd.
"Either you have the power to back it up, or you're grandstanding, just like you said. If it's the latter, I'll make sure I break every bone in your body. So talk! What is the real reason behind you seeking me out? I know that that stuff about being pissed is absolute crap!"
He was fed up with this guy, now. Initially, he had been interested because of the feeling he had given. But now, he no longer wanted to entertain someone who was clearly stretching the meeting out without giving any concrete reason for it even to happen in the first place.
Seeing the man look like he was trying to decide on something, Perfect decided to end it, but suddenly… he instantly stopped in his tracks and looked as if he had been punched squarely in the gut as the 'Emperor' spoke.
"If you're grateful to the one you have a debt with, meet me outside at these coordinates. I admit defeat!"
Leaving a slip of paper and putting on a small smile on his face, the man marched out, and Perfect could only keep staring.
Gratefulness. There was only one person that he would feel this emotion for, and he was in the forefront of his mind.
Hence, how could he not directly associate him with what the guy had said?
This was definitely not a shot in the dark. This was someone who knew the king, and frankly, he had been hoping that he would find someone like this, so that he could make heads or tails of the situation, and maybe find out just why the king was in that position.
So that was why this meeting had felt so odd!
Somehow, the one whom he had been looking for had come to find him on his own accord, and Perfect was really curious to find out why.
Picking up the slip, he memorized the location and burnt it before directly teleporting away.
A few hours later, Perfect took the permission of his grandfather to go fishing in order to test out his training.
He wandered around for a little time, before finally choosing a spot in the middle of nowhere on the surface of the Sea, seemingly out of random.
Then, he proceeded to activate a slew of trinkets which all tested whether the place he was in was being surveilled, and because he was using those that he had borrowed from his family through his new-found status of being favored by his grandfather, he was confident that if they said that no one was watching, then even the Overseer was definitely not surveilling this place.
Moreover, this was the Endless Sea, where any and all formations that tried to work would always be affected. It was mainly because of the wildly fluctuating elementary particles, and hence, any formations being used would need to have an additional stabilizing layer that could easily be detected. Hence, hiding stuff was impossible, and Perfect was assured that no one could listen in.
Checking the time, he saw that the one he was supposed to meet was late, and as the minutes passed, he slowly started to feel annoyed.
Was he being taken for a ride? Was it all some kind of a test? If so, who was testing him, and what could their purpose be?
The only reason this idea came to mind was that his family was known for randomly carrying out tests of loyalty. But… it just didn't add up, as there was no way that anyone would know of his gratefulness. He had given the strong public impression that he hated the person who had originally been on the Board of Achievements due to finishing the Nightmare Dungeon, and that fight had cemented this idea in the minds of all. To be even more sure that there would be no suspicion on him, he had even gone out and publicly given a party after the Overlord was found to be a traitor.
Just as his thoughts were about to go even more into the paranoid route, he heard someone cursing loudly.
"Damn Sea! One day, when I grow powerful enough, I'll make sure that you become a place where anyone can come and go! Yes, that will be fitting revenge! I'll make you a tourist destination! Ha ha, I'll make it happen! But dammit, it hurts!"
Looking around, Perfect spotted the same guy whom he had met today.
Yet… There was a stark difference between how he was now and how he had been before.
His clothes were singed in multiple places where it seemed the lightning bolts had gotten through, and there were also a few tears which are indicative of being attacked by the sea creatures which frequented this place that wasn't too far from the shore.
On his neck were a multitude of trinkets that were the sources of the barriers that kept springing to life and then breaking apart, and on his back, the body of a large fish was visible.
He looked like a barbarian who had wandered out of his cave to collect food, and for some reason, this was a civilized barbarian whose clothes were of the latest style in the continent.
As Perfect continued to stare, he was suddenly interrupted by the angry voice of the person who looked at him and shouted, "A little help would be appreciated, thank you!"
Out of startlement, Percy immediately cast a spell to shield him from the renowned wrath of the Sea which was easy to handle for him because of his power, but it was then that he recognized the way those words had been stated.
Still, he controlled his emotions and let the spell be, and this allowed the person whom he was meeting to rapidly accelerate and reach him.
As if he had been prepared for this to happen, he immediately changed clothes in the flash of an eye. Even Heroes might have found it difficult to see his sudden movements as he did this, and it made Perfect wonder whether he was used to doing the act a lot.
Seeing the question in his eyes, the man answered, "Yes, I do it a lot, mainly because I like being spick-and-span, but the Path to Power does not allow me to be so. Well, that's in my realm, at least. I attended your party, by the way. You looked quite happy, too! I should say that you carried it off quite well… But occasionally, you did stare into the distance with an expression of sorrow and doubt on your face, almost as if you had lost a lover. Did my senior disciple brother mean that much to you?"
Perfect had been about to curse at the guy when he said his piece, but he suddenly stopped when he heard the last part.
S-senior disciple brother?
What the heck?!
Seeing the shock in his face, the man only laughed and said, "Mr. Perfect, I am Percy, secret senior disciple brother of the King of Lanthanor, who is quite well-known as the 'Overlord', which is a perfect name for him. He's got a bunch of Heroes after him who scare me even when I just look at them, but he's still roaming around freely! I must say I'm quite proud! But of course, it is all due to our master…"
Perfect couldn't handle it anymore. Indeed, now, he recognized that even though the smugness was a bit similar to the Overlord, which he now recognised as the reason behind him finding everything odd before, it was at a level which he could not stomach.
Rushing forward and catching the collar of the man, he shook it and asked, "What happened? Why is he being blamed like this? I need answers, dammit!"
With a smile, Percy replied, "And you'll have them. But can you let go of my collar first, please? If you remember, I just changed…"
Taking a deep breath, Perfect did so, following which Percy continued.
"I have some of them, at least. A few days ago, my senior disciple brother sent me the message that if something happened to him, then I should go to a specific place, and then look for someone who has the name 'Perfect'. He said that you have a debt with him, and it was easy to find out just what it was. His only request was this: if things became truly dire, he wants us to help out. And I fully intend to do so. His primary concern is the Kingdom of Lanthanor, and I think it is my duty- no, our duty, to protect it. And… I get the feeling that when he comes back, something really fun is going to happen. Well, we can talk about that later, but first, why the hell is your face drained of blood?"
As Percy asked this question, Perfect gave the answer, and it was his turn to be shocked.
"If that is our duty… Then we might be too late. The Order has a plan to replace him, and it has already begun. I just found it out before coming here. I fear… That we may already have failed him."
…
Meanwhile, just put a few kilometers away from where this discussion was going on, a sight that was definitely unique in the whole continent could be seen.
"AAAAHHHHH!! DAMN YOU, DANEEL!"
These words were shouted by Elanev was running as fast as he could, and behind him was a horde of creatures so terrifying that even a bunch of Heroes would feel their blood run cold.
Hearing him, the King of Lanthanor could only shrug and give a casual reply.
"Hey, it's not my fault they found your meat the tastiest after we all ate the same fish! Now come on, shake that bum and make them go faster! You can do it!"