Chapter 944 Jake
Unaware of the uproar that had just been caused by Daneel's plan, Jake was one of the many who were standing in a tent, together, while they concentrated on a ball of fire that was rotating slowly in the air in front of them.
They were just a few tens of kilometers away from the Sect of Hedon, and hence, the emotions of hundreds of mages who had all been enraged could be felt even where they stood.
It had happened suddenly: one moment, it had been a normal training day, albeit a very tough one as they were just getting into the complicated aspects of magic, and in the next, it was as if a sleeping monster had been awoken nearby whose only wish was to disrupt their concentration so that they could fail.
"Steady!"
The commander in front of them had a very tense expression on his face as he watched the globe that was barely remaining whole, and as he said that word with slight panic on his face on seeing the disruption that had been caused, it looked as if all would be for naught.
However… Somehow, they held on, and soon, an entire minute had passed.
"Release!"
As the commander shouted this with relief, the globe of fire disappeared, and sweat burst out on the faces of all of the thousand who were present in the group.
"Good work! Go get some rest, and some food. Remember: it's imperative that you stuff yourselves. Do not skimp out on anything- eat as much as you can, because I sure am going to make you burn it all when you're back. Go."
The entire group looked like they would collapse at any moment if they were allowed to do so, but mustering up the last of the energy present in their bones, they trudged to the side of the tent where multiple dishes were wafting their scents into the air, tantalizingly calling to all of those working hard in the vast area.
Jake lingered, and he was one of the few who saw the expression of pride on the commander's face.
Seeing this made his own chest well up with the same emotion, and with a smile, he followed the others to grab some food.
On the way, he saw the other groups which were still engaged in the activity, and also a few which had failed, and thus had dejected expressions on their faces.
Until a few days ago, he had just been a potter who earned a middling wage in the business left behind by his father.
Reaching his destination, he picked up a plate and could not help but mutter to himself, "Father, you were right…"
As he did so, he stopped where he stood and let out a deep breath, and that led to the queue behind him pausing.
It was only for a second, though, so there were no shouts from those who were hungrily waiting for the best part of the day. Knowing that he had goofed up by remembering the wrong thing in the wrong place, Jake scratched his head sheepishly and was about to go forward to take some food when he heard a kind voice from behind him.
"If you don't mind me asking… What was your father right about?"
Turning around, he saw that it was a woman dressed in very simple clothes.
Her face was covered with dust, but her eyes were bright, like diamonds that were mixed in the sand.
Her hair was matted with mud, and from that, he knew right away that she was part of the Fighter Regiment.
Seeing his hesitation, she chuckled and said, "Alright, fine, keep your secrets."
Jake had always been someone who kept to himself, so he took this chance to back out of the conversation. With a nod and smile, he turned around and heaped his plate with food before leaving the queue and looking for a place to sit down.
Long rows of tables and chairs had been arranged to another side of the tent where people were munching down morsel after morsel with all kinds of expressions on their faces, and after finding an empty one, he started to do the same.
Only, the moment he took the first bite of the fish that many swore had even begun to come in their dreams, the same woman appeared in front of him and took a seat.
At first, he wondered whether he should say anything, but it looked like she had just arrived because his was the only empty table nearby.
Shrugging, he continued to eat, but a few seconds later, he heard her voice again.
"Okay, fine, you win. Can be exchange stories? The king did say that it would bring us together. I'm one of the best Fighters in my Regiment, so maybe, when it's time for the Mage Fighter training, we can do it together! You're in the Elite Mage Regiment, right?"
Jake did not know what to make of her. He did nod, though, as his mother had taught him manners, but after that, he could only stare foolishly.
Usually, this was the point where those who were talking to him would decide that he was a dunce and leave, but this woman did not do so. She continued to stare back, and soon, he was the one who had to lower his eyes.
"Ah, so you're that kind of guy. Well, I know that now, so I'll bug you throughout the training if you don't talk! I can be VERY adamant when I want to be, and you, sir, have piqued my curiosity."
Jake looked up with shock and even panic as he heard this, only to see the woman happily begin to eat.
She seemed to not care, at all, about what people thought, as she voraciously gulped down piece after piece of the fish while smacking her lips and munching loudly.
She attracted the attention of almost everyone sitting all around them, and while Jake began to get squeamish in his seat, she paused and spoke with her mouth full.
"If you fwant me to stopf, answer!"
He needed a moment to understand her, and after he did, the words burst out of his mouth.
"My father was a Mage in the military of the Black Raven Kingdom. He always spoke about how he would have been able to give us a better life if he had just managed to be allotted a few more resources. But all over the continent, the norms were always very strict: those with limited comprehension level would only be given a very limited amount of resources, with the rest going to those with more talent. And of course, a large part is swallowed up by the Big Four, whose vaults are all supposed to be bursting with Ether Blocks. All his life, he just kept wishing for one thing: that even we, who were not fortunate to be born with talent, would be able to obtain a portion of resources to at least try and break through the barriers in front of us with hard work. It wasn't possible for him. Now, it is possible for me…and I did it. He was right. I…wish he was here to see me now."
Jake's eyes swam with tears as he said the last part, and as he hastily used his hands to wipe them away before they fell, he noticed that something was wrong.
The place where he was sitting had previously been filled with many sounds. After all, thousands of people eating and talking between themselves would definitely cause a buzz to be present which many would tune out naturally, but now, it had stopped, and that made the silence sound deafening.
He first looked up to see the smiling face of the woman, before panning his head and seeing that all those in the tables around him were staring in his direction.
Still in denial, he first checked behind him to make sure that there wasn't someone else, and after seeing the same scene there, too, he came face to face with the truth.
Everyone was looking at him.
He froze, instantly, before looking up again and spotting a spell that had been hidden until now.
It was…a sound magnification spell.
"Y-you…"
He began to stammer out a question, but in front of his eyes, the dusty woman instantly transformed into an angelic person who was well-known to all.
Lady Eloise.
Smiling warmly, she said, "I apologize for doing this, but it was for your own good. Rise, son of Maddock. Your father was a brave man who wasn't afraid to say the right thing, even if he knew that it would cause harm to himself, and his family. While going through the records, the Black Raven King found out about his case: it was written that he was thrown out because of insubordination, right? That was false. In truth, he simply dared to speak out against the Big Four, who had confiscated a Ker Gem mine that should have belonged to the people of the Black Raven Kingdom. He would have been killed if he stayed, so the best option was to remove him from his post. Still, his bravery shall not go unrecognized. Today, I present to you the 'Star of the Alliance'. It denotes you as an important individual who is essential to the growth of the Alliance, and gives you many other perks which will be made public soon. Take it. You deserve it."
The tears that he had stopped started to flow, unabated, as Jake heard the deeds of his father, who had indeed been an individual who was ready to die if it meant that he could make a difference.
He had been powerless, and his greatest regret had always been that he hadn't done enough.
Standing up, Jake beamed with pride as a star made of gold was attached to his chest.
He was about to bow, but catching his shoulders, she said, "You don't need to. This is something that should have happened a long time ago. Walk in his footsteps, and make him proud now. Wherever he is, he's watching you."
With a nod, Jake completely broke down and began to sob, as all the pent up feelings began to flow out.
Watching the scene, Daneel smiled as he tucked a strand of Xuan's hair behind her ear.
Her eyes were still closed, but she was snuggled up like a cat in Daneel's arms.
She had seemed disturbed, but on Daneel's arrival, she had directly entered this position and almost purred contentedly.
Knowing that it must have been because she had missed him, Daneel had smiled to himself and then begun to pat her shoulder, and with his heart at peace, they had watched everything play out.
Seeing the emotions invoked in many around Jake, Daneel nodded, as things were progressing well for the final step.
A few hours later, it looked like Xuan was back to normal, so kissing her on her forehead, he began to get up.
Her eyes still closed, she cutely puckered her lips, which led to him pecking them, too, and then blushing, as he remembered how he would never have done anything like this just a few months back.
Once again musing about how dumb it had been to almost not have the chance to experience this due to his decision to not concern himself with the matters of the heart until the continent was safe, he dissolved his apparition, only to appear in a different place, where Eloise ran up to him and said, "It worked."
She squeezed his hand and gave him a warm smile before turning away, but suddenly, she stopped and turned around.
She sniffed, and then, she did something which startled him.
Engulfing him in a hug, she squeezed him tightly and whispered, "It's not fair for Xuan to have all the fun," before plucking a kiss from his still-moist lips.
With a playful smile, she teleported away, leaving Daneel blankly staring into the air, while a thought entered his mind.
He would never, ever have been able to forgive himself if his decision had led to him losing out on what he had now.
A moment later, he found out the reason behind her actions.
Before, Xuan's natural scent had been on his body, as the system was so perfect that it had even reproduced that aspect of his other apparition.
Now, that scent had mixed with that of Eloise, too, resulting in something which Daneel couldn't stop inhaling through his nostrils, and then smiling foolishly, as if he was a teenage boy who had just had his first kiss.
"Er…My King?"
Kellor broke his trance, which led to him coughing fiercely and turning away.
"Ehem…everything's going well. Right. I have a fever- that's why my face is so red. Yes. My injury is acting up."
"But…you're an apparition."
Kellor's question led to another bout of coughing, following which he replied, "I aim for perfection in everything I do. Anyway, I see that we're on schedule: prepare for the showdown in one week. Farewell, then."
As he teleported away while blushing even more on seeing Kellor's amused, but happy face, Daneel decided to give an order to the system.
"System, create new protocol: every time something in a list I'm going to give happens, control my expression. Make me look stoic, and relaxed. Yes- definitely not dumb and foolish. Oh, and also make sure my heart doesn't pump blood in the wrong direction…"