The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 280

Chapter 280

Chapter 280: The Catch

I tore my gaze from the stone adorning the man’s black cane and studied the three guests that had just arrived.

The hook-nosed and pale-skinned Cromely exchanged polite but terse greetings with the flock of town officials and their family members. The two students that looked around my age barely spoke as they kept their chins raised and chests puffed.

The female student referred to as Aphene had an athlete’s body with long, slim legs that were accentuated by her uniform. Her fierce gaze bore into me behind her dark bangs, singling me out.

Dismissing her provocation as cute at most, I turned my gaze to the blonde man that looked like he’d spent a tad too much time in front of a mirror. Compared to his brusque female schoolmate, the student named Pallisun met everyone with a practiced smile that seemed to convey his hubris in a more implicit way.

Watching the teen strut in his white suit, which was embroidered with a single embellished shoulder guard, I was reminded of a rainbowgoose displaying its feathers during mating season.

Regis chortled at my comparison, agreeing wholeheartedly.

The trio eventually made their way to me. Following behind them were the entourage of townsmen doing whatever they could to curry their favor or even have them look in their general direction.

“An honor to have an ascender in our presence,” the older representative intoned, his expression not quite matching his words. “My name is Cromely of Blood Mandrick. This is my granddaughter, Aphene,” he introduced before gesturing to the student on his left. “And this student is Pallisun of Blood Blather. Both of you, introduce yourselves.”

Aphene dipped her head, a bit reluctant. “Aphene of Blood Mandrick.”

Pallisun, who was around my height but with a bit more bulk, scanned me from head to toe. _{freewebnσvel.cѳm}

“Pallisun of Blood Blather,” he greeted, releasing a bit of mana that clung tightly against his frame in an attempt to show off his control.

‘What a rainbowgoose,’ Regis judged.

“A pleasure to meet you all. And thank you again, for taking me with you to Aramoor City,” I said to Comer with an amiable smile. He was my ticket out of here, after all.

“It is nothing,” he replied humbly.

“Hearing that our town had an ascender visiting, Elder Cromely brought along the top students of Stormcove Academy,” Chief Mason explained.

The Stormcove representative’s gaze flickered over the town chief dismissively before adding, “Yes, while they can’t yet compare to Ascender Grey, they’ll both be transferred to an ascender institute in the central domain rather soon.”

I regarded the two students with a casual smile. “Congratulations in advance.”

Pallisun craned his neck to get that extra inch over me as he replied. “You seem very young, esteemed ascender. I can’t imagine you having much experience yet, but I’d still love to hear of your tales down in the Relictombs.”

Regis bristled. ‘Please, let me humble this man.’

It’s beneath us to bully them. Plus, I’m baiting them on purpose, I quickly sent to Regis before replying to the vain blonde.

“It’s quite the pleasant place for a stroll. Do you care to join me the next time I go?” I asked with a wink.

A few chuckles rang from the crowd around us. Pallisun’s brow twitched in restrained annoyance as he stifled a laugh as well.

“Please excuse me while I get a drink,” Pallisun said with a forced smile. “Let’s go, Aphene.”

The two students turned around and headed off to one of the tables behind them. As they did so, I couldn’t help but think that it was a shame their backs were covered, hiding their runes.

Not dwelling on it, I made myself comfortable against the ledge overlooking the exhibition. Below, the host in charge of mediating the event was having the students walk in a circle to wave at the audience.

Cheers broke out as most of the students headed out of the center field, leaving behind only one group of students that looked to be about eight to ten in age.

The day progressed as we watched the various events showcasing both the magical and physical prowess of the students.

Caster students had been up first. Workers brought targets and laid them on the opposite side of the field for the students to try and hit with both accuracy and power. After that, they began running through an obstacle course while hitting targets without stopping.

While I didn’t condone child soldiers, it was impressive to see even the children in this small town effortlessly go through the complicated obstacle course while firing like trained combatants heading for war.

A war against Dicathen.

Damn it, I cursed myself for thinking unnecessary thoughts. Anything I did to try and go against Alacrya at this point wouldn’t even amount to the dirt underneath Agrona’s nails.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I continued watching while the caster students finished and the host called for the shields to step up back onto the arena. Their exhibition consisted of each of the shields protecting two mannequins from blunted projectiles made of wood and stone.

“At that age, I would be fighting to the death against a mana beast my father had captured in order to build battle experience,” a clear voice declared a few feet to my right.

I shifted my gaze to see Pallisun standing with a frilly-dress girl under each arm. He continued to brag loudly about his training as a shield at their age. Meanwhile the girls cooed and giggled as if his very words contained gold.

He wasn’t the only one enjoying the spectacle below. During these two events, the other officials from the neighboring towns made wagers on their own local students, while the names of promising students were mentioned and praised loudly enough in the hopes that Cromely could hear.

As the shield students of Town Ludro, Cessir, Deura and Maerin stepped down, the atmosphere shifted. While both the casters and shields received enthusiastic cheers throughout their events, they paled in comparison to when the striker students stepped up on the platform that had been raised for their tournament.

This particular event would consist of six representative strikers from each town, all partaking in the tournament. They’d start by having the six duel each other for the spot of representing their towns and it would end with the remaining striker from each town facing off in the semi-finals and finals.

After the host reminded the strikers that intentionally losing to let a specific member of their town advance was strictly forbidden, the tournament commenced.

While I didn’t expect much, I had to admit that I enjoyed the exhibition. Judging by how Aphene had stopped bothering to watch after the first match, I’m sure she would disagree.

The children fought with practiced movements, displaying prowess in both physical and magical abilities. Because of how the marks or crests they had confined the scope of their spell to take form into a specific shape or action, they had to rely on understanding and outmaneuvering their opponents—utilizing their magic as a tool rather than relying on it.

“I can’t imagine this little pageant would entertain you in any way,” a thin voice intoned from behind.

“You’d be mistaken then,” I said lightly without turning around. “At this level, their ‘weapons’ are unsharpened and inflexible. This forces them to be more quick-witted and creative. Don’t you agree, Elder Cromely?”

The older man stepped up next to me, a brow raised in thought. “Are you saying that the sharper our weapons get, the slower and more unimaginative we become?”

I shifted my gaze to Cromely with a smirk pulling at the edge of my mouth. “That would depend on the person, but the temptation to lean heavily on the sharpest tool is always there. Isn’t that why we’ve evolved from fighting with our bare fists in the first place?”