I bet I can guess what all of you are wondering The Don looked around with glittering eyes What three Skills have reached a Mille Well since you all have so politely gathered in my honor I see no harm and allowing you to peer behind my magnificent curtain and view my admirable clockwork
A strange hush fell over the crowd Even Claudette stood a little bit straighter After her shock at the revelation came wariness Revealing which Skills had grown was not a usual part of these celebrations And considering her father he would not give something without cause
The attendees knew it too Their eyes became somewhat harsh everyone understood the influence that the Don could wield when you owed him even the slightest favor Yet no one spoke out against him Because while they feared the consequences of his influence they couldnÆt help but be curious They wished to understand what sort of foe Don Beigon would be
The first of my Mille milestones was Unilateral Bargain After using it so much that one has continued to grow haha IÆd ask you to guess how high the Level has become but I almost think no one will believe me even if I tell you The Don looked teasingly around at the room which regarded him stoically No one needed to be informed about his ability to wield favors like daggers
He raised a hand to his head and sighed a victimized innocent So letÆs dispense with that waste of time The second Mille was Audacious Declaration You know about a hundred years ago when my dearest Claudette was born He moved his hand and reached out toward her as though to stroke her cheek from a distance She forced herself not to recoil I swore to myself that I would reach a third Mille And look Just like that IÆve arrived
A few people clapped politely Claudette flushed
As for my final Mille it came from a relatively new Skill Ruinous Determination This Skill is the most unusual of the three but IÆve found Her fatherÆs expression shifted and his eyes locked onto Claudette that this Skill fits my personality more closely than any of the others Sometimes all it takes is one particular Skill to change your entire outlook To change your entire life to fit a new plan for the future
Anyway I have one last announcement to reveal before I allow you to head outside and enjoy the enthusiastic nighttime hospitality of the people of Alymian The DonÆs grin widened and something built in the air around him ClaudetteÆs hair stood on end wondering if this would be the moment that started sealing her fate After licking his lips he continued Today let it be known that I Don Raphael Beigon will soon challenge
Commandant Wick his arms folded behind his back walked down onto the sandy beach His face burned with displeasure as he stalked down the bamboo stairwell toward Randidly You make a nuisance of yourself in front of your superiors Have you forgotten the last lesson that I endeavored to teach you Should I break another one of your subordinates so it sticks Perhaps this time the process will go more smoothly if I do it right in front of you
For the first few seconds after his arrival RandidlyÆs face seemed clouded by confusion and exhaustion His dark hair was messy even as little bits of static discharge jumped across his head His eyes were clouded That clouded gaze shifted to the Commandant as he walked down to the beach and Claudette could almost see the words register in his mind and suddenly his eyes ignited
Pressure ThatÆs what Claudette felt from Randidly Ghosthound Not the presence of an image or the power of physical stats but an expansion of his self so that he seemed to be leaning against the whole of the beach pressing it beneath the whole of him
Even the Commandant stiffened in front of that wild viciousness What Do you have something to say
Commandant please letÆs be civil DevickÆs voice was breezy as she sauntered forward Her eyes were bright as she examined Randidly You you must be Randidly Ghosthound IÆve heard
Devick Randidly blurted out his shock briefly overtaking his fury as he looked at the masked woman
The entire gathering jolted slightly at the strangely intimate address Even the Actus Suprem seemed to be taken aback by RandidlyÆs tone Her golden masked face tilted to the side You know me Ah You went to the Mountain and caused a ruckus So Heh and I sense two very familiar presences around your back Ahh How nostalgic Randidly Ghosthound you are truly everything IÆve heard and so much more hehehe
She waved her fingers at him Then Devick shrugged However it would be inappropriate for me to interfere in a little quarrel between two subordinates yes Oh Mr Ghosthound IÆm little WickÆs boss so donÆt worry about holding back Fight to your heartÆs content IÆll accept the result no matter which of you wins
Randidly was still confused as his gaze flicked to the ornate mask and headdress that Devick wore and then back to Commandant Wick but once more that all consuming fury rose within him washing away his hesitation But then with a great effort of will he tore his gaze away from Wick He looked toward Claudette and met her eyes
She watched him assert control and corral his emotions Then he walked past Wick and Devick without acknowledging them In order to not make things worse for Claudette Randidly bit down his pride and desire for revenge and turned away
Unfortunately the two people Randidly dealt with were not so easily handled
Punk DonÆt you dare ignore me Wick stepped in his path What was her name again Helen Perhaps the two of you had a shallower connection than I thought WouldnÆt she be hurt by how quickly youÆve forgotten the lesson she died to teach you
You Spectral flames gushed across RandidlyÆs body with enough force that Claudette felt Wick waver She could feel the sudden power that Randidly manifested like a slap in the face even across the intervening distance Beyond that his emotions rose like a tidal wave and drowned out everything else on the beach
He seemed only a moment away from lashing out from crumbling beneath his fury and giving in to the violent impulses Then slightly at first but with growing determination Randidly wrestled his own fury back
A small smile played across ClaudetteÆs face as she watched it Then she sent him a message Randidly you donÆt need to do this for me If anything my father would be somewhat pleased if you beat the shit out of Commandant Wick
So donÆt hold back Give them a taste of what we the younger generation have to say for the plans theyÆve made without consulting us
Chapter 1856
Randidly burned He felt tired and rubbed raw even though he had arrived late precisely so he would be in his perfect state Apparently no matter what he tried today it would not turn out how he planned
After manifesting his first Authority granted to him by his Mythic Nether Core his energies were drained and spent His core worked tireless to gather dense Nether to him but too much had been expended in that initial activation before he realized how precious the power he obtained truly was
He had carved out his vital bits and weaponized them Which left him hollow
Then he arrived on the beach still stunned and exhausted Wick became the first concrete detail that he saw After seeing came the fixation Those long hairs his stubby snout the crinkling lines around his eyes the arrogance of his demeanor the way he instantly made RandidlyÆs arrival about him all of it brought the memories back Again and again the flickering still of Helen broken on the ground flashes before RandidlyÆs eyes
His hands tingled and he felt dizzy and hot Inaction burned at him urging him toward violence
Yet Randidly had intended to ignore him and walk past him but then the Commandant had stepped forward and directly antagonized him The Commandant said her name RandidlyÆs raw and wild Nether whipped through his veins faster and faster damaging this body that had most of his usual physical Stats suppressed Unbidden flames of Nether Weight sprang up across his body Even more oppressively the specter of his First Authority hung over the space