Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 679: Plans

Asher walked towards his room with an indifferent face, as he was done handling the matter of the kidnapped villagers; since he had already deduced the reason why students shifted away from his direction whenever Asher passed, he was no longer surprised by such behavior, nor did he find it worth acknowledging any longer, as it had already become something expected within his current standing.

Arriving at his room, Asher stepped in, the door closing behind him as he stood silent for a moment, observing it. Although he had been gone for ten days, it felt as though he had been gone forever, as if the passage of time had stretched unnaturally due to everything he had experienced. After a moment of standing still, he walked towards his bed and collapsed face first on it with a sigh, his body sinking into the surface as though releasing the accumulated fatigue.

With that, he rolled to his back as he stared at the ceiling for a moment without any thoughts in his mind, his gaze blank and distant; a few moments passed, then he rose to his feet and walked towards the lobby, sliding open the door. Asher stepped into the lobby and sat under the morning sun, the warmth settling over him in a quiet, almost comforting manner.

’Since I’ve returned, I should just take it slow for a few days, talk with Finch and William, go on a single minor mission with them, then return back to my own routine,’ Asher thought to himself, as the past few days had been very hectic, far more than he would have preferred, and far more than what could be considered normal.

From heading to a County, to having to fake being a resident from a Baron territory who was visiting for the first time, to spending one week on a journey filled with a tireless chatting machine, then seeing a very horrific scene that lingered in his mind, then spending minutes mapping out the place with calculated precision, killing outer guards, then wiping out everyone within with cold efficiency, then his big battle with Debro which demanded far more from him than expected.

It was all... too much, a sequence of events that felt immense even to someone like him.

Asher wasn’t the all-work type of guy; there was time to work, and there was time to just sit back and relax, and he had no intention of allowing himself to be consumed entirely by constant action without pause.

’I wonder if that mission about another Empire entering the Empire as bandits has been taken by another student,’ Asher thought to himself, as that was the mission he planned to take next after resting for a few days, already considering its potential difficulty.

Although if it had been taken, then he wouldn’t be bothered, as ten days was enough to refresh the mission list and to find something interesting that would capture his attention just as easily.

’I wonder what the meeting was about,’ Asher thought, as his mind shifted towards the meeting the Nobles within the Empire were holding within their territory, a gathering that undoubtedly carried significant implications.

’I really hope a battle doesn’t break out,’ Asher mused, ’or father might just wipe out every Noble there regardless of whatever social standing they hold; after all, according to what I’ve heard from the Wargrave territory residents, Father loves them way too much to allow these Nobles to fight and cause a massacre within his territory,’ he sighed at the thought, aware that such an outcome, while extreme, was not entirely impossible.

He sank into his seat completely as he gazed at the sky with his legs crossed, his posture relaxed yet thoughtful. In truth, Asher was tempted to just head towards the Training Facility Building and start his training immediately without wasting too much time. But Asher knew that if he did that, he wouldn’t spend too much time within the Training Facility Building due to his point balance, which limited prolonged usage.

’Best to gather hundreds of thousands of points if possible, then lock myself away inside there for years,’ he mused, the idea not entirely unrealistic within his current mindset.

He raised his hand, his Star Energy humming to life with a faint resonance, ’I have to dive deeper into the Star Energy; if I can awaken a new affinity, does that mean I can awaken more in the future when I cross a certain threshold? Also, I’ve been using it for nothing but enhancing attacks and myself; although I’ve created a few basic skills like the Star Energy Sense with it, I need to create things that can help in a battlefield,’ Asher thought to himself as he stared at the Star Energy, observing its subtle movements.

’I will focus on it for the next few months, together with polishing and refining my Rapier Technique,’ Asher’s thoughts listed his plans; despite saying he was going to rest, his mind still formed a structured outline of what needed to be done.

’I wonder if Lyra has begun her mission, or will she wait for a few days,’ Asher’s mind shifted to Lyra. Although he didn’t say it out loud, he was worried about her; after all, he had sent her on missions to become stronger, and with the difficulty level of Crymora being on Hell Mode, Asher feared Lyra could die in one of these missions, as he himself had been targeted for quite a while in some missions.

’I shouldn’t worry too much, Commander Yveric sent out a Knight to follow her in secret,’ Asher thought to himself with a nod, as before he left, he had actually met up with Yveric as he had planned, informing him about Lyra’s mission.

Although Asher wasn’t the Primarch or crowned as the next in line to inherit the title, the fact remained that he was a Sun, and he possessed the authority to command the Wargrave Knight Order to a certain degree.

Although at the beginning, Asher had decided to try being an arrogant Young Master for once and push his luck by asking for a Crownstar Life Ranker, even if it was a Dust sub-Life Rank, to protect Lyra.

(Crymora’s sub-Life Ranks, Dust — Spark — Flare — Pulse — Radiant)

But Yveric had flat out refused, citing the fact that Crownstar Life Rankers weren’t something anyone could just command, also citing that due to the recent ongoing tension, all Crownstar Life Rankers were needed elsewhere. After a while of negotiations, Yveric had deployed a Knight at the Spark Soulstar Life Rank to protect Lyra from the shadows, only revealing himself when Lyra was in danger.

(Crymora’s Life Rank, Faintstar — Kindlestar — Brightstar — Blazestar — Swiftstar — Firmstar — Wavestar — Voidstar — Soulstar — Crownstar)

’I can only wish her luck from here,’ he thought with a smile, ’although one day I should battle her myself and see how she fights,’ he paused for a moment before he continued, ’also, according to her, she uses a Katana, but why does it seem as though everyone within this Empire loves katanas,’ Asher thought to himself, a hint of curiosity surfacing.

Although personally, when he had read about the Wargrave soul-bound weapon, he had also wished for a Katana, but he got a Rapier, which he loved absolutely, appreciating its elegance, precision, and the distinct style it allowed him to cultivate.