Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 716: Death Flags [Castle Bonus - ]

"And there is also the issue of protection; after all, you don’t think various families are simply going to teleport to the Thalvorn Empire, do you?" Finch asked, his tone low and deliberate.

"The bandits we experience during missions will be jokes at this stage, as these Knights will be dealing with high-level Emovirae, Monsters, and Beasts," he shook his head as he spoke, explaining the risks of simply traveling from one Empire to another. Besides, they didn’t even know how long it would take to journey from one Empire to another, making the entire endeavor even more uncertain and dangerous.

"But, although I’m not entirely certain, I’m sure either the Emperor or some Merchant family or powerful household has already started a transportation business, meaning they will guarantee people’s safety to the Thalvorn Empire. But again, such means of transportation will cost another wave of hundreds of platinum coins due to the sheer amount of resources that will be pumped into protection alone.

Asher and William simply stayed silent, listening without interrupting Finch’s merchant-like analysis until he was done, allowing him to fully express his thoughts without disruption.

Although Finch didn’t know it, he had hit the nail on the head; everything he had said was indeed true. There was going to be a worldwide live broadcast of the competition, and the fees for live attendance were going to be even more ridiculous than he had just predicted. Even the transportation business that he had casually thrown out there was spot on, after all, nobody was going to see a chance to make money and simply decline it.

After all, one needs money to grow stronger; the poor can’t reach the Crownstar Life Rank with mere words and belief, right?

"But although not everyone can afford the ridiculous price of the ticket for live attendance, some people will still head to the Thalvorn Empire just to watch the broadcast from there. After all, in the Thalvorn Empire, they can also experience various cuisines, women, men, and all types of fantasies they might have once imagined," Finch added in finality.

Asher stared at Finch from the corner of his eyes; he was genuinely amazed. If someone like Finch had existed back on Earth, the boy would have probably been richer than the world’s richest individuals with minimal effort, simply by capitalizing on opportunities others couldn’t even perceive.

"But... won’t there be an issue?" William began to speak, his expression turning slightly serious. "I’m sure the Empires hate each other, well, not on the surface, but won’t some sort of fight break out? After all, the Vandross Empire just recently attacked our Empire’s eight Noble Households," he analyzed thoughtfully.

Asher nodded as he responded, "While your thoughts and concerns are valid, I feel like the Empires usually sweep their hatred for each other under the rug just so they can show off. After all, if a fight had broken out even once in the past during these competitions, then I’m sure it would have been scrapped by now," his explanation measured and logical.

"Hmmm... I guess that makes sense," Finch and William stated as they nodded, though even then... they remained wary, unable to completely dismiss the possibility.

Asher wasn’t particularly bothered by the issues between the Empires; it had nothing to do with him. It wasn’t something he could control or influence at the moment. Besides, something else weighed far more heavily on his mind.

It was a well-known cliche that during any form of Academy competition, something always went terribly wrong. Either the Demons would decide to invade in an attempt to wipe out the Younger Generation, or Cult worshippers or some sinister organization would make their move, deciding to wage a massive war on the spot and eliminate everyone present at the gathering, regardless of whether they were part of the Younger Generation or the Older Generations, erasing everything in one fell swoop.

In a thousand novels that had an Academy arc, perhaps only a single one didn’t have this type of cliche occur.

And of course, in those cliche novels, the schools, students, and everyone involved always survived in the end. But that was plot armor, control dictated by an author and their narrative. This was reality, not some carefully scripted story. One wrong step, a single mistake, and everyone could be wiped out instantly without warning.

Of course, at such gatherings, there would be overwhelmingly powerful individuals present, but still... that didn’t guarantee absolute safety.

There was also the danger of transportation, as Finch had mentioned. What if the Sinvairas decided to make a move and attack the students, erasing them all in one fell swoop? There were simply too many potential threats, too many ominous signs, death flags scattered everywhere.

But at the end of the day, he couldn’t influence any of it. He could only observe, wait, and hope nothing catastrophic happened, or if something did happen, it wouldn’t affect those he cared about, whether directly or indirectly.

’I sure do hope they have some sort of Seers or someone with the ability to see the future, or maybe sense an impending catastrophe,’ Asher couldn’t help but think to himself, his thoughts turning slightly uneasy.

’Well, Malrik said Father is considered one of the top ten strongest beings on Crymora; I hope his presence alone would make whatever organization that is tempted to make a move reconsider their plans,’ he thought to himself, though he understood that such a belief was likely nothing more than wishful thinking. Any opponent bold enough to act would simply send someone capable of matching Azaron, or perhaps multiple individuals who could at least stall him.

’Sigh... this world is truly on Hell Mode difficulty; even a normal school event has so many death flags planted everywhere,’ Asher sighed inwardly as he shook his head faintly.

’If I die, I wonder if that’s truly the end... will I reincarnate again, or maybe wake up back on Earth?’ he mused to himself. After all, there was nothing guaranteeing that he would remain alive until he reached the Crownstar Life Rank. For all he knew, this trip to the Thalvorn Empire might very well be his first, and last.

’Tsk, if only I had reincarnated into a novel that I’ve read, like in all those types of tropes, I would have known what was going to happen,’ he thought with mild frustration as he shook his head.

’Well, if I die, at least I will make sure to go out with a bang,’ Asher mused, not truly afraid of death, but rather accepting of its inevitability.

Yes, he possessed the Position Marker, which he could use to escape when in danger, but this Position Marker ability didn’t activate on its own. He had to will it, or Virelass had to do so for it to activate, and beings at the Crownstar Life Rank, or even those at the Void, simply moved faster than thought itself. They could end him before he could even think about using Virelass’ Position Marker ability.

As Asher thought about this, yet another death flag seemed to land atop the already towering pile of death flags on his plate.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Bonus Chapter sponsored by FatelessPen.

Thanks for reading.