The Beginning After The End (New Heights Book 2) (3 page)

I take
a quick peek around to see everyone was either surprised and on guard or afraid
and on the floor.

Shit.

I
didn’t think it would be this bad with this body of mine.

It was
the first time letting my killing intent loose.  Even when I was fighting
against the slave traders, I chose not to emit any kind of intent to catch them
by surprise.

Some
of the King’s Augmenter guards unsheathed their weapons and were on guard from
whatever the unknown source was when the King spoke up.

“Who’s
there
!?
” He roared while unsheathing a sword he had on
his waist.  I see Queen Priscilla ready her wand, standing in front of her
kids while my mother and Tabitha were both clutching onto the girls.

Vincent
called more of the guards in and had them scout the area for any assassins that
may be nearby.

It
wasn’t until they confirmed killing an intruder on the roof that everyone
visibly calmed down.

Ooh a
scapegoat!  Your sacrifice was not in vain random man.

Alice
had me in her arms during the inspection along with Ellie who was confused and
scared by what she felt.  The King and Queen were squatted in front of
their children who were both a nervous wreck.  The fierce looking boy had
tears in his eyes while he was hugging himself.  While the princess was
trying to stay strong but was shivering.

Fuck.

“Oy
Sebastian.  How could a royal guard fall on his ass by a little
intimidation from an intruder?  You’re going to die early like this.”
 A hooded Augmenter holding a spear just shakes his head.

“Y-yeah,
I just slipped.  That was it.” Sebastian grabs unto a hand of one of his
fellow guards and pulls himself back up.

He
looks at me afraid at first but just slaps his cheeks.  I could tell he
was scolding himself for suspecting that I was the one responsible for this.

“Now!
For the final item we have up for the lucky fellow fortunate enough to acquire
this…” The auctioneer’s dramatic voice echoed in the hall as a box shaped item
was draped by red sheet.

A very
glamorous woman was pushing the box as she paused for a dramatic effect before
unveiling what was underneath the sheet.

Underneath
the luxury tarp was a cage that had a dark brown feline infant about the size
of a medium sized dog.

The
auctioneer bellows. “An infant World Lion!  For those who are ignorant of
this magnificent mana beast, an adult World Lion has the capability to be at
least become a B class mana beast.  I dare to say that if taken care of
well, this infant World Lion could even become an A class mana beast!  Do
you know what this means?  Taking care and treasuring this infant World
Lion can even allow its master to become a legendary Beast Tamer!”

The
crowd goes wild as people start shouting bids even before the starting price
was announced.   I can see the King and Queen’s eyes glow and spot the
prince tugging on his father’s robe, practically begging for it.

Even I
sat up from my seat in a little interest.  It’s not everyday you get to
see an infant mana beast that could potentially be an A class.

“Ku!”
Sylv nibbles on my finger and just harrumphs bitterly, as if saying that infant
beast was nothing compared to the great her.

“Yeah
I know Sylv.”  I just smile as I pet my jealous bond.

I can
see Sebastian’s figure straighten as he looks more carefully at the infant
World Lion.  Then he looks back at my direction, eyeing Sylvie again.

This
guy is pissing me off.

“Now
now! I won’t be able to start the bidding until everyone gets settled!” The
auctioneer shakes his fingers.

The
crowd eventually settles before the auctioneer announces that the starting bid
will be at 100 gold.

10
silvers were more than enough to feed a family of four for a year.  100
silvers, which was equal to 1 gold coin was more than enough to feed a family
of four for 10 years.

I just
shook my head.

This
was only the starting price.  The price skyrocketed at once, jumping up to
over 500 gold and it didn’t seem like it was stopping.

“500!”

“550!”

“600!”

“700!”

“1000!”
 I hear the King bellow out with his right hand raised.

The
crowd went silent.  I could tell that even the ones that could afford to
bid higher were debating whether it was worth bidding against their own king.
 It didn’t seem fair once the King stepped in, but at least he had the
decency to put up a high price.

The
price was settled at 1000 gold coins or one 1 white gold tablet.
 Something I’ve only seen in books and pictures.

I hear
Vincent congratulate the King, “Seems like no one wants to bid against you King
Glayder.” He just chuckles.

“Sorry
about some of the potential money lost from that Vince.  I owe you one.”
 The King has an excited look on his face and so do his wife and son.

“Looks
like the royal palace will have a new pet.  Do you plan on giving it to
Prince Curtis?”  Vincent probes.

“Bahaha!
Maybe!  We’ll see how he does.”  The King just gives an evil smile to
his son and winks.

“D-Dad!”
Prince Curtis seems visibly shocked by this news and Priscilla laughs, saying,
“Curtis, I remember you’ve been slacking off on your sword lessons.”

“Ah!
Mom! That was supposed to be a secret!” The fierce prince doesn’t look so
fierce anymore as I see my mother and Tabitha laugh softly along with the
Queen.

“Mama,
can I have a pet?” Ellie asks, pointing at Sylvie as an example.

“Haha!
I don’t know.  Mana beasts only want to be pets for nice ladies.”  My
mom teases.

“Ellie
is nice! Right Brother?” She pulls on my sleeve, sending me out to battle on
her behalf.

I just
chuckle and let her pet Sylvie, distracting her.

The
10th Anniversary ended without any commotion and the guards escorted all of us
to the back to pick up our items.

Vincent
handed me a package wrapped in a black bag, which I assumed were the items once
we got into the storage room in the back of the stage.

“Arthur,
follow me to where we keep some of the swords. They might not be anything
special but I’m sure you’ll be able to find a solid sword.”

Vincent
says, leading me with his hand on my back.

“Oh!
 Are you planning on taking lessons with the sword?”  The King
questions after hearing Vincent.

Vincent
just chuckles helplessly while I just respond, “Just something I’m interested
in, King Glayder.”

The
brat…I mean Prince Curtis chimes in with an arrogant voice, “Maybe I can teach
you how to fight with a sword sometime.”

My
father and the Twin Horns arrive to meet us at this time, giving me an excuse
to ignore the kid.

“Ah
you guys are here!  How did you enjoy the Auction?”  My father
exclaimed, picking up Ellie after bowing to the King and Queen.

While
my father was talking with Vincent, I see Sebastian whisper something into the
ear of King Glayder.

The
King looks a little irritated but he just sighs and walks toward me, with the
hooded pervert behind him.

“Your
name was Arthur correct? My royal guard has helped our family numerous times in
duty and I do feel the need to do this little favor for him.  You see; he
seems to have taken an extreme fancy to your bond.  I know how complicated
it is to sever the contract but I will get someone to do that and I would be
more than willing to pay a generous amount for her.  What do you say?
 Can you do this old King a favor?”

I
couldn’t help but give the both of them an annoyed face.  The rest of the
royal guards were on standby near the two and were observing me.

“How
much would it take to sell your children to me, King Glayder.”  I simply
say without batting an eye.

The
King has a surprised look on his face at my seemingly random question.  “I
hate to be rude, but I find it disappointing that a person of your stature has
the audacity to ask someone to bargain off a family member to them.  While
I know that slavery is considered normal amongst nobles, I find it beneath me
to sell off someone I love for a monetary value.  I hope that this has
made it clear that I have no plans on selling my bond.” I continue, my eyes
never wavering.

“HOW
DARE YOU INSOLENT PEASANT SAY SUCH THINGS TO THE KING!
” 
One
of the Augmenter guard unsheathes his blade and prepares to strike down at me.

The
sword that was arcing down, ready to cleave me in half had a faint glow of mana
surrounding it.  Augmenting his sword to attack an eight year old…this man
showed no mercy.  The Augmenter guard’s face was unveiled as he charged
towards me, his hood blown back to reveal a furious expression.

I
could see the horror in the faces of my family as well as Vincent’s family.
 The Twin Horns were desperately trying to make their way towards the
attacker to stop him from creating two vertical halves of me.  Even the
King had a surprised look on his face at the unprecedented action of his guard,
while his wife was already frantically reaching for her wand.

I look
up lazily at the mage about to swing down.  Whether it was because he was
angry or because he was just looking down on me since I’m a child, his attack
was mediocre at best.  I don’t even will mana into my body as I take a
step forward with my right foot as he’s on his downward swing and reach up to
grab the corner between the cross-guard and the grip.

Using
the momentum of his swing, I pivot my front foot, still holding unto the
cross-guard while my body is now parallel to the Augmenter.   His
reinforced sword slashes through the empty space my body was at before and
creates a small fissure in the ground, imbedding the sword.  In one quick
movement, I give a quick strike at his chin that he didn’t bother reinforcing
with mana.  The force of my upward punch and his downward movement while
he was swinging created a bigger sound than I imagined and I just hear a soft
‘oof’ before he crumbles, passed out.

I
glance to see the poor fool called Sebastian grinding his teeth as he’s
muttering a spell in silent.

SEBASTIAN’S
POV:

That
impudent brat! He should know his place!  When the King asks for
something, it’s not a request; it’s an order!  How dare he not only
refuse, but also reprimand our noble King!  That brat doesn’t deserve his
bond!  I come from a family of pure Conjurers, the elites of the mages
capable of bending nature at will.  Yet, why do I not have a beast
contract while that brat has one that can form an Equals Contract at such a
young age!  That means the level of that beast is at least an A class.

I’m
the one that deserves the magnificent steed that beast will grow up to become!
 Yet, he refused me!  He refused the King!

I
can’t help but grind my teeth in frustration.

“HOW
DARE YOU INSOLENT PEASANT SAY SUCH THINGS TO THE KING!
”

I see
Harry scream while charging with his sword in the air.

YES!
 Kill that brat!  I guess Augmenters do have their uses at times.
 After the brat is dead, I’ll rightfully have that black mana beast.

But
before I can even start cheering him, he’s knocked out.

“…”

What
the hell?

How
did that useless half-wit fool knock himself out?  Ugh… I’ll have to
handle this myself.

But
before I pull out my cane, I see the brat walking towards me.

Is he
asking to die?   I don’t care at this point.  That non-mage Vincent
is a close friend of our King but I’ll probably just get out of killing some
random brat with just a light punishment.  That mana Beast is worth it.

I’m
murmuring a spell silently; ready to blow his head off from his body.  He
can see my mouth move but he’s still walking towards to me?

Cheh!
 Thanks for making it easier brat.  Yet, why I feel like that brat,
who’s half my height, is somehow looking down at me, as if superior.

You’re
just making me want to kill you, aren’t you brat?

He’s
in front of me as I’m about the finish my fire spark spell.

*CRAAAACCK*

“Thud!”

That’s
weird, why did I suddenly lose balance?

I look
down to see that my knee is bent at an inverted angle and I see my bones with
tendons still attached, sticking out of my skin.

T-that’s
MY leg!

“GGAAAHHHHH!”

“M-MY
LEG! MY LEG!!”  I’ve never felt such an excruciating pain as great as this
before.  Why would a noble conjurer need to exert himself to feel pain?

Why is
no one helping me? I look around and see everyone frozen.  No, they’re not
just surprised
but
really frozen in place.  Are
my eyes going bad from the pain?  I’m seeing everything, everyone around
me as if I’m looking through in an inverted color.

“…”

“This
space won’t last long so I’ll make it quick.  I advise you that it would
be in the best interest of both of us that you stop your hopeless pursuit of my
bond.  I do not wish to make an enemy of our Kingdom’s leader so I am
giving you this last chance.”

The
boy was speaking in a manner that made me forget he was only eight years old.
 The tone of the words he articulated carried power and dignity,
pressuring me to comply while sending shivers down my back.

He
turns his back to me and walks away, taking a few steps before he turns his
head back.

He’s
looking down at me with an emotionless face, with eyes that seem to pierce
directly into my head like a hot needle, actually making me wince from pain.

No…
No, no, no.  I can’t breathe.  I’m so scared I can’t even feel the
pain.  I feel a warm sensation between my legs as my body just accepts its
fate and prepares to die.

He
squats down and glares at me with his eyes narrowed, looking at me as if I was
an insect.

His
eyes glaring down at me as if I was an insect, he mouths,

“Know
your place.”

KING
GLAYDER’S POV:

The
reasoning of this 8-year-old child fascinates me more than the implication of
his message towards the King of this country.

While
Sebastian is a loyal guard that has served us for decades, him asking me to
tell the kid to give up his bond was something that I should’ve never done.
 Yet I promised him beforehand and who would I be if I went back on my
word.

Then
everything went south.  Do the Royal Knight Guards only amount to this much…to
rush in hotheaded because of a provocation by an 8-year-old???

Even
if I didn't bring my personal Templar Knights, thinking that there wouldn't be
any troubles, I didn't think these fresh trainees would cause this much
trouble.

While
surprised, I quickly keep a composed face.  What’s done is done.  If
a royal guard kills a child, then the public may pity the kid and his family
for a couple of days but ultimately blame it on the parents for not raising the
child right.

It’s a
pity that the kid’s family is friends with Vincent.  Cutting ties with
Vincent may turn out to be a little inconvenient in the future.

Yet, I
can only raise my eyebrows at the astonishing movements of the 8-year-old who
quickly knocked out my Royal Guard.

Harry,
that fool
.  How inexperienced is he to not even
reinforce his body! He’s only giving a bad name to the Royal Knights of Sapin!

“KKYYAAAAAAAAAA!”
 I bolt my head up in surprise at the shrill scream.

My
wife is wide-eyed looking down at something behind me.

How is
Sebastian, who was fine just a second ago on the ground clutching his left leg
that has several shards of bone sticking out, glaring daggers at the boy.

I see
him fumble for his cane on the ground, pointing it at the boy, mumbling a
spell.

“ENOUGH!
HOW DARE YOU SEBASTIAN!”  Does this ignorant fool not know that this whole
dilemma stemmed from his greed for a child’s bond?

I grab
ahold of his cane and snap it in half.  Sebastian looks at me in shock as
If I betrayed him.

This
pathetic ingrate…

“Stand
down!  This matter is over.”  I growl menacingly at him.  He is
in the presence of a King.  No matter how much he’s used to it, it’s best
to remind him that I have the means to end his life on my whim.

The
boy faints now and I see his family and co. rush after him.  Settling this
incident will be rather tiring.

I can
see that the boy’s family and friends are struggling to lash out at me.

How
wise of them to know their place in front of their King.

“Sigh…I
imagine that the boy should be treated so please excuse yourselves so that we
may settle this matter another time.”  I simply say, herding my wife and
children, while the two pathetic clowns that I was foolish enough to once call
Royal Knights were picked up by his teammates

___________________________________

ARTHUR
LEYWIN’S POV:

UGHH
my fucking head!

My
vision clears and I turn my head to the right and left.

I’m in
my room.

“Kyu!!”
Sylvie stirs awake almost immediately and begins licking my face. ‘You’re
awake! You’re awake!’ she speaks to me mentally, her tail wagging fiercely.

“Mmm?
 Oh you’re finally awake!”  My mom had her head in her arms leaning
on my bed.

“The
doctor just said you fell unconscious probably due to shock, and that you’d
wake up soon.  I didn’t think you’d be asleep for 8 hours though.”
 She pets my hair, giving me a soft smile.

I
could tell by her red eyes that she was crying for a while.

Dammit,
I made her worry again.

“What
happened after I passed out?”  I sit up in bed, placing the bouncing
Sylvie on my lap.

“We
all left a bit after you fell unconscious.  No one was in the right state
of mind so the King excused himself first.  Your father is downstairs with
the King’s representative.  They’re in the living room discussing what
happened.”  She looks a little worried at this.

I just
nod and get off of bed.  My body still feels heavy from using the first
phase of Sylvia’s Dragon Will so I just walk slowly downstairs with Mother
after she checked up on Ellie who was asleep in her room.