BXBX NOVEL Chapter 48 48 - Left To Contemplate
The journey back to the Phoenix castle was filled with silence and awkward gazes. Unsure what to make of the situation now, Haruki as well as Asuka were deep in thought pondering just how such a tragedy could\'ve been avoided. However, what\'s done was done, and without the help of a godly user of time magic, none of it could ever be changed.
\'I need to finish things here quickly, there\'s lots to do back at Laria too.\' Having left his territory under Rose\'s watchful eyes, Haruki wasn\'t too concerned for its safety, but with Moriyana taking over the illegal businesses he could only imagine the kind of troubles he\'d be returning to. \'I just hope she keeps her promise of keeping children out of it.\'
Strolling in through the castle gates, the carriage stopped by the garden. While attempting to get out Haruki noticed Riley fencing with the guards again. The moment their eyes met, he drew his sword back into the cape before making his way toward the carriage.
"Is it true what I\'ve heard?" He asked nonchalantly.
But as Asuka stepped out of the carriage, his confident demeanor changed completely. Blushing a bright red, he crossed his legs before shying away from her gaze. Just the sight of her reminded him of the night and the countless hours of being milked through her alleged curse-purging magic.
"Jenna\'s dead, yes," ignoring the change in his body language, Haruki gave him a straight answer.
"Are you okay, sir Riley?" No longer in the complete effect of sadism, Asuka actually felt a bit bad for draining him until nothing was left. "You should take a day off from fencing if you feel too tired."
Squinting his eyes shut, Riley violently shook his head to show that he was fine. His obvious lie, however, was fooling no one, it even made Haruki feel a bit odd the way Riley was acting.
"Ahem!" Bringing his fist under his mouth he let off a cough before correcting his demeanor. "I\'m sorry to hear that, do you know why she did such a thing?"
The sudden question struck them where it hurt. From offering her sister to the reaper to failing to do anything so she wouldn\'t kill herself, it all painted a sinister picture. And if they were to continue to struggle down the same path, there were bound to be many more like her.
"It\'s a bit much for a morning talk, maybe we can talk about it later?" Brushing off his question, Haruki was about to make his way back into the castle, however, grabbing him by the arm Riley held him in place.
"How about a bit of fencing to keep things off of your mind?" Riley offered with a genuinely warm smile.
\'I can\'t get a proper read on this guy.\' The uncertainty about Riley\'s intentions had started to bug him. At times, he seemed extremely hostile, at the other he wasn\'t so abhorrent.
"I\'m a scholar, but I doubt I know a single thing about fencing," trying to get out of the situation, Haruki made up an excuse.
"Isn\'t that more reason to start learning?" Reaching into his cape, he drew out yet another fencing sword. "Here, take it."
Offering the sword to Haruki by holding it in front of him, Riley smirked cheekily.
"How much stuff do you carry in that cape?" Taking the offered sword, Haruki couldn\'t help asking that question. He had seen Riley constantly taking stuff out of it as if there was no end to its capacity to hold.
"Everything, but swords and dead bodies mostly," backstepping towards the fencing ground by the garden area, he let out a chuckle.
"You\'re kidding, right?" Baffled by his answer, Haruki wasn\'t sure whether to take him seriously or not.
"Unfortunately not, I\'m a spy after all, bodies are to me the same way books are to a scholar," taking up a striking stance, he held the sword pointed towards Haruki.
\'I guess I can use a bit of brushing up on my skills on a sword, I haven\'t picked a blade since being revived after all.\' Walking up closer Haruki moved the tip of Riley\'s sword.
"You seem to know the etiquette at least," Riley commended.
"I\'m a glutton for knowledge," Haruki replied, swinging the sword against him to start their fight.
Although seeming well matched at first, lacking the muscles from his previous life most of Haruki\'s energy was spent trying to move the darned sword. With a sparring partner like Riley, that handicap was bound to be fatal, and that\'s exactly what happened. Distracted by a sprain in his arm, Haruki ran right into the edge of Riley\'s blade.
"Ughh!" He grunted as the blade grazed his shoulder.
"Master?!" Asuka yelped in horror as she saw the blood draining from his arm.
"Shit! I didn\'t mean to do that," getting down to his knees, Riley put the blades away to get a look at the sharp wound. "It\'s not too deep, thankfully."
Rushing to her master, Asuka quickly started to cast her healing magic. The moment Riley saw her hands glow, he instinctively jumped back from the trauma of last night.
"I\'ll put these blades away!" Drained of all blood from his face, he grabbed the blades and kept his distance.
Healing the wound, Asuka glared up at Riley with a raging look. It made him flinch further, but gulping down his angst he didn\'t let it show in front of the guards. All the while, as Haruki was being healed, he felt not anger towards Riley but felt conflicted about his initial perception of what Riley was like.
\'I should\'ve tried to make Margarette spill some secrets while I was in her dream.\' Thinking back to Margarette he got up from the ground, wondering how she was doing now that she was probably fully awake.
"I\'m sorry, I didn\'t really mean to hurt you," still maintaining his distance, Riley seemed genuinely concerned about Haruki.
\'I don\'t know if this guy is great at acting or if he has nothing to do with the assassination.\' Riley\'s empathy towards him made Haruki question the extent of Riley\'s involvement in the assassination attempts on him.
"Forget it!" Yelling out loud, Asuka grabbed Haruki\'s hand and started to lead him away from the garden. "Master, you should just rest, I\'ll heal you once we\'re back in your room."
Giving Riley a mean stare, Asuka kept guiding Haruki away from him.