System Change

Bradley and the other guards rushed back to the city. When they arrived, he tasked one of his men to deliver Alicia to her home while he and the remaining guards hurried back to the City Lord’s manor, along with Clay.

Bradley was filled with anxiety after meeting the purple-eyed man. He didn’t know how he was going to explain everything to Lord Torith. The higher ranked and the Lord’s personal guards all knew about the mysterious Derek Hunt, and there were standing orders not to offend the man until the City Lord learned more about him.

The City Lord hadn’t placed Derek Hunt high on his list of priorities, which is why not many of the other guards knew about him. Of course, rumors had spread about a man obtaining a Crown Membership, but not much more than that. Only the more influential in the city knew of the man’s name and accurate description. Hopefully, the lord would take pity on him and his men, as he was able to at least save the young master’s life.

He was also able to obtain some information about the other man’s power. He didn’t have a clue on how to describe it other than, ‘more terrifying than any person he’s ever met.’ But, before he could completely collect his thoughts, Bradley was standing before the doors to the manor’s Great Hall, waiting to be seen by the City Lord.

Soon, the doors opened and Bradley was greeted by Captain Herrett, the Captain of the guards and leader of the City Lord’s personal guard. The man was actually from the Capital and assigned to guard the City Lord by the Lord’s father. Bradley had told Clay that he was under orders from the City Lord to protect him, but his orders had actually come down from Captain Herrett.

“Bradley? What is it? What is so urgent that you need to speak directly with the City Lord and are unable to write a proper report?” Captain Herrett questioned.

“Captain… Sir. Young Master Clay had a run in with Derek Hunt today and was lucky to have gotten out alive.” Bradley replied.

The Captain furrowed his brow. “Let’s go.” He motioned for Bradley to follow and led him through the Great Hall towards a man sitting on a seat higher than all the others.

The Great Hall looked like a mini Throne Room. It wasn’t Bradley’s first time being in it, but it was still a sight to behold. The Great Hall doubled as a dining area for celebrations and such. As of right now, the hall was empty, apart from the single seat that the City Lord occupied. But, during celebrations and when their were guests, servants would bring tables and decorations to accommodate the party.

Captain Herrett and Bradley approached the man in the high seat flanked by guards on either side. He looked nearly identical to Clay, but kept his golden hair trimmed and neat. With a goblet in his hand, resting on the arm of the chair, and his laid-back manner, he gave off a regal air. He seemed to be only in his early 20s, but Bradley knew that was because of his high Vitality stat that he obtained when he was younger.

Clay had followed his father’s example in that regard. The easiest way to invest in Vitality without squandering your stat points is to have a defensive class. Of course, that way of leveling was painful, but it was a price one would have to pay to appear younger.

“Hmm…” The City Lord said. “You are… Bradley, correct?”

“Yes, Lord. It is an honor that you remember my name.” Bradley replied.

“Of course.” The Lord laughed. “Herrett picked you out of the bunch of rabble to protect my son. How could I forget.”

“It is my honor to have received such a task.”

“Now, why are you here? I hope it’s for something important.” The Lord said with squinted eyes.

“Y-yes, Lord. It is about that task, and the man, Derek Hunt.”

Malcolm Torith frowned at that. “What do you mean? What do the two of them have to do with one another?”

Here it goes… Bradley thought. “Sir, normally they would have nothing to do with one another. But today I was guarding the Young Master out in the noble hunting grounds. He brought along that merchant girl Alicia, and a commoner boy. The Young Master planned on…” He stopped. How am I supposed to say that the Young Master planned on robbing and killing a young teenager?

The City Lord appeared irritated at his hesitation. “Spit it out, Bradley.”

“Y-yes, Lord.” He replied. “The Young Master planned on… taking the commoner boy’s possessions.” Bradley gulped, waiting for the Lord’s reply.

“And?” The City Lord said.

Bradley spaced out for a moment. Does he not care that the Young Master was stealing from a commoner? He shook that thought out of his head. “Y-yes… um…” He hesitated again, but forced himself to continue. “When the Young Master finally struck, the boy showed remarkable ability to dodge and move, avoiding any fatal blows. He then healed himself with a potion.

“That was when the Young Master called for myself and the other guards. We finished off the monster he was fighting and prepared to… take care of the commoner. When he gave the order, Derek Hunt came out of the forest… clapping.” Bradley said.

At this point, both the Captain and the City Lord were frowning. “Why was that man there?” Lord Torith asked.

“Sir, apparently, he knows the boy. They acted almost like master and disciple. Mr. Hunt talked to the boy about the fight when he appeared. They continued on, casually, like the rest of us weren’t even there. Finally, the Younger Master was unable to take it anymore, and called for both of their deaths.” The guard recounted.

The Captain winced and the City Lord’s frown deepened at that. “What happened next?” Captain Herret commanded.

“C-captain… My Lord… I’ve never… I’ve never…” Bradley began shaking uncontrollably. “I’ve never felt such power. One word from the man and it was all I could do to stay on my feet. The Young Master may be in shock still, and the merchant girl ended up unconscious on the way back.”

“But he let you go?” The Lord asked.

“Yes, he said that we would have all been dead if it wasn’t for someone called Alanah. He said that she had asked him not to kill anybody important today, so he didn’t. He said that if I wanted to thank anybody, to thank her.” Bradley replied.

“Alanah? Alanah Swan?” The City Lord nearly jumped out of his seat. “Do you know who that is?”

“N-no, sir.”

“She is the owner of The Crown Restaurants. All of them!” The Lord nearly yelled.

Bradley was just transitioning to one of the more important guards. The inner workings of the Crown Restaurant was so high above him, that he had never worried about learning anything more about them. All he knew was that he couldn’t dine there, and that he should never make a scene or allow the Young Master to make a scene there.

Bradley couldn’t believe his ears. He had only done a small amount of research on Derek Hunt when he heard Captain Herrett talking about him and sending messengers to him. All he knew was that he had a pet bunny, and he had somehow received a Crown Membership card. It wasn’t his job to investigate the man, so he left it at that.

The City Lord sighed. “So, he left you all alive, and the only reason he did so was because the owner of the Crown asked him not to kill my son.” He shook his head. “Other than the power you felt, is there anything else you can tell me about him?”

“When he got angry, the purple in his eyes expanded to cover all of his whites. It was like how when someone with powerful fire affinity channels their ability through their body and their iris’s turn red. I’ve never seen anyone with purple before, and definitely not encompassing the whole eye. He also channeled lightning through his hands, I’m sure of it. It was blue, instead of purple.” Bradley replied.

“A purple element…” The City Lord mumbled to himself. He turned and looked at Captain Herrett. “Herrett, have you ever heard of anyone having a purple elemental affinity before?”

“I’ve heard legends, sir. That is all.” Herrett answered. “An extremely high affinity with lightning may get darker blue, enough to be mistaken as purple. Other than that, maybe gravity or a dark ability.” Herrett looked at Bradley. “Are you sure that it was purple and not black?”

Bradley nodded. “It was definitely purple. You can ask the Young Master and the other guards.”

“Hmm… Well, we’ll table it for now, is there anything else?” Lord Torith asked.

“Y-yes, Lord.” Bradley gulped. “H-he… Mr. Hunt said that he would be paying the City Lord a visit soon and that there was no need to send him any more invitations. He said that you… have his attention now.”

The City Lord’s face turned slightly red and he grit his teeth. A crashing sound came from the floor as his goblet laid crumpled on the ground, wine spilling out of it. “He said that, did he?” He asked, rhetorically.

“No… Bradley.” The City Lord said. “Why is it that you did not know that this kid was related to that man. If I’m not mistaken, the man arrived with a bunny and teenage boy with dirty blonde hair in tow. Did you not do any research on my son’s target before you let him attack!” He screamed at the end of the sentence.

“S-sir. T-that is not it. W-we… I had guards trailing the boy for over a week now. The boy never made contact with that man while we were trailing him. Other than practicing in the Adventurer’s Guild and doing small tasks with the merchant girl, he stayed in the inn.” Bradley quickly answered.

“Is that so?” The Lord said. “Still, it is your fault that you did not investigate thoroughly?”

Bradley bowed his head. “Y-yes sir.”

“Starting today, you are stripped of your rank. You will go back with the rest of the rabble, where you belong. You’re lucky that I don’t just kill you now and be done with it.” The City Lord said. “Herrett, see to it that my orders are followed… and get my son a new personal guard. Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.” Herrett nodded and took a hold of Bradley’s arm, leading him back out of the hall.

“Derek Hunt… we’ll see… we’ll see.” Bradley heard the City Lord mutter just before the doors closed behind him.

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