NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64: Verdicts
It would be hard to get even greater reaction from the crowd that watched the ongoing events. As if the innate instincts of the barbarians they were just a few hundred years ago were awoken, nearly the entire stadium was on its feet, expressing their emotions with either aggrieved shouts, joyfull cheering or simple outcries of shock.
On the other hand, it would be a lie to tell that Fen didn't feel anything. Even after dropping now lifeless body of the man to the ground as he continued to convluse for a few more times before the los of blood put an end to his suffering, the young man could stare at the corpse that he just created with utter ease and calmness, not experiencing any of the backlash connected to the first time someone would spill the blood with the fatal result.
"EVERYONE FUCKING STOP!"
With Fen raising his hand to his eyes as this bloodied part of his body was the only thing that felt kinda strange, the judge of the match finally came to his senses. Using some kind of contraption that Fen was no wiser about, this elderly man somehow managed to silence the entire place with a powerful bout of his own, empowered voice.
"Stop? Do you mean to say that fulfilling citizens' lawful obligation to follow the written law should be stopped? Or maybe you would like to claim that his majesty Envoy that graced us with his presence isn't worthy applying lese majeste law on him?"
There wasn't even a single hint of normal emotions in Fen's voice. No hatred, no anger, no pity, no sadness… Not even satisfied smile appeared on his lips, making the young man look like if he was genuinely distressed and curious about the question he just asked.
"You…"
Unable to respond to the matter being put in this way, Judge stuttered for a moment. Yet, just as he was about to respond by pushing the ball back on Fen's part of the conversational field, a new voice, somehow capable of infusing its own sound with an innate aura of power, entered the fray.
"I do not need for the students to enforce my rights and laws for me. My people are more than enough for that purpose."
Turning his head up and looking in the direction of the honorary lodge on the tribunes, Fen finally had the chance to see the royal envoy himself. This sturdy-looking, middle-aged man had the appearance of a veteran that went through his own fair share of troubles and dangers. This alone could be seen in the intangible aura that the envoy spread with every, even the slightest move of his.
"I do acknowledge that poor soul attempt at gaining the edge during the fight by using forbidden means, and as much as it pains me to accept such lack of discipline that allowed this male student to act on his own, it stands as fact that he acted along the words of law. As for the matter of deciding the score, I will leave that in master judge hands."
Speaking out in a slow and dignified manner, the envoy finished his speech with a gentle swipe of his hand before returning to his usual place behind the cover of the multiple, thin curtains.
"As per your order, your majesty!"
Bowing his entire body in the direction of the honorary seat, duel's judge quickly turned his head back towards Fen. In his eyes, glisters of hate.
"Since the match failed to end properly, it is my duty to…"
Realising what this kind of situation could regress into, Fen cast aside his wonders about the strange heat that was spreading through his entire body from his bloodied hand starting. Moving a few steps forward, he interrupted the judge with his own words.
"I'm the one responsible for the interruption. If I may suggest something, master judge, I would like to take the full responsibility for the result of those unfortunate events."
Midway through his words, Fen forced all his fears into the deepest part of his soul before turning his sight up, staring directly at the leader of the Inquisition's group. Not even bothering to look slightly to the side in order to check Basil's reaction to all of that, the young arcanist… smiled!
"Then…"
It was hard to tell whether this slight provocation worked, whether the judge took his suggestion into account or whether something else that Fen failed to notice happened. Hesitating right as he was about to give out his judgment, the man responsible for the entire event swallowed his saliva as his face whitened out.
"Then the second match will be canceled. As for you, his majesty Envoy wishes to see you in the next match. For now though, this area needs to be cleaned up, and everyone can tell that… delivering the justice took a tool on you, young student. You are now free to take some rest, and once you are ready, you will partake in the next, scheduled fight. Now, dismissed!"
Clearly stuttering just like he did when he was about to give out his own judgment, the judge could only swallow the sourness that came with this surprisingly lenient sentence.
'Well, my hopes of going with it low-key were gone the moment I jumped down the tribunes… But heck, at least I'm finally free!'
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Fen bowed deeply both in the direction of the honorary envoy's seat and towards the judge, before looking in the direction of the inquisition.
'Now, Kaisha shouldn't have any problems because of my intervention…'
Seeing how some of the local servants were already helping the girl out of the arena, Fen smiled lightly, before turning his light grin into an open, smuggish smile directed perfectly towards the most hated group that he could point out on the entirety of the tribunes.
This entire situation… was extremely weird. Starting with that strange heat that was now lodged in most of the young man's body, through the sudden enlightment about the issue that troubled the arcanist's apprentice's mind for the past few day, at the strange looks that Kaisha gave him ending…
Yet, Fen wasn��t sad.
Instead of walking with his entire posture sunk down, he was actually stepping forward with his nose high and sight perfectly pararel to the ground. Despite him throwing away the opportunity to get out of the city relatively easily and safely, he didn't feel any remorse about that.
After all, the main point that Fen took for his priority, was to change his own mentality into something that he could be proud off. Yet, with how confused he was about what should be considered a good trait and what should be labelled as con of his character, Fen lost the underlying meaning that caused him to set this character change as his primary objective!
Ever since he grew up to be a man like he was before, Fen continuously abhored those who allowed the others to take the decisions for them. At first, after the young man made up his mind to change himself, everything that he did would go through the analysis of what he really wanted to do instead of what was the most fitting course of action in a specific situation for him to take.
And only when his body jerked forward in response to the sudden danger that Kaisha appeared in, did the young man realise one thing.
In just a few days, even though he attempted to make his decision based on what he wanted and how the person he imagined he wanted to be would act in response to certain situations. Yet, as he grew used to making the decisions in this new style, he forgot the most important aspect of all.
Fen just wanted to free himself from the restraints that his position, his surroundings, his aquiatances and circle put on him!
And what was the better way to finally turn free, if not for acting according to one's deepest moral instincts?
'This is strange… It was a while since I got so immersed in my thoughts…'
Shaking his head once again as Fen's escort finally reached a waiting room, the young man looked at his bloodied… No, it wasn't right!
For some reason, all the blood that split all over his hand and sleve when he cut Kaisha's opponent's throat, was now somehow gone!
'Could it be the reason of this heat?'
With it being the one somehow rational way of explaining the source of this strange feeling that dominated over Fen's body now, the young man couldn't be bothered to pay it any more of his mind. If it happened, then it happened, and no amount of his thoughts would either allow him to change it or explain it.
Rather than fixating himself on an irrelevant topic, Fen preferred to focus on the matters at hand. And seeing how a small crowd of people was rushing its way towards the bench on which he had the guts to sit down, there were a lot of hands and matters that he would have to deal with soon!