BXBX NOVEL Chapter 184: Twins
Lucius was impossible to find in the class or practical lessons for the first several days to weeks. He seemed to have some other business that kept him from normal academy life. On days when he was on campus, Lucius spent most of his time surrounded by his wife, Lady Kane, and his biological sister, Lyrah. Of course, with Lyrah, there was always that quiet maid.
Rena and the maid would be joining him on the trip as well. He had not gotten time to learn the maid\'s name because no one else in class wanted to talk with her, but apparently, she was quite the accomplished fighter. When he tried to talk to her, she would not speak to him.
Talking to others about her was not helpful either, as they simply referred to her as the \'deadly maid\' or \'the oracle\'s assassin,\' which was terrifying in its own right.
For a while, he thought the others were joking, but then he saw her fight against Lucius. She had managed to land a blow to his thigh, which surprised many of the spectators. After the dagger struck, Lucius managed to do something to counter her.
He used his mark, which caused her to enter a trance-like state. She raised her hand to him and let him simply walk up to her. When he reached her, he simply grabbed her by the throat, lifted her into the air, and then slammed her down on the ground, sinking his machete into the floor next to her.
No one knew why she stopped moving exactly, but whatever it was he did was a strong move… it made Desmond morbidly curious. "Why my sister?"
"Does she not need credit for this? Would you prefer she travel with someone else?" Lucius asked.
"What about your sister?"
"She\'s exempted as one of the Oracles."
Desmond locked eyes with Lucius. The man\'s statement was logical, but he was no fool. Not everything was being explained to him about this offer… but he could not afford to pass it up. This was the first real conversation he had with Lucius Kane since joining the academy, and here he was, offering him an opportunity to get closer to him and maybe a shot at meeting the king of Eroa.
"Brother." A soft voice broke his concentration for a moment.
Desmond looked to his side, where his sister was sitting. She was glaring at him with a face full of indignation. She seemed to realize that one of the sources of his concern was bringing her on a mission of any kind. Jade was a willful and smart woman, but she was not a strong fighter. In fact, the girl did not have any Compatibility with magic or Arts.
Her only usable ability that separated her from a normal person was her mark.
"Brother. We should go. Take Lord Kane\'s offer. It is the best one we could get. He is right, I am not exempted from this work study. Honestly, among the people here, I feel that Lord Kane is the most powerful and would be the best one to rely on for protection." Jade continued.
Desmond sighed and put his hand towards the black-haired man. "Alright, you have a deal. But! My first priority is Jade\'s safety, but anything else is secondary. Just like I expect yours is your wife\'s…"
"Fine, but I will not allow coddling."
"Excuse me?"
"Rena is more than capable of handling herself. She is a strong magic user. Though I may be stronger, she is not useless. Your sister appears to be stronger than you think. Though not in body, then definitely in mind." Lucius said.
Desmond looked over at Jade, who had taken on a bit of a blush. Was that really all it took for her? Just a few kind words from some puffed-up noble… no… Lucius was not a puffed-up noble. He was a hardened warrior who experienced a hard life to get where he was. It was clear the man needed no flattery, which meant he was telling the truth.
"Jade, I am sorry. Lucius, I am in your debt for allowing us to join you and for helping me see my sister\'s strengths."
"Fine."
Shortly after a few exchanges of pleasantries between Rena, Lyrah, Desmond, and Jade, the group of peers left to go inform the staff of their party composition. According to the discussion, they were planning on investigating some ancient ruins near the border with the Wisteria Concord.
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The location was a joint excavation by researchers from both Arcadios and the Wisteria Concord. It was deeply nestled in a forested area, as most things were in Arcadios, which was home to a rather unpleasant number of strong beasts and bandits.
"Jade, are you sure you are okay with this? It will be tough to do. The place we are going to is not a vacation resort or something."
"I am aware, brother. However, I have learned a lot from Professor Wally regarding marks and the Demon language from which they originate. What I gathered from Lucius\'s explanation was that these ruins were believed to be remnants of the demon civilization.
"Imagine, brother, what things might be unearthed there? What secrets could we find? Even if the answer is nothing, the sheer exposure to such ancient history is a tantalizing prospect of its own!"
Desmond smiled ruefully at his sister. He often forgot how much of an intellectual she was, but it was good to see her motivated by something after such a long time. Though he was still worried about the actual excursion itself, at least she would end up having a good time.
Also, her earlier statements were not wrong. Working with Lucius was probably one of the best options they could have hoped for. Anyone else in the academy would be far too much of a \'wildcard\' in terms of reliability and power. That would have made him and Jade do the work studies alone, which was something neither of them wanted to do at all.