The One Branch of The Tree

Loud knocking sounded again from downstairs, this time with more than one person. The sound of armored footsteps echoed from the ground floor of the inn, the royal knights. Naturally, since my life seems allergic to quiet, I turned to Arka.

“Say you have a solution.”

Arka actually remains calm, this man can probably remain calm even when the world is really burning.

“How many?” I asked.

He closed his eyes for a moment as if feeling something.

“Twelve,” he replied.

I nodded slightly. Not great, but still better than fifty.

“And one person who is quite strong,” he continued.

To make matters worse, Mira walked closer to the window and peeked through the gap in the curtain. Her face immediately changed.

“Their captain is here,” Mira said.

I approached.

“Who?” I asked.

Mira swallowed hard.

“Valen Drakhar,” Mira answered.

The name clearly has a meaning unfortunately I was not born in this world, I just stared at him blankly Mira turned her head quickly.

“He is one of the strongest knights in Lemuria,” said Mira.

 “Ah.” 

Information that I really didn't like, Arka finally stood up, he took his stick and walked towards the door.

"Don't go out." said Arka.

I frowned.

"Wait. What?" I was surprised.

“I will talk to them,” he said.

I looked at the old man.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Arka glanced at me briefly.

“If they come into this room, the situation becomes more complicated,” he replied.

I crossed my arms.

“It's hard to imagine a more complicated level than my life right now,” I continued.

Arka ignored me and opened the door, before leaving he paused for a moment.

“And no matter what happens, do not activate your fragment inside the city.” 

I raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” 

He answered briefly.

“Because everyone will know.”

Then the door closed and the room suddenly became much quieter. I stared at the door for a few seconds.

“He just left.”

Mira sighed.

“Trust me, it's better.”

I walked towards the window, from the second floor I could see part of the main street with several knights standing guard outside the inn. 

Their silver-blue armor reflected the light of the night lanterns. In the center stood a man in dark blue robes and heavier armor, dark blond hair, an upright posture, a sharp gaze, and a distinct aura of leadership. Valen Drakhar, I guessed, but even from here, his aura felt steady and oppressive, not at the level of an ordinary person. I let out a soft sigh.

“Long day.”

Mira stood beside me.

"I didn't expect them to move this fast."

“I've only been a fugitive for a few hours.”

“Congratulations,” he said flatly.

“Your popularity is increasing.”

I glanced at him.

“I prefer other promotional methods.”

Under the open door of the inn Arka appeared and walked down casually, Valen took a few steps forward the two of them started talking. 

Too far to hear but body language was clear enough Valen looked polite but wary, Arka looked like he was talking about the weather. 

The old man was really absurd, I noticed the situation of twelve knights one strong captain and the city gates were closed. 

My mana isn't completely stable yet, it's still not normal. Conclusion: fighting now is a bad idea, Mira seemed to read my expression.

“Don't think about anything else.”

“I'm just calculating the options.”

“That's the face you make when you think about something that could potentially destroy a building.”

I was a little offended.

"Not always."

Mira looked at me, I raised my hand.

“Okay, quite often.”

The conversation below seemed to be getting more serious, Valen took out a piece of paper possibly a warrant the Knight behind him started to move slightly, the formation changed I immediately tensed up.

“Oh, that's not a development I like.”

Mira also watched.

“Looks like they want to check all the rooms.”

It was amazing I looked around the room one door, one window, one old man negotiating with our lives.

“What if they go up?” I asked.

Mira thought quickly.

“We can go through the roof.”

I glanced up at the wooden roof, I was just about to formulate a plan when the sound of footsteps started to be heard on the stairs, Mira and I looked at each other.

“So fast,” I whispered.

Mira gripped her staff, and I gripped my sword tighter, my instincts immediately kicking in, adrenaline surging. Damn, before I could rest, the footsteps stopped right in front of the door. A few seconds of silence felt incredibly long, then a man's voice rang out from outside. 

Calm. 

Firm.

“Open the door.”

It wasn't a shout, it wasn't a threat, but it was clear enough that it wasn't a request. I looked at Mira, she swallowed hard, and I sighed.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

“I think a quiet night is too optimistic.”

I stepped closer to the door, Mira immediately held my arm.

“What are you doing?” asked Mira.

"Improvisation," I answered lightly.

“That was not a reassuring answer,” Mira continued.

“Nothing in my life is calming,” I continued. 

Fair enough, I stood right in front of the door contemplating my options. 

Escape through the window? Risk of being seen. 

Fighting? Bad. 

Opening the door? That's probably a bad thing too.

Excellent choice, I took a breath and before I could decide Arka's voice came from below.

“Captain Whale.”

His tone remained calm but louder.

“If you insist on checking that room, then I suggest you be prepared to accept the consequences.”

I blinked. Oh? Interesting, outside the door the footsteps stopped silent again. A few seconds later, the man's voice came again, this time a little more cautious.

“Is that a threat?” 

Arka answered casually.

“That’s advice.”

I almost smiled, this old man was getting more and more interesting. Below, I heard the murmurs of several knights, the tension rising, and then Valen's voice came through clearly.

“Get down.” A short order.

The footsteps in front of the door slowly receded, and I lowered my shoulders slightly. It wasn't safe yet, but at least I wasn't dead, a small victory. 

I returned to the window below Valen staring at Arka for a moment, their gazes met in silence as if there was another conversation that couldn't be heard then finally Valen gave a signal. 

All the knights retreated, they really retreated. I raised an eyebrow, no way. They just left after a few minutes, the streets were relatively quiet again. Arka went back up to the second floor. As soon as I entered the room, I immediately spoke.

"Good."

I pointed at him.

“Now I need a really good explanation.”

Arka closed the door his expression unchanged.

“Valen knows me.”

“Obviously,” I said.

“The next question is why did the captain of the royal knights retreat just because of your words.”

Arka was silent for a moment and then said,

“Because he was smart enough not to mess with me.”

A very arrogant and oddly believable answer. Mira seemed as curious as I was.

“What is your true identity?” Mira asked.

Arka looked at the two of us. Then he sat back down casually.

“Tomorrow morning,” he said.

“I will take you to a safer place.”

I frowned.

“What place?”

The old man answered briefly.

“A place where you can do class evolution.”

The room suddenly fell silent, I froze. Mira immediately turned to me. Class evolution? Finally.

The notifications that had been flashing continuously since earlier felt increasingly heavy.

Class Evolution Available

Requirements met

Evolution pending...

I stared at the screen for a while then turned to Arka.

“And of course I assume this process is completely harmless,” I said flatly,

Arka smiled faintly, a small smile that didn't give a sense of security at all.

“Dangerous,” he replied.

“But if it fails, your problem is solved faster.”

I closed my eyes, what a truly quality mentor.

[END CHAPTER 29]