Bab 80: What Did She Say?
The boy was on the verge of erupting, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "I will never forgive you!"
"I need no forgiving from a kid."
"You heartless man," he shouted and rushed at Chase, but of course he stood zero chance against him, and as he arrived he was swatted away like a small fly-, the smallest fly to be exact.
Chase's face turned darker and he asked, "was that an attempt of assault? Do you know the consequence of that is three years in prison, and worst-case scenario, you might lose your arm?"
"Do not cite the laws of this country to me." The boy, with great effort, pushed himself up and said, "I already know that they have no meaning. I long lost my faith in them."
At this point, it was Chase's friend who joined the conversation. "Kid'cha knoe what 'u are sayin'? Ya going to disrespect zhe holy degree of his majesty?"
"Shut up! What do you know?" The kids gritted his teeth, "if his majesty's words do not support the weak like me, why should I follow his will? Tell me, what right does that man have to govern over me?"
His voice rang stronger than the thunder outside, and the surroundings all broke into a commotion. Of course, most people were warning him, as he dared to take the royal title with such malicious offense in his mouth, but I saw, in the depths of all superficial anger, the wavering spirits of some, as the boy voiced what all people in this town had long thought.
Naturally, there was no fool who would agree so in public. However, that reaction did not discourage the boy, as his words were never meant for the public. He shouted, "but you are right! Since I am in this detestable world, I have to follow its detestable rules! So let me say this loud and clear, I will cause your suffering in a legal way!"
"And how will you do that," Chase asked, "you mother failed, your sister also failed, you are a family of failures, so what can you possibly do?"
"Do not even dare to think about them, your vile thoughts will sully my family."
"Slander, another crime, you seem to be racking them up as you go."
"Do you think this is entertaining?" The boy asked, "if so, I will give you something to laugh. I, Zeid from Westwood, challenge you to a Judgement Ta-"
"—No!" Someone screamed, and then hugged the boy who was about to commit a grave mistake. It was the waitress. She frantically ran towards the boy and stopped him from uttering another word. He struggled, but he didn't even have enough strength to struggle through the arms of a woman.
Chase looked at him and knelt down, he placed his hand on the boy's forehead and asked, "what is it you want to say? Why don't you repeat it?" The group of his laughed.
Zeid stared at them with great indignance, his eyebrows furrowing to the point of waves, but his words could not come out, as the waitress placed her hand on his mouth; her face too, was very resentful. Still, she replied, "he has nothing to say to someone like you!"
"I heard differently, was he not about to challenge me to a Table?" As he said so, his friends nodded.
"Chase, do not go overboard!"
"Overboard? The boy should be happy that I did not beat him into a bloody pulp." Chase then lightly tapped Zeid's face. "However, that can be changed."
"Chase!" The woman screamed and hugged the boy more tightly.
The surrounding people stood up, as they could not watch any longer. Everyone had conflicted expressions on their faces. As they stared at the boy, whose hatred flowed untethered, their hearts ached.
"I really do hate the stickiness of you weaklings." Chase clicked his tongue. "If I say die, then just die, why do you have to put up a useless fight? You guys remind me of all these stupid enemies when I was still a knight. Do you know what happened to them?" He grinned, "I slaughtered them all."
The people around him shivered, his hideous smile would remain plastered at the back of their minds. His face made me question whether this world had fantastical races, as he looked no different from an orc at the moment.
The boy broke free from the waitress's arms, he shouted, "you wouldn't dare."
"Excuse me, but you seem to have forgotten who I am. If I wouldn't dare to crush small fries like you, would I still be the venerable Chase that you all know and love?"
He never cared about his reputation in this small town. If push came to shove, all he had to to do was leave. As long as he had his fun, that was enough. I could tell, I knew a lot of these people in my past life. They were like parasites festering on the suffering of their surroundings, no great purpose, only doing what was fun. In a way, I understood how they felt (oh, curse my compassion!). As such, I did not doubt Chase's words. And neither did the boy.
"Fight me fair and square," the boy shouted, indifferent to his constitution, which was like dust in the wind compared to Chase.
"No, Zeid, watch your words! What would your mother think?" The waitress asked.
"My mother can't think anymore, and it is only because of that man standing before me." He gritted his teeth, his voice quivered slightly, "he took everything from me, my mother and now my sister, even if God and his majesty forgave him, I will never!"
HIs voice roused the inspiration of the crowd, even the chastising words of theirs were swallowed, unable to leave their throats. They stood still, like immovable monuments supporting the words of Zeid. However, it was more of a symbolic meaning, than one filled with actual strength.
"Hahaha, you are great kid, indeed you are! I will send you straight to hell, everytime you suffer, I want you to remember my face, remember why you are here."
I took a sip of Rayas soup, as I felt the arc reaching its climax. Excitement was a great spice, after all.
"You bastard!" The boy thrashed around.
The waitress had been listening too, and she said, "don't engage him, he is only provoking you. He wants you to fight him."
"So what?" Zeid scoffed. "I wish to do same. I have to avenge my sister, and take her back." He had lost all reason already and was only focused on revenge.
The waitress saw that too and could only look at him dejected. She opened her mouth and asked, "Aletta, is there still hope for her?"
"Huh, how the hell should I know?" Chase raised his brows.
"I am asking you on your opinion." She breathed in. "Would you consider taking me in exchange for the girl?"
Her words crammed a strong silence into the hectic situation. The crowd stared at her as if she as insane, they grasped their head and simply could not fathom the words she uttered. Zeids eyes opened wide, ready to pop out, and even the big guy Chase did not expect such a question.
I took another spoonful. How suspenseful.
"If you insist, I might be able to look into it."
"Auntie," the boy yelled, he was incomparably shocked, "What are you thinking?"
"Sush," the waitress said, and when she looked at him, her eyes turned watery. "Leave this to the adults."
That single sentence felt like a stab in his heart. In a way, it was a different sentence for the kid; It was sentencing him to a bleak, hopeless world. Her words stunned him silent, and he turned pale. As he could not hold it anymore, he started crying. Tears of a child were as common as pebbles on the road, but no one in the room could watch him and not feel their emotions riled up.
The waitress patted his head to soothe him, but she too felt like tearing up. She closed her eyes, breathed in, and when she opened them again, there was a determined flicker within.
"Chase," the waitress uttered, "there better not be a scratch on Aletta."
"Of course not, my word is my bond. Such is the knights honor." Chase bowed politely. He then sized her up with his predatory eyes, sending a shiver down everybody's spine.
Afterward, he walked to the boy Zeid. "If you wish to retaliate, this is your last chance. Come on, give it your best shot."
The boy stared, confused by his words, "what?"
Chase whispered in his ear, no one was able to hear his voice, not even me, but that did not stop me from reading his lips, "why is that I bear no consequences from my actions?" He grabbed Zeids hair, "Really, use your noggin' to imagine it: why am I, the big bad evil not behind bars?" He tapped his cheeks. "Is it not because I have something that supports me behind the shadows? A big shadow, pressuring all you wastes into obeying me. Let me answer you. It is my strength."
"You, what are you saying?"
"I am saying, even if your mother slipped on the stairs, her head splitting open and turning her into a vegetable, even if your sister were to be sold in slavery, her body a plaything for nobility, and even if I took this foxy waitress and turned her into public property, you could never prove it." He grinned. "In this world only my fists matter, weak people like you are useless."
The man's words roused an overwhelming anger in the boy, even his fear and sorrow was drowned out by his wrath. His eyebrows shot up, and he howled, like a small wild beast. With the greatest strength he could muster, he tugged his arm, and threw a fist, filled with the burning desire of revenge.
Of course, he was thwarted away.
Chase laughed out loudly, his voice rung high, "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me!"
The boy flew away, rolling twice, and stopping next to a table. He did not-, no he could not stand up, only his irises darted around the halls searching for a guiding light. They unexpectedly stopped at a very familiar person.
Me.
Eh, was this a joke?
"Please help me!"
It wasn't.
"What? No." I replied immediately.
He was shaken by my answer, but did not relent, "why, I saw your money and I know you possess status, also you helped me just a few hours ago!"
Really perceptive of him, but my answer didn't change. I told him, "you reminded me of myself."
"Then even more so-."
"I hate those people the most. All selfish bastards. I love myself, but I hate people like myself." And more than anything, it reminded me of the time I was weak.
I rested my head on the table and resumed eating Rayas soup. If not for its taste, I would have left a long time ago.
"I-I don't get it." The boys spirit was crushed.
I swirled the spoon in my hand. "You know, have you ever wondered, if the light can only exist when there is a shadow, that maybe the best thing was to get rid of both? No good nor evil. Just selfish being. Simply for the greater good. I believe there is purity in that."
"What's with that random question?"
I sighed. He did not understand. "Well, maybe if that was the case, you might have avoided this fate." I turned my head way.
Chase who had been listening looked at me with glee. "I take it this lady won't butt in?"
"Do whatever you want, good luck." I brushed him off.
"A wise choice," he responded, immediately he packed Zeid by his collar.
He threw him a bit further than what was planned and the boy crashed against my table. As I was about to dig into the soup, the bowl shook and I saw it—to my horror—moving to the edges. Ah! An unforeseen development. I tried to catch it before it fell, but as I was about to save it, Chase moved again, and his fist rattled the table once more, making the soup slip out my hands and turning it into nothing more than modern art with lumps of meat on the ground.
Unbekownst to the heresy he just committed, he found his joy in beating an innocent boy, repeatedly hitting his face. His smile curled upwards, every time his fist connected. Not even the waitresses voice could stop that. The boy blocked his face, but he could not hold much longer, slowly succumbing to fatigue and pain. Just as he was about to slump to the ground, I tapped Chase's shoulder. He angrily turned around to see who dared to interrupt his fun.
I glared at the splattered stew, then at him—my eyes devoid of any warmth. "I take back everything I said, you are dead."
For the first time, that smug face of that humongous bastard contorted, first into a frown, and after seeing my eyes, into alarm. The waitress stood mute, her jaw agape, but my next words might just disclocate it.
"For legal reasons undecided yet, I, Agnes Maria, challenge you to a Judgement Table."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone