- Tension Between Princesses -
After knowing that their companions have been saved, Bam didn't have to restrain himself anymore.
He began to activate his thorn and prepared himself to fight with Kaiser.
Charlotte had told him and the rest earlier, that Kaiser was an anima, as expected from someone who came from the Lo Po Bia Family. She had a wolf named Fenryl which was not a living creature but rather, a spirit. Wolves like Fenryl were only passed on few generations and the people who had the talent to use Fenryl were considered rare.
Fenryl, the wolf that Kaiser summoned right now and came out of nowhere to bite Bam, unsurprisingly failed as Bam had seen it coming and dodged it.
Kaiser was surprised of course, since not everyone could possibly dodge Fenryl. Charlotte had reminded Bam beforehand to be careful of the Fenryl since if he was bitten, the wound wouldn't stop and he will keep bleeding until Kaiser healed him or that he killed Kaiser. In another word, once he got bitten, he had to defeat Kaiser before he bleeds to death.
"Do you think Bam will be able to defeat Kaiser?"
"Obviously" said Charlotte. "I've told brother everything I know about Kaiser. With brother's ability, even though Kaiser has invisible weapons, he is strong enough to sense them and see the shinsu's flow. But even though he'll win, he will have to suffer from a little bit wound."
The combination between Kaiser and Fenryl was, without a doubt, beautiful and deadly. The anima and her pet worked together harmoniously without a problem or hesitation.
'No wonder she was chosen as a Zahad Princess Candidate. It was a shame that she is trapped here for thousand of years. Someone as talented as her.....'
Bam couldn't be dodging all the invisible weapons and also Fenryl forever so he decided to take the risk. In the middle of the invisible weapons and Fenryl, there was actually a way. A way that Kaiser had prepared especially for him. There was a gap in the middle of all the invisible weapons but if he took that path with that [Blue Oar], he'll head straight to Kaiser and who knows what trap will be hitting him.
But since he had no other choice, the brown haired male took that risk.
"The second ability of Kaiser is teleportation. It's not exactly a teleportation, but she'll switch place with her wolf. You'll have to be careful in case you don't want to get bitten."
Unsurprisingly, the wolf and Kaiser switched place and Bam was bitten.
"Even though you have strengthened yourself with shinsu, Fenryl's teeth are quite sharp that you are guaranteed to be bitten once it gets you."
But even though he was bitten doesn't mean that the fight will stop.
Kaiser seemed to have used the same technique again but this time, there was something wrong.
There were lots of why Charlotte was confident that Bam will win. One of them was because that Bam, in the matter of time, he'll be able to see the weapons and read Shinsu more accurately. When he did that, he could catch one of the flying weapons.
That moment Kaiser realized that FUG wasn't polishing a rare gem, but raising a monster. It was mistake to think that his strength would be the same like the others.
Bam was getting more and more used to dodge and deal with the invisible weapons. When he had a chance, he retaliated and then ended everything with the skill that he was taught by Ha Jinsung when he was in FUG.
He had defeated Kaiser.
Once he was done with the fight, Charlotte and the others approached him. But Bam was currently talking to Kaiser about something.
"That family of yours that you are trying so hard to protect...." he asked to Kaiser who was lying on the ground with her broken mask. "Do you even remember....their names?"
"What an obvious thing to ask" Kaiser responded. "I may have spent a thousand years here, but I have never forgotten my family's names even for a moment. I always miss them and feel sorry to them."
"Then...do you remember your name?" Bam asked again.
This question surprised Kaiser.
"The real name that you should have kept....not Kaiser, but your real name. Do you remember it now?" He asked.
'My name.....?
My name before I became Kaiser....a proud grey wolf....a girl beloved by everyone....the name of that poor girl...who was prepared to abandon everything...after hiding her face behind the mask since that day.....'
A drop of tear fell from her eyes.
"I can't.....remember....I can't remember my name....."
"The name of the proud grey wolf dancing above the others has disappeared from her memories."
'Alas, she has been through a lot' Charlotte thought.
Kaiser, she was the peak of the evil in this station. But she became that peak of evil because she was forced to. It was for the sake of her family that she yearned badly. But sadly, her family had no longer considered her as the part of them. For them, she was nothing but a money- earning machine.
Even though she was the cruel Kaiser, hated and despised by lots of people, at the end, she was still a human being. She still have emotions and heart. She endured all the hardships for a thousand years more, Charlotte doubted that she could that.
'All things happened because of causes.'
"What do you intend to do now?" Kaiser asked Bam. "Do you plan on stealing my name and letting FUG takeover this place? But if you do so, then Endorsi Zahard wouldn't be able to maintain her position as a princess."
"No. I'm not going to steal your name" said Bam. "I'm....going to buy your name."
"What...?"
"I'm going to buy your name. If you enter the festival like what you promised before, I will pay enough money to repay all of your and your family's debt to buy your name. All at once, too."
"The money will be paid anonymously by FUG. If you repay it all at once, your family won't be able to touch the money" Khun explained. "So you will be free. In return, you have to return Endorsi's name and tell everyone it was Endorsi who won the fight. Then Endorsi will recover her honor and we will be able to get your name. Although we'll have to pay an enormous amount of money, of course."
"Why....why would you bother....to do.....such....a thing....?"
Bam extended his hand to Kaiser with a friendly smile, "I figured that you wouldn't let Endorsi go even if I didn't do this. Plus.....I want to give you a chance to live as your true self. Please go back to being yourself, not someone from your family. Kaiser....I mean...Elaine."
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
After finishing their work, they planned to return back.
Bam was resting in Khun's lighthouse that has enlarged in size while the three others were walking back.
Bam thought that it was rather uncomfortable to sleep while the others were walking. He tried to assure Khun and Charlotte that he was fine and his wounds were healed by Kaiser already. But the two of them refused to let him walk as they agreed that Bam has been pushing himself these days and that he deserved a good rest.
Khun inwardly felt ashamed of himself. While Bam was fighting Kaiser, all he could do was to provide him a moveable bed.
'Pathetic.'
It wasn't his fault that he couldn't keep up with the twins. He knew that irregulars like the two of them were born with extraordinary talents that ordinary regulars like him couldn't keep up. But because of their extraordinary talents, he felt kind of overshadowed.
"Here."
Charlotte's voice distracted him. She extended her right hand that was holding a candy.
"What is this?" He asked.
"Candy" she answered.
"I mean, why are you giving me this?"
"Noah said that if you eat candy when you are having bad mood, you will feel better" Charlotte answered.
When Khun took and held the candy, he was wondering whether Charlotte also had the ability to read mind.
"Red Gramon, do you want one?" Charlotte asked.
"Ah, no need" he refused and Charlotte just shrugged off.
"But are you really okay with the ending like this?" Khun asked Red Gramon. "I mean, you want to avenge your companion, remember?"
"Well, after that girl told me about Kaiser's past......" Red Gramon glanced at Charlotte who was talking to Bam, "How should I describe it? I can sort of understand how Kaiser felt when she sent her friend back to her family....although I don't certainly forgive her, of course."
"Hmph....so you're tenderhearted too, I see."
"Plus....I agreed to respect Viole's decision. I hope.....that Kaiser can go back to her old self."
"Hey! You!!"
Suddenly, above them, there was a bright pink light. It was Bong Bong and Endorsi.
"I said I would see you tomorrow night!" said Endorsi who came at them using the Bong Bong and stepped on Bam who was resting.
"Agh!!"
"Endorsi?!"
She didn't only come by herself, but she also brought Laure who was resting on Hatz's back and also Shibisu and Estrella.
Endorsi looked irritated, "Don't you take a promise with a girl seriously?!"
She landed above Bam and then pulled his collar harshly, "You're so dead!! Mr. Twenty Fifth Bam! How dare you secretly take Kaiser's name without me knowing?! Hand it over! Hand over Kaiser's name!!"
"Hey!! Endorsi!!"
"Princess, princess!" Charlotte tried to calm Endorsi down and she even fan Endorsi, trying to fan away her anger. "Don't pull my brother like that! You are going to kill him!!"
"H...hold on, Endorsi! Bam also wanted to stop Endorsi who behaved crazily. "Let's talk! What has gotten into you?"
"Talk?! Talk about what?! Hurry up and hand over Kaiser's name!"
"Hey!"
"D...don't worry, Endorsi. Now, you won't lose your position as a princess!" said Bam.
"What...?"
Endorsi who didn't understand it pulled Bam's collar and pulled him closer than before.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, demanding explanation.
"I made a promise with Kaiser. We both agreed to say that you are the one who beat her. And I got your name back that Kaiser stole" Bam answered. He looked terrified to Endorsi compared when he was fighting with Kaiser.
"....what?"
"So you won't have to step down from your position as a princess, Endorsi" Bam finished his explanation, hoping that Endorsi would believe and understand it.
"You are safe now, Princess Endorsi!" Charlotte added with a bright smile.
But unfortunately for Bam, even though he had tried to explain to Endorsi, Endorsi didn't understand or believe his words and attacked him.
"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!!" She yelled and attacked poor Bam again. "Why would she keep such a promise?! Just shut up and hand it over!"
"It's true! You'll see it tomorrow at the festival!" said Bam.
"Screw that! Just give me her name!"
"It looks like it ended up being resolved like what you said, Khun" Shibisu talked to Khun, ignoring the princess and Bam since he also could do nothing to the princess. If he tried something, the ending will just be the princess sent him to hell with Bong Bong.
"Isu...."
"Give me her name!!
"I'll give you your name, Endorsi!"
"I don't need that!!"
"What!?"
".....honestly, I wasn't crazy about this" Khun sighed. "Since I ended up getting help from FUG....plus, it's a massive amount of money....and Bam said that this is the best thing to do...but I can't predict what FUG is going to do now.
Hwaryun spoke lightly of it, saying it's basically pennies to a slayer candidate....but the fact that we're depending on them like this...."
"....." Shibisu pondered about it before he crossed his arms.
"Whew...hearing you say that, it feels like things turned out like this because of us" said Shibisu. "It makes me feel more guilty....plus our princess is in that state."
"Well, it was also to get Kaiser out of her family, so don't think that" said Khun. "It's not exactly because of you guys."
"HAND IT OVER!!"
"W....WHAT!?"
"Princess, please spare my brother!"
"Ah....and Khun. Actually, there seems to be a bit of problem with the princesses...."
"...hm? Princesses...?"
"Yeah....I wasn't planning on saying anything since it's our issue....but there are two princesses here, Shilial and Lilial" Shibisu explained.
"Shilial and Lilial....you mean the ones from Lo Po Bia who devised this whole thing....?"
"That's right. The twin princesses. We somehow managed to send them off. But I heard something that was rather hard to believe.....about them.....being in cahoots with Khun Maschenny Zahard...."
"What?" Khun was surprised. "M....Maschenny Zahard? That woman is a high ranker. Why would she collaborate with regulars"
"That's what bothered me too. I didn't end up getting to hear it from them directly....but actually...the factional tensions up above between regular princesses are getting more serious. I'm not sure whether you've heard it to....but the two of the princesses above are on terrible terms with each other....so I thought maybe Shilial and Lilial will side with one of them...
But they were in cahoots with a completely unexpected big shot. Maybe Maschenny Zahard is trying to interfere directly in this factional strife....?
And...I'm not totally sure about this.....but there seems to be one more princess working with them......her name.....seems to be Maria."
Khun looked shocked to hear that name.
Maria, how could he possibly forget about her?
"Shibisu!!!"
But before he could ask more about it, Charlotte approached Shibisu with crocodile tears on her eyes as she pulled his arm harshly.
"W- what do you want?! Stop pulling my arm!"
"Do something with Endorsi!! You are the leader right!? You know how to deal with her right!? She's going to kill my brother!!"
"And what do you expect me to do!? It's not like she'll listen to me!"
"Aren't you smart? Think something!! If something happens to my brother, I'll.....I'll....I'll steal your name! I won't even live anymore if something happens to brother!"
"What?! Don't! Gosh... that princess will kill me!"
"I don't care! I want to save my brother! He is my more important!"
"Why is that all women in our side are stubborn and short- tempered? Can't you learn something from Celeste? Like being calm for a second?!"
"Screw that!"
Khun lowered his head. His mind was still thinking about the princess that Shibisu mentioned.
".....Maria....."