Black String of Fate

Xavier took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He knew getting angry here would be utterly useless, he had to approach these situations with more delicacy than what he used to do in his previous life.

"I'll see what your treatment of the outcasts is with my own eyes. Whether they are treated fairly or not, I'll be the judge of that."

Cassandra solemnly nodded at that condition imposed by Xavier. It was true that the term outcasts brought about negative connotations, and if someone were of a noble character like Xavier, they would be unsettled with killing such people. His anger was completely valid.

"Then… I'll guide you both to the hidden base the Pyriel tribe has set up. It is not far from here and it is quite safe, if I do say so myself."

"Alright, I'm done with my lunch, and we don't have anything to prepare. Let's head out as soon as possible." Arkham declared, and the whole party agreed. Soon, they paid the bill and looked for a ride, searching for the best one they could find in this town.

"Hmm… This steed is good."

Inside a table, Arkham commented while looking at a black horse who looked the healthiest out of all the horses present. The horse merchant, who was happy that a high-profile customer had visited him, had color drained out of his face.

"My good sir, I don't know how to say this, but this horse… Has some behavior problems. Why don't I show you some other obedient ones? They are just a tad slower, but the trip would be faster overall due to their submissive nature…"

"Quiet for a second, I want this one only."

Xavier, who was quietly standing on the side, commented while looking at the eyes of the horse. The horse stared back, and the two shared a long moment looking at each other's eyes.

The horse eventually neighed softly and bowed his head down, and Xavier smiled and petted the horse's mane.

"You have to show wild creatures who the boss is. They'll be obedient after that."

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The horse merchant looked at Xavier with wide eyes as he murmured out the words,

"B-But how? I have whipped and beat this bastard a thousand times, and yet…"

Xavier overheard the words spoken by the merchant and replied with cold disgust,

"You were never superior in its eyes. Instead of a boss, to him, you were probably a scummy, cowardly sadist who liked to torture him."

The merchant was about to be offended by those words, but he then saw the dangerous company surrounding him and kept his mouth quiet. Plus, he was a merchant. As long as they paid him, he did not care what they said about him.

They bought the black horse, and alongside that, a comfortable carriage. The price was quite high, but there were two people with Cassandra who were ridiculously rich, so it was not even a dent in their pockets.

"...I can understand Arkham, but how did you, Xavier, a rank 1 commoner, have so much money? It's way more than even the net worth of B-rank adventurers."

"Hmm, there's nothing much to it, just blackmail a noble."

"...Huh? Are you admitting to a crime openly?"

"Haha, it's not a crime because it's him. If he tries to report it or something, he'll bring about his ruin, because the truth would have to come out."

"...You are different from the first impression you gave."

Xavier laughed and brushed Cassandra off. He knew that it was one of the shadier things he had done in life, but frankly, he did not care. People who are willingly scummy deserve no consideration from him.

Arkham, who was listening on the side, chimed in

"You aren't talking about the Grimswald household, are you? Just what dirt did you find on that meticulous man?"

"Hmm, just that, he was cheating on his wife. You know how Lady Michelle is an odd one out for being completely against polygamy, yet her husband still seeked out other women. Now, with their household being completely dependent on her family's support, Grimswald will be gone if I decide to open my mouth."

Arkham had to admit, he did not expect such a scheme from Xavier. In his mind, he was a straightforward and morally guided swordsman who would find scheming and other hassles disgusting and a waste of his time.

Xavier knew very well what Arkham was thinking, but he had no intentions to comment on that. He looked outside the window of the carriage they were sitting on now, peacefully observing the still, yet lively nature.

While they did not expect their travel to be smooth, a problem occurred unexpectedly in the middle of the road.

"...There are two masters near us." Xavier said as his senses picked up a significant signal of energy, and turned towards Arkham, who was already taking out his sword.

"It must be the other two masters." Cassandra commented, and Arkham looked over in surprise.

"Two more masters? And they are from the outcast group too?"

"Yes, the three heads of the outcasts, they all turned against the tribe. While the other outcasts did not obey them, the soldiers under their direct command followed them, and our tribe was further weakened."

"...Heads, you say? Arkham, try to capture them alive… No, capture them alive at any cost. This is a golden opportunity to get whatever info we want."

Arkham nodded in agreement and stepped outside. He released his terrifying presence, which forced the hidden masters who were sneakily approaching them to reveal themselves.

"...A Grandmaster? What the hell is a Grandmaster doing here?"

Arkham did not say anything and immediately rushed towards the person closest to him. He wielded the blunt side of the blade, so he didn't accidentally fatally damage them. The masters, in panic, also drew their swords in order to defend themselves, but their resistance was futile against someone so much more powerful than them.

Xavier had a conflicted look as he watched Arkham play around with two masters like they were toddlers.

'...why do I feel like our journey was supposed to be harder? Arkham is making this easier than I expected… Well, I'll tell him to hold off and let me fight if an Expert comes.'

Soon, both the masters were out cold and tied up. Xavier looked at one of them for a few moments before he started to slap his face.

*Slap* *Slap*

"Oi, wake up. You have questions to answer."

The master slowly opened his eyes, and after just a few seconds of looking around and realizing his situation, he tried biting his tongue.

"Nah, that ain't gonna work."

Xavier thrust his finger into the area between the master's Adam's apple and chin and infused his finger with some energy. The master, who tried biting himself down, found out that he couldn't muster up enough strength in his jaw.

"Acupuncture, probably one of the greatest non-combat related things to ever exist for a warrior. Now, you can only talk, you won't be able to bite down or chew anything until you tell us what we want to know."

The master had a look of despair after he heard this, but with determination in his eyes, he still stayed silent.

"Ah, if you're thinking of holding your breath, dying of thirst, or dying of hunger, don't worry, we won't let that happen too. You will still feel all the pain that comes from it, but I have ways to artificially replace lifespan with energy. This is something I've only been theorizing these days, so it'll hurt a lot if I put it into practice…"

Xavier bluffed. There was no such technique in his possession. If he had, then there wouldn't be any need to use Desolation's Requiem so sparingly in his past life. But, the master looked at the reaction of Arkham, who looked shocked and impressed at the same time and was convinced that this kid really possessed something like that.

"...*sigh*, Your Highness, till how long will you maintain your silence? Even after all this, you still chose this route."

The master began talking and expressed his first words in a tone that spoke of sheer disappointment. Cassandra wanted to look away, but the looks she was getting from Xavier right now did not allow her to do so. She had to make a good reply here, otherwise, Xavier might just leave out of frustration.

"...No, it is you that have forsaken our values. This path you're walking on is something that goes against what was taught to us for generations, yet you dare accuse me of straying from the path?"

"Times change, your Highness. So must the traditions. How long shall we outcasts-"

"Alright, that's enough."

Xavier suddenly interrupted and smacked the head of the master with his sword. The master was dumbfounded, but Xavier did not wait for him to recollect his wits as he replied,

"We are not here to listen to your monologue. I frankly don't care that much. Just answer my questions and we're good."

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