Chapter 84 - Escape - Part 1

After leaving Anastasia's residence, Aron made his way to the academy's airship docking yard where he found the members of his faction already gathered.

Jin, Jagu, and Evanora stood at the front whilst Claudia and Xavier seemed to have been briefing the other members who looked a bit lost.

Upon seeing Aron appear, Claudia hurriedly walked over to him with a look of concern on her face. "What's going on?"she asked in a hushed voice, clearly not understanding the current situation.

"You should already know." Aron's answer only caused the look of concern on her face to become more apparent. "Leaving the academy grounds without permission is against the rules... moreover, to do so with this many students and without a supervisor...it will be very troublesome if you choose to proceed," Claudia advised worriedly while Jagu and Jin looked at him since this was the first time they heard this rule.

It wasn't uncommon for many people to be ignorant of the many rules in the academy. Only Claudia and Xavier along with the servants seemed to look worried while Jin, Jagu and the other commoners just looked curious as to what was happening.

"It will be more troublesome if I don't choose to proceed. Have everyone begin boarding, we don't have much time so I'll explain later." Claudia reluctantly listened to his instructions and went over to the other faction members to carry them out.

"Whatever it is you're planning, it seems to have caught plenty of attention." Jin heaved a sigh and spoke as he looked towards a familiar approaching figure draped in black and hidden under a cloak.

Just like everyone else, they had no idea why they were apparently preparing to leave on such short notice. Then there was Claudia, Xavier and the servants who wore looks of worry since coming to the docking area.

'An inquisitor,' Jin thought as his muscles tensed up and his eyes focused, he did, however, maintain his carefree expression and didn't look particularly worried.

Aron turned to face the approaching figure but he, too, looked casual which eased much of Claudia's concerns. 'Did he already get permission? Then why not just tell us? What's going on?' she questioned herself in confusion and just watched from afar, hoping to gain answers.

However, once the inquisitor stopped about a meter away from Aron, he simply remained silent and ran his gaze over everyone present. At this moment, Jin and Jagu were ready to act as soon as Aron made a move. The longer no one spoke the more the heavier the atmosphere grew.

"You still reek of fear." Aron's lips finally parted and his gaze grew stern as he said these words to the inquisitor draped in black. Once he heard Aron speak, a cold sweat appeared on his forehead under his hood.

"Let's not escalate the situation, if you go back now then no one will have to get hurt." The inquisitor remained confident on the surface and warned Aron firmly. This warning made those far behind Aron tense, Claudia felt her heart rate increase while Xavier's breathing became uneven.

Only Jin, Jagu, and Evanora who stood near Aron were not the least bit worried, Jin and Jagu in particular even looked a bit excited.

"Isn't it strange for an inquisitor to suddenly appear before us? According to the rules, once we leave without permission we're given a days time to return before it's officially considered a breach of the rules."

"You're not here on behalf of the academy, you're simply acting as someone's pawn to hinder us, hence your caution. Worst case scenario: you fight me then you claim I attacked first, is that right?" Aron's words slowly chipped away at the inquisitors confidence, Claudia and Xavier's worry began to disappear while the inquisitor's began to grow.

"Don't make things difficult or you'll have a very troublesome road ahead of you. Even the talented must know when to bow their heads, foolish confidence will only lead to your downfall." The Inquistor's warning grew more stern and his stance showed he was ready to battle if necessary.

'Just got whose pawn are you? Rose, Belle or someone else?' Aron's eyes began to become brighter and fierce as a smile emerged on his face. "I won't be turning back, anymore words said now are pointless. If you're confident in winning then you're welcome to try and stop me."

After making his stance known, Aron turned to walk away but just as he did so, the inquisitor lunged forward and struck.

He drew a dagger at a frightening speed and was about to struck Aron's shoulder. Jagu's eyes could keep up with the speed but his body would not react in time to stop the collision.

Blood dripped down and made contact with the cold ground, causing everyone's eyes to widen since the blood belonged to Aron.

The dagger had been stopped by his hand but at a price. Being a weapon of high grade, piercing his flesh was not a difficult feat for it. So even as he held it's sharp blade in hand, blood trickled down to the ground.

Jagu growled ferociously and was about to act when he noticed the inquisitors hand trembling. Despite what just occurred, Aron wasn't the least bit fazed. And as for why the inquisitor's hand was trembling...

'I can't pull it back...' he thought with worry. Any experienced combatant could discern the victor of the fight from this one simple interaction.

The inquisitor held the upper hand and struck with a sneak attack at a frightening speed. However, Aron managed to surpass that speed and blocked the blade. The inquisitor had immediately tried to pull back but was unable to... his strength paled. This interaction showed him that he was inferior in both speed and strength which were both extremely vital attributes in a fight.

"He really attacked... should we assist him?" Xavier asked Claudia unsurely, but she shook her head. "The fact Aron has not struck back means he's given the inquisitor a way out. From the very start, Aron was attacking that man's mentality, breaking his confidence and pride. He's basically saying he's not worth his time..." Claudia explained and Xavier chuckled while a cold sweat appeared on his brow.

'In battles, we sometimes use words to break an opponents focus and intimidate them, that's what the inquisitors words were supposed to do but instead this...' Xavier looked at Aron and gulped while shaking his head. Just like that, everyone's worries had eased.

"After a day's time, I will personally come hunt you down as a criminal." Even after everything, the inquisitors confidence seemed to remain strong. However, just after he said those words, Aron's grip on the blade grew stronger and it shattered.

"Leaving the academy without permission is a minor infraction. As for the punishment, that's to be determined by a council of inquisitors, you attacking and causing injury to a student, however, would lead to your position being stripped without fail."

"Did you think your position alone was going to leave me scared and cause me to listen to you? What a joke. Tell whoever sent you I'm not such an easy target." Aron snickered and began walking away with Jin, Jagu, and Evanora in tow.

The inquisitor could only grit his teeth under his hood. His scheme had not only failed but he ended up being humiliated instead, he knew people were watching in the shadows and that news of this would breakout. Pride was highly held in the aristocratic community, this humiliation would be remembered. 'This is far from over...' he thought as he watched Aron walk away.

Once Aron boarded the platform and reached the deck, he was met with gazes of admiration. Before he could speak, however, the sound of clapping resonated on the deck. Everyone turned to the source and saw a woman walk out onto the deck slowly clapping her hands.

"Lady Rose...."