146 I'm Back 3

The two garnered much attention.

Compared to the natives who stuck to the sides of the road, someone in a dragon mask with a woman wearing such an eyepatch attracted as much attention as one would think.

Luckily for them, though, the young noble spent all of his attention tormenting the woman. Not once did he look in their direction. This made their withdrawal an uneventful, but satisfying one.

They walked silently with one in front and the other at the side, slightly behind.

Left with no choice, the two searched for "cracks" in the wall of pedestrians that appeared before them. After a certain distance, no longer needing to worry about offending the god-like scion, the people went about their business as normal.

"... Why are you still wearing it?"

"Huh?" Levi turned his head.

"You used the mask to gather information and found Nerezza's location. So then, why are you still wearing it? That dragon mask... Hasn't it served its purpose?"

"..." Levi looked at her.

"If you don't want to tell me, then..." Aria smiled softly.

"... No. It's nothing important. If you want to know, I'll tell you," Levi said.

"I wore this mask for two reasons; The first one, you already know. During scary situations, people are more open to talking about certain things, so I just took advantage of that.

"As for the second reason... In the sect I joined, there is a rule that prohibits people with important backgrounds from joining. And if they join, to protect those disciples with little to no backing, the rule forbids those people from coming into contact with their group or background until they leave the sect for good."

"Then... You're breaking that rule? But would the sect even know?" Aria muttered.

"It's better to stay cautious. I have an unrivaled amount of Qi, but no techniques to use it. That's the only reason I'm going back after all of this.

"And I would rather they not throw me out or hunt me down when I go back for what we're going to do now."

"... What we're going to do?"

"We're here." Levi stopped.

Standing at the end of the road, he looked up at the palace. It had a spacious perimeter, as no buildings stood within a certain distance.

"Somehow..." Aria's voice drew Levi's attention.

"It's peaceful... walking from the tightly packed street... into this quiet space..."

Levi squinted behind the mask. "... This isn't a vacation."

"Wha- I know! What do you take me for?! Besides. If I wanted a vacation, I would've taken one when you weren't around." With crossed arms, Aria snorted.

"... So you didn't?" Levi lifted his mask, before asking in a strange tone.

"W-Why are you looking at me with that disgusted expression? Was I supposed to?! Is not taking vacations something you can condemn people for?!?" She gripped his shoulders and shook him vigorously.

"I-T's no-t th-at..." Because of the shaking, Levi's voice broke up. He freed himself before speaking.

"It's just... You should live a little while you can." After a brief pause, he walked toward the illustrious palace.

"Oh..." Aria followed while thinking, '... Is he still thinking about the old innkeeper?'.

'Well, that's normal. Only a few days have passed since he found out about what happened... So what he's trying to tell me is...' She looked up at Levi.

The two once again walked in silence.

"... Hm." Levi's pace slowed, and naturally, so did Aria's. He began counting his steps internally. '... five... Six... Sev-'

Powerful winds picked up, stopping the two where they stood.

The clouds above them began whirling, picking up speed as the seconds passed. Their clothes flapped in the chopping wind. They covered their ears in response to the deafening gale, but the air-sailing dust stung as it hit their skin. This forced Aria to take drastic measures: She set herself ablaze, protecting herself with a coat of flaming Qi.

Not long after, the stormlike winds died down.

Aria grumbled while rustling with her hair. As the Dragon mask covered Levi's head, she suffered her plight alone. Above, an eerie cloud-crafted ring sat, as if crowning the palace itself. Its inner face was detailedly sharp, while the outer part blended with the blue background, fuzzy and uneven.

"... Like royalty would ever leave their place of residence open for anyone to enter." Levi sneered.

"Is that… a shield made with Qi?" Aria's voice shook.

A giant dome enclosed the Aqua palace. It encompassed even a percentage of the outer perimeter, while its blue hue gave some insight into the name of the place it protected.

"Heh heh, this wall is as thick as the first half of a person's arm!" Levi rubbed his chin, grinning.

"That's not funny..."

"Well, I suspected this. On a continent like this, it's guaranteed that the people in charge will have a few tricks. It's nothing to get worked up about." Levi knocked the thick translucent wall with his knuckles. He reached before his chest while saying, "What else can you do when a wall blocks your path?"

His fingers tightened around a short golden handle. The long, pitch-black, single-edged blade attached to it looked fairly large compared to a handle like that of a dagger's.

"I never got the chance to ask, but what is that sword?" Aria seemed to recall something as she pointed.

"Oh? This? I named it 'Silk Black'. It's just a normal sword," Levi said.

"Normal swords don't turn into tentacles that can grow beyond the clouds. Stop being lazy and explain properly, Young Master!"

"Sigh... Right. Remember how I can take bloodlines and change certain body parts?" Levi asked.

'Is this something hard to talk about?' Despite thinking this, Aria still answered "Yes".

"... I killed a giant spider, took its bloodline, and gained the ability to make spider silk from my fingertips." Levi explained.

"Oh... Huh?! I-Is that how spiders work? I thought spiders shot webs from..." Aria's gaze lowered.

"Oi. Banish those disturbing thoughts."

"B-But I didn't even say-"

"Moving on. Because this 'silk' is made from my own flesh, I can control it like you would a limb. Even when it's detached from my body. Understand?" Levi finished.

Aria nodded. "Yes."

"Then-"

"But that doesn't explain why it gets bigger?" Aria pointed at the blade.

"..." Levi stuck his hand up under the mask. No one but himself knew what he was doing. After a lengthy pause, he spoke.

"Two reasons. I am a primordial cultivator. My meridians expand as I absorb Qi. This cultivation method increases the size of those who practice it. But because I can control blood, I can also manipulate my growth by removing certain proteins and such, hence my normal size. Because my flesh makes up the blade of Silk Black, I can also change its size due to both the meridians and blood inside of it. Needless to say, yes, my blood inside of the sword. In another state called blood energy, which is the other reason I can change its size. The only reason I can use it as a sword is because Primordial Cultivation hardens the body. In addition to that, I compressed the originally giant silk strands, which were hard to begin with, to make Silk Black, increasing its durability." Levi paused.

"... Right. Back to blood energy. Blood energy is made from the blood I absorb. It's like Qi in that it can be both solid and also not. I can also change it back to blood if I need to heal myself, but if I use too much of said blood, my blood energy level will drop."

"... It took all of this for me to get a sword that can withstand both my physical strength and my Qi. It's a good thing I got the idea to make this, too. Otherwise…" Levi sighed to himself. He looked up.

"… Everything coming together?"

"Uh, yes." Aria looked at him strangely. 'This is not any weirder than what he said before, so why be so reluctant to talk about it?'

As Levi lowered Silk Black to his side, tiny red lines appeared intricately across the blade. "Since blood energy is inside, I don't have to transfer any from my body, unless I need more of it. Also..."

'Because blood energy is in the blade permanently, my blood energy level has dropped. But since now isn't the time to be explaining this stuff, I'll keep that to myself… He says after the everlasting monologue…'

"Yes?" Aria urged him to continue.

"You should get ready."

"For what?"

Seconds after she asked, footsteps entered their ears. The stepping sounds trampled over each other, as a group of men wearing black robes surrounded the two. The swords at their sides rested quietly in their decorated sheaths.

"What seems to be the problem, Sirs? My companion and I are touring the city. Did we offend you in some way?" Levi asked.

A man walked out of the group. With his long gray hair tied with a white ribbon behind his head and a fat, gray mustache sitting on his upper lip, the man's grainy voice flew out. "What need would a tourist have for such an eerie sword?"

"As you know, sir, crime is everywhere. A while ago, someone kidnapped a person I know well enough to call a close family member. I haven't seen her since. Because of this, I feel more comfortable when I have something in hand to protect myself with." Levi sighed.

"... Go back. To the street. Then to your inn. Pack your things and leave this country. There is no need to have something this small blown out of proportion, right?" The man narrowed his eyes as he asked.

"Wait, wait, wait, brother! Aren't you being too rash? All we did was accidentally spring up this wall. Do you really have to kick us out of the country?!" Levi asked in an aggrieved tone.

"… For a cultivator of your level, don't you find this game of yours in poor taste? We might not be your match in terms of levels, but we are not fools. Don't think that you can play us to get what you want easily!!" The man clenched his fists behind his back as a vein bulged under his eye.

"..." Levi kept silent.

Qi fire burned on Aria's shoulder.

"Hehehe, it seems negotiations have broken down." Levi chuckled darkly. Aria readily leaned forward, her figure blazing grandly.

"Aria!"

"Young Master?" She answered gravely.

"You deal with them." Levi picked his nose.

Aria stumbled a comical distance. After steadying herself, flameless, she turned to Levi.

"... Pardon?"

"You need some fighting experience, right? I'm gifting you this opportunity." Levi turned.

"You say that, but..." Aria was unconvinced.

"Plus, I still have to get rid of this thing." Levi knocked the Qi shield.

"..." This truth forced Aria's words back down her throat.

"And anyway, weren't you upset because you couldn't stop that woman back at that tribe properly? Use this chance to get accustomed to your power. Maybe even learn something." Levi snickered.

"... Ok."

Flames washed her body as Aria swept her gaze over the men.