Chapter 110: Fake act

"In the end, your entire story, no matter how interesting and enlightening it was, didn't give me any of the information that I wanted. Or rather… I'm trying to blindly find something that would help me to understand my own situation. As it turned out, just the historical recounts about the old Kingdom weren't exactly what I was looking for."

Walking beside Latiel on one of the main streets of the city, Fen didn't bother to hide his disappointment. From one side, it was nice that he finally knew anything about the past of his kind, but just like he said - he failed to learn anything that would change his perspective about his own talent.

Who were the founders? Where did they take their power from? If wielded such powerful military force, then how could barbarians, even if there were hordes of them, better them on the field? Just from the single sparring match with Nadia, Fen could tell that no number of common, non-arcanist soldiers would ever have any chance when put against even a small unit of properly trained phoenixians!

"As much as it saddens me to hear that, it's by no means my fault. I hope you won't try to back down on your end of the deal now."

Stealing a quick glance at his new friend, Latiel's face was full of anxiety. After all, even if in Kinar republic it was customary to always keep one's end of the bargain, even if it was only set with words instead of writing or any other officially recognised form, he clearly didn't expect for a newcomer to this place like Fen to realise it!

"Don't worry. I said that I will help you and I will. To be frank, I still think that your approach is stupid, infantile and won't work in the long run, but it's your decision to make whether you want to go through with it or not. So, unless you decide that it's stupid by yourself, I'm still willing to help you out."

With his words already being on the harsh end, Fen at least did his absolute best to prevent an ironic smirk from appearing on his face. After all, despite how little he learned from the story that Latiel told… In fact, his new friend's story only served to create more questions than he had prior to hearing it, but it didn't change a single thing about his end of the bet.

"Thanks, I understand how little you might think of this ploy, but I'm really desperate right now. As great as Kinar and Gauna Academy is when compared to other places in the world, there is still a huge discrepancy in treatment between those who hold the token and those who weren't lucky enough to earn it."

Shaking his head with some kind of regret, Latiel unknowingly made Fen a little embarrassed. After all, his token was just as big of a fraud as he was back in the empire! Instead of earning it through any proper route, he actually had to rely on the help of Firo to get his hands on it in a rather lucky scenario!

Yet, as shameless as it was for the young man to rely on the benefits that only token-holders were privy to, he certainly didn't mind sabotaging the position of all the token holders as he never prided himself with being one in the first place!

"Oh, the show is about to begin."

Raising his head as sharply as suddenly he did so, Latiel received some kind of message from yet another one of his friends that stood at the other end of the huge street that the two of them was walking through. 

"I will ask you one last time. Are you really sure you want to base your entire potential relationship on this fake show? What if she will learn later down the line that it was all nothing but an act?"

Attempting for the last time to speak reason to his new friend, Fen could see from Latiel's facial reaction alone that his words didn't fall on fertile ground.

"I know that the danger of her changing her mind exists, but I do honestly believe that once she accepts my advances, she could… WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

Suddenly changing his attitude and tone of his voice, Latiel flared up, indicating that the time for the show has come. And Fen didn't belong to the people that required this kind of signs to be repeated twice.

"On your knees, you dumbfuck. Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

Instead of shouting his throat dry, Fen decided to adopt a greatly different way of posing as an arrogant young prick. Instead of using a loud voice, he opted for speaking calmly but infusing his voice with so much poison and toxicity that it almost turned tangible.

"What?"

Latiel most likely didn't expect this kind of reaction, probably so focused on how the entire thing would go in his head that even the slightest change was more than enough to put him off-guard.

"I do not recall giving trash like you any right to look at my face. Are you going to kneel yourself, or should I make you do so?"

Raising his head high and turning it at an angle that made him look across the line of his nose in order to keep his eyes on Latiel, Fen didn't move even an inch from his spot. Instead of acting furious, he decided that using calm voice but strong words all the while remaining completely motionless would be the best way to act to fill his role. 

After all, most of the human behaviours were nearly a blunt copy of how the beasts and animals would act when facing off. If an overwhelmingly powerful beast were to be annoyed by some small fry that didn't know its place in the world, it wouldn't fly into a rage. It would find it somewhat peculiar and even amusing, yet it simply couldn't threat its advances without a care in the world. While there would be no glory or even any benefit in defeating the small fry for the greater beast, it would be an overwhelming loss if it were to be disgraced by it without paying the respective price for it!

"And who do you think you are to think I should kneel in front of you? You might hold the token but that doesn't mean you are by any means stronger by me!"

Latiel's approach was simply too sudden for Fen. With everything that he went through in his life, the movement of his newly made friend was just as rapid as were the attacks that his group suffered from back when he was still trying to escape from the empire!

Grab!

With Latiel lunging at him as if he was some kind of end-point of prolonged race, Fen's instincts kicked in, making him grab his front hand and use his free arm to push him away… Thankfully, just as Fen was about to cause some serious damage to his new friend, his senses kicked back in, taking control of his movements and turning the shove from a powerful push to a simple, light tap on Latiel's shoulder.

"Argh!"

Maybe acting or maybe just not expecting the counterreaction from the other side, Latiel was forced to take a few steps back, barely holding onto his stability. His face instantly covered with a shroud of hate, indicating that he took Fen's action for the betrayal of their bet. What's more, he was shoved aside right in front of the girl that he wanted to impress!

"Who do you think you are?!"

Shouting those words, Latiel once again lunged forward. Thankfully, this time Fen was mentally prepared for this action. Still holding on to an arrogant look on his face, the young man allowed for his friend's attack to reach his body, just as if he couldn't care less about the antics of a small-fry like Latiel.

But to his surprise, despite how desperate and angry Fen's new friend appeared to be, his attack didn't really have any weight under it!

"ARGH!"

Pushing his hips to the back, Fen expressed a moan of pain while allowing Latiel's fist to push his abdomen even further to the back before using his fires to cast a tiny explosion below his feet. Losing the touch with the ground in his already unstable position, only some desperate manoeuvre could save him from falling to the ground. 

But it was obvious that there was no point to save himself from this fake attack!

Allowing the momentum of the small explosion and Latiel's attack to be the only force that moved his body, Fen's muscles limped as he fell several meters to the back, pretending to attempt to regain his foothold which allowed him to increase the distance between the two of them even further!

"Hah… So that's what the token holders amount to once you shed all their arrogance and bullshit away!"

Still standing in the place where his attack connected with Fen's body, Latiel looked at his partner in acting crime with glee, while Fen used the distance between the two of them to hide his face away. After all, it would be a pity if the look of ridicule visible all over his expression were to sabotage all their efforts!

"What's going on here!"

Suddenly, out of the crowd that managed to gather around them during this quick clash, someone finally dared to step up to stop this fight. Turning his head to check who he would have to deal with, Fen already figured out what kind of story he would've to tell to solve this problematic situation that arouse… 

At least, that was his plan before his eyes finally moved to the right angle to give him some information about the newcomer.

And there was no way that the young man, after everything that he went through, would ever forget the shape, cut and the colour of the robes that the intervening party was wearing!