Chapter 79: The Third Option

Chapter 79: The Third Option

What if there were a third option? A bead of sweat dripped down Toms cheek as he made the bold proposal.

A single misstep on his part could result in the possibility of things going very wrong. And yet, Tom couldnt help but yield to the idea that had been gnawing away at the forefront of his mind; a fascinating possibility that he simply could not ignore.

For he had too much to gain.

Oh? Zirels expression might have been one of intrigue, but his wary gaze firmly remained trained on Aleph. Even if I was interested in hearing you out, do you think that your companion over there would stand for it?

Tom allowed a tense exhale to escape his lips.

Aleph, Tom said, finding his tone surprisingly calm as he addressed her.

There was no response and rightfully so. Aleph would not allow her attention to sway while facing an opponent that hailed from her sworn enemys lineage.

He allowed himself a quick glance, his gaze only lingering long enough to catch a glimpse of her expression.

It wasnt hard to understand Zirels statement with the added context to an outsider at least, Alephs expression was a scrunched up mask of fury and rage. To Tom though, there was something more there, beneath the veneer of strong emotions. The companion with whom he had spent the last couple of months with, fighting and training together, had never looked so vulnerable before.

There was nothing he could possibly say that would convince Aleph to give up on her hatred for the Nottrakon family, the culprits behind the extermination of her Noble Lineage; her family.

Would he have been able to maintain his composure upon being faced with two powerful opponents, one of whom had unearthed his closest secrets through some esoteric means that he had no way to identify?

Definitely not.

Perhaps it was because Tom had experienced Zirels memories first-hand, he could tell that the princes confidence wasnt a bluff.

Fine, Aleph replied. Ill, She hesitated for a long moment, her grip tightening over the crystal sword. For a second there, Tom expected her to attack, but in the end the self-control of a Fallen Noble who had braved the cruelty of the world on her lonesome won out, if barely at that. ....Ill hear you out, She managed to croak out, her tone weighed down by the melange of conflicting emotions she was trying to navigate.

Alephs grip over her sword loosened and Tom could almost sense the tense atmosphere in the dungeon crucible falling by a few degrees.

Only the sound of Zirels overly formal narration was audible in the crucible, as he began explaining from the very beginning. From the delicate political situation in House Nottrakon that eventually pushed him into fleeing the Noble Estate and arriving in the Nameless District of the Academic City, Renovia. He spoke of the fleeting dream he had allowed himself to indulge in, the life of a common dungeoneer starting from scratch. Spoke the names of his former party members aloud, describing the little time they had spent together as the single most exhilarating experience of his life.

And then he spoke of the Elite Guard and how they had slaughtered his party down to the last man.

Much to Toms expectations, Zirel didnt explain how he had managed to slay three Elite Guards that should have been stronger than him. However, he did describe the visceral satisfaction he got upon avenging his former party, the disgust at his eldest brothers actions so evident in his tone that even Tom would find such hatred hard to mimic.

The story of how the Fourth Prince of the Nottrakon Kingdom became the infamous dungeoneer, Riven Blackheart was a riveting one.

It also left Aleph Longstradia at a loss.