"I wasn't asking." Kasif immediately knocked him unconscious with a chop and placed him over his shoulder. He didn't take no for an answer.
"You-" The old man's action was too fast for Leon to react at such close distance. He blacked out before he knew it.
Kasif only answers to the Queen and spend most of his time in the shadows. He does not concern himself with how he should interact with others.
"What are you doing!?" Amelia shrieked like a cat having its tail stepped on. She was prepared to duke it out with the old man.
"I'm taking this boy as my disciple. Got problem with that? Then take your complaints to the Queen. I'm not listening." Kasif carried Leon away jovially, while humming a fine tune.
WTF???
"Who is this old man??? How dare he talk to me like that!" Amelia was riled as she rolled up her sleeves in anger. She was the Queen's sworn sister. Everyone had in the Royal faction had to give her respect. How can this Old man be so rude and eccentric? Does he even know who he just knocked unconscious? Amelia was ready to give him a piece of her mind.
"Wait!!" Duke Ignis was both shocked and angry. The Old man's back was wide open, but his instincts was screaming danger. Impossible! How can he feel threatened with such an opening? They were both 9th step experts. Why does their abilities feel so far apart? Nevertheless, he trusted his instincts and prevent his wife from offending the person.
"Why are you stopping me!? Are you just going to let him take Leon away!?" Amelia screamed.
"My wife, my dear wife, I'm begging you. Please calm down. It's not wise to fight him… Look, he seems to be heading towards the palace. We should follow him." Duke Ignis attempted to calm her down, while breaking into sweat. The discovery of more than one 9th step experts had made him cautious.
"Oh?" Amelia's actions froze. Her calmness returned with a sly glint in her eyes. If that Old man was really heading to palace then she had ways to make the Old man suffer for his rudeness. Don't say that she was planning to bully the old. The Old man was asking for it.
Everyone in the luxury car watched helplessly as Leon was kidnapped. They were smart people. They could determine that the Old man was very powerful master. The Duke's cautious behavior further strengthen their belief.
However, understanding the situation was one thing, but accepting it was another matter.
"Who the hell is that crazy old bastard? How can he just take our son away like that?" Helen and Brian voiced their resentment in opposition. They were the weakest of the group and was nothing more than ants to Kasif. However, they still dare to insult him. It didn't matter if the Old man was a great master or a god, they would still dare to do what they do to protect their son.
Duke Ignis was just feeling relieved when the couple's outburst left him back on tenterhooks. He quickly turn his head to face the Old man's direction with anxiousness and realized the Old man was not bothered by their words and continued his pace. Ignis sighed in relief. Today's events had been such a rollercoaster.
"Follow him."
The group entered their vehicles and follow behind with a reasonable distance between them.
"Shit! Where did he go?" Amelia's expression changed abruptly. Just when they thought it was going to be a slow trip without surprises, the Old man suddenly vanished before their eyes.
To think the Old man's movements was faster than what their eyes could perceive. They were unable to discern which direction he disappeared in.
They had yet to confirm if he was a friend or foe. His attitude placed him somewhere in between, making it hard for them to trust his words.
"Your Grace, we are unable to find any trace of them in the surrounding area." A servant reported.
"Alright... I understand. You can go back."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"We can only hope that crazy old man really meant what he said and won't harm Leon." Amelia said. There wasn't much they can do except hope for the best.
Elizabeth said that she would wash the Upper District in blood if something did happen to her son. Although it seems heartless and cold-blooded, she would just be enforcing what the King wanted.
After 500 years, humanity was not as united as before. Regardless of whether they were still loyal to the crown or not, the nobles have become selfish and no longer contributed to the efforts at the frontier; dodging military service and faking conscription.
With the decrease in elite noble troops, commoners were forced to fill the ranks and casualties rose during skirmishes and expeditions.
The situation slowly improved when the number of awakeners increased among the soldiers from commoner backgrounds. However, humanity's advancement have halted and the King could no longer see hopes of reclaiming the vast land beyond their walls.
It wasn't some open secret that the King wanted to abolish the nobility system. Elizabeth would just be carrying out his wish in a more direct way by killing them all off.
This was something, Amelia wasn't willing to see. Regardless of whoever was victorious, a lot of innocent would die and the collective strength of humanity would plummet.
"Yeah... Let us visit the palace. We still need to let her know we found her son... and drop these people off. There's no safer place for them to stay than there." Duke Ignis suggested as he took a brief glance at the people.
Robert looked at him speechlessly. Would the Queen even let them stay? Also, they were being treated like baggages... but he couldn't really say they weren't. They couldn't help in the prior battle.
"Mmm, maybe my sworn-sister will know who that Old bastard is." Amelia nodded before continuing.
"Wait a minute... What do you mean 'we'? It was I, who found her son, okay? Are you trying to steal my credit?" Amelia eyes turned sharp as she questioned her husband.
"What?" Duke Ignis was taken aback by her nitpicking. "There's no need to fuss over such a small matter is there?"
"What did you say? Small matter? Do you really think that?" Amelia asked with a darkened expression. She had spent sleepless nights in order to find Elizabeth's son. The least she wanted was for her efforts to be recognised.
"N-No... it was a slip of tongue, my dear." Duke Ignis broke into sweats.
"That's what I thought. Hmph!"
With Leon's disappearance, the mood inside the luxury car was a bit heavy. However, the duo's theatrics seems to have cast a spell on everyone and distracted them, lightening the mood.
"Father, you ought to have more backbone." Rachel smiled at her parents bickering. Such cases was the norm, whenever her father committed a mistake.
"Backbone? What kind of backbone can your father have with a tigress wife? ...Huh?" Duke Ignis replied to his daughter subconsciously before he suddenly covered his mouth. But it was too late. The words have already been spilled.
"Tigress hmm?"
"Wait, Amelia, Wifey, it was my mistake. Forgive me. Ahhh-" Duke Ignis wailed.
Amelia had pinched his waist and gave it hard twist.
"Why do women like to pinch there?" Duke Ignis complained. "Look, wifey, I know you're actually unhappy about the boy being taking away, but you don't have to take it out on me, right?"
Robert slowly closed his eyes. His old friend must have been a gravedigger in his past life. He keeps digging himself holes.
.....
"My Lord, We are overwhelmingly honoured to have you grace us with your presence." A servant said while steering the wheel to follow the luxury car in front. He didn't expect the Duke join them. The Duke was a lot more approachable than he thought.
"Haha... yeah... it's good to spend more time with my people." Duke Ignis said with a forced smile. He couldn't say that his wife kicked him out of his own car. He wouldn't have any face left in front of his men.
...
Back in the luxury car, the mood was a bit strange.
"Aunty is scary." Mia broke the silence.
"Aunty isn't scary. It is Uncle's fault for making Aunty angry." Amelia wore an awkward smile on her face as she gave Mia's cute cheeks a squeeze.
"Shall we have some tea?" Amelia tried to fix the mood.
The tea was no longer hot, but it was not a problem from Amelia. She infused fire elements into the teapot and heated it to just the right temperature.
People's eyes brightened at the mention of tea. Everyone seemed to have been converted into a tea lover in this short while as they enjoy a calm and relaxing tea session... without Duke Ignis.
...
An indefinite amount of time passed before Leon regained his consciousness. When he opened his eyes, nothing entered his sight. Whether he opened his eyes or not, it made no difference.
His vision was pitched black as he found himself in an area devoid of light. It was absolute darkness.
"Where the hell am I?"