Arcane Era-Chapter 82: True Colors (Part 2)

ARCANE ERA

Chapter 82: True Colors (Part 2)

A sudden air of tension began to fester as the sound of crashing waves intensified.

"You don’t seem surprised that I spotted you despite using your Armament to conceal yourself."

Kamara broke the silence, her emotionless gaze on the boy before her.

It was, of course, Theo.

"If you could spot the Dark Shadow Brothers, then what is my newly-acquired Standard Grade Armament in comparison?" His smile widened. "It would have been disappointing otherwise."

"I see. So you intentionally slipped up with that information on Sarvos because you already noticed, or suspected that you were being spied on. It wasn’t an error in judgment...?"

"You’re right. It wasn’t..." Theo shook his head.

"Why?"

"I wanted to draw them out. I had constantly used [Transparency Mask] to observe everyone and everything in my surroundings, until I noticed the Dark Shadow Brothers."

"So you going to the mess hall wasn’t simply to eat, but to also spy on them? How did you recognize them, though?"

"I didn’t." Theo went on to explain the effects of his Armament, including its special flaw, which could be said to be another advantage it had.

"I see..." Kamara mumbled. "So you detected the [Monkey Ears] and the other Armaments on them. The ears in particular seemed suspicious, so you assumed it was an observation-type."

"Yes. I figured they were spies since they were being too low-key despite being Armament Wielders. Everyone knows Armament Wielders are the champions of this world, yet they were dressed like normal people."

Adding to the fact that there were three of them, and one of them had an obvious observation-type Armament... it became obvious that they were dealing with the Dark Shadow Brothers.

"Good going. So mind explaining why you exposed something like that despite knowing the kind of people they were?" Kamara’s face was still expressionless as she asked these questions. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

She showed no trace of anger or surprise.

It was all a lull.

"I was curious about their employer, actually. I wanted to know if Sarvos was behind them, so by throwing them that information as bait, I was sure they’d bite and make a move. It’s why I came out tonight to observe them and listen in to their conversation." He answered honestly. "I couldn’t hear a thing because of the effect of that dark mist, so I was prepared to go in and fight—maybe interrogate them. I would have retrieved the Monkey Ears and destroyed all evidence once I was done. That is... if you hadn’t shown up."

"Hmm..." Kamara narrowed her eyes, almost like she could see through Theo.

She had quite an impression already.

"You were testing me, weren’t you?"

"Yes, I was." He admitted, laughing slightly. "I wanted to see you in action and determine how capable you are, and whether or not I could trust you while we were at Sarvos."

"And?"

"And what?" Theo was a little confused.

"Did I pass your test?" She asked, very calmly. Despite Theo admitting to all of his actions, she didn’t seem moved in the slightest.

"Yes." He nodded, his smile slowly shrinking. "Frankly, I’m even a little surprised by how well you’re taking all of this. I expected you to a bit—"

WHOOSH!

Theo suddenly noticed Kamara vanish from her position, not even becoming a blur or silhouette, before ’something’ suddenly grabbed his throat near-instantly.

It was a phantom ’thing’, incorporeal yet tangible.

Theo could see a pale entity before him, nearly transparent. She looked like a horrifying creature with pitch-black hair and a monstrous face. Her hair danced in the air like swirling clouds, and her tight grip on his throat felt unshakable.

Even if Theo used all of his strength, he couldn’t move it an inch.

"Listen to me, boy..." Her voice was unpleasant, almost like metal grating metal. It felt colder than normal, and an unpleasant odor—like rotting flesh—began to waft in the air. "... This is a mission where you are required to follow instructions, else you risk the completion of the assignment."

Theo felt like he was blacking out due to the specter’s grip, but she noticed this and loosened it slightly—just enough for him to breathe a little.

"I don’t care if Lord Shen favors you, or you’re the most special Arcane Vessel to ever exist..." Her tone was serious, and her murderous intent evident. The world seemed to hold its breath as she stared at Theo with pitch-black eyes, revealing the endless abyss inside.

"... If you try anything so dangerous again, I will kill you."

Theo was frozen in place as he watched her and listened to her words.

"Do you understand me?"

’I miscalculated...’ Theo gulped and nodded as he shuddered under her tight grip. ’I didn’t realize you were hiding such resolve beneath that mask of yours.’

"I... understand. I’ll stick to the plan... and not... jeopardize the mission."

After hearing this, the intensity in the air quickly vanished, and Kamara’s ghostly form dissipated, revealing a pretty woman who had a gentle smile on her face. Her tight grip on Theo loosened, and she patted his head with care.

"I’m glad we understand each other." She said, her pleasant grin brightening up the dark world surrounding the two of them.

"You should head back inside. It’s pretty chilly out here."

"Okay..." Like a drenched rat, Theo scurried away. He felt every ounce of powerlessness as the figure of Kamara receded in the distance. Even when she was completely out of sight, his body trembled in fear.

At that moment, when she grabbed him... he was close to death.

’If I said the wrong word, would she have actually—?’ Theo wasn’t sure what the answer was, but he did not doubt the endless darkness he witnessed in Kamara’s eyes.

He was on her radar now.

If he made even the slightest mistake or went out of bounds... then she would fulfill her promise.

"So you were like this, Miss Kamara..." Theo muttered, grabbing his throat as his thoughts went to the corpses of the three brothers buried inside the ocean.

He couldn’t comprehend it before, but now he completely understood how scary Kamara was.

"I’ll keep that in mind."