Flames emerged. Screams were heard, and multiple clowns were seen panicking.
As Charlie stood, alarmed, he observed the white-cloaked individual standing in the middle of the circus. Around them were several other individuals who were clad in black cloaks.
Just when the white-cloaked man had jumped into the circus, the black-cloaked individuals had leapt from several hiding spots, unleashing [Flame Bullet] on the entire circus.
The circus, once joyful and filled with laughter, was now etched with the scent of ruin and fear.
"It seems that we have an intrusion," Revan remarked as he finished his food, a small smirk on his face.
"You don't seem particularly fazed by this, Sir Revan." Charlie frowned as Revan stood up, cleaning his hands with magic before resting them in his pockets.
"Why would I be fazed? After all, this was what I came here for," he replied, widening the king's eyes in the process.
"Huh?! What do you—?" Before he could finish, Revan launched himself from the stands and landed on his feet on the ground.
As the black-cloaked individuals turned to Revan, seemingly surprised by his presence, the white-cloaked individual stretched his hand, and a sword manifested for him to wield.
Wait... that sword. It was a jet-black blade that seemed to emanate an eerie, violet glow that screamed danger. It was clearly an Epic-class weapon, maybe even beyond that.
However, what shocked Charlie wasn't the power and class of the weapon, but what the weapon actually was. He had seen it before, in the hands of Lynera De Voldero's father.
However, Karun De Voldero had ascended to the Spirit Realm, and he didn't plan on returning to this realm. Not just that, the former head minister of Goods Production had gifted his sword to Vekas before ascending.
That would mean...
The white-cloaked individual then moved swiftly, his movements a blur. One by one, each of the black-cloaked men was slashed to bits.
This made it clear that they weren't on the same team.
Even after they manifested weapons of their own, the black-cloaked individuals were no match for their opponent, who seemed to be cutting down his enemies like flies.
That attack pattern, those moves... there's no doubt about it.
"B-Bastard!" As one of the black-cloaked individuals — revealing the voice of a man — he stretched out his palm.
"[Hurricane of Destruction]!" A whirlwind was released, lunging at his opponent with full force.
However, the individual stood still, unaffected by the attack. All that happened was the removal of the hood from his face, revealing his facial features, pitch-black eyes, and lustrous white hair that reached down to his neck.
"Y-You?!"
"Vekas?" The king's jaw dropped, too stunned to comprehend what was happening.
His general — who disappeared for a week with his chambers in ruins — was now in front of him in a random circus, fighting some unknown men that just so happened to attack it when he was there.
Unaware of the king's shock, Vekas swung his sword, erasing the whirlwind from existence. Everything around him was in ruins because of this [Hurricane of Destruction], but he was entirely unfazed despite being the intended target of the attack.
Before the black-cloaked man could even express his shock, he was immediately decapitated as Vekas appeared behind his body, having moved faster than the eye could see.
As only one man remained, his face betraying fear underneath his black cloak, he tried to stretch his sword out, intending to unleash a fire blast. However, the man froze as he felt something impale him from behind.
It was a spatula. What? With the little strength he had left, he turned to spot a chef who had stabbed him from behind, a smirk donned on his lips, highlighting his bushy beard and mustache.
The chef — the same one who had served the food Revan and Charlie wanted — pulled his spatula back, making the man collapse onto the ground.
"Damn! Nice sneak attack, Augustus."
"Haha! This was nothing, Revan. I've beaten dozens of bigger fish than this guy without needing to sneak up on them!" The chef adjusted his apron and wiped the blood from his spatula using the same black cloak of the man he just killed.
The chef seemed to be chatting with Revan as if they were old friends. Do they know each other?
As Charlie descended to where they stood, Vekas turned to him, his one knee planted onto the ground. "It's good to see you again, your majesty."
Augustus also turned to the king, bowing in respect before straightening himself once more. Only Revan stood there, not bothering to pay any form of respect.
"Vekas," the king began, his eyes narrowed, "where were you? Why had you vanished from the face of Varkana for a whole week?"
Vekas then stood up, his eyes narrowed. "I was attacked in my room that night. There were so many that I had to lure them elsewhere. It was necessary to make sure the palace wasn't caught in the crossfire."
"Are you saying that a bunch of attackers snuck up to the palace?!" Vekas nodded, his lips pursed.
"They were the rebels." Charlie turned to the chef, surprised by his words as the bloated man continued. "They staged an attack on the palace to threaten you by revealing how they could easily sneak up to any royal's chambers if they wish."
They were mocking him. Charlie realized that much. It was as if they wanted to pressure him into anxiety over his safety, as well as the safety of his family. After all, both the king and his family were equally hated.
"How do you know about their plan, chef?" the king asked.
"He's a spy to help us get some info," Revan chimed in, revealing as if it was common knowledge, "also, you have some beef?"
"Sure," Augustus replied as he wore a deadpan expression, "just don't get too fat like me, kid."
"Hold on! You're a spy?! So that means— wait! Were all three of you in on this?!" Upon the king's deduction, the three looked away; Augustus whispering innocently, Revan munching on the beef he just received, and Vekas simply staring at the ground as if there was something magnificent there.
A vein seemed to pop out of Charlie's head. They had known of this attack all along and planned a countermeasure against it, all without telling him a single thing. For some reason, he was feeling less and less like a king.
"Wait, Sir Revan. Why did you insist on my presence here if you know about the attack?"
"Precisely because there was gonna be an attack here!" the black-haired man replied, taking another bite out of his beef. "Not just that, but the person targeted was actually a minister who was attending the circus."
"A minister? I didn't see any minister here."
"That's because he's already captured," Revan revealed, causing all three of them to turn sharply to him.
"Wait... what?!"
"The hell do you mean by that, kid?!"
"Sir Revan, are you saying that we failed to protect the one person we ran this whole operation for?!" Upon the general's question, Revan nodded, eating another bite of beef with a pleased smile.
"Mhm! While you two were focused on eliminating soldiers and flexing your skills, the main leader of those rebels successfully kidnapped the minister from under our noses. Too bad I detected the guy, though."
"Wait, if you spotted him, then why didn't you stop him?!"
"I was too busy watching you and Vekas fight like total chads! It's not my fault! Plus, I was waiting to ask you for this beef I am currently eating," Revan pouted, hugging the beef close to his chest as if he did nothing wrong.
The three men, after observing his behavior, could only think of one thing. He needs to get his priorities straight...
Revan was clearly a man who acted according to his desires. If he desired something less important than the actual mission, then the mission can be considered doomed.
A wildcard at its finest... Charlie then suddenly turned to Vekas, his brows furrowed. "Hold on, Vekas. Who was the minister they were targeting?"
"Sir Tharon, your majesty. They are targeting him due to his clear hostility against the riots." Tharon. Of course, it had to be Tharon. After all, he was the one suggesting killing all the rebels.
"This is troublesome... do we have any way to track where Tharon might have been taken?"
"There are several different hideouts of the rebels in the capital, so determining where he exactly went would be difficult," Augustus remarked, stroking his beard as he mulled over the options he had.
"Or... I could just track him. After all, I have analyzed him entirely, and I can just follow the faint trails his oathweight left behind," Revan remarked, finishing his beef as he raised his finger.
Charlie turned to him, puzzled. "Wait, you can do that?"
"Yup! My analysis is top-notch."
That much is obvious if it can also outmaneuver Sierra... Augustus frowned, remembering what Sierra had told him about the duel these two had.
Still, detecting the faint oathweight of a person in the surroundings was nearly impossible. Only beings with a spiritual mastery over [Appraisal] or a perfect mastery over [Sage Insight] wield analysis to such a degree.
Sierra was in the latter category, while the former category required a being wielding [Appraisal] to become a fully spiritual lifeform. This meant that not even Vekas was capable of such a feat.
He's clearly a spiritual being. I am convinced now... Vekas narrowed his eyes, wondering just how far the depths of Revan's abilities were.
"Then there is no time to waste! We need to hurry," Augustus bellowed, to which Vekas nodded before turning to the king.
"Your majesty, I suggest returning to the palace with the guards you brought along. The three of us will—"
"Actually, the guards are dead," Revan interrupted whilst checking out his fingernails.
"Huh?!"
"What? They were clearly gonna wipe out any guard they saw to make sure their plan went perfectly! They must have thought that those were the minister's guards rather than the literal king's," he explained, tilting his head as if it was a matter of course.
"Damn it... what now?"
"I'll accompany you," the king declared, his eyes narrowed, "I wish to know more about the hideout of those rebels and put an end to them myself."
His words alarmed Vekas, who immediately turned to him. "Your majesty, this is too dangerous. I highly suggest that you sit this one out. We have no way of knowing what would come next."
"Doesn't matter. My minister was captured right under my nose. I shall no longer tolerate it! It's time to end this charade."
"Yeah! That's the spirit," Revan cheered, a toothy grin on his face.
Charlie responded by looking at him with the most unamused face ever. "Don't forget that it's because of your carelessness that we're getting involved in this."
"You mean carefreeness? I know, I am good at it," he smirked, bowing slightly as the king frowned, his veins popping out more than before.
"Whatever, I guess it's best if we all go in the direction that bastard headed to," Vekas remarked, his sword disappearing as he did so.
"And I'll be your guide till then!" Revan exclaimed.
"Yeah, so if you don't lead us right and sidetrack us, I ain't making more beef rolls for you, kid. Got it?" Augustus replied, his piercing gaze fixed on Revan's expression, which had now morphed into that of horror.
"Noo!!! I will lead you straight there! Just don't cut off my beef..." he pleaded, his eyes welling with tears.
The chef smirked in response, tapping his fat belly slightly and stroking his beard in pride. "Good. Now let's get going."
"Yes, sir!" Revan replied before heading to the exit.
Ah, food... the ultimate leverage over someone... Both Vekas and Charlie thought to themselves.