Aeren sat in the stadium, looking down at the stage as people flocked around it. He was staring at the massive stage when someone approached his seat and sat close to him.
Aeren didn't turn his head, just continued watching, when a voice came from his side:
"I just came to remind you that you promised me something."
Aeren turned his head and looked at her black hood in her head. He stared at her for a few seconds. Aeren did remember the promise, and he had agreed because he was going to do it anyway.
But now she had started pestering him, somehow finding him anywhere. Even though Aeren wasn't trying to hide from anyone, her ability to track him down showed talent—though it was a shame how she used it.
"Hmm, how are you even able to find me?"
She looked at him with amusement. What's so hard about finding you? When I looked around for a few seconds, you're always in those crowds. It's simple for me, but some idiots can't even think to look in a crowd.
She was talking about the royal guards and security around the place. He was always near them, yet they still couldn't find him. Now he was wearing guard clothes, and no one even questioned his identity.
Who the fuck is conducting guard interviews and skill tests? How did they not recognize this guy's face?
"Hmm, others are just idiots."
Aeren focused back on the stage and saw a purple-haired girl sparring with others while some handsome idiot cheered her from behind. Aeren ignored them and watched a blond-haired guy sparring with Renn.
Isolde was also practicing with Renn, but they were failing to defeat him. They weren't being serious—just sparring before the main event.
One day remained before the competition, and Aeren could see happy smiles on every single person on the stage.
"You're right."
Aeren agreed with her assessment. It wasn't that they didn't recognize him and accepted him without question—they had forgiven him because Aeren was young and talented, and they didn't want to lose someone with his abilities. So they hadn't even informed the Academy, saying instead, If anything happens, I'll handle it.
After hearing her, he understood the situation better. Aeren had known this from the beginning: if you don't act like a criminal in others' eyes, those who haven't seen your crimes will never believe accusations against you. They'll just accept you and assume others are using a child as a scapegoat.
That's how the real world works. Aeren had learned this before people could even think about what happened—everything would be erased around them, and Aeren would always be left alone in that place. This was going to happen here too.
Aeren kept his focus on the stage. "Why are you insisting so much?"
She looked at the sky—blue with clouds traveling across it. Then her focus shifted to Renn and Isolde, who were now sparring with students from different academies.
"Because this festival event is the best chance."
Aeren turned his head to her, but she stood up from her seat and left. Aeren turned back to the stage, still watching arguments between students over sparring matches.
Aeren's focus shifted to his right side, where he noticed a man sitting next to him.
"Aeren, what are you doing here?" the man asked him quietly.
Aeren didn't respond and returned his focus to the stage. Hmm, these people are starting to find me. Does that mean I'm giving too much permission for others to see me, or is it because of guard duty? Maybe the guard leader did something with these clothes or marked me somehow. He sighed internally. It doesn't matter. If they want to watch me, let them watch.
"Nothing, just waiting for the time to come."
The man nodded and focused his attention on the Special VIP seats, where royal families from different kingdoms would sit. The man had come to ensure his subordinates could attack the quality students, making them sacrifices and stepping stones for his plans.
The man had entrusted this to Roan, believing he could accomplish the task and become something the world wouldn't be able to handle—something only he could control, even having the power to defeat if necessary.
The man believed a few people could do the same thing as Arin, Renn, and Lira. But once his main body entered the human continent, he would kill them first so no one could stand in his way to rule the world alone. As for Aeren...
The man planned to kill him because he felt threatened by him, though the books said nothing about Aeren, which was why he had done nothing about him yet. But he had to eliminate him because Aeren wasn't following orders and couldn't be controlled like the others—making him more dangerous. Still, he doubted Aeren could do anything against his real body.
"Where are the others? And why are you alone?"
Aeren stared at the man. This man was a demon, traveling among people while no one knew demons existed around them. The other continents also didn't know about human presence.
The world existed in balance, and if by chance any powerhouse died without the world's notice, that balance would shatter. All beings in this world would be able to sense each other's presence, and war would break out everywhere.
"Did you think about the monster lords? They'll get in your way, one way or another."
The man knew this too, which was why his real body had made deals with them. They would help each other, and when they conquered the human continent, they would fight fairly and squarely. But his real body had different plans altogether.
"This is not your concern. Follow our deal—you promised you would help me let my body enter the human continent."
Aeren looked at him thoughtfully. Why do they even trust my words? Do I look that trustworthy, or do they have no one else to trust?
Aeren nodded his head and said nothing.