Chapter 38: Chapter 21: Acknowledgment

175 Mission Credits.

More than Kai knew what to do with. Compared to zero, that was indeed a high number. But was it enough? Kai did not know. At last, he could only think of one thing. The more the better.

The surroundings had become immensely tense as the sunset, blanketed by smoke and the approaching dusk. Kai couldn’t think of any side-missions that could be completed before midnight. At midnight, they would leave this secured magical hut of theirs. They would leave London, flying on the brooms, but how many would reach Dufftown, Kai couldn’t guess.

But I know who will not be reaching for sure, Kai’s eyes narrowed.

“Captain,” Kai towered over Arlen, who was sprawled over the long sofa-like wooden bench. Placed over it was a layer of feathers and wool, making it more of a bed than a bench. Arlen hadn’t left this place since the last hour, and Desmond had told Kai he didn’t like it, seeing Arlen so quiet. It was making Desmond choke Arlen right there and then.

Kai had an inkling of what Arlen was thinking. But would he dare say it aloud here, when so many ears were listening? Kai shook his head inwardly.

“What is it?” Arlen grumbled, without looking at Kai.

“The Main Mission said that I can learn magic in this world,” Kai could still see it written there at the end, that hint. “I couldn’t ride the broom, so I was wondering if you could teach me magic.”

 Desmond had put his hands up when Kai had asked the same to him. I can’t do magic, Desmond had told him apologetically. Why don’t you ask Arlen, before we get rid of him for good?

So here was Kai, looking at Arlen with his round, expectant eyes.

“Teach you magic, you say,” Arlen mumbled, scorning Kai’s words openly. “What is it, a vegetable? ‘You can’ doesn’t mean ‘You will’, or does it?”

No, it doesn’t, Kai answered himself. In the open, he played mute, a simple kid being bullied by a 3rd floor Contestant. A kid worthy enough to have an innate Ability, but cursed with a beautiful face, charming eyes, and even better physique.

Men don’t like other men better than themselves at one glance, Kai had learned. That was the sole reason for him to use Shae to irritate the bastard. Irritation makes one unreasonable, his mother had told him. Kai seemed to have achieved his goal.

“But I saw you teaching it to Shae,” Kai said, pointing at the time an hour ago when Arlen had approached Shae to teach her about magic. “You can sell vegetables to her, and not to me?”

A laugh escaped Desmond’s mouth, and even Simon let out a chuckle. Shae held her head high to see what the ruckus was about, unaware that she was the cause. Arlen had sat up. He looked at Kai with those blue eyes of his, menacing and full of rage and murder.

“Your Intelligence is low,” Arlen said, his tone full of mockery. “No wonder you can play the part of a fool now and then.”

Is that why I couldn’t ride the broom? Kai asked himself, turning Arlen’s question in his mind. My Intelligence is truly lower than an average adult Contestant according to the System. Is Shae’s Intelligence higher than 10 then?

You are reading story Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems at novel35.com

“What? No more jests, Blood Demon,” Arlen mocked, enjoying himself. “Magic requires Elementary Magic Aptitude. Do you have it? Save your breath, I know you don’t. Magic also requires a wand. Do you have it? Do you know the price I had to pay to have one of my own? Do you know it isn’t even a real wand?”

Now that shocked Kai.

It isn’t a real wand, Kai thought, his eyes wide. He had seen three wands after coming to this world. They all seemed the same to him. A wooden stick that could kill him with one shake. How was he to know which was real and which was fake now?

“And do you know?” Arlen had stood up, looking down into Kai’s eyes. “Magic requires an acknowledgment from a true wizard or true witch from the random world. They must acknowledge that you have the destiny to be a wizard, that if not now, then one day you can become one.”

Arlen left the bed, and walked off, leaving Kai drowned in his thoughts.

“You didn’t know that, did you?” Arlen was still shouting, laughing a low laugh of derision. “Teach you magic, you said. Well, let’s have it then.”

Kai didn’t know what madness had overtaken Arlen, but he could see him trembling.

“It just so happens that we have a true wizard among ourselves,” Arlen said, and even Desmond stood up in shock. Arlen hadn’t let the newbies even approach the direction till now. For the first time, he was walking towards it, the trapdoor of the basement. “Come then. Let us see if you are just all bark and no bite, or if your fangs have some sharpness to them.”

A tunnel brought Kai and Arlen in front of a metal door. There were no bolts outside, but it felt shut to Kai. Almost air-tight for the better lack of words. Sonia was sitting on one side of the gate outside, reading a book, sitting over a stool. The tunnel was well lit for the purpose.

“Go up,” Arlen commanded. “Mr. Beedle doesn’t like too many of us crowding him.”

Sonia gave Kai a rare smile and nodded at him before leaving the basement. When Arlen heard the clanking of the trapdoor, he looked at Kai. His hand went down to his coat’s pocket, and he took out a rolled piece of parchment.

“And now,” Arlen said, with a threatening tone. “You will tell me what’s the meaning of this.”

Arlen unrolled the flaky piece, letting out its content in open. Under the light of dozens of oil lamps, the single word written over it shimmered with a yellow-orange glow.

That word was…

Confringo.

---

AN: Spoiler -

You can find story with these keywords: Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems, Read Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems, Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems novel, Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems book, Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems story, Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems full, Demonic Resurrection: Pawns of the Evil Systems Latest Chapter