Chương 80: Chapter 77-Chosen Annoyance

"And that's how The Long Lived Chosen met his end at the ripe age of 78. Young for an Elf, but impressive for a Chosen One considering the life expectancy of one," Professor Schist says as he strokes his Dwarven beard. Yawning in my chair, I kick back and accidentally touch The Chosen Blade. Immediately, a cacophony of voices rampages through my mind. Seems those Chosen Ones still aren't happy that I'm wielding the Blade.

I tried [Lying] and told them I was The Chosen One, but then Yellow flat-out just said I was lying. The audacity to accuse me of something without any proof. I mean, yeah, I did [Lie], but that's besides the point. Where's the proof?! Anyway, now they're constantly bickering over what to do. Which means I can't hold, touch, or even lick the blade without getting a pounding headache from all the yelling. You would think that a group of Chosen Ones would be able to have a civil conversation, but you would be wrong.

"CJ, your sword is… vibrating?" Garus points out. Looking down at The Chosen Blade, I watch all of the gems except for the white one light up at the same time. Which causes the blade to vibrate. What in the hells are they doing in that sword?

"Thanks, Garus. New feature. Supposedly, it's a massage function," I say as I pick the blade up." HEY! CAN YOU HEAR US! HEY! HEY!" the voices of nine people rip through my eardrum.

"I can hear you. How about you tone it down a bit? I'm trying to sleep through class," I whisper to the blade.

"I told you that would get the Vashrin's attention," Yellow says with more than a hint of smugness.

"Still doesn't mean it wasn't hard on the throat," Black remarks, jokingly?

"Should we really be calling him just Vashrin? Shouldn't we ask his name?" Pink asks.

"Marvelous idea! The more he trusts us, the more likely it is we can make him do our bidding," Yellow says, missing the entire point.

"Uh, well, I guess that also works," Pink says.

"Not to interrupt your conversation, but you guys realize I'm here, right?" I whisper to the blade.

"Why are you whispering?" Yellow asks.

"I'm in class right now. Do you know what that is?" I ask with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, we understand you're in class. We can see after all. Why are you whispering?" Black asks.

"So, people don't think I'm crazy when I start talking to a sword," I say, annoyed.

"You know you don't have to speak out loud for us to hear you, right? You need only be in contact with The Chosen Blade," Yellow clarifies.

"Oh. I mean, Oh," I say in my head.

"There we are. Now, Vashrin. We have deliberated and have decided to forgive you for stealing The Chosen Blade. Now, take us to the 11th Chosen One," Yellow orders.

"Nah, I'm good," I say.

"You're good?" Yellow asks.

"Yup. Now, if you'll excuse me. Class is ending, and I have a lunch date to get to," I say as I begin to pack my stuff up.

"A lunch date? That's more important than carrying out this holy duty?" Yellow asks.

"Yup." As I walk out of the classroom, I lose sight of Penelope. I could have sworn she was right there. She didn't run back to her room, did she? Taking a cookie out of my pack, I take a bite and live to regret it. Okay, that's another failure. Maybe a little less almond next time. That's what I get for ignoring [Cook].

"Excuse me, sir Vashrin. I think we got off on the wrong foot. What's your name?" Pink asks.

"You can call me CJ. How about you, Pink?" I ask as I continue my walk towards the dorms.

"Pink? Oh, you must be going off the gem colors. Um, yeah, actually, you can call me Pink. So, Mr. CJ. We would really appreciate it if you could take us to the current Chosen One. Please?" Pink asks politely.

"You're looking at him," I [Lie].

"Uh, that's impossible. So, stop joking around. This is a matter of life or death," Pink says again, this time slightly less polite.

"I'd say ask anybody, but you're a sword, or rather, in a sword? How does that work exactly? Are you the sword?" I ask as Azalea Hall comes into view.

"That's not really important and is extremely complicated. To put it simply, we're using the sword as a conduit to the living world," Pink explains. I nod.

"Seems simple enough. Can you like help me fight creatures and the forces of evil?"

"Yeah, actually, we can. For small bursts-""Pink, you're getting sucked into his flow," Black chimes in.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Maybe you should give it a try? I'm not good at this," Pink says.

"I got it. So, CJ, right? Listen, bud, we know you're not The Chosen One. You know you're not The Chosen One. So, how about we forget about this nonsense and just cut to the part where you hand us off to the actual Chosen One. Where are they?" Black asks. I contemplate a wide variety of responses ranging from witty to sarcastic. None are going to be helpful for them. Which I'm okay with. As the doors to Azalea Hall come into view, I'm suddenly blocked by a Half-Elf man.

Based on his purple uniform, he's a Fourth Year. What's a Fourth Year doing around our Hall? The man runs his hand through his black hair and gives me a disarming smile.

"Hey, there. Chosen One, right?" Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Yeah. Who's asking?" I ask as his golden eyes pierce straight through me.

"I'm Heath. I believe you know my sister, Penelope."

"Oh, yeah. I do. It's nice to meet you, Heath. Can I help you with something?" I ask as I try to get a bearing on what that bad feeling is.

"Yeah, you can," he says and then disappears from view. Oh fuck, this isn't good. I hate it when people say ominous shit like that. Now what? Am I just supposed to stay here until it does something? Is he going to hurt me?

"Duck, now!" Blue yells. I immediately duck down as Heath appears behind me. His fist sits right where my head was, and a nearby tree seems to have a hole straight through it. …The son of a bitch tried to kill me. Damned royalty! Ok, I got to play this off. Can't have him think that was a fluke. With a stone-cold face, I stand back up and turn to see him.

"It seems the rumors are true. You're strong. Anybody else would have been a foot shorter, but as expected from the one who's trying to court my sister," he says with an odd amount of respect.

"What?"

"You don't have to keep up appearances with me. If things work out, we'll soon be family. Tell me, are you a physical fighter or are you more of a mage type like Valerian?" he asks, making no sense.

"If I had to choose, I'm more a physical fighter than a mage," I absentmindedly answer. A large, disarming smile draws across his face.

"Great. We should spar sometime. We'll call it brotherly bonding. Tell me, are you an only child?" Heath asks, and I almost get pulled into his flow, but before I do, the doors to Azalea Hall burst open.

"Heath! What are you doing?!" Penelope asks calmly as she trudges over to us.

"I'm seeing what my future brother-in-law is like. May I say I didn't think you had good taste, but maybe you do." Penelope stands between the two of us and gives Heath an annoyed look.

"I've already told you that's not how it is. Now scram." Heath nods.

"How harsh and to your own brother. Where did my sweet little Pop-" Penelope gives him a glare that could kill, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Leave," she orders in a low tone.

"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not welcome. See you later, CJ," Heath says as he leaves.

"He seems nice," I say. Penelope lowers her guard just a bit.

"He is, but he doesn't know when to shut up. Follow me. We have to talk." Following Penelope, I look down at The Chosen Blade.

"Thanks, Blue. I guess I'll stop ignoring you guys and answer some of your questions, but wait for me to finish this up first," I say to the blade. The sword thrums in response. Damn it. Why did Blue have to help me? I could have ignored them if they were just dicks, but… Damn it! Following Penelope, she leads me down the right side of the Hall, which is where the ladies live. I don't think I've actually been this way. I wonder which room is Penelope's.

After climbing five flights of stairs, I wonder why I even asked that. Of course, her room is on the top floor.

"Watch your step. The floor was just cleaned," she warns as we enter the beautifully decorated fifth floor, and by beautifully, I obviously mean expensive. Look at that vase. I bet you I could crap in it and it'd still be worth more than I've ever earned. Hells one gem encrusted on it would probably feed a whole neighborhood for a month. Maybe I sho- Penelope suddenly turns and opens a door at the end of the hallway. A large and royal room spreads out before leaving me speechless. One big bed.

One personal bathroom. One desk. You've got to be kidding me.

"You don't have a roommate?" I ask. Penelope looks over at me with a hint of embarrassment.

"Of course. Alfira, are you here?"

"I am here, Princess Penelope. How may I serve you?" an Elven woman I recognize appears behind me from seemingly nowhere.

"No, um, I need the room for a bit. Could you facilitate that?" Penelope asks with a hint of red in her ears.

"Understood. I will leave at once. I will return in exactly 23 minutes. Please await my return, Princess Penelope," Alfira says and then disappears from view.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I ask fully knowing what the conversation might be about.

"I know you're not The Chosen One," she says without a hint of doubt.

"Do you now? That's certainly something considering I am-""The Chosen One?" she asks. The light from outside shines into the room as we stand there staring at each other. The clicking of the clock reverberates through the room. A tense silence hangs between us. Letting out a sigh, I sit down in her regal chair.

"We've known each other for what? Two, almost three months? Why are you bringing this up now?" I ask with a hint of suspicion.

"Are you admitting that you're not The Chosen One?" she asks.

"You know I can't do that, and I know you don't have any proof to back your baseless claims. So, why are we here, Penelope?" I ask as I put my feet up on her desk. She studies my every move.

"[System Contract]. I've been wondering how a risk-averse person like yourself somehow got into the riskiest position possible, but today I finally got a clue. You're bound by a [System Contract], aren't you? A dumb move, but one I could see you getting tricked into. Am I right?" Impressive. With the information she's been able to claw out of me, plus her understanding of my personality, she was able to come to the correct conclusion. If I [Lie], she'll probably catch on.

If I tell the truth, the [System Contract] will end me. Which leaves me in a precarious situation. Which only has one answer. Penelope stares at me for a very long time as I sit in complete silence, giving my own type of answer.

"I see. Let me tell you what I think happened. You got tricked into signing a [System Contract] and quickly found yourself way over your head. You've been floundering your way through this relying mainly on your [LCK], and you don't really know what to do next." Well, technically that's correct, but she skipped over the funny and cool moments that happened in between.

"If you think that's the case, so be it. I have no chance of changing your mind after all. So, what next? You going to turn me in?" I ask as I figure out the ways out of this place.

"No. There would be no point in doing that. After all, I don't even know where the real Chosen One is. Outing you would just sow chaos and distrust in the populace. The exact opposite of what I hope for this Empire. So, instead, why don't we make a [Deal]?" Penelope asks as she reaches her hand out.

"What kind of deal?" I ask with curiosity.

"You help me to become the heir to my father's throne. In exchange, I'll help you keep up this act until the real Chosen One appears," she lays out the [Deal]. With a devilish smile, I take her hand.

"I don't need the help. After all, I am the Chosen One, but some people have grudges against me. So, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have someone on my side," I say, spinning the truth.

"By the [System], I, Penelope, accept this deal."

"By the [System], I, CJ, accept this deal." System Deal has been Finalized"Good to be working with you," I say with a devilish smile. Penelope squints.

"I want to know something. When the forces of evil become so strong that you can't deal with them, what then?"

"If such a hypothetical situation were to occur? I would probably run," I half-joke.

"Good. You're not useful if you're dead," she says with a hint of red at the tip of her ears.

"Nobody is, Partner."

"Don't call me that."

"Okay… Partner."