Chương 11: Sara’s Entrance

The remaining minutes ticked on for what seemed like an eternity, but they did tick down. The Festival was officially beginning— —and Sara wasn't there. Suddenly, it felt like a great weight had been lifted from Jason's shoulders. He studied the disappointed faces in the stands with a mild tinge of glee, or something similar. No, it was vindication. He had finally been vindicated, and it felt wonderful. See? he silently declared to everyone present. Do you finally see it?

That the person you've been fawning over was a fucking fraud? I hope you're happy! While that vindication initially made him feel good, it ironically amplified his anger the moment he calmed down. Know what? Raul was right. Jason had been obsessed with Sara. But it wasn't because they weren't dating. It was because her public dumping permanently damaged his reputation. Now, people didn't even look at him the same. Raul always said, Chill, dude. You're uptight. Of course people are avoiding you.

But whose fault was that? Not his! That's what made Jason sick. Sara made him a vindictive prick. Now, she was being exposed as a fraud, and was anyone gonna apologize to him? Say, Sorry, Jason. You were right about Sara. We should've listened? Of course not. This uncivilized country didn't even understand the concept of democracy. They had a dictator, and the dictator was infallible. King Escar didn't even know how to say sorry. In fact, it was strictly prohibited for that dying crone to do so!

But this, too, shall pass. Today, he would show them who they were treating like trash. And they'd be sorry. Oh, yes. They'd be sorry. Not today. Today, they'd shower him with gifts and praise, and he'd smile his greatest smile. But when he was the Hero—the strongest in the world—he'd change this feudal hellscape, and the people who brought him down would grovel at his feet for their jobs. But that was then. This was now, and now required a smile.

So he smiled a great big smile and waved, fighting down the burning anger within him. Aelia shifted nervously under the weight of the grumbling.

"It seems they have encountered trouble on the road," she said over an amplification array.

"I'd like to reiterate that Lady Reece has been on a royal mission." Jason's smile became genuine when he saw Aelia's face. That's right, Lady "Tricks," he thought—co-opting the nickname the virgins called her— dig your own grave. Humble yourself before— Suddenly, an ear-piercing voice cut through the amphitheater, silencing the restless patrons. The moment he heard the amplified voice, an icy chill crawled down his spine. No… I'll repeat. My name is Sara Leian Reece, and I'm here on the king's orders.

Now let me in at once! Jason's smile morphed into a scowl, and he thought, if only for a second, of killing her. It was an intrusive thought, and it passed by just as quickly as it had come, but he did think it.

"Cut that circle!" a guard demanded, panicking when he realized that Sara was using an amplification circle.

"Forget it. Arrest her. We'll let her talk in holding!" He unsheathed his sword. The shink sounded great over the amplification spell.

"Put that toy away before I break your legs," Sara declared chillingly. Darthmith, King Escar's most trusted advisor, stood and yelled, "Let her in!" over a booming amplification circle. He then turned to Aelia.

"What are you doing? Get her!" Aelia shot toward the iron gates at a pace that suggested her life was on the line. Who knows, given how corrupt these officials were, it might've been. Suddenly, the sound of the door flinging open caused people to cup their ears.

"Yield! This is Lady Reece! We told you she was coming!"

"B-But ma'am! This woman isn't with Edico and she isn't wearing royal identification." There was a sudden pause, followed by the sound of Aelia's voice wavering.

"Lady Reece? What are you wearing?! You can't go in like that. It's… indecent." Excitement spread from person to person, with the students cooing with oohs and the nobles snickering. Everyone imagined the worst. Knowing Sara, it was the worst.

"This is normal wear on Earth," Sara declared.

"Now let me through! The patrons have been waiting for ten minutes because of these"—the guards tried to protest—"shut up! No one wants to hear your excuses!" Aelia's voice quavered as if genuinely unsure what to do.

"Cut the circle and come inside," she decided.

"We'll deal with these guards later." Silence befell the audience, and everyone held their breath as they awaited Sara's arrival. Gulps became audible. Shuffling feet sounded deafening. Unbelievable… Jason thought as he stared at the nobles. They looked just like Daniel and the other incels, playing pocket pool at the thought of seeing Sara "indecent." Well, not Daniel. He had gone off on some study program with historians. Still, Jason could still imagine his nerdy face, cheeks jiggling with excitement.

Or not; the kid was so… off. Just thinking about Daniel bothered Jason deeply for some reason. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. That was strange. But who the fuck cared about Daniel Winters? Just when the anticipation had become unbearable, the grinding of the steel gate's chains sounded. And when Sara walked through the gates and into the open sun—all the students burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Sara was not, as Jason shouldn't have believed in retrospect, indecent. She wore a blue sleeveless tank top and white shorts that exposed her lower thighs, "Reaper wear," hardly anything "indecent." Sexy, depending on the woman, sure, but neither were sexy today. They were fucking disgusting. The white shorts were tinted yellow with sweat and dirt, and her light blue tank top was navy blue with sweat. Her hair was the worst.

It was gnatted and moody, and her skin was so red it looked like she had just gotten out of a brutally hot shower. Putting aside that she was supposed to be wearing royal armor, you know, following the fucking dress code, she looked like a trainwreck! Sara strode past her lined-up classmates without the hint of a blush or shame. She was bold as a general as she reached the center and then knelt before the king's skybox.

"Forgive me, Your Liege," she said like a sycophantic leech.

"Edico is busy securing the silvermoon bloom. We were successful in our mission." There was a spell of silence. Then, a violent wave of applause and cheers from the elites clapped in the arena like nearby thunder. Worse, there was a full standing ovation, followed by the feeble king forcing himself up to his feet. Silvermoon bloom? Jason thought. The fuck's a silvermoon bloom?

"Lady Reece," King Escar said.

"If your words are true as you say, I will forever be indebted to you." Indebted? Him? Her? What's going on?

"No way…" Emma whispered.

"Care to share?" Jason asked irritably.

"The king's dying of tyrexis," she said nervously.

"The cure comes from one of the rarest flowers in Veridia. It sounds like she found one."

"Huh?" Raul said, chuckling.

"So he owes her his life. What a flex." Jason shook like a possessed tea kettle. It was good she found the king's cure. It was great he'd live. But today? He worked his ass off for today. Now, no matter how well he did, it would be overshadowed by Sara's quest.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Emma asked, confused.

"Yeah, it's a great thing," Jason hissed.

"I just hate…" Jason was losing it. Losing control. He should've just stopped at "it's a great thing" because saying anything after would make him sound like an asshole. He was just so goddamn… angry. Angry at Sara. Angry at the Festival being upheaved by some shit that he didn't understand. Most importantly, he was furious about that dream… He didn't talk about the dream. He didn't even think about the dream. Yet it filled him with fury and indignation even though he hadn't done anything.

The dream made him feel guilty. Guilty because that… redhead (he refused to entertain the idea that it was Emma) died, and Sara was blaming him for it. Blaming him, despite Emma standing right behind him. Blaming him, Jason Newborn: the fucking Hero. If it was a prophecy, his party of adventurers, which the armor suggested, was out there risking their lives. How would it even possibly be his fault if one of the members died? It couldn't! It was still eating him alive.

Now, he had a foul personality and didn't want to talk to people. He was drinking. Taking things out on his servant. And whose fault was that? Sara's. If she hadn't been such a bitch in front of the whole damn class, everything would've been fine. He knew it.

"Thank you, Lady Reece," King Escar said.

"I believe we can all agree that"—he let out a wheezing cough that couldn't be more effective if it was expertly contrived—"this is a wonderful way to kick off this grand Festival. Lady Reece's gifts in divination are just a taste of the power these mighty heroes bring to us today. I hope that you give all of them the same…" More coughing.

"Reverence as you've shown Lady Reece. They all contain gifts that boggle the imagination." More cheering entered the colosseum, and this time, all eyes were on him. It felt vindicating. Then there was Emma.

"I get why she went out now!" she cried quietly.

"Why?" Raul asked.

"Divination spells search for things. If she has a great gift in divination, it makes sense they would send her out before the Corian moon to find one! This is the only time of year they bloom!" Jason deflated. This whole time, Sara was on a legitimate quest because she had non-combat-related gifts. That's why she wasn't even training. She was given a non-combat role. Suddenly, Jason felt like a huge asshole again. At least, he did.

His anger flared again when Sara turned and returned to the line without even looking at him. It was like a childish silent treatment. How could she not even acknowledge him? Forget being a Hero. They dated for over a year! Now, what? He was a scrub? It was unbelievable. Aelia exchanged a few words with an official and then nodded.

"Let me rewelcome you to the Markinoa Festival." The clapping and cheers boomed now.

"We will start out this festival with our new summoned heroes. Bear in mind that everything you see during their portion has been the result of only one month's training. And in honor of the great news of the silvermoon bloom, we will start with healing." Sick and injured individuals came out of one of the colosseum's tunnels. Every healer on the team was able to mend injuries competently, but Emma stole the show. She clapped her hands and touched the ground.

A glowing magic circle materialized from nowhere, healing twenty people with serious injuries.

"That's our healing prodigy!" Aelia proclaimed like an announcer.

"Not only is she the best in mana circulation, but she has the second-largest inner core in the entire world. She truly is a magical prodigy." Emma blushed, waved, and then ran back to her place in line.

"Next comes fortification!" Aelia yelled, and more students competed.

"Spiritualism!"

"Earth magic!"

"And finally, we bring to you combat. Due to the overwhelming strength of the Chosen, we will bring real reapers out to battle in their tournament." Even the weakest Chosen was able to fight with competence. The strongest were monstrous. Raul created barriers that a Rank 5 rock bullet couldn't pierce. He even used a barrier to smash through three Rank 5 reapers, a competent rank. Finally, it was time for Jason's turn.