Melsier's sword went flying past Alexia's shoulder and hit's Jerald's shoulder, the throw was precise enough to not slice any flesh, it only cut through Jerald's suit and hit the wall behind. He was now stuck on the wall.
"Are you okay?" Alexia asked in a worried voice.
I walked through the crowd, people murmured around me while making a way for me. I shoved Alexia aside to punch Jerald's face.
"Ughh! Hahaha."
Even with mana raging through my veins, Jerald could laugh. The punch was so strong that it cracked the wall behind him. "Pfft. You punch like a girl."
My blood boiled when I saw him giggling, I grabbed his collar and dragged him on the ground. The crisp sound of his expensive suit tearing was satisfying. "How dare you!" I growled while he was busy licking dust. "I warned you to stay away. But how dare you kidnap her!"
Once more, Jerald giggled like a maniac. "Hehehe."
I raised my hand and summoned a white coloured magic circle. Suddenly Alexia stepped up and pushed me aside. "Stop!" She immediately helped Jerald to get up.
"What? Alexia, don't interfere."
For the first time, Alexia looked at me in a hateful way. "I reached out to Jerald. I was the one who asked him to occupy me to dungeon city. I asked him because I wanted to help you. Help big sister."
I erased my magic circle and tried to reason with her. "I-I just wanted to protect you. Listen, Jerald is not a good person-"
She raised her finger at me. "Who asked you to do that? Who are you to question me? Who are you to decide for me? You are nobody, Altaris! You hear me? You are just a stranger!"
She picked a rock and threw at me in anger.
I felt my stomach turning, for some reason Alexia words made my chest cold, Melsier's face appeared in my mind. The moment I promised him that I protect his family in his family. 'Why did I do that? Spending time on myself? Who am I fooling?'
Alexia picks up another rock to throw but Jerald holds her hand. "People are looking."
I heard his words, I knew all kinds of people were looking but I didn't care. My mind was occupied somewhere. 'I only ever helped Melsier because of my own self satisfaction. I only agreed help Madison just because I could not because it's the right thing to do. But why did I?'
I silently watched as Alexia and Jerald slowly disappeared in the crowd.
"What's this?" "A family quarrel?" "But they are outsiders." The crowd's whispers were getting a bit too loud.
I sluggishly turned and grabbed Melsier's blade stuck in the wall, it felt heavy for some reason. With no counter argument, I raised the sword against my chest. 'Perhaps, I don't deserve a second chance afterall.'
Just as I was about to pierce my chest, someone called my name. "Altaris?"
The moon shined brightly in the distance but I couldn't spot any stars due to polluted atmosphere.
"It appears to be a full moon tonight." Stella said while looking at the sky, her hand was on my chest.
I slowly sat up, my eyes wandered around the guildmaster statue. We were back in the guild, I recall how Stella called my name and held my hand while running towards the guild.
"Altaris, I feel coldness in your heart. Tell me what happened?"
I looked at her worried face, she had been asking this same question for past an hour or so. "It's… nothing. Just family quarrels." I smiled as I told her.
"No family members throws dirt at each other. You are hiding something tell me. I want to help."
I noticed genuine care in Stella's eyes. "I just had an argument. It was my fault. I acted too rashly, too violently. I should have done the right thing. But I don't know what it is."
Stella stood up and put her hands back, her frock swayed with the wind as she leaned to me. "Sometimes doing the right thing is not the best conclusion."
I looked at her in confusion. She giggled at my expression. "People are not tools, Altaris. Think of them… as mud dolls. They need to be squeezed, pulled and beaten by life before they can become the perfect mud dolls. Every doll is different, you need to take in mind their own shapes, motives and ambition. Even then most of time you will only stun their growth. Yes, words are powerful but humans is a strange race which often values actions more than words."
In the end, I couldn't help but smirk. "Heh. You talk as if you are not one."
Stella pouts at me. "Hmphh. Did you understand the meaning behind my words or not?"
I stood up and stretched my back. "I did, quite well actually. Thank you for saving my ass. But I need to ask what were you doing there?"
Stella innocently put her finger on her own cheek and recalled the incident. "I finished my shift and decided to go home. On the way, I heard a commotion. People were saying an adventurer was harassing a beggar girl. Therefore, as a guild employee it is my duty to maintain discipline and make sure the guild's name is not being slandered. But when I reached there with my friends, I saw you, holding a sword to your chest."
Embarrassed, I avoided eye contact with her. "Hehe, sorry for the trouble. But you brought city guards?"
"Huh? No. No. I just contacted some old adventurers from the guild. I can't get city council involved in this, the guild might get defamed."
"I thought the city was controlled by the guild, hence the name Cross dungeon city."
Stella waved at some guild staff member passing by. "It is controlled by the guild but not directly, the guildmaster has no actual power in the city. The council governs the city and makes sure it's safe."
I nod in understanding. "Hooh? Then who appoints the council?"
Stella quickly answers my question. "The guildmaster!"
I slap my own forehead in a comedic way. "No power huh?"
"Yes!... Altaris, remember how I said there are few people who came to inquire about you?"
"Yes?"
"It was Mr. Red and it was someone from the city council."
"What?" I rack my brain and the only conclusion it lands on it that Silverblade sent someone to investigate me.
Seeing me panic, Stella holds her hands up and calms me down. "Don't worry, it was no prosecutor. It was just the inspection officer, he ran through all explorer's forums. But the strange thing is that he was suspiciously curious about you."
I raise my eyebrow in question. "Suspicious how?"
"It was really strange. He kept asking me question about you, like when you joined. Where did you live and stuff. Oh! Also, he particularly kept me asking about your hair colour. He asked if it was ever white."
'Ahh. It was the silverblade. It's kind of a good thing though, if they are investigating in such secrecy means that they don't have concrete information.' I recall how Marlyn's body was burned by lighting. 'Good luck finding any clue's with that, still maybe I should warn Tarma.'
"Altaris!"
I was once again startled by Stella's voice. "W-What?"
"I said that Mr. Red kept waiting for two whole days to meet you. He entered the guild early dawn and left only after midnight."
"He stayed that long in the guild?"
Stella nodded at my question. "He was really determined to meet you. We saw him staring at the main door, glaring at everyone who passed by. It started many fights you know? Guards and to follow him everywhere, making sure no fistfight broke out because of Mr. Red's intense stare."
I chuckled at her words but then a sudden curiosity rose in my mind. "Hey, I have been wondering. You know Mr. Red pretty well, he is a black ribboned explorer afterall. But how come you never mentioned it."
"Well, I didn't assist Mr. Red directly in his exploration as he retired long before I joined the guild staff. His return to the guild was surprised to say to the least, normally he is known as the best baker in Cross dungeon city. But in the exploration and discovery department he was quite famous. Even in the world of aristocrats."
"But no adventurer other than Myleane knew him too, they all acted confused when they saw him."
"Hmm? That's to be expected, Mr. Red was active so long ago that only true veterans know about the goliath. Miss crimson beast is an exception as her father is a senior member of guild staff. Also, the staff is mostly unaware about him. Only the senior members and those who worked exploration and discovery department heard about his achievements."
I nod as Stella's words makes sense. 'He did not appear that against Myleane…'
"Anyways can we go now? I am sleepy." Stella asks me with a yawn.
I agree and we began walking back to the main gates of the guild. I bid her farewell at the gates and decide to return home today.
'I guess I should go back home… home huh?' I realized terminology I was using and to be honest it didn't feel half as bad.
I reached the crooked house, my home, just before the dawn. As I opened the door, I saw everyone wide awake. I gently closed the door behind me. "Hey guys, what's wrong? Not tired today?"
As soon as those words left my mouth, everyone ran to me, crying loudly. "UWAAAA!"
I embraced them all and asked in a low voice. "What's wrong?"
Rushian sobbed heavily. "Hic* Hic* Big sister! Hic* Big sister Alexia has not returned!!!"