CHAPTER 21: CH 21: THE COMBAT TEST [2]

What followed next was a game of waiting.

And waiting.

Watching as the seconds poured down the manual clock attached to the wall accompanied by the sporadic breathing of Arlott, who was currently sprawled lazily on the floor.

And he was staring right at me. His eyes weren’t blinking and his pupils were completely focused. I was ignoring it but still, it was making me feel uneasy.

And Reinhard wasn’t coming out. Then a thought struck me.

"Hey, Mr.Arlott. What are the chances of coming out alive from this first subdivision?"

His eyebrows finally blinked as he contemplated my question. Then in an almost uncertain tone he offered, "Maybe 10%...well that is if you are indeed lucky. And if you are talking of Reinhard then maybe around 3-4% without any luck of course."

What...?

"What?!!! Only that much?? Wait a minute...how much survivability chance the ’little harder’ test shall have?"

"Ohh are you considering about the offer?" He abruptly got up from the floor but as he saw my narrowed eyes he sat down again, his enthusiasm dying down.

"Ah so be it...sigh. I think there could be a 1% chance of living in that difficult test. Though as you can see, it’s not much hard."

I blinked a bit too fast as I looked at the man on the floor. His craziness was unbelievable or he might just be scaring me.

But I asked him anyways, "Isn’t that illegal? You could land in prison for your heinous activities."

Arlott raised an eyebrow upon hearing my challenge. He asked me in curiosity, "In the first case, I am in fact doing more good than harm. Why should the test to such an important post be this easy? Whoever took your previous combat exam must be some lazy bastard."

"Important? Since when did the post of vice principal of an academy turn such a prestigious position?"

Arlott stood up completely this time. He frowned deeply and asked me, "Wait don’t yoh know it’s importance? Haven’t you...no I mean don’t everyone apply for this for it’s tremendous potential?"

Now it was my time to frown. What is this guy saying?

Suddenly understanding flickered in his eyes as a sharp glint appeared in them.

His lips curled up into a sly smile. He then said something that shattered me.

"So you aren’t Henry huh...? And no, you can shut up your mouth for the time being. This explains that ember in your eyes as well...I see everything now makes sense. Yes, yes everything makes sense..." He blabbered something repeatedly all the while nodding his head, as if explaining himself something.

Then he looked at me again and with a calm expression that somehow didn’t suit a man of his mannerisms, he said.

"The rumours...they weren’t completely correct were they? What I mean is to say that you didn’t experience any memory loss, but rather you are a completely different person. Am I right?"

Something on my expression must have shown for he suddenly broke into another grin. "Seems I am correct afterall. Just like how I always am. Now wipe away that cautious expresion from your face. You don’t need to be afraid of me, I won’t expose your cover to anyone."

Then he reverted back to his calm expression and said, "Occupying someone else’s body means the original soil of the body is dead. And this replacement can only take place when dark magic is performed by a sorcerer. And even Henry’s original power couldn’t perform that."

"Wait..." My lips moved suddenly as I came to a sudden realisation.

Arlott smiled once again and confirmed the unspoken words. "Henry was a dark sorcerer as well as a practicitoner of normal, human magic. I didn’t know him personally but I have seen him at times. He was nothing like you. As I said he didn’t have that fire in his eyes. The one you have, the one that actually helped me differentiate between you and Henry."

Sighing I sat on the floor beneath me. But even then neither did I accept not deny his claims. For all I know, this might just be a trap to make me tell something I shouldn’t.

"Still cautious? That’s unfortunate...but I hope you come to me for any help if you find yourself in trouble. I don’t know how did you arrive in this body, must be some external interference of which you were the collateral.

I won’t ask you anything regarding it. But remember that this place is extreme dangerous. And the post of a vice-principal? It’s a position for training yourself to become the next principal.

And just so you know, a principal has powers equivalent to a Duke." My eyes widened in shock as my neck snapped to look at Arlott.

He was smiling but this time the edges of his lips held a softness that wasn’t present before.

Maybe it was all the bottled ho emotions, raging underneatah me from over a week. Or maybe it was just a hold of security that has suddenly been thrown towards me.

And even if it was foolish of me, even if it was the dumbest move I have ever made...

"Why are you helping ...me?"

...I lowered down my guard.

His eyes twinked at my acceptance. Of who I am now.

"Maybe because as you said before....I am a sadist right?"

Silence ensued after that as well both sat on the ground, both lost in their own thoughts. One in deep contemplation and the other, solving his own mess in his mind.

Half an hour later, the sound of a bubble bursting echoed throughout the room. Snapping out of my thoughts I looked over to the source of the sound.

At the centre of the room.

The bursting sound was soon followed by a loud thud as our of literally nowhere, a bloody figure fell on the sun. A groan escaped the figure as he tried to sit.

But then suddenly something incredible happened. Each and every branching sun ray that were attached to the large circular figure of the sun glowed in a beautiful bloody radiance.

Then a suffocating aura spread across the entire room, covering everything underneath it. My steady breathing turned into gasps as I struggled to draw in air into my lungs.

Through hazy eyes, I saw something that astonished me.

The large figure of the sun suddenly sucked in all the blood that was present in Reinhard.

Once done, it glowed with a powerful radiance. And I swear I could hear a chilling growl that split the air.

The next moment, everything turned still. The runes on the ground no longer glowed.

The air in the atmosphere no longer felt suffocating.

It was all as if it never happened. As if it was all a bad summer dream.

Though...

"Woah...all my injuries are gone?" Reinhard exclaimed in a pleasant surprise as he flexed his body muscles. Even though his clothes were shredded in few areas, there was no longer any speck of blood ok him.

Neither was any cut or sign of injury present on his now flawless skin.