Chapter 31: Ch71. Slight of hand
A few days passed, and Octavius had finished the preparations for Kurt’s transference to the Boston Academy.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the spring break to end, and Kurt would be the newest addition to the Boston Academy’s ranks.
But before that, there was another big day ahead of them, and that day had arrived sooner than Octavius had expected.
Kurt wasn’t surprised by the amount of people who attended the event.
Not when it was news that would shake the structures of the political world, and shake to the core, the balance of power in the relations between wielders and Ninhos.
Rhegal was promising a lot, and if he actually delivered everything he was promising he would help humanity achieve...
That would definitely be a historic moment.
What caught Kurt’s attention most, however, was the strange number of awakened people there.
He had studied enough about some famous guilds and awakened, so he was aware of the names and even the faces of a few of them.
However, something there seemed out of place.
It was as if they were present there, much more awake than those who had actually been invited.
But Kurt tried not to think about it.
’Whatever it is, it’s not my problem...’
***
Octavius sat by Rhegal’s side at the huge table where the dignitaries and other US authorities sat, waiting for the president of the United States.
The reporters took pictures and talked in their holowatches, their smart recorders clicking nonstop with the light of the flashes.
When the president arrived, the whole Justice Hall grew silent in respect for the man’s authority.
And from the audience, where Kurt sat and observed, sided by one of Guardian’s member, a warrior named Xander, Kurt saw them arriving.
Accompanying the president, there were two Ishir disguised as humans.
It wasn’t really hard to know that the men accompanying the president were Ishir, because when Kurt looked closely, he noticed that their eyes were different from those of the humans.
The Ishir could use their technology to make their entire body look like the humans but the eyes.
Their eyes kept looking like dragon’s eyes to anyone who actually paid attention.
And since Rhegal was there, it could only mean that the two Ishir accompanying the president of the United States were...
’Yisal and Zaval... Rhegal’s sons.’ Kurt thought to himself, biting his lower lip so hard that it bled a little, his hands shaking.
’Stop shaking... You’re here because you have to, so do something from it and find out who was the bastard who took your mom’s life...’
"You okay, man? Your hands are shaking." Xander asked, frowning.
"Yeah." Kurt tightened his grip on the legs of his pants, so much so that the young guild member didn’t even notice. "It’s just the president and all. A place like this, makes me nervous."
"Oh, big fan, then?" Xander smiled bright. "I guess we all should be, after how he kept the previous presidents’ work alive, keeping the wielders and the regular people united with the creation of the Wielders Association and making it work for society... If it wasn’t for him, there would still be a few purist guilds around, and the purpose of the wielders wouldn’t be at all."
And Xander went on talking, almost in a hush, as the president was done shaking hands with Octavius, Rhegal, and the other important people in the room.
And Kurt wasn’t paying the slightest attention to the young warrior.
His eyes were glued to the huge table as the son of Rhegal who was a bit hidden by the president’s shape, came to full view.
He had green eyes, wore a fine black-and-white suit, and his hair was in a wolf-cut.
But all these details didn’t matter to Kurt.
All that mattered to him was that the Ishir had bandages on his wrist, which Kurt had almost tore off with a scalpel at the Massachusets General.
His hands shook more violently as he gripped tighter to the legs of his pants.
"Big moment, huh? Can’t believe I was there to witness the birth of this alliance..." Xander started to speak again, after he saw Kurt’s hands shaking more than before.
"Friends, citizens, people of the United States..." The president, Robert Foster, started to say, and everyone in the hall fell silent.
He had a slight scar across his left eye and wore a sober black suit with a white shirt.
Robert looked like a soldier, or even like a wielder. He even exuded that presence, an aura of power that only a high rank wielder would have.
The only sound besides the president’s voice, was that of the smart recorders and the TV cameras as Foster gave his speech about how unexpected the whole situation was, and how he was glad to know that the new race got in touch with them to offer their hands in friendship, in alliance.
And the president went on with the speech, the smart recorders kept on clicking, taking pictures and recording along with the TV cameras.
But Kurt wasn’t paying attention to the man’s words.
This time, he wasn’t even paying attention to the Ishir who killed his mom. No...
His attention was drawn to a man in the corner of the hall, standing near where Octavius and Rhegal were on the table.
He wore the Monitoring Division uniform, yet he was absolutely unremarkable.
So unremarkable, that it was almost as if Kurt would forget his face if he ever turned his glance away from the man.
And the man exuded a strange, very slight aura.
Kurt noticed that it wasn’t mana, nor a wielder’s power. It was different.
It was something more humane.
He bit his lower lip, not understanding what was wrong with that man, until he noticed him reach underneath his long uniform coat and bring fourth a tiny, metallic baton.
The man’s eyes were glued on Rhegal.
Immediately, the system beeped in Kurt’s head and he opened the system window.
[EMERGENCY QUEST]
[COMMANDER RHEGAL’S LIFE IN IN DANGER, AND YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE HIM!]
[SAVE RHEGAL’S LIFE AND SEIZE THE ENEMY’S WEAPON]
[REWARD: ???]
[PENALTY FOR FAILURE: RHEGAL’S DEATH AND THE POSSIBILITY OF WAR]
"He’s...? Shit!" Kurt said unconsciously out loud, drawing Xander’s attention again.
"What?"
’Damn it...’ But before Kurt could think of anything else, the gears in his brain started turning really fast.
He looked at the man, who had almost completely drawn what could only be a wielder’s weapon, looking at Rhegal.
"DAD, BEHIND RHEGAL!" Kurt shouted with all his lungs while getting up from his chair.
He noticed a slight gleam from Xander’s belt with his peripheral vision.
’Wielders carry weapons and equipment wherever they go, huh?’ A slight smirk formed on Kurt’s lips as his hand moved almost before his brain registered what he wanted to do.
The whole hall became a huge commotion as Octavius held the arm of the Monitoring Division man, throwing Rhegal several steps away.
Kurt ran through the crowd with the dagger that was more of a short sword, trying to get where his father and the man were, and a bunch of bodyguards were already surrounding the president, as if nothing else around them mattered.
And inside Kurt’s head, the system beeped.
[POCKETS PICKED: 01/100]
