Chapter 103: Glory for You, Disgrace for Our Enemies
Contrary to Alfred’s expectations, Darius showed no disappointment. Instead, he glanced towards the distant garrison before looking back at him.
"We don’t have much time," he said. "Go back to the castle, find someone to treat your leg, then return."
Alfred misunderstood immediately.
He assumed Darius intended to fight and that his injured condition would only become a burden.
"I can still..."
The moment Darius released his support, a surge of agony shot through Alfred’s wounded leg. His body nearly collapsed before he caught himself, the sharp pain forcing him to acknowledge the reality he had been trying to ignore.
"...Fine."
Before leaving, he shot the red-haired youngster with a warning gaze.
"Don’t do anything stupid."
The warning was answered with nothing more than a cold glance before the red-haired youngster shifted his attention back to Darius.
The latter simply crossed his arms, waiting patiently until Alfred limped toward the distant garrison.
Only then did the red-haired youngster speak.
"Sending away your only ally, especially one who can still fight, is a foolish decision."
He knew exactly who stood before him. Darius was one of Silas’ teammates, yet his pride as the academy’s sixth-ranked student refused to let him show hesitation.
Darius merely shook his head.
"You speak as though we’re about to fight."
The calmness in his voice only deepened the confusion. Every action he had taken suggested he was preparing for a confrontation, yet his attitude carried none of the hostility the red-haired youngster expected.
"Then why are you here?"
"I’m here to deliver my team leader’s message."
Darius paused, the smile on his face widening slightly.
"And to give you a friendly warning."
His gaze settled firmly on the red-haired youngster.
"I know your little secret."
For the briefest instant, the young man’s composure cracked.
It lasted less than a heartbeat before his expression returned to normal, but Darius had already seen enough.
Before the red-haired youngster could respond, Darius added calmly,
"And that secret... is also your greatest weakness."
His words made the red-haired youngster frown a little deeper with every sentence. Darius, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed, taking his time as though there was no reason to rush.
"I know what you’re planning."
"And I’m here to tell you it’s futile."
"You’re bluffing!"
The youngster finally lost his temper.
"You can’t stop me, and you know nothing about me."
Darius answered the outburst with a wide smile, barely suppressing a laugh.
"Fine. Then answer me this..."
His gaze drifted toward Alfred, who had already reached the nearby garrison post.
"Why do you think I sent Alfred away?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
The red-haired youngster became even more convinced Darius was making everything up. The question sounded completely absurd.
"My friend can cover the entire upper half of his body with dragon scales."
The youngster’s expression immediately stiffened.
"You know what that means, don’t you?"
"You possess something he doesn’t, and he possesses something you don’t."
Darius’s smile slowly turned vicious.
"So let me tell you what your future looks like."
"If you refuse to retreat and ignore our team leader’s orders, Alfred and I will follow you wherever you go."
"I sent him to receive proper treatment so he’ll be ready to fight."
"With him beside me, you won’t even be able to touch a single hair on either of us."
"And since I know your little secret, I’ll record everything and send the video to my teammates."
"You know exactly what happens after that."
To anyone else, the conversation would have sounded absurd, almost nonsensical. To the red-haired youngster, however, every word landed like a punch.
Each sentence stripped away another layer of confidence until every plan he had carefully prepared collapsed before his eyes. The desire to head for the mine vanished almost instantly.
Still, Darius wasn’t interested in only threatening him. After showing the stick, he offered the carrot.
"If you do what our team leader asks, you’ll not only return to the academy with a tremendous achievement, but you’ll also gain influence far beyond what you could’ve earned on your own."
His expression became serious.
"But don’t forget who gave you the opportunity in the first place."
"Do well enough, and I’ll arrange a meeting with our leader. Better yet, I’ll personally make sure you get to work alongside Alfred toward that impossible dream you’ve been chasing."
The words only grew stranger, yet every one of them struck precisely where it mattered.
Silence stretched between them for several long moments before the youngster finally let out a weary sigh.
’How the hell did he learn all that about me?’
The question was something that would keep haunting him even in his dreams. Yet for now, he knew he was cornered, with no way out.
’As if I have another choice.’
He reluctantly accepted the will Silas and Darius had imposed upon him. At that moment, he recalled the rumours he had heard before the mission.
’An orphan... capable of pulling off all of this? Leading a team formed of monsters like these? There’s no way he’s an ordinary orphan as everyone believes.’
The thought only deepened both his curiosity and his dread.
Within a few minutes, he had been utterly defeated, not through strength, but by someone who had uncovered his weaknesses, exposed his secrets, and weaponised his own ambitions against him.
Against all that, resistance had been meaningless.
"My name is Terio, by the way," the youngster finally said. "Tell me... what does your team leader want from me?"
"Our team leader," Darius corrected calmly.
Terio narrowed his eyes before sighing in resignation.
"...What does our team leader want?"
Darius’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Glory for you."
"And disgrace for our enemies."
Over the next ten minutes, he carefully explained the message Silas had entrusted him to deliver.
When Darius had first received those instructions, even he had been caught off guard. The plan was sudden, unconventional, and astonishingly clever, especially because its success revolved around one particularly troublesome student.
Originally, Darius had intended to intercept Terio near the mine with Alfred’s help. Silas’s message, however, had changed everything. The moment he understood the larger picture, he abandoned his original plan without hesitation.
Rather than allowing Terio to become another obstacle, Silas had chosen to turn him into an asset.
Even Terio, despite all his reluctance, couldn’t help but admire the sheer audacity of the plan.
"Once we’re back at the academy, don’t forget to come say hello."
Darius waved as Terio walked away.
Without looking back, the red-haired youngster simply brushed a hand through his hair in silent acknowledgement.
Comments