The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 365

Chapter 365

Valen's fist snapped out in a sharp jab at Seth's nose. Instead of stumbling away as he once would have, the thin boy moved into the blow, sapping it of any strength. His knee came up into Valen's ribs, but Valen blocked with a palm before leaning forward and throwing his shoulder into Seth's chest, sending him reeling backwards.

A spinning sweep at Seth's legs—already poorly positioned for balance—sent Seth crashing hard to the mat.

"Well done you two," Aphene was saying, and I turned my attention back to the papers in front of me with a sigh.

Each attending professor had been provided with documents explaining the Victoriad. Due to the nature of the event, adherence to tradition and protocol was of extreme importance, and so the information provided was thorough to the point of tedium. I knew it was necessary to commit this to memory, but my mind kept wandering back to my own plans for the event.

I was stronger now than I had been as a white core Lance, even if I'd lost some of the weapons in my arsenal. Still, I wanted to use this event to gauge my strength against that of my enemies—without giving away my identity if at all possible.

With the reputation that I'd built here as both a professor and ascender, I wanted to test my strength—if not against a Scythe, then at least against a retainer. Both Caera and Kayden mentioned that it was uncommon for even retainers to receive a challenge, but after reading this document, it became increasingly clear just how rare it was.

Nevermind challenging a Scythe, even requesting a duel from a retainer required the consent of their Scythe beforehand. Caera had mentioned that since there were two open retainer positions this time, people speculated there would be many more prospects than normal.

And since both Scythes and retainers could refuse a challenger if they found such a contest to be beneath them, it would be difficult for me to even fight against a retainer.

Worst case, if none of the retainers accepted my challenge, I'd have to watch the duels from afar.

Normally, this is where Regis would have interjected with some blunt but annoyingly accurate assessment of this situation, but no such response came.

It was quiet in my head without the sardonic flaming wolf. Although I could still feel him, connected to me by a thin thread that stretched high up the slope of the closest mountain range, his thoughts were shielded from me, his focus entirely on himself. But brief pulses of excitement or frustration that weren't my own flared up occasionally, and I knew he was growing. I could sense his strength.

I had gotten used to having my mind to myself, but that didn't mean it was peaceful. I had forgotten how much my brain spun without Regis to cut me short.

Realizing I had completely lost the thread of what I had been reading, I set down the parchment to watch the next training bout.

Aphene had brought two more students up to spar while Briar led the rest of the class in a series of exercises. Marcus and Sloane were exchanging a brutal series of punches and kicks as the classroom doors opened and several armored men stepped inside.

Sloane saw them first and missed a block, taking an elbow into his chin that laid him out flat. This drew the rest of the class's attention, and the students burst into a round of surprised chatter. Briar and Aphene were quick to stamp it out, their eyes turning questioningly in my direction.

"Can I help you?" I said, standing from my seat at the training platform control panel and ascending halfway up the stairs toward the intruders. "We're in the middle of class."

A familiar figure strode forward, scratching his trimmed beard and giving me an awkward smile. "Sorry, Grey, but I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us."

I scowled at Sulla, head of the Ascenders Association in Cargidan. "Can this wait until—"

"I'm afraid not," he said firmly.

My mind began to race as I considered what they could be there for.

Sulla's grim expression made it clear his visit wasn't social in nature. But since this was the Ascenders Association and not academy guards or local law enforcement, I wasn't sure what the issue could be. If my identity had been compromised—a possibility I was always conscious of—then it would have been Nico or Cadell knocking down my door.

So what, then?

I turned and met Briar's eye. "You and Aphene finish class. I won't be gone long."

Ascending the stairs, I watched the group's hands and eyes for any sign they were prepared to attack. The men were tense and watchful, maybe even a little nervous, but I also sensed a mutinous kind of frustration in their matching frowns. "Sorry about this," one of them muttered, quieting immediately when Sulla shot him a warning glare.

The head ascender himself had the stiff, awkward look of a man doing something against his will. Whatever was going on, these ascenders weren't thrilled about it.

And so I didn't resist, but let them march me out of the building and across campus. They took up positions around me, but no one drew a weapon or prepared any spells—at least that I could detect. Most of the students were in class, but we still passed many dozens of people on our way out of campus, and I could already sense my name at the heart of a hundred whispered conversations behind me.

Thankfully, the Ascenders Association Hall was close by.

I followed Sulla up into his office, which overlooked the building's main floor. The other ascenders posted up outside the doors, which Sulla closed behind us.

I took a seat without being invited to do so, then waited. Sulla picked up a leather satchel from behind his desk, watching me carefully. Then, with a sudden surge of frustrated anger, he slammed the satchel on his desk and slumped into his chair.

"Damn it, Grey, do you even understand how close to death you've come?"

I turned my head slightly to the side and made a show of looking around the office. "I don't seem to have a knife to my neck, so no, I really don't."

Sulla gave a humorless scoff. "It seems unlikely you worry about little things like knives." Grabbing the bottom of the satchel, he upended it, spilling a stack of parchment out across his desk. "Do you know what these are?"

Still watching Sulla, I picked up a loose page that had fluttered across the desk toward me. It contained a bracket with each of my own students paired up against an unfamiliar name. The Victoriad tournament, I realized.

"I don't understand the problem," I said, feigning nonchalance and tossing the page back into the pile on Sulla's desk.

His left eye twitched. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Then please allow me to educate you, Professor." He had to take a moment before continuing, during which he riffled through the pages. When he found what he was looking for, he held it up for me to see. "This is a report on the Victoriad combatants from Bloodrock Academy in Vechor—or at least, those who will be competing specifically in the non-magical, unarmed duels." He set it down hard and picked up another page. "This provides some very specific details on one of Bloodrock's top fighters. Lists of runes, type of mage, prefered combat styles…Vritra's horns, Grey, it even names which members of her blood could be threatened or bribed to influence her performance."

He proceeded to go through a handful more pages, which all contained similar details regarding other top performing fighters from a variety of academies.

"Great, this seems like some very thorough research," I said finally, interrupting him as he started explaining yet another page. "But what does it have to do with me? This stuff isn't mine."

Sulla sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then why has a reliable witness come forward and asserted that you are attempting to cheat in the Victoriad, using these documents as proof."

I stared at the pile of papers for a moment, then let out a surprised laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

Sulla sat back in his chair and stared at me like a horn had sprouted from the middle of my forehead. "Do you deny that you are leading an effort to give your students unfair advantage in the Victoriad?"

"If my students have an advantage, it'll be because they've worked for it, not because I bullied some teenage girl's mom," I snapped, irritated to have been bothered with this nonsense. "No, I really do have more important things to do—"

Sulla placed both hands on his desk, knocking a few pieces of parment to the floor, and leaned toward me. "Then someone is trying to get you killed, Grey."

I eyed the veteran ascender curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"Cheating at, tampering with, or otherwise disrupting the events of the Victoriad will result in your execution as part of the Victoriad 'entertainment'," he proclaimed ominously. "So if you didn't order all this information collected—information which makes it clear you intend to threaten harm to several members of important highbloods—then someone else did, and purely to get you accused of a crime that could end your life."

I was listening more seriously now, but something about what Sulla was saying didn't make sense. "You said you had a witness? Someone who claimed they were working with me or for me or something?"

He squinted thoughtfully before replying. "Yes. They came to us of their own accord, claiming they were forced to make several contacts between you and academy staff all over Alacrya. When they intercepted this satchel of documents—supposedly intended for you—they realized what you were up to and felt compelled to turn in the evidence."

Sulla paused. "You should know, a handful of people are corroborating this statement, confirming that they received threatening letters from you to provide all this." He gestured at the papers. "The best case scenario is that you are banned from attending the Victoriad. The worse, well, I've already told you."

Even from the moment Sulla and his enforcers had arrived in my classroom, he had seemed uncomfortable. Now the reason was clear. "Why are you so certain I didn't do it?"

He scoffed again. "Anyone who'd actually met you would know you wouldn't need to cheat. I've heard about your students' bestowals, too. No, this smelled like a setup from the beginning."

Nodding, I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward. "Then tell me who the 'witness' is."

Sulla hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "I could—but if you kill him, this will be out of my hands. Right now, it's only been reported to the Ascenders Association. If Central Academy or any of these highbloods get involved…"

"I won't kill him, but I will figure out—"

I was interrupted by a device on Sulla's desk lighting up and beginning to hum softly.

He stared at it like it was a demon leech for several seconds, then reached out and touched it.

A familiar voice boomed out of the device: "This is Corbett of Highblood Denoir, contacting Sulla of Blood Drusus. Sulla?"

The dark-haired ascender's eyes went wide at the mention of Corbett's name, and he looked at me with something akin to panic. "Y-yes, Highlord Denoir, this is—"

"You've just apprehended a Central Academy professor named Grey. The foolish charges against him are false, and I have information that will help to prove it." Corbett's voice echoed with a slight distortion from the communication artifact, but it still effectively conveyed the weight of his authority. "I demand he be released immediately."

"Good for thinking, or having a conversation that should not be overheard," he said meaningfully. "Were you able to locate Professor Graeme?" _{frёewebηovel.cѳm}