Where the fates intervene?

(Sylphiette POV)

I'm getting too nervous. Finally, after six years, I get to see Rudy again. I thought about the incredible intel Ellemoi could gather about him, and the things he has been doing lately.

Rudeus Greyrat. A Magician deemed Emperor class in terms of strength by many adventurers in Rosenburg.

Having not only reached King class in most of the six basics, but also single-handedly having defeated four different mutations of dragons.

Not just that, after the last dragon incident, he became the number Five of the Seven Great World Powers.

He is regarded as a respected and highly powerful figure among those that thrive in mastering Magic.

It was even saying how he acquired unique types of Magic, inventing one as well.

These developments were, however, overshadowed by facts that left me uncertain about the identity of the individual I am familiar with.

They say that the person has partly white colored hair, but also different colored eyes. Left blue and right green, both in darker shades.

While I can imagine how his white hair came to be, since I experienced it myself, the thing with the different eye colors is bugging me a bit.

Maybe the person who everyone is talking about is a different person but with the same name. However, it is unlikely.

All I can do is wait and see for myself if it's the same Rudy from Buena village.

I have written a letter with the Asura Royal emblem on the seal for it to look important enough, and to hide my identity from anyone who wasn't supposed to read it.

Ariel allowed me to use this not only because of keeping my persona, but to also make a connection with Rudy.

I knew that her motive was to turn him into one of her followers, but as I know that she doesn't have any ill intention, I'm sure that Rudy would help us if I asked him.

"Fitts, you're spacing out again."

On our way to our usual meeting room, Luke snapped me out of my stray thoughts. They've been happening ever since the news about Rudy's arrival at Sharia reached my ears.

We were on our way to the next class, and I seemed to have been in another daydream again.

"Don't judge him, Luke. He is just glad to hear that his friend is alive." Ariel reprimanded.

"Need I to remind you that his job is to stay alert at any moment? Enemies could use the chaos of the monster overpopulation as a chance to instigate an ambush."

"If we can believe the rumors coming from Rosenburg, then we can consider ourselves lucky that Sir Rudeus came to Sharia."

"Lady Ariel, you should give little credence to these rumors. It is impossible that someone at such a young age could defeat four different dragons by himself. Not to mention that he is supposed to be the number five of the Seven Great World Power. None of this can be close to the truth."

"I'm well aware of that, but should by any chance be that these rumors are of the truth, then turning him into a follower will be beneficial."

"Then what about the rumor that he can be prone to violence? His preferred method is to break people's limbs. If he causes that much trouble, everything will fall back to lady Ariel's fault.

And there is also the fact that he has connections to the Boreas family who support Prince Gravel.

For all we know, he might just build himself a reputation to assist him on his campaign."

"Those are a lot of if speculations. Should he actually be working for my brother, then turning him to our side is still an option to be considered of."

"With all due respect, what says he wouldn't take the chance and simply exterminate you on the spot?"

*Pow*

"Argh! Fitts. What the heck?"

Having heard enough of his bantering, I kicked Luke's leg.

"Luke. You've been like this for a while. It's starting to get annoying."

Luke recovered from my light kick and started to look at me.

"That's because you are being far too confident about a person you haven't seen in six years. People can change a lot in that spam of time."

"I know that Rudy is better than that, and he wouldn't go up and become a heartless person like that."

As we were arguing with each other, Ariel glared at us sharply, and we both reluctantly looked away.

"Luke, I am aware that you're also afraid of how much the reputation of Rudeus has risen, and I understand where you're getting at. If we talk things out with him, we can prevent him from trying to take over the Notos household. So before nothing has been discussed, kept it down."

I wanted to but in and tell her that Rudy wouldn't go that far, but I doubt my thoughts about it can convince her.

It's not just Luke has been acting hostile against Rudy out of the blue. There was another rumor going around that even intrigued me.

It says that a noble relative of his had sent the infamous assassins group [Tri-Daggers] after him.

It was one of the earliest events that happened and resulted with Rudy coming back to the adventurer guild covered in blood, presuming that he slaughtered them all.

The three leaders of that particular group consisted of brothers related through the same father, each one having reached Saint class in their respective school.

Hiring such individuals isn't cheap at all, so someone with high status must've hired them.

The only one that came into question was none other than Philemon, Luke's father as well as Rudy's uncle and Ariel's supporter.

Fearing that Rudy would go after him, Luke became hostile towards the idea of recruiting him in the first place.

"How can we even be sure that he's the actual number five of the Seven Great World Powers?"

"The figurines that have been selling recently are marked with his name and symbol. I remember him having a lot of them in his room whenever I visited his house."

"That doesn't prove that he is the only one who could make them. He might just resell them afterward to make a profit for himself."

"Alright you two, stop this right this instance."

On Ariel's command, we both stopped and composed ourselves back to our guardian duty. Meanwhile, lady Ariel couldn't help but rub her left temple.

"Honestly, you two are making things more complicated than they already are with the monster overrun."

"I actually caught word that the number of monsters appearing has fallen." I added. "Some say that it happened right after Rudeus appeared."

"I got this news from Ellemoi already, but there is no evidence for any influence originating from him."

"That timing is also making people think that he is the cause of it." Luke added as well.

This is getting ridiculous. His constant hostility towards Rudy is making me dislike him more than before.

And it seems to lately effect his reputation with the girls he used to seduce for. It probably put him onto a lot of tension.

I honestly don't feel bad about that last part.

"Lady Ariel!"

Out of nowhere, Ellemoi ran over to us. Once she came close to us, she stopped and took a few seconds to take a breath. She must've been running the whole way searching for us.

"Ellemoi, calm down and tell us what happened."

"*Huff* *Huff* Rudeus… *Huff* arrived at the school."

I could practically feel how my ears were flapping upon hearing this. Rudy. He's here. I finally get to meet him again.

"Do you know where he is right?"

After I asked, she composed herself and looked at me with an expression of pure distress.

"Fitts I don't think you should meet him at all. The rumors about him being violent are true. I was there when he unleashed an aura that frightened Linia and her group. I felt like I was in the presence of a warrior ready to kill on the spot."

I felt a bit surprised about what she just said. Linia and Pursena are known to be troublemakers, messing with anyone who comes across them. Even against Ariel, they're hostile.

Although, I don't want to believe it given her expression, the rumor about his behavior might just be true.

"If he's violent or not, I still want to meet him, and see it with my own eyes."

"You are a fool if you aren't convinced by the way Ellemoi looks." Luke rebuked again. "Her state just confirms his uncooperative attitude. We should definitely leave him b- Argh!"

I gave him a punch against the rips, having heard enough of his crap.

"Where is he right now, Ellemoi?" Ariel asked.

"Apparently, at the combat area. Jinas took Cliff Grimoire there just a moment ago."

"Cliff? Why him? Are they gonna spare? If Rudeus is a chantless Magician, wouldn't Fitts be a better choice?"

"It's not that. It seems he will unlock chantless Magic for Cliff."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

From my experiences so far, shouldn't there be a certain early period where you have the chance to develop that ability? But this is Rudeus we are talking about. He must've found a different method over the years.

*Kaboom*

A loud blast brought me out of my train of thought. Given from what direction it came from, it was coming from the combat area.

The four of us decided to rush over there and see what had happened as a large crowd started building up before both the entrance and the hole in the wall.

A lot of students and teachers were gathering at both openings and spectating on the events that unfolded inside.

Luke and Ellemoi asked around over what had happened and me and lady Ariel looked inside the building.

But what unfolded there was something of immaculate depth.

A student I know by the name of Gearid, had just formed a [Waterball] without the chant.

"I can't believe it. He really did it."

"Dang it. I wish I had combat classes too, then I would've gotten a chance."

"Incredible that she did it so fast."

As everyone was amazed by that incredible feat, my eyes were set on a different person right next to her.

Wearing a gray colored leather robe with a fur collar and sleeves, having partially white hair, his eyes mismatched and several scars on his face with a mole under his left eye, with a smile of success on his face.

It took me a bit to recognize him, but this was Rudy. It's really him.

In the next moment, he vanished from the spot he stood at and reappeared besides Gearid to catch her.

"Congratulations. You are now what I like to call, an Awoken one."

Those were the last words Gearid heard before falling unconscious.

I was intrigued. So the rumor of him unlocking the ability to use chantless Magic is true after all.

Just when I thought I knew how amazing he is, he pulled out something even more incredible than I could've never imagined.

After Gearid got carried out, our eyes met, and I didn't know what to say. And so did he. Or so I thought.

His expression looked like he didn't immediately recognize me, and was struggling to do so.

The most noticeable feature of me, my emerald green hair, is gone now, so he must be struggling to remember me as I have my glasses on.

Right before I wanted to go over to him, his eyes went to a different direction and sprang wide.

Coming from amidst the crowd I was standing with went a person I wasn't expecting to show outside.

Her long black hair makes it easy to know who she is. The mysterious new student by the name of Silent Seven Stars.

She approached Rudy in a closer proximity, and it appeared that they were conversing with each other in a way as if they were acquainted with each other.

In the middle of their exchange, Rudy flat out said that Silent Seven Stars is friends with someone that he considers stronger than himself.

After a few more exchanges, he asked the vice principal if he could leave to which he got his approval.

Silent Seven Stars guided him out of the building towards who knows where. Rudy fixated his eyes only on her, ignoring anything else.

At that moment, I felt a bit saddened to see Rudy be so fixated on a girl, so a bit of jealousy rolled up in me.

***

As things at the combat area calmed down, the four of us went back to the meeting room that was meant to introduce the princess to Rudeus as I have written in the letter.

After the events in the combat area, I couldn't stop going back and forth while simultaneously twirling with my hands and thinking about lots of things.

"They have quite a long conversation. It has been almost an hour or so." Ariel asked.

"It must be important. But what do you think he meant with lady Silent Seven Stars having a friend stronger than him on her side?"

"If he really is the number five of the Seven Great World Powers like he claims to be," Luke said. "then that would fall onto the first four. But that makes even less sense, since three of them are missing, one of those not even having proof of its existence, and the fourth being sealed away by the three heroes."

"But should it actually come true that him having a connection to another Great World Power, then bringing him onto our side will most definitely be more beneficial." Ariel added.

"I greatly doubt that any of that can be of truth in the first place. We should concentrate on our previous intent to bringing you to become student council president."

While I should've conversed in the discussion too, my mind couldn't stop thinking about what kind of relationship they have.

Are they friends? Or are they already a couple? What are the chances that they have been dating for a long time? Rudy did look at her with adamant caution on their way out. So is my suspicion correct?

No, no, no, no, no, no. It would make more sense for him to be cautious about the person beside her who he claims to be stronger than himself.

That's right. He is being careful not to make enemies with someone who he believes he can't defeat. And to make sure of that, he takes a careful approach with Silent Seven Stars.

Having brought that up helped me calm down just a little. I can confirm all of that once we talk to Rudy anyway.

"Ellemoi, is there something you want to tell us?"

Amidst my inner conclusion about the situation with Rudy and Silent Seven Stars, Ariel pointed out Ellemoi's distressed demeanor.

She kept giving me side glances making me think that it perhaps had something to do with me.

"Well, it is about an intel I acquired."

"And what's that intel about?" Ariel asked.

Ellemoi still hesitated to answer and kept on continuing to glance at me. I was getting concerned about what that intel could do about me.

"According to a subordinate of a famous merchant called Marquis, who became friends with Rudeus back at Rosenburg, the party Rudeus is currently in together with a second party, escorted some goods until Sharia."

As Ellemoi paused for a second, glancing one final time at me.

"Rudeus has been in a close relationship with a member of the other party for some time, and they've been doing so for a while now before they went for Sharia."

"..."

Her concern for me was definitely appreciated, and I can understand now why.

She just saw me contemplating about the fact that Rudy had a relationship with someone else already, and now she just had to confirm it with another woman I haven't seen yet.

Although I was getting myself ready for such news, the feeling about the heart of the man I love having been conquered by another person cut deep.

In the middle of my of this intel, Ariel went over to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

When I looked at her, my vision blurred, and I went to hug her as she offered me her shoulder to cry on.

The reunion I was so excited about ended up in such a bad way.

"Of course he would have a girlfriend, he is a Greyrat. It was bound to happen anyway."

*Smack*

While I was crying my heart out, Ellemoi reprimanded Luke for being so inconsiderate even if he sees Rudy as an enemy.

I want this day to be a nightmare.

///