Chapter 22: Face to Face

Right now, I'm standing in front of the village chief's house. And the princess is waiting for me behind this door. And I'm not the one who's afraid, mind you.

It is the big lug next to me that is stalling and preparing himself.

"What are you doing?"

"I know that princess is pissed since I didn't fight seriously from the beginning. So, I'm not sure what will happen after I enter the house."

"Whatever, let's just go in."

I push the door and enter the house. And see the princess seating behind the desk that chief was sitting. And her female knight's order is standing in a row in front of the desk.

Guild master is standing behind her.

"47, I presume?"

"Yes, your highness."

"You are in presence of the princess Talia Trindal. Show you face, you cretin."

As drill hairs shout at me, something in me threatens to snap. That name calling is bringing up something unpleasant form the past.

Take a deep breath. Chill. Calm down. She is no worth it.

I'm wearing my cloak because I don't want to show my face. And the princess is not correcting her at all. So, I suppose she is agreeing with the drill hair. I look to the under-guild master. Idiot is simply looking at me.

Now comes the decision: do I take of my hood or not? Well, since the under-guild master already knows my face, it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.

So, I take off my hood and look to the drill hair.

"If you call me cretin one more time, I will kill you drill hair!"

I say with the deepest voice I can muster up while letting out my killing intent. As they feel it, everybody in the room tense up. Ooh, I can get used to this.

Still, drill hair musters up her courage.

"What wrong with calling a cretin, a cretin?"

That's it. As soon as she said that, I extend my left arm toward her neck and pull her toward me by her neck.

"I said I would kill you if you call me that again."

"Let her go this instant."

Princess commands me from above. I look up to her.

"Do you think I joked when I said that, your highness?"

"I don't care. Let her go, right now!"

"Just let her go, 47."

Even the under-guild master is telling me to let her go. I suppose I got no other choice then I let her go,

"Cough, Cough, Cough. I will kill you, you cr…"

As she tries to talk again after coughing, I let my killing intent on full tilt. As she feels that, she stops mid-sentence.

"Go ahead, I dare you!"

"Enough!"

Guild-master let her pressure out and tells me enough. I look up to her and grin crawls up to my face before I know it.

"You wanna go? You are more than welcome to try."

"Enough!"

This time princess hits the tabletop and shouts. As she says that, guild-master retracts her pressure.

"Sorry about that, your highness."

"My people were at fault too, Mr.47. anyway, thank you for your timely support with your thorn walls, Mr. 47."

"Just doing my job, your highness."

"And thank you for stalling the salamanders long enough for villagers to evacuate and for us to make it in time."

"Just doing my job, your highness."

"I heard from Owl that you wanted to be in my camp. So, I will be frank here. How can I know that I can trust you?"

"Really can't find a reason for you to trust me."

"....."

She is speechless. Haha. That's funny.

"I'm new here. So, I got nothing but my word to go by. Whether you take my word seriously or not, that is entirely up to you, princess."

I never thought that Alex's study of micro-expressions would help me like this. She may believe that she is doing tremendous job hiding her emotions from me, but her micro-expressions are saying it all.

Right now, she is rather conflicted. Don't know whether to trust me or not. And that hesitation is making her anxious.

'What if I trust him and end up being betrayed?', 'What if I reject him and end up regretting?'. I'm pretty sure those two are the main thoughts in her head right now.

After waiting for whole minute without answer I just get bored.

"It seems it will take while for you to make your decision, your highness. And I'm sure you want to talk to your subordinates first too. So, I will take my leave for now."

I look at the drill hair with corner of my eyes while turning around. And exit the house.

"Well, I would file that meeting under unqualified success. Hehe."

Now that tedious thing is out of the way, let's check out Fenrir. I couldn't concentrate on talking to the princess because of this. After that I go to the outskirt of the town, sit down cross-legged and enter my Soul Palace.

After that, I open my first door. Fenrir is sleeping next to the world tree. No matter how I look at it, despite pressure he is exuding, he is adorable.

If others don't see his body and just feels the pressure he is exuding, they would think that something giant is standing before them. But as soon as you see his body, all of that simply vanish.

No matter what, if you see a tiny wolf cub with pitch-black fur looking at you, you would think it is adorable, right.

"Fenrir, wake up."

I walk up to him and try to shake him up with no success. He keeps sleeping.

"Let him sleep. No matter what, he endured torment of getting tempered alive. I'm sure he is exhausted mentally."

"I guess you are right. Then for now sleep tight, little one. So, apparently he evolved into something called Dark Fang. Know anything about it?"

"Interesting. Dark Fangs used to live in The Forest. But as far as I know they are extinct. I suppose he might be some distant descendant of one. And that fruit might have awakened his deep blood line and strengthened it."

"Anything else?"

"They went extinct because of their specialty. They are one of the few creatures that have darkness-oriented Soul Root. And that enables them to grow up to become powerful assassins. Before boundaries came to effect, their ancestor protected them, so, there were many Dark Fangs in The Forest. But I killed their ancestor when the boundaries came to effect. And because of that his descendants faced extermination because of their potential."

"Pity. But I suppose that is the law of the jungle, huh?"

"Indeed, it is."