Chapter 10

It was full moon night, the night sky was clear and the stars are faint—being shadowed by the bright moon light.

The moon cascade a gentle light at the flower that was slowly blooming as if being nourished by the moon light, absorbing the moon light as a nutrients and striving to open its petals shyly.

A sweet and delicate scent lingers the more the flower open its petal.

The white beautiful flower also known as Moonlit Orchid that blooms once every fifty years is surrounded by people from all side, all waiting for the flower to bloom so that they could harvest it.

Aside from humans, beast of various grade started to appear.

Instead of starting a fight, the humans and beast stood silently waiting for the flower to bloom before they will engage in a battle to see which can get their hand on the Moonlit Orchid.

Not only humans, but even for beast, Moonlit Orchid could help them increase their rank or gave them more strength.

As the humans and beast were in a stalemate, the flower finally blooms under the intense gazes of the onlookers. A burst of sweet and delicate scent explodes and the grass beside the Moonlit Orchid started to glow green as if gaining a new property.

Austin eyes lit up looking at the glowing grass, he clench his fist to calm his agitated emotion.

It was not the time to be impulsive.

Austin looks around the people and beast. To them, he is like a mere ant whose life can be snuffs out anytime. His eyes gets dark, he again have clearly understand how weak he is.

Of course, considering his age, he is already way stronger than his peers but that is not enough. He wants to be stronger, he need to be stronger so that he won't have to be apprehensive all the time and cowered before the strong.

It was unknown who make the first move but a fierce battle suddenly started, each aiming to reach the Moonlit Orchid but each obstructed one another.

Zahia Elliohart, for a person like her who can get the position of high elder at the Mage tower at the age of no more than 40 have considerable strength but the people who came for the Moonlit Orchid are not one to be trifled with either. Still, compare to them, her strength is higher and that is also the reason why she got more obstructor than others.

"Tsk....Annoying as always"

The weakers one who covet things beyond their ability.

She can handle them but when ants get together, they can even bring down an elephant not to mention her obstructers are not mere ants.

Even though strong, she could still get obstructed.

Such situation resolves Zahia determination ever than before to obtain the Moonlit Orchid. The reason why she herself went in person.

Pale blue mana covers Zahia and destructive spells after spells was cast at her opponents with ease.

Zahia pause, someone ran past her.

Expressionlessly turning her head, Zahia eyes meet a deep blue eyes.

"...…even if you are cherished by my disciple, I won't be polite with you if you covet what is mine" Her voice cold and dominating.

"I only want the grass beside the Moonlit Orchid for my mother"

Austin replied, his face remains stoic not cowering before the cold eyes.

Zahia slowly raise her hand and her mana shot towards Austin, she expect to see a scared or even startled expression but the child remain motionless as if he has no fear or as if already knowing that she will not harm him.

He has always been like this, always having a stoic expression as if nothing in the world could shake him.

Indeed, the mana is aimed at the beast behind Austin who tries to pounce on him.

"You are as boring as my disciple although she is cuter"

After all, her disciple nonchalance stems from her laziness to express any other excessive emotions, her face remains impassive only because she seems fed up to express herself and like to live in her own inner world.

While the child before her is nonchalant because he truly does not care anyone else, he gaze the world with an apathetic look as if he is an old monster that paste a skin of a young urns and look the world and the people as if they were grey mud.

A single minded person that obsessively stuck to only one thing, very boring indeed

"Yuna is indeed cute" Austin eyes slightly became warm, another emotion aside from apathy finally show.

Zahia look at the child who finally shows a different kind of expression. Like she said, he is the type to get obsessively attach to one thing.

Zahia felt a short momentary pity for her disciple who provokes this monster but it was her own disciple problem and Zahia does not care enough to get concern herself with her disciple who like to poke things she should not poke, as long as her disciple is eating well, sleeping well, and learning well under her, any other else does not concern her.

In a way, she is also a really unfeeling and apathetic person.

However, the child before her reminds her of the other monsters that live at the capital.

Hmm…. Maybe she should consider warning her disciple a little bit to not poke her nose on those monsters, provoking one monster is enough, as a master, at least she should do the bare minimum responsibility on looking out after her disciple well-being.

"Take the grass and leave" Zahia click her tongue "My ears seems to get clogged from being constantly plead to look out for your safety, return safely lest my disciple decide to whine again"

Austin smiles lightly thinking of Yuna fretting over him.

Under the subtle protection of Zahia, Austin quickly plucks a few blade of grass before retreating. His original companion to who he became their guide has long forgets about him, they were busy with their own motive.

He said what he said about them protecting him even though he know that he will be cast aside because he has to reassure his mother and Yuna.

Austin could not move far before a deafening explosion rang.

A barrier suddenly started to appear trapping the people and the beast in a dome shaped enclosure. The ground started to light up showing a strange runes.

"Not bad, not bad, the live stocks that gather here are not bad"

A light voice came down from a peak that was not too high.

The people look up and saw a man being covered in a green cloak.

He can be called handsome if half of his face is not covered in black and purple veins, intertwining his left face into a horrible appearance. It looks as if black and purple worms swims on his face.

"Who are you? If you want the Moonlit orchid, you should honestly fight and not used such a disgusting underhanded method"

One person shouts from below, pointing at the man with a horrible left face, his voice filled with displeasure.

The others remain silent but was acquiescing to the person word.

The man in a green cloak looks at the person who points his finger at him as if looking at a moron "It seems you guys don't understand the plight you are in yet….. doesn't matter, as a live stock that is soon going to be slaughtered, I can be tolerant"

The man said lightly, his expression serene looking down as if he is doing great charity.

The people below face changes one by one looking up at the man who looks down on them with such arrogance.

They were going to scold him when they hear someone call out the man in green cloak name and they soon started to have a startled expression.

"Louis Von Arryn, what are you doing here?"

".....Hmm someone who recognize me…" The man look around and his gaze finally land on an old woman, he squint his eyes to recall who the old woman would be but could not think of anyone he knows.

"As a defector of Lalrem Empire, please obediently offer your head"

The old woman, Zahia spat out coldly before directing a strong mana that contains a faint law of destruction at the man who was standing at the peak.

The man narrows his eyes and quickly channels a barrier. A purple diamond necklace that he wore glows faintly as if to assist the barrier he made and to not be overwhelmed by the destructive mana.

"This kind of mana…. Feels familiar...ahh... Zahia... Elliohart"

The man mumbles the name, a faint smile started to appear on his face.

"As expected of the genius Lady Zahia, you could already step a foot on the realm of law albeit still faintly"

Zahia did not answer but blast another destructive mana.

The purple diamond necklace glow brighter as the man just lightly swept the mana away.

"Hahahaha… to think that the quality of the live stock suddenly become higher, this is worthy of celebration"

The people who are trapped inside the dome could not stay still anymore when they realize that the man was the notorious Louis Von Arryn who is on the list of the most wanted criminals of Lalrem Empire.

"…I remember, thi…this seem to be blood runes"

One of the people inside the dome said with a pale face.

"Not a bad insight…. Then why don't you offer your blood?"

As soon as the light voice of Louis fell, the purple diamond necklace started to glow brighter and brighter and purple light penetrated the Moonlit Orchid.

The Moonlit Orchid started to change colour and contort in a twisted way, the roots of the orchid expand and grow rapidly before it started to wave in the air and then aim at the people stuck inside the dome.

An unlucky person was caught up by the roots and the roots of the Moonlit Orchid wrapped the person and drill its roots inside the man mouth, nose and ears and started sucking the blood of the man.

He did not even have time to scream for help before he was sucked dry of blood and become a bloodless corpse.

"What the—"

"NO!! get away from me!"

The people have a horrified expression, they look blankly at the corpse whose blood was suck in the most gory way.

They started attacking the roots but it was as if the root is enhanced with a defence barrier, it could not be penetrated or cut down at all.

Soon more and more bloodless corpse started to appear and the people stuck inside the dome have an increasingly ugly and despair expression.