PRAYING AND PLEADING ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

PRAYING AND PLEADING ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

"I have a valid cause", I told the manager.

"What cause will allow you to harm another in the Conjurer Court. This is a blatant abuse of a conjurer's authority. You must be sanctioned", the manager told me.

"This nobody accused me of being a fraud. Under the laws of the Conjurer Court, accusing a Conjurer without proof is a crime punishable by death. Even killing this scum is permissible without referring him to the Discipline Committee", I told the manager who was surprised by my argument.

"Did this apprentice accuse the… Conjurer?" the manager asked the people around him.

"Yes, he told everyone that the conjurer is a fraud when he presented his completion of his missions. We have checked the mission vouchers, they are all successfully completed without any fraud", the guy at the mission booth replied to the manager.

"Guards, arrest the apprentice who accused the esteemed conjurer", the manager of the Mission Center told the guards, and they quickly came to arrest my accuser.

Everyone in the Mission Center was stunned by what just happened. 

They were shocked that I became a Full-fledged Conjurer in only one month's time. They were also shocked that I could complete so many difficult missions in a month.

However, their greatest shock was to witness my wrath and swift justice against those who wrongly accuse me.

"This is the Bully of Starri city, bullying us apprentice again", someone said softly to another.

"You are correct. Let everyone know that running foul against me, the Bully of Starri city, is punishable with misery", I shouted back at the guy who commented about me as he quickly dropped to the floor begging for mercy.

Those other people in the hall who made vile remarks about me suddenly joined in and knelt to the floor pleading for my mercy.

"You may proceed to the second floor, esteemed Conjurer. This floor is not meant for you. We will calculate your reward and bring it to you as soon as we can", the manager of the Mission Center, first floor, said to me.

I slowly walked toward the stairs as the ground before me was filled with apprentices who prostrated themselves before me, pleading for their lives.

"Is it really necessary to make them hate you?" Cassandra asked me.

"They will hate me but at the same time they will fear me, and their fear far outweighs their hate for me because I am far stronger than them", I replied to her.

"This scene is just like in the temple, where I imagine, our worshippers will pray to you", Meera said to me amusedly.

"Praying and Pleading are two sides of the same coin", I replied to her.

"Gods and Demons are probably two sides of the same coin too", Chash said to me.

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The Mission Center's second floor at the Conjurer Court stood in stark contrast to its bustling first floor.

Instead of the frenetic market vibe, reminiscent of apprentices contending for missions and rewards, this level exuded the ambiance of an exclusive clubhouse. 

It was a retreat where VIP guests gathered to unwind and fritter away their time, substituting the competitive mission voucher exchange with the discreet swapping of gossip.

Even though mingling wasn't on my agenda, the conjurers sought me out.

-----

"You are a new Conjurer who just advanced. We saw what happened downstairs, you are too crude and arrogant to harm fellow members of the Conjurer Court mercilessly. You are without shame", someone said to me in a sermon.

"Did a rat squeak? I thought I heard something", I said to my bodyguards.

"You… how dare you disrespect your seniors?" the guy who reprimanded me said.

"Are you the rat? Ha… found you", I said to him.

Suddenly, all the conjurers on the second floor came around to join in the gossip.

"Conjurer Mosas is correct, you are crude and without shame", someone said to me.

"Are you accusing me of something?" I asked him in reply when Chash quickly took off his gloves, turning the air around his hands into ice.

"You…you…no I am not accusing you of anything. I just give you some friendly advice", the guy who almost accused me replied to me.

"That is not what I heard from you. Nah… I'll let you pass this time", I told him.

"Why are you afraid of him, he is just a newbie. To exist in our organization, he must learn to respect us seniors", Conjurer Mosas told the others.

"Let's go. This place is too shabby. The rats keep squeaking everywhere", I told my bodyguards as I walked away from the group of troublemakers.

"You stop right there. Nobody disrespects me in this Conjurer Court and especially not a newbie like you", Conjurer Mosas shouted to me.

"Ah…rats again", I said out loud as the other conjurers started to laugh.

The joke was on Conjurer Mosas now.

"I'll teach you a lesson about ignoring us senior conjurers", Mosas shouted to me as he rushed toward me with a conjured hammer.

The hammer conjured by Mosas was enormous and it has the potential of flattening most people, even knights and guards of the Conjurer Court.

"You rat never learn from the lessons downstairs", I said to him as I dashed through the conjured hammer.

The hammer's magic clashed on my body, but my magical body armor withstood most of its harm. In almost an instant, I was before Mosas and with a striking punch threw him into the air.

As Mosas fell toward the ground again, I added another punch, throwing him upwards again. I punched Mosas around with my powerful punch that was partnered with a sonic explosion on every strike.

"Drumburst of Kradesh"

"Stop it, Oriese", Conjurer Iras shouted out to stop me suddenly.

So, I dropped Mosas to the ground as my foot stepped on his face. Mosas was too hurt to complain or do anything to me anymore as his face was under me.

"What is the matter here?" another conjurer who walked in with Iras asked.