As Arval caught up, Theodore, who had been leaning close to Xavier’s ear, fell silent. His tail curled around Ye Muo’s neck as he began intently licking the hair near the boy’s ear.
The crowd gathered and began entering the docking bay through the access tunnel. Although the passage was spacious, it still felt somewhat crowded with so many people entering at once. Even though the crowd gave Xavier and his group a wide berth like sheep avoiding a sheepdog, the distance was only a meter or two. The cramped passageway inevitably pushed them even closer.
Arval discreetly quickened his pace, using his body to shield Xavier from the crowd. Unfortunately, that meant he was closer to the people instead.
Allen tried to keep a low profile on the periphery of the crowd to avoid drawing Arval’s attention. Still, he couldn’t help but steal glances every now and then.
How could this be? How could someone who was among the most privileged elite, the kind of person who would be flanked by his elder siblings whenever they appeared in the Capital, end up in a place like this?
Despite thinking that, he subconsciously adjusted his position as he walked, craning his head just a bit more to get a better look. His movements were so obvious that even Sader picked up on it. He quickened his pace for a few steps in an attempt to shield Allen and make him look less conspicuous.
But Sader soon discovered that they weren’t the only ones looking that way. Several other people were also staring at Arval. He cautiously pulled Allen back and inclined his chin slightly. Allen immediately understood and cast a discreet glance. His attention was drawn to the emblems on their chests.
He couldn’t get a good look from this angle, but that flash of blue was enough. He whispered as he kept walking, “It’s those ‘blue border’ guys.”
They were rather easy to recognize. In the past, when humanity had barely managed to come together to face the threat of the swarm, they formed a coalition. The presiding superpowers at the time were required to shoulder more responsibility. In light of that, they decided to add a thin blue border around their national emblems to distinguish themselves from the other members of the coalition.
Back then, the blue border signified safety. They would be welcomed by cheers wherever they went. Now, it just meant they hailed from a powerful nation and there would be hell to pay if you got in their way.
There was a lot more space to spread out once they entered the docking bay. There were already people gathered here. A small stir ensued as the crowd led by the soldiers joined them.
Eventually, the crowd came to a stop upon fully integrating with the first group. Sader nudged Allen, who knowingly shifted his attention to his surroundings for now.
There were more soldiers here compared to back at the square. Security was far tighter. Soldiers were stationed at equal distances across the entire sizable area.
A ring of thick, sturdy walls surrounded the perimeter. They would’ve felt suffocating in any other setting, but they almost came up short due to the immense area occupied by the docking bay.
There was little to obstruct one’s view. The sight of the distant scenery past the walls did much to soothe the crowd’s nerves.
They were gathered towards the right side. To the left lay an expanse of open warship berths that were scarcely occupied at the moment. To the far right stood a high-rise housing the port’s administrative office. The observation platform next to the building was sometimes used to host speeches. When it wasn’t in use, the small aircraft used for patrolling the port would park there.
It also made for an excellent sniper’s nest. The flag of the Coalition Army still flew high in the sky. Several people were standing beneath. The vantage point was so ideal that Allen’s gaze lingered there for a moment.
Almost simultaneously, someone above looked down at him. A gaze as sharp as a blade honed in on him in the crowd.
Allen instinctively tensed up. He looked away as naturally as possible, turning to stare at the ground instead. It took a good while before the sensation of eyes digging into his back finally lifted.
He barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before a heavy pressure came crashing down on his shoulder for a moment, catching him off guard and forcing him down to one knee.
By the time he looked up again, he could only spot a blurred silhouette shooting away. Before his body could even react, Allen realized they were heading straight for Xavier.
He was about to stand up when yet another person swept past him, using his shoulder as a launchpad.
An intense wave of psychic power descended on the crowd, causing people to scream and back away frantically.
Xavier immediately grabbed Theodore by the scruff and tossed him into Arval’s arms. In the next breath, he leapt into the air and held his sword horizontally before him, parrying Ethan’s attack.
The moment their blades clashed, he realized that Ethan had not imbued his sword with psychic power. And while the strike appeared daunting, Ethan had held back the instant they made contact. There wasn’t much force behind it, relatively speaking.
This was Ethan’s way of checking Xavier’s condition. His psychic power seemed fine, albeit a little excited. He bore no visible wounds either, perfectly nimble but just a little scruffed up.
Much of the man’s anger had settled on the journey here. However, he believed Xavier still needed to be taught an important lesson, one that he should never forget.
Xavier couldn’t be allowed to form bad habits like leaving the side of an elder Grantz willy-nilly, especially during such chaotic times.
But this display would look terrifying to outsiders. Even Brian, who had originally been following close behind in a huff, froze up for a moment. He ultimately, if somewhat hesitantly, settled for standing next to Arval to observe.
Long and deep grooves rapidly accumulated on the ground as their silhouettes flickered to and fro. The crowd, despite being a distance away, instinctively began retreating once more to get to safety, leaving just Allen’s group and a few seasoned soldiers behind.
Allen didn’t even bother standing up. He simply stared at them in shock. It was like he was watching two ferocious beasts tearing into each other.
What was going on? Wasn’t that child’s status very high?
In any case, things didn’t look good. Mastery over psychic power was usually proportional to age. Unless there was a massive gap in raw power, the outcome was all but set.
The two Grantz had already exchanged several bouts in the blink of an eye, until Ye Muo seemingly failed to dodge in time.
They didn’t stop until the blade grazed a spot slightly above his waist, sending a smattering of blood to the ground.
Allen turned towards Arval, who had clearly been protective of Xavier until now. However, the man was complacently holding onto the cat, who actually showed a far greater reaction. It bristled and started hissing incessantly.
While Arval remained motionless, Brian immediately stepped forward and joined the fray. He cut in between the two, turning his back to Xavier and shielding him from Ethan.
A fine layer of sweat dotted his brow as he swallowed almost imperceptibly. This was the first time ever stood in opposition to a Grantz. “That’s far enough, Ethan.”
Arval mentally snorted coldly. Only an idiot like Brian would think they were serious. Despite thinking that, his own brow, which had unknowingly furrowed slightly, finally relaxed.
Fights between the Grantz were actually as frequent as they were brutal. Their immense psychic power caused them to be constantly high-strung.
While they could control themselves around others, there was no need ot hold back as much when they were with their own kind. Drawing blood was was a common occurrence.
The older Grantz usually didn’t lower themselves to squabble with the younger generation, but Ethan was still relatively young. In fact, Arval was somewhat worried he might not know his own strength.
Ethan’s expression appeared gloomier than ever with all the extra eyes on him. True to Arval’s suspicions, he sheathed his sword without saying much, but he remained standing there, staring at that nearly invisible speck of blood on the ground for a few seconds. He seemed angrier than even when he turned back to Ye Muo.
Ye Muo hesitated before sheathing his own sword. Brian hurried to add, “Come on, say it. You knew where you went wrong, right?”
Ethan let out a cold snort, interrupting Brian before Xavier could answer, “Let’s go.”
He turned and walked away without sparing Xavier so much as a single glance.
Theodore broke free from Arval’s arms and started pacing around Xavier’s feet, inspecting him meticulously with his fur all standing on end. He was beginning to deeply regret appearing in the form of a cat. A physical form was non-negotiable, yes, but one that couldn’t keep up with Xavier’s pace was equally unacceptable.
Ye Muo withdrew his gaze. He crouched down and extended his hands so that Theodore could better examine him. Brian looked Ye Muo up and down before falling in step behind Ethan. He turned back a few paces later, first sneaking a quick glance at Ye Muo before addressing Arval. “Careful now, offworlder.”
It sounded like a threat, but Arval knew that what this idiot really meant was: Be careful and keep an eye on Ye Muo.
Only once they were further away did Brian quicken his pace for a few steps to catch up. “Is this really okay, Ethan? Xavier’s at an age where it’s easy to be impulsive, and Salem warned us beforehand not to go too far. Then there’s Fiona…she’s going to kill us.”
Ethan quietly interrupted him, “Don’t you know? In a pride, the most curious cubs are the first to die. It’s their curiosity that drives them to sneak off from the pride’s supervision. He’s fine in every other aspect, but I have to make sure this lesson hits home. Ambrose would’ve done the same if he was here.”
Brian thought about it for a few seconds before giving up. He got straight to the point, “That’s not going to stop Fiona from coming after us.”
“Who cares at this point? And stop looking back! We need Xavier to know we’re very angry. The show isn’t over yet. Also, you were way too soft on him just now. We should be firmer. At least wait half an hour before forgiving him.”
Brian grumbled under his breath for once, “What do you mean ‘we’?
muttered with rare reluctance, “What do you mean ‘we’? It’s clearly just you, Ethan. Besides, you’re being way too strict with him…”
“Do you think I wanted to hurt him? He clearly let me win on purpose.”
They walked further and further away.
Arval clicked his tongue and looked at the boy and cat who were off in a world of their own. Ye Muo raised his arms like Theodore wanted so the cat could inspect that shallow wound with a grave expression…
Damn, who would’ve thought he would be able to discern such an expression on a cat’s face one day.
After staring at it for a while, Theodore turned to Arval, who sighed and retrieved a first aid spray from his person. “Got it.”
Allen and Sader exchanged a look in the distance. Allen whispered, “Things don’t look good. Their internal conflicts seem to have reached a breaking point of sorts.”
That ‘offworlder’ comment was also worth considering. Did this child and man belong to another faction of that name? In any case, their situation seemed rather precarious. Perhaps it was hostility between different factions within the same camp, or perhaps those in power didn’t share the same stance as them.
However, it was clear to see that these two were in quite the dilemma. Not a single soldier had come to stop the fight just now. They hadn’t even looked this way at all, appearing as if they were completely used to it.
