Chapter 25 : Blades Not Yet Drawn

He was a good man, yes. But a mercenary still. And there were limits to any man’s pride.

Curtis  reached out and caught his arm.

“Don’t.”

“Why not?! She’s mocking you! Mocking us! Let’s take her damn head and send it to Narok wrapped in silk!”

Redna chuckled.

“Will you, now? You struggled just to block a flicker. How much help will you be if I truly strike? You think you can handle me alone?”

Whether fire or steel proves faster… we need only cross blades to find out.”

Redna’s words smoldered like an ember stirred to life.

“Enough provocation, Lady Redna,” came a new voice—measured, cool, and laced with quiet strength.

It was the first time the man who had entered alongside her spoke. Until now, he had stood silent, a mere shadow beside the flame. But now, as tensions reached the breaking point, he stepped forward.

“I am here to protect you from danger, not to defend you when you invite it.”

“I wasn’t the one who drew first,” Redna replied with a scoff.

“You made him draw,” the man said flatly.

“Th—”

“I’m not here to argue petty provocations.”

He cut her off cleanly, with the weary finality of a man who had done this too many times. His voice carried the weight of obligation, not allegiance.

“The contract was clear. We do not drag uninvolved parties into this. Those not aligned with Narok are not to be harmed.”

“Judging by your tone, I suppose that means you’re leaning toward Narok now?” Redna sneered.

“If he chooses them, then fight him then,” the man said. “Not now. Not here. There are tavernkeepers present.”

“Fine, fine,” Redna sighed, exaggerating her frustration with a dramatic pout. It seemed the contract—whatever binding terms it contained—was the only leash strong enough to restrain her.

“Next time, then, Sir Terty. I’ll return the favor when the time is right.”

“Tch…”

Curtis  placed a calming hand on Terty’s shoulder. With a reluctant snarl, the mercenary ground his teeth and sheathed his blade.

The storm, at last, began to pass. A thin tension lingered like mist after rain, but the moment of danger had been sealed—at least for now.

Redna gave a half-turn and flashed a final smirk over her shoulder.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again. Though for your sake… it might be better if we don’t.”

Always, she had to have the last word—a barbed parting shot. Her companion sighed under his breath, offered a polite nod, and followed.

But as they reached the door, Terty’s voice rang out behind them, sharp with disdain.

“You with Gaude, then?”

The man paused, his hand on the door.

He said nothing.

That was answer enough.

Terty sneered.

“Whether you’re a guard or a glorified babysitter, it can’t be easy. Don’t worry. We’ll put you out of your misery soon enough.”

The man turned just slightly. His reply was soft, almost sorrowful.

“That… will not come to pass.”

Then he stepped through the door. The bell above chimed its farewell.

Ding-a-ling.

And they were gone.

A breathless silence followed, as if the very tavern had exhaled. Then—

“Pfffaaah—Rulers above, I thought I was done for!”

Saker collapsed into his seat, grabbing for his mug and gulping it down in great, desperate swallows. Freeman wiped the sweat from his brow with trembling fingers.

Terty dropped back into his chair, his every movement stiff with fury.

“Should’ve cut her down the moment she opened her cursed mouth.”

“It wouldn’t have gone easily,” Curtis  said, sipping calmly from his own beer. “Her escort would’ve blocked you—likely not a Bronze. You don’t assign lightweights to guard a Spiritcaller.”

“True, but still…!”

“Besides,” Curtis  added, “a fight like that would’ve leveled this place.”

The tavern, mostly timber and dried thatch, was a poor match for any battle involving fire. Unless one had a river flowing nearby, containing the damage would’ve been nearly impossible.

“Damn it all. You’re right,” Terty muttered. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

What rankled him more than anything wasn’t just the insult. It was Curtis ’s calm, unbothered demeanor—as if none of it had touched him.

“You’re not even angry? After the way she spoke to you?”

“Actually,” Curtis  said with a small smile, “I’m rather pleased.”

“…Is that your type or something?”

“No, no. Not like that.”

He chuckled, waving off the suggestion.

“I meant—it’s easier to deal with people who underestimate you. She assumed I couldn’t respond, when in truth… I chose not to.”

Redna had seen restraint and mistaken it for inability. Curtis , who had calmly withheld his full strength, now found her arrogance almost… comical.

“She may speak of light flames and playful sparks, but I didn’t get the sense she could handle anything heavier. And we’re not the only ones who can fight with tactics.”

“So,” Terty said slowly, “you’ve decided. You believe you can win… with Narok.”

“Yes,” Curtis  replied. “I think it’s time we pay them a visit.”

“Excellent. I’m coming too. There’s a score I mean to settle.”

“Glad to have you,” Curtis  said with a smirk. “Though… I’d ask one favor.”

“Name it.”

“Next time we run into her—let me face her first.”

Terty blinked, then nodded slowly.

“Of course. You were the one she insulted. You should have the first strike.”

“Even if,” Curtis  added carefully, “I choose to spare her.”

“Spare her?”

Terty looked perplexed. Curtis  scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“It’s strange, but… when our spells collided, I felt something. A spark of… understanding. Magical insight.”

“A revelation, then?”

“Something like that. It’s not every day you meet a Spiritcaller. If I can’t grasp it all in one go… I wouldn’t mind a few more rounds.”

“Then you’ll have them,” Terty said with a grin. “Wouldn’t want to steal your moment of clarity. And if she learns she was merely a stepping stone for your growth, well… all the better.”

Curtis  dipped his head in thanks.

He had dressed the truth in plausible words, but the reality was something far stranger.

When flame and water had clashed—when magic met magic—a window had opened.

A message had appeared before him. Not a voice, not a dream. A system notification, not unlike when he had first learned Aqua Manipulation.

It had read:

[Spirit Creation]
Progress to first acquisition: 2%

Something was awakening.

And it had all begun with a clash of fire.