Chapter 133 - 132: Justified And Understandable

Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Justified And Understandable

During the night in a dark forest, Caesar walked through the woods with a torch in her hand, cautiously scanning the environment.

"Rai! Eyo! Rai, where are you?! Eyo?!" Caesar called.

In the middle of her search, she found two human boys standing in front of a tree.

Despite both of them being small, the taller one who happened to be the on the right wore a cream colored top while the one on the left wore a pale blue top.

"Rai...? Eyo...?" Caesar called in confusion.

Caesar slowly walked towards them.

"Is that you? Hello?" Caesar asked.

Caesar placed her hand on the shoulder of the child wearing the cream colored tee, making the boys to hastily turn at her, showing their eyes pitch black in color with black blood streaming from those eyes down to their cheeks.

In seeing them, Caesar became startled and subconsciously stepped backwards.

Suddenly, the boys and the forest disappeared.

Caesar found herself standing in a wasteland.

The ground was littered with the bones of both humans and beastfolks.

Caesar felt an ominous pressure, prompting her to raise her head and see where the feeling was coming from.

To her surprise, she saw a shadow figure sitting on a throne made of bones.

The figure had a long flowing white hair that faded into black tips.

The figure also covered it’s face with a horned and seemingly demonic looking wolf mask.

Caesar continued to stare up at the dark figure in confusion and yet familiarity.

While staring, silver light from the eyes of the creature gleamed through it’s overshadowed face.

Caesar snapped her eyes open and sat up from her bed.

Her breathing became ragged while she sweated profusely.

She shifted her eyes to her alarm clock and saw it was just five minutes passed eleven in the night

Later, on a Wednesday morning inside the Balland and Barnes bakery, Caesar stood in Balland’s office, speaking with Balland who at the moment leaned against the wall while having both arms crossed.

Balland brought his head low with a visage full of disbelief and disturbance.

"That’s what he said?" Balland asked.

"Yeah." Caesar answered as she turned her face away.

"Cedric, he-I never took him for that kind of man." Balland said, "He may have been many things but a guy who would sabotage his own son... I never thought I’d hear this."

"I get that Cedric wanted to protect Owen but this hit a sore spot for me." Caesar said, "I know what it’s like to have people who were supposed to care for you sabotage you. Even though he loved his son, there is no excusing that."

"I’m a grandfather. I myself can never imagine doing that to my daughter or grandkids." Balland said.

"And now his cuckoo son is beefing with me because he thinks that his dad has chosen another person over him." Caesar said, "And even if I tell him that Cedric didn’t choose me over him, he wouldn’t believe because he is too far gone in the head."

Caesar scoffed and continued.

"How I keep getting dragged into these family dramas is beyond me. First my parents and the Mizukai five million yon debt, now it’s a stupid drama of a loony father and his loony son."

"Caesar, I’m sorry I dragged you into this." Balland said with a tone dripping with guilt.

"Don’t be, boss." Caesar replied Balland as she turned her sights towards him, "All you did was get me help, and Cedric was the only one available at the time."

"Besides, you knew nothing about the whole drama just like me." Caesar continued as she shrugged her shoulders, "You just simply went to a friend for help."

"And Cedric asked you to relay his apology to his son?" Balland asked as he raised his head to gaze at Caesar.

"Yeah, but I told him no." Caesar answered, "I mean, why me? I got my own issues to deal with and now I’m supposed to be some sort of mediator between those two?

Talk to an unstable jealous guy who tried to kill me and put my co-workers in the hospital? Yeah, no."

"I see." Balland said.

The two kept quiet for a short while until their silence was broken by Caesar.

"Boss, Owen said it in public that Cedric trained me. The video went viral and many know.

Some doubt it but the Mizukais obviously saw it especially Akari, yet she didn’t say anything about it when she called me.

Boss, what if she knew all along or is privately investigating about this? If she knows or finds out that you have been helping especially with getting the other top families to set me free at the end of the one year thriving agreement, then your life is in danger."

"Don’t worry about me." Balland said.

"Huh?" Caesar said in confusion, "But boss-"

"I told you I have survived the Mizukais before and I knew the risks I was taking when I chose to help you." Balland interrupted, "Focus on yourself especially on your match tomorrow.

As for me, I know what to do. Just don’t worry about me."

Hearing those words, Caesar nodded her head in agreement.

"May I be excused?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah, you can go." Balland said.

Caesar turned her back on Balland and took her leave out of the office.

As soon as she had left, Balland sighed and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

"Damnit, Cedric. Damnit."

Caesar stood outside Balland’s office and leaned against the wall.

Her face of Owen surfaced in her mind which made her sigh.

"Damnit, Cedric."

Later in the afternoon, Caesar was working in Happy Havens Memorial, wearing her black short sleeve top, grey leggings and black boots, digging the ground with her shovel.

While working, Cedric’s played in her head.

"I know it might seem like a lot to ask from you, but can you... Tell him I’m sorry for everything?"

After remembering his requests, Caesar started speaking in her heart.

"Tell him you’re sorry... Why didn’t you tell him this before? Why ask me?

Or maybe you did but it didn’t turn well. And if that’s the case then once again why ask me? What is he hoping to achieve there? That Owen listens and has a change of heart?

If Owen didn’t listen to his father then, is it me a stranger who he hates with all his guts that he’ll listen to?

In as much I told Cedric to tell Owen himself, still, why am I having mixed feelings about this?

Is it because of the time and effort he put into training when he clearly wasn’t getting anything in return? Is it because I feel indebted to him?"

"My parents..." Caesar continued as she closed her eyes, "They not only abused the three of us- myself, Rai and Eyo, they also sabotaged me throughout my life. But their biggest sabotage came after their death.

Borrowed five million yons from that family, stupidly gambled a borrowed money away , lost everything, didn’t ’pay’ a dime and ended up having a fatal accident."

"Because of them, the Mizukais forced me into inheriting their debt and later forced me into EBW to prevent my siblings from getting sold off like cattle." Caesar said in her heart as she tightened her grip round the shovel.

Caesar exhaled and opened her eyes to gaze at the skies.

"Can the people who failed you still be forgiven?" Caesar whispered to herself, "Is remorse enough to mend what was broken?

Cedric, you were afraid and rightfully so, but you went about it the wrong way.

Unlike my parents, you did love your son."

Caesar brought her eyes down, staring at the spot she had dug for a coffin arrival.

After a short time of staring, she resumed her work.

"At least, you gave me the tips on how to beat your son tomorrow." Caesar said, "Just need to make sure I land some meaningful damage while he burns himself out and those damages stack well enough then strike hard, right?

After all, Owen is fast as fuck and is as slippery as an eel but just as explained that his output burns his stamina.

All I need to do is take as much damage as I can while landing good ones. I just need to get my timing right; after all, my PE teacher did once say that timing beats speed."

"Though, there is one question now that is bothering me." Caesar continued in her mind as she knitted her brows, "Cedric gave information of Owen’s weakness which was based years ago before he left, how do I know now that he hasn’t found a way to overcome that weakness?"

Caesar placed her palm against her forehead and sighed.

"If he has evolved then which means the information is outdated. And if it is outdated then I might be cooked in the ring tomorrow."

Suddenly, Caesar’s irises glowed in alarm while her eyes widened as she felt a familiar yet dangerous pressure.

Instantly, she turned to the direction of where it was coming from and found Owen sitting on a tombstone while smiling casually.

"Yo."