Chapter 234 - Eve of the Finals

"Appreciate the ride." Kurt stepped down the public carriage, tossing two bronze coins up to the driver.

"Thank you! Safe travels, sir!" The driver snapped his reins and pulled away.

Kurt speed-walked toward the building of the academy. Right as he was just about to push through the doors, his ears caught the swelling chatter and footsteps of approaching crowds.

’Looks like the gauntlet is over. What a shame...’

Standing back for the people to come through, the division in the crowd was immediately obvious.

The Eldorian citizens were singing and cheering, while the visiting Myrians trudged past with scowling faces.

Recognizing his own personal household carriage waiting near the plaza’s grand fountain, Kurt strode over and leaned against the wood, greeting the driver sitting up front.

"Evening."

"Good evening, Master Rossana! Where are Sadie and Hope? I thought they were with you?"

"They’ll probably be spilling out of the crowd any second now."

As he waited, an angry outburst erupted near the front. A heated argument had broken out between a group of Eldorians and Myrians.

"Face it, Myrians! Our roster is completely stacked! We’ve got the best overall team in the entire continent! The results speak for themselves! We won!"

"Shut your arrogant mouth!" a Myrian spat back aggressively "You got lucky today! Everyone knows Myria has the single greatest representative in this entire tournament! Izumi Ayako!"

"Oh, please! Emelie Herst is the undisputed best! She hasn’t lost a single match! She left the stage on her own terms!"

"So did Izumi-sama! In fact, Izumi-sama secured the most eliminations out of anyone in today’s gauntlet! Including Emelie Herst!"

"What did you say?!"

"The facts!"

The shouting match grew louder and louder, pulling in nearby spectators who began pushing and shoving one another.

Right as it looked like fists were about to fly–

"That’s enough!"

Dominik’s authoritative voice boomed over the noise.

"Save your energy for tomorrow’s finals, or I will personally escort both parties to the holding cells for disturbing the peace!"

The Eldorian crowd grumbled, slowly dispersing first under the strict glare of their well-known prefect.

Off to the side, Vicky – standing alongside a squad of guards – spotted Kurt leaning against the carriage. She excused herself and walked over.

"Boss. My men at the church orphanage reported in. They said everything went well with the runaway kid?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "We got her back safely. Thanks for the quick intel earlier, Victoria. It made all the difference."

"That good... By the way, boss... why are you calling me by my full name? ’Vicky’ is fine. You’ve called me Vicky since we met."

Looking at her with a pitiful expression, he reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"For both our sakes, Victoria... you’re just gonna have to accept that I’ll be calling you Victoria from now on."

Vicky tilted her head, confused by the sudden boundary, but before she could press further, one of her men whispered into her ear.

"Ah... duty calls. I have to get back to clearing the stands of any loiterers. I’ll see you around, Boss."

"Take care, Victoria."

Having successfully defused the near-riot at the fountain, Dominik turned around and spotted Kurt standing by the carriage. His eyes lit up, and he jogged right over.

"My brother from another mother! You missed out on an absolute spectacle of a final match! The match between Princess Kiana and Liang Wei was insane! The Princess has gotten so much better at controlling her ice!"

"That right? So who’s fighting tomorrow in the finals?"

"Well, for Myria, it’s obviously going to be Izumi Ayako. She took out the most opponents today for her team. As for Eldoria... We’re just going to have to wait and see tomorrow morning. Personally, I’m hoping it’s Emelie."

"Emelie, huh? I dunno, man. I wanna see Amber in action. Imagine two psychos’ having at it. Now that will be the real spectacle."

"Ooouu... I think you’re onto something with that one."

Suddenly, Dominik’s cheerful demeanor shifted into genuine concern as he looked at his friend. "So... what was that urgent matter you had to run off for? Is everything sorted out now?"

"Yeah. It was about Rupee and Tristan. They got into a big fight, and Rupee ended up finding out the truth about her parents... and the fake letters we wrote."

"Wait... what?! Seriously?! Oh man... is she furious with us?! What am I saying, of course she is!"

"Surprisingly, no." Kurt shook his head. "I expected her to be furious too, but... she understood why we did it. She accepted the truth, and the two of them are healing together now."

"The hell? Really?"

"Yep."

"Wow... She’s pretty mature for her age."

Dominik squinted his eyes, staring at Kurt with heavy suspicion.

"Wait a minute... hold on. Something isn’t adding up here. What aren’t you telling me? A six-year-old doesn’t just casually accept a lie like that without a total breakdown."

Before Kurt could explain the harrowing kidnapping in the slums, a cheerful voice interrupted them.

"Dominik!" Mia arrived, skipping over and happily wrapping her arms around Dominik’s elbow. "Oh, Kurt! You’re back. Is everything alright? You two looked super serious just now."

"Yeah, Mia. Everything is fine."

"Great! By the way – Diana asked me to give you a message. She said she’ll meet you back at home tonight, so you can go on without her."

"Thanks for the message," Kurt nodded. He then turned back to Dominik, offering a mischievous smirk.

"Everything really is fine, Dom. But... if you want the full story, you might want to pop by the orphanage yourself to say your piece. Also... I sincerely apologize if your workload suddenly spikes over the next few days."

"Of course I’ll pop by. I too need to apologise for lying– wait, what? What do you mean my workload is going to–"

"Come on, Dommy~" Mia giggled, tugging hard on his arm and dragging him away toward their open two-seater carriage. "If we don’t hurry, we’re going to lose our dinner reservation at the bistro! Goodnight, Kurt!"

"Wait, Mia! Hold on, I need to know what he meant! Mia–! W-Wait–! Oh dammit! Night, Kurt!"

Kurt casually waved at them with a chuckle.

Not long after they left, another group approached the carriage. Sophie walked up alongside Cindy, accompanied by old Willy and his granddaughter, Phoebe.

"Evening, Kurt," Sophie greeted warmly.

"Hey guys. Hey there, Phoebe. Did you enjoy watching Emelie fight today?"

Phoebe’s eyes lit up, and she gave a passionate, enthusiastic nod. "Mhm! She was super cool!"

Willy let out a hearty laugh, slapping his knee. "Ha! You should’ve seen this young’un in the stands, Kurt! Screaming her little lungs out for Ms. Herst like a wild harpy!"

"Grandpa!"

Whack!

The little girl’s face turned bright red as she gave Willy’s leg an embarrassed, weak little punch.

"Hahaha! Alright, alright! We’ll be heading home now. Goodnight, Kurt! Goodnight, Ladies!"

"See you around, old man. Goodnight, Phoebe," Kurt waved as the duo walked off.

He then turned his attention to Sophie, offering a respectful nod. "And Sophie... Thank you for the advice earlier. The problem with the kid I was talking about is sorted out."

Sophie smiled gently. "I’m truly glad to hear that."

"Bossman!"

"Kurt!"

An energetic pair of shouts echoed across the plaza. Sadie and Hope came sprinting through the dispersing crowd, practically bursting with adrenaline.

"Bossman, where were you?!?!" Sadie grabbed his arm and started shaking it. "Princess Kiana was unbelievable! That last strike against Liang Wei was insane!"

"It was so close!" Hope added with excitement. "We thought Liang Wei was going to beat her, but the Princess totally turned things around! Saying, "You fell for my trap." Ahahaha!"

Sophie laughed softly at their boundless energy. "Well, it seems your hands are full now. Goodnight, everyone."

After greeting everyone, Kurt opened the carriage door, gesturing for the two energetic girls to step inside. "Alright, get in. You can give me the full play-by-play on the ride home."

The trio climbed inside, the carriage door clicking shut behind them as the horses clattered down the road, carrying them back toward the estate as Hope and Sadie talked over each other to explain every second of the matches he had missed.

.

..

...

Meanwhile, across the city, the glass doors of the luxurious City View Hotel swung open.

A young woman stepped through the threshold with a beautifully mesmerizing smile gracing her lips.

Her hips swayed gently as she walked across the lobby. Several men paused mid-conversation, turning their heads just to catch a glimpse of her striking beauty.

She glided up to the front desk and rested her elbows against the polished wood.

"Good evening, Darwin~"

"G-Good evening, Miss Olivia!"

"Oh Darwin, honey... Please. Call me Olive. Just Olive~"

"Y-Yes, Olive!"

"Hehehe~ Good boy." As she turned to head toward the elevators, Darwin gathered his courage and called out to her. "U-Um! Olive?"

Looking back over her shoulder, Olivia tilted her head with an alluring smile. "Hmm? Yes?"

*Gulp* "I... I was wondering... Are we... Are we still on for our date tonight? I managed to secure that VIP suite you asked about, after all..."

"Oh, Darwin..." Olivia walked back to the desk.

She reached out and stroked the back of Darwin’s hand with her gentle fingers.

"As you can see... I am in a very good mood tonight. Of course, our date is still on."

She playfully fiddled with his fingers, leaning in close to whisper against his ear. "And if you play your cards right... you might just get lucky tonight~"

"I-I... y-yes, ma’am..."

"Hehehe~ So cute."

She blew him a delicate kiss before turning and stepping into the elevator. The moment the doors closed, Darwin let out a victory pump of his fist behind the desk.

.....

The elevator carried Olivia straight to the very top floor of the hotel.

Making her way to her room, she unlocked the door with her provided keycard and stepped into a grand furnished room where inside, two men were already present.

One was lounging lazily on the couch, tossing a dagger into the air, while the other was standing at the kitchenette stove, casually stirring a simmering pot of stew.

Olivia clapped her hands together as her face lit up with childish delight.

"Brother Casey! Brother Yuki!"

The man on the couch, Casey, caught his dagger mid-air and rubbed his temples. "Sister Olivia... do you have to be so damn loud the second you walk through the door?"

The man at the stove, Yuki, turned around with a gentle smile, setting down his wooden spoon. "Welcome back, Sister Olivia."

Olivia tossed her small handbag onto a table, plopping herself down on the couch right next to Casey. She stretched her legs out onto his, reaching down to gently caress the rose plaster stuck to her knee.

Casey took a sideways glance at her leg, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Sister Olivia... what in the good Goddess’s name is that ridiculous thing on your knee?"

"Hehehe~ Haaaa~ It’s a gift~"

Yuki carried two steaming plates of food over to the dining table, setting them down smoothly.

"While the stew cools off, let us report our findings for today now that we’re all here. I’ll start. Apparently, just this afternoon, our entire network in the southern slums was completely eradicated. Hahaha... And the one who wiped them out was none other than our target... Kurt Rossana. Brother Casey?"

"Me? I managed to track down Rossana’s current residence in the city. And I found out something quite amusing."

Casey turned his head, pointing a finger straight at Yuki with a sly, smug smirk. "Your dear younger sister is currently working at his estate as a maid. It’s been a while since I saw her. I’m sure you’d be sad to know that she’s all grown up now."

"My younger sister...? Oh! That’s right! Haha, I completely forgot I had one of those."

Olivia went last, clasping her hands against her cheek as she rocked back and forth on the cushions.

"And I met with Kurt himself today~" she sighed, her tone dripping with affection. "He is everything I thought he’d be~ So strong, so wild... yet so wonderfully gentle when he put this little plaster on my scrape..."

She touched her knee again as her eyes glowed with a crimson light. "He’s perfect..."

Yuki listened to her rant with a happy, indulgent smile, while Casey rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful.

Suddenly, the doors of the suite clicked open.

A mysterious figure, wrapped in a white cloak that obscured their features, stepped quietly into the room.

In an instant, the playful atmosphere vanished. Olivia stopped her monologuing, Casey snapped to his feet, and Yuki straightened his posture. All three cultists lined up in a neat row.

The mysterious figure reached up, slowly pulling back their hood. Seeing the face beneath the cloak, Olivia, Casey, and Yuki bowed in deep reverence, causing the figure to offer them a smooth, chilling smile.