Note: I wrote a 2.5 arc of two chapters to explain Trizz's psychology in arcs 3 and 4, but the chapter is poorly written and the character traits aren't respected. I'll publish this arc when I have free time.
A cold forest, filled with the song of birds. The slightly strong wind caused the leaves to fall from the trees, and rabbits scurried through the woods under the beautiful sunlight. But all this marvelous scenery came to a halt as blood began to flow from the headless corpse of a mabeasts.
Another carcass, this one of a witch beast, lay on the ground. Why was there so much blood on the earth? Why were there so many corpses of beasts on the soil? Who did this, and why?
A young man stood there, his face contorted with fatigue and drenched in sweat, yet he was satisfied with his actions.
Why did he do it? What did he have to gain? Was he crazy? Why was he satisfied with having killed all these beasts?
None of the questions had a correct answer...
Suddenly, two small lights of different colors appeared before the young man.
"I'm sorry to have made you work so hard," a voice said. "I'm quite happy that I can now control this spell without losing control."
The young man looked up at the sky, his eyes an unnatural, blood-red hue, to check the position of the sun. The sun was at its zenith, indicating it was noon or one o'clock.
"It's almost time. I have to go."
The boy then pulled his sword out of the head of a dog-like creature with a horn in the middle of its snout. Blood flowed profusely, and chunks of brain stuck to the ground after he removed the sword.
"Do these beasts have brains? I wonder why they don't use them to avoid my traps and attacks. Maybe it's just decoration to deceive people."
The young man started to clean his sword and looked at the corpses of the beasts around him.
"Seventeen beasts... no, eighteen. There's a corpse hidden behind the tree. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow to continue testing my Yang attacks."
The young man started to walk out of the forest, his clothes blood-stained and with wounds on his torso and arms. But a red glow began to appear around the boy's silhouette, and his wounds started to heal.
"No more bloodlust. I think I've killed all the beasts in this area. It might be a little difficult to find new test subjects tomorrow."
The boy continued to walk for several minutes, lost in thought, with an empty gaze and a face smeared with blood.
What was this boy thinking about? Why were his eyes so red? Why was he accompanied by two faint lights? Why did this boy act so strangely? What had happened to him to make him so odd?
All these questions, but no answers.
The boy continued to walk for an entire hour with no expression on his face, as if he were used to this stroll.
He arrived at a hill with a view of a large white mansion with a huge garden decorated with rare trees and certain flowers.
The young man began to observe his surroundings as if looking for something. He started to smile after seeing a vehicle approach the mansion.
"As expected, the members of the Crusch camp are arriving at the mansion for the Royal Selection and to heal Subaru's broken gate."
The young man was surrounded by the same red light that had healed him an hour ago and then began to run toward the mansion, taking another path through the forest.
Eleven minutes later...
He arrived at the mansion's gate. The red light that had surrounded the boy disappeared, and he returned to his normal speed but stopped abruptly after realizing something.
"I'm covered in blood. How am I going to get into the mansion without angering Ram?"
The boy started to think, but someone-a little girl-had noticed him and walked toward him.
The girl was annoyed to see the boy covered in blood with damaged clothes.
"I told you to stop fighting with these monsters for hours on end, I suppose," she said.
The young man jumped, frightened by the sudden presence of the angry girl behind him.
"Stop appearing out of nowhere, or you might give me a heart attack one day," he said.
The girl began to look at him up and down as if to mock him. With a smirk, the young girl started to laugh at the young man.
"Look at yourself. You look more like a vagabond than an apprentice. What a disappointment for Betty, I suppose."
The boy began to get annoyed, and a vein appeared on his forehead, but a smile appeared on his face.
"Beatrice, do you like red?"
The girl stopped snickering and looked at the young boy with confusion.
"Why do you ask me that?" Beatrice said.
The boy began to smile even wider and started to walk toward the girl.
The girl's eyes widened with disgust at the young man's intention, and she started to run into the garden with the young man chasing her.
"Don't touch Betty!" she screamed.
"A little red on the face never hurt anyone," he replied.
After a few seconds, the young man suddenly stopped and observed the dragon carriage in front of him. The little girl also noticed and began to follow the boy.
An intimidating old man with a piercing gaze was talking to another young man with black hair and frightening eyes, who was holding two cups of hot tea.
The young man with the crimson eyes started to walk toward the two men with overflowing curiosity.
The young man with the crimson eyes started to walk toward the two men with overflowing curiosity
The frightening-eyed boy noticed the other boy approaching them and gave a friendly smile.
"Hey, man!"
The crimson-eyed boy walked forward and smiled.
"Hello, Subaru. What are you doing with the most expensive tea in the mansion?"
The frightening-eyed boy started to panic, but the old man intervened in the conversation.
"Don't blame this boy. He just offered me tea in exchange for information on Lady Emilia's discussion."
The old man then began to observe the young boy with an expressionless face.
The young boy was confused for a moment and realized he was still stained with beast blood.
"Gentlemen, don't worry. It's just... witch beast blood from the forest next to the village."
The old man seemed satisfied with the boy's answer, but it was hard to tell.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," Wilhelm van Astrea said. "Do you work here, young man?"
The crimson-eyed boy took a breath.
"My name is Trizz. I'm just a guest in this mansion, along with my friend Subaru, who works as a servant."
POV of Trizz
Someone started to pull on my sleeve. It was a little girl with yellow hair and butterfly-like eyes. It was an angry Beatrice with swollen cheeks.
I gave a sorry smile. "This is Beatrice, my master and one of the most wonderful people I have met in this mansion."
Beatrice began to puff out her chest with pride as if to show her superiority over me.
"The idiot next to me is my apprentice. Don't pay attention to his appearance, I suppose," Beatrice said.
I saw her, always so proud of herself. I wondered who would take care of her after I left for the capital...
Wilhelm started to stare at me and Subaru.
"Thank you for the tea, young man," Wilhelm said to Subaru. "Now, what do you want from this old man?"
Subaru smiled. "I just want to know the reason for this visit."
Wilhelm seemed to think for a few seconds. "I can't give you an answer about this visit, but I noticed that you seem very close to Emilia-sama."
Subaru started to blush. "Oh really? Are we that close?"
I started to feel nauseous when Wilhelm said we were close to her.
"Yeah, right. As if I was an idiot to believe those lies. I wondered who started that rumor".
"I'm not really interested, so I'll let you talk about it."
I then grabbed Beatrice's hand, but Subaru looked at me before he could say something. Wilhelm intervened.
"Young man, I challenge you to a sword duel."
Beatrice and I were in shock at the old man's statement.
Why was he asking me to duel? What did he have to gain by challenging me like this?
I slightly widened my eyes, a mix of confusion and shock overwhelming me.
"Why... are you asking me to duel?"
Wilhelm fixed me with his piercing eyes, a well of wisdom and experience.
"It's simply to test your strength. And... your eyes remind me of old memories."
A wave of annoyance and anger washed over me. Why did he have to notice the mark of my crimson eyes? Why couldn't I impose my authority as Subaru did, naturally and without effort? Damn my bad luck !. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I then met Beatrice's gaze, who was still looking at me, confused, with a slight smile. I looked away from her to focus on Wilhelm.
"I accept this duel," I declared, a falsely nonchalant smile on my face. "On the condition, of course, that you let me live."
A small, satisfied smile brushed Wilhelm's lips. He retrieved two wooden swords from the dragon carriage and threw one to me. The hilt was smooth and cool in my hand.
"Get ready, young man," he warned. "I will not hold back my blows."
Subaru, who had remained silent and perplexed until then, decided to speak. "What's going on?"
I turned my head to him. "We're just going to have a duel. Can you stand on the side with Beatrice? Count to five to start the fight."
Beatrice gave me a worried look. I answered her with a confident smile, and she went over to Subaru.
"I don't know why you accepted this," Subaru said. "But you're going to explain it to me afterward. I'll start the count."
I took a deep breath, backing up to get more momentum. Subaru looked at us to see if we were ready, then began to count.
"One... two... three... four... five! Go!"
Wilhelm lunged at me with superhuman speed and incredible force. He assaulted me with a storm of sword blows per second, the wood whistling in the air, too fast for me to follow them all. I jumped back to gain some space, but even after retreating, he charged at me like an arrow.
Damn it, he's as fast as Elsa! I thought, my heart pounding in my chest. I have to find a way to counter this, or I'm going to lose. I'll have to rely on my instinct and my Authority for this one.
I activated my Authority, a wave of pure endurance spreading through my veins. I was able to block his attacks more easily, the sound of the wooden impacts becoming more controlled. I dodged a feint to attempt a counter-attack, but he dodged my blow with a grace I could never match.
He then retreated and fixed me with a much more serious look, before charging at me again, even faster than before. I think things are going to get even more complicated...
I rushed toward him in turn, our swords clashing in a frenzied ballet. I attempted a series of counter-strikes from left to right, but every movement, every impact, every millisecond of this fight was exhausting my endurance.
I have to find a way to end this fight as quickly as possible, or I'm going to lose consciousness. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my breathing became heavy. The burden on my body was getting heavier and heavier. Can I use my mana? No, that would be cheating. I have to find another way... I don't have enough sword experience.
I blocked another one of his attacks, but when I tried to hit him back, he simply disappeared in front of me. Before I could do anything, I felt a violent pain in my ribs. A dull sound, followed by the sickening crunch of my broken bones. I found myself on the ground, groaning in agony.
Wilhelm then reappeared in front of me, with a face satisfied with the result. "I'm sorry to have hurt you. I just wanted to test you. Are you a knight, young man?"
Why was he asking me that after breaking half my ribs? I forced myself to get up, a forced smile on my sweat-soaked face.
"I'm sorry, Wilhelm-sama," I replied, "but I'm not a knight. Just a guest."
Beatrice approached me, concern written on her face. "Don't move, idiot. You'll only make your injuries worse."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a few broken ribs. I'll fix it."
I decided to use my mana to heal myself. My endurance was really low; I had to rest afterward. I reactivated my Authority, and a faint red aura enveloped me. It was risky if anyone other than Subaru saw it... An intense, warm sensation flowed through my body, knitting my bones back together and healing the flesh. I got up to approach Wilhelm and thank him for the duel, then shook his hand.
Wilhelm stared at me, his eyes expressing sincere curiosity. "Well, young man. You can regenerate your body? And how do you do that?"
I was quite perplexed, because no one, apart from Subaru, had ever wondered how I could regenerate.
"It's a bit personal," I said. "I can't give you any more information."
It was then that a half-human came out of the mansion. It was Felix.
"I'm back, old Wil," he said with a smile
"I'm back, old Wil," he said with a smile.
Felix then observed me for a few seconds with a curious look, and I understood. I had to wash and get rid of all those bloodstains on my clothes. I cleared my throat and added, "Don't worry, it's not my blood."
Felix smiled. "I see you haven't been bored, old Wil. You're the two boys Emilia-sama told me about."
Subaru was happy and started babbling nonsense, but I was focused on something else. I felt a wave of anger and turned around. It was Ram who was watching us, Subaru and me, from the mansion window.
Rest in peace, Subaru. You'll do better in the next loop.
Wilhelm gestured with his hand. "Don't worry, Felix. This boy is fine."
Felix looked at me again, this time with a smile. "Few people get out alive after a fight with old Wil."
I looked at Felix, a sense of powerlessness overwhelming me. "Without my regeneration, I would be dead."
Felix started to walk toward me to observe me more closely, but I knew what he was going to do and I backed away to avoid physical contact.
"Don't back away," he said. "I'm not going to eat you. I just want to analyze you, because people who have regeneration are very rare. Is it a divine protection?"
I backed away again, wary. "Sorry, Felix-sama, but I hate physical contact, and no, I don't have divine protection. My regeneration is natural."
He wasn't wrong, because apart from Capella and Elsa, I had never seen anyone else regenerate. Felix kept his friendly smile and curious look.
"Pardon me," he said. "I was just curious about your regeneration and your fight against old Wil. Where did you learn to fight like that? Your sword style is unknown."
I put on a forced smile. "Let's just say I practice a lot with my instinct."
Felix wanted to ask me another question, but Wilhelm intervened again.
"We're late. Crusch-sama is waiting for us," he said. "And I'm sorry for our knight's behavior."
Felix apologized again and got into the dragon carriage with Wilhelm.
3rd Person POV
As they drove away from the mansion in the dragon carriage, Felix broke the silence.
"These two boys are really strange, especially the one with the red eyes."
Wilhelm's face became more serious.
"In their eyes, those two boys have known death, an unimaginable experience," he said in a grave voice. "But the one with the crimson eyes had a look of hate, determination, and... fear."
End of Chapter