The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

ARTHUR LEYWIN’S POV:

“Arthur Leywin, son of Reynolds and Alice Leywin. The Council has decreed that, due to your recent actions of excessive violence and the inconclusive circ.u.mstances involved, your mana core will be restrained, your t.i.tle as a mage will be stripped, and you will be incarcerated until further judgment.”

“... Effective immediately.”

Followed by those words from the female lance’s mouth were three distinct reactions from the people around me. The first reaction was made by the curiously ignorant. They eyed me with looks of perplexion, studying my appearance as they tried to fit me with the edict that had been read aloud by the female lance:

Inconclusive circ.u.mstances.

Excessive violence.

I could feel their cautious skepticism as they silently tried to figure out how a boy, who was barely a teen, could cause the Council itself to issue the verdict instead of the city governor.

The second reaction was made by the ever-foolish faces of the all-accepting crowd. Those that blindly worshipped the Council as well as all forms of higher authority. They took the words written on the communication artifact as G.o.d’s truth and looked at me with eyes of condemnation. Their whispers could even be heard from where I was standing as their eyes narrowed into a disdainful glare,believing that I was somehow responsible for everything that had happened inside the academy.

The third reaction was one that I had thought I would only receive from my family. No. To my surprise, the students and faculty that were involved in the incident—those that had the strength to still speak—all cried out in protest. Because my family was the closest, I could hear them the most clearly.

“Incarcer... Your Honour, there must be some sort of mistake,” my mother voiced out from behind the fence.

“Yes, I’m sure that there is an explanation for all of this. My son would never... there must be an explanation for all of this,” my father amended, knowing perfectly well what I was capable of.

There were other outcries of protest: some from students I recognized as well as from those who were simply stating the truth; all of which were ignored by the female lance.

“This makes no sense! How dare you punish the one who actually did some good. If it wasn’t for Arthur, you lances wouldn’t have had anyone left to save!” I turned my head towards the source of the voice. To my surprise, it was Kathlyn Glayder. She was marching in my direction with unbridled fury in her eyes; an expression I had neither seen nor expected from her.

“I will see to it that my mother and father will rescind this decree at once—”

“Your father and mother were the ones, along with King and Queen Greysunders, that had voted in favor of this judgment,” the female lance promptly interrupted. While her words were respectful, her expression and tone could only be depicted as indifferent and rude.

Before Kathlyn could get any closer, her brother held her back. I couldn’t hear what he had told her but the princess finally relented, her face still red and body shaking.

I knew that no matter how much I try to reason with the female lance, she wouldn’t listen. Letting me go wasn’t her decision to make.

“Can I speak to my family one last time before you take me?” I asked, my voice coming out more sullen than I had wished. _{fгeewebnovёl.com}

After receiving a terse nod from the female lance, I walk back to where my parents were leaning against the fence. For a few seconds, we just stared at each other, not knowing how to begin.

“Don’t look so sad, guys. Things will be better after this misunderstanding gets cleared up.” I let out a wide grin, hoping to mask my uncertainty. I had allies within the Council, but there were too many unknown factors at work here. I wasn’t so worried for myself as I was for Sylvie. To have a dragon alive in our continent wasn’t a matter that could be waved off.

My facade must’ve faltered when I was focusing on my thoughts; my parents’ expressions changed as both of them gazed at me, wide-eyed and afraid.

“Y-you... you honestly have no idea if you’ll be able to come back to us, do you?” I couldn’t meet my mother’s eyes as she stuttered, her voice dripping with worry; I, instead, focused on her hand, her fingers were deathly pale and her nails red from how hard she was clenching onto the iron fence.

“Brother... you’re not going to anywhere, right? This is all a joke, right? Right?” Ellie’s face was a pale shade of crimson and I could tell she was doing her best to keep from breaking into sobs.

I kneeled down so I could be at eye-level with my sister. As I studied her childish face, I could hardly believe that she was already ten. One of my biggest regrets was not being able to be by her side as she grew up. I had met my sister for the first time when she was four, and even after that, I was only with her for weeks at a time. While looking at her, I could only hope that the next time I see her wouldn’t be when she was a teen... or an adult.

I got back up, prying my gaze from Ellie whose face had been so tensed up that her lips were almost white. “I’ll definitely return home.” I turned back around just in time for my eyes to water without their notice.

The lance named Olfred conjured a stone knight beneath me, lifting me up as the female lance separated me from Sylvie, carrying her in an orb of conjured ice. Approaching us was Lance Bairon carrying the wrapped corpse of his deceased younger brother as his gaze continued to pierce through me with pure venom.

Like that, we departed. Bairon informed the others that he would be making a detour to his family’s house to deliver Lucas’ body for a proper funeral.

I wasn’t sure if becoming a white core mage came with the ability to fly, but all three of the lances were capable of flying without the need to invoke any spells, including the conjured knight that was carrying me.

My eyes stayed fixed on Xyrus Academy as it grew increasingly smaller the farther we flew. The place itself didn’t mean much to me, but my time at the school inside the floating City of Xyrus had been one as an ordinary student mage. I was considered gifted then, but I was still just a student. As the distance between me and the academy increased, I had the notion that I was leaving my life as an ordinary student behind.

We travelled wordlessly through the sky as all attempts to start a conversation had been shot down. As gentle as they were in how they treated me, to them, I was still a prisoner waiting to be judged.

‘Papa, what’s going to happen to us?’ Sylvie voiced in my head.

‘I’m... not sure, Sylv. Don’t worry, though. We’ll be okay,’ I rea.s.sured. Even without her replying back, I could sense the emotions she was feeling: uncertainty, fear, confusion.

It was impossible to tell exactly how far we had travelled South, as all I could see below us was the Grand Mountains that divided the Continent of Dicathen in half.