"Agh!" With both Valyr and Tryndall watching in silence as Braum unceremoniously slapped Merdus on the face, the unconscious man was swiftly jolted awake, the stinging pain of the slap waking him up.
With a furious expression on his face, he looked around his surroundings to see who had slapped him, only to meet Braum eye-to-eye as he remembered the situation he was previously in. Freezing up in place for a moment, Merdus took in a deep breath before letting out a long sigh.
"I've already told you what you needed to know, right?" Merdus looked at Braum with a light frown. "What? Do you still need something else from me?"
As the man shifted his gaze towards Valyr and Tryndall, the two shook their heads before Valyr opened his mouth to respond. "We've already gained what we needed from you."
"The only one who still has something to settle with you is him." Noticing that Valyr was pointing at the man that stood in front of him, Merdus let out yet another sigh as he wondered what Braum was going to do to him.
With the difference in their strengths, Merdus wouldn't be surprised if he were to turn into Braum's punching bag of sorts, the latter possibly giving him advice on controlling and improving his Intent by the side.
Though the thought of getting stronger somewhat tempted him, he still recalled the great amount of pain he felt with every punch Braum landed on his body, making him slightly shudder in fear as he dispelled the idea.
Of course, he also considered the possibility of him becoming a henchman of some sort under Braum, having to do whatever the latter wanted to do at the very moment he asked for it. However, after fighting against Braum, even being pummeled by the man to oblivion, he had become certain regarding one part about Braum.
Braum wouldn't have any reason to do that, nor was he the type of person to do something like that.
With that, Merdus awaited what Braum would do next, only for a blank expression to adorn his face as the man before him conjured shackles of condensed mana out of nowhere, using the shackles to restrict Merdus' movements to a degree.
Just as he was about to ask what Braum was going to do to him, the latter's words echoed throughout the room, causing Merdus to remain silent for a bit as the words Braum spoke to him eventually sinked in.
"Merdus Clossbay, as you have been discovered to be the instigator and the mastermind of an operation that jeopardizes the safety of all the citizens within an entire city…"
"You are under arrest."
"Arrest?" Naturally, Merdus was in disbelief. After all, even though he was the reason why the Clossbay Killer incident came to be, he was still the mayor of Clossbay City.
"I'm the mayor of Clossbay City, you know?" With that in mind, Merdus vehemently resisted against the arrest through his words, considering that he was already in chains. "You can't arrest me."
"We can." In response to Merdus' words, a feminine voice resounded throughout the room, revealing Madeline as she appeared beside Braum, flashing a slightly apologetic smile at him as a sigil manifested above her extended palm.
"Took longer than I thought."
"You still made it in time." Listening to her words, Braum thanked Madeline for her hard work as the latter transferred the sigil of mana to Braum, causing another sigil to appear on his forehead before it disappeared not long after, making it seem as if nothing had happened in the first place.
Seeing that her job was done, Madeline looked at Valyr and Tryndall before glancing at Braum for a bit, the latter of which nodded at her as the two of them silently exchanged messages through their gazes. Nodding back, Madeline then shifted her gaze back to Valyr and Tryndall, helping them safely leave the manor as Merdus and Braum were eventually left on their own.
Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Braum looked at shackled man before him, radiating the aura the sigil had instilled into him as Merdus felt like the one standing before him was the only one who could dictate whether he lived or died.
"With the power of the core city-level arrest warrant bestowed upon me by the kingdom, I, Braum Gladios, now declare Merdus Clossbay guilty of his actions." As these words came out of Braum's mouth, all thoughts of resisting had already disappeared from Merdus' mind, instead hoping that he wouldn't be treated harshly once he was detained.
With Merdus' head bowed down, Braum continued. "As you are under arrest, I must remind you that anything you say or do at this point can and shall be used against you."
"Then again, it would be a waste for a talented man like you to be locked up in prison forever." Hearing these words, Merdus looked up at Braum, his expression that of confusion as he wondered what the man was talking about.
Though, once he listened to the next words Braum told him, his dejection was swiftly replaced with that of enthusiasm.
…
As Braum brought along a silent Merdus with him outside the manor, the latter having a calm yet excited expression on his face, everyone looked at the duo that had just appeared as they all nodded at Braum, prompting the latter to nod back.
"Where's Paul and Tyrst?" asked Braum soon after, looking at his comrades. In response, Paul and Tyrst stepped forward, prompting them to wonder why the two of them were called by their team leader. Though, once Braum passed off Merdus to the two of them, the two quickly understood what they needed to do, lightly nodding as Paul asked Braum a question.
"Should we bring Lucas along as well?" Hearing this question, Braum nodded in response, informing the two that they don't have to return to the city since they would head to the kingdom either way.
Bidding everyone a farewell, Paul and Tyrst went ahead and did what was tasked of them, with Tyrst carrying the still unconscious Lucas with them as they eventually disappeared from the sight of everyone in the group.
"What did you tell Merdus after we left?" Sometime after Paul and Tyrst left with Lucas and Merdus in tow, Valyr moved closer to Braum and asked him a question, the question that popped up in his mind the instant he saw Merdus walking side by side with Braum. After all, unlike within the room earlier where Merdus' expression was full of dejection after the arrest, his expression instead exuded a feeling of faint excitement and expectation.
"You'll find out once we arrive at the kingdom." In response, Braum could only snicker, keeping the answer to Valyr's question a secret for now as the latter was left with no choice but to place the matter at the back of his head for now.
"Anyways, I must remind you that we'll be departing for the kingdom the morning after tomorrow," Braum said soon after, to which Valyr nodded in response.
"I know, I know." Valyr let out a faint sigh. "I'll be using the time to wrap up a few things in the city before I could leave for good."
"Speaking of which, do you mind if you tell me what kind of weapons your group uses?" Listening to the question Valyr asked him, Braum instantly responded as to what he would do with that information. In response, a playful yet slightly mischievous grin appeared on Valyr's face as he let out a soft giggle.
"You'll find that out once we set off for departure." Of course, Braum already had a feeling as to what Valyr was going to do with the information, adding Valyr on his friend list before sending a message regarding the weapons their group used. After sometime, he also sent a message to Valyr regarding their respective levels, prompting the latter to reply back to him with a genuine thanks.
Having gained information on the group's weapons, their respective levels, as well as a peak Rank 4 class holder in his friend list, a light smile adorned Valyr's face as he looked at Tryndall and suggested that they should head their separate ways and rest for now. Unsurprisingly, Tryndall agreed with the notion, telling everyone that they all did a great job before thanking Braum's group for helping them out in solving the incident once and for all.
After the others congratulated each other for their great work in the completion of what seemed to be the final operation, everyone eventually went their separate ways, with Valyr returning to his smithy while Braum's group decided to head into one of the inns to rest for the night.
"I guess we should call it a day as well." With the reconnaissance group the Adventurer's Guild had given freedom for him to command being the only group left behind, Tryndall looked at the five with a smile. "You know what? I'm feeling generous tonight. Drinks are on me."
"Young Master…" However, just as the group was about to head to a nearby restaurant, one of the assassins from the reconnaissance group stopped them in their tracks as the man told Tryndall to listen to what he had to say. "I've received a message from His Excellency."
"Master?" In response, Tryndall raised his eyebrow in curiosity as a solemn expression appeared on his face. "What did he say?"
"His Excellency told me to inform you that he has registered you up for a special tournament." The assassin looked back at him, making Tryndall furrow his brows.
"Did he mention what kind of tournament it was?"
"He did." The assassin nodded. "His Excellency said that the name of the tournament is…"
"The Myriad Prodigies Tournament."
