?1347 Weakness And Strength
Serah was enraged.
'Is he looking down on me? Does he really know who he's talking to, or is he just playing dumb?!'
She didn't think anyone could be so stupid as not to recognize the kind of trouble they would be in for messing with her.
'I'm an unparalleled genius! I am the child of the greatest family in the Kingdom!'
She was Serah freakin' Crimson for crying out loud!
The boy clearly didn't know his place.
"You really are an idiot…" Serah mumbled, her eyes now glowing brightly in the dark.
Night had fallen on the Crimson Estate, so the bright crimson Mana that currently covered her body illuminated her immediate surroundings.
Of course, since the two kids were not too far from the Manor where the party was taking place, the bright lights from inside bled to the gardens and lawn outside.
However, the intensity of Serah's Mana was enough to overshadow the dull lights that radiated upon them.
"You're the idiot. Why would you pick on someone just because he's Inept?"
"What?"
"You heard me. Why blame someone for something he had no control over?"
Serah didn't understand what this little boy was trying to imply, but there was one simple reason why she held nothing but contempt for the likes of Damien Leonard.
"Because he's weak! Weak people don't deserve anything. They should be content with w in hat they're given!"
That was a major philosophy of the Crimson Household—one that she personally subscribed to.
Weakness was a sin in her family, and she felt the same had to apply for those who occupied positions of Nobility.
"How can you call yourself a Duke and be Inept? Makes no sense to me!" She declared.
Power was all that mattered.
"I see…" Mumbling, almost as if talking to himself, the boy placed his hand on his chin.
It made him seem more mature for some reason, and they really pissed Serah off.
"Even if you're correct, what gives you the right to treat the weak however you please?"
The question was so stupid to Serah that she was further convinced that this boy was an idiot.
"Because I'm strong! I'm the strongest person my age, and I'm definitely stronger than that sorry excuse for a teenager."
That was more than enough to grant her every right to look down on those weaker than her.
"The strong command the weak. That's how it should be. Those who are lesser have no choice but to look up to their superiors and trail behind them."
The only reason she feared her father, and also respected him, was because he was much stronger than her.
If he wasn't… she wouldn't give two hoots about his opinion of her.
The reason she valued her Household was because it was the strongest around.
That's all there was to it.
"That strikes me as strange…" Once again, the boy couldn't grasp the simple things Serah was uttering.
He truly was an imbecile.
"Why do you have so much pride in a power you had no hand in? Why do you fault people for the weakness that they have no control over?" He asked.
"W-what?!"
The boy sighed, almost as if he was exasperated.
"Even if you are strong, is it truly something to be proud of? You were just lucky to be born with this kind of power, and with your talent. You had no hand in it, so it isn't really yours to claim. You were just given it on a golden platter."
Serah didn't know why, but she was getting increasingly upset by all that the kid was saying.
"All of your power, wealth, influence… everything isn't because of YOU. It's because of forces outside your control."
In a way, that stripped her of the agency that allowed her to claim her straight for herself.
Serah truly hated how the boy was weaving his words.
"And as for the Inept ones… is it really fair to judge them or call them weak? Just as you had no say in your strength, they have no say in their weakness…"
Serah scoffed at all she was hearing.
"Sounds like a coping mechanism to me. That's something only the weak would say."
The boy was trying to justify weakness, but Serah was having none of it.
"You've really gotten on my nerves more than once or twice this night…" As veins appeared on her forehead, so did a big and wide smile form on her face.
"Even if you apologize now, it'll be too late for you."
~VWUSH!~
The crimson aura around her exploded, creating an intense pressure that filled her immediate surrounding.
Suddenly, the area around her began to get hot, and all her bodily functions became far stronger than normal.
By activating spreading Mana through her body with her Mana Core, every single part of her abilities had risen to a heightened degree.
She felt like she could crush the boy in front of her without even trying.
'Maybe just one hit… or should I go for two?'
Serah was a little scared that if she started, she wouldn't be able to stop beating him to a pulp.
That was how mad she was at him
But…
'We have healers, don't we? And I heard that Resurrection Magic is possible if it is cast very early after the death of the target.'
Her family produced Mages of the highest caliber, so she wasn't doubtful that they could resuscitate the boy no matter what injuries he sustained.
Of course, Serah knew she would get in trouble for what she did
—but so what?
The only one who could punish her was her father, and no matter how harsh it was, it wouldn't be very severe.
No one else would cross her, since that would mean they would be opposing the Crimson Family.
Perhaps three Households—no, removing the Leonard's, just two—would be willing to oppose the Crimsons.
'But he's not a member of any of the four Ducal Households. There's nothing he, or his family, can do to me.'
With that in mind, Serah clenched her fist and prepared to give her opponent a big ol' punch.
'I'll target that face of his. I have to make sure it lands on those lips of his!'
That way, anytime he opened them he would remember the grave mistake he made this fateful night.
"I'll make it so that you'll never dare say a word to me ever again."
~WHOOSH!~
Serah darted from her position, gliding through the air as she tightened her little muscles and concentrated a considerable amount of energy on her fist.
The air around it vibrated, and the crimson aura shrouding it was intense.
Anyone—or anything, really—that was hit with this powerful blow was bound to be knocked out for good.
"Dieeeee!"
As Serah launched her fist towards him, she made a remarkable discovery.
'E-eh…?'
The boy wasn't there.
"How pathetic…" She suddenly heard a voice from behind her.
"After hearing you ramble on about strength, I expected you to be a lot more powerful."
Serah couldn't believe this!
Her entire body trembled as she listened to the bored monotone that wafted through the air.
"But… you're pretty weak."
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Thanks for reading!
Damn… emotional damage! Sorry if this is all going so slow.
I'll try to speed things up!
