B9 - Chapter 36: The Hohenheim Twins

Viola stared at the two masked figures, her curiosity burning.

This was the first time she had heard of anyone being adopted after Leo, and the latter had been a genius who had shaken the Empire. A boy who had dominated the yearly tournament without the support of any noble house and nearly become the first unaffiliated mage to win the entire thing.

If not for Zeke defeating him in the final by an incredibly close margin, Leo might very well have done it.

That was the kind of person Zeke had considered worthy of the Hohenheim name.

And now, there were these twins...

She had already confirmed that the girl had used Time Magic just now, which meant the boy likely used Space Magic. Time and Space. What a truly rare and strange combination.

The man who had sent out his subordinate to test the waters stepped forward. However, he made sure to stop a step short of the invisible line that would start the timer.

His gaze was solemn as he looked at the twins. He simply stared.

"Truly enviable," he said after a moment, his gaze resting on the figure wearing the tiger mask. "Seeing you today makes me realize all over again how unfair life can be."

The boy remained motionless.

"To be born with a Perfect Affinity."

Viola's lips twitched. Perfect... Affinity? A Perfect Space Affinity? That was more than just rare. That was a treasure! How had Zeke gotten his hands on someone like that?

"...And to gain the favor of an Exarch on top of that."

This time, Viola's jaw actually dropped. An... Exarch? What was this nonsense?

No matter how rare and valuable a Perfect Affinity was, it would never be enough on its own to draw the attention of an Exarch. They were the movers and shakers of the world, existences whose every move could decide the life and death of nations.

Did these people even know what they were talking about?

"But..." the man continued, his expression slowly curving into a mocking smile. "I guess there is some fairness left in the world, isn't there? Even somebody like you, blessed with all the gifts life has to offer, still ended up no better than a slave."

Viola's brows furrowed. What... what was going on? There was too much in this conversation that she couldn't understand. She lightly tugged on Irina's sleeve beside her. The woman reluctantly glanced over.

"What are they talking about, Iri?" Viola whispered before Irina could withdraw her gaze.

Irina glanced back at the tense standoff for a moment before quickly whispering, "There is a rumor that the twins were forced into a nasty contract by the head of House Hohenheim. It's said they are being worked to the bone."

Viola's eyebrows knit together.

...Forced into it?

That didn't add up. She knew all too well how magically enforced contracts worked. The stricter the rules and restrictions, the harder they were to establish. Something approaching a slavery contract would require the full cooperation of both participants. It wasn't something you could simply force somebody to accept.

That left the question: Why would such outstanding people ever willingly agree to something like that?

But she doubted a mercenary like Irina would have the answer.

"What about the Exarch, then?" Viola asked.

"Keiran is an apprentice to one of the Exarchs serving under the King."

"...How can that be?"

Irina shrugged. "I don't know the details, but it has been confirmed to be true. Now hush."

Saying that much, Irina's gaze returned to the front, where Keiran was just starting to move.

His hand slowly rose, and he pinched the bottom of his mask between his fingers before lifting it.

What was revealed was a face even younger than Viola had expected. He had pale skin, dark hair and eyes, and a handsome face, though traces of youth still lingered in the lines of his cheeks. He couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen.

"You are right," Keiran said calmly. "The world is truly unfair."

The man standing across from him chuckled. "There is no use regretting it now, boy. Now that you've already fallen into that lord's hands, he won't ever let you go."

Keiran's face turned vacant, almost as if he were reminiscing. "Out of all the blessings life has bestowed upon me, I cherish most the day of my awakening..."

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"No wonder, no wonder. A Perfect Affinity is definitely something to be proud of," the man said, clearly trying to stoke the flames in the boy's heart.

Viola knew exactly what he was doing. It was a simple tactic to destabilize an opponent's mind. Clearly, he wasn't confident in completing the challenge otherwise and was trying to gain an advantage over the twins.

Viola secretly hoped it wouldn't work, but she had little confidence. Being so young, it was naturally harder for the boy to remain calm when somebody prodded an open wound so publicly.

"...The day of my awakening," Keiran continued, a slight smile forming on his face, "was the day Master accepted me as his servant."

The room turned deathly still.

Even Viola felt dumbfounded.

"Save it, brother," the girl with the fox mask said into the silence. "These fools are blind and witless. They won't understand your words..."

"And yet, isn't it our job to try?" Keiran asked. "If even one of them proves worthy, they might still be of service to the Master."

She shook her head. "If they are truly worthy, then they will naturally find their way into his service."

The boy with the tiger mask paused at that. "Is that how it works?"

"Do you doubt the Master's eye? Or his means?"

Keiran quickly shook his head. "Naturally, I do not doubt them."

At that, the girl nodded, seeming pleased. "Then let's get on with it. I want to go back as soon as possible."

Having finished their private debate, the boy lowered his mask again, and the twins returned to their impassive stance.

The room remained deathly quiet.

Viola slowly looked around.

Nobody seemed quite sure what to make of what they had just heard. Even the man who had provoked Keiran was staring at him with an expression caught somewhere between disbelief and disgust.

So much for destabilizing him.

What the man had thought to be an open wound was apparently one of Keiran's greatest sources of pride.

Viola's gaze returned to the twins.

She sensed no resentment in either of them. No hesitation. Not even the strained devotion of somebody desperately trying to convince themselves that their circumstances were acceptable.

They genuinely meant it.

That was the disturbing part.

Viola had already suspected that the rumors surrounding their contracts were missing something. But this... This was something else entirely.

Her eyes settled on Keiran.

The boy was the apprentice of an Exarch.

One of the most powerful beings in the entire world had personally taken an interest in him. An honor countless mages would gladly throw away everything they owned to receive.

Yet, when Keiran spoke of the greatest favor he had ever received, he hadn't mentioned his teacher.

He had spoken of Zeke.

Viola's expression slowly tightened.

Just what had that scoundrel done to these two?

"Step forward, or forfeit your chance," the girl with the fox mask said when the man still didn't approach.

That seemed to snap him out of his stupor.

"Pah!"

With a contemptuous snort, the man released his Mana in a wild torrent. The rich taste of blood filled the hall, revealing his affinity and might. This guy, despite his shady tactics, was no pushover. Judging by the depth of his Mana, he must have reached the level of Grand Mage a long, long time ago.

"You're good, I'll give you that," he taunted. "But if you think that alone will be enough to challenge across ranks, then you are sorely mistaken."

In the next moment, a long crimson spike burst from each of his hands, a basic Blood Magic spell Viola had seen the young Zeke use many times.

"That must be that guy Rex," Grent murmured.

"Is he famous?" Viola asked, not taking her eyes off the spectacle.

Grent shrugged. "Sort of. They call him Rex the Impaler. Man's been around forever. Solid reputation. Much smarter than he looks."

Viola nodded. She had gotten the same impression. The man was far craftier than his crude use of Magic suggested. He had been cautious enough to send out a team member to test the waters, and then, instead of charging in blindly, he had tried to gain an advantage through psychological warfare.

Those were certainly not the methods of a brute.

In the next moment, Rex charged forward. His speed was several times that of his subordinate, and Keiran no longer had the leisure to move slowly. The very moment the timekeeping device activated, the boy cast his spell.

[Space Lock]

Rex froze, just like his subordinate had.

Though it quickly became clear that the spell wouldn't be enough to hold him.

"This... can't... STOP... MEE!"

With a muffled roar, he stomped his raised foot into the ground, taking one step closer to the twins. Then another. Though it seemed as if he was wading through water, he still moved.

"He's gonna make it," Grent commented.

Viola thought so too. At his current speed, he would likely reach the twins with time to spare, though she had her doubts whether it would really be that easy.

It wouldn't be much of a test otherwise.

Besides...

Her gaze turned to the girl wearing the fox mask.

She hadn't made a move so far.

"Ha! Ha! HA! Is that all you got?" Rex taunted gleefully as he forced himself forward.

Now, he was only a few steps away from reaching the twins, and he still had almost half the time remaining.

Rex aimed his blood spikes forward. He raised his foot and leaned into the next step, bringing his arms forward in tandem. It was a slow but effective stab.

But... he only struck air.

"...What!"

The twins stood there, one step beyond his reach, just like before.

They had... moved with him.

Rex grunted and forced himself forward once more.

The twins calmly stepped back, maintaining the distance.

"Cheaters! You moved!"

"Never said we wouldn't, dumbass," Kallen answered emotionlessly.

"This... this... this..." the man stammered, slowly lowering his head in defeat. However, in the very moment when it looked like he was about to fall to his knees, his eyes grew impossibly sharp.

At the same time, the spikes still attached to his outstretched hands shot from his body and pierced through the air. They spun at incredible speed, accompanied by the shrill sound of a drill biting into a hard surface.

Unlike Rex himself, the projectiles tore through the [Space Lock] at a decent clip. Still slowed, but nowhere near enough for the twins to avoid them with a casual sidestep.

"Got you, brats!" he yelled gleefully.

But his triumph lasted for no more than an instant.

When he looked up, he saw that the two projectiles had not even covered half the distance before coming to a complete halt.

No.

That wasn't quite right.

When Viola looked closely, she could still see them turning ever so slightly. The movement was so slow that it was barely noticeable.

Could it be?

Viola's gaze snapped toward the twins.

At some point, the girl in the fox mask had raised both hands, each one directed toward one of the spikes.

"You really should know better than to try and sneak attack a servant of Time," the girl said dully. "I've seen that attack coming since before you even stepped into the hall."

Rex stared at the suspended spikes.

For once, no clever response came.

The ambush had been his final trick. The attack he had concealed even after pretending to admit defeat.

Slowly, the tension left his shoulders.

Then Rex slumped to the floor, this time for real.

He didn't speak, didn't curse, didn't try any more tricks.

There was no point.

Rrrrrriiiiiinnnnggggg!

The alarm sounded again.

The twins lowered their hands in perfect unison.

"Failed."