My head cocked to the side. “What the hell?” I asked incredulously.
Keith scratched his cheek bashfully. “To be honest, I’m a huge fan,” he said. “You’re a Talker, the weakest of all classes. Yet you didn’t let that stop you! Instead, you used any and every means you could to control and manipulate the rich and the famous. Now you’re on the regalia. As a Seeker on the rise, you’re the greatest inspiration there is.” His eyes narrowed. “That’s why I wanted to see you face-to-face and tell you all about how I one-upped you.”
“Huh… Okay, I get it now. You’re an idiot. You buy out an information broker and that somehow earns you bragging rights? You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Noel. You know better than anyone the power of information and what it means to control it. I know you’ve been busy organizing the tournament, but losing control of one of your lines of intel? That’s not a good look. With your Faceless friend in Rodania, shouldn’t you be more careful? Have your guard up?”
“You little shit…”
How did a punk like him know that? The only people privy to Loki’s assignment in Rodania were the Wild Tempest clan members and my most trusted confidants. I couldn’t imagine any one of them ratting me out. But how did Keith find out about the information brokers in the first place? If he didn’t have eyes of his own in the capital, none of it made any sense.
Which left only one possibility.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the reason the Seekers Association removed Harold as Wild Tempest’s coordinator.”
Keith responded with a brazen nod. “I am. It’s what you would’ve done, isn’t it?”
“No comment,” I spat. “I don’t have to answer that.”
“Oh come on. Don’t be so stingy. Wait…are you mad?” Keith took a step forward, peering down at me as he did so. “I’m actually disappointed. You’re the snake. You’re feared as the most aggressive Seeker in the entire empire. But you let a rookie like me give you the runaround.”
I said nothing, and Keith chuckled.
“I turned fifteen the other day,” he prattled on. “I could finally register as a Seeker. And growing enough to put a clan together? It was a cakewalk. So dull. Where’s the challenge, you know? I look up to you, but even you spent a whole year in obscurity. If you think about it, I’ve kinda surpassed you in a way.”
His grin challenged me even though he knew his words didn’t hold any water. He sure did like to talk, though. Even if he looked up to me, that didn’t mean he had to copy me right down to the way I berated people. On the one hand, I was pleased to see an up-and-comer using my own methods as a kind of textbook. On the other, I couldn’t stand how embarrassed it made me of my own actions.
So I decided to put an end to things.
“Let me ask you something, Keith.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Doesn’t it make you feel empty, flaunting your daddy’s power and influence?”
This was a gamble of sorts—a trick. I didn’t know anything for certain, but based on the information I’d inferred since we started talking—and by process of elimination—I’d come to this conclusion. It was a guess, yes, but there was a very good chance it was a fact. Only a few organizations in the empire had an intel network that surpassed the Barzini family’s and could keep tabs on their operatives. So few, in fact, that I could count them on a single hand.
Keith was at first shocked by my question, but then his rage revealed itself. Gone was the cool, impudent kid, replaced by a wild beast hungry for blood. It was clear then that I’d hit a soft spot—softer than even I’d expected. Didn’t surprise me, though. Anyone who looked up to and copied my own path was bound to be proud and arrogant—of course they’d be enraged if I told them they were sponging off their parents.
Still, Keith’s response was so eerily in line with what I expected that I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Keith looked shocked.
“You tricked me…” he muttered. “And I fell for it.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” I said, “but your face is like an open book.”
“I should have anticipated this from a Talker. You’ve got me beat, there.” Keith heaved a sigh, then straightened up. “I know I can’t do it now, but one day I will make you kneel before me. And not through talking but through Seeking. I came here today to make that known. And that’s important, right? Making yourself known?”
“You’ve got guts. It’s admirable. You’ve earned that compliment today.”
“Thank you. I’m going to do it like you did—I’m going to demolish anything that stands in my way. You just watch me.”
I nodded, then flicked away my cigarette butt.
“But as far as timing goes, right here? Right now? It’s just you and me. Why not ditch all that talk of the future and force me to take a knee right now?” I grinned, knowing something he didn’t.
Keith’s eyes bulged. “Are you serious?”
“Unlike you, I don’t have time for boring lies. But I will tell you this: you’ll never have a chance like this again.”
“So…right here? This place is important to the Seven Star Cup, right? Isn’t it possible you’ll lose your rank after getting into a scrap with a rookie like me here?”
Keith took a step backward. My sudden challenge had him panicking. Now it was my turn to step forward.
“Anytime, anywhere,” I said. “You want to surpass me, don’t you? If I were you, I wouldn’t let my prey escape. Not when they were standing right in front of me.”
Keith laughed. “Are you for real? You’re freaking off the charts, man. Well, if you insist…”
Excitement bubbled behind Keith’s grin, and he prepared himself for close-quarters combat. I knew then that he could not be underestimated—there were no gaps in his stance, and I felt the purity of his magical energy. It was a graceful, natural fighting stance. As I silently reached into my coat for my silver flame, Keith broke his stance and raised his hands in surrender.
“I know it’s one heck of an opportunity, but this time, I’m gonna pass.”
I chuckled. “So quick to give up. You’re not going to surpass me like that.”
“Yeah, but I know my place. I’m humbled. You’re more intelligent, powerful, and especially cunning than I ever imagined. We could fight here a thousand times and I’d lose every last one. And I don’t fight battles I can’t win.”
Keith began to back away, but I kept my guard up.
“If that’s everything, I’ll be taking my leave,” said Keith. “I’m glad I got to meet you, Noel. I’m in tomorrow’s Block Two—don’t miss it.”
Keith shot me a bold, confident grin, then bounded off quicker than a hare. He was fast. I snickered as I stared down the corridor even after he’d left.
“Cunning? The kid’s impressive,” said Alma via Link. “He sensed me.”
Wild Tempest had returned from their expedition two days ago, and Alma was on bodyguard duty. She’d been hiding in the ceiling right above me.
“I thought I’d completely erased any sign of my presence,” she said, disappointed. “That just killed my day.”
I shook my head with a laugh. “I know you weren’t using any skills, but you had erased your presence entirely. His senses are a cut above.”
“A prodigy, you mean? You sure it was okay to let him go? I could have killed him on the spot.”
“It’s like what Caius said earlier—we’ll need all the best Seekers we can get to prepare for the battle against the Valiant.”
“Hmph. All right, fine. You really are popular with the weird ones, huh?”
“When you point at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.”
“Eh, weird is fun. I’ll take that Keith kid over one of those mass-produced rich daughter types any day of the week. I feel way more at ease around him than—hey! I’m joking, I’m joking! Quit pointing your gun at me!”
I sighed and put the silver flame back in its holster. I already missed the days when Alma was away on her expedition, but we agreed on one thing: weird was indeed more fun. If I was going to live a short life, then I wanted it filled with enemies who would give me a good time.
And now I had something new to look forward to—Keith’s performance in Block Two.