The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 404: Chapter 399 — Witch

What made matters worse was that everywhere he looked, someone was using air. Several were playing some sort of game, tossing hoops of air back and forth. Others were laughing as they blew powerful gusts from their mouths, while some zipped around the camp on currents of air, seemingly racing one another.

In another corner, a group was casually lounging on cushions of air, chatting as though there was nothing unusual about sitting several feet above the ground.

’...Do these people ever stop using air?’

This might be even more difficult than he’d originally thought.

”Josh! Finally got rid of that ridiculous hair, huh? Thank the Endless Breath! You looked like a damn scarecrow!”

”Kuzz! What happened to you, brother? You look like you crawled out of a grave! Come on, where’s that handsome smile?”

”Liah! There’s my favorite brother-in-law! Speaking of which, has your sister asked about me yet?”

Zephyrion walked beside Nourald, who seemed to attract attention wherever he went. Almost everyone they passed turned to greet him, some calling out cheerfully while others stopped to exchange a few words, all the while casting curious glances at Zephyrion. Nourald responded to each greeting with remarkable ease, occasionally throwing in a joke or teasing someone as they passed.

Before long, a small crowd of Aerelith had gathered around them, their attention now firmly fixed on Zephyrion.

”Don’t think I’ve seen this one before. Who’s your latest victim, Nourald?”

”Victim?” Nourald placed a hand against his chest, looking genuinely offended. ”Good heavens, brother! You make me sound like some sort of criminal!”

”Because you are one! You come along with that innocent smile of yours, get us to lower our guard, and before we know it, you’ve talked our ears off! That’s torture, I tell you!” one of the Aerelith retorted, drawing a burst of laughter from the others.

Nourald staggered back slightly, clutching his chest as though he’d just been stabbed.

”Well, Endless Breath forgive me for having a personality! Maybe if you were a little more in touch with your feelings, Fiona wouldn’t have run off with that farmer!”

The Aerelith’s face turned as red as a tomato, his glare only making Nourald laugh harder.

”Yeah, yeah, enough about Fiona!” another quickly interrupted, turning his attention back to Zephyrion. ”Who’s this fellow, anyway? Why the hell is he built like a damn mountain?”

’As expected.’

Zephyrion felt his body tense slightly. The first thing they’d noticed about him was his muscular build, something rather unusual among Aerelith. If there were a way to temporarily shed some of that muscle, he would have done so without hesitation. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about it, and the more Aerelith he encountered, the more attention his physique was bound to attract.

Nourald suddenly broke into a grin, gesturing grandly towards him.

”Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce our newest friend, Ashrael! A proud Gular, no less!”

”A Gular?”

Several pairs of eyes widened in surprise.

”...Ah, so that explains the muscles.”

The curiosity in their gazes quickly gave way to intrigue, with some even regarding him with a hint of wariness.

”Nourald, how the hell did you convince a Gular to come here? Those fellows wouldn’t even give us the time of day.”

”How do you think? My irresistible charm, of course!”

”Tch, for once in your life, can you be serious?”

”Hey, are those rumors about you Galars actually true?” one of them suddenly asked, staring at Zephyrion. ”Do you really start lifting weights straight out of the womb?”

”I heard they teach you how to fight before you’re even born!”

”His muscles look so hard. Hey, mind if I give them a squeeze?”

As the questions came pouring in, Nourald finally stepped forward and waved his hand dismissively.

”Alright, alright, enough! Have you people no manners? Can’t you see you’re overwhelming our poor friend with all these ridiculous questions?” he declared with a righteous expression, as though he hadn’t been guilty of doing the exact same thing back in the cave. ”Now, off you go! I’m still showing him around.”

Despite their obvious reluctance, the Aerelith eventually relented, grumbling as they parted to make way. Zephyrion followed Nourald as they ventured deeper into the camp, and after a brief silence, he finally spoke.

”Those people... they seem to respect you.”

Nourald gave a modest smile and waved a hand dismissively. ”Respect? Haha, I wouldn’t go that far, brother. I just happen to get along with everyone. I suppose I can be a little talkative sometimes. You’ve probably noticed that by now, hm?”

”...Not particularly.”

Zephyrion wasn’t buying that explanation one bit. Nourald was certainly talkative and clearly had a knack for getting along with people, but the regard he’d seen in their eyes went beyond simple friendliness.

”Ha! Well, that’s a first! Anyway, sorry about all that. We Kasner folks can be a rather curious bunch, especially when it comes to Gulars. Most of them have never even met one, and with all those rumors flying around, well, you can hardly blame them. Speaking of which, I’m honestly surprised you agreed to join us. Your fellow Gulars wouldn’t even spare us a glance! So tell me, brother, what made you decide to follow me?”

Zephyrion met Nourald’s inquisitive gaze for a moment before answering simply.

”I liked your soup.”

Nourald blinked, seemingly caught off guard by the answer, before bursting into laughter.

”Hahaha! I knew it! I knew you were a man of excellent taste the moment we met! Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it, brother. And believe me, if you liked that soup, you haven’t tasted anything yet!”

”Nourald!”

Nourald’s cheerful expression instantly crumbled at the sound of the voice.

Zephyrion held back a frown as he turned towards its source, only to see a tall, slender female Aerelith striding towards them with a stern expression.

”Ah, brother, how about we take a little detour, hm? There’s something over here I simply must show you!”

Nourald hurriedly tried to steer them in another direction, but before he could take more than a step, the woman’s sharp voice rang out again.

”Halt!”

Nourald froze in his tracks.

Zephyrion couldn’t help but regard the suddenly subdued man with curiosity. Just moments ago, Nourald had been brimming with confidence and enthusiasm, yet a single word from this woman had been enough to stop him in his tracks.

After a brief pause, Zephyrion asked, ”Who’s she?”

Nourald let out a long, weary sigh, his expression turning grim as he muttered under his breath.

”A witch.”