Chapter 18: Happenings
It was a completely silver pistol, etched with intricate runic symbols which vaguely resembled thorns and roses interconnected. It had a cold feel to it, as if it had just been pulled out from a bucket of ice. However, this was not what startled ciel- it was the sudden familiar image of threads that appeared before his eyes.
{Chapter Equipped!
Paragon Roulette.
Abilities: Each bullet fired contains a special attribute that would aid the Wilder in some way, equally by sacrificing blood from each entity killed, a certain thing will be retrieved.
Sealing method: Wrap in Blood leather, or in an encasement made from the material}
'This is a chapter!' Ciel instantly looked around frantically, his eyes darting from corner to corner - scared that somebody would have seen the weapon.
After a while of confirming nobody was paying attention to him,Ciel focused back on the chapter: Paragon Roulette.
The second thing he noticed after the initial shock of realizing he was holding a chapter was…
It's sealing method wasn't null.
'It isn't null? But this can only mean one thing: This is an unregistered Chapter!' Ciel gasped.
Unregistered Chapters were beyond rare, in fact they were next to non-existent. After all, each time a new chapter was discovered it could be seen as an unregistered, but it never lasts. So, sooner or later, the central government would classify it and if necessary seal it away from the very owner.
This meant that this Gun hasn't been discovered by any official reader, or at least not by the central government. It was an undocumented chapter, thus it's sealing method had not yet been classified.
A smile curled up on ciel's face. Somehow, his bad luck had decided to go on a vacation.
Though he was curious as to why a chapter found its way to the armory, he couldn't bother investigating. What if he finds the actual owner? Wouldn't he simply lose the chapter?
Ciel smiled, and carefully placed the tissue into his pockets. They were obviously the blood leather used for sealing the chapter, however, they now belonged to him.
With that, Ciel left for the training room, the gun tucked beneath his clothes
...
The large dome appeared before Ciel as he arrived at the training group.
During his previous journey here, he didn't really get a good look at it, but now he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the structure. It was roughly the size of two football fields.
Scattered around at the edges of the room were countless equipment, ranging from crane-like machinery, to the drum shaped machine that Ciel had used to gauge his strength.
On one edge of the room were over 50 training dummies, supposedly made from Edni: an extremely durable metal that came from a particular scene that involved dwarfs. It seemed like a place to practice close combat tactics. Simply put, it was a direction Ciel had no intention of going to.
Why do close combat when you can shoot from afar?
There was also a top-of-the-line gym equipment, which would come in handy for readers who desired to increase their strength digit through physical training. After all, becoming a reader doesn't mean exercise becomes useless, if anything, it becomes crucial to survival.
"Alright, you might be wondering what you are doing here. It's simple; this is where you train and I supervise. Or to be exact, I and your team counselor. And yes, today is the day you meet them. So first begin training and you're counselors will be with you shortly."
Everyone mumbled on their own. Some where excited to meet their counselors, others were worried about who would be assigned to them. What if they were overly strict?
Ciel on the other hand was battling another problem, the crowd that suddenly gathered around him.
Seth, Blair, Micheal, and Circe had completely surrounded him, while engaging in a conversation he really didn't want to have.
"So Sinbad, what weapon did you choose?" Seth asked calmly, his hand holding a traditional broadsword inscribed with runic symbols on the blade.
"Just a quick word." Blair said with a smirk, he raised a 5 feet tall spear up, showcasing it so pridefully.
The spear was seemingly made from some kind of jet black metal, with strange runic symbols inscribed on the body of the spear. The spear's head was made from bright gold metal that seemed to reflect light giving it a visage akin to the surface of the sun. And each time Blair moved the spear, the runic symbols would glisten with an ethereal gold light.
"Did you just pick the most fancy looking weapon?" Michael scoffed as he spoke, his hands placed over on his sister's shoulder.
Micheal himself had two red iron gauntlets on his fist. They looked old and stained, as if used extensively by someone, perhaps the previous owner.
Circe on the other hand didn't need any weapon, as she already had her long katana strapped on her waist. She buried her face in a white handkerchief, while staring directly at Ciel. Which in truth made him highly uncomfortable.
"I suggest we practice with the dummies." Seth suggested calmly.
Ciel glanced at him, a question suddenly popped into his head.
"Aren't you joining your team?"
Hearing the question, Seth's face shifted with a mixed expression,
"Ah, I would prefer to not talk about it."
Ciel stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Okay." He wasn't going to care for a problem that wasn't related to him. If Seth didn't want to talk, Ciel never wanted to listen.
But then, Blair who was in the midst of the stare down with Micheal paused and asked Seth..
"Why? Is there a problem?"
Ciel looked at Blair and suddenly had the urge to punch him right in the face.
'Keep your damn concern to yourself!'
Sighing outwards, Seth looked at the group of readers and pointed at a specific one who was significantly surrounded by other readers, their wrist displaying a single star.
Ciel turned in that direction, only to see Adelard dressed in a black suit!
'No!' he nearly blurted out.
"Me and my brother Adelard are in the same team. And I really prefer not to go there."
"Oh?" Blair glanced at Adelard who was surrounded with readers who were all vying for his attention.
"Should I help out?" Blair asked with a grin.
"Help?" Asked Seth, a little perplexed by the sudden question.
"Yeah. Help. I guess he's a big shot seeing how everyone's gathering around him. But that doesn't matter, a little duel should knock him down a peg."
'please don't!' Ciel felt lightheaded. He felt as if he was floating above the sea of nonsense, the sky of meddling kids shining so brightly, and lastly stirring that casual wave was Blair smiling. Wasn't he supposed to be the son of chaos? If anything, that unique name should belong to Blair.
'Ah, I need to rest.' Ciel sighed, while desperately resisting the urge to rub his temples.
He could already see it, the future where Blair gets him killed by kicking open a nest of monsters just to see what is inside. Was this guy really his teammate? He was just unnaturally reckless. Which to Ciel meant only one thing: this was as a result caused by his unique name.
"Do you even know who he is?" Michael asked with a disdainful gaze peered at Blair.
"No, but I'm sure he's a big shot." Blair responded in a frank tone.
"That's Adelard iron blood. The first son of the iron blood family."Seth briefly explained with a mixed expression.
"Hmm, so should I or shouldn't I?" Blair parted his arms, his gesture seemingly seeking confirmation whether to engage in a fight or not.
Ciel glanced at Blair, a thought suddenly conceived in his mind.
'It's obvious Blair is stronger than he lets on. So what would happen if he actually fought with Adelard who is an iron blooded knight. Drawing for Seth, it might seem like Adelard isn't that powerful, but again it is possible that Seth is just weaker in general, since he doesn't really act like his brother, despite both of them being blooded knights. Which means Seth is most likely not a knight - perhaps his the black duck of the flock, a misfit with a different unique name.
In any case, I have an issue with Adelard and it's only a matter of time before he recalls and seeks out revenge. So what should I do? Pit him up against Blair? perhaps the battle would lower Adelard, causing most of his followers to leave him, equally reducing the influence he can axert over me. Hmm, but what if Blair loses? Wouldn't that just increase his influence, and potentially lead me to certain death?'
Ciel pondered the issue for a little over a minute, but then he took a breath and concluded. He turned to Blair and said passively.
"Even if you suggest a duel against Adelard, you would likely lose. See, he's an iron blood,a descendant of a family whose patriarch is reportedly a Master, perhaps even a Demi-god. So even if you fought against him, it would simply lead to your defeat." His tone, calm and clear.
Blair glanced at Ciel, a smirk curled up on his face.
"Is that a challenge?" He asked.
Ciel waited for a moment before answering in a slow paced tone,
"It's not, since Adelard would likely defeat you."
A muffled chuckle emanated from Blair's lips. He raised his spear and declared in a calm voice.
"Challenge-accepted!"
In the next second, Blair glanced and strided away from the group, his destination: to the iron blooded knight who was surrounded by readers alike who offered him praise.
Ciel watched as Blair moved with determination and pride. A smirk curled up on his face.
'Let's see how this goes.' He felt his body surge with a serene tranquil feeling, his mind drowned in an addictive cold sensation.
Chaos was brewing.
...
"Hey there." Blair greeted with a smile, "How about you join me for a spar."
Glancing at the sudden reader who spoke to him, Adelard tilted this head, perplexed by the sudden situation. However, before he could speak, one of the readers who was vying for his favor immediately saw the situation as an opportunity.
Stepping forward, dressed in a black military uniform, the black haired boy seemingly at the age of 16 had a long grin on his face, he raised his shoulders- ready to teach Blair a lesson for interfering with Adelard. But then, he suddenly paused, his eyes widened in apprehension, his vision locked on the double golden stars elegantly displayed on the surface of Blair's watch.
"You- you? You're an apprentice!" The nameless reader exclaimed frightfully, his voice reverberated into the ears of the readers who surrounded Adelard. They immediately became apprehensive towards Blair. Even though Adelard was equally an apprentice ranked, they themselves were mere students, and they knew too well that the difference between a rank was like the heavens and the earth.
Adelard glanced at the readers who were slowly backing away from him, his eyes slowly narrowed on Blair, "What are you doing?" He asked, genuinely curious about what his supposed opponent was thinking.
"Me?" Blair casually looked around, making sure he was the one the question was directed to. "Ahm, nothing much, just a friendly spar."
"Why?" Adelard asked with a tone that tried to hide his internal malice.
"It depends on many things, but for now, let's say just to see who is stronger."
"Stronger?" Adelard closed his eyes, as if digesting the words he just heard. He knew he couldn't refuse the duel, that would become a stain in his family. However, he was cautious of the rank of his opponent, he wished not to engage in a fight that would lead to his defeat. In fact he would prefer not to accept this challenge, however, his unique name wouldn't have it.
After all, a knight must never turn down a challenge.
As such, Adelard sighed, opened up his eyes and said in a calm , almost cold tone, "You do know by the rules of the school, asking for a duel basically means once I accept it, it officially begins."
"I don't really know that…." Blair caressed his dark hair, his brows, showcasing his confusion to the mentioned rule.
It was at that moment, without giving Blair a warning or a moment to react, Adelard shot out at him- his feet pierced through the air hurling towards Blair!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone