Chapter 57: Two plans
'F*ck!'
He continued cussing within his mind while running deeper into the forest. The sound of someone following behind him assured him that it was going to turn out fine.
The speed at which he was dashing along a straight path filled with obstacles was too fast for one to see. Yet his most reliable ally was keeping up with his speed.
'Fighting him head-on means our loss either way...'
He was very well aware that having a fight with the enemy they had come across held no chances of them winning. That didn't mean they should've given up. The possibility of them winning actually existed.
But that was far from happening at the moment since the two of them were occupied with putting a distance between them and their enemy.
The real motive they had come for had already been satisfied.
Making their escape after killing the numbers was the priority for the boy. He was already aware that it was an absurd gamble he had to take thanks to his siblings' careless actions.
Currently, that sister of his is matching her speed with his. The moment he shouted to run, she didn't hesitate, not even for a second. That's how deeply she trusted the boy.
"Oi, Castor! Are we going to keep on running?"
A nervous smile rose on Castor's lips upon hearing the words he was expecting. His eyeballs rolled on the right side, adjusting them to clearly see the blurred image of Pollux.
Her cheeks puffed up; Pollux was being grumpy. The hopes of having a head-on battle with Ace were all crushed when she heard Castor's voice a while ago.
They were currently jumping in a zigzag manner through the gaps of the tree trunks. The fog that had gotten a lot thicker was just adding to their troubles.
"Of course not...."
A smile made itself comfortable on his red lips, along with a little blood. The pressure Ace had put on their bodies had done a tiny bit of damage to Castor. Pollux was stronger compared to him.
Her eyes, filled with curiosity, continued to stare daggers at Castor. Every time he planned something, ninety percent chances of succeeding existed.
"This is a 'tactical retreat'."
The eyes, gleaming with a strange glow, had become dull upon hearing that. Pollux would've stopped her sprint if not for Castor's turning in the right direction.
They weren't going deeper into the elven forest but were trying to get out of there from another side. That was exactly what Castor's plan aimed for.
Though Castor called it a tactical retreat, he knew deep down that it was an unavoidable thing. There was no way they could've actually made it alive after clashing with Ace without any proper plan.
And above that, Castor had another thought on his mind. He coughed before speaking that out.
"I believe we've got our revenge fulfilled by killing the numbers."
There was no more reason for them to get involved in an unneeded fight. Ace's mission was bound to fail without having the numbers on his side.
They were indeed replaceable people, but that process in itself was too time-consuming. Getting approval from all of the permanent members of the 'trumps' was no easy task.
Since most members were always busy with their tasks, it would take a long period of time to go through procedures.
Pollux had already hit the bullseye when she decided to wipe out the numbers without even caring about the consequences. The power struggle within the 'trumps' would be making things even tougher for Ace.
There was no concrete evidence that the twins from the side of the "zodiacs" had interfered in his mission. If Castor and Pollux had decided to fight Ace, he would've been able to get his hands on some evidence.
But now that they had managed to escape, he had no way of doing that. His failure in itself would be a golden chance for Queen too.
"Fine. Fine. But next time..."
Pollux agreed with what Castor had said while trying to follow in his footsteps. There was indeed no need to delay their escape when they were unsure about their victory.
Among the probables, Ace was considered the worst member due to his inhumane methods. Fighting him head-on was no different than courting death.
Despite those facts, Pollux could feel her lips move outward unconsciously. The thrill she got from imagining an intense fight with Ace made her grin while bearing her fangs.
"WE WILL JUST KILL HIM!"
She shouted loudly while increasing her speed, leaving behind Castor. The exit of the forest was just near the spot. There wasn't anything for them to worry about since they couldn't sense Ace following them.
Gotten taken back by surprise, Ace missed his timing to catch up with the two. Or was it like that now...?
"It seems like your plans are still as accurate as ever..."
The shadows of the two figures were hazy in the midst of that foggy terrain. Surely, the experience they held made them sense each other's presence.
Ace's voice was filled with a sense of surprise. It was directed towards the person standing just behind him with his hands folded.
"Jack."
A smile crept on his barely visible lips while his gaze shifted towards 'Jack'. The light laughter followed that sentence.
'Knight' was a far better individual compared to these two people gathered here. 'King' and 'Queen' were indeed two scary people because of their abilities, but not more than Jack and Ace.
Even the strongest of the 'zodiacs' would agree with those statements. If Ace was the powerhouse of the 'probables', then Jack was the mastermind behind all of their schemes.
"They escaped successfully, I see."
His monotone voice had no hint of disappointment. Why would he be feeling downcast in that situation, though...?
Everything that had happened until then was part of the plan he had devised for Ace. Castor and Pollux were playing in the hands of these two the whole time.
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"Is your body fine...?"
His face shrivelled up as if he had tasted something bitter. The pain throughout his body was a result of doing two hundred push-ups in total.
The terror of physical training had been engraved in the mind of the man who happened to be sitting in one corner now. His eyes were simply staring at the air.
"Speak about yourself..."
The tiredness one could feel in the two's manner of speaking was surreal. Both of them were wearing a white shirt and black pants.
Jaden's was his own jacket, but Blaise had to borrow those clothes from an elf. That elf surely persisted in lending his outfit to him on the condition that Blaise would return it after washing.
Since that was a natural thing to ask of one, Blaise accepted it. He needed those clothes because, without them, entering sacred training grounds belonging to the elves was strictly prohibited.
It was a short time that the two had spent together, yet they were on good terms already. Jaden was a bit introverted compared to Blaise, but that didn't stop them from speaking casually.
Currently, the two of them were taking a rest in the absence of Adrienne. He had gone, saying that he needed to check on a few things.
The intensity of the exercises was too much for the two, who had never performed many of the physical activities. Even in his original world, Jaden had never tried to leave his room.
The only time he went out was when either he needed to buy packaged meals from the nearby convenience store or roamed around after getting bored by staying indoors.
"You think we can survive any more of this.. ?"
Blaise's pale face displayed the signs of total exhaustion and tiredness. Even at that moment, he was barely keeping his sanity from breaking down.
But Jaden was different compared to him. He tightened his fist, a glow infesting his eyes. The confidence in his gaze made Blaise shudder as lightly as ever.
"No. That question doesn't matter. I 'will' survive."
The sheer determination conveyed through his tone of speaking made Blaise feel ashamed of himself. He hadn't figured out much about Jaden's past or origins, but he knew what kind of person he was.
Since the first time he saw Jaden and Aliana at the birthday banquet, he had somewhat figured out what kind of individuals they were.
Jaden was precisely the type of person who would see things through to the end. Though he himself was unaware of this fact, a few other people had already noticed it.
"I see. Good luck with that."
Blaise smiled peacefully while stretching his arms up in the air. He could feel his back and arm muscles feeling a tingling sensation.
Those words were said by him for a certain reason. He slowly walked a bit further away from Jaden, trying to hide his nervousness.
There was no telling what would happen after what he was going to try. The bitter smile he had for himself made him swallow his own saliva.
"I'm calling it quits."
He walked out of the door without even observing Jaden's face. He was pretty sure that what he was doing was only a natural thing. After all, what kind of mage would wish to be physically strong?
The magic itself wasn't omnipotent, but it was an advantageous choice against some martial artists or sword users. Even archers and alike were of no match for mages.
Mages had four ranks for themselves: beginner, high, grand, and lastly, archmage. No one had currently managed to reach the level of an archmage.
Blaise was a grand mage who wouldn't lose a fight because of his unfathomable strength and knowledge. Swordmasters and people with similar powers to him were a different case, though.
Sword users were actually divided into five ranks. Out of which, three were known to Jaden. Novice user, followed by Veteran, and finally Swordmaster. Above that, there were two more ranks.
One of those was the height that Adrienne had achieved unknowingly. He wasn't even aware of the fact that he was a rank above the swordmaster.
The sword emperor was a rank given to individuals who had managed to see through the attacks of their foes. The condition applied that the person had atleast two years of actual battle experience.
Adrienne's talent was beyond great. He had managed to grasp such techniques at the moment he first wielded the sword. It didn't even take him a year to do that.
By the time he was seventeen, Adrienne had reached the rank of swordmaster. And after three more years of experience, he reached the rank of sword emperor.
Though he had no idea about that part, he estimated himself to be a swordmaster. That fact will be known to him in the future when he happens to face another swordmaster.
Sigh
"He ran away, huh..."
Jaden felt drained witnessing the empty place in front of him. It seemed like it was only him who would be going through a hell of a time soon.
He thought that he had finally managed to get a friend who would tag along with him when he needed it. The worlds they both lived in were completely different.
Blaise was the magic tower master, while Jaden was just a nobody. There was no telling what the future held for them both, but currently that is the case.
The way he stared at Adrienne, who had just walked out of the path in front of him, said that he wanted to rest a bit more. Sadly, that was far from possible.
"You've rested enough. Now swing this sword two hundred times."
The crazily annoying training session had just started. There was no way anyone would figure out what was going on at the edges of the elven forest, though.
The two people plotting something had started to move within the darkness of the forest. His crazy laughter made the other person feel the same entertaining emotion. Jack mumbled to himself.
"More two weeks to commence the plan."
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